the first step is admitting you have a problem

Good fic is subjective. I need my fic long, I need my fic smutty but most importantly I need my fic smart. Fic recs with a little more substance than "OMG! You have to read this!!" Wincest and J2 and Stucky with a few other fandoms thrown in.

[livedinthecastle]

POV the guy you watched try to kill himself twice over the loss of his brother is giving you advice on grief

[jesncin]

my high school english teacher would often critique our literature analysis work by pointing out: "you're treating these characters like they're real people. They're not. They're characters". And it took me a long time to understand what he meant by that. Because I always thought "isn't that the point? That writers want to write characters to be so three dimensional that they act and feel like real people?" but that's not it.

Characters are tools a writer uses in service of a story. Of course characters can be written with depth to the point they feel real to us, but they exist in service of their narrative. Something real people aren't beholden to at all. When discussing characters, I think it's easy to accidentally see these characters as "real people" and not extensions of the author's beliefs. Tools for a narrative. Means of storytelling.

[shaneholeander]

I fully understand this isn’t everyone, but love the sect of m/m shippers who don’t want to be inserted into the relationship at all. dont want to fuck them, don’t want x/reader. this isn’t about me it’s about my boys being in situations and then fucking about it. I’m barely a fly on the wall im not even here.

[bossymarmalade]

this used to be most of fandom 😫

[derryderrydown]

Too nice and accurate to stay in comments, @petralemaitre

#my blorbos are not my type#they are each other's type

[bookgeekgrrl]

#yeah those guys are exhausting #they live on the other side of the screen #I am watching them like a kid with an ant farm #could not pay me to go in there with them (@dsudis)

[confessionsofaficaddict]

The Dean!girl Special

… or four times this Dean!girl could actually buy Dean being with anyone but Sam.

I love both Winchesters to distraction but I was a  Dean!girl at “Easy, Tiger.” and have never looked back.

Wincest is my OTP and I like it that way. But there’s nothing wrong with having an open mind and fic addict that I am it didn’t take long until I decided to branch out a little. The results confirmed what I knew in my heart: Wincest ‘til the day I die. 

BUT there were a few, a very few authors that got Dean so right that I could suspend my personal bias just long enough to maybe believe.

So, here are four fics that made this Dean!girl’s heart sing.

These stories still get Dean completely right, will even make you fall in love with him all over again. Dean wouldn’t be Dean if Sam didn’t occupy shot-gun in his car as well as his life. Sam still has a very special place in his heart - only there might be room for someone else too…

To keep this post from reaching epic lengths I hid my comments. Just hover over the fic title to find out how the author made me cheat on my OTP for a little while and then click to read.

Panta Rhei by Notasmuch

This is a story of how Jensen and Dean met, hooked up, started falling in love, and what happened during and after, way back in 2001. It keeps to both canons …

Dean/Jensen  | 71 K  | AO3

Thunder and Sparks in the Heart of the Dark by Nyxocity

Supernatural/Sons of Anarchy crossover AU set post an almost-canon S5 of SPN. Still reeling from and haunted by the loss of Sam, Dean finds himself on a hunt in Charming, CA. Through circumstance, he finds himself allying with Jax Teller and the Sons of Anarchy motorcycle club. As the hunt continues and Jax and Dean get closer, they discover what’s happening in Charming is even bigger than anyone thought. The fate of the world may depend on their choices—and whether or not they both make it out of this alive.

Dean/Jax | Explicit | 78 K | AO3

The Face Verse by  the_huntersretreat       

Futuristic AU. Beset with loss and grief, in a world they no longer known, Dean, Jensen, Alec, and Priestly find one another and challenge the world around them.

Dean/Jensen/Alec/Priestly | Explicit | 80 K (estimate)  | AO3

Carry On  by TamrynEradani    

When Sam gets into Stanford, Dean needs a bigger paycheck than Bobby’s garage can give him. Luckily, he knows a guy.(Read the author’s extensive introduction to find out more about how this story came to be and about the setting and warnings that go along with it)

Dean/Castiel | Explicit | 148 K  | AO3

Enjoy! And if any of the Sam!girls out there have some ideas for a Sam!girl Special my ask is always open!

[confessionsofaficaddict]

@spnficrecfest for day five: rarepairs - I think this one counts :)

I put a reminder in my calendar and everything, still missed most of the party. But I DO have some ready-made fic recs so don't mind if I do.

Almost ten years old and still gold. Also the Sam!girl special can still happen!

[confessionsofaficaddict]

Very interesting looking fic by a new to me author just dropped in the Big Bang.

Will there finally be more content here? Stay tuned!

[confessionsofaficaddict]

Sometimes I have the *mine now* from the wolf spirit in Leonidaslion's Beserker Verse stuck in my head for days and have sudden cute attacks all day.

That thing is to die for cute and terrifying at the same damn time.

Sometimes I just need to talk about weird fic things...

[whatthehelliswrongwithme]

[filicided]

sam: i’ve noticed we have slowly begun to phase the “b” out of our bromance.

dean, kneeling, ring still out: oh shit, do you think anyone else noticed?

[puredramione]

Don’t know what I would’ve done without fanfiction this year.

[tobias-hankel]

[confessionsofaficaddict]

Happy new year!!

I've been thinking about this blog and what to do here this year. I have been reading a lot of fic but just not talking about it for *gestures at the state of the world* reasons.

I do want to get back into the groove though.

At first I thought I should just generally post about every fic I read, in any fandom. But then I'd have to find an elegant way to post about the ones I did not love and that ratio is about 70/30? I figured if I just made a post and made a general note of 'it's not for me' it wouldn't fall under 'unwanted concrit' and at least it gets mentioned and possibly finds exactly the right readership.

But then I thought of my bookmarks on AO3. I only bookmark stuff over there I really liked so there's no issue of me not having to say anything about it.

And that's what I'll be doing this year.

I currently have 328 bookmarks and I will review them in order starting sometime this week.

It's going to be a lot of Wincest and J2 and then branch out into other fandoms and anywhere between 500 words to 600K and above.

Let's do this!

[confessionsofaficaddict]

Dearest darling. If my heart was yearning for some J2 cowboys & ranchers kind of fics, what might you suggest? I do love them in dusty boots and hats.

Ooooh, it is such a pleasure to help you find that good stuff my lovely!

So I have a lovely Ranch!AU with a cute romantic storyline for you:

I leave my heart in the dust where you walk is a 2014 Big Bang by whisperedstory, that whole year was great for BB fics and whsipered is absolutely a writer you should check out. Lots of great fic there!

And then one of my personal all time faves is Break Loose Ranch. This is a non-AU J2 in which Jensen is still an actor but SPN doesn’t happen and he meets Jared and *wow* the smut is smoking hot and the schmoop is lovely and I love this series so much. Unfortunately only on LJ, but let us praise the fic Gods that it is still available.

And if you’re still not done with the boys in dusty boots after that you should read: Phoenix by xenodike. A big, sprawling old school Romance on a ranch with some soapy elements that is just plain entertaining fun!

Happy reading!

[legen-waitforit-dairy]

I’ve decided that starting a 50k+ fanfic at 3 in the morning when you have to wake up early is not a rookie mistake but in fact a time honored tradition of ao3 veterans

[confessionsofaficaddict]

mother is pretending by hathfrozen

Dean blurts, "So, you're saying I'm like, Mommy, or something?"

He's never had a joke land so completely flat. It sounds strangled and weird coming out of his own mouth, like it was never supposed to be a joke in the first place.

"Um," Sam starts, and his voice fucking cracks. "Dean."

Immediately, Dean says, "I didn't say that. Sam, I never said that."

(Sam and Dean get reckless about how they're handling the pain of season 2, and whoops! slowly develop a Mommy kink along the way.)

Wincest | S2 | Explicit | 20K | AO3

character study | mommy kink | caretaking | protectiveness

This fic led to an interesting conversation with a fandom friend. We came to the conclusion that no fandom does kink like the SPN fandom. We all know the story about the kinks you didn't know you had until you read that one fic. For me every single one is an SPN fic, Wincest or J2.

Blindfold, the Kink Meme - incredible kink is everywhere in our fandom and this is the latest edition of "kink I never thought about but now I'm kind of intrigued".

When I recced this to my friend I told her that I respectfully disagreed with the emphasis on calling it mommy!kink. I mean, yes, that absolutely comes into play in the last third when things get explicit and explicitly kinky. No, the reason I'm reccing this is because they kink on what many of us are kinking on since the Barn Scene.

Hathfrozen tells us what it looks like when Sam and Dean get off on The Codependency. It's about Dean taking care of Sam, in all ways - always.

Go read this and get eviscerated with tenderness.

[confessionsofaficaddict]

Reading gen SPN fic is kinda like watching the show. The good authors manage to pack a lot of Wincest into the margins :)

I will rec it once I'm done!

[cooldog2014-deactivated20150105]

*meets u in dark alley wearing a trench coat* got any fic recs

[levynite]

*opens trench coat to reveal hundreds of fics*

[lexrhetoricae]

I just need one, man. I’ll stop after this. I can quit anytime. Don’t tell my family.

[confessionsofaficaddict]

QB Verse by pianoforeplay

Armed with strength, size and instinctive talent, Jared Padalecki is the first round draft pick for the faltering Dallas Cowboys. Quickly granted a multi-million dollar contract and heralded as the hopeful future franchise quarterback, Jared is thrilled to be a part of the team he grew up idolizing and is all too eager to take the next step in what should be a long and promising career. However, Jared soon realizes he has a much tougher road ahead than anticipated when he meets the prickly Jensen Ackles, the team's veteran QB and Jared's number one competitor for the starting roster spot.

In a league ruled by money, celebrity and ego, where the roster changes week to week and injuries aren't so much a risk as a fact of life, Jared must prove himself capable of leading one of the NFL's most glamorous and controversial teams back to glory. And in the process, must deal with his teammates' potentially career-ending secrets and his own burgeoning, confusing relationship with Ackles.

J2 | football!AU | explicit | 240 K  | AO3

coming out | football

I like to be topical with my recs, so in honor of Carl Nassib let me remind the fandom of this absolutely stunning piece of fanfiction that imagined something like this allll the way back in 2011.

I was so sure I had already written this up before but since tumblr hates you being able to search your own damn blog I'm happy to do it again.

I really don't have much to say other than: Fantastic characterization, the right balance of schmoop and angst, really realistic progression of the relationship and it earns the explicit rating.

So if you found yourself thinking "Mmmh, I'd love to read a football!AU today..." look no further and get to reading.

This way to the Hail Mary!

[confessionsofaficaddict]

can you tag your recs with the bottom and topping preference? one of the combinations genuinely triggers me so it would be nice to know going in so i could avoid that. Thanks!

Dear anon,

I’m sorry to hear that your life has included experiences traumatizing enough that you developed actual triggers. And while I understand that this might make navigating the world of fic difficult for you I hope that you will understand that the answer is no.

I put a lot of thought and effort into my recs. The lovely authors I talk about put even more thought, hard work and effort into the novel length fics they write and we all benefit from it.

I feel like the least I can do is take the time to acknowledge tight plotting, deep characterization, realistic dialogue that sounds like actual people speaking, interesting metaphors and themes, flawlessly executed twists and red herrings, rave about steamy, tangible smut that makes you sweat and read one handed, etc.

The question of which dick goes into which hole is really at the bottom of the long, long list of things I find interesting to talk about in a fic. Plus, if we’re being honest it’s not about the mechanics but about the characterization right?

So, no, I will not be changing my recommendations for a random anon message from somebody I can’t tell if I have ever meaningfully interacted with before.

What you can do is the following: Check at the fic link and see if the author tagged it. See if anyone already asked in the comments. Contact the author and ask yourself.

I am also happy to answer those kinds of questions off anon, but it’s really not the focus of this rec blog!