I think for someone adverse to depression, Tall Tales is a good soft sell. I don't find SPN to be a depressing show, like I found BSG or maybe even Carnivale. But, I love the mangst. It's never struck me as DEPRESSING so much as emotionally resonant, and sometimes the resonating emotions were fucking DOWN in key moments. Sure, if you overanalyze it, it could be considered depressing, but that's not my Show takeaway.

Tall Tales is so much fun. I can't remember why I didn't suggest that one. I LOVE THEM ALL.

Never watched Carnivale. I think the general outlook on life and death in Show is bleaker than BSG, but the show itself is leavened with so much humour and warmth. And BSG was just unremitting angst in the every day. I like that Dean, despite being wracked with PTSD and enough angst to power Seattle can still crack wise. And that the show will create and embrace absurdity with glee. It's why I can keep coming back, even if the messages of futility (seriously--that's our heavenly reward???) and the concomitant torture of family devotion are pretty heartwrenching and played for maximum pain.

Now, if I can work out how to rip DVDs. Don't tell anyone.

I like that Dean, despite being wracked with PTSD and enough angst to power Seattle can still crack wise.

I think that's why Swan Song worked so well for me. Seeing those moments we usually don't -- Sam and Dean looking at the stars with a six-pack, going to an Ozzy show, the army men in the car. At the base of it, it's just these two guys who are brothers, with very little else, and even when they're facing the end of the world, Sam's worrying about Dean's life after the battle and Dean is picking the right song to blast as he rolls into the cemetery.

Well, then I ain't gonna let him die alone.

Sam, it's okay. It's okay. I'm here. I'm here. I'm not gonna leave you. I'm not gonna leave you.

So it became necessary to verify the rip of Tall Tales, so I had to watch the back half of it.

She better like it, dammit. It's good ep. And it makes me want to do simply obscene things to Dean.

I'm kinda surprised I haven't seen more Dean/Trickster (before Mystery Spot, obviously). They seemed to have a vibe that could be salvaged by just having him swear of killing anyone in the future.

Fuck, if people can ship Sam with Gabriel now, and he's DEAD, why not Dean/Trickster?

I can buy the Dean/Trickster chemistry.

In Tall Tales, Dean was very appreciative of the Trickster's style. I can see it.

I still want Dean/Patrick, though (from The Curious Case of Dean Winchester). Mmmm.

I still want Dean/Patrick,

Nuh uh. Sam/Patrick. Brains vs. brawn. Power vs. heart. 'Splosion.

Dean/Dr. Sexy. Anybody who can reduce that boy to stammer and blush? That would be fun.

My most wished for pairings for Sam are Sam/Paul and Sam/Brady. He's not the all purpose man-loving machine I see Dean as. Sam/Jess (as long as she dies) and Sam/Sarah are very good for me too, maybe better.

Dean/OMC was my crack there for a while. I was just realising that it's barely written now. Even nanoochka's epic OMC fic is a D/C fic with a Mary Sue in it. Between Sam and Castiel, there's no extra Dean dick left over.

*Finally* read I Got Soul but I'm No Soldier. I'm really WTF about this:

He was tall, taller than Castiel, but otherwise unremarkable. He was almost unreasonably ordinary looking.

I guess I get why, in context of the story (fuck, I hate secretlyalwaysMichael!Dean like nobody's business), but couldn't she just have skipped the description? I spent most of the fic wondering what Dean looked like, since he clearly doesn't look like Jensen. Does Cas look like Misha? Why? All very distracting.

I get what you meant about the non-existent sex scene, Julie. I had to go back and check for the second orgasm. I guess I kinda found it creepy in the end. Also, random polygamy is random. And not particularly germane or well-illustrated. Also pronoun problems with Gabriel. Pick one, or flip flop consistently.

Glassyskies updated her Sandover verse fic. Interesting that there's actually no Castiel in this installment. And rasquine has a cute Regency pre-slash going on. But in general I feel like there's not much out there for the pairing right now that's either good or hot. Or maybe I'm getting pickier. But there's more that I'm not even clicking on at deancastiel, and I used to read just about everything.

The SPN_J2 big bang doesn't look like it'll fix that either. And D/CBB isn't for forever. Sadface.

But! I ordered a cafe-de-labeill hard copy advent art booklet and it got here. God, it's pretty.

In "Angel", Angel/Spike was made canon in a throwaway line. What slash could be made Canon in Supernatural, not just in one line, but ongoing and dealt with on-screen (still taking into consideration FCC rules just like het sex does onscreen) and be good for the story? As opposed to the pairing you like best, the pairing that would make for good episodes a good long term narrative? Though they may coincide.