#or. lone traveler who’s making his way through a wasteland of monsters. saving humans with the powers sleep has given him but is this really

[foxgloveinspace]

Vessel really is The Dark Fantasy Romance Love Interest.

[sodalitefully]

Saving Grace [GNR, Sluff AU]

[This one’s a little... far out.  cw for blood and violence.  There’s also like demons and shit.  Inspired by the DOOM series and maybe also a little bit of Mad Max. Can also be found on ao3 here.]

[Two men and a baby meet in a post-apocalyptic hellscape.]

--

Saving Grace

--

A baby girl, a white picket fence, and a minivan. 

Growing up, Duff always dreamed of having a perfect family like the ones he used to see on TV: He wanted to be the man of the house with a beautiful, loving wife, 2.5 kids, a dog… Of course, as a couch-surfing, punk rock 20-year-old with a criminal record and a drinking problem, he didn’t really think he’d ever actually live that fantasy life. 

He just never thought the reason would be because some so-called scientists decided it was a good idea to open a portal to Hell, unleashing legions of vicious demons that poured out across the surface of Earth and decimated anything in their path. 

The charred picket fence wrapped around a pile of collapsed rubble that was once a cookie-cutter suburban house.  Duff had the hood of the rusty van open propped open to scavenge for parts he might be able to use to get his motorbike running again – it crapped out on him completely and left them stranded somewhere in what used to be a suburb of Los Angeles, but now resembled a desertified junkyard.  And then the little girl perched on his shoulders looked up across the wasted landscape and shrieked.

Duff responded on instinct; born into a world with real-life monsters lurking around every corner, his baby knew better than to make a loud noise without a good reason.  He grabbed her off his shoulders and ducked behind the van, shielding her with his body as he listened closely for danger.   

A muffled roar echoed across the low hills, followed by two more similar sounds and the tremor of collapsing rubble.  There were at least three, which might be a good thing: the monsters liked to to fight each other almost as much as they loved hunting humans.  On the other hand, Duff had no chance at fighting off three demons if they were discovered. 

A wet, rattling shriek, closer this time.  Duff shrugged off the shotgun strapped to his back.  And then – A yell, an enraged, human yell that split the thick smoky air with the clarity of a thunderbolt before it drowned under demonic hisses and wails.   

Holy fuck. 

Duff twisted around to peer through the broken window in the van’s passenger door.  For the moment the skirmish was just out of sight, around the corner if the plumes of dust and smoke were anything to go by.  Duff watched a small explosion take down what was left of a house frame, then a figure with charred, leathery skin and bony protrusions was thrown around the corner and into Duff’s line of sight by a wad of shotgun pellets fired at close range.

The imp was closely followed by a man, an honest-to-god man, not one of the hell-possessed soldiers that may once have been men but were now no more than bloodthirsty drones.  The man leapt on top of the dying creature, slammed the stock of his gun into its skull with a sickening crack that Duff could hear from a half a block away, then whirled around on the other two demons that rounded the corner in pursuit.��  

Duff was distracted from the melee when he spotted a shadow pass over the sun in the corner of his eye.  The gunshot attracted some attention, it seemed, and a flock of flying demons was closing in.  Duff trained his barrel on the newcomers, but at this distance it was useless.  He spared a glance at the other man: the stranger was running up the street, getting closer to Duff’s hiding place as one of the remaining monsters chased after him.  The other lagged behind, looking mangled; the winged creatures swooped down and tore their weakened kin to shreds in a matter of seconds.

Neither the demons nor the slayer seemed to have noticed their hiding place yet, but the walls were closing in on Duff and his charge.  He searched frantically for an escape, but every path would expose them.  A screech and two crunches in quick succession signified the abrupt termination of the third imp.  Duff turned back to the battlefield in the center of the street: he could see a puddle of blood forming under the crumpled corpse, but its killer was nowhere in sight. 

And then a shadow fell over the van, and Duff’s blood turned to ice.  When he looked up, he was assaulted by the demon’s blisteringly hot breath as it hovered so close it was practically on top of them.  Its body was just a bulbous head, dominated by a gaping mouth infested with so many jagged teeth it could only close halfway.  Beady yellow eyes, at least five of them, dotted the top of the beast’s skull; the largest and most central was trained on Duff. 

He pushed the child behind him and aimed his weapon down the demon’s throat, but the shot only knocked it back a few meters.  Viscous blood oozed from the pellet holes as it advanced again, stretching its maw grotesquely wide so Duff can easily see the glow of a building attack.  He fumbled with the barrel of the gun, struggling to breathe as he reloaded.   

This was it.  Duff had encountered demons before, but he’d never been ambushed like this.  He would go down fighting, that was certain, but a buried part of him was convinced it was hopeless.  He’d failed as a survivor, and more importantly as a protector.  He’d sworn to do whatever it took to protect the innocent life he had been entrusted with, but now... If he was lucky, the monster’s attack would blow him to bits so his corpse couldn’t be repossessed as a minion of Hell.   

The barrel of the gun snapped back into place but sparks were already escaping the creature’s mouth.  Its inhale was accompanied by a rough, wheezing sound… then by a wet thwack as a metallic wedge sprouted from the top of its head. 

The demon wavered, then collapsed.  Duff scrambled backwards as the massive corpse slid down the side of the van and landed on its face right where he’d been standing.  A hatchet – more like a battle-axe, really, better suited to chopping up demons than firewood – was lodged deep in its skull.  The axe’s handle bore a smeared, bloody handprint and it pointed straight at Duff.   

Slowly, Duff’s gaze rose from the bloodstained handle to the person crouched on the other side of the corpse. 

The man who saved their lives stood up and Duff was finally able to get a good look at him.  The first thing he noticed was the dark red fluid that cut a streak from his belt buckle to his ear.  It almost looked like a wound, like the man had been cleaved in two, then the halves forced together again, but deep wine-color of demonic blood was unmistakable.   

The largest, freshest bloodstain cast a sticky sheen across his heaving chest, with spattered starbursts starting to drip down his belly and smaller globs quickly growing tacky as they clung to the sleeves of his leather jacket.  The gash continued up his neck, congealed in the rough stubble on his chin, and crossed the corner of his lip before scattering across his cheek. 

His expression was grim – not quite angry or threatening… It reminded Duff of the heroes in action movies he used to watch as a child, a lifetime ago.  He was shorter than Duff, but he held himself like he expected to be challenged at any moment.  Sunglasses hid his eyes, his lips were peeling from the sun, and his wild curly hair was restrained in a ponytail.  The pockets of his jeans and his jacket were obviously stuffed with ammo for the shotgun on his back and the handguns on his belt, but he didn’t touch those, even as Duff still clutched his own firearm.  Instead, he planted a foot on the beast’s back and wrenched the axe free from its skull. 

Duff flinched as the head of the axe swung a foot from his face.  A fresh gush of blood formed a puddle at his feet, but Duff was too busy watching the stranger wipe disturbingly jelly-ish matter off what was obviously his favored weapon to notice the warm fluid seeping into the cracked soles of his shoes.  Finally, the stranger rested the axe on his shoulder and looked up at Duff with a silent, unreadable expression. 

“Th-Thanks,” Duff forced out.  He didn’t take his eyes off the other man as he scooped his whimpering child into his arms and stood up carefully, ready to bolt at the first sign of conflict. 

He’d heard about people like this: wasteland warriors, lone wolves, individuals who took to the collapse of civilization a little too well.  Most people left on the planet clung to straggling groups of survivors, cooperating purely out of a desperate need for some semblance of safety and normalcy, but people like the slayer fared better on their own.  They took care of Number One, and that made them unpredictable, made them dangerous.   

But then… The stranger did just save their lives.

Maybe that meant that Duff could… well, not trust him, but give him the benefit of the doubt.  It was better to make friends than enemies, after all.  Maybe the stranger knew where there were other survivors, or where they could find supplies.  Maybe he could help fix the bike.  Or maybe he would kill them and loot their meager possessions. 

His little girl was relaxed in his arms, assured that the danger had passed.  Duff wished he could do the same. 

The stranger studied Duff and his child for a long, tense moment, then tilted his head skeptically.  “You two on your own?” 

His voice was gravelly, like he hadn’t spoken in a while.  It was also softer and lighter than Duff expected, almost seemed out of place coming from a demon slayer’s lips.  He was startled enough that he gave an honest answer without hesitating. 

“Yeah. Just us." 

“You got a safe house?” 

“Just the bike.  We’re heading south, I heard about a group of survivors near the border.”  It had been a huge risk, breaking off from the small group he had traveled down the coast with for almost half a year.  But they were barely getting by, and once Duff had a baby to consider he had to find a way to give her a life that was more than just surviving.  A large, successful group could provide more stability, more resources, maybe even other children.  So off they went on Duff’s junkyard Frankenstein of a motorcycle, speeding south through a barren dust bowl along what used to be I-5.  A few days ride, stopping frequently to rest and scavenge and tune up the bike, brought them to LA.  Another few would take them to the old US-Mexico border, to a chance at a better life in the twin ruins of San Diego and Tijuana.   

The stranger shook his head.  “Fuck that,” he informed them.  "They’re all dead.”   

He might as well have ripped the ground from under Duff’s feet, torn open up a pit to Hell and watched him scream as he fell.  His stomach dropped, his blood went cold, and he tried to force down the familiar feeling of panic that stared to creep up his spine.  His horror must have been obvious because after a beat, the stranger made an awkward attempt at reassuring him: “You’re better off, they had some kind of freaky cult shit going on.”   

Great, so even if they’d been able to find the survivors, they would have ended up drinking demonic Kool-Aid or something.  Somehow that didn’t make Duff feel much better.  He wondered if maybe the slayer had something to do with their demise – but it didn’t matter now. 

What the fuck was he supposed to do now?  They were running out of food and water, they wouldn't have enough to get back to San Francisco unless they got really lucky scavenging.  And Los Angeles was a Hadean fallout zone, an early casualty that had been ravaged by waves demon hordes and picked over by scavenging survivors, so there was little chance of that.  Jesus Christ, they didn’t even have a working vehicle.  He held his baby tighter against his chest, rubbing comforting circles on her back while he buried his face on her shoulder to hide his despair. 

Politely, the stranger looked away.  The hazy orange sunlight glared off his sunglasses as he scanned the horizon.  “It’s getting late.”  He turned back to Duff.  “We should go." 

“W-We?” 

The slayer ignored Duff’s disbelief.  “Leave the bike, it’s a three hour walk and it’ll only slow us down.”  He turned his back and started marching towards the setting sun without waiting for Duff’s response.   

Duff gaped at him.  It had been too long since someone had freely given them aid without demanding something in return.  A safe place to stay the night, maybe even food and drink?  It was almost incomprehensible.  Not to mention suspicious, but this really wasn’t the time to be looking a gift horse in the mouth.  The stranger saved Duff's ass twice in ten minutes and Duff didn’t even know his name... 

He scrambled to catch up, matching the stranger’s brisk pace with his own long strides. 

“I can’t thank you enough for this, man.  I’m Duff.” 

“I’m Slash.” 

“Slash?”

“Yep.” 

“…Huh.  Nice to meet you, Slash.”  Slash gives him a look, and Duff hopes he hasn’t offended him.  But Slash just shakes his head and lets out a small huff of a laugh. 

“And the kid?” He asked.   

Duff couldn’t help the adoring grin that lit up his face.  “This is Grace.”

--

[greenninjagal-blog]

currently vibing in a two-week lockdown, can you share some of your favorite fics? i need some new things to read, and I've got too much time on my hands-

Aw man, same! The rest of my actual Spring Semester got turned online… Let’s see…..Fic recs for the pseudo End of the World (Courtesy of AO3, arranged by most prominent ship!) Keep in mind that my descriptions are shorter and written mostly for comedic effect than the actual fics, so if something looks interesting Click it! Get more info about it! Don’t just take my word! I tried my best to get a lot of variety of fics and topics and tropes, as well as authors that might not be as well known! Uhhh here are the links to lists I’ve already made for various other reasons check out my Fic Rec Masterlist!

I also am including various of my fav authors masterlists for funsies!

jungle321jungle’s || Max-isTired’s || TrashficParlour’s || Lefaystrent’s || Mine!

Completed Fics

A Deal in which Virgil tries to summon a familiar and gets a Circle King instead. And he’s really pretty. (Anxceit)

Love Like You in which Virgil decides to give up looking for a romantic partner and considers adopting instead. He finds more than he’s looking for with a set of twins and the man who watches over them (Anxceit)

A Dragon’s Tail in which Logan is cursed to be a Dragon by his best friends stepmother, Virgil is struggling to learn a power he can’t control, Patton who’d rather marry a servant than the Prince, and Roman has no clue what is going on but the Prince he’s supposed to be saving can probably kick his ass. (Logicality, Prinxiety)

A Game of Vice in which Remus kidnaps Roman and turns it into a game of who can come save him from his lonely tower. (Logicality, Prinxeity) 

double down with the paradigms in which Logan tries to explain away his own OCD while dealing with the emotions he has for a certain Pre-Vet. Excellent depiction of OCD, made me cry, 300/10 would read again. (Logicality, Prinxiety)

It Takes Two to Tango in which Roman begs his brother, Logan, to let him go back in time to meet a famous dancer. Falling in Love was not part of the plan. (Prinxiety, Logicality)

A favorite star in the heavens in which everyone has at least one soulmate. They’re luckily enough to have three each. (LAMP) 

Forgotten Forests and Magnified Myths in which Logan finds out very suddenly that he has the passive ability to talk to dragons. (DAMP, Remilie)

Sense5 in which five people in different countries are suddenly psychically linked together and uh…yeah fun times. (DLAMP)

Stray Hearts Are Subject To Change in which black cat hybrid Virgil plans to die very heroically in an alley and Roman completely messes up that plan by being a decent human being. (Prinxiety, Logicality)

Hidden In Shadows in which Virgil is the boogieman every adult warned you about but he doesn’t actually enjoy being scary. Good thing the three Sanders kids aren’t scared of anything. (Not so good for their very confused Dad who isn’t sure what to do about their new imaginary friend)

Paved with Good Intentions in which the dark sides agree to send Virgil to the light sides as a way to get Thomas to listen to them more. Now if Virgil can just get along with the Light sides enough to actually start making some progress…

Absent Gods and Silent Tyranny or: How Logan Learned to Stop Over Thinking and Love Everyone in which Logan is a morally grey scientist who just works for supervillains because they pay well. He doesn’t expect someone like Virgil to change that.

Series

Clouds and Moss AU in which the sides are gods and its very gay and very good. (Intrulogical, Roceit)

Colors in which Logan is an excellent Dad, Virgil is an amazing son, and the world is very colorful. (Logicality)

Labeled in which Logan is a famous superhero, Patton is a doctor, and they adopt the would-be super villain and everything is soft and lovely and I cry at the purity. (Logicality, Remilie)

Fbi!au in which the sides work for the fbi and I diligently reread these series of oneshots for a daily dose of serotonin!  (Logince, Moxiety)

Growing Old is More Fun with You in which Patton is a PTA dad and so is Deceit and they have a “rivalry”. (Mociet)

Gilded Cage in which Roman is forced to dance for the fairy queen whenever she wants it. (Prinxiety)

Renegades! in which the sides live in a dystopia and fight the government while being completely in love with each other. (Prinxiety, Logiciality) 

Love and Other Fairytales in which a couple decides to keep their changling and their actual son, a child is cursed gifted a voice that makes people do whatever he says, a boy makes a rotten deal for the sake of his friend, and centuries before any of this, a fae prince is tricked into an endless sleep by his brother. 

The Vampire Hunting Vampire in which Virgil was turned into a monster and LPR slowly convince him he’s not as bad as he thinks he is. Through cuddles. (LAMP, DLAMP)

Wasteland, Baby! in which there are things in the woods and Patton gets,,, intimate with them. On purpose! (LAMP)

Destined in which Damian has successfully ignored his Soulmates for five years and he planned on doing it for much longer but on his twentieth birthday fate intervenes with a second soultrait that forces him to come face to face with all of them. (DLAMP)

Old Gods in which Gods sometimes walk the earth and Remus is pleased to hear that people are still making offerings to him– wait that is not a goat. And other fun stories!

Sit back and watch the world go by in which Virgil is a human abducted by alien smugglers, befriends Patton, breaks out, and everyone fears humans as space orcs, almost as much as Virgil is afraid of them. 

Teaming the Pieces Together in which Thomas is a pokemon trainer and eevees just…click with him.

Tales from the Dark Sides in which the author provides a lovely hub of works where Virgil is abused by OC dark sides and DLMPR are there to help patch him up.

Uncle Emile and the Super Nephews in which Emile gets custody of his six nephews and tries to bond with them. They in turn try very hard not to tell him they have superpowers.

Cuffed Universe in which Remus is a cop chasing after a hacker, Logan breaks the laws and Virgil would just like tO KEEP ONE JOB WITHOUT ONE OR BOTH OF THE OTHERS DRAGGING HIM INTO THEIR SHIT. (Analomus)

Ongoing Fics

The Origin in which space travel via Thomas Sanders’s ship SS Revelation gets more complicated when the Planets themselves turn out to be entities who aren’t all on board with humanity spreading to the rest of the solar system. (Remile) 

Delicato in which Logan and Patton are music professors with very different conceptions of music, and Virgil and Roman are students in both their classes who just want them to kiss already. (Logicality, Prinxiety)

Coming out of The Shadows in which a small mutant child Virgil is treated as subhuman because of his uncontrolled ability to manipulate shadows up until a scientist buys him. (Royality)

Falling Stars At My Command in which Roman wishes on a star and Patton reaps the benefits while Logan unfortunately gets dragged along for the ride. (Royality) 

Sugar in which Patton has three sons and no free time to bother with a relationship while he’s trying to manage bills. At least until Roman walks into his life. Sugar Daddy anyone? (Royality) 

A Man, a Snake, and a Rat in which Logan, Deceit, and Remus become college roomates (Intruloceit) 

a.s.h.es, ashes (We all fall down) in which after Logan almost dies during one of his recuse missions, him and his partner start to dig into the superhero agency they’re employed by and stumble into something far bigger than they expected. (Logicality, Prinxiety, LAMP? LAMP)

Keep him safe in which Detective Logan falls for the owner of his new favorite bakery while his partner Roman falls for the gang member they’re chasing. Ft: emotions, a pet rat, dealing with delusions 101, trauma, and family so gooey it literally makes me melt whenever it updates. I love this fic so much. (Advertises as Logicality and Prinxiety but theres so much LAMP I can’t not put it down here)

Multitudes in which Virgil works at a coffeeshop, pines over the customers that come in, and wonders why they all tip him so well. (LAMP)

Songbird in which the only thing keeping Virgil’s parents alive is his voice: the moment the (new) King gets tired of listening to him its off with all their heads. And Virgil’s okay with that, he is…. Until three visiting nobles leaving him wishing for his freedom for the first time since he was ten. (LAMP)

Shatter in which Logan gets fed up with not being listened to, and takes some poor advice from Rage, which ends with the entire Mindscape being turned upside down and inside out. Now its up to Deceit fix it all. (aka the author decided it was about high time Deceit got some love and appreciation and I’m out here living for it.) (DAMP)

Incredible Cosmic Power in which Virgil awakens some genies by accident and they refuse to let him go back to living a relatively normal peaceful life. (DLAMP)

Plea for my New Self in which Vampire Virgil decides he wants to start over again, and goes back to college to work on coding. There he proceeds to do reckless good with his absurd amount of wealth and a “fuck it” attitude. Actually one of my favorite things ever okay. I love this one so much. (DLAMP)

Your Wish Is My Command in which Thomas accidentally rubs six lamps and becomes the glorified babysitter to six jinn who definitely don’t trust him. But its fineeee. (DLAMP)

6 Dads in which Deceit, Emile, Remus, Roman, Thomas, and Remy make a relationship work and their children aren’t sure how but go along with it anyway.

Rebel Rebel in which Thomas, a well respected man, visits the Imagination, for some pleasure business as a one time thing. Except that he keeps coming back. Maybe maybe falls in love with one, two, thr– all of the men who work there. 

A New Kind of Experiment  in which Virgil runs away from home, and ends up kidnapped by merman, and somehow he doesn’t mind that much.

Becoming His Own Hero in which everyone has to juggle their superhero lives with their regular lives and sometimes…its just hard.

don’t wanna be a tragedy in which brothers Roman and Remus get a house and subsequently find out its totally, completely, 100% haunted.

Don’t You, Forget About Me in which the author recreates Breakfast club and does it spectacularly.

Heart’s Heroes in which Patton may be a villain but that does not mean he wants to see the child heroes of the city dead.

Mortals and Fae in which Deceit barely escapes the wrath of his town when they all turn against him. Dying, he stumbles into a fairy circle hoping that with his name the fae make his death short and sweet. Big Shock for him when he wakes up with a Fairy Prince swearing to protect him.

Sanders Family in which Thomas adopts six kids and has no regrets about it.

How Not to Go About an Important Inspection in which after a devastating betrayal the crew of the USS Bifrost is docked for repairs and the crew just wants to go back to being a normal family but Command is insisting on an inspection to ensure nothing so…drastic occurs again.

Symbiotic in which certain Vampires have a vemon that leaves with victims craving getting their blood drunken. Deceit, one of these Victims, continues to burn bridges because that’s easier than admitting he might need help dealing with this. 

[tcxastough]

Fallout verse-- companion quests, New Vegas

So I generally have in Danielle’s Fallout verses that she’s a companion/follower for the player character, and like every good companion, they need a companion quest for the player to complete.

Unlike Fallout 4, New Vegas companions do not have a love/like/dislike/hate meter, and thus the only way to get their “trust” value up is to complete tasks in certain ways for certain quests (a prime example for this is Arcade Gannon, but all the companions have this to a certain extent.) The actions you must take are as follows:

-- Hard Luck Blues: In the quest Hard Luck Blues, you will gain +2 trust points if you decide to shut Vault 34′s reactor off without saving the trapped vault dwellers, and will comment that you made the right choice and “Sometimes the good of the many means sacrificing the few”. However, if you decide to save the trapped Vault 34 dwellers and thus dooming the NCR sharecroppers, Danielle will ask why you decided to save a couple of people over saving hundreds of acres of farmland (and the people that eat the food from said farmland); you have a list of speech options to choose from: * “The NCR needs to go back home, this seemed like an opportunity” -- Danielle will comment on how Mr. House or the New Vegas locals could have easily used the land instead once they are pushed back, and you will lose 1 trust point. * “I couldn’t sleep at night knowing I was responsible for their deaths.” -- Danielle will frown and comment on how you seem to have no trouble sleeping after killing other people you don’t even know, hostile or non hostile, and you will neither gain nor lose any trust points (if you activated ARCHIMEDES at Helios One, she will comment that you’re a hypocrite, and you will lose 2 trust points.) * “Not sure, just felt like it.” -- This will garner her to go quiet for a brief period, then comment on your spontaneous decisions and hope you don’t decide to do something stupid with your rash behavior. You will not lose or gain any trust points. * [Speech 45] “I know I can’t save everybody, but I still have to try.” -- Danielle will become contemplative, and ask if trying to save a few people is worth the risk of other lives, and what places value on some people over others. You will gain +2 trust points.

-- Young Hearts: If you finish the quest with Danielle in your party (or afterwards if you speak to Jack with Danielle in your party,) She will comment on your skills as a wingman. You then have the following dialogue options: * “They’re moving a bit fast, in my opinion.” -- Danielle will remark that it may be true, but the wasteland is hard and life is short, so relationships are usually acted out rather quickly. * “They make a cute couple.” -- Danielle will agree and speak of how Jack’s eagerness reminded her of her husband. * “I don’t really care, I just helped out so the Boomers will like me.” -- Dani will chuckle slightly and ask if that’s why you bring her along in hopes of making her more friendly towards you. No matter which option you pick, she will then talk about how she and her late husband met under similar circumstances by him becoming a new recruit, and how quickly they hit it off. After a bit of information pressing, she will both admit to being a former Brotherhood scribe from the Texas Branch and will also explain that the branch fell to a warring tribe that sided with the Legion in order to attack, and that both her husband, her son, and mother and father died attempting to protect the settlement. She then says that she’d like to drop the subject and keep moving. You will gain +2 trust points.

-- The Coyotes: Completing this quest with Danielle in your party will earn +1 trust point as long as you successfully complete it. She will make a quick comment that slavers are scum and deserve death.

-- Come Fly With Me: If your speech is low and you do not have the Black Widow perk, Danielle can speak to Haversham and convince him that he is not a ghoul and to not to sabatoge the rocket. Completing the quest with her in your party will earn +1 if you allow the Ghouls to successfully launch their rockets, +2 if you improve their coordinates (science skill) before launch, and -1 if you crash the rockets into eachother. No matter what you pick, Danielle will respond. “This was such a weird fuckin’ day.” Once the quest is completed.

-- There Stands The Grass: If you travel to Vault 22 with the quest active and Dani in party, she will speak with you and give you another option: Give the research notes to her instead of letting Keely delete them or giving them to Dr. Hildern. This option won’t be available if you have already completed the “I Could Make You Care” quest with using the data as an option to give to the Elder. You will gain +3 trust points for giving the data to Danielle; other options do not affect her affinity.

-- (Misc.): Walking through the Hidden Valley with Danielle in party will have her comment on how the Mojave Brotherhood don’t allow new members, and that she was rejected entry despite her history in the Texan branch. She further goes on to explain that this was how she met Victor and decided to join Mr.House in his conquering of the Strip. Gains +1 trust point.

-- (Misc.): Walking into the New Vegas Clinic with Danielle will cause her to comment on how she barely survived the attack of the legion and how she had crawled herself into the nearly-destroyed Brotherhood bunker’s Autodoc to have most of her organs and right arm replaced. Gains +1 trust point.

--(Misc.): Having Rex in your party will delight Danielle, and claim that she also used to have a cyberdog named Gunner at one point. She also says that, if you ever want Rex to have mounted turrets on his back, just say the word. Gains +1 trust point (only once)

(more trust point opportunities may be added later)

--

Hell Hath No Fury

    After gaining at least 5-7 trust points, Danielle will confide in you that the true reason she came out west was to track down the Paladin that betrayed the Texan Brotherhood by desserting and giving Caesar’s Legion security access codes to their troops, and thus was responsible for the conquering and slaughtering of her family. She knew it was foolhardy to try it alone, and thus attempted to reach the Mojave Brotherhood chapter for assistance. When they turned her down, she was prepared to head towards NCR territory, when she stopped on the road in Goodsprings and spotted a lone securitron, Victor, on the point of disrepair. 

    Being a former Senior Scribe and excellent in robotics and repair, she fixed the securtiron up and even managed to half-way unlock the upgrades in the model that the Platinum chip would have fully unlocked. Impressed with her skills, Victor hired the woman as a repairman and mercenary by proxy of Mr. House, running odd jobs and errands that securitrons couldn’t do. While she never spoke to the man face-to-face, she knew a man with so much power and influence would easily crush the legion forces when they came rolling in.

    While Danielle is fine with awaiting the Second Battle of Hoover Dam, she wishes to personally find the Paladin who betrayed her family and personally killed her husband: renamed Sanctus Militus by Caesar. She has word to believe that the man has gone AWOL, but has no idea where he could be, and asks that you help gather information. After a bit of running around, you will find that Sanctus is hiding in Brocflower Cave.

     Once found, you will discover that the once corrupt paladin is now old and crippled, even older than Caesar, and went awol due to no longer being of any use to the legion. You have a choice to convince Danielle to let the grudge go and leave the man be, with a 50 speech check for saying there is nothing left of him and he isn’t worth the hate, or you can allow her to recieve closure. 

     If you allow her to kill Sanctus, a cutscene will ensue and Danielle will kill the man in a scripted event by stabbing him in the gut multiple times. She will then turn to you and claim that he and the Legion turned her into a monster, (though whether she is refering to the multiple scars and vast cybertronics in her body or her mental state or both is unknown,) but that the memory of her late family is what still keeps her feeling human, and will thank you for giving her this opportunity for closure.         Taking this path will allow Danielle to gain the “Vindictive Justice” perk, which will give you a +2 boost to your Strength and Endurance as long as she is in the party (adds on even with 10 stat)

      If you convince Danielle to spare Sanctus, she will walk out of the cave and wait for you outside. After walking out, she will then comment on how the whole idea was stupid and she wasted decades trying to gain something she would never have again. She then thanks you for allowing her to realize this.        Taking this path will allow Danielle to gain the “Still Human” perk, which will give you a +2 boost to your Charisma and Intelligence as long as she is in the party  (adds on even with 10 stat)

[lachalaine]

Fairy Tail Verse // Dark Guild Tenebris Caligo

It’s an encounter she doesn’t mean to happen. 

It’s a mistake she doesn’t mean to make. 

But sometimes fate works in only the worst of ways. And she was one of its casualties. 

----- she meets him at age eighteen

In a den. 

A bandits den, to be more precise. One of her more regular odd jobs, taken from a local town that had been... less then receptive to her initial presence. A casualty of a rumor that’d been going around since a few weeks prior, when she’d gotten caught up in another ‘incident’. A job gone wrong, the large mass of another forest being scorched away, with her as the only culprit. 

Technically, they weren’t wrong. She was the main miscreant in that little debacle, though it’d been for a good reason. The thugs had been harder to wrangle this time, and things had gotten quickly out of hand as their magic quickly doubled up with her own. An accumulation of an alchemical fusion that’d torched even a good half of the nearby city district, earning her the ire of one too many city officials, and then some. Enough to put her on a watch list. Enough to make the Magic Council’s Rune Knights take notice. 

Enough to piss off one very angry General. 

She is warned. Once. And then sent away. 

It is not her first encounter with them. 

A string of mistakes only fans the flames, and yet she somehow manages to escape, after paying her dues, after fixing the mostly inconsequential damage she’s wrought. Her work to the few locals who defend her is more invaluable in action then it is in prison, so they say, and so she is pardoned. Once, twice, three and four times. 

But there is a limit. 

One that she doesn’t quite yet hit exactly, when the next she travels to another town further in the north - where she is... rejected, so to speak. Treated coldly, almost unfairly you could say, as the news of her exploits create a rumor so severe that the people grow wary of her. A walking time bomb, as they hear, with the potential to turn the whole town into nothing but a charred memory. 

They are not wrong. But they aren’t necessarily right either. 

Regardless, they send her on her way, without allowing her to stock up on supplies. 

She is traipsing through the mud come exactly an hour later, through cold and humid rain of which she has no cover from. 

It is perhaps... only the beginning. 

Somehow, with every town that she comes upon next, and as her stock of supplies gets lower and lower - the rumor evolves. From walking time bomb to demon, to ravager and demolisher. There is much to be said for a girl who wanders and ruins and wrecks. There is much more to be said when they see her familiars at her side, beasts made of fire and fury with eyes gleaming crimson red; no matter that they do not attack ---- regardless, there is much to be said. 

( it helps of course, that such townsfolk would only listen to an aggravated General, irritated by the errant young woman who constantly slips through his laws, listening to a man who must, must, must have only their best interests in order --

it helps, truly. ) 

They will not give her shelter. They will not give her supplies. They will not give her jobs. And it is when she reaches her fifth town, after having walked miles over the span of a month, on her absolute last leg and just wanting - please, please, please - just one night in a warm inn, just one night with warm food, just one night of rest ----

That she is turned away again. 

Jackie remains in her tent on the outskirts that evening, shivering through the cold and holding her familiars against her chest, yet not even their heated touch could aid the sustained cold that’d appeared to have settled beneath her skin. 

It is not enough. 

She stays for only three days, as far from the town as possible and wracked by delirium with a fever that nearly refuses to settle, and yet her continued presence ( no matter how solitary ) sets the townsfolk on edge. The fever breaks only on the morning of the third day, as her illness having been assisted by her spirits, she is awakened back to radiant sunshine after weeks and weeks of insistent rain. 

She is greeted at her tent by the Mayor of the town. 

A rough and skeevy old man, that provides her with a job. Fairly difficult, and with very little compensation, but should she accept, they would allow her to purchase what she would need and grant her that one night at the inn, provided she take care of a mass of bandits for them. 

A mass of bandits, that they know, would far outweigh the strength of one teenage girl. 

Kill two birds with one stone, right?

In her desperation ( for warmth and acceptance and just one chance to make things right ) --- she accepts. 

---- she never cashes in on her reward from that job. 

Because perhaps they were right. Maybe she was a walking time bomb. An eruption waiting to happen. An inferno meant to turn any plot of land as far as the eyes can see into a desolate wasteland. 

Maybe they were right. Because regardless of their intentions for her, regardless of their expectations on the potentials of what could a sick girl possibly do?? --- she succeeds. But at a terrible cost. 

Because there in that bandits den, is where she meets the one man that would ruin her life. That would change her. That would make everything just so, so much Worse. 

Garry. 

It is there that her future dies. And it is there when she helps him, a stranger, a prisoner held captive, a man she’d only meant to help escape, that he turns around and subsequently provides her with a dead end herself. 

She’d been meant to bring the bandits back alive. 

Instead, they are all dead. And not a single one of them by her hand. 

She had controlled the inferno, but only just. But that’s not what the witnesses see. They see puddles of blood and the flicker of a shadow drenched in black. They see pillars of flame and a lone woman standing right in the midst of it. 

They see the fires quickly settling outwards and towards the town, because the damn girl couldn’t get her sudden shock in order. 

The Magic Council is there - that bastard General is there - before she can get a handle on damage control.  

And it is the most damage she has ever caused. The wreckage to the surrounding forest is too great, and with her fluctuating emotions getting out of hand and with the string of bodies left in her wake ( there are other prisoners, other innocents, he’d left no one spared ), it is the last straw. 

They order her to stand down. And before she can --- before she can even wrap her head around anything, enough to even think to do it --- 

A flicker. 

And she is gone. 

She is stolen away, literally. By Garry. 

And to the Rune Knights, such thievery of her very being can only amount to one thing -- 

A fugitive on the run. 

--- but he does not let her go. For despite her anger and despite her rage when she comes back to herself, she is weak. Tired. Exhausted. Unable to even stand as the backlash of her illness quickly catches up to her, and as he carries her to safety, he tells her he’ll take care of her, just like she took care of him. Just like she’d saved him. He’ll keep her warm and safe and everything will be okay. 

She’ll never have to worry about the cold again. 

When she wakes up, hours and hours and even just a few days later -- she is underground. Tucked into a warm bed, and with warm food greeting her at her bedside. The girl is kept safe, and kept clothed, and taken very well care of. 

And he is there, greeting her with a smile. 

It is her first sense of genuine warmth felt in weeks, and she is weak to it. To him. Even if she hates it. 

Because he is a murderer, but he is warm and gentle and takes care of her. He appreciates her, even if he understands her rage. 

Yet he kisses her, just once, and somehow it fades. 

She is a stupid girl that day. A stupid, and most hopeless girl -- angry and frustrated and on the cusp of young love ---

And he would keep her 

s a f e . 

( such lies are so easily spun, when you find a girl who wants to hear it said )

And at least with him, he’d whispered, as hands laced with her own tugged her through the darkened corridors, towards the others she would soon call comrades 

She would never need to control herself, ever. 

‘ You could burn anything. Anyone. You could reach your potential with us. ‘ 

Because she was meant for something --- more. 

Right? 

Right. But of course. 

No one else would ever understand. 

But he would. He’d promise her that. Always. 

He s w o r e .

He l i e s.

Tenebris Caligo takes her in, and she becomes everything those rumors told her to be. Devastator. Ruiner. Monster. The resident fire starter, the resident ticking time bomb. She is the loose canon and the terror, the one woman army that can and will unleash hellfire on the world if she so much as wishes for it. 

She makes him so proud. And in such pride, and in such infatuation and in such falsities of love --- 

she loses herself. 

. 

..

...

( and yet maybe not. ) 

For even in her wildest rage, for even as her fire burns burns burns ( to the endless heartache of her spirits, to who she would not listen ), there remains perhaps within her --- 

A glimpse of rationality. Of humanity. 

Of --- 

Jackie. 

Somehow, by some luck, she retains herself. But only just enough.

Garry’s hold on her isn’t all that steady. 

For in the months that follow, there are deaths by her hand, undoubtedly. Gruesome deaths, wrought on those of men that were cruel, of who’d stepped too far out of line for the guilds liking, even though they should have known otherwise. Their guilds reign is of terror, the whispers of them are of horror. They are monsters and thieves and pillagers that the Magic Council cannot restrain, too intelligent and too strong to keep contained, and so they continue. For months, for a year, for almost two. 

And then in the midst of those screams, there comes -- an utterance, ushered so terribly softly that not even her comrades could ever hope to hear them. 

For there is a savior --- in one. 

They do not know of which one, only that that they would come quietly. In the night, and when the prisoners are left for dead. The innocents would be set free, cared for and ushered on their way, before their supposed ‘carcasses’ were disposed of by other means. It feels like a fairy tale, almost, but there are those who would swear by such mercy, men and women and children. They would swear on their hopes and lives on it. 

The savior is real, but they cannot speak of them. They will not. 

For if nothing else, they would owe her that much. 

Soon enough, though the rumors remain unnoticed by those that’d mattered, it reaches the ears of one man. An undercover mage from the Council, having settled into the townsfolk to try his hand at acquiring information, in attempts to try to take out the guild. 

He hears of the rumor, and almost doesn’t believe it. But the whispers are too strong, and the strength and hope of those who utter of it is steadfast, and perhaps -- there must some truth to the rumors, just maybe. 

He finds out when he is taken. 

He finds her when he is saved.

Perhaps he arrives just when she would need him. 

For she is tired, and disenchanted, and the past year has ruined her in more ways then one could count. Her relationship is in shambles, her worth to the guild is based off the chaos only she could create, there is more blood on her hands then she could ever hope to erase. 

She has no one to rely on except for herself, yet she knows that any sense of escape would be - if anything - absolutely futile. 

She has no where else to go. 

But then there is a man whispering to her from his now open cell, waiting for her to take his hand as he tells her of all the rumors he’s heard, of all the things she’s done, of all those that she’d saved --- because it must be her, it must --- 

‘ You don’t want to be here, do you? You don’t want to do this, right? I can have them grant you pardon. I can give that to you. ‘

She does not respond. 

Just hoping to give her a way out.

‘ I can keep you safe. ‘

Her eyes narrow at those words. She remains quiet. 

Jackie turns around, and she leaves. She does not look back. 

...when she comes around again in a weeks time, it is to her surprise. 

For the man is still there. Waiting in his cell, bloody and bruised and aching, but waiting. 

For her. 

He refuses to leave, he says, until she comes with him. 

She opens his cell again, calls him a moron, and leaves. 

And when she returns, he is still there. 

--- her comrades start getting suspicious. For they are used to burned corpses and cadavers. Not a man with a smart mouth that she hasn’t yet taken care of. They jest and they laugh, they wonder if perhaps she’s taken a shine to the man. 

( she doesn’t even know his name ) 

But it makes Garry of all people, very curious. And despite the pervasive frigidness between them, as what’s left of their relationship shrivels into an already endless abyss, he can’t help but wonder. 

Perhaps it is his sudden interest in her again, after so many months of ignorance, that it suddenly snaps the woman back to herself. 

Things were getting --- dangerous. 

It is on the fourth week, upon which the man has relentlessly stayed despite her promise of escape otherwise, that she arrives at just an hour before daybreak, carrying a lone candle and opening his cell for one last time. 

And she offers him her hand. 

At the age of twenty, the man takes her and steals her away into the darkness, upon which her comrades awaken to find her gone - upon which they awaken to find their entire lair burning to the ground. 

They awaken just in time for the bombs to go off. 

They awaken just in time to die. 

This time, she is taken away, and this time -- she is kept safe. Brought before the Council and the Queen in chains, yet requested for pardon by those of which she’d saved, her honor upheld by those who’d been the stalwart proof of her mercy. The mage is kept restrained and tightly guarded until her sentence can be decided, and though the General makes an appearance, there is little that can be done in his efforts to have her permanently incarcerated. 

The man of who she’d saved ( Theo, he’d told her his name was ) was of higher rank then the General himself could ever hope to be, and his judgement of her makes all the difference. 

In the end, she is imprisoned, but only for half a year, as her merits are taken into consideration. On good behavior, she is let out on parole, and despite being constantly watched by the Council and their guards, she accepts the terms, if only so that she may taste her freedom once again. 

She restarts her life, one more time. 

And in two years time, after traveling on her own and trying to prove herself once again ( if only to herself, so that might come to terms with her own past, who she’s become, and perhaps with her future --- ) 

Fairy Tail comes together once again. And with Theo’s encouragement, and with faltering uncertainty beating in her chest, she arrives in Magnolia at daybreak, in the hopes that perhaps -- maybe ---

She’d find her place here. 

[diminuel]

I was asked to recommend some creature!Destiel fics. Most of the fic I’ll rec are over 20k. That should leave you all with a lot of reading material! :D

Note: If the fic is marked as explicit or mature, then it’ll have bottom!Cas and top!Dean content. If it’s not bottom!Cas (only) there’ll be a note.

@unforth-ninawaters has kindly sent me a creature!Destiel rec list she put together, so if you have a more varied taste when it gets to top/ bottom preferences that’s a good place to start!

Rec list will be updated as I read more material. 

(Current version: 10th July 2017)

Enjoy! ♥

(Right now the fics are ordered alphabetically and by creature if I’ve got more than one fic with that type.)

Mermen/ Cecaelia:

Water bound characters with fins and tentacles!

A Fish Called Castiel by Bellacatbee (Explicit, 37k // mermaid!Cas)

Dean Winchester plans on proposing to his summer fling, Lisa Braeden. He buys a ring, against the advice of best friend Charlie Bradbury, and books a table at an expensive restaurant. Before he can propose however, Lisa breaks up with him. His pride wounded, Dean drives out to the coast, gets liquored up and throws the engagement ring into the ocean. When he goes in to retrieve it, he heads too deep and that should be the end of the story. He shouldn’t end up back on the shore, coughing up seawater with a beautiful young man tending to him. Dean doesn’t know where this man came from or who he is but he gives him the engagement ring as a thank you for saving his life. He never expects to see the guy again, but two days later he gets a call from the local Sheriff about a strange man she’s picked up wondering naked in town with Dean’s wallet and ring on him. The guy’s name is Castiel and, much to Dean’s surprise, he’s a mermaid.

Glory In The Water by Bellacatbee (Explicit, 20k // octo!Cas)

After the mysterious drowning deaths of three teens, Sam and Dean find themselves in a small town, investigating the possibility of a monster living in the local lake. Eventually, their search leads them to believe they’re dealing with some kind of tentacle monster. They attempt to take down the creature, but it overpowers them, dragging Dean down into the lake. Sam, distraught, believes his brother is dead, but Dean awakens in a cave under the lake, being cared for by one of the monsters, Castiel. Even as Sam vows revenge, Dean finds himself falling for the strange creature who believes Dean is his mate.

The Lonely Sea and The Sky by whelvenwings (23k // merman!Dean)

When Dean, a little lost and a little lonely, finds himself wishing on a star one night, he doesn’t expect anything to come of it, and certainly not for the star in question to fall right out of the sky. The very last thing that he could have possibly anticipated is Castiel - winged, angry and looking for the grace that he lost in the fall, so that he can get back to Heaven.

Dean’s a little fascinated by Castiel, and Castiel is intrigued by Dean and his seafaring life. But Castiel has to go back to Heaven, and finding the grace has to be his first priority, even though it often seems he would rather put Dean first. But Dean knows it’s foolish to hope. After all, a bird may fall in love with a fish - but where would they live?

Dragons:

Fire breathing creatures, sometimes like gold, mostly just like Dean/ Cas.

Castiel’s Dragon by Unforth (Explicit, 38k // dragon!Dean)

Note: Dean is an actual dragon, he has no human form

Born without legs, Castiel was destined to be a dragon rider. He’d always dreamed of how it would be, and when the day for his pairing came, he knew he’d met the perfect dragon.

Sometimes I Feel Like a Monster by firefly124 (11k, dragon!Dean)

Dean’s doing pretty well, he thinks. His diner is doing well enough to support him with money left over to send Sammy at college. He may not get the best sleep at night, but he’s used to it. He’s used to ignoring the memories that haunt him and the parts of himself he doesn’t like. What he’s not used to is dealing with the hot new owner of the business that just moved in at the other end of the building, and somehow the guy manages to shake things up without half trying.

Taming The Dragon by iDiru (Explicit, 57k // dragon!Cas)

Note: graphic depictions of violence

Dean, along with his brother Sam, is a dragon slayer; hunting dragons for sport and coin. Usually their life is pretty straight forward, but Dean comes to hunt a rare dragon that will change his view on the species forever. A dragon who's finally outsmarted the great Dean Winchester.

SPN canon inspired monsters:

Fics with a setting that is close to canon (hunting is a thing) and/ or present the creatures as we know them from the SPN canon. Angel!Dean is also featured here.

Basileus by SillyBlue (Explicit, 48k // creature!Cas)

A basilisk’s egg is said to be able to break any spell or curse and dissolve any claim on a human’s soul. With the ten years he had been given quickly coming to a close, Dean has no other option but to follow this one desperate lead. While Dean’d love to be able to escape the clutches of hell (and make sure that Sam doesn’t take the bait and follow him directly down into the fiery pits), he really, really doesn’t want to go hunt a probably extinct monster in Europe. But he needs a basilisk and apparently a town in Switzerland just happens to have one as its guardian beast.

It’s just Dean’s luck that this one wears a trench coat and is the hottest guy Dean’s ever seen.

Black Dove by SillyBlue (105k // leviathan!Cas)

With no recollection of how or why, Dean finds himself transported two years into the future.

The only chance Dean’s got to survive in a world where civilization is either gathered into Leviathan controlled cities or in small Settlements is someone he had believed dead. Joining Castiel on his travels through the Settlements and the toxic wastelands gives them both a chance to mend what’s been broken between them while Dean tries to find a way back home. It’s a little bit inconvenient though when the only clues as to why he’s been sent to the future are a very unstable connection back to Sam in 2012 and a number of seemingly random weapons and items, including an ominous gold thread and… a box of condoms.

Convenient Husbands by Annie D (scaramouche) (Explicit, 39k// phoenix!Cas)

Note: There’s switching in this story

"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?"

Divine Justice (sucks) by consultingcas (13k // angel!Dean)

The archangels don't take kindly to those who break Heaven's laws. Dean and Castiel both get put on heavenly community service to pay for their "crimes". And they learn their lesson alright, just not the one Heaven had planned on teaching them.

Faerie Strange Circumstances by almaasi (30k // fairy!Cas)

Still-hunters AU. Driving home after getting his broken leg set into a cast, Dean finds a naked and rather disoriented faerie in a box beside the road. The little guy calls himself Castiel; he's seven inches tall, a self-proclaimed warrior, and comes complete with a pair of butterfly wings and a sword the size of a toothpick. (Note: if you value your fingernails, do not call him 'cute'.) Feeling generous, Dean takes Cas back to Bobby's place to offer him some food, a bath, and a place to sleep - oh, and Barbie clothes, but that one is strictly off the record. Sam and Charlie assist in finding a way to return Castiel to his home realm, but the problem is, the longer Cas stays, the more Dean doesn't want his fae buddy to leave. Going home seems to entail certain death, after all...

Like A Stain Upon My Skin by SillyBlue (explicit, 61k // amazon!Dean)

“Prudence and Clarity” was Mary Winchester’s credo for staying alive despite a curse flowing through the blood of all the women in her family. Learn how to lie, was the second rule she had to implement when she watched her son grow up within 3 days of being born. Being the only male amazon in the history of their messed up species meant that Dean’s life was dominated by lies, shame and loneliness. After unwittingly saving Castiel Novak from becoming the next human sacrifice to the amazons’ mating cycle, he allowed himself one night where he could pretend that he had a shot at a relationship. But breaking Mary’s first rule not only pulled Castiel back into a world he had escaped from years ago, but also drew the amazons' attention who would love to get their hands on Dean.

Man in the Wilderness by OneHundredSuns (explicit, 68k // creature!Dean)

Dean Winchester is fresh out of Purgatory along with every other Tom, Dick and Wendigo that called the cesspool home. As the monsters lay waste to the Earth and eat anything they can get their hands on, Dean sets out to find his only remaining family so that they can hunker down and fight the assholes head on. He doesn’t mean to stumble upon Castiel Novak and his adorable twins in the middle of the apocalypse and he sure as hell doesn’t mean to offer them a ride to wherever they are trying to get to. But the world is a dangerous place now and he’s always been a sucker for blue eyes and cute kids. So he’ll help them out and just hope it doesn’t get him or them killed in the process.

Tamed by Winglesss (explicit, 39k // angel!Cas)

In a world where supernatural creatures are coveted for their powers, and often kept as pets, Dean and Sam are infamous hunters. Known for capturing creatures too dangerous to own and selling the ones that aren't. When they hear about an Angel sighting, they know they have to find this rare and dangerous winged creature. With a help of an Enochian book with instructions on taming Angels, they manage to capture Castiel. When things take an interesting turn between Dean and the creature, Sam realizes he may have made a translation error that will change his brother's life forever.

Various creatures:

Land mermaids, pagan gods, plants come to life... it’s all here!

25¢ pocket guardian angels by hopelessheathen (ElspethMcGillicuddy) (13k// creature!Cas)

Dean walks into his local bank one day and notices that someone has filled the old gumball machine with these tiny, wiggling, sentient angels in individual plastic packaging. Deeply concerned about their air supply and the fact that they're trapped there in the sun, he starts pumping in quarters to rescue them. This is worse than leaving a dog in an overheating car.

Now he's got forty of the little guys running all over his house, and god knows how many others might be trapped and dying all over the city.

Beyond the Ether by Powerfulweak (Explicit, 52k // Pagan God!Dean)

Mythology fascinated Castiel. On a professional level, of course (a requirement when you teach world religions and philosophy), but very much on a personal one as well. When he accidentally summons an ancient pagan god and protector called Dean, he is thrust deeper into that world then he ever thought possible

Clipped and Unbound by garrisonbabe (explicit, 50k // angel!Cas)

Castiel is a slave widely regarded as unbreakable and unruly. Dean Winchester is a billionaire ending a five year long search to rescue him. They'll both learn that peace can be the hardest thing in the world to find.

Convergence by snarklyboojum (13k // creature!Dean)

Dean Winchester wasn't the sort of king Castiel had been expecting at all.

Cruel Winter by bellacatbee (15k // vampire!Cas)

Dean is surprised that anyone would rent the big house at the edge of the woods. It’s been empty for years.

He’s even more surprised to find it’s been taken by a man caring for his sickly ward. There must be hundreds of places better than a musty old house for someone to recuperate.

Dean finds employment at the house working as a gardener and begins to realize that things aren’t all they seem. The curtains are always drawn and he isn’t allowed inside, The house’s new owner is strangely jumpy and rude whenever Dean suggests bringing his ward outside to enjoy the sunshine.

It’s only when Dean sneaks inside the house that he discovers the reason - the man’s ward, Castiel, is a vampire.

King Frost by r2metoo (Mature, 34k // creature!Cas)

The Frost King will kiss the unwary at the first frost of winter and then take them to his palace and make them his slave. But it’s sooo way more fluffy than that. Just a Christmas fic from me to you. Base on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen, with other fairy tale themes mixed in.

Living Right Is In the Trying by OneHundredSuns (explicit, 70k // angel!Cas)

Dean Winchester hadn’t lead an exciting life or a particularly good one but he’d always tried to do what was right, especially when it came to his little brother, even going so far as to take the blame for a crime he didn’t commit. Now with his brother a big shot at college and no prospects of his own, he takes a job from an eccentric man named Gabriel until he can get himself together. He meets and becomes fast friends with Castiel, a mysterious man with a dark troubling past.

But Dean and Castiel’s budding relationship is soon threatened by Dean’s commitments in California, and the arrival of a known gangster named Crowley, who’s determined to have Castiel as his own...as well as his wings.

Monsters On the Mountain by TheIttyBitty (41k // mutant!Cas)

In which Castiel lives quietly with his family in a post-apocalyptic world where humans occasionally mutate, and are promptly killed. When Castiel turns seventeen and begins to mutate, he assumes his life is over. He manages to escape execution, but is promptly exiled which, for him, might actually be worse.

Oadriax by Daksgirl (Explicit, 83k // creature!Cas)

After the death of their estranged mother Mary on a planet called Oadriax, Sam and Dean hop the first transport out to the edge of the civilized galaxy. After a tense run in with the base’s demonic security chief and his creepy second in command Alistair, Dean finds himself lost in the forest, and stumbles into an angel with black wings and blue eyes that calls himself Castiel.

Our Lady of Modesty by Unforth (Explicit, 97k // creature!Dean)

Note: there’s twincest in this story

The death of Jimmy and Castiel Shurley’s parents grants them a modest inheritance and, more importantly, freedom to make their own choices. After hunting for the perfect house, they find what they’re looking for in an old farmhouse in the mountains of upstate New York: nice neighbors not too close, the beauty of nature surrounding them, and solitude, save for each other. The isolation is both a blessing and a curse; Castiel has pined for his brother since puberty, but incest is forbidden and homosexuality is taboo, and he knows if he speaks about his feelings he’ll lose his brother as a best friend and destroy their careers as children’s book authors as well.

Fortunately, Castiel finds a new friend in Dean, the strange man who hangs around their property. Sure, it’s a weird, especially since Dean refuses to enter the house or even meet Jimmy, but Dean is gregarious, beautiful, kind, and brilliantly knowledgeable about the natural wonders surrounding them. Castiel isn’t the best at assessing people but he’s absolutely sure there’s no harm in Dean…

Smoke Jumper by Nikolaus_Chaser (Explicit, 47k // nymph!Cas)

Note: references to switching

When Dean Winchester's parachute fails to deploy in the middle of a raging forest fire, he prepares for death. What he never expects is for his life to be saved by a creature he didn't even know existed until now.

The Emptiness of His Chest by of_dreamdust (25k // zombie!Cas)

Note: there are references to past suicide

In The Flesh AU. Dean Winchester lost his best friend too early, but there was no time to grieve. The Rising happened; the Undead were roaming the streets, and the Living had to do everything they could to survive. But the cure was found and, as everything starts falling back into place, Dean has to deal not only with his brother leaving, but with his dead best friend coming back.

Through the Rain by SillyBlue (20k // naga!Dean)

Since the war between angels and the Naga had ended, very little happened at their shared border. Rains Landing, one of the major outposts that guarded the realm of the angels against the snake-like creatures hadn't seen a single Naga in 30 years. There were some monsters, but most of all there was rain, rain, rain.

Prince Castiel could hardly believe his ears when he was told that a small group of Naga soldiers have accidentally invaded the land of angels. Deciding to strike up a conversation instead of demanding retribution, Castiel learned that the leader of the group is none other than THE Dean of Winchester, the fabled warrior prince Metatron had been so afraid of.

Finding Dean to be an easy-going man, Castiel suggests that their two countries should at least try to entertain friendly relations. Unbeknownst to them, their parents seem to have reached the same conclusion. And what would bring two countries closer than an arranged marriage?

Together by TheAuthorGod (19k // dwarf!Dean, elf!Cas)

Dean doesn’t travel alone so he hires a man to travel with him. He hadn’t expected the elf to be quite as strange as he turned out to be; but, he found that he wouldn’t have had it any other way. It seemed that they worked pretty well together.