Fic: A Normal Life (Supernatural)

[rirren]

Title: A Normal Life
Author: rirren
Fandom: Supernatural
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Sam, Tyson Brady
Pairing: None
Word Count: ~5,500
Content Notes: PTSD, flashbacks, dissociation/catatonia
Genre: hurt/comfort, friendship, pre-series
Summary: Sam is doing his best to make a life for himself in Stanford, but almost two decades of the Winchester lifestyle

Comments

[reggie11]

God, I felt for Sam in this. Nothing comes easy for him and he never fits in anywhere properly. He never fit in with the hunting life and he never really fit in with normal either because he never had it, and when it was there he couldn't deal with it. Loved how you tied in everything with Brady. No wonder Azazel chose him for possession and to be the one to betray Sam, he really was Sam's friend which makes it so much harder to know what's coming. Nicely done!

[rirren]

Thank you!
I really enjoyed writing Brady in this. I don't think I've seen a story with him as a prominent character before he was possessed, but I figured he had to have been a really important person in Sam's life. I got quite attached to him and was kinda upset when I got to the end and realised that Brady was gonna eventually be possessed and Sam would lose his friend.
Yeah, it is really sad for Sam. He wanted to get out of hunting and have a normal life but he didn't really didn't have a chance, not with his destiny :(

[ever_dimming]

Oh, I got so very excited when I saw the fill -- thank you! Thank you! I've been having a really hard time, and this really made my day.
Sam is so achingly loveable here, and it's so heartbreaking to see him fight the way he does, and how the more he tries to achieve a sense of calm and normalcy, the more he feels them slipping out of his grasp.
I love how young he feels here, too; there are layers to Sam's older character in Show that can easily bleed into early narratives, but you've kept his POV very authentic, I think. Just the way I would imagine an 18 year old Sam, determined to start a new life and yet so ill equipped after the things he's seen and having absolutely no sense of stability.
I also liked so much the way you captured his hyper-vigilance, which can be so overwhelming and exhausting it leaves one drained -- and the part where he dissociates, man, that just tore my heart out.
Very well done, a great fic. Thanks so much! Yay!!!

[rirren]

Ahh, I'm so happy you like it! I saw on your LJ you'd been having a rough time recently so I was hoping it would cheer you up :)
I'm glad the PTSD symptoms came off okay. I did a whole bunch of research for this fic and drew on my own awkward experiences at university. Also glad you thought his POV felt authentically for his age. I think Sam's character changes a lot throughout the seasons, even between the first ever episode of Supernatural and the second you can see big changes.
And I really felt for Sam too. He's really struggling to be normal but he has absolutely no experience with it. It's nice that he eventually finds a group of friends and a really good friend but the ending feels quite bittersweet to me when I think of what is coming soon with Brady's possession.
Thank you so much for your lovely comment! :D

Story

[anonymous]

I love this...of course Sam would be screwed up. Terrific chapter.

Re: Story

[rirren]

Thank you! Yes, even though Sam in episode 1x01 seemed very well-adjusted I imagine it must have been quite a journey to get there. Glad you liked it :)

[sylvia_locust]

This was a wonderful--and very plausible--look into Sam adjusting to his normal life. It makes complete sense that once he's not actually in danger, he would suffer from this type of ptsd. (And how nice to see unpossessed Brady!)

[rirren]

Thank you! Really glad you found it plausible, I tried really hard to make it realistic. And Brady was awesome, I surprised myself with how much I liked him by the time I got to the end. It would be nice to see more unpossessed Brady, but I guess you have to pretty much make up of all his characterisation, like I did. Thanks again!

[nagi_schwarz]

It really is a wonder Sam managed to fit in so well at Stanford, although he and Dean both learned the art of blending in and going unnoticed. I think you did a great job with showing how hard it must have been for Sam at first, and how much his childhood took a toll on him. When he and Dean are out and about on the hunt, the hypervigilance that comes as an effect of PTSD is useful, so no one realizes how damaging it can be, but the truth of it is, Sam's childhood was a horror story in many ways, and I think Sam being Sam in canon would gloss over it a lot.

[rirren]

Thank you so much for the insightful review! :)
Yeah, I noticed in the episodes with young Sam how, although he appeared mostly normal, he seemed slightly out of step with the rest of the world, so I think it would have been difficult for him to adjust to normal college life. And they didn't show any of it on the show but I think PTSD must have caught up to both of them in their respective years not hunting (Dean in the year after Sam jumped in the Cage and Sam in the year Dean was in Purgatory).