Track 19: Pride
Welcome to episode nineteen of the Mixtape Book Club Podcast.
In this episode, Ellen and Mal welcome author the_communist_unicorn to discuss queer representation, identities, and Pride in Destiel fics. The fics discussed include Last Night on Earth by the_communist_unicorn, PRIDE by tricia_16, and Purple Horse in a Coffee Shop by almaasi.
You can find our Mixtape Book Club Ao3 collection here, containing the stories we’ve discussed on the podcast so far.
Thanks to goldenraeofsun we now have a transcript available for this episode!
A warning: This episode contains swearing and discussion of adult topics. Please listen at your own risk.
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Our Guest – the_communist_unicorn
the_communist_unicorn, also known as Koby, writes both Destiel fics and his advice column called Ask Your Friendly Neighbourhood Unicorn. Find all of Koby’s work on ao3, or in many of the Destiel groups on Facebook, such as Destiel – Readers and Writers.
Other fics of Koby’s that we mention:
- Domestic Bliss (4305 words, T)
Featured fics
Last Night on Earth by the_communist_unicorn
Published 2020, 75k words, E
Major Character Death and homophobia tags
After their disastrous trip to the brothel, Dean takes a more direct approach to getting Cas de-virginized … and gets a lot more than he bargained for. With the world on the fast track to Armageddon, can Dean finally find the courage to reveal the secret he’s kept for almost twenty years?
PRIDE by tricia_16
Published 2020, 18k words, E
Married life for Castiel and Dean is pretty much exactly what they hoped it would be: ordinary, but filled with love, laughter, and plenty of orgasms. When ignorance rears its ugly head in a cruel and unexpected way, their simple lives are suddenly not so simple anymore. It’s a rude awakening that shakes them both to the core, but what doesn’t kill them makes them stronger, and thanks to the kindness of strangers, enriches their lives and their relationship in more ways than one.
Purple Horse in a Coffee Shop by almaasi
Published 2017, 8k words, G
Nobody expects to see a purple horse at a Pride parade. So, naturally, Dean Winchester is surprised to meet his office co-worker and long-term crush, Castiel, riding atop a magnificent steed – and dressed in full wizard regalia, no less. Somehow, Cas thinks he (and his decked-out horse) are wearing grey. They visit a coffee shop with their friends and family, trying to get to the bottom of this mix-up – and apparently the purple horse is coming too.
“One medium black coffee with two sugars; one macchiato; three small soy lattes; one large decaf with a caramel shot – and ten apples, please.”
Other links
- Links to resources for LGBTQ teens and allies
- NerdyNerdenstein’s podfics – listen to some of our favourite Pride stories.
- Love Destiel? Join the community of readers and writers at the Profound Bond Discord server. We have a Mixtape Book Club channel there!
- Our RedBubble shop is here. Any profits will go directly to Random Acts. (We just wanted our logo on a mug!)
Other Pride recommendations:
- In Your Own Time by MalMuses (2896, T) – Art by LizLee, podfic by NerdyNerdenstein
- Castiel is Having None of Your Heterosexism Today, Thanks by Bookkbaby (2206, T)
- Oddly Shaped Empty by jemariel (65,725, E) – a/b/o with gender dysphoria
- With Every Word You Write by noxsoulmate (15,866, E)
- Pride by TheSongSmith (3008, G) – podfic by NerdyNerdenstein
- Everybody Loves A Parade (Except Dean Winchester) by jujubiest (2068, T) – podfic by NerdyNerdenstein
- You Can’t Get Rid of the Babadook (And Years of Unresolved Sexual Tension) by deaneatscake (11,911, E)
- Inked Feathers by Bohemianlilli (1172, not rated) – podfic by NerdyNerdenstein
- Rainbows and [Rain]Bows by allmystars (3326, T)
Fics including characters coming out or other queer topics:
- Humans of Lawrence, Kansas by Zoelily (42,551, E) – About the Pulse nightclub shooting
- The Dean Winchester Beat Sheet by saltyfeathers (144,488, E) – biggest gay freakout
- Rock ‘n’ Roll Queer Bar series by chasingrabbits (126,600, E)
- Dean Winchester is a Gay Virgin by Anonymous (79,043, E)
- Acceptance by fanfic814 (27,491, E)
- I Don’t Want a Lot For Solstice by lunarriviera (23,287, E)
- Medicine by vipjuly (4599, E)
- Coming Out by HallmarkDestiel (500, G)
What’s your favourite fic featuring queer themes? Please let us know, we’d love to hear from you!
Our intro music is “Angel with a Shotgun” by The Cab, arranged by Ellen 🙂
Hello, Ellen and Mal.
I’ve just recently found this podcast and I’m enjoying it so much. I just finished listening to “space gays” (Yeah, I’m little behind). Loved it!! Thanks for putting this together.
It’s been a little over 8 months and I still haven’t re-watched any Supernatural episode. I’m still dealing with the five stages of grief.
Denial: I will continue to deny that absolute sh*t show of a finale.
Anger: More like LIVID. That hasn’t lessened at all.
Bargaining: I guess reading fan fic is some type of bargaining since I’m “reaching out to the universe to make the pain go away”.
Depression: the depression of losing Dean (in a season 1 type of death) and Cas (riiighttt, like Dean wouldn’t do EVERYTHING he could to get Cas back) is still there
Acceptance: Just no. I will never accept that ending.
I’m never far from AO3 and I’ve already read most of what’s been recommended here, but sometimes it’s nice to learn about something I overlooked. I almost always end up reading an author’s entire collection before I move on to the next story and that author and their collection.
Mal, after reading Personal Space I read everything of yours except Oxygen WIP. I don’t have the patience, but it’s on my list to go back to when I see it’s completed.
Ellen, I’m Gonna Run To You is all the farther I’ve gotten with you. But I’ll be working my way through your stuff very soon.
My only complaint (and this is nitpicking) would be the volume between you and your guests. Some are very quiet so I turn the volume up, then someone else speaks and suddenly I’m being screamed at. Like I said, nitpicking.
Val
Hi Val,
Thanks for such an epic comment! Thanks for listening to the podcast, we really appreciate having you along with us <3
Pretty sure I speak for Mal as well when I say we're both firm finale-deniers here as well, but I'm pleased to say I've been rewatching with a new fan (no I don't really know what she was thinking either), and it's helped me remember what I loved about the characters and their chemistry. I hope you can regain your love for it, and if you don't, well that's fine, there's always fic, as you say xD
Thanks for reading my teacher fic <3 and I'm going to look into your volume issue - could you let me know how you listen to the podcast so I try to track down the problem? Do you use a streaming service or through the site here? And do you listen with headphones?
Thanks again!
-Ellen
Wow! Things got a little hectic at work so I haven’t had a chance to get back to the podcast. I’ll try again early next week when things slow down. I have it running through my computer at work through your site. I would use headphones but haven’t found any I find comfortable. I need the over the ear type and I need to buy a new set. My son stole my for his gaming.