tartysuz

At Escapade this morning, devilc and I combined the panels we proposed for Supernatural into one. One half the panel was about the show; the other was about J2 fic. Here are my notes:

Season 10

• The boys are back to dealing with their own shit, and they are dealing with it together.
  
• Back to saving people, hunting things.
  
• Not at odds with external forces.
  
• The conflict are not manufactured (as in Season 8 and 9). They work through things.
  
• Like the idea of the angels, but the theological plot overtook the show and does not seem to be planned out.
  
• The writers have simplified the overall plot and can handle the smaller scale stories this year.
  
• The emotional trust between the boys is back, but they still have disagreements over the methods and means.
  
• The show is getting back to other supernatural beings, which is interesting for people who are interested in mythology and folklore in general.
  
• A good angel story was Hannah's, though it wasn't perfect.
  
• There should have been more episodes with Demon Dean.
  

The 200th Episode: Olive Branch or Pacifier?

• It was a love letter to fandom, with reservations.
  
• Line drawn, as if the show was saying, you do your thing, this is our thing.
  
• It was not like the previous fandom-focused episodes that alienated fans.
  
• Message: there is power in fanfiction.
  
• Message: it is what you make it.
  
• The show is still willing to push the envelope.
  
• The casting was perfect, especially the stage manager.
  
• Appreciated that the musical an all-female cast.
  
• Great songs.
  

RPS

• One participant says she reads Wincest for unhappy endings, J2 for happy endings.
  
• Why is there a renaissance? #boathouse
  
• Like fics that are about a life they might have had or might dream for themselves.
  
• Like fics where the J2 characters are similar to their real life personalities.
  
• Has there been a change in how J2 are characterized? From being like Sam and Dean to being like their public personas?
  
• Character bleed stories were popular in the early years.
  
• Wife bashers seem to be out of the fandom by now: they've moved on.
  
• Fic draws a distinction between having fun with J2 as characters and objectifying the actual actors.
  
• Early on, the most popular fics were Gen and Wincest. Now, on A03, it's J2, Destiel and Wincest, in that order.
  
• It seems like the first five years of vids are all gone from the Internet.
  
• One participant contributed to poisontaster's A Kept Boy universe.
  

General Stuff

• A good spin-off would be hunter school, perhaps with Jody and Charlie as instructors.
  
• Men of Letters needs more exploration, including Judah Initiative and famous historical figures who might have been hunters.
  
• The bunker allows them to have access to resources previously provided by Bobby. The show had relied too much on Bobby to solve things.
  
• They need to go back to Vegas, where they are supposedly visit every year. They should go to the Neon Boneyard to find a case.
  

There was a call for J2 recommendations. If you have some links, please add them to the comments!

How did I not know that Patricia Highsmith (best known for writing The Talented Mr. Ripley) wrote comics? I guess because she kept it more of a secret than her sexuality, which was illegal and socially unacceptable when she was younger.

I'm reading a book called Marvel Comics: The Untold Story. In a passage about the early days of the company (then called Timely), author Sean Howe writes that during and immediately after World War II, comics had become an attractive market for writers. "for Jap-Buster Johnson alone, future novelists Mickey Spillane and Patricia Highsmith were submitting scripts." (The Marvel Wikia entry for Jap-Buster Johnson makes sounds racist and fascinating at the same time.)

Curious, I found that cartoonist Ariel Schrag recently wrote about a massive biography about Highsmith, Alter Ego, by Joan Schenkar. Schrag sees a strong tie between Highsmith's sexuality, her comics and her novels. In After Ellen, Schrag writes:

In the four parts titled “Alter Ego,” Schenkar details how writing for comics influenced Highsmith’s “serious” (prose) writing, not only in Highsmith’s common themes of double lives and secret identities – but also her pulpy, action-heavy style itself. Highsmith’s stories – which often center on an obsessive relationship between two men – were likewise fueled by her homosexuality. Her murderous protagonists, most suffering from some form of repression, expose our darker impulses.

Schrag goes on to speculate whether today's acceptance of homosexuality (at least in the businesses and circles associated with Highsmith) would have changed how and what Highsmith wrote.

Having spent most of my morning reflecting on Escapade, I wonder how much current genre shows owe their slashability to attitudes baked into their pulp origins.

Yesterday, I returned from my second Escapade, a con that celebrated its 23rd anniversary this year. That is some impressive longevity for a 100% fan-run con with a very specialized focus.

( On to the escapades! )

Hola! If you're at escapade_con today, please join kadymae and and me for a discussion about the Winchester brothers and friends at the Supernatural Café at 6 pm in the Santa Cruz room.

What do you think of the new characters and storylines? Which new ships have sailed for you? Which old pairings endure? Share your obsessions and recs!

There is one tiny bit of homework. Please bring one of the glass tumblers from your hotel room or any other divine drinking vessel.