#when i say i love dean

[t00muchheart]

Something about the fact that both Dean and Cas think they’ve fucked up too many times to be redeemed, that they aren’t worth saving, and yet they forgive each other.

Something about the fact that both of them, faced with an outside force compelling them to kill the other, pushed past that to save each other’s lives.

Something about Cas dying to save Dean time after time because he can’t stand the thought of seeing Dean dead, not knowing what it does to Dean to see Cas dead, and to feel like the blood is on his hands; about Cas trying to restructure the universe for Dean and Dean just wanting him to stay.

Something about Dean teaching Cas to be more human and then, when he is human, failing to help him and having to live with the regret of that.

Just…something about Cas and Dean and the way that they’re simultaneously doomed and inevitable, always circling around something but never able to land

[wigglebox]

Supernatural September - Day 2 | Identity

[angelsdean]

whenever i think abt misha saying he didn't start playing cas as in love with dean until s15 i am like. that man is a Known liar who lies

[kerryweaverlesbian]

Whenever fanfiction has Dean say he hates Cas’s coat or thinks it's stupid or ugly and he wants to see Cas out of it as soon as possible I simply must disagree. He kept that thing for a whole year full of rank water. He saw Cas back in his usual getup and gotar bonar. Dean loves cartoons. He loves costumes. He loves Cas’s coat.

[bloodfreak-boyking]

how to look at your brother in a platonic and god-honoring way

[troynabed]

hey bro, is it cool if i write and perform a comedy set entirely about our life together that no one else understands just so i can see your beautiful smile

[s0fter-sin]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[bragginball-z]

“You gave up a whole army just for one guy.”

GOD, IS THAT REALLY WHAT YOU THINK?? Like you’re joking! Castiel rebelled against heaven FOR YOU, he killed his brothers and sisters FOR YOU, every single choice he’s made (both good AND BAD) has all been with YOU in mind! And other people have constantly pointed this out to you!! “The moment Castiel laid a hand on you in hell he was lost” is that ringing any bells?? Castiel HIMSELF pointed out that the entire reason he’s considered an outcast angel is because of YOU!! And once again you watch him choose YOU over EVERYONE ELSE AND YOU STILL THINK ITS JUST BECAUSE HE’S SELFLESS OR A GOOD GUY??

SHUT. UP. !!!

[youchoseeachother]

Sam, getting to know Dean in season 1.

[the-dormant-ocean]

Dean, to every dog after Sam is done petting them: He does that to every dog he sees. You're not fucking special so don't get cocky.

The dogs: Arf arf arf 🐶 [What the fuck is his problem 🤨🤨🤨???]

[t00muchheart]

Listen, Billie said “You wanna die.”

Not “you’re okay with dying,” not “you’ll face death,” not “you’re willing to sacrifice your life for these people to find peace,” but “you wanna die.” And Dean doesn’t argue with it, because she’s right.

It’s on the level for me of Famine telling Dean he’s empty in terms of “Oh I could pick this apart and draw so much about him out of it” and I just,, really love Dean Winchester

[wigglebox]

Destiel Pride - Day 5; Cursed or not

[shallowseeker]

What drew them to each other is that they were both willing to do reprehensible things.

Whether it's to save their own skins, to save their families, to carry out a plan... They're naturally fucked up in the same pragmatic way.

But they can BE their full, "flawed, petty evil creatures" in full light of the other.

///

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DUNDUNDUN SAM WAS JUST WAITING FOR HER TO TURN AWAY WHAT A BASTARD

///

She should've gotten to KILL him at least once, I think. Just to further make their bond weirder.

///

"Don't struggle," she says.

///

ALSO.

I like to watch the unraveling futility of their ambitions. Rowena, Crowley, and Sam were all united by wanting status and ambition to help them escape "a rigged game."

"And it took everything from me, everyone I love-- my family."

///

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BOOM. There it is.

See, Rowena sees the lengths Sam will go, and she actually RESPECTS it.

Their relationship is built on the comfort of understanding WHY they're willing to gut each other AND each other's loved ones. Strong feelings that they try to dissociate themselves from.

They use their smarts and ruthlessness to protect themselves and their loved ones at all costs.

And they both want to change.

"You were never gonna kill him. There was a time you would've. But not now."

///

There is such an--an OPENNESS about the bad things they've done, and Sam needs that in his life.

///

And in season 15, Rowena knows that Sam wouldn't have been able to kill her at the end there... not unless she guided his hand and helped him.

[perfica]

Sam gets jealous when Dean gives attention to men because he knows that he’s the only one who gets to be Dean’s daddy.

Dean gets angry when Sam gives attention to women because he knows he’s the only one who gets to be Sam’s mommy.

[lambmotifz]

thinking about how in the siren episode the point is that dean craves the perfect version of a little brother who’d submit to him & adore him

and then we also have dean locking sam in the panic room and being willing to let him die there because he thinks sam is a monster (aka no longer the perfect version of dean’s brotherwife). he even admits it in 5.18 (“i have let you rot in there”)

dean doesn’t love sam unconditionally and it’s canon!

[cowboylikeyouu]

just watched the spn s5 finale i'm gonna jump off a cliff now, everything i own goes to my mutuals, goodbye