#rend_herring

Playing With Fire - Atalan 2.6k, one-shot.

Summary:

AU. Crowley catches Agnes’s last prophecy instead of Aziraphale getting it. Unfortunately, he was never as good at solving crossword clues and jumps to the exact wrong conclusion... (It's not nearly as angsty as it could be, I promise.) Written for the Ineffable Con Zine, October 2019

A little lovely one-shot to kick us off :) This fic goes about the idea of Crowley getting the prophecy at the end of s1 instead of Aziraphale. This was actually the first fic I reached for after watching s3 because it's got everything in a nice, tiny, neat bow. If you're looking for the boys saving each other with some hurt comfort this is a great place to start!

2. Misfire - VivatRex 99k, 25/25 chapters

Summary:

Crowley finds himself in another universe; Aziraphale goes to fetch him. In the meantime, Team Free Will has to figure out what to do with the 6,000 year old demon that won't stay in a devil's trap and keeps rooting through Dean's vinyl collection. Shenanigans ensue.

A crossover AU! I'm honestly surprised that more of these don't exist somehow because Supernatural and Good Omens share a lot of the same themes, characters, and overall vibes (gay). The premise for this one is actually very interesting as well because instead of merging the two shows together it actually makes them multi-verses!

If you haven't dived into the world of supernatural, I wouldn't let that stop you from reading this! The only things you really need to know are that Sam and Dean are brothers who hunt monsters and other assortments for a living. Castiel is an angel who constantly dies for Dean. Crowley (SPN) is the king of hell and Irish and has a love hate relationship with everyone. There's also Jack the son of Lucifer. Congrats, you've learned everything you need to. Honestly, if you're on tumblr you probably already have all of the information that you need to be able to decipher what's going on. Occasionally you'll read something and go "that didn't actually happen?" and then look it up to discover oh no it did.

The fic is mostly centered around Crowley and Aziraphale's antics with Cas and Dean being dumbasses and constantly trying to self-sacrifice in the background and Sam being a nerd occasionally and freaking out over Aziraphale and Crowley. If you know the "Damn, bitch you live like this?" meme it's basically this fic lol.

A good read for anyone that wants more of the theological lore side of GO, likes Destiel, or multiverse shenanigans.

3. tales from a bookshop - Rizandace 19k 5/5 chapters

Summary:

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.

Let me start out by saying that I LOVE Rizandace so goddamn much. I've read so many of their fics and I've actually debated watching a few shows that they've written for because I just love the way they write so much.

This is a s2 fix-it fic featuring lore accurate depressed Crowley, fixer-upper Aziraphale, and comedy relief Muriel in the background. If there's anyone that's feeling a little worn by the s3 ending I would say this would be a great one to start out with! Also please do NOT read the summary and think this is a fic that is just going to bash on Aziraphale because it is not!! It's very nuanced and true to the characters! If you're a fan of getting rid of that awful feeling that s2 gave you, Aziraphale and Crowley actually discussing their feelings, funny but weirdly supportive Muriel, and some near-death experiences this is a great read!

4. someone to sit in your chair to ruin your sleep - wizardlover 17k one-shot.

Summary:

"Really," Crowley says, and laughs, sharp and mean. "They gave you the job and not the authority to run it? Well, isn’t that a surprise. If only someone had told you." "That's not how these things work! It's just—slow going, is all. Change takes time, Crowley." "Sure, yeah. Climb your way up, but not too much, ey?" "It's not about me," Aziraphale says, snappy, in that holier-than-thou voice. Crowley smiles mirthlessly, bares his teeth. "No, you're just a tool for the greater Good, are you. How's that working out, d'you think?" "Swimmingly, actually. The Metatron really appreciates my suggestions." He smiles—soft, wondrous, almost disbelieving. Crowley wants to scratch it out of his face. Wants to shake him until he comes to his senses and drops to his knees and begs him— "I always knew you were naive, but not this much," he hisses. "They're going to chew you up and put you through the grinder until you can't take it anymore and then, when you finally, finally snap, they'll cast you down like they did the rest of us." Aziraphale's eyes flick down once—to his mouth, Crowley realizes, and abruptly steps back, face prickling with shame. Shame, him. Imagine that. 

Despite what the summary would lead you to believe, this is actually a pretty lighthearted fic! Set some time after s2 and features Nina and Maggie as Crowley's therapist and a roadtrip to find the lost Messiah! Also, the Bentley has a full personality in this and it is determined to force Crowley to talk to Aziraphale which is quite fun!

5. Lunacy - snae_b 57k 17/17 chapters

Summary:

Gone are the glory days when space exploration was novel and exciting and respectable. When astronauts were revered as heroes. No more Yuri Gagarins or Buzz Aldrins or Neil Armstrongs. Two centuries after Sally Ride and Chris Hadfield were celebrated for their achievements, space had become the frontier of the working class.     As opportunities went down and inequalities went up on Earth, droves of blue-collar workers flocked to the skies to make a living. They put their lives in the hands of money-grubbing CEOs so their families could eat and they could afford to live on the levels higher than the smog line. By 2210 there were operations on every planet and nearly half the two hundred moons in the solar system. In 2233 Dominion Mining had built Ambition on Styx.     A mining crew and a geologist and a moon on the edge of collapse. What could possibly go wrong? Turns out, pretty much everything.

This was a really cool sci-fi human premise that I was pretty locked into plot wise! Crowley and Aziraphale are scientists/astronauts up on a dead rock mining for materials. Crowley is the captain and Aziraphale is the brand-new wide-eyed geologist that has never even been to space before. Spoiler alert: things start to go real bad real quick for the two of them and it's a race to get off of the rock before they both succumb to a terrifying fate.

Now to be honest, I'm not much for one for Human AUs, simply because I think that a large portion of what makes Aziraphale and Crowley themselves is their essence and being tied to Heaven and Hell. However! This fic does a great job of keeping the characters at their core. If you're looking for something that is very plot driven, a multitude of near-death experiences, and some very nicely done smut this is the fic for you!

-A slight note. Would definitely plan to either read in one sitting or stop a few chapters in before the main story picks up, especially after chapter 12 because from that point on it's basically cliff hanger after cliff hanger.

6. Search and Rescue - snae_b 18k 6/6 chapters

Summary:

“Mount Meeker. Small avalanche from the sound of it, R2, R3 maybe. But we’ve got two missing hikers, caught in the powder, so at least a D2 in terms of force. Bentley and I are out first. Adam, you’re on extraction gear, Pepper, you’re on medical. We don’t know what shape these folks are in.” He finally sets his gaze squarely on Aziraphale, his eyes flick to the lens of his camera and back up again. “Stay out of the way.” Aziraphale packs his camera gear and heads to the Rocky Mountains to film with an elite search and rescue team. Turns out the terrain isn't his only challenge.

Another snae_b because I love the stories they come up with and they write Aziraphale and Crowley into them so well! This is drastly different from the other one I recced however and is much more lighthearted. Human AU with snow mountain ranger Crowley and nature documentary filmer Aziraphale! It's just a really nice written Human AU and doesn't have much in terms of high stakes! If you want a change of pace from the theology, this is a great read!

7. a rarer height - hyruling 18k one-shot. Must have ao3 account to read

Summary:

Perhaps it wasn’t sin that he’d tempted Eve with after all. Perhaps when she took the apple and chose free will, what she really chose was the freedom to love beyond the compulsory kind that was all she'd known. All because a demon had looked too long at an angel. Aziraphale’s head falls heavily on Crowley’s shoulder, and he stops thinking about God and ineffable plans. He already knows everything he needs to know.

I love love love hyruling so much. If you've seen my Reddie (IT) Fic Rec then you would also know that by know. You can tell that this is a writer that definitely uses a blank google docs as a therapy session and it's gorgeous. The way they write relationships, especially relationships like Crowley and Aziraphale who are not seeing eye-to-eye, is so painfully well done and realistic.

This is a post s2 fic that has Aziraphale coming in and checking with Crowley whilst Crowley does what Crowley does. If you're looking for gut-wrenching conversations, forgiveness, and learning to navigate a relationship that's falling apart this one is for you!

8. A Brighter Darkness - Eriathalia, VivatRex 20k one-shot.

Summary:

A celestial clerical error changes everything on the surface, but the ending was always set from the start. [Written for Good Omens Big Bang 2019]

Reverse omens!! This is a fic trope that I wish I saw more of but at least for now we have this one! This is a really great fic for anyone that is looking for a canon divergence but doesn't want any of the actual story plot to change.

Aziraphale is a demon and Crowley is an angel. Somehow everything is different, but nothing has changed. The highlights of this fic are the shenanigans these two get themselves into, always choosing each other in every universe, and the very well written smut. Like slutty Aziraphale pops off in this and it's great.

9. The Lightness of You - Rend_Herring

Summary:

God should not have built them with such discrepancy, made them need for love, and long for wholeness, then left them to their own devices.

Oof. Oof. This one hurts a lot but in a really great cathartic way. This is a character study of Crowley and how would a demon feel about falling in love when they last time they fell in love they lost everything? There's a plethora of wings in this, time jumps, the mortifying ordeal of being known, angst, sappy fucking, 0 of anything to do with the fuckery in s2/s3, and has absolutely amazing lines such as:

"God Herself could not emerge through the skylight this moment with Her Great Big Ineffable Foam Finger, point it at Crowley’s face, cheer Go Rangers!-- then claim to have done anything more remarkable, and more transcendentally beautiful, in all of existence."

10. Untitled Stardew Omens Fic - Atalan 43k 6/6 chapters

Summary:

Crowley has decided to give up on life in the city and move to the countryside. Aziraphale is intrigued by the new arrival in Pelican Town. Fluff ensues in such enormous quantities I am compelled by law to recommend a dental check-up after reading. A series of Good Omens/Stardew Valley ficlets I've been posting on tumblr as I play through thunderheadfred's "Stardew Omens" mod (which replaces Harvey with Aziraphale as the town doctor). Knowledge of the game provides some additional context for the NPCs etc but really it's all about the ineffable farm romance here. Note: E rating is for the end of chapter 4 only. The rest of the fic is all very tame.

Another Atalan fic because 1. they're a great writer and 2. this combines my favorite loves which is Good Omens and Stardew Valley. If you've no idea what Stardew Valley is, fret not! You literally do not need to know anything about the game to be able to enjoy this fic. If you have played/engaged with Stardew Valley you'll get some nods to the game and laughs at what the other characters do/say throughout but otherwise this fic just takes the basic plot premise of the game and one of the characters and merges it with Stardew.

Crowley is tired of working a dead-end job and moves to Pelican Town, a tiny village in the middle of nowhere, and starts a farm. Aziraphale is the local town doctor. It's a meet cute and there's like maybe 2 seconds of angst if that. It's very cutesy and wholesome. If you want something that is very easy to read, charming character development, and has a small town feel this is a perfect cozy weekend read!

11. it's high time that you love me, cause you do it so well - mygalfriday (BrinneyFriday) 8k, one-shot

Summary:

The looming threat of searing pain and the memory of blood pouring out of his mouth is enough of a deterrent to keep Crowley from ever daring to attempt saying the word Love again but nothing - not even God Herself - could stop him from showing it.

I would genuinely rec everything that Brinney has written. There's not a single story of hers that I've read that has not moved me to tears, made me laugh, or made me feel a deep connection to the story. She is so talented and such an amazing writer and I feel like I don't ever see anyone talking about her fics??? Expect to see these last few recs be hers because she deserves it and there's no way I'm making a GO rec list and not including atleast several of her writings.

This is a character study into Crowley and all of the things that he does for Aziraphale to show him that Crowley loves him because god has taken away the ability for demons to be able to say I love you without it causing an immense amount of pain. It's such a brilliant idea that ties so well into the show.

12. you say the whole world's ending (honey, it already did) - mygalfriday (BrinneyFriday) 20k one-shot

Summary:

Significantly warmed from the whiskey but nowhere near as pissed as he’d like, Crowley is alert enough when he approaches the cottage to recognize the unfamiliar, decidedly angelic presence lurking somewhere on his property. Crowley had been very careful when he moved in, placing strict wards against every creature both holy and damned. Except one.

It's a jesus baby fic! Aziraphale crashes back into Crowley's life after the end of s2 and surprise he has the Messiah and Heaven can't know that he took him so would Crowley do a big favor and be a babysitter?? We then get to see a year of Crowley being the worlds best dad and Aziraphale and Crowley trying to mend the wounds from their last conversation while keeping heaven none the wiser. We also get a cameo from Beez and Gabriel plus some meddling old lady's and a South Downs ending! There are some tough conversations and arguments, but I love the way the author makes both sides take accountability for the end of s2 instead of the usual trope of pinning it on just one of them or forcing them into a situation where they both just say sorry and then pretend it never happened. The ending of this fic is genuinely so beautiful I can't think of any way to properly describe it so I'll just C+P a line.

"His voice catches and when his bottom lip trembles, Crowley cannot breathe. “I so badly wanted to give you the world, Crowley.”

“You’re the world, angel,” he snaps wetly, eyes burning. “The devil do I need the rest of it for?”

13. don't let this darkness fool you - mygalfriday (BrinneyFriday) 23k one-shot

Summary:

Lurching to his feet, Crowley stumbles through his flat in the dark – tripping over empty whiskey bottles and clothes he’d stripped out of and never bothered to pick up again. Heart pounding, he throws open the door. And the bottom drops abruptly out from beneath him. It feels like falling all over again – except from so much higher up than he’d ever been the first time. This is worse. This is so much worse because it isn’t him. It’s Aziraphale.

Another oof moment. Now another disclaimer, I typically can't stand fallen angel Aziraphale because I just don't think it falls in line with the show and typically it's just a plot device to infantilize Aziraphale and push Crowley into a doting role. Not the case here.

Post S2; Aziraphale has fallen and been quite literally dumped bloody and bruised at Crowley's doorstep. You then spend the next few months watching Crowley and Aziraphale attempt to salvage their relationship and feelings in this new murky water. Aziraphale is trying to get used to his new life and Crowley is reckoning with seeing himself in Aziraphale and trying to shake off the feeling that this is his fault. This is probably my favorite Brinney fic out there but I'm very biased because as someone that lives and copes with C-PTSD everyday I'm always a sucker for media that has great representation and portrayals of people with PTSD. She doesn't shy away from the rough conversations, and it feels realistic to how Aziraphale and Crowley would react if they found themselves in this situation.

14. 3 reasons not to answer to spam calls. N°1, you might fall in love - Aziracrowww

Summary:

Anthony J Crowley worked at one of these jobs. You know, these jobs. He would call people at an ungodly hour, without their consent, to try to sell them insurance, pills that make you taller, thinner, stronger or that would grow a certain part of the male anatomy, or even psychic readings of their future. This job was hell. Until one day, as he called yet again a person to try and sell them “a free vacation to Eldorado,” he fell upon the softest voice he had ever heard, and the person behind the phone chatted with him, asked about his day and was even nice to him. What could possibly go wrong? ~ Or: Crowley's a spam caller who's being blackmailed and one of his clients happens to be Aziraphale.

Last but mostly certainly not least! This is the fic that I've been Beta'ing with @aziracrowwstann for (checks calendar) nearly a year! This is the best kind of fic because it's truly for the love of the craft and Lucy has put her whole heart and soul into it. She loves writing and it clearly shows in the way that she brilliantly weaves Aziraphale and Crowley together. I love the situations she puts them in, and she is so witty with the way she writes Crowley. The fic is still in the process of being written but is slowly but surely getting published!

Crowley is a scam caller. Aziraphale is naive. Scam calls eventually turn into something more. A great read for if you're looking for something to soothe the heartache from s2/s3.

I bound these two little fics written by the same author (in 2019, so they are spoiler-free fics), of which they are opposing points of view but also are slightly different stories. I mainly used the character point of views to guide a lot of my design choices.

did quite a few new things with this bind: a tête-bêche, also a quarto! a legal quarto! plus edge gilding! and a half-bind which i have legitly not done since my first bind 1 year ago.

the tête-bêche is a trial run for an author copy - and thankfully is easier than expected.

i chose decorative papers (renato crepaldi, because i have a Stash) that specifically gave me aziraphale and crowley vibes - and leaned into the elements of light and dark, contrast and harmony, while matching it with forest floor colibri. AGAIN PLANT VIBES, JUST BECAUSE.

I kept my typesetting very classic - a) because i wanted to speed bind this (which i did in 2 days) and b) because i wanted to preserve old book vibes. i also practiced++++ and took the electric sander for a whirl because by god i was going to get some foiled/gilded edges on this bind so it would look like a fancy pancy book Aziraphale would covet for his shelf. this is my third attempt at sanding and gilding and it's still a little patchy - not perfect enough yet for a consistent result but i hope to get there one day and to be able to do foiled edges for author copies, hopefully soon. i would say despite the patchiness, it looks pretty fucking fancy and i really liked how it turned out.

Endpapers are the same papers on the cover but on the contralateral endpaper sides, which is a great contrast and an amazing idea from @pleasantboatpress because i was befuddled by Options.

For the endbands, i took inspiration from @celestial-sphere-press's recent beautiful gradient endbands, but leaned more with the usage of sunlight breaking through the contrast of light and darkness, for Aziraphale's side, while Crowley's side is done with green, black and gold because PLANTS. i stitched the main textblock with lovely variegated galaxy thread (IFYKYK :)) hand-dyed by @pleasantboatpress.

i actually really like how the bind came together and i'm rather proud of its simplicity and how intentional it feels as a bind, design-wise. every design choice was done with love, for the show, the book, the author, the characters and the fic and i am just FILLED WITH FEELINGS, Y'ALL. i'm not ashamed of them.