#az fell and co
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Particular proud of this panel of my 80s era romcom parody comic!
Took ages. *pats self on artist back*
(First Chapter up on Patreon!)
#illustrator#illustration#digital artist#artist on tumblr#crowley#good omens#good omens art#aziraphale#gleafer art#good omens aziraphale#femme aziraphale#romcom#az fell#az fell and co#bookshop#black and white art
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On the Bookshop, the Concept of Home, and Going Too Fast
So, weirdly enough, I want to start with a scene that has very little to do with the actual Bookshop: 1967. We get Crowley planning a heist and being interrupted by an angel clutching a thermos full of holy water and promising that someday, maybe, they could let themselves have the life they want together. And we get that line. You know the one. You go too fast for me.
This one line of dialogue went a very long way to cementing the fanon perception of their roles in the relationship as we've largely been shown them - Crowley gently pushes and gives Aziraphale space to slowly feel comfortable setting his own boundaries or adjusting his worldview. And I’m not saying this is wrong - it’s definitely what we're primed to expect in their pattern - but I do think it ignores a fairly common variation of their pattern. See, sometimes, Aziraphale is actually the faster of the two of them - he's just not quite as flashy about it.
Crowley very rarely actually does any pushing without getting some kind of signal from Aziraphale first. Aziraphale, whether consciously or otherwise, quite frequently is the player making the first move on their metaphorical chess board. We see that he's the first to push for them to work together in the story of Job. We see that he's the first to invite Crowley to socialize together in Rome. We see as early as the Globe that Aziraphale has discovered and weaponized how to ask Crowley for things with a simple look and that Crowley has gotten very good at reading those asks. We actually see this dynamic in real time as Aziraphale drops signals to Crowley on how he should form his deception of the angels in the Book of Job. Even the Arrangement itself is something Crowley doesn't push for until he knows explicitly that Aziraphale isn't happy with the terms of his work. In other words, Aziraphale sets a cue, Crowley picks up on it and adapts.
So what does this have to do with the Bookshop?
Well. The Bookshop is a prime example of Aziraphale getting there faster. Because the bookshop, whether he knows it at the time or not, is absolutely a nest.
Nesting is behavior typically associated with birds, but is actually something lots of animals do. Even humans exhibit this behavior to some degree. It’s functionally gathering a bunch of stuff to create a safe, comfortable place, typically constructed for the purpose of raising children or attracting a mate. In other words: the creation of a home.
Because the Bookshop is their home. It is their safe space and sanctuary. It is a space for them to meet and just Exist without worrying about being seen. A home base where they can just Be themselves. It’s a constant in a world ever shifting around them. It’s a place for them to come back to. A place that will always be waiting for them both. And a place that they both have to be able to check in on each other. This is why the Bookshop burning hit as hard as it did. Their home was destroyed in fire and flame. And they both know it. Every expression and shift in tone when they talk about it speaks to the gravity of that loss - even if it was only temporary. And I think it was always intended to be just that on some level from the very start.
So timeline wise the closest scene we know about to Aziraphale starting his plans for the shop is the scene at the Globe. This takes place in 1601 and features the two of them being very conscious of being seen and the potential consequences thereof. They pick going to the Globe expecting it to be busy enough to blend into the crowd and Aziraphale's objection re the Arrangement has shifted onto the idea of Hell destroying Crowley.
It is less than a century later that Aziraphale buys the land that will eventually become the bookshop. In 1630 he purchases the land with his own money. That’s his money. Money that he made mostly the human way. Although this space would eventually become an embassy to Heaven it was made via earthly means. It’s his, not Heaven’s. Less than 30 years after we first see them express concern for how dangerous it would be to be seen Aziraphale starts making a space for them to retreat to.
And he does it slowly. He spends decades slowly buying up the land in the area. In fact, it’s nearly 200 years before the Bookshop will be ready to open. By the time we hit the Bastille, he’s clearly decided on a bookshop and has clearly told Crowley all about it. They’re comfortable with each other and already trust each other to a frankly absurd degree. Aziraphale risks discorporation on the sure thing that Crowley will know he’s in danger and come save him just because he wants to see him. In other words, by the time they’re at the point where they’re making elaborate excuses to see each other, Aziraphale is less than a decade away from naming the home he has been carefully making for himself A.Z. Fell and Co.
The and Co is important here for obvious reasons. We all know there’s only one person that it could be referring to. Even as Aziraphale is still denying that they are friends, he is plastering the idea that they are a unit all over the front door of his home long before even he realizes that what he is feeling for Crowley is love.
This is part of why the conversation about ‘our car, our bookshop’ comes much easier to Aziraphale. And it is an easier jump for him to make. He's the one that brings it up and he does it quite casually. He's testing the waters a bit, but is confident the conversation will go his way. Of course we have a car. Just as we have a bookshop.
The thing is I don't think Crowley ever really got that memo on a conscious level. We can see his relationship to the shop shift in the way he moves around the shop shifts over time. The earliest we see him in the shop itself is 1941. It's night time which gives the whole thing a bit of clandestine air, which is fitting for where they're at on the timeline. He stays mostly in one spot in his shots here, sort of hovering about the shop not getting too close to Aziraphale but not drifting out on his own either. He also stays as close to sitting normally as we tend to see Crowley ever sit and his glasses stay on. Which that's not to say he doesn't relax at all. He takes off his hat and make himself comfortable and, most telling, doesn't bother with fixing his glasses when they slip off his nose. He's comfortable and familiar here but it's in a strained sort of distant way. There's trust there, for sure, but he is clearly a visitor in this space.
The next we see of Crowley in the shop is the mid 2000s. It's still night time. His glasses stay on until he's drunk and the he takes them off of his own accord. He moves about the shop, touching various objects and leaning against various pillars and shelves and furniture. He's more comfortable here, but he still he needs a bit of alcohol in his system to get there.
We then see him briefly in the daytime after they realize they have lost the Anti-Christ. The glasses stay on here and alcohol is notably present. And then we do not see him in the shop again until it is burning. All and all most our shots of the bookshop from season one are Aziraphale alone moving about his space. We know Crowley's there enough that his smell lingers in the place, but we don't actually see that much of it beyond those first tom scenes.
Season 2 couldn't be more different in this regard.
Crowley moves in and out of the bookshop as it suits him. At one point he wanders off in the middle of Aziraphale zoning out in a memory without bothering to shake Aziraphale out of it. We even get him doing what is functionally a bird courtship dance right here in the middle of the shop. Aziraphale in turn takes active steps to get Crowley into the shop whether it's leaving him to watch it while he's gone or suggesting that Crowley likes waiting in the shop for him - a thing Crowley does not outright deny beyond objecting to Gabriel's presence there.
And we get a lot of Crowley in the shop this season- both with and without Aziraphale. And regardless of Aziraphale's presence, Crowley's behavior doesn't really shift too much. He's moving around the shop far more that we've ever seen him historically and he spends half that time sprawling on the furniture like it's his.
And, of course, nearly every time we see him enter the Bookshop to engage with Aziraphale, the glasses come off.
He lets his face stay exposed in the shop, even eventually in front of Gabriel. The only other place we've ever seen him take his sunglasses off by his own choice are in his own flat or when he's trying to make a point about his own nature. Even when he's engaging with Hell, so long as he's not grabbed unexpectedly, he has them on. Crowley wears them around people well before sunglasses had technically even been invented. But not here. Not anymore. Not in this story that is framing the bookshop as a literal safe haven.
Even the palette for the Bookshop this season speaks volumes. Now Season 1 in general is a little grayer than Season 2 (this is in part because of the general aesthetics of when they were made and in part because of the difference in tone between the two seasons) and it's very very noticeable in the shop itself. Here's some side by sides of similar areas of the shops between two seasons, I bet you could guess which was which based on the colors themselves.
The palette season 1 suits Aziraphale just fine. It's more neutral tones like he tends to favor on himself. It's still cozy but in a dusty sort of way. The palette of season 2 is warmer. Less white and more orange to the point where even the pillars holding up the bookshop are more vibrant. There's more natural light and we see it more often during the day. It's a warm, shared, space now. They both get plenty of use out of it.
And Crowley now looks like he fits there too. The shift in his palette makes him feel in conversation with the bookshop in a way his season 1 red can't quite mesh with the more washed out palette. I won't repost all these images I was going feral over last night but you can find a lot of shots of him in the shop windows here that really show the ways he works with the colors of the shop.
So why hasn't Crowley moved in officially if he's practically done so already?
Because this is their whole problem in a nutshell. It's a prime example of the way their pattern doesn't work anymore. It's not built for a world like this. Its built for a world where they have to hide and make excuses. And while being free of that is objectively good it also means they have none of that to hide behind anymore. Subtext doesn't have to be subtext anymore and that can be as scary as it can be exciting. Freedom from things like Heaven and Hell can be hard when that's all you've ever known. This is all new territory for them. The meaning of what home can be to them shifts a lot in a space where they can more or less do as they like.
Aziraphale doesn't need to be indirect about what he wants anymore but can't quite figure out how to be more direct in the asking. He's ready but can't quite parse how to say that out loud. Or why he would even need to when he's been saying it quietly for more than a century. He built a shop full of human knowledge into a safe haven for the demon that fell for asking questions. He invited Crowley into the shop on day one, just like everything else he loves. He's already left the door open for Crowley to come and go as he pleases and as far as he's concerned Crowley has already half moved in anyway. From his perspective he's already set a large blinking neon sign up that says 'this is your home too'.
Crowley, for his part, can't read this cue. Not without thinking about going to fast or starting a battle with his own sense of self worth. He's been in keep them alive mode for so long I'm not even sure he really knows how to let himself have needs outside of that on any conscious sort of level. There's nowhere to push if you don't have an endgame. And even if he did have one the last explicit boundary he had established by Aziraphale was telling him to slow down.
But I do think they both realize this. Crowley grumbles about what's the point from the start of his first scene and of course eventually does take a shot at expressing his wants. Aziraphale's fixation on the Ball comes into play here too. He says they allow humans to realize they have misunderstood each other and that they're actually in love. Which is just flat out their whole problem summarized for us nice and neatly.
They're not understanding each other. They haven't had the conversations they need to have. But they are trying. They still trying, even if they don't understand the ways each other is doing so. And at the end of this season even as they are separated again, the nest still stands. And, maybe the next time we get to see them, they'll decide it's in good hands right now and start building another nest together in in South Downs, but, no matter what, the shop is still home. And even if it is a place they have lost each other twice, there is no doubt in my mind that it is a place they will find each other again.
#good omens#gos2 spoilers#good omens spoilers#good omens season 2#good omens meta#the Bookshop#az fell and co#aziraphale#crowley
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Crowley: I've been meaning to ask you this since 1800. 'A.Z Fell and Co'... whoes the Co?
Aziraphale: Oh, well to me it always stood for... Co-rowley ....
Crowley: Oh... I see... so, I suppose we've been business PARTNERS for the past 200 so years then.
Aziraphale: I suppose we have.
Later
Crowley: Dose that mean I get to change things in the bookshop? Since I'm your PARTNER?
Aziraphale: Oh good lord, you are NOT going to start selling my books!
Crowley: No! No... I just thought maybe I'd move some of my plants in. You know, I'm entitled to have some of MY stuff at OUR place... of business...
Aziraphale: Oh! Yes. That-that sounds lovely. You'll have to stop by every day to check on them tho. You know how terrible I am with plants.
Crowley: Of course! Yeah...
#good omens#crowley#aziraphale#ineffable husbands#crowley x aziraphale#good omens 2#good omens season 2#a.z. fell#az fell and co#the bookshop#crowley loves aziraphale#aziraphale loves crowley#ineffable partners#ineffable lovers#david tennant#micheal sheen#micheal sheen and david tennant#aziraphale and crowley#idiots in love#ineffable idiots
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Let me be so for real for a minute. I grew up in a homophobic and transphobic household. Now, there’s a lot I could speak on in relation to this time of my life and how even now it’s affects me. But instead I want to share something pertaining to the fandom I have found myself in recently.
Good Omens was on my list of shows to watch since it came out all those years ago. Honestly, I was a Supernatural fan, I yearned for nothing more then a good on screen queer angle lol. Of course I couldn’t not at home. I couldn’t risk it. It was funny, some family members were Michael Sheen fans. That meant watching a lot of things he was in and every time I would be thinking about Good Omens and how much I wanted to be able to see it. But after a while I did kind of forget that it exists. Then I stumbled back onto this lovely little chaotic app. Following a lot of writing based accounts and tags it didn’t take long to come across Neil Gaiman’s account, even though he doesn’t use social media. Seeing him answer asks about GO made me go “Oh! Finally!” And start streaming it immediately.
Of course I fell in love. Growing up being shamed by my family for simply being a little “strange”, plot twist I am just neurodivergent, hurt a little less watching Aziraphale constantly being ridiculed by the other angles for his human tastes. Cause if he is still a good character/person/angel, even if a little “weird”, that means I can be good too. Watching Crowley get cast away for asking questions was relatable as well. But guess what? If he can go off and make a life for himself with his love and independence then so can I. Does this mean Aziraphale and Crowley don’t have a ton of healing and growth still to do? Absolutely not. But I am sure they will get through it, and so will I.
Now here’s where it gets a little tricky, figuring out how to express how much the fandom means to me. Hearing other stories, headcannons, and character analysis makes me feel less alone for starters. But even on a less dramatic note, it just so nice to be able to revel in our mural love for this show! After all these years of wanting to watch I finally get to join in on the fun! And I am so so so grateful for that. I love it here.
P.s. as someone still coming to terms with my gender identity, seeing David be so vocal about his support of trans rights and wearing his little non-binary pride pin has made me feel so much better.
#aziraphale#crowley#az fell and co#aziracrow#good omens#michael sheen#david tennant#personal#my story#love this fandom#sage rambles
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Aziraphale or A.Z. Fell & Co. actually has more than one phone.
And now there’s confirmation on the phone number! So that’s the number the client called when “there’s really no need for that kind of language” happened.
(These are random and short, but I like that Aziraphale’s phones are closely tied to the 1940s).
#good omens#crowley#aziraphale#ineffable husbands#good omens fun facts#terry pratchett#neil gaiman#good omens 2#easter eggs#Aziraphale’s phone#az fell and co
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Remember when “You’re My Best Friend” was playing on the record when Aziraphale’s bookshop was burning down? A headcannon of mine is that Aziraphale plays Queen in the bookshop because he associates it with Crowley’s driving: it’s terrifying. He’s trying to scare off customers.
#good omens#aziraphale#he really thinks that the best of Queen album he got from Maggie’s mum in the 80s would keep customers away#customers are vibing to the music while being glared at by the feral bookshop owner#torn between staying until their favorite song ends and running away#also how does he listen to a song that’s literally just#oh my god I love my wife soooooo much#and think#ooh how terrifying#Crowley is all awwwww he’s thinking about meeee#he’s thinking about your awful driving#that’s it#no thoughts only them#ineffable husbands#aziracrow#ineffable spouses#az fell and co#good omens headcanons#aziraphale headcanons#Queen#youre my best friend#best of Queen
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Crowley has something no other demons have, especially not Hastur: an imagination. Right now, he is imagining that he is just fine, and that a ton of burning metal, rubber, and leather is a fully functioning car. He had started the journey in his Bentley, and he was damned if he wasn’t going to finish it in the Bentley as well.
You are my car
I’ve had you from new
You are not going to-
#don’t even think of it#good omens#good omens 2#good omens spoilers#good omens 2 spoilers#aziraphale#guardian of the eastern gate#good omens meta#good omens analysis#good omens parallels#the bentley#crowley’s bentley#az fell and co#good omens 1x04#good omens 1x05#good omens 2x05#that imagination is a slightly double-edged sword I’m afraid#especially for someone who’s already seen the end of the world
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They are my Roman Empire.
But like dialled up to a trillion
#i think about them at least 97 times a day#i know you do too#seriously i am losing my mind#aziraphale and crowley#good omens#ineffable husbands#aziraphale#crowley#to the world#az fell and co
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Today i finished making Aziraphale's (and Crowley's of course) bookshop. A small piece of my favourite place. A place i think about every day. I can't be there but it can be with me. Beside me.
#good omens#neil gaiman#terry pratchett#aziraphale#crowley#michael sheen#david tennant#good omens s2#bookshop#aziraphale's bookshop#az fell and co#miniature
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Something about the bookshop coming to life more once Crowley spends more time in it. Something about his imagination. The Bentley parks further up on the sidewalk, comfortingly, until one day there's a parking spot where there once was just sidewalk. Yeah, it's weird, the Bentley says, it just happens when you hang around him long enough.
Something about Aziraphale waking up one morning to find his breakfast already prepared. He picks up a cup of cocoa in confusion and the kitchen window swings open, creaking cheerily. You're welcome. There's a hailstorm and the Bentley is parked outside and suddenly there's an awning that's never been there before. Guests find themselves herded out. The door keeps pushing Crowley inside when he comes to visit, and he never needs a key to get in. It's been too long! Come in, stay a while! Hah, stay forever! He's upstairs.
#good omens#the bookshop#az fell and co#~ finnick#bookshop x bentley#bentley x bookshop#the bentley#good omens crowley#good omens aziraphale
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realizing that the crux of Season One's conflict between the boys is Crowley saying "let's go off together" and Aziraphale being like, "for the greater good I must remain in my bookshop" -- whereas Season Two is a reversal, with Aziraphale pleading "come away with me" and Crowley insisting "you cannot leave this bookshop."
#goodomens#crowley#aziraphale#ineffablehusbands#ineffable idiots#goodomenss2spoilers#goodomensseason2#anthony j crowley#az fell and co
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I JUST NOTICED that in addition to the sign with the shop name, Aziraphale's shop also has the words "purveyor of books to the gentry" painted above one of the windows.
I love him, he is so ridiculous
#good omens#good omens rewatch#good omens aziraphale#aziraphale#aziraphale's bookshop#az fell and co#aziraphale my beloved#the silliest man shaped being#good omens 2
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You know that feeling when you leave home and get halfway down the road and suddenly worry about whether or not you've locked the door or shut the garage door or left the oven on and find yourself turning around to double check... just in case? That to me is what Crowley's relationship to the bookshop will be in the aftermath of season 2. Without the constant presence of Aziraphale lighting a beacon to reassure him things are okay I can't help but to think that even if he tries to stay away part of him won't be able to help but to worry. Especially after being in it as it burns around him. He'll check in. Even if it's just taking a drive by just to be sure the building's still standing.
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Aziraphale’s bookshop done and dusted! The exterior isn’t my favorite but the sims has a very disappointing lack of pretty much anything dark red.
The interior however is probably one of my favorite things Ive ever done, I worked mainly off the interview production designer did with Radio Times. I have never built something in such intense detail so this was a nice challenge!
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The sign: AZ Fell and Co
Customer: hi Mr Fell, if I may inquire, who’s the Co?
Aziraphale: the Co is my assistant. He deals with especially annoying customers. Would you like to meet him?
Customer: oh. Um, yes, sure, why not *expects Aziraphale to call someone, or fetch someone, or smth*
Aziraphale: *takes out a big chunk of cobalt*
Customer: *runs away as fast as they can*
Aziraphale, calling after them: THAT IS A CHUNK OF COBALT! ON THE TABLE OF ELEMENTS IT IS WRITTEN AS CO! DO YOU GET THE JOKE????!!!!????? *giggles, beaming to himself*
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