I Believe In Good Omens

❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

(in no particular order, no spoilers)

I want to preface this by saying that despite everything and even though I didn't like the finale ending personally, I did love everything else about it and I love good omens 3 in general. All these are fics that purely read as a season 3 that I absolutely adore and take comfort in. They're all complete and horrendously long I'd say, and of course a guaranteed happy ending. Story and character focused recommendations.

Factory Settings by Anonymous (103k) - absolutely the fucking holy grail. i mean who hasn't read this masterpiece? amazing story, perfect characterisation of both aziraphale and crowley as well as an angelic version of crowley. it has banter, its well paced and my darling aziraphale. if you haven't read this, GO GO GO! [T rated]

The Ineffability of Gray by kitfornow (100k) - this one doesn't lose Aziraphale's determination and sense of responsibility he feels to do the right thing. Slow burn, angsty but the ending is gorgeous. [Not rated but no smut]

Three Is Not Enough by haleinedelail (93k) - this one is my absolute FAVOURITE. author basically wrote a season 3 complete with splitting the story into 'episodes' and including flashbacks. the characterisation is perfect and dare I say, the story is a lot more compelling than the actual finale (mostly because its 93k and not rushed 90min lmao). it has it all, hurt crowley, amnesiac aziraphale, cute muriel and the climax is very satisfying. [T rated]

Perennial Care and Keeping by cyankelpie (11k) @the-written-wyrm - I see this one more as an epilogue to season 3 exploring how their relationship is affected by years or pushing eachother away now that they finally have forever. [G rated]

The Angel You Were by cyankelpie (47k) @the-written-wyrm - what can I say I really love this author. this is less s3 plot focused and more focused on aziraphale and crowley's dynamic. it has amnesia, angel crowley, angst but its so so satisfying to read because it kind of puts our husbands at the backseat plotwise which is very reminiscent of s1. I just love this author and how they write aziracrow so I honestly recommend you read all their work but since this is s3 focused I'll put this here. [T rated]

Flaws by indigo (indigo_angels) (218k) - angst lovers this is for you. depressed and hurt crowley, aziraphale trying his best (i do think crowley is extremely hurt and it blames aziraphale a bit too much it makes sense purely on the context of the fic and I love angst shutup). BUT it has amazing writing and I've read this about 6 times already. despite the angst the ending is so sweet and sappy and well earned. [E rated]

Good Omens - Corner Office with a View (Broke My Wings so You Could Fly) by Noli_Timere031754 (84k) @nolitimere54 - genuinely the most pathetic wet cat crowley you'll ever read. love the characterisation of both the husbands and their interactions are phenomenal. also great for BAMF aziraphale. [M rated]

Synchronized With You by ayellowbentley (legends_saga) (38k) - part one with a part 2 epilogue with amazing ace aziraphale and crowley, miscommunication and reconciliation. [T rated]

scherzo in f-sharp minor, for orchestra by astrhae (23k) @astrhae - i know I've recommended some beasts but this is a shorter story which I think characterises aziraphale and crowley very well and resolves the conflict perfectly. slow burn but worth it. [M rated]

On the Side of the World by profdanglais (58k) @wistfulcynic - oh i absolutely love this one with aziracrow scheming and trying to save humanity together despite their differences plus I really liked the way they saved everything. [M rated]

I'll follow you down 'til the sound of my voice will haunt you by midnightdragons (66k) - angst lovers this is for you. complete with tortured crowley, bamf aziraphale and focus on the angst followed by softness and ofc we have our happy ending. [T rated]

We Can't Keep Meeting Like This by Ginger_Cat (65k) @gingiekittycat - this is porn with reluctant plot because surprisingly none of the fics here any of that BUT if you like pining while fucking, this is amazing. [E rated]

hurry back, please bring it back home to me by Percyjacksonfan3 (103k) - very angsty and somehow silly. cute jesus and love their mutual pining and slow burn in this one. [T rated]

After the finale was released on May 13 of this year, I decided to reread Factory Settings and I discovered that a number of plot points and turns of phrase were hitting a bit differently with my newly acquired knowledge of Good Omens 3. We still don't know who the anonymous writer is, but just how many people had some idea of how s3 was planned to turn out BEFORE s2 was released? Of course NG knew, since he was writing it and most likely had most of the plot worked out for both s2 and s3, since they were (at least initially) supposed to work together as a complete story. Probably Michael and David knew at least a skeleton outline and possibly the ending, since NG had said multiple times while writing s3 that the ending was already written. Douglas McKinnon, who was the director of s1 and s2 and who was originally supposed to also direct s3 may have known. Possibly John Finnemore, who is credited with writing "A Companion to Owls" but who also may have written other parts of s2 as well. I'm not sure who else would have either needed to know at least some of the plot for s3, or who might have at some point had access to it (overheard conversation or some such).

WARNING!!! Spoilers for Factory Settings below:

Or, why I have begun to suspect that the anonymous writer of Factory Settings not only knew the ending of s2, but may have (probably) knew the ending of s3 as well:

Near the end of Factory Settings, the angel Michael becomes a major antagonist. Their actions are a catalyst for what happens afterwards in the story.

In order to "fix" things, the universe is "reset" to before the beginning, which at least initially looks a lot like the universe being destroyed.

When you get to Chapter 36, read the first paragraph and then see if you can convince me that the writer (whoever they are) did NOT know how s3 (the canon version released by Amazon) was going to end OR if that particular choice of figure of speech was just amazingly serendipitous. I'm now suspicious, because whoever the writer is, they definitely have a really good understanding of foreshadowing, and are very picky about details and choice of words elsewhere in the story. I don't remember who was quoted as saying "everything is meant" with regards to the the show version of Good Omens, but the quote could equally apply to Factory Settings as well.

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I will forever wish that Factory Settings could have been the version of s3 that was filmed and released on 13 May 2026. It is consistent with the original Good Omens themes as presented in the book and s1, and is very much written in the style of the original book (that is, it reads as if it had been written by Terry Pratchett, including his wry sense of humor and turns of phrase). When I was first reading it (right after s2 was released in 2023) the dialogue for all of the characters, but especially Aziraphale and Crowley, was so in-character that I could easily imagine hearing Michael and David (as well as the other actors) reading the lines. It is written by someone who has a great understanding of pacing: when to insert cliffhangers, where to place flashbacks, when a dramatic scene needs a touch of humor to keep it from bogging down. Most of the scenes are very visual. It is incredibly easy to visualize what is happening, where the characters are physically located relative to each other as well as their location in the scene. In other words, it is written by someone who understands how to write a scene for a visual medium (ie. a script or a screenplay).

If Factory Settings was written by one of the people whose names I mentioned above, then it is likely that they will never be able to reveal that they are the actual author. Copyright laws and NDAs would probably result in them being sued (by Amazon, and possibly NG or even the Pratchett Estate) if they did reveal themselves. I do wish that they had written it using some pseudonym, rather than as Anonymous, so that we could follow any other fics that they might post. I'm still sad that they decided to take down the fic that they had started writing after they finished Factory Settings. It was a reverse au of Good Omens titled "Our Side" and it was sooooo good! They had only posted 11 chapters before they took it down. 😢

They grew old. One of them died. The puzzle was solved, and the surviving man gave away the key to somebody else who needed it. The key that it had taken an entire human life to acquire.

I think about this episode sometimes. Today, I am thinking about it because I think the last scene in the bookshop could have been like this. Aziraphale and Crowley with their shelves and shelves of empty books. Sitting together and rewriting the universe. As they write, they argue. They share jokes. They finally have those confusing, messy conversations that they desperately need to have. They write and they find their way towards reconciliation. They touch hands while reaching for a new blank book. One of them needs some space, and they write on opposite ends of the bookshop. They drift back together. They make tea. They sit shoulder to shoulder. The write the world together every single day.

And it'd be nice if they gave a fuck, but they don't even care enough to watch it.

I've seen it cited that this was the ending Terry Pratchett had planned, the one that they had brainstormed when considering a sequel to the original book. And whether that meant Crowley and Aziraphale specifically being the ones to sacrifice themselves, I don't know, but I would believe that the end was indeed intended to be a complete reboot of the universe, to be without God, angels, or demons "messing it about," as Adam would say.

Because the thing is, while Crowley and Aziraphale may be why we love Good Omens, their romance was never supposed to be the point, and free will in the Good Omens universe is not as free as you think.

Adam, you may say, already saved the world, thereby preserving free will. A reboot was unnecessary.

But did he? Wasn't it?

So, to add, more about how angels and demons in the book do not have free will like humans do:

Aziraphale says "the whole point was that when a human was good or bad it was because they wanted to be. Whereas people like Crowley and, of course, himself, were set in their ways right from the start."

ETA: Also found the bit where Crowley says Aziraphale will not only be watching The Sound of Music for eternity, but he'll enjoy it, because he won't have a choice.

On a related note, now that I've had time to sit on it, there's an absurd part of me that's kind of glad the ending was so wacky and out of left field.

The story was never meant to continue past season 1, everything else was bonus. Season 2 and 3 were entirely without Terry's involvement. I know that apparently the ending was something he came up with or wanted according to his estate, but he wasn't here to execute it, and the person who came up with the ideas with him also couldn't be involved (for very different reasons). And even the people entrusted with it were forced to strip it of its meat and give us the bare bones. What we've gotten is a cliff notes version of a game of telephone where each listener was slightly deaf.

And I can't exactly complain about that, because without the series, we wouldn't have some of the most funny and beautiful moments. We wouldn't have the historical flashbacks from S1E3 cold open or season 2, which frankly form the foundation of their relationship. We wouldn't have the bandstand or Crowley drunk in the pub or Bildad the Shuite and "I'm a demon I lied" or "you said trust me" or "Our car" or the bookshop dance or the wall slam or Muriel or Crowley refusing to sell books or Jesus or whickber street or Aziraphale doing the crossword or "why make me complete only to take it away" or "Do something or I'll never talk to you again" or "You can stay at my place if you like" or even the freaking body swap!

There is genuinely so much to love about the series, and I'll always be grateful for what it was, but at the end of the day, it's all fanfiction. No part of the show is any more or less canon because from the very beginning it was a fanfiction of itself. At the end of the day, all 3 seasons are a patchwork of ideas put together 30+ years after the fact and missing half of the brains behind the original content. Beautiful gorgeous ideas they were, but just a few people's ideas of what the story should be.

I'll sum up my thoughts by egregiously plagiarizing a post from tinaalsgirl.bsky.social:

"The book is the sacred timeline

Season 1 was a branch

Season 2 was a branch, the final 15 was another branch

Season 3 was another branch, and the final final 15 was another another branch"

I'm just a fan who goes along with canon as far as I can. It's up to everyone to determine for themselves how far they can go. Seeing how silly and absurd this last installment was reminded me of this. Had it been done better, I might have had a harder time remembering that each path the show runners took was simply a path. If they're "alive in every universe" as so many are eager to say, then they're alive in *their* universe, the one that really mattered.

I can respect the people involved for trying to tell a story, fall in love with their ideas, and also know in my heart that there was a better story to tell.

to be absolutely clear, this doesn't change anything

the way i see it, when canon contradicts itself it's up to the viewer to decide what parts to keep. i'd say we're almost forced to make that choice, seeing the state of things

continuity was broken long before s3 came out. s2 did contradict s1, s3 contradicts both

and let's not forget s1 is also its own show, finished, self-contained. its ending was meant to be final, conclusive. it's okay to take whatever parts in s2 and s3 do still work and accept that other parts just can't fit

so to all those grieving: i won't go anywhere. many of us won't go anywhere. crowley and aziraphale haven't gone anywhere. it takes more than that. it takes better writing than that. IT TAKES MORE THAN THAT.

it's okay, and makes sense, to only consider season 1 canon. it's okay, and makes sense, to only embrace the elements of s2 and s3 that are true to the story and its themes and its characters

let this ending not make sense. let yourselves find the one that does.

Because Crowley? Crowley wants to be the hero. Crowley wants to be James Bond. He wants it so badly it hurts, bullet-hole windscreen transfers and all. Crowley’s deep, dark fantasy is that he can be good - but also a little bit bad. The rogue agent, the wild card, the one who doesn’t follow the rules, and doesn’t much truck with listening to his superiors. Crowley’s deep, dark fantasy is one in which he gets it right; in which he does the right thing at the right time, and has the right witty comeback in the right situation, and instead of being punished, he saves the day and wins the heart of the genderless celestial being of his choice. Crowley’s deep, dark fantasy is one in which he is never not in control of his situation; one in which he bounces back easily and stylishly from all manner of fights and challenges and adversity; where he faces nothing he cannot overcome with the right combination of wit, ballsiness, and a little Hollywood luck. Crowley’s deep, dark fantasy, the one he can never, ever admit out loud, is one where the world is simple and uncomplicated in the way nothing in real life is simple and uncomplicated; a world in which the good end happily, the bad unhappily, the baddies are dispatched in PG-13 fashion, and none of it needs to be questioned or second-guessed at all.