Rec Post #8: Sam pulls Dean out of Hell
This time I come bearing recs for fics in which Sam gets Dean out of Hell. Links to podfics versions, when available, are included. If there are any fics you think deserve a rec, please do share. Oh, all of these are Sam/Dean. I don’t think I have even read one in this theme that’s gen, at least not that I remember.
Title: I'd Gladly Lose Me to Find You (podfic by exmanhater)
Author: flawedamythyst
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 35,942
Author’s Summary: Sam takes a vow of silence in order to pull Dean out of Hell, but by the time Dean comes back, Sam's lost more of himself than just his voice.
Reason: This is my all-time favourite fic of this kind. Sure, the concept isn’t novel, but this is the best execution of it that I have come across. Sam, Dean, and Bobby are written so perfectly that one would be hard-pressed find fault with their characterizations. The only tiny complaint I have is that the ending, which is perfect from a story-telling perspective, leaves me a bit wanting.
Title: The Common Fate of All ( podfic by ursa1ita)
Author: gretazreta
Rating: R
Word Count: ~10,000
Author’s Summary: Dean Winchester works in insurance: brought up in foster care, he's never hunted, never fired a gun, and never owned a car. Then, one day, he meets a guy called Sam.
Reason: Obviously, given the theme of this rec post, I am spoiling you for this story, for which I apologize. Spoiled or not, this is one of the best fics of the kind out there. The author paints such a dreary and hopeless picture of Dean’s existence that you could easily accept it as Hell. And Sam, well, is just the perfect Sam.
Title: Hangman is Coming Down from the Gallows (podfic by twasadark)
Author: withdiamonds
Rating: R
Word Count: 28,300
Author’s Summary: Today is the last day of Dean Winchester’s life. Today is the last day of Dean Winchester’s life. Today is the last day…
Reason: Can’t say too much without spoiling, but will say it’s bloody brilliant and a different twist on the theme. It makes you want to just cuddle and soothe Dean.
Title: Shelter Beneath the Mundane
Author: drvsilla
Rating: N/A
Word Count: ~5,100
Author’s Summary: N/A
Reason: I believe this is the fic that inspired the previous one and with good reason. Again, without giving the game away, if you
liked It’s a Terrible Life, you will probably like this one. It’s not quite as angsty as I expected, but somehow that works out just right.
Title: Ain't No Orpheus (He's No Eurydice) (podfic by dea_liberty)
Author: dea_liberty
Rating: R
Word Count: N/A
Author’s Summary: "Hi Meg." He leans against the side of the Impala, makes himself comfortable. "Tell me about Hell."
Reason: It’s hard to convey the necessary depth of emotion, love, despair and all that angst in so few words and for that reason alone, this fic deserves a rec. If that’s not enough, it also has badass, all-powerful Sam.
Title: Hit the Ground Crawling
Author: elmo_loves_me
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 28,000
Author’s Summary: After Sam pulls Dean out of Hell, Dean stops talking. It takes a week for Sam to convince Dean to open his mouth so Sam can check that his tongue hasn’t been cut out. It takes two weeks for Sam to accept that Dean really isn’t talking. Then it takes a week of silence, the two of them sitting in the Impala like ventriloquist dummies, sitting in motel rooms like human taxidermy, before Sam decides to start talking for the both of them.
Reason: This one sort of skirts the theme a bit as it is not so much a story about how Sam pulls Dean out of hell, but the aftermath and Dean’s sacrifice. It’s full of delicious angst, hurt and sweet Dean with increasingly frustrated Sammy. What more can one ask for, eh? ;)
Title: Three Days on the Rack (podfic by reena_jenkins)
Author: keerawa
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 3,817
Author’s Summary: It’s been months, but Sam finally found a crossroads demon willing to Deal to get Dean’s soul out of Hell. The Deal sounded too good to be true. Sam took it anyway.
Reason: This sort of dark story is not my usual flavour, but it’s a story about Hell, so the darkness is a given. Dean is so lost yet so Dean and Sam is so desperate to save Dean in the wrongly right sort of way, that it’s almost too painful to read….just incredible.