The Precision of The Fall - notes

[snarklyboojum]

NOTES:

Yes, I’m having a love affair with the comma. It is both passionate and consensual, I assure you.

The whole thing was inspired by this post on tumblr. Turns out wasting spending so much time there does pay off.

The Campbell Brothers circus actually exists, or existed.

So do ligers, in a captive setting. I have nothing against the big cats personally but I thought Dean would, given his previous experiences with animals. I know animals in circuses are a hot topic but I didn’t want to get into the issues of that. They are simply a substitute for demons here (if that wasn’t made obvious in the fic, I apologize). I always thought the manager of Mary’s old circus was Yellow Eyes and the leader of the circus in Detroit where Dean played as Hershey went by the name “Al". But that’s me making a lot more backstory in my head than ever got down on paper. For instance, did you know Bobby was a clown before he moved to Carver Circadia? Hmm? Wouldn’t you like to know the story behind that one.

Speaking of Hershey, here's a visual reference for you. Though for Dean I'm thinking something more along these lines. (Sometimes a performer doing an act like this was transgender or merely playing a part. Picture teenage Dean with a mustache on one side and lipstick on the other. I actually wrote a flashback scene but it didn't make the final cut.)

Here’s the Winchester’s Airstream trailer. In the rough draft I called it the Silver Twinkie. Click the pic for a cool gallery with images from the original interior.

This is what Jo does in the circus, now that her Mom lets her. Again, backstory.

A little note about the side characters/pairings: This fic is from Dean's point of view at a very specific part of his life. He is very opinionated and often has his head up his ass about things that he's not directly involved in. This is (hopefully) reflected in the story, which means we actually see very little of people outside Dean's little world. I wish I could have explored the others better, but I didn't think it'd fit. That, and I ran out of time. I may return to dabble in this universe, but right now I just don't know.

The final act Dean performs was made famous by The Gibsons in the 1930’s and may actually be way too advanced for him. All the other acts are of my own creation.

People are still touring on the Wall of Death across the country, many of them on original Indians. Go check ‘em out. Oh, and a bit of kismet that never got mentioned in the fic: people used to ride with lions in the sidecar. Legit.

Gird your loins, ladies: Jensen Ackles really does know how to throw knives. (Go to about 1:10 in this video.) *fans herself*

I’ve completely immersed myself in circus lore for this fic. I even contemplated taking clown lessons for about five minutes (a friend gives them for free) before I realized I did enough of that at work as it is. If you’d like to learn more there are a lot of good books and websites available, but the two most influencing things for me were The Greatest Show on Earth (Cecil B. DeMille’s best picture winner in 1952 starring Charlton Heston and a practically uncredited Jimmy Stewart) and the PBS documentary Circus (available to watch online).

Also, apparently the guy down the alley from me owns an elephant and sells cotton candy at the circus during the summer. We talked for awhile and I think we’d be great friends if he wasn’t so effin’ creepy.

Thanks for reading everyone. I hope you enjoyed yourselves!

Comments

[baruchan.livejournal.com]

This story is awesome. I love the way you wrote everyone, especially Dean. I'm glad that he's taking the chance to turn his life around, and that Cas is there to help him :D

But there's one thing I don't get, though, maybe because I'm not American and/or familiar with circus culture: Who or what is Hershey? The only Hershey('s) I know is the confectionery company. /ignorant foreigner

[behindblue-eyes.livejournal.com]

Wow, you read that fast!

Hershey wasn't a reference to anything in particular, simply an amalgamation of the words "he" and "she", referring to a character that used to hang around old sideshows. He... or she... would split their body in half, dressing one side as a male and one side as a female. Here's a link.

Dean covered for one of these folks in the sideshow after his dad broke his leg. He didn't enjoy himself very much.

[baruchan.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I read fast :D It's kind of a necessity now; I don't have as much time for fannish stuff as I used to.

And thanks for explaining the Hershey thing! Reminds me of a singing contest they used to have on local TV where one person had to sing both the male and female parts of a song. One of the rules of the contest was to dress up half male and half female. (And now I'm imagining Dean doing that as part of his act. WTH, brain?)

[liptonrm.livejournal.com]

What a fantastic story! I enjoyed every part of it! Just from reading it I could tell that you put a lot of thought and work into it; not only is the circus environment rich and realistic but the way you've fit the characters into that world while allowing them to remain true to themselves is, seriously, A-plus work.

I loved it, pure and simple. Thanks so much for writing it.

[behindblue-eyes.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for reading it!

[folavril.livejournal.com]

Really enjoyed this! Demolished it on my train commute today, particularly loved the depth of the universe & how so many canon events & characters worked their way in with a little twist.

[behindblue-eyes.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[deanswingkink.livejournal.com]

I just finished reading it. How absolutely perfect it was and Dean was so unbelievably in character. If Supernatural was a circus AU, it would'v been exactly like that. And Dean throwing knives with Cas being the target? Hottest scene ever. Congrats to writing a perfect story and kudos again to the wonderful artist creating the circus art! Awesome

[behindblue-eyes.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I always second guess myself when writing a sexy scene (Is it sexy? How do I say they're having eyesex without saying the phrase "eyesex"?) so it's good to hear you enjoyed it!

[romeoambiences.livejournal.com]

Once I sat down to read this, I didn't stop until I was done! Bravo for blending hard work and talent to provide us with this fantastic AU. It was delightful to read a story where the characters were so familiar from the SPN world and yet their story was distinct and unique.

Although I wouldn't have minded a bit more of Cas(my fave), I loved how you portrayed the Dean/Cas relationship.

I also loved that the liger was Lucifer and that you managed to fit so many SPN characters into the circus.

Finally, I'm left wondering just what poor Cas will have to put up with while working with Gabriel in their new act.

Thank you for sharing.

[behindblue-eyes.livejournal.com]

I thought Cas was a little lacking here, myself. But this was written from Dean's point of view and, like in canon, he actually knows very little about Cas's back story or what he does from day to day.

Thank you for your lovely review and I'm glad you liked it!

[witchhistorian.livejournal.com]

I have no idea what you do in real life (cause I'm not a creepy stalker, thank you very much), but I hope you're writing more than fanfiction.

The research, world building, synchronicity of plot points, and obvious effort you've put into this story is awe inspiring (if you take away the envy at your obvious talent).

I have no doubt that you could write an amazingly rich and incredibly unique novel completely of your own creation.

As for the actual story: it was amazing, beautiful, addictive.

Dean's level of self destruction was riveting. Sam's pride was frustrating in the best way. And, Cas' unique level of arousal was in itself arousing; it's been a while since I've read a fanfiction so erotic without it actually resulting in sex.

I've read a lot of fanfiction in my day, believe me when I say I've read a lot of fanfiction, but this one was entirely unique in it's presentation. I've yet to see anything quite so settled into itself, if that makes sense.

I look forward to reading more by you.

[behindblue-eyes.livejournal.com]

Thank you for such a heartfelt and wonderful review. I'm both flattered and overjoyed that you liked the story so much.