#deancas horrorfest

[witchy-worm]

It's posting day for my first @deancashorrorfest collab! This year was a reverse bang, @shineforthee claimed my art piece and wrote a truly incredible fic for it. Please go check it out here: Link to Fic

I wanted to do something a bit different with this one, so I started off by drawing Cas, Dean, and the basic background in Illustrator. Then I imported it into photoshop and painted in most of the details.

Special thanks to our @deancashorrorfest mod for running such a smooth and fun event! This was my first time doing horrorfest but I'll definitely be back for more.

Banner and fic info behind the cut

Author: @shineforthee | Artist: @witchy-worm

Rating: Mature

Tags/Warnings: Major Character Death, Grief & Loss, Ambiguous Ending, Derealization, Apocalypse, Suicidal Ideation

Summary: Dean has always known it was ending. The world, that is. He knew it when he was three, awake and screaming in the middle of the night with the image of fire leaving an afterburn behind his eyelids. He knew it while he learned to ride a bike, while he went to his first school dance, had his first kiss, tipped back his first beer with his dad. He knew it when dad left, too. When Sammy died. When it all began to crumble.

He has always known it was ending. Now he's alone in a cabin somewhere so far north and so far west that he thinks half the continent never knew it existed in the first place, and he's got the same damn nightmares, the same burn behind his eyes, and the sense that ending is a verb that goes on and on into eternity and outside of time.

[amaranthhiding]

The unforgiving waves pushed him further under, arms and legs flailing wildly. In his panic, he made the mistake of trying to breathe. To scream. All it got him was a mouthful of water and a burning in his lungs.

DeanCas Horrorfest presents:

A Word in the Mists

Author: Hiding Amaranth Artist: lamiasage Rating: M Word Count: ~23,000 Tags&Warnings: pre-relationship Dean/Castiel, Dean & Jo, Canon-Adjacent AU, Case Fic, Monster Hunt, Mystery, Ship at Sea Setting, Isolated from the Outside World, Sarcasm, Angst, Canon-Level Depictions of Blood and Violence, Minor Character Deaths (not TFW), Brief Hints of Suicidal Thoughts, Fear of Drowning, I can't use more tags because I don't want to spoil the surprise

Summary: Mist as far as the eye can see. A gloomy ocean that seems to swallow up the sunlight like broken dreams. An old, rusty ship that creaks with every inch of movement. And a crew that could compete in an award for grumpiest people alive.

Dean really hates pretty much everything about this case, and would love nothing more than to call it quits and turn this ship around—if there wasn't the little issue of the disappearance of thousands of people across ten different ships on the open sea.

Saving lives is what he does… though he has to question if he isn't doing more harm than good when the disappearances begin on his own ship—and he still hasn't even figured out what kind of monster they're dealing with.

Preview: Nothingness devoured the horizon. Dean glanced back over his shoulder, but the wafts of mist were too thick to see anything beyond the ship's railing. A chill crept over his skin at the realization that he couldn't even make out the other end of the ship itself. The chain of friendly, orange lights hung across the deck didn't stand a chance, its brightness swallowed up effortlessly by the blanket of fog. It was a mirror to the way this blasted mission seemed to soak all happiness out of him.

Maybe coming up here had been a mistake. He'd hoped the fresh air would help him clear his head—that it could ease some of the tension that had stubbornly settled in his shoulders ever since he'd set foot on the Fate's Whisper. Instead, all he'd achieved by stepping out on the deck was that the tight knot of worry somewhere deep in his chest solidified.

Coming this October to @deancashorrorfest!

The Apocalypse is nigh, and the Prophecy is false.

[deancashorrorfest]

We're Baaack... And Bigger than Ever

Come one, come all to the third year of Dean🔪Cas Horrorfest! We've got ghouls and gore, gays and theys! Cannibalism as far as the eye can see! Truly a feast for the senses.

This year I tasked these horrific creatures with a reverse round and they really ate the competition. Below the cut, you'll find things beyond any human comprehension.. Viewer beware, you're in for a scare.

Any Way That You Want Me | M | 10,455 It should have been a cake walk. Get in, investigate the haunted house, and figure out where to dig, salt and burn. But when Cas somehow gets cursed - trapped inside the house's mirrors - Dean finds himself in a race against time. Each day Cas' strength is fading. It's up to Dean to find a solution by digging through the house and the belongings of the former owner.

What he uncovers in the house may change everything. Link to Fic | Link to Art Wicked Muse | E | 15,673 Castiel Novak is a solitary creature. Corporate engineer by day, serial killer by night, and always by himself. Just the way he likes it. Until a new coworker's long, bowed legs, green eyes, and crooked smile catch his eye. He's certain he'll have to kill Dean, at first. He can't afford distractions, living the double life that he does. When the time comes, though, he just can't bring himself to do it. Artistic inspiration, long dormant in Castiel's life, replaces murderous intent.  As his obsession grows, so too does a newfound wish that he could share the deepest, darkest depths of himself with Dean. That Dean would understand, would accept, would even celebrate Castiel's bloody inclinations. But that's absurd. Unthinkable. Dean isn't like that. Is he? Link to Fic | Link to Art Herbicidal | T | 8,249 Dean is settled. His relationship with Cas is going strong, he has a place to call home, and his biggest problems are run-of-the-mill cases and unruly teenagers who think they know everything there is to hunting. Hell, he even plays with the thought of retiring. But then something starts killing people left and right in Lebanon, and Dean and Cas are faced with a case and a foe they have no idea what to do about. Link to Fic | Link to Art Oubliettes of Stone and Sky | T | 9,214 Dean is trying to sacrifice himself for his country like any good king would, and Cas has been sent to stop him. Cas has to keep Dean hostage while journeying through a dust storm and a castle with a mummy inside. Dean is waiting for the chance to escape--and Cas is ready to capture him again. Link to Fic | Link to Art Angel in the Ivory Castle | G | 20,074

Castiel's family is royalty in another world that has lived in peace for many years until recently a darkness has started to spread which has slowly overtaken the beautiful green fields they'd once walk through. Creatures have become corrupted, twisted and turned into something grotesque. Castiel was sent to the other world to find the being he is bonded to in which it's been rumored to save their world but in reality they know what's left doesn't look worth the risk. Link to Fic | Link to Art

Dean and Castiel vs. Evil | E | 31,451

Castiel is trying to survive a camping trip in the Appalachians with his annoying fraternity brothers. At a nearby cabin, Dean is trying to clean up the remains of his and Sam’s recent vamp hunt. Both Dean and Castiel wouldn’t mind exploring their mutual attraction.

But there’s a problem: due to a series of misunderstandings, Castiel’s friends are convinced that Dean and Sam are serial killers. The fact that Castiel's friends keep dying in increasingly grisly ways doesn't help matters. Is there really a killer on the loose? And will Dean and Cas ever manage to score some alone time? Link to Fic | Link to Art

Vacation Interrupted | M | 9,158 Dean can’t remember the last time he took a vacation. Fighting monsters is basically all he’s ever known. They’ve defeated Chuck and Dean finally grew a pair and confessed his feelings and Cas reciprocated. The two of them, along with Sam and Eileen, decide to dip their toes in the sand and take a vacation since the world is relatively monster free. Or at least they thought it was until a Kraken decided to ruin their vacation and start killing people, almost taking Dean for its next victim if Castiel didn’t rescue him in time. So much for a relaxing vacation. Link to Fic | Link to Art Communion | E | 53,639

Few areas in the world are subject to the polar night phenomenon, a period where the sun never rises above the horizon.

When Castiel Novak reaches out to the Winchesters for help, convinced that vampires are about to descend upon one such town during the upcoming polar night, the boys head up to Point Hollow, Alaska to clear the nest before night falls.

What was meant to be a three-day stay devolves into sixty-five days of bloodshed and darkness as resources dwindle and bodies start dropping. Overwhelmed by the calculated organization of the creatures and the size of their nest, it quickly becomes clear that there’s more to the ‘vampires’ than initially seemed.

They’re cunning, they’re ancient, and they’re powerful—and they’ll stop at nothing to be satisfied. But between the starving people and starving creatures, Dean manages to find solace in Castiel—who just might be holding a secret himself. A secret that is key to destroying the creatures and their master, once and for all. Link to Fic | Link to Art Romancing the Exit Sign | E | 125,370

A teenage boy is left to die in a shallow grave and something slithers into his bones. Devotees of an ancient god work to bring Her into the world, as with equivalent fanaticism, a man on a mission picks them off one by one. A lonesome drifter crosses paths with a mysterious stranger and finds himself inexorably drawn into the middle of it all.

Dean Winchester is adrift. All he has is his car, the next hunt, and a conversation he doesn’t want to have waiting for him in California. Then a case involving mangled bodies washing up on shore in an idyllic lakeside community puts him on the trail of a man calling himself Castiel, and the dangerous web he’s entangled in. Dean is used to living in a world of monsters, but the End of Days is a little out of his wheelhouse. Especially when his only ally is determined to keep his secrets behind his teeth, even as they draw closer together. Still, he intends to see things through, no matter how dark the path ahead gets.

It’s either that, or call his brother. Link to Fic | Link to Art Survivalism | E | 14,067

Genetic engineers Castiel Novak and Dean Winchester are on the verge of a breakthrough in cancer treatment and possibly even a cure, using genetic manipulation and incredibly, shark DNA.

Following a devastating diagnosis of brain cancer, and amid growing pressure from his boss, Dick Roman, for results, Castiel is pushed to an act of desperation. He tests the cure on himself with disastrous and violent results.

He has never been so hungry. Link to Fic | Link to Art

These Hallways Echo | M | 10,290 Loneliness. Previously, Dean Winchester had thought he knew the definition of the word, the way it felt to be isolated. That was wishful thinking. It’s here and now, in these never-ending corridors of winding walls and this damn carpet with the nauseating pattern, where Dean discovers the true meaning of being alone. Solitary. Detached. The man hears ghosts, echoes of conversations long since over, but there’s nobody for him to speak to. Dean sees the phantoms of late vacationers stepping through doorways or occupying beds but he can never get anybody’s attention. No one stops to hear him. Not a single soul has looked him in the eye or acknowledged that he, too, is trapped here. Caught in this unending hallway where time means nothing and waiting for tomorrow is fruitless. Link to Fic | Link to Art Ground Control to Major Tom | E | 21,506 Dean Winchester dreamed of being a mechanic all his life, but he never thought he would end up working as a mechanic for NASA and going into space. He is thrust into his first ever space mission after a strange lunar body, dubbed Luna-b I, mysteriously appears in Earth’s sky. Teams of astronauts scramble up to the permanent lunar base and begin analysis to determine if the blue orb is any threat to mankind. Most of the first team is sent home after a few months, nearly all of them having fallen ill with devastating cases of space sickness. As time goes on, it becomes clear that something altogether unnatural is going on here. Dean feels like he’s losing his mind as he and his crewmates also begin to succumb to sickness. He races to figure out what could possibly be the root cause. Is Luna-b I really just some weird, deep space rock that got caught in the Moon’s orbit by chance? Or is it something much more sinister, watching and waiting for the opportune moment? Link to Fic | Link to Art The Forgotten Halls | T | 9,337 A long time from now — maybe decades, maybe centuries — there are only the Halls, and the Entity, and the Angel. They exist in harmony, mostly. When an outsider changes their routine, a routine so long-standing that the Angel remembers nothing that had come before it, the disturbance will threaten the fabric of their entire universe. Link to Fic | Link to Art It's Got A Death Curse | E | 19,101 Dean and his friends have been coming to Camp Garrison for years, first as campers, then as counselors. Their last summer together kicks off with a bang when a figure from their dark past reappears and buried secrets from a near-forgotten tragedy threaten to resurface. It only gets worse when a storm rolls in, and the night becomes a gory fight for survival. The camp may not have electricity, but it's got a death curse. Link to Fic | Link to Art ghost, zero, suitcase & the moon | M | 19,433

Dean has always known it was ending. The world, that is. He knew it when he was three, awake and screaming in the middle of the night with the image of fire leaving an afterburn behind his eyelids. He knew it while he learned to ride a bike, while he went to his first school dance, had his first kiss, tipped back his first beer with his dad. He knew it when dad left, too. When Sammy died. When it all began to crumble.

He has always known it was ending. Now he's alone in a cabin somewhere so far north and so far west that he thinks half the continent never knew it existed in the first place, and he's got the same damn nightmares, the same burn behind his eyes, and the sense that ending is a verb that goes on and on into eternity and outside of time. Link to Fic | Link to Art Rosewood | T | 5,099

Dean believes a lot of things.

He believes the manner of his death was decided by his father the very night that yellow-eyed demon ripped his mom away from him.

He believes he’ll die, broken and bloody and alone on a hunt, and anything Cas does only delays the inevitable.

He believes he doesn’t deserve to be saved.

Dean knows Cas will do it anyway.

Months after Mrs. Butters leaves the bunker, intent on finding a home of her own, a peaceful section of pines set deep into the American heartland becomes anything but. Haunted by Purgatory at every turn, and forced to confront the consequences of decades of torture and abandonment at the hands of his predecessors, Dean and Cas set off to solve a string of disappearances in the forest where they stumble across a familiar face -- and an all-too-familiar feeling. Link to Fic | Link to Art MAW | M | 8,575

The world is full of sorrow, of sadness, of pain. The people within it deserve better than what Castiel's father gave them. They deserve peace and contentment, security and love. They deserve a New World.

And there is no safer place than inside Castiel. Link to Fic | Link to Art hold my hand until it bleeds | E | TBD The five years that Alistair did nothing but beat him. The feeling of no longer having skin. The feeling of no longer having flesh. The feeling of being nothing but bone and blood. Link to Fic | Link to Art The Possession of Jimmy Novak | E | 16,952

Dean Winchester was surprised to learn that when his father died, he left behind a beautiful house in the suburbs of Illinois, complete with neighbors who welcomed the newly arrived Dean with casseroles and invitations to join them at church.

It all seemed so very normal.

But there was something about Jimmy Novak that Dean couldn’t put his finger on, something not normal, and when Dean became an unwitting accomplice to Jimmy’s crime he discovered the horrifying truth:

That wasn't Jimmy Novak. Link to Fic | Link to Art It Will Come Back | E | 13,164

Senior Special Agent Castiel Novak and Special Agent Dean Winchester are partners within the FBI's Criminal Investigation Division. For the past several months, they've been investigating a string of murders, all resulting in cold-cases from what they believe to be the same killer. Despite being one of the best minds in his division, Castiel can't find a link between cases, and it's driving him to his wits' end.

As the cases begin to pile up, Castiel's confidence plummets, the chances of catching the killer are growing smaller, and other members of the division are beginning to contribute to Castiel's decreasing faith in his detective skills. As time goes on, Dean is there to help Castiel, but a final case relating to a horror film might be the start of Castiel's unraveling. Link to Fic | Link to Art Someone to Punish Me | E | TBD

Dean's chasing another lead for his old man, this time ending up in Maine, searching for the town of Silent Hill. Residents of nearby Cushing tell him to stop looking, but he can't help it. He's got a job to do, after all. After a resident finally points him in the right direction, Dean finds his way up the mountain to Silent Hill. But there's so much more to the town than John let on. And so much more that Dean needs to learn about himself. Link to Fic (TBD) | Link to Art 1 | Link to Art 2 Night Shift | E | 67, 758

As far as job opportunities go, replacing the previous night guard of fifty years at the Nebraska Museum of Natural History wasn't Dean's first choice, but a job was a job. Especially considering he got fired from his last job and was in need of the money. However, said job proves to be more difficult than described.

Faced with strange events revolving around one of the exhibits he was tasked with guarding, an angel statue that was more than what it seemed to be, he must unravel the mysteries that arise as a result. Why did the angel statue come to life each night? Why did an unknown number keep messaging him the same sequence of numbers? It was a race against the clock and Dean's dwindling sanity to find answers to these mysteries. Link to Fic | Link to Art A Word in the Mists | M | 23,968

Mist as far as the eye can see. A gloomy ocean that seems to swallow up the sunlight like broken dreams. An old, rusty ship that creaks with every inch of movement. And a crew that could compete in an award for grumpiest people alive.

Dean really hates pretty much everything about this case, and would love nothing more than to call it quits and turn this ship around... if there wasn't the little issue of the disappearance of thousands of people across ten different ships on the open sea.

Saving lives is what he does. But he has to question if he isn't doing more harm than good when the disappearances begin on his own ship—and he still hasn't even figured out what kind of monster they're dealing with. Link to Fic | Link to Art Terror As Sharp As Pain | M | 10,815 After Jack brings Cas back from the Empty, everything almost returns to normal. Cas moves into The Bunker, they go back to hunting, and they do not talk about his confession. With the number of hunts dwindling, Team Free Will takes up a case in Derry, Maine, a town terrorized every 27 years by disappearances and violent deaths. Even though the cycle isn't due to repeat for another 19 years, they will have to face fear itself to free the town. Link to Fic | Link to Art no spill blood. | M | 7,217

A witch hunt becomes far more than that when Dean rescues an unassuming, innocent, harmless stranger. But Castiel is more than he seems, and as the lines of their unlikely connection blur, so does the truth. Revenge, plain and simple. Surviving to see it through, not so simple. Link to Fic | Link to Art You can find the complete collection over on Ao3! Happy Haunting, folks! See you next Halloween 👻🎃🤡

[eggchef]

BOO get scared it's the @deancashorrorfest and i got to work with bexgowen who wrote The Possession of Jimmy Novak.

it's a fic where, YEP, you guessed it: jimmy gets possessed by a not very nice castiel. and yeah, dean's into it

[howldean]

no spill blood

story by @howldean | art by @witchy-worm created for @deancashorrorfest

rated: explicit | warnings/tags: graphic depictions of violence, stanford era, creature!cas, case fic, dean is so sick of witches, identity reveal, werewolves, angst

summary: A witch hunt becomes far more than that when Dean rescues an unassuming, innocent, harmless stranger. But Castiel is more than he seems, and as the lines of their unlikely connection blur, so does the truth.

Revenge, plain and simple. Surviving to see it through, not so simple.

this october, ask yourself: who makes the rules?

teaser below!

Dean had to figure out what to do with this Castiel guy. Sooner or later, he was going to start asking questions– honestly, he was surprised they hadn’t started already, the usual 'what the fuck's and 'what the hell was that's that tended to come with the job.

But he had questions of his own. He hadn’t seen an altar like that before. Nor had he seen that kind of bad mojo propped up on a shitty set-up, either. Maybe she was rushed, assuming the witch that caught him was working alone.

He doubted he was that lucky.

So what the hell kinds of plans did she have? Why go through the trouble of killing this many to begin with? Just what kind of vendetta did she have? And against who. Rifling through his journal and picking apart newspapers, he sought out whatever the hell he was missing. This was the kind of shit that should click, come to him clearly. Sam had a knack for it. Spotting the pattern.

Dean pushed the thought aside, and pushed the clippings off of his lap. That didn’t matter, he wasn’t here, and they hadn’t talked in– they weren’t talking. Dad knew he could get shit done on his own. That’s why he was on his own. So he just had to take care of this, focus. There was something here, a connection between them all, a reason they were targets. They went missing before they were found dead, that was worthwhile.

Glancing up, he hoped Castiel could be the key. He was still alive. Whatever the witch wanted him for, she hadn’t been done with him. Maybe he knew why.

[motherofdragonflies]

Dean/Cas Horrorfest Presents...

The Possession of Jimmy Novak

Author: bexgowen / @motherofdragonflies

Artist: @eggchef

Rating: Explicit

Wordcount: 16k

Tags: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Modern AU, Minor Character Deaths, Possession, Smut

Summary:

Dean Winchester was surprised to learn that when his father died, he left behind a beautiful house in the suburbs of Illinois, complete with neighbors who welcomed the newly arrived Dean with casseroles and invitations to join them at church.

It all seemed so very normal.

But there was something about Jimmy Novak that Dean couldn’t put his finger on, something not normal, and when Dean became an unwitting accomplice to Jimmy’s crime he discovered the horrifying truth -

That wasn't Jimmy Novak.

Excerpt:

“Here,” Jimmy said, and Dean carefully lowered Roger to the ground, silently apologizing to the man as his head flopped into the dirt but glad to be free of his deadweight. He flinched as Jimmy tossed the shovel at him, reflexively catching it before it hit him in the face.

“Dig.”

“Oh, hell no,” Dean said, exhaustion and frustration and fear short circuiting the connection between his brain and his mouth.  “You wanna bury him, you dig your own fucking hole.”

Jimmy stalked forward until he was nose to nose with Dean, fury making his eyes burn electric blue. Dean forced himself to hold his ground and drew himself to his full height - he had a few inches on Jimmy, and he was going to use every one of them to his advantage - lifting his chin and looking down his nose at Jimmy, daring him to make a move. 

Jimmy's jaw clenched as he searched Dean's face for any sign of weakness, and then his eyes closed, his head dropping and shoulders slumping like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Dean took a step back and gripped the shovel tightly, bracing himself in case it was a trick. 

Slowly, Jimmy lifted his head and opened his eyes, blinking like he had woken from a deep sleep. He focused on Dean and frowned.

“Dean?” he asked, confused. “What are you—?” He looked around, the furrow on his brow deepening as he took in his surroundings. “Where—where am I? How did I—?”

“Jimmy?” Dean asked warily.

Jimmy took a step back, and tripped over Roger, landing on his ass with a thump. He saw what he’d fallen over and scrambled backwards, kicking up dirt and leaves in his haste to get away from the body as fast as possible. 

“No,” he moaned, shaking his head frantically. “No, no, oh, Roger, no—” He gripped his head between his hands and started rocking back and forth, whispering frantically to himself. 

Dean approached Jimmy, kneeling down next to the man, setting the shovel down behind him close that it was still within arm’s reach if he needed it but out of Jimmy’s reach. 

“Jimmy. Hey. Jimmy.” 

“I didn’t want him to—I didn’t mean for him to—I had thoughts, sinful thoughts, but he—Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name—”

“Who, Jimmy? Who are you talking about?”

Jimmy froze, his prayer dying on his lips. Dean waited. Slowly, Jimmy lowered his hands and looked at Dean.

“Castiel,” he whispered.

 Coming this October to @deancashorrorfest

[artemis-73]

It's Got a Death Curse

Artist: @xfancyfranart

Author: @artemis-73 / Artemis73 on AO3

Rating: Explicit

Word count: 18.9k

Tags/Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Summer Camp, Slasher, Blood and Gore, Minor Character Death, Dean POV

Summary: Dean and his friends have been coming to Camp Garrison for years, first as campers, then as counselors. Their last summer together kicks off with a bang when a figure from their dark past reappears and buried secrets from a near-forgotten tragedy threaten to resurface. It only gets worse when a storm rolls in, and the night becomes a gory fight for survival. The camp may not have electricity, but it's got a death curse.

Preview:

The pounding of rain on the lean-to's roof nearly drowns out the roar of blood in Dean's ears. The chord that should be connecting the generator to the rec hall dangles limply in two useless pieces, sliced cleanly in half. Not chewed through. Not frayed. Cut.

It's a scenario straight out of a horror movie.

The darkness is suddenly suffocating. It clings to his clothes and worms into his skin. He imagines he's the hapless soon-to-be victim, lit only by flashes of lightning in the sky, as the killer slinks closer in shaky 1st person POV footage. The audience yells at the character to look behind them, and he swings around wildly. The light of the flashlight is eaten by the uninterrupted night. Lightning strikes, and he gets a flash of his surroundings.

He's alone.

Coming to @deancashorrorfest this October!

[nexus-my-beloved]

This October, a brand-new story and artwork is coming to you for @deancashorrorfest ! With art by @suninjang and a fic by yours truly, we've created something we're sure you'll love !

Rating: Explicit

Major Archive Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence

Tags: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Alternate Universe - FBI Agents, FBI Agent Dean Winchester, FBI Agent Castiel, Blood and Gore, Dean Winchester has a Crush on Castiel, Castiel Has Self-Esteem Issues, Dean Winchester Has Issues (truly, without saying the plot outright even if it's somewhat obvious, anything else is a spoiler! But Dean has issues. Period.)

Summary: Senior Special Agent Castiel Novak and Special Agent Dean Winchester are partners within the FBI's Criminal Investigation Division. Lately, they've been following a set of murders, cold cases that even Castiel - the bureau's best agent - can't solve. The murders seem entirely unconnected, no string to suggest that they're similar at all - that is until Castiel begins to recognize the victims. Suddenly, things are starting to slot into place, and Castiel isn't sure he likes where the signs are beginning to point.

Teaser: Once at the front desk, Dean worked out what they needed to be allowed access to the back room, and Castiel continued to look over the report. 

The amount of injuries sustained were concerning, especially when Castiel began to wonder how exactly the killer had the time to inflict them all. Dean pulled him along into the back room, allowing Castiel to continue to read. “It’s strange,” he started, lifting up a page and being granted sight to another photo. “All the bruising around these cuts… It’s almost like…” 

“Yeesh,” Dean exclaimed, taking in the sight of the body in front of him. “Looks like she got Tatum Riley’ed.” Castiel looked up from the report to give Dean a confused look, unsure of who Tatum Riley was. Dean didn’t seem too impressed by Castiel’s lack of knowledge, however, giving him a surprised look. “What? C’mon, man! Scream! Ghostface?” Castiel only shook his head. “I don’t understand that reference.” Dean scoffed, pointing over at the wounds. “Dude, I don’t know how you do so well at this job without seeing a horror movie or two. Look– Tatum Riley was one of the people that got killed in Scream, right? She got cornered by a killer in the garage and the door back in was locked. She tried to get out using the doggie door that was on the garage door, but she got stuck halfway through. The killer lifted up the garage door and crushed her in it while she was stuck.” 

Castiel shuddered at the visual. It didn’t seem like a pretty way to go out. 

“Anyway– look at this,” Dean continued, pointing at the bruising and cuts. “I mean, it doesn’t look perfect. There was probably a few knife slashes in there, y’know? The movie never actually showed Tatum’s wounds– I mean, you could see that the head was clearly fake when Sydney saw her later– sorry. We never actually saw how she looked after, under the shirt and all, but I’d imagine it might be similar to that.” Castiel nodded a bit, thinking about the scenario. It did seem probable. 

“I was never actually told where they found her body,” Castiel admitted, looking over the body before back to the report. “I’ll be back. I’m gonna go see what I can find out.” Dean nodded, shooing Castiel away. “Yeah, you go see. I’ll try to get a few other guesses on what might’ve happened to Riley 2.0 here.” 

Making his way towards the front desk, Castiel allowed himself to think. A kill that seemed similar to a horror film? Could it be the same killer that he’d been unable to catch? If so, then the killer must’ve really switched gears — that, or Castiel was incredibly uncultured on horror movies to recognize similar murders (that very well could be the case; Castiel wasn’t one for understanding movie references).

A kill similar to a classic Scream death? The circumstances being different than the other cases? Is it really the same killer, or does the culprit have a vendetta against Castiel, a want to lower his self-esteem through a subliminal message worthy of being compared to Will Graham's first killer in Hannibal?

Find out more soon - It Will Come Back hits Ao3 this october . . !

[an-android-in-a-tutu]

Romancing the Exit Sign

Art: @nickelkeep

Writing: @an-android-in-a-tutu

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 125k

Tags: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Alternate Universe, Eldritch, Cults, Gore, Suicidal Thoughts, Mystery, Case Fic, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Canonical Character Death, Romance

Summary: A teenage boy is left to die in a shallow grave and something slithers into his bones. Devotees of an ancient god work to bring Her into the world, as with equivalent fanaticism, a man on a mission picks them off one by one. A lonesome drifter crosses paths with a mysterious stranger and finds himself inexorably drawn into the middle of it all.

Dean Winchester is adrift. All he has is his car, the next hunt, and a conversation he doesn’t want to have waiting for him in California. Then a case involving mangled bodies washing up on shore in an idyllic lakeside community puts him on the trail of a man calling himself Castiel, and the dangerous web he’s entangled in. Dean is used to living in a world of monsters, but the End of Days is a little out of his wheelhouse. Especially when his only ally is determined to keep his secrets behind his teeth, even as they draw closer together. Still, he intends to see things through, no matter how dark the path ahead gets.

It’s either that, or call his brother.

It's here! My @deancashorrorfest fic is officially live, stream it now if you dare delve into the deep dark unknown...

I'm very excited for people to see this one, I've never written a multichapter fic anymore, so thank you to the horrorfest for providing me with the time pressure, and thank you nickelkeep for your amazing art and prompt!

Read it on Ao3

Check out the art post

Explore the other contributions

[kingdumbass]

my contribution to this year's @deancashorrorfest art made by me for @kayliemalinza 's fic Oubliette's of Stone and Sky Note: This round of DeanCas Horrorfest was a reverse bang, but Kaylie was unable to claim and decided to write their own story instead and I offered to pinch hit for them so all credit for the story idea goes to them. This story touched upon a lot of medieval imagery, between the feudal system, decaying kingdoms, and Dean's sense of obligatory nobility. I wanted to conjure that sense of medieval fantasy that's inherent to the story and combine it with the dark atmosphere of an impending doom. I wish I'd offered to pinch hit sooner, so that I'd have more time to create some world-building art, but I hope these two pieces will suffice. Everyone go check it out! It's a fun read!

[hawkland]

Art masterpost: Maw Story by @thisisapaige Art by @hawkland/sidewinder

I'm super-hyped to get to share this one for the @deancashorrorfest at long last!!! I feel like I've been sitting on the main art piece for ages (although some of you may have seen the original painting up close and person at a convention recently...) as it was an idea I've had for a reverse bang for some time. In fact it's the fourth in kind of a series of pre-Raphaelite "reinterpretations" I've done this past year, and maybe my favorite of them all.

The direct inspiration for this one was The Field of the Slain by Evelyn de Morgan. When I first came across the original painting, it immediately made me think of Godstiel full of all of those Leviathan and Purgatory souls—and also the scene in Heaven where he looks upon the garden of dead angels. Even working on a fairly large scale for me (20"x14"), it was a real challenge painting all of those individual faces as best as I could (and trying to make them all unique).

I'm so thrilled with how the final story came out, too - @thisisapaige truly took the idea in an amazing way (and all you consumehimnatural fans out there are especially in for a treat!) Please go read the story now and shower it with lots of love! (Oh yeah, this one's up in my Redbubble shop already as well!)

[witchy-worm]

Here's my final art post for @deancashorrorfest! Thanks to @howldean for claiming this one and bringing another Standford Era Dean fic into the world!

Check out the fic here: LINK TO FIC

And thanks again to our @deancashorrorfest overlord for running this awesome event!

Banner and fic info behind the cut

no spill blood

story by @howldean | art by @witchy-worm created for @deancashorrorfest

rated: explicit | warnings/tags: graphic depictions of violence, stanford era, creature!cas, case fic, dean is so sick of witches, identity porn, angst

summary: A witch hunt becomes far more than that when Dean rescues an unassuming, innocent, harmless stranger. But Castiel is more than he seems, and as the lines of their unlikely connection blur, so does the truth.

Revenge, plain and simple. Surviving to see it through, not so simple.

[amaranthhiding]

Read now on AO3!

The unforgiving waves pushed him further under, arms and legs flailing wildly. In his panic, he made the mistake of trying to breathe. To scream. All it got him was a mouthful of water and a burning in his lungs.

DeanCas HorrorFest presents:

A Word in the Mists

Author: Hiding Amaranth Artist: lamiasage Rating: M Word Count: 23,968 Tags&Warnings: Canon-Adjacent AU, Ship at Sea setting, Case Fic, Monster Hunt, Mystery, Suspense, pre-relationship Dean/Castiel, Dean & Jo, Isolated from the Outside World, Castiel and Dean Save Each Other, Sarcasm, Angst, Canon-Level Depictions of Blood and Violence, Minor Character Deaths (not TFW), Brief Hints of Suicidal Thoughts, Fear of Drowning

Summary: Mist as far as the eye can see. A gloomy ocean that seems to swallow up the sunlight like broken dreams. An old, rusty ship that creaks with every inch of movement. And a crew that could compete in an award for grumpiest people alive.

Dean really hates pretty much everything about this case, and would love nothing more than to call it quits and turn this ship around—if there wasn't the little issue of the disappearance of thousands of people across ten different ships on the open sea.

Saving lives is what he does… though he has to question if he isn't doing more harm than good when the disappearances begin on his own ship—and he still hasn't even figured out what kind of monster they're dealing with.

Preview: Nothingness devoured the horizon. Dean glanced back over his shoulder, but the wafts of mist were too thick to see anything beyond the ship's railing. A chill crept over his skin at the realization that he couldn't even make out the other end of the ship itself. The chain of friendly, orange lights hung across the deck didn't stand a chance, its brightness swallowed up effortlessly by the blanket of fog. It was a mirror to the way this blasted mission seemed to soak all happiness out of him.

Maybe coming up here had been a mistake. He'd hoped the fresh air would help him clear his head—that it could ease some of the tension that had stubbornly settled in his shoulders ever since he'd set foot on the Fate's Whisper. Instead, all he'd achieved by stepping out on the deck was that the tight knot of worry somewhere deep in his chest solidified.

Link to Fic Link to Art

The Apocalypse is nigh, and the Prophecy is false.

Taglist: @deancashorrorfest @lamiasage @samsrowena @suninjang @typicalrowena @jomybeloved @butch--dean @thefandomsinhalor

[folkbloodbaths]

While the warm wind blows through the Eastern Halls, the Angel tends to the Dead. 

Dean / Cas Horrorfest presents: 

The Forgotten Halls

Art by @thestarsmakemedream-art Story by allthismusic 

Rated: T  Word count: 9k

Tags/Warnings: Inspired by Piranesi by Susannah Clarke, post-canon, the Empty, amnesia, non-euclidean space

Summary: A long time from now — maybe decades, maybe centuries — there are only the Halls, and the Entity, and the Angel. They exist in harmony, mostly. When an outsider changes their routine, a routine so long-standing that the Angel remembers nothing that had come before it, the disturbance will threaten the fabric of their entire universe.

Coming this October to @deancashorrorfest 

Preview: 

“You could be like them,” the Entity says when it comes upon the Angel gently moving the remains of a boy in red clothing so that he does not get washed away by the next tide. The Angel looks up from his task to greet his visitor. “Still, you do not rest,” the Entity says. Its face is familiar to the Angel in a way that reminds him of his own, but there’s something about it, something behind it that seems to shift and change and somehow makes the Angel feel as though he is looking through the Entity rather than at it.  “They need me,” the Angel explains. “And you have asked me to observe the Halls.”  “Your selflessness knows no bounds,” the Entity says dryly. The Angel does not understand why this does not sound like a compliment. “But yes. If you cannot find it in yourself to diminish, then it is very useful for you to expand our knowledge of these… Halls.”  The Angel follows the Entity’s gaze around the Halls, with its dark recesses and its gothic arches. There are three statues in the chamber where the Red-Clothing Boy rests: a sweet-looking cherub, a lion’s-head bust, and an intricately carved bird that the Angel thinks might be a phoenix. It is one of the most interesting chambers of the Halls, but the Entity’s eyes seem to slide past its elaborate statues and its intriguing nooks and crannies. “Have you seen anyone else here?” the Entity asks. Its tone is carefully calm, but there is a metallic scrape to its words that betrays a sense of intensity.  “Yes, of course,” the Angel says, and the Entity looks taken aback. But when he starts reminding his visitor of the other Dead, like the Red-Clothing Boy, who dwell stilly and silently within the Halls, it quickly becomes clear that the Angel’s charges are not who the Entity is asking about.  “There are Others who seek to find this place,” the Entity explains gravely. “There may be as many as three, but I think only one will come. The Hunter.”  “What is he hunting?” the Angel asks.  “You,” the Entity says, and though a hint of threat is present in its answer, the Angel feels unexpectedly hopeful. “Me,” the Entity continues. “These Halls… if the Hunter finds his way here, the very architecture of this place is in danger, along with all its inhabitants. If you see him, you must tell me immediately, and you must not speak to him.”

[bleuzombie]

Coming this October from @deancashorrorfest …

Artist: @basketcasebetty

Author: @bleuzombie

Title: Survivalism

Rating: Explicit

Summary: Genetic engineers Castiel Novak and Dean Winchester are on the verge of a breakthrough in cancer treatment and possibly even a cure, using genetic manipulation and incredibly, shark DNA.

Following a devastating diagnosis of brain cancer, and amid growing pressure from his boss, Dick Roman, for results, Castiel is pushed to an act of desperation. He tests the cure on himself with disastrous and violent results.

He has never been so hungry.

Major Archive Warnings: Major Character Death, Graphic Depiction of Violence

Tags: Cannibalism, Animal Autopsy, Animal Death, Eating Live Animals, Genetic Manipulation, Blood, Violence, Body Horror, Bad Scientific Practices, Human Experimentation, Physical Assault

A Little Taste:

The smell of the blood, rich and metallic, hits him and Castiel can’t stop the moan that escapes his lips. His stomach growls. He’s just missing burgers. That’s all this is. It can’t be more than that. He clenches his jaw, grinding his teeth, trying to take shallow breaths as he examines the rat before him.

“Specimen 651?” Castiel checks his notes, trying to focus on the task at hand. “Yes, I apologize. This is Dr. Novak performing an autopsy of specimen 651, previously confirmed with Hodgkins stage IV. I have opened the chest cavity, looking for evidence of…” Castiel watches as the blood coats his fingers. He really should be wearing gloves. He’s contaminating… everything. It’s so hard to think. Harder than it should be as he stares at the blood on his fingers. Castiel wants more. He wants more than anything to be covered in the ambrosia cooling around his fingers. Bloody fingertips pull off his mask and before he can think, Castiel picks up the rat, its head goes into his mouth and he bites down.

The taste of the rat is better than any other pleasure he’s known. Castiel shoves the rest of the rat in his mouth, chewing sloppily, trying to ingest it as fast as possible. He feels so hungry.

This October get ready to chow down…

[okayfinehereiam]

Coming this October to @deancashorrorfest, @hexentaenzerin and I (IncandescentUmbrage) proudly present...

Wicked Muse

Rating: Explicit

Word count: ~15,500

Major Archive Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence

Ships & tags: Dean/Cas, AU no supernatural, murder husbands, corporate setting by day, torture-y setting by night, and they lived wickedly ever after

Summary:

Castiel Novak is a solitary creature. Corporate engineer by day, serial killer by night, and always by himself. Just the way he likes it. Until a new coworker's long, bowed legs, green eyes, and crooked smile catch his eye. He's certain he'll have to kill Dean, at first. He can't afford distractions, living the double life that he does. When the time comes, though, he just can't bring himself to do it. Artistic inspiration, long dormant in Castiel's life, replaces murderous intent.  As his obsession grows, so too does a newfound wish that he could share the deepest, darkest depths of himself with Dean. That Dean would understand, would accept, would even celebrate Castiel's bloody inclinations. But that's absurd. Unthinkable. Dean isn't like that. Is he?

Teaser:

“Heya,” the new guy said, grinning crookedly as he extended a hand. “Dean Winchester, Quality Control.”

Castiel’s body worked on autopilot as his brain fell into a red-tinged haze. He reached across his desk, catching the other man’s—Dean’s—hand in his own and giving it a firm shake. “Castiel Novak, Lead Engineer.”

Dean’s grin grew bright with excited recognition. “Oh, you’re the engineering guy! Awesome! Sounds like we’ll be working pretty closely together. Lookin’ forward to it, man.”

Dean leaned in close to clap a friendly hand on Castiel’s shoulder. Castiel was frozen again, staring up at Dean’s long neck and chiseled jaw. My god, this man would be gorgeous even dead. Especially dead.

“Well, it’s getting late, and we’ve still got quite a few people to introduce you to, Dean. Shall we get moving?” Nathaniel’s voice cut in, jolting Castiel out of his daze.

“Sure thing. Great to meet you, Cas!”

As quickly as they arrived, the two men were gone again, leaving Castiel reeling at his desk. A flurry of thoughts whirled through his mind, each as intangibly fleeting as a snowflake in the air.

Dean was beautiful.

My work needs no one’s quality control.

He hadn’t even minded when Dean had called him ‘Cas.’ It was a jarring contrast to the murderous rage that rose within him every time Ash did the same.

He’s a distraction. Don’t let a pretty face pull your focus.

But, god, what a face. And shoulders… chest… legs. He could wrap those legs around himself and take his pleasure from Dean’s writhing body, just before picking up his knife and—

Castiel huffed out a breath, raking a hand through his already-wild hair as the inevitable conclusion crept into his consciousness. Yes, his day job was boring as shit, simply a means to an end. His real work, the calling he fulfilled on his own time, that was the mission he’d always felt was worth his devotion. A beautiful man shouldn’t—couldn’t—change that. It was settled, then.

Dean Winchester had to die.