On November 5th 2020, something strange happened. Actually, a number of strange things happened, and the Internet had a field day. The election results were coming in, Georgia turned blue, a rumor started that Putin might be resigning, everyone kept refreshing the Nevada results, Sherlock season five was teased, and Destiel finally became canon.
Destiel refers to the relationship between the hunter Dean Winchester and angel Castiel (played by Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins, respectively) on the popular television show "Supernatural." A CW series that follows the lives of the two Winchester brothers, Sam and Dean, as they hunt monsters and battle demons across North America, Supernatural has been a cult classic for fifteen years. Castiel was introduced during the fourth season, and quickly became a fan favorite. Not long after, fans began to interpret his "profound bond" (yes, that was actually how it was described) with Dean as romantic, and have strongly supported the pairing "Destiel" ever since.
Finally, after 12 years of waiting and showrunners and actors alike denying the existence of any sort of romantic relationship between the two, it was finally addressed in the show. On November 5th of this year, Castiel finally tells Dean he loves him....and immediately gets sucked into the Empty, a hell-like dimension with no escape.
Tumblr, the main source of the Destiel frenzy years ago, had a sudden resurgence of reblogs and likes based around the show, transforming everyone's feeds into what they looked like during 2012, when Destiel was at the height of it's popularity. Plus, in both instances an American election was occurring. I personally hadn't watched the show in many years, but was almost instantly catapulted back to my younger self that night.
Here are some of the funniest tumblr moments from November 5th, as Destiel becomes canon and everyone (me included) freaks out.
1. A shoutout to the show runners for making this historic night happen!
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"Dabb" is referencing Andrew Dabb, a producer that started working on the show around season four, then became showrunner during season 12.
2. So many things are happening at once, this cannot be real.
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From Trump's blunder with Four Season's Landscaping to Putin's alleged resignation to Trump's refusal of the results, November 5th didn't make a lot of sense. But then again, this is 2020 and nothing really makes a lot of sense.
3. Destiel before democracy? More likely than you think.
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Castiel literally said "I love you" before America had a President.
4. This will be me in the future.
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I honestly don't know how to tell the story of 2020 in a way that really makes any sense.
5. This must mean the end of cringe culture.
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I remember how unapologetic my younger self was with the things that I loved (like Supernatural and Destiel). I would definitely love for cringe culture to leave and never return.
6. Thank you Pope Francis!
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I had no idea either. That became a common meme of the night, everyone finding out their world news from Destiel reaction posts.
7. The frustration was PALPABLE.
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In case you hadn't heard or seen, Cas was taken away IMMEDIATELY after he confessed, and yes, it was devastating.
8. You've got to love Jensen Ackles.
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Also, enough with the homophobic rumors about Jensen Ackles. He doesn't deserve that.
9. "Good Omens" did warn us.
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Even then, I still don't think I would've seen this coming.
10. A message to everyone who's angry about Dean's lack of response.
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It's true he didn't say "I love you" back, but he didn't have a chance to say much of anything.
11. Throwback to this iconic past Supernatural episode.
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Yes, this was a real line from the show, and yes, it better have been foreshadowing.
12. No one saw any of this coming.
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This statement can apply after almost anything that happened this year.
13. Someone put it together.
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It's got to be extremely validating to know you were right the whole time. Just remember, these are people with personal lives that they are entitled to, so don't go overboard as a fan. Many did back in the day, which is likely why everyone called them "delusional."
14. Who's next?
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Does this mean we'll have a Merlin revival? Or a Sherlock revival? A new season five was teased for Sherlock, just another thing to add to the long list of November 5th incidents.
15. Nevada has never caused the entire world so much stress.
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We literally found out about Castiel's secret love before Nevada could tell us who won their election.
16. Again, so many things happened on one night.
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The Ray-Ban scam was a few days before, but it still counts.
17. It really was a surprise.
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This meme is probably my favorite because it's just so accurate. The Destiel was indeed a surprise, I would never have guessed that outcome in a million years.
18. "Umbrella Academy," meet Superwholock.
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A new meme format applied to an old (and new) megafandom.
19. It's finally the Mishapocalypse.
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If you don't know what this is referencing, I'm so sorry but I honestly can't explain it to you.
20. The celebration can finally begin!
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Well, the celebration can begin once Cas is back, alive and well.
21. All of us on the night of November 5th.
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I strongly relate to the man at the front of the picture. Especially as someone who hadn't seen Supernatural (or anything referencing it) in such a long while, I was not expecting anything like this at all.
22. That was probably very entertaining for Him.
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Honestly he would have won the bet, that reveal came out of left field.
23. Take out your 2020 bingo cards!
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Has anyone gotten BINGO yet?
24. Expert use of a John Mulaney quote.
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It seems like there always has to be at least one reference to a John Mulaney quote in any major Internet occurrence.
25. Hey 2012, it's been awhile.
There was a certain sense of nostalgia about the evening, that is true.
Regardless of whether you were (or are) a Supernatural fan, Destiel becoming canon prompted one of the best and unifying nights online. It's also now a major event in LGBTQ+ representation in media, nevermind if you liked the scene or not.
There was so much for everyone to process on November 5th, and since it's 2020, I honestly have no idea what's going to happen next.