#by definition he’s got the more intimate relationship with luci. hes luci’s vessel for most of s5.

[quietwingsinthesky]

See the old money vs new money motif of gatsby obviously doesn’t translate to Sam/Lucifer, but you know what does work as a parallel? spn’s idea of humanity. humanity as something inherent to one group, humans, but that can be Lost under certain circumstances. (Turn into a monster? Sorry, you don’t really count anymore, even if you don’t want to hurt anyone. Drink some demon blood? You’re walking a fine line, buddy.) And angels are obviously Not Human and Lucifer is the Most Not Human of them all.

And what spn is using humanity for is shorthand for who deserves to be saved, really. Who has inherent worth and doesn’t end up on the wrong end of a rifle. Sam nearly loses that because of his shenanigans in s4, and it doesn’t matter that we, the audience, can tell that this worldview is messed up, that Sam would still deserve to be treated with dignity and not dragged out back and shot no matter how far he went because we know he was being manipulated and pushed to the edge and that his intentions were good. Doesn’t matter. Because Sam’s stuck in that mindset as deep as anyone else. If he loses his humanity, that’s it. No going back. And in s5, he’s clinging on with his fingernails.

And then obviously, here comes Lucifer. Lucifer borrowing the face of Sam’s dead girlfriend to get intimacy he hasn’t earned yet. Lucifer who wants to give Sam everything. Lucifer who understands how Sam has been hurt and what he’s been through and wants Sam to know that he understands. He’s been hurt, too. But, especially after Ruby, Lucifer is not a character Sam can allow himself to sympathize with for even a moment. Lucifer can wear a human face and tell Sam that they’re meant to be with a human voice but he’s Not. he can’t be. he never will be.

And obviously, Lucifer doesn’t want to be human, but that’s the shorthand. Lucifer wants what it promises. He wants to be the one saved/the one doing the saving. He wants to be proven right about everything he’s done. He wants Sam beside him of his own volition.

But he doesn’t really understand any of it. He’s grasping at straws, making overtures that he knows will appeal to Sam without really understanding why. Why does Sam want his family alive? Because if they’d never died in the first place, none of this would be happening. Why does Sam want revenge on the demons who fucked up his whole life? Because he was powerless to stop them when they were doing it. Why does Sam want someone who will understand what he’s been through? He doesn’t want someone, he wants it to be someone human, someone who can look at his experiences and say, you are still worth something. Lucifer can say that as much as he wants, and he will not count!!!

They’re speaking two different languages, and there’s no way for either of them to bridge the gap. Lucifer doesn’t have the experience he would need to actually understand Sam in a way that isn’t purely through the lens of his own life. Sam just flat out doesn’t want to understand Lucifer, he’s been burned and the only time he’ll ever get close is so that he can ultimately turn Lucifer down.

So, new money vs old money. Monstrousness vs humanity. You are either born with it or you aren’t, (and always you could lose it at any time) and any attempt to gain it for yourself will only end in you getting rejected.