Should the setting be strictly SPN-America, or should there be an indication along the way that they’ve entered a spirit-America? I find myself wanting an America like in “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”, something with a tinge of magic realism. And should the Avalon of the story be an actual, physical place, or an other-world kind of place? Maybe from a distance it always looks like ruins, but once you cross the threshold it takes on the appearance of a temple or a palace.

There’s definitely a darkest hour moment, too: Sam leaves with Lilith or leaves to join her (or defeat her and take her place, depending on how I decide to do this), leaving Dean alone; all of their friends think Dean has gone to the dark side; and he doesn’t know where to go next or who he can turn to–he prays, and Castiel comes to him. Maybe they’ve had a fight earlier and Dean didn’t think Castiel would come if he needed him, or Castiel was taken away or sent away and Dean thinks he’s completely on his own until he asks for help.

Is this “All Souls and Angels” verse or something new?

Maybe also an oubliette…

If Sam is the Fisher King figure in this, perhaps the first Grail temple they visit should be empty: there’s no one to ask the question. There’s only a clue about where to go next.

Also, both she and Joseph took vows of celibacy when they became grail guardians, should that come up, which it probably will, knowing Dean.

Dean gets a Fisher King-like wound near the end, and even Castiel can’t heal it–it happens when Sam disappears, and Dean despairs while he’s laid up that he’ll never find Sam now. Castiel takes Dean to Ellen to rest, and Dean and Jo reconnect a little. But he’s committed to Castiel at this point.

When Dean wields it, it heals Sam from his anger–and maybe Castiel has to use it on Dean first? to heal him of a physical wound? so they know what it does.

(Why isn’t Dean hungry? Too depressed?) Drop this: the stab wound is injury enough.

Castiel will need to reappear before long, too, like Dean thinks he sees him outside Lorcan’s house?

4 chs/sections of approximate 5000 words each?

Or the lack of appetite/interest in life is the injury, and once he drinks from the Grail he’s hungry again, and the Grail fills him.