#S8 Meta masterpost
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DrSilverfish Meta Masterpost S8
Hellatus historical meta masterpost housekeeping!
I was new to Tumblr in S8 and finding my feet (stylistically as much as anything) as well as live-watching SPN for the first time (usually by shitty overseas live-stream) so, a lot of the early stuff is shippy rambling rather than decent meta.
I was also much more hopeful that the Destiel subtext might be canon fore-shadowing back in “Season Gr8″ (as we dubbed it at the time).
Some of this is worth reading, particularly I’d say, from about No 21) “Dean, Nazis and the Closet” onwards, i.e. from commentary on 8x13 Everybody Hates Hitler to the end of the season.
It’s really interesting looking back. There was a lot of disappointment in the Destiel fandom here on Tumblr after 8x17 and the crypt scene in Goodbye Stranger, where it felt as if an “I love you” from Dean to Castiel was, somehow, missing. This was later (to a reasonable fact-checked standard) confirmed to have indeed been a removed line (by Jensen, who didn’t think it was right for Dean):
http://fandomdebunker.tumblr.com/post/64507789422/the-rumor-that-jensen-confirmed-the-i-love-you
Looking back, I think he was probably right, but it felt disappointing then, at a time when the queer subtext seemed to be lapping at the shores of breaking waves into main-text.
For Destiel fans, and queer subtext followers, there was, nevertheless, a lot to love about S8: the “purity” of Purgatory and Dean’s search for his angel; Benny’s “thirst” for Dean; Charlie introducing Dean to LARP-ing; Aaron Bass as Dean’s “gay thing”; Naomi forcing Castiel to kill innumerable Dean-clones in Heaven (evidence that Heaven saw Cas’ feelings for Dean as, in particular, transgressive); and another lovely Cas-centric episode from Edlund, The Great Escapist (8x21), when Cas cleverly hid from the angels by zapping between multiple Biggersons diners, trapping his angelic pursuers in “quantuum superposition” (lol).
From Dean’s hallucinations of Cas, and his self-memory-wipe of the fact Cas deliberately let go of his hand at the portal exit from Purgatory, to their tender exchange about Cas’ suicidal ideation in 8x08 Hunter Heroici, to the romantic subtext of Metatron’s angel-fall spell ingredients (see meta below) S8 was (despite poor Cas’ torture by Heaven and his deep depression) a season of reconciliation for Dean and Cas, after the previous season’s (S7) upheavals: Cas’ apparent lake-death; the long separation; Dean’s rage and grief; Emmanuel’s mind-wipe; Cas’ “mental break” (Cas taking on Sam’s cage-match scars as atonement); and the whole Leviathan fall-out from the Godstiel arc.
S8 remains, despite its disappointments, one of my favourite seasons.
Season 8
1) Is Supernatural “Queer-Baiting” or is it Erotically Homosocial?
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/35297767675/is-supernatural-queer-baiting-or-is-it
2) Mulder and Scully vs Cas and Dean - Love, Narrative, and Being ‘”Out”
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/35370673077/mulder-and-scully-vs-cas-and-dean-love
3) What if Sam had a Plan on that Bridge?
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/35474455496/what-if-sam-had-a-plan-on-that-bridge
4) Dean’s Daddy Issues (8x05 Blood Brother and 8x06 Southern Comfort)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/35701230407/deans-daddy-issues
5) The Course of True Love Never did Run Smooth (8x07 A Little Slice of Kevin)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/35756472429/the-course-of-true-love-never-did-run-smooth
6) So Castiel is a “God-Forsaken Thing” that Dean “Cares About”? (8x07 A Little Slice of Kevin)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/35835317081/so-castiel-is-a-godforsaken-thing-that-dean
7) “I Wasn’t Weak, I Was Stronger than You - I Pulled Away”: Castiel Getting it Wrong (8x07 A Little Slice of Kevin)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/35842147281/i-wasnt-weak-i-was-stronger-than-you-i-pulled
8) More Than a Boner - The Bathroom Scene Revisited (8x07)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/36022592701/more-than-a-boner-the-bathroom-scene
9) Why Sam Didn’t Look for Dean: Some Speculation
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/36098761529/why-sam-didnt-look-for-dean-some-speculation
10) Dean/ Cas: A Fine Romance. How Should that Slow On-Screen Build-Up Continue?
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/36172853047/dean-cas-a-fine-romance-how-should-that-slow
11) Dean/Cas, a Fine Romance... How Should THAT Kiss Unfold On-Screen?
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/36249617858/dean-cas-a-fine-romance-how-should-that-kiss
12) 8x07 A Little Slice of Kevin - Dean’s Forgiveness of Castiel
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/36384800654/picture-credit-to
13) The Textual Threads of Dean Winchester’s Beautiful, Ambivalent, Sexuality
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/36540877041/the-textual-threads-of-dean-winchesters
14) 8x08 Hunter Heroici - What if Dean and Cas were Damon and Elena?
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/36884331511/what-if-dean-and-cas-were-damon-and-elena)
15) Dean and Cas: The Sky is Going to Rain Crimson for Those Two
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/37361902553/dean-and-cas-the-sky-is-going-to-rain-crimson-for
16) In Which S4 Illuminates S8 (Mini-Meta)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/40124370749/in-which-season-4-illuminates-season-8-mini-meta
17) 8x10 Torn and Frayed - The Choice of Sam and Dean
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/40735606424/the-choice-of-sam-and-dean-spoilers-for-8x10
18) 8x10 Torn and Frayed - Let’s Take a Moment for Sam
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/40781379927/lets-take-a-moment-for-sam-spoilers-for-8x10
19) 8x11 LARP and the Real Girl - Charlie’s Relationship With Dean
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/41381955006/charlies-relationship-with-dean-spoilers-for
20) A Friend for Sam - Musings on Character Development
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/42219949786/a-friend-for-sam-musings-on-character
21) 8x13 Everybody Hates Hitler - Dean, Nazis and the Closet
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/42574075453/dean-nazis-and-the-closet-further-thoughts-on
22) 8x13 Everybody Hates Hitler - The Golem as a Parallel Device
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/42745942537/the-golem-as-a-parallel-device-supernatural-8x13
23) Dean’s Sexuality and Audience Interpretation
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/42790117441/deans-sexuality-and-audience-interpretation
24) The Sexual Politics of Audience Desire (Supernatural and Fan-Fiction)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/42867211604/the-sexual-politics-of-audience-desire
25) 8x13 Everybody Hates Hitler - More Discussion on Dean, Nazis and the Closet (and some additional discussion on the closet in this episode with @mekbuda and @lookatthefreaking hipsters [now both deactivated])
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/42990052635/destiels-delight-dean-nazis-and-the-closet
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/48276862638/aaron-bass-schr%C3%B6dingers-gay
26) Dean as Nurturer: Mini Character Meta
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/43032313116/dean-as-nurturer-mini-character-meta
27) Pick-Ups and Hook-Ups: Aaron, Ellie, Benny - Dean’s Supernatural Sexy-Times Meta (8x14 Trial and Error)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/43156477155/pick-ups-and-hook-ups-aaron-ellie-benny-deans
28) Commentary on Dean and “Mytharc”
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/43184426552/a-discussion-re-emergent-complexity-laura-prudom
29) I Touch Myself: Musical Narrative Voice and Polysemy (8x14 Trial and Error)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/43252438290/i-touch-myself-musical-narrative-voice-and
30) “I’m Just Curious as to Which One You Consider Yourself, Mostly?” Dean Thinks it Through with Portia (8x15 Man’s Best Friend With Benefits)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/43855179447/im-just-curious-as-to-which-one-you-consider
31) Mytharc vs Heart-Arc: Dean as Medieval Romantic Hero
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/44110505167/mytharc-vs-heart-arc-dean-as-medieval
and with additional commentary:
https://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/64143278936/get-the-saltenjoy-the-show-mytharc-vs
32) 8x17 Goodbye Stranger Dialogue Review
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/45888461261/supernatural-8x17-dialogue-review-spoilers
33) Personal Queer Reflections on Shipping Dean and Cas, post 8x17
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/45935841020/personal-queer-reflections-on-shipping-dean-and
34) Bisexuality, Power Inequalities and the Difficulties of Representation - Destiel in 8x17 Goodbye Stranger
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/46012398416/bisexuality-power-inequalities-and-the
35) “I’d Rather Have You, Cursed or Not”: Subtext, Mon Amour
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/46543190453/id-rather-have-you-cursed-or-not-subtext-mon
36) Swing Low, Sweet Chariot - To Hell and Back - Taxi Driver, Cab Fare and Charon’s Boat (18x19 Taxi Driver)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/47145558835/swing-low-sweet-chariot-to-hell-and-back-taxi
37) Four Times Sam Was Challenged on not Searching for Dean
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/47233826179/four-times-sam-was-challenged-on-not-searching-for
38) Killing Kitsune to Caressing Castiel: Dean’s Journey from his own Side of Monster
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/48219811386/killing-kitsune-to-caressing-castiel-deans
39) Pac-Man Fever Calls Back Yellow Fever (8x20)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/48827322213/pac-man-fever-calls-back-yellow-fever-overcoming
40) Edlund’s Love Letter to Fan-Fiction in The Great Escapist (8x21)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/49413040878/edlunds-love-letter-to-fan-fiction-8x21
41) “Why Do People Always Think We’re Gay?” (8x21)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/49415068274/why-do-people-always-think-were-gay-8x21
42) Sam’s Mistaken Quest for “Purity” (8x21)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/49468662684/flipse-it-doesnt-matter-anymore-because
43) In Purgatory, The Heart is Purified for Heaven
https://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/49963611742/in-purgatory-the-heart-is-purified-for-heaven
44) “Of the Blessings Set Before You: Make Your Choice and Be Content” (8x23 Sacrifice)
https://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/50567052832/of-the-blessings-set-before-you-make-your-choice
45) Metatron’s Spell: The Ingredients (8x23)
https://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/50579065447/metatrons-spell-the-ingredients-spn-8x23-the
46) Naomi is a Bitch, Abaddon is a Whore - Can We Not? (8x23)
https://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/50599390401/naomi-is-a-bitch-abbadon-is-a-whore-can-we
47) Queer Angel Love in Metatron’s Spell (A Few Further Thoughts on 8x23)
https://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/50604693898/gay-angel-love-in-metatrons-spell-a-few-further
48) The Bar Scene in 8x23 - Detailed Analysis of LGBTQ “Lib” and “Lol” Moments
https://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/50661253249/the-bar-scene-in-8x23-spoilers-detailed
49) Supernatural Soap: Does Adding a Gay Writer Matter? (Berens Joins the Show)
https://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/58286938085/supernatural-soap-does-adding-a-gay-writer
50) The Gospel of Mary Winchester Still Needs to Be Written
https://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/60227577254/image-credit-fanpop-mary-winchester-burned-on
51) Actual Crypt Scene vs Gag Reel Crypt Scene (8x17): That Which is Disavowed
https://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/60477660660/weird-little-angel-x-this-is-a-nice
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Hey what are your tags for beer/sign meta? Thanks!
oh, I’ve got a bunch. Unfortunately about a week ago Tumblr did that thing they’ve done to me a few times before where they decide to delete all the tags from my suggested tag pop up box, and I have to go manually hunt all my tags down and repopulate the pop up box. It’s infuriating, and only adds to the tag confusion I already suffer. :P
supernatural beer signs is the catch-all tag for this. It covers the actual signs in bars, bottles of beer, etc. Pretty much anything having to do with alcohol on spn.
I have individual tags for a lot of specific brands that show up frequently, too. A lot of these tags are incomplete, because I don’t always separate out the individual brands in posts. Hopefully I’ve caught most of these under the main beer signs tag though.
Schultz
Margiekugel
El Sol aka for those not fluent in wanekese el sol is the beer of illusions and deception it is a warning sign
Flathead Nation Spring Lager aka the Failed Apology Beer
El Burro
Fast Jack’s Ale
Tom’s Tequila
3 sheeps
bison bud's bar
texan star
And it’s not a beer sign, but here’s the Roadhouse Monkey (there’s other posts on my blog from years ago that aren’t in this tag, but maybe someday I will actually organize things around here, so I’m putting it here for reference purposes.
I can’t believe I don’t seem to have a dedicated Kingdom Beer. This is as close as I get for that one:
where's that gif of the Kingdom logo fade in to cas's face from that episode...
Also, always a good reference just for which alcohols are featured in which episodes:
http://200dollargod.tumblr.com/post/55879856964/alcohols-of-spn-for-my-own-reference-more
There are clearly MANY other beer signs, but these are the ones that turn up frequently, and which have the most concrete meta relevance. There are probably others worth mentioning, but between El Sol, Schultz, Margiekugel, Flathead Nation, 3 Sheeps, and Kingdom, those are the ones I talk about the most. The rest just end up in the general beer signs tag. :)
(btw since tumblr ate my tags, I appreciate having an excuse to repopulate my tags list like this, so thanks!) :D
#spn meta masterpost#supernatural beer signs#schultz the beer of death and debt#margiekugel#el sol#for those not fluent in wanekese el sol is the beer of illusions and deception it is a warning sign#flathead nation spring lager#for anyone who's forgotten flathead nation is the 'apology beer' cas tried to by for dean in s8#el burro#fast jack's ale#tom's tequila#3 sheeps#bison bud's bar#texan star#where's that gif of the Kingdom logo fade in to cas's face from that episode...#Anonymous
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birthday meta for the birthday boy <3
[this version of the meta is behind a cut. if you’d prefer the no-cut version, it’s here.]
a fun little fanon from Ye Olde Days of spn (when seasons 1-5 were airing) was that sam always had the absolute worst birthdays. a big part of this is because sam’s birthday is in may. supernatural tends to align itself with “real time,” meaning that they like to use either the date the episode was filmed or the date it aired as the in-universe date, even when two canon dates conflict each other. (they’re so intent on doing this that they pretended the gap years between s5 & s6 and s7 & s8 right out of existence - season openers also usually tend to pick up right after season finales in-universe but still somehow be set several months later.) that means sam’s birthday tends to line up with the airdates on either season finales or episodes right before the finales, which means that every time sam gets a year old, shit hits the fan.
here’s a list of things that did happen or could have happened on some of sam's birthdays:
0-22: we don’t have much in the way as far as concrete dates go for preseries stuff, but it’s perfectly possible sam walked out all that bullshit the day he turned 18, even if i prefer to think he left at age 19 as that aligns rather tragically with some adam-related canon.
23: we don’t have any dates for the end of s1/opening of s2 either, but it’s likely that sam’s birthday took place between 1.20 (dead man’s blood) and 2.01 (in my time of dying). he could have been doing anything from hunting vampires to saving one of YED’s special children to almost shooting his possessed father to getting hit by a semi to using a ouija board to talk to his not-quite-dead brother.
24: here’s where the real fun starts >:) sam died in cold oak in 2.21 (all breaks loose pt 1) and in the episode he says he’s 23. but according to the lore (extra-canonical material), dean made the deal to bring him back on his 24th birthday...
25: ...which means that on his 25th birthday, he was forced to watch dean get dragged to hell...
25b: ...except that sam had TWO 25th birthdays, because mystery spot took place in february, and sam lived in an alternate timeline where dean stayed dead for 6 months, putting him well past may 2nd. which meant that the first time he turned 25, he was actually getting tortured by gabriel. while his brother was getting tortured (or torturing someone else) in hell.
26: 4.20 (the rapture) took place in very late april/very early may (the wiki says may 3, but that’s just a guess), and 4.21 (when the levee breaks) picks up immediately where it left off. so it’s not only plausible but EXTREMELY LIKELY that sam was locked up in the panic room suffering withdrawals when he turned 26, dude
26b: ...except that in 11.17 (safe house), bobby and rufus’s half of the episode presumably takes place at the same time during season 4, and he mentions sam and dean are in reno?? so you know they could have been doing that instead.
27: we have no hard and fast dates for the end of season 5, but it’s my personal headcanon that sam’s birthday took place during 5.22 (swan song), and he beat the devil and leapt into hell on the day he turned 27 - because at this point, why not. however, his birthday could also have taken place during either 5.20 (the devil you know) or 5.21 (two minutes to midnight), meaning he was reconfronting his old college pal who turned out to be a demon brady, or helping bobby and a human cas destroy the factory with the croatoan virus.
28: there’s a gap year between s5 and s6, so sam’s 28th birthday took place while he was soulless, hunting with the campbell family...
28b: ...except spn likes to say “a year passed” without adding one to the calendar, so sam ALSO had a 28th birthday during the airing of s6. there’s some conflicting information about s6′s timeline, so this could have happened anywhere from 6.18 (frontierland) to 6.21 (let it bleed). sam could have been doing anything from time traveling to fighting eve to grappling with cas going dark side to rescuing lisa and ben.
29: sam’s 29th birthday almost definitely took place during 7.20 (the girl with the dungeons and dragons tattoo), during which he met charlie. in case you’ve forgotten, that was actually a great day for him - in a moment of true little brother antics and justifiable homophobia, he got to laugh at dean gay flirting with the security guard.
30: there was another gap year between s7 and s8, which means that sam spent the big three-oh with amelia richardson while dean and cas were in purgatory. he got to have a picnic!
30b: ...but since spn ignores gap years, sam ALSO had a 30th birthday during s8 (a big season for him). there isn’t an exact date for the episodes leading up to the finale, which takes place in late may, after sam’s birthday, so his birthday could have taken place in either 8.21 (the great escapist), where he nearly died of his trial-induced fever and confessed to dean that he always felt unclean, or during 8.22 (clip show), where he met sarah blake again after nearly a decade, only to have her die right in front of him.
31: the s9 timeline is pretty vague, but the best guess for this one is 9.18 (meta fiction), in which sam finally gets to confront gadreel, the angel who possessed him and killed kevin with his hands
32: the s10 timeline is also short on dates, so sam’s birthday could have taken place anywhere between 10.16 (paint it black) and 10.21 (dark dynasty). a few possible things sam could have been doing: dealing with a hunt involving soulless people, helping cas and bobby break metatron out of heaven’s prison, catching up with charlie and giving rowena the book of the damned, battling the cursed werther house (don’t click that unless you’ve seen the episode, the twist is TOO good), reuniting claire with her mom, or building charlie’s pyre.
33: the last quarter or so of s11 happens really quickly sequentially, every episode picking up soon after the last one left off, which means that sam’s birthday either took place at the very end of the season or the beginning of s12. it’s most likely he turned 33 either the day dean saved the sun and sam himself got shot and kidnapped by toni bevell, or a few days later when he was being held captive and tortured in her basement.
34: unfortunately, sam’s 34th birthday almost definitely took place during 12.21 (there’s something about mary). i was really hoping it’d be 12.22 so he could be kicking the bmol’s asses, learning lucifer was back, and hugging mary, but no...instead he was mostly likely learning that ketch had had eileen killed.
35: because of some weird canon, the timeline for season 13 is actually batshit insane and makes no sense whatsoever, which means sam’s birthday is really early this season - either during 13.17 (the thing) where he rescues his brother from a frisky tentacle monster or 13.18 (bring ‘em back alive) where he hangs out with gabriel and cas in the bunker. since that’s garbage, you’d be forgiven for ignoring canon and pretending sam’s birthday fell on one of the following episodes - 13.19 (funeralia) is very touching, as he and rowena clash and then make up with each other; 13.21 (beat the devil) has sam capturing lucifer, then dying and getting revived and captured by him; 13.22 has sam getting a little revenge by leaving lucifer for dead; 13.23, of course, has lucifer finally dying for good.
36: there’s no dates whatsoever on the back half of s14, so theoretically sam’s birthday could take place in any episode after 14.13 (lebanon). the likeliest and COOLEST candidate is for sam to turn 36 during 14.20, in which he shoots god himself point blank. other admittedly inferior scenarios include his stint as justin the 50s househusband, mary’s death, or putting jack in the ma’lak box.
37: we saw this birthday happen onscreen during 15.14 (last holiday) at a party thrown by mrs. butters. unfortunately, not too long after that, she wound up torturing him by pulling out his fingernails.
38: that’s this year! because the timeline of s15 is also so weird and vague, partially fucked up by covid changing the shooting/airing times, and because sam’s birthday is SO early in s15, it’s possible that he has another one this season, right at the end, or maybe post-canon, which means............................................
...................................................that he’s spending it with dean and jack and the newly revived eileen and cas, in the bunker or somewhere else he feels safe and loved :)
happy birthday, sam winchester <3 after all the unhappy ones...u deserve it
[spn masterpost]
#sam winchester#supernatural#liz's meta#liz's spn stuff#long post#never in my life have i had to fight so hard to post a meta#tumblr tried to delete this TWO TIMES
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6, 11, and 15 for the ask meme💖💖💖😇
thank you 💛
6. Metatron: fun Cas-centric villain or annoying twerp
i think he's pathetic but he's fun! i have to admit that while i enjoyed his tactics during s8-9 by s10 i was more annoyed than entertained? but yeah the meta episodes where he shows up are some of my favorites
11. season 11: Amazing or Terrible
the first time i stopped watching spn was during s11 lmao i recently rewatched it and it's not as bad as i remember though. i actually like some of the stand alone episodes (11x04, 11x08, 11x11, 11x17), it's just the season arc that i fucking hate. every time something related to the darkness i just groan, that was so messy
15. Which showrunner's era was the best
i'm gonna plug in my rankings masterposts that i made on traktv. the kripke era is obviously my favorite but i'm not like purist who hates the rest of the eras. i've seen so many people on reddit say things like "stop watching after s5 that was kripke's original plan" like??? no?? they're we're literally making it up as they went, it was poetic cinema but on accident
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hey there, i'm writing an essay about how destiel is real for a friend of mine and I was wondering what you think the most important pieces of meta that i should put in? can you recommend anything?
Hi - wow, that’s some dedication. All I did for my friends was send them some links - and, on one memorable occasion, I spent one entire 30 minutes conversation occasionally glancing at my (female&blinded by heteronormativity) friend’s lips instead of looking at her eyes, and by the end of it she was uncomfortable af and half convinced I was into her, and that’s when I presented her with a list of gifsets like -
- and basically dropped my mic and sashayed out.
(Man, I wish my hair was long enough to be flicked back.)
She changed her mind after that, by the way. And it’s really weird how most behaviours and gestures are used on screen precisely because we understand them as human things we all do on a deep level, and yet we’re suddenly unable to figure out what they mean if they’re not about a man and a woman. Uh.
(That applies to me as well, by the way. We see what we know about, not what is actually there, and that’s just inevitable - but can be unlearned, with some patience and many, many mistakes.)
Anyway, here are a bunch of things - I hope they’re useful.
Because God commanded it, by @k-vichan (written during S4, sometimes tagged as ‘shipper zero’)
Queerness, Tropes and Proof of Love: Why Destiel is Canon, by @fozmeadows
Parallels between Dean and Cain, a video by @codra-foymal (aka why S10 makes no sense without Destiel)
I don’t do the whole love and…love: A look into Dean and Cas’ sexualities and how they define love, by @angelswatchingover
101 reasons to love Dean and Castiel, a video by @ltnivans which is exactly what it says on the tin and is gorgeous
Literally 10 minutes of Basically Every Time DEAN and CAS Did The Thing With The Eyes, a video by the very patient @bakasara, and yeah
The Destiel Masterpost by @spnthinks - an early collection of metas and fics
Also, the entire S8, which was basically a demented Jane Eyre AU, and the entire S11, because, again, that Amara thing didn’t make sense without Destiel subtext, and finally @deanswingsbothways’ drunken rant (spoiler: contains the line “Destiel is not a story we are telling each other. Destiel is a story we are being told.” and bless).
You should also consider pimping your essay a bit, because there are a lot of posts and gifsets about how Destiel is regularly paralleled with canon couples on Supernatural, or follows the same rules as romantic relationships in movies. Here’s a bunch of them: Destiel and Sam/Jess, Destiel vs Dean/Anna, Destiel vs Sam/Amelia, Destiel vs David/Violet, Destiel and Spuffy, Destiel and Clexa, Destiel and Phoebe/Cole, Destiel vs Charlie/Gilda, Destiel vs every other couple on Supernatural, Destiel and Lucifer having fun, Destiel and romantic movies, Destiel and the Doctor, Destiel and Belle/Rumplestiltskin, Destiel and Tangled, Destiel and Saileen, and, of course, the beautiful and despairing trainwreck that was Repo Man.
And finally, there was that one time I went crazy and spent an entire weekend mapping every single love trope they’ve ever used around those two idiots in love, because I was just that fed up and the thing’s there, okay, and the more they say it’s not the more layers of tropes and mirrors and longing glances and narrative parallels they keep slathering on top of this thing, so, whatever and who even knows. At this point, you’re free to say it’ll never go canon because they’re homophobic or assume their audience is homophobic, and you’re free to say it’ll never go canon because of internal narrative reasons (God knows both Dean and Cas are never going to believe they’re actually good enough for each other), but to say there’s nothing there at all - that’s beyond whatever.
Anyway, my post is here, and these were the final conclusions:
As you may have guessed, this is something I’m sort of interested in - I came for the monsters and started to reblog stuff out of spite when I realized I was being treated like a crazy fangirl who sees love everywhere because women (right). If you’re looking for more sugary goodness, I tag stuff as destiel, spn meta (my own opinions), awesome meta (other people’s opinions), love tropes and parallels, and you can also have a look at some excellent meta writers who have eyes and therefore see Destiel and sometimes discuss it - people like @elizabethrobertajones, @grey2510, @tinkdw, @bluestar86, @mittensmorgul, @floralmotif, @k-vichan, @treefrogie84, @thevioletcaptain or @postmodernmulticoloredcloak (and I know I’m forgetting someone - that’s what sleeping four hours does to you, sorry). So, again - I know this post is a bit ‘join our cult’ (which is what you asked for, but still), but really - what I like about this fandom is that we can talk about stuff and we can disagree about stuff and still be friends, but this new idea currently spreading in the real world like wildfire - that not only you can have your own opinions (totally legit), but you can also have your own facts - nope. I hope your friend reads your essay (you’re welcome to share it, by the way) and sees that yes, there’s objectively something going on. If they still don’t, the final test is, “What if Cas were a woman? Would you see it then?”
(And we all know the answer to that question, don’t we?)
Seriously, good luck.
EDIT - More great meta
Are Dean and Cas in love? a.k.a. The Great Season 7 Rewatch by @flutiebear (“the most competent, thorough and objective meta about deancas and i think it's an obligatory read” - thanks for the suggestion, @deanirae - this is indeed fantastic meta)
5:04 Future!Dean and Cas are Lovers and the Whole Camp Knows It by @lurea (literally made my head explode)
( @destielisgonnabecanon - you’re welcome! Go win that bet! 😁)
#ask#destiel#destiel meta#destiel masterpost#deancas#spn meta#and again#i'll file this under the category#'nobody's forcing you to include gay subtext'#'so why are you doing it'#'if you don't want people to see it?'#i have a bunch of stuff in there#and still haven't found any answers#it's a mystery folks
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DrSilverfish S9 Meta Masterpost
Blog housekeeping cont!
S9 was a bit of a hot mess of a season, in my view, summed up by this quote from my 9x08 Rock and a Hard Place meta-review:
“If you are going to use sexual dub-con as a “metaphor” for Dean’s control of Sam [the Ezekiel/ Gadreeel possession by trickery, and all its season’s assault/ dub-con mirrors] and yet you insist on mixing that with sex jokes and the sexualisation of violence via the camera, an unholy mess is pretty much to be expected...”
Nevertheless, there were some lovely gems of episodes in the season (as well as plenty of queer subtext) and I enjoyed meta-ing it, notwithstanding the grossness of the larger theme. These shone through, for me; Beren’s first episode Heaven Can’t Wait (9x06) is stlll one of my top SPN episodes of all time; Glass’ deeply touching Bad Boys (9x07) was illuminated by Dylan Everett’s excellent performance as young Dean. Robbie Thompson also delivered an awesome happy ending for Charlie Bradbury with her queer Dorothy in Oz, in Slumber Party (9x04) which I insist on considering her true exit from the show (yes, this blog is still repressing Dark Dynasty 10x21 hard). Plus, Robbie’s Metafiction (9x18) was a glorious meta goldmine (I continue to miss Robbie and Edlund in the SPN writers’ room, among other things for their sense of meta fun).
Also, now, looking back on the season from the vantage point of being several years into the future, it is apparent that (however unpleasant it was to live through it at the time, and despite its often problematic execution) what the writers’ room set out to do in S9 was hold up to the light, via the Zeke/ Gadreel possession metaphor, the tragic toxicity of Dean and Sam’s co-dependency. This was a season in which Dean’s care-taking of Sam (a historic responsibility thrust upon him as a child, through no fault of his own) became a violation. The tragic consequence of which, was Dean’s desertion of his angel, whom his heart had wanted so much, and for so long, to have by his side (witness Dean’s long search for Cas in Purgatory in S8 and his “Nobody wants him here more than I do, Okay?” in 9x04) just when (fallen and newly human) Castiel needed him most.
Yes, Carver took us down a dark road, into the roots of the Winchesters’ psychic dysfunction in S9 (the Mark of Cain narrative of S10 and 11 being the cumulative consequence) so that Dabb could, from the turning point of 11x23, bring us back up, gradually, towards the light.
S9 Meta
1) 9x01 I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here - Who is Ezekiel, Angel of Death?
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/63578850731/who-is-ezekiel-angel-of-death
2) Who is on the Chessboard in S9? Heaven and Hell and In-Between
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/63742883512/who-is-on-the-chessboard-in-season-9-heaven-and
3) 9x02 Devil May Care and the Metaphysics of Violation (CW: for discussion of rape)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/64225291819/spn-9x02-and-the-metaphysics-of-violation-tw-for
4) 9x03 I’m No Angel
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/64899857448/drsilverfish-peruses-im-no-angel-9x03-spoilers
5) Queer Subtext in 9x03 and Its Problematic Execution
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/65335878559/queer-siubtext-in-9x03-and-its-problematic
6) 9x04 Slumber Party Meta-Review
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/65562193440/drsilverfishs-slumber-party-9x04-review
7) Dorothy and Queer-Coding in 9x04 (response to an ask on the previous meta)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/65605250789/miles-to-go-before-i-sleep-drsilverfishs-slumber
8) Dean and Cas and the Violence of Intimacy
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/65880351538/art-by-barbara-kruger-no-homo-fist-bumped-the
9) Sam, Dean and Man’s Best Friend With Benefits
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/66177750491/sam-dean-and-mans-best-friend-in-9x05-spoilers
10) “Bestiality” and 9x05
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/66316186054/bestiality-and-9x05-response-to-an-ask
11) Dean and Ezekiel
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/66573033478/the-path-of-the-righteous-man-is-beset-on-all
12) DrSilverfish’s Heaven Can’t Wait Destiel-Centric Meta-Review (9x06)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/66932619155/drsilverfishs-heaven-cant-wait-destiel-centric
13) Nobody Said it Was Easy/ Oh Take Me Back to the Start - DrSilverfish Meta-Reviews 9x07 Bad Boys
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/67596701624/nobody-said-it-was-easy-oh-take-me-back-to-the
14) Damn Straight Between a Rock and a Hard Place - DrSilverfish 9x08 Meta-Review
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/68292904893/damn-straight-between-a-rock-and-a-hard-place
15) Losing Paradise: DrSilverfish’s (Destiel-Centric) Holy Terror 9x09 Meta-Review
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/69016033105/losing-paradise-drsilverfishs-destiel-centric
16) Supernatural 9x09 The Little Things (Set Dressing Narrative)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/69166320221/supernatural-9x09-the-little-things-spoilers
17) Hail Castiel, Full of Grace: A Meditation on the Nature of Grace in the SPN Universe (9x09)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/69291532196/hail-castiel-full-of-grace-meditation-on-the
18) 9x10 Road Trip and Noir Cinematography
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/76258139601/dean-winchester-walking-away-from-his-brother-and
19) Abaddon and the Femme Fatale (9x10 Road Trip)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/79204466961/victoriavantoch-abaddon-in-9x10-road-trip
20) 9x10 Road Trip - Dean and Cas as Shirley and Laverne
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/81787352715/spn-queer-subtext-instance-no-29996-oh-just
21) A Discussion on Bees, Cain and Castiel with @isthemachinesinging and @x-cetera (latter deactivated) (9x11 First Born)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/74885442456/isthemachinesinging-x-cetera-the-beekeeping
22) Sharp Teeth (9x12) Quick Review
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/74906805501/sharp-teeth-quickie-review-supernatural-9x12
23) DrSilverfish’s Destiel-Centric Captives Meta-Review (9x14)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/78134538414/drsilverfishs-destiel-centric-captives-review
24) So Many Queer Subtext: DrSilverfish Meta-Reviews #Thinman (9x15)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/78828364438/so-many-queer-subtext-drsilverfish-reviews-spns
25) 9x16 Blade Runners Illuminated by Blade Runner (1982)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/80113492162/how-does-the-spn-9x16-episode-blade-runners
26) The Curse of “Old Donkey Teeth”: DrSilverfish Meta-Reviews 9x16 Blade Runners
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/80310421877/the-curse-of-old-donkey-teeth-drsilverfish
27) The Jawbone of an Ass: Dean as Sampson (9x16)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/80414070819/the-jawbone-of-an-ass-dean-as-samson-spn-9x16
28) Demons Walk Among Us: DrSilverfish Meta-Reviews 9x17 Mother’s Little Helper
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/80978944870/demons-walk-among-us-drsilverfish-reviews-spns
29) Metatron’s “Metafictional” Spell: The Ingredients (9x18 Metafiction)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/82933467509/metatrons-metafictional-spell-the-ingredients
30) 19x18 Metafiction - The Trench-Coat and Free Will
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/82948619070/9x18-metafiction-the-trench-coat-and-free
31) Metatron and Robbie Thompson’s Metafictional Send-Up of TPTB (19x18)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/83026009934/supernaturals-metatron-has-been-painted-thus
32) What Makes a Story Work? Robbie Goes Meta in Metafiction (9x18) (endnote discussion with @newyeardad )
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/83116451392/mixgoldenphoenix-newyeardad-what-makes-a
33) Metafiction’s Subtextual Boner, FYI (9x18)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/83202304892/metafictions-subtextal-boner-fyi-spn-9x18
34) Note on Castiel/ Jesus Parallels in S9
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/83245109970/tw-this-is-a-scene-from-9x03-im-no-angel
35) Spec on Dean Going Full Dark-Side (9x18 Metafiction)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/83307390112/why-was-metatron-using-a-very-supernatural
36) Metatron Links Cas to Bisexual Poet Muriel Rukeyser (9x18 Metafiction)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/83318897321/muriel-rukeyser-the-us-poet-metatron-quotes-to
37) “Vampiric Stockholm Syndrome”: DrSilverfish Meta-Reviews Alex, Annie, Alexis, Ann (9x19)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/83659732157/vampiric-stockholm-syndrome-dr-silverfish
38) The Godfather with Fangs Lacks Bite: 9x20 Bloodlines
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/84346671959/the-godfather-with-fangs-lacks-bite-spn-9x20
39) 9x21 King of the Damned and Addictions
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/85142976459/spn-king-of-the-damned-9x21-and-addictions
40) 9x21 Gematria and Jacob’s Ladder
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/85543224799/jacobs-ladder-by-william-blake-1805-in-9x21
41) DrSilverfish’s Network Advice for an SPN Spin-Off
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/85926475349/drsilverfishs-network-advice-for-an-spn-spin-off
42) S9 “Love and.... Love”
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/85936817759/castielandmoriarty-its-killing-him-to-say
43) DrSilverfish’s Destiel-Centric Musings on Do You Believe in Miracles (9x23)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/86535731704/drsilverfishs-destiel-centric-musings-on-do-you
44) Beheadings, Democritus, and S9 Demon!Dean Foreshadowing
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/86543231314/democritus-meditating-on-the-seat-of-the-soul
45) Crowley, Queer King of Hell and Seducer of Dean Winchester
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/86731441939/crowley-queer-king-of-hell-and-seducer-of-dean
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DrSilverfish SPN S13 Meta Master-post
Now that we’re on hiatus, I thought I’d collect all my meta for S13 into a masterpost! It’s always fun looking back at reading the show in real time with the hindsight of a season’s completion. S13 has been one of my favourite SPN seasons (along with S4, S8 and S12). Dabb’s circular narrative structure, which I talked about in some 12x23 meta, continues to bear rich and marvellous fruit.
My S12 masterpost is here:
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/160914002489/drsilverfishs-s12-retrospective-meta
Once again, thanks to all you lovely peeps co-watching along and sharing and the meta-ing, discussing and giffing of the experience!
1) 13x01 Lost and Found (cold open analysis)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/166360721899/here-is-the-metallica-nothing-else-matters-intro
2) 13x02 The Rising Son: Favourite Scene
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/166614865779/13x02-the-rising-son-favourite-scene
3) The Big Empty (13x04)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/167082678104/the-big-empty-13x04
4) Advanced Thanatology (13x05): The Passion of Dean and Cas
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/167338776109/advanced-thanatology-13x05-the-passion-of-dean
5) Brokeback Supernatural and the Issues with Fandom Discourse (13x06) (This is actually @nealcassatiel ‘s excellent and thoughtful meta, but I added a meta note to it of my own)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/167710218099/brokeback-supernatural-and-the-issues-with-fandom
6) 13x11 Breakdown
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/170147967624/13x11-breakdown
7) 13x14 Good Intentions AKA The Road to Hell (additional discussion with @impostoradult )
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/171497031244/13x14-good-intentions-aka-the-road-to-hell
8) The Symbolism of the Portal Spell Continued in 13x15
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/171757066019/the-symbolism-of-the-portal-spell-continued-in
9) 13x15 A Most Holy Man: What’s in a Name? (additional commentary from @tinkdw )
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/171758553459/13x15-a-most-holy-man-whats-in-a-name
10) Scoobynatural 13x16: What’s in an Ascot Tie?
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/172410546964/scoobynatural-13x16-whats-in-an-ascot-tie
11) Castiel’s Forbidden Fruit (13x16)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/172422985979/castiels-forbidden-fruit-13x16
12) Yokoth as a Great Old One in 13x17 The Thing
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/172666855219/yokoth-as-a-great-old-one-in-13x17-the-thing
13) Apocalypse Now Charlie (13x18)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/173208948009/apocalypse-now-charlie
14) The Writing is on the Wall (13x18) (with additional commentary by @neven-ebrez and @mittensmorgul )
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/173299708329/the-writing-is-on-the-wall
15) Spunk of an Archangel? (13x21)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/173619016494/spunk-of-an-archangel-13x21
16) What is the Evidence for Michael!Dean? (written pre 13x23)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/174032914944/what-is-the-evidence-for-michaeldean
#Supernatural#S13#SPN meta#tumblr meta#S13 meta masterpost#One of my favourite seasons overall#Meta#Meta Masterpost
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Drsilverfish’s S12 Retrospective Meta Masterpost...
Now that S12 has wrapped, I thought I’d collect all my meta of the season into a masterpost. This is actually my favourite season since S8, despite the odd crushing mis-step (<cough> Eileen’s death <cough>).
Thank you to everyone I follow and to everyone who follows me and to all the rest of you in this particular, and generally delightful, corner of the Tumblr SPN fandom. Watchng collectively here, with you, immeasurably increases my enjoyment of the show. In fact, watching the episodes is my second favourite part. Taking part in all the meta, discussions and talented gifs and fan-art is my favourite.
Happy Hellatus!
1) The Ghosts of Parents and Children Past: 12x03:
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/152441273114/the-ghosts-of-parents-and-children-past-12x03
2) Nightmares Then and Now: 12x04 and 1x14:
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/152745863984/nightmares-then-and-now-12x04-and-1x14
3) Mr. Ketch:- Who’s The Daddy?:
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/152776532214/mr-ketch-whos-the-daddy
4) Dean and Bacon (this is part of a multi-authored post):
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/152908104624/bakasara-profound-pond-dammit-cas-he-was
5) Hitler As a John Mirror (12x05):
http://drsilver fish.tumblr.com/post/153041573589/hitler-as-a-john-mirror-spn-12x05
6) The One You’ve Been Waiting For (12x05) (This version contains an excellent addition by @mittensmorgul )
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/153135567409/the-one-youve-been-waiting-for-12x05-review
7) Jilted Lover Dean (12x06 Rock Never Dies)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/153946674679/jilted-lover-dean
7b) First Blood (12x09 Review)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/156506559829/first-blood-12x09-review
8) Hold the Phone! Steve Yockey Goes Meta with Lily Sunder (12x10) (This version contains a great addition by @postmodernmulticoloredcloak ):
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/156772534629/hold-the-phone-steve-yockey-goes-meta-with-lily
9) Regarding Dean, Regarding Alice (12x11)
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/157082194059/regarding-dean-regarding-alice
10) The Colt and a Choice Further Down the Cross-roads?:
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/157397608224/the-colt-and-a-choice-further-down-the-crossroads
11) Time and POV in Stuck in the Middle With You (12x12):
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/157412287189/time-and-pov-in-stuck-in-the-middle-with-you
12) Holy and Unholy Families in 12x12 Stuck in the Middle With You (plus, added bonus, Cas “goes fishing” and gets stuck in the middle with Dean’s “weapon”) (This version contains a great addition by @impostoradult ):
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/157456050444/holy-and-unholy-families-in-12x12-stuck-in-the
13) Mr. Ketch’s Seduction of Dean in 12x14:
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/157957259114/mr-ketchs-seduction-of-dean-in-12x14
14) Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell (12x15):
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/158246839184/somewhere-between-heaven-and-hell
15) John Winchester’s Ghost and the Haunting of S12 Cont:
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/158388550099/john-winchesters-ghost-and-the-haunting-of-s12
16) Mr. Ketch’s Tattoo (this is part of a multi-author discussion of Ketch):
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/158811766909/re-post-spn-scoutthoughts-am-i-the-only-one-who
17) Werewolf My Beloved (12x16):
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/159130804019/werewolf-my-beloved-12x16
18) Mick as a Castiel Parallel (12x17):
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/159318090949/mick-as-a-castiel-parallel-in-12x17
19) Moloch Winchester (12x18):
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/159581042479/moloch-winchester-12x18
20) Agents Stark and Martell (12x18):
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/159601144729/agents-stark-and-martell-12x1
21) The Sheep and the Goats (12x18):
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/160101364854/the-future-the-book-of-revelations-and-12x19
22) What’s in the Mix with a Mix-Tape (12x19)?
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/160090146189/whats-in-the-mix-with-a-mix-tape-12x19
23) The Future: The Book of Revelations and 12x19:
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/160101364854/the-future-the-book-of-revelations-and-12x19
24) Alicia Bane as a Mary and Cas Mirror (12x20) (this is part of a multi-author discussion):
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/160351242179/what-is-alicia-now
25) Doing Violence to Charlie Bradbury and Eileen Leahy (12x21):
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/160619210869/doing-violence-to-charlie-bradbury-and-eileen
26) It Should Have Been Garth (12x21):
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/160712378374/it-should-have-been-garth
27) All Along the Watchtower: 12x23 (and 12x22) and Circular Narrative Structure:
http://drsilverfish.tumblr.com/post/160876601179/all-along-the-watchtower-12x23-and-12x22-and
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Hi! I've just read your meta masterlist written for someone who wanted to convince their friends that deancas is real. First of all - thank you, what a treat to have it all in one place. The best Matrix red pill of them all. Second of all - "the entire S8, which was basically a demented Jane Eyre AU" - could you elaborate on that? I'm mighty interested.
Hi! Thanks for that - uhm - it’s missing a lot of stuff, though. I’m sure there are better masterposts out there, and I actually looked for them, but all I could find was fanfiction stuff.
As for the Jane Eyre thing - I should say I’m a fan of the Brontë sisters, so it wasn’t supposed to be an insult or anything, but it’s hard to deny that those kind of novels (particularly Wuthering Heights) are over the top and überdramatic and there’s almost an unhealthy focus on love and falling in love and what happens if you lose that and how your life can never be complete without that one person who means everything, and if that person is your foaming-at-the-mouth insane half-brother, so be it. And the thing is, Supernatural seasons often hinge around powerful and borderline soap-operish themes (the whole ‘almost orphans desperately looking for their father while killing things’ was very Dickens, in a way - if Dickens had been high on opium and cocaine and stuff, that is), but S8 really went above and beyond. I mean, even without the big love story for the fucking ages supporting the entire narrative arc, it was full of OMG and oh no! moments -
Sam is all alone in the world and may have found love but oh no! his brother’s back from the dead and super pissed and oh no! the woman he probably loves is actually not a widow and OMG what next?
Hunter Dean found himself a new best friend but oh no! he’s a vampire drawn to human blood but OMG he’s promised to abstain forever and fight his own instincts every day for eternity but oh no! what happens if he can’t?
There is a way to banish all demons from the Earth but oh no! it’s a magic spell that requires a human sacrifice and oh no! Sam actually wants to do that and is it guilt or depression or martyrdom or OMG is he simply that heroic??!?
- so much Gothic extravaganza, the list could go on and on. But, as I said, at the heart of it all are Dean and Cas, and what’s going on with them is so sappy and romantic even Charlotte Brontê would have edited some stuff out.
Like, I don’t even know where to start.
At the beginning of the season, Dean is precipitated in a world of darkness and monsters. He fights his way out for an entire year, and during that time he prays to Cas every night - Dean, who normally doesn’t pray at all. We know he’s tortured and desperate, because part of him believes Cas is dead (because Cas always comes when Dean calls, right?) and all of him knows it’s his own fault, because he forced Cas to fight even if Cas wasn’t in his right mind and Jesus, ALL the regrets and ALL the guilt. Then he finally finds Cas, who first refuses his manly and chaste affection and then pushes Dean to safety and chooses to die in that hellhole. This is so incredibly traumatic that Dean erases that entire memory as he makes his way into the real world (and, remember, we’re talking about Dean ‘I remember what was done to me in Hell’ Winchester here - I guess losing Cas was more painful than that?), which is just as lonely and brutal and hostile as the one he left behind (cue all the drama about Sam and Benny and Crowley killing everyone he can get his hands on). As he fights on, Dean starts to see Cas’ ghost everywhere, which is, like, standard behaviour for a Romantic hero or heroine but also legit what happens to you when your brain suffers such a heavy loss it can’t cope (if you’re not reading this alone at night, I recommend you check out this article about Japanese cab drivers picking up ghost passengers after the tsunami, and this BBC radio program explaining why it happens). This is obviously distressing for Dean, but then, as he’s fast approaching his breaking point, Cas actually shows up in person - he cannot explain how he found Dean, since Dean still has the anti-angel tattoo on his ribs, but wait - we know Cas can sense longing, right? so that’s why and if that isn’t the most tragic, romantic thing you’ve ever heard, get out. But there’s worse to come. Before that, though, we’re treated to a brief comedic interlude featuring the sappiest love trope ever - ‘all grown up’ - as Cas retires to the bathroom (and why) to clean up and reappears all handsome and clean-shaven, causing Dean an erection and much embarrassment.
(I still can’t believe that is a thing that actually happened, by the way.)
Next, of course, there’s the whole ‘Cas has been trained and programmed to kill Dean against his will and beats him up in a darkened crypt and nothing can happen now everyone is doomed doomed doomed but wait I NEED YOU and BAM, suddenly the mind control is gone and even someone with the whole of Heaven’s power behind her can’t come between Cas and Dean and Cas will never hurt Dean and what the fuck is even happening?’ episode, which, again, how was that an actual thing? Sometimes I think we were all high during that season and we had a collective hallucination or something. And next there is all the ‘You didn’t trust me? You didn’t trust me, I almost died to get you out, I would have died, I did not leave you’ drama as Dean finally remembers what happened (he doesn’t, by the way: Cas heals his brain, and those memories come back), and meanwhile in the background there’s more over the top and dramatic stuff going down - Sam being weird and volunteering to die and Benny also volunteering to die and Dean can’t save anyone and can’t do anything and now BAM, turns out Cas is also dying, or leaving forever, anyway, and there was so much unsaid stuff between them I remember fainting and melting into my couch during various episodes and thank God for smelling salts. And after all this torture and torment and ALL the love and ALL the pain, the very last episode was the worst of the worst - Dean must basically say goodbye to the only people he cares about and would do anything to spare, because both of them are dying, and it’s a sort of Sophie’s choice too because Cas is gone and Dean doesn’t have time to focus on that because SAMMY and at the end we’re left with him half supporting his brother’s weight as they look up at a sky full of falling angels (and is Cas one of them or did they kill him already and aaaaargh).
So, look - I’m even leaving out stuff, and it’s still almost unbearably sugary and tragic - it’s not like they haven’t had other weird moments between them, but this season alone is more romantic than, say, the entirety of Jane the Virgin, who’s supposed to be about romance, or even Grey’s fucking Anatomy, where, sure, you get those random episodes where a train explodes and people are stuck all over the city and you can’t save all of them and surprise! you’re probably dying yourself BUT you also get some time to breathe in between and episodes where almost no one’s fighting and people are having sex and how come they never sleep, seriously? And what I just can’t believe is that we’re the only ones to have both sides here - Dean still doesn’t know about the thousand Deans Cas was forced to kill, or about those convoluted reasons Metatron had for cutting out Cas’ Grace, specifically, and Cas doesn’t understand how close Dean came to tell him those three stupid words which would have solved and changed everything, and he doesn’t get why Dean was hurt by his choice to remain in Purgatory, and how much, and he must ignore or disregard, by now, those random spikes in Dean’s arousals, because he assumes that’s what humans do or whatever and he probably never realized he should have hugged Dean back that time on the river bank, and what it meant to Dean that he didn’t. See? Tragedy and misunderstanding and Dean being an actual Gothic heroine and Cas being all Rochester-y about things (early Rochester, I mean, the one who was determined to be a martyr and could not believe someone as smart as Jane would ever find his old ass interesting in any way).
I know we always say it, but that’s honestly how I feel all the time - I don’t know what the hell they’re thinking here, because you cannot write a story like this, you cannot insert all these tropes and bend and twist and narrative so stuff will only work with the foundation of a Great Love, and not see it. You physically cannot, especially if you’re a trained screenwriter and this is literally your job. So they do see it, and what? I don’t mind the UST and the pain and the slow-burn (much), but I still wish they would make it clear that this is indeed where they’re going, because they can’t keep writing this shit and pretending they aren’t. It’s - if someone had written S8 as a Destiel - canon divergent after S7 fic on AO3, I’m not sure I would have read it. So gay that it’s almost OOC, I would have thought, and there’s not even the comfort of some smut - it’s all angst, all the way, and come on - even this show is not that gay.
Except it is, isn’t it?
Lucky us.
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