#but whenever I get hit with a 'queer stories!' rec it is almost always some middlin fantasy thing where a bunch of characters
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Finished Song of Achilles and looked up your review. Fantastic write up. Hit on a lot of things I'd also felt including how Achilles somehow continues to feel close to us as the audience. It's frustrating but also kind of neat from my feeling sometimes that Patroclus is a bit selfish in his telling. He tells so much and yet seems to keep the core of Achilles possessively to himself.
I think one of the places this is most jarring for me though is when he goes from the Achilles that Odysseus comments may be too soft for war to the one we see by the end (seemingly unbothered by death not the honor stuff). It's not that it doesn't make perfect sense, it's just that I felt like I didn't actually watch the transformation. I suppose now I write it I'm reminded how little he actually saw most as individuals even as a boy so perhaps it was less of a transition anyway. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ You're why I ultimately decided to absolutely put it on my reading list so wanted to follow up a little. I did absolutely love it. I'm sad to be done reading it XD I'm glad you encouraged me to read it after I finished Circe 🧡
I'm so glad you liked it! Ultimately, i think I liked it a lot more than Circe, which doesn't surprise me as many of the things I love are already present in the base story. It's still a book I think is really fantastic and worth the read, and for those of y'all who love to read ~*queer*~ fiction, it is explicitly kiss on the lips homosexual kind of gay.
#Doc do you not like stories tht are under the umbrella or what?#not at all I love a good sad gay story dearly#but whenever I get hit with a 'queer stories!' rec it is almost always some middlin fantasy thing where a bunch of characters#fit into the QUILTBAG#and have dopey happy endings after gayly crying at each other#and that's...the point of the rec#so when someone's like 'it's a queer--' BUT IS IT GOOD??? is always my response#Plenty of people are perfectly happy to read stock stories with bad prose but someones trans or gay or etc#and I genuinely think that is their right!#but its not me and a lot of my relationship with that series of rec is p negative#coming out the gate with saying a book is a piece of identity fiction feels like asking one to forgive its faults#so i would never rec this as a queer book I would rec it as a GOOD FUCKING BOOK but#my experience is not universal but this is some Sarah Waters overlap between the two#Its gay and its good
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Under 10,000 Words Pt 2
I promised (quite a while ago) and I’m finally delivering... more fics between 2k and 10k words! Same as last time, they are organised by word count for your browsing pleasure.
Walk Through Fire For You by purple_charlie on AO3. (2,335 words).
Tags: John Winchester’s A+ Parenting, Angst, Pride, Marijuana Use, Polyamory, Gay Cas, Bisexual Dean, Bisexual Gabriel, Everyone is Queer.
My Rating: 4 stars.
Description: Boyfriend.
The word still feels foreign in Dean’s mouth, still brings back echoes of John Winchester’s thinly-veiled (if even that) homophobia. “Man up, don’t be a sissy, I didn’t raise a fairy”. It’s a swollen blister in the back of Dean’s mind, throbbing with pain whenever a stranger’s eyes linger too long on Cas’ hand in his, whenever a waitress double-takes at how close they sit in diner booths.
But here, dirty dancing with Cas in a warehouse full of other queer folks, Dean wants to shout from the rooftops- I’m Dean Winchester, I drive the baddest car in town, I lift heavy things for a living, and this is my boyfriend.
Notes: This was so sweet it nearly made me start crying - Cas deserved to be told that he was loved!
Boneless Wings by PallasPerilous on AO3. (4,333 words).
Tags: Crack, Wingfic, Domestic Fluff, Canon Compliant, Angel Castiel, Suburbia.
My Rating: 5 stars.
Description: For those of you perving along at home, Dean could absolutely provide a list of the hundred or so ways that having a boyfriend with giant fucking actual wings is super hot and/or awesome. This is not that list.
Notes: The art is gorgeous and this is such a brilliant parody of so many wing fics out there, I loved it!
Stories Are Made Of Mistakes by wildhoneypie on AO3. (4,942 words).
Tags: Human Castiel, Diners, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Bisexual Dean, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, Slow Build, Case Fic, Domestic, Didn’t Know They Were Dating.
My Rating: 4 stars.
Description: In which Cas is human and doesn’t understand basic concepts like: clothing, Mythbusters, moisturizer, and Greek food. Dean is…Dean and doesn’t understand basic concepts like: boyfriends, language, how to tell your friend that he’s a walking miracle, and when not to quip.
Notes: This was so cute and I live for human Cas. I also love the recurring ‘no fucking quipping’ joke in this, although the idea of Cas swearing broke me a bit!
The Cry of Elisha After Elijah by intothesilentland on AO3. (5,844 words).
Tags: Episode Fix-It: s15e20 Carry On, Post-Episode: s15e20 Carry On, First Kiss, Reunion, Canon Compliant, Heaven.
My Rating: 5 stars.
Description: The kicker is, Dean had been trying to live. Really live. And not bite out in anger at the fraying of his heart: Cas, gone, Jack, gone—all that was left was him and his brother, and Dean had been trying to live, in spite, in light of that. In a world like the unsteady first steps of a child, apprehensive arms and hands cradling the air around them, ready for a slip, excited for a step, Dean had been trying to walk forward, too. Though every step had meant every pain. Upon his death, and arrival in heaven, Dean sets out to find the angel. He has to tell him. Cas has to know.
Notes: That poem at the start was really moving in this context, and the dialogue was so weirdly in character that everything was so real. It was definitely written better than the actual ending.
My Own Little World by tale_to_tell on AO3. (6,858 words).
Tags: Hurt Dean, Protective Castiel, Meet-Cute, Fluff, Pining, Coffee Shops, Implied Domestic Violence, Abusive Alistair, Abusive Relationships, First Kiss, Human Castiel, Protective Sam Winchester, Dean Has Self-Worth Issues, POV Castiel, Love Confessions, Implied Sexual Content, Light Angst, Happy Ending.
My Rating: 4 stars.
Description: Castiel stumbles into a local café in order to avoid the rain, and during the process he meets a very attractive barista by the name of Dean Winchester. It doesn’t take long for Castiel to fall in love with Dean’s wit and charm.Too bad that Dean has a boyfriend.
Notes: This was fairly sweet, and I was not expecting the Sabriel content (always read the tags, folks). Also, return of Alistair being an asshole! I would have forgot he existed if he didn’t keep popping up in these fics.
broken when I’m lonesome by SailorChibi on AO3. (7,015 words).
Tags: Asexual Castiel, Demisexual Dean, Panromantic Castiel, Biromantic Dean, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, PTSD, Dean Has Self-Esteem Issues, Dean Has a Sexuality Crisis, Angst, Fluff, Touch-Starved, Comfort, Platonic Cuddling, Castiel is Not Oblivious, comments that could be taken as ace-phobic.
My Rating: 5 stars.
Description: After being saved from hell, Dean’s old methods of coping aren’t working anymore: he’s not sexually attracted to anyone, and he’s not interested in sex no matter how many times he climbs into bed with hot, naked women. Sam is convinced that his brother is just depressed, but Dean knows this goes deeper than that. He still craves the intimacy that can make him feel safe. Fortunately, Castiel is there to both understand and provide.
Notes: This fic really hit home. I’m not sure if it is because almost every person I have ever talked to has had some form of this conversation, but it was still cute.
Lost and Found by whelvenwings on AO3. (7,762 words).
Tags: Writer Castiel, Mechanic Dean, Demisexual Castiel.
My Rating: 5 stars.
Description: “Chuck Shurley? Sure, I’ve read his books. Kinda Vonnegut, but like, Kilgore-Trout Vonnegut, you know?” Dean took another gulp of his whisky, and smacked his lips like an adult. The guy sitting beside him at the bar, however, did not look suitably impressed. In fact, he was staring down into the bubbles of his cider, not even noticing the way that Dean was smiling at him, giving him the eyes.
“I thought his stuff was pretty good, in a kinda metamodern way,” Dean added airily, and a little more loudly.
The guy only nodded gloomily. Dean almost clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth in frustration. C’mon, dude, I’m trying to impress you. Twenty minutes of talking and all Dean had to show for it was a weird first name, a series of dour stares and the strangest need to know more about this – Castiel.
Notes: This was written so well that I wanted to cry at Cas’ story of the stars, even though it wasn’t particularly sad. Now I want to go and stargaze with someone.
Say Yes by MaggieMaybe160 on AO3. (7,996 words).
Tags: Episode s5e4 The End, Established Relationship, Secret Relationship, Drug Use, Fluff and Angst, Canon Compliant, Canon Divergence, POV Alternating, Love Triangles, Idiots in Love, Wedding Rings, Chronic Pain.
My Rating: 4 stars.
Description: Endverse!Dean's life is going pretty well with Endverse!Cas until Dean's past self shows up.A look at the episode "The End" from Season 5 from Endverse!Dean's point of view.
Notes: Quite cute, almost entirely canon compliant, and the ending gave me chills.
Carry On by Castielslostwings on AO3. (8,039 words).
Tags: Coda, Episode Fix-It: s15e20 Carry On, Heaven, Castiel Deserves Better, Love Confessions, First Kiss, First Time, Reunions, Explicit Sexual Content.
My Ratings: 5 stars.
Description: “I think I’ll go for a drive.” This is what happened between that moment, and Dean meeting Sam on that bridge.
Notes: This was written beautifully and was genuinely the ending that Dean and Cas deserved.
Unknown Quantities by xylodemon on AO3. (8,570 words).
Tags: Future Fic, Getting Together, Didn’t Know They Were Dating, Human Castiel, Bottom Dean, Angst and Humour, First Time.
My Rating: 4 stars.
Description: No one ever tells Dean anything.(or: Dean Winchester and the not-relationship crisis of 2014)
Notes: There’s more smut in this than I expected, but Dean is so oblivious that it is really funny.
Bing Crosby’s Pennies From Heaven by twentysomething on AO3. (9,613 words).
Tags: Castiel, Dean Winchester, Gabriel, Sam Winchester, Bobby Singer, Death.
My Rating: 4 stars.
Description: Sam always asks inappropriate, poorly-timed questions, so what comes out of his mouth doesn’t exactly surprise himself. “Where were you?”
Notes: This was brilliant - the little gifts that Gabe left for Sam were adorable, and I burst out laughing at the image of trying to get Bobby’s wheelchair on top of a toilet.
So there we are! I hope you enjoy these slightly shorter fics, and hopefully there will be another load of fic recs for next week!
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