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you bet i paused the scene when Dean’s head is in the perfect alignment in front of this sign

His four favourite things 🥰

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Strange New Worlds cast and their holodeck murder mystery characters

Christopher Pike as TK Bellows Una Chin-Riley ("Number One") as Sunny Lupino Christine Chapel as Adelaide Shaw James T. Kirk as Maxwell Saint Erica Ortegas as Lee Woods Joseph M'Benga as Anthony McBeau Nyota Uhura as Joni Gloss La'an Noonien-Singh as Amelia Moon

STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS 3x04 "A Space Adventure Hour"

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Once could be coincidence. Twice makes me maybe raise an eyebrow. Three times is a party. "Dmitri" "Novak" "Danil"

It's similar to what happened with Tracker. Jensen doesn't write the scripts, but the Tracker showrunner wrote a role custom for him on Big Sky, then brought him to Tracker. Countdown was part of his first look deal at amazon. Jensen gets to suggest things. We were told that for Tracker--Jensen adding in little things. He for sure has that on Countdown.

Those are some cute little nods to his friend Misha and his wife Danneel.

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Jensen fans used to talk about this. Jensen leading up a streaming hit TV series post-spn, Jensen and GQ.

Pretty neat it's here, huh.

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Thinking more about this, aren't both "sides" being disrespectful of Jensen?

-the ones saying only SPN was any good and hoping Jensen's career tanks so he's free to play Dean again (which lbr they do only want to get more Destiel and not because Dean himself matters)

-the ones who backlash on that by denying SPN and Dean's importance to Jensen, shouting he's "moved on" when he's given every indication he has Dean brainrot, cares about SPN still, are also disrespecting him because they are denying his right to care about SPN and Dean to suit themselves and their bitterness.

Makes me wonder if people have ever encountered a long-running genre IP before. Not every actor holds it in their hearts the same way but there are actors who either a) return to that IP when they can b) talk about it as a highlight of their career and have an attachment to the character they played.

We've seen this with the MCU, Star Wars, Star Trek...I don't see why SPN couldn't be like that, while it's a more mid-sized IP and not as big as those, it has that kind of eternal appeal.

New fans are rolling in. SPN is going to keep mattering to people, old fans and new fans. We may not all give the same time and energy to it we once did. But it's individual how much it'll fade away.

And Jensen always caring about SPN and Dean and wanting to come back for another Dean adventure does not in any way clash with Jensen's star continuing to rise and people appreciating that while they still miss Dean and SPN and p.s. people are allowed to want more Dean and Cas too, if they aren't crapping on Jensen, there is nothing wrong with that.

The people in the first group can't do squat about Jensen's rise. He's going to shine. They can cope. The revival will come when it does.

The people in the second group, as they retaliate, aren't doing much good either and they are being so insulting about SPN and Dean in their own way and not mindful of how Jensen actually feels about it.

Why are people dragging accounts who didn't say anything insulting or reductive about Jensen's abilities, who didn't root for his career to fail?

All they did was comment on his SPN pin on his backpack (which is an adorable, geeky thing for him to do) and say Dean or SPN are still on his mind.

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Honestly, Jensen stans who think Jensen has "moved on" are saying that for their own self-serving reasons and it always comes from the most bitter Jensen stans out there who kinda hate spn now and hate everyone on it but Dean so they're not reliable narrators. People can be annoyed about the tweets that are insulting and reductive to Jensen, and I don't like that going on either, but the non-stop drama against anyone who understands what SPN and Dean means to him is so irritating and it's honestly ruining for me what should be a really fun time as a Jensen fan. Why should I be obligated to jump up and down on Dean's grave just to enjoy new Jensen material? Why do people have such a hard time seeing what SPN and Dean still means to him? Why the denialism of that? And what business is it of theirs if some of us aren't throwing SPN and Dean aside as if it's yesterday's trash and if we understand that Jensen hasn't stopped caring too?

It's just making me pissed off and sad about Dean and SPN. That's all it accomplishes, and it hasn't stopped the anti-Jensen people, so what is the point?

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The false equivalency some anons are bringing right now just strikes me as silly and pointless. If people think The Boys is anything like SPN in Jensen's head...I'm sorry you're wrong. And as if The Boys also can't mean something to him and he can't feel proud of having been part of both of them. His SPN pin can still mean what it means.

But nobody can talk about him having an SPN pin and how Dean/SPN is still on his mind?

What even is this logic???????

Not every post about Jensen's love for Dean and saying that he still thinks about Dean and SPN is about trying to keep him locked in a box and taken out only to play Dean. I get some people do that and it is very annoying but I'm exhausted by the discourse from both sides of it. It's an SPN pin. That would encompass Dean. Someone talking about Jensen and Dean isn't doing anything wrong unless they actually SAY "Jensen should only play Dean" but if they didn't, let them, who cares. I'm equally tired of being yelled at about "he's moved on" and we should all be throwing Dean away for the sake of Jensen's career don't even talk about Jensen's love for Dean. He has NOT MOVED ON FROM DEAN OR SPN MENTALLY but I guess if we say that the Jensen stan twitter police will pull you over and give you a court summons. It's an SPN pin. It is not unreasonable to connect that to Dean.

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"But he has a The Boys pin too so there"

This is one of the stupidest dramas ever.

Again, unless someone is directly insulting Jensen and saying he is only good for playing Dean, there should be no problem here.

Stay mad that people enjoyed the SPN pin Jensen carries around on his bag, I guess.

Not every post about Jensen's love for Dean and saying that he still thinks about Dean and SPN is about trying to keep him locked in a box and taken out only to play Dean. I get some people do that and it is very annoying but I'm exhausted by the discourse from both sides of it. It's an SPN pin. That would encompass Dean. Someone talking about Jensen and Dean isn't doing anything wrong unless they actually SAY "Jensen should only play Dean" but if they didn't, let them, who cares. I'm equally tired of being yelled at about "he's moved on" and we should all be throwing Dean away for the sake of Jensen's career don't even talk about Jensen's love for Dean. He has NOT MOVED ON FROM DEAN OR SPN MENTALLY but I guess if we say that the Jensen stan twitter police will pull you over and give you a court summons. It's an SPN pin. It is not unreasonable to connect that to Dean.

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Not every post about Jensen's love for Dean and saying that he still thinks about Dean and SPN is about trying to keep him locked in a box and taken out only to play Dean. I get some people do that and it is very annoying but I'm exhausted by the discourse from both sides of it. It's an SPN pin. That would encompass Dean. Someone talking about Jensen and Dean isn't doing anything wrong unless they actually SAY "Jensen should only play Dean" but if they didn't, let them, who cares. I'm equally tired of being yelled at about "he's moved on" and we should all be throwing Dean away for the sake of Jensen's career don't even talk about Jensen's love for Dean. He has NOT MOVED ON FROM DEAN OR SPN MENTALLY but I guess if we say that the Jensen stan twitter police will pull you over and give you a court summons. It's an SPN pin. It is not unreasonable to connect that to Dean.

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Thoughts on the latest ep of Countdown

Mark almost falling off the roof!!! That was so scary. Luke catching him <3333

Poor Luke. His children at the bomb site!!!!!!!!

The Amber and Mark scene where she calms him down from his panic attack. She's really supportive and has a quiet strength about her. And that scene felt emotionally intimate.

Nathan bellowing about how he doesn't need downtime to recover. How very Nathan and very Blythe. He reacted exactly how I expected to recovering from a stab wound.

That is so much for a rookie to deal with, here, disarm this nuke, don't screw it up kid. Evan looked scared but she got to work. I probably would have passed out.

Finally, Mark maybe will be getting a second opinion on his tumor. A sliver of hope?

Not a bit surprised they introduced another possible romantic interest for Amber. Seems like a good guy. Just to complicate things because you gotta have drama

Whatever Volchek's motives are for his anger are kinda moot now, he's so off the rails. His thirst for destruction and willingness to kill innocent civilians, including children.

That cliffhanger!!!!!!!

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Full List

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Cas in 11.01 "I accept my transgressions and will accept any punishment you dole out" -- cool people understand Cas has always taken on accountability for things he's done. He screws things up but then accepts punishment. Sometimes to the point of self-blaming so hard we might worry about him.

Also his selflessness and love for Dean is showing.

Cas: Dean, I am fine. You tell me, the mark." Dean: Oh really, you're worried about me after everything I--" Cas: Dean, is it gone? Dean: Yes, I'm good. The visible relief Cas shows, the body language there--Cas leans his head back, eyes closed, his whole body goes into it. The weight of the MoC on Dean was so much it was like weight Cas carried with him--that is a strongly empathetic response. Cas's emotional IQ isn't that high, or his astuteness about feelings and how to people, but he does things like that on instinct because he cares very deeply and he is deeply connected to Dean.

But Cas also hides what he's going through and doesn't tell Dean-- because all that matters to him in that moment was Dean being okay--but Cas needs to learn to reach out when he needs help.

After Cas says goobye and it may be "some time before we see each other again" Dean starts freaking out calling Cas's name as Cas hangs up. Which is SO TYPICAL.

However there is character growth, because in 11.02, after being put through the wringer tortured by the angels, Cas finds his way to the bunker where Sam and Dean find him lying on the floor and he says "Help me." So Cas has learned to ask for help. He doesn't always stick to that growth, btw, but he does know and it's good to see when he does that.

Then in 11.03, which was directed by Jensen Ackles, mind you, Dean is quickest to Cas's side when he collapses in the bunker and he won't stop touching him. He also wraps a blanket around Cas and keeps petting him, and it looks like it's for Dean's comfort as much as for Cas's, it's okay Cas is still here he's going to be fine.

Dean's voice is so broken as he says Cas's name when he collapses after the attack dog spell is broken, he keeps saying Cas's name, Dean cradles his face and holds onto him.

Cas then wants to heal Dean from the impacts of the attack dog spell incidents and Dean refuses because "I had it coming." I still flinch at that. Dean still feels terrible about the MoC Dean library fight where he almost killed Cas and couldn't, even under MoC influence, he wouldn't kill Cas. It wasn't Dean's fault, he wouldn't have if he hadn't been charged up on killing under the MoC influence already, but Dean is still carrying that guilt around anyway, while Cas's only thought is that he wants to heal Dean. And doesn't blame him in the least.

Cas's face when Dean refuses the angel healing touch rips my heart out. We can see he wants to argue with Dean and tell him he's wrong and he should let Cas heal him. But Cas respects it and lets it go because that's what Dean wants.

11.04, Baby (which is a masterpiece episode and a great Sam and Dean ep but doesn't leave Cas behind) has Dean saying insistently over the phone, "Cas, you got one job to do and that's to heal." Despite Cas not being on screen in the ep, the ep was written to very much weave Cas as part of Sam and Dean's expanding family, and he is on the phone with Sam and Dean throughout the episode. Nobody wants to say Dean's term "werepire" until finally, Cas says it over the phone--but Dean can't hear it.

Then it's Cas shouting Dean's name insistently because he heard gunshots.

Dean also praises Cas for his research at the end, "good work, way to come off the bench."

Early season 11 with Dean and Cas, everyone.

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It’s one thing to be critical of Sam, analyzing him in a way that treats him as a person instead of a perfect cinnamon roll who is Dean’s perpetual victim. There are annoying things about Sam. There are good things about Sam. There’s so much idealization of Sam from Sam fans that obscures the actual character and his flaws. So it matters to analyze the character in a more multidimensional way.

That said, one thing that does bother me is when people go too far with it and say something actively cruel or negating toward Sam and the whole series itself. Sam is fictional and cannot hear you but other fans can. The idea that only hyperfixated specific “Sam stans” would care is flawed reasoning. I’m transparent about Dean and Cas being my favorites, and my willingness to criticize Sam, but Sam does mean something to me.

So I’m having another WTF moment at the stupid or callous things people are willing to say about Sam.

Dean stans sure do have a mad on about him. In ways Cas stans haven’t.

Anyway, usually I have to defend Cas like this from people who hate him so severely his mere existence on SPN fills them with rage.

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Also because I know some dirtbag from the antidestiel side if they see this will deliberately pretend they have no reading comprehension skills: I said nothing about people who don't ship destiel. Or just don't like it for their own reasons. People are allowed to dislike ships and have preferences. That does not mean that is a license to be an asshole.

I said what I said.

The thing is I realize the fact that my lens on SPN is mostly general, that I do close textual readings and analysis of plot and character and I'm not a "burn it all down for my ship" type even if it is very important to me is absolutely moot in the horrendous antidestiel discourse.

The way antidestiel spn standom discourse works is that the second you reveal you ship destiel, you will automatically be accused of "only caring about a ship" and "not watching for the actual characters and plot."

It's an unhinged discourse because Destiel is the kind of ship where the plot and characters deepened the relationship and inspired people to ship it. If the actual plot and characters hadn't been how it went, it would have faded out instead of people falling into the shipping dumpster after starting out as "hmmm I kind of just see them as friends" and then they topple because the canon led them there.

What's also unhinged is how many years I have seen that kind of antidestiel shaming discourse while antidestiels turn around and make everything about their favorite ship without even blinking. And go burn it all down for their ship.

So maybe if people had been a bit less shitty in their antidestiel discourse and their antidestiel shaming, things could be different now but they weren't.

Antidestiels can go to hell, tbh. Predominantly they have never been okay, or reasonable, they have never been fair, they have never not had double standards, they have never not been hypocritical, they have never not run with a premise that shipping destiel is an automatic fandom crime, they have never not virtue signaled about being superior merely for not shipping destiel while their own behavior has been horrible.

And that's the tea.

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The thing is I realize the fact that my lens on SPN is mostly general, that I do close textual readings and analysis of plot and character and I'm not a "burn it all down for my ship" type even if it is very important to me is absolutely moot in the horrendous antidestiel discourse.

The way antidestiel spn standom discourse works is that the second you reveal you ship destiel, you will automatically be accused of "only caring about a ship" and "not watching for the actual characters and plot."

It's an unhinged discourse because Destiel is the kind of ship where the plot and characters deepened the relationship and inspired people to ship it. If the actual plot and characters hadn't been how it went, it would have faded out instead of people falling into the shipping dumpster after starting out as "hmmm I kind of just see them as friends" and then they topple because the canon led them there.

What's also unhinged is how many years I have seen that kind of antidestiel shaming discourse while antidestiels turn around and make everything about their favorite ship without even blinking. And go burn it all down for their ship.

So maybe if people had been a bit less shitty in their antidestiel discourse and their antidestiel shaming, things could be different now but they weren't.

Antidestiels can go to hell, tbh. Predominantly they have never been okay, or reasonable, they have never been fair, they have never not had double standards, they have never not been hypocritical, they have never not run with a premise that shipping destiel is an automatic fandom crime, they have never not virtue signaled about being superior merely for not shipping destiel while their own behavior has been horrible.

And that's the tea.

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Yep. No shade whatsoever to people who just want to enjoy a ship.

The problem is so many of the most strident "all shall love our het ship and despair" Jensen stans are antidestiel who shamed people for noticing JenMish's chemistry and for supporting destiel and for noticing things canon put in there to hint at a pining slowburn star-crossed kind of thing. Then immediately, the moment a slow burn probably star-crossed het ship goes on a speedrun they start talking about chemistry and how everyone has to love it and no one can deny it. The venn diagram overlap is pretty heavy.

But otherwise? Nah I don't mind. I hope people enjoy it. I like Mark and Amber and that chemistry, I'm not feeling it deeply as a ship but the slow burn is gonna slow burn. I like the team overall, and it's fine with me.

Not watching for ships on Countdown anyway. Like you, I'm caught in the team building and the action. What's ironic too is that I'm like this with most media. Yes I do ship things. Rarely do I get an OTP that eats my heart whole and I have a very general lens on what I watch--including spn in fact.

I recognize there are people who do make everything, absolutely everything, all about shipping. But if people are going to whine about that, then turn around and behave like that themselves and it was only bad when it was a queer ship but okay when it's a het ship, that's a problem.

People also do not understand that ships happen to you. They're a curse not a blessing most of the time. They hit you in the chest like a ton of bricks a lot of the time and too bad if it hurts, the narrative is going to narrative where it goes.

There's also lightly shipping which is fun but not really part of this conversation. Just that shipping itself doesn't have to be all that deep all the time and shipping itself doesn't mean not enjoying and respecting the story overall.

But I think it's hilarious that antidestiels are making Countdown all about their ship while I'm just vibing enjoying the show as a whole.

The only faction of Amber/Mark romance enthusiasts who piss me off are those who swear that they don't see the chemistry between Jensen and Misha, and like to yell that we are crazy, but will jump in on the first opportunity to ship Jensen with a woman, those ones can eat shit. But who wants them together just because they are hot or just want to see Jensen's characters doing sexy scenes on screen or something, I don't mind 🤷.

Personally, I think they should keep the " they will, they won't " going on longer than the first season, since everyone wants more seasons.

Works for me!

(And I agree about those fans as well.)