rec search #4: Dean & John fic recs (mostly gen, + some Dean/John, Dean/OMC, etc.)
Rec Search Results:
Dean and John recs
The 411 on Rec Searches:
For fun, a mod will occasionally put together one of these rec searches. (You can still make your own rec post at any time, fyi.) Rec search info and a rec search masterlist can be found HERE, and you can leave any suggestions for types of rec searches you would like to see there.
These recs were compiled from our last rec search. The theme was Dean and John's relationship.
If you have any other similarly themed recs, (or self-recs), please leave them in the comments to this post so that others can check them out.
Anyway, this is an awesomely massive rec post, featuring various versions of John Winchester. I hope there’s something for everyone! ♥
Title: you used to be, are you still the same
Author: acidquill
Tags: blood-loss, child abuse, childhood trauma, drugs (medical), daddy issues, injury, nausea/vomiting, psychological trauma, secrets, sexual assault/abuse (non/dub-con), supernatural trauma
Characters: Sam, Dean, monster
Genre/pairing: Dean/John (referenced)
Rating: R
Word-count: 2,361
Warnings: Allusions to parental incest, dub/non-con, more cussing than usual.
Summary: You know those Papa Winchester fics I've written, where he's just a father, trying his best?
Reccer’s comments: Sometimes demons lie. And sometimes they don’t. Disturbing and engaging, with a good dose of protective!Sam.
Title: Fire In the Hole
Author: big_pink
Tags: pain (emotional), psychological issues, permanent injury
Genre/pairing: pre-series gen
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Loads of violence and swearing; whiff of sexual content.
Summary: After Sam leaves for Stanford, Dean falls hard and John doesn’t catch him. Their long bloody year comes to an abrupt end in the silver mining district of western Nevada, where both father and son must face their worst fears.
Reccer’s comments: I absolutely cannot rec big_pink's stuff enough. I get so emotionally wound into her stories that I literally have to walk away from my computer for a while before reading any more. Brilliant, her words are beautiful, and she hurts Dean like no other. And then when you're done, go tackle the rest of her (also wonderfully long) fic!
Title: Sabbatical (March 1996)
Author: borgmama1of5
Tags: hospitalization, paralysis, suicidal ideation
Characters: John, Dean, Sam
Genre/pairing: pre-series gen, h/c, teenchesters
Rating: PG-13
Word-count: 11,200
Summary: A hunt gone bad, and John is faced with an untenable situation.
Reccer’s comments: A hunt gone bad leaves 17-year-old Dean severely hurt and John facing the unfaceable. This is told sparingly and rivetting and includes spot-perfect characterizations of Dean, John and Sam. [For those who care, like me, it's canon-compliant, so no permanent injuries.]
Title: Blue For Water
Author: cole_chan @ gins_lair
Tags: drowning/near-drowning, delirium
Characters: Dean and John
Genre/pairing: pre-series gen
Rating: PG for language
Summary: Dean reminisces on water, hoping it’ll take his mind off of drowning in it.
Reccer’s comments: Sweet fic with an awesome John and a slightly delirious Dean.
Title: The Night Country
Author: destina
Tags: injury, sexual abuse/assault (non-con), psychological trauma, supernatural trauma, "Devil's Trap"
Characters: Dean, Sam, John, YED, Bobby
Genre/pairing: gen, adult themes (Please read warnings for more info.)
Rating: R
Word-count: 17,751 words
Spoilers: AU beginning during Devil’s Trap
Warnings: Available at fic post due to fic spoilers.
Summary: When the demon exacts revenge on the Winchesters, Dean and Sam deal with the aftermath.
Reccer’s comments: I feel like this is a well-known fic, a bit of a classic - and that’s with good reason, so you should read this if you haven’t already! It’s a wonderfully crafted AU that deals with the subject matter thoughtfully and respectfully. An upsetting, but ultimately hopeful read.
John isn’t actually present for many parts of this fic, but it totally belongs here. So good!
Title: Open Your Eyes
Author: dodger_winslow
Tags: blood-loss, fainting/collapse, pain
Characters: Dean, John, Bobby
Genre/pairing: pre-series gen, h/c
Rating: PG-13 for language
Word-count: 8,500
Summary: "I uh … I think I’m hit, Dad," Dean managed a little shakily. John stopped what he was doing. He came over, knelt down; all business, no emotion, when he asked, "Where?" Dean looked at him, blinked again to stay focused. "I’m a … not … not really sure." He held out the bloody hand, saying, "I’m … I’m bleeding, though. So I guess that … I think … maybe … I think I must be hit."
Reccer #1 says: Oldie but a goodie. Deliciously long, wonderfully detailed, excellent dialogue.
Reccer #2 says: I just wanted to second the rec. Excellent fic!
Title: Look beneath the floorboards (for the secrets I have hid)
Author: ebolacrisis
Tags: childhood trauma, child abuse, concussion/head trauma, daddy issues, psychological issues, psychological trauma, sexual assault/abuse (non/dub-con), secrets, hugs (between Dean and Sam)
Characters: Dean, Sam, John
Genre/pairing: John/Dean, Dean/OFC
Rating: R
Spoilers: General season two
Warnings: Incest, angst, dub/non-con, underage
Summary: There was one memory from his childhood that Dean often fell back on, looked over in secret, like his dad did with photos of his mother.
Reccer’s comments: ebolacrisis writes darker, more damaged Winchesters than we see onscreen, or that I personally go for as a general rule, but I love her writing style. It’s wonderful and wonderfully original.
Title: In Nomine Patris
Author: fleshflutter
Tags: daddy issues, psychological issues
Characters: Dean, Sam, Bobby
Genre/pairing: Dean/Bobby, Dean/OMCs
Rating: NC-17
Word-count: 12,724 words
Warnings: tiny warning for very mild dub-con
Summary: Dean has issues and Bobby's caught smack-bang in the middle of them.
Reccer’s comments: Don’t let the pairing scare you away! I’m SO glad I didn’t. This features an interesting, heartbreaking take on Dean’s character in relation to his father. Dean is deeply screwed up, Bobby is amazingly characterized, and Sam is awesome. And John may not be present, but he’s every bit a main character in this fic.
Title: Wearing and Tearing
Author: gaelicspirit
Tags: drowning/near drowning, smoke inhalation, burns, and more.
Characters: Dean, John
Genre/pairing: pre-series gen
Rating: PG-13 for language and mature themes
Summary: With Sam at school, John and Dean must find a way to connect and survive. When John is hurt on a hunt, Dean is forced to pick up the pieces. However, when ghosts threaten to take Dean down, it's up to his father to keep him from fading.
Reccer #1 says: John and Dean work a hunt after Sam has gone off to Stanford. I love everything gaelicspirit writes. This one is a real treat because we get to see John and Dean interact a lot more than we do in any of her other stories.
Reccer #2 says: Seconded. Excellent rec!
Title: Robbing Peter
Author: ginzai
Tags: childhood trauma, crying!Dean, hugs, sexual assault/abuse (non-con), prostitution, psychological issues
Characters: John, Dean, Sam, Bobby
Genre/pairing: pre-series gen, hurt/comfort
Rating: R (rated by reccer)
Word-count: 5750
Warnings: Contains explicit foul language and references to violence, sexual violence, and prostitution. Also hurt!Dean, which is sadly kind of a given in my stories. Slight AU in that John here found out about Adam years before he did in canon.
Summary: John's attempt to catch a few stolen moments of peace wind up costing him far more than he can bear.
Reccer’s comments: This is very, very good. It expertly highlights both the best and worst traits of Johns, and I love it.
Title: Nicnivin
Author: henchgirl
Tags: dehydration, kidnapping, psychological issues, supernatural illness, supernatural injury/trauma, torture
Characters: Dean, Sam, Bobby, John
Genre/pairing: pre-series gen
Rating: PG-13 for language.
Warnings: Gratuitous Dean whumpage.
Summary: Be careful what you wish for.
Reccer’s comments: Dean has a run-in with the Fae, and gets offered a deal. Less comfort, more hurt.
Title: After the Flood
Author: i_speak_tongue
Tags: broken bone/fracture, psychological issues, psychological trauma, repressed memories, PTSD?
Characters: Dean and John
Genre/pairing: pre-series gen, h/c
Rating: PG-13 for swearing
Word-count: 1065
Reccer’s comments: Great writing, vivid images and a devastating feel to this makes it an awesome read. One-shot.
Title: Epiphany
Author: janissa11
Tags: childhood trauma, drugged, pretty!Dean, kidnapping, psychological trauma, sexual assault/abuse (non-con)
Characters: Dean, John, Sam, OCs
Genre/pairing: gen with Dean/OMC, pre-series
Rating: R
Word-count: 4,278 words
Warnings: non-con, child abuse
Summary: He will spend a lot of hours, later, coming up with reasons why he didn’t notice.
Reccer’s comments: This features a horrifying scenario, all too believable, with a layered, just fantastic John POV. A hard-hitting fic.
Title: Rumspringa
Author: july_july_july
Tags: broken bone/fracture, cold, daddy issues, injury
Characters: Dean, John, Sam
Genre/pairing: pre-series gen
Rating: R
Warnings: Minors in jeopardy.
Summary: In October of 1995, Dean walked out of an apartment building in Tampa with the clothes on his back and a semi-automatic. Then he walked off the reservation.
Reccer’s comments: I'm sure everyone and their mother has read this, but just in case. I like how this fic proves that just because Dean is hurt doesn't mean he isn't a badass, too.
Title: ...And It Went Right to My Head
Author: kimonkey7
Tags: crying!Dean, daddy issues, grief, hugs/cuddling, substance abuse (alcohol), intoxication/altered state
Characters: Dean, Sam
Genre/pairing: Gen
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Season 2
Summary: Dean tries to quench his thirst.
Reccer’s comments: John is dead, and Dean misses him fiercely. The absolutely most tearjerking, saddest and bestest fic about grief I ever read.
Title: Armistice
Author: may7fic
Tags: concussion/head trauma, crying!Dean
Characters: John and Dean
Genre/pairing: pre-series gen
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Language
Summary: Pre-series. A hunt gone terribly wrong prompts John's first trip to Stanford. Dean's hurt and hurting, father and son angst ensues.
Reccer’s comments: This is just cute. Dean's so concussed he cries and John is so out of his elements that he finally relents and agrees to visit Sam. One of the first fanfics I read, and still a gem.
Title: Family, Faith & Certitude
Author: may7fic
Tags: concussion/head trauma, blood-loss, shock, Dean's deal
Characters: Bobby Singer, Dean, Sam & John Winchester
Genre/pairing: gen
Rating: PG-13
Word-count: approx. 12,000
Spoilers: Minor, none beyond 2.22
Summary: Bobby POV. Dean gets whumped, Sammy gets protective, John gets bad-ass and Bobby gets a shot at setting something right. Hurt/comfort, angst in spades. 7 smallish size chapters in total.
Reccer’s comments: John and Dean's relationship from the perspective of Bobby Singer! the author does an incredible job of portraying a loving, concerned (and secretly panicked out of his mind) father right along side a bad-ass mofo ex-Marine. This is actually a two for the price of one story, which I was pleasantly reminded of when I re-read it. And while John isn't really there for the last couple chapters, he's still very much there in spirit. Wonderful, heart-wrenching characterizations of John and Dean. Excellent prose. And awesome season two/three insights into Dean's poor, confused mind.
Title: Cliffhanger
Author: Merisha
Tags: blood-loss, injury
Characters: Dean, John, Sam
Genre/pairing: pre-series gen, h/c
Rating: PG-13
Word-count: 36736
Warnings: graphic violence
Summary: When a hunt goes completely wrong, a distraught John has to come to the rescue of his boys.
Reccer #1 says: This is one of the earliest SPN fanfics I've read when I first started watching SPN, and I still can't get it out of my head. It's pre-series, Dean is around 22 and Sam is around17-18 before he headed to Stanford. It features hurt!Dean and hurt!Sam, and a distraught father (John) who's forced to make a choice between his sons at one point.
Reccer #2 says: THAT ONE!!! THAT ONE!!! I was gonna rec it too... I just love that fic.
Title: The Long Narrow Rope
Author: pdragon76
Tags: concussion/head trauma, hearing-loss/deafness, injury
Characters: John, Dean, Sam
Genre/pairing: pre-series gen
Rating: PG-13 (sailor-mouths, tornadoes, horny toads)
Word-count:
Spoilers: Pre-series, circa summer 1997
Summary: It’s been said that roots and wings are the only two lasting bequests you can give your kids, but sometimes all you’ve got is guns and how to use ‘em.
Reccer #1 says: It's about a hunt, a tornado and hurt Dean and sick Sammy. And it's by pdragon, which in itself is recommendation enough, I'd say. It deals with so many issues that would haunt not only Dean and Sam, but also John.
Reccer #2 says: I was going to say "The Long Narrow Rope" too! I don't like fic with John in it in general, but that one rocks.
Title: Tiger Boy
Author: pdragon76
Tags: injury
Characters: John and Dean
Genre/pairing: pre-series gen
Rating: PG-13 (usual sailor-mouth shenanigans)
Summary: We follow where the bent stalks lead.
Reccer’s comments: I'm not a fan of John's, so if I rec fic about him or from his POV? It has to be really good. And this is. I love how well John knows his son, knows that he'd never admit to being hurt on his own, and that he knows how to get to him. Not exactly textbook parenting, sure, but it gets the job done.
Title: Objects in the Rearview Mirror
Author: purple_carpets
Tags: childhood trauma, child abuse, daddy issues, drugs (medical), fainting/collapse, fever, flu, hallucinations, physical abuse, secrets, substance abuse (alcohol)
Characters: Dean, John
Genre/pairing: gen
Rating: PG-13
Word-count:
Warnings: Rated for language and possibly real, possibly completely imagined child abuse.
Summary: Dean is down with the fever from hell and lets something slip he never meant for John to find out.
Reccer’s comments: I love how open-ended this is. Really thoughtfully written, and definitely thought-provoking to read.
Title: Before Dawn
Author: rosekay
Tags: injury, blood-loss, captivity, kidnapping, restraints/ropes/handcuffs, psychological trauma
Characters: John, Dean
Genre/pairing: gen, h/c
Rating: PG-13
Word-count: 1,200 words
Warnings: minor language, angst, violence
Summary: John is almost too late.
Reccer’s comments: A beautiful, melancholy yet comforting little snapshot of John looking out for Dean while Sam’s at Stanford.
Title: Golem
Author: sandymg
Tags: abandonment issues, amnesia/memory loss
Characters: Dean, John, Sam, a creature
Genre/pairing: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Hurt!Dean, Preseries
Rating: Unrated
Word-count: 26,000 in 9 chapters
Spoilers: Through late Season 4. References Scarecrow S01x11 and Jump the Shark S04x19
Summary: Dad's in Minnesota keeping secrets, Dean's picked up a solo hunt, and Sam ... where is Sam?
Reccer #1 says: John is up in Minnesota on his own mission while Dean, still reeling from Sam leaving for Stanford, is left on his own hunt. Very unique and scary monster!
Reccer #2 says: This was the first one that came to my mind too. Excellent fic.
Title: Three Blocks of Tonal Disbelief
Author: smilla02
Tags: Idk. Awesomeness?
Characters: Dean, John (Sam)
Genre/pairing: pre-series gen
Rating: PG-13
Word-count: 6,700 words
Summary: When Dean breathes in, the tip flares red and warms his fingers. The smoke has a chemical taste that coats the walls of his mouth; he lets it trail down his throat slowly, imagines it stretching like a rope straight to his lungs.
Reccer’s comments: This is gorgeously written, dreamlike and creepy like the best ghost stories are. The interactions between John and Dean are powerful in their subtlety.
Title: Familiar Admonishments
Author: teand
Tags: childhood trauma, child abuse, daddy issues, psychological trauma, sexual assault/abuse (non/dub-con)
Characters: Dean, John, Sam
Genre/pairing: Dean/John
Rating: R? (rated by reccer)
Spoilers: small spoiler for Devil's Trap
Warnings: -15 yr old Dean/John
-adult content
-consensual with the qualifier that this situation is never consensual
-this is not my default John Winchester, it's a John Winchester
Reccer’s comments: This isn’t the author’s default version of John Winchester, or mine, but I think this fic is totally brilliant. It doesn’t pull any punches or shy away from the realities of this kind of situation, and is as interesting psychologically as it is devastating.
Title: Cross-country
Author: zillah_fic
Tags: childhood trauma, psychological trauma
Characters: Dean, John
Genre/pairing: No pairing, no sex.
Rating: hard R for violence
Warnings: Story spoilers in the warnings, but should be read if you are triggered.
Summary: On their way back from a hunt, John and Dean discover worse things in the woods than a vengeful spirit.
Reccer’s comments: This is actually a hurt!John fic but Dean is such a pivotal character in it - and his actions are so traumatic that you may want to include it? (Mod note: Totally! ;) ) A really riveting, cleanly written, brutally vivid fic that resonates with emotion. One of the very few stories out of hundreds that I've read that really stayed with me.
Rec contributers for this post include: borgmama1of5, wynefred, caithream, tattyana, jennierenee, xwacky, lizard971, sandymg, marlowe78, mad_server, geckoholic, twasadark, i_speak_tongue, and myself, maypoles. THANK-YOU to everyone involved.
➽ This post was compiled by maypoles and is posted under this account for organizational purposes.