#PR isn't showrunning

[lavenderleahy]

PR is not showrunning. This is something I often heard repeated when spn was airing and it bears repeating now with the ABC kiss video. I'm not saying this to be negative, only I think the bucktommy fans need to manage our expectations. The people who create promo videos aren't even remotely the same people who make creative decisions for the shows. One of the kisses they chose was from a couple that isn't even dating anymore*! The goal of promos like this is to draw people in and get people excited to watch their shows. It's not to confirm or tease our ships. I think we have lots of reasons to be excited for season 8. I think there are good reasons to be optimistic about bucktommy being on our screens. I just don't think this is one of them. Let's be optimistic without hanging all of our hopes on one PR video. PR is not showrunning.

*The kiss was from Abbott Elementary, which doesn't have a lot of on-screen kisses to choose from. Iirc, one was a "mistake," one was from this broken up couple, and one was from the season finale, which could potentially be a spoiler. So I understand why they chose to show the kiss they did from that show. I'm just mentioning this to demonstrate that the kisses chosen don't necessarily mean anything for canon.

[naruhearts]

hi, i love your blog! i just wanna bring up a discussion. I LOVE DESTIEL AND IT IS COMPLETELY 100% REAL- but, why does jensen insist so persistently that destiel isn’t real, and if misha and jensen purposefully act the way they do as dean and cas, why is he so uncomfortable with the topic? is jensen homophobic ?

Aw thanks, nonnie! :D

There it is, the burning topic that holds polarizing opinions.

Annelie wrote an extensive, thorough post about this already (and it’s a SENSIBLE PIECE that dictates ALL my thoughts since I joined the Destiel fandom; she addresses your questions). I mention it here as well so I won’t delve too far into it. However *briefly walks the wank plank*

^^Jensen says this (about Dean being a fan of Dr. Sexy MD which we all know is a significant subtextual moment) after “Destiel doesn’t exist” — after denying the one topic he’s explicitly avoided numerous times (and I wholeheartedly believe that respectful fans would never bring up Destiel unless they want to draw unsavoury reactions from him on purpose and/or create more hateful bronlie fodder).

Let’s be real: folks are super adamant on proving that Destiel/Bi!Dean isn’t real that they completely overlook the second half.

It’s…uh, peculiar, right? I mean, look at his face. His use of quotes around “closet fan”–making weird implications about THE METAPHORICAL CLOSET. And then–

*side eyes* 

For someone who’s allegedly homophobic (a claim I believe is false), he sure stoked the fire himself, huh?

Jensen denied Destiel, but not that Dean is bisexual. 

In the past he’d simply deflect. No confirmations or rejections of any sort.

Note: this certain exchange was pretty frustrating to watch seeing as Jensen was most likely tired, and the poor fan just exacerbated his low mood by, again, bringing up something he explicitly avoids.

Circling the discussion back to Destiel — Dean and Cas’ love story is a nine-year long underlying narrative that has, frankly, been walking the (now thin thin thin) line between subtext and text post-S7, and TPTB are employing Will They Won’t They? as both:

A. a PR device (“stoke the fire”, Jensen and Misha freely joking around about Destiel, Dabb & Co pushing POSITIVE endgames, “the re-emergence of Castiel is a huge piece in turning Dean around again”, “Western Romcom with Misha”, “Give it to ‘em in a way they don’t expect” etc)

B. plot device (Dean and Cas using their words, past and present subtext complementing each other, TPTB supplying S13′s momentum towards canon with more and more overt expositions, parallels, symbolism etc).

The show’s premise conveys GROWTH — breaking the traditional mould, introducing social progression, cracking toxic norms, and uncovering WHO YOU ARE. Dean Winchester is the epitome of it. His characteristic journey was formed since 1x01. If Jensen comes out (pun intended) right now and yells: “YES, DEAN IS BI, DESTIEL’S REAL, AND HE’S IN LOVE WITH CAS!!” when their story hasn’t yet reached its denouement, they’ll be throwing the suspense, the intrigue, the literary fixation, and the COLOSSAL effort TPTB poured into creating a nuanced wholesome narrative for the GA out of the window. SPN’s (silent) storytelling becomes moot! Endgame Destiel becomes moot! (NDA’s are violated and TPTB’s wrath rains down upon the cast lol)

So, Jensen’s right: Destiel doesn’t exist TEXTUALLY. It will (I hope it does) soon. And while it’s absolutely true that Destiel doesn’t have to exist in order for Dean to be bisexual, the two are INTRINSICALLY connected (even though the latter predates the former) because Dean’s attraction to men — which Jensen deliberately portrayed in brilliant ways over 13 years — is linked to Performing!Dean’s degradation and the death of his toxic masculinity/sublimation –> linked to Dean accepting that he deserves GOOD THINGS and WANTING those good things for himself despite what (John) anyone else thinks –> linked to Dean LOVING Cas — his male best friend, his Everything, his Win — and entering into a HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP with him. 

**PR isn’t showrunning, but I’m not surprised that the cast/TPTB nowadays are running ‘round the stage like excited-ass toddlers, mostly devoid of restrictions and filters, happy-go-luckily shaking up the Destiel (+ Cockles) arena at cons vs two years ago.

I hope (EXPECT) we’re getting a beautiful end to the story of Love...and Love.

[margarittet]

Just a reminder. And PR isn't showrunning.

Hey Andrew, can we talk man?

[obsessionisaperfume]

It’s easy to tick three boxes and know that the fans on Twitter are gonna go crazy for them. It just is. And I think we all know what those three boxes are, or we all have different three boxes, but I think the question is: If those are the only types of stories you’re telling, then are you really allowing the show to grow, creatively? Because really, then it becomes a nostalgia cycle *** "We have our share of nostalgia, and we certainly go to that well,” says Dabb, adding, “but if that’s all you’re going for – if all you’re doing is repeating – then it becomes a real problem. And it puts a clock on things.” *** We can expect Supernatural season 12 to continue telling smaller-scale stories about the Winchesters and their familiar relationships. Says Dabb, “with the guys and these relationships, we have places to go that are really interesting. And I don’t wanna ever get to a point where I’m like, 'You know what, we’re not gonna do this because I know Twitter’s not gonna like it.’ I just don’t think that’s ever a good way to run a story, or to run a show.

Hypable.com

This is from the season 11/12 hellatus.

[wigglebox]

hello -- i’m here to defend MotW episodes because they serve a purpose and honestly? would rather knock out cas-less episodes earlier on than later on if you dig what i’m saying. 

but i love MotW episodes. they still serve the overarching theme and story for the season or whatever arc they are dealing with at the time. They are on theme for the most part, and we can also learn little extra tidbits on Sam and Dean that travel into arc-myth episodes. 

i’m excited for this episode (not just because Jensen directed it a ho ho ho) but because it’s after this three-part opener that tore literally everyone’s heart out (sorry Ketch). 

it’s the desire to get back to normal and get to that familiar place like episode 1 tried getting us to, but failed -- on purpose. during PR times we were given a glimpse as to Dean’s state of mind going into episode 7 and it’s not great. meaning this MotW episode will fail to bring back that familiar ‘doing simple hunting jobs with muh bro’ feeling. it’s that desire to get back to the familiar “need a win” feeling of vanquishing a bad guy. 

it’s just going to establish, once more, that things have really changed. we’re seeing the other bookend now. 

also, i can believe that this episode will highlight more of Dean’s train going off the tracks. i personally wonder if missteps will be made during this case.

Sam also isn’t in a good state of mind, and i wonder if he’ll be able to pull it together as well. 

i read in an article over the summer (idk which one, there were so many) that this episode was them trying to get back into the swing of things, help resharpen themselves.

just by that blurb alone i feel like it’s not going to go too great and even if it does, you’re going to still see them suffering. 

so yeah, idk, i love MotW episodes. 

[singersalvageshop]

everybody’s worried about the “you’re dead to me” but i’m way more disturbed by the spn twitter acct calling sam and dean cas’s brothers 😬

[virginwhoredichotomy]

pr isn't showrunning etc etc i still think someone needs to go to jail for this

[princesscas]

Okay I've seen people saying Misha is going to be in the finale and people saying he isn't, but do we have any proof either way? Just curious

We have speculation posts but nothing substantial. Given its the series final, it’s no surprise they’re keeping it a secret. In previous finals, we’d have an idea who would be in it and what would go on in it. Do note that PR is not showrunning. 

Misha was asked if he was in the final during a panel (this past weekend I think??) but he wouldn’t answer. We know Misha quarantined for the last two episodes because Jensen said all three of them were in Van. 

People saying Misha isn’t in the final is about the same as people saying he is. (uuhhh me lol) because at the end of the day, we simply don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see. ...but the silence from J2 is very suspicious if 15x18 was Misha’s last episode. 

[gra-sonas]

The worst part of the RNM s3 snippets so far is that if you didn't already know it you honestly couldn't tell that Liz is the lead of the show. The only glimpse of her so far we got was her talking about Max??? I am guessing the sneak peak SDCC will release is mostly likely going to be some part of the pod squad/Mr. Jones cave scene too. I know PR isn't showrunning and this doesn't mean she'll be sidelined again but do better CW.

IKR?????

It's absolutely ridiculous that all she's talking about is Max (while he's kissing someone else, wow, love triangle much 🥱 I shiver in anticipation 😴) bc that's really what everyone's just gagging for after more than a year. 🙄

Congrats, you failed the Bechdel test (considering Liz is talking to another woman, probably Rosa?) in the first 5 seconds of the trailer.

A surefire way that pretty much no one cares for the teaser is that no one's talking about it. There's just nothing exciting about it. It's all so... lame. They didn't even try to make it interesting.

I am guessing the sneak peak SDCC will release is mostly likely going to be some part of the pod squad/Mr. Jones cave scene too.

😩 And I just don't caaaaaare. I want to see Alex, I want to see Kyle, I want to get an idea of what's in store for the core 8. The sneak peek will likely be a scene from the first 15 minutes of 3x01 tho (you're probably spot on with your assumption that it's going to be a cave scene).

Yeah, TPTB are not responsible for the CW PR side of things, but they aren't any better tbh. They just don't understand what we've been begging for this past year. They don't get it. At all. They are so fucking bad at social media and realizing how annoying and frustrating their lack of interaction is, and how disappointing the writers room account has been overall.

They made that big announcement last September, where they said "Check back here for regular updates and teases."

Hahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaa *sobs* They posted some things, and we really thought we're off to a good start-- and then the account went dormant for months on end. 😭

And apart from a handful of "hints" via Chris's Q&A, there have been zero teases. We still know nothing about S3.

Last year's promo schedule was:

Key art (poster) released: February 17 2x01 promo pics released: February 21 ~1 minute long S2 trailer released: February 27 S2 premiere: March 16

This year's promo schedule so far:

Key art (poster) released: June 28 2 short S3 teasers released: June 28 (~20secs of "new" footage in total) 3x01 promo pics released: ❌ S3 trailer released: ❌ S3 premiere: July 26

Applying last year's schedule to this year, they should've released 3x01 promo pics on July 2, and the S3 trailer should've been released on Thursday, July 8.

[lovecolibri]

There have been so many copy-paste asks going around the past few weeks about Alex and people being worried about how involved he's going to be this season recycling repeatedly debunked talking points like Tyler not being on set as much as the others (something we have no actual proof of other than his lack of posting) that I am beginning to wonder if some people are trolling Alex positive blogs or if they are genuinely worried. PR isn't showrunning, and if we're being honest, we still barely know anything about most character arcs despite getting a whole bunch of interviews last week. We didn't even get one with Vlamis yet, and he was everywhere last season. Rosa's promo clip dropped before the pod squad's. And the fact that they're getting the Alex-less episodes out of the way with episode 8 as the last makes me think Malex spends the last few eps already together.

Yeah, I noticed some similar asks floating around but 🤷🏻‍♀️ I'm choosing to be hopeful that maybe it's just a worried fan. I believe they did drop and interview with Vlamis but after a year of absolutely nothing being broken by that disaster of a poster I pretty much gave up hope in the PR department. I am THRILLED they are getting Alex's missing episodes out of the way early so we can have him when things pick up plot wise and hopefully giving us some good Malex content!

[aoitrinity]

Excuse me but did he use the word "CONFESSION?"

Shittiest video in the history of video, but you get the audio.... in response to why Dean is acting this way. clown masks activate???!!!

[naruhearts]

Ugh, con panels are bad, but the J2 ones are the worst. It's where the most reductionist comments on the show come from. I'm sure that's due to a number of factors, but con Sundays always seem to spark panic.

Hey nonnie!

Yeah, the (typically extreme, wank-y) reception over con Sundays are, in my opinion, mostly unfounded. Honestly, there’s always going be some kind of wank fodder appearing in ANY panel because when you have a gigantic crowd full of various livetweeter/liveblogger fans who believe in different things (or people who obsessively ‘stan’ cast members to the point where common decency/respect for them – as well as the friends surrounding cast members and fellow fans surrounding the stans themselves – just disappear into thin air), whatever the stars say – Misha, J2M, J2, whoever else – will be misconstrued and taken out of context ESPECIALLY if one doesn’t watch the actual panel. Heck, whatever they say will obviously be considered evidence to support hateful exclusionary beliefs i.e. by vile brosonlies or -onlies despite CANON/footage/cast interactions consistently testifying to the complete opposite. And yes, I’m referring to MISHA/CAS IS FAMILY/A BEST FRIEND in particular. It’s literally an expected -only behaviour after so many years. 

Remember, one is entitled to an opinion, and one’s feelings are valid, but there is a fine line, and if one keeps spreading hate in spite of their opinion being disproven, time and time again – i.e. see above – then it’s time to step back and realize that your personal hateful bias is crowding truths.

Without repeating Mitten’s spot-on post here (she succinctly summarized what I thought about J2′s SW/DW/MW remarks), I take this advice to heart:

[mittensmorgul]

I HAVE been reassured by your answer, thank you. I have faith that the boys will come out this season alive, but I'm always a little extra worried about Rowena for some reason. To me, she is part of the Winchester family now, but all the promo stuff (and I know, PR isn't showrunning but it still makes me nervous!) is so centered on the 4 guys that I fear what's going to happen to her.

YAY!

To be honest, I’m worried about Rowena, too, but I know she’s got a big part to play this season, so I won’t be really worried about her until we near the end of the road...

Even then, I think she’s one of those destined to come out the other side of this. She’s freaking EARNED it, you know? And Supernatural tends to not punish characters for genuine redemption arcs... we hope... especially not at the end of the road/...

[quillquiver]

I know PR isn't showrunning but...

[charlie-minion]

So when the CW pushed out the season 14 promotional poster, I was very happy to see Cas featured so prominently. But I also noticed that the mist seems to be circling around Cas as well in a way it doesn't seem to be doing with Sam or Dean. Do you think that means anything? Or is it just coincidence? Am I looking for foreshadowing in a promotional poster that just isn't there?

Considering the poster was shared at a time when season 14 was not even written (the writers are working on it now), I think that yeah, you’re looking for foreshadowing that just isn’t there. PR is not showrunning. I might be wrong, but I seriously don’t think the mist circling around Cas means anything. We should wait and see, of course. :)

[mad-as-a-box-of-frogs]

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