newsletter # 10 (Nov 2011)

[harrigan]

Welcome to the spn_littlebro newsletter #10 for November 2011!






We missed you guys! You may have noticed, we produce the newsletter twice a month during the summer hiatus, when we need our hurt!Sam fix more, but only once a month while new episodes are airing. We'll try to provide plenty of recs this time to compensate! And we'll let you in on a secret: we have a special surprise planned for December's mini-hiatus, something besides the newsletter! Stay tuned!

Meanwhile, here's something underway that warrants everyone's attention now! It's the second annual ohsam fic challenge! Prompting is closed, but signing up to fill those prompts has been extended until Dec 2nd. Prompts are listed here. A link at the bottom of that post will take you to a second post of even more prompts! Rules and fun stuff can be found by clicking this banner!




(Note about the extension and summary of rules is here. Some folks are already posting their fills... head over to ohsam to wallow in some great stuff!)

Don't forget - if you find some good hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared in your surfing, comment with a rec to the appropriate theme post here on spn_littlebro. Self-recs are always welcome, too!

Fevered Ramblings:

In other news, here's a handful of things your spn_littlebro team is raving about right now. (And if you like these as much as we do, don't forget to comment to the person who created it!)

Who's Hurting Sam or Jared Lately?

• harrigan would like to direct your attention to The Fall Will Probably Kill You by killabeez and also available on AO3 where it can be downloaded. Summary: Set between 7.04 and the aftermath of 7.07. Dean is not as okay as he'd like you to think. Neither is Sam. harrigan says, "Besides that awesome title, this fic offers 6-7K of 'suicidal thoughts, self-harm, depression, alcoholism, and self-indulgent angst', to quote the author's summary. Also slash (UST only): all things I usually steer away from. But the R-rating isn't for sex, and I think it will be treasured by gen and slash fans alike. I love how killabeez gives us a look inside Dean's head (because the show isn't - and they may have good reason for now, but a fic like this helps us get through the weeks until we find out). It's great to see a little of Sam's coping mechanisms, too. (Something else the show is leaving to our imagination for the time being.) In short, this is a story that needed to be told, to be read and clutched to our aching hearts. I loved the ending ♥ ♥ ♥! It's not exactly comforting, you know? But it fills in the hollow spaces."


• Yay! spn_reversebang is posting now! harrigan has a J2AU to flail about: They're Advertising in the Skies (for people like us) by zuben_eschamali and art by amindaya. The story is 14K, NC17, and available as a PDF download, too! What harrigan loves about it is: "the phenomenal sci-fi world-building. The author just drops you into this futuristic society and you hit the ground running, wondering what's wrong with Jared and what can Jensen do to help, and what will it cost him? It's just enthralling and I wish it were a full-blown novel, or 'verse. Maybe if enough of us comment and plead? ;->"
• cherry916 has once again braved ff.net to bring us a rec: Hitchhiker by skagtrendy1. 9K of SPN gen, summarized as Early Season 2 AU. Warning: attempted suicide, swearing. Much angst and brotherly schmoop. Following their Dad's death, Sam desperately needs his brother, but will Dean realise before it's too late? Also, TEASER treat for H.O.T.S. Book 3. cherry916 loves the possessed!Sam, suicide attempt, hospitalized Sam, and says "This is a great little story with my personal favorite, guilty Dean! All surrounding ELAC and the grief of their father's death. Dean shuts Sam out when Sam needs him most. PLUS at the end she has a little teaser for her Hunter Of The Shadows Book Three, which for those who don't know is an awesome, awesome serious fic that you have to RUN to read."
• cherry916 also has a WIP to recommend: Gone Away Awhile, moviegeek03. This one is RPS, J2AU and NC17 with a summary that reads: Jensen has it all…great job, lots of money, the love of his life…and NO kids, just the way he wants it. Everything seems perfect, until one night following a big fight Jensen comes home to find Jared has left, turning his world upside down. Four years down the line, he might finally find the answers to all his questions…in the form of two little boys who look a lot like him and Jared…. cherry916 likes the mpreg and illness and says, "This is a WIP that is very promising. With her writing and an imogen_lily prompt to go by, this is destined to be good!"

Featured Fic Recs:

• Flu season is upon us! (At least in the northern hemisphere!) So how about close to 100 different ficlets of sneezy boys!, as el1ie reminds us about the Again, but with more colds! 2011 meme run by mad_server. (This isn't limited to sniffly Sam, but there is plenty of that to be found... and some of us do like croaking Dean, too.) Still not enough? Check out the fics from her original 2010 meme here and here for 164 more!

Other Media:

• art: smallworld_inc is one of the real talents in our fandom, and vail_kagami can't say enough good things about Hurt Comfort Bingo. "The art is beyond amazing. There is a great variety of pictures, every single one wanting to be stared at for a long time. Plenty of them involve Sam getting hurt, but there are many characters also getting their share of pain - mostly Dean and Cas. Also, there are some happy pics of our boys as well that are worth checking out! Watch the warnings, though - some of them are pretty bloody, or contain death or clowns."
• art: When Sam is Ill, by shanks-kun on deviantArt is "a cute little comic drawing of when Sam is ill when he is a child and an adult and how nothing changes with how Dean takes care of him." (Thanks cherry916 for always sharing these gems!)
• music videos: Ready for what ash48 calls "a stunning character study"? Check out Numb by the always amazing counteragent. The summary says: Sam always bet everything he had. He lost. ash48 says, "It has an early s6 focus but it remains relevant as a reminder of everything Sam sacrificed and lost. The editing is perfect. This vid will leave your heart aching for Sam." A must-watch vid!
• audiobook/podfic: ash48 has found Transparent for us. This is a 44 min audiobook reading (m4b) by cookiemom6067 of an SPN gen classic (text here) by Lady Ophelia. The summary says, We get a look inside Dean's head. Unfortunately, so does Sam. Some things were never meant to be shared. Rated for strong language. and ash48 says it features h/c of the "burnt (sort of), panic attack (sort of), angst " variety. She says "This is an older story (written in 2006) but the characterisations still hold strong for the boys today. It's an interesting, and often amusing, look at Sam's psychic powers. It features hurt!Sam moments (sort of ;D) with lovely big brother care and concern. It's very nicely read by cookiemom6067. The link is to the audiobook, but a MP3 is also available."
• eBooks, etc.: Download They're Advertising in the Skies (for people like us), described above under Who's Hurting Sam or Jared lately! The PDF version (with art!) is available here.

What Else?

• Searching on our archive on delicious has changed just a smidge since the new delicious team has been fixing the big Delicious Disaster of 2011. It works now (yay!) - so go ahead and check out our delicious - how to search post for updated tips.
• Thinking about trying your hand at writing a fic? Maybe for the ohsam challenge described above, or some other challenge mentioned previously (or in the future)? Beta readers make everything better - but not everyone has one. If you need one, check out spn-betas! Click on [user info] at the top of the page and you'll find everything you need to ask for a volunteer.