#14x03 meta

[prince-of-elsinore]

just basking in the mature brosband vibes of 14x03 The Scar... We start with this Impala conversation, with Sam opening up to Dean about his needs:

Sam: Dean, we still have no idea why Michael let you go, where he is now or what he wants. Dean: Yep, or who his favourite Spice Girl is. Sam: C’mon man, this isn’t a joke! Something huge happened and you won’t really even talk about it. Look, this whole Michael thing: we need to deal with it. Dean: I’m going at 80 to deal with it. How can I be running from something when I’m RACING toward it?! Sam: I know, kinda your thing. Dean: Ok. Sam: I’m just saying. You said you let Michael in, then bang, you’re back in a blink. But for me, you were gone: for weeks. I didn’t know if you were alive. I just need you to talk to me. Slow down so I can catch up.

And, well, because he's Dean, he doesn't open up in return--yet. As Jody tells Sam of their hunt for the girl with the spear, "Maybe he needs [this case]." Dean processes through action. And so we get the second Impala Talk:

Dean: You were right. I just didn’t want to look at it, what Michael used me for. I just wanted to race ahead. You know, skip to the end of the story the part where I get the weapon and I take out the bad guy. The part where I kill Michael. Sam: Yeah, I know. Dean: You know I said yes to him because I thought - it was stupid. I was stupid. Sam: Dean, you did what you had to do. Dean: And it wasn’t a blink. I got possessed: I made it sound like that but it wasn’t. I don’t remember most of what Michael did with me because I was under water. Drowning. And that I remember. I felt every second of it - clawing, fighting for air. I thought I could make it out but I couldn’t: I wasn’t strong enough. And now he’s gone: he’s out there putting an army of monsters together. He’s hurting people. That’s all on me, man. I said yes. It’s my fault.

And it all comes spilling out. Dean admits Sam was right and actually tells him what he's dealing with, what possession was like for him and the guilt he feels. He's remarkably candid, really, about things that in early or mid seasons he probably would've kept bottled up for several episodes, at least (things that Sam would probably still never fully divulge, but that's another topic). But Sam gets to hear it all, gets to catch up like he wanted, and they end the episode on equal footing. The problem's not solved, but they're in it together. Brosbands, man.

[shallowseeker]

In some of your other meta you mention that sam is a workaholic to jack...i was wondering if you could expand on that or had some takes about jack running away from home? specifically during the beginning of season 14

Thank you for the ask. It's nice you've taken this idea and run with it. :-)

I've been sitting on this a few days, anon, and I'm a little tired right now, but I don't think Sam was horrible to Jack or anything when he was being a workaholic (Stranger in a Strange Land). I don't even think it was purely the workaholic-ism that led to Jack running away. Jack, precocious and frustrated, wanted to run away to prove himself.

When I talk about Sam being a workaholic, I think that's part of the larger SPN narrative, "Get so busy makin' a livin,' you forget to live." And cliché as that sounds, that's definitely the Western experience, you know? Hell, many of the recent millennial-and-forward workers can't even afford healthcare/security, much less kids. We're fast-headed toward company store setups and rent/land feudalism again, too.

ALTERNATE SAM: And this is hard to hear – performing at your best requires all of your mental energy. Every last drop. You see, it’s just not compatible with something like, uh… hobbies or, uh – or even having a family.

14x13

In the beginning of season 14, Sam DOES reach out to Jack and have a heart-to-heart. He's trying to be a group leader, a loyal brother, and a father. It's actually Cas who's run off to Detroit to meet with demons. Bobby and Mary are overseeing Jack, Sam is marshaling forces, and Cas, in typical Cas-style, has gone lone wolf. These aren't judgments, by the way. It's just, again, family crisis dynamics. (And, like it or not, when another family member is in crisis, it's normal for resources to divert to that family member's wellbeing. Multiple crises get a hierarchy of support, depending on the perceived severity of the struggle.)

[Jack is sitting on his bed. A knock comes from the door. It’s Sam. He opens the door.] SAM: Hey. JACK: Hey. SAM: I, uh... chatted with Bobby. [Sam sits on the bed.] SAM: He said you may have had a rough day today. JACK: It was fine. SAM: Okay. (pause) Jack, I know this must be so hard. Without your grace, without your powers, it's a lot, I'm sure. But you can get past this. I know you will. I have faith in you, Jack. And I believe in you.

14x01

///

I do talk a little bit in places about Sam ignoring Jack after Ouroboros, which is I *think* the take you're referring to? Sam starts going on hunt-after-hunt-after-hunt, and he runs everyone around him ragged. (He feels spun out and responsible for the deaths of the AU hunters.)

His grief manifests in such a way that he doesn't look up, and he puts pressure on Dean to jump when he says jump, not even allowing for rest. He's not thinking about what Jack's going through or what Dean might be going through post-Michael possession. He's got tunnel vision, and as the "youngest in the family," Sam is perhaps used to resources being diverted towards himself.

DEAN: We've just done three back-to-back Hunts. I need some rest. At least a night. We both do. SAM: Yeah, well I'm leaving in ten.

14x15

The pressure Dean feels is that, knowing Sam's mental state, Sam will be in danger alone. And Sam, like Dean in 14x03, is itching to get out on the hunt. Except Sam is doing this on multiple back-to-back hunts. He doesn't give an inch when Dean tries to create a healthy stop point.

Cas and Dean ARE juggling Sam and Jack's struggles. They're even checking in about Rowena.

CAS: Oh. Thought you, uh, were gonna sleep until the cows dragged you home. DEAN: That's not the -- Never mind. I was putting some gear away, and Rowena called. CAS: How is she? DEAN: Not great. She's coping. But, uh, you know, at least she's not dead. How's the kid? CAS: Well, he says he's good, but What about Sam? He says he's good. DEAN: I think they're both full of crap.

14x15

It's interesting to me that Rowena calls Dean this time, because Dean is the one who know what she's going through about Michael. Sam is her usual go-to, but he's wrapped up in his own grief.

[verobatto]

Destiel Chronicles

Vol. CX

It was a love story from the very beginning.

The Destiel Reunion after the Possession

(14x03)

Hi there! Another volume from season 14, this time this meta will be Dean centric because season 14 was plenty Dean centric. And episode 3 showed us the demage Michael left on Dean. It also talked about the Destiel reunion after the Possession.

As I said in my previous volume, season 14 is the one I started writing meta, so this will be a resume of it and some new addition in retrospective.

You can find my two metas about 14x03 here and here.

The after Possession damage

I remember when I saw Dean in this episode 'The Scar's it was as if I was looking a semiology book of Psychiatry.

First of all because Dean was acting erratic, anxious, always in alert.

"I've never seen Dean in so bad shape. The anxiety was evidently exposed, and the partial lost of memories and the flahsbacks (...) he's weak, as Kaia noticed, mentally weak... "

I wrote this in one of my metas, and as I said in the previous volume, we will have here another reading of Dean's thoughts. This time by Kaia.

(Remember this is the episode in which Dean asks willingly to Castiel to get inside his head. Subtextually, to Dean, Castiel is the only one he allows to go deep inside his thoughts. It's based in trust and love.)

But let's check AU!Kaia and Dean dialogue:

Kaia: You’re no different from him. Threats, violence anything to get what you want.

Dean: I am nothing like him.

Kaia is reading Dean's fears here. Treating him like an angry killer. All his toxicity is exposed at Kaia's reading.

Kaia: Yeah you are: you always have been!

(...)

Sam: Wait a second: you’re a dreamwalker, too? Your powers, they connected you.

Kaia: Our whole lives, what she saw, I saw. I know where it comes from your anger, your impatience: it's fear. You’re scared and you’re weak

The fact that this while scene was linked to the scene in which Jack and CAS discovered how to save a young girl from a spell. Graphically releasing her by breaking an amulet, is foreshadowing Dean self release from his second Possession. Kaia saying 'what she saw I saw' is practically giving a clue about Michael spying them through Dean's eyes.

So anxiety and depression cohabitate in Dean after Possession.

"Did you see how Dean was like running all the time? He didn't listen to Sam or Jody, he needed to do things quickly. Running here, there, it doesn't matter, bc he was running from himself, and to find and kill Michael was just an excuse."

That was the image of Dean I got from this episode. Then, this dialogue in the car whit Sam in which he describes how it was to be possesed.

He mentions "drowning" that was his desperate battle to conquer his own thoughts and own body. We'll have a lot of recallings to this word throughout the season 14, a lot of monsters representing AU!Michael and his own toxicity trying to drowning him.

Gif set credit @itsokaysammy

Purity and Purge

Before jumping into my idea of what it meant that cold reunion (cold because it didn't have a hug) I wanna talk a little more about how Michael brought the Purgatory into season 14 as a prelude to episode 15x09, but mostly, as a symbolic representation of what being posseses meant to Dean too.

"I was expecting Michael to be the new Purgatory exposure in this season, an opportunity for Dean to bring back the purity from his heart, as he did in Purgatory, the place where he realized he was in love of his best friend.. (sighing)."

This definitely happened and had his conclusion in season 15 with 15x09.

But, the purity of the heart Dean will expose throughout this season wasn't the purity Michael wanted to bring to Earth.

"We could confuse purity with basic Instincts when we talk about monsters. Bc basic Instincts are pure, indeed, there's no contamination in what the monsters wants: hunt, eat, survive. Like animals."

This is directly related to the idea of PURGE Michael wanted for the world. And it also was showed in Dean's behavior in the woods when he was searching for Michael. Basics instincts an animal would use to find his prey. Dean was in basic hunter mode.

The Destiel Reunion

The Destieo reunion had a bittersweet taste.

First of all, when Castiel arrived to the scene, a dramatic music started to play. This is usually used to point out at a romantic couple playing the scene. And because it was specifically played when Castiel arrived and Dean and him exchanged weird looks, it's obvious it was there to show the audience HELLO, THIS IS A REUNION OF LOVERS.

Gif set @jacktwistfan

Until now, everything was sweet, Dean is really happy to see Castiel. He looks as if he was breathing for the first time. His face is showing relief and his heart eyesbfor the angel are out of control. 'There you are. The love of my life.'

And Cas, well, remember when I said he was more emotional?

He smiles at him. Like... Very happy but then... Dean's face turned into... Recrimination.

Cas: I’m sorry. I wanted to be there, but we feared that Michael would sense my presence.

Dean: Sam told me. Ain’t no thing.

Gif set credit @cath-avery

Dean is mad at Cas, because Castiel didn't go to rescue him. Even knowing it could be bad for the plan, deep inside , Dean wanted to see CAS in that barn. That's why their looks. Castiel csn see this perfectly. He even explains this to him. I didn't want to see this but then in episode 14x04 (the next meta) I will explain why Dean was feeling sad, one of the causes was he was feeling Castiel didn't pay attention to him. The 'jealousy' starts to burn (yes, Dean was kind of jealouse of Jack because Castiel spends now more time with him) and this will end up with their break up at the end of the season when Jack will be the one killing Mary accidentally.

Dean being mad with Cas could be the cause of why we didn't have a hug. But also, because Dean felt dirty and ashamed, his mind had been ripped by Michael. Maybe he felt too dirt to go Cas a hug.

Now... Let's jump to the sexual innuendo scene...

There's a huge parallel between this episode and 4x01 in which Dean realized he had a hand print on his left shoulder. Here, Dean noticed the scar in his right shoulder and uncovered in the same way he did in 4x01. I called this Michael's mark vs Destiel mark. And is a blatant representation of why Michael couldn't possesed Dean's vessel completely. And mostly because the scar looked like two phalanxes. As if it was trying to complete a handprint. But he couldn't, because Dean is already taken by Castiel. If this is not romantic trope, I don't know how to call it.

And now... Dean asking Castiel to get inside his head, as an act of trust, marking a foreshadow for 14x10, when Castiel and Sam will enter in his mind.

Dean: Cas, c’mon hit me.

But this will end up being a scene with sexual innuendo, mostly because Misha and Jensen acting choices...

Gif credit @faramaiofnerdwoodforest

Dean's face if one of whom just had the orgasm of his life. His face after realize the sensation that that intrusion by Castiel had made him feel is showing he is aware they just had had an experience. It was OBVIOUSLY very exciting. He even tries to compose himself a little, feeling ashamed, but collecting his hands together towards his own chest. His left eyelid drops a little, just after experienced a very amount of... well... Sensations. It looks as if Dean ejaculated after having great sex with his angel.

This was fanservice, thank you Lord Berens.

To Conclude:

This episode showed us a very bittersweet Destieo reunion. I infer it was because Dean was mad at CAS for not being in the barn to rescue him.

It also had a Destiel sex scene, their first time... 🤣

But it spoke too about the amount of psychiatric damage AUMichsel left on Dean.

Hope you liked this meta, see you in the next one.

Tagging @gneisscastiel @emblue-sparks @magnificent-winged-beast @weird-dorky-little-d @michyribeiro @maleansu @legendary-destiel @a-bit-of-influence @thatwitchydestielfan @misha-moose-dean-burger-lover @lykanyouko @evvvissticante @savannadarkbaby @dea-stiel @mybonsai1976 @anarchiana @angelwithashotgunandtrenchcoat @trashblackrainbow @mishtho @dancingtuesdaymorning @feathered-castiel @bre95611 @zoerayne2426 @justmeand-myinsight @that-one-fandom-chick @proccastinate @studio-hatter @pepevons @poorreputation @mrsaquaman187 @dizzypinwheel @jawnlockwinchester @dwstiel @ladygon @shippsblog @la-random-fangirl @lets-try-this-again-please @mychemicalobsession514 @destiel-shipper-11

@shadows-and-padlocked-hearts @mishtho @dancingtuesdaymorning @nerditoutwithbooks @mikennacac73 @justmeand-myinsight @idontwantpeopletoknowmyname @teddybeardoctor @pepevons @helevetica @dizzypinwheel @horsez2002 @qanelyytha

@destielle @spnsmile @shippsblog @robot-feels @superlock-in-the-tardis @superduckbatrebel @belacoded @madronasky @anon-non2 @cea1996 @lisafu02 @asphodelesauvage @deancasgirl777

If you wanna be added or removed from this list just let me know.

If you wanna read the previous metas from season 14 here you have the link: CIX

Buenos Aires, April 25th 2021 4:25 PM

[margarittet]

Hugs and no hugs

I see people complaining about the lack of DeanCas hug in the newest episode, but in my opinion it’s the most realistic thing, and actually shows a great compassion on Cas’ side, contrasted here with Jack’ childlike innocence and  lack of thinking in this scene.

Dean had just been liberated from captivity, he had just come back from being a prisoner, from having his mind entrapped and his body violated. He got kidnapped, stripped and redressed, all of which were a visual signs of ownership on Michael’s side. 

All this time Dean had not only no control of his body (even though he was aware of what was going on to some extend, as we saw in the mirror scene during the last week’s episode), he was also put through the supernatural version of waterboarding to keep him pacified. It was actually worse in a way as Dean was not physically bound during the experience of drowning, but led to believe he was not STRONG ENOUGH to save himself. The torment here was to his body as well as his spirit. 

If you look at Dean in the previous episode (right after he comes back, physically tired and broken) you can see how Sam lets go of him right away after he physically helps him to sit down - and even then he only hold him delicately by his arm - and rather hovers over him later. They treat Dean as if he was bruised all over and make no mistake - he was. If not physically, then mentally.

We know Cas and Dean have no problems with reunion hugs.

This time, however, the moment Cas walked in (and the romantic music started), Jack went for a hug, and Dean was rather startled. He was obviously focused on Castiel before and after the hug, but Cas didn’t go for the hug after Jack did (and neither did Dean). This is not shocking for somebody who was still partially dressed in the clothes chosen by their tormentor, who just got the control over their body back, and on top of it all who did not feel comfortable in their own home due to a lot of strangers roaming around. He was still very much shell shocked.

Instead of hugging Dean, Cas put all what he wanted to say and show him into his facial expression, the look of love, and it was beautiful.

The moment he was in his room (which WAS NOT a good place for a person who had been drowning for weeks and closed in inside his own body - THE BUNKER HAS NO WINDOWS and is super claustrophobic.), he quickly removed Michael clothes with disgust, and slowly starts to come back to himself (or so he believes). 

That’s why it was such a huge thing that he let Cas into his head - which not only involved touching, but also complete trust right after Dean had let somebody else in there and that somebody violated that trust and tortured him inside his mind, taking away his whole autonomy. To give up this autonomy willingly so soon afterward is a sign of enormous confidence. Faith, if you will.

Dean trust Cas completely, and it’s canon. 

It is not shocking that Dean went on the road right away, dressed as himself, doing what he knows best. After being in his own clothes (the ones that he had been hiding behind for so many years now, pretending to be stronger than he is, pretending he wasn’t scared every day) and driving Baby (his one and only real family home) he got better to the point that hugging Jody came as natural as it gets. 

[tinkdw]

14x03 watching notes and mini meta

My feelings are summed up with this gif x:

So much good stuff, where to start?! Longer / specific meta’s to a topic are linked and underlined. Okay, let’s dive in :)

- Sam’s beard. This was too good I had to do a quick visual meta on it right after I watched it. Dean really loves scruff on men, has flirted with guys with scruff, literally told Cas he liked his peach fuzz, but on Sam? HELL NO thats my brother! Brilliant, funny, sibling jibing, cute and bi!Dean stuff Bobo, kudos.

- Dean’s repressing his memories and pretending he doesn’t remember just like Hell, a callback to season 4. While he’s got a different Supernatural scar (Michael wound v Cas’ handprint which is another Supernatural forced bond v chosen bond with Cas theme just as Amara was) and all the Dean / Michael parallels going on since season 4/5 pointed it out and Dean in the end bravely went against his duty and destiny to be true to himself instead of the Michael mirror he was supposed to be while now he’s being told/asked again “are you like Michael or are you your own person?” Next up: PROVE IT. Excellent.

- The perfunctory Jack hug v the Cas eye love making wow, I mean I speculated that we wouldn’t get a hug because thematically it made sense not to with the holding back and empty space theme between them so having a Jack hug but not a Cas one was so jarring and supposed to be. It was done so well to show how much deeper the feelings are between Dean and Cas without a hug. Wowzers. Dean is looking at Cas then Jack launches in to hug him which he accepts but then just continues to just keep staring at Cas. Those two can convey more with their eyes than most can do with their whole bodies, it was so intimate and so much while at the same time showing the whole empty space holding back thing we yelled about all of last year after the mirror opposite of Cas being restored to Dean, on top of the romantic music when the scene starts but crescendos like crazy as soon as Cas enters and ends when Dean walks out. Pfffft.

Kaia, Cas and Jack mirrors, Dean’s metaphorical “am I like Michael?” arc and all the rest under the cut.

- Kaia! My anon from last week was right kudos! I’ll admit to having been totally wrong about that link with the scar, this is cool! The symbolism of Michael, epitome of the metaphor of toxic masculinity and Dean’s hang ups being terrified of little queer girl Kaia is just... wowzers. So much symbolism there, meanwhile Dean is literally stuck in the middle being harmed both physically and emotionally by this tug of war. All we need is for Kaia to become textually good, be emancipated, to help Dean defeat Michael (come on, the symbolism of the two of them doing it together? With help from Dean’s family Cas, Sam and even maybe Jack?!) and we’re good to go on a Dean Sublimation Winchester to Dean Emancipation Winchester textual storyline. 

*grabby hands*

- Dean’s comment of “I didn’t mean to be a dick” while Jack’s all “everything is my responsibility” which is Dean’s MO makes me FEEL THINGS. 

- Dean is throwing himself into the case to avoid his feelings and left Cas behind with ease. IMO, totally metaphorical as well as useful for the plot. Leaving his feelings and things that make him emotional behind? Better leave Cas there then, can’t have Cas and all the feelings that go with him next to him just being Cas when he’s precisely trying to bury his feelings, running away from them. Sam then acknowledging that this is “kinda your thing” is great. Yes Sam.

- Note the different music between Cas and Dean and Sam and Dean’s “moments” >...>

- Jody loving Sams beard lol, I just... love this. Whatever meta wise, it’s gold :p

- SAM AND SERIAL KILLERS!!! Just before we get Dean and horror movies! Showing their different interests! Yasssssss :D :D :D :D :D THIS IS MY ENDING THE TOXIC CODEPENDENCY LETTING THEM BE THEIR OWN PEOPLE JAM!

- Jack was going to leave and now isn’t because he wants to help someone, he is truly a Winchester.

- IT’S MARKED GROSS STUFF. All the headcanons of Dean and Cas doing domestic shit around the bunker. Throw in Sam on occasion too where Sam and Cas both eye roll at Dean’s childish antics with indulgent smiles and you got me one happy headcanoning fangirl. Thanks Bobo :)

- One of my dads! *internal screaming*

- “My mum probably hates me cos I ran away” Sam mirror?! Jack mirror obviously, but hey everyone’s a TFW mirror. Everyone’s a mirror of someone who’s a mirror of someone these days. It’s hard to keep up.

- Dean’s barrelling ahead but Sam has actually done intel, he is the rightful leader here. Dean is an emotional liability. This is gonna rear it’s head.

- Ok but is the necklace clearly not cursed...

- “First love strikes quick and to lose it like that” - I mean!! 

A. Great that the GA get the textualisation that it was romantic that we’ve known since the ep aired, but great that it’s clearly canon now not just subtext. Though showing that clearly the subtext they did use (which was ALL DeanCas parallels) was supposed to show a romance story there >....>

B. Sam totally gets losing your first love to a Supernatural being and being set on revenge, throwing yourself into hunting to mask the pain. Jess rearing her head so late in the game is heartbreaking.

C. Insert matching gifs of Kaias death and Cas’s death too (which we paralleled to Sam x Jess and John x Mary at the time). Pffft. Then straight on to taking about Dean. More pffffft.

- Kaia was trying to stab Claire when they first met. Ok we get you want to write Destiel but openly queer Bobo, I love it, keep going.

- Jack losing someone and blaming himself while Cas looks like he is too. Jack is lamenting his powers... really to be a good Cas mirror he needs to find the solution here thanks to his mind and his human, powerless side to show this is just as powerful as having ‘powers’.- Oh look! He does ;) That’s not significant at all. Side eyes.- Cas is so proud :p

- Dean definitely seemed to have a Michael callback moment there. Excellent, I’ll be keeping a tabs in case it continues as per my spec that he will display Michael-esque behaviour over the season for plot and metaphorical reasons.

- Dean “I’m gonna do whatever it takes to defeat Michael” and going Michael on Kaia is an exact mirror of Nick murdering the neighbour in a fit of rage over “I’m gonna so whatever it takes to get revenge for my family”.

- Kaia / Bobo points it out that he’s like Michael okay lol hammer to the face but good that makes it simple :p

- Scared - “you always have been”. Flashback to Dean going nuts at Kaia and calling it what it is. Fear. No brainwashing, just Dean. As I said at the time >...> Of course it was all Dean and this is him too, it’s about how scared he is to be alone, to lose the people he loves, to feel unloved, unwanted, unuseful and all his hangups. This whole thing has been a giant neon sign pointing at Dean’s inner demons since day 1 and Bobo is clarifying for us just as Dabb clarified the Jack-Cas stuff earlier because of course it only makes sense to their character arc if they’re making their own decisions.

- God I love them.

- I’m already expecting stans to be mad that Kaia saved the 3 best hunters. *rolls eyes and moves* on ITS METAPHORICALLY SYMBOLIC and IMPORTANT TO THE PLOT.

- Jody feels like a John callback here about raising hunters and feeling like you’ve already lost before youve started whilst at the same time clearly is Bobo lamenting the loss of Wayward Sisters. Man... clutches heart strings.

- Cas “you made me so proud”. He’s so sweet and kind and argh. Proving that Jack is both hunter and angel. “Let’s go on a hunting trip” and Cas making soup?! End me! where’s the fan art?!!!!!

- Oh dear. Jack... Chekhov’s bloody cough.

- Dean actually opened up within one episode?! Wow. Character growth! He admits he was repressing and it was stupid. He admits he does remember some stuff as a clear mirror opposite to how long it took him to open up in season 4. He felt like he was drowning. Wow the depression metaphor. Now he feels responsible again. Sigh... a whole season of Dean pain. Well, we were prepared, let’s just tighten that seat belt.

- ALL THE HUGS FOR BOBO!!!

[dustydreamsanddirtyscars]

10x03 “Soul Survivor” // 14x03 “The Scar” When your body is cage and your home is not a home

I haven’t written about SPN during Dabb era very elaborately in a long time and I likely will not be writing a whole lot about the episodes anytime soon, but this moment here from the latest episode made me want to make a gifset to compare it to Dean’s return to the bunker in S10 as a demon still, because there are a few very interesting similarities and differences at play here that I found interesting. Likely, this all has been talked about before, but since I haven’t read anything meta related in a long time I don’t know when and by whom, but I suppose given the size of this fandom, it must have popped up by now - if so apologies for making a gifset that donbody needed lol. Anyway...

To me basically the title I chose for the gifset/mini meta kind of captures the essence of those scenes quite well already, but just to illustrate my point a bit further I think it is interesting to pay attention to Dean’s returns not only to the bunker, but his own room, because the differences couldn’t be more striking. In both of these scenes Dean carries a mark on his body - a silent reminder - a mark highlighting a part of his past, a decision made in desperation/self loathing, a mark that has come to be understood also as a physical sign of a trauma essentially (I have written extensively about the aspect of scars and healing during the MoC arc and also latest last season in this meta which seems important given it was the episode that introduced Kaia and I will never not be of the mind that the removal of the mark was a copout and would have only made complete narrative sense if it had fadede over time the more Dean would have had the chance to heal, but oh well...).

Now, seeing these scenes side by side, Demon!Dean who was brought back to the bunker, a place where he never wanted to go back to, something that served literally - since he was locked down there, caged - as a prison, and Dean, just barely back after having been possessed by Michael and yearning for a safe space when retruning back to Lebanon, Kansas, I think Jensen masterfully conveyed how everything seems to be the same in Dean’s room when he returns, but how in reality truly everything has changed.

Where Demon!Dean was all brutal force, kicking in doors, alking tall, shoulder pulled back, with a sneer and a cold almost belittling look on his face when looking at his own four walls, roughly four years later Dean seems to almost hesitantly open the door and even more telling before even going in turns on the light, he looks all around, touching base, but from the way I see it not finding any comfort in the “known”. And really how could he? Things may look the same on the surface, but they aren’t beneath (and yes, I am purposefully alluding to water here, sue me ;P). The place he called home is now hunters central, his brother the “chief” and the clothes he wears aren’t even his own. All of it combined paints a pretty complete and awful picture illustrating Dean’s loss of self/agency when Michael used him.

He is a stranger in his own home, after his body has been a cage. And that might be the biggest difference even though there are a few topics and themes that are revisited with the Michael possesion that had been explored prior during the MoC arc - as a demon, Dean wasn’t imprisoned in himself, but liberated in a sense (his id), he wasn’t possessed it was his shadows self calling the shots and even though drastically different to normal Dean, Demon!Dean was still... well Dean, a demonic version of himself in his own body - which is why all of the mirror shots (god how I loved all those mirror shots during Carver era, written so much about those as well, god they were delicious - sigh forever missing those days!!! ;___;) during the MoC arc were so well utilized, Dean trying to touch base with himself, trying to assess who it is that is looking back at him. This whole thread got picked up again this latest episode when Dean looked into the mirror finding a new scar marking his body (like all the years back when Castiel pulled Dean’s soul out of Hell). I think it will only be a matter of time until the Winchester may realize that just as with the MoC that served as a visual reminder and unwanted connection to Amara even when the mark on Dean’s arm had long disappeared, this new scar on Dean’s upper arm may turn out being a similar case and connecting him to Michael in ways that neither Dean nor Michael may be aware of now...

[shirtlesssammy]

Fairy Tale Mirrors in 13x04 The Scar

Mirror, mirror on the wall Who's the fairest of them all? Who's the darker of the two? Tell me, sweetheart, is it you?

Once upon a time, a witch lived alone in the woods. She met three blithe girls along the road. Three girls in the bloom of youth. She fattened them with joy and love and the illusion of safety. And then, one by one, she sucked their youth from them. In many stories and many episodes of Supernatural, this is your A storyline. In The Scar, it's a mirror. Here, the dream of home and safety betrays the girls.

As I was riding home from watching the episode with Boris, I got to thinking about this episode. How you could pull it apart and rebuild it into a Wayward Sisters episode instead. You could show the headless monsters. Alex's skilled forensics. Patience's dreams of a cloaked figure and teeth. Sharp teeth. You could show Claire. Blustering, brave, grieving Claire ready to stick a knife into anything or anyone for revenge. And you'd have this bare structure:

Once upon a time, there lived a woman alone in the woods and, lo, she took in three girls. She betrayed them and destroyed them.

Or, once upon a time, there lived a woman alone in the woods and, lo, she took in three girls. She loved them and gave them what safety she could, and lost her heart to them.

The witch's case isn't connected to Wayward – not anymore, and maybe not ever. But it's a direct parallel all the same and lets us reflect on Jody's need for the girls in her care – for their safety, their vitality. In Jody it doesn't turn sour - not quite. She doesn't rob her girls of life, or doesn't intend to. But with that mirror, we can test the boundaries of Jody's love. We can probe at her unwillingness to tell Claire about the cloaked figure – about Kaia. We can look at her working the case alone and wonder just how easily it is to destroy those people in your care.

The witch's case is connected expertly to Jack as well, the runaway girls are a mirror to Jack's almost-flight, showing him the dangers of the world, as well as how much he is needed with his family.

Once upon a time, there was a man with a scar. The scar was given to him by a powerful being and marked him for his own, though their destiny was shrouded in mystery. For the scar resulting from Castiel, we know the future is softer, hopeful. For the scar resulting from Michael, we can only assume the opposite.

Once upon a time, there was a princess asleep in the tower who woke with true love's kiss. Sleeping Beauty, invoked directly by Jack here, is often a lighter tale of fairy hijinks and peaceful slumber. But it's also a dark tale of the downfall of an entire kingdom. In some versions, the princess wakes only to find herself already pregnant by the prince. Sleep is not always peaceful, and waking can lead to new horrors.

Lora sleeps as age steals over her youthful body and robs her of life. Time, that thing Sleeping Beauty avoided through sleep, attacks her aggressively. Her problem also can't be solved with a kiss, though the possibility dangles before viewers for just a moment with the fresh optimism of youth and inexperience.

Dean is sleeping beauty in this episode. He was mostly asleep under Michael - drowning and unaware of much of what had befallen him. Now that he's awake, there's no peace. Just change, a new world, fresh horrors. His problem also can't be solved with a kiss (though some of us may wish it).

Once upon a time, there was a girl who saw the beasts that stalked her other self across parallel worlds. She killed herself and crossed over to face one of her tormentors from another life. She lived alone in the woods, and was alone, but the beast found her anyway. His face was a mask layered over another, and so was hers.

Kaia calls out Dean for his mask. She tells him that he is the monster he sees in the mirror. He's dark and violent and frightened – it's all of him she knows. He's Michael to her – not a mirror image of him, but just like Michael. We may know more about Dean than Kaia but for her, it's an absolute truth. And seeing that image held in front of him, Dean's walls are battered down more surely than from the careful affection of his family.

Sleeping beauty wakes to a new world. Mirrors tell the truth, and give us doorways to other worlds. Alternate worlds. These old simple tales, and other people’s stories shed light on our characters. Just like fairy tales, they serve as cautionary tales. The witch’s runaways warn Jack not to run. Kaia holds a mirror to the beast within Dean, waking him up and warning him about what he is, and might become. Fairy tales tell us that the world is dark, but people can be saved, in time.

[thisbelex]

So y'all know how jack is always mirroring tfw. I like how he mirrored sam in this ep. He wanted his powers back so badly like cas has his powers. He wanted to fight so badly like how dean fights. In the end he used his intellect like sam. So cool.

[nerdylittleshit]

Thoughts about Spn 14x03

SPOILERS AHEAD! BEWARE!

Soooooooooooooooo, another great episode. This week I think the balance between character focus and plot was more equal, after two very character driven episode. Though I do like the slow development of the plot so far. There are two minor things I want to complain about: first I wished we would have seen more of the Wayward Girls, aka Claire, Patience and Alex, instead of just mentioning them. Second: CAS AND JODY STILL HAVEN’T MET! How is that even possible? But maybe we should be careful for what we wish for, because we demanded for years for Cas and Charlie to meet and when they finally did Charlie died an episode later.

Anyway. There is a lot to unpack again, so as always, let’s take a closer look.

Angry AF

Hey, I didn't mean…  I didn't mean to be a dick.

So let’s start with the man of the hour: Dean. Oh how we missed you and your snark (btw I love Sam’s beard and so does Jody, and that is really all that matters). There is a whole lot of unanswered question concerning Michael and the episode doesn’t even try to answer them, because as for now they are not important. Important is Dean and what Michael did to him. Dean is, as other Kaia noted, scared, but to him fear translates into anger, because that is the only way he has learned to deal with it. He acts like a man possessed (oh the irony), and wants to skip to the end of the story where he kills Michael. Which is such an interesting meta commentary, because the show tells us that it will take some time until we get some answers, that both Dean and the audience have to muddle through what this possession made of him, until we get the big showdown. This is really just the start, and we can’t skip ahead to the end. And this makes me think we might get entire season that is more interested in its characters than the plot, than instead of the multiple story arcs we had in prior season we really just get one big story this season and that it takes some time to tell it. Which makes me really excited.

The most interesting part to me was Dean’s confrontation with the other Kaia. She noted the similarities between Dean and Michael, how they both run on threats and violence. And the episode before already asked us the question if the connection between angel and vessel isn’t just the bloodline, but a similarity in character as well. 14x02 left it open for interpretation if it was Nick who had killed his family, if he might have been a monster even before Lucifer made him one. This week we saw how very alike Dean and Michael are, at least from Kaia and other Kaia’s perspective. Kaia experienced Dean as a violent man, as someone she was afraid of. We do know that while Dean has a dark side that there is more to him, we do get the full picture, whereas Kaia only saw a glimpse. Is it possible than that (arch)angels feed on the worst version of their vessels? Or simply bring out the features similar to them? Michael and Lucifer then, sinister creatures, fed on both Nick and Michael’s dark side, whereas Cas, the angel with too much heart, was influenced by Jimmy’s kindness and his wish to do the right thing? I always found the relationship between vessels and angels very interesting and it seems this season will give us a few new insides on it.

The other thing that has changed is of course Dean’s home, the bunker. Naturally Dean will need some time to get used to all the people there, and that they see Sam as their leader. In contrast to that the scene where Dean commanded Cas to get in his head seemed almost intimate, just the core three of them. And speaking of Cas, it seemed to me that there was some sort of distance between Dean and Cas, despite Dean allowing Cas to get in his head. There was no reunion hug (Jack got one), and Dean was very quick to agree that Cas should look after Lora. It was like Dean tried to put some walls up, but then he did the same thing around Sam, so it might not be specific related to Cas. I’m curious to see how their next interaction will be.

There is also still the mystery of the spear, what it is exactly and why it could hurt Michael (and possibly kill him). Do Archangels exist in every universe and could that been an Archangel weapon? How did other Kaia got it? And what is her plan/motivation?

Also, the modified vampires knew that Dean was Dean again, and no longer Michael, so can monsters sense angels? (Was that mentioned at some point?)

We end the episode with Dean once again drowning in guilt, thinking it is his fault alone that Michael got the chance to hurt people. Guilty Dean is known for not always making the best choices, so we have to wait to see where this gets us.

Wayward AF

I just feel like I sort of already lost before I ever began.

As I mentioned before I wish we would have seen more of the Wayward Girls, because I love their interactions, both with Jody and each other, but I take what I can get. The Wayward story is now intervened with the Michael story through other Kaia and her weapon. I don’t think that was the original plan for Wayward Sisters, as they probably would have a myth-arc independent from Supernatural, but this way it means we are definitely going to see them again, and they will (hopefully) play a bigger role this season. And Jody and Cas might actually meet, though it seemed on the phone like they do know each other (though it is possible they only know each through phone conversations, because I do hope they didn’t had their first meeting off camera already).

One of the big things we can take away from this episode is that Dreamhunter has been confirmed canon. I think Bobo confirmed after 13x10 that Dreamhunter is definitely a thing, but still it is good it is canon now, especially as it wasn’t necessary for the plot to make them romantic. Claire’s guilt over Kaia could be still as intense without her having romantic feelings, but they still went there. Which I will use to talk briefly about Destiel, because we can’t talk about the one without the other. Or we could have if Wayward Sisters would have become its own show, because then Dreamhunter would have no longer be related to Destiel, as they would have both appeared on separate shows. And sure the CW has a thing for spin-offs or shows that share the same universe (Arrowverse) but those shows usually don’t parallel each other. But unfortunately Wayward Sisters isn’t its own show, but for now part of Supernatural, and because of that Dreamhunter do mirror Destiel. And Bobo knows that because he put in those parallels deliberate in 13x10, and Dabb knows it as well, so I take that as a win on the Destiel front.

I liked that we got to know other Kaia a bit better. She is not a monster, and she might even become an ally to the Winchesters and their fight against Michael. I wonder though why she wanted to kill Claire. She confirms that she and our Kaia were connected, because they were both Dreamwalkers. Does that mean she was aware of what our Kaia felt for Claire? And if so, why would she kill Claire? What is her goal? There are too many questions surrounding her character for her not to come back, and I do hope we will see Claire again and her reaction to other Kaia.

And lastly, that quote of Jody I put up there: in show Jody talks about her grief about losing Kaia before she even got to know her, but from outside this is Bobo talking about losing his show before it even started, about the characters he loves so much, and the meaningful stories they were meant to tell us. Those lines and Kim acting them so brilliantly was a huge F*ck You towards the CW, showing us the kind of depth Wayward Sisters could have had, and making me longing for this show even more. I hope they shove in as much of Wayward Sisters into the show as they can, but I’m still very bitter about everything we could have had and that we don’t get to see.

Nougat AF

Well what you did today, you just made me so proud.

Awwwwwwwwwwwwww Jack (that is just my usual reaction whenever I see him). Seems like he didn’t listen at all when Cas told him last episode to find value in his own, but never mind, this week’s case will do the trick. Obviously Lora functioned as a Jack mirror in a not that subtle way. She ran away from home, because she was sick of being treated as a child, the same way Jack planed to leave, because of how Sam, Dean and Cas have treated him. So far the mirror works. But then Lora met a witch, a witch that was at first kind, but then she locked her up, and started to steal her youth, which then resulted in Lora’s (temporally) death. We know that Sam, Dean and Cas have been kind to Jack, have fed him, and also currently locked him up for his own safety. And in the end Jack starts to wither away in some way, the way Lora did. But it wouldn’t make a lot of sense if Sam, Dean and Cas would be the witch in this story, so who is? Someone we already met or someone in the future? Why is Jack’s health deteriorating? Is it a result of the spell the witch used on Lora? Does it have other origins? And how can we help him? Just after jack realized that he can help other people without his powers, that there are many ways to be useful, after Cas offered him a hunting trip. I can’t deal with Jack being sick, he is my sweet Nougat child.

Some other things:

Speaking of Jack, he referred to Cas as one of his dads, contracting the statement from last week that Kelly’s family is the only real family he has left. But also, from Lora’s perspective, who doesn’t know who or what Jack is and his relationship to the Winchesters, this sounds like Jack has two gay dads… which you know is actually true.

I love that the show didn’t forget about Sam’s weird obsession with serial killers.

They have a bottom drawer marked “gross stuff”. Of course they have.

Obviously Posh Spice is Michael’s favourite Spice Girl.

[postmodernmulticoloredcloak]

Like Sleeping Beauty

There is Lora, who runs away from her caregivers, meets a witch and gets tricked by her, and whose life force gets sucked away from her while she can do nothing but witness her body decay, terrified and helpless, until she falls into the sleep of death, but then wakes up when the prince Jack defeats the witch’s evil scheme and saves her.

There is Dean, who remembers the time during Michael’s possession, during which he was not technically sleeping, sure, but he was still unable to do anything, unable to see and hear, terrified and helpless just like Lora, and just like Lora deploring the stupid mistake that got him to fall into the trap of the evil witch. (Sure, Dean had pretty valid reasons to say yes to Michael, but while you’re drowning desperately trying to reach for air, it’s hard to think of it as anything but a stupid mistake.) He was submerged and powerless while the evil witch archangel corrupted the kingdom, unleashing new terrible monsters on it.

There is Kaia, a dreamwalker, who would go in the world of her other version during her sleep, and would only be able to run, but the monsters would still get to her, leaving her scarred and scared. She would desperately try not to sleep, but sleep would reach her eventually, because you can’t escape it, like a curse. She wouldn’t be underwater, but she would still be immersed in a green world that felt enveloping almost like water, didn’t...? And she would just run, trying to reach for a safety that she knew wasn’t anywhere, not during sleep.

And just like our world’s Kaia would run from monsters in the forests of the Bad Place, this Kaia hides in the woods of our world, running from the monsters of this world, knowing that there is no stopping the escape, no stopping the drowning. She’s used to it. If it wasn’t Michael’s monsters, it would be some different monsters. There are always monsters chasing any Kaia, and the only way to deal with it is to run in the forest, like a lost fairytale princess without a castle to get to. When the monsters come, she kills them, like a fairytale prince without a princess to get to.

And Dean is the same, there are always monsters to kill, there are always metaphorical forests to run through to keep yourself alive, sustaining yourself with stolen food.

They are both princesses carrying the weight of a curse laid on them by the evil witches of their lives. What could break the curse?

[magnificent-winged-beast]

Crazy last minute speculation

I had to write this fast and furious because I get me going all week as a promise to see tonight’sepisode.

What If Castiel had to possess Dean in hell in order to save him? Hence the mark of a “hand” that Dean had when he went out the pitt. This also can explain the odd shape Michael left in Dean.

This Scar or brand in a very possessive way, because of Michael told him in that confrontation at the mirror. “I own you”. That looks more like branding for me.

Instead, the handprint in Dean’s arm, courtesy of Castiel, is more personal. Could it mean, and I’m developing a cuasi 1k meta about this, a representation of the acceptance of Dean for Cas, while in hell, to enter him (ok I’m giggling too) with his consent in order to help him accept he was meant to be save from hell, and how valuable was for heaven at the time?

The Destiel side could be, that once Castiel was inside Dean (ok, Stop, now… serious time) he was infatuated by his soul and begin his journey to fall because of this human.

Ok have fun Watching tonight.

Chaito

Thank you @verobatto and @emblue-sparks for inspiring me to write again.

[lavenderleahy]

Dean’s priorities, the greater good, and the pearl

As I watched Lebanon on Friday and was typing up my watching notes (I’ve started doing this so I don’t annoy my friend by texting her every 5 minutes), I started to notice a pattern of Dean revealing where his priorities currently lie. Before I begin talking about what I think they are, there are two things that are the basis for my thoughts on 14x13: 

In 14x12, Dean makes a promise to Cas and Sam. He promises that he will only resort to locking himself in the Ma’lak box if they have exhausted all other options. I believe that he said this sincerely, albeit reluctantly.

The pearl is supposed to “give you what your heart desires.” Both before and after 14x13 aired, people speculated on why the pearl transplanted John into the present and how it related to what Dean’s desires. Dean says his heart’s desire is “Michael out of [his] freaking head.” For the sake of simplicity and argument, I’m going to say that this is Dean’s desire and that it is the desire that the pearl grants him. In a twisted way, yes, but that’s the way it is with most wish-granting objects.

So first, where are Dean’s priorities in this episode? Well, I believe they are on himself. This is a change and a character development from the past. Dean is always ready to sacrifice himself for the world or for his brother Sam. That’s why he says “Yes” to Michael in the first place. 

But after making his promise to Sam and Cas, his priorities shift from getting Michael out no matter what to focusing on himself and his desires.

The first tiny glimpse of this we see in the episode is how Dean reacts to Baby being stolen. His reaction is juxtaposed to Sam’s. 

Sam wants to make sure that the contents of the car don’t hurt anyone. I can’t remember his exact words, but he says something like, “That car is very dangerous” to the hat-wearing teen. Sam is thinking of the greater good.

Dean, on the other hand, is furious that someone took his Baby. Again, I can’t remember his exact words, but my notes say “he’s ready to murder the thief.”

This is unsurprising and reminds the audience of the time Dean stared off into space and said, “Murder... I’d murder ‘em all. There’d be torture first, like a lot of torture, and it would end up with death...” His reaction is very in character, and I didn’t think much of it at first.

Then we see their reactions to finding Baby. Again, Dean’s reaction is unsurprising. He says, “Baby, please tell me you’re not hurt,” and inspects the exterior of the car. Sam, on the other hand, points out that the backseat is empty, implying that he is worried about how the dangerous artifacts are being used. 

My initial thought to seeing their juxtaposed reactions was, C’mon Dean, your priorities are a little out of whack. But then I thought, what if they aren’t? Or at least, what if him prioritizing Baby over the greater good is a sign?

These two scenes allowed me to see a pattern of Dean prioritizing himself throughout the episode, something he hasn’t done in a long time, but, hopefully, will continue to do.

***

Now I’m going to switch gears real quick and hope that you stick around with me long enough to see that everything I said is connected.

How did the pearl grant Dean’s desire of getting rid of Michael, instead of his apparent desire of having his immediate family together, or any other desire that has been speculated?

The answer is simple: if Dean fades into an alternate-timeline version of himself, it is a timeline where AU Michael never comes to this world. Considering how quickly he and Sam realized that their current selves would self-correct to the new timeline, it’s easy to assume that Dean quickly realized this as well, even if it wasn’t spoken in the episode.

No matter which desire the pearl actually granted Dean, it does get rid of Michael.

But, as we see in the end, Dean doesn’t choose the alternate, Michael-less timeline. He chooses his current one. He prioritizes his own life, his own self. He views the pearl’s timeline as a negative outcome and wants to keep his own. He knows what he wants and is not willing to sacrifice his current life. 

Now over to the pearl. I was struck by @drsilverfish’s incredible meta of the pearl, which referenced Matthew 13:45-46, the parable of the pearl: 

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (ESV)

Now, I want to divert slightly from their use of this verse, because the kingdom of heaven is actually slightly different than heaven itself. Heaven is an eternal resting place (and I think the way they used it was to mean “utopia.” In these verses, it’s not that, either); the kingdom of heaven is God’s will being carried out by His followers on Earth.

The merchant’s belongings, in this case, are a metaphor to a person’s selfish desires/sinful nature; whereas, the pearl is a metaphor for the kingdom of heaven or God’s will on earth. The point of the parable of the pearl is to illustrate both the value and the cost of following God: in order to experience what God has to offer, both on Earth and in Heaven, one must give up their past life/selfish nature. The parable communicates that any treasure or life a person currently has is far less valuable than the life following God has to offer. 

So, the natural conclusion for anyone who finds a pearl (aka God/Jesus aka Dean’s heart’s desire/getting rid of Michael) is to sell everything they own (aka give up their selfish desires aka give up their current life). One gives up their current life for the greater good, which is the kingdom of heaven.

The pearl isn’t giving Dean his “heaven” or his utopia; it’s giving Dean a choice: Are you willing to sacrifice your current life (sell all that you have) in order to get rid of Michael and think of the greater good (keep the pearl)?

And, as we see, Dean’s answer is an unequivocal NO. 

Why? Because:

“I’m good with who I am.”

After 14 years, Dean is expressing self-love. He harbors no guilt about his choices. He is good with who he is. Dean is prioritizing himself. He’s good with who he is, and he doesn’t want to give that up, whether that means succumbing to an alternate timeline or putting himself in the Ma’lak box.  

Dean’s not good with the greater good, or at least this solution for it. That will come. He understands that they have not exhausted every effort yet, so he is at peace with wanting to keep looking. And not only that, but right now, he is good with himself.

So, just like Dean prioritizes Baby over the teens who have the dangerous artifacts, he also prioritizes himself and his current life over a life that might turn out for the greater good.

I’m hopeful that this is a good sign. I’m hopeful that this trend continues and Dean continues to grow as a character. I hope his new mindset remains and allows him to push forward to a solution that benefits both the greater good and himself.

Maybe, Dean’s answer to Michael’s “What do you really want?” won’t be anything glamorous or deep. Maybe it will be, “I’m good with who I am.”

Finally.

--

Tagging @metafest in case they want to indulge me.

[faithsknife]

Dean has always been one to repress trauma so it’s literally not surprising to see him behaving as if he wasn’t just possessed by Michael. Deflecting/dissociating are ways to handle traumatic experiences/events. Which is exactly what Dean has always done (plus the alcoholism) to protect himself from the traumas he has experienced in his life. This possession he was just subject to for almost a month is no different. Not to mention how sadistic Michael is & what mental tortures he put Dean through to break him.

For 14x03 I definitely am gonna pay attention to Dean’s behavior towards everyone (not just Cas) & see what else I notice.

[verobatto]

Here we go... Some thoughts pre-meta 14x03 spoilers

Well well well... We were waiting for a Destiel hug... I must say my heart was... But... The eye fucking was good enough... But must tell is not that simple, I will elaborate some meta more later...

Let's see some points...

More of Cas being a great dad, he even make soup for Jack! But still not very skilled wit the hunting stuff...

Dean is traumatized, like in a "rape". I would love to elaborate this more later with some medical an psychological meta.

Eye fucking... We already know they don't need to talk for talking 😎

Sam being a supportive brother. I love that. But this is just remind me that time he came back from hell... All the fandom is screaming MIRROR! CIRCULAR NARRATIVE! again...

And in the end Jack... He is a smart hunter... But he has hemoptysis (coughing blood)?? What is going on? Is the low grace doing this? Ññññ I don't like it...

Ok... Just a resume I must rewatch to elaborate something better for you, lovely fandom.

Editing: I forgot AUKaia! A very interesting twist, she looks powerful but still not trusting? And she saw through Dean like Cas in s5 remember? Yep yep yep... Circular... Mirrors... But this time... IDK what is going on with her yet... Let's see... Bc Michael was very interested in her... Mmmm yes powerful.

Tagging for discussion

@magnificent-winged-beast @emblue-sparks @gneisscastiel @silvie111 @mrsaquaman187 @lykanyouko

[margarittet]

5x03 / 14x02

The makes me wonder - was Cas’ ritual the reason Raphael re-entered his vessel, and possesed it again in season 6? His vessel was catatonic, he could not give his consent in any way. On the other hand, Lucifer could not re-enter Sam without consent. 

If Michael knows how to dial, can he re-enter Dean without repeated consent? Or does it only work with vessels that cannot give consent? 

Does the “open line” work both ways in this case? Can he summon Dean? Enter Dean’s head remotely? (I would assume so.) See what he sees? Steer his mind? We know angels (especially archangels) can talk to people, give them visions, show them things. The angels can read minds, see the truth inside people. They know their weaknesses. We know Lucifer could pose as the loved ones of people he wanted to possess, so they would say yes. Lucifer talked to Sam, even though Sam was supposedly protected from being found by angels. He posed as John from the inside of the cage.

I assume Michael can contact Dean from whereever he is. It is terrifying to not feel safe inside your own head.

Will Dean be now haunted by Michael? Gaslighted? Used as a personal peephole into the hunter community?

My first thought about Dean being released like this in 14x02 was that he was either being played with by being given a false sense of freedom (while Michael still very much has him in his power in some way), or, more likely, a trojan horse send into the bunker. Or, you know, both. 

I don’t think Michael is still inside Dean. I think he wouldn’t waste his precious time by laying low like this, unless he saw some big payoff in that - especially since he doesn’t actually need to get into the bunker physically. If anthing, he just needs information about the hunters. (Rewind once again to the time Cas said yes to Lucifer. Back then Lucifer needed to get his hands on stuff from from the bunker storage, so pretending to be Castiel and physically getting inside made perfect sense then.) Right now, I belive, what Michael needs is intelligence. He needs information. He needs a spy.

Michael could ride Dean up until he didn’t need him anymore, and then leave him behind in a state worse that Raphael’s vessel was in 5x03. And yet, he left him behind unscathed, for no apparent reason. 

He did it before, remember? He sent Kevin into the rebel headquaters to pretend to be left behind, to gain the trust and then fullfill the suicide mission by killing Mary, Bobby and other humans, and to break Jack’s spirit. 

He needs to gain knowledge of his enemies movements, but also needs to break his vessel. Dean proved to be hard to contain, his consent was not really a consent, more like a loophole. How much easier it would be to fight a war, to take over the world in a vessel that either is willing, or doesn’t care anymore. Or just wants the torture to end.

We know Michael is a sadist. He enjoys torturing people, he enjoys killing them slowly, seeing life leaving their eyes. He tortures them both mentally and physically. He wants to break their spirits, their will to fight. Is this what he is doing to Dean right now? Is he trying to break his will to fight? His will to live?

I guess we will se soon.  

[tinkdw]

I know I said I was wrong about the Kaia / Spear thing being what draws Michael out of Dean but... That isn’t actually what happened?

Michael got kebabed sure but he didn’t get kicked out because of it. He just yelled and grabbed his arm because it harmed him sure, but he’s still inside Dean and otherwise fine, then it cuts.

He wasn’t expelled by it.

We still don’t know how / why he left. It wasn’t the spear, based on what we’ve seen anyway. He could have chosen to or it’s something else. Likely he chose to because of the spear and his “hunted become the hunter” agenda, lbr.

Just putting that out there because I was so focused on nutting up and admitting I was wrong that I didn’t actually pause to think you know what, I wasn’t actually. This isn’t what happened.