#infinity symbol

[kimberleyjean]

Why are there Infinity Loops or Möbius Strips in Good Omens?

The infinity loop, it's the idea of something that is unlimited and endless, you know...

In this post, I'm going to explore some of the symbols in the show that I think relate to this concept of eternity. For example, have you noticed that the infinity loop shows up amongst the symbols at the start of Season 1? While God's narrates about her "ineffable game" of her own devising, here it is on screen:

Why do we see so many infinity symbols here? Where else can we see this same symbol?

Read on for the places I've spotted it in both S1, S2 and the book. I’m hoping you’ll let me know if I missed any, and what you think it all means!

Eternity in Good Omens

In the book, when Crowley is explaining the concept of eternity to Aziraphale, he uses the idea of a bird which flies every thousand years to the same mountain to sharpen it's beak. Here's the conversation, with Aziraphale's interruptions edited out (pg. 55 - 56 in my hardcopy):

“Just you think about it," said Crowley relentlessly. "You know what eternity is? You know what eternity is? I mean, d'you know what eternity is? There's this big mountain, see, a mile high, at the end of the universe, and once every thousand years there's this little bird—” “Okay. And every thousand years this bird flies—" "flies all the way to this mountain and sharpens its beak—” “Sharpen its beak on the mountain," said Crowley. "And then it flies back—” “And after a thousand years it goes and does it all again," said Crowley quickly.”

This story originally came from a folk tale called the Shepherd Boy. It's very short and you can read the Brother's Grimm version here.

If we take Crowley at his word, then eternity in Good Omens is represented by repeating the same thing over again, whether that's flying forever to the same mountain, or having to watch the Sound of Music "over and over and over and over and over and over and over" into infinity.

The Infinity Loop

The common symbol for infinity, ∞, was invented by the English mathematician John Wallis in 1655. Being an extremely popular symbol, it shows up in a lot of places, including the Rider-Waite Tarot deck. Several other uses are detailed on the wikipedia page.

So, where does it appear in Good Omens? In addition to God's monologue, we also see it during the S1 baby swap sequence as part of the Satanic nun's costumes. Here it is on the upside-down watches they wear:

Here it is again on Newt's belt buckle in S1:

Here's another possible infinity symbol on Newt's computer screen, when he's working at United Holdings:

Outside of the show, it also appears on the merch released post-S2 (though a little bit disguised in the form of the snake wrapped around them). Included is the tagline of "The end was just the start".

There are also two references to infinity in the book. Here's the first very near the start (pg. 14 of my 2015 hardback edition):

“He [God] plays an ineffable game of His own devising, which might be compared, from the perspective of any of the other players, [ie., everybody.] to being involved in an obscure and complex version of poker in a pitch-dark room, with blank cards, for infinite stakes, with a Dealer who won't tell you the rules, and who smiles all the time.”

And here's the other, closer to the end, at the airfield (pg. 363 of my edition):

“Adam glanced up. In one sense there was just clear air overhead. In another, stretching off to infinity, were the hosts of Heaven and Hell, wingtip to wingtip. If you looked really closely, and had been specially trained, you could tell the difference.”

So, Good Omens makes a few references to infinity, which I find interesting in itself. But wait, there's more!

The Ouroboros

There is another symbol which also appears in Good Omens and also suggests a form of repetition - the ouroboros. The ouroboros is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail and depicts an eternal cycle of renewal - an end which comes back to the start again. I recommend taking a look at the whole wikipedia page, which is quite fascinating:

Now, this would be a rather abstract representation, but I think this appears on the wall of Nina's cafe. Unfortunately, in my image Terry's name has been cut off, but it does say Terry and Neil within those segments of the loop:

So we have the infinity symbol, the ouroboros... anything else? Well, yes, there is a third symbol for us to ponder over.

The Mobius Strip

Closely related to the idea of the infinity symbol is that of the mobius strip. To oversimplify things, the mobius strip is a object which is a continuous surface in a loop. At first glance, it appears to have two sides, but these are indeed all part of the same side (maybe we should call this "our side"?). As shown in the below gif, an object traversing the surface of the strip can repeat in a continuous loop.

Where does the mobius strip appear in Good Omens? Well, it appears in the book. Here it is being used to refer to Anathema's broken bike wheel (pg. 92 in my 2015 hardback edition):

“Behind the Bentley a bicycle lay in the road, its front wheel bent into a creditable Mobius shape, its back wheel clicking ominously to a standstill.”

And again, describing the discussions of the Them, while Adam is coming into his powers (pg. 229 in my hardback):

“Serve everyone right if all the nucular bombs went off and it all started again, only prop'ly organized," said Adam. "Sometimes I think that's what I'd like to happen. An' then we could sort everythin' out." The thunder growled again. Pepper shivered. This wasn't the normal Them mobius bickering, which passed many a slow hour. There was a look in Adam's eye that his friend couldn't quite fathom—not devilment, because that was more or less there all the time, but a sort of blank grayness that was far worse.”

Not only does the word "mobius" appear twice in the book, but Neil has continued to be interested in such ideas, releasing the song Mobius Strip in April 2023 (as brought to my attention by @embracing-the-ineffable). The song is a meditation on the nature of time, magic and how things tend to repeat. In the song, the grandfather shows the boy a trick to creating a mobius strip using paper, tape and some scissors. Here's how the song concludes:

"I'm... Somewhere on the strip We all are, walking the sign of infinity into the darkness And I'm looking for signs of a life, in a memory Reflected in the mirror I'm a mobius strip We all are We only ever see one face It's the twist that brings you back where you started"

If you're unfamiliar with the idea of creating a paper-based mobius strip, here's a video on how it works:

Is the loop Aziraphale and Crowley?

To form a mobius strip, you need to cut the paper first, flip it, and then join the ends back together.

To me, this reminds me a lot of the S2 opening sequence, when we see the bridge disconnect, separating Aziraphale and Crowley on either side, only to then reconnect at another place.

Does this mean the bridge, and perhaps the loop, represents our ineffable duo? This merch sure seems to suggest so...

That could be one interpretation of this sequence, though I'm sure there are others. What do you think? Does the loop say anything about Crowley and Aziraphale's relationship to one another?

Put it all together and...

In summary, we have at least three different symbols signifying some sort of repetition in Good Omens - the infinity loop, ouroboros and mobius strip. So, what might they mean? Why do you think it's been included, and so often? Even more importantly, have I missed any? There's endless details to be mined from this show, so I wouldn't be surprised if there are more.

I have a few theories, but nothing concrete yet, so I'm really interested in hearing everyone's ideas!

[azuremist]

Let’s clear some things up!

This is the rainbow infinity symbol. It’s the symbol for autism, and autism alone, as it was created for AUTISTIC Pride Day!

This is the rainbow butterfly! It’s intended to be an ADHD symbol. It was made by an allistic ADHDer, purely out of spite for autistic people who stated the rainbow infinity symbol was theirs. It’s not just that the creator is anti-autistic; it’s that the design was purposefully created to be similar to the rainbow infinity symbol, making it so that the anti-autistic bias is a key part of its design.

This is the black butterfly! It is also an ADHD symbol. Except this one wasn’t designed to spite autistic people.

The black butterfly is still somewhat similar to the autistic symbol, but that’s a-okay! ADHD and autism are similar! It makes sense that the symbols would be similar, within reason. The difference lies in if it was made similar from a place of negativity, or a place of desired solidarity. And the black butterfly is free from any negative intentions towards autistic people and their symbols.

Please take this information into consideration while using these symbols!

— an autistic ADHDer 🩷

Edit: Reblogging privileges are being revoked because someone decided to act morally superior on my post and now people are being annoying in my inbox. Listen to autistic people regarding our symbols (and yes it is our symbol, it was made for the specific occasion of AUTISTIC pride day) or perish. Just use the one without the rainbow, it’s literally the same symbol. Thank you.

[kayas-kosmos]

Autism Symbol Dragon.

This is the autism symbol as a dragon. I did this to represent the influence my autism has on my art. This is a public domain drawing and anyone can use it for any reason.

I really like the infinity autism symbol over all others, especially the Godawful puzzle piece. It really encapsulates the diversity of our community and how unique every autistic individual is. But I wanted to do a little spin on it by turning it into a dragon to add some extra meaning. A dragon to me is the symbol of the imagination itself, since dragons are so diverse in of themselves and can look like or represent anything. But as well as imagination, I think the dragon also represent resilience and a ferocious passion.

My webcomic is absolutely full of different types of dragon. Here are just a few examples:

(Can you tell dragons are one of my special interests?)

I was diagnosed at about 3 and I've had a very mixed relationship with being autistic until recently. There was a time when I really hated having to bear the label of “autistic” and tried for years to erase that part of me because of the stigma. Being an artist allowed me to get away with being a bit weird because I could chalk it up to just being "an eccentric artist," but there was also the side of me that needed extra accommodations and help, the less glamorous side. I would often push myself to be as neurotypical as I could in these areas and I developed a debilitating fear of becoming a burden on others, to the point where it started damaging my mental health. Eventually, I developed panic attacks due to overworking myself (and struggles with accepting myself as queer), autistic shutdowns became more frequent and this lead to further humiliation and a further disgust towards my autism.

It wasn't until I became a freelancer a few years ago that I realised how much damage trying to hold myself to neurotypical standards was having on me. While being able to work remotely was a dream since it meant not having to deal with the sensory nightmare that is using the local bus service, it also meant I experienced autistic burnout more frequently. Then I came across the autistic community on Twitter, where I started to discover so much about myself and how my brain works.

I also made a lot of incredible friends through this and even had the courage to publicly come out as queer. Now I fully embrace being autistic, even the parts that society deems “unacceptable” like stimming and not making eye contact. I am happy in who I am and no longer see myself as a burden.

Sadly, there is often a discussion about whether autism should be cured or not, a discussion that should absolutely not be happening because autism is not a disease. If you "cured" my autism, you would also remove my art. My art and my autism are inseparable and one does not exist without the other. Autism has given me the ability to think outside the box and traits like my monotropism allow me to hyperfocus on a project until its completion. Having spoken to many autistic creatives throughout my life, a good chunk of our struggles do not come from being autistic itself, rather society’s refusal to accept or accommodate us. Many of us could achieve great things and truly innovate society, but there are too many systemic barriers in the way preventing us from doing so, and no amount of “hard work” or “conquering our disability” (fuck inspiration porn, seriously) can change that because individualistic solutions do not fix systemic problems. Simple solutions such as disability benefits that actually properly cover our living costs, a higher wage for carers of disabled people and proper work accommodations (including the option for remote work) would mean the world of difference for us.

Now personally, I am a bit more radical in my thinking and I believe the current system of Neoliberal Capitalism needs to be done away with entirely because ableism is built into Capitalism itself. This is what has drawn me to ideas such as anarchism and the Solarpunk movement. In particular, I try to live by the "12 principles of Permaculture" to the best of my ability. I think "Embrace Diversity" and "Produce No Waste" can be applied to living as a disabled person, since disabled people are often seen as a waste product under this system and embracing our differences means we are not wasted.

For those of you who have followed me for a while, you may have noticed that my art, like me, is weird. I love to embrace the weird and the quirky. My creatures are whimsical and bizarre. My characters all tend to be quirky outsiders. I have always been drawn to surrealism and absurdism, the work of Salvador Dali in particular really caught my attention.

Art has always been a safe way for me to explore the unusual and alien, and it has been a voice for me when speaking words fail. I use it to explore the things that frighten me and to help process a chaotic world. As weird as my art is, I think the weirdness and absurdity is a reflection of how weird and absurd our modern world is and how little sense it makes to me anymore.

There are often themes of environmentalism and the profound beauty of nature, influenced heavily by growing up in an area of natural beauty. Furthermore, the theme of "empathy for monsters" is a personal favourite. Maybe the reason why there are so many weird, twisted and grotesque monsters and creatures with tragic backstories in my webcomic universe is because I see myself in them - just weird little off-putting things that want compassion and to be understood.

As I have grown as a person, so has my art. The more I learn about my autism, the more I can open up and the better I can express myself.

On a final note, if you would like to support me and the work I do, please consider donating a Ko-Fi. It would really help me push towards my goal of finally launching my webcomic, plus it would also allow me to talk more about important topics surrounding disability, sustainable living and art/creature stuff.

Happy new year, everyone! And especially to all of my autistic and neurodivergent comrades out there.

[dino-boyo-agere]

Autism Spectrum Plush Bunny

It'll be available soon!!

.･｡»･⁠°✧❗I don't consent to NSFW interaction❗✧°･«｡･.

.ﾟ｡.･.*.ﾟ☆❗only interact if your blog is SFW❗☆ ﾟ.*.･. ｡ﾟ.

[demonic-shadowlucifer]

hey just a small psa: stop telling autistic folks what symbols they should and shouldn't use.

if an autistic individual wants to use the infinity symbol, let them. if an autistic individual wants to reclaim the puzzle piece, let them. hell, if an autistic individual wants to use both, LET THEM. thank you, and happy autism acceptance month.

[spacegirlstims]

#1 autistic beast stimboard for april fools day :3

also you all get absolutely booped

X/ X / X || X / X || X / X / X

requests: closed || rules in pinned post

incase the credits get deleted:

1. gif created by crunchyslime, original video by resin.bymegan on instagram!

2. gif by stimmingpuppet, original video by stoccafisso_production on tiktok!

3. gif created by talosstims, original video by freebasedmt on tiktok!

4. gif created by slimesprinkles, original video by keepingfishsimple on youtube!

6. gif created by fishstims, original video by shrimptastic.wp on instagram!

7. gif by stimmingpuppet, original video by stoccafisso_production on tiktok!

8. gif created by pridesquishy, original video by muse_glass on instagram! unfortunately their account is private so i can’t find the original video. :(

9. gif created by crunchyslime, original video by resin.bymegan on instagram!

[thatkinkyautistic]

Tbh/autism creature stimboard

×/×/× ×/× ×/×/×

[motherofsephy]

King Magnifico supports neurodiversity!!!

Every time I see that scene in the trailer, I just see the neurodivergent infinity symbol.

[imsociallyanxiousgetoverit]

“They say when you unmask, you can never mask again. It’s not true for everybody; which is why I escaped.”

So who’s gonna write a Teen Dystopia novel about what’s being done to so many autistic kids in ABA and schools similar?

Who’s going to talk about what our generation has done and will do to stop the hatred towards us?

Nothing About Us Without Us

[equinoxians]

discrete autism / neurodivergence pride kandi bracelet!

[calicos-stimboards]

self indulgent sonia nevermind stimboard

+ headcanons

👑 👑 👑 / 👑 👑 👑 / 👑 👑 👑

[hollistercrowley]

Entrapta wallpaper!

[nanmo-wakaran]

infinity symbol paperclip ring

[autisticarchive]

History of the Infinity Symbol

The most commonly recognized symbol for neurodiversity is an infinity symbol-typically a rainbow-colored one, but sometimes in a number of other colors as well. The symbol has a rather interesting history behind it that seems to be relatively little-known.

The earliest use of the infinity symbol in the context of autism can be traced back to 2004, with the web forum Aspies for Freedom.

It's used to represent all forms of neurodivergence, and the infinite diversity of human brains. Their forums are no longer active, but they have an instant messaging channel known as ChatAutism that people still use, including their founders. The infinity symbol was designed by Amy Nelson. Someone on Tik Tok found ChatAutism and confirmed this with Amy a while back. (side note: the autistic rights movement did not start with Aspies for Freedom. It started with Autism Network International in the early 1990s.) The logo for AFF used the infinity symbol, along with various other graphics Amy made for the site. Allegedly, the rainbow infinity symbol was inspired by a rainbow mobius strip Camille Clark of oddizms made as an alternative symbol to the puzzle piece for autism awareness, pictured below.

The symbol wasn't really used outside of Aspies for Freedom for about seven years. It's Tumblr where it really began to take off as the neurodiversity symbol. The mostly commonly used variant of the symbol was a redesign, posted in 2011. A little later, the unpuzzled site Bev Harp ran had a blog post that got shared on Thinking Person's Guide to Autism's Facebook page that also mentioned the rainbow infinity symbol as a proposed alternative to the puzzle piece. From there, it started to become much more widely used in the autistic self-advocacy community-though interestingly, is not used as the main logo of any of the flagship neurodiversity organizations, namely ASAN, AWN, and the previously mentioned TPGA. Some organizations nowadays use it, and it's becoming more widely adapted as a popular autism symbol, but it was relatively obscure for a while after its creation. There are many symbols used within the context of autism and neurodiversity. The infinity symbol happens to be one of the most well known. I may detail the origins of other symbols in the future. For now, happy Autism Acceptance Month!

[thatkinkyautistic]

I made two new stim toys today,and I made two more things with some beads(which i will reblog with pictures of in a moment)

I made the autism/nd rainbow infinity symbol out of pony beads and some string,and I made a chanukah sensory jar out of assorted beads,and three rubber bands with some glitter sprinkled in for good measure. Container is just an old dice storage bottle that I emptied out specifically for this project.

The bottle has chanukah color beads and glitter,and some letter beads that spell out chanukah,I really enjoy this one! I think it turned out really well. (Blue,white,gold,and silver are the typical chanukah colors, fyi) I didn't have any gold stars;so I just used yellow instead lol. Close enough Haha.. I want to use some chanukah confetti once I get some too!

[indie-designs]

(via "Autism Acceptance Floral Neurodiversity Infinity Symbol" Sticker for Sale by Indie-Designs)

Autism Acceptance infinity symbol