Masterpost
And that's a wrap on the first Destiel Angst Bang! Congratulations to all the writers and artists, and many thanks to the moderators, @butterflslinky, @malicmalic and @valandrawrites!
Below the cut, you can find links to all the works produced for the Bang. Announcements about the future of the Bang will be made soon.
Milton's Rest, written by @friendofcarlotta with art by @adromelke (50K, E) Romance writer Dean Winchester is in the throes of writer’s block, and a stay at a California cottage is supposed to help. But when he meets a striking stranger and literally talks him off a cliff, writing is suddenly the last thing on his mind. Castiel Milton is enigmatic, melancholy, and everything Dean never knew he wanted. Dean finds himself falling hard and fast, so when Castiel offers him a chance to spend more time together at the Milton family home in Maine, Dean doesn’t hesitate. But he finds more than he bargained for at the remote mansion: the shadow of Castiel’s dead wife, and Castiel’s troubled sister Anna, who holds the key to more than one dark secret about the Miltons’ past.
Take Me Out to the Pacific, written by @seidenapfel with art by @szlez (13K, E) With an archangel confined in his head, Dean takes the only sensible step: Splash. Buried alive at the bottom of the Pacific, he will be doomed, but the world will be saved.
As he seals his fate, Dean starts to talk, to pray. Even though Cas won't be able to hear him, it helps Dean calm himself. For the first time, he pours out his heart, when, all of the sudden, Cas answers.
All too aware of Cas' secret deal with the Shadow, Dean knows that if he ever is to be rescued, it will be Cas' death sentence.
Of Truth and Fear, written by @baileys101 with art by @daffodilsonaprettystring (27K, T) When the attack dog spell leaves Castiel gravely ill, Dean and Sam are at odds. But as Cas worsens, they reach a drastic decision—to strip Castiel of his poisoned grace. Although the cure saves him, without angelic grace, Cas can no longer suppress his feelings for Dean. Overwhelmed, he makes the heartbreaking choice to leave—for good.
Feeling angry and rejected, Dean lets Castiel go. But when Crowley sets his sights on him, Dean must confront his fears. Determined to bring Cas home, he must lay everything on the line and prove just how much Castiel means to him.
The Silence Remains, written by @verobatto with art by @szlez (5K, E) Castiel and Dean finally have their retirement at the beach, both enjoying the sand between their toes. Even Castiel starts to show Dean his feelings and Dean can't believe how perfect everything is. Although, maybe, it's too perfect to be real…
Driving Sideways, written by @valandrawrites with art by @witchy-worm (39K, E) At 22, Dean Winchester is hunting alone while his dad chases the demon that tore their family apart. When he stumbles into a nest of vampires, Dean becomes their next meal. Outnumbered and cornered, he’ll have to fight to survive.
Or
Dr. Castiel Novak’s research is falling apart until a young man with signs of a violent psychotic break arrives at the ER. As Castiel treats his patient’s break from reality, he realizes this man may be the only person he can trust.
Pretty Boy, written by @crowleysmistress with art by @seidenapfel (32K, E) Dean is a male model who meets Castiel an acclaimed and serious photographer on a shoot. Castiel is impressed with Dean's work ethic and they begin to collaborate more frequently as a new contract pairs them up. Bad communication skill, belief that the other is in a relationship and anger as a default leads to violent incidents between them, even as they progress more and more romantically. Eventually trapping them in a cycle of DV that in the end Dean will have to determine if he can leave behind.
The Divine Grip, written by @t-angel210 with art by @verobatto (6K, T) After a brush with Michael leaves team free will shaken, Dean asks Castiel for the ultimate favor. He can't keep "Yes" from leaving his lips, so he says yes to Cas. Also Sam is generally unbothered.
When a Butterfly Flaps Its Wings, written by @avonlady42 with art by @seidenapfel (25K, E) Dean’s grief takes over after losing Charlie to Elden Styne. He can’t accept that she’s just gone, so he decides to make a deal with Rowena to bring her back. Unfortunately, he has to reset the past more than once because things keep going wrong. Dean doesn’t know what it will take to keep things from becoming so screwed up. How many times does he have to change the past before he finally gets to have everything he ever wanted?
Happy & Sad (at the same time), written by @queer-dancing-fandom-nerd with art by @gree3art (6K, G) They may be in the middle of a fight against God himself and the umpteenth end of the world, but Dean’s holding on hope that maybe once this fight is over, they’ll actually be done for good, however impossible it once seemed. For now, they’re in the calm before the storm, and Cas is finally home for good. If anyone deserves to be celebrated, Dean knows it’s that sonofabitch, so he decides to keep up with the holiday kicks and throw Castiel an impromptu birthday party. What could go wrong?
Hell Beckons to Hell, written by @maxine1703 with art by @onowey (19K, M) Dean survives the rebar but is left to deal with a life of disability and chronic pain. The only upside to all of this is that Cas is alive, albeit human—all thanks to Jack. When a mysterious murder has them to jump back into hunting, bringing them face-to-face with a familiar enemy from the past, Dean is forced to confront his feelings for Cas. Cas, on the other hand, has to come to terms with his humanity and the fact that Dean may never truly reciprocate what Cas feels for him.
leave me drowning, written by @from-my-dark-and-twisted-mind with art by @twinone1221 (76K, M) With his mate Cas and pup Jack, Dean Winchester had a perfect life.
Or so he thought until he came home one random Tuesday to find Jack in the care of a sitter and Cas missing. After enduring the pain of Cas’s disappearance, an overzealous detective, CPS and financial struggles, Dean thought things couldn’t get any worse until he receives a phone call that rips that final frayed remnant of rug right out from under his feet.
Now reunited can they work through the fear, anger and betrayal and become the happy family they once were?
Red and Black, written by @junesirius with art by @onowey (25K, M) Aren't we all, a monster, in a way?
Some crawl out, some hide deep; some drink red, some bleed black.
In the pure, relentless monsterland, that's all they have -- being monsters themselves.
Died as a vampire and woke up in Purgatory with fangs, Dean has to crawl his way out the ugly way. And Castiel, in order to reach him, has to do something far, far worse -- to himself.
If the World Has to End, I'm Glad to Have You By My Side, written by @imaginaryprotagonist with art by @sinkat-arts (20K, E) Relegated as a conspiracy nutjob, John Winchester ignored the naysayers and built an underground bunker in preparation for the spread of a deadly virus he knew was coming. When the first few cases are reported, John flees to California to retrieve Sam, who didn’t believe his dad either, leaving Dean behind to hold down the fort. After months without contact with his family and the world descended into chaos, Dean ends up saving the life of a man trying to break into his home to seek refuge. Castiel is a doctor who has been on the run since witnessing the violent behavior of those infected. The two men form a bond, finding comfort in each other as they hide away from the end of the world.
can't find my way (home), written by @queerdeans with art by @stonelions (96K, M) Sam and Dean give Chuck the final showdown that he wants. But once Sam’s gun goes off and Dean is lying on the pavement with a bullet in his head, Chuck is disappointed. In frustration, he disappears, leaving them alone at last.
Castiel is pulled from the Empty and thrown back onto Earth with Dean, only Chuck’s final, sick joke is that he hasn’t made their reunion easy. Cas is stuck sixteen years in the past with 25-year-old Dean, John, and no way of getting back to where he belongs.
Meanwhile, back in 2020, Dean awakes in the hospital with no memories of who he is or his past.
Promises End, written by @blackhorsedances with art by @sinkat-arts (18K, E) “I really don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says in that deep rumble. “I don’t know any Crowley. I don’t know about a gig, and I don’t know whether you’re ‘the right guy’ or not, because I really have no idea who you are.”
See, now those air quotes are just cute, but the man that's doing them is emphatically not cute. Since Novak has put down the glass and is looking directly at Dean, Dean can see that he’s gorgeous. Above his eyes, there’s a tousled mop of hair that looks like perma-bedhead or passionate fingers, and either way, mmm. He has a knife-edge nose and cheeks that could cut glass. His lips look dry, but soft, pillowy. He has a defined shadow–not yet scruff–from well trimmed sideburns down his jaw and over his upper lip. And of course, the eyes.
Those eyes are looking at Dean as though they can see into his soul. Dean counts his heartbeat one, two, three, four, then Novak–the fucker–moistens those dry pink lips with the tip of his tongue. Dean’s legs devolve to primal goo, and he clutches the bar to keep his body upright. The rest of him, hmm: sanity, good sense, ability to talk, they’re all arm-in-arm and have left the building.
“Well?” Novak snaps.
“Uh, what?” Dean stammers.