Weird Stories

[roxy]

There are two amazing stories that I just can't read, though I plan to pull up my socks and read one of them, because when I left it, it was just getting, well, really horrible but I'm hoping it's going towards a better place. The story has a really amazing, well written young Sam who breaks my heart with how brave and how kind he manages to be under the most horrific circumstances. It's gone on quite a bit since I stepped back—I can a terrible wuss, my goodness, but really, I *swear*! I'm going to start reading it again because I miss this really well thought out bit of world-building and excellent characterization. It's by brosedshield and lavinialavender and it's called Freak Camp: A Monster By Any Other Name

The other one, I swear, I can't read it. It's very well known, Suite!verse by leonidaslion. It's astronomically triggering for me and I don't even know why. Reading it makes me break out in a sweat and my stomach cramp and I cringe for days after I read it. Or used to read it, I had to stop. I occasionally skim new installments to see if Dean has managed to kill himself yet because that would be a happy ending in my book. Seriously, that thing tips me into a depression that's ridiculous, and yet, I've read a ton of her stuff and not had it bother me like this one—in fact enjoyed it very much and recced stories to friends. I even tried writing my own Evil!Sam to see if I could kind of water down my reactions to this one but no dice. I just can't look into something that horrible and not want to reduce it to manageable bits, hah!

I wonder why these particular stories are too much for me. A few others have come close, but the writers have been kind enough to do a little hand holding for me and when I pushed myself I found that it wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be but man….

Do you have stories that you admire but can't read because of subject matter? I'm not talking about fic that's so…shall we say, rare…that it's unreadable; I mean good solid stories that are just emotionally overwhelming for you.

Let's see if LJ let's us answer each other.
Unrelated, I owe an answer to chemm80, who asked my opinion about Sir, and yes, I have thinky thoughts about Papa Winchester! Coming soon as I get them all together. ;)

Comments

[orbiting-saturn.livejournal.com]

There's not a lot that I can't read, but there are some things that get a physical reaction from me, that gut-deep discomfort that has me cringing for days afterwards. Pretty much all Wincest written by ebolacrisis simply because it's written the way incest actually occurs in real life and doesn't romanticize it.

And then there was Last Angel on Earth by starkraves that I thought about for days and days and got a little nauseous every time. It's D/C, non-con, beautifully written but HORRIBLE content.

I've read both of the stories you mentioned here, or I guess you could say I'm still reading them. They are good stories, well-written, and yeah, they make me all squirmy with discomfort, BUT- They are too long! It feels like the authors are almost drawing out the stories unnecessarily to torture the readers and make them feel like there will never be a conclusion. Nothing against them or anything, I know a lot of people like things drawn out for maximum suspense, but not me. I only keep reading because once I start something I have to finish it.

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

Funny what you say about drawing a story out--that's like my biggest worry in my own fics. There have been quite a few that I've tried to rush to a close--I mean, really--56 chapters? But no matter what I did, the ending just didn't feel right. I agree to a certain extent about the Suite'verse story. I'm not sure what the point of drawing that torturous stuff out is. Bright Lights, on the other hand, made sense to be so long--there were major changes going on and I appreciated the chance to absorb them. On the other other hand, while it hit my aversion to humiliation button rather hard and frequently, it never made me pray that the main character suicide, either.

I don't think I've read either of those writers and now, I'm afraid to! :)

[orbiting-saturn.livejournal.com]

I know you read at least one of ebolacrisis's fics because I saw a comment by you. :)

Bright Lights broke my freaking heart!! And it was too long. Although, I think my biggest complaint about that story was how much I hated Sam. At least in the Suite 'Verse he has the excuse of being evil. I think my favorite of her series' is "Phthonus", but that one is unfinished. :(

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

You're *right*--I'm a nosy thing and went to check and I did comment! I guess I've read so much stuff I don't know where I've been anymore!

Poor Sam, he was such a selfish idiot in Bright Lights, but I tend to think of Sam as terribly selfish anyway. Though I guess the same could be said of Dean....

I suspect that unless she said she wasn't updating that fic, it will be updated at AO3 which is a lovely place to read fic. :)