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thequeenunitato · 4 years

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Okay so I don’t know if this has been done, but I have a fun little headcanon that makes me giggle and I wanna talk about, so here we go!

So it’s always kinda confused my that Aziraphale doesn’t fall, not that I want him to by any means, but he’s not a very good angel. He even admits that himself when he gets sent back to heaven after the summoning circle.

Listen, the man gives away his sword and straight up lies to God’s face like a week after being on earth. It seems to me that Gabriel and the other archangels don’t know, but are we really pretending She doesn’t? Not only does She Know All, he really is a terrible liar. I don’t think Gabriel picks up on it because he’s so far in his own head he just assumes this little pleb angel wouldn’t dare lie to him, but She isn’t so ignorant.

After his First Rebellion he continues to push it, talking to Crowley, sheltering him with his wing on top of the wall in full view of God, Satan, and the other angels/demons, and still, nothing, he’s still sitting pretty fully connected to God’s Grace with his nice white fluffy wings. So he pushes.

He starts holding his own little mini-rebellions, gluttony being a big one, as well as just in general being an incorrigible hedonist. He starts talking to Crowley more and more, going from occasional chance meetings, to starting a tentative friendship, and eventually to the Arrangement.

Note: I hear you saying Crowley was the one that started their relationship but are we pretending that the grouchy lil demon wanted anything to do with him in Rome? Oh no no no, the first step was always Aziraphale. He was the one to shelter Crowley, he was the one to hold up conversations [see: “Fancy seeing you here! ... well allow me to tempt you(to some oysters)!” and of course the “dear fellow” in King Arthur’s court] Personally I don’t think Crowley saw Zira as much more than a means to an end until much later. I’ll write another post on my thoughts on Crowley at some point but for now it’s meme time.

Now, I’d like to make two points.

One: After the sword, he takes a massive step back with his rebellions, but when they all go unpunished he gets bolder and bolder again as the years go on. Going from simply blending in, to enjoying human life, to being a glutton, to the arrangement, to befriending a demon, to lying to Head Office and so on.

Of course his final rebellion is definitely the biggest, there’s this absolutely brilliant post from @ilarual l that goes into more detail about just how amazing it is, but the TLDR is “Basically, Aziraphale backflips out of Heaven with both middle fingers in the air, and frankly I think it’s amazing.“

Two: He’s only ever concerned about what will happen to Crowley. How many times do we hear him say “it would destroy you”? [Talking about hell finding out about their Arrangement, the holy water, etc.] He’s so worried something will happen to Crowley but not to himself. Yeah sure you can read that as Crowley’s a demon and Zira thinks he’d be more concerned with his own self interest than he would be with what happens to an angel, you can read it as Zira’s so in love with him that the idea of a world where Crowley doesn’t exist is worse than one in which he dies himself, or you can read it as Aziraphale doesn’t think anything will happen to him.

Basically what I’m saying is Aziraphale doesn’t fall for the same reason his phone continues to work. For the same reason Crowley’s watch keeps time even though the batteries are long dead. Now this post right here (thank you @theniceandaccurategoodomensblog for your absolutely amazing analysis) goes into much more detail about how miracles work in the Good Omens universe, including covering how one must wholeheartedly believe something for it to work in an unconscious miracle without a shadow of a doubt in your mind.

Well, Aziraphale lied to Gods face, he’s been consorting with a demon for ~6000 years, he rebels against heaven, and lies to his superiors, and he still hasn’t fallen, so why should he think he would fall? He’s already done so many rebellious acts, why should it cross his mind that actively trying to stop the apocalypse and in the end being the one to do so, would be any worse than any of the other lines he’s crossed over the millennia?

TLDR; Aziraphale is Archer and he doesn’t think he can fall so unequivocally that he miracles it into existence, thank you for coming to my TEDtalk.

(Image source)

No, I don’t actually think this is at all the case, I don’t think this is how Zira thinks at all, and I don’t think this is why he doesn’t fall, but I do think it’s funny as hell to think about. I would like to draw your attention to this amazing explanation on Crowley’s fall by @anotherhappydinosaur because this is the explanation I truly believe, I think it’s beautifully written and very in line with the show and themes and characters, but this thought popped into my head and I’ve been laughing at it since so I wanted to share.

Note: If I miss-sourced or something didn’t link correctly please let me know, I want everyone to get credit where credit is due

#Headcanon #good omens #good omens meta #aziraphale #crowley's fall #anotherhappydinosaur #theniceandaccurategoodomensblog #ilarual #theyarerealtome #meta #meme #archer #personal #Alex Talks #not queue #good omens tv #tv aziraphale

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a-nice-and-interpretive-fanzine · 3 years

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I'm extremely late in posting this list! Honestly, it slipped my mind - I was so wrapped up in trying to finalize the zine that I forgot to post more promotional information. That's very silly and embarrassing because I'm so proud of all our wonderful contributors! They deserve to show off!

Click the "read more" for a text version of the list. I will tag some of them on Tumblr, if I know their URL.

AUTHORS:

False Premise, aka @theniceandaccurategoodomensblog archiveofourown.org/users/falsepremise

The_Ineffable_Zephyr, aka @tickety-boo-af archiveofourown.org/users/The_Ineffable_Zephyr

Whispy, aka @whispsofwind whispsofwind.tumblr.com

CaspianTheGeek twitter.com/CaspianTheGeek, archiveofourown.org/users/DemonicGeek/pseuds/CaspianTheGeek

Speedy, aka @on-stardust-wings archiveofourown.org/users/onstardustwings

Mad (or lime), aka @thelimegreenmachine thelimegreenmachine.tumblr.com

Zach badpixy.carrd.co, badpixy#2297 (Discord)

burnttongueontea, aka @aziraphale-rights aziraphale-rights.tumblr.com, archiveofourown.org/users/burnttongueontea

chaoticlivi, aka @ineffable-endearments archiveofourown.org/users/chaoticlivi

spoilthevines, aka @spoilthevines twitter.com/spoilthevines

ILLUSTRATORS:

Ceres, aka @ceres-049 ceres-049.tumblr.com

Oloreheri, aka @oloreheri twitter.com/Oloreheri, instagram.com/oloreheri

Crawly S. Nougat, aka @crawling-crawly https://bit.ly/crawlysnougart

Miel Petite, aka @mielpetite patreon.com/mielpetit, instagram.com/mielpetite

Erin O’Malley, aka @erinomalleyart instagram.com/erinomalley_art

Miakwat, @miakwat instagram.com/miakwat

Tarek Giver of Cookies, @tarekgiverofcookies tarekgiverofcookies.tumblr.com

Augenblickgotter (Inkibus) instagram.com/inkibus_art, archiveofourown.org/users/Augenblickgotter

Tyrograph, @tyrograph instagram.com/tyrographic

chaoticlivi, aka @ineffable-endearments ineffable-endearments.tumblr.com, archiveofourown.org/users/chaoticlivi

Isberg Illustration, @isbergillustration www.isbergillustration.com, instagram.com/isbergillustration

Sleepymccoy, @sleepymccoy patreon.com/shannonroseillustration

#good omens #good omens fanzine #ineffable husbands #ineffable partners #ineffable spouses #fanzine #good omens fanart #good omens zine

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angel-and-serpent · 3 years

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Take Me Off Your Calling List

Rated: T. Words: 714

There is the belief that among those that practise black magic that demons can be bound to do the bidding of those that are knowledgeable and powerful enough to control them. The ancient texts describe rituals involving blood, obscure symbols and chants, and unholy acts of sacrifice done in the name of their Dark Lord. These demons can be called upon to do the work of Men in exchange for their eternal souls.

However, nobody has stopped to ask what the demons think of this arrangement. Are they busy that evening? Is this maybe below the demon's pay grade, or interests? Is all this really necessary? Have the humans thought about being less petty? Have they thought of a less damning way to solve their problems? After all, Hell is getting pretty crowded at this point.

All these questions and more were up for consideration the night a cult summoned a London-based demon.

"Yeah, I get that Blood Moons don't come along every day," he told them with irritation, "but the husband isn't having it. We've got tickets to the theatre tonight, and he's been waiting for this one."

The cultists looked around the circle at one another in confusion.

One of them tried to regain control of the situation, crying out in a commanding tone, "Silence, Fallen One! You will submit to our will, and you will heed our call this night!"

"I don't cock-block you, Karen," he shot back. "I've put a lot of effort into getting tonight perfect!"

"Oi, we've also put a lot of effort into all this!" a different cultist retorted indignantly, getting huffy. There were murmurs of agreements amongst the others. "I had to get a babysitter!"

The demon groaned and slumped dramatically. "Right!" he growled, "S'get this done quickly. List !" and repeatedly snapped his fingers impatiently until someone tentatively handed him a sheet of paper over the perimeter of the circle. He snatched it from their fingers and read over it, mumbling to himself and going back and forth between cocking his brow and furrowing them.

After a moment of consideration, he finally said, "I've had a look over this list of yours, and really ? Has it occurred to you that maybe you're a sad pack of arseholes who got what was coming to you. Something to think about." He pointed to an item on the list, "I mean, 'Punish neighbours for letting their dog make mess of our lawn'? 'Susan from HR keeps stealing my lunch from the office fridge'? 'Couple across the street are using our bins at night'? 'Sister-in-law was rude to me at Christmas party'?" He lowered the page with a weary grimace. "Maybe instead of getting someone else to deal with your nonsense, you get some imagination and learn to solve your own problems!" The demon was clearly unimpressed. "Neighbours let the dog take a shit on your lawn? Pick it up in one of those little bag thingies and put it in their mailbox! Susan keeps stealing your lunch? Make a laxative and cat food sandwich and leave it for her. Give the sister-in-law's kids the noisiest, most obnoxious toys. As for your bins - might I suggest buying a blessed lock ?" He dropped the paper in disgust, which promptly curled up in flames.

"There. Problems' sorted. 'M done here," he sniffed and readjusted his jacket. "It's been dull , but I've places to be. The hubby gets 'tetchy' if he doesn't get a pre-show meal in. So if you don't mind…?"

The cultists shuffled their feet, looking as sheepish as one can from under hooded ceremonial robes. They shrugged and nodded their heads. "Alright," one mumbled and conceded. "Sorry." There were fellow echoes of apologies around the circle, as well as a couple of well wishes to enjoy his evening, and to apologise to his waiting husband. They began the ancient chants to dismiss the subject of their summoning.

As the demon was about to depart from the circle, enveloped in his element of fire and flames, he casually told them, "And unsubscribe me from your demonic calling list in future. Or else."

"...Or else what?" one of them asked curiously.

"Or else I'll be sending my husband over next time. And you do not want to see him when he's wrathful . Ciao!"

* * * * * * * *

Thank you to my friends @aethelflaedladyofmercia for the title and being my beta, @theniceandaccurategoodomensblog and O Lord Heal This Server on Discord for encouraging me to write something a bit longer again.

Available on ao3. Kudos appreciated!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28000347

#good omens #ineffable husbands #crowley #anthony janthony crowley #good omens fanfic #good omens fanfiction #good omens fan fiction #cultists #demon summoning #demon crowley #Crowley is whipped #and so done with this bullshit #summoning #o lord heal this server #my writing

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theyarerealtome · 4 years

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Aziraphale and his commitment to stopping the war

I want to talk about how dedicated Aziraphale is to saving the world. Because despite his initial reluctance, the moment Aziraphale agrees to prevent Armageddon – that is his top priority.

One of Aziraphale’s defining characteristics is his commitment. While Crowley is notable for changing (his clothes, hair, gender, name, species) and for questioning (Heaven, Hell, the Almighty, Satan); Aziraphale is notable for sticking with things (with angels, books, clothes, hair, ultimately Earth & a certain demon). That loyalty is why it takes him so long to turn against Heaven.

Yes, Aziraphale’s arc is learning to question* and break that blind loyalty…but his commitment and faith aren’t portrayed as inherently bad things, they’re also vital to stopping Armageddon.

(*Well it’s more admitting his questions tbh, because that rebellious angel been quietly doubting since Eden).

Once Aziraphale’s aboard the Antichrist plan, he’s not just following Crowley’s lead – he’s pushing forward of his own volition. When they discover they have the wrong boy, Aziraphale doesn’t shrug and go “we tried, back to Heaven with me” the way you’d expect an initially reluctant conscript to – he keeps trying.

He’s the one who suggests going to Warlock’s birthday party, he comes up with hospital idea, he proposes using other humans to find Adam and offers his agents. At the end of it all, he produces the winning ‘Great plan’ argument and rallies against Satan when Crowley wavers.

Caveat: “It’s the Great Plan Crowley” – his lies to Crowley and himself.

Of course, where Aziraphale seems to falter (breaking all our hearts in the process) is that goddamn bandstand scene – “There is no our side.”

But like, even when Aziraphale appears to be giving up and supporting the war….he really isn’t. While he’s loudly preaching about the great plan out front; in the back he’s tracking down Adam and appealing to Heaven to stop things. Aziraphale’s commitment doesn’t change, but he employs different tactics when he realises the original Antichrist plan has failed, and he’s scared and he pushes Crowley away.

Of course, lying to Crowley and trusting Heaven was wilfully misguided. And he realises that.

But that brings me to the biggest point –

When finally faced with Heaven or humanity Aziraphale doesn’t hesitate

Aziraphale spends so much of the series convincing himself he can save humanity with Heaven, can stay loyal to his superiors and to earth, and his two belief systems will line up neatly.

And it takes him so, so long – literally from the voice of God itself – to realise that’s wrong.

This post talks about moment with Metatron when Aziraphale realises Heaven (and he thinks God) does want the war . And fuck, it’s heartbreaking.

What’s noticeable from then on though? There’s never any deliberation on Aziraphale’s part about supporting Heaven. There’s no “oh maybe the Almighty is right,” “maybe I should join the other angels,” “well, if everyone else agrees, maybe I’m in the wrong.” He throws aside his previous dithering and doubts.

If Heaven doesn’t agree with him on saving Earth, then that is it.

When he realises he can’t have both; it’s the world or Heaven – he goes with humanity. Without flinching. Without hesitation. Because that’s been his priority since he and Crowley shook on it eleven years ago.

Mere minutes after facing the truth, Aziraphale rejects Heaven in the most badass way possible, complete with yelling at other angels and possessing people.

There’s a great meta from @ilarual about just how ballsy Aziraphale’s rebellion against Heaven was, and about how he finally let loose all the doubts he’d been supressing for 6000 years. To quote:

Basically, Aziraphale backflips out of Heaven with both middle fingers in the air, and frankly I think it’s amazing.

In comparison to Crowley

Now obviously Crowley is also committed to saving humanity. Obviously. He came up with the original Antichrist plan, pleads with God over everything, argues with Aziraphale and drove through literal fire.

(And Crowley doesn’t hesitate either – his instant reaction to the Antichrist is pure horror and it takes him less than a car ride to be on the phone to Aziraphale and concocting his thwarting scheme).

However, from when they discover they have the wrong child, Crowley is making back-up plans. He’s ready to run away to Alpha Centuari and leave humanity to it.

Partly that’s because, unlike Aziraphale, he doesn’t have the information about Adam – but Crowley was flagging before that.

On route to Tadfield, its Aziraphale offering suggestions to find the Antichrist and Crowley blocking him. (“And then what? And then what?”). After the convent visit failed, Crowley’s basically sulking over Aziraphale’s ideas – which Aziraphale does not stand for a minute tbh. (“Do you have a better idea? A single better idea?”) And even later on its Aziraphale, not Crowley, who commits to killing Adam.

To be clear, I am in no way judging Crowley for doubting they’d succeed and planning to run. He’s not obliged to help Earth, the fact he even tried was incredibly selfless. There’s a brilliant piece from @theniceandaccurategoodomensblog on how much Crowley was risking to stop Armageddon and how his escape plan was justified.

Him preventing the war was always against Hell’s plans and put him in the line of fire, whereas Heaven at least pretended to support Aziraphale efforts.

Plus, Crowley was right in knowing that the two of them were on their own and not to trust Heaven, which Aziraphale didn’t get. Crowley benefits from Aziraphale’s will & determination, while Aziraphale benefits from Crowley clear-eyed view of the world.

In the end

Ofc Aziraphale and his steadfastness and the importance of all that, culminates when Satan storms onto the scene.

Because when Crowley does falter (“we are fucked”), it’s Aziraphale’s determination that keeps them going (“We can’t give up now.”) Because, just to say it again – when Aziraphale commits to something he commits.

It’s this incredible full circle moment from Crowley persuading Aziraphale to stop the Antichrist, to Aziraphale pushing Crowley to stand against Satan. And fuck, that’s beautiful.

And now, post-series, now Aziraphale has abandoned Heaven, he’s 100% going to put his trademark commitment and dedication and devotion into his new side. His side with Crowley.

Tldr: While Crowley was the one who initially persuaded Aziraphale, from then on saving humanity was Aziraphale’s top priority: Even while he denied it, even over Heaven, even to the point of encouraging Crowley. Because Aziraphale loves and commits with everything in him – and that saved the world.

#aziraphale meta #good omens meta #crowley meta #that was a long rant #basically a let's appreciate Aziraphale rant

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aethelflaedladyofmercia · 4 years

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Of Aliens and Alpha Centauri: Space in Good Omens (1/3)

. So just yesterday, in one of the many discussions of Alpha Centauri and the practicality of our two favorite disasters running off together, @theniceandaccurategoodomensblog raised the perfectly valid question: “Why are we assuming there are no aliens?” And I said I had a lot of thoughts on the subject. This meta is the result of those thoughts and questions.

Broadly, the question of whether or not there would be aliens comes down to “what is the purpose of all that space in the Good Omens universe?” Everything we see is focused on Earth and the creation and destruction thereof, which, when you consider the scale of the whole universe, is really not that Big a story at all.

But the treatment of space is a little different depending on which version you use as your source material. If you try to combine the book and the TV show, you get some contradictions.

So I’m going to tackle each separately, starting with the book below the break, pulling together all my observations and thoughts on What does Good Omens really have to say about space?

I’m not going to do this on a strict schedule, but I have three parts planned and will post them as I find the time to write them!

(Source: I’m a huge sci-fi nut and think way too hard about everything, but I’m not any kind of expert. Other insights and comments are 10000% welcome.)

Good Omens Book

The book has, perhaps, the simplest approach to space: it’s barely mentioned.

For those unfamiliar, there is no mention of Alpha Centauri, or running away, or Crowley helping create stars/nebulae/whatever it is he made. Unless I missed one, all references to space in the book are:

The Earth is a Libra (p.17)

Crowley’s amazing drunken rant about the bird and the spaceship (p.54-57)

Adam and The Them talking about aliens and how aliens are now all about peace and harmony and being some kinda space cops “They all have this bright blue light around ‘em and go around doing good. Sort of g’lactic policemen, going round tellin’ everyone to live in universal harmony and stuff” (p. 156, part of a slightly longer discussion)

Newt meeting aliens who talk about peace and harmony while being some kinda space cops (p. 197-199)

That’s it; Crowley (then Crawly) doesn’t even ask about putting the Tree on the Moon, the line is instead “why not put it on top of a high mountain or a long way off?” (p.10).

Just because it’s simple, however, doesn’t mean we can’t learn a great deal.

Humanity has watched the stars for all of our history; they can be used to navigate, to tell time; the constellations are used to record stories; astrology attempts to make sense of the chaos of everyday life through the motions of heavenly bodies. The motions of the stars and planets has been calculated and recorded for as long as we’ve had enough knowledge of math to do that (so ancient Sumeria and Egypt, and by ancient I mean 4-5 thousand years ago), while less predictable events such as eclipses and comets have been taken as ill omens or signs of Heavenly disfavor.*

The prevailing model in the West was geocentric (Earth in the center) and contained what we call the “Heavenly Spheres”; Earth was a globe surrounded by clear layered spheres, and across each sphere one of the seven planets moved in its predictable track. (The seven planets were: The sun, the moon, Mars, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn - a planet being defined as a “wandering heavenly body that does not follow the fixed course of all the other stars”). Beyond all these was the final sphere, containing all the stars like a painted ceiling, and all moving together, rotating around a point near Polaris, the North Star.

The stars were predictable, but mysterious, unexplainable - but they existed to serve the story of mankind because why else would they exist?

This mindset carries into Good Omens - at least the book, and probably the Radio Drama as well (I haven’t heard it in ages, but I don’t think it deviated from the major points). The universe is vast and huge and filled with “loads of buggerall” (p. 56) - Aziraphale’s comments confirm that, at the very least, angels and demons are confident that the universe is a vast vacuum (matching our modern ideas of cosmology) and also that it has a physical end somewhere (due to the way space-time curves, this might not necessarily be the case).**

And yet.

All these vast loads of burgerall are slated to be destroyed along with the Earth, aren’t they?

It certainly seems they were created at the same time. We know that there had only been “rather more than seven” days as of the start of the book, and that “rain hadn’t been invented yet” (p. 9). The language suggests not only that Earth is a new thing, but that there isn’t another planet out there that already experienced days and rain. Crowley, at least, believes that God created the whole universe (p. 373) and there seems nothing in the book to contradict this.

As for Armeggedon, it’s referenced as the “final test” and as “testing everything to destruction” and so forth (p. 48). At the final showdown on the airbase, Metatron refers to the great plan of a world lasting six thousand years (p. 352), and again this could refer to Earth only, or it could be the universe as a whole. In fact, as a general rule, the book simply conflates the earth and the universe, as if they were the same thing. And they are. Much like in the more Medieval and Classical worldview outlined above, there could be lots of stars and things out there but they only serve as a backdrop to the real important things going on here on Earth. Everything was created at the same time, and the only reason it might not be destroyed all at once is if the winning side decides they like the view and want to keep it.

The only hint that there might be more to the universe than Heaven, Hell and the little stage for their cold war (Earth) is the appearance of the aliens to Newt.

And yet, what are they described as? One is “stubby and green,” the one that talks to Newt is “a yellow toad dressed in kitchen foil...wearing the kind of mirror-finished sunglasses that Newt had always thought of as Cool Hand Luke shades” and the third is “a pepper pot.”

Two aliens as designed by a child, one clearly doing some vague Space Cop look, and a Dalek. The ship itself “looked like every cartoon of a flying saucer Newt had ever seen” (p. 197). I never ever got the impression these aliens were anything other than figments summoned from Adam’s head, spouting buzzwords he’d seen in New Aquarian (acid rain, albedo, polar ice caps) while acting like cops do in movies. And their message “We give you a message of universal peace and cosmic harmony an’ suchlike” (p. 198) - the “an’” instead of “and” is one of the distinguishing marks of how Adam and The Them talk. This is another one of his stories and games, played out on a much wider scale.***

My primary conclusion here would be that aliens cannot exist in the Book!Omens universe. The universe is the backdrop, Earth is where the real drama plays out. The universe has only existed for 6,000 years, not nearly enough time for other life to have evolved separately. God could have created life on the other worlds, but there is no indication that this ever happened, that there are other playgrounds on which this fight is being acted out - Crowley and Aziraphale never even consider the possibility that they’ll be reassigned elsewhere. It’s Earth, and then eternity in Head Office, no other options.

Book Omens: Other Possibilities?

I do think there is one alternative possible for Book!Omens: if we are willing to throw away the strictly supernatural elements of the book, it could be re-envisioned as a sci-fi story, in which God, angels, and demons are actually super-dimensional aliens who, by Clark’s Third Law, are sufficiently advanced to be indistinguishable from actual angels and demons. I refer to this as the Stargate Interpretation.****

More accurately, God would have to be the super-dimensional being, and would have created the Earth as a place to let the story play out; the angels and demons are then direct creations who buy 100% into the narrative they are given. Everything else can still exist - Lucifer rebels because of the same reasons, takes along all the unsatisfied angels, Heaven and Hell are only concerned with Earth because that’s all they’ve been told to concern themselves with. Their afterlives exist still, but only because humans were created to fit into that system.

Meanwhile, literally anything could be going on in the rest of the universe. There could be alien races thousands of years older than the earth. There could be galactic empires. Who knows? Not people on Earth. Our world was isolated from all that by superdimensional shenanigans.

But, and this is important, in order to maintain the illusion, angels and demons must be kept as much in ignorance of all this as humans. Might lead you to question the power of the being with the Ineffable Plans if those plans only extend to the edge of the solar system and don’t even go particularly far back in time.

Now, do I think this is the best headcanon for the book? Nope. This is a supernatural story, the threat of Heaven and Hell is so looming and menacing because there’s no other force out there, nowhere to appeal except the “higher authority” that isn’t, apparently, listening, and there’s no option to escape just by relocating to a new world. I think trying to force the Stargate Interpretation on it would diminish the story, and I really don’t think it’s what the authors intended at all.

However, I also think this would make for a very interesting fanfic in the hands of the right writer. Book Aziraphale or Crowley suddenly discovering that the scope of Head Office’s powers is much more limited than they’d thought? Who knows about this - have the Archangels and Lords of Hell been covering this up to keep the lower-level angels and demons from rebelling? Would their “miraculous” powers still operate the same on these alien worlds? Are there other beings out there more powerful? Or going the other direction - are there other worlds also playing out their own little pantomime of Eden and Armageddon? Are they created by the same God, or other members of the same race, and what are the implications either way? Does each world have an Aziraphale and a Crowley, or is the main GO world the first to screw up the Apocalypse so badly they survive it - and what is the implication of that?

There’s a whole lot of scope for interesting AUs out of this, and I’d be rather surprised if no one has written any, seeing as the book came out thirty years ago. (If any are available on AO3, send us links - this sounds a bit niche, but I’d love for fans to be able to find these!) I would consider them AUs though; the default assumption of the book is no aliens and including them is a deviation, just as adding in Hogwarts or Charles Xavier’s school while keeping everything else the same is a deviation.

However, in the TV series, space is certainly more present in the narrative, and the Stargate Interpretation doesn’t work as well. Can we reach any clear conclusions? I’ll attempt to find out in my next meta!

(Too important to footnote: We know that Atlantis vanished (p.372) so most likely Adam’s aliens did as well. There is, still, the possibility that they continued to exist after the end of the world. I think their somewhat shoddy appearance and very cliched dialogue suggest the aliens would, at best, continue to cycle through similar interactions to what we saw with Newt until Adam either “deactivated” or “updated” them. What would they do then? Did he create entire races and homeworlds for them or - as I rather suspect - did he just make the one ship full and then move on to the next?)

-- Footnotes --

*Note: the math for predicting eclipses has also existed for thousands of years, but was more difficult for ancient cultures to confirm because only a fraction of eclipses are visible from a certain spot. Several ancient cultures were eventually able to work out the pattern, notably ones that either ruled over a lot of land or else had good information exchange with their neighbors. Comets took a LOT longer, and indeed as late as the 16th century many believed each comet was unique and traveled linearly through the solar system, never to return. Edmond Halley (working partly from observations by Isaac Newton) was able to demonstrate that comets did in fact orbit the sun, and predicted the return of the comet now named for him in 1758. He also was the first to observe and describe the proper motion of stars, that is, the fact that they don’t actually travel in one large fixed group.

**Also, I find it delightful that, along with thinking dolphins are fish, Aziraphale says the bird crossing the universe would need a generation starship - which as a sci-fi trope has been somewhat out of fashion since the 1970s, in favor of faster-than-light starships. This alone says volumes about his taste in literature and science.

***The fact that the alien refers to its own message as “one of them pheonomena” (p.198) - a term Shadwell uses - does suggest that Newt’s own imagination is filling in the gaps left by Adam.

****Just gonna go ahead and out myself as a lifelong Stargate fan don’t mind me. That said, Terry Pratchett also explores a world made in this style in his pre-Discworld novel, Strata, which contains a flat world in a sci-fi setting, where everything operates according to a medieval worldview. It is a fascinating read, not least for the inclusion of several elements that would later find a permanent home in the Discworld series. If you can find it, read it.

tagging the commenters who said yesterday they would be interested:

@sarahthecoat @ineffableove @akawestruck

#good omens #book good omens #book omens #good omens meta #good omens book #space #alpha centauri #aliens #stargate #of aliens and alpha centauri #sci-fi #i knew this was going to be a weird meta

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