#j2:candids

[not-a-perfect-metaphor]

Best candid J2 moments

Of all time

And okay, let’s just call this part 1, because who are we kidding…there are tons more that deserve to make the list.

^ only qualifies as a candid for like the first second, but Jensen’s reaction to realizing they were being filmed is the entire reason this is one of my favorite moments, and it definitely needs to be included here!

Here’s exactly what I believe was happening: Jensen was holding onto Jared’s belt during a brief little minute where he didn’t think they were being observed. Like…you know, in that cutesy/couple-y way.

Because, I mean…either that or he was low key groping Jared’s dick lol, which seems like a lot (even for them) in a setting that’s not 100% guaranteed to be private. 😜

Ohhh, boys.

I love it.

[soulmates-for-real-tranquility]

This is gonna sound weird but. Do you happen to have a compilation of all the candid j2 moments? Like the time someone was recording them on their phone on set and Jared and Jensen were practically talking nose to nose despite it just being the two of them.

Hey anon! Sorry for the delay in replying. It's not a weird ask at all!

This highly blurry pic has often been shared as the most candid on set moment although it's difficult to actually make out what's going on.

I don't have a compilation but not-a-perfect-metaphor has made this excellent post. It has moments from on set and outside set as well.

Enjoy! 😊

https://www.tumblr.com/not-a-perfect-metaphor/712415224020566016/best-candid-j2-moments-of-all-time-and-okay?source=share

[lilacpaperbird]

did I spend an hour screenshotting this video and editing the pics? yes

[laf-outloud]

//You know, I did have a similar thought re: point #2. It's kind of why I didn't go full on hateful in my initial response, but I also think that if it is just a joke, it's going to go over a lot of heads, particularly, AAs who are more likely to visit the brewery.//

To be fair, I know a good amount of Jared fans who go to, or have gone to, the brewery. But, yeah. Even if it wasn’t intended as a slight, it looks like a slight. And with actors, sometimes that’s all that matters.

It’s like at JIB, when Jensen joked about having to pretend to be friends with him for 15+ years, when he and Rich were ragging on Jared when he and Rob joined them on stage. Like, I’m pretty sure he’s kidding, but it’s a shitty joke on a few levels. It makes him sound like he’s a liar who just played everyone (including Jared) for years. It feeds the hateful Jared antis who are always looking for evidence that people hate Jared. It makes him sound like an asshole. He only really usually does this kind of thing at JIB, so it could just be his JIB persona, but it’s a look that I have never liked on him.

I do think that J2 were legitimate friends for a long time. Even in the candid pics of them they looked just happy to be around each other. Jensen in particular looked like he simped for Jared. But, I think when Jared put up some boundaries, it made Jensen bitter. Then realizing the majority of people truly don’t care about him on Supernatural (or related projects) unless he’s with Jared made him even more bitter.

I wonder how Jensen will respond if Jared doesn’t join any more CE cons next year (I personally think he’ll be added to a couple more), and attendance suffers enough for him to realize that he can’t headline the convention on his own either. I mean, maybe there are enough heller and AAs to sustain Jensen only headliners for a while, but for 7+ (or whatever number it is now) CE contentions in one year? I’m not so sure.

Jensen and JIB is just a disaster waiting to happen.

I think Jensen and Jared were, and still are, situational friends, i.e., friends who shared multiple experiences together that bound their friendship. Early on, they probably also had an emotional friendship where they could be vulnerable with each other, but I think that's the style of friendship that's missing now. They still have all their experiences together to fall back on, but I just don't think the emotional closeness is there anymore.

So, whether that feeds into the bitterness, who knows, but you're right about the possibility of more hard truths coming for Jensen in the next year.

[greystarget]

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[acklesforlife]

[jensensgotyoudean]

tadbitcynical yes hello 911 i’ve had a heart attack

Lucky fan gets to visit the set! February, 2018

[deangirlsince07]

Omg Jensens scarf 😍😍. Such fashionistas ❤️.

[not-a-perfect-metaphor]

Is this going to be even remotely visible?

We shall see.

Terrible quality, but just look at these two! This is the kind of candid footage that played such a huge part in converting me to tinhattery years ago.

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

Imagine...J2 Doing A Shoot For You

Pairing: Jensen x photographer!reader x Jared (J2 x reader)

Warnings: language, implied future smut

______

“Male model sons of bitches,” you mumbled under your breath as you caught a great picture of the boys in their suits looking surly as fuck. You’d never get over the fact of how damn good Jensen looked in maroon. God you were going out and buying him a freaking new shirt right after this shoot. Then there was Jared in that tight and slim blazer that showed off just how damn lean and strong he was. Jensen had always been more solid but recently he’d gotten absolutely jacked for his Soldier Boy role, bigger than you’d ever known him to be. Meanwhile Jared was taking the opportunity of working from home in Austin more to lean out and just one touch of his bare torso sent shivers down your spine.

Being sandwiched between the two of them normally was the death of you. Being sandwiched between them now? Jensen holding you, Jared pressing against your back, the two of them caging you in, raw strength and power just fucking radiating off of them. 

You barely remembered they were standing there in the hot sun until you snapped out of your daydream, Jensen rocking back and forth on his heels. You caught a few candid pics before they noticed and went back to posing for you, listening to you instruct them of how to stand and what moves to make.

“Alright can you guys sit up on the ledge over there? I want to get a few family ones for just us while I got everything set up,” you said.

“Only if you sit in some of them,” said Jared. You gave a thumbs up, letting them situate themselves before you took a few. You set the camera on the rapid timer and joined them, taking a seat between them before they started sharing you back and forth, both in a big pair of laughs before the timer clicked that it was off.

“I think that’s good enough for today. I’ll go through them and send you guys some of the best ones to add to your portfolio’s,” you said. 

“The benefits of having a professional photographer for our girl,” said Jensen. He kissed your temple when you went over to your camera and made sure it was all set before turning it off. He lingered and you glanced up, Jensen leaning over and brushing his lips against your ear. “Don’t think we didn’t notice you staring. Like getting to play dress up with us don’t you?”

“Maybe I do, Ackles,” you said, Jensen humming to himself.

“Behave or we won’t tell you what to do later on,” he said, oh so lightly tickling that spot on your neck that drove you insane. You turned into it, Jared wandering over and smirking. “Always putty, isn’t she?”

“Damn right she is. Even more so when she gets to take pictures of us,” said Jared, brushing his thumb over your lips. “Down girl. We’ll play at home. Maybe even wear these matching maroon shirts you seem to love so much.”

“Fuck me,” you breathed out, Jensen sliding a hand down, dipping under the band of your underwear. He pulled away at the last second and you whined. “No.”

“Gotta change and pack up your gear before the weather rolls in,” he said, pulling back with a devilish smile. He grinned as he walked away and back towards the SUV where his other changes of clothes were. You batted your eyelids at Jared but he shook his head.

“Sooner we clean up sooner you get what you want,” he said. “We’re so stealing these shirts by the way.”

He pecked a fast kiss to your cheek and took off with Jensen, leaving you staring at their backsides as they walked away.

“Damn. I might need to take a few more pictures of you two in those matching shirts and some tight little boxer briefs just for myself.”

“Better hurry up, Jackles,” called Jared. “Sounds like Y/N wants to do another photo shoot at home.”

“Only if I get to take some pictures too,” he smirked, looking back over his shoulder.

“Male model sons of bitches,” you mumbled, rolling your eyes but smiling none the less at what the rest of your day had in store.

_________

[teamfreewill2pointo]

Do you think that J2 will move out of Texas anytime soon, especially with the RvW outcome? Danneel has already spoken out against it (and maybe Gen too but I don't follow any of her SM) and I can't imagine they'd be too happy to raise young girls in that state. I know Walker films there so Jared at least probably won't cut all ties, and their families are still there. Just curious if you think they would move the kids elsewhere: Colorado maybe?

Anon 1: I love that Arrow, Zepp and Odette are all going to kindergarten together. Jensen and Jared and their wives are all moving onto different adult projects, but they are still obviously close, or they wouldn’t make the effort to keep their kids close to each other. Very sweet.

Gen attended a rally and has posted a lot about abortion rights. One of the best things that J2 could do is stay in Texas and give to progressive candidates. A lot of people in Texas are disenfranchised and, by having wealthy, white supporters, progressive candidates have a chance. J2 can also work with local politics to pass progressive legislation, which is something they are already doing. For example, Gen and Jared worked on legislation to help stop cyberbullying of school kids. J2 are friends with the liberal mayor of Austin.

A big reason they are in Texas is family. There was a live Gen and Danneel did where one of their moms (I forget which one) talked about watching the 6 grandkids. J2 have a supportive network of friends and family in Austin, Jared moreso than Jensen.

That being said, there's always the possibility of change and movement. Covid caused the Ackles to go to Colorado temporarily and something else might cause them to go there again or some place else. It depends on jobs and support networks.

[postmodernmulticoloredcloak]

Jensen, who probably could have 5 Oscars by now, gave his best years to this show and that's what he gets in the end. Not only a miserable conclusion to his beloved character, which he got talked into accepting despite knowing better, but also (because he knows the fandom!) knowing exactly what kind of fans will be satisfied with that finale. The ones he had to deal with for years, who he despises, who hate everyone he loves most, who made him do disgusting shit in ops. He must be heartbroken.

I don’t want to project too much on Jensen, but I know that he is heartbroken.

Now, I don’t want to be the conspiracy theorist either, but. You know. Jensen might not be the kind of outspoken and active that Misha is, but he has crafted a pretty specific kind of public persona. He and Danneel have openly supported the democratic candidate for Texas. They support LGBT groups. They have queer decor in their house. He’s gone from the fairly closed-off person he was when he was younger to confidently giving off a certain kind of vibe. He’s always supported Misha (remember s7?). We can presume he has expressed his ideas on how he wished the story to develop and end, which included Dean not dying at best, and who knows how far they went.

It could be simply a matter of pettiness because Jared stayed in the CW and Jensen went elsewhere, but... I suspect there’s some specific reason for the network to spit on Misha and Jensen. Misha was always “uncomfortable”, he was the one who got in trouble for speaking out about the show’s misogyny, and we know what Misha is like. Jensen used to be the golden boy, acting properly and managing things with grace, until evidently he wasn’t anymore.

You ever watched a video of Jensen in a convention panel with a predominantly bibro/J2 audience? I don’t do often but it has happened to me and he looked so tense. Might have been a coincidence but look at how he looks in panels with a predominantly Destiel-friendly, Misha-friendly audience (like jib)...

[eisforeidolon]

I stumbled across a thread where Trumpers were talking about how much they love spn but finds J2 liberal views annoying. Just in case anyone was wondering if the hellers/minions constant screeching about them being a racist, homophic, etc carries any weight outside the fandom.

Exactly. I'm not gonna say hellers have literally never hoodwinked anyone with their bullshit. But anyone who isn't enough of a credulous idiot to just take their word for it?

If you look at the few things either J has ever said about politics, the candidates they've supported, or the causes? It's pretty damn obvious that not only are they not the ebil far right-wing hateful extremist boogymen hellers try to paint them as? They're not even right-leaning by non-tumblr weirdo standards.

[adventurous-rabbit52]

Ao Ashi's realism makes it different from the average Shonen manga; the emotions it draws from its readers are fundamentally deeper

The premise of Ao Ashi, before getting into the character of Ashito himself, is inherently different from many other sports manga, including the similarly popular football manga that Ao Ashi is frequently compared to: Blue Lock. Many people often lump them into the same category, and make unfair comparisons as a result. Whereas most Shonen manga, especially Blue Lock, focus heavily on the action side of the football sport, Ao Ashi has made a distinct path on focusing on life outside of football, while still keeping football as its main focus.

Ao Ashi's main character, Ashito, is a 15 year old boy in Junior High in the small town of Ehime, who aspires to turn into a professional football player. While he does harbor dreams of becoming the best striker in the world, they are in the back of his mind, and his main motivation is to strictly turn professional as a football player. Contrast that to Blue Lock, where every character dreams of becoming the best striker in the world, and will not settle for less. Not only is the goal Ashito set out a statistically more realistic one, albeit still out of reach for most people, but his motivation is more realistic.

In fact, his motivation is so emotional because it can be seen from an adult audience's perspective as truly mature for his age, heartwarming, selfless, and a primary reason why you can't help but to cheer for him regardless of whether you like his personality or not. His motivation, which is what hooked me to the story, is to provide financially for his mother, who is struggling to support their family. So mature is Ashito's mindset, despite his other childish personality quirks that most Shonen protagonists exhibit, such as arrogance and quick temperedness, that he considers forgoing his dream of turning pro upon realizing that the costs are formidable. If he fails to become a financially viable professional, all of his mother's sacrifices would have been in vain. The financial sacrifices of paying for his football tuition at Esperion costs thousands of dollars; this is no time to dream. He is at a crossroads.

While Ashito's talent is certain to be viable for a J2 professional, the problem is that J2 professionals only make $44,000 a year, which is not enough to pay his mother back. Ashito is on the brink when it comes to deciding if he is good enough to make it, and he knows it, too. Throughout the entire series, he fights viciously, as if his life depends on it. He is outclassed in technique, game sense, and every other conceivable category except for his extraordinary vision, his one true talent and his saving grace. Hard work is done without the slightest modicum of complaint. The world does not owe him anything, and he will keep going until he is completely broken, if he needs to. This is not the average Shonen protagonist who works hard and thinks that he is automatically entitled to victory after a predetermined amount of time and effort. There is a limit to that zeal and egotism, and that is painfully outlined during his Esperion tryouts match.

The scene I am about to describe outlines Ashito's mental strength, and how his selfless motivation makes him strong, as opposed to Blue Lock, and almost every other Shonen manga that emphasizes extreme egoism to overcome one's obstacles. This scene is during the Esperion Tryouts match. Ashito is desperately trying to get accepted into Esperion Youth's B team, which is currently the best youth team in Japan. From there, he can start his training to make his dreams of providing his mother with a comfortable life come true. Ashito is part of the final round of candidates, and if he and any of his fellow tryout members, who are currently playing together as a team, can show they are good football players, they can pass the tryouts exam, and be accepted into Esperion.

He was playing a match his team couldn't win against. But it goes further, the other team was just toying with them, giving them the illusion of control. The other team halfway through also revealed they switched their positions around to give them a handicap. Then, he was further mentally crushed by the captain of the other team, when the captain called him and his team worthless and talentless. The captain also physically damaged him with a purposeful sharp attack onto his chest after colliding into him, which nobody caught and red carded him for. The rest of the team, bar a couple of players, has visibly given up, too. The main protagonist is physically and mentally damaged, and everybody else seems to be that way, too. He has every reason to cave to peer pressure, especially since he lasted one of the longest before giving up, too. Plus, he's physically damaged, so he can just say he couldn't continue due to medical reasons. He then looks at one of the coaches, who glares at him with "Are you really going to give up". The fact of the matter is that he has. He isn't in the process of giving up, he has given up. But then he remembers his family. Now, this next part is important.

Dream doping is a concept in Blue Lock that describes what happens to a player when they give up on their dreams, and essentially "go through the motions of day to day life" pretending that they are still trying to achieve their goals. Their actions from that point on are meaningless, small superfluous things to convince themselves and everybody around them that they are still trying to succeed. The truth is, they have no meaningful steps they can take to achieve their goal. They are wasting everybody's time, including their own.

Barou, a purely egoist character from Blue Lock, imagined himself passing the ball to his teammate Isagi rather than beating the other team with his own ability. He then subsequently imagines becoming a supporting player. His decline in his imagination has him go from being an actual supportive team player who is playing football, to merely watching football on television, cheering for the Japanese national team in the World Cup, as his way of doing something for the team, as opposed to actually playing alongside the national team. For the person who convinces themselves that this moral support is equal in every way to the physical support of actually playing alongside your team, they are dream doping. Barou manages to succeed in not giving into the comfortable temptation of giving up, but he does it by becoming even more egotistical, arrogant, and doubling down on being selfish. Ashito is his foil, in that he draws his strength not from his egotistical desires to win in football, but from the family he has surrounding him. It's the desire to not disappoint his family that drives him, not an almost absurd amount of selfish drive that only Blue Lock's narrative can sustain. One of these two manga draws up excitement upon a character's defining moment. The other one, draws emotions from its readers that are fundamentally deeper.

Just like Barou, Ashito imagines a situation playing out, where he comes home and greets his family. He says "I gave up". Happily tries to play it off, as if his dream wasn't "real", and he really was just playing for fun all this time. His family would play along, looking at the souvenirs he brought back from Tokyo. Sure, his brother used his life savings to fund his trip to Tokyo and to buy him new gear just for this tryout, and their family is dirt poor. And sure, his mother disapproved of him trying to go to Tokyo due to their dire financial situation and he's coming home empty handed. But what can he do, they're just "too good". He has the most excusable reasons to give up; he has taken the most physical and mental damage out of anyone else on his team. But one look into their eyes, and he knows how this will play out. They will happily go along with whatever he says with smiles, while resenting him for giving up so easily. All of their support would have been meaningless. All of their support, using very real economic resources for a person they thought was taking it seriously, was in reality just for a kid "playing pretend". And while this fact would never be addressed, the main character will always know, deep down, his family will resent him.

That's his motivation to not give up, or more accurately, recommit himself. It's not like other deluded Shonen protagonists who think they'll win if they just keep trying, it's about the shame he'll carry for the rest of his life if he leaves it the way things are. He isn't playing these last few minutes due to the power of friendship; he tried that earlier, they got slaughtered, he literally gave up, and he is only now recommitting himself due to external factors. He isn't fighting to win, he's down 4-0 and he knows he's beat. His reasoning can't be called ego by any stretch, but it's realistic, and because it's realistic, it's poignant to the readers.

[freakygirlie]

J2 Fanfic Rec List <3

In honour of all the j2 content we have recieved, and the amount of fanfiction I have read, I decided to make a rec-list nobody asked me for but EVERYONE has to read k? Capiche? Make sure to heed the warnings, and read the tags. These are some beautiful gems by very talented authors and I’ve only scratched the surface of it.

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The Courtship Of Jensen’s Co-Star{Masterpost} by qblackheart-  

Summary:- Somewhere in the time between a handshake and a hug, Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki went from being reel-life brothers to real-life best friends, and complete strangers to cosmic soul mates, no rhyme or reason to it that either of them could ever see. Jared was everything Jensen was not: friendly, funny, and full of life; one in six-point-whatever billion the Earth’s population currently stood at. Life was awesome. Work was amazing. Everything was fine until Jared kissed Jensen. Everything was peachy until Jensen fell in love. With desperate times unexpectedly calling for desperate measures, Jensen called Chad Michael Murray for relationship advice – because being in love led to temporary insanity obviously – so it really didn't surprise him that he couldn’t seem to win when it came to wooing Jared. Still, Pisces must’ve been in a really good place in the night sky or something because suddenly, right smack dab in the middle of the miserable courtship of his co-star, Jensen discovered that maybe loving Jared was all he needed to do to win his heart. And luckily for Jensen, loving Jared was also the one thing he did best. ~112k~

The Play Nice Proviso{Masterpost} by qblackheart-

Summary:- When Jensen Ackles first met Jared Padalecki, it was most definitely not love at first sight. It wasn’t even like at first sight. In fact, Jensen hated him, and he had a few good reasons as to why. So what if his new co-star was oblivious to his one-sided warfare? Jensen could deal. Apart from when he couldn’t. So when it came down to picking between Padalecki and his peace of mind, the choice seemed clear. Except for the fact that The Network had his balls in a vice, leaving him stuck with Supernatural, stuck with his idiot co-star, and worst of all, stuck with a ‘Play Nice’ Proviso added to his contract. Well, he could play nice. He would play so nice that the world was going to think that he and Jared Padalecki were the bestest friends in the history of best friends. It was unfortunate then that no one had ever told Jensen what happened when an immovable object met an irresistible force; no one had ever thought to mention that there was a thin line between hate and love; and nothing, absolutely nothing, could have possibly prepared him for Playing Nice with Jared Padalecki. ~70k~

And The Rest, As They Say Is History by Raina_at-

Summary:- Struggling actor Jensen takes a job as big-shot movie star Jared Padalecki’s dogsitter. And the rest, as they say, is history. ~17k~

reinventing love ‘verse{Masterpost} by _mournthewicked-

Summary:- With high school graduation less than two weeks away, best friends Jared and Jensen find themselves scrambling to tie up a few loose ends before they’re forced into adulthood. Jared ropes Jensen into helping him get the alcohol for Sandy's graduation party, and what should be a simple night of partying ends up turning into a series of mishaps and misunderstandings that all come to head when Jensen finally tells Jared the secret he wasn't ever planning on spilling. If high school has to end, they're going out with a bang. (A J2 spin on the movie Superbad)  ~200k+~

My Heart Don’t Beat The Way It Used To by Raina_at- 

Summary:- Jared and Jensen have been best friends forever, and nothing’s going to ever change that, not even senior slump, or college anxieties, or even Jared getting an annoying cheerleader girlfriend. Or so Jensen thought. ~26k~

Can’t Point The Way To Your Heart by Belyste-

Summary:- AU in the vein of movies like Hitch - Jensen's an unofficial advice guru, and Jared's his latest project. Except while Jensen's supposed to be helping Jared end up with the woman of his dreams, he falls for him instead. ~33k~

Something Borrowed, Something Blue by Belyste-

Summary:- When Jared desperately needs a date for his brother's wedding, he hires an escort. Jensen's the perfect fake boyfriend, except pretty soon things get a little too real. Based on The Wedding Date. ~38k~

True Colors by muni-playground-

Summary:- Jared is a mentally challenged young man with a very special gift. Jensen is an executive with nothing in his life but work. They meet by accident and discover a connection that defies explanation. ~32k~

The Billionaire’s Reluctant Husband by house_of_lantis-

Summary:- Billionaire Jensen is a playboy and he needs a husband pronto if he wants to keep his company and his inheritance. After a chance meeting with quiet and hardworking Jared, Jensen decides that he’s found the perfect candidate. The arrogant Jensen thinks he’s got Jared in the bag, but when his new husband refuses to sleep with him and doesn’t really even seem to like him, Jensen convinces himself that he’s happy with his open marriage lifestyle. But Jensen becomes increasingly obsessed with his new husband and discovers the truth behind Jared’s dark past. ~98k~

Project Get Jared Banged{Masterpost} by soulmatecest-

Summary:- Jared's had the best stepbrother in the world in Jensen since the age of five — growing up together and more attached than usual brothers would —, only realizing that he’s in love with Jensen by the time he hits thirteen. After five more years of Jared's impossible crush, he knows his life turns and spins around his brother. Luckily for Jared, he and Jensen have always been closer than other siblings, making his feelings seem a little less hopeless. Or that is until Jensen announces he’s moving to Austin to live with his girlfriend next year, leaving Jared's perfectly built Jensen-centric world crashing to the ground. That’s when Chad and Sandy decide to convince Jared that moving on and letting go of his feelings are the only way to get through his lost love for Jensen. Yet their plan to get Jared out of his shell and over his stepbrother doesn't sit well with one person: Jensen himself, who realizes that the more Jared tries to pull away, the more he wants to get him back closer. ~120k~

Burn The Land and Boil The Sea by nyxocity-

Summary:- Eight years ago, Jared spent his entire summer on a tropical island off the coast of Mexico with Jensen. He fell head over heels for Jensen, but their lives were going separate directions at the end of the summer, and they never quite got together. Jensen left for Greenpeace and Jared went off to college—but he never truly got over Jensen. Now, in present day, Jared is a marine biologist working on a project in the gorgeous panhandle of Alaska. He’s amazed to discover the captain of the ship he’s chartered is none other than Jensen Ackles himself. Jared’s overjoyed, but Jensen is less than thrilled—he’s a changed man since that summer so long ago; withdrawn, passionless and solitary. Still something of the bond between them remains, and neither of them seem to be able to escape its pull completely. When Jared’s project leads them into danger and leaves them running and fighting for their lives, Jensen’s secrets begin to come out, drawing them back together—but can they survive long enough to figure out this thing between them? ~53k~

As This Sunset Turns to Morning{Masterpost} by _mournthewicked-

Summary:- Jensen spends his life hiding who he is from the family that would never accept him if they knew. When he’s uprooted in the middle of his senior year and suddenly becomes the new kid, his carefully placed mask begins to slip. Especially when he meets Jared – a loud, outspoken spectacle of a boy that fights for everything Jensen was taught to stand against. Jared has no problem going after what he wants, and now it’s just a matter of Jensen letting himself do the same. ~86k~

Leave My Heart Out of This by elless18- (link to the timestamps)

Summary:- AU. Jensen needs to get married in order to get his grandfather’s inheritance and open his own law firm. Jared would do anything to help his best friend. The plan is simple- pretend to date, get married, get the inheritance, get divorced. But things grow complicated when one of them starts falling for his fake boyfriend. Can they find their happily-ever-after from all the lies they’ve built around them? ~35k+~

Who Watches Over Me? by nyoxicity-

Summary:- Jensen Ackles is an ex-Navy SEAL turned civilian bodyguard with a mysterious past. Jared Padalecki is a flamboyant Hollywood star known for his action movies who's been receiving death threats. The case sounds like Jensen's idea of a nightmare, and he takes it on against his better judgment. Jared drags him to clubs and parties and award ceremonies without any care for how difficult he's making Jensen's job, and to his complete lack of surprise, they hate each other. But when hate changes into passion, it begins to reveal something deeper between them, and Jensen realizes he's in over his head. Can he still do his job and keep Jared safe? Or will he fall prey to his greatest fear and fail someone... again? ~96k~

The Billionaire’s Bidding by Raina_at-

Summary:- When idle, slacking billionaire’s son Jensen Ackles lends a helping hand to his old childhood friend, he gets a lot more than he’s bargained for. ~31k~

Hold My Whipped Cream by dimpleforyourthoughts-

Summary:- International Best Selling Author Jensen Ackles is all kinds of specific with the details of his life. He likes privacy, writing, and coffee; black, no sugar, hold the cream. He’s become a fixture at the local coffee shop, writing from his table every day for the past two years. His vices include routine, neatness, and structure. Jensen doesn’t do messes. Then there is Jared, recent post-grad basket case, who’s been coming in every day for caffeine he doesn’t need and bringing the increasing disaster in his life with him. Jared is a mess in all the ways Jensen is not and so Jensen offers to help Jared in the only way he knows how: by buying Jared a cup of coffee. ~37k~

Operation: Mistletoe by dimpleforyourthoughts-

Summary:- FBI Agent Jensen Ackles is a damn good agent, but his devil-may-care attitude, gut instinct, and sheer dumb luck have finally run out. With his job and reputation on the line, Jensen is assigned to a new partner: the overzealous and overachieving Agent Jared Padalecki. Their mission: Infiltrate a ring of drug dealers hiding out in Suburbia in the midst of the Holiday season. The only catch? They have to pretend to be head-over-heels in love with each other. ~39k~

Regaining Sense{Masterpost} by astri13-

Summary:- A vengeful crime-boss cost Jensen not only his eyesight but also a promising career with the FBI. When the man resurfaces two years later, Jensen is not thrilled to find himself taken into protective custody, even less so when the Agent in charge turns out to be Jensen's former partner and boyfriend, Jared Padalecki. Will the two men be able to overcome their differences and work together to not only stop the bad guy but also uncover the mole in their own ranks before it is too late? ~27k~

Say You’re Mine by Belyste-

Summary:- It takes his two best friends getting engaged to make Jared realize what’s missing in his own life, but once he figures it out, he’s a man on a mission: find true love or die trying. He’s not asking for much – just the perfect soul mate to spend blissful eternity with – so when a chance meeting drops Jensen into his life (and his lap), it seems like fate. But either Jensen missed that memo or fate seems to have other ideas, because nothing works out the way Jared planned. Based loosely on S1 of How I Met Your Mother, but you don't need to have seen that to know what's going on. ~56k~

Absence From Those We Love by _mournthewicked-

Summary:- Jensen Ackles led a great life. It just wasn’t the one he planned on. Now he’s newly single, stuck at a job he hates, and sharing an apartment with his lovably psychotic best friend. When he’s given the chance to go back and do it all over again, he leaps at it. Only he soon comes to realize that no matter what’s in front of him, it’s impossible to leave the past behind. Considering what he’d be giving up, he might not even want to. (17 Again - J2 Style.) ~41k~

Change The Fate’s Design by _mournthewicked-

Summary:-  All Jensen has ever wanted to do is see the ocean. Unfortunately, that's kind of hard to do when your dad won't let you leave your house in the forest because of your magical powers. So, Jensen spends most of his days with no one but his pet hedgehog to keep him company. At least, until a guy named Jared stumbles along and offers to help him realize his dream. (A J2 spin on Disney's Tangled.) ~50k~

A Spotlight On These Desolate Dreams{Masterpost} by _mournthewicked-

Summary:- In high school, Jared Padalecki had it all. He was surrounded with rich, famous, beautiful friends and partied with young Hollywood's elite. As if all of that wasn't exciting enough, he used the tricks he learned from his grandfather to become an amateur sleuth with his billionaire best friend, Jensen Ackles, playing the role of trusty sidekick. But when he got in over his head and lost everything he once held dear, he knew that it was time to move on. That was ten years ago. Now he lives the lonely life of a hardboiled private investigator on the streets of Manhattan, and his fabulous past is nothing but a distant memory. That is, until a tragedy forces him to return to California and the world he left behind. Between juggling rabid paparazzi, sarcastic detectives, and a spurned ex-best friend, it's a wonder that he can possibly find the time to solve a murder that has left the city of angels reeling. ~50k~

Break Me, Shake Me, Hate Me, Take Me Over by orphan_account- (sorry, I can’t access the author’s account but the story’s link still works!)

Summary:- When recklessness, alcohol and a bullet to his hip sees his police career end in disgrace, alpha Jensen Ackles resigns himself to a life spent in the dregs of a bottle, aimless and filled with regrets, watching as the bills and eviction notices pile up. That is, until he's offered a job and lodging with beta lawyer Samantha Smith, as a pseudo bouncer/admin worker. It's a far cry from his previous life, but it might just be what Jensen needs to drag himself from the dark place he's in. Not only that, but little does Jensen realise that taking on the position will bring him face to face with his biggest regret; the person he walked away from three years ago in what was the worst mistake of his life... ~70k~

Whiskey River, You’re All I Got by whisperedstory-

Summary:-  Jensen's life revolves around The Whiskey Sour, the bar he inherited from his grandfather nine years ago. But with too few customers and not nearly enough profit, things are taking a turn for the worse. And then Jared Padalecki walks into Jensen's life and changes everything. ~19k~

Out Of The Silence by annie46-

Summary:-  When hardened, but lonely cop, Jensen Ackles meets Jared Padalecki in his family’s diner, he doesn’t realise that his life is about to change drastically. Jared is a complete innocent, deaf, mute and unable to communicate, he needs a friend. Can Jensen be that man? ~the word count wasn’t mentioned but if i had to take a guess, I’d say something between 20k and 30k~

The Execution Of The Last Steal by soulmatecest-

Summary:- Anyone who meets Jared Padalecki would think he has the perfect life: a college degree, a normal life and an apparently perfect fiancé, Stephen Amell, the son of a Senator with a bright future. Except for one thing: it’s all based on a lie. Five years ago, he created a new identity for himself to cut all ties to his criminal past and ex-boyfriend Jensen Ackles, a world-renowned thief. But Jared can’t run forever. A threat from his past comes back looking for him and the only person who can help him is the man he thought he left behind forever, the only person Jared’s never been able to forget. Incredibly charming and just as cocky, Jensen Ackles is a thief that is too good at his job for his own good, who would do anything to protect Jared now that his life is in danger. Years have gone by, but he has never been able to forget Jared either. And perhaps now that they are forced to escape together, Jensen might be able to do what he’s best at: steal Jared’s heart one last time and win back the only person Jensen has ever loved. ~97k~

Bring Me To Life by alienat-

Summary:-  Jared’s a shy young man, whose life has never been easy. His father hates him, his mother drinks her sorrows away and his husband Paul treats him like he is nothing more than a beautiful toy. When his husband has to go away on a business trip to Europe for two months, he sends Jared away to a ranch in the middle of nowhere to keep him under control. There, Jared meets people who show him what love, friendship and loyalty mean for the first time in his life. Can he escape his life and finally find some love and happiness for himself? ~81k~

Gunpoint{Series} by felisblanco-

Summary:-  Jensen got his childhood stolen away from him when he was ten years old. Along with his memory, his voice and every emotion that wasn’t fear, hatred or anger. Question is, can Jared help him get any of it back? And more importantly, does Jensen really want him to?

Election Day by morganaDW(morgana07)-

Summary:- Jensen's running for President with the deck already stacked against him. He's come out as gay while serving in Congress, his Vice President is a colorful Misha & his family has disowned him over his choice of partners. But that's not the worst of it...On Election Day when he should be focused on winning Jared ends up shot after stepping in front of a killer's gun to save some school children. Election Day is important but to Jensen nothing is more important than Jared and he doesn't care who knows it or if he loses so long as he can be with him. It's Jensen who winds up surprised in the end. ~8k~

A Boy At An Open Door by poor_choices-

Summary:- Jensen Ackles' life is all sorted out, until a blast from the past shows up and makes him realize he's not as happy as he thought. ~10k~

Beautiful Disaster by nyoxicity-

Summary:-  Rock Band AU. Jensen’s the lead guitarist in the number one rock band in the country. Justin’s the lead singer, and they’ve been doing this together since middle-school, been together since just after high school. As on top of the world as they are, Jensen’s starting to become disillusioned with the lifestyle and his crumbling relationship with Justin. And then he meets a new roadie on the crew named Jared who’s got a voice like an angel and a heart to match, and everything starts to change. ~96k~

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And that’s the end of it!!! These are absolutely beautiful, gorgeous and epic fanfictions and will keep you buys for days! Hope y’all enjoy these, I’m off to read more sksksksksk. Let me know if a link doesn’t work, if you like any of these in my inbox and if y’all want a part 2! Peace and J2 5 ever!!!

[what-do-1000-swords-look-like]

15x20 - it took me two months but I think I finally get it

Edit 2/16/22: This theory has been unfortunately debunked due to the recent explanations/discussions by both Jensen and Jared about 15x20

I’ve been thinking a lot since yesterday since Jared’s VF interview popped up. I ended up rewatching 13x21 and 13x22, and once again, Dabb’s writing style made sense with the story they were telling and the framing they were showing, but something wasn’t sitting right. I wracked my brains and it finally hit me. I just need to get this out, throw these thoughts out into the void, so please don’t mind me.

This legitimately took me on a ride so of course it’s super long. Like novel length long.

Below there be spoilers for The Originals, GoT & of course SPN:

The Supernatural series finale - here’s what we already know:

Wayward Sisters was not picked up by the CW in 2018

These are the shows the CW chose to go with/ordered/picked up in 2018 instead of Wayward Sisters: Legacies [spinoff of a spinoff], Charmed [reboot], Roswell New Mexico [reboot], In the Dark [from Ben Stiller’s production company] & All-American [from Greg Berlanti’s production company]; Legacies is from Julie Plec (Vampire Diaries/Originals); Charmed is from Jennie Snyder-Urman (Jane the Virgin) & Brad Silberling (Jane the Virgin) is involved; Roswell New Mexico is from Julie Plec; In the Dark is from Ben Stiller; All-American is from Greg Berlanti (Flash, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightning, Supergirl, Batwoman)

The Originals ending had high ratings - both brothers go out in a blaze of glory, there is a hint of romance but ultimately, it’s about the brothers and the family (as it should have been tbf) - this is what the CW saw when they got such high ratings for that finale

We know how successful The Vampire Diaries, the Originals, Jane the Virgin, Charmed (on its original run on the WB), and the DC show-verse have been for the CW & Ben Stiller is Ben Stiller = one spinoff making it through, two new content shows, and two reboots ordered

Dabb & Berens react to Wayward Sisters not being picked up, Dabb almost as if he expected it possibly (or at least that’s how I read it) & Berens is a little more candid; Kim, Briana & Kat tweet reactions to Dabb’s tweet (x) -- Dabb, the co-showrunner (Singer was the other) from seasons 12-15 & Berens, the writer of such episodes like 15x09 & 15x18

Jensen states 15x19 will feel like the season finale & 15x20 will feel like the series finale and Misha nods in agreement - this panel takes place while J2 is quarantining to shoot the last two episodes I believe he says  (2:51 - x)

Two things Jensen says in the video link above: 1) “I will say and I don’t think this is any secret but that there have been some adjustments made from the scripts that we were going to shoot in March to the scripts that we’re shooting now” (3:04) & 2) “Eventually once it all comes out, we can probably share what those adjustments were but it’s, you know, we���ve had to accommodate a pandemic. So, it’s unfortunate but I still think it’s gonna hit a home run, I hope, and then, you know, we’ll see.” (3:18) -- basically paraphrasing (or how I interpreted it): “some things have changed due to COVID, I’m sure we’ll be able to talk about what changed to explain, but please remember COVID, I hope it’s still resonates with the audience but we’ll see”

Dabb joked at Comic Con 2019: “If you thought Game of Thrones was bad, just wait” (x)

Mark Pedowitz talks about SPN ending with season 15 & about possible spin-offs - “I’ve been involved in two spin-offs that did not connect. We have had no further discussions with [Supernatural EP]Bobby Singer. We have had no further discussions whatsoever in terms of Supernatural spin-offs. I tend to believe, at this point, [that] the show’s essence and blood is Jared and Jensen.” (x)

Dabb gives an interview to Syfy Wire before the last 7 episodes start airing (x)

Brad Buckner talks about why the spinoff attempts haven’t worked out, chalking it up the magic SPN is that has to do with J2, then adding Misha, then adding Alex/Jack: “You know, they keep talking potentially doing a spinoff. I think part of the reason that some of the spinoff attempts haven't succeeded, even the ones that never got shot, but just never got off the ground is that this show just struck gold. The boys, and then Misha [Collins], added Misha, worked out tremendously. Adding Jack. That just almost never happens. You screw with the tried-and-true formula and there really is no formula for the show. That's what the odd thing is. It's not CSI.” (x) - basically paraphrasing: “we know how important the dynamic is between the brothers, then with Cas & then Jack added in, we know & we can’t replicate it in other projects”

Jensen tells EW: "I read through the original draft [of the finale] when it first came out just as a fan, because I was like, 'How did they put it together?' I knew the end result but I didn't know how exactly they were going to get there, so I quickly read through the script. That was back in early March. And then I put it down. Then COVID hit and we all went on break and I was like, okay well I assume it's going to change so I'll just wait until the new draft comes out. To be honest, it didn't really change. How we got there involved a little bit of changing but we still get to the same place." Dabb also says: “We did a rewrite once we knew what our COVID rules were going to be for episodes 19 and 20, and it changed some things, it did. Particularly in episode 20, there were things planned that just aren't feasible anymore.What it did not change was the story or the emotions, or anything else. It changed some of the set dressing, it changed some of the circumstances, but it didn't change where we were going or, honestly, in a large way, how we got there. So, in that way, I feel very lucky." (x)

Dabb says to EW: "Everything is pretty mythology-focused up until the finale. [The finale] is a little bit more of an old-school episode. It seemed like a lot to land all of our myth and a satisfying farewell. Doing it all in 42 minutes would have been really difficult. So, better for us to treat it almost like a two-parter, where a lot of the myth stuff, not all of it, but a lot it gets dealt with in episode 19 and then 20 can focus more on the characters and their journeys. We wanted it to, in some ways, hearken back to where the show began, which was two guys on the road saving people, hunting things. When we were going to shoot the episodes, I did a final re-read and made some final tweaks. Jared [Padalecki] weighed in and Jensen [Ackles] weighed in, and [co-showrunner] Bob Singer. We just wanted to really make sure it was landing the right way. We believe it feels like a fitting end to the show. We're happy with it and the hope is that the fans will be too." (x)

Jensen gives an interview to Glamour (x)

Jensen does Michael Rosenbaum’s podcast: “The ship has already sailed on this being the last season. Jared’s already got another show lined up, and I’ve got a few stokers in the fire. So we’re gonna knock this out and try to do it justice. I’ve always thought that there’s a possibility of, you know five years down the road, getting the call saying ‘Hey let’s do a little short order action for a streaming network’ and bringing it back for six episodes…and I do feel like this isn’t the long goodbye right now. I feel like this is, let’s hang this in the closet for now, and we’ll dust her off down the road a bit.” (x) (x)

Sam & Dean ending confirmed (x) (x)

Walker is very heavily promoted during the last few episodes of SPN and the finale

Misha after the finale aired: “There was supposed to be a different ending originally that COVID restrictions made impossible to shoot”, “But it involved bringing back lots and lots of cast members from over the years”, “I don’t think we’re supposed to talk about what that ending was gonna be”, “So in the original iteration of the ending, Cas hadn’t gone to rebuild Heaven. He had had a...there was a different conclusion for him” (x) 

Plots are dropped like this one that the GA caught from 15x15 (x)

Dabb before the finale aired  (x) - basically paraphrased: “nothing has changed, we’re still going to the same conclusion”

Dabb tweets out a thank you the day the finale is airing (x)

Dabb after the finale (x) - basically paraphrased: “nothing had changed, we were always going to that conclusion”

Variety after the finale aired, echoing the 30%, how they viewed the ending as well as Cas’ & Jack’s sacrifices (x)

the day the finale was airing, Kripke shared his original pitch notes & promises fans that they’ll love the ending because what he would have written would have been much darker - "I knew that we were closing this chapter and opening a new one. It felt like it was the right time to take a step back and focus on new projects, but still, keep my grubby little mitts in the show." (x) "I had a long talk with Jensen [Ackles] about it and I had a long talk with [co-showrunners] Andrew [Dabb] and Bob [Singer] about it and I think it's the best possible ending for the show. It was interesting, they pitched it to me and I went off to think about it for a couple days, and admittedly, me being me, I spent some time thinking, 'Okay, is there any other ending I would pitch back that I think is better?' And I spent a couple days trying to chase down a couple avenues and couldn't come up with anything better. So I went back and I was like, 'Guys I think it's the right one.' There's some substance to it but there's something emotional, I think there's a positive energy around it." (x)

funnily enough, on an unrelated note but sort of related showing how the CW operates with backdoor pilots/spinoffs & how differently certain creatives are treated over there as well as what they consider will generate more $ (the backdoor pilot had high ratings) - the Arrow spinoff, Green Arrow & The Canaries was not picked up but they considered moving it to HBO Max before scrapping it altogether, which took them forever to decide (x) (x)

Jared loves the finale, thinks it’s the right ending

Jensen has not said a word about the finale or Dean’s ending since it aired (except that one instagram pic we all know about)

Misha loved Cas’ ending in that it was right for the character, sacrificing himself nobly and that his words led to the boys & Jack saving the world

I know there’s many more things I didn’t include in this list like: Samantha Ferris confirming that pre-COVID & post-COVID they were not asked to come back, that Jensen initially didn’t like the ending when it was pitched to him & Jared (though as of this moment, he has not said explicitly what he didn’t like about it), that Jared’s VF interview just came out where he stated he thought Sam had the right ending, Dabb has not said a word, Singer has also not said a word (that I know of anyway), the CW has not said a word (again, not that I know of), Jim Michaels is an ass, so is Adam Williams, Misha posted a video to try to stop the conspiracy theory about the spanish dubbing of 15x18 & attributed it to a rogue translator, he then apologized and listened to fans since he realized fans were upset about way more than that particular piece of it, and everyone else has stayed virtually silent about the finale and what happened.

I do want to mention this: 

Jensen said up above that they could probably talk about what the changes were -> Misha says he doesn’t think they’re supposed to talk about it & Jensen has not said a word since the finale aired

Jared & Misha have talked openly about liking their endings for their characters & Jensen has not said a word other than previously stating that he expects there might possibly be a limited series run or reboot a few years down the line 

No one involved with the show, past or present, has said anything resembling negative or critical (or really, at this point, logical) in any way, shape or form about the finale

Pedowitz & the network have not said a word (that I’m aware of)

So, before this post, I personally would have loved to find out:

why they thought Dean dying that way was a good ending & a true one for the character -- from a rando bad guy & on a milk run hunt

why they thought Sam would want to honor Dean by living a miserable and depressed life in a way that he thinks (note that Dean never said) would make Dean happy but obviously not himself

why they thought the line “Cas helped” & Dean’s little smile would be enough to close out the Castiel part of the Dean arc (despite Misha not being there due to COVID restrictions) if they were focusing on closing up the emotional aspect of the boys’ journey

why they thought Jack rebuilding Heaven before Dean got there & it’s implied he got Cas out of the Empty would be enough to close out the Jack-being-their-kid arc (despite Alex not being there due to COVID restrictions) if they were focusing on closing up the emotional aspect of the boys’ journey 

why they dropped Eileen and Sam’s acknowledgement of her existence never mind the importance she had in his life if they were focusing on closing up the emotional aspect of the boys’ journey

why they thought Lucifer mentioning Chuck had sprung him from the Empty in 15x19 would be enough to close out The Empty arc (despite COVID restrictions) if they were focusing on closing up the lore aspect of the boys’ journey

why they thought that Chuck was the ultimate Big Bad when they mentioned back in season 13 that Chuck and Amara did not have power over the Empty, then in the same season proceeded to show The Empty overtaking Heaven, then Death’s Library in 15x17 while killing reapers left and right, then “you made it loud” in 15x18 after Jack explodes but The Empty is still powerful enough to be summoned to take Billie and Castiel later in the same episode

why a random monster would be the one to take out Dean Winchester when he has taken on God, Lucifer, archangels, angels, demons, the King of Hell, a 300 year old witch, werewolves, Alphas, vampires, witches, ghosts, & many other monsters - when he has taken out vampire nests on his own (think season 6, despite the vampire blood in his system at the time), the Stine family & their mansion full of guards (despite having the MOC on his arm, it didn’t make him more powerful or a better fighter, it only made him more bloodthirsty and more enraged, increasing the desire to kill)

why Sam would not call for help when Dean was hurt and then confirms he’s dying - did they not bring their phones in with them?

why they thought Dean’s injury would be fatal when it clearly wasn’t 

why they thought Dean shouldn’t die to protect his brother or the kids or even a cow in that barn but to a senseless movement (I do sideye that a vampmime unable to speak was the one to kill Dean who infamously hasn’t been able to speak on other certain matters rather than Jenny herself)

why they brought back Eileen into the narrative if her presence was not going to have some lasting impact on Sam’s journey - how did it affect his growth or his character, influence his actions? Does he decide to fight harder to get her back along with everyone else? What does his experience Does he feel better for having known her? Did he leave the life to not only honor Dean but Eileen as well since maybe she never came back? Does he ever use ASL again after learning it from her?

why they decided to make Sam and Eileen’s relationship romantic that late in the story if there was not going to be any follow through

why Sam stuck to texting Eileen as they sped towards her home if Billie Chuck was Thanos snapping people - why did he not call her since it was so urgent?

why they decided to have Castiel confess his love to Dean - outside of The Empty part of this arc, why have his confession be the factor that summons The Empty, that his “just saying it” would be what makes him happiest enough when he was already saving Dean and sacrificing himself for him?

why they decided to bring Jack back, have him excommunicated from the family be Dean in dialogue, never have the conflict between them resolved by Dean assuring him he is indeed family, when he’s said he is family before & that Jack is their kid, if they were focusing on closing up the boys’ emotional journey

why they never showed Dean & Sam discussing Cas’ confession or the words he said to Dean about himself if they were focusing on closing up the boys’ emotional journey

why Dean & Sam never discussed Eileen again after 15x18 when we were given the approval talks from Dean to Sam in 15x07 & 15x08 if they were focusing on closing up the boys’ emotional journey

why Dean & Sam don’t ask Jack to bring back the people they’ve lost, to eradicate the monsters from the world, or to even help Kevin if they were focusing on closing up the boys’ lore and emotional journeys

why they showed the crossroads demon taking the girl away in 15x15

why they never had Sam or Dean talking to Jody or Claire ever again if they were focusing on closing up the boys’ emotional journey

why they never had Dean asking where anyone else was like Ellen or Jo when seeing the Road House in Heaven if they were focusing on closing up the boys’ emotional journey

why they never had Sam asking “wait, this is Heaven?” since he never knew about the changes Jack & Cas made when seeing Dean again if they were focusing on closing up the boys’ narrative soundly

why Dabb tweeted out his thank you’s hours before the finale aired but not right before it did, while it was airing, or right after

why Kripke tweeted the day of the finale’s airing that fans would love this ending since his would have been darker

why Jensen thought they would be able to talk about the changes COVID forced them to make after the finale aired

why Misha says after the finale aired that they’re not really supposed to talk about it

why Jared thinks this is a sound ending to his character’s journey

why Jared thinks that Sam was honoring what Dean would have wanted by not settling down with someone in the life when both boys have mentioned quite a few times in dialogue, for themselves and each other

why Kripke/Singer/Dabb thinks this was a fitting ending for the boys’ journey

why the 30% think this is a true ending despite the obvious plot holes, the dropped character development, and the ending not making sense to the narrative/story they’ve been telling the last few years

why if Chuck is a stand-in for the network and Dabb knew the ending they would have to give due to network demands, did he not only write the ending this way but also talk about it in multiple interviews saying they were always moving towards this ending, it’s always been about the brothers, and this is a true ending

why they had Dean question his ending at all if that is his true ending

why Jensen thought Dean’s ending had changed from going out in a blaze of glory to something else

why Jared said before he & Jensen knew what the ending would be that he thought Sam should “keep fighting”

why they strongly hinted at a leader arc for Sam the last few seasons

why they strongly hinted at Dean being strongly affected by Cas’ death/absence starting with season 13

why Jensen, Misha, and other cast members were instructed to “eye fuck”

why they chose to keep the ending ambiguous for both boys if they were focusing on closing up the boys’ lore and emotional journeys and making it a finality as Dabb said

why people are surprised that some fans are still upset to this day over the finale/ending and how bad it was considering the show ran for 15 years and had a very loyal fan base that the show not only knew existed but interacted & engaged with for many of those years

why no one other than Jared & Kripke that was officially involved with the show is talking about it 

why Jensen still has not said a word about the finale if he thought fans were going to love it after having Kripke tell him the same thing (I suspect because he knows no matter what he says, agreement or disagreement, it will make some people pissed off so he stays quiet, he said all he needed to before the finale aired, and he’s moving on - at least that’s my take on it anyways) 

why the network has not said a word despite the reactions after the finale aired & the ensuing movements/trends

why they aimed to only please 30% of their known audience, why that number was not a little higher

why the big secret of everything that was changed, why Cas’ ending changed, who was meant to be in the finale & how it was supposed to end if the show is over & has finality, that the boys’ lore and emotional journeys are concluded & it was a true ending

why the silence? even D&D have spoken on the GoT ending by now, it’s only been a couple of months since the airing of the SPN finale but fans’ passionate responses and dislike of that finale does not show any sign of dying out or slowing down - so why the silence?

why (again) that ending? that true ending where both boys’ character & story development are dropped? where important characters are missing? where some points of the plot have not been closed, if they were focusing on closing out the boys’ lore & emotional journeys? if again it’s a true ending & there is finality? 

I had so many questions and I had a pretty good idea what the answer was to most of them (as you guys do, too, I’m sure) but until someone comes out and says this happened because of this, this, and this, we won’t ever really know.

Until I saw something that I just cannot get out of my head and totally turned every thought I had about Dabb, the show, the network, Jared’s comments, Dean’s ending -- all of it right on its head.

COVID: We all know that COVID has been to blame for what happened, why certain characters weren’t in the finale. Welp, here’s what I think about that:

I suspect that COVID did affect the ending but not in the way you’re thinking. Not to discount the new restrictions which did prevent certain cast members from being able to film but it also affected the production in other ways as well.

Let’s pretend COVID hadn’t happened at all (God don’t we all wish). What would be different? The finale would have been shot as intended, it would have aired in May (I think), and live cons & panels would still be going on. Cast members wouldn’t have had to quarantine for 2 weeks prior to shooting, no adjustments would have needed to be made to the scripts at all, and Walker would have remained on its natural trajectory.

But as we know, COVID did happen. The world shut down, all productions were put on pause as well as all other businesses and occupations. That means anything that wasn’t shot for these productions or was in the middle of production would be affected. Some things that were already shot were affected in the post-production phase (take The Walking Dead season 10 finale for example) and got delayed. The movie release dates kept getting pushed back, some films had no choice but to move their releases to streaming networks just in order to survive. We know that COVID has hit everyone financially, individually, their families, their jobs, and their businesses, not just big corporations and production studios. In that video link above, Jensen is asked about the brewery during COVID and he even mentions that thankfully, they had just gotten canning machines right before COVID hit. 

From a production aspect, we know how COVID affected it. But for SPN and then Walker, it hit especially hard. They now had these factors to contend with:

Jared had a new show he was moving onto (I’m not sure if January 2021 was the initial premiere date they had shot for but I’m sure production must have gotten pushed back)

Jensen was joining The Boys (not sure when this decision was made, I know he announced it in August 2020, but not sure how long the talks were before then)

Filming resumed (but with restrictions) in August 2020, with J2 doing the mandatory 2 week quarantine (video link above)

Production on other CW shows (& all shows, lbr) were slowly coming back but premiere dates for new seasons were being pushed back so they could get the actual productions done - think season 3 of Legacies which is supposed to air this month

No one knew how long COVID would be around or if there would be a vaccine soon that would be available to the public

Actors still had to be paid for the 2 week quarantine (as one would expect)

Since there is no real new content to speak of, not many people are tuning in - a lot of people heavily relied on streaming services while the world was on pause

The 100, another fan favorite show on the CW, was ending its 7 year run at the end of September (I’m sure the network knew by this point what JRoth’s planned ending would be and what would happen in that episode before it & that they might lose some viewers for that show) - and funnily enough that Jared’s new costar had been a part of

new seasons of Flash, Legends Of Tomorrow & Supergirl have not come back yet since their productions were delayed; Arrow is no longer on the table or even the spinoff (link above)

Ruby Rose had announced in May 2020 that she was not returning to Batwoman, meaning the role had to be recast or the story had to be rebooted (they chose to do the latter)

SPN, one of their fan favorite shows & an OG crossover from the WB (last of a dying breed so to speak), is ending after a successful 15 year run - though one of the stars is staying with the network and headlining one of their new shows

due to the change in demand as a result of the pandemic, other networks are now moving into the streaming game as survival (think Discovery +, NBC, CBS, etc - tho tbf the battle for content was already going this way thanks to AppleTV & Disney+, but don’t be surprised when more mainstream networks start changing to this, expecting you to pay for monthly access to their content outside of your cable bill)

A lot of people talk about the CW using the downtime during the pandemic to look at SPN’s actual ending and going “nope, get rid of the gay, Dean has to die, play ‘Carry On My Wayward Son’, twice, got me?” I’m not saying they’re wrong (I actually think the network did interfere with some of these) but some of these other factors definitely contributed to what the hell happened with that finale and why it feels so different compared to season 15, the last few seasons, even 15x19 itself. Especially when we see Dabb’s writing style for the last 12 years, and Singer’s visual style when he directs. Not to mention they were the showrunners since season 12 and where they took the show in that time frame.

If Walker was always set to premiere in January 2021 (or let’s say earlier, like for the Fall 2020 lineup), had COVID not happened, they would have had time to promote the show like normal and do their usual PR, production would have resumed like normal, none of their other shows would have delayed productions either, and their dates and numbers wouldn’t be skewed in any way. There would be no pressure of Jensen or any of the other talent moving onto other projects/studios/networks/production companies that have their own production issues due to COVID (again, I don’t know when The Boys decision was made but I’m sure it wasn’t a discussion that suddenly happened the day before Jensen announced it). The guys did interviews still from home but that’s not the same as doing a press junket or attending a premiere or getting out in the public eye to promote, promote, promote (though the cast did do this before season 15 aired but due to COVID, the length of time that delayed production, they could not do this for the last block of episodes when they returned & keep fresh in viewer’s minds like maybe they would have been able to pre-COVID, watch they won’t be able to for any of their returning shows either).

Now seeing it through that lens, how can they fix this? How can they make sure to get a guaranteed viewership that they haven’t had time to go and promote for? Social media/the internet is a given and would have been used regardless of COVID but now they also don’t have the cons the guys go out and usually do, they can’t connect with viewers that way either (though the guys did do panels, M & G’s from home). They don’t have anything else on the docket really that they can use as a vehicle to get Walker and any other new shows ramping up in the promotion department to get viewers away from streaming services (that aren’t theirs) & other networks, to keep them watching not only what will be coming back on the air (eventually) but also any new content they are trying to put in front of you.

So we get this for SPN’s series ending:

What does this achieve (what it puts into the heads of the viewers):

A strong relationship between brothers is being viewed

While Dean is having the emotional death monologue, we get to see Jared’s acting shining through as much as Jensen’s

“Let me look at you” “There he is” “My baby brother” “I’m so proud of you, Sam” “I’ve always looked up to you” “It was always been you and me. It’s always been you and me” (x)

They talk about the pilot episode where Dean goes to get Sam from school, Sam mentions the Woman In White from that episode, they talk about John and how Sam stood up to him circa what the dynamic was between John and Sam in the first season - notice how Dean mentions “I don’t know you did that” which brings his dynamic with both John & Sam circa back to the 1st season - the pilot started Sam-centric - they use dialogue from the 1st season: “I don’t want to do this alone” “Yes, you can” “Well, I don’t want to”

Sam is about to deal with the death of the other main character in his life & it will affect how his life continues - “Hey, I’m not leaving you. I will be with you right here. Every day. Every day you’re out there and living and you’re fighting. You always keep fighting. You hear me? I’ll always be there. I’ll be there every step. I love you so much. My baby brother.”

After this, we get Dean’s hunter funeral, Sam shutting down the bunker, leaving, & we see the life montage Sam has before he ultimately dies and joins Dean in Heaven. Interspersed with it is the conversation Dean has with Bobby once he gets to Heaven and then his 40 year drive. And what plays during Sam’s life montage? “Carry On My Wayward Son”, the theme for SPN itself.

It has become a Sam-centric episode again featuring a little Dean, just like the pilot.

Bonus:

Now that it aired and the show is over, almost two months down the road, what do we see in the first official promos from Walker? What do we already know about the show before it’s even premiered?:

Walker has lost his wife because he “didn’t protect her” - he’s left behind

He still sees his wife (we know Gen will most likely be in flashbacks outside of the premiere episode) - she’s still with him

“You’re chasing ghosts! She is gone and there is nothing you can do about it.” (x) - title of this promo “Moving On” & title cards “Moving on takes letting go” interspersed with Cordell talking about him missing his wife & shots of his wife - this was promo premiered 12/16/20 

Another brother relationship

his brother is grabbing him like he & Dean used to do to each other, they are having a broment

the series is about Cordell Walker, he’s the center of the story, played by Jared

See anything similar to the list above? 

Now compare the promo that premiered last week to the December promo linked above (x) - has a completely different feel to it, doesn’t it? His wife & loss are barely mentioned

Why the difference? One, because they knew SPN viewers (regardless of the backlash from the finale) were still feeling the loss of that show due to how they saw fans reacted to the announcement of season 15 being their last, they did not have any heavy hitters airing at that moment plus the holidays, they knew viewers are inside due to the cold & COVID which was rising again, they knew viewers would be watching more cable programming due to the holidays (think Hallmark Christmas movies, Freeform, etc) & the backlash for the show from some of the viewership (30% isn’t enough, no matter what that 30% itself tries to tell you) that they needed to regain to get Walker to hit the ground running. 

One part of Dean’s death I’d like to focus on are these lines & this one factor:

“I’m fading pretty quick. There’s some things I need for you to hear so come here.” - he’s not fading, he has time for a monologue

“Oh man, I did not think this would be the day. But it is. It is and...that’s okay.”

“I need you to... I need you to promise me. I need you to tell me that it’s okay. I need you to tell me that it’s okay. Look at me. Look at me. I need, I need... I need you to tell me that it’s okay. You tell me that it’s okay.” “Dean...it’s okay. You can go now.”

Dean’s theme does not start until after Dean says “that’s okay” - it gets close plenty of times in the beginning of the scene but never actually starts until after that line

Remember Dabb joked “If you thought Game of Thrones was bad, just wait”? (link above) We know that Misha and Jensen have watched GoT. The show itself has made quite a few GoT references. And what happened in the series finale of GoT? This scene (x)

If you watched GoT, remember how out of place this part felt? How the dialogue didn’t seem to match what the hell had happened? How Jon seemed to be defending Dany’s actions when his character would never have done so before that moment? How Tyrion says this line above? 

They were breaking the fourth wall, enacting Tyrion as the writers’ mouthpiece and Jon as the audience’s mouthpiece. Because they knew fans of Dany (namely the GA) would be shocked at what Dany had one, and what was still to come. Bryan Cogman confirms what the aim of the show was, to make people think (x) & that the writers were going to challenge the audience for rooting Dany on before this, as confirmed by Kit Harington (x).

You know what other show is infamous for breaking the fourth wall sometimes?

So now look at those lines again, look at how Dean’s theme starts up, look at the scene (linked above) and notice Dean looking away from Sam, behind the camera at 3:12. Singer is directing the episode, the editors left it in, and this aired. Now notice what he says as he does this: “Oh man, I did not think this would be the day. But it is.” - then what does he do, he goes back to talking to Sam, but looking down. “It is and...that’s okay.” Then we see Sam’s face again.

This them breaking the fourth wall (why else is Dean looking in that direction during his death scene? How does that add emotionally to the scene or help tell the story? No other characters or events are back there).

This is the writers saying to you: “We didn’t think it would end like this. But it’s happening and it is what it is, we’re going to do it.” Maybe they planned for Dean to die all along (I still don’t think they did but I don’t know that definitively, other than what the show’s story told us) but they didn’t plan for it to go like this.

Then Dean says this after we see Sam’s face: ““I need you to... I need you to promise me. I need you to tell me that it’s okay. I need you to tell me that it’s okay. Look at me. Look at me. I need, I need... I need you to tell me that it’s okay. You tell me that it’s okay.” - this is Dean talking to the writers

The writers back to Dean: “Dean...it’s okay. You can go now.”

This is why the forehead touch. This is why the hands shots. This is why Sam is that emotional (besides losing his brother). This is why Dean has that little smile before he covers Sam’s hand with his. This is why Dean’s theme doesn’t start until after what the writers say to the audience, the “that’s okay” because after that was their goodbye to Dean.

“Goodbye, Sam”  

Now think, if Dean was your character that you wrote for and you truly loved him (or even say if he was real and right there in front of you), how would you send him off if you and he could talk directly? What would be the truest thing you could do for him? If you couldn’t let him live or give him anything he wanted or deserved in the end? 

Baby is there, Baby makes him happy. He has the Road House. He gets to see Bobby again. His parents are happy and live down the road. Jack rebuilt Heaven for him. “Cas helped” implying that Cas is out of The Empty. They chose to purposely play Kansas’ version of the theme here and have Dean say “I love this song” right after the lyric “There will be peace when you are done” (this may not have happened while they shot it, but they purposely edited it this way).

The hunter funeral shot isn’t just meant to be a transition to Heaven or even a transition to POV shot. It’s also indicating that something is shifting here. We know how long it takes them to burn bodies in the show (see Mary’s and Cas’ funerals for reference) - look at how it becomes an overhead shot and how quickfully (and almost artfully if that’s the right word) the flames engulf Dean’s body. Then we get a sort of white fade if you will. 

Then: “Well, at least I made it to Heaven.”

And who did they choose to greet him in Heaven? 

Who was named after Robert Singer as we know. And who directed the episode? That’s right, this guy. And how long has Singer been with the show? Since the beginning. 

“Yep.” “What memory is this?” “It ain’t you, idjit.” “Yeah it is, ‘cause last I heard you were in Heaven’s lockup.” “I was. Now I’m not. That kid of yours, before he went wherever, he made some changes here. Busted my ass out. And then he, well...he set some things right. Tore down all the walls up here. Heaven just ain’t reliving your golden oldies anymore. It’s what it always should’ve been. Everyone happy. Everyone together.” “It ain’t just Heaven, Dean. It’s the Heaven you deserve.” - look at this dialogue, this is once again the writers/Singer talking to Dean directly 

And who’s that in the shot in the background during the pie festival scene in the beginning of the episode?

Singer himself (x). These scenes parallel. Dean is having his favorite dessert: pie. Instead of Bobby handing it to him, it’s Sam. They sit on a bench outside of a restaurant (it looks like?) They included Singer in this shot for a reason, behind Dean to his left. Then in Heaven we have Bobby handing Dean one of his favorite drinks: beer. They’re sitting in chairs outside of Harvelle’s roadhouse. You know what else parallels?:

“I just... I think about Cas, you know? Jack... If they could be here.” “Yeah. Yeah, I know, I think about ‘em, too. You know what, that pain’s not gonna go away. Right? But if we don’t keep living, then all that sacrifice is gonna be for nothing. So quit being a freaking Eeyore, alright? Get into this.” “Yeah, you’re right.” *Dean has Sam smushing pie into his face*

“So Jack did all that?” “Well, Cas helped.” *cue Dean’s little smile*

The pie in the face moment isn’t just meant to be comedic. Not with Singer still in the shot. Not right after they talk about Jack & Cas. On the surface, it is: “I’ve wanted to do that for a very long time” & then Dean takes the fork and gets some pie off his face to eat it, Singer laughing in the background. But notice how Singer walks out of the shot right after and they show this on camera. Singer could have been an extra, he could have been some random guy saying some random line behind them or interacting with them in some way, maybe handing Dean the pie for instance, or someone who accidentally knocks into them for more comedic moments. But instead they kept him in the shot, watching the boys, but staying his distance.

And whose name is on the pie truck at the pie festival? Dabb’s. His name isn’t there just to be there before the end of the show like we’ve seen all along with other names.  

And note the dialogue in the beginning of the pie scene, when Dean & Sam arrive:

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” “Oh, I don’t have a choice. This is my destiny.” And what does the camera pan to? The pie festival with Dabb’s truck in the background.

Dean has two different reactions to the mention of Cas & Jack, and why? Because Heaven was the Heaven that Dean deserved. Where everyone was together and happy. Singer was in the Heaven shot, too, but as Bobby Singer. Heaven is where they were able to speak candidly with Dean after his death. Where they could let Dean be Dean. Where Dean could get the ending he deserved which was everyone together and happy with Cas and Jack somewhere out there in the same Heaven, his mom and dad down the road, and his Baby there to drive anytime he wants, complete with beer.

“It’s a new big world out there. You’ll see.” “Oh wow. This tastes like the first drink I ever shared with my dad.” “Quality stuff?” “No, it’s crap.” *they both chuckle* “But it was fantastic.” “Just like this.” “It’s almost perfect.” “He’ll be along.” - who is the one member of Dean’s family, including Cas & Jack, who the writers haven’t been able to give Dean in his perfect Heaven yet? Sam

“So I guess the question is, what are you gonna do now, Dean?” “I think I’ll go for a drive” “Have fun.” - notice Bobby’s fond smile as he watches Dean approach Baby with a big grin - and once again, Bobby is in the background, watching

Then what comes after Dean starts driving & Kansas’ song is done playing?

Neoni’s cover of “Carry On My Wayward Son” starts playing after Dean tells Sam: “You can go now” (3:28 - x) - and what does Sam do? He smiles and looks down at Original Dean’s watch that he’s wearing & again we get the hands shot - this scene was meant to parallel Dean’s death scene - Dean being present in the form of his nephew who shares the same name, who tells him he can go now & watches Sam die, the cover song being Sam’s version of that song so to speak, and notice the zoom out shot as Sam dies - what do we see? The infamous mantle with the infamous Winchester-only photographs that then fades over to Dean arriving on the bridge in Heaven. Sam is being released from the narrative to go to Dean’s heaven and we know he’s Dean’s Sam again because of the callback costume to season 1. 

The Sam that mourned Dean during that whole montage of his life was only partly Sam the character we’ve come to know and love for 15 years. It was also the CW’s Sam. Not just the Sam the writers loved. Once he moves into Dean’s Heaven, he belongs solely to the writers again, so to speak.

“Hey, Sammy.” “Dean.” And then the hug, the looking over the bridge, the zoom out (showing the big world Bobby talked about that the boys are literally facing), and the credits. And what plays in the background? Dean’s theme, by guitar. And what credits do they show before the crew shot? Andrew Dabb & Robert Singer

This is why the cover version is played right after Kansas’ version. This is why Dean 2.0 looks like someone who could be on Legacies or one of those shows. This is why the Winchester-only mantle. This is why Blurry Wife. This is why “very, very purposely ambiguously”. This is why “you’ll love the ending, mine would have been so much darker!” This is why “it’s a true ending.” This is why “If you thought Game of Thrones was bad, just wait.” This is why “Supernatural will never get the credit it deserves. Most people who are looking at it from the outside are going to focus on why it ran fifteen seasons, and ignore why it lasted so long.” This is why Jared is happy with his ending and why Misha is satisfied with his. This is why the vampmimes, the rando Jenny callback, the milk run hunt death, that Cas & Jack weren’t in it more than a couple of mentions, why Dean never talked about what Cas confessed or responded to it in any way, shape or form. It was all about Walker.

Had Jensen been cast as Walker instead, you almost have to wonder if it would have been Sam impaled on the rusty nail, a shirtless shot for Jensen, and a Dean-centric ending while Sam waited for him up in Heaven. Everything else would have remained the same, though. The network would still use it.

15x20 was not a bibro episode (or Wincest engame or a pure brothers ending circa season 1-5). 15x20 was a vehicle, almost a backdoor pilot if you will (though not technically) for the new show. There’s a reason why they kept explaining that 15x19 would wrap up the lore/the season and 15x20 would wrap up the boys’ journey/emotional arcs/wrap up the finale, why it would be a 2-parter and it would feel different. Why it didn’t sit right with Jensen. Why Jared sounds like hes parroting what CW execs would be saying about the finale & Sam and Dean. Why Dabb hasn’t said a word since the finale aired. This is why “take it or leave it”. This is how COVID affected this show (I’m not saying it’s only this, they did start the Chuck/network arc earlier than COVID after all). And you know what Dabb & Co’s response was?

But even more so this:

Jack becoming God. That is why Alex mirrors some of Rob’s movements from Rob’s performance as Chuck, not just to indicate he is now God. Not only could Jack (aka the writers) break Cas out of the Empty, he completely remade Heaven so Dean and Sam could be safe in the end, given the ending they deserved, where everyone was together and happy. How it always should have been.

15x19 was the best finale they could give us and they tried their hardest. You know why?

Jack becomes God who doesn’t insert himself in the story anymore - his “I’ll be in everything” monologue: “What do we call you?” “Who cares what we call him? Look, all that matters is he got us back on line” “Dean, I”m not coming back home. In a way I’m already there” - “What if we wanna see you? Have a beer or whatever?” “I’m around” (when I first heard this line I thought it was an odd line for Sam to say but now it makes total sense) - “I’ll be in every drop of falling rain, every speck of dust that the wind blows, and in the sand, and in the rocks, and in the sea” “This is a hell of a time to bail. You have a lot of people counting on you. They’re gonna have a lot of questions that need answers” “And those answers will be in each of them. Maybe not today, but someday” “They just need to know that I’m a part of them and to trust in that” “I won’t be hands on. Chuck put himself in the story. That was his mistake.” (notice after this line Jack talks about how he’s learned from everyone and when he mentions Cas’ name, they show a shot of the brothers - that is who is missing from this family moment) - notice when Jack talks about people being their best, they can be that Jack looks to Dean and the camera focuses on Dean’s reaction - “Well, I’m really as close as this” *puts hand over heart* - then Jack disappears, we see Sam’s & Dean’s reactions & then the next shot is beers in the boys’ hands (x)

Lucifer is broken out of the Empty by Chuck to indicate that the Empty could be broken into

We find out what happened to Adam

We get a new Death for a few minutes named Billie Betty and Death is killed with no new Death

Chuck gets his ending - through Lucifer and Michael themselves

All humans were restored in the end (& had COVID not happened, we would have seen familiar faces return as well)

Dean never got to respond to Cas’ confession one way or the other but we see him tell Chuck to bring him back and get the whole Lucifer scene - think they could have had Lucifer get in another way or call Sam since he lost Eileen but no they chose Dean for this, to show Dean running up the stairs - because while they couldn’t have Dean respond, they could show this, and Eileen? It was never going to happen because the CW didn’t want any romance in the end for Sam (and that’s why Blurry Wife btw) - this is also why Sam & Dean don’t ask Jack to bring anyone back

Dean reaches the end of his emotional arc as far as he himself goes by the end of the episode with “That’s not who I am”

Dean and Sam get a goodbye with Jack

The intials on the table with Cas’ & Jack’s name added

The brothers shot on the table in the end where Sam looks sad and Dean claps him on the shoulder before they stand and leave

Dean and Sam driving down the road in the Impala (open ending that doesn’t end in death)

the song being played “Running On Empty” - everyone thought that meant Cas or The Empty somehow but look at the lyrics (x)

15x19 was their finale and they weren’t able to give us more than that (except for releasing Dean & Sam from the narrative & having them back in the same place as their family and loved ones)

You know what cements all of this?

Where Jared & Jensen are looking right into the camera and thank us (the audience) & the zoom out to show the crew on the bridge, then the thank you message to all of the fans. They purposely broke the fourth wall to show you this (even though it happened after the fade out from the shot of Sam hugging Dean). This also explains why they kept Jared and Jensen in costume, and why they literally shoot from the same stretch of bridge they just ended the scene on, why the zoom out shot is similar but this time it’s facing the cast and crew. The show (the world) is now behind them but they want you to know how much they appreciated your support this whole time.

“We felt you guys here with us all the time.”

And who is on Jensen’s left? Singer

And who is on Jared’s right? Jim

Though this isn’t a shot for the show per se and it’s not a blocked scene, it’s not telling the SPN story anymore or any story really, they purposely chose to craft this shot this way, to have Jensen and Jared walk out of frame to lead to this shot, and zoom out this way

And then what do we hear? “And cut” and it cuts to black - why was this line added? why does the ending shot for the crew mirror for Sam & Dean’s ending shot? because this is breaking the 4th wall for the episode & they’re showing you that

And what were we left with for the actual episode?

the episode focused on the brother relationship

Sam not having any visible love interest/wife that is in one scene, in the distance, indistinguishable but we are able to see she’s brunette (brunette like Gen & Shoshannah)

Dean out of the way & driving in Heaven - leaving for Sam to be the focus the rest of the episode (though they keep Dean’s presence through Sam’s son & the impala scene), only when he dies do we see Dean stop the car and wait for him

And again what does all of this remind us of based on the promos we’ve seen so far?

It’s unfuckingcanny.

This was never about pleasing the 30%, not for the writers and the show. This was never about pleasing original fans of the show (from earlier seasons) or a certain section of the fans. It was always about viewership, about gaining ratings & making sure their new show that Jared was cast in did well, that a smooth transition happened. 

This is why Dean’s character and story development went out the window. Why Sam’s did. Why no Cas, no Jack, no Eileen. Why Cas and Jack are barely mentioned and why Eileen is never mentioned again. Saileen and Destiel were too heavily paralleled all of season 15. Think, if one had happened as endgame (say Sam signing back to Blurry Wife or Dean hears “Hello, Dean” in Heaven since Shoshannah and Misha couldn’t be on set), even the GA (that goddamn 30%) would have went: wait, huh? But the network couldn’t erase Cas from the narrative like Eileen. Misha had been a regular, Cas’ role was essential to the show by the end of it, to the boys’ arcs, he was too important to the story. Plus they saw what happened when the show tried to kill Cas off in season 7. This is why the market research in 2016. This is why Jim Beaver intimated that we should have been happy with what we were able to get. He wasn’t being an ass or unsympathetic, he was just being blunt and stating facts. This is why we got the character montage at the end of 15x19 and no big series recap with “Carry On My Wayward Son” at the beginning of 15x20 which was essential to every season premiere episode, every season finale episode, and mid season-premiere episode of this show. The show wasn’t theirs anymore by that point, not really. This is why the cast & crew aren’t supposed to talk about what the original planned ending was. This is why:

Holy hell, it has taken me almost two months to try to make some sense of this whole goddman shitshow and why they ended Dean’s story like that as well as Cas’, Jack’s, Eileen’s, and Sam’s. We knew there was network interference (and this post doesn’t take away from the fact that the network has been interfering long before 15x19, long before COVID even) but this is...wow. It all makes so much more sense, at least to me. Who knew that it would take me going back to GoT, rewatching SPN episodes so many damn times, trying to see exactly what they were showing through framing, music cues, the performances, the narrative itself about Dean and Cas as well as Sam and Eileen and the found family narrative and Dean wanting a different ending and the whole leader!Sam thing and why it was all dropped...to finally get to this point. Wow.

Dabb, I am so sorry. I sincerely apologize. I have been so incredibly angry with you and Singer but now, I get it, especially after seeing what happened with Wayward Sisters and how the nerwork operates with other shows. I felt so much pain watching Dean’s death happen, with that dialogue, but I can’t imagine how painful it also must have been for those who wrote the character, who loved him and knew him the way you guys did, the way Jensen did, to have to do it that way. Especially, “Dean...it’s okay. You can go now.” I am so, so sorry. I feel like I should have seen this from the beginning but I didn’t. Ngl, I couldn’t watch that scene before this past week and I still can’t watch it, but now for a completely different reason. I have a pit in the bottom of my stomach just thinking about it.

Like Chuck said: “A headstone with the name: Winchester” - they were set on a death happening. Because what could have happened (and did sometimes though it didn’t take) during Kripke’s era? One of the boys dying. It makes me sick honestly. The CW execs saw GoT, too, but they took something else entirely different from it.

If nothing else, at least I can make some semblance of peace with this now for myself. With the show, the writers, even Jared’s remarks (though tbh I was never mad at him for those, that’s pure PR and parroting/towing the company line). I totally get why this show needs to succeed from Jared’s vantage point and for his sake alone (as well as Gen and their family’s), I hope it does (it makes me sick to say it but I only do so for Jared) or there’s another better project he can land and still be close to his family. Out of all of the main cast for SPN, he talked the most about missing them. So, either way, I only hope the best for him on that front. 

The CW on the other hand:

tldr; I’m tired and Dean, Sam, Cas, Jack, Eileen, and the whole show were done so fucking dirty - fuck that network