#uncategorized ask

Thank you for your kind words and this ask! Let’s get the ball rolling and promote other destiel fic rec blogs. 

I. General Resources

First of all, check out this post we made way back in 2013. It lists a bunch of destiel fic rec blogs. A good deal of them are no longer active, but you can search their archives. 

Another place to look for destiel fic recs are tumblr global tags. Try  #destiel fic rec tag and #destielfanficnet tag. This is also reminder to folks who make their own fic rec posts to use these tags among first five tags so your posts get noticed.

II. Recent fic rec blogs and rec lists (As of January 26, 2018)

Here’s a brand new destiel fic rec blog deancasfix which is run by two destiel fic writers superhoney aka @pomegranatedaffodil and teacass (Fushigi) aka @teacass. It looks that they’re posting twice a week, an old fic and a recent fic review.

Weeklydeancasrecs blog you mentioned. It looks they posted recently so let’s hope there’s more recs to come!

Our friend Elena aka fanartist @purgatory-jar has started a daily fic rec feature Fic For Tonight. Check out the masterpost and the first fic rec!

Our friend and guest reviewer, destiel writer Annie D (scaramouche) aka @no-gorms has a fic rec tag of her own, take a look here!

Destiel fic writer quiettewandering aka@wanderingcas, last summer organized a fic self rec event, SPN Fanfic Submission Thursday. Check out the Master List! 

The idea of self rec fic rec list was picked up by other destiel fic writer, HollyBlue2 aka @envydean and a very special envydean’s Destiel Trope Collection was born. Check out their Master List with 30 tropes rec lists! And apparently there’s also a blog @destieltropecollection!

Couple of month ago we lost a beloved fic rec list blog, destielmybeatingheart. Fortunately, @jojodacrow have rescued most of their fic rec lists and they are now reblogged on her blog and tagged with #destielmybeatingheart hashtag. (I’m sorry I can’t get the link, tumblr doesn’t let me open the blog)

Also, quite a few writers will regularly post updates on their recent fics or reblog fic recs, so be sure to keep an eye on your favorite writers tumblr blog.

We invite our followers to reblog this post and add their favorite active destiel fic rec blogs, fic rec tags, or thematic fic rec lists.  Let’s share some love for fics reccers!! 

III. Rules of the road

DFF mods would greatly appreciate if the blogs promoted via this post would follow simple fic reccing courtesy rules

Always credit the fic author next to the fic title. Other fic stats are also greatly appreciated (word count, ratings, possible triggers) and may reduce unnecessary hits on the fic link

Please don’t rate fics with numbers or letters! Trust us on this, just don’t.

Please don’t talk shit about fics if you didn’t like them! This shouldn’t even be a point, but we’ve seen fic rec posts with pretty dismissive comments about fics they rec. If you don’t like, don’t post.

This is an exciting but rather wide topic and definitely a YMMV one. So, we are just pointing to the tags where you could start looking and then reccing some of our faves from those tags. Our main criteria for Cas’ othernessfics on this rec list is his way of thinking, not just his appearance. 

canon verse/ SU tag (read reviews, we usually mention if Cas characterization has elements of angelic nature)

trueform!cas

wingfic

creature!cas

sci-fi

I. Fics from SU (canon verse) tag and trueform!cas tag that pay special attention to Cas angelic nature/ memories/ bewilderment with humanity

A Crash Course in Someone Else’s History by scaramouche

Broadway Musical by griftings

Castiel Rising by phate-phoenix

Everyone Is Trying to Get to the Bar by balder12

How A Righteous Man Raises A Rose by swordofmymouth  

In Eridu by takadainmate

In the Shuffling Madness by araftatsea

Jubilees by ghostyouknow

Nestfallen Verse by glassyskies

Oneiroi by mclachlan

Something Stupid by zatnikatel

This Thing Called Free Will by tracy_loo_who

Then I Am, Yes, The Bible That Teaches You Of Freedom by ORPHAN

The Soul Piece by cloudyjenn

The Way Back by rainylemons

The Way Out by awed_frog 

II. Fics from Supernatural AU tag, wingfic tag and creature!cas tag. Cas may have corporeal wings/ is a creature/ has an elaborate past different from canon.

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

A Distant Mirror by zatnikatel

Aurora Borealis by unoshot 

Carnival Oasis by violue

Clipped and Unbound by garrisonbabe

Convenient Husbands by scaramouche

Hunting a Dragon (submitted rec) by tridom

The Marshland by shipperslist

The Mensch by Aerlalaith

Pacific by moosefeels

Pulling Out The Nails by todisturbtheuniverse

The Request by cloudyjenn 

Sleeper, Awake! (submitted rec) by overlordofthebees

III. Fics from sci-fi tag - robot, android, AI Cas

A Soliloquy for Two by inferification

C-S-T-L by komodobits

Our Solid State by dedpai

The Parts of Our Sum by scaramouche 

Qualia (submitted rec) by imogenbynight

You are not the first to ask this and since a lot of concerns we have seen in other asks and posts were voiced here, we decided to make this ask an anon and answer publicly. 

First of all, comparing the kudos and comments received by fics in the Destiel fandom to other more recent fandoms is like comparing apples and oranges. Destiel readers are not ungrateful by any means. Ya gotta remember, this fandom has been around for a long time and has WAY more fics than recent fandoms. So if your only reason to write a destiel fic is kudos and comments, well, you may be better off in fandoms with less fic. Harsh, but true.

Now that we got that off our chest, to answer your ask in more depth! Our main advice would be to be more involved in fandom. Know which trends and tropes are popular. By all means write what you want but be aware that each fandom has taste for some things more than others.

Never ever be embarrassed to promote your own stuff. Seriously. If there’s one thing you can take away from your fandom experience to “real life”, it is to be proud of your creations and to learn how to promote them. It takes time but this skill will stay with you.

Participate in writing challenges to get your name out. Lucky for writers and readers alike, there’s a sudden increase in tumblr based fic writing challenges. We do our best to promote these challenges on our Unofficial bulletins.  

And last but not least. Read and comment on fics, make friends with fellow authors, follow fic writer blogs and see how they promote their stuff and interact with their readers. Ask them the same question!

Here are some posts from destiel fic writers who have been asked similar questions by other writers. Take a peek! 

The Fic and Fandom Content Promotion Starter Kit by @clpolk　(ceeainthereforthat on AO3)

how to get popular ask post by @ltleflrt (Ltlefrt on AO3)

how to get attention ask post by unforth-ninawaters (Unforth on AO3)

about importance of the challenge fic summary by @museaway (museaway on AO3

about making your own promos by @mittensmorgul (MittenWraith on AO3)

about promoting your (dcbb) fic by @mittensmorgul  (MittenWraith on AO3)

how to get more attention on tumblr by wanderingcas (quiettewandering on AO3)

Nobody expected Yuri!!! on Ice to capture the attention and ultimately the hearts of so many destiel fans, but that is exactly what happened during this hiatus. Even if you follow only spn/destiel blogs you must have seen your share of adorable ice skaters Yuuri and Victor from the Japanese anime Yuri!!! on Ice (YOI). The enthusiasm with which so many destiel shippers embraced this sports anime that had at its heart a healthy, naturally evolving m/m relationship reminded us about this post we wrote over two years ago about falling out of love with destiel. 

Unfortunately, not much has changed since then. Subsequent seasons have continued to keep Dean and Cas apart while offering mere crumbs to fans who wanted to see more of their friendship. The usual escape, fanfic, is a mixed bag of treats since a lot of destiel fics have adapted to the rough and gruff Mark of Cain!Dean and always guilty!Cas characterization. So, yea, we get why our dashes are full of ice skaters in love. 

Instead of ignoring reality, we’ve decided to embrace it. So, while destielfanifc is still on winter hiatus, we’re sneaking in some Yuri!!! on Ice related stuff made by destiel fans. Peace Out! 

I. You may not know it, but our own mod, kyrie101, reads fanfic across fandoms and recently that includes also YOI fic. Check out her YOI sideblog ~PillarsofDamnation~ and her shiny Victuuri Fic Rec list.

II. Some destiel authors that have started to write YOI fics! All links go to AO3 accounts, YOI fics are the most recent ones. 

angelswathcingover | Black_Tailed_Gull (ExpatGirl) | Bluebox_Parchment | destielpasta | deathbycoldopen | jupiter_james |  luchia |  MooseFeels |  mtothedestiel | nihonlove | phoenixwings |  proxydialogue |  RC_McLachlan |  Tennyo |  thelonelywriter | wincechesters(madefrommemories)| youaresunlight 

III. Even more destiel authors are talking about participating in upcoming bangs

Yuri on Ice Big Bang

Katsudon Mini Bang

IV. Finally, here are some YOI inspired destiel fics

A Dedicated Hug [T, 1,200 word count]

In which Dean Winchester watches that show about ice skating because Charlie keeps bugging him about it, and Cas tags along. “Oh look, they kissed. I was right after all, Dean.”  “Jesus, Cas! That wasn’t a kiss, it was just a very dedicated hug, they were hugging!”

Icy What You Did There [T, 4,100 word count]

When Charlie drags Dean along to a local ice rink, he's not expecting to have a good time. But when he gets out onto the ice, he happens to meet someone - and he very quickly starts seeing things from a whole different angle.  (This isn't a Yuri on Ice AU, but Yuri on Ice is 100% to blame for this fic's existence. Bless that show.)

Silver Linings [T, 1,500 word count]

Hello there and no, we don’t have a list of deleted fics because that would be impossible to make. Destiel fics are being deleted by their authors all the time and without knowing the reason, it is not really nice to make such lists. Here’s some reasons why authors delete their completed or unfinished fics.

1. Personal reasons - not much response from readers, authors leave or change OTP/fandom, real life takes over, bullying in fandom, wank surrounding the fic, etc.

Things fans can do - when you find a fic you like, be supportive and kind, leave comments and kudos, subscribe to authors profile on AO3. Download the fic!

2. Creative reasons - the fic didn’t turn out the way they wanted, WIP is going in wrong direction or has no ending, plot needs serious overhaul, fic is old and embarrassing, etc.

Things fans can do - don’t wait to be supportive and kind! But if the fic is deleted or a WIP is not finished, accept that creative process is messy, writing is hard and the author is not obliged to deliver free stuff to you. Don’t harass the author!!

3. Publication, plain and simple, - author intends to publish fic and has to remove all public copies of the story from internet.

Publication of a beloved and popular fanfic is an emotional situation. We celebrate the author’s success but we also distress when our favorite fic is not available anymore for reading and fangirling over it. Sometimes, authors give heads up before deleting (Point Pleasant), sometimes they don’t; sometimes authors don’t object to private sharing of fic copies, sometimes - they’re against it. Please respect authors’ wishes and remember never to post a public link of a (soon to be) published fic.

Given the sheer amount of destiel fic, our blog has no capacity or desire to keep track of all deleted fics. When a follower comes to us looking for a copy of a deleted fic and we can’t help directly, we add the deleted fic info to our Group Asks. If the copy is found, it will be added to the ask. 

However, if the fic was featured here and later deleted for any reason, and we are made aware of it, we add a note about deletion to the fic. For example, Carry On Up This Broken Tide, Tramps Like Us, Carry On  and The Boy Done Wrong Again. We never delete the review of the fic tho, so that’s how you know which fic was deleted. In some cases, the authors have mentioned that they have no problem with fans continuing to share their work, like this example [X].  

Useful Posts

PSA - Save Your Faves

Here’s how!

post from the authors of Twist and Shout about possible publication of the fic; ETA , January 2020 - this is an old post, the fic is still on ao3 and there are no new information about possible changes in its status.

post with a list of published destiel fics with links. If you know of any other destiel fic that was published or taken down to be published, let us know and we will add it here.

Fanlore describes Darkfic as intentionally disturbing with emotional and physical violence - something that rarely has a happy ending (we tag MCD with tragedy on this blog and fics where Dean and Cas separate at the end as unhappyish.) 

We strongly advise you to go through our Dark and Abusive tags. The abusive tag is for fics where Cas and Dean’s relationship is abusive, such as the situation you describe. Many of the fics on those tags were recced by our darkfic specialist who has now left the blog. Since the current mods don’t read a lot of these, the list below focuses more on Dean being stalked, kidnapped or endangered by someone other than Cas. Though these have dark themes (noncon, ptsd, etc), Dean and Cas are generally in a healthy relationship. 

I. Kidnapped, stalked or endangered Dean. We have added some notes for context and to designate the assailant.

An Assembly Such As This (Dean is assaulted and blackmailed by not!Cas, it’s a pretty big part of the story; not a dark fic)

Bezal'el (leviathan Cas, MCD, dark fic) 

The Jagged Edge (Dean has abusive partner, Alistair, MCD fic)

Kingdom Come (PTSD Dean is blackmailed and assaulted, not a dark fic)

Master of Reality (Dean is dealing with street gangs, kidnapped later in the story, not a dark fic)

Of Clipped Wings and Chipped Halos (FBI agent Dean has PTSD and flashbacks to that time he was kidnapped by Alastair)

Red Right Hand (mind games, serial killer grooming by - spoiler!! -Cas)

The Shadows We Draw (Dean makes some bad, bad choices)

Tracing Memories (submitted rec) (Dean is stalked and kidnapped)

ask about Dean and/or Cas being kidnapped (part III is about Dean only)

ask about possessive Cas or Dean (most are pretty mild, not really dark fic)

ask about noncon and dubcon with bottom!dean

II. New recs with kidnapped or manipulated Dean. These are mostly based on author’s summary and tags. Please let us know if the fic doesn’t fit here!

Bird Song [NC-17, 42,700 word count]

Dean falls through a portal into a strange land ruled over by winged creatures who call themselves Birds and keep humans as pets. As his new Master - Castiel - quickly learns, Dean makes a very difficult pet.

Secretary [M, 6,600 word count]

Based on film of same name. Castiel hires habitually self-harming Dean as his legal secretary. The two slowly develop a dom/sub relationship. There’s love, there’s self hate and there’s powerplay. But it’s a love story.

The Seraph [NC-17, 135,700 word count] 

Ever since the seraph were discovered, there’s been one rule society has had to adapt to: stay out of open water. Powerful, determined and aggressive, the octopus-human creatures are in a league of their own and have no qualms with taking what they want and attacking what they don’t. Now, children learn to swim in man-made lakes and beaches are deserted save for researches and the fool-hearted. Dean Winchester is neither of those things. But a hunt has brought him and Sam, his brother, to one of the many abandoned beaches, where Dean is left with no choice but to take refuge in the water. He should be safe, he thinks, he doesn’t go too deep - just deep enough to hide himself and to deter his pursuer. He forgot just how fast the damn things could be, and how determined they were once they had their eyes on something.

III. Dark fic themes on AO3. If you are OK with kinky dark fic check out these destiel fics on AO3, look for dub con and non con tags, bottom!dean. 

Miss_LV fic - summaries and tags will tell you everything

thewinchesterlifestyle’s fic - summaries and tags will tell you everything

leviathan cas tag sorted by kudos

godstiel tag sorted by kudos

That’s a tall order to fill - the most mind twisting, thrilling and maybe horrifying fics! We rec mostly longfic here and it is very rare to have that kind of intensity in a 50+k fic. Usually, it's the short ones that pack serious punch. You may want to check out asks about Lovecraftian fics and Southern Gothic style fics and our horror tag.

As far as NSFW, several of these are NC-17, but its not like anyone can tell at work ;) Or, check out reviews for ratings and keep in mind that in plotty fics smut scenes are not too long and can be skipped if needed. 

Here’s some fics that surprised us with their clever plot twists and kept us turning pages. All links go to our reviews. 

A Crash Course in Someone Else’s History

A Judicious Application Of Free Will

A Lot Like Falling

All That Is And Used To Be

Architecture of the Minotaur’s Heart

Autumn Hollow

Cloudbreak

Every Single Thing

Ghost Dance

The Ghosts of Blackthorn Hall

How A Righteous Man Raises A Rose

The Inexhaustible Silence of Houses

The Mirror 

Sleight of Hand (this one will fuck you up!)

Some Assembly Required

This Thing Called Free Will

The Way Out

We Are Such Stuff

White Albatross 

And here’s a time capsule recs, twisty fics written during season 5.

Fire of Heaven [M, 3,700 word count]

Five years after her run in with Azazel, Mary Winchester makes another deal.

Venn Diagram [M, 3,400 word count]

The Apocalypse has been averted, but Dean and Castiel didn’t get out of it unscathed. They eventually manage to find a happy ending, of sorts.

(about this post) 

Hey, don’t get us wrong! Sam is a great character, and there’s a lot of Sam love in destiel fics. That being said, we read for the relationship between Dean and Cas, so, if you really want fic with super special focus on Sam, we may not be the best source. We’d advise checking out fics from challenges like the SPN Summer Gen Exchange or fics with Sam as a part of the main pairing - Sam/Dean, Sam/Gabriel, Sam/Kevin, Sam/Lucifer, Sam/Gadreel, Sam/Jess, Sam/Ruby, etc. In destiel fic, Sam/Gabriel side pairing very often is given special attention so be sure to check out the fics on our sabriel tag. 

I. Here’s some recs from our outside POV tag. YMMV as to how focused on Sam they’re tho. 

A. Sam’s POV

Aurora Borealis

Good Things Do Happen

Pie in the Sky 

It’s the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine) 

How A Righteous Man Raises A Rose 

Sam is a Genius (Everyone is Dumb) (submitted rec)

Where Overreaction Meets Sam Winchester And They Live Happily Ever After (unofficially recced here) 

B. Multiple POV, including Sam

All Things Shining

Angelhawke 

Carry On Up This Broken Tide

The Dance of Inanna

How Still My Heart

The Law of Conservation of Energy

Our Bodies, Possessed By Light 

Redemption Road

Somewhere Back of the Sun and the Sun Verse

Plot Holes

Unexpected Destinies

II. Deaged

This ask with both Cas and Dean deaged, Sam is taking care of them

Second Childhood (Dean and Cas take care of deaged Sam) 

III. Fics with young adult Dean taking care of minor Sam from our legalguardian!dean tag

To Find a Family (submitted rec) 

Master of Reality

Morning Teach 

We’re the Cliche

The Winchester Revision

IV. Destiel fics that focus a lot on Dean & Sam brotherly bond 

Autrement, Danger - Or the Account of an Exceedingly Long Day 

All Things New Again 

Chasing the Sky 

Moonshine Lullaby

My Roots Take Flight (also category V)

Shine

Shooting at Shadows (submitted rec)

Sam and Dean reunion fic list

Dean dealing with Sam’s death fic list

V. Sam and Cas major friendship

CSTL

Create the Light

Oneiroi

Sam and Cas are friends asks here and here, and here

VI. Other

Snowbound (premise is that in Sam has to walk in on EVERY intimate moment between Dean and Cas - there are 250K and lots of sex - poor bastard) (unofficially recced here)

Check out our blindsided!sam tag, meddling!sam tag, idon’tknock!sam tag and inthesameroom!sam tag