Meta Essays

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A meta essay, or meta (short for meta-analysis) refers to an essay that explores the text of a show in more detail than an episode review or recap. Broader themes, or deeper analysis are investigated, often with supporting evidence in the form of screencaps, pictures or charts.

See other entries in the Meta category for books and academic essays.

Meta Communities

In the first two seasons of Supernatural, the Supernatural community spn_heavymeta on Livejournal followed a set regime, where members would submit essays for each episode on Dean, Sam and John. After Season Two this structure was abandoned, and the community simply provided a central place for people to link to their metas.

The forums on Television Without Pity (now closed) and supernatural.tv as well as blogs like The Winchester Family Business often contain meta discussion, as do the comments sections on many media sites.

• This is a link to a masterpost of the Monday meta digest a weekly round up of Supernatural meta
• Masterpost of meta recs by orange8hands

Meta Essays

Some of Us Really Do Watch for the Plot is a collection of meta essays written by fans in the first two seasons published by fans. Pre-publication versions of the essays are linked on the collection page.

Dean

• Dean's Arrested Development by noelq
• Dean as Combat Commander by ladyraiden
• Good Dean Hunting by astri13
• Who's in Charge here: Dean in Wendigo by dotfic
• Still a long way to go: Dean in Home by karaadora
• If you love someone set them free: Dean in Shadows by marinarusalka
• Dean in Route 666 by anteka
• If that's what it takes: Dean in Dead Man's Blood by jewelgalantine
• Dean in Croatoan by blackcat333_99
• Holding out for a hero: Dean in NightShifter by slaysvamp
• Fear of irrelevance: Dean in In My Time of Dying by ataniell93
• Freudian analysis of Dean by sarahwilder
• Dean's relationship to food by ash48
• A Detailed look into Dean and Ash. (Masterpost) by sandraugiga
• Mangelpain: a study on Dean Winchester by lizstiel
• "I'm not someone you want to aim to be: Dean in SPN season 6 by amonitrate
• The Art of Letting Go: A Take on Dean’s Mental State in 9x01 Ï think I'm going to like it here" by feandra
• It is Easier to Build Strong Children than to Repair Broken Men: Dean Winchester and Early Years Education by lookatthesefreakinghispters
• Breakdown of Dean giving Cas the mixtape in 12.19 The Future by magarittet
• Dean’s Jungian Shadow Arc in S14 - Confronting the Internal Father (2x22 to 14x20) by drsilverfish

Sam

• Sam in Season 1 by dunkle_feuer
• Is Sammy selfish or functional ? by dodger-winslow
• I had a crappy guidance counselor: Sam in Asylum by estel_willow
• The end of innocence: Sam in Home by morgan32
• Daaaad: Sam in dead Man's Blood by astri13
• Carry on my wayward son: Sam in Salvation by candygramme
• Allowance for us all: Sam in Everybody Loves a Clown by sargraf
• My turn to fall apart: Sam in Playthings by marinarusalka
• True Believer: Sam in Houses of the Holy by dodger_winslow
• The killer in me: Sam in Croatoan by missyjack
• Sam Winchester as Chewbacca by blackjedii
• Sam in Season 3 by girlwonder
• Sam in Season 4 by quarterwhore
• Why Sam is not going darkside but he may end up wearing spandex by missyjack
• Rockstars, hunters and addiction by fannishliss
• Cracking the Enigma which is Post-Hell!Sam (circa S6) by zimshan
• 'Not Normal. Safe.': Why S8!Sam Makes Sense in the Context of his History & in Relation to Dean by zimshan
• Sam and Death by magickstiel

John Winchester

• John in Season One by phantomas
• The John Winchester Parenting Handbook by ellipsisblack
• On the dangers of normal: John in the Pilot by deannie
• Choices and consequences: John in Something Wicked by sargraf
• John in Home by dotfic
• Fallen warrior: John in Everbody Loves a Clownby morgan32
• The vanishing act in reverse: John in Shadows by phantomas
• Cast a giant shadow: John in Asylum by astri13
• John's digression from champion to adversary by kinda_tempted

The Winchesters

• Vivisecting Supernatural- This Essay Is Not About Selfcest by Wren Collins
• It's all about the Sam, the Dean, the Dad, the Demon by dodger-winslow
• Hugging & brotherly love: a comparison of the way brothers relate in Supernatural, Heroes & Prison Break by silver_spotted
• Alpha, beta & omega: Pack order in the Winchesters by technosage
• You're not my brother: Insights into the boys' relationship through Skin and Asylum by angstslashhope
• The blunt instrument and the sharp: Sam and Dean in Mystery Spot by spiderine
• Sam vs. Daddy by ahania
• Redemption narratives and kissing by missyjack
• Vessels, and shared responsibility by destina
• Sam and Dean's transformative love story by Catherine Tosenberger
• Tension, Conflict, Motivation, and Plot: Why the Story is About Dean & We Do Know Sam by bowtrunckle
• Dean's capability and Sam's morality by eilonwy
• Of Alphas, Betas, and omegas: of Winchesters and Alphabet soup by technosage
• Sam and Dean and Me: codependence in Supernatural by vichan
• The tragedy of Sam and Dean by affectingly
• Sam/Dean Ship manifesto by slytherinblack
• Why I write Sam/Dean even though I've never liked incestfic setissma
• Analysis of Sam's love/devotion for Dean by laurificus
• On Incest and wincest: the right and wrong way to write Sam/Dean] by hidingincanada
• A Wincest Manifesto
• Psychotically, irrationally, erotically co-dependent…the obsessive bromance of Supernatural by pinkwood
• To Keep Each Other Human: The Restoration of Balance (and other color interactions) in SPN 5.18 by zimshan
• Playing with perception: Sam and dean in Season 8 by metamorphic rocks

Castiel

• A boy and his angel by karenmiller
• Where Do Castiel's Loyalties Lie ? by darksilvercat
• Castiel: An Angel in the trenches by Amanda Spedding
• Castiel's character meta by sistermagpie
• Jimmy: The man behind the curtain by seahorse-4215
• The evolution of Castiel's humanity by missyjack
• The darkest hour by saucery
• On the nature of the profound bond by defilerwyrm
• An attempt at a neuroscientific examination of Castiel’s human experience and why it changed him by feandra
• On Castiel, Identity and Metrical Analysis by lifeinabox66
• The Route of Flowers : Symbolism and Castiel by thevioletcaptain
• Cas, Dean, Humanity, and Angeldom by attackofthekillermexisaurusex
• the symbolism of castiel’s favored heaven by outpastthemoat
• Proportion: How your eyes trick you into thinking Cas is shorter and thinner than he actually is by mischeviousart
• Cas and his shadow by amwritingmeta
• an eternal tuesday afternoon: the symbolism of Castiel’s favored heaven by outpastthemoat

Other Characters

• Then and Now by blackcat333_99
• Hunter and hunted: Jo in Born Under a Bad Sign by missyjack
• Long arm of the law: FBI Agent Hendrickson in Night Shifter by marinarusalka
• You can't choose your family: Bobby and Ellen as mentors by mahoni
• Why Gordon is more than just a killer: Gordon in Bloodlust by phantomas
• Sam and the Trickster in Mystery Spot by makishef
• Ruby & Castiel as avatars for aspects of Sam and Dean by missyjack
• Better the devil you know: illustrated meta on Ruby through seasons 3 & 4 by missyjack
• Illustrated meta on Anna by tirra-lyrra
• Anna Milton Meta: The Lioness, the Leader, the Sacrificial Lamb by arcadianambivalence
• An Anna Milton Meta by susurrantpetrichor - A multi-part analysis of Anna's character, including feminist and theological readings.
  • Part 1: Why Would an Angel Fall?
  • Part 1.1: Bonus Content! Too Off-Topic for the Main Post! Now with more theology and possibly a small feminist rant.
  • Part 2(A): Forgiveness and Love
  • Part 2(B): It’s Time to Think for Yourself
  • Part 2(C): Agency and Ambiguity in “The Song Remains the Same.”
  • Part 2.1: Blasphemy, Doubt, Agape, the Beloved Community, Etc., Etc. (more religious-y bonus content)
  • Part 3: The Madwoman in Heaven’s Attic, the Angel in the Impala
  • Part 3.1: “She Prophesied True Things”
  • Part 4: Useless Speculation
• "Long Live the King" - How Crowley Has Changed Over the Seasons and Where His Character Can Be Expected To Go Next by by neven-ebrez
• Crowley as a Shakespearean Antagonist by bookdal
• The meaning of Lucifer's wings by fallcnintohell
• Jack Kline Novak Winchester: Son, TFW Mirror, Trinity and Key; Quaternity, Ouroboros, Caduceus, and Harbinger of The End (meta masterpost) by drsilverfish

Mytharc Meta

• Vivisecting Supernatural- The End's 2014 Vs. Season Nine's 2014 by Wren Collins
• Good and Evil in Supernatural (Supernatural panel held at Escapade 2006, a fan-run convention)
• Sam, John and the Demon by destina
• The possibilities of Sam Winchester by fuoror_scribiend
• The Winchester Guide to Demonology by hoovooloo_too
• Angels, spirits, spirits and planetary talismans by reasearchgrrl
• A Cowboy, a Hero, and a Chevy Impala: American Mythology in Supernatural by aislinamara
• Season 3 Episodes 15 & 16 - An analysis of Sam and Dean's contract by stare-at-walls
• Meta analysis on Season 3 by albydarned
• On the Head of a Pin: there's no going back by bardicvoice
• Questions on the angel hierarchy by schmevil
• Zeke 9000 - A 2014 Supernatural Odyssey: parallels between Sam/Zeke and Dave/Hall from 2001 by larinah
• Angels, Demons, Dean and Posession in Supernatural by dontturnitoff
• Demons, Devils, and Dicks: Supernatural and Post 9/11 Angst by bookdal
• 9x11 Parallels - Dean/Cain, Sam/Abel & Castiel/Colette by queernatural
• The Meta of Supernatural & The Many Meanings of “God as the Author” by by magicoolsassyphoenix
• Folklore and Supernatural (masterpost) by prairiedust

The Impala

• Meta-llicar: a muscle car meta by missyjack (June 2006); archive link
• Dean's Emotional State and The Condition of The Impala" (S1) by anteka (September 2006); archive link
• A Tribute To The Impala a.k.a. Metallicar by raloria (December 2006) archive link
• Dean's Emotional State and The Condition of The Impala" (S2) by anteka (January 2007); archive link
• Wilkinson, Jules. 2009. Back in black. In the Hunt: Unauthorized Essays on "Supernatural," ed. Supernatural.tv with Leah Wilson, 197–207. Dallas, TX: BenBella; archive link
• Bruce, Melissa N. 2010. The Impala as negotiator of melodrama and masculinity in Supernatural. In "Saving People, Hunting Things," edited by Catherine Tosenberger, special issue, Transformative Works and Cultures, no. 4. https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2010.0154.
• George S.A. 2014. A Man and His 1967 Impala: Supernatural, U.S. Car Culture, and the Masculinity of Dean Winchester. In: George S.A., Hansen R.M. (eds) Supernatural, Humanity, and the Soul. Palgrave Macmillan, New York.
• Stewart, Mark. 2014. A Black 1967 Chevy Impala: Fan Shibboleths as Cultural Password. FlowTV 20.2; archive link
• Knowles, Thomas. 2016. The Automobile as Moving Castle. Ed. Melissa Edmondson. The Gothic in Supernatural: Essays on the Television Series. McFarland Press.
• 10 Baby Facts for SPN Fic Authors by durenjtmusings (August 2017); archive link

Supernatural & Its Visuals

• Vivisecting Supernatural- Strange Grimy Glamour by Wren Collins
• Kripke and His Camera: Pastels, Flowers, and Symbolism in WIAWSNB by bowtrunckle
• Blue Velvety Smoothness: Visual references in WIAWSNB
• Red Demons and Yellow Psychics: Color Association and their Role in Supernatural's Visual Language Part 1 by bowtrunckle
• Red Demons and Yellow Psychics: Color Association and their Role in Supernatural's Visual Language Part 2 (This part focuses on Sam and his connection to demons) by bowtrunckle
• The Supernatural Color Wheel by hearseeno
• There's a Reason To Hope: The Cinematographic Use of Lighting & Shot Composition in SPN 5.04 by zimshan
• The Balance of Red & Blue: Color Symbolism in context of Fate & Free Will in Season 5 by zimshan
• Picspam tribute to Kim's directorial work on Supernatural by bellanut
• "...a storyteller who spoke with his camera..." Part One and Part Two. A picspam looking at Kim Manner's direction of Season One and Two episodes by coltshot1
• The Angel in the House: On the Presence of a Higher Power by sadelyrate
• Supernatural Title Cards and the 5 elements by blacklid
• Supernatural Title Cards and their meanings by meiou-set
• Visual Tropes and Call-Backs in Early Season 5 Episodes by hearseeno
• Statues in Supernatural by tirra-lyrra
• The Writing On The Wall: a study of the graffiti in The End by andreth47
• A Visual review of Two and a half Men by Ardeospina
• Visual review of Like a Virgin by Ardeospina
• Supernatural Noir: season six in review by Jules Wilkinson
• Comparison of Jensen's choice of shots in The Girl Next Door with Hitchcock's Stranger on a Train by bowtruckle
• Tracking the Visual Story: The Saga of Red & Blue Continues... by zimshan
• Comparative Directorial Styles: Edlund, Rohl, Singer, Scgricca, and Manners by bowtruckle
• Season 8: Dissecting Visual Drama by bowtruckle
• Symbolism of the Star Brite Drive-in in 10.03 Soul Survivor by larinah
• Visual Motifs - Flowers: Mystery, secrets, and things yet to be revealed by hearseeno
• “Why Do You Dress Me In Borrow’d Robes?” The Role of Costumes and Mirrors In 8x11/8x20 And What It Might Mean For the Character Development of Dean Winchester by sikai

Gender and Sexuality

Gender

• Manly man in TVLand: Gender in Supernatural by astri13
• Less Campy: comparisons of gender depictions in Buffy and Supernatural by monkeycrackmary
• Un-, Sub-, or Supernatural Forces Butch-femme dynamics in the series of brotherly love by Whitney Cox
• A feminist take on Supernatural by fanishliss
• Masculinity in Supernatural by lefefuge
• Macho vs masculinity by sasha-davidovna
• Some Considerations (in defense) of Supernatural's Malleus Maleficarum from a Feminist by crossroads_lore
• Something about Mary by spg
• Hell hath no fury like a woman born by deadbeat_nymph
• Daddy, would you like some sausage ?: Oedipal narrative in Supernatural by angstslashhope
• Latchkey Hero: Masculinity, Class and the Gothic in Eric Kripke's Supernatural by Julia M. Wright
• The Women of Supernatural by Mike Elrod
• Commentary on the "Women's Work" Fanvid by fan-eunice
• Women's Art and "Women's Work" (Essay on the gendered nature of vidding and, in particular, examining "Women's Work", a fanvid by Luminosity and Sisabet & how it examines the portrayal of women in Supernatural)
• Looking at Dean Winchester: The Gaze In Supernatural by missyjack
• Gender bias in Supernatural: the cold hard stats by ash48 and bythedamned
• Male Sexual assault in Supernatural by hells-half-acre
• Torture and rape in Season 6 by amonitrate
• Possession and sex in Supernatural by chasingtides
• Swapping Spit and Satin Panties: Sexual Objectification of the Male Characters in Supernatural by blubird-pie
• Supernatural’s Dean Winchester Dismantled His Own Machismo—and That’s Why We Love Him at tor.com by Emily Asher-Perrin
• Supernatural Bechdel test by centrumlumina
• Breaking Down the Schtick: Jensen Ackles, Physical Comedy, Objectification, Consent, and Other Supernatural Topics Inspired By Three Seconds of Footage by Sheila O'Malley
• Do I look like Paris Hilton? Dean as SPN's Cinematic Female Other by Frozen-delight
• The appeal of Supernatural to a queer audience by postmodernmulticoloredcloak

Discussions of Characters' Sexuality

Sam

• brief meta on Sam being demiromantic by mustiep999 [bossydean], bangingpatchouli (December 2013); archive link
• Anonymous asked: What's your opinion on the possibility of queer!Sam, as in pansexual, bisexual, or any variation of queer? by backinwyoming (January 2014); archive link
• I think this scene is actually just a little indication that Dean knows Sam is not completely uninterested in guys (Untitled) by lukearnold, optimisam, samwinchesterappreciation (May 2014); archive link
• Sam Winchester and Demisexuality by twinkjaredarchived-blog (December 2013); revised version by bottomnoctis (May 2014); archive link, revised version archive link
• Untitled meta on Sam’s demon blood addiction read as a parallel for the 80s AIDS crisis by pocochina (July 2014); archive link
• Your Demon Lover: Sam and Brady by safiyabat (July 2014); archive link
• Queer!Sam Week Day 1: Favorite (potential) Queer!Sam moment(s) by bananadaiquiri (July 2014); archive link
• demi!sam makes so much sense and the writers really need to look into it! by hunterinabrowncoat, bornunderabluemoonbaby; more by cassyswinchestergospel (August 2014); archive link, archive link
• Demisexual and queer Sam by kerasines [kimchesters] (November 2014); archive link
• okay, but seriously, sam has never explicity stated his sexuality. ever. (Untitled) by transgendersam [subbyjared] (December 2014); archive link
• Reply to an ask on Sam + Crossroads Demons by samwinchesterappreciation, safiyabat (December 2014); archive link
• It’s Not Just One Crossroads Demon by safiyabat (December 2014); archive link
• bullet point post: #sam is bi #queer!sam #feel free to add your own [September 2015] by nelliespector [novakspector] (September 2015); archive link
• Sam Winchester’s backstory is like a laundry list of allegorical queerness by nelliespector [novakspector] (October 2015); archive link

Dean

• The Story of My (non) Existence: Bisexuals and Genre Television by chasingtides (February 2009); archive link
• “Well, You Are Kind Of Butch”: The Bisexuality Of Dean Winchester by waterofthemoon (March 2010); archive link
• In which Anne Over-analyzes Frontierland by perpetuallycaffeinated (April 2011); archive link
• Pink and Satiny: An Exploration of Dean Winchester's Bisexuality by sobrans [lotstradamus] (April 2012); archive link, tumblr, archived tumblr link
• Dean Winchester and "On the Road" Parallels by metalicar (August 2012); archive link
• Why Dean Winchester would make a great bisexual character: an essay by me by silvenhorror (January 2013); archive link
• The Fucking Badge Scene by agentmapal (February 2013); archive link
• The Subversion of Dean’s Masculinity by defilerwyrm (February 2013); archive link
• "Hi. I'm Tom, I'm a queer man, I'm not a shipper, and I’ve been increasingly certain that Dean Winchester is a closeted bisexual since season 2..." posted by lotstradamus (March 2013); archive link; originally posted as a comment on Let's Discuss: Dean Winchester - Bromance, a Gay Thing, or Other? The Winchester Family Business, 2013 Feb 10. archive link
• On season 8's build-up to Dean being openly bisexual by katnisstiel (February 2013); archive link
  • Hannah. 2013. The Shipping News: Marauder's Era Fanfic and Dean Winchester, Bi-Curious? ‘’AfterElton’s The Backlot’’, February 18; archive link, excerpt on tumblr, archive link
• Arguments for straight Dean need to work a little harder by superwholockthecomic (February 2013); archive link
• I have no doubt Dean likes the ladies. But I also have no doubt that he likes dudes too. (Untitled) by thefuckingtrenchcoat (March 2013); archive link
• Let's take a look at this statement: 'Dean is not canonically queer until made explicit' by mekbuda (March 2013); archive link
• Good Stuff, Big Things: Who is Dean Smith, really? by defilerwyrm (April 2013); archive link
• On Dean Winchester and His Repressed Bisexuality: Evidence through the Seasons by ashkiryn (April 2013); archive link
• Thoughts on the Siren Episode ("Sex and Violence") by fansofcollisions (May 2013); archive link
• On gender stereotyping and analisys of Dean's biseхuality by silvenhorror (August 2013); archive link
• when Dean is ‘’vehemently’’ protesting about being straight in canon, it’s important to take hunter culture into consideration (Untitled) by saltfree, thickney (November 2013); archive link
• Bisexual Dean Winchester: History in the Making by ahubofreadersandmagicians (May 2014); archive link
• Dean’s “Intense Fling” and the Narrative Purpose of Sex in Supernatural by thoughtlessthinkythoughts (July 2014); archive link
• Greyro and bi meta from Sex and Violence by mustiep999 [bossydean] (July 2014); archive link
• Dean Winchester as Greyromantic Part 1: The Quick and Dirty by mustiep999 [bossydean] (August 2014); archive link
• Masculinity and Queerness in the Media: A Meditation on Dean Winchester by peter-pantomime (April 2015); archive link
• bi!dean by episode by jenmisheel (November 2015); mirror link
• Arguments Against Bi!Dean Are Bad by argumentsagainstbideansuck (April 2015 - February 2017)
  • But the Writers SAID, archive link
  • That’s Just Your Opinion, Man,archive link
  • Bisexuality & Its Discontents,archive link
  • Dean Said He's Hetero, archive link
  • False Equivalences, archive link
  • It’s not evidence of Dean's queerness because…, archive link
  • The Shipping Accusation/Problem, archive link
  • Misc., archive link
• The Dean Is Bi Meta Masterpost by elizabethrobertajones (August 2017); mirror link, archive link

• Emily E. Roach, "Supernatural: Wincest, Destiel and Dean Winchester's Bisexual Panic" in Queerbaiting and Fandom: Teasing Fans Through Homoerotic Possibilities ed. Joseph Brennan (University of Iowa Press, 2019).
  • Preview on Google Books: 65-65, 67-68, 69-70, 71-72, 73-74, 75-76, 77-78, 79-80, 81

Cas

• “If the pizza man truly loves this babysitter, why does he keep slapping her rear?” It’s a lulzy joke, but the more I think about it, the sweeter it is… by neraiutsuze (September 2011); archive link
• An Asexual Interpretation of Castiel by bookkbaby (August 2013); archive link
• Why I Think Cas Shouldn’t Be Canonically Straight: and No, it’s Not Because of Destiel by poedamyron (August 2013); archive link
• Cas and intimacy: (Part 1), (Part 2) by outpastthemoat; ladyofthesilent (August 2013); archive link 1, archive link 2
• Let’s have a serious talk about ace!Cass. His experience with sex on the show is just shattering. by castielculator (September 2014); archive link
• blessedhunk asked: Um...hi! Can you do the list thing for ace!Cas? I ask because on your page there's a cartoon of Cas saying, "So ace." Also, I have my own evidence for Cas being ace, but I want to see if I missed any, and what other people have noticed. :) by jenmisheel (July 2015); link
• Castiel’s Sexuality by gneisscastiel (January 2018); archive link

Shipping

• Hartinger, Brent. 2010. Has Slash made the world better for gay men? After Elton, August 11; archive link
• Hypable Staff. 2013. Breaking fandom taboos: Let’s talk about slash shipping. Hypable, May 7; archive link
• The Art of the Answer: How Showrunners Speak About Shipping by sarasarai (July 2013); archive link
• Davies, Morgan Leigh. 2013. A Brief History of Slash. The Toast, September 19; archive link
• Coy, Olivia. 2015. Fifty Shades of Yellow: Tinhatters keep the early paranoid dreams of internet forum-based fandom alive. The New Inquiry, June 22; archive link
• Shipping as a meditation on love by agentfreewill (September 2015); archive link
• McCulloch, Gretchen. 2015. A Linguist Explains the Grammar of Shipping. The Toast, September 30; archive link
• Jackson, Gita. 2017. Overwatch Incest 'Shipping Tests The Limits Of What's Permissible In Fandom. Kotaku Australia, May 11; archive link
• Coelho, Steph. 2017. 15 'Supernatural' Couples We Wish Had Gotten Together. TheThings, April 4; archive link
• Donaldson, Kayleigh, 2018. Inside the World Of Real Person Fanfiction. SyFy Wire, June 4; archive link

Fandom Stats

• What we write - an analysis of genres and pairings, and changing trends in Supernatural Fanfic from 2005-2009 by missyjack (May 2010); archive link
• AO3 Census Project by centrumlumina
• AO3 Ship Stats Project by centrumlumina
• Shipping Stats by destinationtoast

Fandom Surveys

• McCollum, Ashley. 2013. Best Thing Ever of the Day: What Are The Chances Destiel Will Be Canon? ‘’MTV Geek News,’’ September 27; archive link
• re 1 percent claim of the Profound Bond Census by Fandom (de)Bunker (October 2013); archive link
• HuntForAnswers Fan Survey by ancestorbound (mid-October to mid-November 2013)
• Survey of the Supernatural Fandom by fandometrics (April 20th-23rd, 2014); archive link
• I saw a fandom survey going around that could in no way whatsoever cast objective results and decided to make a better one because I'm a huge nerd. Here are the results - Part 1 by inkbleeder (May 2018); archive link
• SPN Fandom Survey Results, Part 2 - Shippers Who Ship All The Ships by inkbleeder (May 2018); archive link
• SPN Fandom Survey Results, Part 3 - THE DRAMA! by inkbleeder (May 2018); archive link

Wincest

• Erotically Co-Dependant: A Dean/Sam Manifesto by slytherinblack and kissedbythegods, at Ship Manifesto (December 2005, updated through season 5); archive link
• Emotional Intimacy & Communication by destina (October 2006); archive link
• Justifying Sam/Dean by monster-of-hope (March 2007); archive link
• Could Dean kill Sam? by destina (March 2007); archive link
• Redemption narratives and kissing by missyjack (May 2007); archive link
• Why I write Sam/Dean even though I've never liked incestfic (Untitled) by setissma (August 2007); archive link
• Wincest and Romanticism by fannishliss (February 2008); archive link
• Things That Are Completely Fantastic About Sam/Dean by setissma (March 2008); archive link
• Wincest Manifesto by Sarah on Supernatural for Grown Ups (circa 2008); archive link
• Incest in my Canon? by chasingtides (October 2008); archive link
• Tosenberger, Catherine. 2008. "The epic love story of Sam and Dean": Supernatural, queer readings, and the romance of incestuous fan fiction. Transformative Works and Cultures, no. 1. https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2008.030
• Hellekson, Karen. 2009. Catherine Tosenberger talks about "Supernatural." Karen Hellekson, April 6; archive link
• Chan, Suzette. 2009. Catherine Tosenberger on Sam and Dean's Transformative Love Story. Sequential Tart: A Comics Industry Web Zine, April 6; archive link
• Wincest: transgressive taboo or conservative construct? by missyjack (February 2009); archive link
• Analysis of Sam's love/devotion for Dean by laurificus (May 2009); archive link
• Wincest! The Musical by coyotesuspect (December 2009); archive link
• Young, Katie. 2011. Psychotically, irrationally, erotically co-dependent…the obsessive bromance of Supernatural. Katie Young Author, June 18; archive link
• A Wincest Manifesto by nana (circa 2012); archive link
• What is Wincest and How Do I Ship It: A Comprehensive Guide by brothersintheimapala (April 2013); archive link
• Sam & Dean: Soulmates by spnmonster (July 2013); archive link
• Why Wincest is canon by rabidbehemoth (October 2013); archive link
• Torrey, K. T. 2014. Writing with the Winchesters: Metatextual Wincest and the provisional practice of happy endings. Journal of Fandom Studies 2: 163-180.

Destiel

• Because God Commanded It: Dean/Castiel by vichan (February 2009); archive link, page 1, archive link, page 2, reposted on tumblr (April 2017), archive link.
• SPN meta: The Lack of Unconditional Love by vasiliki (June 2011); archive link
• The secret relationship theory by pinkandsatiny (April 2012); archive link
• Dean and Cas Purgatory reunion by lurea (October 2012); archive link
• Supernatural and Queer(ed) Canon by rootsunknown (November 2012); archive link
• Destiel & pro-canon Destiel shipping meta masterpost by silvenhorror (December 2012); archive link
• 5:04 Future!Dean and Cas are Lovers and the Whole Camp Knows It by lurea (October 2012)
  • part one; archive link
  • part two; archive link
  • part three; archive link
  • part four; archive link
  • 5:04 End!Verse Characterization - Dean and Cas (January 2013); archive link
• The Supernatural Lover: Fairy Tale Archetypes and Destiel by outpastthemoat (March 2013); archive link
• An Argument in Tropes – A Destiel Meta (Part One) (Part 2) by octoswan (April 2013); archive link 1, archive link 2
• Casual Viewers noticing Destiel by silvenhorror (April 2013)
  • (Part I | archive link I)
  • (Part II | archive link II)
  • (Part III) | archive link III)
  • (Part IV | archive link IV)
• The Great Season 7 Rewatch by flutiebear (Sepember 2012 - April 2013)
  • (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6) (Part 6.5) (Part 7) (Part 8.1) (Part 8.2) (Part 8.3) (Part 8.4) (Part 8 coda) (Part 9)
  • Author's note, April 2014: For many reasons, I am no longer in the Supernatural fandom, and I will never finish this meta series. While I leave the GS7R up for posterity's sake (and because I worked too hard on it to take it down), you probably shouldn't bother following me for more SPN meta, because it won't be coming. Ever.
• Supernatural and the Love Narrative: A Non-Shipper’s Perspective on Destiel by sarasarai (April 2013)
  • (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6)
  • Special "Clip Show" Edition (May 2013)
  • Author's note: This meta was written prior to season 9, which has in my opinion quite clearly and distinctly moved the relationship back to platonic.
• On the Nature of the Profound Bond by defilerwyrm (June 2013); archive link
• The Romance Narrative v. The Bromance Narrative: When slash ships transcend crack ships by heaven-is-my-hell (June 2013); archive link
• Extended Cain & Dean Parallels by pondlifeforme (January 2014); archive link
• Parallels - Dean/Cain, Sam/Abel & Castiel/Collette by queernatural (January 2014); archive link
• Canon Queer: Deconstructing Destiel Theory by honestbrooklyndirt (March 2014); archive link
• The Weight of the World Is Love by thevioletcaptain (April 2014); archive link; mirror link
• Narrative Negative Space: How What’s Not There Says as Much as What Is by s-cornelius (April 2014); archive link
• The Divine Reviews Collection by neven-ebrez (Oct 2013 - Aug 2014); archive link
• The Rule of Three in "Heaven Can't Wait" by obsessionisaperfume (September 2014); archive link
• Summary of Destiel + POV by elizabethrobertajones (November 2014); archive link (updated September 2017, archive link)
• Queerness, Tropes & Proof Of Love: Why Destiel Is Canon by fozmeadows (April 2015); archive link
• The Three Day Deancasversary by mittensmorgul (September 2015); archive link
• SPN 11x23: They think they’re family by charlie-minion (June 2016); archive link
• Why the SPN mixtape scene from 12x19 is screenwriting gold, and should be taught to the next generations of screenwriters everywhere - analysis by margarittet (May 2017); archive link
• It’s never too late to start over again by k-vichan (November 2017); archive link
• Singular vs Plural “You” by charlie-minion (January 2018); archive link
• This Is the Song That Never Ends by sisabet (July 2018)
• Destiel - The Intimacy of Touch and Holding Hands by bluestar86 (December 2019); archive link
• Understanding the Closet in Narrative - Healing Hands/ Holding Hands in 15x08 Our Father Who Aren't in Heaven by drsilverfish (December 2019); archive link

Queerbaiting

Definition and history of Queer Baiting on Fanlore

• Dear "Slash" Fandom by effingdeixis [thequixoticbedhead] on Fanlore (May 2013)
• Romano, Aja. 2013. How One Question Triggered a Supernatural Meltdown. The Daily Dot, May 6; archive link
• On Queerbaiting and Misha's Comments at NJCon by t-eyla (June 2013)
• Veronika K. 2013. "Supernatural -- 9.07 -- Dean and Castiel's Reunion and Queer-Baiting." SpoilerTV, September 20. archive link
• Baker-Whitelaw, Gavia. 2013. Did Supernatural Just Give Fans the Queer Romance They've Been Hoping For? The Daily Dot, October 15; archive link
• Romano, Aja. 2013. WB executive deletes Twitter account after angering 'Supernatural' fans. The Daily Dot, October 24; archive link
• Regarding Chad Kennedy by The Fandom (de)Bunker (October 2013); archive link
• Pajor, Samantha. 2013. 'Supernatural' Needs to Admit Dean is Bisexual Mic, October 25; archive link
• Chan, Suzette. 2014. Fangasm: Supernatural Fangirls Katherine Larsen and Lynn Zubernis. Sequential Tart, March 10; archive link
• Schrödinger's Queerbaiting by khaleesiofthegreatdairystate [amyrat151] (June 2014); archive link
• Cruz, Eliel. 2014. Fans take Supernatural to task for "Queer Baiting." Advocate, July 17. archive link
• Destiel: One of the Most Effective Queerbaits in TV History by snuggydeamon (June 2014); archive link
• Romano, Aja, Diana Michelle, Dori Koogler, and Jessica Mason. Queerbaiting in Genre Television: Representation or Exploitation? Geek Girl Con 2014. Panel description, panel recap, some of the slides used.
• Gennis, Sadie. 2014. "Supernatural Has a Queerbaiting Problem That Needs to Stop." TV Guide, November 17. archive link
• Rachel A. "Queerbaiting and Dean Winchester." YouTube.com, 22 Feb 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNl4ElrW54E
• Aparicio, Rachel. 2015. Supernatural Needs to Pull the Trigger on Destiel or Castiel (And They Need to Do It Now). The Daily Fandom, March 20; archive link
  • Limiting a character to being one half of a ship is really fucking gross by pathsofpassion, destieldrabblesdaily (March 2015); archive link
  • Making Cas the Scapegoat of Destiel is Reductive (Untitled) by anon, bittercasgirl (March 2015); archive link
• Supernatural + Polysemy (Untitled) by rainbofiction, f-ckyeahfutbol, fireintheimpala, impostoradult (March 2015); archive link
• Kelly, Geneva. 2015. Fans vs fiction: Queerbaiting in "Supernatural"? Biscuit, March 6; archive link
• Not shipping it is anyone's prerogative. But to say it hasn't been queerbaited just falls into the realm of willful obtuseness. (Untitled) by some-people-call-it-tragic, bombshellsandbluebells, impostoradult (February 2016); archive link
• Campbell, Anna. 2016. Queerbaited: Homoeroticism & Homophobia in Supernatural in the Age of the Internet. Medium, February 20; archive link
• Marty Stu. 2016. Why Dean Winchester's Bisexuality Matters. FAN/FIC Magazine, September 8; archive link
• Johnson, Hannah. 2016. Supernatural's Scariest Monster: Bisexual Erasure. Btch Flcks, September 30; archive link
• Mary Sue. 2018. Dean Winchester is the Bisexual Hero Supernatural Deserves. FAN/FIC Magazine, August 2; archive link
• Queerbaiting and the blame ping-pong ball by chili-legilimens (March 2019); archive link
• Anonymous asked: Why do you think Supernatural has such a large LGBTQ+ following? The representation of queer people ist piss poor and most of the time non-existent. Is it because of the IMO queerbaiting or are there other reasons? by postmodernmulticoloredcloak, floral-lumberjack (July 2019); archive link
• Roach, E 2019. "Supernatural Wincest and Dean's Bisexual Panic" in Queerbaiting and Fandom: Teasing Fans Through Homoerotic Possibilities. Brennan, Joseph (ed). University of Iowa Press.

Class

• Supernatural and economic instability by amonitrate
• Supernatural and the Underclass series: Intro, Dangers of the underclass, Music, War, Clothes, Cars Part One, Cars Part Two by laespada
• "All I saw was evil": Supernatural's Reactionary Road Trip by Brian Ireland
• Supernatural and the Underclass series by vee-fic

Religion

• Vivisecting Supernatural- Maybe I Could Be Saved by Wren Collins
• Supernatural: Paving the Way for The New World/Testament by cugami
• Judaism in Supernatural by hagar-972
• Pagan Symbolism in Supernatural - the pentagram by persephoneshadow
• The nature of Death of Supernatural by hell-half-acre
• Trivialization of Hindu gods in Supernatural episode by schmevil

Ethnicity and Race

• Regional accents in Supernatural by ethrosdemon
• Race in Supernatural by The Angry Black Woman blogsite
• Winchester Accents: None of Them Sound Like They’re from Kansas by basiacat
• Supernatural: Kinda Racist by Alejandro Zuleta
• Is supernatural racist? by Lady Geek Girl
• An Open Letter to Eric Kripke by Alaya Dawn Johnson
• "Supernatural" Is Midwestern Gothic For The Google Generation by Annalee Newitz
• Dear Writers Of Supernatural by Nerdy POC
• If Sam and Dean were PoC by glockgal

Music

• Music (Original Score) (meta on themes and motifs in the music score by zimshan)
• Top fifteen music moments on Supernatural by quidditchkiss
• Chasing Rabbits: On the use of "White Rabbit" in the teaser to Hunted by gigglingkat
• Other music metas by gigglingkat
• Baby I’m Gonna Leave You: Dean and Led Zeppelin by feandra

Miscellaneous

• Somebody save me: the point of view of people in peril on the boys by astri13
• Free will & determinism in the Supernatural universe by technosage
• The long arm of the law by silver_spotted
• “Why do I hafta be some kind of hero ?": A Hero’s Journey Analysis of Supernatural by kentawolf
• Politics in Supernatural by Lyric Ron
• How the writers' strike affected Season 3 by percysowner
• The Viewers Guide to the Pilot by bowtrunckle & hugemind (with emphasis on cinematography)
• Repeated language by weesta
• Brains trumps legs: Disability in Supernatural by chasingtides
• Vampires as a metaphor for denial in Supernatural by redrikki
• Comparisons between Supernatural and Constantine by blackbetrayal
• Chakras in Supernatural by meret
• Bitten and Baudrillard - hyperealism and Supernatural by astarloa
• Season Nine themes as told through its episode titles (spoilers) by neven-ebrez
• Symbolism of the Numebr 17 in Supernatural by abbaddon
• Establishment Culture, or Why Supernatural is Just as ‘Good’ a Show as Mad Men by fangirlingthebook
• SPN The Video: the narrative of Supernatural written as a Role Playing Video Game by @RebornRuffian12

Fandom & Fan Works

• Move over alpha geeks, here come the fangrrls Portrayal of the many facets of fandom, particularly Supernatural
• Navigating The Supernatural Online Fandom: A Great Hiatus Time Killer by Alice Jester
• Infernal redemption: an analysis of the "The Fifth Circle" video by Luminosity by Babak Zarin
• Still Alive Fanvid meta on the Supernatural fandom by counteragent
• A box of mirrors, a unicorn, and a pony by missyjack
• What we write - an analysis of genres and pairings, and changing trends in Supernatural Fanfic from 2005-2009 by missyjack
• Misha’s Minons: A Case Study in Online Community formation and hierarchy
• The pros of cons by Emma Ryan
• The nonnies made them do it! - A history of the Alpha/Beta/Omega trope in Supernatural fanfic by netweight
• Copyright law, the public domain & fanfiction-inspired thoughts on Supernatural's Slumber Party ep by heidi8
• This Content is Currently Unavailable: The Tyranny of Digital Distance, Updated by Mark Stewart
• I Used To Think Maybe You Loved Me (Now Baby I’m Sure): The Reconstruction of the Supernatural Fangirl by KT Torrey - @catchclaw and Shannon Cole - @cym2k
• Shipping as a meditation on love
• A linguist explains the grammar of ship names
• Supernatural Fandom and Disability Awareness by David Perry
• A great look at the free speech debate in fandom and particularly around fanfic and AO3 by Elizabeth Minkel