FRIDAY, 16 JULY 2010.

WORDS.

savorvrymoment | Working the Show
Jared/Jensen. 3,900 words. NC17.
He takes a breath and watches the man climb up onto the pole, his oiled body cast in a bright glare from the overhead lighting.
I write happy!stripper!fic, so it's no surprise that I like the same thing while I'm reading. This one's optimistic and adorable and fun for a short, light read.

philomel | Lit
Sam/Dean. UNDERAGE [Sam]. 5,300 words. NC17.
One toke over the line.
Shot-gunning fic, this was seriously and gorgeously hot. Great writing, some superbly crafted notions about Sam and Dean's relationship, I read this more than once just to squeeze every last drop of enjoyment out of it.

ivynights | Year of the Living Dead
Sam/Dean. 7,300 words. R.
Coda to 5x22. Really, it doesn’t matter that he’s living in suburbia; Sam’s down in the pit so Dean’s down in the pit. It’s just a whole new kind of torture.
I should have recced this story a while ago as it was written soon after the season finale. Every time I think back to the way Season 5 ended, I think about this story and it makes me believe everything's going to be alright -- at least, it will be if it turns out anything like this story. Details from the finale all found their place in this and even though the viewpoints switch back and forth from Sam to Dean, it blends seamlessly to me like one stream of consciousness. The ending just killed me. This is my canon, end of discussion. Season 6 does not exist.

linda3m | Red, Red Wine
Sam/Dean. 3,500 words. NC17.
Give a mouse a cookie; he'll want a glass of milk. Give Sammy a kiss and he'll take your whole damn mouth, and Dean had no problem with that.
This is in turn funny and sexy. Not the most in-character fic, but it's set in the early seasons (probably 1 or 2) so the easy-going attitude between Sam and Dean makes a little more sense. A nice, quick porny read and since I'm on a red wine kick, this fic was the cherry on top.

BIG BANG.

I'll be honest and say that I haven't read many Big Bangs at all! Life is kind of crazy at the moment and I'm reading at the rate of maybe one or two stories per week, added to the fact that I'm on a bit of a Pinto kick at the moment. But here are two fics that stuck out for me and well-deserve your time! There will be more recs, but they likely won't come until after my move and the BB season has wrapped up.

janie_tangerine | Play It All Night Long
Dean/Castiel. AU. 43,000 words. NC17.
Dean hosts a late night radio show, Castiel is a regular listener of his who starts calling one day and ends up calling more often than not and Dean finds himself liking it. This, until one day Castiel calls for not exactly petty reasons (just before Dean's brother Sam is visiting with his girlfriend for spring break) and things get very, very crowded at his place. He also doesn't know it's just the beginning of it. Also features Gabriel, Chuck, Andy, the Roadhouse crew and a huge amount of music quoted. Especially Bob Dylan.
Dean/Castiel, I KNOW. But the AU premise drew me in and this was a music AU I could really sink my teeth into. The first part is a little slow going wading through a lot of music references and DJ-speak, but it was worth it to get to the relationship that builds between the DJ and his caller. Despite the non-supernatural setting, the author works a remarkable amount of canon moments (relationship and character-wise) into the story. Ellen, Jo, Ash and the Roadhouse come into play. Sam and Jess come to visit NYC and Sam/Dean have some great brotherly moments. Plus, Gabriel is great for some comedy and he's very much the Trickster in human form. Chuck works at the radio station and writes gay erotica for 'zines in his spare time, and that alone is hilarious. I went into this fic not knowing what to expect and came out so pleased having read it.

dugindeep | In a Faraway Land, You'll Find Yourself
Jared/Jensen. AU. 28,600 words. R.
In his day-to-day life, Jensen is never put first or regarded as anyone with purpose. He works for his dad, lives in his brother’s shadow, can’t keep his boyfriend a priority, and has mostly given up on himself. One magical cup of coffee transports him to the land of Cassidonia, a fantasy land that he can’t traverse on his own. The tale says the Fair Child will slay the monster keeping watch at the unruly queen’s castle, and all of Cassidonia says Jensen’s the one to do it. In this world, he has to decide if he’ll move on without much effort to change his life, or live up to his destiny and save Cassidonia and return it to the rightful rule of the princess-in-waiting.
Like a great fantasy movie, I never wanted this story to end. You sit through all the credits and think, "wait, there's going to be more, right?" I finished this and immediately wanted to dive back into Cassidonia and see more of it -- figure out where all the characters would go next, especially Danneel! Jared and Jensen's relationship comes about quickly, but you never doubt its intensity or validity after the things they've gone through together in such a short amount of time. It's creative and wonderfully fantastical, reminded me of the Xanth novels by Piers Anthony (only I'm sure Cassidonia wasn't shaped like Florida).