newsletter #30 (July 2013)

[harrigan.livejournal.com]

Welcome to the spn_littlebro newsletter #30 for July 2013!





Enjoying the hiatus? Don't forget, spn_littlebro is here to help you pass the time! Of course, we our have monthly newsletters with hurt!Sam and hurt!Jared recs. And so far this summer, we've added a couple treats:




and our spn_littlebro Bingo Team Challenge!!




Click the banners and check them out! And now, have some recommendations from your mods. (And if you like these as much as we do, don't forget to let the creator know.) If you have some recs to share, they are *always* welcome at our theme posts too.


Fevered Ramblings:

Who's Hurting Sam or Jared Lately?

• harrigan was hoping this year's spn_j2_bigbang would offer something good to rec here, and kelleigh really delivered! Our Parts Are Slightly Used features 50K of hurt!Jared. After three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Jared has come home to Texas, working a steady job as a security guard while trying to patch himself back together. He's not expecting to meet someone like Jensen Ackles - a Dallas businessman with confidence and charisma in spades. They connect over coffee breaks and high-spirited basketball games with Jared's vet buddies, and what begins as friendship quickly deepens into a defining romance. Although Jared's willing to share his physical scars with Jensen, the burden of hiding his emotional wounds weighs heavily on both of them. As Jensen scrambles to put a name to his boyfriend's symptoms, Jared struggles each and every day, and neither of them sees the storm on the horizon until it's too late. harrigan says "This was a difficult journey, not a light story or one with a clear steady easy path toward fixing everything. It felt real, and painful, and I loved the characters!"


• harrigan has another fic from spn_j2_bigbang to rec: this one a Sam/Dean. The Good Place by spn_j2fan is canon divergent from mid-“Swan Song,” Season 5. Fearing the end of humanity under Lucifer’s reign, Dean says yes to Michael. In one day, Sam and Dean bring on Armageddon, and Dean watches as his brother, defeated, plummets into the burning lake at Gehenna, only to emerge from the water a changed man. The brothers wander this new Earth as the world rebuilds itself. And now, forty years later, their appearance unchanged and unchanging, their journey continues. They help when they can, survive as they must, and run when trouble finds them. Oakville should be just another settlement, but Sam and Dean find acceptance there, even friendship. Is this the place where they can finally settle down, or will they have to wait for The Good Place after all? Sam has a long-term mental disability in this, with overtones of Of Mice and Men, and harrigan says it's a compelling, vivid, future!fic that's poignant and beautifully written.


• The first spn_summergen this year is chock full of hurt!Sam too! I See My Light Come Shining (From the West to the East) may be by anonymous right now, but harrigan says the author will either be one we already relish, or a new gift to fandom. Summary: With the Trials at an end, Dean thought that Sam would be fine and that they'd be able to turn the page on it all. As it turns out, he was wrong. It's 9-10K, and a trope that's familiar (we don't want to give it away--you'll figure it out soon enough), but anon puts a great angsty spin on it.


• It seems like K-Hanna-Korossy has some wonderful hurt!Sam gen every month this summer. cherry916 is happy to report that Land of the Lost is "another fabulous little story that came out on her Sunday posting schedule. What I particularly loved about this one was it explored Sam's guilt, and his desperation to make things right even at the cost of his life. Like I mentioned in a review I sent, that sadly Sam doesn't realize the alternative answer to their situation, which is either going out together or not at all." The story is about 10K, includes kidnapping and stabbing, and is summarized thus: Hunters tend to see things others don't. It was just a matter of time before some of them pieced together who let Lucifer out.


• Eat You Alive by sammehsayum is "just incredible!!", says ayane42. She lists violence, gore, graphic descriptions of shifting, homophobia/slurs, self harm, child abuse, suicidal ideation, drug usage, underage drinking, and depression among its appeals. ;D "This is one of those stories that just sucks you in! The author describes beautifully the conflict in both Jensen and Jared, who they are now, who they want to be, how they meet and then change each other for the better!! Lots of hurt Jared, but an equal amount of hurt Jensen. Definitely a must read!!" Summary: Jensen is a werewolf. Jared is the boy who sits next to him in English class. This fic is over 90K: check out the eReader formats below!


• What does it take to break you. What does it take to save you? Set in Season 2. jessm78 is avidly following along a multi-chapter WIP to find out! She says What it Takes by crimzonchyld has rape and psychological issues, and while "I've never been a huge fan of slash, especially Wincest, this one is done very very well. Lots of Protective!Dean and since the story is set in season 2, Sam has a lot more innocence here."


• ash48 would like to rec a recent fic that's "a gorgeous story written by our very own harrigan. It's a fresh idea that's wonderfully executed. If you're looking for some post trial h/c make sure you check it out!" The story is a 3K fic called Hiatus, written for harrigan's hc_bingo card.


• and check out these challenges!
  • spn_bigpretzel is hosting an outsider POV comment!fic challenge. Go prompt some hurt!Sam from the perspective of the medical profession, or the rescued victim, or.... give it a look, here!
  • ohsam ongoing comment!fic FTW! You know the drill--now go join in! Details here.
  • Brand new h/c bigbang! Woot! See hc_bigbang for sign-up info and more.
  
  

Featured Fic Recs:

• harrigan did the 13 Days of Happy meme in June, and on Day 10, she celebrated the guilty pleasure of h/c! For 20+ links to (gen and/or slash) hurt!Sam and hurt!Jared fics with ♥ leg trauma ♥ , check out her post here.


• ayane42 has picked an epic-length adventure from four years ago to highlight this month. Summary: Battle lines are drawn when the touch of the Fae is felt in the town where the Winchesters have found refuge. The repercussions could change the family’s path forever. This SPN gen fic (with drowning, bites, bruises, and angst) is called The Queen of Light Took Her Bow by LadyVic, and what made it so memorable to ayane42 is how it's "full of lore about the Fae, Sam's feeling like an outcast from his family and his angst over his father and brother, and his friendship with the Fae. A really great story!!" (And there are more great hurt!Sam stories by this author too!)


• ayane42's second feature is from this year: One Question Less by stardust_made. Summary: Sam asks an important question. Dean holds him and answers. ayane42 says that this is "Just a perfect little piece of what happened after the season 8 finale. Heartbreaking and sweet with lots of brotherly love."


• How about a hurt!Sam classic from 2005? Frozen Fears by faye_dartmouth is rec'd by cherry916 this month. Summary: While trying to stay alive and warm after a hunt leaves them stranded, 18-year-old Sam and 22-year-old Dean discover something about each other. Cherry says, "This is a poignant piece from 2005. Digging deeper into Sam's mindset of Stanford and hunting. I find the emotions really gripping in this, especially Dean's epiphany at realizing that this wasn't just a phase for Sam. I think my favorite thing is when Dean admits that it isn't the hypothermia or wound that scares him the most, but Sam potentially leaving him one day."

Other Media:

• GIFs, picspams, etc.: Keep your eye on the constantly updated spnlittlebro tumblr for more great hurt!Sam discoveries! Not sure how Tumblr works? We have a guide here -- which you can always find just by looking for the tumblr tag on our home page, too.


• art: SO many great art works to enjoy this month!
  • take care of you by badbastion is raved about by cherry916, who says, "Wow. This is literally so stunning and totally OOZING with hurt/comfort it almost makes me salivate at the thought of all the delicious hurt!Sam out of this. I especially love Dean holding up Sam and tending to his wounds."
  • ayane42 found three to delight hurt!Sam lovers this month. First up, What's the Most Important Thing? by awabubbles. Our reccer says, "I love wee!Sam and Dean taking care of him. Wonderful piece of art."
  • The Beast Under My Bed by silent-my-voice is next up, praised for the "creepy, scary look at what could be going through Sam's mind."
  • Wrapping it up, we have Please, Cas, Don't Tell Him by thanfiction. "When I first saw this painting I thought of the Trials and what they were doing to Sam. A great portrayal of what Sam is going through."

music videos: ash48 has a gem for us this month. In fact, she says we should "check out this vidder's other works on YT. All excellent vids." The vidder is xbreathofmadness and this month's gift to fandom is Sam Winchester | Broken Crown. Ash says it's "a beautifully edited and crafted video. It looks at Sam's final breakdown and confession to Dean in the finale of S8. The song, Broken Crown by Mumford and Sons, is absolutely perfect. I also love the vidder's use of text overlay. Highly recommended."

podfics: Did you know that *creating* a new podfic from an already-posted fic can be used to complete a square in our Bingo Challenge? Pick your favorite hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared fic that fulfills a square prompt, and record it! spnroundtable posted a great Podfic Appreciation 101 awhile back to help you out.

eBooks, etc.: The following fics (rec'd above) are also available in downloadable formats on AO3! Click the links for Our Parts are Slightly Used and Eat you Alive.

Team Bingo status:

We've got several squares already pledged. A big hurrah! for the folks who took the plunge! Any number of people can tackle the same square, so pick one that tickles your fancy and sign up! Don't forget, it's not just fic. Art and picspams/icons, podfics and meta and music videos are all welcome too. How about a picspam on bruises? A meta on making deals with demons? Hurt!Jared is eligible too--anyone working on sexual extortion or waterboarding fic? Attacked by a creature? We already have four pledges in several rows; check out out our bingo card (by clicking the banner above) to see what's tempting. Let's see how many squares and bingos and special achievements we can rack up!

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Our Team Bingo Challenge fills so far:

• [crucifixion]: Our first completed square! High fives to jedisapphire for the 4-5K SPN gen fic De Profundis. The boys split up and Sam gets in trouble. Set anytime after 5.22, Swan Song. (Due to the nature of the prompt, the author urges us to please heed the warnings.)


• [WILD CARD: Cuts and lacerations]: And another fill! Woo hoo to madebyme_x for The Fixer. Set in season two. A hunt hits close to home and forces the brothers to have a conversation neither thought they ever would. Hurt Sam and Big Brother Dean! Warning for "a chick flick moment and some first aid."


• [relying on an enemy/rival]: A third already! \o/ leah_elizabeth has just posted a 4K SPN gen fic called Mutually Assured Destruction. AU tag to Taxi Driver. Sam runs into a familiar face in Purgatory and soon he has no other choice but to trust his enemy.

Comments

[madebyme-x.livejournal.com]

Woohoo, this months letter looks filled with treats that I haven't come across yet!

And thank you for the shout out too, I'm looking forward to more Bingo card fills.