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SupernaturalDiscerning the Angle of Eternity by drvsillaGenBeautiful, sad, wistful John centric piece. I'm always a fan of stories which don't demonise John and this is a touching read as Drvsilla portrays John as a man all too aware of his failings as a father but trying the best that he can.It doesn't get easier.Time heals nothing.The only perspective that distance brings is that it's even longer gone.Morgantown by ignipesGenHugely entertaining plot based story featuring necromancers, a well drawn original female character, telekinetic Sammy and some wonderful Sam/Dean interaction. It's just crying out for a sequel.In Your Loneliest Loneliness by estrella30Gen slight Dean/OFCSupremely angsty future fic in which Sam and Dean have parted ways and live very separate lives. Very well written - but it's almost distressing to think of the boys relationship turning out like this!Woven by eighth_horizonGenI never normally rec WIPs as there's nothing worse than recommending a story which never gets finished or ends weakly. However, for all those who like me adored And Fools Shine On and If Belief Was Enough run to Eigth_Horizon's LJ where the sequel Woven is underway. The prologue is a master class in setting tone and atmosphere - dream like and surreal. This time round Sam and Dean are investigating mysterious lightening strikes which may be "spooklights". There are four chapters up (including the prologue) and its already brilliant and truly scary. Go read immediately.Across the Universe by trollprincessJess/DeanAn AU in which poor Sammy is killed by Celine Demon. I didn't like Jess on the show and would normally run from any story featuring her but I love the way she is written here and her interaction and eventual relationship with Dean feels very real. Go the Other Way by sevenfistsSam/DeanFeaturing cross dressing "girl" Dean this is both hilarious and hot.Guardians of a Rare Thing by esorlehcarSam/DeanWonderful, incredibly sexy Sam/Dean story - I love the final line.

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SupernaturalThirty Two Flavours by trollprincessGenBeautifully written series of cleverly interconnected drabbles about Dean Winchester. The story gives us snapshots of Dean's life retelling how he got his amulet, his leather jacket, his love for the Impala etc. The last one is particularly beautiful.Let it Bleed by travellerJohn/OFC hetShort powerful character vignette with a brutal sting in its tail. Almost by Faye DartmouthGen violenceAlmost retells the endings of the Pilot, Bloody Mary, Skin, Home, Asylum, Scarecrow, Faith, The Benders and Shadow and says "What if?" What if the reaper had gotten to Dean in Faith? What if Sam hadn't stolen a car and found Dean in Scarecrow? What if the Winchesters didn't manage to escape from the Shadow demons? Innovative and distressing in equal measures (the alternate endings of Scarecrow, Asylum and Shadow especially got to me). A story for when you're feeling somewhat bloodthirsty!What its Not by maygraSam/DeanBeautifully written look at the Sam/Dean relationship. I love the way the words flow here, there is a certain frenetic urgent quality to the piece.It's not anything but what it is and it's not home and it's not safe and it's maybe not forever but right here, right now, every time, it's everything and the only thing.

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SupernaturalA few recs - all gen this time around.A Stand Up Man by alethialiaGenVery snarky, very sweet snapshots of the boys as they travel after Jess's death and Sam learns how to reconnect with his brother after a four year absence. Love the repetition of "X Miles since Jessica" as Sam painfully begins to leave Jessica and his grief behind. Dean, we're going to die right now and it's all your fault. This is what happens when you lie to your brother.Please. We're going to get out of this. We can't die at the hands of a human. That's just insulting.Double Dutch by traveller (Cee)GenSam and Dean travel to New York city in search of the demon that killed their mother and Jess. I adored Cee's last story which was John centric and this is every bit as brilliant. Written in a noiresque style which makes it read like a hard boiled detective novel and using the device of an unseen and unidentified narrator this really is an astonishing story. Incredibly atmospheric and intensely visual it takes its plot from the bible and effortlessly recreates it in a very modern and recognisable New York. The passage where Dean sees New York's ghosts on every corner is almost ethereal in tone. The words in this story don't so much flow as dance. Very highly recommended.But I like to think of this city as a stone and steel Eden, a garden of iron and concrete, with flowers of glass and tungsten. Three rivers instead of four, true, but all your wants, all your needs, all here for the taking. Millions of souls, dancing like fireflies on the darkest July night, brighter than all the neon, all the streetlights. Sometimes you can see them, from the high places, and sometimes from the low, sometimes when you're very tired or very drunk. Grief can do it, or great joy, but you must be open to the truth, that's the thing. And Fools Shine On by eighth_horizon (Gekizetsu)GenDean is possessed by a revenant and Sam and Dean must both figure out a way to save Dean (who's trapped in his own head) before it's too late.And Fools Shine On has a strong, involving plot and superb characterisation. Gekizetsu's depiction of a trapped and desolate Dean forced to the edge of suicide in his attempts to protect his brother is heartbreaking. And her Sam just kills me. I've always been more of a Dean girl but this strong, determined, sleep deprived Sam who is clinging to his sanity by a thread while being emotionally tortured night after night by the revenant wearing his brother's face won me heart and soul. Given the choice between flash and smoulder, the world may not be kinder to embers but it does respect them. Sam's embers will keep things going when Dean is through burning the world downIf Belief Was Enough by eighth_horizonGenAnd Fools Shine On was good - it's sequel is exceptional. After freeing himself from the revenant Dean is left unstitched - his soul open to the world as he and Sam investigate a series of mysterious disappearances in Ellensburg.If Belief was Enough is a multi chaptered, compelling story but this time the plot takes a back seat to the interaction between the brothers. Her emotionally open, extremely vulnerable Dean who ends up spilling his every hidden thought to Sam without realising it broke my heart into thousands of tiny pieces. And poor Sam who finally has the emotional connection to his brother that he's always wanted but can't react to Dean's declarations of love without effectively exploiting Dean and wrecking their relationship forever. The writing is lyrical and the brothers interactions simply golden. And I'm ridiculously excited that the story is open ended paving a way for a sequel."I'm lost," he said softly, unaware that it was audible, unaware that Sam made a sudden motion toward him as if to grab him or just touch him, but then ran his hands through his own damp hair instead, eyes wrenched shut.Far...as in geologically speaking," Dean said gruffly."Geologically speaking," Sam agreed, and if he ever loved Dean more than he did right then, he wasn't sure he would be able to remember it.

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SupernaturalA favourite topic in the Supernatural fandom is Sam and Dean's childhoods - something that hasn't really been covered in the show so far and looks set to be dealt with in the upcoming episode Something Wicked.Until the show gets around to tackling the subject more explicitly here are three of my favourite Sam and Dean as kids stories:Special by Lady OpheliaGenI absolutely adore this story! Its a short very sweet piece about John speaking to Sam and Dean's principal at parent/teacher night. I love the visual of mini-hustler Dean and little baby Sammy who is so cute (and manipulative) that he can reduce his art teacher to tears. Quite brilliant.Miss Barrone, the second grade teacher, had sworn with God as her witness that if she heard the phrase, "but Dean said" one more time, she was quitting on the spot and to hell with her contract.John's expression was blatantly proud, and she had a sneaking suspicion his pride had less to do with his sons' academic potential than with their clear futures as criminal masterminds. She resisted the urge to throw her Oxford unabridged dictionary straight at his shiny white smirk. Dean's smirk. Sam's dimples.Ugh. There is no God.The Things You Don't Expect and You Get What You Give Both by alethialiaBoth genThe Things You Don't Expect - Little Sammy wants to know about the birds and the bees. Sweet look at the relationship between the Winchester men.You Get What You Give is also sweet and very funny. The Winchester family tackle the horrors of Halloween. Dean's distress at having to accompany Sam on a hunt whilst dressed as a large black M & M is hilarious and I love the Sam in this - he's both adorably sweet (his pride in the fact that his costume fits and his excitement at getting lots of candy) as well as truly evil in the way that only an 11 year old younger brother can be.To Forgive and Forget by joyfulgirl41Gen, violencePost AsylumVery similar to a celebrated Buffy episode this is an interesting and angsty take on the aftermath of Asylum.Pack up the Moon by trollprincessSam/Dean slight slashFutureficPost Shadow this future fic is a bleak and tragic look at the progression of Sam's powers. The Dean characterisation is very strong in this - he's terrified of Sam's powers and what it means for them but he'll remain Sam's protector to the last. It's also impressive how affecting her Sam is considering that the story is told from Dean's POV and Sam is virtually mute throughout.Sam is sorry, Sam won't do it again, Sam can't fucking help it, and he might not say any of those things out loud, but he hasn't had to in a while.Dean feels them just fine on his own, like Sam's painting his emotions on Dean's skin in broad, apologetic brushstrokes.And Dean wonders for the first time that day how much farther he has to drive before he can pull over the Impala to punch something.

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SupernaturalShadow was one hell of an episode and there are plenty of codas floating around on LJ. Here are a couple of the best:Cut and Run by maygraGenCoda to ShadowHeartbreaking, incredibly angsty and as always beautifully written story with our boys just in pieces after being forced to leave their father behind. There are so many powerful sequences in this story - Dean in shock tending to Sam's wounds, Dean breaking apart and unwilling to let Sam see his pain. A very fitting coda to an impressive episode.He scrubs his hands again in the sink because he's got Sam's blood under his nails and probably some bits of flesh too and it's the thought of any part of Sam being washed down the drain and into the sewer or the septic tank or whatever that breaks him. Unlike Sam he isn't willing to let his brother see him break.Never Alone by pixeloGenBoth a coda to Shadow and a charcter study of John Winchester this gentle story is a bittersweet look at John's relationship with Mary.Hey baby, he whispers in the silence of his vehicle. Did you know that we have one amazing pair of sons? He stops there, unable to continue because of the thick lump in his throat, and a tear mingles with his blood and runs into his dark beard. Through his open window, the night air gently sweeps his hair and kisses the back of his neck.The Falling Away of Masks by isolde13Slash Sam/DeanNon-conPitch black fic in which sweet little Sammy gets tempted to the dark side by a mysterious shadow demon. His initiation ritual? To rape Dean. I love the first three chapters of this story as the author cleverly ensures that Sam is the Sam we know and love - albeit a Sam with a very dark side. It's truly scary to think of our cute floppy haired Sam as the kind of guy who also tortured animals, killed a child in a fit of anger (and how much do I love the author for including that in the story as an almost throwaway line and then not dwelling on it - it shows just how little something like murder (even if he was provoked) bothered Sam in the grand scheme of things) and loved playing BDSM games with Jessica (major kudos to the author also for portraying the Sam/Jess relationship as anything over than true love). There is a real dark sensuality to the first three chapters with Sam as a charismatic villain in waiting. However, the final chapter is unremittingly grim with a one note Sam beating Dean to hell and back. Given that Dean's happiness is very much connected to Sam's proximity to him I rather suspect that a truly evil Sam would be able to play Dean like a maestro - without having to lift a finger to him in anger. It's also rather a shame that after the compelling build up we don't get to see the actual "claiming". Still a unique and very dark story that has clearly had influence - a number of "Dark Sammy" stories have started to spring up in its wake. The End is the Beginning is the End by la_folle_allureSlash Sam/DeanA re-telling of the end of every episode up to The Benders. I love the drabble about the Pilot and Dean's recollections about Mary and The Journey Home which may be all of two lines long but is agonisingly powerful. The only false note for me is Bloody Mary which is a little cliche for my tastes.Battlestar GallacticaI love BSG but it looks like my worries about being sucked into another fandom may be unwarranted. There is precious little fanfic out there and most of it seems to be centred around Starbuck, who naturally is the only character on the show I cannot stand. I'm a Baltar girl all the way so if anyone has any good Baltar/Six recs or if you've written any stories featuring that pairing that you'd like to see on her just leave me a comment.Thankfully the one Gaius story I did manage to find is truly wonderful:Seven Conversations in the Life of a Genius by mercurial_witHetThis story charts the life of Gaius Baltar through conversations with seven influential women in his life. Six may be the one we know the best but the women before her are just as interesting. I adore the first section with baby Baltar and his mother - ickle Baltar is portrayed exactly as I had always imagine he would be!

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SupernaturalI'm currently writing my own Supernatural story and to be honest the quality of the writing in the Supernatural fandom is so incredibly high I'm as nervous as hell about posting it!Anyway on to the recs:Tiny A's All in a Row by jwynnGenThe author describes the story as her love letter to Dean and it really is a truly beautiful look at Dean and his reationship with Sam. There are so many images that I love in this - Dean casually breaking the nose and arm of a bully who attacked Sam, Dean's pride over Sam's report card and the revelation that their no nonsense Marine father keeps all of Sam's report cards hidden in a box under his bed, Sam rescuing Dean from the demon that stalks their family and the final image of Sam sleeping with his fingers monitoring Dean's pulse. Choices by weestaGenEssentially Sophie's Choice but with a nasty demon instead of the Nazis, this is an interesting look at the Sam/Dean/John dynamic.For Whom the Bell Tolls by Spooky-girlGen, horror, extreme violenceThis story plays out like the episode The Benders should have done had the writers opted for a little more imagination than Deliverence-lite. Sam and Dean's R&R is interrupted when they face danger from an unlikely source. Well paced, compelling and strongly characterised throughout, the story is unfortunately let down by a very weak uninspiring final chapter which the author herself dismisses as "dull". It's a story crying out for an emotional resolution that it doesn't get - it's like the author finished the action part of the story and just didn't know how to proceed - so she just ended it. Word of warning - the author seems unfamiliar with fan fic etiquette and hasn't put a single warning at the start of her story - it is gen but for the more sensitive among you it is extremely violent with poor Dean being tortured to hell and back.Side of the Road by estrella30Sam/Dean slashSexy, angsty coda to The BendersShoot out the Lights by whereuponSam/Dean slashAnother extraordinary piece from whereupon both harsh and gritty and yet packed with beautiful, evocative imagery. Her Sam and Dean seem to love and hate each other equally while knowing that their only way of life is with each other.There are spaces between them. There are gestures without words and words that mean nothing at all. There are riddles and rhythms and textures and lines. There are photographs of a past that doesn't quite exist and there are dreams of a future they do not yet know. There are times when they've tried to leave, one and then the other, when they've said, I don't need you, and they've pretended to believe it was true.I'm Not Touching You by trollprincessSam/Dean SlashFun fic which imaginatively makes use of Sam's telekinitic abilities and features a novel, supernatural plot device to bring Sam and Dean together. Plus the concept of Sam using his supernatural abilities purely to irritate the hell out of Dean is entertaining.Comparative Morality by cupiscentSam/Dean slashVery hot and very believable Sam/Dean with no fluff or sentiment in sight. What Remains by annehigginsDean/Sam slashHighly original well-written story in which Sam is killed whilst on a hunt and his body is reanimated by an entity who falls in love with Dean. Whilst featuring plenty of (rather crassly described- I guess I like my porn to be more pretty) hot gay monkey sex this is hardly a fluffy piece dealing as it does with Dean's grief and his fears of abandonment. I'm also not too sure how I feel about the real Sam in this piece - his conversation with Dean at the end seems brutally harsh and insensitive with him dismissing his life with Dean as a life he never wanted. I guess because I'm a sucker for the fluffier fics I also rather hated the notion that even in death the two boys would remain permanently separated with Sam choosing a life with Jess over a life including Dean. Supremely angsty and really rather sad despite my reservations it is a very strong character study of Dean.

One quick Sup...

One quick Supernatural rec:Someday (Never Comes) by traveller (Cee)GenI read a lot of fan fiction as my journal will attest but occasionally a story will come along that literally leaves me speechless. This is one of those stories. It tells the tale of John returning from a tour of duty in Vietnam and how he meets and falls in love with Mary. It's lyrical, evocative, achingly sad and just equisitely beautiful. There are honestly no words that could do justice to how brilliant this story is. It's so good I actually picked up the phone and called my dad straight after reading it - it made me ache that much. Go read it immediately!

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Few recs in the House, Supernatural and Alias fandoms. As ever comments are gratefully received - because well, I'm needy!HouseKnots by pitza (Part 1) and extrabitter (remaining chapters)House/Wilson slash, violence, non-conSet pre-series this is an AU in which a drunken post divorce Wilson rapes House. Ignore my rather banal summary which makes the story read like something you'd find at FF.net this is an intriguing, truly original work which dares to do something a little different. Wilson is normally portrayed in the world of House fan fiction as a happy go lucky puppy dog - Wilson as predator is unheard of and the strongest elements of this story for me were the chapters that focused on Wilson and his mental state after the attack. Well written and unflinching those chapters strongly portrayed a man coming to terms with having committed a heinous act. The story has its problems however. As someone with experience of volunteering on counselling hotlines the over eager, insensitive, statute quoting law student on the other end of House's call to the rape crisis hotline hit a hideously false note. Cuddy's characterisation - very strong in the earlier chapters, falls away completely in the last two chapters to the extent that I can't hear her voice at all. Her interactions with Wilson in Chapter 11 are bizarrely indifferent and feel somewhat truncated - there is an entire chapter right there but what we actually get is unsatisfactory and very Un-Cuddy.And the ending is weak and unsatisfying. If you write a non- con story you write yourself into a corner in that you have to stay AU.However, the final section of this story could have been ripped from any House/Wilson fanfic - despite the premise the story ends with House and Wilson as firm (and mentally very fragile) friends. House's repetition of "Are we still friends" to the man who bit, beat, purposefully knelt on his damaged leg and brutally raped him is so pathetic as to bring tears to the eyes. Overall, its an intriguing, if not necessarily enjoyable, mostly well written story which deserves credit for trying to do something new.SupernaturalWhen We Were Young, We Were Still Subjects of the Story by onelittlesleepGenBeautifully written look at John and Mary's relationship which provides glimpses of Sam and Dean growing up.AliasBetrayal by tazzer416Sydney/VaughnMy love for Alias died right along with a certain character in the series 5 premiere - but whilst the show is now a pale imitation of its former self I used to be a massive fan and thought I would start reccing some of my favourite Alias fics.Betrayal is an extraordinary novel length story which reads like a perfect version of season 4. Every single plot thread that the writers abandoned (Sydney's missing years and her transformation into Julia Thorne, Project Christmas, Vaughn's marriage to Lauren, the suggestion that Vaughn went mysteriously missing for 6 months following Sydney's "death") - the author picks them all up and weaves them into a very intricate and compelling plot. Virtually every major character in the Alias world features in this story - not just the regulars but also the likes of Irina, Katya,Nadia, Lauren's mother, Sark, Francie, Will - even bit part characters in the show get their chance to shine here. It really is a superb story. Slight word of warning - as far as I'm aware the story is only hosted on the SD1 boards which means you have to wade through pages of comments to get to the next part of the story. The pay off is worth it - but it does require some patience.Chains of Self by lunaVaughn/Sark slashThe Sark/Vaughn slash movement sadly wasn't that prolific and this is without a doubt the best Vark fic that I've read. Set directly after the events of the Season 2 finale this sees Vaughn and Sark growing close after Sydney's death. Well written and with some suitably steamy sections this is a story which is crying out for a sequel which sadly I don't believe was ever written.

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Thought I'd mention a couple of older House stories I hadn't gotten around to reccing yet:Flying by movies_michelleHouse/Wilson slashI love all of Michelle Christian's stories and selfishly wish she were a little more prolific. This is a post Autopsy fic in which House tries to make amends to a pissed off Wilson. What I love about her stories is that they are both full of porny goodness and very strong characterisation - a successful combination which House fanfic writers rarely achievel. As always her House and Wilson voices ring completely true - turning what could have been a pwp into a story that you'll want to re-read.Excessive Tape and Major Miracles by barely_beanHouse/Wilson slashHouse realises his feelings for Wilson in the wake of Wilson's divorce. Very funny, sweet story which features very cute interaction between the ducklings and a highly amusing Cuddy. The riff about the hospital training its staff to be alert for terrorist threats (excessive tape on a parcel being characteristic of mail bombs) and House ignoring such warning signs in his pursuit of the truth about Wilson is a very deft metaphor and just very true to House's nature. "I was busy. There were lives at stake.""You're sitting here watching General Hospital.""I didn't say real lives. Carly's going in for emergency surgery today and Sonny might get to the hospital too late. It's riveting."

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Some more recs and a tragically needy request! Because LJ doesn't have a counter I honestly have no idea whether anyone ever reads this beyond my nearest and dearest. So if you read and enjoy the recs I'd love it if you commented - just so that I know I'm not doing the written equivalent of talking to myself. Hell friend me - I'll friend you right back! Also if anyone has any great recs of pairings that I wouldn't normally read: House/Cuddy or House/Cameron in the House fandom or Sam/Jess, Dean/OFC in the Supernatural fandom I'd love to hear them.Oh and anyone has any tips on how to spruce up the journal - well they'd be gratefully received - I'm technologically inept when it comes to such things.Onto the recs:HouseThe Fine and Subtle Art of Cardiology by RageprufrockHouse/Wilson mild slashI remember Pru well from the Smallville fandom so was very excited to see her playing in the House fandom. This story takes the rather well used route of having House be jealous of a new (male) friend in Wilson's life. That being said it features sharp characterisation (I particularly like her Cameron which considering I normally can't abide any form of Cameron is impressive) and is very, very funny (House's codenames for the ducklings are hilarious). The author makes House's begrudging realisation that he has a crush on his best friend very believable and I love that her Wilson has a backbone and isn't the long suffering doormat so many House/Wilson writers portray him as. Here's hoping Pru embraces the House fandom and writes lots more! By three, he's wordlessly irritated by everything around him--including the air molecules, and everybody in the hospital is giving him a wide berth, making it that much more difficult to trap Cameron in the labs and ask, "Do I have a crush on Wilson?"After which there's a whole bunch of shouting and House having to say, "Oh my God, would you get over yourself?  You did not make me gay!" and then reneging later in the conversation out of sheer annoyance and yelling, "Okay, you know what?  You did, you totally did," while Cameron gives him soulful looks like she's finally decided what about him is more pathetically worthy of her fixation with lost causes than even his leg.  Kinks by acidicflowerHouse/Chase slashGiven what a whining little bitch Chase is on the show the prospect of Dom Chase seems ridiculous - but this is unbelievably hot stuff. A dominant - very naughty Chase plays a little role play with House during office hours. Red hot, without being explicit.Carpet Burn by nakenoHouse/Wilson slashAn intriguing pwp written in a very distinctive style (the author references James Ellroy as an inspiration). Hot, almost harsh, sexy and definitely unsentimental. SupernaturalDecomposure by PaperbkryterGen, horrorAs this story is housed over at FF.net (aka The Pit - home of Mary Sues and 13 year old writers) I never would have discovered it on my own so thanks to the TWOP Supernatural fan fic thread for reccing it. Decomposure is a compelling, deeply creepy story which has a devastated Dean re-animating Sam's corpse after he is killed by a wearwolf to somewhat disastrous results. The undead Sam is deeply chilling and Dean just breaks your heart. I made the mistake of reading this at work, which meant I was sat there fighting tears at my desk at the very affecting ending. One of the most original, plot driven gen stories that I've seen.That Old Slippery Slope by scribblinlenoreSam/Girl Dean hetThere is just absolutely no way that a story which begins with Dean waking up as a girl should work - but this one does. Sweet (Sammy being protective of his older "sister's" virtue is adorable), funny and absolutely smoking hot. I don't think there are words that can accurately describe just how scorching hot the Sam/Girl Dean action is in this fic. I love that the author makes no attempt to explain the mcguffin - Dean just wakes up as a girl - no rhyme, no reason. The ending with Dean snuggled up in Sam's arms is just beatiful. It may be crack fic - but its brilliantly written crack fic!