excuse me while I shout this from the rooftops

[eretria]

murron has posted her Dean/Cas BigBang, Above and Below.

And, holy cow, people.

Friends. Romans. Countrywomenfolk. I know I keep saying this, but it can't be said enough, because she outdid herself with this story. I don't know how she manages it when all her previous stories have been fantastic before, too, but this, this.

If I were to sum it up, I'd use her own words: "A headcase, a soulless dude, and a [redacted for spoiler] angel walk into Hell."

And it is just that, but so, so much more.

But let us look at her summary some more: After the events of 'Caged Heat' Dean, Sam and Cas climb into Hell to get Sam’s soul. While they pass from one infernal circle to the next, Dean struggles with his mistrust of soulless Sam and the shadow of his own past in the Pit. In addition, there’s the matter of Cas who’s come to mean more to Dean than he wants to admit. Fighting against Hell spawn and fallen angels, passing through burned cities and salt deserts, Dean believes in the success of their mission until their luck runs out and Hell threatens to swallow Cas whole.

What can I say that praises this story enough?

Her writing style is flawless, her plot tight, the action has you at the edge of your seat, the UST is thick as a London fog, the ST is punch-to-the-gut sexy, the use of mythology is outstanding and her settings ... God. These settings. Reading this story is like watching an epic movie. You will not want to put at away.

And, God, these settings.

Have a few examples so you don't just have to take my word for it.

Dean felt sick looking at the keep but at the same time, he didn’t dare to look away. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the fortress watched him back, radiating ill intent. With its high battlements and curling eaves, the keep reminded Dean of Eastern monasteries but there was nothing serene or beautiful about this edifice; it seemed to bulge, with the tiny windows riddling its walls like rot under a sagging roof. From this angle, the keep looked like a cancer eating its way into the mountain.

[...]

The sixth circle was fallout country, a skeleton of a city with broken houses and mounds of rubble. Street-signs had folded in on themselves, their captions charred beyond recognition. The sky above the townscape had turned a deep, vermilion red and the sun seemed to swim rather than shine, its round shape stretched to a blotch along the horizon.
A pocked and blistered road cut through the ruins and old rain-water glistened in the pavement cracks.

[...]

The barrier reached from one side of the cave to the other, allowing no gaps or crevices. Up close, it looked like a curtain made of glass, translucent but blemished, rippling where the layers of ice had fused together. Dean put his fingertips against the wall, expecting a hard, smooth surface. Instead his fingers slipped right into the barrier, passing into the ice like a spoon into pudding.
/

In other words, why are you still here?

Why aren't you reading (and feedbacking!) yet?