A gift for karpfeneis, from your Secret Artist-Writer!

[goe-mod.livejournal.com]

(Did you miss yesterday's gift? Find it here!)

Title: Tipping the Scales
Recipient: karpfeneis
Artist/Author: sejitsu
Rating: G
Pairing: Aziraphale/Crowley
Creator's Notes: Once I'd done the illustrations, I really wanted to add some extra bits of written story along with it. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to add as much as I'd have liked to, but hopefully this is okay? Maybe I'll turn it into a full fic sometime. Thanks to irisbleufic for being my lovely beta! <3
Summary: Aziraphale accidentally turns himself into a snake and doesn't know how to change back again. He goes to Crowley for help, who doesn't recognise him but lets the snake stay at his flat anyway and eventually starts talking about Aziraphale.


There is a small pop, the displacement of air, and the world goes dark. Aziraphale blinks. Or doesn’t. He certainly tries to blink, fails, and huffs out an exasperated sigh. It comes out as an exasperated hiss instead.

This turns into a panicked hiss when Aziraphale shifts to find that he is buried under a pile of clothes—probably his.

He can only hope.

Also, he seems to be a snake, so there is that. The only positive thing about this situation is that Crowley is not here to laugh at him. Not that Aziraphale would blame him for doing so.



Aziraphale watches from the couch as Crowley picks up a small houseplant and focuses his intense gaze on it. The leaves are slightly brown at the tips, and they seem to be trembling. Crowley admonishes the plant with a wagging finger.

“Do you want to end up like your friend, then?”

If it’s possible for snakes to laugh, Aziraphale would be doing so right now. If Aziraphale wasn’t a snake, he’d be laughing. Well, possibly. In all honesty, he would probably be back at his bookstore, very busy not being a snake.

In any case, the plant’s leaves seem to stiffen to attention, which, apparently, is what Crowley has been waiting for, because he sets the plant back down again and picks up the mister.

Aziraphale shifts his coils and wishes for a mug of cocoa.



Aziraphale is exhausted. It turns out that being stuck as a snake isn’t exactly easy. Being chased out of handbags and off of buses early in the day certainly doesn’t do anything to help this. He is beginning to despair of ever being able to hold a book again. He draws his coils around himself, shifting until the pillow under him feels right, and sighs, mostly discontent. For one thing, he’s cold.

“Hsss.”

Crowley rolls over to face him and frowns. The absurdity of this entire situation hits Aziraphale for about the hundredth time. Right now, he is a snake, and he is trying to fall asleep on one of Crowley’s ridiculous pillows while Crowley is trying, presumably, to do the same thing. They are both failing.

“This was your idea, not mine. I told you you’d be more comfortable elsewhere. ”

“Hsss.”

It’s true. Crowley had tried in vain to construct some sort of snake bed for him earlier, but Aziraphale, clutching to his last bits of dignity had coiled himself around Crowley’s arm and refused to budge. Right now, Aziraphale is vaguely regretting that decision, because this current situation is painfully awkward.

Hopefully Crowley won’t roll over in his sleep and crush him, Aziraphale thinks, half hysterical. Although it will probably be a miracle if either of them gets any sleep tonight.

Comments

[mybrokenlocket.livejournal.com]

Aw, this is sweet. Love Aziraphale's little snake-face poking out of the pile of clothes, and the last picture looks so cozy. Crowley seems unusually guileless, I can just picture how embarrassed he would be when he realized who his houseguest had been all along.

[sejitsu.livejournal.com]

Drawing Aziraphale as a snake was challenging, but fun! :D I'm glad you liked this~ <3 And yes, I do imagine Crowley and Aziraphale will each have a good dose of embarrassment by the time things get resolved. XD

[aviss.livejournal.com]

That was very cute! I like Crowley scolding his oplant, and Aziraphale as a snake traveling via handbags cracked me up. Great job!

[sejitsu.livejournal.com]

Letting you in on a secret: that plant is actually my plant, but as I cannot scold it into better behavior, Crowley gets the job. XD As for Aziraphale; I couldn't for the life of me figure out how he'd get to Crowley's flat, but then it occurred to me that he'd have to take a bus or something, and well, I couldn't resist-- a handbag would be a great place to hide if one was worrying about being stepped on, right? XD This prompt was a lot of fun.

[hsavinien.livejournal.com]

Awwooo, the little snakey face in the first picture...!

[sejitsu.livejournal.com]

Poor Aziraphale! But it was too much fun to resist. :D Glad you like it!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_silverfox/]

Awww!

'Crushed by demon' might look better better on a discorporation report than 'accidentally turned myself into a snake and couldn't figure out any other way to turn back than get rid of my corporation entirely, though'. ;)

[malicehaughton.livejournal.com]

This...is utterly adorable and I love it dearly :)

[argyleheir.livejournal.com]

I wonder how Aziraphale will react when Crowley gets him a nice mouse :) Adorable fic and art!

[sejitsu.livejournal.com]

Not well at all, I'll wager. I actually wanted to work a scene like that into the fic, but I ran out of time; if I revisit this, I'll definitely add the whole feeding fiasco bit. :D

[titc.livejournal.com]

Aw ♥

[sejitsu.livejournal.com]

<3

Hi, this is Karp, on my old LJ account.

[sternchennina.livejournal.com]

I absolutely love what you did with my request, it is adorable and warmhearted, while still very in character for both of them. Thank you, I love it! My favorite part is Snakeziraphale peeking out of his clothes, the glasses are a very nice touch. <3

Re: Hi, this is Karp, on my old LJ account.

[sejitsu.livejournal.com]

Yay, I'm so glad you like this! Thanks! :D Great prompt; actually, I wanted to do the Doctor Who one as well, but I rant out of time! ^^;

[kaberett.livejournal.com]

ADORABLE.

[sejitsu.livejournal.com]

Thank you~ :D

[shinobi-mi-chan.livejournal.com]

GAH. SO CUTE! (I love the title, btw. Very punny!)

[sejitsu.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :D I'm glad you like it. I can't claim credit for the title, though-- I was stuck, and irisbleufic suggested it, and, well, I can't say no to a pun. XD

[marginaliana]

Cuuuuuuuuuuuuuute!

[sejitsu.livejournal.com]

Yaaaaaay, thanks! :D

[sejitsu.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :D I'm sure they will have... many drinks, by the time this is over. Poor Crowley will be even more frightened/wary about getting stuck in snake-form, I'm sure.

[aten-ra.livejournal.com]

XD Oh dear, poor Aziraphale. This is so funnycute, Author/Artist Anon. I think my favourite is the picture of the poor confused snake peeking out of his clothes.

[sejitsu.livejournal.com]

It was so amusing to draw that one; I have a special fondness for utterly bewildered snake!Aziraphale. XD I'm glad you like it!

[pinigir.livejournal.com]

Loved it! Poor Aziraphale!

[sejitsu.livejournal.com]

Yay, thanks! <3

[chapbook.livejournal.com]

The first image is priceless. Poor A, with no reading-frienly appendages!

[sejitsu.livejournal.com]

I want you to know that when I first read this comment weeks ago, I was having a terrible day, and this comment actually make me laugh aloud, because it's so perfect-- Aziraphale's main concern is lack of reading-friendly appendages. XD

[irisbleufic.livejournal.com]

Since I beta-read this for you, you already know what I think, but I'll say it again anyway: it's not everyone who can write as well as they can draw, so I'm suitably impressed <3 Wonderful job!

[sejitsu.livejournal.com]

*blush* And thank you again, by the way, for betaing this and gifting me with a pun title. <3 I'm endlessly flattered that you enjoy my work. ;w; Thanks so much~

[tomato-greens.livejournal.com]

This is theeeeee most adorable thing of all time? It's adorbzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! Okay, in less exuberant ridiculous terms, this is really beautifully done while being both hilarious and heartwarming. I must admit I'm really curious as to how Aziaphale got turned into a snake in the first place, and how he'll turn back, but I also really love this just as the series if portraits that it is!

[sejitsu.livejournal.com]

Thank you~! :D I would tell you, if I knew, haha. Most of the issue with why this isn't longer, in terms of fic anyways, is because I couldn't figure out the why/how of Aziraphale's predicament, and how to resolve it. So I, er, jumped right into the middle. ^^; I really do want to work more on this and get it to be an actual fic instead of snippets, but we'll have to see how things go. I'm glad you like it though!

[(Anonymous)]

Aww <3

[sejitsu.livejournal.com]

<33 Glad you like it!

[interrobam.livejournal.com]

Aziraphale's snake face poking out of the pile of clothes is adorable, as is the way he seems to be nervously watching Crowley in the last scene. I love the little details you put into these pictures like the browning at the tips of the plant's leaves and the ribbing on Crowley's pants. On the writing front, I love the initial description of Aziraphale's transformation, especially his panicked hissing. I also love that his main concern about being stuck as a snake is not being able to hold a book.

[sejitsu.livejournal.com]

Getting snake!Aziraphale to portray emotion was definitely a challenge, but I'm glad I seem to have succeeded! :D Thanks so much for the lovely comment; I'm really glad you liked this, and noticed all of the little details I worked on! :D

[raafling.livejournal.com]

That is beyond adorable! Aziraphale makes for such a cuddly snake ^^