SUPERNATURAL FAN FICTION: HEAVEN CAN’T WAIT – Missing scene from episode 9.07

It was a long night for Cass and it'd been a long few weeks for Dean. Nothing was going right. His friend was lost and lonely. His brother was possessed. He was screwed. This is the missing scene after Nora's and before Dean dropped Cass back at the Gas-N-Sip

Dean looked over at his friend. Cass was quiet.

"We should probably get you to a doctor" Dean said, motioning towards Cass' arm.

"I'm fine, Dean" Cass said, not looking at Dean but continuing to stare out through the Impala windscreen. "Just take me back to the Gas-N-Sip"

"Give me a look" Dean said as he leaned forward and reached out for Castiel's arm. He barely touched it before Cass winced. "Yeah, you're going to the doctor"

"Dean…"

"Cass, you're human now, man. You're not gonna just heal. That cut needs dressing and your wrist, well it looks broken to me. You need to get it looked at. X-rayed."

Cass finally turned and looked at Dean, his brows furrowed. He sighed a heavy sigh. "Dean, I just want to go home. I'm tired. I need sleep. I will be fine."

Dean raised one eyebrow. "Yeah okay Chuck Norris, but I'm taking you to the hospital. I've had enough busted bones to know when something needs fixing. And I don't know I'm ever gonna get used to you having to sleep." He started the car shaking his head. "You gotta be more careful, man. You break now."

Cass looked away. His face etched with exhaustion and sorrow. "Yes Dean, I know."

They drove in silence to the hospital.



"I don't suppose you've got insurance?" Dean said as they pulled into the hospital car park.

"Insurance?" Cass looked confused.

"Insurance. Your job, does it come with insurance? In case you get hurt?"

"I…I don't know." Cass frowned and looked at his hand.

"Don't worry about it." Dean reached across Cass into the glove box and pulled out a wad of cards. "Here, you're now Fred A. Staire." Dean smirked.

Cass frowned.

Dean sighed. Cass never got any of his jokes.



They sat in the waiting room as Cass filled out the hospital forms.

"Age" Cass said. "Infinite?"

Dean laughed. "Um no, Fred's 37. You're 37."

Cass wrote 37 in the box.

"Next of kin?"

"Just put, put me and Sammy, it doesn't matter, they ain't gonna need to call us."

"Am I allergic to anything?"

"Probably not. Not unless freaky Kevorkian angels is on there"

"No it's not"

"Well then, just put no."

"Sex? Um I…what…"

"They just want to know if you're a guy or a girl!" Dean laughed out loud. "Not whether you've…just put male." Dean chuckled, shaking his head.

The nurse came over to check on them.

"How you doing sweetie? All done?"

"Yes." Cass said and handed the nurse the clipboard.

"Okay, well let's get you into a room so a doctor can look at that for you."

Cass got up and looked over at Dean, concern wrinkling his forehead.

"You'll be fine, man. Just go with the nurse, she'll take care of you." Dean flashed the nurse his most winning smile. She blushed.

While Cass was gone Dean absentmindedly flicked through the channels on the waiting room TV, but he wasn't watching it. He felt like shit. He was tired as hell, but it went deeper than that. Cass had nothing. Nothing and no one. His date with his boss turned out to be a babysitting gig. Poor bastard. He was sleeping in the back room of his work. He had only the clothes on his back. And it was all on Dean. Dean kicked him out. He felt like a piece of crap… for something completely different.

What was he supposed to do? Zeke told him it was Cass or Zeke and if Zeke took off, where did that leave Sam? Dead most likely. Dead or dying. That was never gonna happen. Not on his watch. Sammy's always gonna come first. He was pretty sure if Cass knew, he'd understand.

But he couldn't tell Cass because he couldn't be sure Cass wouldn't tell Sam and he sure as hell knew Cass would tell Dean to tell Sam and that wasn't gonna happen either, not yet anyway, not until Dean was sure that Sam was gonna be okay.

How was he ever gonna know that though? He lay awake night after night thinking it through from every angle. What if Zeke didn't want out? What if he took Sam hostage? What if he took Sam over and Dean couldn't tell? Dean was already starting to get confused about whom he was talking to. He was already starting to look for signs. How could he sure he was really talking to Sam? He knew Sam better than he knew or wanted to know himself and he was pretty sure he could tell the difference, at least for now, but how long would that last? What if there came a time that he could no longer see the line between his brother and the angel possessing him? How would he get Zeke out?

He'd started secretly researching when Sam was sleeping. Going through book after book in the Men of Letters library, trying to find a way to expel an angel from a vessel if the angel was set on staying put. He hadn't found anything yet, but he wasn't giving up. He needed a back up plan. He needed to know he could get his brother back even if the outcome wasn't good. He needed to know he could do that for Sam.

Dean ran a hand down his face and closed his eyes. Everything was so good with Sam right now. They were getting on great, working together, laughing, hanging out. They had a home… It was the best it'd been since… Dean couldn't remember. Since before Hell and the demon blood and the apocalypse and everything that came after it. It was good. But for how long? Dean knew when Sam learned the truth he wasn't gonna be happy. But it was a risk Dean was willing to take, because if his brother was alive, it was worth it. Even if Sam never wanted to see Dean again, Dean could at least live, knowing Sam was alive…

Dean put his head in his hands and swallowed hard, the weight of the secret and the guilt sitting on his shoulders. It was never easy. Why was nothing ever easy.

He heard someone clear his throat. "Dean? Are you alright"?

Dean looked up to see Cass looking down at him, a light shining behind his head.

"Geeze Cass, with that light behind you, you almost look like an angel." Dean smirked a weary smirk.

"Not funny, Dean." Cass said turning away.

"Sorry man, I'm just tired."

"Is everything alright, Dean?" Cass looked at his friend, his head slightly cocked to one side, worry in his eyes. "Is there something you need to talk about?"

For a moment Dean thought about spilling the beans, just for a moment… But instead he simply smiled and stood up. "Nah man, I'm good. Give me a look at your arm."

Cass held up his newly bandaged arm complete with splint. "My wrist was broken. They said I have to wear this for 4 weeks."

"Yeah? You okay?"

"I'll be fine." Cass said as he looked at Dean, "How about you, Dean?"

Dean smiled, "You know me Cass, I'm always good. Come on, let me get you home."



By the time they got back to the Gas-N-Sip it was light. Dean pulled up and shut off the engine.

"Listen Cass, um back at the bunker, I ah, I'm sorry I told you to go, I know it's been hard on you, you know, on your own, but you're adapting. I'm proud of you."

"Thank you, Dean"

Dean smiled.

"But" Cass continued, "There's something Ephraim said. The angels they need help. Can I really sit this out, shouldn't I be searching for a way to get them home?"

Dean looked down. He knew the truth; Sam had called him to tell him. There was no way for the angels to get home. Not unless Crowley was lying, which was a distinct possibility. But was now the time to tell his friend? Dean searched Cass' worried face…

"Me and Sam will take care of the angels" Dean said, "You're human now, it's not your problem anymore."

Cass looked at Dean, opened the car door and got out. Leaning in the window he lifted his good hand and waved before walking away.

Dean started the car, what was one more lie at this point? He took a deep breath and drove away without looking back.

Thanks for reading! If you'd like to read more of my fan fiction you can find it here.

-sweetondean

Review - Supernatural 8.10 "Torn and Frayed"

And here we are, back in business! Hellatus over! Hooray!

I can’t tell you how happy I was to have “Supernatural” back. Seriously. I spent the afternoon beaming! I had a day off work so I actually watched it live (don’t ask me how ‘k?) and I was so chirpy after it, which is weird, because it was not exactly a chirpy episode! But I guess I was chirpy just to have the show back and chirpy to see my boys again…and that was the most I’ve ever used the word chirpy in my life!

This was a tough episode. It was tough to watch. Some tough choices were faced and some tough decisions were made. But for me, I can’t help but feel hopeful. I can’t help but feel like this was a tiny little step in the right direction for the brothers. A start...

Ok, I’ll admit something…when we awkwardly zoomed in on Crowley’s surprised face as he said “There’s an angel tablet”, I said out loud to no one but the dogs… “Well d’uh!” Do you think us fans are getting a little too smart for our own good? We’d all been discussing the possibility of an angel tablet for a while. I mean if there’s a demon tablet and a leviathan tablet, stands to reason there’d be an angel tablet. So that little OMG moment was totally lost on me. (I wonder if there’s a human tablet too)?

I was more surprised that all this information was buried deep in Samandiriel’s noggin…or his vessel’s noggin. Geeze, poor Alfie…the dude goes off to work at the Wiener Hut one day and look how it turns out! Anyway, I guess if the angels instinctively know the names of all the prophets, they instinctively know all of Heaven’s other big secrets, including the existence of all the tablets. I wonder what else they know. I wonder what other secrets are buried within their programming.

Though it was difficult to watch for the most part, I enjoyed the progression in the angel storyline. The whole thing has certainly piqued my interest and I’m finding that because we’re actually seeing what’s happening, as opposed to just hearing about it as per season 6, I’m more involved, I care more. I didn’t much care for the angel, weapons of God, Raphael war stuff in season 6, mostly because we barely saw any of it, it was just referenced. This time around, we have a greater involvement because we’re in the room, we’re getting to see the story the brothers aren’t seeing and Cass isn’t remembering.

I found the torturing scenes pretty damn brutal. Particularly the first bit, where Viggor reinserted that angel-radio silencer into Alfie’s frontal lobe. Ick and ouch. I was wincing. All the screaming, it was pretty hardcore, even for “Supernatural” and even for me. Doesn’t help that it was an angel we were all hoping would make it out alive, because he seemed like a good guy and good guy angels are few and far between. I felt so sorry for Alfie. Young Tyler Johnston did a really nice job.

So who is this Naomi chick? I figure she’s working for someone or working as part of a larger group. A consortium of angels. I’m seeing her as kind of a middleman, like Zachariah, rather than the boss of the operation. I don’t think she’s running the show. When she digs around and finds out what Alfie gave away whilst at the hands of Crowley, I wonder what her plan of attack will be. Will she mind control Cass into unwittingly manipulating the boys, to help her reach her goal of finding the angel tablet so it can be returned to Heaven, or maybe even destroyed, so that it can never be used against them? I think it’s about time the Big Man came back and pulled his bratty little kids into line! They’ve been nothing but trouble since he went AWOL.

I’m guessing that the reason the angels have crossed into mind control/brain washing territory is because angels have experienced free will for the first time in eternity and maybe this was the only way the high ranking angels could get everyone back into the fold. Or maybe it’s for some other nefarious reason yet to be revealed. Maybe just to keep their secrets, maybe something bigger. Alfie seemed surprised that Cass didn’t know who Naomi is. Like Cass should know who Naomi is. But Cass can’t remember her, because she’s playing with his programming. I wish Alfie stuck around so we could have found out more…

Poor Cass. Man, my heart bleeds for Cass. Here he is, going around fixing little baby’s hernias and generally out there doing good for humanity with a smile on his face and then bloody Naomi makes him kill Heaven’s most adorable angel! What has she done to him? It’s not just the mind control; she stuck something in the corner of his eye that made his vessel bleed. So if the Alfie thing is any indication, it looks like Naomi is tinkering with Castiel’s hardwiring. I feel horrible for him. He thought it was his idea to save Alfie. He thought after killing so many, saving one would help with his penance. Then he thought it was his idea to kill Alfie. Poor Cass. The way he cradled the dead angel’s head. A-wah! This is going to totally screw him up. Because he already feels pretty crappy about what went down previously and now... Ugh. Where’s this going? Nowhere good.

If this was why Castiel was pulled from Purgatory, well then, somehow the Winchesters must be involved, because surely the angels in charge could get any old angel to go rescue Alfie or track down Crowley or find the angel tablet. But because the Winchester’s were already on the tablet track and Cass is their friend… This all worries me because Castiel has only just got back into the brother’s good graces after the leviathan/souls episode. I don’t want Heaven to make Cass do anything that puts him at odds with Sam and Dean. Hopefully, now that the brother’s spidey senses are tingling about the whole thing and that they can see something is amiss with their angel buddy, they’ll be able to sort out what’s happening to Cass before it becomes too destructive to the lot of them. Damn angels.

This is the best Cass storyline we’ve had since season 4 and 5. He’s intricately involved in the main mytharc. He doesn’t feel shoehorned in. I felt like the last two seasons, no one really knew what to do with Cass and he was there more for the benefit of the fans than the benefit of the story, but this season he seems to have more of a purpose.

So…Sam and Dean... Clunky segue, sorry.

It seems crazy to me that a show can physically hurt when I watch it. But that’s what happened when I watched that opening scene. I got like this little pain in my chest. It simply hurt to watch. This was the Winchesters at their not listening, bull-headed best.

Sam had every right to be angry with Dean for making him fear the worst for Amelia. Dean’s text move, though it served its purpose, was not the way to solve that situation and get his brother out of the picture. But on the flipside, Sam simply didn’t want to hear anything Dean had to say. Anger does that I guess. When you’re as angry as Sam was, and I think that was anger that’d been brewing all season and wasn’t just about the message, well, you become selectively deaf. But had he known the situation, had he known that Martin had Elizabeth with a knife to her throat, I’m quite sure he would have felt differently. But of course, Elizabeth was never mentioned, because that would’ve been too easy on us!

The thing with this conversation, which I liked is, really, they were both right. They both had a case. Dean’s move was hurtful and thoughtless and caused his brother worry and pain and he should’ve realised that would be an outcome, but none of this would have happened if Sam had put just a little faith in Dean. I’m not saying Sam should’ve trusted Benny blindly. But have a little faith in his brother? Yeah.

I think Sam’s lack of faith or trust or whatever when it comes to Benny is more about Dean having lied and kept Benny a secret, than the fact that Benny is a monster. Because really, that doesn’t make a hell of a lot of sense when it comes to Sam. Sure he’s been burnt by monsters before and sure, he might be worried that Benny may turn out to be Dean's Ruby, but usually he’s more thoughtful than that and usually he has more empathy than that. This monster is responsible for his brother standing in front of him, that in itself should require a little consideration. But he doesn't even seem interested in hearing of any possibility that Benny might not be all bad. He dismisses it out of hand and that just seems weird to me. So I have to take it, this anger is about his brother and the lie and the whole getting dragged back to hunting thing and how he felt when he lost Dean and the loss of Amelia and all the fear that comes along with what he’s having to do now and just everything rolled into one gigantic bag of anxiety and anger, that he’s focused on Benny. Because nothing else really makes sense to me.

And there’s no point saying, yeah but Dean didn’t trust Sam about this or that so why should Sam trust Dean, because two wrongs do not make a right and because this is Sam we’re talking about, not Dean…this is Sam and in the past he’s not been quite so black and white. That’s why I think his mistrust and anger stems from much more than simply Benny being a monster and I really hope at some point that gets recognised.

Anyway, it was one of those scenes where you want to clonk their heads together and say, shut-up both of you and listen to your brother! Had they not (hot) angry glared at each other, maybe they might have got somewhere…but no, Dean huffed out and Sam closed his eyes in frustration and…yeah…ouch...the fans grimaced. How many times have we been down this road in the last 7 ½ years? And we keep coming back for more! We be crazy! Having said that, I actually enjoyed the opening scene. It felt honest and realistic. Any other outcome would have felt wrong at that point. They were both too far-gone. I’m glad there wasn’t a band-aid pop over their sores.

So much hurt. Sam hurt by Dean’s lies and thoughtless trick, Dean hurt by Sam no longer wanting to be by his side, by Sam wanting out. Neither taking the time to listen each other, neither taking the time to talk to each other. (Hot) angry stares and bitter words... But it had to get here, before it could get to where we ended up.

I liked all of the brother’s interactions in this episode. I dug how, even though they were seriously annoyed with each other, they fought like a team. Covering each other’s back…in unison as always. Cass was so right to go get Sam. Without this move, I’m not sure how they would’ve been reunited, because they’re so, damn, stupidly stubborn. I think Cass did it because he needed them both, but I also think he did it because he knows they need each other.

I also think Kevin’s comment about not being able to enjoy a world that he had to save, that he kicked his mum to the curb, so he could focus on the mission, may have influenced Dean’s change of heart towards Sam (though obviously not initially, we all know how Dean likes to brood on things). I think seeing Kevin push his only family away made Dean reassess. Is it worth it? If he continued on this track, he’d push his only family away out of hurt and stubbornness. If he forced Sam to stay, or if he didn’t allow Sam to make his own choices, if they continued on this path of angry resentment, where would it end? Was the job, the life, the mission worth losing the most important person in the world to him? That’s why I think Dean had a change of heart, because nothing is worth losing his brother over, nothing is worth all the fighting.

Dean was honest enough to say he was jealous of Sam’s ability to separate his life from the job, something Sam’s always been able to do from day one and something Dean has tried to do and failed at. This time, he let Sam make his choice on his future. He told him both feet in, or both feet out, not in a way that instilled guilt, not as an ultimatum, but as advice from one brother to another, because they both know, that having one foot in their world while trying to maintain a foot in the other world can lead to you being dead. Either choice Sam made, Dean would have been supportive of it, even if it meant losing Sam as the person by his side day in day out, because by giving Sam this choice, it meant that no matter what, he wouldn’t lose Sam as a brother. Mature brothers are mature! For once! I think that was one of the most grown-up conversations they’ve ever had. I look forward to more.

I wasn’t surprised that Sam chose to stay with Dean. Of course we knew this would be the outcome eventually, this being a show about the Winchester brothers and all, but we didn’t know if it would be the outcome here and now. But when I saw Amelia and Sam’s interactions in the motel room, how Sam seemed to draw away postcoital, I knew that Sam would not be there at the end. It was when Sam said they should think about it, it was when Sam said, “Words will never cover what you mean to me, what you’ll always mean to me…” Two things struck me here; if you are crazy in love with someone, if you know you’re meant to be together and that this is the only life you want to live, you don’t have to think about it, because you just know. Then when Sam said, “…what you’ll always mean to me…” well that sounded like goodbye. That sounded like he already knew. Sam’s a good guy. He was obviously regretful of the fact they slept together, Don still being in the picture. That’s never going to sit well with Sam. He cares too much for others. Also, the fact that Sam popping up again in Amelia’s life, caused her to rethink her relationship with her husband... Had that not happened, had Sam not been there, she would have moved on and been happy without him. I think both of these things would have weighed heavily on Sam. I’m not sure Sam would ever have felt comfortable living with that knowledge, living with that guilt.

But I think there’s more to it. I don’t doubt that Sam loves Amelia, but they were these two damaged people. That’s what brought them together in the first place, that’s what bonded them. With the return of both their loved ones, some of those wounds have started to heal. I wonder if Sam doesn’t need Amelia in quite the same way that he once did. Maybe that hole in Sam’s life that Amelia helped to fill is not as gaping anymore. I also think Sam knows that deep down, he could never walk away from hunting…not just from his brother, but from what he’s always done. Sometime ago he came to terms with the life and even embraced it, even more than Dean did. Maybe in his heart of hearts, he knows that hunting will always be there, like an itch that needs to be scratched.

Amelia telling Sam that it’s up to him to choose between, being with her 100% or being in the life of his that she knew nothing about, was exactly what Dean said to him. Both feet in, or both feet out. Funny that. I respected how Amelia phrased this. I respected that she didn’t give him an ultimatum, that she gave him a choice, that she gave both of them a choice and she that didn’t tell Sam what her decision would be, so there was no guilt, no pressure…just a choice to make from his heart. In the end, Amelia chose Sam…but Sam chose the life he never shared with her.

And Dean took his own advice. I know Sam pretty much gave Dean an ultimatum at the beginning of the episode in relation to Benny, but I don't think that's why Dean made that call. I think Dean listened to what he told Sam, all in, or all out. I think he was committing to repairing his relationship with his brother and with Benny still in the picture, he knew that could never completely happen, because his relationship with the vampire would always be a bone of contention between Sam and Dean. So to move forward, to get past all the fighting, he had to let Benny go. I can’t even imagine how difficult that decision must have been for Dean, he doesn't turn his back on friends and you could tell by his face and tear filled eyes, how painful it was for him. But in the end, Dean chose to put his family first. He chose to put the most important relationship in his life and the most important person in his life, first. I can’t be disappointed in Dean for this.

I am sad for Benny, desperately sad. But, I think it's important to remember, when Dean and Benny first came back from Purgatory, the plan was never to see each other again. They hugged and said goodbye. No matter how much Benny meant to Dean, that relationship was never supposed to spill into this world. It only did so because Benny needed help and contacted Dean. He needed help when his old nest attacked him, he needed to be helped when Sam set Martin on him and this time around, he wanted help to stay on the straight and narrow. Benny always contacted Dean, not the other way round. Should Dean still have dropped everything and gone to Benny? You know what? Dean’s up to his elbows in demons and angels and tablets and closing the gates of Hell and a whole lot of brother crap. Dean can’t be solely responsible for Benny’s choices. Dean can't be solely responsible for Benny keeping his nose clean. Benny has to learn how to stay on the straight and narrow himself. He can’t expect Dean to drop everything and travel cross-country at a phone call’s notice. Sounds harsh I know, but no one in this show seems to take responsibility for their own actions and it’s about time someone did.

I’m sad for Benny, I like him a hell of a lot, I like Dean and Benny’s friendship a hell of a lot. I’m sad for the both of them and I sure don’t want this going down the, Benny kills a human now Dean has to kill his buddy path…please TPTB, do not do that to us or to Benny or to Dean. I fear that’s where it’s going, but I seriously hope not. Of course, this being “Supernatural” and all, Dean’s decision will probably bite him in the ass. Lord knows, we couldn’t possibly let him walk away and it all be ok…we’ve got to grind him down with more guilt yeah? We’ll all just sit here and wait for the Benny situation to explode in Dean’s face… Gah!

Wow…this whole review has been a real downer! Sorry about that! But it was a pretty dour episode. I don’t know about you, but I ran the emotional gamut! From anger and frustration, to revulsion, to giggly glee at Cass and Dean doing their shtick “That’s his serious face, yes.” Or even better “…manifest through shrubbery” MANIFEST THROUGH SHRUBBERY! My new favourite saying. I have to figure out how to work it into a conversation! Then there was horror, confusion, fear and in the end a bittersweet, cautious optimism. It was like being on a rollercoaster… AHHHHHHHH...EWWWWWW…GRRRR...HEE HEE...AHHHHHHHH…AWWWWW…PHEW. I ended up wobbly at the knees!


I’m not saddened by Sam and Dean’s decisions. I’m not angry or disappointed that they chose to give up two important people in their lives. It’s a step towards committing to fixing their broken relationship. A fragile understanding. Don’t get me wrong, I want them to have friends, I want them to be able to have other relationships outside of each other. But at this point in time, with these two people, with these two relationships with what they're facing and with where the brothers are emotionally, it’s just not possible. But they’re not alone. They’re not isolated. They still have people around them. They still have Cass, they still have Garth, they still have the Trans and out there somewhere, they still have Sheriff Mills. It’s just right now, to get their house in order they had to make a choice. Sam and Dean chose family and well... isn't that kinda the whole point?

Thanks for reading guys! See you next week for Dean in chainmail........ Eeeeee!
-sweetondean

sweetondean is Chief Editor and a Staff Writer for The Winchester Family Business

Bears and Mooses and Jensen, OH MY! Supernatural VanCon 2012 - Part 1

“Supernatural” Immersion!

So this was my first VanCon. I’ve done a couple of LACons, a Chicago Con, and a couple of Aussie cons, but I’d never made the pilgrimage to where it all happens. I use the word pilgrimage because that’s what it was like for me…a journey to worship at the shrine of everything “Supernatural”!

It’s a 14-hour flight from Australia to Vancouver, and on this particular flight there were 8 “Supernatural” fans… 7 Aussies and 1 Kiwi… all heading towards the thing they love most! It was a pure coincidence that we all ended up on the same flight! As usual, I was travelling with my convention cohort Hazel. We’d booked our first lot of accommodation not at the convention hotel, because that’s kind of expensive, but a hotel that seemed to be close so we wouldn’t have far to travel when we moved to the Sheraton for VanCon. This was us in the taxi driving up Burrard Street…. “Hey, oh wow! There’s the Sheraton!!! Yay! Wait….why are we pulling in across the road? Wait…. WE ARE ACROSS THE ROAD?!” Yes, unknowingly, we booked the hotel directly across the road! The other exciting thing about this accidental hotel bookage was our room looked directly over the “Houses Of The Holy” church….right onto the steps where Sam and Dean stood. The “Supernatural” experience had well and truly kicked off!

The thing about being in Vancouver is you’re on high alert, constantly on high alert. The boys live here, the crew lives here, the show shoots here…everywhere you look is a past location, everywhere you look you’re hoping to see someone or something to do with the show. The other thing is, being convention week, there are fans everywhere…and that’s one of the best bits of the whole thing, catching up with other fans.

On our 1st day, we had our first “Supernatural” experience; we ate at the Guanaco Food Truck. Yum! Did you know there’s an iPhone app that tells you where all the food trucks around Vancouver are situated at any given time? We actually just came across the Guanaco Truck. We knew that they were often on the corner of Seymour and Robson, so we happened to be in that area and saw it. Like I said, yum! We sat on the steps of one of the University’s campuses and scoffed it while watching this huge Pickle mascot resting on a seat, trying to keep out of the sun. It was hot! Not something you see everyday…a big pickle, just hanging out! That night we caught up with fellow Aussie fan, Amy (different Amy to me, obviously) and had a few drinks and chatted about the coming weekend and how excited we all were!

Guanaco food!

On our 2nd day, Hazel and I got some new tatts. Yes, we always get new tatts to mark each convention. This time around we both got 2, but one of them is secret squirrel….a girl’s gotta have some secrets! My main one, though, is definitely "Supernatural inspired." It was designed by my friend Stars, a fellow fan who for the last couple of years has co-hosted the Crossroads Podcast. So, not only is it special because it represents my love of the show, but it also represents the fandom and was created by a pal and fellow fangirl…special all around! That night, we caught up with more Aussie fans, Shelley and Scott. I’d met Shelley and Scott in May at All Hell Breaks Loose 3, but this was their first Creation con.

New Tattoo

On our 3rd day, we’d arranged to have dinner with another couple of Aussie fans and friends, Kim and Amanda, at The Old Spaghetti Factory in Gastown. We headed into Gastown early to check out the sights and grab some lunch at The Steamworks…where we ran into Shelley again! Then when we left The Steamworks, we walked straight into Kim! Ok… I need to say that Vancouver is a big city, so this was all kind of weird! Anyway, the three of us then spent the afternoon checking out the area before meeting up with Amanda for dinner. Now, you need to know something about Amanda; this was her fourth VanCon and she is the fount of all things "Supernatural" locations! I’m pretty damn good on the show, the mythology, the titles and even the actors, but Amanda knows where everything was shot! Everything! She’s put together the most amazing catalogue of locations, maps and images…. We now call her Encyclopaedia Amandica!

On our 4th day, we had a special set visit to “Arrow”. I’m a promo producer, well, head of a promo team, in Australia, and the network I work for will be showing "Arrow" later this year, so they teed up a set visit for me via Warner Brothers. Yes, I did try for “Supernatural,” but the set was closed to visits during the dates I’m in Vancouver…I can only assume because of VanCon. Anyway, Hazel and I spent about 4.5 hours out at the “Arrow” studios, getting a guided tour of some of the 8 standing sets, and watching Stephen Amell shoot various scenes. We also got introduced to Stephen and had a great chat to him. He’s a lovely guy and very, very pretty! He’s also super excited about the show, as were all of the crew I managed to speak with. They were a lovely bunch…but then, TV people generally are. It was a fantastic day…and I’d tell you more about it, but I’m not allowed! Sorry…. Afterwards we met up with a whole lot of fellow fans, some old friends and some new friends, for dinner and drinks at a the Fountainhead pub the location of the “No, I'm Mulder. You're a red-headed woman” scene from “The Usual Suspects”.

On our 5th day, we took a Supernatural road trip! ROAD TRIP! Hazel, me, Shelley and Scott all hired a car and Kim and Amanda had Kim’s hire car and we formed a convoy to head to Whistler….via some locations! First stop was just out of Squamish at the mine that featured in the season 3 "X-Files" episode “Paper Clip”…we’re "X-Files" fans too, but most importantly….this is also the location which has the General Store from “Wishful Thinking”. We got to see the bridge that the boys walk over, where the suicidal, girl-drink-drunk teddy smashed through the rear entrance of the store and the store itself, where the boys sat outside and pondered what on earth has huge feet, drinks girly booze and likes porn? We went in the store too, where the owner was pretty blasé about us taking photos of his booze shelf!

“Wishful Thinking”

Next stop was Squamish proper, with more “Wishful Thinking” locations. The martial arts gym that doubled as the Chinese restaurant, the pier where Sam and Dean identified themselves as FBI agents, the path where Dean yelled out “Run, Forrest, run” and the steps where Dean lamented over not being able to save naked chicks! Yes…I did sit on the step and have my photo taken. Then it was off to Whistler….except we got side tracked!

“Wishful Thinking”

So we’re whizzing along the highway, just outside of Squamish, looking at the pretty views. I was driving (wrong side of the car, wrong side of the road!), following Kim, when she suddenly turned off down a side street. At first we were confused, until we saw a filming sign! Kim pulled over and I pulled along side and we looked at each other shrugged and everyone agreed we’d be crazy not to investigate. So we drove…and drove…and drove…and drove… down some back-road in Vancouver…and drove…and drove…then we drove some more! It was a long road! Finally we came across the film crew…which was nothing and no-one we recognised, (mass booooooo) but what we did discover was a fantastic view of a snow-capped mountain with a glacier, very beautiful, and a lovely glacial river. So all was not for naught, we got some pretty photos! Then….finally….we went on to Whistler!

After Whistler, we had one more location stop on the way home, Shannon Falls, where they shot “Wendigo”. There was much joking about disappearing into the woods, not answering if someone yelled for help, did anyone bring the peanut M&Ms, oh, sweetheart, I don’t do shorts…you get the picture. It’s super pretty there but a bit creepy! It was the last part of a brilliant day!

“Wendigo”

On our 6th day; oh, our 6th day was soooo much fun! It was a great big “Supernatural” Day! Kim picked up me and Hazel and Encyclopaedia Amandica, and we hit the road to spend the day looking at past locations. Encyclopaedia Amandica had her trusty "Supernatural" locations folder and led us on a grand adventure! First stop was the Denny's that doubled as BigGerson's in “Bad Day At Black Rock”.

“Bad Day At Black Rock”

At first we didn't get THE booth, it was free but they said no when we requested it and sat us somewhere else. But when we sneakily ran down to take a quick snap shot at it, the manager succumbed to our fan-girl persuasions and gave in to us! So we sat and had breakfast at Sam and Dean’s booth! I sat in Dean’s seat….of course….my excuse was, I’m the one with the freckles! We went outside and took some goofy photos with Hazel pretending to fall over and me telling her she sucked. We then wandered the area looking at a few different sites, including the hotel where Dean dropped Sam before driving off and killing Amy and the hotel from “Party On, Garth” where Bobby reappears.

After that, it was a visit to the dam and the bridge that featured in “Simon Said”, before heading to “Asylum” and Riverview. It’s open, so you can drive through there, but you aren’t supposed to take photos, not that there are any signs or anything. But when we got to the front of the deserted building we did a super slow drive by and took a few quick snaps and….got busted! Some PA who was part of some tiny crew that we had no interest in, came over and tried to throw her weight around. We weren’t fazed. Don’t mess with "Supernatural" fans, lady, we don’t scare easily! Also…learn some manners! Seriously, she was plain rude and there was no need. Anyhoooo, empty threats of calling security on us and bluster completely ignored, we drove through the rest of the complex that is open to the public before heading out to our next location, Port Moody. On the way into Port Moody, we swung by the location for “Plucky Pennywhistle’s Magical Menagerie” Isn’t it awesome? Do you recognise the crazy mascot on the wall that was in the background of some of the scenes?

“Plucky Pennywhistle’s Magical Menagerie”

We checked out the woodchip mill from “Yellow Fever” and the pier from “Wishful Thinking” where Dean tells Sam he remembers Hell. Yes, I sat in the seat….well both seats, as apparently there is a bit of a continuity issue in that scene! We also saw a seal! But he was screwing with us and wouldn’t surface for enough time for us to get a good photo! We then checked out the location of the “Kneel before Todd” scene from “Wishful Thinking” and where Todd sent Dean flying into the garbage bins.

“Yellow Fever”

Next stop was the building from the end of “The Man Who Knew Too Much”. This was a fantastic location. The building is brilliant! It’s an artist’s studio, and when they shot there, they had to remove all the art, as they were worried the heat from the lights would melt the paint. We got bailed up by a couple of huge noisy and harmless dogs, but once they were contained…and after they’d tried to kill us with love… we were able to get some great shots of the location!

“The Man Who Knew Too Much”

After that, it was on to Fort Langley, which is totally location heaven. We checked out the main street which had featured in “Out With The Old” and “Shut Up, Dr Phil” as well as Jared's movie “The Christmas Cottage”. We re-enacted the scene by the river from “Croatoan” and “Hunted” where Dean tells Sam that he might have to kill him. We hung out where Dean confessed his love of “Black Swan”.

“Croatoan/Hunted”

“Shut Up, Dr. Phil”

We saw the “99 Problems” pub and went to the church from that episode and were lucky enough to be welcomed inside. They were getting ready for a wedding, but they didn't mind us having a poke around, and we seriously just lucked out because it’s usually all locked up. It’s an absolutely gorgeous old church with a lovely memorial garden, and yes; we slid into the back pew!

“99 Problems”

Then we headed to a block of shops that doubled as the “Croatoan” doctor's office as well as the location from “The Song Remains The Same” where Cass collapses, and the hotel where Dean takes him and gets offered dope!

We then headed home via the 'apple grove' - actually hazelnut trees - from “Scarecrow “ and checked out the neighbour’s house from “Weekend At Bobby’s” and the patch of grass that doubled as Crowley’s gravesite in Scotland. We also saw the dog that comes out to visit Jensen when he’s doing his walk through as part of his director tech check on that episode! Remember? In that little mini-documentary about his first outing as a director?

“Weekend at Bobby’s” The dog is on the back porch!

It was an absolutely fantastic day and so much fun to see where all these episodes were shot and share the experience with fellow fans that understood ALL the references! And let me tell you, there were plenty of references!

Well, that’s the end of part one… part 2 is about how I accidentally got to see Supernatural filming!

-Amy

Supernatural VanCon 2012 Part 2

Supernatural - All Hell Breaks Loose 3 convention report

Part 2 – Cossack dancing, sing-a-longs and penis t-shirts….. 

(photos by sweetondean)

Warning…contains some coarse language and adult themes

Previously on All Hell Breaks Loose 3 – sweetondean had just wrapped up an eventful breakfast with Misha, Richard, Jim, Traci and Corin…

Now….

With breakfast finished, we all had to rush over to the University of New South Wales where the convention panels were being held. This is about 10 minutes away and a 20-minute cab ride in the splendid Sydney traffic.

My pals Courtney, Emma and Sarah and I all dived into the first cab...waving to the rest of the breakfast goers standing in the cab line as we tore our way across town to jump head first into the next part of the con. As we pulled into the gate for the area of the University where the auditorium is, what did we see? BABY! There, gleaming in the sunlight was a black, shiny Impala. Meeep! Ok…so in actuality, she only had 3 doors, so you know, but my goodness she was pretty and yes we all had photos taken with her.

The cast were immediately behind us in a mini-van, so we were hurried into the auditorium by the convention staff and told to take our seats. I found mine and gasped. It was front row, right in the centre. I was just about on the stage…seriously, I was pretty much in the cast’s laps…where’s Jensen when you need him… *sigh*. The first thing that happened was a hug-a-palooza! Out of everywhere came people I knew. It must have been a funny sight to see a bunch of fan-girls, front and centre hugging it out. Like I said, as much as I love and adore hanging out with the cast, this for me is the highlight of the conventions (except when Jensen is around then he’s the highlight…sorry friends, but you know me well enough to know that!). So we hugged and squeed and hugged some more. I got a few texts from behind me (because nearly everyone was behind me) and I scoured the seats to see where everyone was. I ran and said a quick hi to my friend Amanda, nipped up to see my friend Mel and to meet the wonderful Jules of Superwiki fame, said a hi to Kate, whom I met from the comments section here and eventually sat down. I got out my new camera, which I’d bought for Burcon and a brand new lens, which I was worried was going to be way too zoomy for my seat, but it wasn’t, as evidenced by my pics and I started the waiting.

Suddenly Corin popped out to welcome us and we were off! The guy should always wear green by the way and I totally love how he has a snazzy hanky hanging out of his back pocket, plus he was wearing colourful striped socks! Bless. After Corin did his bit, it was photo time! First up Misha. It’s ridiculous to say that even though I was just chatting to him a couple of hours ago, I was still a bit nervous about my photo with Misha, not Jensen nervous, because that’s some weird level of nerves that causes my motor functions and communication skills to become non-existent, these nerves are more like, I don’t want to look like a nit and I’m not sure what he’s going to do, nerves. Of course he was totally lovely as usual, so….hug, flash, thanks, smile, moving right along. Next was Richard. Now Richard’s photographer was having trouble with his light reflecting thingy so most of us that went up and got our photos had a little cuddle while we waited. I love Richard. He’s an absolute favourite of mine. Such a nice and funny guy and damn handsome… Anyhooo…after the Richard cuddle, umm photo, I hightailed it to grab my friend Shelley because we were sharing a Misha op. This was Shelley’s first con and though the two of us had been chatting on twitter and FB for ages, this was the first time we’d met! Yay. I decided to freshen up before my next Misha photo and grabbed some gum, then grabbed Shelley and her bro, who was super excited to be there too…ok, side note, I am so proud of Aussie men (not a statement you’ll hear that often from an Aussie woman) because at this convention, there were a lot of guys. The most I have ever seen at any convention. If you looked around, it didn’t appear to be an oestrogen fest. There were guys! Anyway, Shelley and I got on either side of Misha and snuggled in. Snap, flash… Photographer: ”We’re going to have to do that again, you looked like this” points at me and chews. Gum. Damn. I turned to Misha and Shelley, “Oh I’m so sorry I was chewing my gun” Misha: ”You’re so unprofessional” Me mumbling…”Umm yes sorry, you can’t take me anywhere” Gah! So I did a Jensen and tucked my gum up the back of my mouth (surely you’ve noticed that boy is always chewing gum). Smiled again…this time without the jaw movement and moved along.

Next photos were Jim and Traci. Jim first. Jim gives good hugs. He’s such a snugly bear of a man. Traci and I cuddled and had a little chat, she called me sister again and then I was on my way. Last stop was Corin. Ok, let me just rave one more time. This guy is a darling. Can he come to every convention please and can I, like, go out to dinner with him or something? He’s so nice, lovely to talk to and very easy on the eyes. I just love that he hugs everyone and I’m talking after the photo, it’s hi, hug, photo, thanks, grin, great big hug! Nawww. He’s awesome. Then I had my Angel sandwich! Squished in between Misha and Richard. They were having a huge conversation and I just stood there between them with their arms around me as they continued to chat. I said “Just talk amongst yourselves.” Misha: “Thank you we will” Richard: “Yes don’t mind us” and that was the end of my photos. I really wanted the one with all the guests, but it was expensive and I have Vancon looming, Vegascon booked with ops to be purchased and Dallascon2013 calling my name…a gal has to draw the line somewhere!

While I write this by the way, I am sitting drinking tea from a Metallicar mug, snuggled under a Dean blanky…

So now was the time for more sitting and waiting. Everything was running really late but no one cared. We watched fan vids and Changing Channels while we sat. I popped out to grab a water from the café and bumped into Corin outside. He was getting some photos with some boys….told you….boys! I just said hi and moved along and let him have his break in peace. Our first guest on stage was Traci…

Traci:

Wonderful, beautiful Traci. Traci talked about being an actress and how everyone assumes that because she’s an actress she has money, but as a working actress she sometimes wonders where her next pay check is coming from and how she’s going to make her rent that month, But she loves it and wouldn’t do anything else. (Ooo while I think about it, at breakfast she mentioned how she taught Ashton Kutcher yoga and he wouldn’t take off his socks….we pondered the reason, Corin thought it might be because he has Hobbit feet!). Traci’s influences are Meryl Streep and Marion Cotillard. She said her favourite thing about acting is being able to wear another person and she slipped on a few personas to show us including Pamela. She also loves being able to tell a story. But her most favourite thing is the fan interaction. She spoke about how lucky she is to have us and to have that instant feedback and close contact with everyone via the conventions and twitter etc.

She talked about the porch scene in Lazarus Rising when Pamela first meets the boys. She said she asked Jim if she could sort of pick him up when she hugged him, of course he was all for that! She talked about the Dean kiss. She said that she thought for sure it would’ve been Sam she was kissing so she was surprised it was Dean. She said everyone said how lucky she was to get to kiss Jensen, but she thought HE was lucky! She also said, you really can bounce a nickel off that thing. Nice! Traci told us that when they killed her off Eric rang to tell her personally. She was in the car so pulled over so she could concentrate on the phone call, which was a good thing, because when she hung up she burst into tears and had a really good cry. Then she talked about how she’d hoped that we would have got to see Pamela’s Heaven. She figured her and Ash would be up there going to concerts and rocking in out together. She told us how difficult it was to do the scene where Pamela’s eyes burned out. She had to keep them wide open for the CGI guys and keeping your eyes open while you scream is tricky, so she crossed them! So basically the raw footage of that scene is Pamela screaming with her eyes crossed! Why was that not on the gag reel? There was lots of talk about farts, fart jokes, Jared’s massive eating causing his equally massive farts, of which, she says, he’s very proud. She said farts are big on set. Hey, everyone loves a good fart joke right? She also talked about how it’s such a family atmosphere up there in Vancouver, with dogs running around and everyone just enjoying everyone else’s company. 

Then she talked about love and how love is love. She discussed same sex marriage and the support she feels out there in the Supernatural community for same sex marriage and equality in all relationships. She talked about how she married a couple in New York recently, whom had contacted her via twitter. Years ago she got a one of those online certificates so that she could conduct weddings, but this was the first time she’d used it. Then, before the panel was over she popped off stage to grab her drum. She asked us if we’d mind if she conducted a ritual to finish off the session. She then had us repeat after her the words to And When I Rise. Then, she drummed and sang while we sang along with her. Except I couldn’t sing very well, because it was about now that I started to get teary! It was one of the most wonderful things I’ve experienced. Traci’s voice is beautiful. She drummed and sung as the whole auditorium harmonised with her. It was a moving and simply amazing experience. I find Traci an inspiration. Her spirit shines through. She’s so connected with herself and with the world around her. She looks bright and happy and healthy. What a fantastic woman. After the convention she was off to Uluru. She’s going to write an article on the experience. She had to get all the appropriate permissions from the Aṉangu people, the traditional land owners of Uluru, because she’ll be visiting and photographing some of the sacred areas not open to the public. I can’t wait to hear what she thinks of our Outback. I have a feeling visiting Uluru and talking to the original people of that land, will be something that she will connect with deeply.

Next up was lunch…which consisted of a Devil’s trap cookie made by my friend Kat. Then Corin and Richard hit the stage.

Corin and Richard:

I think Richard should do stand up. The guy is funny! And I’m pretty sure you could pair him with anyone and he’d be ok. I thought the Corin/Richard duo was odd for a panel, but of course it wasn’t. They bounced off each other wonderfully.

Richard talked about doing a scene with the Js and their height difference. How when everyone hit their mark you actually couldn’t see Richard in frame. Everyone was “Richard, just get on your mark” and he was “I am!” but you couldn’t see him. So they stood him on a box. Still no good. So then they stood him on a bunch of boxes! Corin mentioned that he’s 6ft and Richard was highly unimpressed. He said the Js are uncomfortably tall...and also dreamy…so handsome. His words! One of the girls asking a question had it written down on a flash card, so Richard went and took it off her. He read the whole card and decided to answer the Jim question instead, which was what was his/Bobby’s favourite dance. Richard then did a full on Cossack dance. No kidding. The arms crossed leg kick out thing and the whole deal!

The next girl got dragged on to stage and was made to sit down as Corin and Richard exited. They went back into the green room with their mics on and basically issued instructions to her. Before they would come back, they made the poor girl get up and dance like a maniac. Bless her for doing it! I’m thinking a bunch of people high tailed it out of the question line after that! The guys were asked what the most disgusting thing they’d ever eaten was; Richard said Vegemite (sacrilege!) and Corin said he dug Vegemite (see…he’s awesome). Corin said he’d eaten calves brains in Belize and Armadillo meatballs, which he considered tantamount to eating road kill. A girl in the line was dressed as Cass. She had on a t-shirt that had the blue tie on it and was wearing the trench and a mini skirt. Richard was impressed with Cass’ legs! He made her parade across the stage!

The guys talked about their on screen deaths. Corin was totally surprised when Christian turned out to be a demon. He had no idea. He still doesn’t know if he was ever human or was always a demon and just faking it the whole time (we all yelled out yes he was). Richard said that he was totally bummed when he read the script where Gabe got killed in. He said he went (excuse the language) “Fuck they killed me….oh no wait, I’m not dead. Oh fuck, he killed me. Dick! Oh hang on, I’m in a porno!” Richard has a whole scenario created as to how they can bring the Trickster/Gabriel back. He’s really over thought it! He thinks maybe Gabe took over the Trickster and his meat suit or something…I don’t know, he ranted it out really quickly and then said something about blaming the drugs. There was then a question about going back in time. Richard wanted to go back and stop Hitler from writing Mein Kampf. Corin wanted to go back and invent the paperclip, except he’d call it the Corinclip. They discussed their favourite actors – Richard: Gary Oldman, Steve Martin in his early years, Misha, because he’s like a father to Richard. Corin: Johnny Depp, James Bridges, Sam Rockwell and he loves Sigourney Weaver.

They were asked what their least/most favourite thing about Australia is. Corin said his least favourite was that he didn’t live here! Richard said Corin was hitting on Australia. Richard said his least favourite was the flight. He doesn’t like to fly or sit still so 14 hours on a plane is hard work (hey, we’re used to it!) and his most favourite thing was the unstoppable sexiness of the people. Word. By now of course the guys were in the crowd. They were walking the steps of the auditorium. Some poor girl chose exactly the wrong moment to go to the bathroom and then try to get back to her seat. Corin blocked her. Side step. Block. Side step. Block. Side step. Block. Side step. Block. Honestly, you have to admire her tenacity! She ended up getting one of the awesome Corin, all enveloping hugs…so actually it was a good move on her behalf. Then they were done. Richard and Corin’s panel was great fun. Lots of laughter. These two guys are a couple of my favourites for panels. I remember Corin’s one in Chicago was hugely entertaining. Thankfully Corin comes to Aussie a lot for various expos etc., so fingers crossed I’ll see him again soon. (Yes Amy has a crush).

Next on the stage was Jim.

Jim:

“G’day Idjits!” Jim’s a well read, well versed in just about everything, man. He sung us an Australian folk song. The Ballad of Moreton Bay. He was surprised most people didn’t know it and that we weren’t taught that particular song in school. He’s known it since he was a child. He has a nice voice. Jim talked about acting in a wheelchair. He said he didn’t like it because he likes to move when he acts. But being in that chair, he was respectful of people who live in a wheelchair because he could get up and walk away when he was done, so he was conscious of all the people who can’t. The old prank question was asked again. He said it was the one question that he can guarantee he will always be asked at a convention. Yep. Anyway, he said he’s never been pranked per say, not like Misha and his car full of coins, but basically, Jared will always try and make him laugh. Most recently, they were shooting the scene in Survival Of The Fittest where Bobby was saying goodbye to the boys and telling them when it was their time to go, go. He said that the camera was on him and all he could see was Jared poking his head above the camera and in a gap in the equipment pulling crazy faces. Here he was delivering his death eulogy and Jared was trying his hardest to make him crack. Jared does it to him all the time. “And you thought they were professionals” Jim said.

He discussed GhostBobby again and how he didn’t like it. Well he said with GhostBobby the pay was better than being DeadBobby but he preferred the status quo. He liked the relationship Bobby had built up with the brothers and he enjoyed playing that dynamic. But he understood why the writers did it. He understood the drama and the storytelling and from that point of view he thought it was great, but from his point of view, the point of view of both the actor and the character, he preferred it when Bobby was alive. He has no idea what the future holds for Bobby, he only hopes that he is back at some point, preferably whole again and not as a spirit. Jim then said after being overseas for a while, he loved that we spoke English. After that he pretty much didn’t understand about 50% of the questions! We do speak fast. Then the dancing question came up again. Jim said, Bobby doesn’t dance, however Jim does, if he’s drunk enough. He’s been known to do the Timewarp. Oh Mr Beaver, red rag to a room full of Aussies. Yes we all taunted him into doing it. We yelled out all the words. I think we got a partial jump to the left, and then a step to the right, we got the hands on the hips and sort of got the knees in tight…he drew the line at the pelvic thrust!

Jim talked about whether he ever thought he’d have been on Supernatural as long as he was. He said, that no, he thought it was a one shot deal. But when he was leaving after wrapping his first episode all the crew were clapping him on the back and saying, we’ll see you again, you didn’t die. Now, 53 eps later…. The kissing Crowley question came up…again. Jim said, he has a soft beard but Mark’s stubble is scratchy! He told us to be careful what you wish for because he’d been teasing Kripke for ages, asking for a love scene and then of course he got a kissing scene, but with Mark Sheppard! He said Mark’s been riding that one kiss to fame ever since. Jim did enjoy kissing Sheriff Mills. He likes Kim/Jody a lot. He said, “It was gooooooood.” By the way, I pretty much think everyone flirts with Jim. There’s a lot of very easy teasing and flirting going back and forth.

Jim was asked if he’d ever thought about writing for Supernatural and he said, funnily he had. He’d started working up an idea that all took place in Bobby’s house…and then they burnt Bobby’s house down. So then he came up with another idea….and then they killed Bobby. So then he stopped. He said that was it because he wasn’t going to write something he wasn’t in! Though if he did write something for Bobby, he’d make sure Sheriff Mills was in it. Adorable! He was asked about his relationship with the Js. He said they get on great. He loves working on the show because it’s so much fun. Everyone gets along and has a great time on set. Everyone loves each other. He talked about how his relationship with the Js is that of a friend and a peer/colleague. That they are equals. He’s not like a father figure to them, that’s just the character he plays. He said the Js are both great at what they do, talented, Jim’s just a little “…older than them, 6 months….ok 8”.

He talked about his favourite onset memory. It was during the shooting of Death’s Door. They had what he thought was one of those emergency training deals where everyone has to muster and watch a movie. He went and hid out in his trailer, but a PA knocked on the door and said, sorry Jim but you really need to do this. So he grumbled and grizzled his way over to where they were all supposed to meet and walked into the room to see everyone in the crew there. He knew something must have been up because Jensen and Jared were there and they’re never on set before he is! He sat down and waited for the health and safety video to start but instead it was a Bobby tribute video. He was incredibly moved. Many people cried. He ascertained that he didn’t. He said, “Jim don’t cry.” Yeah, I’m sure. He also talked about Jensen directing and how, as an actor, he felt totally safe and supported by Jensen. He said he’d watched Jensen essentially training for that role for years, asking questions of every guest director that came on board, absorbing as much of the technical information that he could. Jim was never interested in that stuff. Directing is too much work and he just wanted to act, but he said, Jensen was always interested. He’d been preparing for the role of director for years. (Side note….I get irrationally excited when the cast members pontificate about Jensen, I remember Jim saying on one of the WinBros podcasts that Jensen is a “Magnificent human being.” Seriously. I feel like getting that tattooed across my heart.). Anyhoooo, that was it. Jim wrapped up by signing a hat for auction. He wrote Balls and Idjit on it. Of course he did.

Last on the days agenda was the inimitable Mr Collins.

Are you all still with me?

Misha: (warning…ahead be bad language and smut)

This is the 5th Misha panel I’ve seen and I think it was the best. The man was on fire. He was suitably dirty for the Aussie audience…we aren’t very pc at best of times, and we really love a bit of cheek and smut…and he wasn’t too smart assed as sometimes I’ve seen him get. Like at Chicon, where he obviously thought the questions were inane and basically told everyone off.

Misha made several comments at this convention about the mythology of the series. He said it at breakfast, on stage and at the autos. Basically, he says he doesn’t understand how they can kill off and then bring back Cass with no explanation. I remember at the breakfast he was saying about how Cass was walking around naked, how did he survive, why wasn’t that explained? I’d said what about the wife thing too, he said, exactly! Then he added, though if any of us saw him walking around naked we’d put him in our car. He’s probably right. He said he thinks it’s interesting the writers don’t seem to bother using mythology to explain that kind of thing anymore, they just do it. At the panel, he said this in relation to the fact that Cass is back and obviously, for him that’s a good thing. But what I heard at the breakfast and at the autos came across as a bit snarky quite frankly! Misha is Misha, so you kind of expect that bluntness from him and he tended to say it as a throw away line, so if you wanted you could take it in jest, but I’m torn by his openness in saying that he’s not impressed with how elements of the story are being written. As an ongoing cast member, I always wonder if it’s cool to be bagging out the writers like that? I mean, I guess I’ve heard Jensen do it a couple of times too, they really let their guard down a bit the conventions. They know we love and respect them so I think they’re more honest with us than they sometimes intend to be. Jared totally bagged out Dawn Ostroff in his meet and greet! Jensen’s criticised a few things but then he sort of professionalisms his way right over the top of it. Misha just basically out right said he thought it sucked! He said, how many times has Cass died anyway? We all started yelling out answers. He said, “This is not a guessing game!” I do appreciate his candour (amongst other things) and the trust he shows in sharing these opinions.

There was a question about furniture making and failure. I guess this came from the Rome con with his resume saying he makes furniture and Jensen confirming that Misha’s pretty good at it. Misha had no idea what this girl was talking about. She soldiered on asking again if he’d had any furniture failures. He still didn’t get it. He came forward to the front of the stage and leant down and said to me and the ladies sitting next to me. “What? What is she talking about?” We’re going, furniture, you make furniture right? Have you had any failures? He was so confused. He’s looking at us like we’re insane and then I think the penny dropped. “Oh furniture. Yes I make furniture.” He then talked about how the only failures he’d had were ones involving blood. Basically every piece of furniture Misha has ever made is tinged with his blood! He said he always nips off the top of his fingers with the rotary saw (he needs to be more careful, my dad cut three fingers off with a rotary saw!). He says he’s accident-prone at the best of times and he doesn’t like wearing the stupid safety gear so he’s continually injuring himself. So all of his furniture is imbedded with his DNA. Then he asked if the girl was satisfied. This became a running joke. Was he satisfying us. Yes, you know what he’s talking about….

Then there was a badly cloaked Destiel question. Why did Misha think Cass has bonded so strongly with Dean? (Language warning) Misha: “You mean why bond with Dean over Sam when obviously Cass wants to fuck Sam so much?” *Audience tries to pick themselves off the floor* Then he said to all of us “Now see what you made me do. Shame on you.” And yet, he continued…. He said Cass likes Dean for conversation where as “…Cass and Sam, its just sex. It’s more shallow.” He said that basically they can’t put him into scenes with Jared, because Jared just wants to pull Misha’s pants down. The poor girl asking the question sort of tries to slink off… “Are you satisfied? Wait, did you just fake it? Or did you come twice?” Yes…it was that kind of panel. He then apologised, “I’m sorry I’m very vulgar today.” We all yelled out, don’t worry about it you’re in Australia mate! Then he told us how a certain convention organiser in the US had the nerve to ask him not to swear…he issued a string of expletives to illustrate his point! I think by this stage we were all in tears and finding it hard to draw a breath!

He was asked if he thought things would’ve been different for Cass had he not met the Winchesters and he said, well yes, he wouldn’t have got drunk, he wouldn’t have been to a brothel. Then he stopped and said, “Cass is such a nerd isn’t he.” He talked about how Cass had really been through the ringer but that he’d finally got the hug. I think we all yelled out…well only sort of! He talked about Win Wenders’ Wings Of Desire and that basically Kripke just stole the idea for Castiel from that movie. Because in Wings Of Desire there’s the Angel Cassiel, who falls. But Cassiel got lots of sex and Cass didn’t. Misha was hoping that when Cass fell he’d be able to explore more human emotions and failings and get loads of sex, but that didn’t happen. Misha was disappointed, mostly through the lack of sex I gathered.

The next girl up managed to stop Misha in his tracks and leave him speechless. Girl: “Congratulations on your face…it’s fantastic.”

Misha:………………………………………………..

Yeah. He literally had no idea what to say! Finally he said, “Well thank you!” She asked him about candy, because she was going to send Richard and Corin some Tim Tams (a yummy chocolate biscuit) and what would he like. We all started yelling Fantales. He should remember these from last time he was here because he gave us all a Fantale at the cocktail party. I may or may not still have mine (I still have mine). Anyway, someone pegged a Fantale at him, which he ran and got and ate. Big mistake, they are very chewy. Then someone gave him another lolly called a redskin. It’s this red/pink, impossibly hard stuff. He said that was the real deal, the Fantale was more like foreplay. Then he took off his jacket while the congratulations on your face girl sung stripper music!

He was asked if he ever improvised in his scenes and he said no, he’s been specifically asked not to! He said he did however improvise the look down at his crotch in the pizza man porno scene. He thought they’d cut it out but we said, nope they left that in. He was surprised they could get away with it. Obviously he hadn’t seen the episode or he’d have known even Dean said he had a boner!

Then he was asked a question about Random Acts. Cue serious Misha. He sat down to tell us about how Random Acts had recently bought a car for a family with a 3-year-old daughter who had cancer. With the car it made it easier to get back and forth for her treatments. He said it was wonderful to see how something like that could make a substantial material difference in their lives. He’s continually impressed by the enthusiastic and generous energy of the fandom. He spoke about Haiti and the orphanage he’s involved with there and about one little boy who’s father, a widower, didn’t know what to do with the boy while he was at work so he chained the boy to a table. Now the child lives at the orphanage is learning to walk and talk…at age 4…and has completely changed from being in a sustainable loving environment. The girl who asked the question said, “See you in Haiti” Misha said, “No way, will you be there?” and excitedly ran over and met her properly.

The next question continued this serious note, if there was a zombie apocalypse, which 3 real people would you take and what would be your weapon. Misha’s answer… Spiderman, Batman and Wonderwoman and a Fantale, because if the zombies were eating those they wouldn’t be able to bite him. True fact and great idea. Fantales take forever to chew. He was asked about a possible Cass spin-off. Misha said he thinks that Cass has an addictive personality; “Obviously” so Cass would be up to no good and strung out the whole time. He talked about when he grows old how he’s going to explain Supernatural to his grand children. “There was a time when women would scream for me.” He said he’s saying this while weighing 400lbs and being stuck to the couch. As a last question, he was asked what Cass’ theme song would be and he said it would be violent gangsta rap, something about bitches. Then he was done…well not quite done, because next up was the auction!

Misha decorated his shirt. He didn’t know what to draw, so people yelled stuff out and he started to draw Angel wings…then he realised we were all watching so he ran into the middle of the stage, turned the chair over and hid behind it while he drew. Then he jumped up, with his back to us, pulled the t-shirt over his head and proudly spun around. Here it is. It went for $1600AUS.

Next Corin came out and decorated a t-shirt…. He chose to put his on a little differently. I’m sorry I can’t remember what the t-shirt sold for…for obvious reasons it was the least of my thinkin

 

And then it was all over. Boo. After the convention I went with Jules from Superwiki, Shelley and her brother and Amy and Rebecca to the local pub, where we relived all the fun, looked through my photos on my camera and talked conventions, genre TV and Vancon over several….like SEVERAL….bottles of champagne. It was a good day. It was a good night. Supernatural conventions and Supernatural fans…yeah, you’re all my happy place!

That’s it. Oh my gosh I am so sorry it was so long! But I warned you…I took notes!

I hope you enjoyed the write up. Sorry about the language…but blame Richard and Misha! Thanks for reading.

NEXT STOP VANCON!