devil in the white dress and accessorizing for love

[retro_eidas]

While ogling seablue_eyes's epic Dean/Cas picspam, something dawned on me.

We had not one seductive blonde in a white negligee in FTBYAM, we had two. Chastity and Lucifer!Jessica. Both trying to tempt pure-of-heart heroes to Fall in their own respective ways? Cas facing the temptation of humanity and Sam the temptation of Hell?

Or possibly, Chastity was actually about to morph into a Chester? IDK.

=

YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE!!

Obviously it's sort of confunded since in SPN it would basically be Aragorn giving Arwen the pendant, but regardless, the pendant is about faith and (God's) love and hope. Dean not wanting Cas to give up on his quest, Arwen wanting Aragorn to persevere and come back to her.

Also pretty dark-haired, blue-eyed ethereal aliens love their mortal, surly world-saviors-to-be. XD

Comments

OH GOD I'M SORRY I KEEP DOING THIS.

[22by7.livejournal.com]

On the night before the end of the world as he knows it, Dean finds himself sitting on the edge of a too-narrow bed. He is naked, twice over; naked but for the imprint on his left shoulder. Castiel is clothed in the loneliness of his body, and the cord around his neck must feel like a noose, an albatross. Dean's pendant gathers salt at the base of Castiel's throat.



Dean remembers the last time - the first time - he'd seen it on Castiel. Something had broken loose in him, and it wasn't anger.

Castiel had followed Dean's glance downward, brow furrowing, the process of realisation transparent on his face. (His face.)

"I have offended you," he'd said, not a question. "I apologise," he'd said, his voice tight around the edges, and Dean noticed.

How could he have, then, explained that the answer was more complicated, something that had caught him by surprise? How could he have articulated the warmth that had flooded through him like water, like clear light, at the sight of his talisman resting on Castiel's too-pale skin?

Dean had settled. Reached out to block Castiel's right hand where it was poised to lift the necklace from around his neck - to give back to Dean what Dean had willingly given to him.

Dean had settled for "No. It's fine. It's fine, Cas. Keep it." Keep it, because you're mine just as this is mine.

Dean had used his fingers to slip it back under Castiel's shirt, to tug softly at the seams of fabric and carefully button them together over Castiel's chest.




"When this is - if this - If we somehow, for some completely crazy reason that I can't wrap my brain around right now..." Dean inhales, a noisy shudder that threatens his composure. What little is left of it. "I mean. If I ended up alive and you ended up being okay, too, I know it's just crazy, just hear me out for a second," and he's babbling, and his face is red, and his eyes are beginning to sting, and fuck, this is not supposed to be happening.

"Dean." And that makes him look up, right into Castiel's eyes, and whoever said that thing about windows to the soul had to be right because he feels pierced, like all that Cas is has been concentrated into those two points of unearthly blue.

"I would not leave you," says Castiel. "Rather one lifetime by your side than eternity in Paradise."

And Dean knows. Knows it should make him a fucking selfish monster, to so obscenely make Cas give and give and fucking give. Knows he should hate himself a little more with every quiet, certain breath that seals this... this promise.

"Cas, you can't. You can't."

But the weight of the pendant is solid, real, in the centre of Dean's palm, and Castiel is already folding his fingers around it.

When Castiel leans to kiss the knuckles of his trembling hand, Dean understands what faith means.



--

Re: OH GOD I'M SORRY I KEEP DOING THIS.

[eido.livejournal.com]

YOU! NEED TO STOP APOLOGIZING FOR GIFTING ME WITH AWESOME FIC! Fic I didn't even ask for, yet here it is when I wake up in the morning.

"I would not leave you," says Castiel. "Rather one lifetime by your side than eternity in Paradise."

And Dean knows. Knows it should make him a fucking selfish monster, to so obscenely make Cas give and give and fucking give. Knows he should hate himself a little more with every quiet, certain breath that seals this... this promise.

[...]

When Castiel leans to kiss the knuckles of his trembling hand, Dean understands what faith means.

Oh God. I'm going to be wibbling at work now.

The pendant has so much gravitas to it. I feel they were even trying to downplay it somewhat in FTBYAM (as I do think it was a rather fine edge there between fan-baiting and canon), but without actually saying the words, Dean has essentially gifted Cas the pendant so Cas won't lose his faith. It's Cas' faith in God, but for Dean, it's his faith in Cas, which seems to be stronger than ever. The necklace, that faith, reluctantly given at first, but now given freely. That Impala scene strongly mirrored Dean's God pep talk to Sam in the Impala in ITGPSW, Sam who we know Dean loves dearly. Now Cas gets the same damn talk and magical boon with it. Yes, it's the God EMF and Cas needs it for his quest, but the symbolism behind it? I just... I can't even. I realize it could easily be like the Holy Grail or Excalibur when it comes to boons, but it's show that keeps bringing up the LOTR! They've got to expect at least some of us are going to make the Evenstar connection. lol

Re: OH GOD I'M SORRY I KEEP DOING THIS.

[22by7.livejournal.com]

Hee glad you enjoyed it.

Everything you say (the gravitas - absolutely, and in hindsight after the car conversation in 5.03 it just increases), and then this:
but it's show that keeps bringing up the LOTR!
There was an explicit one in the very same episode, too. Oh SHOW.

[eido.livejournal.com]

There was an explicit one in the very same episode, too. Oh SHOW.

Believe it or not and despite the above, I think I missed the one in 5.03 and I can't rewatch it now to look for it. Where was it?

[22by7.livejournal.com]

Oh no I meant the 5.02 one, the Mount Doom reference.

[22by7.livejournal.com]

Also, there could be a parallel in one admittedly fanwanky-sounding area, which is that Arwen and Aragorn are very distantly related and so may Dean and Castiel, especially if they take the mytharc into that whole woozy Nephilim direction. I dunno, man. Sneaky wingcest Dean/Castiel makes my toes curl in pleasure.

[eido.livejournal.com]

Barring the likelihood of the Nephilim vessels spec or hell, the whole Michael connection could be enough anyway, they'd have already given us wingcest right there in canon as of Dean/Anna. However, it's always been Dean/Cas who've had the metric ton heavy symbolic, complex rel'p.

[22by7.livejournal.com]

Hey, you're right!

I was talking to someone who is pretty sure Anna will take our wee baby-blue-eyed Castiel's virginity. Now that's some cloudseeding. But I think I would find it unforgiveable, to be quite honest. Spn is good at having its cake and eating it, too, and after all it makes sense for Castiel to turn to someone who has been in a very similar place experientially. But I just have to think of two scenes which seemed to be Dean/Anna but they are oh so so so so VERY Dean/Cas that I wish I could ask the actors if they had any idea that it was a strong possible reading, because I would sooner admit I'm clinically insane than say that I misread the scenes. (I'm thinking of Anna touching the handprint, and of Castiel's expression when Anna kisses Dean.)

[eido.livejournal.com]

I was talking to someone who is pretty sure Anna will take our wee baby-blue-eyed Castiel's virginity. Now that's some cloudseeding.

I wouldn't be shocked this happened, but I'm sort of apprehensive about it if for any reason my own paranoid, fatalistic thoughts re: Anna's return. Although I don't know if I can be really blamed for that paranoia when I can't stop thinking about what Castiel was like when he came back from getting forcibly dragged back to Heaven. Even if Anna should come back more or less herself, I'd still be apprehensive. I couldn't be certain what we were seeing was genuine or something scarily Manchurian Candidate-like as a result of Bible boot camp. To the right (or wrong) people, Anna would certainly be an asset when it comes to the elusive Winchesters and their circle of trust. I'd have a hard time imagining, the conniver and operator we're to believe Zachariah is, not having noticed or taken advantage of that.

So, I could see Cas/Anna possibly happening, but instead of being a throwback to Dean/Anna, it's more on the lines of Sam/Ruby. It's unnerving, but I do think the possibility is there.

I just have to think of two scenes which seemed to be Dean/Anna but they are oh so so so so VERY Dean/Cas that I wish I could ask the actors if they had any idea that it was a strong possible reading

If it wasn't then - and if you're insane I'm right there with you because I'm hard pressed considering many other interpretations - I'd seriously have to wonder about now. Dean/Anna's Epic Fleeting Love "Titanic"-style which was founded largely by their angsty daddy issues? Hello, "missing fathers"? Cas in FTBYAM was essentially taking up Dean's role in H&H, both having a deep trauma and sadness (Dean due to Hell and Cas, having "lost everything", on top of the serious blow his faith just took) with (FTBYAM)Dean in Anna's role as the balm (and here I go back thinking about what all that amulet means).

[eido.livejournal.com]

There's perhaps a similarity also with Anna's Grace Inna Necklace and the God-finding amulet. Though in the fleeting essence of "Titanic", the symbolism didn't reach past H&H with Anna and her Grace Necklace. Cas was given Dean's amulet and now still has it as per Dean's insistence Cas maintain his faith and find God. Again (though I don't want to offend the Anna fans around, I know there are a few here), Dean/Anna comes off so much like hors d'oeuvres for the Dean/Castiel main course.

[22by7.livejournal.com]

Dean/Anna comes off so much like hors d'oeuvres for the Dean/Castiel main course.
That's exactly what it looks like.

Re: OH GOD I'M SORRY I KEEP DOING THIS.

[spacefragments.livejournal.com]

oh, so BEAUTIFUL. and hurty. but mostly beautiful.

Re: OH GOD I'M SORRY I KEEP DOING THIS.

[paraxdisepink.livejournal.com]

WHY IS THIS THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED??