SPN Fic: The Black Cord

[dotfic]

The black cord
Castiel, Lucifer, Dean, Meg (slight Dean/Castiel) | PG | 2,100 words | coda for 7x17

a/n: Written for the lovely murron's birthday. Thanks to mclittlebitch for her help, and to zatnikatel for the beta read. Title is from Jane Hirschfeld. This fic also makes use of lines from William Blake.

Summary: There are ways to shout down the devil.

Comments

[sargraf]

I don't even know what to pick out for quoting; this is so beautifully written. You know how I feel about this direction in the show, but you've completely removed all doubt from me for the space of this fic and brought it home to where it lives and where it hurts. And how you brought Dean in with his music was perfectly realized. The fact that he doesn't have spare copies, the fact that Castiel would pick up on that... Yes. I think that hurt most of all, even more than Dean's last line. So much characterization in just that little gesture.

Your fic always feels like the best episodes of canon.

<333

[dotfic]

This comment! <3<3 I love how music was used in that episode, and how music is used on SPN, and how connected Dean is with music so Dean bringing Castiel his music to give him a way to try and drown out Lucifer seemed right. I wasn't sure whether to have Castiel get it or not about the significance of those tapes being irreplaceable, but I think he would get it. We could see in the ep that he got what it meant that Dean kept the trenchcoat (omg). I think Dean articulates more easily in actions and indirect ways than he does by saying things outright, he has to be pushed so far to the wall before he verbalizes things and then he is eloquent and persuasive and honest but yes, the tapes and the gesture say it. The last line makes it overt, and I think it would help Castiel to hear it but that it also helps him what Dean does without saying it outright, because Dean still manages to say it and Castiel speaks Dean, except it's like he's missing some vocabulary and certain phrases and lots of things he can't translate. I think Castiel is

[sargraf]

I always think of Cas as noticing these seemingly insignificant things about Dean and Dean's general well-being that other people would never think of giving importance to. I waver on how perceptive Sam is; sometimes, he's so aware and unflinching about it, while other times, he's painfully oblivious if not obtuse. But the thing with Sam is that I think he sometimes absorbs information without recognizing it, you know? Whereas I think Castiel records all of these moments and things about Dean with great clarity and stores it inside himself where even Dean can't see it. I don't think it's possible for him to be nonchalant about Dean, or for him to take any gesture of his for granted.

*hugs*! Your fic is so satisfying, always. <333

[counteragent]

This is so good! I was very touched by the tape present, and I loved the Lucifer-Meg-Cas scene.

[dotfic]

Thank you, it's so good to hear you liked this! I wanted Dean to give Cas something that had a subliminal message that he'd be back and so thought, what if Dean had no back-ups of his mix tapes, and gave a few to Cas to hold onto.

Meg is fun to write--this may be the first time I've written her!

[geckoholic]

Oh man, poor Cas. D: Your voices for everyone are just so right that this might just as well be canon.

And I'm totally in love with this mental image: Dean seems too small outlined against the visible darkness of Lucifer's wings, yet sturdy and immovable. - Dean in a nutshell, IMO.

[dotfic]

Thank you so much. It was sad writing this and yet I needed to explore Castiel's pov and how the Lucifer in his head might be. Oh Cas. D:

I'm so glad you liked that image--it's very much a tight Castiel pov thing, Lucifer's wings overshadowing Dean and Cas seeing Dean as vulnerable. and yet also recognizing his strength. <3

[dotfic]

Emmanuel is fascinating to play around with. That Cas remembers being this guy who didn't remember who he was, now that Cas remembers who he is, there's a lot to explore there. Castiel thinking back on being Emmanuel as well as his memories of being Castiel.

Most likely things in his head wouldn't be even this lucid but the show wasn't clear about how Cas would respond to the hallucinations so I went with partial lucidity.

Thank you for the comment! <3