'til these badlands start treating us good

[unfitforsociety]

Supernatural

and talk about boys by chash
Sam snorts. "My brother is dead and you brought me chick flicks and ice cream. You know I'm not a girl, right?" / "You could have fooled me," she says, putting in the DVD. "I'm pretty sure your hair is long enough to braid now." / "It is not," says Sam, but he looks kind of worried that it might be. It beats the hell out of his other expressions. Hee!

B-Reel by big_pink
The movie theatre in a small town is being haunted. Sam and Dean work the case, or, really, the case works them. Smart, funny, full of prickly season 1 boys trying to find their rhythm together, with a really fun use of movies to propel the story forward. Heed the warnings, though. I thought the tentacle sex was hilarious, but some people might find it off-putting.

A Family Business by liptonrm
Engrossing story featuring a casefile set in season 3, and an intersecting story from when the boys were teenagers. Nice tension between the boys as the clock is ticking, and nice parallel between them and the people they're helping.

Hurl'd Headlong by kellifer_fic
So, his mind is wandering and he glances down at their shadows for a second, stretched thin because of the dying light of the day. His shadow has a long sword in its right hand and Sam's shadow is holding a sickle. They're two dimensional and pulled out of true by the angle but Dean could almost swear that the two shadows are looking at each other. Spare, beautiful set of vignettes that form a lovely coda for 4.01.

In darkness we descended by elanorelle
He tries not to think too hard about the ways Sam's changed since he last saw him, but it's difficult not to notice when it's everywhere: in the set of Sam's jaw and the hard glint in his eyes and the way he holds himself. He's still Sam, that much is clear, but it's been four months and Dean still has no real idea of how his little brother spent all that time. Lovely coda to 4.01, showing Sam and Dean trying to figure each other out again.

Indiana For Now by emmademarais
Lovely slice of normalcy for John and the boys as Sam starts kindergarten, and John keeps them in one place for the school year.

Ink on Paper Leaves a Mark by kimonkey7
Absolutely heartbreaking story of Dean finding an old notebook of Mary's in John's storage locker, detailing the first few months of his life. Beautifully evocative and the ending is a real punch in the gut. Have tissues handy.

A Loaded God Complex by gwendolyngrace
Sam's school gets taken over by crazed cultists - John and Dean infiltrate to save the day. Very cool, tense casefile - apparently it's a crossover with something else I am totally blanking on, and it's not necessary to know the other source to enjoy the story, though I'm sure it adds resonance if you do.

night swimming by hi_falootin
Dean says swimming hole and Sam thinks summer, sophomore year of high school, Dad working a job in Shenandoah. short, wistful scene set early in season one. you know I love nightswmming stories, and this one is lovely.

The Night Visitor by pwcorgigirl
Short but beautiful glimpse at Castiel just before and after that last scene in AYTGIMDW.

None So Blind by vanillafluffy
Post-ep for 4.01. Pam gets a visitor in the hospital. Nicely done.

A Quiet Evening at Home by essenceofmeanin
Beautiful, bittersweet look at Sam and Dean preparing to spend a night in the car. Short, but packs a big emotional punch.

spark by whereupon
Because she didn't come here for the deal, for the money; he could never afford to pay what she charges. She came here to win, maybe, or out of sympathy. Pity. Or maybe just recognition. Understanding this far too well, the need to cling to anything when absolutely nothing is left. Fantastically painful, sharply beautiful Dean/Bela.

Stars Are Falling by pheebs1
Brief but beautiful look at Dean and Jess at the end of the world (AU where Jess is his sister, so wincest, of a sort).

Stars Like Spilled Salt by art_savage
Engaging casefile, set after Shadow, so there's still tension between the boys. Nicely done.

Summer Job by kaethe
Dean's working as a lifeguard (swoon) while Sam's in soccer camp, and a case happens to find them. Lovely.

The Taste of Water by dotfic
Dean, uncomfortable in his body post-4.01, and going through the motions of pretending to be himself. Lovely and sharp.

This Foreign City by cjmarlowe
Firing at ghosts was like firing at a trick of the eye. There was no moment of impact, and as soon as you hit there was nothing to say it had ever been there at all. Sometimes she felt like she'd live out this new life, alone on the road chasing ghost after ghost, and have nothing to show for it in the end. Ellen, making a life for herself on the road, hunting, after the Roadhouse burns down. Sharp, well-drawn look at her and Jo. Lovely.

Tiger Boy by pdragon76
Tiger father begets tiger son. Good, sharp look at Dean through John's eyes, while Sam's at Stanford.

The World Can Always Use More Smiles by ignipes
"I'm sensing the presence of unresolved clown issues in your subconscious." Hee! The boys are haunted by a clown. Good banter, and a nice wistful feeling at the end.

The Zombie Meme Moment by heidi8
Sam blogs about how to survive the zombie apocalypse. Adorable.

~*~