pearwaldorf | (no subject)

I totally boned myself work-wise today because I wanted to read all of the available chapters of Slow Show, a Good Omens actor AU. I had heard nothing but good things about it, but me and WIPs don't tend to get along, because I don't have a lot of patience for keeping track of update schedules. But this is two chapters from being done, so I figured it would be safe to start it.

Smash cut to me this morning dramatically moaning about how the fuck I'm supposed to care about capitalism when there is love and the potential for a chance at real happiness to contemplate.

It would have been fine if it was just nicely tropey whatever: lots of delicious pining and the surfeit of emotion that comes with that. And (this is totes a personal thing and I do not expect it to do anything for anybody else) then the author demonstrated they knew about Japanese whisky and I was caught. AND THEN THEIR CHARACTERS FALL IN LOVE ON THE SHOW. THERE'S PRACTICE KISSING!!

The structure of it is so good. Most of it is from Crowley's POV, but there are occasional and important interludes from Avery (also called Az, which I find acceptable in this case because it's not short for Aziraphale). Crowley's bits are pretty typical tight third person, and you're immersed in his head for long enough that what he thinks about the situation feels true (even though we all know how this ends). And then you get into Avery's head and you just wanna scream like Jenny Slate in that gif, because OH FUCK!!

There's that Tumblr post about how in each ship there's the person you want to bang and the person you project onto, which may or may not be the same person. I adore Crowley (and my mission in GOmens fic is basically to spoil him rotten), but I identify with Aziraphale a lot. And Avery Fell isn't Aziraphale, but he's a hell of a lot more like him than his analogues in the last couple longfic AUs I read.

The point of an AU isn't to replicate everything in the canon work in a different setting. It's to pull out the significant things: the important beats, events, character traits and make them resonate in a way that's appropriate for the changed circumstances. And it's done absolutely beautifully in this fic. (I'm not telling you because 1. I don't want to spoil it 2. You'll fucking know)

So yeah. It's real, real good and you should read it. If you're going to start now before it's finished, I think the most natural stopping points would be Chapter 6 or 10. Now go. It's 75K. You've got a lot of words to shove in your eye holes!