Fic rec

[layne67]

Ten In One by smilla02, SPN gen, rating R, 36,000 words.

Summary: A hiker's body is found mauled in the Oregon woods. While investigating, Sam and Dean stumble onto an itinerant sideshow, whose members are the primary target of the same creature killing across the American west. The case alone would be difficult enough, even if Sam and Dean didn't have to deal with the strained consequences of a trip to Hell and back.

Written for spn_j2_bigbang 2008. This story was written a while back ( talk about being late to the party! ) but I've only just found it and what a gem it is. A casefic but not *just* a casefic, it's SamandDean the way it was before, a post season 3 AU where Sam was the one who brought Dean back from hell, broken and damaged and them trying to find their way back together again because Dean was not the only one who needed to be anchored back to reality as Sam with his terrifying powers that he used to save Dean needed to be saved, too. That plus a fantastic casefic made for a very compelling read.

Throughout September – Sam tells him later – he doesn't open his eyes. If someone asked him why he wouldn't know the answer. He is awake. He can assign voices and touches to the people they belong to without any effort: cool and soft – Ellen’s; callused and dry – Bobby’s. So big they entirely cover the expanse of his chest – Sam’s.

The mechanics of the rescue aren't clear, but he retains a clear image, a painted picture, of Sam as he stands tall and straight amid the flames.

Comments

[ursa1ita.livejournal.com]

What a coincidence, I'm working on podficcing this story right now. I agree, it's a gem!

[layne67.livejournal.com]

And to think I've only just discovered it! I'm thinking of going through the BBs of that year, I'm almost out of genfics to read now.

Yay for podfics! Looking forward to how the special people sound like :)

[ursa1ita.livejournal.com]

Yay! I don't think I do voices all that well. I was afraid to butcher Dr. Kesbit's Eastern European accent and Miss Violetta's soft Southern accent so I just tried different tones. I hope it works.

I go through the BB master lists all the time when I'm looking for fic. I heard this year was really good for gen but I haven't caught up yet :)

[layne67.livejournal.com]

Do you watch Game of Thrones? I kind of imagined Dr Kesbit looking like Peter Dinklage, all quiet and brooding :)

[elenya54.livejournal.com]

I've just followed the link, but after reading a few lines, I'm already thinking of jacking it in. Is the writer not a native english speaker? I'm really struggling with "They'd driven straight to the ocean in incremental steps" and "the blue table chased against the wall". Does it get better, Lin? Or is it just going to continue to give me grammatical migraine?

[layne67.livejournal.com]

Could that be, you know, a style of writing?

I think the writer is American but I'm not sure since she's not on my flist. She's one of my favourite writers though, and I like most of her fics. And yes, this one is good!

[elenya54.livejournal.com]

I don't know about style of writing, "chased" means embossed or being run after, and "incremental" means rising in increments, so how can go "straight" in "incremental steps". I guess she means they took a straight route but did the journey in stages, but that's not what she says</>. I don't mind creativity in use of adjectives, but this seems too Humpty Dumpty for me

""When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone. "It means just what I choose it to mean - neither more or less."
"The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."
"The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master - that's all."

However, when I get some free time, I'll give it another try.