newsletter #39 (April 2014)

[harrigan.livejournal.com]

Welcome to the spn_littlebro newsletter #39 for April 2014!



It's Tuesday, but... no new episode! Getting a craving for new SPN? There are just 6 more episodes left in season 9, and they resume on Tuesday April 15th! Meanwhile, we hope you find something below to help scratch that itch for hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared.



Fevered Ramblings:

Guest reccer of the month!

A big thank you this month to quickreaver, whose recs you'll find below! "When I started watching Supernatural, Dean initially caught my eye (because YEAH!)," she confides, "but boy, it wasn't long before I fell headlong into fandom (my first, and to this day, really my only) and Sam Winchester weaseled his way into my heart. Now I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Sam girl. There is something about his plaintive struggle to be a 'hero'--hell, to simply be human--even though he has felt monstrous his entire life that I feel for. Sam Winchester is a brave, brave boy.

These recs aren’t always literal h/c; sometimes they’re just melancholy, hit you in the heart-spot goodies. But I dig that too, so ... yeah! Enjoy!"

Who's Hurting Sam or Jared Lately?

• What could be more 'lately' than an AU-ish tag to episode 9.16 Blade Runners? cherry916 recs Bleeding Out, a 3K gen fic by Marianna-Morgan. Summary: Dean sighed harshly and turned in his chair, preparing to lay into his brother...and then abruptly changing his mind when he actually saw his brother. Because Sam was standing there...but he was barely on his feet as his blood covered everything. Cherry says, "This is a hot-off-the-press tag to Blade Runners and explores the possibilities of what Magnus could have done to Sam's wounds. It also delves into the brothers relationship at this point and gives oodles of needed H/C..."


• "Holy crow, get out the tissues!" exclaims quickreaver about And If I Show You My Dark Side (Will You Still Hold Me Tonight) by ratherastory. "Sexy and heart-wrenching, all in one fell swoop. NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART, but if you love your stories tragic, this one will hug you tight and never let you go." This one is a 3K Sam/Dean fic (NC17), summarized as Dean will never let Sam go, and Sam knows it. This changes nothing, but it changes everything.


• Inside Man by balder12 is a recent gem reported by ash48. Summary: Sam and Kevin have both been suffering from memory loss since the Trials ended, and Dean is acting strangely. Sam suspects a supernatural cause, but Kevin's not so sure either one of them has a firm grasp on reality. Or: another way the Ezekiel arc could have played out. Ash says "I'm afraid my words won't give this story the credit it deserves. This is a brilliantly constructed story told from Kevin's POV. It examines the events surrounding Sam's possession in early S9 and spins a wonderful and terrifying twist on it. The characterisations are all excellent and we get to see what it might have been like if Sam and Kevin suspected something was amiss. It's AU, but it could have so easily have played out like this."


• Another April, another sneezy comment fic meme by tarotgal on her LJ here!.

Featured Fic Recs:

• At nearly 100K, this 2010 spn_j2_bigbang fic will keep you enthralled for hours! cherry916 is reccing the NC17 J2AU Who Watches Over Me by nyxocity. Summary: Jensen Ackles is an ex-Navy SEAL turned civilian bodyguard with a mysterious past. Jared Padalecki is a flamboyant Hollywood star known for his action movies who's been receiving death threats. The case sounds like Jensen's idea of a nightmare, and he takes it on against his better judgment. Jared drags him to clubs and parties and award ceremonies without any care for how difficult he's making Jensen's job, and to his complete lack of surprise, they hate each other. But when hate changes into passion, it begins to reveal something deeper between them, and Jensen realizes he's in over his head. Can he still do his job and keep Jared safe? Or will he fall prey to his greatest fear and fail someone... again? "This is an epic twist on the Bodyguard," our reccer says, "as Jensen tries to keep Jared safe, even though he isn't making it easy. The story is filled with twists and turns as the plot grows deeper and Jared and Jensen fall more in love. It's a juicy story with murder, mystery, romance and angst and lust galore." It's also available in eReader formats -- see the link below!


• We don't take ficlets under 1K at our rec theme posts, but we'll gladly highlight something exceptional here in the newsletter. Like Past Tense by inkandchocolate. quickreaver calls it "a shorty that packs quite a wallop. The prose is tight and taut and simply gorgeous. Sam, mourning. As he does."


• "Up for some Sam-centered body horror?" quickreaver asks. "Check out blushingliars's fic Babe in the Woods. 3K, NC17. Summary: Sam goes out drinking alone and ends up regretting it in ways he could never imagine. Our guest reccer says, "Mind the warnings! More H than C, but it’s alllll Sam-torture, all the time. Sam runs afoul of a monster without even trying. Winchester luck, eh? I do loves me some body horror. :D"


• "Warning!! This is a sad story, and a death fic, but seriously worth the read!" ayane42 says about the next rec. "I just really got drawn into Sam and Dean's plight. A really great story!!" This Far, No Further is a 7K entry in the spn_gen_bigbang: fic by nwspaprtaxis and art by quickreaver. Summary: Stabbing a Leviathan-filled angel isn't something someone can just recover from. Especially when he has a brain full of Hell before he even makes the attempt. Dean cares for his catatonic, insane little brother. And angsts. And barely copes.


• Dad’s on a hunting trip and he hasn’t been home in a few days.” Sound familiar? Sure, except this time, 18-year-old Dean confronts Bobby with the news. Because Sam? Sammy was taken when he was six – vanished off the face of the earth – and despite Dean’s best efforts, they've never been able to find him. John thinks Sam might be dead, but Dean can’t bring himself to give up hope that maybe, one day, he’ll have Sammy back at his side. That's the summary for Arms Wide Open by soserendipity. This is an 87K gen fic with abduction, mental abuse, physical abuse, child abuse, torture, cuts, bruises, angst, crying, and PTSD. ayane42 raves, "This is an AU story that is filled with lots of hurt Sammy. There's Dean, constantly thinking of his missing brother and when a hunt for John turns up something that Dean never thought he'd find, his brother. And Sammy is messed up! A long winding story that had me guessing from the very start. Where was Sammy, what is going on, why is he being held? The hopelessness of his situation, just oh so good!! Actually a great story!!" (She also adds, "The link from chapter 9 to 10 is broken, so I went back to the Masterpost and got to it that way!!")

Other Media:

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


• art: "I really like this artist’s fun, unfussy style," quickreaver says about wincestily, "and here’s some SFW classic h/c for us: It's Okay. "Check out everything in her art tag; you’ll be glad you did. :D"


• art: untitled by warehouse is this month's rec from ayane42, who explains, "This caught my eye as Dean hiding Sam's eyes from something he shouldn't see, wee Sam grabbing at his brothers arms. There is something written over the picture, and I don't know what it says, but i can see that Dean is protecting Sammy from something. It's a beautiful image!"


• music videos: Flames by superkitte has the perfect summary: "I had to look out for you, that's my job." / "Dean, when this is all over, you're gonna have to let me go my own way." Our reccer quickreaver says "What I dig about this video is the soft emotion of it all. The vidder has picked all the good ‘n painful pieces of Sam’s life and strung them together in a quiet, understated tribute. It doesn’t blame, it doesn’t wail; it paints both of the brothers in a kindly light. Gently bittersweet."


• podfic: Yay! New Sam/Dean podfic! This link brings you the streaming 15-minute mp3 of Tyger Tyger Burning Bright by blackrabbit42. Summary: The Hindu Goddess Durga has taken Sam and cursed him to take the form of a tiger and hunt with her, but she allows Sam to return to Dean in human form for short periods of time. They make the most of their time together. Written for the prompt "he's only yours for a little while" at Salt-Burn-Porn. Our guest reccer says "It comes in both written and podcasted flavors, read by the incomparable badbastion. Part myth, part love story, all deliciously hot. But there’s definitely an undercurrent of loss and sadness as Sam slowly, inexorably becomes less and less human. Just fantastic!"


• eBooks, etc.: You can find the AO3 downloadable formats here for Who Watches Over Me, rec'd above. (Thank goodness!)


• eBooks, etc.: Entwined branches by strive2bhappy is a 65K J2AU *very* NC17 spn_j2_bigbang from last year that is available in PDF form here. Summary: In a world where the government keeps a close eye on alphas, betas and omegas -- to the point of making certain everyone with these traits is mated by the time they turn eighteen -- it's no wonder the condition has become rather rare. It is, however, essentially unheard of to be unmated at thirty-three, but Jensen Ackles is an alpha who's good at staying under the radar. That is, until he's not and he's matched -- by bureaucratic decree -- to 18-year-old omega, Jared Padalecki. This is the story of how the two of them find far more than they ever thought they could. "This a wonderful story!!" ayane42 squees, with alpha/omega dynamics, dub-con, mpreg, GRAPHIC m/m sex, grief, crying, shy!Jared, and bullying. "Jared and Jensen thrown together into a mating that neither wanted, but Jensen is wonderfully loving man taking care of insecure Jared. Really made me feel!!"

What's New?
If you're willing to be a guest reccer one month, comment here or PM ash48 or harrigan, and we'll work out the details with you offline!

Thanks!

Comments

[blackrabbit42.livejournal.com]

Hey! Thanks for the rec! Badbastion did such an awesome job on the podfic.

:)

[soserendipity.livejournal.com]

Oh wow, that's. Wow. Thank you for reccing my story!

[balder12.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for the lovely rec!