082: When The War Is Over
One of my favorite genres in the Supernatural fandom is future!fic, mostly because the possibilities are endless. Authors are bound only by their imaginations to write the end they picture for Sam and Dean. To me, the more creative the end, the better, as long as there are threads connecting the story to all that's happened in canon. Here are some of my favorite examples, some recent and some not, of what happens when the Winchesters walk away from it all. And with Season 5 just around the corner, I ask all of you: what do you see as the end for Sam and Dean?
[note: none of these stories, though future!fics, contain spoilers for Season 5]
title. The Only Time is Now/ This Time Forever
author. topaz119 @ t_fic
characters. Sam/Dean
rating. R
words. 3600/2700
summary. He drained his beer and went for the compromise: another beer and a quick shower and then he'd hit the Mercado, see if anyone had seen Sam. They kept to themselves mostly, but Sammy still was a giant freak of nature, hard to miss, especially in a town that wasn't much more than ten blocks square.
read this. One of my favorite takes on the Winchesters leaving the game and 'settling down'. The story is comfortable, but you can feel the remnants of their last hunts even when the details aren't explicit. Dean and Sam are written perfectly, the same banter tempered by a take on their relationship that I love. The author writes that Sam and Dean are "navigating the memories", which I think sums these two pieces up well. Also, it's unbelievably sexy to read about two men who know each other so well.
title. Cross In the Sky
author. lizadork
characters. Sam, Dean
rating. PG-13
words. 3637
summary. The apocalypse is over, and Dean still doesn't want to fly, but Sam convinces him to learn to sail.
read this. Amazing things happen when authors write what they know, and this is no exception. The author portrays the sea as its own character, written so beautifully that you'll want to read every sentence slowly to get the full picture in your mind. A great story about Dean finding something to fall in love with as life settles and he gets his brother back.
title. Where we belong
author. joans23
characters. Sam/Dean
rating. R
words. 1600
summary. They've made it this far and they've still got each other, but now what?
read this. Such a realistic and well characterized portrayal of what Sam and Dean might do when the war's over, and one unexpectedly heartbreaking little moment that will throw you for a loop.
title. Once as Soft as Water
author. lustmordred
characters. Sam/Dean
rating. NC17
words. 11800
summary. It’s a frightening reminder that no matter what they do or where their lives are at in all of this Armageddon crap, they can still die of natural causes. Monsters may be the most likely things that can kill them, but they aren’t the only things.
read this. More of a look at what drove Sam to stop and walk away from the game, but here it's Dean who closes the door on that life. A little painful, but with scorchingly hot sex scenes filled with intimacy and so much knowledge between the brothers. The reader can feel the connection between Sam and Dean, everything they've been wrapped up with all their lives, and know that nothing is more important at the end than each other.
title. The Land of the Blind
author. candle_beck
characters. Sam/Dean
rating. PG-13
words. 12922
summary. One of several possible futures, complicated by a different kind of amnesia.
read this. Usually I know what to expect when I read something from this author. I'll cry, but I will love it, and the ache stays in my heart for a week. This really isn't all that different; there is no sunshine and lollipops in this post-apocalyptic world, but there is happiness in a sad sort of way for Sam and Dean. Very unique and heartrendingly crafted.
[note: none of these stories, though future!fics, contain spoilers for Season 5]
title. The Only Time is Now/ This Time Forever
author. topaz119 @ t_fic
characters. Sam/Dean
rating. R
words. 3600/2700
summary. He drained his beer and went for the compromise: another beer and a quick shower and then he'd hit the Mercado, see if anyone had seen Sam. They kept to themselves mostly, but Sammy still was a giant freak of nature, hard to miss, especially in a town that wasn't much more than ten blocks square.
read this. One of my favorite takes on the Winchesters leaving the game and 'settling down'. The story is comfortable, but you can feel the remnants of their last hunts even when the details aren't explicit. Dean and Sam are written perfectly, the same banter tempered by a take on their relationship that I love. The author writes that Sam and Dean are "navigating the memories", which I think sums these two pieces up well. Also, it's unbelievably sexy to read about two men who know each other so well.
title. Cross In the Sky
author. lizadork
characters. Sam, Dean
rating. PG-13
words. 3637
summary. The apocalypse is over, and Dean still doesn't want to fly, but Sam convinces him to learn to sail.
read this. Amazing things happen when authors write what they know, and this is no exception. The author portrays the sea as its own character, written so beautifully that you'll want to read every sentence slowly to get the full picture in your mind. A great story about Dean finding something to fall in love with as life settles and he gets his brother back.
title. Where we belong
author. joans23
characters. Sam/Dean
rating. R
words. 1600
summary. They've made it this far and they've still got each other, but now what?
read this. Such a realistic and well characterized portrayal of what Sam and Dean might do when the war's over, and one unexpectedly heartbreaking little moment that will throw you for a loop.
title. Once as Soft as Water
author. lustmordred
characters. Sam/Dean
rating. NC17
words. 11800
summary. It’s a frightening reminder that no matter what they do or where their lives are at in all of this Armageddon crap, they can still die of natural causes. Monsters may be the most likely things that can kill them, but they aren’t the only things.
read this. More of a look at what drove Sam to stop and walk away from the game, but here it's Dean who closes the door on that life. A little painful, but with scorchingly hot sex scenes filled with intimacy and so much knowledge between the brothers. The reader can feel the connection between Sam and Dean, everything they've been wrapped up with all their lives, and know that nothing is more important at the end than each other.
title. The Land of the Blind
author. candle_beck
characters. Sam/Dean
rating. PG-13
words. 12922
summary. One of several possible futures, complicated by a different kind of amnesia.
read this. Usually I know what to expect when I read something from this author. I'll cry, but I will love it, and the ache stays in my heart for a week. This really isn't all that different; there is no sunshine and lollipops in this post-apocalyptic world, but there is happiness in a sad sort of way for Sam and Dean. Very unique and heartrendingly crafted.