Great Blue World series by vailkagami (AO3). Rated NC-17, Gen, 269k. Summary: A man wakes up in a ruined wasteland, without memories, without a name, without knowing the strange guy who claims to once have been an angel, or that he once had a little brother. All he knows is that the world is dying, everyone is lying to him, and that somehow, somewhere, something went terribly wrong. Because someone said Yes when they should have said No, and someone else paid the price.
ao3.org/series/24515
my thoughts: I think this might be the most bleak and violent dystopia AU I've ever read yet I'm recommending it because there was so much love and affection in it at the same time. There aren't many words for how intense this fic is. My eyes were watering and hands a bit shaky when I finished. You 'll be shattered to the soul by the end of this fic. This fic was included in my rape recovery reclist as well as my desolate post-apocalypse reclist .

My Hellhound by CeCe Away (FF.net). Rated PG, Gen, 18k. Summary: Hot breath blew the hair up off his neck. Hellhound. Out of everything in the pit, he hated them the most. Hurt!Sam Heroic!Protective!Dean to the Rescue.
fanfiction.net/s/6210218
my thoughts: One of the most inventive and entertaining depictions of hell I've read and Sam adopts a pet hellhound . Add a great plot and brotherly love and you've got a winner in my books. This is story is also in my hell exploration reclist .

Terms and Conditions by UnabashedBird (AO3). Rated PG-13, Gen, 3.5k. Summary: Sam embraces his powers, but the way he uses them isn't exactly what the demons had in mind.
ao3.org/works/2842439
my thoughts: This is the most cathartic fix-it fic ever for Sam fangirls. If you had Sam's back during seasons 4 re: getting powers & drinking demon blood like me (as in, I thought it was the right call, read my take here), then you're going to love this fic. It reverses the "Sam's-always-wrong" narrative of canon & flips the table, making it clear that if Sam had been more confident in himself & if he'd never had Dean dragging him down delaying him in taking advantage of his powers, everything would've turned out better than it ever did in canon. Bonus points that Sam gets lots of puppers ( pet hellhounds ) to love (and who love him back)... and the brothers' relationship ends on a good note (so smiles all around). This is story is also in my hell exploration reclist and in my demon!dean or demon!sam fic recs

Gifts by Muffy Morrigan (FF.net). Rated PG, Gen, 90k. Summary: Dean discovers sometimes the greatest sacrifices aren't that big after all, and the smallest gifts can make all the difference. Hurt!Sick Sam
fanfiction.net/s/4591526
my thoughts: If you were looking for some of the most wholesome hurt Sam/comforting Dean, you've come to the right place. This story is charmingly detailed about nearly every element of caring for a loved one with an illness/disability. And it has a happy ending to boot (none of my recs have unhappy endings though to be fair, haha). Also they get a kitten as a little companion animal pet while he's rehabbing and it's adorable

House of Burden by Maygin (FF.net). Rated PG-13, Gen, 78k. Summary: Within its walls lives a family that has never been touched by hate, fire or the Supernatural… but for one.
fanfiction.net/s/3691343
my thoughts: Where the Winchesters remained a wholesome family in the suburbs and Sam is the only one who grows to realize there's a darker side to the world around them. So much Sam angst! With a happy ending! And a gargoyles case fic (which is why it 's in my case fics reclist )! What more could a fangirl want? Teenchesters fic, & definitely counts as a bizarre AU too!

Wyoming series by aceofhearts61 (AO3). Rated PG-13, queerplatonic Sam+Dean, 78k. Summary: Sam, Dean, and Castiel have retired from hunting and live together in Wyoming. They're happy.
ao3.org/series/27777
my thoughts: This is like the curtain fic to end all curtain fics for me... and I've read and loved a ton of curtain fics. I genuinely want to get married or have a home in Wyoming now because of this damn series, lol. Traumatized!Sam is harrowing. He gets a service dog tho! This fic was listed in my love letter to location fic recs post.

A City Sorrow Built by Phreakycat (FF.net). Rated PG, Gen, 4.9k. Summary: In which Sam cries in his sleep a lot and Dean tries to fix it. Some angst, some humor, and more schmoop than is probably healthy.
fanfiction.net/s/6770862
my thoughts: This is such a funny then undeniably adorable fic written from Dean's perspective knowing Sam needs a good cry while he's awake enough to process it. The hilarious "oh no, there's only one bed!" trope pops up in the most adept way (but things stay platonic) thanks to the talented author. This fic is featured in my touch starvation fic recs

Illusions by Kyriebess (FF.net). Rated PG-13, Gen, 9k. Summary: Sam gets attacked by a rare creature who is trying to scare him to death. Fortunately, there's a small but slightly awkward loophole in the creature's spell that may help the brothers defeat her.
fanfiction.net/s/5106989
my thoughts: I loved this story so much because the rules of the monster in this case fic were crafted to brilliantly showcase insight into how the brothers feel about each other.... much to their embarrassment and delight depending on the brother. She's a fantastic author all around. If ya like this fic, should check out my case fics reclist

From the Darkness by K Hanna Korossy. Rated PG-13, Gen, 8k. Summary: He was terrified. This wasn't what I'd signed up for. Outsider POV.
fanfiction.net/s/4231764
my thoughts: Definitely one of the best outsider POVs I've read. This author has quite a few other Outsider POVs too and they're all incredible.

In Reverse by Sodakey (FFnet). Rated PG-13, Gen, 148k. Summary: After Faith, a job has the boys looking for missing hikers in Wyoming. While Sam worries it 's connected to what happened to Dean ten years ago, Dean wonders if Sam would be better off back in the world of normal.
fanfiction.net/s/2787883
my thoughts: A fantastic read especially if you're new to fanfiction and looking for something similar to canon but deeper. This is a superbly written case fic (and thus included in my casefic reclist ) that takes a long time to resolve while exploring so many aspects of Sam & Dean's characters and personal histories. Also I love fics that feature Sam's Stanford friends meeting him as a hunter.

Blind, But Now I See by Kyriebess (FFnet). Rated PG-13, Gen, 34k. Summary: Short story where Sam gets a clear revelation about how special Dean is compared to other brothers. Then he tries to thank Dean for it, much to Dean's dismay, while they finish the ghost hunt. Sam POV, hurt!Sam, protective!Dean, minor hurt!Dean
fanfiction.net/s/3512472
my thoughts: This fic explores and showcases my favorite framing of the brothers' relationship I've ever read; how both of them needed and depended on each other growing up and it wasn't a one-way burden on Dean to have to be there for Sam. It's a great case fic too (& therefore, it is included in my case fics reclist !)