Rec List - H/C Bingo 2020
Hi all! I have another rec list for you. I miss the days when I got serial killers as one of my prompts and, while that wasn't a prompt I had extensive experience with, it was one that people tagged, so I could find plenty of stories to read and cull.
My prompts were (1) forced to rely on an enemy/rival, (2) branding, and (3) dystopia. Branding, it turns out, isn't my cup of tea. And the stories I tend to read don't really have the boys (because most of my reading the last six or so years has been Supernatural RPF) at odds, but I think I've come up with a decent, if rushed, list. I hope you find something you enjoy!
`*`
forced to rely on enemy / rival
branding
dystopia
Dystopia
Where You Want to Go
By keep_waking_up
Summary: Everyone wanted to be the Alice. To have a chance to spend a year in Wonderland and potentially save their kingdom. If they were the True Alice, then they would be able to stay in Wonderland forever. If not, at the end of a year, the Jabberwock would devour them whole.
Jensen never expected to be chosen to be the Alice. But he was. And even as he tries to fit into his new role, he begins to feel all is not quite right in Wonderland. One overheard conversation will lead him down a twisting path in search of the truth. He'll have to deal with the flirty Queen of Hearts Danneel, the baffling Caterpillar Misha, as well as his reluctant partner in crime, the surly Cheshire Cat Jared, who Jensen just might have feelings for.
Ok, I’ve never been the biggest fan of Alice in Wonderland, but keep_waking_up’s version is captivating. The choosing of the Alice is very Hunger Games--fitting, since the end of the journey for anyone who’s not the True Alice is death. And the consequences of not finding the True Alice--the eventual destcruction of Wonderland. I love the roles the author chose for each of the characters, and the characterizations. The pacing is excellent, and the author manages to keep the wonder and non-sensicalness of Wonderland without losing the plot or compromising its progress. It’s one of those stories I keep coming back to again and again.
Zero One/One Zero
By gretazreta (Greta)
Summary: Jensen's the best navigator in the Zone: a “flyer” who works with a small crew hacking virtual security systems. It's exciting, profitable, and not entirely legal. When one of his team gets lost on-grid, Jensen teams up with Jared, a “breaker”, who's convinced that there's more to the latest rash of Zone fatalities than meets the eye.
Can dystopia be a tone? This story doesn’t go into a lot of detail about how messed up the world is--the little details tell us animals are dead, fruit is processed, real books are illegal, the world is crowded, but there’s no interactions with a domineering conglomerate who’s squashing the little man. On the flip side, there’s the Zone, the virtual world that the Real world is pitted against that has its own problems. I love how Greta juxtaposes the Real world and the Virtual, weaving Jensen’s journey of self-discovery into a social commentary that feels person and organic. There are some typos--dropped letters, substituted words (but instead of by, for instance), and a couple missing articles, but it’s still a fun, well-crafted story and definitely worth a read.
And the moon became as blood
By Zara_Zee
Summary: Dean Winchester is a Preacher, from a long line of Preachers. He believes unreservedly in The Revelation of The End Times; he sees the evidence of its truth in the desolate dying world all around him every day. The End is coming. It is unstoppable. Humankind’s destiny is a foregone conclusion.
And then a Hunter arrives at Dean’s Church and asks him a frightening question: What if the future isn’t set? What if The End of Days can be stopped?
The Hunter’s name is Sam and he speaks Heresy. But he also knows Dean far better than any stranger should, and Dean quickly finds himself captivated by the man’s vision of a better future.
And so begins an epic quest across the Badlands: a quest for knowledge and truth; a quest for freedom; and, ultimately, a quest for humanity’s very existence.
I don’t read a lot of Supernatural fanfic. I love the boys, but the gen fanfic tends to deviate from canon in a way that grates on my nerves, and the slash fanfic--well, the incest tends to be a problem, and I like my stories to, at least, have happy endings. That said, I absolutely love Supernatural AUs, particularly the ones like this story that stick canon in a blender and repurpose it to populate a completely different world. In this one, the Hunters and the Men of Letters (or Preachers) are separate and distinct cultures, Mary never died over Sam’s crib, and Sam was never dosed with demon blood. I really like the way the author treats psychic abilities (something I always wished they’d done more with in the show, as far as Sam was concerned), and the world--set in an apocalyptic future where the angels revealed themselves to humans and took over--is really fleshed out with lots of cultural information. It’s 50k words, but it reads fast enough that it feels much shorter. The pacing is excellent, as are the characterizations, with all of the characters voices being spot-on. There’s danger around every corner, and I think you’ll whole-heartedly enjoy the journey.
The More You See (The Less You Know)
By zubeneschamali
Summary: Sequel to "They're Advertising in the Skies (For People Like Us.)" Jared is on the run from the powerful company that claims he's stolen their technology, although they were the ones who stole his life first. Jensen's on the run with him, determined to get to the North where he can do more to fight the corporate system than just poke at it the way he has been for years. First, though, they'll have to make it to the border through hazardous territory by trusting a network of strangers-and learning to trust each other.
This story picks up where the first leaves off (and if you haven’t read They’re Advertising in the Skies, you should definitely go do that). The sequel gives a broader view of this dystopic society, as well as the destruction the corporations have perpetrated on the environment. Zuben’s worldbuilding is amazing, grounded in detail, and provides an excellent backdrop to the characters who populate it and drive the story. The personal elements are every bit as compelling and touching as the sweeping world ones are breath-taking. I’d been waiting and hoping for this sequel from the minute I finished reading Advertising, and I was definitely not disappointed. Lovely.
Judgment in Reverse
By cleflink
Summary: In a world governed by order and logic, Jensen is a square peg in a round hole: the only person whose government-mandated prophecies are never right. When he receives a prophecy that he can't fake, however; he finds himself caught up in something that's much bigger than he realized. Something that threatens to rewrite everything he thinks he knows about the world. Something that threatens to topple the very foundations of his society.
Something that just might be magic.
I love cleflink’s stories, and this one is no exception. It’s set in a world that seems perfectly normal until you realize how closely the government watches its citizens and that some of them disappear--and meet the government employees. The idea behind this story is interesting. It’s well-executed (I particularly like the magics, the system and descriptions), and I love the way cleflink writes Jared and Jensen, both individually and the progress of their relationship. The supporting cast is spot-on and adds depth and breadth to the story, encouraging the epic feel of it while still keeping the main thrust of the tale intimate.
Vague Memory
By rei_c
Summary: Jeff brings Jensen a new job, one that's going to change the world.
I haven’t read Neuromancer or any of the rest of the Sprawl Trilogy or Bridge Trilogy, so I know a lot--and I mean, a lot, of the references go over my head. That said, there’s something about this story that makes it one of my favorite cyberpunk AUs. It’s written in an experimental style that lets the narrative move quickly and cover a lot of ground, metaphorically and literally, with a minimum of words. There’s not a lot of character development, but the glimpses are fascinating, and I always find myself wishing there were more of it by the end. There’s killer corporations and massive amounts of property damage as the corp tries to get rid of an obstacle to its will and a probably happy ending. As much as it is an ending. I think maybe I like it for the possibilities.
Tails
By keep_waking_up
Summary: Jared Padalecki is a homicide detective for the werefox police, up until the kitsune police department decides to recruit him as their ‘Fox Consultant. There is nothing Jared wants less than having to work with the kitsunes, but he doesn’t have much of a choice. Of course, on the first day of his new job, one of the city supervisors is murdered and an official from the US government is flown in to handle it-one Jensen Ackles, an eight-tailed Heaven kitsune. Jared isn’t sure what’s going on, but he just wants to lay low and stay out of trouble. Unfortunately, fate-and Jensen-have other plans.
So this story kind of reminds me of a dystopic French action movie I saw on Netflix--not for the storyline, because I’m pretty sure no one’s planning to wipe Void District off the map to get rid of the undesirables, but because of the way the population is segregated into Districts, with the worst one being where the action takes place. I’m ridiculously fond of police procedurals and stories with magic or shifters, and this story combines all of them (well, mostly. It’s a different sort of magic). The world-building is excellent, the characterizations compelling, and the pacing perfect--taking long enough to develop the relationship between the protagonists without dragging out the murder mystery. It’s pretty much a must-read.
Worlds Collide
By menus_venator
Summary: Jensen didn’t trust the Teeg, mankind’s ‘Salvation’ and he certainly didn’t trust their Enforcers. Then Jared enters his life, an oddity, a human Enforcer in a mostly Teeg dominated profession. Is this Enforcer any different, and can Jensen trust him with the dangerous knowledge he is carrying? More importantly, can he trust him with his heart?
Smarter, stronger, faster, longer-lived, the Teeg that came to earth and took over the planet rendered humans second-class citizens, forced them into cramped cities with sub-par housing, few job opportunites, and inferior medical care. The world-building and in-story history are expansive. That said, the story, told from Jensen’s POV, concentrates mostly on the inexplicable, intense feelings between Jared and Jensen, with a healthy dose of adventure and intrigue thrown in. The pacing drags a little bit in places, due to the descriptions of the world and society as it stands post-Teeg, but it’s still an enjoyable story, and there’s sex. A goodly bit of sex. That’s a plus for most people, right?
Zero Minus One
By hugemind
Summary: Jensen Ackles, a disillusioned loner who clawed his way from the neon streets to the hacker elite, vows revenge on LenCorp, the megacorporation housing much of world's information. He gets caught during a run when he runs into strange code in their system and ends up in Jeff Morgan's team at Dallas Tactical, partnered with street-smuggler-turned-field-agent Jared Padalecki. Jared falls for the surly hacker with silvery polycarbon lenses covering his eyes and Jensen slowly warms to the kid whose loyalty has cost him an arm. Their routine work is interrupted when Jared's former partner is found dead. That sets off a chain of events revealing details of a hacker resistance, a corporate conspiracy and the strange code protecting LenCorp's servers that forces Jensen to run and decide who he can trust.
This story, like most cyberpunk, doesn’t focus too much on the real-world problems, though they bleed in through the observations and personal narrative of the characters. In cyberspace, the big bad in LenCorp, who has positioned itself to be trusted as everyone’s friend, and to control the world’s information. Jensen’s dedicated his life to bringing them down, but he gets his best chance when he’s caught and recruited to Morgan’s Dallas Tactical team. I’ve been fascinated by cyberspace stories since I picked up Tom Clancy when I was a kid; combine that with my love of police procedurals, and this story was a must-read. It could use a good proof-reading to fix some awkward phrasing and such, but it doesn’t interfere too much with the story. It’s got street-chases, explosives, cyberspace battles, and nifty tech. Definitely a fun read.
To Have and to Hold
By zubenschamali
Summary: Written for a spn_masquerade prompt, reposting for reasons: Omega!Jensen is a notorious pain-in-the-ass, but the only match his parents can make is with the super-conservative Padalecki pack. Jared's an Alpha, but pack attitudes regarding his disability have left him resigned to a life of solitude. When life drops a pissed-off spitfire like Jensen into his lap he's not quite sure whether to hold on tight or run for cover.
To Have and to Hold is the first in a series of three stories set in A/B/O world that engenders the Alphas with all the power--and an image to uphold--and forces the Omegas to get permission for anything outside the house. Honestly, I should probably be reccing the third one (second chronologically), For Better or For Worse, because that’s the story that deals with the wider society within the world, giving the reader a glimpse of the societal prejudices the Padalecki clan espouses (and you can probably read that one by itself, if you want), but I love this series too much--and each story is short enough--that it’s not a big time commitment to read all of them. Jensen is prickly and headstrong, and Jared is . . . Jared. (A cop out, I know, sue me (only don’t, because I don’t have any money)) Jensen is determined to maintain his independence despite being married, and the conversations where they learn each other feel really genuine. Plus, I’m never not going to love Jensen and/or Jared having each other’s back. It’s an excellent addition to the trope.The link is to the series, rather than the story.
Forced to Rely on enemy/Rival
Whatever the Question Is
By hunters_retreat
Summary: Jared and Jensen have never gotten along. They've never made a secret about it, but when their foster parents are lost on a mission and the boys are their only hope, can they put aside their feelings? Or will the Minion add Jared and Jensen to his list of Supers under his belt?
So, the rivals/enemies bit doesn’t last long in this short, sweet story based on The Incredibles, but it is there. The tone is similar to the movie, but the superpowers are the author’s invention, and were chosen well to allow the protagonists to work together. I kind of wish the author had had the time (or possibly, the inclination) to turn this story into a feature-length, with more of the trials and tribulations of two super-teen foster boys under the same roof, but it’s lovely as is.
Foreign Xchange
By Vathara
Summary: Yugi, Tea, Seto and Mokuba visit Bayville... chaos ensues.
I never would’ve thought to cross Yu-Gi-Oh with The X-Men, but this story is easily one of my favorites. The author deftly handles the large cast of characters for both fandoms, keeping each of them recognizable and in-character. I’m particularly fond of the Yami and Wolverwine interactions. The story is well-plotted (rare, in my experience, for Yu-Gi-Oh fic), and I love how the author handles Shadow Magic and introduces it into the world of mutants, and does so in such a way that threatens both the mutants and Yugi an friends, and forces Yugi and Seto to rely on each other in a way neither have had to before. It’s a thoroughly wonderful read, as are the sequels, Whistling Past the Graveyard, which takes place at the same time as part of this story in Domino, and Roll the Bones, which is a Sentinel crossover and has some awesome Shadow Magic battles.
Hold Your Head Up High in Disgrace
By ashtraythief
Summary: If you ask Jensen, Jared is a punk-ass little thief who’s not as irresistible as he thinks he is. If you ask Jared, Jensen is a mean, vindictive bastard, who’s definitely not as handsome as he thinks he is. But the world of intergalactic smuggling is small and Jared and Jensen keep crossing paths.
Just when they’re about to admit that maybe the other isn’t so bad after all, their past rears its ugly head. When the stakes are their lives instead of the next shiny object, Jared and Jensen have to decide how far they’re willing to go to save themselves-and each other.
This is a fun story with just the right amount of angst, light on place descriptors (which, depending on your preference/perspective, could be a definite plus), and a fairly fast read for being almost 50k. The banter is snappy. The situations that force the rival smugglers to, alternately, rely on each other are creative and build the emotional relationship between Jared and Jensen well. The supporting cast is expansive and entertaining. It’s a wonderful adventure.
Wolflord
By Jay Tryfanstone
Summary: Jensen is a proud beta of the Fire Valley pack. After 25 summers he is still unmated. He bears courtship scars a'plenty, but none of the alphas of the surrounding packs have been strong or swift enough to claim him in a mating battle. Jensen sets out on a great journey to find an alpha worthy of his submission, only to be captured by mere humans. Chained, caged and muzzled, Jensen resigns himself to death; to entering the afterlife dishonored and alone. (Full prompt in notes)
Wolf Jensen is given to Jared as a gift, bound and chained and determined to die and Jared’s to do with as he likes. But when the Skjald attack and he frees Jensen, he must rely on the wolf to fight at his side. The story is well-written, the imagery vivid. The narrative has a lyrical quality to it that lends it toward the bardic tale it’s half-fashioned to resemble. It’s a little dark, intense, gritty, mirroring the harsh landscape where Jared made his home, and the author does an excellent job narrating the jockeying for dominance that precedes the growth from friendship to something more. Very well written.
Charades
By Bertee
Summary: Written for the kink meme prompt: "Jared is a super villain, Jensen's a superhero. They fall in love in their civilian identities, neither of them aware of the other's extracurricular activities. Jared is faced with a choice when his teammates manage to capture and unmask Jensen: his friends and the life he knows or the man he loves."
This one is maybe a little questionable because Mercury doesn’t realize he needs to or can rely on his enemy, Quicksilver, a fact that gets even murkier when you consider, in their secret identities, they’re boyfriends. But I’m running with it because Jared is forced to maintain his identity as Quicksilver, so he’s not able to offer overt assistant or appear to Jensen as anyone other than his enemy, or do anything to alert his team that Jensen has any personal connection to him. And there’s always that point where the tables are turned. I love this story, because (1) superheroes; (2) it’s well-written with good characterization and (3) a pitch-perfect emotional arc.
My prompts were (1) forced to rely on an enemy/rival, (2) branding, and (3) dystopia. Branding, it turns out, isn't my cup of tea. And the stories I tend to read don't really have the boys (because most of my reading the last six or so years has been Supernatural RPF) at odds, but I think I've come up with a decent, if rushed, list. I hope you find something you enjoy!
`*`
forced to rely on enemy / rival
branding
dystopia
Dystopia
Where You Want to Go
By keep_waking_up
Summary: Everyone wanted to be the Alice. To have a chance to spend a year in Wonderland and potentially save their kingdom. If they were the True Alice, then they would be able to stay in Wonderland forever. If not, at the end of a year, the Jabberwock would devour them whole.
Jensen never expected to be chosen to be the Alice. But he was. And even as he tries to fit into his new role, he begins to feel all is not quite right in Wonderland. One overheard conversation will lead him down a twisting path in search of the truth. He'll have to deal with the flirty Queen of Hearts Danneel, the baffling Caterpillar Misha, as well as his reluctant partner in crime, the surly Cheshire Cat Jared, who Jensen just might have feelings for.
Ok, I’ve never been the biggest fan of Alice in Wonderland, but keep_waking_up’s version is captivating. The choosing of the Alice is very Hunger Games--fitting, since the end of the journey for anyone who’s not the True Alice is death. And the consequences of not finding the True Alice--the eventual destcruction of Wonderland. I love the roles the author chose for each of the characters, and the characterizations. The pacing is excellent, and the author manages to keep the wonder and non-sensicalness of Wonderland without losing the plot or compromising its progress. It’s one of those stories I keep coming back to again and again.
Zero One/One Zero
By gretazreta (Greta)
Summary: Jensen's the best navigator in the Zone: a “flyer” who works with a small crew hacking virtual security systems. It's exciting, profitable, and not entirely legal. When one of his team gets lost on-grid, Jensen teams up with Jared, a “breaker”, who's convinced that there's more to the latest rash of Zone fatalities than meets the eye.
Can dystopia be a tone? This story doesn’t go into a lot of detail about how messed up the world is--the little details tell us animals are dead, fruit is processed, real books are illegal, the world is crowded, but there’s no interactions with a domineering conglomerate who’s squashing the little man. On the flip side, there’s the Zone, the virtual world that the Real world is pitted against that has its own problems. I love how Greta juxtaposes the Real world and the Virtual, weaving Jensen’s journey of self-discovery into a social commentary that feels person and organic. There are some typos--dropped letters, substituted words (but instead of by, for instance), and a couple missing articles, but it’s still a fun, well-crafted story and definitely worth a read.
And the moon became as blood
By Zara_Zee
Summary: Dean Winchester is a Preacher, from a long line of Preachers. He believes unreservedly in The Revelation of The End Times; he sees the evidence of its truth in the desolate dying world all around him every day. The End is coming. It is unstoppable. Humankind’s destiny is a foregone conclusion.
And then a Hunter arrives at Dean’s Church and asks him a frightening question: What if the future isn’t set? What if The End of Days can be stopped?
The Hunter’s name is Sam and he speaks Heresy. But he also knows Dean far better than any stranger should, and Dean quickly finds himself captivated by the man’s vision of a better future.
And so begins an epic quest across the Badlands: a quest for knowledge and truth; a quest for freedom; and, ultimately, a quest for humanity’s very existence.
I don’t read a lot of Supernatural fanfic. I love the boys, but the gen fanfic tends to deviate from canon in a way that grates on my nerves, and the slash fanfic--well, the incest tends to be a problem, and I like my stories to, at least, have happy endings. That said, I absolutely love Supernatural AUs, particularly the ones like this story that stick canon in a blender and repurpose it to populate a completely different world. In this one, the Hunters and the Men of Letters (or Preachers) are separate and distinct cultures, Mary never died over Sam’s crib, and Sam was never dosed with demon blood. I really like the way the author treats psychic abilities (something I always wished they’d done more with in the show, as far as Sam was concerned), and the world--set in an apocalyptic future where the angels revealed themselves to humans and took over--is really fleshed out with lots of cultural information. It’s 50k words, but it reads fast enough that it feels much shorter. The pacing is excellent, as are the characterizations, with all of the characters voices being spot-on. There’s danger around every corner, and I think you’ll whole-heartedly enjoy the journey.
The More You See (The Less You Know)
By zubeneschamali
Summary: Sequel to "They're Advertising in the Skies (For People Like Us.)" Jared is on the run from the powerful company that claims he's stolen their technology, although they were the ones who stole his life first. Jensen's on the run with him, determined to get to the North where he can do more to fight the corporate system than just poke at it the way he has been for years. First, though, they'll have to make it to the border through hazardous territory by trusting a network of strangers-and learning to trust each other.
This story picks up where the first leaves off (and if you haven’t read They’re Advertising in the Skies, you should definitely go do that). The sequel gives a broader view of this dystopic society, as well as the destruction the corporations have perpetrated on the environment. Zuben’s worldbuilding is amazing, grounded in detail, and provides an excellent backdrop to the characters who populate it and drive the story. The personal elements are every bit as compelling and touching as the sweeping world ones are breath-taking. I’d been waiting and hoping for this sequel from the minute I finished reading Advertising, and I was definitely not disappointed. Lovely.
Judgment in Reverse
By cleflink
Summary: In a world governed by order and logic, Jensen is a square peg in a round hole: the only person whose government-mandated prophecies are never right. When he receives a prophecy that he can't fake, however; he finds himself caught up in something that's much bigger than he realized. Something that threatens to rewrite everything he thinks he knows about the world. Something that threatens to topple the very foundations of his society.
Something that just might be magic.
I love cleflink’s stories, and this one is no exception. It’s set in a world that seems perfectly normal until you realize how closely the government watches its citizens and that some of them disappear--and meet the government employees. The idea behind this story is interesting. It’s well-executed (I particularly like the magics, the system and descriptions), and I love the way cleflink writes Jared and Jensen, both individually and the progress of their relationship. The supporting cast is spot-on and adds depth and breadth to the story, encouraging the epic feel of it while still keeping the main thrust of the tale intimate.
Vague Memory
By rei_c
Summary: Jeff brings Jensen a new job, one that's going to change the world.
I haven’t read Neuromancer or any of the rest of the Sprawl Trilogy or Bridge Trilogy, so I know a lot--and I mean, a lot, of the references go over my head. That said, there’s something about this story that makes it one of my favorite cyberpunk AUs. It’s written in an experimental style that lets the narrative move quickly and cover a lot of ground, metaphorically and literally, with a minimum of words. There’s not a lot of character development, but the glimpses are fascinating, and I always find myself wishing there were more of it by the end. There’s killer corporations and massive amounts of property damage as the corp tries to get rid of an obstacle to its will and a probably happy ending. As much as it is an ending. I think maybe I like it for the possibilities.
Tails
By keep_waking_up
Summary: Jared Padalecki is a homicide detective for the werefox police, up until the kitsune police department decides to recruit him as their ‘Fox Consultant. There is nothing Jared wants less than having to work with the kitsunes, but he doesn’t have much of a choice. Of course, on the first day of his new job, one of the city supervisors is murdered and an official from the US government is flown in to handle it-one Jensen Ackles, an eight-tailed Heaven kitsune. Jared isn’t sure what’s going on, but he just wants to lay low and stay out of trouble. Unfortunately, fate-and Jensen-have other plans.
So this story kind of reminds me of a dystopic French action movie I saw on Netflix--not for the storyline, because I’m pretty sure no one’s planning to wipe Void District off the map to get rid of the undesirables, but because of the way the population is segregated into Districts, with the worst one being where the action takes place. I’m ridiculously fond of police procedurals and stories with magic or shifters, and this story combines all of them (well, mostly. It’s a different sort of magic). The world-building is excellent, the characterizations compelling, and the pacing perfect--taking long enough to develop the relationship between the protagonists without dragging out the murder mystery. It’s pretty much a must-read.
Worlds Collide
By menus_venator
Summary: Jensen didn’t trust the Teeg, mankind’s ‘Salvation’ and he certainly didn’t trust their Enforcers. Then Jared enters his life, an oddity, a human Enforcer in a mostly Teeg dominated profession. Is this Enforcer any different, and can Jensen trust him with the dangerous knowledge he is carrying? More importantly, can he trust him with his heart?
Smarter, stronger, faster, longer-lived, the Teeg that came to earth and took over the planet rendered humans second-class citizens, forced them into cramped cities with sub-par housing, few job opportunites, and inferior medical care. The world-building and in-story history are expansive. That said, the story, told from Jensen’s POV, concentrates mostly on the inexplicable, intense feelings between Jared and Jensen, with a healthy dose of adventure and intrigue thrown in. The pacing drags a little bit in places, due to the descriptions of the world and society as it stands post-Teeg, but it’s still an enjoyable story, and there’s sex. A goodly bit of sex. That’s a plus for most people, right?
Zero Minus One
By hugemind
Summary: Jensen Ackles, a disillusioned loner who clawed his way from the neon streets to the hacker elite, vows revenge on LenCorp, the megacorporation housing much of world's information. He gets caught during a run when he runs into strange code in their system and ends up in Jeff Morgan's team at Dallas Tactical, partnered with street-smuggler-turned-field-agent Jared Padalecki. Jared falls for the surly hacker with silvery polycarbon lenses covering his eyes and Jensen slowly warms to the kid whose loyalty has cost him an arm. Their routine work is interrupted when Jared's former partner is found dead. That sets off a chain of events revealing details of a hacker resistance, a corporate conspiracy and the strange code protecting LenCorp's servers that forces Jensen to run and decide who he can trust.
This story, like most cyberpunk, doesn’t focus too much on the real-world problems, though they bleed in through the observations and personal narrative of the characters. In cyberspace, the big bad in LenCorp, who has positioned itself to be trusted as everyone’s friend, and to control the world’s information. Jensen’s dedicated his life to bringing them down, but he gets his best chance when he’s caught and recruited to Morgan’s Dallas Tactical team. I’ve been fascinated by cyberspace stories since I picked up Tom Clancy when I was a kid; combine that with my love of police procedurals, and this story was a must-read. It could use a good proof-reading to fix some awkward phrasing and such, but it doesn’t interfere too much with the story. It’s got street-chases, explosives, cyberspace battles, and nifty tech. Definitely a fun read.
To Have and to Hold
By zubenschamali
Summary: Written for a spn_masquerade prompt, reposting for reasons: Omega!Jensen is a notorious pain-in-the-ass, but the only match his parents can make is with the super-conservative Padalecki pack. Jared's an Alpha, but pack attitudes regarding his disability have left him resigned to a life of solitude. When life drops a pissed-off spitfire like Jensen into his lap he's not quite sure whether to hold on tight or run for cover.
To Have and to Hold is the first in a series of three stories set in A/B/O world that engenders the Alphas with all the power--and an image to uphold--and forces the Omegas to get permission for anything outside the house. Honestly, I should probably be reccing the third one (second chronologically), For Better or For Worse, because that’s the story that deals with the wider society within the world, giving the reader a glimpse of the societal prejudices the Padalecki clan espouses (and you can probably read that one by itself, if you want), but I love this series too much--and each story is short enough--that it’s not a big time commitment to read all of them. Jensen is prickly and headstrong, and Jared is . . . Jared. (A cop out, I know, sue me (only don’t, because I don’t have any money)) Jensen is determined to maintain his independence despite being married, and the conversations where they learn each other feel really genuine. Plus, I’m never not going to love Jensen and/or Jared having each other’s back. It’s an excellent addition to the trope.The link is to the series, rather than the story.
Forced to Rely on enemy/Rival
Whatever the Question Is
By hunters_retreat
Summary: Jared and Jensen have never gotten along. They've never made a secret about it, but when their foster parents are lost on a mission and the boys are their only hope, can they put aside their feelings? Or will the Minion add Jared and Jensen to his list of Supers under his belt?
So, the rivals/enemies bit doesn’t last long in this short, sweet story based on The Incredibles, but it is there. The tone is similar to the movie, but the superpowers are the author’s invention, and were chosen well to allow the protagonists to work together. I kind of wish the author had had the time (or possibly, the inclination) to turn this story into a feature-length, with more of the trials and tribulations of two super-teen foster boys under the same roof, but it’s lovely as is.
Foreign Xchange
By Vathara
Summary: Yugi, Tea, Seto and Mokuba visit Bayville... chaos ensues.
I never would’ve thought to cross Yu-Gi-Oh with The X-Men, but this story is easily one of my favorites. The author deftly handles the large cast of characters for both fandoms, keeping each of them recognizable and in-character. I’m particularly fond of the Yami and Wolverwine interactions. The story is well-plotted (rare, in my experience, for Yu-Gi-Oh fic), and I love how the author handles Shadow Magic and introduces it into the world of mutants, and does so in such a way that threatens both the mutants and Yugi an friends, and forces Yugi and Seto to rely on each other in a way neither have had to before. It’s a thoroughly wonderful read, as are the sequels, Whistling Past the Graveyard, which takes place at the same time as part of this story in Domino, and Roll the Bones, which is a Sentinel crossover and has some awesome Shadow Magic battles.
Hold Your Head Up High in Disgrace
By ashtraythief
Summary: If you ask Jensen, Jared is a punk-ass little thief who’s not as irresistible as he thinks he is. If you ask Jared, Jensen is a mean, vindictive bastard, who’s definitely not as handsome as he thinks he is. But the world of intergalactic smuggling is small and Jared and Jensen keep crossing paths.
Just when they’re about to admit that maybe the other isn’t so bad after all, their past rears its ugly head. When the stakes are their lives instead of the next shiny object, Jared and Jensen have to decide how far they’re willing to go to save themselves-and each other.
This is a fun story with just the right amount of angst, light on place descriptors (which, depending on your preference/perspective, could be a definite plus), and a fairly fast read for being almost 50k. The banter is snappy. The situations that force the rival smugglers to, alternately, rely on each other are creative and build the emotional relationship between Jared and Jensen well. The supporting cast is expansive and entertaining. It’s a wonderful adventure.
Wolflord
By Jay Tryfanstone
Summary: Jensen is a proud beta of the Fire Valley pack. After 25 summers he is still unmated. He bears courtship scars a'plenty, but none of the alphas of the surrounding packs have been strong or swift enough to claim him in a mating battle. Jensen sets out on a great journey to find an alpha worthy of his submission, only to be captured by mere humans. Chained, caged and muzzled, Jensen resigns himself to death; to entering the afterlife dishonored and alone. (Full prompt in notes)
Wolf Jensen is given to Jared as a gift, bound and chained and determined to die and Jared’s to do with as he likes. But when the Skjald attack and he frees Jensen, he must rely on the wolf to fight at his side. The story is well-written, the imagery vivid. The narrative has a lyrical quality to it that lends it toward the bardic tale it’s half-fashioned to resemble. It’s a little dark, intense, gritty, mirroring the harsh landscape where Jared made his home, and the author does an excellent job narrating the jockeying for dominance that precedes the growth from friendship to something more. Very well written.
Charades
By Bertee
Summary: Written for the kink meme prompt: "Jared is a super villain, Jensen's a superhero. They fall in love in their civilian identities, neither of them aware of the other's extracurricular activities. Jared is faced with a choice when his teammates manage to capture and unmask Jensen: his friends and the life he knows or the man he loves."
This one is maybe a little questionable because Mercury doesn’t realize he needs to or can rely on his enemy, Quicksilver, a fact that gets even murkier when you consider, in their secret identities, they’re boyfriends. But I’m running with it because Jared is forced to maintain his identity as Quicksilver, so he’s not able to offer overt assistant or appear to Jensen as anyone other than his enemy, or do anything to alert his team that Jensen has any personal connection to him. And there’s always that point where the tables are turned. I love this story, because (1) superheroes; (2) it’s well-written with good characterization and (3) a pitch-perfect emotional arc.