#spn s14 speculation

[buttertheflame]

A List of Things To Come

*a long post*

I was on hiatus for about 5 years, but I think it's worth the risk of coming back. These are some thoughts and hot takes I've had since then up to now. My professional life is busy, but when I have the time, I'll share. Anyone interested?

Here's a preview, categorized by fandom:

A Song of Ice and Fire:

For asoiaf canon, I’ll speculate on what Jon and Val could have been, and what they could have had together, if he had not kicked the bucket. I’ll also contrast it with Jon's dreams of a life with her, and why he put the torch to it. :( Because of the root of her dislike of Mel and Shireen, I figure she will not be pleased with un-Jon.

Game of Thrones:

In GoT canon, Jon did not love Dany as much as the script suggested he would. In fact, they both failed to take responsibility for the other person. I haven't seen anyone make a statement like this before. (The PTSD is real.) But fic writers did pick up on this and tried to fix it in canon compliant stories, with a lot of success.

Supernatural:

In Supernatural s12-s14, Mary should have found her sons to be way more weird, specifically with each other. But given what we see of her in s6, her characterization is consistent. She would have, and did, ignore the red flags for an idea of family.

I’ll share approving thoughts on Sam and Dean's relationship in the final seasons, disapproving thoughts on the final season of Supernatural, and how I speculated it would either go Gencest or Destiel. We know what happened. No one walked away happy and I think the fandom was all the better for it.

Destiel is not canon. It only became a one-sided love confession. (I know there's a lot of speculation on what happened b/w the studio, the writer's room and the post-production team. Idc. Not gonna touch it.) Thoughts on how I think SPN could have made Destiel go 100% canon involve tweaking the execution and balancing out the themes of Sam and Eileen's love story, the big bad plot, and Dean and Cas's 'love' story.

Outlander:

Outlander (show-only) thoughts, foremost on Roger Mackenzie. He has vexed me from the first time he appeared on screen. I love him dearly, but he vexes me, for how he consistently affects the plot and how that defines his role among the main cast. Later on, I'll run through my favorite moments, episodes and narrative arcs.

Miscellaneous:

I'll share a list of favorite ship-centric fics I've collected over many, many, many years. (Gotta be over 10 years' worth). Along with blurbs that explain my recommendation in a non-spoilery way. Fandoms include: Harry Potter, LOTR, Supernatural, The Walking Dead, ASOIAF, Game of Thrones, Star Wars (Sequel Trilogy), The Flash, Shadowhunters [look away book fans <3], Hannibal (show-only).

I'll also post drafts of fics I never got right and never finished. Mostly GoT-canon divergent Jon/Dany fics.

Most importantly, some very dear friends have encouraged me to vent and hype up my Jonerys fic series "We Could Live Together" as I write it. It's GoT-canon divergent, but I alter some of what occurred before 6x09. Then the story re-enters book territory and moves toward ADOS conclusions. I'd also love to break down and discuss songs from the playlists when it strikes me.

This is the summary of Part 1, "A Long Way Home" (published):

After the Battle for Winterfell, Jon was captured by Bolton men then later found by Daenerys not far from Dragonstone. Their meeting blossoms into the most honest love--until Jon suddenly leaves for Winterfell, only to return to Dragonstone months later with more terrifying tales of dead men and Winter storms. When Daenerys chooses to send her armies north to fight the dead, all is certain but the matter of their bond. After the pain they'd endured, can they come together again? Or will separation be too powerful to overcome? *or* A romantic tale of choice and second chances.

This is the summary of Part 2, "Awake For Ever In Sweet Unrest" (in-progress and unpublished):

Winter has come and further fractured the realm. Yet Jon and Daenerys's betrothal and alliance is well known throughout the Seven Kingdoms. The secret that threatened to break them has made their love stronger, casting a fragrance of hope that draws to the last Targaryens all who seek refuge from political turmoil. Cersei Lannister has fled King's Landing in favor of establishing a bank in Lannisport, to guard against her deposition by the Iron Bank. Euron Greyjoy has set up a naval blockade at Oldtown, yet manages to beguile the Hightowers. And Walder Frey's sundown years threaten to pull his House into a civil war. From the Wall, Jon and Daenerys begin to wage war on the Others. Yet the age of wonder and terror, of gods and heroes, leads them and their enemies in the least expected ways. It begs the question: does all happen the way it must? *or* A romantic telling of the new War for the Dawn.

This is what I've been doing the past few years: working, (dating lol), re-reading the books and joining theory discussions on other sites. What touched my heart was readers asking for me to continue the fic series. Even as I considered it, I was conflicted. Since the show and book canon are so enmeshed, I think we were really vulnerable to being whipped and scored by D&D. But we all found ways to lick our wounds. I'm grateful we were able to become closer and stronger. I'm glad to be a part of it.

So that's my preview. If you've read this far, thank you. <3

There's more to come.

[naruhearts]

Deep breaths...

Ok, I see that people (myself included — of course no one wants permanent trouble in paradise; no one wants lovers’ angst) are severely upset over the 14x18 promo of Dean yelling and being angry at Cas (plus this alternate version, which seems to make it more clear that Dean is actually addressing him).

I stood back and looked at this from various possible narrative/characteristic angles. This lovely fandom is in need of gentle reminders. 

Firstly, most of us have speculated that Mary may be the one who dies, and now that 14x17′s aired alongside establishing the gloomy direction SPN’s narrative is heading towards re: TFW fracturing apart a final time, I definitely believe it’s her (I’ll watch 14x17 in full if I can sometime tomorrow). Calm before the storm, then the storm shall pass.

Secondly, we know that Dean Winchester has been conditioned since childhood to handle and confront grief in unhealthy ways — ineffectively compartmentalizing his emotions and bottling them up until they’re released in an explosive display of vitriolic upset words — and although he’s made fantastic progress in Season Who Am 14 (SO much good catharsis, positive growth and self-introspection on his part!!), this is another case of necessary regression.

Thirdly, if we are correct and Mary does die — killed by unifying TFW mirror Jack (who is now undergoing his Winchester Dark arc and poised to navigate his own dualism as a Nephilim: angelic nature vs human nurture) — Dean’s reaction to Cas not telling him about Jack’s condition makes sense. This can absolutely call back to S5/6 (6x20 in particular -> Cas resurrected a soulless Sam, and the repercussions of that, mirroring dark Jack’s own soullessness in S14, were dire; in S14 Cas is once again seeking his father WOW the Samulet!!) with grief-stricken heartbreak and betrayal being the one primary emotion funnelling through Dean’s hurt. Also recall Dean’s understandable cruelty towards Jack re: Cas’ death in S13. It’s a pattern not far outside the realm of Dean’s canon personality.

Without reiterating 6x20 as a whole, point is, Dean’s subtextual spouse wasn’t transparent with him. In fact, they still aren’t wholly honest WITH EACH OTHER (again, final regression before final progression), and the remaining threads of miscommunication should finally come to a head/culminate into a lesson for both of them.

6x20:

x

Dean finding out about Cas’ deal with the Empty can truly apply, too. It’s a painfully similar characteristic premise — the Lover’s Betrayal trope. 

14x18:

Now, the core difference? Dean and Cas’ relationship is no longer the rocky distrustful one they had in S5/6 (amongst the growing subtextual pool of sexual attraction, which soon graduated from comic homoeroticism to serious romance in S7/8). It’s an inverted S5/6 redux, contrasting the Old vs New.

We’ve observed their tangible character development together onscreen, especially during the recent seasons of Dabb’s New Beginnings Era, where they deviate from dishonesty and learn to engage in better communication, trust, and mutual interdependence as a domestic unit; the subtext/narrative continue to frame Dean/Cas as overall solid and stable romantic partners — one is independent from the other yet their romance-grounded respect for their counterpart, of equal footing, is all-encompassing.

Destiel “have been through much together, you and I,” and I believe they are fully capable of moving past it. Emotional maturation, my friends. True love’s strength.

They’ll be okay. Dean’s feelings for Cas have undergone a drastic evolution since 2008: deep love and deep pain (yes @dotthings) go hand-in-hand. Do not forget canon, which speaks to Destiel’s resilience time and time again.

I can only hope, with a cautiously optimistic heart, that 14x18 — leading up to the S14 finale — emphasizes this as a final lover’s quarrel. It’s in-character and expected!! Trouble in paradise is temporary. Today’s SPN thrives on angst so that hope can be achieved. Personally, I choose to have faith...faith that Berens and Co will formulate a proper resolution for them, in that the Dean and Cas of S4-6 have been left behind. After all, this show ALWAYS throws curveballs, and it narratively fits if textual Destiel is the endgame!!

[mittensmorgul]

So Michael is dead ? But we have 5 more episodes who really is the big bad of this season any idea Jack or the Empty or who. I agree this seems too tidy and good. I have a bad feeling that something terrible is going to happen

Well we still have Nick floating around out there, and we still have Michael’s monsters, and we still have Cas’s deal with the empty, and it seems just a wee bit too tidy that Jack just solved everyone’s problems in one snack without there being any potential for Serious Consequences from this, you know?

What might Jack do with his power now that he’s apparently returned to his baseline state? Or is this state gonna be just as untenable and ultimately deteriorate the way he did when his grace had been cut out?

And how is this gonna change WHO he is, you know? Same way Cas tried to subsist on stolen grace in s9, is this gonna eventually prove just as toxic to Jack? Time will tell...

But again... Nick is still floating around out there, and while we’ve all been actively trying to forget, he did stir up something in the empty we hoped would stay freaking dead forever. And now Mikey, being dead too, is gonna find himself in the empty as well... I wonder if they’re gonna capitalized on that setup? Because I can’t imagine Mikey just rolling over and giving up that easily, Mr. Bash My Way Outta The Brain Fridge, Mr. I Am The Cleanser Of Worlds.

It’ll be nice to have a bit of a relief episode after this, but I don’t the they’re out of danger from any of these problems, even thought it might seem that way on the surface.

I mean, most ominous of all was Dean calling out to Jack at the end of the episode, and with his back turned, Jack replies. “Michael.” and there’s a distressing pause that lets us all wonder if Jack is now possessed by Michael before he adds, “He’s dead.”

This was a very unsettling ending, despite everyone seemingly having had a Massive Victory there... WHAT FANTASTIC STORYTELLING!

[margarittet]

5x03 / 14x02

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I guess we will se soon.  

[amwritingmeta]

14x10: What the Book Might’ve Said...

How about this for a statement that would make Dean look like the weight on his shoulders just got a little heavier:

Jack burns off his soul in order to stop Michael and save the world, which means he becomes a soulless thing that has to be hunted down and killed.

I mean, sure, maybe they could keep him around soulless, but he’ll never be him (as Cas pointed out) and... Donatello... Dean... Cas... Sam... history ain’t looking at this scenario with very kind eyes, yeah? When you surrender to your Shadow, you tend to end up severely scarred by that experience. Or dead.

If Jack’s threatened, it’s also motivation enough for Dean, Sam and Cas to want to make it up as they go - like they always have - and do it their way, in the end, I should hope, finding a way to save Jack and having all those damn books return to their original state, with a multitude of possibilities for how Dean might die, which is a return to the balance of things, which Michael’s presence is now upsetting.

Remember this:

It always felt like a setting up of a possible proper confrontation down the line and, of course, it ties right back to Dean’s statement to Jack of him being the one to kill Jack, should it come to that. Really, the punishment for Dean being so inept at handling that situation with a clear head is now having to watch Jack suffer through all he’s suffering through. You know?

Also consider:

Jack’s lost his grace - his angelic side

He’s burning off his soul - his human side

If soulless, what’s left - his demonic side

Or what might be labeled demonic, anyway, because what are the demons if not souls tortured into a twisted, evil thing? Jack may need to explore this side, might even have to go dark side, to understand himself and find a way to accept that darkness and integrate it, in exactly the same way that all of TFW have laid the groundwork for where they’re at now, doing that very thing.

He’s a perfect mirror and a strong knitting point and it makes sense that he’d face himself, fully, in order to be able to balance everything out in the end.

If he continues to burn off his soul - through good intentions - we just might get to witness this confrontation as it slowly happens, as he loses himself, and through it we would get to see TFW confronting their past and learning to forgive themselves through supporting Jack without question...

If we get anything even in the ballpark of this (and holy fuck I’d love this for Jack’s arc) then I really do hope he’s not a tragic figure merely come to teach lessons. I hope he gets to learn his own lessons too, and stand stronger for it at the end of it all. I mean, they’ve made us all love him. I wouldn’t put it passed them to kill him off. *gnashes teeth with soft worry* 

But also, if Jack ends up at the center of this whole thing, there are a lot of movable pieces on the board, so even though this scenario raises the stakes in amazing ways, I can see a resolution that doesn’t have to involve Jack sacrificing himself, at least not for good.

The devastation it would cause TFW of not being able to protect him feels undeserved at this point, and rather the reward for all their growth, but especially Dean’s since he’s the one so closely tied to Michael, should be finding a way to stop Michael in the eleventh hour, or - if Jack needs to die a second time to be properly reborn - that Jack is resurrected somehow.

Either his first death was a possible foreshadowing of this.

Or it was a foreshadowing of how TFW will handle his death once it happens - that they’ve learned to let go and Jack is the death that finally signals this in the narrative. That Jack is okay with dying, just as we’ve seen him be. That he’s at peace with it. That his ending is epic - like Star Wars or LotR or any of those stories that have captured him - and he knows it’s in order to save the world he’s come to love so much. Okay, no, I officially shudder at even the thought of it and he’d better live. :P

It might also be a prompt for them to try and find a way to restore his grace, but them previously mentioned stakes are much higher if that’s something that isn’t really viable, at least not to begin with. Oh, the intrigue. I’m sure we’re getting twisty bits all over the place and whatever they are and whatever happens I cannot wait to find out what we’ll get! *spectacular spectacular!*

Anyway. Two cents.

[thecassafrasstree]

So how about that 14×14 promo...

I really don't like the promo for 14×14. If they decide to make Jack soulless and turn him into a villain just for shigs, I may well quit watching the show. I know this might not be the case (we've already had some slightly misleading promos this season - like Dean in the box actually being a dream sequence, for example), and we don't have the full context surrounding what happens in the promo... but I still don't like it, and I have a lot of really bad feelings about it, and I'll have to stew in those feelings for the next month until it airs and possibly after, so... yeah.

I adore Jack's character. I've loved him since his first full episode when he said Cas was his father. His sweetness, and sensitivity, and capacity for love and kindness in spite of everyone's expectations that he'd be as evil as Lucifer is what makes him so compelling to me. I love Jack probably as much as I love Cas, which is A WHOLE AWFUL LOT.

If Jack burns off the rest of his soul to use his powers, he will die - his soul is what powers the magic that's keeping his body from shutting down. And since his soul will be gone, there will be nothing left of him to ascend to Heaven when his body expires. He will be completely and utterly destroyed.

And all the sacrifices that were made to ensure his survival will have been in vain. Lily's sacrifice, Dean's sacrifice (remember, he said Yes to Michael to save Sam AND Jack), Cas' sacrifice, HIS MOTHER'S SACRIFICE. Not only will Cas will be relegated to in eternity in the Empty for Jack to use his powers only a few times, but he'll have broken his promise to Kelly in the worst possible way. Dean may or may not end up being tormented by Michael forever in the malak box, only for Jack to lose his soul and become as big or a bigger threat to the world than Michael. Kelly will never even have the chance to see her son again in Heaven under any circumstances, and if she ever found out what happened, she'd never forgive herself for letting Jack be resurrected using magic powered by his soul. Lily would have died bringing him back for nothing. Sam would be faced with failing to save yet another person he empathized with, someone he was always told wasn't worth the effort, someone he saw so much of himself in, from turning evil, the same way everyone expected Sam himself to become evil prior to the end of season 5.

I enjoy a good dose of Winchester Angst (TM) as much as the next fan, but seeing Jack lose his soul and turn PermaBad would break my heart in a way that I don't think I could forgive (and I almost quit watching when they fridged Charlie and Eileen, but stuck around anyway, so I feel like I've already given them a lot of leeway).

Jack has always been keenly aware of the sacrifices others have made for him, from the moment he was born. And we know he doesn't always feel worthy of them (as in 13×02, "Maybe I'm not worth all this."). But it's also not as though Jack doesn't know how loved he is - all his parental figures have always tried to make clear how much they love him, and how worthy he is of their sacrifices. For Jack to take that most sacred of sacrifices - that of a parent for their child - and just throw it away for short-term access to his powers... feels utterly wrong for his character, and is a violation of everything his family has done for him. I'm not opposed to experimenting a bit with his character, but not if it turns him into the kind of monster he's been terrified of becoming from day one.

(Also, the last 8 or 9 consecutive episodes have all made me cry, and I'm getting kind of angsted-out. Part of what I love about SPN is that NOT every single episode makes me want to lie down and die - they usually break up these long stretches of sad with a bit of levity, but they haven't really done a 'funny' episode since before Jack died. It's kind of emotionally exhausting, especially for someone like me who's hyper-empathetic and sensitive to emotions. STOP HURTING ME LIKE THIS, I NEED A BREAK ONCE IN A WHILE, GODDAMMIT. )

[norahastuff]

wild theory time: how likely is it that they unleash this world's Michael by the finale? I don't have any concrete reasons, except that Jack is Lucifer's son, so then, what if the writers really try to have a FINAL BATTLE OF ALL BATTLES by pitting Jack versus this world' Michael like how they did in s5? (I really have nothing to back this up lol but i'm curious about who will become the BIG BAD next season.)

Well before I give my opinion, full disclosure: I don’t really do too much plot related speculation when it comes to Supernatural. Emotional developments and character motivations tend to be a lot easier to predict than specific plot points.

For example, this post speculating about Michael’s motives/plans after 14x09:

https://norahastuff.tumblr.com/post/181147377362/elizabethrobertajones-mittensmorgul

That was just an observation determined by past canon and I honestly wasn’t even certain that they were going to textualise it to the degree that they did. On the other hand when watching 14x14 for example, I had no idea that Jack would defeat Michael and take in his grace. Like a lot of us suspected Jack was going to have a descent arc, but for me at least I didn’t see that being the way it was actually going to down. 

So the point is, take what I say with a massive grain of salt, particularly when it comes to speculation about plot.

Personally I don’t really see them bringing OG Michael back. At this point I don’t think there’s anything different he brings in terms of story. The destiny that was hanging over Dean’s head back in s5 of being possessed by Michael, we’ve already revisited that this season with the AU counterpart. 

Similarly, if we’re talking about Michael/God, AU Michael has already fulfilled the role of the dutiful son who did everything he was told to do and yet it still didn’t make God come back. He had the same arc as OG Michael except that he won the prize fight and had to deal with the aftermath of it. He realised that Chuck is a writer, and the apocalypse - what was supposed to be the ultimate battle - was not some grand destiny he was supposed to fulfil, but rather just another failed draft that Chuck had penned and then moved on from.

After all that exploration of his state of mind, if they were going to bring any Michael back I think it would probably be more likely to be AU Michael, he’s further ahead in terms of arc and relevance to the story than OG Michael is at this point.

There’s also the fact that I haven’t noticed any foreshadowing about it. We’ve all pretty much known Chuck was coming back for a while now since they’ve been repeatedly mentioning him all season.

https://norahastuff.tumblr.com/post/183852494337/norahastuff-a-not-comprehensive-list-of-times

They did a similar thing in s11 before his return, and also with Lucifer’s return too. I mean I guess Jack did mention him back in 14x09 when AU Michael was trying to convince him they were family

“My uncle’s in the Cage. And you – you’re not family.”

But beyond that there’s not been much indication that that is something the show’s going to revisit. Jack is a lot more powerful than an archangel so I don’t think bringing Michael back would help really, especially if Chuck is in the picture and he’s more powerful than any of them.

The thing about plot developments though, is that they don’t always require emotional build up and foreshadowing the way character journeys do. So I mean there’s not really anything that would stop them from having Chuck get Michael out of the cage, bring back AU Michael and have them fight Jack together with their Alternative Universe doppelganger powers, if that’s where the show wanted to go, but I haven’t seen anything that makes me think that’s the case. I would be happy to be proved wrong though :L 

I’m also very curious about the s15 big bad. I’m very interested in why Chuck chooses to show up in the finale, and how involved he’s willing to get. He’s never been a direct involvement kind of guy in solving any problems (beyond resurrecting Cas - but I think to him resurrecting Cas was him facilitating rather than solving, because the point wasn’t just to bring back Cas, but to bring back Cas so that he would go off and help save the world.) 

Chuck isn’t a roll into town, solve all your problems kind of deity. Because if he does that, it begs the question of why doesn’t he save heaven. It’s dying and the world would be screwed if that happened. I think next season is going to have to address the Empty, heaven dying and perhaps even whatever the hell’s going on in hell - is Drexel running things now? 

 So yeah, one thing I do believe is that this finale is going to be intense. Moriah…I mean this shit is biblical and to me that’s where Spn really shines.

[annabeth-the-spn-nerd]

Anael

I was bored today and I looked up Danneel's character Anael, and I learned some stuff. First of all, Anael, otherwise known as Hanael or Aniel, is associated with the planet Venus. This was interesting to me because when I think of Venus, I automatically go to the Roman goddess Venus, or Aphrodite, her Greek counterpart. I also learned that the name Haniel probably comes from the Hebrew word for joy or pleasure. I find all of this really interesting, because to me, it seems like this could mean that although we haven't seen Anael in the best light, that maybe she could be one of the good guys. I mean, with a name meaning "the joy of God", I would kind of expect you to be good (idk though, Chuck's had some messed up ideas throughout the millenia). This all could just be a coincidence, or it could all just be because Danneel is amazing and/or because she's Jensen's wife but it got me thinking.

Also, according to everything I've read...Haniel isn't just a regular angel- she's an Archangel. If they put that in the show, than maybe she could help save Dean, by killing Michael. Or maybe she could help save Heaven. I don't know, man, but I'm getting really curious about what they're going to do with all of this.

[jointpainfaggot]

Bonus points to s14 if someone wants to talk to Cas about Dean potentially dying and says “I know you love him, but (...)”

[nox-lee]

So Michael just leaving Dean all of a sudden... definitely a trap.

But also, consider: what if 14x03 onwards is all a hallucination happening inside Dean’s mind and Michael never left at all?

I doubt they’d do that, but man, what a trip that would be because they’d be fucking with our heads right alongside Dean’s. 

[verobatto]

This is spn S14 spec... Kind of...

Ok...I need some guidance.

I just had this discussion with my husband... And he made a bet about his theory.

He says that Cas will go to hell asking for help. Asking for Michael!Adam to be released but they will just use Him as a vessel. A new vessel for AUMichael. And that's the way they will save Dean.

Well.. I said to him "Yeah... That could happen. But I think they would use Michael!Adam to fight against AUMichael!Dean."

But I don't bet wit that theory. I bet wit my theory...

Based on Dabb's circular narrative...

See... In s05 we had this...

Beautiful gif BTW! Yes... Sam was able to regain control of his body thanks to the memories of his childhood with Dean.

We have another example with Casifier

Cas took control of his vessel when Sam was in danger. This two examples are about taking control against an Archangel possession. It requires a very strong emotion. Like love. In this two occasions BROTHERHOOD AND FRIENDSHIP.

So... My theory is... Dean will be saved by this too. I mean... I believe... Strongly believe that Dean will be able to take control of his body through LOVE. I don't know what kind of love. Brotherhood? Family memories? Friendship? Romantic love? (Obviously this last one is my favorite option... Sorry I'm a Destiel shipper).

I'll be more aggressive and will say... That Dean will be able to eject AUMichael. And maybe Roweena will use some kind of spell and will capture AUMichael in some cage (he could be roommate with Michael!Adam hahahahaaaaaa) but well... Just saying...

So... I don't wanna lose the bet... What do you think about my theory? I will tag some meta writers bc I really love their works. But anyone can give me guidance!!

@naruhearts @thedogsled @hashtagteamfreewill @thetwistedwillow

(And the worst part is... We don't even say what the loser will have to pay!!)

[naruhearts]

Before I go to bed--

Mary being Cas’ mirror would, naturally, make her death another harbinger for impending doom. She’s foreshadowed Cas as getting taken by the Empty and leaving Dean behind, just like Mary left AU Bobby (AU Bobby/Mary paralleling Dean/Cas) behind.

Not to mention @thetwistedwillow‘s comment regarding narrative cyclism which we’ve seen ALL this season: SPN started with Mary’s death. The second-to-last season of the show promptly ended with her death. It’s a bow-out. A final curtain call ushering in new beginnings.

So, again, FRIENDLY (angst-filled) REMINDER that it’s logical to assume (HOPE) where this storytelling pattern should bring us: Dean and Cas’ love story began when Cas raised Dean from perdition, and thus their love story will end (in other words, begin anew) with Dean saving Cas from the Empty. 

Full circle.

[mittensmorgul]

Dean's look when Sam punched him though! I know the boys fight (and I have no problems with that -- that's how the guys are), but in that instant, I was convinced that John used to beat Dean.

EEP. I mean, that’s long been a prominent fandom headcanon. And I mean, it’s bad enough that Dean has been reminiscing about some truly painful parts of his childhood over the last few episodes-- first with the awful reminder for Mary (Winchester Surprise! The surprise is that her children were forced to steal food! That Dean was forced to try and prepare the stolen food as a child too young to even understand how cooking works! and that instead of John being concerned about the fact they went out, stole food, and then because they were CHILDREN failed to cook it well, PUNISHED them by throwing it out and yelling at them for it all, and Dean helpfully tossed in the fact that even trying to make Mary’s “signature dish” or whatever had contributed to John’s anger because it “reminded him of” Mary and subtly reminded us of all the meta about the fact that Dean frequently may have reminded John of Mary and that may have been a contributing factor to all sorts of issues for Dean as a kid...), and then the gut punch of his confession to Sam that all the times Dean disappeared when they were younger weren’t because Dean ran off, but because John exiled him for screwing up... well... 

Taken in conjunction with every story Dean’s ever blanked on finishing (the reminders in 5.16 about what happened when Sam ran off when he was 12, the unfinished thoughts about how John had never been as bad as Max’s father in 1.14, seeing first-hand how John treated Dean like a soldier and blamed him directly for failing to kill the Shtriga in 1.18... and that’s just a few off the top of my head... )... 

It’s not definitive proof that he hit Dean, but it’s definitely enough to at least suggest that Dean spent a lot of time worried that he might... and honestly that’s bad enough to go on.

[idabbleincrazy]

I swear if one of the episodes this season ends up being titled 'Sword of Damocles' I'll lose my frickin mind with worry.

[amwritingmeta]

Your thoughts on the Becky comment from ep 1 now that the season is over?

Hello, my dear Nonny!

Idk if you read my deconstruction of 13x01, but I talked about what Becky and Elsa represented to me: the toxic masculinity vs the healthy femininity. Aw yes! I was on cloud nine, gotta say. I loved it so much. Still do!

So Becky was expressly stated as having to die, right? And throughout the first half of S13 Dean was confronted by monsters who were all male and who all embodied the toxic masculinity traits we’ve come to know and, well, disdain tbh. And it was time for Dean to take one long hard look at these representatives and - symbolically - reject the fuck out of what they stood for. 

Which he did in 13x11 (to my mind) when he finally was allowed to KILL one of these representatives when he shoots the pig wearing black marketeer through his ugly head. (aside from killing the shapeshifter in 13x03, but shifters have been such an enormous mirror for Dean ever since Skin that it felt even more done in self-defence and fury than the killshot of 13x11, which was done to protect Sam and that fact could also be discussed further because it fascinates me) (but for another post!)

With Dean effectively getting to kill one of the toxic masculinity representatives of the narrative, Becky is dead. Long live Elsa!

I mean, by 13x16 Dean is even allowed the line “Be like Elsa - let it go.” This isn’t to say Dean is now embracing every facet of healthy inner femininity (nurturer, communicator etc) or that he’s let go of every facet of toxic behaviour, but to me it means that the groundwork has been laid for him to hopefully and possibly move into a new phase.

All depending on whether the lessons learned in S13 are allowed to stick or whether Michael will upend everything. I’m hopeful, though, because Dean’s progression in S13 wasn’t just S13 fodder, it had threads in it stitching back to S11, and S11 had threads stitching back further etc. It’s all connected. The momentum may slow, but I doubt they’ll rip up the needlepoint they’ve put down. Or at least I hope they won’t. 

S13 was good to Dean. I do believe S14 will be quite harsh on him. Whether to stunt his growth and see how much he can take before he breaks, or whether to push his growth forward without really losing too much momentum - that is the question. :) Here’s what I do know: everything happens with good reason and everything happens to assist the character to learn necessary lessons, so whatever we get it will be what Dean needs in order to let go and move forward.

It just might take a few seasons before the lessons are allowed to fully sink in…

We shall have to wait, and see. :)

xx

[girlasterisk]

can i just...

*deep breath* *whispers* casmadeadealwiththeemptytotakehimwhenheistrulyhappyandthusmeaningheisnottrulyhappyrightnowsowhataretheyleadingupto?huh?whatif

*pauses* *softer whispering*

whatifthisentireplotisleadingtocasrevealingwhatmakeshimtrulyhappywhichis...

*pauses* *almost inaudible*

d e a n

*back to normal speed still somewhat aggressive but in a shy kind way whispering*

deeeeesssssstttttttiiiiiiiiieeeeeeelllllllllllll

but like real talk i mean what are they leading up to...? hmmmm? that’s what i thought. CAS DESERVES HAPPINESS DONT KILL HIM FOR IT JUST GIVE HIM DEAN OK? OK.

this show is gonna kill me

no.

this show has killed me.