#Scaramouche is going to have the WORST love life in this fandom

[banjomelodies]

I sometimes think about the fact that every ship with Scaramouche, or at least, the most popular ones, are more likely to end in sorrow.

His ship with Aether or Lumine? Huge chance neither would stay in Teyvat when they finally finish their journey

His ships with Kazuha, Heizou, Childe or Mona? They're mortal(pretty sure Mona is? Correct me if I'm wrong). They'll wither and die eventually while he stays just the same

DottoScara is a toxic can of worms I don't even want to try dissecting

Scaramouches entire dating pool is bound to end in him having to sit at someone's tombstone, or long for someone who's never returning for him, AGAIN.

[cat-downthestreet]

hey, listen! this is a rant post about neurodivergent characters in Genshin and my frustration with the fandom's reading comprehension skills. if you're in a bad place or just don't like angry rants, please don't force yourself and go read something else instead. <3

Okay, so, I watched this video recently, and let's just say, I have some thoughts.

https://youtu.be/tYK3297p4rk?si=eMaf8NF57HFlUhfd

This isn't just a Xiao problem- the entire fandom is terrible at characterization. The example that makes me the most angry is the mischaracterization of neurodivergent characters.

Take Alhaitham for example. He's often seen as rude and narcissistic by the fandom- which is especially apparent in Haikaveh content, where people portray him as straight up abusive.

You wanna know why this makes me so mad? The supposedly narcissistic and rude traits Alhaitham has are actually just exaggerated symptoms of autism.

Like, come ON, people. Don't skip dialogue. Better yet, go read through his story quest again. He straight up tells someone who sees him as narcissistic that he doesn't see others as less than himself. Also, his voicelines basically confirm this- he's extremely socially inept and he doesn't care. He has difficulty showing emotions as readily as his peers- that doesn't mean he doesn't have them, just that he expresses them differently. He comes across as rude because he doesn't get that people don't like to hear what they're doing wrong, and he probably doesn't care because that's not his problem. If people don't like how blunt he is, that's their problem. At least, that's how I think he views the world.

And like, there are SO many hints that he's autistic. He wears sound-blocking earpieces, for crying out loud. Hell, the ENTIRE REASON why he helped out during the Archon quest was because he didn't want his life to change too much. Preferring routine is an autistic trait.

And the worst part is, when I talk about this outside of neurodivergent groups, people tell me I'm wrong and that he couldn't be autistic DESPITE THOSE PEOPLE NOT BEING AUTISTIC THEMSELVES.

And I'm not saying that every autistic person relates to Alhaitham, but I certainly do. And I'm actually quite friendly because I'm anxious about being rejected. Alhaitham isn't, and I'm so jealous of him for that. He's living his best life.

Finally, back to the Haikaveh thing... Alhaitham isn't abusive. He doesn't say horrible things to Kaveh, and the one example of him doing that I could find, he immediately backtracked and subtly tried to make Kaveh feel better. Hell, Alhaitham doesn't even actually care about making sure Kaveh pays rent. He says it as a joke, but because he's autistic and his tone of voice doesn't give that away as well, he's portrayed as abusive and misunderstood as narcissistic. Y'all just don't like neurodivergent people and it shows.

Yes, neurodivergent includes Xiao. PTSD is often viewed as a form of neurodivergency, and there are many MANY characters in Genshin that have PTSD or some other form of neurodivergence. Yet people refuse to see them as such and mischaracterize them as "edgy," "narcissistic," "unapproachable," "weird," and the like. Yet none of these characters are any of those things.

You wanna know the true narcissists? The true edgelords? The actually rude people? Might I direct your attention to Scaramouche, Childe, and Dottore, whom everyone makes out to be as misunderstood pathetic little meow meows that need love.

Reminder that only two of those three are actually redeemable, and one is STILL an edgelord who is more rude than Alhaitham could ever be, while the other is a certified insane person with a weird set of morals.

(Side note: I love Scaramouche and Childe as characters. I'm just tired of people acting like they aren't worse than the autistic characters. Scaramouche is extremely rude, but he's trying to be better as Wanderer thanks to Nahida's help. He has severe PTSD, and Childe does, too. But both of them are actually messed up and have done horrible things, yet people portray them as better and more in need of love than the characters with unlikable (read: neurodivergent) traits.)

Don't even get me started on how people portray Kokomi, Sucrose, Fischl, Diluc, Zhongli, Cyno, Furina, Neuvillette, and Albedo. Especially that last one- I WILL get mad if one more person tries to tell me he's just emotionless and rude.

Also, if anyone is wondering where I've seen people misunderstanding these characters, it's mostly on Hoyolab site discussions. There's one too many posts talking about how "rude" and "annoying" these characters are.

With Alhaitham especially, I see many people writing him as abusive in Haikaveh content. I see people arguing about the ship being toxic because Alhaitham is "abusive," "unfeeling," and "cruel." Even people who like the ship portray him as such. And I've seen too many people comparing him to Dr. Ratio, who is literally just a narcissist who views others as beneath him. Don't get me wrong, I understand the comparison. It's just... very obvious that people skipped dialogue during Genshin's Archon and story quests.

And it's frustrating because I've been misunderstood in the exact same way. I've been called "rude," "annoying," and "unfeeling" in the past and it's screwed me up. Seeing people do the same thing to a character I so deeply relate to makes me lose confidence in both myself and people around me.

If that's how you view a fictional character with autistic traits, how do you treat real people with the same traits?

Thanks for reading this far. My previous post seemed to get a lot of attention, so I felt more confident about posting my full perspective on this subject. Can any of you think of other characters that have been constantly misunderstood in the fandom? I'd love to hear about it.

[t00fumaple]

The State of Paimon

The Fontaine AC, Furina SQ, and Roses and Muskets event spoilers possibly, rant, so not really cohesive

Sorry for all the people who expected Paimon slander, that isn’t happening here. I am Paimon’s strongest defender, she is my daughter I would never say anything mean to her!

That said, I just want to kind of defend Paimon but also rant about how the writing team has wrote her recently, or perhaps that could be localization’s team fault. I would like whoever can understand what the original text was trying to get that out there.

If you guys have done Furina’s story quest, you would know how insensitive they wrote Paimon there for no reason.

(Screenshots courtesy of Streetwise Rhapsody on YT, thank you.)

Like this is really insensitive to Furina, but I can literally excuse it by the fact Paimon is like 4, she doesn’t fully understand the situation. Paimon never found out what Furina had to go through, also Paimon legit lacks the critical thinking skills to realize “ oh wow I should lay off “ without being told to do so.

In my opinion, Traveler is even worse. Even though they don’t comment on it as frequently as Paimon. They know, they’ve seen it. All the times Furina had to suffer for those hellish 500 years just to play a part. In some capacity they understood what happened to her, Paimon hasn’t. And yet, they still force her to try and act in a play when she would never feel comfortable with the fact.

Paimon was insensitive throughout the whole quest but it’s kind of weird for most of the fandom to only point fingers at her when Traveler does the exact same thing lol

Hell, Paimon even comments on it

Like I will admit, I don’t like how they portrayed her in this quest, nor the Traveler. Especially since Furina shot up to one of my favorite characters since 4.2 dropped.

I think this quest is kind of held back by the fact they had to force Furina to be put into the position of a director, which would explain why the Traveler and Paimon are so mean to her, why they wrote them like that? Who actually knows.

Though recently in the new event, Furina has bit back now and you can see that Paimon is starting to become a little kinder to her than before. Hell they even pose together. Which hopefully means that we won’t get anymore Paimon insensitive moments.

Another character I want to mention that Paimon is especially disrespectful for, and gets mentioned a lot in how Paimon is the worst and she should be banned from this character.

Wanderer, Scaramouche, Kabukimono, bro has like 20 names and yet still goes by none of them.

To be honest, I really don’t get why people bring this guy up on how Paimon shouldn’t be as rude to him as others. Which like, it makes sense

Even after he erased himself, I’m like 99% sure Paimon is still aware that he’s tried killing the Traveler multiple times.

Paimon has every right to be mean to this guy since the Traveler are the only constant in Paimon’s life. They are her whole world, they are practically her parent at this point.

I genuinely can see from Paimon’s POV that she has no reason to feel bad for Wanderer. Even in the scene where she tells him to hurry up on his remembering shit.

To be honest, hella based Paimon at that moment. Like it’s one of the worst things to do, really insensitive but I can forgive it because the Traveler was about to die protecting his ass, also mind you, she is a toddler. My only problem is that like, it feels really out of place.

Don’t get me wrong, Wanderer is great, I love him, he’s actually amazing. But it’s good to understand that Paimon has every right to be disrespectful to him, and to be honest, he would do the exact same thing to Paimon if that happened to her.

Now I will admit, these two instances of her being disrespectful is really terrible by her, and I really blame that mostly on the writing team.

I feel like it’s just weird that they seem to write her however they like? Her character hasn’t been that consistent, she can show a lot of empathy for some characters but absolutely shred other characters for no reason?

It’s sad to see since I adore Paimon, she’s amazing but it’s really tiring to see that they’ve kind of made her really annoying, when they could’ve kept her character consistent.

It’s really sad to see, and I really hope in the future they are able to just, write her better hopefully.

That’s really just all, Paimon is my beloved and its hard being a Paimon fan in this fandom since so many people dislike her 😔

I wanted to put my thoughts out there too, it’s okay if you hate Paimon!!! I can 100% understand but it’s really sad to see because most of that is because the writing is doing a terrible job at writing her.

Justice for Paimon

[stardustdiiving]

I would read your zhongxiao codependent yuri Like, I do generally picture them as a vaguely father/son dynamic BUT THAT IS NOT CANON. It's just as much fun to view them through a romantic interpretation! Idk why people can't view the same characters in different kinds of relationships without being weird about it.

Anyway I love your vision and would love to hear more about it lakdjs

THANK U SO MUCH Im not sure if I’m gonna write zx in the future since I’ve tended to be shy about posting my stuff relating to them for over a yr now, but I did post this fic with them last year while trying to get a hold on how to write them (mind the tags it’s pure angst omg). I was too shy to tag it as ship since it didn’t feel shippy enough, which is kind of funny to me in hindsight bc I reread it and am like. Man I think only a zx shipper would write this NUFNVJVJV

Post got kind of lot Im gonna go on a tangent about them under the cut

Honestly my theory for why ppl r very set on the father/son interpretation is everyone’s immediate thought on to how to make the power imbalance between them seem less uncomfortable is to apply a parental interpretation to it. Which is fine ofc, I get it, but the way ppl push it as canon a lot kind of grates on me a little bc they’re usually incredibly passive aggressive and pushy even if u clearly designate ur post as ship OTL

Also not really a fan of the characterizations either since ppl tend to treat Xiao like a moody teenager Zhongli has to reel in (this is hilariously reminiscent of the post I made about how ppl handle scaramouche and nahida a bit ago haha). And idk I just feel kind of polarized about the headcanon overall bc I associate it with people being really uncomfortable and frustrating about zx

I just like how there’s sort of an imbalance to them, some zxs like them being more fluffy and functional but I sort of like it where it’s not like, entirely dysfunctional but I’m prioritizing a specific kind of character study over romance. This tends to be how a lot of my ships go ngl I just sometimes enjoy the intensity/intimacy of romantic feelings thrown into the mix if it makes it interesting but I’m not often interested in a lot of my ships following more standard romance plots(?) I guess? Unless it’s specific ones. Which sounds clinical when I put it like that but this is just bc I am very aromantic NHFBVJVJ

When I say codependency in zhongxiao honestly it’s sort of a theoretical(?) codependency—not sure how to word it? I think Xiao would be really fucked up if he didn’t have Zhongli in his life suddenly but I don’t think his relationship with getting attached to people invokes what people would majorly think of when they think of codependency in a ship I suppose. It’s moreso I just feel Xiao could be at his worst with dehumanizing himself in comparison to other people with Zhongli, because said mental state is driven by how he feels about debt, service, and duty which are very closely tied with devotion and how he would feel about someone he considers his god and leader, as well as someone who saved him

It’s fun this is paired with Zhongli who generally knows how to work with Xiao kind of understands the self destructive depth Xiao’s loyalty/devotion comes with. Also fun they have been around each other for a very long time and Xiao as one of the adepti is familiar with the past I think Zhongli appreciates having around. They work but it’s also a case where Zhongli is in such a position of power over Xiao its kind of very delicate situation that’s hard for both of them to navigate. Which is fun to explore. I esp love contrasting it with other Xiao pairings (actually i think i still have that xiaoven fic up on my ao3 where I tried to convey a specific interpretation of them in a similar exploration vein too)

I totally get why people wouldn’t like it (I feel a lot of my opinions on xiao ships just clash with a lot of fandom consensus so bad all the time And it’s just bc I’m like this I’m not even trying to be contrarian or anything. HELDINCJD) but I just tend to handle shipping in a specific way. It’s not I don’t enjoy fluffy or lighthearted zl and xiao stuff I actually enjoy it a lot I just like there being layers. This makes it feel more impactful when I think about how Zhongli looks out for Xiao in canon or how Xiao gets like textually flustered talking to him (lantern rite 2023 was so tailored to my tastes it’s not even funny)

[livebloggingmydescentintomadness]

OK but now that destiel is Canon can you rec me some destiel fics?????? I be needing them and fuck me I don't remember my old favourites lmao its been a while

honestly i haven’t been in a destiel fic mood for at least a couple years, due to my bitterness of feeling like the show was queerbaiting me. so i don’t have any recent recs, and there are a number of fandom-favorite fics i’ve never read, but back when i was really into it i had a drafted post keeping all my recs together.

since it’s still in my drafts, i’ll copy/paste the body of it under a read more here

liveblogging's Destiel fic rec

♥ indicates my absolute favorites

* indicates that there is slight to no smut for those who wish to avoid it

If the ending is less than good and happy it will be clearly noted.

Canon-verse

Ghost Dance by omphalos | 51,194 | In post-apocalyptic isolation, Castiel nurses Dean back to something like his former self, but will a time come when Dean's recovered --and rediscovered-- too much? (A lot of painful angst but a really beautiful story.)

What Has Eight Tentacles and Isn't Allowed to Eat Pie? by Annie D (scaramouche) | 16,188 | Dean gets turned into an octopus. It's really great. ♥ *

My Eyes Are An Ocean by entanglednow | 10,275 | It's amazing what you decide you can get away with when you can't see a damn thing. (Sequel.)

The Mirror by cloudyjenn | 24,568 | When Dean touches a strange mirror, he's whisked away to one alternate reality after another and it doesn't take him long to realize the universe is trying to tell him something. *

Our Bodies, Possessed By Light by Obstinatrix | 39,881 | When Castiel becomes too powerful for Jimmy Novak's body, the only vessel that can hold him is Sam. Slight Wincest, but not really.

How (thanks to Gabriel) Dean and Castiel (accidentally) raised each other (and Sam). by Vera (Vera_DragonMuse) | 69,693 | In which, Gabriel meddles with the time line and Castiel becomes Dean's angel rather sooner than intended.

PWP: Pie Without Plot by MajorEnglishEsquire, orange_crushed | 82,517 | he is in the kitchen with flour on his hands and an apron and there is flour on his forehead and cas leans across the counter and wipes it off with his thumb and dean says "thank you" and cas says "you’re welcome" very seriously and later dean makes apple turnovers and he only ruins them a little and sam realizes it’s not a real hunt like four days into it and he lets dean stay undercover for like a week and a half or longer maybe way longer because he is such a good everything

The Girlfriend Experience by rageprufrock | 15,393 | While it's not like Dean hasn't had a couple of truly regrettable hit-and-runs in his sexual history, this is probably the saddest fucking thing that has ever happened to him. ♥

The (Mostly Accidental) Courtship of Dean Winchester by tuesday | 11,171 | Angelic marriage rites were never intended to go quite like this.

Last One Out Hits The Lights by entanglednow | 37,680 | Season 5 zombie apocalypse AU. ♥

Smells Like Roses by BoMarlowe | 53,828 | Dean's life is beautiful. He wants for nothing, has the pleasure of his family and friends, and is desperately, irrevocably in love with his husband. Everything is perfect, just as it should be.Then he wakes up. (So, so much angst, but it ends well.)

The Curse of a Hundred Loves by cymbalism |  9,062 |  The one where Dean has to come a hundred times. Cas helps.

Named by RC_McLachlan | 94,601 | Jesus Christ is dead. Somehow, that isn't the worst part of Dean's week.

Love Is Not A Victory March by electricskeptic | 12,584 | It’s a funny thing about intimacy; if Castiel had attempted to hug him rather than Sam, Dean probably would have laughed him all the way back up to Heaven, but sex -- sex, he’s familiar with.

Both Sides Now by TamrynEradani | 21,609 | Dean solves a hunt and realizes he's in love. He does most of this while cursed into a female body which means he's also dealing with being a woman, and it's more complicated than he had realized. *

With Every Light by MajorEnglishEsquire | 24,761 | This new thing coursing through him reminds him that he doesn't need to watch Cas go. He can go anywhere Cas does. Why not? Why does Cas have to be alone all the time? Why does Dean have to be? *

Contrapasso by takadainmate | 59,746 | There's a town in Wisconsin that doesn't exist. With no way in without human help, Castiel, seeking out a group of missing angels, asks for Dean's assistance. He finds Sam with his brother, alive and well and free from Lucifer, with no explanation and no memory of how he got out of Hell. Inside the town that doesn't exist, there is murder and madness and a creeping cold that leave Dean, Cas and Sam fighting for their lives and for each other. As the town shifts and changes around them, descending into anarchy, the three of them find it increasingly difficult to tell what's real and what's not. (This fic gets pretty grim and gruesome and it ends before you want it to, but holy crap is it good.) ♥

Flying in Circles Inside a Jar by prosopopeya | 11,053 | Castiel makes a logical leap that leaves Dean's head spinning, and the both of them spinning away from each other.

In the land of the Emotionally Repressed, Dean Winchester is King. by zoemathemata | 11,316 | Dean does his best to cheer Castiel up when Cas is disheartened by recent events and is left blind.

Come Again? by Jacqueline Albright-Beckett (xaandria) | 17,269 | The unintended application of an ancient nuptial blessing leaves Cas and Dean at each others' mercy, having bestowed upon them the ability to both experience and influence the other's sexual sensations for the space of ten days. (Like 90% smut for when you’re in that kind of mood.)

The Roman Thing by takadainmate | 9,139 | Castiel had died for Dean. He had died for Dean more than once. His future did not look bright. * (This fic is a little abstract and nonsensical, but the prose is beautiful.)

Professional Couple Only by saltyfeathers | 37,153 | There's a haunted apartment building in Vermont, and the ad says "Professional couple only". Dean and Cas rise to the occasion. ♥

Dark Water by Jacqueline Albright-Beckett (xaandria) | 14,574 | Sam suspects that an ancient sea monster is behind the disappearances of fishermen in Seattle, but learning the extent of the truth during the case may be more than Dean, Sam, and Cas bargained for. *

Oneiroi by RC_McLachlan | 54,364 | There is not a dream Castiel does not know, except this one. (This is a beautifully told story, but it is often dark and Dean and Cas don’t actually interact hardly at all. The ending is... bittersweet, with present happiness but future foreboding but also some hope. Trigger warning for torture and violence.)

after a storm by museaway | 10,481 | Despite Zeke’s threats, Dean doesn't tell Cas to leave the bunker.

angelus ex machina by aerialiste | 13,357 | Post-10x03 fix-it with angst, emotions, and smut.

The Tunnel of Love by xylodemon | 21,421 | "We might," Cas starts slowly, pausing like he's choosing his words. "We might have to kiss." Dean just stares at him.

Every Man's Got A Right by MollyC | 78,107 | Cas never expected to live through Dean's last plan. Now, he's not only alive, he's in the past--before Dean went to Hell, before he made the deal at all. Can a fallen angel and a couple of hunters change the future by altering the past?

tired starlings by aerialiste | 21,061 | He looked back at Dean, looked into his eyes, the color of the summerfields around Reykjavík, or the lush Ngorongoro caldera. He smiled at him, having absolutely no idea what he was saying. Only his face mattered. And, just like that, Cas was done.

a turn of the earth by mishcollin | 95,273 | Dean’s your typical half-orphaned, monster-killing 22-year-old until a trenchcoated stranger crashes into his back windshield one September night, claiming he’s an angel that knows him from the future and that he’s on the run. Frigging fantastic. (Or, in which Castiel gets stuck in Dean’s timeline preseries and Dean kind of hates it—until he doesn’t.) ♥

Circadia by imogenbynight | 76,333 | 4-01 is a monster undeserving of a name. In a facility known only as Circadia, he serves a life sentence in punishment for terrible crimes he cannot remember, and is told to be grateful to have forgotten what those he left behind cannot. Meanwhile, convinced that he is nothing but a poisonous presence in the lives of those he loves, Dean is attempting to track down Gadreel when Sam calls with bad news: Castiel has disappeared without a trace.

Faith Healer by punkascas | 75,087 | Dean hates faith healers. Scam artists and power-hungry dicks, all of them. But with Sam nearing the end of his rope and desperate for a way to keep their father’s last words from being true, Dean has no choice but to turn to the enigmatic and irascible Castiel, more tattooed junkie than spiritual leader, in hopes of finding a way to cure Sam. Yet Castiel hides dangerous secrets, and Dean soon learns they have more to worry about than just Yellow Eyes and Sam’s growing demonic abilities. War is coming. Canon divergent after 2.10.

Tales of Brave Ulysses by snarklyboojum | 55,962 | What if, before all that other shit went down in Purgatory, Dean and Cas found a road? *

AU

Not Part of the Plan series by Annie D (scaramouche) | 337,847 | Dean/Castiel urban fantasy AU where Castiel and Dean are from neighbouring countries (Castiel from a kingdom, Dean from a republic), and romance happens. ♥

The Breath Of All Things by KismetJeska | 65,404 | Dean Winchester was twenty-six years old when a car accident killed his father and left him paralysed from the waist down. A year and a half later, Dean is in a wheelchair and lives in a care home in Kansas, where he spends his days waiting to die. It's only when Castiel Novak starts volunteering at the care home that Dean starts to wonder if a changed life always equals a ruined one. ♥ *

Ad Astra by nhixxie | 17,390 | "Stars died for you, Dean Winchester." *

Out of the Deep by riseofthefallenone | 488,608 | ‘Stay away from the light-beds. Stay in the deep.’ It is the first thing hatchlings are taught the moment their fans unfurl and they can swim without their parents to buoy them along. It is the first rule, the first law. It is the beginning of every boogey-monster bedtime story told when they settle against the cliffs to sleep. Castiel should have listened better.

A Beginner's Guide to Communing with the Dead by suspiciousflashlight | 77,159 | Dean is pretty sure he's going completely, certifiably insane. Sure, he hasn't started wearing all his clothes inside out, and he still showers on a regular basis (anyways, that's not crazy, just a little eccentric); but there's no getting around the fact that he just threw away his life, his career, and his reputation by dragging out his mom's old necromancy book and summoning a Class A Forbidden Entity to his attic. A cranky one, too. With horrendous bed-head. (minor smut at the end, if you don't mind skimming that I still really reccommed this one) ♥ *

Shut Up (Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is) by kototyph | 23,878 | Dean's done some pretty stupid things, but getting drunk-hitched in Vegas to a colleague he barely knows might just take the cake.

The face of heaven. by orange_crushed | 9,772 | Castiel is a fallen star. *

Angel's Wild by LimonadeGaby, riseofthefallenone | 389,271 |   Sometimes Dean wishes that Angels were like how they’re described in the Bible. How people from time too old for him to care much about thought Angels were messengers and warriors of God, protectors of Humans. He knows that how they’re really described in the Bible is actually pretty terrifying, but at least they were told by God that they’re supposed to love Humans, right? That’s a thousand times better than what Angels really turned out to be.

Autumn Hollow by shotgunsinlace | 98,374 | When tragedy strikes late one Californian night, author C.J. Novak searches for a place to start his life anew. The long road filled with shadows and doubts take him to Nires Island, a small fishing town off the coast of Maine where the food is good and the neighbors are polite. But when nightmares of drowning threaten the fragile threads of Castiel’s sanity, the picturesque shores of Autumn Hollow don’t look quite so pretty any more. The dead walk, the vengeful haunt, the darkness stalks, and Dean Winchester may be more than just the shady mechanic who somehow manages to destroy Castiel’s defenses.

The Ends of Earth by darkforetold | 46,990 | Dean Winchester should have died that Thursday. His murder would have started a civil war between the entitled rich and the starving poor. Equality, and the chance at food and clean water had been one throat-slit away. In the end, it only took one man to ruin it all. Tagged as a traitor for saving Dean's life, Castiel's world is torn apart by the vengeance of an unseen enemy. Little by little, he loses hope—until he himself is rescued by the kindness and love of one man. ♥

Into Your Hideaway by thepinupchemist | 176,557 | A/B/O verse, omega!Dean/alpha!Cas, mpreg, hurt/comfort, a lot of angst and a lot of fluff. Major trigger warnings.

Of Shampoo and Fruit Flies by almaasi | 17,640 | Dean's roommate is not what anyone would call ordinary. Cas is asexual, and autistic, and he frustrates other people with his unrelentingly 'childish' ways – but it's different with Dean: they have an exceptional bond, something truly profound. *

Convenient Husbands by Annie D (scaramouche) | 39,283 | "It's only temporary, right?" Dean says. "Just until you're healed up, and then we'll never have to see each other again. So what do you say, Castiel, do you want to marry me or not?" (Creature!Castiel, telepathy, marriage of convenience, wing!kink.) ♥

The Request by cloudyjenn | 36,770 | When Sam Winchester prays for his brother, Castiel is finally sent on his very first assignment. But what should be a simple love match turns into much more and Castiel finds himself risking everything to ensure the happiness of his extremely frustrating charge. *

Hunting for Faith by Pappcave, riseofthefallenone | 270,943 | Reverse!verse epic, Castiel is a hunter/priest, Dean and Sam are angels trying to stop the apocalypse.

The Parts of Our Sum by Annie D (scaramouche) | 55,060 | Castiel, a former soldier, has worked for the Company his entire life. They've been good to him, providing clothes, shelter and new body parts whenever necessary. Now the Company's gearing up for a space exploration voyage, and Castiel's volunteered for the research team. During the preparation period, he meets Dean Winchester, who makes Castiel wonder about the things he's missed out on.

Kiss You When It's Dangerous by zoemathemata | 57,593 | When his partner Uriel, betrays him, Federal Agent Castiel Novak is saved from becoming a ritual sacrifice by brothers Dean and Sam Winchester. Discovering the world of the supernatural and learning about werewolves, wendigoes, vampires and things that go bump in the night also leads to learning more about Dean and the strange life he and his brother lead. The more he learns, the more Castiel finds himself drawn into Dean’s world and toward Dean himself. Until Uriel wants to complete the ritual he started.

The Sawdust Men by linoresearch | 123,363 | Castiel Novak is an inmate at a labour camp. Life is brutal and no one ever gets out. Castiel’s only goal is to go unnoticed by the barbaric guards, and the violent inmates. Dean Winchester is a soldier without a purpose since the civil war ended. Dean accepts an assignment at a labour-camp, under the mentorship of Alistair, the Commander. From the start, Dean and Castiel are drawn to each other, and their relationship develops in a way that changes their lives. (Trigger warnings for some pretty grim and violent stuff, but this is so incredibly well-written, I absolutely love it.) ♥

An Affair in Edge City by Annie D (scaramouche) | 20,275 | Dean is a superhero, Castiel is a reporter.

The Ghost of Embers by Moorishflower | 38,684 | Dean Winchester's life has been one big clusterfuck. He lost his mother to a house fire when he was a child, and he lost his father to an explosive car accident when he was a teen, and, now that he's a full-grown man, he's losing his brother to college and to distant, sunny California. Stuck in the middle of a city that has a reputation for chewing up and spitting out the unprepared, Dean's anxieties fluctuate between bad and worse...until he starts to get to know his mysterious and antisocial next door neighbor, Castiel. *

C-S-T-L by komodobits | 90,377 | It’s been nineteen years since the beginning of the Last War, and the Alliance Army is losing land faster than it can supply good men to defend it. Their hope is the synthesis of Android Angeles, a series of humanoid machines designed without the capacity to feel, and thus enabling them to be the perfect super soldiers. In order to check their battle suitability, the first prototypes are sent down with a landing party of the men they will later replace, and Sergeant Dean Winchester is paired with Unit 5284-C-S-T-L for the assignment. (This fic will destroy you and then rebuild you anew.) ♥ *

For Love, For Glory by shotgunsinlace | 83,427 | I think all I need to tell you is that this is an Indiana Jones/The Mummy AU.

a certain light by flightagain | 24,310 | Castiel works at the Gas-n-Sip. There are half-price nachos and flickering lights, there are office-workers and werewolves stopping by for snacks. Dean is a frequent customer, and his office might be haunted. *

An Exploration of Habitat by aileenrose | 11,018 | Dean's afraid of heights, and Cas lives in a tree.

Pick It All Up by thepinupchemist | 126,611 | Army veteran Castiel Novak is a wreck after his tour in Afghanistan, brought home to his brother's apartment in Lawrence, Kansas with scars both mental and physical. He copes poorly, and during one night of bad decision making, meets somebody just as much of a disaster as he is -- a prostitute named Dean Winchester. And suddenly, two damaged men might not be as irreparable as they believed.

A Hole in the World by AnnelieseMichel | 293,288 | Dean Winchester never wanted to go home again. Going back to Lawrence meant people who knew what he was, who didn't buy into the lie. But with a tragic accident, he's back and dealing with the death of his father, the social stigma and objectification of being an out Omega, and the lingering aftermath of a long-ago crime. (Many trigger warnings for rape and abuse, but this is one of the best explorations of character and relationship I’ve ever read.) ♥

Clean Air by anactoria | 121,677 | Centuries after the surface of the earth was devastated by an unknown disaster, the remnants of humanity live in a series of vast underground silos, each unaware of the existence of the others. For the inhabitants of Silo 34, the silo is the world, and the only world they know. Questions about the outside world are forbidden, and asking them is what got Dean Winchester's parents killed. He isn't even sure himself that they weren't crazy. That all changes when he hears a voice on the radio -- a voice from another world.

The Ghosts of Blackthorn Hall by linoresearch | 94,657 | In 1843 Castiel Milton leaves his life of quiet faith and duty to take up employment as tutor to the young ward of one Mr Dean Winchester, at Blackthorn Hall. Set deep among the Yorkshire moors, Blackthorn is a place of mysteries – a wild place, where pale faces appear at the windows, and mad women laugh in the night. Castiel is drawn to the enigmatic Master of Blackthorn and they form an attachment neither of them expected. But there are secrets hidden behind Blackthorn's stone walls, truths that threaten to destroy their fragile happiness, as they are forced to confront the ghosts of their past. This is a Jane Eyre/SPN fusion AU.

Qualia by imogenbynight | 26,600 | When Sam & Jess move into a smart home, Dean finds an unlikely match in the AI that keeps it running.   *

In the Fog by stardustpaths | 10,688 | This isn’t the first time Dean ends up surrounded by fog in the ruins of the Lost City, but it certainly is the first time he meets someone there. A mysterious man with a flying boat turns out to be more than just an old tale, and Dean makes a decision that is going to have some unexpected consequences. *

Please Turn on Your Magic Beam by mnwood | 9731 | In which Cas is a starving asexual succubus who travels through people's dreams and Dean is an insomniac, and both of them are way too stressed out about school.

When the World Screams by K_K_TiBal | 31,354 | The one thing that Castiel Novak can’t do is hear. He excels in his job as an EMT despite the fact that he’s deaf and has never let anything hold him back from being at the top of his game. That is, until he meets a certain man in the aftermath of a car accident.The one thing Dean Winchester can’t do is touch. Communication should be simple with the easy way that people can read each other’s thoughts through skin contact, but Dean outright refuses anything of the sort and much prefers the gentle caress of fingers on guitar strings. That is, until his dreams of being a professional guitarist are shattered in the accident. Even with the unfortunate circumstances of their meeting, a friendship grows and there is one thing they realize they can do for each other very well: Listen. *

Sleeper, Awake! by OverlordoftheBees | 315,109 | When their Father cast them from Heaven, his Angels lost themselves in their grief. In 1424, they haunted the skies of citadels, as winged mercenaries turned animal, seeking bloodshed for a slight they no longer remembered. From Ardus, the central city of the kingdom, groups of soldiers took to the Roads to provide crucial supplies and transport amongst citadels. When Castiel, the last remaining Angel equipped with any sense of humanity, happened upon an attack to a Slayer's party on the Road, he rescued the only survivor - Dean Winchester - and spared him from certain death. Under starry skies and the shadowy treetops of Ardus' forest, the pair breached the boundaries of their relative humanity and divinity, discerning first friendship and then more, until, driven by love, Castiel was imprisoned by the Empress Lilith for the crime of animalism. When the door to the tomb is opened, Dean is returned to him. Only Dean no longer knows him, and the year is 2013.

Muscle Memory by komodobits | 18,961 | 50 First Dates Dean/Cas AU where Castiel wakes up on a day just like any other, except that three years have passed without his knowing, and Dean Winchester is in the kitchen wanting to marry him.

Empty Spaces by schmerzerling | 60,299 | Dean is fine. The way he sees it, things are simple. He had a house and a family and food in his stomach, and now he doesn't. And yeah, that's a downer, but he's not going to let that stop him from being fine, because he's in control of the situation. He definitely doesn't need anyone to save him. And it's not like the weird guy with the nice butt from down the road is the knight-in-shining-armor type, anyway. *

Happily Ever After by darkforetold | 12,138 | Prince Dean lives in a world where princes can only marry princesses and live happily ever after. The problem is, he's in love with Prince Castiel, his awkward (ridiculously handsome) best friend. Dean thinks it's his destiny to settle down with a princess, but when Dean goes after the famed Sleeping Beauty, things change. Instead of facing off with villains, Prince Dean decides to fight social expectations and go after his one true love: Prince Castiel. *

Vagabonds by amarillogrande | 89,528 | Dean is a sheriff in a tiny town in Colorado, restless and unsatisfied with his life. It's not like what he's read about in the dime novels since he was little, capturing dangerous outlaws and being the last word of the law. More like tossing the town drunk in a cell to sober up when they get a little too rowdy. But Dean's chance comes when a thief rolls through their town. He pursues the thief, which puts him right into the path of Emmanuel, a notorious outlaw. When he is captured by the outlaw and his gang to be held for ransom, Dean starts off on a journey he could have never envisioned, and learns that perhaps there's more to Emmanuel than meets the eye. ♥

Fucking LONG-ass fics I haven’t personally read but heard great things about:

Redemption Road by spnredemption | 652,217 | Redemption Road is a fan-generated, large-scale AU project created by members of the SPN and Dean/Castiel fandoms. Alternate season 7.

Down to Agincourt by seperis | 541,407 | There is no such thing as a guarantee when it comes to war. Endverse.

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if none of those appeal or you just want more, i also have a destiel fic rec tag with a shitton of links. happy reading/crying!

[beowulfs-booty-call]

My personal problem with last night’s episode is that we really could have sped along the plot somewhat even WITH Jack and Ashi. I’m neutral about the whole thing, yes I feel that the relationship dynamic was more father - adopted daughter sorta concept where Ashi is more geared towards

“I will defend your honor as the most greatest warriors / benefactor of humanity and will warn others of aku’s evil in your name.”

Like how Olivia did in her song at the rave.

Overall, the episode was fine, but we’re treated to no real indication of who Lazarus was (the monster of the day), what the prison was for, details that are usually supposed to assemble the plot. Even if the prison was for some of Aku’s most dangerous mercenaries and somehow it’s implied that Lazarus absorbed the others into it for food, at least we would have had some idea of just how bad earth is besides using him as a way as to sort of get Ashi and Jack together.

My other criticism is that, we have no idea where the Scotsman is at all, he’s been searching for Jack with his daughters for a good while now, with no mention or sight of him since his death. Really, we are two episodes away from the finale, and while this episode was “fine” in the message it was giving, it wasn’t exactly fine in the sense that this should be more to the climax of the show, where jack is forming allies and bounding together a plan to eradicate aku.

The episode was, if anything, filler we could have had had in the background of things in my opinion. We could have seen Scaramouch on his way to warn Aku, or perhaps jack and Ashi trying to find any allies that could help them fight in a way, while building up their romance, yet, this episode fully focused on that. I’m slightly disappointed that truly we don’t have much plot relevance to the episode, and the logic of Ashi falling in love with Jack, though called on by many fans, was if anything forced.

Ashi grew up with strict training that led her and sisters pretty much emotionless and possibly vying for affection they never received. Cool beans.

But considering the sisters were all around confused about two deer together while hunting Jack, I personally feel Ashi wouldn’t really understand romance, much less about kissing or cuddling when she didn’t understand the social projection of being naked while fighting in the episode. It seemed odd, really, that then we find her and Jack together kissing in the end, not because it’s straight (although others have said that it follows generic straight tropes, that’s another critique for another day), but because Ashi really has no grasp of relationships or love from what she was trained to believe in. And even then, this was all thrown off right after being stuck with Jack and finding others whose lives he touched in the seasons before.

In a sense, it makes no sense that a girl her age, much less, without much experience in the ways of the world, would be able to full on understand the need to kiss someone. If anything, I feel jack would be the one to better understand that, as he’s lived for fifty year+. Even then, the notion of them hooking up together at the end of the episode felt forced and not properly introduced, because while Ashi was still being kind to Jack and overall being his partner in combat; Jack was rather the only one flustered by her and blushing from her naivete (One could argue about the “Something’s poking me joke”, but, that’s not much to really give off much romance so to speak) and that on its own doesn’t really give much to Ashi’s development as a person because she’s still, if anything, sheltered due to her prior life.

In the end, the show is ending in two episodes. I’m not sure how the show is going to really tie things up before the end, I’m not sure how this romance is going to go after the death of aku because Jack will still be leaving, but I do know the fandom is in turmoil and people are already acting in the worst possible ways about the episode at hand.

To heck with straight™ or gay™ relationships in the show as people keep arguing over. To heck with the “Blame it on the straights” or the “you just don’t like it because it’s not gay.” The relationship itself is rather bland and forced, and Ashi shouldn’t at least be in a relationship at this point in time when she barely knows about love or emotions to begin with. Generally, a character who’s lived a rather strict life that restricts their emotions and ideas do not simply become romantic and then some with the so called “development” we’ve gotten from her.

The fandom is already up in arms about the episode, along with Jack and Ashi as a couple. But the least some of those people can do is realize just why others are of course disappointed in it, rather than attack other fans in comments.

One of my favorite shows as a kid has been resurrected with a new season. I’m grateful for the attention to detail and work done by the creators and Mr. Genndy Tartakovsky as a whole, but I am more so thankful for the embrace people have had in it's new season, despite the fact that the episodes, if anything, have been a bit of a dour to the plot as well as the fanbase. Take care y'all, but at the same time, do not be afraid to give criticism to the things you love and enjoy watching. No one truly is perfect, and neither is the writing. Your opinion to a show is your own and you have the right to say it, though, as we can all respond, you got limits, and in criticism, well, as they say: "Everyone's a critic."