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wellofdean · 5 months

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Thinking more about this gifset from ep 12x09, The Future, and just want to say a thing about what the word 'subtext' means, because it sometimes feels like what people think it means and what it actually means are not aligned.

So, as a starting point, subtext is defined as "the implied meaning or underlying message of a narrative that is not stated directly. It is the unexpressed thought, feeling, or emotional throughline that lies beneath the text."

The scene in the gifset linked above rife with subtext, and it's really very obvious. But first, there are several layers to the text. There's the visual: Sam looking concerned, Dean working on Cas's truck. There's also the context of the other events in the episode. In brief: Cas returns to the bunker after being out of touch for so long that Dean was worried, and angry with him; Cas tried to return the mixtape Dean gave him and Dean refused to accept it; Cas tells Dean he feels like he just keeps failing and Dean stresses that they need to work together; Cas 'plays him' and steals the Colt from under his pillow; Dean threatens to 'kick his feathered ass' but notably does not follow through. Right before this scene Dean throws Cas the keys to the Impala like it's a totally automatic for him to do (it's not!), only to have Kelly drive off with his Baby, and with Cas.

Here's the transcript:

Sam: How did this happen? Dean: ( Scoffs ) What? The lying? The Heaven plan? Or the fact that I'm working on this stupid truck? Sam: No, I mean, what's wrong with Cas? Dean: Well, he hasn't exactly had a banner year. I mean, think about it. Between Lucifer... (huffs out a breath) ...killing Billie, Ramiel, everything's been blowing up in his face... And he's so desperate for a win right now, he can't even see straight. Go ahead and give it a try. (Engine starts)

So the text of this scene is a combination of what we see, the context in the episode, the wider context of the show and relationships, and the lines.

Here are some examples of the subtext in this scene:

Dean has given some thought to how Cas is feeling.

Dean understands that people make questionable decisions when they are feeling down and defeated.

Dean has been there, and done that.

Dean sympathizes and empathizes with Cas.

Dean's frustrated, but Cas is still family to him.

Dean cares about Cas and wants to help him.

Sam does not quite know what to make of Cas's behavior.

Sam knows that Dean will know better than he does what is motivating Cas to do what he is doing.

Dean is emotionally closer to Cas than Sam is.

Sam relies on Dean's reaction to Cas's recent actions to know how to react himself.

Dean wants Sam to understand and sympathize with Cas, and not judge him too harshly.

There is much more one could add to this, but nothing I've said above is the least bit controversial; it's nothing more than a basic understanding of the content of the text, and it is very clearly communicated. Understanding these things in this scene is not rocket science, and everything I mentioned above is indisputably there as unspoken but clear emotional throughline in the text.

Subtext is not a mysterious puzzle, or a ghost floating around in a text that is invented out of the audience's desires, it is the actual emotional force and content of it. Ernest Hemingway is a long way from being my favourite writer, but he was, nevertheless, a heavyweight champion of subtext. He called it the 'iceberg theory,' or 'theory of omission': the text (words themselves) present only a small part of what is happening in it, but it is important to note that subtext is part of the text like the unseen part of an iceberg is part of an iceberg. A text without subtext would be very boring indeed, and would leave nothing for our minds to do when we process it. It's difficult to imagine any narrative text that doesn't have it.

I think that a lot of the time we say things like: I want Destiel to be explicit, not 'just subtext', but look at what is communicated via subtext above! Virtually everything that's important about the scene! Subtext is not imaginary thing the reader adds, it is part of the intent of the text, and Destiel is more explicit than this in the text in a lot of ways because it is the bones the text is hanging on -- it may not be spoken, but it is part of the structure of the text, and that's because of things like the way Ruby and Sam's story parallels Dean and Cas in season 4, or the way Dean's entire motivation in purgatory is Cas, and when he gets back from purgatory, he can think of little else, or the way Cas very obviously parallels Colette in the MOC arc and there is no Abel, or the entire widower arc, or the fact that main emotional arc of season 15 is Cas and Dean's break up, reconciliation, Cas's confession and finally Dean's despair and willingness to just die in the final episode. There's a lot of that that simply doesn't make any sense without Destiel as a structural element in the narrative.

There are so many ways in which the whole story is BUILT AROUND the assumption that Cas is Dean's strongest bond and partner, and around how important Cas is to Dean's emotional life, which is why I think it's often more accurate to say that Destiel is CONTEXT, because it's actually the reason why we understand the subtext of so many scenes and arcs in the story.

The fact that Cas loves Dean is not subtext, it is explicitly stated, and the fact that Dean loves Cas is not explictly stated, but it is present in the text at so many levels, that to call it 'just subtext' or imagine that it is some kind of unacknowledged, unavowed ghost in the narrative is not accurate. There is no way to understand a thing like Dean's devastated face at Castiel's pyre, or why Castiel leaving in season 15 feels like a divorce without it. Destiel is the emotional force of it, and moreover, it's the part of the iceberg you can't see because it's underwater, but it is fucking there, and IT WILL FUCK YOU UP.

#spn #destiel #is more than subtext #it is structural #destiel is context #dean winchester

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angelsdean · 1 year

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My way of dealing w the "autonomy" flavor deancrits is to take a deep breath and remind myself that they are probably still living w (possibly v controlling) parents & projecting their own issues. It's the most plausible reason i think why someone would blow this whole autonomy debate so out of proportion, if they struggle w things like that and so they blindly sympathize w Sam's subjective view w/out thinking much abt it. Not to overanalyze, i'm just trying to find logical reasons, it calms me.

yea i totally get that. i think a lot of times projection is an issue when people seem to be completely ignoring and misinterpreting aspects of the text. like of course we'll all bring some of our own feelings and biases and experiences when we engage with any media, but it's something i'm always aware of and actively working against letting those things color my interpretations. i think it also has to do w/ my background in literally getting a degree in literary analysis so like, i'm bringing all that to the table too. but it's funny tho to me bc *i* am also living w/ a pretty controlling parent bc of circumstances. and STILL *i* can see the nuance and not project my own feelings onto sam. maybe it's bc i'm just so deancoded in other aspects that i just don't relate to sam all that much despite feeling sometimes frustrated at my own situation. but still. it's not like i can't empathize with sam, and also see how his situation is different and not project things onto him and not cast dean into the role of "controlling parent." idk i just think people need to learn better media literacy and media analysis skills and also like, take themselves out of the equation and be more objective when it comes to character analysis.

but anyways, yea i'm sure you're right and many people who relate to sam's autonomy issues (and keep pressing that argument from a deancrit perspective) probably are coming to the argument with their own experiences coloring their perceptions of the text.

#replies

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mittensmorgul · 4 years

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Today on the TNT loop, a wonderful direct callback to 15.09 and 15.10, via 4.15, 4.16 and 4.17...

I need to start out by reminding everyone that the entire purpose of s4 was to manipulate Sam and Dean into “playing their roles,” even before they knew their roles existed as roles. Cosmically fated to act out a specific story for the entertainment of a bored God. Remember, they��re about to learn of the existence of “Chuck the Prophet” who’s been writing their lives down, in explicit detail, and publishing them as a series of pulpy horror novels. Hooray, 4.18, up next for me.

But I really need to pause here, because the sort of manipulations that Sam and Dean suffered through in 15.10, while I’ve already pointed out a lot of other “silly” episodes they referenced:

https://mittensmorgul.tumblr.com/post/190430063655/mittensmorgul-episodes-i-expect-1510-to-remind

I’m gonna now add 4.17 to that list, too, because holy HECK.

Remember the setup to this episode? 4.15 and 4.16 both? Where Dean had been DIRECTLY MANIPULATED into stopping Alistair from breaking another seal-- to “kill death twice” by ritually murdering two reapers-- a hunt that Cas “tricked” Sam and Dean into taking on by literally making them think that Bobby had sent them on that hunt.

Then 4.16 used Uriel to manipulate both Dean AND Cas into believing they needed to torture information out of Alistair. The goal was to break both Dean AND Cas here, because Uriel knew all along that Alistair was literally just a distraction, a diversion from his own actions, recruiting angels for Team Lucifer and murdering those who refused to join him. But also breaking Dean’s will to just... do what he’s told. Because Dean himself was never destined to be anything more than a tool to Heaven, a vessel for Michael to wear to the apocalypse. Of course, Dean didn’t know any of that yet, and neither did Cas. He knew Dean was “important,” but truly didn’t know why.

At the end of 4.16, lying in a hospital bed, Dean felt hopeless:

Castiel: It's not blame that falls on you, Dean, it's fate. The righteous man who begins it is the only one who can finish it. You have to stop it. Dean: Lucifer? The Apocalypse? What does that mean? Hey! Don't you go disappearing on me, you son of a bitch. What does that mean! Castiel: I don't know. Dean: Bull. Castiel: I don't. Dean, they don't tell me much. I know our fate rests with you. Dean: Well, then you guys are screwed. I can't do it, Cas. It's too big. Alastair was right. I'm not all here. I'm not—I'm not strong enough. Well, I guess I'm not the man either of our dads wanted me to be. Find someone else. It's not me.

Tell me this isn’t super similar to his state earlier in s15. Let’s say... at the beginning of 15.06, holed up in his room in his bathrobe, bingewatching tv shows and eating cereal directly from the box. By the end of the episode, he still wasn’t sure what was real and what was Chuck’s doing in his life, and he’s absolutely right to question that, given his lifetime of experience being manipulated in exactly this way by higher cosmic powers.

In 4.17, that higher cosmic power was Zachariah, literally giving Sam and Dean alternate memories and directly inserting them into entirely different lives to prove a point. In 4.17, the Winchesters had their lifetime of knowledge of the Supernatural excised from them-- and even all the practicalities of hunting like “how to buy guns,” and “how salt can repel ghosts,” and “how to fight.” Throughout the episode they were forced to re-learn all of these skills for themselves, ironically using Ghostfacers videos about ghost hunting that directly referenced information that the Ghostfacers had learned from “The Winchesters.” Very much like how the Winchesters were “depowered” in 15.10, and yet... they were saved because of their prior relationship WITH GARTH, in which they had not only saved Garth’s life a couple of times, but had also learned things and imparted knowledge and information TO GARTH in the past.

I guess what I’m attempting to point out here is the direct parallel to Chuck’s active manipulation of Sam and Dean in 15.10. They may not have had their memories removed like Zachariah did to them, but they’ve been reset to a similar sort of “baseline” status where NOTHING they do actually works this time. It’s... it’s almost a perfect inverse of 4.17.

Literally the episode leading up to the first appearance of Chuck The Author in canon.

Tell me Dabb isn’t explicitly suggesting an inverse parallel here, framing everything as Dean’s CHOICE, when it’s been one grand manipulation to pressing him into making that choice through any means necessary-- up to and including direct deceit and false narrative:

Zachariah: Believe me, I had no interest in popping down here into one of these smelly things. But after the unfortunate situation with Uriel, I felt it necessary to pay a visit, get all my ducks in a row. Dean: I am not one of your ducks. Zachariah: Starting with your attitude. Dean: So, what? This was all some sort of a lesson? Is that what you're telling me? Wow. Very creative.

and

Zachariah: I know, I know. You're not strong enough. You're scared. You've got daddy issues. You can't do it, right? Dean: Angel or not, I will stab you in your face. Zachariah: All I'm saying is it's how you look at it. Most folks live and die without moving anything more than the dirt it takes to bury them. You get to change things. Save people, maybe even the world. All the while you drive a classic car and fornicate with women. This isn't a curse. It's a gift. So for God's sakes, Dean, quit whining about it. Look around. There are plenty of fates worse than yours. So are you with me? You wanna go steam yourself another latte? Or are you ready to stand up and be who you really are?

Zachariah KNEW the bigger plan all along. Here he showed Dean an “alternate life” that was entirely manufactured to be a “false choice.” Dean, because of who he is as a person, would never have chosen that corporate falsehood. Just like he rejected Zachariah’s intended lesson in 5.04. And Gabriel’s lesson in 5.08.

Dean... doesn’t want to play his role. His role sucks. It’s a river of crap that would send most people howling to the nuthouse, after all... oh... wait, that’s a direct quote from 5.09, aka another episode where Chuck is directly involved, and directly manipulates them into a hunt... Dean... is not a fan...

But... we also learn something that I still think is true, and that I still think is IMPORTANT to s15. And important to Chuck as a character on this show we’re watching. I really don’t think he’s omniscient. I don’t think he can actually see every possible outcome. I don’t think he can control everything. But I think, and will always think, that because of Free Will, his ability to truly influence the outcome of his story is hindered. Unless he can use everything he CAN manipulate to crush Sam and Dean’s free will... to force them into making choices directly against their own interest, because of their perceived situation, or in this new post 14.20 universe, Chuck’s perceived intent for them.

Sam and Dean (and Cas! remember this was also about his discovery of the “rot” in Heaven, and how he himself had been used and manipulated into helping start the apocalypse) spent s4 thinking they were doing the right thing, because they’d been lied to from the start. When they questioned their path, questioned each other, their actions were met with often comically implausible verging on outright ridiculous situations that nudged them back into this cosmically “destined” series of events.

And Chuck’s history of this is directed at Sam and Dean in different ways-- Sam through the psychological manipulation and emotional angst, and Dean through physically hindering him. Chuck needed to break Sam’s trust in Dean, and replace it with the false belief that he was actually doing the right thing back in s4:

SAM: Dean’s not... he's not Dean lately. Ever since he got out of hell. He needs help. CHUCK: So you got to carry the weight? SAM: Well, he's looked out for me my whole life. I can't return the favor? CHUCK: Yeah, sure you can. I mean, if that's what this is. SAM: What else would it be? CHUCK: I don't know. Maybe the demon blood makes you feel stronger? More in control? SAM: No. That's not true. CHUCK: I'm sorry, Sam. I know it's a terrible burden – feeling that it all rests on your shoulders. SAM: Does it? All rest on my shoulders? CHUCK: That seems to be where the story's headed. SAM: Am I strong enough to stop Lilith tonight? CHUCK: I don't know. I haven't seen that far yet.

Chuck needs to break Sam’s will in 15.09, but Dean? Dean he needed to break his car, break him physically, and break his belief in his own choices and actions. Break his belief in his own identity. Because Dean’s will is not so easily shattered. He’s still willing to punch God in the face, for all of this.

And that’s how we end up with 15.10...

bonus destiel content: Dean’s very first prayer to Cas, ever, is asking him for help to stop Chuck’s prophecy from coming true. Dean question’s Cas’s “mission,” i.e. the thing Dean is unaware Cas has been questioning himself all this time, in the face of Dean’s refusal to just sit around and wait for Chuck’s prophecies to happen to them. Cas supplies him with the bit of information Dean needs to interfere and break the prophecy. I’ve written about the importance of that act before:

https://mittensmorgul.tumblr.com/post/187983341865/i-always-thought-anna-said-only-an-angel-can-kill

(and it bothers the everloving fuck out of me that people still don’t see that Chuck is a flim-flam artist of the highest order, and is the most unreliable narrator in the history of unreliable narrators, because not only is he biased to his own view of the story, he has the power to make the story conform to his own views, even if he can’t fully control each of the characters like glorified puppets)

and then Lizbob has also written about this scene and its import:

https://mittensmorgul.tumblr.com/post/169437649690/elizabethrobertajones-dean-cas-are-in-love-a

which is incredible when paired with Dean’s most recent prayer to Cas in 15.09, not about a problem he needs help fixing, but directly about their relationship... to quote Layla from 1.12, speaking on the subject of prayer, there’s a miracle right there.

#spn 4.15 #spn 4.16 #spn 4.17 #spn 4.18 #spn 15.10 #spn 15.09 #chuck's process #sam sympathizes and dean empathizes #spiders georg of the tnt loop #s15 meta rewatch #destiel #it's spirals all the way down #the scheherazade of supernatural #spn 1.12

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spngeorg · 2 years

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Aah, Hunted. The truth of John’s final order to Dean finally comes out, and this episode goes to prove exactly why it took him so long to tell Sam. Their behaviors and actions in this episode, now that I’m really thinking about it, kind of set the groundwork for my tag sam sympathizes and Dean empathizes, even if the first post in that tag is my rant about 9.14... (i just reread that post and it goes a long way to explaining my thoughts about these two morons and their disgustingly unhealthy codependency, so it’s worth a read if for nothing else than to understand the pov from which i talk about them and the show).

Gordon Walker returns to again be humiliatingly bested by Sam and Dean, and we learn Jo has chosen to go out hunting on her own. So it’s not all just miscommunication and tantrums. :’D

Things referenced in this week’s episode:

The Superwiki page for this episode

My tag for this episode

specifically this post

and this one

Casting sides for Ava Wilson

And while we’re here, the ONE significant bit in this script that didn’t make it into the episode (the show and this podcast both lol...) is a little bit that would seem to provide motivation for Ava to ditch out on her fiancée and dive headfirst into the demon army hunger games, thus giving her disappearance at the end of this episode a more powerful ambiguous possible meaning. As aired, the episode leaves us with the assumption that Ava was content to return to her old life, eager to get back to her little bubble of personal happiness, but this one tiny bit of the casting sides script sheds just the tiniest bit of doubt that that was actually the case:

This is right after they steal Scott’s psych files. The scene as aired cuts right after Ava says, “I’m awesome!” at the top of this image.

[ID, beginning after the “I’m awesome!” line. Sam looks up at Ava. She’s giddy, grinning from ear to ear. SAM: You’re serious? AVA: Oh my god, I felt like I was in “The Sting.” That was the most fun I’ve had in my LIFE! Sam raises an eyebrow. SAM: Huh. AVA: What? SAM: Nothing. It’s just... you’re getting married in two months, and THIS is the most fun you’ve ever had? Ava’s smile fades. Oh shit, he’s right.

Kinda makes her look like she’s about to seriously reevaluate her entire life, giving credence to the read that maybe she was in a bit of a spiral, making her even more vulnerable to taking Azazel up on the whole Demon Powers thing we discover about her at the end of the season. But it was cut...

Alrighty then! With a final apology for just how long this episode ran (my goal is always to keep them under 100 minutes, and I squeaked this one in under the wire, even after cutting about 40 minutes from it >.>), listen now on AnchorFM or wherever you enjoy podcasts.

#spn 2.10 #spn podcasts #spiders georg of the tnt loop

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bellatrixxue · 3 years

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Xue’s Supernatural Dare: Wendigo (S1 EP2)

Hello, everyone? How did everyone feel about the finale? Yes? Yes? Oh. Oh. Oh my. Oh, dear.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell that half-assed homophobic chicken-shit fuckbucket’s not gonna stop me, since I strapped myself onto this roller coaster already and I promised I’m not getting out until the ride’s over, so here we go, wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Also, those who are in this roller coaster with me, ready? Tag list is: @fangirlxwritesx67 @amazingiam00 @kalliravenne @indecisive20something @2musiclover2 @impossibletosleepthrough @there-must-be-a-lock @wingedcatninja @arvit

Oh my gods this recap is so cheesy I actually can make a fondue out of it. 2000s, everybody!

A WHOLE MINUTE AND A HALF FOR THAT FONDUE

FUCKJUMPSCARETITLEFUCKYOU

So we’re starting the episode with the murder scene first, eh? Is that gonna be a trend?

Oh come on, Chads, you’re out in nature and you’re playing video games? Absorb the nature...before it absorbs you!

Waitwait. Holy shit is that...is that Cory Monteith? Oh, bless his soul...

If the wendigo eats his dick as he’s peeing I’m immediately giving Jensen Ackles $100. For no real reason, I just feel like giving him money for already carrying the show on his back.

I can’t tell if it did or not, so I’m not paying yet.

Aw, Sammy...

"I should have told you the truth.” *Vine voice* BUT YOU DIDN’T

FUCKYOUINTHEASSHOhnightmare. Nightmare. So did he visit her at her grave or not? I need answers.

A week? Goddamn. Poor thing. That man-eating tree’s fucking good at his job, man.

“There’s nothing there, it’s just...woods,” Sam, I don’t know if Jess’s death hit you hard or if you got into law school by eating some ancient dick and/or pussy instead of earning that high score fair and square, but the woods “in the middle of nowhere” (your words) are known to be one of the top places full of weird-ass creatures. Even kindergartners know that.

Ehehehehehehehehe he’s so smol next to his lil bro my lil shit

At least you’re coming up with decent covers this time. No Agent Mulder and Scully ruining things for you this time around.

“Bull” oop-

Oh Dean’s a smoooooooooth operator. Good going, buddy.

AND HE GOT A COPY OF THAT DOCUMENT TEAM DEAN TEAM DEAN

Oh that death really got to Sam. I hope he doesn’t turn out to be a trigger-happy psycho. Or eat the man-eating tree and become one himself.

Oh, Haley’s a cutie! Which one’s her brother? Cory? Discount Enrique Iglesias?

Do you have a card for EVERY profession, Dean? And how do I get them too?

That is a very pretty car. I bet they wasted half the budget on that thing.

Okay, sonny boy, little bro, Broseidon, calm down.

Ah, fuck, Haley and Broseidon is gonna go into the woods, that’s more heads to worry about.

How the fuck does Sam find information this fast? I’m impressed, I take five hours to get to one article for my research paper. Or maybe I’m just lazy. So he really earned his law school interview without having to eat dick and pussy, huh.

Every 23 years? What is this, Pennywise? Are we going to see the wendigo do his best Tim Curry do his best scary clown impression? Honk honk?

“Whatever that thing is, it can move.” And the sun rises on the East, Sammy. Why are you so smart and dumb at the same time? Is this his character trait? It might grow on me.

Ahhh, so Sam’s go-to move at interrogation is doing puppy dog eyes and sympathize with the person. He’d make a good lawyer, shame that man-eating tree.

Go Grandpa Exposition, go!

Go Grandpa Exposition, go, give us information and none at all!

OH GEEZ THAT SCAR. PENNYWISE WENDIGO IS VICIOUS.

Skinwalker, Back Dog...Ooh, those all sound cool! I hope we get to see them soon!

‘Corporeal’ doesn’t sound like a real word, but then again, English doesn’t sound like a real language. Sorry. Moving on.

Sam’s gonna eat the wendigo with that attitude, Jesus Christ.

AND HIS BROTHER, AT THIS RATE. If the real villain turns out to be inside Sam all along I’m gonna flip. Is that why women keep dying and burning on ceilings where he sleeps? Is he secretly Lucifer’s spawn or something?

“Oh sweetheart I don’t wear shorts”. They queer-coded him from the start and they tried to make you believe he was straight for fifteen seasons straight? And some people bought that?

Oh, crap, another crappy death treatment for Cory before he got into Glee...No, I wasn’t into Glee, I just watched a few episodes and I might hate Rachel Berry...And Lea Michele...ahem...

Dean is totally flirting with Roy shut upppppppp

OOP AND THERE ROY GOES OH THE SEXUAL TENSION IS HIGH IN THESE WOODS TODAY

“It’s probably the most honest I’ve been with a woman. Ever.” See. Bi. Bi bi bi.

So...why the coordinates, Daddy Negan? Is this a portal to Hell? A place where man-eating trees grow?

*carefully places death flag on Roy*

Ooooh the campsite is very...haunted house-y. You know what I’m saying?

That’s not Discount Enrique Iglesias, but Pennywise wendigo, yes? Those things can mimic human voices, right?

*Google searches*...There are so many versions of this tale I can’t even confirm or deny it. Dammit.

Maybe Pennywise wendigo just wants some snacks and a nice phone and GPS? Maybe he misses his family in uh, Canada or something?

Daddy Negan’s journal is a e s t h e t i q u e .

I’m so sorry, but the way Sammy smirks as he speaks with those dark, dark voids for eyes? My boy’s a demon. He’s a demon, I’m telling you.

At least Haley has some sense to her. *puts another death flag on Roy*

*PUTS YET ANOTHER DEATH FLAG ON ROY*

True, that. What the heck is Daddy Negan up to with all of this?

“Saving people, hunting things, the family business!” Okay, the way Dean said it gave me chills.

I can actually empathize with Sam here...As whiny and bitchy as he is, he has his reasons to be this way. I guess if I were in his shoes, I’d be less of a Dean and more of a Sam, too. We deal with our losses quite similarly.

Ah, the brotherly bonding moments like these little talks make the show worth it. It’s so heartwarming.

Pennywise wendigo! I didn’t miss you, why’re you here to burst my happy bubble?

I’m starting to see a slight parallel between Haley and Broseidon and Dean and Sammy. Hmm.

Nice meeting you, Roy. Zoop you go.

Haley and Broseidon are taking this rather well, I’m glad they do.

Okay, actual exposition time, thank you.

Whoa, Broseidon speaks! Donner Party! Please don’t remind me of that! Those poor people!

Hibernation and food storage. Delightful, just delightful.

TORCHING? *CALLS RAMMSTEIN*

Somehow, not being able to see the wendigo is scarier to me than what I will probably see itself. Limited budget horror can actually work well.

Oh, dear, Roy literally did a death drop. Badum tissssssssss.

FUCK IT TOOK DEAN THE ONLY CHARACTER I CARE ABOUImean I love you too, Sam! Come on, let’s find him before it’s too late!

A trail of M&Ms! Yes, Broseidon! And Hansel and Gretel refercalled it. Sammy, you and I share the same wavelength?

SHITSHITTHEYTRIPPEDANDFELLINTHEFUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

Thank the gods the Pennywise wendigo kept them right there. Chances.

DISCOUNT ENRIQUE IGLESIAS IS STILL ALIVE GEEZ BUT ALSO PHEW

Ah, Dean Winchester, I love you so much that I can’t even begin to describe it.

Also how convenient that the flare guns are there. Deus ex machina!

Haley would bode well as a hunter, look at her courage, her will. There are more hunters around than Daddy Negan and the brothers, right?

Yeah, seeing the actual wendigo makes me less scared of it now. It’s unnerving, but still.

TEAM DEAN YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAW

Graphics are...alright, but it’s the thought that counts!

Running with the grizzly bear story. Smart Broseidon. Ben. Sorry, you deserve to be called by your real name. I think with practice they could become good hunters, along with their Discount Enrique Iglesias brother! Is there a fanfiction for that? Can I write it now?

...

I AM WILLING TO DIE TO PROTECT DEAN WINCHESTER I

Haley’s a lesbian, that’s why she kissed him on the cheek only. Headcanoned. Also I have a crush on her, she’s really pretty? Like? Heart eyes???

Ah, the siblings parallels again. Let’s hope neither of the two brothers end up in the bed like that.

“Man, I hate camping.” Really. Really really. Really.

“I’m driving”

...

SAM WINCHESTER I’M SORRY I EVER SPOKE ILL OF YOU I WILL PROTECT YOU WITH MY LIFE TOO I PROMISE YOU I WILL

It’s just a sassy bisexual brother and his little snide bisexual brother on the road to kill evil creatures and find their father and I love this show? Help? Help???

I really, really see the charm of Supernatural now! I’m fully invested in both brothers and their story, and I’m cheering them both on! Let’s get Daddy Negan back and get rid of that man-eating tree once and for all!

Six stars out of five!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This dare is introducing me to a whole new world, and I really, really am glad I took that jump a few days ago, man!

Thank you everyone for reading my ramblings, and I’ll see you in the day after with the next review! Thank you for sticking with me! Buh-bye!

- Xue

#xue's supernatural dare #spn #supernatural #dean winchester #jensen ackles #sam winchester #jared paladecki #text #i had a really bad day today with my constant pain and aching from the chemo #but this really brought genuine smiles to my face!#what a good show #what a wonderful show #how the FUCK did they fuck it up later #well #i guess i'll find out when i get there lmao

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readinginthereadyroom · 3 years

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it’s my bloody valentine (spn 5x14) and sam has fallen off the wagon.

to be fair, he’s ramped up on famine’s soul hunger and then sent two demons. he’s already resisted once. he’s taken every precaution. but he’s nudged too far.

and also. dean’s not there. in much the way that sam has been dean’s moral compass—dean is also sam’s. especially in light of sam’s demon blood addiction.

here me out. ruby has been slowly manipulating sam—whispering in his ear that he’s not as strong as dean. that’s he won’t be able to tackle the apocalypse without him. that he needs to be him.

because dean’s going to hell. for sam. and sam idolizes dean. that’s his cool big brother and his doting parent. his whole world. and when dean is horrifically dragged off to the pit, sam breaks. who wouldn’t?

the entire world on his shoulders and he’s all alone. an entire lifetime of john telling him to be more like dean and so he tries to be. an entire lifetime of being protected and so he tries to be stronger. an entire lifetime of feeling unclean and he tries to make it have purpose.

sam’s hunger is for autonomy. a voice. a calling. it’s a type of power. only ruby twists it. turns it into dominion. authority. revenge.

that’s not dean. that’s john.

I think that’s why sam is starting to forgive john after a lifetime of being angry at him. he is seeing how easy it is to lose the path for the trees. to be so hollowed out by grief and despair that you will do anything. anything to fill it. he even gets to tell young!john in the song remains the same (spn 5x13) “truth is, um, my dad died before I got to tell him that I understand why he did what he did. and I forgive him for what it did to us. I do. and I just—I love him.”

that doesn’t mean john was right. or that sam is condoning the neglect or the anger or literally anything john did. sam is taking a step back. seeing the road that that john was forced down. where he made the wrong choices. he might even empathizes and/or sympathizes with john.

love and hate can exist side-by-side.

but any forgiveness is not for john’s benefit. it’s not granted to john. or for john. it is solely about sam. about letting go of resentment. about moving forward with his life by relinquishing the hold of the past.

it’s almost a 12-step program. sam is taking an internal inventory and discovering he’s become what who he’s always hated. and he doesn’t like it. works hard to change those aspects of himself. he admits to dean in sam, interrupted (spn 5x11) “most of the time, I can hide it, but...I am angry. I'm mad at everything. I used to be mad at you and dad, then lilith, now it's lucifer, and I make excuses. I blame ruby or the demon blood, but it's not their fault. it's not them. it's me. It's inside me. I'm mad...all the time...and I don't know why.”

this is why we see sam eating better, like the salad quake shake in swap meat (spn 5x12). in fact, correct me if I’m wrong, but from s4 on we really start to see a noticeable difference in sam’s eating habits. he drops read meat and ops for salads and protein bars.

because the thing is. demon blood is, well, blood. and I can only imagine that a bloody grill-seared steak is a little too close to sam’s drug of choice for comfort. and as many metas before me have said. it’s also a way to distance himself from john. to define a strict boundary between the eating habits he was taught (and that dean keep) and ones he sets for himself.

perhaps he even sets them too high in his pursuit of sobriety. esp after falling off the wagon. esp after he worked so hard to win back dean’s trust. in the end (spn 5x04) sam says this isn’t about revenge, but redemption. that is sam’s narrative arc of s5. he wants to redeem himself for himself. but also for dean.

and really. that’s where sam’s sobriety really lies. dean is his de facto parent. and dean pulled an I’m-not-mad-I’m-disappointed on him in the rapture (spn 4x20). for the first time in sam’s life dean didn’t yell. didn’t throw a punch. just quietly agreed that they should go their separate ways.

and it was devastating. but not in the same way that john disowned him for going to stanford. all anger and spite and spit and fist. this was worse. because dean says, “you were the one that I depended on the most. and you let me down in ways that I can't even...I'm just—I'm having a hard time forgiving and forgetting here. you know?” it was quiet and painful and heart-breaking. beyond articulation.

that is, until dean glimpses a future where he’s not there to be sam’s moral compass. where sam’s not there to his. and he extends the olive branch. forgives sam. because future!dean is not who he wants to be. become. is becoming.

future!dean is a bereaved parent. and much like a bereaved sam when dean goes to the pit, future!dean has turned into a version of john. willing to sacrifice his friends (cas) for the sake of revenge. willing to sacrifice himself.

and the thing is. sam and dean have been mending their fences. in fallen idols (spn 5x05) sam confronts dean on his autonomy. their dynamic. “if we're gonna be a team, you and I—it has to be a two-way street.” he doesn’t want to always be the kid brother. the brother who is dean’s kid.

all that work. all that rebuilt trust. and sam rips into the demons sent to his hotel room. because as he reveals in good god, y’all (spn 5x02) “I just miss the feeling. I know how messed up that sounds, which means I know how messed up I am. thing is, the problem's not the demon blood, not really. I mean, I, what I did, I can't blame the blood or ruby or...anything. the problem's me. how far I'll go. there's something in me that...scares the hell out of me.”

that’s sam’s soul-hunger. a very viseral craving to be good. wanting that power. the power he associates with john and with dean. wanting the authority. the voice. the calling. neither sam nor dean want to be the vessels for the angels of the apocalypse. but it still must sting. dean is chosen by heaven. he has a literal angel on his shoulder. even john is temporarily michael’s vessel.

while sam is meant to be lucifer’s vessel.

so yeah. sam falls off the wagon. maybe even gladly. because redemption comes in all forms. and at this moment in time. sam’s redemption is to sacrifice his sobriety to save dean. to take out famine.

and unlike sympathy for the devil (spn 5x01) there’s no supernatural methadone this time. sam gets another round in bobby’s intervention panic room. this time voluntarily.

and he will do it. perhaps on repeat for the rest of his life. because dean’s outside the door. and sam can face up to his choices.

he can choose the right path.

#I'm finding addict!sam very compelling #sam winchester #spn #spn 5x14 #spn 5x11 #spn 5x12 #spn 5x13 #spn 5x01 #spn 5x02 #spn 5x05 #spn 5x07 #spn 4x20

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bluephoenixdruidicprincess · 4 years

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Supernatural 15x16, Drag Me Away (From You) -- Overall Thoughts

I can’t believe we’re this late in the game and I’m still doing overall thoughts posts on this show instead of full-fledged reviews. I should be full swing reviewing and analyzing every detail, making predictions on what the endgame is going to entail...but I just can’t. This show just has not been giving me anything to really latch onto, it’s not giving me material I want to review and write meta about. The Final Episodes are really just episodes that are just kind of there. A couple of nice things sprinkled throughout but ultimately, not really anything that leaves much of a lasting impression on me. Like, why is this show that is so important to me, why are my SPN posts starting to sound more and more like my Shadowhunters posts (a show I did not enjoy and was very happy was cancelled)? Why am I getting so apathetic towards this show? And why is it that with every episode I’m just getting more and more pissed off at Dean? We’re in The Final Episodes; he should be getting better, not worse.

But lets get on with this shall we? As always, I’m never too sure how spoilery I’m going to get when I write these posts so just a word of caution. Probably going to be spoilers. If you have plans to watch the episode yet and don’t want to be spoiled, probably skip this.

Now, this episode was nice on the appreciation aspect that we get to see young Sam and Dean again possibly for the last time so I was happy we at least got that (although the moment was nearly ruined with young Dean’s whole “you’re not going to college because you’re too dumb” thing, Dean’s emotional manipulation and abuse started real early). It was still nice to see them regardless of how uninspired the writing might have been for this episode. Sorry Meghan, for me, this episode was not your best work. This episode was just a typical MotW episode and when the overall arching plot mythos is bad or boring as it kinda has been this season, I normally enjoy MotW episodes. But the material in this episode just lacked charm and I really didn’t care about anything that was happening. And then we had this real kind of cringey line at the end where the damsel tells Dean it’s not good to lie but the episode really wasn’t doing a whole lot to hammer that theme in. There were conversations with Young Dean not admitting that he was scared but honestly if I was a kid and looking at this self-proclaimed monster hunter, I don’t think I’d feel all that great if he revealed to me he was scared. And there was the part about Dean lying about the nest of dead children and again, I understand that kind of lie. He was a kid himself, with other kids and his kid brother. Of course he wouldn’t want to tell these kids about a nest of dead children. So the whole theme this episode was attempting to hammer in about lying really kind of misses its mark. If the damsel hadn’t had that super cringey line at the end, I would’ve thought the theme was telling white lies is okay to protect the ones you care about which would then propel Dean to continue to not tell Sam the truth about Jack Da Bomb. But instead, we get this real half-hearted attempt to tell us that lying is bad and just causes problems later which I mean really, this show has already hammered to death for the past 15 seasons. We really didn’t need to hit it again, Dean should really know better at this point.

But moving on, lets talk about another thing, lets talk about why is it that Cas continuously tells Dean he’s leaving and then leaves without a word to Sam? I’m sure the Destiel shippers out there will proclaim this is because in Cas’s eyes, Dean is the most important and Sam is just an afterthought and doesn’t really matter. But as a multi shipper, and someone who’s pretty big into Sastiel these days, my thought is that Cas doesn’t tell Sam when he’s leaving because he knows Sam will try to stop him. Now why did he trust Dean to tell Sam about Jack? Honestly, I just don’t think Cas realizes that Dean is not to be trusted when it comes to things like this. I think Cas told Dean this in a hope that just like with him, it stirred feelings of guilt within him about not being there for Jack but of course had the opposite affect Dean because Dean as a mentioned in previous posts is very much still a child and right now only sees his need for revenge. It’s not necessarily so much revenge against Jack, Dean has more re-directed his revenge to what he believes is the real cause of his pain which is Chuck and to a certain extent Amara. But he can’t be concerned about Jack because again, he has a child’s approach to things. He has tunnel vision when it comes to things he wants. He sees this thing he wants, he sees the most direct path to get it, so that’s the direction he’s going to walk in. He doesn’t care to look both ways before he crosses the street, he doesn’t care that the cars swerving to avoid him are instead about to hit telephone pulls and catch fire. All he sees is what he wants and if he can get to that point before he gets hurt, then that’s what he’s going to do. (Huh, maybe I am in the mood to meta after all, that was quite the metaphor I used). But the point is because Cas is an adjusted adult being he hears that Jack is going to die and he thinks, we need a plan C and expects Dean to feel the same way and tell Sam for him. Cas knows Sam upon hearing that with Plan B, Jack is going to die and Cas is now searching for a Plan C that could involve sacrificing himself instead, Sam would not be okay with either option. But because Cas unfortunately still has his Dean blinders on, he can’t see that even if Dean feels a smidge of potential guilt towards what’s going to happen to Jack, Dean is willing to sacrifice Jack in order to get what he wants. Unfortunate but a lovely Sastiel moment nonetheless.

And then of course, we have the fight in the car with Sam and Dean. Sam understandably is very upset with Dean for keeping this from him. And Dean is yelliing at Sam that Sam would have hated it, he wasn’t on board with using Jack, he wasn’t on board with Amara and I just think that its funny. Because I remember a lot of meta writers within the Destiel fandom kind of talking about how Sam supposedly sympathizes while Dean empathizes and I’m just looking at this scene and thinking, “ok, how on earth does this correlate to that sentiment.” We’re not getting a whole lot of empathy from Dean here and instead Sam, as always, is being the moral compass here. But anyway, Dean is shouting how they don’t have a choice, this is their only option, blah, blah.blah. And I’m just like, “Dean, you do have a choice, but you’re just a child mentally and refuse to look at alternatives because killing Chuck and Amara ala Jack Da Bomb is the most direct path to what you want. And I’m just really happy the that Sam got to the point where he raised his voice at Dean. He didn’t simper down, he wanted Dean to hear that he was not okay with this and the scene just ended with Sam just telling Dean to not speak, not try to make Sam feel better or make any half-assed apologies to Sam, Sam tells Dean to “just drive”. And this is kind of nice character growth for Sam. Because with how Sam was in this scene, I half expected him to tell Dean to stop the car and let him out and he was going to leave. But, I also think unlike what Sam did in season 1, he’s now mature enough to understand that even if he leaves, it’s not going to change anything. He’s not good with what’s planned for Jack’s future but he knows that if he stays, he can maybe find a way to stop it from happening, which he might not be able to do if he had simply left. So character growth there.

But anyway, thanks for listening to me ramble. I apparently had a lot more to say than I thought I did. But like I said, another episode in the books that I really don’t feel inclined to watch again. It’s another episode that’s there, it fills up space but really doesn’t mean a whole lot to me in the grand scheme of things and really feels kind of disjointed. This whole season has kind of been feeling that way. It’s like they only had a couple of ideas for the overall plot arch of this season and now they’re just stuck with filling up the empty space. Although, it was nice that Billy called the boys and essentially the writers out on them doing a MotW episode this late in the game when they should be focusing on other things.

#spn 15x16 spoilers #sastiel #anti dean winchester

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pankracy · 3 years

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I thought I was over spn, but apparently it’s just something that will always lay dormant in me. I’m at peace with it. No sense in fighting the inevitable.

Anyway, today’s mood is sudden and unexpected appreciation of Anna/Ruby and Ruby in general. While I like the canon take on her (on account I’ve spent years with it and I’m so used to it I don’t know how wanting something else from canon in this instance could even feel like), I cannot lie; having an angel rebel for Dean and a demon rebel for Sam would be nice, something something parallels.

Unfortunately & to be fair, on account of Sammy being Like That when Ruby was around, I can’t imagine him giving her any reason whatsoever to doubt her mission. I think his behaviour and state of being could even only reinforce her belief in righteousness of it, if it can be called that for a demon. But that’s exactly where Anna can seamlessly come in, with her abandoning being an angel so ultimately, able to act like a foil not only to Castiel, but to Ruby too. Would she thought them similar? If she got to hang around a bit more, she could be an unexpected obstacle to Ruby that could force her to play up her ‘redeemed demon’ card a little too much for comfort, and to a party she didn’t expect at all; and, in the end, maybe, ohoho, Ruby could start having doubts. Why would an angel not only want to be human, but want it enough to actually give the very essence of their being up and become one? Ruby has her mission, and Ruby’s busy, but she’s also already here and there’s no harm in wondering. And the Ruby Ruby’s pretending to be would be curious about that.

So she kinda has to engage with this & Anna a little. And maybe Anna sees Sam like a threat he is earlier this time, and Ruby needs Sam, so she tries to influence Anna’s view of him as much as she can since she has no other way to possibly stop her from trying to permanently smite him if she grew too suspicious. (Does Anna get her grace back in this scenario? She has to apparently. I already forgot some of the timeline, but I’m sure it could all work out with some clever tweaking & letting Anna be very clever on account of her being suspicious of heaven.) And in the process of trying to sound sincere about Sam not being a mess and potentially dangerous, Ruby kinda starts empathizing/sympathizing/at the very least, ugh, seeing more in him than just a tool. There’s nothing worse than trying to dishonestly convince someone of something and starting to believe your own arguments yourself. Idk, it’d be very funny. And maybe Anna & Ruby get closer, and the closer they get, the further Ruby gets from Sam, and the further she gets from Sam, the more she actually likes him -- that’d also be funny. I have no more thoughts beyond this. There’s nothing better than s4 & s5 canon-divergence AUs.

#.txt #spntalk #I had a Very Stressful Day up to now #and I have 0 idea if anything I wrote makes any sense #but why would I be worried?? the canon itself rarely does #spn #spn ruby #anna milton

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percywinchester27 · 6 years

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I started loving Sam after rewatching the show a couple of months back and I could finally see the warm soul and overall virtue that he possesses' although he was supposed to be evil. He endured so much crap and all he can give in return is love and care. It helped a lot that I started reading fanfic and got into the fandom, in a way, it was the spn family that helped me see Sam in a completely different way, at the start he seemed so immature and ungrateful towards Dean that I didn't (pt1)

care for him. The dynamics between the brothers remind me of the one I have with my sister, we didn't have a good relationship until we both reached our mid-teens and I realized she was her own person and she had to do her. It goes deeper but translating my experience to the bros and seeing it externally, analyzing the whole deal, I got to love Sam like I love my sister. (pt2)

So, that's my love story with the Winchesters and I'm pretty sure I've told you this before but you're one of the reasons I love Sam, because of your work (directly or not) I could unveil a lot of things about myself and how I interact with others. Hence, this is a thank you note in a three-part ask. Again, I hope it gets better, Ana. You're loved and appreciated.

I actually completely relate with your asks. In a lot of ways. I have never re-watched SPN start to end. Just binged my favorite episodes like a thousand times, so I’ve never had the opportunity to reevaluate Sam in earlier seasons. But you are right there. Till like the 4th season, Sam annoyed me too. More because Dean’s gut instinct was always frigging right and Sam barely ever listened.

Besides, Dean was the one who sacrificed a future, made a deal for Sam, went to hell, and was tortured so it was easy to feel for him and be a little frustrated towards Sam for wanting to leave his brother for the Stanford dream.

Even though Sam showed way too much remorse in season 5, way too much faith in Dean, jumped in the cage to save the world, was soulless, had hallucinations, was abused, got possessed, took on trials, the list is endless... All those times, I liked Sam, even sympathized with him a little, but I never empathized with him.

When I first got on tumblr, and started writing, I had my requests open. The first request I had was a Sam X Reader. And I still remember thinking why did it have to be Sam, cause Dean came so much easily to me. But I attempted it, and found out how easy it was to love Sam. When I started my first series, “The Email” I had to actually step into Sam’s shoes. Feel what he’s had to live through and that was when I fell head first in love with him. I couldn’t understand how I had not seen him for who he was. He tries so hard to do the right thing and he fails too, but he gets up and tries again. He’s a beautiful character! And it makes me so happy that I can help people see him the way I see him

I am so happy that you and your sister are on good terms now. I have two sisters too and can very well understand how important that bond can be

I have said this before and I’ll say it again. You are by far one of the most precious people I know. That’s a legitimate fact. You are way too kind and awesome. Thank you so much for all the sweet words. Love you!!

Send me an ask telling me what you love about your fav SPN character/ actor/ blog/ tumblr friend

#Ana loves Ella #You are a cinnamon roll #Spreading love #ask games #sleepless-sin #anaanswers

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thedogsled · 6 years

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13x04 as you’ve never heard it before: Trek vs. Wars

Both do it right. Both make some mistakes. Both have good intentions. Both are brought up in 13x04. Both have crazy ass fans who need to inform you how much superior one is than the other. But uh. I just find it amusing that in a season so far that has presented us with such duality, an episode that opens with a Star Wars reference throws in a Star Trek one as well just for consistency.

I’m going to touch on both because it’s fascinating to me, particularly as both references are so clearly bonded to Jack. And I know, I know. They’re obvious pop culture references, but there’s more underneath the surface to them if that’s all you know them as.

Okay, so I’ve seen people talking here and there about Anakin and Ahsoka. I didn’t watch Clone Wars (though it’s sitting on my shelf right here, oops), so I don’t actually know about Ahsoka, but obviously Anakin is a big deal.

I’ve seen meta comparing Jack’s potential arc to Luke’s and to Vader’s, but that’s because in a lot of ways their arcs are similar, it’s just that they have different outcomes. Luke, of course, has friends and family in his court, while Anakin is under the thumb of a master manipulator in Palpatine who essentially corrupts him because of his great potential power. There’s an easy line to draw there, of course, between Asmodeus and Palpatine. And so if you lean into the Anakin comparison, you have the following:

Anakin was not a child when he was taken in by Qui-Gon for training (I mean he was but by the standards of the Jedi Temple not really)

The Prophecy regarding Anakin said that he would bring balance to the Force (Ultimately he did, there were 2 Sith and 2 Jedi left)

The Jedi Council feared his power/influence and initially forbade his training

And then Anakin consequently lost all the people he cared about or who had faith in him, starting with Qui-Gon.

Which led to him being trained by Obi-Wan who was barely out of Padawan diapers and a bit of a rule breaker himself

And lets face it had a less than stellar upbringing too (But I guess the EU is no longer canon so w/e)

And don’t forget that Obi-Wan is pretty fucking depressed in general (He describes it as his fate to be sad) but he had just lost the person with which he had a profound bond

It’s no wonder Jack aspires to be more like Ahsoka. By Clone Wars Anakin - because of his skill and the lack of leadership experience of Obi-Wan - is a bit of a cocky dick. He endangers others. He’s arrogant, prideful, rageful, prone to outbursts of emotion and ultimately imperfect. The fact that he has such great power raises him above his peers, and those who train him begin to try to impede his process rather than give him - impetuous and unchallenged as he is - a position of wider influence. This leaves opportunity for Palpatine to prey on his feelings of how unfair this situation is. And ultimately? Anakin thinks he’s doing the right thing. He thinks he’s doing good because he’s been told it’s the right thing to do by someone he trusts.

"I see through the lies of the Jedi. I do not fear the dark side as you do. I have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new Empire."

Or paradise?

But Jack can be Luke too. The difference for Luke (just as it’s made clear in the scene of Jack in 13x04) is that he doesn’t want to become Anakin. Luke walks into that cave on Dagobah and in a nightmarish sequence this is the fear he’s presented with: that he and Vader have a great deal in common. (ftr he lops Vader’s head off and the mask explodes to reveal Luke’s face underneath) But it is this fear that allows Luke to choose his side.

This imo is a ray of hope for Jack. He knows what he wants to be: he wants to be good. He’s just not sure of what he’s feeling.

Which leads me to Spock.

Spock is also Jack. Now if you don’t know anything about Star Trek, you probably believe the hype: Spock is a green blooded alien freak from the planet Vulcan. He’s not. Spock is a half breed, half human and half Vulcan, and that’s why I’m going to compare him to Jack. That’s where these layers come from.

Vulcans breeding with humans is seen as a taboo, you see. It’s just not done. There’s all sorts of reasons for this (such as mating rituals) but among them is that Vulcans see humans as emotionally volatile (and unenlightened because of it). A half human child, therefore, is equally prone to this volatility. Spock attends Vulcan schools where he has disputes with other children and basically has to try twice as hard to BE Vulcan to prove that his human half doesn’t make him less than. This troubles his father, of course, because Sarek did fall in love with a human woman (two actually) and he loves and admires the humanity in his son. But Sarek - being wholly Vulcan - is never able to actually express this. Spock didn’t find out the true depth of his father’s feelings until he mindmelded with Picard in season 5 of TNG). Anyway, I’m wandering off topic.

The thing about Vulcans that is overlooked by haphazard pop culture references is that they do feel emotions. They feel them with deep intensity, but through societal pressure/meditation they’ve built a resilience to expressing them--a resilience that fractures every time their hormones go crazy. Spock struggles with his emotions because he has two conflicting halves to contend with, human volatile emotionality and Vulcan intensity with deliberate emotional repression. He is unemotional because he’s gone to pains to suppress it in the past, and identifying and empathizing/sympathizing with those emotions isn’t something his upbringing has trained him to do. Spock chooses to focus on his Vulcan side. As a consequence this half-Vulcan raised on Vulcan acts like a Vulcan because he doesn’t understand the emotions of the people around him, and is detached from something that a human upbringing could have taught him. Spock represents, therefore, an interesting example of duality because it is his choice which defines him:

Data: “As you examine your life, do you find you have missed your Humanity?" Spock: "I have no regrets." Data: "'No regrets.' That is a Human expression." Spock: "Yes. Fascinating."

(For those who don’t know Data’s story is more like Castiel’s, it’s a story about aspiring toward inachievable humanity)

(Author’s note: If you want an idea of how Vulcan culture works, it’s like imagine Toxic Masculinity: The Planet but instead of men being subtly forced to hide their vulnerability it’s generations of very long living, stubborn people being subtly forced to hide their emotions entirely. Nope, that still sounds like Earth)

So Jack is dumped in Dean and Sam’s world, fully grown, surrounded by all these emotions. He FEELS DEEPLY. He has strong and volatile emotions, just like Spock, that he has no understanding of how to demonstrate. Take, for example, that Jack went in to Mia and asked her to become his mother, the deep and intense emotion that motivated that arrangement. There is genuine emotion there, but Jack doesn’t know what to call it, how to identify with it, or if the feeling is good or bad (which is the greatest issue of all because he Does Not Want To Be Bad)--he only knows that it hurts. But what is he supposed to do with that hurt? Man up, maybe?

That Jack’s powers, therefore, are linked to his expressions of emotion is particularly interesting. Outbursts of emotion have been linked to power before in the show, and specifically parallels to Max Miller were brought up in this episode too. That’s no surprise. But Jack’s power is angelic in origin, so his being able to express it through emotion, which is arguably unangelic (though I have opinions on that, damn it) is a whole other kettle of cod.

Jack has been dumped in a world of emotion without the ability to empathize or sympathize. He’s trying, but it’s no surprise he’s having difficulty. Unlike Castiel who had years to begin to learn emotion long before he became human, Jack has been thrown in at the deep end, and it’s not helped at all that these tidepools of human grief are his window on that world because the one thing Sam and Dean aren’t being at the moment is emotionally consistent.

Anyway. I’d been staring at this gifset @elizabethrobertajones made and literally couldn’t put my inner trekkie to sleep. I’m sure this was meant to make more sense than it did originally, but it’s just my take on it. Both Anakin and Spock canonically experience strong emotions and both are taught by the institutions meant to train them that those emotions are dangerous. In Anakin’s case emotion helps him harness greater power. Both have to struggle with their duality, and both face prejudgement because of it. Ultimately despite their differences they both have to make a choice. Unfortunately for Jack, he has to deal with both aspects of his duality as a nephilim and whether his powers/emotions or possible lack of each make him good or evil.

Which leaves him struggling with one question: Who am I?

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elizabethrobertajones · 6 years

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Okay so I saw a post(I think it was by you)talking about how Dean judges and connects to Other Beings as if they were human while Sam holds them on an angelic pedestal. Do you know what I'm talking about? If so, could you direct me to that post? (posts? there might have been multiple? idk it was really good meta and I'm still in awe)

Ah! That one was not me… Although I think I have read good meta about it and agree with it a lot and generally sort of apply it in character stuff without comment >.>

It was probably by or reblogged by @mittensmorgul or @postmodernmulticoloredcloak because they were both in the middle of a lot of discussion of Sam & Dean differences a few weeks ago. Although tbh it’s a common refrain I have seen the entire time I’ve been in fandom in meta so there are 100% definitely much much older posts about it. I wouldn’t have a specific tag for that though. (The “pedestal” line is from 7x06 but I’m not sure if there’s very much in depth meta about it on my blog specifically for that episode, although I KNOW there’s better long meta out there about it :P)

Idk if it strictly comes under this but if it was recent and relevant to other stuff as well, it might be in this tag:

http://mittensmorgul.tumblr.com/tagged/sam-sympathizes-and-dean-empathizes

#Asks

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mittensmorgul · 4 years

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(1/2) One thing I saw during the episode that I haven't seen people talk about (although I may have just missed it) is how the bartender is talking to Sam, and convincing him that they should leave, and how people get sucked into staying longer, for just one more game. Sam is concerned that Dean will fall into that trap but Dean insists on playing anyway. I get that Sam was concerned - preforming Dean is all about excess, food, women, alcohol etc.

(2/2) And Sam has only ever seen preforming Dean. However, Dean was the one willing and able to walk away once he hit his target, and Sam was the one who bought into the "just one more game" sucker bet. I found that interesting and shows another example of how Sam doesn't really know Dean. It also shows how much Dean has grown since the last time he gambled with his life.

Yeah, and how Dean isn’t quite so willing to just throw his life away. I mean, let’s think of the last few times Dean’s been through this (or at least similar parallel situations that I believe the narrative is playing off of now):

-Dean taking on the Mark of Cain. No second thought, not even bothering to ask about the unwanted side effects, even when Cain warned him that the Mark came with a terrible cost. Dean had been willing to pay it, whatever it was. Because he was “poison” and this was the one last thing he could do, damn the consequences.

(though at that point Sam had essentially renounced him as his brother over the Gadreel mess, Cas was human for a hot second but angeled himself up again to be prepared to fight the angel wars, and the only thing Dean felt he had to fight for was getting rid of Abaddon)

-Dean perfectly willing to die to save an asylum full of tortured ghosts, because he’d failed to save anyone-- Mary, Cas, even the one kid he couldn’t reach to help earlier in this episode. He’d fully expected to be dragged to the Empty, but not until he’d bargained to free all those ghosts.

(though at that point Dean had reached his lowest point after Cas’s death, and he didn’t want to go on living... until that final scene of the episode where Cas came back...)

-Dean’s rather self-destructive streak back in s3, after he sold his soul and had only a year to live. I mean, even Dean selling his soul in exchange for Sam’s life in the first place demonstrates this sort of lack of care for himself that Sam seemed to be expecting from Dean in 15.11.

(though at that point Dean was struggling with A Lot of direct self-worth issues pushed on him by John, and it’s confronting that burden directly that begins to finally shift the tide for Dean personally)

But to Sam, in-story, even “smaller” gestures of this sort tend to be framed as Dean’s bravado, or Dean having impulse control issues... and I don’t know if it’s entirely a “performing Dean” issue, versus a “Sam’s selective perception” issue, you know? I mean, Dean had sacrificed himself repeatedly throughout the series to ensure that he and Sam had food, shelter, etc. We’ve seen a selection of his FAILURES to provide that, but those have also been framed as Notable Exceptions to the Winchester status quo that Dean mostly was able to maintain, or Sam would never have been able to develop so many misconceptions about Performing Dean in the first place, you know? Things like Dean “losing their food money” gambling it away in 9.07, for example. It became relevant to the story because it was specifically framed as an outlier to the norm of their lives. It’s also framed as something Sam explicitly did not know about, at all, until years later when the current events of 9.07 unfolded. It was always framed TO HIM as “Dean ran away. No reason given.” So in that light, the impression that Dean was irresponsible in this way was reinforced, to deflect responsibility from John. It was a lose-lose situation for Dean, and he agreed to play along with the tarnishing of his own character in Sam’s eyes if it meant protecting Sam from the horrible truth.

No wonder Sam has a hard time grasping reality and separating out the fantasy or his own mistaken beliefs, you know?

Sam has just had a lifetime of training believing that this was inherent to Dean’s personality, this impulsiveness and... for lack of a better term, lack of self-interest in moments like this, or possibly undeserved overconfidence in his own ability. Which is just freaking sad for Dean. Sam still believes (or wants to believe) that he is the “smart” one, or possibly the “level-headed” one. This was specifically the lever that Ruby used to drive a wedge between Sam and Dean in s4, you know? “Dean’s not strong enough,” or “Dean is weak and broken,” or even “Dean doesn’t understand the bigger picture like you do, Sam.”

Despite Sam’s acknowledgement that Dean actually IS a great hunter, such as in 8.14, and the ongoing proof that Sam does put a lot of trust in Dean throughout the series, this little kernel of doubt lingers and rears its ugly head frequently enough for it to have become a recurring theme between them.

Dean’s stated support of Sam’s understanding of the events of 15.09, and his choice to NOT cast that spell to lock Chuck away, despite everything it cost them in that moment. But as a result, it also saved the one thing we’ve been shown Dean can’t live without-- Cas. And I don’t know that’s something Sam fully understands himself yet... despite it being a key feature of the vision of the horrific future Chuck showed him. Because Chuck clearly showed a difference between Sam and Jody and Bobby having gone full berserker vengeance mode, but Dean? Dean had just... resigned... hopeless. Sam doesn’t really understand that aspect of Dean yet, which makes me think it’s something he will, by necessity, have to learn. It’s been a really long time since Dean was all about hedonistic excess, despite the seeming singular example the show keeps pushing in our faces of Dean’s apparently lack of self-control when it comes to food.

He’s still seemingly on the self-indulgent gluttony train, but even this goes directly back to the underlying issue that drove him to all of the anomalous events of 9.07′s backstory. Providing food for Sam, at risk to himself. That was the failure underlying that whole mess of lies-- Dean vs Food Insecurity. It’s honestly no wonder that Dean still has this all or nothing mentality when faced with an abundance of his favorite foods. I mean, this even goes back to 1.18, where he sacrificed his own food to Sam to indulge Sam as a kid. He’d always just been resigned to the fact that his nutritional needs came second, and there’s been essays on that subject written over and over for the last 15 years.

With Jack currently “consuming power,” and that seeming like something he will be facing more and in different ways as Billie’s plan for him comes to light, I think they will tie it to Dean’s literal food issues, and Sam’s issues with “purity” and “becoming strong enough,” as well as Cas’s willingness to self-sacrifice to protect his loved ones... and then be tossed over entirely as all of these issues resolve by the end.

Nine episodes... and a lot of individual and group dynamic issues to resolve, yes?

#spn s15 speculation #spn 15.11 #spn 9.07 #spn 1.18 #spn 9.11 #spn 8.14 #spn 13.05 #spn 3.07 #performing dean #sam sympathizes and dean empathizes #castiel winchester #Anonymous

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