#crowley loves his dark horse

[demontobee]

Crowley *suspiciously*: Why do you wear reading glasses, angel? You're an occult -- sorry, "ethereal" being, you don't need them.

Aziraphale *giving him a stern look over the rim of his glasses*: I don't?

Crowley *blushing*: Nevermind ...

Aziraphale *smug*: That's what I thought.

[mimisempai]

I love the fact that when we first saw the sneak peek of this scene, we almost all jumped on the jealousy bandwagon.

I mean, one of the incorrect quotes I made that day became the most popular of all the ones I posted.

Of course, in retrospect, I see Crowley's expression as one of surprise, even amused surprise, as in, "Angel, you've been keeping things from me?" echoing Nina's phrase, "You're a dark horse, Mr. Fell."

First, he probably noticed right away that Aziraphale was uncomfortable, and second, unlike Nina, he knows him well enough to know that the situation is probably not what it seems.

What I also like about this scene is that Aziraphale takes the time to introduce Crowley. And to a stranger, the way he does it leaves no doubt that their relationship is special, both in what he says and in his whole demeanor (the tone of his voice, his immediately more relaxed expression, the way he looks at Crowley).

And I love Crowley's proud little smile when he addresses Nina. 

And I'm probably extrapolating, but the way I feel with Crowley's smile is, "See, the naked guy friend doesn't have a name, but I do. I'm the most important person in his life."

We know why Aziraphale didn't dwell on the naked man friend's identity, but Crowley didn't.

I like the fact that since Crowley has sensed that something is wrong and pieced together the few elements he has, he moves closer to Aziraphale as if to create a more intimate or safe space for Aziraphale to express himself.

And even more, there's the way he asks his questions, the tone of his voice, there's no accusation. It gives such a feeling of protectiveness.

Once again, I'm sleep-deprived, so I'll leave you with my nocturnal ramblings...

[brainwormcity]

Imagining if Aziraphale and Crowley had a silly off-screenish love scene similar to Anathema and Newt's:

Crowley has just discarded his glasses and he and Aziraphale share a kiss in the bookshop but instead of being filled with desperation, it's loving and genuine. The two pull apart a little breathlessly, after a few seconds, and we see them looking at each other meaningfully. They kiss again, then bam! 6,000 years of longing come to head and they suddenly kiss harder, filled with a different type of desperation.

Aziraphale has Crowley held to him really tightly and Crowley's got his fingers in Aziraphale's curls. Then they're knocking things over, bumping into bookshelves, Crowley is literally just knocking books over for the hell of it, a property destroyer even when in the throes of passion.

Aziraphale pulls back: Be careful of the books, please

Crowley rolls his eyes: Yeah, yeah

And then they're back to kissing and we see them slowly lower to the floor. We hear Aziraphale giggle and then we see Aziraphale's hand with his pinky ring gesturing vaguely. The locks on the door lock miraculously and then the open sign flips to 'closed' so fast that it nearly falls off its hook.

We cut to the two side-by-side on the floor, just above the shoulders and Crowley is looking at Aziraphale like he's the one for hung the moon and they kiss again.

We then cut to the ceiling where the lights first flicker and then burst. Outside, the ground has started shaking and we see Nina and Maggie in the coffee shop as cups start falling off the shelf and breaking. Nina yells and starts grabbing them to try to stop them from falling.

Maggie runs over to help: What's going on? Since when do we get earthquakes in England?

Nina looks irritated: I bet it's-

She looks over and you can see loose pages swirling around in eddies through the window of the bookshop.

Nina looks at Maggie with a surprised smile: You don't think?

Maggie is light-heartedly scandalized: Nooo!

Nina laughs: I was right!

Maggie tilts her head in confusion: About what?

Nina redoubles her efforts to hold the cups as the quakes increase: Mr. Fell really is a dark horse!

We cut to the bookshop and it's dark outside now, with a very dim glow in the windows. We see Crowley and Aziraphale lying together on the floor, atop a bunch of papers, from the chest up. Crowley has one arm tucked under his head and the other is around Aziraphale. Aziraphale has his head on Crowley's shoulder and an arm across his chest, looking up at him lovingly. Both of their hair is a mess.

Aziraphale is smiling and blushy: That was wonderful, dear

Crowley looks away for a second but he's beaming: Shut up

[arielavader]

Seen a lot of people saying how married behavior it was for Aziraphale to turn to Crowley to "ask" if it was okay to go with the Metatron, and it totally is, but I think maybe it was more of the pub situation all over. When Mr Brown starts talking to him, Aziraphale looks over at Crowley (who was already looking, with the who is accosting my angel type of reaction) - it was a "save me." Aziraphale didn't want to go with the Metatron. He didn't want to drink the kool-aid coffee.

And Crowley didn't even put up a token protest. He's just like, whatever, go on then. When Aziraphale said he could handle it that was before the Metatron walked in. And he didn't want Crowley to go (he's literally reaching for him as he walks to Maggie and Nina) but someone had to get Maggie and Nina out of there.

I'm not saying Crowley is at fault here, it's just another proof of their horrid communication. Aziraphale expects Crowley to be his hero because Crowley always has been his hero. Until he didn't come back in time and Aziraphale handled the demon situation, until Crowley saw Aziraphale taking control of the situation after in the bookshop.

Aziraphale can handle things himself, that's true. But he wants Crowley to help him. Because that's what being on their own side means to Aziraphale. Doing things together, sharing things he's done so Crowley is aware and excited/proud of him, asking for Crowley to help him when there is a problem. (The three reasons he calls.)

And Aziraphale has always had a watch-demon to pad by his side through his most difficult times and that may be where their communication finally completely breaks down at the end.

Crowley thinks his angel's got this. He's smart, he's brave, talking with a big giant head dude isn't going to change anything. And Aziraphale, he sees it not as Crowley having confidence in him, but as Crowley having no need to be on guard. Anything the Metatron says is fine. Crowley doesn't feel the need to protect him, so it can't be that bad.

But then Maggie and Nina push Crowley into needing to define his relationship with Aziraphale. And Aziraphale, beyond wanting to maybe be able to change the whole of heaven, has to know about the plans. Can't thwart plans if you don't know about them. If he can't change it, he can still stop it. They did so before. He does need and want Crowley with him, to help. To watch his back, to tell him the truth, because that's what Crowley does.

Being on their own side to Crowley was not getting involved in Heaven and Hell. Getting intel from Shax is just a way to avoid getting in Hell's way.

Aziraphale knows that they can't just abstain courteously, because they've chosen the Earth as their home and above all, Aziraphale will protect it. For Crowley, for himself, for the humans he loves.

The Metatron thinks Aziraphale's predictable, no matter what he actually said to get Aziraphale back to heaven, he knew what would do it.

But Aziraphale? He's a dark horse.

[mailmiocuoredipietratremaancora]

Just some random things that I adored about GO 2:

All the Doctor Who references and vibes, David’s my Barbenheimer 💙

The fact that ineffable bickering was basically Azi being passive-aggressive and Crowley just loving him too much to cope properly

The apology dance

Crowley sheltering Azi with his wing

“We”, “us”, “our” ❤️

The 1941 flashback, the magic act, ALL OF IT!

Azi taking Crowley’s hand to dance with him while smiling like heaven’s a place on earth

Muriel being an absolute sweet and dorky “human police officer” who got caught the very first second

The way Azi looks at Crowley

The way Crowley smiles at Azi, about Azi or simply being around Azi

All the hints to Crowley’s power as a former angel

Drunk scottISH Crowley

The way Crowley sits, I’m and will always be a slut for it

Azi driving the Bentley and everything coming with it

Azicrow discussing romantic tropes from books and movies ❤️

“Smitten. I believe. You’re being silly” with that face

Obviously the “there’s a naked man in your bookshop” part

Jane Austen was “a bit of a dark horse”, sorry I’m dead

Crowley in heaven: pure gold folks

I’m probably gonna do another list after a rewatch

Live long and prosper 🖖

[cobragardens]

Red & Yellow Can Hurt a Fellow:

Color Symbolism in 1941 (Part 2)

So in Part 1 I held forth about how the use of red in and yellow in this minisode continues its symbolism from elsewhere in the show for romantic love and fear of head offices, respectively. From the moment of Aziraphale's realization that he is in love with Crowley, all the backgrounds become saturated with the vivid passionate red.

Then, in the dressing room, after the Bullet Catch, the walls are slightly more orange in comparison to the true crimson featured in the rest of the show, foreshadowing the intrusion of fear (symbolized throughout the show by the color yellow) into Aziraphale's romantic feelings for Crowley. This yellow becomes discretely visible the moment Furfur enters the dressing room, and it remains visible around Aziraphale and between Aziraphale and Furfur as Furfur menaces Crowley through the rest of the scene.

In the final scene of the "Nazi Zombie Flesheaters" minisode, after Aziraphale reveals (offscreen) that he has stolen the photographic proof of Crowley's fraternization with him from Furfur, Aziraphale and Crowley celebrate, sharing a bottle of wine by candlelight.

Pretty romantic, right?

Hmm.

Aziraphale and Crowley are each sitting on a red velvet chair, sharing red wine from a bottle with red paper at the top. The passionate romantic love is still there. But it's fragmented, isolated in small islands surrounded by yellow. Yellow backgrounds indicating fear are used in "A Companion to Owls" and "I Know Where I'm Going," so we've already been primed for what a yellow background means by the time we hit "Nazi Zombie Flesheaters." After the scare with Furfur, the background of Aziraphale's existence becomes once again saturated with fear.

Remember, this is Aziraphale's memory, so it's his feelings that are coloring these walls. Here's the same room in S1, looking toward where Crowley sits in 1941:

Now look at S2 again.

The walls are yellow in both (which fits the fear Aziraphale feels and must hide in the S1 scene as well), but the clarity and intensity of the yellow--and the fear--has been turned up and illuminated around Crowley.

@vidavalor proposes in "The Blitz, Part 3 Theory: The clues that suggest what it might be about & how it's affected what's come after it" that the story of the husbands in 1941 is likely to be a triptych, given that a literal Chekov's gun has been established (Aziraphale keeps a derringer in a hollowed-out book in the bookshop) and given that Aziraphale clearly references "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" in the conversation in the Bentley in 1967 but the song has not been established as one either of the husbands are aware of as significant to them by that year.

I agree with @vidavalor that a third part of the story is likely for two other reasons: firstly, the Nazi zombies are still shambling around London, another Chekov's gun; and secondly, because Aziraphale says, "You go too fast for me, Crowley." 1941 is the last record of a meeting between the husbands we have before Aziraphale says that, but...we haven't seen Crowley go fast with Aziraphale. At all. He's been responding to what Aziraphale wants, what Aziraphale decides to do.

So what happened between

and

? (Notice how this is still backlit in the pink and red or romantic and passionate and/or romantic love.)

How does "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" become a song Aziraphale references and Crowley picks up in 1967?

And, most importantly: Why does Aziraphale have to do the apology dance in 1941?

***

A Few More 1941 Observations

Do these curtains in 202? look like this--

(Note the symbolic Metatron head!)

--because Aziraphale wants this to be a romantic night and he's re-creating the most romantic night he's ever experienced?

***

Look who's hanging around next to Crowley even when he doesn't take off his sunglasses.

It's not just a passing shot, either: the dark horse stays in frame and visible the entire scene.

***

There's a post running around on Tumblr somewhere about how contemporary slang would interpret the language of the Bullet Catch (e.g. "never fired a gun at someone before") to mean that Crowley is a virgin (which I absolutely believe to be true) and Aziraphale is not (which I would find pretty surprising). Tumblr's search function being what it is, I have been unable to find it, so if someone would drop a link in the comments if they run across it so I can add it to the information here, I would I appreciate it deeply.

***

And finally, let us take a moment to appreciate Furfur's beautiful hair.

The wigwork in this series makes me sigh with happiness.

I think it's a telling choice that some of the angels have some dreadful visual qualities (Sandalphon's grille, Gabriel's jogging sweats) and some of the demons have beautiful visual qualities (Furfur's hair, Shax' 50s style).

[drconstellation]

Liberty versus the Tree of Life

TW: Discussion of death and grief

I received a question from @lickthecowhappy the other day on one of my metas that I'm going to try and address in this post. This is going to wander into some pretty heavy areas, and discuss some implications for S3.

They asked:

"What do you think about comparing "give me liberty (coffee) or give me death" with gaining free will via the tree of knowledge but losing access to the tree of life in the process?"

On one hand this might look like a simple choice between two things, but its not - there are shades of grey, of course. Can the two (liberty/death vs. knowledge/life) be compared? Yes - in a way. But we need to unpack the question in its entirety first.

"Give me liberty, or give me death!"

This famous quote that forms the basis of the name of Nina's coffee shop is from a reconstructed speech given by the American politician Patrick Henry in 1775, as the colonists prepared to fight against the British Empire. It is worth us having a look at the extended excerpt of the speech quoted from Wikipedia in context of what we know is coming in S3:

If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come. It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!

If the mention of Boston wasn't there, you could almost read that as a crazy synopsis of S2 and S3. The Great War, that wasn't considered concluded satisfactorily and must be restarted and finished once and for all, has begun again, and is on its inexorable way. There will be storms. Some see the outcome in black and white - you either win or die; there is no other option, because they do not dare entertain it.

The fandom seems quite settled with the analogy of liberty and freedom = coffee, and six shots of espresso is Crowley's coffee preference, because he loves and protects his freedom with a passion. Crowley is that coffee, in a way - long, dark and richly intense. He is a champion of free will. Even as a demon he still gives those he tempts the choice to make their own mistakes. So how do we apply this to the coffee the Metatron offers Aziraphale, and the other option, death?

The coffee the Metatron orders and forces on Aziraphale is a message, and a warning, to the angel - "I know all about you and your demon partner." The shot of coffee in it is Crowley, the oat milk is to say Aziraphale has maybe gone a bit too far with things with Crowley while on Earth, and the almond syrup is to say they have been watched and observed do so. This is confirmed when the Metatron mentions that he knows that Aziraphale and Crowley have formed a de facto partnership.

And where would Aziraphale get his Crowley from if he went back to Heaven?

What about death? Is it a real option? What does the option of death mean anyway?

If you are not familiar with the Tarot deck, the Death card can seem quite alarming. A skeleton in black armour strides over a fallen king - death does not care for rank or position. Death cares not for riches, they will not hold it at bay. Nor will prayers. Death does not care what age you are, either. But the small, kneeling child holds a posy of flowers up as if in greeting, the only one prepared to face the rider on the pale horse; this is because children are not as always as set in their ways as adults are, and can adapt to change more easily.

Experienced Tarot users know that is what the Death card signifies when it appears: Change. Something is coming to and end, but something else is about to start as well. It's not a physical death, its a spiritual or metaphorical death. It should be a welcomed card, as it indicates there is a promise renewal and new beginnings on the horizon (see the dawning sun between the two pillars in the top right of the card?) and all one has to do is surrender to the inevitable change. But like death, making changes can sometime be a hard, fearful thing to face. Facing death, either your own or someone else's, is ultimately about accepting change.

Surrender to the British is not what Patrick Henry wanted to do. He wanted to keep the liberty he had in the new world.

But death was the only viable option Aziraphale had.

"So predictable," remarked the Metatron to Nina, when she told him people don't ever ask for death in response to his question. Death is present in Nina's coffee shop - it's the green colour on the inside walls.

I haven't done much colour meta lately but I have been doing a lot of research on them, as I realized the original meta I wrote needed a major revision, which I plan to do soon. Green was one of those colours that needed more work.

The green on the inside walls actually has two meanings, which are both specifically tied to the coffee shop, but the first one is Death, with the capital D. This is one of the Four Horsepeople lurking in the background of S2, as Armageddon prepares to ramp up again. War is on the label of the wine bottle Crowley has in S2E5, Famine is the Marley Horse statue that Crowley puts his sunglasses on inside the bookshop, and where the stone-shaped Eccles cakes are placed in offering. Death is waiting inside the coffee shop, right next to the constraining sky-blue moral lawfulness of Heaven.

Death rides a pale horse, but the word used to describe it, "chloros," actually translates to a "pale greenish-yellow." That would have looked a bit sickly inside the coffee shop, I think, so they used a more complimentary shade of green, and one that would double up with a second meaning. Green is also the colour associated with new beginnings and the resurrection. That's why the outside of The Resurrectionist pub is dark green - it's got nothing to do with Hell (at least, I don't think it does, in this case!)

The Second Coming is in progress. Armageddon is underway again. Someone in Heaven is determined to see the supposed Great Plan come to fruition.

The Riddle of the Sphinx

In Sophocles play Oedipus Rex the titular character meets the Sphinx on a hill outside of Thebes. The monster has been devouring travelers who do not answer her riddle correctly.

"What is the creature that walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three in the evening?"

Clever Oedipus replies with "Man," and defeated, the Sphinx departs, removing her curse from the city.

A baby crawls on four limbs into childhood, then two legs into adulthood, then on three legs with a cane for an aid into old age. This is the natural progression of life. You would not want to remain an infant forever, and similarly if you have children wouldn't you wish to see them progress from childhood to adulthood and have children of their own?

Remember Momento mori? It's a major theme in the series. Remember that you die. It's a reminder that cycles must end and restart, and that death is an important part of life. We saw the Starmaker set up a star factory, but even stars die eventually, and need to die, to make new stars. The universe recycles itself, that is how it keeps going. Sometimes we need a reminder that life is short, although sometimes it seems too long as well.

I think we too easily forget that our ineffable duo, as angel and demon, are entities that can effortlessly travel between these two worlds of life and death, as we humans see it. It's their business to do so, after all. As supernatural beings, they are eternally alive, and death has a different meaning to them - it's destruction that they fear.

The Tree of Knowledge & The Tree of Life

Aziraphale's role as Guardian of the Eastern Gate was to prevent humans returning to the Garden of Eden to access the Tree of Life after they had eaten from the Tree of Knowledge.

The Tree of Knowledge gave us questioning, curiosity and imagination. We learned, we created and in doing so made choices - we used free will. But in taking this liberty it gave us the responsibility for ourselves. It supposedly gave us the concept of sin and doing wrong, and also shorter lives to help us deal with the "agony" of this.

And the other option, the Tree of Life, that is apparently so dangerous we must be kept away from it? Is it death? No, quite the opposite - it offers eternal life, and redemption from sin. In short - a state of no change - and no choice.

To access the Tree of Life now the choice is made for you before you can arrive in front of it, in the Book of Life. If your name is in the Book on Judgement Day, you get to enter Paradise. If it is not, you will be cast down into a lake of burning sulfur (hmm, sounds familiar...) And that's it, forever and ever.

Is that really the ideal of Paradise? Yet we're made to fear the cyclic change and new growth that death brings, and want to yearn so much for the stagnation of Eternity that we rigidly structure our lives around a possible promise of it as a goal.

Eternal Life, Eternal Youth

Eternal life is not the same as eternal youth. In a cautionary tale from Ovid's Metamorphoses we have the Cumaean Sybil who lived a thousand years. She was the priestess of the oracle of Apollo at Cumae, near Naples, and apparently Apollo offered to grant her a wish in exchange for her virginity. She scooped up a handful of sand, and asked to be given as many years of life as there were grains of sand that she held. Later, she refused to sleep with the god, so he let her physical body wither away, because she had failed to ask for eternal youth as well. Her body shrunk as the years went by, and grew smaller and smaller, and eventually only her voice was left, kept contained in a jar. (And here is a link to one of the books on Jim's bookshelf - Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar is named after the ampulla that the Sybil's voice was said to have been kept in.)

Searching for a Fountain of Youth, or creating a Philosopher's Stone for immortality has a common theme in stories through history, even from earliest times. It can be seen as a blessing, or a curse, or a fool's errand. It's a quest that is still prevalent in our modern thinking - going to the gym to build muscle, cosmetic surgery for looks only etc Queer culture has long had an emphasis on youth and beauty and growing old is anathema; freezing the body in time like in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray is an aim, but our fragile mortal frames just aren't made for that. Isn't it what is inside us that counts, not the label we have applied to it?

Choices, Choices...

The time has come to make a choice: will it be the stimulating coffee of free will, or the painful change and rebirth of death, that might lead to something even better?

Perhaps you want to try the other combination: Having control and responsibility over your own short life in exchange for having to live your life to a strict set of rules so that you can then exist forever in somebody else's idea of a static ideal afterwards.

I find I'm a bit biased. But you chose what you will.

“What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.” T. S. Eliot

[lookingatacupoftea]

I recently completed a chronological rewatch. Well, mostly chronological. I forgot about Agnes' execution, young Newt and Anathema, and the angels and demons dancing flashbacks. But close enough for jazz.

I wish I could say it gave me lots of keen new insights, but it didn't. It did emphasize a few points for me:

Aziraphale starts anxious and, with a few exceptions, is fearful pretty much all the way through.

The contrast between the darker, more-realistic-looking Whickber Street and bookshop in S1 and the brighter, more-cartoony setting of S2 really stands out. (It is not normal for every fifth person to choose to wear "the color of my demon lover's eyes" yellow).

The contrast between the more seemingly objective S1 flashbacks and the more cinematic, special-effect-laden S2 minisodes also really stands out.

"A Companion to Owls" offers a big emotional contrast to the way they treat each together just before at the Flood and next at Golgotha. They seem much closer and more trusting in Uz. They won't be like this again for centuries.

Crowley's glasses generally get bigger and bigger until we get the final pair that are like blinders (part of the dark horse symbolism). Is he hiding himself or is he hiding from something? Or both?

There are a couple of moments in S1 that really don't fit for me with the emotional progression of their relationship over time. For instance, when Crowley and Aziraphale first discuss the Armageddon after Adam's birth, Aziraphale is even more blithe and unconcerned about what Armageddon could mean for Crowley than he is in the book.

Sentiments like "it's all going to be rather lovely" coming on the heels of his lovestruck behavior in 1941, his sad "you go too fast for me" in 1967, and the general trend of him being anxious for Crowley's safety just don't compute for me.

Is this just awkwardly retconned so that Aziraphale has a character arc in S1 proper? That was my first theory and it still seems very plausible to me. Or has Aziraphale had his memories altered prior to Armageddon v1? This could be a crack theory, but there sure does seem to be a lot going on with memory in S2. Or something else?

PLEASE DON'T ASK OR TAG NEIL WITH FAN THEORIES

[foolondahill17]

My top 10 fic picks from 2022

(all updated or completed in 2022, in no particular order)

This was the year of devouring content from new favorite authors. Special shoutout to @outdean and @urne-buriall . Right Where you Left Me and spirit of the west are on track to becoming new fandom classics, methinks. 

1. Right Where You Left Me by outdean (@outdean), 93,581 words, E, destiel, canonverse

 Cas comes back from the empty 10 years after his death, only to find Dean married (to a man! gasp!). Heartache ensues, but not without a heartwarming end. Warning for (spoilers!) infidelity and emotional abuse from a spouse. Last year's serial fic of Tumblr was Cheapest Room in the House, and this year's was no less beautiful and engaging. What I especially loved about this fic was the sense of community and excitement it spurred in the fandom. It was so fun logging into tumblr after every update for collective squee and memes. What's also particularly praiseworthy about this story is outdean's sense of character. Not only are Dean and Cas authentic and oh-so tangible, but so are the other cast of characters: Jack is especially endearing, but also convincingly adult and complicated. And Dean's husband, although delicious to hate, is also a little difficult to hate, too. At its heart, RWYLM is an unerringly human tale, zits and all. 

2. spirit of the west by teen_dean (@urne-buriall), 140,680 words, M, destiel, AU 

Beautifully atmospheric, at times brutal, at times gentle - this 1990's horsegirl!Dean fic is one for the ages. Dean is 18 and lonely on his father's horse farm - that is until his childhood friend, Cas, returns to town, and they quickly fall into the kind of intimacy that's titillating, tantalizing, and terrifying all at once. TW for strong themes of domestic abuse and PTSD, also homophobia and animal death. The prose is charming and lyrical. The characters are lively and full. It's the kind of writing that's so detailed and visual, you feel like a participant in the story, not just a spectator. Despite the darkness and fear in Dean's life, with Cas by his side (and a host of other lovable characters), he grows to accept love from others and for himself. This is more than a coming-of-age novel. It's also a story about hope: in the face of cruelty, there will also be unfailing kindness. 

3. so much smoke in the hall of mirrors by AreYouReady (@autisticandroids), 6,232 words, E, pre-destiel/one-sided destiel, canonverse

 Dark. Dark. Dark. But also disturbing and alluring in the best possible ways. It's season 6, and Cas is lured steadily further from the light by Crowley and the pressures of the Angelic civil war. To blow off some steam, he creates a Dean sex-doll out of living flesh. Warnings are well-listed in the tags, but include non-con voyeurism, dehumanization, and torture. Although the premise is bleak, this fic is a fascinating and believable dive into Cas's characterization pre-godhood powertrip. Well worth the read if you don't mind a little moral ambiguity with your morning wheaties. 

4. Dateverse by aeli_kindara (@gravelghosts​), 47,057 words, 3 works, E, destiel, canonverse

After the Mrs. Butters business, Dean asks Cas on a date. Warnings for typical Dean bad headspace, but there's plenty of fluff to soothe our (and Dean's) ills. aeli_kindara is an author whose careful writing perfectly suits Dean's caution as he pursues Cas and navigates a relationship within their emotional pitfalls and chaotic surroundings. What I especially admire about her writing is her use of motifs: photographs in the first story, memories in the second, and sunsets in the last. The third installment is waylaid by the events of the final few episodes of the series, but the fic seamlessly blends canon and fresh events into a believable and satisfying happy ending. Also, Dean goes to therapy! What's not to love? 

5. where black stars rise by teen_dean, (@urne-buriall), 27,770 words, T, destiel, canonverse

This case fic carves through the grand, sweeping mysteries of the universe like the Sidewinder Canyon through the desert. No specific warnings other than that very distinct, unnerving state of mind you enter while driving alone at night, darkness and pin-prick stars above you, and it feels like you're nothing but an infinitesimal speck of dust on the cusp of eternity.... Anyway, this fic follows Dean and Cas on the trail of several missing persons on a canyon trail in Arizona, unobtrusive until time and space, itself, unravels at the seams. Teen_dean plays with words and the cosmos like Play-Doh, molding an ethereal, enthralling story that rocketed up to one of my favorite fics of all time. 

6. iconography by foccacciabread (couldn’t find a tumblr), 3,578 words, G, Mary and Dean centric, canonverse

A simple enough premise: Mary finds old photographs of herself on Facebook. Cue family heartache, the punishment of lost time, and navigating old wounds. How to be a son when your mother isn't who you thought she was? How to be a mother when your child is dead but somehow still alive, but so, so changed? No warnings, but heavy angst. 

7. Dont Stop, Make It Pop by dumbassnatural (@dumbassnatural), 34,661 words, WIP, T, destiel, canonverse

Cas accidentally becomes a tik tok sensation, and Jack uses his technological and business savvy to make his dad a star. Both parts sweet and earnest, this story starts with a silly premise and takes it to surprisingly heartwarming places. No warnings other than the fact this is a WIP that hasn’t been updated since January, but it does leave off in a place that isn’t hard to extrapolate what might comes next. 

8. in present tenses by focacciabread, 31,463 words, E, destiel, canonverse

After getting Cas back from the Empty, Dean decides the smartest move to guarantee Cas doesn’t ever leave him again is to just start sleeping with him. It’s what Cas wants, right? And it won’t do any further psychic damage to Dean, right? Right? Surely it will not have any negative effects whatsoever on their relationship. Warnings for bad Dean headspace throughout. There are a couple fics with this premise floating about, but I was especially drawn to focacciabread’s evocative writing and convincing Dean internal monologue. We love a messy boy. 

9. AITA for disapproving of my brother's high sex drive? by birdsofthesoul (couldn’t find a tumblr) and PlaidIsTheBestPattern (@cacophony-of-notions), 3,907 words, T, implied destiel, canonverse

This one also made its rounds on Tumblr, so you’ve probably already read it, but it’s an absolutely delightful, only partially serious take in Dean and Sam’s Reddit Rivalry and that particular brand of moralizing found in online spaces. It does what all the best “crack taken seriously” fics do, which is gives us an amusing premise but never deviates from the voices of these characters we know so well. Very mild warning for homophobia. Also be sure to read the rest of the AITA series.

10. peace came upon me (and it leave me weak) by outdean (@outdean), 73,773 words, E, destiel, canonverse

After Cas gets taken to the empty, Dean gets sober. Cas comes back a year later. Problems ensue. This one deals seriously and carefully with addiction and alcoholism, especially heavy mistakes done under the influence. Dean has a lot of growing to do and a lot to atone for, and he isn’t let off the hook easy. Cas has his own journey as he learns to forgive Dean for passed mistakes and navigate a future life with the man he’s in love with. It’s not an easy path, and it’s not an easy story to read, but it’s well worth it. Outdean navigates serious issues with finesse and delicacy that’s wonderful to observe. 

Honorable mention: 

Pater by TaraxcumWine, (couldn’t find a tumblr),  184,366 words, E, destiel, AU

I recced this as a WIP last year, but it finished posting early in 2022. I didn’t want it to take up a spot again, but I can't help but mention it. It’s a thoughtful, intricate, and beautiful look in Dean and Cas’s relationship from their first meeting to present day. It deals with heavy themes of child abuse, past non-con, mental health issues, homophobia, etc. so tread carefully. This is especially recommended for those who liked spirit of the west or my own silver linings series, as it deals with similar themes. It’s very well worth the read despite the hefty length. 

[teresawymore]

Good Omens | Predatory Grace

The second story from my au of Good Omens in Late Rome. Transgressive fiction, master/slave, lustful angst and existential questions in this one. Check out tags. I feel I should apologize to Sheen and Tennant, but also, I can't stop myself. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

---------

Excerpt

“The madness is yours.” Crowley spoke in a reproving tone, and from beneath black eyebrows, his dark eyes glistened. His lips parted slightly.

Taunting, thought Aziraphale, like a well-used bath boy. “What do you know about anything? You think I love you because you let me fuck you—”

“I don’t let you.”

Aziraphale laughed, always pleased at his slave’s dissent. It wouldn’t be worth mastering him if he made it easy.

“Heaven sent you to serve me,” Aziraphale said steadily.  “Now, you belong to me, along with my farms, my horses, and my pots. Do you understand? All men need a master. That’s the order of things. What would you be without me?”

Crowley’s eyes grew timid, and as they watched him, Aziraphale began to believe that the motivation to endure for an angel with nothing but hope had little to do with love and everything to do with self-loathing. 

“You’re listening to creatures whose spiritual ambition grows in proportion to the passions they deny.” Aziraphale felt himself pleading. “Their appetite’s the same, only their taste has changed. How is a priest different from a whore? One you honor and one you despise, but they’re liars and gluttons both, living off other men’s passions. Only obedience to another man’s desire could make you a slave, but I know whose desire we satisfy every night on my couch, Angel.”

[mimisempai]

We don't need to stop anymore

Summary

A goodbye kiss on the doorstep of the bookshop reminds Aziraphale of an aborted kiss on the same spot in 1941.

Notes

50 Types of Kisses - Writing Prompts

Kiss #40: A gentle kiss that quickly descends into passion, with little regard for what’s going on around them.

On Ao3

Rating G -  547 words

Crowley grabbed his glasses from the horse statuette, put them on his nose, and called to Aziraphale, "Angel, I'm off to the planetarium! Bye!"

Suddenly, the angel appeared from a shelf, walked toward him, and said sulkily, "You're just leaving without saying goodbye?"

Leaning against the door, Crowley replied, "I just did, didn't I?"

Aziraphale shook his head, answering, "Not properly."

The demon chuckled softly before leaning over the angel now standing in front of him and planted a light kiss on his lover's soft lips.

As he straightened up, Aziraphale couldn't help but think back to another farewell on the doorstep of the bookshop many decades ago.

"Well, maybe there is something to be said for..."

Aziraphale raised his glass to Crowley's and continued, "...shades of gray."

The demon clinked his glass against hers and replied, "Well, shades of...dark gray."

As he took a sip, Aziraphale countered, "Shades of a very light gray, I'd rather fancy."

As his gaze lingered on the demon, he realized something and asked, "Tell me, Crowley, why didn't you take off your hat and glasses?"

Crowley swallowed his drink in one gulp and replied, "Because I'm leaving.

Aziraphale, disappointed, said quietly, "Oh... well."

Throat tight, he struggled to finish his drink. He wanted Crowley to stay a little longer.

A few moments later, they were outside, on the doorstep of the book store.

Crowley said gently to Angel, running his hand along the brim of his hat in a sort of salute, "Thanks again, Angel, for saving my butt at the theater, and thanks for trusting me with, you know..."

He mimed the gesture of firing a gun to finish his sentence.

Aziraphale replied, "I've been trusting you for thousands of years, my dear."

"Well, again, thank you. I'm leaving now, Angel. Bye."

Crowley was about to turn when the angel whispered, "Are you sure you don't want to stay?"

Crowley swallowed before replying, "Stop looking at me like that. You know I can't refuse you anything if you look at me like that."

Aziraphale just breathed, "Please."

Crowley leaned forward and Aziraphale closed his eyes.

He felt the demon's breath come closer to his face, but he barely had time to feel the touch of the demon's lips on his when a burst of laughter in the street caused them to quickly part.

It was just a group of drunken partygoers, but the spell was broken and this time there was nothing Aziraphale could do to stop the demon.

"Why are you smiling like that, Angel?"

The demon's voice snapped him back to reality and Aziraphale replied, "I was thinking about another goodbye on this very doorstep a long time ago."

Crowley raised an eyebrow and replied, "If you're thinking about something else while I'm kissing you, I must be doing it wrong."

Aziraphale wrapped his arms around the demon's neck and said playfully, "You can try again, come on, make me forget everything."

Crowley brought his face close and whispered against the angel's smiling lips, "Your wish is my command, Angel.

He pressed his lips to his lover's and this time the kiss quickly turned from light to passionate and not even the bustle of the busy street could pull them out of their little bubble of happiness.

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story  🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

Ineffable kisses series : here

Ineffable Husbands masterlist : here

Ineffable Growing Love - Series post S2

Part 1 Story 1-99

Part 2 Story 100-?

[filmnoirsbian]

Hi !! I was wondering if you had any book recs/favorite books? Things that you think of as inspiration or just plain like? Genuinely curious. <3 im in love with your work btw i spent the other day binging your patreon

Some favorites that deeply impacted me from a young age up into teenagedom: the Animorphs series by K. A. Applegate, Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein, Oddly Enough by Bruce Coville, The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Little Sister by Kara Dalkey, The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede, The Tale of Desperaux by Kate DiCamillo, A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander, Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury, the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage, Piratica by Tanith Lee, the Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke, His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, Holes by Louis Sachar, The View from Saturday by E. L. Konigsburg, Shizuko's Daughter by Kyoko Mori, The Sea-Wolf by Jack London, Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech, Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins, Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath, Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan, The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg, The Iliad and Odyssey (allegedly) by Homer, The Táin by many people, Harlem by Walter Dean Myers, Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan, The Wall and the Wing by Laura Ruby, The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkein, The Hainish Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin, Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis, The Ethical Vampire series by Susan Hubbard, The Howl Series by Diana Wynne Jones, the Curseworkers series by Holly Black, The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick, Android Karenina by Ben H. Winters, An Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson, Beloved by Toni Morrison, A Stir of Bones by Nina Kiriki Hoffman, the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson, Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente, World War Z by Max Brooks, This is Not A Drill by K. A. Holt, Fade to Blue by Sean Beaudoin, Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu, The Moth Diaries by Rachel Klein, Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman, Crush by Richard Siken, Hopscotch by Julio Cortázar, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo, Devotions by Mary Oliver, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Some favorites read more recently: The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey, Engine Summer by John Crowley, Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff, The Princess Bride by William Goldman, Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot, My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix, Reprieve by James Han Mattson, House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, Kindred by Octavia Butler, Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi, Station Eleven by Emily St. John-Mandel, The Crown Ain't Worth Much by Hanif Abdurraqib, The Refrigerator Monologues by Catherynne M. Valente, Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, Tender is the Flesh by Augustina Bazterrica, The Girl with All the Gifts by Mike Carey, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, She had some horses by Joy Harjo, Bright Dead Things by Ada Limón, The King Must Die by Mary Renault, Books of Blood by Clive Barker, Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin, Cassandra by Christa Wolfe

Plays: The Oresteia by Aeschylus, Electra by Sophocles, Los Reyes by Julio Cortázar, Angels in America by Tony Kushner, August: Osage County by Tracy Letts, The Bald Soprano by Eugène Ionesco, The Trojan Women by Euripides, Salome by Oscar Wilde, Girl on an Altar by Marina Carr, Fences by August Wilson, The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang, Our Town by Thornton Wilder, Sweeney Todd by Christopher Bond

Graphic novels: The Crow by James O'Barr, DMZ by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli, Eternals (2021) by Kieron Gillen and Esad Ribić, Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons and John Higgins, My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris, Maus by Art Spiegelman, Tank Girl by Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, Through the Woods by Emily Carroll, Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol

[emeraldtart]

Gold Watcher! Yuu

The third level of the Nightmare Realm, Deadly Decadence. It is a level tailored specifically for those who values wealth above all. Those died in greed are coated in the gold and wealth they loved so much. Yuu is no different. They are one of the youngest Gold Watchers, but they are still lethal nonetheless.

Lord Malak had ordered them and their family to chase after the mortal going after their ring piece. As Yuu raise their axe, preparing to deal the killing blow as their siblings cornered the mortal, a neighing sound pierced the eternal night.

`There aren't supposed to be horses here,' was the last thing they thought before getting hit by a horse-pulled carriage.

They heard their siblings cried out to them in their telepathic bond, and heard the thud of the mortal's body and the smell of copper as their blood was spilt by a spike trap.

At least Lord Malak will be pleased.

He blinks a couple of time, and before he knew it the statue was gone.

Arrival

Grim opened the coffin and almost got flattened by a golden statue wearing the ceremonial robe.

Yuu ran all over the school, trying to find out where in the Nightmare Realms are they.

They ended up in the library, and when Grim arrived they immediately stop moving.

Crowley came to a cat monster trying to tear the ceremonial robe off a statue.

When he diverts his gaze to Grim, he heard a heavy step and saw that the statue had moved from a salute to a wave.

"A-Are you alive!?"

When there's no response, Crowley did his signature thinking pose and close his eyes, thinking what the hell just happen.

"Myah! It moved again!"

The statue moved from a wave to handing a piece of paper to Crowley.

It says, "I can't move if you look at me. Close your eyes or divert your gaze. Then we'll talk,"

So Crowley did. He even grabs Grim (in his Rope of Love) and turns around, their backs facing the statue.

And they hear a voice.

They tell them their name is Yuu, and asks Crowley where they are.

Crowley tells them they're in Night Raven College, and urges them to follow him and also to watch for their familiar.

To which Yuu replies that they can't, because if someone sees them they'll freeze in place. It's not an option, it's an unfortunate curse that traitorous witch (Bierce) had put to make things 'fair' between the monsters and the mortals that came to their realm.

Crowley can't remove the curse, but he can modify it. He changes the condition for Yuu standing still from 'being within line of sight' to 'making direct eye contact'.

So Yuu, who tries their best to just look at the floor, go to the hall with Grim and Crowley.

When the time comes for the Dark Mirror to sort them, it says something very concerning.

"A soul full of greed, coated in the gold that was loved so much. Your time had passed, your body had long perished, and yet you still remains here in front of us all. A soul filled with greed for all things, there are no dorms that can fit such huge desires, so this soul belongs to no dorm,"

So that was concerning. Wait, does that mean this student is technically dead!?

Grim, upon hearing this demands that Yuu gives the robe to him.

Chaos ensues and when Crowley asks someone to stop Grim, Yuu threw their axes.

Yes, axes. They take it from somewhere and they didn't stop. It wasn't until Grim was completely surrounded by golden axes that they finally stop.

Azul is looking at the axes with an incomprehensible face. Are those axes made of real gold?

Crowley can't send Yuu back because their home isn't in this world, so they have to stay at Ramshackle for a while.

It was a total downgrade from the manor they used to live in, and it's also made off wood. Yuu is a bit scared to climb the stairs, they fear the floorboards might not be able to support their weight.

Luckily, it did. But the creaking increases their anxiety, so they might need to find some wooden planks and replace it first chance they got.

Grim comes in and they battle the ghosts. Yuu is technically a 'ghost', having already died and the current form is just what they gain after arriving to Deadly Decadance. So their axes can do damage to the ghosts.

After Crowley checks in, they got promoted from guest to janitor.

Crowley expected some complaints since they're dressed like an aristocrat, but they didn't.

Most monsters spend their time cleaning their respective Realm and made some adjustment to their it. I mean, how often is it for an average human to get past the monkeys, Agatha and Lord Malak?

Dwarf's Mine

Yuu doesn't sleep. They spend their night cleaning what they can. They don't know how to deal with the plumbing and electricity. The ones in the manor never had such problems, weirdly enough.

Their first task is to clean the Statue of The Seven and the area surrounding it.

Yuu half expected the statues to move and talk, like they did. They didn't.

As they wondered who the statue was made in the image of, Ace appears and explains who they all are.

The moment Ace made fun of them, they decided to make fun of him in return.

All it takes was one. Single. Blink.

They moved behind Ace and taps his shoulder. When he turns around.

He came face-to-face with a wide, open mouth and an axe raised above.

Yuu started to laugh like mad after Ace fell over from shock. Ace asks them for a fight to which they refuse. So Grim takes over because Ace called him a raccoon.

Their fight ends with them charring the Queen of Hearts statue.

The trio ends up having to clean every single window in school.

Yuu obviously can't climb a ladder and clean the upper windows, because, you know, their weight.

They realise that Ace is gone and tracks him down using telepathy. Where they find out that he is leaving them and Grim to do all the cleaning. They also heard Ace's mind dissing them, so they grab Grim to find and drag that card soldier.

They ran into Deuce, and after a chase Deuce ended up throwing Yuu (which takes a lot more effort because gold) towards the chandelier.

So now they need to get that magic stone or its expulsion.

Yuu sees Ace, Deuce and Grim arguing which almost leads to them getting killed and decided that they need to intervene.

They went back to the dwarf's house for a strategy meeting.

They told them to work together.

Grim: Don't tell me what to do, henchman!

Yuu:... What did you call me?

Grim: You're my henchman, obviously.

So Yuu briefly turned into their nightmare mode and destroys the table and the floor in one swing.

After a few seconds of horrified silence, Yuu turns back into their regular form and acts like nothing happened.

Let's just say that the three's braincells are permanently shared from that point on.

Since Yuu is the fastest, they'll get the magic stone. The other three needs to work together to distract the miner.

It works, but when Yuu gets back the miner notices what Yuu has in their hand and went to get it, pickaxe in hand.

Only for it to get chopped clean in half by a golden axe.

Ace: Wait, you can defeat that miner in one swing? Why didn't you do it before!?

Yuu: I forgot.

They definitely didn't.

They get the stone back to Crowley, and now Yuu and Grim's position is promoted to students (prefect for Yuu) of NRC.

That night, Yuu wonders how the other Gold Watchers are faring.

Bonus: The other Gold Watchers are planning to raid Bierce's dimension because they think she's responsible for taking one of them. Malak and Mama Bear are scared by their determination.

[fxa]

in light of the deeply unsurprising cancellation of that "the winchesters" show, some supernatural spinoffs i would actually watch are:

gabriel's time as loki with the norse mythological figures, all while trying his best to forget being an archangel, which he fails at. badly. i'm imagining this as a very "better call saul" type of beast (mostly in tone, but i do think gabriel and jimmy have similar stories) that begins with him faking his death after the fall of lucifer and ends with his appearance in tall tales. i want to see pre-series castiel and "loki" accidentally crossing paths.

absolutely anything about THE HALF-DEMON ANTICHRIST who is apparently chilling somewhere in australia to this very day after receiving 1 episode of coverage and never being mentioned again even once?!??! the LITERAL ANTICHRIST is just. OUT THERE. we need a show about jesse turner living in australia and dealing with the supernatural/hunters living there. i don't care what it is. show us the antichrist going to macca's plz!!!

i don't know what the plot could be in a spinoff about rufus, but i want a spinoff about rufus. he's fun and i want to see what happened in omaha.

something like "the office" but it's crowley working his way up to become the king of hell, then Suffering trying to run it very bureaucratically while dealing with all of salmon dean's world-ending bullshit on the side. he just wants to be loved, man.

something like "the backyardigans" (including the musical aspect) but it's michael and adam entertaining each other after becoming friends while they're stuck in the cage with nothing to do but play with their memories and use their imaginations. i know this concept would go absolutely nowhere substantial, i just think it'd be hilarious. very crackfic-y + possibly dark if the cage begins corrupting them somehow? like wandavision (i have never seen wandavision).

literally anything else that isn't beating the dead horse known as the winchester family... there are so many good characters with immense spinoff potential who are blessed to not bear the winchester name

[esthermitchell-author]

'Tis the Season (for a little Fanfic)

A.Z. Fell and Co Bookshop, Soho, London -- Christmas Season

Aziraphale hummed a Christmas carol to himself as he finished winding a long strand of tinsel and tiny colored lights down the banister and attached it carefully to the wrought iron with a little tap of his fingertips against the decoration.

He loved Christmas. Not entirely unexpected for an angel, he imagined, seeing as a fair number of humans believed it was the celebration of Jesus's first arrival on Earth, a little over two millennia ago. As someone who'd been present in Bethlehem, though not actually at the birth -- honestly, who could ever think a woman giving birth wanted all sorts of strangers hanging about? Humans could be charmingly weird about what they believed, sometimes -- Aziraphale was quite aware there was almost no connection between that event and the holiday humans celebrated today.

Still, Aziraphale loved Christmas. He loved all the traditions involved, and especially the peace and goodwill it fostered in humans. So many good deeds were done in the name of the Christmas spirit...

Of course, he loved the rest of it, too. The bright colors and festive decorations, the beautiful carols, and the lovely cards. Giving gifts. He especially loved giving gifts. He'd had to get creative about it, over the years, leaving little trinkets and such on the door handles or slipped through the mail slots of the stores along Whickber Street. He'd had to be extra sly in giving gifts to Crowley, as the demon always complained and acted as if the entire time of year was a blight on the world.

Aziraphale knew it was mostly for show. Over the past roughly eighty-four years, he saw the tender expression on his demon's face grow more obvious whenever Crowley found the gifts and thought no one was looking. Always before, Aziraphale wondered what Crowley was thinking at those times. Now, he was pretty sure he knew, and it filled his chest with warmth and put a smile on his face to know his gifts touched Crowley so.

He drew in a deep breath and his smile widened. Of course, he loved the food, too. Humans had always outdone themselves when it came to celebrations and food, and none more so than Christmas.

Right now, the whole shop smelled of the mulled wine and cider, freshly baked ginger-orange biscuits and shortbread, and hors d'oeuvres he'd made for the Christmas party he hoped to turn into an annual event. Now that they no longer had to worry about the end of the world hanging over their heads, he intended to make certain they both enjoyed this world and their life in it fully. He hoped they both created the friendships they'd been afraid to make in the past. Human friendships they could cultivate both individually and as a couple.

Now, he just needed to get the invitations delivered...

"For Satan's sake," groaned a familiar voice from behind him. "Angel, you promised..."

Aziraphale turned, casting a loving glance over the demon who stood paused with his hand hanging in midair over the horse sculpture on the front counter, dark glasses held loosely in his long fingers and winter coat still on as he stared in a blend of horror and disbelieving amusement at the ten-foot tall tree, studded with a mish-mash of ornaments Aziraphale had collected over the past two hundred years since Christmas trees became a thing people did.

"It's tradition!"

"So's riding a blessed camel across the desert to give a baby useless shit he won't ever actually get to use, but you don't see me rushing out to rent camels, do you? You promised it'd just be the two of us, this year."

Aziraphale huffed out a sigh that was one part annoyance and three parts pure indulgence. He couldn't stay mad at Crowley when he was like this. His lovely demon was always grumpier in the wintertime -- probably because he hated the cold so much -- and still struggled with the concept it was okay to just enjoy holidays. Aziraphale figured out a long time ago not to take it personally. He knew Crowley preferred to pretend he was annoyed by or bored with everything holiday related. However, Aziraphale saw the little sparkles of happiness in Crowley's eyes -- as blinding as starlight -- and knew his demon got far more enjoyment out of pretending to dislike things while indulging Aziraphale's utter abandonment to the joy of every human experience.

"I promised nothing of the sort. I said we'd spend Christmas day with just the two of us. That's a whole week away, yet," he reminded Crowley calmly.

"Revisionist history," Crowley grumbled with a scowl that didn't deter Aziraphale in the least. He saw the twinkle in the demon's eyes, and knew Crowley was enjoying riling him up. "I mean, the tree's one thing, but the tinsel? And the lights? Really, angel..."

"Here." Aziraphale retrieved the box of invitations he'd spent yesterday evening writing up from the desk and dropped them in Crowley's hands. "If you're going to carp, make yourself useful and deliver these. Then you don't have to look at the decorations."

"Clever, angel, but I've a better idea." Crowley dropped the box casually on the counter beside himself. Before Aziraphale could protest the misuse of stationary, Crowley reeled him in, wrapping him up in long, strong arms, the demon's mouth making soft, heated passes over Aziraphale's, sinking deeper with each pass, breaking only briefly with a hummed, "Much better idea."

You can read the rest HERE. (Don't worry, you don't have to read the whole book to enjoy this chapter. But feel free to read it all if you like! All my fanfics are open access to everyone, so anyone can read it!)

[vidavalor]

Hello & welcome! You'll find my masterlist & snacks in here...

Hello, gentle readers, and welcome to my Tumblr thing. I write meta analyzing Good Omens with a special emphasis on its use of language. We've also been decoding Crowley & Aziraphale's etymology-based hidden language, which we've dubbed Ineffable Husbands Speak, so you'll find a compendium of posts related to that, as well as other theories and analysis below the cut.

In this post, you'll find my meta masterlist. You can go to my original welcome post here to read more about the content of my blog. This post contains links to meta on language and characters. You can find story analysis meta here, theories here, and silly stuff over here. 💕

Meta on Ineffable Husbands Speak & Overall Use of Language in Good Omens

Crepes: Introduction to Crowley & Aziraphale's hidden language & an analysis of the 2008 minisode in 1.01 & how it shows the nature of their relationship

Fish: A deep dive into what the deal is with all the fish references and what the show seems to be suggesting about how sushi, Camelot, Rome and The Bullet Catch can tell us about how Crowley & Aziraphale first became lovers

Crowley and Plosives: Why Crowley pops consonants & what it has to do with his hiss

Non-Frozen Peas: First of two metas about Aziraphale's French in S2

Canapes: Homophony and what Aziraphale's French in S2 has to do linguistically with Vavooming and Crowley's couch in the bookshop

Bread: Ella Fitzgerald, Jesus and blasphemous innuendo

Tip Top, Thank You and Tickety Boo

The Yiddish in The Blitz, Part 2 & "No Nightingales"

Crowley calling Aziraphale "baby" in 1.01

The etymology of Aziraphale's name

Jiggery Pokery

Odegra & The Language of The Dark Priesthood of Ancient Mu

Grice: On the language in Muriel's notes

On the language jokes relating to sushi, pigs, and hat stands

Alpha Centauri

The romantic implications of the improper use of apostrophes

The OK sign's historical ties to Vavooming

"Wily and "Thwart"

"Technically"

"Bored" and "Board" and "Wrath" and "Wroth"

"Suspishous Ears"

Crowley's barely-coded "I love you" to Aziraphale in the Muriel scene

On use of "friend" in Ineffable Husbands Speak

On horses, The Arrangement and the innuendo in the 1601 scene

The hand flick that means 'couple'

The rubber duck

Vol-au-vents and nightingales

"Constitution of an ox"

On Aziraphale's magic words and why the antagonists are called the redundant-sounding Nazi Zombie Flesheaters

Aziraphale doing Bildad hands in Rome

"Quite sure"

Requested examples of references to Crowley by Aziraphale using language with feminine connotations

To "explode" a theory

"Put on the cuffs... I'll come quietly."

Flaming Sord

"Comes of putting it up your sleeve."

"The Amazing Mr. Fell"

Sleight of hand

Aziraphale petting Crowley's arm in 1827

Getting into a scrape

"Perfect" and "gorgeous"

Aziraphale booping Crowley's nose with the magic coin in S1

The Blitz, The B-Side and Baraqiel

"Perfectly safe"

The Arch Arch-Traitors, Err, Traitors Association

"Toss you for Edinburgh", salads, and wordplay around rings

Cobbler

"Come for me"

On 'The Maltese Falcon' & coded language

"Angel's Food Cake"

"You say 'potato' and I say 'eggcellent'..."

Aziraphale's hands are magic

"Help could come from an unexpected quarter"

"Will you get into trouble?"

"I opened the door for you."

"My dear fellow"/Mr. Fell

"PROF HOFFman"

On "Anthony" and Aziraphale getting used to it

On Professor Rossignol, nightingales, skeleton keys, references to the ancient Egyptian god Ra and the wordplay around freemasonry.

"Nice dress. Suits you."

Muriel and 'My Fair Lady'

Character Analysis Meta

If you're about to ask how Crowley & Aziraphale could already be together & your rationale for why they aren't is the 2.06 kiss, you should read this post

A short look at one of the reasons why Aziraphale keeps a journal

Aziraphale always open the bookshop door for Crowley

How 1827 explains why & how Aziraphale stopped changing his look

Crowley's smudged lipstick & walk in 1941

On Aziraphale in the 1967 scene and the Holy Water arc

Some thoughts on what The Serpent & the food kink suggests

A short look at Gabriel and Crowley parallels

In defense of Gabriel and on S2 highlighting his and Aziraphale's quiet depression

Shax, Crowley and the Hot Water Boiler metaphor

More on Shax's pash on Crowley & Crowley's big reputation

Mr. Brown of Brown's World of Carpets' pash on Aziraphale

Gabriel's use of 1950s-era American slang in S2

The Original, Original Sin Theory: What "I Forgive You" really means

Gabriel spending an episode in a blanket (this is not a deep analysis lol)

On how Maggie & Nina contrast with Crowley & Aziraphale

On the dessert choices during the body swap

Crowley using the evidence envelope as a frame

On Crowley & Aziraphale's paralleling scenes on buses in S1

On praise kink

Mrs. Sandwich's ball outfit & Before the Beginning

Aziraphale lying to Crowley about how he did the magic trick in 1941

"I don't think you understand what I'm offering you."

Tantric Eye Gazing

The Ineffable Husbands-ness of Gabriel's bookseller outfit

Suggestions in the story that Aziraphale & Crowley are using knowledge of The Proust Effect to try to minimize the risk of memory loss to Aziraphale

These posts contain discussion of SA:

Satan's attacks on Crowley and Crowley's PTSD

Lindsay doesn't just parallel Heaven but also Lucifer

Crowley, Lucifer & Mrs. Sandwich

Crowley, Aziraphale, possession and opera