[Recs] Dark/Horror-Themed Fic/Art/Vid Round-Up

[kalliel]

Autumn is imminent in the northern hemisphere! Which means Halloween is imminent! Sort of… In any case, here are a collection of six dark/horror recs to tide you over until the S9 premiere on 8 October, and the hopefully spooky times to follow. Three of these deal with Purgatory, two with Hell, and the first with… many different horrors. ;)

All of these fanworks were chosen for their distinct sense of style, uncompromising attention to the details and emotions that perpetuate horror, and their incisiveness as regards Dean and those around him:

01. Title: a consummation devoutly to be wished [the el to be jazz remix]
Author: losttheirbones
Tags: alcoholism, fire, jail/prison, substance abuse (alcohol), supernatural powers, hallucinations, sexual abuse (non-con)
Characters: Dean, Sam, Kubrick, Castiel, Gordon, Ben, Lisa, Crowley, John, Mary, Victor, Rufus.
Genre/pairing: Dean/Sam. Dean/Kubrick. Dean/Castiel.
Rating: NC-17
Word-count: 9,894
Spoilers: N/A
Warnings: rape. murder. abuse of haiku.
Summary: stop. breathe. hold back the fire. your name is dean winchester. you are alone in the world. breathe. clutch the bottle tighter. the only company you have is the hallucination of your dead brother. the fire is coming -- STOP.
Reccer’s comments: I adore the macabre twist to a canon that is already, arguably, fairly macabre and twisted. The haiku were a touch of brilliance, too--my favorite was the one with the line about mangoes (confused as to why there are mangoes? read on!). Beautifully and uncompromisingly written--I love the tone that's evoked here, and carried through to the very last line.

02. Title: it had to be you
Artist: badbastion
Tags: blood, hell/post-hell issues, torture
Characters: Alastair, Dean
Genre/pairing: Alastair/Dean, horror
Type/medium: digital
Rating: NSFW for graphic gore
Spoilers: N/A
Warnings: gore/guro, blood, body horror, violence, torture, disturbing imagery, evisceration, discordant slow dancing, guts
Description: The first time Alastair saw Dean Winchester on his rack, he was already drenched with blood and sweat, and the smell of singed flesh hung around him. Dean sneered at him, the gesture pointless, brave, cocky, beautiful through his busted lip and bloody teeth. As Alastair strolled toward him, he realized he’d been humming something under his breath since he'd first walked in. Some of the bravado went out of Dean's sneer at hearing it, and Alastair’s smile widened. For nobody else gave me a thrill, he sang, and with all your faults, I love you still, he sang, and he shoved his narrow hand deep into Dean’s mouth and cracked the hinges of Dean’s jaw, obliterating his lovely mouth.

It had to be you, he crooned, and just like that, it was their song.
Reccer’s comments: The colors are perfect--I love the cool tones Alistair's shirt adds to the warmer shades of the rest. And all that intestinal detail! I feel odd saying that, haha, but it's true.

03. Title: Dean/Purgatory Teaser
Vidder: volta1228
Tags: purgatory/post-purgatory issues
Characters: Dean
Genre/pairing: gen, horror
Type/medium: video/digital imaging
Rating: NSFW for graphic goe
Spoilers: Nothing past the end of 7x23, really.
Warnings: N/A
Description: Because Purgatory Dean is one BAMF... Mock teaser for Supernatural's Dean/Purgatory storyline in season 8.
Reccer’s comments: This is such a treat. I really like how this vid works with typography. And the additional animation in the middle segment is just sublime. I adore how this vid folds minute visual/aural references back to earlier seasons even it's constructed around Purgatory.


04. Title: And When the Darkness Comes, We Smile
Author: earzwideopen
Tags: surgery, hell/post-hell issues, horror, pain
Characters: Dean, Alastair
Genre/pairing: gen, horror
Rating: R
Word-count: ~1500
Spoilers: N/A
Warnings: Surgery-related nightmare fuel (for real), semi-graphic Hell memories, strong language, author potentially going overboard with her usage of gallows humor
Summary: Dean gets anesthesia awareness while under the knife. It's about as fun as you'd expect.
Reccer’s comments: This combines the best of the classic Dean/Hell genre and the best of the haunting, new elements introduced by the scene that actually takes place. I adore the way this fic builds up to that slow reveal, that it's not Hell this time, not really--and that that's worse. And the references to music here are eerie--that initial disjuncture, and the way its descriptions of the melody from there on out weave into the narrative, and by extension, all through Dean's chest cavity... It's a rollercoaster of both the aural and the visceral.

05. Title: Breathless
Author: cymbalism219
Tags: purgatory/post-purgatory issues, blood loss, pain, injury, [warning: other hurt characters]
Characters: Dean, Castiel, Benny
Genre/pairing: Dean/Castiel, horror
Rating: PG-13
Word-count: ~1000
Spoilers: Nothing specific, season 8 knowledge of Purgatory necessary
Warnings: Breakneck pacing and heart-stopping action
Summary: "Keep watch," Castiel snaps as he again lays hands on Dean. Guilt and anger rip through him. He was wrong to take from Dean while he was wounded, wrong to endanger Dean with his presence in the first place. "You will not die," Castiel commands as he forces Dean's heart to beat, his lungs to expand. "You will not."
Reccer’s comments: I adore the vibrant urgency of the situation here, and especially Castiel's insistence that Dean will not die here. As a reader you get totally caught up in the emotion and the frenzy of the thing; it's absolutely thrilling.

06. Title: Cataclysm DW | AO3
Author: rosereddawn
Tags: hell/post-hell issues, ptsd, purgatory/post-purgatory issues, torture
Characters: Dean, Castiel, Benny
Genre/pairing: Dean/Castiel, horror
Rating: R
Word-count: 2000
Spoilers: Up to 8x01.
Warnings: torture, torturing, PTSD
Summary: Benny's having a hard time just looking the other way from what Dean does.
Reccer’s comments: Dean and Purgatory have a moment. Benny oversees. This is the kind of fic where honestly I want to say, "just read it, okay?" because living in this fic is so much better than having it described to you. So… just read it, okay? XD

Don't see you favorite? Tell us all about it! Reccing is 100% open to all comm members, so let us know what you're in love with these days. The more, the merrier! :D

Comments

[geckoholic]

Fantastic rec post, yes yes!! :D

[kalliel]

Woohoo! \O/

[(Anonymous)]

This is SO the wrong place for this...but here goes. Summergen doesn't allow anon commenting and I can't PM you anon either. So kalliel, if you want to podfic Good For What Ails You, please do! I'd be honored and thrilled.

Also, awesome rec post. I haven't read any of these!

[kalliel]

Oh, it doesn't? Whoops! Yes, I very much do! I'll go ahead and sign up, then~ I'm so excited!! And also, excited for summergen reveals...someday. XDD

And thanks~ I hope everyone reads/looks at them, heee.

[badbastion.livejournal.com]

Thank you for reccing me! <3

And oooohhhh, I'll have to give these a read-through. I love dark/horror/hell fic, and hurt!Dean is of course a favorite of mine :D

[kalliel]

Thank YOU for art-ing! <3

And mmmmm, yes, it's a favorite of mine, too. And these were all so delectable, idek.

[sharlot1926.livejournal.com]

I'm a little late. I saved the first story by losttheirbones so that I could read it when I had time. I had a few moments last night and read it...and I wanted to thank you for the rec. That was just...um...WOW. That was just so freakishly strange and so amazingly written. One moment I was catching my breath from her exquisite imagery...the next I was wincing from the disturbing, disturbing story. It's one of those fics that is going in my "favorites" folder even though it battered me and left me sore. Her writing made it a good hurt.

Thanks again. I love coming across those hidden gems in fandom.

Kat

[kalliel]

I know, right???? I only found it because I was going through some different tags here; I hadn't caught it when it was first posted. But it is absolutely BREATHTAKING, I just had to share--I figured a lot of people might have missed it, too. So glad these recs led you good places! And thanks for commenting back; it's really great to know when something you've recced becomes the favorite of another person, too. :D

[sharlot1926.livejournal.com]

I agree, this was art. Sure...it was a strange piece of art...but boy-howdy was it ever art. As I was reading I thought...I am being completely and utterly schooled and outclassed, here. And I didn't care. It's times like these when you sit back in awe and just cheer these talented authors on. Ghastly story. Amazing story. See? I don't even know WHAT I feel. LOL. All I know is that I wanted more of it when it was done. :)