Subject: New interlude!
Author:
Posted on: 2019-06-07 23:56:00 UTC
After watching the new Good Omens TV show, and after Iximaz binge-read the entirety of the book—have a new agent pair from the show's universe.
Meet Zaphoriel and Faust, an angel and demon who get stuck together as partners in the DMS.
(Contains spoilers for Good Omens.)
Faust enjoyed the sensation of a job well done for a moment, smiling to himself, and set off the same direction.
Shouldn’t this be "set off in the same direction"?
HG
How is the TV show? I've been quite nervous, but it sounds like you liked it!
I might have watched it eight times already. And have plans to watch it again tonight.
...That is impressive. I will absolutely give it a shot.
And now I'm doing the other thing, on my phone, from a train, so I apologize for any errors.
Generally, I like it! Interestingly, I feel like there were two stories here, one about the two characters touring Earth and one about them joining the PPC. I would have liked to read more of the first one, because that sounds fun. I also think giving them a little more time to become familiar with each other and settle into the dynamic they'll have as agents might have been beneficial, because I get the sense that the camaraderie of the writers has bled over into the characters, making them just a bit too comfortable and open with each other just a bit too quickly for the cultural(?) gulf between them.
On the other hand, I could be projecting, because I know I'm guilty of doing that myself. ^_^;
Anyway, I like the concept, taking odd couple partners to a natural extreme--or what would be an extreme with an angel and a demon from just about any other world. With these two being Pratchett-flavored, I reckon they'll do better than they expect in HQ.
... And now I'm trying to imagine the look on Zaphoriel's face the first time someone asks if she knew the Great God Pterry. This gives me many and varied feels.
I did spot a typo toward the end, "me" instead of "we," but I'm not sure exactly where. One of Zaphoriel's lines, I think.
Oh, out of curiosity, what is the inspiration for the decor in their RC? I thought that was cool, and it's always nice to give a nod to the PPC's turnover. Gives it depth. And, is the lingering evil anything specific?
~Neshomeh
Thanks for the feedback!
Your point about there being, effectively, two stories in there has me wondering what it would be like to revisit the interlude at some point in the future and show all those moments that I think got lost in the rush of enthusiasm to make them an official agent pair and get them into missions.
Maybe there's a version with two parts, one that has an angel and a demon bumping into one another and hesitantly deciding that there isn't really much of a reason to smite one another now that the Apocalypse has been averted, and getting to know one another as they go and see the sights, before ending on them finding a portal. The second, introducing them to this strange new world and having each of them come to grips with the fact that their partner and once sworn enemy is really the only island of familiarity they have in this sea of weirdness.
I think that might be fun.
But, since we're here at this point in the story, I think we'll play up that dynamic of opposites that makes them so interesting to write (and hopefully fun to read).
And it looks like Ix has gone back to get the typo, so I've managed to avoid having to do anything helpful once again. Hooray!
—Aegis
I think you had a point about the two seeming to get used to each other too quickly, but while Aegis and I were writing, we were also trying to go for "unfamiliar world with unfamiliar rules, cling to the familiar thing". Naturally, once they get over the initial shock, certain, er, rivalries might be making a comeback. We're already a good chunk of a way into their first mission together and they're already squabbling. :P
Zaphoriel would definitely be quite confused by the question, at least until he starts checking out their home canon. He'd probably laugh the second time he heard it.
The general idea behind the decor was that it belonged to a Sith agent once upon a time who got sent home with their memory wiped because it turned out they were not, in fact, reformed. But that's really just a background detail that probably won't be expanded on.
I'll take a look for the typo in a bit. :)
Zaphoriel and Faust are a delight, as I'm sure I've said before. I'm looking forward to seeing them continue to deal with existence and each other!
Ooh I like these two, they have an interesting chemistry.
(This also reminds me I should finally get around to finishing Good Omens... This summer, I swear.)
Since the new Good Omens show is out, I have to ask, did you have any actors in mind when designing the agents?
Anyway, I look forward to seeing more of these two. (Though hopefully Faust will keep mum about some of his recent activities around here...)
I'm not sure I have an actor I'd pick for Faust at the moment, actually. It's difficult to act impish without coming across as completely irredeemable, which (hopefully) describes Faust. If anyone has any suggestions for slim, blond British actors with a certain catlike, mischievous quality, though, I'm all ears. :P
I'm glad you enjoyed the read, though! And particularly glad to hear others are enjoying the chemistry specifically, since it's the thing I personally found most appealing about the idea of the agent pair. Bouncing demons off of angels is deeply amusing to me—at least if you throw them hard enough.
—Aegis
In terms of an actor for Faust, the only one I can think of at the moment is John Simm, but I admit that I'm not as familiar with British actor as I'd like....
The Master as Faust. That's an image I won't be getting out of my head any time soon.
-Aegis, typing from his phone because he hasn't learned his lesson yet
...I was half-thinking of young!Tilda Swinton for Zaphoriel. :P
We already have a fic half-picked out for their first mission together and arcs planned out for the two of them. Hopefully we can keep up the interesting dynamic!