396: Aw man! I hate undead. [J2, Gaming-related AUs]
reccer's note. I admit it. I'm a geek. A gamer. A role-player. An otaku in the worst possible sense. And I love reading stories that let me revel in being my big bad dorky self. Here are three of my particular favorites.
title. Of Dice and Jen(sen)
author. epeeblade
characters. Jared/Jensen, some Jared/Sandy, Sophia/Chad Michael Murray Sandy/Chad Lindberg, Chris Kane/Alona Tal
rating. NC-17
words. 68984
summary. In 1999, Jensen is a senior at college, his biggest concerns are getting into grad school and planning his next role-playing game. Everything changes when freshman Jared Padalecki joins the gaming club.
read this. It's been two years since I found this story and I still find myself grinning at all the gaming and anime references. As much as I love them, it's the underlying story that pulled me in, the missteps that happen along the way when you're trying to find yourself amidst the very real pressures of college - and how those plans can be interrupted for the best of reasons. Having a similar college experience made the story that much more real for me - I knew these people, they were roommates and people I gamed with every weeknight - and all of the characterizations were amazing; Sandy especially blew me away. I couldn't stop reading this once I started, and the story ended up with the distinction of being the first J2 story I have ever recommended. Which happened about five minutes after I finished reading it.
title. From the Ruined Tower to the Caves of the Unknown Horror
author. annella
characters. Jared/Jensen
rating. R
words. 30500
summary. Jared's been adventuring for most of his life. He loves being out on the road with his friends-killing monsters and bad guys, finding treasure, and helping people out of sticky situations. It's all part of being a good-hearted barbarian. Then his carefree life is shaken up by the introduction of a scrawny half-elf wizard called Jensen, who joins them for a quest upon which they will encounter horror, true friendship, and a secret buried deep underground...
read this. If I hadn't already been hooked by the premise, the dialogue alone would have sucked me into the story . annella matched folks to their corresponding D&D character so well that they couldn't be portrayed any other way. As for Jared the Barbarian... I adored him, whether it was his commentaries on adventuring or watching his relationship with Jensen evolve. And while I think everyone should read this, I can say that my not-so-secret inner gaming geek reveled in every single D&D trope. She also wanted to give Aldis a cup of tea, having also once been unable to backstab undead, and slip him a copy of Pathfinder.
title. Real Life: Good For You
author. llamainvasion
characters. Jared/Jensen
rating. NC-17
words. 28994
summary. College is not what Jared had imagined. Instead of happy days with Chad and his friends, there's just Jared - alone in Bumfuck, Nowheresville, while Chad's living it up in California! Lonely and playing too much World of Warcraft, Jared decides to be proactive, get himself out of the socially awkward rut he's gotten stuck in, and find himself a roommate. But moving in with easygoing and laidback Jensen, Jared's about to discover that real life doesn't always turn out the way you expect it to!
read this. I loved this story. I love that Chad is a gnome warlock, because what else could he be? I love that Jared's the one who is shy and more than a bit anti-social - but that his online friends give him the same advice that any other kind of friend would give. I love how grounded Jensen is, to the point where he never feels the need to push Jared. I love how the story never judges; doesn't matter who you are - you just are. And I especially love the ending. Hogger FTW.
I creatively acquired a piece of annella's dialogue for the title of my post.
Now if only there was an SCA AU...
title. Of Dice and Jen(sen)
author. epeeblade
characters. Jared/Jensen, some Jared/Sandy, Sophia/Chad Michael Murray Sandy/Chad Lindberg, Chris Kane/Alona Tal
rating. NC-17
words. 68984
summary. In 1999, Jensen is a senior at college, his biggest concerns are getting into grad school and planning his next role-playing game. Everything changes when freshman Jared Padalecki joins the gaming club.
read this. It's been two years since I found this story and I still find myself grinning at all the gaming and anime references. As much as I love them, it's the underlying story that pulled me in, the missteps that happen along the way when you're trying to find yourself amidst the very real pressures of college - and how those plans can be interrupted for the best of reasons. Having a similar college experience made the story that much more real for me - I knew these people, they were roommates and people I gamed with every weeknight - and all of the characterizations were amazing; Sandy especially blew me away. I couldn't stop reading this once I started, and the story ended up with the distinction of being the first J2 story I have ever recommended. Which happened about five minutes after I finished reading it.
title. From the Ruined Tower to the Caves of the Unknown Horror
author. annella
characters. Jared/Jensen
rating. R
words. 30500
summary. Jared's been adventuring for most of his life. He loves being out on the road with his friends-killing monsters and bad guys, finding treasure, and helping people out of sticky situations. It's all part of being a good-hearted barbarian. Then his carefree life is shaken up by the introduction of a scrawny half-elf wizard called Jensen, who joins them for a quest upon which they will encounter horror, true friendship, and a secret buried deep underground...
read this. If I hadn't already been hooked by the premise, the dialogue alone would have sucked me into the story . annella matched folks to their corresponding D&D character so well that they couldn't be portrayed any other way. As for Jared the Barbarian... I adored him, whether it was his commentaries on adventuring or watching his relationship with Jensen evolve. And while I think everyone should read this, I can say that my not-so-secret inner gaming geek reveled in every single D&D trope. She also wanted to give Aldis a cup of tea, having also once been unable to backstab undead, and slip him a copy of Pathfinder.
title. Real Life: Good For You
author. llamainvasion
characters. Jared/Jensen
rating. NC-17
words. 28994
summary. College is not what Jared had imagined. Instead of happy days with Chad and his friends, there's just Jared - alone in Bumfuck, Nowheresville, while Chad's living it up in California! Lonely and playing too much World of Warcraft, Jared decides to be proactive, get himself out of the socially awkward rut he's gotten stuck in, and find himself a roommate. But moving in with easygoing and laidback Jensen, Jared's about to discover that real life doesn't always turn out the way you expect it to!
read this. I loved this story. I love that Chad is a gnome warlock, because what else could he be? I love that Jared's the one who is shy and more than a bit anti-social - but that his online friends give him the same advice that any other kind of friend would give. I love how grounded Jensen is, to the point where he never feels the need to push Jared. I love how the story never judges; doesn't matter who you are - you just are. And I especially love the ending. Hogger FTW.
I creatively acquired a piece of annella's dialogue for the title of my post.
Now if only there was an SCA AU...