Powerful statements like these, that juxtapose the condemnation of such a simple and pure thing as love with the honour and worship of violence and death, always hit me hard and stay with me for days
This is the tombstone of Technical Sergeant Leonard Philip Matlovich, the first gay service member to intentionally out himself in order to fight the ban on gay people in the military. He hadn’t only served for Vietnam, he was a career Air Force member in good standing who would have liked to continue his career even though he knew coming out would most likely make that impossible. He’d also been an elder in the LDS church but was excommunicated
He was on the cover of Time magazine in 1975 which was the first time an openly gay person appeared on the cover of a U.S. magazine and had their name printed in that magazine
He was an advocate for AIDs/HIV patients from the start of the outbreak in the 70s. He contracted the virus in 1986 and died 2 years later
His name doesn’t appear on his tombstone because he wanted it to be a memorial for all gay veterans
and here’s his grave in its full glory, with the pink triangles and everything! the words over the dates of his birth and death are referencing the extermination of lgbt people during the holocaust and the HIV crisis, respectively.
Oh my god the more we learn about Tumblrs internal structure the more things are making sense to me.
"you had HOW many people working on Tumblr? No wonder it was losing 30M$ a year."
I think people keep hoping Tumblr will be the next Twitter, when this whole time they should've been treating it like an explosively successful 3-man indie game.
Here's the third compilation post for fics posted since the end of July! All ineffable husbands/spouses and includes season 2 fix-its, AUs, post-season 1 fics and some spanning the entire show. A mix of one-shots and multi-chapter fics but, as always, all are completed.
Please remember to leave comments and kudos on AO3! I've tried to include tumblr handles where they were mentioned. Feel free to drop me a message if you're included and what your handle added.
Volumes 1 and 2 can be found here.
Daydream Believer | lindsey_grissom
Five times (+one). In which Aziraphale experiences five wonderfully unexpected moments in Heaven and one perfect moment on Earth.
{Or; Crowley has spent 6,000 years looking after his angel, he’s not about to stop now.}
This was such a magical fic! The author really managed to world build within the universe we already know and all the vignettes were so lovely and vivid.
Just Once More | NaroMoreau
Aziraphale is trapped in a time loop, reliving the days since Gabriel arrived.
What he has to fix? It's a mystery
A masterpiece. The author has one of the most beautiful ways of writing that I’ve read, with seamlessly woven metaphors and feeling embedded in every line. It’s also such a wonderful character study of Aziraphale, as he undergoes the growth and reflection needed after season 2.
How's Your Mafia Man Friend? | WaitingToBeBroken
There is a man who might or might not be, but most certainly is, in the mafia that visits Mr. Fell every night. Nina doesn't like it, especially considering the bookshop owner is clearly besotted with him.
She decides to do something about it
Set after the Apocalypse-that-wasn't, Aziraphale and Crowley are finally able to spend as much time together as they want. Rumours have never started easier.
ADORED this! It’s Nina’s observations of Crowley and Aziraphale from the time she opens shop, perfectly tying into the first time we meet her in the show.
When Nothing Lasts Forever | Imagined
“Yeah, well,” Crowley says humourlessly. “You’re the one planning the next Armageddon. A demon likes to have options, you know. And I’m not going to fight.”
Aziraphale moves forward, just in front of him. He’s still so much the same, so much as he’s ever been, and Crowley’s breath hitches. He steps back, and Aziraphale falters. “My dear,” he says, and his voice cracks. “My dear. You won’t have to fight. I’m just—they’re taking some convincing, but I’ll make them understand, I promise. I’ll make this work. I’ll save Earth!”
A moment of silence. Two, three, four. Crowley isn’t even counting out of anger, but just because, as long as he’s counting, he doesn’t yet have to break Aziraphale’s heart.
“You’ll fail, angel,” he says, gently.
Or: Aziraphale leaves. Crowley stays in the bookshop. And, when Armageddon comes again, an angel and a demon find each other once again.
Another great post season 2 fix-it. It takes them three years but they do eventually talk and I loved the pacing in this.
All I Need is Your Name and Number | Ensign_Abby (@janeway-lover)
Anthony Jay Crowley was a lot of things.
He was the type of man that mothers used to warn their daughters about in high school. He had dark red hair that no one could agree about whether it was natural or dyed. He had a tattoo below his ear. He wore all black. He never took off his sunglasses.
And most importantly, he was ready to burn this restaurant to the ground with everyone inside it.
This is such a cute AU about Aziraphale being a regular customer at a restaurant Crowley hosts at. Loved the friendships and camaraderie between the restaurant staff.
The Curious Condition of Being Human | downstar
For a time, the forces of Heaven and Hell left Aziraphale and Crowley alone. But with new plans in the works, the forces of good and evil want to make sure the meddling pair stay out of the way. They are still afraid of the newfound powers the pair seemed to possess, as demonstrated at their trials. So instead of coming at them directly, Gabriel and Beezlebub marry celestial and infernal curses to make Crowley and Aziraphale think they're human.
But their plan, as usual, is imperfect. Crowley's enchantment fails almost immediately, but Aziraphale is still under the delusion that he is quite human indeed. Crowley needs to try and undo the curse without drawing the attention of celestial forces who might correct their enchantment and try a second time.
---
If you're looking for something with a canon tone, but light on angst, this story is for you. No spoilers for S2, but the story is informed by S2 characterization as of chapter 8.
This does a great job at swerving the pitfalls of the ‘turning human’ trope. Throw in some memory loss and you’ve got a really fun fic!
tales from a bookshop | Rizandace
Post-season-two. Crowley's moping, Aziraphale wants to fix things, and turns out, there's enough blame to go around.
-----
“You’re being ridiculous.”
Crowley very nearly falls over.
Like, actually. He very nearly loses balance for no reason at all and tumbles to the sidewalk next to his car. He’s been playing Aziraphale’s voice in his head for weeks, he’s been trying very hard to drown out the sound of it, in fact, and now suddenly, abruptly—
“What are you doing here,” is all he can think to say. He whirls around, and there he is. on Crowley’s right, standing there like he’d never left. Where he belongs, Crowley’s mind helpfully supplies. He wishes he could punch himself in the brain, knock the thoughts right on out of there.
I cannot put into words how much I adored this! Grinning-like-an-idiot, kicking-my-feet adored it. So perfectly in character and brilliantly plotted.
HEAVEN DOPE | kyrilu
After Aziraphale leaves to rejoin Heaven's ranks, Crowley does his best to move on as he becomes Nina's flatmate, marathons a tonne of Coronation Street episodes, and reluctantly picks up ghost-hunting. But this isn't, of course, the end of the story.
Featuring: a MacGuffin hunt for a holy relic, a journey to San Francisco, and a journey to Hell. (Which are not the same place, no matter what some NextDoor users might tell you.)
I never knew I needed Crowley and Nina as flat mates until I read this fic! I loved how Crowley got drawn into the Whickber St community and how Aziraphale’s story running parallel to this is gradually revealed.
There Were Angels Dining at the Ritz | theRavenMuse
Seasons 1, 2, and 3 (I hope) from the perspective of a waitress at the Ritz.
A lovely outsider POV fic of a server at the Ritz over the years. The servers acknowledge the strangeness but are equally invested in their relationship.
suddenly hades was only a man | GoldStarGrl
He was so beautiful, when I met him.
The worst thing is, Crowley knows he was. No great yellow eyes that made babies cry, no stupid snake tattoo crawling up his ear that made strangers ask if he’d been to prison.
And he smiled, all the time. He was happy. Secure in the knowledge he was so, so loved.
At least he thought he was.
Adored the use of mythology in this (and especially that it was myths from around the world).
Tangled Up | No1fan15 (@no1fan15)
The angel said “Trust me.”
Crowley did.
Or- When Furfur doesn't just hand over the picture, Aziraphale’s plan to get his hands on it is…. unorthodox, to say the least.
A what-if idea for 1941 that I haven’t seen done before and really enjoyed!
there's something so lonesome, something so wholesome | sherashalala (@sherashalala)
Muriel has been appointed as the assistant bookshop keeper of A.Z. Fell and Co., and they like to think that they're doing a very good job at it. Especially if Muriel has been actively been coordinating with both of their bosses-- Mr. Aziraphale and Mr. Crowley.
Secretly to the people of London, Muriel is an Angel! (Nina and Maggie know that Muriel is no human) And being an Angel, Muriel can feel Love in the bookshop. So much of it. So much whenever either of their Bosses come and go.
Obviously, as an Angel who has the best interest of their boss in mind, they're going to have to find a way to propagate this.
~+~
Basically:
Muriel tries to get the ineffable husbands to make up.
I need a sequel to this! Another author’s who’s got a brilliant grasp on Muriel as a character. Loved everything about this.
which way the feather falls | calciferrrx
He sees, in that moment, his eternity ahead of him as Supreme Archangel.
It’s a life without Crowley by his side. His other half, his best friend, his confidant.
His partner, his everything. His world.
Aziraphale turns back.
A lovely rewrite of the last moments of the finale - time slows and gives Aziraphale an opportunity to think about his future and what awaits him as Supreme Archangel.
#lovesickweirdowatch | Chash
Maggie gives Crowley the idea to try dating. Nina turns it into a spectator sport.
This was so much fun and so perfectly in character for everyone! Really hope we get to see Nina and Maggie meddling if we get a third season.
a place to be | kaiyen
In which Crowley moves back into his flat, Aziraphale has problems at work, and the Second Coming of Christ is but a stone's throw away.
Aziraphale watches him with sad eyes, unflinching and fearless. “Crowley, I think that you’re-”
”What? Wicked? Beastly? Evil?”
“Perfect.”
Crowley stops in his tracks, a wave of strange nausea rolling through him. It isn’t- what gives Aziraphale the right to say things like that? After tossing Crowley to the kerb? “Then why did you leave?” he asks, and it sounds a lot wetter than he had hoped for.
“I wanted to keep you safe,” Aziraphale says desperately.
“We could have kept ourselves safe,” he says, softer now.
“Together.”
Another brilliantly unique solution to how Aziraphale stops the Second Coming. I love how Aziraphale and Crowley come to understand one another’s viewpoints in this and work together.
Notoriety | RC_McLachlan (@rcmclachlan)
As it turns out, Aziraphale has a bit of a reputation in Heaven.
"I-I beg your pardon? The Demon Tempter?"
Zadkiel gives an enthusiastic nod and leans forward. "I didn't come up with the name, but you have to admit it's rather clever! Because, you know. It's usually demons doing the tempting, but this time it's you! Tempting demons. Well, one demon."
"I don't—tempt." He doesn't technically possess a trachea at the moment, but it feels as though he does. One with something lodged rather firmly in it. "I've never—"
"You know what I mean." They wave their hands between the two of them in some vague gesture he doesn't understand. "You make the demon think you're on his side, that you love him back, and then BAM! You pull the rug out from under him, leaving him utterly devastated. And because he never learns, it just keeps happening over and over! It's monstrously funny. Wherever did you get the idea?"
The start of this is really heartbreaking (though very well written) but the second half more than makes up for it!
i am just the (new invention) | littlesnowpea
A list of hobbies Crowley has picked up over the past 6000 years:
-gardening
-cooking
-fashion
-pining for Aziraphale
-making YouTube videos
A list of hobbies Aziraphale has picked up over the past 6000 years:
-reading
-book restoration
-music
-pining for Crowley
-commenting on Crowley’s YouTube videos
When Aziraphale starts giving Crowley flowers, Crowley takes to his YouTube channel to discuss the meaning behind it, where Aziraphale comments encouragement to confess his feelings – under an alias, of course. There is absolutely no way any of this could ever go wrong.
This is so silly but ridiculous amounts of fun and so very sweet!
Earthly Pleasures | ddagent (@ddagent)
Welcome to Tadfield Farmer's Market. Over thirty stalls join us each month, including a distillery, various bakers, and two vendors who stare longingly at each other from their side of the street.
This is a perfect AU! I love how the author has managed to translate the show into warring business at a farmers market and the characterisation is spot on.
bright still | ShowMeAHero (@andillwriteyouatragedy)
“After what I did— Of course, you can say no, but— Can I— I’d like to— If I may, can I— Maybe, please, could I try kissing you again, please, Crowley?”
It’s not impulsive, and it’s not spur-of-the-moment, and it’s not elegant, but none of that makes it any less passionate.
That all does make it more Aziraphale, however.
Aziraphale.
Crowley has been hurt enough in his life.
Maybe he doesn’t want to hurt anymore.
“Yeah, angel,” Crowley agrees, forgetting everything that isn’t this moment. Aziraphale can heap apologies on him later; right now, all he wants is his kiss. Properly, this time. “You can kiss me.” He pauses, then adds, “But you’d best mean it, or I’m going to have you smote myself.”
“Believe me,” Aziraphale assures him, fine voice low and soft and private between them, “I’m already smitten.”
I adore Aziraphale effectively playing 4D chess in this and the way the two reunite.
A History of Temptations | CruciatusForeplay (@cruciatusforeplay)
Five times Crowley tempts Aziraphale to lunch and one time Aziraphale does the tempting.
A brief trip through 300 years of being tempted to earthly delights.
A wonderful series of vignettes of Aziraphale and Crowley over the years. Loved the variety in these and the last one is *chef’s kiss*.
izzy806
prguitarman
ellievsbear
baratheonpilled
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