#ace crowley

[mummonia]

if asexual why sexy?

[theravenmuse]

Normalize using the term “slut” for someone with 0 sexual experience and 0 intention of ever gaining any sexual experience

[dajana-natasha]

Crowley is acespec. Nothing more to add.

[ineffable-kelpie]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Aziraphale is captured and put into a simulated version of Earth without his knowledge. This is the story of the life he lives there, his eventual escape, and how he and Crowley pick up the pieces afterwards.

Series rating: T

Works: 3/3

Total wordcount: 121,931

I started writing for this series last January, with no intent to actually finish it. As with most things I don't intend to finish, it eventually consumed my every thought until I had no choice but to spend a year and a half writing the damn thing. Now that it's finally all finished and posted, I'm very glad I did.

(Breakdown of individual fics below the cut)

Smoke and Mirrors (52K words, 11 chapters)

“If we want the truth from him, he needs to feel safe enough to speak truthfully,” said Gabriel. “Now, I know what you’re thinking: ‘The traitor couldn’t possibly feel safe while he’s in Heaven for interrogation!’ And you’d be right.” His grin widened. “But—this is where it gets really good—he won’t even know that’s where he is.” (Aziraphale is imprisoned in Heaven, but breaks free thanks to Crowley’s help. On Earth, Crowley wakes up from his pandemic nap to find Aziraphale missing. Meanwhile, two angels watch an imaginary life unfold, with all the time in the world to wait for the answers they need.)

Reality Check (51K words, 12 chapters)

Every muscle in Crowley’s body clenched as the previous day came rushing back. Not a dream. Aziraphale was real, solid, and alive. He was here, he was back, he was… He was currently making himself a little too much at home in Crowley’s personal space. (Aziraphale has unknowingly spent over a year on a simulated Earth, building a relationship with an imaginary version of Crowley. Crowley has spent that time alone, miserable, and unsure if he'd ever see his best friend again. Now together and safe once more, they learn how to navigate the new reality in which they find themselves.)

I Want to Break Free (19K words, 5 chapters)

Shemael is thrilled to finally transfer out of the oppressive celestial choir, but adjusting to their new job proves more difficult than they expected. When you’ve done the same thing for six thousand years, how do you learn to do something new?

[ageofgeek]

on second thought i dont really want ops notifs flooded w this so dont reply there if you must

Thank you! I don't want to clutter up OP either. My reply is somewhat long, so don't feel compelled to respond if you're not interested. But I wanted to get some of these thoughts off my chest.

So, to respond to your first point: "yeah but this is all operating under the assumption that they were ever intended to be ace rep, or rep for people who dont have sex. which is just an odd and very specific expectation to have for seemingly no reason, why them specifically? no one ever makes comments about het ships like this. all youre saying could be true but also could not be true. its just a really unecessary thing to insert into a post like this"

For one, Neil Gaiman has explicitly accepted the interpretation of Crowley & Aziraphale as ace and/or aro. He (and fans who HC A&C as ace) primarily bases this off of several lines in the book identifying angels and demons as "sexless." This has been interpreted by both Gaiman and fans as meaning that angels & demons are non-binary/agender (and rightfully so!). However, as Gaiman points out in his tweet, it is just as easy to interpret this as angels and demons literally not having an interest in sex.

So, if you're asking why some fans have latched onto A&C as ace rep, it's because (1) one of the authors of the book - and the creator and writer of the TV show - has explicitly identified asexuality as a possible interpretation, and (2) there is explicit textual evidence supporting such a reading. That doesn't seem like "seemingly no reason" to me.

As for it being unnecessary to go into ace discourse on such an innocuous post, I completely agree (so ty for sending this ask so it doesn't continue in OP's post). I understand my fellow ace fans' frustration or disappointment with the season 2 kiss, but it's unnecessary to be complaining about it in completely unrelated posts.

To your second point: "its kind of raining on someone elses parade when theyre excited abt azcrow just having been established as explicitly romantic in the show talking about their own interpretation of the two to make comments like that. the headcanons are fine on their own but read the room"

For the record, I ship Aziracrow in the TV show as romantic. I read them as romantic, I think they're explicitly canon as a romantic couple, and I think it's pretty difficult to deny that. I'm one of the people celebrating Aziracrow as canonically romantic! So I certainly hope that I'm not raining on my own parade. But just as you mentioned that "ace people can have sex," ace people can also be in romantic relationships. It's actually very common. It is completely valid - and moreover, compliant with TV canon - for fans to interpret Aziracrow as an asexual romantic relationship. And as I discussed above, there is Word of God and explicit textual support for this reading.

This is more tangential to your point, but I'd like to link this blog post by an ace GO fan and this post about GO non-binary rep. They both make the point that queer representation is not and has never been limited to two cis gay men in a romantic relationship. Relationships with non-binary people are queer. Ace relationships are queer. Queer-platonic relationships are, you guessed it!, queer. The relationship between Aziraphale and Crowley is inherently queer, regardless of how that relationship presents. This is true in the TV show, and it is true in the book, which was published over 30 years ago!

I am happy that Aziracrow kissed in season 2. I am happy with the direction the show is going. And yet, it's disappointing that some fans interpret the kiss as the "moment" that Aziracrow became romantically canon, or the "moment" that they became queer. Because for many fans - especially ace and non-binary/trans fans - they had been in a queer relationship all along! As that ace GO fan pointed out: "In our sex-steeped culture, the idea that deep, devoted love does not have to involve sex is unfathomable. It’s why the very existence of asexuality is questioned."

And if you HC Aziracrow as sexual beings, that's 100% valid! I'd be lying if I said I had never read Aziracrow smut. But I simply argue that an interpretation of Aziracrow as asexual is no more and no less valid.

[prairiehaze]

Ace and his college pals

[aziraphales-library]

I'd like to give a glowing recommendation for Painstakingly Drafted, by IneffableDoll. It's an absolutely beautiful through-the-ages ineffable love story. Aziraphale and Crowley are both genderfluid; Crowley has chronic pain; and the fic as a whole is just packed full of feels, fluff, angst, banter, and love. Very, very good.

Of course!

Painstakingly Drafted by IneffableDoll (T)

Crowley fell three times. The first Fall was from Heaven, the tumble through the firmament that shattered their wings and body. They still bore the physical marks of that, and always would. The second, they fell in love with humans. Humanity, the Earth, all of it. How could they do anything else? And the third time? Well. It was less a fall than a saunter vaguely downward.

~ Mod G

[maximumsunshine]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Aziraphale looks down, avoiding Crowley’s eyes. “There is only one nonhuman I know of who could tempt me in that direction. Though I prefer to avoid sex altogether, if it were someone I loved, I might consider it as a sign of my affections. However, there are a million and one ways I prefer to show my feelings in place of sex.”

Crowley pauses, and studies Aziraphale’s face then breaks into a soft smile. “Yes, Angel, I do see your point. I understand humans have sex as a means of expressing affection. However, I mostly see it as a way of repopulating the earth, and I too have other ways of showing how I feel.”

I asked myself, what if the husbands explicitly sat down and had a conversation about how they are ace. And even admitted they were in love. And agreed there are much better ways to show love than sex. And this fic didn’t end in kissing.