I don't like the idea that Zach manipulated

Me neither, but it wasn't Zach doing the manipulating in this speculation. Think Big Guy.

Hmm. Hmm.

God is a cheater!

You owe me a new keyboard.

I don't like that idea, either. Especially since he would have known that Zachariah was lurking, yes? I supposed I'm forgetting the whole Job thing, though.

I think I'm choosing to believe no one manipulated anything since it was never explicitly explained that way. OR: Amy says "La la la la I can't hear you!"

Something has to be private and special for the poor boys, even if it was painful in its way.

If we're talking purely spiritual, nothing is really private. God already knew what they wanted from Him, according to Joshua. It makes sense to me that God wanted Sam to learn more about who his brother is--that it helped bolster Sam's resolve to makes things right for his brother, if for no one else. Plus, I just think there had to be a point to "God wants you to remember."

The wolfpack story was so disturbing I stopped after part 1. I think I like my Winchesters a little less feral thank you very much.

I've taken my night meds, so I'm not thinking or typing the most clearly now, but if I had to pick a most scary...our boys being scary all themselves...them facing Brady. Dean warming up Alastair, Sam killing him. Sam diving in and killing those demons in MBV by sucking their blood, Sam very sensibly shooting his father in the leg, Dean aimimg at that kid in Croatan. Sam decapitating Gordon with the barbed wire, The things they do that make it harder for them to sleep at night.

eta: I figured Wolfpack was going to get 'cestier, so I didn't go further. I liked Ellen's horrified POV.

The third part of Wolfpack is from Dean's POV. I don't know if it's less or more feral.

I realized that the problem I had with the Dean/Jess stories I've read is that either Sam steps aside far too easily, in an "okay Dean, you have some too" type of manner, or Dean meets her first and decides that he's not ready to settle down/she's not quite his type but hey, she'd be great for his geeky little brother, and he kind of hands her off to Sam. Either way it seems that the authors can't let Sam have one part of his life that is separate from the Winchester collective. Or maybe I'm projecting again.

I found the Wolfpack verse interesting, because I can see how the boys could have turned out feral if their world had been turned a few degrees sideways. paxlux’s Howl!verse, on the other hand… I finally had to stop reading that, because the blood and violence and their sheer glee in it was way too much for me.

The Dean/Jess Sam/Jess I linked to upthread, Dean sees Jess when he passes through town, and she's seeing other men. One of those other men gets serious, so she breaks it off with Dean, and it turns out to be Sam who hasn't mentioned his brother. And Dean has said even less about his family.

Then there's an explosion to resolve. That's pretty much how both the one I read went--one ended in a Wincest blow job and some back buttoning, and the other with Jess on the ceiling, but not dying the fire and they ride off together. Awkward.