#cas as the steadfast tin soldier

[shallowseeker]

Could you please do one of your play-by-plays with Dean and Cas fight in 11.03 The Bad Seed?

I have a partial that's embedded into the giant freeform Samwena post! (scroll a thousand years, and it's at the very bottom under "Last Bit")

I think... if you don't mind, I'll talk about the symbols in the set here, since the play-by-play is a bit embedded in the Samwena meta already? If that's not what you wanted, hit me again!

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High Ground, low ground, and meeting in the middle

This scene is steeped in symbolism, illustrating the connection and contrast between Cas and Dean. The motifs surrounding them visually embody their respective struggles and personalities while framing their journey toward mutual understanding and, as Dean maybe views it, forgiveness and equilibrium.

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Cas:

Creepy blue-eyed mask, brown-and-tan-bear, imposing larger-than-life soldier, tall red scaffolding.

Tall "Heavenly" scaffolding

Symbolism: The scaffolding represents Heaven and the heavy burden of Cas’s celestial duties. It symbolizes the high expectations placed upon him. The responsibilities always seem to loom over him. (We often see him pictured with skyscraper paintings for the same motif.)

Fragility: Scaffolding is both strong and precarious, reflecting Cas’s internal struggle—holding others up even as his own foundations are unstable.

Juxtaposition: Its towering nature contrasts with Dean’s low "valley" of stacked pallets, visually framing their dynamic as one of opposites that complement each other.

Creepy blue-eyed "Jimmy Novak" mask

Uncanny familiarity: The mask evokes Jimmy Novak, Cas’s vessel, but it's wearing a wicked expression. It’s a haunting reminder of Cas’s sacrifices and the cost of his mission, as well as the evil he's committed in the name of Heaven.

Puppet symbolism: Paired with the attack dog spell, it reflects the manipulation Cas has faced, being lured into false choices by others. Metatron’s schemes, Sam's pressure to save Dean his way, and now Rowena’s attack dog spell aimed to mold Cas into a tool for their ambitions.

Contrast: Where the mask is lifeless and haunting, Cas’s actions—falling towards Dean—are full of life and vulnerability, reclaiming his agency in their shared connection.

The brown-and-tan teddy

Overcoat resemblance: The coat evokes Cas’s steadfast loyalty, symbolizing his commitment to the "lower" human family over the lofty ideals of higher corporations or celestial orders. It represents his role as a protector and provider—a fatherly duty he has embraced with quiet resolve. Beneath its stoic, utilitarian exterior lies a softer, more vulnerable core, reminding us that his dedication to humanity is not just a role but a choice rooted in compassion and love.

Truck connection: The brown color also ties to Cas’s truck, a practical and grounded symbol of his efforts to navigate the human world. It suggests Cas's willingness to carry burdens alongside Dean.

Heart: The teddy bear symbolizes Cas’s emotions—a visual representation of his big heart. "Too much heart was always Castiel's problem." Interestingly, the bear also ties him to Mary, Dean, and Jack, who each have their own connections to this symbol. Together, they form a thread of resilience and affection, woven through their shared stories and struggles.

Toy soldier behind the fence

Imposing presence: The tall toy soldier is standing at attention, evoking discipline, duty, and resolve, embodying Cas’s role as Heaven’s soldier and champion.

Fence as separation: The soldier stands behind a barrier, symbolizing the divide between Cas’s celestial obligations and his desire for personal connection. It reflects his struggle to reconcile these two worlds, the tension between divine orders and his own choices. The fence is not only a literal barrier but also a metaphor for the isolation Cas feels as he struggles with the roles imposed on him by Heaven, feeling often like an attack dog behind a dog fence, especially in the face of manipulation like Rowena's attack dog spell.

Contradiction: The rigid soldier contrasts with Cas’s current vulnerability, highlighting how far he has come from being Heaven’s unquestioning weapon to someone who prioritizes free will and love.

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Dean:

Panda bear, trash bag, supporting shipping pallet, "low" valley

Shipping pallets ("low valley")

Grounded symbolism: The stacked pallets behind Dean represent a low and grounded point, reflecting his pragmatic, earthy nature. While Cas’s scaffolding reaches upwards, Dean's structure is rooted to earth and his newly restored humanity. Both the scaffolding and the palettes exist to support others—a foundation and a framework, designed not for their own glory but to uplift and enable those around them. Whether holding the weight or providing the colors, they are essential yet humble, serving quietly so others can stand tall or shine brightly.

Contrast: The pallets create a "valley" beneath the towering scaffolding, visually framing their dynamic: Dean grounded on earth, always supporting his family at the expense of his own happiness, Cas's connection to Heaven, carrying out Heaven's missions at the expense of his own emotions.

False choices: Just as pallets are tools for transporting heavy loads, they symbolize Dean's emotional labor. The false choices imposed on him—becoming Cain’s heir to the Mark or succumbing to Crowley’s manipulation to get ahead in Hell—tried to burden him, framing his suffering as necessary to support others' ambitions. (And often taking away his agency through dishonesty, disinhibition, violation, and manipulation...)

Black-and-white panda

Symbol of duality: The panda’s stark black-and-white design mirrors Dean’s struggle with his inner contradictions—his tough exterior versus his deeply caring heart.

Dean's heart: Like Cas’s teddy bear, the panda hints at forcefully suppressed emotions. It represents Dean’s suppressed desires for simplicity and peace, often overshadowed by his heavy responsibilities to others.

Caretaker role: Pandas are famously “lazy” but also intensely nurturing. This parallels Dean’s role in the group: someone who masks his nurturing instincts behind a gruff exterior, often doing the “heavy emotional lifting” further embodied by the garbage bag nearby.

Garbage bag

Emotional labor: The garbage bag signifies the emotional burdens Dean has carried, often for the sake of others. He cleans up messes, both figuratively and literally, reflecting his tendency to internalize pain to protect others.

Self-worth: Dean’s bag highlights the emotional weight he shoulders for those around him, often suppressing his own feelings as he prioritizes the well-being of others. Dean’s bag represents internalized responsibility, highlighting his struggle with self-worth and his tendency to see himself as expendable. :(

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Coercive roles: Overcome by Rowena’s attack dog spell, Cas’s violent actions against Dean reflect how external forces have repeatedly manipulated him—first by Metatron, then pressure by Sam, and now by Rowena. His motifs emphasize the imposed expectations of Heaven, his vulnerability, and his struggle to reclaim agency. Dean’s recent history with the Mark of Cain echoes Cas’s experience. Both were enticed by false choices that appeared necessary or inevitable—first with Crowley manipulating Dean to get him to take out Abaddon, then Dean being force-fit to Cain’s parallels—all engineered while damaging his free will. Each was a tool, trapped in narratives designed by others to fit their ambitions, often at the cost of autonomy. Dean in particular is framed as a support character. Dean is the one who defeats Abbadon, but Crowley takes the credit and at first relegates to Dean as a side accessory in his own Kingly narrative.

Agency (temporarily) restored: In trying to free Dean and restore both his free will and decision-making faculties, Cas lost his own, becoming overwhelmed by the attack dog spell while trying to follow Sam’s coercive plan. (Despite voicing his misgivings and pushing Sam to come clean, Cas found himself bound to the plan he couldn’t fully support... and he suffered the consequences for it.)

In this moment in 11x03, Dean rushes to save Cas, and Dean and Cas are temporarily broken free from their imposed molds, reclaiming their right to define themselves. The act of reaching for each other becomes a shared rejection of the constraints that others tried to impose on them.

Unfortunately for them, this victory is only temporary—an uneasy re-establishment of equilibrium. The cycle will inevitably repeat, but next time, it will be Lucifer who claims Cas's free will, as Cas sacrifices it once again in a desperate attempt to save Dean, whose free will is now beholden to/enslaved to Amara.

[shallowstories]

The tin soldier's passive acceptance of whatever happens to him, while exemplifying pietistic ideals of self-denial, also contributes to his doom.

Were he to speak and act, the soldier might gain both life and love. Restrained, however, by inhibition and convention, he finds only tragedy and death.

[turistprinro]

Festivalul Puppets Occupy Street

este primul festival de arta animației din România care se desfășoară exclusiv în spații neconvenționale, creat pentru comunitate;

aduce la un loc companii de teatru private și artiști independenți din țară și din străinătate, încurajând astfel parteneriatul public-privat;

se desfășoară anual în perioada 25 august – 01 septembrie;

se adresează tuturor categoriilor de public, evenimentele fiind gratuite;

cuprinde evenimente ca: spectacole, ateliere de creație, concerte, expoziții, proiecții video, video mapping, happening-uri, animație stradală, arte vizuale, arte plastice, etc., desfășurându-se simultan în mai multe zone ale orașului;

are caracter necompetitiv;

își are punctul forte în cele două parade cu păpuși supradimensionate și care alegorice;

are loc în Craiova, al VI – lea oraș ca mărime din România, cu aproape 300.000 de locuitori, aflat în sud-vestul țării. Craiova este un oraș cultural, cu cel mai mare parc natural din estul Europei, Parcul Nicolae Romanescu, fiind și un oraș cu aeroport propriu.

Festivalul este organizat de Teatrul pentru copii și tineret Colibri și finanțat de Primăria Municipiului Craiova și Consiliul Local Craiova.

Iată câteva exemple din programul Festivalului Puppets Occupy Street, ediția 2019:

Patru „domnițe“ fantastice, venite parcă de pe meleagurile urieșești, dansează și poartă magic vocile anotimpurilor românești. Primăvara, Vara, Toamna și Iarna, fiicele Bunului, se prind de mână, cântă și dansează, adunând, în jocul lor, alai de oameni pofticioși de joacă și povești!

Jonglerie și comedie!

Tavo Tavinsky este un jongler amuzant, care sfidează legile gravitației, de dragul distracției, construind un moment unic de divertisment.

Vă place magia?

Și cum rămâne cu mâinile magice și cu marionetele amuzante? Veți asista la un concurs nebun între un magician – păpușar și un asistent confuz.

Teatrul Municipal de Marionete, Republica Moldova Magic Marionettes Show

Un marionetist, magician consacrat, propune o poveste care să ne amintească de copilărie și ne invită să visăm, să zâmbim, să ne bucurăm din plin de viață.

„The Steadfast Tin Soldier“

Aceasta este o poveste de Hans Christian Andersen despre iubirea unui soldat de plumb pentru o balerină. Trec printr-o mulțime de neașteptate aventuri, pentru ca în cele din urmă să își găsească împreună sfârșitul în foc. Spectacolul trupei Teatrol prezintă povestea ca pe o lume în care își fac loc deopotrivă iubirea, devotamentul, forța de trece peste obstacole.

Little Wolf Minski Varieté of Strings

Să-i cunoaștem pe micul lup Minski și prietenii lui: un iepure timid, un cuplu de șoricei care fac fel de fel de trucuri, un pui nebun, o furnică misterioasă și o grămadă de alte marionete amuzante și poetice.

Mai multe informații pe site-ul festivalului sau pe pagina de facebook a festivalului.

Festivalul Puppets Occupy Street 2019 Festivalul Puppets Occupy Street este primul festival de arta animației din România care se desfășoară exclusiv în spații neconvenționale, creat pentru comunitate;

[shallowseeker]

What are you going to do now, soldier?

The steadfast tin soldier is standing to attention. That’s what soldiers do. The steadfast keeps a stiff upper lip and remains steadfast throughout all his troubles. He cannot act. Duty demands attention.

Thinking about the conversation between Mary and Bobby in season 13. Mary is feeling Bobby out, hoping for a signal from him:

13x22

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And I think back to 5x22, after Sam died, and Cas and Dean drove alone in the cars for hours. How Dean asked Cas the same thing:

5x22

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CASTIEL: I wish circumstances were different. Much of the time I’d rather be here.

6x10

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She still balanced on one leg, with the other raised high. She too was steadfast. That touched the soldier so deeply that he would have cried tin tears, only soldiers never cry. He looked at her, and she looked at him, and never a word was said. Just as things were going so nicely for them, one of the little boys snatched up the tin soldier and threw him into the stove. He did it for no reason at all. That black bogey in the snuffbox must have put him up to it. The tin soldier stood there dressed in flames. He felt a terrible heat, but whether it came from the flames or from his love he didn't know. He'd lost his splendid colors, maybe from his hard journey, maybe from grief, nobody can say. He looked at her, and she looked at him, and he felt himself melting. But still he stood steadfast, with his musket held trim on his shoulder. Then the door blew open. A puff of wind struck the dancer. She flew like a sylph, straight into the fire with the soldier, blazed up in a flash, and was gone. The tin soldier melted, all in a lump. The next day, when a servant took up the ashes she found him in the shape of a little tin heart. But of the pretty dancer nothing was left except her spangle, and it was burned as black as a coal.

― Hans Christian Andersen, The Steadfast Tin Soldier

[shallowseeker]

Anyway, what I like about Metatron, @13x02, is that in addition to his positioning of himself as "lovable nice-guy nerd" to Castiel's "dumb jock," which is hilarious btw, Metatron underlines Castiel's mode as the steadfast tin soldier.

Metatron is frustrated by Castiel's adherence to duty, because he perceives it as hypocrisy. (In 10x04, Metatron sneers, "Of course. The Great Castiel never stoop to such selfishness.")

And one exasperating quality of Castiel's is that he's so so composed. Like many characters (Crowley, Rowena, Meg, and even Dean), sometimes Metatron just wants to see get a rise out of Cas, to see him snap.

Even after Metatron kills Dean, Cas is still holding himself back from being honest about what he wants.

Embittered characters like Metatron, Ishim, and Lucifer see others lavishing (undeserved?) love on Castiel, and he doesn't even revel in it. The thing is, they'd kill for that kind of love, admiration, and attention.

The tin soldier's passive acceptance of whatever happens to him, while exemplifying pietistic ideals of self-denial, also contributes to his doom.

Were he to speak and act, the soldier might gain both life and love. Restrained, however, by inhibition and convention, he finds only tragedy and death.