#past-sabriel

[nobodymitskigabriel]

Was thinking how rare non-sexual intimacy must be in Gabriel's life. He watches Netflix wrapped in a blanket with Sam and it reminds him of the times he sat with Loki in front of a campfire. Lying in bed and talking to Sam makes him think of Kali. Being real and being vulnerable means living with ghosts from past lifetimes.

[nevertheless-moving]

Stormlight AU 26: Adolin doesn’t kill Sadeas. Mostly just an excuse to dunk on him for trading one (1) shardblade for mythical warriors who can make their own shardblades.

"What was it you said? When Dalinar traded that sword of his for your slaves? I wasn't there, of course, but quite a few clerks took note. Something like…" Sadeas ground his teeth together, ignoring Sebarial. A bridgeman let out an indecorous whoop of excitement, swooping down low, chased by windspren and a number of delighted peasant children. "This will be remembered as…" Another man flew past, slamming into a wall, his arm visibly mangled out of shape. Several more flew to support him, and a blue white light flooded the soldier. An injury that might have been debilitating for life for any other soldier, healed in moments. "…the most ridiculous decision…" Two more soldiers, sapphire eyes at odds with their Azish and Herdassian coloring, sparred nearby. Sadeas watched hungrily as their blades adjusted in length throughout the drill. How often had shardbarers secretly muttered that impressive as the weapons were, it would be nice if sometimes they were a bit more practically sized. "…ever made by an Alethi Highprince." Sadeas rounded on Sabriel, and was pleased when the round old man stepped back in cautious alarm, even if his grin didn't fade. Sadeas's fingers twitched, longing to strangle that smug expression off his face. To his side, he could feel the loathsome stares of the 'windrunners.' His hands clenched. Ten heartbeats, that's all he needed…but they wouldn't need even that long. He snarled, then stalked away.

seriously i feel like it might be worth it just to see him suffer through knowing he actually, objectively, got the worse end of the deal. One (1) dead shardblade for a lost radiant. Several radiants actually. Hmm oh look that's over 100 of your ex slaves that are now nearly unkillable soldiers who fly and are producing a new blade a week. Loyal to dalinar. Also dalinar may or may not have a new sword but if he does than its actual GOD.

Sadeas trying to do his game of thrones political scheming and the highprinces are just like. Uhhh i understand where you are coming from but we have shifted genres my dude. Literally standing in a magical lost city right now. Above the clouds. People are flying. You want me to backstab the literal prophet. The guy whose wedding was officiated by the STORMFATHER. You were there, right? You saw the actual stormfather come out of the literal sky?

Sorry man, nothing personal but you're asking to gamble against the guy who has been conclusively proven to have if not actual god than god like powers on his side…and we're in the middle of a desolation…and alethkar is in open revolt so…you know…this is kind of it, here. Like we'll be petty about tarrifs, sure, but…sorry, it just doesn't feel like a good idea to be seen around you right now.

Has a singular genuine moment during one of Dalinar's oathbringer panic attacks where he feels bad and actually tries to help. Unfortunately rosharan mental health awareness is shit so he does this by slapping dalinar a lot. Dalinar is remarkably unhelped. Sadeas gets thrown out a window, and dalinar doesn't even have the courtesy to remember doing it. See if he tries to do something nice again.

Sadeas constantly enraged because he's so out of favor that his only real political power comes from meetings with dalinar, because dalinar needs advice, and Sadeas is the only one whose not so blinded by awespren to tell dalinar when hes being an idiot.

"Old Friend, I know my own son died pointlessly years ago, so far be it from me to give parenting advice, but if I suddenly remembered that I accidentally killed my wife — which was somewhat hilarious by the way, so glad we can talk about that now — NO THROAT GRABBING NOT A RADIANT REMEMBER — anyway if I had living sons and was going to (ugh) publish a book that involved them intimately, I might consider hearing their opinion on what they find acceptable to include. Oh, no definitely leave in the part about how little you felt at Renarin's birth. The children will love that. Don't worry my dear man, I'm sure Adolin will make a fine king of Urithiru after he guts you like a Skyeel"

Anyway Sadeas getting the classic season one villain to reluctant defeated season three feral ally treatment.

Inevitably Schemes with Odium at some point and when Dalinar is mad about betrayal, Sadeas hits him with the ol' 'WHY ARE YOU SURPRISED BY THIS. I TOLD YOU REPEATEDLY NOT TO TRUST ME, DALINAR. THIS IS WHO I AM, THIS IS WHO I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN, AND THIS IS WHO I WILL ALWAYS BE. "

"MEN LIKE US NEVER TRULY CHANGE"

(there's maybe some tears when he says this. But probably not. That glistening in his eyes was likely just the Thrill)

Other Stormlight AUS

[recurring-polynya]

"Just do as you're told," Mogget said firmly. "Think of yourself as Abhorsen's sworn sword-hand, if it makes you feel better, though in this present era, you'll find common sense is more important than honor. "Very well", Touchstone muttered, humbly. He stood up and put on the underclothes and shirt, but couldn't get the trousers past his heavily muscled thighs. "There's a kilt and leggings in one of the chests back there," Mogget said after watching Touchstone hopping around on one leg, the other trapped in too-tight leather."

if you, as an author, aren't introducing your male love interests like this, what are you even doing with your life?

(from Sabriel, by Garth Nix)

[leatafandom]

Morning Light  

Fandom/Ship:  BBC Merlin - Merthur - Merlin Emrys/Arthur Pendragon   

Rating: Explicit  

Word Count: 1,846 

Warnings and Tags: Somnophilia, blow jobs, kissing, grinding, deep throating, hair-pulling kink, established relationship, everyone knows about Merlin's magic, thigh riding

Summary:  Hey, remember when I used to write Merthur smut? Created for my @anyfandomgoesbingo square: Somnophillia.

Author Note: I really didn’t think this would be my last story of the year, but the sabriel one I had in mind needed more time than I had, but this little gem was shinning in the wayback of my WIP folder. Happy Reading! 

Read a snippet from, Morning Light, Rated Explicit, below or in full on my Ao3.

*note, this story (and all of my others) on Ao3 is locked for registered Ao3 users.

Morning Light

How many times had he dreamed about this; dreamt of Arthur’s bed, of being able to stay long past undressing him? Merlin shifted accustomed to waking early even now, watching the first lights of the morning shine through the painted windows and over the golden locks beside him. 

The warlock sat up slowly, letting the thin sheets that covered them slip from his shoulders and slide down Arthur's half-clothed body. The raven-haired man watched as Arthur turned more into his back and away from him at the loss of bedding. 

Merlin's gaze roved over the other’s untied nightshirt, his neckline loose around his collar, baring the smattering of marks he had left throughout the night. A smile drifted across his lips as his gaze took in the picture of Arthur as he looked back to his peaceful sleeping face. Neither of them had managed more than a quick wash and pulling on their nightshirts before falling into a sated and drunken sleep. The smile on his lips grew as his eyes wandered over the signs of their union on the royal amongst the soft bedding. Arthur was stunning, he always was, but like this he was breathtaking. His body was vulnerable and relaxed, especially with the way the light hit him as the sun continued to rise. The blonde lay haloed in the multicolored light that filtered through the stained-glass window beside the bed. 

He admitted, at least to himself, that he was more than a little biased on the matter as he shifted on the bed, unable to resist the inviting tent of the blonde's mid-thigh length nightshirt. The warlock carefully crawled his way over the soft linens, trying not to disturb the sleeping man. His hands were careful not to jostle him as he bent closer.

Continue Reading on my Ao3

[beliscary]

the fires in belisaere lmaoooo 'huh. wonder what the prince is crafting in his tower' 😭😭😭 denial.

didn't escape me either that lirael mentioned sam assuming nick must be engaged or something which must be why he stays in ancelstierre.... he's going through it up there. Do You Think A Depressed Person Could Make This (a pile of ashes and 20 magical clockwork cricketers)

#guy that will spontaneously combust if he talks abt his emotions with <4 degrees of obfuscation x guy that thinks the curtains are just blue

the obfuscating guy will also ramble ceaselessly and with embarrassing honesty once you get him started. and 'the curtains are just blue' 'sayre's law of magical explication' guy has poetry memorized and he recites it to himself when he's dying. I hate them both!!!!!!!!!!

romance is dead. nobody even bites their lover's lip to call them desperately back to life as they kiss anymore

[vendettasfanfictioning]

For the past four (4) fucking months since I began watching this show and reading fanfics, I've been bending myself backwards trying to understand the hype between sabriel and now? Now I get it.

[bunnywand]

shameful to admit maybe, but as much as i used to fucking Adore reading, i haven’t actually read any books in Years.. 🫣

so if i was going to get back into it, i think some of these series that i used to love, but have since neglected, would be a way to start:

animorphs: Top of the list, i was fucking Obsessed with animorphs as a kid, after a swedish internet friend recommended them and i then somehow managed to find The Score of The Century of (most of) the first 22 books in a charity shop 😳 unfortunately tho, as obsessed as i was with it, and altho i’ve read summaries of what happens after, i’ve never actually read past the david arc.. so i’d Rly like to get back to that someday 🥹

death note: i’ve read the whole series (excluding supplementary books like the “death note: another note” which i do own but have never read) before.. but that was fucking Eons ago, and i think re-reading it would be a) a fun experience + b) a gateway into me reading some other manga series i’ve never read but always wanted to, like evangelion and yu-gi-oh 😅

garth nix’s “the keys to the kingdom:” i think i got a copy of “mister monday” free as a pre-order bonus for pre-ordering either harry potter’s “half-blood prince” or “deathly hallows” (ee-yikes!! 🫣) ..and altho as a kid it took me a while to finally read it, as a random book that was randomly given to me, i got fucking Hooked into it 😳 and i can still remember being so into it that i begged my mom to take me to waterstones on “superior saturday’s” release day.. but after that, i think i’d “grown out” of reading the books when the finale, “lord sunday,” came out, so i’d really like to revisit and finally finish that series 😔

garth nix’s “old kingdom” series: off the back of my obsession w/ the keys to the kingdom, i then also rly got into the old kingdom series, like “sabriel” and “lirael” etc.. but altho i read everything up to “across the wall” and even bought “clariel” when it first came out.. i never actually read it 🙁 so I’d rly love to revisit and catch up on those books too!!

skulduggery pleasant: honestly probably even more formative to me than some of these other series.. but i’d kind of completely forgot abt it til i searched my blog to double check i hadn’t made this Exact post before, and found a similar one mentioning it 😅 i was So into skulduggery pleasant that i think even as a kid, i was pre-ordering the new books from the 3rd one onwards.. and altho i *think* i’ve read up to at least “last stand of dead men” and own everything up to “dying of the light” ..i Severely dropped the ball on keeping up w/ this series, and i’m surprised to see it’s still ongoing, even now?? i Truly have some catching up to do.. 😳

[destielomegaversebigbang]

Red-Collared Omega

Posting September 2, 2024

Fic by SamandDean76

Art by TwinOne

Rating: Explicit

Summary: Castiel had been sold by those who were supposed to protect him, the proceeds used to pay off his parents’ debts. But he was up for sale once more, after a thorough inspection by a doctor revealed that the Alpha who purchased him had been swindled, as Castiel was a broken Omega. Ordered not to say a word, he sits on the porch and waits for fate to guide him to where he is needed most.

Dean had gone off to war and served his country valiantly. But the nightmare hadn’t ended when he was rescued from the camp where he had been held by brutal monsters. Dean came back to the world broken, and took refuge on his little farm, where he stayed hidden with the help of his brother Sam, and his Omega, Gabriel. The mated couple try everything to heal Dean, but what the Alpha needs more than anything else is an Omega of his own. But what self-respecting Omega would even want him?

Castiel is rescued by Sam and taken to a home unlike any he has ever known. Filled with love, kindness, and an Alpha he can’t stop thinking about. One that society has deemed irreparable, but Castiel refuses to give up on Dean. And decides that fate will help them to find their happy ending.

Tags: Alpha Dean, Omega Castiel, Alpha Sam, Omega Gabriel, Background Sabriel, War Veteran Dean, Caretaker Castiel, PTSD, Erectile Dysfunction, Mating Bites, Collars, Knotting, Blow Jobs, Thin Walls Lead To Overhearing Intimate Acts, Bees, Arts & Crafts, Broken Dean, Castiel Heals Him, Sam & Gabriels’ Relationship Is Used By Castiel To Understand A Healthy Relationship, Past Abusive Sex Is Remembered, Non-Graphic Violence, Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Happy Ending, Top Dean, Bottom Castiel, Mute Dean – Gets Better, Panic Attacks, True Mates, MPreg, Deliveries Are Not Described, Like Magic – Children Just Appear

Excerpt below the cut

Castiel would try to stay awake for the next part, his favorite part, but also, hands down, the most frustrating part of his day. When Dean would wake from his restive slumber on the couch and follow the scent of the Omega until he was standing next to the bed, following his instinctual urges. Castiel would wake to find himself being stripped of his sleep attire, and then he was held tight against the Alpha of his dreams. Soft kisses being pressed to the back of his shoulders, a hot tongue swiping over his mating gland which left Castiel baring his neck, while he prayed that tonight would be the night.

But the mating bite was never given, and they would simply spend the night together, snuggled close as their legs tangled, and Castiel’s own arms lay upon the ones that were wrapped around his slender waist. Dean leaving with the first rays of the sun spilling into the room every morning, which resulted in Castiel wrapping his arms tighter around himself and pondering what he needed to do to convince the Alpha that they should take whatever it was that they had between them to the next level.

Castiel could understand, he really could. One doesn’t simply get over trauma in the blink of an eye and given what had come to pass on that first morning, Dean still clearly had a way to go until he was the picture of perfect mental health. The fact that he didn’t speak when he was a very well-read individual was concerning. The Alpha would sometimes bring a book to the clearing, reading a chapter or two with Castiel tucked into his side. All of the words were there, lurking just under the surface, but not daring to come out.

[lab-trash]

Another Supernatural Human AU prompt, this time Midam. Well, also Destiel and Sabriel, but the Midam is the most important bit.

So, you know the classic human Castiel and Gabriel trope, where they run away from home because their family doesn't approve of their homosexuality? We're playing off of that.

Castiel and Gabriel managed to land these amazing brothers, Dean and Sam respectively. They know their past and understand it, despite having their own family as the most important thing to them.

Speaking of which, they like to make a habit of visiting their little brother, Adam, at least once a year. Usually not on a holiday even, just going to see him.

This year when they plan it out, they plan to get hotel rooms so that Adam doesn't have to host double the amount he usually does, and while explaining that detail, Adam brings up that he too has a boyfriend.

Castiel and Gabriel are prepared to meet their boyfriends' brother and his boyfriend, but who they aren't prepared to see is their brother Michael.

Michael wasn't the worst tormentor— that of course was Luci— but he was awful to be around. Especially if it was him and Luci together.

They're very shocked to learn that Michael is dating a man. After all, he was one of the reasons they ran.

Michael explains that Adam got to him in a way that no one else, of any gender, ever had before. They were in this together, forever. He explains that he tried to find Castiel and Gabriel Shurley, but learned they must've changed their names.

Castiel and Gabriel Novak are... well, their still hurt about their past, and shocked about their present. And it's weird seeing Michael so happy with Adam.

But now they get to catch up on all the shit that went down at home once Michael realised he was gay >:)

[deadindeathvalley]

Audiobooks for Fanfiction?

Do you like fanfiction?

Are you a slave to a capitalistic system that prevents you from reading fanfiction all day every day?

Do you ever wish you could read fanfiction while doing chores?

Well good news! We are poor and struggling to pay rent, so my partner is taking commissions!

He is an aspiring voice actor who has been recording an audiobook of Sabriel (by Garth Nix) over the past couple years.

HERE is a link to Sabriel, and HERE is a link to a recent recording he did of a book I've been working on.

If you like his voice and have a fanfic in mind you'd like him to read for you, DM me, or him. (Patreon)

Note: If you are not the author, please get permission from the author before commissioning.

Pricing:

$35 per 1000 words.

$50 per 1000 words for NSFW. (This only applies to chapters or sections containing NSFW content. SFW chapters will be priced at $35/1k)

[dangerouscommiesubversive]

We are up in the chilly north this week, visiting my parents, and this is one of their cats. His name is Robert Smith Of The Cure and he's grown into sort of a little-old-man look, which is pretty appropriate given that he is at this point a venerable 18 years old. He also has thumbs, which I wasn't able to photograph just now given that he didn't want to unfold from his stately loaf. (In the past he's used his thumbs to steal green beans directly from the pot in which they were cooking, and to pull cotton swabs out of their container and drop them down the drain in the bathroom sink. He's an interesting fellow, but not a wise one.)

His cousin Sabriel, also 18, is a delicate creature and skittish around my rambunctious Gremlin; I'll get a picture of her later if I can.

[beliscary]

@necromycologist fishing these tags out of the river by the ankle like a certain prince

YOU GET IT!!!! you could find out critical information from someone's past. you could make anybody at all think they trust and know you. you could warp someone's entire perception of an event or their sense of self OR reality. you could even do this to yourself, harrow style??? what do you MEAN necromancers don't use it!!!!!

I'm just. Sabriel called a massive flood down onto an unprepared population to save her own skin from the Dead. The Dog barked and compelled a living person to fall to their death ("I made him walk"). I feel like Lils can justify something a little dubious, a little ruthless to herself. For the greater good. As a treat. gimme a dark night of the soul idk idk

AAAAAAAAUGHHHHHHHHHH I have ALWAYS needled at the thought of Sam having the Death sense and being able to cross into the River despite not being an Abhorsen. like I guess he had to be the courier that conveys the Book and Bells to Lirael and she the panpipes to him. so events needed to happen as they did but. HOLY SHIT. HIS HANDS!!! HIS TOOLS!!! the raw material of a Wallmaker was worked/forged/quenched right there in that moment in the waters of the River. CONGRATULATIONS HEDGE, YOU PLAYED YOURSELF

[thefandomsinhalor]

Hello everyone! 'Tis the season! And in case some of you are in the mood to read some wintery (❄️) or Christmasy (🎄) SPN fics, I thought I'd put a list of all the fics I've written over the years that could help with that craving 😊 All works are on AO3 and all have a happy ending. 💜

The Hunter's Oath

❄️| 20K | T | Destiel | Cabin Fic | Fantasy & Supernatural Elements | Celestial Castiel  | Isolation | Winter | Dean and Castiel Have a Profound Bond | Slow Build | Angst |

Tasked with the important tradition of fulfilling an Oath to a celestial being, Dean is feeling the weight of loneliness more and more, after years of isolation on the mountain. Until one night, he is gifted a surprise: the god himself shows up with the desire to explore their bond for a time.

The Impetuous Engagement

🎄| 27K | T | Destiel | Cabin AU | Snowed In | Engaged Castiel | Sharing a Bed |

On his way to his fiancé who he met online, Castiel somehow finds himself stuck in a small Alaskan village, cut off from the rest of the world and with no way of reaching him. But Castiel’s fellow passenger, Dean, is very eager to help him with housing, and perhaps something more as well…

Let Your Heart Be Light

🎄| WIP |  Not Rated | Destiel | Alternate Universe - Modern Settings | Friends to Lovers | Growing Up | Fluff & Angst | Pining | Background Sabriel |

On Christmas Eve, five-year-old Dean meets a boy of the same age, named Castiel. With every passing year, their friendship blossoms, and soon, Dean knows that he is drawn to his friend more deeply he’d like to admit. The question is: will he do something about it before it's too late?

The Lucky Pairs of Christmas Underwear

🎄| 55K | Not Rated | Destiel & Sabriel | Modern Setting AU | Angst and Fluff | Castiel and Dean Are Co-workers | Gabriel is courting Sam Winchester

Sam and Dean are both disappointed when it appears that they won't be able to spend the holidays together—something they had always managed to do in the past—but this turn of events offers them both the opportunity to seek someone else to share their respective holidays with.

Pie Makes Everything Better

🍗 | 4K | G | Destiel | Bakery AU | Fluff | Meet Cute |

It’s Thanksgiving and Dean is desperate for an apple pie. Luckily, there is still one bakery that appears to be open and Dean finds the cashier to be very kind and handsome.

The Waltz of Shilly-Shallying

🎄| 36K | E | Destiel | Veterinarian and Pet Groomer AU | Fluff | Miscommunications | Mutual Pining | Castiel is Jack Kline’s Parent | Belphegor is Jack Kline’s Imaginary Friend |

Crushing on each other for quite some time, Dean and Castiel both hesitate to make a move. One thinks the feeling isn’t mutual while the other figures it’s best to focus on his familial duties and remain friends. That is until they find themselves under the mistletoe.

The Way to a Man's Heart (In a Blizzard)

❄️ | 4K | G | Destiel | Neighbours AU | Fluff | Snowed In | Baker Castiel |

Determined to spend the weekend on his own as a snow storm hits the city, Dean may change his mind when a handsome neighbor knocks on his door. Propositioning him with delicious food, no less.

What the Heart Misses

🎄| 5K | G | Destiel | Canon Divergent | Fluff | S15E14 - Last Holiday | Dean Winchester Loves Castiel | Sam Knows | Gift Exchange

After learning that the Winchesters and Jack celebrated Christmas with Mrs. Butters, Castiel takes the opportunity to give Dean a Christmas present. Which then prompts Dean to reflect on the nature of their bond.

Bonus fic (because it has one (big) Christmasy chapter):

The Moonlight Rule

129K | E | Destiel | Modern Setting AU | Slow Burn | Marriage of Convenience | Ranch | Friends to Lovers | Trauma | Home Invasion | Angst and Fluff |

After the sudden passing of Henry Winchester, Castiel learns that the late Mr. Winchester made last minute changes in his will: Dean will only inherit the family ranch he’s been running, if he marries Castiel and stays married for at least six months.

In the mood for any spn fics? Here's my whole list of works on AO3, including my latest fic Icebreaker (Hockey AU written for spn bang bang 😉) 💜💜💜

(End of shameless plug) Hope everyone is well and safe. Happy reading! Happy holidays for those who celebrate, and to everybody, I wish you all, truly, a wonderful month of December 😊💜💙

[ladylilithprime]

Title: Diplomatic Measures

Fandom: Supernatural

Pairing: Sastiel, Sabriel, eventual CaSaBriel

Rating: General

Word Count: 5095

Summary: Sam Winchester was taking a Saturday breather to read just for the enjoyment of it when a pair of no longer dead Angels come calling with an offer he absolutely could refuse but doesn't want to.

Tags/Warnings: Post-Series Pre-Finale, Discussion of Previous Major Character Death, References to Past Trauma

Created For: SPN Pro-Ship Bang / @spnproshipbang

Author: LadyShadowphyre / @ladylilithprime

Artist: sidewinder / @hawkland

Read on AO3 | Official Art Post

ON A TYPICAL Saturday, or really any day of the week when the residents of the old bunker in Lebanon, Kansas, were home and not off to some other corner of the country on a case, Sam Winchester could usually be reliably found sitting in the bunker's library and one or more of the lore books in his hands. Sometimes it was research for a case, sometimes it was updating records after a case, but frequently it was just reading for the sake of learning. The Men of Letters had some fascinating research, as well as some terrifying research, and even the fiction books they chose to include were a lot less fiction than the majority of the human population believed. While Dean was much more comfortable spending his downtime in more obviously fictional media when he wasn't spending some quality time tuning up the Impala, Sam found the real fantastical to be just as engaging and, he hoped, more helpful down the line in their field of work.

He had just settled in with a book about faeries, privately wishing that he and Dean had had access to this book years ago, when the stillness of the library was interrupted by the unfamiliar familiarity of wingbeats. Given the wards on the bunker and the fact that the alarms didn't even flicker, Sam was able to keep his sudden burst of alertness from turning into true alarm, but he was still putting down his book and halfway through reaching for a weapon by the time the winged visitors spoke.

"Sam--"

"Hey, Samalam--"

The two angels stopped and eyed each other uncertainly as Sam processed what he was seeing, weapons forgotten. It was Gabriel, looking stronger and healthier than he had been the last time Sam remembered seeing him, standing with a self-assurance that Sam hadn't seen from him since that fraught confrontation in a mystical hotel what felt like a lifetime ago. Beside him stood Castiel, looking younger than he had, physically much like he had appeared when they had first met despite the more at ease posture, as if the years of hardship and Falling and being human had been wiped away from his vessel without touching the mark those years had left upon the angel himself.

And they were here. Alive.

"Is it okay to hug you both?" Sam blurted out, already rising from his chair. Even if they said no, anything that had two previously dead and newly resurrected angels showing up in front of him was probably going to require standing, but damn if Sam didn't really, really want to hug them.

Castiel was the first to open his arms, no doubt because he was the more used to offering and receiving hugs when it involved Sam, but Gabriel was quick to do the same. Two long strides had Sam close enough to hug them, one arm going around each angel and feeling the solid weight of them both along with the familiar zip and crackle of Grace just beneath the surface. Gabriel tensed up a little at first, but he relaxed surprisingly quickly, melting into Sam just as much as Castiel was. Sam let himself indulge in just getting to hold them both for a long moment, reimprinting the scent and sound and feel of them both, physical and metaphysical.

Eventually, when he had managed to convince his brain that this was real and both Castiel and Gabriel were really here, Sam made himself loosen his grip on the pair. The slackened hold drew twin sighs from the angels, and neither of them appeared to be in a hurry to pull away, so Sam made himself ignore that insidious little voice trying to tell him he shouldn't be forcing the angels to endure contact with him and let his hands settle on their shoulders as he drew back enough to see their faces.

"So, uh, in case it wasn't obvious, I'm very glad to see you both," he said, swallowing down the lump of emotion that kept trying to form in his throat.

Castiel's expression brightened, apparently glad of the verbal confirmation despite the hugging, and Sam mentally resolved to reinforce the idea that the angel was welcome for as long as he could be there. Gabriel's expression, however, underwent a rapid shuffle through several different emotions too quickly for Sam to follow before settling on concerned. "What's wrong?"

Sam blinked. "Nothing? Well, I mean, there's probably something going wrong for someone somewhere, but I don't know about it."

"That is good to hear," Castiel offered, glancing at Gabriel, who frowned.

"Nothing's wrong?" Gabriel repeated, glancing around the room. "Where's Dean-o, then?"

"In the garage giving the Impala a spa day," Sam answered, lips twitching at the smacked-with-a-fish expression that crossed Gabriel's face. "Full wax, leather conditioning, and detailing. I stopped listening when he started muttering about finding the tiny brushes. Did you want me to go get him, or...?"

"Perhaps later," Castiel said, when Gabriel continued to just stare. "While I am sure Dean would appreciate being informed of our renewed existence at some point, now is perhaps not the best time to invite the inevitable awkwardness and shouting."

"So long as you don't leave it too long," Sam cautioned, before fixing Castiel with a stern look, "And seriously, Cas, you gotta quit using 'I love you' to mean 'goodbye', dude. That was the third time! He's developing a complex about it."

"Kinda thought that would've been reason for you to go to Dean first, bro," Gabriel drawled, eyeing Castiel in a way that made Sam very aware of a second conversation going on beneath the spoken words, and of the way neither angel had let go of him any more than he had released them.

"The awkwardness of dealing with the aftermath of how I left things with Dean is precisely why I chose not to seek him out first," Castiel said evenly. "While I would hope he would know better than to misconstrue the meaning behind my words at the time, unlike so many of our siblings, speaking with Dean about emotional topics is... delicate."

"And will probably require alcohol," Sam chimed in with a sigh. "He's getting better about it, but then we're both still sorting out exactly how much of ourselves is really us rather than how Chuck wrote us to be."

They had already noticed certain differences. Sam still focused more on eating healthy and avoided certain foods, but Dean was less resistant to the vegetables that became increasingly present in their meals. Sam, too, had noticed that he had less aversion to baked goods, and had even managed to pull up some of Jess's recipes from the far corner of his laptop hard drive to start baking again. The grief was still there, but it bit at him less sharply without Chuck prodding the wound for his entertainment.

"So, you two had a reason to come find me specifically?" he asked, forcefully dragging the conversation away from that road for now. Castiel and Gabriel exchanged another heavy look, and Sam heard the faint rustle of feathers. "And I take it everyone's wings have been restored, since you flew in here?"

"We probably should have knocked," Castiel murmured.

"Guests knock," Gabriel argued. "We're still residents, or at least I assume so since the wards didn't kick us out."

"You're both still keyed into the wards," Sam confirmed, mentally shying away from the reason for that. No use unkeying someone who's dead, and no reason to put up anti-angel wards with Jack having promised to keep Heaven's business contained to Heaven. Which brought him back to why Castiel and Gabriel were here. "Animal, vegetable, mineral, celestial, or infernal?"

"What?" Gabriel blinked, just as Castiel said, "Celestial. Partially animal."

"Okay, then... human, angel, vessel, or nephilum?" Sam followed up. At Gabriel's slightly strangled noise, he added, "There's only so many situations that can be attributed to both celestial and animal, and intent to be hands off or not I kinda figured Jack knows Dean and I are willing to be on-call for the things that slip through the cracks. Technically."

"There should not be any further instances of angels taking human vessels," Castiel said at length. Gabriel grimaced, but nodded.

"Kid wasn't wrong about how skeevy and disruptive it is," he said, sighing. "While the practice was originally meant to allow angels to have the counsel of their vessel's life experience and cultural understanding when down here on assignment, that part of the deal apparently got deliberately forgotten when Mike and Raph started ramping up the early Apocalypse in favor of just using the human's soul as a back-up battery for their own power. Even the angels like Cassie here who tried to learn about human culture anyway didn't always understand what they learned. So now, any angels who're gonna be spending a lot of time on Earth get custom-tailored vessels. Ta-da!" he added, with an eyebrow wiggle.

"I thought you were a little taller than I remembered," Sam teased lightly.

"Just because you grew up to be a Samsquatch," Gabriel started, breaking off with a grunt when Castiel shifted very slightly. He gave the seraph an incredulous look. "Did you seriously just--"

"It felt both appropriate and pertinent," Castiel interrupted dryly. Returning his attention visibly to Sam, he went on, "As you no doubt suspect, creating a custom vessel that does not need to be sustained by a human soul but will also hold up to the strain of containing the essence of an angel - or Archangel - is a rather energy-intensive and time-consuming process. To that end, those of us who had previously maintained a lengthy and consistent presence on Earth were given priority to allow us to establish ourselves and create an appropriate orientation center for any other angels required to be on Earth interacting with people. And yes, I am aware of the irony of my being considered most knowledgeable in how to interact with people," he added.

"Don't give yourself so little credit, Cas," Sam said, squeezing the seraph's shoulder gently. "For having had to figure it out largely on your own with only what little, inconsistent help Dean and I have been, you've done an amazing job. And I'm sorry we weren't better help to you when you needed us most."

"Extenuating circumstances," Castiel excused delicately, no doubt not wanting to bring up Gadreel and Dean's complicity in the deception and Castiel's banishment from their sides. Gabriel was looking less than happy but unsurprised, which probably meant he had either been informed about the situation or was reading Sam's mind. To test that, Sam quickly cycled his thoughts through the latest of Jess's recipes he'd been looking at, which caused Gabriel to hum and Castiel to look abashed. "Apologies, Sam. Our current situation and continued proximity is making it difficult to respect your mental privacy as much as we all would usually prefer."

"I'll let it slide for now," Sam murmured, catching the implication. "You were saying?"

"Yes, well," Castiel's eyes darted to the side away from Gabriel before going back to determinedly meeting Sam's. "Part of establishing ourselves on Earth and creating an orientation center is finding appropriate human partners. To help keep us in touch with the culture about which we are meant to instruct our brethren when they come down." He shifted, and Sam felt the hand the seraph still had resting on his back curl to grip his shirt. "While the nature of this partnership and the accompanying bond is not required to be romantic or sexual in nature, I trust you understand why I would choose to broach the subject with you first before speaking to your brother."

"Um," Sam managed intelligently. Yeah, he could understand why Castiel might want to hold off on talking to Dean about something like that, especially with the mention of a bond. It was hardly a secret that Dean had issues with intimacy and commitment, and after so many years and a bored God making them dance around for his amusement it was safe to say that Dean's issues had issues. Sam, at least, had been "lucky" enough to be the consistently emotionally self-aware one between the two of them and so had less of his own psychology to actively question or attempt to rewrite. Hearing words like "partnership" and "bond" didn't cause Sam the same level of panic he knew Dean would feel.

Nor was it at all unexpected that Castiel would choose to come to them to form those bonds, however undeserving they might feel of being chosen. Eleven years was a long time for a human, and Castiel's perceptions of time and humanity had undergone several changes during those eleven years. His attachment to the Winchesters had also undergone changes, but had remained fairly constant despite Naomi's best efforts, or so Castiel had told Sam once. It didn't surprise Sam that Castiel would come to him and Dean for such a partnership. It barely surprised him that Castiel would come to Sam first.

What did surprise him was Gabriel.

"Hell, Sambala, it's not like I spent a lot of time hanging out with a bunch humans knowing who and what I am," the Archangel huffed, avoiding his eyes when Sam looked at him. "You and Deanmeister are pretty much the closest I've got to friends left down here. Sure, I could probably go out, find someone to hook up with, but whether I could actually open up to them enough to bond like that... At least you know the history I've got, and if you say no then I'm no worse off than before."

"I see," Sam mumbled. And he did see. There was a lot of drama and upheaval and tragedy in Gabriel's history, things that made it difficult to open up to people. Sam had been there for some of that history, or been there for the aftermath and heard the stories. They had a connection, had since that case years ago in Ohio where Gabriel had led a pair of experienced but painfully naive hunters on a merry chase, even tried to make friends in his awkward way. Sam knew there was probably a lot that he didn't know, but apparently Gabriel trusted him to know it or to let Gabriel share it in his own time.

He also didn't seem to expect Sam to agree, but had still been surprised by Castiel's presence when they had arrived. And neither of them had left, or let go of Sam. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Tell me about these bonds. I'm guessing there's nothing preventing you from having bonds to multiple humans if Cas was looking for me with the idea of talking to Dean later. Are the humans restricted to bonding with just one angel?"

"Kinky," Gabriel drawled, waggling his eyebrows again. "Looking to start an angel harem, Samnykins?"

"Not sure two really counts as a harem, Gabrielicious," Sam deadpanned, getting a startled look from Gabriel in response. More seriously, Sam went on, "Look, whatever your reasons, you both came to me and I'm not going to turn either of you away. I missed you both."

I mourned you both. Again, he thought silently, unable to push the words past his throat but still needing to convey them. From the way both angels shifted closer, he could tell they heard it.

"There is no limit to the number of bonds permitted save in the compatibility of all individuals," Castiel murmured. "Monogamy is a human convention meant for tracking the lineage of children prior to science developing to the point of DNA testing, and is quite unnecessary in our case."

"Cassie's one of the few angels I can even relate to anymore, and I already figured we'd end up sharing space," Gabriel shrugged. "If he can put up with having me around, I'm fine with sharing."

"We're figuring out a different way of explaining it to Dean, though," Sam warned, getting understanding nods in return. "Anything else I should probably know about this before I agree?"

"Look at you, learning to get all the info before jumping in feet first," Gabriel cooed. This time, his jerk in response to whatever Castiel did put him in range for Sam to flick his ear. "Hey!"

"Nothing's broken and the world isn't ending," Sam said dryly. "I don't actually have to make a snap decision based on limited available information this time, and I do remember certain conversations about angelic bonds. Eternal commitment isn't something you just jump into or we'd be having this conversation in Vegas."

"We still could," Gabriel pointed out. His shoulders slumped at the looks both Sam and Castiel shot him. "Okay, no, we couldn't. Your brother would break out the holy oil to deep fry us if he didn't get to attend your wedding."

"So this is more along the lines of a marriage bond?" Sam raised an eyebrow, glancing between Castiel's sudden bashful look and Gabriel's unrepentant smirk.

"Hey, you're the one who brought up Vegas," the Archangel said. Sam just looked at him, and eventually Gabriel rolled his eyes. "It's more like an engagement than anything, at least for us. I'm not gonna make any promises when it comes to you and Cassie, though, especially given how thoroughly entangled he's been with you and your big bro the last decade."

"Those bonds would have been broken with my death," Castiel pointed out without inflection. Sam felt the very slight tremble in his frame and squeezed again. "The entity would have wanted to ensure that I had nothing tethering me to life any longer."

"That just means when you reestablish the bonds they could snap back into place even stronger," Gabriel pointed out. He shifted slightly, and Castiel's eyes fluttered closed before going wide to look at Gabriel. The Archangel smiled wryly at the seraph. "Can't fool me, baby brother. That's the real reason you came to Sam first, isn't it?"

"Is that not why you came to Sam first yourself, brother?" Castiel responded archly. Sam was once again aware of another layer of conversation taking place between the two angels, like a static feedback against his nerves. To his surprise, all humor fled from Gabriel's expression as he turned very serious.

"I was always going to come to Sam first," he admitted with the weight of confession. "Dean's easy enough to build a rapport with on the surface, but that's as deep as it goes. For a real bond, it was always going to be Sam." Then, like a light switch being flipped, the smirk was back. "Plus, as volatile as the Dean Machine was last I knew, I'd just as soon wait and see how his psychology is gonna shake out now before I trust him to get all up in my feathers. They need a delicate touch, you know!"

As if a skilled mechanic like Dean would not have a delicate enough touch for an angel's wings. Sam kept that thought silent where it could be ignored by the angels as he rather suspected that it wasn't the capability of Dean's hands to manage delicacy that was in question.

And then the full impact of the implications hit Sam and he found himself clutching at the angels' shoulders to keep himself from falling over or sinking to the floor as his vision tunneled. He vaguely heard what sounded like a yelp from Gabriel around the roaring in his ears as strong arms hurriedly went around him from two directions. The vague awareness he had of that skittering electric Grace grew stronger, enveloping him in buzzing bees and crashing waves.

Is this another dream? Sam wondered, closing his eyes and holding on to Castiel and Gabriel for dear life as he struggled to push past the dizziness and the magnitude threatening to sweep him under. Did I fall asleep and dream you both back to life again and that's why you're here offering me everything I ever could have imagined wanting?

"Breathe, Sam," Castiel's voice rumbled close to his ear, and Sam struggled to obey, to draw in a deep breath that filled his nose with the scents of petrichor and sage and candyfloss thick enough to drown in. "You are awake. I am here. Gabriel is here. We are real. We are alive."

"We love you, kiddo, honest," Gabriel's voice echoed, just a little further away, a whisper of breath against the skin of Sam's throat where his shirt collar opened. "Not a trick or a prank or a goodbye. No obligation, no time constraints, no need to choose between us or anything else dumb and limiting like that."

Sam trembled. Swallowed. "Can I... can I look at you?"

"All you gotta do is open your eyes," Gabriel answered, but there was a note of confusion in his voice, like he couldn't understand why Sam would ask such a thing.

Castiel understood better, if the sharply indrawn breath was anything to go by, and his voice held a note of urgency when he said, "Take it slowly. We are at full strength again and will be considerably brighter than when you last looked upon either of us."

"Oh, sh--" Gabriel cut himself off on the realization as Sam's hold on both angels tightened and he let down his mental walls, all the shields and barriers he had built to try and keep his powers in and other beings out, then gingerly opened his eyes.

Bright was an understatement. Staring directly into the sun would have seemed dim in comparison to the brilliant aurora that filled his vision, a clashing kaleidoscope of colorful energy patterns that swirled and danced together and apart, contained to each separate angelic sphere even as they reached across the barriers to entwine together with each other. Sam squinted into the brightness as he let his eyes adjust physically and metaphysically, the tears gathering in his eyes from seeing and recognizing the way those tendrils of angelic energy were reaching out to him as well, not as an invasion but as a supplication.

They really, truly, honestly wanted him, were practically yearning for him, and yet still they were leaving it up to him to say that they were welcome.

"Sam," the glowing form to his right resonated with the sounds of crashing waves and trumpeting horns. "Sammy, hey, dial it back a notch, kiddo, your eyeballs are starting to smoke."

"Can we not 'dial it back' for him?" came the voice to his left that echoed with tolling church bells and screaming crows amid the hiss of rain. A moment later the harshly glowing figure to his left became softer and less focused and yet somehow more solid. Sam caught the flurry of color from his right before that form, too, became both more condensed and more diffuse at once, easing the strain on his eyes and awareness.

With that lessening of brightness and pressure, Sam became aware of the fact that his eyes burned and his skull was practically splitting open from the pounding headache. Quickly, he began pulling up walls and barriers, one after another, until he could look at Castiel and Gabriel again and see their new, chosen vessels with only the hinted afterimages of their respective halos and the shifting, rustling expanses of full-fledged, whole and healthy wings, Castiel's two leftmost wings brushing and entwined with the three rightmost wings of Gabriel's set, the other five wings reaching out to embrace Sam without actually touching him, a silent and intangible offer of their support and trust.

"Are you sure?" Sam mumbled, then felt like kicking himself. They were angels, a seraph and an Archangel, older than Time! They knew better than he could even begin to imagine what "forever" meant, and yet he still couldn't stop himself from asking. From making sure that they had really thought about this, being bound to him, for eternity.

"Been sure since Ohio, Samaluscious," Gabriel answered with a crooked grin that didn't quite conceal the edge of pain and shadows haunting that humor with the ache of a mystery spot in Broward County, Florida. "Kinda gave up on the possibility for a while there, figured I'd blown my chances sky high. I mean, even your phenomenal capabilities for forgiveness had to have a limit, right?"

"I trust you have learned better since then," Castiel remarked in a dry tone, the feathers of his wings rustling with smugness. "After all, you have not harmed or betrayed Sam or Dean as cruelly and thoroughly as I have had occasion to do, and if Sam can find it in his heart to forgive me..."

"Yeah, well, he loves you," Gabriel huffed, eyes darting away. "Even traumatized and half-comatose, I could feel that. Yeah, you did a lot of shit, but you also stuck around to make up for it. Me, on the other hand..."

"You were deprived of the opportunity to either remain or return to Sam's side," Castiel pointed out with that same delicate bluntness he had used to refer to his and Sam's shared traumas. "We cannot know now what may have happened if you had been afforded the opportunity, not for certain, but you and I both know well the pull of Sam's soul on those willing to see."

"Oh, yeah..." Gabriel all but purred, golden eyes slanting up through darker golden lashes to look at Sam. Sam felt his cheeks heating up with embarrassment at the literally glowing intensity of that gaze, more than aware that the Archangel was taking the opportunity to get his own peep show at what Sam kept beneath the bounds of his physical body, just as Sam had been looking at him and Castiel before. He let him look, figuring it was only fair, and tried not to fidget in discomfort over being so thoroughly seen, every sharp edge and scar and shadow on display, more exposed to his angels' sight than he'd ever felt buck naked.

"Beautiful," Castiel murmured, soft and insistent close to Sam's ear before lightly chapped lips brushed the stubble-roughened line of his jaw in an unmistakable kiss.

"Like looking at kintsugi marble given life and breath to speak its history like a poet to a lover," Gabriel hummed in agreement, leaning in to press his own kiss to the rightmost just of bone at Sam's clavicle, his nose brushing Sam's throat as he swallowed. The Archangel once called the Messenger of God certainly had a way with words! "Don't ever think the damage you've survived makes you less than glorious, Samazing."

"I'll have to work on that," Sam muttered, unwilling to lie to them and say he believed them, not when he knew he didn't, but more than willing to try now that he knew there would be no more divine puppet master pulling his strings to keep him from healing the wounds on his heart and soul. He took another deep breath and let it out slowly. "How do we do this, then?"

"So, I'm not sure what Cassie's plan was gonna be," Gabriel started, and Sam felt more than saw the shift of one golden-edged teal wing nudging up into iridescent rainbow-brushed black, "but assuming you didn't laugh in my face or something at the suggestion I was thinking of taking you out on a date. Nothing fancy or over the top, not this time, just someplace new to explore without the excuse or distraction of a hunt or a fight for your life."

"I, too, had something similar in mind," Castiel admitted. "Perhaps a walk through the woods that surrounds the bunker, investigating some of the terrain we had not yet ventured into the past few years?"

"That sounds nice," Sam agreed, privately thinking that it also sounded safe in case Dean came looking for him and didn't take the note he planned to leave on the table beside his book at face value. He hesitated, biting his lower lip in indecision.

"You can tell him we're alive," Gabriel said with an air of resigned humor. "Neither of us expected you to keep that a secret from him. Just say we came to you because we had a more diplomatic situation going on and we'll be around to catch up with him later when the time crunch is more relaxed."

"Nice and vague and plausible," Sam snorted softly, but smiled. It took a few more long seconds and a stern mental reminder to himself that they wouldn't disappear on him the moment he let go for Sam to unwind his arms from around them and pull away enough to scribble the intended note on a clean sheet of notebook paper. Making sure that the notebook was positioned nicely visible on the table with the edge of his book pinning down the loose edge of the paper just enough to keep it from flipping over without obscuring it, Sam straightened up and turned back to the angels - his angels, soon, and potentially more - and reached out his hands to them, smiling a little helplessly when they both immediately reached back to clasp his hands in theirs. "So, going on a walk in the woods outside isn't far, but if you'd rather fly us out there..."

"You don't mind?" Gabriel's eyebrows went up.

"Eleven years I've been around Cas, and known you for longer," Sam reminded him. "I never had the same... difficulty with angel flight that Dean does, and even humans have a thing about when a limb that was broken is finally healed and useable again we can't help but want to use it a lot."

"Fair enough," Gabriel nodded, then looked at Castiel. "You lead. Since you suggested the woods, I bet you know just where to start."

"I promise not to drop you," Castiel deadpanned, smirking when Gabriel actually groaned.

"This is the thanks I get for restoring your memories," he lamented, shaking his head theatrically to Sam's amusement. Then he smirked, stepping closer to Sam's side. "I'll just hold on nice and tight to Sammykins here, since I know you won't dare drop him in a frozen ravine."

"Of course not," Castiel said in an affronted tone as he settled himself against Sam's side in mirror to Gabriel. "It's summer, after all."

A strong beat of dark wings, a twist of celestial energy, and the three of them disappeared from the library, leaving only the echo of Sam's laughter to mark their presence.

-End-

[wearepaladin]

I was looking for a fantasy series to start when I'm done with the Elric saga and the posts you reblogged about The old kingdom/Abhorsen make it seem pretty interesting so I'm considering starting that.

I just had a couple of questions about them. Since looking online I see that there are 5 books and a bunch of short stories I wanted to ask if the short stories are important and should be read at specific points or if they can be skipped/read after reading the main books.

Also just to be sure about it because looking them up on amazon a couple of them are listed as "from 9 years old and up" while others are "16 up" are this "kid's books" like Deltora and similar series or more around ya fantasy or neither and amazon is simply putting random ages in the product details like they do with some Witcher books being listed as "from 3 years old and up"?

I I first read them when I was 14, but had no problem enjoying them when I was older. It always felt like a very mature series to me, given the strong focus on themes of life, death, and who we are in the face of it.

As for the books and their chronology , Sabriel the first book is very self contained, while Lirael and Abhorsen are best read together. The rest of the series are prequels or short sequels of the main trilogy, putting a greater illumination on the Old Kingdom’s past and other characters. Best enjoyed after reading the original books, because by then you’re quite familiar with the intricacies of of the lore.

[missazurerose]

It's not a great idea for me to be posting fanfics at 1 am but I was determined to get this out today. Of course I was determined to do that this past weekend...and then Christmas Eve...and then Christmas. We see how well that worked.

It's finally partially here. It's started. Spoilers for the Dawntrail Tank Role quest but I am sticking Aymeric in it. It's the dumbest hill to die on but die on it I shall: Role quests would have been a fantastic place to let us see our Alliance friends again. Why couldn't we have Merlwyb pistol whip the poison girl? A little snippet below the cut since there are still minor spoilers for the quest chain:

They both retched as the morbol slumped over, no longer moving. Loazenikwe wasn’t wrong. An old morbol’s stench probably could wake the dead. The putrid smell of decay had done wonders for keeping predators away from this particular creature. It was…almost a shame to kill it after such a long life but there was a real worry it could start to prey on other local wildlife so it was best to get rid of it. It did not make the act of killing it any less unpleasant though. Sabriel and Zephyr ran out of the water hoping to get away from the odor once they knew the battle was over. Aymeric looked at the coat of saliva and seedkin guts on his sword and raised his eyes to the heavens. “Forgive me, Father. This is not what Naegling was meant for. I know but these are the times we live in now.” 

Riona very nearly threw up after scooping up the drool and capping the container tightly. She was really going to have to thank Y’shtola for giving her several aether shielded jars for carrying more…unpleasant requests. “Aymeric, will you promise me something?��

“What is it?” He was trying desperately to keep from losing his last meal as they trudged back to the bank where their chocobos were waiting. 

“If this springdew is something that needs to be ingested…and if Leophyne should use the Cradle on me, please find another way to wake me.” She laid a hand on his arm. “Of all the things I’ve done for this star…I may simply perish if I have to drink morbol spit.”

With a small chuckle, he wiped a tear from his eye as the smell was strong enough to make anyone weep. “If you promise to do the same for me.”

She nodded. “I swear I will use anything but morbol spit to wake you.”

“I will scour the earth and the heavens for anything else to wake you should it come to that.”