What's the thing to do when you're the busiest you've ever been, certainly this year and possibly in your entire life? Why, start a new project, of course!
In future these posts might have themes, or focus only on one ship/character, or so on, but this one is just a general list of fics that I have (re)read and enjoyed recently. If this rec list helps you discover a great new fic, please do me a favor and leave the author of the fic in question a kind comment! ("What if I don't know what to say?")
Now, without further ado:
The Very Best People by scioscribe | Steve & Robin | Gen | T | 18k words, complete
Steve and Robin go undercover as a married couple in the World's Most Conformist Suburb to expose...something. This one is possibly my favorite Steve & Robin fic of all time. It's hilarious, it's clever, it's sharply-written, it's thematically coherent, it's creative...I could go on and on. While it's not exactly canon-compliant, the events of this fic feel exactly like the kind of hijinks Steve and Robin might get up to during some dull summer break. If you're looking for a fic that's at once funny and earnest and deeply reflective about the importance of authenticity, this is it.
will didn't get lost in the woods by fireflywitch | Various | Gen | T | 8.5k words, complete
The summary explains the story best: "Every time someone new joined the Party and learned the truth." Whenever I read this, I'm struck by what a solid fic it is. It's a fairly simply premise. The writing isn't flashy. But the author does such a wonderful job bringing the natural reactions of these characters to life. With what "initiation" into the Party means for new members ("Do you accept the risk?"), I find it's also a very poignant read. In essence, it straddles the line between innocent and knowledge, and does that wonderfully.
the places you already belong by orphan_account | Joyce/Hopper | F/M | G | 788 words, complete
Short, beautiful, reflective. Joyce and Hopper and cigarettes between fifth and sixth period.
Better Than Aspic by Sholio | Joyce & Karen | Gen | T | 2.5k words, complete
Oneshot written alllll the way back in 2019, a few months before the release of S3. Joyce needs cooking help for an upcoming block party. Karen shares a few interesting contemporary recipes and a confession.
Only As Old As You Feel by Sholio | Robin, Nancy & Others | Gen | G | 1.5k words, complete
Nursing home AU. Yes, really. In every universe Nancy is high-octane and slightly paranoid; in every universe Steve is a dingus and Robin is happy to remind him of that fact. Featuring mysterious pills, shady nurses, and bingo. I really wish this fic was longer/had a sequel, because it's such a creative idea!
hi do you have any standford era! dean x castiel fic recs 🥰
Hey, anon! Sorry this took nearly a week for me to get to. But here it is!
General disclaimer bc I always feel shy abt sharing recs: A lot of these I read years ago. These are all the stanford era / preseries dean x castiel fics I have saved in my ao3 bookmarks. My tastes have gotten pickier since then re: characterization and stuff and I also don't remember all of these, but I clearly liked them enough at the time to save them to my recs. But yeah, your mileage may vary.
Also I wanted to organize these better, like by canonverse / time-travel, or AUs but again I don't remember all of these fics. (I really need to do a big re-read). But yeah just mind that not all of these are time-travel / canonverse. And not all of them are strictly stanford era, but all feature a younger dean.
There are definitely waaay more fics out there (many that are my to-read list) so def go and search through ao3 and filter for stanford era / preseries dean destiel fics!
Fic list below bc it got long. I included the ao3 summary for each fic along with word count and rating.
time has come today (series) by teen_dean - 174k (series word count) | T | - Not exactly Stanford Era Dean but does feature a teen dean whom I love dearly. Here's the summary for the first installment of the series:
“The past beats inside me like a second heart.” — John Banville, The Sea
"time has come today" (35k) - intended as a standalone, can be read as such. Cas fetches 19yr-old Dean from 1998 to help the team with a griffin hunt in 2020. Dean Winchester, being allergic to self-reflection, doesn't love the mental tightrope walk that comes out of having his past self around.
Crossing Lines by sometimeswelose - 146k | E | -
Two Deans, one Cas - it's not as sexy as it sounds
Or
An ethics lesson from Hell
Or
The one where Dean from the past meets Dean in the present. They're not sure they like each other very much.
(+ sequel: You want it darker?)
a turn of the earth by microcomets - 95k | M | - Dean’s your typical half-orphaned, monster-killing 22-year-old until a trenchcoated stranger crashes into his back windshield one September night, claiming he’s an angel that knows him from the future and that he’s on the run.
A Different Kind of Monster by roadtonowhere (lastoryx) - 89k | E | - When an accidental encounter puts an as-of-yet-unknown monster in the passenger seat of his car, Dean decides to ice him, taking his dad's old adage to heart: a monster is always a monster. Unfortunately, Dean can’t seem to figure out what kind of monster "Castiel" is and he certainly can’t shake him.
carving deep blue ripples by dothraki_shieldmaiden - 85k | E | - With his little brother at Stanford and his father searching out leads on the monster that killed his mother, Dean Winchester is left to hunt alone. It's fun, except in the ways that it really blows. Things start to turn around when he meets Castiel Novak, another hunter. Castiel is aloof and maybe a little too sarcastic, but he's good backup (and pretty easy on the eyes. Not that Dean's looking or anything).
After a few hunts, Dean is willing to make his and Castiel's partnership permanent. But Castiel is hiding a secret, and it's so explosive that it threatens to not only tear them apart, but also tear apart everything Dean believes in.
Ceremony of Innocence by furorem - 52k | E | - The story goes like this: Dean meets Castiel on a Thursday. He’s 24. He’s on a hunting trip. And he hasn’t been home in a few weeks.
Some Assembly Required by narrow_staircases - 46k | M | - Dean’s investigating a faith healer and strange miracles in a small town and meets grad-student-Cas who’s in town researching the faith healer’s community as part of his graduate thesis and quickly falls into his orbit. Together they investigate the community and discover things are not as they seem.
psalm 40:2 by unicornpoe - 44k | E | - “How the fuck do you know my name?” Dean hisses.
The man doesn’t look scared. He is watching Dean like there is nothing else worth watching, lips a little parted, eyes a little soft. And blue. Real blue, like the ocean on a postcard.
The ice spreading down Dean’s spine makes him shiver.
“I suppose you could say I’m your guardian angel,” the man murmurs. His breath fogs pale between them. All of him is unnaturally warm, like Dean’s touching somebody with the sun sewn up beneath their skin. “I have known you, Dean Winchester, for a very long time.”
Dean meets an angel who says he's from the future. It all gets a lot more complicated from there.
Strandlines by aeli_kindara - 40k | E | - It’s September 18, 2008. Castiel is being deployed to rescue Dean Winchester from Hell.
He lands in Dean Winchester’s motel room in 2003. Things go from there.
Driving Sideways by ValandraWrites - 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.
Salt and Rosemary by tiamatv - 31k | E | - Sure, Dean’s cursed to die—cursed to have his breath stolen from him—on his twenty-fourth birthday. Uh-huh, thanks for that, Mom. Some real Rapunzel bullshit, there.
But here’s the thing: Dean’s a hunter. He’s got iron around his neck, jade on his wrists, and Latin on his tongue. Ain’t no fucking curse gonna take him and then move on to Sammy after.
He doesn’t expect that his curse has a name.
But what kind of name is ‘Castiel,’ anyway?
Phantasma by thisisapaige - 30k | E | - Dean doesn't have the guts to grab Sam from Stanford. Dean fails to find his missing dad. Dean can, however, hunt the ghost haunting his house.
Yeah, Dean buys a haunted house. On purpose. After a quick salt and burn of the bitter old ghost of Naomi Novak, Dean can finally have something in his life go right.
But the ghost isn't what Dean's expecting.
Our Most Quiet Scars by foldingcranes - 26k | E | - Left behind by his family, Dean does the only thing he knows how to do: hunting. It's a lonelier life than he wants to admit, and when he runs across the same leather-jacketed, devastatingly handsome hunter who keeps stealing his kills, Dean suggests they team up to watch each other's backs and get more done. But working with Cas Novak comes with its own risks that may outweigh the rewards… especially when Cas’ past catches up to them.
the little angel (stay all day in the sun) by rhinestoneangels (almondrose) - 18k | T | - Little Mermaid AU ! - Dean is alone and lonely. Cas is an angel intrigued by humanity and makes a deal to live among them, but loses his voice.
Gimme Shelter (Or I'm Gonna Fade Away) by FagurFiskur - 14k | T | - Dean scoffs. “You’re kidding me, right? You know how rare demons are?”
“I do know, because I hunt them.” The guy fixes him with a piercing look, and Dean suddenly feels like his entire being is on display. It’s not pleasant. “My name is Castiel. I am an angel of the Lord and I need your help.”
In Due Time (Dean Winchester is Saved) by caelum_writes- 11k | T | - A 26-year-old Dean is transported to 2021 and confronted with the unfathomable - a future where he is happy, safe, and loved.
search for tomorrow on every shore by noviembre - 11k | T | -
"If the heat didn’t tip him off, the sharpness of the adrenaline racing through him and the bite of gravel kicked up by the passing tires settles it. He’s definitely not in Heaven anymore."
--
Dean, 24-year-old Dean, and Castiel walk into a motel room.
in this louisiana bar by fleeceframe - 8k | G | - Slowly, Mystery Man raises his head. And when his eyes meet Dean’s again, they are so full that Dean is nearly leveled by it. Just. There’s love there, affection, fondness, all in that haunted cornflower blue. They’re greedy, too, like they’re consuming every detail. Dean forgets to breathe. “You sure this guy ain’t dead?” he manages. “Cause you’re looking at me like the last time you saw his mug was ten years ago.”
Mystery Man inhales sharply but doesn’t so much as blink. “He’s very much alive. He made pancakes this morning.” No further elaboration.
“Right…” Dean says a little awkwardly. “Well, since this is happening, apparently, what’s your name?”
Now, Mystery Man hesitates, frowns. Finally, he says, “My name is Cas.”
or the one where dean is at a bar in 2005 and he gets a visit from a stranger who feels familiar but he cant figure out why.
Hey, nineteen. by angelsdean - 8k | T | - aaand shameless plug for my own little time travel fic. It's pre-stanford era, 19 yr old Dean but it's the prequel to a stanford era destiel time travel fic I plan to post soon<3
Cas time-travels back to when Dean is 19 and has 90s prettyboy swoopy model hair. He pets his hair. They cry together. Cas holds him all through the night, giving Dean one night of peace and comfort and safety.
Some of the hairs aren't the same length but I figured some days even my hair looks different depending on if I stretched it, how many days I leave it out, which products I use, etc. Y'all know how it is.
CC List
❥ One // Two // Three
❥ Four // Five* // Six
❥ Seven // Eight // Nine
*Direct download link as the original links no longer work.
CREDITS
Thank you to the amazing CC Creators:
@qwertysims, @jellymoo, @sheabuttyr, @simtric, @leeleesims1, & @marsosims!
Thank you to @miilkymoonsims, @jaxplaysthesims, & @marilynjeansims for the inspo.
I finally got around to watching Band of Brothers last month, and now I'm obsessed with it and Winnix. These are some of my fav fics so far (more canon and modern and other aus under the cut) that I just had to rec - 'cause you know ya girl loves to make a rec list. Any other suggestions are welcomed! I'm very new to the fandom but I love them so much ♥
Canon Era fics:
Give Me Light, Give Me Life by unknown
rated E • 16,363 words
Summary: Post-war dreaming.
Here, in this bed with the warm weight of Dick’s body on his and their legs tangled together, his slow in-and-out breathing and one of Lew’s hands carelessly tucked up under his shirt, the war had never been closer to him and yet he felt at ease. They were refugees, the two of them, not of a country but of a moment in time to which they would never want to return but which would never let them go. They had to live inside and outside of it forever.
A Different War by x_art
Unrated • 28,796 words
Summary: In the dead space between one breath and the next, he had a revelation, or maybe it was just giving in. It was as if Nix had walked up, looked him in the eye and said gently, ‘Every one deserves to be happy, Dick. Even you.’
He dreamed of laying Nix down in the field of bright green clover that ran along the old Mill Road back home, and under the burning white sun, asking Nix if he could touch him.
He dreamed they were in the balcony of the old Century movie theater, sitting where all the spooners sat, watching The Wizard of Oz. Just when the house fell on the witch, Nix had turned to him, said something in French, his voice liquid and deep, and then leaned over for a kiss.
A Fine and Private Place by dancinguniverse
rated E • 3,157 words
Summary: Five places where Dick and Nix did not have sex, and one they did.
Dick peers in, then looks at him. “Lew, this is a closet.” Nix just blinks at him, and Dick tries to clarify. “Lew, this is Sink’s office closet.”
“And he’s gone for the week,” Nix agrees easily. “Safe as houses.”
Nix isn’t an idiot. Yeah, it’s a closet, but it’s at least spacious and not horribly disgusting. On the other hand it is inside Sink’s office, but surely they can just ignore that part.
under ice there’s a world moving slow by irishmizzy
rated E • 3,100 words
Summary: He thinks of Dick and his bright red hair, the only spot of color in the whole damn forest, and then he makes himself stop thinking about it.
He shoves at Nixon’s shoulders with both his hands and for a moment Nixon panics, thinking that he’s finally crossed the line and he’ll be transferred to HQ or court-martialed before dawn. But Dick doesn’t leave, just pushes Nixon backwards, toward the middle of the foxhole and then he’s pulling Nixon back toward him again, all the way back, so that they’re lying down and Dick’s tongue is in his mouth again and they’re pressed together and it’s like he’s been waiting the whole war for this.
A Few Degrees Warmer by bigboobedcanuck
rated T • 3,296 words
Summary: Dick has trouble shaving. Lew has trouble of his own.
“Don’t touch it, Nix.”
Lew lowers his hand, curling his fingers into a fist. “It doesn’t hurt. Is that good or bad? If it hit the artery I’d have bled out all over my foxhole by now.”
The thought would bring Dick to his knees if he wasn’t on them already. Despite the cold, sweat breaks out on his forehead under his helmet. “Medic!”
Too Far Along by bigboobedcanuck
rated E • 14,669 words • (A Few Degrees Warmer sequel)
Summary: In Haguenau, Lew and Dick eagerly anticipate time alone. The Germans have their own plans.
Groaning, Lew presses against him again, rotating his hips. “It’s always the quiet ones.”
Dick’s suddenly struck by a decidedly unpleasant sensation. “Have there been…have you….” He shakes his head. “Never mind.”
“Why, Captain Winters, are you jealous?” Lew grins, eyes gleaming.
“No. Maybe.”
Finding Home by destina
rated M • 4,902 words
Summary: Civilian life is challenging for Nix.
If it was ever going to happen, he’d told himself, it would have happened in that foxhole in Bastogne, when they huddled together for twelve hours under a tarp, too cold to move, too cold even to drink. Or maybe in Holland, in the rat trap where they’d been holed up for weeks. Maybe in Paris on a weekend pass, if they’d ever gotten around to it. Maybe in the quarters Dick put together for senior battalion staff in Germany.
Here’s to happy endings by astrapod
rated M • 2,521 words
Summary: Dick is injured in Bastogne.
They prepared him for getting shot at. They prepared him for bombs and foxholes and incompetent leaders. Hell, they even prepared him for going against human instinct by throwing himself out of a perfectly good airplane.
Nobody prepared him for watching his best friend die a slow and gruesome death.
Shades of Green by siarc_a_botel
rated T • 2k~ words
Summary: Trying not to be jealous was a hard task, especially for some members of Easy Company.
Looks like Nix only goes for red heads, huh?” Welsh giggled from Dick’s left, taking a swig of his alcohol.
Dick ignored him as he watched Nixon and the girl carry on dancing as if nothing happened, the lieutenant more than happy to keep her entertained. But by the way she was still practically gluing herself to Nixon’s side, hands roaming a little too far south, Dick wasn’t exactly happy to let it continue for much longer.
🔒A Drink of Stars by semperama
rated E • 2,850 words
Summary: “It doesn’t seem like a night for moderation.”
If anyone asked him, he’d say the only reason he hasn’t done this yet is he didn’t think Dick would go for it, but he’d have been proved a liar after the first touch of his tongue to Dick’s skin, when Dick gasps and curls his hands into the sheets and tucks his knees closer to his torso to give Nix better access. The truth is, it’s not Dick who has been keeping him from anything. Nix has never been sure he’d like this himself, and it’s taken him getting good and soused to work up the bravery.
Fragments on Impulse by atlanticslide
rated T • 2,250words
Summary: Dick’s father used to say that impulse was the instrument of fools. Lewis Nixon is a man guided by impulse, but he’s far from a fool, and it’s that contradiction that Dick catches on first in the other man. It intrigues him, but he doesn’t really stop to consider why.
He’s the one who won’t leave the foxhole next to Dick’s even though Lew doesn’t actually need to be out here with the Company.
But it’s Dick who leans forward on this night, ostensibly to crowd into Lew’s space for warmth once again, and instead – without the good sense of forethought and quick, careful planning that usually controls Dick’s mind – presses his mouth against Lew’s.
The Earth Below My Feet by fiorediloto
rated E • 175,747 words total • Complete Series
Summary: Dick and Nix’s relationship through it all, from OCS to the end of the war.
“Nix, I can’t do this again,” Dick said.
“This,” Nix objected pointedly, “we’ve never done before.”
Dick looked confused. “Then I don’t know what you’re offering.”
“It’s not that hard,” Nix murmured, rolling up on his side. He threaded his fingers through the thin hair on Dick’s temples and then upwards, through the thicker locks. “Everything. Every goddamn thing. Unconditional surrender. Roll in the tanks and call me Poland.”
Fragments on Impulse by atlanticslide
rated T • 2,250 words
Summary: Dick’s father used to say that impulse was the instrument of fools. Lewis Nixon is a man guided by impulse, but he’s far from a fool, and it’s that contradiction that Dick catches on first in the other man. It intrigues him, but he doesn’t really stop to consider why.
He’s the one who won’t leave the foxhole next to Dick’s even though Lew doesn’t actually need to be out here with the Company.
But it’s Dick who leans forward on this night, ostensibly to crowd into Lew’s space for warmth once again, and instead – without the good sense of forethought and quick, careful planning that usually controls Dick’s mind – presses his mouth against Lew’s.
Alternate Universe/Modern and Other AUs/Tropes/Omegaverse fics:
make sweet my hive by novembersmith
rated T and up • 4,958 words • Spy AU
Summary: This may be the single worst moment of Lewis Nixon’s life.
“You’ve been holding out on me, Winters,” he says brightly into the earpiece and hears Dick hum back, pleased and proud. Lew can tell because he knows the tone of it, knows Dick so well that it makes him want to saunter to the other side of the bar, order a bottle of their finest, pound it, fling himself into Dick’s lap. Makes him want to forget the case, forget that apparently Dick has actual game he’s been hiding all these years and has never bothered to show Lew. Some spy he is.
He keeps talking anyway. “So you’re the honeypot from now on, and I’ll be the staid Quaker vinegar, how’s that sound?”
It Happened One Night by raquelelpillo
rated M and up • 7,704 words • Groundhog Day/Time Loop
Summary: This Nixon gets the chance to do the day before the big jump over and over and over.
“Just tell him.”
Nixon sighs like he’s heaving out his lungs, flops back onto the sandy beach. “Tell who and tell him what?”
Lipton’s tone softens. “What harm can you do? He’ll reset.”
Nixon yanks his discarded jacket over his eyes, blocking the sleepy English sun glittering off the Channel. “That’s the worst of it.”
Folded and Unfolded and Unfolding by unknown
rated E • 18,801 words • Modern AU
Summary: In their somewhat dingy grad student apartment after the war, ft. Burt the dog (and sometimes Ike the cat).
From the couch, Lew said, “Give me your phone so you don’t drunk dial anyone,” and god, he loved Lew so much. He wondered if Lew knew that. He wanted to talk about it, but most of all he wanted to be by Lew and he really loved him. He left the peanut butter on the counter and stumbled to the couch, where he sat with a heavy and pleasurable sigh. So nice. There was a thump and Dick turned his head to see that the dog had dragged the open peanut butter jar to the ground and was licking it.
“Well, at least you’re not coughing,” Lew said.
The Underside of the Dice by tfwatson
rated M • 28,623 words • Parallel Universe
Summary: Easy Company was at its breaking point, on a tipping scale between life before and life after the war. Dick, it would seem, was no different. When he reneges on an order for a second prisoner snatch, fate decides that one good deed deserves another, and on the night that Nix writes his bogus report into the early hours, Dick wakes to find himself in another place, in another time, and in a reality in which he’s dating Lewis Nixon III.
“I’d try and explain, but I ain't got much time and I’m not allowed to say much.” He looks around quickly then down at his hands where his fingers seem to be disappearing at the edges in little wisps of skin-colored smoke. Dick inhales sharply.
“That was a fine thing you did today, sir,” the trooper continues, tone determined. “A real good thing.” His smile and the way he fidgets is reminiscent of Nix’s earlier enthusiasm. “Someone noticed.”
The Lighting of a Fire by novembersmith
rated E • 15,965 words • (with Lipton/Spiers) • Teacher/High School AU
Summary: Teacher!au featuring Dick as the principal, Nix as the head secretary who pines for him, Lip as the math teacher everyone loves, and Speirs as a badass English teacher with a crush.
If only sex was a thing between them, he wouldn’t ever need to have another girlfriend again. They’re friends, though, nothing more, and even best friends don’t think of each other like that. And that, right there, is the reason he kept Kathy around, the reason he needs to get another girlfriend soon, because the more time he spends fucking some chick, the less time he spends thinking about things he’s not supposed to, like Dick, all spread out on his bed, flushed from something other than spicy chicken, panting and needy, all for Nix.
work sucks, i know by countbass_e
rated T • 4,458 words • Modern/Office Space AU
Summary: Lewis Nixon works at a software company and pines hopelessly for a redheaded bartender. Then he breaks the law two different ways, falls in love, and quits his job. Not necessarily in that order.
“How about this— I’m going to go to the Chinese restaurant down the block, and if you want to, you meet me there. And if you don’t want to, you don’t. No pressure.”
Dick blinks at him, and Nix thinks he’s surprised him again. But he likes that, he likes the surprise on Dick’s face, and the way his open mouth slowly fades into that tiny, bemused smile again. “Okay. No pressure.”
“None at all,” Nix promises, and finishes his drink. At least when he goes to jail on Monday, he can go to jail knowing that he gave it a shot.
leave your boots by the bed (we ain’t leaving this room) by sweetmel
rated E • 7,174 words • Space/Star Trek AU
Summary: Captain Winters is undergoing his first pon farr. Nixon is his first officer
Nix is quiet for a minute. “What can you do to fix it?” Nix asks, already suspecting what the answer will be even before Roe tells him.
“Nothing,” Roe says. “I can maybe buy him an extra day with supressors and a couple of agents to have his system keep up with the overload, but — he doesn’t have a tumor, there’s not some obvious cause for why this is happening. But until the excess hormone production at least tapers off–“
🔒Song for a Winter’s Night by murreleteer
rated E • 19,883 words • A/B/O Verse
Summary: Dick had never especially had to worry about being an omega in the army, even if he had to work twice as hard to prove himself. Then the German Army cut the lines around Bastogne, and the 101st’s supply of suppressants began to run out.
“Sink over no one,” he said. “It’s the chain of command. I’ll be all right. Just glad we’re not still under Sobel.” He’d always felt the weight of Sobel’s eyes on him, and wondered if he’d wanted Dick like that or not. That at least hadn’t been one of Sobel’s failings, and he’d never made an actual move on any of the omegas, so far as Dick had seen.
“Christ,” Nix said, momentarily distracted, “now there’s a thought.” He frowned, then pulled himself back on track. “Anyway, what I’m trying to say that is if it happens, and I’m not saying it will, there’s no sense getting someone to drive you into town just for that.”
“I don’t see much of an alternative,” Dick said.
The State That I’m In by jouissant
rated E • 5,072 words • A/B/O Verse
Summary: Every night, come hell or high water, Dick Winters got down on his knees and thanked God for three things: his family’s continued good health, his own increasingly miraculous ability to make it through another day, and his stash of heat suppressants.
Nix burst into Dick’s billet the way he always did, as though it was his God-given right to be wherever Dick was at all times, as though drawn to him like a magnet.
Dick wondered if he had ever noticed that before, really, and if he had why hadn’t he noticed how absolutely maddening it was that Nix should simply flaunt himself in front of him this way, shirt hastily buttoned, pale neck shaded with stubble? And the smell of him, which was sweaty and sour, all alpha, albeit one in dire need of a shower? It was offensive to Dick. Dick would not stand for it.
