The angel you knew is not me.

Muriel faces Sandalphon. Crowley has a verbal standoff with Saraqael. It ends with a simple choice: Try to save Aziraphale or try save humanity? And really, Crowley’s answer was always gonna be-

Out of Time

So,I started my first fic in October 2023. It came after one of my best friends and I got lunch right after she was laid off from her market research job at a magazine. We were both women of a certain age at the start of a certain decade of our lives and were trying to figure out what to do next. She suggested we write a children's book together - she had been a fine arts minor and always wanted to do something with it and I've always been passionate about stories, going on and on about the ones that I loved with a bit too much enthusiasm and detail than your average human. So we parted ways with a "plan" - she to polish off her drawing skills and me to... acquire writing skills, somehow. Before taking a break to have kids my career was in finance. I had never took a writing class in my life and was almost forty-one-years-old. I had no idea where to begin.

So I did some online research and looked at some shitty classes, but I had also just discovered this new-to-me medium that was fanfiction. So what does one do when they have no discernible writing skills and just a passion for stories but wants to embark on this journey with their friend? They sit down to free-write Aziraphale's perspective of the final fifteen set six hours after he left Earth, of course!

Now, I had no plan. I just sat and ran through his head, as I interpreted it, based on what we saw on the screen. I left it alone and a few days later came back and turned it around to write Crowley's perspective. I want to be clear, I had no plan. None. I had actively avoided Season 3 speculation fics in an effort not to ruin the final season when it was released, and I avoided all meta on tumblr. But I enjoyed it. Thought, hey, I could maybe try this; wrote a very brief outline where i knew nothing but the ending, and kept writing. Four months, 20 chapters - whole lot of making stuff up - and 125k words later I had My Forever Season 3.

Some of you are saying, I've heard this story, and I know; I've said it on here more than once. But whenever I read other people's origin stories on writing, they tend to fall into certain buckets - I always wanted to be a writer; I studied writing in college; I wrote when I was young but grew discouraged or hit burnout; I am a creative person at heart, just never wrote; Or, I write professionally.

And everyone's journey is incredible and I adore reading them but, I AM HERE TO SHOUT FROM THE HIGHEST PEAK OF THIS HELLSITE THAT I AM NONE OF THOSE THINGS. I worked at a bank. I had no creative hobbies to speak of. I never ever wrote anything before in my life. I was just a weird introvert with a puzzling mind and an all too active imagination that's been more inconvenient than anything else. That's it.

And a desire to try.

Now, my fics aren't popular at all - I can count on one hand how many times they've appeared on any rec lists (or half of one hand, actually). Because they're plotty and they're not E rated and they've got cliffhangers and action and side characters and don't adhere to the predictable story beats that most readers are looking for. BUT, they exist. They're unique. They are loved by the readers who do find them.

And, most importantly, they're mine.

There are times when I do get sad, for how little attention my fics get given the amount of time and effort I put into them, but those are the breaks. So I won't tell you to write for yourself and not seek other people's approval, because that's just bullshit advice. So just go forward knowing that any approval is a gift, to hold it close, to cherish the readers who spend time with you through your story and give back, please. Comment when you read, reblog when you can't, and cheer them on, always.

GIVING BACK is the best thing you can do to foster this fandom we all hold so dear.

So, that was long and unnecessary. TL:DR - If you want to write, write. If you want a cheerleader, tag me. If you want a gentle push, DM me. And if you want to ask questions of someone who's fumbled her way through nearly half a million words of Good Omens stories in 2.5 years, mine are always open.

Starting off GO Fan Fiction Writers Throwback Thursday by taking a look at the first fan fic (or really, any piece of fiction) I ever wrote: Will You Ever Stop Surprising Me? (M). Good Omens became a celebration of my new life, in which I was free to love something wildly and extravagantly without being ridiculed. I began reading an extraordinary amount of fan fiction, and the more I read, the more written storytelling (I have worked as an oral storyteller) intrigued me. Could I write something amusing of my own? Of course not. But still, I couldn't stop considering it. After watching season 2, I imagined a peaceful future for our ineffable pair after averting the Second Coming (sorry for mentioning a sore subject). My mind went to Crowley wondering when boredom would set in. After all, they had been dodging their own sides for centuries, faced down Satan and the heavenly host, and (speculatively, at the time) prevented the destruction of the Second Coming. In a peaceful future, would they tire of each other?

I crafted a one-shot in which a quick visit to a new, neighborhood sex shop reveals that the angel is able to surprise and amuse the (former) demon as much as ever.

Writing the story made me think deeply about the characters of Aziraphale and Crowley. I believe that our ineffable pair are recognizable in each of my fics, whether canon universe or human AUs. Writing my own story helped me enjoy reading other stories even more. It was, however, very scary. I knew that as an absolute beginner, there was no way I'd be able to write as good a story as many of the ones I have read. I have thought about (and am considering) rewriting some of my fics--to incorporate what I've learned about storytelling. But this first story? I'm going to let it stand. Perhaps I could write it better today--with snappier dialogue and better descriptions. But I don't believe in perfectionism. And I want other fans who might be thinking about writing for the first time to see that a story can be amusing without being flawless. Is that you? If so, take this as encouragement. Give it a try. Writing is hard. But it's so rewarding. And it will allow you to appreciate the amazing Good Omens characters so much more. If you're curious, check out my summary and tags below. Thank you to @copperplatebeech whose Throwback Thursday post made me want to do something similar. I'd encourage other writers to share their thoughts on their works. If you'd like me to create a matching banner with your name, message me. Will You Ever Stop Surprising Me? (1077 words) by CuriousPupsicle Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Good Omens - All Media Types, Good Omens (TV) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens) Characters: Aziraphale (Good Omens), Crowley (Good Omens) Additional Tags: Aziraphale Loves Crowley (Good Omens), Crowley Loves Aziraphale (Good Omens), Post-Good Omens (TV) Season 2, Fluff, Established Relationship Summary: Settling into life with Aziraphale after again averting the end of the world, Crowley wonders if he could become bored. Are there any surprises left between them after 6000 years?

the paperwork:

Right back at you from my nonbinary heart

No matter who's reading this--

No matter how comfortable you might or might not feel with the word trans, or nonbinary, or whatever else--

Even if no other person on the planet has ever believed you about your experience of gender

Guess what? I do