#Crowley empathizes with human relationships with God | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

fluffbyday-smutbynight · 4 months

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When in Rome...

Lately I've been rotating the Rome scene in my mind like a rotisserie chicken. It's a very short one -exactly 1 minute of screen time- and yet it feels pivotal in showing the evolution of Aziraphale's and Crowley's relationship. It also includes some interesting references, and it just feels... different from the other flashbacks.

I've been thinking about it so much that I had to go back and rewatch the flashbacks leading up to it. Take my hand (take my whole life too) as I take you on a journey...

3004 B.C. - Mesopotamia

Aziraphale is the one breaking the news to Crowley: God, displeased with the humans, is going to wipe them out with a flood of catastrophical proportions. But fret not! He immediately downplays it: it's probably just the locals. And Noah's family and the animals on the ark are going to be fine. And then God will give them a "rain-bow"! Whatever that is, it's the promise it won't happen ever again.

That... doesn't sit too well with Crowley. "Not the kids! You can't kill kids!" he points out (does he mean human kids or goat kids? Probably both), and he scoffs at the rain-bow thing.

But quick comes Aziraphale's rebuttal:

You can't judge the Almighty, Crowley!

... perhaps too quick, like a line he's been fed and he internalized. Like he's subconsciously trying to justify God's actions to himself, more than to Crowley.

As it starts to rain, the crowd around them stands unaware of their own imminent fate.

2500 B.C. - The Land of Uz

Aziraphale learns, very much to his disbelief, that despite Job being a good man, his fate has been determined by a bet between God and Satan.

Here, he gets both to see Job's despair first-hand, and to exercise his own free will.

He teams up with the "enemy"; he lies to Gabriel; he gets a taste of self-agency and a taste of the oxrib (aka worldly pleasures). He gets to do the right thing and save the kids (human and goats alike), learning in the process that his and Crowley's conditions are not too dissimilar: they both feel lonely.

By the end of it, Aziraphale is sure he will get punished by God.

And then... nothing happens.

33 A.D. - Golgotha

Aziraphale and Crowley witness the crucifixion of Jesus.

"Your lot put him on there." "I'm not consulted on policy decisions, Crowley."

Unlike with Job, Aziraphale has no say and no power to stop what's happening. Despite that (and in contrast to the flood scene) he empathizes with Jesus: asking if Crowley knew him; recoiling as he watches him being nailed to the cross; acknowledging that all it took was him saying "be kind to each other".

Notice how the events shown in the flashbacks get progressively close and personal.

From the undefined crowd at the flood, to Job and his family, to this "very bright young man": yes, God has honoured the promise to not wipe humanity out ever again; that doesn't make the smiting/destruction/suffering any less painful and unjust.

There doesn't seem to be any logic, nor compassion, to God's decisions. There doesn't seem to be any immediate consequence, too, to going against them (if you're clever enough about it). I think that -as much as Aziraphale wants to keep believing in God's ineffable plan- he must feel, in some capacity, that it's all rather... pointless.

I think that here, in front of the grueling, graphic death of a single man, Aziraphale's moral journey reaches its (first?) breaking point.

In fact, where do we find him next?

"8 years later" (41 A.D.) - Rome

Aziraphale and Crowley meet again very shortly after - relatively speaking, at least (even the scene's title card highlights that: just "8 years later".)

This time around, there's no grand event happening: it's seemingly by chance, they run into each other in a tavern. Well, Crowley is there for "a quick temptation", which is not out of order considering the setting: Caligula's Rome, *the* time and place for decadence and dissolution. And Aziraphale?

He's just... there.

Well, in a scrapped scene from the script book he said he was there to "influence a boy named Nero, get him interested in music". But that didn't make it on screen - though maybe it's still relevant, as you'll see in a moment.

Thing is, he's been there for a while. Unlike Crowley with his odd-looking attire, Aziraphale blends in with the locals and with their customs: wearing a rather pretty tunic; toasting with a "salutaria"; playing a Roman board game by himself. Drinking wine and planning to check out "a new restaurant".

...if he's even talking about an actual restaurant, that is. It's all in this post (check out the comment section too) - but to sum it up: the first thing Aziraphale does is inviting Crowley out (actually, tempting him!) to try "Petronius' new restaurant". Petronius, the notorious "master of elegance" at Nero's court. And by "master of elegance", we mean he was in charge of everything concerning luxury, aka making the court's parties as lavish as possible. Petronius, who was described as a hedonist and an excess seeker. Aziraphale has heard "he does remarkable things to oysters". If that doesn't sound like tongue-in-cheek for some pleasure other than just food, I don't know what does.

In short, it looks like Aziraphale is on vacation, and a rather enjoyable one.

I think he's had about four thousand years to let everything sink in: where Heaven and Hell stand, God's plans and what they mean to humanity (and I'm not even considering what we didn't see: the first war, or Sodom and Gomorrah, or any other horror he might have witnessed).

I think that after Jesus' crucifixion, he was like: fuck it, where can I take a break from all this? Where's *the* place I can most indulge in... being as much human as I can get to be?

And of course he ended up right there. And as the saying goes... when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

I think Aziraphale is having his hot girl summer, and not even God knows what he's been up to.

#good omens #good omens meta #well “meta” might be a generous term lol. musings?#aziraphale #crowley #oh how I wish the Rome flashback showed us more #to be expanded on/continued? possibly ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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itsfuckingdeanwinchester · 4 months

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Dean a human and hunter as well as a member of the Men of Letters with his younger brother Sam. He and his brother are members of the Winchester and Campbell families. Through his father, Dean is the older half-brother of Adam Milligan. Dean is also the destined vessel of the Archangel Michael. He and Sam are also the surrogate sons of the late Bobby Singer. Dean is best friends with the angel Castiel, close friend to the late prophet Kevin Tran, and reluctant ally of Crowley. Dean has an ex-girlfriend, Lisa Braeden, who he lived with for a year when he thought Sam was in Hell. She has a child named Ben, who Dean acted as a father for during that year. Dean's biological child was an amazon named Emma. He is also the former apprentice of Alastair. When he was killed by Metatron whilst using the Mark of Cain, Dean returned as a demon and a Knight of Hell loyal only to himself. He was then cured by his brother using purified blood. Eventually, the Mark was removed, but the price was that the Darkness has now been released into the world, something Dean tried to avoid. Dean and his brother soon met God who returned to help put an end to the danger to the world. During this time, Dean got through to God about not sacrificing himself and The Darkness about not destroying all of reality and helped them reconcile. As a reward, Dean was given back his mother and was able to return to his usual style of hunting with his family. Dean Winchester, from the moment of his debut, was shown to be an understanding, funny, mischievous, and, in contrast to his younger brother, a little immature. Dean's shown countless times to be good with kids and the ladies. At an early age, Dean was trained by his father, John Winchester, to hunt and kill creatures of the supernatural. However, unlike his brother Sam, he did not resent his father for having him "raised like a warrior". He seemed to prefer hunting the supernatural over any normal "apple pie" life, though it was revealed that when he was sixteen, he did in fact desire (or at least hope for) a normal life: he just couldn't leave Sam.Dean is an avid fan of classic rock music. Many of his aliases have included the names of famous rock musicians. He is known to use crude humor, use pop culture references, make sexual innuendos,Dean typically avoids emotional intimacy, preferring to engage with women only as sexual partners. However, he has had a few long-term relationships over the years. Dean values his family's safety over anything else, even going so far as to kill a demon and its human host in order to save Sam's life, as well as sacrificing his very soul and suffering in hell to resuscitate his brother.Dean is typically ruthless and aggressive when he is hunting, a task which he approaches enthusiastically, making him the more merciless of the Winchester siblings. Despite these traits, Dean is very laid-back and well-disposed when not on the hunt, and he values the safety of his family and innocent civilians above all else, even his own life. Though on occasion he can be somewhat impulsive as well as arrogant, Dean is both extremely intelligent and competent. He is more likely to exhibit irrational behavior when his family is threatened. Dean shows on multiple occasions a soft spot for children. He is very good with them, able to talk to them with ease, and he is always very sympathetic; this most likely stems from the fact he practically raised Sam when he was a child. Dean's affection extends to nearly all children, particularly young ones, although he also cares about teenagers. Dean is more willing to put his life in danger for children than he is for nearly anyone else. Dean's affection even extends to monster children, and despite his ruthless approach to hunting, he's usually unwilling to kill monster children unless he has a crucial need. As a demon, Dean's soul became twisted and he no longer empathized with others. He cared only for himself and what he needed.

#supernatural hunter #dean winchester #userfakevz #bisexual

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dirtydancingdean · 3 years

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something about how dean so completely parallels buffy summers from btvs like they are two iterations of the same character. i mean, buffy the vampire slayer is an undeniably a big influence on supernatural, even if the show itself wouldn’t exactly advertise that fact. you have sam’s sacrifice in swan song paralleling buffy’s sacrifice in the gift, the borrowing of a lot of demons and (god help me) lore, the weird amount of buffy actors in the show (sometimes playing vampires, which is hysterical), the campiness and horror. hell, even cas’s moment of pure happiness seems like a nod to angel’s moment of pure happiness. (dean and cas did it better though). but the biggest similarity is the way dean parallels buffy. he’s obviously not meant to. he’s supposed to be a gun-slinging, wise-cracking ladies man, but that’s not what he becomes. honestly that’s not even what he comes across as in the beginning. buffy and dean are both meant to be heroes, but buffy is the main character of her show, while that’s supposed to be sam in dean’s. and buffy and sam do share their similarities, particularly in their desire for normality which backfires on them because of their equally weighed desire to help people. but dean is so much more like buffy in so many ways?? like buffy, dean always feels everything is his responsibility (like he says in 7.05, “There’s always something eating at me. That’s who I am. something happens, I feel responsible, all right?”). this is largely in part thanks to j*hn winchester, while buffy’s sense of responsibility comes from the fact that a whole group of old white men have told her she’s the one girl in all the world who can fight evil. both of them kind of know on some level that this is kind of fucked up and even try attempting to fight back against their imposed duties occasionally. dean says it in 2.20: “Your happiness for all those people's lives, no contest. Right? But why? Why is it my job to save these people? Why do I have to be some kind of hero?” which is buffy to a t! that's what buffy is all about! the loneliness and unfairness of having this burden on your shoulders! buffy says this in prophecy girl: “I don't care! I don't care. Giles, I'm sixteen years old. I don't wanna die.” but they both always, always go back to do their job. they both always sacrifice their own happiness for others. none of the writers would have intended to have dean make a speech that is entirely parallel to buffy summers’s prophecy girl speech, right down to both sarah michelle gellar and jackles’s tears. because ha ha, buffy is a girl hero, while dean is the embodiment of every male fantasy about what an action hero is.

the thing is, though, when you make dean every male fantasy in the world - attractive, good with women, tough, strong, likes rock music, hates chick flick moments, knows how to shoot a gun, looks good doing it, etc - you make him every male fantasy about women too. which is how we get those slow, full-body shots of dean that you normally only get with women, how we get dean being a caretaker, dean being a pacifier between sam and john, dean watching dirty dancing and liking taylor swift, dean always being the bait, dean’s interactions with villains being framed sexually, dean getting called pretty twice a season. we joke about dean being a hot action girl but he is often objectified in the particular way only women in media are. the way buffy is - in the show i think they actually did a pretty good job of not objectifying buffy. but there are times where they do, and it’s uncomfortable, and it’s subtle, the way it is on spn. and buffy and dean are both used to this kind of treatment; they often weaponize their sexuality, using it when they feel threatened. in the first episode of s2, buffy’s just suffered the enormous trauma of being resurrected after having been bitten by a vampire whose violence has sexual undertones. when she comes back to her friends, they talk about how closed off and mean she’s being, culminating in the scene where she goes to the bronze. if you haven't seen that scene then i dont know how to explain the way she absolutely uses her sexuality against xander and angel, just like dean uses his as a front to protect himself against everyone. when buffy’s traumatized she pushes herself away from those closest to her, represses her emotions, and uses fighting demons as a distraction. sound familiar? buffy and dean both make witty pop culture references that monsters don’t understand and self-deprecating jokes about themselves to deal with when they feel threatened and their low opinions of themselves. buffy has a lot of lines that sound just like dean’s! @lazarusr1sing mentioned buffy saying, “I may be dead, but I’m still pretty, which is more than I can say for you,” as a line that dean literally could have said and it’s true! they’re both a fan of quirky banter during fights but they’re both so messed up when it comes to their opinions of themselves. buffy in 7x07: “I have all this power. I didn't ask for it. I don't deserve it. It's like... I wanted to be punished. I wanted to hurt like I thought I deserved. [...] I feel like I'm worse than anyone. Honestly, I'm beneath them. My friends, my boyfriends. I feel like I'm not worthy of their love. 'Cause even though they love me, it doesn't mean anything cause their opinions don't matter. They don't know. They haven't been through what I've been through. [...] Sometimes I feel...this is awful. I feel like I'm better than them. Superior.” yeah, that’s...dean.

and they absolutely dive into self guilt and hatred if something goes wrong, even if it’s not necessarily their fault. faith in 3x15 says to buffy, “In the balance, nobody's gonna cry over some random bystander who got caught in the crossfire,” and buffy says, “I am.” the amount of trauma buffy and dean both go through kind of desensitizes them to this idea - dean especially, i think, though that’s mainly the fault of the sheer amount of writers and episodes supernatural has - but if they get someone killed, they will do absolutely anything to make up for it.

the idea of sympathetic monsters in buffy and supernatural is met with scorn a lot of the time by buffy and dean. for buffy this is a matter of mental self-preservation. her job is to kill demons, and if she lets herself think all demons can be good, then that means she might have been killing sentient beings that could have done good or weren’t doing harm, since she was a teenager. she can’t let herself think that way so she closes herself off to the possibility of demons being good a lot of the time. we talk about how supernatural majorly drops the ball when it comes to empathizing with the monsters (where’s that post, you know, the, “saving people, hunting things, white men with guns decide which is which,” post), but when it comes to dean, part of that is because, like buffy, he doesn’t want to face the idea that he’s been killing things that aren’t evil since he was a child. he’ll make exceptions (cas, crowley, benny, rowena), like buffy makes exceptions (angel, spike, clem, oz, anya), but it’s easier if it’s all black and white. they’re both strangely attracted to monsters too, though, because part of them feels like they are monsters themselves. like @s4castiel said they have romantic or romantically implied relationships with things they’re meant to fight - dean with benny, cas, and crowley + buffy with angel, spike, and faith. and monsters change themselves for buffy and dean’s sakes – cas, benny, crowley, angel, spike, all become better for the sake of buffy and dean! like that leviathan in 7.06 who says dean doesn’t have relationships he has applications for sainthood!

they hate the idea of being seen as just a killer (dean in 3.10, “Daddy knew what you were. Good soldier and nothing else,” and buffy in 5.22, “Guess that means a Slayer really is just a killer after all.”) dean says, “[A killer] is not who I am,” to chuck in 15.19, just like buffy says, “A slayer is not a killer,” through the later seasons. spike’s speech in 5.07 i think, really says it: “Death is on your heels, baby, and sooner or later, it's gonna catch you. And part of you wants it, not only to stop the fear and uncertainty, but because you're just a little bit in love with it. Death is your art. You make it with your hands day after day, that final gasp, that look of peace.” their worst fear is that all they can do is hurt other people. they’ve been brought up to think violence is all they can do. but they both are first and foremost protectors, especially when it comes to sam and dawn, whose roles in both shows respectively is to be a reminder of dean and buffy’s humanity.

dawn, who first shows up in season 5 as buffy’s younger sister, is, represents buffy’s most beloved parts of herself, buffy’s humanity. sam is a lot like her in the respect that their destiny was to end the world; they’re both book-smart too, while buffy and dean act a lot like dumb blondes despite being incredibly intelligent in ways that aren’t clear to everyone. (not to go on a tangent but they’re both really good battle tacticians who make a lot of references to literature and tv shows and can perceive people and monsters’ weaknesses, etc.) dawn is dangerous to the world like sam is dangerous to the world in s2-s5, but buffy will not kill her like dean will not kill sam. you know how in the end 2009 dean realizes just how much 2014 dean has changed when he talks about killing sam as lucifer? sam is dean’s humanity like dawn is buffy’s humanity. they both put their siblings over everything else in the world. they sacrifice things that sam and dawn can’t begin to understand because dean and buffy shield them from it - dean in 2.22: “I had to take care of you. It’s my job,” and buffy in 6.14: “Dawn, the most important job that I have is looking out for you.” in s5 of buffy, if dawn lives, the world ends, and buffy doesn’t care because she can’t kill dawn. in 5.22 she says, “I don't understand. I don't know how to live in this world if these are the choices. If everything just gets stripped away. I don't see the point. I just wish that...I just wish my mom was here. [..] If Dawn dies, I’m done with it. I’m quitting,” paralleling dean quitting hunting after sam dies. they’re both insanely protective over dawn and sam - dean in 2.09: “You make a move on [Sam], you'll be dead before you hit the ground,” and buffy in 5.22: “I’ll kill anyone who comes near Dawn.” when sam dies in 2.22, dean doesn’t hesitate to offer up his soul in exchange for sam’s life; when dawn is about to die to save the world in 5.22, buffy doesn’t hesitate to die to save the world in dawn’s place. this all on top of the fact that sam and dawn are the babies, the ones dean and buffy have to take care of, which means that...no one is taking care of dean and buffy. like, dean in 3.10: “Sam, [John] doted on. Sam he loved,” and buffy’s mom in 5.05 hugging dawn and calling her “little punkin belly” and in response to buffy’s question of, “Did you ever have any names for me?” says, “No, I think you were always just Buffy.” when buffy’s mom gets sick in s5, buffy has to shoulder an incredible amount of responsibility - giving her mom her medicine, taking care of her, taking care of dawn, fighting a hellgod - and can’t break down in front of anyone because she has to be strong for dawn and her mom, the way dean has to be strong for sam and john (john in 2.01: “You took care of Sammy, you took care of me. You did that, and you didn't complain, not once.) they’re both so scared of opening up and being a burden - buffy’s nightmare hallucination of her deadbeat dad in 1.10 says the same kind of stuff about her being a burden and unwanted that zachariah’s projection of mary says in 5.16. it really is about the eldest sister complex in the end!!!

but they didn’t ever really mean to have dean be like buffy! buffy was literally meant to subvert traditional male action heroes. buffy summers is the male action hero, but she gets to have feelings and traditionally feminine traits too. she likes cheese and wearing pink and dressing up and having pretty hair, but she thinks about battle tactics and kills a vampire like every episode. dean? dean is meant to be the male action hero without the part about having feelings and traditionally feminine traits...except that backfires spectacularly. i mean, they give dean traits such as liking nightgowns to be like haha, wink-wink, nudge-nudge, isn’t that HILARIOUS. except it doesn’t come off that way, we know it doesn’t come off that way. so dean’s watched dead poets society and rent and he sings along to air supply and is good with kids and nerds out over cowboys, but he drives a classic muscle car and kills death and carries a gun with him everywhere he goes. dean and buffy both become multifaceted, complicated, human heroes – but it was intentional for buffy. it was unintentional for dean, so the narrative actively punishes him for it. i mean ymmv on how you feel about the ending of buffy, but she does get a satisfying happy ending. dean, on the other hand, is silenced and killed off and gets the worst possible ending for his character, all because they couldn’t control him.

#this is not coherent at ALL im so sorry #but #*blows a kiss* for all my dean girls in love with buffy!#supernatural #buffy the vampire slayer #mine #buffynatural

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boozedcowboy · 3 years

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The poetry of the ineffable husbands

It’s me ya boi I gotta go to bed in an hour so I’m writing it as fast as I can so I don’t lose my idea tomorrow.

So, what do I mean by that? Literally what it says. I’m just going to ramble about how beautiful and full of metaphors their relationship is and how it just gives me a reason to live. It’s not going to be good rambling. Just rambling with a little bit of passion in it.

Ight imma start with the classic things. As a former Wattpad loyal user I know all the angel x demon tropes. And I am sick of them to my stomach, I can’t stand one more uwu baby angel corrupted by demon. And this is what is surprising but does make sense about them husbands. They cannot, in my opinion, be called angel or demon, they literally became 2 halves of the same entity, the supernatural entity that watches over humans and makes sure there is a balance between good and bad. Like Yin and Yang. Good and evil, black and white, light and darkness. Not opposing, but complementing each other.

Aaaand they were like that from the beginning. Remember when Crowley said "Funny thing is, I keep wondering whether the apple thing wasn’t the right thing to do, as well. A demon can get into real trouble, doing the right thing. Funny if we both got it wrong, eh? Funny if I did the good thing and you did the bad one, eh?". They somehow knew it, Crowley wasn’t evil and Aziraphale wasn’t as obedient as an angel should have been. From the first time they ever got in touch in each other (we do not have any information on the times before Crowley’s fall) they somehow ended up thinking they didn’t do the thing their roles assigned them to. And this just shows how interesting their relationship that would come will be. In their relationship they always ended up stepping on their values that were assigned and for what? For the sake of each other.

Now, I got into the light-darkness thing and I feel the need to extend it. I somewhere saw a theory that angel’s halo’s are so bright that it blinds them, the angels having to rely only on God’s word. Meanwhile, the fallen angels, the demons, had their halo’s broken, forming the shape of the horns, being able to see and think on their own but not having any form of guidance. Now that we uncovered that doesnt a relationship between a demon and an angel just make sense? Like, the angel, blinded by the divine light, would rely on the demon’s words and rationalizing. The demon would then be guided by the angel’s light, this way both benefiting for each other and having to bond to each other. It just makes me so soft to think about that need of each other, and just a silly little thing my brain just said: “the angel could guide the demon through the darkest of times’’ (yes I just quoted my brain deal with it). I am just a succkerrr for this kind of soft thing and many people would probably not empathize and thats okay.

Now the really corny shit. Like the “forbidden love” kind of. This is, again, a well-known trope, but this time one that didn’t lose as much value as others did. When you think “forbidden love” there are so many posibilities. Like... gays during the history, a maiden and a prince, a gay knight and a prince, mafia gang leader harry styles and crime detective, the entire plot of hannibal, drunken me and a laptop to write, hold on I’m going too far, just young people in love and not affording it aaannndd 2 people from opposite sides. Heaven/Hell I mean. Obviously very opposite. And what we have learned about this forbidden love kinda stuff? They almost always end up running away together. Yes I am proving Crowley is head over heels but like, isn’t that poetic as fuck? Being so sick of having to do your work, to hide your feelings, to just hide yourself and the person you would die for that you just want to dull off together and live the perfect life without being judged?

Related to the past point, even if this was an innevitable choice, just the fact that Crowley chose Alpha Centauri is just making my brain and fingers go nuts. Alpha Centauri is a triple star system, 2 of them forming a binary star, basically two stars that are pretty close to each other. Now I know this doesn’t really make any sense, but what if those 2 stars represent Crowley and Aziraphale, and the 3rd one represents Adam? Like in that moment they went during the time before the world was created. I just think it would be cool as fuck that there would actually be an association made.

Also just the ship’s name: Ineffable. What does it mean? Beyond words, beyond understanding. What we always try is to put our feelings into words, and we more than usual fail. Because feelings aren’t something to be shown by words. They are ineffable.

Where did I go with this? Absolutely. No. Idea. I just poured all I my thoughts on a tired keyboard until my fingers have gone cold. It’s just that there are small details or just small ideas that maybe aren’t that revolutionary or special, but why not randomly post them on the internet?

*screeches in happy*

#good omens #ineffable husbands #aziraphale #aziraphale x crowley #crowley #snek crowley #ramblings #someone find me that halo broken halo post idk where I saw it #my fingers are legit cold #get thee behing me foul fiend #after you :D #idk that was just an iconic momet

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demonologist-in-denim · 4 years

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TV Tropes and Crowley

There are plenty of narrative and character development tropes which could be ascribed to Crowley, especially after the cure-than-wasn’t at the end of the eight season of Supernatural.

During the final hours of the cure, with his soul on the verge of mending and his humanity being restored, Crowley experiences a Personal Horror (a trope in which a character is forced to see the horror of themselves and suffers from an alienation of self). His speech about deserving to be loved is its own variant on the Villainous Black Screen of Death (the heroes force a conscience on the villain and he suffers from the sudden overload of emotion and imposed morality). Though Crowley’s Oh God, What Have I Done (realizing the extent of the damage done) moment happens in between scenes, there is no doubt that it occurs, considering his questions to Sam about seeking forgiveness.

He might have had something resembling a Heel Realization (in which a character realizes they are a villain). Before the cure, Crowley was Neutral Evil (evil that serves only their own self-interests), and wasn’t interested in moral labels or concepts, only his own survival and advancement. The shock of the cure and sudden empathy – which requires some sense of the common good and thus morality – might have therefore led him to a version of a Heel Realization. It certainly resulted in Tears of Remorse in the form of a patented Winchester Single Man-Tear.

After the cure, Crowley was never again a typical Villain (surely no explanation needed), but rather found a balance between being an Anti-Villain (a character whose end goals are good – saving the world – but whose methods are monstrous or a character who is ultimately selfish, but will still do the right thing from time to time) and a Noble Demon (a villain who is noble, possesses a code of honor, fears being perceived as having “gone soft,” will save the hero from time to time, but still does monstrous things for their own ends).

It is increasingly obvious in the later seasons that Crowley no longer relishes his role as King of Hell, in the acquisition and torture of souls, or even in being a demon. He becomes a Tragic Villain (a villain that is aware that they are evil, but does not take – or no longer takes – pleasure in their evil deeds, even resenting being forced into the role of the villain). Damned to a hell of his own making by his past misdeeds and blood-born conscience, Crowley is also Trapped in Villainy (in which a reformed villain is unable to break away from the darkness due to external forces) out of fear that all of Hell will come after him should he abdicate. He also fears the loss of his amassed demonic power through Redemption Demotion (the lessening of the reformed villain’s powers to avoid ousting the heroes.)

Crowley suppressed his growing desire for human connection and redemption by considering himself beyond saving, declaring in his own way I’ve Come Too Far for there to be a way out of the dark. He may have felt this way both in that he was Beyond Redemption (where the hero – hello, Winchesters – declared the villain not worth saving), and succumbed to Sunk Cost Fallacy, believing that having damned himself and amassed all this power, he might as well use it for some semblance of good by keeping the demons in line and the world from ending - or else it’s all been for nothing.

And he certainly made (discreet) attempts at playing the role of the Noble Demon. In Season 9, Even though Crowley had self-interested reasons for turning Dean into a demon (other than, you know, saving him from death), he still empathized with Dean’s exhibited self-hatred as a demon. Demon!Dean avoids his own What Have I Become? moment (a post-human panic when a character is made less than human by becoming a monster or supernatural being), but Crowley surely knew Dean was suffering in becoming the thing the Winchesters had always hated and hunted. Saving Castiel in Season 9, attempting to stop Ramiel, hunting the Hellhound with the boys, fighting Lucifer – over and over throughout the later seasons, Crowley proved himself when there was A Friend In Need (in this case, the anti-villain or noble demon helps the hero, even though it might cost them).

Crowley’s relationship with his mother, Rowena, was understandably fraught with tension and complicated emotions. Had she not been so manipulative and self-serving in the beginning, it might have been a case of Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas (villains having a soft spot for their mothers), considering how desperate Crowley was for human connection and affection. Rowena’s abusive ways instead resulted in a Villainous Mother-Son Duo (a villainous mother uses her son as a pawn to further her own ambitions, is often verbally abusive, and the son often plots his mother’s demise).

What Crowley ultimately develops with the Winchesters and their angel is the relationship of True Companions (a found family of characters that may not like each other initially, but come to rely upon each other, with a bond deeper than friendship but not necessarily romantic). Teeth-Clenched Teamwork (enemies or former enemies being forced to team up for a common goal) eventually gave way to a Fire-Forged Friendship (enemies or strangers becoming fast friends through a shared experience of strife), particularly with Dean. By the end of Season 12, Crowley was on the verge of becoming One Of The Boys.

At the core of Crowley’s struggle was the reality that Hope is Scary (a character’s emotional numbness dissolves, allowing hope to be restored, but with it, the fear of loss and pain). What Crowley wanted – human connection, emotional depth, a fulfilling purpose – were all possibilities. Perhaps he could have made amends. Perhaps the Winchesters would have accepted him as one of them, given Crowley their trust and friendship. Perhaps he didn’t have to be a monster any longer. He could strive to be a better version of himself. But there was also the very real possibility that he would be rejected by the Winchesters, that he couldn’t become that better version. Crowley feared he might attempt redemption, only to realize he would never be worthy of it.

His fear of never being worthy or forgiven were confirmed by Sam’s Heel-Face Door-Slam (the villain attempts or openly desires redemption, only to be brutally rejected by the hero) in Season 10. In the face of this rejection, Crowley chose Then Let Me Be Evil (after being ascribed the label of evil by the hero, a character defiantly embraces that fate). And that might have been the end of Crowley’s road to redemption.

Instead, Crowley became the Friendly Enemy (a villain who shares significant emotional experiences with a hero, forming a lasting and profound connection that surpasses their initial hostilities). Crowley and the Winchesters often employed Enemy Mine (previous enemies or lesser rivals join forces against a greater threat) as a rational for this arrangement, and Crowley often got the shaft as The Friend Nobody Likes (just what it says; Crowley falls into the “Care” subset of this trope). Crowley’s continued involvement with the Winchesters could have be due to a Villainous Crush (a villain has secret romantic feelings for a hero). He hid his growing admiration and affection for the Winchesters and their angel through Insults of Endearment (Moose and Squirrel, respectively), and was unequivocally on the verge of a Face Realization (a character realizes they are no longer the villain they had been) and committing to a full Heel-Face Turn (a former villain openly joining the heroes).

So why didn’t that happen for Crowley? Because for some characters, Redemption Equals Death (redemption comes at the cost of one’s life). To make amends for his actions, save the world, spit in the eye of Lucifer, and finally earn the respect of the Winchesters, Crowley sacrificed himself at the end of Season 12. In an unusual pairing, Redemption Equals Death for Crowley was also paired with Death Equals Redemption (a character’s death redeems them in the eyes of other characters), in that the Winchesters spoke well of Crowley after his death, even including him in a prayer for restoration.

Crowley’s death was characterized by the Villain’s Dying Grace (a dying villain choses to commit a final good act, often saving the hero or the world), in that he died believing he was saving the world, protecting the Winchesters, sealing the rift, and locking Lucifer away forever in an apocalyptical alternative universe. He Faced Death With Dignity (a character takes control over their own death, faces it with dignity, and gives meaning to their final moments), even offering the Winchesters and Lucifer a final Dying Smirk (proving to have the upper hand even in dying) – even when I lose, I win.

Redemption Equals Death is a lousy trope. And lazy writing. Actual redemption is a long, hard road that involves emotionally difficult work, repairing relationships, shifting personal values, making amends. Living with what one has done, and attempting to be a better version of one’s self, is much more difficult – and much more fulfilling – than making a grand gesture and then escaping into death. Supernatural surely had its reasons for Crowley’s character arch culminating in Redemption Equals Death – Seasons 14 and 15 could be used to make the argument that Chuck was already having a hard time with Castiel being one of the boys, and didn’t want to add Crowley to the Band of Brothers (a group of people dedicated to each other before all other considerations). Death, however, wasn’t the only option for this reformed Villain.

Working with the Winchesters to close the Gates of Hell and join Team Free Will on a more open, permanent basis, Crowley could have transitioned from a Friendly Enemy into the Token Evil Teammate (serves as an amoral balance to the heroes, willing to perform unpleasant-if-practical tasks to save the world, and often employs snarkiness). In saving souls rather than damning them, and through the Power of Friendship (having friends makes you stronger than you are alone), Crowley might have discovered that being Good Feels Good (acting morally has its own emotional and social benefits). And he could have actively prevented the Winchesters from falling further into the trap of He Who Fights Monsters (a hero becoming the monster they seek to destroy through close association or behavior). Given his massive reserves of influence, expertise, finances and resources, Crowley most likely would have received a Redemption Promotion (an ineffectual villain discovers they are an extremely effective hero), earning his place among the Winchester’s Band of Brothers and reinforcing Good Feels Good.

That’s not to say that it would have been easy, or without complications. There would certainly have been some cases of Reformed, But Rejected (heroes refuse to believe the sincerity of a villain’s redemption arc). There may have been a case of the Enemy Within (a hero carries evil within themselves, which can rise up to control or influence them), as Crowley’s demonic nature clashed with his developing humanity. He might have worried about reverting to his more demonic self, and given Dean instructions to end him before that happens, as he would be better off Dying As Yourself (a final moment of control or being the good self before the corruption or evil takes over) - which Dean would gruffly refuse with Don’t Say Such Stupid Things (harsh reassurance of worth and affection). Crowley might have perceived his increasing humanity, and potentially the necessity of completing the cure, as Redemption Equals Affliction (villain is redeemed but suffers a meaningful loss to earn that redemption). After all, every one of the Winchester’s Band of Brothers suffer from some emotional anguish. In the end, it wouldn’t have mattered if Crowley became human or stayed a demon, so long as he was family, receiving the time-honored You Are Better Than You Think You Are (reassurance from other characters that one is good and making a significant attempt to be or remain good) from his True Companions - preferably in a Winchester-esque Chick Flick Moment.

As One of the Boys, Crowley could have been a gruff, snarky Atoner (a reformed Villain on a path of redemption, motivated by guilt and the desire to make the world – and themselves – better, and to utilize their powers and resources for good), combined with The Snark Knight (the world-weary, embittered, overly-intelligent and anti-social hero). Crowley may have chosen the path of the Ascended Demon (a reformed demon seeking the restoration of humanity) in obtaining the full restoration of his soul or his human nature. As an Ascended Demon (I prefer the term “risen” for Supernatural, to counterbalance angels “falling”), Crowley might even have decided to hunt down and kill – or cure – other demons. Regardless of how Crowley himself would have eventually come to define his own redemption and his place among the Winchesters, he would have stumbled headlong into being counted among The Fettered (those that believe in and serve a certain set of ideals or a moral code), committed to The Family Business of saving people and hunting things – if on his own terms and with the requisite amount of snark.

#crowley #tv tropes #crowley deserved better #dispatches from the crossroads #happy Sulphur Saturday

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ao3feed-ineffablehusbandz · 4 years

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AI-NGL of GOD

by mordelle

In a dystopian near-future, Global Operations Directive (G.O.D) launched the AI-NGL project. AI-NGL-0 (Angel Zero) is the first empathic A.I. prototype. Zero's programming is challenged when it meets an infamous rebel of the Demons, the Serpent, otherwise known as Anthony J. Crowley. Feelings are complicated enough when one is human, and Zero finds itself at a crossroads: Follow orders, or follow its heart.

Words: 2995, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Good Omens (TV)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: M/M, Other

Characters: Aziraphale (Good Omens), Crowley (Good Omens), Gabriel (Good Omens), Michael (Good Omens), Hastur (Good Omens), Beelzebub (Good Omens), Uriel (Good Omens), Sandalphon (Good Omens), Ligur (Good Omens)

Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Alternate Universe - Artificial Intelligence, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Aziraphale is an AI, Human Crowley (Good Omens), Robot/Human Relationships, Hurt Crowley (Good Omens), Angst with a Happy Ending, Brainwashing, Globalization, Dehumanization, Robot Aziraphale, Robot Feels, Angst and Humor, They/Them Pronouns for Beelzebub (Good Omens), Protective Gabriel, Protective Michael, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, They/Them Pronouns for Aziraphale (Good Omens), He/Him Pronouns For Aziraphale (Good Omens), He/Him Pronouns For Crowley (Good Omens), Gender Identity, Identity Issues, Rebellion, Name Changes, Bigotry & Prejudice, Homophobic Language

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/25115275

#ao3feed ineffablehusbandz #ineffable husbands #good omens #aziraphale #crowley #anthonyjcrowl

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fireflysummers · 5 years

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Good Omens Ramble #1

-cracks fingers-

I still have lots of Good Omens feelings, particularly concerning on character interpretation between the novel and the tv series, many of which have been discussed more succinctly and eloquently by others. But eh. Time to throw them out to the whims of the internet.

Disclaimer: I adore all three versions of Good Omens (TV Series, Radio Show, Novel), so none of my discussion points are reasons why any one version is better or worse than the others.

TV Series Crowley shows significantly more angst about his personal damnation than Book Crowley ever did. His two points of angst seem to stem from (1) the question of why God damned him for asking questions, when the angels up in heaven who silently follow orders are so much more cruel and ruthless than he’s ever managed to be; and (2) his relationship with Aziraphale, and the feelings he believes cannot be returned.

Aziraphale on the other hand is a sweetheart. He is ever-optimistic and naive, blindly believing that he really is on the Good Side, even if that means rationalizing the clearly Not Good that has been done in heaven’s name. His internal struggle is rooted partly in his strange and complex relationship with Crowley, but moreover that terror of realizing that the Institution you assumed to be Good and True might not actually hold water...and what that means for his own divinity.

These character interpretations are fascinating, but it also roots the series in the relationship between Aziraphale and Crowley, and as a result, their respective relationships to humanity are significantly downplayed.

The book focuses far more on this human element, (distributing screen time across the human and inhuman cast members more evenly), but as a result, Crowley and Aziraphale are notably different.

Crowley is really the most obvious of the two. Book Crowley is not nearly as sharp or existentially torn as TV Series Crowley, to the point that he’s not actually particularly angry about his own damnation.

On top of that, I’ve always felt that he’s envied humanity for the very thing that he gifted them--free will. As a result, he tries desperately to emulate them, living in an expensive flat and always following the latest fashion trends...not just out of idle fascination, but because he empathizes more with humanity than with hell. It’s more than simply the wanting that’s normal for a demon. He loves and that’s a very bad thing.

He doesn’t enjoy pain and suffering, not causing it or witnessing it, despite that being his job. All that turmoil manifests as an ever-present anxiety, which he (poorly) copes with with lots of alcohol (his solution to seeing the horrors wrought by the Spanish Inquisition that were wrongly attributed to him) and lots of sleep (for up to an entire century, despite not biologically needing it).

He is distinctly aware of how bad at being a demon he is. When Aziraphale tells him that he’s nice, his response isn’t anger but sulking. He knows he’s nice and he hates it. Crowley doesn’t fit in heaven or in hell, and that lack of placement in the Great Plan causes him more strife than the simple act of being damned because he’s left questioning the logic of it all, and is nearly alone in that struggle.

Overall, I’d give Crowley considerably fewer vices than his angelic counterpart, Aziraphale.

Book Aziraphale doesn’t appear to suffer from the same levels of existential anxiety that either TV Series Crowley or Book Crowley deals with. This is in part because Book Aziraphale suffers most from his personal pride.

It is a given that angels are Good and demons are Bad. It’s not so much that Aziraphale judges Crowley to be Bad, so much as Aziraphale doesn’t doubt his own Goodness.

But he’s also significantly disconnected from the heavenly hosts. It’s implied that, despite Gabriel really not playing a role in the books, Aziraphale doesn’t get along with him at all (and, perhaps by extension, the rest of the angels). So Aziraphale simply trusts in his own Goodness and continues to do his thing in earth--indulging in earthly, physical delights, hoarding worldly possessions, and fraternizing with a demon.

Because as Crowley said at the beginning, it shouldn’t be possible for an angel to do Bad, right?

So Aziraphale is content to assume that the things that he judges as good are actually Good, which is why although he is suspicious of heaven’s motives for a while, he doesn’t get too hung up on it.

Which is why he doesn’t even realize that he’s “gone native” in one very crucial aspect--which is to say that he stops judging good and evil by heavenly standards, but by human standards. Because, while Aziraphale doesn’t cling to humanity in the same way that Crowley does, he does not see individual humans as interchangeable pawns in a greater scheme. He loves humanity.

And when that rude awakening hits, that perhaps his own understanding of Good and Bad does not line up with heaven’s, he is shockingly quick to sever that bond in favor of what he has learned, slowly, over 6000 years to be right.

And he stands by that, clear until the end of the world. In the face of the hosts of heaven and hell, in the face of annihilation at the hands of Satan himself, Aziraphale does not hesitate.

When Crowley, terrified out of his mind, turns to flee...it is Aziraphale who calls him back. In the book, they do not demand for Adam to stand against the father he never knew. Instead, they take each other’s hands and prepare for their own eternal demise, an angel and demon who have rebelled against heaven and hell alike, fighting for humanity as they always have.

And it’s that example of courage and love that inspires Adam unprompted to change how the story ends.

The book doesn’t have a trial sequence. Adam plays some part in that, yes, but moreover the apocalypse was supposed to happen, and then it didn’t. Honestly, I’ve always felt that the disruption of something even the angels deemed to be unstoppable more or less threw both sides into chaos, bringing to light a lot of unpleasant questions about good and bad and free will.

Things that Aziraphale and Crowley have confronted together already over the course of six thousand years.

#good omens #long post #text

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gearsmoke · 5 years

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Be Warned.

This is a Good Omens post and you can skip it if you want. On the speculation that Crowley was once Raphael. A hypothetical explanation.

So, some groundwork first: There are about six different main 'traditions' that the current Angelic mythos is based on. Islamic, Jewish, Christian, and a few scholars that were considered authorities in their day. So there is some variation depending on which one you look at. But there are certain concepts that are common to more than one of these traditions, so they get used in modern writing a lot. One of these is the hierarchy of Angelic orders. An angel may hold titles in more than one order - some are both Archangels and Cherubim: for example, Gabriel. They are more like jobs than races.

Of these orders, commonly considered the highest before God themself, is the Seraphim. Satan was once the ruler of this order, which are described both as lion-headed, six-winged fiery angels, and as fiery flying serpents. So there is already a link between Seraphim and both Satan and the Serpent of Eden.

Now Raphael is variably described as an Archangel, Throne Angel, and 'one of the Great Angels', but he is not officially given the title of Seraph. In fact, Seraphim serve under him, and he is considered second in beauty and power only to Satan, who does hold that title, so if he is not a Seraph in rank, he is at least equal to one. Raphael was, at least at one time, explicitly the guardian of the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden. There is some debate about whether or not the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge are the same tree. But at the very least, this being was in the Garden.

In addition, Raphael is also associated with serpents, with healing, and all three are then associated with a symbol that is /very/ similar to Crowley's tattoo: The Cadeuceus. Originally the Cadeuceus was a symbol of astrology and alchemy, and also tied to Raphael in the planet Mercury. In time, the two staves became interchangeable and both were used to represent medicine and healing - not surprising as alchemy would have lead into chemistry and pharmeceuticals. Earlier, the single-serpent Rod of Asclepius was the Healer’s symbol, before the Cadeuceus became confused with it. In time the two-serpent symbol eclipsed the older one almost completely. In modern mythology and occultism, Raphael’s symbol is often a Cadeuceus with a halo or a star between the wings.

There is some overlap between Raphael and Hermes (Mercury), who carried the Cadeuceus. The exact relationship between Hermes and Raphael is obscure. In some writings, Raphael manifests as the staff, in others Hermes is an aspect of Raphael himself. There is some interesting interplay between the two figures, with Hermes being described as both a guide and a protector, but also a ‘divine trickster’, a thief and a manipulator with childlike amorality. Whereas Raphael is very sympathetic towards humans, a healer and a teacher. Something to consider. ...

And then we look at Crowley, who is almost /ridiculously/ obviously not a proper demon. Falling couldn't erase his curiosity, imagination, or empathy. Not only does Crowley not look like any other demon in Hell, he doesn’t think like them either. He is an entirely different creature. He claims to have helped create stars, meaning he was there during the Creation, before Earth. When it is suggested that only the ‘Great Angels’ (Gabriel, Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Lucifer) bore witness. I would suspect it's far harder to completely strip away the divinity from a creature so powerful. The only Seraph, the only Archangel known to fall was Satan, who was not made into a Demon either, but remained an angel in title and power. They couldn't reduce a Seraph to a festering, stupid thing like Hastur or even Beelzebub. Perhaps they took Raphael’s name instead. Blurred out the memory of who he had been, put him as far down on Hell’s ladder as they could to keep him in his place - they couldn't have a being nearly as powerful as Satan in full awareness of his abilities. But small scraps were left to him, just enough to make him ache for their loss.

As Raphael, Lucifer would likely consider him a contender for the throne of Hell. Perhaps the Adversary is still the empathic being depicted in the old stories, or maybe he simply hasn’t the ability to destroy his brother. So he sent Crowley to Earth, out of sight and mind, and told the rest of Hell to generally let him get away with being a slacker. Which is also why he wound up holding the Antichrist; Crowley, this nobody screwup who didn't have the heart to harm anyone directly, of course he should be the one Lucifer trusted to take care of his son. I did wind up wondering if the show writers deliberately made that tattoo resemble those particular symbols.

#fandom speculation #The show version #the book didn't have much of this at all #but the show's symbolism is so /deliberate/#Good Omens #Crowley as Raphael

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lostsoulaltair · 5 years

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Yu/Guren's relationship to Jose/Crowley (Anon request)

Well, this was a curious request, being honest I had once in mind this but well, I’m glad someone made this request, thanks a lot dear anon!

Let’s begin with this relationship analysis.

We know so far that the relationship between Guren and Yu is up to everyone’s expectative or point of view.

Guren seems like that father figure even if he doesn’t portray as a good parent. Even though, Guren cares and does love Yu on his own way. Sure, I can’t deny that Guren is selfish, but there’s something he taught Yuichiro which is being honest. What do I mean with that?

First of all, when Yu learnt the truth about why he went beserk in Shinjuku, Guren was honest to him about being an experiment. Yu’s reaction wasn’t that of an angry or pissed child, but instead, he seemed to accept that, which lead us to understand that Yu appreciates that Guren’s being honest with him instead of running up with lies.

Also, there’s something that Yu can detect while others barely can, which is the fact that he’s an empathic teenage, which means, he understands the pain others go through, the first example is Shiho Kimizuki, when they were training and Shiho got a notice about his sister, Yu insisted until he accepted to see his sister; which means that Yu really does understand human emotions, same case with Mitsuba, when she feared that her squad would die again, Yu proved that she was wrong; the same thing happened with Yoichi, he was understanding about how he felt and motivated him on his own way. Mika is no exception, when they were kids, Yu perfectly knew that Mika was holding everything and was trying to be strong. And lastly with Shinoa, Yu knows that Shinoa is someone who hides her emotions pretty well but tries to understand her such as when she makes certain facial expresions he knows something’s off with her.

But now, what does this have to do with a comparison between Crowley and José’s relationship?

To start with this comparison, Crowley pretty much cared for José on his own way; they were knights but pretty much understood the hardships José went through, even if Crowley tried to keep at arms leght with José, José had something with him that made it impossible to keep him away. José admired Crowley so much because he was the best, he followed God’s will as a Crusader. But at the same time, there were instances that their relationship was more of a father and son relation. But why’s that?

Crowley on his own way didn’t want José to get involved with being a Crusader, deep down, he wanted José to live a peaceful life but what makes me think that?

Well, in the light novel whenever José looked up for him, Crowley would always try to dismiss him, even if he told him because those were the rules, it was also because he cared about his well being.

Crowley knew that in those Crusade wars, nothing could be gained except death or victory, being a Crusade carried more responsibility,therefore, we could say that Crowley cared about him by trying to keep him away from such bloody fate.

Also, something similar Crowley and Guren share is the fact that both have their soft spot on kids, they can be merciless but they know how to value someone’s life. Even if Crowley’s a vampire, I do believe he enjoys being around with humans again

I hope this small analysis was something you expected dear anon. I wish I had more material but, I’ll be able to have it when the next light novel decides to appear to have a better perspective of Crowley!

#owari no seraph #seraph of the end #sote #ons #the story of vampire mikaela #anonymous #anon #anon request #hope this answers your question dear anon #crowley eusford #josé #guren ichinose #yuichiro hyakuya

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peanutbutterjelly-pie · 6 years

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Part 3/3 of my Masterlist, a compilation of Supernatural AU stories - with special mentions of “Witches/Familiars” and “Fantasy”!!

Also watch out for the other two parts:

Canon!verse/Canon Divergence

Alternate Universe

ALTERNATE UNIVERSE: SUPERNATURAL ELEMENTS

Broadway Musical by Griftings

This is the day that marked the Holy and Blessed Union of Dean Winchester and Jo Harvelle.

The merging of prominent bloodlines is always a grand occurrence, but breeding pedigree hunter families like Winchester and Harvelle is something to be rejoiced. It is also something to be meticulously planned, which thankfully the Host is very good at.

Or, the romantic comedy where Dean Winchester and Jo Harvelle are destined to get married, Castiel is given the task of playing matchmaker and fails terribly, the entire Heavenly Host becomes a sitcom audience, God warns against male pregnancy, and Jimmy Novak is incredibly unimpressed with angels in general.

(Words: 12k)

A Brief Glimpse by cloudyjenn

Castiel is utterly convinced he can't love anyone, but Sam, so when a strange occurrence at a carnival shows him otherwise, he doesn't know what to do.

(Words: 12k)

Earth is a Tourist Trap by Annie D (scaramouche)

When Castiel's offered a senior position in the Heavenly Host, he decides that before he commits himself he'd better take that holiday on Earth he's always wanted. So he does, and he meets Dean.

(Words: 15k)

Worth the Fall by Desirae

The angel Castiel was stationed on Earth to observe, not interact. When he takes it upon himself to intervene in an accident that would have claimed the life of Kindergarten teacher, Dean Winchester, there were consequences.

Stripped of most of his powers, Castiel is forced to live as a mortal for one year. But after getting to know the man who led to his fall from grace, the angel soon discovers that he has a choice to make. Return to his post when his punishment is over and never see Dean again, or give up his near immortality to take a chance at a life on Earth with the human he has come to love.

(Words: 25k)

Like Lightning Under Your Skin by A_Diamond

Desperate for a way to save his brother from a demon’s clutches, hunter Dean does the unthinkable and seeks out a supernatural creature for help: a powerful lightning elemental, the kind he and his family should be killing. When his attempt to bind the elemental goes awry, he finds himself psychically connected to it instead. The creature’s emotions bleed into his; its pain echoes into him.

Rather than finding the solution to saving Sam, Dean’s given himself a new and even more time-sensitive problem. He has to find a way to master the bond before the rest of the hunters decide he’s too far gone and put him down. The trouble is that the more time he spends connected to the elemental’s thoughts, the more he starts to wonder if they don’t have it all wrong. Maybe the creature, which calls itself Castiel, doesn’t deserve to be slaughtered; maybe the rest of its kind hadn’t deserved that, either.

Or maybe that’s just Castiel’s voice in his head.

(Words: 25k)

Purgatory's Angel by Ltleflrt

In an act of heroism Castiel sacrifices one of his wings to save lives. But he isn’t sure he wants to live tethered to the ground, never to dance in the sky again. Two stubborn Winchester brothers have faith that his future isn’t quite so grim, and that flight may be possible someday. Castiel thinks they’re full of shit, but in the face of Dean’s cheerful optimism it’s hard not to believe.

(Words: 27k)

Catch a Fallen Star by the__magpie

Dean Winchester would do anything to convince Lisa Braeden to marry him, even if it means venturing beyond the wall near his village to bring her a star that they watched fall from the sky. What he does not expect, though, is to end up dragging a grumpy, uncooperative star named Castiel through a strange land of faeries, magic, and flying pirates. Pursued by an ancient witch and two nobles vying for the throne, Dean and Castiel find themselves caught up in an adventure beyond what they could have ever imagined.

(Words: 31k)

Trade All My Tomorrows by 3988Akasha, ElDiablito_SF

Dean Winchester had a human family once, but he doesn't ever remember not being a demon. Not particularly aligned to either Hell or Humanity, he drifts through the world, mostly at his own pleasure. Until, that is, he's caught in the middle of a turf war between Abaddon and Crowley, which forces him to choose sides - and leads him to a Man of Letters named Castiel Novak.

(Words: 32k)

The Request by cloudyjenn

When Sam Winchester prays for his brother, Castiel is finally sent on his very first assignment. But what should be a simple love match turns into much more and Castiel finds himself risking everything to ensure the happiness of his extremely frustrating charge.

(Words: 37k)

Good One's Gonna Be by remmyme

Castiel Novak receives a rather alarming text message from an unknown number, and what started as a simple misdial quickly turns into the greatest friendship Castiel has ever known. But Dean has many secrets, dangerous truths about the life he lives, and would like to tell Castiel exactly none of them.

(Words: 37k)

Convenient Husbands by Annie D (scaramouche)

"It's only temporary, right?" Dean says. "Just until you're healed up, and then we'll never have to see each other again. So what do you say, Castiel, do you want to marry me or not?"

(Words: 39k)

Fortune Cookies by destieldrabblesdaily

Dean and his best friend Jo own a bakery together. When a salesman named Crowley visits Dean to make a deal, Dean has no idea of the consequences, and his world turns upside down when an actual angel literally crashes into his life. For the first time in his thirty-year-existence, Dean is overwhelmed by real companionship, wings, and most of all... love.

(Words: 44k)

It's a Small World (aka the Worst Ride at Disneyland) by ireadhpinenochian

Dean's life didn't start out great. With his mom dying and his father taking him and Sam on wild goose chase after wilder goose chase to track down her killer until Sam couldn't take it anymore and ran off, it pretty much sucked. But now he has Cas. And Cas is great--perfect, even--definitely the best thing that's ever happened to him, even if he isn't quite human. He's been living so long in domestic bliss that he completely forgot to be worried about waiting for the other shoe to drop. Which is, of course, when his giant of a brother strolls back into his life sending Dean into a panic that he and Cas will have to uproot their perfect apple pie life if Sam finds out Cas' big secret.

(Words: 45k)

Closer to Fine by sheron

As an empath, Castiel has always been different. Whether he liked it or not, since childhood he has felt the emotions of people around him. There is only one exception to the rule, a man whom his powers don't affect at all: Dean Winchester. With Dean seemingly just a regular guy, with a tough past, what makes him special? Can Castiel stop himself from falling for him regardless? And why has his brother Gabriel suddenly returned, wanting to rebuild their broken relationship...

(Words: 45k)

Just Your Heart, In Exchange For Mine by noxsoulmate

Dean owns a bakery and Castiel loves his pie. This could be such a cute little bakery love story – if it weren’t for the fact that one was a retired hunter and the other one a powerful witch. There’s also the matter of the black little cat Dean finds in front of his bakery one cold and rainy night. Not to forget the crazy witch on the loose, ripping out other witches’ hearts.

(Words: 47k)

Kiss You When It's Dangerous by zoemathemata

When his partner Uriel, betrays him, Federal Agent Castiel Novak is saved from becoming a ritual sacrifice by brothers Dean and Sam Winchester. Discovering the world of the supernatural and learning about werewolves, wendigoes, vampires and things that go bump in the night also leads to learning more about Dean and the strange life he and his brother lead. The more he learns, the more Castiel finds himself drawn into Dean’s world and toward Dean himself.

Until Uriel wants to complete the ritual he started.

(Words: 58k)

Whitechapel Monster: The True Story of Jack the Ripper by Andromytta, Deancebra, nealinor

1888. A madman is murdering prostitutes in the poor neighborhood of Whitechapel in London. Scotland Yard has assigned the case to their finest detective team: Castiel Novak and Charles Bradbury. The two launch into the investigation which is interrupted by one Dean Winchester, who seems to turn up each time a murder occurs. Is this man the Ripper or does he know something that the Detectives don’t?

Dean Winchester is following in his father’s footsteps and has become a hunter of monsters. He is drawn to London following the trail of unnatural murders. While the detectives look for a man, the hunter is looking for something far more supernatural. Assisted by his brother Sam, he tries to investigate the crimes himself; however, the lead Detective, Novak, is dead set on keeping him away.

Will the two men find a middle ground to face an enemy that has more than murder on his mind?

(Words: 60k)

Man in the Wilderness by OneHundredSuns

Dean Winchester is fresh out of Purgatory along with every other Tom, Dick and Wendigo that called the cesspool home. As the monsters lay waste to the Earth and eat anything they can get their hands on, Dean sets out to find his only remaining family so that they can hunker down and fight the assholes head on. He doesn’t mean to stumble upon Castiel Novak and his adorable twins in the middle of the apocalypse and he sure as hell doesn’t mean to offer them a ride to wherever they are trying to get to. But the world is a dangerous place now and he’s always been a sucker for blue eyes and cute kids. So he’ll help them out and just hope it doesn’t get him or them killed in the process.

(Words: 69k)

Let the Altars Shine by tiptoe39

For the sake of his family, Dean agrees to marry an angel he's never seen. He's not expecting true love, nor to uncover the mystery behind why the angels are taking husbands in the first place. But sometimes in marriage, the unexpected happens.

(Words: 70k)

The Mensch by Aerlalaith

Sam and Dean are (maybe) Men of Letters. Castiel is something else entirely.

(Words: 73k)

A Beginner's Guide to Communing with the Dead by suspiciousflashlight

Maybe it's the little girl whose disappearance turned into a murder, and whose murder turned into a cold case, and who has now apparently decided to move in with him. Maybe it's the unacceptable hole left in his life when his dumb best friend and partner in (the prevention of) crime decided to go and get himself killed. Maybe it's his brother, whose high-profile career and fantastic girlfriend and first-child-on-the-way are steadily leaving Dean in the dust. Pick one. Pick all of them. The why doesn't matter so much as the what, and the what is this: Dean is pretty sure he's going completely, certifiably insane. Sure, he hasn't started wearing all his clothes inside out, and he still showers on a regular basis (anyways, that's not crazy, just a little eccentric); but there's no getting around the fact that he just threw away his life, his career, and his reputation by dragging out his mom's old necromancy book and summoning a Class A Forbidden Entity to his attic. A cranky one, too. With horrendous bed-head.

(Words: 77k)

Passing Ships by quiettewandering

When Castiel commits a crime unforgivable, he is demoted from distinguished guardian angel to the role of cupid. His assignment: to pair Dean Winchester and Lisa Braeden together as soulmates. Adamantly against the idea, Dean proves to be a challenging assignment for Castiel - especially when he falls in love with him.

(Words: 78k)

The Ghosts of Blackthorn Hall by linoresearch

In 1843 Castiel Milton leaves his life of quiet faith and duty to take up employment as tutor to the young ward of one Mr Dean Winchester, at Blackthorn Hall. Set deep among the Yorkshire moors, Blackthorn is a place of mysteries – a wild place, where pale faces appear at the windows, and mad women laugh in the night. Castiel is drawn to the enigmatic Master of Blackthorn and they form an attachment neither of them expected. But there are secrets hidden behind Blackthorn’s stone walls, truths that threaten to destroy their fragile happiness, as they are forced to confront the ghosts of their past.

(Words: 95k)

Saved by Slanguage

The only thing Castiel Novak ever knew was how to hunt monsters—ghosts and werewolves and demons and everything that goes bump in the night. With the help of the man he secretly loves, Dean Winchester, and Dean’s little brother, Sam, the three of them had been a force to be reckoned with. But, in a last-ditch effort to save Sam’s life, Castiel sold his soul to Hell, and the hellhounds dragged him down to the Rack when his year was up. Now Castiel is being tortured—physically by the fiendish Alastair, and mentally by the memories of what he had.

Until one day a young woman with red hair appeared in the middle of Hell, and she asked him if he wanted to be saved. And, without realizing the consequences, Castiel said yes.

(Words: 110k)

Cursed Or Not by Ltleflrt

While experimenting with magic when he was a kid, Sam accidentally cursed Dean. Now, Dean is forced to wear a spelled amulet constantly, or he'll turn into a random animal. For a little over a decade, he's learned to live with the curse, and has even found it useful in some cases, but he sure would be happier without it.

When he meets a witch named Castiel, he's offered a deal. Instead of assuming all witches are bad, Dean can spend a season getting to know him. If at the end of the season, Dean still thinks he's evil Castiel will send him away with his memory wiped of the whole experience. But if he learns that Castiel is not the monster Dean assumes he is, he'll lift Dean's curse.

It's an offer Dean can't bring himself to pass up.

(Words: 115k)

Hunting for Faith by perunamuusa, riseofthefallenone

It starts a few days earlier.

Castiel first notices it in the middle of the night when the dreams of fire and screams have kept him awake. He’s kneeling before the altar, praying, when the glass in the windows start to shake, the very air vibrating around him. Castiel is on his feet and reaching for the gun tucked into the back of his pants as the shutters over the windows start to rattle.

(Words: 271k)

Not Part of the Plan by Annie D (scaramouche)

Castiel's spent most of his adult life keeping his head down and staying out of trouble. This is a deliberate choice on his part, because as a cousin of the King, he'd rather stay unimportant and forgotten. This changes abruptly when King Michael decides that he has a better use for Castiel: he is to be wed to a noble member of the neighboring Republic, as part of an agreement between their two nations.

Castiel knows he has to obey, but that doesn't mean he won't rebel in what small ways he can. Unexpectedly, his actions end up having far-reaching consequences.

(Words: 318k)

Angel's Wild by LimonadeGaby, riseofthefallenone

But that’s the whole reason he’s here, isn’t it? He’s not out here hunting Humans. He’s not even hunting deer, or bears, or anything else that featured in Bambi. He’s out here, freezing his nuts off every night, because he’s hunting Angels.

Sometimes Dean wishes that Angels were like how they’re described in the Bible. How people from time too old for him to care much about thought Angels were messengers and warriors of God, protectors of Humans. He knows that how they’re really described in the Bible is actually pretty terrifying, but at least they were told by God that they’re supposed to love Humans, right?

That’s a thousand times better than what Angels really turned out to be.

(Words: 389k)

* * * *

ALTERNATE UNIVERSE: WITCHES/FAMILIARS

Pumpkin Spice

Dean’s new neighbor is a blue-eyed nature witch with forget-me-nots in his hair.

(Words: 3k)

Memory Lane by K_K_TiBal

Dean’s best friend Castiel is a genuine, bonafide witch with potions and magic spells to prove it.

You’d think he’d have learned by now to be more careful around Castiel’s things.

(Words: 4k)

Enchanted Tea Emporium by mazedoodle, violue

As an experienced witch, Castiel has seen many captivating sights in his life. However, nothing he's seen has ever had him quite as entranced as the sight of the man in the flower shop across the road, unloading items from the back of a truck.

(Words: 10k)

You Found Me by through_shadows_falling

Dean is a Witch without a Familiar because, unlike everyone else, he’s never experienced the Call that brings Witches and Familiars together. But that’s fine, really. He doesn’t mind not being able to use his magic, and he definitely isn’t jealous of other Bonded pairs. Nope, not him. Which makes it all the more incredible when an Unbonded Familiar—a crow named Cas—smashes down on his windshield with a broken wing. Dean’s mother is able to heal Cas’s wing, but they’ve got a bigger problem: Cas’s Grace has been stolen, which prevented him from ever initiating a Call. He believes Dean is his Witch, so they embark on a journey to get his Grace back with the hopes that they can officially Bond as a true Witch/Familiar pair.

(Words: 16k)

These Roses Sing by K_K_TiBal, whelvenwings

Dean and Castiel have absolutely no reason to meet.

Castiel is the stepson of the mayor, the second son of the most important family in the city. Dean, meanwhile, has just started learning about mechanics from his father. They belong to different worlds - but when chance brings Castiel into Dean's father's workshop, they meet, with incredible consequences. All it takes is a single flower - a rose - to awaken a power within them that they don't know how to understand or control: they can cast spells on anyone, absolutely anyone, with the gift of a flower.

But can they learn how to be brave, how to take the gift that's within them and use it well - and can they find their way back to each other?

(Words: 25k)

Unfamiliar by riseofthefallenone

“We all know that Familiars will be the closest to you. Your bond with a Familiar will transcend family, friends, and even your future husband or wife. A Familiar becomes a part of you, and you a part of them.” Mr. Adler’s dull tone rolls across the auditorium and it’s clear to everyone that he doesn’t care about the topic. It makes Castiel feel bad for his Familiar. “Now, can anyone tell me why Witches need Familiars and why they need us?”

(Words: 29k)

Willowsbend by miss_grey

In the town of Willowsbend, the Supernatural police unit went by the name of Dean Winchester. Unfortunately for Dean, the Supernatural population of Willowsbend was zero. So Dean spent the majority of his time calming paranoid housewives when their pipes rattled and chasing off wildlife that over-zealous citizens were sure must be shifters. It’s a tiring job, full of false-starts and hysterical old ladies. It’s a rare day that Dean has to deal with anything truly Supernatural. That’s about to change, and it all begins with the arrival of one Castiel Novak.

(Words: 51k)

Hedge Witch by EthneDragon, palominopup

Castiel moved to the woods of Wyoming to practice his white magick without his family's interference. He lived a simple life with his cat and a gray wolf as his only companions. The people of the small town across the river know what he is and are protective of him.

Dean Winchester is a hunter. He is deep in the wilderness searching for a wendingo when he falls through the ice. Before he loses consciousness, he sees a huge gray wolf-like creature.

Castiel brings the near frozen man into his home and nurses him. Will the distrust Dean has of all witches stop him from falling for the man who saved his life?

(Words: 75k)

Unbound by through_shadows_falling

In a world where Witches and Familiars depend on each other to survive, Dean Winchester remains Unbound, and his magic—and life—is dwindling. Dean has accepted his fate, even if his family hasn't. After all, what can he do about it?

But then a man stumbles into his life who just might be Dean's Witch, but for some mysterious reason, refuses to Bond. On top of that, there's trouble brewing on the horizon, and it seems that Dean's caught right in the thick of it.

Can Dean convince the stranger that they need each other, before it's too late for the both of them—and their world?

(Words: 85k)

* * * *

ALTERNATE UNIVERSE: FANTASY

The Prince and the Pauper - but not really by Niitza

It's the classic fairytale: Once upon a time, in a kingdom far far away, there lived a beautiful Princess, beloved by her people. Unfortunately her Evil Stepmother, who desired the throne for herself, had her kidnapped on a moonless night and locked in the highest room of the highest tower of a lost castle. From then on the Princess' only hope rested in the coming of her Prince Charming to the rescue…

Except for the fact that the beautiful Princess is actually a Prince who has better things to do than wait in that tower, the Evil Stepmother a bunch of Evil Conspirators who really haven't thought things through, and the Prince Charming nothing but a Commoner hoping to make some money from grateful parents and ending up with something else entirely.

(Words: 9k)

Happily Ever After by darkforetold

Prince Dean lives in a world where princes can only marry princesses and live happily ever after. The problem is, he's in love with Prince Castiel, his awkward (ridiculously handsome) best friend. Dean thinks it's his destiny to settle down with a princess, but when Dean goes after the famed Sleeping Beauty, things change. Instead of facing off with villains, Prince Dean decides to fight social expectations and go after his one true love: Prince Castiel.

(Words: 12k)

Walking Through Fire by the__magpie

Castiel’s life as a prince isn’t perfect, but it’s certainly preferable to being kidnapped by robbers. All he wants is to go back home safely and forget about all of this, but his brother is refusing to pay the ransom and the leader of the robbers, Dean Winchester, is annoyingly good at making Castiel trust him.

(Words: 24k)

His Shining Glory, James Castiel Emmanuel Novak, Sixth Prince of Celestine by A_Diamond

When a mysterious blight devastates the kingdom of Celestine's farms, it allies with its neighbor through a trade treaty: Americana will send food north, and Celestine will send its youngest prince Castiel south to wed the American heir, Dean. It's not love at first sight, but that turns out to be the least of their worries. From culture shock and misunderstandings to conspiracies and assassination attempts, the two princes have a lot to overcome before they can try for a happily ever after.

(Words: 34k)

a world above water by museaway

Castiel’s hope for freedom is threatened by a chance encounter with the Crowned Prince of Lawrence, who is trying to avoid an arranged marriage.

(Words: 35k)

See the Sunrise by Carver Edlund (goshcas), Zerda

He didn't know what he expected. Maybe piles and piles of gold and treasure, closely guarded by a massive scaly beast, red or blue or black and breathing fire. Maybe with wings, maybe not. Maybe it would have red eyes and maybe it would attack as soon as it saw Dean. He was expecting—well, he was expecting a dragon.

Not... this.

"This" being a young man with dark hair, too blue eyes, and a tilt to his head. He didn't... look like a dragon. He just looked confused.

(Dean/Castiel fairy tale AU in which Dean is a prince who goes to slay a dragon, and Castiel is cursed to turn into a dragon every night.)

(Words: 37k)

Castiel Enchanted by ANobleCompanion

When Castiel was a baby, the angel Naomi blessed him with the gift of obedience. Despite the curse, Castiel grows up with a strong mind and heart. To keep people from discovering his secret, Castiel spends most of his childhood without a close friend - until he meets Dean, Prince of Fell. Together, they will learn about friendship, love and what it takes to find your own free will.

(Words: 53k)

True as It Can Be by whelvenwings

Growing up in a small town in Kansas, Dean learned from a young age that there was only one rule that couldn’t be broken, one place he couldn’t go - through the forest, to the long-abandoned Angel’s Hollow. But when Sam disappears, Dean’s left with no choice but to follow his brother's tracks through the dangers of the wood; little does he know that the most dangerous creature of all lurks not among the trees, but in the Hollow itself. Dean sets Sam free, at the cost of his own liberty - and, bound by magic, resigns himself to living out the rest of his days in the Hollow, at the mercy of the being within. The angel of Angel’s Hollow, however, has a story - is a prisoner, too, as much as Dean is. Only one thing can free them both - but it is impossible. For, after all: who could ever learn to love a beast?

(Words: 72k)

The Watcher and the Warrior by superhoney

The kingdom of Esporia has been at peace for many years, under the protection of five powerful enchanters known as the Watchers. From his tower in the east of the kingdom, Castiel, the Weather Watcher, controls the winds and the rains, and never expects to be needed for anything more.

In the capital city, Dean Winchester, long-serving member of the Royal Guard, is due to be elevated to the rank of Captain, rewarded for his dedication and leadership these many years.

But as dark forces begin to move against the kingdom, a chance meeting will bring these two men together, and their destinies will collide in ways neither of them could ever have predicted.

(Words: 108k)

#destiel #fanfic #fic rec #rec list #fic #supernatural elements #witches #witches and familiars #fantasy #masterlist #fics underneath the cut

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