recent to recent-ish fic recs ft. mental illness/mentally ill!Dean (gen and Sam/Dean)
Fyi, I actually have a bunch more fic recs with this subject matter to share with you, but they’re going into a post-hell!Dean rec post I’m compiling. None of these recs deal directly with hell/post-hell issues, so I decided to put them in their own little rec post. ;)
Title: You Must Know Life To See Decay
Author: geckoholic @ justxusxtwo
Tags: dissociation/dissociative disorder, mental breakdown, mental illness, psychological damage/broken!Dean
Characters: Sam, Dean, Bobby mentioned
Genre/pairing: Gen. Future!fic, sort of.
Rating: PG-13
Word-count: 1021
Spoilers: Spoilers for 6.11.
Warnings: It’s uh, rather depressing?
Summary: The thing about storms is that they leave behind damage and destruction.
Reccer’s comments: In which the Winchesters try and settle down after the war is over, but after the lives they’ve had, settling down is as difficult a prospect as anything. This is my very favourite future-fic scenario because I feel that it's very realistic, and this is a powerful and haunting take on it.
Title: Cut out all the ropes and let me fall
Author: glassyskies
Tags: catatonia, mental illness, mutism, psychosis, schizophrenia
Characters: Dean, Sam, Mary, Ruby, Jimmy Novak, etc.
Genre/pairing: Sam/Dean, AU
Rating: PG-13
Word-count: 3000
Spoilers: WIAWSNB
Warnings: mental illness, angst
Summary: Dean falls apart and goes to Hell. Sam falls in love and goes looking for him. (Set in the What Is and What Should Never Be universe.)
Reccer’s comments: I love fics set in the WIAWSNB universe, and this is a very well-realized one. Heartbreaking! But really good. This one was just posted today, btw; it's all shiny and new.
Title: Run and Hide
Author: honeylocusttree
Tags: child abuse, childhood trauma, daddy issues, DID/MPD (multiple personalities), dissociation/dissociative disorder, emotional abuse, mental illness, physical assault/abuse, psychological trauma
Characters: Sam, Dean, John
Genre/pairing: Gen, AU, pre-series
Rating: PG-13
Word-count: 7800+
Spoilers: Hints at the Pilot.
Warnings: ABUSE. Violence, blood, gore, language. Psychological trauma.
Summary: “Soldiers have to be tough, son.”
Reccer’s comments: I really appreciated the way the author tackled the subject matter, (very differently than other fic featuring DID/MPD that I've read) and how thoughtfully written it was.
Please do note the warnings. This fic tells the story of what would happen if John was not only damaged by what happened to their family, but had a psychotic break, and the effects that would have on all of them. An unsettling and amazing AU.
Title: Laws of Motion
Author: lifting_latches
Tags: dissociation/dissociative disorder, exhaustion, mental health issues, mobility issues, pain
Characters: Sam, Dean, a teeny bit of Castiel
Genre/pairing: Sam/Dean, future-fic
Rating: PG
Word-count: 3892
Spoilers: None
Warnings: None
Summary: This is a prequel to Stumbling Along, but it could easily stand alone, I think.
'A quick walk.' It’s the last conscious decision Dean remembers making until nine hours and sixteen miles later, when he opens his eyes to a dark, star-riddled sky, and a cellphone full of frantic text messages from Sam.
Reccer’s comments: Like geckoholic’s fic, recced above, this fic deals with Sam and Dean’s life after the war is over and the issues they still have - but this one will leave you less depressed than that one, haha. Despite all the things that are wrong here, Sam and Dean’s relationship is comfortable and heartwarming and made me smile.
This is a prequel to Stumbling Along, previously recced here, which the author says you don’t have to read to get this. But you should, because it’s ALSO lovely.
Title: You Must Know Life To See Decay
Author: geckoholic @ justxusxtwo
Tags: dissociation/dissociative disorder, mental breakdown, mental illness, psychological damage/broken!Dean
Characters: Sam, Dean, Bobby mentioned
Genre/pairing: Gen. Future!fic, sort of.
Rating: PG-13
Word-count: 1021
Spoilers: Spoilers for 6.11.
Warnings: It’s uh, rather depressing?
Summary: The thing about storms is that they leave behind damage and destruction.
Reccer’s comments: In which the Winchesters try and settle down after the war is over, but after the lives they’ve had, settling down is as difficult a prospect as anything. This is my very favourite future-fic scenario because I feel that it's very realistic, and this is a powerful and haunting take on it.
Title: Cut out all the ropes and let me fall
Author: glassyskies
Tags: catatonia, mental illness, mutism, psychosis, schizophrenia
Characters: Dean, Sam, Mary, Ruby, Jimmy Novak, etc.
Genre/pairing: Sam/Dean, AU
Rating: PG-13
Word-count: 3000
Spoilers: WIAWSNB
Warnings: mental illness, angst
Summary: Dean falls apart and goes to Hell. Sam falls in love and goes looking for him. (Set in the What Is and What Should Never Be universe.)
Reccer’s comments: I love fics set in the WIAWSNB universe, and this is a very well-realized one. Heartbreaking! But really good. This one was just posted today, btw; it's all shiny and new.
Title: Run and Hide
Author: honeylocusttree
Tags: child abuse, childhood trauma, daddy issues, DID/MPD (multiple personalities), dissociation/dissociative disorder, emotional abuse, mental illness, physical assault/abuse, psychological trauma
Characters: Sam, Dean, John
Genre/pairing: Gen, AU, pre-series
Rating: PG-13
Word-count: 7800+
Spoilers: Hints at the Pilot.
Warnings: ABUSE. Violence, blood, gore, language. Psychological trauma.
Summary: “Soldiers have to be tough, son.”
Reccer’s comments: I really appreciated the way the author tackled the subject matter, (very differently than other fic featuring DID/MPD that I've read) and how thoughtfully written it was.
Please do note the warnings. This fic tells the story of what would happen if John was not only damaged by what happened to their family, but had a psychotic break, and the effects that would have on all of them. An unsettling and amazing AU.
Title: Laws of Motion
Author: lifting_latches
Tags: dissociation/dissociative disorder, exhaustion, mental health issues, mobility issues, pain
Characters: Sam, Dean, a teeny bit of Castiel
Genre/pairing: Sam/Dean, future-fic
Rating: PG
Word-count: 3892
Spoilers: None
Warnings: None
Summary: This is a prequel to Stumbling Along, but it could easily stand alone, I think.
'A quick walk.' It’s the last conscious decision Dean remembers making until nine hours and sixteen miles later, when he opens his eyes to a dark, star-riddled sky, and a cellphone full of frantic text messages from Sam.
Reccer’s comments: Like geckoholic’s fic, recced above, this fic deals with Sam and Dean’s life after the war is over and the issues they still have - but this one will leave you less depressed than that one, haha. Despite all the things that are wrong here, Sam and Dean’s relationship is comfortable and heartwarming and made me smile.
This is a prequel to Stumbling Along, previously recced here, which the author says you don’t have to read to get this. But you should, because it’s ALSO lovely.