#i can't believe i wrote angst for crowley

[lineffability]

I for one cannot WAIT for their first meeting after the s2 fallout......the pain and Longing...the being drawn back together long before they actually reconciliate (and t a l k). I want a scene where they are tense and argue about sth Plotrelevant and Crowley gets angry and, automatically, without thinking about it, gets too close, and they suddenly stop and freeze because they are only inches apart, and aziraphale looks at Crowley's lips, really really looks, and there is nothing more, now that he Knows about the feeling of his lips and his heart, there is nothing more he wants than to kiss him--maybe he leans in slightly, maybe their noses touch--but he can't, he can't because he has sworn himself the next time (he has to believe in a next time, in a time with Crowley, again) the next time they kiss it will be good and happy and an affirmation, so he uses all his strength to move away slightly, pull back. it's not the right time. not yet. Crowley doesn't necessarily interpret his actions correctly, of course. to him it's just eternal rejection, again. oh but he felt the longing. why why why. mmmhhh delicious angst

[edit: i wrote it out]

[edit 2: it's now an ongoing fic on ao3]

[aziraphales-library]

Idk if this is a common trope but is there any fanfics that explore if Sister loquacious does not interrupt the moment between the two when Crowley… gets upset at being called “nice”? :)

We have a #wall slam tag !

How To Land A Kiss by Ineffable-howlter (Sinninghowlter) [T]

An extension of the Wall Scene that I wrote after watching the show the first time last month

Honey, you're familiar, like my mirror years ago by theghostlybee [G]

“I would fall for you.” Aziraphale whispered, almost as if he feared that if he spoke too loudly the Almighty would strike him down where he stood. He didn’t find himself minding. No punishment could be greater than being apart from Crowley.

“Angel,” Crowley muttered, desperately.

“In some ways I already have.”

-------------------------------------

What if the iconic ‘Wall Scene’ hadn't been interrupted when it did? What if Sister Mary Loquacious didn't come until quite a few minutes later, and Aziraphale and Crowley had the time to continue their talk?

THAT wall Scene by Myth_theFangirl [T]

(A bit of an AU). Aziraphale isn't like Crowley- he isn't an optimist that believes everything will be alright one way or another. So when he finds himself in the Tadfield Manor with his demonic companion, he can't help but feel like the Armageddon is coming no matter what he does. If it is... Shouldn't the angel make the best of it?

Secret Kisses by gay_stew [G]

What if Mary Loquacious didnt walk in on Crowley and Aziraphale at Tadfield Manor? What then?

Closer by peachy_keen114 [T]

The infamous wall slam scene, but with more gay and angst.

~

“His mind was completely dispatched from his body, and all he could really think about were the light puffs of air he felt against his neck.”

~Mod N

[seven-stars-in-his-palm]

in ur asks once again...

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?

😅 What's a story or scene you've created that you're a smidge embarrassed exists?

✨ Give you and your writing a compliment. Go on now. You know you deserve it. 😉

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please!

HI LEANNE HI LEANNE SORRY I'M LATE BUT I'M HEREEEEEEEEE <3 thanks for putting the questiosn btw this made this hella easier. i should do that more...

🥺 - Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?

mmmmm of course I have to bring up arguments but I suppose one that alwayssss gets me is like. a new sense of Understanding that is conveyed just by a Look. 1941-saving-the-books coded, if you will. there's a lot of moments in my fics where a character does something for another or expresses a new emotion that they haven't really before, and the other character's world view has just Shifted. you don't know how it's shifted or even how much, but it's Changed, and that's all that matters. the most recent time this has happened in a fic is for the trans omens bang (just finished the fic btw, now I just have to post it--[really hoping for august 2nd to begin my Schedule but we'll see]) where it happens twice; aziraphale realizing what crowley used the holy water he gave him for (killing ligur) and crowley realizing that aziraphale has never been able to truly express himself* because of heaven's image; that being 'being an angel means that you have to be pure and Never Indulge In Anything, Absolutely Anything, Because Why Would You Do That?'. kinda like with food. so it's not heaven being transphobic so much as it is "why would you dress like that if u don't have to, why are you even thinking about that in the first place do ur job buddy just accept what's been given to you 🤨". still a trans allegory tho. it's kinda hard to explain where you just have to read the fic to grasp it (the message) fully because its just a fun piece about trans things. THE POINT is that 1941-coded realization are AWESOME!!!!

*I personally don't believe that aziraphale has NEVER experimented with gender throughout history, but he's closeted in this au for the sake of the plot. this is not my headcanon but it's soooo fun to project <3

😅 - What's a story or scene you've created that you're a smidge embarrassed exists?

mmmmmm I have to check but God a few that I remember is the one nimona (2023) fic I wrote that's an unnecessary angst-fest and also that one fic that's basically 'aziraphale rejects crowley so many fucking times' and it makes me cringe because it makes me sad in the bad way. also that one fic about body switch where they decide to execute 'aziraphale' and 'crowley' together in heaven. which I would do SO differently now oh my God, first of all WHY HEAVEN (I would do it in a separate third location now, probably in like. the fields of meggido. and have hell set up bleachers for the demons to watch like they did canonically. for the plot. also the symbolism). and second of all i was still getting the hang of Crowley And Aziraphale Silent Communication and the way I conveyed it in this fic is just CRINGE. full out CRINGE. I wish I could delete it but it's one of my more kudosed fics and I can't get rid of that shit. tbh any fic before i started using beta readers (began with like chapter 5 of stars in a jar au) is Bad and I wanna rewrite them so bad but then i'd be plagued forever. I only plan on rewriting the fics that are secretly a part of the said stars in a jar au (which is 2, I plan to add them to the series when those instances are mentioned in the main fic) as well as midnight's call AGAIN when I inevitably get back to writing its sequel ACTUALLY USING A BETA READER THIS TIME. idk if i'll ever write more long term gravity falls fic after I finish that sequel (except for drabbles here or there and that one gravity falls crossover i'm obligated to finish) but I refuse to let that universe rest until i've fulfilled its potential. I swear to god

✨ Give you and your writing a compliment. Go on now. You know you deserve it.

autggh i already did this one but another thing i can say is worried crowley. i've been i'm good at writing him Worried And/Or Anxious because well he is me and i am him. side eyes latest fic

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please!

HGRHHHHHH THERE'S EIGHT RN which one do i do....i can't stop blabbing about fairytale au but since i'm currently watching a video essay on the costa concordia (by internet historian. god it's good storytelling) i'll talk about the titanic. i'm doing a titanic (1997) fic for the silver screen bang,,, i think i've definitely detailed it before but i'll do it again. heart of the ocean? CURSED. hell sends crowley on the titanic to fucking find that thang, and aziraphale tags along because he too has an assignment from heaven but it's just quick blessings (wonder why...). there's iconic scenes such as paint me like one of your french girls (ily artist ariraphale) and 'im; flying' but it's a DANCE instead. fucking hell i'm melting just thinking about it. i love the themes i love chapter 2 i love chapter 5 i love you anathema's ancestor who's also here i LOVE YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU here's a raw snippet,,,

France, Aziraphale knows well, is famous for producing the best of its rich, savory crepes. And, being a simple angel, when he had heard about their momentary stop in Cherbourg to load up more passengers, decided to give into the urges and risk a quick stop at his favorite restaurant and have a brief crepe break. It was worth it in every way possible—Crowley could explore their cabin on his own, and Aziraphale got crepes. Everyone wins!

alright that's enough blabbing. thank you for this wonderful opportunity,,, im now watching a video about a man in a hole. i love video essays

[broomsticks]

Heyy! I was wondering, can you help me out with some drarry recs? I read a few drarry fics YEARS ago and honestly don't remember them at all, and the past few years, I've only read marauders era fics. I want to explore drarry a bit, but in a lot of the fics i try out the pairing seems kinda illogical. Yk like the fic just pushes them together bc it's a drarry fic but it doesn't really make sense beyond that. Maybe I've just had bad luck. But that's why i wanted to ask whether you have any recs that could get me into the pairing again. I think i mostly want canonish stuff (no crazy AUs), and lengthwise im alright with whatever, but a longfic would be nice!!

so first off - thank you for thinking of me hahaha, but I'm not the best person to ask because I don't read a ton of Drarry! (I say that and it's my third most bookmarked ship, behind Wolfstar and Jily.) it's not a ship I'm particularly wild about either, for similarrrr reasons to you it sounds like (not a huge fan of postwar redemption arc and if I'm going to read that I usually would rather read lightning gen femslash, and most of the AUs tend to read sorta 'any two guys' to me), but I have read a bunch I enjoyed and I do have a couple faves:

Listening for the Angels by @hawksquill // 12k, M

The trials are over. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy are in Azkaban, the Ministry has seized Malfoy Manor, and Draco is banished to live among Muggles. His exile brings Draco more than he ever bargained for: a Squib therapist, Muggle friends, a new career, and a mysterious pen pal who helps him come to terms with what it means to grow, heal, and make amends.

lmao I know I just said postwar redemption not my jam blah blah, but the writing of this one is just lovely. it's Draco-centric and more pre-slash gen than relationshippy, but the character growth is so well done.

.

What We Pretend We Can't See by @gyzym // 131k, M

Seven years out from the war, Harry learns the hard truth of old history: it’s never quite as far behind you as you thought.

the plot. the relationships. the conflict. the humanity. I remember this one totally sweeping me away! gyzym also wrote one of my favorite aziraphale/crowleys (build me a city, call it jerusalem, 3.5k, T), pre-show/dated 2012, give this a try if you'd like a quick taste of their writing, it's what motivated me to start reading that Drarry longfic!

.

I found the sentient house magic intriguing in this one:

The Claiming of Grimmauld Place by bixgirl1 // 75k, E

When Grimmauld Place begins fighting against Harry’s ownership of it, he decides he needs help to train the historic home — but little does he expect that it’ll be Malfoy who’s most suitable for the challenge. However, as Malfoy and Harry get closer, Harry comes to understand that expectations aren’t always the best path by which to guide his heart — and in the process learns just what is needed to make a house a home.

I will say this ship has a lot of a) magical theory, particularly sentient house magic, b) auror partner casefics, and c) mysterious medical maladies, so if that's something that interests you I can rec a couple more!

.

last but not least I know you said no crazy AUs, but you did also say Wolfstar, and I was just rereading this to rec it elsewhere: here's an online romance Drarry AU with HIV+ Remus and Wolfstar raising Harry. Angst, smut, fluff, family... this fic is lovely.

Dragons Don't Know Paradise by @teacup-tai // 51k, E

In 2004, when Remus spends two scary weeks in the ITU due to complications of pneumonia and his HIV condition, Sirius walks around the house like a ghost and Harry finds comfort and strength in Draco through a chat in an online LGBT forum. Harry falls for him, but Draco has a lot of secrets and, before long, will need to come clean—even if he believes that no one is able to understand a dragon. This is a story about falling in love online and about facing the reality of death, but above all, this is a story about hope, finding love and acceptance. (Non-magical / bookshop AU, written for the 25 days of Drarry 2020)

a couple more recs here for Wolfstar + Drarry!

[trashboatprince]

Oh oh I got amonster omen prompt follow up, because listen,I am nothing if not predictable. You know the zombie au you wrote the thing for yesterday? They have to go out on a supply run for chocolate truffles or something else essential. Crowley needs new sunglasses? His moisturiser ran out? Either way. And one of them gets bitten

Gonna come at me with the angst, eh? :)

Warning: injury, blood, zombies, zombie death

On with the fic!

--

Aziraphale was not one to curse, he didn't like such foul language, but sometimes a swear was understandably necessary.

"Fuck."

He clutched at the wound at his arm, blood seeping into his jacket. The zombie before him had his blood dripping from her mouth and he knew he had to deal with this as soon as possible. He swung his blade and struck her in the head, knocking her to the ground.

"Aziraphale!"

"Shit." He hissed through his teeth, of course Crowley saw.

His partner rushed over just as the zombie started to rise from the floor, only for Aziraphale to turn sharply away, hearing a horrible, sickening crunch of a rotting head being destroyed under a boot. He coughed, trying not to gag, the sound was... uhg.

"Aziraphale!" Suddenly, he was pulled close, now staring into wild, fearful eyes. Crowley looked so distraught, of course they were, the bite was so obvious.

"Just... just a flesh wound, nothing bad, dear...!"

"Fuck that!" Crowley snapped and tore the ribbon tying back their hair and was quick to tie it back up into an extremely tight bow around Aziraphale's upper arm. "You got bit!"

"I'm... well aware." Aziraphale frowned, looking at the blood that soaked his sleeve. "I was trying so hard to be careful, but she caught me by surprise, I didn't hear her!"

He looked at the ground, where the sunglasses he had been trying to get for Crowley since they lost their original pair the other day. They were still intact, and he reached down to pick them up. "Here you are, darling."

Crowley looked at the sunglasses, and then back at Aziraphale, and it hurt so much to see how much pain and fear was in those beautiful, brown eyes. "You're gonna die..." They whimpered.

"Not unless if we..." Aziraphale looked at his sword, discarded when Crowley showed up to kill the zombie.

They saw what he was looking at, and then panicked. "I can't!"

"Yes, you can." Aziraphale swallowed. "It helps, it slows it down, we've seen it before. And then we'll need to find a clinic, they haven't killed all the power, we can do a blood transfusion. I'm O, I'm the most common-"

There was a horrible sob and he looked at his partner, who was crying into their hands. "You're gonna die, and it'll be all my fault!"

"No, no, it's not! I went to get the sunglasses myself, really, this... this is my doing."

"No, it's not! Fuck, fuck, fuck!" They kicked at an empty can, sending it flying across the store. They wiped at their eyes before looking at Aziraphale once more. "I don't want to lose you."

"Dear, oh, Crowley..." Aziraphale cupped their face and pulled them close, kissing their cheeks, their forehead, then their lips. "You won't lose me. Cut it off, then burn the stump. It will hurt, so, so much, but we have to do this. I will not die." He said with a determination that he hoped he truly believed.

Crowley swallowed and looked at the sword, picking it up a moment later. "Gonna clean it..." They pulled a towel from their pocket, one they had just washed this morning. They cleaned the blood from it before grabbing from their lighter.

Aziraphale watched as they sanitized it with the flame before he made his way to a shelf, high enough for him to rest his arm on. "One good swing should do it." He said, his voice small, nervous.

Crowley turned to him and dug into their bag, pulling out something, looked to be another one of their towels. They held it out, saying for him to bite down on it.

Aziraphale put it in his mouth and breathed through his nose, closing his eyes.

He trusted Crowley with everything in his being.

He knew his love would keep him going.

The blade swung down.

The scream was one they'd both be hearing in their nightmares later that night.

--

You give me a zombie au, I'll give you two lovers trying to survive together, no matter what.

:)

[rocco-ko]

Good omens S2 finale reaction (SPOILERS)

TW: suicide attempt, alcohol addiction (This one is quite triggering, people, read at your own risk)

Tell me, why did humans created fairy tales? You see, it is much more than just an entertainment. At all times we need some gentle little stories to tell us that whatever happens, there's something good in this world left, something which is worth fighting for and worth putting your faith in... We believe in fairy tales because reality sucks.

My reality sucked a great deal when I first discovered GO 4 years ago. After a suicide attempt I went to explore the world just to discover that I was way more broken than I thought. So I came back to my parents house just to became a full time alcoholic. That is when I watched Good omens for the first time. And you know, it would be a lie to say that it changed my life right away. No, at first, I couldn't even finish the first episode. I watched it few weeks later. Realization came afterwards. I discovered that I am queer and autistic, started learning how to draw, went to therapy, got accepted to another university, learned new language, started my first job and made friends for the first time at the age of 23.

When the most important person in my life died, I just kept watching fan made GO animation, that was the only thing which kept me going.

That tale consumed my life. I wanted to draw just to be able to draw GO fan art and I wanted a friend just to talk to somebody about that stupid ineffable love story. And that felt terrific.

The last 4 years weren't easy for me. Although, just like my wretched wonderful puppy Crowley in their burning Bentley - I knew that I had to finish my ride because it was my only option.

Yesterday, before watching s2, I wrote in my notebook "I won't be the same person I was before...".

I loved the second season... a lot. It was beautifully written and filmed, and it was one level above the first season (which was amazing). I don't think I have ever felt happier than seeing Crowley creating galaxies or have a smile so sincere as I had watching Aziraphale trying food for the first time. For me, they are not fictional characters. They are real. I live in their world and I have no intention of coming back.

So I finished Good omens S2 and... stayed up until 4 am... deleting their pictures, fan arts and all of the bookmarks with fanfics...

What I don't understand, is why doeseverybody now try to make relationship look clever, love – practical and fantasy.. well... real? What's up with this kind of toxic unhealthy trend among modern comedies (Ted Lasso and OFMD fans will surely understand what I mean)? We don't want brilliantly written angst. We want magic. Maybe stupid. Maybe naive. But honest and beautiful. We want to believe in angels and true love again.

That kindness, dorkiness, sweetness and faith – faith that there is going to be a new day, even after the end of the world – that is what made GO so special. I know, people try to reassure themselves that there's going to be the 3rd season, but you know what? I don't have another 4? 3? 2? years, I don't have faith anymore. I lost my best friend. I can't hear nightingales.

P.S. I didn't mean to upset anybody with my post. I wrote this only because I am badly traumatized and if somebody's got affected by this finale in a similar way... please... lets try and process this together because I am not sure I can handle it on my own.

[nym-wibbly]

It's been an awfully long time since I was so affected by a character's emotions that I struggled to continue working on a piece of fanfiction. I'm pretty good at not letting fictional anything bleed over and actually harm my mental health. Avoidance is always a valid option, just... this is my own damned fanfic!

I was in a really vulnerable place when I wrote what's published of My Bonds in Thee, and I'm in a much, much better place now. So why I could tackle these issues and feels then but struggle to face them now is a bit of a mystery. It's not as if I don't know it's going to have a happy ending, all's well that ends well, kissy happy couple off to kick the arse of the second apocalypse. I've been nopeing out of rewriting the next chapter for months.

Am I getting squeamish about angst in my old age? Have I lost my tolerance for fictional owwies after a lifetime of craving them? Am I going to have to start writing fluff now?

(If any of the characters I've ever dabbled with could appreciate being turned to fanficcy fluff, it's Aziraphale and Crowley. They could be so obnoxiously happy together if everyone would just leave them in peace to get on with it.)

I've become bogged down, blocked, or plain stuck on WIPs before now; I've run out of physical energy to get the writing done; I've walked away from pieces that were generating wanky fandrama or other unwanted attention. I've never (yet) just wimped out of finishing something because it gave me feels. I can't believe I'm even asking myself if that's what's holding me up.

Send help. And possibly a supply of raw fluff.

[shipaholic]

Good Omens music compilation post

I just remembered that I accidentally predicted the ending of Good Omens Season 2 (sort of) in a fic, and wrote songs about it. *

* OK, I wrote lyrics about it. Rebecca Sugar wrote the songs.

(BTW, are those still called filks? I'm old.)

I never put all the songs/filks together in one post, so I'm making that post now. With lyrics! Just imagine Aziraphale and Crowley if they were far more emotionally expressive.

Originally, these songs were: 1) Drift Away, from the Steven Universe movie; 2) It's Over, Isn't It? from the Steven Universe episode Mr. Greg; and 3) Found, from the Steven Universe movie.

1 - Aziraphale Returns To Heaven

2 - Crowley Alone

3 - Together We're Home

These were fun to write, and it's nice to compile them all at last. I hope if you like angst, and hope, you'll give them a listen. :)

Lyrics under the cut:

See Him Again (set to Drift Away, from Steven Universe the movie, written by Rebecca Sugar, performed by Sarah Stiles)

AZIRAPHALE:

Calling to Heaven Is someone there? Just wond'ring how you are? Calling to Heaven How do you do? It's been too long by far. I know you're busy Don't mean to disturb But I'm at an end of my purpose in this world. Time to move on, now Please let me in. I know that I'll never see him again.

Back up in Heaven Singing all day Here in the boundless white. I love this music I love my work I don't think of him at night. Each hour praising Heart full to burst A countdown until the last hour on Earth. It won't be long now One childhood, and then I know that I'll never see him again.

We filled up all our pages Believing we could hide Believing we could hide forever. And held true down the ages Until the day arrived Until the day arrived We could no longer lie We could never be together.

Finally, something Hark at the news Come hear how the story ends. The world won't exist soon Devoured by our war Along with my one true friend. And won't it be lovely? Won't it be swell? And aren't I in hell? And I'll never tell how I'm Fleeing from Heaven Find him and then I'll risk it all if I see him See him See him again.

--------------------

It's Over, Isn't It? (set to It's Over, Isn't It?, from Steven Universe episode Mr Greg, written by Rebecca Sugar, performed by Deedee Magno Hall)

CROWLEY:

I was fine To pretend That our time down here on Earth Would never end. I was fine 'Cause I knew When the day arrived, I'd stay And stand with you. I was fine When we lied Knowing underneath, we two Were on our side. Not above Not below After all these years, I never thought you'd go.

It's over, isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it over? It's over, isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it over? You've gone And I've lost you And Earth's time is almost done. It's over, isn't it Why can't I move on?

Hell and Heaven War eternal Powers holy and infernal For your freedom My redemption We became our bold invention Who am I now in the world without you? My happiness all revolved about you Close to a love that I never deserved Now I'll wait for the end of the world.

It's over, isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it over? It's over, isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it over? You've gone And I've lost you And our time is up and done. It's over, isn't it Why can't I move on?

It's over, isn't it Why can't I move on?

-------------------------

Home (set to Found, from Steven Universe the movie, written by Rebecca Sugar, performed by Zach Callison and Sarah Stiles)

AZIRAPHALE:

Today, I swear, my love We’ll run away We just need to find somewhere And once we’re there, my love How bright the days Just us in our new somewhere. Out there, where they can’t hurt us Out there, where we’re all alone Some way, somehow, someday We’re going to come home.

CROWLEY:

Today, like all the days Was hard and cold And you could be found nowhere. It ends after today The Earth grows old And soon we will be nowhere. You are the one who hurt me You went and left me alone Too far, too bad, too late To tell me you’re home.

CROWLEY / AZIRAPHALE:

You are the one who hurt me / I never meant to hurt you You went, and I was alone / You are my someone, I know. 

AZIRAPHALE:

My love -

CROWLEY:

You can’t, Don’t tell me -

BOTH:

- You are my home.

AZIRAPHALE:

Today, I swear, right now Together we’re home.

[childlikegoblinqueen]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you for the tag @fairytales-and-folklore♥️ No pressure tags: @immortalmint @threegoblinart @unniebeans @fenth-eiria @rfswitchart @gakriele-lvs-blog @twogoldenflowers ... it's early so whomever I missed I am sorry!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?: Right now 16!

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 526,571

3. What fandoms do you write for? Currently I am in full TOH brain rot mode. In the past I have written for HP (Ick. I know. I didn't back then.) Tenchi Muyo, Gundam Wing, Princess Bride and Scream. Also in a way Stranger Things. More on that later. (No I will not be posting where my other fics can be found! Sorry!)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Sweet Child O' Mine , Words like Violence , The Future's Overdue, Back to the Beginning where I feel Forgiven. Stranger Tides

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes!!!!! I adore hearing readers thoughts and theories etc. it feeds me and I try to engage with commenters when I can.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I suppose Words like Violence.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Ohhhhhhh! I feel like it was You Strange as Angels -- Maybe it's just me? I swear Sweet Child O' Mine will have a happy ending!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Meh. A bit? I wouldn't call it hate on current fics. Some folks don't love the direction I go with fave characters -- or the ship I mainly write in. I got hate on some of my older fics but they were posted on a different site. Ao3 seems a bit more tame than other fic sites.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I kinda wish I could? Maybe one day? It would likely be emotional fluff and angst smut.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? OHHHH Yes. And while I won't really mention all of them (again, not revisiting my past writing) Stranger Tides is by far my favorite and my craziest! It's a TOH fic set in the human realm between Kings Tide and Thanks to Them. Basically, the Hexsquad begins watching Stranger Things to pass the time and try to recreate Joyce Byer's Christmas Lights method to contact the Demon Realm. Aspects of TOH and ST begin to blend together for Luz, Vee, and Hunter as they begin bonding as siblings and identifying with the various characters. Lots of great Camila moments too.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of, but I believe I've had headcanons referenced, which is cool!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

YES! One of the fics I wrote under my other alias years ago. It was INSANE when I found out.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yep. Under my other alias.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship? (S)

Just one?

Huntlow, Korrasami, Lumity, Raeda, Aziraphale X Crowley (what's their official ship name?), SkorFuma, BoldenLoin (Not sure id that's Ambrosias and Bal's shit name but it is to me!) McKinley and Ben from Wet Hot American Summer :D

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I am a completist and will finish everything. I do have an idea for a follow up to Sweet Child though, but I can't really think about how that would go until I finish SCOM.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I've been told I am good at portraying emotion and making my writing feel like it's canon?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I over complicate things. I am a thriller/horror/suspense fan so that's how I roll. I like stories with twists and lots of red herrings.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I try to be as responsible with it as I can. I'm not perfect by any means.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Tenchi Muyo

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

It was Stranger Tides -- but I am still really in love with writing Sweet Child O' Mine .

Thank said, You Strange as Angels makes me giddy.

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you for the tag @marimbles! ♥️ No pressure tags: @litfeathers @lollytea @ashanimus @greyhavenisback @princecharmingwinks @tails89 @nutellarghh @ash-mcj @childlikegoblinqueen @daydreams-and-honeybees @avatarmerida @asarcasticwitch @sailahina @secretly-of-course @sapphic--kiwi @haystarlight @zyrafowe-sny @peachytea04 @slightecho

1. How many works do you have on AO3? just hit 100 last month!

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 479,814

3. What fandoms do you write for? I've dabbled in quite a few over the years, but the ones I've written the most fics for are doctor who (eleven/amy) teen wolf (sterek) and the owl house (huntlow)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Error 404: Brain Cell Not Found (teen wolf | sterek) You Always Want What You're Running From (sleepy hollow | ichabbie) What To Do When Your Emotionally Constipated Werewolf Boyfriend Gets Cursed By A Witch: A Guide (teen wolf | sterek) Gold Rush (the owl house | huntlow) Lovesick (the owl house | huntlow) 5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? I do! Every kind comment means so much to me, so I always take the time to respond to all of them (though I'm not always great at getting to them on time.)

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Hmm probably The Courtesan and the Writer (doctor who | eleven/amy) I used to dabble in angst a bit more when I first started writing fic, but these days all my fics are pretty much guaranteed to have a happy ending, because real life is hard enough lol

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Pretty much all my fics have happy endings, but one of the happiest I wrote would probably be my huntlow college AU Until You Meet Someone Who Makes The Fall Feel Like Flying

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I wouldn't call it outright hate, but I have gotten a handful of rude comments over the years (complaining that I don't post often enough, telling me my headcanons are wrong, telling me how they think my story should have ended — one time someone yelled at me in all caps because I said that a character chilled red wine lol that one was wild)

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do! Smut is fun. Mine is typically more focused on the emotional aspect than the physical, is usually the result of a long tension-fueled slow burn buildup, and is usually tooth-rottingly fluffy, soft, and sweet.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I have! Back in the days where superwholock plagued tumblr, I wrote one of the silliest cross-overs imaginable, combining doctor who, torchwood, bbc sherlock, supernatural, the avengers, and sleepy hollow: Lords, Gods, and Madmen

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yup 🙃

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have! But most of them never saw the light of day 😂 one that did is called An Eggcellent Morning For Cooking Lessons co-written with @ash-mcj @tails89 and @nutellarghh

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

I think my top three ships are reflected in who I've written the most fic for: huntlow, sterek, and the eleventh doctor/amy pond

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Luckily, everything that's posted to AO3 is finished, but at this point I'm thinking I'll probably never get around to writing the little nightmares, reylo, and captain swan WIPs I've had sitting in my drafts since 2019

16. What are your writing strengths?

I've been told I capture the characters really well, which means a lot to me. I've also been told that my writing is cozy and comforting and fills people with warm fuzzy feelings, which is always nice to hear 🥰

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I will sit there and agonize over the same paragraph trying to make it sound perfect instead of just letting the writing flow, so sometimes a fic will be in the works for a very long time until it's finally ready to be posted (by which time I'm probably sick of it and never want to look at it again 😂)

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I've dabbled in this a little bit, but it's usually been plot-relevant, like a character learning to speak the language (i.e. when Hunter tried to learn Spanish in Being Human.) When I do write in another language, I always do my best to research and try to get the translations as accurate as possible, and I always include the English translation either in the fic itself or as an author's note so readers don't have to break away from my fic to google anything. (And also so that they know what my intention was, on the off-chance I translated something wrong and accidentally wrote something offensive.) 19. First fandom you wrote for?

Does anyone remember that vampire show that came out back in like 2009? Moonlight? Yeah, that one lol

20. Favourite fic you've ever written? God, that's like asking me to pick my favorite child. Okay fine, it's Until You Meet Someone Who Makes The Fall Feel Like Flying

[writingfromkitchenator]

Truth and Consequence

Written for @klaineaholic‘s 400 Followers Fic Challenge!

Crowley x Reader

Word Count: 2190

This turned out angsty as hell, and I’m pretty sure if I did a sequel, it would get even worse, so probably best not too.  XD  Enjoy!

“So tell me then, what you want from me!  And whatever that is, I’ll do it!”

You both froze, your head tilting to the side as you looked at the King of Hell, who was breathing hard, multiple emotions flickering across his face as he stared at you. Neither of you ever recalled him shouting at you before, even with all the things that had gone wrong in the time you’d known each other.

“Excuse me?”  You asked, raising an eyebrow.  “You want to try that again?”

Crowley let out a slow breath between his teeth, his eyes narrowing on you.  “I said to tell me what you want from me.  Whatever you want, I’ll do it, because this is tiring love, this game, and I’m not sure how much longer I can play it.”

“Game?”  You asked, confused.  “May I asked what game?  You mean the one where you use me for my spell work?”

His teeth ground together and you could practically hear it, but you were unfazed, throwing another handful of herbs into a fire.  “Honestly Crowley, you may be the King of Hell, but you can be so unclear at times.”

There was a growl and you found yourself suddenly pinned to a wall, Crowley pressed against you, his face millimetres away from yours.

“Is this clear enough?” His voice was low, both threatening and sensual and had your breath catching in your throat.  “Or do I need to go even further Y/N?”

You don’t answer, currently incapable with him so close, but he took it.

With another growl, he crushed his mouth to yours, making you whimper at the intensity of the kiss as his body pressed against yours, hands desperate, emotions washing over you.

The door burst open, snapping you both out of the kiss as Crowley rounded on Sam and Dean, eyes burning with fury and you slumped against the wall, breathing hard.

Their guns were raised.

“Back away from her Crowley.”  Dean ordered.

“Or what?”  Crowley asked.  “As if you two aren’t already a pain in my side enough, you need to interrupt us now.”

Sam’s eyes flicker over to the small burning bowl on the table, the flames flickering blue.  “Then tell us what you’re up to.”

“I’m keeping Lucifer caged up to try and control him and use him as a weapon against my enemies.” Crowley said before stiffening, his gaze flickering to fire too before looking back at you.

You couldn’t meet his eye, still breathing hard, holding back tears.

“What have you done?” He asked in a low voice, hands clenching by his side.  “Y/N…”

“It’s a truth spell Crowley.”  Dean said for you, making you shut your eyes. “And man am I glad we got her to that.  Are you insane?”

“I know what I’m doing.” Crowley hissed.  “So no, I’m not insane.  I’m trying to make things go back to the way they were!”  He shot another look back at you.  “Clearly though, I need to be rid of yet another witch from my life.”

Your head snapped up, almost expecting the worse, but instead, he just vanished.

You let out a shaky breath, sinking down against the wall as Sam and Dean hurry over.

“Are you alright?” Sam asked, his hand resting on your shoulder.

“No…” You breathed, shaking your head.  “It wasn’t meant to be this way…”

“Come on, let’s get you somewhere safe before he does something.”  Dean helps you up but it was at that moment it all seemed to sink in.

“What do you two think you were doing?”  You shout, pulling away and leaving them with questioning looks.  “I told you I could handle it!  I told you just to let me do it!”

“We thought he was hurting you.”  Sam said gently.  “We thought-”

“I told you from the start he wouldn’t!”  You continued to shout, your voice starting to break.  “I never expected this but you shouldn’t have got in the way!”

“Whatever,” Dean grunts. “The fact is, you’re okay and now away from him.”

Your eyes burned with fury, making sparking within.  “You really want to play that game Winchester?  If you didn’t-hadn’t-dammit!  You blackmailed me into this and now you are going to be so heartless!  You promised to stay out!  You promised you’d let me handle it!”

“He’s Crowley, a damned demon, a part from wanting more power why would you even care?”  Dean asked.

“I may be a witch Dean but it doesn’t mean I don’t experience emotions.”  You snarled and turned your gaze on Sam.  “Now give it to me.”

Sam hesitates, looking to Dean, who just rolls his eyes and shrugs.  Carefully, he pulled a necklace from his pocket and handed it to you, you snatching it away and quickly returning it around your neck, the cameo soon sitting protected under your shirt.

“Now, if we’re done?” You snap and turn on your heel, waving your hand so the fire went out.

“You stay out of our way Y/N.”  Dean said after you.

You paused and glanced back at them.  “No boys, you stay out of my way.  We could’ve been allies in this, in fact, we should’ve been, I like this no more than you, but this-” You hissed, cutting yourself off and storming away before you could do anything else foolish that you knew you would regret.

Things had never been friendly between you and the Winchesters, but things hadn’t been hostile either.  You were a witch and they were hunters, but you had helped them and they had helped you, which had been enough for them to not kill you so far.

This was something else.

They knew you were working with Crowley, knew you helped him a fair bit, especially in recent years, but they never went beyond what you had considered a mutual agreement between the three of you.  They knew that you would help them if they asked.

You sat on your lounge, the place a mess around you from where you’d been hurrying to pack before your legs had given away a little and you’ had to sit down.  You stared at the cameo in your hand, your thumb brushing over it and you felt a faint trickle of warmth from it.

Sighing, you returned it under your shirt and stood.  You knew you couldn’t stay here, not anymore, but you also knew that you had to go and see him.

Surprisingly, the demons let you in, let you pass unhindered through the halls to the throne room.  You held yourself tall, as if nothing was wrong, and gently knocked, as you always did, on the throne room door.

It opened and you stepped inside, Crowley not looking up from the glass of whiskey he was swirling in his hand.

“Crowley.”  You said as calmly as you could as the door closed behind you.

“Y/N.”  His voice made you wince, devoid of emotion.

You drew in a deep breath. “I wanted to explain.”

“Don’t bother.”  He took a drink.  “Just leave.”

You shook your head and stood your ground.  “No Crowley. I need to tell you this.”  When he remained silent, you continued.  “Today was not meant to go the way it did.  Sam and Dean had promised to stay out of it, had promised not to interfere, but they took that moment as you-you attacking me.”

Crowley’s expression was impassive.  “So you intended to lie to me?  To get what information you wanted and move on?”

Sighing, you wanted to step closer, but knew better.  “To protect you Crowley.  I know what the Winchesters are like, I know what we’ve both been through with them to know, but I promise you if I had a choice, then I wouldn’t have, I would’ve laughed in their faces and walked away.”

There was a flicker of anger across his gaze.  “So what did they possibly have against you that would make you turn on me?”

You carefully pulled the cameo out from under your shirt.  “This.”

Crowley raised his eyebrow. “A necklace?”

“My mother.”  You looked back at him, your eyes shining.  “I have no idea how they found out about it, but they did, they stole it from me and used it against me.  Her soul is trapped in here Crowley, I don’t know how, but I know she is, I can feel her in there, and I will do anything to keep her safe.”

Crowley held your gaze. “Why didn’t you come to me for help?”

You opened your mouth for a moment, pausing, before you decided that you really had no choice.  “Because I was getting tired of feeling used.  I wanted to feel as if I could still do something, wanted to make sure that I wasn’t too deeply involved in this.”

“In what?”  There was a question in his gaze, one you knew that you would have to answer.

“Being in love with you.” You said quietly.  “I was convinced that it was one way Crowley, that there…there was no way that you could feel the same.”

“Because I’m a demon?” He asked, completely unreadable.

“Because of your own past.” You said flatly.  “Because of your mother.  I convinced myself of it so I didn’t have to endure the heartbreak of hearing it from you myself.”  You swallowed as he took another drink, seeming unfazed by yours words.  “What you…admitted earlier took me so off guard, I had no idea how to respond to that because not once did I ever hope it was true.”

Crowley finished his drink with a sigh and stood, making you swallow as he carefully stepped towards you. “Why didn’t you just ask me about what I was doing?”

“Because I knew you wouldn’t answer.”  You stood your ground.

“And why do you think that was Y/N?”  He asked stopping before you, still keeping his expression blank.

You swallowed, having not really thought about it before.  “I don’t know.”

He shuts his eyes for a moment, letting out a steadying breath.  “Yes you do.”

You stare at him and realised that he wasn’t going to move without an answer.  Thinking back about what happened before, when he was under the truth spell, and you realised that you had your answer.

“You wanted to protect me.” You said quietly.

Crowley purses his lips as he opens his eyes again but avoids your gaze.  “Yes.  Seeing as there are only two people in existence that could potentially put Lucifer back in his cage, I knew, that should things go wrong here, then you would be one of the first he came after.”

“Crowley,” You kept your voice even.  “What about the danger to you?”

“As I said, I have it in control.”  He said flatly.  “Now, it’s time for you to go love.”

Your mouth opened, a little shocked.  “What?”

“Leave.”  He growled, his gaze finally meeting yours, dark with too many emotions.  “You have said your piece, so it is time to go before I make you.”

“Make me?”  You echoed.  “Crowley, we aren’t-”

“We are done here.” He said and took another step closer so you could feel the heat radiating off his skin.  “You used a truth spell on me Y/N.  How else do you think I’d react?  That I’d be pleased that you had finally dragged the truth from me about I felt for you?  Something I have been so conflicted about these last few years, convinced that you were content on toying with me, thinking that you knew and didn’t care, that you were doing what my own mother had done-”

“Never.”  You breathed.  “I would never Crowley-”

“And I don’t even get to tell you on my own terms.”  He growls, his hands gripping tightly on your forearms.  “Instead, it all just comes up and I don’t have control, I do what I’ve been dying to do for years…”  His gaze travels to your lips for a second before returning to you.  “I never considered you like my mother.  That cold hearted bitch could never compare to anything like you.”  He pauses. “But this comes close, so you will leave. Me.  Be.”

Your heart hammered and you swallowed the whine in your throat as his grip momentarily tightened before gently slipping away as he stepped back.

You were quick to break your gaze away from his, unable to look him in the eye as you breathed deeply. “I am sorry Crowley.  For what it’s worth.”

Crowley stared at you for a moment longer before moving to the side of the room to pour himself another glass.  “I will find you if I need you.”

Swallowing thickly, you nod and head for the door, pausing at the handle.  “Be careful.  Please.”

Without waiting for a response, you left, closing the door quietly behind you, ducking your head to hide the tears as you hurried away.  Crowley stared at the whiskey in his glass, his knuckles white, his breathing steadily growing harder before the glass shattered in his hand.  He leant on the table, ignoring the blood, and stood there for a long time.

[aziraphales-library]

Hi, do you have some recs for fics where Crowley gives up after getting rejected one too many times and tries to get over his feelings/away from Aziraphale?

Anything similar to 'Warmth', or 'the bucket list' really. Can be super angsty, hurt/(no)comfort, doesn't have to have a happy ending.

I know there are more out there, but i can't figure out the correct tags for finding them to save my life

Thank you ❤️

Hello. This is a very popular request and we’ve answered similar ones here, here, here, and here. There are also links to more general recommendations where Crowley is mean to and/or rejects Aziraphale right at the top of our masterpost.

I’ve managed to find a few more angsty break-up type fics where Crowley tries to move on from Aziraphale...

Via Crucis by Nadzieja (E)

Crowley has been rejected by Aziraphale, the only person he's ever loved. Again. But he can't really blame his angel for not breaking his clerical vows. He knows how difficult it is to leave the Catholic church and priesthood behind. He's done it himself. Now he's just trying to survive.

[A Priest AU, with a lot of angst and a happy ending.]

Not Anymore by Jewely (G)

All Crowley ever wanted was to protect his angel. He would do anything for him. Hurting him even. No matter how unbearable it is.

The Inevitability of Ineffability by NoxNoctua (G)

Not everything is meant to be. Not everyone is meant to be in our life forever. There are no promises to anything and Aziraphale is still reckoning with that as he sits on the Amalfi coast, thinking back to what could have been.

--

Aziraphale and Crowley have broken up in this piece. I wrote this to deal with some things. I hope for some people dealing with similar loss can find some comfort or catharsis in this.

Hurts like Hell by GreenGlitchBitch (G)

They’d done it. They’d stopped the apocalypse, they’d saved the world, they’d convinced their sides to leave them alone. It had been over a year since then, and life had been good. So why now?

Quinquennial by iamanidhwal (M)

Quinquennial (adj.): lasting for, or relating to, a period of five years. -- Crowley has received letters from his estranged husband -- on the fifth of December, on the dot, every year for the last five years.

He never replies. After the divorce, he didn't really see the need to.

Cheers Darlin' by StarlitArtemis (T)

Aziraphale and Crowley finally start a romantic relationship. Everything is good until Aziraphale discovers the joys of sex and wants to explore. Crowley isn't thrilled but agrees. It is a fling with Lucifer that broke the camel's back and Crowley goes away to be alone for a time.

He isn't alone, though. He begins a life he never thought he'd have.

This is a journey of Aziraphale and Crowley. A road full of mistakes and hurt, and lessons learned the hard way.

And i believe these are the two you mentioned...

Warmth by Indigo (E)

Friends with benefits really had to be the very best solution there was for any self-respecting immortal being on Earth. Handy. Convenient. The perfect way to de-stress with none of the hassle of trying to find a human willing to overlook the more demonic parts of appearance. It was reliable. Comforting even. Dependable, emotionless relief.

Perfect, Crowley thought.

Right up until the point when, well, it wasn’t.

the bucket list by darcylindbergh (E)

There was a certain look that Aziraphale wore occasionally—a pinched sort of moue that looked like he’d just taken a very large mouthful of cinnamon—which meant he thought Crowley was being ridiculous. He had put it on.

“Hang on,” he had said. “You want us to do human things?”

*

If you're going to go native, you might as well go all the way.

Mind the tags on some of these, folks!

- Mod D

[mortifyingideal]

i was tagged in this by the wonderful @fremulon (thanks cherry!) and accidentally deleted the whole thing twice so now i'm mostly just posting it out of spite and without a read more due to said spite. SUCK IT TUMBLR.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

I have 10 published out loud and 1 published anonymously

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

226419

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

okay so this is really only my most recent life. i have been around a lot. a lot. i was there, gandalf, during the superwholock years (and an active participant) so over the course of my life it's like

Harry Potter, Teen Titans, Sherlock, Doctor Who, Supernatural, Inception, Daredevil, The Avengers, The Musketeers, Wells & Wong Mysteries, Twin Peaks, Homestuck, Red vs Blue

but in this lifetime i'm just writing for Good Omens (and have written for DuckTales and Cruella)

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

1 — Loosely Ballroom (surprising absolutely nobody)

2 — Look Not Too Deep

3 — ergo propter hoc (okay this one is kind of a surprise actually but i'm very happy about it i love this fic)

4 — café au vin

5 — an institute you can't disparage

5. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

i do! i try to respond to every comment i get on the day of/the day after i get it. i've met a lot of good friends this way, and i also just like taking the time to respond to people who've taken the time to respond to something i made. makes me feel good (plus i want everyone to like me)

the only downside is it can get a bit overwhelming at times? particularly with LB, which gets a shitload of comments per chapter and can take me up to two full days to read through them all and answer, and if i'm having a bad brain time i just cannot face doing it. so if you've ever left a comment and i've not responded, i promise It's not because i don't appreciate it. my brain machine just was going brmmmmmmmmm.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

i was going to say NONE BECAUSE I DON'T WRITE ANGST but i guess if i had to decide it would be the RVB fic that's on my ao3 right now, which has an angstily hopeful ending.

7. Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

hahahaha

CRAZY LIKE A FOX

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

not as far as i'm aware! i have had several uhhhhhhh overly familiar meant-to-be-jovial comments on/about the above crossover from people i don't really know very well that have told me i'm a terrible person or i've committed crimes while i'm out here like, cool this is art i made and put in the world for fun and believe in and i don't really... know you? but those comments were meant in good faith imo so i don't really think it counts as hate

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

the last time i tried to write smut, crowley got stabbed, so the kind that sends people to the hospital i guess?

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not to my knowledge. good luck formatting all the images and italics, anyone who might try.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

again, not to my knowledge!

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

infamously. it's the only reason anyone might have read this far. also attempting to collaborate on an as-of-yet-unfinished-project with @indieninja92 who is a creative genius with their finger in many, many pies. speaking of, have you visited hauntedswords.com recently?

13. What’s your all time favorite ship?

errrrrr i mean probably aziraphale/crowley, not to seem obvious. they've been with me since i was like 10 years old, they haven't gone anywhere, they will probably be bothering me until the day i die.

14. What’s a WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I WILL FINISH ALL OF MY WIPs. okay no that's not true, i have the start of an inception fic that is a GO AU that i honestly think would have been fucking slammin' but the time for that has passed now.

15. What are your writing strengths?

a very definite sense of character voice, attention to detail in terms of enriching the world i'm writing in, dialogue dialogue dialogue, smash cuts (are they even called smash cuts in writing? WHATEVER THEY ARE I CAN DO THEM)

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

you are my collaborator. you send me back part of a chapter and tell me i have a sentence that is a bit too lengthy and doesn't work, and i need to edit it. i send it back to you. the sentence is now an entire paragraph and a half, with three jokes, a metaphor and a new line of dialogue embedded in it, changing the overall tone of the chapter. this is known as The Mort Special.

i also get very in my own head about not really being a good writer, or not being as good as the people (or person specifically i suppose) that i'm working with. i'm working on this! i'm not working on The Mort Special, though, that's always writing gold.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

this is a really weird and specific question, who hurt you OP? errrr i guess much like any quirk of writing, it's fine when used sparingly and with a deft hand.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

fuck me, probably Harry Potter? neopets roleplaying boards were a gateway drug.

19. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

this is the part where i pretend i'm going to say something other than Loosely Ballroom. i don't think i'll ever make something else in my life that's made me feel the way making that has. it's been—to delve into reality TV speak (and paraphrase crowley from a future chapter)—a real emotional rollercoaster.

plus it's just fuckin' funny isn't it.

tagging @phoenix-soar, @thyra279, @heycaricari, @stillseekwill and @katnoggin (and anyone else who might want to!)

[ineffable-rohese]

This this this.

I love some fall-related angst, but canon Crowley reads as disillusioned and bitter and sad and angry, but not necessarily traumatized.

Similarly, I don't think Aziraphale is dealing with religious trauma. That requires (from my understanding) a fundamental break down of belief systems, but Aziraphale never actually believed in God the way humans do because he actually knew God. God in GO is absolutely real. It would be like me saying I have religious trauma because my charming boss turned out to be an alternating micromanaging and absent manager who didn't really understand what my job was and made it hard to actually do the good work I was hired to do.*

Heaven and Hell are canonically described as their employers, and as actually the same employer, just in different parts of the building. In this metaphor, God is the Founder/CEO who had a really good idea who got everything off the ground but lost interest a while ago and is now like giving Ted Talks and/or living on an island somewhere, maybe checking in every once in a while but in the way where she doesn't actually see what's going on. She may or may not care, but she's so disconnected from everyday operations, you'd not be able to tell.

Crowley was asking too many questions of upper management and questioning their plans, so got transferred from the top tier engineering team to a really really shitty quality control/launch team that's actively trying to break things and/or is working on seriously unethical products. It's constantly under-resourced and run by people who hate the company but either don't have a better option (as this is literally the only employer in town) or actually enjoy making other people's lives miserable.

Aziraphale worked in development for a while, but then got moved to a remote position doing on-site updates and the like, fixing whatever Hell or the users have broken. His immediate bosses are also shitty in the way of high-powered upper management who are more focused on appearance and power than the mission and have their own plans to solidify that power

A shitty job and/or shitty bosses can absolutely traumatize someone! But also you can choose to focus on either the good work you're doing within the confines of your job, and/or you can just put your head down and do what you've been told because it pays the bills and you don't have another option.

Honestly, if Crowley has trauma, I'd put it on the moral injury of doing demonic acts when he is so clearly horrified by terrible things happening to people. Someone somewhere wrote that a lot of what he does is complicated and spreads the bad around so no one person is holding it all, almost as harm reduction. The total awfulness quota in London is met when the mobile network is down, but no one person has done something so unforgivable as to lose their soul. But he can't always just spread it around or take credit for things humans have done. He has very specific assignments as well, and chances are good some of those weren't pretty.

So yeah, they may not have trauma, or if they do, it may not be from what seems like the most obvious source.

*Based on a true story- surprisingly, when we got a new boss, suddenly I liked my job again and was way more successful, and I absolutely understand Aziraphale thinking he could fix things because it can actually happen sometimes (though the rot of Heaven is way deeper than Gabe, and I think he figured that out before he even got on the elevator).

Honest question, not trying to pick a fight, but what's Crowley traumatized from if it's not the Fall or whatever else Heaven did to him in the Before? I'm pretty sure he does have trauma (unless you're arguing he actually isn't that badly traumatized period?) and I somehow feel it would be counter-productive to no difference between the sides if that came exclusively only from what Hell did and none of it from Heaven. (I'll also say though it's certainly not proof in any way I do find it hard to imagine the experience not leaving any scars behind, eternal damnation and dive into boiling sulphur and all whatnot.)

hey anon!!!✨ nah, my opinion is that there just isn't the canonical evidence that crowley has suffered trauma at all. we don't know for certain how he fell, we don't know for certain the reason why he fell, and we don't know what his relationship with heaven/god was like before the fall. we definitely have insight into it, from:

pre-fall scene

how he treats his plants/the goats

his drunken ramblings in the pub

(and the seemingly contradictory "sauntered vaguely downwards to aziraphale)

the "unforgivable, that's what i am" thing at the bandstand

and various other things, his sneers at heaven etc etc.

all of these things, to my mind, can be definitely interpreted as symptoms of and responses to trauma... but he could also just be really bloody angry and upset by it. anger/sadness and trauma are not mutually exclusive, of course not - but not all trauma is anger/upset, and not all anger/upset is necessarily trauma. crowley has demonstrated that he's an unreliable narrator; imo, that's the thing that we should be taking as canon (that the fall may not have been what we're imagining it to be, and that crowley's account may be incredibly biased/inaccurate).

we're not shown anything that suggests he was abused by heaven, or suffered a singular huge, or any series of, shocking or distressing event/s. absolutely, you can read into everything shown to us so far and evaluate that, when the final puzzle pieces land, we will be shown that crowley definitely suffered trauma... but equally, what if we're not? what if we're shown that crowley's fall was... a bit bland?

i mean, what if it's the difference between crowley having been rejected by his peers/family, for something completely innocent, and then essentially put through unimaginable, torturous pain through the physical act of falling... and being sacked as part of a massive lay-off that he essentially volunteered for, but thinks was grossly unfair? those are obviously really contrived, polarising examples, deliberately on opposite ends of the spectrum, and the likelihood is that the true events are somewhere in the middle -

- but my point is ultimately that until we're shown exactly what happened, whilst what we've been shown so far doesn't preclude the possibility of trauma/crowley being traumatised, a possibility is all it is; imo, it's not exactly canon at all✨

[journeytogallifrey]

Okay I read this just before I went to bed and absolutely bawled my eyes out (positive). I am so honored!!! I can't believe you wrote out such a long analysis of my fic! Especially since it is my longest fic and at times I feel my most dense, just in terms of how much is packed into each paragraph.

I'm very glad that you liked the footnotes! I appreciate that you pulled specific quotes - those always make for my favorite comments because it gives me a better sense of what's working for people. I'm also glad that you liked the flashbacks and the research. I had a lot of fun picking new historical periods and learning about holiday traditions.

I did enjoy messing a bit with gender, especially Crowley's! I wrote it before I realized I was genderfluid but I feel like some of those feelings seeped out onto the page. I also enjoyed expanding on the relationship with Warlock.

I love your description of the angst as "not ripping my heart to pieces, but just kind of tugging on it." The goal was to walk that line, keeping it cozy despite the angst, so I'm happy it worked!

"full of coziness and charm and silliness and tenderness and a lovingly crafted holiday vibe unlike no other fic I’ve read" - you're so nice!! Thank you so much!!! Also thank you for covering some of my other fics as well - your descriptions are fantastic and flattering, and I'm so glad you liked them!

Some bonus material under the cut:

In writing this fic, as with all my long fics, I relied on a massive PowerPoint document. Each day/chapter had its own slide, and there were other slides to keep track of things like miracle lore and characterization.

Here is the calendar I made to organize my prompts:

Here is the timeline I kept to keep track of events in the universe of the fic:

[CANON] 4004 BC: Earth created

[CR FLASHBACK] The FIRST time Cr cries is after witnessing Eve in pain birthing her firstborn

[CR FLASHBACK] Abel's wedding - fruitcake

The thing with Cain and Abel makes Az doubt God

[CR FLASHBACK] 3075 BC?: Somewhere, Az and Cr meet on Egyptian mastaba, first time Az puts his wings away, ends in their first real fight

[CR FLASHBACK] Egypt - fruitcake in the tomb

[CANON] 3004 BC: Noah's Ark

[CR FLASHBACK] 100 BC or so: (Mesopotamia) Cr meets fortune teller and gets clay tablet

[AZ FLASHBACK] 165 BC: Temple oil miracle

[CR FLASHBACK] 0 AD: birth of Christ

~32-33 AD?: Cr shows wonders of the world to Jesus, decides to change his name

[CANON] 33 AD: Crucifixion and name change

[CANON] 41 AD: Rome (Az thinks 'angel' became fond around here somewhere; Az realizes he has a physical attraction to Cr)

at some point Az brings back Abel's fruitcake recipe to Rome

242 AD: Cr & the tiger in Persia (Az kept a tooth)

~350 AD: Pope Julius I declares December 25th to be Christmas

[CANON] 537 AD: Wessex

Az's first 2 temptations are in here somewhere, and a few Cr blessings

[CR FLASHBACK] 701-814 AD: Viking mistletoe

[AZ FLASHBACK] 815 AD: Viking mead hall (start of Arrangement)

1050: Lady Godiva (Cr knows her)

Crusades - fruitcake on Az's long walk

[CANON MENTION] 14th century: Cr hates

[CR FLASHBACK] ~1400: Cr is Quetzalcoatl w/ Aztecs, injured, flees to Arizona, healed by Az

[CR FLASHBACK] ~1450 Dresden: partway thru Cr's 5 years, sees Az at the Christmas market

somewhere Cr really likes silk in the Ottoman Empire

1500s: Cr and Az convince Heaven&Hell to build continental travel system

[CR FLASHBACK] 1500s: Cr sees first Paradise tree at German church

[AZ FLASHBACK] ~1500: Dewsbury, Yorkshire - Devil's Knell, journal, rope human

[AZ FLASHBACK] mid-1500s: (Cr thinks second half) Austria - Krampus (first time they don't talk about work; Az has had a several-years-long streak of breathing)

late 1500s: Az's Dutch ice battle

[CANON] 1601: the Globe

[AZ FLASHBACK] 1649: wassailing

[CR FLASHBACK] 1650-~1658: Cr with Cromwell; Christmas ban party

[CANON] 1656: death of Agnes Nutter

[CR FLASHBACK] 1670: Cologne, Germany - candy canes

[CANON] 1793: Bastille

[CANON] 1800: bookshop opening

[AZ FLASHBACK] 1822: Constable Hall visit; Clement Clarke Moore composes A Visit From St. Nicholas w/ Az

[CR FLASHBACK] 1840s: pic of Victoria's tree

[CR FLASHBACK] Victorian era: fruitcake; Cr has been reviving dream legend

[CR FLASHBACK] late 1841: party w/ mistletoe

[AZ FLASHBACK] early 1842: dinner w/ Dickens and Irving (first party since mistletoe)

[AZ FLASHBACK] 1840s Russia: masquerade

[CR FLASHBACK] 1858: Hallé and Christmas crackers (the only 'my dear' of the 1850s)

[CR FLASHBACK] 1859: London - Cr learns to ice skate

[CR FLASHBACK] 1860: London - ice skating w/ Az (Cr's 'last happy thought' of Az before holy water argument)

[CANON] 1862: London - holy water argument

1862-1941: Cr sleeping mostly; Az sees him from afar on some assignments

[CANON] 1880s (late): gavotte

~1890: cracker jokes published in paper (Az sees)

[AZ FLASHBACK] 1905: Vienna - Az makes snake snowglobe and Cr sees it

[AZ FLASHBACK] 1906: last time Az sees snake snowglobe

[CANON] 1926: Bentley

[AZ FLASHBACK] 1939: Az sees sleeping Cr snake in Chicago (Az hasn't been there since Prohibition) (first time Az realizes he can sense Cr)

~1940s: Francis Poulenc gets Az to 'sing' opera

[CANON] 1941: Blitz (Az tends to Cr's feet, realizes he's in love with Cr)

1943 Poland: stay with the family with the hanukkiah

[AZ FLASHBACK] 1945: Az and Cr on assignments in Iceland during Jolabokaflod

[AZ FLASHBACK] 1946: Az&Cr to department store, ugly jumper

1947: Miracle on 34th Street filmed

[CR FLASHBACK] 1954: White Christmas film; Cr's heart breaks 6-year record of beating

1964: Az & Rudolph movie in Japan

[CANON] 1967: giving holy water

[AZ FLASHBACK] 1969: New York! Rockefeller Tree!

[CANON] 2008: Warlock born

[CANON] 2013: begin working for Dowlings

2013-2018: Christmases w/ Warlock

[CR FLASHBACK] 2014: Az dresses up as Santa

[AZ FLASHBACK] 2015: Warlock Disney vacation

[AZ FLASHBACK] ~2016: ballet at Sadler's Wells

[CANON] 2019: Armageddon't; 2 Warlock texts

2019 November: Cr texts Warlock again

2019 December: modern plotline!

I took notes for many holidays or ideas I didn't end up using, including Good King Wenceslas, Kwanzaa, Yalda, Las Posadas, Dongzhi, Nochebuena, Marshall Islands, Serbian Christmas traditions, the General Grant tree, the World War I Christmas ceasefire, exposition internationale du bicentenaire de Port-au-Prince, the Philippines Giant Lantern Festival, the origin of nutcrackers, Crowley trolling people with the first-footer tradition, the fact that poinsettias were originally cultivated by Aztecs... so much more material to work with! In the end, though, I'm satisfied with what I managed to fit in.

Hmm, other fun lore... oh, I was on the fence about using footnotes, but in chapter two I was really struggling with making it clear to United States readers that 'Jersey' didn't mean 'New Jersey'. There was no reason for Aziraphale to even think about New Jersey from his POV, but it was easy to throw it in a footnote, so I took the leap and the rest is history!

That's all the extras I can think of right now, but I'm happy to answer any questions. Still can't believe you wrote up a whole analysis. I ADORE it with every fiber of my being. Thank you so much! <3 <3 <3

Ello ello ello this is a rant about a Good Omens fic I like

(Pssst.... TL;DR: It’s One Miraculous December by @journeytogallifrey)

Just a while ago I was agonizing over what kind of post I should post (even though no one’s gonna read this and this accounts only purpose is to spitball all my thoughts at a rapid pace) and I suddenly realized: hey! I like fanfics! And good omens! And sometimes I finish fanfics and I have so much thought vomit stirring around inside me I need to write it down somewhere! Then BOOM this is that this is my ramble baby. This is just my poor excuse to talk and talk and talk for several paragraphs straight. Please do not enter if you don’t want to be bombarded by what is probably several thousand words sorted into 5 or 6 sections.

This will probably be part of a series where I talk uh *cough* extensively about different fanfics, different series for different fandoms probably because I don’t think the Good Omens fandom and Carry On fandom interact with each other very much at all (maybe I’ll do books in general later on down the line, but that’d be a separate series too)

Just to be safe I won’t talk about anything too spoilery, giving some minor spoilers that get talked about in the first chapters anyways. This is a pretty lighthearted fic anyways so nothing much to worry about this time!

Ok now actually let’s get started. Anyways this is a fic I read a while ago that I really really liked:

One Miraculous December (T)

By @journeytogallifrey

Ok so this was the first fic I read by journeytogallifrey, and I read it during a time over the summer where day in and day out I had nothing to do but walk and walk and walk and occasionally read on my phone (Doesn’t make sense to read a Christmas fic over the summer but whatever)

I thought this was just gonna be a casually good long fic to fill up the time but boy was I wrong I LOVED this

Let me tell you this fic was the love of my life for the week and a half or so I was reading it. I was SO INSANELY shocked and confused when I realized this fic was 187,00 WORDS after finishing

But anyways I’m getting off track again (this post is my ramble baby after all) so let’s start with what this fic is abt and then I’ll talk about my favorite things

Spiri Stfu Whats The Fic About Already

Summary (pulled from fic):

Candles. Mistletoe. An entire frozen lake. Festive memories from their past together keep appearing out of nowhere.

Crowley's sure he's manifesting them accidentally out of sheer romantic desperation. It's bad enough trying to hide his unrequited love as they grow closer post-Apocaloops - what if Aziraphale sees the objects for what they are, a window into his yearning soul? Unfortunately, the only way to banish the objects seems to be talking about each memory...

Meanwhile, Aziraphale is just trying to woo his demon boyfriend with big gestures, ready to prove his devotion. And if Crowley acts awkward about the miracles? Surely that's just his difficulty accepting affection. The solution: shower him with as much of it as possible...

Eventually these two will communicate, even if it takes 'til the end of the year. For now there will be cuddling, excuses for closeness, sappy words, flashbacks, nostalgia, bickering, and an obscene variety of holiday foods. Oh, and footnotes. That's right. We're doing those too.

Fills for the Ineffable Holiday 2020 prompt list by Caedmon. Updates every day through the end of December.

Basically TLDR: Sappy reminders of soft moments between Crowley and Aziraphale throughout history keep popping up. Crowley thinks he’s doing it subconsciously and is worried about his super duper secret feelings being revealed, meanwhile Aziraphale is executing the least subtle (but somehow still too subtle) seduction plan ever concocted (it will take these two sillies a WHILE to get sorted out)

Ok now let’s move on to all the lovely things I love about this lovely fic in special lovely little sections (Once again, I’m sorry for the sheer size of this behemoth)

Pt 1: Charming Little Footnotes, My True Love ❤︎❤︎❤︎

From the very first chapter, I was completely and utterly enchanted by one silly little thing: the footnotes!! Those who have read the Good Omens book will understand: footnotes are amazing!! They often offer absolutely ZERO important information, and you could go practically the entire book never reading the footnotes and get the same general ideas as someone who did. BUT, they’re just so charming, why would you NOT read them?? They’re often unnecessary, but in a perfect and wonderfully niche way. I don’t need to understand the backstory or fun fact behind this randomly selected instant, moment, or person, but it’s so stupidly heartwarming to that I love to do it anyway. It’s like I’m being let in on a secret between me and the author, like they leaned over while someone else is talking and made a somewhat silly comment into my ear that makes you try to suppress your little smile in response.

Journeytogallifrey does this AMAZINGLY. They offer heartwarming insight on the most mundane things, and I enjoy every second of it. One of my personal favorite instances is funnily enough in the very first chapter, the footnote that first captured my heart and that I remembered throughout the entire fic. In chapter one, Aziraphale miracles for the floor of the bookshop to become a frozen lake, and he convinces Crowley to ice skate with him, reminiscing on a time they skated together centuries before. And THIS was the footnote that followed midway through the chapter:

*In fairness to the skates, they’ve had an intense couple of hours.

Mere moments before they found themselves in a 2019 bookshop, they’d only just been set down by Crowley and Aziraphale in 1860 and were debating the finer points of their recent skating adventure. Two of them, having hosted a lovely angel with excellent manners, were of a firmly positive opinion. The other two, terrorized by a demon who had berated them for trembling with fear, were engaged in a thorough character assassination of not only their tormentor but also anyone who would willingly befriend him.

“But they’re desperately in love with each other,” posited the skates worn by the angel.

“That’s beside the point,” answered the others, and that was when a miracle scooped them up and catapulted them a century and a half into the future**.

**Aziraphale, somehow, picked out the same two skates to wear in 2019 as in 1860, despite shoe sizes being less a concrete number for him and more ‘something that automatically sets itself to rights upon entrance of the foot’, so further experience has offered little to settle the argument.

THIS FOOTNOTE, THIS MOMENT, was perfection in my eyes. The completely absurd idea of two pairs of ice skates having a conversation, this conversation being about their wearers, a judgement of their character, a silly argument and observation of their silly hemming and hawing romance, was all so charming. It’s so unnecessary but also just. Completely STEALS your heart. Then there’s the footnote-ception of a footnote within a footnote, a casual disregarding of order and professionalism for the sake of being novel and silly. Not to mention the double footnote commenting on Aziraphale’s incredibly charming naïveté on the more specific parts of human inventions, such as the concept of shoe sizes. As you may have noticed from my using the same exact word like 20 times, the only word that fits the entire charmingly unnecessary but delightful footnotes thing is silly. It’s perfect because it’s perfectly silly, and that just made my heart melt.

Journeytogallifrey keeps up these footnotes throughout the fic to a certain degree, and as a reader of the Good Omens book, it’s always such a joy to find fics that bother to use footnotes. And journeytogallifrey does this wonderfully, stuffing so much life and humor into them very similar to what I found great about the footnotes in the GO book. So that is reason one (in no particular order) that I love this fic

Moving on to reason 2!

Pt 2: YOU get a flashback, and YOU get a flashback

A large amount of this fic relies on the art of flashbacks, being directly tied to Aziraphale’s Plan of Seduction™︎, which just so you know goes as follows:

Every day of December, miracle up some kind of thingy (object, place, activity, etc)

Said thingy will function as the perfect reminder to reminisce about a not-a-date date you’ve had at some point throughout history

Really drive home how close you two are and absolutely drown him in affection

Keep seducing all through December

Confess at some point (exact date TBD)

Profit

As you might have noticed, the whole reminiscing thing works as an opening for truckloads of flashbacks. But let me tell you, these flashbacks are WORKS OF ART. Unfortunately, unlike the footnotes, I can’t single out a single FAVORITE flashback, because they’re practically ALL amazing.

Journeytogallifrey very obviously did a butt ton of research for this fic, something I find so incredibly amazing about the Good Omens fandom! Many GO authors will do extensive research for the sake of their Aziraphale and Crowley throughout history scenes, which is something I’ve always heavily admired within this fandom compared to others. And journeytogallifrey does this amazingly and extensively throughout this fic!

Each flashback had so much love, charm, and most interestingly historical depth in them. Each flashback acts as a charming little mini story of the various adventures the two had throughout history. The highs and lows of their relationships, the hidden affections, moments that were fun, stressful, intimate, scary, or just simply peacefully domestic, ALL of it was present in these flashbacks, and just utterly captured my heart. I managed to learn quite a decent amount through the little historical details mentioned throughout, especially if a specific detail caught my eye and I wanted to research further. (Because of this fic, my dream is to move to Iceland and celebrate Jólabókaflóðið every year)

I love the way these two act around each other throughout history, and the writing when describing everything from the setting around them to their clothes to their care for each other is phenomenal. Normally I don’t really use words like aesthetic, but the way the different places dotted around the world are described and how the two are described to fit into them, I feel like I’m transported TO that place in history. I can see the churches, deserts, orchards, streets, markets, or wherever they are right in front of me, and it’s frankly gorgeous.

I LOVE historical flashbacks like this in general in the Good Omens fandom, but this fic does this AMAZINGLY, and it does it A LOT, so that’s a serious win in my books.

Something I also found extremely lovely about the flashbacks, as well as the present day parts of the story, brings me to my next part:

Pt 3: Gender who? Gender what? Gender none, gender all!

The gender fluidity/fluidity of gender expression of both Aziraphale and Crowley makes my heart flutter like nothing else. Like seriously. This is one of the main reasons I love this fandom.

It has long been stated that angels and demons have no inherent gender, and within the show Crowley presents as male and female in varying instances. Neil Gaiman has heavily implied Crowley being gender fluid before. In response, the fandom has completely flourished into a beautiful thing of gender acceptance and flexibility.

The fanart of the Good Omens fandom makes me so happy, because people will draw Aziraphale and Crowley in any manner they choose without feeling the need to explain it or label it as an “alternate universe.” The simple casualness around the topic of gender in this fandom sets a precedent of tolerance for the rest of the world, and also just warms my heart in ways I can’t explain.

Journeytogallifrey embraces this part of the fandom with open arms, with both Aziraphale and Crowley taking on a variety of appearances and roles throughout the flashback. The detail of changing Crowley’s pronouns depending on the flashback whilst Aziraphale maintains he/him no matter his form is a wonderful touch, and made me stupidly happy. The same goes for Crowley changing appearances to fit the alias of Nanny Ashtoreth later on in the fic, as well as his discussion with Warlock that it is all still himself, no matter what form he takes.

In my opinion, the fluidity and ease in which gender, masculinity, and femininity is expressed by Aziraphale and Crowley, both through the flashbacks and in present day, is done wonderfully, and serves to demonstrate the reason why I love this fandom so incredibly much.

Pt 4: Stabbing me gently in the feels (that’s gotta be a song lyric somewhere)

Another thing is I thought the push and pull and tender misunderstandings of these two throughout the fic is AMAZING. The delicate handling of this relationship is super wonderful and feels so stupidly softly heart wrenching. Like you’re not ripping my heart to pieces, but just kind of tugging on it. Seriously, I just wanted to hold these two and hug them and explain all their misunderstandings and send them away holding hands. The angst is so soft and tender I really can’t complain too badly.

The setup conflict between the two is, like, absolutely genius. I love it. Aziraphale trying to woo Crowley with as many gifts and miracles as possible while also playing cutely dumb about it, meanwhile Crowley is freaking out because all these miracles his lovesick heart is creating subconsciously might expose his super special secret feelings to Aziraphale, and that’d be baaaad news huh?

It’s some wonderfully sweet irony that Aziraphale innocently playing dumb is convincing Crowley he’s conjuring little mini proclamations of his super confidential feelings, and that Crowley is desperately trying to hide signs of said super duper confidential feelings while Aziraphale is actively trying to woo said demon.

This creates a lovely pushing and pulling dynamic full of tenderness and love, and it KILLED ME SLOWLY. 10/10 high quality soft angst.

Side note: I really liked the way Aziraphale and Crowleys relationship with Warlock was covered in this fic, especially Crowley’s attachment to Warlock as his nanny who raised him ever since he was little. I thought the desire to reach out to Warlock post Apocalypse was really heartfelt and sweet, and it made me feel stupidly warm seeing Aziraphale help Crowley reach out and later on solidify that relationship with Warlock.

Pt 5: How are you still here?? If you are, here have this

So um…….. this ended up being really long. My bad. I mean no one’s gonna read this anyways but I still feel a little awkward standing at the end of this VERY long ramble baby.

I just wanted to end this off by saying that One Miraculous December was SUCH a great fic, full of coziness and charm and silliness and tenderness and a lovingly crafted holiday vibe unlike no other fic I’ve read. I will definitely be rereading this fic around Christmas time, the digital equivalent of snuggling up beside a warm fireplace with hot cocoa and a good book. I seriously loved this fic so much! Like, it was just good vibes the entire way through, and I have obviously been keeping up with journeytogallifrey’s works ever since I read this one. Please please please, read this fic and give it some serious love, because it deserves it so much. I don’t know how you did it mysterious person who probably doesn’t even exist, but you got to the end. Thank you for reading my dear little ramble baby about One Miraculous December by journeytogallifrey.

Now that was technically the end, but as an extra little thingy, here are some other recommendations of fics from journeytogallifrey, because they are a seriously talented author and have some amazing gems in there!

Here’s a list of my favorites:

Everything That’s Meant (T)

One of journeytogallifrey’s more recent and more popular works, this is an only slightly meta fic in which Aziraphale and Crowley are human actors playing the angel Raphael and the demon Asmodeus in the tv adaptation of Agnes Nutter’s novel Prophecies. The two actors have electrifying chemistry, but much stands in the way of the two of them, from Aziraphale’s complicated family to a haunted tv set to the things spread by the press about the two.

105,000 words (a big guy!), with 39 chapters, but such a joy to read! It’s a bit heavier in plot and emotions, and the romance is a little bit of higher stakes, but the soft moments between the two as they grow closer 100% makes up for it.

Scenes from an Italian Restaurant (T)

The shortest one of my favorites at 7,000 words in a single chapter and lightly inspired by the Billy Joel song of the same name, it tells the story of childhood friends Aziraphale and Crowley both from in their youth and reunited as adults as they dine together at (surprise surprise) their favorite Italian restaurant. There’s some hidden feelings, light angst, high school gossip, and a whole lot of stuff that happens at the tables of this Italian restaurant. In general though, it’s a wonderful, lighthearted, bite-sized time.

Infernal Escapes (T)

Roughly 37,000 words, this fic is a cute and lighthearted romance set in an escape room place. Crowley is the long suffering employee of an escape room, and is enamored by the intelligence and enthusiasm of escape room newbie, Aziraphale. The two strike up a friendship built on their love of escape rooms, and a cute and easy romance ensues. This was such a joy to read, and their easy chemistry based on their shared passion for escape rooms is infectiously sweet. There is very little to no conflict or angst in this story, so it’s a slightly lengthy but incredibly easy ride, entirely smooth sailing. If you just wanna watch two strangers meet and fall in love without all the extra things (because like, same honestly), please read this.