Make A Request: Part V

[galathea]

I am surprised to hear me say this, but I actually miss the show. Can we have new episodes, please? Also, I have the odd urge to do a S3 marathon, which doesn’t happen all that often, so I guess I’ll take the opportunity to do just that this weekend! Anyway, at least the hiatus leaves me time for art, so I finished another request, this time for uglybusiness.

Six down, only five to go. Thank you all for your patience!



A Cruel Order: Dear uglybusiness, you wanted me to try my hands at a Dean & Castiel wallpaper from either The End or On The Head Of A Pin and I went with the latter, which is funny, because I swore I’ll never make a wallpaper from that episode. *g* Anyway, I chose to art the scene where Dean begs Castiel not to insist on sending him in to torture Alistair. I always had my quarrels with the fact that neither Dean nor Castiel bothered to question the morality of the order to torture the demon for information, especially Castiel should have been more suspicious in my opinion. On a more personal level: The angel uses the fragile trust between them to convince Dean to do something Castiel knows might break Dean completely, but he does it anyway. It’s not one of his shinier moments, as he fails Dean and he fails God as well.

I think my artistic approach to the scene is pretty self-explanatory: Castiel hands a devastated Dean the bloodied demon killing knife - it’s bloodied because earlier in the episode Castiel states that the angels already tried to interrogate Alistair, but he wouldn’t talk. It’s not clear if the angels tortured Alistair as well, but in my wallpaper it is at least implied. I mostly used stocks of dilapidated buildings and generally everything that expresses broken, derelict and deserted, to emphasise Dean’s state of mind. I used dialogue from the episode, it just clarifies the context of the images best. So, I hope you like your gift, Olga, even if it is not particularly pro-Castiel. ;)

A Cruel Order

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You all know the drill, no posting elsewhere and no pretending it's your own. Just for private desktop use! *g* Resources as usual over at Salt'n Burn!

Comments

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Ooh, there it is! Nice one.

Man, that episode was hard to watch. :( Still is! Poor Dean. :( You've totally captured his devastation and defeat. :(

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :) Yeah, I can't really watch this episode. It's probably the darkest they've ever done, I'm not always up for this kind of bleakness.

[uglybusiness.livejournal.com]

Oh! *bounces* You made it, you really did! ♥

Well - wow. This isn't how I see them in this episode, but it makes in all the more interesting to look at them through your eyes :) I love the angst and 'darkness' of this piece ('cause I would agree that OTHOTP was probably the angstier and most dramatic episode so far). And it's very beautifully done ♥ The way you've combined realistic and abstract in the composition, the use of lighting and darkness overlaying/intersecting behind Dean... so beautiful, terrifying and symbolic. THANK YOU very much, sweetie! *hugs you, and then the wallpaper* This is a wonderful gift, especially when coming from you.

(P.S.: Would you mind if I rec it over my Russian blog?) :)

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Of course I did it, why wouldn't I? *g* I am so happy you like it, hon, even if your view on the scene itself is different.

I always hated that the angels forced Dean into torturing Alistair - I've never quite forgiven them for that - and I am sure that Dean would never have done it, if Castiel didn't convince him that it was 'necessary'. Surely he wouldn't have done it on Uriel's request alone. I know Castiel felt sorry for doing this to Dean, but it was too little, too late, when he finally realised the truth. /sigh

So yeah, I made the wallpaper as dark and angsty as possible. The composition took me forever, but I had fun with the manips and the stockwork particularly. I am just glad if I've been able to meet your expectations and standards when it comes to art. *hugs*

I don't mind. It's your gift, you can do whatever you like with it. ;)

[uglybusiness.livejournal.com]

Well, I knew you might not feel inspired to fill this particular request ;) But I'm happy did it, too :)

Hm, this is where we see Castiel differently in this episode. To me it was obvious that he was agonizing over (what he had been made to believe) the necessity of that terrible order. And in the end of the episode, he's just as devastated and broken as Dean, except the physical wounds of course: his millenia-old, unquestioning faith in Heaven has crumbled and fell on him with all its weight. Basically, I see this episode as the very beginning of the journey that ended with Castiel defying angels and sacrificing his life to help the brothers save the world in 4.22. (And now I'm reminded of your challenge, heh.) :) But, like I said, it's very interesing to learn how you see what happened there :)

Thank you again! ♥

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Heh, I am not refuting that. But see, the way Castiel says to Dean: 'I've been told it is necessary' shows me that Castiel himself isn't really sure it is necessary, that he feels that something is fishy about that order. He also can read Dean's mind, as we know, and hence he knows how this experience will break Dean. And despite his doubts and despite his feelings for Dean, he chooses to follow that order. And to me it is a choice, no matter how used to following orders Castiel is. The fact that Castiel falls apart as well, when he learns the truth from Uriel, doesn't change the fact that he failed to follow his own instincts that this was wrong.

So, yes, 4.16 is the episode where Castiel rediscovers his faith in God, while his faith in Heaven/angels is crushed and that will eventually lead to him turning his back on his fellow angels, but he still made a fatal choice here, just as he does in 4.21. :) I am just referring to this one choice I depict in my wallpaper, not to the whole of the episode. :)

[visor-07.livejournal.com]

Awesome wallpaper, I like your art. It always unusually and beautifully.

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :) I am glad you like the wallpaper and my art in general.

[fotw-sv.livejournal.com]

Wow another amazing piece. I have not seen the epy but it looks intense and dark for sure. I don't think I could have watched it.

Your work is always stunning and surreal and I enjoy seeing your creativity as always.

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Always happy to hear your feedback. Yes, the episode is very dark. It's the closest I ever came to not watching a SPN episode, because I thought I couldn't stomach a storyline. It's a well written episode, but very very bleak. I can't really rewatch it often. LOL

[fotw-sv.livejournal.com]

I can't get into the newer episodes. I miss all the older ones with folk lore and funny stuff. The writing is great of course but not my taste in past two seasons however I still love seeing everything you make. You're an inspiration. :)

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

I prefer the first 3 seasons by far to the last two seasons as well. I, too, miss the variety of urban legends and storylines of the older seasons and even when it was angsty, it had nothing on the darkness of S4/5. I just hope that in S6 we'll get back to a S1/2 tone in the show. :)

Aww, and thank you. *hugs*

[sherrilina.livejournal.com]

Wow, this is beautiful! I'm glad that you've done at least one wp from that episode now, especially when it's one like this! :)

And lol, is that the season 3 you were talking about marathoning earlier today? I thought it was something else like West Wing or FNL (but I guess that's Cori)...

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Katharine! :) I've always had this secret dream that I make at least one wallpaper from each SPN episode. Of course I am far from that goal, but hey, at least one episode less to go. LOL

Yes, it was. I rewatched SPN S3 these last couple of days. It's completely different coming into the season from S5, in comparison to coming into it after S2. All the little annoyances of S3 became less important somehow, having the failures of S5 in mind. I mean, okay, I left 4 episodes away on my marathon, but I really loved rewatching the rest. I appreciate the season a lot more nowadays. :)

[sherrilina.livejournal.com]

Lol, well I never had as many problems with season 3 as you did (for the most part I enjoyed it, even if not as much as season 2, and did not mind "Red Sky over Morning," etc), but yeah it definitely seems much more flawless in comparison to season 5! ;) (Even though I also have not been as devastated by season 5 as you have been)....

Lol hmm, let's see if I can guess this, did you not watch:

The Magnificent Seven
The Kids are Alright
Red Sky Over Morning

And I can't think of the fourth one, would it be Malleus Mallefium?

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Wow, heh, you know me pretty well. You got it right on first try. That're exactly the 4 episodes I skipped. *g*

It's not only that S3 is better structured than S5 and has less silly ooc characterisation, but also, I know that first time around I couldn't cope very well with Sam and Dean's distance at the beginning of the season. But having seen them in S4/5, I realise how close they still were in S3. Their distance is tinged with 'I need to protect you' vibes from Dean and 'I can't lose you' vibes from Sam and that's a whole different ballgame than in S4/5. Watching S3 also hammered home just how damaged Sam and Dean are nowadays, they can't even help each other anymore, while they still could do that in S3, you know, be there for each other.

I also enjoy Ruby more, now that I can just watch her with her exact motivations in mind, and I still find Bela annoying, but it doesn't bother me that much anymore. So, yeah, S3 totally got upgraded for me. LOL I mean, there have always been S3 episodes that I loved to death, but now I like the season as a whole more.

[sherrilina.livejournal.com]

Lol, I've paid attention to your season 3 reviews and convos at BF I guess! :D Woohoo....

Yeah, that's true, they definitely weren't nearly as alienated in season 3 as in season 4/5, and I imagine it would be extra interesting to go back and watch Ruby now, knowing how she ends up (plus of course Ruby 1.0 was so much better anyway...:p).

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Heh, obviously! :)

Yes, it's interesting to watch Ruby now, although of course it shows inconsistencies more clearly, now that we know her endgoal. But I like Cassidy's forcefulness with the character, and I think it would have been really interesting to see her play Ruby's meek and deceptively soft, manipulative side with Sam. :)