ratherastory | Supernatural: Rec Master Post

It has occurred to me that a few people in the fandom have had the fantastic idea of recc'ing fics. The problem for me, of course, is that I keep skipping back and forth, trying to find those awesome stories again.

So I thought to myself: "Self, why don't you create your own list of recs for easy referencing?" I will be poaching shamelessly from all the communities and writers I like, and including them here. I haven't quite decided how I'm going to organize them, but since I haven't posted any at all yet I figure I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Incidentally, if you're looking for a master list of my stories (there aren't that many now, but with any luck I'll remedy that eventually), you can find it here.

This post will have a list of recs in it (behind a convenient LJ-cut), but I also welcome all recs from all comers in the comments. Please please please, I am always starved for good fiction. I don't insist on a format, but it would be super helpful if you could make your rec follow something like this:

If I end up really liking a rec from the comments, it'll go into the main list.

Gen

I'd Drive All Night Just To Get Back Home: First installment in the Drive 'Verse by

roque_clasique, which is where my casual interest in Supernatural turned into a full-blown obsession. Since most people checking out this LJ came here at her recommendation to begin with, I think this one is pretty self-explanatory.

The Woods Are Lonely, Dark And Deep: a great AU by

zatnikatel (whom I love just for the username), in which she does terrible, TERRIBLE things to Dean because he just hurts so purty. Dark but beautifully written, and a great exploration of 1.15 "The Benders" and just how depraved they could have been, had Show not been busy with other plot points. Be warned: rape, non-con, whole bunches of depravity. There's a sequel, The Killing Moon which is just as awesome, and a third installment is in the works.

Lazarus Came Forth: by

oselle. Dark and terrible and moving and brilliant. Dean comes back from Hell four years after his death to a world that is completely changed and terrifying. It's about survival and redemption and family, and everything that's truly important.

When Heroes Go Down (They Go Down Fast): a fabulous post-Season 2 AU by

buffyaddict13. Her summary says it best: The war is at hand. it’s demon against man and we’re losing the fight. the special children are wreaking havoc across the land, side by side with demons. dean is on a desperate hunt to find and save his brother while leading a small band of survivors to a final showdown. Uh, not light bedtime reading, for the record.

Angels We Have Heard on High: So, remember my story Silent Night?

tifaching, who is seventeen different kinds of awesome, also picked up on the same prompt from

roque_clasique, and managed to do something totally different with it. It's beautiful, heart-wrenchingly painful, and just plain lovely.

Ten and Taken: a de-aged!Dean fic by

sg2009fic which captures 10-year-old Dean beautifully from Sam's POV and combines it with an exciting casefic and some awesome Season 4 post-hell issues.

You Know What We Have To Do: by

dante_s_hell. This was an early birthday present all for me, totally unsolicited, and it is made of WIN. There is hypothermia and Worried!Sam and Caring!John and Dean obsessing about a PUPPY. Go read it right now! You will thank me later.

Eat Me, Drink Me: by

zoemathemata. A de-aged!Dean fic written for a comment-fic meme. Just charming, she writes a four-year-old Dean with lots of insight, and footie pajamas with penguins on 'em. What's not to love? Oh, and don't forget to check out her missing scene from that story, just as cute.

The Chick Flick Moments That (Never) Happened To Dean Winchester: by Indigo2831 on ff.net. Five relatively long vignettes which broke my heart and mended it all in one go. A lovely, brief insight into the way Dean's mind works.

Ten Thousand Miles: by

mimblexwimble. Sweet freaking Jesus. Don't read this one unless you're in a really good mood. It's spectacular, but heartbreaking, and it doesn't exactly end well. Well worth the read, but go armed with Kleenex. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Bender: by

debbie166. Short, to the point, and solidly written. Sam tries to deal with the apocalypse and the knowledge (mistaken or no) that he might be able to save people if only he gives in and uses his powers. Dean tries to help. It sort of works.

Casefics

I have a deep and abiding love for a well-written casefic, but there aren't nearly as many out there as you'd think. Or, at least, they're well-hidden.

Consumed Memories: Onn ff.net by Disneymagic. This is a fun casefic in which a hunt goes bad, taking chunks of Dean's memories with it. Sam tries frantically to find a solution while Dean slips away right before his eyes, bit by bit. This kind of plot always twists me into knots of anxiety, and Disneymagic handles it with deftness and ingenuity, and even manages to sneak in a "Neverending Story" reference.

Apocalypse Fic

It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine! More than fine, actually. I am an unabashed Apocalypse junkie. End of the World? Bring it on. Zombies are a bonus.

Lazarus Came Forth: by

oselle. Dear Christ on a cracker. This one is incredible. Intense and painful and wonderful. It's AU starting from the end of Season 3, and part of me WISHES that the show had done this. It's gripping and powerful and oh-so-very-plausible in the way it paints the beginning of the End Times in the U.S.A. Short summary: Dean comes back from hell, and nothing is the way it used to be.

Crossovers

So, yeah, I'm not generally one to seek out crossovers, because in my experience authors rarely get it right for both the canons involved. They either do justice to one show/book and not the other. They understand one set of characters, concentrate on them, and the others end up feeling like cardboard cut-outs, or artificial inserts, and it just doesn't work.

The following recs are the exception to the rule.

Agents and Hunters: by

sg2009fic. This is a SPN/NCIS crossover, complete with awesome casefic and bonus Dean!whump (and Sam!whump: no one is spared!) and more bonus post-hell issues for Dean.

Slash and Wincest

Yeah, until I started actively reading in this fandom I never thought I would actually read this stuff, let alone recommend it, but there are authors who really, but really know how to sell it. Sometimes it's the whole point of the story, sometimes it's incidental to the plot (and sometimes I like those even better!). Either way, these fics are beautiful and heartbreaking.

The Bright Lights of Disturbia: another AU by

leonidaslion. This one is dark and graphic and not for the faint of heart. Be sure to read all the warnings before you proceed. If you make it through, though, it's well worth it. It's a W.I.P. but is drawing to a close within the next few weeks at the time I'm writing this (December 26th, 2009).

Everything That Dies: it's a short(ish), grippingly sad look at the boys and how they try to make things work despite how broken they are. I'm guessing somewhere in Season 2, given the general tone/content.

A Thousand Touches: by

cha. It's an AU in which Sam stops talking at the age of five, and the effect that it has on the whole family. It's a really interesting "what if," and I have never read a hotter kissing scene. Holy jeezum, is all I can say.

It's Just A Reflex: by

ksock. A one-off which is both adorable and hilarious. Turns out, Dean's allergic to Castiel. Not that that stops them, or anything...

Thursday's Child: by

strangeandcharm. This is a gorgeous, gorgeous fic. As

roque_clasique put it, it is to Castiel what Lazarus Came Forth is to Dean. It's about what happens to Castiel after Lucifer is defeated, and how he and Dean save the world (again) and themselves in the process.

Master Lists for specific Writers

Roque Clasique
Leonidaslion
sg2009fic Not a master list, but the entire LJ is fiction, and there are tags and master posts for individual multi-chapter works.
bellatemple
essenceofmeanin
embroiderama
buffyaddict13
mimblexwimble

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ooh, now THAT is awesome. Thank you!

You make a valid point about distractions. Allow me to repeat my thanks here, then, and I'll fix the post. :)

Ooh, now THAT is awesome.

I know, right! And really, when it comes to sharing info like that, the pleasure's all mine :)

Supernatural: Rec Master Post

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