G R O W Y O U R W I N G S

If you haven't read this wonderful meta by ash48  and bythedamned  about what the numbers truly say about fandom belief that they "kill all the women," go read "Gender Bias in Supernatural: The Cold Hard Stats"  at spn_heavymeta .

It's got PIE CHARTS people.  And is wonderfully presented and thought out.



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I just read a post by janissa11  here that I COMPLETELY agree with.  She's summarized very well my growing dissatisfaction with Christmas.  And she did it in such a way that it helped me to clarify and understand WHY I've been feeling that way.

I'm just going to copy my comment to her post here...

"You have nailed EXACTLY on the head the feelings I've been developing about Christmas over the past few years.

I've been having trouble understanding exactly why I've been feeling this way as I (like the fellow in the article) having nothing but warm and great memories of the Christmas' I grew up with. I loved how he phrased this part for example:

    "It has taken me three decades of rigorous economics training and life on the East Coast to shake off the warm nostalgia of those holidays."

"Rigorous economic training" -- hee, I love that categorization of what Christmas has morphed into--commercial materialism.

It's funny--I was watching Charley Brown Christmas the other day for the first time in years. This is a holiday special I grew up with--from the 70s. Even then the whole message was about Christmas turning commercial. I guess, while everyone loved the special, not too many people took it's message as a warning and to heart.

I really like your conclusions here. I don't know if I'm totally up for all homemade gifts--but this year my side of the family went with charitable donations rather than gifts. I don't need more stuff that I won't use.

I received two "gifts" that I liked this year--one was a table-top fountain that I was going to buy for myself but instead let my husband and daughter purchase for me. The second was a handmade bread cutting board my son made for me.

Unfortunately the person who drew my name didn't realize I wanted a charitable contribution--so I didn't get that. I did get $30 of iTunes gift cards--which I WILL use and will like. But it wasn't necessary and I certainly don't need it.

The other thing I received for Christmas this year that I LOVED--was time with my family. We've been snowed in for weeks now (unusual for where I live), and that forced some changes in our Christmas visiting. We had to cancel one that I wasn't looking forward to and instead, I got to spend that evening with my immediate family--just talking and laughing. And we had some neighborhood kids over to make and decorate cookies.

One of the best Christmas Eves I've ever spent.

This comment is way too long. I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your post and the thoughts that are in it."


ETA:  I wanted to include the link to the article janissa11  linked to in her post.  I want to make sure I don't lose that link. 

Supernatural 101

I put this together several months ago for a friend I was trying to convert to the show.  This weekend I decided to code it for online reference.  If you notice errors please let me know.



Supernatural is a show introduced on the WB (now the CW) in the fall of 2005. The creator of the show, Eric Kripke, envisioned a show that showcased American Urban Legends and Myths. The show chronicles the story of the brothers Sam & Dean Winchester. The show is in it’s third season as of January 2008.

Dean & Sam travel across the country in a 1967 classic Chevy Impala searching for their father, John Winchester, the supernatural, and the thing that killed their mother, Mary Winchester.

This show appeals on so many levels--it is a one-hour thriller movie per episode with all the creepiness and yes some of the gore of the genre.  It follows a five-year myth-arc that is intricately woven through almost every episode.  Sometimes so subtlely that you won't even see it until later shows review secrets and you find as you re-watch previous episodes there were clues just "laying around" in plain view.

It is a show that also doesn't take itself too seriously.  It pokes humor at itself, at the genre, at it's fans (which the fans love), and at the characters themselves. 

But *more* than anything it is a show about family, about love, and about devotion and sacrifice.  You will come to love the brothers Winchester.  I don't love or even much like modern-day horror shows--too much blood and gore.  But this show--I love. 

If anyone is an X-Files fan--you'll find similarities.  The show has some X-Files alumnae as writers/directors.  And for those of you who are Buffy or Whedon fans, you'll find a clone of Joss in Supernatural's creator, Eric Kripke, who is dearly loved by the fans.

Please note that I link to various fanvids throughout this post.  I try to note when those vids may be spoilery for certain episodes/seasons.  But I may have missed something. 

Below the cut is a longish introduction to this show.  If you find yourself interested, be sure to watch Supernatural on The CW, Thursdays at 9pm.  If you start with S1 DVDs, give yourself until after the first episode of S2 before you pass full judgement on the show.  Many folks find that by mid-season 1 they are intrigued or hooked--but almost all who make it to the premier episode of season 2 are full-on addicted.



 Wow if you lasted through all that--you're definitely either a Supernatural fan already or you are a prime candidate.  Go watch some--Thursdays, 9pm on the CW.

Last week I posted that I had started reading Neil Gaiman's "American Gods".  I mentioned how much it reminded me of Supernatural.  Not to long later I was browsing LJ for meta's on either Mystery Spot or WIaWSNB and came across a post by setissma where she mentioned "American Gods" and said: 

"I know the novel is listed as an influence on the show, and the connections are obvious..."

So I guess Kripke must have been partially influenced by "American Gods."   I just thought it was my mind's habit these days to somehow connect *everything* to Supernatural! 

I'm really enjoying this book.  The main character just realized the fellows he's been traveling with are actually old gods.  He's just identified his main traveling companion as the old Norse god Odin.  This prompted me to go off and read about Odin.  Which is cool--I'm half Norwegian and I just realized today how little I know about Norwegian folklore.  I find myself wondering how much my grandmother (who was born in Norway) would have known about old folklore.  I'm betting not much--she was a no-nonsense type of woman who was also a very strong Lutheran.  But who knows?

More rambling thoughts... I found myself thinking about Kripke earlier this morning.  I was musing on how it must be to be a writer, to create a set of characters, imagine them in a world that you created.  And then to have it "come to life" so to speak by directors, cinematographers, and actors who breathe life into them.  I've heard that Kripke is a Jensen-fan.  I wonder if it's partly because of the depth of life Jensen has given to the character of Dean.  Which made me wonder if Dean is somehow partially an aspect of Kripke's self and/or a fantasy self for Kripke.  Kripke has said he loves classic rock, as does Dean.  Kripke loves the gore and lore, as does Dean.  I'm betting Kripke self-identifies a bit with Dean. 

Of course I'm not a writer myself, so I can only speculate what it must be like to create something and see it come to life.