#spn recaps

[demonicseries]

"will lokius go canon this season?" thats the not the question here. It's marvel. I know they won't. But i want to see just how close they will get to it. How much will they get away with? How much of the story they want to tell will make it through?

[chlochette-sunde]

15x13 Destiny's Child

That episode was wild. From recap 'til the end.

Every shot is GIF material. With a different flavor for each of them.

[crowleybigbang]

Crowley Big Bang Recap - Part 1

Hello, darlings.

Come here, sit back and look at how greatly we decided to put the summer heat to shame. We're in Hell, after all.

First we had @doctorprofessorsong and @vibe-howie working together on a blistering love affair between Crowley and Gabriel and minor things like radically changing oneself, redemption and new chances. Read Love Is A Bet, A Wild One here and don't forget to admire the art here!

Then it came Unum Diem from @butterflyslinky and @hobbitual-psychick-art-stuff. What better way to save oneself than closing the Gates of Hell, right? Right? Read all about it here, and go look at the art here!

Finally, we bid farewell to June with the collaboration between @risingphoenix761 and @sagee-sketches. Crowley and Jack and the world and the everything and lots of the fine print we all know and love. Meditations On Schrödinger can be read here and make sure to dote properly on the art here!

[spnfanficpond]

Livechat recap: Writing Reader Inserts - How to Reduce the Y/N of It All

We had a great chat in our Discord server about different aspects of writing reader insert fics! Those who were there or have contributed to the discussion after the fact are: @notsofly, @spn-fanfic-reblog-writes, @kazsrm67, @thoughtslikeaminefield, @zepskies, @talltalesandbedtimestories, and @stunudo. Below the cut is a rundown of the points that we discussed!

How do you reduce the use of Y/N and similar placeholders?

Nicknames - This is especially easy when writing SPN because Dean loves giving nicknames to everyone.

For placeholders like Y/H/C and Y/E/C - When writing from the RIC's (Reader Insert Character) POV (Point Of View), this is easy because most people don't consider their own hair or eye color. When writing from another character's POV, like an SPN Character (SPNC), focus on attributes like how eyes can shine, or narrow. Hair can be soft or shiny.

Decide if the detail you're referring to is necessary to the story. If the plot doesn't change without it, do you really need to include it?

How much detail does an RIC need?

Only those details that would change the story if they were different or missing. For example, if a story is about aging/maturity or how a RIC reacts to new tech, then age is necessary.

What specific details should you leave out when possible?

Hair length/style - Some women have very short hair that can't be put into a ponytail or braided. Focus on feel of the hair, not tangling it into someone's fingers.

Weight - You can mention curves and leave the rest to the imagination.

Blushing - You can feel your face get hot, but you can’t really see yourself blushing. Describe the feeling over the appearance. Darker skin tones don't turn noticeably red when blushing.

Race/ethnicity - Unless your story involves ethnic customs or dealing with something specifically racial, this is not a necessary detail.

Clothing - Unless a hunter is dressing up, clothing does not need to be specifically described. Even when dressing up, clothing can be described generically. "A dress in her favorite color that showed off her assets and minimized those little parts of herself she wanted hidden." A job can affect clothing, but just going to the mall or on a date does not. Describe comfort over style.

What is the difference between an OC (Original Character) and a RIC?

Backstory - OC's will usually have a backstory to help define their character. RIC's only need backstory as it pertains to the current story. They can have one, but only what's needed for the story.

Name

Physical description - OC's need to be described but RIC's need to not be described as much as possible.

Does an RI fic need to be in 2nd Person POV?

No. They can also be written in 3rd person omniscient (the audience knows what everyone is thinking) or 3rd person limited POV (the audience only knows what one person is thinking, as if they were in that character's head).

Are RI fics more popular on one platform vs. another?

Yes. RI fics seem to be a lot more popular on Tumblr than on AO3. Tumblr also seems to prefer RIC's over OC's. We don't know why.

Ways to describe eyes that don't involve color?

Focus on the emotions - see emotions in their eyes instead of color

Focus on actions - eyes crinkling, slitting, narrowing, widening. She batted her eyes or looked up at him through her lashes.

Other adjectives besides color - Bright eyes, shining eyes, etc

NO ORBS.

How do you write a Gender Neutral RIC (GNRIC)?

You have to avoid gender stereotypes like women being more emotional and emotionally available while men are more stoic and stubborn. Women and men stereotypically flirt differently. You need to identify those traits in your story and balance them out to neutralize them. Get down to your basic "people" traits for the character.

Who cuddles who? Maybe the SPNC comes to the GNRIC and asks for cuddles? Decide if that kind of thing matters and why.

The GNRIC discussion at the end of our time led to the creation of a writing challenge to explore gender. How would we write a female RIC differently from a male RIC if they were put into the same story? How does knowing this help us to strip gender stereotypes from our story to make a truly gender-neutral RIC? If you would like to know more about this writing challenge and how to participate, click here!

If you have any questions about anything here, or want to add something to this topic, please let us know! You can send an Ask to the blog, add your comments to the #livechat-events channel in our Discord server, or DM one of our admins here or on Discord.

Admins

Michelle - @mrswhozeewhatsis

Marie - @mariekoukie6661

MJ - @thoughtslikeaminefield

Mana - @manawhaat (Founder and Admin Emeritus)

[satturn]

actually i'm so deep in the trenches that i'm fantasizing about making a spn recap video à la mike's mic/jenny nicholson/etc. i don't actually want to make it i just deeply need it to exist and why has nobody taken up the task yet. i've seen recaps in my recommendations of every somewhat nostalgic show of the past 20 years why not supernatural. somebody must be crazy enough i don't want it to be me

[arcanespillo]

Randoms from the recap of s3's first episode/Supernatural

[4c-aperture]

spn was the top fandom BAR NONE for a decade on this site, wdym there are only ELEVEN jody/mary fics

[paperconsumption]

hey does anyone know if we have take your brother outside as fast as you can now dean go tomorrow

[shirtlesssammy]

The Winchesters 1x08: Hang on to Your Life

Kansas City, Missouri

Outside a bar called the Knave of Hearts. (The marquee indicates that Jericho is headlining with Brock Billings. Is Jericho a nice nod to Robbie and Rich’s old show? Love it.) Brock pops out of one of the doors and wanders into a back alley. He scares a poor street cat and promptly burns up for it. 

Oh, wait, there’s got to be something more going on here. A whistling, dapper-dressed man approaches and warms his hands by the glowing charred remains of Brock. 

Mary, Millie, and John are back at Mary’s tending to an unconscious Samuel’s wounds. Ada has prescribed a magical tea to help with the nasty Akrida gash on Samuel’s shoulder. Operation Heavy Flirting has entered its next stage for Mary and John, and Millie knows when to give these two Alone Time. 

Samuel wakes and mumbles that he found a way to find the queen. 

Mary and John tell Carlos and Lata about the Akrida queen. There’s been radio silence from the Akrida since they found Samuel. Carlos did hear about a man burning up outside the Knave of Hearts though. The Knave of Hearts is THE place in the midwest to make it in music. Mary opts to stay behind to help her father mend. John opts to stay behind to simp after Mary. Carlos approves. 

“Being a hunter means living a life of sacrifice – not a lot of room for dreams. But you open your heart and get a little lucky, you’ll find you gain more than you lose.” 

(Boris puts on clown nose)

(Natasha against her better judgment, reluctantly also puts on clown nose)

Once at the bar, the duo sets out to investigate the case. Carlos interrogates the bartender with no luck. Lata finds sigils in Brock’s dressing room. They discuss the meaning of them when Carlos runs into an old music buddy, Jericho. It seems they were a duo once upon a time named Rivers Gemini and The Jericho Kid.  

Operation Flirtfest actually gets to the meat of the situation and John and Mary talk about the kiss. Neither regrets the kiss but Mary doesn’t know what the future holds.

Lata is having the Time of Her Life reminiscing with Rivers Gemini and The Jericho Kid. 

As Carlos and Lata head out, Carlos knocks a hat off the table of another customer. He picks it up and hands it back to the man. 

GABRIEL!!!!! OR LOKI!!!! OR THE TRICKSTER!!!!! THEY”RE ALL THE SAME!!!! AGGGHHHH

Lata’s van research reveals that Brock’s sigils were trying to protect him from dark magic. Lata asks if Carlos wants to go to the show that night. He declines and makes it clear that it was always a choice of careers. “It’s a matter of time before you come across a monster and then something has to die – the dream or the monster.” 

They interview the roadie. He tells them about the hat man following Brock out of the bar the night he died. 

Meanwhile, Millie and Samuel get to know each other. It’s chilly.

He doesn’t want the tea until Millie mentions that Ada prescribed it. Samuel is able to get in quite a few zingers about John. And he learns that Henry was a Men of Letters. (Or as he so Dean-ly says “Mole Men”, and then proceeds to explain the joke and it’s hilarious and not hilarious but at least we know where the Dean Dad humor comes from.) Millie makes it clear that without her “mole man” of a husband, Samuel’s daughter would be dead right now. 

Jericho’s set has begun. Lata spots Gabriel Loki jamming out in the back of the room and alerts Carlos. Jericho starts to smoke and Carlos grabs him and drags him off stage. Lata goes to confront Gabriel Loki but it’s no longer him. Meanwhile, the bartender burns.

Lata and Carlos head backstage later to find Jericho hurriedly packing up. He’s somewhat reluctant to talk, but quickly falls sway to their puppy eyed earnestness. He explains that his solo career fizzled until a few weeks ago. He met Loki and, while drunk, agreed to some kind of deal. He woke up with a flaming tattoo on his forearm. 

After that, his songs light the audience up inside…but in the bad, SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION way. Each night, one member of his audience dies a terrible, fiery death. If he doesn’t sing to someone (and sentence to burn), then the curse will burn him up instead. When Brock tried to get cut into the mad profits of Jericho’s rising career, Jericho killed him off. Tonight, he tried singing to the guy in the suit who bound him in the deal - some guy named Loki. 

At Casa de Campbell, Samuel stumbles his way into the den, apparently with the intention of grilling John about his dad. Instead, Mary cuts him off. She wants to know more about what Samuel was mumbling in his sleep. How can they find the Akrida queen? Samuel explains that he picked up on some signs and decided to check them out. He’s got three rolls of film (THOSE WERE THE DAYS AMIRITE?) for them to develop and figure out clues. Mary stalks off to play photo lab. John confronts Samuel and tells him to treat Mary like a daughter “and less like a soldier.” Oof. 

Back at the hunt, Lata, Carlos, and Jericho head for the van. Inside the van they find Loki lounging. “You were right about this one,” he says to Jericho, gesturing to Carlos. “He’s got pluck.” 

Jericho’s largely unsurprised to see him, and we quickly find out why. Loki made a deal with Jericho - if he can pass on his curse to another then he can be free from it. Jericho led Loki to Carlos. Before their eyes, Loki transforms, proving his powers, and tells them that Carlos taking on the Mark - I mean, the tattoo - is the only way he can save his friend. Former friend? 

Loki reads us Carlos’ resume, which is very enjoyable for me AND for him! It includes:

Love of modern dance

Gifted typist

Musician, hunter, hair model

He also sees Carlos’s nature, and knows that Carlos won’t walk away and let his friend remain cursed, or die. Against Lata’s protests, Carlos agrees to take on the curse.

Loki zaps Jericho away. Where did he go? “Oh, please, nobody cares. At least I don’t. He’s like a security deposit. Move on from that.” He hands Carlos a.k.a. Rivers Gemini a concert flyer for…his own comeback show. Carlos needs to play that night or face the consequences. 

They bring the news back to the Campbell house. John suggests just removing the tattoo. Please. The only way you can do that is by magically de-aging Carlos for the duration of the episode via an ancient witch’s curse and who has one of THOSE just lying around? The team sets to their research tasks with gusto. 

Samuel watches them spring into action. Carlos and Lata have come very far in just a few months, according to him. John earnestly tells him that it’s all down to Mary’s leadership. The gang settles in for a good old fashioned research and strategy session. Millie hands Carlos a pile of research, and heads off to prepare the “family special” dish for the somber occasion of Carlos’s maybe impending death. Millie’s special dish turns out to be a regular slice right out of my childhood. It appears to be something like…beef stroganoff over toast, with boiled green beans!

As they eat, they continue to research. Lata discovers a clue. Loki’s power is tied to a hand mirror he keeps with him. And sticking with the shiny objects theme, Samuel finds some guidance that says Loki can be killed with a shiny knife imbued with the hunter’s own blood. The gang prepare to slice their palms to seal the magic into their knives. (“Not the palms, my god you need to fight!” I hiss at them, but it’s like I’m watching them on a screen or something and they ignore my sage advice.) 

There’s a brief hiatus where Mary pulls Samuel aside and tries to order him to stay home. It turns into a confrontation about him leaving on his secretive, solo hunt. He tells her that he tries to stay under her radar. He didn’t want her to die like Maggie did. He got her into hunting, just like his dad did…and he hates it. OH THE REGRETSSSS. “When I put that knife in your hands, I chose this life for you. I forced you to follow in my footsteps, just like my dad forced me. It was wrong.” I can barely hear him over the deafening sound of Cat’s in the Cradle and glass crunching between my teeth. But! Mary’s a glass case of emotions as Samuel tells her that he wanted to get rid of all monsters so that Mary could live a life free of hunting. Instead, he stumbled into the looming threat of the Akrida. 

Back inside, the team imbues their knives with blood mojo and then they all head to the bar to finish their hunt. Loki shows up, sassy and saucy and shaking up a cocktail. He sizes up their bloody blades and intentions, and suggests evening the odds. We get a lovely fight scene of Loki, Loki, Loki, Loki, and Loki versus the gang. 

They scuffle to the tune of Saturday Night’s Alright, until Samuel gets pinned down. Mary knifes Loki and smiles triumphantly at her kill, only for Samuel to tell her he won’t fall for any more of her tricks. Samuel knifes her in the gut and then twists it. Mary morphs back into Loki, who topples to the floor, apparently dead. Samuel tells everyone that Loki/Mary attacked with his left hand, so it couldn’t have been Mary. 

Everyone regroups for a moment, until Loki hauls himself up again. ‘Twas but a flesh wound! He gleefully watches as they realize that Carlos still has the tattoo. He snaps his fingers, and the scene gets set. Carlos gets a wardrobe change and appears on stage, decked out in finery with a guitar. Mary, John, Lata, and Samuel immediately find themselves bound to chairs. Just behind Carlos, Jericho sits bound and gagged. Loki suggests Jericho as the ideal target. After all, why should Carlos suffer for Jericho’s misdeed? 

Carlos lifts up the guitar as though to play and then —

Smashes it! Carlos gives us a wild window into his soul, and it’s beautiful. He sacrificed music to hunt, but he gained more than he ever thought he would. Carlos starts to burn when all of a sudden…the smoke rising from his arms turns to GLITTER. NOW it’s a PARTY!

The tattoo zaps away from Carlo’s arm. Loki screams at Carlos and tells him that humanity should always choose the selfish way out. “I am not gonna lose to you!” he exclaims. Just then, a hand mirror crackles from the table. Loki gets sucked into the mirror and a moment later, everyone’s free. Lata delightedly taps at Loki’s trapped visage. 

Carlos tells everyone that they’re his family. HEARTS!

The next day, Millie heads out with the box. She tells a skeptical Samuel that she’s going to try to repair it. She IS a mechanic after all. Samuel tells Millie that she has a “good kid.” You did it, bbys. 

Mary brings out the newly developed photos from Samuel’s reconnaissance. The photos are barely legible - mostly washed out and useless for intel. Samuel tells Mary to take John to reassess the locations. While they do that, he’s headed to Ada to work on figuring out some magical means to defeat the queen. Samuel hands Mary a little recipe for a magical ant-Akrida tattoo. Handy! 

At the venue, Jericho contemplates his guitar. He plans to turn himself into the police, but Carlos tells him that’ll only get him in an institution. Carlos suggests an alternative: move on and put some good in the world. Jericho convinces Carlos to play one last concert. ONE. MORE. TIME!

Cut to the concert, where Lata shrieks at Carlos to play some Sabbath (she’s more of a metal girl). Readers, I love her. 

Carlos plays the theme song of the episode: Hard Times Come Around No More. We flash back to Mary handing her dad his hat and giving him a farewell hug. Elsewhere, Millie opens up the box. In the clubhouse, Lata locks away Loki’s mirror in a trunk. 

Carlos’s song is lovely and all, and I’m experiencing emotions, but also. ALSO. CHUCK IS THERE. IN THE BAND. PLAYING KEYBOARD. Guys. We get some good, clear close-ups of Chuck to really drive it home. Amazing. Love it. 

Later, John and Mary look at the photos and make out. Mary’s ready to take the leap with John. They’re about to kiss again, when John looks down at one of the barely developed photos. He recognizes the man in the photo as being the same person who gave him his dad’s letter. It’s…..

……

……………….

DEAN BEAN WINCHESTER!

For I’ve Got Him, He’s Right Here Science:

Natasha: Okay, Dean in the past is VERY IMPORTANT TO ME but did anyone else get some serious Book of Job / God placing bets for and against humanity. Who was Loki/Gabriel playing against that got him trapped in the mirror? It was someone who thought humanity would pull through and be selfless…

__

Oh Quote Times Come Again No More:

Lata, let’s boogie

I don’t know why everyone that comes in here thinks I’m a shrink. If you wanna cry on something, cry into your glass

It’s a matter of time before you come across a monster and then something has to die – the dream or the monster.

Doctor who?

The least you could do is treat her more like a daughter and less like a soldier

Hey guys, monsters that kill to feed and survive are one thing. Ones that kill for kicks - we’re in for a fight

Weird sensation but contemplating my mortality has surprisingly made me hungry. 

For the brains of this operation, you are not the smartest cookies. Cookies aren’t smart to begin with. Think on that.

__

 Want to read more? Check out our Recap Archive!

[nix-rose]

I almost danced with joy when i saw this, its so cute!! thanks for the tag @once-upon-an-imagine!!!

To celebrate 2023 coming to an end, create a moodboard inspired by your favourite memories of the year and answer any (or all) of the questions below

1. Top 3 songs of 2023 2. Top 3 artists of 2023 3. Top 3 albums of 2023 4. Top 3 movies of 2023 5. Top 3 tv shows of 2023 6. Top 3 books of 2023 7. Top 3 youtubers of 2023 8. Top 3 podcasts of 2023 9. Top 3 videogames of 2023 10. Top 3 celebrity crushes of 2023 11. Top 3 fictional crushes of 2023 12. Top 3 places you visited in 2023 13. Top 3 new things you tried in 2023 14. Top 3 things you were grateful for in 2023 15. Top 3 things you are looking forward to in 2024

top 3 songs would be: Sex on Fire - kings of leon, ...ready for it? - Taylor Swift, and I think he knows - also Taylor Swift

top 3 artists were: Taylor Swift, Simon Franglen(the avatar 2 soundtrack gets my writing brain turned on-) and Hozier

top 3 albums might be: Speak Now, Reputation, and Unreal Earth

top 3 movies are: Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3, Barbie, and Spider-man Across the Spiderverse

top 3 tv shows would be: Supernatural, Gilmore Girls, and Stranger Things

top 3 books (this is gonna be hard cuz i didnt read much other than fanfics so heres my fav fics) : Prove me Wrong (Billy Hargrove x oc) by @hogwartsandhawkins, Twenty four hours (Eddie Munson x reader) by @ghost-proofbaby and last and definitely not least, She Drives Me Crazy (Steve Harrington x reader) by @upsidedownwithsteve

top youtubers: Brett Cooper, Jordan Howlett and Kall-me-Kris

top podcasts is only one and its called Typology (It's about the enneagram types.)

top video games: (My little cousins got me hooked on this one) Mech Arena and Unravel

top 3 celeb crushes: Jensen Ackles, Ryan Reynolds, Timothy Chalmette.

top 3 fictional crushes: Peter Quill, Dean Winchester, and Billy Hargrove

top 3 places i visited: Sandpoint - Idaho, Central California, Key West - Florida

top 3 new things i tried: Performed my first paid gig, went to a haunted house, dyed my hair purple

top 3 things im grateful for in 2023: My family and friends, my music, my seemingly endless void of opportunities.

top 3 things im looking forward to in 2024 are: Playing music in Nashville, vacationing with my childhood friend for a week, Reputation TV(hopefully)

no pressure tags: @steph-speaks @hogwartsandhawkins @ghost-proofbaby @avgvstlover @theemporium @coffeeandbatboys @xxskycrystalxx @teenwolfmarvel-obsessor and anyone else who would like to join!!

[owl-fruit]

misha confirming cas as gay even though we’ve known is still so important to me

[crow-enthusiast]

just rewatched lucifer rising and you know what ruby is kinda slay

bragging to the man you just betrayed is hilarious you are a little bit awesome girl

but also she told sam that lucifer would reward him for letting him out and like lmao if the reward is stealing his body then yeah

[crowleybigbang]

With the heat and all, we don't want to spoil Hell experience too much, so, this weekend, no new stories will come up. But this doesn't mean you're left alone.

In fact, it's the perfect time to catch up on what we've done so far, and keep an eye on the page, where we'll be posting more Crowley-related art, fics and whatever else our detestable minions have created.

So, let's start with the recap:

Love Is A Bet, A Wild One - written by @doctorprofessorsong with art by @vibe-howie can be read here and the art is here

Unum Diem - written by @butterflyslinky and arted for by @hobbitual-psychick-art-stuff. Read it here and admire the art here!

Meditations on Schrödinger by @risingphoenix761 with art from @sagee-sketches read it here and find the art here!

In July we opened with @thisisbugsy who wrote "Darwin's Theory". Go read it here!

And then came @ichbinnurzugast and @midnightsilver with their collaboration on "The Monster Outside Is Frightful", which you can read here. You can also admire the art and the process to get it here.

Don't say we don't spoil you, you ungrateful lot.

[somuchstrdst]

Me trying to catch up with shows i haven't watched since 2021: i have no recollection of this place

[bloodydeanwinchester]

man every single time i hear dean say "saving people, hunting things, the family business" it gives me chills and make me feel giddy

[fagdykebassboy]

finally watching supernatural this is the worst thing ive ever done