Pretty Poison

With less than 24 hours to go before the authors are revealed, here are some of my personal favourites from this year's spn_summergen.

( Twelve fics... )

Plot bunnies galore in the newspapers today.

Like this article about a mysterious phenomena known as "the hum". Okay, maybe not so mysterious, but I love the part where they speculate that maybe the mine is haunted. Wouldn't that make a fab SPN fic? Or hell, even a Doctor Who fic? (Uh, on second thought I take that back: DW's kinda done it already.) Any supernatural fandom?

Or this story about transient global amnesia. Now I know the de-aging thing has been done to death in a lot of fandoms, but I didn't know this was an actual thing. And they say it was brought on by massive stress. Wouldn't that fit a lot of characters?

Also, a rec for you from sncross_bigbang: The Bobby Singer Chronicles: Hostile Territory is SPN/Aliens fusion. And it's bloody brilliant. I was sceptical at the idea of Bobby Singer = Ripley, mostly because the notion of taking an awesome female character and making her male ticks me off. But I've got to admit, this fic pushes every button just right and it couldn't have been anyone but Bobby in that role. There are so many of the familiar SPN characters in there. Surprising ones and predictable ones. Vampires! In space! With super-evil-aliens and kick-ass marines! But it's not just kick-ass. If you don't shed at least one tear reading this I swear you have no soul.

Another BB rec...though not quite a rec. Sins of the Innocent is possibly the most dark and twisted thing I've read for a very long time. It's a SPN AU. It's wincest, except it's not, exactly. It's dark and disturbing and powerful and I couldn't quit reading and I never want to read it again. Like, ever. I kept looking for the light at the end of the tunnel and almost wishing it was an oncoming train. *shudder* If you're into dark, go read. But do read the warnings first, 'cause, seriously.

(Actually, reading the above, I've just remembered what it reminded me of. Last time I had this reaction to a story it was Flowers in the Attic. I was 17 when I read that. And I never did re-read it.)

Two weeks worth of recs this week, and, wow more than I thought I’d read. I’ve really been too busy to read just lately, so these are mostly very short fics that I could read quickly. So here goes. SPN fanfic I’ve read recently:

Half Turn to Go Yet Turning Stay by embroiderama (Gen)

This is how Ellen learned what’s out there in the dark. Ellen is strongly drawn and I love her imperfect relationship with Bill and the way she reacts to discovering his secrets, and there’s a nice full-circle to the Winchesters at the end.

The roadhouse started to get busier, a lot more traveling men than locals, but that was fine. She didn’t take guff and didn’t tolerate anybody cussing in front of her little girl, and most everyone respected that enough to keep the peace.

She broke that rule herself the day she learned the truth, cussed him up one side and down the other for keeping so much from her.

( 7 more under the cut )

Crossposted from my blog at Devil's Trap. You can comment here or on the blog.

Supernatural fic I’ve read this week:

Salting Old Wounds by halfshellvenus (Gen)

A Ruby-centric vignette. The story begins as a flashback to the person Ruby used to be when she was human. I found the ending very poignant, a wondering if she’s in an even worse Hell than the rest of the demons because she remembers.

A foolish girl unprepared for her fate, she had wandered the breadths of the Devil’s own realm until the faceless creatures found her. She would have chosen eternal solitude at that point to avoid joining them, if such a thing were possible.

Tempting. Tormenting. Taking—this was to be her work now. Walking the earth again in borrowed form, she committed acts more unspeakable than any she could have imagined.

Good Things by biggelois (Slash/Wincest Sam/Dean)

Hilarious. Not so much drunk!Sam as it is totally-wasted!Sam. The internal monologue is perfect Sam-voice and Dean’s reaction is beautifully in-character. Oh, and there’s sex. Of course.

Damn if he remembered the way from the motel to the bar being this long. He’s sure it wasn’t on the way there, had been much shorter then. Now on the other hand he’s so very grateful for the wall. Sidewalk would have hit him in the face otherwise.

His Exceptions To The Rule by pdragon76 (Gen)

There are a lot of stories with Sam tending a wounded Dean but this stands out from the crowd. Set early in season one, Sam is still getting back into the swing of life as a hunter. The references back to John and the way Sam is forced by this crisis to rely on his training make this story much more powerful than the average hurt/comfort short. I love the way John dominates the story, even by his absence:

He washed his hands six times, and they still felt odd and slippery, like Dean’s blood was clinging in his pores. He stood over the john for a while, thinking he might puke, but the feeling passed.

He sat woodenly on the edge of the bathtub, stared at the tiles until his fingers made their own way to his cell phone in the pocket of his jeans. He worked it loose, clutched it too tightly in his lap, as if holding it hard might undo something.

He got through three aborted calls before he let it ring.

This is John Winchester. I can’t be reached. If this is an emergency, call my son Dean…

Receiver by dotfic (Gen)

“When I told Dad I was scared of the thing in my closet, he gave me a .45” That exchange from the Pilot is probably my favourite in the entire show so to find a whole long fic based on it makes me feel like a kid in a candy store! And what a fic! This isn’t just about that long-ago monster in the closet. A case-fic set after Fresh Blood it’s about the way Sam and Dean are both breaking apart under the weight of Dean’s deal. It’s about a normal family having to face the supernatural and about the hard choices every hunter has to make.

“It’s in my closet,” Tommy said, and Sam realized it was the first thing he’d said during the tour of the house. “I made an alarm. Want to see?”

“Tommy, no, these men don’t want to–” Mr. Andrews moved forward, reaching for his son, but Tommy was already untangling the aluminum cans, which Sam now saw were glued onto a string.

The boy straightened out the string, the cans clanking. One end of the string was tied around a nail jutting from the wall. The other end Tommy tied around the back of a chair, so that the cans stretched across the closet door.

“If it tries to get out, I can hear it.” He looked up at Dean. “Don’t need another alarm.”

November 2nd by mlebayre (Gen)

November 2nd is a bad day for Winchesters. A Sam-POV story about how Dean handles this anniversary. Subtle humour.

If asked, most days Sam would describe his brother as the strong, silent type. Dean didn’t talk much, though he shared plenty once Sam learned to speak Dean.

Striking Distance by saberivojo (Gen)

Oh, this is funny! Teen!Sam is pissed off with his big brother (and with good reason). They have a fight - a real knock-down punch-and-kick fight. It’s beautifully in character, and I love the glimpse into the downside of all that training: these boys can seriously hurt each other if they try.

Damn Dean Winchester.

Fuck Dean Winchester.

Why did he have to have a brother who was so infuriating? Dean was obnoxious, rude and just plain difficult.   And to top it all off, Dean could take him down easy and land him hard. At this point though, Sam didn’t care. He wanted to feel the rush of the fight, feel the satisfying crush of knuckle on lip, but Dean, in typical Dean fashion, was determined to keep his little brother safe even if it meant Sam was trapped in his armpit.

Sanity Lines by dreamlittleyo (Threesome Sam/Dean/Jo)

I have a weakness for this threesome, but this isn’t a porn fic. It’s more a glimpse into Sam’s psyche, and the emotional bonds that hold the three of them together. It’s not an entirely healthy relationship, but it’s one that works.

They stand to either side of him, loyal and close, two constants in a world gone mad. Dean to his right, always to his right, the grounding force that holds him together when the voices of Hell are screaming in his head. [...] Jo stands to his left, careful fingers on his arm. He needs her, too. A gentle touch that lets him remember he’s human, that softens his edges and smoothes away the angry corners. Lets him interact with the world, with the people in it, without lashing out. She looks deceptively fragile, thin wisp of a thing, but she moves fast. Deadly. And he needs that, too.

Realizations by emmademarais (Slash/Wincest Sam/Dean)

Post-AHBL2: a short, one-shot which shows how the brothers deal with all that’s happened to them. A short, angsty fic that makes the wincest seem almost canon.

It hits Sam about forty miles from the Wyoming - Colorado border as Dean is cruising down Interstate 80.

He died.

The realization makes his chest seize and he reacts as if he’s had the wind knocked out of him.

Hello Operator by yesterday4 (Gen)

After his apparent death in St Louis (Skin), Dean calls a few old friends in case they’ve seen the news. A short but insightful look into some of Dean’s relationships.

It occurs to him all at once that he’s having an internal heart to heart without hanging up the fucking phone. He panics, thinking about the good ten seconds of breathing she’s going to find, and then says, “Fuck” by accident. Slams his cell shut and hurls it at the end of the bed like it’s on fire.

And after reading that one I had a glance through the author’s LJ and found this:

And Money Can’t Buy…What? by yesterday4 (Gen, Dean/Bela implied)

I love Bela Talbot. And not in a love-to-hate-her way. I just think she’s wonderful. Here, Bela gets impatient with the boys’ failure to get Dean out of his deal and decides to do it herself. A more altrusistic Bela than she is in canon, but I don’t care. It’s a cool fic.

She had waited 360 days for the Winchester boys to work themselves out of this latest mess. It was time to take matters into her own hands—or her wallet, as it were. Chewing at her lip, Bela glanced down to make sure her briefcase was still waiting patiently by her feet. She knew all about offers and counteroffers, inquiries, and timely rejections, and she was ready to play ball with whatever hell spawn came for her.

…and this:

The Most Important Thing by yesterday4 (Gen, pre-series)

This is Mary and Dean before Sam is born and a really cute look at young!Dean who is not at all sure he wants a new brother. When I was a kid, my mother collected a set of books of hilarious quotes and misunderstandings by young children. Dean in this story reminds me of them. So funny and it rings so very true…yet you can see hints of the adult Dean in this goofy kid.

“What about Baby?” She musses up his hair when she asks; is gratified when he leans into her palm for the barest of seconds before remembering his newfound hatred and shying away. And, please God help her, “Are you thinking about what a good big brother you’re going to be?”

Apparently not. Dean’s frown contorts into a look of utter horror. It might be funny, she thinks, if this was someone else’s son, and that someone else was not eight months pregnant. As it is, she’s hot and cranky; her patient smile feels a bit strained.

Dean blurts out his great big thought. “I think Baby is a bad idea. Maybe God will let you return it.”

Silent At Dusk On Earth by azephirin (Slash/Wincest Sam/Dean Crossover)

This story is a crossover with Wanted (the movie) but I don’t think you need to know the movie to enjoy the story. It’s a post-Hell story, with the premise that when Sam saved Dean from Hell he saved a couple of other people, too. One of them is former assassin Fox and she tags along with the brothers while they each recover from the ordeal in their different ways. I love the way Fox’s amorality both fits and doesn’t with the Winchesters’ way of life and it’s an unusual outside-POV on Sam and Dean’s relationship.

Sam tightens his hands on the wheel and prays that Dean will stay asleep: This is rural Vermont, and there’s no way to the cabin except over unpaved roads, but that sort of logic doesn’t apply when it comes to Dean and the car. Sam is mistreating his baby, and that’s a terrible crime.

“Not too much farther, sweetheart, almost there, I know you can do it….”

Sam realizes that he’s talking to the car, and promptly stops.

The woman still looks unconscious or profoundly asleep, but he could swear he sees her faintly smiling.

Crossposted from my blog at Devil's Trap. You can comment here or on the blog.

SPN fanfic I’ve read this week:

Woman Inflammable by vee_fic (Gen, Crossover)

A crossover with the Terminator ‘verse, this is a character study of John Winchester after Mary’s death but before he became a hard-ass hunter, struggling to cope with his two young sons. He runs into a young Sarah Connor in an LA motel, and for the space of a night their two worlds clash badly.

He jerked awake. As John opened his eyes he registered the noise: gunshots, many of them, nearby, full automatic. He jackknifed off the bed and crouched on the floor. Drawer banging out, .45 in hand, cool under his grip. He crawled toward the door and set his back to it and realized he was in his socks and then realized he had no idea where the children were.

Winchester Family Barbecues by mari4212 (Gen)

An older fic I ran across on del.icio.us - five vignettes describing five barbecues in John’s life. I loved the way this story shows John’s evolution from a teenager to husband to hunter in short, but evocative scenes.

Dean’s three years old and loves getting into everything he isn’t supposed to. It makes John laugh, especially when Mary gets this exasperated look on her face or makes a comment along the lines of “he’s your kid, you do something about it”.

A Snowball’s Chance by dreamlittleyo (Slash/Wincest, Humour)

I am not a fan of crack!fic, but the author’s summary simply compelled me to click on this link. So I’ll simply let her summary speak for itself: “Sam rules Hell. It’s a stressful job. Fortunately he’s got this brother who’s… remarkably resourceful. Silliness and sex ensue, and maybe that’s exactly what Sam needs.”

It’s the little stuff that drives him nuts. The bickering between his lieutenants, all of them anxious to be his favorite. It’s when Famine whines to him that Pestilence stole the last pudding cup that Sam decides he’s finally had enough.

The Ashen Apple of These Days by embroiderama (Gen)

Another story I found on del.icio.us, this is a bleak look at what the world might be like for Sam with Dean in Hell. There’s a lot of death and darkness and a nasty twist in the tale. My kind of fic

Sam wondered if solo hunting had been like this for Dean or Dad–days sometimes spent without speaking to another human being, months without using the name his mother gave him. He would have stopped hunting if he could see any other future for himself.

Trade by stephanometra (Het Sam/Bella)

Found this via a rec on LJ; it’s a smokin’ hot PWP written before the series canon revealed all about Bella. Consequently it doesn’t quite fit with the canon, but that doesn’t matter. Very true to character with Bella making Sam an offer that’s just a little too good to be true. My favourite part, though, is the nod to the crossroads demon: it’s a really creepy moment that gives the rest of the exchange a quite different meaning:

“Deal,” Sam says, turning to face her. He hands her the flask with the cash, and leaves his hand extended, so they can shake on it.

She pockets the cash, takes his hand, and says, “I think we can do better than that.” Then she wraps her other hand around the back of his neck, rises to her tiptoes, and kisses him.

All Talk and Andante by nephthys101 (Slash, Teenage Dean/Bobby)

A couple of very short pieces; they’re one story, really. It’s an interesting look at a young version of the horndog!Dean of canon. The characterisation of Bobby is a bit weaker but I can imagine a scene like this happening between them.

Dean doesn’t look innocent anymore. Bobby can see the dark circles surrounding Dean’s hollow, pained eyes. At fifteen, Dean looks hard and wizened. By attitude alone even Bobby wouldn’t card him at a bar. The kid had some weight to him, not physical weight, but the kind that’s paved with blood, hunting, and death. Dean has a hunter’s smile, sweet and dangerous.

I’ve Got The Night On My Side by sarah_p (Gen)

This one just breaks my heart. It takes that Bon Jovi singalong scene from No Rest For The Wicked and shows, in flashbacks to their childhood and Sam’s college days, why Dean picked that particular song and what the song means to the brothers. Though the story ends on a hopeful note it made me want to hug Sam hard…because I know what’s coming for him.

“A condition means I’m older and I get to make the rules,” Dean explained. “So condition number one: you can only sing where I tell you to.”

“So I can learn the easy parts, and you get the hard parts?” Sam perked up, excited at figuring out Dean’s thought process.

“Well, yeah. And because the part about being a cowboy is mine. It’s too cool for you.”

This Is Not A Love Song by sylvanwitch (Slash/Wincest, Darkfic)

I almost didn’t include this story because it’s a very dark view of the relationship between the Winchester brothers. That said, it’s very powerfully written (and in a style that’s quite unusual in this fandom) and the ending is a real punch in the gut. If you like a dark ending, you’ll like this story.

And there’s this moment, right here. Watch for it.

See the muscle ticking in Sam’s jaw, the way he’s breathing fast, like he’s just run a marathon pursued by a pack of creatures both carnivorous and quick?

See the scrim of doubt scroll through his eyes? He doesn’t want to do this. He’s not sure. And Dean could stop him with the right words.

But Dean isn’t paying attention.

Stranglehold by majorbrat (Slash/Wincest, casefic)

It’s Wincest, but this story has something of the tone of an episode. Dean has been cursed and Sam has to figure out how to break the curse before Dean loses his mind. I like the concept, and the way you’re never quite sure what’s real and what isn’t for Dean.

“Demon’s can’t cross over those kind of symbols, man. And the salt…”

Flinging himself down onto the other double bed, Dean let out a huff of air. “It had an explanation for it, something about curses and blood…”

Sam jumped off the other bed and grabbed for his laptop. “You didn’t feel the need to tell me that like, oh… fifteen minutes ago?”

“You were too busy trying to convince me I was crazy.”

Things Fall Apart by musesfool (Threesome Sam/Dean/Jo)

I’m not a fan of present-tense narrative, but I do enjoy the author’s sparse prose. It has the feel of a tale told over a lot of whiskey, a long time after the event. This is a dark take on Sam saving Dean from Hell, taking the broken version of Sam from Mystery Spot to its logical and unpleasant conclusion. Jo is harder than we saw her in canon, jaded and still trying to help in this world without any real hope. Even the sex is dark, unsatisfying for the participants, not always wholly consensual. What can I say? I love darkfic.

Dean’s been gone eight weeks, and except for her and Bobby, no other hunter will have anything to do with Sam and his crazy quest to bring his brother back from hell.

Jo likes having a goal, even one as impossible as this.

Sam does it, though, kills enough demons to make hell take notice, and when he kills Lilith, hell spits Dean Winchester back out. It’s a hot July night in Kansas, heat lightning splitting the clouds and the roar of thunder shaking the earth.

Crossposted from my blog at Devil's Trap. You can comment here or on the blog.