#naons

clandestine meeting & unspoken fears

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"Walls have ears" 📜 Scene Spotlight

In the gloomy light, Crowley could barely distinguish Aziraphale’s features after he had sat down on the opposite bench. But he clocked the expectant look. “Hello,” Aziraphale said, and it sounded almost like a question, fizzling away without an answer. He looked around the carriage, his gaze lingering on the closed curtains for a moment. “I see you haven't lost your affinity for mysterious meetings.” 

Crowley pondered before replying. The carriage and the driver were handpicked by him – he had even double-checked the horses. And yet, one could never be fully sure where and how Hell’s eyes and ears appeared out of the blue. So he chose his words with care, “It’s really fortunate to meet you here. Gotta be sure, you’re not spreading too much good on my watch. Can’t have you negate all my hard work, can we?” 

Bewildered, Aziraphale stared at him, a clear sign that Crowley had met the intended tone – the distanced and professional one he hadn’t used with the angel for centuries. Millennia even. A twitch around Aziraphale’s lips revealed when he picked up the code and started to play along. “Surely not,” he replied and eyed Crowley up and down. The question that was written blatantly on his face came out in a riddle. “Haven’t seen you since Edinburgh. You made quite a spontaneous exit that night. Hellish business, I assume?”

"Walls have ears" 📆 Save The Date

"Walls have ears" (Not A One-Night Stand Part 6) - A Good Omens Fanfiction

🌈 Fandom: Good Omens

💞 Main Pairing: Crowley / Aziraphale

📝 Words: 7,171

💌 Rating: Explicit

⏳️ Status: Finished (Part 6/14 of an ongoing series)

⚠️ Warnings: No Warnings

📖 Summary:

1862, London.

They don’t speak - it’s safer that way.

By saving a life, Crowley has overstepped his bounds, and Hell has made their stance on the matter quite clear. Little do they know what else happened that night in Edinburgh…

Determined to keep it that way, Crowley has cut down his compromising contacts and once again made it a sport to avoid his declared nemesis, Aziraphale.

That is, until he impulsively invites him into a curtained carriage.

Crowley knows They are listening, but he only wants to talk. That much is permitted. At least, he thinks it is.

And whether Aziraphale can look past the demon’s mask of indifference or not, he knows exactly what Crowley needs: Yielding relaxation, mindless fun, and a gentle hand.

→ 🔗 Click here to read on AO3

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"Walls have ears" 💭 What The Betas Say

Finding early readers for a part of an established series means that, chances are, people know (and possibly even like 😯 ) the previous works. Which left me with a new kind of feeling: honoured and intimidated at the same time, and the looming question - Will they like the new installment, too?

For this upcoming fic I had 4 awesome Betas: @rainbowcrowley , @loveagoodstory87 , @drconstellation and @vecieminde . Thank you so much, for your effort (heh) and help! ♥️

"Walls have ears" 🧬First vs. Final

I always draft fast and messily, then edit heavily.

Oftentimes, that becomes most visible in dialogue-heavy scenes — especially when the original piece of media is a movie, or a show, where we usually take in the spoken words first. One person says something, the other one replies, and that’s what the viewer focuses on. Whatever subtext or accompanying action happens, we pick up mostly subconsciously. Or possibly only during a re-watch where we already know the spoken words.

When I write conversations, I often write them in “real time”. Meaning the scene plays out in my mind as if it were in the original media, and I focus on the spoken words first. It helps me, keep the voice of the characters. I will add in rudimentary actions and emotional responses, almost like in-universe bullet points, so I’ll remember my original vision later. During editing, I refine the dialogue, too, but primarily expand on those bits in between, which, as you’ll see, can turn 3 lines of dialogue into 3 entire paragraphs.

First Draft:

“oh” he made, as indifferent as []. “Well i guess your head office being a little [cruel] checks out.” Crowley didn’t reply, but he also didn’t make an effort to hide just how right Aziraphale was. He really should come up with something soon. His presence in the carriage had calmed him down but if they were to continue these clandestine meetings, he better thought of something to fight back, should hell come for them again. “It’s fine,” he said, stressed, and not fine at all. “Just busy times at the moment.” They looked at each other and Crowley tried to think of a way to let Aziraphale know how much this meeting meant to him, without letting possible [zuhörer] know. “At least I can count on you.. sabotaging my plans” he said softly.

Final Draft:

"Walls have ears" 📊 Peer Review

Hits and kudos are great. But comments give me life.

And this fic literally has it all. From the elaborate analysis to the based single emoji - I love each and every one of you!

🔗 Read "Walls have ears" on AO3