What aunt_zelda Thinks: Good Omens

[aunt_zelda]

Oh my GOD ... favorite book status officially achieved!
Not only is it a fantastic, hilarious, clever novel about a (shippable) demon and angel trying to avert the apocalypse, penned by a dream team, it lasted me a good two-and-a-half days whilst I was busy going to rehearsals for The Winter's Tale. No mean feat.

If you haven't read it already, go out and BUY the book. I'm serious.

I'm not sure what was funnier: the houseplants, Crowley's car, the sword, Newt's car, or the Spanish Inquisition. (I laughed for a good three minutes when DEATH showed up. I KNOW he wasn't the Discworld DEATH, but he sure seemed an awful lot like him for a while there ...) And on top of that, I have the sneaking suspicion that I'll have to re-read it a couple dozen times to get all the jokes. ('Cause I'm a stupid American, after all ... *sighs* that was the only bit I didn't like: the stabs at Americans. Is that REALLY how we appear to the English? Is this boorish image the English have of us because we dumped some stupid tea into the Boston Bay? We cleaned up the ship afterwards!)

The debate currently going on inside my head is not whether Crowley and Aziraphale are slashible (I'm mostly-convinced that they're canon, actually ...) but about one of my Crazy Awesome Insane theories ...

Whacky aunt_zelda Theory: Crowley and Aziraphale are allegories of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, respectively.
Before you start booing and throwing shoes and de-friending me for fear I'll start WRITING that (I think we all learned a valuable lesson about RPS two weeks ago ...) let me propose some questions:
1) Is the above Theory widely acknowledged in fandom, or has it at least been stated before?
2) Am I criminally insane?
3) Have you read the authors' bits about each other at the end of the book?
4) Should I shut up now?

Comments

[greyelveneyes.livejournal.com]

!!!!!!!!!!

OMG!! I'M TOTALLY READING Good Omens RIGHT NOW!! (I've gotten about halfway through it so far, and I can NOT put it down!!!) :DDD

And from what I've read so far, I think Crowley/Aziraphale is canon!

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

WOW! What a crazy random happenstance! *giggles*

(I've gotten about halfway through it so far, and I can NOT put it down!!!) :DDD
Neither could I! (Which wasn't good, as I was nearly late for my cue, and as I have the first line in that scene, it would have been awkward. Almost as bad as the time I was reading some Doctor/Master downstairs in the Green Room on an ancient computer, and was summarily late for my entrance and had to leap onstage all conspicuously. It was a rehearsal, but still: SHAME!)

General consensus seems to be that Crowley/Aziraphale IS canon. This is such a refreshing thing for me ...

[yo-mawari.livejournal.com]

*is in complete agreement* Good Omens is my favorite book of all time and, yeah, you do pick up stuff the second/third time through.

Crowley/Aziraphale = ♥

I've actually seen that idea done in fic once (and loved it)! I think the site it was on crashed, but I have a copy saved to my harddrive if you want it. Other than that one fic, I haven't seen it anywhere else in the fandom (which is a shame).

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

yeah, you do pick up stuff the second/third time through.
Ah, I suspected as much! *eagerly looks forward to those next reads*

Crowley/Aziraphale = ♥
Hellz yeah! (Heh heh ...)

I would definitely want that fic!

Other than that one fic, I haven't seen it anywhere else in the fandom (which is a shame).
Yes, because, well ... it just HIT ME when I was reading the bits in the back where they talked about each other, and Terry's hat fetish, and all of the sudden I thought "Hey ... Terry is Aziraphale and Crowley is Neil and OH MY GOD I CANNOT WRITE OR READ ANY FANFIC OF THOSE TWO EVER OH NOES!!!"
But, yes, um ... do you want my e-mail or will you message it to me or what?

[yo-mawari.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and there's a site online that explains all the British references/jokes that was very helpful too (I was a little addicted to this novel for a while, lol).

I just sent it you (I still have your e-mail from when I was beta-ing your Doctor Who fic. [BTW, what happened to that?]).

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

Oooo, thanks muchly!

(I still have your e-mail from when I was beta-ing your Doctor Who fic. [BTW, what happened to that?]).
Ah, ha ha ... *blushes* Well, we WERE working on it, then THINGS came up for me in RL (a play, intense essay writing, people drama) then phoenixjustice's computer broke and she's been working on getting it back online for a while now.
I still want to work on it, it's got a really cool layout and plan and stuff, but this may be a 'years in the making' thing.

[angary.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you love the book! I think it's awesome and you just reminded me that I should re-read it when I get a hold of my copy again. Aziraphale and Crowley are <3

If you're interested in reading A/C fic, here's a fantastic slashy drabble of them that I think you might like.

1) I haven't really checked out the fandom, but I'm sure if you search for "Good Omens" in the Interest bar you'll find at least a comm or two.
2) Nope. I think your theory is awesome, though I never actually considered it myself
3) Yes, and I remember being really amused as I read them, but it's been so long that, again, I really need to read through my book a second time.
4) Definitely not! I think you have something, there.

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

Aziraphale and Crowley are <3
Oh yeah! I spent almost all day finding and faving fanart of them on deviantart.

Thank you for leading me to my first ever Crowley/Aziraphale fic! And, subsequently, to a community where I spent most of the morning!

4) Definitely not! I think you have something, there.
Oh dear ... it would have been simpler being crazy, now I'll have to think about this and maybe even write some fic. No, no no! You saw nothing!

[dicaxscriptor.livejournal.com]

Best. Book. EVER. And oh my Someone, yes, Crowley and Aziraphale are fantastically slashable. I, too, am American, and it took me a LONG time to get all the jokes, haha. Actually, your theory kind of makes sense - I remember reading something about that somewhere. But I can't recall where. Ack, I'll try to find it again.

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

Best. Book. EVER. And oh my Someone, yes, Crowley and Aziraphale are fantastically slashable.
Hellz yes to both of those statements!

I, too, am American, and it took me a LONG time to get all the jokes, haha.
I can't wait to read it again!

Actually, your theory kind of makes sense - I remember reading something about that somewhere. But I can't recall where. Ack, I'll try to find it again.
Most appriciative if you could ... I'll likely forget, get sucked back into Shakespeare or the Dresden Files for too long, or get frustrated with google for not picking anything up.

[emeriin.livejournal.com]

('Cause I'm a stupid American, after all ... *sighs* that was the only bit I didn't like: the stabs at Americans. Is that REALLY how we appear to the English? Is this boorish image the English have of us because we dumped some stupid tea into the Boston Bay? We cleaned up the ship afterwards!)

While I can't speak for the book (I'm getting round to read it, I promise!), I can probably speak for the UK, seeing as how I live here and all. ;) I think it's actually George W. Bush's fault, personally. He's thought of as a complete and utter right-wing moron and that spreads to the people underneath him. Hopefully, with Obama, that will change. :)

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

While I can't speak for the book (I'm getting round to read it, I promise!)
YOU MUST! O-M-G!!!

Thing is, the book was written before Dubya. *sighs* Ah well.

He's thought of as a complete and utter right-wing moron and that spreads to the people underneath him.
He is. Most of us Americans, however, aren't.
It's like the whole Furry thing, right? (Let me explain.) There's all kinds of Furries, but the ones who get the most attention are the 'weird' ones who cause all the scandals and stuff. That's what America's like: the Evangelicals get all the attention, but a large portion of us don't give a damn about them, and some of us really, really disagree with them.

[emeriin.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know all that now. It's like with everything, really. With the internet, you can only see the trolls. With furries, you can only see the ones with the strange fetishes and always complain when they see a joke. With America, you can see the people like Fred Phelps and Jack Thompson and with the UK, you can only see the chavs and the fat guys on holiday. It gets annoying after a while.

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

Yeah, well, the good thing about the internet is being able to weed through the initial assumptions about a group/clan/country and find out that, hey, there's a girl in Israel who writes Mylar, and whoa, I've been chatting with a girl from Indonesia for the past couple of weeks about Doctor Who!
At least, that's how I see it. The internet is for porn getting to know people you wouldn't ever get to meet in RL.

[emeriin.livejournal.com]

And I met my girlfriend about four years ago on a cuddly Moulin Rouge forum that she owned. <3 So I know better than anyone how aweome the Netz can be. :)

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

Awwwwww, that's so cool!

[prettyarbitrary.livejournal.com]

Well, it was written pre-Bush. I think it might've come out in the early Clinton years, actually. Early to mid-90s? Maybe mid to late 90s. At any rate, I read it my first year of college, and that was 1997.

[hyarrowen.livejournal.com]

Time I re-read it! *investigates bookshelves*

Yes, Crowley and Aziraphale are hugely slashable. There's also some decent gen and pre-slash over at the Pit - I'll send links if I can find them.

I hadn't come across the Pratchett/Gaiman theory! *boggles* But Terry Pratchett's suffering from early-onset Alzheimer's now. Poor, poor guy.

As for the Americans thing... well, yeah... the English are not nice people, but then nice people tend to get obliterated... And you should hear what the English say about the Australians and vice-versa, especially when the Ashes cricket series is on, like now!

The Commonwealth has been described as a family of nations but we spend most of our time having family quarrels.

/Englishwoman living in Australia, responsible for a good deal of winding-up herself

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

Yes, Crowley and Aziraphale are hugely slashable. There's also some decent gen and pre-slash over at the Pit - I'll send links if I can find them.
Thanks muchly! (Heh heh, that's the first time I've heard someone use 'the Pit' in conversation ...)


I hadn't come across the Pratchett/Gaiman theory! *boggles*

But Terry Pratchett's suffering from early-onset Alzheimer's now. Poor, poor guy.
*wibbles* I know! I can't begin to express how AWFUL that is (but, knowing me, I'll try:)
1) ANYONE getting Alzheimer's AT ALL is awful, especially early-onset.
2) TERRY PRATCHETT, creator of the Discworld, getting it.
3) To an author, loosing your mind is about the worst thing EVER that can happen to you. (I know, being an aspiring author.) That's, like, my worst fear. Ever.

As for the Americans thing... well, yeah... the English are not nice people, but then nice people tend to get obliterated... And you should hear what the English say about the Australians and vice-versa, especially when the Ashes cricket series is on, like now!
But Australians are so nice! (Well, at least, that's a stereotype that seems to apply to the Australians I've met and have talked with online.)
And hey, Australia got settled by the British because America kicked them out, and they needed somewhere to dump their prisoners. So again, something that's America's fault. (I hear Australia's AWESOME, though ...)

The Commonwealth has been described as a family of nations but we spend most of our time having family quarrels.
Heh ... that sounds fun, in a weird sort of way.

/Englishwoman living in Australia, responsible for a good deal of winding-up herself
Oh, don't worry. On the whole I still think that anything or anyone who hails from England is awesome. Unless they're making fun of me personally.

[hyarrowen.livejournal.com]

I’m a vole, and I’m proud!

But it turns out they weren’t at the Pit (it’s been a couple of years, heh.) Here are the authors and titles (sorry, brain’s packed in or I’d find the links)

James Walkswithwind: I Walk among the Shadows
Daegaer: Going Home
Daegaer: Bright with his Splendour

Couple of mildly derogatory references to Americans, but one of them is to ‘The President’ but doesn’t specify which one, so I guess you can take your pick! And there’s another mildly derogatory reference to Australians, which as an adoptive Australian I should find irritating, but since they clobbered England in the last cricket match I reckon they deserve it!!!

There’s also a recs community here: http://community.livejournal.com/goodrecs/profile

Terry Pratchett was knighted this year, which I suppose would make him feel slightly better about things.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7804693.stm

[prettyarbitrary.livejournal.com]

I LOVE THAT BOOK. I make it a policy to keep two copies, because invariably, when I lend one out, it doesn't come back. And I'm okay with that, because the whole world should know its goodness.

I agree that Crowley and Aziraphale are all but an item. Not so sure about them being allegories for the writers, though. They don't really seem to represent them much--especially not the way the two of them seem to see themselves, based on their blogs and interviews. However!

1: Not so much.

2: Yes! XD

3: Okay, point.

4: M'dear, doesn't matter if it's cracked. That's half the fun!

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

I LOVE THAT BOOK. I make it a policy to keep two copies, because invariably, when I lend one out, it doesn't come back. And I'm okay with that, because the whole world should know its goodness.
I should probably invest in two copies as well, for that very purpose ...

I agree that Crowley and Aziraphale are all but an item.
At this point, I don't think anyone's disputing that.

Not so sure about them being allegories for the writers, though. They don't really seem to represent them much--especially not the way the two of them seem to see themselves, based on their blogs and interviews.
I know but ... the bits at the end of the book, about each other, really sold me on this. I'm very, very strange. Have you noticed?

2: Yes! XD
Gee, thanks!

3: Okay, point.
Heh heh heh ...

[tessykins.livejournal.com]

YAY! I love this book and have for years. My copy is so worn out. It is the awesomest thing since... I don't know, the awesomest thing ever.

I'm actually writing a BigBang crossover between Good Omens and Supernatural.

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

My book is going to get so worn out. I can't wait to start repairing it with tape!

It is the awesomest thing since... I don't know, the awesomest thing ever.
Indeed!

I'm actually writing a BigBang crossover between Good Omens and Supernatural.
Ooooooo! (I'm getting so excited. You AND emeriin are writing BigBang fics. *squees*)

[tessykins.livejournal.com]

I really should repair mine.

Oh god, it's a lot more work than I was expecting.

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

*pats you* There there, I have faith in you!

(Have some cake icon to regain your creative strength!)

[tessykins.livejournal.com]

Yay cake! But actually, it's now neither a BigBang or a crossover, dammit. Now it's just an epic Supernatural fic.

[capesofwrath.livejournal.com]

This has nothing to do with anything, but I'm half watching the Assasination of Jesse James, and wow, there's a lot of gay. I mean, come ON.

I fucking love Good Omens. Oh my god. I'm so glad that I read it. It's hilarious and awesome and definitely got me hooked on Neil Gaiman (who is so awesome).

Ah, Crowley's car. So funny. All tapes turn into Queen in the end.

Crowley and Aziraphale are completely slashable. They spend all of their time antagonizing each other and meeting in parks to feed ducks. Very cute.

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

I need to watch that movie ... I've heard it's loaded with slash. (Those bank robbers, I tell ya ...)

I think Stardust is where I started with Neil Gaiman. Then I started on The Sandman books and got really creeped out (I only made it through the first two ... do they get creepier? That ... GUY ... with the ... EYES ... UGH.) A lot of my friends from theater recommended American Gods, so I'm going to check that out soon.

Ah, Crowley's car. So funny. All tapes turn into Queen in the end.
I see nothing wrong with that, personally. And it just adds to the 'Crowley is totally gay' theory, or at least provides fodder for fun 'people mistake Crowley for gay' fics ...
For some reason I see most demons as bisexual. Don't know why.

Crowley and Aziraphale are completely slashable. They spend all of their time antagonizing each other and meeting in parks to feed ducks. Very cute.
I became interested in the book because I'd heard about them, then heard it was Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (DREAM TEAM!) and had to buy it. And the slash was just as good, if not better, than I'd heard it would be. SQUEE.
Those ducks ... hee!
Man, I'm not sure if Aziraphale reminds me more of Remus Lupin or my father ...

[pyrocrastinator.livejournal.com]

Just popping by to say that this post finally got me to buy the book.

So yeah I owe you my firstborn and my loyalty and everything ever for the rest of my life. :D

[aunt-zelda.livejournal.com]

*blushes* Ha ha, thanks?
Best book ever, yeah?

[pyrocrastinator.livejournal.com]

Indeed =D