newsletter #35 (December 2013)

[harrigan.livejournal.com]

Welcome to the spn_littlebro newsletter #35 for December 2013!





Uh oh -- it's Friday 13th! Better stay safe at home, bundle up (if you're in the cold northern hemisphere), and curl up with some satisfying hurt!Sam and hurt!Jared!

You've still got a couple weeks to finish something for our Bingo challenge too! Scroll down for more details!

Fevered Ramblings:

Here's a handful of things your spn_littlebro team is raving about right now. (And if you like these as much as we do, be sure to comment to the person who created it!)

Who's Hurting Sam or Jared Lately?

• ash48 is avidly following an SPN gen WIP by mlebayre called The Twelve Days of Christmas. Summary: Someone’s been reenacting a beloved holiday song, but with a very dark twist. Did we mention, Christmas? Ash says, "mlebayre is writing an intriguing story where someone is reenacting the Twelve Days of Christmas song - with a very dark twist. This author often writes Sam in peril so I am assuming we have some on the way. Six chapters have been posted - with 6 to come."


• cherry916 is along for the ride on a dark J2 WIP called Trouble in Sydney by julieshadow. Summary: Jared is really looking forward to a Supernatural Convention in Australia and even has Jensen and the rest of his co stars excited for it too but once they get there things take a turn for the worst when a group of displeased fans organise an attack on Jared. Cherry says this "is an ongoing fic that features Jared and Jensen as actors on Supernatural. It's updated pretty regularly, and is a thrilling fic about Jared getting kidnapped as they attend a convention overseas. The story shows Jared's ordeal and Jensen's grief as he tries to get him back," and cautions that the story "does feature heavy kinks along with the non-con."


• ayane42 recs Illegible by foolscapper this month. For an ohsam prompt requesting a permanent mental disability, the author went with this: Takes place during Season 6, when Sam's wall seems to go wonky. Something bad happens, and Dean wonders if Sam's still Sam. It's 2-3K of SPN gen and our reccer says it's "a wonderful story of Sam's struggle with Dean taking care of him. Just so sad and wonderful and angsty!!"


• This just in! harrigan was swept away by Like a Detuned Radio by homo_pink. J2AU, 9K, summary: When Jared's released from prison, Jensen is there to help him cope. Parole officer/ex-con AU. Fantastic writing, wonderful POV that really grabs your heart. Jared was imprisoned at 18; the story begins when he is about to released on parole. To be honest, although Jared has a permanent injury, his physical suffering is left to the imagination (and harrigan kinda loves that Jensen does imagine it). Turns out Jensen may be as broken as Jared, and together they stumble towards what might hold the promise of a happy ending. eReader formats available on AO3 here.


• ash48 may be a bit biased, but she is raving about a 4-5K SPN gen fic called A Matter of Circumstance by harrigan this month. Summary from a prompt: teen!Sam, bear trap. 'nuff said. Also, Christmas! Ash reports, "I am so blessed! harrigan took my prompt and wrote a FABULOUS story about teen!Sam and his family. The h/c is wonderful of course, but it's the character insight that blows you away. Any fic that shows the true nature of Sam and the sacrifices he is prepared to make on behalf of his family is a winner in my books. My love for Sam grew even more (didn't think that would be possible!) after reading this wonderful story."


• Don't forget, ohsam has dozens of new hurt!Sam fics being created from last month's challenge. Check out their community for lots of new indulgences!

Featured Fic Recs:

Last year spn_littlebro put together a special issue brimming with holiday-themed recs! If you're in the mood for Christmas fanworks featuring hurt!Sam (or hurt!Jared), just click this banner!




Other Media:

• GIFs, picspams, etc.: Keep your eye on the constantly updated spnlittlebro tumblr for more great hurt!Sam discoveries!


• art: Death Lingers Near is yet another masterpiece by becc_j. cherry916 says, "Here is a heartbreaking shot of Sam in the hospital with Dean holding his hand at his side, the chilling fact is Death hovering over Dean's shoulder staring at Sam. The emotions are really gripping and I love the angle she uses to show us this scene."


• music videos: The Way by secretlytodream aka Loki, is a Sam Winchester character study that the creator describes thus: "I can't predict my path, but they can't fully see my past || I'm running from the flash but heading straight inside the blast || A mountain full of ego built upon a heap of trash || Is exactly what you get when you can't fully do the math". ash48 says "Once again, Loki has created a stunning Sam character study (how are we so lucky to have all these wonderful Sam vids from Loki!?). This is an epic vid looking at Sam and his demon blood and destiny. The audio choices create a poetic background. And as always, Loki chooses excellent songs to tell the story."


• podfics: sylvia_locust proves as adept at narrating as she is at writing. Her 1K SPN preseries gen fic Bruises on the Fruit is available as a 7 minute podfic (streaming or downloable mp3) here. Summary: Sam is 12 the first time he shows up to school covered in bruises.


• eBooks, etc.: harrigan finds some epic-good SPN fic at eBook Library: Fanfiction on the Run. For example, from 2007, there's the wonderful Cirque de Celine by big_pink. Summary: Response to the spn_north challenge (Outaouais region, Québec). The boys keep secrets from each other while battling a demon at a Cirque casino extravaganza. Sin, pleasure, poutine, joual and... the voice that sank a really big ship! harrigan says that Pink is extraordinary at long, plotty SPN gen fics that reveal things about the brothers' characters--to the readers and to each other, in a style that feels exactly 'them'. This particular story really puts Sam through the wringer, physically and emotionally. The link takes you to a site for downloading in RTF format.

Team Bingo status:

There's still time! Finish a fic (or art or picspam or icons or meta or music video or podfic...) by Dec 31 to one of these prompts, and you too can be celebrated in our special BINGO post in January. (You can even use a prompt that already has a fill. The goal is to generate lots of new hurt!Sam and hurt!Jared to wallow in.)

parting ways **	rely on enemy	learning to be loved *	crucifixion	sexual extortion
nervous breakdown	attacked by a creature	forced soulbonding *	combat	therapy
suicide attempt	slaves *	WILD CARD	disappearing *	deprogramming
bruises	tyranny / rebellion	sacrifice	cuddling for warmth	making deals with demons
burns *	undeserved reputation *	waterboarding	food poisoning	scars

The red prompts already have fills! Woo hoo! And asterisks show pledges. So far, we've celebrated these fills:

• [crucifixion]: De Profundis by jedisapphire
• [cuddling for warmth]: In the Starlight: Cold by ladybastet92
• [WILD CARD: Cuts and lacerations]: The Fixer by madebyme_x
• [relying on an enemy/rival]: Mutually Assured Destruction by leah_elizabeth
• [sexual extortion]: Lighting the Darkness by harrigan
• [therapy]: 107 Degrees by scullspeare
• [deprogramming]: Stop at Step Three by jedisapphire
• [parting ways]: Parting Shots by ash48 (picspam/gifspam)
• [bruises]: the sun rises in spite of everything by de_nugis
• [suicide attempt]: On the Edge by center_galaxy
• [nervous breakdown]: Buried Beneath by brokenhighways
• [parting ways]: Parting Ways by hopeintheashes
• [scars]: Sam Winchester - Scars music video by ash48
• [making deals with demons]: Playing with Fire by center_galaxy

This month we can add:

• [sacrifice]: A Matter of Circumstance by harrigan. Rec'd above. This was written for a prompt by ash48 at the latest ohsam fic challenge. Sam and Dad are hunting a hodag in the north woods of Wisconsin while Dean is stuck back at the motel in town with a broken arm. When Dad is badly hurt, Sam has to race for help. Only one thing stands in his way... (SPN gen; 4-5K)

And that's a wrap for 2013! Stay tuned for more recs and fun in 2014, and 'til then, happy holidays from spn_littlebro!