spn_littlebro

A spn_littlebro Discussion Meme: The Hurt So Far....

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:00:53 GMT

Sharing the Hurt!Sam Love in our special 'Fan of Letters' batcave!

Due to the overwhelming amount of delicious hurt!Sam we are getting, the mods here at spn_littlebro have decided to pull an emergency group discussion with the rest of our fellow hurt!Sam lovers!

Nothing is better than sharing your hurt!Sam love with another, right? Well, that is what this post is for. This is a discussion meme about our most favorite thing in the world: HURT SAM \0/

So pull up a chair, grab yourself a coffee and a cake from the buffet and let's chat about our obsessions, hopes and dreams before the season finale.

Rules:

No bashing or flaming another member or characters from the show. This is about our common LOVE for the show and Sam, right? So don't be rude.

You can comment and reply to as many members as you want. Remember, this is a discussion group, go nuts!

If you have any issues or believe someone is violating these rules, please don't comment to them yourself but contact one of us and we will decide the best course of action.

NO SPOILERS! Please remember some fans don't like to be spoiled. If you MUST talk about them, please keep all spoilers under a Spoiler Code.<lj-spoiler text="spoilers [click to open]">type spoiler here</lj-spoiler> (Copy and paste this into the comment and simply add your spoilers where it says 'type spoiler here')

Most of all HAVE FUN. Bask in the glory of all the hurt!Sam, and hey if you make a friend along the way, all the better huh?

To get us all started we have a copy and paste template we'd like each of our members to fill out. Simply copy this and paste it into the comment box and fill out accordingly:

Remember, everyone have fun!

If you would like to pimp this in your own journal, simply copy and paste what's in the text box below!

newsletter #27 (Apr 2013)

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:07:00 GMT

Welcome to the spn_littlebro newsletter #27 for April 2013!

Fevered Ramblings:

Oooohh... these trials have us hurt!Sam fans quivering in excitement, don't they! Here's hoping we get lots of fic (or art or videos) to wallow in as a result! In anticipation of all the goodies, we'd like to welcome ayane42 to our team of reccers. \o/

(Don't forget - anyone can rec a hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared work to our theme posts at spn_littlebro. Self-recs are A-OK too!)

Now, have some recs from your mods to tide us over till new episodes April 24!

Who's Hurting Sam or Jared Lately?

harrigan has a new fic to rec for those 'gencest' lovers among us: General Soothing by callistosh65, who says, "Have some unashamed schmoop heavily disguised as a coda to that lovely, lovely tag in 8.17, Goodbye Stranger." It's Sam/Dean, just under 2K, and harrigan says, "I really liked how she explored Sam's promise to tell the truth about his physical decline with the ramifications: Dean kicks into protective big-brother mode. Not in an 'I'd die for you' way, but in an 'I'll treat you like you're four years old again, and it's my job to wrap you in a warm blanket and yet tease you mercilessly' way. I've missed that!"

cherry916 is back from trolling the caves of ff.net with a new SPN gen story just under 5K: Rude Awakening by Marianna-Morgan. Summary: Post 8x16 – Sam coughed again, tasting the bitter tang of copper in his mouth, and then wiped his lips; the gesture too familiar as he had tried to keep this hidden from Dean over the past few weeks. And now the secret was out. But apparently the secret was worse than even Sam had known because the coughing had never been this bad; the blood had never been this much. cherry916 says, "Marianna is always spot on and fast with her fic and this one is definitely no different. A fic we have ALL been waiting for that addresses Sam's sudden symptom of coughing up blood and Dean's distress over not being able to help. Throughout this fic Sam's coughing A LOT of blood, which freaks him out, and all Dean can offer is his support and comfort."

"It's April!" says tarotgal. "And that means it's time for another SPN meme from tg! I hope you join me again for this one." Head on over to the Super-sneezy Supernatural Meme II, leave some sick!Sam prompts, fill some others, and enjoy the bounty!

Featured Fic Recs:

cherry916 has a hurt!Jared to feature this month: Out of Sight by bad_peppermint. Summary (from a prompt): Jared and Jensen's kid wants to find the perfect Christmas present for his blind dad. Kid!fic, blind!Jared, AU. This is "a heartwarming story told entirely from Jared's son POV about wanting to get his dad the perfect Christmas present," cherry916 says. "It'll tug at your heartstrings, seeing such love and devotion between the son and father."

For a little 1K SPN gen classic, from 2006, cherry916 offers up Fever by geminigrl11. Summary: Sam has not improved, and now the fever affects all three equally, one with frailty and two with fear. cherry916 calls this "an old gem that proposes the interesting dynamic between John, Dean and Sam. It gives us a glimpse of how they all react when Sam is violently ill. It's told from John's POV, which offer amazing insight, and also gives us an outsider's sort of look at Sam and Dean's interactions."

Our new reccer ayane42 has selected three personal favorites to feature this month:
- Dictionary for a Dead Language is a 22K Sam/Dean NC17 fest of psychological trauma, limp!Sam, confused!Sam, post vessel!Sam, and comatose Sam by britomart_is. Summary: Under mysterious circumstances bitterly disputed by the historians, Sam Winchester said yes to Lucifer. Three years later, Lucifer is gone and the familiar landscape that the Winchesters once traversed is a burnt-out ruin of its former self — not to mention the damage done to Lucifer's vessel. Trapped in a grotesque parody of domestic bliss with a brother he no longer recognizes, a shell-shocked Dean has no reason to believe that happy endings exist for men like the Winchesters. ayane42 says, "I remember when I first read this story how bleak everything seemed, the landscape, the people... very realistic for a post-Apocalyptic world. Just a perfect story of the aftermath of Sam saying yes, and the struggles that both Sam and Dean go through to get back to a sort of happy ending."
- This Little Corner of Heaven by choccyprofit is over 25K of J2AU. Summary: Dr Jensen Ackles is a lonely widower and workaholic who has little sympathy for the homeless. So when Jared, the young homeless kid who broke into his house last night, shows up in the ER, sick and critically injured, will the good doctor bring his work home with him? Our reccer says, "This is a story with lots of hurt Jared: homeless, then attacked, but then rescued by Jensen - who has his own ghosts to deal with. Together they figure it out." (Do check the warnings.)
- A Life Dismantled by 4422shini rounds out her fic recs this month. Summary: Gen, wee!chesters. Sometime before Sam learns the truth, he gets kidnapped/menaced and hurt by a human-looking monster. John rescues him in bad-ass hunting mode, dispatching the creature violently. Sammy ends up traumatized by the ordeal, and frightened of his father. ayane42 says it's got child abuse, trauma, shoulder dislocation, angst, and "for me this was a frightening story, told from wee Sam's viewpoint of what's happening: scary, haunting, not a happy ending."

Other Media:

art: The Safest Place in the World by resophere is a real treat! cherry916 says, "I love all the detail in this; it really does look like Bobby's house. Of course, these are really Sam and Dean, broken and bloodied, but as you can see even injured himself Dean hangs his arm down to brush his hands against Sam's. Even in sleep, Dean's duties are never over."

art: We're so lucky to have quickreaver in our fandom! Just wallow in her recent illustration to the freac camp 'verse (embedded in chapter 22). ayane42 says "I don't know how many of you have read or are reading it, but this has to do with a scene from that chapter. Sam doesn't necessarily look hurt in this image except for the smiley face on his arm, which is the result of a really horrific scene from an earlier chapter: cigarette burns given to him by the guards in freac_camp."

art: ayane2 has found another gorgeous piece of work: Jensen and young Jared by Lismar. Our reccer says, "This is just the most beautiful picture I've seen. It's not connected to a fiction, but just from the image I can see Jensen comforting Jared after something that has made him sad: that faraway look in his eyes... Sigh. Just like after a nightmare or discovering something that has him deep in thought."

podfic: Here's the amazing 2-1/4 hour Bay of Fire podfic. (The 25K SPN gen story, by scullspeare can be found here.) Summary: A hunt to destroy a vengeful ghost ship leaves the brothers stranded in the cold Atlantic, fighting to survive. "This is an intriguing case fic that finds the boys in, quite literally, deep water. The boys have to rely on each other to stay alive during their watery ordeal. They take turns being strong in order to keep the other one fighting for his life. It's wonderful hurt/comfort. It also features a good dose of hurt!Dean," says ash48. "It's a rare treat to find long (over 2 hours), engaging hurt!Sam podfics. This is well read by boom_queen."

music videos: ash48 has found a rare hurt!Jared AU music video - woot! Blue Monday by superkitte. Ash says, "This is a fantastic constructed reality (AU) vid. It tells the story of Jared traveling around the country on his motorbike. He meets Jensen and then - well, you'll just have to watch it to find out what happens next. Let's just say Jared's in trouble. The vidder using a variety of source material and seamlessly matches it together to create a tense and engaging new story. I highly recommend it."

eBooks, etc.: Check out Out of Sight, rec'd above!

newsletter #26 (Mar 2013)

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 13:58:21 GMT

Welcome to the spn_littlebro newsletter #26 for March 2013!

Fevered Ramblings:

Counting the hours till our next new episode! Meanwhile, 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?

cherry916's first rec this month is a J2 nonAU: I Have Your Back by julieshadow. Summary: A new director sent from the CW causes problems for Jared. This does not go down well with the other cast and crew. According to Cherry, "This is set in Season 8 where a new director is giving Jared a hard time, despite him being ill due to so much corn syrup intake for the fake blood. Jensen has to bust out his protective streak on this hot shot director."

Circling Back by nwspaprtaxis also gets two thumbs up from our reccer cherry916 this month. Summary: Forty-frigging-years-old and Sam is a moron who still regresses to about five when he gets sick. Dean is an awesome big brother who might have fucked-up knees. This is a 2-3K SPN gen fic and Cherry says, "This is basically a curtain!fic yet Dean still hunts and Sam is now more research-based. What I love is even in their 40s they fall back into their roles seamlessly. Sam being sick, forgetful and simply needing his brother and Dean dropping everything to be with his sick sibling despite Sam being 40." Check out our art rec for this story below too!

ash48 is excited about the new And happiness is what you need so bad by deirdre_c this month. Summary: Upon discovering a hidden room in the Men of Letters’ library, Sam accidentally releases a djinn. It's Sam/Dean, 4-5K, and Ash says it's "a wonderful story set in the awesome bat cave. Sam is under the influence of a Djinn. Cue some hurt!Sam, worried!Dean and wonderful bro loving."

harrigan and ash48 each plucked quickreaver's Ashes Inside to celebrate. Summary: based on an ohsam prompt: "When they picked Sam to be the one to use the demon bomb, no one considered the effect it might have on the traces of demon blood still in Sam's body. At first, Sam just thinks he's getting sick like he usually does around this time of year, but it eventually becomes apparent that something more is seriously wrong. Dean calls Cas for help." This is so vivid, so full of foreboding, and such wonderful characterizations and ackk! That ending! In the comments, the author indicates that she has plans to expand this. But it definitely stands alone, so those who avoid WIPs can dive right in! Best of all, see the associated art rec below!

Featured Fic Recs:

cherry916 has picked a 2006 holiday gem for her featured fic this month: Winter Solstice by sendintheklowns on ff.net. Summary: A kidnapping, a ritual sacrifice, and a desperate hunt…just another typical holiday season for the Winchester family. Pre series. "This is definitely an old favorite of mine," Cherry says, "because she explores the dynamics between John and Sam, and as a result of their fighting, Dean and Sam. She manages to wind family conflict with the hunt so effortlessly. Of course in the end Sam gets hurt and both Dean and John have to re-evaluate their attitudes toward Sam, as does Sam toward them."

Welcome to our guest reccer this month, ayane42! She has braved the wilds of ff.net for us, and found a couple SPN gen oldies-but-goodies:
- The Cure by Phx. Summary: Sam is cured. Problem is, he was never sick...ayane42 enjoyed the kidnapping, torture, gagged, restraint, physical abuse, and says "When I first saw the summary, I thought physical illness, but it turned out to not be that at all. A really great story!
- Unhinged is almost 50K of fun by supernaturalsam. Summary: Sam and Dean are down in Arkansas investigating a haunted hotel when they encounter someone who wants what Sam has: a brother. He’ll go to any lengths to get what he wants, even if that means removing Sam from the picture…permanently. Our reccer says, "I really enjoyed this story! Crazy person abducts Sammy, and Dean comes to the rescue. Lots of hurt Sammy!"

And another welcome to our second guest reccer this month, khakigrrl! After episode 8.13, she was in the mood to re-read some favorite necromancer fics, and graciously shared those recs with us.
- RaBB verse: Slamming Through, I Need You (sequel) by authoressnebula. Summary: After "Sin City", Sam has a vision. They're not the usual visions, though, and they're just getting worse.khakigrrl says "When I first watched Ep 8.13 and necromancers were mentioned, this is the fic my mind immediately jumped to. Specifically, that line in it, "You who are dead will do my bidding.” Bwahahahaha!!!" It's SPN gen, set in season 3. Part of a series, but can be read alone.
- Puppetmaster is a masterful 80K +epic by scullspeare. Summary: As Sam recovers from knee surgery, he's hit with violent visions that will, ultimately, put both Winchester brothers' lives in jeopardy. Multi-chapter follow-up to Bridging Two Solitudes, set late in Season 2.. This one also stands alone well. Our reccer says, "Dean is a terrific physical therapist. I want him to come be my personal trainer sometime. ;-) Seriously, though, I love the brother banter in this, and Sam's seizures are just so well portrayed, both Sam's experience and Dean's on the outside."
- What's Dead Should Stay Dead is another deliciously long SPN gen fic, this one written during season 2 by TraSan. Summary: When bodies start disappearing in Flatt Plains, Iowa, Sam and Dean search for the truth. After Sam is injured, Dean is faced with a difficult choice. Stay to protect his brother or save an entire town from an ambitious Necromancer. khakigrrl says, "I love Dean's desperation to try anything to save Sam, no matter what. And it was an interesting idea for a story. Necromancy isn't used much in fics, but I love good long fics, and this was a good exploration on the topic."

Other Media:

art: quickreaver has done it again! This month, it's to illustrate Circling Back (rec'd above) and the art is here. cherry916 recs this: "Just a magnificent display of the age and tiredness on their faces. The gray in their hairs, the sag to their skin, how their stubble appears different due to their skin being wrinkled. She has aged them really well. Yet their fondness is more open, Sam more pitifully sick yet looking up at Dean for affection and comfort and Dean's eyes speak of such love and devotion. It gives you all sort of good feels."

art: The comic-style art for Ashes Inside by pennies_4_eyes is one of the most fantastic hurt!Sam creations we've seen! ash48 says, "This is absolutely stunning! This is art work to quickreaver's story Ashes Inside (rec'd above). It's beautifully illustrated and shows Sam being carried and cared for by his awesome big brother. I just LOVE it!"

music videos: Wrong by sweetiejen is a hurt!Sam favorite of ash48. Ash says "This is an oldie (2009) but a goodie. The perfect song for Sam. This is an excellent character study, looking at Sam's mistakes."

podfics: harrigan just discovered one of her hurt!Jared favorites is available in podfic form! Keepsake, just under 20K, was a j2_everafter from years ago by indysaur, based loosely on Wall-E! The mp3 and m4b versions are courtesy of the talented narrator boom_queen and are available here!

eBooks, etc.: Looking forward to the 2013 spn_j2_bigbang this summer? Until then, ayane42 has a favorite from 2012 to rec: Baba O'Riley and Eleanor Rigby walk into a bar by sammehsayum. Summary: AU: Mary never died and if the supernatural exists, it leaves the Winchesters alone. When Dean Winchester was four years old he almost lost his younger brother for the first time to a fire. When Dean Winchester was eighteen he almost lost his brother a second time to a full bathtub and a pack of sleeping pills, citing some decidedly unbrotherly feelings in his suicide note. At twenty-two he's about to lose him for a third time to Stanford University. He and Sam's therapist sit down and talk out the chain of events leading up to and proceeding after what Dean considers to be the worst day of his life. He figures out a few things along the way. ayane42 says "I usually don't read wincest, but I read the summary and was intrigued. I started reading and even though the story is in Dean's POV, the author really gets across the amount of hurt that Sammy is going through with his feelings for Dean. The story really stuck with me for a long while." The masterpost contains a link to the PDF.

newsletter #25 (Feb 2013)

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 18:41:18 GMT

Welcome to the spn_littlebro newsletter #25 for February 2013!

Fevered Ramblings:

Woot! Renewed for season 9!

And here's a handful of other 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?

If you're a fan of massive SPN AU being posted at freac_camp, be sure to check out the latest timestamp: Littoral (part 1) by whereupon. (Even when the author's LJ account is not active, the story is available.) Summary: Sam goes down bleeding in a field. This is the aftermath.. Part 2 is here; part 3 is here; part 4 is here and it may still have more to come. Sam's first time on painkillers!

ash48 can't say enough about the 2K SPN gen fic I've been living on the edge so long (Where the winds of limbo roar) by clex_monkie89. Summary: Sam's never really been alone before, and maybe he isn't now.. Ash says "This is a beautifully written story that gets into Sam's head during his year without Dean. It broke my heart in a way I needed it to be broken."

harrigan finds At Least Ian Malcolm Had a Sat Phone a fun read, in a pairing we don't see much in hurt!Jared fic: Jared/Gen AU. Summary: All Gen wants is to get through her last day of wolfiness for the month and go home. Only now there's this idiot stumbling through her woods, and she just hopes he doesn't hurt himself. By, say, falling into that icy stream and twisting his ankle, like a twit. It's rated PG, runs a bit over 5K and is written by snickfic. harrigan says, "After going on 8 years in SPN fandom, sometimes I feel like everything has already been written. And then I come across this. Hee!! I love that Jared wasn't just a damsel-in-distress; he had some smarts and determination about him too. And snarky Gen rocked!"

Woot! I think all of us mods at spn_littlebro are tingling with excitement over zubeneschamali and her long-awaited sequel to the J2AU epic The Winchester Identity. The new novel-sized fic is called The Winchester Supremacy and is completed but is being posted in istallments several times a week due to its length. Ash says "Book One is already up (Morro Bay), Book Two is in progress now - which is set in Australia so I'm extra gleeful! Chapter One features some hurt!Jared and what's being posted now has plenty of hurt!Jared - or rather Jared in peril \o/. I'm sure there will more to follow."

Featured Fic Recs:

cherry916 offers up Hangman this month. Summary: Sam just doesn't have much luck with things that go for the neck. This is a 1-2K SPN gen fic from 2007 (!) by unhobbityhobbit and Cherry says, "This is an old one that brings up the fact that bad guys just love to hang Sam. Which is therefore, our pleasure *g*. It's short but fast-paced and incredibly sweet."

ash48 says, "I recently discovered this intriguing vampire love story. It features a young Jared with a mysterious destiny and Jensen as a protective (and somewhat socially inept) vampire. I haven't read the entire 'verse yet but the first installment has me wanting more." It's called Watching from Shadows, by saucyminx. Summary: Apparently there’s something special about the boy, though Jensen hardly feels motivated to figure out what it might be. He’ll just stick to following his orders to protect Jared, no matter the consequences. It's part of the author's Prophecy 'verse, so there's more to enjoy. And as it's on AO3, it's all available in eReader formats too!

Other Media:

art: cherry916 has selected this wonderful sketch to highlight this month: Older Brother by ~huntinghounds. Cherry says, "This is a very beautiful, traditional drawing of Sam and Dean, with Sam cuddled to Dean's chest. Being blanketed by Dean's leather jacket. It's in a cross hatch style, which is incredibly hard to master but she pulls it off perfectly."

music videos: ash48 recommends Good Intentions by ohmay. The road to hell is paved with good intentions... Ash says this character study is "a vid that explores Sam's road to hell. I particularly love the middle section."

podfics: ash48 got a treat at the recent spn_j2_xmas exchange: a 2-3K Sam/Dean fic called A History of Violence by lyryl. Summary: Sometimes the problem, Sam thinks, is that there are no rulebooks about how to be your brother’s ex. Ash says, "It's a beautifully observed story set in early season 8. It examines how Sam and Dean will always have each other, even though it seems like they are trapped in their relationship. It's bleak (as early S8 was) but with offers a glimmer of hope." Best of all, it's just been podficced too! Read by lavishsqualor, it's available here: here in mp3 and audiobook formats. It's a lovely recording and captures this wonderfully observed early S8 story.

eBooks, etc.: cherry916 recently discovered a delightfully long fill to an abused_sammy prompt: Escape to the Future by dark_shadow85. Summary: Detective Jensen Ackles, pride of the Chicago Police Force’s special crime unit is asked by Captain Jeffrey Morgan to investigate the newest serial killings to hit the Windy City. The only problem – the killer escaped capture before and left only one victim alive, Jensen’s lover and life partner Jared Padalecki-Ackles. Can they find the Crimson Killer before he strikes again? The PDF is available for download here. Cherry says, "This was written in response to a prompt by imogen_lily. We have previously rec'd the story by moviegeek03 that was written for this prompt, but I feel like this story which was written for the same prompt deserves an honorable mention. As dark as it gets, she still writes the characters very well and keeps the suspense high as you try to figure out who did this along with Jensen, as he fights to save his husband." There is heavy imagery of the non-con, both past and present, in the story. Kinks galore, too, so please take heed of the warnings.

eBooks, etc.: See also Watching from Shadows, rec'd above.

What else? cherry916 (our tireless archivist) reports that "supposedly delicious is leaving up the previous version since people are having so many issues with the new one. At least that's what gathered from their replies to feedback." That's good news! Now go forth and find some hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared recs there. (And feel free to comment here or PM one of the mods if you have any problems.)

ALSO - if you're interested in being a guest reccer for an issue of our newsletter, we'd love to share more great finds. Just comment here or PM one of the mods. Thanks!

newsletter # 24 (Jan 2013)

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 00:06:52 GMT

Welcome to the spn_littlebro newsletter #24 for January 2013!

It's 2013! The Mayans thought this day would never come, but maybe those Winchester brothers had a hand in averting another apocalypse while we weren't looking. So - that means more time to wallow in hurt!Sam and hurt!Jared, right?

It's also a good time to resolve to make more recs! We are very thankful for the fic (and other media) recs everyone has been making to the theme posts... and would love to have some fresh voices here on the spn_littlebro newsletter too. So...

☆ If you'd consider being a guest reccer for any upcoming issue of our monthly newsletter, please PM ash48 (or comment here)! ☆

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?

cherry916 is happy to point out a new work by an SPN gen writer that h/c fans many consider the queen of episode tags: K-Hanna-Korossy. This 5K story is called Will You Still Need Me When I'm Six-Feet-Four (snerk!) and is summarized thus: Sam's disappeared again, but this time it's not by choice. cherry916 says, "This is another fabulous tag by her for My Bloody Valentine. She has such a great way of getting to the characters and the roots of their problems all the while still keeping the H/C we love."

ash48 has a couple J2AU recs to start off the new year. First up, the 14K Beautiful Things Can Come From the Dark by alienat. Summary: After Jensen kills the Alpha of another pack, he makes a discovery that will change his life and the lives of people very dear to him forever. It mentions past abuse; check the warnings. ash48 says, "I thoroughly enjoyed this love story. It features some lovely hurt!Jared with some careful and caring Jensen. Their relationship has a slow progression which creates great tension."

In December, we rec'd the Christmas Tree 'Verse by anniespinkhouse but it might have gotten lost in all the seasonal goodies available, so ash48 would like to single it out again, with all its timestamps. Summary: A strange lone werewolf finds its way to the home of the Wolf-Pass Pack but how can Alpha!Jensen save a starving and dangerous Were who wants nothing to do with his own kind? Jared finds salvation by the light of a Christmas Tree. She says, "I spent a couple of hours getting completely lost in this tale. It tells the story of Jared escaping an abusive pack and finding a new life and love with his new found Alpha, Jensen. I never thought I'd get caught up in a mpreg story but I got sucked right in!"

harrigan usually tries not to repeat a rec that other communities have been featuring, but this one is so unique it deserves all the attention it can get. Riot Gear by Elaine Penny was first posted on spnkink_meme (where it is complete here, but is now being uploaded comment-fic-sized-chapter by chapter at AO3.) Summary: Sam's first thought after Dean and Cas, after Kevin and Crowley and a room full of slime had become a memory embedded in his mind like shrapnel, didn't come until he was three states away staring out of the Impala's cracked windshield. 'This is all I have left then.' It's Sam/Dean season 8 AU, that offers a brilliant, gut-wrenching reason why Sam didn't look for Dean, why he was almost shattered by grief. Note the tags on the story.

Another fic exploring season 8 dynamics gets a rec this month too: Settle Out and Fade Away by geckoholic: 10K of SPN gen written for the 2012 spn_reversebang for the haunting art by gnatkip. Summary: The more things change, the more they stay the same and Sam isn't entirely sure which he prefers when a case pulls him and Dean to Providence, Rhode Island, where something kills bereaved family members and he finds that certain things aren't buried as deep as he thought. harrigan says "I didn't know how much I needed something like this until she delivered it! Beautifully! I don't really want fix-it fics, or fics that unravel the mystery for now and might end up AU later. What I loved about this was just the painfully real insight into characters I care so much about. Completely canon-compliant and with a fascinating and creepy MOTW, it felt very much like an episode! (Only with more of the grief and nightmares we've been longing for.")

Hopefully, writers interested in hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared are signing up for the 2103 spn_j2_bigbang here (by Feb 1st) and like-minded artists here (by May)!

Featured Fic Recs:

harrigan was hooked by the art in her featured choice this month, and then found the J2AU story was a perfect match. As I Lay Dying by namichan89 (aka n_nami on AO3) is just under 35K words, written for the 2012 spn_reversebang for the comic illustrations to die for by the always amazing smallworld_inc! Summary: Blessed and cursed with a gift that makes him see past events tied to the objects he touches, Jensen is a single man in his mid-thirties who is exposed to the worst side of humanity every day. He only sees murders, rapes and suicides everywhere he goes, every day, without being able to do anything about it. His coping mechanism is taking too many pills and drinking a lot of alcohol. Over the course of decades, it has torn him apart to the point of considering suicide on a daily basis. That is, until he has a very special vision of a young man being stabbed in the subway and said man turning towards him, begging Jensen to help him even though Jensen isn't even supposed to be there. Jensen knows he has to find him – with a little help from his friend Misha, an NYPD officer. Downloadable format is also available on AO3 here.

cherry916 has picked out something lighthearted for your reading pleasure this month: Turn My Blue Heart to Red by bertee. Summary: Doctor!Jensen tries not to fall madly in love with accident-prone stripper!Jared. He is not particularly successful. Cherry says this 13K NC17 fic is "a rather humorous little story about how accident-prone Jared keeps winding up in the hospital under Doctor Jensen's care, leading him to suspect the worst."

cherry916 has an SPN gen fic rec, too: Soulless Justice by moviegeek03. Summary: When Castiel calls, Dean leaves a very tense Bobby with Sam in hopes the two will talk things out. A hunter seeking revenge just might make Bobby put his anger aside… Set after 6x11. Hurt!Sam (gunshot, stabbing), Protective!Bobby, Dean, and Cas. cherry916 says "This is a great 13K story featuring some Sam and Bobby bonding moments as Bobby attempts to get over the soulless Sam issue, while it seems like the past is threatening to overwhelm Sam.

Other Media:

art: All of us here are smitten by His Brother Was So Cold by Eiande. cherry916 says: "This is a really great drawing that could totally be used with any fanfiction about Sam being sick and Dean covering him up with a blanket."

music videos: Holy crap! Broken Inside is getting raves from more than one mod here! This Sam character study is by DemonicLullabyMV2. ash48 says "This is a stunning, must watch video for all those who love Sam or for those who struggle to understand Sam. The vidder captures Sam's plight so perfectly. It helps us to understand exactly what Sam has been through. It does, to some extent, provide an insight into why Sam may not have looked for Dean after he went missing."

music videos: TWO recs this month! The Noose by secretlytodream offers us a Sam Winchester as the Boy King character study. ash48 says it's "a beautifully structured and edited video showing Sam's journey to Boy King. His is such a sad story, but I'm always left marveling how much he has overcome."

podfics: I think this is the first issue we don't have a podfic rec. So if you know anyone who likes to record fic, point them toward a worthy hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared fic whose author is willing!

eBooks, etc.: harrigan has found a J2AU fic with hurt!Jared available in PDF format from the 2012 spn_j2_bigbang: To Feel You Underneath My Skin by fairygrrl45 and illos by ewlyn. Summary: The Marines have called one Jared Padalecki to Taipei Taiwan to be part of an infantry branch that fights the rebel factions and renegade militia of the People's Republic of China. His XTRA gene just means he's got one more reason to sign up, and he's prepared for anything. That is, until he meets Sergeant Jensen Ackles and everything goes to shit. They both have a lot to learn about what it means to be a part of The Few, The Proud, and The Brave, and what it means to be a bonded pair, fighting not just for their own lives, but each other's as well. Bonded, in this fic, means Jared's job is to protect Jensen at all costs, including undergoing a medical procedure that means "everything painful or uncomfortable gets transferred to him."

eBooks, etc.: Note, too, As I Lay Dying, rec'd above.

What else?
cherry916 reports that "It seems delicious has broken itself again with a new redesign, which is a nightmare for those who simply save links for fanfiction! Meaning us! Thankfully they are considering feedback and have a feedback page with other very vocal users. The new design, while hideous, is also mixed with a lot of bugs and problems until they can sort things out. I would suggest using this link: http://previous.delicious.com/spn_littlebro for searching our delicious page until I can either figure out easier ways to use the new design or the delicious team changes things when it comes out of beta testing."

newsletter # 23 (Christmas 2012)

Sun, 16 Dec 2012 15:33:54 GMT

DEAN: (Looks kinda amazed) What’s all this?
SAM: What do you think it is? It’s- It’s Christmas.

And to celebrate, we at spn_littlebro, along with special guest reccer mentholpixie, have rummaged through our favorites, old and new, to present you with a list of hurt!Sam and/or hurt!Jared fics that deal with Christmas. (Not in our usual format, but stacked up like presents under a tree for you!)

hurt!Sam-or-Jared - art, picspam, meta, review, music video, etc.

Part 1 and Part 2 of kroki_refur's A Very Supernatural Christmas episode meta/review/very-image-heavy-picspam from December 2007. It's been five years! Remember season 3, and a certain little h/c episode Jeremy Carver wrote? Happy sigh... and nobody can make Sam!girls laugh and cry at the same time quite like Refur.

Carol of the Supernatural instrumental SPN music video by dragonfly_sg1: Sort of recaps what our boys have been through the first year and a half - and that means some lovely hurt!Sam scenes. Post includes a link to an updated version with clips through season 7.

Cold December by maichan: believe it or not, a J2AU music video from the 2009 spn_j2_xmas gift exchange: something Christmasy, emotional porn, and a reunion after an estrangement.

Christmas Gifts - NSFW art by Ponderosa. The bandages are canon-compliant. As for the rest... if you aren't familiar with the acronym NSFW, google it before you click! ;D

hurt!Sam fic (gen)

embroiderama: Quitting Time. Dean finds a reason to quit smoking. (sick!Sam) Word count: 2K. Written Jan 2010. (bronchitis)

iamstealthyone: Winter's Chill. It’s Christmastime, and not everything is merry. Fresh off a hunt, Sam and Dean run across a case that might require their expertise. Word count: 13K. Written Dec 2006! (wrist sprain)

interflora: Hives for the Holidays. Sam is allergic to Christmas trees. Word count: 2K. Written Nov 2012. (wee!Sam: allergies)

K-Hanna-Korossy: The Boy That Hates Christmas. "Hey, Sam... Why are you the boy that hates Christmas?" Word Count: 3-4K. Written: Jul 2012. (emotional trauma)

K-Hanna-Korossy: A Brother for Christmas (round robin with 5 authors, including the one named here.) It's the first Christmas since Dean's been back, and both brothers are determined to make it special. Of course, it's the Winchesters, so nothing goes as planned. Written Jan 2009. Word count: 11K. (injured)

KaitlynRose: A Christmas Miracle. The Winchester boys are cold, hungry, separated, and injured on Christmas eve. Can anything make their night of misery any better? Word count: 29K. Written Dec 2005. The earliest hurt!Sam Christmas story we could find! Woot! (back injury)

kroki_refur: Christmas Past. Everyone drops the ball sometimes, but when you're a Winchester, consequences can be dire. Pre-series. Word count: 6K. Written Dec 2006. (hypothermia)

Laughable-Breakdowns: A Very Winchester Christmas. Sam is sad on Christmas Eve. Chick flick moments ensue. Word Count: 1K. Written Apr 2011. (emotional trauma)

laurificus: All My Words Come Back To Me. Dean has always been Sam's road home . Word Count: 2-3K. Written Dec 2007. (angst)

madame_naan: If I Come In From the Cold. Sam spends the holiday in the hospital with a nasty case of pneumonia (and an awesome big brother). Word Count: <1K. Written Nov 2012. (pneumonia)

mizpah1931: While Shepherds Watch. Shepherds come in all shapes and sizes...Word count: 6K. Written Dec 2008; updated with new edits 2009. (concussion, dislocated shoulder, bruised ribs)

phx69: Bye Baby Buntin'. His Dad and brother's hunt? It wasn't a half a day away. It was here, kicking his ass... Teenchesters. Set a week before Christmas. Word count: 14K. Written Dec 2008. (lacerations, beatings, general torture)

pkwench: Christmas in July. It's Christmas in July! Some tiny town in nowhereville is having a decidedly heinous Christmas in July to boost revenue and Sam, raw still from his brother's death, is hunting something that's working its way through the tacky event, scaring the bejesus out of people. Upon job well done, Sam gets plastered, starts a fight, and unloads about what passed for good holiday memories with Dean. And Ruby has to deal with him. Word count: 1-5K. Written Dec 2009. (head.injury, stitches, burn, grief. Sam/Ruby het, but we think it's gen-friendly.)

ratherastory: her beloved Fusion!verse depicts a future wherein the boys are retired from hunting because Dean has a permanent leg injury and Sam has come back from hell with some degree of brain damage.... There are at least 30 fics in the 'verse now (masterpost on LJ here and ***eReader*** downloadable format on AO3 here), and the following all feature Christmas (listed in chronological order):
- And Death's Dark Shadows Put to Flight (#17). Sam goes missing shortly before Christmas, and Dean manages not to freak out completely. Word count: 3-4K. Written Dec 2010. (mentally damaged)
- Sometimes All I need (#29). After wandering out into the cold during Dean's office Christmas party, Sam gets sick. Word count: 4K. Written Nov 2012. (pneumonia)
- Among Your Friends and Kindred (#30) It's Christmas day, and nothing bad happens at all. No, really. (Uh, a good day doesn't mean I can't give into my kink for Sam with respiratory issues, right? Right. Totally. *cough*) Word count: 4-5K. Written Jan 2012. (pneumonia)
ratherastory: Bloody Christmas. Dean insists on taking a job over Christmas, despite Sam's more than a little bitchy/whiny/man-I-just-don't-wanna response. It's a quick in/out/and stab with a vampire, but Sam ends up going down during the hunt and Dean discovers he's burning up. Consequently, they spend Christmas Eve in the waiting room of a small town ER. Word count: 9-10K. Written Dec 2009. (pneumonia) ***eReader*** downloadable format on AO3 here.

roque_clasique: Some Are Silver. Sam's memory is shot from multiple concussions, Dean has rheumatoid arthritis, and it's Christmas time. Word count: 4-5K. Written Dec 2011. (future!fic: memory loss)

Sammygirl1963: Light a Candle. During a hunt in the snowy mountains of New Hampshire, the Winchesters are hit by something unforeseen. Will the magic of Christmas bring back the light to the youngest Winchester's eyes? Word Count: 8-9K. Written Dec 2011. (snow blindness)

scullspeare: A Christmas Spirit. It's a Supernatural Christmas Carol. Dean stubbornly clings to the belief that making the deal with the Crossroads Demon was the right thing to do, until he's visited by three familiar spirits who remind him how much Sam needed him in the past and still needs him in the present and future. Word count: 10-15K. Written Dec 2007 on ff.net; posted to LJ Aug 2011. (poverty, beating, suicidal thoughts)

sowell: Unwrapped. Dean discovers his old amulet in Sam's bag. Sort-of Christmas fic. Word count: 1600. Written Dec 2012. (angst)

sunrize83: O Holy Night. Sam knew the truth, and the burden of it was becoming more than he could bear. Dean wasn't the one who should have died. Word count: 11K. Written Dec 2006. (angst)

hurt!Sam fic (slash: all Sam/Dean)

tesserae: And My Ship Is So Small. The fact that it's nearly Christmas has somehow escaped Sam this year. Word count: 5-6K. Written: Dec 2011. (S7 hallucinations and grief.) This is in an ***eReader*** downloadable format on AO3!

setissma: Long Lay the World. Dean gives Sam a house for Christmas. THIS IS ALL THE SUMMARY YOU NEED. (But just in case you need more summary, this fic includes a) a werewolf b) Chicago c) handyman!Dean d) total girl!Sam e) a lot of sex (NC17) f) CHRISTMAS g) pancakes and bacon.) Word count: 5-6K. Posted June 2007. (sick!Sam)

hurt!Jared fic

akintay: Communication (is the Secret to Relationships). When Jared asks Jensen to spend Christmas together, Jensen is a little too distracted by hands and lips and Jared to really listen. Word count: 3K. Written: Dec 2010. (mild injuries from a fall; angst)

anniespinkhouse: Christmas Tree. A strange lone werewolf finds its way to the home of the Wolf-Pass Pack but how can Alpha!Jensen save a starving and dangerous Were who wants nothing to do with his own kind? Jared finds salvation by the light of a Christmas Tree. J2AU, obviously! Written Dec 2011. Word Count: 22K. (Abuse: mentions of past dub con, underage. Note the warnings.) Masterpost contains link to ***eReader*** downloadable format (PDF) too.

elizah_jane: In Sickness. J2 non-au (gen): Jared looks forward to Christmas all year. He enjoys going home, spending time with his family, his mom's roast and his sister's silly decorated cookies. It's his favorite time of year, so when he wakes up a week before he's due to fly out of Vancouver feeling like a steaming pile of awful.... Word count: 1K. Written Dec 2010. (sick!Jared). ***PODFIC*** for download or streaming (8 mins long) available as #24 here.

maaldas: On December 22nd. From a prompt: Jensen, Jared, and their kids were supposed to go shopping for the holidays but Jensen's father (who never liked Jared) makes it difficult for Jensen to leave work early, so Jared and the kids go alone. When they're ready to go back home Jared and the kids are threatened by an armed man--who takes the money, the presents, and unexpectedly shoots Jared and one of the kids. When Jensen gets the call he's still in the office. Jared is unconscious, hurt badly but wakes up on Christmas Eve. Word count: 21K. Written Apr 2012. (gun shot, hospitalization, miscarriage-mpreg )

Got some favorite hurt!!Sam or hurt!Jared holiday works that we missed? Tell us about them in the comments (or our theme posts)!

We haven't had time to explore all the goodies at ohsam yet, and more hurt!Sam holiday fics are still being added there every day, so be sure to keep checking this too:

And don't forget to leave comments on the works that you've enjoyed! It's the holidays - time to spread good cheer!

newsletter # 22 (November 2012)

Sat, 17 Nov 2012 23:14:01 GMT

Welcome to the spn_littlebro newsletter #22 for November 2012!

Did you ever have a Sam or Jared h/c plot bunny and you just wish you could entice one of your *favorite* authors to tackle it? Maybe you can! Check out:

(It's multi-fandom, but if you scroll through the comments, you'll recognize some great SPN and J2 authors. And one contributor is even offering her medical expertise for beta-help on YOUR injury-or-illness fics!) The auction closes at 5 pm U.S. Eastern Standard Time (i.e. New York) on Thursday the 29th of November - other time zones available on the webpage.

On the other hand, if you want to toss your hurt!Sam plot bunnies out to see who might catch them, or are tempted to create some goodies yourself, go here ASAP!

The same, but for hurt!Jared, is welcome here!

Click on the banners for more info!

Fevered Ramblings:

Here's a handful of other 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 it on good authority that the recent spn_bigpretzel charity auction for Hurricane Sandy relief has some winning bids with prompts featuring hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared. The fics aren't written yet, but keep your eyes open there for some treats to come!

winchesterhaunt is happy to rec Gimme Shelter by mamapranayama from this year's spn_gen_bigbang. Summary: Sometimes it’s not the monsters, ghosts or demons the Winchesters should fear the most, sometimes their worst enemy is nature itself. Preseries, hurt!Sam (17), hurt!Dean(21), angsty!John and his questionable parenting skills. It's over 24K and winchesterhaunt says, "Talk about a fic that brings the house down! I do love a good teen!chester fiction from time to time and this one is just brilliant. It's also a big plus that I've never seen an injury like this before."

Besides leaving prompts, don't forget to keep checking those new memes above to see what's been produced so far! Need an example of the brilliance to be found? How about James Herriot Never Had To Deal With This Crap by rokhal, full of frantic Dean, a Sam who will die without immediate medical attention, and a reluctant Amelia who risks her license to save him.

Featured Fic Recs:

harrigan loves seeing snippets of Sam with a dog this season -- which reminds her of how much she was taken by Nun hat er nichts mehr lieb by honeylocusttree last year. Under 2K, SPN gen early season 7, the summary starts: So Sam is having a really bad time with post-concussion crap and hallucinations and basically feeling overwhelmed and everything, and there's this little stray puppy that keeps crying at the door of Rufus's cabin.... harrigan says that's all you need to know. Go read it!

cherry916 is going back to season 1 for her SPN gen rec this month: Sam's Salvation by gategirl7 on ff.net. Summary: Another shot at the missing scene in Salvation. Sam gets back to the motel after his vision and Dean takes care of him. cherry916 says, "This is an excellent episode tag to Salvation, past the H/C from the vision that we didn't get in the episode. I absolutely love John's POV here because he's so out of loop with Sam and the boys that he's almost dumbfounded at watching Dean care for Sam because he has no idea how to do so."

Other Media:

art: cherry916 has "a rather heartbreaking drawing from Tumblr" to rec, actually a matched set, "showing Dean cleaning a lollipop out of Sam's hair when they were younger to cleaning out blood in present day. I love it because the differences between the boys faces in the drawings, the stress and tried lines we see is amazing." Check it out: Hold Still, Sammy by kat-chup.

art: ash48 found a watercolor wonder in the recent spn_gen_bigbang: This Far, No Farther. Ash says quickreaver's "artwork is absolutely gorgeous and poor, poor Sam looks so very very sick. :( Makes me want to wrap him up and give him massive hugs. I haven't read this story (yet) but it looks so full of hurty goodness." So check out the art, and then give the fic a try too, and don't forget to tell us (on our theme posts) if you rec the story!

art: So much great art this month! badbastion is one of the real talents in our fandom, and Wipe the Clock art for the recent 2012 samdean_otp minibang is right up our alley. ash48 recs this because it's "beautiful work from this amazing artist. I'm a complete sucker for Dean carrying hurt!Sam and for anything that looks like Dean tending Sam's wounds."

music videos: MulkEntertainment comes through again! Of Cowards and Heroes is an AU of episode 8.01, and ash48 says this is "a closer look at what Sam might have done while Dean was away for a year. It shows more of Sam's desperation. A nice use of external audio and works as a "fix-it" for those who need it."

podfics: ash48 is currently wallowing in several hours of hurt!Sam, courtesy of Bleed Out and Take Him In, a Sam/Dean fic written for the 2010 spn_j2_bigbang by taelynhawker, and wonderfully read by the always reliable weimar27. Summary: When John Winchester dies he burdens his oldest son with a dark truth and an impossible order to follow: watch out for his little brother and, if need be, kill him to keep him from turning evil. Dean's never disobeyed an order from his father but he won't kill his brother, he'd sooner kill himself. So when Sam's visions get worse and his powers start to grow they have to find another way.... A way that won't require one brother to kill another. ash48 says "It's great to come across a hurt!Sam podfic because they seem so rare. (Thanks weimar27 for being awesome and recording this for us!) This takes S2 canon and twists it. Sam suffers visions, nightmares and energy draining blood transfusions. The author creates a believable wincest story. It's wonderfully long 'read' at over 4 hours," and is available in mp3 and m4b formats here.

eBooks, etc.: Diving back to 2007 for a rare J2 non-AU hurt!Jared fic in an eReader format, we find Sticks and Stones in an RTF version here. From back in the days when summaries weren't so standardized, author estrella30 tempts us with this: Who wants 22,000 words of J2 hurt/comfort fic filled with sex and schmoop and Jensen playing with Jared's dogs! harrigan says she does, when it's by such a talented author and has her favorite orthopedic leg trauma!

What else? It's been great seeing some recs on our theme posts from some new voices here. Welcome, new friends! And thanks again to everyone who is helping to share the hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared goodness!

newsletter # 21 (October 2012)

Sun, 14 Oct 2012 02:59:37 GMT

Welcome to the spn_littlebro newsletter #21 for October 2012!

Thanks, everyone, for adding dozens of new hurt!Sam and hurt!Jared recs to our virtual card catalog (available in comments to our theme posts, and at our library of hurt! archive on delicious.) And congrats again to mentholpixie for winning the prize package in our September rec drawing -- you earned it, honey! Enjoy!

In other news -- new episodes are here! New episodes are here! [jumps up and down, squeeing] (That makes this the perfect time to write new stories about what's going on in season 8, or what you'd like to see happen. Or even add some prompts to our hurt bunny theme here?)

Fevered Ramblings:

Here's a handful of other 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?

If you're looking for bloodshed or broken bones (which harrigan usually is), you won't find it in her rec this month, but it will make you ache in sympathy for the mental/emotional teenage turmoil that is young Sam Winchester's life. This story is called Phosphor, and captures perfectly the bitterness and resentment and yearning of high-school senior Sam, who stands at a threshold in his life and makes wrong choices and tries so hard not to miss/need the comfort and protection of his annoying big brother. It's about 5-6K and is written by whereupon, who always crafts the most gorgeous prose while stomping on our hearts.

harrigan has another rec, this one from the 2012 kamikazeremix challenge. She says, "I love curtain!fics, and one of my favorites is Eat Stone and Go On by roque_clasique. We've rec'd that story here before, and there aren't many writers I would trust to remix that amazing work. But you know who can do a brilliant job with it? cherie_morte! I think her fic is best read *after* reading the original -- and then after you've recovered, check out Go On and Eat Stone (the Cold Stone Cake remix). It's a 3K genfic where Sam and Dean are both retired from hunting -- Dean broken physically and Sam broken mentally. This is even darker than the original, but it's not without hope. And the last line will make you smile through your tears."

This month cherry916 is talking about Someone Who Isn't You by fatebegins, a J2AU rated R and about 6K in length. Summary: Jared is a spoiled high maintenance, heiress type and Jensen is his average Joe husband. Someone from Jared's past threatens their happiness. There's attempted non-con and past mpreg, and cherry916 says, "This is part of her spoiled rotten verse (which I recommend in its entirety!) and showcases diva Jared, high strung and very high maintenance, as going through something that shows how vulnerable he really is. Jensen, his husband and father of his children, is rightfully pissed and doesn't know how to handle or help a Jared who went through something so painful and traumatizing."

spn_littlebro would like to extend an enthusiastic welcome this month to a relatively new SPN fanfic writer: madame_naan. Hopefully, you've found some of her work in the most recent ohsam comment!fic meme, but if you aren't watching her LJ yet, here's a nudge. Almost all of her fic so far is hurt!Sam (and almost all under 3K). If you want a specific rec to get you started, try This Train Carries Lost Souls, set in/after season 7, and you're invited to decide if it's a curtain!fic or not! ♥

Check out this October comment!fic h/c meme over over here. Prompt! Write! Read! Enjoy!

J2 and Sam/Dean Hurt/Comfort Fic Meme

Featured Fic Recs:

cherry916 offers "a classic back from the limp-sam days when it was a website": The Choices We Make by Scared of Pennies on ff.net. It's SPN gen posted in 2007, about 10K, with concussion, gun shot wound, and a summary that reads: The Winchesters run into more than a little trouble at the bank. cherry916 says, "I enjoy the stories where they stumble upon trouble, or actually SAM always getting into trouble and consequently paying for it, despite trying to do good. Dean does his best to save Sam and get them both out of a sticky situation."

jessm78 is kicking off her recs with another oldie-but-goodie, Over the Edge by supernaturaldh on ff.net. Summary: The relentless hunt keeps Dean going, but wears Sam down. Too many unspoken words and one Winchester falls over the edge. With broken bones and angst for us to enjoy, this is a season 2 fic around 4K, and jessm78 says, "This story is set just after ELAC. I love stories from this time period because of what both boys are going through after Dad's death. This fic touches upon that in a nice way. Plus there's some really good Protective!Dean in it."

Other Media:

art: Once again, smallworld_inc has delivered something quite spectacular--this time it's a work called Scars. cherry916 describes this as "a series she did drawing Sam's scars and Dean's fascination with them all! The quality is AMAZING as always. I'm always in awe of her talent."

art: winchesterhaunt is happy to call our attention to You Know I'd Never Hurt You by stehfunknee. Our reccer says, "Looks like the Prince of Lies is at it again. Lucy hardly looks 'harmless' in this picture to me."

music videos: Coin-Operated Boy by the talented counteragent is our video rec this month. This is a character study and a meta vid on fandom, too, which ash48 says is "a brilliant vid exploring soulless!Sam and Dean and fangirls wanting him resouled. I tend to view soulless!Sam as hurt!Sam. After all, it's the ultimate price he paid for returning Lucifer to his cage. This vid is brilliantly done and examines how we, as fans, reacted to this storyline."

podfics: Our resident podfic SME, ash48, offers up The Gift of Faithfulness by morrezela for your listening pleasure this month. Summary: Jensen is a werewolf who stumbled upon a drowning and broken harpy in the woods during mating season. He never thought that they’d be compatible. Hurt!Jared lovers will find him injured, beaten, with broken bones and will no doubt enjoy the wing!fic, were!fic, allusions to future MPreg, ostracization, interspecies mating, and attempted murder. The podfic is read by meansprite and is available here. "This is a lovely Jensen rescues Jared story," ash48 says, "and meansprite is always great to listen to. I enjoyed this story of love between werewolf!Jensen and winged!Jared. Delicious h/c!"

eBooks, etc.: For those newer fans who weren't reading J2AU back in 2009, here's a rec from that year's spn_j2_bigbang: Taking Turns (Holding This World) by felisblanco. Summary: When rich boy Jensen Ackles decided to get out from under his father's thumb and run away from home he didn't expect to be robbed in broad daylight, mistaken for a hooker, beaten up by a tattooed maniac and have his life saved by a really cute street kid. All in one day. Jared Padalecki on the other hand didn't expect to be thrown in jail for his trouble. As love stories go, this one didn't exactly have the best beginning. harrigan likes fics where the circumstances scream victim (abused childhood, homeless), but the character refuses to think or act like a victim. If he eventually ends up kidnapped and shot for his troubles, all the better! This fic is @ 56K, rated NC17, and is available in downloadable eReader formats on AO3 here!

What Else?

We'd like to welcome jessm78 to our spn_littlebro team of reccers! And extend thanks and appreciation to vail_kagami, who will still keep alert for hurt!Sam and hurt!Jared gems to share, but will have less time to commit to the noble endeavor. So -- welcome and thanks!

Time is running out!

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 13:08:47 GMT

Not many days left to make a rec! We've already had some fabulous stories recced but I'm sure there are more out there to dig up and share.

The prize is FAB! For more info check out this post All you have to do is rec a hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared story to the comm and you go into the draw for the awesome prize. The more you rec, the more chances you have to win! Go forth and share! Sweepstake closes 30th September.

newsletter # 20 (September 2012)

Sat, 15 Sep 2012 19:50:47 GMT

Welcome to the spn_littlebro newsletter #20 for September 2012!

Don't forget -- we're running a sweepstakes this month! With all the great creative challenges this summer, you've probably discovered some hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared fic or art that we missed. Or maybe you've got some old favorites bookmarked that newer fans might have missed. Let us know about them! Every rec you make this month gets you another entry in a drawing for a great prize package. Check it out!

Details here!

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?

ash48 has a J2AU WIP to pimp: Flightless Bird by foolsdance. Summary: Jensen inherits a pretty young body slave in his uncle's will. He should be thrilled - he's anything but. Jared is finally freed from his owner's tyranny. He should be safe and content – he's anything but.... Ten chapters in, "This is one of those fics that you just can't seem to put down. The story of young slave!Jared is, at times, heartbreaking but Jensen and his growing awareness of what it actually means to look after a slave is heart warming. It's a tender love story and both Jared and Jensen are wonderful. I sincerely hope the author finishes this WIP."

cherry916 is a fan of pre-series SPN gen stories, and offers this 7K fic for your reading pleasure this month: Fish Sticks and Applesauce by Marianna Morgan. Summary: Pre-series – Autistic, Slightly Injured Sam / Awesome Big Brother Dean / Frustrated John – Every single day had to be exactly the same...or there would be trouble. cherry916 says "her portrayal of autism is just fantastic. You may think this is exaggeration but it's actual very common in kids with autism and she just portrays John in this fic perfectly, someone who really wants to help but basically knows next to nothing about his son because Dean handles it all. And it upsets him greatly throughout. What's so special though is the bond Sam and Dean share; despite the added autism, it's as strong as ever."

winchesterhaunt has two SPN gen fics to cheer about. The first is over 15K --Only Human by mamapranayama. Summary: Sam screwed up -- his father and brother are hurt because of him and he deserves to feel the pain he is in. It qualifies under both injury and illness, with lacerations, infection, passing out, fever, and muscle cramps for your reading pleasure! winchesterhaunt says, "There's a whole a lotta hurt here. This is a classic 'Sam gets hurt and Dad and Dean doesn't know' fic, but if you're like me those kinds of fics never get old, especially when they're written by amazing authors like mamapranayama. :)"

Under Psychological Trauma, our reccer also likes this short fic: (Show Me How to Be) Whole Again by purplehrdwonder. Summary: [Post-7.17] After getting out of the hospital, Sam’s exhausted and skittish. Dean’s still processing everything. Together they deal. winchesterhaunt says "Post 7.17, you really can't go wrong with these fics. Sleepy Sam is one of my favorites and this story has a lot of that, and Dean is just an awesome, understanding big brother here. ♥"

Featured Fic Recs:

harrigan is craving new eps, and in the meantime, is enjoying the next best thing--wallowing in some great episodic casefics that feature plotty, well-researched MOTW, great action sequences, spot-on brotherly banter, and invariably, some Winchester!whumpage too! scullspeare really delivers, and has her master post available here. (She also has a hurt!Sam tag if you like to surf that way.) Some gems harrigan particularly recommends for hurt!Sam glee are her latest, Blood of the Bayou which runs 45K, and Grave Consequences if you want to sample something shorter (which is set between two epic Sam whumps - see author notes for details!) Dive in -- you can't go wrong with this author.

cherry916 has a J2AU favorite to feature: From the outside looking In by annie46. Summary: Jensen Ackles is young and privileged; his parents are rich and powerful and he has everything in life that he has ever wanted. When his mother decides to help an immigrant Polish family with their own problems will his opinions change? Or will his prejudice blind him? cherry916 says it has mute, bullied, noncon types of hurt, and "I consider this a classic because it's been around for 2 years now, and I always love going back and re-reading it. Because Jensen, who starts off as spoiled and uncaring, transforms under the friendship he develops with Jared, a poor orphan from Poland who has faced tragedies in his life. And through that Jared and Jensen begin to love one another and Jared actually begins to heal."

Other Media:

art: The Path We Trod by lilypsiren will knock your socks off! cherry916 says, "Now why can't we get something like this on the show? Despite knowing Sam is a giant moose, still, who can deny that Dean carrying Sam because of an injury isn't well...tempting!"

art: Sam's Hell by renn08 is a "beautifully made piece of art here," according to winchesterhaunt. "I adore a hallucinating!Sam, and it's just as good seeing it portrayed in art form as it is on television."

music videos: And It Hurts Again by Locked in a Bathroom is a short but not-to-be-missed character study that ash48 describes as "a moving Sam vid, exploring his seeming neverending cycle of hurt" over seasons 4 thru 7.

podfics: The Winchester Identity by zubeneschamali is a 136K epic J2AU version of the book The Bourne Identity, and it's now available on podfic! Yay! weimar27 is one of our favorite podfic readers, and her 11+ hour m4b is available in 3 parts here. ash48 says, "It's so exciting when fics you love get podficced. I loved reading The Winchester Identity a while ago and now that it has been made into a podfic I can listen and enjoy it all over again. It's a story that features some wonderful Jared in peril and great J2 romance! Go listen!"

eBooks, etc.: Downloadable links for umpteen eReader formats are available for The Winchester Identity at the fic master post.

What Else? Mark your calendars!!

☆ Season 7 DVDs get released (in the US anyway) on September 18th! ☆
☆ New eps start Wednesday October 3rd! ☆

newsletter # 19 (August 2012)

Sat, 18 Aug 2012 13:16:13 GMT

Welcome to the spn_littlebro newsletter #19 for August 2012!

Right off the bat -- two hurt!Sam activities we hope you're all aware of and participating in! These should help us pass the time until we get new episodes on October 3rd!

and

Click the images above to learn more!

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?

If your favorite flavor of fictional hurt!Jared is emotional pain, you'll want to see the new I Am Human music video by the Brian Buckley Band, featuring Jared and a snippet of Gen!

ash48 has a 50K 2012 spn_j2_bigbang to rec this month: Rattling Your Locks by cherie_morte. Summary: Born into slavery, Jared has been trained and used as a pleasure slave ever since he was a teenager. Rare and coveted because of his Alpha status, Jared has always sold to the richest and often cruelest of masters. His new master, the young but ruthless CEO of TradeMark Entertainment, Jensen Ackles, seems no different. At least, not until Jared stops to wonder what a consummate Alpha male like Ackles would want with another Alpha as his pleasure slave. Things only get more confusing when Jared arrives at his new master's home and finds that there are no other slaves. He soon learns that Ackles freed all of his father's slaves when he inherited them and has been a vocal supporter and patron of anti-slavery groups since. Jared doesn't know how to reconcile this knowledge with his master's outward coldness, but the more he learns about Ackles, the less he seems to fit into the assumptions that Jared has made about him. J2AU, NC17, and ash48 says, "So much love for this fic. SO MUCH! A truly satisfying love story. It features not only hurt!jared but a Jared who is amazing in so many ways. He's suffered but a dignity remains that makes him truly remarkable. To be able to read a story where Jared is both vulnerable and strong is a gift. GO READ! Jensen is also amazing. I love the way the author twists the notion of slavery. And it's hot to boot!" Check the warnings and then, indulge!

Not to be outdone, cherry916 has a 70K 2012 spn_j2_bigbang to rec this month: Regrets Collect Like Old Friends by brokenhighways. Summary: Celebrity psychic Jared Padalecki is drawn into a cruel game with the media dubbed “Valentine Killer” when he insults him on live television. His best friend is murdered in cold blood, and that coupled with a thunderous clash with his old flame - CBI Agent Jensen Ackles - leads to him having a publicized breakdown. But soon he’s back and gunning for the murderer while trying to come to the terms with the deep running attraction between himself and Jensen. Little does he know that he’s in way over his head on both counts.. It's RPS J2AU, obviously, NC17, with Jared beaten, shot and threatened. cherry916 says, "It totally sucked me in. A thrilling mystery based off the TV show The Mentalist. Add in romance, angst, humor, horror and a touch of schmoop to make it an excellent read. Jared is also so complex in this, with different layers hiding what lays underneath. It's a fun read."

harrigan is sad to see the 2012 spn_j2_bigbang event come to an end, but has one more gift from that to share with you: Tornado Warning by dear_tiger. Summary: A failed attempt to restore Sam’s soul leaves roboSam with a demonic infestation. He and Dean set off across the country, searching for a way to reverse the damage. Elsewhere, an amnesiac ex-con lands a job at the Winchester Meat butcher shop, gets harassed by local monsters and falls in love with the sheriff. There are two stories that develop independently, and the connection is a name, and the name is a memory, and memories are hard to come by. But what you gotta remember first and foremost, sonny, is to watch out for the tornado. This is a very complex epic, about 28K, and it's Sam/Dean (rated R) but primarily gen readers like harrigan may find it amazing too. She says, "There's so much going on here, it's hard to pinpoint the type of hurt. Illness-of-demonic-origin, amnesia, clawed by creature, crushed by tornado... it's complicated. There's a story within a story and it ends up AU. This is a fascinating and rewarding journey, brilliantly crafted. Find yourself a quiet niche and settle in for a treat!"

Hold the presses! rainylemons has just posted her 2012 spn_gen_bigbang and it's friggin' ☆ amazing ☆ ! As is the accompanying art by evian_fork. Go read The Space Around Him now! Summary: Two years ago Sam Winchester went blind after an opportunistic infection ruined his optic nerve. He and Dean have since settled down, but Sam's still struggling to learn the difference between adapting and coping. Fortunately, he has an awesome brother, a therapist, a few exotic dancers, and a canary named Phil to help him out. It's everything harrigan loves - permanent disability, curtain!fic - but it has such painfully real mental/emotional repercussions that make your heart ache. Her Sam is bitter, yearning, stubborn, vulnerable, defiant, self-sufficient, striving... and the story has action and suspense, too, and above all -- a Dean that is exactly right!

Polls are open now at summer_sam_love! Go wallow in the heroic!Sam fic and art created for this summer challenge, vote for your favorites, and if they feature hurt!Sam, don't forget to rec them here!

Featured Fic Recs:

cherry916 offers a short oldie-but-goodie SPN gen fic this month: Still of the Night by geminigrl11 and also available on her LJ here. Summary: It's freaking cold out, and they've been here forever, it seems, with nothing else to do but sit. This is set pre-series, and cherry916 loves it because who doesn't love hypothermia? Seriously, she says, "This is a very classic fic. I remember this coming out early seasons, around Season 2, where a lot was generally still unknown about Sam and Dean's childhood. But she writes both boys beautifully as they huddle together to stay alive against the cold, waiting on John. Dean's POV in this works well as Sam gets more irritable as time goes on like most kids his age do. Very realistic and a bit on the sad side."

winchesterhaunt also has a blast from the past: that thing that's golden by kellifer. It's Sam/Dean, just under 2K, summarized as Dean's not sure how, but he can tell even though Sam speaks with only his hands, when his brother is being sarcastic. winchesterhaunt says, "Kellifer is an amazing writer. I love the hurt!Sam in this because it's something I haven't seen overdone in several fics. Very original." Afterward, she adds, check out the amazing art here by nargynargy.

Other Media:

art: cherry916 finds the best stuff! Like Stay Still by Match. cherry916 describes this as, "Sam doesn't seem to want to stay still for Dean as Dean tries to tend for his wounds. Work as a big brother is hard."

music videos: One of the fantastic things about spn_j2_bigbang is all the different kinds of artistic media we get to illustrate stories! Like this trailer for A Different Kind of Knight by jennylynneh. The trailer is by mangacat201 and if you like Jared in a world of hurt, you may want to take a look!

podfics: ash48 is raving about this reading of Hearthstone. Summary: Jensen lives alone in the small town where he grew up, dividing his time between the bookstore he runs (with no customers), the bar he half-owns (but doesn't run) and the big, expensive dream house (that he bought with money he doesn't know what to do with). He lives quietly at the edge of the circle of friends he went to school with, and avoids everybody else -- until the new guy in town crashes a bike in front of Jensen's store and wedges himself into Jensen's world. It's 3 hours and 44 mins, and ash48 says, "This is a delightful story, wonderfully read by exmanhater. We have recced this fabulous story before but we think it's worth mentioning again now that there is a podfic now available."

eBooks, etc.: All of the Who's Hurting Sam or Jared lately? fic recs are available in downloadable eReader formats -- woot!

What Else?

Thanks, everyone, for your recs last month! With self-recs and other recs - we're up over 700 works in our Library of Hurt on delicious. (Self recs are always welcome - just use the theme posts here like any other rec.)

Last month we also got a question that made us think -- maybe some folks aren't sure how to tell if a fic has already been rec'd here. Here's one way: go to our archive on delicious and in the right hand column you'll see something called Tag Bundles. Say you're looking for ratherastory. For this fic, you'd pick authors N-R. Then you'll get a list of all the authors we've had rec'd whose names start N-R. Select ratherastory from that 'cloud' and it will give you a list of all the fics by her that have been rec'd here at spn_littlebro.

When you've enjoyed a completed fic over 1K (or art, music video, etc.) that features hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared and it's not in our archives yet, we encourage you to share it with us! Just pick a hurt theme (like illness or injury, etc.) from our sticky post and fill in the template with the info we need. (There are other links in that sticky post on How To's, etc. too that you may want to check out.) Hope that helps get you started, but if you need more guidance, just let us know. (We were all beginners at one time or another!)

Hiatus friending meme!

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 12:28:19 GMT

We've noticed that there are a lot of new fans around so we're hosting a friending meme this month. \o/ If you want to play just copy and paste the contents of the text box into a comment and fill it out!

If you see someone you'd like to be friends with drop them a reply and say hi! <3 Let's share our love for the boys and the show.

The rules are simple: No bashing and or flaming other users, respect everyone's opinion and the show. Also, it would be a good idea not to mention any S8 spoilers. ;)

If you'd like to pimp (yay!), copy the contents below and post it to your journal. :D

HAVE FUN!!!

Yay!!

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 10:04:46 GMT

Have at it hurt!Sam 'n awesome!big brother lovers!! \o/

Challenge rec!

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 11:54:29 GMT

Signup for theheartofspn's Winchester Summer LOVEfest!, a two-month, multi-media celebration of the Winchester brothers leading up to the Season Eight premiere. Any fan who wants to participate can sign up now through the end of July, and celebrate their love of the brothers in any way they choose: fic, vids, art, picspam, meta, graphics, recs – if you created it and it’s about the Winchesters, we want to see it!

We now have PROMPTS!! If you have some ideas please stop by and leave a prompt. If you've signed up and are looking for some idea check it out!

I'm sure some hurt!boys, protective!boys or some yummy h/c would be welcomed! *hint* ;D

newsletter # 18 (July 2012)

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 19:58:59 GMT

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?

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!

July 2012

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 16:02:12 GMT

Here's an idea to help pass the time until Season 8 arrives....

We're declaring July as SELF-REC month here at spn_littlebro! \o/ We know, you don't like to toot your own horn... but c'mon! You've created hurt!Sam! Or hurt!Jared? Of course fans want to know about it! We know we do! And we want to further 'stock our shelves' in our Library of Hurt on delicious.

So... *Uncle Sam Wants You* to rec yourself this month. Yes, we're twisting your arm. ;D (As one of our mods says: Shame-free self-reccing? It's like eating a tub of ice cream without the guilt!) We're going to rec some of our own stuff for this meme, so you have to play along too!

We're looking for completed fic over 1K, art, vids and podfics that feature Sam or Jared h/c!

Just go to the appropriate theme post for your creation (our sticky post with links is here) and fill out the template to rec your work. (You can PM one of our mods, cherry916, if you need help.) Where the template says Why are you rec'ing this?: if you want--not required--you can put Rec requested for July 2012 Meme! And then feel free to tell us a little about why you wanted to tell that story, or why you enjoyed this particular creative endeavor.

Don't like coding in the template? Don't worry! We want your self-rec so much we're inviting you to just comment here to this post between July 1st and July 31st with the link to your creation and tell us the type(s) of hurt you're putting Sam or Jared through and what theme it should go under, and we'll do the rest. (We won't reply to your comment here, but you'll get a confirmation on the story/work itself when we've added it to our archives.)

Still having trouble? You can email us at spn_littlebro@yahoo.com with the same info mentioned above, and we'll add your creation to our theme post and archive of hurt!

Note: self-recs are always welcome at the theme posts on spn_littlebro. But we're making a special plea for self-recs this month, so please rec yourself! *puppy eyes* We all need more h/c to wallow in over the hiatus!

Any questions?

newsletter # 17 (June 2012)

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 13:12:41 GMT

Welcome to the spn_littlebro newsletter #17 for June 2012!

Well we've got good news and bad news, friends. The bad news is - there are more than 4 months between the season 7 cliff-hanger episode and what happens next! /o\

The good news is - the fact that the new episodes don't start till early October 2012 (Wednesdays, 9 p.m.) should mean fewer mini-breaks during the season, right? Plus, there are plenty of creative challenges in this fandom to indulge in during the hiatus to help pass the time. And we'll be rec'ing fic and art and music videos for your entertainment, and maybe introducing few other surprises as well.

So - let's get started!

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?

There are so many great fic (and art) challenges going on during the hiatus... spn_j2_bigbang, and so many more! Please remember, if you find some hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared that you enjoyed, we'd all like to know about it! So don't forget to visit our theme posts to share your rec!
harrigan hasn't had nearly the time she'd like to wallow in some of the fantastic fic being produced for some of the challenges and memes underway. But she has an early favorite: Conditioned Responses on AO3 or on LJ by the always eloquent killabeez. harrigan says, "She had me at the summary! Sam, Dean, and Castiel all bear scars, but Sam's are affecting all three of them." This completed story is about 5K; it's SPN gen set post season 7, and harrigan adds, "I've longed for more recognition of a possible aftermath for Sam after Cas tried to right his wrong and 'fix' him--and this was better than I ever imagined! And through it all, I love how Sam sees Dean so clearly, understands his brother's sacrifices and choices, and wants Dean to have something good in his life that isn't about protecting somebody else. This story is riddled with pain, for Sam, for Dean, and for Cas (and how could it not be, after all they have endured). And yet, killabeez both begins and ends it on a note of shining hope that breaks my heart."

cherry916 is excited about a couple new finds!
- Taking the Devil Out of the Equation by KKBELVIS on ff.net. cherry916 says: "This is a short tag for Born Again Identity (Hurt Sam galore!) Sadly we were kind of nixed on the H/C aspect of that episode, and what she does is fill in the gaps between Sam being fixed and when they get outside--giving us the much needed H/C between the boys we wanted to see."
- How Will I Know by moviegeek03 is J2AU mpreg fic around 11K, of which cherry916 says "part of her Tattooed!Jensen verse, this basically has Jared recovering from injuries he sustained in an earlier story--which comes along with much hurt!Jared and comforting Jensen to be had. I haven't read it yet (going to now!) But I already know this promises to be an excellent addition to the verse. This is part of her equally-as-awesome Tattooed!Jensen Verse, which I assure has muchos hurt!Jared along the way. A lot of the stories also involve mpreg. I recommended reading the verse first :)"

Featured Fic Recs:

Instead of a golden oldie this month, or an author rec, harrigan would like to point out this 100 Things challenge. cherry916 has pledged to blog about 100 of her favorite fics: "a mix of wincest, J2, Gen, and even other fandoms". A lot of her favorites are epic in length, and there's no shortage of hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared. cherry916 is one of our reccers here at spn_littlebro, so if you've found that your taste usually matches hers, you'll want to see what other fics she has bookmarked and is blogging about now.

winchesterhaunt has a couple authors whose SPN gen fic from 3 or 4 years ago still resonates deeply with her.
- Messing Around with Slim by Refur. Summary: You don't mess around with Slim. It's just not a good idea. But since when has Dean Winchester let that put him off? Preseries. winchesterhaunt says: "I normally don't read outside POV. In fact, I generally run the opposite direction, but I took a chance on this one and struck gold. I really enjoyed the outside character and I love how Dean is not a happy camper when he finds out betting his "most precious thing" isn't his car." (harrigan would like to remind folks that this is the same author whose fic on LJ is to be found here. kroki_refur is a phenomenal SPN gen writer with a terrific and distinctive writing style who offers an abundance of treasures for hurt!Sam fans.)
- Heart's Desire by gidgetgal9 on ff.net. Summary: Dean is granted his "heart's desire" while tangling with a witch. Now under a witch's spell, he feels compelled to overprotect Sam from every danger and wants complete control to keep Sam safe. Will the brother's relationship survive? S2. winchesterhaunt says, "Show of hands, who likes overprotective!Dean? Well good, because this is overprotective!Dean to the extreme. Dean is so obsessed with keeping Sam safe that it starts to run over into an unhealthy level. ...I love it! Plus--there's a sequel!

Other Media:

art: cherry916 says to be prepared to be blown away by Sam by blackravell on deviantart. This is "a beautiful portrait of Sam during his time in When The Levee Breaks. You can see the look of desperation on his face and the sweat from detoxing. His whole look spells vulnerable."

music videos: harrigan encourages you all to check out Just Dropped In by sockkpuppett. harrigan says "This season has been one where I haven't re-watched the episodes much, so many of these clips are scenes I've only seen once, and I really embrace the opportunity to wallow in them here like this. Beautifully done--skillfully woven together to the perfect song choice. ash48 adds, "This vid captures just how many hits Sam keeps taking. It's painful but also shows just how damn strong and resilient he is. By the end your heart is just breaking for him. Perfect song and beautifully made".

music videos: harrigan also recs the vidlet maybe I could be saved by ash48, saying "If that dialogue from the episode Houses of the Holy still grabs your heart, it will really resonate when you see how Ash re-examines it with visuals from the seasons after. I tear up more each time I watch it."

audiobook/podfic: ash48 is a huge fan of candle_beck as author *and* as podfic reader. Case in point: Last Day on Earth: an NC17 Sam/Dean fic around 13K. ash48 says, candle_beck's voice is PERFECT for her stories. She has a deep resonance that fits so perfectly with the way she writes. She reads with wonderful fluency and passion. If you've never listened to her read NOW is the time. You won't regret it." Link to the podfic (which runs 60-70 mins) is here in mp3.

eBooks, etc.: Sometimes, you want to wallow in some great hurt!Sam but you're not online. Anyone else miss the feel of a bound book, the excitement of turning paper pages to see what comes next? harrigan has some ideas: this post directs you to information on an SPN anthology available via cafepress that features lots of hurt!Sam. (Links to the individual online stories are also provided.) At the bottom of the post are three links to other SPN fic works available at cafepress, and all also feature lots of hurt!Sam (and may also be available to simply download). Check out the comments for info on an SPN slash anthology - but I can't speak to whether those fics are hurt!Sam or not. (For anyone considering buying a volume at cafepress, check this site for current coupon codes. For example, there may be some Father's Day discounts if you act fast!)

And if anyone reading this newsletter has info on ordering SPN fanzines that have some great hurt!Sam, feel free to comment to here with details!

What Else?

Don't forget, we have now have site-specific subsets of our rec lists on ff.net here and AO3 here. So if you're looking for our recs and you're on ff.net or AO3, you can also find them there! Our ff.net collection should be current; our AO3 collection is at the discretion of the authors to add them to our rec collection there. So if you're a writer who has fics on AO3 that have been rec'd here, please consider adding them to our SPN_littlebro collection on AO3 so eager readers can find them. For more details, see this recent bulletin. And to those of you who have already updated your AO3 entries that we've rec'd with the new collection -- Thanks!

more places to find our recs

Wed, 30 May 2012 20:54:16 GMT

Can you believe it? spn_littlebro is having a birthday - our first! To celebrate, we are announcing two more places you can find our hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared recs! (And if LJ ever has temporary performance problems in the future, you now have other places to find our recs!)

Fanfiction.net
We've created a new community on fanfiction.net called Spn_littlebro: a hurt!Sam community! This is intended to help fans who like to surf ff.net to find the stories there that have been rec'd by y'all here at spn_littlebro. (And ff.net is sweet because you can subscribe to a community and be notified when new entries are added.)

AO3 (Archive of Our Own)
We've also created a new collection on AO3 called SPN_littlebro. This is intended to... Right! Help fans who like to surf AO3 to find the stories there that have been rec'd by y'all here at spn_littlebro. (AO3 is awesome because fics can be downloaded in various eReader formats. It also supports tags for word count and other useful info to make for more flexible searching.)

What do you have to do?

If you're a writer who has had a fic rec'd at spn_littlebro, and that story is on AO3, please consider adding it to the SPN_littlebro collection there. Only the author can do that, but it's not hard. Just edit your fic there to fill in the Post to Collection text box with 'SPN_littlebro'. (It's case sensitive. Uppercase SPN and the rest in lower case.) That's all you need to do, and then folks searching AO3 for fics that we've rec'd will find yours!!

(Not sure if/which of your fic has been rec'd? Just go to our library of hurt on delicious and select the authors A-B (or whatever letter range your pen name falls in) from the tag bundles on the right. The page will be updated to show a cloud of entries that say w=pen name. If you see your name there, select it to get a list of your fic that's been rec'd so far.)

If your story has been posted to ff.net, our spn_littlebro team can add it to the collection there ourselves (unlike AO3). We've updated it with all the stories we could, but if the original rec here wasn't to your ff.net link, and your ff.net pen name is different, just comment here with a link to your profile on ff.net and we'll be happy to add your rec'd fics to our collection there.

Going forward, if you have a fic rec'd at spn_littlebro, we'll let you know, and invite you to add it to the AO3 collection if you have a copy posted there, and ask you to tell us if it's at ff.net under a different pen name, so we can add it to our community there.
If you're a reader, you don't have to do anything unless you want to. You can browse or subscribe to Spn_littlebro: a hurt!Sam community on ff.net any time now if you're a reader there. On AO3, you can browse SPN_littlebro, but they don't appear to offer subscriptions to collections, the way they do to individual authors. Our ff.net community is fairly complete, but the AO3 collection will be growing over time as more authors identify their works.

To clarify, these two collections will not contain any fics that haven't been rec'd at spn_littlebro first. All rec'd fics are automatically added to our our library of hurt on delicious with the story link provided by the person making the recommendation. Our goal here is simply to help users of ff.net and AO3 find stories specifically posted at those sites more easily.

If you have any questions, feel free to comment here and we'll be glad to help!

newsletter # 16 (May 2012)

Sun, 20 May 2012 02:59:11 GMT

Welcome to the spn_littlebro newsletter #16 for May 2012!

Woot! Season 8 is a go! (Wednesdays at 9 pm, beginning in early October 2012)

What can top that? Not much, but when the euphoria settles down, we know you'll be looking for some hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared treats to pass the time until we get those new episodes! So here you go!

You know, sometimes the fic recs here are positively dripping in blood, and sometimes the h/c is a lot more subdued. This month, I think it's more of the latter. Hope you enjoy! And if you like your h/c a little more traumatic or angsty or orthopedic ;D or whatever, don't forget to go to our theme posts here and rec your favorites!

Fevered Ramblings:

Here's a handful of other 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?

cherry916 is happily immersed in Give Thy Thoughts No Tongue by queerly_it_is. It's a completed J2AU fic, NC17, between 3-4K, but the author promises that a 'verse is coming. The story was written for this prompt: Jared has been a telepath for as long as he remembers. That means that in some ways he has learned to close his mind when things get overwhelming. Meeting Jensen is a test on his patience, however, because he has never met anyone as loud or with as dirty a mind as Jensen. (If you want to give Jensen a superpower that'd be cool too, maybe having control over magnetic fields *wink*? Oh also, I have a *thing* for awkward!Jared.) cherry916 says the type of hurt is telepathy and tells us that "This is from the equally as awesome Men in Tights Comment-Fic Meme (and it would be cool to see some hurt!Jared or hurt!Sam prompts there!). Jared is a telepathic, and meets Jensen, who has a very dirty mind. He soon discovers that Jensen has been hiding things too, and it takes a knife-wielding robber to see that. I particularly loved this for Jensen's of course VERY dirty mouth and his sweet protectiveness over Jared...."

harrigan has a Sam/Dean fic future!fic rec this month: The Book of Winchester by selecasharp. This was created for the 2012 spn_cinema based on the movie The Book of Eli, and the author beautifully captures the stark landscape and selfless determination of the movie. The art by lightthesparks couldn't be more perfect! Rated R, with warnings for language, apoca!fic, and permanent injury, the story runs between 9-10K and is available in eReader formats too!

vail_kagami says sinka "doesn't write much, but when she does, it's gold. Her newest fic, The Characters Upon the Rock (Remain Unchanged) is a beautifully written and utterly heartbreaking portrayal of what Sam and Dean's life might have been if Castiel taking on the crazy had done nothing to actually help and they had settled down to watch their life and relationship fall apart between medication and jobs and bills. Tragic cases of miscommunication lead to a kind of hurt everyone can relate to and it's so fucking awful because they love each other so much. Definitely recommended."

winchesterhaunt says "Let's just say I'm three chapters in and I'm already checking my email every thirty minutes for an update. You'll love it, go read it!". What fic has her so addicted? It's an SPN gen fic WIP called Vengeance by collegeboy_spn and Jedi_Sapphire on ff.net. Summary: Sam and Dean have an argument. Dean goes out for a night on the town. They're Winchesters, so this isn't going to end well. This fic features dislocation, blood loss, torture and kidnapping.

Author and Artist Signups just started for the spn_gen_bigbang summer bang (big and mini!) with details here! It's a great opportunity to create some hurt!Sam. If you're kinda new to writing for a fic challenge, or posting fic in general, they have a very helpful support community spn_gen_bb_help to give you a hand.

Caught the S7 season-ender cliffhanger? If so, you may be interested in this S7 finale comment!fic meme for both boys at kate_mct's LJ!

Don't forget about the all hurt!Sam May 2 2012 ohsam comment!fic meme too! Lots of great prompts and fills to be found there!

Featured Fic Recs:

cherry916's rec this month has "not much hurting. More emotional trauma than anything else." But if your taste matches hers, you can be sure you'll enjoy Glimpse, which is a pre-series, SPN gen fic, under 5K by ygrawn. Summary: John figures Dean got the idea from that Dr. Seuss book about eggs and ham. When they tell Dean he’ll be getting a little brother or sister, Dean immediately says, “Oh, let’s call him Sam.” cherry916 wants to feature this one because "This is probably the saddest portrayal at seeing John--watch the boys through his eyes and feel regret at how Sam doesn't respond to him the way he does to Dean. It's also a heartwarming treat as you watch Sam and Dean's bond grow over the years and how John finally realizes he'll never have that with Sam."

winchesterhaunt has an author she'd like to feature this month: Jedi_Sapphire on ff.net "Jedi Saphhire is an amazing writer," according to winchesterhaunt, "and someone I'm thrilled to see as a hurt!sam fan. It is not hard at all to fall in love with her plotlines and feel completely drawn into the brotherly love she writes so flawlessly between our boys. Her bigbrother!dean skills are fantastic, and let's face it, that's a huge factor in what makes a hurt!sam so much fun. Recently, Jedi Saphhire has embarked on a new chapter fic called Vengeance. As of now it is up to only three chapters, but I already couldn't be any more love with it than I already am." Besides this WIP, rec'd above, winchesterhaunt has a completed fic by this pair to feature: Eternity in an Hour. Summary: Cas wants to make up for everything he's done. There can't be atonement without truth. Two-shot. winchesterhaunt says, "THIS! This is the story I was beginning to think no one would ever write. If only I could bottle this fic up and take it with me everywhere I go. Here is Castiel finally admitting his faults when it comes to Sam. Finally! A little bit of the apocalypse blame is shifted from Sam and big brother sees that Sam was more of a victim in this whole mess than even he thought. This story is just wonderful."

Have an author that you think really delivers on the hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared, time after time? Don't forget, you can rec an author, rather than just an individual story, here.

Other Media:

art: cherry916 always has a gem to share, and this month it's SPN: you're sure? by andlatitude on deviantart. cherry916 loves "Just the whole setup, Dean's arm and Sam's floppy hair as he checks his forehead. Scream for some ficcage but right now, the art will have to do. It's wonderful."

art: winchesterhaunt has two exceptional works to rec, each by gi-ace on deviantart. First up is SPN: My human, MINE, which our reccer loves, saying, "I am thrilled to see this. As the artist states, "Because Dean isn't the only person in Castiel's life, Sam Winchester is his friend too." The other is It'll be okay, Lil' Bro, featuring "Just a little Sammy sadness here and Dean being an awesome big brother and trying to make it okay just by being there for him."

music videos: winchesterhaunt has a rec seconded by ash48: The Return by lsketch42. Our reccer says, "Now this gives a brand new meaning to Funhouse. It takes place after episode 7.14 when 'an old friend drops in on Sam.' I thoroughly enjoyed this little piece of creative genius."

audiobook/podfic: ash48 says "I can't believe I haven't already recced True Colors mp3 by munibunny! This is sensitively written story, beautifully read by juice817. All the characters are believable and the love story is heart warming. I was absolutely riveted when listening to juice817 read it. She has the perfect voice for this story. I highly recommend it." This is a J2AU dealing with mental disability. Summary: Jared is a mentally challenged young man with a very special gift. Jensen is an executive with nothing in his life but work. They meet by accident and discover a connection that defies explanation.

eBooks, etc.: See The Book of Winchester by selecasharp, rec'd above.

What Else?
Our Library of Hurt on delicious is slowly but surely getting restored to its pre-takeover glory! Check it out (especially the tag bundles), and look for updated Help from us soon on searching the archive. (For that matter, stay tuned for more hurt!Sam and/or hurt!Jared 'archive' news in the coming weeks, too!)

special bulletin!

Thu, 03 May 2012 12:08:44 GMT

You know, sometimes we just can't wait for the monthly newsletter to squee about a special event! So keep your eye out for alerts here at spn_littlebro too!

And what better reason to kick off our new Special Bulletin process right now, than this!

Banner provided by heard_the_owl

Happy Birthday, Sammy! Thank you, ohsam!

Now, go play! \o/

newsletter # 15 (April 2012)

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:58:10 GMT

Welcome to the spn_littlebro newsletter #15 for April 2012!

Admit it... instead of being thrilled at getting 23 episodes this season instead of 22, we might be just a little grumpy that there still has to be 29 weeks with no new episodes. And we're in one of those lulls right now. What can we do to pass the time until new episode April 20th? How about this!

Hurray for ohsam for always looking out for our hurt!Sam needs. Come play! Prompt! Write! Create!

Fevered Ramblings:

Here's a handful of other 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?

cherry916 is happy to share the news that a multi-chapter J2 fic she's been enjoying is now complete! It's called Remember You by aelia1980. Summary: After a tragic accident that claims his boyfriend’s life and ends his career as a surgeon, Jensen seeks oblivion in a cabin in the mountains. One winter night, his dog helps him find a young, neglected man who has been horribly mistreated and can’t remember anything. Taking care of him, Jensen slowly finds his way back to himself. Can he help the stranger to remember himself in return? And will the two men have a future when their feelings develop into something other than friendship?. cherry916 says the fic includes abused, beaten, non-con, kidnapped types of hurt, and adds, "This is a recently finished story that really drew me in from the get go. Both Jared and Jensen have very sad stories and backgrounds and are each trying to get over the tragedies they faced. It turns out they are exactly what the other one needs."

winchesterhaunt is avidly following an SPN gen WIP called Sticks and Stones on ff.net by Marianna_Morgan. Summary: AU tag to "After School Special" – Injured Sam, Big Brother Dean – Dirk smiled as he began walking in Sam's direction; wondering if the kid who thought he was so tough was going to be tough enough to survive a bullet. winchesterhaunt is enjoying the gunshot wound, blood loss and broken bone (who wouldn't!) and says, "I know I rec Marianna a lot, but I feel like this is a WIP that can't be ignored. This is a story line I don't see too often, but fits beautifully in with the After School Special episode. It is AU, but it's very believable."

vail_kagami has two new recs by lexicale to rec this month.
- Endless Skies is an 80K epic with this summary: Sam has never fit in amongst his people -- he's never been the perfect hunter and he doesn't really want to be involved in the war against the demons. And even if he did, he knows he can never measure up to his older brother, Dean: the perfect Celt, the perfect demon hunter, and the perfect son. While still struggling to find his place amongst his people, and struggling with what he feels for his brother, Sam comes across a downed demon. Their unlikely friendship begins to change everything for him and his family.. vail_kagami explains that this is "a fusion between SPN and How to Train Your Dragon, with Sam as the useless second son of the leader of a demon-hunting tribe, Dean as his perfect older brother and Ruby as the winged, fire-spitting demon he accidentally befriends. There's a higher destiny waiting for Sam, too, and true to canon it's not one he wants. The writing is wonderful - it's a long story, but not a single word is wasted."
- In the Aftermath is described by the author as Ruby made two promises and only one was a lie. But trying to hold Sam together in the wake of his brother's death is so much harder than she ever thought. Sam feels so much and she has lost that human vocabulary. The summer after Dean is dragged to Hell, Ruby struggles to relearn it and Sam struggles just to breathe.. vail_kagami shares that it's "a pre-season-4 story told from Ruby's point of view as she guides Sam through the aftermath of his brother's death. Sam's grieving, hurt, hunted for his alliance with a demon, Ruby is firecely protective while also looking for guidance, and there's this delightful mix of vulnerability and (unaware) power in both of them that makes this story one of my favourites."

Check out The Totally Necessary 5.04 AU comment-fic meme at minviendha's journal. vail_kagami urges us to partake and enjoy! "For one, it needs more prompts, and then there's such delicious potential for hurt Sam in it."

There's also a super!sneezy Supernatural meme going on a tarotgal's journal too! A lot of sick!Sam and sick!Jared going on over there right now.

Featured Fic Recs:

cherry916 has these favorites to features this month.
- Late Bloomer by bewaretheides15 is an NC17 J2AU (with a sequel too). cherry916 says, " I really do love well written fics about the scientific anatomy of Alpha/Beta/Omegas. I think it's fascinating when an author can describe something down to a science that doesn't even exists. In this one Jared goes through his first heat, he's a late bloomer and it catches him off guard. Thank God Jensen is there."
- Save Me from the Dark by ratherastory is an SPN gen season 5 AU. cherry916 recs this because "I know someone has already rec'd this in the themes, but I wanted to show case this fic in the newsletter. I really enjoy any fics that answer the whole 'The End' verse and what could have been. And this is a brilliant 'what if' question about time being distorted and bent to where Dean comes back, but months have already passed. And Sam isn't the same as he remembered."

winchesterhaunt would like to feature Senses by McB: a first-person SPN gen wherein evil of another kind brings the brothers to their knees. winchesterhaunt says "This is my "oldie but a goodie" rec. I remember this being the first car crash fic I read (given the fact that this was written before the season 1 finale), and boy is it a doozy. Sam gets pretty messed up here, but what I remember the most is how true the last line rings. Even though this was written in season 1, the final thought rings true throughout the seasons."

Other Media:

art: cherry916 is captivated by Losing All Hope by blakravell on deviantart. Cherry says, "This was put up within hours of the episode (7.17) airing. She got every last detail of Sam right down to his defeated posture."

art: winchesterhaunt has another brilliant piece to highlight: from episode 7.17 - this one by quickreaver. winchesterhaunt loves "the grim atmosphere of this piece. It captures the feel of the episode perfectly and the writing on the wall is a great touch."

music videos: ash48 is excited about Don't Walk Away by colls. It's about how Sam tries to make up for the mistakes he feels he's made and the guilt he carries over looking for another life. Clips from seasons 1-6. Ash says this is "a sad but beautiful vid exploring Sam's guilt. The song is perfect for Sam and the vidder captures the heartbreak that is the boys' story."

audiobook/podfic: ash48 has a Sam/Dean rec for us this month: It's the Blueprint of Your Life by queenklu. Summary: Sam jerks awake in the middle of the night and everything goes to hell. Well, not literally, though Dean is staring down the barrel of less than a year before his deal comes due. In the midst of dealing (or not dealing) with his impending death, a killer ghost ship, and Bela showing up out of the blue, Dean also has to figure out what’s going on in Sam’s head to make him so twitchy, why he’s suddenly breezing through this case while writing endless notes in a notebook he won’t let Dean see. Damn it, Dean thinks, This is gonna take a lot of chickflick moments. The audio version here as podfic and as mp3 runs over 4 hours. ash48 says, "Once again chemm80 delivers a wonderfully read story. The story will keep you guessing to the very end. It's an alternative season 3 and starts during Red Sky at Morning. I loved reading how things might have turned out. It's a wonderful fix-it fic with lots of awesome bro!moments."

eBooks, etc.: harrigan loves bigbangs - meaty, plotty fics you can really wallow in, with art to enrich the experience even more. One of the 2011 SPN gen fics from spn_j2_bigbang was The Price of Renovation by st_salieri with art by eyestoowide. Summary: Sam wakes up after a hunt to find his brother missing. Even worse, it appears that - according to everyone else in the world - he has never had a brother. Sam sets out on a quest to find Dean while dealing with the knowledge that he is the only one who remembers that his brother ever existed. As the world falls apart around him, Sam struggles to find his brother while managing the vivid dreams he has of Dean and trying to maintain a grasp on his own sanity.. We can't say much more without giving things away, but it's well worth taking along on your eReader and a link to a PDF version is provided.

What Else?

Hurray for LJ enhancements that allow us to keep 'sticky posts' at the top of our community webpage. So now visitors to spn_littlebro can always easily find this entry with links to our welcome post and rules, posting guidelines and HTML how-to, our library of hurt archive on delicious and links to all our theme posts.

Sticky Post

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 10:01:02 GMT

Here is our sticky post linking to all the important links on the sidebar as well as our themes. This post will stay up at the top of the journal at all times.

Welcome Post and Rules | FAQ's | Posting Guidelines and HTML How-To Help | Fanfiction.net Account | Delicious Archive

Click on the pictures to be taken to the themes

newsletter # 14 (March 2012)

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 12:28:38 GMT

Welcome to the spn_littlebro newsletter #14 for March 2012!

Happy month of March! We're nearly at the end of another mini-hiatus, and I think even the most spoiler-free fan probably has reason to hope that we've got some hurt!Sam of the psychological trauma variety coming soon! \o/ Meanwhile, have some more hurt!Sam and hurt!Jared gems in the following recs.

And we'd like to take this opportunity to thank departing spn_littlebro moderators dontknowmyname and varkelton who were invaluable in helping to get this rec community up and running last year, and to welcome winchesterhaunt, who is now joining our team to share her hurt!Sam and hurt!Jared discoveries with us all.

But don't forget - this is YOUR community, too, and we want to know what tickles your hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared fancy! So comment to our theme posts with your favorites! Want to rec a fic but not sure how? Check out our posting tips for using HTML. When you post a rec in a theme comment, we'll add it to our archive on delicious, too. (Thanks to cherry916 for maintaining that site. We have over 600 entires in our library to date - woot! And Cherry would like to add: "If you ever scroll through our delicious and see typos or tags out of place or missing, feel free to go to the Delicious Correction page and leave a comment to say what you saw wrong. Sometimes I type so fast I'm bound to make a mistake and it's nice to have extra eyes to look over it so everything can be tagged correctly.")

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, don't forget to comment to the person who created it!)

Who's Hurting Sam or Jared Lately?

winchesterhaunt is kicking off her first recs with a completed pre-series SPN gen fic by beckalooby called I Can't Help But Fall Apart. Summary: It wasn’t John, not really. He wouldn’t ever lay a hand on either of his sons. Sam knew that, he really and truly did. But it doesn’t stop him from flinching every time his father came near. winchesterhaunt says, "There's officially no happy endings here. This is a heart-breaking look at another way the supernatural has screwed up Sam's life (and by extension also John and Dean's). It's short, but the piece really delivers an emotional punch."

She also recs another preseries SPN gen fic: Whiskey: Alternate Ending by mentholpixie, summarized as Dean doesn't show up and John doesn't back down. Alternative ending for my story Whiskey. winchesterhaunt says, "This is the alternate ending to the story Whiskey rec'd in the Abuse Theme not too long ago. This physically hurt me to read. I felt miserable for Sam throughout this fic and horrified at what John had done without remorse."

cherry916 is excited about a new J2AU WIP When You Lie Next To Me by alienat. Summary: Life’s never easy, especially when you’re father to six children. You learned that the hard way. Now Annie is suddenly and unexpected moving home again, Luke is getting married, the twins are pulling more pranks than ever, Lily doesn’t want to be a lady and Sophie-Ellie has been wearing black for years. And then one of you gets sick. So what do you do when life decides to kick your ass again? You kick it right back and fight for what you love. Cherry says, "This is the third story in a 'verse of hers (I rec'd the other two previously in the theme posts). It starts off just as hectic as the last two but a family tragedy might push this meager family over the limits."

vail_kagami enjoyed Tired and Hungry and Totally Useless by familybizness. Summary: I was asked to write a story about Sam with Lyme disease. This happened. Probably the most research I've ever done for a fic. vail_kagami says, "Sam gets sick during his Stanford days and Dean comes to take care of him. What's not to love? Sam is so miserable and Dean so wonderfully worried and caring. For all Sam's suffering in this, the story just leaves me feeling happy."

vail_kagami also reports, "I only just discovered sammymeme, which is a commentfic meme focused on sick Sam and has already produced a lot of awesome stories that are right up our alley!"

abused_sammy is having a promptfest with no deadline here! ash48 says you should check it out!

Featured Fic Recs:

harrigan says, "I'll be honest. I don't see slash when I watch the show. But very rarely, a fantastically gifted author creates a beautifully crafted heart-wrenching, intense and believable Sam/Dean fic that completely sucks me in. checkthemargins is one of these writers. She describes Into the World Breathes Life as The Pneumonia/Breakdown fic. It is long and rambling and disjointed like Sam's crazy head and has a metric ton of angst, nearly more schmoop, and a lot of snuggly!boys." harrigan says, "Sam sees not just Lucifer but also Michael and Cas in his hallucinations. This fic is over 20K and brilliantly explores not just Sam's desperate attempt to hold onto reality, but how it effects him to realize how close to suicidal Dean is now, too. Slash fan or gen fan, it's all about the bond between these two brothers, how fragile it is and yet how strong."

winchesterhaunt has culled this favorite from ff.net: Finders Keepers by TraSan. Summary: There are some people who just never learned it isn't nice to take things that don't belong to them. Dark fic. This is over 25K of SPN gen, and winchesterhaunt says, "Sam is held captive in the pit (not the Lucy Pit) by a couple of spirits who think Sam's their new pet and of course Dean's having none of that. I love how the author portrays Sam's emotional trauma from the mental and physical abuse he suffers at the hands of these spirits. And Dean is in true big brother character, helping Sam through the aftermath with a little brotherly TLC."

cherry916 has also bookmarked a favorite from ff.net: It's a Wonderful Life by Marianna Morgan. Summary: AU Tag to 6.11 – Sam had his soul back, but he was...different. Less Sammy, more Rain Man. But being electrocuted – even if it was only minor – had the potential to be life-changing. Such was the case. Cherry says, " I'm really sad I didn't read this sooner. It will make you tear up at how saddening Sam's situation is and how Dean's trying his best to hold on and get them both through it. What hurts the most is a little Sam remembering Hell and talking about it so nonchalantly and Dean's heart seizing up in the process."

cherry916 also has a J2 non-AU favorite from 2009 to share: Drugged by yellowwolf5. Summary: Jensen glanced around the bar, trying to spot his co-star, best friend and crush but he couldn't see his tall form anywhere. This is a 5K fic with warnings for attempted rape, and Cherry likes it because it's "a brief story about a night at the bar turning wrong. Jensen of course feels guilty for not doing something sooner but he soon realizes that his feelings he harbors are well reciprocated."

Other Media:

art: cherry916 is raving about a preseries gem called Don't turn around Sammy, don't turn around by the always amazing petite_madame. Cherry says, "This is a beautiful digital drawing of Dean protecting Sam's innocence and trying to shelter him from seeing what John is doing, which is killing an evil baddie. The purple haze and and the eerie setting really add to this piece."

art: For something more comedic than heart-wrenching, winchesterhaunt is giggling over this cartoon from the season 7 episode Repo Man by fassabendover on tumblr. winchesterhaunt says, "It doesn't matter how many times I look at this... it's still funny. Poor Sam... but at least Lucy looks like he's having a good time. Spoilers of course for episode 7.15"

music videos: ash48 raves about Bruises by mithborien. Ash says this is "a great and rather frightening look at Sam's hallucinations in the episode Repo Man."

music videos: harrigan also has a music vid rec for us that was inspired by the last episode. On My Own by tahirire is, harrigan says, "Brilliant! So heartbreaking and so vividly true! The end of the last episode really made me mourn for how alone Sam is right now, and this just re-ignited all that pain for me. (In a good way, of course!)"

music videos: winchesterhaunt loves Always Find Me Here by Loki. winchesterhaunt says, "Just watched this vid and I must say it was stunning, beautiful and heartbreaking. The music and voiceovers blend beautifully. The visual representation here is pure art. This is definitely a must see."

eBooks, etc.: How about a nice, plotty 100+ K space adventure! In honor of the folks working furiously on their 2012 spn_j2_bigbang creations, harrigan would like to promote a classic from 2010: Redemption by ancastar. Summary: It's a different world. Space has been colonized, the wealthy fly to work rather than drive, and slavery is legal. Jared's family has been ripped apart by tragedy. The only way he can save the ones left is to offer himself up as a bondmate. The more he's willing to give, the higher the price he can command. And Jared is willing to give a lot. Jensen is wealthy and heartbroken after the wife he adored walked out on him. He isn't looking for love. All he wants is a relationship he can control. Buying a bondmate seems like the perfect solution. Yet when he purchases Jared's contract, he gets more than he bargained for. Link to the downloadable pdf version is here. The author's newest fic Imperative for j2_everafter is also downloadable in assorted eReader formats and looks to have hurt!Jared, too. Check it out!

audiobook/podfic: ash48 is enjoying Life Used to Be So Hard, 34-35 minutes of SPN gen written by roque_clasique and recorded by emerald_embers. Ash says, "I really enjoyed the way this story was read. Even with an English accent the boys come across totally in character The dialogue is witty and refreshing. I particularly love the way the writer only drops hints about what might be up with Sam. It's Gen and there's some nice h/c."

Enjoy!

newsletter # 13 (February 2012)

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 04:42:22 GMT

Welcome to the spn_littlebro newsletter #13 for February 2012!

Hello, members, watchers and lurkers! Hope you like the new appearance of the community! cherry916 has worked hard to make it easier on the eyes for all!

We're closing in on 600 recs at our archive on delicious! Come - rec some more at our theme posts and put us up over the next milestone! (And don't forget, if you're looking for some hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared to wallow in, tips for searching our archive are here.)

While you're at it, don't forget our newest theme: hurt!bunnies! If you're looking for inspiration to create something new, or want to leave a prompt for someone else to pick up at their leisure, that's the place to visit!

Finally, one of our favorite things about our fandom is hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared, but when it comes to real-life, fandom is awesome because we want to help, not hurt! The newest comm to do just that is Fandom Helps and the current charity being helped is Planned Parenthood. You can post to offer up something to auction until 11:59pm EST on Feb 14th, followed by a week of open bidding. You don't need a dreamwidth account to play - details are at the website.

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, don't forget to comment to the person who created it!)

Who's Hurting Sam or Jared Lately?

Some of us don't read WIPs, and some of us do! One who does is cherry916, who is enjoying this SPN gen fic: Sons of My Heart by sammygirl1963 on ff.net. It's an episode tag of sorts to a season 7 episode, so we'll skip the summary to avoid spoiling anyone not yet getting the current US season. Hopefully, it not too spoilerish to say that Sam gets a head injury! (It's not all that unusual, is it?) This time both Dean and Bobby get to take care of Sam.

cherry916 also loved Breathe Me by authoressnebula for the recent ohsam fic challenge. Another SPN gen fic, cherry916 says of this one: "I really love seeing any story that gives us a glimpse into Sam's time during In My Time Of Dying. She weaves Sam's current illness between flashbacks of his time in the hospital so effortlessly, leaving Dean slowly putting the pieces together."

harrigan thinks more fans should discover Square One, also written for the recent ohsam challenge, this one by madebyme_x. harrigan says, "I ♥ a good gen curtain!fic - they are all too rare. I love how the author paced this, not telling us everything all at once but carefully doling out what we should know at the perfect time. I love fic where both boys want to take care of each other - sometimes too damaged to, but still trying their best. This was full of metaphors and similes that were eloquent and effective. Her care really showed. This was an awesome prompt by de_nugis (there is never enough fic about Sam running), and she really did it justice!"

vail_kagami has two short new SPN fics from minviendha to rec this time. The first is Say a Prayer for Recognition and vail_kagami would call it 'Gen with Sam/Lucifer overtones', and rate it NC17 for torture and implied dubious consent. She says, "It's an intense, brilliantly described look on Sam and Lucifer in the cage, on Lucifer's twisted tenderness and manipulative love. It's at the same time cruel and beautiful to read."

Her second rec by the same author is Wrecked, NC17 with lots of hurt and no comfort. vail_kagami says, "It's horrible - and that's good because it should be. We watch from (possessed!)Dean's pov as he beats his little brother up and rapes him while telling him how Sam ruined his life, and he's absolutely unable to stop it not matter how much he wants to. On top of it, the demon aims for the wall in Sam's mind - and yet Sam has a little moment of glory at the end that doesn't actually make anything better."

Featured Fic Recs:

This month, cherry916 would like to feature a completed J2AU: You're the Dream of a Lifetime by sammyndeansgrl1. She says, "This is a story from our dear friend who passed away not too long ago, maybe in 2011. And luckily her fics are still here leaving her legacy behind. It's a story of surviving abuse and building a life for oneself outside of it." Summary: Jared is married to an extremely abusive man. One night, his husband discovers Jared’s intention to leave him – and the unthinkable happens. Jared wakes up in a hospital with no memory of who he is, his past or how his battered and severely abused body got that way. He meets Jensen Ackles – and together they try and rebuild Jared’s life – until…

vail_kagami has a new author to feature this month. She says, "Many in the hurt!Sam part of the fandom know sinka through her thoughtful and supportive comments. This the first fic she's written herself, and what a start it is! The plot is compelling and clever with historical facts seamlessly worked into Supernatural canon, the characters are perfect, and it gives us the rare sight of Sam and Dean having to get by in a foreign country - with ghosts and monsters but without pie. On top of all that it deals with Sam's issues after freeing Lucifer and his hurt by Dean's rejection in a way the show sadly never did. As a bonus, this is h/c that actually offers very satisfying comfort to go with all the hurt." This is over 30K of awesome SPN gen - Hell's Mouth and is illustrated and available in eReader formats, too.

Other Media:

art: harrigan is a huge fan of ratherastory's Fusion 'verse, which has been rec'd here before. What's new is the incredible art by quickreaver for the Making It Work story in the 'verse. Her artwork here makes your heart clench. Sam is so wrecked, Dean so anxious. It's a hospital scene, with tears shimmering in eyes, and hand-holding and cheekbones! [ahem!] and... the boys are just so gorgeously damaged.

art: cherry916 is raving about Prime by n4t4ss4. Our reccer says this is a surreal piece created from a manip for a recent story (all info in post with art), and it's sheer gore but in intimate moment between them. The old moldy tiles all set the atmosphere of the art and in turn the fic, and you know it's not going to be a very happy read, but the art adds so much to the story. (There is happy ending though.)

music videos: ash48 has found a gem to share! When you Can't Take It Anymore by lockedinabathroom. Ash says this is "a fabulous video exploring the notion of Lucifer in Sam's head. Haunting and beautifully constructed."

eBooks, etc.: Check out Hell's Mouth, described above, and Out of the Night that Covers Me, described below!

audiobook/podfic: Out of the Night that Covers Me is a Sam/Dean NC17 fic by mickeym for the 2010 spn_j2_bigbang. ash48 says "This is (as always!) beautifully read by chemm80. The story deals with Sam's deep seated anger issues and how he goes about controlling them. It's gritty, beautiful and rings very true." Podfic (and also link to mp3 version) are here and the story is also available in PDF format.

audiobook/podfic: Let's hear it (get it? hear it? LOL!) for a new comm! It's not specific to hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared, but hopefully we'll find some here! This community is for posting all podfics that are part of the Supernatural and SPN CW RPS fandom. Although there are specific communities for Sam/Dean podfics and Gen podfics , and larger, pan-fandom communities (available through the links to the side), this community was created to encompass all the vast ships and pairings - slash, het or gen - found specifically within the SPN fandom. As long as the podfic contains one character that has been associated with the CW's Supernatural, this is the community to post it! This community was created so podfics that are not Sam/Dean or gen could easily be included in the spnnewsletter.

JOIN ~*~ WATCH

newsletter # 12 (January 2012)

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 20:17:06 GMT

Welcome to the spn_littlebro newsletter #12 for January 2012!

Happy New Year! New episodes - yay! *And* People's Choice awards for Best Sci Fi and Best Drama! \o/ Apparently we here at spn_littlebro aren't the only ones who enjoy seeing Sam bleeding and choked and tortured and... happy swoon!

In the spirit of New Year's, how about a New Year's Resolution for us all? If everyone makes just one rec this year, we'll have 300+ more recs in our archives for everyone to wallow in. C'mon... pledge to share the next completed hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared fic over 1K that you enjoy. Or visual media, too! Just check our theme posts for handy templates to make it easy! (As always, self-recs are welcome, too!)

To get us started, here are some recs by your mods this month. Enjoy!

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, don't forget to comment to the person who created it!)

Who's Hurting Sam or Jared Lately?

vail_kagami would like to share one of the first hurt!Sam fics to be posted in 2012 -- Kitsch by checkthemargins. Summary: Sam gets his soul and body back from Hell, but RoboSam doesn't go anywhere, and now Dean's got both of them to deal with. This is Dean/Sam/Robo!Sam, 2-3K, NC17, involving Hell-issues, self-harm, soullessness (sort of). Our rec'er says, "It's a delicious mix of crack, porn and angst, with Robo!Sam being his own person and helping Dean take care of a very broken Sam. In between, there's sex. They love each other (or at least sort of in an unemotional way need the others). It's cracky and heartbreaking and kind of beautiful."

Here's another recent fic by the same author and rec'd by the same rec'cer: When it Happens. It's around 10K, Sam/Dean, hard R, and involves non-con, nightmares, hallucinations, post-hell, scars. Summary: They've got a house. They've got a life. Sam is healing. Dean isn't. vail_kagami says it's about "the aftermath of rape in the aftermath of Hell. Sam is so much better at dealing than Dean is, except his hallucinations are kind of trying to kill him. It's such a great fic dealing with with such a horrible trauma for both of them."

This month, cherry916 has battled some PC issues to bring you a couple recs. The first is a recently completed (over 40K) epic by wincest_whore called Take Me Away. It's SPN, Slash, Sam/Dean, NC17, in which we see Sam abused, beaten, hospitalized, with broken ribs, cuts, bruises, etc. Summary: While on a case at Stanford, Dean must pose as a student to get information on a demon he is hunting. As the case progresses, he realizes that a quiet, anti-social student, Sam Wesson, may be related to his case and just might be able to help him blow the thing wide open. The only problem is, Sam refuses to let him get close enough to get his help. After Sam shows up at Jessica’s apartment with a particularly nasty looking bruise and a few scratches, Dean doesn't ask for Sam's permission to help; he tells him he's helping and there's nothing Sam can do about it. Unfortunately, the two of them working together only causes more problems for Sam and could just be the thing that pushes this monster over the edge. cherry916 says, "Well I haven't gotten to finish this story yet but it is completed and from the chapters I read it's a heartbreaking AU case fic where Sam and Dean grew up apart (not as brothers) and Sam finds himself in an abusive relationship that has mysterious tie ins to something of the human kind."

Cherry also recs Follow Your Voice Home by authoressnebula. This is SPN gen, around 2K, with hallucinations, head injury, bumps and bruises. Summary: Dizzy/disoriented/hallucinating Sam falls in the shower. He is hurt: cue massive amounts of comfort, Winchester-style. Preferably with lots of cuddling. Our rec'cer says, "This came out of the ohsam fic challenge and is a chilling and rather schmoopy tale of how Sam can't even take a shower without Lucifer there. There is oodles of hurt/comfort afterwards after Sam's impromtu slip and fall."

Another from cherry916 - this one a hurt!Jared WIP with psychic powers, hospitalized, nose bleeds, and kidnapping called What Do You See? by annie46. Summary: When a millionaires wife is kidnapped plain clothes cop Jensen Ackles is persuaded to use a successful psychic. Can he put his cynical feelings aside and trust Jared to do the job? And when Jared's abilities get them closer to the kidnapper and his victim, will Jensen be able to save him?. Our rec'cer says, "This is a WIP and the latest story i'm scouring over for updates. Mainly because I love Jared with any psychic power and mixed in with cop!Jensen you definitely have an adventure, love and case that will keep you reading to find out not only what happens but how their love progresses."

harrigan would like to point out the Whumped!Sam Awesome!BigBrother Dean Appreciation Month hosted by dragonfly_sg1. Features recs and a fic challenge all month long -- check it out!

j2noauchallenge, reports cherry916, is a new comm "where you can write a non-au story, provide artwork for a story or provide a prompt that someone might write about. This can be your chance to indulge in a little non-au hurt!Jared whether on a writing field, artistic field or leaving a prompt for someone else to tackle. All rules and other info can be found at the community itself."

Finally, hurray for ohsam, which is hosting another comment fic meme! \o/ Check out the link for rules, prompts and fills!

Featured Fic Recs:

Two of our rec'cers just had had fic prompts filled, both SPN gen, around 6K, and we're so blown away by the results that we just have to feature them here!
- The Best We Can with What We've Got by ratherastory. Summary: Sam gets sick, and somehow that's the least of their problems.. vail_kagami says, " I don't need to tell anyone that ratherastory is a fantastic author, so when she picked up one of my prompts, I was thrilled. The result is incredible. It has such delicious Sam-hurt with him still being the hero, saving Bobby and killing the monster and trying to do what's best for everyone in a somewhat messed up way. There's a great original character telling Dean and Bobby that they are the worst caretakers ever - and the way the story deals with Dean's issues and alcoholism isn't pretty or sympathetic but makes clear better than anything that this man had a problem and needs to do something about it."
- Northern Birds by roque_clasique. Summary: Sam's in pain, and so is his brother. Pain is very complicated. harrigan says, "I love how she tied that silly prompt in to the whole 'using pain to banish the hallucinations and stay in the present'. To be honest, much as I love and crave good h/c, what makes it something to savor and cherish for me is when the h/c gives us an opportunity for character exploration or insights or discovery. (And where the writer *gets* both brothers.) roque_clasique is the master at that. Dean and Sam are in such a fascinating (but painful) head space right now in season 7 and she explored that brilliantly. I love her Dean! Always. But she gives us Sam's POV so poignantly here. And yet she balances all this heartache with LOLs that are so in character I just want to hug the boys. And her."
ash48 wants to spotlight an author this month. She says, "I have been immersing myself in zubeneschamali's fic lately. SO many wonderful stories. Many featuring hurt!Jared. She creates amazing universes, and her characters are so well drawn. I'm an absolute sucker for good J2 adventure romance and she has them in bucket loads. (She also writes wonderful SPN gen).

Some of my favourites include her current Long Hard Ride 'verse. Jared/Jensen (NC17). She has written 8 parts so far with more to come (lots more I hope!).

I adore her Darker Pieces of the Night 'verse (otherwise known as winged!Jared). Lot's of yummy h/c and Jared with wings is to DIE FOR! (pdf also)

The fic that started my journey into all her fics was her pirate 'verse: The Sea with its Deepness. It starts of with captive!Jensen but there's plenty of hurt!Jared later on. Again, the h/c makes me feel like I've died and gone to heaven. (pdf also)

Her adult rated fics (incl J2) can be found at zuben_fic. Her SPN gen fics can be found at zubeneschamali. If you haven't discovered this amazing writer then I suggest you start your own journey of discovery. Enjoy!"

Other Media:

art: cherry916 loves Goodnight Moon by kamidox on deviantart, and says, "This is actually a drawing from the story Goodnight Moon by dragonfly_sg1 which was recently finished. It's about Sammy being de-aged and has a ton of little adventures with little Sammy with Sam being sick. I would reccomend it for any de-age fan and take a peek at this cute picture for some pictures to go a long with the story."

music videos: Shake It Out by ashdoode is getting raves from our resident music video connoisseur, ash48. She says this is "a gorgeous character study of Sam. The vidder really captures the essence of what it is to be Sam. The editing is top notch also. :D". Music video summary: "And it's hard to dance with the devil on your back.." A tribute to one of my favorite characters ever. The world tells him he's a monster -- that it's his destiny to fail, but he constantly fights against his fate and never gives up. His faith is unwavering. (Viewing may be blocked in some countries.)

audiobook/podfic: We're a little light on hurt!Sam or hurt!Jared podfics to rec this month. (So if you know of any, please comment to our newsletter here - we'd love to find more!) Meanwhile, anyone who is a fan of J2AU is probably well-familiar with the classic QB 'verse by pianoforeplay. And since this is SuperBowl season in the USA, harrigan is going to rec the newly recorded 'verse here: here. Link provides access to the masterpost that in turn directs you to individual stories, art, downloadable versions on AO3 and the new podfic recorded by "the AMAZING chemm80." This is a verse that includes two epic spn_j2_bigbangs, wherein Jared and Jensen are US pro football players. If you're looking specifically for hurt!Jared, you'll find most of the trauma associated with that career (concussions, bruised ribs, separated shoulder - fun times!) in the latter half of the fic Hail Mary. The author has provided supplemental info (linked from the first of the bigbangs - Next Man Up) to make the fic even more accessible to those unfamiliar with NFL football. harrigan says, "Given the sheer word count, the h/c isn't a driving factor in this fic. But it's a most satisfying seasoning! And the 'verse is a classic, heart-wrenching and complex and vivid. This time of year, I couldn't help rec'ing it!"

eBooks, etc.: See the zuben_fic Feature Fic rec and the QB 'verse rec'd above for long fics you can indulge in on various eReader, etc. formats!

What Else? Anyone have some suggestions for what you'd like to see from the spn_littlebro newsletter (or comm in general) in 2012? Drop us a comment here!