I'm loving everything about this!!!! And I might use this for inspo someday...
And tagging: @morallygreyintrovert @nezyy78 @imaginaryprotagonist @gremlinpeaches @peachyhalloween @vannythedragon and anyone else who wants to participate!
i really hate the way the "boobs vs butt" thing got broken down into this implicit idea that butt is the nobler stance. it's really stupid. personally im a woman guy. [realizes how that sounds] [purses my lips in thought] [nods confidently] im a woman guy
Okay can I just bring attention to the last gif? At this point Castiel is using Jimmy’s daughter as a vessel and he does one of the most comforting, human gestures; he runs his hand through his hair. This is Castiel, an angel that doesn’t understand references or gestures and can only just about handle “normal” communication and as Jimmy is dying, he runs a hand through his hair. I really think Castiel grew attached to Jimmy while using him as a vessel, because I don’t think we’ve ever seen Castiel do something so earnest in an attempt to comfort.
Sam had psychic visions, but Dean had a superpower too. I'm rewatching Supernatural (for the billionth time) in a hurry before it leaves Netflix and something is really sticking out to me this time around. Walk with me.
Throughout the series, we witness numerous situations where Dean has every reason to believe something is fine > his intuition warns him that something is off > Sam (who many fans and even maybe the writers say is the smarter brother) may even try to convince him that he's wrong > instead of dismissing it, Dean goes with his gut and turns out to be right:
At the end of S1E1, we see Dean drop Sam off at his apartment and drive away. Sam goes inside and lays down, under the impression that Jessica is in the shower and everything is normal. Even from inside the house and the bedroom, everything seems okay and that's why Sam isn't on alert. Until he opens his eyes and... RIP Jessica. The house begins to go up in flames and Dean kicks in the door to get to Sam. There's a deleted scene that shows Dean turned the car around because he noticed that his watch had stopped and that alerted him enough to turn the car around, but in the official final cut of the show, all the audience knows is that something made Dean come back for his brother. We aren't shown what it is. He just knew something was wrong and he needed to get to his brother. If Dean hadn't gone back, Sam probably would have died in the fire with Jessica.
In S1E3, the sheriff threatens Sam and Dean with charges for impersonating wildlife service officials if they don't leave town that night and never "darken his doorstep again." The brothers insist that they're trying to help, but ultimately leave the sheriff's office like 'ok damn say less we don't want to go to jail.' They literally pack up all their things into the Impala, check out of the motel, and head for the highway to leave town. The light is green, but Dean can't bring himself to pull off. Sam has to bring the green light to Dean's attention, then when he does turn, it's away from the interstate and back into town. Sam (the voice of reason between the two of them) tries to convince him that the job is over, the case is closed, Peter's spirit got what it wanted, and it's done. Dean counters with the possibility that they missed something, the spirit isn't at rest, and more people could get hurt. He explains that Lucas seemed really scared, but Sam saw how scared he was too and still didn't think it was reason enough to turn back. Not only did Dean know the spirit wasn't at rest, he knew to go straight to Lucas and Andrea's house. Not go check into another hotel to stay for another night and check on them in the morning. Dean drove straight to their door. Sure enough, Sam and Dean arrive just in time to save Andrea. They reiterate to the sheriff that something in the lake is killing people and it won't stop coming for his family if he doesn't let them help. Sheriff sacrifices himself to save Lucas. Dean saves Lucas from drowning. The day is saved.
In S1E22, Sam, Dean, and John are in the room. Dean is talking about how it scared him that he killed a man without hesitating (he is clearly having a vulnerable moment where reassurance is needed) and John tells him "You did good." That's something Dean has probably been wanting to hear from his callous father his entire life (Jensen's acting choice with the lump in his throat was a very subtle way of acknowledging this). He could have easily gotten caught up in the validation he's been hungry for, but NO. Instead of falling for it, Dean thinks critically. [QUICK JACKLES PROPS: this sequence is so masterfully acted by Jensen Ackles. Do you know how lesser actors would have played that script? He could have gotten all teary-eyed on the "You're not mad?", completely buying into it at first and then catching on as the dialogue continues. Not Jensen.] Dean is onto him immediately, even though he's not sure exactly what's wrong right away as he asks John if he's mad. It's as if Dean's body knows it already and Dean's mind is just catching up by asking clarifying questions. "You're not mad?" "Wasted a bullet." And I've seen some people in the fandom say that this goes to show how cruel John was and that's what made it so obvious that John was possessed by Azazel. Good point. HOWEVER, Sam is also in the room! Sam is hearing everything and seeing every facial expression possessed John is making and seems to suspect nothing. Then possessed John praises Dean even more by saying he has always looked out for the family. This compliment might've been the nail in the coffin (moreso than 'you did good' or 'I'm proud of you' because John has always taken all the credit for protecting the family) for Dean because he looks around the room and looks back at John LIKE THIS:
DOES THAT LOOK LIKE A MAN WHO'S BUYING YOUR BULLSHIT? But he seems to doubt himself and says thanks. Then a storm starts rushing in and John tells Dean to give him the gun. Dean gets it out of his pocket to obey the direct order, but something stops him. He backs up and explains that he knows John would be furious that he wasted a bullet for the Colt, not proud and "He'd tear me a new one." Then he aims and cocks the gun. "You're not my dad." Possessed John gaslights Dean, but he stands firm. Sam re-enters the room and he's obviously shocked that his brother is holding his dad at gunpoint. I had forgotten how long it takes for Sam to be convinced that Dean is right. There's a lot of dialogue and even when it comes to an end, Sam still isn't fully sure which side to take - literally looking back and forth between John and Dean. He's torn. Then he ultimately trusts Dean's gut and Azazel reveals himself.
My point is, Dean repeatedly knew something was truly wrong in the exact same situations where Sam the Psychic was skeptical. Dean had a special ability of his own: discernment. His abilities just manifest differently than Sam's. His psychic visions tell him what he needs to know, and Dean's internal alarm goes off in the form of gut feelings. These were only a few examples from S1, but I can revisit more examples throughout the series if you guys enjoyed this one. One example I was thinking of is Dean's betrayal arc with Cas in S6, but this post took two hours to make as it is so I'm done for the day. If I get enough engagement on this post, that analysis will be next!