Bardic's Descant
Songs in the Key of Supernatural
My animated header is by 
cakehole_cat. Thank you!
All of my journal entries are subject to copyright as of the date of entry. Copyright 2000-2013, Bardicvoice.
Visits to this site are tracked by Site Meter purely to count visitors to various pages. No personally identifiable information is retained.
If you'd like to follow the stuff I write, feel free to friend me. If you lose interest, feel free to defriend me; I won't take it personally. I don't automatically friend back, but I will if you ask.
cakehole_cat. Thank you!All of my journal entries are subject to copyright as of the date of entry. Copyright 2000-2013, Bardicvoice.
Visits to this site are tracked by Site Meter purely to count visitors to various pages. No personally identifiable information is retained.
If you'd like to follow the stuff I write, feel free to friend me. If you lose interest, feel free to defriend me; I won't take it personally. I don't automatically friend back, but I will if you ask.
30 October 2030 @ 09:52 pm
Supernatural University Master Post
This post links to all my individual Supernatural University essay posts, in the order in which they were written. Additional Supernatural University discussions take place in most, if not all, of my episode commentaries, but those tend to focus on specific episodes; the standalones tend to cover bigger topics and haven’t been easy to find. But here they all are. Hope you enjoy them!
I’ve grouped these into the seasons in which they were written. Bear in mind when they were written as you read them; each essay only references episodes that were in existence when they were written. I used to have a lot more time available for meta; as the seasons progressed, more and more of the meta became integrated into the episode commentaries.
( This way to the Table of Contents ...Collapse )
This post links to all my individual Supernatural University essay posts, in the order in which they were written. Additional Supernatural University discussions take place in most, if not all, of my episode commentaries, but those tend to focus on specific episodes; the standalones tend to cover bigger topics and haven’t been easy to find. But here they all are. Hope you enjoy them!
I’ve grouped these into the seasons in which they were written. Bear in mind when they were written as you read them; each essay only references episodes that were in existence when they were written. I used to have a lot more time available for meta; as the seasons progressed, more and more of the meta became integrated into the episode commentaries.
( This way to the Table of Contents ...Collapse )
Current Mood: 
tired
tiredCurrent Music: "For My Brother" by Blue October
30 October 2030 @ 08:10 pm
Supernatural Episode Commentaries Master Post
It occurred to me that I’ve done an awful lot of these Supernatural episode commentary/review things, peppered across years of time. On the off chance that visitors here would like to see what I said about a specific episode back when it first aired, I thought I might as well collect links to all my episode commentaries in one central place. So, welcome to my master list, and I hope you enjoy what you find here. You can get a good laugh about how wrong I turned out to be on some of my thoughts and guesses back in the day. I’m pretty proud about the ones I got right!
( Access the full list of links ...Collapse )
I regret with all my heart that, shortly after Season 7 began, I was unable to find the time to keep this updated as I'd intended. However, I am BACK for Season 8! I'm afraid I'll be irregular, but I'm here!
It occurred to me that I’ve done an awful lot of these Supernatural episode commentary/review things, peppered across years of time. On the off chance that visitors here would like to see what I said about a specific episode back when it first aired, I thought I might as well collect links to all my episode commentaries in one central place. So, welcome to my master list, and I hope you enjoy what you find here. You can get a good laugh about how wrong I turned out to be on some of my thoughts and guesses back in the day. I’m pretty proud about the ones I got right!
( Access the full list of links ...Collapse )
I regret with all my heart that, shortly after Season 7 began, I was unable to find the time to keep this updated as I'd intended. However, I am BACK for Season 8! I'm afraid I'll be irregular, but I'm here!
Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas
30 October 2030 @ 06:00 pm
Supernatural Fanfic Master Post
I don’t write nearly as many stories as other fanfic authors, but I have enough that I thought putting up a master post to provide easy access might help people find them, both the old and the new. So, in mostly reverse chronological order as written, here’s a master list of links to all my Supernatural fanfiction. I've begun to record my stories into MP3 podfic format; as I complete recordings, I'll be adding the podfic links here, under the description of each story.
Just so you know, I am strictly a canon writer (except for the stories set in the past on which I’ve been Kripke’d). There is no slash here. There are relationships that may include non-explicit sex, but all of them were established in show canon. Only one of them went farther in my story than in the show itself; pardon me for giving Bobby and Jody the chance to consummate a relationship before Bobby died. :)
( Go to the list ...Collapse )
I don’t write nearly as many stories as other fanfic authors, but I have enough that I thought putting up a master post to provide easy access might help people find them, both the old and the new. So, in mostly reverse chronological order as written, here’s a master list of links to all my Supernatural fanfiction. I've begun to record my stories into MP3 podfic format; as I complete recordings, I'll be adding the podfic links here, under the description of each story.
Just so you know, I am strictly a canon writer (except for the stories set in the past on which I’ve been Kripke’d). There is no slash here. There are relationships that may include non-explicit sex, but all of them were established in show canon. Only one of them went farther in my story than in the show itself; pardon me for giving Bobby and Jody the chance to consummate a relationship before Bobby died. :)
( Go to the list ...Collapse )
Current Mood: creative
Current Music: "Watch Over You" by Alter Bridge
29 October 2030 @ 08:49 am
Okay: the purpose of this post is simply to collect questions for Supernatural folk that I would love to hear answered. Some of these were mine, some I snagged from others. If you're going to a con, want to ask a non-stupid, non-repetitive question, and can't think of one, feel free to snag and ask one of these! The only thing I would ask is, if you do, please come back and let me know the answer. :)
I'm leaving this as a sticky post, so I'll add to it over time and cross out ones that have been answered.
( Read the questions ...Collapse )
I'll add to this later (NEVER run out of questions, and need to set them up for additional folk beyond Jared and Jensen!), but I wanted to put it out there. Hope it proves useful! If you've got good questions to add that you'd like to make available to others, leave them in the comments, and I'll move them up into the body of the main post to make them easy to find.
I'm leaving this as a sticky post, so I'll add to it over time and cross out ones that have been answered.
( Read the questions ...Collapse )
I'll add to this later (NEVER run out of questions, and need to set them up for additional folk beyond Jared and Jensen!), but I wanted to put it out there. Hope it proves useful! If you've got good questions to add that you'd like to make available to others, leave them in the comments, and I'll move them up into the body of the main post to make them easy to find.
Current Mood: 
cheerful
cheerfulCurrent Music: NPR
17 January 2020 @ 05:07 pm
The Impala Chronicles (Forty-Some Years In A Life) : Master Post
This collection of individual stories is a work in progress. My intent is to write one short story for each year of the Impala’s existence, putting the car and its owners into the context of the absolutely real-world American history I lived through: the civil rights struggle, the space program, Vietnam, and more, complete with an absolutely period-appropriate soundtrack, since classic rock is so much a part of this show. I began this in July 2009, long before Swan Song aired, so my early history doesn’t match canon any longer, but I’m not going to change it. Despite the long breaks in writing this, I do intend to finish it and bring it current; I just haven’t any idea when I’ll accomplish that, given other demands on my time. I’m only ten years in so far. Each story can be read individually, but it would be best to start at the beginning, since early stories in particular include characters you don’t already know who continue in time. They’re each quite short.
This page links to each individual story.
Chapter 1 – June 12, 1967: Black And White
Chapter 2 – November 20, 1968: Cursed
Chapter 3 – July 20, 1969: Moon Magic
Chapter 4 – August 27, 1970: Culture Clash
Chapter 5 – April 22-24, 1971: Blowin’ In The Wind
Chapter 6 – December 26, 1972: Paint It Black
Chapter 7 – November 22, 1973: The Dark Side of the Moon
Chapter 8 – August 9, 1974: Along The Way
Chapter 9 – April 30, 1975: Shelter From The Storm
Chapter 10 – June 17, 1976: Stars and Stripes Forever
This collection of individual stories is a work in progress. My intent is to write one short story for each year of the Impala’s existence, putting the car and its owners into the context of the absolutely real-world American history I lived through: the civil rights struggle, the space program, Vietnam, and more, complete with an absolutely period-appropriate soundtrack, since classic rock is so much a part of this show. I began this in July 2009, long before Swan Song aired, so my early history doesn’t match canon any longer, but I’m not going to change it. Despite the long breaks in writing this, I do intend to finish it and bring it current; I just haven’t any idea when I’ll accomplish that, given other demands on my time. I’m only ten years in so far. Each story can be read individually, but it would be best to start at the beginning, since early stories in particular include characters you don’t already know who continue in time. They’re each quite short.
This page links to each individual story.
Chapter 1 – June 12, 1967: Black And White
Chapter 2 – November 20, 1968: Cursed
Chapter 3 – July 20, 1969: Moon Magic
Chapter 4 – August 27, 1970: Culture Clash
Chapter 5 – April 22-24, 1971: Blowin’ In The Wind
Chapter 6 – December 26, 1972: Paint It Black
Chapter 7 – November 22, 1973: The Dark Side of the Moon
Chapter 8 – August 9, 1974: Along The Way
Chapter 9 – April 30, 1975: Shelter From The Storm
Chapter 10 – June 17, 1976: Stars and Stripes Forever
Current Mood: cheerful
cheerfulCurrent Music: "Back In Black" by AC/DC
08 May 2013 @ 11:49 pm
8.21 The Great Escapist: When You Create Stories, You Become Gods
We can all be gods.
Our minds write our own stories;
Angels, demons, men.
Commentary and Meta Analysis
Ben Edlund never disappoints! This episode was chock-full of information advancing and reinforcing the overall mytharc of the series. I suspect I'll be doing many more analytical pieces during hiatus, because there was too much here for me to deal with in a single write-up. In this discussion, I'm going to look at angels rewriting their roles, the impact of the trials on Sam, and the nature of the trials themselves.
( Read the rest ...Collapse )Good stories take us out of ourselves and put us into other universes. When we watch an episode of Supernatural like this one, we can be escapists getting away from the problems of our personal worlds, much the way Metatron fled his angelic troubles to become absorbed instead into human fiction. But great stories can also take us deeper into ourselves and enhance our understanding of and connection with others, as Sam and Dean managed to force Metatron to become involved by personalizing Kevin's story and their own.
Perception can be everything. And if we open ourselves to it, our perceptions can change, and we can become better, more focused, more involved, more caring people.
Current Mood: 
frustrated
frustratedCurrent Music: "Watch Over You" by Alter Bridge
24 April 2013 @ 08:55 pm
8.19 Taxi Driver: No Reason To Think I Won't See You Again Somewhere Down The Road
Reaper shows the way.
Sam frees Bobby's Hell-trapped soul;
Benny says goodbye.
Commentary and Meta Analysis
I was thoroughly caught up in the emotion and rollercoaster nature of this episode while it was playing – tribute to all the actors and highest marks to the VFX crew – but once it ended, all the logic and plot holes weakening the script became glaringly obvious. I'm still going to treasure this episode despite the script issues, though, precisely because the characters' emotions were so profound and true.
In this discussion, I'm going to explore Reapers; speculate about Kevin, Crowley, and Naomi; celebrate Benny; and theorize about Sam and the trials.
( Read the rest ...Collapse )Current Mood: excited
excitedCurrent Music: "Further On Up The Road" by Johnny Cash
01 April 2013 @ 08:29 pm
8.17 Goodbye Stranger: I Can't Take Any More Lies – From Anyone
Lucifer's lost crypts
Conceal the angel tablet:
Win and lose at once.
Commentary And Meta Analysis
This episode was a game-changer in many ways, and I enjoyed them all. It also harked back to much of the show's history while shining a different light on it, and I appreciated that as well.
In this commentary, I'm going to speculate a lot about Crowley's history, contemplate what's happened to Sam, and delve into the bond between Castiel and Dean.
( Read the rest ...Collapse )As I noted, I have more to say, but no time at the moment to say it. I'm on tenterhooks for the rest of this season, and for what season nine will bring; I think the show right now is on an amazing creative roll, and however much it scares me, I can't wait to see where it goes. Especially when this is what the episode left with us to think about:
Goodbye stranger it's been nice
Hope you find your paradise
Tried to see your point of view
Hope your dreams will all come true
Goodbye Mary, goodbye Jane
Will we ever meet again?
Feel no sorrow, feel no shame
Come tomorrow, feel no pain …
Not on Supernatural. We'll feel … everything.
Current Mood: busy
Current Music: "Goodbye Stranger" by Supertramp
21 March 2013 @ 08:42 pm
8.16 Remember The Titans: This One Was Supposed To Be On Me
Prometheus' fate –
Die every day forever:
Hereditary.
Commentary And Meta Analysis
I enjoyed this episode a lot more than I expected to when I first learned about it. Supernatural has an unfortunate track record when it comes to stories involving non-Christian gods; they have most often come off as sloppy caricatures bearing little resemblance to their source mythology. I particularly loathed everything about the travesty that was Hammer Of The Gods and the bizarre depiction of Osiris in Defending Your Life, among others. This episode had its significant inaccuracies and issues, but it escaped the gross stupidity of prior outings, and I found the story of Shane, Hayley, and Oliver magnetic.
In this discussion, I'm going to look at Supernatural's cosmology and its treatment of gods and myth, and talk a little about the Winchesters' current relationship and the parallels I saw between them and Prometheus.
( Read the rest ...Collapse )This was a monster of the week story rather than one heavily into the show's mythology, but I very much enjoyed the way it still managed to tie the brothers' overall themes and issues into a standalone tale. That kind of solid linkage always makes a MOTW story more memorable and enjoyable, and with all the emotional and thematic resonance among Sam, Dean, and Prometheus, I will remember and savor this one for a long time.
Current Mood: busy