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A few SPN bigbang recs
But caveat lector: for those of you new to this journal, my recs often contain criticism of the stories, so don't click if you don't want to read that.
In past years I have pretty much laid eyes on every story in the SPN/J2 bigbang, and reviewed a very large percentage of them. I'm not doing that this year, since I don't have the time or the interest. I'm moving more and more into H50, so I'm just not as into the stories this year; it doesn't help that most of the summaries so far have made me want to run far, far away.
So if you're looking for a story-by-story analysis, I'd recommend the bigbang threads on![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
spnanonhaven. I don't always agree with their analysis--I often disagreed last year--but they will, for example, point out stories that have significant SPAG or characterization flaws, or other issues that may want to make you avoid (or read) a particular story. For example, I had bailed out of To Fight in the Shade after about 20 paragraphs, even though it is weechesters (which I love), because John seemed like too much of an asshole. I was thinking of maybe going back and trying it again until I read a thread on anonhaven that pointed out an author's note where she basically said she wanted to write spanking fic, but for it to work for her it had to be justified. So I knew immediately not to go back!
But even though I'm reading very selectively this year, I do intend to occasionally post recs of stories I've actually read and finished. As usual this doesn't necessarily mean I loved them completely. Like it said above the cut tag, I include criticism in my recs, so if you don't like that--or if you're an author who got here by vanity googling yourself--you may want to backspace out right now.
The Road to Awe and Wonder bytwasadark (mostly gen, but also Jensen/Alona and Jensen/Jared UST).
The pairing might turn you off this story--I have to admit, that was my initial reaction--but if you have any love for historical fic, I would strongly recommend this. It's an AU set in the 700s where Jensen is a knight whose whole family died in a plague. He gets hired to take Lady Alona on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, where she seeks a miraculous cure for her barrenness. (I bet you can all guess what actually cures her barrenness). Accompanying them is Tristan of Jare, an impoverished street orphan who has attached himself to Jensen.
I have to say this is hands down the best historical AU I've read in the fandom--full of vivid period details, and very engaging. I was just going to read a couple paragraphs to confirm to myself I didn't want to read this, and got completely sucked in and couldn't put it down. It's not really a romance, it's more of an adventure story, though there is a bit of doomed Jensen/Alona in the later chapters, and it's clearly setting up a Jared/Jensen sequel.
Aiming to Shoot You Down bymistyzeo (Jared/Jensen)
Jared is a cop, Jensen is a nurse. When Jared is recovering from getting shot, he meets Jensen and falls for him. The only real obstacle to their relationship is that Jensen works the night shift, but to be honest that's one of the things I liked about this story because I spent a year working the night shift, so a lot of that stuff (like the logistics of meeting friends) really resonated with me. It's sweet, though not exactly high drama--but sometimes you're looking for a story about ordinary relationship conflicts.
The Idle Job bykelleigh (Jared/Jensen)
Interesting AU where Jensen is a Texas Ranger in a very different North America, which is divided into the U.S., California, and the Union of Secessionist States. Texas and Colorado, where this story is set, are in the Secessionist lands, and are policed largely by the Rangers. Jensen and his dog Mo are sent to a small Colorado town to investigate a series of murders, and while there Jensen encounters Jared, a doctor with a mysterious past. The mystery plot is pretty decent, albeit a little slow-moving; the relationship is fairly well-developed, though I honestly wanted a little more intrigue about Jared's backstory.
Winter bydestina (Sam/Dean)
This is a season 3 AU, where Sam is still trying to find a way to save Dean from going to hell. He takes Dean to a cabin their father purchased as a safe house, and there are a lot of flashbacks to the time they first spent there when Sam was 9 and Dean was 13. I liked both the flashbacks and the general story, but I wanted more of both--it ends in a hopeful place, but I really wanted more resolution.
For Me This is Heaven (Dean/Castiel). This is an AU modelled, as far as I can tell, on "How to Train your Dragon," with the Angels in the dragon category. The story is written in present tense (which I hate) and has a few SPAG issues, but it also has an interesting twist on angel mythology, and I really like the characterizations of Dean, Castiel and Gabriel in this. Also, the art is gorgeous.
In past years I have pretty much laid eyes on every story in the SPN/J2 bigbang, and reviewed a very large percentage of them. I'm not doing that this year, since I don't have the time or the interest. I'm moving more and more into H50, so I'm just not as into the stories this year; it doesn't help that most of the summaries so far have made me want to run far, far away.
So if you're looking for a story-by-story analysis, I'd recommend the bigbang threads on
spnanonhaven. I don't always agree with their analysis--I often disagreed last year--but they will, for example, point out stories that have significant SPAG or characterization flaws, or other issues that may want to make you avoid (or read) a particular story. For example, I had bailed out of To Fight in the Shade after about 20 paragraphs, even though it is weechesters (which I love), because John seemed like too much of an asshole. I was thinking of maybe going back and trying it again until I read a thread on anonhaven that pointed out an author's note where she basically said she wanted to write spanking fic, but for it to work for her it had to be justified. So I knew immediately not to go back!But even though I'm reading very selectively this year, I do intend to occasionally post recs of stories I've actually read and finished. As usual this doesn't necessarily mean I loved them completely. Like it said above the cut tag, I include criticism in my recs, so if you don't like that--or if you're an author who got here by vanity googling yourself--you may want to backspace out right now.
The Road to Awe and Wonder by
twasadark (mostly gen, but also Jensen/Alona and Jensen/Jared UST).The pairing might turn you off this story--I have to admit, that was my initial reaction--but if you have any love for historical fic, I would strongly recommend this. It's an AU set in the 700s where Jensen is a knight whose whole family died in a plague. He gets hired to take Lady Alona on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, where she seeks a miraculous cure for her barrenness. (I bet you can all guess what actually cures her barrenness). Accompanying them is Tristan of Jare, an impoverished street orphan who has attached himself to Jensen.
I have to say this is hands down the best historical AU I've read in the fandom--full of vivid period details, and very engaging. I was just going to read a couple paragraphs to confirm to myself I didn't want to read this, and got completely sucked in and couldn't put it down. It's not really a romance, it's more of an adventure story, though there is a bit of doomed Jensen/Alona in the later chapters, and it's clearly setting up a Jared/Jensen sequel.
Aiming to Shoot You Down by
mistyzeo (Jared/Jensen)Jared is a cop, Jensen is a nurse. When Jared is recovering from getting shot, he meets Jensen and falls for him. The only real obstacle to their relationship is that Jensen works the night shift, but to be honest that's one of the things I liked about this story because I spent a year working the night shift, so a lot of that stuff (like the logistics of meeting friends) really resonated with me. It's sweet, though not exactly high drama--but sometimes you're looking for a story about ordinary relationship conflicts.
The Idle Job by
kelleigh (Jared/Jensen)Interesting AU where Jensen is a Texas Ranger in a very different North America, which is divided into the U.S., California, and the Union of Secessionist States. Texas and Colorado, where this story is set, are in the Secessionist lands, and are policed largely by the Rangers. Jensen and his dog Mo are sent to a small Colorado town to investigate a series of murders, and while there Jensen encounters Jared, a doctor with a mysterious past. The mystery plot is pretty decent, albeit a little slow-moving; the relationship is fairly well-developed, though I honestly wanted a little more intrigue about Jared's backstory.
Winter by
destina (Sam/Dean)This is a season 3 AU, where Sam is still trying to find a way to save Dean from going to hell. He takes Dean to a cabin their father purchased as a safe house, and there are a lot of flashbacks to the time they first spent there when Sam was 9 and Dean was 13. I liked both the flashbacks and the general story, but I wanted more of both--it ends in a hopeful place, but I really wanted more resolution.
For Me This is Heaven (Dean/Castiel). This is an AU modelled, as far as I can tell, on "How to Train your Dragon," with the Angels in the dragon category. The story is written in present tense (which I hate) and has a few SPAG issues, but it also has an interesting twist on angel mythology, and I really like the characterizations of Dean, Castiel and Gabriel in this. Also, the art is gorgeous.