Rebel Pencils

Artist, writer, and sometimes human... **Find my AO3 ** https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarthBreezy **Find my Art store ** https://www.redbubble.com/people/rebelpencils?asc=u

[darthbreezy]

Just going to put this here. Pass it on.

[child-of-ineffable-divorce]

I think the Book of Job minisode is everything that Good Omens should be.

- Religious satire/commentary (the absurdity regarding the bet with Job, the archangels being generally clueless, the deconstruction of how to-the-letter you need to be with following the laws of religion)

- Genuinely funny (Ty Tennant having like 3 minutes of screen time and out-fruiting his dad, Jemima and her pot and wanting to be turned into a salamander, Bildad the Shuhite and all that that entails)

- an emotional, character-driven core (Aziraphale learning the limits of his own morality, the discussion of the role good and evil play in events and how each is perceived when done by different parties, learning just how similar Aziraphale and Crowley are as it pertains to personal desires (which we as the viewer know, but chronologically it’s one of the first times they connect like they do)

And of course

- the undertones (Crowley tempting Aziraphale into eating which, with the way Aziraphale devours that meat, has zero chance of not being a metaphor for some kind of physical relationship; the nature of being just a little bit different than your peers, and how that affects your views of yourself; and the purely humanistic, just-this-once-everybody-lives kind of narrative that emphasizes the importance and power of familial and interpersonal relationships)

[curiouspupsicle]

💯 The Companion to Owls minisode was the best part of season 2. If it had been all we had gotten for season 2, I would still have been very happy. The book of Job is both horrific and poetic. More GO fans should read it. Finnemore's take was brilliant.

[iforgiveyouprime]

You know, I genuinely love almost all of Season 2 (with the exception of the pre-Fall flashback), especially the historical flashbacks.

But if that ending was always meant to be the price... I would have been perfectly happy with just Season 1.

As much as I love season 2, the price of its existence turned out to be far too high. Not only did we get a terrible ending, but the fandom ended up permanently divided because of it.

[darthbreezy]

A month ago, Fig was rescued from under the hood of a car. She had a broken hip and got surgery, but was described as "special needs" and that she would probably always have a limp.

"Hahaha!" She said. I just wanted to take over my new Human's world.

[hellogoodomens]

I still didn’t like GO3, but I’m choosing to be happy. I’m still disappointed and sad about the finale, but one thing I learned from Aziraphale and Crowley is that I have imagination and I have a choice. I can choose to focus on the stories and moments that bring me joy instead.

[mistysblueboxstuff]

soft Azi i painted yesterday

[fuckyeahisawthat]

The thing about Good Omens is that it wasn't just at its core about humanity in a vague general sense, but about human agency. Adam was able to defy his destiny because he was human. War, Pollution and Famine were created by humans and a bunch of human children were powerful enough to tell them to fuck off. A prophecy written by a human gave an angel and a demon the clue they needed to survive the wrath of their own kind. They were willing to risk their lives for Earth and humans, and in the end it was humanity that saved and protected them. Their happy ending was tied to the fate of the world, not a trade-off for it.

So it's wild that in the finale not only were human characters pretty much removed entirely from the story, but the choice of erasing and rewriting the entire universe was handed over to a couple of immortal beings to make on behalf of humans. (And also every other angel and demon who might have had an opinion about getting snapped out of existence.) These guys who started out as supporting characters among a human ensemble, whose relative narrative insignificance was a running joke, got elevated in the end to having godlike powers over all creation, and humanity became not the subject of the story but an object used to say something about their character. Sacrificing themselves for humanity became not about humanity but about their sacrifice; the final narrative beat in their story. That's what feels so ass backwards about the finale to me.

[depraveddame]

This is all they were ever supposed to be. Not martyrs, not heroes, not selfless sacrificial lambs. Just a couple of celestial beings doing their best to skive off of work so they could enjoy earthly delights and each other

[depraveddame]

This is all they were ever supposed to be. Not martyrs, not heroes, not selfless sacrificial lambs. Just a couple of celestial beings doing their best to skive off of work so they could enjoy earthly delights and each other

[gleafer]

Scruffy chinned jump scare make angels get bite-y!

[gleafer]

REBLOGGED! Because I can!

[skullfragments]

sometimes i see someone's reasoning/theory of why go3 made sense or was a happy story and whatever and i just feel like chidi

[thememedaddy]

[vidavalor]

Aziraphale's Nightmare Clue:

...of what will be true... but isn't true yet. Now, there's a thought, very meta Dream!Crowley! That all this non-reality in the story could make some lose track and not find the lady. You say that it's a story that shows us things that will be true but just are not true *yet*... A non-reality that leads to making bits of it happen and making them real. Sounds like you're on board with Aziraphale's Nightmare Theory 😉...

[lodreamir]

A little screen study 🖤

[nice-and-accurate-fictions]

South Downs and/or safe, happy future

Those little stories that give us hope that everything will be OK. Nice and lighthearted.

Worth Knowing, by Twilightcitysky. Rated M, 3k. P. Jun 22.

Aaaahhh, one of those lovely, light, invaluable post season 1 fics that we all need from time to time, just to cheer us up! Refreshing! Aziraphale wants to get to know Crowley better after the failed apocalypse, so he invites him over and tries to make him feel comfortable. I loved this story so much! So in line with the canon vibes, so in character, so fun. Absolutely fantastic.

Dearly Beloved, by PirateFanatic. Rated T, 3k. P. Sep 25.

Very sweet post canon story set in a safe future. Aziraphale and Crowley go to Nina and Maggie’s wedding and start discussing the merits (Aziraphale) and faults (Crowley) of this human ritual. Will they find common ground?

Minding Your Business, by JoyAndOtherStories. Rated G, 1.4k. P. Jun 24.

Hilarious outsider POV where an ordinary person walks into the bookshop, sees Crowley sleeping on the ceiling and comes to the only logical conclusion. Sweet and funny, great characterisation and just a hint of deliciously BAMF Aziraphale, you know the kind: when just half a sentence he says in a certain way sends shivers through your spine.

Bonus point: amazing art by oezalet.

Aziraphale’s Brief History Of Time, by NaturallyTeal. Rated M, 1.1k. P. Jul 25.

In a safe, happy future, Crowley and Aziraphale are enjoying the sun in their garden. Crowley teases Aziraphale asking what he would do differently if he could travel back in time. Aziraphale starts explaining why time travel is impossible. This story is sweet and so them. Their dynamics is so in character with the added bonus of them being free to be together.

Fashionably Late, by Savyl(Aerenii). Rated M, 3k. P. Oct 25.

Oh, the sweetness, charm and humour of this story! The author masterfully interweaves the tenderness and the gentle teasing of a loving established relationship with hilarity of an… unfortunate situation, entirely of Aziraphale’s own making. Post canon, safe future AU where Aziraphale wants him and Crowley to go to Nina’s fancy dress party, and he wants to go dressed as Crowley. As always with Savyl the characterisation is spot on and so are the lighthearted vibes. You read this story and think, yes, that’s how their relationship will look like once they are free.

Daisy Bell, by Thinkinginscripts. Rated G, 2k. P. Sep. 25.

This is such a tender and romantic in-universe fiction! The author captures Aziraphale and Crowley’s voices perfectly and their love for one another is so palpable. Set partly in 1925, partly in a post second coming future and inspired by a stunning piece of art, this story tells us of an angel, a demon and the beautiful moments they share and sore in their hearts. And, of course, of bikes.

Flavors, by dbacklot99. Rated M, 1.3k. P. Mar 25.

In this beautiful in-universe fiction Aziraphale finds an original and marvellous way to tell Crowley what he means to him.

The Importance Of Being Mr. Brown, by graywings. Rated T, 2k. P. Aug 25.

Lovely established relationship, post canon fic. Aziraphale and Crowley help put up a production of The Importance Of Being Earnest in the village in the South Downs where they have retired. The director, a Mr. Browne, might have a thing for Aziraphale. Luckily, our matchmaking duo might have just the right person for him.

Taking Some Pictures Or Something, by his_infinitevariety. Rated G, 2k. P. Nov 20.

Oh, the sweetness of this fiction! Post canon (written after season 1, but might very well be set after whatever will happen in season 3), Crowley gives Aziraphale his phone to take pictures while on a day out in the South Downs. Aziraphale discovers Instagram. They are so adorable and in love, and will make you smile so much!

Ineffable Prankster, by SpaceGiraffe. Rated G, 5k. P. Jul 24.

Written after S2 but set after S1, this adorable fiction is an account of how Crowley the menace gets the angel’s attention and -more importantly- why. Several pranks lead to fluff, confessions, and a new beginning.

One Perfect Day by PirateFanatic. Rated Teen, 4k. P. Oct 23.

Canon universe story where Crowley and Aziraphale are safe. In fact, they are about to go to a wedding. As Aziraphale dresses up, Crowley moans that he doesn't want to go, but Aziraphale doesn't give him a choice. And, in the words of the writer, with good reason.

Will You Ever Stop Surprising Me? by curiouspupsicle. Rated M, 1k. P. Aug 24.

This fiction is a little gem. Set in a hypothetical future after our heroes averted the apocalypse again, it focuses on Crowley wondering if he might ever get bored of life on earth with Aziraphale. and then spending the rest of the story trying to catch up with all the ways the angel still surprises him. In the words of the writer, this is a story about Aziraphale being sex-positive. But it's that and so much more. It's joyful, it's clever, it's funny. The characterisation is spot on. I would have loved to have more of these two in this fiction!

The Exponent Of Breath, by possibilityleft. Rated Teen, 8k. P. Oct 24.

This is another absolute gem that I loved so much this month! It shows us moments in time when Aziraphale and Crowley have attended weddings. It's a mix of past, future, better times, warm feelings and happiness. Deep and beautiful. Some fictions you can clearly put it into words why you liked them, and some just speak to you at a deeper level, they just touch something inside you, and this is one of those.

Masturbation (Doesn't Count As Sex, Surely?), by Hellsgardener. Rated E, 1k. P. Oct 24.

Very few fictions manage to convey such intense feelings of sweetness and hotness alike in such a short tale as this one! Aziraphale asks Crowley if he's ever had sex and reminisces about his own solo experiences.

The Angel Tree by GoodInspirationsAD, rated T, 8k. P. Dec 24.

Post season 2 fiction with a lovely happy ending. Aziraphale is in heaven and Crowley, as heartbroken as he is, replaces him in making sure the London Hospital Angel Tree initiative has presents for all the patients. Meanwhile, Aziraphale worries that, with him in heaven, some patients will be left with no gifts, so he has to go down to earth and fulfill the patients’ wishes. Hurt, comfort, communication, intimacy, South Down cottage, AND Christmas all in one fiction, what more do you want?

The First One That's Right, by DoonaRose. Rated T, 2k. P. Aug 23.

Sweet account of our Ineffable ‘doing it again’. Lovely.

A Day For Magic, by Create_Serenity rated T, 3k. P. Dec 23.

I loved the vibes of this fic so much! It's sweet and lovely, with great characterisation. The loving banter and the clear affection between our Ineffables paint a heartwarming picture of how things could be once they are safe from heaven and hell.

My own little one shot, Angel! Angel! They're At It Again! Rated M, 5k. P. Aug 24.

It's the year 2030. The world never ended. Aziraphale and Crowley are living happily and safely together as a married couple. Everything would be well, if it wasn't that lately Aziraphale has been a bit busy. A bit distracted. Now, Crowley can't have that, can he? He seeks the advice of his girlfriends, who unwittingly give him an idea on how to liven up his marriage. A fluffy and hopefully funny way to the South Downs cottage.

To The Bone, by quitequaintrelle. Rated E, 7k. P. Jul 25.

Get ready for an incredibly hot piece! This is a delicious post-canon, established relationship fiction, full of sexiness, tenderness, love and mutual trust. The writer does an excellent job at weaving humour and banter with the heat of the scene and the characterisation is great!

Keep Reading, by Aerenii. Rated E, 1.8k. P. Jul 25.

Have your fan ready for this incredibly hot post-canon fiction! Male presenting Aziraphale and female presenting Crowley go on a plane. Crowley is feeling rather horny. The fact that the fiction is told in Aziraphale’s POV makes for some hilarious lines in the middle of all the heat. And yet, the thing I loved the most about this fic is the unquestionable love between our two Ineffables! Fantastic fic!

Well Earned Rewards, by Aerenii. Rated M, 2k. P. Jul 25.

I am always in awe of the humour in this author’s stories and this one doesn’t disappoint! Post-canon, established relationship fic. Aziraphale asks Crowley to help get people to Nina’s coffee shop stand at a festival and promises rewards to motivate him. Challenge accepted, Crowley naturally behaves like a 4 year old (and we love him for that!). This fic is just so full of love: their interactions, their banter, their everything screams love! It’s the husbands at their husband-est!

Orbits, by AngieWords. Rated G, 3k. P. Jul 25.

Beautiful and heartwarming post canon fiction. Our Ineffables have a picnic on the roof of the bookshop to watch a meteor shower when Crowley reveals to Aziraphale why he's so fond of Alpha Centauri. This is just how I imagine their relationship to be like once they are safe.

Biblical, by fallenwithoutgrace. Rated E, 7k. P. Feb 25.

Very hot post canon fiction where our Ineffables confess their feelings for the first time. And then, things happen. I loved the characterisation and the banter!

[0ldstoneface]

@naturallyteal @thinkinginscripts @dbacklot99 @curiouspupsicle @possibility-left @angie-words Congrats on the rec! 😁

[curiouspupsicle]

Thanks @0ldstoneface for reblogging, and @di-42 for creating the original list. It's lovely being included with all those joyful stories. Good reminder to look back for happy ending stories.

[vidavalor]

Aziraphale's Nightmare Clue:

...of what will be true... but isn't true yet. Now, there's a thought, very meta Dream!Crowley! That all this non-reality in the story could make some lose track and not find the lady. You say that it's a story that shows us things that will be true but just are not true *yet*... A non-reality that leads to making bits of it happen and making them real. Sounds like you're on board with Aziraphale's Nightmare Theory 😉...

[mister-a-z-fell]

I have been deliberating, recently, over publishing more entries from my diaries over the years. Crowley was cautious at first, but supportive. We agreed that I would choose the entries and he would look through them and let me know if any seemed too risky, risqué or revealing.

I expect to have something ready in time to send to those nice people at The Ineffable Con later in the summer, but for now, here is the final entry I plan to include:

“It has been an unusually long time since I last wrote, but I have been rather busy.

The Agency is thriving. Escrael and his fellow angels are doing excellent work, and there’s an enthusiasm in Heaven that I haven’t seen in millennia. After the old engines of Salvation and Damnation, full of arbitrary rules and pitfalls, ground to a halt, I was worried that the Host might turn on each other. Instead, they seem excited to tread this new path with us. Some of the demons have been showing an interest in joining, which might have surprised me if I hadn’t spent so much of my existence learning from Crowley. The Erics, recently unionised, have offered their services — negotiations are ongoing. Demons really are just angels who rejected Her plan for them, not knowing that even their rebellion was fundamental to the scheme. Some are more approachable than others, just like the rest of us. (One could feel rather cynical and disillusioned by the whole matter, but living well, as the proverb goes, is the better vengeance.)

It’s not perfect, but it’s better. We’re still learning to live with the absence of both God and Satan. When he’s in one of his philosophical moods (or after a night of a particularly alcoholic nature), Crowley has been known to advance his favourite theory that they were one and the same, that the angel Lucifer never Fell, because they were only a projection of God, placed among us to seed dissent. I’m still not sure how to feel about that, but Crowley does have a talent for seeing the line at the bottom long before the rest of us.

Some of the demons have forgone their more extreme appearances — the Amnesty removed any restrictions — but others have chosen to keep them as a badge of honour. In the end, the important thing is that they finally have the choice. Freedom is frightening, and it’s going to take time to adjust, particularly as the Hierarchy loses influence. The higher spheres and deeper circles have found their power much depleted, leaving little more than fairly minor miracles to most of us. That’s for the best, really. We need to stop ‘messing the world around’ as someone once said.

There are, of course, other worlds. Alpha Centauri is becoming quite popular; I heard from Gabriel last month, and he and Beelzebub have Opinions about their neighbours. Still, it’s a big universe. I’m sure they’ll all learn to rub along quite nicely and, if they don’t, Barnard’s Star has plenty of room and some lovely views.

Hell looks very different since the Restoration. There are windows and working lights, for one thing, and new facilities. Crowley always did fancy the latest gewgaws — sleek black portable computers that look as if they were primarily designed for their aerodynamic properties, clever watches, fact machines &c — and I think he had a little too much fun sending technological brochures to the demons who took charge of the refit. Initially there was talk of using them to design more efficient tortures for the Damned, but naturally Crowley was prepared for that. When it comes to a choice between patrolling the offal pits and sitting in front of a screen gleefully manipulating hapless beings, the latter has much greater appeal. Apparently it’s called ‘The Sins’, and it seems to be keeping the more… intense demons very entertained.

The cinematograph has also been popular, despite my initial scepticism. There’s talk of erecting further theatres in the Lower Circles and, currently, a great appetite for ‘buddy comedies’ and musicals from the latter half of the twentieth century. No one, thus far, has requested The Sound of Music.

Not all the changes in Hell have been instigated by my clever, imaginative demon. For example, Hell now has a library. The Head Librarian is something of a Tartar, but library penalties are mostly reserved to a scathing comment instead of flaying, so it’s slightly more lenient than the British Library. I meet with the librarians once a month, and try not to look approving when they wistfully talk about what they’d like to do to the demons who mishandle the books.

Heaven is changing, too. A little more slowly, but that’s only to be expected. Obedience is a hard habit to break. Heralds, like Escrael, are helping show the way — they’re naturally curious and gregarious, and eager to learn about humanity rather than just observing them. I’ve yet to find a single one who can resist a cosy chat over a choux bun with Maggie, and Christmas promises to be an interesting time if the Herald angels take a liking to be-bop.

While Escrael oversees the training of research angels, Uriel is in charge of the team that sets up angels and demons in their own little preserves of humanity, all over the world. Not to tempt or judge, but to be something humanity actually needs — an oasis instead of a flood. You might think that a Hell-hardened demon would be repulsed at the idea of protecting the world instead of corrupting it. It all comes down to motivation. Shax and Furfur, for example, are causing all manner of difficulties for something called ‘data centres’.

Dagon had little appetite for technological advancement or a less combative Hell, but neither was she keen on leaving with God or relocating to another star. I’ve heard that she was last seen heading for the Amazon basin, possibly to set herself up as a river god for any lost tribes she encounters. I suspect we’ll be seeing a headline before long about missing missionaries and piranha-gnawed canoes. Religion can be a dangerous pursuit.

Hastur left to rejoin the war, which continues in another space God set aside for the purpose. A few thousand angels and demons went with him. I wonder if they’ll ever grow tired of fighting? I can’t imagine it brings them any satisfaction, but I was never much of a soldier.

You’d be forgiven for assuming that we’d both have had our fill of anything to do with Heaven or Hell. And that was true, for a little while. Crowley wanted to escape the system; I wanted to fix things. In a way, we’ve both got what we wanted. Our own side, the two of us working together without having to hide ourselves or each other. We’re what you might call ‘freelance consultants’. We advise Escrael and Uriel at the Agency. We’re the ‘go-to’ human experts for Joshua’s Reclamation project — teams of demons and angels working together to scour Hell for souls that were judged too severely. ‘Thou Shalt Not Steal’ looks very good on a stone tablet, but hunger and deprivation care nothing for consequences.

On the subject of souls, we were recently visited by a certain individual who TALKS LIKE THIS. He arrived at the cottage with absolutely no warning, as is his wont, with an expression that could be described as one of ‘terminal annoyance’, if it weren’t for the whole skull business. Neither department has been taking deliveries. Crowley and I are discussing the issue with Joshua and Adam, who is growing up into a very sensible young man. Perhaps it’s time for humanity to have a say in the afterlife, including whether they actually want one.

Not today, though. Today, we have nowhere to be but here in the cottage — the first home that has been just ours. I bought the shop on Whickber Street to indulge my love of books, and it became a refuge. A place for us to avoid the scrutiny of Heaven and Hell. To hide from the consequences of who we are. It will remain a place of safety for those who seek it and under Muriel’s direction it will probably sell far too many books, but I find myself unconcerned. The important ones are here, while the books that other people value will continue to sustain that little corner of Soho. If Muriel needs us, there’s an innocuous ornament on the mantel that will take us there in an instant, meaning that Crowley can save his speed-demon instincts for recreational purposes. The cottage doesn’t have to masquerade as anything. Not a cover for a diligent operative, or a hiding place. Just a home for the two of us, rather more complicated on the inside than it appears from the garden. There are rooms inside that look out onto places very far from these green, rolling downs. There are doors that remain locked to guests, because the human brain struggles with such incongruities as a prosaic wooden portal that leads into empty space. Crowley’s studio is far enough from Earth that the light of his new nebulae won’t reach here for another thousand years. He takes great delight in explaining each new blueprint to me, and my own pleasure is a mirror, anticipating once again folding his hand in mine so that our miracles are perfectly entwined.

I can see him through the window. He’s tending a rose, vivid sunset orange, which clashes joyfully with his hair. Every so often, he glances my way to see if he can get away with a whispered threat or two, and I pretend not to notice, engrossed as I am in my diary. I’ll keep his secrets safe, just as I’ll keep these records of our history safe. They may be full of inconsequential things, but they’re a testament to the choices that have led us here, to an end that’s also a beginning. They start with an angel and a soon-to-be-demon who didn’t change the world so much as witness it and realise we could change ourselves.

I once said that nothing lasts forever, but perhaps I was wrong. If we’re lucky, love can endure all things.

Crowley has waved at me. An invitation that I am loth to turn down after so many years of saying ‘no’. I close with this:

If you want to imagine the future, imagine a bird, flying across the vast and unmapped universe towards a mountain. Imagine a journey that could be depicted by an unwavering line through emptiness, but instead takes the scenic route, which visits sights beautiful beyond description. Imagine occasional peril but more frequent hope, and lazy pauses to enjoy the sheer wonder of existing at all.

Better still, imagine two birds. Taking turns to shelter the other with their wing, making their way unhurriedly towards the end of the universe to see what all the fuss is about. Together.

Forever.”

[darthbreezy]

Reblogging Because... Well, BECAUSE.