Fic Rec Friday: Best fics you've never heard of

[farenmaddox]

Hello everyone!

Fic Rec Friday is once again late, but here we are!

For this week, your fic recs should focus on fics that are unsung heroes to you - fics that do not have a lot of kudos, bookmarks, comments, etc. - but they rocked YOUR world and you'd really like to see get some more attention. Any theme, any length, just fics that deserve some more love.

I'll leave it to your discretion how to interpret what "not a lot" means in terms of numbers. Probably don't include WIPs (considering they're still in the process of garnering such attention), and I think self-recs are not really in the spirit of the prompt for this week (even though I'm super-happy to see self-recs on the more theme/trope-style fic rec posts).

Hope this will lead to everybody discovering some new favorites and some deserving authors getting some new comments. <3 <3 <3

Have a great weekend!

Comments

[farenmaddox]

My rec is for Tastes Like Raspberries by Worrynoodles. Cas gets to meet HunterCorp!Dean and it's very bittersweet.

[(Anonymous)]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/59070766
My rec for hidden treasures is Ivy by Chthon as we have been loosing our minds about older destiel a week ago it popped back into my head and did a quick reread. It’s still so good.

[sitruunavohveli]

My rec is The Company by CasCase. It does have a decent amount of kudos and clicks but I never see it on rec lists and it deserves more because I think it rewired my brain a little. Some of the scenes live in my head rent free years after reading it, because I could see them so clearly when I was reading. It's ballet dancer Dean and ballet dancer/choreographer Cas, a little bit of age difference, and ballet company politics sprinkled in. Gorgeous fic.

Fics with criminally low hits and kudos

[friendofcarlotta]

A Word in the Mists by Hiding_Amaranth: This case fic at sea, where Dean keeps losing members of his crew of hunters to a mysterious force, is incredibly atmospheric and beautifully written. I still think about the twist at the end.

La Frontera by Owco: Might be one of my favorite case fics of all time. Set at the US-Mexico border, this deals with immigration and border politics with incredible sensitivity, while somehow simultaneously delivering a satisfying case and romance arc. This is the kind of cultural diversity we deserved to see more often on the show. The whole thing is basically witchcraft. In general, Owco is an amazing writer and I also highly recommend their more recent canon divergence fic where Dean is a country singer in Nashville and Cas decides to fall and become a hunter. It's like spending time with friends and I absolutely adore it.

Looking Back, Fundamental Romance by Susu_st: In a future where most people have chosen to take medication that chemically suppresses their emotions, Dean is one of the last holdouts. Cas, a scientist, is curious about his motives, but when he begins to "study" Dean, he soon finds himself questioning why he ever wanted to live without emotions in the first place. The arc of Cas discovering the joy of feeling things again is truly one of the most moving things I've read in this fandom.

The Spectre on the Fourth Floor by EllenofOz: Destiel and a mysterious haunting in the early 1900s?? Need I say more??

And All the Devils Are Here by entropic_saudade: Mind the tags on this one, but if outrageously fun, gory horror is your thing, this is an absolute blast! Clown Cas and the hillbilly cannibal Winchesters are somehow incredibly wholesome and they have a special place in my heart.

Shifting States by Artemis73: Dean has been plagued by mysterious headaches. And why does he keep dreaming about monsters, the apocalypse and a strange blue-eyed man who seems far more familiar than he should...? I wish I could say more, but that would be telling, and the twist is too good to give away.

Darwin Never Tries This by ValandraWrites and bleuzombie: SENTIENT GOO CAS. YOU KNOW YOU'RE CURIOUS.

I'm a big fan of summer camp slashers, and we were blessed with two amazing takes on Destiel in that setting in 2024: All That's Buried by haus_seeblick and It's Got a Death Curse by Artemis73.

[ghoulsnhalos]

Coming in with a couple that maybe have reasonable kudos and bookmarks, but I never see recced anywhere:

Wicked Game by expectingtofly: A Western AU slow burn enemies to lovers with Outlaw Dean and Outlaw Cas. As we draw to towards the conclusion I kept going back to check the tags in case I'd missed something important. Title taken from Chris Isaak's song of the same name, which honestly set the tone perfectly for this fic. https://archiveofourown.org/works/26797354/chapters/65374042

Watching Over Me by NerdyNerdenstain: A short Post 15.18 Fix It that's definitely canon divergent. I've listened to the podfic of this so many times and I still tear up every time. Title and music used in the podfic come from the Radio Company song of the same name (you know the one Jensen Ackles admitted is from Dean's PoV). https://archiveofourown.org/works/50245345/chapters/126915007