#nina and maggie

[ashfae]

The thing about romance is, it makes a good story.

As soon as Neil described season 2 as "quiet, gentle, romantic" I figured we'd be in for it, because as he's the first to point out, writers are liars. And the best way to deceive is with truth.

Season 2 is romantic. The trappings of romance are everywhere. Crowley tries to set up Nina and Maggie by trapping them under an awning during a rainstorm, a classic cinematic bonding technique. Aziraphale's chosen method comes from his beloved books: the ball, the dancing, appearing as a pair in public, hands held as you twirl gracefully with your heart thrilled and racing. If they can set up a sensational kiss that will unlock the happy ever after. They've lived on earth, they've studied the tropes, they know how romance works.

The problem is a story is only a story.

Nina and Maggie had the classic romantic setup completely by accident before Aziraphale and Crowley ever began trying to interfere with them. They get locked in Nina's coffeeshop. They can't escape or communicate with anyone else, they end up talking by candlelight because there's no electricity, Nina offers wine. Maggie mentions how she'd hoped for a chance to talk to Nina, and now here they are. It's every bit as much a standard as what Aziraphale and Crowley attempt to arrange. Blanket scenarios galore exist because of that starting point. We love that story. And there's nothing wrong with that.

But it's still only a story, it's not enough. Because once that moment of connection is over, however lovely it was, all the rest of the world comes flooding back in in the form of dozens of angry text messages. Nina's messy entrapping relationship hasn't magically gone away just because she and Maggie shared a romantic encounter.

And it's so tempting think oh well, that's easy. We'll just give them more romantic encounters and eventually those will overwhelm the rest of the baggage. Must do, because it'll make them fall in love, and once they realize they're in love that trumps all other considerations, right? So it'll be fine. Love Conquers All.

Neil also mentioned Pride and Prejudice.

Darcy knows he's in love early on and makes a disasterous proposal that shows that he has no understanding of Elizabeth's perspective, possibly hasn't even thought about it. They've been meeting in forest lanes for walks, conversing, had tete-a-tetes in the sitting room, danced at a ball. And while his turn of phrase isn't as flattering as he thinks, he's still offering her everything he thinks she wants and needs: affection, security, his good name, wealth, an escape from the embarrassments of her situation, the world. How can there be anything to object to? Why would anyone ever refuse so much of value?

Elizabeth quite rightly cuts him to pieces. He lashes back with a few hard truths of his own and they separate. During that separation, he thinks and he learns. He takes to heart the criticisms she offered, re-examines his assumptions, opens his eyes. Thinks about her perspective and how sometimes the only difference between pride and arrogance is where you're standing. He does the work. When they meet again he tries to demonstrate that he's learned--not in order to court her again (yet), but because the only real apology he can offer, the only one that would have weight, is to show that he's grown, he listened to her. He changed.

Elizabeth of course has her own journey, accepting that many of her own conclusions about Darcy were erroneous because they were formed without her having the full picture to hand, and once she's done that she has to apply it to her own situation as well. She loves her family, but they do place her at a disadvantage on a number of levels, leading eventually to full-out disaster as her younger sister carelessly ruins all of their reputations. It's hard to admit, it's mortifying, but Darcy was offering her a great deal she needs. His offer did have worth for all that she dismissed it as an insult. And as she learns to value his own character more highly, and then as she sees that he did listen to her even though she insulted him so thoroughly...well, she grows too. And when they do eventually come together it's not because of courting and balls. There's a big romantic gesture in his rescue of her sister but even that isn't why they'll get their happy ever after. It was just the catalyst for the conversation. They win because they've learned how to understand each other and how to communicate for the future. How they can strengthen and support each other, how to balance their strengths and weaknesses. The films leave them at the wedding, but the book shows a bit of their marriage too, and during it they keep learning from each other. Their relationship is held up as a superior love story for good reasons.

The end of season one was romantic too. Crowley stopped time rather than face a world where Aziraphale would never speak to him again, Aziraphale walked into hell to protect Crowley, they dined at the Ritz and toasted the world. But then they stopped. Sure they spent time together, talked, enjoyed each other's company. But if they were talking about important things would Crowley still be living in his car? They had a bit of respite but all that real world baggage that exists outside of the romantic moment hasn't been faced, none of it. Four or five years sounds like a long while but for beings who are quite literally older than the earth? That's just an intermission.

Nina's relationship ends, leaving her with a tangled mess; Maggie realises the sweet dream of love she's been longing for isn't as important as the real Nina. They talk. They plan. Nina will sort through her life, get closure, figure out what went wrong with Lindsay and what she wants from a relationship, learn how to ask for respect instead of just bending under her partner's demands. Maggie will support Nina the way Nina needs, which sometimes means helping her get oat milk for the shop and sometimes means giving her processing space. They're on the same page; they're going to do the work. That's why most likely they'll succeed. To quote one of my favourite fanfics: it's not happily ever after, but it's a chance. It's all going to be okay. (The Profane Comedy by Mussimm, who absolutely nailed this theme)

The romance is nice, it's lovely. We need it to keep ourselves going. To give ourselves the dreams that help us get through the days and nights. But it's not the relationship. It's not enough on its own. The wedding can be the grandest most beautiful ceremony ever with doves flying and sweeping music and bells ringing, but that doesn't guarantee the marriage will last.

Crowley and Aziraphale have had their romantic gestures, oodles of them. One wing raised to protect the other from falling stars, another from rain. Shared ground, shared interests, hands offered in friendship and held on a bus. They've tried to get to the same page, they really have. They just aren't there yet. The biggest most important things still haven't been talked about, and season 2 showed there are even more of those big important things than we'd realised.

The show paints Maggie as Aziraphale's foil and Nina as Crowley's, even to the point of Nina casually calling Maggie 'angel'. But Aziraphale's baggage is Nina's. The toxic relationship has to be processed and understood and closed, and it hasn't been, despite season one. Lindsay never really liked Nina very much, for all that they tried to keep her trapped; Heaven never really liked Aziraphale very much for all that he believed in it. They both let themselves be used. But Lindsay left Nina and went to their sister's, whereas now the head of Heaven has reached out to Aziraphale and said here, we can fix this, you can fix this, don't you want to fix this? Others are already writing about that and maybe I'll add to it later, not sure. And Crowley, like Maggie, has had a sweet dream that he has to set aside. Maybe he'll be able to pick it up again eventually, maybe not. But sometimes you offer support by buying oat milk or rescuing your beloved from the legions of hell, and sometimes you do it by standing back while they sort through their shit.

Quiet, gentle, romantic. It was.

But that's only part of the story. Now they have to do the work. They thought they had, but they were wrong, because there's so much they just hadn't touched yet and tried to cover over with relief and sleight of hand and alcohol and forgiveness. The apology dance doesn't mean much without showing that you listened and learned. They've faced so much trauma already and that should have been enough, we wanted it to be enough and so did they and it's such a blow for it to turn out that there's still more to do, that the baggage hasn't just gone away and can't be hidden under blankets or soothed with cocoa. The texts are still coming in and demanding answers.

But it'll be okay. It will. It's still a chance. And one that in the long run makes them better, builds something real that lasts.

The best stories, the ones that last longest and become classics, are the ones that don't end with the kiss under the awning or the blanket scenario or the wedding. They're the ones that heal us while the characters heal themselves. It's hard to accept that there's still more to do. Harder to imagine how it can possibly work out. And yes, bloody frustrating to wait and see.

And we'll get through that interim by telling even more stories. Because the story is never just a story. It's how we get through the work, it's what we tell ourselves so we can do the damn work. Stories are what we cling to and how we remind ourselves we're human and connect. A book is a person you can carry with you. We're not alone, none of us, stories connect us because we love them and see ourselves in them, which means we see each other.

Aziraphale's back up in Heaven to deal with his unfinished baggage; Crowley left his behind long ago and it's clearly going to come back and bite him in the arse however much he tries to go his own way. And they can't help each other with that. Not yet.

But they'll get there. So will we.

#good omens #good omens season 2 #gos2 spoilers #good omens season 2 spoilers #crowley #aziraphale #ineffable husbands #nina #maggie #nina and maggie #stories #romance #relationships #am I projecting here #of course I am isn't that the whole point? #pride and prejudice #elizabeth and darcy #quiet gentle romantic #good omens meta

[ferumeruderu]

my contribution to ineffable 🔁 vinylatte AU by @ato-dato

#nina and maggie in aziracrow angst hehe #next will be aziracrow in nina and maggie's fluff!!! #good omens #good omens season 2 #good omens 2 #good omens fanart #give me good omens 3 or give me death #good omens s2 #reverse au #nina and maggie #nina x maggie #vinylatte #aziracrow

[purplewillowchicken]

Aziraphale's heavy box

Has anyone else noticed this. Crowley is evacuating the humans from the ball S2E5 about 37 mins in. Aziraphale says "I'm trying to save your lives" After Crowley says "Nina are you coming, no staying behind to die bravely" Nina and Maggie exchange looks and in the background Aziraphale is lugging a big heavy box out from behind a curtain.

Never noticed it before or seen any mention of it but that's not to say there isn't a massive meta about it already.

#someone posted its just a baracade. Neil posted #correct. Me 😒

#good omens #good omens 2 #crowley #aziraphale #neil gaiman #ineffable husbands #aziraphale's big heavy box #nina and maggie

[diavalkitty]

Just stupid sketch)

#art #digital #digitalart #comics #illustration #artist #fanart #good omens #good omens art #good omens fanart #good omens spoilers #good omens aziraphale #good omens crowley #good omens fandom #good omens sketch #good omens 2 #good omens season 2 #good omens comic #nina and maggie #muriel #good omens muriel #good omens ineffable husbands #ineffable divorce #ineffable idiots #ineffable lovers #ineffable husbands #crowley x arizaphale #aziracrow #crowleys bentley #maggie x nina

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

Maggie Service and Nina Sosanya meeting for a coffee! :)

#maggie service #nina sosanya #nina and maggie #aww :)

[spacerangersam]

Good Omens 2 // Oresteia

#i'm very normal about this parallel #good omens #good omens 2 #nina and maggie

[staypuffy]

I'm sure someone has already made this observation, but the ball scene, you guys. Let's talk.

Specifically, about the apparel.

Obviously, Aziraphale worked a little bit of his angelic magic to make sure that romance was in the air so Nina and Maggie would fall for one another, but this magic also extends to the other party guests; Mrs. Sandwich not being able to say seamstress, everyone inexplicably knowing how to do the Country Dance, and, more to my point, their clothes.

Upon entering the party some people's change and others' don't, and there's a lot of symbolism there for each character based on whether or not their outfit changes.

The clothes are a direct reflection on the subconscious of that individual, magnified by Aziraphale's magic. They enter the party in the clothes they see themselves in, not necessarily what they were wearing before.

For those characters who are assured of themselves, and their fashion choices, (Aziraphale, Crowley and Nina) their appearance doesn't change at all. They're comfortable as themselves in any setting (It's important to note that Nina's clothes do change, but it's so slight that you barely notice). Fancy ball or not, they wear the same outfit they normally do because they present themselves how they see themselves. Nina even looks down at herself upon entering the shop and remarks, "I'm going mad," making her the only guest to actually acknowledge the fact that something odd is going on; she's acutely aware of herself and the world around her, so when her strong sense of self is being meddled with, she notices.

For the other characters, however, those whose outfits change, this reflects something deeper about their character which is manifesting itself in their style choices; Maggie's clothes change into something nicer than just a plain t-shirt and jeans because she wants to impress Nina, Mrs. Sandwich swaps her tracksuit for a glamorous blazer since she sees herself (as she should) as a proper businesswoman, and Ms. Cheng lets her hair down from the tight bun, signifying her "loosening up" at the party.

All this to say that Jim's Liberace get-up is even more hilarious when you think about it from this perspective.

#good omens #good omens 2 #gomens #neil gaiman #crowley #aziracrow #ineffable husbands #nina and maggie #ineffable bureaucracy #good omens 2 spoilers #good omens season 2 #good omens theory #aziraphale

[mistysblueboxstuff]

finally got around to sketching these two

#artists on tumblr #good omens fanart #good omens s2 #nina and maggie #fanart #sketch

[midnights-dragon]

all I can think of with the “they’re not talking” is that they’re going to passive-aggressively talking to each other through other people

“Maggie, would you mind terribly asking Crowley to please stop going 90 in Central London?”

“Nina, would you MiNd tErRiBLy to tell the Supreme Arsehole that if I go too fast for him, that he can get out of my car?”

#they aren’t talking 😍😍😍 #forced proximity trope my belovedest #good omens #inspired by a tweet i saw but i can’t find it now rip #good omens 3 #good omens s3 #aziraphale #crowley #ineffable idiots #nina and maggie #good omens textpost

[gothrendezvous]

GOOD OMENS !!!

good omens mutuals???? good omens people to talk to????

wanders around the tumblr tags like a ye olden victorian maid in a night shift in the morrows, candle in hand

interact with this post if youre a good omens survivor

update: guys i cant keep up with this post anymore

#good omens #ineffable husbands #crowley good omens #aziraphale and crowley #ineffable idiots #innefable divorce #good omens 2 #good omens shitpost #good omens 2 spoilers #go2 spoilers #angel crowley #angel aziraphale #crowley and aziraphale #aziracrow #good omens prime #neil gaiman #terry pratchett #good omens 3 #nina and maggie #good omens season 2 spoilers #david tennant #michael sheen #my

[melonsharks]

season 2 side character hustle

#good omens #good omens 2 #ineffable bureaucracy #boxfly #good omens beelzebub #good omens gabriel #good omens muriel #nina and maggie #vinylatte #shax good omens #furfur #gabuart #occassionally i just have to draw four colored squares with character in them for my own survival

[julesodd]

#neil gaiman #i see what you did there #good omens #anathema device #nina and maggie #ineffable bureaucracy #innefable husbands #aziracrow

[ami-v-dragnire]

Beginning of Something

__

My piece for the Good Omens 2 Art Collab over on twitter!

#good omens #good omens 2 #good omens fanart #vinylatte #nina and maggie #good omens s2 #nina good omens #maggie good omens #go s2

[everythingsallticketyboo]

Nina: Why are Crowley and Aziraphale sitting with their backs to each other?  Maggie: They had a fight.  Nina: Then why are they holding hands?  Maggie: They get sad when they fight.

#i honestly can't remember if i've done this one before #but i dont care #if i have done it than here it is again i guess #good omens #anthony j crowley #go crowley #anthony janthony crowley #crowley good omens #incorrect good omens quotes #good omens memes #aziraphale #aziraphale good omens #good omemes #aziracrow #aziraphale ziraphale fell #nina and maggie #nina good omens #nina go #maggie x nina #maggie good omens #good omens tv #good omeme

[leonsgotit]

OKAY SO. THE CONVERSATION NINA AND MAGGIE HAVE WITH CROWLEY RIGHT AT THE END OF EPISODE 6. I HAVE THOUGHTS.

(idk if someone has already said this but i was thinking about it so i’m gonna say it)

so. we’ve established that nina and aziraphale are narrative parallels for one another, as are maggie and crowley (i.e., “you were crying, and nina needed rescuing” “rescuing me makes him [crowley] so happy”) and so, when nina is talking about her own failed relationship and subsequent relationship with maggie, we can infer that this is also neil cleverly telling us about aziraphale and crowley’s relationship.

nina says, “my relationship just ended, i’m not ready to be in another one. i’d be a rebound mess, i can’t start seeing maggie.” relating this to aziraphale—in the grand scheme of things, aziraphale’s “relationship” with heaven has really just ended (he was a loyal servant of heaven for 6000 years, and he’s only been on his own (with crowley of course) for a few years, tops). he isn’t ready to be in another relationship yet, even if aziraphale knows deep down he wants to be with crowley, he just isn’t at a point yet where he is ready to do so.

nina continues, “when i’m ready, i hope, she’ll [maggie] be there, but there isn’t any guarantee” and maggie says, “there is.”

i think that those two lines are neil’s way of letting us, the audience, know that crowley will wait for aziraphale. he’ll be there when aziraphale realizes he wants to be with crowley, without heaven getting in the way. he’ll be there waiting for aziraphale because he’s already waited 6000 years, he can wait a little longer for his angel.

idk if this made any sense whatsoever but it was just some thoughts i had while rewatching s2. :)

#good omens #good omens 2 #good omens season 2 #aziraphale #crowley #aziracrow #ineffable idiots #ineffable husbands #ineffable wives #ineffable lovers #ineffable spouses #neil gaiman #david tennant #michael sheen #nina and maggie

[innefableidiot]

Duckify your favorite GO character(s) comforting you after a long day :)

It was definitely hard to choose but these are probably my favorite characters (THERES MORE) and as you can see I have already duckified my favorite but I added Nina and Ennon to the group!

#good omens #good omens 2 #innefable husbands #anthony j crowley #crowly x aziraphale #aziracrow #crowley good omens #good omens3 #aziraphale #good omens crowley #ennon son of job #nina good omens #maggie x nina #nina and maggie #good omens art #innefable ducks #duckley #duck omens #aziraduck #crowduck #duck nina #duck ennon #innefable idiots #muriel good omens #good omens muriel #muriel #duckify #art