the-listening:

Tony gets a little distracted while he and Steve work out together.

I have a confession to make: I haven’t seen Iron Man or Captain America…or any of the other superhero movies, but somehow, you guys have turned me into a Tony/Steve shipper. Ah, the power of Tumblr.

(via fandomslutcakes)

Because so many Destiel feels right now, that’s why.

CASTIEL: I rebelled for this?! So that you could surrender to them?
DEAN: Cas! Please!
CASTIEL: I gave everything for you. And this is what you give to me.

What the fandom sees:

CASTIEL: I rebelled for this! So that you can surrender to me!

DEAN: Cas! Please!

CASTIEL: I gave everything for you. And this is what you’ll give to me.

FANDOM: Oh Cas, you so nasty.

(via fuileachd)

I swear, Colin Morgan emits an abnormal amount of super powerful pheromones and they somehow get captured on camera and seep into the show, because people ship Merlin with everyone. Seriously, you could bottle Colin Morgan and sell him as an aphrodisiac.

Thoughts on Supernatural: Are Cas and Dean in Love?

1. About Writing and Dean’s sexuality:

Usually when I’m exploring whether two characters are in love or not, their gender and sexuality hardly ever matter. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: You can’t bog your characters down with labels.

Fictional characters are people and, like people, they never turn out the way you want them to. Characters change and develop in ways you can’t possibly imagine and, as a writer, you have to let that happen. So, unless you’re writing something along the lines of BrokebackMountain, The L Word, or a Romance novel, there’s strong possibility that your characters sexuality will shift or develop from what you originally expected it to be. And I think this happened with Dean.

Now, I don’t think Dean’s gay, but I don’t know if he’s bi or heterosexual either. Dean’s sexuality is a pretty big question mark and I’d like to think it’s fluid. I think Dean could be attracted to pretty much anyone who catches his fancy. Do I think he acts on it? Probably not.

I think Dean’s homophobic. Actually, that’s not quite true; I think he’s perfectly fine with lesbians. I think Dean’s afraid of male intimacy, so he’s uncomfortable with male/male relationships. Dean views two men in a gay relationship as emasculating.

Dean has a complex. He needs to be seen as a ‘manly’ man at all times. So, regardless of whatever feelings he may have, sexual or romantic, for the men around him (even if it is a genderless angel who just happens to be in a man-suit) he wouldn’t, ever, act on it.

2. Cas’ Sexuality:

I don’t think Cas has a sexuality. I, personally, don’t think that Cas is physically attracted to anybody. I won’t say he’s asexual though, because I don’t know how angels/if angels reproduce and, more so, the other angels appear to be sexual. Without exploring angel sexuality in depth, it’s difficult to say what sort of sexualities exists in angel culture and whether or not they exist in angel culture sans vessels. So, I can’t really think of a proper way to describe Cas except to say that I think he’s absent of a sexuality.   

When Cas reacts to sex (after watching porn or in 2014) it’s purely physiological. It’s because he’s in a human body that reacts to physical pleasure or the perceived notion of physical pleasure. That doesn’t mean that Cas can’t have sex and enjoy it or appreciate the act of having sex, that just means that he doesn’t feel the drive to do it. Even when he kissed Meg.

Meg and Cas kissing seemed more or less like an experiment. It’s not coincidental that it happened just after Cas was watching porn. It’s also not coincidental that Cas saw it, tried it once, and then never did it again. That says a lot about Cas’ character and his personal sexual drive.

Bearing in mind that Cas lacks a sexuality, I’m not certain that he is or can be sexually attracted to Dean. So, whatever’s driving his relationship with Dean isn’t sexual.

3. How do Cas and Dean feel about each other?

Cas loves Dean. I have no doubt in my mind that Cas could spend the rest of his life with Dean and still be happy. They could be friends, family, boyfriends, or whatever type of relationship you want to apply, as long as they’re together, Cas would be happy. That, to me, is love. I think that Cas is in love with Dean, I just think he doesn’t quite understand it. Which is why Cas doesn’t go to Dean without good reason or unless called by him. And this brings me to Dean.

Dean loves Cas. That much is obvious in the way he opens up to him, depends on him, and reaches out to him. But, there’s something about their relationship that’s a little off.

Dean tends to switch around a lot when it comes to Cas – especially in season 6. I think that as long as the apocalypse was an issue and Cas was useful, it’s easier for Dean to be around and open with Cas. But once the apocalypse passed, Cas, in Dean’s mind, had little to no reason for being around Dean so often. But, I also think that Dean wanted him around and that confused him and made him uncomfortable.

Dean, I think, is not only in love with Cas, but sexually attracted to him. And I think that scares the shit out of Dean, because his relationship with Cas is so intimate. Not only because Cas saved him from hell, not only because Cas’ has essentially marked him, but because he can have conversations with Cas; because he is favoured by Cas; because he understands Cas; because Cas understands him; because even when he doesn’t need Cas around he wants him around; and because, lastly, and most importantly of all, Cas makes Dean happy. For some inexplicable reason, Cas makes Dean happy. And in Dean’s mind, that puts Dean at a disadvantage. Dean has very specific ideas of what should and shouldn’t make a man happy.

In Dean’s mind, there are only two ways of living: Apple pie lifestyle or Hunting. Apple pie life makes you happy whereas hunting ends with bloody death and destruction. Dean is a hunter. Dean can’t contemplate any other type of lifestyle. And because of this, Dean’s pretty much surrendered to the fact that he’ll never be happy. So when things come along that make Dean happy, aside from the three vices he’s adopted (drinking, porn, and sex) it confuses him and makes him uncomfortable. Cas confuses Dean and makes him uncomfortable.

4. So, what’s the verdict, they in love or not?

You know what? I’ve said all this stuff and I’ve explored their relationship and I’m still confused. Because, yeah, they’re in love with each other, but it’s not as simple as that. It’s not as simple as saying they’re in love with each other, because they’re not in the same kind of love.

Cas loves Dean. Cas is in love with Dean. But Cas is in love with Dean in a way that neither he nor anybody else can really understand. I think it’s a sort of pure, unconditional love, that far surpasses the romantic and delves into the fact that Cas doesn’t need anymore from Dean then just for him to be by Cas’ side. Cas doesn’t need romance or sex or anything more from Dean other than for Dean to be there, and to acknowledge him.

Dean’s in love with Cas. I firmly believe that Dean is drawn to Cas physically and romantically and that’s why he treats Cas the way he does. And I think, if Dean admitted to himself and Cas how he felt, than he’d have to face the fact that Cas is (most likely) incapable of feeling the same way. And that would be, at best, heartbreaking.

Are Arthur and Merlin in love?

I thought I’d throw my hat into the ring on the Arthur and Merlin relationship. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while now and, though it may offend some, I really felt the urge to post it.

1. Why is this even a question?

Before I talk about any other aspect of their relationship, I want to discuss why this is even a debate in the fandom and where that comes from. Quite simply, it comes from the fact the type of story that Arthur and Merlin are involved in.

Let’s just take a moment to pretend that we don’t know who these characters are. Instead, you have Character A and Character B. A is a mysterious stranger, just arriving in town and taking a job at a local establishment. A has a big secret, but not a bad one.

B is the offspring of the establishment’s owner. A and B, upon meeting, hate each other almost immediately. They don’t get along, but through a series of circumstances, they’re forced to be around each other constantly. Slowly, they grow to appreciate each other and care for each other deeply.

The main complication in this storyline derives from the fact that A wants to tell B his/her secret, but A can’t, because of what it might mean for their relationship and A’s future. And when/if B finally finds out about what A’s been keeping from him/her, then both will have to go through drama and a mild separation before B finally realizes how important A is to him/her, and then they’ll finally be together again (because Arthur will have to be the one to go after Merlin. From a narrative standpoint, Merlin’s gone through too much and sacrificed too much for Arthur to have to prove himself to him.)

You know what that sounds like to me - a romantic comedy. And that’s just it, isn’t it? Merlin has all the archetypes of a romantic comedy. Throw in the complication of the Gwen/Arthur storyline and it takes on the role of a Korean Drama. Frankly, it reminds me of Coffee Prince and I’m just waiting for Arthur to kiss Merlin and say “I don’t care if you’re a man or alien, I love you.”

2. But they’re not gay!

A small response to that statement, which I see used a lot: There are a bunch of different sexualities (more than I thought possible.) Also, just because 1 in 10 people are gay doesn’t mean that 9 in 10 people are straight. Lastly, you can’t do that to fictional characters. Good fictional characters are people as well with ideas, habits, and personality traits that it takes a ridiculous amount of writing to reach, so you can’t bog them down with labels and then act like they’re not allowed to change because of some preconceived notion. But, back to my point.

In Merlin’s case, the show has made it clear that Merlin does like women and you know what, I believe it. Though, this doesn’t mean he doesn’t like men. He could be bi.  Honestly, all of Merlin’s relationships have erotic subtext, so it’s hard to say for certain whom he does and doesn’t like. Colin Morgan just emits a lot of pheromones, I guess.

In Arthur’s case, the show’s only made it clear that he “loves” Gwen and, though it’s convinced itself of that, the show’s only managed to convince me that Arthur’s deep in the closet and scared of his homosexuality. I only say this because Gwen’s the only woman he’s ever paid any attention to and I strongly doubt his motives.

I said before that I think Arthur loves Gwen but, in all honesty, I think he more or less loves the idea of Gwen. Because, let’s face it, he doesn’t actually know her.  And his image of her has been heavily romanticized.

Gwen’s innocent and wise. That’s really all I think Arthur sees, is Gwen’s motherly side (Oedipus complex!) But, from the audience perspective, Gwen’s clumsy, sweet, inexperienced, easy to fall in love, easy to express herself, and a little bit sexy. And that’s the sad thing, is she’s been sanitized because Arthur sees her as perfect. And that’s why, when she kissed Lancelot, Arthur was so mad. Regardless of her being enchanted or not, it broke Arthur’s ideal image of her and he had to face the fact that she’s actually human. And I think that’s why he showed so much disdain for her later on, even after she apologized and pretty much begged for mercy, because she wasn’t his ideal queen anymore and he had no use for her. And yeah, that reflects badly on Arthur, but it’s not out of character.

Arthur’s conflicted. Throughout the last three seasons he’s been switching from raging asshole to noble sweetheart and you don’t do that unless there’s something deep down that’s actually troubling you. And I don’t mean his struggle with becoming king, I mean the kind of deep down personal struggle the strikes at the very heart of who you are. And, as far as I can see, that didn’t really start until his relationship with Merlin deepened. Merlin sparked change in Camelot, for everyone, but namely for Arthur. And if Arthur doesn’t know about Merlin’s magic, you have to wonder what he’s been struggling with for the last several seasons.

This struggle combined with his lack of interest in women (dating, sexual, romantic) and his lack of interest in almost anyone outside of his knights and Merlin, makes me think that Arthur’s gay.

3. So, what’s the verdict? Are they in love?

When it comes to Arthur and Merlin’s relationship, I kind of think, from Merlin’s perspective, it’s sort of like an arranged marriage. Merlin’s with Arthur because he has to be. Later, he finds a way to begrudgingly handle the situation and then, around the end of season 1, he starts to like Arthur, at least a little bit. But that doesn’t change the fact that he still feels obligated to Arthur (much the way I believe Gwen does.) Arthur, on the other hand, was attracted to Merlin right away.

“There’s something about you, Merlin…”

From the first episode, Arthur was drawn in by Merlin. By the fourth episode, he’s sacrificing himself for Merlin. However, unlike Merlin, he’s not doing it because a dragon told him to. And that’s where it kind of gets tragic for me.

Arthur sacrifices himself because he likes Merlin. As a viewer that’s privy to Merlin’s toils, it’s easy to forget the fact that Arthur doesn’t know about Merlin and, furthermore, it’s easy to forget the fact that Merlin’s taking Arthur for granted. Merlin’s so busy saving Arthur, hiding his magic, and feeling bad about the fact that Arthur doesn’t realize how much he does for him, that he forgets the fact that Arthur doesn’t actually realize how much he does for him. Arthur doesn’t keep him around because he’s useful, he keeps him around, sacrifices himself for him, and treats him as equal as he can, not because Merlin’s of any use to him, but because Arthur genuinely likes Merlin. For some inexplicable reason he cares for Merlin.  

Because, let’s face it, from Arthur’s perspective, Merlin really is a shitty servant. He’s always off in the taverns, he’s unorganized, he’s bossy, he’s a smart aleck, he shows nearly no respect for Arthur, he’s clumsy, and he’s constantly getting into trouble. So what does Arthur see in him, what does Arthur like about him?

Arthur, initially, saw a bumbling servant who happened to save his life. And later, I think he sees someone who looks out for him, cares about him, treats him like he’s an equal, and tries to protect him every chance he gets. And the sad thing is that behind all this, despite the fact that Merlin really does care for Arthur, Merlin’s main motivation is Albion, destiny, and making sure Arthur becomes “The Once and Future King.” That’s Merlin’s motive for nearly everything, even rooting so hard for Gwen and Arthur’s relationship.  

So you know what, I don’t think they’re in love with each other. I think, as much as he can be without knowing about Merlin’s magic, that Arthur is in love with Merlin.  

Warning: This post is an opinion piece and, though it isn’t intended to offend anyone, it may offend Gwen/Arthur fans or Merlin fans in general. And don’t let the opening paragraph fool you, it’s pretty much all about Gwen/Arthur. And why I don’t like them as a couple.  

Before I start, I just want to say that I’m not saying this because I like Arthur/Merlin, which I do. I love Arthur/Merlin – aesthetically and in theory. Separate from the Merlin universe, it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. However, if I were to pair Merlin with anyone and have it be on the show, it would be Gwaine.

Gwaine and Merlin have this excellent chemistry - they’re fun, they respect each other, they help each other out, they’re open about their emotions, they joke with each other, and they look out for each other. And, as far as their relationship is concerned, they have a good prognosis. There’s nothing to get in the way of Gwaine and Merlin being so deeply and awesomely in love that it washes over everyone in a wave of glitter and happiness. Gwaine and Merlin are my bread and butter. If Gwaine and Merlin actually got together, I would be completely fulfilled. 

If Arthur and Merlin got together on the other hand? Drama, drama, drama, drama, angst, drama. It would be this whole “We have to keep it a secret because I’m the king and you’re my servant and not one of the mash up of historical time periods this show represents actually condones and accepts homosexuality as natural, nor does it allow it to be shown as anything more than subtext.” I realize that the last of that could still apply to Gwaine and Merlin, but I feel like it would be more exaggerated with Arthur since he’s supposed to be the epitome of what makes a man a man (I say this because of the way he’s masculanized on the show based on traditional/cultural views of masculinity.) Arthur flinches away from any form of intimacy from most people, but particularly other men. We see this with Merlin in the way he reacts to Merlin trying to hug him, Merlin touching him in general, and the way he reacts to Merlin showing vulnerability – this is more along the lines of emotional intimacy, not physical. When Merlin cries, Arthur tells him that ‘no man is worth your tears.’ Personally, I didn’t understand this and felt it was a bad ideal to enforce, but it certainly demonstrates Arthur’s traditionalist ideals and “manliness.” And that’s why I don’t want Arthur and Merlin to get together, because no matter how happily it works out in fanfiction-fantasy-land, this attitude would still pervade the show and make their relationship depressing as all hell. Like Brokeback Mountain with knights instead of cowboys. And my fragile heart/psyche couldn’t handle it. I saw Brokeback Mountain 2.5 times and if I ever have to see anything like that again, I’m pretty sure all my faith in happy endings will be completely shattered.

So, despite the myriad of Merthur stuff I’ve posted, I’m not saying this because I want Merlin and Arthur to get together. Bearing that in mind, I’ll finally say what I want to say: I hate Arthur and Gwen together. I know, it’s an unpopular opinion, but I really don’t care for their relationship.

Part of that has to do with the fact that Gwen never seemed like she was supposed to end up with Arthur. She flirted with Merlin and she seemed interested in Merlin. I enjoyed that, it was a twist that I could back up. That’s not to say it would completely discount a relationship with Arthur if the show hadn’t spent so much time emphasizing that she wasn’t interested in the prince and he’s not, at all, her type. That didn’t make their sudden relationship development an interesting, clever twist, but instead I just found it confusing. I know that characters change and develop, so it’s entirely possible for her to fall for Arthur at some point, but I’m not satisfied that she has.

I think that Arthur genuinely loves Gwen, but I don’t buy that Gwen loves Arthur, at least not romantically and certainly not completely. It could be because they didn’t seem like they were intended to be romantic interests, but I find their relationship lacks chemistry and seems one-sided. I feel like Arthur’s really pushing himself into the relationship and giving it his all while Gwen is holding back. It makes sense, since Gwen is the one at risk here, not Arthur. At least, up until Uther’s death. But even after that, I still can’t enjoy their relationship. That has a lot to do with Lancelot.

Every moment Gwen had with Lancelot is filled with romantic tension. They have more romantic chemistry in a single glance then Arthur and Gwen have in even their most heartfelt kisses. For instance, in the episode where Arthur was going to sacrifice himself to save the town from the death-ghosts, Arthur and Gwen have this really sweet moment. Arthur tells her to smile and, when she refuses, he reminds her of their first kiss, at which her face lights up. He says that that’s the image of her he wants to leave with. This moment was romantic and I definitely liked it. The only thing the ruined it for me, though, was the following scene with Lancelot and Gwen.

Gwen begs Lancelot to make sure Arthur comes back alive and he says he’ll protect her with his life. That scene was so full of romantic chemistry that it completely overshadowed her moment with Arthur. And maybe that was fitting since that was their last scene together. Even the funeral scene, though, with Gwen being the last one standing and staring at Lancelot’s burning pyre (really, who didn’t see that coming?) was so solemnly romantic that I just can’t care about Gwen and Arthur, because, to me, Lancelot is Gwen’s soul mate and long-lost love. Admittedly, that’s pretty much tainted Arthur and Gwen’s relationship for me, so no matter how great their relationship is/becomes, I’m going to have a hard time enjoying it.

Another thing that gets me is…well, it can best be explained via the following quote:

“You shouldn’t need to be told to think of someone other than yourself, you’re not a child.” – Gwen, “The Once and Future Queen.”

But he is, Gwen, he is. Arthur is a big old baby wrapped in a man-blanket. Yeah, amongst the hard muscles, the strong jaw, the toned physique, the deep voice, and the drool worthy-ness, it can be a little hard to tell, but Arthur’s basically a child. At least, he has the emotional stability/mind set of a child. Out on the field, he’s a fierce and noble warrior, but at home base, he’s just a lost little boy crying out for affection. Really, when I think about it, before Merlin, he had no deep connections, no real friends, and was perfectly happy to bully people like a kid on a playground. Even now, he’s significantly lacking in maturity and that affects Gwen and Arthur’s relationship.  

I mean, Gwen’s basically like a sub-in for Arthur’s mother. Gwen is the caring, nurturing mother figure that Arthur’s been looking for to fill the void that his mother’s loss left. For Pete’s sake, Arthur begins to fall for Gwen after she scolds him for being rude about the dinner he was served (In Ealdor in the last episode of season 1.) And when Arthur enters a tournament and has to disguise himself (“The Once and Future Queen”) he ends up at Gwen’s house. I know this was supposed to set the scene for them to come together romantically and also to mirror married life – she cooks for him, she takes care of him, and she frets over his safety, but I honestly didn’t see it that way. The way it appeared to me, she’s his babysitter.   

Really, that’s what gets me about these two. Combined with everything else, this is just the creepy icing on the fruit-cake that is their love life. And by fruit-cake, I mean it tastes bad, is dry, is boring, and the minute you try to force-feed it to me, you’re banned from my house forever. However, ignoring the specifics of their dynamic and whether or not they have chemistry, I’m also irritated with how the show’s tried to create tension/development with their relationship.

The major way in which the shows tried to demonstrate Gwen and Arthur’s connection is by sticking one or both of them in perilous situations. Gwen is constantly getting thrown in the dungeons and sentenced to execution and Arthur’s constantly going off on dangerous quests or about to die. These events are followed by the other character showing that they care. That’s not romantic.

I don’t care how I feel about someone personally, if I knew they were about to kill themselves or be killed, I would care. Even if they were my sworn enemy, I would show them concern. Arthur and Gwen generally giving a rat’s ass that the other one is in danger doesn’t tell me they’re in love. If that were the case, Merlin and Arthur would have been married in season 1. That’s not development for them. If you can’t show me the small things – general conversations, looks, normal activities- that show me how great they are together, they’re not in a good relationship.

Merlin and Arthur have the small things. Merlin and Arthur have developed through a lot of series of events, not just dangerous ones, and have created a bond that’s significant. If I can’t get that with Gwen and Arthur then I’m not inclined to believe them as a couple. Obviously some people have gotten that to their satisfaction and that’s fine, but I haven’t. That could, of course, have to do with the fact that Gwen and Arthur’s relationship has already happened on this show with Arthur and Merlin.

That doesn’t mean that Arthur and Merlin belong together, of course, or that they’re even in love with each other. But, that being the case, logic would follow that if these actions don’t show a romantic relationship between Arthur and Merlin, repeating the same thing with Gwen and Arthur doesn’t prove a romantic relationship between them either, no matter how many times they say they’re in love. Because if that’s the case, the show’s basically saying that the only thing unique with Arthur and Gwen is that Arthur canhave a relationship with her because she’s a woman and that’s family friendly. And I don’t buy it.

Now, I know the show’s tried to give Arthur and Gwen they’re own unique story line, but they haven’t. Essentially, everything Arthur and Gwen have done, Arthur and Merlin have already covered (barring kissing and dates.)

1)      Supporting Arthur – Merlin’s done it

2)      Save Arthur’s life – Merlin’s done it

3)      Take care of Arthur – Merlin again

4)      Long speech about how great a king/prince/knight/guy Arthur is – I bet you can’t guess…oh yeah, Merlin!

5)      Yelling at Arthur for being a…hmmm, what’s the right word? Ah, Clot pole  – Merlin

6)      Risk life for Arthur – Crap, what’s that character’s name again? Oh right, Merlin

7)      Has been used to get to Arthur – Merlin

8)      Stay by Arthur’s side no matter what – Merlin

9)      Protect/take care of Uther because they care for Arthur – Merlin

10)   Feels that position as a servant gets in the way of relationship with Arthur – I think it starts with an M….mmmmmerlin? Yeah, Merlin.

11)   Lost people they care about because of Uther, but stay by Arthur’s side because they have faith in him – Actually, I think Gwen may have been here first…

12)   Wrongfully imprisoned and had to get saved by Arthur – Merlin

13)   Underappreciated/degraded by Arthur – Merlin

14)   Uther disapproves of relationship with Arthur – Merlin

15)   Arthur’s risked his position as a prince for them – Merlin

16)   Worked their way into Arthur’s heart and now has a significant relationship with Arthur – Merlin

17)   There’s something special about them that first attracted Arthur’s attention – Merlin

Really, Arthur and Gwen’s relationship keeps covering the same ground as Merlin and Arthur’s. Even their main (only) obstacle is reflective of Merlin and Arthur’s.

Gwen and Arthur’s love story is about them bridging the gap between Servant and Royalty and forming a lasting relationship. But, Merlin’s done all the groundwork on that. Arthur and Merlin have already bridged that gap and we’ve already seen that Arthur doesn’t care about class difference, which means that by the time Arthur and Gwen have to be around one another, there’s no tension. When Gwen speaks freely to Arthur, I don’t feel drawn in by her brazenness because she’s not making any great strides towards closing the class difference barrier, Arthur doesn’t care about that. This is evidenced by the fact that when she tries to recant her statements, Arthur tells her not to apologize. I don’t think that’s romantic because I know that Arthur doesn’t care about his being a prince and her being a servant and I know this because of Merlin, which automatically takes away from the uniqueness of the moment. The only tension that the hierarchy creates isn’t between each other, it’s between them and Uther, and even then that’s superficial because we already know they’re going to be together, Uther dies shortly after their relationship is revealed, and, most of all, Merlin’s already covered that.  

Honestly, if they were going to have an obstacle in Gwen and Arthur’s relationship, I’d have hoped that it had to do with Gwen knowing Merlin’s secret, because, frankly, if Arthur and Gwen’s relationship is going to mirror Arthur and Merlin’s, at least this has an impact. We know Arthur doesn’t care about class difference, but his view on magic and how he’d react to Merlin being a wizard (and Gwen keeping it from him) are completely unknown. This, I think, would have affectively intertwined Gwen and Merlin’s plots, revealed a lot about Gwen’s character, and created a lot of actual tension.  

Essentially, in the end, what it all amounts to is me not caring about their relationship. That’s not to say it’s invalid or no one should like it, it’s just to say that I don’t like it. Actually, that’s not true. It’s not even that I don’t like it - It’s that I’m bored. I find them completely and utterly boring. And I’d hesitate to blame Gwen or say Angel Coulby needs to be recast because of it (which I’ve seen a lot of,) I just think its unfortunate writing. I like Gwen and I really would like it if she was happy, but I just don’t see that with Arthur. Also, I’d hesitate to say Arthur is even ready for a romantic relationship. Dude’s got issues.  

So, I don’t know if it’s because I’ve recently been on tumblr a lot or what, but I’ve been having a lot of slash dreams lately. The night before last, I had a dream that Sherlock and John took a bath together and last night I had a dream about Merlin and Arthur having sex. And it was all kinds of fucked up, because in the land of my dreams, everything’s random and nothing makes sense. Apparently, Arthur needed to have sex with Merlin to save his life…or something.

On the plus side, I did get to go clothes shopping afterwards. And they were good clothes, you know, except for the fact that they were imaginary.  

Because I promised to spam you all with my favourite dirty slash videos.

Foreword: Before I start, I just want to say that I’m not coming at this from a Slash!Fan angle. I really didn’t even think of Cas and Dean as having any sort of gay relationship until about season 6, when it was pushed to the point of being undeniable. So bear in mind that I’m not trying to peddle Destiel to anybody, just express an opinion.

I’ve posted quite a few rants on Tumblr so far in regards to SPN, all of which have been fun, indulgent little fan rants on why this season’s been irritating, and they’ve all been enjoyable and cathartic, but overall they’ve all been small issues. This time, however, I have a big issue with the show, not as a fan, but as a TV viewer and an all around human being.

There’s always been a theme of general homophobia in Supernatural. In the world of SPN, homosexuality is undermined and represented via jokes. The problem with this kind of humour is that it’s absurdist humour; it’s not witty and observational, it’s looking at something and going “look how ridiculous this is.” It does hold some weight in regards to Sam and Dean, since those jokes were self-referential and a pithy observation on how abnormal the brother’s relationship is, but outside of the Winchester’s relationship, it takes on a very different tone.

A frequent issue I’ve had in regards to the show is that, from season one, it’s constantly made tiny gibes at Dean possibly being gay, or at the very least, feminized (which the show appears to regard as the same thing.) This is supposed to be funny because Dean is both homophobic and sexist. He’s showed obvious discomfort around homosexuals, obvious disgust with anything homosexual and obvious discomfort at being regarded as anything less than manly, all of which can be contributed to his fear of women and intimacy.

Psychologically, this makes sense for the character. From early on, Dean was Sam’s mother and John’s wife/servant. Dean was forced to fill the void his mother’s loss left, which made it impossible for him to mourn, but also created, in his mind, a connection between females and servitude due to the submissive position he’d been placed in. And when John came back at the end of season 1, we all got just a glimpse at the kind of dynamic Dean had been forced into, so it’s no wonder that he overcompensates.

Dean has been symbolically castrated throughout the whole of the Supernatural series, forced to make the sacrifices for Sam that a mother would make for their child and wait on John like a 20’s housewife. Dean’s been placed in such a skewed position as a man that whenever he’s confronted with male intimacy, he recoils. And it makes sense.

Dean was shown nearly no physical affection throughout his childhood, so, as a result, he doesn’t understand it. In his mind, touching means sex, not love. This explains why every time Sam tries to hug him, he responds with a homosexual barb. The interesting thing about this is how easily Sam can show affection. This can be contributed to the fact that Sam wasn’t raised by John like Dean was, Sam was raised by Dean.

The funny thing about Sam and John’s relationship, which could be the subject of a whole other post, is that Sam always treated John like the mean stepfather. Dean was Sam’s mother, Dean raised Sam, and Dean is the one who made Sam who is, so when Dean orders Sam to do something, Sam feels compelled to do it. However, when John tells Sam to do something, he instantly rebels. He tells John that he doesn’t have a right to tell Sam what to do. Basically, it’s like saying “I don’t have to listen to you, you’re not my dad.” Except John is his dad, and both John and Dean constantly have to remind Sam of that. This again places Dean in the feminized position.

Sam obviously has a problem with John’s authority and he’ll only listen to Dean. This is somewhat normal for a father and son, but John and Sam don’t have a father and son relationship. John loves Sam, obviously, but Sam regards John with quite a bit of hostility. This, for me, is representative of the traditional attitude of a child to their mother’s boyfriend/husband. It’s the classic “you took my mother away from me” response. Sam basically shuns John in every conceivable way, going to Dean for all his parental needs, which I think John realizes. Therefore, John undermines Dean as much as possible, pointing out how bad he is at protecting Sam and constantly ordering him around, undercutting his authority in front of Sam. This has resulted in Dean being less of an authority figure for Sam as he is a nurturing figure.

When Sam needs comforting, he turns to Dean, not John. It always struck me that, whenever Sam and Dean hug, it’s so reminiscent of a child hugging their mother. The look on Dean’s face is always so soft and you can tell he relishes the connection, and Sam always looks so in need and then all his fears seem to disappear after Dean hugs him. They don’t hug each other because they’re relieved to see each other, but because Sam needs to feel nurtured and Dean’s driven by his motherly instinct. Of course this only serves to remind Dean of his role in Sam’s life, which is why he’s only willing to hug him in serious situations, although we can see that Sam wishes Dean was more giving of his affection.

This is why, throughout season 6, Dean responded to Castiel with quite a lot of hostility. They do share a profound bond and we can see that they care for each other dearly, but now that Dean doesn’t need Cas around, he becomes uncomfortable. That’s also why Dean had been so focused, in his prior occasions, on getting Cas paired off with a girl. Such as the incident in the brothel. And, when that didn’t work, Dean resorted to something he knew – he treated Cas like a child.

Dean was so uncomfortable with his connection to Castiel, that he opted to take on the parental role once again. We can see a bit of that in earlier seasons, but it’s more prominent in season 6, throughout which he referred to Castiel as a baby or a child and looked down on him as such. Except, this time, he filled the shoes of Father, since Cas’ was missing. And what a terrible father he was.

Dean tried to be the authority figure, but Cas constantly reminded him that they were on equal footing. He treated Dean with respect, expressed his emotions freely, and helped Dean when he needed it. But Dean was so wrapped up in his denial of having any feeling of love for Cas, platonic or other wise, that the demeaned Castiel at every opportunity. Such was his reaction to Castiel discovering porn; he reacted in an abnormally hostile way. Yet, when Cas made out with Meg without permission and in front of everybody, Dean had nothing to say, because sexually harassing a woman (even if she is a demon) is more appropriate than expressing his sexuality around other men. Because homosexuality is represented as unnatural.

And truly, that’s the only thing keeping Dean and Cas apart. It’s obvious that they care for each other and they have a lot of chemistry, but the show was so obsessed with the fact that Cas is a man, that nothing could ever come of it. With all the jokes, with all the references to their sexual tension and love, it just further proves that the only thing keeping them separated is gender. And that sends a bad message.

I understand where the show’s coming from psychologically, but what gets me, is that the show keeps thinking that Dean’s right. For instance, Cas’ understandable actions are passed off as betrayal, even though they weren’t. And the show hasn’t given up toting them as such, not even allowing Dean time to come to terms with everything because he’s still so upset about Cas’ Judas-like actions. Also, the fact that all that Cas ever wanted was for Dean to love him, and now he has to “redeem” himself because of it, is so unhealthy.

This representation of homosexuality has, sadly, become such a modern trope in western television. And it really is becoming a big problem, so I truly hope that the Supernatural writers find a way to ease back on the homophobia, at least until they finish season 7.  

EDIT: I rewatched the Cas/Meg kissing scene (reluctantly) and it turns out Meg actually initiated the kiss, so I was wrong on that account. So, my bad.