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[shallowstories]

Take the Long Way Home  |  Mature  |  42,436 words

Author: sidewinder

Artist: caught-a-dragonfly

Two months ago, the world didn’t end.

But for Dean Winchester, who fully expected to sacrifice not just his life but his very soul in order to stop Amara? The celebration has been clouded by the disappearance of his best friend, Cas—the friend he’d started to realize meant more to him than he’d been willing to accept until now.

The last anyone’s seen of Castiel was when he was banished from the bunker by Toni Bevell. The Brits swear they don’t have him. Neither Heaven nor Hell claim to know of his whereabouts. All of Dean’s calls, texts and prayers to the angel have gone unanswered, and Dean can’t help but worry that a “Winchester win” has once again come at a terrible price.

One day hope finally arrives in a lead from an unexpected if not always trustworthy ally. However finding Cas might end up being only the first step in saving him—not simply from the forces holding him captive, but from the prison of his own mind.

Link to fic  |  Link to art 

Pairings: Dean/Cas, (minor Sam/Rowena)

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Tags: Alternative Season 12, hurt!Cas, rescue mission

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Destiel Fic Recs

I've been fortunate enough to read some really good fics lately, and it feels like an embarrassment of riches, so I'm going to share.

AUs:

Are You Writing From the Heart? by luckshiptoshore - E, 86k

virga(e) by shineforthee - E, 71k

The Angel in the Marble by zuzeca - E, 20k

If Only Maybe and Then by stonelions - E, 100k WIP

And Watch What Happens by Hth - E, 85k

The Breath Of All Things by KismetJeska - T, 65k

Foxfire by kilvmaim - E, 67k

The Leap by FriendofCarlotta - E, 82k

Canonverse:

american oracle by handsliketruth, whiskeyjuniper - E, 80k

It's all very complex by artichokeflower - E, 20k

of the unlocking and the lift away by unicornpoe - T, 43k WIP

they're playing dido in the hospital gift shop by spocklee - E, 16k

An Abundance of Light by CatiDono - T, 12k WIP

maybe i like pleasure pain by tothewillofthepeople - M, 13k

I tried to type out little descriptions for each, but the task really defeated me, so please click through to see each fic's actual summary. There's a wide variety here in terms of subject matter, rating, and the date they were written, so maybe there's something for everyone.

[shallowstories]

Brainstorms

"No-"

Jack is staring at the rope bridge as it bucks through the air. It's the only path left that leads down towards the gorge.

"Nonononono. Sam. We can't let it happen, we can't."

"Look. I know Michael helped us." In the distance, Sam can see where the figures dart towards one another, buoyed by the wind of each other's wings. "But we can't help him with this. If we're lucky, he'll win."

"But that's what Chuck wants, Sam!"

Jack surges forward, intent on racing across. He's held back only by Dean's hand snagging on the loop of his jeans.

"Let me go. Dean, this is his ending. One brother killing the other. It was never about you--that's why he turned your offer down. It was always about Michael!" Jack shakes his head in frustration, like he's struggling to get the words out, "And after Michael kills Lucifer, it--that's what makes Michael weak. Then Chuck can finally kill him for real."

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“We try to hide our feelings but we forget our eyes speak.”

— Unknown

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Good stuff.

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mutuals and followers at large I'm glad you're alive and I hope it gets easier

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Let's talk about fight scenes.

Writing fight scenes requires a delicate balance of action, emotion, and detail to keep readers engaged and immersed in the moment.

Here are some tips to craft compelling fight scenes:

Know your characters: Understand their fighting styles, strengths, and weaknesses—are they offensive, or defensive? Spontaneous, or strategic? Trigger-happy, or reluctant? Their personalities and motivations will influence their actions and decisions during the fight.

Create tension: Build tension leading up to the fight to increase the stakes and make the action more gripping. Foreshadowing, verbal sparring, or physical intimidation can all contribute to a sense of anticipation.

Use sensory details: Engage the reader's senses by describing the sights, sounds, smells, and physical sensations of the fight. This helps to create a vivid and immersive experience—but make sure not to overdo it. Too much detail can distract from the adrenaline of the fight.

Maintain clarity: Ensure that the action is easy to follow by using clear and concise language. Avoid overly complicated sentences or excessive description that could confuse readers.

Focus on emotions: Show the emotional impact of the fight on your characters. Describe their fear, anger, determination, or adrenaline rush to make the scene more compelling and relatable.

Include strategic elements: Incorporate tactics, strategy, and improvisation into the fight to make it more dynamic and realistic. Think about how your characters use their surroundings, weapons, or special abilities to gain an advantage.

Balance dialogue and action: Intersperse dialogue with action to break up the fight scene and provide insight into the characters' thoughts and intentions. Dialogue can also reveal or support the characters' personalities and motivations.

Keep it concise: While it's important to provide enough detail to immerse readers in the action, avoid unnecessary padding or overly long fight scenes. Keep the pacing brisk to maintain momentum and keep readers hooked.

Show the consequences: Illustrate the aftermath of the fight, including injuries, emotional trauma, or changes in relationships between characters. This adds depth to the scene and helps to drive the story forward.

Hope this helped ❤

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Jan Švankmajer’s Castle of Otranto (1977) is an animated adaptation of Horace Walpole’s 1764 novel of the same name. This novel is credited with the start of the genre of gothic fiction, and was heavily influential on the horror genre as a whole.

[shallowstories]

Zoozve, my beloved

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Looking for a proofreader for this next long one!

Not active yet, but here's what it looks like so far. The synopses and stuff need work, and I plan on reading two writing books before really gritting down and hyperfocusing, so I'll probably be doing this late spring and early summer!

EDIT: AJ might proof for me hallelujah and oh lord I cannot fuck this up ////

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For your crimes against the most high

Multi POV: Drafted 6/13 chapters

"For you have made your worthless knowledge known to human consorts, and through this comes much evil on the earth: for you have taught them war mongering, domination, and murder."

*

Synopsis: When Sam and Dean offer themselves up to save the world, Chuck plays it cool, vetoing the idea of a Winchester Bowl. But when Dean mentions Castiel, Chuck flies into a rage, insisting that Cas was nothing more than a divine catfishing scheme.

Sam strikes back, charging that Chuck’s full of shit, and that his focus on familial sacrifice is the source of his God-powers. Chuck's answer? A forty-day flood.

---

Timeline: Supernatural post-15x18, mid 15x19 fic

Focus: Canon-typical misuse of world religions, Fantastical retelling of The Book of Enoch, References to child sacrifice, The root of Castiel's miraculous resurrections, Polytheism, Angels as lesser deities, Wherein praying to angels is a sin, Hunters are conceived as sacred executioners, Accidental angelolatry, Michael moves like the war lord he is, Lucifer and Nephilim back story, The Great Flood and its Consequences, The Princes of Hell and the Shedim, Azazel tries to use Jack to open the portal to the Shedim, Primordial eve, jealous gods, Chuck tries to convince you that angels are all just Him in Disguise and the Winchesters are his puppetted holy honey traps

Characters: Dean/Castiel, Dean & Sam, Sam & Dean & Cas & Jack, Michael, Michael/Adam if you squint, Lucifer, Chuck Shurley, Azazel and the Special Children, Historical Nephilim

Content warning: Major character death (Castiel), gratuitous references to Deliverance, and mishmashing of world religions without much care to accuracy. Eventual happy ending.

Updates are somewhat irregular but am persistently writing this one, I promise!

Proofread by (TBD).

❤️

///

Ch 01: If he even existed (~4000 words, ~16 minutes) - Sam POV Ramping up his existential torture, Chuck insists that Cas was nothing more than sexy self-insert. During the face-off, Sam wonders if Chuck’s focus on familial sacrifice is more than an obsession but where he gets his power.

//

Ch 02: At sea (~6000 words, ~24 minutes) - Sam POV Team Free Will 3.0 flees to higher ground, and the weight of grief hangs heavy. Michael is bothered by Chuck's sudden disinterest in the idea of the Winchesters killing one another.

//

Ch 03: Wish you were h- (~6000 words, ~24 minutes) - Dean POV Things will never be like they were with Jack, but for a moment, Dean gets to pretend. (Jack shares photos from one of his and Castiel's ghost cases, where they apparently got up-close-and-personal with wingsuit base jumping.)

//

Ch 04: Make war to me (~7000 words, ~28 minutes) - Dean POV Processing Chuck's taunts, Dean has a vivid dream of Cas. He emerges with a renewed faith in the future.

//

Ch 05: You have fixed nothing (~6200 words, ~25 minutes) - Jack POV Morale tanks. Jack's mood takes a turn for the worse. Michael returns bearing gifts.

//

The rest are still more heavily in work, and might change, but here's what it's lookin' like so you can see if it's something you might wanna proofread:

(GRAPHIC STILL IN WORK, the bloody spearing of two fish) Ch 06: Someone special (~8000 words, ~32 minutes) - Michael tries his best to stabilize Jack's energy issues. On a supply run, Dean and Jack run afoul of the special children, and Azazel reveals he's been waiting for this to happen all along.

//

Tentative list of updates:

Ch 07: Psychic boy blues - Sam POV - TBD - When the door breaks down, the last person Sam expects to see is Jake Talley.

Ch 08: Careful, bridge may ice - Dean POV - TBD - And the worst part of it all is that Lucifer told Michael this would happen. Long ago.

Ch 09: The wilderness we call home - Sam POV - TBD

Ch 10: Bring on the Nephilim - Jack POV - TBD

Ch 11: Declarations of war - Dean or Cas POV? - TBD

Ch 12: Against my better judgment - Cas or Sam or Jack POV? - TBD

Ch 13: It ain't much (working title) - Dean POV - TBD

[shallowstories]

So uh….some dude apparently recreated Adobe Photoshop feature-for-feature, for FREE, and it runs in your browser.

Anyway, fuck Adobe, and enjoy!

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It's such a mervyn peake dead rat poem morning

One of the poems ever.

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That trope when two people are sneaking around somewhere and nearly get caught so one of them drags the other into a passionate kiss and they escape notice.......

That. but it's season 6 painfully-pining-for-each-other Castiel and Dean.

They're sneaking around a building for a hunt when they both realise that they're about to get caught and there's nowhere to go.

Cas quickly turns around and slams Dean against a wall and suddenly they're kissing.

They're kissing and kissing and Dean is making noises into Cas's mouth and he's pulling him in as close as he can and Cas is pressing against him as close as he can and Dean's hands are diving deep into Cas's hair and the kissing just keeps going faster and deeper and hotter and they're pressed so close together and

Cas pulls back slightly and they're both panting (even though angels don't breathe) and Dean blinks a few times like he's coming out of a dream (even though Cas never stops in his dreams) and he says softly, What. the fuck. was that????

Cas looks wrecked. His hair is a mess and his blue eyes are glowing and he stares at Dean while he tries to catch his breath (even though angels don't breathe) and Dean stares back (even though Dean's eyes keep flicking back to Cas's mouth) and Cas eventually rumbles, I had to touch your skin to make you invisible with me.

Dean licks his lips and takes a deep breath through his nose but neither of them have moved and they're still pressed against the wall and they're still pressed against each other and Cas is still only inches from his face

And yeah the monsters must have gone. so it obviously worked. but

Dean swallows hard. He searches Cas's face and he thinks and he hopes and he already knows what he wants the answer to be when he asks, Why didn't you just touch my forehead? Or uh- hold my hand?? Fly us away???

And Cas just stares. and stares and stares. He brings his fingers up to touch Dean's lips gently. so so gently. and Dean can't help it when he parts them slightly and he sighs and

Cas disappears to the sound of wingbeats

Dean throws his hands up and yells, OH, C'MON!

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I want to write a book called “your character dies in the woods” that details all the pitfalls and dangers of being out on the road & in the wild for people without outdoors/wilderness experience bc I cannot keep reading narratives brush over life threatening conditions like nothing is happening.

I just read a book by one of my favorite authors whose plots are essentially airtight, but the MC was walking on a country road on a cold winter night and she was knocked down and fell into a drainage ditch covered in ice, broke through and got covered in icy mud and water.

Then she had a “miserable” 3 more miles to walk to the inn.

Babes she would not MAKE it to that inn.

[shallowstories]

The Prodigal

By FriendofCarlotta | @friendofcarlotta Art by aggiedoll | @romachebella

Coming to Ao3 on April 18th, 2024

Rated E | 19,500 words | No Archive Warnings Apply

Dean Winchester travels the wide-open country, looking for bounties to collect and doing odd jobs to make ends meet. Usually, he rides with his brother Sam, but they’ve had a falling-out and now Dean’s all by himself — until he meets Cas Novak, a preacher’s son in search of his missing father. Cas believes his notorious outlaw brother Luke knows something of their father’s disappearance, so he asks Dean’s help in tracking Luke down. Dean figures there’s no harm in helping out, and he might earn himself Luke Novak’s bounty into the bargain. All Dean needs to do is keep a lid on his growing feelings for Cas. (aka Free to Be You and Me, rewritten as a Western)

[Keep reading for a sneak preview!]

When they locate the sheriff’s office, they find the jail cell empty and the lawman tossing playing cards into his hat, which is sitting upside down on a chair across the room. A couple of Wanted posters are tacked up on the wall, edges curling up in slow rebellion where the glue’s gone too dry to hold them.

“Afternoon,” Dean says, with a nod and a tip of his finger against his hat brim. “Slow day?”

The sheriff shrugs, unperturbed at having been caught slacking off. “Every day’s a slow day ‘round here, brother.”

Cas pipes up from next to Dean with a breathless, “It’s an honor to meet an esteemed colleague. Being a man of the law myself, I mean to say. It’s an honorable profession, albeit a—”

“He’s new,” Dean says, desperate to cut off Cas’ nervous rambling before it rouses even this sleepy small-town lawman’s suspicions.

The sheriff emits an acknowledging grunt, eyeing Cas dubiously. “Name’s Lafitte. How can I help y’all ‘esteemed colleagues’?” He grins at them, sun glinting off a gold tooth.

Dean arranges his face into an expression of pained concern. “Our town’s preacher went missing some weeks back and we’ve reason to believe the outlaw Luke Novak is the one who took him.”

Lafitte’s eyes flick back and forth between them. “Where did y’all say you were from? Gotta be a mighty big place, to be able to spare both the sheriff and a deputy so’s they can chase after a preacher.”

Damn it all. Lafitte is much more shrewd than Dean expected a small-town lawman to be. “Hatsville, Missouri,” he improvises. “New town. Lots of railroad money.” Cas seems inclined to weigh in as well, perhaps to expound on the various attractive qualities of the fictitious Hatsville, so Dean hurriedly changes the subject. “About Novak. Heard he mighta passed near here recently. That true?”

The sheriff weighs him with a lengthy glance before he allows, “True enough. Didn’t come through Jubilee, but they say he robbed a train no more’n three miles from here. Most excitement we had in town was that no-account drunk Walt, claimin’ he met Novak on the trail and got his poker winnings taken. You ask me, it’s likely as not Walt stole the money in the first place. Wouldn’t be the—”

“Where can this Walt be found?” Cas asks, with the eagerness of a man who’s new to the hunt and getting a taste for it. Dean bites down on a smile.

Lafitte regards Cas with some disfavor, obviously not best pleased at having had his account interrupted. “Chances are, he’s at the saloon, trying to talk his way into a bottle of whiskey on credit he ain’t got.”

A man with information they need, desperate for a drink — hard to do better than that. “Much obliged,” Dean tells the sheriff and, with another tip of his hat, leads the way back outside. Somewhere down the street, high above the low-slung rooftops, the town clock strikes two.

[shallowstories]

You know the Grimm version of Snow White makes more sense than most versions if only because in that version Snow White was like 7 years old.

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Lost focus and spent the weekend playing around:

I still haven't given up on this one / hope i keep improving enough to enjoy it more!