No, I think it's the first time that Jensen uses that term. I read the magazines and companions and it never came up before. And yes, it resonates with the soulmates idea, but it takes the romantic connotations of the term 'soulmate' out of the equation and that makes it even more perfect. :)
I can't think of anything more boring, lazy, or unsatisfying than to have Dean respond to Cas in the same way he responded to Sam's mistakes The thing is, I don't actually think Dean reacts THAT differently to Castiel's betrayal than to Sam's. Man, he was pissed after Sam's betrayal and even though they found a functioning work dynamic pretty fast, Dean didn't really forgive Sam on a personal level before Point of No Return. For Dean, that's a pretty long time to hold a grudge, especially against Sam. The main difference between Castiel and Sam is that Sam was at Dean's side, every day, working hard to get into his brother's good graces again and giving Dean the opportunity to confront Sam with his hurt and disappointment. Castiel, on the other hand, was first dead, then amnesic and then 'crazy', robbing Dean of the chance to confront Castiel with his feelings of hurt, anger and betrayal. Add to that Castiel's refusal to actively help cleaning up the mess he left behind, and it makes perfect sense to me that he would have a hard time forgiving Castiel.
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Date: 2012-07-17 08:25 am (UTC)I can't think of anything more boring, lazy, or unsatisfying than to have Dean respond to Cas in the same way he responded to Sam's mistakes
The thing is, I don't actually think Dean reacts THAT differently to Castiel's betrayal than to Sam's. Man, he was pissed after Sam's betrayal and even though they found a functioning work dynamic pretty fast, Dean didn't really forgive Sam on a personal level before Point of No Return. For Dean, that's a pretty long time to hold a grudge, especially against Sam. The main difference between Castiel and Sam is that Sam was at Dean's side, every day, working hard to get into his brother's good graces again and giving Dean the opportunity to confront Sam with his hurt and disappointment. Castiel, on the other hand, was first dead, then amnesic and then 'crazy', robbing Dean of the chance to confront Castiel with his feelings of hurt, anger and betrayal. Add to that Castiel's refusal to actively help cleaning up the mess he left behind, and it makes perfect sense to me that he would have a hard time forgiving Castiel.