#destiel speculation

[sourtimesmachine]

The Big Sleep

Okay folks, here’s my long speculation for the end of the series RE: Destiel

I wanted to get this out there before anything else comes from set as they film the final episodes. This is based on a combination of unofficial set/actor/etc. info (which, always, taken with a grain of salt) and just logically what I see following through on themes and character.

Putting under a cut in case folks don’t want to see spec, and there are some spoilers (which have been out for months, generally— but I’ll warn specifically (*****) when these are coming up and make them easily skippable— the spec stands with out or without them).

So, picking up on the positive note of 15x09 and the resolution of their immediate conflict, I think Dean and Cas will be on something of an upswing for the next few episodes. Dean has forgiven Cas for his role (however misguided Dean’s perception of the situation may have been) in Mary’s death and Jack’s fall. Cas has forgiven Dean for letting his anger get the better of him and betraying Jack. And Jack getting his soul back will be another important step toward healing from this for all of them.

However, they have not resolved the deeper issues at the core of this conflict, which have been driving them apart for the better part of a decade. Dean and Cas, still, have not fully addressed the following:

(1) Castiel’s history of withholding information and trying to solve everything on his own (guilt/penance/redemption)

(2) Dean’s fear that Castiel will leave him (everyone he loves dies/leaves, he is poison) 

(3) Castiel’s belief that he is only needed, not wanted (he has no place unless he is useful)

(4) What I’ll call a misalignment of wins (Castiel’s win: solving X problem for Dean; Dean’s win: Castiel is alive); which is linked to all of the above

No matter how positive things seem between them in the coming episodes, Dean and Cas can not reach the end of their individual or interpersonal arcs until these issues are dealt with, or they are doomed to cycle through the same mistakes forever. This is demonstrated very quickly by 15x12 and 15x13— even after their big, heartfelt make up, we saw Cas falling right back into old patterns. In 15x12, Dean and Cas have their moment of peace together and cheers to being “right”, but it’s all wrong— Cas believes his win was being right about Jack, putting his faith in yet another hail mary to save the world, and rather than question their newfound peace Dean goes with it. And in 15x13, Cas goes to the Empty in another risky, self-sacrificing move the minute Dean leaves in order to be useful (more on this moment later).

They will continue these patterns, until the wrong choices build and they are left with only one option to save each other— TELL THE TRUTH (Hey, remember in the 14 finale when Jack pinpointed lying as the source of all their problems and put the whole world under a truth spell? And how Dean and Cas were kept apart very obviously until it was lifted?). It will all come down to the last big lie Castiel told, or rather didn’t tell: his omission of the Empty deal, of course.

******Ok, now, if you don’t want to read any spoilers and just want the spec, scroll down to the next bolded asterisks******

Before you read further, be warned about a spoiler from set that I haven’t seen many people discuss. I don’t have the link, it’s something that was leaked in back March I think (if anyone has the source, please let me know!) So of course the information is sketchy and don’t take this as gospel at all. The later spec stands without this detail, but I’m including it anyway for more context.

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So, earlier this year it was allegedly leaked (again, dubious at best, and please if someone has the source let me know) that Cas would tell Dean about his feelings, and Dean would reject him. And, wow, is that the worst thing that could actually happen on this show. Talk about insult to injury for every single Destiel fan out there (it’s like, confirming it and no homo-ing all at once… yikes). And we all know already based on comments from Misha and Jensen that they filmed an incredibly emotional scene for 15x18, which left them both drained well into the convention. Given every horrible thing they’ve had to film on this show, it must have been something pretty big to get such a reaction from everyone. A death scene like no other, perhaps. Or a heartbreak.

Here’s the deal. I think Dean and Cas will be happy over the next few episodes, at least with each other. And I think it will make Jack nervous. Jack, with his newly restored soul, will also feel guilty for his part in Cas’s deal, and for continuing to lie to Sam and Dean about it— especially after he experienced the Empty firsthand and got an idea of what Cas is in for. The circumstances may vary but Jack will crack, eventually, and tell Dean about the deal. This will happen sometime before 15x18, Despair.

Not sure the circumstances, again, but in 15x18 Castiel will be driven to tell Dean that he loves him. Maybe a moment of desperation, or finally feeling like they are on well enough terms to be honest with each other — I am inclined to think the reason will not be positive, and that Castiel will be at a very low point when he comes clean to Dean about his feelings. But Dean, knowing about the Empty deal, will be forced to reject him to save him.

The Empty, feeling cheated, will come to Cas anyway and make him an offer: come with me now, and end your suffering. 13x04 speech redux — you’re not needed, I know what you fear and it just came true. Giant depression metaphor strikes again and all that. Cas will accept. Dean won’t know.

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*****Ok, you’re safe! Just spec from here.******

Clean TL;DR from above: Whatever the circumstances, I think Cas will get taken by the Empty before the last two episodes.

In 15x19, everything will come to a head with Chuck— Sam, Jack, Michael, et al— things are going to go down without Cas, who is off the board as the player Chuck always ignored anyway. 

I can see this going one of two ways, to be honest, depending on the timing of when Dean finds out Cas is dead. Either they solve the Chuck problem first, and Dean spends 15x20 saving Cas, or Dean lets Sam and Jack take the reins in fighting Chuck while Dean journeys to the Empty, nebulously still in 15x19/20, and then together they all defeat him after Dean returns with Cas (I think the second makes more sense— it’s been hinted all season that Cas is Chuck’s blind spot and will be key to defeating him, and nicely ties in with Sam’s leader arc... similar to 12x22).

Either way, the final leg of Dean and Castiel’s story will be Dean journeying to the Empty to save Cas. A mirror of their beginning, when Castiel pulled the righteous man from perdition, but a mirror in circumstance only. They have been shaped by everything they’ve gone through since that moment in Hell, the men they have become and the bond they’ve formed, and this will make all the difference. 

This will be their final chance to tell the truth. Only by doing so will Dean be able to convince Cas to come back with him.

(1) You aren’t in this alone.

(2) Please stay with me.

(3) You are wanted, no matter what you can do (side note, but I think Cas will have to go back as a human).

(4) You are my win.

I love you.

Cas needs to hear these things. Their miscommunication has been made clear over and over again, and no matter how close Dean has gotten to saying what he truly means it has never been enough. The narrative is practically screaming this at us. And yes, I think the ball is in Dean’s court to begin the process of healing between them— Castiel needs to make changes too, but he can’t until he understands how Dean feels. Castiel is not the one who has never been able to say I love you to Dean. 

The truth will set them free— from themselves, from the Empty, and from Chuck. A new beginning. 

On that note, I’m going to take a brief side bar to bring up something kind of random, which had been scratching at the back of my mind forever until it finally fell into place with this spec. Let’s bring things back to season 14, episode 14, Ouroboros.

The Ouroboros— the snake endlessly consumes itself; we are doomed to the same path forever. Whatever choices you make, whatever details you alter, we will always end up—here (5x04). It turns out that we're just hamsters running in a wheel our whole lives (15x02). What's round and bad-tempered? A vicious circle (15x06).

The Gorgon— the all-seeing villain with a blind spot for angels and a penchant for paralysis, offers a grim choice: kill what you love, or let the thing you hate take it from you. Boil the egg, or let the snake eat it. Kill your brother, or let God end it all. Destroy Castiel, or let the Empty take him. What you love dies either way.

The twin sleep— Castiel, pulled under by a toxic kiss (love turns to dark). Dean, incapacitated by the demons in his own head (desires long suppressed).

Photo source: Home of the Nutty 

(Worth noting secondary instances of the twin sleep: 13x05. Dean, deep in grief, uses Dr. Robert’s syringes to enter the Veil. He does so under the guise of retrieving information on the ghosts, but an encounter with Death reveals what he’d feared— he did not care to return to the living. 15x13. Castiel, still intent on being of use, uses Jack to enter the Empty. He does so under the guise of retrieving information from Ruby, but an encounter with the Entity reveals what he’d feared— he is not needed after all. Dean is sent back; Cas is pulled back.)

Dean and Castiel have been stuck in an Ouroboros of their own making for a decade. Only the truth will break them free of it. Only the truth will save what they love. Only the truth will wake them from their final sleep.

Dean will pull Cas back from the Empty, together defeating Cas’s Depression and Dean’s Repression (the real big bads of Supernatural, if you ask me). Finally freed, they will be able to join their family and defeat Chuck, a united front.

So there we have it, my endgame spec. There is honestly SO much more to say, and so many more parallels to draw and themes to bring up that feed into all of this (almost like there’s fifteen years of content to sift through…) but this post is already so very long.

Obviously, the end— defeating or reconciling with Chuck, riding off into the sunset, all of that— will be so much more than just Dean and Cas. Everyone will have their part to play, and interpersonal arcs to finish together outside of Destiel. The last episodes, as I see it, will focus on their family and endgame resolutions for all of them, with a hopeful eye toward the future. But the narrative has built to a breaking point— none of that can happen (without many a narrative betrayal, anyway) if these issues of the heart are not resolved, one way or another.

Clown masks on.

[updeans]

ok but hear me out

dean and cas are in purgatory, they're on the clock, running out of time. something happens. they didn't have time to talk, not really; so when they're both hurt pretty bad, dean starts panicking. rowena warned them and they should've listened. he's hurt, but he grabs cas, determined to pull them both out of that place asap.

they can't make it, not in this shape. but they also have to bring the ingredient back to the bunker, have to stop chuck. they finally look at each other, really look at each other for the first time in months.

and cas, with determination in his eyes, heals dean and collapses.

dean is immediately with him on the ground, holding him, whispering urgently. no, no. cas, dammit. cas holds out his hand, as if trying to heal himself, but nothing happens. realization dawns on dean's face. he's going to die here. cas just looks up at him. dean, he says, but dean shushes him. don't talk, don't strain yourself. cas, we're leaving here, both of us, I'll carry you if I need to, he says, strain in his voice, but cas just coughs and shakes his head. he's too weak. dean, he manages to choke out. go.

dean is shaky. no, not again, you son of a bitch, I'm not leaving here without you, no, cas, please--

there's barely any time left on the clock. he needs to go, but he can't bring himself to leave. cas just says his name again, desperate, like he wants to say something. and dean gets it, he does, because the words are stuck in his own throat. he swallows through the tears in his eyes. it's okay, you're okay, we're okay, he just says. cas' eyes are burning into him... until they're not.

dean holds him as long as he can. he has to force himself to leave.

back at the bunker, he's still in shock. he gets a moment to himself in his room. as he sits on the bed, the reality of the situation hits him. the things that happened, the things left unsaid. he starts praying.

cas, he whispers, even though he can't hear him; he's gone. but dean has to say something. so he does, and he says everything that weighs on him. you're gone, he says, and we were not okay, and it's my fault.

I doubted you, he says. I didn't know what was real. if we were real. but this feels real, too damn real, and it hurts. I never wanted you dead, cas. I can't stand the thought of you being dead.

I love you. please, come back to me.

the words echo in the blackness of the empty and cas opens his eyes.

[misha-moose-dean-burger-lover]

Jack misunderstands what Valentine's Day is for and gets gifts for all 3 of his dads

Cas, Sam and Dean wait for Jack in the kitchen, sitting around the kitchen table. He's summoned them here, but now he's nowhere to be seen.

"What do you guys think this is about?" Sam wonders out loud, taking a sip from his beer.

"I only hope this isn't about Billie." Cas answers, gravely. "I don't want her to ask him to do any more than he already is." Sam nods, sympathizing.

"I was thinking more of a forced birds-and-bees talk." Dean muses, and the other two turn to give him a coordinated look of judgement. "What? It's happened before."

"Perfect." Sam glares at him. "Now that's all any of us are going to able to think about, when he comes in."

"S'not my fault," Dean shrugs. Cas just stays frozen, possibly horrified.

And then, Jack does come in. He carries in his arms, three large wrapped bundles. One of them looks like a box, the other two are definitely shapeless under the pink-hearts wrapping paper.

"Hello." He waves, putting the three things on the counter, and turning around to face them.

"Where the hell did you get wrapping paper?" Is Dean's first question, which is a little suspicion-provoking, but Sam and Cas are too occupied right now.

"What's this?" Cas asks, serious.

"Well." Jack beams at them, spreading his arms. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

There's a pause.

"Valentine's -" Sam repeats, incredulously. That's just ridiculous. Why would Jack buy them gifts for Valentine's? In all seriousness, he's like their son.

"Valentine's isn't for us, Jack." Cas blinks.

"Of course it is." Jack sounds like he believes the rest of them are trying to be funny. "I'd like you all to know that I love you!" He adds, as if it's the correct way to go about it.

"We love you too," Dean waves his hand in the air, dismissively. "But that kinda love isn't grounds for Valentine's gifts!"

"It -" Jack falters. "It isn't?"

Sam shakes his head. "Why did you think it was?"

"I'd gone shopping for, uh, Dean - and Megan at the cashcounter told me Valentine's day was when we told the people we loved, that we love them." Jack explains, earnestly. "And that made sense to me, so I thought of -"

"Oh, Jack." Castiel sighs, but it's a happy one, and then he's getting up and walking to his son, and Jack hugs him himself. "That's very sweet of you."

"It is," Dean agrees. "But this day's for the romantic kind of love, okay? It's for couples, and to be fair, highschool couples."

Sam gives him a look.

"What?" Dean snaps at him.

"As if you don't celebrate it every year." Sam rolls his eyes, unaffected by Dean's comment.

"I don't!" Dean recoils, probably over-defensive.

"Yeah, yeah. Tell that to someone who hasn't lived with you all their life." Sam frowns, turning back to Jack. "In fact, you know what, Jack? Let's do this. I'm going to show you how people actually celebrate this day."

"Sam, I don't think I want Jack going on a date -" Cas immediately begins, and Sam cuts him off.

"Of course not. He's hardly three, Cas. But I think he's old enough to witness you two celebrating Valentine's." Sam adds, smug, eyes shifting between Dean and Cas.

Dean instantly starts to blush. "W-what? That's fucking ridiculous. I -"

"I agree." Cas says, slowly, and Dean stops mid-sentence.

"You agree?" He turns to Cas.

As simple as that, Cas nods. "Jack should know, Dean. And obviously, Sam already knows."

"What should I know?" Jack pipes up, but Dean ignores him.

"It wasn't obvious until one frigging minute ago -" He says, starting to get agitated.

"It was always obvious." Sam says quietly, and Dean scoffs at him, for lack of a better response.

"Dean." Cas begins, in a more soft voice. "I'd like to give you your gift here. In front of our family. If you don't want to, it's okay -"

"Like hell I don't want to," Dean swears, scrubbing his face with his hand. Castiel's pleasantly surprised, and Sam does a double take. "I want to get this out with too, Cas. I've been thinking about it a lot."

Sam looks like he's about to choke on air.

"It's just -" Dean goes on, sheepishly. "If I'd had known this gift-giving was going to be - uh, in front of Sammy and the kid this time, I would've gotten you something else."

Cas melts into a smile.

Sam snorts, with the most exaggerated eyeroll yet. "Jerk, I swear if you're still doing those free-foot-massage-coupons thingy, I'm going to -"

"It's not a fucking massage, okay?" Dean throws back, reddening in the face, and then Sam stares at him for a moment, and then he looks at Cas - and the pink in his cheeks, as he smiles, and then it clicks in his head.

"Wow. Shit." He breathes out, inaudible. "I thought I was ready, I really did - but I'm really not. Whoa."

He looks like he might throw up this time, and somehow, that alleviates some of Dean's panic.

"What is it?" Jack enquires, innocently. "I don't think I get it."

"I'm glad you don't." Dean tells him, meaning it. "Cas?" He turns to his angel.

"I get it." Cas informs him, almost smirking.

"I know you do, asshole." It's Dean's turn to roll his eyes. "I just meant. Do you still want to give me your present in front of Jack? And, uh, Sam, if he stops looking like he's about to puke."

Cas smiles serenely at him, taking his hand in his. Jack starts to beam at that, his smile lighting up his face. Even Sam looks up, not wanting to miss it.

"I do."

*

Cas gives Dean his gift only after Jack returns from having excused himself to put the gifts away. (He'd declared that the three of them would only get to open them on Father's day, now. None of them had put up much of an objection.)

Cas's gift is a pendant. It's just a little bit like the amulet - only enough to remind the three of them of it, and it's apparently made of enochian verses alone - all condensed together, intricate poetry, to form a pale blue stone.

Dean doesn't even question it. If Cas can be a wavelength, then poetry can become stone. And Cas's eyes promise Dean that they'll read that poetry later.

Dean loves the sound of that.

And to top it all off, the stone's the shape of a rectangle, and bears a resemblance to the mixtape. Dean holds it in his hand, feeling all the profound meanings of his gift wash through him, while the three of them look on, Cas from right beside.

Once he puts it on, Dean pulls Cas in with a hand cupping his face, and kisses him gently.

This time, both Sam and Jack smile until their faces hurt.

[deadspn]

Okay, I think I’ve made it clear to myself why Cas isn’t happy yet. You’d think, Jack is back, even his soul is, him and Dean are friends again and even Sam got rid of that wound. People say it’s because Dean hasn’t told him he loves him. But we seem to forget that there’s one massive problem called God. As I see it, Castiel has made it his goal to guard TFW and make sure they’re alright. How can he be happy if he knows that his so called father is a piece of shit who wants to hurt his family (and yes, Cas does consider them as his family, take 12x12 when he literally said it aloud)? So, even though I’m a huge Destiel shipper, I don’t really think that it has a lot to do with him making out with Dean. Yes, I hope it’s at least a part of it but that’s really not the main thing.

Buuuut I still have doubts bc the title of 15x16 is “Drag Me Away (From You)”. So, I have three possible versions of the outcome:

1) It’s too early for God to be defeated in 15x16. So, Cas might simply tell his story to us (you might remember that there should be a Castiel-centric episode, and 15x16 is probably it) and maybe we’ll get the real explanation on why he’s not happy bc we also know that the emotional scene between Dean and Cas should be in 15x18. And maybe he’s gonna tell them about the deal in ep 18 (and let’s not forget that the episode is called “The Truth” and before it was said to be “Despair” for some reason) and be taken by the Empty right there. So, let’s sum this version up:

15x16: Castiel telling his story and maybe breaking the fourth wall

15x18: An emotional scene between him and Dean and being taken by the Empty

2) In this version Destiel plays a very important role. I don’t even need to explain this, I’ll just point it out below. Though with the dynamics I see in Dean/Cas relationship so far I don’t think that the writers would have any courage to make them canon so early. For me, if Destiel happens, it’ll take place in one of the last three episodes, so this version doesn’t really add up to me. Plus, the song they refer to (Africa by Toto) is quite optimistic, just google the lyrics. So,

15x16: Dean and Cas confess their feelings to each other and Castiel is dragged away without any explanation

15x18: Cas comes back and they have an emotional conversation. Billie reveals her plan/turns out to be another villain, thus the title is “The Truth”/“Despair” as earlier

3) And the version I’d personally hate but you know SPN team, they like disappointing us. Remember that there should also be an episode with young Sam and Dean? It might as well be suitable here

15x16: Dean and Sam are separated for some reason or smth like that. Anyways, this episode is about the brothers’ journey.

15x18: Cas being taken by the Empty after the conversation with Dean (no matter if destiel happens or not)

Okay, actually it might be a mix of all these versions. So, feel free to share your thoughts and thanks for coming to my TED talk.

[tinkdw]

I saw on cinemablend that cas/dean tensions are high even into episode 8; making me kinda hopeful for a mid season finale confession/cas being nabbed by the empty bc of that 🤔 thoughts?

Oh interesting I’ve not seen that but yeah if I was writing it I’d make 3 the break up, 6 the reunion and showcase them happy and what could be in 7 to make people want that, to then have it torn away by the empty in 8.

I feel like u kinda need the good thing to fight for ep before he’s torn away but they may skip it as that’s also like most of the show I guess... which means the tension could well be until ep 8. It wouldn’t surprise me tbh as if they’re not tense then they’ll be declaring their love for each other, there’s no real alternative as they’ve written themselves into a corner, so if it’s not going to be overtly canon as a love story and just a subtextual nod, the easiest thing is to keep the tension as long as possible then kept away from each other with the reunion being basically as close to the end as possible...

Idk let’s see!!

Mishas quote for ref:

It's a point that we will revisit throughout the season, but not so much in the sense of it being a point of conflict. Dean I think is having the biggest existential crisis about it. He's the most overwrought about the fact that his life has been meaningless to date, which is something that the rest of us, we've already come to grips with. I'm being facetious. [laughs] ... Right now we're shooting Episode 8 and I can tell you that the [relationship] between Cas and Dean continues to be strained this far into the season. It's a problem that hasn't been resolved.

[gordonstanheight]

[dimples-of-discontent]

Wait, wait, guys, what if Dean’s death in that book is to have Cas kill him??! Cas already has a deal exactly like Angel’s curse so, because they are Tragedy Husbands, it makes a kind of sense for Cas to have to kill Dean just like Buffy had to kill Angel. (I mean it could also be Sam but stealing from the “Buffy” playbook has been super associated with Dean and Cas for REASONS THAT WE JUST DON’T KNOW.)

*Lines up tables in preparation for flipping*

*Sees that @coinofstone, @thetwistedwillow, and @7faerielights are ALSO talking about “Buffy” and edits to tag them.*

[nealcassatiel]

I'm just dreading that this episode is gonna end with Cas being flung into the alternate universe to make it even more angsty that just as he is back he'll be taken from Sam, Dean, and Jack. And then the rest of the season will be Dean with fighting-angst instead of nihilist-angst fighting to get Cas and Mary back and then by the end of the season Dean will realise really how much he cares about Cas in the finale. And then next season will be Dean dealing with this admission and shit.... Idk........ It just seems so Davy to make it all sunshine and rainbows only to take it away again. With the way destiel is progressing and how quickly and evident it is becoming, from a plot standpoint, something needs to happen which won't reverse all this but will slow it all down. Cas can't just hang around because then Dean might revert back and things will return to how they were. Or if he stays the destiel stuff might progress too quickly. But if he is separated from them then this won't reverse anything that has happened, but build upon it with angsty shit until another reunion. They could leave the separation till another episode but doing it in this comedy happy episode just as he's back would be 1000000x more heartbreaking. It would show Dean what he has and then rip it away which will prove how much it means to him. It'll be an episode where he could see them all as a family and start to be OK with it for it all to come crashing down. Also, bringing in a bit of Brokeback Mountain - that story is about two guys whose lives get in the way of them being together. They meet and then they have to leave. And meet again and it's cut short, then meet again but now they have wives, and try to spend the summer together but they can't get the job again, then try to meet again but more shit gets in the way. Throughout that story/film they find happiness for a brief moment to have it ripped away so quickly...... I just think this upcoming episode it gonna go down that route too. My wholesome heart doesn't want this. But the scriptwriter in me wants this.... But also doesn't. Anyway. I'm preparing for the worst. Time to light some scented candles, have a bath, and read some calming poetry. I am off to find my chill....