Different Roads AU by jennytork and others. All stories are gen unless noted otherwise, and none are above PG-13

First story summary: Just before his 16th birthday, Dean makes a decision that will change his life--and Sam's, and the fate of the world--forever.

Dean and Sam move to Cazadore, Texas.

Masterpost: http://cazadoretx.livejournal.com/1018.html#cutid1 (http://cazadoretx.livejournal.com/1018.html#cutid1)

Ooo, thanks, looks like there's a lot there for me to check out!

welcome to Cazadore, Texas (http://cazadoretx.livejournal.com/) is a must read!

"The authors are committed Christians and will not apologize for it", and the story takes place in Texas and both Sam and Dean are with ofcs which undoubtedly in this case means mary sues...unless you want to read about jebus, the bible, and Sam and Dean I would NOT recommend this.

Thanks for the warning, but I don't see anything inherently wrong with the fact that "the authors are committed Christians and will not apologize for it" as they're as welcome to their religious beliefs as anyone else is to theirs and I don't see writing Supernatural fanfic as really forcing beliefs on anyone. I know the stereotypes about Texas, but they're just that-- stereotypes. Plenty of Supernatural fic is set in Texas, after all, especially as the two main actors are both from there. I'm not from Texas but I am from the South and I just don't see why a fic being set in a particular region is enough to discredit it. And I haven't read the fic yet but I don't think that you have either, but I find that OFCs don't "undoubtedly" mean "Mary Sues" (which is in and of itself a highly loaded and gendered term with sexist connotations). I also don't see the problem with including things from the bible in a show that takes quite a lot of its mythology from that self-same book. Fandom is very much about taking a show and making it yours, adapting it in ways that make it meaningful to you, and if the authors of this fic do so in a way that communicates their Christian beliefs than I've got no problem with that. Maybe the fic won't end up being something I like for whatever reason but I don't think that Christianity or stereotypes about Texas or female characters in fanfic are enough reason to dismiss it altogether.

Thank you for replying to that anon in such a pleasant way, personally I was incredibly insulted by the tone of that anon. Jsyk I have read that series and quite enjoyed it. There aren't many overtly Christian themes or original characters, the characterisation is a bit off but no more than you'd usually find in an au- nature of the beast and all.

Well, thank you very much! (and love the icon!)

And thank you for realising that any AU will, by necessity, have 'off' characterisation!

As one of the authours of the "Different Roads AU", I want to thank you for being open-minded and willing to give it a chance. We would love to hear what you think.

i have to disagree with u, as a atheist and an avid slash fan, though i do read gen sometimes, and this fic is wonderful! lots of sam/dean huggles, and brotherly love! If the ofc's came between the love of the brothers i would have a problem, but they don't. They're pretty much supporting cast in the *epic love story of sam and dean* and they don't take away anything. I was rolling when i read the story about John and the radio, so funny!! the show itself is *supernatural* so though god in this verse is much more hands on than canon, it isn't like there isn't a strong judeo-christian mythology running through the whole show storyline. The boys are the main focus, which is all i cared about, and for once both the boys are given the love they deserve, kudos to the author!

Thank you very, very much!

And John and the radio was one of my favourite parts, too!

Wow, bigoted much?

The authors are very clear in their warnings and it is your choice to read or skip.

I really need to get an lj account so that I don't have 'bag over my head' avatar. In any case, if you don't mind self-recs, this is my story of why Dean needed to have guardianship paperwork set up for Sam. Unsupervised Minor - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3551806/1/Unsupervised-Minor - Visionairy

I don't mind self-recs at all! I'll definitely check it out and I look forward to reading it!

I know you want to read about them interacting in that context, but I would have a short ficlet how this probably happened: January 24th 1997 (http://antrazi.livejournal.com/1932.html)

Oh, wow, that was really short but it was really sad too. Thanks for linking it; I enjoyed it!

Oh, there's a really good pre-series one in which John agrees to give Dean custody in case they have problems while John's on a hunt. It turns out to be a brilliant idea when Sam's principal thinks he's being abused & calls his CPS buddy. It's sweet and funny and in character. At one point, the boys are like, "Yeah, sure our dad beats us [he doesn't]. But he doesn't have custody, so what are you gonna do about it?" Look under the CPS tag & I'm almost positive you'll find it. Dean works in a bar, and Sam is ~17.

Pretty sure the one you mean is "the art of balance" and the link is in the searcher's post :) it is a good one though!

Yup, that one is the art of balance, which is the one I linked. It's a good fic!

I saw that you don't mind self recs, and I've started working on an AU in which Dean is going to be Sam's legal guardian. There are only two chapters so far, but I'm going to be striking up a posting schedule that will be reliable. :]

here's the link (http://therellbepeace3.livejournal.com/3134.html) if you want to check it out! ((also, I'm not sure how you feel about gen vs. slash, but it is eventually going to be sam/dean in a non-graphic way--but no underage!))

--Jenevieve

Ooo, cool! I'll definitely check it out! I don't mind slash at all but I'm not a fan of underage so this works just great for me, thanks for linking it!