Summergen 2017 Recs
I know the 2017 spn-summergen posting season isn't over, but I wanted to post my rec list before I forget what I've read (and before the big reveals!)
As always, this is one of my favorite challenges. It fills the summer hiatus with wonderful art and fic and reminds me that my attraction to the show isn't all about sex :-) Anyway, here's a sampling of what I've read and loved so far, incomplete and in no particular order:
Surprises author unrevealed as of 7.31.17 (Gen, PG-13, 1600 words) - Dean’s a little worse for wear, they’re staying in a crap motel room, and Dad’s still MIA. But all in all, it’s not a bad birthday. This is wonderful. Hurty and lovely and so full of brother-love I think I've died and gone to heaven. Seriously! Dean being a little out of it but also loving Sam's attention, worrying about Sam's lack of sleep instead of his own injury. Then being adorably grateful to get a little mini-Mart pie (so Dean! So delighted with such a little thing!) Back to the Future! The ultimate family-fix-it fic on film! Of course Dean loves it :) Then that heart-breaking moment when he checks his messages, vainly hoping maybe his dad remembered his birthday this time...Gah!
In the Beginning, There Was Sam author unrevealed as of 7.31.17 (Gen, PG-13, 3000 words) - Dean is content to drink himself to death in the company of Ben and Lisa, but when Bobby calls, asking for help, he can’t let his friend down. Omens creep toward Sioux Falls, a trail of breadcrumbs leading right up to one very not-dead, very blind little brother. AU after season five. - A very moving, powerful and emotional alternate ending to Season Five. Awesome.
Signs of Life author unrevealed as of 7.31.17 (Gen, PG-13, 2048 words) - Dean can’t leave, he can’t sleep, because Sam could just slip away. Again. - Coda for 11.17 Red Meat. This is a tender and heart-breaking coda to one of my favorite episodes. Dean watches over Sam as he sleeps, reflecting on the day, their lives, their near-death experience. All the angst and hurty feels that make for a satisfying read, in my book. Just beautifully written.
Abide author unrevealed as of 8.5.17 (Gen, PG, 1K words) - The house is quiet. It’s the first thing Dean notices. - Lovely, atmospheric, haunting, like a good ghost story. Fantastic reading!
Rae’s Diner author unrevealed as of 7.31.17 (Gen, G, digital art with 750 words) - Somewhere in the woods a lonely heartbreak diner stands. - This is awesome, in every sense of the word! I love the idea of a monster who runs a diner in middle America just so she can feed the humans she feeds off - what a great outsider POV! And Sam, sitting alone in the diner window, full of rage and revenge because he’s just lost Dean. Rae says he doesn't look dangerous, "but the dangerous ones never do." So good!
Brontide author unrevealed as of 7.31.17 (Gen, PG, 1700 words) - Brontide (n) - a low rumble like that of distant thunder - A creepy, scary story about what Sam hears from the time he’s very, very young. It’s chilling, atmospheric, and really stayed with me long after I read it. The idea that Sam sensed something coming for him from the beginning but he couldn’t get anyone to understand is just sad; reflecting on how desperately and terribly alone he felt makes him seem even braver for what he did later. Just awesome story-telling!
Radio Nowhere author unrevealed as of 7.31.17 (Gen, PG-13, 7125 words) - Dean finds an old radio and someone to connect to on the other end. Funnily enough, so does Sam. - I loved this “Frequency”-inspired story and all its angst and family feels. It really suits the SPN world of temporary deaths and resurrections!
Call My Name or Walk On By author unrevealed as of 8.5.17 (Gen, G, 1100 words) - after confessing to Jody via voicemail and getting no reply, Claire worries that she's been cut loose. - Last but not least is this awesome little character study of Claire Novak, written for ME! I love Claire's insecurity, determination, and ultimately how she faces that she's loved more than she realizes, almost against her better judgment. She's a more interesting character than the show gives her credit for, but this story does her justice and I love it!
As always, this is one of my favorite challenges. It fills the summer hiatus with wonderful art and fic and reminds me that my attraction to the show isn't all about sex :-) Anyway, here's a sampling of what I've read and loved so far, incomplete and in no particular order:
Surprises author unrevealed as of 7.31.17 (Gen, PG-13, 1600 words) - Dean’s a little worse for wear, they’re staying in a crap motel room, and Dad’s still MIA. But all in all, it’s not a bad birthday. This is wonderful. Hurty and lovely and so full of brother-love I think I've died and gone to heaven. Seriously! Dean being a little out of it but also loving Sam's attention, worrying about Sam's lack of sleep instead of his own injury. Then being adorably grateful to get a little mini-Mart pie (so Dean! So delighted with such a little thing!) Back to the Future! The ultimate family-fix-it fic on film! Of course Dean loves it :) Then that heart-breaking moment when he checks his messages, vainly hoping maybe his dad remembered his birthday this time...Gah!
In the Beginning, There Was Sam author unrevealed as of 7.31.17 (Gen, PG-13, 3000 words) - Dean is content to drink himself to death in the company of Ben and Lisa, but when Bobby calls, asking for help, he can’t let his friend down. Omens creep toward Sioux Falls, a trail of breadcrumbs leading right up to one very not-dead, very blind little brother. AU after season five. - A very moving, powerful and emotional alternate ending to Season Five. Awesome.
Signs of Life author unrevealed as of 7.31.17 (Gen, PG-13, 2048 words) - Dean can’t leave, he can’t sleep, because Sam could just slip away. Again. - Coda for 11.17 Red Meat. This is a tender and heart-breaking coda to one of my favorite episodes. Dean watches over Sam as he sleeps, reflecting on the day, their lives, their near-death experience. All the angst and hurty feels that make for a satisfying read, in my book. Just beautifully written.
Abide author unrevealed as of 8.5.17 (Gen, PG, 1K words) - The house is quiet. It’s the first thing Dean notices. - Lovely, atmospheric, haunting, like a good ghost story. Fantastic reading!
Rae’s Diner author unrevealed as of 7.31.17 (Gen, G, digital art with 750 words) - Somewhere in the woods a lonely heartbreak diner stands. - This is awesome, in every sense of the word! I love the idea of a monster who runs a diner in middle America just so she can feed the humans she feeds off - what a great outsider POV! And Sam, sitting alone in the diner window, full of rage and revenge because he’s just lost Dean. Rae says he doesn't look dangerous, "but the dangerous ones never do." So good!
Brontide author unrevealed as of 7.31.17 (Gen, PG, 1700 words) - Brontide (n) - a low rumble like that of distant thunder - A creepy, scary story about what Sam hears from the time he’s very, very young. It’s chilling, atmospheric, and really stayed with me long after I read it. The idea that Sam sensed something coming for him from the beginning but he couldn’t get anyone to understand is just sad; reflecting on how desperately and terribly alone he felt makes him seem even braver for what he did later. Just awesome story-telling!
Radio Nowhere author unrevealed as of 7.31.17 (Gen, PG-13, 7125 words) - Dean finds an old radio and someone to connect to on the other end. Funnily enough, so does Sam. - I loved this “Frequency”-inspired story and all its angst and family feels. It really suits the SPN world of temporary deaths and resurrections!
Call My Name or Walk On By author unrevealed as of 8.5.17 (Gen, G, 1100 words) - after confessing to Jody via voicemail and getting no reply, Claire worries that she's been cut loose. - Last but not least is this awesome little character study of Claire Novak, written for ME! I love Claire's insecurity, determination, and ultimately how she faces that she's loved more than she realizes, almost against her better judgment. She's a more interesting character than the show gives her credit for, but this story does her justice and I love it!