Issue 1 by Salt & Burn Magazine

Salt & Burn Magazine

Season 9 Reviews Meta & Analysis Art & Graphics Season 10 Castiel

Campaign

Issue 1 â&#x20AC;˘ April 13 2014

A supernatural Fanzine Issue 1 â&#x20AC;˘ April 13 2014 Editors in Chief:

Cover: Tumblr:

Shayla J â&#x20AC;˘ Sarah DeBusk

Courtney Saltandburnmagazine.tumblr.com

Disclaimer: This is a magazine made by fans for fans and though we approve content for quality we do not sensor content to fit only our views. That being said, not all content or statements reflect the views of its creators or others who contribute to the magazine.

Contact us at saltandburnmagazine@gmail.com The following is a non-profit fan-based magazine. Supernatural, and all of its characters are owned by The CW, WB and executive producers Eric Kripke , McG, Robert Singer. Please support the official release. All works of art within this web site are protected under U.S. copyright laws and international conventions. No portion of the artists works or statements were used without prior written permissions granted from the creator or artist. All rights belong to the original creator and artists. 2

Castiel S10 Campaign

Metatron and the Loves Past, Present, and Yet to Come

9.01: “The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost”- Who Are Dean, Sam, and Cas?

9.01: It’s All in Your Head: Sam’s Internal Struggle

9.02: Because You’re Family

Untitled (9.03 coda)

9.03 Fandom Response

9.04: The Power of Possession

9.05

9.06: Rexford, ID-A Study on Human!Cas and Setting Which Turned into A Gay Thing

Meta Analysis

Contents Fanfiction

Contributors

Features

30 Careful Hands

9.07: Take Care

It’s Better to Ask Forgiveness Than to Beg Permission

That Time Supernatural Writers Decided to Turn Dean’s First Love Into the Most Blatant Destiel Parallel Yet

By destielsfluff 3

Contents 36

Art Feature: 21 Shades of Cas

Black Smoke and Mirrors

9.08: Caught between a rock and a hard place, or why season 9 doesn’t come out of nowhere

Midseason Ratings

Benny and Cas Parallels - and What It Mean For the Rest of the Season (And Destiel)

9.09: Gadreel Exposed: “I Know Who You Really Are”

Twitter Trends

Holy Terror Livetweet Extravaganza

Destiel Fic Rec

Kevin Freakin’ Solo

Was Gadreel in Love with Abner?

Audio Meta: Season 9-Consent and Possession Issues

I’m Poison: Dean Winchester’s Dark Side

Suited Up With Nowhere to Go

First Look! Chapter 19 of “Your Call Cannot Be Completed As Dialed”

9.11: Dean and Cain: A Mark of Worth

The Mark of Cain: The Fine Print

9.12: Dean and Garth Parallels-Depression, Suicide, Redemption Through Love

9.13: Dean’s Perception of Monsters

Dean Swings Both Ways?

9.14: Set Dressing: A Deliberate Commentary on Empty Space and Dean Winchester

9.15: So Many Queer Subtext

9.16: Why Sam “Most Definitely” Won’t Break the Spell on Dean

Art in Magnus’ Mansion

9.17: Mother’s Little Helper

Looking Ahead: S9 Speculation

100

Untitled ficlet (destiel)

102

Noose

105

Random Acts-Class Act Program

106

Polls and Victories

108

Cosplay Corner

118

Finale Speculation Poll

119

Acknowledgments

Features Fanfiction Meta Analysis 4

contributors Thank you to these wonderful people who contributed their art, meta, graphics, fanfiction, poetry, and more!

Cover: my-wayward-son-carry-on (Courtney) Content: destielsfluff, theheartofsupernatural, angelwarriorcastiel, x-cetera, , nix-wibbyli, loethlin, winchespurrs, drownedintea, nevenebrez, joaellaine, 22to22, insomnighost, octopifer, unbefreakinlivable, cstiel.co.vu, cheuwell, artistcastiel, lost-shoe, crossroadscastiel, dudewheresmypie, dustline, unbearable-bear, deathbycoldopen, tomcat71 (dA), plusonetoque (1337nik), purplesummer91, sempaiko, bakasara, sonialiao, peivi (dA), captainlafitte (padadreams), cookiecutter60, amyrat151, rustedknees, deanisthenewcain, homelesstiel, thebloggerbloggerfun, hesanangelwithashotgun, nikkihomicide, sharkifer, pondlifeforme, cristality, sleepsintheimpala, obsessionisaperfume, bluesilktie, dustydreamsanddirtyscars, defilerwyrm, drsilverfish, badfaery, michaelique, puppet-girl86 (dA), hexacosm, camacaileonne, exorcisingemily, endure (dA), casfucker (Heather), outpastthemoat, castielcollins.co.vu, Debbieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Music Boxes and More, skurfiez, necroticnymph, kikistiel, pandorica.co.vu, free-to-be-no-one-butmee, anothermindpalace, katyuna *Unless otherwise noted, all names are from tumblr 5

By destielsfluff

Castiel s10 campaign " I would very much to be a part of Season 10 and I hope that that is in the offing. It is not something that anyone from production has approached me about yet. I think they’re still working out story lines for the end of this season and for next season. I have no speculation on where the show goes for Season 10, and whether it includes me or not, I can’t say with any great certainty." Misha Collins, on his uncertain standing in season 10

“I can’t imagine us not having Misha in season 10.” Jim Michaels at Vegas Con 2014 (via neven-ebrez)

We need you to Send a blue tie for Castiel! We want Misha back for Season 10, and back as a regular in more episodes than in season 9, but we need your help to let TPTB know. Go to your local second hand store or charity shop and buy a blue tie (or multiple blue ties!). Consider online options like ebay too. They shouldn’t be more than a few dollars each. Then send your tie to Jeremy Carver and Robert Singer to let them know you want Castiel in season 10. Include a note that reads We couldn’t help but notice Castiel misplaced his iconic blue tie. We figured he might want it back for season 10, the same way WE want Misha back for season 10 as a regular in even more episodes than season 9! We went ahead and sent this blue tie to help Castiel out. Or write something in your own words that expresses the same idea, unique messages always get attention. Remember to be polite and respectful, this is about sharing love, not anger or upset. You can send your blue tie in a bubble mailer like this or in a small box like this. Mail your note and your blue tie to: Jeremy Carver and Robert Singer Supernatural c/o Warner Bros Television 3400 Riverside Drive, 7th Floor Burbank, CA, 91505

The Castiel Fan Network

Thanks for your ongoing support of Misha and Castiel! 6

theheartofsupernatural

With Supernatural's renewal for season 10 already confirmed, we’re excited at the potential of seeing more Team Free Will. While Jensen and Jared are signed on for season 10, Misha’s official status has not been announced. We’re encouraged by positive comments at Vegas Con and jokes about Cas’s season 10 wardrobe from Jeremy Carver. But we can’t rest yet! We’ve lost our angel before and we don’t want to lose him again! Keep sending support until we get confirmation from the CW that Misha will be back. Please let them know that you’d like as many Cas episodes as possible! If you want to see our angel back, we encourage you to send a postcard to Jeremy Carver and let him know! Remember, the creators want to hear from us: in a recent interview, the Supernatural Fandom’s high-interaction with TPTB had us lauded as a Multi-million dollar test audience. Make sure your voice is heard—we would love positive messages of support for Castiel to outweigh any negative campaigns that we’ve heard are currently out there. Our Angel Castiel [Postcard Templates] Last year, TVLine.com reported Misha was to return to Supernatural as a series regular and their poll reflected that 95.8% of fans were “extremely excited” to hear this! [x] Let’s not risk season 10 not including this fan-favorite character! We’ve also include additional postcard templates for you to use! HOW TO SEND YOUR POSTCARDS? 1. Print out these cards at home, add a stamp, and send. 2. Save these templates on a USB flash-drive and take them to your local print shop. (Example: Kinkos, Wallmart Supercenter, etc) Do everything online. For as little as $1.30 you can create, print, and ship your postcard at AmazingMail.com in 1-2 minutes! SUPERNATURAL ADDRESS: Jeremy Carver and/or Robert Singer Supernatural c/o Warner Bros Television 3400 Riverside Drive, 7th Floor Burbank, CA, 91505 Supernatural Films, Inc. 8085 Glenwood Drive Burnaby BC V3N 5C8 CANADA 7

Cas Stats By x-cetera

"This relationship that he has developed with these humans has truly shaped the story that he is now creating for himself" -Jensen Ackles on Castiel

By nix-wibbyli

" To speak of the Dean and Cas of it, you’ve got two incredibly dynamic characters slash actors in their own right who are so good at being exactly what they’re supposed to be, and what they are, essentially, is an ‘Odd Couple’" Jeremy Carver on Dean and Cas 9

Pre-Season 9 Metatron and the Loves Past, Present, and Yet to Come

By Loethlin

I rarely read any meta, so I’m pretty sure someone else came to the same conclusion somewhere before, but maybe you’d stay for a spell, and indulge me? Once upon a time the jerk Metatron devised a spell to cast angels from heaven. Being a bibliophile, he might’ve draw inspiration from Charles Dickens, because Dickens was a jerk too. To his characters, anyway. Because I doubt he saw himself as Ebenezer Scrooge. But never mind that. The spell components were:   

The Heart of the Nephilim The Bow of the Cupid The Grace of an Angel

At least that’s what we’re told. But I had a thought. Bear with me. Heart is a rather universal symbol of love all around the world, and also believed to house our emotions, as opposed to brain that holds our logic and conscious thought.

Nephilim is the child born from the union of an angel and a human. It’s a forbidden union and against the angel law. Nephilims are seen as abominations. It would take someone truly remarkable, to make an angel throw the Heavenly law out the window, disobey, and make babies ever after. It would take love.

The Nephilim, therefore, is the “Love Past”. It blossomed between an angel and a human and came to fruition in the person of the Nephilim. The Bow of the Cupid, is the tool Cupids use to make two people fall in love. Cupids are responsible for Heavenly matchmaking. They, along with their bows, represent “Love Present”.

By winchespurrs

And then there’s the Grace of an Angel. This was bugging me for a long time, because it doesn’t fit the theme. Nothing really lovey-dovey about it, unless you count the love all angels have for their Father.

But Metatron used Castiel. He could’ve used any angel in Heaven, one he knew for sure loved God. He could’ve used Naomi’s grace instead of killing her. But he picked Castiel. The rebel. Castiel, who disobeyed Heaven multiple times, and he did all for a human. Not for God.

What if we weren’t told everything? What if Metatron required a very specific Grace? The one from an angel in love with a human?

That specific Grace would be “Love Yet to Come”. Then, the spell components would look like this:   

Love Past Love Present Love Yet to Come

Much like the ghosts of Christmas in “A Christmas Carol”. I know it might be a bit far-fetched, especially since Supernatural can sometimes seem like it’s FAR from well thought-out. But I think it would be pretty sweet if it turned out that this is what TPTB had in mind.

By drownedintea

"The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost" - Who are Dean, Sam and Cas?

9.01

By neven-ebrez

The premiere of season divine had each of our main characters confront that which doesn’t define who they are, merely the mask that they use to define themselves. For Sam this was his desire to die in the face of his failure and disappointment to his brother (the man who raised him who he sees as a father), for Dean this was his codependent bond with his brother in the form of angel possessing his brother to keep him alive (a brother who he treats as his son), and for Castiel this was his angelic side that took the form of the angel Hael (she is “the problem with angels” personified, a holy ghost).

Dean (the father), Sam (the son), and Cas (the holy ghost). That which is first presented must change by the end. This is the first rule of story telling. It is here that season divine will take us: the search for one’s true identity. Once these masks, these identities are stripped away from our three heroes they will be left with no choice but to look in the mirror for the first time and really ask themselves "Who am I?" and to a lesser extent, “Who do I love?” and “What do I love?”. These are the themes presented by Carver in the premiere, one (who do you love) was even in the lyrics for “The Road So Far”. Each of our characters will be walking this road this year, but right now we do not yet know where that road leads. For Dean "What do I love?" was explored last season with his love of LARPing, love songs, cooking, and nice clothes. For Sam "Who do I love?" was explored in the form of a woman, Amelia, who had suffered the same heartache of losing a loved one and being left in a mess. For Cas it was neither of these things, though we Art by joaellaine do know “he’d rather be here”. As Cas struggled with the will to live under the weight of his mistakes, Sam now must do the same. They can not live for someone else or an expectation of duty, they must learn to live for themselves. The same goes for Dean, the masked father who is constantly throwing himself away to save his son. In a mirror of the narrative last year “Who do I love?” will now be Dean’s question and "What do I love?" will now be Sam’s, and Cas, who got neither last year, will explore both as he already has had his mask (his angelic identity) removed. The first half of the season will likely deal with removing the mask of “father” from Dean and “son” from Sam and the second half will deal with discovering what lies underneath. This is different from Cas who will likely spend the entire season exploring both “Who do I love?” and “What do I love?”. Beyond duty and the identities they were forced into, how will they each carve a new one for themselves? Who are Sam, Dean and Cas? 13

By 22to22

It’s All in Your Head; Sam’s Internal Struggle By ssjdebusk

Season 9 starts off with an interesting look into Sam’s mind, something that we rarely get to see. His perception of the people around him is usually something we don’t get to witness firsthand. Usually we see Sam through Dean’s eyes but now it’s the other way around, and we get to see what it would take to bring Sam back. Through the episode it becomes apparent that Dean is Sam’s will to live, the fight he still has left. He represents, also, what is waiting for him if he were to live. And Bobby is his will to die, to give in and go to heaven and what’s waiting for him on the other side.

It’s funny that in the first scene, Sam’s conscious is avoiding his own fate as he focuses on something else, angels. But Dean, the Dean that is a part of his own mind speaks to what he is thinking about in more depth, angels, demons, Metatron, “whatever the hell happened to Cas”, very much like in the end of the episode where he says “We have work to do” his drive to live is based in the things he still has left to do. Whereas Bobby, the other side of the argument says “Just die? All the good you've done, all the people you've saved, all the sacrifices you've made? You've saved the world, son. How many people can say that? How many people can say that they have left this godforsaken hunk of dirt that much a better place? What you call dyin' I call leavin' a legacy.” Sam wants to fight, but not only does he not know who he’s fighting there is also the argument of whether he should. They keep searching for loopholes to avoid the inevitable and maybe through all of it, what he’s done is enough. It’s the fight against fighting to get more time to keep fighting or letting yourself be done. Letting yourself let it go and allowing yourself the selfishness, as seen through his eyes, in the indulgence of death. And in the end Dean kills that part of him. Because Dean, both the will to live inside Sam and the real one continuously fights against the idea of giving up, in any form, that last push of his subconscious to get him to fight to see another day, to see past what has to be By insomnighost done and to see to the hope of the future. Because at some point, he must have had it. That light at the end of the tunnel that he saw. But he chooses to die because the hope for the future, the thing worth fighting for is peace. And the thing that brings him back, isn’t so much his desire to fight but the plea Gadreel makes using Dean’s appearance, “Sam, listen to me. I made you a promise in that church. You and me, come whatever. Well, hell, if this ain't whatever... But you got to let me in, man. You got to let me help. There ain't no me if there ain't no you.” Basically saying not so much that you’re leaving the world to fix itself, as he has done before, but you’re leaving Dean to do it on his own. That he is going back on his promise to stand by Dean to fix this and it’s that Dean would be on his own to solve it that stirs him to consent. *** 15

9.02 “

Because You’re Family

By ssjdebusk

Devil May Care” addresses, in part, what it means to be family and how Kevin fits into the Winchester dynamic.

Crowley, in an attempt to manipulate him into letting him go tells him, not for the first time, about how the Winchesters use people and people they don’t need end up dead. He tells Kevin that he’s replaceable, and that eventually they’ll be done with him and cast him aside because they don’t actually care about him past what he can do for them. Kevin of course doesn’t let Crowley out but has packed up his things to leave when he runs into Dean. Dean: Kevin, I'm sorry. I know you're dying to bolt, man. I get it. But out that door, it's demons, and it's angels, and they would all love to get their hands on a prophet. So even with Crowley here, this is still the safest place for you. It just is. And we need you, man. Kevin: Because I'm useful. Dean: Because you're family. After all the crap we've been through, after all the good that you've done... man, if you don't think that we would die for you... I don't know what to tell you. [KEVIN starts crying] Because you, me, Sam and Cas, we are all we've got. But hey, if none of that matters to you, then I won't stop you. This has been a huge issue with Cas throughout the years as well, the idea that they need him because he’s useful, and again this season 9 echoes season 6 as Dean assures him that he is family and that they need him because he loves him, in his own way of saying that he loves a person, just as he did with Cas in season 6. This concept continues into the next episode with Cas, where Dean would prefer him in the bunker, the safest place for him but is forced to ask him to leave. All throughout the season Dean is clinging to the family he sees that he has, Sam, Kevin and Cas. And one by one they leave him. Kevin is killed by Dean’s mistake. Sam forsakes him and Castiel is kicked out, forced to survive on his own. Dean unable to protect him. The family that Dean has made for himself slowly falls away and he is left completely and utterly alone, his worst fear.

Art by octopifer

9.03

By unbefreakinlivable

Untitled, by cstiel

Castiel presses his cheek into the cool leather of the Impala’s seats. He is curled up in the backseat, his eyes heavy and drooping after a long day hunting with Sam and Dean. His hair is pillowed on Sam’s jacket, which he had crumpled up and set against the door when Sam noticed his sleepy eyes and handed it back to him. The backseat is too small to be comfortable, but Castiel doesn’t mind being squished if it means he can rest for a few hours on their way back to the bunker. Contrary to what Dean expected, Cas doesn’t mind sleeping. It’s relaxing; a small respite from the bright, burning energy that had pumped through his veins when he was an angel, constantly ensuring he was vigilant and ready. Sleep lets him calm down and ignore the immense problems that plague him, even for just a couple hours. It fills his head with enjoyable images, now able to experience dreams, an enigma that he never quite understood until he became human. Dean’s driving, of course, and an unusually peaceful song floats out of the stereo and washes over the inside of the car. Cas doesn’t notice the constant looks Dean shoots him in the rearview mirror, but Sam raises his eyebrows and smirks. Even Ezekiel rolls his eyes. All that trouble to save his brother, and they’re going to die in a car crash because Dean can’t stop staring at Castiel. Castiel’s breathing slows and he listens intently to the soothing sound of the road underneath the car. It’s a constant hum, the Impala’s tires sliding over the smooth asphalt. He falls asleep to the rhythm. When Castiel wakes up, the Impala is parked in front of the bunker. His head is lying completely on the seat and Sam’s jacket must have slipped out from underneath him, because it’s lying in a crumpled heap on the floor of the car. Cas blinks a couple times before closing his eyes again.

He hears Sam and Dean murmur to each other and open their doors quietly. Castiel’s heart clenches when he realizes that the Winchesters are being purposely silent in order not to wake him up. His heart does that a lot nowadays. Dean pulls open the side door close to Castiel’s head and peers down at his friend. He threads a hand through Cas’ dark hair and strokes it gently. "Hey Cas, you awake?" Castiel opens his eyes and fixes his blazing blue stare on Dean. He looks funny upside down, and Castiel chuckles faintly. "I am now." Dean’s still running his hands through the strands of Castiel’s hair. Cas’s sleep-addled mind is pretty sure it’s the best thing he’s ever felt. "Let’s get you inside. You’re gonna sleep a lot better on a real bed than crushed up back here." Castiel hums in agreement and sits up, Dean’s hands falling back down to his sides. He grabs Sam’s jacket and shrugs it onto his shoulders. Dean steps back and lets his friend tumble of the car, his legs cramped and sore. Dean closes the car door behind them and ushers Cas towards the bunker. He brushes their shoulders together, and smiles softly at Cas, his hand nestled solidly in the small of Castiel’s back.

By Cheuwell

9.04

By artistcastiel

The Power of Possession I’ve seen some discussion about what we saw of the power the First Blade had over Dean and whether or not the fact that Sam was able to break through this time has implications for a next time. For me, I think a clue can be found if you look back earlier in the season, to Slumber Party in particular. Sam and Dean are possessed by the Wicked Witch, which leads to this moment

Dean, possessed, has Charlie in his clutches when she kicks him hard between the legs. Hitting him where it hurts doesn’t break him free from the possession, but it does allow her to escape. Why I think this might be a hint is in the fact that this was Charlie, who has been likened to being a sister of sorts, a sibling, to Dean (and Sam). Sam, the biological sibling, I think is going to find himself in a similar position with Dean. At some point, Dean is going to be fully consumed by the power of the First Blade, possessed by it completely, and whereas Sam was able to break through to Dean in Blade Runners (when he wasn’t in as deep as he is going to be), he won’t be able to later down the line. And whatever tactic he will try, it’ll be with the intention of hitting Dean where it hurts to try to snap him out of it, but it won’t work. Sam will save himself, but he won’t save his brother. I agree 100%, and that last part is very important. Sam will save himself. This breaking the co-dependency arc isn’t just about Dean learning to loosen his grip on his baby brother, it’s also about Sam taking care of himself. It’s about Sam proving to himself, and to Dean, that he’s a grown man and he doesn’t need saving. This post explains exactly why it is not likely that Sam will be able to break through to Dean eventually, and why it is likely to be Cas. Sam did so in Blade Runners, and if he did so again in the end, the impact would not be as great. Also, it would likely be a huge step backward for them, and make this entire arc essentially pointless. This isn’t season 5 where their co-dependency can save the world. This is season 9 where it is destroying them, their lives, and everyone they have ever loved.

Haggerty unable to break through to Jenkins when he is possessed, and ironically, wielding a blade. So we have familial and platonic bonds unable to break through to people being controlled. But you know what has been shown to be able to break through mind control and/or possession?

By lost-shoe & crossroadscastiel 23

9.05

Quality content cannot be found

Disclaimer: the images and words expressed on this page are not be taken as the opinion of salt and burn magazine, rather of just the odd humor of its creators 25

9.06

Rexford, ID - A Study on Human!Cas and Setting Which Turned Into A Gay Thing By ssjdebusk

I’m not sure why I find this so interesting or amusing or what it would even mean but Robert Berens chose to make Cas move to Rexford, ID. He reads the Rexford post and tells Dean there is a case in Rexford, ID. But there is no Rexford, ID. Now, in a show that uses ALL real cities, why is this one made up? Lawrence, Lebanon, Palo Alto for Stanford, basically, they’re all real.

But Rexford. It’s not. And it bugged me. So I typed it in “Rexford, ID” and every single link was to RexBURG, ID. Which is apparently very well known. For being the ”reddest place in America”. Rexburg, ID is the most conservative place in America. Cas took a bus 951 miles to end up in fake town “Rexford” ID for some reason. I think it’s a fictional stand-in so he would have more room to make a point about the town than he would if he said Rexburg, ID itself.

Rexburg has been referred to as the “reddest place in America,” owing to the area’s strong conservative majority and political trends. Some political experts have considered Rexburg, Idaho the true antithesis of San Francisco, America’s liberal bastion. Since 1980 no Republican presidential candidate has won less than 59 percent of the county vote. In that same period Republican presidential candidates polled more than 90 percent of the county’s vote on two occasions, Ronald Reagan in 1984 and George W. Bush in 2004. John McCain came close to this level in 2008, drawing 85 percent of the vote. In 2012, Mitt Romney gained 93.3% of votes. Rexburg obtained national notoriety with reports of a few children on a bus chanting “Assassinate Obama” following the election of Barack Obama in November 2008. The mayor apologized for the children’s behavior. (all these quotes are from the wiki’s for these towns) To put the queer spin on it: "Some political experts have considered Rexburg, Idaho the true antithesis of San Francisco, America’s liberal bastion." San Fran, known for it’s LGBT-friendly government and history. "The city’s large gay population has created and sustained a politically and culturally active community over many decades, developing a powerful presence in San Francisco’s civic life. One of the most popular destinations for gay tourists internationally, the city hosts San Francisco Pride, one of the largest and oldest pride parades." It is the antithesis to the gayest city in the US. It’s filled with mormons, it’s got one of the biggest LDS (Church of the Latter Day Saints — Mormons) churches and colleges in the country, and it’s 95% white. The city’s founder is one of the pioneers of that religion. It’s also got the best hospital. It’s one of the healthiest counties in Idaho. In fact it specializes in pediatrics. 26

But when you get there. Everyone is exactly what you wouldn’t expect to find in the reddest town in the US (I mean other than everyone being white)

   

Nora, a single mother who is the manager of a store over a man All of the murder victims were the “weirdos” of the town, the divorces, the suicidal guy (whom Jace later says “ew” at the very thought of her being suicidal - as the police officer scoffs at the man taking anti-depressants. The first victim, the woman and her husband (the husband before the angel took him over when he became obsessed with that religious cult who is run by the angels), the woman was an atheist (which the cop also scoffed at) I mean even their ages, we see an older man, an married couple in their 30s, two old truckers, Nora. They’re all in the minority age group for the two, it’s mostly filled with the young. Over 75% of people are under 24. And yet we only saw the high schoolers in one scene.

In a town filled with conservative, religious healthy people all the people we meet are liberal, religious people in pain. And then there is Castiel. So in this town, of religious, conservative let’s face it straight people Nora draws attention over and over to how different Castiel is. That he cares, it makes him special, that he’s responsible and good. He’s not like the people in that town. He’s one of the others. He, even though he got himself 951 miles to get to Rexfordburg to the most conservative, religious healthy place he could find to be Steve. To be this person, arguably who he used to be. A grunt, a good little worker, lives at his job because he has no true home other than that. Steve, who statistically would be religious, conservative perfectly healthy man. But he is not Steve. He has still lost his faith, he is lost and he is not well. He is the anti-Rexburg, just like all the other victims. Pained with lost, rejection, loneliness, separation from loved ones, depression, thoughts of suicide. And if we take the queer/destiel perspective he is trying to be Steve, do what human do, have sex with hot chicks because they’re into it (April) or go on dates when ladies ask. Cas isn’t taking the lead on either of these. He is consenting but he is not initiating. He is going with the flow. Being normal. Being Steve. but the point of the episode is that he is not Steve. He is the anti-Steve. So what does that say with his obsession with being normal and dating women like normal people do in the face of a smiling Dean Winchester who is trying to whisk him away from “Steve” and drag him back into “Cas”?



First and “second” victim(s), married couple in Sugar City, ID (the epitome of a happy family town - Stepford almost in its preachiness of family values) who were getting divorced



Third victim, shut in, depressed, found by her landlord.



Fourth victim: his man, the suicidal guy from the beginning, his mother died weeks before and he couldn’t handle the grief of his family being gone.



Fifth victim: teenage girl, dumped in the cafeteria in front of the whole school 27



Fifth victim: teenage girl, dumped in the cafeteria in front of the whole school

No matter how much he wants to be like the people of that town, who he used to be. But he’s not. He’s just like these people Things that have happened to Cas since he fell

   

he lost his home (homeless) he became human (emotions, eating, sleeping, pooping) He was tricked and manipulated and lied to but April wasn’t important. She wasn’t his girlfriend, like the teenage girl, she didn’t dump him, they aren’t married or getting a divorce and she certainly isn’t his family. Dean: very important to note NOT Sam. Near Sam YES, with Sam or involving Sam NO. It was Dean that told him he had to leave. He rejected him. “no false divorce” Cas didn’t do anything and Dean didn’t do anything, neither were at fault. He did it during a meal “he broke up with me right in the middle of the cafeteria” his family, most specifically Dean, his person, rejected him. Cast him aside. Sent him away. Left him to his own devices.

He is alone, on his own in a strange place, bubbling emotion but why did the angel choose to turn up in that town, weeks ago. They targeted that man. In that town. Close to Castiel what seems to be just after he arrived. He followed his pain like a sent right to him but I think Cas was always the intended target, because that would be one hell of a coincidence to turn into an angel, an angel who possessed someone in Sugar City and CAME TO REXBURG. An angel whom idolized Castiel and could smell his pain for miles. "pain is pain" and there is a hurt and a pain when Nora wasn’t asking him on a date, when he hadn’t been that normal human having a normal life he had failed and yes that was a shining beacon straight to him. But he was in pain long before Nora asked him out. He was upset long before that night. He wasn’t happy to see Dean, he was jilted. Angry. The direction were to act like a "jilted lover" which basically, in layman’s terms means someone who is randomly dumped, jilted meaning to reject and abandon (a lover). I guess what I’m saying, is that whether Cas knows it or not “these emotions this confusion” he considers Dean to be his person. Whatever that means. To the writers. To the show. Misha’s said it, that Dean is “the only being in the universe human, angel or otherwise that he has any connection to” . He is the person that effects him the most, causes him the most joy and the most pain when he rejects him. His partner in crime. And them being separated, especially in Castiel fragile emotional state has caused him enough pain that it is a beacon drawing the enemy straight to him, to put him out of his misery, because the angel of mercy only kills those who “can’t be saved”. Without Dean, he is literally broken, he can’t be saved, he can’t go on like this forever, And this little meeting was an ace bandage on a broken wrist. It’s not gonna fix the problem it’s just a pacification until later. I think his feelings for Dean are complicated. And I think being human has complicated them even more. He talked about in this episode “you’re sacred “it’s different now Dean - everything feels different” mixed with later he says, “you’re just shoved out, kicking and screaming into this human life, without any idea of why any of it feels the way it feels. Or why this confusion, which feels like it’s a hairs breath from terror, or pain.” I think from both sides they’ve passed platonic but the writers don’t want to (i.e. 1/2 want it to end romantic and 1/2 want it to end platonic) go any further (and probably think it’s gone too far past platonic aka all the no homo back pedaling) and others want to set up that confusion, highlight that more and draw attention to the unspoken something more that lies under all that stands in their way. It’s interesting to watch the story play out - more so to see how and where each writer stands in the writers ongoing battle in how to interpret them that is very much ongoing. I think it’s safe to say Robert stated his opinion very subtly and yet, i think very poignantly in where he decided to put Cas and how he used one extreme to explain another. *** 28

You know in all the great movies? When the best friend finally tells the girl what the audience has always known, that he’s been in love with her all along? I can’t let you do this. It can’t go on any longer. I can’t sit here and watch you fall in love with somebody else when I’m already so in love with you. This is that moment, and Cas knows it. All along he’s felt it too, but he’s been waiting. Waiting for the go-ahead, to open the floodgates, and let the love that has been there all along pour out. It’s the pinnacle moment in a love story, when finally, finally, everyone admits it out loud. But, although Cas might be ready, Dean is not. As Dean looks at Cas his reserve begins to crumble, and Dean knows he could never ask for so much, for someone to love him unconditionally when he will never deserve it. So he backtracks, shakes off the “chick-flick” moment, and puts his walls up once again. The moment is gone, and it’s a sucker-punch to the gut for Cas. One day Cas will say it, though. When the time is right. But for now he can only look away and hope that his thoughts are loud enough to be heard: Dean Winchester, you’ll always deserve to be loved. By dudewheresmypie

Careful Hands By dustline

" ean, do I care too much?" Cas’ gravelly whisper is almost lost under the air rattling through the Impala’s heating vents. The car smells of blood despite Cas’ best efforts to quench the flow from his hand, and shadows obscure the nuances of his expression. He sits unnaturally straight in his seat, like he’s expecting to collapse or to be pushed out of the car (or perhaps both), and he clutches his injured hand in his lap just a little too tightly. Dean wants to reassure him that, however much Cas cares about anything, it’s okay. Wants to tell him that being human means you get to care about anything you want to, whether it’s dumb crap like strawberry lemonade or beer pong or celebrity gossip magazines, or the important stuff like people, or families, or even the freaking way a sunbeam hits the roof of a car when you’re having a day so bad you’re wondering if it’s worth it to wake up the next morning. Dean wants to say all that and more, wants to purge the fragile marrow of Cas’ bones from all that is hurting him, but Dean doesn’t know where to begin, so he leans over, kind of fumblingly pats Cas on the knee, and asks him: "Hey, how about I book us a room for the night?" Cas doesn’t look over, doesn’t even blink. It’s like Dean hasn’t said a word, and just as worry is starting to claw its way up Dean’s throat, Cas blinks like he’s trying to wake up. "That would be nice, Dean." It doesn’t sound like Cas is even trying to hide the strain in his voice. He is bare to the world, and vulnerable, and Dean is so scared. He feels like he’s kicked a puppy when Cas tries to smile at him, and not very successfully. There’s so much pain there that Dean wonders how Cas is managing to cope at all, much less keep a seemingly stable work position and manage not to be constantly breaking down there. "Good," Dean says, but it’s really not. He tightens his grip on the wheel, then shifts the Impala to another gear while pulling away from the curb to Nora’s house. "We’ll find a good place. Cable, pay per view, the works." Cas only now leans back in his seat, as though the offering of cable TV had been his first and only true indicator that Dean wasn’t going to abandon him tonight. Maybe it was, through some twisted, miserable logic known only to Cas. "Can we rent a movie?" "Yeah," Dean tries to sound cheerful about the possibility. He doesn’t care what they do, not really. It doesn’t matter at all. He’s just glad Cas isn’t dead. "Whatever you want." "I want something with a happy ending." Cas looks out of the window, and though Dean thinks this should have been said with some hint of longing in it, Cas’ voice is instead carefully neutral. Maybe he’s waiting for Dean’s thoughts on that. Maybe he doesn’t care what Dean thinks. Maybe he thinks Dean doesn’t care what Castiel thinks. Maybe Dean needs to stop second-guessing the entire night and just appreciate that he has Cas sitting next to him, and that maybe everything’s going to be okay, if only for a few hours. Even if Dean has to force it to be that way. "A happy ending sounds good," Dean says, because he can be agreeable sometimes, if he needs to be, if it’s scaring him not to be, if Cas’ silence is worrying the hell out of him and he wants to help him feel better. "No deaths." Cas does not curl up in his seat, but something about his posture and the way he keeps holding his injured hand as though he’s afraid it will run away makes Dean wonder if it was a near thing. "I’m tired of people dying." Read more on tumblr

By unbearable-bear

9.07

Take Care By deathbycoldopen

By tomcat71

Through all of “Bad Boys,” I was trying to figure if Dean was being paralleled by Timmy or his mother. On the one hand, it’s Dean who connects with the kid, and the one who ultimately has to let go in order to keep from destroying the life he’s built for himself. On the other hand, Dean is and always has seen himself as Sam’s protector; he carried Sam from the fire that night all those years ago, and he will continue to “protect” Sam, even against Sam’s wishes, until both of them have lost everything. After agonizing for a little bit, though, it struck me that it’s not that Dean is reflected in one, and Sam in the other: it’s that both Timmy and his mother are representations of two aspects that both exist within Dean at the same time. Dean connects immediately with Timmy, first in the role of a friend, and then in the role of a protector. Timmy introduces himself by saying that he was fighting monsters, just as Dean does; but Timmy is a version of Dean, much like the young Dean in the flashbacks, who has yet to be hardened by those monsters. Timmy is soft, fragile, odd. He dreams of being like his idol, his little action figure, but is instead sensitive and sweet. The Dean that we know has always emulated John, imitated him down to the leather jacket that never really fit him; and yet, we’ve met another Dean over the years, first in bits and pieces, then in chunks, and now we’ve seen that this Dean, the one who gets nervous around people he admires, the one who likes puzzles and fixing up cars but also playing make-believe and watching Game of Thrones, this Dean existed when he was young as well- that is, if he had the chance to show it. This is also a Dean who loves his younger brother, who smiles when he sees him playing with an airplane, who genuinely wants to spend time with him. the version that came out of the fire was the burned and twisted Dean, the facsimile of a loving brother/mother who can only protect by lashing out rather than listening to the one he is supposedly protecting. The ghost that haunts Dean Winchester is the ghost of codependency itself.

Just as Timmy had to let go of his mother, Dean needs to let go of Look out for Sammy, those words that always always always pound in the back of his head, no matter what he tries to hide them with. But just as with Timmy, it isn’t so hard to let go. Dean has relied on his ghost to tell him who to be and what to do for so long; he doesn’t know how to exist without the harsh facade of codependency. The Dean who can no longer control his forced identity is fragile, and can barely stand on its own, let alone live a life without the other Dean. It’s nearly impossible to let that go, to face the unknown when you aren’t even sure that small, fragile being inside even exists anymore. But it is possible, for Dean as it was for Timmy. The identity that Dean had formed at the tender age of four is still there, hidden under the burned and hardened shell. Letting go of the ghost that has haunted him for so long won’t mean that he won’t love Sam anymore, or that he won’t want to protect his little brother; but it will mean that he can find himself again. It will mean that he can take care of himself again.

It’s Better to Ask Forgiveness Than to Beg Permission Red Bank, NJ June, 1995

By 1337nik

It’s nearly six when Sam tiptoes into the motel room. Dean sits at the kitchenette table, carefully stripping and cleaning an M870, his eyes on the clock. He lets out a sigh of what sounds like relief. Sam recognizes when his brother’s been worrying, and for a moment he feels guilty, before he remembers that he’s twelve and he should be able to go to the library in a small town by himself. “Is he here?” Sam mouths to his brother. His shoulders sag when he notices two pairs of dirty hiking boots by his feet. Dean closes his eyes and mimes taking a nap. Sam wonders if he can make it to the table, pull out his books and act as if he’d been there the whole time. The brothers have a long standing pact; they don't snitch on each other, as long as it isn’t something stupid. John would never even know the difference. Sam takes a breath and gently pushes the door shut. The hinge squeaks, giving him away. So much for that plan. “I told you to be back by four,” their father’s voice rumbles over the TV. The couch springs don’t groan; at least Sam’s not going to get it in the face this time. “It doesn’t take two hours to walk here from that school.” “I had study group.” It occurs to him that his father had been halfway through a six pack when Sam reported that, and the information may have been lost in the haze. “What do you need study group for?” Dean snickers. “Aren’t you a Mathlete?” “I was tutoring. Y’know, girls.” His brother nods in approval. Sam sits at an empty corner of the table and goes through his books. The year is really a foregone conclusion at this point, just review and preparation for the next – eighth grade. Old enough that he doesn't constantly need a babysitter, a chaperone. Hell, if he’s old enough to pack salt rounds and shoot targets, he’s old enough to spend a few hours alone with friends. At least until they leave and he loses what friends he has. Sam slides a blue sheet from the pocket of his binder and unfolds it. Aside from the neat crease through the middle, it’s pristine. Dean looks up, reads the top. Sam’s afraid he’s going to grab it, but his older brother just gives him an encouraging thumbs up. He steels his nerves and walks over to the sofa. “Dad?” John grunts. Sam takes that as his cue to continue. Read More on AO3

That Time Supernatural Writers Decided to Turn Dean’s First Love Into the Most Blatant Destiel Parallel Yet By purplesummer91

So, Robin. Robin who plays her guitar and thinks she doesn’t want to work in her dad’s diner but actually loves it and Robin who gives Dean his first kiss. Robin who Dean had to leave. But let’s start from the very beginning. So, before Robin is even mentioned, we get a nice look at the place which, we will later learn, she runs. Cus’s Place. Please note that the font they used to write Cus’s Place makes it very, very easy to mistake that ‘U’ for an ‘A’, so much so, in fact, that many, many people (including, for instance, my mom) were 100% sure the diner was called Cas’s Place, at least at first. Also note that Show makes a point of showing us the name of the diner very clearly, both here, and later, when we get a glimpse of the menu. Admittely, this showed us more clearly that it was Cus’s rather than Cas’s, although I have heard of people who still thought it said Cas’s. But the point is, they really made sure the name was seen, didn’t they, because seriously, they could’ve transitioned from the present back to when Dean first went there with Sonny literally any friggin’ way they wanted, and yet they chose to do this. They could’ve easily avoided that first shot of the diner, and just cut to Sam and Dean at the table. The diner itself wasn’t relevant to Robin’s story, apart from the fact that she worked there as a kid, and is currently running it. But they didn’t need to show us a shot of the place for us to understand that, now, did they? This is something that really stuck with me, because we don’t usually get shots of the outside of the places where the boys eat, but we did get a shot of this. We then get a glimpse of Robin and a shot of Dean blatantly staring at her while she isn’t looking - while she is, in fact, working. Looking at this my mind immediately went to 9x06, and Dean looking at Cas while he, too was working.

Robin comes to take Dean and Sam’s orders and Dean is the cutest thing ever very excited to see her again. She apparently doesn’t recognize him, and Dean dies a little inside is very clearly a bit brokenhearted, thinking that his first love doesn’t recognize him, that he was just one of the many guys who came and went from Sonny’s place. We later learn that she did, in fact, recognize him, but didn’t want to admit that because she was still hurt over Dean’s abandonment so many years before. She’s giving Dean the cold shoulder because he had hurt her in the past. She is, we might say, acting like a jilted lover. And who else has been acting (as per Jeremy Carver in person’s request) as a jilted lover recently? That’s right, Cas in 9x06, Cas who was giving Dean the cold shoulder because he had been kicked out, abandoned, in a way, by Dean. But let’s get deeper into the reasons why Cas and Robin were pissed at Dean. Cas, we know. He became human, had a few pretty horrible weeks, and when he was finally back home, with the people he considers his family, Dean, the person he trusts the most in the world, breaks that trust and asks him to leave without a real explanation. He abandons him, alone and scared, in this new human life, without even explaining why. But we, of course, know the reason why. Ezekiel forces him to send Cas away, because if he doesn’t, Zeke will go instead, leaving Sam to die. So Dean is forced to put aside what he wants, and abandon Cas to take care of Sam. And what about Robin? Well, Dean and Robin had been together for a while when Dean was at Sonny’s. They were cute, and in love, and finding out for the first time what that meant. Dean asked her to the school dance but never showed up, just left without a single explanation, without even really saying goodbye. He broke her heart, and her trust, as she says herself: Dean: […] you just gotta trust me. Robin: Trust you? And why would I do that again? And again, Robin might not know it, but we do know the real reason why, don’t we? John had come to pick Dean up, and no matter what Sonny said, he refused to give him one more night - just one more night - because they had work to do. Sonny offered Dean to fight for his right to stay, and not just for the night, and Dean - oh, Dean - I think he actually considered it for a minute. He went to the window, stared thoughtfully at the Impala and… there was Sam. And I think, it was in that very moment that he knew, he couldn’t just abandon him. Never mind if he broke his own heart and that of the girl he loved, never mind if he abandoned her, he needed to take care of his little brother. Sounds familiar? The parallels are there, and are real, and are there for a reason.

Bonus: young!Robin actually looks very much like a female, teenage version of Castiel, with those dark hair and those big, bright blue eyes, doesn’t she? And if this was literally the only parallel I’d most definitely just shrug and write it off as a coincidence. But keeping in mind everything else? …let’s just say, I’m not exactly as willing to think of it as a coincidence.

Art Feature By Sempaiko

9.08 Caught between a rock and a hard place, or why season 9 doesn’t come out of nowhere By Bakasara

In fact, it’s season’s 8 most natural progression and, as far as I can see, part of the same bigger plan Carver was following last year. As I’ve already said in a few posts, I wrote a long meta that I’m still translating covering seasons 1 to 8 about Dean’s journey through Hell and Purgatory starting from the S1-3 status quo. When s10 is over, I intend to expand it implementing the continuation of Dean’s journey, that I expect will be consistent with how it’s got so far (will I have my Heaven metaphor to complete the triad? For now it seems like I might, although it looks like the concept of Heaven will be a heavily subverted one). Of course I can only do that then, because I need to see the completed piece for a more comprehensive analysis that’s based on facts and not speculation. However, after eight episodes into s9 I can at least try to explain how in my interpretation the new episodes we’ve got so far are heavily linked to everything’s that’s happened before, right up to 8x23. In order to do that, a little bit of insight into my longer meta is necessary. I’ll keep it essential and I promise it’s relevant. In it, I divide Dean’s journey in three major arcs:   

seasons 1-3 where the status quo is established and explored seasons 4-7 where macho culture is deconstructed through Dean’s character season 8 where Dean’s character and identity is reconstructed

In seasons 1 to 3, the status quo is presented: a series of reasons made Dean the man he is at 26, i.e. your horndog hetero dudebro stereotype who’s nothing more than Daddy’s instrument and “doesn’t even have an original thought”. A lot of conflicts get in the way, because things like ‘obedient soldier’ and ‘macho man’ don’t go well with things like ‘Mary’s surrogate’ and ‘surprisingly sensitive guy’, but Dean won a prize for most repressed human being that ever existed and the facade, more or less, holds up. Until the experience of Hell, by definiton, the most violent and most traumatic event imaginable, makes it all crumble. In its face, everything loses its meaning, all previous anchoring points are shaken or outright broken, (the hunters’) hypermasculine culture included. Hell as an event is followed in seasons 4 to 7 by a Deconstruction. 42

[In case you aren’t familiar with the term: to “deconstruct” a trope means to apply it to a realistic situation with the consequent emersion of its realistic effects: basically, it consists in exploring a trope with a highlight on its negative connotations. Think a superhero hiding her identity in a cartoon world: she always manages to get away with it, save he world, kiss her unsuspecting girlfriend, and be happy at the end of the episode. Now think about the same scenario but with Real World’s much harsher rules: having two identities makes it hard to be good at her job so she gets fired, her girlfriend starts thinking she’s covering up an affair and dumps her, all her friends abandon her because she’s always angry and unreliable, stress induces her to alcohol abuse.] Dean’s hypermasculinity and his identity on a broader level get deconstructed in the sense that it is exposed:  

how all his posturing not only is a frail, superficial construction but also how it’s been damaging him; how the kind of attitude that permeates all aspects of his life doesn’t provide him with the adequate resources to move on from a traumatic past.

He either lets the posturing go - learns how to communicate better, how to understand and deal with his feelings, admits that who he is might not be whatever he’s been raised to believe he should be, etc. - or he literally, materially succumbs. See season 7 for example, when the deconstruction has almost reached its peak, and where not comprehending his emotions leads him to depression and alcoholism. He gets so low that in 7x15 he’s paralleled by, and likened to, a psychopath. When all possible assumptions about Dean’s identity as seen in s1-3 have been challenged, Dean has symbolically died and been reborn in 7x17 , all the constructions have been shattered and Dean can’t move forward on his own because he’s the identity equivalent of a tabula rasa, Purgatory comes to swipe away the wreckage left, clean the soil so that something new can be built on it. Purgatory kickstarts the Reconstruction that continues throughout s8 (and 9 and 10 up to the endgame, if this first half of the season is any indication).

[To reconstruct a trope means to observe it in its entirety, flaws included… and still claim that it can work, therefore taking it and, by changing some of it consitutive elements, finding a solution that make it work. Our superhero understands that she’ll never be able to keep a job as an employee but she realizes she can make the money she needs by selling her paintings, she tells her girlfriend about who she really is and at first the girlfirend is freaked out, but then out of true love she decides to stick by the superhero’s side and takes some self defense classes, life is outright shitty sometimes but knowing she needs to be sober to fight evil keeps our heroine strong and she finds out it’s ok to ask her family to comfort her when she feels weak.] In Dean’s case, reconstructing his character means letting him understand that he can still be fundamentally Dean, but this time, he gets to make the rules. This entails, of course, finding out who Dean is at his core.

“In Dean’s case, reconstructing his character means letting him understand that he can still be

fundamentally Dean, but this time, he gets to make the rules.” As it turns out, Dean’s essence is not given by being butch, tough, unaffected, gasp!, necessarily hetero and, double gasp!, necesssarily manly (as in sticking to what is socially constructed as masculine). It’s given by being passionate, loving, fiercely loyal, intimately affected, courageous, resilient, by having creative and strategic intelligence and by having strong faith. It’s no wonder that as he comes to discover and accept himself in s8, the traits that emerge more prominently are his geekiness (lively, passionate), his unwavering loyalty towards Castiel and longing for him (loving, fiercely loyal), his intelligence both reaffirmed in actions and when Sam calls him a genius, his belief that Castiel will overcome mind control and spare him right until the end (strong faith), finally his getting deeply touched by those he cares about, his settling down in the Bunker which he starts considering his home,

his being more comfortable with a series of activities, desires and behaviors that are culturally coded as feminine and he’s always been inclined towards such as displaying affection, being needy, cooking, fanboying out - as in showing unbridled enthusiasm for things, appreciating good style, not always being in the mood for sex, getting flustered, even wearing a vest just ‘cause he likes it and it’s comfy (intimately affected).. By the end of s8, Dean’s core qualities have been (re)established. Even if you were one of the fans who still thought the whole macho thing was Dean’s True Soul, yeah, no way, it’s all that other stuff instead and they couldn’t have hit you over the head with it more if they tried.

That means it’s already 8x23 and Dean is sitting in this bar with a love song in the background on what looks suspiciously more and more like a date with Cas, and while you can’t hear, they’re probably talking about how they still can’t believe there was a freaking shopping scene of all things involving Dean this season, and it literally - doesn’t get gayer than in that bar— and that’s where my meta stops. I’m not kidding, the last picture of my exam thesis was actually Dean and Cas together at the bar. So let’s try to go on now. Where was I- ah yes, doesn’t get gayer than in that bar— except one thing has been left behind.

There’s one feature of Dean’s identity that has always been assumed to be fundamentally constitutive of his personality that hasn’t been challenged. Which makes perfect sense, because when it does, Dean is going to need all the renewed Sense of Self and all the newly found autonomy he can muster to keep him standing. So Dean goes back to Sam and in what is arguably his first act of regression prevents him from completing the trials. The first half of s9 is nothing but the most natural follow up. At the same time, without s8, Dean would’ve been crushed as a character nine episodes and three codependences ago in s9. (In fact, I still suspect he’s gonna be crushed, but thanks to s8 he’ll have many of the resources he needs to raise from the ashes when he’s born again). The parent-child relationship Dean has with Sam runs in Dean’s veins. It goes way deeper than any posturing: Dean’s defined himself as Sam’s protector all of his life, sometimes as his only role, and all the caregiving has been absolutely genuine. It’s hard to even imagine how the codependency specifically, given that Sam and Dean’s bond turned into that particular dynamic, could not be a defining trait from which Dean can’t rescind if he still wants to be Dean. It’s precisely because of how deep the issue runs that, intradiegetically, it’s taken so long for it to be tackled. What Dean still doesn’t have access to is a way to love his brother that does not include a toxic bond with him. 45

Once again, a deconstruction-reconstruction structure seems to be the tool of choice - only, Carver doesn’t have seven seasons to do it so he turned it into a few episodes instead. The game now is:

Hypothetical audience: ok, maybe sometimes Dean and Sam get a bit obsessed with each other, but it’s not really that bad, right? I mean it’s ‘cause they really care a lot! All they do, they do out of love! That’s hella romantic [in the broader sense of the term, this isn’t a jab at wincest fans]! The Samulet is cute and ~meaningful and represents their bond! Show: Yes, Dean and Sam love each other, but have a destructive way of displaying it. It’s meaningful, but it’s not sweet. When you’re desperate it’ll reveal itself for what it is and make you do horrible things. It’ll make you ignore the other person’s choices because you can’t lose them, it’ll make you hurt them and lie to them because you need them to be safe. Are you sure that still looks like love? Those two users on Twitter: YES!!! BRUDAS!!! Everybody else: But..! Um… Uh. Of course, Dean was doing real good last season, but the codependency gets worse the weaker Dean’s Sense of Self is: cue the regression we’ve been witnessing during these first eight episodes. Right now, Dean is at the center of two opposite tendencies, one to go further on his reconstruction, i.e. go on building his identity and, so to speak, refine certain aspects - I’ll get to that soon, the other to make the two proverbial steps back for every step forward. That’s how we get Dean’s open speech to Kevin (feelings getting discussed with someone who’s not Sam or Cas! This is sorcery!) and a foreshadowing that Dean will eventually end up in a place where he’s able to verbally express his love - of whatever kind - for Sam and Cas. That’s also how we get the revelation that Dean is capable of wanting a life for himself that he gets to choose where Sam is not his responsibility anymore (yeah, that thing you smell is just eau de endgame) and Dean oversharing (with the audience) that the sex and all is good but what he craves at this point in his life, and from this point on, is an emotional connection with someone he won’t have to say “adios” to after a night. One more thing we get: have you noticed how after getting worked up over the Wicked Witch making a mess in his kitchen which “he’d just cleaned” he doesn’t so much as bat an eye? This has gotta be, what, the first time in 9 years that Dean has gone and forgot he’s Dean The Manly Man and done his Dean thing and then hasn’t immediately overcompensated for it or looked at Sam completely mortified hoping he didn’t see or hear anything. He’s honestly just pissed and claiming the right to be. Because yeah, Dean Winchester, claim that right to be who you are and enjoy the things you like. That going back and forth is also why we got some early seasons traits popping up, see: Dean the horn-dog. In 9x08, the sex he has with Suzie is so meaningless it’s not even deemed important for the audience to see Suzie and Dean waving each other goodbye - even though he’s just said that he likes the sensations that sex gives him but that it doesn’t, ultimately, satisfy him on a deeper level. 46

In 9x05, he starts assuming the dog’s traits due to the spell. Colonel, however, happens to be an anti-parallel for Dean, strikingly similar to early seasons!Dean. Because it’s gotta be absolutely clear just how shitty the situation is, while Dean regresses some of the qualities that have been affirmed - or confirmed, if you were paying attention the seven previous seasons - as Dean defining features are missing: Dean is being less and less loving with Sam in favor of “doing what needs to be done” and lying and he sure as heck is not being “fiercely loyal” neither to Sam’s trust in him nor to poor Cas who got dumped thrown out without an explanation and was never asked to come back. TL;DR: The scenario has been ble way for Dean to continue season 8 without breaking the If Dean had wanted to, he Road to Autonomy. That things 9x01!Dean wasn’t emodefining himself by his bond his choice even if that means to be.

The other option is letting Zeke save him with a charte blanche tremes, that means two things: wards becoming his own man, that he’s not, i.e. a selfish assing. Which is a… rocky place to

“The scenario has been set up so that there is no possible way for Dean to continue the progress he was making in season 8 without breaking the codependency.”

set up so that there is no possithe progress he was making in codependency. could’ve decided to go on his would’ve meant doing two tionally capable of doing: not with Sam, and letting Sam make his death. Which is a hard place

angel up his brother to try and deal, but brought to the exnullifying Dean’s progress toand having Dean become all hole and not-decent human bebe.

See what I did there? Dean goes into “Hell” (Vesta’s cave) in 9x08 in full regression which is exactly what’s happening now as Dean descends into the pits of the codependency in all its ugliness, and when he resurfaces after screwing his way out (heh) he is ready to break Zeke’s deal, read: the codependency, by telling Sam the truth and consequentially letting him choose. Fortunately - so to speak, Zeke was born a deus ex machina and will die a deus ex machina, so when Dean finally decides ‘selfish jerk and not-decent human being’ makes him feel a little bit too, y’know, not decent and jerk-ish at the end of 9x08, Zeke intervenes to kindly inform him that It’s Too Late and he Got Too Far and now it’s not up to him anymore, which, ending with my usual finesse, roughly translates as suggesting Dean bites that pillow hard ‘cause doggie’s been a real bad boy and next week’s not gonna be gentle. ***

Midseason ratings SUPERNATURAL NIELSEN RATINGS SUMMARY FOR FALL OF SEASON 9 Ratings: Very good and considerably better than last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. There is week-to -week variability but no notable upwards or downwards trend. Season todate averages with comparison to the same period in season 9 in parentheses: 2.3 million total viewers (+10%), 1.1 in adults 18-49 (+19%), 1.0 in adults 25-54 (+15%), 1.0 in adults 18-34 (+19%), 1.1 in women 18-34 (+27%). Demographics: Continue to do very well with target young demographic. Highest rated episodes for women 18-34 were 9x09 and 9x02; lowest rated were 9x03 and 9x08. Drop-Offs: Note the yellow bars indicating episodes with Cas. Average dropoff in viewership from the first half hour to the second half hour: 4% in episodes with Cas, 10% in episodes without Cas. Lead-In: Not counting the premiere or 9x07 (The Originals did not air), the correlation between Supernaturalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ratings with those of its lead-in are: r=0.93 (very strong) for total viewers, r=0.34 (weak) for adults 18-49, r=0.54 (moderate) for adults 25-54, r=0.65 (moderate) for adults 18-34, and r=0.69 (moderate) for women 18-34. This suggests that Supernatural gets a sizable bump from viewers of the show before it. By x-cetera

By sonialiao

9.09

By pieivi

Gadreel Exposed: “I Know Who You Really Are” By zerostumbleine33

After nine episodes of anticipation, we finally see who Gadreel truly is. Despite his seemingly innocuous offer of help at the start of the season, we’ve seen the angel possessing Sam begin to take a more active role; taking the wheel so to speak. This begs the question of; how often was it Sam that Dean was speaking to? Despite Dean listening to “Zeke’s” demands in 9.03, forcing Castiel out of the bunker for the “greater good” (aka healing Sam), he follows through on a case and runs into Castiel. Again, “Zeke” tells Dean that they can’t work with Castiel, and Dean is forced to oblige given his circumstances. While Sam is clearly a victim of possession without consent, Dean himself becomes an item of possession, losing his free will to the whims of the angel riding along inside of his brother. But is Gadreel truly as bad as he seems? That’s a hard question to answer after he kills Kevin in order to prove his loyalty to Metatron. Gadreel had taken the name of Ezekiel, saying that he was a “honorable” and “good” angel, clearly something he values and wishes to have for himself. His own name however is tarnished, after letting evil into the “Garden of Eden”, he was imprisoned for eternity. When given the task to slay another in order to prove his devotion, he says “that is not who I am”. However, as we see, he does in fact do it, saying “I did what I had to”. A common theme this season, doing what has to be done, I can’t help but wonder what his whole story is and who he has wrongfully followed into battle before. Not the only angel to misplace his trust, Gadreel is another pawn in a large game. We still don’t truly know who he is but perhaps like our characters who have done “what they had to”, perhaps the chance for redemption is still present as well as the chance to prove his honor. At the least, this is the angel who brought back Castiel and Charlie without much prompting. I’m hoping we eventually see who he truly is; the angel who miraculously has a lot in common with Sam (especially S4) and is trying to fix his mistakes but only carving a path of destruction instead. 50

By padadreams 51

By octopifer

Kevin freakinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; solo

By cookiecutter60

9.10

Was Gadreel in Love with Abner? By amyrat 151

The impression I got from Road Trip is yes, Gadreel was in love with Abner. I’m not sure what this says about the resolution of Dean and Cas’ relationship as romantic or if it even has anything to do with that, but I think it makes Gadreel even sadder, in any case. The first scene with Gadreel has him meeting another angel. This angel is inhabiting some sort of pop star named Corey and the angel’s name is Thaddeus. Anyway, we learn that Thaddeus was Gadreel’s prison guard. He did more than guard Gadreel, he tortured him, but it seems that was a part of his orders. But Thaddeus also tortured an angel that Gadreel was associated with named Abner. T: I was guard, I was doing my job. G: What you did to Abner, was that your job? T: Your boyfriend, no that was just fun. Is that what you’re here for, the big pay back? By rustedknees

Now to me this still reads as ambiguous. Thaddeus could be teasing Gadreel. Characters who are men, or at least male bodied, are teased for having emotional attachments, especially to other men. “You’re not all stoic and cut off from your emotions, so you’re not manly and therefor gay.” Even the suggestion for payback doesn’t tell us anything besides the fact that Gadreel and Abner were close. Supernatural likes to show us with Sam and Dean the strength of familial, non-sexy type love and by this scene one could think that’s the kind of love that Gadreel and Abner have. In the next scene with Gadreel he meets Metatron at a bar and he gives Gadreel the name of Alexander Sarver. We learn later that the this is the vessel of Abner. In the bar scene Metatron tells Gadreel that he has to prove his loyalty and worth. It seems to me that Metatron sent Gadreel to Abner to prove the extent of his loyalty. If Gadreel will kill the one that he’s closest to for Metatron that speaks volumes about his loyalty. I personally still don’t get eros love from this whole thing just yet. So they met and look surprised and delighted to see each other. To me it gets very not ambiguous right around the time the little girl in the scene calls out to “daddy.” Gadreel looks shocked and heart broken. Jared plays the scene as a someone who has come across their old lover who has clearly moved on with someone new. He tries to smile at the little girl, Abner’s daughter in effect, but it’s a feeble little twitch. 56

When they talk Abner talks about having moved on from his past. He’s settled into Alexander’s life. He admits that he was a “crappy angel.” In Supernatural an angel’s defining trait is their loyalty and Abner was not loyal because he “abandoned is post,” or defied his orders and was locked up for 700 years because of it. However, he has moved past the pain from that experience. He also gets no joy from knowing that his former prison guard is now dead, nor is he happy that Gadreel got revenge, revenge that Gadreel claims was for both of them. A: I wish you hadn’t of done that. G: But why? He tortured us, you most of all. A: I remember, and I remember you were always there to put me back together. G: We were friends. A: We are friends. I find it to be a little telling that Abner and Gadreel never refer to each other as “brother.” To me this shows their relationship was different than the ones that most angels have with each other. I wonder if Thaddeus tortured Abner as an additional torture to Gadreel verse torturing Abner because of his crimes. Gadreel had to watch as someone precious to him was broken down and then returned to him. Gadreel would “put him back together,” make him well again, and then Abner would be taken away from Gadreel again. Gadreel is not over the torture of Abner, probably because it was really about Gadreel in the first place. A: The fall, it’s our second chance. We can forget our old hates, who we were. G: It’s not that easy. A: Yes it is. Look at me, I’m happy. G: And your vessel, is he happy? Gadreel wants to give some of his hurt back to Abner by reminding him that he stole a life that wasn’t his to begin with. He’s very clearly upset with what Abner is saying, he’s upset that Abner is happy without him, moved on without him. This again reads as more a reaction a lover would have, not a friend. Abner counters Gadreel’s comment by saying his vessel was not a good man, implying that the family he adopted is now better with Abner around. During all of Abner’s talk Gadreel does a lot of glowering and jaw clenching but he looks at Abner the entire time. However, there’s a change in Gadreel’s demeanor when Abner says “I love my family and they love me.” He looks away and down from Abner as if he’s just received a particularly devastating emotional blow. Gadreel realizes that Abner never loved Gadreel the way he loved Abner. When Gadreel looks back at Abner his eyes are narrowed, and looks quiet angry. He’s angry that Abner is happy, has love, and at peace with himself. Abner then says what he thinks the key to happiness is, “getting the one thing you want and never letting it go,” which is what seals his fate. Gadreel knows now he can’t be with Abner like he wants, he’s too full of rage and jealousy, but he can redeem himself in heaven by doing what Metatron says. So he proves his loyalty to Metatron because he believes his love for Abner is not wanted. Since the nature of their feelings are never stated either way, this is of course all interpretation, however the homoerotic subtext is hard to miss in my opinion. ***

I’m Poison: Dean Winchester’s Dark Side

By deanisthenewcain

I remember back when I was marathoning Supernatural for the first time in my apartment on weekends and between classes, getting to a point (pretty early on, maybe mid-season two-ish), where I realized that Dean wore all of the badboy on his sleeve to hide how much he cared and how lonely he felt, while Sam hid something dark and incredibly angry under layers of kindness and compassion. I began to get more attached to Dean, because Sam honestly kind of scared me. He reminded me a little too much of the kind-eyed boys you can bring home to your parents who say and do all the right things, and seem absolutely perfect, until that day some invisible switch gets flipped and that dark side comes lashing out at you without warning. Dean Winchester doesn’t bury his darkness or He doesn’t talk about them. He expects everyas a shield for all those soft, aching parts of him he loves himself. Dean doesn’t talk about his hang-ups, but we’ve Substance abuse. Insecurity. Guilt. Shame. Selfdency to define himself in terms of what he vision. Denial, denial, denial, heaps of denial. part of a carefully constructed exterior—the part of Dean that gets excited about different guy tries to flirt with him in a bar. Sam’s good points have always hidden his bad Because Sam sees his dark side as a source of weakness.

DEAN I can’t do this alone. SAM Yes you can.

DEAN looks down. DEAN Yeah, well, I don’t want to.

Supernatural 1x01

the ugliest parts of his soul. He wears them like armor. one around him to keep similarly silent. He uses them that love other people too much, so much more than

always known what they are. Abandonment issues. hatred. A pervasive sense of worthlessness. The tenmeans to other people. Pig-headedness, excess, tunnel They’re all there and they’re all true, but they’re also tough, mysterious, damaged hunter—that protects the kinds of tomatoes and trips over his own feet when a

points, while Dean’s bad points shield his good points. shame, while Dean sees his good side as a sign of

But Sam’s self-inflicted wounds have been bled and aired out. Beginning in season seven and moving all the way to now, Sam has been learning to forgive himself, let go of his past mistakes, break old patterns of behavior, and move forward. He’s reached a place of peace with himself.

Dean hasn’t begun to do that yet. His current character arc is the culmination of nearly a decade’s worth of building on the same themes, and the result is a mess so tangled that even when Sam spells it out for him, Dean can’t see his way out of it. He stares, either uncomprehending or unwilling to comprehend, when Sam explains that his motives are selfish, that he’s done the wrong thing for the wrong reasons and called it right because it’s what he wanted. He’s still “watch out for your little brother, boy,” and “there ain’t no me if there ain’t no you.” And yes, Dean’s primary motivations have become utterly selfish at this point. Some part of him sees holding onto Sam as self-preservation. If Sam is allowed to move on, to grow, to fundamentally alter the dynamic they’ve established and maintained since childhood, Dean as he understands himself and his role will cease to exist. Sam is right about two things: Dean is willing to make sacrifices, but only very specific kinds of sacrifices. The kinds that put him in danger or through physical pain, he’s your man. There’s a righteous nobility that people attach to self-sacrifice. But if he’s faced with the possibility of being the sole survivor, of enduring loss, or loneliness? He will do anything—including throw your free will to a rogue angel—to escape it. Let that sink in for a moment. Dean, in full knowledge of what he was doing, of what he was risking, and of Sam’s history with mental violations by angels, sacrificed his brother’s mind and autonomy to save himself from being alone. That is why Sam can’t trust him: because Dean cares more, at the end of the day, about keeping his Sammy than he cares about what Sam needs or wants. He doesn’t treat Sam as his own person, possibly because he sees—has always seen—Sam as an extension of himself (or vice versa, but the result is still basically the same). And Sam, finally in a healthy enough place, mentally and emotionally, to fully understand this, has determined to break the cycle of codependency once and for all. He has to, because at this point it’s a matter of survival for him as well. Dean is full of poison, but it’s not any of the things he thinks it is. It’s a fear of abandonment that has been festering in him from the beginning, and it’s only been getting stronger over the years, as his father, circumstance, Bobby, Sam, and Dean himself nurtured it, refusing to break the cycle. And, as is usually the case in a tragedy, the one he’s poisoning the most is himself. 58

Road Trip Parallels

By homelesstiel

Suited Up With Nowhere to Go

Where the words felt so natural mere hours previously, Cas is instead left watching like an invisible bystander. A part of a story that doesn’t quite feel like he has the right to be a part of right now. After healing Sam, he steps away, the tension between Sam and Dean a near palpable force. “Let me hear it” Dean says. Castiel looks on, the rain falling steadily on his shoulders. He remembers the sensation of coldness, like a distant pang in his chest. The stolen grace fills him but in all the wrong ways, reminding him of his cowardly deed. He’d initially thought that he was being heroic, getting his own powers back to be able to help fight Metatron. He’d thought maybe it was because he needed to be able to help the Winchesters, always in a constant battle of some sort. But now he thinks he was just afraid of dying; the prospect of humanity and the ever-looming threat of mortality. While he was unable to face the imminent concern of his own death (or maybe the fear of being brought back yet again in another torturous form), Sam is able to say “I was ready to die”. The fact both astounds and impresses Castiel, as he tries to recall how to tune out a human conversation that is too close for him to not hear. The stolen grace hums within him, still settling into his every atom, and Castiel tries to ignore the feeling of power running through him like an electric current. He’d forgotten the feeling of nearly bursting to capacity, the constant control of power necessary. Instead he focuses on Dean. “I’ll burn for that” he says, and Cas tries not to imagine the flames of hell, the way hell had looked all those years ago when he had laid siege to raise the “Righteous Man”. He almost bitterly thinks how that title still somehow fits Dean Winchester, in all his twisted and broken ways. The man who still believes so strongly in doing the right thing and saving others; Castiel wants nothing but to tell him that he’s not poison the moment those words leave Dean’s mouth. But he’s frozen, stuck in place. He’s unable to say the words of reassurance that came so easily a few hours before, feeling more like a stranger, an outsider looking in. He longs to tell Dean, “don’t go”, or to follow him. There are two choices easily laid before him, and it takes only a split second to decide. He will stay and heal Sam, because Sam is his friend too, but also...it is what Dean would want most. So he stays, and he watches as Dean walks away, and sees how it must have felt all those times he himself walked away .

By zerostumbleine33

“Blur the

Lines with

Soul abuse” 60

By zerostumbleine33

“Nobody wants him here more than I do"-Dean Winchester (9.04) A season full of poignant “goodbyes” and longing stares in only 10 episodes 61

By eBob & K_k_TiBal

Chapter 19 Summary: AU in which Castiel accidentally sends a text message to the wrong number and befriends the person at the other end of the line. However, accidents don’t just happen accidentally, and sometimes two completely different people are exactly what the other needs.

“My name is Dean Winchester. I'm an Aquarius, I enjoy sunsets, long walks on the beach, frisky women, and a hermit bee queen who’s terrified of spiders and letting people get close to him.” Castiel tried to hide the fact that his stomach had tied itself in knots ever since he first heard Dean’s voice on the phone. He was torn between wanting to sit down with his head between his knees while attempting not to vomit, and moving closer to Dean, just to reach out and touch him, making sure he was real. He wasn’t completely convinced that Dean was, in fact, actually standing before him. Perhaps this was another one of his dreams. Instead of conveying his inner turmoil he simply asked, “You enjoy me?” “Yeah, I probably coulda phrased that better.” Dean laughed in a way that made his entire body shake. “I’m a lot better at putting words on paper than saying them out loud.” He liked the way Dean sounded when he laughed. Like it could melt away all the problems in the world. But Castiel couldn’t help but agree with him. Almost every single time something bad had happened between them, it was because something was spoken out loud, and things seemed to be repaired through the written word. It couldn’t be like that anymore. This book Dean had left him couldn’t be the cure-all to their problems. It wasn’t going to magically fix everything between them, nor should Dean expect it to.

Don’t forget, you’re mad at him. He didn’t want you. Even if he wants you now, it’s not going to last. Don’t let him in again… “As much as I love standing around and staring at each other,” Dean winked in a way that only aggravated him, “Do you want to go somewhere and talk?” Castiel dropped his gaze and stared at the wall across the room. How could Dean act so cavalier about this? He was choosing now to flirt? Castiel clenched his fists almost involuntarily. Dean seemed to take notice of Castiel’s sudden anger because he slowly dropped his outstretched hand and let the confident smile be replaced with the nervous tension that had clearly been hiding just underneath the surface. “Shit. I- I’m no good at this." Dean took a deep, calming breath with a great deal of guilt evident on his face. "I know things are fucked up between us right now and if I knew what I could to do to make it right, I’d do it right now. But. . . I don’t know how to fix it.” Dean suddenly looked extremely vulnerable at that moment and Castiel fought the urge to close the distance between them and pull him into a comforting embrace. When did he start having those impulses? Castiel turned his head and met his gaze evenly “I don’t know if you can fix it. More importantly, I don’t know if I want you to.” “Cas, I know that saying sorry isn’t enough. It’ll never be enough. But I am so sorry. I should never have shut you out like that.” Dean ran a shaking hand through his hair. “I really want to make it up to you, but I don’t know where to even start. I’m not asking for your forgiveness. Hell, I know don’t deserve it. All I’m want is for a chance to talk.” Read More on AO3 63

9.11

Dean and Cain; A Mark of Worth By zerostumbleine33

Dean and Cain’s stories bear remarkable resemblances, from going to hell to save their siblings, to their nature; a mix of killer instinct and love. While the Cain and Able parallels were very obviously a parallel to Dean and Sam (and as we already know, they share that ancestry), the Cain and Colette relationship also seems to parallel another one; Dean and Castiel. Cain describes the havoc and desolation he wrought as the leader of the Knights of Hell. That he did this for centuries; until he met Colette. Cain: “She knew who I was... and what I was. She loved me unconditionally. She forgave me. “ By nikkihomicide

This is eerily similar to the dynamic between Dean and Cas (“You don’t think you deserve to be saved?”), one where an angel of heaven saw Dean’s soul at its worst in hell, and still deemed him worthy of salvation. In fact, not only worthy of being saved, but valued, followed. The only thing that Colette asked was for Cain to stop the killing. He obliged, only to be forced to pick the First Blade back up again in order to save her. After a season full of themes involving consent and possession, it wouldn’t be a far stretch to wonder if this is some foreshadowing at Dean’s own path while bearing the mark of Cain and the danger Cas may be in. There are several other parallels that call-back to imagery and dialogue associated with Cas. When Cain prays outside by Colette’s tombstone (the prayer alone is similar), but he says “I know you watch over me still”, very similar to Castiel’s “I’ll watch over you” and general presence as a guardian angel to the Winchesters. As seen in 9.01, in times of need, Dean calls to Cas.

By lost-shoe

The farm itself, with Cain tending to the bees, also lends to the natural association with Castiel, several seasons prior who said he had given up fighting, and now tends to the bees. While perhaps Cain simply picked up the hobby, or perhaps as a means of food and harvest...it is also likely that Colette was the one who first showed him how and a love for the bees; god’s creatures. *** 64

By sharkifer

Dean and Cain Parallels

By pondlifeforme

By cristality

The Mark of Cain: The Fine Print

The first pic is when Cain shows Dean and Crowley the Mark of Cain. The second one is after he’s sent Crowley and Dean out of the house—after he’s given Dean the Mark. Cain clearly still has the mark in the bottom pic, so the mark is something he can give to another without giving it up himself, and we know that it confers some sort of power, and allows the marked person to wield the First Blade. We also know that Lucifer hand-picked the Knights of Hell, Cain being the first one, that Lucifer himself gave Cain the mark, and Cain then went on to train the Knights.

I have a very bad feeling, here, that the Mark is specifically related to Cain being a Knight of Hell, and that Dean, who refused to listen to Cain when he tried to point out the fine print of accepting the mark, may have just signed on as a new recruit. This makes a lot of sense, particularly given all the hints/foreshadowing of Dean being possessed. 1. Abaddon commenting on his perfect vessel. 2. Possession in “Slumber Party” (together with Sam who has already been possessed this season. It would be a nice parallel.) 3. “Dog Dean Afternoon” with Dean being unable to control the canine side-effects of the spell.

Hell, in a way I would even add the Suzie hook-up as possession in the sense of Dean only being able to sleep with his fantasy porn star by acting as a character in a porn (he even switches languages) and his inability to see her as anything than a fantasy/object. We have seen a lot of Dean’s character traits presented as marks of possession/obsession. Traits that have always been presented as endearing, quirky or positive before. This season is giving a big “screw you” to a lot of them. Loyalty in “Dog Dean Afternoon” came with uncontrollable negative side-effects. Choosing Sammy over his life at the home for boys in “Bad Boys” was presented as detrimental with Sam even apologizing. Dean’s liberal, easy-going attitude towards sex made him look like a jerk just this side of non-con in “Rock and a Hard Place”. His need to protect Sam turned into something that got another family killed in “Holy Terror”. His mantra of “Free Will” turned into making choices for others throughout the season, but particularly with Sam and Cas. Dean’s positives turned into negatives.

And don’t even get me started on how many torture references he has made or how often he has actually tortured: “lets Zero Dark Thirty his ass”, isolating Crowley, to name but a few. In addition, the Mark not being transferred 100% would mirror the grace that stays behind in vessels after angel possession nicely. So, yeah. This is a scary, but very probable piece of speculation here edit: it would also put Crowley’s comment of Dean being worthy in one hell of a scary context.

By obsessionisaperfume & sleepsintheimpala 69

9.12

Dean and Garth Parallels-Depression, Suicide, Redemption Through Love By zerostumbleine33

Fresh off the winter hiatus, Supernatural has returned with a bang (for the most part). Episodes 10 and 11 were full of the central storyline as well as some character development, and much needed dialogue that viewers have been craving since episode three. However, episode 12 dials down the pace a bit, and returns to a more standard MOW storyline with an old friend. This episode had its issues certainly, with a lack of any really exciting plotpoints or motivation for viewers to care about any of the peripheral characters introduced. The storyline felt weak and as if the individual parts were somehow greater than the sum of the whole. However, this episode did shine with its dialogue. There was almost too much important dialogue to process at once, from Garth, Bess’ father, Sam, and Dean. What I would really like to look at is the obvious parallel between Garth and Dean (a parallel that even DJ Qualls has said was intentional). If Garth is serving as a mirror for Dean, I think we have a very telling clue as to where this season should be heading and where Dean is going to want to end up. If last season was about hope and the idea that everything can work out perfectly, then this season is about the fact that it doesn’t. Nothing works out perfectly, in fact it rarely works out at all. However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth trying. Intentions DO matter, as stated by Cas in the last episode. We see several examples of couples who didn’t have the happiest outcomes…Abner and his wife (or by extension you could argue Abner and Gadreel); Cain and Colette, and then Garth and Bess. None of them had it easy, or a perfect ending…but they tried. Interestingly enough, when Dean and Sam catch up with Garth and talk to him, Garth begins by telling them about how he almost killed himself. Full of shame and guilt, he had failed in his hunt…he had let Kevin down by not being able to return to protect him…he had let down everyone he knew in the hunting community. Garth wasn’t just a solitary hunter; he was the new Bobby! He simply accepted his fate, much as we’ve seen Dean do through season 9 after letting Gadreel into Sam. Dean has accepted his punishments, not allowing himself the friendship or company of his brother or Cas. However, Garth continues to say the following:

"There’s no cure so I accepted my fate" "I was ready to eat a bullet when Bess here found me" "She took the gun out of my mouth and as they say, the rest is history" Garth was saved by love, and I think this is a significant clue as to how Dean’s story will progress this season. Garth didn’t just find a wife, he found a family. One where he could be himself and let go of his guilt and anger towards himself for what he perceived as failures. It’s interesting that Garth also describes Dean with amazing pinpoint accuracy, citing him to have an incredibly soft side underneath his rough demeanor. Coincidentally, Bess’ father also points out that Dean is still terrified every time he points a gun at someone, and that is a damn miraculous thing for a soul that has been to hell and back. 70

Dean doesn’t think himself capable of being saved, deserving of love, or of forgiveness. He’s like Garth, a lycanthrope, a monster. But we are shown in this episode that not all lycanthropes are monsters. Dean is at a crossroads where he could become one, but I don’t think he will because as Cas said, intentions matter. This episode showcased one of the more light-hearted characters at his time of weakness; where he had a bullet to his head and he came through and found real happiness. He found a family, and that’s what really matters. He found redemption in his new home, and he asks of Dean, does it matter where you find it? "I found it. Love, and a family. Who cares where that comes from?" Garth’s story is one that Dean could very easily take if he would let go of the revenge and guilt inside of himself. As the pastor says, “The road to revenge is an ugly one you never get off, and that hole in the pit of your stomach, you never fill it” and we have seen Dean try to fill it before while spiraling into depressing. We have seen it almost every season before this, with alcohol, women, violence, and self-loathing. For the first time we are seeing another side, paralleled for us through characters who completely understand Dean and have been there. Characters whose relationships mimic a human/monster pattern, following a season where we learned that not all monsters are bad and not all humans are good. Interestingly, this is a season where working with the king of Hell isn’t a crime and heavenly creatures are not to be trusted. As Dean says, he doesn’t know what is right or wrong now because it’s all flipped around. As we saw though, he was able to let go of some of his anger, prejudice, and guilt when he let Garth’s family go and he initiated a hug…something we’ve waited a long time to see; Dean accepting parts of who he is that don’t involve self-loathing and self-destruction. He’s got a long way to go, but I think it’s moving in the right direction finally. The Cain parallel is worrisome, but that’s the danger in loving…sometimes you lose. There’s a lot more to be said about the other conversations in this episode as this was very expositional. I’m just hoping Dean chooses the path of love with the same person who has saved HIM continually; seen him for who he truly is, and accepted him…much like Cain and Colette, Garth and Bess. His parallels right now aren’t looking too bad if we’re just looking at intention alone; the intention to love no matter what the outcome.

By bluesilktie

9.13

Dean’s Perception of Monsters By dustydreamsandirtyscars

I see a lot of discussion about Dean’s characterization being all over the place: from “Not all monsters are bad” to “Shoot first ask questions later”. I actually have to disagree here. I think it is ,in fact, pretty consistent writing, because it follows Dean’s emotional struggle quite perfectly. The way I see the show at the moment, they follow through on a three act structure. One I personally perceive as: S8 Growth, S9 Decay, [S10 Transformation} We have been witnessing Dean regressing all season long and I doubt Dean is anywhere close to hitting rock bottom, though he comes mightily close (even though I’d like to say that even if he’d reach the ground he’d probably take a shovel to dig himself in deeper, make a new hole, so he can keep on falling). This to me isn’t inconsistent writing, it’s highlighting that those new behaviors learnt need to be tested in order for them to truly manifest. Plus: It always has to get far worse before it can get better. The stage of decay doesn’t just manifest in Dean alienating the people he loves, going back to behaviors he learnt or rather had indoctrinated into him from his dad though, it also shows in him turning to drinking again. All that being said: Many seem to have been upset about Dean just wanting to kill the monster even though she didn’t kill anyone (Back to his old ways). All development of Dean starting to see in shades of grey rather than just black and white seem to have vanished. IMO this makes total sense, not just because it further undermines Dean’s descent/decay, it’s also a new kind of difficulty for Dean at the moment, because of the fact that he lost his “playbook”. What’s right is wrong and what’s wrong is more wrong. So in order for him to feel some kind of stability and safety he just goes back to what got him through the past 20+ years - while ignoring what the life and that mind set has cost him. The biggest problem for him however might be that - even though he thinks of himself as poison already - Alonso’s sister only wanted to do the right thing, turn the curse into something good, help/save people. That in itself isn’t all too different to how Dean views himself. We see that in the dialogue between Sam and Dean at the end of the episode - he thinks he does the right things and Sam calls him out on it, tells him he’s wrong. So yeah, the true problem might be that he’d have to admit to himself first that if she was a monster, maybe he is too…(only in differing ways). *** 72

Dean swings both ways? [discussing a dead man] SAM: So, what, death by tube steak? DEAN: [scoff] I wish. What an odd thing to say. Now IDK about y’all but literally the only time I’ve heard the term “tube steak” used to actually mean a sausage or hot dog instead of a penis…is when it’s being explicitly likened to a penis. This also brings to mind the bit in 6.06 wherein Sam says a guy was “drilled to death” by a dentist, established male, and Dean chimes in with “You mean the non-sexy kind of drilling, right?” Oh hey look, 6.06 and 9.13 were written by the same team. Interesting! "So we talking six-inchers, foot-longs…?" Dean didn’t come off as just deadpanning for the sake of making a dirty joke at the guy’s expense. That was quiet, earnest, interested conversation. After all, size matters, especially when you’re considering how big a sausage you can get into your mouth. "Stop flirting with the trainers" could be written off as yet another of many instances of the “Mistaken for Gay “trope we’ve seen over the years, but it stands apart thanks to the diction. In all the other instances I can remember at the moment the trope is leveled at both of the brothers: the realtors in 1.08, the boy manning the hotel desk in 1.18, the hotel staff in 2.11, Ash in 5.16, very possibly Adam due to being misled/manipulated by Zachariah in 5.18, Michael in 8.04, etc. In this instance, though, it’s directed solely – or at least primarily – at Dean: an assumed or accused sexual interest in the buff, handsome yoga trainer rather than an assumption that they’re already an item. "Sweet and salty, best of both worlds" might be a little bit of a stretch but the potential symbolism is as obvious as it is raunchy. There’s also this old saying, in vino veritas (there is truth in wine), which means people tend to be more honest when their inhibitions are lowered by alcohol. The same can be said of other depressant drugs. Ironically it doesn’t always hold true, but the idea that people will let things slip that they otherwise occlude when they’re out of it due to drugs, drink, or injury is a pervasive trope. All these must be taken alongside indications of Dean’s attraction to women, such as the way he eyes the blonde trainer at the site of the second death and Sam’s accusation of him lying about his age to a woman. It’s not that we’re at all unaware that he digs the ladies; it’s that the episode also suggests he digs the fellas too. That’s a lot of bi! Dean innuendo packed into ~45 minutes of film. By defilerwyrm 73

9.14 Set Dressing: A Deliberate Commentary on Empty Space Meta by crossroadscastiel & deathbycoldopen & ssjdebusk

Look how he’s set up on the bed. That pillow is normally in the center. But now? Off to one side, as if there should be another pillow beside him. As if there should be someone sharing his bed (and his life) with him. Someone who is absent. Someone’s whose absence is very much felt right now. I could be reading WAY too much into this but…knowing this show this was very VERY deliberate. I was just thinking that, actually. And from a film perspective, that’s actually a very odd position to be in, not even taking into account the fact that the pillow is usually center. Usually when someone is lying on a bed like this, they’re positioned in the center because otherwise the shot is off balance. Whereas this shot is almost purposefully off-balance, in a way that’s very attention grabbing. I mean, that’s only a full sized bed, not even a queen, so that’s not actually a natural place to lie down- he looks almost like he’s about to fall off the bed, given the lighting and the dark color of his clothes. So this show has been deliberately set up to draw attention to the fact that there’s nobody lying next to him, that there’s no pillow for anyone else- yet the space is there, the blanket and the nightstand, perfect for someone who is already sharing his life. I wouldn’t start screaming DESTIEL from the rooftops at the moment, except that it’s kind of hard not to.

Sorry, and just to add one more thing about the nightstand. That stuck out to me, because that’s new. Dean didn’t have two nightstands before.

He has his side of the bed, with his lamp, his little book and that little cylinder thing. But in all of season 8 there was no second nightstand and the pillow was firmly set in the middle. BUT what is even more interesting. Is that we HAVE seen that lamp before (and I think it’s the same book as well). It’s the lamp on the empty side of the room. Next to the phone that never rings. And the chair with no one is in that Dean looks back to in 8x16 when he prays to Cas.

His room has been purposely rearranged to be situated for two people. Adding furniture and moving the lamp that we used to associate with Cas’ side of the room and putting it on the other side of his bed, like a spotlight on the fact that there isn’t someone there. ***

9.15 So Many Queer Subtext By drsilverfish

This episode is written, on one level, as a substantive knowing commentary on Dean’s queer subtext. Whilst the entire episode concerns the relationship between Dean and Sam, this review focuses on the subtextual presentation of Dean’s closeted queerness in “#Thinman”. To begin with, we should note that the Ghostfacers, the nerdy wannabe ghost hunters and online web “stars”, Ed and Harry, whom we first met way back in 1x17 “Hell House”, are associated, in the 3x13 episode “Ghostfacers”, with textual queerness in the history of Supernatural. This is because their storyline in that episode involved a young intern, Corbett, who was killed by a spirit in a haunted house where the Ghostfacers were filming. Corbett’s ghost was eventually talked out of repeating the cycle of luring new victims to their deaths, by Ed, with whom he had secretly been in love. Ed ends the episode by narrating for the Ghostfacers’ weblog that, “Gay love can pierce through the veil of death and save the day.” We had a mention of “the Veil” “Captives”, as we discovered that to Metatron’s closure of Heaven. Ghostfacers is therefore being dearchitecture of the S9 narrative. was suggested in S8 subtext, used cause he was in love with Dean. through the veil of death and revia a chain of narrative associa“#Thinman” begins with the death to “This House is a Hotel” by The selfies in her bedroom. The lyrics been our POV character (although the years and we see in the epicause of the distance between understood to refer to the loss of thinks he is not good enough for) keep things “strictly business” beback sequence make clear:

This house is a hotel, I won’t stay long I’d rather be at church Unless the holy water works, I won’t come around anymore

Set fire to your worries Let fear burn to the ground When the storms are rolling in and you’re filled up to the brim, they won’t come around anymore Baby aint that how the big boys roll Aint no other man gonna save my soul Let the rain come down, the flowers will grow And you won’t come around anymore Stand in the ocean, let light in your heart The tide is getting low, and the wind’s not gonna blow If you don’t come around anymore

just last episode… in 9x13 Kevin’s ghost is trapped there thanks The associated queerness of the liberately mobilized by the under Metatron’s Heaven-closing spell, it Castiel’s grace as an ingredient beCan Dean and Cas’ gay love pierce store Heaven? So asks the subtext, tions. of a young woman. She is listening Wind and the Wave and taking resonate with Dean’s story. He has not always a reliable narrator) over sode that he is really hurting behimself and Sam. The song can be his two loves; Castiel (whom he and Sam, who at present wants to tween them, as the opening flash-

The young woman, Dean’s mirror, dies in a closet. That this has significance, in the subtext, is reinforced when we see the Ghostfacers introduce the scene of her death later in the episode, by explicitly naming it - ”The closet, the setting of the sunset of Casey’s life” narrates Ed. Casey sounds a lot like Cassie (Dean’s first in-show love on-screen) and of course, like Castiel… 76

Is Dean going to die in the closet, aka stay in the closet until the show ends? That is the meta-commentary question.

Harry is preoccupied with his ex in the same closet scene and snarks that she has changed her relationship status on Facebook to “it’s complicated”. "The closet", named next to "it’s complicated"? Weary subtext aficionados, we are indeed talking about the queer closet once again, just as we were in 8x12 "As Time Goes By" when Henry Winchester time-travelled out of a closet and Sam (looking at Dean) remarked “‘ll tell you what – when one of us falls out of your closet, then you can ask the questions.” Queerness in the subtext is reinforced, for regular knowledgeable fans, when Harry remarks “We’re so close to finding Thinman, Ed, I can smell him, I can smell his musk.” In Supernatural gag reels, Jared and Jensen have used the phrase ”I miss your musk” twice, when joking on camera about homoerotic (Wincest) subtext. Ed not only gets pouty when Harry suggests their Thinman quest is all about proving something to his ex-girlfriend (i.e. jealous!Ed), he locks himself in the closet again, which is full of a mixture of plaid (signature Winchester wear) and women’s underwear, recalling Dean’s fetish for wearing Rhonda Hurley’s pink satiny panties (famous in fandom) from “The End”. Ed emerges dramatically (from the closet) to record a lurid version of events for the Ghostfacers’ website, but when Harry compliments his reportage and tells him it is going to pay off in “ladies”, he frowns. It becomes clear, as the episode progresses (subtextually) that Ed doesn’t want “the ladies” because he is in love with Harry. "That doesn’t make any sense," says Dean in the cut-to Winchester scene, talking about Thinman, "how can something be both real and fake at the same time?" More meta commentary on subtext itself - because now you see it, now you don’t… That "#Thinman" stands for the subtext, is reinforced when it turns out that Thinman has fan forums. "Wait," says Dean, "this thing has fans?" Indeed "it" (SPN queer subtext) does, legions of fans, as the writers well know. Thinman, a faceless horror at the edges of things (half seen, half not) is the perfect metaphor for queerness in Hollywood historically - often depicted as mad, bad and dangerous to know. Dean and Harry perform a sort of pseudo “queer off” banter (a form of “gay chicken”) with one another from the opener. When Harry lifts up his top, Dean asks snarkily whether he supposed to be impressed by the “treasure trail” or the “lady gun”. Harry trumps Dean by rolling his eyes and suggesting “both” (as in “Dude I am hot and I caught you looking - you damn noticed the treasure trail). Look at Dean’s face after that - it’s his slightly thrown “Dammit,Aaron,” face from 8x13 “ Everybody Hates Hitler”. As the Winchesters leave the diner, Harry rolls his eyes and suggests Dean’s macho act is “50 shades of whey too much protein.” The long-term audience already knows that Dean’s machismo is frequently a cover for his more complex and nuanced self beneath (the Dean who likes Dr. Sexy and enjoys LARP-ing). When they meet again, Dean ups the ante by slapping Harry’s bottom at the second vic’s crime scene (a gesture designed to be deliberately demeaning on Dean’s part, and yet, oh Dean honey, so damn handsy). The dialogue is just ridiculous at this point. We are talking Dick Roman levels of subtext. Dean - “I thought I told you to beat it.” Really Dean? Slap a guy’s ass then tell him to “beat it”? Mr. Freud, anyone? "What are you going to do, are you going to "out" me, agent?" snarks Harry in return. In text this means, " "Out" me as fake, when you’re the one who’s the fake FBI agent?" In subtext it means " "Out" me as queer when you’re queer yourself?" The language - first a "closet" then an "outing" is ponderously heavy with queer subtext. Who is your amateur media circus helping, Dean asks the Ghostfacers as they upload images of the crime scene to their blog. Harry replies: 77

"The bloggers, the believers - everyone who needs just a little proof to know that Thinman is out there."

Still not convinced “Thinman” is, in part, representing SPN queer subtext? "So you’re saying there’s a lot of folks online that are pretty die-hard about this thing?" Dean asks. Really? What “thing” are we talking about? Doh. "Thousands of people can’t agree that Thinman is one thing," interjects Ed helpfully. In other words, for some "folks online" it’s Wincest, for others it’s Destiel. Dean suggests “Thinman” is a Tulpa, a Tibetan magical entity brought to life by belief - i.e. SPN queer subtext has become “real” thanks to fandom. "Some people believe that he emerged from the nightmare of an autistic boy," says Harry "helpfully" - which (however ableist) deliberately recalls Castiel, because his heaven is known in-text to be the eternal Tuesday afternoon of an autistic man who drowned in a bathtub. In other words, some fans blame, or credit, Misha/ Cas for the subtext. The Ghostfacers zoom off under a full moon to search for Thinman but Ed is nervous and suggests they should let the Winchesters take over. “Don’t rain on my rainbow,” replies Harry huffily, as if more queer iconography was necessary now we have a closet, an outing and a rainbow. Ed confesses to Sam and Dean that he made up Thinman to keep Harry from leaving him. An “ouch” moment for the Winchesters, as the parallel with Dean tricking Sam into accepting Gadreel, because he likewise did not want Sam to leave him (by dying) is clearly evident. Harry enacts a tribute to the Blair Witch Project, searching for Thinman in the woods with a hand-held camcorder. Eventually the trail leads to a couple of guys wearing a Thinman mask and killing for kicks. Three male “couples” in the episode, and both the Ghostfacers and the Thinman killers serving as distorted mirrors for the Winchesters. The queer-romantic undertones of these relationships are given voice, when Ed asks Harry, “So what does this mean about us?” and Harry replies; “It means, it’s complicated”, which echoes the words from his ex-girlfriend’s relationship status Facebook update from the start of the episode. Harry leaves Ed, but Sam and Dean, for now remain together. Jenny Klein’s episode (her best, I think, in terms of narrative structure) is rare in SPN, because the “monster” turns out not to be supernatural but to be a human murderer uninfluenced by demons or other forces. The real “monster” is the toxic state of the relationship between Sam and Dean; all the unsaid things between them which have festered, and in particular Dean’s violation of Sam’s trust, which Sam cannot forgive. But “Thinman” also spends considerable time on meta-commentary regarding SPN’s queer subtext (centered on Dean’s repressed bisexuality). That does not mean the subtext will emerge unequivocally into the text. SPN has relied so significantly on queer subtext for its writerly architectural foundations, that an “outing” of Dean would represent a crisis for the narrative structure. In fact, the relationship between many queer fans and SPN is in a similar state to the relationship between Sam and Dean in “#Thinman”. Sam loves Dean, but cannot forgive him for the lies and the fundamental violation of trust. Many queer fans feel the same way about Supernatural; a text laden with queer subtext which denies its existence in public PR. 78

By nix-wibbyli 79

9.16

Why Sam “Most Definitely” Won’t Break the Spell By deathbycoldopen

Well, there are two reasons I think that Sam won’t be able to get through to Dean when push comes to viciously slaughtering people for the sheer joy of violence. Theme, and structure. Theme is the weaker of the two arguments, so if it was just that I probably would be more on the fence about it, but we’ve got some structural indications of what’s going to happen as well. Thematically, though, seasons 8 and 9 have been systematically deconstructing the unhealthy bond between the brothers, teasing it, testing it, shifting it, and finally putting enough pressure on it so that it will snap. From a thematic standpoint, season 9 is paralleling season 4, with Sam and Dean’s roles reversed- and remember that in season 4, Dean wasn’t able to get Sam to snap out of it, and in fact made the whole rift between them worse. When he did manage to get through to Sam, it was in season 5, after the brothers had gone through a long journey of trying to restore their relationship, with varying amounts of success. So just in terms of the state of their relationship, we can see that they aren’t really in a place where they can reach each other and understand each other (and this has been happening since the very first episode of season 8, remember). Trying to do so is going to end up more like Southern Comfort in season 8 (where Garth had to step in) than Swan Song. Even further, though, season 9 has very much been focused on resetting the bones of the brother’s relationship. At this point, we haven’t seen any of the healing part of the break, since the wound is still being sliced open bit by painful, poisoned bit. And at this point in the process, it would be completely counterproductive for the writers to put the bone back exactly where it was, without at least trying to change the fucked-up shape of it. That’s what Sam breaking through the influence of the Mark of Cain would be: one step backwards. It would be returning to the status quo, where the brothers have a tragically unbreakable bond that is slowly suffocating them, and yet allows them to reach across the veil of death to save each other- always, always, always at a great cost. And let me tell you, and wonderfully dark as that story was the first few times around, it’s getting a little bit stale now. Of course, I can think of a few ways that they could have Sam snap Dean out without it really being a step backwards, so if they did it right it could actually work into the theme nicely. However, like I said, there’s some structural indication that Sam won’t be able to do it, and the theme just backs that up. Basically, the deal is this: if Sam was going to be the one to get through to Dean, he wouldn’t have been able to do it this time around. That’s the version that would give it maximum impact when he does- the first time doesn’t succeed, so nobody, especially the audience, is expecting him to succeed the second (or possibly third, given the rule of three) time around either. It makes the achievement so much greater, and gives it just enough dramatic umf to keep us involved as an audience. That’s what they did with Swan Song, after all. Dean wasn’t able to get through to Sam in season 4, and then again he wasn’t able to get through to him when Lucifer first possessed him. It’s because he failed so many times that the time he succeeds has so much weight, because it was earned. So, if the plan is to have Sam bring Dean out of the darkness of the Mark, then the writers messed up horribly, because we’ve already seen that he can do it. He’s already succeeded once, and so even if he fails the next time around, it’s not a stretch to think that he’ll be able to do it the time after that, anyway. All the dramatic tension is instantly gone, if that’s really the plan. And that is the exact opposite effect that television has to have in order to keep getting good ratings, so we can pretty much rule that option out.

I suspect that the pattern that we’re actually getting is more to show that Sam won’t be able to cut through the influence of the Mark, that their brotherly bond, twisted and broken and unhealthy as it is, isn’t enough to snap Dean out of it. They aren’t enough for each other any more, and clinging to the codependency is really just killing them both. So maybe not the next time, but sometime soon, Sam isn’t going to be able to reach Dean, no matter how many times he tries; and it’s going to be clear that what they had before isn’t what Dean needs now. There are two options that point. Either we’ll get a situation like Godstiel, where neither Dean nor Sam where able to get through to Cas, but his own horrific actions were; OR we’ll get a situation like 8x17, where the roles are reversed and Cas is able to break the hold of the Mark. Personally, my money is on the latter, because I can see a lot of structural and thematic evidence pointing towards it, but I haven’t ruled out the former yet, either. For both situations, though, it’ll signal the first clean break in the codependency, so that the healing can begin. If the first, it’ll mean that Dean has chosen himself and is fighting for himself, something that he’s needed to do for a long time, something that he was learning to do in season 8 before the trials nudged him twelve steps backwards. If the second, it’ll also mean that Dean has chosen himself, but in a more specific way- it’ll mean that Dean has chosen something he wants for himself, and is taking the first steps toward chasing after it instead of watching it get smaller in the impala’s rearview mirror. ***

Art in Magnus’ Mansion

Still Life with Hare and Game Birds by Jan Fyt circa 1630-1650

From wiki: “The negative view of the rabbit as an unclean animal, which derived from the Old Testament, always remained present for medieval artists and their patrons. Thus the rabbit can have a negative connotation of unbridled sexuality and lust or a positive meaning as a symbol of the steep path to salvation. Whether a representation of a hare in Medieval art represents man falling to his doom or striving for his eternal salvation is therefore open to interpretation, depending on context.” This is so good! Like the two sides of Dean Winchester right here. Is he unclean (poisonous) as he believes, or is he capable of being saved, of being better? And the hare is belly up, almost as if it has given up, but it’s still alive (or it appears to be to me?)…there’s still hope. What are the birds in the painting? Are those sparrows in the back? YES I am so happy someone could identify that painting. Okay, so from that wiki page and some investigation/actual use of art history “The hare is often associated with moon deities and signifies rebirth and resurrection. It is a symbol of fertility and sensuality, and appears in depictions of hunting” [x] The painting is also very much the prey and trophy’s of a hunter. Resurrection, rebirth, fertility, unbridled sexuality, lust, unclean. I think there is a good point to be made with that concept of “unclean” “unholy” and the idea of rebirth, especially in the growthdecay-transformation, he must finally let all those things which are destroying him (the “old” Dean of codependency, I know best no matter what you say, sleeping with people with no emotion behind it, I am unworthy, self hating Dean) and come out the other side, be reborn as a transformed person in season 10. 82

Birds are also a symbol of resurrection (in the case of the phoenix or the peacock), peace and love (though of emotional “innocent” “simplistic” vs the physical love, sex and lust). The bird represent part of the trinity (representative of the Holy Spirit). Birds can also be symbols of baptism, the act of cleansing the soul of sin in order to be pure once more. Dante used birds to symbolize the souls of the damned, and are also a symbol of eternal life. [x] It’s funny that hares and birds are two sides of the same coin, sexuality, one side of the physical (where he is right now) the other of the emotional (where he wants to go) [9x04 “no one wants him here more than me”, 9x08 “always the adios” v meaningless sex, “because you didn’t want to be alone” 9x13, purposeful sitting on 1/2 of the bed with two nightstands 9x14]. Rebirth and resurrection (where we want Dean to go / S10 Transformation, character development, etc.) v. damnation and eternal life (where he is right now / mark of Cain and it’s side effects, his downward spiral, decay etc.). Unholy v holy. Sexual maturity v innocence. And both the hare and bird represent something Dean has lost by taking on the mark, his purity, vitality and soul itself as well as his freedom (note that the birds and hare are of course dead and are trophies/prey/causalities of the hunter).

The more you kill, the more you turn into the monsters you hunt the more your humanity and your freedom falls prey to the Mark and the farther you are away from the things you desire from life. [symbolized also in both Sam, Cas, Kevin, even Charlie and Garth being taken from him / pushed away, leaving him, moving on without him / him isolating himself] Basically Dean is on the edge of a knife. It’s up to him whether he lets this consume him (sparrow, impending death, finch, souls returning to heaven [x]) or rises above it and is reborn and that dichotomy between those two choices is actually pretty much perfectly split down the middle between the two animals represented in the painting above his head as he uses the Blade and Mark of Cain for the first time. Just to add hares and birds are animals that fall into traps - snares and nets - and in the ‘disguised symbolism’ of Flemish art are considered to represent sinners. ***

By badfaery & crossroadscastiel & ssjdebusk

9.17

Henry Winchester served as a mirror for Dean in so many ways. Instead of being a negative or dark mirror however, as we have seen so many times this season, he was a positive mirror. This is what a Winchester who realized their own self worth looks like. Henry was hesitant to go about his work with the Men of Letters because he would be risking his life, which is something Dean is far too often willing to do. Henry understood that his family needed him, while Dean thinks he is poison that gets everyone he loves killed…or worse. While Dean thinks the harm he has done far outweighs the good, Henry understood that saving just a few lives was important, that it mattered. What happened to the MoL and Henry later on aside, Henry served as an example of a positive self image that Dean should be striving for. A man who loved his family, but also understood his own value, and did not place one above the other. A man who realized that you show your love for your family not by pushing them away because you think you are no good, but by keeping them close. A man who realized that saving people is the thing that matters, even if sometimes the job of hunting (or being a man of letters) can be incredibly dangerous. By crossroadscastiel

By michaelique

Mother’s Little Helper “Mother needs something today to calm her down, And though she’s not really ill, There’s a little yellow pill, She goes running for the shelter of her mother’s little helper, And it helps her on her way, gets her through her busy day.” In the 1960s, the drug Valium suddenly came into demand- not by the sort of people who the media these days would instantly pin it on, but by white picket fence housewives. Housewives who bear little to no resemblance to any of the characters on Supernatural, but in the end, “Mother’s little helper” is about the drug, the addiction, and the overdose, and that’s certainly something that comes into play time and time again in the show. So the episode titled “Mother’s Little Helper” is of course focused on the long, dark road that a helpful little drug can lead you down. The most obvious example of this is Dean. Dean, who’s already so far along down the road that he can barely see the light behind him anymore, let alone any kind of light at the end of the tunnel. Dean took his own drug without thought, not even stopping to listen to what the consequences would be, and now it’s beginning to consume him. In 9x17 he tried to suppress the craving with booze, booze and more booze- another addiction of his, one that he’s used in the past to numb the pain he’s in, and yet here it doesn’t seem to be making much of a difference at all. He’s floundering in this episode, and if the First Blade and the Mark of Cain will help him on his way, he’s going to take them until he drowns. But there’s more in this episode that calls back to the title. Taken literally, “Mother’s Little Helper” refers to something other than just addiction. It refers to Abaddon as the mother, and all the little pieces that have fallen into place for her. After all, Abaddon was the one who possessed Mother Superior back in 1958; she is the figurative mother to all those demons being born in her factories, the creator of her own army. And she had many little helpers in this episode. First, of course, was her demon helper, who carried on with By puppet-girl86 her work while Abaddon was away, as the obvious helper. But then also there was Josie, who gave herself up to Abaddon in a (futile) attempt to save Henry, thereby helping Abaddon into the Men of Letters and allowing for the massacre. Julia, too, became Abaddon’s little helper when she didn’t warn Henry that Abaddon had possessed Josie, which also enabled the slaughter of the MoL. 86

Then there’s Crowley. His role in this episode wasn’t to be Abaddon’s little helper, the way the other’s were; but his actions did put him on a parallel with Abaddon. The king and queen of Hell, battling it out for the throne, both with different methods but the same end result. The boys would love to think that Crowley is better, somehow, than Abaddon, because he puts on a friendly face and gives them the more tempting offer. In the end, though, Crowley is just as bad as Abaddon. In the episode, Crowley has two function’s as “mother’s little helper,” one as the enabler of Dean’s addiction, and the other as the manipulator who get’s out of Dean the exact same thing that Abaddon gets out of her de-souled victims. As the enabler, Crowley does absolutely everything he can to reinforce Dean’s addiction, to tempt him further down the road, and to make him forget about all the reasons he shouldn’t go down it. He constantly aligns himself with Dean, until even Dean is saying “we” and it’s not entirely clear if he’s talking about him and Sam, or him and Crowley. He practically dares Dean to take up the blade again, essentially calls him a coward; he calls the addiction what it is, and turns it into a good thing. Dean is practically putty in his hands, and it’s only going to get worse from here. As the manipulator, paralleled with Abaddon, Crowley is slowly separating Dean’s soul from his body and making his own killing machine, loyal to him and to no one else. The people who’s souls were taken away by Abaddon kill without reason, just because they can, because they want to. Dean, under the influence of the blade, changes from a hunter to a killer as well, and the violence stems from the sheer animal joy of it. Crowley is making Dean into his very own “mother’s little helper,” and the only difference between Dean and Abaddon’s army is that Dean is more powerful and deadly than all of those newborn demons combined.

“And if you take more of those, you will get an overdose, No more running for the shelter of a mothers little helper, They just helped you on your way, through your busy dying day” It’s a long, dark road ahead for Dean, for those caught up in Abaddon’s ambitions, for the world. ”Mother’s little helper” might help you get through the day, but in the end, those little helpers are merrily leading you off a cliff and you won’t be able to climb back up. The end of the line is death, and it’s creeping closer every day.

By deathbycoldopen 87

Looking ahead S9 Speculation

By deathbycoldopen

Some educated guesses about where the rest of this season is going, and what might end up happening in season 10, based on both structure and themes that have shown up in seasons 8 and 9: Dean will go dark side The mark of Cain will definitely be playing a big role in this, and while the jury’s still out on whether or not it will put him on the road to turning into a demon, it will certainly have a supernatural effect on Dean. Obviously, part of Dean’s decent into the moral not-so-grey ground is driven by his issues with Sam and inability to understand what Sam is trying to tell him; I’m also willing to bet that Crowley is going to manipulate him further, the way he did in 9x11. Most likely, he’s going to use the human blood addiction as a way to sway Dean more to his side, in a similar way to how Ruby used both her memories of humanity and Sam’s addiction to demon blood to manipulate him into freeing Lucifer. In fact, given that this season is act two of a three act structure, it’s very likely that the end of the season will play out very similarly to the end of season 4, which also functioned as act two (if you consider seasons 1-3 as a very drawn out act one). Whatever the consequences to Dean going dark side are, they are going to form the cliffhanger ending of the season, and will drive the majority of the myth-arc for next season. In that way, next season will be Dean’s redemption arc, both in his relationships that he’s damaged, and in the damage he caused to the world at large. This could happen either at the very end of the season, or maybe at the beginning of next. If it Dean will go dark side, but he’ll be happens at the beginning of next, it’s maybe a little less likely that he’ll be pulled back specifically by pulled back from it by Cas Cas, since “Meet the New Boss” aside, the first few episodes of a season tend to set up future conflict, rather than resolve a major one from the last season with a heavy emphasis on one relationship. Cas’ arc has definitely been heading toward a decision to become human again, probably at the end of the season, and with that decision he’ll reach the point in his redemption and character growth to help others- namely, to help Dean, who has been paralleled to Cas’ struggles this season, but on the wrong side of the coin. If Cas manages to figure out the answer to all those questions he’s been asked- what’s out there for you, who are you, what do you want- then he’ll be able to help Dean, and maybe Sam a little, reach a place where they can answer those questions for themselves. Sam and Dean’s relationship will be difficult to mend It’s even possible that they will split up for a little while at the beginning of season 10, much like they did at the start of season 5. They will both have to individually figure out what it is that they want from life if not an unhealthy relationship. What Sam wants will have been hinted at a little more towards the end of season 9, but maybe not fully developed until season 10, since his desires conflict with the monster-of-the-week structure of the show. Dean will first have to face the fallout from what he has done, before he can start exploring the fact that maybe he does want things for himself. It’s possible that the myth-arc of season 10 will involve some kind of redemptive act by Dean, which he misunderstands as being a self-sacrifice but ultimately is a selfish choice dependent on his own wants and needs. Dean and Cas are endgame, even if they are never textually romantic Although I am cautiously optimistic that TPTB are moving in the direction of actual romantic text, it’s possible that they won’t go in that direction. However, even if Dean/Cas remains subtext, the show has been building their relationship so that once Sam and Dean rearrange their boundaries, Cas is the person that Dean will turn to in order to bring happiness into his life. It’ll be especially poignant because Cas will be the one to bring Dean out of his own personal darkness, leading by example, so that they both end up on the other side on equal footing.

By hexacosm

Black Smoke and Mirrors By defilerwyrm

Why is Dean so focused on destroying Abaddon in Season 9? Before 9.17 “Mother’s Little Helper”, logic dictates that Team Free Will’s primary targets should have been Gadreel, Metatron, and Crowley. With foes like that, it wasn’t ever going to be that simple. For all Team Free Will knows, Gadreel has been swirling around as a non-particulate celestial wave function, hence why Sam and Cas tried to track him via Grace in 9.11 “First Born”. If he isn’t envesseled within a solid body they can't summon him, much less trap or impale him, without any humans present losing their eyes, so that’s out of the question until they can confirm that he's taken another vessel. The fact that Castiel can't fly/teleport anymore slows down other means of searching for Gadreel significantly. They could summon and trap Metatron – but where? In the bunker, and risk him getting loose? In some anonymous warehouse, and hope he doesn't get found by some unsuspecting security guard or transient? How would they get anything useful out of him once they had him? Would they have enough time before the holy oil burnt itself out? They'd be royally screwed once it did so: their first shot at having him in captivity could be their last. Since he's the only angel left who can fly as far as we're aware, he could be gone the moment he gets an opening, and could kill or permanently cripple them during the escape. He’s the only one who knows the truth of whether or not the spell that cast out the Host can be undone, so he’s too valuable to kill. Castiel alone may or may not be enough to take him in a fight (as much faith as I have in the seraph’s martial capabilities, he's working with foreign Grace, while Metatron is at full power) and he's had a multitude of other problems on his hands in the meantime, like struggling to adjust to a (thankfully short-term) mortal state while the rest of the Host actively hunted him. Sam and Dean had Crowley right where they wanted him, but they weren’t willing to go through with the cure because completing the trials to seal Hell might have killed Sam. Abaddon's reappearance and subsequent peacocking distracted them and gave Crowley a bargaining chip. I can translate this for you, for a small price. I can tell you about Abaddon, for a slightly larger price. I can help get that rampaging angel out of your brother, for an even bigger price. You give Crowley an inch and he'll have you giving him light-years in no time flat. This manipulative spiral is how he continuously diverted attention to the other threats. When it came down to two angels and a demon, he focused Sam and Dean’s attention onto the one whose demise a) would serve his purposes best/most immediately and b) he could actually help with: Abaddon. During the summer hiatus before Season 8, Mark Sheppard referred to Crowley as "what happens when you're not paying attention." The Winchesters have yet again allowed immediate threats to take precedence over Crowley which in turn allows him to position himself to come out on top. This has happened before at the end of Season 5 when the Winchesters’ defeat of Azazel, Lilith, and Lucifer knocked out all of Crowley’s competitors for ruler-ship over Hell. It sort of happened at the end of Season 6 when Castiel killed Raphael and the Leviathan destroyed Cas, leaving the demon room to escape while the hunters chased Purgatory monsters. It definitely happened at the end of Season 7 when the showdown between the angels, Leviathan, and Winchesters left little more than a smoking crater of mutual destruction from which Crowley once again walked away as the sole beneficiary. Now they've gone and done it again, ignored Crowley long enough to let him gain the upper hand. 90

Before “Mother’s Little Helper” aired I would have told you that if they were smart, the Winchesters would do one of two things. They would either set the stage for Crowley and Abaddon to go head-to-head with each other and then swoop in to kill the victor; or they would just kill Crowley outright and let Abaddon take over Hell. Stay with me here. Abbadon is chaotic evil, which is ill-suited to long-term leadership. Like Castiel, she's a military leader, not a ruler. Under her, Hell would fall into chaos like it did when Dean killed Azazel: demons jockeying for power and fighting each other without any clear-cut hierarchy. The nature of demons is such that she'd waste huge amounts of valuable time on just keeping her forces in check and thus not a whole damn lot would get done. Certainly not compared to the relatively well-oiled machine that Crowley made of the place. Crowley, by contrast, is a bureaucrat and a developer, and his appeal lies in results rather than theatrics. Where Crowley plays the long game, Abaddon wants to invade Earth straight off in a repeat of the end of Season 2 and beginning of Season 3. To what effect, though? She'd bring demons up to the surface, yes, right into the thick of a world newly populated by ticked-off living holy A-bombs that no longer have any reason to hold back from smiting. Brilliant. A single angel, wings or no, can lay waste to dozens of low-level demons simply by existing. The Host doesn't need to be organized or unified to make short work of Hell's armies. The death toll would be high, but Abaddon's invasion would be here and gone in an eye-boiling flash. The attrition would devastate Hell's demon population for centuries – possibly even permanently if Abaddon brought every demon topside. The dramatic casualties would be worth it. Prior to the reveal in 9.17, killing Crowley and allowing Abaddon to lead the demons straight into a trap that ruins Hell would have been in Earth's best interest. After the smoke cleared demons would go back to being so rare that seasoned hunters have to dip into research to deal with them properly at best. Soul milling changes all that. By camacaileonne

Sam called it “mining” souls, but really that would just refer to the act of harvesting them. The true threat lies in the fact that Abaddon’s forces are “processing” them; hence, milling souls. In doing so, she’s creating two problems at once: humans reduced to sociopathic killing machines, and a steady supply of new demons that isn't reliant on crossroad deals (which are handled by the “division” of Hell most likely to be saturated with Crowley loyalists). Steal a soul, drag it to Hell,, pend a few months of Earth-time breaking it through torture, then havei t torture others in turn until it becomes a demon. We don’t know how long that final corruptive step takes, but the simple fact that they’re not waiting out a contract before the process begins gives Abaddon’s method a much shorter turnaround time per demon than Crowley's traditional one, with the added “bonus” of the harvested souls’ still-living bodies wreaking havoc among the living. Threatening to possess Dean and killing a few choice individuals to find Crowley was relatively small time stuff by Supernatural’s standards. Soul milling escalates Abaddon's threat level far above the one presented by Crowley's long game; after all, they can always get back to hunting him later, and once he’s pinned down he would ostensibly be much easier to kill than a Knight of Hell. While the Winchesters’ reasoning (and Dean’s reasoning in particular) for hunting Abaddon throughout the majority of the season has been due to manipulation, now it really is out of necessity.

By unbearable-bear 92

Benny and Cas Parallels - and What It Mean For the Rest of the Season By ssjdebusk Benny v Cas     

Trying to adjust to humanity (calls Dean, Dean moves away from Sam to answer) (Benny 8x01, Cas 9x01) Needing Dean’s help to adjust to life as a human/his problem in general (issues with his own kind/past catching up with him, issues with a girl who Dean kills. First time they meet up). Dean does this telling Sam he’s going “out” and not telling him who he’s meeting up with. (Benny 8x05, Cas 9x03/9x06) Tries to help Dean solve a case of a rouge of his own kind, tries to join in and help, is rejected (ends up being kidnapped by those responsible, escapes on his own, calls Dean) (Benny 8x09, Cas 9x09) Needs help, Dean pushing him away because of Sam/Sam’s issues/codependence, Benny 8x10, Cas 9x10) Dean sacrificing Benny to save Sam. Benny going to Purgatory to save Sam. Benny choosing to stay in Purgatory because he couldn’t handle being on Earth on his own (Benny 8x19, Cas [footage not found]

Cas to return 9x18/9x19 (parallels to go off of other than Benny)

  

9x11 - Cain/Colette Parallel (Colette Killed in Pursuit of Killing Abaddon - still active threat) 9x12 - “love in unusual places” Garth finding a home and love (positive outcome of season) 9x13 - Parallel (Husband dies confronting “freak” brother of wife)

You could even argue that Dean called Cas like in 8x19 when Dean called Benny to ask Cas to help him fix Sam and that 9x11 is drifting into 8x19 in terms of Cas sacrificing himself to save Sam (we have yet to see Castiel use any of his remaining grace since he fully healed Sam bringing up the question of how much Grace does Cas have left if he used enough to fully heal Sam (especially after extracting all the residual grace he had left in him) but we of course will need to see the plot Castiel has for the rest of the season to see how the parallel plays out. Though Castiel’s story is more fleshed out and clearly the scenes with Dean and Castiel have a little extra…something the story arc of Cas and Benny is almost identical. The only thing missing is Cas’ ending and the fundamental difference between Benny and Cas, since Benny seemed to come in in season 8 to highlight the difference between Benny and Cas to the audience. In season 8 Dean couldn’t hold onto other relationships because of codependency and that’s what they’re tackling this season so it will be especially interesting to see the difference between Dean choosing Sam’s life over Benny’s in season 8 and whatever the finale is involving consent, sacrifice, idea of home/belonging, and “love in strange places” Sam and their codependency/his desire to die (choice of paths) Cas and the angels/heaven being locked up (choice of human or angel), Gadreel and Metatron Dean and the Mark of Cain/the first blade, Abaddon v. Crowley And how the end of the season differs from Benny to Cas, maybe once and for all tying up how they differ, or are the same from each other in terms of Dean’s feelings for both i.e. Dean’s choices when it comes to Cas as opposed to Dean’s choices when it comes to Benny. Really anything they do from this point out is going to show how they’re similar i.e. if Dean is willing to sacrifice Cas to save Sam (the same as season 8) showing that Dean’s feelings are the same as they are for Benny (platonic), or if circumstances are different and Dean is unwilling to do so, showing, like in season 8, the fundamental difference between romantic and platonic feelings towards a person AND highlighting Dean’s learning of “consent” and the destruction of codependency through Dean “letting go” of Sam in some way or more so (since this isn’t season 10 and Sam is clearly not going to die) letting Sam chose or consent to being helped, choosing to live (which also ties up HIS main arc for the season) 93

Twitter trends

By exorcisingemily 95

By enduro 96

Fic Rec

Not Quite A Dozen Destiel Hurt/Comfort AUs

By Heather

Remaining Grace by: todisturbtheunivers

Rating: Explicit A delightful Season 6 fix-it fic. AU/Canon-divergence that deals with Soulless!Sam and the Castiel and Raphael show down in a different and extremely entertaining way. Unconditionally Horny and Eternally Sad by: wormstache(lamarnza) Rating: Explicit Just a really sweet and well-balance High School AU.

Between the Lines by: SurlyCat Rating: Explicit I kept reminiscing about “The Shop Around the Corner” and “You’ve Got Mail” while I was reading this AU fic. It features bookstore/writer Castiel and mechanic Dean with lots of texting and fluff. Light in the Dark by: nurfherder Rating: Explicit A New England apple orchard is the setting for this AU fic. Cas has issues and Dean helps him work through them. Above & Below by: murron Rating: Explicit An Action & Adventure AU set after Season 6 Episode 10. Sam and Dean and Cas go on a mission to save Sam’s soul.

These Are Not Real Problems by: Annie D(scaramouche) Rating: Explicit There’s some serious angst in this Cas-centric AU but it’s got a super sweet payoff. Jeté by: cadignan Rating: Explicit In this AU Dean’s a ballet dancer with an injury. Cas is a photographer for the ballet company who nurses him back to health. So much fluffy goodness. Love is Not Love; Which Alters When it Alteration Finds by: Angemicwings Rating: Explicit An AU where love transcends time.

Just After, But Before by: cymbalism Rating: Explicit Post-Purgatory AU where Dean helps put a broken an Angel back together again. Welcome to Humanity by: Winnywriter Rating: Explicit An Au where an Angel is slowly falling. Outrun My Gun by: Mishacan Rating: Explicit A compelling Time Travel AU. It’s so captivating I had to read it all in one sitting.

Season 9-Consent and Possession Issues Warnings: Profanity

Audio Meta

By ssjdebusk and zerostumbleine33 Sarah: So Cas plans to help Hael do something over her own free will, visit the grand canyon. Then Dean calls and he's like i have to go, this is something you have to do on your own and she hits him with a 2x4 and kidnaps him LOL. HAEL You understand that I couldn't just let you leave. I'd be lost without you, Castiel. CASTIEL Yes, I'm... beginning to see that. This Hael and Cas plotline paralleled with the Dean and Sam plotline with Gadreel possessing Sam. Shayla: It does, particularly with the free will and agency and consent.

Sarah: yeah cause like it’s that same fear of being alone. Dean being afraid of being on his own and taking away Sam's agency in the same way Hael is doing it to Cas, both saying that it’s like in the other person's best interest. Shayla: It also parallels the way Gadreel goes inside of Sam, taking the appearance of Dean. Much like Hael saying her and Cas are going to be together in his body. Gadreel succeeds in doing what Hael is attempting; he finds a strong vessel that he can hide safely inside. And both attempt to do it by getting around the issue of consent. Gadreel and Dean do so by tricking Sam, relying on emotion and familial bond. While Hael does it by brute force, guilt, and insults. Sarah: The first half of this season takes such a hard take on consent, like you gotta wonder like out of all the themes you can pick, like why consent, what’s it leading up to?

Shayla: They hit it hard from all angles, angels and demons, but also humans. It does because it was hit so heavy in the first part of the season, and not just associated with Sam and his possession arc. It was a large part of episodes 1-4. Sarah: It HAS to be leading up to what's going to happen in the finale, as Carver's plan for the decay season. Yeah for sure, also with like "the evil within" idea with both the mark of Cain and Gadreel, Crowley inside the bunker, Cas' grace that isn’t his own which is rejecting the body it’s in.

Click here for full transcript 98

By nix-wibbyli

Untitled, by outpastthemoat

Sam sees it, then. His brother is kneeling in front of Cas, who is slumped over on the couch. He is settling Cas’ head back on the cushions and pushing Cas’ legs over on the couch. This isn’t new. Cas falls asleep on the couch almost every night. He falls asleep to Saturday Night Live and the local news, he falls asleep halfway through gardening programs and Lifetime movies and Antique Roadshow. But tonight Sam finds he can’t seem to take his eyes from his brother’s hands. His brother’s hands, carefully cradling the back of Cas’ head, his brother’s hands spreading a blanket over Cas’ legs. His brother’s hands, touching Cas without any gentleness but instead with brisk familiarity as he smooths the blanket down over Cas’ knees. “Pretty soon, it’s just going to be you and Cas,” he says. He doesn’t know why he says it. He’s just thinking out loud. Dean freezes with one hand still resting on Cas’ knee. He doesn’t look up. “What,” he says. Sam looks at him in alarm. Dean’s face has gone very still. He looks like he’s been hit by an anvil, a piano, an asteroid; something impossible and absurd and out of this world. Something he should have seen coming. Something that hurts. “What,” he says again. “Sam?” For a second, Sam feels himself gearing up for something. A Talk. A fight. Something big. The kind of thing they’d gone through three months ago, when Dean had come home driving a motorcycle and Cas hanging on to his shoulders behind him, and then handed Sam the Impala’s keys and just said, “Little brother, she’s all yours.” The kind of thing they’d gone through last Wednesday when Sam had driven the Impala three days with no particular direction in mind and had wound up texting Dean a photo of the world’s largest ball of twine and Dean had sent a message back just said get me a t-shirt. The kind of thing they’d gone through yesterday morning when he’d walked through the front door for the first time in a week and Dean had looked at him with something new and strange in his eyes and said wonderingly, “I sort of forgot to miss you.”

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But then Dean says, sort of chokingly, “What do you mean, just me and Cas?” “You know,” he says, but it’s obvious that Dean doesn’t. “I’m heading out in a few weeks. I got a new place. I’ve got the car. And when I leave for good, it’s just going to be you and Cas still here.” Some life appears to return to Dean. He stares down at the blanket and thumps his fist on Cas’ leg absently. ”Me and Cas,” he says. ”Me and Cas?” he says. He’s frowning a little. "I never wanted to leave you alone," Sam says. "But somewhere along the way, I guess I started thinking that one day I’d leave for good, but that you’d still be with Cas. You and him, driving all over the country. You and him, hunting ghosts. If that’s what you wanted to do. Just. You and Cas.” Dean looks staggered. “You mean,” he says, “I could do that. With Cas?”

"Yeah," Sam tells him. "I always thought you would.” He’s still looking at Dean’s hands, because his brother’s hands never lie, even though there are truths those hands have not yet uncovered. His brother’s hands catch him even when he’s yelling You fucked up big this time. His brother’s hands mend broken things even when he thinks his touch destroys. His brother’s hands are resting on Cas’s leg, his thumb rubbing small circles on Cas’s knee. His brother’s hands are shaking. "Do you—" Dean is asking, very quietly. "Do you think he’d—?" "He will," Sam says, "He does," and his brother’s head snaps up to look up at him, and Sam sees it, then, because it’s not just in his hands. It’s all over his face. "Okay," Dean says. His hands say that he’s okay. They are settling in place on the sides of Cas’s face, fingers brushing over his hair. "Okay."

Graphics by castielcollins

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1. Noose

By defilerwyrm

It’s not beautiful, this thing between us. Not the way they say we’re beautiful behind our backs, when they think these fair faces tilt together or that our fingers intertwine sometimes, not beautiful the way they think of us two in the backseat or the way you think of me when you think your eyes don’t betray you, but they do. There’s nothing beautiful about this clash and tear, all shouts, demands, and bloodied hands; there’s nothing joyous in the way you cling to me your trembling arms wrapped so tight around you’re cutting off my air because you can’t breathe without me– you love me like a noose around my neck.

And you don’t think I’ve noticed ‘cause you strive to keep me blind to what’s laid on your shoulders, as if you could be the wall that holds back all the evil of the world but it seeps into the cracks and parts of you will crumble and I can only pray you’ll trust me to pick them up. Of all the things you try to be for me a wall is what I need now least of all. You would be everything, if I let you, if I would only find this beautiful too. Of all the things I try to be for you this is the one thing I can’t: the bruises you’ve left around my neck run too deep, and I don’t intend to hang. I can pretend you don’t want such things. I can’t pretend I do. Not even for you.

Part 2 to come in the next issue

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Random Acts is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting random acts of kindness; even the smallest gesture can have an impact and change a life! There are many ways to get involved from donating, volunteering, or participating in a random act of kindness project.

The fans Have spoken

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Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve Got Your Cosplay by skurfiez

Bad Guys 108

cosplay

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Cosplay by necroticnymph

Cosplay by Pandorica

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Your

neutral good

guys

Cosplay by kikistiel 112

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And then

thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your

heroes

Cosplay by free-to-be-no-one-but-mee 114

Cosplay by isaisanisa 115

Cosplay by katyuna

Photography by anothermindpalace

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Cosplay by necroticnymph 117

S9 finale spec Will Cas live through 9.23? 

Of course! Would be insane to get rid of him



No, best of luck to Misha though



No, but he'll be back in S10

Reverse crypt scene?  

Yes

Nope

Who will rule hell? 

Abaddon



Crowley



Dean



Other Will Dean go full darkside? 



Dark!dean is imminent

Nope, he will be pulled back from the edge Tell us YOUR ending!

The most unique or accurate ones will get published in the next issue!

Vote in the poll here 118

Thank you Thank you for sticking with us for our first issue of Salt & Burn Magazine! We hope you enjoy it and return for our next issue after the season finale! We aim to be as collaborative as we can so please consider submitting content or becoming a columnist! In the future weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to incorporate more audio, video, interviews, and fandom spotlights. We have a short poll asking for some feedback, because weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re here to make content that the fandom wants to see! That means we need to know what you are interested in seeing more of (or less of). Please take a moment to fill it out so we can improve and bring you an even better magazine in the future. -Shayla and Sarah

By destielsfluff

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