That's dirty pool. If the pairing is going to change, you should note it up front. If it's a WIP, though, I guess the author might not have known.

Nah, she knew--it was old and complete fic. Stealth Wincest. Quite the visual.

Well, that's bad fandom manners, is what that is.

I always forget how violent Simon Said is, because my clearest memories are the funny things -- Dean giving away the Impala, the van of stoned philosophizing.

And Wincest was the happy answer. I wanted to see them fight it out. It was Dean/Jess, fer crissake. It's supposed to be ugly.

The thing I remember most strongly about Simon Said was the bus crash. And it's the one where Dean holds the rifle to his head, right?

Yep, right up under his chin. God, the first time I saw it I was chilled to the bone.

More than the bus it's the sweet, grandfatherly doctor in the gun shop in Sam's vision for me. "It's all right, Dennis. It's all gonna be all right." And BLAM.

the first time I saw it I was chilled to the bone.

It still makes me clench every time I see it in a vid. Suicidal Dean gets right to me, even if it's against his control. Especially if it's against his control.

Abandoning Sammy!

Yes! I was terrified! And JA sells that face SO well, completely blank, not at all there, just waiting for the order.

Good little soldier. I'd totally thought that plan was going to work. Very disappointing and chilling.

Ficwise I have to say I'm over Jess. She's always perfect. Too perfect. If she hadn't died she'd have understood Sam deeply and probably become a hunter or he'd have quit hunting to marry her.

At least when he goes back for Sarah they don't spackle her so smoothly over.

And the stories where they "fix" Madison are eyerolly.

Yeah, I've been consuming a fair amount of het recently.

Some of my favorites are really hurty Sam/Jo by vinylroad, but there are some Wincest undertones in a lot of them, and she's apparently locked them anyway.

Sarah is such a good candidate for Sam to bump into down the road, or look up on purpose. She was game, she was bright, she was sensible -- I liked her very much.

I only really like Jess fic if it's preseries stuff where Sam is sort of reveling in normal life, in this girl he loves, and she's very curious about the things he doesn't tell her. Which is sort of a tiny little niche.

I do enjoy any of the Winchester/Harvelle fic, even though John/Jo is wrong. But, hey. Wronger things have happened for fun.

Sarah is such a good candidate for Sam to bump into down the road, or look up on purpose. She was game, she was bright, she was sensible -- I liked her very much.

Yeah, she was great. And, alive.

I'd love to read a Sex and Violence episode coda where the doctor gets hit by a bus on her way out of the office. Just because.

I have now decided to stick to only pre-series Jess stuff, no AU. And even then, rationed. But Jess/Dean held so much potential for handwringing and recrimination. I was so disappointed it ended in a boy-on-boy BJ (well, and I'm assuming threesome hijinx in the next chapter).

I have decided I want to check out outsider POV fic. Luckily just found an LJ community for it. It's part of the crossover appeal, looking at people look at these guys who are seasoned killers and broken little boys. It's definitely part of the appeal of the Jess niche you cite. Outsider POV Stanford fascinates me. I like to see authors play with how well Sam did or did not fit in with the normals.

One comment fic prompt that really caught my attention and I'd love to have seen it filled multiple times was one where Sam gets badly cut and has to stitch himself up and his college buds or Jess are all "Whut? How are you so awesome?"