#pinefest 2023

Following the Light  |  Explicit  |  20,847

Author: LoversAntiquities | tragidean

Artist: Jollyrolls

Almost a year to the day, and Castiel is still sick. After months of blackouts and near misses, Dean has managed to find a way to quell the spells and drag Castiel back from the proverbial abyss. However, when Castiel progressively gets worse and Dean’s voice is no longer enough to keep him conscious, Dean sets out to find every faith healer in the country in the hopes that one of them might shed light on what’s happening, and how to prevent it.

Only, Dean and Castiel find out more than they bargained for—and that the solution, apparently, has been right under their noses the whole time.

Link to fic  |  Link to art

Pairings: Dean/Castiel

Warnings: None

I finally had the privilege of arting for @deancaspinefest! I loved drawing for @fallenangelandpie's canon-divergent fic Djinn and Tonic, which is full of post-15x18 Dean pining (mmm yes my favorite kind of pain). It also deploys one of my favorite devices from the show, djinn-induced dream worlds, as a pathway from self-destruction to self-acceptance. And also kissing. I loved getting to play with visual distortions, divergent styles, and surreal image elements, and it was an even bigger bonus to include a nonbinary hunter character. I hope y'all enjoy the story as much as I did!

On Wayward Tracks

Pinefest 2023 | Written by @follows-the-bees | Illustrated by @wigglebox

Rated: Explicit | Word Count: 86,216 | Major Tags [full list at link]: Western AU, Action & Adventure, Lovers to Friends to Lovers, Selective Mute Dean, PTSD, Bisexual Dean, Bisexual Castiel, John Winchester's A+ Parenting, Light Dom/Sub, Explicit Sex, Canon-typical violence, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Pinging, Dean POV, Castiel POV, Happy Ending

Summary

The year is 1882, and Dean and Sam Winchester were taken in by Bobby Singer almost two decades prior, living and working on Singer Ranch in Lawrence, Kansas.

While visiting his brother Gabriel, who opened a brothel in the area, Castiel Novak runs into a handsome stranger. During the four visits, they usually spend one night together, and that's that. But, on Cas' most recent visit, Dean shows him the real life of a ranch hand.

Dean shows him the ins and outs of his day-to-day life while Cas decides on his future away from the family business, Novak Railways Co., and his other brothers, Michael and Lucifer.

As Bobby's ranch faces threats from the railroad company, trying to force him off the land to make way for a new rail line, Cas uncovers discrepancies in his family's intentions and accountant books.

The connection between the families is soon uncovered, and they are thrown together as they work to discover the depths of the mysterious corruption.

At the same time, Dean and Cas have to work through their own mysteries regarding each other and how life moving forward would look for them.

Full story on AO3

Artist's note:

I absolutely fell in love with this story because it held my attention with a plot while also making me root for these two knuckleheads. I love western AUs, but I am also rather picky when it comes to depictions of the American West when it comes to this time.

I'm actually picky when it comes to fics in general!

But I loved this from the moment I read the first page, and I purposefully held off on reading any updates while @follows-the-bees was editing purely so I could have the joy of reading it again "for the first time."

PINEFEST ART FOR You Could Save me (from the way i tend to be) by deathbysandblk & Rex_writes (posted 23/02/2023)

West | Art masterpost

Author: Desirae | Artist: dolgoyangi (hi, it’s me)

Summary:

When Dean’s grief is loud enough to wake him in The Empty, the entity casts Castiel out, but not without a price. He comes to in a barn in Pontiac, Illinois, with no memory of who or what he is. With nothing but an initial on the back of a photograph, and his heart’s instinct telling him to head west, Castiel begins a journey of self-discovery. Meanwhile, Dean is a broken shell. Rather than live under his brother and Eileen's pitying and concerned gaze, Dean decided it was time to move out of the bunker. With Jody’s help, Dean moves into a small lake house just outside of Sioux Falls, where he can mourn in peace and in his own time. Dean is determined to be better for Cas, even if it’s too little too late. Little does Dean know that it is never too late, as the Cas in Dean’s dreams is doing everything he can, to find his way back home. 

First of all, this is my very first bang and I was so excited and nervous about how it was gonna be. Desirae was lovely to work with, she was so supportive of everything I shared with her, and her story is so lovely and heartwrenching that I couldn’t have asked for a better partner for my first experience. Please shower her story with kudos and comments, because I legit got teary eyed when first reading it 🥹

That aside, I’m terrified about posting my art but here we go, I hope you all enjoy it 🙈

LIFER AFTER LOSS

Mature| 20.417

Author: NEG85

Writer Cas, who is a widower with a teenage daughter meets Bookstore Owner Dean. They get to know each other as friends, but though Cas isn’t ready for dating, he can’t deny that he’s attracted to Dean. He has to figure out if he’s ready for more with Dean or if he’ll continue to be stuck in the past.

Read Stay In My Arms (If You Dare), a @deancaspinefest collab featuring my art, and written by the wonderful @achillestiel!

Is now available as a podfic! Thank you so much to @makingitupaswegopod for bringing my fic to life so well!!

The AO3 link is here, you can find your preferred format there!