#(like the different approach to the story gives another angle. even if i don't agree with it i get why ppl see it that way)

[daz4i]

sometimes bsd reddit can be fun but sometimes i will go on it and see posts like "why do people think dazai is depressed? i don't remember it ever being mentioned, is it just a common fanon thing?"

[kudosmyhero]

Batman (vol. 1) #400: Resurrection Night!

Read Date: March 04, 2023 Cover Date: October 1986 ● (too many creators in this issue to list. Please see the wiki page here for credits) ●

**HERE BE SPOILERS: Skip ahead to the fan art/podcast to avoid spoilers

Reactions As I Read: ● ah, a foreword by Stephen King. noice! ● nice architectural art from Steve Lightle and Bruce D. Patterson in the first chapter ● seeing glimpses of several of Arkham's inmates: Joker, Mad Hatter, Killer Croc, Clayface, etc. ● Inmate 481 looks like we killed his father and should prepare to die

● yikes, pretty much everyone escapes Arkham and the state prison thanks to some explosions. Batman's gonna be busy. ● I think every chapter will have a different artist. this'll be fun. look how amazing this Killer Croc is:

● so Ra's al Ghul knows where the Batcave is, eh? ● I like the painty/sketchy art of chapter 4. I like all of the art styles so far, actually ● the penny has never looked so huge ● Batman smash! ● this whole issue is a treat for the eyes ● Killer Croc, don't you harm a hair on Alfred's head! ● the art!

● ah, Black Spider. I was wondering who the hell that guy was. ● did Killer Croc kill Jason Todd's folks? ● I can't get over how many characters are in this issue… and even with all of them, the pacing seems fine and the story not overcrowded. quite a feat, that. ● "smurk"? ● Ra's al Ghul goes into the Lazarus Pit while still alive ● 👏👏👏👏👏

Synopsis: Ra's al Ghul embarks upon one of his most ambitious schemes to confound the Batman. He engineers a massive breakout at both Arkham Asylum and Gotham State Penitentiary, uniting both prisoners and patients, he arms them with their uniforms and weapons, giving them special instructions. Meanwhile, Batman finds a note taped to the Batcomputer that reads, "Know your foes!" and Ra's enters the cave to tell Batman what he has done. He further offers his service in permanently eliminating Batman's adversaries should he agree to join his crusade. Batman naturally refuses, and Ra's takes his leave.

He soon discovers that the villains have kidnapped people with strong connections to the Batman -- Alfred Pennyworth, Harvey Bullock, Julia Pennyworth, and Vicki Vale. Moreover, the Joker and the Penguin have enveloped GCPD Headquarters with a giant steel net, turning the police into prisoners. The Joker forces Commissioner Gordon to contact Batman and tell him that he has three hours to rescue them or else all of the hostages will die.

Batman and Robin find assistance from Catwoman and Ra's daughter Talia. They split into two teams to tackle the mission from different angles. Robin and Talia go after the group of villains at the GCPD, while Batman and Catwoman confront the criminals who have kidnapped Batman's allies. Throughout the course of the long evening, both parties prove successful and after Batman defeats the Joker and regains control of the GCPD, the heroes then travel together to Ra's base of operations.

They track him down to an old decrepit windmill where Ra's is housing one of his Lazarus Pits. For the first time ever, Ra's immerses himself in the pit while still alive, and soon emerges, now ten times as strong as a normal human. Batman and his allies approach the windmill and uses explosive charges to blast away at the foundation, providing them with a quick entrance. Batman and Ra's fight one another and through the course of the conflict, he flips Ra's over his head. Ra's lands for a second time inside the Lazarus Pit. The explosives have greatly weakened the structure of the windmill, so Batman and the others race out of there just as it collapses. With Ra's base collapsing the heroes retreat, assuming that Ra's is gone for good.

Afterwards, most of Batman allies gather together in the Batcave to celebrate Batman's anniversary, but the Dark Knight refuses to join them, knowing that there are many criminals still at large and that his mission is far from over.

(https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Batman_Vol_1_400)

Fan Art: Ra's al Ghul by jameszapata

Accompanying Podcast: ● Batman Knightcast - episode 01

[echo-three-one]

Whatever It Takes

Sequel to A Forgotten Memory

Back at the base, the team desperately hopes to find MacTavish but is surprised by uninvited guests.

Chapter 12 to another story made by Ray (echo-three-one) Comments and Reviews appreciated! I hope you enjoy! Love you all ❤️

Previous Chapter : The Berlin Tower

Uninvited Guests

Gary "Roach" Sanderson

Task Force 141 

Task Force 141 Base - Infirmary

It's been 18 hours since the heartbreaking news, everyone already lost hope but a few comrades still clung on a little string of possibility.

The nurse guided Gary's left arm and slung it over his shoulders and told him he was good to go. He got his injuries assisting INTERPOL in Paris, along with Ghost in hopes of finding Augutus. Gary initially handled the situation but one bad sidestep caused him to fall on his arm, and good thing it's only considered minor damage.

But enough of him, he thought to himself. He had to address the elephant in the room. John 'Soap' MacTavish was M.I.A.

When Ryder's team got back from Berlin, France's face was plastered with despair, she held back tears all throughout the ride and ran to Gary as soon as they cleared their report.

Gary helped being a sponge to absorb her sadness and a shoulder to cry on, France is really a tough lass, but she opened up on how Soap not making it home felt a different level of hurt. Gary assumed she already got attached to the guy, but kept it to himself, especially that Simon was with them helping her cope up with her burst of emotions.

"I should've…" she sobbed. Gary rubbed her back and empathized with her, as they coped up with the loss of a comrade.

"He survived." Gary spoke, Ghost and France looked at him, their faces looked puzzled but hopeful at the same time. France couldn't help but hug the determined soldier as Ghost agreed in the background. They should put their faith on him, Soap will survive.

"Come on now. Show us that smile." Ghost nudged, making France smile a little and wiped off her tears. She was too lucky to be teammates with them and they were there when she needed them the most.

The wholesome moment stopped as soon as soldiers in battle gear jogged across the hall, one soldier opened the infirmary door and yelled.

"We're under attack! Grab these and help us defend against the intruders!" he said, tossing assault rifles to the soldiers. Ghost caught them and immediately checked his gun. Gary held his on one hand, it could work but he has to account for the recoil.

"Under attack? By who?" Gary asked as they shuffled to exit the infirmary. 

"Guess we'll find out." Ghost said as they followed the wave of soldiers exiting the building. Above them, the clear blue sky was filled with small dots that gradually grew huge, they parachuted from the sky down to the forest near the base.

"No bloody way." Ghost said as a loud sniper fire ringed their ears making them look toward the source.

"Let's get a move on! Defensive stances everyone. Don't let them get our HVI's! Hold until they're safely extracted!" Captain Price yelled, firing another bullet, hitting falling parachuters dead before they even touched the ground.

The trio immediately ran to the weapons cache and equipped their gear, positioning themselves for an all out attack. Gary's heart raced, this wasn't what he expected to happen here at the 141, but here they were.

"Careful out there." Simon told the two as they nodded in unison. His sniper skills were needed to significantly reduce their defenses. Gary winced in pain as he threw his sling away, holding the gun with two hands, trying not to mind the pain from his broken arm. There was no room for error, he must make his every bullet count.

"141, this is Alex. Our HVIs are safe inside the bunker. Extraction team ETA is in 30 minutes." Alex muttered over the comms. 

"First wave of tangos spotted emerging from the trees!" One of the soldiers reported. The comms continued informing everyone else about the situation requesting back ups and reporting sightings. Roach and France set themselves on the front of the base overlooking the river. The same exact place where he saw Soap and Price sneak out to smoke cigars.

"This place…" France muttered.

"It gives a perfect view of what's beyond the river. That's where the extraction team's going to land." Gary noted, noticing France's change in expression. Something about this place must've bothered her. And Gary stayed alert on his surroundings.

"Sightings on the East." one soldier noted behind the noise of the gunfire. Gary and France crept slowly, looking for a place to cover a wider angle. 

"Is no one going to assist us here?" France asked unaware that she broadcasted her question which was supposed to be only for Roach.

"From the looks of it, none. Looks like Nero's already starting his first move." Captain Price replied.

"141, this is General Shepherd. Looks like our friend's ready to face us head on. Secure our HVIs to safety, I've got bigger fish to fry as he's starting an assault on New York." he interjected, leaving command to the British Captain. 

"So it begins, huh?" Gary muttered.

"All right lads and lassies, you heard the big guy. Defend and retreat." Price stated, as everyone else nodded in agreement.

~

The initial onslaught was quite tolerable. None of the invaders made it out near the gates as snipers already crippled half of the defenses. Despite the enemies being known for their usage of EMP-based weaponry, the comms and radars were still working fine. Maybe it was too heavy to carry all the way to the UK.

The force almost felt confident that they'll make it, the airdrop already stopped and most troops are probably in the forest, regrouping and prepared for something bigger. That's where Gary's group comes in.

Their tiny group is to recon any activity inside their drop zone. France reported that almost half of the parachutes were decoy dummies and most of those who made it out of the forest were the only real ones. 

Static filled their ears while France was reporting and they braced themselves for what's going to happen next. 

Raising his rifle, Gary once again winced and endured the pain of his supporting arm and tracked down his sights. He didn't see anything but his gut was telling him something sinister is going to unfold very soon.

The ringing grew louder until he's forced to take off his earpiece, as he slowly crept into the forest and stayed alert for any movement. The team splitted up earlier to get a wider coverage for recon, so shooting at sight is not advised. Gary knew a clearing was going to be there on the far end of the forest and theorized that it's the place the remaining soldiers would most likely regroup.

He circled around and hid behind the tree as he heard clanking metal and busy shuffling by the clearing. His heart sped up as he peeked half of his head to the clearing and saw about five people working on assembling something, three armed people circling around three of his comrades who were bound and silenced. That meant that he was alone.

The assemblers happily cackled as they built their machine. That was their plan. Mannequins or decoys carried the parts while some of the assemblers and defenders were mixed along with the drop so they could sneakily create an EMP machine without suspicion. Nero's one smart son of a bitch.

A full magazine. Gary noted as he checked his weapon. It isn't suppressed and he's worried some defenders are still creeping into the jungle. He's glad the three aren't killed yet, for reasons unknown to him.

One of the assemblers approached the defender, saying something. Gary couldn't make it out but his body language says distress.

"One of.. the pieces are missing… Look for them near your base… we'll be behind you watching your every move. Do something else and we will shoot you, and once these guys hear a gunshot, your friends will say goodbye. Not returning in five minutes and I'll also shoot these two and they do the same to you" he said loudly, Gary gulped as France nodded, guns pointed at her were used to push her forward as they searched the forest for the missing piece.

Two guards were with her, a silent takedown meant that one will still be able to hear him and could fire his gun, and the clearing was too open for him to sneak in and kill the remaining guard. Gary pondered about his choices, he could look for the missing piece and stall them but the five minute timer would be the second problem.

The machine menacingly hummed and Gary's earpiece still isn't working. He needed help and hoped that reinforcements would arrive just in time for the five minute mark.

"Uninvited Guests"

Simon "Ghost" Riley

Task Force 141

Task Force 141 Base - Rooftop

Ever since Roach's squad stepped into the forest for some recon, they fell silent. Price tried to contact them multiple times but they didn't reply. Simon's hunch is that there may be an EMP machine with them, but he knew full well that only humans dropped from that excuse of an air assault.

His eyes scanned the vast greenery, looking at rustling leaves, flying birds and crawling animals, wishing that the next set of movements were from the recon team. 

Or France's…

Simon liked her determination since day one, he wanted to tell her a lot of things but she's always preoccupied and never had the chance to talk to her alone. Sometimes he wished he was the one that caught that blast so that they could bond together by the infirmary. It's almost sad to think that he wanted that. Gary already told him multiple times to actually express what he felt, but that just doesn't go that way. It's easier said than done. What hurts more is that she looked awfully devastated at Soap being M.I.A. the kind of sadness you feel when you lost someone you loved and he was sure that she loved him more than that of a friend.

Leaves rustled by the forest and France emerged from it. She was weaponless and her face looked troubled, she looked scared. 

"You seeing this, Sir?" he muttered to his Captain.

"Aye. Hold still, looks like she's on a situation down there." Price replied. France's hands signaled hold fire, she almost predicted that the team might locate someone behind her and took the initiative of warning them. She picked up a piece of metal on the ground and slowly proceeded back to the forest.

"Bollocks! She looked like she's in trouble. Go assist her, Ghost." Price ordered and Ghost immediately went down the rooftops, switching his gear to stealth mode and dashed through the forest.

"ETA in 15… tes…" static crackled across his earpiece, making him remove the equipment and proceed with caution. That's why they weren't responding, the whole forest is actually jammed. That meant that the piece of metal is part of the machine. He must get it before it's too late, his mind started to lose focus and worry about France, so he ran, he ran far enough that he saw movement by a large tree near the clearing. He aimed his sights and crouched, aiming the person's head.

That head… it was Roach's. He was safe.

Simon slowly crept and went to Roach's aid. He was fine but he looked lost in thought.

"Roach, you okay?" he asked. Roach looked at his watch. 

"Thirty More seconds and they're dead." he whispered as noise filled the clearing once again, making the two peek.

"Wow. Just in time!" he clapped and tied France back to her group. The machine was complete and the assemblers quickly finished their job.

"There we go. All complete." he pointed his gun at the three, as Ghost angrily gripped his weapon.

"Thank you for your service." The man muttered and laughed, his head immediately burst before he could make the shot.

Everyone shuffled and the assemblers panicked, Roach fired the other runners while Ghost finished off the rest of the armed enemies.

"Let's get out of here, now!" Roach quickly untangled the rest of his team as they made a run for it, away from the machine as possible.

Midway through the jungle a huge pulse of air pushed them as the machine emitted a loud ring, making them kneel and cover their ears.

Their comms were down. They had no idea what's going to happen next. When extraction will arrive, are the two HVIs still safe. All of those questions will remain unanswered until communication is restored or they could confirm it by seeing for themselves.

Next Chapter : Alex and Augustus

Notification Squad my beloved

@beemybee @enderio @whimsywispsblog @smokeywhalee @samatedeansbroccoli @ricinbach

[alittlefrenchtree]

Hiii, it's me again! I actually want to quickly move forward in my reading and not fall behind with notes. Because it makes less sense to write them if I already know what's going on 7 chapters ahead. So let's get started.

SPOILERS DUNE BOOK II : MUAD'DIB (Chapters 5-9)

Chapter 5:

*happy sigh 😌😌😌*

(learn silence, people. It's important.)

You already know how much I love this litany and if there's more in it, I'd be delighted.

Ok, I actually have a nerdy not really funny story about moving dunes. When the worm pops a bit later, Paul describes it at mound-in-motion and there's actually some truth about that. I've recently read an article (and I want to read more about it) about dunes and some scientist thinking that dunes are moving and communicating with each other (in their own mineral, sandy way of course). It sounds fascinating so I let you know if I learn more stuff more or less related to Dune.

This both hurt and feels relatable somehow, even if I don't know how exactly. I like the idea of things approaching from a different angle, of Paul being the only motionless point in a world that keeps spinning around him. The key then wouldn't be to change the world or even to do anything but only to adjust his own position in the universe so he ends up what he meant to be. And the sentence is pretty. The vision appeared to have shifted and approached him from a different angle while he remained motionless.

I still wonder how it works though. The visions and their changes. Do they significantly shift every time he comes close to death? Or say the litany of fear and survive? Or is it more realistic, the smallest details and decisions becoming the biggest changes? I wish Duncan would have been there with them and yet I like this journey through sand and survival just between Paul and Jessica. He probably would have been killed soon after anyway. Unless he's not really dead. Ok, moving on.

Remember when I said that Paul could have/find a way to control sand worms? And now he's saying this:

There are a lot of cues in these few chapters about worms, about riding (or whatever it's called) them with the hooks, about how they're in all likelihood the ones creating the Spice? That's why they're called makers? And that's what the Fremen who died with Hawat was about to called them? I kind of hope there is more to it though, other than only being respected because they're making the spice. There is another quote at the end of the chapter that intrigued me about the relation between Paul and the worms:

He looked at his hand. How inadequate it appeared when measured against such creatures as that worm.

I really like this chapter a lot. Firstly because I love scenes with only two characters so this is delicious for me. Secondly, I love reading about walks through endless lands with nothing but nature, so double yummy. Thirdly, there is a lot of informations. About the worms, and about how Paul is evolving in the desert. There is the rescue of his Mom but, even more importantly, how he rescues the pack. I think it's a very important scene both literally and metaphorically. It doesn't seem like an important scene but it really is in the building of the Paul's character. I hope to see it address in some way in the movie. Because not only he uses the Spice for another purpose than money and getting stronger or smarter or higher, but he uses it to take back what's necessary for his survival in the desert. If that's not adapting to Dune, I don't know what it is.

Chapter 6:

This is going to cause some trouble at some point, isn't it? Halleck and his people teaming up with smugglers, thinking the Atreides are dead. He's going to end up fighting against them without knowing it, right? 😔

Chapter 7:

Moooom, I love him so much 😭😭😭

But, I hate not knowing what's going on exactly and I hate it even more when it's about Paul and Paul's power so we're all going to sit here together, read this again and again util we've rambled enough to come up with AT LEAST five theories about something.

Like why. Why does he cross a time barrier at this precise moment? How does it work? He came close to death again so has he defeated another timeline where he was supposed to die? Hence the unknown territory, the darkness? Or are there defined blindspots? Around the worms maybe? Because of their spice maker job? Or is he just exploring and developing his new abilities? Learning to not rely only on his inner eye but on all of his powers and abilities? I need answers. I need to finish reading this book (books) and reading the theories of someone who's been thinking about every detail of them for the past 50 years.

I really liked this couple of chapters about Paul and Jessica's journey through the desert. You can really see Paul coming to terms with it. Fighting it, using it, accepting it, welcoming it. Seeing its beauty and his future in it. I'm looking forward this symbiosis. It looks beautiful.

Chapitre 8:

Ok, that was painful. Firstly, because I wasn't expecting to see Kynes die at this moment and secondly, because it was a very slow agony to witness. To be honest, I'm getting a bit tired to see characters die? It denies so much of the potential for characters development and for relationships development. The lack of it is going to become a bit sad for the whole story.

And it's heartbreaking to understand that Liet gave up his only chance of survival to save Paul and Jessica. I don't know how much he knew before, if he already knew he was going to die or if he thought he had a real chance but it's going to give so much power to Paul with the Fremen? If it becomes known that Liet died to save him and his mother, believing in them.

I supposed there is some kind of parallel to see here, between the previous chapter and this one, with Paul practically arising from the desert and Liet dying in it at the same time/shortly after? Like how Paul is supposed to take Liet's position of influence with the Fremen?

The chapter is also heavy on... social/political/ecological talks. Or one-sided conversation since the other side is dying. Not saying they shouldn't be there since they are the actual themes of the book but maybe it could have been made in a more natural way? Or not all at once?

But it made me think of Caladan. Which I could have done earlier, I agree. But Caladan is the planet of water, right? Water. The very thing Arrakis is lacking of and wants/needs. I would have like to see a bit more of Caladan, actually. How it was. How Paul was on it, actually. If he was as adapted as Caladan's environment than he seems to be to Arrakis'.

Chapter 9:

There it is. Paul as an outcast Duke finally facing Fremen forces for the first time.

This is a good chapter but I think the key point here is this:

I scrolled past a post the other day (without reading it entirely because of fear of spoilers), that was saying how people thinking Dune was about religion hadn't understand it because it was a story about propaganda. But, at the risk of sounding blasphemous and as a non-religious person... Isn't it kind of the same? Religion, propaganda, fandom,... At some point, there was someone with high powers of influence who comes to make people believe in something (whatever it's true, partially true, partially false or entirely false) to make them adopt a specific behavior, most likely a form of submissiveness? (@ tumblr porn bots, i'm not talking about you). What people make of that belief, it's what really matters.

What interested me more here is to consider this in relation to the opening chapter quote.

It's the eternal question with prophecies. Would a prophecy become true even if nobody knew about it or believe in it? Or do people, by acting according to it because they heard and believed it, make it real and effective? Did the Missionaria Protectiva create its own Kwisatz Haderach or would Paul would have been born with the same abilities and the destiny if they hadn't existed?

We see the future isn't set in stone in Paul's visions, but does his actions and decisions influence the shape of the future or is he just bumped from one predefined timeline to another? And are there really that much differences between the two? How many metaphysical questions can you write in one post?

Quick word about Chani before wrapping this one up. I think I'm going to like her? She seems cool at least. I'm not sure about Paul's reaction to her though. Yes, he supposed to be 15 but he's also something like half of a divinity so. *snorts*. Or maybe I'm just every day more tired of seeing romance being put everywhere and romanticized to the point of 99% people still thinking it's the ultimate form of love and relationship and the ultimate thing to achieve in life. OR maybe it's because everybody engaged in a classic couple-relationship immediately lost 12 points of esteem in my eyes. Don't know. Will see. I imagine I have to brace myself for Paul x Chani babies at some point, since it's 1964? If they survive that long. Very not looking forward to it. The babies, not the survival.

Anyway gotta go before I start wishing bad things to hypothetical fictional babies. Tschüss! 🌔💛

[go-diane-winchester]

5 Reasons why Supernatural is not queer baiting you [and is not stuck in the closet]

This is an edited repost.

Interpretation of any piece of art and literature is one of the fun aspects of being human.  You use your imagination to analyze a loved work from every angle so as to increase your pleasure of said work.  However, if you present your interpretation as if it is a fact, and it results in harassment, bullying and threats for actors involved in a show, then it becomes a problem.  Why do some fans accuse Supernatural of queer baiting, whilst others are vehemently opposed?  Why is it not a universal argument in fandom?  It is because the former don’t admit that their interpretations are just that: interpretation.  Bi Dean arguments have no basis in canon, and proponents of Bi Dean in fact refuse to acknowledge canonical oppositions to their interpretations.  The vehement opposers of Bi Dean actually respect canon.  Truth is universal and canon is truth. 

1.  Dean was not born from gratuitously bisexual inspiration

As a fiction writer myself, I know that an original character is not easy to put together.  You have to do a character analysis [I believe in using a homemade template, myself], character background [because it should shape what the character becomes in the current canon] and formulation of their physical attributes as well as wardrobe.  I, in fact, include things like medical history and diet choices in my own template to get a feel for the character that I want.  But every writer is different and chooses a different approach.  Eric Kripke had a clear idea of what he wanted his characters to be.

For the character personalities

Kripke wanted them to be like Han Solo and Luke Skywalker.  Han Solo was a cavalier renegade who had no respect for authority and fits in with Dean’s overall personality.  Dean doesn’t care if he is talking to an FBI agent, a priest or even his own father.  If you say something wrong, he will correct you and he has done that in canon.  If you have given him a reason to hate you, trust Dean to let you know, right to your face.  Dean doesn’t kiss up to authority.  He is the quintessential bad boy. 

Luke Skywalker is the polar opposite of Han.  He does things by the book.  He wears his heart on his sleeve and shows more empathy and emotion than his counterpart Han.  Sam is all of this and, like Luke, gives off an air of innocence, and sporadically the viewer feels the need to protect him because of said innocence.  Despite the fact that Sam has grown up and out of his chocolate boy features,  he still remains the quintessential good boy. 

There are many tropes at play here that fiction writers cling to.  The polar opposite trope is favored because it provides room for friction.  Imagine how Supernatural would be, if Dean and Sam just agreed with each other all the time.  It would make for bland viewing.  Sometimes they are on the same page.  Some times they aren’t.  Polarizing characters make for more vivid story telling and [particularly in our fandom] forces you to pick a side.  In other words, it keeps you invested in the characters.  The polar opposite trope can also be used for two enemies who are stuck in the same situation.  And in some cases, one of them is the overall baddie in the story.  It is not just a friendship trope.

Another well known trope that is being used here, is the much-loved buddy formula.  The buddy formula is used by a lot by screenwriters, because it is so popular with audiences, and can share similarities with the polar opposite trope.  Essentially the buddy formula contains two characters and even though they may be polar opposites, they tend to have a deep affection for each other.  Cagney and Lacey, Riggs and Murtaugh, Thelma and Louis and finally, Sam and Dean are example thereof. 

At this juncture, I would like to laughingly point out that Bi Dean advocates will cling to Thelma and Louis as proof of bi dean, because of the possible lesbian subtext.  Stop right there.  I watched Thelma and Louis, and I felt that they were fed up friends, almost sisters who didn’t want to live in the world any more.  I didn’t see any subtext.  If you did, good for you.  It increases your viewing pleasure.  However, as a straight woman, I have my own interpretation and it is just as significant as yours.  Hilariously, Sam and Dean have referred to themselves as Thelma and Louis.  So you cant use that to proof Dean is bi, because essentially you will be proving wincest. 

The difference between the buddy formula and the polar opposite trope is the affection that is inherently mixed into the buddy formula.  Buddies are more affectionate with each other.  In one of the Lethal Weapon movies, Riggs walks into Murtaugh’s kitchen, plants a kiss on Mrs Murtaugh’s cheek, walks up to Murtaugh and nonchalantly plants a kiss on his cheek as well, before going to raid the food storage.  Murtaugh doesn’t react negatively.  That scene was added for many reasons but there are two important reasons:  [1] to show the affection between the two, which is platonic [2] to get a laugh out of the audience by showing how irritatingly unaware Riggs is, that Murtaugh is angry with him. 

Murtaugh even “sensed” that Riggs was drowning and saved him, telling Riggs “I heard you, Riggs.  I heard you, baby.’‘  Yes, that is an actual line from Lethal Weapon and it proves that they love each other.  How you perceive their love is up to you.  Affectionate name calling is used in the buddy formula and is also apparent in Sam and Dean’s interaction as well. 

Is Cas an affectionate shortening of the name Castiel?  Both Dean and Sam call him Cas?  Maybe.  Or it maybe because the name Castiel doesn’t syllabically roll off the tongue.  It’s an ancient name and for modern day Sam and Dean, saying the full name is verbally cumbersome.  So they opted for Cas.  If the shortening of the name means Dean is in love with Cas, then it easily means Sam is in love with Cas too.  Oddly, despite the character name of Samuel being shortened to Sam, by Dean so it will roll of the tongue during a conversation, Dean actually adds a syllable and called him Sammy out of affection.  So for Sammy, the ’'name is too long and cumbersome’' excuse flies out the window.  Sammy gets used even when Dean is in a hurry, angry or affectionate.  It is a part of his personal lexicon.     

For the character backdrop

Part of Kripke’s logline for Supernatural and its backdrop included “Star Wars in truck stop America,”.  Another trope comes into play here:  The fish out of water.  In earlier seasons, the studious and preppy Sam clashed with the dustbowl Americana surroundings and its people.  Dean fit in.  Dean is salt of the earth.  Sam is more aware of the world beyond the dustbowl Americana because he is an intellectual.  Another part of the logline was ’'X Files meets Route 66”.  Route 66 is about two guys [Todd, the Yale graduate good boy and Buz, the street smart fighter bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks]  who go on a road trip across North America, encountering and solving social problems along the way, while trying to find a place to settle and find how they themselves fit into their world.  Kripke picked very accurate loglines for Supernatural, because Todd and Buz are exactly like Sam and Dean.  But they had names that Kripke didn’t like.  I don’t blame him. 

For the character names  

Bi Dean advocates always use the name Dean as being proof of Bi Dean.  Kripke chose both the names of his main characters from Jack Kerouac’s Beat Generation classic On the road.  it is not an LGBT classic.  It was a universal classic that just happened to have a bisexual character.  The characters were Dean Moriarty and Sal Paradise.  That is all he took from the work.  He didn’t take the road trip idea from On the road.  He took it from Route 66.  Even the polarizing characters were taken from Route 66.  All he took was the names, and even then, he wasn’t happy with Sam’s previous name so he changed one alphabet.  He took nothing else.  And that is the one thing Bi Dean advocates cling to.  There is no unique similarity between On the road and Supernatural.  Or between Dean Winchester and Dean Moriarty, for that matter, other than one character sharing a name with another.  I can understand why he stuck with Dean.  The name just has an All-American ring to it.

Bi Dean advocates argue that the bisexual Dean Moriarity was inspired by a real bisexual man called Neal Cassidy.  What they fail to realize is that Moriarity and Cassidy were not only bisexual but also pedophiles.  Dean Winchester is not a pedophile. 

Don't dig into Kerouac’s character's backstory to try and prove that Dean from Supernatural is bi, whilst ignoring the backstory of Supernatural own formulation.  That is called over reaching, and some fans use this unsteady theory to threaten the leads and plant accusations of bigotry.  Jensen has received online abuse for this and his reputation is completely tarnished with accusations of homophobia.     

2.  Castiel’s wardrobe choice does not reflect on Dean’s sexual orientation

I remember watching a scene from That’s 70’s Show, where Fez confessed to having an erotic dream about Kelso.  Kelso is shocked and declares “Do you know what this means?  Its means I’m gay”.  This fandom is proof, that Kelso is not unique in his stupidity.  Our fandom has a rich supply of ignorance, conveniently shrouded in social justice, so that when you successfully contradict them, they can just call you a bigot and quieten you down. 

For Castiel, Kripke only took wardrobe inspiration from John Constantine, a famous bisexual character.  That is it.  He took nothing else.  Trenchcoats are wardrobe items and not a sign of an individual’s sexuality.  Constantine was bisexual.  Columbo was straight but also wore a trenchcoat.  There is no unique similarity between Castiel and Constantine.  Constantine is a man, an occult detective, a humanitarian and is best known for his sarcasm.  Does that sound like Castiel to you?  Castiel is an angel [a very useless one], a killer of many innocent people, a displacer of angels and very rarely says something mildly sarcastic.  And if the trench coat makes Castiel bi, how does that reflects on Dean? 

3.  Castiel’s sexual orientation is not complex, neither is it reflective of Dean’s sexuality

Castiel is not human, and therefore is not shackled by human limitations.  He is not even a “he”.  He doesn’t have any preferences, nor does he canonically have any sexual desire except for Meg, whom he willingly kissed.  But that might be borne out of his love for her and her relentless pursuit of him.  His bond with Meg was not sexual.  When he became human, sexual desire awoken in him and he slept with a woman merely because she hit on him and he was curious.    But he doesn’t do that in his angel state.  He doesn’t seek out sex in his angel state because he has no human, physical desire.  Canonically, he doesn’t even have a soul, so how he and Dean can be seen as soul mates baffles me.  Nobody else has relentlessly pursued Castiel accept Meg.  Dean hasn’t.  Dean kicked him out of the bunker despite the fact that he was vulnerable because Sam’s host Gadreel had a problem with him.  Dean doesn’t love Castiel, nor does Dean pursue him.  He looks for Sammy when Sammy is missing, but doesn’t do that for Castiel.  Dean doesn’t sympathize with Castiel’s pain, even telling Castiel once “nobody cares that you are broken”.

4.  Dean cannot, textually, be interpreted as a bisexual unless you relinquish common sense  

Most of the canon examples of bi dean can easily be explained away. 

Dean is not giving Charlie flirting pointers because he has hit on men before.  He is himself a man, and know what he wants to hear from a woman and what would get him interested or distracted.  By the end of the scene, both Dean and Charlie who like women and not men, felt dirty.  And Sammy laughed through the whole thing because he knew how uncomfortable his brother was.  Because Sammy, who was raised by Dean, knows his brother.  Dean wont keep his bisexuality from Sam, because he has no reason to.  Sam is not narrow-minded.

In the context of this scene, when Castiel just berated Dean, only a true intellectual maverick is going to think that Dean is inviting Castiel to a impromptu session of fellatio.  Because that would make sense for the whole vessel scene, wouldn’t it, geniuses.  For people, who are not soaked in delusion, Dean is countering Castiel’s berating with disrespect because he is angry.  I cant believe this needs to be explained because “blow me” is a popular colloquial slang, used to insult someone.  Have none of the bi dean advocates ever heard that term before?  Do they think “scr*w yourself” means “Go and masturbate right now”?  Which rock to they live under?

Dean is not flirting with the sheriff here.  He is drunk.  There is a reason, a drunk person’s testimony doesn’t fly in court.  You don’t take a drunk person seriously.  The deputy isn’t flirting back either.  He is just amused by the compliment which he didn’t earn or deserve.  He even asks Sam beforehand if the other “agent” is drunk.  He is probably amused by a drunk, anxious agent hanging around the station.

The gif is wrong.  He didn’t say hi.  He said doctor.  I am touchy about this one because Jensen got a death threat over it.  The idea that a man can only be a fan of a male celebrity because he wants to sleep with the male celebrity, is completely insulting and a failure to understand male psychology.  Dean’s flustered facial expression here is used for two reasons.  [1]  that is how some fans, both male and female behave, and [2] its hilarious to watch Dean fanboying.  This is a humor device and nothing else.  Even blushing is not a sign of attraction.  If your teacher compliments your work in front of the entire class, and you blush, does it mean that you are in love with Mrs Haggerty from Science Lab? 

Ah, the birth of Performing!Dean.  Performing!Dean doesn’t exist.  He has no reason to.  Because Dean has no motivation to stay in the closet and hide his supposedly feminine bisexual self behind a toxic masculine façade.  Sam is not giving us clues of Dean’s bisexuality.  He is taunting his big brother because that is what obnoxious little brothers do.  Remember, the hotelier thought that they both were gay.  Sam only picked on Dean here, because only Dean has an issue with it.  He isn’t a homophobe but a proud straight man. 

Dean doesn’t care about the human state of the world.  He doesn’t care about human issues like racism, sexism and the lgbt.  He will categorize you as a human being and protect you, if you gave him a reason to.  He doesn’t care how you look, which way you swing, and how you pray.  If you give him a reason to like you, he will like you.  If you give him a reason to hate you, he will hate you.  Dean will only care if you are useful to him in his hunt.  The hunt is his life and his motivation to hunt is Sam and keeping Sam close and safe.  Dean is not pro or anti anything.  If you are human, you matter.  That is why de-graced Castiel is left out of hunts, because without any power, Cas is “basically a baby in a trenchcoat”, in other words, utterly useless to them.  But if Sam’s wall breaks, hold the phone. 

He doesn’t judge your sexual orientation.  He has worked with gay and bi people before, like Charlie and the gay hunting couple. So he is not  a bigot.  However he isn’t used to men hitting on him.  He almost throws up because the Chief from the BDSM club [Criss Angel is a douchebag] describes what he is planning to do to Dean and asks for a safe word, and he is flustered by Aaron because he doesn’t know how to react.  He wasn’t expecting Aaron to tell that very clever lie.  He didn’t bother telling Aaron he was straight.  Of course, bi Dean advocates think that is significant, and how he closed his badge is also significant. 

It is.  It shows that Dean is compassionate.  He was ready to punch Aaron in the face for following him.  But when Aaron lies about being attracted to Dean, Dean lets him down easily.  What was he supposed to say to a man he thinks he will never meet again:  “Look dude, I am not queer.  We didn’t have any moment.’'  Dean quietly packs away his badge, because he realized that he brandished it at the wrong person.  Another reason is that Dean is an arrogant man when it comes to his looks and doesn’t mind a compliment.  So he isn’t going to break the heart of the person complimenting him.  He is compassionate but he has an ego.  That is why he was disappointed that Aaron had successfully fooled him by inflating his ego.  Because he did it so easily and Dean must have wanted to kick himself for falling for it. 

Dean being born in the Bible Belt of America means nothing.  His father was an atheist.  He was too, until he came face to face with an angel.  He acknowledges the Divine exists, but he believes in free will.  He spent most of his life, traipsing around America.  Its not like he stuck it out in the Bible belt area.  He has no religious reason to be in the closet.  He raised Sam and Sam isn’t a bigot, so Sam wont have a problem with him being bisexual.  Dean has no motivation to hide himself from Sam because, in many ways, Sam is his child and knows him.  If Dean was bi, Sam would have figured it out.

Dean is sexually not a vanilla person when it comes to sex, and despite where he was born, he is a sexually outspoken, kinky, loudmouth who admits to wearing his date’s underwear, not because he is feminine, but because he is a kinky little dirt bag who will do anything the date says, so he can close the deal with her.  Wearing her underwear is not proof that he is bisexual, because there are bisexual men who don’t wear women’s clothing and this is insulting to them.

5.  Dean and Castiel do not make a better couple than any of their love interests

Castiel had only one genuine love interest.  Meg.  And this union between two polar opposite characters in human vessels, is certainly more compelling than the blank stares that Dean and Castiel shared until their screen time decreased, much to Jensen’s happiness.  Meg took care of Castiel despite being a demon.  Dean kicked Castiel out of the bunker for Sam’s benefit.  Meg pursued Castiel.  Dean let Castiel to swop places mentally with Sam, so Sam could leave the asylum, safe and healthy, whilst Castiel remained in the asylum, broken and damaged.  He never pursued Castiel or took care of him. 

Dean only had one girlfriend.  And she was Cassie.  The name Cassie does not foreshadow destiel.  Cassie didn’t work out because she was far too involved in worldly things like racism and he cared about the supernatural world.  She was an intellectual and he was a high school drop out.  She is actually a lot like Sam, and they would actually make sense as a couple.  Dean never loved Lisa.  Canonically, he only shacked up with her, because Sam forced him.  And when Lisa realized that, she let him go. 

Castiel and Dean don’t make sense as a couple because Castiel has lied to Dean about many things.  There are some things he hasn’t come clean about, to Sam and Dean, e.g. opening up the Panic Room door and letting Sam free.  He used the mixed tape to double cross Dean, so the mixed tape is a proof of Castiel’s betrayal.  It is not proof of destiel.  The whole Leviatian affair is Castiel’s fault.  And although Dean does take Castiel like a brother, canonically, he wont sell his soul for Castiel, like he did for Sammy.  Using slowed down gifs of Dean and Cas staring blankly at each other, doesn’t proof that Dean is bisexual.  Every time Dean stares at a man, its doesn’t mean he is attracted to that person. 

The show is not queer baiting you by leaving subtextual easter eggs in the frame.  They don’t have time for that.  Because they average one episode a week.  They are working at a break neck speed.  They don’t have the time to indulge fannish nonsense.  Everyone associated with the show have said that Dean is not bi.  I don’t mind you interpreting, but when you force it on Jensen and threaten him when he doesn’t like it, you are being a vile and disgusting predatory beast.  The only person who is reinforcing destiel, claimed at Jaxcon that Dean is bisexual and is queer baiting you is Misha Collins.  Go take it up with him.

[go-diane-winchester]

5 Reasons why Supernatural is not queer baiting [and is not stuck in the closet]

Interpretation of any piece of art and literature is one of the fun aspects of being human.  You use your imagination to analyze a loved work from every angle so as to increase your pleasure of said work.  However, if you present your interpretation as if it is a fact, and it results in harassment, bullying and threats for actors involved in a show, then it becomes a problem.  Why do some fans accuse Supernatural of queer baiting, whilst others are vehemently opposed?  Why is it not a universal argument in fandom?  It is because the former don't admit that their interpretations are just that: interpretation.  Bi Dean arguments have no basis in canon, and proponents of Bi Dean in fact refuse to acknowledge canonical oppositions to their interpretations.  The vehement opposers of Bi Dean actually respect canon.  Truth is universal and canon is truth. 

1.  Dean was not born from gratuitously bisexual inspiration

As a fiction writer myself, I know that an original character is not easy to put together.  You have to do a character analysis [I believe in using a homemade template, myself], character background [because it should shape what the character becomes in the current canon] and formulation of their physical attributes as well as wardrobe.  I, in fact, include things like medical history and diet choices in my own template to get a feel for the character that I want.  But every writer is different and chooses a different approach.  Eric Kripke had a clear idea of what he wanted his characters to be.

For the character personalities

Kripke wanted them to be like Han Solo and Luke Skywalker.  Han Solo was a cavalier renegade who had no respect for authority and fits in with Dean's overall personality.  Dean doesn't care if he is talking to an FBI agent, a priest or even his own father.  If you say something wrong, he will correct you and he has done that in canon.  If you have given him a reason to hate you, trust Dean to let you know, right to your face.  Dean doesn't kiss up to authority.  He is the quintessential bad boy. 

Luke Skywalker is the polar opposite of Han.  He does things by the book.  He wears his heart on his sleeve and shows more empathy and emotion than his counterpart Han.  Sam is all of this and, like Luke, gives off an air of innocence, and sporadically the viewer feels the need to protect him because of said innocence.  Despite the fact that Sam has grown up and out of his chocolate boy features,  he still remains the quintessential good boy. 

There are many tropes at play here that fiction writers cling to.  The polar opposite trope is favored because it provides room for friction.  Imagine how Supernatural would be, if Dean and Sam just agreed with each other all the time.  It would make for bland viewing.  Sometimes they are on the same page.  Some times they aren't.  Polarizing characters make for more vivid story telling and [particularly in our fandom] forces you to pick a side.  In other words, it keeps you invested in the characters.  The polar opposite trope can also be used for two enemies who are stuck in the same situation.  And in some cases, one of them is the overall baddie in the story.  It is not just a friendship trope.

Another well known trope that is being used here, is the much-loved buddy formula.  The buddy formula is used by a lot by screenwriters, because it is so popular with audiences, and can share similarities with the polar opposite trope.  Essentially the buddy formula contains two characters and even though they may be polar opposites, they tend to have a deep affection for each other.  Cagney and Lacey, Riggs and Murtaugh, Thelma and Louis and finally, Sam and Dean are example thereof. 

At this juncture, I would like to laughingly point out that Bi Dean advocates will cling to Thelma and Louis as proof of bi dean, because of the possible lesbian subtext.  Stop right there.  I watched Thelma and Louis, and I felt that they were fed up friends, almost sisters who didn't want to live in the world any more.  I didn't see any subtext.  If you did, good for you.  It increases your viewing pleasure.  However, as a straight woman, I have my own interpretation and it is just as significant as yours.  Hilariously, Sam and Dean have referred to themselves as Thelma and Louis.  So you cant use that to proof Dean is bi, because essentially you will be proving wincest. 

The difference between the buddy formula and the polar opposite trope is the affection that is inherently mixed into the buddy formula.  Buddies are more affectionate with each other.  In one of the Lethal Weapon movies, Riggs walks into Murtaugh's kitchen, plants a kiss on Mrs Murtaugh's cheek, walks up to Murtaugh and nonchalantly plants a kiss on his cheek as well, before going to raid the food storage.  Murtaugh doesn't react negatively.  That scene was added for many reasons but there are two important reasons:  [1] to show the affection between the two, which is platonic [2] to get a laugh out of the audience by showing how irritatingly unaware Riggs is, that Murtaugh is angry with him. 

Murtaugh even ''sensed'' that Riggs was drowning and saved him, telling Riggs ''I heard you, Riggs.  I heard you, baby.''  Yes, that is an actual line from Lethal Weapon and it proves that they love each other.  How you perceive their love is up to you.  Affectionate name calling is used in the buddy formula and is also apparent in Sam and Dean's interaction as well. 

Is Cas an affectionate shortening of the name Castiel?  Both Dean and Sam call him Cas?  Maybe.  Or it maybe because the name Castiel doesn't syllabically roll off the tongue.  It's an ancient name and for modern day Sam and Dean, saying the full name is verbally cumbersome.  So they opted for Cas.  If the shortening of the name means Dean is in love with Cas, then it easily means Sam is in love with Cas too.  Oddly, despite the character name of Samuel being shortened to Sam, by Dean so it will roll of the tongue during a conversation, Dean actually adds a syllable and called him Sammy out of affection.  So for Sammy, the ''name is too long and cumbersome'' excuse flies out the window.  Sammy gets used even when Dean is in a hurry, angry or affectionate.  It is a part of his personal lexicon.     

For the character backdrop

Part of Kripke's logline for Supernatural and its backdrop included “Star Wars in truck stop America,”.  Another trope comes into play here:  the fish out of water.  In earlier seasons, the studious and preppy Sam clashed with the dustbowl Americana surroundings and its people.  Dean fit in.  Dean is salt of the earth.  Sam is more aware of the world beyond the dustbowl Americana because he is an intellectual.  Another part of the logline was ''X Files meets Route 66''.  Route 66 is about two guys [Todd, the Yale graduate good boy and Buz, the street smart fighter bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks]  who go on a road trip across North America, encountering and solving social problems along the way, while trying to find a place to settle and find how they themselves fit into their world.  Kripke picked very accurate loglines for Supernatural, because Todd and Buz are exactly like Sam and Dean.  But they had names that Kripke didn't like.  I don't blame him. 

For the character names  

Bi Dean advocates always use the name Dean as being proof of Bi Dean.  Kripke chose both the names of his main characters from Jack Kerouac's Beat Generation classic On the road.  it is not an LGBT classic.  It was a universal classic that just happened to have a bisexual character.  The characters were Dean Moriarty and Sal Paradise.  That is all he took from the work.  He didn't take the road trip idea from On the road.  He took it from Route 66.  Even the polarizing characters were taken from Route 66.  All he took was the names, and even then, he wasn't happy with Sam's previous name so he changed one alphabet.  He took nothing else.  And that is the one thing Bi Dean advocates cling to.  There is no unique similarity between On the road and Supernatural.  Or between Dean Winchester and Dean Moriarty, for that matter, other than one character sharing a name with another.  

Don't dig into Kerouac's character's backstory to try and prove that Dean from Supernatural is bi, whilst ignoring the backstory of Supernatural own formulation.  That is called over reaching, and some fans use this unsteady theory to threaten the leads and plant accusations of bigotry.  Jensen has received online abuse for this and his reputation is completely tarnished with accusations of homophobia.     

2.  Castiel's wardrobe choice does not reflect on Dean's sexual orientation

I remember watching a scene from That's 70's Show, where Fez confessed to having an erotic dream about Kelso.  Kelso is shocked and declares ''Do you know what this means?  Its means I'm gay''.  This fandom is proof, that Kelso is not unique in his stupidity.  Our fandom has a rich supply of ignorance, conveniently shrouded in social justice, so that when you successfully contradict them, they can just call you a bigot and quieten you down. 

For Castiel, Kripke only took wardrobe inspiration from John Constantine, a famous bisexual character.  That is it.  He took nothing else.  Trenchcoats are wardrobe items and not a sign of an individual's sexuality.  Constantine was bisexual.  Columbo was straight but also wore a trenchcoat.  There is no unique similarity between Castiel and Constantine.  Constantine is a man, an occult detective, a humanitarian and is best known for his sarcasm.  Does that sound like Castiel to you?  Castiel is an angel [a very useless one], a killer of many innocent people, a displacer of angels and very rarely says something mildly sarcastic.  And if the trench coat makes Castiel bi, how does that reflects on Dean? 

3.  Castiel's sexual orientation is not complex, neither is it reflective of Dean's sexuality

Castiel is not human, and therefore is not shackled by human limitations.  He is not even a ''he''.  He doesn't have any preferences, nor does he canonically have any sexual desire except for Meg, whom he willingly kissed.  But that might be borne out of his love for her and her relentless pursuit of him.  His bond with Meg was not sexual.  When he became human, sexual desire awoken in him and he slept with a woman merely because she hit on him and he was curious.    But he doesn't do that in his angel state.  He doesn't seek out sex in his angel state because he has no human, physical desire.  Canonically, he doesn't even have a soul, so how he and Dean can be seen as soul mates baffles me.  Nobody else has relentlessly pursued Castiel accept Meg.  Dean hasn't.  Dean kicked him out of the bunker despite the fact that he was vulnerable because Sam's host Gadreel had a problem with him.  Dean doesn't love Castiel, nor does Dean pursue him.  He looks for Sammy when Sammy is missing, but doesn't do that for Castiel.  Dean doesn't sympathize with Castiel's pain, even telling Castiel once ''nobody cares that you are broken''.

4.  Dean cannot, textually, be interpreted as a bisexual unless you relinquish common sense  

Most of the canon examples of bi dean can easily be explained away. 

Dean is not giving Charlie flirting pointers because he has hit on men before.  He is himself a man, and know what he wants to hear from a woman and what would get him interested or distracted.  By the end of the scene, both Dean and Charlie who like women and not men, felt dirty.  And Sammy laughed through the whole thing because he knew how uncomfortable his brother was.  Because Sammy, who was raised by Dean, knows his brother.  Dean wont keep his bisexuality from Sam, because he has no reason to.  Sam is not narrow-minded.

In the context of this scene, when Castiel just berated Dean, only a true intellectual maverick is going to think that Dean is inviting Castiel to a impromptu session of fellatio.  Because that would make sense for the whole vessel scene, wouldn't it, geniuses.  For people, who are not soaked in delusion, Dean is countering Castiel's berating with disrespect because he is angry.  I cant believe this needs to be explained because ''blow me'' is a popular colloquial slang, used to insult someone.  Have none of the bi dean advocates ever heard that term before?  Do they think ''scr*w yourself'' means ''Go and masturbate right now''?  Which rock to they live under?

Dean is not flirting with the sheriff here.  He is drunk.  There is a reason, a drunk person's testimony doesn't fly in court.  You don't take a drunk person seriously.  The deputy isn't flirting back either.  He is just amused by the compliment which he didn't earn or deserve.  He even asks Sam beforehand if the other ''agent'' is drunk.  He is probably amused by a drunk, anxious agent hanging around the station.

The gif is wrong.  He didn't say hi.  He said doctor.  I am touchy about this one because Jensen got a death threat over it.  The idea that a man can only be a fan of a male celebrity because he wants to sleep with the male celebrity, is completely insulting and a failure to understand male psychology.  Dean's flustered facial expression here is used for two reasons.  [1]  that is how some fans, both male and female behave, and [2] its hilarious to watch Dean fanboying.  This is a humor device and nothing else.  Even blushing is not a sign of attraction.  If your teacher compliments your work in front of the entire class, and you blush, does it mean that you are in love with Mrs Haggerty from Science Lab? 

Ah, the birth of Performing!Dean.  Performing!Dean doesn't exist.  He has no reason to.  Because Dean has no motivation to stay in the closet and hide his supposedly feminine bisexual self behind a toxic masculine façade.  Sam is not giving us clues of Dean's bisexuality.  He is taunting his big brother because that is what obnoxious little brothers do.  Remember, the hotelier thought that they both were gay.  Sam only picked on Dean here, because only Dean has an issue with it.  He isn't a homophobe but a proud straight man. 

Dean doesn't care about the human state of the world.  He doesn't care about human issues like racism, sexism and the lgbt.  He will categorize you as a human being and protect you, if you gave him a reason to.  Exactly like Jensen.  He doesn't care how you look, which way you swing, and how you pray.  If you give him a reason to like you, he will like you.  If you give him a reason to hate you, he will hate you.  Dean will only care if you are useful to him in his hunt.  The hunt is his life and his motivation to hunt is Sam and keeping Sam close and safe.  Dean is not pro or anti anything.  If you are human, you matter.  That is why de-graced is left out of hunts, because without any power, Cas is ''basically a baby in a trenchcoat'', in other words, utterly useless to them.  But if Sam's wall breaks, hold the phone. 

He doesn't judge your sexual orientation.  He has worked with gay and bi people before, like Charlie and the gay hunting couple. So he is not  a bigot.  However he isn't used to men hitting on him.  He almost throws up because the Chief from the BDSM club [Criss Angel is a douchebag] described what he is planning to do to Dean and asks for a safe word, and he is flustered by Aaron because he doesn't know how to react.  He wasn't expecting Aaron to tell that very clever lie.  He didn't bother telling Aaron he was straight.  Of course, bi Dean advocates think that is significant, and how he closed his badge is also significant. 

It is.  It shows that Dean is compassionate.  He was ready to punch Aaron in the face for following him.  But when Aaron lies about being attracted to Dean, Dean lets him down easily.  What was he supposed to say to a man he thinks he will never meet again:  ''Look dude, I am not queer.  We didn't have any moment.''  Dean quietly packs away his badge, because he realized that he brandished it at the wrong person.  Another reason is that Dean is an arrogant man when it comes to his looks and doesn't mind a compliment.  So he isn't going to break the heart of the person complimenting him.  He is compassionate but he has an ego.  That is why he was disappointed that Aaron had successfully fooled him by inflating his ego.  Because he did it so easily and Dean must have wanted to kick himself for falling for it. 

Dean being born in the Bible Belt of America means nothing.  His father was an atheist.  He was too, until he came face to face with an angel.  He acknowledges the Divine exists, but he believes in free will.  He spent most of his life, traipsing around America.  Its not like he stuck it out in the Bible belt area.  He has no religious reason to be in the closet.  He raised Sam and Sam isn't a bigot, so Sam wont have a problem with him being bisexual.  Dean has no motivation to hide himself from Sam because, in many ways, Sam is his child and knows him.  If Dean was bi, Sam would have figured it out.

Dean is sexually not a vanilla person when it comes to sex, and despite where he was born, he is a sexually outspoken, kinky, loudmouth who admits to wearing his date's underwear, not because he is feminine, but because he is a kinky little dirt bag who will do anything the date says, so he can close the deal with her.  Wearing her underwear is not proof that he is bisexual, because there are bisexual men who don't wear women's clothing and this is insulting to them.

5.  Dean and Castiel do not make a better couple than any of their love interests

Castiel had only one genuine love interest.  Meg.  And this union between two polar opposite characters in human vessels, is certainly more compelling than the blank stares that Dean and Castiel shared until their screen time decreased, much to Jensen's happiness.  Meg took care of Castiel despite being a demon.  Dean kicked Castiel out of the bunker for Sam's benefit.  Meg pursued Castiel.  Dean let Castiel to swop places mentally with Sam, so Sam could leave the asylum, safe and healthy, whilst Castiel remained in the asylum, broken and damaged.  He never pursued Castiel or took care of him. 

Dean only had one girlfriend.  And she was Cassie.  The name Cassie does not foreshadow destiel.  Cassie didn't work out because she was far too involved in worldly things like racism and he cared about the supernatural world.  She was an intellectual and he was a high school drop out.  She is actually a lot like Sam, and they would actually make sense as a couple.  Dean never loved Lisa.  Canonically, he only shacked up with her, because Sam forced him.  And when Lisa realized that, she let him go. 

Castiel and Dean don't make sense as a couple because Castiel has lied to Dean about many things.  There are some things he hasn't come clean about, to Sam and Dean, e.g. opening up the Panic Room door and letting Sam free.  He used the mixed tape to double cross Dean, so the mixed tape is a proof of Castiel's betrayal.  It is not proof of destiel.  The whole Leviatian affair is Castiel's fault.  And although Dean does take Castiel like a brother, canonically, he wont sell his soul for Castiel, like he did for Sammy.  Using slowed down gifs of Dean and Cas staring blankly at each other, doesn't proof that Dean is bisexual.  Every time Dean stares at a man, its doesn't mean he is attracted to that person. 

The show is not queer baiting you by leaving subtextual easter eggs in the frame.  They don't have time for that.  Because they average one episode a week.  They are working at a break neck speed.  They don't have the time to indulge fannish nonsense.  Everyone associated with the show have said that Dean is not bi.  I don't mind you interpreting, but when you force it on Jensen and threaten him when he doesn't like it, you are being a vile and disgusting predatory beast.  The only person who is reinforcing destiel [and by extension Bi dean] and queer baiting you is Misha Collins.  Go take it up with him.