::bounces:: But you know it would be even better pain? If Sam knew also (I don't know how he found out) and never told Dean.

Which can play into the "Sam taking care of Dean" role reversal that I also want for S3.

On one hand, I was thinking I'd like to see Dean interacting with a younger kid, and that a ten year old would be not so ready with the affection and wooby factor. Old enough to be weird, maybe. And definitely old enough that taking them out of their normal life and onto the road would be a major culture shock. But on the other hand, perhaps just old enough for Dean to try slapping a gun in the kids hands and teaching her (or him) to shoot.

Bev, could you pretend that you're discovering the fics for the first time and post the links?

(IOW, I don't mind you posting old links and selfishly don't want to have to wade through a bucket fic thread to find one or two fandoms I like. I like this one central location for all things SPN. But that's just me.)

Cartography in Empty Spaces, followed by Edge of the Known World. There's a "prequel" to Cartography, from Dean's POV, here, but I'd read it after Cartography, for more sense-making. And there's an author's commentary on Cartography, here, if you like that sort of thing.

Personally, I hope any children that might appear outside of Sam & Dean flashbacks will be monster chow by episode's end. I'm hard pressed to think of a show less tonally suited to spending time with the leads cooing over cute little Cousin Oliver.

I'm hard pressed to think of a show less tonally suited to spending time with the leads cooing over cute little Cousin Oliver.

Word.

Sam: "Name three children that you even know."
Dean: ::thinks, scratches his head::

cooing over cute little Cousin Oliver

Ouch. You brought out the big guns.

Juliebird is me wrt fic and all things SPN.

Matt, what if the kid was someone like Jordan Hinson (Zoe, Eureka)? Not cutesy but just a good actor/actress. Eureka started with Carter being an awkward father although most of that was lost. Locking his daughter in a jail cell while he went to see about his car would totally be something Dean would do.

Word.

Sam: "Name three children that you even know."

Dean: ::thinks, scratches his head::

The Carter and Zoe dynamic from the pilot of Eureka is something that I enjoyed. I think it was similar to how Dean would try and figure out parenting. Because as Sam pointed out, they are aliens to Dean.

That said, I'm not advocating adding a child actor to the series. I'm quite happy with the way things are. If handled correctly though, I do see some awesome possibilities for stand alone episodes, or just really good fic. With.Lots.Of.Pain.

Matt, what if the kid was someone like Jordan Hinson (Zoe, Eureka)?

Fine with Eureka's premise, poison on Supernatural.

I have to agree with Matt on this one. On-show, it would be awful.

Fic, however, remains at the discretion of the writer(s), and is where a lot of wonderful stuff happens. Lotta dreck, too, but it is a venue for plotlines and characters that would never work in series canon.

Thanks, Bev. I know you recc'd those before, but they had gotten lost in my list of Things To Read & Watch, which is like a bajillion links long at this point. Another thing that got lost was your comment about (and this is butchered) Dean-kid-fic and memories: did you mean lj memories?

And, besides Eureka, which is a big ole ensemble with family at the core, I can't think of a single show where the addition of a baby/kid/teen boded well (The X-Files, Angel... Mad About You...)

If handled correctly though, I do see some awesome possibilities for stand alone episodes, or just really good fic.

definitely lots of possibilities, which could rise or fall depending on execution. Kid could become an addition to the series (No!), or maybe something like on Farscape "Look at the Princess" where it's a oneshot or maybe a short arc over two or three eps, and something happens at the end where they can never see the kid again (death, protective custody hunter-style, kid already has a family and they want nothing to do with the Winchesters/the Winchesters think the kid is safest far away from them), but first there is roadtripping and hunting with a minor family member and awkwardness, woobies, and then, of course, pain.

Or the kid is a recurring character that is babysat by Ellen or Missouri or sumpthin (noooes!!!!1!).

With.Lots.Of.Pain.

get outa my head!

Julie, yes, LJ memories. I have to get in there with a backhoe and edit where I have stuff filed. Some of it is public, so feel free to help yourself if you like.

Also, do I have you friended on LJ? Are you on LJ? Because I forget what your moniker is there if I do.