newsletter # 17 (June 2012)
Welcome to the spn_littlebro newsletter #17 for June 2012!
Well we've got good news and bad news, friends. The bad news is - there are more than 4 months between the season 7 cliff-hanger episode and what happens next! /o\
The good news is - the fact that the new episodes don't start till early October 2012 (Wednesdays, 9 p.m.) should mean fewer mini-breaks during the season, right? Plus, there are plenty of creative challenges in this fandom to indulge in during the hiatus to help pass the time. And we'll be rec'ing fic and art and music videos for your entertainment, and maybe introducing few other surprises as well.
So - let's get started!
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, be sure to comment to the person who created it!)
Who's Hurting Sam or Jared Lately?
Other Media:
What Else?
Don't forget, we have now have site-specific subsets of our rec lists on ff.net here and AO3 here. So if you're looking for our recs and you're on ff.net or AO3, you can also find them there! Our ff.net collection should be current; our AO3 collection is at the discretion of the authors to add them to our rec collection there. So if you're a writer who has fics on AO3 that have been rec'd here, please consider adding them to our SPN_littlebro collection on AO3 so eager readers can find them. For more details, see this recent bulletin. And to those of you who have already updated your AO3 entries that we've rec'd with the new collection -- Thanks!
Well we've got good news and bad news, friends. The bad news is - there are more than 4 months between the season 7 cliff-hanger episode and what happens next! /o\
The good news is - the fact that the new episodes don't start till early October 2012 (Wednesdays, 9 p.m.) should mean fewer mini-breaks during the season, right? Plus, there are plenty of creative challenges in this fandom to indulge in during the hiatus to help pass the time. And we'll be rec'ing fic and art and music videos for your entertainment, and maybe introducing few other surprises as well.
So - let's get started!
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, be sure to comment to the person who created it!)
Who's Hurting Sam or Jared Lately?
- There are so many great fic (and art) challenges going on during the hiatus... spn_j2_bigbang, and so many more! Please remember, if you find some hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared that you enjoyed, we'd all like to know about it! So don't forget to visit our theme posts to share your rec!
- harrigan hasn't had nearly the time she'd like to wallow in some of the fantastic fic being produced for some of the challenges and memes underway. But she has an early favorite: Conditioned Responses on AO3 or on LJ by the always eloquent killabeez. harrigan says, "She had me at the summary! Sam, Dean, and Castiel all bear scars, but Sam's are affecting all three of them." This completed story is about 5K; it's SPN gen set post season 7, and harrigan adds, "I've longed for more recognition of a possible aftermath for Sam after Cas tried to right his wrong and 'fix' him--and this was better than I ever imagined! And through it all, I love how Sam sees Dean so clearly, understands his brother's sacrifices and choices, and wants Dean to have something good in his life that isn't about protecting somebody else. This story is riddled with pain, for Sam, for Dean, and for Cas (and how could it not be, after all they have endured). And yet, killabeez both begins and ends it on a note of shining hope that breaks my heart."
- cherry916 is excited about a couple new finds!
- Taking the Devil Out of the Equation by KKBELVIS on ff.net. cherry916 says: "This is a short tag for Born Again Identity (Hurt Sam galore!) Sadly we were kind of nixed on the H/C aspect of that episode, and what she does is fill in the gaps between Sam being fixed and when they get outside--giving us the much needed H/C between the boys we wanted to see."
- How Will I Know by moviegeek03 is J2AU mpreg fic around 11K, of which cherry916 says "part of her Tattooed!Jensen verse, this basically has Jared recovering from injuries he sustained in an earlier story--which comes along with much hurt!Jared and comforting Jensen to be had. I haven't read it yet (going to now!) But I already know this promises to be an excellent addition to the verse. This is part of her equally-as-awesome Tattooed!Jensen Verse, which I assure has muchos hurt!Jared along the way. A lot of the stories also involve mpreg. I recommended reading the verse first :)"
- Instead of a golden oldie this month, or an author rec, harrigan would like to point out this 100 Things challenge. cherry916 has pledged to blog about 100 of her favorite fics: "a mix of wincest, J2, Gen, and even other fandoms". A lot of her favorites are epic in length, and there's no shortage of hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared. cherry916 is one of our reccers here at spn_littlebro, so if you've found that your taste usually matches hers, you'll want to see what other fics she has bookmarked and is blogging about now.
- winchesterhaunt has a couple authors whose SPN gen fic from 3 or 4 years ago still resonates deeply with her.
- Messing Around with Slim by Refur. Summary: You don't mess around with Slim. It's just not a good idea. But since when has Dean Winchester let that put him off? Preseries. winchesterhaunt says: "I normally don't read outside POV. In fact, I generally run the opposite direction, but I took a chance on this one and struck gold. I really enjoyed the outside character and I love how Dean is not a happy camper when he finds out betting his "most precious thing" isn't his car." (harrigan would like to remind folks that this is the same author whose fic on LJ is to be found here. kroki-refur is a phenomenal SPN gen writer with a terrific and distinctive writing style who offers an abundance of treasures for hurt!Sam fans.)
- Heart's Desire by gidgetgal9 on ff.net. Summary: Dean is granted his "heart's desire" while tangling with a witch. Now under a witch's spell, he feels compelled to overprotect Sam from every danger and wants complete control to keep Sam safe. Will the brother's relationship survive? S2. winchesterhaunt says, "Show of hands, who likes overprotective!Dean? Well good, because this is overprotective!Dean to the extreme. Dean is so obsessed with keeping Sam safe that it starts to run over into an unhealthy level. ...I love it! Plus--there's a sequel!
Other Media:
- art: cherry916 says to be prepared to be blown away by Sam by blackravell on deviantart. This is "a beautiful portrait of Sam during his time in When The Levee Breaks. You can see the look of desperation on his face and the sweat from detoxing. His whole look spells vulnerable."
- music videos: harrigan encourages you all to check out Just Dropped In by sockkpuppett. harrigan says "This season has been one where I haven't re-watched the episodes much, so many of these clips are scenes I've only seen once, and I really embrace the opportunity to wallow in them here like this. Beautifully done--skillfully woven together to the perfect song choice. ash48 adds, "This vid captures just how many hits Sam keeps taking. It's painful but also shows just how damn strong and resilient he is. By the end your heart is just breaking for him. Perfect song and beautifully made".
- music videos: harrigan also recs the vidlet maybe I could be saved by ash48, saying "If that dialogue from the episode Houses of the Holy still grabs your heart, it will really resonate when you see how Ash re-examines it with visuals from the seasons after. I tear up more each time I watch it."
- audiobook/podfic: ash48 is a huge fan of candle_beck as author *and* as podfic reader. Case in point: Last Day on Earth: an NC17 Sam/Dean fic around 13K. ash48 says, candle-beck's voice is PERFECT for her stories. She has a deep resonance that fits so perfectly with the way she writes. She reads with wonderful fluency and passion. If you've never listened to her read NOW is the time. You won't regret it." Link to the podfic (which runs 60-70 mins) is here in mp3.
- eBooks, etc.: Sometimes, you want to wallow in some great hurt!Sam but you're not online. Anyone else miss the feel of a bound book, the excitement of turning paper pages to see what comes next? harrigan has some ideas: this post directs you to information on an SPN anthology available via cafepress that features lots of hurt!Sam. (Links to the individual online stories are also provided.) At the bottom of the post are three links to other SPN fic works available at cafepress, and all also feature lots of hurt!Sam (and may also be available to simply download). Check out the comments for info on an SPN slash anthology - but I can't speak to whether those fics are hurt!Sam or not. (For anyone considering buying a volume at cafepress, check this site for current coupon codes. For example, there may be some Father's Day discounts if you act fast!)
And if anyone reading this newsletter has info on ordering SPN fanzines that have some great hurt!Sam, feel free to comment to here with details!
What Else?
Don't forget, we have now have site-specific subsets of our rec lists on ff.net here and AO3 here. So if you're looking for our recs and you're on ff.net or AO3, you can also find them there! Our ff.net collection should be current; our AO3 collection is at the discretion of the authors to add them to our rec collection there. So if you're a writer who has fics on AO3 that have been rec'd here, please consider adding them to our SPN_littlebro collection on AO3 so eager readers can find them. For more details, see this recent bulletin. And to those of you who have already updated your AO3 entries that we've rec'd with the new collection -- Thanks!