Pre-Series Recs Part 3 (Teenchesters & John)
Title: Everything I Needed to Know I Learned in Auto Shop
Author/Artist: zannes
Rating: PG for language
Length/Word Count: longish LJ post
Summary: John, Sam, and Dean
Summary: Sam hears a rumor about his dad at school. Is it the end of the world or does Arkansas just have really screwed up content standards? Sam decides to find out.
Reccer's Comments: Love seeing John from Sam's perspective, as well as from the viewpoint of other students. As usual, there's something a little creepy going on that you won't see till the ending.
Reccer's Comments 2: Hilarity ensues when John subs for the Autoshop teacher at the boys' school.
Reccer's Comments 3: Adorable, touching and also super funny. I love Sam's POV as he starts to realise what is going on. And then there are lines like: His father looked…happy. His shirtsleeves were rolled up, he had grease smudged along his forearms and he was whistling. This was the John Winchester Dean told him about, the one Dean saw in the man that Sam called his father. This is one of the few fics I've read where John gets to be a Dad and bond with Sam and I love it!
Title: Deguello
Author/Artist: Oselle
Rating: PG-13
Length/Word Count: Part 1, 4400 words; Part 2, 11,000
Warnings/Spoilers: angst, gore, some language; no spoilers
Summary: John wrestles with his conscience and calling after Dean is hurt for the first time.
Reccer's Comments: A recent entry in the John category, this may be the finest story about John in all his flawed humanity and his obsession and his overwhelming love for his boys that I have ever read. Johns complex motivations ring true and clear, as do young Dean's and Sam's character and relationship with their father. The writing is simple and straightforward, letting the events and characters tell their truths in their words and actions with a minimum of soliloquizing, but still laying the emotions out there for anyone with an eye and a heart to see. Really beautifully done.
Reccer's Comments 2: Spare, lovely prose that really packs a punch. Interesting backstory for John. Awesome John & Dean interactions, running the whole gamut of emotion.
Reccer's Comments 3: This story gets to the secret heart of SPN: where love turns into sacrifice, and the sacrifices made for love are just one step removed from the abandonment that is love's worst fear.
Title: Under Control
Author/Artist: eloise_bright
Rating: PG-13
Length/Word Count: 1800
Summary: Dean's late home from a party. John waits for him.
Reccer's Comments: I love John in this. It's not a fic that involves hunting but John being a parent.
Title: We Say Grace, We Say Ma'am
Author/Artist: kimonkey7
Rating: PG-13
Length/Word Count: Medium?
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Summary: It’s hard to be idealistic when you’re 19 years old. Even harder when you live in a trailer park. Almost impossible when your dad is John Winchester.
Reccer's Comments: At first glance, it looks like John is just a supporting player in this one. But by the end...just read it.
Title: Meidung
Author/Artist: july_july_july
Rating: R
Length/Word Count: medium
Summary: author's summary: And I know, I know you are changed out. And I hope, I hope you're arranged out. But I'm still asleep, and you woke me up again. And I'm still asleep, but you woke me up to leave. -Sufjan Stevens
Reccer's Comments: This is the companion piece to the equally stunning Rumspringa, written from John's POV. One of the only stories I've ever read that features John and Sam alone together.
Reccer's Comments 2: Companion piece to the brilliant "Rumspringa"...but I love this one even more. Oh, John!
Reccer's Comments 3: Companion piece to Rumspringa
Reccer's Caveats: This should have been longer. With more parts. It's just too awesome to end here.
Title: A Loaded God Complex
Author/Artist: GwendolynGrace
Rating: R
Length/Word Count: 22,000
Warnings/Spoilers: Bad language, action-movie violence/gore
Summary: The demon-worshipping cult that John has been tracking chooses Sam’s Middle School as their target. But John doesn’t know that there’s already another investigator on the case.
Reccer's Comments: If there were a pre-series action movie, this would be it. It's thrilling, it's fun, it has Winchesters being awesome, showing off all that special-ops training we hear about but so rarely see. But it also offers interesting POVs on the family dynamic. It provides a rare angst/schmoop-free portrait of John, both the good and the bad.
Reccer's Caveats: Technically a crossover with (pre-series) Medium, but I didn't notice until I saw that mentioned in the author's notes.
Title: A Life Less Ordinary
Author: marinarusalka
Rating: PG
Length/Word Count: ~4,000
Warnings/Spoilers: Just Season 1.
Summary: Most of the time, John Winchester thinks he does pretty well, considering.
Reccer's Comments: This is a layered, heartfelt study of John that follows his pov through different time periods, from Mary's death to Sam leaving for college. The author does a great job of getting at the complexity and contradictions as well as the warmth.
Title: Freaks and Monsters
Author: dodger-winslow
Rating: R
Word Count: 24,000
Warnings/Spoilers: Language, mature themes (including references to sexual abuse)
Summary: So that was Dean’s thinking on the matter. He figured he was just in it for the sex, but that isn’t exactly the way it ended up turning out, because the first time he kissed her, it totally fucked everything up.
Reccer's Comments: One of the best pre-series John & Dean fics out there. Emotionally intense but worth it.
Reccer's Caveats: Take the warnings seriously, please. Also, some may not consider this entirely gen, given that a good bit of Dean's early focus is on a possible romance--but it never blossoms, and therein lies the tale.
Title: Dazzleland
Author/Artist: big_pink
Rating: PG13
Length/Word Count: 10 chapters, long, printable version available.
Warnings/Spoilers: Spoilers up to and including Croatoan. In the Red ‘verse, but you can read this without reading that. [Also dark themes and content. There may be some het in later chapters, but I don't recall it so if there is, it isn't a big part of the story.]
Summary: “Someone goes over Niagara in a barrel. You gonna jump in and try to save them?” - Dean Winchester, Crossroad Blues. Sam’s making plans, and they don’t include his father or hunting. They might not even include Dean. High school in two time periods.
Reccer's Caveats: big_pink has a darker, grittier take on the characters than many fic writers.
Title: Smoke Damage
Author/Artist: Eloise Bright
Rating: PG-13
Length/Word Count: 2215
Summary: John POV. Dean gets injured on a hunt.
Reccer's Comments: Both John & Dean are perfectly in-character. And they both break my heart.
This week's rec contributors: elrimc, izhilzha, brigid_tanner, sams1ra, riverbella, starrylizard, tanaquific, ambersaigh, faithintheboys, may7fic, july_july_july, ariadnes_string, claudiapriscus, dotfic, caffienekitty, laurie_bug, alphabet26, xyraeliemna, fish_echo, roque_clasique, adrenalineshots, harrigan, and alchemise overflow with an excess of awesomeness that outshines the sun, yea, the sun herself. So say we all.
Help us keep the gen love going! Rec, rec away at the current rec submission post. This week's theme: Free for All.
Current Progress: 40/50
Author/Artist: zannes
Rating: PG for language
Length/Word Count: longish LJ post
Summary: John, Sam, and Dean
Summary: Sam hears a rumor about his dad at school. Is it the end of the world or does Arkansas just have really screwed up content standards? Sam decides to find out.
Reccer's Comments: Love seeing John from Sam's perspective, as well as from the viewpoint of other students. As usual, there's something a little creepy going on that you won't see till the ending.
Reccer's Comments 2: Hilarity ensues when John subs for the Autoshop teacher at the boys' school.
Reccer's Comments 3: Adorable, touching and also super funny. I love Sam's POV as he starts to realise what is going on. And then there are lines like: His father looked…happy. His shirtsleeves were rolled up, he had grease smudged along his forearms and he was whistling. This was the John Winchester Dean told him about, the one Dean saw in the man that Sam called his father. This is one of the few fics I've read where John gets to be a Dad and bond with Sam and I love it!
Title: Deguello
Author/Artist: Oselle
Rating: PG-13
Length/Word Count: Part 1, 4400 words; Part 2, 11,000
Warnings/Spoilers: angst, gore, some language; no spoilers
Summary: John wrestles with his conscience and calling after Dean is hurt for the first time.
Reccer's Comments: A recent entry in the John category, this may be the finest story about John in all his flawed humanity and his obsession and his overwhelming love for his boys that I have ever read. Johns complex motivations ring true and clear, as do young Dean's and Sam's character and relationship with their father. The writing is simple and straightforward, letting the events and characters tell their truths in their words and actions with a minimum of soliloquizing, but still laying the emotions out there for anyone with an eye and a heart to see. Really beautifully done.
Reccer's Comments 2: Spare, lovely prose that really packs a punch. Interesting backstory for John. Awesome John & Dean interactions, running the whole gamut of emotion.
Reccer's Comments 3: This story gets to the secret heart of SPN: where love turns into sacrifice, and the sacrifices made for love are just one step removed from the abandonment that is love's worst fear.
Title: Under Control
Author/Artist: eloise_bright
Rating: PG-13
Length/Word Count: 1800
Summary: Dean's late home from a party. John waits for him.
Reccer's Comments: I love John in this. It's not a fic that involves hunting but John being a parent.
Title: We Say Grace, We Say Ma'am
Author/Artist: kimonkey7
Rating: PG-13
Length/Word Count: Medium?
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Summary: It’s hard to be idealistic when you’re 19 years old. Even harder when you live in a trailer park. Almost impossible when your dad is John Winchester.
Reccer's Comments: At first glance, it looks like John is just a supporting player in this one. But by the end...just read it.
Title: Meidung
Author/Artist: july_july_july
Rating: R
Length/Word Count: medium
Summary: author's summary: And I know, I know you are changed out. And I hope, I hope you're arranged out. But I'm still asleep, and you woke me up again. And I'm still asleep, but you woke me up to leave. -Sufjan Stevens
Reccer's Comments: This is the companion piece to the equally stunning Rumspringa, written from John's POV. One of the only stories I've ever read that features John and Sam alone together.
Reccer's Comments 2: Companion piece to the brilliant "Rumspringa"...but I love this one even more. Oh, John!
Reccer's Comments 3: Companion piece to Rumspringa
Reccer's Caveats: This should have been longer. With more parts. It's just too awesome to end here.
Title: A Loaded God Complex
Author/Artist: GwendolynGrace
Rating: R
Length/Word Count: 22,000
Warnings/Spoilers: Bad language, action-movie violence/gore
Summary: The demon-worshipping cult that John has been tracking chooses Sam’s Middle School as their target. But John doesn’t know that there’s already another investigator on the case.
Reccer's Comments: If there were a pre-series action movie, this would be it. It's thrilling, it's fun, it has Winchesters being awesome, showing off all that special-ops training we hear about but so rarely see. But it also offers interesting POVs on the family dynamic. It provides a rare angst/schmoop-free portrait of John, both the good and the bad.
Reccer's Caveats: Technically a crossover with (pre-series) Medium, but I didn't notice until I saw that mentioned in the author's notes.
Title: A Life Less Ordinary
Author: marinarusalka
Rating: PG
Length/Word Count: ~4,000
Warnings/Spoilers: Just Season 1.
Summary: Most of the time, John Winchester thinks he does pretty well, considering.
Reccer's Comments: This is a layered, heartfelt study of John that follows his pov through different time periods, from Mary's death to Sam leaving for college. The author does a great job of getting at the complexity and contradictions as well as the warmth.
Title: Freaks and Monsters
Author: dodger-winslow
Rating: R
Word Count: 24,000
Warnings/Spoilers: Language, mature themes (including references to sexual abuse)
Summary: So that was Dean’s thinking on the matter. He figured he was just in it for the sex, but that isn’t exactly the way it ended up turning out, because the first time he kissed her, it totally fucked everything up.
Reccer's Comments: One of the best pre-series John & Dean fics out there. Emotionally intense but worth it.
Reccer's Caveats: Take the warnings seriously, please. Also, some may not consider this entirely gen, given that a good bit of Dean's early focus is on a possible romance--but it never blossoms, and therein lies the tale.
Title: Dazzleland
Author/Artist: big_pink
Rating: PG13
Length/Word Count: 10 chapters, long, printable version available.
Warnings/Spoilers: Spoilers up to and including Croatoan. In the Red ‘verse, but you can read this without reading that. [Also dark themes and content. There may be some het in later chapters, but I don't recall it so if there is, it isn't a big part of the story.]
Summary: “Someone goes over Niagara in a barrel. You gonna jump in and try to save them?” - Dean Winchester, Crossroad Blues. Sam’s making plans, and they don’t include his father or hunting. They might not even include Dean. High school in two time periods.
Reccer's Caveats: big_pink has a darker, grittier take on the characters than many fic writers.
Title: Smoke Damage
Author/Artist: Eloise Bright
Rating: PG-13
Length/Word Count: 2215
Summary: John POV. Dean gets injured on a hunt.
Reccer's Comments: Both John & Dean are perfectly in-character. And they both break my heart.
This week's rec contributors: elrimc, izhilzha, brigid_tanner, sams1ra, riverbella, starrylizard, tanaquific, ambersaigh, faithintheboys, may7fic, july_july_july, ariadnes_string, claudiapriscus, dotfic, caffienekitty, laurie_bug, alphabet26, xyraeliemna, fish_echo, roque_clasique, adrenalineshots, harrigan, and alchemise overflow with an excess of awesomeness that outshines the sun, yea, the sun herself. So say we all.
Help us keep the gen love going! Rec, rec away at the current rec submission post. This week's theme: Free for All.
Current Progress: 40/50