#sam and dean critical

[strawlessandbraless]

Dean and Cas should have gotten to poke fun at Sam’s career choice more often. When Cas is annoyed, his response is always ‘ok law boy’ with an eye roll. Anytime Sam utters ‘so get this’, Dean and Cas rush to be the first to object. Dean threatens to sue Sam anytime he interrupts his alone time with Cas. The party city wig was actually one of those white British judge wigs.

#I’m actually not taking any criticism at this time #supernatural #spn #dean winchester #destiel #castiel #deancas #misha collins #jensen ackles #spn crack #sam winchester

[creatorofarcadia]

It's been a while since I watched Supernatural, so don't take my opinions as gospel or anything. But I think Dean is self-hating to the point of narcissism in some ways. Don't get me wrong, I empathise with Dean and understand why fans largely do too. But his self-loathing warps his perception and becomes the centre of EVERYTHING and at times that really has ripple effects on those around him - particularly Sam.

Take their childhood, Sam has a right to mourn the fact that he didn't get a normal childhood. He's allowed to be angry that he didn't get a home, a present father, a stable community, and consistent education. But whenever Sam attempts to express his complicated feelings about his childhood, Dean immediately interprets it as ' oh I was supposed to look out for you. Are you saying I failed? Are you confirming I'm worthless?' which grinds the conversation to a complete halt. Because of Dean's intense self-criticism, Sam can never really be 100% honest with him or ask for support with his own issues, especially regarding their childhood. As anything outside of 100% gratitude just becomes another stick for Dean to beat himself with, and the conversation is immediately derailed.

Not only does Deans self-hatred mean that Sam's expression of his own experiences are pretty consistently shut down. In some ways, I think Dean strips Sam of his autonomy - he's so self-loathing, he sees every decision Sam makes as being about/a reaction to him. A good example of this is Stanford. Rather than understanding Stanford for what it was, an attempt by Sam to carve out a better life from himself and escape hunting. Dean views it as betrayal or abandonment, some re-affirmation of his own belief that he's not worth caring about. Rather than understanding it's a rejection of hunting, he sees it as Sam rejecting him. To Dean, Sam isn't attempting to find a better life, he's punishing the family.

Overall, it's interesting that people largely and rightfully sympathise with Dean due to his self-hatred. However, I don't see as much discussion about how his self-hatred doesn't just hurt him, it hurts those he's close to, as it colours his interpretation of their every action. Dean's self-loathing is always the biggest thing in the room and that has consequences.

#dean winchester #dean critical #spn meta #spn analysis #sam meta #spn #supernatural #sam winchester

[seasononesam]

Stackednatural- 47/327

Bad Day at Black Rock (3x03) October 18th, 2007

#supernatural #spn #sam winchester #dean winchester #spnedit #supernaturaledit #stackednatural23 #* #best season 3 episode i will not be taking criticism

[nobodymitskigabriel]

Mary's deal with Azazel being unacknowledged in the later seasons when rly I think there should've been at least twelve screaming matches about it.

#when all we ever talk about is how mary's actions affected dean. #sam winchester #mary winchester #supernatural #canon critical

[theswampghost]

i can’t with people saying “that was a happy ending for izzy” do you hear yourselves? him dying in the same way he always believed he would, a hard death, a painful death, when he was just learning to want more? when he was just starting to live for himself and not for ed, a death for the very same person he lived his whole life for? that’s a happy ending, to you? are you hearing yourself?

#you are the same people who would’ve been all ‘dean’s was happy to die for sam in the same way he always lived for him’ #sorry i’m sooooooo upset. y’all know it’s okay to criticize a show you love right? you don’t have to wholeheartedly endorse everything right #david jenkins isn’t gonna fuck you idk #lu.txt #ofmd s2 spoilers #izzy hands

[sampegger]

certain deangirls just frustrate me so bad. like. the ones who insist with their entire chest that dean loves sam more than sam loves him. even just talking early seasons. to see sam leaving for stanford as a betrayal to dean and proof that he loves him less is so. him leaving for college wasn't about dean. it was about wanting something better for himself than what hunting had to offer. him being able to want something more for himself than what he had with dean and john is not a betrayal. to claim that sams ability to endure misery is directly correlated with how much he loves someone is cruel and a terrible perspective to have on any relationship.

and in season 4, to claim that he chose a demon over his own brother while in the midst of having an active addiction problem, and to take that and make it about his loyalty to DEAN is so. that is so biased and evil. you should not see sams violation of his own autonomy as a betrayal to dean. i know the show likes to think they do in the later seasons but the choices sam makes do not all have to center around dean, and that still doesn't mean he loves him any less! viewing it through that type of lens will certainly make it look like he does, but that is objectively the wrong way to interpret any of sams arcs.

when it comes to season 8 i'll say a lot of the same stuff i said about sam leaving for stanford in the first place. while yes i do think him not looking for dean was slightly out of character, it is still unbelievably cruel to think of sams ability to endure pain and claim it marks the level of which he loves someone. especially when he takes on the trials this season, and the entire narrative thrown on sam is his newfound notion that pain purges sin. to have that level of misery thrown in your face (these trials are purifying me) and still insist that if sam is actively fighting against something that is making him miserable (staying in hunting) it's proof he never loved dean that much anyways is awful!!! and that whole "non-agreement" line in which bobby says that he and dean promising not to look for each other was just something that was said and it should've been obvious he was meant to look for dean. don't even get me started.

season 9 is the last season that i think people use as evidence for this. sams claim that he "wouldn't do the same thing for dean." and really. i guess i don't expect dean letting gadreel possess sam to be seen in any other light at this point. sam said he wouldn't have done the same thing for dean because he literally wouldn't have!!! there is nothing that can properly convey the absolute level of violation that that was, especially when sams entire storyline is about his struggle for autonomy. it was a selfish decision on deans end, as is most of the way that he loves sam. it is just so frustrating to see this arcs that revolve specifically around sam turned into evidence of how much he does or doesn't love dean, because that is literally the opposite of what they're about.

i could move onto later seasons as well and talk about how dean is outwardly abusive in them, but that would just be dean slander and that's not what i'm trying to do. the entire point of this post is that tying all of sams decisions to how much he loves dean is wrong and you fundamentally miss the entire point of sam as a character if you view the story through that lens.

sam's ability to endure misery is not directly correlated with his ability to love.

#sam winchester #spn #supernatural #dean critical #i don't even hate dean #i love his inability to break the cycle but i don't think some dean girls even like that about him #i hate when he gets boiled down to a blank slate stand in for whatever ship purpose he has to fill #but whatever #wrote this at 11 am right before leaving for work #i love sam winchester so much #and supernatural is just. better. when you see sam as his own character #yeah

[sammygender]

thinking about dean growing up and putting everything before himself. hunting and his brother and his dad and his dad’s revenge quest for their mom. he doesn’t matter. he is entirely irrelevant. thinking about dean internalising this as just what you do, just how people behave and how they should behave. him viewing selfish as the worst thing you can possibly be.

then thinking about sam growing up and fighting. brave enough to challenge their father and rebel against him and voice something different, brave enough to focus on what he wants. dean seeing this and it stings - he could never do that. how is sam acting like that? he can’t believe that’s the right way to behave. so sam must be selfish, just in believing he has any right to his own life.

dean sublimates himself for the family and expects sam to do the fame, and his resentment and jealousy that sam doesn’t turns into anger and making sam out to be the mean one, the one in the wrong. and this never goes away. this is always what dean levels at sam - that he’s selfish, that in wanting to make his own choices he’s rejecting their family, rejecting dean……. awful. toxic. evil evil message to send to sam. entirely in character. dean wants to prioritise sam, would save him over the world. but he doesn’t care what sam wants.

selflessness isn’t always a charming character trait. it’s not the same thing as a generosity of spirit and it’s definitely not the same thing as being caring. sometimes selflessness just means you’re incapable of prioritising your life and incapable of understanding how anyone else could or should prioritise theirs. sometimes it means you still act selfishly, you just convince yourself you were objectively in the right, because doing something actually for yourself is unthinkable. sometimes it means you think the very act of having wants and boundaries is selfish, no matter whether they’re yours or anyone else’s.

anyway… thoughts on dean’s specific brand of awfulness regarding sam. what does it matter to him what sam actually wants? since when did it ever matter in the winchester household what anyone wanted? dean had to deal with things he didn’t want for the mission (for john). sam has to deal with things he doesn’t want for the mission (for dean). augh. the cycles

#& what do they get for that? sam gets punished repeatedly for being brave and attempting to have any sense of agency #it’s taken from him repeatedly by everyone around him. hes violated in every possible way. him wanting his own life is framed as selfishness #i can’t stop thinking abt this. Am i dean winchester am i on the pathway to becoming him #it makes so much sense now. of course sam is everything to me. i always always latch onto characters who fight who try to say fuck you i am #worth something. and that’s what sam tried to do. it just didn’t work. the story wears him down too much. augh. #the story + his abused/abusive brother #spn is a horror story #dean winchester #this is written with love but it is very much hashtag dean critical #spn #meta #supernatural #sam winchester #spn meta

[blacknidstang]

Nah sorry man i can never look at sam saying "at least you had something with mom!" and not assume how soul crushingly hollow that empty space is for him. Like it literally hit me like a truck man, he was always a stranger to that family, mom came back and they lost her soon after and sam could barely get a taste of that and only some hint of what could've been possible so yeah i'm gonna call it awful and yeah i'm gonna believe sam is devasated over it.

#spn #sam winchester #mommy issues make me feel sick ngl #btw this isnt a criticism of dean's attitude bc to me that makes tons of sense #how he gives up and all #im just saying i sam's mommy issues and his desire to have something with his mom is not something i can overlook

[punkeropercyjackson]

Every single person i've seen saying underaged x way older and incest dynamics are inherently lgbt culture has been white...........Yeah okay okay,i think i get it now

#i'd make a sweet home alabama joke but those are gross as fuck #antiproship #familial abuse cw #pedophillia cw #grooming cw #kink critical #john winchester #dean winchester #sam winchester #bruce wayne #dick grayson #jason todd #tim drake #cassandra cain #duke thomas #damian wayne #stephanie brown #roy harper #anti slade wilson #kim possible #shego #rwby ruby rose #cinder fall #💌 #summerposting #nico di angelo #percy jackson #jason grace #luke castellan and ares and hades and hermes and apollo #pjo

[watching-sam-and-dean-again]

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy weekend everyone!

#anti hellers #anti destiel #supernatural #sam and dean #spn meta #Fandom BS #Castiel critical #the epic love story of Sam and Dean #thanks to the gif makers

[sounknownvoid]

did sam have GADREEL'S memories from 1000s of years in heaven-prison too?

Hey I just thought of something on rewatch - when they find out that the psycho-angel in sam is gadreel Cas says he hasn't seen him before because he's been in "heaven's prison" & we know gadreel was also tortured in heaven...

So...does that mean that in addition to having his OWN MEMORIES from his time in Hell/Cage (potentially 1000s of years, if we take that math based on sam feeling its been a week when he went down for 5xmins in s6 n so thoughtlessly restored after cas broke his wall) ... after the possession by gadreel, does he then also have to deal with gadreels memories of being held captive and tortured in heaven too???.... after all, when crowleys in his head urging him to remember he remembered the stuff that happened while he was "submerged" - but does that mean that sam would be left with gadreels memories - along with his grace after he's kicked out? .... what if?... oh man... is there nowhere sam DOESNT get tortured/have terrible memories? - heaven , hell or earth?

(n ofc sam doesn't get any support or help because dean conveniently fucks off straight after doing that to sam - and gets himself a mark of Cain - 1xmore thing for sam to deal with.....fk u dean...but I digress)

#supernatural #spn #oh sam 🥺😭 #i cry over sammy all the time in spn #dean critical #anti dean winchester #S9 - did sam wind up with gadreels torture memories too?

[scoobydoodean]

I want to point out something in 1.16 “Shadow” regarding Dean’s resourcefulness and the derision with which his contributions are treated within the writing. In “Shadow”, multiple shots are taken at Dean’s methods of earning money and working cases as well as his intelligence level.

It starts with another small squabble about money that clearly frames Dean as still, at this point, the sole person supporting him and Sam financially through credit card scams, gambling, and hustling pool.

Yet again we have a jab at the ways Dean earns money. I wouldn’t make a big deal about this one at all if not for the outside context—the three previous episodes where Sam (while happy to benefit from Dean’s ill-gotten gains and provide no financial support to their two-man team) criticizes or is dismissive toward the work involved in how Dean earns money for them (1.01, 1.05, 1.08). Dean deserving to have his contributions dismissed is explicit in the text, but Sam's failure to actually assist with finances is implicit.

Next, it's how Dean gets information. He flirts with a cop and a bartender:

In the case of the cop, he gets information that is valuable to the case—unreleased details. In the case of the bartender, he doesn't, but he learns there's nothing to learn. But because Dean was also having fun, his actions are reduced down to him thinking with his dick, when he is actually intentionally using charm and even (see below) offering sexual favors in exchange for information:

Additionally, Sam (despite having seen Dean research just fine on his own multiple times) questions how Dean was able to do research on his own, which—you do you, Kripke, I guess? But we get "Haha name the last book you read" in a similar vein to 1.03 "Dead In the Water" (and just as Sam demands that Dean name one child he knows and Dean can't but it means nothing because Dean actually does like kids, Dean also does read—as established multiple times throughout the series.)

But also—if Dean called Caleb, why does that matter? Is talking to people to get the information you need, somehow inferior to finding some old tome and finding it in there? No. But it's treated that way in the framing of the episode. Weirdly like Dean took a shortcut or something and that's... "bad"...? When a shortcut in this context literally just means you're being efficient and resourceful and yeah—smart.

Then Meg jabs at Dean's intelligence as well:

What's also interesting, is that this is the first (I believe—I don't think I missed one at least) example of Dean's eye for visual patterns within the series.

So Dean, in this episode

Finances the suits Sam wanted to buy so they could sneak into the victim's apartment

Gets valuable information from a cop twice by charming her

Is able to recognize a symbol on the floor from blood spatter and is able to trace that symbol back to discover the monster they are dealing with using his hunting connections.

And all of this is treated in a dismissive way within the writing—like Dean's contributions don't matter or are earned in some way that causes them to deserve to be dismissed and even used as points against him. What's more, Dean doesn't fight back much. He leans into the very thinly-veiled suggestions of him just being dumb and horny and covers with jokes and a light jab about how the only thing valuable EITHER of them have gotten at the bar is the bartender's number (note that this is after he gets secret information from the cop and finds the symbol on the floor, which he could have pointed out but doesn't). He also leans into other narratives about himself suggested by Meg in the episode, but that's a separate post.

#1.16 #this isn't a criticism of sam fyi it's just a writing thing that i think is interesting #i think kripke enjoyed writing dean as a character whose contributions to the family are minimized by everyone #strangers and #even himself. #it fits with his whole weird “give Dean the same birthday as my wife” schtick imo. #pk rewatches spn number ? #my smart bby #dean and the family finances #dean minimizations #season 1 #meg #dean chores

[rewatching-sam-and-dean]

I’ll preface this by saying people can certainly enjoy whatever moments they want on a show. But, that being said …

The moments hellers cheer/brag about getting on SPN, claiming they are “romantic” or “subtext” mostly happen in bad seasons, are rip-offs of something that already happened between Sam and Dean, or are lame and/or out of character.

Just from the samples I’ve seen floating around on here today:

Dean keeping Cas’ trench coat and apparently transferring it between cars - First, I liked this type of gesture better when it was Sam wearing the Samulet until Dean was brought back from hell in Season 4. Second, the trench coat makes Cas feel like a cartoon character so I can’t take it seriously. Third, Jensen and Misha themselves have literally laughed about this moment, and Jensen tried to talk Singer out of including it, because it’s OOC and lame. (Also, Season 7).

The mixed tape - I’ve already written a whole post about this. It’s not inherently romantic, and there is no way Dean made it fresh for Cas. It was obviously an old tape he’d made for himself and gave to his friend; a nice gesture but nothing romantic. (Season 12.)

Dean giving Castiel a “Cowboy Outfit” - Again, I liked it better when Sam and Dean did it first. Also, the clothes Dean gave Sam actually looked good on him. He gave Cas a lame straw hat that looks deeply stupid with a trench coat. Again, Castiel is like a cartoon character (or the jester), not to be taken seriously. (Season 13, the AU nightmare, Colonsl Sanders season.)

The Dean Cave having two chairs - The chairs (and open beers) were obviously intended for Dean and Sam NOT Dean and Cass. Why the hell would Dean run and get Sam to show him the room he set up for himself and Cass? Even when Dean talks about relaxing and taking “we time,” it’s not with Cas. (Season 13, though I like the Dean Cave, it’s just not about Cas).

Again, like what you like, but these “wins” are lame at best.

#anti hellers #sam and dean #Sam and Dean do the meaningful moments better #every time #Castiel critical #anti destial

[seasononesam]

Stackednatural- 111/327

How to Win Friends and Influence Monsters (7x09) November 18th, 2011

#supernatural #spn #sam winchester #dean winchester #bobby singer #spnedit #supernaturaledit #stackednatural23 #* #only 18%? hashtag sam critical

[trialssam]

Remember when Dean punched Sam in the face FOURTEEN times after Sam told him that he needed help in "You can't handle the truth?"

#and sam didnt even fought back #the first punch he fell to the ground and after that he passed out :) #dean didnt even know sam was soulless yet #sam winchester #dean winchester #supernatural #spn #dean critical

[monstersandbrothers]

listen in my heart of hearts I am a Dean girl and no I will not be taking questions. i genuinely think jackles has one of the most fascinating faces to watch and he has his micro expressions down to a science and he’s fantastic etc etc. But the one thing he utterly sucks at is sympathy face. I mean. Jared/sam will be putting his entire chest into his sympathy face like 😔😟😣🥺😢😥 and it’s one of the most devastating things to watch like that boy has so much empathy he doesn’t even know what to do with it. and then u have Dean over there on the couch hands folded listening to a victim sob while sharing their story like 😐😐😐😐😶😶😶😶😦😦🫥🫥🫥. standing there while his best friend tells him he changed him and he loves him like 😐😐😐😐😐😐. it just confounds the mind

#to be clear this is not a criticism i think that shit is SO FUNNY #Jensen has some of the most emotional scenes in the entire show and yet he can’t just put on a little pouty sympathy face #and is it a character choice? probably #cracks me up #anyway #silly little thots #spn crack #spn #supernatural #dean winchester #sam winchester #sam and dean #Jensen ackles #Jared padalecki