subject to interpretation

So I, obviously, love all scifi J2 and just have to rave about my favorites:

I just (literally minutes ago) read the most amazing spn_reversebang fic:

Zero One/One Zero by gretazreta


Artist: deannawesson
Art Prompt Title: Cyber Town
Genre: RPS, AU
Rating PG-13
Pairing(s): Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki, minor Christian Kane/Beth Riesgraf
Word Count: 13,600
Summary: Jensen's the best navigator in the Zone: a “flyer” who works witha small crew hacking virtual security systems. It's exciting, profitable, and not entirely legal. When one of his team gets lost on-grid, Jensen teams up with Jared, a “breaker”, who's convinced that there's more to the latest rash of Zone fatalities than meets the eye.

And I have to sing the praises of the always-incredible zuben_eschamali whose They're Advertising in the Skies (For People Like Us)  also rocked the reversebang and got recced, oh, everywhere because of its atmospheric cyberpunk loveliness.


It was based on the incredible art here by amindaya

Summary: Jensen's gotten outside the system and managed to survive, thumbing his nose at the all-powerful conglomerates with the help of his augmentations. But a chance hookup with a stranger from a club makes him rethink everything, and suddenly he's facing a decision he never thought he'd have to make.
 

These are so good, y'all, better than a lot of new published stuff I've been reading.

 I thought I'd post some new recs - some scifi and superhero standouts, and some that are flying the nerd/geek flag high.

First off, my favorites so far from spn_j2_bigbang (and I'm using the author summaries because mine are usually so bad) * : /

jRobot by sandymg  - When Jared meets an incredibly handsome green-eyed stranger in a bar he thinks it’s his lucky night. But Jensen has a secret. He’s not exactly human. And oddly that’s not even the biggest problem as very real bullets start ricocheting past them. Jared makes a split-second decision that will forever change his world. Can Jared keep his new friend alive long enough to unravel the mystery of who made this incredible machine? Who wants it back? And is it really a good idea to let his best friend Chad bond with it?
Because everything Jared thought he understood about life, love and humanity is about to spiral out of control.

*loves*  At the end of this fic I was smiling and sniffling with tears in my eyes - the feeling was reminiscent of some of my favorite books ever - A Wrinkle In Time or the Dark Is Rising saga - where the story makes me sad in such a happy way.  I don't know how she does it, but she has a real gift.  Even with an cute, offbeat premise like this the story still takes itself seriously while simultaneously not.  Also, BEST CHAD EVER! 

My Love is Like to Ice and I to Fire  by __tiana__  -  In a world where superheroes exist, Jensen and Jared possess opposite abilities: Jensen controls ice, and Jared fire. Their first meeting results in Jensen's accidental near-death, so imagine his dismay a few years later when Jared joins his team. Team Alpha includes heroes with powers ranging from electrokinesis to teleportation. Jensen will have to face his painful past, his opposite-powered teammate, and his unexpected feelings for Jared, codename Phoenix, in that order. When a crew of villains sends the team into a tailspin, will this be a turning point for Jared and Jensen, or the end of all they've begun to build?



    



Again, fantastic fic by an eternally amazing author, with echoes of the kind of angst that made me love This Hell We've Made. As a side rec, if you don't mind a little dark!J2, check  out For Your Heart To Catch bytoxica939 .  Not for the faint of heart *O_o* but excellently done.

As Though Nothing Could Fall by kellifer_fic  -  Jared Padalecki is born with power into a world of superheroes, but when you’re a minor player in a world of champions it’s easy to lose your way. Assigned a sidekick, Jensen, that seems to find him exasperating and part of a team that couldn’t fight their way out of a wet paper bag, Jared starts thinking that maybe all he’s destined for is obscurity.

This is a really clever twist on the whole superhero/sidekick thing - I could totally wish for a verse.

and an older rec I missed before : These Remain Our Glory Days by  ignited : Summary: After a law bans all superhero activities, Jared (alias Mr. Incredible) and Jensen (alias ElastiBoy) try to raise a family under the guise of normal civilians. Twenty years later, Jared's longing for the glory days threatens this safe and humdrum way of life, much to Jensen's worry. Will Mr. Incredible and ElastiBoy be able to join forces against a common enemy? And can they find a babysitter? This is a cute J2 retelling of the Incredibles.


For the comic lovers and con-goers I must start off with the fantastic

Dork Reign by the encyclopedic saone77  which is a delicious J2 where Jensen is an asocial comic store owner who crushes on the incredibly tall hot guy who drops by for comics for his niece.  This fic basically is a Nerd-gasm (all of saone77 's stuff is really good - I'm particularly fond of her Losers/Avengers  mash-ups Look, Up in the Sky andFlashpoint I and II   *mmm Chris Evans*  and of course the snarktastic Killer Romance 'verse).

Thinking of You With Pencil In Hand  by the awesomesauce bewaretheides15  where Jensen is the painfully shy art student/comicbook geek who comes into the bookstore every week. Jared is the clerk with a massive crush on him.  Now available on Ao3 with its NC-17 sequel (along with much other porny goodness!)

Counting the Steps to the Door of Your Heart by annella : Jensen's life isn't perfect, but he's happy enough. He has friends (well, one friend and one roommate), a prospective career (if he can pass this stupid, stupid test which requires him to be able to talk to people), a sex life of sorts (with guys who are total jerkfaces and think Jensen is a dork, which is actually true), and a life-size Dalek costume with a voice modulator which lets him EXTERMINATE things (like the toaster). Then, out of nowhere, he also has Jared (gorgeous, wonderful, socially retarded, and already taken), and his life turns upside down in the blink of an eye. For the first time, Jensen has found what he wants, but how is he going to get it?

Your Brains Are No Match For My Tractorbeam by poor_choices  is a J2AU based on The Big Bang Theory. Jensen is a socially awkward but happy theoretical physicist, Jared is an aspiring actor, and everyone sucks at relationships pretty damn hard.  With a merry cast of CW/SPN regulars, a palpable love for all things geeky, and MANY sequels and timestamps, this is the 'verse that keeps on giving.  I've said it before and it bears incessant repetition - go NOW, do not dawdle, do not pass Go - to longsufferingly which is  her master fic post.  You will not regret it!


I'd also like to make mention of Sauntering Vaguely Downwards by peppervl  which is a lovely J2 romance that takes place mostly at Dragon Con.  However it has sadly been removed from LJ for the author's own reasons and she requests that any PDFs not be shared.  If you do have this fic, take a moment to re-read it in honor of the Con.  
*
a silent moment of epic sadness for those who no longer get Jared dressed up as Vimes and Jensen in Crowley drag - le sigh*

One thing - a cute plot point in the fic was the (mild) rivalry between the Js over the Neil Gaiman/Terry Pratchett collaboration Good Omens.  I'd just like to point out  just how much inspiration the Supernatural writers seem to have taken from the works of Messrs Gaiman and Pratchett : urbane demons and angels who have minds and schemes of their own, the apocalypse, the Horsemen, etc., etc.   I must also say that if you haven't read Gaiman's Murder Mysteries and you love the whole Castiel/Crowley 'disillusioned angels who rebel against an absent, seemingly uncaring god' dynamic from the Show, then you are sorely missing out. SO GOOD.


IMHO, I have to include a shout out to the best con-going novel ever : Deep Secret by the sadly late, irrefutably great Diana Wynne Jones.  This is a book I bet all the British fangirls can relate to.  The Americans who enjoy Harry Potter should totally fall in love with all Jones' work - the Chrestomanci novels, Howl's Moving Castle, even my other favorite of hers, The Dark Lord of Derkholm (seriously, who doesn't love gryphons?)

Terraform  by gilascave  

Author's summary (because mine suck):  Jensen works for the Terraformation Department, monitoring a planet almost ready for settlement. Jared is a bartender new to the station, who decides to make Jensen his own personal project. Will he succeed, or is Jared hiding a more sinister purpose? And with Jensen's own secrets to hide, will it ultimately matter?



This is the best thing I've read in a while - READ IT NOW!    It will make you smile (and possibly tear up a little) *winks*

Hmmm, mostly J2, I think.   HUGE WARNING!   I fail at descriptions!  Will edit later with better info O_o

Let's see, some classics that have been recced everywhere:

Keepsake by indysaur  -  Wall-E tribute, SPN award-winner with indestructible robot!Jared and explorer clone!Jensen made me tear up. Achingly beautiful. 

Butterflies and Hurricanes by audrarose  - everything she writes is wonderful, but this was pretty near perfect - a crack team of genetically modified warriors attempts to keep the world safe and Jensen is the standoffish key to their success - why is he so determined to keep everyone at arm's length? Insecure (with good reason)!Jensen and a determined, devoted Jared. Plus Misha blows things up!

The Sword of Stars by paleogymnast  - seriously, a space saga set in galaxy far, far away with a fully developed culture, concept and plot - yes, just like in a real book!

and some personal favorites:

OK, first and foremost Queensguard by aramuin  - all I need to say is ... dragons.  On earth.  People on modern day earth transforming into dragons to save the world from invading aliens. And Jared and Jensen work together on some CW TV show.  I do not have words for how awesome this is. And - squee! - sequel(s)!

This Hell We've Made by bewaretheides15  -  also a superpowered team, led by an Xavier-like JDM and secret empath!Jared. New team member Jensen can heal everything except his heart and soul. Jared can't let go for fear of hurting others - can healing Jared help Jensen learn to heal himself?

Storm Bait by ficscape  - I loved Iowa, but I never expected such great scifi/fantasy from her BB.  Her hurt!Jensen-fu is beyond par and the world of the Dreamers is such a rich creation. The idea of a reanimated prostitute/assassin!Jensen makes me drool in a good way, and magical powers/rebellious scion!Jared grew on me as the fic progressed - I totally can't wait for the sequel she promised for this year's BB!

Possibilities You Don't Even Know You've Got by the inestimable poor_choices , a goddess among ficcers if there ever was one.  Superhero AU with Jared as the Lois Lane type and a Jensen as the masked hero he crushes on.  As always, the dialogue is the stand-out.

The Life and Times of Lois Lane by vorpalblades  - this time Jared's the hero and Jensen's trying to deal with the havoc his husband's 'hobby' creates.  Really sweet.

The Face verse by hunters_retreat   - super sexy Jensen/Dean/Alec/Priestly AU set in an apocalyptic future where tattoos are a means of control and Sam is captured by Them.  But mostly just sexy x 1000.

Planetfall by ciaan  - Jensen is just minding his own business, taking his scientific readings  from outer orbit when his ship is waylaid by space pirate!Jared.  When Jensen saves Jared from disaster and they make an emergency planetfall, it seems the former hostage and smirking pirate need each other to survive.  

Home Is Where the Heart Is by hunters_retreat -  space station romance - or it would be if Jensen's Gifts will let him see that Jared is just waiting to let him in. Lovely.

500 Light Years From Home by candygramme  - ex-military, now space adventurer Jared sets off in a newly purchased starship with a motley crew of J2 regulars - yes, there is Chad - and runs into Jensen in a most unusual place. Bonus points for best use of a Tyranosaur outside of the Dresden files.

Out in the Dark verse  by zuben_eschamali  - this is still a WIP - more is promised! - but the beginning alone with its Trek-ish sex pollen episode is worth a read and it only gets more interesting from there.

The Future's Nothing New verse by atimi  - this has everything all over Flash Gordon - space adventurer!Jared, freed slave!Jensen,  captain!JDM,  creepy alien monsters, and even space vampires. So much fun!  Also WIP, I think.

Rule 26 by fleshflutter  - definitely WIP for now - why does every evil overlord always fall for the one gorgeous person who has a perfect reason to attempt to thwart them at every turn?  fleshflutter  is the only writer whose bad!Jensen I can stand (I don't really do dark!fic), because she makes her characters so complex.  Also, picturing Jared cast as Princess Leia(ish) = priceless!

End of the World   by annella  - so good.  Superheroes - and exes - Jared and Jensen are back together hooking up and fighting evil after a fortuitous blind date match-up.  But their latest supervillain may render all their relationship problems moot.

Naked Under Here by fleshflutter  - again with the not particularly nice/kind of slutty!Jensen, but it works! Total superhero/comic book vibe is fantastic and Jared's angst about whether Jensen's interested in more than just no-strings hook-ups makes for a more modern adult graphic-novel type counterpoint.

Steel and Blood by calamitycrow  - cyborg!Jensen and enslaved clone!Jared.  Her stuff is all good, but this seeming snippet of what seems to be a much larger Dune-esque scifi world hooked me with all the built-in background and characters - maybe I mean Farscape-esque. Anyway, it's also totally hot with a little dub-con (but not really) thrown in.  See also, Three's a Crowd for more NC-17 superpowered hotness.

THERE WILL BE MORE!