#crowley and nina friendship

[rcreveal]

Maggie's Nana's Valentine Birthday

Summary:

Crowley goes to find out why Nina is trying to ditch on Maggie's Nana's Valentine's birthday party. Inspired by Sendarya's Writer's Prompt Group willowmaid's comment that they are the kind of friends that drink together and call each other names.

Work Text:

“Wot are you doing in here?” 

Nina looked over into a black shirt, black jacket, and up past some jewelry into Crowley’s dark sunglasses.  She caught a glimpse of orange as he looked over the top of them, taking in the state of her.

“I’m drinking, you prat.  What does it look like I’m doing,” replied Nina, taking another sip of red wine.

Grabbing a chair out from under a patron who miraculously just got up at the next table, Crowley spins it around and flops into it, chin on the back as he straddles it at her table.

“Thank you, Ms. Obvious.  Why are you drinking alone in the Dirty Donkey on Valentine’s Day?” persisted Crowley, “Why aren’t you with Maggie?”

“Why would I be with Maggie?  Why won’t any of you stop shipping me and Maggie?  Especially Maggie!!” Nina shakes her fists and glares down at her phone.  Then glares at Crowley as he deftly swats away her hands and snatches the phone from under her nose.

Eyebrows nonchalantly raised as he reads Maggie’s text thread, with sunglasses on in the dim bar, Crowley asks, “And you aren’t accompanying Maggie to her grandmother’s birthday celebration tonight because…?” 

“Because I’m drunk. See!?” she waves at herself.

“Please.  You call this self-sabotaging behavior?  You barely walked 3 feet from all our businesses.  Plus, I can easily make you not drunk,” Crowley leaned to the side and made a little gesture.

“Hey! I spent good money to get drunk on that wine!” Nina barked, unwelcomely sober.

Crowley wrinkled his nose, sniffing the glass and finishing off her drink before she can grab it back, “You call this worthy of a fit-of-pique drunk?  Maybe on the third bottle…”

Nina pointed at him with her eyes narrowed, “We found you drinking hand sanitizer after Mr Fell left.”

“Pfft. Yah, after I drank all the alcohol on this side of town,” replies Crowley calmly, not to be deterred,  “Now, why don’t you want to go to Maggie’s grandmother’s birthday party tonight.  Really. You already come to movie night together.  You’ve met her family.”

Crowley looked at Nina’s aggressively flat stare. “You’ve been ducking out of meeting her family,” Crowley continues in the same fact-stating tone.

“Yeah! Obviously! And I’m not going to meet them now at an intimate, quiet little family get together for a 98 year old woman!” huffs Nina.  "I'm way to rough for what her family's like!"

Crowley started to laugh, “Quiet?” he hooted, “Little?” he snorted, “Intimate, well, only if she has her wily ways with Aziraphale, but that’s why I’m coming.” Head to the side he says, "Too rough?  I don't think so."

Nina stops looking like she’s weighing whether or not she'll get banned from the pub if she were to haul off and punch Crowley, “What are you talking about? We’re talking about the same thing? Maggie’s Nana’s 98th birthday party, right?”

“Yeah! Obviously!” parroted Crowley, “But it’s a huge affair, family, friends, random young men she chats up in the produce aisle.  Everyone makes her favorite cocktails and drinks them before she insists on showing them how to do the jitterbug.  Aziraphale swears that she and Maggie’s mother have a secret code to get him close enough so she can pinch his bottom.  It’s the first year I’ve been invited, I can’t wait to hear her tell embarrassing stories about Aziraphale!  So come on, I need someone to help pick out the chocolates and cocktail fixings,” Crowley stands up, winks at her, and rather genteelly offers the crook of his arm.

Nina is grinning at the thought of watching Mr Fell trying to avoid the advances of a 98 year old and hearing the old woman's embarrassing stories.  Then a truly wicked grin crosses her face as she stands up and takes Crowley’s elbow as they start to wade through the bar crowd together.  

“So, it was just an ulterior motive to get me to come and pick out the treats for you, huh?” she’s still grinning like the cat that ate the canary when they make it to the pavement.

Crowley looks over at her side-eyed, a little pleased smirk on his face, “I am a demon, you know,” he says, snapping the Bentley’s car doors open.

“Yeah, wonder what kind of embarrassing stories she’ll have about you?” grins Nina.

“Gie in th’ car, woman!!!” roars Crowley, while Nina guffaws.

[hikarry]

Crowley's post-divorce assembled squad should be Nina and Anathema

No, they are not there to comfort him. They are there to give him shit and have drunk nights in his apartment while watching Golden Girls

Crowley: 6000 years! 6000 fucking years and all I get is an "I forgive you"?! He will see what he will need to forgive me for when I-

Nina: What? Storm Heaven and cause a scene?

Crowley:

Crowley: I could, if I wanted to

Anathema *snorts into her wine glass*: Right. You would have your ass handed to you in a silver platter

Crowley: You don't know what I'm capable of. I'm the fucking Serpent of Eden!

Nina: And so far that hasn't helped you much now, has it?

Anathema: Yeah, that little title of yours didn't make the angel stay, did it?

Crowley *downs the whole wine glass in one go*: Why do I even invite you guys over?

Nina: Because you are a depressed ancient supernatural entity that lost his only friend and we are the second best option

Crowley: Yeah yeah, and who's fault was that?! It was your stupid idea that fucked me!

Anathema: Technically Aziraphale probably would have left regardless if you confessed or not-

Crowley: Get out

Anathema: What if I do? *laughs* Will you call me again at 1 in the afternoon because you need "some witchy advice" but spend an hour complaining about your life instead?

Crowley *grabs a throw pillow*: Book girl, I'm warning you

Nina: Oh don't be ridiculous *grabs the pillow from his hand* Drink your wine and let's finish this episode. I need to work tomorrow

Anathema: And I need to go back to Tadfield to, you know, be with my husband

Crowley *grabs the pillow again and throws it against her face with a growl*

[aziraphales-library]

do you have some fics where nina and maggie (knowing that azi and crowley aren't human) interact with them? i've always been attached to the idea of maggie and nina being the only ones knowing that they (the ineffables) are an angel and demon, so any fics about that would be appreciated! Thanks a lot, have a good day/night (and also I'm writing this on December 31 2023, so happy 2024 season as well!!!)

Hello. You can check this post for fics like this. Here are more for you...

Spring Cleaning by RCReveal (G)

The Whicker Street friends are busy with spring cleaning in this post S3 speculation when something odd starts to happen to Eric and Muriel. Everyone comes together to help out and enjoy the beautiful spring day.

A Feast Of Friends & Family by ShadesOfDeviant (G)

“Merry Christmas Mr Fell!” Maggie smiles and moves to give Aziraphale a hug, squeezing tightly for a moment as the angel splutters in surprise before she pulls back. “Sorry, I got a bit caught up in the Christmas spirit.” “It’s quite alright my dear, nothing to worry about. It’s lovely to see you so happy.” Aziraphale replies, watching as Maggie smiles and all but bounces off to join Crowley and starts directing the demon where to put her dishes as he takes them out of the Tupperware boxes one by one. Only for the demon to almost drop an entire platter of iced biscuits as Maggie hugs his waist suddenly and visibly squeezes him. AKA: The Whickber Street Traders & Shopkeepers Association decide to have a Christmas meal together. Aziraphale offers to host with the promise not to make them all talk like Jane Austen again.

This Thing You Call Love (I Just Can't Handle It) by EdwardAllenPoe (G)

A couple of months after the events of the Whickber Shop Owners and Street-Traders Association meeting/Ball, Nina decides that she's ready to move forward with Maggie. As she eagerly and anxiously awaits the arrival of the Record Shop owner, a familiar demon comes into the shop after going suddenly MIA those months ago. But, the poor demon is very confused and a lot heartbroken, and Nina tries to help and give relationship advice. Or; Aziraphale comes back home, but Crowley still doesn't understand what Aziraphale feels truly, and Nina tries to help him.

An Ineffable Arrangement by Aidaran, Letha (G)

The Second Coming has been averted. Crowley and Aziraphale are finally together and on the same side. And the Whickber Street Shopkeepers and Traders Association thinks they could take their bliss somewhere else. Or at least the storms associated with it. ------------- Nina, head conspirator of Whickber Street, was, against her will, a woman on a mission. To boldly take a demon where no one had taken him before. Shopping.

Shepherds of the Damned by angelwithawand (T)

After Aziraphale leaves, Crowley carves out a life of his own. “On Sundays, he goes to pub trivia night. It doesn’t escape him, the irony of a demon having a place that he attends like clockwork on the Lord’s Day of Rest.”

Especially to Me, Especially if it's You by cyankelpie (T)

Crowley has spent the last two years learning to cope with Aziraphale's absence. So when Aziraphale shows up with no memories, and Crowley is the only one who can help, it's not an easy thing to deal with.

- Mod D

[pommedepersephone]

For all those celebrating the season with found family, happy holidays.

Love, Crowley and crew

If you are looking for a story about self care and the power of friendship to get you through, chapter 5 of a manual for living with defeat is up!

Rated G, 5/? chapters, 8.5k words

[hurts4maya]

Muriel: my dad nearly overdosed once because he thought his pills were sugar cubes and put them in his coffee.

Nina: The fuck.

Crowley: IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, OK?

[aestophobia]

why aren't we talking about

"silly question: how do you feel about sudden rain?"

"yeah that's a silly question alright🤨"

[amu-says-hav-says]

I can’t believe I went through all of Season 2 assuming Nina was the stand-in for Crowley when you actually pay attention it’s so CLEAR that she’s Aziraphale. I was tricked by her spiky, sarcastic, cynical outer shell and lulled into a false sense of security by Maggie’s bubbly optimism and wholesome goodness, because on the surface they reflect the ineffable husbands perfectly, in their personalities, their aesthetics, even many of their actions and morals. but not, and this is the real key, when it comes to their “relationship”. but those first impressions really had me damn fooled. 

I missed the blatantness of Nina’s “we’re just friends. actually we’re not friends. we barely know each other.” the same thing Aziraphale said in season 1.  the way he still struggles to quantify their friendship when Nina asks. Nina’s sarcasm when Crowley asks about rain and awnings because it worked for him (we all know it LMAO). hell, that whole convo the girls have in the rain is so AziraCrow (“I know. I’m not your type” “...You have no idea” hits so much harder the second time, help meeeee.) “Lindsay” maybe being symbolic of Heaven and Aziraphale’s toxic relationship with them and their abuse? (the handwritten text messages in red pen make me think of angry notes on paperwork, anyone else?) because Crowley has never actually cared about what Hell thinks of him, just not getting into trouble (or him or Aziraphale getting hurt). Maggie is always chasing Nina. NINA NEVER GOES IN THE RECORD STORE. Just like Crowley always goes to the bookstore, to Aziraphale, Zira NEVER WENT TO THE FLAT (apart from The Swap but that doesn’t count imo). Crowley has always chased Zira, not the other way around. Always there to rescue him, always going to him for company, always relying on their shared connection, always US. OUR SIDE. All through season one, he comes to Zira every time to work together, never trying to work alongside Hell in any way that isn’t to save their skins or Earth, while Zira hides things from Crowley because he STILL thinks Heaven is ultimately good and will do the right thing if he can just show them. fix it from the inside. 

Maggie working up the courage to finally say something, to put herself out there, while Nina is utterly oblivious and then when she does realise Maggie has feelings, becoming standoffish, putting up that barrier, fighting it, denying it, ITS SO CROWLEY AND AZIRAPHALE IN THAT ORDER. the way I was fooled into thinking Nina’s trust issues are Crowley because he does have trust issues ofc he does BUT Crowley has ALWAYS TRUSTED AZIRAPHALE. has always relied on him. has always been hurt when Aziraphale doesn’t immediately reciprocate the way he expects (the holy water request, the bandstand, the “off in the stars” etc). he’s always the one putting himself forward. Aziraphale has always been the one to second guess everything, to fight their connection, their similarities, their friendship. the girls really made me think it was going to be okay when they sat Crowley down, even as my inner sirens were going haywire about Metatron interfering, they were telling Crowley he just needs to open up and it’ll all work out BUT HE’S ALREADY AT THAT POINT. he may not say it, and by gosh is that part of their damn problem, but he’s always SHOWN IT. he’s not Nina who needs time to heal and recover from her broken trust, he’s always been Maggie believing it doesn’t matter, they’ll end up together in the end anyway AND I WALKED RIGHT INTO THE TRAP THAT THIS MEANT THEY WERE GOING TO BE OKAYYYYYYYYYYY

[fellshish]

Now that we know Good Omens Season 3 is happening (albeit in a 90 minute run time), what are some things you're hoping to see?

here are the soup ingredients:

- crowley and muriel reluctant friendship

- maggie and nina kiss

- gabriel and beelzebub alpha centauri brat summer

- ineffable makeout sessions [plural]

- pieta moment

- stopping the second coming [side quest]

- angels and demons realise they all work for the same Company and demand a raise

- third 1941 flashback

- mandatory queen song

- terry salute

- south downs ending

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

SFX Magazine Issue 368, August 2023

THEY’RE BACK – AND THIS TIME THEY’RE IN ALL-NEW TERRITORY. NEIL GAIMAN TALKS RETURNING FOR SEASON TWO OF GOOD OMENS

THE RASCALLY DEMON Crowley (David Tennant) and the neurotic angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) put aside their differences to pull off one doozy of a Hail Mary and prevent an impending Apocalypse in Good Omens’ first season. The task cemented the pair’s unconventional friendship. So what are divine beings, who have fallen out of grace with both Heaven and Hell, to do for an encore?

The answer lies with archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm), who shows up unannounced on the doorstep of Aziraphale’s London bookshop. Suddenly, Aziraphale and Crowley are caught up in a caper of biblical proportions – but also a more intimate tale.

“It’s a mystery,” showrunner Neil Gaiman tells SFX. “It kicks off a story that doesn’t have giant consequences for the universe, even if it does have consequences for Aziraphale and Crowley. We have a lot of the marvellous Jon Hamm, who is the angel Gabriel and turns up at the beginning stark naked, carrying a cardboard box with no memory of who he is. In the same way, it is about Aziraphale and Crowley having to get involved with humanity in a way that they haven’t before.

“They get dragged in slightly against their will to try to sort out the love life of Aziraphale’s tenant,” he continues. “Her name is Maggie [Maggie Service] and she runs the record shop next to the bookshop. You’ll see the coffee shop over the road, which is Nina’s [Nina Sosanya]. The relationship between Maggie and Nina is one that Crowley and Aziraphale try to fix, and mess up, because they are not good at human relationships, even if they can do miracles.”

Truth be told, Gaiman never originally intended this arc to serve as Good Omens’ second instalment. The TV series was based on Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s 1990 novel. The two collaborators had partially hashed out the details for a sequel to the fantasy comedy, late one night in a hotel room. This, however, is not it. Gaiman instead plotted a new narrative that could provide the connective tissue between the first season and a theoretical season three, if it happens.

“Because the hypothetical season three exists, there is a story that is there, and I didn’t feel that we could drive straight from season one into that,” Gaiman explains. “I knew what the stakes were. I knew what the parameters were. I also knew that I had David and Michael. I had the angels from plot number one.

I had demons from plot number one. And with anybody that I wanted to bring back, but didn’t have room for right now, I did not have to bring them back as themselves. “I had absolutely nothing for Madame Tracy to do in this plot, but I would be damned if Miranda Richardson wasn’t going to be in this. She is one of my favourite people in the world. She is hilarious and is so good. And I knew I was going to have a new demon replacing Crowley as Hell’s representative in London/ the UK. Miranda’s demon Shax is the best demon you could want.”

It’s late February 2022 and SFX is in Edinburgh for a set visit. A soundstage in Pyramids Studios has been transformed into a street in Soho. The visible local stores include the aforementioned book, coffee and record shops, as well as a magic establishment. In the middle of them all stand Aziraphale and Crowley, the latter in close proximity to his classic Bentley. It’s close to the end of the six-episode season, so exactly what the duo is discussing constitutes a spoiler. We can say, however, that Aziraphale has picked up the pace. Time is of the essence as Shax marshals her forces to descend on Aziraphale’s store and retrieve Gabriel.

“This is really Shax’s first time out on Earth,” Gaiman explains. “She is working very diligently and very hard in Hell for a long time. Now she is on Earth, trying to figure it all out. She’s just discovering what Crowley has known for 6,000 years, which is that if you’re a demon and come up with a brilliant plan to screw up the lives of humanity, people will get there first and do worse than anything you could have imagined! She’s coming to terms with that.

“She is having to deal with the first crisis on her watch, as well, which is the disappearance of the archangel Gabriel from Heaven. It would be fair to say that by the end of the story, she is leading as much as she can get from Hell’s requisition department – a legion of Hell – in an attack on a Soho bookshop.”

When audiences catch up with Aziraphale again, he’s enjoying his time among humans. He owns most of the block in a Soho neighbourhood, and he’s meddling in Nina’s love life. Meanwhile, Crowley has been living in his car, with his plants sitting on the back seat. He’s grumpy about his current status quo, but frequently hangs out at Aziraphale’s. The duo began as antagonists, but their history and blossoming relationship will be fleshed out in flashbacks.

“One of the enormously fun things I came up with is the idea of minisodes,” Gaiman explains. “They are 25-minute-long episodes within the episode. We have three of them over our six episodes. Each of them is like one of those chunks of episode three [in season one]. Whereas the longest one of those was four or five minutes, if that, these are full stories.

“You get to have the story of [put-upon Biblical figure] Job, and you learn Aziraphale and Crowley’s part in the story. Then writer Cat Clarke takes us to Edinburgh in the 1820s for a tale of body-snatching and attempted murder that the boys get involved in,” he adds.

“Finally, Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman reunite the League Of Gentlemen in a Nazi-period story that takes place very shortly after the episode in the church. That one was the only one I said had to be there, because I fell in love with our Nazi spies in the church. I kept thinking, ‘What would happen if they essentially came back as zombies, with a mission from Hell to try and investigate whether or not Crowley and Aziraphale were actually fraternising?’”

Gaiman admits that one of the greatest challenges has been filming Good Omens simultaneously with his upcoming show Anansi Boys. The two shoot within throwing distance of each other, but are both timeconsuming endeavours.

“If I could go back in time, I would go back to 16 September 2020, when Douglas Mackinnon [co-producer] and I got the phone call from the Amazon bigwigs to say, ‘We have good news for you and interesting news for you,’” Gaiman recalls. “‘The good news is we are greenlighting both Good Omens and Anansi Boys. The interesting news is you are going to have to do them both at the same time.’

“I would go back to then and I would throw myself on the call and say, ‘Neil, don’t! This is unwise.’ That we are doing them both together is great. The amount of sleep I am not getting is monumental and monstrous.

“It’s a little bit like childbirth, in that I managed to forget all the things that drove me nuts about the first one. Having said that, I managed to fix all the things that really drove me nuts making season one, which is great. We just have a whole new set of problems making season two…”

The Odd Couple - David Tennant and Michael Sheen talk character and sets for season two

Crowley and Aziraphale come off as the best of frenemies at times. Where do they stand with one other now?

DT: They are indeed. What’s different in season two is because of what happened at the end of season one, they no longer have head offices that they have to report to. They are in a very different position. Whereas before they were trying to get away with things, now they are kind of free agents.

MS: Although sort of fugitives as well. They are sort of in-between. But this amazing life they have created over a millennia, they are now able to enjoy in a slightly different way. They are not having to put on a front for their respective teams. There is a different kind of freedom.

DT: While at the same time being cut off, so they are also strangers in a strange land.

MS: That kind of connects them in a slightly different way. They have always been the only two beings who could understand each other’s position. Now they are pushed even closer together.

Now that they have the run of the place with no obligations, does that bring its own set of problems, being cut off?

DT: They have this sort of uneasy relationship. They are not entirely cut off from their head offices. Indeed, their head offices are quite keen to exploit that sort of adjacent connection, as we will see as the story unfolds. They exist in this grey area, neither the supernatural nor of the Earth.

MS: By the time we pick up their story in this series, they have appeared in time where they were kind of let alone a bit more. When we pick the story up, they are being bothered again.

The depth and the richness and the detail of what we are seeing on set here in Edinburgh is mind-blowing. How is it for you having it all in one place now, rather than having filming scattered around the UK?

MS: It’s completely changed the experience of doing it. Just being indoors… The Soho set on the first season was freezing cold.

DT: I was in a car park. Even inside the bookshop I was exposed to the elements! There’s a greater percentage of the show set here. There was a practical imperative to making it a manageable environment. If we had been in a car park, the elements might have impinged our ability to film.

Hellraiser - David Tennant is Crowley

You and Michael know these characters inside out. Do you have a shorthand?

It’s a hard thing to be objective about. Although I didn’t know Michael that well before we shot season one, it was always easy and exciting working together. It’s well-oiled now, for sure. It’s certainly fun to come to work. We enjoy bouncing off each other.

How comfortable are they about becoming involved with Gabriel?

I suppose Aziraphale is a much more enthusiastic detective. We are very much voting for the spin-off called The Azirafiles, which will follow this! As with most things, Crowley is reluctant to get involved or to exhibit any kind of energy or enthusiasm about very much. He is dragged kicking and screaming into this. Necessity forces him to get involved, whereas Aziraphale rather likes it.

Where does Crowley hang out these days?

He spends a lot of time in the book shop. He only has one friend. He can only have one friend. That is the great liberation, and also the great prison, that they find themselves in. They have no one else. They have come to rely on each other more than they ever did. And more than they care to admit.

Crowley is a rock star, in a way. Were there any particular musicians that inspired you?

Not consciously, no. The look was assembled accidentally during the first costume sessions. The Crowley of the book is of the mode when the book was written. He is more kind of Wall Street, the way he is described. We just decided that Crowley should always be of the moment he’s in. We were just trying to find a look that we felt fitted.

Divine Being - Michael Sheen is Aziraphale

How has knowing your characters better informed this series?

The first series was the first time we really properly worked together. It feels like we haven’t stopped working together since. Everything that has happened in-between plays into coming back to these characters. I am sure it is all feeding into it. It’s very difficult for us to know how that is informing the characters and their relationships.

With the flashbacks to various points in Earth’s history, is there a period of time Aziraphale enjoys the most?

One of the most enjoyable things for the audience and us is moving through different historical periods. It’s a great source of joy, and people thoroughly enjoyed that episode in the first series, so that has been expanded on in season two. But in terms of which Aziraphale enjoys the most, I think it’s not actually a period of time that we’ve seen him in on this series.

He would have been happiest at the end of the 19th century, in the Victorian era, which is considered the golden age of magic. He would have loved being with the greats like Harry Houdini. He loved the Victorian period. It was a great period of time for philanthropy and doing good works in a municipal way.

How has it been going from something dark like The Prodigal Son to a more whimsical show?

That’s the nature of an actor’s job. You go from one thing to another. In some ways, it’s even more useful to have big differences between the characters. What tends to happen, and I think most actors feel this way, is if you are playing one character for a long time, part of you yearns to play the bits the character doesn’t have. There’s a naivety and an innocence about Aziraphale. But at the same time, underneath that, there is eons of knowledge and experience.

[tonydaddingham]

Source

Transcript of main article under the cut:

THE RASCALLY DEMON Crowley (David Tennant) and the neurotic angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) put aside their differences to pull off one doozy of a Hail Mary and prevent an impending Apocalypse in Good Omens' first season. The task cemented the pair's unconventional friendship. So what are divine beings who have fallen out of grace with both Heaven and Hell to do for an encore?

The answer lies with archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm), who shows up unannounced on the doorstep of Aziraphale's London bookshop. Suddenly, Aziraphale and Crowley are caught up in a caper of biblical proportions- but also a more intimate tale.

"It's a mystery" showrunner Neil Gaiman tells SFX. "It kicks off a story that doesn't have giant consequences for the universe, even if it does have consequences for Aziraphale and Crowley. We have a lot of the marvellous Jon Hamm, who is the angel Gabriel and turns up at the beginning stark naked, carrying a cardboard box with no memory of who he is. In the same way, it is about Aziraphale and Crowley having to get involved with humanity in a way that they haven't before.

"They get dragged in slightly against their will to try to sort out the love life of Aziraphale's tenant," he continues. "Her name is Maggie (Maggie Service) and she runs the

record shop next to the bookshop. You'll see the coffee shop over the road, which is Nina's (Nina Sosanya). The relationship between Maggie and Nina is one that Crowley and Aziraphale try to fix, and mess up, because they are not good at human relationships, even if they can do miracles."

Truth be told, Gaiman never originally intended this arc to serve as Good Omens' second instalment. The TV series was based on Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's 1990 novel. The two collaborators had partially hashed out the details for a sequel to the fantasy comedy, late one night in a hotel room. This, however, is not it. Gaiman instead plotted a new narrative that could provide the connective tissue between the first season and a theoretical season three, if it happens.

"Because the hypothetical season three exists, there is a story that is there, and I didn't feel that we could drive straight from season one into that," Gaiman explains. "I knew what the stakes were. I knew what the parameters were. I also know that I had David and Michael. I had the angels from plot number one. I had demons from plot number one. And with anybody that I wanted to bring back, but didn't have room for right now, I did not have to bring them back as themselves.

"I had absolutely nothing for Madame Tracy to do in this plot, but I would be damned if Miranda Richardson wasn't going to be in this. She is one of my favourite people in the world. She is hilarious and is so good. And I knew I was going to have a new demon replacing Crowley as Hell's representative in London/the UK. Miranda's demon Shax is the best demon you could want."

It's late February 2012 and SFX is in Edinburgh for a set visit. A soundstage in Pyramids Studies has been transformed into a street in Soho. The visible local stores include the aforementioned book, coffee and record shops, as well as a magic establishment. In the middle of them all stand Aziraphale and Crowley, the latter in close proximity to his classic Bentley. It's close to the end of the six-episode season, so exactly what the duo is discussing constitutes a spoiler. We can say, however, that Aziraphale has picked up the pace. Time is of the essence as Shax marshals her forces to descend on Aziraphale's store and retrieve Gabriel.

"This is really Shax's first time out on Earth," Gaiman explains. "She is working very diligently and very hard in Hell for a long time. Now she is on Earth, trying to figure it all out. She's just discovering what Crowley has known for 6,000 years, which is that if you're a demon and come up with a brilliant plan to screw up the lives of humanity, people will get there first and do worse than anything you could have imagined! She's coming to terms with that.

"She is having to deal with the first crisis on her watch, as well, which is the disappearance of the archangel Gabriel from Heaven. It would be fair to say that by the end of the story, she is leading as much as she can get from Hell's requisition department - a legion of Hell - in an attack on a Soho bookshop."

When audiences catch up with Aziraphale again, he's enjoying his time among humans. He owns most of the block in a Soho neighbourhood, and he's meddling in Nina's love life. Meanwhile, Crowley has been living in his car, with his plants sitting on the back seat. He's grumpy about his current status quo, but frequently hangs out at Aziraphale's. The duo began as antagonists, but their history and blooming relationship will be fleshed out in flashbacks.

"One of the enormously fun things I came up with in the idea of minisodes," Gaiman explains. They are 25-minute-long episodes within the episode. We have three of them over our six episodes. Each of them is like one of those chunks of episode three (in season one). Whereas the longest one of those was four or five minutes, if that, these are full stories.

"You get to have the story of (put-upon Biblical figure) Job and you learn Aziraphale and Crowley's part in the story. Then writer Cat Clarke takes us to Edinburgh in the 1820s for a tale of body-snatching and attempted murder that the boys get involved in," he adds.

"Finally, Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman reunite the League of Gentlemen in a Nazi-period story that takes place very shortly after the episode in the church. That one was the only one I said had to be there, because I fell in love with our Nazi spies in the church I kept thinking, "What would happen if they essentially came back as zombies with a mission from Hell to try and investigate whether or not Crowley and Aziraphale were actually fraternising?"

Gaiman admits that one of the greatest challenges has been filming Good Omens simultaneously with his upcoming show Anansi Bays. The two shoot within throwing distance of each other, but are both time-consuming endeavours.

"If I could go back in time, I would go back to 16 September 2020, when Douglas Mackinnon (co-producer) and I got the phone call from the Amazon bigwigs to say, "We have

good news for you and interesting news for you," Gaiman recalls. "'The good news is we are greenlighting both Good Omens and Anansi Boys. The interesting news is you are going to have to do them both at the same time.'

"I would go back to then and I would throw myself on the call and say, 'Neil, don't! This is unwise.' That we are doing them both together is great. The amount of sleep I am not getting is monumental and monstrous.

"It's a little bit like childbirth, in that I managed to forget all the things that drove me nuts about the first one. Having said that, I managed to fix all the things that really drove me nuts making season one which is great. We just have a whole new set of problems making season two."

[rcreveal]

Feathers and Snakeskin

Summary:

Crowley calls Nina urgently for help with movie night. We find out why he's so nervous about this particular movie night. January 2024 prompt a week challenge: 1) Jane Austen, 2) “you're up to something” 3) Crowley's snake, 4) how you said I love you with something you (had) made

Work Text:

“Nina, come watch these movie trailers with me!” Crowley said urgently through the cell connection.

Nina stares at the line of the morning rush with her cell to her ear and a look of disbelief on her face, “You called me with the EXCEPTIONALLY URGENT setting because you want me to watch what with you?”

“Movie trailers.  I desperately need your help with movie night! Nina, please! You're my only hope!” begs Crowley.

Nina looks at the phone and at the crowd, shakes the phone a little, sighs hugely at the ceiling, and relents, “Fine, I'll be right there.”

Addressing the customers, “Oi! Either it's the end of the world or my friend's having a mental breakdown,” in the crescendo of coffee deficient despair she holds up her hands, “Eric's got this.  Be nice or he won't make cookies this week!” This was met with instant polite silence.  The crowd couldn't decide what was worse, being cut off from Nina's coffee or Eric's baking.

On the way out the door, Mrs. Sandwich leans into Nina, “Take care of Crowley, he's been looking off his feed lately.  Won't tell me what's going on.”

Nina hurries over to the bookshop, and enters it only to find Aziraphale sitting quietly doing what looks like calligraphy at his desk while Muriel is reading.

Nina looks from one to the other and asks “Where's Crowley?”

“Not here, Nina.  He went out on an errand this morning.  Are you alright?” inquires Aziraphale.

“Fine.  I'm fine, just needed a word, in person, with Crowley. See you for movie night later?” Nina tries to cover while walking rapidly out the door. 

Once she's out of angelic earshot, she whispers into her mobile, “Why didn't you tell me you weren't at the shop!  Where are you?”

“Little distracted.  I'm at that movie rental place.  I'll share my location with you,” 

Nina's phone chimes. Her map app directs her to a video rental shop. ‘We still have one of those?’ she thinks and starts walking.  “What's with all the cloak and dagger? Are you ok?”

“I'm ok.  Nnnngh, not ok.  Physically safe, but not ok? Is that a thing?  I needed complete secrecy,” says Crowley.

“For movie trailers? You're up to something!” Nina is talking while walking through the neighborhood until she finds a familiar old storefront, ‘Kathy’s Movie Rental Emporium.’

Opening the door is like stepping into her past.  There are floor to ceiling DVDs and VHS tapes, separated into movie categories with handwritten signs in Kathy’s clear hand.  The shop is made of little nooks and crannies packed with movies with little sign posts on some of the shelves with directions to the different genres.

Nina had spent so much time in this shop when she was a teen.  She’d been searching for a community she couldn’t name and didn’t even know if it existed or not.  In Kathy’s shelves, she found windows onto other worlds, worlds where there were people like her who loved like she did and got to have the life they dreamed about.  This shop had been a bright spot in an otherwise difficult series of years.  She hadn’t seen the store front in ages.

“Nina, is that you, dear?” Kathy, at her usual station behind the till, is more spare now, but still sports the sharply fashionable clothes and architect’s round frames with a bob that's gone silver with age.  “Yeah, Kathy, yeah, it's so good to see you! I'm sorry, I thought you'd gone out of business when streaming got big.  I walked by a few times…” Nina looks bemused, then rallies, “A friend of mine is here? Crowley, chap about this tall, wears mostly black?”

Kathy comes out from behind the counter and beckons Nina to follow her behind the stacks, down a narrow corridor lined with classic movie posters. “It’s so good you came over! He's in the private theater. Needs a little help.” Kathy knocks gently on a door under red velvet curtains and gold braid.

“Cooee! Crowley? Nina's come down,” Kathy calls and opens the door.

The little private theater is big enough for about twenty people and a screen, with a little stage that Nina recalled had also hosted some fledgling cinematographers and their works.  Now, it contains one agitated Crowley and drifts of huge black feathers.  Nina looks from Crowley to Kathy and whispers “If I'm not out in an hour, come knock?” 

Kathy's face creases into a warm smile, “Just so, dear.”

Nina turns back to Crowley saying, “What’s going on?  Where’d all these feathers come from?” 

Crowley continues pacing, saying, “I’m molting.”

Nina looks at him askance, “You molt?”

Dipping his head side to side, Crowley says, “I molt when I’m nervous.”

“You didn’t molt during the Second Coming,” Nina points out.

Rubbing his neck like it itches, he says, “I wasn’t nervous during the Second Coming.  I was many things, but I was not nervous .”

Hands on hips still watching Crowley pace, Nina says, “Ok, you molt when you’re nervous.  Why are you nervous?”

“I want movie night to be perfect this week!  I want to pick the perfect movie! And I can’t see!”  

Nina walks over to him quickly now, “Of course you can’t see in here, you’ve got sunglasses on!”

“I’ve got sunglasses on because of why I can’t see!  I’m shedding, too,”  Crowley takes off his glasses to expose eyes that are covered with a cloudy bluish-white film and rubs his chest while uncomfortably moving his neck. Nina is strongly reminded of her childhood pet corn snake when he was about to shed, all tetchy and restless.

“You shed.  Like a snake?”

“I only shed when I’m really nervous. And I can’t do it in this form, but I can’t see to get home.  And I’ll only keep nervously molting and shedding, until I get this movie picked out! And itchy!” grumbles Crowley.

“Ri-ight. You’re nervous about picking out a movie for our regular weekly movie night that we’ve been doing for almost two years like clockwork. And you can’t watch the trailers now because you can’t see.  O-kay” Nina decides to tackle the more manageable problem first.  “What movies are you choosing between?”

Pacing and scratching, Crowley says, “‘Emma’ the new 2020 version, ‘Ella Enchanted’, uh and ‘The Princess Bride’.”

“I assume that you wouldn’t be this nervous if you weren’t trying to impress Mr. Fell somehow?  And these are all fluffy love stories, with twists and turns before people recognize they love each other, then happy endings.  Mmm, drop ‘Ella Enchanted.’  Everyone loves Anne Hathaway, but I don’t know about the fairy tale thing.”

Crowley interjects, “‘The Princess Bride’ is one of his favorites!  He talks along with all the lines.”

Nina considers, “It’s a reliable good time, but has he seen that production of ‘Emma’?”

“Don’t think so,” Crowley tugs at his collar.

“Have you?” Nina asks curiously.

“Not yet!” Crowley said exasperatedly, “The movie lady, Kathy, suggested it and I was getting ready to screen it back here, when, eyes!” he gestures angrily at his face.

“‘Emma’ then, Kathy’s a magic worker when it comes to picking the most perfect movie for you to see next,” remarks Nina decisively, “I liked that one.  Stellar cast, good music, usual Jane Austen antics, remarkable costumes.  Yeah, Mr Fell would enjoy it.”

But Crowley is directing a dubious look in her general direction, “You watch Jane Austen films?”

Nina pulls a face then grudgingly admits, “I may have discovered a new appreciation for them since Mr Fell made us watch that ‘Pride and Prejudice’ production back when movie night began.  But don’t change the subject, that’s your movie sorted.  Now, do I just fetch the Bentley and take you home or to Mr Fell’s?”

“It, uh, really can’t wait that long,” Crowley sounds a little embarrassed.

“What? You’re going to turn into a snake right here so you can shed?”

“Yessss, that about ssssumsss it up.  Sssssorry.”

They’re both startled by a soft knock on the door.

“Sorry, dears, it took me a little to find it in the back of the storerooms, but I think this will do nicely for you,” Kathy wheels in a large structure of intertwining wooden roots, rough and nobbly.  “Some of my naga clients have had the same thing happen to them now and then.”

“I’m not a naga,” grumps Crowley.

“Well, no, dear.  Tho’ you’re handsome enough to be one and you need to shed your snake skin like one! Take all the time you need.” Kathy remarks brightly as Crowley pulls the structure further into the room, not entirely surprised to have run into another occultly attuned human.

Nina suddenly puts some very random facts together.  “Kathy, do you know my grandmother, by any chance?” asks Nina.

“Of course, dear, Alvita and I go back a long way,” says Kathy.

“What’s your user name in the Book Club server then?” asks Nina.

“Why it’s ‘MovieMama’! And you must be ‘Coffeehuman’, am I right?” Kathy remarks delightedly.

“Pleassssse, ladiessss!  Sssssome privassssssssy?” Crowley begs.

“Sure, sure, let me know when you’re done and I’ll help you tidy the theater,” Nina closes the door behind herself and hangs the ‘In use’ sign, shaking her head.

Pointing her thumb over her shoulder, Nina asks, “How long does this sort of thing usually take?” 

“Oh, about an hour or so, but he’ll be really stunning when he’s done!  The colors are never brighter than right after a shed. Would you like a sandwich while we wait?” Kathy heads up to the front of the shop again.

Nina is gazing around, “I never got a chance to tell you how important this shop, how important you were when I was figuring out about myself.  I came back to the neighborhood looking for your shop, but I couldn’t find it.”

Kathy looks gently at Nina, “Thank you, dear, it was a pleasure.  I got called away for a bit.  But it’s lovely to be spending some time in Soho again.”

“So it wasn’t just me being mental, or you closing shop?  The whole place was gone?”

“Only gone from here. I was open in one of my other locations.  My Book Club user name was originally going to be ‘MultiverseMovieMama’ but it just took too long to type,” Kathy grins at Nina.

“So, I haven’t been able to find that film about the group of friends at the cottage on the coast because it’s not from this world?”

“Yes.  I’ve still got the copy.  Would you like to watch it now?”

“Would I ever!  It’s hilarious!” Nina exclaimed.

Crowley did come out in about two hours looking rather spiffy, if you fancied men.  Nina was just glad to see that he looked human and calmer.  She went into the theater with some large plastic trash bags, “I’ll get the feathers, but the snakeskin is all you.”

“Fair,” said Crowley, unwrapping twenty or so feet of fresh snakeskin from the wooden sculpture and gently putting it into another plastic bag.

While they worked, Nina asks, “What’s making you so nervous that you’re shedding and molting?  I can’t believe you’re driving yourself crazy about just a movie?”

Finding feathers that have gotten into surprising places, Crowley replies, “I need to talk to Aziraphale and I’m hoping the movie will help me, maybe get him in the right mood.”

“Get him in the right mood for what?  You don’t need a rom-com to make him realize he loves you.  You’ve already done that.”  Nina stares hard at him with her head to the side, then the penny drops, “You’re not going to propose to Mr Fell?” She surveys Crowley’s sudden stillness, “You’re going to propose to Mr Fell!!! Why!??”

“See, I knew you’d understand,” he smiles ruefully.

“Understand what?  You don’t need to get married!  You can be 100% committed to each other and faithful, why would you want all that silly ceremony?  Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure Mr Fell would be over the moon!” which sets off a sappy smile on Crowley’s face, “But you can’t want…why?” and Nina suddenly doesn’t look like she’s talking about just Crowly and Aziraphale’s relationship.

Crowley flops down on a theater seat with his bag of feathers in his lap and Nina sits down next to him, hands playing with a long black pinion feather that just escaped.

“The past two years have been amazing, remarkable, more happiness than I would have thought I deserved.  But, everything still feels up in the air, not locked down, somehow.  I want to show Aziraphale that I will make the most binding contract I know of to say I never want to leave.  Even if I get angry or he does, I’ll do the work necessary to stay an ‘us’.” Crowley looks over at Nina hoping she understands, but she’s turned a bit away from him and her voice sounds a little choked when she asks, “You want to show him or you want him to show you?  You’re still worried that he’ll leave again, aren’t you?”

Crowley scrubs his face with his hands, “Nailed it again, Nina,” he says ruefully. 

“But why do you want any relationship advice from me?  The last time Maggie and I gave you relationship advice about talking to Mr Fell…” Nina breaks off.

“Trust me, Nina, the advice was good.  I just carried it out badly,” admits Crowley softly.

Nina turns back to him, and smiles a little tremulously.  “That's what marriage means to you? A commitment to never stop trying to be the best partners you can be? Whether he or you needs supporting or to be called out?”

“Yeah,” says Crowley.

“And you think you can tell him that, too?” asks Nina.

“Yeah,” says Crowley.

Nina nods decisively, “Right then, you’ve got my blessing or whatever.”

Crowley looks surprised, “Your blessing?”

“Or whatever, I assume that's what you were needing?  A marriage skeptic to kick you in the arse?”

Staring at her again, Crowley slowly grins, “Yeah, something like that. Thanks for coming over.  If you'll just help me get these bags of feathers out to the Bentley for safekeeping?  I've got a few more errands to run before tonight.”

Aziraphale looked up when the doorbell tinkled, and the breath caught in his throat.  Crowley stood framed with the light falling on him from the shop windows with his hair iridescently red.  Azriaphale was taken again by the line of his jaw, the lithe energy in his frame.  A single black feather materialized and drifted gently to the floor.

Crowley was likewise arrested by the sight of Aziraphale with the light somehow igniting the dust motes into a literal halo about his head.  Caught by the look of wonder in his eyes, his quiet strength, and in the way he seemed so comfortable in himself.  The ink was still wet on a heavy piece of cardstock covered with the angel’s best copperplate.

“I brought a movie for movie night.” Crowley said, “And Coca-cola’s for the rum and cokes.  Proper glass bottles, “ Crowley held up the bottles as evidence.

Aziraphale stood at his desk, “Everyone’s given their regrets.  Last minute things, couldn’t be avoided.  It’s just you and me tonight,” Aziraphale’s hand reaches down to twirl his ring as he steps forward to take the cardboard crate of glass bottles from Crowley’s hand, the light sparkling in the glass and illuminating the deep sepia beverage within.  Rather than going all the way to the kitchen, or even breaking eye contact with Crowley, he just reaches back to set it on whatever flat surface is available.

“It’s rather fortuitous actually,” Aziraphale continues, “There’s something I’ve been meaning to talk with you about.”

“Yeah, uh, there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk with you about, too,” Crowley stammers and another ebony feather materializes as it drifts towards the floor.

“Oh, well, you first, dear boy, last time we both wanted to talk at the same time…I should have let you say your piece,” Aziraphale's eyes well up with tears at the memory.

“I’ve learned that I can stand to listen better.  Go ahead, Angel,” Crowley says softly.

Aziraphale is spinning his ring now and biting his lip, “We’ve been courting for almost two years now, and it’s glorious, really it is.”  Crowley has leaned back to grasp the shop door behind him for support.

“I just always thought it would be a…a temporary phase,” the angel says haltingly.

“Temporary…?” Crowley croaks.

“Yes, like before we…well, you’ll think I’m silly,” Aziraphale looks away.

“Before we?” Crowley, breathing again, stands up from where he was leaning against the door and catches the angel’s hand in his.

“Before we…got married.  See!  I knew you’d think I’m just an old silly!” and the angel tries to pull away, but Crowley tugs him back, saying softly,

“I think I should have my go now, alright?” smiling gently while reaching into his jacket, Crowley pulls out a small jewelry box. “I love you, a lot.  And I want to be with you, trying to be the best ‘us’ we can be, good times, hard times, both.  And I would like…for you… to marry me.”

“You’re asking me? You’re asking me?!” Aziraphale sounds astonished.

“Angel, if you don’t give me your answer right now, I swear…Don’t you want…?”  doubt is creeping back into the corners of his voice.

“Want to marry you? Of course , I want to marry you!  I’ve wanted to marry you for the past two years!  I thought you didn’t care for all that ceremony, and,”

But Crowley is kissing him, and Aziraphale is heartily kissing him back and they’re both crying, by the time they breathlessly break off from kissing with Aziraphale’s, “Oh!” 

Aziraphale starts patting all over his coat and vest, mumbling, “Drat! Where has it gotten to!” and he finally sighs and slips his hand into the breast pocket of his vest, pulling out a small leather pouch that’s been resting over his heart for more than a year.

“I had this made for you, in case we ever did, get married officially.”  Aziraphale spills a ring into his palm, a black band with gold inlay to form interlocking wings.

Kissing Aziraphale’s temple gently, Crowley says, “I love it, Angel. Here's mine for you,” and Crowley opens the jewelry box that contains a gold ring sporting fine engraving that creates the look of a DaVinci sketch of intertwining dark feathers and light.

“Oh! It’s very like your friend’s drawings!  Well done!” Aziraphale remarks.

Solicitously picking up the few feathers that have fallen to the floor, Aziraphale asks, “Is this why you’ve been molting, dear?  I wondered what was bothering you so.” 

“Yeah, ‘fraid so.  What have you been doing with the feathers?”

“Oh, I just stuff them in the eiderdown with mine, or use them as quills. I've, uh, been mocking up wedding invitations, um, using our feathers for quills,” says Aziraphale.

Crowley looks at the drying invitation on the desk, eyebrows raised, “How many invitations have you done?”

“Oh several dozen, they're in my trousseau with the complimenting monogrammed handkerchiefs!” the angel burbles nervously.

“A trousseau?!  I look forward to seeing that…especially the garters,” Crowley grins mischievously.

Crowley looks over his shoulder at the coffee shop where all their friends are glued to the windows trying to see their exchange.

Aziraphale follows his gaze, “Shall we let them in on the good news?” then opens the door behind Crowley and sweeps him out onto the step where the angel bellows, “I SAID YES!” and then tugs Crowley into a jog across the street.  They tumble hand in hand into the coffee shop into a cacophony of hugging, crying, laughing people.  Their friends are jumping up and down, and everyone is either hugging someone or clamoring to hear all about the proposal, before they move the party over to Kathy's shop to watch ‘Emma.’

-Thanks for reading! Your kudos and comments make my day! If you'd like to read more of my Good Omens fanfic, check out this Master List

[amuseoffyre]

Thinking about the fact that because they can't/don't talk about it, Aziraphale takes it as read that he and Crowley are a couple ("I thought we carved it out for ourselves", "our car", "in the same way that it's my bookshop") but Crowley doesn't parse it that way until Nina points out that his Very Good Friend and Very Normal Friendship is something far bigger and much more cataclysmic than he realised.

[aziraphales-library]

Hello beautiful human !

Can I find in, your glorious library, stories where Crowley has good friends who care for him deeply? Aside from Aziraphale, ofc.

Thank you so much in advance ❤️

Hi! I would recommend our #apocalypse buddies, #crowley & muriel, and #friendship tags for fics to enjoy. Here are more fics in which Crowley has good friends...

Angel, Please by GhostOfCallisto (M)

Crowley and Aziraphale are both regular old humans who met under human circumstances. Crowley is a part of a struggling band called Hellish Rebuke with the demon crew, Aziraphale is a former drag queen named Angel Fell attempting to be a professional dancer. Maggie and Nina are best friends with Crowley and big fans of his band.

I'm Gonna Set Things Right Again by iocallistoeuropa (G)

Aziraphale has gone off to Heaven, Crowley is driving around the country aimlessly, Muriel has learned how to have a "cupperty", and Give Me Coffee... or Give Me Death has now been expanded and renamed Give Me Coffee, Give Me Records... or Give Me Death. Some things have changed for the better, but others have turned into quite a mess. Is there any way to set things right again?

Who Am I Without You? by Lainey_Marie (T)

After Aziraphale left for Heaven, all Crowley wanted to do was lose control of himself and spiral until he couldn't feel anything anymore but there is an angel needing his help to adjust to life on Earth and a pesky coffee shop owner who just won't let him drown in his immense sorrow. With the help of his new friends, Crowley attempts to figure out who he is when he isn't living for Aziraphale or to do Hell's bidding. But what happens when that very same angel returns in desperate need of a hand to save the world once more?

You're Just a Little Under Rehearsed by MickyRC (T)

Drama teacher Crowley loves directing the Tadfield Community Players' shows—interacting with the rest of the staff at the community center, not so much. So when he meets the new accompanist for this year's musical, he's shocked to find that he might actually like him. Possibly more than like, if he's being honest. Aziraphale is fresh from leaving a long career as a church pianist, and hoping that a new job will get him out of the lonely rut he's found himself in. The attention and kindness of the flashy community theater director are unexpected, but not unwelcome. Far from it. But with a community theater to run, a show to put on, and a disgruntled R.P. Tyler looking for any excuse to get rid of Crowley and his theater program, will they be able to make a relationship work? And, more importantly, can they make sure the show still goes on?

The Prize by Caedmon (E)

Need a car? Date my brother. My brother is a real angel but needs a helping hand in the social/romance department, so I’m trying to help him find a good guy. Ages 35-50, employed, good looking, emotionally stable. After an entrance interview, if you successfully date my brother for a set amount of time and pull him out of his shell, I will give you my garage kept 1933 Bentley. Serious inquiries only. Contact gabriel@messenger.com

love like yours (will surely come my way) by CCs_World (T)

Dr Zira Fell is a new professor of theology at St Beryl's University. His first day there he meets the mysterious and enchanting Dr AJ Crowley, an art history professor and a painter. They almost immediately become friends, and spend most of their time getting lunch together, talking, drinking wine, making art, and falling slowly in love with one another. Featuring cameos of everyone's favorite (and least favorite) characters, gratuitous descriptions of paintings, long text messaging conversations, and one cranky cat.

- Mod D

[fuckyeahgoodomensfanfic]

Good Omens Fic Rec: Wild Hearts

In the idyllic English countryside, far from the hustle and bustle of the big city, two teachers at Willowbrook Hall set out to transform their students’ lives through the world of theatre. But for Mr. Crowley, the challenge of navigating his long hidden feelings and dear friendship with Mr. Fell may prove to be the greatest drama of all.

Length: 145,589 Words

AO3 Rating: Explicit/ Spice Level 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Best for: Mostly Safe in Public, Human AU, Romance, Slow Burn

Triggers: None

Read it here, fic by foolishlovers

*Minor Spoilers* Welcome to Willowbrook Hall, or as I like to call it, The Gay and Trans School for Gay and Trans Teens. Come meet professors Mr. Fell and Mr. Crowley, and their colorful cast of teens as they spend the school year getting ready for the performance of a lifetime in the school play. This place has it all: hijinks, dances, costumes, drama, and best of all a cat.

What I really loved about this story was how cinematic it felt. Sure, some scenes intentionally reference a movie (Wild Child, so fun and camp!), but that's not what I mean. The whole thing plays out like a movie or its own TV show. We get big dramatic moments of romance and heartbreak, plus fun ones like a mini makeover, the school dance, and the play. And there is tons of subtle foreshadowing along the way that will make you jump up and down when things come to fruition. It's thrilling and engaging, and waiting for updates when this was a WIP was excruciating because I wanted to know what was going to happen next so badly!

The side characters especially are so much fun! I loved the kids and their side plots. Even though we don’t follow their story directly, we see enough to get hooked. Adam and Warlock are standouts, but they aren't the only ones I enjoyed! Honestly, I'd read a standalone from the kids perspective! The teachers are excellent too. I have a soft spot for Newt, who pops in now and then, always a sweetheart. Crowley could be in the depths of heartbreak and still manage a smile for Newt. All the teachers (plus Nina) don't feel like they're just there. I was interested in them, and you really get a sense of how much of a family they all are. It's a real skill to make side characters as interesting as the main duo.

Of course, the main attraction is Crowley and Aziraphale. They’ll make you fall in love with them all over again. They’re the perfect domestic couple well before they admit anything. So many lovely details about them, from note passing and bets, to their shared bond with Beethoven the cat (aka the best character ever). You'll experience everything with them: the highs of gender discovery and euphoria, and the lows of miscommunication and misunderstandings. What drama is complete without that? Yes, they’re a bit thick headed, and yes, a single conversation could have fixed everything. But where's the fun in that? I'm here for the drama! The pang of heartbreak and yearning makes the reunion so much sweeter! They are wonderfully characterized, and yet still have an air and life of their own. Unique to this story, but true to their characters.

You’ll be mostly safe reading this in public. There are a handful of explicit scenes but you should have enough notice to get away from prying eyes. The sex here is delicious and heart pounding! Plus the way that Crowley's gender fluidity plays into those scenes was very beautiful. There are so many reasons to love this story. It's engaging, cinematic, dramatic, funny, and romantic. This was an incredible achievement and I hope you have just as much fun and I did!

Read it here, fic by foolishlovers

[cassiecasyl]

Spooky Bang is upon us!

This lovely artwork was drawn by @yetrop based on my fic The Father, The Son, And The Holy Ghost written for @spooky-bang-good-omens!

Yig, the father of serpents, has cursed Aziraphale because he has hurt a certain snake demon. What happens when the curse causes Aziraphale to attack Crowley? Find out on ao3!

The Father, The Son, And The Holy Ghost (8,581 words | Mature)

Post-Season/Series 02, Inspired by H. P. Lovecraft, Short Story: The Curse of Yig, Depressed Crowley (Good Omens), Snake Crowley (Good Omens), Sentient Bentley (Good Omens), Crowley & Nina Friendship (Good Omens), Crowley does not like to be snake, Stars (or lack thereof), Bookshop Owner Muriel (Good Omens), Mentioned Maggie (Good Omens), Cursed Aziraphale (Good Omens), Body Horror, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Dysfunctional Family, Heartbreak, Protective Crowley (Good Omens), Aziraphale Loves Crowley (Good Omens), Hopeful Ending, Bible Quotes (Abrahamic Religions), Crowley's Snake Eyes Can't See the Stars (Good Omens), Lunar Eclipse, Trauma, Crowley Has Self-Esteem Issues (Good Omens), Suicidal Thoughts, Inspired by Supernatural (TV 2005), iykyk, Crowley Whump (Good Omens), Crowley is Bad at Being a Demon (Good Omens), Crowley Loves Aziraphale (Good Omens)

[ekelhyiro]

“in behalf of my… good friend here”

“that’s what… friends for”

is it me or is this the first time aziraphale has thought that the title “friends” is no longer appropriate for their relationship?

every time he looks away when he calls crowley a friend. at this point he was not afraid to admit their friendship in front of others (in Shakespeare’s time for example). angel had already gotten used to crowley being around and being trustworthy, so after such a romantic gesture of his... it's hard to continue playing in a purely platonic relationship.

aziraphale knows how love feels! he felt it when he was in Tadfield because adam adored the place. did aziraphale feel love when crowley saved his precious books? most likely. how else to describe his facial expression, romantic music in the background and his undeniable desire to repay him?

in the first season, uriel calls crowley aziraphale's boyfriend, angel smiles shyly, but does not say anything about it. in the second season, shax calls them a couple and tells how at first she did not believe the rumor about them. it's strange to her that crowley sacrifices his entire existence for an angel who’s not even his type.

at the beginning of the second season, when zira introduces demon to nina, he says: “he and i go back a long time”. they are no longer friends. after all they've been through? people have not yet come up with such words that could describe their union.

aziraphale realised everything a long time ago, despite his "you go to fast for me crowley". he is the first to take steps to develop their relationship but is too afraid to say it out loud. he says "our car", "our bookshop", which should suggest that they are partners, but he never says through his mouth: "listen, honey, when are we getting married?" at the same time, our gentle demon, firstly, does not understand that he himself is in love, and secondly, that it is mutual.

crowley knows he loves angel, but he doesn't know HOW. he instantly furious as soon as aziraphale is in danger. no matter how much they resent each other, he will go, run, fly after him anywhere. and he makes romantic gestures. why? because he wants to please his angel. crowley wouldn't lift a finger without a reason, he's too lazy but now we see him performing miracles left and right.

i still don't understand how heaven and hell didn't notice that they were CLEARLY overdoing miracles not for the sake of good and evil but for the sake of each other.

crowley really didn't know it was LOVE. yes, just like in the books. thanks to nina, who, thanks heaven, shows up to ask how long they've been together or maybe an angel is his bit on the side.

and a miracle happens! so many fucking years they exist side by side and this red and, apparently, empty head finally understands that he loves him. maybe it's even mutual, everyone always takes them for a couple.

maybe... in that very moment they were supposed to get an official new name for their partnership but… we all got what we deserved. a portion of glass after 6000 years of pining.