#type:past

[samwellslibrary]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Author:  defcontwo

Rating: Teen and up

Length: 2,487 words

Type: Past

Pairing: Jack/Parse

Summary: The sales pitch is irrelevant: this moment right here, sitting in the front of Kent’s piece of shit pickup truck, listening to “Party in the USA” on the radio at top volume -- that’s all the convincing Jack ever needed.

Or: Kent and Jack, a carnival, and the last gasp of the 34 days.

Commentary: I’m... sad. That’s the word I have to describe it. It’s not exactly angst I’d say (even though I’m going to tag it as such for archive purposes and because it’s the most apropiate category we have), it’s not wallowing... but we have a happy setting (a carnival) in contrast with a Jack constantly wanting to reach for his pills, we have the constant reminder of the approaching draft. We know that what Jack and Parse have is going to end, and we know it’s not going to be pretty. So this was deeply sad.

However, it was beautifully written. English is failing me right now to say how I felt during the last part, when I read about the pictures in the photobooth. The last sentence made me gasp. 

So, yes, enjoyable pain. Who can say no to that?

[samwellslibrary]

Author: gelowo93

Rating: Teen and up audiences

Length: 3,467 words

Type: Past fic

Pairing: None

Summary: Snapshots of Jack's life from the years he spent coaching peewee hockey.

Commentary: This was really interesting, because we don’t read often about those two years between Jack’s overdose and his first year at Samwell, how was the healing process, how he decided to go to uni. It was a bit angsty (because, well… it’s about Jack), but also adorable. I loved how we see Jack learning to love hockey again. Oh, and I personally liked how the author played a bit with time tenses :)

[samwellslibrary]

Author: funkandwag

Rating: Teen and up audiences

Length: 3,654 words

Type: Past fic

Pairing: None

Summary: "When you were real little, nobody ever thought too much about how you followed your mother like a duckling — at church, around the house, in the kitchen. And when you were real little, nobody ever said much about you being her little helper — chatting with the ladies as readily as her, trailing after her with your own miniature sweeper, watching her bake with your eyes big as dinner plates. But then you started getting older, and you didn’t start taking after your daddy, and then—"

What it was like before Samwell.

Commentary: This fic is exactly what I’ve wanted to read for a while. It follows Bitty’s life before going to Samwell, told in the second person (which I’ve discovered works incredibly well for me in this kind of angsty fic). I’ve said it before, but we often forget Bitty’s life back in Georgia can’t have been easy, and I loved reading about how he found solace in ice skating, how and why he left it and how he ended up being the captain of the hockey team. It made me think a lot about cheerful little Bitty and it broke my heart in many ways, but the end reminds the reader that our boy found a family in Samwell, so I couldn’t be happier with this :)

[samwellslibrary]

Author: bienenalster

Rating: gen

Length: 933

Type: past

Pairing: N/A

Summary: Kent tries to have a feud with Jack. He fails miserably.

Commentary: This is short, but it’s so good to see a fic about the start of Jack and Parse’s relationship before everything got complicated. Parse initially disliking Jack and competing to be better than him felt very in character for him, and I liked that Jack was the one to reach out to Parse first. They both managed to break down each other’s barriers through playing together which is something I can imagine happening. Reading about young Jack genuinely enjoying playing was also a nice change from the angst that fics tend to focus on.

[samwellslibrary]

Author: reserve

Rating: Mature

Length: 1,768 words

Type: Past fic

Pairing: Jack/Kent Parson

Summary: A year later he'll reflect on all of this in mandated group therapy and he'll realize that's just how it was with them: they were two trains barreling at full speed towards a brick wall, except Kent cut his skates at the last second and Jack hit head on.

Commentary: This fic hurt. It made me sad and uncomfortable. But being inside of Jack’s head in those times is not supposed to be easy, so I loved how it was written. I’ll be forever heartbroken by Jack worrying about those kittens. It’s not a happy cute fic, and please read the additional tags and warnings (I’d add dubious consent due to alcohol and drugs).

[samwellslibrary]

Author: Dorasolo

Rating: Teen and Up

Length: 756 words

Type: Past

Pairing: Jack/Shitty (in a non romantic way)

Summary: Pre-comic, Shitty and Jack's freshman year. B. Knight receives a new name and a new upper lip.

Commentary: I just really love fics exploring Jack and Shitty’s friendship and the idea of Jack giving Shitty his nickname (because of course the B has to stand for something weird! Or not. Man, I’d pay to know…).

[samwellslibrary]

Author: teaboytoaliens

Rating: Explicit

Length: 9,008 words

Type: Past fic

Pairing: Jack/Parse

Summary: There were the 34 days in the summer of 2009, between winning the Memorial Cup and the NHL Entry Draft in Montreal, where things were perfect. Who wouldn’t want that back?

Commentary: This. Was. Amazing. As the summary says, it covers the month between Jack and Parse’s team winning the Memorial Cup and the draft, from Parse’s pov, and it’s really interesting to read about what’s happening to Jack (what we know he’s going through, what we know it’s going to happen) through Kent’s eyes. Kent was, in my opinion, perfectly in character with what we know so far, I really loved how he was written (even if what we know comes from unreliable narrators, so, who knows…). This fic made me cry several times, especially when they were happy (their teenage romance had my heart clenched all the time I spent reading), so have your tissue paper ready for this.

[samwellslibrary]

Author: teaboytoaliens

Rating: Mature

Length: 7020 words

Type: Past fic

Pairing: Jack/Parse

Summary: Jack struggles through his years in the QMJHL, anxiety and expectations on his shoulders andKent Parson at his side.

Commentary: This fic is beautifully written. And it’s terribly sad, too. Angst all the way through, especially since, as it’s pre-canon, we know what happens in the end. It’s a great fic, but do read the warnings before reading! Besides the usual warnings you could expect in a fic that deals with Jack's breakdown (such as substance abuse and anxiety) there's some dubious consent and alcohol.