Insta rec

I've read a ton of Castiel-centered stories in the past few months, and I generally enjoy them, though I'm somewhat picky when it comes to the mythology of angels; I don't particularly care what particular mythology someone is using, just that it's internally consistent, consistent with SPN canon, and makes sense within the broader context of the story. Getting all three of these together is surprisingly rare.

But I was surprised to find the most interesting angel story I've read in fandom (and possibly ever) comes not from the SPN side of the fandom but from J2: dark_reaction's Ineffable.

In this story, Jared and Jensen are both half-human, half-angelic soldiers in the Legio Deus Terra, fighting an ongoing deadly battle against demonic forces. They also hate each other. Of course, that's the beginning and not the end (it is J2!), but I think what I love even more than their gradually shifting relationship is the really deft worldbuilding in this story, which gives the reader lots of really fascinating glimpses into the heavenly hierarchy and the culture of angels and hybrids without ever just plopping down a lot of clunky exposition. The universe she creates is really enthralling, and I very much hope she writes more stories in it.