Never watched Supernatural but wondering what all the hype is about? Then this is the post for you. If you have been on tumblr for some time or just from November 5, 2020, you may have seen a gif set or two or a hundred with destiel aka Dean and Castiel from Supernatural. @fandom even made a Destiel Is Canon post with short overview of basic facts! Are you interested but have no idea where to start? We know, we know. Life is hectic, 2020 is taxing and Supernatural has too many episodes to watch. 15 seasons and 327 episodes to be precise but who’s counting? Say no more, we got your back, fam! You don’t need to have ever watched SPN to enjoy the fics on this rec post.
For fans who have never watched SPN, some basic facts - 1x01 starts with Dean Winchester (26 yo) professional monster hunter, picking up his brother Sam (22 yo), student at Stanford, and going on a one off monster hunt. For the next 3 seasons they travel around the country in their black Impala 67 hunting monsters, saving people. Castiel, Angel of the Lord and the multidimensional wavelength of celestial intent, arrives in 4x01.The rest is shipping history. Check this 36 min YT video, The Story of Dean and Castiel by deansbansee with all the best destiel scenes from S4-15. And now, fics!
All title links go to our fully tagged reviews.
1. If you want to read fics that are set in Supernatural universe but are not canon specific, your best bet is pre season 4 (our tag) and solo hunter Dean (our tag) fics where young Dean meets Castiel differently from the show, and fics that are very loosely tied to a specific season. And, if you’ll decide to watch the show later, you still won’t be spoiled!
A Distant Mirror by zatnikatel [NC-17, 14,700 word count, time travel, humor, smut, posted 2013]
Ad Astra - latin; “to the stars” by nhixxie [T, 17,400 word count, Castiel is a Star, posted 2013]
Broadway Musical by Griftings [M, 12,400 word count, humor, Heavenly Host, posted 2014]
Carnival Oasis series by violue [NC-17, 47,000 word count, 10 works, creature!cas, posted 2016-20]
Convenient Husbands by Annie D (scaramouche) [NC-17, 39,000 word count, garuda!cas, hurt comfort, posted 2012]
Do What Feels Good by catchclaw & cymbalism [NC-17, 12,500 word count, smut smut smut, posted 2014]
Everyone Is Trying to Get to the Bar by balder12 [NC-17, 8,400 word count, true form!cas, posted 2012]
Good One’s Gonna Be by remmyme [NC-17, 37,000 word count, professor Cas, posted 2017]
Kiss You When It’s Dangerous by zoemathemata [NC-17, 58,000 word count, FBI agent Cas, posted 2012]
Professional Couple Only by saltyfeathers [M, 37,000 word count, pretend boyfriends on a case, posted 2015]
The Request by cloudyjenn [T, 36,000 word count, wing!fic, posted 2012]
Some Assembly Required by narrow_staircase [M, 47,000 word count, student Cas, posted 2016]
Unknown Quantities by xylodemon [NC-17, 8,600 word count, fluff, posted 2014]
2. If you don’t want to bother with Supernatural canon at all, then you are still in for a treat. With 92,500 fics (December 12, 2020) and counting, destiel is currently the biggest ship on AO3. Destiel fics cover a lot of popular tropes and kinks but some are more popular than others among destiel fans. Angst, miscommunication, exploration of Dean’s low self esteem, Cas’s rusty people skills and general otherness are a staple of AU fics. But also exploration of one’s sexuality - internalized homophobia, coming out, bisexuality and asexuality are common themes.
All the Way by cadignan [NC-17, 81,000 word count, college AU, posted 2013]
Cinderwings by bendingsignpost [M, 182,000 word count, wing!fic, masquerade ball, posted 2017]
Kiss the Baker by ltleflrt [NC-17, 111,000 word count, rom com, posted 2015]
Not Part of the Plan by Annie D (scaramouche) [NC-17, 338,000 word count, 8 works, arranged marriage, posted 2013-18]
Oh What A Beautiful City by moosefeels [M, 27,200, a/b/o, omega Cas, arranged marriage, posted 2014]
Passing Ships by quiettewandering [M, 78,000 word count, not traditional soulmate AU, posted 2017]
Peace and Good Luck To All Men by kismetjeska [T, 32,400 word count, humor, Xmas fic, posted 2013]
The Return Policy by castielrisingabove [M, 32,500 word count, incubus!dean, ace witch!cas, posted 2018]
The Sawdust Men by linoresearch [NC-17, 123,000 word count, dystopian angst, posted 2014]
Scars by lemonsorbae [NC-17, 148,000 word count, young adults - punk!dean, nerd!cas, posted 2018]
Three Funerals and a Wedding by engaldnwouldfall [M, 25,300 word count, friends to lovers, LARPing, posted 2016]
True as It Can Be by whelvenwings [NC-17, 72,000 word count, modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast, posted 2016]
Unsolicited verse by dangerousnotbroken [NC-17, 68,700 word count, 5 works, posted 2016-18, smut smut smut]
Unwritten by porcupinegirl [NC-17, 75,800 word count, a/b/o, alpha/alpha pairing, posted 2015]
3. Lastly, for all fans who watched SPN finale and were left with a raging wtf was that? feeling, here’s 4 fics where Dean and Cas did a better job at restoring Heaven and 2 fics where living with disability was not the end of the world.
The Dance of Inanna by peppermintwind [NC-17, 106,000 word count, humor and adventures, posted 2012]
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by amarillogrande [M, 22,200 word count, Dean arrives in Heaven and meets his loved ones, posted 2014]
Holy!Dean Verse by bunnycaccool [NC-17, 120,300 word count, 5 works, very Dean centric, posted 2011-15]
These Are Not Real Problems by Annie D (scaramouche) [NC-17, 30,500 word count, post godstiel Cas arrives in Heaven, posted 2011]
The Breath Of All Things by kismetjeska [T, 65,400 word count, Dean in a wheelchair, posted 2013]
Kingdom Come by cheesewithmy [M/NC-17, 97,700 word count, Dean has a prosthetic arm, posted 2014]
4. Other fun things to check out. Destielfanfic has been a part of destiel community since 2012, and while we used to be much more active (see this post), we are still kicking around. Please visit our Tags Page and explore all the goodies there. We even have separate tags for every season so you can avoid spoilers when necessary. Some useful links:
ask about iconic destiel fics for folks who just joined fandom
thematic fic rec lists with art (college, creatures, a/b/o, Hogwarts, Christmas - you name it, we have it)
check out our Pride posts for more fics that explore sexuality - Pride 2017, Pride 2018, Pride 2019 and Pride 2020.
Still can’t decide which destiel fic to read? Try this brand new random fic generator created by @deanwinchestergender (not affiliated with DFF) or try Random button on our blog - top right corner and the sidebar (see this post )
also, check out the latest destiel fanart at our sister blog @destielfanworks - Cas with rainbow wings can be found on #cas with wings tag and fanart that was created after 15x18 can be found on #destiel 2020 and #theysilencedyou tags, we also have a general #season 15 tag.
and here’s another destiel fic rec list for new fans by a destiel fic writer and a long time contributor to our blog, our friend @no-gorms aka Annie D (scaramouche)
And last but not least. Thank you, Elena, @purgatory-jar, for letting us to use your beautiful art! Link to the original art post.
If you enjoyed the fic, please drop by the archive (AO3) and let the author know with your comments and/or kudos! Please support artists by Liking and Reblogging their art posts! And if you found our recs useful, let us know by Liking and/or Reblogging our posts!
To our new followers - our anon is switched off for good but we are happy to answer your fic related asks privately. Don’t be shy and tell us which destiel fic made you into a shipper. We may even make a rec post if we get enough fic suggestions!
