Sacrifice Yourself - Good, Evil, and "Supernatural" Activism

[bardicvoice]

Sacrifice Yourself - Good, Evil, and Supernatural Activism

At the heart of Supernatural is the idea that all of the frightening things of legend and myth are real: that grotesque monsters lurk just out of sight in the shadows pooling beyond our lights, that demons hide behind human eyes and feed on our base impulses, and that the figments teasing

Comments

[karenmiller]

That's a great essay -- and I'm very sorry it didn't make the cut.

[bardicvoice]

Thanks! I was bummed last year when I learned that I hadn't made it, but I'm just glad that the essay is finally out there for people to be able to read in whatever format ... and the advantage of it being free on the internet is that more people might read it there than buy the book! Ah, irony ...

[karenmiller]

Well, at the risk of being indelicate I read the sample they had posted and I think your piece pissed all over ... an entry or two. You have an elegance of expression that is a joy to read.

[bardicvoice]

Mmmm ... thank you! *goes to check hat size* ...

[fannishliss]

well, I ordered the book as part of a nice deal on amazon, but I am bummed that you did not get in -- I was very optimistic that you would!! those other essays had better be PRETTY DARN GOOD.

my icon represents surprise!Castiel -- external redemption giving Dean a second chance to escape his damnation, to finally assuage his sense of personal guilt and the feeling that he "doesn't deserve to be saved."

Sam also seems to be going down a road involving embracing evil in order to do good (to finally kill Lilith). It's almost certain that he will pay a terrible price..... eek!

anyways, great essay and I'm glad you got web publication!

[bardicvoice]

Thank you! I'm looking forward to the arrival of my copy of the book - they comped me one, and my name is somewhere in the back as a runner-up ...

The fun is looking back at this essay a year later, and - apart from angels! - seeing the same things I feared still playing out, especially with Sam doing things he's been told are wrong, just because he's trying so desperately to do what's right. Oh, Sam ... and oh, Dean ...

And I like your Castiel icon!

[whimsywinx]

Yay, Mary!!

[bardicvoice]

Thanks, Whimsy!!

[anonymous]

Very clear and well written look on the three Winchesters and their path.

I was especially stricken by the idea that Sam had won against his evil destiny by choosing not to kill Jake, and that Dean took that away from him when he brought him back. The thought hurts, but it's very true.

And I think the end of your essay remains true even if we have now met angels. These angels are ambiguous, so we can still say that "good" is embodied by the actions of some people.

Thank you for the meta, Mary!

Elsa.

[bardicvoice]

Thank you, Elsa! I'm glad you enjoyed it - if "enjoy" is quite the right word for something that hurts ... *wry grin*

[bonspiel]

This is a great essay, and thank you for sharing it with us. It's interesting to think about these points relative to what's happening this season - in a sense, the sense of urgency of previous seasons (season 1 with finding John, season 2 with Sam's possible destiny, season 3 with Dean's deal) has gone. Both Dean and Sam are struggling to adjust to this new world, where the expectations of them are not clear. Sam seems to be dedicated to the goal of destroying Lilith - but for what, for vengeance or for justice? And Dean, the one who's always been single-minded about the family business, is struggling with his actions in hell and whether he can ever truly redeem himself through his actions (ooh, the conflict/debate between faith and works as exemplified by the Winchesters, that could be interesting).

[bardicvoice]

Thank you!

I think there's still a sense of urgency, what with the whole deal of Lilith breaking the seals, but it's less personal and more epic, and ever more problematic. What's the right course? It's definitely not clear.

Hmm, faith and works ... sounds like a new meta in the offing!!