spnstoryfinders | Psychological tales

Recs for fiction with strong psychological overtones, please - not necessarily psycho to the point of madness (although always interesting) - and definitely not limited to the free-flowing angst that is sometimes Dean's (or teen-Sam's) internal, self-centered monologue.

Please rec (or self-rec) stories where the psychology of a character (or characters) is particularly effective, as a means of advancing the plot or illuminating the character in a new way. Yes, I realize that many fics have psychological issues as subtext, but I'd like to hear your takes on those stories that elevate it to a feature of the main plot/character - in a twisty or otherwise interesting way. (e.g., sandymg's wonderful One Small Step, in which Jared's Aspergers often drives the plot and the relationship)

NOTE:I chose a few tags from the 'Affliction' and 'Genre' categories as examples, but we're not limited to these. Also, no matter if story is gen or slash.

As always, thanks to the community for your inexhaustible expertise.

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I have literally just finished reading Sam I am (http://amberdreams.livejournal.com/395195.html)by

amberdreams, just written for this year's Sammybigbang. Here, Castiel doesn’t immediately think of the idea of transferring Sam’s madness onto himself. As a result, Sam's brain is still fried. He escapes from the Westville asylum wing by himself, steals a car and drives until he runs out of road in Idaho. I really enjoyed the story!

I also recommend The puzzle that is me (http://archiveofourown.org/works/221671)by

felisblanco. In this Jensen has Asperger's and in the author's own words 'it's as AU as you can get, while still having Jared and Jensen as actors on Supernatural.' There's also a sequel.

I hope these hit the spot! :)

Edited to say that Gunpoint (http://archiveofourown.org/works/861978/chapters/1652215), also by

felisblanco would probably also fit the bill, but it does deal with some pretty heavy emotional trauma, so check the warnings.

Edited 2016-03-08 04:31 (UTC)

Thanks for SAM I AM - had not read this one before.

I am a huge fan of felisblanco and had bookmarked PUZZLE but somehow never read it. So thanks especially for reminding me. GUNPOINT is one of my favorites and certainly falls into this genre.

I'm not sure if it's in your wheelhouse but my story Wall of Death has Dean pretty mentally screwed up on prescription drugs.

http://andiivalo.livejournal.com/5597.html (http://andiivalo.livejournal.com/5597.html)

I have one I think might fit your request. My 2014 Big Bang, Soul Survivors (http://tcs1121.livejournal.com/28805.html), is about survivor's guilt which is the subject and the driver of the story. It's J2 AU.

Hope that's what you're looking for. (Even if it's not, the artwork by

bflyw is worth a look.)

Thanks so much - I love your TWISTS AND TURNS!verse, can't think why I haven't read SOUL SURVIVORS (and all the others). *compiles stack of new stories for the weekend, humming*

Yay! Enjoy!

FYI, I really loved your story!

Thank you so very much. :-*

* The United States of Jensen (http://archiveofourown.org/works/514829): Jared needs a new place to live, and fast. Salvation comes in the form of a cute redhead named Danneel in his English class. Living in a huge spacious house with four other roommates seems like an ideal solution, but trouble has always found itself around Jared Padalecki, and this time is no different. He's had his whole live planned since he started University, but it looks like all it's going take is one man to knock it all down. // Jensen Ackles has been trying to fit in with everybody else for as long as he could remember. Broken from actions so horrible that he's blocked them from his mind, he lives in a world where the broken pieces of his self fight for control. He's managed to keep everybody he loves at a distance for all his life, but all that's about to change.

* Sam I Am (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11208142/1/Sam-I-Am): (NOTE: This is a different one than the one recc'd above) Sam gets kidnapped by people determined to "save" him and the other special kids by making them use their powers for "good." The Sam that Dean and John rescue is shattered mentally and emotionally - the only way to keep himself from becoming the monster they want him to be.

* There's a Hell of a Universe Next Door (http://archiveofourown.org/works/905265): The curtains were pulled open again when Dean came awake and the light was fainter than when he‘d crawled into bed, but it was still too much. Still too invasive. And all the noise in his head, all the fear and that clawing sense of wrongness was back. The wind was blowing through that hole in his soul again and Dean felt his eyes water with it. “No,” he moaned, turning his face into his blanket. “Sam,” he whispered, holding the name to him like it would save him. “Sam.”

The Monster (http://spn-summergen.livejournal.com/191463.html) by Kalliel
Length: 9700 words

Dean believes in justice, even when he's on its sharp end. Sam believes in soulmates.

For rainylemons, who asked for post-canon demon!Dean, glasses-wearing!Sam, comfort for old hurt, Heavenly decay, the sensate aesthetic of terror, and white noise behind the stars.

Notes: A 100% must-read. No exceptions! I'd gush praises, but the prompt does a better job than I possibly could at explaining this thing. Surrealism-as-psychoanalysis at its best.

And... Well... Could I recommend literally everything

honeylocusttree has ever done? Her fics are almost always an examination of the effect of horror on the psyche. They're usually on Dean and Hell, but here's a different one--

Out Here in the Fields (http://honeylocusttree.livejournal.com/39768.html) by honeylocusttree
Length: 9141 words

The Winchesters are two of the most dangerous serial killers ever known. Henriksen’s job is to bring them in. But things don’t always go to plan.

Notes: AU in which Victor is right. Deals with criminal insanity; very intense.

Edited 2016-03-27 03:58 (UTC)

Thank you so much for the considered response. Have not read any of these - taking your recommendations now.

Psychological tales - SPN or RPF

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A few that might fit the bill

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