Yes, but then I want the whole story to be good. And for the smut to make sense in the story. Not feel jammed in just so the author can say it's an NC-17 story.

Definitely this.

In the DCBB fics I've been bitching about, they pasted on the relationship, and not even any smut. So it's pandering of the not even sexily satisfying sort.

I'm a shipper, but I'm not insane. I don't need them to be together to enjoy the story--I need them to be well-written.

I don't know that I agree with one of her comments that there should be more mafia AU's, but I definitely want more of this one.

I was trying to think of which AU scenarios I do want more of, and I realised I don't really care. I'm pretty easily pleased by student AUs, and like the idea of well-written criminal AUs, but seriously? Just write it well, and they could be vet's assistants for all I care.

Now, I don't do newsletters, mostly because I didn't know about them, and for the most part am finding plenty of fic to explore on my own, between swingset and exploring authors that I'm finding I like pretty consistently. And poking through the genre tags on deancastiel. I tried playing in whatever the supernaturalfic community is on lj, but their tags suck balls. It's just authors, no genres, no pairings or focus characters. There's no way to avoid the wincest there.

My squick about the basic premise of a mafia AU is the potential for irredeemable, unlikeable characters and motivations. I generally hate mafia stories and other crime family stories in mainstream media, unless it's the angst and drama of trying to get out of it. It's just not a nice world.

So far the two mafia stories I've enjoyed (and there is the one you mentioned I'm avoiding which breaks the rule) I am comfortable with seeing John as a criminal and Dean as the heir apparent who just doesn't want to play, but partakes tangentially of the mystery and the perks because for one reason or another he can't get out.

If it's a really well written story I can be sold to follow the criminals quasi-sympathetically (or if it has the crackish air of the soup kitchen story--knowing Sam was down with the lifestyle didn't bother me at all), but otherwise I'm willing to accept the fairy tale of organised crime where they gloss over the actual horrible side of it.

I could more readily see them in a crime family more in the style of, say, Knockaround Guys, where they're not hard-boiled like their seniors, and have their own circle of blood brothers who don't quite fit in, and there's a tug between friendship and family and personal ethics.

Cool Hand Luke is on TCM, and I glanced up to see Paul Newman's profile and was struck by how much he reminded me of JA somehow. The general shape of his face, the short hair, the brow, the smirk ...

I really need a new obsession hobby.

This might really explain why JA pings me so heavily. I mean, he's startlingly beautiful, clearly. But the resemblance to Paul Newman, whoa. I'd never really thought of it before.

If JA wants to get into racing cars, I would approve.

Ooh, a Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid fusion! Sam and Dean totally would rock a Bolivian Army ending.

I watched Devour! And my head didn't explode!

I'm quite proud, actually.