The CW Source

The CW Source is an unofficial blog for news and gossip about The CW.

The blog covers a range of CW produced shows as well as Supernatural, such as Smallville and Veronica Mars.

The CW Source can be found here, or click here to view only Supernatural-related posts.

In the first couple fo eyars of the CW (2007/08), the CW Source often mentioned Fandom activities, although as the network has grown, and there are more shows to cover this has ceased.

The CW Source linking to Fan-created Material

In late 2006, The CW Source began linking to fan-created material in their posts about Supernatural, and encouraging fans to submit their favourite fanart and fanfiction.

• December 15, 2006 posted by 'Jackie' - linked to anteka's [http://community.livejournal.com/spn_plastic/307.html#cutid1 Plastic!Winchester Theatre

• September 21, 2007: Starting with "Meet the genius behind Plastic!Winchester Theatre, the blog series of Interviews ran with Andie Masino, the creator of [Plastic!Winchester Theatre] saying:

Of all the fan-run projects we've seen, probably the one with the most fervent following is Plastic!Winchester Theater. The Plastic!Boys have encountered zombies, witches, evil toys and the dreaded Kripke, and they're always able to defeat the bad guy, talk about their feelings and hug it out. What's not to like?

The interview was in five parts:

• September 27, 2007, posted by Sarah - Plastic!Interview, Part Two: The Show Strikes Back
• October 1, 2007, posted by Sarah - Plastic!Interview Part Three: Welcome to the Real World
• October 3, 2007, posted by Sarah - Plastic!Interview Part Four: Favorite Episodes
• October 8, 2007, posted by Sarah - Plastic!Interview, Part Five: Dolls, Props and... Jell-O?

• May 25, 2007, posted by Sarah – linked to Kroki Refur’s Various (Ten Expressions) Picspams, saying:

We're at the start of a long, dry, new-Supernatural-free summer, and we know you're wondering how you're going to get through until the new season starts this fall. We're here to help, with the return of our posts on the best in Supernatural fan-created goodness.

This week, we're going to point you to the various picspams of Kroki Refur (about halfway down the page). Refur is, quite simply, a genius, and her picspams inspire as much glee as the episodes themselves.

We were first introduced to Refur's particular brand of madness through her "Ten Expressions" posts, where she takes 10 expressions from an episode and weaves them into a story. In these posts, we discovered the show's budgetary restriction on expressions, thrilled at evil make-up department plans, witnessed the salting and burning of the Internet, enjoyed the uses of flashbacks for brotherly torture, first set eyes on the Fabulous Drunk!Sam seal of disapproval, debated whether Sam is evil or 12, and discussed the philosophical implications of seriously cheesy movies.

Plus, Refur came up with the single most brilliant explanation for what happened to Sam in All Hell Breaks Loose, Part 1. Seriously – check them all out.

Then we delved into her exhaustive and exhilarating Episode Recaps of Doom – perfect for when you want to relive the best of the episode. They're smart, they're funny, and they make you see things you may have missed the first time around. They're just the thing to get you through the summer.

• April 12, 2007 featured Giggling Kat’s music metas, saying:

You all know by now that we love Supernatural, and for good reason: It’s got great actors, good plots, clever writing, and the added bonus of monsters and blood and gore.

But sometimes when we enthuse about the show to the uninitiated, they get a sort of glazed look in their eye. In many cases, that’s because Supernatural falls into the category of a “genre” show – it’s about horror, monsters, things that aren’t (we hope) real. And a lot of people equate genre with brainless entertainment. So since Supernatural is genre, they think, and genre is brainless, then Supernatural must be brainless too, right?

Of course, we know better. And leave to Supernatural’s legion of exceedingly brainy fans to prove the point.

As an example, check out Giggling Kat’s music metas, dissections of how the show’s music choices underlie and amplify what’s going on onscreen. And this isn’t in the “they’re using strings, so we’re supposed to be sad” school of emotional manipulation – this is good, deep-thoughts stuff. She breaks down the song, line by line, matches it up with the visuals, and delves into the deeper implications of what the music and lyrics are saying about what’s happening in the Supernatural world.

It also linked to Heavy Meta Poisoning, saying:

Kat also pointed up to a central place for all sorts of metacommentary on Supernatural – Heavy Meta Poisoning. First of all, we love the title. Second, it’s a great place to while away the time getting a new perspective on a lot of things that happen on the show. Wonder about the significance of John’s USMC t-shirt, or the parallels between Jess and Dean? Someone has thought about it, and they’ll give you something to ponder. It’s the perfect place to get backup when you’re arguing for Supernatural as a smart, meaningful show.

• March 30, 2007, posted by 'Sarah' - linked to Super-Wiki, saying:

We like to think we’re pretty knowledgeable about the Supernatural universe. We can rattle off the types of beasties the boys have taken out, identify the various people they’ve saved (or failed to save), and present a thoughtful critique on the proper method of salting and burning bones. Plus, all things Winchester have bled over into our regular lives: We’ve got 169 songs on our Mullet Rock playlist. We keep up with the antics of the Plastic!Winchesters. We have seriously considered keeping a bag of rock salt in easy reach of the desk – just incase.

But every once in a while, we get stumped. What was that song on the jukebox? Who wrote that one episode with the tulpa? How do the boys fit all of their belongings into one little duffle bag apiece? When questions like these arise, we know exactly where to go: Super Wiki, an encyclopedic look at the world of Supernatural put together and maintained by fans.

These people are – and understand, we mean this in the best possible way, and we say it with more than a fair bit of awe – completely insane. They’ve collected and dissected nearly every aspect of the show, the behind-the-scenes world, and the fan community, and laid it out in stunning detail. You have a question about something related to Supernatural? Most likely, someone on Super Wiki has answered it.

While we appreciate Super Wiki for the big-picture items – who wrote what, what happened in what episode, that sort of thing – it’s the completely random pages that captivate us. As an example, consider the Laundry Lists. Not only has someone painstakingly written down every article of clothing that various Winchesters have ever worn, they’ve also calculated the odds – with pie charts! -- of a particular shirt or jacket being worn. They’ve even contemplated how often the guys would have to visit the Laundromat – presumably so they can stake out likely washing establishments on the off-chance that the guys would show up with a load of whites.

Or take a look at the Dudemeter – another exercise in statistical madness that shows how often Sam and Dean say “Dude,” who is more likely to pick a lock or shoot a gun, and just who gets to call Sam “Sammy.”

So check out the Super Wiki while you’re waiting for a new episode. Be warned: it’s an enormous time-suck, but we guarantee you’ll find some new fact or facet to entertain you.

• January 9, 2007, posted by 'Sarah' - linked to The Dean Show Slumber Party:

We’re long-time fans of “The Dean Show Slumber Party,” a collection of chibi comics by Olga Bosserdt. Some deal with the present-day hijinks of the boys – for example, check out this tale of dares and double-dog dares. Others show the boys growing up – for example, this story about Dean stretching his hero muscles for Sam’s benefit, or this picture of life as a 12-year-old father figure. All of them are funny and, we’ve got to say, completely adorable.

• December 29, 2006, posted by 'Jackie' - linked to TWoP's "The Quest" Forum:

But where we really waste -- er, that is to say, invest – the most time is in the Supernatural forums, especially the section called "The Quest." That's where you'll find fanfic, art, games, writing, and other assorted forms of Supernatural-inspired madness.

Among the recent insanity: A Twelve Days of Supernatural carol-writing escapade; a collection of haiku, limericks and some surprisingly moving poetry; caption contests; and a strange, somewhat masochistic game where you take someone's wish for what would happen on the show and twist it in a suitably Kripke-esque fashion.

The twisted genius of the TWOP forum-dwellers really comes out in Text Me: Letters to the Characters. In this thread, fans give voice to some of the undersung players who make this show great – like the Metallicar, various pieces of clothing, weapons, accessories, villainous toys, and more. The folks who contribute are possibly certifiable -- and endlessly entertaining.

For example, check out the war between the clothing and the dirty socks, featuring John's Leather Jacket, various t-shirts and hoodies, possible demonic possession, fiendish M&Ms, and the sweetest little greyhound t-shirt you ever did meet.

Or jump in at the saga of the Frisky Armadillo, who our faithful Winchester accoutrements try to rescue from the fiendish plans of several possessed kitchen appliances and the evil cymbal monkey.

Or you could check out the introduction of Dean's rosary, a sweet Catholic girl who engages in a tempestuous romance with Dean's mysterious necklace, resulting in little jewelry babies, kidnappings, possessions, and more.

Who are the people writing these short messages, and how do they come up with this stuff? We have no idea – but we hope they don't stop any time soon.

• December 21, 2006, posted by 'Jackie' - linked to Big Pink's Bear Hunt, saying:

Remember Dean’s throwaway line in “Faith” about wanting to hunt the Snuggle Fabric Softener Bear down? Big Pink decided to make that a reality, and combine it with a map of where episodes were shot in the Vancouver area. The process was fraught with peril to both body and ego, Big Pink says: “The looks we got, carrying around a freakin' Snuggle Bear and snapping photos of it in public places, sometimes stopping traffic to do so….”

Big Pink and her trusty driver/location scout JM completed the photo shoot in one day, with the help of “inordinate amounts of sugar and caffeine,” Big Pink said. Among her favorite locations were Save-on-Meats, where the employees happily held the Snuggle in the window beside the pork chops, and the Riverview asylum, which is still used as a mental health facility. “We had a great conversation with the guys filming there (I think the production was 'The Seed'), who showed us how they were making fake graves. Again, JM and I killing ourselves laughing and pointedly not mentioning why I was carrying a Snuggle Bear. Later, JM quite rightly pointed out that I didn't look so out of place hauling around a stuffed toy.”

We asked Big Pink if we could expect another comic soon. “We'll probably do a second one after Season Two's over, though the Supernatural location guys aren't giving us too much to work with yet,” she said. “Snuggle Bear is now sitting on my bed, awaiting her next close up -- I guess she made it out of the wreck okay.”

We can’t wait.

Also linked to Dragonfly's The Carol of Supernatural songvid, saying:

a holiday treat: Check out Dragonfly’s awesome fan video, The Carol of Supernatural. It’s well worth the download. We’ve been geeking out over it ever since Kim sent it in. (Thanks, Kim!)

• December 1, 2006 posted by 'Jackie' - linked to deirdre_c's List of rules Dean has for Sam while on the road

• November 22, 2006 posted by 'Claire' - linked to gekizetsu's Drunken Sam-fu, and introduced it with:

[Reasons to be thankful] #5. Supernatural fans. One of the perks of the job for us is that we and legitimately spend at least some of our working hours checking out Supernatural-related websites, and boy, are Supernatural fans a creative bunch! From videos on YouTube to Motivational Posters on Television Without Pity, the fan-created material knocks our socks off. With that in mind, we're planning on pointing you to some of the best fan art when there's no episode to sate our Supernatural hunger.