Writing From the Inside

Fanfiction by Big Pink.

Gen.

I’ve read Read, Dazzleland, and Fire in the Hole, and found myself being AMAZED at the quality and craft of this writer’s fanfiction. Everything she does elevates what she does into the stratosphere, and if that sounds like an exaggeration, it is not. I’ve been reading fanfiction for a while now, and there’s lots and lots of good writers and fabbo fic, but Big Pink’s stuff, man. It had me stomping around the house for three days, mad as hell, because it was all so good and there was no way, NO way I could ever be that good.

So I have to content myself with telling everyone else how good she is, how clever and clear and intelligent and just plain on the money. The way she writes John fits more closely with my own idea of who John is than just  about any other writer out there. Like for example, don’t know which story it is in, but the boys and The Dad go to a diner and John grabs the menu and, I’m paraphrasing here, cause I don’t know the exact qutoe, and it reads, “He read the menu like he was examining the enemy’s battle plans.” Which just got to be because for John, everything is a battle, even breakfast.

I could quote her stuff, but then I’d be here all night. So just go read everything she’s got. She’s got a suggestion of the order in which you should read, but if you started with Red, you’d be okay. And impressed. And want to read everything else she’s got. Which she has in these nice little pdfs. The page loads a bit clunky, but that’s the internet for you. The more interesting it is, the slower it loads.

And the Highway Lines Pass By by philalethia

Slash.

31,000 words of pure slashy goodness, with a plot and everything. I think this is one of the stories I was looking for, with the whole eyelashes against the neck thing, but I read it so fast the second time, enjoying it so much, I really couldn’t find that bit. But I liked it anyway. It tells the story of two brothers, how they are different, how they are alike, and the writer, you can tell, has got a grip on what makes these characters tick. Unfortunately, this is also a “last year” story but ups the angst by miles and miles.  

 Some good lines:

“It was kind of hard to miss, honestly. Growing up and passing through small town after small town to and from hunts, and Sam always said things like, “It must be nice to live here,” in a tone like Dean used to say things like, “Look at the ass on that waitress.” It was never any secret that Sam jerked off fantasizing about walking down the block to the grocery store for milk and being greeted by name—his real one—and invited to bake sales and shit.”

and

“Dean’s seen so much of Sam and no one else lately he’s starting to get a little delirious over it. Sam split his knuckles on the Satanist kid’s nose and dripped blood on Dean’s jeans, which Dean picks at when Sam’s not looking just to watch the flakes get lodged under his nails, and Sam hasn’t showered for two days and the smell makes Dean dizzy and half-hard.

Yeah, Dean thinks, way too much Sam.”

and, I love this reference to “Heart.”

“If he tells Sam, Sam’ll insist that they hightail it to Chicago, and he’ll spend the whole drive on the phone with every person whose number is in his address book and who might know how to cure lycanthropy. He’ll tell himself and Dean that this time will be different, this time they’ll save the poor fucker who’s eating people every full moon. Sam’ll meet the werewolf, see a little bit of Madison in them, fall a little bit in love again with or without the fucking, and Dean will have to wipe the splatters of blood and tears off Sam’s face when he has to admit for the second time that you can’t save a werewolf.

Dean clears the internet history and closes out of the browser window. He’s breaking a rule, one of the biggest rules there is, one Dad taught them and made them swear they’d always follow: you don’t turn your back on a hunt, and sure as hell not for personal reasons. But this, this is different. You can turn your back if you know for certain you can’t handle it, if you’re damn sure it’ll take more than you’ve got.”

Now that, my friends, is love.

they put me in a cage full of lions; i learned to speak lion
 by amerella.

Gen.

I’ve often thought that the Winchester boys were exceptional children at risk. Smart, bright, but in an enviorment that could prove harmful to them, even as it made them tough. Like the title of this fic, if you put a child in a cage with lions, you get a child who can speak lion, who is lionlike. This fic, as well, is mostly Dean’s story, though you can see Sam, who likes to squeeze himself into small spaces, learning to speak lion as well.

The fic is more of  character exploration, with not plot, but it did have some nice images.  The part I liked best is when Dean, having fallen of his bike, waits for his dad to rescue him because he likes how his dad looks when he’s walking towards him, intent on rescue.