hope | Perennial

“We’ll see,” John says, but he already knows. After all, the less he loves, the less he has to lose. Oh, god, John. There is such a sense of... love, and family, here. Of coming home and touching base for a while. I love Jude, and that last line makes me want to smack John, but Dean'll remember, and they can come back when they need to.

Um, maybe a tad too invested. It's just... lovely. *saves for re-reading*

*beams* thank you! it certainly turned out better than I anticipated. Longer, at any rate *G*

I'm glad you liked it :) Thanks :)

This...

The couch is more than wide enough for the three of them, and narrow enough for John to reach out in the dark, feel the now-cooler flush of Dean’s skin, hear the soft sound of Dean’s breathing. Sammy grips his thumb, wordless again, and drags John’s hand away from Dean and onto his own belly. John smiles, soft in the dark, and rubs gently until Sammy’s a boneless sprawl of unconsciousness.

Works like a charm every time.

...killed me totally dead! LOVED it! I love your Wee!Chesters!

:D I am rather fond of them myself. Thank you!!

And sure, friend away :)

May I friend you?

Oh, the errand, wild sister...:)

So many loving moments in here, especially Sammy holding on to John.
Beautiful. Sad, a little, in places, but serenely so.
thanks!

Thank you!!

And hee. Oh, god, I just realised I wrote a story with an OFC called 'Juniper Winchester' *facepalms shamefully*

:) I'm glad you liked it.

omg sammy sammy SAMMY. i appear to be having an entirely ovary-based response to this story. SAMMY WEE TINY SHY SAMMY RUNNING AROUND OMG SAMMYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY.

*snortgiggle* One day my charm of writing gratuitously "OMGDADDY!" Sammy will run out, and everyone will feel a little dirty. Or something.

In the meantime, YAY. It's fun channelling my own ovarian responses to babies into the WEECHESTERS. Thank you :D

(no subject)

ggreenapple.livejournal.com - 2006-11-20 03:41 (UTC) - Expand

Sam goes around the long way, clambering into John’s lap instead of sliding off the couch and onto the floor. He doesn’t release his hold on John’s shirt, doesn’t even turn around to face Jude.

“Sorry,” John says. “He gets a little shy.” As if to prove his words, Sammy presses his face into John’s chest as if he can burrow right in, pulling the edges of John’s flannel over his head again. “Sam,” John pulls the shirt away, but wraps an arm around Sammy nonetheless.

I love the way you totally pinpoint body language. Oh, Sammy! :)

Sammy tilts his head to the side, pressing his ear against John’s chest and letting his shoulders slump inward. It’s been a long few days for them all, and Sammy always tends to get clingier rather than irritable when he’s tired, like he’s reverting to a younger age when he could just give up all autonomy and have John be the provider of absolutely everything.

oh sammy!!

Sammy grips his thumb, wordless again, and drags John’s hand away from Dean and onto his own belly. John smiles, soft in the dark, and rubs gently until Sammy’s a boneless sprawl of unconsciousness.

you're still working on that oedipal Sam thing, right. RIGHT?
that's just aww. so sweet. and you just know all those feelings of comfort and pleasure will get all tangled up with dreamshapes and urgent sexuality when he gets older.

She seems entirely unfazed by the strangers in her home, smiling politely at Dean and John, narrowing her eyes when she gets to Sammy. Sammy glances up from below his brows and growls, honest-to-god growls, and Jude gives a burst of startled laughter.

“The hell, John?” she says, highly amused. “You raise these boys with a pack of dogs?”

John’s just as baffled, shakes his head; but Aster’s gone tense-still, not breaking eye contact with Sammy until she suddenly jerks, bolts across the room and out of the sliding door. Before John can blink, Sammy’s bounded off the bed and after her, feet thumping loudly on the wooden floor.

“Well,” Jude says at length. “That went well.”

So. Awesome.

John sweeps Sammy up on his next loop around, arms and legs still kicking until John throws him over his shoulder in a fireman’s lift.

So perfect. I wouldn't exactly describe your writing as physical, because I think it's more cerebral than not. But in the way you can describe the exact right physical action.. I really love that. It's sharp. Wish I could do that. :)

oh ouch.. the end.
and it's just perfectly right.
i really like this.

you're still working on that oedipal Sam thing, right. RIGHT?

RIGHT. though, it's been a while since we've worked on it. I shall have to suggest belly-rubbing to Derry, because... yes.

and you just know all those feelings of comfort and pleasure will get all tangled up with dreamshapes and urgent sexuality when he gets older.

Yes, yes I do. :D I almost want to re-name my fic lj to "HORMONE SOUP" in celebration of this :DD

YAY. Thank you. I am really glad you like this :D

i really want the boys to meet some of their relatives on the show. whether theyre John's family or Mary's doenst matter. I just want them to meet.

I mean itll still always be the SamnDean show but...right.

I find I'm fascinated at the thought of where the relatives could sit in relation to the core Winchesters. I mean, there's mention of Mary's uncle, which suggests she didn't have any other immediate family... and there's be a mention by the comics creator of an uncle the boys have never met before.

I just like the idea of John alienating everyone with his spikiness *G*

I'm glad you expanded this from the Three Things story. John and June do feel like siblings the way you write them, with that deep history resonating after all those years. And Sam and Aster are fabulous, the instinct cousins can have, that unconscious recognition of family.

I hope we get to see a relative or two on the show, sometime, no matter how estranged. I like the Sam-and-Dean-against-the-world universe, but I'm curious to know if anyone else impacted their lives, or John's.

Um. Rambling now. Bye.

Hee. The 'family' dynamic outside of their core group is something that fascinates me, too. Obviously how the boys were raised is hugely significant in their characterisation. How was John raised?

Glad you liked this. Thank you :)

"Sammy clutches fingers into the shirttails at John's hip." Awwwwww! And Sammy not being able to sleep was so sad and cute.

wee!Sammy is by default cute.

Thank you :)

oh, john. get with the fucking program. her name is JUNE. JUNE, JUNE, JUNE. repeat after me: HER NAME IS JUNE.

ok, now we've got that out of the way... SAMMMMMMMYYYYYYY!!! shy!sammy. bellyrub!sammy (oh my god, dude, you know where this is headed, don't you?). growling!sammy... and, um, GROWLING!SAMMY. grrr.

it breaks my heart to know it's all gonna come crashing down in a pile of hormones and arrogance.

i want sam to growl in the show. at whoever it is that's getting too close to dean.

Ahahahah. You're expecting John to like, MOVE ON or something. As if!

I used to live in a share house with a 3 y/o who used to growl if other kids came near us when we were all out together. *smishes kids*

Oh, Sammy. Yup. Hormones. I should write my pre-series meta already.

Or I could just write a bunch more fic.

GROWLING. yay.

Thank you :D

(no subject)

nixwilliams.livejournal.com - 2006-11-20 01:39 (UTC) - Expand

Oh, yeah, I love John having a sister and going to her when he's out of other options. It's great to think of the boys getting a chance to run around with a cousin for a while and of John getting to talk to an adult who cares about him. And little Sammy is just too cute for words. *g*

Hee, thank you. Yay, Winchesters. :)

“Anyway,” Jude says. “Where’s momma? Or did you make those boys all on your own?”

I... I think I love you.

*clears throat*

There's more I could say in response to this, but I'd end up getting all mushy and emotionally demonstrative, and who wants that?

*punches your arm*

Aw, shucks. *manly shoulder-bump*

I'm glad you liked it :D

Oh, man. This is such a perfect little snapshot. There's so many things that're right about this--but I think what I love the most is John's slight ineptness, his not quite knowing the right thing to do with either boy. His love and his (for wont of a better word) helplessness shine through, and it's incredible. Thanks for this!

Thank you :) I'm glad you enjoyed it!

that last line...! that's heartbreaking. i love that jude grins like dean - altho more accurate to say he grins like she does - and wee!sammy hiding behind john in the face of this strange woman is adorable. i love that he growls at aster and she narrows her eyes at him instead of smiling politely, and i love the hints at john and jude's backstory, and i love the scene with sammy getting john to come sleep on the couch too. and i really really like your john, just in general.

Yay!! Thank you. Obviously I am rather fond of John myself, it's great to hear that I'm managing to convey and TRANSFER that love. *beams*

I'm glad you enjoyed this :D

Gorgeous.

:) Thank you!

Wow, such a great little snapshot. It's cool to see more of John, and honestly, his relationship with the kiddies here is so damn sweet. Oh, and you really know kids! Sammy's reaction to everything are so very real. Love it.
x.

Hee! Thank you :) I am rather fond of kiddies :D I'm glad you enjoyed it :D

I love Sammy at this age - all boneless and clingy and little.

This is just gorgeous!

don't forget demanding and manipulative!!

:) Thanks, darl :D

Wow, I love the back story you give John here. So many people write him like he never existed until he met Mary, but this has such a sense of personal history to it. Lovely.

Considering the family dynamic between the Winchesters, I think it's fascinating to think about John's own upbringing.

Glad you liked this :) Thanks!

It’s interesting to think about what John’s family must have been like, and I think you presented a good take on it here. Good characterizations, dialogue, and description throughout. I especially enjoyed the descriptive details you wove in and out of the story. They really helped give a sense of place.

Jude was a great character, and I love how John recognized parts of her in Dean. And Sam and Aster’s initial meeting and connection was quite amusing.

Favorite lines:

He stares out the open window, heels thumping against the edge of the seat. The salty ocean smell changes into the fumy scent of eucalypt; the twisted trees bordering the road more thickly as the asphalt runs out, turns into hard-worn dirt.

Beautiful description. Really makes me feel like I’m seeing it through their eyes.

John smiles crookedly, something loosening and twisting oddly in his chest at the same time.

I like his mixed feelings here.

A couple of fans spin lazily on the ceiling, floor scattered with warm-colored rugs and cushions, squat tables. Crystals and chimes spin and tinkle softly in the open windows. Jude leads them toward a low couch, seat of it bed-deep

Love all of this description.

Sammy presses his face into John’s chest as if he can burrow right in, pulling the edges of John’s flannel over his head again

Aww. :) I can definitely imagine there was a time when Sam had this kind of connection with, and need for, John.

She nods again, heads out of the room through a bead curtain on the far side, sandals snapping against her heels, skirts drifting behind her.

Love the details about her sandals snapping and skirts drifting. Nice.

It’s been a long few days for them all, and Sammy always tends to get clingier rather than irritable when he’s tired, like he’s reverting to a younger age when he could just give up all autonomy and have John be the provider of absolutely everything.

Great insight. Very sweet, to think there was a time when Sam trusted John absolutely.

“Are we coming back?”

“We’ll see,” John says, but he already knows. After all, the less he loves, the less he has to lose.

Such a bittersweet ending here. Oh, John.

Thank you for the lovely feedback!! it's good to hear that Jude came through alright. I always get a bit anxious with original characters. and yay, thank you.

I never really know how to respond to fabulous feedback, except "OMG YAY!"

*G* THANKS.

(no subject)

iamstealthyone.livejournal.com - 2006-11-21 14:33 (UTC) - Expand

I really enjoyed this story. Lovely imagery and character voices. :)

Thank you!! :)

Wow. This was wonderful. The last line was like a sucker punch--so powerful and poignant. And so John.

I was fascinated by your hints of family resemblences. Love that there's the fiesty rebel in Juniper that we also see in Dean. And you did a terrific job describing Sam and his reactions. Some people can't seem to write little children age appropriately, but you really nailed it.

All in all, a wonderful read. Do you mind if I friend you?

Yay, thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Friend away :)

“We’ll see,” John says, but he already knows. After all, the less he loves, the less he has to lose.

That has to be one of the best ends that I've read. This is a sweet piece, and I like the strained but familiar interactions between John and Jud/ne. And Sammy and Aster, damn they're cute :o)

Thanks for this easy yet oceans' deep read. I really enjoyed it :o)

Thank you for the lovely feedback! I'm really glad you enjoyed it :D

one thing I like about the show and you carry on with this piece is that everything isnt perfect, things dont always work out and sometimes things only half way work out. I like the slight tension yet loyalty you show between John and Jude and you mirrored a slightly different version of the concept through Sam / Dean

great piece

Thank you :) I'm really glad it fitted together so well. I'm never sure about original characters. I'm glad you enjoyed it :D

I love your John. I think I've said this before, but there are such layers to him and they all mesh into this coherent person that makes so much sense.

Thank you ♥ I'm so very glad it makes sense! He's so much more than demonhunter; the risk is making it TOO schmoopy, of course.

I'm glad you liked it :)

Aww, man. That was so bittersweet. I've always wondered what was up with John's family but I never once came up with the idea that he might have a sister. And a hippie sister no less ... him and his military habits. So I really, really liked this. And the last sentence absolutely broke my heart. Thank you! (Did I just thank you for breaking my heart? I must be worse off than I thought :D)

hee! Thank YOU. I'm glad you enjoyed this. Or, er, that is broke your heart. I win!

:D