Beloved Trope: Hell Exploration The dazzling art above is "Sam Winchester - Not Broken" by @midnightsilver . I cropped it, so go see the full body+beauty of this artwork at the source on tumblr, edited & reposted with permission.
This trope is not to be confused with my demon!sam or demon!dean reclist, although there 's a bit of conceptual overlap here so you might like that reclist in addition to this one.
My fic sweet spots for this trope: amazing hellscape worldbuilds and Sam 's still an honorable bamf sweetheart
Let 's get started! 🤗 ❤️

Gen

My Hellhound by CeCe Away. Rated PG, Gen, 18k. Summary: Hot breath blew the hair up off his neck. Hellhound. Out of everything in the pit, he hated them the most. Hurt!Sam Heroic!Protective!Dean to the Rescue.
fanfiction.net/s/6210218
my thoughts: this fic is included in my top favorite fics ever . One of the most inventive and entertaining depictions of hell I 've read and Sam adopts a pet hellhound. Add a great plot and brotherly love and you 've got a winner in my books.

Hell 's Angels by CeCe Away. Rated PG-13, Gen, 21k. Summary: Sam screamed, turning to fold Adam into his own body, offering what little protection he could as the thrust of pain speared his back.
fanfiction.net/s/6630711
my thoughts: the summary makes it sound like Adam plays more a part of the story than Dean after Sam but this is not the case. Like many of CeCe Away 's fics, this story drives the Sam Dean brolove just a little more deeper into the ground than canon does and as a result it will hit any brolove fan right in the feels. I also love that this author was super into depicting hell for a phase because both her hell fics (above, and this one) were just so well-written and interesting.

Terms and Conditions by UnabashedBird (AO3). Rated PG-13, Gen, 3.5k. Summary: Sam embraces his powers, but the way he uses them isn 't exactly what the demons had in mind.
ao3.org/works/2842439
my thoughts: this fic is included in my top favorite fics ever . This is the most cathartic fix-it fic ever for Sam fangirls. If you had Sam 's back during seasons 3 & 4 re: getting powers & drinking demon blood like me (as in, I thought it was the right call at the time up until the very end), then you 're going to love this fic. It reverses the "Sam 's-always-wrong" narrative of canon & flips the table, making it clear that if Sam had been more confident in himself & if he 'd never had Dean dragging him down delaying him in taking advantage of his powers, everything would 've turned out better than it ever did in canon. Bonus points that Sam gets lots of puppers (pet hellhounds) to love (and who love him back)… and the brothers ' relationship ends on a good note (so smiles all around). This fic is also in my demon!sam fic recs (demon human hybrid boyking 's enough for me)

Sammy 's Inferno series by fogsrollingin (me!). Rated PG-13, Gen, 20k. Summary: Tag fic to S11E09 "O Brother Where Art Thou?" Alternate canon of S11E10. Dean and Castiel travel to hell to save Sam.
ao3.org/series/1127954
my thoughts on me: the first fic in this series is mostly Dean & Cas exploring hell and rescuing Sam. the second story in the series is the hurt/comfort fallout between Sam and Dean, content that I 'm a lil more known for & thus has a few more kudos than the first one. still I 'm very proud of the first one for the worldbuild so I hope y 'all dig it too! 😅

Wincest

Raising the King by mad_parnes. NC-17, Sam/Dean (unrelated), 88k words. Summary: The first time Dean Winchester laid eyes on the creature they later called the Boyking, he saw him standing behind the yellow eyed demon. The devils gate spit out demons and Dean's knee was twisted into the wrong direction.
ao3.org/works/15428598
my thoughts: this is my ‘first fic of the summer. ' The one that keeps me up til 3 AM reading while it 's sticky-hot in bed, fans going at their highest setting, sodium street lights filtering in from the screen windows. Every trip to the bathroom involves a messy splash of cold water to the face and drip-drying back to bed to splay out (taking note of my cat 's meows warning me not to hit him bc he 's black and i don 't see him sometimes). back to my phone to read more of this fascinating, riveting story about Sam 's noble quest to take over hell. The world-building of hell in this story blew my mind. I absolutely have such a thing for these intricate descriptions and world rules for hell. And the story is so anchored in Dean 's perspective as his fondness for Sam grows that nothing gets too dark (I mean I 've read and even recommended some really dark stuff that 's challenged me before but this fic isn 't one of them).
If you don 't want to read something as long as this fic, first try Terms and Conditions by UnabashedBird (rec 'd above). If you liked that fic but wish it were longer, this fic is for you.
a couple fair warnings: this fic could do with some minimal beta-ing and I think its ending left me really yearning for me (and the author acknowledges there 'll be a sequel) so the resolution isn 't totally resolute, but it was just so good y 'all

Cultivating Your Belongings in the After by fogsrollingin (me!!!), art by@leafzelindor. Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester, Teen+, 16.6k words. Summary: In the aftermath of asteroids and meteors showering the earth for days on end in 2007, those left behind, traumatized and destitute, must survive and rebuild. The brothers quietly serve their small camp community as they all strive to heal, salvaging comfort and hope from the rubble and ruin. AO3 // art post on tumblr here // FFnet

J2

To Hell and Back by ashtraythief. Rated NC-17, Jensen/Jared, 28k words. Summary: It is said that if a demon steals an angel from heaven he 'll gain immense power. Jared is a demon who doesn 't fit in and when he finds a spell to open a passage to heaven, he thinks he 's found a solution to all his problems: angel power. But Jensen, the angel he takes, is not at all what he expected a celestial being to be like and things don 't go as planned. At all. In the ensuing chaos, Jared and Jensen have to form a strained alliance to survive and embark on a dangerous journey through the deepest pits of hell to flee from Jared 's rivals and all the other demons jonesing for angel blood.
ao3.org/works/7620103
my thoughts: What a hell of a time exploring hell with a likable demon!Jared capturing a surly angel!Jensen. This was so much fun, the worldbuild fearless and adventurous and the playful dynamics between the 2 characters so funny & endearing. Really entertaining story.