#and then they told us that dean gave cas a mixtape with...zeppelin songs

[drulalovescas]

oh this show can go straight to hell

#first they told us that dean's parents fell in love to zeppelin songs #and then they told us that dean gave cas a mixtape with...zeppelin songs #but we're the crazy ones here #destiel #spn 12x1 #spn 12x19 #mixtape

[inacatastrophicmind]

Suptober, day 26: Hum

It had become an unspoken agreement; Dean cooked their breakfast while Cas made their coffee. They hadn’t talked about it, but not long after Cas had been rescued from the Empty, they had found that Cas wasn’t the greatest cook (he had gotten better with time, though), but they had also found that he was the best at making coffee, so their morning routine had quickly been established; Dean took care of the food while Cas took care of the drinks.

Dean loved the familiarity and the warmth that that routine brought to him. It was such a normal task, and yet, it never failed to make him happy.

He was preparing the batter for their waffles; Cas had said while they were in the shower that he really wanted some waffles that morning, so Dean, happy to also enjoy that treat, was making them from scratch, because the was nothing like home-made waffles. He couldn’t wait to add some syrup, some whipped cream, some chocolate chips and some of the strawberries that Cas would later slice. He was in charge of the drinks, but he still liked helping Dean out.

As Dean made sure that all the ingredients were properly mixed, Cas started to hum a song. Usually, Dean was the one who started humming or singing while he made breakfast; Cas was usually grumpy in the mornings and, in Dean’s words, he didn’t become a real person until he had his first cup of coffee. The only times when he got to the kitchen in a good mood before having coffee, was if he and Dean had had sex either in their bed or in the shower.

But every once in a while, Cas could manage to wake up in a good mood even if there hadn’t been any sex before arriving to their kitchen, which seemed to be the case of today.

Dean looked at Cas, who happily kept humming as he went to the fridge to grab some milk.

He was humming Fool in the Rain by Led Zeppelin, one of the songs Dean had added to the mixtape he had given Cas some while ago. He knew Cas had listened to that mixtape every day he was away on the road because he had told him so. Dean also had told Cas that the mixtape had been an attempt to confess his feelings. And Cas had told him that he had dared to hope that that had been the intention, but he was scared that his feelings for Dean had made him seen things that weren’t there.

Dean remembered being nervous when he had given Cas the mixtape. He was basically giving his heart to Cas. He knew that Cas could be oblivious to some human stuff, but Dean hadn’t been subtle with the song choices. So, he waited and waited for the day that Cas would say something about the songs, to address how all of them were love songs. But that day never came. They never addressed the mixtape, even if they both had wanted to.

They had wasted so many opportunities.

And now, here they were, together and happy. Making breakfast in their new home while Cas was humming Fool in the Rain. If only Dean’s past self could know how right Cas was when he said, good things do happen.

Dean couldn’t help but chuckle at that thought.

“What’s so amusing?” Cas asked, finally noticing Dean’s stare. He gave him a confused frown before he grabbed their mugs.

“It’s unusual to see you in such a good mood before having coffee or sex,” Dean answered.

Cas made a face of being in agreement. “I suggest you not to get used to it.”

Dean laughed. “Oh, sweetheart, I know that damn well.”

Cas smiled as he poured the freshly made coffee, first into Dean’s mug and then into his.

“I like it when you hum Led Zepp,” Dean confessed, feeling his cheeks blush.

Cas looked at him with so much love in his eyes that Dean fell even more in love with him. The fallen angel smiled and offered Dean his coffee.

“Thank you,” Cas said, kissing Dean’s cheek before Dean took his mug. “Although I believe my humming skills aren’t as good as yours.”

“Nah, they’re pretty awesome, just like your singing voice,” Dean admitted. Maybe Cas wasn’t the greatest singer, but his deep singing voice was really good to listen to. “I like hearing you hum or sing Led Zepp. It’s really nice.”

“Thank you,” Cas repeated before he kissed Dean’s lips tenderly.

He was about to pull away, but Dean chased his lips for another kiss, earning him a lovely laugh from Cas. Then, when they actually pulled away, they smiled at each other.

“I’m going to slice some strawberries,” Cas announced, caressing Dean’s face.

“Okay, Cas,” Dean said before pecking his lips one last time.

Cas grinned and as he made his way to the fridge to get the strawberries, he began to hum the same song again, and Dean joined him as he prepared the waffle iron. Cas dedicated him a lovely smile when he heard Dean, and they kept making breakfast as they hummed together, only interrupting the song when they shared a kiss.

#Destiel #suptober22 #otp: i need you #tuserpris #my writing

[dead-gay-angel]

I still can't believe that they told us mary fell in love with john because he knew every word to her favorite zeppelin songs and then show us dean gave cas a mixtape with his favorite zeppelin songs. FUCKING INSANE. THEY SHOWED THAT. ON NATIONAL TV!!!

#additionally insane to me that heaven made john and mary possible thru cupid intervention AND THEN #deancas just fell in love IN SPITE OF heaven's interventions #absolutely fucking insane. to me. #destiel #castiel #dean winchester #theee mixtape

[holycafe]

The last two months had flown by.

Dean had never felt like this before. He’d never been this happy. As a hunter, he’d never truly allowed himself to believe that he could get something in his life that was more than just pain and bloodshed. But looking at Cas now, his husband, who was currently burning their two-monthiversary dinner, he was happy.

“Here,” Dean said, stepping in and rescuing the chicken from the grill before it became charcoal. Cas sighed in relief, even though he had been adamant in finishing this meal by himself, and Dean pressed a soft kiss to his cheek before wiping away the bead of sweat that clung to his hairline. Cas closed his eyes and rested his head against Dean’s hand, drained after spending the last couple of hours racing around the kitchen. Dean had, obviously, offered his help sooner – seeing as how Cas could barely cook anything to save his own life – but he had been forcibly removed from the kitchen by his husband, who was insistent on doing this alone. But now, when Dean asked: “How can I help?” Cas was desperate enough that he didn’t turn him away.

They found an easy rhythm working together in the kitchen, and maybe it would be a little strange how easily they fell into it if it wasn’t for all the times that they’d worked side-by-side on a hunt together over the past twelve years? Because, actually, they hadn’t really done this yet. This cooking thing that is. Cas never needed to eat before he went to the Empty and lost his angel mojo, so he never needed to cook. And after coming back, people had always been around. There wasn’t ever just Dean and Cas in the kitchen. Not before the wedding, at least. And after the wedding, Jack sent them straight off to sunny Hawaii. Then Costa Rica, Thailand, Venice, New Zealand… Every time they got bored of the scenery and fancied a change, they just called Jack up and got zapped off somewhere new.

They’d come back for Sam and Eileen’s wedding, of course. Arrived back the day before and stayed to see them off to their own honeymoon. Then spent a couple of days milling around the bunker. But it was different now. They’d been gone for more than a month at that point, and it had gone from overcrowded to silent and empty and just as unbearable. So, they’d left again.

But it became pretty clear over the next few weeks that it wasn’t more days of sea, sun, and sand that they needed. They just needed – Dean needed – a home. And the bunker wasn’t enough anymore. He didn’t want an underground base of operations filled with spell books, cursed objects, and an endless tirade of hunters parading through the doors. Dean wanted windows and light. He wanted a place by the lake so that he could go fishing, with a big garden out back for Cas to grow whatever he wanted. He wanted a wine cellar and a porch that he could sit on with Cas in the morning and watch the sun come up. Dean wanted a home, he wanted a life, he wanted to hang up his hunting gear once and for all, and Cas was right behind him.

But they couldn’t exactly go looking for their dream house while on their honeymoon in Bali. So, once they got fed up with overcrowded beaches, strangers, and fake-happy hotel staff, the two of them returned to the empty bunker again, just in time for their two-month anniversary.

And Dean hadn’t ever really thought he was a ‘monthiversary’ kind of guy… but life as a hunter had taught him to celebrate the little things in life. And, anyway, this didn’t feel like a ‘little’ thing. This felt huge. They’d been married for two months! Two months where Dean could hold Cas’ hand without caring who saw. Two months where he could press a kiss on his cheek, his jaw, his neck, shoulder, lips. Two months with a ring on his finger – which had been a strange feeling at first but now felt as comfortable to him as his own skin.

Two months.

“I love you,” Dean said, and Cas looked up from where he was stirring the sauce, his blue eyes so beautiful. He smiled.

“I love you, too.”

They could say that now as though it was the simplest thing in the world. As though they hadn’t been hiding those feelings away like the biggest secret in the world up until only a few months ago. They loved each other, and they could say it because, of course, they did! They always had, and they always would. ‘til death do us part and all that.

Except, they both knew that death wouldn’t be the end of their story. Either they’d come back to life. Again. Or they’d find each other in heaven. That was the perk of having an ex-angel as a husband and God as their son. Dean had got a peek behind the proverbial curtain; he didn’t have to guess about what was to come. He knew that when he said Cas was stuck with him forever, he wasn’t exaggerating.

“Alright, what are we working with?” Dean asked as he got his mind back on track, taking the wooden spoon from Cas and preparing himself as he moved to taste the sauce that his husband had been working on.

It wasn’t that Dean didn’t trust Cas; he just didn’t trust Cas’ ability to cook them a meal without giving them food poisoning. After all, the last time he’d attempted to cook them anything, he’d ended up dumping sugar into the frying pan because the recipe had said to ‘caramelise’ the onions. Obviously, that had been a disaster.

This time, however, the sauce actually tasted pretty good. Dean nodded his approval. He supposed he shouldn’t be surprised; Cas always was a quick learner. He said as much and saw the way that his husband beamed with pride, his grin contagious.

They finished up the meal and set the table in the library together pretty quickly.

“I’ll put some music on,” Cas said, but Dean was soon up on his feet and shaking his head no.

“Nuh-uh. We’re not listening to Beyonce on our anniversary. We listen to real music or nothing at all,” he said. Cas knew that he was only teasing. Of course, he did; he knew Dean better than anyone. Better than even Sam did. Hell, Cas knew him better than Dean knew himself. He didn’t even hate Beyonce all that much – not that he would ever tell anyone other than Cas that – but still, Dean stayed true to his word and played his favourite Led Zeppelin playlist on shuffle through Sam’s speaker, and then they started to dig into their meal.

They were almost done eating before one of the songs that Dean had added onto the mixtape that he’d made for Cas a few years ago started to play, and Cas started to hum along, tapping his fingers lightly against his glass to the beat of ‘Thank You’.

And when Plant started singing, Cas joined in, effortlessly whispering the lyrics under his breath. “If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you. When mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and me.”

And as Cas continued to sing along, Dean’s heart sang with him as he stared in open amazement.

“You’ve listened to the tape,” Dean said, the words almost sounding like an accusation to his own ears. And it was stupid how his stomach was doing little flips right now because they were married, goddammit! But, yeah, sometimes Cas still gave him butterflies.

Right now was definitely one of those times.

“It was a gift,” Cas reminded him. And Dean nodded, but it was so much more than that: it was the first time that Dean had put conscious effort into telling Cas how he felt. He’d given him a mixtape! A mixtape made mostly of love songs from his favourite band. “I listened to it whenever I missed you when I was away,” Cas continued, and Dean’s heart gave another little throb in his chest. “I missed you a lot.”

Christ.

“I missed you a lot too,” Dean admitted. Of course, he’d missed him. He’d missed him every damn second of every day that they weren’t together.

If Dean was better at vocalising how he felt, then he would have told Cas that. He thought that Cas still understood, though, if the was he was smiling, his blue eyes glistening, was anything to go by. He was beautiful.

Cas’ fingers were still drumming against his glass in tempo to the song as though he wasn’t even conscious of it. Dean shook his head, forgetting his dinner for a moment as he stood up and offered Cas his hand. Cas blinked at him in confused for a moment, unsure, and so Dean rolled his eyes and reached down to tug him up to his feet and into an embrace before leading them in a dance around the library.

Dean could feel Cas’ body pressed nice and warm against his own, as comfortable as the ring on his finger. He could feel the smile on Cas’ cheeks pressed against Dean’s, though he didn’t need to turn his head to see the smile for himself. He had all of Cas’ smiles memorised.

“Sing to me, Cas,” Dean teased as they danced to the song. Though, it wasn’t actually a taunt. Not really. The way he said it might have sounded like he was goading and making a joke of the situation, but in reality, the thought of Cas singing Led Zeppelin to him only served to make Dean’s insides twist up into knots. And Cas knew that because Cas knew him. And so, when the next verse began, he sang.

“And so today, my world it smiles,” he sang. His voice was deep and rough, but still beautiful, and Dean’s heart really did leap at the sound. “Your hand in mine, we walk the miles. Thanks to you, it will be done.”

“For you to meeeee are the ooooonly oneeeee!” Dean sang the next line, making Cas laugh, his breath ghosting against Dean’s neck, causing the small hairs there to stand up. Dean smiled and finally turned to face him, pressing a kiss to his husband’s lips while the song continued on around them.

Christ, he loved his man so much, more and more every day. They’d been married now for two months. Two months and counting, and Dean was so happy to spend the rest of their lives together.

#okay i tried but i kept getting writers block while writing this so sorry if it sucks #i was going to go with Cas puts on the mixtape for their anniversary dinner but this idea flowed better in writing #destiel #deancas #deancas wedding #destiel anniversary #supernatural #dean winchester #castiel winchester #jensen ackles #misha collins #spn #pieprincesswritesdestiel #pieprincesswritesspn #pieprincesswritesfics #flowersforcastag

[tearsofgrace]

I Love Led Zeppelin

written for suptober 2020 day 11: rock and roll

word count: 3.1k tags: so much zeppelin, HAPPY ENDING, that’s right i wrote happy shit, angst, fluff, love confessions

also on archive!

“I want to know why you chose them,” Cas said petulantly.

Dean turned onto the highway and glanced at Cas. “I told you. They’re just the best Zepp songs.”

Cas just stared at him. And Dean stared right back. The angel wasn’t winning this one. Because if he started talking, it would all become too obvious.

As if giving him a damn mixtape wasn’t already obvious, he thought. He looked away. Not because he was letting Cas win, but because he hadn’t looked at the road in a while and getting in a car crash wasn’t in the cards for today.

“I don’t know what you want me to tell you, man.”

“What about this one?” Cas asked, and Dean stopped listening to the music. It had been Cas’ idea to listen to the mixtape, and after getting over his shock that Cas still had it, he agreed. He loved Zeppelin, what could go wrong?

“Ten Years Gone” was playing, and he pushed back a smile. He remembered choosing this one, listening to the lyrics, knowing how perfectly it fit. Robert Plant had written it for an old girlfriend who’d made him choose between music and her. And ten years later, he looked back on where he was.

It was stupid. God, he knew it was stupid. But he’d chosen it because Cas hadn’t chosen his music: Heaven. Cas had chosen them, and here they were, ten years later.

“I chose it because I like the chords,” he finally answered as the song came to an end.

“Oh,” Cas said.

The opening lines of “Ramble On” came on and Dean smiled. God, he loved Zeppelin. He and Sam didn’t listen to music enough in the car anymore. It brought back memories. The good memories from his childhood.

“Why did you add this one?” Cas sounded so serious, so sincere. And this one, this one Dean could answer. It wasn’t like some of the other songs on the tape.

“Kinda loved the Lord of the Rings imagery, but if you tell Sam you’re dead.” Cas laughed softly and Dean joined him. “And,” he took a breath, “I don’t know, it’s kinda like us, right? Like we have to keep going, no matter what evils we’re facing.”

“I like it,” Cas said quietly.

Dean reached over and turned it up, singing along dramatically because he knew Cas would get a kick out of it. Sam would have called him annoying, but not Cas. His friendship (friendship? That what you want Dean?) was so different with Cas.

When the song ended, and “Whole Lotta Love” came on, he almost reached over to shut it off. A blush rose in his cheeks as he remembered picking this one, confident Cas wouldn’t know what it was talking about, confident he’d never have to confront Cas about it. He remembered recording it, his mind drifting to Cas even as he tried to stop it.

He was lifting his hand to the skip button when Cas covered his hand and pushed it back to the seat. Dean hated how much he wished Cas’ hand would just stay there. But it didn’t. It never did.

“I wondered about this one,” Cas said thoughtfully. Dean gulped, keeping his eyes fixed on the road. “It’s very,” Cas paused, and he could feel his eyes boring into the side of his head. He was sure his cheeks were flaming. “Very aggressive,” he finally finished.

“Yeah, I guess it is.” He let his eyes flick quickly to Cas and immediately regretted it. He looked so innocent, so clueless, but Dean could see the slight smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. “C’mon, man it’s a great song,” he said, gluing his eyes back to the road.

“I thoroughly enjoy it.”

Dean gulped again, pictured Cas listening to it, hearing the lyrics. Then he squeezed his eyes shut and kept his lips firmly closed until the next song started.

The opening guitar line of “Stairway to Heaven” played and he immediately relaxed.

“Sam said you shouldn’t have picked this one. He said it was too overplayed,” Cas said before they were even thirty seconds into the song. And Dean almost ran them off the road right then.

“Sam knows about-” he cut himself off. No, that was too obvious. “Uh, why’d Sam say that?”

“I was listening to the song. And I told him you gave me a mixtape with your favorite Led Zeppelin songs and told him which song I was listening to. He said it isn’t even their best song.”

Shit. There wasn’t a chance in hell Sam didn’t know what giving someone a damn mixtape meant. At least Cas had been listening to “Stairway” but still. Dammit.

“He’s right,” he said, trying to control his voice. “It’s not their very best, but c’mon it’s a classic. I couldn’t just not add it. You have to admit, it’s a good song.”

“It’s my favorite on the tape,” Cas said.

Dean snorted. Of course it was. He wasn’t going to fault Cas for it, though. It was an amazing song. They let the song play out in silence, and Dean let himself let go. Just let it roll over him, let Cas’ presence steady him.

Next came “Kashmir,” which was another easy answer. It was a classic. But Dean always saw it as more than that. It was about the journey, not the destination, reaching for some distant horizon. That’s how he thought of his time with Cas. He got to enjoy the journey, even if they would never really reach the end, not the end he wanted anyway. It was gonna end bloody. One or both of them dead.

When “Going to California” started Dean smiled and went soft. John used to play this one after a really long hunt, and Dean hadn’t even learned the lyrics for years. He just loved the way it felt, the way everything weaved together and created a very specific feeling in him every time.

“I love this one,” Cas said quietly, as if to preserve the moment. “I like to think we can all get a fresh start.”

“Me too,” Dean answered. A fresh start. They’d had so many… way more than their fair share. But they still got more, still gave each other more, over and over. He didn’t know why Cas was even still with them, why he hadn’t turned tail and run ages ago. But he was glad for it.

“Black Dog” and “Travelling Riverside Blues” were next. He told Cas they were classics. Didn’t tell him that both of them were his mom’s favorites. Both of them were part of the reason she fell in love with John. Both of them made him think that maybe he could have something like that, even when he knew it wasn’t possible.

There were only a few songs left. And if Cas hadn’t figured it out already, these would make it painfully obvious that he chose these songs very specifically. That he chose them for Cas.

“Tangerine” started and he smiled. He loved how slow this one started, how sweet it was. He would never admit it out loud, but it was right up there with “Ramble On” and “Travelling Riverside Blues” for his favorite song.

He almost didn’t add it. Because it was so obvious. But also because it just wasn’t him and Cas. They would never have that sweet, innocent new love. There was so much baggage between them, so much to wade through before even finding a hint of love. But Dean knew it was there. If only brotherly on Cas’ side, it was there. And this song, this reminiscing on a sweet, beautiful relationship, it’s what he wanted with Cas. So sue him if he added it to the list.

“There’s a lot of love songs on this mixtape,” Cas noted. Dean glanced at him sharply, trying to gauge what he really meant. But with Cas, he always just said what he meant. There was very rarely a double meaning, a hint at something that wasn’t there.

“Yeah, there is,” he agreed, his breathing shallow. “Zeppelin has a lot of ‘em.” It wasn’t a lie… but Zepp also had plenty of non-love songs.

He almost sighed audibly when “Good Times Bad Times” came on next.

Cas didn’t have to ask at this point. He just stared at Dean until he answered the unspoken question.

“Chose this one cuz it’s our lives, ya know?” Dean ran his hands over the leather and glanced at the mile marker; they were just a few miles away from the town. Maybe they wouldn’t even make it to the end of the tape. “I mean, it’s mostly shit. But we have good times too.”

“We do,” Cas agreed seriously. And Dean allowed himself a small smile. He hated himself for loving that Cas had already listened to this start to finish multiple times, had kept it through multiple apocalypses, actually cared that Dean had taken the time to put it together. Because it didn’t mean the same thing to Cas. He wanted it to. But it didn’t.

There were only three songs left. They were as blindingly transparent as he could possibly be. And the fact they were on a homemade mixtape only added to it. But Cas… Cas wouldn’t understand.

“Fool in the Rain” was the beginning of the end. It wasn’t like it was one of Zepp’s most famous songs, but Dean had always loved it. It sounded almost idiotic on the surface, a lover waiting on the wrong block in the rain. But Dean had always seen it as more than that. Maybe he was being too deep… but, for one, there wasn’t anything in the song that suggested it was a man and a woman. And as a kid, he’d liked that. He liked to let it be whoever he wanted, let it represent whatever he needed. He wouldn’t get caught dead telling anyone else he’d even noticed that, but he’d always love the song because of that.

As he’d gotten older, he grew to love it even more. To him, it sounded like one sided love. Like someone who was waiting desperately for a sign that they would ever be loved back. But they were looking in the wrong place and they wouldn’t ever find it. As Robert Plant sang “My heart it sinks to the ground/And the storm that I thought would blow over/Clouds the light of the love that I found,” Dean resisted the urge to say something, to tell Cas, This is me. This is me because I’ll never have you.

“Why this one?” Cas prompted.

Dean cleared his throat. “Listen to his voice, dude. It’s amazing.”

He risked another glance at Cas, saw his eyes narrow and his head tilt, and knew he wasn’t satisfied with that answer. But it wasn’t like he could tell him the truth.

There were only two songs left. Two Dean had wanted to put on so badly that he couldn’t resist, no matter how obvious they were. He kept telling himself Cas wouldn’t even care enough to listen, much less to listen closely. Obviously that hadn’t worked.

Before he could turn off the music, claiming they were only five minutes out anyway, the soft vocal intro of “What Is and What Should Never Be” started.

Real smooth, Winchester, he thought. Putting a song about forbidden romance on a mixtape for your best friend.

“I understand this one,” Cas said.

Dean blinked and focused on the road, searching for the sign that would take them to the motel.

“You what?”

“I understand it. I don’t understand why you included it, but I understand it. Sometimes love just isn’t meant to be. Sometimes it isn’t possible, no matter how beautiful, how perfect it is.”

Dean nodded slowly. Was there someone in Cas’ past life he didn’t know about? Or even worse, someone he knew right now?

He didn’t respond to Cas. He didn’t know what to say.

They pulled into the motel as the final note played and Dean turned off the car, shutting off the music with it.

“What about the last song?” Cas asked.

Dean’s heart rate picked up and he felt his ears burning hot. He’d put it last. Maybe in hope that Cas wouldn’t get to it, or maybe because it perfectly closed what he was trying to say. What he felt.

“We, um,” he took a deep breath and let it out. “We have to check in, buddy, it’s late.”

“I want to listen to it, Dean,” Cas said, fixing him with those intense blue eyes. And really, no one could say no to that.

Dean restarted the car, trying to let the pleasant hum of Baby’s motor calm him down.

If the sun refused to shine I would still be loving you

The opening lines played through the speakers and Dean stopped himself from cursing loudly. He was fucked. He couldn’t sit in this car, with Cas, and pretend like this meant nothing. Like this was just another song that he really liked.

When mountains crumble to the sea There will still be you and me

He tried not to let his mind drift. Tried to ignore how silent Cas had gone. Tried not to think of those words the angel had spoken in the bunker so long ago. “Everyone you know, everyone you love... they could be long dead. Everyone except me. I'm the one who will have to watch you murder the world. So if there's even a small chance that we can save you, I won't let you walk out of this room.” Cas would have stayed with him, even while he burned the world to the ground under the influence of the mark.

Dean took a deep breath and anxiously ran a hand through his hair.

Kind woman, I give you my all Kind woman, nothing more.

Cas shifted slightly next to him, but he didn’t dare look up.

Little drops of rain whisper of the pain Tears of loves lost in the days gone by My love is strong, with you there is no wrong Together we shall go until we die My, my, my inspiration is what you are to me Inspiration look, see

So much pain. There was so much pain between them. It swirled and came to life whenever they spoke. But it didn’t matter, because Dean was never leaving Cas. He knew that now. He couldn’t do it without him.

As the guitar interlude played, he tried to calm down. To fight the panic climbing in his throat. This whole thing had been a bad idea. He should have never made the damn tape in the first place. His breathing slowed a little when the vocals came back. He could do this.

And so today, my world it smiles Your hand in mine, we walk the miles Thanks to you it will be done For you to me are the only one Happiness, no more be sad Happiness, I'm glad

The image was so clear in his mind. Him and Cas walked down an asphalt road, hand in hand, the sun in front of them and their troubles behind them. He would never have it, but it didn’t matter. He still owed Cas all his happiness, owed him his life, owed him everything. And he still never said thank you.

If the sun refused to shine I would still be loving you Mountains crumble to the sea There will still be you and me

Dean took a deep breath and looked at Cas. There was still almost a minute of instrumental in the song. It would be so easy, just to say that he liked the song. Or that it reminded him of someone. Or that he thought Cas would enjoy the sound of it.

Then Cas spoke, and he realized the angel’s eyes were wide and his lips were turned up in a smile. “Dean, please don’t lie to me. Why this one?”

He didn’t answer at first. He knew Cas would wait, and he did. They listened to the end of the song, and then the car went quiet. Dean turned the engine off and fiddled with the keys in his lap before looking back into Cas’ eyes.

“I guess,” he breathed in. He could do this. Why not? He couldn’t fuck things up with Cas more than he already had. He’d beaten him, nearly killed him, left him when he was vulnerable, yelled at him, taken him for granted. And yet, here he was. Right by Dean’s side, fighting to save the world again. “I guess I’m trying to say thank you, Cas. For sticking with us.”

Cas’ smile grew just a little, almost showing his teeth, and he held Dean’s eyes, as if waiting for him to go on. And Dean was going to leave it there, he really was. But for some reason, maybe the safety of Baby, maybe the soft way Cas was watching him, maybe the quiet begging to be filled, he went on. “I don’t want you to leave again. I don’t want to leave you. If we- If we beat God, then I still want you to stay. We take you for granted- I take you for granted. I know that. But I just- I want you here. I need you here.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good,” he said quietly, reaching for the door handle.

“Dean,” Cas said firmly. Dean paused and looked up, his heart pounding heavily in his chest. “I love you.”

His eyes widened and his thoughts swirled. He was dreaming, he had to be dreaming. Or this was a trick, someone was possessing Cas, someone was hurting him, someone was-

“It’s me, Dean.” And everything else melted away. It was Cas sitting next to him. Cas who had just spent an hour listening to Led Zeppelin with him. Cas who wasn’t leaving. Cas who had told him he loved him.

“I love you too,” he said. And it didn’t matter that Cas had just told him he loved him. Didn’t matter that Cas made him feel so safe. Didn’t matter that in spite of everything--all his doubts, all his fuckups, all his anger--he actually believed Cas wasn’t lying. He was still terrified.

Then Cas leaned across the seat and pressed their lips together, and he stopped thinking. He kissed him back gently, reveling in the taste, the softness, the electricity.

When they pulled away, he laughed softly and grinned sheepishly at the angel. Then he ejected the tape from the car and handed it to him before pressing another kiss against his lips. There were a million things he wanted to say, to explain, but there was only really one that fit.

“Thank you.”

tag list {ask to be added or removed!}:

@fandomstuff67 @menjiiii @witchyanaels @starlightcastiel @chaoticdean @larryforeveralways @samhainsam @ghostsforcas @tlakhtwritesdestiel @wanderingcas @hallowena @spooky-things-do-happen-dean @jayus-fandom-writer @cas-you-assbutt-dean-needs-you @starrynightdeancas @radiantdean @piemaker-from-gallifrey @on-a-bender @eshaninjer

#suptober20 #these are the songs on the mixtape don't fight me #long post #destiel fluff #happy ending #spn fanfic #supernatural fanfic #spn fan fiction #destiel fanfic #deancas fic #destiel fic #destiel ficlet #my writing

[milfjensenackles]

castiel’s top 13 taylor swift traxx

1.7k words | read it on ao3 

“What’s this?”

Dean looked up at Cas from his desk chair, confusion apparent in his curled lip and furled eyebrows. Cas had stalked into his room a moment before and unceremoniously dropped a small rectangle on the table in front of Dean.

Cas gave Dean a small, close-lipped smile while rubbing his hand over the other repeatedly. “It’s a mixtape. Like the one you made me.”

Dean flipped the mixtape over in his hands to read what Cas had written on it. Apparently Cas was getting a lot of use out of the rainbow pen set Sam bought him last week, because ‘CASTIEL’S TOP 13 TAYLOR TRAXX’ was spelled out in bright purple ink on the front of the tape. Dean smiled at Cas’ loopy handwriting before clearing his throat and asking, “Taylor?”

“Taylor Swift. I know your favorite artist is Led Zeppelin and you shared their music with me, so I wanted to return the favor. Sam taught me how to make the tape.” Cas beamed proudly at this accomplishment.

Dean almost grimaced but caught himself so he wouldn’t disappoint Cas. “That’s great, Cas. Thanks. I’ll check it out later.”

Satisfied with that answer, Cas folded his hands behind his back and left Dean to himself again.

About an hour after Cas left Dean’s room, Dean put down the papers he was looking through for a case to reach for the mixtape again. Dean knew why he made that Led Zeppelin mixtape for Cas, but he didn’t think Cas understood human customs like making a mixtape for someone. His feelings for Castiel had become… complicated, as of late. Dean was terrible at expressing himself, but he’s always been able to understand his feelings a little more through his favorite songs. He recently realized (embarrassingly enough) that he had developed quite a crush on the former angel. He knew that he would explode if he didn’t do something about it, but he didn’t want to ruin their friendship. Thus, ‘Dean’s Top 13 Zepp Traxx’ was born.

The only tape player Dean still had was in the Impala, so he grabbed a jacket and shoved the tape into his pocket. He managed to avoid Sam on his way out, which meant that he avoided having to give a lame excuse for going to sit in his car for thirty minutes or so by himself. He opened the door to the Impala and slid onto the bench before pulling the tape out of his pocket and sliding it into the player. A twangy country beat immediately sounded from the speakers and Dean groaned. How was he going to get through a whole mixtape of just Taylor Swift? She was talented and all, but not Dean’s thing. The things he was willing to do for that angel. He closed his eyes and leaned back to rest his head against the bench, listening as a young girl’s soft voice began to sing.

I like the way you sound in the mornin’

We’re on the phone and without a warning

I realize your laugh is the best sound I have ever heard

Dean sat straight up at that, hitting his head on the roof of the car. He rubbed at the bump forming on his scalp while trying to process the lyrics that were still playing repeatedly in his mind. What did Cas mean by putting this song on a mixtape he made specifically for Dean? Probably nothing, he tried to reason with himself. This is just one of Cas’ favorite songs. It doesn’t have anything to do with Dean. Maybe Cas was trying to tell Dean that he was interested in someone else. Maybe Cas did understand the meaning of Dean’s mixtape and was trying to let him down gently. Dean had apparently been lost in thought for the entirety of the song, because as the final chorus filled the Impala he felt his breath catch in his throat.

Whoa-oh, I’m feeling you baby

Don’t be afraid to jump then fall

Jump then fall into me

Baby, I’m never gonna leave you

Say that you wanna be with me too

As the first song ended, Dean picked up the case the mixtape had been inside to read the names of the songs that Cas had listed on the back. The next one was called Sparks Fly. Dean smiled to himself at that, reminded of the night he and Cas had met in that barn covered with sigils. Sparks had flown, but not for romantic reasons, like Taylor suggested in the song. He guessed Cas probably took the lyrics a little too literally, as he did with most things. This theory of Dean’s was proven to be true, as a song that was apparently called Don’t Blame Me blared loudly, causing Dean to rush to turn the volume down.

And baby, for you, I would fall from grace

Just to touch your face

If you walk away

I’d beg you on my knees to stay

This one was a little too on the nose, Dean thought to himself. Again, he allowed his mind to wander, questioning the reason behind Cas’ decision to put this song on a playlist for Dean. It took quite a bit of effort to make a mixtape, especially nowadays. Dean would know. Cas would have had to painstakingly record the songs that he chose for some particular reason that Dean couldn’t determine so far. He allowed himself to fantasize for a moment that it was Dean that Cas so desperately wanted before shaking himself from his thoughts.

Dean had to admit, these songs weren’t half bad. There was even one about cowboys that was probably his favorite so far. Not that Dean’s biased or anything. The next song faded in softer than the others, which caught Dean’s attention immediately. He focused on the words, leaning forward slightly with his hands folded in his lap.

All these people think love’s for show

But I would die for you in secret

The devil’s in the details, but you got a friend in me

Would it be enough if I could never give you peace?

Dean frowned at these lyrics. Is this how Cas felt about himself? Did Cas really think that he brought only chaos to their lives? Dean supposed that Sam and himself hadn’t really ever said anything to suggest otherwise. He made a mental note to do better about showing his appreciation for Cas. The next few songs played through, and against his better judgment, Dean was starting to really enjoy himself. Before he knew it, the last song was playing, and the tape stuttered to a stop. He sat there quietly for some time after the last note played through the speakers.

He had two options here. He could be a coward, like usual, and let this mixtape thing be forgotten over time as they continue to dance around one another. Or he could confront his friend and potentially destroy their relationship. Eventually, Dean gathered his things and moved back toward the bunker.

Cas was in the kitchen by himself, drinking a cup of coffee out of a mug that said ‘Plant Daddy’ on it. Dean had purchased it for him as a joke when Cas got into gardening, and it immediately became Cas’ favorite. He had his reading glasses on along with an old flannel of Dean’s, which made Dean feel like he was going to explode for reasons he couldn’t quite pinpoint. Dean walked up to him and placed the mixtape on the table, as Cas had done to him only a few hours previously.

“Why did you make me this mixtape, Cas?”

Cas pursed his lips for longer than Dean could handle before taking his glasses off and standing up from the table to move toward the sink. He rinsed out his mug before turning back around to face Dean, bracing himself on the counter behind him.

“I find myself… able to relate to the words she sings, moreso than the artists that might be considered more ‘age appropriate’” – Cas’ hands went up to form finger quotes around the phrase – “for myself. Since becoming human, these new emotions have been very difficult to process. I feel like Taylor understands me. The songs I chose… I picked them because they reminded me of you. That’s what Sam told me humans do when they make a mixtape for someone they care about.”

Dean felt himself freeze. He looked down at the mixtape in his hand for a moment, before looking back at Cas again. He thought back to the tracklist he had already committed to memory. It all came to him at once, the lyrics flooding his brain.

My pain fits in the palm of your freezing hands

We’re driving down the road, I wonder if you know

I ain’t gotta tell him I think he knows

Please don’t be in love with someone else

Dean stepped forward, crowding into Castiel’s space. He opened his mouth, and nothing came out. Dean closed his eyes to steel himself, before opening them again and confidently saying, “I’m not in love with someone else, Cas. It’s you. It’s always been you. And I’m sorry if I’m reading the wrong thing into this situation but I – “

Dean was cut off by Cas, who had reached out and grabbed his face before crashing their lips together. Once Dean’s brain caught up to the rest of his body, he started kissing Cas back, pushing the angel into the countertop. This was nothing like Dean’s fantasies, which were always aggressive and usually the result of an argument or a near-death experience. This was achingly slow and sweet with the promise of more.

Cas was the one to pull back to breathe first. Dean followed his lips, wanting more. He would have gladly drowned in Cas. Cas noticed Dean’s eagerness and laughed softly. “I love you too, Dean. I made the mixtape hoping that you would understand what I was trying to tell you. Evidently, it worked.”

This time, Dean was the one to wrap his arms underneath Cas’ to pull him in for another kiss.

After what felt like an eternity, Dean pulled back and smirked, running his hand through Cas’ hair as he spoke. “So… you’d really ‘fall from grace just to touch my face’, huh?”

Cas rolled his eyes, but nonetheless gave Dean an endearing smile. “I already did, Dean. And I’d do it over and over again if it meant I could have this.”

#destiel fic #destiel #deancas #deancas fic #destiel ficlet #dean winchester #castiel #spn fic #lauren writes

[what-do-1000-swords-look-like]

I am obsessed with the mixtape

I know there are a lot of brilliant metas circulating around about this particular piece of Destiel but I wanted to look at it through another lens/angle that still comes to the same conclusion: Destiel

Here we have the mixtape:

Notice how the “A” is different from “Deans” to “Traxx”

Then we have this from the beginning:

Sam had pulled out a box of cassettes that Dean kept in the Impala to play. We also know that when Sam tried to upgrade Baby to be able to play his iPod, Dean didn’t care for this. We only see Dean using his phone to play music in his room in later seasons, but we also have Cas mentioning a broken tape deck in season 14 and that they had no music for the drive. Meaning Dean was still using this classic mode of electronics in Baby to play his music.

The cassettes could be a leftover from John, from back when he used to drive the boys around, or from Dean when he got the car and made his own tapes for his own driving music. Either way, based on the names we see in that box like Metallica and Motörhead, we can bet that Led Zeppelin was in there, too. 

Then in 12x19 we have this:

“It’s a gift. You keep those.”

So is it possible that Dean still gave Cas the tape but it was one that was already in Baby’s collection? That he told Cas to listen to some “good music in that truck for once instead of that teenage bopper crap” (or aka so Cas would know who Led Zeppelin is and what his favorite songs are by them: sharing himself with Cas)? And Cas was the one who wrote Dean’s name on the tape? (not that he would forget who gave it to him of course but because he considers it to be Dean’s and not the gift it is, as he confirms in dialogue in the scene above)

If we look at it through this lens, this is still a Destiel moment that is important. Because if the tape is one from Dean’s collection, we know how important Led Zeppelin’s music is to him based on what he says in 12x01 to Mary about her first meeting with John. If it’s John’s (when then went to Dean), then we know how important this tape is due to Dean’s complicated relationship with John, and again how important Led Zeppelin is to the pairing of Mary and John canonically. So either way it’s significant and one hell of a choice of a tape for Dean to give Cas to listen to.

I personally prefer what the other incredible metas say, that Dean spent the time recording his 13 favorite songs for Cas to listen to, and gave him the tape as a gift. I prefer that explanation for this scene but I thought this angle was interesting. 

Either way, Destiel is canon.

#destiel #destiel meta #deancas #dean x cas #otp: we are #spn #The15YearShow #spnposts

[verobatto]

Destiel Chronicles

Vol. LXXV

It was a love story from the very beginning.

So Proud Of Him

(12x01)

Hi everyone!! We reached season 12 with these Chronicles and I'm so happy for that!

Hope you enjoy this season because it had a good amount of Destiel on it. *Coughing* Mixtape *Coughing*

This time I will talk about 12x01.

That's True Love

When Dean is trying to explain to Mary that he's her son, and she's back from death, he makes this travel through his own memories about what John had told him the first time their parents met. And because in his memories, he puts that as a story of one huge true love, he repeats it to her. This is the perfection of what a love story should go.

DEAN Dad told me. March 23, 1972, you walked out of a movie theater – Slaughterhouse-Five. You loved it, and you bumped into a big Marine and you knocked him flat on his ass. You were embarrassed, and he laughed it off, said you could make it up to him with a cup of coffee. So, you went to, uh, Mulroney's and you talked and he was cute and he knew the words to every Zeppelin song, so when he asked you for your number, you gave it to him, even though you knew your dad would be pissed. That was the night that – that you met –

We already know about the parallel with the Mixtape here, as a foreshadow of what Dean will give to Cas, for him, Led Zeppelin is a big part of a great love story. But... There's something more too... That maybe Dean feels identify when he compares his parents first meeting with his own with Castiel.

We are obviously talking about LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT between Mary and John, even if we know Heaven had made that match, the mechanism was at first sight. With this in mind , we just need to recall Dean and Cas first meeting in the barn. Obviously, Dean saw the sparkles, and the hot guy, with intense energy and intense gaze, looking at him deeply, he had a love at first sight his own, right?

He names John as a big Marine and Mary knocked him flat in his ass. Okay, so remember Cas is a soldier, right? A huge, big Chrysler Building height soldier.

'And you talked and he was cute' Okay, this is much about Dean's idea of what love at first sight means, or John told him his mother thought he was cute, which... IDK. But... You talked and he was cute, is like you talked and you fell for him, is more related to Dean's experience about Cas. Cas is cute. The more he met him, the more the thought the angel was cute. And no one can't tell me otherwise.

And when he says Mary gave John her number even against her father's wishes, this is expressing Dean's inner fears of what he feels for another man (Castiel) could be rejected by his righteous father. Even so, he developed these feelings. Even so, he will be presenting this angel/man, the love of his life, later this episode to Mary.

But it talks too about Sacred Oath, a very heavy topic in Castiel's heart, and a very recurrent topic in this season and the incoming seasons too. The forbidden love for Dean.

Mom, he's my angel

This is one of my fav scenes from season 12, the moment in which Dean Winchester presents Castiel to his mother.

Gif credit @some-people-call-it-tragic

Before this we have a beautiful Destiel hug, because Cas was thinking Dean was dead, so when he saw him alive, he gave him this warm and full of emotions hug, in which Dean melts and smile, it looked so domestic, and perfect, and intimate that Mary made that grimace of "WTF?"

And then we had the flustered son trying to mocking his angel because is very difficult to present the love of your life to your mom, trying not to show her how much in love you are? Yes, i'm a sucker for this head canon hahahaha.

And Cas' face is like Uh-Oh my mother in law hahahaha, they made an excellent work here.

I can swear than when Mary said "Angels are watching over you," to baby Dean that time, she wasn't talking about this kind of watching 😏.

Let me just talk about this moment here...

Gif credit @kingofthecrxssroads 👇

Gif set credit @destielintheimpala

Just because is perfect, the list and smirk on Mary's face gave Dean the idea of what she's thinking about, and he gets flustered, and why is he eying Cas? Because he's there, when her mother is recalling sex in the Impala, because, hell yes, baby can effort a hot sex scene between two lovers right? More than be awkward because he's trying not to think in his parents having sex in Baby, but, maybe the so many times he had imagined having sex with his angel there... Okay just let me dream, okay? Is my meta I can allow myself to do that. Hahahaahahah.

Out Of Place

This episode opens the door to the parallel between Mary Winchester and Castiel. Both of them share the fact that they feel out of place in where they're.

Mary because she comes back after 33 years, finding that the life she was living was a lie, and her two sons are now adults, and their actions had repercussions on their present. So she's out of time, and out of place.

With Cas, we will hear him say he doesn't know where he belongs yet, but then we will have Dean saying twice 'Let's go home's to him, the first time in episode 12x12, when Cas almost dies, and the second one in episode 13x06, when Cas comes back from the Empty. Even so, Cas will feel he belongs to a family assuming his role as a father with Jack.

Colors and Foreshadows (Visual Narrative)

And because this is Dabb era, we will be full of visual Narrative, with the image of Virgen Mary and Christ, we have the symbolic representation of Mary Winchester and Jack.

The wardrobe colors chosen for Lucifer's victims are a clue of the end of the season. There was a family, dressed on red (rage and toxic Dean) and there was a woman dead dressed on Pink (Happiness). Maybe showing us Lucifer will kill Cas.

Gif credit @some-people-call-it-tragic

Remember when Dean was talking about his mom and dad first meeting and he mentioned Mary thought John was cute? Well... Let me show you where they made a stop to drink something before keeping searching for Sam...

And because this is Dabb, and we know he loves to use scenario and symbolism, the fruit berry in urban dictionary means CUTE AND COOL GUY. A BERRY GUY. And who's the first we see there? Right. Castiel. So. There you go. Just putting the puzzle pieces together.

We will see a lot of people stabbed by the back, and the knife coming out from the front of the chest (heart), like we saw in this episode when Mary Winchester killed Mrs. Watts.

We saw how the only way to break Sam is through his brilliant mind, Bevelle knew it and used it, and gave us a foreshadow of "inside the mind" we will recurrently see in season 14 with the whole AUMichael!Dean topic.

To Conclude:

The first episode from season 12 have a lot of clues and foreshadow for Dabb era, and a huge introduction of Dean's idea of romance (Led Zeppelin/Mixtape) and hints of Castiel's death and Dean's possession by AUMichael.

Hope you like this first introduction to season 12, see you in the next meta!

Tagging @magnificent-winged-beast @emblue-sparks @weird-dorky-little-deana @michyribeiro @whyjm @legendary-destiel @a-bit-of-influence @thatwitchydestielfan @misha-moose-dean-burger-lover @lykanyouko @evvvissticante @savannadarkbaby @dea-stiel @poorreputation @bre95611 @thewolfathedoor @charlottemanchmal @neii3n @deathswaywardson @followyourenergy @dean-is-bi-till-i-die @hekatelilith-blog @avidbkwrm @anarchiana @dickpuncher365 @vampyrosa @authorsararayne @anonymoustitans @mybonsai1976 @love-neve-dies @dustythewind @wayward-winchester67 @angelwithashotgunandtrenchcoat @trashblackrainbow @deeutdutdutdoh @destiel-shipper-11 @larrem88 @charmedbycastiel @ran-savant @little-crazy-misha-minion @samoosetheshipper

@shadows-and-padlocked-hearts @mishtho @dancingtuesdaymorning @nerditoutwithbooks @mikennacac73 @justmeand-myinsight @idontwantpeopletoknowmyname @teddybeardoctor @pepevons @helevetica @isthisdestiel @dizzypinwheel @jawnlockwinchester @horsez2 @qanelyytha

@imjustkipping @destielle @agusvedder @spnsmile @shippsblog @robot-feels @superlock-in-the-tardis @superduckbatrebel @nickelkit @anon-non2

If you want to be added or removed from this list, just let me know.

Buenos Aires, August 18th 2020 5:07 PM

#destiel #destiel chronicles #destiel meta #Supernatural meta #season 12 meta #vol LXXV

[sortasirius]

"The Future” cleared my skin, watered my crops, and added ten years to my life.

You guys.  If you had told me six years ago when I started watching Supernatural that we were going to get to this point, I wouldn’t have believed you.  First and most importantly, I think this episode takes us out of “what if Dean and Cas were pining for each other” and places us pretty firmly in the camp of “they ARE pining for each other, but will they wake up and see it??”

Also shoutout to this writing team.  Man do we have some incredible writers (I’m lookin at you, Dabb, Perez, Yockey, Glynn,and Berens).

Now, I could tell that my boi Dean was getting a little ~angsty~ about the fact that Cas wasn’t calling him back, so I was a little surprised that Cas just kinda swags into the bunker like nothing’s happened.  And, of course, my sweet baby angel Sam is like “yay welcome back Cas!” and angst ridden married man Dean is like??????  U didn’t call me back?????????

As someone who is extremely dramatic™, I highkey relate to Dean, because even though I take three days to respond to texts, doesn’t mean anyone else is allowed to.

So, Dean does what any respectable drama queen would do, and he stomps off to his room (and we’ve all done this in hopes that the person we’re mad at will come talk to us.)

And of course, Cas does, and I really thought it was going to be a one and done kind of “I don’t want to get into emotional honesty with you, Cas so I’ll say it’s okay and then just ignore it.” But my homies Glynn and Berens are not playin around.

*John Mulaney voice* Whoa what the fuck is this?????

This is like........literally unbelievable. 

It shows us two things.  First, and most obviously, Dean made Cas a mixtape.  Now, we can unpack the importance of music and romance all day, but I think it’s especially important to Dean.  Hell, when Dean first meets Jo he starts singing the song she played on the jukebox in the car.  Music is so important to Dean, and the fact that he was share something like this with Cas?  Also just how important Zeppelin is to Dean.  We know from season 5 that his favorite song is “Ramble On,” but he probably agonized over what these tracks were.  And the fact that it’s on a cassette tape?  I don’t really feel like it needs explaining how this means he feels about Cas.

Secondly, it means that there’s tons of shit that goes on offscreen between the characters.  At some unknown point, Dean gave Cas this mixtape.  What did he say?  Surely they were alone when he gave it to him, I feel like its a little too girly for Dean to give to Cas in front of Sam.  How did Cas respond?  What was the m o m e n t like writers, tell me!!!

Bruh.  Even when Dean is pissed as hell at Cas, he’s not going to take back this gift that he gave him.  I’m weak.

Also, Cas is extremely relatable by trying to give back something that clearly means so much to Dean to get Dean to talk to him.  Who among us has not done the same???

Look at this s h o t.  They’re almost touching but they’re not but you can kinda tell they want to??  Am I watching a fanfic unfold in front of my eyes???

The emotional honesty is s t a g g e r i n g.

?????????  Long gone are the days where everyone says everything’s fine and moves on.  Gone are the days of “no chick flick moments.” These boys will be honest with each other, chick flick moments be damned!!

This is literally out of a fic.  I’m convinced I have read this in a fic.  The writers are writing in fic tropes in CANON.

I’m YELLING.  This is fanfic come to life.  You can’t convince me otherwise.

The way Cas looks down as he says it??  How close they’re standing to each other??  The way Dean writes it all off by saying he needs a beer???

Seriously though, this writing team has changed the landscape of the show, especially in regards to Dean and Cas’ relationship.  And I’m not saying that in a hyperbolic way.  This is a different show from season 8, a different show from season 11, even.  To me, it’s less about a “oooo will the writers lead everyone on with a Dean/Cas moment??” and much more about the honesty that Dean and Cas are sharing.  We’re past the whole Cas is just useful to Dean because he’s an angel, the writers are focusing on their relationship because it’s important, and I think that’s the beautiful thing that comes out of hiring queer/queer positive writers and letting them tell their stories.  I feel like, since Dabb took over and could bring his team of writers on, moments like this feel so organic and natural.  This doesn’t feel forced, it doesn’t feel like fanservice.  It feels like Dean and Cas, like a tiny little glimpse into their lives, how they relate and talk to each other.

The mixtape scene (as it shall be known here) is quiet, simply shot, and beautifully written.  It shows the honesty of two people who care more deeply about each other than almost anyone else, and the fumbling, awkward way they try to navigate these feelings.

I love this scene, it may be my favorite in the entire show.

#destiel meta #destiel #supernatural meta #supernatural #dean winchester #castiel #lilly liveblogs supernatural #spn #dean #cas #meta #writing #the future #spn 12x19 #12x19

[mittensmorgul]

The mixtape thing is hard for me to see as a romantic gesture only- In Stranger Shings, Jonathan Bayers gave a Mixtape to his little brother, In Guardians of the Galaxy, Peter Quill got his Mixtape from his mother-So it seems that can be a family thing too?And we and the show, claim that Castiel is family- I would love it to be pure romantic love thing,but with many mixtapes showing up as a family affair it is hard

Hi there! First of all, my intent behind this reply is one part mild exasperation, one part humorous jibing, and maybe two or three parts coffee (It took a lot of coffee to drown out the part that just wanted to delete this in a fit of less-than-mild exasperation, but I just want to assure you that this reply is in no way intended to be mean-spirited or condescending, and I hope you don’t take it that way).

For my second disclaimer, I’d like to make it known that I have seen neither of these things-- GotG or Stranger Things-- but because I don’t live under a rock, I at least know what they are. So if I say something about them that people who are actually familiar with these things would take issue with, just know that I am not prepared for a meta debate on either GotG or Stranger Things, but that no ill is intended in referencing them here.

(for my third disclaimer, I’d like to again state how sad I am that meta writers need to paste these sorts of disclaimers on everything, but such is the way things go...)

Righto! I think we can get down to business now. :)

There has already been a very well-written defense of the mixtape as romantic as used in GotG and GotG 2, and how it even STRENGTHENS the romantic reading of the mixtape scene in 12.19. But being me, the post somehow didn’t make it into the proper tag on my blog, and despite trying to search for it multiple different ways, I can’t seem to find it anywhere... >.>

(additional disclaimer that I’m in the middle of a Death Migraine, so apologies for any lack of due diligence in linking relevant references... searching for things hurts my brain right now)

The gist of it was that the mixtape contained songs that Peter Quill’s parents listened to together, so the tape’s ORIGINS were without question romantically coded. Despite the fact that the movie opens with Peter’s dying mother giving him the tape (this was what happened, right? I’m not mistaken here?) as a gift of love from mother to son, from what I understand about the sequel, PETER TURNS RIGHT AROUND AND USES THE TAPE TO WOO GAMORA. Restoring the “romantic” associations the tape began with, imbuing the mixtape with a sort of “legacy of love.”

Did I get all that right?

This is EXACTLY what I was referring to in my post yesterday as the show’s history of using Led Zeppelin songs in explicitly romantic situations.

In the OPENING SCENE of 12.01, as Dean’s establishing his identity for a very confused and suddenly-alive-after-33-years Mary, this is what he tells her:

Dean: Listen to me. Your name - your name is Mary Sandra Campbell, you were born December 5, 1954 to Samuel and Deanna Campbell. Your father, he bounced around a lot for work, and you bounced right along with him and you ended up in Lawrence, Kansas.Mary: How do you know all that?Dean: Dad told me. March 23, 1972 you walked out of a movie theater, Slaughterhouse-Five, you loved it. And you bumped into a big marine and knocked him on his ass. You were embarrassed and he laughed it off, said you could make it up to him with a cup of coffee. So you went to, uh, Mulroni's, and you talked and he was cute, and he knew the words to every Zeppelin song, so when he asked you for your number you gave it to him even though you knew your dad would be pissed. That was the night that you met-Mary: John Winchester.Dean: August 19, 1975 you were married, in Reno, your idea. Few years later I came along, then Sammy.Mary: Then I burned. How long have I been gone?Dean: Thirty-three years.

SHE GAVE JOHN WINCHESTER HER NUMBER BECAUSE HE KNEW ALL THE WORDS TO EVERY LED ZEPPELIN SONG. IT WAS A FLIRTATION. IT WAS THE FOUNDING STONE IN THEIR RELATIONSHIP.

LED ZEPPELIN LYRICS.

EXPLICITLY ROMANTIC.

Not only that, but we know that Dean has known this story his whole life. As if Mary (who had died long ago when he was a child, just like Peter Quill’s mother) had given him a reason to love these songs, too. For Dean they weren’t just ///romantic/// coded, but a link to that happier and more innocent time from his childhood, where his life was normal and his mom cut the crusts off his PBJ and gave him pie. From a time when Dean thought life could even be normal at all.

So, not solely romantic, but absolutely romanticized. Or idealized, at least. These were memories he clung to like a koala as his life fell to pieces after Mary died. He remembered that old life as only a child could, through rose-tinted soft-focus, reinforced by John’s vague and infrequent recounting of his memories of Mary.

(remember in 3.09, how 9-year-old Sam complained that they NEVER talked about mom? and how upset Dean became when Sam probed him for more information? And even in the pilot episode Sam said something about never being able to get mom back, and Dean threw him against the bridge pillar and told him to NEVER say stuff like that about Mary... I mean, it’s HEAVILY implied that talking about her AT ALL was something that just didn’t happen, but when it did, it was the sort of memory Dean referenced in his speech in 12.01... those were the “important details” he’d memorized... and maybe that entire description of their first meeting hadn’t even been John’s words at all, but things Dean had been carrying in his own mind since he was a child-- something Mary might’ve told him herself before she died, since that bit of Dean’s story is related back to Mary in Mary’s own pov.)

The show has also lampshaded the use of Led Zeppelin as a sexual overture, in 2.02:

Jo: You know, I thought you were gonna toss me some cheap pickup line. Most hunters come through that door think they can get in my pants with some... pizza, a six pack, and side one of Zeppelin IV.

Jo had been expecting Dean to hit on her, and it’s implied all the way up through her appearance as a ghost in 7.04 that she’d WANTED him to hit on her, that she’d had a crush on him or was attracted to him... and the only reason she turned him down in 5.10 was because she didn’t just want the “last night on earth” fling with him... This was 100% a come-on.

And Dean’s two favorite songs? Ramble On (which yes, on the surface is a LotR reference, but the deeper message is the search for a lover), and Traveling Riverside Blues (which is 100% about sex... I mean... It’s just pure lust). Put together, they’re like the peak of Love and Lust. And being Dean’s two top favorite songs? I’d bet both of them are on that mixtape.

So back to the point with the GotG reference. It not only does not invalidate Dean’s gift of the tape to Cas as a romantic gesture, but REINFORCES the romantic nature of the gift.

These songs that united Peter’s parents, which his mom left to him after she died, and eventually he uses to romance someone he’s in love with...

If Peter had turned around and given the mixtape to another relative, or to a friend he had no romantic interest in, then I would’ve given you this example. But that is explicitly NOT what happened. Sorry. When taken in the larger context of the entire story around it, saying the mixtape there was only about a mother’s love for her son is being deliberately obtuse. Context matters, and taking that one link in Peter’s mixtape chain out of the larger interconnected story is cherry picking.

So that leaves us with ONE SINGLE EXAMPLE (which I won’t argue with because I have not seen Stranger Things and therefore have zero context with which to debate what you stated about it) OUT OF THE ENTIRE CANON OF HUMAN STORYTELLING in which a mixtape is used as a platonic or familial gift with no romantic coding whatsoever.

I’m going to go ahead and call the use of the mixtape in Stranger Things THE EXCEPTION TO THE RULE. This was the subversion of the standard trope.

I asked Mr. Mittens and kidperson (who HAVE watched Stranger Things) what the context of the mixtape was, just so I could have a general idea. Apparently it was given to a younger brother by an older brother as a sort of “This is important music that you need to know to be cool” sort of gift. Or maybe “music that is important to me.” Apparently the older brother was hospitalized for something at some point? So there was also this generalized feeling of “taking care of my little brother” aspect to it? I’m just spitballing on the like three things I know about ST, so no actual meta value is being ascribed to these statements.

But this is what really bothers me about your question, because this is something that’s been discussed since 12.19 aired, and I would like to put forth this argument:

The VAST MAJORITY of references to the gift of a mixtape in popular culture ARE EXPLICITLY ROMANTICALLY OR SEXUALLY CODED. The OVERWHELMING number of references over DECADES of storytelling simply cannot be invalidated by a SINGLE use of the mixtape in a non-romantic way.

PLUS: CONTEXT MATTERS. You can’t just say, “Dean gave Cas a mixtape, but because one time on one show someone gave a mixtape to his brother, so therefore these situations could be identical, and it could be a gesture of brotherly camaraderie and not specifically romantic.” THAT IS NOT A VALID ARGUMENT WHEN TAKEN IN CONTEXT.

The entire scene in 12.19 was framed, shot, and edited with multiple other romantically coded tropes. The absolute QUIET that settled over the scene (no background music, the only sounds those of their voices, speaking earnestly and emotionally to one another), the fact that we didn’t see Dean GIVE the tape TO CAS, but only Cas attempting to return the tape to Dean because his recent actions HURT DEAN. Dean was ANGRY that Cas had gone missing for a time and had ignored his calls, and had stormed off to his room in a huff. Cas’s response to this was to offer to RETURN the tape to Dean (now explicitly coded as a gift of love, because he worried that Dean may have withdrawn whatever feelings that had inspired the gift in the first place).

The fact that Dean can’t even LOOK at Cas because of his hurt, and yet picks up the tape and hands it back to Cas (in a shot that frames JUST THEIR HANDS PASSING THE TAPE like THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT PLS PAY ATTENTION PLS), and tells him, “It’s a gift. You keep those.”

I can’t believe people need me to spell out all the subtext in that one line, but here it is:

At this moment, the fact that the gift object itself is a mixtape is practically irrelevant, because THAT LINE ITSELF carries about nine miles of romantic subtext. In this context, the mixtape takes on the same narrative weight as Arwen’s necklace in Lord of the Rings. It’s a symbol of her immortality as an elf, AND a symbol for her heart. AND SHE OFFERS IT TO ARAGORN, AND THEN HE TRIES TO GIVE IT BACK BECAUSE HE FEELS HE DOES NOT DESERVE IT, BECAUSE HE’S ABOUT TO LEAVE HER TO GO ON HIS MISSION TO SAVE THE WORLD.

Sound familiar?

This familiarity IS NOT AN ACCIDENT. IT IS A VERY LONG-LIVED ROMANTIC TROPE.

The fact that the Macguffin in this case happens to be a Led Zeppelin mixtape in 12.19 only ADDS to the inherently romantically coded GESTURE of what happened in that whole entire scene, compounded by A DECADE of other romantically coded subtext between Dean and Cas.

*screams into the void and the apologizes to the void and tucks it back under its blanket*

There’s also the fact that we have no idea when, or under what circumstances, Dean gave that tape to Cas in the first place. We can only speculate that it may have happened after the events of 12.12, but honestly it could’ve been any time in the preceding ten years. For argument’s sake, let’s suppose it was a relatively recent gift, considering the circumstances under which Cas attempted to return it-- immediately after being confronted with his unexplained absence and Dean’s anger over it, and immediately PRIOR to his PLANNED BETRAYAL, his theft of the Colt, and his abandonment of Dean yet again... The circumstances under which Cas felt he might not ///deserve/// this specific token of Dean’s feelings for him involved betrayal of those feelings by virtue of his absence and abandonment of Dean (at least, he understood this much of what that tape seemed to represent to Dean).

*another disclaimer: I’ve been writing this for like four hours now, and my Death Migraine has progressed to the point where I need to not look at things for a while. I could keep going here, but I’m failing at basic human things like “being able to sit upright” and “not throwing up every time I open my eyes” so I’m gonna stop typing now*

*no wait, one more thing because I can type with my eyes closed*

Isn’t it amazing that we’ve now evolved to the point where instead of combing through the subtext to find romantically coded things in their interactions, folks are now actively scrambling to find ways to explain away the blatantly in-your-face romantically coded text? I mean... what have we come to here? When the more OBVIOUS and far more defensible read of the scene is the romantic read? And yet still there’s this scramble to suggest it could be non-romantic...

And do you know how these sorts of arguments all sound to me? I’ll let the Simpsons explain it for me:

#top 13 zepp traxx #the scheherazade of supernatural #apologies that this sort of goes incoherent at points #imma go lie down in a dark room for a while now and pray for death #Anonymous

[silverfacedherald]

Yeah, not a romantic gesture. Deans not known for listening to romantic songs, so odds are theyre not the romantic ones. Also? Didnt make it for cas. It was one of his personal own mixtapes. People made mixtapes for a ton of reasons, theyre not excessively romantic

Hey Nonny!  Thanks for sharing your opinion!  Here’s my thoughts on all the interesting points you brought up.

To be completely honest with you, that’s not what I got from this text conversation.  I’m saying that because: “I’m leaning towards romantic gesture”, “ahhhhh both like each other but don’t want to admit it to each other so it’s an awkward dance around”, with the conversation ending with “they gotta play it out somehow man idk how but it’ll hopefully work out“ “I feel like the mixtape helped [with them both not being straightforward]”, and ending with a very pro-romantic comment that “that must just be frustrating to watch both people just playing footsie around each other basically”.  Which to me is a perfect way to sum up Dean and Cas’ relationship: a Will They or Won’t They and a Just Kiss Already

As far as I know, Dean is very well-known for listening to (and loving) romantic songs.  His two favourite songs (both by Led Zeppelin) are Ramble On and Travelling Riverside Blues.  Let’s look at some lyrics here to see whether there are any romantic themes within his two favourite songs, with Ramble On first.

(chorus)

Ramble onAnd now’s the time, the time is nowTo sing my songI’m goin’ ‘round the world, I got to find my girlOn my wayI’ve been this way ten years to the dayRamble onGotta find the queen of all my dreams

(verse)

I ain’t tellin’ no lieMine’s a tale that can’t be toldMy freedom I hold dearHow years ago in days of oldWhen magic filled the air’T was in the darkest depths of MordorI met a girl so fairBut Gollum, and the evil one crept up and slipped away with herHer, her, yeahAin’t nothing I can do, no

(ending that keeps repeating with different variations of sentence structure until the song fades out)

I gotta keep searching for my baby (baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby)

While this song is very much about living free and traveling the world - not to mention the references to The Lord of The Rings - it’s also very much about finding a lost romantic love.

Now let’s look at Travelling Riverside Blues, though my face is turning slightly red just thinking about it.  I am going to use the BBC Session version of the lyrics, if only because that’s what first comes up on iTunes.

Well I know my baby, If I see her in the dark I said I know my rider, If I see her in the dark

See my baby, tell her, Tell her hurry home Had no lovin’, since my baby been gone See my baby, Tell hurry on home I ain’t had, Lord, my right mind, Since my rider’s been gone

Squeeze my lemon ‘til the juice runs down my leg Squeeze it so hard, I’ll fall right out of bed Squeeze my lemon, ‘til the juice runs down my leg

Spoken: I wonder if you know what I’m talkin’ about Oh, but the way that you squeeze it girl I swear I’m gonna fall right out of bed

Nothing can be said about this song except that it is laden with sexual innuendo (or just plain sex).  It’s definitely not a “you’re my everything” romantic song *cough erotic cough*, but if you want to say that Dean isn’t known for listening to songs that have romantic/non-platonic relationships, then this is an example of that not being the case. 

(and here I get to finally use my knowledge of the songs Dean has listened to/been in the show; courtesy of my love of music and making playlists) Now overall, the songs Dean has played throughout the years can go into three categories: traveling/living free, fighting the good fight, and romance.  Some examples of songs (definitely not all) with romantic themes that Dean has listened to include: Burnin’ for You, Can’t Fight This Feeling, Time After Time, Round and Round, Who Do You Love, No One Like You, You Shook Me All Night Long, Back In the Saddle, Heartbreaker, Imaginary Lover, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, Heat of the Moment, Heartbreak, Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel, Cherry Pie, It’s Never Too Late, Shake It Off, and Good Love Gone Bad.  (I won’t go over these lyrics, as this answer post is already way longer than I first intended).  Some of these songs were first played even in season 1, showing that Dean has always had a big taste of romantic music, or at least songs that include romantic themes within them.  A direct example of Dean enjoying a romantic song early on is a scene in season 2 (I believe it was 2x05 Simon Said) where after hearing a romantic/love song (Can’t Fight This Feeling by REO Speedwagon) on a jukebox at the Roadhouse, he later sang the song while in the Impala acapella-style because “I can’t get it out of my head”.

And now back to the mixtape.  There’s 13 Zepp songs on it; Dean’s top favourites.  So obviously Ramble On and Travelling Riverside Blues are on it.  That leaves 11 songs unknown to us viewers.  There’s a post out there somewhere that listed all of the Led Zeppelin songs there are and counted how many are in each type of themes (I’ll have to dig for it, but once I find it I will definitely link it here).  In the end, the majority of songs are about romance or just plain erotic.  With Led Zeppelin being known as very romantic and erotic, Dean’s favourite songs both having romantic themes in them, and the fact that Dean likes romantic songs overall, it’s smart to assume that at least two or three more songs on the mixtape are about romance in one form or another.  Also, as @cornerbackcastiel points out (x), there has been exactly 13 Led Zeppelin songs referenced in the show, with 5 of them having romantic/erotic themes (2 of them refer to romantic relationships, but the songs aren’t mainly about that).  This possibly means that these are Dean’s top 13 favourite songs (though I don’t think so), and even if they aren’t, it shows that there are romantic themes within the songs that Dean at least listens to and enjoy.

Moving on.

True, it isn’t explicitly said whether Dean “just” gave Cas one of his favourite mixtapes, or if he actually took the time to make a mixtape to specifically give to Cas.  So it’s really up to us to figure out which of those is true, unless they mention it again in the show and clarify it for us (which I highly doubt).  So say Dean gave Cas one of his mixtapes.  My lovely friend @paisleyfifteen pointed out to me that this is Dean we are talking about here.  “Dean, who is very possessive of what little personal objects he has (especially his tapes), gave that to Cas AS A GIFT.  LIKE GAVE IT AWAY.  IT’S NO LONGER HIS.  That in and of itself is romantic.  Especially because Dean made it for himself so it must be personal.”  Music is also very important to Dean, it has been a constant in his very hectic life.  Music isn’t only sound to Dean, it’s something that helps him get through life.  To both weep and celebrate with.  So to show Cas his favourite music, it was not only a show of his tastes and to introduce Cas to “good” music, it was also to show Cas his inner self.  So while Dean might not have made the mixtape for Cas (though I learn towards that he did), it still has profound importance/meaning.

The last point you mention is that mixtapes are not “excessively romantic”.  Searching on any search engine, you can see what a mixtape means, and further, the meaning they hold when a gift.  For example, searching “why do people make mixtapes” gives me “Before CDs, there were cassette tapes. As a form of courtship, a person would record songs on a tape that they thought articulated their love for another person. Then, they would give the tape to them. This was called a mixtape.“  The first thing that shows up when searching “what does the gift of a mixtape mean” is “A Mix Is Still The Most Romantic Gift”.  Then, since Dean not only gave Cas a mixtape, but a mixtape of his favourite songs by his favourite artist: “when a guy shows you his favourite songs” the first thing to come up is “16 subtle ways your man shows he loves you (when he’s too scared to tell you)”.  Let’s try gender neutral: “what does it mean when someone shows you their favourite songs“ and the first article it gives me is “What the Music You Love Says About You and How It Can Improve Your Life”.  That last search gave me a non-romantic meaning, but it’s about how your favourite music reflects on yourself; a baring of your soul in a medium that is better than words.  I don’t know about you, but giving a mixtape of my favourite songs by my favouite artist where at least one song is highly erotic, is not something I would give to a platonic friend.

Thank you for the ask and hopefully I helped to make some sense of the mixtape!

#whoops i wrote a thing #a very long thing #i didnt mean to #destiel #mixtape #led zeppelin #lyrics #songs #spn #supernatural #dean winchester #dean #cas #castiel #deancas #casdean #dean x cas #deastiel #romantic #its a gift you keep those #ask #12x19 #2x05 #music #anonymous #dean is bi #mine #mypostimb

[margarittet]

Why the SPN mixtape scene from 12x19 is screenwriting gold, and should be taught to the next generations of screenwriters everywhere - analysis

20 seconds. Two lines of dialogue, three gestures, a couple more camera angles. Episode 19, season 12 of a genre TV show “Supernatural”. A single strike of screenwriting and cinematic genius. The mixtape scene.

Robert Berens and Meredith Glynn, I bow before you.

This scene should be used as an example for future screenwriters how you can put maximum of meaning into minimal time and dialogue. Should be analyzed and taught at universities everywhere, how to achieve the most using the least. How to write for TV, where you only have less than an hour to built something spectacular.

WOW.

Let’s just peel off all the layers of these 20 seconds of footage and these 13 words. 13 WORDS.

(Cas knocks, Dean doesn’t say anything. Cas opens the door, apologizes for disturbing Dean in his room, and then takes a cassette tape out of his left inside coat pocket, and puts it on the desk, while tapping the label on it that says “Deans (sic!) top 13 Zepp traxx”.)

Cas: Um, I just wanted to return this.

Dean: It’s a gift. You keep those.

13 tracks. 13 words. The future. So number thirteen is important for the future. I mean, are you trying to tell us something here, writers?

(Dean takes the tape, oustreches his arm, and gives it back to Cas. We see Cas’ hand grabbing the tape, and taking it back.)

That tiny scene is ENORMOUS from the perspective of the narrative and the characterization. Let’s see what we can get out of it. (Prepare yourself: it’s gonna be long. Damn, how much meta can you write based on 20 seconds of television and two lines of dialogue?) (Hint: A lot.)

Thoughts in no particular order.

LotR reference

Let’s start with text, because text is kinda my thing. This is this:

I half expected Dean to roll his eyes at himself for acting like an elvish maiden - maybe he did internally. Anyway, we all remember how Aragorn and Arwen’s story ended, right? (In the movies at least.) 

It’s great how Cas and Dean re never strictly cast as a female mirror or male mirror in any of the romantic pararells that the show does. Their gender roles and characteristics are extremely fluid, and it’s wonderful.

2) The label

Deans (sic!) top 13 Zepp traxx”

First thing: “Deans” - not “Top 13 Zepp traxx”, not “The best of Led Zepp”. DEAN’S top 13 Led Zepp tracks. This shit is personal. Your favourite music says a lot about you, it’s like showing somebody your favourite book, or your favourite fictional character. ONE favourite track says something about what you like, feel, think. 13 songs of your favourite band, especially if that band is Led Zeppelin? You may as well get naked, because you can’t uncover yourself much more than that. This stuff makes you open and vulnerable. They will know what you like, what you enjoy, what you feel, what kind of stories your favourite music tells. It’s a mirror of you. Led Zepp is not a band with three beats and five words in the lyrics. It’s long, it’s literary, and it’s epic. It tells a lot about the person, especially a person who loves music and stories as much as Dean does. By showing Cas that he loves these 13 songs of Led Zeppelin, he told Cas he loves cock rock, sexual innuendos, shameless romanticism, fantasy references, biblical imagery, American blues, stories about life, death, love, sex, angels, Satan, mythology, science-fiction and Lord of the Rings. If this band is not a metaphor for the many sides of the real Dean Winchester, I don’t know what is. Dean showed Cas his non-performing side.

This is not even good gift giving, Dean, darling - a nice gift would be giving Cas music HE would enjoy, not you. Give him Beyonce (“Halo” would be nice, lol), give him rap, give him some Britney Spears. No, you gave him Led Zepp, with a NOTE that these are your favourite songs.

You wanted to show yourself to him. This is fucking intimate.

The cassette is a symbol for Dean, for Dean's heart, like the necklace was a symbol of Arwen's heart. That is why no matter what Cas did in 12x19, Dean is still on his side. Why he fixed his truck, gave him the Impala keys without thinking, tried to talk to him instead of fighting him, why he was so hurt Cas left before. That's why he didn't even consider taking the cassette back. Because he has made his decision, he gave himself to Cas, and he will not hear of Cas giving it back (you can't give it back, really). Just look how quickly Cas grabs the tape back. He even uses it later to highlight "we", waving it between him and Dean. This moment is showing us Dean has given his true self to Cas, and he is not changing his mind. This happened already, and no one witnessed it but the two of them. Cas only tried to give it back, because he thought that after what he was about to do, Dean would want it back. Nope.

Nothing to see here. Moving on.

“Top 13”

Yeah, these are his favourite songs, but not all of them, just the best ones. Why thirteen? This is actually a weird number of songs for a cassette tape, especially for a band like Led Zeppelin. It’s too few for 90 min, and too many for 60 min (usual lengths of tapes). So I see three reasons:

Dean just chose songs that send exactly the message he wanted to send, so he didn’t need more songs.

It’s a reference to season 13 - which, I believe, will be romance heavy and amazing.

It’s a reference to “13 Reasons Why”, a show about a girl’s suicide and cassette tapes since this is the same episode where Kelly kills herself, dies, and is revived by the Nephilim, (and therefore it’s canon that the Nephilim can bring people from the dead. Cas, anyone?)

All of the above.

“Zepp”

Besides the fact that liking Led Zeppelin says tons about the real Dean Winchester, it has also different meanings:

Led Zeppelin is a shorthand for seduction, but also for a cosmic romantic connection.

We know two situations where Led Zepp is mentioned in terms of seducing somebody. Jo mentions that hunters want to get into her pants with “some pizza, a sixpack and side one of Zeppelin IV”. This means pretty much the same as “they think they can impress me with cool music while they only know four songs played frequently on the radio, fucking posers.” See, I know Dean is better than to put Stairway to Heaven or Rock n’ Roll on his mixtape, since these are the most popular, i.e. impersonal of Zeppelin songs (although he may be partial to “Battle of Evermore”, since he is a huge nerd). Aaaaaanyway, the other time we see Led Zepp as a seduction technique is when Nick the Siren talks to Dean about some more obscure Led Zepp records - he outdid Dean with his knowledge of Led Zepp trivia - and Dean is bought. This is exactly the opposite of knowing only side A of Zeppelin IV. This is a real deal, and Dean is so mesmerized.

And then we have the literal “match made in Heaven” of John and Mary - and we know she used Led Zeppelin to test John as a potential lover. He knew all the lyrics (again, real, deep knowledge of the subject vs the superficial one), and she knew he was worth going for. I don’t think Dean is testing Cas, but I think that since John and Mary connected over Zeppelin LYRICS, the lyrics are as important for Dean as the music is. That’s why he used them to show Cas what he feels. And it also reminds him of his parents.

Plus, honestly, if reciting/playing Led Zepp lyrics to somebody doesn’t feel dirty and/or disgustingly romantic, you’re doing it wrong. “Squeeze me baby, ‘till the juice runs down my leg”? Really? 

Led Zepp is connected to John

Remember how, when we see Dean for the first time connecting with a kid in season 1, he teaches him that “Zeppelin rules”? That’s because Zeppelin is in Deans mind “father’s music”. It’s something you show your kid, something you can bond over. 

It’s a well known thing that we choose partners similar to our parents, so it’s not a shocker that Dean connects John’s music with his love interests. It’s nothing weird. If he was going for a girl, he’d look for somebody who is like more like Mary (and since she also loved Led Zepp - well, remember Jo?)

Led Zepp is connected to Mary. 

Since Dean and Mary are so similar, it’s not surprising that his first thought how to connect with his love interest is through Led Zeppelin (just how her was, when she met John).

“Traxx”

Ha! This one is great. They spelled it this way probably mostly to get our attention. “Tracks” was a legendary gayclub in Washington DC, and even now there is a gay club under this name in Denver, plus there are gay clubs all around the US and Canada that are called “Trax” or “Traxx”. Subtle and awesome. It’s a nice shout out to Dean saying he was in Purgatory in Miami.  

(Edit: Plus, as many people pointed out to me since I wrote this piece, XX is also a common shorthand for kisses. I knew that, but I wasn’t sure it was something Dean would do. But now I agree. I guess I didn’t give Dean enough credit for being sappy. :)

The whole “Deans top 13 Zepp Traxx” label is Dean “no-homo”ing the tape - “Dude, look how cool I am, ain’t got no time for good grammar and proper spelling, dude. Bro.” You know, in case Sam sees the tape, and there are questions. *eyeroll*

3) Music as a non-textual device

It was said once that even though Led Zeppelin is Dean Winchester’s favourite band, we will not ever hear it on the show, because the royalties are just too. Damn. Expensive. The show can’t afford it in their budget to put Led Zeppelin on the soundtrack, even though the band’s music is crucial to understanding Dean Winchester’s complexity. So instead of scraping more money, they pulled “High Fidelity”, and put music IN THE NARRATIVE. This, my loves, is pragmatism 101. Why to spend a fortune to put ONE Led Zepp song in the episode, when you could just send your viewers to their Spotify account and listen to ALL the songs there, thus creating their own soundtrack for this episode and the relationship between the characters. I wish I would be this smart. This actually achieved several goals at once.

All Led Zeppelin music is now a textual part of the universe and Dean’s character, not just two songs that he mentioned in season 4. We know the tape has 13 songs, but we don’t know which ones, which means all the songs can be there, until we are told differently - “Schroedinger’s Mixtape”. Some viewers can even no-homo the tape by picking the songs that are neither sexual nor romantic, but it will be HARD.

4) Michelangelo’s “The creation of Adam”

In the way this moment is shot, we are reminded where they stand in the beginning of this episode - Cas is the celestial being (who just has been to Heaven), and Dean once again represents humanity - the humanity that Cas is canonically in love with.

(On another note: Michelangelo is one of the most famous gay icons in history.)

5) This short moment showed us as well that there is so much stuff happening off screen that we never get too see. Who knows what else we don’t know? What else happened between these two characters that we never heard about? This made me think we should always be careful with the new showrunners, since they love puzzles, games, and pieces of information peppered over the whole season that are not always what they are. There is ALWAYS MORE. They love playing with meta reading, and it’s glorious. 

Also, instead of showing us the moment where Dean gives Cas the tape (what would be a regular thing to do), they showed us the BACK END of the situation. We have to construct what happened from the end, backwards. We know Cas got the tape, both characters know what happened between them when he received it from Dean, but we HAVE NO IDEA. We don’t get to see it because we were not privy to that moment. It was JUST BETWEEN THEM. It was an intimate moment that no one else got to witness, even the audience. And it makes it so much more important. It adds a new level of privacy and intimacy to their relationship, and it’s amazing, especially since the last few seasons seemed like they never are alone anymore. 

6) Why a cassette tape? Especially since we don’t even know if Cas has a way to listen to it? 

Because it’s a frikkin’ romantic trope!

In the world of storytelling mixtapes scream romance, and not much else (well, parental love, but that is so not the case here). It’s a thing that made me sit up and stare at the screen the moment it arrived, because I couldn’t believe they went there. I thought it was another queerbaiting moment, like the infamous boner prom-shot, but once they started sharing with each other how they felt, ALONE, ON SCREEN, IN WORDS, I knew it wasn’t. It was a way to show more casual viewers a symbol they would understand, while still staying in character. Dean would not write a love letter, or a poem, or even speak openly about his feelings, but he so would take time and effort to create a tape, especially since mixtapes were the language of showing your feelings that was in use when he was young and had his first crushes. And if Cas was more human, he’d understand it immediately. I hope he did anyway, he has got his pop culture references from Metatron, maybe some John-Hughes-references there.

The tape is new, the label is clean, words visible, plastic unscratched. If it was a tape Dean had before, it’s be dirty from lying in his car forever. Plus, noone makes mixtapes for themselves, especially when they already have albums - it’s too much effort for too little gain. It’s not John’s, because it cleary says “Dean’s”. Ergo - it’s freshly made. For Cas.

In conclusion: with the shortest piece of dialogue possible, and exactly three movements of the actors, they shot the narrative onwards and upwards on so many levels: 

Dean’s performing facade falling down,

Dean showing (and giving) his true self to Cas,

Hints of off-screen moments between them that we know nothing about (added a new level of intimacy), 

Cas being linked to the textual and intertextual codes for eternal love and sexual seduction, 

Some hints for the future,

Dean is humanity (and Cas loves humanity),

Bisexual!Dean,

Binding the show to its earlier seasons.

20 seconds. 13 words. I am blown away.

I probably could find more layers, but I think four pages of meta for 20 seconds of TV is enough for now. Thanks for reading! It was fun!

#supernatural #spn 12x19 #the mixtape #destiel #dean winchester #castiel #cas #screenwriting #brilliance #robert berens #meredith glynn #bobo berens #spn meta #dean is bi #season 12 #mind blown

[deanandcastrash]

Deans top 13 Zepp TRA XX

we did NOT talk about this enough

I’m sure all of you remember the moment in episode 19 of season 12 in which Castiel tried to return a mixtape that Dean had made and given to him sometime offscreen.

But maybe you were in such shock that you didn’t look into anything, you just got the over all idea in your head, that of course, Dean made Cas a mixtape.

But can we talk about why Dean spelled ‘tracks’ or ‘track’ with XX?

Can we talk about why Dean may have chosen 13 songs instead of 10, or 15?

Can we talk about the fact that Dean put them on a fucking cassette tape???

Just. Ugh. Just look at it.

god i seriously want to know why he put XX.

was it just some cool way to put it or was it like an xoxo thing

i mean dean most likely gave this to cas sometime after he almost died and told dean (and everyone else, i guess) that he loves him. this HAS to be his way of saying i love you back.

just look at how the camera zooms in on castiels hand and on the mixtape when castiel sets it on the table, attempting to give it back.

i have taken film classes (i kinda do film) and one thing they always stress is to never do a close up shot unless you are trying to show the viewer something important.

they say this so when you’re doing films as a beginner, you don’t waste close up shots by shooting a close up someone hitting snooze on their alarm clock. it makes it less significant when it needs to be significant for something else. viewers will pay less attention the more you use them, basically, so you have to make sure there is somekind of unsaid thing the viewer has to figure out on their own.

at first you might think they use a close up is so you can read what the mixtape says in the first place, but another close up shot of castiel taking the tape back from deans hands tells a story on its own.

castiel, coming into deans room after knocking with no answer. returning a mixtape he was given, misunderstanding deans intention of it being his. a gift.

(that on it’s own can tell you a little about how dean probably have it to castiel in the first place)

these close up shots are showing viewers how some small piece of plastic can mean so much. how this really is deans way of saying i love you. supernatural doesn’t use close up shots very often, so this is importan. this is big.

i mean look at this, a tweet from a member of supernaturals visual effects team on the day this episode aired.

a link to the tweet

yeah. funny. i know.

i just cant get over their talk after dean gives cas back the mixtape.

the way dean speaks. he says “cas, you cant *giant emotional pause* with everything that’s going on you cant just. go. dark. like. that.” yes, like their were periods inbetween everyword.

and hes like “we didn’t  know what happened to you.” and then the camera zooms in on dean and his vOICE BREAKS and he says “we were worried. that’s not okay.”

cas says “well i didn’t mean to add to your distress.” and then cas is like “i” and he shakes his head and takes a step into deans room and says “Dean, i just keep failing. Again and again. When you were missing, i searched for months and i couldnt find you. and then kelly escaped on my watch and i couldnt find her and i just wanted . . . I needed to come back here with a win for you.”

and if im correct (which i am, these are exact quotes from the episode) i would say cas isnt talking about sam and dean. this fucking profound bond has reached the next level, my dude.

i just WISH i knew which songs were on that damn mixtape. music means so much to dean, and zeppelin means so much to the winchester family. john and marry originally bonded over zeppelin.

oh, wait!!! shit, dude, i wrote that thinking it was deans way of bringin cas further into the family, but FUCK. they got together because of this band IM

wow. okay. this is fine. im okay :)))))))))

just. can we talk about this mixtape more??? i swear to god it better come up again in s13 and i beTTER get a sam reaction like “you made cas a mixtaoe??” or “dean made you a mixtape??”

CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT IT MORE PLEASE?

#deans top 13 zepp traxx #deans mixtape #s12 #12x19 #spn spoilers #destiel #dean and cas trash #mixtape

[punk-is-notdead]

Fic title: Voice of an Angel, by tfw_cas

Rating: Explicit

Tags: Castiel (Supernatural) Dean Winchester Sam Winchester Castiel/Dean Winchester First Kiss Castiel/Dean Winchester First Time Masturbation Hand Jobs Blow Jobs Shower Sex Dean's Top 13 Zepp Traxx Mixtape Porn With Plot Gratuitous Smut Fluff

Summary: Dean singing in the shower is the most beautiful thing Castiel has ever heard, and he cannot stop himself from listening and fantasising every time. When he gets caught their relationship changes for ever.

AO3

Written for the Destiel & Cockles Sentence Monthly Challenge 

Part 1 of the Voice of an Angel? series

Prompt: Cas discovers Dean's penchant for singing in the shower. 

As he walked down the hallway in the bunker Cas heard music coming from the direction of the shower room. Well… it wasn't music, so much as singing and, yes, it was Dean's voice. He would recognise it anywhere. He was singing a song Cas knew well; The Battle of Evermore, by Led Zeppelin. It was one of those on the repeatedly-listened-to mixtape belonging to the angel, with a label bearing the legend ‘Dean's top 13 Zepp traxx’. It was also absolutely the most cherished possession he owned - even more so since the hunter had made its significance clear by refusing to take it back, saying ‘it's a gift. You keep those.’

He stopped walking and revelled in the sweet melody; letting it wash over him, allowing it to cause an interesting reaction through his body. What he wouldn't give to be under the water with Dean right now, holding him, caressing him, helping to wash that beautiful body… Oh, this is so wrong. Cas rushed away to his room, to deal with his situation hurriedly and messily. Whispering the most important word he knew - Dean - he achieved satisfaction. Panting, he lamented - not for the first time - that his sexual encounters with Dean were merely fantasies and that they could never be real.

Without even realising it, Cas started to find himself lurking near the shower room every time Dean was inside. It was a different song each time and he would listen to that wonderful voice, then rush back to his room with images in his mind. Images that he would store away for later; for his pleasure. Cas knew he should not keep doing this, but he could not help himself, and what harm was it doing, anyway?

The fourth time this happened, Sam appeared in front of him in the hallway. It was too late for Cas to hide, or invent an explanation for why he was just standing there, so he smiled as innocently as he could manage. “Hello Sam.”

“Hey Cas. What's up?” The younger Winchester looked at him curiously.

Does he know why I’m here? Cas was alarmed at the thought that Sam might know what he had been doing. What if he tells Dean? “Nothing. I was… listening to the music.”

Sam looked very confused then. “Music? The only ‘music’ I can hear is Dean singing.” Yes, Sam did do the air quotes.

“Yes, isn't it beautiful?” Cas had a blissful expression on his face, as Sam shook his head in disagreement.

“Dude. Dean is tone deaf. His singing is awful, man.”

“Sam, you are wrong. He has the voice of an angel. It touches me inside.”

“Ew, that's gross Cas. I did not want to know that.” Sam looked truly disgusted at the thought and started to leave. Before he could get away, though, they heard Dean call from the showers.

“Hey. What’s going on out there? Are you two arguing?”

Before Cas could even open his mouth Sam shouted back. “Yeah. Cas thinks you have the voice of an angel, and I told him your singing sucks.”

Cas was frozen to the spot, as Sam laughed heartily. “I’m leaving before he dumps a bucket of water over me.” He tossed his hair and walked away, leaving Cas to deal with the consequences of Dean’s discovery.

A moment later, Dean came out from the shower room with only a towel wrapped around his waist. Water dripped down his face, over his body, and onto the floor. Cas was completely transfixed by the vision in front of him and he was unaware that his eyes had widened or that his breath was coming out in short pants. The hunter noticed immediately, however, and walked quickly over to him; invading his personal space.

“So Cas… you like my singing, huh?” Unable to speak, the angel nodded and swallowed thickly.

Gently mimicking him, Dean nodded back, and smiled shyly. “Do-do you think you might need a shower, Cas? I think you’re a little dirty.”

Cas blinked a couple of times as his brain tried to register what Dean had just said. Did he mean what I think he meant? “Is that a flirtation?”

“Do… you want it to be?”

What, were they only speaking in questions now? Cas decided that it was time for him to act. Grabbing hold of Dean’s towel, he pulled him forwards, until their chests were touching. Looking Dean straight in the eyes he growled. “Don’t ask stupid questions.”

Before the hunter could reply, Castiel crushed their lips together. The kiss was hard and passionate; all teeth and tongues, and gorgeous lips that moved against his perfectly. The hunter made a kind of purring sound and - oh Chuck - Cas’s body responded in a way he had not experienced before. He found himself grinding his hips into Dean’s, Dean gasped, and the angel took the opportunity to plunge his tongue into the man’s mouth. Tasting him, feeling him - it was almost too much - especially as he was grinding right back, with just as much enthusiasm.

“D-Dean, I think I am going to-”

“No no, not yet.” Dean drew back slightly, panting. “C’mon Cas, shower.”  

Fuck the shower. Cas tried to pull the man back towards him and finish what they had started right there. But Dean was insistent. “Sam won't disturb us in there.”

Taking hold of his hand, Dean led Castiel into the steam-filled room. He was just as impatient as the angel, grabbing roughly at the trench coat before throwing it in a corner. Dean made quick work of the rest of the clothes too, until Cas stood in front of him naked and a little shy. He paused to take in the glorious sight before him.

“Cas… god.” He drew in a shaky breath and Castiel captured his mouth again; smashing their lips together with hunger and want. As they kissed, he backed Dean up against the shower wall and pinned him against the tiles with his body, then began to slowly roll their hips together. Dean tried to switch the shower on, but it was difficult when Cas was all over him like that. Eventually, he managed to reach over far enough and the water began to beat down on them relentlessly. As they explored each other in wonder, Cas started pulling Dean’s hair softly before running his hands down the sides of his neck and onto his chest. He was a work of art and Cas wanted to admire every inch of him. When his hands wandered lower, Dean broke off the kiss and groaned.

“Fuck Cas. Where’d you learn how to do that?”

Cas’s hand had reached Dean’s cock, and he had begun to stroke it. “You mean this?”

“Y-yeah. Ahhhh… all of it. The kiss-“ Dean trailed off as the strokes sped up. Cas planted little kisses over his neck and chest; then moved down to his nipple and flicked it with his tongue.

Dean bucked his hips forward and cried out. “Jesus. Fuck, Cas… I’m-” The rest of what he said turned into incoherent babbling, as Cas - somehow expertly - brought him to the best goddam orgasm he had ever had. The hot liquid spilled over Cas’s hand, as the angel continued to jerk him until he was spent. As his eyes came back into focus, Dean found that Castiel was watching him intently and he suddenly felt very exposed.

“What? Why are you staring at me like that?”

“I wanted to watch you in your most intimate moment. You are so beautiful, Dean.”

Sap. Dean became aware that Cas was still in need of release - despite the constant grinding - and he flipped their positions so that the angel was now against the wall. He dropped to his knees and kissed the tip of Cas’ dick, before he gave it a little lick. The noise Castiel made at this was positively sinful, and very encouraging, so he moved forward slightly and took it into his mouth.

“Dean!” Cas cried out, and this just spurred the man on. He reached around and placed his hands on Cas’ ass cheeks, then started to bob his head - taking as much of the cock into his mouth as he could; swirling his tongue along the shaft and around the head.

“DeanDean… fuck.” The angel’s cries were getting louder and Dean could see him scrabbling his hands on the tiles, trying to grab hold of something. The hunter took the angel's hands and placed them on his head. As Castiel pulled at Dean’s hair, their eyes locked again and the hunter realised now why Cas wanted to look at him while he came. Watching your lover’s face as they fell apart was a fucking big turn-on.

Castiel continued to cry out - Jesus, he’s loud - and his breathing became ragged as he approached his release. The pulls on Dean’s hair became rougher and the angel couldn’t help thrusting into that warm, velvety mouth. But Dean carried on and was rewarded with the salty, bitter liquid spilling down his throat as Cas came with a shout. “Dean! Shitfuck!” Dear Lord - Cas screaming obscenities as he orgasmed was hot as fuck.

They stayed like that until Cas started to become over-sensitive, then he pulled Dean back to his feet and kissed him softly. When they broke apart, Dean shook his head with an incredulous look on his face.

“You’ve got a filthy mouth, Cas. You know that? I kinda like it though.”

Cas chuckled. “I think it is you who has the filthy mouth, Dean. What you just did…” He looked earnestly into Dean’s face. “I-I hope we can do it again.”

“Yeah. That, and… other stuff. I wanna make you sing for me again.” Dean’s voice became breathy at the thought of what they might do.

“That was not singing Dean.” Cas looked very confused.

“Well, it was music to my ears.” Now who’s the sap?

Whatever happened, it was guaranteed that they would be making sweet music together again.

#destiel fanfic #destiel #fanfic #supernatural #i wrote a thing

[thefaeriemagic3]

Mixtape

This has probably been said before but I just wanted to talk about it. So obviously with the mixtape that Dean gave Cas it says "Deans top 13 Zepp Traxx" and the fact that he gave Cas a mixtape is already pretty unplatonic because mixtapes are most commonly used to win the heart of someone you fancy. But we have seen times where Zeppelin was mentioned to be used to impress people before. 1) In the episode 2x02 Jo was talking to Dean and said "Most hunters come through that door think they can get in my pants with some pizza, a six pack, and side one of Zeppelin IV" This shows that many hunters like Dean think it will impress people they like if they play them some Zeppelin songs. 2) In 12x01 Dean was faced with Mary and he had to prove to her that he was her son so he told her things that John had told him about his mother. In this he included details about how they met and he said "So, you went to, uh, Mulroney's and you talked and he was cute and he knew the words to every Zeppelin song. So when he asked you for your number you gave it to him,".This shows how Mary was impressed by Zeppelin and it also is more significant to Dean because that's how his parents got together. I mean Dean clearly remembers how Zeppelin worked for his Dad and I imagine if he would want to impress someone he would use a trick that worked for his dad.

#supernatural #destiel #2x02 #12x01 #12x19 #spnfamily