The Sacred and the Profane (Good Omens story)

The Sacred and the Profane is a Good Omens fanfic written by afrai. It is a roleswap story focusing on the pairing of Aziraphale/Crowley, with Crowley as an angel and Aziraphale as a demon. 
In the fic, Aziraphale and Crowley's names and details are alternated, but their broad personality traits and roles are largely the same. Notably, Azriphale is renamed to Zirah, and Crowley is renamed to Caphriel. The fic's narrative is a condensed version of the plot of the original Good Omens novel, with alternations added to adapt to Zirah and Caphriel's characters as necessary.
afrai began writing The Sacred and the Profane in 2002, with the fic completed in 2005. The fic received positive reception by readers, and was the focus of renewed interest after the release of the first season of the Good Omens television show. Fans often consider the fic to be a darkfic, often warning other fandom members and fans about emotional distress that the fic may cause.
==Summary==
==Reception==
===Comments & Reviews===
Readers note that a point of interest in the story is that, without making them OOC, Zirah is a far more evil demon than Crowley is in canon, and Caphriel is a far more good angel than Aziraphale. However, some see Zirah as being "crazy" without reason and Caphriel as a woobie.
=== Rec and Reviews in the Lead Up to and After the TV Series ===
In 2019, during the second coming of the Good Omens fandom, interest in the fic was reignited. A fan said, "the new good omens fandom is so!! adorable and cute! and soft!!! they’re so pure and excited!! i can’t wait for them to discover the sacred and the profaneJune 12, 2019 by blerghie
niche-pastiche responded to the post warning not to read the story "if you are in a headspace where something like that could hurt you."replies by nich-pastiche, July 11 2019
niche-pastiche then made a post about it as part of a "Good Omen Book Fandom Classic Fic Recs" series. "I was going to make a list of fic recs and author recs from back when there was only the book fandom but then I realized that this one needs it’s own post. fic here. But I’m both telling you to read it, and to stay the heck away. If you are in a bad place emotionally, DON’T TOUCH IT. I am not even slightly exaggerating.Good Omen Book Fandom Classic Fic Recs and Warnings: The Sacred And the Profane by niche-pastiche, July 11 2019 Many on Fail Fandom Anon called these warnings over the top – "I have never in my life seen a more patronizing post. This person is basically saying that people can't read warnings for themselves, but with so much bold and emphasis for no reason."Date: 2019-07-12 04:19 pm, received 90+ comments
=== Warnings Provided By Readers ===
==Inspired fanworks==
=== Fanvids ===
* Good Omens | The Sacred and the Profane (Dec 2012) – the video uses unsourced art "from deviantart, by various artists"
* (Good Omens) The Sacred & The Profane - Hurts Like Hell (Jun 2019)
=== Fanart ===
* by hoursago (Jan 2012)
* by ravibunart (Jul 2012) – "It’s been a while since I read this fic but I do distinctively remember it ripping out my heart, lighting it on fire and then playing tennis with it."
* by finnitesimal
* by yan-may-fire
=== Podfic ===
* podfic by kerravon podfic
== External links ==
* The Sacred and the Profane page on TVTropes
*The Sacred and the Profane page on All The Tropes Wiki
*the sacred and the profane tag on Tumblr
==References==
Category:Slash Fanfiction
Category:2002 Fanfiction‎
Category:2000s