newsletter # 8

[harrigan]

Welcome to the spn_littlebro newsletter #8 for late September 2011!






Woot! So may reasons to celebrate this time!

✓ We exceeded our goal of 500 recs in our Archive of Hurt on delicious! \o/ Thank you all so much for your help! As always, recs (old works or new ones - as long as they feature ★ hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared ★) are still welcome in any of our themes at any time. Self-recs, too! Just remember if it's a fic, it needs to be completed, not friend-locked, and over 1K.

✓ We introduced the new Visual theme - thanks for your recs on art and music videos featuring hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared. Keep 'em coming!

✓ SPN season 6 was released on DVD in the US and Canada! With retailer bonuses available while supplies last, according to all_spn here.

✓ And finally!!!! New episodes starting Friday September 23 2011! Be still my heart! (Meanwhile, the newsletter may drop to once a month while we're wallowing in season 7!)

Fevered Ramblings:

In other news, 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 has two entirely different fics from two recent challenges to celebrate! She mostly looks for SPN gen, but when a good writer offers a J2AU, esp. when there's some hurt!Jared featured, well - that's a different story! For the recent spn_meanttobe challenge, dugindeep (who always delivers on sports-themed AU's!) shares Broken Bone with us. Jensen Ackles is a physical therapist who couldn't give less of a crap when he's assigned to help Chicago's hottest basketball player recover from a wrecked knee. As an NBA All Star, Jared Padalecki's crass and smug as all hell, but he's also persistent and committed to this thing they've got going on. harrigan says, "Haven't we all wanted to read fic where Jensen is a physical therapist who needs to get his hands on Jared? I thought so! And this is 36K words of satisfaction!" RPS J2AU NC-17
• harrigan is also trying to find time to enjoy so many spn_gen_bigbang fics out this summer - fics and art!! A fantastic pre-series hurt!Sam wallow is Country of the Heart by the prolific ratherastory. Over 20K, with awesome art by naisica. The summary says: After being hospitalized for meningitis, fifteen-year-old Sam finds himself put in a foster home while John is investigated for suspected abuse. Against all of Sam's expectations, his foster family turns out to be a caring couple with the kind of home Sam only ever saw from the outside while he was growing up, making him feel even more conflicted about the kind of life his own family leads. To make matters worse, John leaves town to go on a routine hunt in spite of his upcoming custody hearing, prompting Sam to wonder if his own father and brother might be relieved to have him -and his constant demands for normalcy- out of the picture. When his father goes missing, followed by Dean when he goes after him, Sam quickly discovers that they need him just as much as he needs them, and sets out to bring his family back together again, for good. harrigan says, "It's a great coming-of-age journey for Sam. We see John and Dean through Sam's eyes, and the author is insightful and deft in her characterizations. She did a masterful job of juggling all aspects of Sam - the boy who longs for a normal life, the hunter-in-training who plans and is determined and capable, the son who worries that maybe his dad finds him a burden, the kid brother who thinks his big brother can fix anything, the young man who has to learn to take care of things himself... Not to be missed!"
• vail_kagami has also found some hurt!Sam gems from the spn_gen_bigbang to celebrate. First, she recs No Place to Grow Old by greeneyes-fan, "which has Sam going through the early days after the fire not only struggling with his grief for Jess and the mystery of his missing father but also with a chronic illness. The fic deals with the resulting problems in regard to the hunting life very realistically, has Dean be the great big brother he ought to be and gives us some very interesting and well thought-through cases on top of everything else." It's SPN gen, about 15K.
• The other story vail_kagami is excited to share is The Art of Pulling Pie from Thin Air by poetartist. Our reccer says, "It's hard putting this one into words. Sam has rewitten the future by making a deal with a god just after arriving at Stanford, and now he's insanely powerful and nearly immortal but too afraid to confront his brother and father. The fic describes his journey on the run and the people he meets in beautiful detail and has one of the most awesome Deans ever. Also, there's pie." This is 20-30K, SPN gen.


• cherry916 has a WIP to squee about: Say a Prayer and Close Your Eyes by annie46. It's J2AU, NC17, ER Doctor Jensen Ackles thinks he is having a quiet night, until he meets Jared; a young man who has obviously suffered abuse and pain. Can Jensen help him?. There's mental illness, physical and emotional abuse, a car accident, and cherry916 recs it is because "The hurt Jared suffers in this is so heartbreaking and real and Jensen just wants to try and make things better for Jared and maybe be something more than a friend."
• There's never enough fictional hurt!Jared, cherry916 reminds us. So she also has a fic and sequel to recommend this time. Dark Love and the sequel Love in Dark are by fatebegins. The summary for the first is: Jared went undercover in the Ackles organization and fell for the top boss, Jensen. When they finally came to arrest Jensen, Jared's just found out he was pregnant but of course he can't turn on his department. However, as it often goes with mobsters, Jensen is let free on a technicality. What happens when he catches up to a pregnant Jared who betrayed him? In the sequel, Jared is married to sociopath mob boss Jensen, but still struggles to keep his moral footing. While trying to remember right from wrong a new enemy arrives in town forcing Jared to re-evaluate the way he lives his life. cherry916 warns that the first one is "a very dark and woeful tale that will have you wanting to cover your eyes but still read it! This isn't short of any dark moments and mob!Jensen in this is really chilling and homicidal." Of the sequel, she says, "Compared to the first fic this one is a ring of light, and I love how well she can transition from so dark to so lighthearted. But don't be fooled this story is also filled with dark moments as well." NC17 - heed the warnings.



• One of the things that sets SPN apart from most shows is how peripatetic it is. Urban legends and local mythologies are explored from all corners of the world. Check out these two challenges: 50states-spn and worldwide-spn to find out how you can create and share hurt!Sam fanworks that celebrate your neck of the woods! vail_kagami says of the latter, "If you ever felt like hurting Sam on foreign ground or having him mauled by a foreign monster, this it the place to do it!"

Featured Fic Recs:

• harrigan was recently wallowing in the new ratherastory_fic delicious account and couldn't resist re-reading the remarkably endearing story Take Me Home. ratherastory's summary reads: The Trickster decides to have some fun with Sam. Wackiness ensues, with a healthy helping of whump, because it's me and I can't leave the boys intact. And just what is it the author Trickster does? Turns Sam into Lassie! harrigan says: "I know, it sounds like total crack. And it definitely has its moments. But one thing I ♥ more than almost any kind of h/c is when the hurt!character struggles to persevere and keep going and risks more pain and suffering and sacrifice because of a sense of responsibility or love. And that's what this is -- 50K+ words of Sam battling all sorts of ingenious whumpage to get back to Dean. Who, I'm happy to report, doesn't escape unscathed either!"


• cherry916 has some favorites that aren't on LJ or AO3 or ff.net... like this one on the SamDean slash archive. The story is called The Dangers of Bullying by Jassy: It's a very bad idea to mess with little Sammy Winchester. It's SPN gen, and cherry916 likes it because "Just like the summary said, it's a very bad idea to mess with Sammy (bullying and punching) - especially when his older, protective brother is on the prowl and watching. I really like her narrative POV in this; it really helps tell a story."

Other Media:

• art: vail_kagami hopes you have all seen the spectacular art created by quickreaver for the spn_gen_bigbang challenge this summer. Check out her Look Back in Anger art - our reccer says the artist is "well known for being one of the best artists this fandom has to offer and I was incredibly lucky to get her. Since they were done for my fic, it's understandable that I adore these pictures especially, but I think every Sam fan will. Here he's run down, asleep/unconscious, cuddled between Dean and Cas and incredibly well drawn. Also featuring: the amulet and a fantastically composed banner in the style of old movie posters. What's not to love?"
• music videos: Reconciled by loud82 on YouTube is enthusiastically rec'd by ash48, who says it's an "absolutely gorgeous vid examining Sam's relationship to John. *sniff* Short (58 sec), but oh so powerful."
• audiobook/podfic: ash48 has a long fic to wallow in this issue: In Harm's Way by gatorgrrrl. It's a J2AU, NC17 action/adventure with kidnapping, shooting, threats and angst. Summary: Jared Padalecki is living a quiet life in San Antonio until one day he is snatched off the street by two men. The adventure starts there.... ash48 says " I did not want this podfic to end! It had me engrossed the entire time - all 85,000 words of it. The plot is fabulous, the dynamic between the boys is fantastic. Throw in some hurt!Jared and some protective!Jensen and you've got one enjoyable story." The links to the audio versions are here and Ash says that the reader weimar27 "has an engaging quality that I found myself falling into."
• eBooks, etc.: harrigan likes The EBook Library for "fanfiction on the run". A new entry is for the moving story from the 2010 spn_reversebang: A Bright and Golden Streak of Land written by gretazreta for the wonderful art by bflyw. It's J2AU, about 15K words long, rated PG-13. Jared has an accident, head injury, nearly drowns, but harrigan says, "I'll be honest, Jensen is the more psychologically broken character here. I think there are lots of readers who enjoy both hurt!Sam-or-Jared and hurt!Dean-or-Jensen (I'm one!), and a story this beautifully written deserves to be read! The author has an amazing touch. Everything feels flawless - her prose, her characterizations, her setting and plot. These are original characters, played by Jared and Jensen, and she really makes your heart ache for them and want to see them healed and together." The various download formats are all available here.

What Else? Got your favorites bookmarked on delicious yourself? See this post for details on making sure you accept their terms and privacy policy so those links won't be lost!

Tips for using spn_littlebro: We ♥ ♥ ♥ your recs! Thank you - and keep them coming! But... now that we have over \0/ 500 \0/ recs on our shelves (thank you!), you might want to check and see if someone else has already rec'd the fanwork you're excited about, before you invest the time to fill out our template.

How do you check first? Just go to our Archive of Hurt on delicious and find the tag bundles on the right. Authors can be found by the first letter of their posting name. For example, if you wanted to see if a fic by faye_dartmouth was already rec'd, click on the little arrow that points to authors=F-H. Scroll down till you find w=fayedartmouth and click on her name. All 16 of her rec'd stories will be returned to you (not in alphabetical order but in the chronological order they were rec'd). Just skim the list to see if the story you want to rec is already there yet or not. If not - please do comment to the appropriate theme post! We'd love to add another!