#that’s how we do subtext am I right Sam?

[savagewildnerness]

Lestat (whispered): I’m going to miss this place.

*subtext* (internally screamed): In your arms…

[watching-sam-and-dean-again]

Watching a reactor on YouTube who just got to Season 4: Lazarus Rising, and I’m so annoyed by the amount of comments with people saying things like, "this is when the series REALLY starts" and "Seasons 1-3 were the prologue, now The Story begins" and "I’ve been waiting for you to meet my favorite character!"

First, I will never be able to understand Castiel being someone's legitimate favorite character. I just don’t get it. He starts off as a massive dick, becomes an ally, uses and betrays both brothers a number of times, rarely takes full responsibility for his actions, and ends up as a totally different and neutered version of himself. But this guy is your favorite!? The only reason I think a large number of fans who love him do is because he comes in the gate treating Sam like crap and he becomes a simp for Dean (or they are shippers). Also, if someone is a more casual fan, I can see enjoying Cass because he’s quirky and he mostly stands up for the Winchesters, but if someone is a big fan of the brothers, Cass makes their lives harder a lot of the time. Also, I’m coming to really hate the fact that the dude is always in a trench coat. How am I supposed to take a character seriously who is essentially like an unchanging cartoon character come to life? Anyway, despite how it might sound from my ranting, I actually do think people are allowed to love whatever character they want, but it just doesn’t compute for me personally that it’s Cass as he is on screen (not in someone’s head).

Next, the idea of people calling the first three seasons "The Prologue" to supernatural is offensive to me personally (well, not offensive but it’s dumb as hell). A prologue is used to give some important background that should be known for you to better understand the main story, but it happened before, or doesn’t quite fit into, the main narrative. I’m sorry, but the first three seasons of Supernatural are the foundation that everything builds off of, and maybe I’m splitting hairs here, but it’s not just the set up to the Real Story. The Real Story of Supernatural has always been and will always be "the epic love story of Sam and Dean," not the angel crap. Calling the basis of the whole show the prologue has an implied message that it’s not as important as, or connected to the rest of the story. Again, people are allowed to have their own opinions about what they enjoy in media, but this idea that what came before Season 4 wasn’t as important as the rest of the show is actually bad media literacy, especially when you consider how much retconning and inconsistency later seasons have (*cough* John Winchester, for exapmle). The early seasons are Supernatural at its most pure, and if you don’t like or care about Sam and Dean's story, what are you doing here?

I was going to go on by listing all of the important things that we learn about Sam and Dean's characters and relationship in the first three seasons, but honesty, I’m tired. If you’re reading my post, I’m sure you already know. True fans of the show, even if seasons 1 to 3 aren’t their favorite, know how important these seasons are. Frankly, if someone claims that they don’t matter as much as the later season, then I’m going to assume that they are probably a heller (and I’m probably right), thus their opinions on the show don’t matter.

Speaking of Hellers, they are the Jehovah’s Witnesses of fandom. They descend on your doorstep (YouTube video, blog post, etc), uninvited and unwelcome, to make you uncomfortable by forcing their literature (head-canons and subtext) on you in a vain attempt to make you convert to their twisted version of a cult religion (Destiel). Some get indoctrinated into their cult, others consider them a joke, and yet others are driven to madness by the constant hounding of the hellers. I wish they would just stay in their lane and let people come to their own conclusions about the show and the characters, but they try to gatekeep the fandom experience by jumping on anyone new and telling them how they are the "most popular ship" and that supernatural queerbaits, but Dean and Cass are still totes husbands, and there is some other guy there, too but Sam is just some jerk who isn’t as important as Wuwu Dean and their Little Meow Meow Cass. If somone actually sees and enjoys Destiel on their own, great, good for them; they’ll find the blogs and groups who love it too. Hellers don’t need to try actively recruiting people. It’s all just a numbers gone to them. We have the most fanfic (um, yes, because the show doesn’t deliver what you want), we are the most popular ship (sure, because the other main ship is brothers which squicks some people out, and because you crucify anyone who admits to being a Wincest shipper), and they tell the stupidest lies (the show shifts away from being about the brothers, and focusses more on Dean and Cass' "relationship," and Sam isn’t as important to the story later). I wish they would just stay in their own sandbox and not come pee in everyone else's. Cult like behavior in action.

Okay, deep breaths. I’m grad I got that one off of my chest, but my blog is getting very ranty. I’m going to try make sure my next post is a positive one.

Happy weekend everyone!

[sapphyreopal5]

I’ve noticed a lot of the fandom attacking Jensen all because a character on the show 9-1-1 was revealed to be bisexual and people are saying that’s Jensen’s a coward and a homophobe which I don’t believe because he was willing to do a sex scene with Tony Starr before they changed the storyline, but Jensen’s homophobic because he didn’t want his canonically straight character to kiss Mr. Chapped Lips? How does that make sense? I was just curious if you had an opinion about this

Hello Anon, thank you for the ask :) Mr. Chapped Lips, HA love it! People have been calling Jensen homophobic for years now unfortunately. This clip from Asylum 3 back in 2009 shows him saying "You know, I would say yes, but then Brokeback Mountain came out, and my desire to do a cowboy film completely tanked" when someone asked if he'd like to do a cowboy movie. In 2013, he also essentially stated in this clip he's going to pretend he doesn't know what the question was when someone was asking a question (partially asked, mind you) starting with "I love your character becoming more comfortable with himself this season. I'm bisexual and I have noticed some possible subtext that you might be..." to which he started off with saying "I'm thoroughly confused" and essentially shoos off the question... It is possible this Jensen receipts Twitter account is a Destiel account (seems to me it is) but the clips do show what was said at different conventions to show you why people believe Jensen Ackles is homophobic.

Of course, us logical people who DID watch the show know it is NOT canon for Dean to be homosexual at all. Why Misha calls it a love confession, pandering to the loud members of the Destiel shippers crowd is 'cause $$$ I found the above GIFs from this post here but thought I'd have the GIFs on here for VISUAL purposes, so these people can have a direct point of reference staring them right in the face. The episodes in question that post mentions where Dean specifically says he's straight in his own quirky ways are Croatoan (Season 2, Episode 9), Jus in Bello (Season 3, Episode 12), and Live Free or Twihard (Season 6, Episode 5). Of course, I don't agree with the original poster this was merely because he was "in danger" and stressed out from it. He likely went with the gay couple scenario with Sam in Bugs (Season 1, Episode 8) as to not "cause waves" with potentially buying a house keep attention elsewhere as far as not looking suspicious with investigating.

As far as the said scene he was going to do with Antony Starr prior to the changing of the story line, I am assuming it is this you're talking about that is in the original comics. I see the show changed it so that Homelander is in fact Soldier Boy's son, which makes sense as to why he refused to do the scene. Instead, we got the "Herogasm" episode in season 3. Now as for why the script changed from the original comics to this episode, I don't know.

My overall opinion is, Jensen is probably tired of people talking about Destiel. It's not canon to the show period. Also, do people realize what phobes are? Genuine yet extreme fears. It is one thing to not like something or to have prejudices or discriminate against something, but it's another to fear it. To differentiate between these things, I am linking this website here and also copy and pasted the chart included in it for visual references. To discriminate is to deny rights, privileges and opportunities to members of a particular group. To have prejudice against something is to have an unfair and unreasonable feeling or opinion of something often formed without enough knowledge or thought. Having a phobia means to have an extreme, irrational, fear of something that may cause a person to panic and is described as being a type of anxiety disorder. Now, does Jensen actively fear or straight up avoid gay people or Destiel fans? No. He has still signed things or taken photographs with Destiel fans over the years, despite saying Destiel doesn't exist multiple times. Maybe not with the biggest smile in the world about it but he has not denied taking photos with any of them or complained hardcore about it.

I said in another post it's possible Jensen is not straight but is bi leaning more towards women. However, I do not believe he will act upon this as far as being in a relationship with anyone who isn't a woman (despite the fact he's still currently married to Elta). As far as a recent clip I saw floating around somewhere that a Destiel fan was told they couldn't ask their question about Destiel (despite Misha saying they can ask), I say that this causes unnecessary controversy and that Creation wants to keep things pleasant for everyone. Destiel fans are straight up too aggressive and pushy about making their ship canon and reality for several years now, despite Jensen and others saying no it isn't. If Jensen were to kiss any man, it honestly would not be Misha. Sorry not sorry here...

Thanks for the ask Anon.

[suguelya]

I am 100 percent with you on preferring the JP line in that cutscene if only because it does feel more powerful (and his voice is SO soft, which is something that frequently gets completely lost in the dub in general. Mamoru carries a much softer tone overall for Flynn, similar to how Yuri's playfulness and carefree vibe got lost in favor of the dub's aim for a more "cool adult guy").

That said, I was not even aware they left the whistle out!!! I haven't bothered with that sidequest because the outfit is readily available for free as DLC.

While I enjoy having Flynn present in the last battle, I wish they'd just had him look back up at the sky and say that right next to Yuri right before the very end of the cutscene (since imo that'd be the best placement for it). No reason not to stick that back in!!!

But removing the whistle is just an outright crime and I am owed a fee from the people who decided that for the devastation I've been inflicted with.

Big same 🤝

I used to be such a fan of the eng dub but tbh ever since I experienced the original japanese (back when we still called it the PS3 Version lol) I never looked back. The wording is so, so, SO much more layered and leaves little room to misinterpret subtleties and subtext. Like you, I've had many gripes about the localization because sometimes they just plain insert stuff that was never there in the first place - iirc Troy Baker admited that apparently they rushed the dub so hard, sometimes the voice actors themselves were asked to chip in for the translation...he said he loved that (I'll bet), but that might explain why so much of the OG english script was already full of weird phrasings and insertions...add to that the even more sloppy and lazy DE localization and you get only half of the richness of the original japanese.

Also yes Mamo and Tori *are* Flynn and Yuri more than anybody ever could be. Sam and Troy do a good enough job but I agree that Troy may have been directed to play Yuri closer to a traditional "cool bad boy", which is hilarious given how the original Yuri is a twist on that very trope. Unfortunately, Troy gave him this uncharacteristically cold/aggressive edge whenever he talks to Flynn that it makes it sound like he's always annoyed to see him, and it strips their relationship of so much of the softness and playfulness that Tori lends Yuri.

Anyway enough about me ranting because I could go on for about 10 more hours about this issue lmao. Honestly yeah they very well could've rearranged Flynn's cutscene to fit in there at the end, like hell if you can change the entire camera angles of whole scenes you can change that one background, no?? Knowing Tomizawa though that might have been more effort than he was willing to grant this remaster - won't be his last time.

Same for the wolf whistling!! They replaced it with a skit that is just as funny...

....but void of the insane flirting the original had. Idek why they went so far as to change it, it would've been less work to just leave it as it was 😭

[mlobsters]

supernatural s9e19 alex annie alexis ann (w. robert berens)

i need a never-skip-recap button for spn on netflix, i need all the help i can get to remember wtf is going on. jody and vampires, let's get it

The episode title is a play on the title of the 2011 psychological thriller Martha Marcy May Marlene.

and you know who's in that? our hugh dancy (from hannibal)

little cillian murphy vibes

okay, adorable haircut

JODY Eh, only aches when it rains. How you boys been? DEAN Peachy. SAM Touch and go.

lol sam's face. skrunkly

i am ... vaguely distressed for this actress that had to have jared padalecki aggressively swabbing her gums. awkward

DEAN So she's a blood slave. We've seen it before – vampires keeping people as pets, human feedbags. Sometimes these slaves... SAM Stay loyal to their captors.

this episode is uh. it's got a lot of kinky subtext potential

so is bloodbag girl gonna come to understand how her parents must have felt when she got taken from jody's son dying? and/or is jody just gonna adopt her?

also when are we circling back to the sam "only child" winchester brother angst? aside from skrunkle faces we've been pretty much acting normal

sure dean would be happy to go do some morally just slicing and dicing rampage

this reminds me of that hannibal episode with molly shannon collecting a family of kids and having them murder their actual families

hannibal s1e4 oeuf

DEAN Okay, that "girl" can't be trusted. She's a lure. She's a-a honey trap. She's been feeding people to those vamps! JODY I don't care. Whatever she did, she did because they made her.

speaking of hannibal, jody said abigail rights

DEAN And how do you even know she wants to be saved? For the past eight years, she has been baiting the hook for an entire nest. She's got more blood on her hands than most monsters we kill. JODY Are you saying she's on your list?

jody could use a little heads up about dean being extra murdery due to the mark

love this vampire lady's hair. red and curly and wild

sam's empathy is getting a workout lately. all these soft understanding looks he's trading with jody (and everyone) when dean's all bloodthirsty

shades of the benders. cool and nice cop lady, fucked up murdering family that eats people with a daughter for a lure, a winchester bound to a chair while the other is threatened

s1e15 the benders

SAM Nice work back there. "Look at me, bitch"? DEAN Well, hey, you got another snappy one-liner, I'm all ears. SAM What I'm saying is – it looked to me like you were enjoying it. Maybe too much. DEAN And? Well, sorry for not putting on a hair shirt. Killing things that need killing is kind of our job. Last I checked, taking pleasure in that is not a crime.

A hair shirt, also known as a cilice, is a garment made of coarse cloth or animal hair and typically worn in religious circles to cause pain and discomfort for the purposes of repentance and atonement.

are we expected to know what this is?

why are all these plotlines such slow burns. do they still not know the mark makes him extra murdery??? TOO MUCH SHIT IS GOING ON

so far moc!dean seems kind of like fresh out of purgatory dean

editing to add that they did squeeze in a little brother angst with that brief

DEAN Yeah, I know. You wouldn't have done the same for me.

[jinkieswouldyoulookatthis]

Subtext - Part 2

This is a follow-up to my previous post about subtext.

Subtext vs. Text

So, if the potential meaning(s) of subtextual elements is not part of canon, Jinkies, how can you say that Sam and Dean are canonically soulmates when the show never came right out and said that they were?

Great question! The short answer is that there is a difference between subtext and text that shows rather than tells.

Writers are always being told to "show, don't tell." But what the fuck does that actually mean? It means that good storytelling isn't just exposition. Sure, you can explicitly tell your readers/viewers a thing, it happens all the time, but if you want to really draw your audience in and make them suspend disbelief for a time, immerse them in your story, you want to show them things because that makes them feel the things. So instead of saying, "Bob went to the store and bought eggs, milk, and flour," you would instead, perhaps, describe Bob coming back with shopping bags that he unloads, pulling out eggs, milk, and flour, and putting them away in his kitchen. The fact that Bob went to the store and bought these items, while unsaid, isn't subtext. As the writer, you just chose to show your reader the results of an action instead of talking them through the steps of that action.

Likewise, in the episode Dark Side of the Moon (5x16), the writers show us that Sam and Dean share a heaven by having them be able to find each other without breaking out of their individual heavens, a thing that they show and explain to us through Ash as needing to happen to jump from one person's heaven to another's. But Dean just follows the road through his heaven and it leads him to Sam... because they're in different parts of the same heaven. Taking Ash's metaphor of Heaven being like Disneyland a step further, both Sam and Dean were in the Winchesterland heaven portion of Heaven, just on different rides within that portion of the larger park. Then Ash says, while looking pointedly at the two of them, that special cases like soulmates share a heaven. So while the story did not say, "Sam and Dean are soulmates," it gave us the equation, explained all the variables, and just left us to fill in the answer on our own because they had faith in our ability to do the basic math. Turns out that faith wasn't 100% justified, but whatever, not everyone is good at math.

So in this case, Sam and Dean being soulmates is a part of canon even though they never came right out and said those specific words in that order. It is text that is shown not told.

Text, in a written work, is the actual words used, whether those words are describing actions, dialog, or setting a scene. While subtext is the space between and underneath the words where implied additional meanings can be found, if one chooses to go looking for them.

A great and fertile ground for subtextual readings can be found in discussions about Sam and Dean's sexualities. Because while the text only tells and shows us both brothers being heterosexual, there is a lot of subtext that speaks to a lot of people in support of one or both of them being queer in some fashion. Queer readings of either character are valid head canons with lots of support that can be pulled from the subtextual elements of the show. There is room within the story for a lot of subjective readings, even though all the canon tells/shows us is that they are heterosexual cis men.

Now I know a lot of you may screech to a halt here and start objecting that I am putting a subjectively heteronormative read on this. Yeah, I know. Unfortunately, the entire issue with the heteronormative bullshit that we all deal with in the really real world on a daily basis, is that it is the default presumed pov. This is changing (thankfully) but Supernatural was created before that shift really began in the collective consciousness, so the default presumed pov of the show is a heteronormative one. That is how the show was created, the filter through which it was written and acted and presented. And while reading it from a different pov is valid, it is not going to be in line with canon... it would be head canon.

Again, HEAD CANONS ARE VALID even though they aren't canon.

[aoxizu]

day 81 of saving for jing yuan rerun: 326 wishes (this is the only jing yuan part of the post)

ok. so. somewhat long very rambly post beware, also spoilers probably

i have not yet completed the companion quest or any other side quests but i have done the main quest

i don't get firefly like i just do not care about her

we met her for 3 hours and i'm supposed to have developed a bond already? and i'm supposed to believe that she's dead? sure she's pretty and all but i just don't get it

i don't know maybe there's subtext i'm missing as a person who is pretty much allergic to romance i just don't understand why i'm supposed to care so much about her "death"

though i will say that sam's fight was pretty good. i liked that.

i also really want to trust aventurine and give him the benefit of the doubt but it seems like he's definitely a major driving force behind everything

why did you have a corpse in your bathtub, aventurine??

i really like aventurine and dr ratio's dynamic with dr ratio being one of the few people who can actually cut through aventurine and aventurine playing up the idiocy and mediocrity

i strongly believe as of right now that the dead people are not going to stay dead and some may even be killed again

i've never played honkai impact 3 but it appears that on the hsr subreddit there are memes of people starting to understand otto now that firefly is dead and i just still don't really get it

did we really manage to build that close of a relationship in those 3 hours of running around? personally i'd argue that i'm closer with black swan even though you were only a part of her contract

going on a different note here but i keep getting distracted whenever they bring up contracts and the fact that aventurine is a merchant

zhongli and liyue just float up from the recesses of my mind and i'm just there going "cOnTrAcT?? liyue reference???" in the middle of important dialogue

anyways image dump incoming

the architects just look like wizards and they just stand there with their arms outstretched

i like sam's boss fight but his animations feel a little off to me? somehow i don't know quite how to explain it and his model also feels a little weird

good music though

also there was the whole thing with robin's voice being off and after welt pointed it out i tried to listen for it and i couldn't tell the difference, but that seems to just be a me thing

the other question with robin is was she sparkle from the start? when you initially entered the dream and landed in a unique pose slightly reminiscent of other media and sunday and robin come up to you and robin helps you adjust to the dream, was she already sparkle then? if so then how did sparkle do that, isn't that like a xipe and fuli exclusive thing?

i've also seen people who play with the english dub talk about how sampo's voice is different now compared to his voice during belobog, though i don't know if that's a result of real life interfering or if it was specifically directed to sound that way by devs

i also don't play in en so i wouldn't know

i also feel like gallagher was not what i expected

he's the head of security and he just let firefly go because she was pretty? i don't know why gallagher would make that decision just based on appearances and i am growing increasingly concerned for the safety of penacony if the head of security can just let people go for looking like they're innocent

or am i just used to living in a part of the world where the police are almost never on your side? maybe elsewhere police do usually give people the benefit of the doubt, and i'm just used to police always being this force you have to be cautious of and the idea that in an encounter with them you need to be careful of the answers you give

anyways that was a plot point i didn't really like but who knows maybe his character will change in the future

i didn't expect that duke inferno would be playable but him dying is still a little sad. but i have seen so much of his relic set recently that it feels like i already have him (and his artifacts absolutely suck i got this really good hand piece with attack %, crit rate, and crit damage as the substats so there's no way it could go wrong right? no it went all into effect hit rate.)

my personal vendetta against duke inferno's artifact set aside, i still feel like firefly shouldn't have been killed this early

i feel like i had no chance to develop any sort of relationship with her and at most we were acquaintances when she died

and also the whole deal with acheron's red text is a little unsettling but i definitely felt safer with her around as she hasn't tried to kill me or use me yet while other characters have

i went into 2.0 thinking i wouldn't like black swan but i've come around to her and honestly she is nice when she doesn't have to be

i don't mind that she only brings you to aventurine to fulfill her part of a contract, though i wish literally all of the characters would explain their actions clearly for a person like me who has no ability to read subtext

and also her exploration mechanic is really nice

i don't like to play dot teams but i'm considering it now, though it will have to wait a while

what i really want is a character that works similar to the quake mechanic in the simulate universe and the captain dunn enemy kind of

like clara but preservation

basically i want a battle cleric but like a dps shielder

this guy might end up replacing gepard if i get him

i wish there was a way to rewatch cutscenes because there is probably so much foreshadowing hidden in the details that i couldn't catch the first time around

can galaxy rangers be emanators of the hunt? i think all the generals of the xianzhou ships are and so is the marshal, but i don't know if the galaxy rangers are also like officially endorsed by lan

they seem to be another group that also travels the path of the hunt but doesn't necessarily have lan's blessing in as much of a direct way as the xianzhou does, like how the luofu generals get lightning lord and stuff

i really hope we get to see more of the other xianzhou ships (i need more jing yuan content)

but personally i don't think acheron is an emanator of the hunt, far more likely to be destruction or finality

also i'm absolutely taking 仙舟旧纪 as canon despite the fact that it is entirely fanmade

it is my canon now

who killed the...

ominous title aside, i get the feeling that robin is more likely to stay dead than firefly

her death feels like something that the plot will revolve around at some point in the future, and it feels oddly fitting

so also fun fact there is a 10 images per post limit. sad

but i think that sums up most of my thoughts on the main quest so far, though there probably is more that i haven't touched on

at any rate, i am looking forward to 2.1 and aventurine's banner. i need to collect all the preservation characters or as many as i can with the welkin and not spending any additional money

there are 22 days left until jing yuan's rerun

[storiesbyrhi]

I just re-watched season 3 of Stranger Things (a.k.a. nobody checks on the children for four days straight) and here's the takeaway for me - whoever I was when I watched it in 2019 is not the girl you see before you. I have a wayyyy different interpretation of the characters and the show.

(Season 1 thoughts here. Season 2 thoughts here.)

Sorry to go all My Favorite Murder on you, but here's Correction Corner:

I should have mentioned Sam Owens in my S2 thoughts; I was suss of him in 2017. Still suss in the rewatch.

It was cool meeting Sinclair and Henderson families. Obviously, Erica was iconic from the get-go.

Needed more Scott Clarke.

Alright, it's Scoops Ahoy season, baby!

I'll never be as funny as Erica. I'm so glad someone realised that Priah Ferguson has impeccable comedic timing and tone. She makes the show better.

This is totally my personal feeling and definitely relates to the trauma I have experienced IRL, but I am so uncomfortable and scared of Hopper this season. I understand why he is so protective of El, but for me it crosses the line. The drinking. The way he reacts to Joyce not showing up at Enzo's. How he talks to her after. Gives me the ick. He's chilled out by the end but season 3 Hopper is not my fav.

Oh, hey, just another season of Joyce being absolutely fucking right from the get-go. When will people just believe her? As always, she's so great. Also, Joyce looking out for Alexei is so in character.

Alright, we're back on the Billy discourse. I saw someone write a post about how he wasn't the best choice for the Mind Flayer host because he was already an asshole so there wasn't enough contrast (I'm summarising, also if I can find the post I'll tag and link here). They're totally right. We don't get much character development for Billy because he's flayed by the end of episode 1, so I guess my opinion of him from season 2 stands? We get the backstory, but it still doesn't justify shit imo. This is probably a controversial opinion, but his death was less like 'I'm going to try to save these kids' or whatever, and more 'I'm awake and pissed I was mind controlled, so fuck you monster!' PSA: Adults shouldn't perv on teenagers. The Billy fan club by the pool makes me so uncomfy. Even if this is a thing lmao. Can't one single adult treat this kid right?!

I love Steve this season. He's totally himself for the first time. He's romantic, unhinged, smarter than people give him credit for, and a really shitty babysitter! He was always a great character, but Robin really makes him shine. Steve is so babygirl this season.

Karen Wheeler is a star. Not a perfect woman, but a brilliant character.

I forgot how smart Robin is? Why did they dumb her down in season 4? She is multi-lingual, a musical genius, generates a lot of the plot-driving ideas in the season, and is a charming mix of "hyper" (as Steve puts it) and warm empathy. She is also brave as hell; the way she spits at the Russian? I never really understood people's issues with season 4 Robin, but I get it now. She should have been more than just comedic relief - this season proves that.

Needs more Scott Clarke.

Will is so sidelined this season and I fucking hate it. He is the heart of this show. I know Mike is their star and by this point everyone was frothing Finn Wolfhard but man, they didn't need to bench Will. I understand that we're watching the boys grow up while Will feels different* and left behind, but surely there could have been more for Will to do? (*I'm not even gonna go into the queer subtext because it's way too much for this post.) Also, it's a goddamn shame that Will never gets to be in Hellfire and have Eddie as a DM. He'd have loved Eddie so fucking much.

I know how Nancy is treated at the newspaper is period accurate or whatever, but it sucks. She's such a hard worker, always out there researching and writing, and caring so, so deeply. I love her. She is constantly MVP. Glad they keep giving her guns.

Jonathan has lost some of his likeability, but I think there are a lot of interesting interplays between him, socioeconomic/class status, and Nancy. I totally get where he's coming from, and I think it says a lot about his character that he can admit when he's wrong.

Hive Mind Army isn't as creepy as anything we've seen before in the show because it's just like like... super cliche idk? I forgot they all turn to sludge to form the Flayer. The scene at the end of episode 6 where they just... melt... is kind of fucking horrifying though. Love that.

Mike gets more lackluster each season?

Lucas is funny and smart. I love him and Erica. I love him and Max. He's great.

Part of me wishes Dustin wasn't separated from the others, but Scoops Troop was so unexpected and works so well that I can't be mad.

It's kind of a joy to watch El come into herself more. I still would have liked more El/Will bonding but ya can't win them all. At least she gets Max, who also gets her own multifaceted personality this season too.

Murray last season was a non-event to me. Could take him or leave him. I vibe him this time around.

I remember loving Alexei. I was right to. God, his death sucked. It's almost like... hmm... no... almost... surely not... they... keep... they wouldn't... writing good goddamn characters and then kill them off instead of giving any real-life stakes to their plot-armored main cast?!?

I don't vibe Jopper as a ship this season.

Suzie demanding The NeverEnding Story in the middle of an emergency is the same energy as Eddie deciding the only way to distract the demobats was to play Master of Puppets on the trailer roof.

Every season ends with a time skip forward. I had forgotten that. Makes the season 4 one less weird.

Speaking of season 4... That's next, baby! I have re-watched it so many times but I'm doing it again, now armed with my brand new updated opinions and feelings! Yewwwwww. Here we go!

This has been a Stranger Things Rhi-Watch.

[ppersonalsspace]

Update on my bfs first impressions of SPN

8.01

Bf is really seeing the implications and importance of the SUBTEXT. Specifically in relation to Dean’s sexuality. The juxtaposition of Sam/Dean’s flashbacks obviously, but just the dialogue between Dean and Benny…

When Benny first showed up, he was like “who the fuck is this guy?”

And I said, “Dean’s cajun vampire boyfriend from Purgaytory.”

And he just rolled his eyes like, yeah okay. But then. When we flashback to the Dean/Benny meetcute. Guys, that dialogue is batshit insane. I just told my bf- take everything they say out of context-

My bf- “oh…no you’re right, this could have been from a gay porn.”

We were cackling:

DEAN (V-O)

It felt pure.

BENNY

What, no thanks for saving your hide?

DEAN

Sure. I won't shove this up your ass.

BENNY

Mm. Awful strange way to punch your meal ticket, friend. I got something you need.

DEAN

Yeah, what's that?

BENNY

A way out.

DEAN

[laughs] Even a dental apocalypse [?] like you knows there's no such thing.

BENNY

There is if you're human. God has made it so. At least, that's the rumor.

DEAN

Bull.

BENNY

Suit yourself. Maybe you've gone native. Maybe you like being man meat for every Tom, Dick, and Harry.

DEAN

Prove it.

BENNY

Nah. You're either in or you're out.

DEAN

So you just want to guide me out of Purgatory out of the goodness of your undead heart?

BENNY

More or less.

DEAN

What's in it for you?

BENNY

I'm hopping a ride.

DEAN

What?

BENNY

It's a human portal, jackass. Only humans can pass through. I show you the door, you hump my soul to the other side.

DEAN

So you're looking for a soul train.

BENNY

Sure. If that's what you're into.

DEAN

And how do I know this isn't a set-up? How do I know I ain't gonna end up like your friend over there?

BENNY

He was my friend. Now you are. First rule of Purgatory, kid. You can't trust nobody.

DEAN

You just asked me to trust you.

BENNY

You see? You're getting it now.

DEAN

Hmm. First we find the angel.

BENNY

Mm, three's a crowd, chief.

DEAN

Well, hey. Either you're in or you're out.

Side note: It’s getting hard to narrow down the episodes (he will only watch 150 total…). Because for me, I want to prioritize Dean/Cas episodes. But he is really enjoying some of the side characters- Charlie is his fave, then Bobby, Garth, and Kevin. So I am now having to sacrifice some of my favorites to throw in some I think he will like the most. I am going to have him watch every single Garth and Charlie episode, and every remaining appearance of Bobby because he is still in denial about his death. He really does not like the angels, especially Cas. With the exception of Balthazar. Crowley has really grown on him though, he is a new favorite. Which works out.

[nalyra-dreaming]

Have to admit I only listen to the podcast when the cast are interviewed on it, so I have no idea what their ‘expert’ had to say about armand as a romantic partner at the end of ep 7. Was it really bad and incorrect? Do people really think the the show is about Louis getting with a better guy who treats him right and all that? Did they confuse rashid for armand? Because even then I have to say if I had no knowledge of the books and only the show then I would already assume they had a really weird power dynamic relationship just straight off the bat with how they were shown to interact both before and after the armand reveal. Like the intent wasn’t for everyone to go ‘awwww so sweet’ after Louis said the love of my life line and then the stare into camera with armand looking dead behind the eyes hahaha

Also I know Louis and armand were roleplaying (so to speak) during the season 1 interview but Louis was a real passive aggressive bastard to him throughout lol, like he clearly didn’t care about pissing him off and seemed to enjoy how uncomfortable it made armand and then the big shift after the reveal, armand won’t be as meek next season. Also, it was so funny during the joint Sam/Jacob interview in the podcast when Naomi made the innocent comment how she didn’t believe lestat would have been willing to play servant to Louis and Sam jumped in quite defensively of lestat saying that that didn’t indicate anything about how much he loved Louis haha, Naomi is a really funny host, so nobody should give her any hate, and I’m will be open as the next season progresses and she is great way to judge how show only people are reacting.

I believe it was something along the lines of "he'll be so much better for Louis"... I had a bit of a reaction to that, and others apparently, too :)))

Obviously, some of the fans missed some of the... errr... subtext in the show, if the different asks, Twitter, etc are any indication.

And I agree, Armand will be very different next season, and I for one am looking forward to it, a LOT.

And... indeed, her podcast is probably a very good gauge for people's reactions :) - and as such it could be immensely interesting to listen to it with that in mind (for us coming from the books I mean), because now we know the intention of it is a different one... we can analyze the impact and said intention a bit, can't we :)))

I for one am looking forward to that!

(Like the cloud gift comment and then what became of it in the show^^ - this time we'll all... go at that differently I bet^^)

[hologramcowboy]

So the podcast thing happened. Not gonna lie , I didn't listen to it, but my TL was full of people saying that he talked about 3 johns, a Mary and John body swap and going to a coffee shop. Like what? ok, the first 2 tropes are trendy and he wants to build anticipation and excitement (but who really got excited for that?) but the going to a coffee shop, really?

I was born in the mid 80s in another country so I don't know if I am missing something about coffee shops in USA in 70s that has a grown ass man gushing about it as its own episode like its something GA should be anticipating to?

Its blubs like this, the vagueness in which his musings go that becomes clear - at least to me - that they're still not sure what theyre doing and are throwing everything against the wall to see if something sticks.

Its incredible sad to me that it came to this. Like I am a Sam/Jared fan through and through with loads of love for Dean. I used to be in JA's corner and supported him in his projects and defended the shit out of him against peoples bullshit online. I used to say to my fandom friends that if there were 2 people who would do right by the SPN brand, they were JP and JA; that I didn't trust anybody else to honor their characters' identities, growth and legacy. It upsets me that I was right about 1 of them only. Did you listen to it? What did you think about it?

Thank you for sharing, Anon!💕

"I used to say to my fandom friends that if there were 2 people who would do right by the SPN brand, they were JP and JA; that I didn't trust anybody else to honor their characters' identities, growth and legacy." THIS. So much THIS.

Sadly, we were deeply disappointed by JA when it comes to the SPN legacy.

I agree with your assessment, Jensen is just throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what will stick. It seems to me he truly has no clue what he is doing and is relying on the work of others to gel and make the prequel successful.

During the podcast, just to clear it all, he said he wants The Winchesters to eventually end up like Spiderman did with the multiverse movie, he's going to let the writers figure it out. So I guess people were mentioning coffee shops and 3 Johns because they were present in the multiverse movie.

Since things online often get lost in translation or misinterpreted when they get written, I recommend listening to the podcast yourself so you can get a real feel of the subtext behind what Jensen was saying. I love that you noticed how general Jensen is in anything he says and I am curious what you will perceive by listening to it.

For those who want to listen to the episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/supernatural-then-and-now/ He talks about the prequel at around 45:00 mins in.

Here's some additional clarifications: X.

[stargatelov3r]

Hello, different anon here. I love reading your ship thoughts! If you feel like it, maybe you could expand on your feelings about Sparky?

And what are your thoughts on John/Rodney? Maybe you've talked about them before, but I can't remember, sorry!

<3

hi different anon! thank you so much for this ask!

this might be a bit longer again but hey, that's why we're on tumblr right?

I'm gonna try to explain where I'm coming from, so let's start at the beginning. When I first watched SGA it was right after I finished SG-1. I think I was something between 12-14 y/o. On SG-1 I was (and still am) a huge Sam/Jack shipper.

I think when I started to fall in love with Stargate and tv shows in general I didn't really think much about it in terms of subtext, I mainly took what was on screen, and in SG-1 that was definitely Sam/Jack, so I took it and I ran with it.

Atlantis came along, with a strong female leader who I fell in love with instantly, and this kinda rogue, always messy haired military guy who the strong leader had to keep in check. Can you tell I have a thing for power dynamics?

I thought, still think, they had great chemistry, I think that much can't be denied. They do have chemistry, on whatever level you see it. I saw Elizabeth worrying about John and his team whenever they were in danger, I saw him SCREAMING at Kolya when he thought he had killed Elizabeth, I saw Elizabeth hugging John The Siege IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GATEROOM, I saw her having the hardest time in Conversion, I saw her protecting him from the rest of the military, I saw him breaking when she told him to leave her behind so he could save himself and his team. I saw him being the person to get her out of the nightmare in The Real World. He was the one who was able to convince her to come home, to fight.

wow, this brings up a lot of old feeling again that I didn't think I had anymore. I really am a multy shipper aren't I?

They have so many moments in which they show how deeply they care about each other, how deeply they respect each other, even if John sometimes MAJORLY fucks up and undermines her. She knows his potential, she knows him probably better than any other former superior of his. She knows his struggle with authority and she approaches him differently, and I think it's working.

Here I was, thinking I had moved on from this ship, thinking that I just shipped them because I just want Elizabeth to be happy, and that I ship her with so many people as long as they make her happy and feel safe and show her that it's okay to have feelings and let people in. But after writing all this out I noticed that I wasn't just coming out of no where.

I still think they have an amazing connection, which, imo, is rooted in their fundamental respect for each other, but nowadays I see it as not necessarily romantic, but also as platonic.

I think Elizabeth would benefit from John's presence (if we got to see them all more in their free time), I think he would tenderly force her to take time off, to have fun, to go get a drink with a team, to forget work for a bit, to accept human connections, friendship, love. He might not say it but he cares. But he does. He cares so fucking much. not just about Elizabeth, about his whole team.

Hell, these stupid emotionally constipated people are making me emotional again...

okay, let's get to McShep!

I see myself as kind of a soft McShepper, a McShepper by osmosis (not to say by force). Having been a Sparky shipper for the better part of my time in this fandom I never really considered this ship for a looong time, and, spending most my time on Instagram (which is lowkey homophobic) for the first few years I didn't really have any contact with them, because nobody posted about them. Believe it or not, but the discussion on there was more like "do you ship Sparky or John/Teyla?" and I was always a strong defender for Sparky.

Enter tumblr. Especially over the last two... no wait... four (?) years i've been spending a considerable amount of time on tumblr, where i have sloooowly moved from being an sg1 stan to "DON'T MAKE ME CHOSE BETWEEN SG1 AND SGA", and, as i started following more Atlantis people I was bound to find more McShep on my dash.

I didn't really mind them, but I also didn't really give it another thought. Then I started shipping Elizabeth with women and suddenly (in my mind) John was free again, so over time i moved from "I see them on my dash" to "ok maybe people have a point" to "i am paying more attention to them in the show" to "yeah okay people definitely have a point".

I don't get as excited over them as I do about Teylabeth for example, but I appreciate the ship and I definitely see it now and it brings me joy to watch them bickering like an old married couple on the show.

I'm curious how my McShep journey will continue :)

[ranboo5]

When did the food thing and the steak thing happen in the lore? I don’t quite remember, but your take on it and it’s relation to power sounds interesting. Would you mind talking more about it?

I would not mind tysm for asking!!!!

I am referencing this take, which is a ramble about the emergent themes of power on the DSMP symbolized with food. It's, again, emergent, and I think very like,,, literally like it just happens this way , and when it's used as an Image it's an extremely obvious one. But the DSMP ends up using it to extremely good effect even if it's a rather Has Been Done Before affair

Functionally (and this is both like again just a literal manifestation of and cause of a power dynamic in a mechanical sense and also like an extremely easy image in a metaphor sense) power and determination is tied to who gets to eat, and when, and how, and of what

And so we come to these bits which again I think are themselves probably offhand comments BUT they both work extremely well in this context and as examples of the socialmeta

The first is from Ranboo and Technoblade's first proper conversation, On December 16th, when Ranboo shows up post-Butcher Army. Ranboo has just been part of an attempt to kill Techno. Techno has just in extremely clearly laid out terms gotten Ranboo to return his armor all but literally at swordpoint. But here mid conversation extremely casually (the clarity of the terms I think genuinely does help there's an aspect of If He Was Threatening Me He'd Just Threaten Me) Ranboo asks for some food (I do not think he gets an established source of his own until the commune which is a whole other layer)

Techno obliges and gives him several golden carrots for being a polite guest

Techno's very like... I don't even know if specifically fair is the right word here but unambiguous? Un-game-y attitude is very clear here he has no direct beef with Ranboo as soon as Ranboo stops attempting to kill him and he has no reason to not give him what he asks for. Ranboo meanwhile has banked on his affability and the casuality of the situation and gotten himself something useful (this is why I hate the idea that Dream wrote the lessons. Ranboo hs been living by these fucking things since day one this is just how he operates), and it's specifically a symbol of having some form of power/agency. This is extremely takeable as both important setup for their ensuing arcs and as by itself just very good character moments – Techno's methodical sorting out of the world and how to treat people, Ranboo's opportunism and ability to stay alive and how tied it is to his ability to throw and not be seen as a threat, the effective functional communication, the way they are both notably functional and amenable to cooperating and being fair even after being in situations where the actual risk of murder was not off the table

The second, meanwhile, happens near the end of it all. When Sam comes to Ranboo's place to arrest him, he confiscates its armor and iirc most of its items (any of ghe rest would have been gotten at the prison anyway so). Ranboo, of course, does not raise alarms. It is polite and compliant, and it's got a history with Sam at this point that it tries to bank on the built goodwill from. It then asks, while giving up its items with no great struggle, if it can at least keep its steak. Sam considers this and then says sure, because he doesn't want it slowing him down.

This is such a moment ever it's one of the most sharp and direct moments of Ranboo specifically throwing to not lose, complying and managing through that to get to hang on to some ground, to a stack of food, to a little bit of agency. It's under the conditions of his captor, sure, but that too is a part of the socialmeta – the subtext here ends up reading as Ranboo managing to pass off keeping some functional wiggle room as something convenient to the powers that be! Literal actual "I'm just a little guy and I should be given a little freedom for your convenience"! Actual yes man behavior!!!

Anyway in summary: Ranboo is so fucking good at staying alive, and at hanging on to whatever fucking scraps of self determination he can, and these are excellent examples thereof that only get stronger when you consider food as a metaphor in that capacity

[vidavalor]

I love what conspicuously *isn't* in TFATWS' post-field scene dialogue...

I'm such a fan of how the dialogue at the end of the roll-in-the-field scene in TFATWS involves Sam & Bucky talking about how they just fought super soldiers because of how it then affects the next scene we see them in, when they're walking up the road and they... aren't talking about that shocking development really at all.

Bucky says to Sam in the field that the people they fought were all super soldiers and Sam agrees but the conversation on the walk up the road then isn't like:

Sam: So, about the super soldiers, Bucky. What do you think? Who were they trained by? Who made the serum? etc etc

Sam gives exactly zero fucks about the fact that this mission to find these Flag Smasher people and figure out what to do about Walker now involves the group being super soldiers out of absolute nowhere because if he was shocked by this or really terribly concerned about it, he'd be talking about it non-stop. Instead, what's Sam doing?

Sam is flirting with Bucky.

Sam's reaction to having just fought four super soldiers is that they can probably take them if they have to, no problem, they're safe enough, they have each other. Sam knows he himself is very capable in a fight but the part of him that feels vulnerable and human at times feels safe after this because he knows he has a super soldier in his camp too and trusts Bucky to protect him.

The funniest thing to me though is how Sam and Bucky, even in the midst of having been separated for awhile ahead of TFATWS and their attempts at wooing one another a bit in the first episodes... how they're in a place with one another that they don't have to have this big conversation about the truly shocking thing that just happened, in terms of the super soldiers. Instead, Sam is more concerned about with what Bucky's thinking, in terms of the *other* big thing, which is actually the whole rolling in the field thing, which is what the walk conversation is then about.

We already know what Bucky was thinking about the super soldiers because he told Sam in the field and Sam doesn't pick up the thread again on the walk along the side of the road but he really, really wants to know what's going on in Bucky's cyborg brain.

The gears are turning, Sam can see them! Oh, they're on fire...

Bucky dryly kind-of-jokes that his brain is "computing" but it's clearly not computing the fact that they just fought a bunch of super soldiers-- it's already computed that. He's computing Sam saving him.

Bucky is computing Sam having spent the morning flirting with him and trying to protect him as much as Bucky's been trying to protect Sam. He's computing Sam seeing him struggle on the truck and not thinking twice about helping him, without judgement, and then smiling/laughing while pulling him closer atop him in a flower field before jokingly telling him to get off him, only to rest an unnecessary hand on his shoulder, just to be close.

He's computing risk/reward analysis of deciding he's in a place to accept Sam's advances-- hell, of even accepting that they are real and not just what he might want to see. Bucky gets quiet in response to that kind of thought. Sam talks and talks and talks and hides his nervousness beneath teasing but he hears the soft "it's computing" and takes it for what it is, which is acknowledgement that Bucky sees what Sam is saying and doing and he's not quite ready to go there yet but he's not at all disinterested. It's not a rejection, it's not even a 'maybe', really-- it's just a request for slowness and time to process that Sam, in no rush himself, is more than willing to grant.

Sam's dialogue in this scene, translated from the subtext:

"Oh, I am *more* than interested, Old Man. Whenever you're no longer at a point where you think you might murder me in your sleep, I am *game*.... and also completely terrified, lonely, traumatized and touch-starved so imagine the level of hot I'm gonna get in three episodes, when you jump from being my amusingly surly best friend who gives me heart eyes and makes me feel safe to that plus starting to help me fix things and trying to cuddle me? Only you are gonna do for me, White Wolf. *starts acapella singing "Right Here Waiting for You"*...."

[charcubed]

Let's talk about Supernatural 15x07, "Last Call."

Or as I like to call it, "the episode that makes me go feral because it tells us so much about Dean's sexuality, character, and arc." 

YES others have written meta! YES I will talk about it myself for the satisfaction! I LOVE IT SO MUCH.

This post was originally a thread on Twitter and I am crossposting it to my blog.

Alt image IDs are included in that linked Twitter thread!

Join me on this journey.

What's the context of this episode? Dean's been kind of down/depressed, feeling hopeless in the face of the idea that they have to defeat God (and not really working towards that goal much), and he's mid-divorce with Cas. He goes out on this solo case to try to clear his head.

And he ends up at Swayze's Bar. 

 Look, there are many things to be said about this. Dean loves Patrick Swayze. Arguably has a CRUSH on Swayze. It's very tied up in Dean pretending not to like "chick flicks" but he secretly does, which is queer coding. This was a Choice™️.

Speaking of Choices™️: professional actors made many here. Deliberately. 

 Dean is smacked on the ass by a woman and then Lee smacks him on the ass too. Dean and Lee CONSTANTLY have physical familiarity and fond eye contact. I will limit myself to 1 paragraph about this lest I list it all.

My point is that I just really need every person to digest and accept the fact that this is textually bi Dean. Not subtext; it's TEXT. 

Dean and Lee had a relationship. Their history is alluded to in touch and in words. They had an orgy together. Dean's bisexuality is not repressed.

It's also now canon that Dean tries to hide that he can sing well. Most people don't know (like Sam) but some do (Lee). Hence "Eye of the Tiger" callback.

And so: that's also the implication for his sexuality. Dean singing ON STAGE with bi lighting is him being ready to be Out.

They dedicated an entire half an ep at minimum to emphasizing he's bi... and to Dean having a conversation with someone he (initially) trusts about potentially having a break from hunting, and what that could mean.

LEE: You're chasing missing persons, huh? I thought you'd be on to something bigger by now, like the Loch Ness Monster... Bigfoot.

DEAN: Trust me, uh, bigger doesn't always equal better. Besides, who's gonna look out after the little guy? God certainly isn't.

LEE: Damn, brother, that's dark.

DEAN: Yeah, it's been a rough, uh... it's been a rough decade, Lee.

LEE: Yeah.

DEAN: But that's a conversation for a different time, 'cause this, this right here, this is all right.

LEE: Well, I'm glad you approve. This is nothing you can't have, man.

DEAN: Oh, come on. Who's gonna kill the bad guys?

LEE: Somebody else. Dean, how many lives you think you saved, huh? Hundreds? Thousands? You deserve a break, bro. Hell, you might even deserve two.

"But Lee turns out to be a villain!" some might say. "Isn't the point that giving up hunting is bad?" 

Nope. 

Lee's a DARK MIRROR for Dean. He exists to exhibit the truths behind Dean's desires, and then what they'd look like if they turned bad. Take it from him: "I am you."

There are LAYERS here. You can't focus on the dark side and ignore the truths that take place in the (often bi) light. 

The singing? The conversations about taking a break? Throwing men out of the bar, which is framed heroically? "Road House rules" (another Choice™️)?

NONE of that was bad. It shows what Dean wants. 

Things only get bad–literally and visually–when Dean's tied up as Lee suddenly says wrong things in the dark. 

The contrast exists to show that maintaining Goodness is a choice, and Dean would have no problem upholding that.

LEE: It's called a marid. It's a freaky-looking little thing, isn't it? [Lee laughs, and Dean stares at him, incredulous] Ah. As long as you feed it, it gives you money, it gives you health, everything you dreamed of.

DEAN: And so, what, it just costs innocent lives?

LEE: Dean, you and I both know no one's innocent. After everything we've done, aren't... aren't we owed a little happiness, huh? Don't we deserve that much?

DEAN: Listen to yourself. "We're owed." "We deserve." Come on, man. You're not God. Hell, God's not even God.

LEE: Good or bad... the world doesn't care. No one cares, Dean.

DEAN: Well, I do.

LEE: Yeah. And that's what got you here. Now, takes a while to drain a man, but listen to me. Don't worry about it, all right? Don't worry because once you lose a couple of pints, you just fall asleep, and then it'll be over.

[Lee pats Dean on the shoulder]

DEAN: Lee.

LEE: This... this is not how I wanted this to go, Dean. When that blonde girl walked in here last night, I should've know, you know, Dean Winchester, the righter of wrongs, you were gonna keep digging, and you were gonna figure me out. And if it's got to be you or me, well, I got to pick me, man.

"No one cares, Dean."

"Well, I do."

It's a reminder to himself as much as it is to Lee. It's a re-centering of purpose that he sorely needs.

And what's also key? Lee is human, but is now a "monster" in Dean's words. Because Lee lost his ability to care, Dean can't abide by that.

(Side note: bonus for the fact that Lee dies up against a wall by being impaled and he coughs up blood. You know who doesn’t cough up blood in their very weird and unrealistic death scene? Dean in the finale.)

Remember: Lee is a dark mirror for Dean. "I am you." 

By fighting and (tragically) killing Lee, Dean "kills" the darker side of himself. The side that's struggling to keep going right now... AND the side that fears eventually wanting a break means you must be selfish and stop caring.

He can keep going. He can find strength to fight God–and in the end, take a break and CHOOSE peace. It won't make him dark. He's the most caring man on Earth, even when it's hard. That’s reinforced later. 

Isn't he owed a little happiness? And that's not in the having. It's in just being.

The bonus is what's going on with Cas in this episode. 

Dean's clearing his head and finding his center again while Cas is calling him. 

Come home. I need you. Remember what matters.

And again, contrast: Lee turns out not to be "real/true" in the way Dean thought he was. But Cas IS.

And after Dean goes through all of this... he's grounded again, he recognizes that even amongst questions of what God controls there are still choices to be made, he's reminded that letting his caring heart lead him is priority, he's lost another friend... 

He comes home to Cas.

It's awkward. They're still distanced. 

But this episode is a turning point for Dean. He's not angry at Cas anymore, he wants to talk, he's ready to move forward... he just doesn't know how to yet.

And if you follow the through-line... then you get Rowena saying "fix it"... and then after that is the Purgatory prayer.

I just !!! 

S15 is packed with Dean development to hone in towards the end of his arc, but "Last Call" manages to hit SO many buttons. 

• He's always been bi, & is ready to be Out

• He can want a break–& maybe run a bar like the Roadhouse

• Caring is at the core of who he is

It's about the CHOICE. It's about wanting to live your truths, and that "caring" can mean many things–from defeating God and saving the world, to making the hard choices when it counts, to maybe running a bar where people are safe.

14x10 and its matching Texan Star also say hello:

DEAN: How come you always have a boyfriend?

PAMELA: How come you only want what you can't have?

DEAN: Whoa.

PAMELA: Besides, you don't want me. You just like to flirt. I'm a psychic, so I kinda know.

DEAN: All right.

PAMELA: So, still not ready to sell the bar, huh? It's a lot of money.

DEAN: Sell? This bar? This is my dream.

PAMELA; Yeah.

And I recognize that rereading this info is sad(der) now because of what we got in the end, so uh... sorry. 

But that's half the point: it's repeatedly blatantly clear what we were meant to get, down to deliberate echoes in word choice–caring, happiness, deserve, even Roadhouse.

Dean was meant to choose to take a break, maybe run a bar–whether on Earth or in Heaven. At minimum, if Dean was meant to end up in Heaven, he was meant to choose it with eyes wide open. And the next time the phone rang with Cas' name (15x19), he RAN for him. He was VERY ready.

And the whole season tells you that. This episode is just my favorite.

So... thanks for letting me ramble on about it!!! 

DEAN WINCHESTER: BI ICON, ONCE-LOVER OF LEE WEBB, THE MOST CARING MAN ON EARTH WHO DESERVED TO CHOOSE PEACE AFTER GAINING HIS FREEDOM, & SOULMATE TO AN ANGEL

And a very big thank you to the talented kings Jensen Ackles & Christian Kane, and their longstanding friendship. They gave me many rights with their acting choices. 

Here's an iconic bonus for the road.