BEFORE I get into actually commenting on this wonderful fic, I feel like I need to take a moment to laugh hysterically, because we've now talked more than a couple times about braintwinning each other's fics in increasingly ridiculous ways (to say nothing of brain-twinning canon) and having now read this I just wanted to say that I find the degree to which we're twinning each other is either hilarious or brilliant or possibly both! Because I too have unwritten post-9x23 fic that, aside from the twinship moments you've already pointed out between other things we've written, totally twins you on weirdly specific things here (demon names and summoning, Tracy Bell). I swear I didn't plagiarize! XDD Clearly we are soulmates. When's the wedding? Do they hold weddings for soulmates?
As to canon, knowing that this was written previous to it and then Kripke'd by it, actually makes this a crazy interesting AU. Because there are all these similar elements (twinning each other to this bizarre degree), crafted in these subtle, but critically different ways, and it makes this feel like a psychically clairvoyant AU. I don't really know what to say on that beyond this, but I think it's pretty awesome.
Anyway, first off, MY GOD woman, when Dean was talking about hunters who'd killed vampires, I nearly had a heart attack because I thought he was talking about Jody. SORRY TRACY, I LOVE YOU DEARLY BUT SEEING YOUR NAME INSTEAD WAS A WELCOME RELIEF. XD And shortly thereafter I was like, omg, Krissy's killed vampires, too. It could have been anyone! Thank goodness it was Tracy! UH, SORRY TRACY. (And I love the idea that demon!Dean doesn't actually remember why he dislikes her, because his involvement with her is so tied to her beef with Sam. Turning back his line about black eyes on her here was so effective, too.)
In a similar vein, where turning back lines is concerned, I adore this: "Sorry, Sam," Dean says. "I'm not broken." For once, Dean's not broken. Because it takes me back to S7 and Dean and Castiel's "we can fix this/it's not broken Dean" thing (or maybe that was the S6 finale?), and then to Dean's "nobody cares that your broken." Which aside from being hear-wrenching to start with in this fic, pulls in that suggestion to S7 that I've been feeling a lot in S10, and that I hope Show, too, will continue to utilize as undercurrent.
Castiel's line to Dean, too: I said you did the wrong things for the right reasons, and all you remembered was that you had the right reasons. You have forgotten that you did the wrong things." Which is so pithy and incisive and excellent, because it speaks both to that elision on Dean's part (over and over and over again), and also to the way fandom, as readers, has been framing what went down in S9--because I think a lot of fandom had a tendency to be pretty either/or about Castiel's original line, too. To return to that line here and insist on holding both pieces together is such a provocative/evocative move; I love it.
And my top favorite Sam line in this, Sam-in-a-nutshell Sam, Sam augh-sad-bb!! Sam: But Sam has learned that being Sam doesn't really work a lot of the time. Sometimes he has to be someone else. D; "Now, boys, can we end the little reunion? It's time to render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's. You and I, Squirrel, we've got places to go. People to see. Enemies to exterminate." It's so deeply and perfectly Crowley; I can hear it in his voice to the extent that I'm pretty sure I cannot physically imagine the line in any one else's voice--it's so him, it HAS to be him.
Fabulous work with this, bb. I enjoyed reading this so much. And as you've teased a possible sequel in the future, for the record I'd just like to say--in case it were not clear--that I am very much looking forward to that!!!
no subject
As to canon, knowing that this was written previous to it and then Kripke'd by it, actually makes this a crazy interesting AU. Because there are all these similar elements (twinning each other to this bizarre degree), crafted in these subtle, but critically different ways, and it makes this feel like a psychically clairvoyant AU. I don't really know what to say on that beyond this, but I think it's pretty awesome.
Anyway, first off, MY GOD woman, when Dean was talking about hunters who'd killed vampires, I nearly had a heart attack because I thought he was talking about Jody. SORRY TRACY, I LOVE YOU DEARLY BUT SEEING YOUR NAME INSTEAD WAS A WELCOME RELIEF. XD And shortly thereafter I was like, omg, Krissy's killed vampires, too. It could have been anyone! Thank goodness it was Tracy! UH, SORRY TRACY. (And I love the idea that demon!Dean doesn't actually remember why he dislikes her, because his involvement with her is so tied to her beef with Sam. Turning back his line about black eyes on her here was so effective, too.)
In a similar vein, where turning back lines is concerned, I adore this: "Sorry, Sam," Dean says. "I'm not broken." For once, Dean's not broken. Because it takes me back to S7 and Dean and Castiel's "we can fix this/it's not broken Dean" thing (or maybe that was the S6 finale?), and then to Dean's "nobody cares that your broken." Which aside from being hear-wrenching to start with in this fic, pulls in that suggestion to S7 that I've been feeling a lot in S10, and that I hope Show, too, will continue to utilize as undercurrent.
Castiel's line to Dean, too: I said you did the wrong things for the right reasons, and all you remembered was that you had the right reasons. You have forgotten that you did the wrong things." Which is so pithy and incisive and excellent, because it speaks both to that elision on Dean's part (over and over and over again), and also to the way fandom, as readers, has been framing what went down in S9--because I think a lot of fandom had a tendency to be pretty either/or about Castiel's original line, too. To return to that line here and insist on holding both pieces together is such a provocative/evocative move; I love it.
And my top favorite Sam line in this, Sam-in-a-nutshell Sam, Sam augh-sad-bb!! Sam: But Sam has learned that being Sam doesn't really work a lot of the time. Sometimes he has to be someone else. D; "Now, boys, can we end the little reunion? It's time to render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's. You and I, Squirrel, we've got places to go. People to see. Enemies to exterminate." It's so deeply and perfectly Crowley; I can hear it in his voice to the extent that I'm pretty sure I cannot physically imagine the line in any one else's voice--it's so him, it HAS to be him.
Fabulous work with this, bb. I enjoyed reading this so much. And as you've teased a possible sequel in the future, for the record I'd just like to say--in case it were not clear--that I am very much looking forward to that!!!