A Twist of Fate
Title: A Twist of Fate
Author: Zara-Zee
Beta: 9Tiptoes
Artist: Coronasunrise
Rating: R (For violence and adult themes.)
Total Words: 70,300-ish
Genre(s): AU; Angst; H/C; Drama; Gen.
Warnings: Swearing, adult themes, violence, assault, child abuse, substance abuse, underage drinking, references to underage sex, references to prostitution, references to dub con, references to and the depiction of the aftermath of bdsm, references to slavery (the historical kind), references to and some depictions of racism, ptsd, canon character deaths (not Sam or Dean), verbal anachronisms, possible minor historical and geographical inaccuracies…
Summary: In late1864 John Winchester left his sons in the boarding house where they were staying and rode out of town, following yet another lead on the men who’d murdered his wife. Six months later he still hadn’t returned and his sons were declared abandoned children and taken into the custody of the Kansas City Poorhouse. Several twists of fate later the boys run away to New York City-and find themselves on a collision course with the Unholy Trinity; Azazel Se'irim, who runs a gang of youthful pick pockets; Gordon Walker, a violent armed robber who selects his apprentices from among Azazel’s boys; and Alastair von Damon who runs the notorious Hellfire Club. Will Dean and Sam’s free will, strength of character and the deep brotherly love they have for one another help them rise above their situation and find their father? Or will they be used, corrupted and destroyed by sinister men of evil?
Story MasterPost | Art MasterPost
Notes: This project has been so much fun…and it is absolute proof that fanfiction is educational! I had to research the American civil war, the abolitionist movement, NYC politics c1860s, colonial agriculture, US geography and steamboats extensively. My beta reader 9Tiptoes was with me every step of the way and was constantly emailing me links to relevant websites. I cannot stress enough the invaluable contribution 9Tiptoes has made to this story…without her input the boys would still be standing in Kansas, on the banks of the Missouri River, scratching their heads and wondering how two orphan boys get to NYC!
Thank you T for all the cheerleading, editing, hours of plot discussion, assistance with US geography and helping to weed out my occasional Australianism.
Further thanks to coronasunrise who battled computer crashes and hurricanes to produce some stunning artwork which I absolutely adore!
None of us would be posting without reapertownusa and all her hard work in organizing this challenge-it looks like a megaton of work and I for one appreciated her calm responses to my panicky pms and emails! It’s great to have a challenge where a pairing isn’t the main focus-so thank you so much for putting the Gen Big Bang together!
And finally-In a comment fic meme, some time back, (and I now have no clue where I saw it…) I noticed a prompt for a forced hooker!Dean, Oliver Twist type story. This is not that story. The prompt did, however, set my muse to plotting…this is the result…