#motw mystery concept

[tabletopmonsteroftheweek]

This one would of been a phenomenon mystery concept, however none of the phenomenon types really... felt right/fit it to me? It's essentially a big building, so it doesn't move. But having attacks is also weird to give it, idk.

The House always wins

People on the Vegas strip have gone missing, many believing that they got drunk and lost their way. The cause? A casino, the High Roller, has suddenly had a influx on winners, taking a trip to the penthouse suite to "spend the rest of their lives" at... or at least the last of their lives.

Monster: Aspect of Greed

Type: Parasite (motivation: to infest, control, and devour

The aspect of greed has taken over an existing casino, turning it into low stake high reward. It draws in new players with its low stakes and, those at are lucky enough to hit jackpot multiple times (which is once-twice daily), they are brought up to the penthouse. There the Aspect infests itself into the lucky winner, slowly draining them until they are nothing but dry husks. However, if they prove their worth they instead become the Staff, where they lead more people into the casino effectively giving it more prey.

Powers:

Addiction

Game Manipulation

Luck Detection

Weakness: The House Always Wins in the end... except when it doesn't. Much like gambling addicts, the Aspect of Greed will raise the stakes if it means the reward for itself is far greater. This will mean that it will take riskier bets, such as self-banishment if it loses a game. However, you HAVE to build up to it- it will not jump straight to that if it were just a normal game. Raise it over time, let it win some, get its ego up before the big bets.

Otherwise, using Big Magic in the casinos that circle around it will banish it out of the High Roller. However, this will mean the party is split as it sends minions out to stop the ritual once it knows what's going on.

Armor does not take into account for either- when it loses games it takes around 1-10 harm ignore armor depending on how high the stakes are.

Attacks:

Life-absorbtion- 2 harm close far ignore armor

It's a literal building (+3 armor)

Harm: 15 harm

Custom Moves:

Let the Games Begin- When the players challenge the Aspect, they will take turns on which game is being played. Meaning, the Aspect picks the game first, then the hunter, then back to the Aspect. It goes back and forth until theres one winner, and the hunter does have a chance to lose. All rolls will be done with Act Under Pressure because they ARE under pressure.

Only one hunter can challenge the Aspect to the game. However, that does not mean the other hunters cannot help in other ways as well. The Aspect's Staff will try to tilt the favor to the Aspect at any given chance. The Hunters not playing will have to keep an eye out and stop them before they do something to make the playing hunter lose. To the Aspect, so long as it's not the one cheating, it's not at fault. It will be annoyed if the playing Hunter uses that logic as well, but won't block it.

Addiction/Just One More Game...- The Hunters can easily fall under the influence of the Aspect should they play its random casino games. In order to snap out of it, they must roll Act Under Pressure.

On a 10+, they snap out of it. On a mix, they leave it alone but the temptation is there... they have -1 forward if they play another game (yes, that includes the challenge against The Aspect.) On a miss, they cannot stop playing, it's way too addicting! They have -1 ongoing while in the casino, including the final battle with the Aspect. Maybe one more spin will get them the jackpot...

Minion: The Staff

Type: Renfield (motivation: to push victims towards the monster)

People under the influence of the Aspect of Greed that weren't turned into husks. They lead people into the High Roller, scope out who has better luck, and then make sure they win so that they can go to the penthouse above. The richer the soul, the better luck they have.

Powers:

Game Manipulation

Soul Sight

Attacks:

9mm (2 harm close loud)

Brass Knuckles (1 harm hands small)

Harm: 5 harm

Custom Moves:

Game Manipulation: The Staff will turn the tides of a game no matter what, mostly subtly.

Bystander: Gamblers

Type: Victim (motivation: to unknowingly put themselves in danger.)

These are just random players in the casino. They do not know what they have got themselves into. They will more than likely refuse to leave with the hunters to go anywhere unless convinced that this area is not safe. Otherwise, they will slowly fall under the influence of the Aspect, continuously playing games until they hit their lucky streak and head up to the pent house.

#motw #monster of the week #monster of the week rpg #motw rpg #monster of the week mystery concept #motw mystery concept

[trpg-dingusmaster]

I tried to look for a vampire mystery for a monster of the week game I had promised, I couldn't find one? so I was forced to do it myself.

It went over OK, I cut the other Vampires and the fandom complications the party spent a lot of time researching the publisher, and I tried to tie in a characters back story a little.

THE BOOK TOUR

You ever read a supernatural romance and notice how the monstrous love interest behavior is just a series of red flags than any real person should run screaming from but it's a fantasy and a romance so it's "fine"? The monsters sure did.

A vampire couple travel the country preying on monster fuckers and fans of supernatural romance, role-playing with each other to play with their victims before their human targets disappear forever. Their exploits mirror the events of a popular vampire romance series. When a target disappears, a new novel is soon to follow detailing many of the events in suspiciously close but legaly distinct detail. Investigation reveals the author is a pen name used by their familiar. The familiar/Author enjoys the fame and attention of being an author as well as the general satisfaction of being evil and making more fun for their vampires.

The Vampire Powers- in addition to teeth and claws one can turn into a large swarm of bats that can attack as a unit and keep watch of the lair at night, one can turn into a black mist/shadow plus whatever other Classic Sexy Vampire Bullshit you need.

The Vampire weaknesses- fire, sunlight, being staked In the stomach NOT the heart, compulsively picking up and count dropped items

Familiar powers- walk in the sun, loved and trusted by a devoted fan base for years, internet familiarity.

The Familiar weaknesses- compulsively count dropped items, anything that would kill a human, vanity about their writing

Complications-

Rival Hunter: Becky Autumn is vampire hunter from California thats been hunting these two vampires for a while now after losing a friend to their bullshit games and doesn't care what kind of scene she causes to get them. She is missing vital info about them like their stomach piercing weakness and that they have a familiar she sees a connection with the books and others like it but doesnt know exactly what it is. She can either try to be helpful or activly get in the way to secure HER kills.

The Fandom: some fans will not want to listen to reason and will seek out danger for any number of reasons including but not limited to wanting to be a protagonist, smash with sexy vampire, already deeply effected by the vampire/familiar mind games and emotional manipulation, knowing what going on and wanting to be a vampire/familiar, not knowing or caring what's going on they just love the books and the author and the books and may try to impede the investigation to protect the author on the grounds that the investors are just crazy haters they might not care if the author is actively hurting people.

Other Vampires- depending in how far in the countdown the mystery is there may be more than just these two vampires, the writing has had benefit for other vampires and there could be multiple in or coming to town for a large event for the newest book they intend to use like a buffet such as an exclusive invite only reading at the lair?

The Innocents/Victims: there might be more than one, they may or may not be part of the fandom maybe they havnt even read the books or heard of them as theybare romancey books and they might "not be like other girls/whatever" and dont read those. They probably fit a lot of the markers of a vampire romance protagonist.

What about the publisher? the publisher was bought out a few years before the first book in the series was published, it was the first book published under the new ownership. No original staff remain. Other works under their lable are just as sketchy. The company that owns them pays very well and isn't concerned about any threats the hunters may issue if that comes up they also don't care about their new employees.

#motw #motw mystery concept

[townofcrosshollow]

I would like to pitch a fanmade Monster of the Week supplement that's been rattling around in my head for a while.

Inspired by the game World of Horror and Junji Ito's work, as well as RPGs like Call of Cthulhu and Kult. A blend of cosmic horror and religious horror. Whatever benevolent forces once existed in this world are absent, perhaps long dead, perhaps never alive to begin with. In their stead are the Archons, whose motivations are simple and inhuman, and whose power is only glimpsed through tiny manifestations on earth. What they want from us (if anything) is unclear, but they corrupt, defile, and mutate humans as their power overlaps with our reality. As the Hunters, you are aware of these horrible forces, and yet you still have hope for humanity. Your goal is to find these manifestations and prevent harm from coming to any more people.

It'll consist of...

A new mystery type, Manifestations

Alternate basic moves (use magic, investigate)

Several custom & alternate playbooks

An optional setting to fit the new rules

A couple of sample mysteries

Manifestations will be distinct from Monsters and Phenomena, as the players have to deduce what entity is causing it in order to get rid of it. The goal is to have Keepers slowly build up a recurring cast of Archons for their world with their own unique signatures and motivations, which can then generate more ideas for future mysteries. There'll be a new type of NPC called Affected who have to be dealt with in specific ways to rescue them (if the Hunters so choose), an alternate weird move for conducting rituals, and I might even make some tweaks to Luck.

I've been working on RPGs from scratch for a while but have never really worked on supplements and homebrew for pre-existing games, so I'm hoping this'll be a nice lighter project than my current ones, haha.

This idea came from my overwhelming desire to play religious-inspired horror, my deep love of MOTW (it's probably the best PBTA system, quantifiably), by dissatisfaction with Kult: Divinity Lost, and the fact that when I pitched a World of Horror inspired game at least one of my friends seemed to thing it was a cool idea.

#this concept developed from something more religious horror into a more cosmic horror direction which i think is more universally appealing #there is a place for niche content but there is also a place for incorporating good elements of niche content into stuff everybody can like #the rpg community on here is a mystery to me but hopefully some folks out there will be interested in my various rpg projects #i'm posting them regardless so enjoy i guess lmao #ttrpg #homebrew #motw #monster of the week #pbta #powered by the apocalypse

[chickencowcow]

TELL US ABOUT SANDBOX

Oh hello my dearest of mungeon dasters, lovely to see you here! Well, I won't deprive you of the information you so desperately crave. So....

Let's talk about Sandbox!

Hailing from the short campaign/multi-shot so affectionately dubbed Dudehole Squad, Sandbox is a Monster of the Week Character in a game ran by the very person who sent this ask in :) Sandbox is built as a Spooky -- those of you who know Monster of the Week should be familiar with the playbook already, and those of you who don't... Well, let's just say he's got some fucked up magic, and emphasis on fucked up. Specifically, his is due to his... patron? Patron is perhaps the best way to describe the entity that Sandbox calls Overwrite, who is essentially a sapient computer virus. Long story short, Overwrite took over Sandbox's computer about six years ago, isekai'd his daughter into the digital world, and refuses to give her back until Sandbox fully helps them achieve... whatever goal Overwrite wanted to achieve. In essence, Sandbox is the victim of a creepypasta.

Development

Sandbox was actually invented long before Dudehole Squad was ever pitched to me -- he was my first ever MotW character. Now, granted, I never played him, but I think it's important to realize that I was approximately 14 when I created him.

Initially, he leaned far more heavily into the creepypasta idea -- the original concept was that he was possessed by some entity as a child and killed his parents, and that entity kind of stayed with him for his whole life, changing forms as he grew up to stay physically close to him. His name was always meant to be Sandbox, and from my memory he was always supposed to be a tech-y dude, but he was meant to come across as far more... Dangerous. Haunted. Unstable, even. This was a man you didn't want to mess with because you had no clue what he was going to do, or even what he was capable of.

And then I kinda forgot about him.

Until my dear dear dear GM reached out to me and asked if I wanted to play in a MotW oneshot and I said "fuck yeah are you kidding"

So... I reworked him! I didn't want him to be as off-putting or standoffish since he was only meant to be a oneshot character, and I place more importance on team cohesion than my character being EXACTLY the way I envisioned them. Plus, I wanted to rework Sandbox anyway. What ended up happening was that I... Well, scrapped him down to his bare bones and rebuilt him from that. He became much kinder * and much more down to earth, and honestly a lot sillier, thanks to my dear dear fellow players in the oneshot. Instead of coming off as threatening, he's now more socially awkward than anything else... which is funny, because I think he's the first truly awkward character I've played (at least in a while.) That being said, there's a lot more mystery in his character too, given that a big change to his backstory I made was that Overwrite selectively erased his past memories. He doesn't know his name, and Sandbox is just a moniker he took on after the memory wipe.

* we'll get back to this in Personality

Design

I'll be talking about him visually here, which SUCKS considering I don't necessarily have any fullbody art of him that I'm proud of.

His character description on his sheet reads as follows:

"Tall and lanky with fluffy brown hair that's starting to grey. Bags under eyes -- constantly looks weary. Almost uncanny glow in iris, like the reflection of a computer screen. Hardly ever seen without a jacket, even in the hottest of weather."

There's a couple more details that aren't in his description that I find important (like the fact that his eyes are brown and that he looks like the spitting image of his mother except for the fact that his nose is crooked because he broke it in high school,) but within that, well, "official" character description is a whole bunch, so let's break it down!

"Fluffy brown hair that's starting to grey." - Sandbox is thirty-seven years old, and given that men tend to start greying in their mid-late thirties depending on genetics, Sandbox is right on the money for this. I like to imagine, however, that the men in his family are really lucky when it comes to greying hairs, and the reason he started "early" is simply because of the stress he's under. The fluffy brown hair is actually a reference to the whole "fluffy haired gamer boyfriend" thing that's been going around recently -- I thought it would be fun to play with those "vibes" when it comes to a man who's generally older than the people that trope refers to.

"Bags under eyes" - I'm actually pulling from a few stereotypes of people who work with computers: you know, the late nights, no sleep, bags under eyes. I like to think it also lends itself to showing just how... well, again, stressed Sandbox is. "Uncanny glow in iris" - here's where we get into some interesting things. See, Sandbox's physical appearance certainly did NOT go unscathed from his little deal with Overwrite, and here's where people normally see the first instance of something supernatural with him -- I'm playing quite literally with the term "blue light" here and mashing it with the visual of a computer's screen reflecting off someone's iris in the darkness. Except for Sandbox... Well. It's constant. And clearly not Normal.

"Hardly ever seen without a jacket" - this one is fun to me purely because I didn't figure out WHY he did this until after we'd played through the first session. It was something I put in as a fun little quirk -- something that simultaneously contrasts and elevates the "comfy" vibes that the dudehole squad party brings to the table (i could talk for hours about their dynamics don't TEST ME). Sandbox is someone who seems comfy -- wears a nice big jacket that he almost seems to sink into. Taking it off, however, reveals something different -- it's not that Sandbox prefers to wear a jacket, it's that he doesn't want to be seen without it.

And why is that?

Well...

This is why.

See, like the glow in his eyes, Overwrite left another mark on his body -- something akin to glowing tattoos. Their design is loosely inspired by a circuit board, and they're also easily clockable as supernatural: after all, they glow, and the color hue shifts the more you look at it. These markings do have a specific purpose, however: while Overwrite can "follow" Sandbox almost everywhere, there are a few places where... technology and internet connections aren't easily accessible. Those markings serve as a sort of... back up battery-- a pool of power Sandbox can call upon when Overwrite isn't reachable. I have a feeling these markings are gonna be pretty damn important next session... Regardless, they're another peculiar part of Sandbox that he doesn't like to show off -- it just means people will stare at him, and he's already awkward enough as is.

Personality

Sandbox is the closest to the "just a guy" trope out of any of my characters. I mean, sure, Overwrite is there and all that, but he still retains that... just, normalness despite literally everything. His favorite color is forest green. He likes Diet Pepsi, but his favorite drink is honestly water. He's a dog person, but gets along with cats too. He adores karaoke and loves singing along to songs playing on the radio even if he doesn't know the lyrics. He's a big fan of the ocean and the beach. He doesn't really want anything more than a good life and a good home. He doesn't want anything more than his family back.

Now, that's not to say he's not impacted by Overwrite. In fact, it's a big part of his character, actually: Overwrite's influence on his morality.

That's right, we're getting into that little bit about "kindness*". See, while Sandbox may be every bit a normal person, Overwrite has still managed to subtly shift the way he thinks. In battle, he's... ruthless. He doesn't seem to care for the lives of other people who aren't close to him, even going the extra mile to try and kill them when his teammates didn't see the need. Now, this isn't because he experiences any sort of bloodlust -- neither him nor Overwrite are inclined to that sort of behavior. It's simply... efficiency. These people may wake up and cause problems later. It's better to kill them so that doesn't happen. Enemies aren't really people in Sandbox's mind. Just problems to be dealt with.

Backstory

Sandbox [REDACTED], ex computer programmer, ex aspiring game dev. He/Him. His wife, Cerise, unfortunately died in childbirth, leaving him to take care of his dearest daughter Clementine. Though devastated by her loss, he did his best to try and raise his daughter and teach her well. While developing his game, his computer managed to contract a terrible virus -- but little did Sandbox know, this virus was controlled by an entity far more sinister and cruel than he could possible imagine. One morning, after he woke up, he was horrified to find his eight year old daughter missing, and was promptly informed by the computer that was talking to him after he most certainly turned it off the night before that she had been taken, and would not be returned until Sandbox did their bidding. And so, in desperation and fear, Sandbox agreed. Strangely, the entity wanted not human elimination, but monster elimination, and through this, Sandbox was able to squeeze another deal out of the entity -- in exchange for magic that would help him hunt monsters, Sandbox would give up his old name as well as memories from his past. Now 37 , Sandbox has been working for the Cryptkeeper's Society for the better part of six years-- always on the lookout for a new mission his entity (which he has nicknamed Overwrite) wants him to be thrown on… as well as any way to get his daughter back sooner.

^ That was adapted from the original description I'd given to my party at the very beginning of Dudehole Squad, back when it was simply meant to be a oneshot. The Cryptkeeper's Society is the group he works for, dedicated to taking care of monsters and other supernatural issues. It's led by one Dr. Casey Aidenwaller, who Sandbox had a very awkward interaction with early on in the first session. I like to imagine Sandbox wormed his way into the Society by simply hacking into their database to collect information on monsters that Overwrite would instruct him to find and fight. His solo work didn't last long though -- another person from the Cryptkeeper's Society found him and kind of took him under his wing: Brodie Gambit. Brodie and Sandbox are two vastly different people (Brodie is the embodiment of a California surfer dude) but Brodie's constant warmth and optimism is something Sandbox really enjoys being around, even if he doesn't always verbalize it. I like to imagine those two as the extrovert and his adopted introvert.

I won't get into other player dynamics because that's a whole other beast, but let's just say that Sandbox worked in information gathering for a while before being once again moved to the front lines. He tended to volunteer himself for missions in remote locations specifically because Overwrite couldn't reach him there. Their relationship is... strained, at best. Overwrite has fun, but Sandbox will never ever forget that they are the thing keeping him from his daughter.

Special Topic: Overwrite

I talk so much about Overwrite. I think they deserve their own special little section.

Overwrite is.. an entity. They are a sapient computer virus. They are a menace. They're an enigma. I created them and even I don't know much about them at all. I don't know where they came from or who made them, or if anyone even made them at all! I don't know why they chose Sandbox. I don't know what they'd done with Clementine all those years she was stuck in the digital world. I know they like to cause chaos and crash into different pieces of technology, but I also don't know why they're so... helpful. I don't know why they want monsters to be taken down. I don't know if they've done this before or how old they are or fucking anything. I can define Overwrite more concretely by what I don't know about them because they're crazy fucking mysterious and also crazy fucking unhinged and I LOVE THEM. Imagine being asked to shut off cameras in a subway system and your idea, as a LITERAL BEING OF TECHNOLOGICAL HAVOC, is to fire off a gun at someone. Perfect idea, 10/10. That being said, I don't know why they're here. I don't know what they want.

Well... I didn't. Now, I have a pretty damn good guess.

See, the first session of dudehole squad started innocently enough. Like, woah, there's people going missing on the subway and a bunch of sewer gators (not related), we gotta find em and figure out what's going on here. Simple. Easy. I mean sure, there were a few ominous ass messages from our DM about a "meat mech" or whatever the fuck, but it was totally fine. This was supposed to be a relatively cut and dry fun oneshot.

Oneshot, I say. And yet, at the beginning of this, I referred to Dudehole Squad as a multishot/short campaign. What happened?

I had an idea is what happened. See, the whole time we were playing, I was trying to figure out how exactly Sandbox's magic worked. Per rules of the Spooky, you can use magic to attack. And... how the fuck do you attack with technology? And then it struck me! "Oh," I said. "The brain is like a supercomputer! Overwrite's powers can hurt people by hurting their brain!"

"Oh, okay." said my wonderful GM. "I'm fucking running with that."

So Overwrite's powers allow Sandbox to, in essence, release electrical shocks to another person's brain. It was described in game as a DDoS attack. He stopped someone's heart momentarily. Certainly nothing fun. But useful. It establishes Overwrite can enter someone's brain, too.

Enter the meat mech. This was, in essence, something that a group of cultists were trying to power to life in order to control and wreak havoc across the world. And we, like idiots, took out the cultists and brought Overwrite RIGHT TO THE FUCKING MEAT MECH. And Overwrite took that opportunity to say "hasta la pasta" to Sandbox and jump from Sandbox to the meat mech.

But hey, at least Clementine's back, right? Yay,,,,,

Fun Facts

Sandbox does actually have a name -- not that he. remembers it. It's Hudson Jones -- he's named Hudson because it's a type of cherry! His wife's name also means cherry, and their daughter's name is a fruit, soo... Jones has no real meaning behind it, unfortunately. I just like how it sounds.

The name Sandbox is, perhaps obviously, due to the "sandbox" type of computer/video game, where you can essentially create and do anything you want.

Sandbox's favorite food is a philly cheesesteak.

Due to Overwrite's efforts, Sandbox, well, technically doesn't exist anywhere. Any records or social media presence have been wiped completely.

Sandbox is a big fan of levers, especially pulling them.

Anyway that's all teehee please feel free to send in more asks ab characters i LOVE talking ab them!!! And if u don't know my characters just send me like. three emojis and I'll assign a character to da ask myself!!!

#dudehole squad #sandbox #character asks

[rewatching-sam-and-dean]

The Pilot (Part 3 of 3)

So, this post will wrap up my Pilot episode commentaries, reviews … whatever they should be classified as. Again, thanks to everyone who checked out Part 1 and Part 2. This one took me ages because I ended up writing about the whole rest of the episode. And here I thought Part 2 took me a long time. But, for anyone who takes a minute to read this one, thank you. And please feel free to comment with what you liked best (or didn’t) about the Pilot.

[For anyone who might have seen this post already, I’m reposting since I needed to fix some things and Tumblr wasn’t cooperating.]

On the Road Again

(Alternate Title: Sam and Dean Brothering)

My commentary and more pic edits are under the cut …

THE CASE

ABOUT ME: Alight, so honesty time, I don’t really like horror. Yes, I watched the mainstream ones that came out in the theaters when I was in high school and university (Hello, Mr Padalecki in House of Wax), largely because it was something to go do with friends, but it’s certainly not a favorite genre of mine. I’ve never seen ones like The Exorcist and I don’t plan to. However, SPN, even in the early seasons is more like horror lite, but even then there are episodes I won’t watch while going to bed because I don’t want that crap swimming around my subconscious while I’m sleeping. But all that being said, I generally don’t mind the creep factor on the show, and I like some of the monsters, but the relationships, especially between Sam and Dean are what hooked me on the show. All this is just to explain why I generally probably won’t talk that much about the cases of the week unless they are very relevant to a plot arc or I really like/hate them.

THE MONSTER OF THE WEEK: Anyway, The Woman in White is a pretty decent first ghost to set up the show, and the case shows us what the Winchesters do when they hunt and what they know about the supernatural world. The MOTW gives us some classic horror tropes (the cheater gets killed, ghost kids are creepy as hell), and it sets up some classic SPN tropes (shooting ghosts and blood splats, anyone?). I think the ghost is sufficiently creepy. The case is fairly straightforward, but it’s not like I usually tune into the show for the mystery alone, so that’s fine with me. I think the effects are pretty decent for the ghost given when it was filmed, though the glitchy-ness makes it feel a little too much like computer effects, at times. Still, the only part that really stands out to me in a bad way is when the ghost kids zoom over to their ghost mother and … latch on to her? Whatever they are doing, it looks weird, to me, and kind of awkward, and it sort of takes me out of the moment. Overall though, I think the ghost and the first case are a good start to the show.

WORKING TOGETHER AGAIN

GETTING STARTED: When Sam and Dean first start working the case, we really start to see who they are as people and their dynamic. Surprising to no one who has watched the show, Jared and Jensen do a phenomenal job of selling Sam and Dean as siblings despite not looking much alike. Their frequent bickering and physicality paint a very convincing picture of siblings dynamics between people who grew up together. As someone with brothers myself, their teasing and the occasional smack feel on point to me.

When they get into the car, the show sets up how Dean and his Dad live and support themselves, as well as Sam's vague disdain for scamming credit cards. But one of the most classic of all SPN imagery and concepts is set up here with Dean as the driver, picking the music, with Sam riding shotgun. If this isn’t also a metaphor for a good portion of their relationship, I don’t know what is; Dean is the boss and Sam is expected to follow (except when he doesn’t). On a similar note, later in the episode, the irony of Dean calling Sam a control freak when Sam shoves his chair away from the computer is … phew. Dean, my friend, you are a black pot and Sam is your kettle. Anyway, not only does the way they act around each other, and play off of each other, more then sell them as brothers, it starts to reveal who they are.

Dean is a snarky smart-ass who clearly has little respect for authority (when it isn’t his dad), as he has no problem lying to or even mouthing-off to law enforcement. To him, they are civilians poking their noses into monster business, so he can’t be bothered to pretend to respect what they have to officer. Sam kicks Dean under the officer's sight line for his flippancy, and aside from being a classic sibling move, this suggests he has more respect for authority (when it isn’t his dad) and the law in particular (as a hopeful future lawyer, this is not a surprise) than Dean. It also shows he’s more cautious and less brash than Dean, not wanting to draw too much attention to themselves by being snarky or confrontational.

Besides starting to establish who our main characters are, this early part of the case starts to reveal the complexity of how Sam and Dean feel about each other. Clearly, there is a lot more volatile emotions simmering away than simple sibling rivalry. Sam seems to resent Dean siding with their dad over him, and both his dad and brother's for hunting and revenge. On the other hand, Dean is clearly not over Sam leaving (abandoning him, their dad and the mission) and is seemingly itching for a bit of a fight. All it takes is one statement from Sam about their mom being gone no matter what they do, for Dean to break. As I mentioned in (I think) my Part 1 discussion, this moment, paired with the introduction scenes with Mary, makes a lot of sense. Dean is pissed that Sam doesn’t seem to take the mission seriously enough, while Sam truly can’t remember her, so it’s impossible for him to feel the same connection to dad's mission of revenge as Dean. Despite growing up together, these boys clearly did not have entirely the same childhood experience (which of course, we will see more of later). Despite their tension, it’s also clear that these brothers care about each other and are comfortable together. They speak at the same time (jinx!), showing they are clearly in sync. They are both annoyed and amused by each other's teasing, especially Sam reluctantly smiling at Dean's snark. They sit so close that they’re practically on top of each other, which they definitely would not do if they didn’t like each other and weren’t comfortable with each other. And, they express their care for each other in their own (jerk-bitch) emotionally constipated way. The latter is especially true for Dean of the no chick-flick moments. Even after years apart, these guys clearly have a close bond, despite their issues.

DIVIDING AND CONQUERING

HOW THE WINCHESTERS WORK: Even when detained by the police, Dean, we see is holding true to his fearless and flippant persona as he gives the cop interrogating him little respect and a lot of attitude. We also find out a little more about Dean and John. They clearly think ahead, setting up systems for finding each other in the inevitability of them getting separated (the coordinates in the journal). This is something I love seeing in the show later with Sam and Dean, their code words and contingency plans. These are aspects of the characters that really make them feel real and competent, and I wish we got more of this throughout the seasons. When the officer gets called away, we also see that Dean is resourceful (hello, Clippy!), and can pick a lock.

Meanwhile, we see the first hints os Sam's true super power, puppy-dog eyes. Still, they must not be up to full power after years off the job, as the widower ends up storming off in an offended and guilty huff. Next, as it turns out, Sam was the one who called in the tip that cleared out station, giving Dean the opportunity to make his escape. I love that Sam does this for three particular reasons. First, it shows that he’s smart and resourceful, and, despite his desire to no longer be a part of the hunting life, thinking on his feet is clearly still very much a part of him. Secondly, and related to my first point, this move shows how he and a Dean are a team, even when separated. Sam knows that if he gets Dean an opportunity, he will find a way to use it and escape. Finally, this little move of essentially prank calling the cops, reveals more about Sam. Mr. Future Lawyer is not above breaking the rules if it means helping his brother. This confirms to us that Sam isn’t exactly the straight-laced guy he appears to be at the start of the episode.

A couple more things that stand out for me, while the brothers are on the phone, is how proud Dean clearly is of Sam fior making that call into the police (one of us! one of us!), and Sam is full on smiling while discussing his recent misdemeanor. Whether he likes it or not, a part of Sam enjoys this. He is having fun hunting, or at least hanging out with Dean, and Dean is loving having Sam back.

REUNITED FOR NOW

(But really, for the next 15 years, give or take a few separations)

BETTER TOGETHER: So, not-unsurprisingly, Sam gets attacked by the ghost. He is a faithful guy, which already seemed pretty clear from his vibe when he’s first introduced in the episode, but it’s nice to have confirmed. The ghost doesn’t care and basically sexually assaults him so that she’ll be justified in killing him. I mean … bad form, Constance. Dean shows up shooting her in the face, which distracts her just long enough (despite not being salt shells - is this when they get the idea to start using salt shells, I can’t recall?) for Sam to crash the impala into the house, effectively taking her home. So, Sam helped save Dean by giving him a chance to get out of custody, and Dean helps save Sam by distracting the ghost so Sam can bring her back to the house. I like how they both save each other, or give each other the opportunity to save themselves. This establishes that they are both capable alone but better when they work as a team.

So, besides my comments on the screen shots above, a few more things really stand out for me in the final parts of the episode. Sam, who just crashed a car into an abandoned house, was attacked by a ghost, and has now been threatened by his sibling, is again smiling. This weirdo is having a good time, and I love it. I keep pointing this out because I don’t think I fully noticed just how much Sam smiles in the Pilot when I watched it before, and a lot of the time it’s with Dean or just after breaking the law or being attacked. It really adds some interesting nuance to Sam, who is not simple the straight man, and informs his conflict over going back home.

Another thing that stands out to me here is just how desperately Dean wants Sam to stay with him. We can practically feel it through the screen. A part of him was clearly starting to hope that now that they found their groove again, Sam might just stay with him, that maybe he would blow off that law school interview after all. He is clearly crushed when Sam says he has to get back, and we pretty much see him scrambling to pull his armor back on to protect himself from Sam's rejection. It’s almost heartbreaking, which is a testament to Jensen's acting, as well his and Jared's chemistry and ability to make these guys seem real. In just about 45 minutes, we are invested in these characters and their relationship. Jared does a good job with Sam, too. We can clearly see his conflict; he did have fun hunting with Dean, it’s clear that he had missed Dean, and I think a part of him wants to stay with Dean. But Sam is stubborn, and more than that, he has built a new life for himself, a plan. Still, when he offers that olive branch when they’re saying goodbye, of him and Dean hanging out some time soon, I believe that he wants to, but I’m not sure if either of them believe it will happen. It’s actually sad to think they are going their separate ways, and we’re already rooting for them to stay together.

Finally, the episode comes full circle with Sam finding Jess on the ceiling (not pictured above because it just creeps me out, like with Mary), the fire, Dean saving him again by pulling him out of the fire, and Sam picking up his father's mantel of vengeance. At this point, Dean has been fully established in our eyes as Sam's protector, and Sam has been established as our doubly tragic hero who is now on his own mission for revenge.

FINAL THOUGHTS: One last thing that I forgot to mention above that I love about the Pilot is the humor that runs though it. It’s not uproariously funny or anything, but it has nice doses of humor throughout. A good amount of this comes from Dean who is established as a funny character, but funny moments also come from a lot of the brothers' interactions. Their squabbling and backhands, or digs on each other, add a nice bit of realism and lightness to what could otherwise be an unrelentingly dark episode. I love how this becomes an established part of the show later, I think starting especially in Season 2. In later seasons, though it does get a little too heavy handed for me on occasion. I think it’s ultimately a big part of what mane Supernatural different. That and Sam and Dean's general unhingedness regarding each other.

Regarding Jess, as much as I like her character and believe Sam would have eventually returned to hunting regardless, now that Dean is back in his life, I think it makes sense that she dies here, giving him that push. It gets them going on the hunt more quickly. Also, I read somewhere that the writers had toyed with having Jess be possessed. I’m truly glad they never went that route. I think it’s much more poignant that she was just a good person, who Sam loved. It’s more tragic, more painful him him to lose her as she is in the Pilot, and it’s ultimately a more pure relationship.

At the end of the episode, we are left with a lot of questions to speculate on, and even more that we want to find answers for. This, besides establishing the characters, is just about the most important thing a Pilot can do. It leaves us curious and wanting to know more. Would Sam have seen Dean again if Jess hadn’t died (yes)? Where is the dad? Why is he leaving them coordinates, instead of just calling or texting them? When are we going to see him again. What is going to happen to Sam now that he’s lost Jess in this way? What will this mean for the brother’s relationship going forward? What killed their mother and Jess? Why? What other kinds of scary crap are the boys going to come up against?

Will we find some of the answers in Season 1, Episode 2, Wendigo (I mean … mostly, no)?

Well, this ended up being way longer than I planned, so if you made it to the end, thank you so much for reading! Please feel free to comment or reblog with your thoughts on the episode!

To be Continued …

… in Wendigo, Part 1, coming soon-ish …

#Sam Winchester #Dean Winchester #sam and dean #Supernatural #Rewatching S&D #The Pilot #My Thoughts #My Edits #Jared Padalecki #Jensen Ackles

[the-angel-of-filth]

An art style challenge I made for myself, feat. My MOTW player character, Blair Ward!

Instead of using an already pre-picked set, I picked out some styles from series I think Blair (and the MOTW campaign @enby-scientist created) could vibe into. The ones I picked in order are Over the Garden Wall, Hilda, Junji Ito, Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated, and the original Resident Evil 2 concept art.

Personally I think I did the Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated art style the best while the Junji Ito is the one I take most issue with lol.

#blair ward #illustration #art style challenge #filth art #filth ocs #motw campaign #motw oc #motw art #monster of the week

[cina-full-moon-xanadium]

Right, well! I’m now 10 episodes into Daitetsujin 17 -- ie the only currently subbed episodes, and seemingly will stay that way until next month. 

It’s an... interesting show. Like Robot Detective it’s intriguing in how it just does not follow the usual Tokusatsu Masked Hero tropes; it’s inspired more by super robot shows that were becoming popular at the time and we don’t have any transforming heroes or secret identities; just a boy that has a bond with the one robot capable of fighting the enemy and the army that supports them. It’s also one of those rare Showa Toku that actually has an active, ongoing plot! Characterisation is still relatively light but every story is a 2-parter and features some kind of development, or following up on a mystery, or some kind of new element or etc. 

The war setting also means many of these plots are not your usual Showa Toku villain plot of like water buffalo man going out to poison the air and masked ranger makes him explode and the commander goes grr i’ll get you next time; most of the plots are direct conflicts and attempts to bring down the enemy -- the villains learning 17′s weakness and seeking to destroy him, the villains forcing a soldier to blow up their base, etc. None of them force any significant shifts in the status quo or anything but they all feel like a natural part of an ongoing conflict rather than your usual MOTW shenanigans.

Characters as I said are about as much as you’d expect from the time period but there’s some highlights. 17 even about a third of the way into the series is treated with SO much mystery and intrigue as to how sentient he really is, with even solid info on him (such as a 15-hour recharge period) changing over time to the confusion of his creator. Dr. Hassler, the mad scientist who set everything into motion but quickly finds himself demoted to the pathetic useless man who stomps around in Brain’s employ is a fucking DELIGHT and the star of just about every episode for how hilarious his performance is! Brain itself is interesting for the questions it brings up; it’s a fully sentient computer that gained its own will and decided humanity has to go. It’s a lot more capable of complex thought and conversation though than say your Arks or whatever and that leads you to wonder what exactly is going on with it, as it hides secrets and knowledge even from the loyal agents trying to carry out its will.

So there’s a lot of things I am enjoying, but there’s elements that I’m not sure about -- it is a war story, and the army at the forefront goes without any real criticism or commentary. You might wonder why then I’m such a big fan of Ultraman, but there stories are a lot lighter and the defence team represents more than just standard military; and is also usually either a goofier concept or one with criticisms at the core -- but the Red Mufflers are a VERY grounded depiction of the military, and a couple comedic side characters aside it really goes without question the sheer extent of their activities and methods and what’s cast in a good light or not. The captain is an extremely forceful shouty type who physically abuses his men, forces Saburo (a child) into the army, puts him in insane danger... it’s all treated as something Necessary that He Knows He Has To Do and it’s just bizarre to watch when I know Ishinomori is someone who took huge issue with the military industrial complex! It’s a setting that makes it hard to get into this show too much

#Great One Seven

[the-overbear]

Hello fellow normal person. Please tell me about your motw games

erm well u see. unfortunately they dont actually exist yet. ive got one in the works but my group hasnt been able to find a good time to come together yet so we're just kinda sittin on that egg right now.

i do have some Concepts though. not a lot that make sense but. i occasionally have thoughts and ideas. ive got a few mysteries that i wanna iron out, things like strange sheep illnesses and mysterious work-related construction injuries. i also think itd be fun to run a mob-based 80s setting in motw. i have no clue what thatd look like really but itd be fun! i also wanna play as a hunter sometime. i have a fun idea for the monstrous playbook that involves an orc wearing a varsity jacket with the school mascot "ogres" or something on the back lol

many little ideas aside im always so down to run a oneshot, and its a pretty ruleslite game so it wouldnt be hard to learn and play in a single session. wink wink nudge nudge to anyone reading this

#im having an internal battle on joining a server dedicated to playing motw bc im so nervous all the time </3 #its different if im inviting ppl tho teehee. come play my games boy #asked and answered

[beefstr0ganoff]

Monster of the Week Mystery Concept: The Unsound

I ran this with my group over Halloween and it seemed to go very well. The concept is based on Season 1 Episode 3 of The Black Tapes Podcast. 

Concept

A sound clip rumoured to kill those who listen to it within three months is being passed around the deep web. It is up to the hunters to find the source and destroy it before it kills one of their own. The source? An archdemon desiring to manifest itself in the mortal plane through any means necessary.

Potential Hooks

The Hunters are approached by a close friend/relative/significant other of someone who has listened to the Unsound and is running out of time

One of the Hunters has listened to the Unsound and their deadline is fast approaching (speak to this hunter before the game)

Someone close to the Hunters is discovered to have listened to the Unsound and, with their deadline fast approaching, has vanished.

PHENOMENON - THE UNSOUND

Teratogen - to turn people and creatures into monsters

A malicious earworm created by an archdemon. Turns the listener into a medium, thus allowing the demon to enter into the mortal realm. 

It takes three months for the link between demon and host to form, and once those three months are up, the victim will become the host for the demon

The victim is urged to pass on the Unsound. 

If a hunter listens to the Unsound during the mystery, they must Act Under Pressure to resist. On a 10+, they successfully resist the urge to pass it on and are able to break the link. On a 7-9, they resist the urge to pass it on but are still linked. On a 0-6, their three-month countdown begins.

MONSTER: BILLETH

Queen - to possess and control, AND/OR Tempter - the tempt people into evil deeds

Health: 10 + Host

Armour: 1 + Host

Archdemon, inventor of the Unsound. Wants to manifest on the mortal plane and wreak havoc, but has yet to find a suitable host.

Weaknesses:

Holy

Fire

Exorcism (Deals 3 harm (Holy) to the host)

Powers:

Earworm: Has the ability to form a link with a potential host through the Unsound

Possession: Once the link has formed, Billeth can possess a host. He can possess a willing host, and can possess an unwilling host through the power of the Unsound (Deals 1 harm (ignore armour) to the host per round of combat)

Sense Memory: While Possession is activated, Billeth can sense the memories and emotions of his host. He may use these memories to manipulate those close to the host.

If the host is a Hunter, Billeth will have access to any moves the Hunter possesses

Attacks:

Demonic Claws, 2 harm, hand, messy

Infernal blast, 4 harm, fire

If the host is a Hunter, Billeth will have access to the Hunter’s moves

MINION; STEVEN PRICE

Renfield: to push the victims towards the monster

A willing host who wishes to become Billeth’s full host, but isn't strong enough. He is being manipulated by him into acquiring victims

Health: 7

Armour: 0

Attacks: Knife, 2 harm, hand

Weaknesses: I mean he’s human at the end of the day. Exorcism will break the link with Billeth

#Monster of the Week #motw #monster of the week rpg #motw rpg #monster of the week mystery concept #motw mystery concept #the black tapes podcast #tbtp #tbt podcast

[eisforeidolon]

Favourite spn episodes ?

I know I made a list way back when of favorite episodes, but it's been a while, so I wanted to think on this a bit.

Not because I think I really have any in the Dabb years - even something like Lebanon, where I really genuinely liked all the stuff in the bunker with JDM, the episode as a whole was ruined for me by so much time absolutely wasted by the random doofus townie teens. Or even something like First Blood where I loved the competent badass Winchesters it gave us and don't recall anything within the episode itself I didn't like - but I can't divorce out the context of them being there in the first place for just gormlessly standing over the unconscious POTUS long enough to get arrested. But because of some of the context - like Castiel's embarrassing character devolution - changing how fondly I feel about episodes like Lazarus Rising, The End, Hunteri Heroici, and The Man Who Would Be King. At least without doing an actual rewatch to revisit them without mainly focusing on the after-baggage.

I generally always refer to the Pilot at the top of the list. I think it's a really solid introduction to the concept and characters, and any series I come to love I always have a deep fondness for the introduction where the magic of the introduction happened.

Overall my favorites tend to be the mainly self-contained MotW episodes that either have a cool twist, tell us something interesting about the characters, or change our viewing perspective. The tension and emotion of Dean wandering around as a ghost from In My Time of Dying, how smoothly the Winchesters work as a team even separated in police custody in The Usual Suspects, the twist that puts all of the Winchesters' slightly-off reactions into perspective in Roadkill, the utter weird of the monsters in Plucky Pennywhistle's and addressing Sam's clown-fear. I really love the cheesy fake ghost hunting reality show shtick of Ghostfacers, the Clue-like farce of Ask Jeeves, and the Impala-POV of Baby. I similarly actually really love Weekend at Bobby's even though Sam & Dean are barely in it. I like Gabriel less than I once did after his Dabb-era return, but Changing Channels remains a pretty hilarious concept executed very well. I really love locked room type episodes when they're done well enough to make you feel the characters' claustrophobia and increasing frustration with the situation - Jus in Bello and Nightshifter both tick that box perfectly.

I was also really fond of the way some of the Kripke era episodes were so good at juxtaposing opposite feelings in a way I don't feel they ever did as deftly in the later years - the absurdity of the monsters versus the kinda heartbreaking flashbacks in A Supernatural Christmas, the silliness of Yellow Fever and Mystery Spot that turns so dark, the heart-wrenching crack Dark Side of the Moon puts in the Winchesters' faith and relationship after exploring fairly light-hearted heaven memories. The Leviathans being organized enough to actually use law enforcement against Sam & Dean was a cool idea and the fake!Winchesters hilarious bitching contest over whose head it was worse to be in amused me in Slash Fiction.

I could go on, but those are the ones that jump fairly easily to mind.

#askboxery #anonymous #favorite episodes #long post

[tabletopmonsteroftheweek]

The Supersoldier Initiative

An experiment had begun, government funded and supported, yet never announced to the public or foreign powers. Those experimented on are those in prison and/or jail, those that the higher ups believe "would never be missed or noticed to be gone." Things were going well, until an accident at the facility made the experiments escape.

This mystery can take place in any location, but recommended in rural/near out of the grid areas.

Hooks:

Prisons/jails seem to be lighting their intake on inmates, unknown where they are going.

Professional companies will get receive word to keep an eye out for "escaped criminals", but only the higher ups will have the classified info as to what the criminals have become.

Normal citizens will see signs of destruction outside of town, such as broken down trees, shattered rocks, and docks destroyed. Wildlife animals may have been killed and consumned as well, their bodies left behind with unusual marks on it.

A body of one of the experiments is discovered and brought to the hospital, where it turns out its not dead.

Monster: Supersoldier Elite

Type: Beast (Motivation: to run wild, destroying and killing)

They're more beast than human now. The facilities top of the line experiment. Razor-sharp claws, huge jaw with multiple layers of teeth. It has no neck, the flesh of the shoulders going up to the head. The top of the head is incredibly hard, almost mithril-like. It's legs are thick to support the body, but very athletic/light.

Powers:

Razor-sharp claws that can tear through metal like napkins.

Hard head used for breaking stone or foundation.

Super fast.

Eagle-like sight.

Skin thick and durable.

Shark-like teeth.

Super Strength

Resistance to heat, acid, and electricity (grants an additional +1 armor to what its resistant to).

Adaptation.

Weakness: The scientists developed a failsafe for it should it escape- by exposing it to extreme cold, it will become sluggish and slow. It's resistances will be nullified as well, and its skin will become brittle. Exposing its muscle/inner tissue with a combination of electricity and acid it will explode into semi-liquid chunks.

Attacks:

Razor-sharp claws- 2 harm hand messy ignore armor

Hard head- 3 harm hand forceful ignore armor

Sharp teeth- 2 harm intimate messy restraining

Harm: 10 harm, +1 armor

Custom move:

Adaptation- If the Elite is struck multiple times by certain weapons, elements not listed in his resistances, or pure magic, it will gain a temporary resistance to it until the encounter ends. The only thing it will not gain a resistance to is ice.

Minion: Supersoldier Experiments

The lesser versions before the Elite. They are more human shaped and each has only one-two abilities compared to the Elite.

Type: Brute (motivation: to hurt and terrify)

Powers:

This is constant:

Super Strength

Then pick one - two per Experiment:

Razor-sharp claws that can tear through metal like napkins.

Hard head used for breaking stone or foundation.

Super fast.

Skin thick and durable.

Shark-like teeth.

Resistance to heat, acid, and electricity.

Eagle-like sight.

Weakness: Unlike the Elite, they still have some hint of humanity left within themselves. Find something that links them to their identity and they may snap out of their rampage.

Attacks:

Super-punch- 2 harm hand.

(if picked) Razor-sharp claws- 2 harm hand messy ignore armor

(if picked) Hard head- 3 harm hand forceful ignore armor

(if picked) Sharp teeth- 2 harm intimate messy restraining

(if picked) +1 armor

Harm: 6 harm

Minion: Sadistic Scientist

Scientists that want to see how this all goes down, taking notes about what each experiment they find does. Almost as if they wanted the accident that freed the experiments to happen...

They will do anything within their power to make sure the experiments live.

Type: Guardian (motivation: to protect the experiments, even if they kill them).

Attacks:

Laser Gun- 2 harms far quiet

Net Launcher- 0 harm close restraining

9mm- 2 harm close loud

Harm: 4 harm

Bystander: Frantic Scientist

Scientists that are trying to recapture the experiments and stop the sadistic scientists. Some may even be more concerned about the paperwork after the incident more than the lives potentially lost during.

Type: Witness (motive: to reveal information)

Bystander: The Police

Once helping the government with supplying jail/prison inmates for the Supersoldier Initiative, now they deny any and all involvement and will be more in the way than helpful.

Type: Busybody (motivation: to interfere in other people's plans) OR Official (motivation: to be suspicious)

#motw #monster of the week #motw rpg #monster of the week rpg #monster of the week mystery #motw mystery idea #motw mystery concept #monster of the week mystery concept

[castiellesbian]

you 🤝 me

open world spn inspired rpg that lives in our heads.

I wasn’t gonna send anything but god I’ve literally concepted it out. The mystery aspects.... the spooky environments and profound loneliness of the American Midwest.....fleshed out side quests with branching choices..... I’m insane

THE SIDE QUESTS!!! It'd be such an interesting way to adopt the MotW aspect of the show into a different medium. not to mention the meta they could run with since the fan is literally interacting with and helping to shape the story, it'd be SO easy if it wasn't for, yknow, resources.

[romanken]

Okay time for hot takes here are my reviews of each season. I am being VERY generous here bc this is supernatural

1: a classic. the only time motw eps were scary. A good season if still trying to find it's footing. Most individual eps were good and the overarching plot is interesting while also easy to follow. 8/10

2: A great season. Sam's psychic plotline is great, the season finale slapped, not a motw ep that I dislike. Azazel is a great villain. 9/10

3: suffered from the writers strike, but the fewer episodes made it fast-paced and dean's hell deal hanging over them is one of my favorite overarching plots. Iconic motws like mystery spot and bad day at black rock. 10/10

4: my favorite season. Lazarus rising will always be a cultural reset. Addition of angels to the show was the best thing they could've done. Every single ep is a banger. Sam and dean's conflict was understandable and earned rather that forced like in later seasons. On THEE head of a pin. 11/10

5: also a great season but not as good as s4. The last six eps are great and I love them. The apocalypse plot is really good and lucifer is actually a scary villain. However I don't think I would've been happy ending the series on swan song like originally intended. 9/10

6: juggling too many plots. Didn't show the civil war in heaven at ALL which made cas's twist feel unearned. Motw were a bit stale however soulless sam IS my friend. The only reason this isn't my lowest rated season is tmwwbk. 6/10

7: I liked the leviathans sue me however they were not as scary as they could've been. godstoel was tragically underutilized. Sam's hell trauma and hallucifer were great to finally see. The motw eps zing wildly up and down in quality. Suffers from a critical lack of cas. Kind of depressing. 7/10

8: called season gr8 for a reason. Crowley, metatron, and naomi are all great villains. Many lovable side characters (minus amelia). The brother's conflict was annoying however their relationship in the back half made up for it. Love the trials plotline. 9/10

9: not AS bad as people say but not good. I am a moc dean stan so I am biased. First half was bad for every single character but the back end had some good eps and arcs (besides sam). What happened to kevin is unforgivable. Again I love metatron he's my friend. Angels plotline was interesting I wish they'd done more with it. The demon dean twist was great. 5/10

10: better than 9 but that's not a high bar. I wanted more demon dean BUT the moc plotline was great. ROWENA!!! Where are my good sam plotlines I need them. The frankenstein thing was extremely funny in a bad way. Bucklemming, again, are my enemies. 7/10

11: I LOVE 11. Doesn't have too many plotlines like every season post kripke era. Amara is a great villain. Every single chuck scene is great especially ones with lucifer and dean. Casifer my bestie casifer. The only bad thing was the crowley and casifer thing. Some great motws. I don't even mind the power of love ending. 9/10

12: MARY MARY MARY. I love her and her relationship with dean is incredibly interesting. Probably my favorite season in terms of one-off/motw eps. The overarching plots were very weak and the bmol were kinda ridiculous. Contraversial take I think the president lucifer thing was funny. 7/10

13: WIDOWER ARC NATION. Jack kline and dadstiel best addition to the show. The apocalypse world would've been interesting but they did nothing with it. Fun motws. The dean/lucifer fight was dumb looking but I AM a michael!dean stan so it gets a pass. Overarching plot was better than 10 and 12. Andrew dabb will die by my blade for making dean mean to children. 9/10

14: MICHAEL!DEAN STANS MAKE SOME NOISE. again underutilizing great concepts. Soulless jack plotline sucked ass. Where is bad mom mary I miss her. Moriah/the chuck reveal was GREAT. If anyone makes me look at m*rk p*llegrino ever again I'll gouge my eyes out. Some very fun motw like peace of mind and mint condition. If I ever see andrew dabb I'll kill him for writing l*banon. 8/10

15: chuck being the villain is one of my favorite plots it is the ONLY place the show could've gone. Character assassinated dean and never repaired his relationship with jack which is a crime. The f*nale (derogatory). Boring resolution but I love chuck's fate. Too much focus on sam and dean where are the fun side characters. Character assassinated billie. THEE confession THEE trap. 7/10

#feel free to attack me <3 #i havent rewatched 13-15 in a WHILE and im currently on s9 so. a lot of this may be inaccurate sorry #my posts

[spookyseraphs]

supernatural and the x-files (specifically destiel and msr) parallels

this was intended to convert my spn friends to txf and my txf friends to spn and then it got out of hand. i got tired of finding sources for everything, so you’ll just have to trust me, i’m an expert on both subjects.

cas=scully

cas/scully's faith in god vs dean/mulder being non-believers (but believing in the other) (spn) (txf)

cas being the healer, scully being a doctor (spn) (txf)

cas is supposed to guard the michael sword but falls in love vs scully sent to debunk the x-files but falls in love (spn) (txf) 

cas and scully are both immortal (spn) (txf) (also)

cas/scully's families hate dean/mulder (spn) (txf)

cas/scully coming to believe in humanity/the paranormal (spn) (txf)

i'm an angel vs i'm a medical doctor (spn doesn’t have a compilation)   (txf)

they’re not like... the best drivers

hello dean vs mulder it’s me (spn) (txf)

dean=mulder

dean/mulder's fucked up fathers (spn) (txf)

dean/mulder's eldest child syndrome and their unhealthy need to protect their younger sibling (spn) (txf)

dean/mulder being the best in their respective fields (hunting and criminal profiling) and being well known for it

dean/mulder and their porn habits (spn) (txf)

no one has ever hated themselves the way dean and mulder hate themselves (spn) (txf)

dean and mulder both have issues with fire (spn) (txf)

both die, get buried, and then come back

sunflower seeds vs pie

also they both hate nazis (spn) (txf)

yellow fever vs war of the coprophages  (spn) (txf)

ship parallels

blue and green eyes (hazel is close enough)

for some reason theres a pizza man parallel? (spn) (pt 2) (txf) (pt 2)

mulder/krycek vs dean/crowley (spn) (txf) (also)

cas/hannah vs scully/pendrell (poor hannah and pendrell never stood a chance... and died)

also cas/scully get laid ONE TIME (april/ed jerse) and they almost die because of it and then never do it again (spn) (txf)

vs dean/mulder having plenty of love interests/hookups

cas/scully have never done anything wrong ever

dean/mulder... sigh... i love them... but they've made some questionable decisions (i'm looking at you mulder: fucking the vampire THE EP AFTER SCULLY'S ABDUCTION AND WHILE WEARING HER CROSS and dean, kicking cas out and locking jack in the ma’lak box?? really guys?) (spn) (txf)

creators who think their relationship is platonic despite everyone with eyes saying otherwise (spn) (txf)

also the way that neither were ever written or intended to be romantic

the fandoms were split heavily between shippers and non shippers 

they also both had to have scenes changed because they were being played too romantic

a kiss was cut from the episode memento mori and gillovny were always trying to hold hands (x)

jackles forever wanting to cradle misha's face and the cut i love you from the crypt scene (x)

just... gillovny vs cockles in general, i am not a real person shipper, HOWEVER they are both messy (spn) (txf)

their first meetings? iconic. chemistry? immaculate. dean/mulder are super defensive but tbh cas/scully fell in love at first sight (spn) (txf)

they also had no concept of personal space pretty much immediately (spn) (txf)

they have a baby (that has magic powers) together that they lose twice (jack dies and becomes god, william/jackson is adopted and then as far as they know he dies) (spn) (txf)

cas/scully also have a kind of kid (claire/emily) that dean/mulder are willing to co-parent regardless of the fact that they definitely aren't theirs (spn) (txf)

we get an i love you that still doesn't get taken seriously or make them canon (stuck in the middle (with you) and triangle) (spn) (txf)

dean keeping cas's trenchcoat vs mulder keeping scully's cross (spn) (txf)

they go absolutely batshit when the other is in danger or dies/is dying (spn) (txf)

they're also known and used by their enemies as each other's weaknesses (spn) (txf)

msr being mistaken as a couple vs every angel and demon cracking jokes about destiel being a couple (spn) (txf)

skinner and sam just off to the side looking frustrated while msr and destiel are having a couples moment (spn) (txf)

eating each others food (spn) (txf)

appreciating each others interests (spn) (and this one) (txf)

parallels except the roles are swapped

dreamland/small potatoes vs casifer, i just think scully/dean should have realized IMMEDIATELY (spn) (txf)

mulders fight the future speech vs cas's confession (spn) (txf)

they should have kissed and didn't

it almost ambiguously canonizes them both

AND THE SECRET TAPES, the most famous msr kiss isn't an actual canon kiss, it's a blooper of gillian and david making out in front of the camera (two different times) and it wasn't scripted it was literally just them messing around (x)

this is me manifesting jackles dropping the tapes and those tapes having the same energy

they just really love each other (spn) (txf)

non ship/general parallels

leyla harrison vs becky rosen being fandom stand ins (spn) (txf)

they were supposed to end on season 5

Good but bad (absolutely iconic) sci-fi shows

they both had two finales which both sucked

they shared soooo many cast and crew and both filmed in vancouver

they're such similar shows, motw/story episodes, the funny and serious episodes, dealing with the paranormal, they're basically siblings

also siblings in the way that they handle racism, misogyny and consent/rape/bodily autonomy

the supernatural book series vs the movie made about mulder and scully (spn) (txf)

mystery spot vs monday (spn) (txf)

tall tales vs bad blood  (spn) (txf)

 the benders vs home (spn) (txf)

why did both shows use live bees??? (spn) (txf)

the fbi's most wanted and the fbi's most unwanted (also everyone involved looks cute as fbi agents) (spn) (look how cute!) (txf) (cuties!!)

the syndicate vs heaven and the cigarette smoking man vs god

the bunker vs the basement office

every single side character on both shows deserved better!!! most of them literally didn't need to die!!! and i'm still angry!!!

the poor brothers adam milligan and charlie scully existing and then being literally forgotten about until the last season

the fandoms living for things cut from the scripts (spn) (txf)

team free will vs mulder, scully, and skinner

these ones are shippy, but more my opinion than factual

both pairs just keep getting traumatic events dumped on them for absolutely no reason

cas/scully both have major exasperated why do i love this man vibes

absolutely most iconic and slowest slow burn romances of all time and are just the longest games of will they/won't they, baiting, and were never INTENDED to be slow burns

they're always willing to die/kill for each other, however they WILL NOT talk about their feelings under any circumstances

in the field where i died, mulder says that he and scully have been around each other in past lives but never romantically and according to chuck, every other universe's castiel just pulled dean out of hell and listened to his orders

SO in these other lives/universes they were always linked to each other but only in this life/universe do they fall in love

the last seasons really fuck up my favorite characters

dean should not be that shitty to jack OR cas for that matter

and mulder shouldn't have left scully and william (and dearest dana?? DANA?)

and, controversial opinion, but cas/scully could do so much better and deserve so much better but dean/mulder... it's the best they'll ever get

HOWEVER, i feel like their love is MORE powerful BECAUSE cas/scully could do better but they don't want better or normal they want dean/mulder and they will fight to the death for it, it's not the easy choice, it's just what they want

and i say this with all the love in the world for both dean and mulder, but cas could have just followed his orders and returned to heaven like every other version of himself did. scully could have easily found a normal man to settle down and have 2.5 kids with. dean was always going to be stuck in chuck's plans, and mulder absolutely could not just go find a wife to settle down with.

cas/scully put up with SO MUCH SHIT from dean/mulder, while being ALWAYS FAITHFUL to them, it was never the easy option to love these men and stay by their sides, it was hard and they worked for it!!!

they’re both the greatest love story ever told, they tied

#spn #supernatural #destiel #deancas #txf #The X-Files #x files #msr #oops i guess the indented bullets don't work on mobile #anyway #i really spent two days doing this #making this made me really have to confront what is canon and what is fanon deeply ingrained in my mind #ALSO every msr moment is perfect when imagined as destiel #and vice versa #if i were smarter i'd write actual meta about this cause it was actually super interesting

[adhdeancas]

Do you have a list of your favorite season 1-3 episodes? I want to get into the first few seasons but I need something to latch onto

oh hell yeah!!! I love seasons 1-3 and as much as I love Cas I never skip over them when I rewatch. There are some real gems of episodes, awesome characters, cool monsters, and Essential Character Building and Family Drama that lets you get into the meat of the dumbass Winchesters

alright these are my picks with reasoning:

Season 1: 

1x01: Pilot - you gotta watch it. Fanfuckingtastic episode all around. ESSENTIAL

1x03: Dead in the Water - honestly i love this ep bc it shows Dean with kids and lets him talk about his trauma. sue me. not essential-essential

1x05: Bloody Mary - Awesome ep, cool monster. Sam backstory. 

1x06: Skin - fucking awesome episode!!! cool monster, good music

1x10: Scarecrow - Awsome!! fun lines, brother drama, cool monster, character entry

1x11: Faith - I know this is three in a row but these are amazing. Faith is your start into Really Hating John Winchester and is just... heartbreaking and good 

1x17: Hell House - not essential essential, it’s the ep that introduces the Ghost Facers and I love them and the monster concept

1x18: Something Wicked - Another Hate John Winchester his sons’ sakes heartbreaking good ep. Yes I know and yes i love it 

1x20-1x22 - These eps are just kind of essential for the Winchester Family Drama and also the Overarching plot. They’re pretty solid episodes too, and I do love the big bad

Season 2: 

2x01: In My Time Of Dying - you will need to watch this ep after the finale of the first season and you will not regret it. it will rip your heart out a little but what doesn’t in this show

2x02: Everybody Loves A Clown - Introduces you to Ellen and Jo and Ash!!!! Essential character growth/progression/tension! creepy ass monster. Dean looking hot in a carnie get-up

2x03: Bloodlust - introduces you to Gordon Walker. God i hate the guy but he is a really cool character

2x05: Simon Said - Introduces you to a fun-ass character and some essential Big Plot stuff. it’s funny and a little shocking

2x08: Crossroad Blues - introduces the Art of the Deal. talks about Robert Johnson which I’m a slut for.

2x10: Hunted - A great round of brother drama along with Big Plot. This ep just has a great rhythm and is really engaging no matter what you look for

2x12: Nightshifter - awesome episode, great musical cues, I believe it introduces you to the love of my life Victor Henrikson. Amazing minor character which Dean adores which I adore. pump it in my veins classic spn 

2x15: Tall Tales - Introduces you to another fun-ass character and has a ton of Suffering Bobby fathering his Bitchy Boys which is hilarious

2x17: Heart - a famous ep for a reason. a great MOTW story and some heartbreak thrown in 

2x18: Hollywood Babylon - a funny MOTW on a horror movie set. an even funnier ep if you know before hand that everything the Network Executive says in this ep is something the Network told SPN writers about SPN. not essential essential

2x19: Folsom Prison Blues - Another just fantastic episode. It’s got Dean inexplicably looking great in an orange jumpsuit and it’s just good.

2x20: What is and What Should Never Be - GOD I HAVE WATCHED THIS EP SO MANY TIMES. it breaks my fucking heart but it’s soooo good

2x21-2x22: Essential end of the season episodes you need for the plot, they also bang really hard. 

Season 3: 

3x01: The Magnificent Seven - it’s got cool demons, it’s got you finding stuff out and brother drama because of that, it’s good

3x03: Bad Day at Black Rock - Introduces you to Bela! who i think is pretty sick. also a funny ep

3x07: Fresh Blood - the follow up to Gordon Walker. A good ep, lots of tension, it’s classic spn to me 

3x08: A Supernatural Christmas - the epitome of classic spn. a funny MOTW ep wrapped up in Christmas wrapped up in sadness

3x10: Dream A Little Dream of Me - you need to watch this episode for Dean’s character development. I don’t know how many times I’ve watched it but due to mental illness gee it might be my most watched. GOOD EP

3x11: Mystery Spot - a CLASSIC spn episode you say? a funny MOTW ep wrapped up in Groundhog Day wrapped up in sadness

3x12: Jus in Bello - I LOVE THIS EPISODE. walking legend victor henrikson (having a little bi moment with dean), ruby, awesome stakes, shock and awe and fun and sadness

3x13: Ghostfacers - remember how I said I love Ghostfacers?? shows how much the winchesters would cuss if they weren’t on the CW/WB. essential viewing for the line :

3x15: Time is on My Side - gives you essential character info about Bela which i AM STILL MAD ABOUT bc Sam and Dean never find out and really amps up the suspense in a way I love

3x16: In My Time of Dying - this is a good episode. this episode will punch you in the gut. yes i’m sorry yes you must go through it welcome

(^^ in case you didn’t know, season 3 only has 16 episodes because there was a writers’ strike around this time and they couldn’t finish the season without writers!! which led to them finishing the season early and then bringing Cas in because they didn’t know what else to do! talk about divine intervention, hell yes to unions)

#ask #anon #episode recs #seasons 1-3 #i speak

[prairiedust]

The Further Folklore of Supernatural

Here’s a little more folklore meta in light of how season 15 has been playing out if anyone is game. I genuinely thought that Moriah would be the end of the folklore stuff and tossed out “Folk the Author” as an “epilogue,” so this is probably less of an addendum than it is a waymarker as I try to continue to parse these themes into the last seven episodes.

Welp. *waves hands at everything* THIS is not how anyone expected 2020 to go. Things got a little bit big and I stopped thinking about Spn in light of needing that energy elsewhere. But I also don’t want this crapfest to ruin how I fan my favorite show, so here I go again. I will attempt a TL;DR, too!

If you’ve read my old “folklore” analysis here about how I think fairy tales and all their baggage fit into Supernatural season 14, you know that I believe Castiel has stepped into a Sleeping Beauty type story, and that coincidentally a few themes and symbolism from Snow White kept popping up around Dean. (I hold Sam to be a Protagonist in the modern “literary fiction” sense of the word, but emotionally, thematically, and narratively he’s always been a little inaccessible to me. I finally understood him when the death-of-the-author plot surfaced, and I’ll get to Sam eventually here. And Jack, there’s a little Jack in here, too.) 

If you would rather have the TL;DR than read several thousands of words about how folklore and myth *might* be abstractly connected to an American genre show, all I can say is that I tried. The textual support is all in the folklore posts. This is as succinct a summary as I could fabricate. At least I’m not gonna talk about Sam and bricolage and freeplay! This is an almost completely theory-free post! If you don’t want to read or don’t need a refresher and just want to know how this has been working in 15, you can scroll down to “END OF TL;DR”.

So, to catch up, I’m not talking about the folklore and mythology that this show has always relied on for plot and MOTWs. I wasn’t drilling down into urban legends like Hook Man or world folk monsters like shtrigas or pishtacos. By “folklore” I mean the study of storytelling tropes and tale types that have been with us for ages. One of the many subtexts of the end of the series. I’ve been tracking this because I think it’s fun to see how fairy tale imagery and mythology might layer preconscious suggestions into the text of the show. I personally think it was loud enough to be seen easily, but more than likely viewers felt unsettled, felt cheered, or felt like they knew what was coming? I’m curious to know. Anyway.

When we found out that Kelly Kline was going to name her baby “Jack” waaaaay back in season 12, things started chiming. Jack and the Beanstalk. Jack the Giant Killer. Jack Tales. Jack is a powerful Western character, sort of a cross between a noble hero and a trickster, featuring in stories that often blur lines and boundaries. He is both the poor man’s youngest son and the equal to King Arthur’s heir. Jack is both everyman and extraordinary. Jack is so cool, I wish I had more time to parse that but his qualities are not subtle in the text/subtext, anyway.

But back to my half-crack reading of seasons 14 and 15. 

Once upon a time in Supernatural, there were two fairy tales being told. Both fairy tales are found all over the world and in many forms, but they all can be grouped together because they all contain shared elements of the same basic plot or shared themes, and these two in particular are sister stories. So when I mention “Sleeping Beauty,” I’m talking about lots of different versions of the folk tale, and the same for “Snow White,” which can be found in one form or another in storytelling traditions all over the place. It is both helpful and irritating that these are both Disney movies, too.

Jack makes an allusion to Sleeping Beauty in 14x03 The Scar while talking to Castiel-- it’s the kind of subtextual flash that in and of itself means little and proves nothing, but then beginning with The Scar we got three stories in a row that dealt with “sleepers” of some sort-- Lora in 14x03 doomed to die because of a witch’s spell, Stuart in 14x04 Mint Condition in a coma because of a ghost attack, and Sasha’s father in 14x05 Nightmare Logic under the spell of a clever djinn. It’s powerful subtext, like a soft light that bathes these episodes in the color of fairy tale and makes Jack’s Dramatic Swoon at the end of Optimism all the more Dramatic-- subtext amplifying the plot. Jack goes to Heaven, but is eventually cornered by the Shadow, who wants him in the Empty where he will sleep forever-- the Shadow being an entity who has claimed the husks of dead angels since their inception and thus implies a “curse” laid on Jack from the moment he came into being-- but Castiel, who is ever a thief in oh so many ways, makes a bargain with the Shadow and essentially takes over the consequences of Jack’s Sleeping Beauty story (hence my rarely used but hilarious tag “Castiel Thief of Endings.”)

Now that we know from 14x20 Moriah that the Shadow and Billie the Reaper are, if not allies, at least working together when Jack is awakened in the Empty, does that mean that Castiel’s deal is still on the table, or has that fate been thwarted? *pounds table* Was Jack’s death and Chuck’s rise as a “greater threat” in 14x20 enough to shift Castiel’s ending? It’s the kind of subtextual question that lends tension to the narrative and it’s what I am here for. 

Well, speaking of thwarted expectations, Dean’s arc was being shadowed by a Snow White tale type. We all know Snow White but why don’t I sum it up anyway, since Disney messed up the folktale ending lol. Snow White is cast out of her home by her jealous stepmother (and echoes of the stepmother’s magic mirror show up in 15x02 Gods and Monsters) who sends her huntsman to kill her; the dude can’t do it and turns the girl loose in the forest instead. Snow White joins a band of outsiders who live in the forest-- in the Disney movie and the Grimms’ tale they are dwarfs, in some versions she happens upon a band of robbers-- and they love her very much and we presume she’s safe for the rest of her life; Michael mysteriously turns Dean loose to join Sam’s gathering of hunters, however we know, like Stepmom, Michael is still out there. The stepmother finds out that Snow White is actually alive and contrives to kill her herself. Eventually succeeding, Snow White appears to die and is usually laid to rest in a crystal casket/glass coffin. Her stepmother’s machinations have _stolen her agency_ (further paralleling Dean’s possession by AU!Michael.) A Handsome Prince stumbles upon Snow White, is besmitten with her, and he asks her protectors if he can have her, as one does. Leaving the Disney adaptation aside, Snow White awakens when whatever item that has caused her death-like state is dislodged (piece of apple in her throat) or removed (magic corset) or withdrawn (poisoned hairpin) by her protectors. Snow White is a story about the community of the dwarves of band of robbers or adopted family caring deeply for her, and when Dean starts making his own crystal casket, the ma’lak box, in which he will ride out eternity in tormented symbiosis with Apocalypse Michael, he has to rely on his family to help him see the plan through. However, here’s where Jack-- who is as much a chaos engine as his surrogate father Castiel if not more so-- steps in and ruins the ending. Jack smites Michael. Dean Winchester is saved. Again. To put the final nail in the coffin, so to speak, Jack later destroys the ma’lek box entirely. 

That was quite the surprise ending… for one of the stories.

Was the end of season 14 the end of the Sleeping Beauty theme, also?

END OF TL;DR

I quit writing about “folklore” for a while, but that doesn’t mean it stopped being a theme. It just stopped being fun to write about as the story got more and more dark, and when it transmuted into two parallel themes of “folklore” or storytelling by the people versus Death of the Author--or storytelling by a lauded authority-- and there was so much angst about the boundaries of Chuck’s powers, I just wanted to sit back and enjoy that. I did distill my thoughts about Sam’s new arc in the DotA plot, which I thought would subsume the folktale themes but hey, we still have folktales around, too. I mean, we have Sam and we have Dean, and we have two “literary” subtexts, or maybe rather two subjects about the nature of story, something that I thought was a little bit of a surprise.

Storytelling was a Feature of 15x07 Last Call, both in the sense that Lee and Dean swap new stories and tell old tales of their adventures together as they catch up, but also in the sense that we got additional “text”-- hints of a backstory where John and Dean hunted with Lee in that swampy long-ago “Stanford era,” and again we get storytelling when _Lee recounts how he ended up keeping a marid in his basement_. There is also an allusion to the Thousand and One Arabian Nights in that episode that I yelled about in a meta that I never put on the interwebs, but the “marid” is in a specific tale in many editions of that collection, and thus calls in not only a different folktale tradition but the concept of a framed/nested narrative, which I believe will be important to understanding the last episodes of the series, but that’s an aside. In 15x08 Our Father Who Aren’t In Heaven, Castiel _tells Michael the story_ of how everyone ended up where they are now to convince him to help. And Michael and Adam’s allyship, if not friendship, was probably the best subversion of any “storytelling” expectation we’ve ever had on this show. Belphagor set us up for “room full of crazy” or something, but, no. We got symbiosis. 

That almost sums up how I’ve been viewing the last “era” of spn. This wasn’t in the master post, but I shouted a lot about underworlds before 15x09 Purgatory 2: Return to Purgatory, and then stopped shouting because I had to ferment for a while. Also, as has been mentioned, the world turned to crap. But talking to other meta writers during the ramp up to the resumption of the season helped me realize just why this reading of myth to folktales to literature feels so right.

Underworlds and Otherworlds…. Everybody has crossed into an “underworld” or three in Supernatural, it’s really nbd. It was actually surface-level plot in season 13. By the time 15x09 rolled around, our heroes are just, like, strolling in and out of “sealed off” Hell after doing a level one spell and chilling with Billie in the Empty and even that Purgatory trip didn’t have the same feeling of danger that, say, crossing into the AU did. But also, we’re at the point where subtext is leading us to a _satisfactory_ ending. Where before we had serial text, like a cumulative tale type-- “The House that Jack Built”-- which just kept adding more and more plot, we’re hurtling o’er the apex of Freytag’s pyramid now and things are getting loud.

But they’re also getting very shifty.

I wrote a little bit about Sam Winchester successfully reviving Eileen in 15x06 Golden Time and the “Orpheus and Eurydice” symbolism of him keeping his back to her. (I’m not linking it because it’s so, so rough.) But because Sam is not an underworld hero, not completely-- I see him as a modern Protagonist coming to terms in a psychoanalytical model with things like mortality, fallibility, and mastery-- maybe bildungsroman, even -- he was able to subvert the tragic ending of the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice because it is not “his” story. But if I were pressed to find a mythic or folk tale type to measure Sam against, I could. I would probably sideye “the sorcerer’s apprentice” trope (ATU 325-The Magician and his Pupil :D ) which began as a poem that entered European folklore on different fronts. (and weirdly, that story was also Disnified in Fantasia. That’s probably more my own limitation as a gen x american lol than anything coming from the writer’s room.)

Dean got his moment in Purgatory where he was able to finally come to grips with his anger and heal the rift between himself and Castiel because Purgatory is a different kind of underworld. Dean is a successful threshold-crosser, having crossed that boundary out of Purgatory before, but in 15x09, his prayer to Castiel is all a subtextual evocation of doing the emotional and mental work of therapy, which Sam, as a modern protagonist, is usually caught up in. The mythic hero also deals with mortality, failibilty, and mastery, but in different terms. I hope I’m doing an okay job peeling apart these nuances that I’m seeing.

Since Castiel accompanied Dean to Purgatory, and in the past made his own wildly successful incursion into and out of Hell with Dean’s soul, and was the one in The Trap who actually retrieved the Leviathan blossom, Castiel counts as an underworld hero, too, but you can pull the lever and send the tumblers spinning again and make him a fairy tale character in that he has made this Bargain with the Empty which is both in the “modern” tradition of subverting a fairy tale, and the tale type “deal with the devil.” Or he could be seen as a modern protagonist in that he’s lowkey grappling with questions of selfhood and identification. “I am an angel of the lord.” “I am no one.” “It’s Steve, now.” “You are nothing.” “I am an angel.”

We even got an episode that playfully explored the concept of “hero” by subverting our expectations (Sam and Dean were rescued by, of all people, an upgraded Garth.) It was called The Hero’s Journey, after the Joseph Campbell book about mythic heroes.... !!! Like, what??? !!!! I didn’t even have anything to say about that episode, it just rocked. The “meta” was just all out there in plot, like the olives and boiled eggs in a 1950’s gelatin recipe. 

Some of this slipperiness in the subtext points right at the study of folklore and the (admittedly Eurocentric at first) efforts to transform a “soft science” into something approaching scientific rigor. The Aarne-Thompson-Uther folktale index is today a codifying or cataloguing tool, with which anthropologists and literature scholars can line up stories based on the motifs found within them-- it is useful for cataloguing tales, making comparative studies, and for trying to trace these stories back through human history to find the One First Story of that type, for instance the ur-story that led to Snow White. When did people first start telling that tale, where, how did it spread, and why are we still telling it today? The danger in using the ATU index is that by stripping a story down to it’s bones, we lose the story, if that makes sense. The beauty of using the ATU index is that you find many, many more interconnected stories. It’s sort of a paradox. Some scholars criticize the ATU, claiming that one could take a random selection of these motifs and shuffle them to create a story and, you sort of could? That’s the beauty of the system. 

So that brings us to Jack. I feel like Jack, as in Jack of all Trades, is anything that the narrative needs him to be. As far as I can find, “Jack” is not a “tale type.” He shows up alongside any number of them-- sometimes as a trickster, sometimes as a hero, almost always as a kind of slippery character. In the first folklore post, I invested many words in exploring Dabb’s obsession with threes-- AU Michael asks three beings what they desire, asks his human victim to guess his name three times, then we follow three sleeper stories, and so on. The original TFW was three people. But Jack makes four. 

What is Jack’s story going to be?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

And speaking for a sec about the origins of myth and folklore-- what about ALL OF THE OTHER PEOPLE in the world? Are they lowkey churning the matrix of reality on their own and generating their own content, like Becky and her AO3 stories and mackettes? 

*¯\_(ツ)_/¯ intensifies*

It all just feels so good at this point, even the peril that I feel surrounding Castiel.

I *think* this will be the last of the longform metas before the end of the series. I mean, I can only hope so. I’ll drop some stuff about individual episodes that might be applicable as I rewatch, and I might clean up my post about Last Call and drop it on here, but I just wanted to kind of hold this up as a mile marker before the Final Seven air.

#the folklore of supernatural #idk even what to tag this