#akrida

Get your granny square duster and button up those bell-bottoms for The Winchesters Boogie Down! 

This totally groovy, rad event is all about celebrating every episode of season 1 of The Winchesters with your fic writing, fan-arting, gif making, video editing, poetry writing (and more!) selves!

This two week long event is here for you to make something - anything - for each episode of The Winchesters, followed by a 14th day for a season 2 wishlist! 

Beginning April 24, inspiration prompts will be posted to our Tumblr, Twitter AND Discord! Posting for submissions begins May 1. 

Do you have to submit every single day? No! Do you want to make more than one thing for one day? Go right ahead! This is a free-range, do-as-you-want challenge where your creativity is in the driver's seat! 

Read about the rules here. Read the FAQ here. Follow us on twitter. JOIN OUR DISCORD! We’ve set up a community discord where you can talk with other creatives, find resources and references, and see even more inspirational prompts for the challenge to get those creative juices flowing!

The paper Mary found describes a magical box and says:

Follow the path of 1 toward Heaven. Second spot is four less seven Find the forth behind Hells door, Six suns set on the Western floor I will always lead you here, Ending the darkness that we all fear

My first thought was THE EMPTY - and I Screamed. but once I calmed down I started thinking dimensions and the Acreda. there are also strong Amara vibes I am choosing to ignore.

We have seen a demon get sucked inside, into this tiny box. So either it's a trap or it's a door. If it's a door I would expect it goes to another dimension.

Either way - what happens if a person we care about at some point gets sucked into the box too? 🤔 hrmm (don't hurt Lata!)

The MoL locked it up for a reason - which they wouldn't do if this awesome piece of tech was a no downsides monster trap. So maybe it can suck people in or the Acreda can use this to cross over. Per @greatcometcas Akreda is ancient Greek for Locusts and doesn't that just have Vibes.

The paper also had these symbols on it, one of which Samuel someone with a bag with the initials S.C. wrote in blood to open the Manhole of Letters at the beginning of the episode. (A bit of digital manipulation and highlighting) I was convinced the symbols would combine together to create the Men of Letters symbol. No such luck yet. Unless we separate them into their base ancient ruins. ...

Started with the assumption that this person was Samuel - possible Tom Welling stand-in notwithstanding - that leads me to some questions.

Apparently the symbol he drew into the dish is called an Odal Rune or an Othala. (thank you @swordofsun!) Unfortunately I know it as a symbol co-opted by nazis, but it's is one of the oldest and most widely used runes in ancient Norse, Germanic, and Anglo-Saxon cultures. It was used for the “o” sound and is symbolic of lineage and genetic inheritance.

So - so I had been assuming this Indiana jones looking man was Samuel Campbell, but is he? I still think that is most likely but it feels like this symbol should have been drawn in MoL legacy blood to open the door. We've seen that before. I'm fine with that being unnecessary, but it would be fun if that meant 1) Samuel had ties to MoL 2) The Campbells have some history with the Acreda or 3) That isn't Samuel.

This is about when @wigglebox asked me if that man looked like Jensen and, now that you mention it.... I don't see bow legs, but it does kind of look like the back of his head? Is this Jensen/Dean? Is this Henry/Gil? Is this just Samuel/Tom? IDK. Someone tell me who this looks like to you, where my hand freaks at?

I want it to be Dean, he's a legacy and it would be a fun twist, but I think Dean would be better able to handle himself and he's wearing a wedding ring so for that to be Dean he'd have to be married to Cas at this point - Which obv means I am fully on board 😂💙💚. Nah, I think it was likely Samuel.

Symbols on the paper (bear with me there are a LOT of interpretations online and I do not know what I'm doing):

MoL Symbol - Unicursal Hexagram associated with symbolic magical, and spiritual connections. "Our crest. The Aquarian Star, representing great magic and power. They say it stood at the gates of Atlantis itself." Combination of 2 Kauną (see below) and an ᚷ? (top right)

Apparently this is a combination rune used for protection - or protection of family. I feel like this looks like it's a combination of the two symbols Inguz - fertility or love and Isa/Isaz - ice or death. ᛝ + ᛁ (Top left)

Raido ? - Journey - combined with the symbol for message / god / odin. AR . Also seeing people referring to this as Energy - getting real "the heroes journey" vibes, Robbie. ᚮ + ᚱ

upside down Othada - apparently the main meaning of a reversed othada is “loss of home”? ᛟ

This one I could not find - the only combination I was able to come up with was a double ᛜ a ᛜᛜ which is an inguz from a different culture. Meaning seed, or energy. Creation. - Maybe the duplicate means destruction / the darkness? Like a reverse? It could just as easily be 2 Othadas doubled back on themselves which would be fun thematically.

Othada / Odal- Heritage/Legacy/genetic inheritance or separation or possession ᛟ

combination of Kauną/Kenaz & Igus ᚲ + ᛜ - getting so many interpretations off of these - Kenaz - love/relationship/fire, Igus seed/energy/creation.

If I didn't know better - and I think I do - I'd think this was about Amara - the elusions to god (reverse) and the darkness. But given what we already know I expect this to be about the Acreda. Mostly I think this is a warning about an interdimensional door. I was clowning for a second when I found an interpretation relating to a journey in time, but I don't think it holds up.

Thank you to @escapingpurgatorypodcast @endofthebookpod & dearly to @deanncastiel for the image source!

Calling all The Winchesters Fans!

Join us to celebrate the first season of The Winchesters in this 3K+word fic and art bang!

Registration Open

After you complete the registration form, make sure to click on the link provided and join The Winchester Way Bangs Server for more information and to get access to the author and artist rooms.

Rules I Schedule

*Note, the schedule has been adjusted as of May 10

1x01: "The Akrida are a malevolent force. A monster not of this world. For centuries, they've tried to invade. The Men of Letters stopped them every time. But they're gone now." "They want to wipe out everyone here, including demons and all manner of monster, and take over our world. Samuel found evidence of a Men of Letters office in Savannah. It contained records of how the Akrida have crossed over in the past. Find where they're coming in, use this box to stop them." "What they didn't know is that the Akrida weren't just a threat to Earth, but to all of existence. Now, like I told you, there's gonna be some surprises. Hell, I'm still trying to find all the puzzle pieces myself. But I'll explain everything. And until then, I'll keep picking the music." 1x03: "Without that thing working, we don't stand a chance at stopping the Akrida from invading our world." "[A]ll of these unicorns started popping up as soon as the Akrida did." "The Akrida can't be stopped. Even with that thing working, there's too many of them. Me and my buddy, we went AWOL from hell. Crossed lines to make a deal with the Akrida. We get them that box, they let us live when they destroy all life on the planet." "[T]heir leader took a page out of the demonic playbook. It's hiding inside a human."

1x04: "You and your hunter friends are too weak to stop them, but you, a hunter and a soldier... you could be sharpened into a powerful weapon." "I was right. You are just like me. You're ready for the war against Akrida."

1x05: "It's just a theory, but these stingers could have been implanted by the Akrida, allowing them to take control of the human host." "While Carlos and I get on that, try to find the connection between these victims and... why the Akrida chose to control these people." "Our nightmares are rooted in trauma. They take shape in our darkest memories. ["You think that's where the Akrida hid the stingers."] Where better to hide them than a place where you don't want to face? A place where your deepest, darkest fears exist." "A radio tower would be a good way to send out a pied piper-type signal to lure rare monsters and bring them here." "[The] Akrida I heard in the councilman's mind and the others', there was talk about collecting essence from the remains of rare monsters." "So you're telling me by killing these monster unicorns, we've also been doing the Akrida's dirty work?" 1x06: "According to Carlos' research, they've been bouncing signals from radio towers all over the country, some outside of it even, drawing in unicorn monsters from everywhere."

1. Containers, vessels, or spaces used to trap, control, or destroy monsters

The monster box is the ONLY thing we know of that can kill the Akrida. It can also destroy other demons and was watched over by the loup-garou in its lair

La Tunda has a lair located in a commune, which is a controlled space from which people are discouraged from leaving. The essence of La Tunda is captured in a vial by the leader of the Akrida

Bori Baba has a bag which can trap victims. It serves as her home lair

Mars Neto is tied to an amphora that grants him his invulnerability. An amphora is a type of vase container, often used to store wine

Mac and the soucouyant are trapped in a cave-in

The mothership, of course, has the Malak box which can contain various forces. 

This theme of containers seems really crucial to our overall plot. Why so many containers? Who or what is trapped or needs to be trapped?

2. Illusions or mind manipulations

Bori Baba makes you destroy the item you seek in order to escape her. This is a type of mind manipulation or mind game forcing you to face your fears and let go of them

Mars Neto traps victims within an illusion of their own trauma background. 

The Akrida can use a mind control toxin that traps you inside your own mind. Similar to a djinn, it takes a dreamwalker to get victims out of the mind trap

The loup-garou is a type of shapeshifter, which while not an illusion has similar thematic concepts with the shifting of reality

Demon possession happens frequently, with John being possessed by Mac who feeds off of his anger and mental turmoil

Illusions and mind games or mental manipulations are frequent occurrences on the show. Perhaps something in the overall plot is tied to illusions or mind traps?

Now let’s get to episode 7, which is titled Reflections

When I think about reflections, the first thing that comes to mind are mirrors. Mirrors are present in a ton of lore and mythology. Narcissus saw himself in a mirror and fell in love with his reflection. Alice traveled through the looking glass into another world. In Supernatural, mirrors were used as a container for Bloody Mary. 

Some cultures and religions believe mirrors can trap a dying soul. A broken mirror can break a soul. Mirrors can serve as portals for ghosts. Essentially, mirrors have long been used both as traps and as pathways from one world to another. 

Mirrors can also be used to glimpse the future or other places in the world. 

Mirrors are associated with the truth. Frequently, glamours or other illusions can be shattered by mirrors. Mirrors can see into your soul, which is why vampires can’t be seen in mirrors. In Supernatural, mirrors let you see the truth of changelings, sirens, and wraiths, as well as shapeshifters. 

BUT mirrors are also associated with obscuring the truth. Mirror mazes and funhouse mirrors are sources of illusion, in which the truth is hidden. 

We learned so much about the core four. Even Millie. There was no Ada, which is disappointing. I hope to see all six of them in future episodes. No more of this Ada one episode, Millie the next.

This episode really drives a wedge between John and the other three.

He's suffering and he refuses to do anything to help himself and he won't let them help either.

Mary, Carlos, and Lata lean on each other at the end of this episode. Each of them having found a coping mechanism or two to help them deal with the darkness.

I loved seeing the differences between John and Carlos' Vietnam experiences. John volunteered, lied about his age, and went to fight. Carlos got in trouble and was given the choice between jail or service and chose service. He was a combat medic, his job was saving people. John won't talk about it, we see that he can in group, but he's so bitter about it he doesn't benefit from it. Carlos is open, he forgets about the case, and just talks. It helps him tremendously.

They're all trying to be there for John, but he'd rather be alone. This is nothing new. This is the John we've always known.

Seeing John interact with Neto I can't help but see Dean. But here's the thing, John's behavior is similar to Dean's behavior when he's at his worst/darkest times, that behavior is not Dean's normal.

When John bludgeons Neto repeatedly, it gives me strong MOC!Dean vibes. The vicious violence. It's part of who John is, it's only part of Dean when there is something else driving him.

John is Dean at his worst.

Dean at his best doesn't look anything like John. He builds a family, he loves completely, he protects everyone, he doesn't care what they can do for him, only that they're safe.

We didn't get much on the Akrida this episode, but I find it fascinating that gods are worried about them and looking for tools that will help in the fight against them.

The Akrida are “not of this world” meaning that the show might go deeper into the multiverse stuff we only got to see a little bit of when Chuck was destroying the other worlds.

Jack may have sent Dean back in time to give John that letter in hopes to stop the Akrida from coming to their universe in the future.

Chuck may not have destroyed all of the worlds like he said. Dean may be driving around in a parallel universe to find out more about the Akrida or to stop them.