Team Free Will

Team Free Will is a quote from an episode of Supernatural that is used by fandom as shorthand for Sam and Dean Winchester's alliance with others to stop the Apocalypse. During the fifth season of Supernatural, the Winchester brothers' battle against Heaven and Hell to prevent the Apocalypse from happening was a major plotline. The brothers are joined by Castiel, a fallen angel, and Bobby Singer, a fellow hunter. The line comes from Dean Winchester, who sarcastically dubbed himself, Sam and Castiel as "Team Free Will" after Castiel collapses on a hotel bed: "One ex-blood junkie, one drop-out with 6 bucks to his name and mr. comatose over there." The phrase "Team" also contains a secondary meaning as it has been used by other fandoms to express their loyalty to a favorite pairing, ship or character (ex. "Team Jacob" and "Team Edward" from Twilight fandom). The TV show Supernatural often incorporates popular culture references, such as Buffy or Twilight into its dialog.
"Team Free Will" is also used sometimes to describe fan fiction featuring Dean, Sam and Castiel in a sexual relationship. The phrase has become a rallying cry for some fans and appears in numerous fan arts, fan-made T-shirtsT-shirt WebCite; Archive.is (accessed Aptil 19, 2013]. and bumper stickers.Bumper sticker WebCite; Archive.is (accessed April 20, 2013).
In season 13, after the introduction of Jack Kline, the group's somewhat surrogate son, Dean dubbed them Team Free Will 2.0. After this many fans started to incorporate Jack into their TFW fanworks. Although, not everyone was a fan of Jack and so distinctions where made between the two by tagging fanworks either TFW or TFW 2.0.
==Examples in Fan Fiction==
*I Cleanse The Mirror is a Supernatural pre-Dean/Castiel story written by takadainmate
*Gloria series - a gen series of stories written by unoshot
==Examples in Fan Art==
File:Violentcosmos.jpg|Simplified poster-style 'Team Free Will' color art showing Dean, Sam and Castiel. The pentagram symbol on the left is a tattoo used on the show to prevent possession by demons.Source: http://fuckyeahspnart.tumblr.com, credited to violentcosmos; WebCite; Archive.is (accessed April 20, 2013)
File:Team free will by holy pea.png|This drawing by holy pea incorporates the lines spoken by Dean on t-shirts worn by the characters, likely inspired by the commercially available Twilight t-shirts.Source: .
File:Team Free Will by HalfBloodAlchemist.png|This icon plays on the Supernatural-Twilight fan rivalry: Screw you Edward, I'm Team Free Will.Source: .
File:Team free will by travellerintime74.jpg|This propaganda-style poster may be a nod to the fervent support that some fans bestow on their favorite ship or pairing. It reads: "The Team Free Will. They're fighting for you."Source: ; Archive.is (accessed April 20, 2013)
File:Team free will by niktadark.gif|animated chibi style gif featuring Sam, Dean and Castiel.Source: .
File:Team free will cutout by ashleywolf.jpg|Team Free Will fan craft. This paper cut out shows Bobby Singer on the far left wearing his signature baseball cap. The angel Castiel is in the middle, with Dean and Sam on the right holding hands.Source: ; Archive.is (accessed April 20, 2013)
File:Team free will bobby by katdianne.jpg|Another example of fan craft inspired by Team Free Will. These modified rubber ducks were part of fandom's Duck Nation campaign. Each duck has a signature element. From left to right: Dean (wearing his gold medallion on a black shirt), Castiel (black wings), Sam (wearing a plaid shirt and moose antlers; the actor who plays Sam Winchester is often referred to by fans as "Moose" due to his height) and Bobby Singer (saying his signature line: "You idjits!")Source: .
File:Kalicoofdoom-team-free-will-headcanon.jpg|"Team Free Will Head Canon: I feel like the boys would stop in open, lonely places so the angels could stretch their wings every now and then." Artist: Kalicoofdoom. In this drawing there are two angels - in later years, Gabriel a recurring angel character on the show sometimes appears in Team Free Will stories and art.
More examples:
* Team Free Will by fartalecki on Tumblr. black-and-white graphic.WebCite; original post.
==Fannish Resources==
*Team Free Will entry at Super-Wiki
*Team Free Will tag at AO3
*spn_foxhole LJ community for fanworks featuring Sam, Dean, and Castiel
*team_free_love LJ community for fanworks in which Gabriel is a team member as well
==References==
Category:Supernatural Characters
Category:Supernatural Fandom Glossary Category:Glossary