#dean has a plan

[s0fter-sin]

one of my favourite aspects of supernatural that you very rarely see in paranormal shows is that sam and dean are already versed in the world they live in. there’s no sudden discovery of ghosts and demons and now they have to learn about them along with the audience; they are born into it and already know all about it. it allows the audience to follow their personal story instead of also trying to figure out this new world and its rules

the first season is full of knowledge we never see them learn; “w*ndigoes are in the minnesota woods or- or northern michigan. i’ve never even heard of one this far west.” […] “great. well then this [his gun] is useless.” (1x02), “you don’t break a curse. you get the hell out of its way.” (1x08), d: “it’s a god. a pagan god, anyway.” […] “the annual cycle of its killings? and the fact that the victims are always a man and a woman. like some kind of fertility right.” […] s: “the last meal. given to sacrificial victims. d: “yeah, i’m thinking a ritual sacrifice to appease some pagan god.” (1x11)

almost every episode in the first season is a monster they’ve faced before that they then explain to the audience in a way that should feel patronising; like it’s the same speech given over and over again but instead, the audience almost feels included in the knowledge. it’s stated with such an innate confidence and comfort in said knowledge that it feels like we already knew it too; “spirits and demons don't have to unlock doors. if they want inside, they just go through the walls.” […] “the claws, the speed that it moves; could be a skinwalker, maybe a black dog.” (1x02), “it's biblical numerology. you know noah's ark, it rained for forty days. the number means death.” (1x04), “no no no, not the reaper, a reaper. there's reaper lore in pretty much every culture on earth, it goes by 100 different names.” […] “you said it yourself that the clock stopped, right? reapers stop time. and you can only see 'em when they're coming at you which is why i could see it and you couldn't.” (1x12)

they already know and, at least in the first season, already have what they need to kill whatever they’re hunting; already know to salt and burn bones for spirits, fire for a w*ndigo, exorcisms for demons, a silver bullet to the heart for shapeshifters. there’s only three times in the entire first season that they run into something new to them; 1x14 when sam gets his first vision that leads him to another psychic, 1x16 when dean calls caleb for help on the sigil he put together and he tells him about daevas, and 1x20 when they find out vampires are real- and they only don’t know that bc john thought they were hunted to extinction and not worth mentioning

(there’s also technically two half instances if you count one of them knowing something the other doesn’t - sam figuring out the tulpa in 1x17 and dean already knowing about the shtriga in 1x18 - but those still rely on sam and dean having prior knowledge)

even when they’re uncertain about facing something, it’s not bc they don’t know what it is; it’s precisely bc they know what it is and acknowledge that it’ll be a difficult hunt (“i don't know, man. this isn't our normal gig. i mean, demons, they don't want anything, just death and destruction for its own sake. this is big. and i wish dad was here.” 1x04)

so much of the tension in paranormal shows typically comes from the main character(s) not knowing what is happening to them/the people around them and having to find out how to resolve it. supernatural is unique in that it operates more like a police procedural. the tension comes from solving the clues and identifying patterns to figure out who (what) the killer is and intercepting before they can take another victim

it’s such a different tone to go for when compared to other shows that came both before, during, and after its run. it sets sam and dean on even footing with each other since they both have the same knowledge going in, and it puts them in a place of authority usually reserved for an outside character

the shows i compare spn to most is charmed, buffy and teen wolf; every main character in those shows are brought into the paranormal world knowing nothing, putting them on the same level as the audience, and they have their mc interact with others already knowledgeable about that world in order to overcome their problem/monster of the week. the audience organically learns about this new world as the characters learn about it. it’s a sound writing strategy that prevents “as we already know”-style exposition but something that complicates it is if your world building isn’t unique or intriguing enough, this slow introduction can become boring

we’ve seen shows like these before; sitting through the same tropes of characters learning to use their powers, struggling with no longer feeling normal/relating to the regular world around them, and not knowing how much they can trust the people already involved in this new world gets repetitive. all three shows eventually reach the same level of comfort with their new world that spn starts with but if the characters aren’t enough to draw you in, you can end up dropping it before they reach that point (and often, before the overarching plot can really kick in and evolve the show beyond the villain of the week format)

it’s the superhero origin movie in tv format; dragged out and overplayed. dropping the audience into an established world of course comes with its own problems but you also have the benefit of pre-existing established character dynamics that let the audience slot in like they’ve always been there instead of just getting to know all the characters while the characters also get to know each other

sam and dean already knowing about the supernatural lets the audience immediately get to the core of the story; the conflict between sam and dean, the search for their father, and the mystery of what killed their mother

[shadystranger]

yeah sam im doing it im killing myself n our son i know u hate it but this is the only way™️ this is a dickship or whatever

-wow i'll be rlly devastated by that *leaves the room w tears in his eyes*

uweggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[shallowseeker]

anyone wanna talk about how much i love cas this week?

“any time they try, it’s like it it breaks them apart”

and cas keeps trying!

he keeps trying to overcome a billion years of brainwashing and programming, and he overcomes so much in such a short time. he has victories and setbacks but

but!

by season 15, his will is iron

he prays to chuck for help, but the moment he reads chuck’s intentions as a liar, he has no qualms against turning away, and it is amazing!!! i don’t think you understand just how amazing

it’s such a wonderful moment, tucked away in a season where sam is paralyzed, waylaid, and discomfited by chuck, where dean both gets on board w/ and suckered by chuck, and then has a existential crises over him, where a tough cookie like eileen is puppeted ratatouille-style by him…

cas turns away!

[bloodcanbehot]

I was suddenly possessed with an immense urge to fuck jason todd, sorry in advance cause I also decided to start rebloging fics of him (mostly fluff)

[why-is-it-always-autumn]

Bloggers in the Supernatural universe trying to explain how the "Winchesters" that online paranormal investigators the Ghostfacers have some sort of beef with are actually notorious serial killers Sam and Dean Winchester, but all of this is possibly an elaborate roleplay based on the cult appeal "Supernatural" books by Carver Edlund, and also this all ties in to that guy with the trenchcoat who declared himself God and teleported around doing miracles for like a week in 2011, does anyone remember that guy? And speaking of, the fall of Dick Roman and SucroCorp! They're not quite sure yet how that ties in but...

[samanddean76]

Title: Jensen's Haus Of Hair

Author: SamandDean76

Pairings: Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester, Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki, Dean Winchester/Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles/Sam Winchester

Fandoms: Supernatural & Supernatural RPF

Rating: Explicit | Word Count: 5k | Major Warnings: None

Tags: AU, French Mistake Jared & Jensen, Protective Dean, Hurt Jared, Protective Jensen, Sam Has A Plan, Frustrated Dean, Having To Deal With Those Male Model Sons Of Bitches, Canon Fix-It, Mildly Dubious Consent, Canon-Typical Violence, Non-Graphic Violence, Angst With A Happy Ending, Prompt Fill, WinterNatural 2023

Summary: Dean finds himself searching a dark New York City alley for Sam. But when he finds him, Sam is hurt and not making sense. Calling him Jensen. Dean quickly realizes that something is wrong about the entire situation, but Jared passed out before Dean could solve the mystery.

Meanwhile, Sam discovers the emotionally un-constipated Jensen to be full of rather pertinent and vital information. Will he be able to use it to ensure that he and Dean get to live out their post-Chuck life?

Fic on AO3

I am happy to finally be posting the final prompt fill. It was requested by the dear @masoena and she basically gave me carte blanche to do whatever I wanted. And I wanted a happy ending for the boys. It's a bumpy ride, but they do get there eventually. I hope you enjoy it!

@WinterNatural2023 @quickreaver

[scoobydoodean]

"Dean has no time for fruitless quests to find God. He's got people to protect" | 1.03 "Dead In The Water

Quote is tags from @ilarual ♥️

[boykingnightshift]

happy wincest wednesday! god i love their little divorce in this episode

[quietwingsinthesky]

for your fic prompts, sam taking care of baby jack?

He's so small, and Sam wishes he cried more if only because he'd know what to do to help him, feed him, change him, rock him. At least he knows this, that Jack can't fall asleep, or stay asleep, unless Sam is holding him, and Sam is the only one who can, after Dean tried and nearly dropped Jack on the floor, fingers frostbitten and expression furious while Sam cradled Jack close and stumbled over excuses ("He's a baby, Dean, he wasn't trying to hurt you, he didn't know, he didn't know.")

But even though Sam is sleep deprived and riddled through with anxiety taking care of his- of Jack, he still can't help how much he loves him, how much he'd give for Jack to have a good life, safe and happy and loved, and every day, he gets more and more scared that he's not going to be able to give that to him.

(birthday 3 sentence ficathon! come toss a prompt!)

[warlockcctv]

Imagine sparing Benny, helping him escape and then going on for a bit and almost forgetting about him.

Then Dead Money, you wake up at the Seira Madre and guess what greedy shit heard the radio signal.

It would be like Dean Domino all over again but somehow worse (love Dean's character, he's a terrible guy)

I'd love to see what that place does to him, how he survives

Replacing Benny as an antagonist with Uylsses in the background as Benny has his ending and the effects of Uylsses are just going to start being felt through Elijah.

Is this insane? Is this anything?

[tiktaalic]

How do I know dean could never have a physical full on brawl with his dad . Because Mickey did

[s0fter-sin]

what up it's been 12 years and i'm still pissed there was no consequence to dean being in constant survival mode and fighting 24/7 in purgatory

what do you mean he didn't become a god at hand to hand combat? what do you mean he could still be jumped by random ass demons?

he was - at best - in a constant in-between state meaning he didn't get hungry or tired but that also means he didn’t sleep for a year and was constantly being hunted by hundreds of thousands of monsters that want to eat him specifically, while actively searching for cas

OR he was in a completely normal state meaning he was constantly fighting starvation and exhaustion while all of that was still happening!! it's not like there's much to scavenge in monster heaven!! he would’ve been on the verge of dying for a year!!!

then he comes back and he's just exactly the same? the same level of fighting skill he's always had? if not slightly worse for some reason?? what do you mean he couldn't kill anything he came across with his eyes closed when it's what he's been doing EVERY DAY FOR A YEAR???

it's always been one of the flaws of a show running for so long that after like s6 they never seemed to be getting better? they still got the shit kicked out of them by demons and ghosts and what have you and instead of finding obscure rituals they just got A Better Gun™️

both sam and dean are the peak of what hunters can be; they've been trained to hunt and kill things bigger and stronger than them since they were children, so what do you mean they still get the shit kicked out of them so often? was it just to show how strong monsters are? that even with their level of experience and skill, they're still outmatched?

(or do you just need a way to keep up the tension cough cough what who said that)

but you can't have dean who's been trained to be an elite soldier Since He Was Four Years Old go into a 360 combat scenario for an entire year - a good chunk of which he was completely by himself - then say he didn't improve his combat skills At All

and not even just combat, his senses would've been off the charts!! there was nothing but ambient forest noise and growling, his hearing would've gotten so sharp, it was darker so his night vision would ve been insane and he should've been able to feel a monster coming a mile away after constantly being on guard

post purgatory dean had the opportunity to be a completely different beast to anything we'd ever seen before, to be a completely different kind of traumatised from all of his other trauma

hell broke him but purgatory should've broken and rebuilt him into something Terrifying

[spnintheyearofourlord]

Okay Dean “You know I am not much for prayin’ ‘cause in my book it’s the same as beggin’” and “I prayed to you, Cas, every night” Winchester, I see you.

[supertransural]

the consistent parallel of sam’s romantic relationships and Dean’s Bros™️ (men) throughout the show, and the consistent denial thereof by the narrative will never get old. like ah yes they were on their own for a year and sam had a girlfren and dean had *checks notes* another bromance. this conveys nothing about him. yes.

[ultfashionista]

SUPERNATURAL? IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD?

YEAH….. IVE BEEN REWATCHING IT BC I NEVER FINISHED THE SERIES…………. SIGHS FORLORNLY

[samanddean76]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Supernatural (TV 2005) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: John Winchester/Sam Winchester Characters: Sam Winchester, John Winchester Additional Tags: Established John Winchester/Sam Winchester, Hunt Gone Wrong, John Driving The Hell Out Of The Impala, Dean's Gonna Be Pissed, Sam Winchester Has a Plan, John Winchester Not Being an Asshole, swear to god, There's A Serious Story In Here, Non-Explicit, Very fond memories Summary:

Sam and John were out hunting werewolves, but they quickly found themselves outnumbered and fleeing for their lives. Caught up in a blizzard, Sam comes up with a plan on the fly to save the day. And reap the rewards.

@dadfuckerfest