#ducks!

[drconstellation]

The Ineffable Ducks

What's with all the ducks in Good Omens that Crowley seems to be inordinately fond of? Turns out, they do have a narrative purpose, they're not just in there as a running joke about Crowley's fondness for the animals of Earth.

They appear in both S1 and S2, and get mentioned in several seemingly random places. Like, really random. There are quite a few in St James Park, where the ducks live, where the international spies also clandestinely meet, where Aziraphale and Crowley meet on several occasions, and where Crowley and Shax have a meeting, exchanging information in S2E1.

Ducks also get referred to here, when Aziraphale suggests they use humans to search and spy out the missing Antichrist, but Crowley insists it will be near impossible because suspicion slides off the boy like water off, what ever water slides off, because he has an automatic defense system.

The he remembers the ducks(!) later in the Bentley when they discuss using their respective networks of highly trained human operatives (Shadwell and the Witchfinder army), and Aziraphale asks if Crowley has a better idea than his. "Ducks!" Crowley suddenly utters.

The ducks that are always there, that you see but don't see, gathering bread crumbs, when any kind of surveillance or secret spy work is being discussed.

Nah, I thought, it couldn't be a sly ref to this famous cartoon by Larson, could it?

Aziraphale and Crowley are always afraid that someone is watching, or listening to everything they do, from both sides. I mean isn't that partly why we got the ending we did in S2, because they have had to be so covert with their communication to each over the centuries they've forgotten how to speak plainly to each other?

Heaven has definitely been watching...

And Hell certainly noticed Crowley's act of kindness in the Edinburgh cemetery, swiftly summoning him to Hell for punishment after his kind deed on behalf of Elspeth.

Then when the duo meet in again 1867 Crowley wonders if "ducks have ears" before declaring they must do - that's how they hear other ducks. So its no surprise that when Crowley asks Aziraphale for holy water that he writes the request on a piece of paper to hide it from those invisible ever-present watchers they know are never far away.

When we come to the start of S2, where Crowley is slouched in St James Park once more, reading the Tadfield Advertiser, and yelling at the Azerbaijani secret agents for feeding the ducks bread. Crumbs, it was alright to do this in the book, and S1, why is wrong now? Has Crowley suddenly become woke and caring for the ducks? Nah.

There's a lot more to it than that. I realized this is the missing Grain offering from my post about altar offerings (see The Altar of Eccles Cakes) in S2. A Grain offering represents a voluntary expression of devotion to God - or the other side you're supposed to be aligned with, in this case.

Shax is part of this scene, discussing the latest news from below, and she mentions some special intel that Hell has received, from their own secret squirrel network. Of course they would meet in St James Park to discuss this, along with all the other spies. While Shax tries to get some intel out of Crowley about what might be going on in Heaven, because she knows he has contact with a certain angel who owns a book shop, Crowley responds by refusing to show any devotion to his former side at this point, and isn't going to give any information away that could be useful. He also doesn't have any intel at this point, anyway, but he's not going to give that away either! Heaven and Hell are toxic, and no one should be going anywhere near them, in his opinion. So stop feeding them that devotional bread!

After Shax asks what they should be feeding the ducks, he eventually says "Frozen Peas. It's good for them, they like it."

The short period of "peas" since they stopped the impending Apocalypse has been enjoyable, and good for Crowley and Aziraphale, but the forced meeting with Beelzebub later that day soon jolts Crowley out of any complacency when they indicate that the "generalized understanding" Crowley thought they had with Heaven and Hell after the body swap to leave them alone, the one Aziraphale-as-Crowley negotiated, while asking for a rubber duck, no less, was looking very shaky and fragile indeed.

And one more random duck ref to discuss.

I was inspired to write this section by lalalunamoth's post calling Muriel a duckling imprinted on Crowley, and of course I did not save it, did I, and a search does not bring it back up again (found it!), so if you're reading this, or know that post, please let me know! I read it, and thought, cute, but nah, then realized that Muriel was sent on a surveillance mission to Whickber St to ascertain the truth of Aziraphale's 25 lazurii miracle. And she did act as the eyes of Heaven, writing up some reports, called Crowley "grice," then followed him around during his escapade in Heaven just like a duckling following a grumpy gander drake while he did his own surveillance measures in a Tactical Turtle neck, channeling his best imitation Sean Connery voice (have you noticed that as well, people?)

No, no, the op wasn't wrong - those big cross ducks, er grice geese, they make good guard dogs, no?

With special mention to Crowley acting as a surveillance duck just prior to this, and Mr Brown doing his own "spying out" of Aziraphale.

To finish this meta, there is one other figure who notably offered the ducks bread, in the book. This passage, which is surely relevant to S3, but didn't appear in S1, shows another character still devoted to God in a way. Lets give Death the final word:

Crowley: "Maybe it's it's all part of a great ineffable plan. All of it. You, me, him, everything. Some great big test to see if what you've built all works properly, eh? You start thinking: it can't be a great cosmic game of chess, it has to be just very complicated Solitaire. And don't bother to answer. if we could understand, we wouldn't be us. Because it's all - all - "

INEFFABLE, said the figure feeding the ducks.

"Yeah. Right. Thanks."

#good omens #crowley #aziraphale #shax #ducks! #ineffable bureaucracy #the fear that somewhere somehow a duck is watching you #Larson #always watching #frozen peas #grain offering #altar offerings #muriel #big cross ducks #witchfinder army #shadwell #tactical turtleneck #guard dog geese #grice #the pub #mr brown

[maureen2musings]

Adam Jason

#scotland #england #countryside #cottages #ducks! #curators on tumblr #I'll take one

[aduckwithears]

The joy of waterfowl-related non-sequiturs.

Good Omens s1ep2/s2ep1 - parallels 6/?

Bonus: "???"

#crowley shouting randomly about ducks is one of my purest joys #i don't know why this wasn't my first parallel #silly duck #good omens #goodomensedit #goodomensgifs #crowley #ducks! #good omens gifs #good omens s2 #crowley gif #gos2 #good omens parallels #a duck gifs

[ineffableaddiction]

I must say, this scene always makes me happy.

(And am I the only one the thinks Crowley sounds like a duck when he laughs here?)

I love how Aziraphale is looking at Crowley too. I just adore everything about this.

#good omens #crowley #aziraphale #ineffable husbands #DUCKS! #they are too cute #how awesome aee they when they think theyre free from their former jobs #sometimes you just have to sit on a bench and enjoy a good laugh with your besotted bestie love of your existence #weve swapped bodies… do you understand what happened yesterday

[juicejunior]

f1 isn't about cars, it's about random b-roll shots that sky sports cuts to <3 (ref under the cut!)

#my art #art time! #black artist #digital painting #f1 #f1 art #formula 1 #formula 1 art #japanese gp 2024 #japanese gp #ducks! #f1 fandom please accept me #i make silly art! #suzuka

[satoshy12]

The True reason for all

While a huge battle against Heaven. Sera to Lucifer:" Do you have to ruin everything!" Charlie:" Hey, my father wanted to help!" Sera:" Oh did he ever tell you why he ruined the World and humanity or meet Lilith."

Charlie:" Because he feel in love with her and wanted to give humanity freedom!!!" Sera:"NO! HUMANS ALREADY HAD FREE WILL HOW DO YOU THINK LILITH LEFT WITH HIM!! BECAUSE WE DIDN'T CREATE WHAT HE WANTED! !" Lucifer:" MY IDEA WAS GENIUS!! SO YOU EARNED ALL THIS!" Sera:" I REFUSE TO MAKE HUMANOID DUCKS!!"

Lucifer's idea for Adam and Lilith, Much better then what his siblings created! "NOT MY PIC"

#Hazbin Hotel #sera #lucifer magne #lucifer hazbin hotel #charlie morningstar #hazbin charlie #lilith morningstar #Real reason for all #Ducks! #Ducks obsessed Lucifer

[writebackatya]

There are some ducks hidden around the pharmacy and I just found one

This duck is my child now

#writebackatya #ducks!

[the-almighty-god]

Why make frozen peas be good for duck?

Bonus question: why make them love it, too?

The same reason frozen peas are good for humans.

And just like the humans, it's up to the ducks whether or not they love them.

#the almighty answers #good omens #ineffable #ducks!

[likeawildthing]

Very on brand for me, part duck, to be spending my last day of medical leave watching the federal duck duck stamp judging contest

#ducks! #duck stamp contest!

[gniteruirui]

*sneak into your ask box*

(°▽°) ！！！ eeeeeEEEEE!!! *grabs gently*

*sobs*

#ducks! #ducks from Chlorenw #THANK YOU #🥹💕 #ugly sobs* #jakdjalsolajdhak

[ptompetompetomalleyways]

also lurv anatole’s reasoning for cheating on his wife over and over again being: look man, me doing this is like.. ducks swimming in water, it’s totes god’s will! obsessed. i’m hooked immediately. and it has a cool bassline! what more could i ask for??

#war and peace #anatole kuragin #npatgco1812 #natasha pierre and the great comet of 1812 #ducks! #Spotify

[drconstellation]

On Pride and Prejudice and S3 parallels to watch for

(*no Nazi zombies included)

I don't think it's the second "marriage proposal" that is going to matter in S3. That's just the icing on the cake. What's really going to break your heart to pieces will be the parallel to the lake scene encounter at Pemberley Estate. That comes before the quiet, gentle, second suggestion of "lets make a team of the two of us" again.

I keep seeing people write "oh, aziracrow are going to throw themselves together! Oh, its going to be violent! And frenzied! They wont be able to hold back!" Ah, no. I respectfully disagree. I see it possibly playing out very differently.

Recently we had this observation:

Let this old Gen X-er take you back nearly 30 years to 1995, when the BBC production of Pride and Prejudice pictured above came out (and I believe this is the version Lord Gaiman has recommended you watch - for good reason! But I may be biased here...) Colin Firth played Mr Darcy, and I dare anyone to name anyone else in the production off the top of their heads, because Firth's Darcy at the time was considered just *sigh.* The lake scene was so famous in its day it became became a meme before memes were a thing, in a time when we still had VHS video tapes and the internet didn't exist (gasp!)

We must set the scene.

Elizabeth has come the Lake Country with her aunt and uncle on a bit of a holiday, and they have called in on Mr Darcy's home, Pemberley Estate, to have a sticky-beak (as you do, apparently, in those days). He's not home, not expected until the next day, but the housekeeper is happy to show the visitors around the mansion, filled with amazing furniture and paintings and nick-knacks that all good rich Georgian families should have. The aunt and uncle ooh and ahh appreciatively and ask questions, and the housekeeper paints a glowing picture of how kind and generous her master is. Hmmph, thinks Lizzy, that's not the Mr Darcy I thought I knew.

Meanwhile, galloping across the fields on his lovely steed, comes Mr Darcy, a day early. And the visiting party slowly make their way out into the gardens. (cue the building tension...)

Darcy decides he is hot after the long ride, and strips down and goes for a swim in a lake (or pond, or duck!pond - whatever, its wet) to cool off (ha! I'm surprise that puddle didn't evaporate into steam as soon as he hit it) while Lizzy continues to wander and ponder what she is learning about him...

And as Darcy strides blithely across his demesne, practically nekkid from the waist up in his wet see-through shirt - he runs into the object of his desires.

This is their Vavoom! moment. (Well, maybe better Austen scholars than me would disagree, but for the purposes of this post, I declare it is.)

The point is...

The point I'm trying to make is this is going to be the important part of P&P in S3 of GO. Our two love birds have sprung each other unawares, and one of them in particular is in a vulnerable situation. They are vulnerable physically, with their damp, tousled hair (*sigh*) and, as aforementioned, is not appropriately dressed to the expected presentation for polite company at the time (*ahem* wet see-through-linen-shirt-that-doesn't-leave-much-to the-imagination *ahem*) so is also somewhat emotionally vulnerable. And the other is witnessing them in this vulnerable situation. The one they least wanted to see them like that. And neither of them can unsee it.

After the shock, Darcy struggles to pull his dignity back together and make some awkward small talk, before continuing onto the house to rapidly make himself socially presentable again and become the perfect host for the rest of the visit. And, well...things went rather splendidly after that, in short.

See, that's what I mean. The second proposal doesn't matter. Its the after thought. It just tidies up the loose ends. Ices the cake. Makes us feel all warm and gooey, like we're hugging a hot chocolate topped with little marshmallows in our cold hands. Its the equivalent "lake scene" that is going to slowly creep up on you like a fist around your heart, then squeeze when you least expect it, and leave you gasping with its rawness.

Now I'm not going to declare which of Aziracrow was representing Darcy, and which was Elizabeth. Crowley gave the better proposal for being a team of two, but Aziraphale gave the societal put down to Crowley. They kind of split the parallel proposal between themselves.

Hmm, so what kind of "lake scene" could we see in S3? Which of the two would reveal their vulnerable side? Who has the large domain where the other comes a visiting? Who learns something unexpected about the other? Who goes chasing a villain to redeem themselves in the other's eyes? Don't know. Not even even going to guess at this point. But I am going to go and do my homework so I'm ready when the time comes.

We should acknowledge that the first proposal just wasn't going to work, that they had to go their separate ways and grow, just as Lizzy and Darcy did. Smashing them back together like Blackbeard playing with his cake toppers, to cross fandoms, is just...stupid. You can't keep making the same mistakes. It wont work. Not in the long run. And these are immortal beings, (lord, I want to write a whole post on immortality, but not here, right now) the long run is to long to contemplate.

I'm saying wait and see - but be watchful. You might be caught out where you least expect it.

#good omens #good omens 2 #good omens 3 #pride and prejudice #aziraphale #crowley #lake scene parallel #Surely it was a duck pond? #ducks! #second marriage proposal #vulnerability #may as well be naked #Mr Darcy #no one remembers any one else from 1995 #bit of a dark horse

[blood-mocha-latte]

THERE ARE DUCKS IN THE FRONT YARD THIS IS N O T A DRILL

#rie talks #DUCKS!

[claudeshaw]

yesterday my grandma was asking what to feed ducks. frozen peas!

dont ask me how i know that…. not from… a show…. or anything….. or a being called crowley……

#good omens #crowley #ducks!

[shiningtalons]

#shining nikki #designer's reflection #nikki #sn nikki #momo #shining nikki momo #duck #duck! #ducks #ducks! #i love how evil the duck looks here #queue

[theravenmuse]

“Hey Angel, wanna see my ducks? I have two of them!”

“My dear, I think you mean… ah.”

#ineffable smut war #good omens #crowley #ducks! #good omens fanart #good omens crack #the raven draws