The "Supernatural" Fandom - A Family Business

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     “Carry on my wayward son,There'll be peace when you are done, Lay your weary head to rest, Don't you cry no more” A lot of people recognize this extremely popular classic rock hit from the 70’s and yet, the song is still extremely recognized and popular to today’s younger generation. How could this be? I’d like to think a particular television show can be held responsible; Supernatural. This haunting series focuses on two brothers saving the world from supernatural terrors. “Saving people, hunting things - the family business”, not exactly a catchphrase or job title that most people can relate to, and somehow the Supernatural fandom has grown to become one of the largest, and most interactive discourse communities in the television universe. Through analysis of the six characteristics ( a common goal, intercommunication among members, participatory mechanisms, utilization of communicative texts, specific lexis and expertise level members); I will prove that those involved in the Supernatural Fandom are all members of a very vast and specific discourse community.

     The show Supernatural focuses on two main protagonists; Sam and Dean Winchester, played  by Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, respectively. These two brothers are “hunters”, they covertly travel across the country; hunting and killing monsters, witches and any other 2 Sconiers supernatural beings targeting everyday people. It is because of the “hunter lifestyle”, that they have faced such heartache, starting from early childhood and nonstop throughout their lives, almost as if cruelly directed by some omnipresent director of some sort. They’ve repeatedly lost close friends, family members, and even each other a few times, due to their *dangerous lifestyle*. Although in the beginning, John and Mary Winchester (Sam and Dean’s parents) tried to leave “hunting” behind and safely raise their family; however, they are unable to escape the literal demons that haunt them and both parents end up sacrificing their lives for their children. Nevertheless, they have continuously chosen to put others ahead of themselves and have saved thousands of lives during their lifetime, all without receiving the renown normally attributed with such heroic deeds. To those involved in the Supernatural Fandom, myself included Supernatural is more than just a show but also a positive and inspiring message to its viewers that shows characters living a life full of hardships and trauma without succumbing to defeat or giving up hope. Members of this community not only watch as Sam and Dean go through this journey but also wholeheartedly empathize and experience the journey with them. We watch Sam and Dean fight not only the cruelties of this world but also fight for its goodness; and do our  best to live their lives in such a manner;this is further supported with Jared Padalecki’s campaign “Always Keep fighting”.

     “Always Keep Fighting” has become a huge part of the Supernatural Fandom and is one of the group’s largest participatory mechanisms that provides information, support and feedback among the community. Jared Padalecki launched the campaign in March 2015 with t-shirts featuring the “Always Keep Fighting” slogan, and since then many other actors from the show have helped support the campaign. The proceeds from the t-shirt sales went to different charities like “The Wounded Warrior Project” and “Attitudes In Reverse - Student Suicide Prevention - Mental Health”etc. Many members of the Supernatural Community participated in buying the t-shirts, then received phone calls or gifts like autographed scripts from Jared Padalecki himself. It wasn’t long before an AKF movement occurred on twitter where many fans began buying t-shirts for other fans who couldn't afford them. Much like Sam and Dean Winchester, fans were helping complete strangers for no other reason or motive other than to “do right” by another human being. Admittedly on a much smaller scale than saving their lives by say, exorcising a demon out of them or getting rid of their “ghost problem”,  but also without receiving notoriety or anything in return.

     When Padalecki used his platform on Facebook to open up to fans about his own mental health issues and anxiety, it encouraged many other Supernatural fans to participate. Supernatural fans began participating in discussion about their own issues with Depression/Anxiety on different social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Blogspot, and Tumblr. Although many fans already felt connected to Sam and Dean and were able to share and communicate those feelings before, the AKF campaign gave the Supernatural community a new way to connect not only with each other but also with the actors who played their favorite characters on the show. Mysaintsasinner an avid Supernatural fan and Tumblr user wrote “This campaign saved my life. Without it, I never would have gone and gotten the help I need to deal with my anxiety and depression. Seeing him be so brave, seeing him stand up and say “I need help and I’m not afraid to admit it” made me realize I am worth it. I can do better. I am a better person thanks to him and his campaigns.” Like Mysaintsasinner, most members of the Supernatural community participate in the AKF campaign and are able to connected with multiple people relating past experiences and offering support to each other through social media.

     When asked how the AKF Campaign has affected herself or other members of the Supernatural Community Samie Boyd, age 19 wrote “it really pulled my heart strings more seeing my favorite actors confessing some of the same exact things I was feeling/experiencing. And I couldn't ever really relate to anything like it before AKF.” It is indeed unprecedented for most actors to talk about their own mental health issues with their fans or to focus the conversation/ offer support to a particular group of fans, which is why it so important to the Supernatural Fandom. If you are a part of the Supernatural Fandom; there is a ninety nine percent chance that you have heard of the AKF Campaign. As stated before the campaign is 4 Sconiers heavily mentioned in social media like Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook etc, but it also has it’s own website/ Facebook page where users can buy apparel that supports charities, can share personal stories/support, and post apparel designs or self made fan art or jewelry supporting the campaign. There is a variety of highly visible artistic mediums available that are shared throughout the community and allows the community to achieve the campaign’s goal of reaching and offering support to as many people as possible

     Although “Supernatural” is an original television show, and not based on any previously written book, like “The Vampire Diaries” or “True Blood” etc, literature, writing, and specific lexis are huge components in the community. While many people may have heard of fan-fiction, I bet much less have heard of ships, fluff, or when something is canon. I bet even less know what a devil’s trap looks like, or even know what a "Destiel" is! However, all of these terms are common jargon that pops up frequently in the Supernatural Community, especially on Tumblr. Certain symbols like the devil’s trap (included below) or rituals i.e, the importance of salt circles, are often referenced in Supernatural discussion threads or frequently used in jokes on Tumblr because of their significance and recurrences in the show’s plot. The Devil’s Trap for example is a mystical symbol used to immobilize and control demons so that they can be killed or exorcised. Salt is extremely important in the show because it can be used in a circle around a person or as bullets in a gun to repel ghosts, demons, hell hounds and other supernatural beings. If a stranger to the show came to a Supernatural fan page, read a Supernatural Fan-fiction, or even watched a 5 Sconiers particular scene from the show, he or she would probably be very concerned about Sam and Dean’s blood pressure!

     Fan-fiction is another huge element that many members of the Supernatural community participate in, whether reading or writing it. Before joining the Supernatural Community I had always known about fan-fiction; but it was only once I started watching Supernatural that I became familiar with the terminology used to organize the stories. You learn a lot on Tumblr! The terms ship, canon, fluff, and Destiel all have to do with the fan-fiction and relationship aspects of the show. The term Canon is a category that refers to things that have actually happened in the episode and therefore cannot be disputed. For example, the fact that Sam and Dean are brothers is canon, the fact that Sam’s past girlfriend Jess was killed by a demon is also canon because it actually happened on screen. The term Ship is short for the term relationship. Ships are pairings/relationships between characters and can be a canon ship or not and can even be crack ships ( ships that are extremely bizarre/ probably would never ever happen). When you combine the names of the people in a ship you get names or tags like “Destiel”, which combines the character of Dean Winchester and the angel Castiel. There are sometimes debates on the shipping names/ what they should generally be called but the Supernatural community generally settles on one name and typically uses that in writing/ conversation.

     Disputes may arise in the fandom when people disagree with other people’s ships and can lead to heated “shipping wars”, arguments attacking one ship and supporting/highlighting another. I asked many Supernatural fan-fiction readers and writers what’s one thing that members of the Supernatural Community don’t do that you would like to see more of? Most answers addressed the treatment of other people’s ships as an answer. Kaylaoneshot’s wrote “support when it comes to people shipping or not shipping certain characters. Lots of people can be very...easy to anger if someone else doesn't like their ship.” Dean-don't objectify me-Winchester wrote “ A little less ship hate would be nice. For example I really don't approve 6 Sconiers of Wincest but you won't catch me bashing someone who does, or dropping hate into their inboxes.” While most members of the Supernatural Community would agree that the community is generally supportive and possesses a family like dynamic, it is a popular consensus that overall members could treat each other better when expressing different or conflicting opinions about ships.

     A question one could ask though is why is fan-fiction so popular among the Supernatural community? “Supernatural” is a one hour show that has been on for 11 years now with about 18-22 episodes in a season. That is a LOT of Supernatural for viewers to consume, and yet, if going off of the sheer magnitude of fanfiction accounts/stories on sites like Tumblr, Fanfiction.net, and Archiveofourown.org; audiences clearly want more. Sam Cordero, one of my closest friends since high school and the sole cause of my own Supernatural obsession, has an interesting theory on this. Although having never written fan-fiction, Sam Cordero “[has] read fanfiction for multiple fandoms... and although [she hasn’t] read any Supernatural fanfiction since probably 2010, [she has] read quite a bit of Supernatural fanfiction in the past!...” when asked why she believes so many people read/write fanfiction she replied “In my opinion, people write fan-fiction when they’re inspired by the character relationships, and supernatural has the strongest, most truthful-feeling relationships of any show I’ve ever watched! I think a lot of people pick up on that.” Besides the obvious reasons of enjoying writing and reading I believe fan-fiction, especially Supernatural fan-fiction draws so many fans in rather than repelling them away because we connect to the show’s verisimilitude or truthful nature. Verisimilitude being how closely something adheres to reality. I am in no way saying that the Winchester brothers hunting vampires witches and werewolves across America represents reality. No, the verisimilitude comes through as Cordero previously stated through the development and depth of each character. All the characters on the show are so well-written that they seem real, and are people you want to know more about, actively root against or fantasize being with. Fortunately whether reading or writing fan-fiction one can explore all of this and a thousand times more. Once the show is over, there is still a world for Supernatural fans to explore, create and delve into online.

     Supernatural has attracted a fan-base that is vastly different from each other,even reaching internationally, and has introduced common ground. A way for viewers who are millions of miles apart from each other to weekly gather around the metaphorical campfire and view/listen to the terrifying accounts of Sam and Dean Winchester. This experience is engaged in further through different activities and outlets in the community like Supernatural Conventions, and social media outlets like Tumblr and Twitter. The Supernatural Fandom is a loud one! They support each other through campaigns, fight over ships, and love each other’s fanfiction and fan-art! In a sense, the Supernatural Fandom is much more than a group of people who enjoy a show; and while it has proven to be a discourse community, it has also proven to be a supportive family.



(Special thanks to all the bloggers, Tumblr users, wonderful members of the Supernatural Community who helped me write this by answering my questions and providing their thought and insight, I really appreciate it!)

The Evolution of a Copycat

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      My earliest memories of drawing conjure up feelings jealousy. I remember lying next to my grandfather, the feeling of our soft coffee colored carpet under my stomach, and I remember just watching him. Completely neglecting my own princess-themed coloring book, while tightly gripping my crayons in fifty percent amazement and fifty percent aggression as I watched his own hands glide across the coloring book. He always wore a huge silver watch on his right wrist, and I specifically remember this because I constantly watched his right hand. Transfixed with how gracefully he shaded things in, never getting any color outside the line. Applying a variation between light and firm pressure on the crayon so that it created a beautiful shading and subtle texture on the page. I was amazed but also cross with him; why couldn’t I color things in like that? I began drawing in my own coloring book with an absorption to match the neatness and artistry of my pop pop’s coloring. And thus my humble beginnings as a young artist began as a copycat; going through three stages of artistry, before maturing into my artistic sense of self, today.

    If stage one of my “copycat identity” was the “coloring with my grandpop” stage of my life; stage two was the “giving my drawings as gifts” stage of my life. Whatever my or my family’s favorite cartoon on Disney character was at the time I would randomly draw it and give them as gifts. Again, I had to resort to looking at pictures in books, Nickelodeon magazines or on my VHS video covers in order to draw it accurately. I was not good at just drawing something without looking at it first, but I never traced! Tracing to me was some sort of horrible, dishonest crime to me and still slightly appalls me to this day. Anyone could trace something! It wasn’t a cool gift if I traced a picture and gave it to someone; it wasn’t something I created! Where’s the talent in that?

    One thing that did bother me however; was that I would copy my drawings down with a 97% accuracy that no matter how hard I tried, could never 100% achieve. Chuckie Finster’s glasses were supposed to be just a bit more to the right or Tweety Bird’s eyes were supposed to shine just a bit brighter. When I was younger this incensed me; however, as I grew older I began to revel in it. Purposely adding changes to the characters by placing them in different backgrounds or different positions to fit my aesthetic. To envision what I wanted for the character and create it through my own eyes; this brings me to stage three.

    “Designers... You have one hour!”  It was that phrase said by the esteemed Tim Gun that brought a drastic change to my illustrations. “Project Runway”, a hit that came out in the early 2000’s, featured a group of fashion designers competing for their chance to present a collection at New York Fashion Week, and win money to start their own clothing line. This show gave me a closer look at the fashion industry and how people take their drawings and make them a reality. Sure, I had sketched costumes and fashion before, but they were random and childlike. Dissatisfied with my everyday ensembles, I started to draw what I actually wanted to wear (mostly ball gowns and princess dresses) and what I envisioned those characters would wear while they were off living happily ever after. Like I said childish, but “Project Runway” showed me the adult world of fashion sketching; something I was extremely impressed by and wanted to try my hand at.

     By watching episodes each week and seeing the different tools used (they had colored pencils other than Crayola?) my sketches began to look vastly different. It’s funny, because I always thought my sketches were really good, until I saw other people’s sketches and realized...they weren’t. I used little to no shading, I used only marker for clothing and colored pencils for skin, and my figures looked flat and were incredibly small in stature. I didn’t realize that the figures needed to be 8-10 heads tall so that one could actually see the clothing. I didn’t know that one should add shading and some sort of texture to the clothing in order to create dimension. I didn’t even think to add swatches of fabric to the paper to convey to others exactly what kind of feel the clothing would have. I also possessed no theme. Just random outfits appearing as if out of nowhere with little to no connection. This show taught me about collections. How designers take one or multiple elements and themes, and create designs/clothing that are somehow or another linked to each other; that tell a story. I took all of this information and ran with it, stealing from the different designer’s vast sense of knowledge and with their help created many things I was proud of.

    I am proud to say that I was and still am an evolved copycat. I go to different costuming illustration blogs. I look at different movies, and watch the behind the scenes footage of how the costumes were thought of, illustrated, and then created and it no longer stirs up thought of envy within me. With all the information and media out into the world I know that there is always a cooler, more interesting way of doing something, so why shouldn’t I apply it to my own creations just because I didn’t think of it first? To deny myself of those techniques and skills would only do a disservice to me as an artist. I know that I can take what I see, something that is innovative and exciting, and that I would have never thought of myself. I can take these techniques, cultivate them and apply them to my creative ideas and develop them into my own personal style.