#OH wait wait it could actually work so well with Wade being Lucifer

[allastoredeer]

What crossover could you imagine meshing well with Hazbin Hotel?

Helluva Boss (☞˚▽˚)☞

[kilyra]

Anniversary Headcanon

Well, because Tumbler is now deciding not to post a gif OR a read-more line when I respond to an ask, I’ll do it this way instead...again... I mean do I report this? No one responded to my last support request (sigh). Anyhow, so Anon asked: 

Could you write a head canon for Matt Murdock about what it would be like to celebrate an anniversary with him? (You can include others too if you would like😊)

Oh, fun! Thanks for the request! For this one, I'm running with Matt Murdock, Eric Northman, Helena Bertinelli, Cable (which cracks me up and I hope gets some love haha), Lucifer, and Benjamin Poindexter (Dex).

(If you want to be on the headcanon taglist, lemmie know)

Matt Murdock: When you and Matt started dating, he was trying to put the devil behind him. He wanted to focus on an actual life with you and his firm, Nelson, Murdock, and Page. But his past caught up with him and some nights he tells you he's working on a case, he's really trying to keep the streets safe. One such night is on your anniversary. You had made plans together at one of your favourite restaurants in town and it was there you watched the minutes turn to an hour. But instead of getting annoyed, you were worried, especially when he didn't return your texts. After you stopped by to check on him and no one was at his apartment, your worry exploded and you started texting both Karen and Foggy. When their stories didn't match for when he left the office, you didn't know what to think; you were a swirl of emotion – anger being one. The next day, however...everything changed. Matt invited you over to apologize and let you in on the side of his life he wanted to protect you from. But if you were going to be with him, truly be with him, you needed all the facts. It wasn't easy; you took a few days to think everything over, but when you decided you were all in, that you loved him and would stand by him, he was beyond relieved. Immediately, he took you out for a make-up dinner and spoiled you with flowers and a lovely gift, giving you a wonderful night to celebrate.

Eric Northman: For your anniversary, Eric goes all out. Limo, classy restaurant, extravagant gifts, you name it. On one level you’re surprised because he's not normally so showy, but you also understand he has an image to uphold. Not to say it's entirely for appearances however, as he does believe you deserve the only the best. But you’re happy just to be with him, you don't need anything much less such grandiose gestures. Even so, you happily go along with it all – being with him means you've got to help uphold the same image. As uncomfortable as it makes you sometimes, it's worth it to have him in your life.

Helena Bertinelli: Not having many people she deeply cares for in her life, Helena desperately wants to show how much you mean to her. Along with a beautiful locket, she books dinner at a fancy restaurant in town. But it's...too fancy. As you look through the menu, you realize neither of you knows half of what's listed and honestly you aren't sure if it's in a different language or just stuff you've never heard of before. Things get quiet and awkward until you're about halfway through your first drink. Finally, you crack a joke about trying to read the menu, and it's the first time a flicker of relief breaks through the muted fear that was plastered on Helena's face. Letting out a lengthy sigh, she finally smiles, glad it wasn't just her. When you tell her that you deeply appreciate the gesture, but suggest going to the dive pub by your place instead, she quickly agrees as a soft look of adoration drifts across her features. She fell in love with you all over again.

Cable: You can’t help but follow when Cable storms past you with a bouquet of brightly coloured flowers. As he reaches the kitchen, he roughly tosses them in the garbage bin as he grumbles about Wade. Apparently, Deadpool marked on the calendar that a year ago that day, they had taken down a particularly vicious group of criminals and decided to celebrate. Cable carried on, complaining about Wade’s antics and how he wasn’t even sure why he stuck around to keep dealing with such ridiculousness. When he finally slowed down, you cleared your throat, catching his attention. You can’t keep the amusement from your tone when you remind him that it’s also your anniversary – when he returned from that mission, was when things heated past just being friends and teammates. His face froze, expression unreadable as he stared at you. Grunting, he finally turned around to the garbage, pulling the flowers off the top and gruffly tried to fix the smashed arrangement. Awkwardly, he thrust them at you as he mumbled happy anniversary…

Lucifer: Your first anniversary with the Devil himself was rather surprising. You were expecting something big, maybe at Lux or some posh establishment he had connections with. It's not your style, but you were braced for it because that was most definitely his style. But instead, he invites you to come up to his suite and begins serenading you on the piano as soon as the elevator door open. The scent of amazing food wafts over to you as you make your way in and you see the table dressed up as elegantly as any high-end restaurant with a spread of your favourite food. He is already smiling at the bewildered look that settles on your features as he makes his way over to you with his gift in hand. Because, of course, he can't wait to give you your present, which turns out to be shockingly thoughtful. When you finally ask him what's going on, he admits that while he enjoys being out and making a scene, he enjoys you...just you...even more. Nothing makes him happier than having time with you all to himself.

Benjamin Poindexter: Your first anniversary is spent at your favourite restaurant. Nothing fancy or extravagant, but definitely centred around you. You sit at your usual table – the one that lets you stare out at the street to admire both the beautiful architecture of this neighbourhood and the interesting people that pass. And of course, you have your favourite meal. It's not terribly often that you go to this restaurant, but it is always a treat when you do. The staff is friendly, the view is great, and the food...oh man...the food is so amazing that whenever you have friends come from out of town you insist they come here.  So it makes sense that this is where you are for your anniversary because Dex is just happy you're happy. Of course…you don't realize he's there. Sitting a few tables away, he keeps his nose buried in his phone as though he's taking care of business while absently eating his meal. But really, he's quietly appreciating your joy from afar. He is quite pleased that you chose to eat here of all nights – it’s a perfectly fitting place to celebrate the day he first realized how important you were to him.

Taglist: @foreverfaeries​  @flower-two​  @getlostinyourparadise​   @selfishkiddo​  @angelicshinigami​  @stylesxstark​   @natsukitakama​ @bisexual-space-slut​​   @soul-of-a-traveller​

[dotthings]

All right here we go, my notes on SPN 14.17 “Game Night,” which gets into parental issues and closure, domesticity on SPN, Cas and loneliness and connections with others, parallels between Dean and Cas, waffles, Dean’s facade, Sam’s heartbreak, my boredom and dislike of villain characters who I am supposed to dislike anyway, the nature of souls, and God as absentee parent.

First off, S14 has to be possibly the most domestic SPN season ever. We’ve had glimpses. But S14 is really digging in showing us this family’s life in the bunker. Add to this, even though Cas wasn’t present for game night, how accepted and normalized it is that Cas lives there. That’s his home. He’s expected and if he goes he at least tells Dean and it’s temporary, it’s assumed he’ll come back. Our bunker family includes 2 characters who aren’t blood related to the Winchesters, Cas and Jack, but they are part of the family nonetheless, something S14 has made abundantly clear. 

Why is this domesticity important? Isn’t SPN about killing monsters? It’s important because SPN is about killing monsters. It adds texture and layers to our heroes, makes their lives even more real, and ups the drama factor when we can see them have moments of domesticity and being a family to contrast with the harshness and the monster fights and the darker aspects. SPN from the get-go, has as its primary fuel the bonds between characters. Most of SPN is about Sam, Dean, and Cas as charcters who have MHI and PTSD and how they keep on keeping on, and their bonds with each other and other characters. 

We also need to be reminded of the stakes. Our heroes need to be shown living the world they’re trying to save and we need to see why they care if their loved ones are imperiled. We need to see them being a family to understand what could be lost. Remember in ep 300 alternate Sam and alternate Dean we learn are isolated characters and we see Cas devoid of personal attachments, and that was their tragedy. 

The monsters are really just a backdrop to explore these characters. Because SPN is a horror/urban fantasy series, we aren’t going to spend a whole lot of time on the domestic stuff, it needs lots of monster-killing action, but all in service of revealing character, and the domesticity needs to be there as part of the emotional weave. It stood out to me how extra domestic the start of Game Night is, with Mary and Jack putting snacks together, Mary trying to talk to Jack, and Dean trying to fix the mouse trap game, they reference that Sam is off getting pizza and will be back shortly, and we have a reason Cas isn’t there but we know if Cas were he’d be right in the thick of the domesticity.

They also did it because of how hurty this ep gets later on, for dramatic contrast.

Dean, our smart little engineer. Dean seems really, really frustrated he can’t fix the mouse trap game which you might think is just there for comedy but it’s not. He’s really minds he can’t fix that mouse trap game. Dean hates it when he can’t fix things, doesn’t he. When someone in his family is hurt or something’s wrong with them and there’s nothing he can do. He’s also not over that PTSD from having Michael screaming and banging in his head. It’s the little things. You think SPN actually forgot he has PTSD, look again.

And where is Cas? Why, he’s off meeting with the angel Anael to get a fix for Jack’s soullessness, without telling Sam and Dean, because Cas...he’s still got issues which I’ll get to a moment.

Interesting Cas orders a waffle he’s apparently not eating. Maybe just to not appear out of place in the diner. While Anael doesn’t even get coffee. Like it’s important to Cas to behave as a human, even if he’s not actually going to eat that waffle. Maybe Cas just wanted a waffle. It’s a really cute waffle, I’d want that waffle. This is reminding me of Cas and the milkshakes in 14.15. Why do they keep showing us Cas and cute milkshakes, Cas and cute waffles. It’s tantalizing. Almost lampshading the fact that this idea of Cas and milkshakes, Cas and waffles, is appealing, the idea of Cas enjoying these things, and maybe Cas would enjoy these things, yet he’s not going to actually consume them. 

So Anael was Joshua’s right hand. That was a reveal that shows she was an angel of some importance.

I love the Anael and Cas dialogue. “Ill-conceived lone-wolf desperation.” Anael has seen some things. There’s several moments here where she sees through Cas’s bullshit, and several moments where Cas sees through hers. 

Cas is not only hiding his deal with The Empty, he’s gone off to find God to fix Jack’s soul without telling Sam and Dean.

Oh this Dean and Mary scene. I’ve talked about Mary’s arc before, and how purposeful the distance and remoteness is, why the character is meant to be brittle, and wondering what kind of progression we’d see, a softening on that. Here’s another moment of it.

“You’re here, okay?” “But I should’ve been here more. I know I can be closed off, hard.” “That’s where I get it from.”

Oh, this is making me worried for Mary. That’s an awful lot of emotional honesty and softening and I’m thinking about John in ep 300 and closure and how that ended up. Dean got to say what he did to Mary near the end of S12. “I hate you and I love you and I forgive you.” And that was why Dean needed Mary back. But Mary has stuck around for several seasons and there are still unresolved things there. Which this scene offered one step towards a resolution for. How very John paralleling of you, SPN. 

Dean relating to Mary’s facade isn’t spn vilifying Dean. SPN doesn’t think Dean is actually closed off and hard, the narrative doesn’t show us that, and the authorial voices don’t believe it. Dean does however construct a facade for himself and I’m not sure how people can claim it’s vilifying Dean for SPN to remember that. (People want consistency and SPN to remember Dean’s characteristics...it does). Dean references his facade here. 

Remember that Dean’s perception of himself is that he’s a hardass. The Dean we actually see--and yes SPN is not only aware of that dichotomy but plays with it consistently--is a big-hearted squishy vulnerable softie who outbursts his emotions often and does a terrible job of hiding how much he cares. But in his Dean’s own mind his face is impeccably forged.

He’s acknowledging here he realizes Mary has a facade too and her brittleness and remoteness isn’t because she doesn’t care. 

I think also Dean wants to relate himself to his mom. He modeled himself on John much of his life and had to find a way to being his own person away from that shadow, but he’s actually always been more like Mary and he wants to be close to her. So here he purposefully spells out a connection between them, even though Dean isn’t really just like Mary, their facades are still a commonality.

Mary saying “I’m grateful” for all the time she gets to spend with her kids. Her adult kids. Not the babies she lost. Her children as they are.

Ohhhh something bad is going to happen I can feel it.

We get smart researchy Sam, and Mary and Dean mother-son badass hunting team. I’m sorry we haven’t seen more Mary and Dean team-ups, I’ve been waiting for that. (See why I’m nervous? There’s a lot of Dean and Mary stuff in this ep I’ve been waiting for and was denied and now getting it...Marty, I’m scared. I know how SPN operates).

So Nick is basically a complete amoral psychopath now and I am both bored yet weirdly relieved the story isn’t even going close to trying to make him someone relatable or intriguing. Nick is one of the only things most of this fandom in all lanes agrees on: he has to go. And SPN is making him as unpleasant as possible, reflecting that.

Jack and Donatello have no soul and yet they show more conscience and care of others than Nick, who has his soul still, which is raising questions in my head about how souls work on SPN and can empathy be learned even if the soul is gone. It’s not that Jack isn’t incredibly dangerous without his soul, his inner compass is completely borked. But not totally absent. Donatello also has judgment about how to treat others. But Nick...Nick is only murderous. 

“Because you’re a good man. You are. It’s one of the reasons I’m so proud of you.” 

We are John paralleling like mad here. Sam gets to hear Mary is proud of him. Dean gets an apology for her distance and her letting him know she appreciates being with him.

Closure, closure, closure. Something terrible is going to happen. 

These Cas and Anael scenes are utterly delightful. Not just because Misha and Danneel have a great rapport but the themes the dialogue is wading into is making me rub my hands together in metaish glee.

“I believe in Heaven.” 

Anael was a believer. Joshua’s right hand. She was a good soldier. Unlike Cas, it doesn’t sound like she had much inclinations to rebel. It seem unlikely Anael ever needed a reset, but like Cas, she eventually did.

“I don’t need Heaven and I don’t need God. I’m happy,” Anael says.

There’s that theme of actual happiness vs. false happiness again.

“Really?” says Cas, who we know has figured out how important bonds with others are. “Because that sounds lonely.”

“We’re all lonely because we’re all alone,” says Anael.

Well this just got deeply philosophical. We can feel alone even when we’re with others. Anael feels God abandoned everyone and she’s not wrong, and she hasn’t found a connection with others the way Cas has. And Cas, even though he has found those connections, is still a lonely figure. Isolation, alienation, feeling he doesn’t belong have been major themes with Cas for years. But Cas knows things Anael doesn’t about how life one earth works.

Oh I so am enjoying Dean kicking the crap out of Nick.

Jack is soulless yet still cares about helping Donatello.

“My father was a monster.” “He loved you...and you broke his heart.”

Shut up Nick, you manipulative psycho. Love isn’t enough. Lucifer “loves” like Thanos “loves.” 

Back to Cas and Anael, “I’m doing this for Jack,” Cas says. Which he is, in part, but it’s not the only reason. Anael may have passed on coffee but she’s packing tea. “You’re doing this because you’re afraid. Because in your mind it’d be easier to call God than tell Sam and Dean Winchester the truth. Jack’s soul is gone.”

Here is my whole separate post of its own on over-protective Cas trying to shield Sam and Dean from the storms and while it’s done out love, it’s misguided and his methods of shielding them often end badly.

But if you think Jack is all Cas cares about? Jack is the only reason Cas has done anything lately? You aren’t paying close enough attention (also that’s ignoring big chunks of canon anyway but I’m talking specifically, that even some of Cas’s Jack decisions have been about protecting Sam and Dean from pain...read my post). 

There’s another samulet. Cas recognizes the object most likely to be the telephone to God because it’s similar to the Winchester samulet. It’s not identical to Sam and Dean’s. Similar but different design. Slightly different purposes. One glows in the presence of God. Another acts as a voicemail system. Are there others, with other purposes, related to God?

Chuck abandoned humanity and the angels but made sure means of communicating with him were left, perhaps scattered all over the world? In case of emergencies? Was it a full abandonment? 

Cas sneaking away from his family to call his father for help out of their sightline because he’s scared and worried, why is that familiar. Where have I seen that before...oh yes, Dean calling John way back in “Home” in season 1.

This while Sam and Dean are going through closure things with the Winchester parents and Cas is again looking for his absent father.

“Go home and tell Sam and Dean the truth.” GOOD PLAN, ANAEL. 

I love this exchange with Cas and Anael so much. This is the whole lynchpin of what Cas has learned.

“Just because God’s not with us doesn’t mean we’re alone.” “Why? Because we all have each other?” “Yes.”

Similarly to how Dean had already accepted himself without needing John’s approval to do it, Cas has already figured out he’s not alone even though his father is a chronic abandoner.

Now Sam is beating Nick! It’s the Nick gets beaten up episode and I am so here for it. Sam doesn’t kill him of course because Sam is a good person but I am also sort of sorry Sam doesn’t kill Nick. Which I don’t think is the takeaway they intended and yet.

Sam’s Nickrage. Sam tried to see the good in him and give him the benefit of the doubt. Nick turned out to be completely amoral, and Sam was wrong. And now there’s something wrong with Sam’s shared Team Free Will adoptive child, Jack, who Sam needed to believe in. Sam has had something wrong with him and he’s not all bad, he was worth saving, others are worth it too and Sam needs to believe that. Jack maybe will vindicate Sam in this by the end while Nick is proving to Sam that isn’t always true and I think being faced with that is breaking Sam’s heart. No not everyone is worth saving. Not everyone can be saved.

It’s almost like survivor’s guilt. Sam is a good man. Sam had demon blood in him, he’s made mistakes, he’s done some terrible things, he’s been through some stuff, and he is worth saving. Sam doesn’t seem himself as worth it while others as less worthy, and he’s having trouble not over-identifying on this issue. This is a very long arc for Sam--think back to S8 and Sam talking about knowing as a child he was tainted, that he’d never qualify as a knight, as a pure hero he saw in the books about King Arthur. 

But those are idealizations of the heroic paradigm. Someone can still be heroic while being tainted and imperfect. Sam’s figuring this out but he’s still struggling with the object of the proof that not everyone is worth being saved: Nick.

I am not here for Nick beating up Sam. :((((((((((

I am here for badass Dean which is always good to see.

Oh no Sam. :((((((((((((((

“Count with me.” “You always put me first. Your whole life.”

Look I know Sam won’t die-die for good yet but this is still upsetting, Dean trying to keep Sam with him and Sam deciding that should be his final words to Dean, because he’s aware of all Dean took on and he’s grateful. Sam knows. This is also a mirror flip on Dean’s head injury in Ouroboros. This made my heart ache. :(

No can we not have Lucifer back please? I adore 98% of the characters on this show, I’m serious, I am an ensemble gal, but Lucifer’s story has, for reals, played out. Nick is irredeemably awful and dull, Lucifer is boring and selfish and cruel and petulant and I’m bored. Luckily for me neither is being presented as someone I am supposed to or expected to feel sympathy for and I hope it stays that way. 

Hey SPN, you’ve successfully made me feel zero sympathy for characters who I clearly am supposed to feel zero sympathy for! You did your job! But do you realize how dull this is? I’m not sure this is supposed to be so dull.

Jack just saying no to Lucifer. Bye, Lucifer! Thank you, Jack!

Thank you Jack for saving Sam!

Hey Jack’s not doing too badly for someone’s who’s soulless...oops wait. No this is not good.

Look I get the way Jack killed Nick is not good and soulless Jack is really dangerous and that was a horrible way to kill someone which Jack didn’t have to do, he could have done it mercifully and didn’t. Of course Mary is horrified witnessing that, and I would be too, but otoh thank you, Jack for dispensing with Nick who is not just murderous. Murderous can be interesting, there are lots of interesting villains out there. But he is just so boring. The drama of Mary’s distress at what Jack did is undercut a bit here because I’m not sorry someone kills Nick. I rarely ever root for any character to die, even ones I dislike (just write them off maybe) but I’m making an exception.

Really Jack’s doing me some solids in this ep.

And then a bad. 

Okay, bad Jack. No, Jack, don’t hurt Mary. Which, I been knew, something bad would happen to Mary, telegraphed all ep, and there it is, after all that closure. It’s left ambiguous exactly what happened though. Is she dead? Is she banished to another AU world? Turned into a woodland creature? Was it even Jack who did it? We don’t know what exactly happened yet. 

[nicolabarth]

Blood and Bones - Chapter 2

Pairing: Samifer

Summary: When people on the Winchester lands vanish, including Dean, Sam thinks the necromancer who’s living near by in a tower is to blame.

Warnings: Fantasy AU, Violence, Blood Magic (as in people cut themselves and others to get blood for spells), Knight!Sam, Necromancer!Lucifer, Blood Mage!Lucifer, Undead, Questionable morals, Truth Spells

Notes: Thanks to my beta readers @coplins, @trisscar368 and @lucibae-is-dancing-in-hell. The whole story was inspired by @brieflymaximumprincess

Read it on AO3

“Don’t you think the undead horse is a bit too much?” Sam’s own horse kept its distance, shying away from the creature thankfully made mostly of bone and a bit of dried skin. No rotting flesh.

The necromancer shrugged from where he was sitting in the saddle. They were riding into the woods, Sam and Lucifer, Sam in his chainmail now, sword by his side again.

“I don’t want to spend time caring for a living animal every day.”

That made sense in a way. Still, Sam could’ve done without the reminder of who he had sided with. He still wasn’t sure, if he wouldn’t regret this.

“What is it, Sammy?” Lucifer’s eyes were on him, leaving his undead horse to find its own way. “Second thoughts?”

“I’m not obliged to answer any more.” He couldn’t actually be angry about the truth spell, though. Sam had been the one who had broken into Lucifer’s tower and the truth spell had been a pretty gentle way to insure Lucifer’s safety. Still, Sam tried. After the kiss they shared, he felt like he had to put some distance between them again. It was sensible to join forces with the necromancer to get his brother back, of course. It was also a good idea to stay on friendly terms with him afterwards. For the good of their village. But the kiss had been more than just one step too far. As was the fascination Sam felt every time Lucifer talked about magic.

Lucifer shrugged. “Suit yourself. I liked you more when you were chatty, though.”

“You’re not supposed to like me. We have a common goal, that’s all.”

That earned him an amused look, tip of Lucifer’s tongue visible in the corner of his mouth for a moment – not that Sam was paying attention.

“Don’t get your hopes up too much. I’m sure grumpy, less chatty you will grow on me eventually.”

Never had a declaration of affection ever sounded so much like a promise of trouble to come.

It didn’t take them long to reach the waterfall that hid the dragon’s cave. “How do you want to do this?” Lucifer asked. “The hero way or the smart way?”

“I’m not going to stand in front of the cave and yell for the dragon to come out.”

Lucifer smiled. “See, that’s why I like you. So sneak in or draw it out?”

Sam pondered that question for a moment. To sneak in he’d have to lose his chainmail again, which meant potentially fighting a dragon without much protection. “Any ideas how to draw it out?”

“Yes. I’ll challenge it.”

“So you stand in front of the cave and yell for it to come out?” Sam asked grinning.

Lucifer threw him a bitchface. “Not quite.”

The plan was simple. Lucifer would be the distraction, while Sam would lie in ambush and wait for a good opportunity to attack. After all, he was the one who was supposed to kill the dragon. Lucifer summoned Meg again to send her off with Sam. “She can be of help,” was all he said.

Then he cut his palm, let a few drops of blood drip on the ground.

“What’s that for?” Sam asked.

“In case of an emergency. I think some other predators have lived here before. There are a lot of dead things in the ground, and I’ve just established a connection.” Lucifer’s smile made Sam shudder, but not in a completely unpleasant way. Damn him and his fascination with questionable people. “Now go.”

Sam was halfway to a good hiding place, when he realized that he’d just followed a command given by the necromancer. Damn! It was a sensible command, but still, he better not make a habit out of it.

Next to him, Meg moved in complete, eerie silence between the trees. No footsteps, no breathing. Of course no breathing, after all she was dead. Sam eyed her suspiciously. There was a slight red tint to her figure, and sometimes, out of the corner of his eye, he could see her edges fray, but apart from that she looked like a normal human being. A tiny brunette girl in a way too revealing dress.

She grinned at him. “Like what you see?”

“He killed you,” Sam said, because that still bothered him.

“Yes. And then he went and gave me a new life. That’s how things are sometimes. Don’t get your undergarments in a twist about it, pretty boy.”

Sam huffed, not placated.

Meg laughed, a sound that wasn’t quite human. “If you were so appalled by it, you should’ve declined my company.”

“That wouldn’t have undone it. And if you can help, it would be stupid not to make use of that to save people who might still be alive.”

“So the fact that he killed me is useful to you now.”

Sam opened his mouth to protest, but no words came out. “I guess …” he bit back angrily. Had he just lost a discussion about morals against an undead girl?

They found a good hiding place near the waterfall. While Sam crouched down behind a big boulder, spray from the waterfall settled on his face, his hair, his clothes. Slowly, he drew his sword.

Meg cupped her hands, and a small puddle of blood appeared between her fingers. “We’re ready, master,” she whispered.

Yes, she definitely was useful.

By the bank of the river Lucifer stepped out from between the trees just enough to be seen, but not far enough that he couldn’t duck back into the underbrush fast, if need be. He didn’t do anything, he just stood there, but suddenly he seemed taller, his shadow darker.

“What’s he doing?” Sam whispered.

“He just stopped hiding his aura,” Meg explained.

Oh. This definitely shouldn’t make Lucifer even more attractive.

It didn’t take long for a head to appear in the middle of the waterfall. It wasn’t quite as reptilian as Sam had expected it to be, though. It looked more bird-like, even if there were scales between the feathers. The sharp beak was approximately as long as Sam’s arm. The head was followed by a snake-like neck and a reptilian body. Leathery wings blocked the path of the waterfall for a moment, when they unfurled.

“Oops,” Meg said.

Sam was inclined to agree with her. “That’s not a dragon.”

“Well,” Meg said, “technically Basilisks are a subspecies of dragons.”

The Basilisk cocked its head to regard Lucifer. “Ah,” it said finally, more a hiss than a word. “Long time since I last saw a blood mage.”

“Long time since I last saw one of your kind, too,” Lucifer answered. “My name is Lucifer. You’re in my territory.”

“My apologies.” The Basilisk stepped further away from the waterfall and waded through the water towards Lucifer, still staying in the river though. Sam held his breath. As soon as it reached the riverbank, he’d strike. “I’m only here for the time my young need to learn how to fly. If you let me stay in your territory until then, I’ll repay you well.”

Lucifer smiled, apparently not even surprised that a huge, scary Basilisk prefered negotiations over fighting him. “Well, there’s one small problem.”

The Basilisk cocked it’s bird head again.

“You’re taking humans, and the villagers are bothering me now, because they think I’m responsible.”

For a very short moment Sam thought it was maybe possible to solve this via talking. The creature would agree not to take any more humans, it would give Dean and the other villagers back and they would allow it to raise its young, before it had to leave. Everybody would be happy. But then the Basilisk did something that was probably the closest you can get to a shrug, if you have wings instead of arms. “You seem powerful enough to deal with a few humans. What I can give you will be worth your trouble.”

No, that was not how this was supposed to go! Sam held his breath. He wasn’t sure how high the chances were that Lucifer was going to betray him.

“Is that so?” the necromancer asked. “What do you have to offer?”

Well, apparently they were high. Sam tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, when he suddenly felt Meg’s hand on his arm. “Wait. Trust him.”

Sam gave an almost soundless laugh. “Why should I trust him?”

“For one,” Meg leaned closer, and Sam faintly smelled blood, “if he wanted trouble, he wouldn’t have offered to help you in the first place. And secondly, you don’t have any other choice, because I will rip you to shreds if you move now.”

For a moment, Sam looked at her, seizing her up. Judging by how effortlessly she had disarmed him in the dungeon, this was probably no empty threat. But she had to have a weakness. He went through everything Bobby had ever told him about magic. A lot of magic creatures didn’t like iron, did they? Though Lucifer’s magic had worked on the chains in the dungeon. There were also some symbols that worked as protection, and Sam wished he’d memorized them better.

While he was lost in thought, the conversation between Lucifer and the Basilisk went on. The creature offered magic spells and riches. Lucifer seemed intrigued.

“Meg,” Sam whispered. “Do you remember your parents? They’re still alive. If Lucifer sides with that creature, they’re in danger.”

Did he imagine it or was there a slight pause as if Meg were thinking?

“Let me kill that Basilisk, no matter what they agree on,” Sam urged. “That’s all I’m asking.”

“Trust him,” Meg insisted again. Her grip on Sam’s arm loosened a bit, though. Sam took it as a good sign.

While they were talking, the Basilisk slowly crept closer to Lucifer, further and further out of the water. The necromancer carefully avoided eye contact, but otherwise watched the creature closely. Finally, it sat in the shallow water close to where Lucifer was standing. Sam tensed, ready to strike.

“Give him a few more seconds,” Meg whispered. “Then I’ll let you go.”

Fine. Sam could do that.

The necromancer smiled again. “That sounds all well and good,” he said. “There’s still one tiny problem, though.”

“What is it now?” The Basilisk was getting impatient. It took another step, threatening now, until its beak was only inches from Lucifer’s face. Sam saw the necromancer lower his gaze to the ground to avoid eye contact. But now it was also in the perfect position for Sam to strike.

“Well, you see,” Lucifer explained. He unfurled the fingers of the hand he had cut before, and a few more drops of blood dripped to the ground. What was he doing? “The very handsome knight I came here with apparently thinks I’m fascinating.”

Alarmed, the Basilisk looked around. And that did it. Sam shrugged off Meg’s hand and stood up. She let him.

“And that’s kind of nice,” Lucifer went on. “So I actually don’t want to betray him.”

The next word was not spoken in any language Sam knew, but it carried power, Sam could feel that in the energy that suddenly permeated the air. He half expected to get hit by a spell, before the meaning of Lucifer’s words completely got through to him.

Then he saw the bones that erupted from the ground. They formed hands and claws and they grabbed the Basilisk’s legs and wings. The creature screeched and its beak bit down, shattering skeletal arms, but there were more coming from the ground every second.

“Sam!” Lucifer called. “Now! And don’t look it in the eyes, it can turn you to stone.”

Sam was already moving. He swung his sword, hacking at the snake-neck of the creature. His blade sliced through the scales, but then the back of a flailing wing hit him, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Before he could even catch his breath, the beak came down. He rolled to the side, but he could already tell he wouldn’t be fast enough to avoid it completely.

The impact never came, though. Instead something red streaked through his line of sight, then Meg was there. She collided with the head of the creature with force, making it reel to the side. The beak sank into the ground instead of Sam’s flesh, sending grass and dirt flying. Immediately, the boney hands grabbed it. Together with Meg they held the Basilisk’s head to the ground, stretching the already injured neck. Sam got to his feet again, bringing the sword down with all his might.

This time, his blade went all the way through. The Basilisk convulsed and collapsed on the riverbank.

For a moment, Sam just stood there, breathing heavily.

The sound of someone clapping made him look up after a while. Lucifer leaned against the trunk of a tree, smirking. “You make a very heroic figure wielding your sword like that, Sam Dragonslayer. A pity that the fact that I helped you probably ruins this as material for the bards.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Sam said. He hadn’t tried to be heroic, he’d just tried to get his brother back. But if Lucifer wanted to mock him for this, he could give as good as he got. “Depends on how they spin it. Apparently I made a formerly evil necromancer see the good in life again.” Which raised an interesting question. Lucifer hadn’t actually chosen his side because he liked him, had he?

“It’s blood mage.” Lucifer took a few steps towards him. He stopped right in front of Sam, almost touching, twinkle in his blue eyes. “And there are limits to what I’d do just because a good looking guy bats his eyelashes at me.” He leaned in even closer, breath on Sam’s face. “But it just so happens that Basilisk venom is the rarest spell ingredient in the world, and it’s the most potent when taken straight from the venom gland.” He reached out, fingertips slightly brushing over Sam’s cheek, before his hand came to rest on Sam’s chest. His touch left a tingling sensation on Sam’s skin, a faint echo of what the kiss had felt like. “So nice of you helping me acquire it.” With that he pushed Sam away gently, brushed past him and hunched down next to the severed Basilisk head, pulling his dagger from its sheath.

It really shouldn’t feel so much like Sam had just been turned down; still, Sam’s face burned with heat. “So reassuring that the reason I’m still alive is that the Basilisk’s offer lacked appeal for you,” he said, his anger at least in parts directed against himself for reacting to Lucifer like he did.

“Well, that and the fact that I gave you my word to help you.” Lucifer didn’t look up from forcing the beast’s beak open with his blade. “But you won’t believe that anyway.”

“Don’t act like not trusting you is an unreasonable thing to do.”

Lucifer made a dismissive gesture with his dagger. “Don’t you have a missing brother to look for?”

He was right, of course. Sam wiped his sword on his pants and put it back into the sheath. Then he stepped towards the waterfall.

“Don’t forget that thing mentioned offspring,” Lucifer called after him. “Meg, go with him.”

“Yes, master.”

“Thanks,” Sam said. “But I think, I’ll manage.”

“You’re not the one your father will get mad at when you go missing, too.” Lucifer had one hand between the Basilisk’s jaws, picking at something with the dagger. “So please accept my offer of further assistance.”

The sudden formality made Sam blink in surprise. Still, he felt like he owed it the necromancer to answer a polite request with a polite reply. “Of course.” He stepped into the river near the waterfall. “Are you coming, Meg?”

The river wasn’t deep, but when Sam arrived at the other side of the waterfall he was drenched from head to toe. He wiped the water out of his eyes and drew his sword again. He knew this cave, had been here before with Dean. It was just a small tunnel at the beginning, but after a bend it opened into a cavern with a light well in the middle so you didn’t need a torch. Sam stepped carefully around the bend.

They were sitting in the middle of the cavern, right inside a pillar of sunlight. And they were gnawing on something that Sam, to his horror, recognized as human limbs.

Don’t let this be Dean.

He’d never forgive himself if he’d come to late to save his brother.

A few gestures was all he needed to communicate his plan of attack to Meg. Then Sam circled to one side around the Basilisk offspring, the undead girl taking the other. After that it was just a matter of a few well placed strikes. For Sam at least. Meg hadn’t been kidding about being able to rip things to shreds. She came over the Basilisks like a demon and left torn bodies in her wake.

When she was done, there was more than a slight tint of red to her figure. She looked Sam up and down, who had more than a little blood on his clothes, too, by now, and threw him a blood splattered grin. “You’re fun. For a knight.”

“People of questionable morals keep telling me that,” Sam said. “Maybe I should reconsider some of my life choices.” One glance at what was left of the poor human the Basilisks had been gnawing on showed him that it wasn’t Dean. He breathed a sigh of relief. At least that was something. He recognized the usual garb of a shepherd. So he had come too late to save at least one of the villagers.

Meg laughed. “You’re clinging to what you think is right too much. And we stuck to our word, didn’t we?” Then she pointed to a part of the cavern that was immersed in shadows. “I think you’re looking for this.”

Sam squinted into the darkness. There was a human figure there, but not moving. Carefully he stepped closer, sword gripped tight. There were bones lying around here, carefully gnawed clean. The other villagers? “Dean?”

The figure in the back was Dean. He was sitting with his back against the wall, but he didn’t look up, his eyes were staring right past his brother. Sam reached out to shake his shoulder – but touched nothing but stone. “No! Dean!”

“Basilisks do that.” That was Lucifer’s voice from the entrance of the cave. “Keeps their food fresh.”

Sam turned around. Somehow the necromancer had managed to stay dry while passing the waterfall, and now he stepped around the carcasses of the Basilisk offspring.

“Is this reversible?” Sam demanded.

“A Basilisk can reverse it,” Lucifer said.

“We don’t have a Basilisk. Can you reverse it?”

Lucifer idly turned the remains of the Basilisk’s dinner around with his foot, looking at the gnawed off face of the man. “Oh, so you do need my help again?”

Did he have to pick this moment for playing games? Sam gritted his teeth and gripped the hilt of his sword so hard it hurt. He forced himself to take a deep breath though. Snapping at Lucifer wouldn’t help his brother. “Can you bring my brother back?”

Lucifer hooked his thumbs under his belt. “Depends on how important morals actually are to you. That spell requires a life.”

For a moment, Sam stared at Lucifer, but the necromancer seemed completely serious for once. Sam chewed on his lower lip in thought. Finding someone who deserved to die anyway shouldn’t be that big of a problem, shouldn’t it?

As the silence stretched, so did a grin on Lucifer’s face. “You’re considering it, aren’t you?” He sauntered closer. “That easy to turn into a murderer, isn’t it?”

Sam closed his eyes against the mocking tone. “Please tell me it doesn’t have to be someone innocent.”

“Would you consider that, too?” Now Lucifer was right in front of him, Sam could feel his body heat, hear his even breaths.

He opened his eyes again to look into Lucifer’s blue ones. “Would I be innocent enough?”

The necromancer lifted an eyebrow. “Willing to die for you brother?”

Sam nodded. Dean had always been the good son. Dean was the one who would rule this piece of land one day. Sam on the other hand, Sam had been a bit odd all his life, a bit too bookish for a knight, a bit too fascinated by the likes of Brady – and now Lucifer. John Winchester needed Dean more than he needed Sam. Adam, Charlie, Jo and Ellen and their whole village needed Dean more than they needed Sam.

Lucifer sighed. “Very noble. Very … knightly …” He said the last word as if he thought Sam was a bit stupid, but he could think whatever he wanted, if he just did what Sam asked of him.

“Will it work or not?”

“It’ll be a waste, that’s what it’ll be!” Lucifer’s voice echoed from the walls of the cavern angrily. His anger died down fast, though, followed by another sigh. “Well, if you’re willing to self-sacrifice, there’s another way.”

“Which way?” Sam didn’t dare hope. This would be something impossible, wouldn’t it?

Lucifer scrutinized him for a moment, before he spoke again. “You’d have to give a few years of your life to power the spell.”

“Done.”

The necromancer rolled his eyes. “As I said, very knightly. I’ll also have to use half of the Basilisk venom I collected today. Which means you owe me, because I could’ve used that for something more worthwhile.”

And there it was. The catch. “What do I owe you?”

That made Lucifer’s smile come back. “Oh look, he hasn’t lost all his sense after all. I half expected you to go: ‘Whatever you want.’ That’d have proved … interesting.”

Sam huffed. “I love my brother, but I’m not stupid. What do I owe you?”

He didn’t get an answer right away. Instead, Lucifer studied him again, tapping his lower lip in thought while he did so. His eyes took in the blood on Sam’s clothes, the sword in his hand. “If your father ever decides to make a move against me, you’ll be on my side.”

Yes, definitely a big catch. “You want me to fight against my own family?”

“Well …” Lucifer waved his hand. “You make it sound so dramatic. You don’t have to fight, if you find another way to get him off my back.”

On second thought, it didn’t sound that bad. Dean would owe Lucifer his life by then. Most of the other Winchester knights might not listen to Sam, but they would definitely listen to Dean. Slowly, Sam wiped his sword on his still wet pants again and sheathed it. “This doesn’t apply in case you attack us first.”

“Fine,” Lucifer said.

“Are we done bartering over my brother’s life then, or is there anything else you want?”

The corners of Lucifer’s mouth twitched. “There is. I want you, mostly naked, in the middle of the ritual circle I’m about to draw.”

Sam blinked at the sudden turn this had taken, but if he was honest, nothing Lucifer did should surprise him anymore by now. After a moment he just lifted an eyebrow, silently asking if the necromancer was serious.

Said necromancer – well, blood mage actually – met his gaze with a face that said he definitely was. “Do you think I can just take a few years of your life with the snap of my fingers? You have to be a part of this spell. You’ll have to do exactly as I say, no matter what happens. And once it’s started, I have to finish it, so if you’re not sure about it, better back out now.” Lucifer looked Sam up and down again. “Oh, and it’ll hurt,” he added as if in an afterthought. “A lot.”

Of course there was another catch. But Sam could live with that one. He took a deep breath. “Fine.” Then: “Did you actually mean the naked part?”

Lucifer threw him a grin. “Yes. Especially all the iron has to go. You can keep your pants on, though.”

“What, you’re passing up a chance to get me out of my pants?” It was probably a bad idea to give Lucifer ideas, but ‘It’ll hurt. A lot.’ was still very present in Sam’s thoughts. He’d grasp for anything that’d take his mind off that fact. Slowly, he undid his sword belt and put the weapons aside.

Lucifer laughed. Mirth danced in his eyes, and Sam decided he liked that look. It died down after a moment, though. “I’ll give that another try later, if you don’t hate me too much by then.”

Well, that sounded promising.

Tagging:  @spn-you-idjits @samwise-the-true-hero @i-bleed-salt@hooker-legs @consultingmooseintimeandspace @ravestablook@shebahda @savagearchangelforthewin2-0 @me-fangirl@hardcorefangirlgroupie@thisisnotsteva @wearemykingdom @coffee-queen448 @askatosch

[hexterah]

(This mix was originally posted on LJ in February of 2008. I’m putting all my old fanmixes online w/ the info here! :D)

IF YOU HAVEN’T PLAYED THE FIRST BIOSHOCK, THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THIS FANMIX (just a warning XD)

1960. Your name is Jack. You're the only survivor in a plane crash in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Surprisingly, you find yourself near a curious tower jutting out of the water. You wade over, climb inside and find yourself in a sprawling underwater city, complete with clubs, apartments, factories and leaks. What was this place created for? Who created it? Why? How? It's a technical marvel, why hasn't it been all over the news? These are the questions you are searching for answers to, until more questions materialize, that is. Such as "Who is Atlas and why am I helping him?", "Why is my hand seething fire, insects and electricity?", "Why are these gigantic robots suddenly out for my head?" and "Oh dear god, why is that little girl chugging the red fluid she just needled out of that corpse?" Society here has collapsed, the people have gone absolutely out of their minds, everyone is jacked up on plasmids and now you're stuck in the middle of it. Welcome to Rapture.

Fanmix on Playmoss!: https://playmoss.com/en/hexterah/playlist/would-you-kindly-a-bioshock-fanmix (a couple of the songs won’t play on PM cause of the companies that have their music blocked -- they can be found on the actual youtube site though, if you wanted to hunt down the songs under the cut that the playlist skips~) 

bobby darin .. BEYOND THE SEA ... it's far beyond the stars it's near beyond the moon I know beyond a doubt my heart will lead me there soon ...

[ Take the bathysphere on down to your hometown. ]

................ 

Ignore the lies of Atlas and his parasites. Rapture is on the rise.

................

shiny toy guns .. STARTS WITH ONE ... only three i can’t seem to get enough anyway i can’t speak nothing to say anyway let’s show them the only way let’s show them our hearts ...

[ Don't mind the leaks or the bodies. Just watch your step. ] ................ Andrew Ryan asks you a simple question: are you a man or a slave? ................ temposhark f. imogen heap .. NOT THAT BIG ... I can cut my heart out just like you do and I can suck the life out of it just like you do i'm gonna pick myself up and pull myself together; never revel in recovery mode for when commitment is a dirty word you can't afford to ever slip or let down your guard ...

[ It might feel a little funny with the first injection, Jack. Just a little. ]

................ The Little Sisters Orphanage: In troubled times, give your little girl the life that she deserves. Boarding and education free of charge! After all, children ARE the future of Rapture. ................ the cure .. LULLABY ... on candystripe legs the spiderman comes softly through the shadow of the evening sun stealing past the windows of the blissfully dead looking for the victim shivering in bed searching out fear in the gathering gloom ...

[ Andrew Ryan is your God among Men. ] ................ Approaching a Little Sister is a criminal offense. Do not approach the Little Sisters. ................ gerard mcmann .. CRY LITTLE SISTER ... cry little sister (thou shall not fall) come to your brother (thou shall not die) unchain me sister (thou shall not fear) love is with your brother (thou shall not kill) ...

[ It's up to you, Jack, whether they're rescued or harvested, which means it's up to you whether the big brother in their chemically-enhanced fucked-up-beyond-repair family saves them or kills them and takes all the spoils as his own. ]

................ We all have bills to pay, and the temptation to break curfew to make a little extra ADAM is forgivable. Breaking the curfew is not. Stay on the level, and out of trouble. ................ three days grace .. NEVER TOO LATE ... no one will ever see this side reflected and if there's something wrong who would have guessed it and I have left alone everything that I own to make you feel like it's not too late it's never too late ...

[ People forget that the Big Daddies were once human too. ] ................ The smuggler is the friend of the parasite. It is your duty to report the smuggler. ................ radiohead .. ALL I NEED ... I am the next act waiting in the wings I am an animal trapped in your hot car I am all the days that you choose to ignore you are all I need you are all I need I am in the middle of your picture lying in the reeds ...

[ "Plasmids changed everything. They destroyed our bodies, our minds. We couldn't handle it. Best friends butchering one another, babies strangled in cribs. The whole city went to hell." ] ................ Rumor is the tool of the parasite. Fontaine is dead; Rapture lives. ................ videodrone .. ALONE WITH 20 BUCKS ... living, barely surviving freebasing life till its end divided soulless vices death before life could begin evil dollar bills, life stood still a tumor removed from your brain prescription refilled, a cure for my ill blood stains painted over again you tell me how to think you tell me how to feel cause I want to know what is real is anyone real? ...

[ If Ryan is Rapture's God, then Fontaine is his Lucifer. Once smiled upon for his actions, he's now Ryan's most prominent enemy. ] ................ Attention: A new curfew will be enacted on Thursday. Citizens found in violation will be relocated to Apollo Square. ................ dave gahan .. A LITTLE LIE ... I walk alone and you know I've never felt at home I'm so hard to please and I have everything I need ...

[ "Me family's in a submarine hidden in the foundation of Fontaine Fisheries. I'll meet you there." -- You'd better get used to being lied to, Jack. ] ................ Wanting an item from the surface is forgivable. Buying or smuggling one into Rapture is not. Stay on the level, and out of trouble. ................ joydrop .. BREAKDOWN ... and all the days you pushed around and all the times you lied to yourself and all the dreams we had just might breakdown ...

[ She seems to be the only one with a conscience on this sinking heap of metal. She also acts as yours. Listen to her. ] ................ Andrew Ryan reminds us: we all make choices, but, in the end, our choices make us. ................ kate bush .. EXPERIMENT IV ... they told us all they wanted Was a sound that could kill someone from a distance So we go ahead and the meters are over in the red It's a mistake in the making ...

[ Nothing holds back the experiments in Rapture. And nothing is saved from them. Plants, animals, children -- all up for grabs. ] ................ Wallet a little light? At Surgical Savings we'll happily work out an affordable payment plan for any major procedure. Potentially terminal illnesses won't wait until payday. Should you? ................ coheed & cambria .. THE HOUND (OF BLOOD AND RANK) ... come on, you've got to give it to me as though you want it too come on and set me free i'll dig it till we've made your grave oh, you've been a bad, bad boy i'll cut it 'til I carve it out and stick it in a sad, sad song why the bother, you're no brother you’re the wrong I need boy, we all found an audience while you found the worst of me ...

[ The body is a terrible thing to waste. So says the artist. One does the cutting and the carving and the other does the sculpting and the performing and they're two sides of one horribly twisted and beautiful coin. ] ................ Attention: Any public congregation of more than four persons is considered an actionable offense. ................ frou frou .. PSYCHOBABBLE ... do just what I tell you and no one will get hurt don't come any closer cause I don't know how long I can hold my heart in two make no sudden movements and no one will get hurt you're not coming over if you know what's good for me why would I be leaving you? ...

[ Andrew Ryan has a way with women, yes? Well, he also has a way with his children. A man chooses, a slave obeys. ] ................ The bottom of the ocean is our home, but it can also be a dangerous place. Any leak is a bad leak. Report any unexplained water promptly to the Central Council. ................ the birthday massacre .. PLAY DEAD ... thinking hurts and thoughts don't rhyme to those of us who've never tried to find a face behind our lipstick smiles and as our pretty faces die our plastic hearts will wonder why the make-up just won't hide the scars of time ...

[ "Now, would you kindly find a crowbar or something? Bloody splicers sealed Johnny in before they ... goddamn splicers." -- They were the citizens of this once thriving metropolis. Now they've been reduced to babbling, deformed maniacs who are only out for another high. ] ................ We all move the Great Chain, and the Great Chain moves us all. ................ moving units .. THE KIDS OF ORANGE COUNTY ... a suburban tease you can see their dirty knees you can see them bounce off a wall like a racquet hits a ball but they always come back again a Jamaican breeze you can smell the anti-freeze you can see the world is a maze when you're young and you're free to be anything you wanted to be ...

[ It's all about class, dollface, and you don't fit in! Parasite! ] ................ The parasite hates three things: free markets, free will, and free men. ................ brand new .. WELCOME TO BANGKOK [ instrumental ]

[ "Don't know what I was thinkin'. Never spliced up once the whole time I was down here in this aquarium. Figured it was bad to mix business with pleasure, but WHOOO! Forget all the nose candy and floor polish I been wastin' time with! THIS stuff is the mothers milk!" ] ................ "That's just the Plasmid Blues, Mary. You just need to slow down a bit on the splicing. Before you know it, you'll be as right as rain. Remember, a smart splicer is a happy splicer." ................ ambo .. BLUEBIRD ... and the sun was brilliant too ...

[ Maybe one day you'll see the sun again, Jack. ]