Possession Parallels
↳ Goodbye Stranger & Slumber Party
Inspired by twistedsardonic’s AWESOME META
I Saw What You Did There, Robbie
In the SPN world, a tulpa is a monster created by belief, something willed into being. Although we find out almost immediately that the scarecrow manifestation is not a tulpa through Sam and Dean’s discussion before Dean and Marie go to destroy the prop scarecrow, it’s interesting that Robbie used that particular monster as a red herring, because later in the episode, we actually do see something willed into canon: the Samulet.
How long have fans been asking for the Samulet to be brought back? How many fics have been written about it? How many times have we all said, “I know Sam picked it up out of the trash can on his way out!”? How often have we posted or tweeted or ranted that our fervent wish was for Sam to give that rescued amulet back to Dean?
Thanks to Robbie, he kinda sorta did. And he did it by way of us.
The new Samulet is literally something the fans made, both in the world of the show and out here in the real world. Marie, the character Robbie wrote to stand in for us, may have constructed the prop, but she, as a version of Sam that Dean actually called “Sammy,” that he responded to as though she were actually Sam when she said, “Jerk!”, gave it to Dean because of us. Because even though canon never gave us any hope that Sam actually did pull it out of the trash, we hoped and prayed and believed that one day Sam would return it to Dean.
And now there’s a Samulet, reinterpreted and redesigned (one might even say transformed) by fans in a thousand fics and metas and headcanons, hanging on the real Baby’s mirror.
Not bad, y’all.
Not bad.
“I think there’s a part of Charlie’s character that’s able to access the secret geeky part of Dean Winchester: getting him to LARP, which is something he wouldn’t normally do, getting him to appreciate the logic behind a video game, or appreciate Game of Thrones. I think she’s able to tease that part out of him.” x
oh robbie you know just how to sweet talk my heart ;u;
And so it begins…
Robbie you are such a troll I can’t…
I feel like we need to talk about the "subtext" Part of metatron's speech last night ;)
Oh yeah, that was totally Robbie reaching out to us. Hell, that was him acknowledging that subtext is part of what gives a story meaning. Especially following that up with asking if it’s the writers that do it, or us. He actually, by putting subtext last and leading that into discussing the possibility of both the writer and the consumer assigning meaning, gave subtext the most amount of weight. (The acting reinforced that too.)
He legitimized a large portion of what we do in fandom and I could just kiss him for it.
Okay okay, so we’re sick of subtext and want it to be text. But I will take this, because it not only tells me subtext is just as important and valid as characters, plot and text, it tells me that they all work together and subtext has a place, and can always become text.
Actually. I knew all of that. What it really tells me is that so does Robbie.
Twitter / rthompson1138: SPOILER: Originally, Cas was ...
SPOILER: Originally, Cas was scripted to sing “Highway to Hell.” Guess I blew the AC/DC budget though… sorry @robertberens #supernatural
ARE YOU KIDDING ME
What did Robbie say about Cas' sexuality on twitter? I've just combed over his timeline and can't find it anywhere.
That One Time Robbie Thompson Wrote Us A Mary Sue SPN/ Wizard of Oz Crossover
The thing about Thompson’s work is that it’s nuanced and intelligent. Every single word and scripted action has a multidimensional purpose. I was as distressed by 9x03 and the unfortunately timed twitter fiasco by Chad Kennedy as everyone else. I wasn’t ready to retire my shipper goggles, but I was putting SPN on a probation of sorts. I wanted to know if 9x03 was a mere fluke confluence of unfortunate events or an indication of heartache to come. (Admittedly, the verdict is still out for me regarding Cas’ characterization; no amount of shippy recognized Destiel or bi!Dean is going to make me forgive OOC Cas or stick around for it should human!Cas be synonymous with perpetually woobie, victimized, nonchalantly sexual Cas.) I think Slumber Party came at the exact right moment, however. I needed to know that I was appreciated as a fan, as queer, as a queer text supporter, as someone who loves subtext, and as a feminist. I don’t know if we will ever get canon Destiel in the form of explicit recognition by TPTB. I do think it’s there. I do think we are meant to see it. I do think writers like Thompson and Carver fight for it and if it doesn’t come to be recognized it won’t be because they didn’t put up the good fight or lay the proper groundwork. (I referred to 9x03 as maybe a battle lost but not the war, and I’m still willing to wait to see if that is the case.)
The biggest reason I’m so optimistic?
God, 9x04 was Robbie Thompson’s loveletter to the fans! Charlie Bradbury is the most sympathetic representation in probably ever to grace television in a series known for breaking the fourth wall religiously. She’s the bridge between us and our heroes. Of course she’s a hero to us as well, and well we should be heroes to ourselves. But in this case she is wish-fulfillment personified. She’s every Dean!girl, every caregiver, every person who wants to escape the humdrum droll of everyday existence, every person who has had to hide their true nature in order to get along in world but found solace in the form of fantasy, every person who has a dirty little secret looked down upon by society (whether it was their history, their sexuality, or their passions), every person who longs to connect meaningfully with others who fully accept them as they are, every person who wants to be important. I know she’s mostly meant to be associated with Dean, but in Slumber Party Thompson was careful to acknowledge her friendship with Sam—his respect for her computer skills and intellect, their bonding over Game of Thrones, and the big brother hugs. So she’s even representative of Sam!girls in this case.
Charlie is us. When she talks about fanfiction and Edlund we need to listen to what Thompson is saying. When she saves the day and when she gets her happy ending, we need to listen. I’m not saying he’s giving us complex coded messages; I’m not even saying this has anything to do with Destiel. But CLEARLY, Thompson is aware that fandom has saved the day for SPN; has given life to and fleshed out the characters via fanfiction, fanart, and meta; have supported via merchandise, viewership, and Cons; and that many of us are queer and female and diverse and would like to see the women kick ass for once. Many of us see ourselves in the story and in the characters and Charlie is the character that acknowledges that, for she is us.
New SPN writer!!!
So Robbie Thompson just tweeted that a new writer has been added to the SPN family, @robertberens is an openly gay male writer. I’m thrilled with this news, let’s all give him a warm welcome to the family.
