newsletter #37 (February 2014)

[harrigan.livejournal.com]

Welcome to the spn_littlebro newsletter #37 for February 2014!





No new episode this week - oh no! (Next ep 9.14 will air February 25th, after the 2014 Winter Olympics has concluded!) Never fear, spn_littlebro is here, with some hurt!Sam and hurt!Jared fanwork recs to tide you over!

Fevered Ramblings:

Guest reccer of the month!

Welcome to reggie11! We'll let her introduce herself: "My name is Ceejay. Before last year, I naively thought that fanfiction was just a joke mentioned on an episode of Supernatural until one day I decided to Google it; now I need a twelve step program. I'm an unashamed Sam!girl even though I love them both, and hurt!sam/jared is my favourite genre - both to read and to write. Sam is such a complex, intelligent and emotional character who's always gotten such a raw deal, and it just makes me want to hug him. Plus, he hurts so pretty!"

She has some wonderful recs for the newsletter below - take a look! (And don't forget, you can also scroll through our theme posts or check out our Find-a-Fic post to find even more recs.)

Who's Hurting Sam or Jared Lately?

• ayane42 recs the new J2AU To Kidnap a Cat by anniespinkhouse, written for a prompt at spn_otpkink. Summary: Circus AU. Jared is an omega were-cat who belongs to the circus. Jensen is determined to rescue him. Heed the warnings. ayane42 says "Pretty much anything anniespinkhouse writes is wonderful! This is filled with hurt, abused Jared, a were-cat. The imagery is spot-on and perfect. I really felt for Jared." It's under 4K but also available on AO3.


• For SPN gen under 5K, ayane42 liked Toward the Lie, an spn_reversebang creation by septembers_coda, with art by m14mouse. Summary: What will Sam remember of his life, when memory dissolves in the line between life and death? And what does he really know, if he were to turn to the truth, about what Dean will do to bring him back? Takes place within the timeline of episode 9.01. Our reccer says, "I really loved the Sam POV in this, his memories of his childhood with Dean. I thought it was a very haunting look at what happened in the first episode of Season 9."


• cherry916 loves the A/B/O (Alpha!Jensen and Omega!Jared), mobsters, prostitution, and discussion of mpreg in the 4K The Mess That We Made by tebtosca. Summary: Jared is just trying to get enough money for college to prove he's not just his biology. He doesn't expect to meet the city's most powerful Alpha crime lord. Cherry says "This is a nice little thing that was done as a pinch hit for the spn_j2_xmas gift exchange. The author does a nice job pulling together the A/B/O dynamics as well as making it a mobster!au. There are a lot of elements to this but she does it cohesively. It's a nice read."


• harrigan can't help squeeing about Sanctuary by madebyme_x; after all, the story (@4K) was written for her ohsam prompt. Summary: After a hunt that changed their lives, Sam and Dean seem to be living a quiet life. They have normal jobs, they live in a normal town and have a house with a picket fence. But nothing is quite as it seems. Outsider POV Curtain Fic with Hurt!Sam. "This SPN gen fic brings us a compartment syndrome injury complication!" harrigan raves. "Orthopedic trauma is my favorite! Plus, the author's Outsider POV's are always a treat; she does them so well. It's nice to see Dean and Sam being brothers again, bickering over being overprotective, etc. The car maintenance scene, the barbecue, interviewing the town folks and wondering just how much they know... are all handled with a deftly light touch, leaving the intriguing back story to the imagination. There can never be too many well-written permanent.injury curtain!fics," our reccer adds, "but what really made this stand out was the way the community embraced the Winchester boys. That was so nicely done, and oh, so satisfying!"


• reggie11 offers up Overdose, an SPN gen fic by tifaching. Summary: After the events of Born Under a Bad Sign, it's clear to Sam that Dean can't do what needs to be done. So he decides to take care of things himself. "The imagery in this is nothing short of amazing!," Ceejay says. "At just under 4000 words, it's incredibly dark and filled with horror. It's told from the perspective of a drug-induced nightmare with a number of our favorite bad guys making appearances. tifaching weaves a horrifying dreamscape that will make you shudder. Beautifully dark."

Featured Fic Recs:

• Hop in the wayback machine and return to 2006/2007 for an SPN gen fic that is cherry916's choice this month: Grayscale by Silver-Kitten. Summary: Dean knew it was just a matter of time before Gordon showed up again but didn't think it'd be so soon. And with his secret now out, Sam is not only a hunter, but one of the hunted. Sam is kidnapped, tortured, beaten, hospitalized, and Cherry says "This is an old one I love going back to re-read because Gordon was one of my favorite villains of all time. The author expertly explores Sam during S2 and how Gordon would have reacted if he came back after the episode Hunted. It winds a load of Sam whump, with protective!Dean into a nice little bow in 5 chapters."


• reggie11 will start out her featured fic recs with a psychological trauma pick: Dream Him Free by twoboys2love. Summary: In the future, Jensen is born with a remarkable skill. He can view the dreams of sleeping people. Jeff runs a hospital and contacts him with a dangerous case as a last resort - one that could cause him permanent damage - to help a young man who hasn't spoken or interacted with anyone since he witnessed his parents' death and is now trapped inside his own mind. If Jensen can't help him, Jared will be put into stasis and basically forgotten. Taking the risk, what he finds is more terrible than he could have possibly imagined. Now it's a race against time and a risk that it may fry both of their brains, to pull Jared from the nightmare world he's been locked in for fifteen years. Ceejay says "This is an outstanding story and the author has such a vivid and exciting imagination. She has created an incredible futuristic world where people with special abilities are coveted by governments, the military and law enforcement. The story is filled with suspense, big time hurt!Jared and a huge dose of hurt/comfort. I read it from start to finish in one sitting. Simply fabulous!"
• For contrast, her second feature is short and SPN gen: ~Really~ Bad Day at Black Rock by gwendolynd. Summary (from a prompt): Dean has to cut off one of Sam's limbs. Yikes! Ceejay reports that "At just a smidge under 2,500 words, it's not very long but I honestly don't think my heart could have taken much more. I was literally yelling at my computer screen while I read this! I would only recommend this if you have a very strong stomach as it's about as graphic as it gets and it's brutal and being the sick puppy that I am, I loved it! Totally heart-stopping." (Check out the eReader section below, too, for some longer recs from reggie11.)

Other Media:

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


• art: I'm taking a stand to escape what's inside me is by lokilaufeysxn on tumblr. ayane42 says "This art to me represents the struggle inside of Sam. Half angel, half demon trying to find himself. It's just incredible!"
• art: cherry916 is featuring Dear boy, you're all duct tape and safety pins inside, by octopifer on tumblr. "This is a beautifully disturbing rendition of that quote above," Cherry says. "I'm amazed at what she was able to show with such a simply, but deep quote. The picture is rendered well so it can appear gory to some but it's completely chilling and haunting in such a beautiful way."
• art: For a change in medium, how about a black-and-white sketch with all the feels? harrigan suggests that This pencil sketch by maidenskull perfectly coveys the worry Dean has for his wounded brother.


• music videos: This Time by herebutnotremembered is an extraordinary SPN AU, rec'd by reggie11. "Superb editing of SPN footage that weaves an AU wincest story of domestic abuse and the lengths Sam has to go to to protect himself." (Note: Dean is not a good guy in this AU.)


• podfics: Anyone make a New Year's Resolution to learn to podfic? If you tackle a hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared fic, we'd love to know about it!


• eBooks, etc.: A Wish for Christmas is an epic (over 135K word count) J2AU downloadable on AO3, written by morgana07. Summary: Jensen is a single father with a 5-year old daughter who has one wish for Christmas & that's for her new best friend to please come live with them to make her Daddy happy. The first issue with that her best friend is a mannequin in the store her grandparents own. When it looks like Mia and Jensen's wish comes true, it is quickly determined that there's more to Jared than meets the eye & soon Jensen's past is coming back to him in a way he never expected, especially when he learns some very startling truths about what cost him his best friend's life 16 years earlier. ayane42 says it has hospitalization, dislocation, broken bones, burns, death(temporary), angst, crying. "When I started reading this story this is not what I thought it would be. Gripping, scary, full of emotions and loving and caring between Jensen and his little girl Mia. I couldn't stop reading it!! Really a great story!!"
• eBooks, etc.: Prime by meus_venator is an 87K Sam/Dean slavefic that is also available in several downloadable formats from the master post. Summary: In a cruel and capricious society where slavery is the norm, first born children or Primes become masters, all younger siblings become slaves or Secs at the age of sixteen. Second born son, Sam Winchester, has evaded his fate and helped others do the same while attending college and living as a Ghost, but his luck has just run out."This is a whump-fest from go to whoa!" says reggie11. "There is equal opportunity whumpage in this as both Sam and Dean go through the most unimaginable horrors. It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. In fact it was so gripping, I sat up way past four in the morning because I just couldn't stop reading and this author is an amazingly talented writer. The hurt is extreme, incredibly graphic and not for the faint of heart. I really can't praise this story highly enough. Read it!"
• eBooks, etc.: The 48K Dream Him Free, rec'd above, is available for download on AO3 here.

Anything else?

Don't forget -- we'd love to continue including a Guest Reccer feature in the monthly newsletter going forward. After all, this community wouldn't exist if it wasn't for all of you! So--anyone interested in sharing a rec or two, and maybe a few sentences explaining why you read hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared, what kinds of hurt you like in particular (and why that appeals), etc.? Comment here to the newsletter to say that you're interested, or just PM ash48 or harrigan, and we'll work out the details with you offline!

Thanks!

Comments

[madebyme-x.livejournal.com]

Yay, its newsletter time!

Thank you for the rec - what a lovely surprise! Take care, :)