newsletter # 18 (July 2012)
Welcome to the spn_littlebro newsletter #18 for July 2012!
\o/ Season 8 Supernatural premieres Wednesday October 3rd! \o/
In other news, we hope everyone has noticed that July has been declared ★ Self-Rec ★ month at spn_littlebro. We're serious about wanting these: see our post here for details. Of course, you can rec stuff by others, too! And you know, if you don't have an LJ account, you can log in with your Facebook, Twitter, Google ID or OpenID to comment at spn_littlebro to leave recs. We started the month with a total of 668 hurt!Sam and hurt!Jared entries in our Library of Hurt. Let's see how many more we can get by the end of this month!
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?
Featured Fic Recs:
Other Media:
What Else?
Don't forget, if you select a link to something rec'd in spn_littlebro and it's been deleted or is now friends only, let us know! Here's the place to do that!
And stay tuned for another special announcement from spn_littlebro the beginning of August!
\o/ Season 8 Supernatural premieres Wednesday October 3rd! \o/
In other news, we hope everyone has noticed that July has been declared ★ Self-Rec ★ month at spn_littlebro. We're serious about wanting these: see our post here for details. Of course, you can rec stuff by others, too! And you know, if you don't have an LJ account, you can log in with your Facebook, Twitter, Google ID or OpenID to comment at spn_littlebro to leave recs. We started the month with a total of 668 hurt!Sam and hurt!Jared entries in our Library of Hurt. Let's see how many more we can get by the end of this month!
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?
- harrigan has discovered three *long* bigbang treats for hiatus.
- Fear Death by Water by st-salieri (with art and an amazing trailer by eyestoowide). SPN gen with this summary: Dean and Sam take a break from their search for the Leviathans to investigate a series of deaths in a small town in New Mexico. A confrontation with the killer leaves Dean blinded. He must find a way to cope with the aftermath and deal with the extra "gift" he has been given, a gift that threatens to expose Sam's worst fears. Spoilers up through episode 7.10. harrigan says "What I most long for, always, in SPN fic is a casefic with a cool MOTW, but where the boys get hurt and have to deal with the consequences of the injury and *that* illuminates something about the characters that the reader or the characters themselves maybe didn't understand quite so deeply before, and it nudges them to a new subtle milestone on the journey that is their lives together and relationship with each other. Needless to say, this was everything I love! The author's character POV was awesome, and I loved wallowing in the nightmares of hell that they each must be enduring, and the way that was presented was another kink of mine - one witnessing what the other would not wish shared. Best of all, her prose was beautiful--vivid, full of gorgeous phrases I wanted to highlight and say 'yes!' to, poignant enough to spark a tear or two."
- Another from the 2012 spn_j2_bigbang is The Iron Tongue of Midnight by zara-zee. It's SPN AU in which the boys are not brothers; Sam/Dean, NC17. Summary excerpt: Eighteen-year-old Sam Remington used to be a street hustler. Now, thanks to his high IQ and his determination to earn himself a safe, normal life, he’s a scholarship student at Stanford University. A case takes Dean Winchester and his father to Palo Alto where they quickly realize that they’re dealing with Faeries-the dangerous, Wild Hunt sort, not the Disney sort. When Dean is forced to make a deal with the Faerie King, and fate pushes Sam into his path, the destinies of the two young men are changed forever. harrigan says, "For someone not generally a fan of SPN AU, or Sam/Dean... this blew me away. For Sam h/c fans, you'll be riveted by what he's had to endure and his strength of character in surviving and looking forward. For all that I admire Sam for his attempts to start a new life, I don't think he really had a vision of a future he belonged in, until he met Dean. It's very much a story of the two of them coming together. The author has done a brilliant job of weaving canon (with very true-to-the show characterizations) and a carefully constructed mythology into a fascinating and compelling AU."
- Her third rec is from the 2012 werewolfbigbang, What Is Always and Everywhere by portraitofafool. It's an R-rated apocalyptic AU, with this summary: One cold night in Michigan, Sam went for a walk and met something else on his way. Two years later, he had finally learned to cope and Dean was actually dealing with things pretty well. Then the sky fell on Ash Wednesday and left them separated by thousands of miles. These days, Sam is a freak amongst freaks and surviving the best he can as a latter day gladiator. Every time he steps into the arena, he doesn't know if he will live to see the next fight. As for Dean, he’s still out there and trying to make it back to his brother in one piece, which is sometimes a lot harder than he’d like it to be. It’s a long walk; so long sometimes that he doesn’t know if he’s walking to Hell or New Orleans. harrigan says "I love a well-executed post-apocalyptic nightmare with exquisite world-building, engaging original characters, life-threatening danger, and threaded through it all, the boys cling to their memories of each other, the chances they'd had and lost... meep! (Also, I feel it's fairly safe for the primarily-gen readers among us to enjoy.)"
- cherry916 is rec'ing an SPN gen fic this month--the newly completed and over 20K Age of Heroes by skag_trendy on ff.net. Summary: Dean sometimes wishes Sam's heart wasn't so damn big. Set Season 1, just after Hell House. cherry916 says it features gunshot, hospitalization and it's the age old 'Sam get's into so much trouble' story. This is set in Season 1, and Sam can't even go out to the store without stumbling upon some trouble. It's another awesome fic from this popular author and she adds in some new side characters that add so much to the current story.
- winchesterhaunt has an NC17 Sam/Dean rec for post-hell hurt!Sam readers this month: Take a Hard Turn by feather-touch. Summary: When the world changes Dean and Sam Winchester struggle to keep up, but through all the twists and turns they've had one constant: each other. winchesterhaunt says "Feather_Touch is the master of creating new worlds and landscapes and fitting the brothers into them perfectly. This story is no exception. This, in my opinion, is a much better post!season 5 storyline. I absolutely adore her Sam here and Dean is so good to him (for him)."
- summer-sam-love is back for a 2012 challenge, with details here and here. You can create fic or art/vids/etc. Any length is fine,as long as it celebrates Sam being awesome, and involves summer. Perfect opportunity to produce some hurt!Sam for eager fans, or to wallow in it. You can post anytime from now till August 15th, so get cracking!
- Check out spnbigbang-era for a new challenge inviting works set in another era! Writer and artist sign-ups during the month of August; fics due the end of November. These can be SPN or RPF, gen or any pairing - see the community for more details. A fantastic opportunity for some hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared--right?
Featured Fic Recs:
- harrigan recently re-read Northern Birds (okay, maybe re-re-re-re-read) and has decided it's absolutely her favorite Season 7 fic, and is a good candidate for favorite SPN fic ever. Why? "Well, it's by roque_clasique, first of all, so the prose is flawless. And while she's often considered a Dean!girl, she *gets* Sam and his love for Dean like nobody's business. This story is from Sam's POV, and he's gotten an excruciating injury that doesn't respond to any painkillers. And here's Dean, season 7 Dean, who is so damaged that he can't function without a drink (or two or more). We get Sam's ache for the protective and caring big brother he lost as he wonders if that guy is gone for good, and Dean wanting... trying... to be that guy, because Sam needs him. Oh, bother! I can't write any more without crying. Just go read it!
- For a J2AU featured fic this month, cherry916 recs This Too Shall Pass Away by fatebegins. Summary: To many people Jared Ackles leads a charmed life. He is married to Jensen Ackles, one of Texas’s most wealthy elite, they have a happy marriage and Jensen idolises his husband, and the golden couple of society. They have an infant son and are planning to have more children. However appearances are deceiving, because Jensen does not know the truth about Jared’s past. It's a completed 18-parter with prostitution, abused, non-con, beaten, hospitalization, and mpreg types of hurt. cherry916 says, "I remember when I first started reading this whopper and it was still a WIP. I about died waiting for a new chapter. Such a long, drawn out and brilliant piece that addresses real world issues with absolute care. Never sugar coating anything, this story will likely make you cry in joy, rage and sadness and make you really feel. Once you're done, you'll be drained but it's such a classic, excellent read that it is most definitely worth it. But--there are a lot of trigger warning-esque hurts in this one. Proceed with caution."
Other Media:
- art: cherry916 is impressed with Fading Away by kakilily on deviantart. She says, "This is a piece inspired by a story here and judging by Sam's expression, the title and Dean slowly fading into the background I think we all know what happens. So while the story isn't hurt!Sam, the art perfectly shows Sam's visceral reaction."
- art: winchesterhaunt is very fond of Nothing Bad's Gonna Happen by xgerardsonlyxlovex on deviantart. winchesterhaunt asys, "There's not one time I've looked at this and not gone, "Awwww!" Sammy with a little scrape on his cheek and snuggling the top of Dean's head... uh oh, I feel another 'awww' coming on."
- music videos: Do you ever want to just wallow in the simple days when Sam needed Dean, and Dean was always there for him? harrigan says Every Day by Coastal5 on youtube is a brilliant collection of clips from seasons 1 thru 3.11, set to a perfect song, and so poignantly put together! Have a look!
- music videos: When You Can't Take It Any More by lockedinabathroom is "absolutely beautiful and heart-breaking," says ash48. "It's all about Sam seeing Lucifer. It's also shows how Dean fights for his brother's sanity. *GUH* The mix of voice overs, images and music is stunning. GO WATCH!"
- podfics: ash48, like so many of us, is a fan of podfic readings by juice817, and this one fits our hurt!Sam niche nicely! The fic is Somersault Verse by glassyskies. ash48 says, "For those who love mentally challenged Sam this fic is definitely for you. Sam functions as a child after being hurt in a hunt and Dean looks after him. It's a lovely long read with lots love and angst." The podfic is available here!
- eBooks, etc.: All 3 of harrigan's recs under Who's Hurting Sam or Jared lately are also available in downloadable formats. \o/
What Else?
Don't forget, if you select a link to something rec'd in spn_littlebro and it's been deleted or is now friends only, let us know! Here's the place to do that!
And stay tuned for another special announcement from spn_littlebro the beginning of August!