Ehhh I definitely think the April/Cas thing was Rape on some level, but I don’t think he had to have sex with her after receiving food and shelter. April didn’t give him any kind of ultimatum, and didn’t make him feel like he HAD to have sex with her in return. Cas just genuinely wanted to have sex with her. Assuming April had been who she said she was and just a normal woman, there would have been nothing wrong with it. Yeah, there was rape. But not about that specifically.

deaneatscake:

Well, I disagree with that. Let me explain to you why (disregarding the “April was actually a reaper thing”).

Cas was in no condition to make an informed judgement. He was tired, starved, bleeding and soaking wet. Seriously, if he had been out there for longer, it would be totally possible he would have died of exhaustion. Also, he was being new to human which meant that his emotions were overwhelming him even more. No one in this condition can enthusiastically say yes to sex. It just isn’t possible.

Furthermore, she maybe didn’t say “have sex with me” but it’s quite possible that this was what she implied. Because she initiated everything (I really, really doubt Cas would have gone there and he definitely didn’t seem to be into it at first and even then he just reacted) and it’s a common theme with a lot of people who were raped that they didn’t say anything because they assumed they owe it to the person who just gave them material things! You can find this in a lot of date rapes but also when people take other people in, it’s really happening very often.

She said “you’re not alone tonight” and then she made sexual advances to him. That just reeks of = you WILL be alone tonight if you don’t comply. I need you right now for sexual things. Maybe that’s not what she meant. Maybe she wanted it to be comforting. We can’t possibly know because Buckleming are shitbirds and don’t give a fuck about consent. But this is definitely what her whole demeanour indicated: I give you food, I give you shelter, and fuck you if you don’t give me something in return.

It’s just a huge power imbalance. If someone would offer you free shelter and then demand that you clean their whole house you’d probably do it, right? Because you feel bad and you don’t want to get thrown out? Maybe you don’t even mind cleaning the house that much. But it still doesn’t change the fact that you were forced to do it. It wasn’t Cas who went for the kiss because he was lonely and desperate, and even then it would have been on her to say “nope, there’s no way you can make an informed judgement now”.

I mean, in the end, Cas was all happy and chill about it but that’s just horrific because he doesn’t know what just happened.

In addition to all this (which is excellent, btw) I would just like to say that just because the show doesn’t seem to understand that what happened was incredibly fucked up doesn’t mean it wasn’t. April didn’t have to issue an ultimatum (if she didn that would be coerscion) because Castiel was effectively trapped. Sure, he coud have left but he wasn’t in the position to and doing so would have been at great risk to him. Additionally, putting the onus on him to remove himself from the situation removes focus on the person who took advantage of his vulnerability. (In this situation, you really can’t escape the fact that April was doing this because Cas was vulnerable and it allowed her to make him more vulnerable because she absolutely had malicious intent.)

Cas’s choice was absolutely between 1) have sex with this stranger or 2) possibly be thrown out into the cold. It doesn’t matter that April never said those were his options, it matters that this was the implication. It matters that this is the implication for many people who say yes to sex to avoid something they deem worse. If a person can’t really say no, they can’t really say yes either and Cas, by my interpretation, isn’t in the position to give consent to anyone. He’s newly human, dealing with all kinds of bullshit human things for the first time ever, hungry, tired, cold, and let’s not forget that he’d just had his grace forcibly removed. So, ya know, he’s got a lot going on pyhysically and mentally and emotionally. She took advantage of him and it was incredibly fucked up. Even if she wasn’t intenting to torture and kill him later, even if she was human, she took advantage in a predatory way and it was grossly unethical.

We can have the “but he went along with it” “he wanted it, too” “he was okay with it after” BS (I’d rather not because that’s so victim blame-y to me) but the point is that she should never have put him in that position in the first place. That’s fucking gross.

But, I guess the real test is to flip the script. If Cas had been a girl and April had been a guy, would it still be “fine” if April wasn’t a reaper?

thejabberwock:

endless gifs of dean being adorable

look at this overdramatic carnivore | dog dean afternoon, 9.05

@maliciouslycreative I just… this is so you

Jody Mills Appreciation Post

Jody Mills is probably one of my favorite female characters. She’s tough, smart, and kind even though she’s been through a lot of crap. Jody is an awesome character, and here are some reasons to love and appreciate Jody Mills.

She’s a badass sheriff.
Her son died, then was resurrected then turned into a zombie and ate her husband. Despite that terrible event, she has opened her heart to the possibility of love with another person several times, and has taken in two girls.
She’s super frank and speaks her mind often.
She was the first one to alert Bobby, Sam, and Dean that the Leviathans had taken human form (even if she didn’t know they were Leviathans at first).
She shut own Doug and called him out on fatshaming.
She’s really open about having conversatios about safe sex. (And at the dinner table, no less.)
She’s a hunter in her own right but also holds down a job as the sheriff of Soux Falls. She’s also covered for hunters in the past.
She once stabbed a goddess with a stake she pulled out of her own chest.
She went on a blind date with Crowley. She nearly died but she was saved.
She’s funny.
She’s supportive and want to keep communication open with both her adopted daughters and her friends.
She wants the best for Alex and Claire and has tried to encourage them to have normal lives.
She held her own against a brainwashed Mary and subdued her with Alex’s help.
She shot Dr. Hess right in the head.
She’s tough but compassionate. She sets boundaries but she is willing and able to meet Sam, Dean, Alex, and Claire with love, understanding, and acceptance.
Despite being only three years older than Dean she still “moms” him and Sam from time to time (and it’s great).
Jody Mills is one of the best minor characters spn has. She’s tough but compassionate, badass and comforting, bold and fun. She’s complex and hunting doesn’t define her life. She’s a good person with a great heart.

Cain Appreciation Post

Cain was an interesting demon. He had a definite presence, a sad backstory, and an awesome head of hair. Cain was a fun addition to the spn universe and here are some reasons to love and appreciate him.

He’s one of the oldest characters on the show, one of the first humans ever and also one of the first demons ever.
He was the first and last knight of Hell. He was created first and died last.
He had the Mark of Cain longer than anyone else and kept it’s homicidal influence at bay the longest.
He traded his soul for his brother, Able’s.
His hair was awesome. Seriously. I adore the long silver locks and the beard.
He invented murder. I’m not sure if that’s an accomplishment but it’s a thing he did.
He fell in love with a human woman named Collette. He gave up killing and tried to be a better person for her and didn’t attempt to avenge her death because he promised her he wouldn’t.
He picked up killing again because…. ~~the plot demanded it?~~ he just couldn’t hold it back anymore. His solution was to kill anyone who ever came from his line which was a pretty high level of brutal and basically needless. (Not a reason to appreciate him, per say but I had to mention it as an edit to the previous point because someone what gonna.)
Master of unimpressed-while-drinking-beer-and-shucking-corn face.
He read Dean like a book, pointing out how Dean would probably kill the three most important people to him in the reverse order that he did.
He’s got one hell of a presence.
He kept bees. Cool hobby and good for protecting bees and the flowers!
He wrecked a whole room full of demons.
He as super neat powers. Making Crowley silent was a really neat trick.
Cain was a super interesting demon. Despite inventing murder and taking on the Mark, he was able to live a relatively peaceful life for a while because a promise he made to his dying wife. He was definitely fun to have around.

Henry Winchester Appreciation Post

It’s a shame Henry was around for only a single episode (and later a flashback). He had potential, and his introduction brought forth the most constant home the Winchesters have ever had (not to mention the potential for new conflicts). Outside of that, Henry was fun and a pretty good dude, so here are a few reasons to love and appreciate Henry Winchester.

He’s a snazzy dresser.
He’s introduced to Sam and Dean by falling out of a closet. Not the most dramatic entrance the show’s ever given but probably one of the most humorous.
He was minutes away from being inducted into the Men of Letters when Abaddon attacked. He was a legacy and part of the side of Sam and Dean’s family that had been involved in the academic side of the supernatural (in contrast to Samuel’s side which was all hunting).
It was pretty sad that the first thing he found out about 2013 was that his son was dead.
He’s a huge nerd.
He adapts pretty well to being sent 60 years in the future. His gaffs aren’t even that bad. (The computer thing, for one, is pretty funny.)
He didn’t abandon his family. In fact, he was so worried about leaving his son to grow up without him that he nearly abandoned the whole Abaddon mess to be with John and Millie. (Later we find out he was actually afraid of dying and leaving his wife and child without him.)
He tried to steal the Impala.
He doesn’t really get along with Sam and Dean at first, but he comes around as they are his grandsons and they aren’t “knuckle dragging hunters” as he first thought.
He still visited his friend, Magnus, after Magnus was banished from the AMoL.
He and Dean came up with the plan to trap Abaddon in her vessel by shooting her with a bullet engraved with a devil’s trap.
He died a really gruesome death. He had his guts pulled out.
He was buried in a MoL cemetery. He’s one of only a handful of characters to actually be burried.
Henry was one of the few blood-relatives of Sam and Dean we’ve seen on the show and his entrance not only explained a bit of information about the past, but also may have given us insight into the motivations of other characters. He also introduced a new location and the potential for new plots and I only wish he could’ve stayed around just a little longer.