newsletter # 11 (December 2011)

[harrigan]

Welcome to the spn_littlebro newsletter #11 for December 2011!






Happy December! Happy holidays (to those who celebrate), and Happy 6-month anniversary for spn_littlebro! Thanks so much for everyone's suggestions and participation and recommendations so that we can all wallow in more hurt!Sam and hurt!Jared!

Hope you all noticed our newest theme: Hurt Plot Bunnies!

And now - until we have new eps (January 6th!) - have some recs! (And if you're finding time to do more reading/surfing over the holidays, don't forget to post recs for any good hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared you come across! Share the love this holiday season!)

Fevered Ramblings:

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 reminds us that awesome hurt!Sam can sometimes be found over at hoodie_time, where the focus is actually hurt!Dean. Case in point: Some are Silver by roque_clasique. Summary: Sam's memory is shot from multiple concussions, Dean has rheumatoid arthritis, and it's Christmas time. harrigan says, "I love fic where both the brothers are broken and still trying to to take care of the other or at least not be a burden. roque_clasique has a grasp on both boys and their dynamics like few authors in our fandom. She loves them both and it shows - and as always, she rocks the h/c!"


• vail_kagami revels in the hallucinations, insanity and torture to be found in the short SPN gen fic It's a River (But Not in Eyypt) by minviendha. Prompt: Lucifer has something to say about Sam's newfound "I'm good, really! That 180 years in Hell? I'm pretty much over it" state of mind. vail_kagami says, "It's a very creepy, disturbing and heartbreaking view on how the world looks for Sam with Lucifer in his head all the time, sometimes looking like Dean, constantly out to hurt him. In the end it's a sad portrayal of how Sam will never be okay."
• For the slash fan, vail_kagami recs The Holy Trinity (OCD Sam) by checkthemargins. It's almost 12K of language, sex, angst, references to torture, general weirdness, and includes a warning for hallucination!Lucifer touching Sam non-consensually. Summary: s7, Sam/Dean or gen; Sam is compensating for having Lucifer in his head by going into hyperfunctional mode. I want to see touches of Mystery Spot OCD Sam: hospital corners, perfect efficiency, everything under control, everything in place. It works. He still hallucinates, but he can keep going through it, he can wall himself off from being affected by fear of his breaks with reality and by the trauma of the things he remembers and hallucinates. He just has to keep going further and further into his coping mechanism, because if it breaks it will all come crashing down and that will not be good. vail_kagami says, "It's a brilliant look at the life of Sam and Dean after the wall broke. Sam's coping mechanism is heartbreaking, making him even more vulnerable even as it helps, and Dean is wonderful: understandig that there are things Sam needs to do because he knows his brother - and he knows it would be worse otherwise."
• Recently we welcomed shangrilada in our newsletter, but she has become so prolific that vail_kagami wants to call specific attention to her asthmatic Sammy!verse, which is SPN gen, with some (sometimes strong) Dean/Sam overtones. Our reccer says the series is "my happy place. It's an AU that follows the show's timeline; the big difference is that Sam has severe asthma and almost dies on a regular basis. In the face of that, Dean is the most awesome, protective and caring brother ever, and nothing can change that - not John who thinks they are too close, not Hell or angels telling him Sam is evil nor Sam's demon blood addiction. Even her Ruby is someone you don't have to feel bad for loving. The 'verse fills every need for hurt while never withholding the comfort."
• Sneezy Sammy commentfic meme hosted by 27_jaredjensen is still underway. Leave a prompt! Fill a prompt! Read any of the more than 100 ficlets already posted!

Featured Fic Recs:

• harrigan has stopped sobbing long enough to rec Every Poem an Epitaph by mimblexwimble. Summary: It figures that now, even at the end of everything, he’d be taking care of Sam. It makes a sort of existential sense. The End 'verse AU. harrigan explains that "this short gen fic features Sam, Dean and Cas in a 'verse where the episode The End took place, and after that, Dean defeated Lucifer and Sam remains behind - completely shattered. The story is brilliantly told, heart-wrenching and every word is perfect."
• cherry916 has a blast from the past to share: Threw Away the Sun by ladyjanelly. Summary: AU. Six months after John Winchester goes missing on a hunt, Dean Goes to Palo Alto to find a psychic. Link goes to the tags for the six chapters, as she doesn't link from one chapter to the next. This fic was written back in 2007; it's Sam/Dean slash, and cherry916 says, "This is just an amazing and real piece that grips you tight and won't let you stop reading. It's a look down an AU to see what would have happened if the brothers were split up. And as you read you soon realize what a tragically sad road this AU is." Features blindness, psychic powers, visions, and abuse.
• cherry916 has another golden oldie, this one from ff.net: Last Line to Hang Onto by authoressnebula. Summary: Sam falls apart and tries to kill himself because of the events of the last few months. He doesn't want to go darkside, and believes he will because of Dean's comment about it. Dean stops him and comforts his younger brother. It's SPN gen, under 2K, and the type of hurt is suicide attempt. cherry916 says, "I love how she can perfectly understand Sam's mind set and write such heart wrenching fic. The Sam in this is incredibly sad and will make you want to give him a hug."
• Supernaturalville's Virtual Seasons has just wrapped up season 4! cherry916 says, "They've been adding to it and writing it since 2006 so this thing has been six years in the making, 4 seasons with its own unique and inventive storyline that weaves and plays with what Supernatural already made. Just like the show, it does have it's special hurt!Sam episodes." She suggests you check out fics like Traces of Red or Between the Lines in season 4, or in earlier virtual seasons, fics like Laura and Selling My Soul for favorite hurt!Sam examples.

Other Media:

• art: cherry916 raves about Coma by the always incredible smallworld_inc. This is one 'square' on her whole h/c bingo that we rec'd previously, but cherry916 "wanted to specifically rec this certain piece; it just blows me away. She's so phenomenally talented and always tells a chilling tale with her work, this being no different."
• music videos: I Promise by secretlytodream aka Loki, is "an absolutely stunning Sam character study," according to ash48, who adds, "Loki has an amazing way of using sound and images to not only tell a story but to make you feel. You'll be left thinking...oh Sammy. And realise just how amazing our boy is."
• audiobook/podfic: applegeuse has very graciously put together A Collection of Holiday Podfics for everyone to wallow in this holiday season. Scroll down to Podfic #24 for some schmoopy sick!Jared in the 8 minute story In Sickness by eliza_jane... and then explore the rest of the fics, too! (You can download them or stream them!)
• eBooks, etc.: cherry916 loves to make PDFs of hurt!Sam and hurt!Jared fics for herself and anyone else with similar tastes! Check out her collection here (it's constantly being updated!) and you're invited to request specific fics as well!

What Else?

• Don't forget - we ♥ your fic recs, but ask that you make sure they aren't friends-locked before you rec them. Sometimes things do get locked (or deleted) after they've been posted and rec'd - we understand that can happen. But we do need to delete recs that are no longer available to the public, so we thought a reminder here couldn't hurt.
• Anybody getting a computer with a built-in microphone for a holiday present? Consider learning to podfic! (Is that a verb?) celtic_forest in spnroundtable recently posted a fantastic Podfic Appreciation 101 that explains all about it, including tips for getting started. Fandom needs more hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared podfics, right?

Happy holidays!