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#and ANGEL SIBLINGS??? MY FAVORITE CAS TROPE ANGEL SIBLINGS???
woundlingus · 5 months
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For fanfic ask game
Quote one of your fics out of context
What headcanon do you always include in your stories?
What trope is your favorite to write?
What trope is your favourite to write?
I’d have to say darkfic, regardless of what it is I write who the paring is or what the content I’m writing about is, I always find my way back to at least some sort of uncomfortable undertone. The obvious stuff is the noncon, but even fluffier fics have an edge of “oh, this isn’t what the POV thinks this is”. I don’t think I have a single WIP in my drafts either that doesn’t have that dark tint over it. Lokiel and baby Slepinir? Trauma. Lokiel meet cute? They got there via an attempted suicide. My imagination has always run on the darker side, I’ve been trying to lean away from physical horror to psychological.
What headcanon do you always include in your stories?
A fair few run through all of my fics, I almost always reference a relationship between Gabriel and Loki. I also don’t treat the angels as siblings but as members of a congregation and I’d like to argue that’s what’s canon but it gets a little dicey with con culture existing to counter canon and becoming just as much canon as the show itself to fandom. It’s how you get actors saying their characters were the best of literal brothers and then Cas and Hannah nearly fucking in s10 and me getting put on a list for being a degenerate despite technically being correct. I pull from real mythos as well, and not just the Bible but folk stories, in vastly immortal creatures it helps to round them out a little with a background that’s easily connectable or sometimes just up the most obscure thing you could imagine. Frequently one sided noncon samifer comes up too, especially in the post 13 sabriel stuff.
Quote one of your fics out of context
(Unpublished, but-)
Slowly, and as best he could manage, Gabriel started to pull himself forward. There was no use standing, his vessel was so slight and short of stature that he would lose balance and fall, and that would be an inefficient use of energy. He submitted himself to the crawl, the humiliation of it would be nothing on being found buried under snow by his brother, coming to tut disappointedly at him. He could hear their sneering tones in the back of his mind and the anger kept him warm enough to push on.
‘Can’t even fall properly.’
Fuck you, Raphael. Life is easy when you live up Michael’s ass.
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chintzwife · 2 years
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okay i saw people on here mention cinderwings one too many times and i streamed it all day today all like 181k words or whatever and. GOLD
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becauseofthebowties · 2 years
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Here I am with a huge THANK YOU to everyone who participated in my 6k follower milestone & 10-year tumblrversary celebration!!! I was once again blown away by all your incredible creations, and so grateful that so many of you chose to share your talent and creativity with the fandom during this event, you’re all AMAZING!!! 💖💖💖
This round-up post lists all the wonderful creations that were posted for this event, so please check them all out and support your local content creators by reblogging them if you haven’t already! You can also find all of these in my #bowties6k tag on my blog if that’s easier.
🎀 Day 1: cowboys // joy // pink
tombstone destiel gifset by @chrrispine regarding dean gifset by @winchestergifs pink s13 destiel gifset by @heartcastiel pink destiel + ‘heaven can wait’ edit by @savingpeople-huntingthings pink spn gifset by @inacatastrophicmind pink happy tfw2.0 gifset by @seasononesam pink cowboy garth gifset by @xofemeraldstars pink tombstone destiel + ‘cowboy like me’ gifset by @bebecas pink castiel gifset by @castheology pink dean + cowboys ‘john wayne’ amv by @carveredlund pink happy cowboys destiel art by @haloedmoon pink kissing cowboys destiel art by @faithlesshunter pink cowboy dean ‘stripper’ eurovisionatural art by @solarcas pink tombstone destiel gifset by me
🎀 Day 2: broadwaynatural // angels // blue
blue castiel + angelic tropes gifset by @lengthofropes blue destiel + ‘ten minutes ago’ (cinderella) gifset by @greatcometcas winchesters + ‘wait for it’ (hamilton) edit by @accountantcas castiel + ‘i wanna be your slave’ gifset by @angelfishofthelord ‘that’s not my name: castiel edition’ gifset by @chrrispine destiel + ‘touch me’ (spring awakening) gifset by @winchestergifs dean + ‘without you’ (rent) gifset by @bebecas blue spn gifset by @inacatastrophicmind dean + ‘soldier & rose’ (ghost quartet) gifset by @seasononesam blue angel cas + ‘the way back’ (jekyll & hyde) edit by @lunacastiel blue angels gifset by @xofemeraldstars blue castiel holy terror gifset by @castheology 'angels are watching over you...‘ destiel art by @abidraws destiel + ‘til him’ (the producers) gifset by @agentplant s4 destiel (cas pov) + ‘defying gravity’ (wicked) gifset by me
🎀 Day 3: siblings // home // green
green max & alicia banes gifset by @greatcometcas sam & dean swan song gifset by @winchestergifs green spn gifset by @inacatastrophicmind green sam & dean gifset by @seasononesam green cas & gabriel gifset by @xofemeraldstars sam & dean edit by @lunacastiel green 1901!cas gifset by @castheology sam & dean + rock, paper, scissors gifset by me
🎀 Day 4: parallels // falling // purple
spn destiel // our flag means death parallels gifset by @chrrispine spn destiel // teen wolf parallel gifset by @winchestergifs purple spn gifset by @inacatastrophicmind purple spn pilot john/mary // sam/jess parallel gifset by @seasononesam purple emmanuel!cas // regarding dean parallel gifset by @xofemeraldstars purple rowena // sam falling parallel gifset by @altarofrowena spn destiel // gilmore girls parallel gifset by @solarcas purple claire in ladies drink free gifset by @castheology purple destiel +’gold rush’ parallel gifset by @bebecas spn destiel // good omens parallel gifset by @agentplant spn // the boys parallels gifset by me
🎀 Day 5: favorite episode(s) // flowers // red
spn ‘blood’ amv by @savingpeople-huntingthings red destiel fimm gifset by @xofemeraldstars red spn gifset by @inacatastrophicmind red fan fiction gifset by @seasononesam hunteri heroici gifset by @chrrispine cas i’m no angel + red flowers edit by @lunacastiel lazarus rising gifset by @heartcastiel regarding dean gifset by @altarofrowena red castiel heaven and hell art by @solarcas favorite episodes compilation gifset by @winchestergifs favorite episodes compilation gifset by @bebecas favorite episodes compilation gifset by me
🎀 Day 6: minor character(s) // grief // gold
billie/rowena funeralia edit by @ulfie-by-osmosis missouri moseley gifset by @youre-only-gay-once claire & jody wayward sisters gifset by @winchestergifs gold charlie gifset by @chrrispine gold spn gifset by @inacatastrophicmind special children gifset by @seasononesam ash gifset by @hailmaryfullofdeath gold castiel edit by @lunacastiel butch!claire art by @solarcas black creole benny art by @transbearbenny jody mills gifset by me
🎀 Mixed prompts
destiel + falling/grief/flowers + blue/gold/red art by @faithlesshunter
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browniesarethebest · 3 years
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I posted 358 times in 2021
30 posts created (8%)
328 posts reblogged (92%)
For every post I created, I reblogged 10.9 posts.
I added 138 tags in 2021
#anon - 24 posts
#ask - 18 posts
#spn fic - 14 posts
#spn - 14 posts
#sam is god - 13 posts
#sam winchester is god - 12 posts
#supernatural - 11 posts
#anonymous - 11 posts
#sam winchester - 11 posts
#send me a trope and i'll grade it - 10 posts
Longest Tag: 111 characters
#and i could have honestly just done the 1st 10 chapters of a robin in a nest of bats since they're all oneshots
My Top Posts in 2021
#5
Recently I read about how scientists successfully cloned an endangered ferret, and now I can’t get it out of my head of Dean running around calling Gabriel and Castiel to try and stop God!Sam from recreating the dinosaurs. Cas ends up actually trying to help Dean, while Gabriel gives his Amnesic Dad tips on what the animals actually looked like. The rest of the angels think it’s a great idea that Daddy wants to bring back some of his lost creations that aren’t humans
Lol, imagine the possibilities.
On the other hand, I could totally see the opposite.
Dean: Dude, we could actually make Jurassic Park.
Sam: You do realize that ended horribly for everyone, and it was a message about not playing God, right?
Dean: Yeah, but that doesn’t apply to you because you’re actually God.
Sam: :l
Meanwhile: 
Castiel: I don’t think this would be a good idea. What if they got loose and ate the humans?
Every angel, who Castiel knows damn well despise humans with their entire being: What if they got loose and ate the humans.
Gabriel: Film it and make Jurassic Park 4.
9 notes • Posted 2021-03-05 04:51:05 GMT
#4
Yall know that tumblr post about child jesus being weird, right?
So imagine that but with little Sammy Winchester. 
Like, he spouts weird shit about the devil and when he’s particularly invested in a book at the library sometimes you’ll see the other books hovering just slightly off the tables and shelves (but they can’t really be floating) and if some kid is bullying another he’ll stare real long and hard and a few days later you’ll hear “did you hear about poor Tommy? That car came out of nowhere.”
And you’ll look over and see him on the street corner holding his brother’s hand staring right at your very soul until his brother tugs on his hand with a “Come on, Sammy.” and you’re released from a hold you didn’t know he had on you as he turns and smiles and says “Okay, Dean!” and they walk away.
15 notes • Posted 2021-05-29 22:20:39 GMT
#3
I love your reverse bat family AU in ao3 ( good sibling Damian and elder Damian are one of my favorite tropes, especially bonding with his siblings). I noticed that when they met canon batfamily Damian said to Jason he also died . Can you write a fic where older Damian dies and the reaction of the family ( maybe angst at the beginning and later a little fluff).i love that they are spoiling Dick but I want to see them showing their love to Damian, as the oldest(he should die after Dick joined)
Just for clarification, I was talking about the Heretic, which in my mind happened in this universe when Damian was a kid, but I’m down to write this.
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For the first time in a long time, the Manor was quiet.
It was unnerving to Bruce, who had not known true silence since before even Damian had joined him at the Manor. 
The thought of his oldest had him fighting back tears. Bruce knew loss intimately. He had thought nothing would ever come close to the pain he had felt the night his parents were murdered, but he was wrong.
This was agony.
Despite their field, Bruce had never lost one of his children before. Friends, coworkers, sure.
But this...
What was he supposed to do?
It took every ounce of his training not to scream in rage and throw one of his glass paperweights into the wall.
There was nothing to research—no villain to hunt down anymore. There was nothing for him to do.
His son was dead.
See the full post
23 notes • Posted 2021-11-06 00:57:45 GMT
#2
Zombie AU
A Reverse Batfamily Fic
Summary: An AU of my AU. Zombies.
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Dick held onto the back of Damian’s shirt tightly. He wanted to hold Damian’s hand, but the older man needed both hands for using weapons in case they ran into any monsters (and Dick didn’t just mean zombies. Humans could be just as bad, as he had unfortunately learned).
“Dami?” Dick whispered and tugged on Damian’s shirt. “‘M tired.”
Damian peered down at Dick, who stared up at him with watery eyes. Damian had been keeping them going all day, believing that staying on the move would be their best bet at staying alive.
After all, they had both learned the hard way that nowhere would be safe forever.
Damian sighed and looked around. He refused to go anywhere near the big cities, knowing that they would be swarming with the undead. The woods were okay to walk in during the day. It was great cover from human enemies, and they could climb trees and sleep in them for the night if need be. However, the woods did not hold the supplies they needed, and he knew that Richard did not like sleeping in a tree for more than one night. The duo tended to travel at the edge of the woods, making stops in small towns for supplies and a bed. 
Damian took a look at the map and looked at Dick. “The next town is about fifteen minutes away. Can you make it that far?”
Dick hesitated for a moment before nodding. They continued on—Damian striding forward confidently while Dick peered around fearfully. Dick didn’t like showing fear. Watching Bruce and his siblings, as well as fighting villains as Robin, had taught him not to. But then the zombies came, and that had changed things. Dick peered up at Damian before lowering his eyes, guilt churning in his chest.
Everything was different now, and it was all his fault.
See the full post
29 notes • Posted 2021-08-27 15:20:54 GMT
#1
can you make a reverse batfam fic where dick and steph are bonding and she’s the best big sister ever?
Dick had days where he spent all day with one sibling (or two, in the case of Jason, as Tim was always there to chaperone, so their days were combined into one). Dick’s day with Cass was quiet. His day with Tim and Jason was chaotic.
His day with Stephanie was just fun.
Stephanie and him were the brightest and chattiest of the family—to put it in a few terms. On days it was just the two of them, they spent their time doing all the fun things the rest of the family either never wanted to do or would break out into a fight if they did participate.
Today, Stephanie was taking him bowling.
Normally, this would be a fun activity for the whole family, but Steph and him took this time to goof off and try to make the most ridiculous bowl, which would have annoyed at least Jason, who was very impatient for his turn, and Damian, who took competitive activities like this seriously.
Afterword whatever activity they had decided to do that day, they would go for ice cream, where they would get the craziest combination of toppings they could think of. Their bowls would be spilling toppings as they made their way to a table, and if Bruce could see their monstrosities he would lecture them for days. Stephanie and Dick didn’t care. Bruce just liked to suck the fun out of things, as Stephanie always said. Besides, Stephanie was 18 and, according to her, that meant she could do whatever she wanted.
Dick couldn’t wait to be 18.
On this particular day, as Dick shoveled his sugar bomb concoction into his mouth and laughed at Stephanie’s antics, he couldn’t help but compare himself to Stephanie. Of everyone in the Manor, Dick believed that he and Stephanie were the most similar. They were the most expressive, the bubbliest, and the most fun. Jason was cool, and their closeness in age made similarities between them easier to find, but Jason was pretty different too. He liked to read books, and sometimes he thought he was too old to play (which he totally wasn’t because Stephanie and Tim and Cass played with him all the time). Tim told him Jason was just going through a phase where he was trying to act older. 
Dick thought that was stupid.
Dick loved all of his siblings equally, but he really cherished the days where it was just him and Stephanie. He liked his quiet days with Cass and Damian. He liked his chaotic days with Jason and Tim. The fun days with Stephanie, however, were the easiest. He didn’t have to pull emotions out of her. He didn’t have to ask for affection for she easily gave it of her own accord. She talked just as much as he did, so he didn’t have to worry that he was annoying her or if she was actually listening, which he still did occasionally. The fear of being kicked out or thrown back into juvie had never truly left him, and sometimes he still worried of pushing too far, especially with Bruce and Damian, the latter’s temper often being thin.
“Hey,” Stephanie’s chipper voice interrupted his thoughts, “you wanna go to the arcade after this? I’m building up tickets to get that giant Spoiler plushie.”
Dick grinned. “Yeah! You think they’re gonna have Robin stuff soon? That would be cool!”
Stephanie laughed and stood, ruffling Dick’s hand with one hand while she gathered their trash with the other. “Maybe! That would be fun. Then we can complete our collection!”
After throwing out their trash, Stephanie let Dick climb onto her back and carried him to the arcade a few blocks over. They spent a few hours there, Dick cheering Stephanie on as she scored perfectly in ski ball and basketball. They were pretty evenly matched at Dance Dance Revolution and air hockey, but Dick totally kicked her ass at one of the racing games, which how?
(Answer: Tim often took Jason and him to the arcade to burn off energy, so Dick had a lot of hours logged.)
When it got close to dinner time, Dick and Stephanie went over to the ticket counter. Dick graciously gave her some of his tickets to put her over the amount needed to get the Spoiler plushie and used the rest to get himself some cheaper Batman- and Shadowbat-themed toys and stickers. Stephanie gave him a big kiss on the cheek as a thank you. They left, waiting outside the arcade for Alfred to pick them up after Stephanie texted him their location.
“This was fun,” Stephanie said, grinning down at Dick as she hefted the giant plushie higher in her arms.
“Lots of fun!” Dick replied, beaming back. “You’re definitely the funnest!”
Stephanie laughed and wrapped an arm around Dick. As he snuggled into her side, eyelids drooping in contentment, he couldn’t help but recall his thoughts from earlier.
Dick loved all of his siblings equally, but Dick thought Stephanie was the only one who truly understood him.
34 notes • Posted 2021-05-15 20:20:00 GMT
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kissingcullens · 3 years
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Thinking of Sam and Castiel falling in love and taking such gentle care of each other!!!
🥺🥰🐝🌻🌼🌸🌸🌸
It makes my brain go BRRRRRRR — I relate to them both so much and thinking of them being LOVED and APPRECIATED is just all I want for them.
Watching Season 7 and the Amy arc, especially “The Mentalists” episode, made me realize that Dean IS my ex girlfriend; he has been actively beating Sam down since Season 4, and in that episode he used all my ex’s favorite manipulation tactics:
Dean betrayed Sam’s trust and Sam is devastated, furious, mourning. He firmly tells Dean he needs some time alone... maybe even to separate for good.
The first chance he gets, Dean BARRELS right through Sam’s firmly established boundary. Dean knows once he’s got his foot in the door, he’s got the power to control the interaction, and he’s won.
When Sam isn’t rolling over and appeasing Dean with the unconditional“everything is Okay!” emotional support he wants, Dean becomes angry and aggressively confronts Sam, saying that he did nothing wrong and isn’t sorry...
He tells Sam he’s acting like a jerk and “being a bitch.”
In the end, Sam (who was once so defiant and strong in interactions with their abusive father) comes back to Dean with no conditions and forgives him, and Dean relaxes and becomes happy and affectionate again. (Until Sam brings up Dean’s drinking)
I’m told Dean treats Castiel much the same way over the course of the show, which I absolutely believe.
Castiel is already someone who is selfless to a fault, utterly loyal, ready to sacrifice his life at ANY MOMENT, and Dean simply expects this level of loyalty as his due and becomes irate when Cas shows even an inkling of doing something at odds with Dean’s will.
Makes me think about the common D*stiel trope of “Castiel worships Dean as his new God,”
—Interesting because Dean is another “God” who expects absolute obedience, and whose behavior is more in line with the authoritarian Heaven than it is with Castiel’s belief in free will, in revolution, in the sacredness of humanity, and in the possibility of true freedom and creating life outside the lines without a map. (HM actually that sounds more like... Sam...)
I was so sick and angry about the way the show frames Dean as always being in the right, especially during Season 4, and now again in Season 7, that I don’t think I’ll be watching any more. (Which sucks; I do love Castiel and Sam more than I ever expected to and I’d love to watch for them)
ANYWAY I say all that to say that I identify HARD with both Sam and Castiel and it makes me feel SO HAPPY to think of them finding love together. It’s what they DESERVE!!
Castiel, who is a being of pure grace and infinite devotion, who wants to give his entire being to Love... loving Sam, who is limitlessly kind and caring and good and brave. 🥺🌈💕
Both of them rebels who defied their father and siblings, who represent everything they were raised to loathe and fear: an Angel with “a crack in the chassis,” and a Demonic “freak” who would be hunted if he weren’t family (and nobody ever lets him forget it)
Two people who were always out of place in their own home, who never fit in and who couldn’t pretend to be normal; manipulated and outcast and dragged back time and again to serve a family who could not accept them and who would not let them go.
The two of them thriving with their son!! The nephil who was made to feel like an abomination and a monster, but who Sam and Castiel ALWAYS loved; always believed in.
And honestly? On a Meta level, I like to imagine them escaping the narrative of both abusive canon AND abusive fanon that trapped them all in a static, rose-colored nightmare fantasy of living with your abuser (but now they’re kind and gentle!) forever
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nat-20s · 4 years
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MEDIA THAT I RECOMMEND YOU CONSUME INSTEAD OF SUPERNATURAL FOR BOTH HEART AND HEALTH BROKEN DOWN BY TYPE OF MEDIA AND WHY YOU MIGHT LIKE IT IF AT ANY POINT YOU, LIKE MY POOR POOR SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD SELF, WERE INVESTED IN THIS ABSOLUTE GARBAGE FIRE OF A SHOW
with apologies to anyone on mobile who’s readmore function APPARENTLY doesn’t work
(I haven’t watched supernatural for at least five years and, given any sort of luck, I will never do so again, do not @ me)
hello babes. I am talking to you know bc I keep seeing supernatural, unironically, on my dash, and I think we can all do better. I see what’s happening and I think: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU3i_o5Xd4g
Supernatural is fudge stripes. You are Megan. We can fix this.
So a list of alternate things that I think are overall better written/characterized/just generally more enjoyable that might scratch some of those itches:
TV SHOWS
Good Omens
okay look if u were on tumblr last year u probably already watched this show but like. If u haven’t, it’s only six episodes babe and there’s a large enough fandom that u can go down a fanart hole for days on end
Basic summary: the antichrist has reached that lovely young age where he’s supposed to bring about the apocalypse. An angel and a demon who have decided that actually they like the world as is, thank you very much, try to stop the end times. They’re not very good at it though, which makes for a comedy of errors.
Shared elements with supernatural that you might Vibe with: theologic (mostly christian) exploration/parody/imagery without inherently being a religious show. Fighting off the apocalypse narrative, which I think pretty much always goes hard as hell, but that’s just me. There’s a gay angel who’s socially awkward. There’s a fun very British demon. Touches on the hierarchies of heaven and hell, with framing Heaven as a bureaucracy and blurs the differences between angels and demons.  Pining. Tenderness. A deep nostalgia for 80s music, though in this case it’s specifically queen, and who doesn’t love queen. Main character has a weirdly strong bond with his black vintage car.  Satan is (sort of) fought.
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Gravity Falls
sometimes...things that are kids shows...with a set story and a predetermined ending...are better
(also this isn’t relevant to any of what I’m talking about but I really appreciate that Gravity Falls specifically went against the thing that most begged me about ATLA aka that a 15 year old girl would be like yeah I’m into a 12 year old boy because the 12 year old boy has a crush on me and I apparently don’t get to really have a say in this. How does that make sense.)
Basic Summary: Twelve year old twins Dipper and Mabel go to stay with their Grunkle Stan for the summer in a small Oregon town called Gravity Falls. Turns out this town is filled with all sorts of strange phenomena that they often have to confront, work around, learn about, or befriend!
Shared elements with supernatural that you might Vibe with: The core focus of the show is a close sibling duo, but like It’s obvious that the siblings actually like and love each other and while they have their spats it’s still incredibly clear that they deeply care about each other even with their differences LIKE SORRY SUPERNATURAL YOU CAN’T JUST TELL ME THAT SIBLINGS CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER AND THEN THEY SPEND ALL THEIR TIME FIGHTING AND LYING TO EACH OTHER AND GENERALLY ACTING LIKE THEY CAN’T STAND EACH OTHER’S COMPANY BUT THEN OOOHHH YOU CRY ON TOP OF THE HOOD OF A CAR EVERY THREE EPISODE AND SUDDENLY THEY’RE SOULMATES OR WHATEVER
Anyway. Yeah. GF has a solid sibling dynamic. Monster of the week that builds up to greater over-arching plot. A little bit of body horror, you know, for humor. Fair amount of meta humor playing with the tropes of the genre. A Good Ol Big Bad that tries to pit the siblings against each other. Have to fight the apocalypse (you’ll see this point on like a good half of these recs, I really like ‘what are we gonna do about Armageddon’ media). Interesting creature design. Planned, satisfying ending (which supernatural absolutely does not have, but I still think if it had ended with the season 5 finale like it uhh  pretty obviously was supposed to, that would sort of counted. Don’t revive shows that have clearly already told their stories kids.) Tie in media that gives you some fun extra stories when you miss the characters. (yes I read some of the supernatural novels when I was a c h i l d, yes I’m pretty sure there’s one or two of them still buried somewhere on my laptop, no I don’t wanna talk about it.) Older father figure (?) who owns a tbh kind of shitty shop. Both already in place and found family.
It’s a good show, and it’s two seasons. John Mulaney Voice: I dunno it’s 40 episodes
MINI REC ALERT! (mini recs are basically things that I’m not gonna go into detail about for whatever reason [probably either due to i’m not familiar enough with it OR I just don’t like. Have a bunch to say about it in regards to how it will scratch the itches presented to u by spn] but still seem like a Good Watch)
Mini Rec: Over The Garden Wall. Spooky Kids Media! Episodic! Miniseries so you can watch it in like 2 hours! Cool ass Animation! About two brothers encountering said spooky stuff! Big Bad tries to pit brothers against each other! Might haunt you for the rest of your life! Check it out!
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The Haunting of Bly Manor
I think about this show every goddamn day of my life. (Also not relevant but Greg Sestero makes a brief cameo in it and I was like hi greg my friend greg!)
Basic Summary: An girl named Dani, while staying in London, decides to take on an Au Pair job for two young children, an older brother named Miles (age 10) and the younger sister Flora (age 8) at the spoooooky and mysteeerious Bly Manor, and she gets far more than she bargained for.
Shared elements with supernatural that you might Vibe with: Okay so supernatural doesn’t actually do this but I know I KNOW why we let ourselves be queerbaited in 2012. Four words for you: CENTRAL! GAY! TRAGIC! ROMANCE! You want some pining? Some tenderness? Some LOVE? Some dealing with internalized homophobia but no, like, actual violent onscreen homophobia? HAVE I GOT THE SHOW FOR YOU. If ur favorite episodes where the ones that make you sob (for me it was kevin’s death on god), I recommend this show. If you wished that supernatural literally ever had consequences or perma deaths or didn’t retcon major plot events like every five goddamn episodes so that there could be some exploration of like grief and trauma through the lens of/ higher stakes of horror, I recommend this show. If you really do stay up at night picturing a supernatural that wasn’t made by dumbass cishettie white men hack writers but was actually allowed to have Dean and Cas be in love over the course of the show so they could have like actual development and not the most homophobic gay reveal of all time, I recommend this show. Hell, if you just want a banger ghost story in general, I recommend this show.
As for what they actually have in common: horror setting/aesthetic without actually being all that scary most of the time. A strong sibling duo, though they’re not nearly as much of the focus of Bly Manor. Found family. Strong themes of grief. Questions of what turns someone into a monster (and done much better) An actual, much better noble sacrifice done out of love. Escalation of stakes until there’s a big final confrontation. Semi-big bad trying to tear this family apart. Found and pre-installed family. Sad orphans.
Watch this show. Vibe with me. Cry with me. Yell at me about Owen Sharma
MINI REC ALERT!
Haunting of Hill House- spiritual predecessor to Haunting of Bly Manor, though they’re not actually the same universe/story. However, it’s made by the same dude and has a shared aesthetic/sensibilities/some of the cast. This is only a mini rec bc I haven’t actually seen it, but I’ve heard good things and that it, while much more heavily leaning into family dynamics, has similar themes of exploring Grief and Trauma through ghooossstttsss.
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Community
Okay I know that this may seem like a Wild rec considering community is a school sitcom with basically Zero paranormal elements but just like. Hear me out. And no this isn’t just because I think it’s a realy good show and I want more people to watch it, though that is a factor. If I was just recommending comedies that I think are good and more people should watch regardless of them serving as a replacement for supernatural I would demand you all go watch Galavant and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. I’m gonna demand it anyway. Everyone go watch Galavant and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Now back to your original program:
Basic Summary: A group of students at Greendale Community College form a Spanish study group, and things quickly go Off The Fucking Rails in the best way possible.
Shared elements with supernatural that you might Vibe with: All right I’m gonna be real honest this rec is for all of my (correct) bitches who’s favorite episodes of Supernatural were French Mistake, Changing Channels, and/or Mystery Spot. You think if Supernatural would’ve been fucking fantastic if it had been a committed comedy instead of a CW melodrama that occasionally landed some admittedly really fucking funny episodes/concepts, Community (and the movies on this list) will gently take you into its loving arms and give you everything you desire. It’s about the Meta comedy. It’s about the discussion, exploration, and subversion of common tropes within the format. It’s about the grand use of group/ found family dynamics in order to max both the goofs and the heart. It’s about fantastic callbacks. It’s about having one of the few “asshole with a heart of gold” leads I can actually stand because. You know. Growth. It’s about the INCREDIBLE genre and  pop culture parody. Which genre do they parody, you ask. All of them. They parody all the genres. The glee parody episode is a fucking masterpiece of television. If you don’t want to watch a show that features a Halloween party where everyone turns into zombies and the ABBA discography blasts in the background, you can stop reading right now, because I can guarantee you won’t be interested in a damn thing I have to say.
MINI REC ALERT: The X-Files. I’ve also never seen this but a: everything I’ve seen out of context has been fantastically weird and delightful b: it appears that there’s a general consensus that Scully and Mulder are one of the only valid straight couples so it’s probably pretty fun and c: let’s all be honest. Supernatural was already basically an x-files rip off, it had like half of their original writers swiped from the x-files crew, I’m pretty sure if you liked especially the first couple of seasons of supernatural, you’re gonna like the X-files.
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Subcategory: TV SHOWS ( A WHOLE TWO OF ‘EM, OR MORE LIKE ONE AND HALF IF YOU WANNA GET TECHNICAL) I’M SPECIFICALLY RECOMMENDING FOR THAT COCAINE HIT OF PURE UNADULTERATED UNCUT 2012 TUMBLR NOSTALGIA
BBC Merlin
Yes, I know the show ended in 2010. Yes, it still provides that 2012 Tumblr nostalgia. 2012 Tumblr is a feeling, not an actual time period.
I love this stupid show. I plan on rewatching it all over the month of January. I harbor a deep amount of fondness for it. It’s why every time I see literally any depiction of Merlin I get just so fucking excited, and why I’ve consumed as many ridiculous Arthurian adaptations as I have (side note: my two favorite other ridiculous Arthurian legend adaptation are Avalon High, a DEEPLY silly DCOM that is required viewing to level up friendship with me, and The Kid Who Would Be King, which is the only movie that I think truly understands the comedic potential of playing a King Arthur Adaptation mostly straight but everyone in it is 12. I’m not sure it intended to be as fucking funny as it was, but again, they’re all middle schoolers. I have never been more jealous of an actor than I was of the 22 year old that got to play a 16 year old dumbass Merlin who was sometimes also Patrick Stewart and did all of his magic with ridiculous hand gestures That should’ve been me that should’ve been me that should’ve been me. Also Sword in the Stone by TH White is pretty good, because Merlin knows germ theory in the fantasy 400’s and he just uses it to be petty mostly. Also listen to High Noon Over Camelot by The Mechanisms. Also Also I tend to prefer family friendly adaptations because they don’t have the uhhh. You know. Incest and sexual violence of the original legend. Love to Not have that shit!) Whether you watched it initially and are due for a rewatch, or you’re intrigued enough by the concept of the show to watch it for the first time, you should join me on this wild wild ride.
Basic Summary: You know who Guinevere, Arthur, and Merlin are, come on. BBC said let’s make em all YOUNG let’s make em SEXY let’s make em FAMILY FRIENDLY and let’s make magic REALLY SEEM LIKE A THINLY VEILED ALLEGORY FOR BEING GAY BUT TO THIS DAY IM NOT SURE IF THAT WAS INTENTIONAL OR NOT BUT IT SURE SEEMS LIKE IT WAS. @ THE BBC MERLIN CREATORS WHAT IS THE TRUTH BECAUSE THERE WAS SOME INTERVI-
Basic Summary but like a bit more helpful: A BABY version of Merlin (and by baby I mean like 20 year old.) is sent from his small town to the big city the Kingdom of Camelot to find his destiny. Staying with the town physician and friend of his mom’s, Gaius, he ends up as both his assistant and personal manservant to Prince Arthur. But in a kingdom where magic is punished with death and the prince seems hell bent on getting himself into situations that are going to kill him, the young sorcerer has his more than his share of work cut out for him.
Shared elements with supernatural that you might Vibe with: Primo supremo queerbaiting. Like, yeah, okay, it’s queerbaiting, you know it’s queerbaiting, but you watch some of the scenes and ur like okay. I know why I let this bait me. Obviously with a modern show, I would expect more, I would expect better, I would raise my standards, but I gotta admit. Some of these scenes are fuckin compelling as hell, and the subtext is like barely sub. Monster of the week shenanigans. Some awful CGI creatures but like a charming awful. Like the kind of awful that tells you their very limited budget was more focused on cool swords than realistic creatures. Episodic stories build into a more overarching plot, with things getting darker in season 4/5. Shitty father that end up eating shit and while the son of said father is rightfully conflicted and upset over the death it’s cathartic and victorious as all hell for the audience. Multiple hot evil women, and I love hot evil women. There’s also nice hot women, which is a bonus. These women don’t all immediately stupidly die, so that’s a nice change. Also like a LOT of sarcastic humor and shenanigans if u like Sass Merlin is there for u personally name a more iconic line than “Oh I’m sorry, how long have you been training to be a prat, my lord?” AND THAT’S IN THE FIRST FUCKIN EPISODE brilliant amazing fantastic show stopping. Also you know those like dumb hijink episodes where like Dean was possessed by the spirit of a dog or some shit? You bet your bottom fuckin dollar BBC Merlin has those kinds of storylines. Also I know some people go to spn bc it had that HUGE fanbase and like BBC Merlin’s fanbase is still SURPRISINGLY poppin even though it’s been a decade since there was new content so like. Have fun!
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Doctor Who but Specifically the RTD Era
Look I’m not here to say that the first four seasons of reboot doctor who are the only good doctor who or inherently better than all the rest (though the RTD era is my favorite personally) BUT when ur seekin that sweet sweet superwholock frenzy nostalgia, this is the ‘who’ that is being referred to. Also like. Stan 9. We should all collectively stan the ninth doctor. Chris Eccleston, the Objectively Best Famous Chris, deserved better.
Basic Summary: An immortal alien that goes by “The Doctor” travels across time and space with a variety of different companions, often to try and save the day or fix a (sometimes self created) mess. It’s distilled campy sci-fi with a family friendly tone that has made me cry on several occasions.
Shared elements with supernatural that you might Vibe with: Monster of the week that, you guessed it, builds into bigger overarching plot style narrative. Fighting off the apocalypse, but like every couple of weeks because worlds are in danger a LOT. A semi-tragic romance that made people go absolutely buck fuckin wild bc pining n shit. Wamen, but they aren’t fridged. (actually for real though none of the main women die and I just think that’s really fun and flirty even though I could go on a COMPLETELY SEPARATE rant about the injustice of one of the character’s ending YES season 4 is my favorite season and one of my favorite pieces of media ever and I am currently actively recommending it to you  YES im still fucking pissed over how it ended YES we exist) Specifically, a Wonderful and Very Excellent woman named Donna who goes on a spa trip that doesn’t end up going very well. That seems like a highly specific example, and it is, but it did happen in both shows. (Also, to anyone that continued watching SPN after like idk season 9 what happened to Donna? I always liked her and I know she became a recurring character so like DM whatever probably injustice was the end of her story line pls and thank you) I’m also extra specifically recommending for Supernatural Fans and also The World At Large:  Season Four of Reboot Who. I rewatched it last year and it still goes so fucking hard. Donna Noble is the best character in existence. In regards to the appeal for SPN, personally I think the best part of SPN was when people who are soulmates went on adventures and tried to save the day and it was a good mix of banter and sincerity AND GUESS WHAT’S BASICALLY THE ENTIRETY OF SEASON 4 OF DOCTOR WHO. It’s so good y’all I wish Everything was about soulmates going on adventures and trying to save the day.
OKAY TV SHOWS DONE TIME FOR M O V I E S which I don’t have nearly as many recs for but uhh here goes
What We Do In The Shadows/ Shaun of the Dead
I’m lumping these two together bc my reasons for recommending them are largely the same, and I would call them tonally similar enough that if you like one you’ll probably like the other
Basic Summary (Shaun of The Dead): Uh-oh! London’s had a break out of some of that good ol’ zombieism. Shaun and friends decide to hunker down in a local bar, but they have to get there first. Will they survive? Will they fuck up some zom zoms? Who’s to say?
Basic Summary (What We Do In The Shadows): Some vampire roommates dick around. I think there’s technically, like, a plot, but it’s really just about some vampires Doin Their Thing. Vibin.
Shared elements with supernatural that you might Vibe with: This is kind of similar to the Community recommendation, in that supernatural had the opportunity to be one of those things that was both a parody of a genre but also just a really good example of the genre. WWDITS and SotD are both those things for vampire and zombly movies, respectively. Have the aesthetic and some of the themes of a horror but is not actually all that scary. Horror Comedy is a god tier genre and I don’t know why it’s not more widespread. Fun monsters/cast of characters in general, so at least one person in it is probably going to make you go “oh gender” ya know? With SotD you have the fantasy power trip that comes with like any piece of media that involves hunting monsters. With WWDITS I go “yep that’s how bisexuals dress” and I Will Not Clarify which character I’m talking about.
MINI REC ALERT: All of Taika Watiti’s filmography. Thor:Ragnarok is one of like 3 marvel movies that I consider genuinely fucking fantastic completely independent of the MCU and my own tendency to be like “hurr bdurr I love. Superheros”. For the one that is most tonally like Supernatural But Significantly Better and Written By Someone Competent I think I would say try out Hunt For The Wilderpeople. It’s got a reluctant curmudgeonly father figure and I KNOW some of you motherfuckers were so invested in spn when you were like 16 bc you had daddy issues. This is a callout post for my friend [REDACTED], who I should text to watch Hunt for the Wilderpeople, actually.  
MINI REC ALERT X2!!!: Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I’ve never seen it but it has both Winona Ryder AND Keanu Reaves so like. Goth bi rights.
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Happy Death Day (and Happy Death Day 2 U)
happy death day was one of those movies that I saw the trailer, went “eh”, heard other people say it was great, watched, and went holy fuck this slaps. Not nearly as much of a slasher film as the trailers implied if im remembering the trailer correctly
Basic Summary: Our main character Tree keeps waking up on the day she was murdered. The day resets every time that she dies. That’s right, it’s a time loop storey babey!!!!!!!!!!!
Shared elements with supernatural that you might Vibe with: If you were anything like me you were foolishly lulled into supernatural for way longer than you should’ve been on the promise that the characters would idk like grow and change and become better and learn lessons and some of that would be through the power of receiving love and kindness. You know. Like how good writers would do it especially if their main characters are kind of dicks that really should make some changes. Well, Happy Death Day fucking delivers on that promise in SPADES. It’s about growth! It’s about change! It’s about making the active decision to become a better person and putting effort into doing so! There’s heavy themes of like grief and trauma and acknowledging them and facing them head on in order to move on and the negative consequences of refusing to do so and just trying avoid it until it goes away. There’s a romance that makes my dumb little self do the pleading face emoji. Tree is also one of the only good asshole with a heart of gold characters. I also think media is improved by having at least one character that is a Good Good Boy (note: Good Good Boy character does not have to be a man.) and Happy Death Day has Carter. Oh on that note: Tree Voice: I’ve only had character for (the same repeating over and over) a day but if anything happens to him I’ll kill everyone here and then myself. Also the movie is funny so like hell yeah.
that’s all I got for relevant movies right now
BOOK RECS
jk i’m illiterate. Everyone should feel free to go ahead and add their own suggestions for this section The best I can do is uhhhh I think y’all would probably like Mira Grant’s novels, particularly the Newsflesh stories, bc sibling dynamics. Also the book The Haunting of Hill House is really good. Ballad of Black Tom slaps? There’s of course the Good Omens novel that the show was based on. I’m about to recommend some podcasts after this section which will include to Welcome to Nightvale because of course it will and the tie in novels for that slap, especially It Devours!, and I’m pretty sure they work as stories even if you know nothing about the podcast. Also also I think you should read “The Long Way to A Small, Angry Planet” by Becky Chambers It’s not thematically similar to supernatural at all but it’s one of my all time favorite sci fi novels and only like four people have read it which is a goddamn TRAVESTY.
Anyway yeah that’s it that’s all there is. Onto the medium that is like books but I can fold laundry or cook while consuming their narratives.
PODCAST RECS
Okay so this is getting uhhh wicked long so I’m gonna limit myself to only three full blown recs and a
mini rec
Alice Isn’t Dead
Fuck me running this show is so good. Literally hands down my all time favorite (and scariest!) horror podcast. Mamma mia, that’s a good fuckin story. The Book version is also good and has fewer Weird events but some further character development so I recommend them both.
Basic Summary: After her wife Alice disappears mysteriously, Keisha takes up a job as a long haul trucker, traveling all across America in order to find her, but ends up finding so much. Pursued by a deadly creature she calls The Thistle Man, the stakes of her journey are raised.
Shared elements with supernatural that you might Vibe with: okay so I have a lost of bullet points of things that appealed to me specifically about supernatural and how no other shows covers all of them which sucks bc it means I basically Yearn for a show that’s supernatural but good. Alice isn’t Dead, however, hits the most of these bullet points AND is so fucking good. It has monster hunting. It has stopping a cataclysmic event BUT also discussion of the cyclical nature of events such as these and how the fight never truly ends but you can make some fucking progress nonetheless. It has a central gay romance that’s actually a central gay romance. It’s the ONLY show on this list that really hits that the weird and dark underside of americana vibe but specifically the americana of not like suburbs and shit but that eerie haunted feeling you get when you’re hours into a late night drive on open roads with no civilization around and an expansive sky and it just Seems like something should be watching you. Have you ever been out for a walk at midnight and encountered a deer and you looked into each other’s eyes and it felt like it was telling you a message that you couldn’t possibly hope to parse? Have you ever felt an incredible sense of deja vu eating in a restaurant you couldn’t have possibly been in before, because you’ve been to a thousand diners a thousand times just like one, and there’s an incredibly sense of homogeneity even though you’re 2000 miles away from anyone and anything that could possibly know you? Have you ever traveled to an area that seems to be stuck in a bubble of time, the only thing that shows any evidence of having aged past 2006 being yourself, and you wonder how your cell phone even works around here? THAT’S the spooky americana I’m fuckin talking about! Messed up road trips! Too much goddamn space! America is scary because it’s big and Filled With Things but also Not Enough Things! Fuck yeah!!!!! That time bubble fuckin EXISTS in Wyoming the most recent song on the radio I heard was fuckin Hey Soul Sister!
Also has a thing where like are there even good guys and bad guys in a conflict or is it all just one umbrella nightmare that you’re trying to stand against in anyway possible (u kno..like how the overarching structures of both heaven and hell were kinda fucked in spn? No spoilers but similar shit be happenin in Alice Isn’t Dead). Exploration of what makes someone into a monster, like how do you go down that path? Also this is the only show on this whole damn list that southern gothic music really suits it so points for that.
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The Magnus Archives
You know I had to do it to ‘em.
Basic Summary: Jonathan Sims has just become the Head Archivist at the Magnus Institute, a “research” “facility” that looks into paranormal/esoteric/unexplained phenomena.
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John Mulaney Voice, Again: Nobody knows what the archivist is going to do next, least of all the archivist. He’s never been in an archives before, he’s just as confused as you are.
Shared elements with supernatural that you might Vibe with: Oh fuck this document is over 5k long I said I wasn’t gonna do this hhhhh so lipton lightning round: Slowburn Gay Romance but Actually Canon, Monster Hunting but Hey What Even Is A Monster Anyway, Acts Somewhat like a Loosely Connected Horror Anthology until it DOESNT, Little Things Build to Bigger Narrative, Characters Be Goin Through It (On God These People Need Therapy), Trying to Prevent/Fix The Apocalypse (X2!!!), Smug Asshole Big Bad,  Horror as a Metaphor For Various Shit, Basically if you thought that the Men of Letter concept slapped and you think it should’ve been the whole damn show including being Deeply British you would probably really fuckin like TMA. Also if ur like the ideal piece of media is a horror tragedy but also like it’s a wacky sitcom but also also fuck cops. U will like tma.
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Welcome to Nightvale
IF ANY 2012 TUMBLR FANDOM DESERVES TO MAKE A MASSIVE COMEBACK AND BE EVERYWHERE AGAIN AND ABSOLUTELY FLOOD MY DASH IT’S WELCOME TO NIGHTVALE WHY DID WE ABANDON THE SHOW THAT TREATED US THE MOST KINDLY DID YOU KNOW THAT EPISODES 108-110 ARE THE BEST FUCKING BUILT UP NARRATIVE REVEAL THAT I HAVE WITNESSED IN MY LIFE DID YOU KNOW THAT IT CONTINUED TO BE REALLY FUCKING GOOD AFTER MOST PEOPLE STOPPED LISTENING DID YOU KNOW CECIL AND CARLOS ARE MARRIED AND THEY HAVE A DOG AND A TODDLER NOW BECAUSE OF ALL THE GAY PODCAST PROTAGONISTS CECIL GERSHWIN PALMER LOVE OF MY LIFE ELDRITCHIAN CHEERLEADER AND CERTIFIED BIMBO KEEPS FUCKIN WINNIN BABY. DID YOU KNOW THAT CECIL THINKS PEANUT BUTTER IS A ROCK.
Basic Summary: Welcome to the sleepy desert town of Ņ̶̏ight V̶͚̰̮͗̔̊̊ale! Community radio how host Cé̵̟͚͕̗̞̙͂͑̽̄́c̵̤̼̞͈̪͓̍̽̋̚̕͜il Pǎ̵̧̨̢͚̻̈̂̄̇͐̇̊̀̆ͅl̶͚͎͕͉͖̬͓͑́̐̒̍̿̈́͢͜͝ͅm̸̧͙̟̖̠̳̬͋́͋́͌̚̚ͅȩ̙̖͎̖͂́̒͐͜͞r̢̢̛̰̻̮̺̩͙̼̈́͋̀͘ is here to k̠̠̰̦͙̯̥̎̄̆͌̎̀̿̔̌̚ê̷̢̬̥̞̩̯̘͒̽̈̓͐̂̔̍e̶̡̝̗̺̫̪̜͆̓̿̈͌͌̆͒͞ͅp̵̹̗̬̼̠̬͙̏͐͐̉̅͊͊́͟͞ͅͅ ỷ̛͙̞̦̦͖̑̉̌̎͞͡͡͝ͅo̧̧̥͎̻̥̲͇͋́́̔̈͌͞ǔ̸̬̯̫͇̦̮͕̤̲̯̽̔̀̔͆͋̈́͘̚ up to date all the local happenings, including w̸̢̢̢̧̡̡͍͖̻̳̹̼̼̰̬̭̱͔̲͙͍̰̠̥̺̝͖̺̖̼̮̼̞̳̞̜͉̤̯͇̖̳͖̠̙̺̲̤͇͈͚͓̮̭̱̭̩͚̟̥̬̟̻̝̼̖͚̘͐̆̅̂̃̈́͆͊̉̏͒́̈́̋͗͑̄̉́̐̌́̿̌͛̾̎̊̾̃̈́̉̔̍̐͛̕͘̚͜͜͠͠é̵̢̡̧̨̨̡̧̨̡̛̹̥̥̞̮̯͙͈̻̝͓͖͙̦̰͍̖̜̲̰̞͎͈̭̯̳͕̗͓͈̭̫̼̯̪̞̯̰̲̘̭͎̪̱̗̝̝̞̤̱͉͙̯͎̬͎̙̜̗͉̩̦͕̪̳͇͙̺̙̰̠͚͎̜̠͔̬͎̺̣͕̜̊̓̃̐̂́͂̎̐̾̔̽̀̉́̍̊̂̿̎͂͐̎̐̄̍̔̋̐̃͗̈́͂̀̒̊̎͘͘̕̚̕͜͝͝͝͠ͅͅa̸̡̧̡̡̨̡̨̛̛͙̣̘̳͎͖̥̝̟̱̩̥͙͉̝̲̙̮̩̩̹̱͔͎̥̹̻̜͚̭̬̳͚̤̙̖̯͎̱̫̞̪̻͖̱̞͔̭̻̺͚͚̯̬͓͓̳͇̳̦͓̞͈̮̤̭̣͉̲̞͚̘͗̆̃͌̅̍͊̓̈̇̌̒͊͑̊̏̊͌̈̓̿͗̒̏̒͊͒̏̃̎̒̀̅̾̍̀͘͘͜͝͠ͅt̵̢̡̨̧̧̛̛̛̯̤͓̘̻̤͓̪̰͔̪̝̫͎̻͔͈͎͔͙͕͈̰͓͍̀̏͒̆͋̈́̈́͂̔͋͆͂̅͗̍̆̍̆̔̑͊̏̈͒́̽͊́̿͂́̓͛̽͐͌̌̐̈̇̃̓̆̍̅̃̔̚̕͜͝͝͝ͅͅh̸̨̨̡̢̢̡̢̧̡̧̭̜̬̬̙͕̗̙̻̯̠̘͙̻̥͉͚̼̗͚͇͉̰͍̥͉̗͎̬̫͖͉͔̼̮̯̞̫̬̟̻͉̖̙̥̫͖̬͚̟̜̭͇͎̭̘̝̲̤͕͎̰̭̗̯̮̤̙̙̯͍̞̭͚̋̆̈́͆̍̆̄̏͜ͅͅ��̢̡̨̡͎̞̹̲̟͉̩̭̖̱̠͍̺͈̟̩ȇ̸̢̢̨̨̧̛̜͍̺͎̬̪͙̻̝̣͓͈̺̩̳̟̲̠̣͈͎͎͈͉̙̪͖̳̺͇̹̊̍͊͑̿͊̌͛̿̓͊̾̀͂͛̉͆̾̽͆̈̏͛̊͛̍̈́̇͋̔͂̑͐̂̿͊̽͑͘̚͘͝͝͠͝ͅͅŕ̵̨̡̨̨̢̧̡̧̨̘̟͙̦̲̲̪̦̙̼̠̳͚̞̦̞͖͚͇̳͖̲̭͕̜̫̳̖̙͖͉͎̘̘̤̠͈̬͕̝̻͚̥͍͕̠̥͙̙̪̖̯͍̘̘̲̣̹̜̪̲̭̟̮̫̖̤̰͔̩̩͉̲͚̟̝̦̬̪̘̬̮̱͔̻̦̼̃̐̂͋̐̅̋͒̉͛́̅̈́̒̒͆̑̆͊̒͒̀̍̈́̍͌̍̏̔͋͌̒̍̌͛̓̈̂̐̕͘͘͜͜͝͝͝ͅͅͅ ̶̢̡̨̛̠͇̹̯͕͍̻̟̼̼̗̩̱̗̙̱̥̜̬̫̜͎͉̺̣͓̟̯̱͖̣̞̠̝̥͍̲̳̙̠͔̹̘̲̲̻̖̈́̊͋͜͜ą̵̡̧̟͕̬̳̜͈͈̳̝̜̣̬͔͈͈͎͉͍̯̟̞̺͎̝͇̰̥͖̬̯͙̤̬̼̲̦̯̭͓̠̺̳̱̰̮̎͋͆̈́͌͆̎̉̓̇̐͋͋́̃̉̈̄̏̓̉̿̅̒̉̒̉͂͛̄̀̇̒͊͛́͊̎́͆̌̆́̌͂̈́̽̋͛͗̑̊̀́̍͊̌͆͊͐͆̅̒̊̉̾̄͛̑̕͘͘͘͘͝͝͝͝͠͠͝n̸̡̛̛̛̛̛̙͎̬̦̠̼͓͈̝̾̍͑͛̅̒̾́̌̍͛̇̋̇̓̏͛̔͛̈́͆̿̌͐̿͊̿́͒̍̃̀̈͐̐̆͐̉̒̂̉̀̅̇̾͋̍͒̋̈̌̿͒͐̍́͗̀̌̌̚̕̕̕͘̚͘͘̚͜͠͝͝͝d̴̡̢̢̛̛̛̺̠̳̬͎̞̲̣̲̱̳̪̹͉̝̠̱̗̙̫̠̹̼̙̝͉̲̟̮̙̙̮̻̹͈̦̙̞͚̜̙̖̞͓̙̭͉̃̽̌̅̔̾̈́̒̽͑́̒͋̓̈́͆͋̽̒̃̽̋̐͌͂̍͑́̽̋̍͗̋͗͂̅̽̈̈̾͐̄̃̕̕͜͠͠͝͠͝ͅͅ ̵̡̡̢̛̛̗͚͍̺͇̲̳̯͓̰͍̙̮̙̜̟̞̣̼͕̝͔͙̺̫͈͈̠̻̘̱͍̦̭͔͈̤̺̗̮͕̦̞̘͍̯̻̝͓̤̳̫͔̩͉̬̈́͋̈́̐͒́̔́́̿̓̆͐̎͆̇͒̄̈̿̓̑̾̏̔̿͊̌͆͒̒͊̓̅̓́̔̅̀̀̀̃̿̂̑͂͆̅̎̾̏̓̂̈́͛͌̇̾͌͐̈̂̆͐̅̓̍̓̃̆͗̃͛̏̒̌̀̅͊́̽̐̆̿́̌͘͘̚̕͘̕̕͜͜͜͠͝͠͝͠t̷̢̥͓̄͗̾̄̅̚͜r̵̨̡̨̧̧̢̛̛̛̛̛͍͙͚̥̱̞̜̦̜̼̺͉̠̬͎̰̻̜̼̫̤͓͖͖̤͇̞̥̖̈́͊̆̓͊̑̑̋̒̈́̔̆͆́̐͛͑͊͋̇̈́̓̑̍̏͐͛̽̋̎͑̃̈́͒̇̂̇̌͂̀̍̊̇̓̋̈́̌̏̕͘̚̕̚͝͝͠ǎ̴̡͓͓̯̘̥̱̱͖̦̺͓̘͉͖̞̟̦͈̜̥̰̘̞͈̦̠̼̯̙̭̼͚̟̖̲̠̝̜̐̅͆̏̈́̍́͂̃̾͑̓͋̽̄̾́̾̆̾͒͋̎͂̈́͘̕̕̚͜ͅͅf̷̢̡̡̧̢̨̡̧̢̢̧̡̧̫͖̖͇̲̫̮͕͉͓̩̪̳̹̩͎̖̟̤̤̲̟̪̫̻̻̖̟̦͉̼͎͖̭͍͖͎̖̳̳͙̜͉̝̘̺̖͚̙͉͕͙̯͖̞͚̮̲̻͉͙̺̭͓͎̤͙̦̦̺̯͕̜̰͍̳̙̦͉̪̥́͋̓̅̀͋͐̀̄̊̆̉̒̐͒̀̏̈̇̊̉̆̐̏̾̀̀̓͛͆̍̾͗͌̀̄̔͒̀̍̈́͆̔̒̑̏̍̏͆́̾̐̂͋̂̔̂́̓̓̌͌̉͛́̒̐̽̏́̑͊́̌̆̂̑͋̇̈́͌̑̿̅͗̚̕͘̕̚͜͠͝͝͠͠f̴̨̨̛̹͌̂̓͌͛̀͑̾̓̍͗̽͆̉̊͗̇́̍͌̊͐̔̈́̊̇͆̄̃̑̕̕͘͘͘͠͝͝͝͠i̴̧̡̢̢̧̢̨̨̧̧̧̛̛͎̗̳̦̘̙͓̦̙͔̜̼̘͇͇̺̭͉̠̩̟̤̥̘͙̤̩͔̪̱̻͈̪̼̼̞̠͎̟̹͕̻̭̤̪̲͕̟̺̻̻͖͕͚̣͇̖̰̝̩͈̤͕͇͕̝͙̙̪͔̗̫͇͎̙̲̲͖̗̘͉̲̣̤͎̔̐̆͒̄̈́̀̎̃̃̅͆̌̈́̽̈́̅̈́̑̄̇͒͐̀̐̀̒̍̀̓͌͗̓̽́͗̓̎͂͛̅̑̔̀͛̈́̽̾̃̊͊͆̄̍͑̍̆̌̾͗̄̊̽̉̅̆̀̎̀͑̿̎̋̄̆̃͐̾̏͛͒̍̋̅͘̕̚̕̕͜͜͝͝͝͝͠ͅͅc̷̛̛͚̝̻̣̞̓́̃́̀̃̓͗͌̂͛́̒̊͑̓͆̇̈́͑̏̆̀͌̑͂͂̄͌̉̔̋́̎͒̿͗͒͛̇͛̿̎̍̕̕̕͝͝͝͝͝ ̴̢̧̢̡̨̢̡̨̡̢̢̛̺̘̹̯̤̩̘̯͔̞̟̬̠̣̟̻̥̜̤͔̥͕̠̥̞͎̗̩̱̮͉͔͎̲̯̱̙̜̥̳̮͔̦̣͖͔̜͉̗̪̳̹̦̤͇̣̙͕̯̫̖̝̼̹͍̠͎͓̗͎̦͓̲̯̱̠̰͇̮̹͔̝͉͙̹̜̹͈̹̥͖̣̳̲͖̓́͌̈́̈́̀͌̄͂̌̾́̍̔̊̓̿͋͂͋̈́̋́́̒̓̀̒̃͂̀͑̐͛̆̆͒̈́̅̿͊͌̍͗̌̌͆̂͌́̉̏̒̓͊̾̒̓̋̽͐̏̾͘̕͜͝͠͝ͅͅr̸̨̢̛̪̞̬͓͔̥̤̣͔̭̥̙͉̦̗̠̳̩͙̂̈́͑͑̿̋̓̀͋͆̋̕͝͝ë̴̢̡̨̬͈͉̖̞͔͎͓͖̼̘̬͕̰͈̥͈̝̩͎͉͉̫̜͚͕̤͔̟̯͓͎̟͙̜̭̩̗̮͎̗̤͇̝̩͎̜̺̯͕͇̝͎̯͙̖͙̮̗̮̘́̑͑͛̂̅̄̌̽̓̒̾̿͆̏̏͐͛̾̂̃͑͆̅̄̿͋̅͂̈́̽͋͒̎͐̒̓͆̌̉͑͊́̀̈̾͛̋͑̋̎̈̀̽̀͊̏͘͝͝͝͝͠͝ͅp̴̧̧̡̢̢̢̛̛̛͚̟͓̖̭̪̻̪̲̬̥̙̥̰̼̹͎͕̪̞̮̺̰̬̘̫̤͉̦͙̮̖̙̹̻͔̖̮̲̞̣̻̜̠͇̬͚̱̦̼̲̮̀̂͌̍̈̒̍̋̌̏͐̓͛̉̂̈̀͑̈́͊͗͋͗́̂̎̎̃͆͒̅̑̇́̈͐̾̀̔̒̉͑͒̅̓̈́̋͋̀̍̄̿̌̀̉͆̇̔̈́͗̋̄̓̇͗̎̉̆͊̒͗̚̕͘͘̕̕̚͜͜͝͝͠͠͠͠͠ͅͅͅơ̶̢̡̧̨̡̛̛͔̦̼̰̠̯̰̟̲̣̜͙̲͙̪̱̱͕̺̪͈͉̺̻̙̥̲̩̲̩͔̠͚̩͓̞̠̯̟̫̣̗̦̰͉͚͙̺͎̼͖̥̙͈̯̲̝̞͎̻͕̮͔̰̖͔̭͙̩̼͔̫̹̘͓͔̜̘͍̍̅̄͋͑̋̍̊̉̄̈̽̈͐̀͌͐̆͊͂̐̋̃̎͆͛̐̀̂̿̈́͂́̈̌͐̇̀̒͋͑͐́͌̐̇̊͆̀͂͋̏́͋͆̏͗͂͑̂̓̽͘͘̚̕̕̕̕̚͘͜͜͠͝͝ͅͅͅr̴̨̨̨̧̨̛̘͕͈͔͙̠̬̯̩̗̰̗̬̦͈̗̝̣͓͓̟͕͙͈̠̘̻͓̭̝̘̦̦͓̭̘͙̻̙̼̩̰̝͈̱̝̱̬͉͙̣̖̮̲͈̙̱̩̣͕̦̰̮͔͈͓̙̮͍̳̟̠̞͎̱̣̰͕̩̝̲̝͐́́̍̈͐͋̐̑̌͋̓̈́̈͗̿̈̈́͗̑̚͜͜͜͜͜͝ͅͅţ̴̢̨̧͇͉͎̣̬̣̝̗̬̹͇̮̞̈́̐̌̇̈́̌͊̐̅̂̌̂͒͌́̈͌̂̊͗̍̿͑͋̎̓͂̀̎̎͒̾̏̒͌̃̄͋̌̾̍̈́̐̏͑̊̍͑͆̉̓́̆̌̾̓͊̊̈̑͘̚̕͘͘̕͝͝͝͝͝s̴̢̢̡̛̬̹͚̻͉̦̦̣̦̠̜͕̤̳͓͙̟̬͕̘̦̿͗̉̏̒͆̓̄͊͌͛͂͑̒̃͛͘͜͝͝!
Shared elements with supernatural that you might Vibe with: Honestly, probably bc Nightvale and Alice are by the Same Dudes, a lot of these points are the same as Alice Isn’t Dead, but it’s less scawy and more funney. Also hits the “horror, but make it kind of a sitcom” vibes. Doesn’t have the same road trip vibes, but DOES capture the exact weirdness of South Western USA, so I’m still giving it “fucked up americana” credit. If you’ve never been to New Mexico ur like this is an exaggeration clearly no desert town is subject to like ACTUAL cosmic horror and unexplainable sights but I’m telling you New Mexico is just Like That. (I highly recommend visiting the land of enchantment if you ever get the oppurtunity it is a deeply odd and wonderfully unsettling experience.) Look man it’s gay it’s a horror comedy cecil has a wonderfully soothing voice and it hates capitalism so fucking much like oh my god so much what more could you want.
MINI REC ALERT: Wolf 359! I have nothing deep to say about this I just like it and my gut tells me that y’all would enjoy it too I know there isnt much for physical descriptions in the show but I know in my heart that the main character is so so pretty and so so stupid. I KNOW yall like some himbos that experience character growth.
Okay since It’s my party and I’ll speak if I want to rapid fire list of podcasts I just like and want more people to listen to even though I’m behind on like all of them shhhhh: The Penumbra Podcast, BomBARDed, Dungeons and Daddies, Stellar Firma, Wonderful!
SONG RECS
okay these aren’t like replacement recs or anything they’re just really good and I almost certainly would have put them on some sort of supernatural playlist in 2013 but I don’t, like, have a good playlist for them now so I’m subjecting y’all to them also they all have the youtube link for ease of access
Woah There Kimmy-  Felix Hagan & the Family
Devil’s Backbone- The Civil Wars
Blood On My Name- The Brothers Bright
Awake O Sleeper- The Brothers Bright
The Bottom of the River- Delta Rae
Old Number 7- The Devil Makes Three
The Bullet- The Devil Makes Three
In Hell I’ll Be In Good Company- The Dead South
Bartholomew- The Silent Comedy
Pomegranate Seeds- Julian Moon
Curses- The Crane Wives
Tongues & Teeth -The Crane Wives
OKAY THAT’S IT! THAT’S ALL FOLKS! FUCK!
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profoundlyxbonded · 4 years
Text
12 signs a storyteller is building romantic and sexual chemistry
Dean/Cas FOR SURE hits 9/12 of these and arguably 11. DESTIEL IS REAL.
LOONG POST AND THE FANDOM EXAMPLES AREN’T SPN , BUT IT’S WORTH THE TIME.
THE BOLDED SPN EXAMPLES ARE MINE.
When it comes to possible romances in popular work, fans and storytellers do a lot of finger-pointing. People have varied tastes and can view the same interaction differently, causing fights over whether the romantic or sexual chemistry in a story was intentional. These feuds are particularly likely in cases where storytellers may be taunting queer audiences.
However, the question of whether chemistry was inserted by the storyteller isn’t as subjective as you might think. Storytellers use the same tactics over and over again when developing a romance. Let’s go over twelve of the most common. You can use them to analyze your favorite stories or to build chemistry yourself. To make things simpler, I use the term “peer” to indicate people who are similar in age and aren’t closely related. In other words, they qualify for a non-platonic relationship.
Let’s start with signals that could be platonic if used in isolation and count down to ones that are almost never platonic.
12. Banter & Teasing
Multiple episodes during seasons 4 and 5. Bickering and acting as if married after that.
When the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy came out, fans felt the chemistry between a pair of people that Peter Jackson probably didn’t expect: Legolas and Gimli. However, Jackson should have seen it coming. These contrasting characters start as natural adversaries, and once they’re on the same team, that transforms into competitive banter. This makes for fun and endearing scenes between them.
Even though banter can be platonic, there’s a very blurry line between banter and flirtation. That means interactions between peers that are familiar and yet have that teasing edge are particularly effective at building sexual and romantic chemistry.
If banter is all there is between the characters, the storyteller may not be creating that chemistry on purpose. However, in popular stories where everyone knows that fans want those characters to hook up, storytellers who include teasing are at least willing to encourage it. For instance, Merlin and Arthur on BBC’s Merlin are also known for their banter, and since it’s obvious that the show’s writers were cultivating chemistry, it’s very likely that banter was part of their strategy.
11. Staring & Close Eye Contact
Multiple episodes ARE YOU F- ING KIDDING ME??
In the Star Trek: Next Generation episode The Big Goodbye, Dr. Crusher dresses up in a 1940s outfit to join Picard’s Dixon Hill game on the holodeck. When Picard sees her there, he first stops, stares, and then has a close face-to-face conversation. The scene even has cheesy romantic music.
While that example is over the top, storytellers can do this with a lot more subtlety if they want to. Visual storytellers typically have a character conversation in almost every scene, and it’s easy to nudge characters closer together or have them stare a little longer. However, some shows like Star Trek are also in the habit of making their actors talk really close together all the time. That makes the line between what is romantic and what is platonic really blurry.
Building chemistry via staring isn’t limited to visual works. In narrated works, description is used to focus the camera and show what the viewpoint character is paying attention to. The choice to describe the eyes of a peer, assuming they aren’t supernatural looking, creates romantic chemistry. Using a disproportionate amount of description on a peer, especially if that description makes them sound attractive, will also be interpreted as non-platonic. While narration can also describe how close characters are together, it won’t have the same subtlety as it would in a visual story.
10. Domestic Activities
(”Co-parenting”Jack/ being two of his three four dads.)
In season seven of The 100, viewers discover that Octavia spent ten years stranded with her former enemy, Diyoza. They took shelter in an abandoned home, and since Diyoza was already pregnant, they ended up raising her child together. For many years, Octavia tries to leave and go back to her brother, but Diyoza tells her that she shouldn’t abandon her family. Diyoza finally sabotages Octavia’s efforts to leave, but Octavia quickly forgives her. That sure sounds like a love story.
While characters don’t have to be romantic to be roommates, making peers into roommates is likely to get fans invested in a hookup. This is partly because living together is associated with romantic partnerships, but it also means that the characters are around each other a lot. The more they are together, the more opportunities they have to build chemistry.
Aside from that, simply seeing characters handle (or refuse to handle) domestic tasks like cooking, doing dishes, or house cleaning builds romantic chemistry between them. This goes double if the characters raise a kid together.
9. Bonds of Magic or Destiny
Multiple episodes ARE YOU F- ING KIDDING ME??
In BBC’s Merlin, a wise dragon tells the titular Merlin that it’s his destiny to protect Arthur so that Arthur can bring about a new golden age. The dragon refers to them as two sides of a coin, and it emphasizes more than once that their fates are intertwined. Because he wants to stay close to Arthur, Merlin spends the entire show hiding his magic and working as a lowly manservant.
Our culture has countless stories about characters thrust into roles that make them essential to both the world and each other. These characters might be magically linked together, perhaps even hearing each other’s thoughts. The bond might be one of prophecy, with the characters needing each other to save the world. Or their society might make a big deal out of the two interdependent roles the characters play. For instance, in Gideon the Ninth, lots of time is spent describing how important a necromancer and their cavalier are to each other. Often, characters with these special bonds will gain abilities that can only be used when they’re together.
Storytellers have used this trope so many times in their romances that it carries a strong romantic connotation. While the trope can also be used for platonic relationships, a storyteller doing that may need to explicitly state that the relationship is platonic.
8. Voicing How Much They Care
Multiple episodes ARE YOU F- ING KIDDING ME??
In Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the students Albus and Scorpius form a close relationship that is forbidden by Harry himself. This relationship is of central importance to the play, and it includes a conversation where Albus tells Scorpius “you make me stronger” and Scorpius responds “I didn’t much like my life without you in it either.” This sounds like a conversation from a romance novel with the direct “I love you” lines conveniently clipped out.
Friends and siblings in popular stories don’t spend much time talking about how they are friends and siblings. Most platonic relationships in stories are also not as emotionally intense, and they come across as less needy and codependent than romantic ones.
As we get more deep and meaningful platonic relationships in popular stories, these conversations may be less associated with romance in the future. Even so, having peers spend time discussing their relationship or what they mean to each other definitely builds romantic chemistry. And since we can’t credit most popular storytellers with caring about meaningful platonic relationships, conversations like this one between Albus and Scorpius are a strong sign that the storyteller is creating romantic chemistry on purpose.
Storytellers who are covertly building romantic chemistry are particularly fond of using the word “love” in ambiguous ways. They know interested audiences will interpret this as “in love,” while others will interpret it as platonic love.
7. Activities Associated With Dating
Multiple episodes - meals together
The Good Omens miniseries added original scenes for the fan-favorite demon and angel pair, Crowley and Aziraphale. The series shows them meet for the first time, go through ups and downs together, and as a secondary concern, deal with the events of the actual plot. They’re shown drinking wine at a fancy restaurant together more than once. When things look bad, Crowley practically begs Aziraphale to run away with him. After Aziraphale’s shop burns down, Crowley invites Aziraphale to come home with him. Aziraphale often appears scandalized by Crowley’s advances, which only makes those scenes more suggestive.
While two friends could have a candlelit dinner together, storytellers don’t depict characters having candlelit dinners for the purpose of developing a platonic relationship. That’s why in a story, just having two peers eat at a restaurant by themselves implies a romance in progress. Other dating-associated activities might include watching the sunset together or dressing up to attend a fancy event together.
This category also includes any outing referred to with the word “date” – even if it is a “friend date.” Your friend date in real life might not be romantic, but storytellers choose that word for a reason.
6. Absent Clothing ?
(09x06)  There’s Cas’ discarded vest and unbuttoned shirt during the scene in the car outside Nora’s.
In The Last Jedi, director Rian Johnson decided to develop a romance between Rey and Kylo by giving them a magical bond in the form of long-distance telepathy. But Johnson must have decided the obviously romantic implication of this connection was too subtle, so Kylo also happens to be shirtless in one of these scenes.
Fictional clothing doesn’t just evaporate in storyland. If a character is bathing, is in their underwear, is missing their shirt, or even just has buttons undone, the storyteller has chosen to create sexual tension. This isn’t always to develop sexual chemistry specifically between two characters. In visual media, it might be to give the audience some eye candy. But if one peer’s shirt goes missing when the other appears, that’s a big sign.
Perhaps the most common method of doing this is putting characters in the same room when one of them is changing. Injuries are another common excuse for clothing removal and close contact. A remarkable number of characters have trouble applying their own bandages; somehow, they always need first aid from an attractive peer.
5. Flirtation & Flattery
Multiple episodes - (5x22) Dean outright flirting with Cas before saying yes to Archangelic possession and just Dean’s body language in other episodes.
X-Files was notorious for taunting viewers with a possible romance between its two leads, something that started right with the pilot. One of the many tactics used to build up a possible romance was for Mulder to inappropriately hit on Scully while they were working. In one scene where they are undercover as a married couple who just moved into the neighborhood, he tells a neighbor that he and Scully spooned like kittens all night. Generally, Mulder’s advances are disguised as jokes, and when he’s too serious to be joking, Scully treats his comments as if they were jokes.
It’s obvious that when one character hits on another, they have sexual or romantic interest. The only question is whether that interest is being used to develop romantic or sexual chemistry. Many stories have a scene where a minor male character hits on a female protagonist only for her to turn him down, and it’s supposed to be funny. Since most women do not find this funny, these scenes aren’t as common as they once were. Occasionally, a male antagonist will make threatening advances. That’s even worse.
However, it’s different when a relatable protagonist is initiating the flirtation. Even if the subject of their affections isn’t interested, being turned down will create sympathy. The scene may still be written as though it’s funny, but then it’s humble or self-deprecating humor. Failed flirtation establishes that the protagonist is looking for romance, creating the expectation that they will hook up with someone. If they’ve tried to flirt with a recurring character, it’s almost certainly a romantic setup.
4. Emphasis on Hugs and Physical Contact
Multiple episodes  ARE YOU F- ING KIDDING ME??
Many fans of the show Teen Wolf wanted Stiles and Derek to hook up. Stiles is the fan-favorite character, Derek is really hot, and the two have some great banter scenes. Unfortunately, the writers of the show wouldn’t create a romance between them, but at the end of the show’s long run, they decided to give these fans something to remember. How did they do that? With the bridal carry. Even though the scene was written to be humorous, this specific hold has incredibly romantic connotations.
While the bridal carry is pretty blatant, storytellers will use all kinds of physical contact between peers to create romantic and sexual chemistry. One of the most common is hugging. Yes, friends hug, but visual stories don’t include extended shots of friends hugging. Narrated works don’t spend a whole paragraph describing the way friends hug. If a hug between peers is rendered in artistic loving detail instead of as a casual and brief aside, that was intentional chemistry-building.
Other blatant signs of non-platonic physical contact include showing whether their hands are close enough to touch, making one character fall on top of another (classic), hair tucking, and, for storytellers with no shame whatsoever, mouth-to-mouth such as CPR or “water transfer.”
3. Blushing
In Netflix’s She-Ra, the characters Bow and Glimmer start off as best friends and hook up in the final season. In depicting this transition, She-Ra gives us a beautiful reversal, in which this straight romance is much more subtle than the central queer hookup. Because they were already friends, some viewers might miss that Bow and Glimmer end the show as a couple. However, close observation of one scene in particular leaves no room for doubt. In it, Glimmer praises Bow’s music, and they both blush.
Blushing is a little odd because it doesn’t appear in live action for practical reasons. But in animated, illustrated, or narrated works, storytellers use blushing to communicate that a character is experiencing non-platonic feelings. While it occasionally indicates general embarrassment, context almost always makes it clear which is which. If the character blushes after dropping all their books in the middle of class, it’s embarrassment. If they blush after speaking to or staring at a peer, it’s romance.
Since blushing is involuntary, it’s particularly useful when characters aren’t willing to show their feelings. This means it often gets used as early buildup to a romance or to create chemistry between characters who will never admit their feelings at all.
2. Jealousy ?
OPEN TO INTERPRETATION BUT - (4X10) Cas’ reaction to Dean and Anna.
In Gideon the Ninth, Harrow is a necromancer and Gideon is her cavalier. However, at the beginning they’re almost enemies. When they’re summoned to an abandoned castle to train for a great honor, Harrow goes off on her own. This leaves Gideon to socialize with the other nobles present – in particular, the lovely and kind Dulcinea. As Gideon and Harrow begin to make up, Harrow increasingly voices her displeasure with this association, finally forbidding Gideon to see Dulcinea. While Harrow insists it’s because Dulcinea is dangerous, Gideon accuses Harrow of being jealous.
In stories, jealousy is an obvious sign of romantic feelings. That’s simply because while the vast majority of romances in popular stories are monogamous, friendships are never exclusive. Someone who wants to be a friend doesn’t have much reason to get jealous. Factor in conscious choices by storytellers, and platonic jealousy is rare indeed.
Characters rarely admit to being jealous, so storytellers who want to clarify usually have another character say it. Even if it looks like that character could be wrong, the storyteller wouldn’t have used the word “jealous” unless they wanted their audience to think about it. The romantic chemistry that comes with this is intentional.
Unlike other items on this list, I don’t recommend using this one yourself for romantic buildup. Like other negative emotions, occasional jealousy is natural. However, it’s not a sign of a healthy relationship, and it’s associated with domestic abuse. When storytellers use it in romances, they are encouraging everyone to think of jealousy as romantic. That can have deadly consequences.
1. Onlookers Assume They’re Dating
Multiple episodes - Meg, Balthazar, and others making joking (or very serious) comments about their relationship.
In the BBC Sherlock episode A Study in Pink, Watson and Sherlock have dinner together at an Italian restaurant. For those who’ve been paying attention so far, that’s a dating-associated activity. The waiter is an old associate of Sherlock, and he casually refers to Watson as Sherlock’s “date.”
I cannot count the number of times I have seen this used as early buildup in straight romances. The likely couple goes out together – often to a restaurant but not always – and some stranger assumes they’re a couple. Embarrassed, they hurriedly correct the stranger. Several episodes later, they’re admitting their feelings for one another. In BBC Sherlock, this trick from the old romantic playbook was clearly not enough for the show writers. Following this is a conversation where Sherlock concludes that Watson is interested in dating him. He says he’s flattered, but he’s “married to his work.”
The denial of the characters doesn’t cancel out the intentional romantic chemistry. If the storyteller didn’t want the audience to think about the pair hooking up, they wouldn’t do this song-and-dance in the first place. In fact, if the denial is enthusiastic, it just indicates these comments about being a couple are hitting close to home.
For all the other signs I’ve listed here, I can at least conceive of a situation in which a plot would call for something similar between people intended as platonic. These little snippets of dialogue have no such cover. They are irrelevant to the plot at hand, inserted entirely for the character moment they create. They are the furthest thing from organic, especially with a same-gender pairing. The storytellers can claim they’re jokes (homophobic ones), but they have many jokes at their disposal that do not build romantic chemistry. They chose a joke that would.
When these romantic or sexual signals are used on same-gender pairings, it may fly under the radar for audiences with a heteronormative gaze. However, these signals don’t end up in the story by accident. That goes double if this is a big-budget story in a visual medium, where the story has been written, animated, or filmed, and finally edited under supervision. Remember: it’s a storyteller’s job to shape the response that audiences have to their story. They may not be perfect, but they still know what they’re doing.
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fanfic-scribbles · 6 years
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Home Away From Home
Fandom: Supernatural
Summary: You’re not sure who is stealing your clothes but you would like it to stop. Please and thank you.
Prompt: Written for @gabriel-monthly-challenge’s November dialogue prompt: “Hey, I’ve been looking for that! But…why is it here?” [And so tagging mods: @archangelgabriellives, @ttttrickster, @archangel-with-a-shotgun, @warlockwriter, @archangelsanonymous, and @revwinchester.]
Quick facts: Romance – Gabriel/Reader – Nondescript Reader
Warnings: Fluff; ‘Sugar’ as term of endearment; angel nesting
Words: 1784
A/N: I think over the years I have read through every nesting fic I have found. I have a lot of weirdly specific tropes I really enjoy and this is one of them. Logically yeah angels probably aren’t like birds and their wings probably don’t have feathers and blah blah I don’t really care, I’m just gonna wrap myself up in this conceit like a cozy blanket. Pure self-indulgence, my friends; I am aaaaaall about it. I hope you can enjoy it too, ‘cause this is pretty much what it says on the tin. As for where this takes place in the canon timeline, it would probably be after an alternate S13 ending with no Michael!Dean and the AU!Hunters are settling in elsewhere. Because I am Lazy.
    You have a problem.
You, specifically. As in: only you. No one else has this problem. Not that it’s life-threatening or anything; it’s just…
Your clothes keep going missing.
Nothing that makes it really gross, thankfully, but things that do make it personal, and absolutely nothing that can be explained by a hungry dryer. All your socks are fine. All your favorite shirts, however– the ones that have survived enough hunts to become well-worn– have vanished. That one magical jacket you could wear comfortably in the spring but which also kept you warm in the winter– gone without a trace.
You’re officially fed up when your absolute favorite shirt, the one that’s ridiculously comfortable and the most flattering thing you have ever owned, goes missing.
“I swear I’ve never heard of a creature that eats clothes. You can look it up yourself if you don’t believe me.”
“I will. Also– stop laughing at me.”
Sam, chuckling, shakes his head but goes back to wiping down his gun. Jack, who’s sitting nearby and carefully polishing a knife, stops and frowns. “Could it be a…” He looks uncertainly from you to Sam. “…A ghost?”
“There are no ghosts here, Jack.” Sam smiles at him reassuringly. “This place is warded against just about everything.”
“Besides, I checked.”
Sam gives you a Look. “You checked? For a ghost?”
“I had to do something!” You put down your gun and rag. Any more polishing and you’ll probably put a new hole in it. “This isn’t natural.”
Sam scoffs. “Sometimes the simplest explanation is the correct one.”
“I thought of that, which is why I didn’t say anything for weeks,” you say. “But the whole point of a prank is to get a reaction and nobody has even alluded to it. So no, nobody took them as a joke.”
Sam’s face scrunches. “Okay. That is weird.”
“Right?” Puh-lease; living in the same space as Gabriel and Dean, how could you not first assume it was a joke?
“How would stealing your clothes be a joke?” Jack asks
“Who even knows with this crew,” you say. You can’t help but frown at the bittersweet recollection. “Dean and Gabriel used to love to play jokes. Especially Gabriel.”
There’s a bit of silence (and mental cursing of asshole demons on your part) until Sam clears his throat. “How is Gabriel? I haven’t seen him in a few days.”
More than that; it’s been at least a week since he left. “He took off to do something with Cas. I’m sure they’ll be home soon.”
Sam frowns again. “Cas is with Dean. They met up yesterday and went to check out a possible werewolf thing.”
There’s a bit of panic in you at that– Gabriel is gone and alone– but you shove it down. If that’s the case then it’s only been a day, and Gabriel needs his autonomy. No matter how much you wish you could roll him in a bunch of blankets and keep him close. “Well, he must be fine or Cas would have said something.”
“Right.” Sam clears his throat and goes back to cleaning his weapons. “Now that his grace is back in working order he’s probably just…spreading his wings.”
“Yeah! Yeah.” You throw yourself into that idea. That he hasn’t taken off. Or worse. “He’s used to a different standard. It’s probably weird for him to live underground.”
“Yes.”
“Exactly.”
Jack looks very confused but when your eyes glance over him he nods quickly in solidarity. You smile. Cas and Sam may be the Dads Prime, but the way he’s taken to Gabriel is cute. Well, sometimes family is three jaded hunters and two Heaven-averse angels.
“I think I’m going to go see if I can spruce up his room,” you say and start picking up your things. “Maybe if I clean it up, make it smell nice, put a picture or something…maybe it can feel more like a home.” And less like a cell, you think but don’t add.
Sam looks like he wants to say something, but he just smiles awkwardly and says, “Good luck.”
  Apparently you don’t need it. You thought Sam’s well wishes were warranted– whenever you’ve seen glimpses of Gabriel’s room it’s always looked like utter chaos. Standing in it now with cleaning supplies and some knick-knacks, it’s actually…nice. Chaos maybe, but controlled chaos. The bed in the room is not the original one, but it’s also not opulent enough to hold your attention.
What does catch your eye is the giant pile of fabric on the floor that, from your little glimpses, you had assumed to be a mess of discarded laundry. It’s not. The shape of it is purposeful; sort of square, sort of rounded, and formed by a ton of blankets as well as clothi–
“Hey, I’ve been looking for that!” You fall to your knees on the soft pile and grab your favorite jacket. “But…why is it here?”
And that’s not the only thing stashed in the pile. You find all of your missing shirts, a tan trench coat that looks exactly like what Cas wears day in and day out, and a few other shirts that you can trace back to Jack, Sam, and even Dean.
“Seriously, what the fuck?” But you’re not angry so much as confused. Okay, a little annoyed, but still mostly confused and trying not to judge. If Gabriel was trying to pull a joke, it would’ve come to fruition by now. So why does he have your stuff, and why does it look like he intends to keep it?
“Gabriel,” you say evenly. “When you have a minute, come back to the bunker. We need to talk.”
You ball up the trash bag, dust a little, and light some candles to make the place smell a little less like an underground hideaway. On the dresser, you place a photo of Sam, Dean, Jack, and Cas that you took. Then you sit on the foot of the bed, facing the blanket pile, and wait.
“Please tell me nobody triggered another apocaly–” Gabriel, now next to you, stops so suddenly there might as well be a record scratch. The fact that there isn’t one is telling. “What are you doing in my room?”
“Um, you said I could ‘come by anytime,’” you say, finger-quotes and all. “‘Mi casa es su casa’ and everything. You even amended it to ‘mi habitación.’ Remember?”
“Oh.” Gabriel deflates and looks back and forth between you and the pile. “I really don’t want to have this conversation. Can we not have this conversation?”
You shrug. “I can’t stop you if you’d rather leave, but you should know that if we don’t have this conversation then I am always going to be wondering why you’re sleeping with one of Dean’s shirts.”
Gabriel grimaces. A confirmation if ever you’ve seen one. “So you do sleep in it!” You look from the floor to the bed. The bed which feels very nice. “Why are you sleeping in a pile of clothes instead of your bed?”
Gabriel looks offended. “It’s not just a pile of clothes.”
“Sorry; pile of clothes and blankets.”
He rolls his eyes. “It’s a nest.”
You look down at the…nest. You’re sure you don’t know exactly what that means to him, but you can guess at it. “Oh. Is it an…angel thing?”
“Yes,” he says sourly, head ducked down so you can’t see his face. “In heaven you twine grace with your siblings. On earth you have to…adjust. Slightly.”
You take a moment to pick that apart. Siblings; being close. “It’s about family then?” you ask. He nods. He’s lifted his head again but he looks so miserable, you try to make a joke. “Does that make me your favorite then?”
He snaps his head up and looks quizzical. Yeah, a joke at your expense almost always does the trick. You gesture at the sub-collection of your closet. “You have more of my stuff than anyone else.”
Gabriel actually smiles a little at that. “You’ve always been my favorite.”
“Really?” You clamp your hands on your mouth– that was embarrassingly eager. But Gabriel doesn’t seem to care. He’s staring at you, expression calculatingly inscrutable. And yet…
You clear your throat. “So…those are my favorite clothes. What are the chances of me getting them back?”
Gabriel smiles mischievously and folds his arms up to tap his finger to his lip, like he’s thinking very hard about it. You should be worried by that, but it’s such a rare sight these days you’re too happy about it to worry about what’s going to come out of his mouth next. “I’ll think about giving them back.” Gabriel is suddenly lying in the nest like he’s waiting for you to paint him like one of your French girls. He pats the space next to him. “If you help break in the rest of it.”
It’s not quite how you fantasized about him inviting you into bed (which is impressive, considering all the various scenarios you’ve cooked up), but hell, you’ll take it. To offset how you scramble in so enthusiastically you might as well have “Pathetic” tattooed on your forehead, you joke, “Is this a scent thing? Should I roll around?”
“It’s really more of a ‘presence’ thing,” he says as you lie next to him. “But I wouldn’t mind it.”
“What if I roll onto you?”
He stares at you. You cringe. Shit. Touch is, well, a touchy subject ever since Asshole-modeus. “Sorry, I…I guess I shouldn’t say that.”
“Not unless you mean it.”
Hope surges in you. He looks serious, and you try to match it. “What if I do?”
He studies you, like he’s not sure if you're serious. And here you thought you were always pathetically obvious. “Really?” he asks, frowning in a way that makes you want to kiss those creases right off his face. How could he ever doubt?
“I always have been. Just…” You shrug. “What does a hunter, some random human, have to offer someone who dates demigods and can create perfection whole cloth–”
He kisses you. Firmly, and he doesn’t let up until he steals the breath right out of you. When he pulls back you’re left panting but your eyes trail to wet lips curling into a smirk. “Sugar,” he drawls. “I may not like my dad that much but even I have to admit…” His fingers trail up your temple and down behind your ear. “When it comes to workmanship, he’s second to none.”
You duck to hide your ridiculous smile. “Um…” You clear your throat. “This nest is actually really comfortable.”
“It is now,” he says and pulls you in.
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shieldeus-moved · 6 years
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𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥  𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗦  𝗙𝗥𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞 . please  repost  don’t  reblog !
    stats
full name:  castiel / cassiel / kafziel / kasfa’il
nickname(s) / aliases:  cas , clarence , emmanuel + others.
age:  billions and billions and billions and billions (semi-quote)
birthday:   n/a.
species:  angel , seraph.
nationality:  n/a.
gender:  genderless.
preferred pronoun(s):   he/him in accordance to his current vessel , they/them.
romantic orientation:  demiromantic.
sexual orientation:  asexual.
religion:  abrahamic.
occupation:  bluntly put , angel. kinda hunter on occasions.
status:  active , been dead several times though.
fandom:  supernatural , but very crossover friendly.
face claim(s):  misha collins for the time being.
    relationships
parents:  god / chuck shurley.
siblings:  all the other angels and archangels. gabriel is his favorite, but don’t tell him.
family:  jack kline is his biological nephew , and adopted son.  amara is....an aunt of sort , technically.
significant other(s):  romantically? no one :( kiss him you cowards.
children:  jack. he cares for claire as a daughter.
closest friends:  sam , dean , balthazar. ( ! )
rivals:  crowley , in a way.
enemies:  naomi , lucifer. metatron , but holds no more grudge for him.
    physical  traits
eye color(s):  blue.
hair color(s):  dark brown.
height:  180-ish cm / around 320 m in his true form  ( ... lord help me with american measures )
body build:  fit , broad-shouldered.
notable physical traits:  n/a.
    phobias  &  diseases
phobia(s):  naomi.
mental disorder(s):  ptsd , has been suicidal.
when and how was this diagnosed?  never , though he talked with dean of his suicidal ideation.
physical disease(s):  wings damaged as of s8
when was this diagnosed and/or how did it happen?  diagnosed , never , and castiel hasn’t shown his wings ever since. the damage was due to the fall from heaven to earth caused by metatron.
    personality
usual mood/expression:  quiet , expression often unreadable , appears melancholic.
moral alignment:  sways between neutral good / lawful neutral / chaotic good.
jung:  istj the logistician / isfj the defender.
enneagram:   lot of the individualist , bit of the loyalist.
four temperaments:  sanguine-melancholic.
hogwarts house:  huffleclaw. u cant take the ‘claw’ away from him.
top five tropes:   fish out of water ,  our angels are different ,  the comically serious ,  the world is just awesome ,  eldritch abomination ,  my god,  what have i done ? ,  heartbroken badass ,  brainwashed and crazy ,  now, let me carry you , martial pacifist ,  ain't too proud to beg ,  well-intentioned extremist ,  adorkable ,  the atoner ,  hero of another story ,  nerves of steel ,  back from the dead ,  beware the nice ones ,  broken angel ,  the captain ,  clothes make the legend ,  defends against their own kind ,  guilt complex ,  have you seen my god ? ,  nice job breaking it,  hero ! ,  kill the ones you love ,  martyr without a cause ,  knight in sour armour , rebellious spirit ,  torture technician ,  strong as they need to be ,  tragic hero ,  “well done, son !" guy , etc .
five prominent traits:   loyal , empathetic , thoughtful , stoic , remorseful , kind-hearted , curious , self-sacrificing , honest ,  devoted , selfless , blunt , melancholic , ruthless , independent , quiet , reliable , polite , impulsive.
    misc
skills:  good hand-to-hand and knife fighting skills , proficient torturer / mind reader.
hobbies:  netflix.................
element:  fire , earth. has a minor connection with air in form of rough winds.
animal:  associated to a dragon in extra-canonical scriptures. he’s really more of a friendly crow. 
plant: ash , cypress. 
anything else you want to add:  soft , approachable , gentle cas is not for everyone. most times , if not downright wary and sarcastic , he’s very much detached. 
    stats
compassion:  9/10.
empathy:  7/10.
creativity:  8/10.
mental flexibility:  7/10 .
passion / motivation:  6/10.
education:  9/10.
stamina:  7/10.
physical strength:  8/10 
battle skill:  8/10.
initiative:  8/10.
restraint:  6/10 no chill whatsoever.
agility:  8/10.
strategy:   10/10.
teamwork:  8/10.
musical-rhythmic intelligence:  6/10.
visual-spatial intelligence:  9/10.
verbal-linguistic intelligence:  7/10.
logical-mathematical intelligence:  10/10.
bodily-kinesthetic intelligence:  6/10.
interpersonal intelligence:  6/10.
intrapersonal intelligence:  7/10.
existential intelligence:  8/10.
naturalistic intelligence: 9/10.
4 notes · View notes