#what do i talk about first......jack in my canon torturing anti

[deepfriedseagullfeet]

me spending all day in bed thinking of all the ways my version of Jack could be even more fucked up and horrific than anti 

[finaledenialist]

Okay, your tags on The Empty Post have showed up in my notes and I have to ask. Tell me more. Tell me it all. All of the feelings and thoughts about that scene because what I’ve seen so far? Absolute perfection and I agree wholeheartedly.

Thank you! Okay I basically unloaded most of my thoughts in my tags here but let’s go through this one more time. I may add: this was already said a thousand times by better meta writers than me 3 years ago when season 13 was actually airing. And I will ramble a little about Purgatory, too. Now with that out of the way: 

The Empty. Canonically it is a being, a living immortal being that rules the place or an ‘anti-place’ where angels and demons go are sent to when they die to dream of their regrets forever (this sounds awful and like a punishment for dying despite being immortal, for getting themselves killed or something). Also: the Empty was there before Creation, the Nothingness before Darkness and before Light. 

Okay. But let’s see what other things the Empty represents: lack of anything. Complete nothingness that Cas got sucked into (by Lucifer but also by helping the Winchesters). Now we know that Cas‘I am afraid I might kill myself’tiel had his issues, right (I still can’t believe that we are praising 8x08 thee Hunteri Heroici for being a filler episode with Cas - which is awesome, don’t get me wrong - but we all keep forgetting what he actually did say to Dean there!!! Dean says: are you afraid the angels will kill you if you show up in Heaven? And Cas looks straight into his eyes and says: After all I’ve done, when I see Heaven, I am afraid I might kill myself).

Please remember that it’s not only Dean, Mr. ‘Purgatory was pure’. Cas, after all he did in season 6, after his death in s7, after coming back and being literally haunted by everything he’s done, must have felt that Purgatory was liberating, too. It was some kind of an Alternative Universe where he didn’t have to face the consequences of his actions. He was free of them. It was literally his escape AND additionally it was (well, according to good old christian lore, maybe not specifically spn lore) a place where you are supposed to atone for your sins so there must have been the feeling of atoning, of making things right without actually doing anything specific, where having to survive and not get eaten by the Leviathans was his main problem (= surviving was just enough, nothing was asked of him), which, compared to all he’s done, wasn’t that hard or difficult. He found himself running away from Leviathans which could mirror running away from consequences of his actions - but it was Purgatory, it was at the same time atoning for what he did. It was EASY.

Cas basically confirms that he officially stayed in Purgatory because he didn’t think he deserved to go back to Earth and that is true but what he doesn’t say is: ‘Purgatory was pure and easy and kill or be killed and no other worries than that, no thinking, no real responsibilities which actually was a nice escape from the real world after all I did and been through in the past 3 years’. He wanted out, he wanted an easy choice. Okay, maybe he wasn’t actively looking for an easy way out but when it presented itself - when they appeared in Purgatory - he took it like a gift. We’re talking about a character who spent all his life following orders, who finally broke free and found himself completely lost in the freedom of choices, directionless and maybe wanted an escape. He must have felt overwhelmed but all this freedom (which he basically confirms in 6x20 freedom is a length of rope and god wants you to hang yourself with it). I COMPLETELY understand that choice to escape. 

So in seasons 8-12 Cas has a lot of stuff going on in his head, he gets lobotomized for most of season 8, he is hurt and tortured and treated like shit for most of season 9 and 10 and he ultimately gives himself up to Lucifer in s11 and then he almost dies in 12x12 and he never really got to talk about all of this or work this things out with anyone because Sam or Dean are not really the most talkative guys and Dean in 10x09 basically tells Cas to ‘let it go and not think about it’ which is a shitty advice to someone who suffers from some mental issues if I am being honest (this is like. ur depressed? oh go for a run and smile and stop being sad!!! kind of advice if you ask me). So these issues only grow and grow and start eating him up and please remember that at the very same time Cas is falling in love. I said it previously but I think the moment he realizes what he really feels is 12x12 when he is dying. In that moment he is able to name this feeling but it’s of course covered by: ‘I love you. I love all of you’. 

Now in season 12 he finally gets a proper arc with Kelly (god bless her, honestly, she and Cas had one of the most healthy relationships ever portrayed on tv and it wasn’t even romantic, I could go off about this but it’s getting really long anyway). So he kind of is on his way to find a purpose again - Dean is saved (from hell, from Michael, from the Mark), so he focuses on Kelly and unborn Jack and maybe in his relationship with her he rediscovers love (not necessarily romantic but he sees how she loves Jack) and he does all he can to protect her from basically everyone including the Winchesters. And he promises he will take care of Jack and then. Then he is killed by Lucifer (shattered at the altar of Winchester because he gets involved in the Apocalypse World because of them while having built something for himself with Kelly and Jack BUT still not having properly processed all his previous trauma). 

Okay, so fast forward: Cas is woken up by Jack in the Empty. He is of course confused and stuff (we still don’t know what was he dreaming about all this time he spent there now that we know this is a place where angels and demons dream about their mistakes and regrets <- fanfiction gap #1). He wakes up, he is ‘greeted’ by the Empty and one of the first things he says is that he has to go back because Sam and Dean need him. 

This is his first, automatic thought - I (probably) don’t want to go back, but Sam and Dean need me so I have to, I don’t want to go back for myself because I never wanted to since Purgatory but I know I have to. He doesn’t even think about Jack in this moment. I... maybe it is a stretch but I sense a kind of fear in these words. It’s like he thinks: ‘if I had the chance to come back and chose not to come back from selfish reasons then if the Winchesters ever find out about this they will be angry at me’. But I might be reading too much into this, but on the other hand Jesus fucking Christ this is precisely what happened in Purgatory. He chose to stay although he had a chance to return and the effect was Dean being mad at him. Talk about trauma--

Then the Empty (who was in Cas’ mind) voices his biggest fears: 

'I know who you love, I know what you fear. There is nothing for you back there. Wouldn't you rather be a fond memory than a constant festering disappointment?'

There is a lot to unpack here because this is the Empty’s (who, as stated at the beginning can be read as a manifestation of not only death but also Cas’ depression and self-worth issues) reaction to Cas saying that Sam and Dean need him. She says: uh oh you’re wrong<3 I know who you love, what you fear, the is nothing there for you, sweetie. Essentially: they don’t need you. No one needs you or wants you there. They are better off without you. Wouldn’t you rather be a fond memory (of actually being useful as in: saving Dean from hell, helping to stop the Apocalypse, helping to fight the Leviathans) than a disappointment (failing powers, makes mistake after a mistake, chooses to protect the unborn Antichrist rather than killing him before he’s born - and not to make this whole thing worse but this is what Dean has the audacity to say to Cas in 15x03: why if something goes wrong it always seem to be you).

I will now allow myself for some privacy, because I am a person who dealt with these kind of thoughts in my head for years, these are straight up suicidal thoughts: no one needs you, no one wants you, you are a disappointment and if you die you will be fondly remembered, everyone is better off without you. And we know Cas was suicidal because he literally tells us in 8x08 and we have no proof that he somehow got rid of these thoughts, ever. If anything, they were always there, present, if not growing. Thoughts like that don’t just disappear. Please remember one more time what was happening to Cas in seasons 8-11. He wasn’t healing. He was getting worse, while all this time managing to keep his head above water for someone else, while the guilt was rising and rising. 

If the Empty represents all his issues: depression, suicidal thoughts, guilt, self-hate, lack of self-worth, and what she offers is: eternal sleep. Maybe not entirely peaceful sleep, but sleep nevertheless, no consequences, no facing your fears, no dealing with anything, an escape, sleep - 

And she prompts him to stop fighting, to go back to sleep because there is nothing to fight for (now the symbolism of him being waken up by JACK who was his new found purpose just before he got killed), but she makes a mistake to confront his thoughts and fears with him. She makes a mistake of taking a ‘physical’ form, putting on his face and voice his fears. And Cas is a warrior and he kind of hates himself, so his instinct was to fight. Of course it was easier not to think about all of these stuff at all, to push it back, to try to forget. But once he was forced to face all of these? He fought back. AND HE WON!!!!! 

WHAT A MESSAGE TO SEND RIGHT?!!! You might have all these issues and not want to face them because you feel you will crush under them but look: when you are forced to face them it turns out you are somehow way stronger than them!!! The moment you choose to fight you already won, you are already saved!!! Because ultimately these are your thoughts and this is your mind and you control it, no one else! The moment you decide, you choose, to take control: you win. You are saved because you chose to save yourself because you decided you are worth saving. And the Empty (and everything she represents) immediately gets angry and lets him go, ultimately annoyed because he dared to defy her and she just can’t win with someone who decides he wants to be free. WHAT. 👏🏻  A.  👏🏻 WONDERFUL. 👏🏻  MESSAGE.  👏🏻

So... Having said all that. There is only one thing left: I have NO IDEA. NO IDEA. HOW HE FOUND THE STRENGTH. TO STAND UP AND SAY THIS:

I'm already saved. You can prance and you can preen and you can scream and yell and remind me of my failings but somehow, I'm awake. And I will stay awake and I will keep you awake until we both go insane. I will fight you. Fight you and fight you for... ever. For eternity.

A FUCKING ICON. STRONGEST CHARACTER EVER. YOUR FAVE COULD NEVER--

[laufire]

For the give me a character and I will answer: any of the Winchesters - you got me into rewatching spn and I just got past the episode where they meet the young version of their parents and I'm still mentally stuck on the scene where young John just hates on his future self.

I'll do all three of them lmao (AFAIC Mary is a Campbell and Adam a Milligan. Let them be free of that cursed name lmfao)

SAM WINCHESTER

Why I like them: I think he’s a very dynamic characters, with a lot of tragically untapped potential. And I love how often he empathises with non-humans.

Why I don’t: well, he can be an asshole sometimes xD. And an enabler. And liking him can get exhausting, in this show.

Favorite episode (scene if movie): kind of hard to pick with a lead character xDD. The first one that came to my mind was actually the last of Soulless Sam’s episodes, when he’s trying to stop Dean from forcing his soul on him. It was... something lol.

Favorite season/movie: this one is difficult because it’s all a mixed bag lmao. I have s9 nostalgia for him standing up for himself, though.

Favorite line: because I’m now thinking of Soulless Sam... this exchange was EVERYTHING

Sam: "Yeah. Okay, look. That brings up a question. So, say you got a soul and you're on a case, and your brother gets abducted by aliens—"

Dean: "You do everything to get him back."

Sam: "Right, you do, but, what about when there are no more leads for the night? I mean, are you supposed to just sit there in the dark and suffer, even when there's nothing that can be done?"

Dean: "Yes!"

Sam: "What?"

Dean: "Yes. You sit in the dark and you feel the loss."

Sam: "Absolutely. But couldn't I just do all that and have sex with the hippie chick?"

Dean: "No!"

Sam: "It would be in the dark."

Favorite outfit: I’m gonna be honest, I don’t pay much attention because the wardrobe department for male characters in this show can get so... boring lol. With few exceptions. I’m picking this soft look (while he’s talking to Rowena) because it’s the first I saw that I liked in gif search lol. It’s bettter than all that plaid.

OTP: Samruby, forever and ever.

Brotp: my favourite platonic relationship for him is Jack. They pull at my heartsrings.

Head Canon: he still has psychic powers, he’s just almost subconciously sublimated them for his own sake.

Unpopular opinion: I think Dean is terrible for him. Like on abstract, I get what those post about how it’s important that the show certers a platonic relationship are getting at, but... Dean is still Sam’s abuser and I hate when it goes unacknowledged.

A wish: well, I would’ve loved explicit canon Samwena.

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen: I find what I’ve heard about his ending depressing enough thanks xD

5 words to best describe them: empathetic, stubborn, hurting, hypercompetent, intuitive.

My nickname for them: n/a, but The Boy King had a nice ring to it lol.

DEAN WINCHESTER

Why I like them: well, he has absolutely amazing moments and unusual traits I value in a lead character.

Why I don’t: he’s a terrible person, a raging misogynist, and a very annoying case of protagonist-centric morality lmao.

Favorite episode (scene if movie): 5x04 “The End” is a great episode for him.

Favorite season/movie: s10 for how terrible he is in it (the demon arc!! He was such a loser and such an ass lmfao), and s5 for a less terrible option lol. I enjoyed his arc in both in opposing ways.

Favorite line: his rant in 3x10 about how he didn’t deserve what John put him through nor going to Hell? Lives in my mind rent-free.

Favorite outfit: well, in terms of guys he gets better looks than the rest lbr xD. I personally miss the s1 times when they put him in bracelets/Rings/necklace etc. (this is the best I could find in the stupid search function).

OTP: Dean/extensive therapy, forever and ever. Yes, I have complicated feelings on Deanbela and (pre-Dabb era) Destiel, but I’d never call them otps cause... just, no. Also there’s Dean/endverse!Dean. Selfcest is where it’s at xD

Brotp: frankly, it’s still extensive therapy. He’s a terrible friend lmao.

Head Canon: having such a... definite ending to look forward to makes this question kind of a bummer xD. I’ll go with my usual “I’m convinced Alastair brought Bela’s soul for him to torture in Hell, probably multiple times -because I think he’d refused at first”.

Unpopular opinion: I think this entire post is an unpopular opinion about Dean lol. I think the worst is that I’m a bit in ~no man’s land with him, because I might disagree with his stans’ reading of him... but there’s no love losts between me and his most vicious antis, trust me xD

A wish: n/a.

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen: n/a.

5 words to best describe them: charming, small-minded, controlling, prideful, clever.

My nickname for them: I have a tag solely for him calling him “my Schrödinger fave”, sooo.

JOHN WINCHESTER

Why I like them: he’s... competent. And a very important part of the narrative and the family themes in the show.

Why I don’t: *points at entire personality and behavior*

Favorite episode (scene if movie): 2x01. He had intense moments in there.

Favorite season/movie: well, he’s a key part of my enjoyment in s1.

Favorite line: that one you mention where young!John unknowingly insults his own parenting style lmao.

Favorite outfit: young!John was Dick Grayson-style pretty lbr.

OTP: n/a.

Brotp: n/a.

Head Canon: n/a.

Unpopular opinion: Dean is a lot more similar to him than fandom would like (see: Jack).

A wish: that he and Mary weren’t implied endgame in Heaven ffs. I hate that ship. THEY WERE CUPID-ROOFIED FFS.

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen: well, that ship sailed *points above*

5 words to best describe them: bullheaded, rigid, determined, principled (not necessary a good thing xD), abrasive.

My nickname for them: n/a.

[beerecordings]

Beeeeee, bee, mbc question if i may? Is come up a few times that Anti's been able to hypnotize trick so deeply partially because chase wants so much to make others happy and to feel loved and needed in turn. If he'd spent time away, like if the wizards grabbed him instead of Henrik and Henrik spent all that time alone with anti, would anti have been able to get henrik as firmly on his side? Would chase have been able to break away more like henrik did, and have the necklaces, and be willing to kill anti and all that stuff? Or is some of the current state of things inextricably tied to who chase and henrik are as people, outside of anti?

great questions thank you for asking my friend!! okay so here’s the thing: I think Anti COULD have hypnotized/gaslit Dok that deeply if it were the two of them in Singapore, but he might not want to because there are certain things about Trick that make him like him so much - precisely the things that you’re talking about, like Trick being really desperate to feel that he belongs and is loved and won’t be tossed aside or abandoned, and, secondly, because Trick looks so much like Jack it makes Anti nostalgic and a little soft. I know they all technically look a lot like Jack, but because of the loosely canon idea that Chase is the one impersonating Jack while he’s sleeping, I made Chase the one who reminds Anti the most of Jack in the story.

the reason Anti gravitated towards Jack in the third chapter is because he himself was feeling insecure in his control and scared. He didn’t have Dapper, his mistake-fixer, he didn’t have Red, his guard dog, and he didn’t have Dok, his healer. he hated being ripped away from them, he was weakened by Blue’s magic still corrupting him, and he had just suffered a bad defeat at the hands of Emmanuela and the magicians. he missed having Dapper acting sweet too (to avoid getting hurt or neglected by Anti) and he was just pretty lonely and nervous. that state of mind always makes him think about Jack - and there was Trick, looking so much like him, being all loving and affectionate with Anti and swearing to him that he wasn’t going to go anywhere and that he would try to keep him safe, as well as soothing some of Anti’s old insecurities, like that he has to force people to stay by beating them (he forces Trick to stay through serious manipulation instead, but in his mind it’s still a point in his favor). and Trick was this nice little mix of Dapper and Jack, and he was happy to lie next to Anti, and practically glowed every time Anti praised him or spoiled him, which is what Anti has always wanted. he really does believe that when he’s being affectionate, he’s a great brother who loves to spoil his pets, so he was pleased to feel like that was being affirmed by Trick.

Dok is not really the same. He has always wanted Anti’s affection too, but Trick was the one who was like “if I’m just good enough I can get that!! I can make Anti like me if I’m as good as Dapper!!” while Dok was just kind of in this endless despair about never being good enough for Anti. He soaked up the little bits of affection that Anti gave him, like in the very first chapter where he runs out to Anti to have his hair stroked because he realizes Anti is in a good enough mood to be affectionate with him, but for the most part he has always promised himself that he wouldn’t go chasing anybody’s love but Trick’s. he would have been terrified without Trick (always the more protective of the two, the gunman who keeps watch while Dok sleeps) but also more hopeful that the magicians hadn’t harmed him because frankly he is smarter than Trick and knows better how to see through Anti’s over-exaggerations. even in chapter one, he shows some exasperation at Trick’s blatant hero worship of Anti and subsequent jealousy for Dap. Dok trusts you better, too, because you kept him company when Anti took Trick away from him in chapter two, so he would have been happy when you told him Trick was safe.

however, yeah, if he really took an interest in Dok, Anti could have exerted his power to bring Dok to his side that thoroughly. I think he would have had to do some things differently, though. he would have preyed on Dok’s need to be useful to his siblings by letting Blue come home and placing him entirely in Dok’s care, always praising Dok for looking after him and giving him those rare moments of affection he really craves. Dok would have shied away from hypnosis at first, knowing how manipulative his little brother is. Anti would have had to give Dok things to do because Dok is never satisfied just to be anybody’s entertainment or company, while Trick, on the other hand, freaking loved getting to play games with Anti and just chat with him all the time. Anti might have let him set up one of his little clinics or brought him people to torture - anything the two of them could work on together that would make Dok feel he was being useful to his family and to make him realize he can earn praise from Anti by being obedient. over time, he would have melted into Anti’s hypnosis. while Anti focused on making Trick forget about Dok and focus on him instead, it would be more effective for Anti to sympathize with Dok’s love for Trick and then slowly replace him by making himself look more like Trick and Dap (the two brothers Dok is most protective and loving towards) and taking advantage of the fact that Anti himself is, actually, Dok’s little brother too. he would have puffed up the fact that he needs Dok to protect him while also filling in for Trick’s role as the one who supports and watches over Dok. In that regard, Anti would have actually used you, the cameras, as his unwitting ally, promising Dok he’s always watching over him through you. steadily, he would have replaced Dok’s trust in you with a trust in Anti himself, making you look like nothing more than Anti’s own tools. and Dok would have been so happy to start feeling like he finally really could earn Anti’s love, after all these years of longing quietly without complaint and filling every gap in his heart with his love for Trick.

Trick with the magicians would have been really interesting because he would definitely be vicious as fuck at first, even worse than Dok!! he’d straight up be trying to kill these people. he needs to get back to his family!! he’d be SO scared that the others would never come back for him and that he’d just be alone for the rest of his life. he would know that Dok was missing him, but as he learned about Dok starting to love Anti more and more, Trick would start to despair that even his twin wasn’t going to come back for him. he would blame himself horribly for having been left behind and frankly because of his desperation to be loved by Anti I do think he would have a lot harder time recognizing the cycle of abuse he lives in. Trick would just insist that putting up with people when they hurt you is a sign of love - which, to that extent, is definitely not true.

but he would have eventually become friends with some of the magicians, I think, probably really bonding with JP, an expectant father who was very warm and relaxed and liked to play games and things. because Trick has such a serious need for attachment, he would probably grow way over-attached eventually and feel really guilty for leaving the magicians behind. he would feel the need to guard them the same way he guarded Dok, and he would be so guilty about trying to hurt them all that he tried to make up for it, defending all of them and replacing Anti with Emmanuela as the authority in his life (while Dok was more nervous around Emmanuela after he realized how much he’s let someone else control his life, Trick would have been eager to fill the void Anti left behind, still not feeling that he’s capable of being alone without someone to tell him what to do and be his leader).

so I do think it would take WAY longer for Trick to kind of come to his senses - but once he did, because he doesn’t share Dok’s need to be useful and would already believe that the others would abandon him, he might not have wanted to leave the magicians at all. I think he would never have gone back to Anti as quietly as Dok did. Trick is not as duty-driven and he is lead much more by his heart than his head, in contrast to Dok, who looked at the situation very holistically and decided he would need to endure being with Anti before he could ever help his brothers, something he feels the need to do almost as badly as Red feels the need to keep them safe. Trick would also be much more reckless when the necklaces and would honestly already have used them all by now, too scared of falling under Anti’s control again to wait, recognizing his own weakness for Anti’s affection with or without mind control... and he would be a wreck seeing how much Dok would love Anti then. his smart, loving twin being that attached to someone who’s brutally hurt him in the past would not only prey on Trick’s insecurities about his own self-worth, but would make him begin to doubt whether Anti is all that bad after all. Dok is more independently-minded than Trick.

hope all that answers your questions!! that was fun to write. never let it be said I don’t know the MBC characters inside and out :)

[no-te-lo-voy-a-dar]

Sibling Jealousy - Chapter 3

Fic’s Summary: Reader has known the Winchesters for a long time, almost two years before Cas entered their lives. After that, since Reader was the only one actually teaching the angel about humanity customs and stuff like that, properly, they developed a closer relationship, on the parent-kid way. But it was never verbally acknowledged. Now, with Lucifer’s child on the way, life stabs some sense and realizations onto Reader, but there’s no time for feelings in this house.

Author’s Note: This is mainly a fic with the purpose of developing a family relationship with the characters, of mutual support, and I don’t plan on adding romance for Reader, because that’s not my final goal.

Pairings(?): Castiel/Reader (Parental like), Jack Kline/Reader (Platonic/Sibling like), Dean and Sam Winchester/Reader (Platonic/Friends)

Warnings: Usual canon violence and conflicts, as well as injuries and blood mentions, emotional struggles such as feeling unloved, like an outcast, low self-esteem issues and if you think something else should be mentioned let me know.

<<Last Chapter — Next Chapter>>

Chapter’s Author’s Note: Guys, you have no idea how happy seeing the notes go up make me. This is getting more attention than I expected tbh, and I can’t thank you enough. Not even 24hrs had gone by and the second chapter already had 30 something notes! That was almost three times faster than the first chapter! So, just because this was done already, I’m giving you the next part!

Chapter Three: He’s just a kid!

Word Count: 1,868

Turns out Castiel wasn’t coming back. And neither were Mary nor Crowley. The good thing is that Lucifer was successfully trapped on the other universe…if that counted as a win.

But you haven’t had time to let it really sink.

After Sam was a little in the room with you, Dean came rushing too, and was quick to point a gun to Jack, and even with you trying to tell him not to shoot him he did and Jack, out of fear you were sure, did some…nephilim magic shit and sent all three of you floating and then crashing against the walls, knocking you out.

The time on the Impala was awful, Dean was angry out of sadness, Sam was worried and trying to reason with him and you were on autopilot. Finding Jack was the priority, you could mourn Cas later.

Sam went inside the fast food place you found on the road, you stayed outside, doing guard as usual, and after some time, Dean got up and went to the back of the store. At first you thought he went there to check too, but when he came back, his knuckles were bloody. He let out some frustration and anger at…whatever is going on.

You also needed to let out some steam or you were going to cry soon, but punching walls wasn’t your thing. A box costal maybe, but not a wall. No, right now for you, punching something and slaying heads might be the best.

…okay, maybe you needed help, but there wasn’t such a thing as a hunters counselors.

Sam got info and found out Jack was on the police station, so you all jumped on the car again after telling hang over girl to let you pass.

—

Not even an hour later you found yourself on a cell with Sam and Jack, who now had some clothes on, and Dean was talking to the local sheriff.

Sam started talking to Jack, and kind of apologized for hurting him (as well as apologizing for Dean’s bullet, even when you were sure the other man wasn’t sorry). You learned angel radio made his head hurt and whatever he was listening to scared him, making his powers coming out in a weird (dangerous) and self-preserving way.

“They are just being the feathered jerks they usually are.” You were salty about them ditching humanity, leaving Castiel and then taking him back just to torture him or make him feel less and then you were just mad at the universe.

“(Y/N)!” Sam was probably reprimanding you for your language, probably.

“What? Most of them are anyway. There are, or, well, were exceptions obviously, like Castiel, Anna for a while, the sporadic neutral angel and even Gabriel.” When most of the ordeal with Gabriel took place you were at Bobby’s, but you came across him in a solo hunt you once took. A salt and burn that happened to take place at the town he was hiding at the moment.

Anyway, Jack seemed to be sure that Castiel was his father, because that’s what Kelly told him, and following the logic on how he called you his sibling as well, he was the proof of how babies did know of the stuff going out outside while they were on the womb. Or maybe that just happened to him because he’s a Nephilim.

Dean entered the cell room, saying how you were allowed to leave, when angels took over the place.

Dean was fighting hang over girl on the main office, and Sam and you were stuck with two others. You put Jack behind both of you and thanks to you being thrown over Sam your hit wasn’t as severe, which allowed you to stand up fast and kill one of the angels.

When you were finally thrown to the wall, Sam took care of the other by using a sigil, which just seemed to hurt Jack a little yet not banish him, and just as you were getting outside the cell, ready to flee, hangover girl appeared. After a few words, she was quick to stab Jack on the chest.

You killed the angel and noticed how Jack pulled the angel blade out of his chest and how quickly he was healing, the weapon doing nothing to him.

You chuckled a little and let out a “Dude, that’s some sick Wolverine healing factor the one you’ve got there.” which just earned you a frown from Dean and a chuckle from Sam. Jack was just utterly confused.

But, the slight light mood was soon over because you went back to the lake house, to burn the bodies of both Kelly and Cas…

You helped with the wood, because you couldn’t look at Cas’ corpse laying, lifeless, graceless, just…dead. He was…gone.

Chopping wood and setting it right kept your mind focused. You left Dean to cover the angel’s body and Sam and Jack took care of Kelly.

Sam tried to explain to Jack what you’re supposed to say at moments like this, and Dean made a sharp comment, making the mood awkward, at least for a while, because not even on your head you could muster a simple thought for Castiel.

You started somewhere and your mind took multiple lines on remembering him, or wanting to say something about certain issues, but you ended on some kind of mental crash because nothing left and you didn’t realize how much you’ve been standing there until Sam tugged at your jacket to get on the Impala, the wood and fire already consumed, along with the bodies over and inside them.

There was no risk at the fire spreading, nor their bodies being used or they becoming ghosts.

—

At some point, you and Jack fell asleep on the back of the Impala, Jack resting his head on your shoulder and you had an arm over him. You only found out because Sam told you, and when you asked for the picture (because it was a thing to have something to blackmail each other) he said he didn’t take one because it slipped his mind while convincing Dean to find a motel to stay in and get some rest.

While eating you and Sam noticed how Jack was imitating Dean while they talked, and weren’t sure what to say when Jack took from a beer bottle, because even if he looked like a teenager, he was, what did he said? 3 days, something hour and…little more than 3 days old.

It was when they came back on the middle of the night and Dean complaining that you found out they tried to give Jack an anti-possession tattoo, but after it was done, his body healed itself, leaving his skin as clean as when he was running naked on the forest.

Donatello caught up with you and helped you find Jack when he went missing due Asmodeus taking him trying to open a gate to Hell.

Luckily you were finally at The Bunker, and went straight to take a shower with warm enough water that left you feeling like you were really clean.

When you came out looking for any of the brothers or Jack, you saw Dean leaving with a bloody knife one of the rooms.

You went to the room Dean left, to find Jack with his shirt shredded and with blood spots around what seemed to be stab marks. But his skin was fine, just like it was after the angel blade and the tattoos try.

So why…

“Jack? Are you alright? Why is…why is your shirt like that?” Did Dean tried to kill you? Was a question you didn’t want to ask but was, hopefully, implied.

“I’m…healed.”

“Okay, wrong question. Did Dean do this to you?” Not so lucky after all.

“No, I, I tried to see if I really couldn’t die. I don’t want more people to get hurt.” After burrowing his eyebrows, Jack added “But Dean did say he would kill me if I, if I went evil.”

Of course he did, the sonofabitch.

You sighed, and went to sit on the bed on the room, patting the place besides you so Jack could sit. He hesitated before joining you, but eventually sat besides you, actually looking you at the eyes. That’s a good sign, maybe.

“Ok, first of all, you shouldn’t go around trying to see what actually hurts you, because some day, you could come across something that does hurt you and if you were stabbing yourself on the chest, that’s not gonna be a good thing.” You took a pause, trying to see a way of phrasing the next thing.

“If we want to protect you, we might need to know what harms you and your healing factor doesn’t fix as quick as everything we’ve seen so far. Just so we can keep you away from those. But stabbing yourself on the chest is a big no, okay?” It was like knowing what harmed Castiel to actually have that in mind while hunting.

“But they don’t want to protect me. Dean said-” oh no, you weren’t allowing that.

“What Dean says right now, is not that much of importance. He still doesn’t know you, so he’s talking out of fear…mainly. And he did say if you go evil. Which you won’t. I hope. I’ll do my best to avoid it.” Great, mumbling and hesitation might not be the best you can offer him right now.

But his face seemed to light up at that idea.

“You mean, if I’m a good person, Dean might, like me?” Oh Chuck, he was really just a kid and so much has been thrown at him already.

“That’s the idea. He’s still kind of an explosive character, but you can warm up to him.” You patted his shoulder as he nodded and were ready to leave, when you heard him talking to you again.

“(Y/N), what do you mean by ‘warm up’ to Dean?” He asked with that head tilt.

You used all of your strength not to sight because that tilt reminded you so much of Cas and you haven’t even cried for him yet, and the fight against angels just let you leave some stress out.

Instead, you turned around from the doorway you were already at, and tried your best at explaining the concept.

He used fancier words when he repeated what you told him or phrased it to what he seemed to understand, which you attributed to the angel side.

“That’s right, and please, don’t think too much about it, just, stay safe. I’m going to my room to sleep, but if you need anything you are welcome to knock on my door…maybe I should show you which one is mine. Come on.” The light brunette boy stood up and went to walk besides you until you signaled him to walk alongside you.

You took him to and from your room, to give him more time to memorize the way. Afterwards, you finally went to sleep, to rest.

You were so tired your mind and body didn’t even focus too much on the fact Castiel wasn’t alive anymore. He was gone.

You were left…alone.

.

.

Sibling’s Tag List: 

@carryon-doctor-lock

(If you wanna be added, please say so in the comment’s section of THIS post)

[h3l10tr0p3]

Headcanon: Deku, the Serial Shipper

Contains- Mentions of sexual activities, established relationship - Bakudeku; Crack pairings- TodoIna, JiroMomo, UraTsuyu, UraTenya, DenkiSero, Kirimina, platonic Kiribaku etc.

(Beware- Long post)

Jesus Christ, I just had this HC and now I gotta spill, otherwise I won't be able to sleep tonight. Here's another annoying Long Post for y'all)

Deku, as a Pro Hero and Katsuki's Duo Partner, has a pretty hectic life since the media are crazy bloodhounds, the villains are a pain in the ass, interacting with fans becomes exhausting at times, and the critics are demons wailing for his blood.

Yeah, very hectic. And on top of that, there's very little time to relax. Most of the days he sneaks some solace in the gym, if he can buy more time he likes to read and immerse himself in his notebooks and research. Fighting Katsuki to blow some steam is a last resort to shed off weeks of frustration and only reserved for off-days or desperate times - because something like that inevitably devolves into gratuitous rough sex or worse, day-long fuck-a-thon. Not that Deku doesn't enjoy it, he simply doesn't have the time to indulge and he knows Kacchan doesn't either, so they try to keep their hands off each other unless the occassion begs for much-needed violent release.

But sometimes, you just want instant relief. Sometimes Deku just wants to kick back and relax like a normal person, go on the internet, without everyone hounding him for a piece of his mind.

So he does.

Under Anonymity.

Et viola @allmight9000 comes alive on several media platforms including Tumblr and Twitter. At first, Deku masquerades around as a hardcore All Might fan fighting anyone who dares to diss the retired Symbol of Peace . But since his retirement, his popularity has gone cold, not many heated debates take place around him anymore and as sad as this makes Deku, he decides to discover new venues.

Now, Deku knows there's this dark void of fanfiction lurking on the net and there's no escape from it should he ever set foot into it. He is also aware of the dark things that beckon him from the sewers like Pennywise the Dancing Clown (eg. All Might/Endeavour, Hawks/Endeavour, All Might Bowl, All Might/ Hero Harem, All Might/Midnight, All Might/Aizawa/Present Mic and so on), things he should rightfully keep a safe distance from. But this is fucking Deku we are talking about- ofcourse he dares to dip his foot into the murk of fanfiction.

For science, he thinks, and takes the plunge.

It all goes downhill from there.

One day, Katsuki comes back from his shift to find Deku face-planted into the sofa, he hasn't eaten lunch, hasn't bathed and is claiming trauma, repeatedly insisting that he has sinned and he is going to hell for it, then he shakily holds up a 367k word fic of Villain Might/Endeavour. Katsuki has to slap him back to his senses. Later that night, Deku calls up Toshinori and asks him for forgiveness, when Toshinori asks him worriedly, 'For what?', Deku assures him he DOES NOT wanna know.

After obsessively going through various tropes and completing every Enemies to Lovers / Mutual Pining / Unrequited Love fic there is (and there is a lot, Deku hates himself every day for it), waiting torturous weeks for dead authors to rise from the ashes for a teeny tiny update, Deku finally gives up his small lake of unfulfilling All Might ships (because frankly it's hard to find a fic that suits his tastes and convincingly fleshes out a love story around a man who has pointedly avoided romance for the better part of his LIFE or a find a fic which is COMPLETE) and sets out into the sea of Ships.

Bad Idea.

Very VERY Bad Idea.

(We know it, he knows it. Katsuki is the only one who is blessedly oblivious because he chooses not to wade into Deku's mental shit and compromise his own sanity.)

Strangely, Deku has come to take an odd satisfaction of returning to fan mentality of shipping two people without restraints (rarely more than two)-it's simple, senseless, easy. It gives his head a break from all the overanalyzing it does and gives him a small dose of endorphins when he cant work out, eat out or fuck out the frustration. He was adverse to it first, since these are strangers trying to ship two random people (people he is friends with), and it was unsettling to find so many people shipping them when they've BARELY had any interaction in canon real life! What's the premise of shipping them at all? He just didn't find any allure to it back then. So he kept his reads under fluff and under mature ratings because he feels uncomfortable reading smut about his friends.

But Deku had a 'Oh my God they were ROOMMATES' moment when Jirou and Momo announce that they are dating to the U.A. Alumni, that too after reading a really fluffy Creati/Earphone Jack fic which accurately referenced their public sightings together and spun it into plot-points quite masterfully. ( the author did a real good job on it) And the most horrifying thing about the fic, Deku finds, is the fact that NO ONE, not even the AUTHOR knows how correct they were in their estimates! No one except Deku.

That realization shakes the foundations of Deku's beliefs and morality as he wonders how many fics out there , sfw or smut, requited or unrequited love, enemies to lovers or lovers to strangers, fluff or smut have come so so close to the truth, been so damn close - like an alternate course of their love-story? and WHY IS NO ONE GIVING IT MORE KUDOS?

This is how Deku ends up being the most irredeemable Shipper of the universe- with a mission in hand:

To curate proof of all valid ships and to supply aforesaid proof of it to the world (as subtly as he can of course, so as to not compromise his own identity or the privacy of the Shipped.)

He begins to scour through the net for paparazzi photos, indulges in gossip, pries out information of who is dating whom from his Hero contacts, authenticates it, creates folders and subfolders of photographic 'proof' (they are just teasers really) and whenever anyone writes a fic that comes anywhere close to the real thing he makes sure to tag them in his tumblr/twitter post with photos which basically pour gasoline over their fiery passion to continue dreaming and writing fics around those Ships. Like:

You wrote a fic of Fluffy Iron Fist x Real Steel? Here you go- an obscure pic of them leaving her apartment together

Uravity x Ingenium and Uravity x Froppy? A love triangle that could possibly end in heartbreak?!! Damn, sistah, who knows? (She's confused too, imho) So here you go- Uravity getting tipsy with Froppy and Uravity snuggling to Ingenium under the rain.

One-shot of Chargebolt x Cellophane getting frisky in an alley? Honey, I gotchu. Here's a pic of them arriving at a villain scene together with dishevelled clothes.

All Might x Endeavour Slow Burn? My dear friend- here's a picture of the Symbol of peace roasting marshmallows with Shouto on flaming Endeavour merch. Please don't make me block you.

All Might x Midnight? Here's a pic of my mom, me and my Dad AllMight. Midnight, Who binch?

Celsius (Shouto) x Gale Force Stripper AU? Oh, hey, look I'm totally that one lucky guy who was in the right place at the right time, okay? I dont know these guys personally, OKAY? Not. At. All. But I have some Opinions™ about your fic? and pics to support it. Just wanna show you that maybe...i mean...MAAYYYYYYBEEEE...the stripper is Galeforce, not Celsius? Yeah? Don't worry though, You're doing good. Love the slow build, keep up the good work!

Deku becomes a sensational fic-writer-enabler and often gives inspiration to writers who are looking to write for a new fandom. Deku's got their backs.

He sinks so deep into this Shipping business that one day Katsuki catches wind of it. It was becoming painful to keep ignoring Deku's descent into madness. Katsuki was okay with it as long as the nerd did his job well and fucked him even better (which Katsuki will never admit to enjoying, even at gun point. Pull the trigger, you coward). So, yeah, Katsuki could have accepted all of Deku's weird stalkerish behaviours (even if they weren't fixated on him all the time anymore and the 'Kacchan, sugoi!' comments had plummeted drastically....who needs the shitnerd to validate his worth, right?! Right...it didn't make him pissed AT ALL. because admitting that would mean he enjoyed it, WHICH HE DID NOT, MIND YOU)

What Katsuki couldn't accept was Deku accidentally using his official Hero twitter handle to post a very platonic (but in the eyes of rabid fans- borderline homoerotic) pictures of him and Eijirou and posted it as #Ground_Riot. The fucking flood of Zeku-haters and pro-GroundRioters had the comments section on FIRE. The post goes VIRAL.

Deku, fucking DEKU, the man who is secretly ENGAGED to him, is promoting GroundRiot like NO ONE's business and HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT HE DID WRONG.

Katsuki finds Deku happily puttering around their shared apartment completely oblivious to the PR hell that has been licking at his heels. He immediately attacks Deku's account and is completely gobsmacked. Lo and fucking behold- every fifth picture in his blog is fucking GROUND RIOT.

Not just that, apparently, THIS MAN, his fucking FIANCE, is not only a renowned peacemaker in inane Ship wars, but is hailed as a Soothsayer of Ships for always correctly prophecizing "Ships that will Sail into the fucking Sunset', he is basically some minor god in the Hero fandom who is extorting excitement out of fic writers and fans alike so that 'the crime of incomplete fics' can be eradicated once and for all. And Deku's fucking commited to it.

(perhaps more commited to Ground Riot than his own betrothal because there isn't A SINGLE POST of ZEKU on his blog)

There's even a post where he answers an ask from anonymous. The question: "Are you also anti-Zeku? I have never seen you post anything related to that ship. Is it because you think it won't Sail?" And Deku answers shortly how he isn't explicitly Anti-Zeku, but doesn't like the idea of reading fanfics of that ship. He clearly witholds his opinion if the ship will sail or not. Katsuki also finds the chat which started all this shit.

Chat-

Hey! @allmight9000. I wanted to write a GroundRiot fic? Could you give me some inspiration?

Aww, sure! It's my favourite Ship tbh. I love GroundRiot. I have a whole gigabyte of inspirations in my laptop. I'll send you some when I get back home, okay?

Yup!!! I am actually a hardcore Zeku fan. But recently my friends got me into Ground Riot and I am addicted!! But Zeku will always have a special place in my heart <3

I see. :)

Do you wanna try it out? I know you mentioned you don't like it. But I know some REALLY good fics.

No thank you ^_^ I make it a point to not read those fics. I just can't visualize it working, you know?

Oh...np. Each to their own. But I really hope one day you try reading some if you can?

I don't think so ...😅...uh...but..Any preferences for your inspiration though? or genre youre interested in?

Fluffff!!

Haha, okay! Look out for the new post on my twitter!

YASSS!! Love ya!

You too!

Katsuki sees red, he's about to flip his shit when he decides to give Deku one LAST fucking chance to explain WHY THE FUCK is he promoting Ground Riot when he should be shipping Zeku and demands of him if he really wants their Fucking Ship To Sail Or Not.

Deku gets defensive and says of course he does. Katsuki asks why he has been trying to push him onto Eijirou all this time if he wasnt serious about it. Deku doesnt want to answer. Then Katsuki gets fruatrated and asks WHY the fuck didnt he post Zeku.

"Because I don't want to support it"

"We are literally fucking engaged, you moron. What the FUCK do you mean you don't support it?!"

"I support Us, Kacchan! I just don't wanna support Zeku-shippers! Those two things are different!"

"WHy dont you wanna support them?! tHere is No Difference!"

"There is! I am not obligated to do anything for you. But if I admit to shipping Zeku out loud to the shippers, then I'm obligated to post pictures of us and I know that if I start posting that then my blog will literally be a flood of just Us all over!!"

"What is WRONG with that?!!"

"WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE ENGAGED IN SECRET! NO ONE IS SUPPOSED TO KNOW! you said it yourself! That you don't like the useless yapping of reporters about your love-life where it isn't their business!"

"YEAH? WELL FUCK THAT!"

And Katsuki whips out his phone, takes a selfie of french kissing the hell out of Deku and immediately posts in on his twitter. Deku has hardly reeled back from that intense kiss when he realizes what Katsuki has done and he practically explodes in shame.

"Kacchan!! Our secret!"

"Your fucking fault, Deku. If I have to deal with the shitty extras at all, it better be for the right Ship, you dumbass. I'll punt you straight to China if I hear Ground Riot from your mouth ever again...capiche?"

"But I like Ground Riot...It's a valid ship, Kacchan. You cant diss on it just like that. It has wonderful scope, and the fluff in this ship is AMAZING. I think I have a soft spot for Uke!GZ and Soft!GZ now... and it is a really mutually productive ship unlike- hrmff!", Katsuki shuts him up with a smack to his mouth and sheds his shirt.

"Shut your mouth and strip, shitnerd. I'll fuck the Ground Riot out of you. Also, let's make this fucking clear that if you mention ANYTHING that goes anywhere near Eijirou's dick,ass, balls or mouth", Katsuki shivers, "then I'll wreck your dick, ass, balls and mouth. Remember that. Now STRIP"

"But what about platonically? That's a solid ship, right? Right, Kacchan? Also It doesn't mention Eijirou's- fuck!!!"

Deku gets wrecked thoroughly.

(Let's observe one moment of silence for his Shipping ass 🙏)

(r.i.p. Deku)

Katsuki later asks him why Deku doesn't read Zeku fics either, cause pretending to not like it to weasel out of obligation is fine, but it doesn't explain why he refuses fo read any either.

"A fic, especially the ones that I like, always are these perfect little stories which always have a happy ending. Can't help it, I'm weak to it, Kacchan- it's why I read fics at all, you know? For the rush of happiness and feels! It's always written with the intention that it will be perfect! And it is. But it doesn't come close to the real thing. There can be fics out there that come really close to what we really have though - but I refuse to accept that any fic could be better than the imperfectly perfect things I have with you, Kacchan. No matter what anyone insists, what I have with you is perfect to me. You are perfect to me. And that's all that matters."

Katsuki calls him an incorrigible sap and turns away to hide a violent flush that turns him red like a stop sign.

Omake:

Katsuki's #Zeku goes Viral too. But at this point no one understands what is going on or WHY. Because GZ appears to be a Zeku shipper when Deku is a GroundRiot shipper. Confusion abounds. Zac Efron memes agonize over Both ships, Captain America Japan Civil War Memes make a comeback. And for some reason, Deku keeps posting Ground Riot afterwards too and everytime he does, the next day he is seen limping.

"Did you have a hardtime with Zero-san at training yesterday?"

Before Deku can answer the one who asks him that, Eijirou comes up, winks and answers in his stead, "Very hard", and runs away to Mina's side before Deku has a shame-filled meltdown.

(The Ground Riot thing stops only when Mina and Eijirou get finally married.)

[poppyknitt]

Cheers to a Better Year: a Doctor Schneeplestein birthday special

(Please note that I currently have very little knowledge on the canon lore for JSE’s egos, aside from the obvious, and most recent stuff. I sorta only joined the ego part of the MP/JSE fandoms in the middle of August(this year), so not much has come my way aside from theories and the select few videos I could actually dig up with ease. About half the stuff mentioned here is literally just what i could find on the topic of what’s been going on with the egos ever since the first ego to be canon, JBM, popped into existence.)

(I’m also not good at picturing german accents in my head and translating them to writing, so apologies if the pronunciations for Henrik are incorrect)

September 15th. It was Henrik’s birthday, and it was also the first time they really got to celebrate it happily, because the last one had been without him; Anti was still torturing him, after all, and Jack had been in a coma.

The egos were all at home, enjoying themselves, despite the fact that they were still one short, as Jack didn’t seem to remember them at all, so inviting him to the celebration would be pointless.

They all enjoyed themselves for the most part, mainly sitting in the living room, except for when they wanted to get up and get a drink or some food.

“Do you guys ever vonder how we all got here..? I mean, how on earzh did ve even get from zhe point of barely knowing each ozher, to being close enough to one another zhat ve’re basically brozhers? It’s only been a few years, hasn’t it?” Henrik asked. The others paused for a moment. Chase shifted nervously, JJ lowered his gaze, Robbie looked at his brothers for answers, and Marvin just remained vigilant, probably searching for an answer. None of them really liked talking about the past, since it usually ended with them having to remember all the horrible things that had happened to them during these past two years.

“... Yeah. It’s interesting to think about, that’s for sure.” Marvin responded.

“And to zhink, ve probably would not have gotten as close as zhis without Anti’s constant assault, no? Ve probably vould still barely be acquaintances, knowing us.” The doc had a point.

“Yeah... Chase, you remember when this all really started, right?” Marvin looked to the younger ego.

“Why would I forget? That was when I found Jack on the floor, with his throat cut open.” He said, not really wanting to talk about this.

“Yeah. You nearly broke Jackie’s door in when you realized what was happening.” Marvin said, the memory serving as a form of amusement.

“Wasn’t my brightest moment, but I figured Jackie was the fastest way to get to the hospital. Good lord... If it wasn’t for Henrik, Jack probably wouldn’t have made it.” Chase replied.

“Vell, you acted quickly. My efforts vould have failed if you hadn’t been so quick to run for help.” Henrik responded.

“And then there was the aftermath of Chase’s power hour. Didn’t he give himself a concussion in that last bit?” Marvin added, quickly hopping to a different subject, since the halloween video from 2016 still had lasting effects on the original egos.

“Ah, yes. Zhat vas back vhen he had to come to my office to make sure he did not have any major brain damage.” Henrik laughed.

“... Yeah... was pretty stupid of me to pretend to kill myself, wasn’t it..?” Chase commented.

“Yeah. Wasn’t JJ’s first appearance shortly after you recovered, Chase?” Marvin asked, noting to the halloween video of 2017.

“Yeah, I think so. Who found him knocked out in the chair, again? It was Jackie, right?” The absolute bro average asked.

“Yes, I believe so.” JJ signed, “That was quite a horrifying experience, now that I look back on it.”

“I’d imagine. Must’ve sucked, finding out that all along, you had just been a toy for a guy that just wants to make people suffer... Jeez, I can’t imagine how it felt.” Chase said.

“It was not my happiest moment, to say the least..” JJ replied.

“Then, after that, you started the Stories Untold series, right, Chase?” Marvin asked.

“Yeah. Oh boy, was that series a ride.” He said, with a disheartened laugh, “And don’t even get me started about those videos where I had to stop in the middle of recording because I was getting tired of the constant knocking on the door to the recording studio.”

“Zhat must have been very annoying to deal vith, no? Zometimes it seems as zhough Anti is just being ridiculous for zhe sake of attention.” Henrik said.

“Yeah. I get that vibe from him, too.” Marvin replied.

“... And zhen we have all zhe zhings zhat happened in May and zhe beginning of August...” Henrik said.

“God... we really have come a long way, huh..?” Marvin said, his gaze cast to the ground now.

“... It’s a shame, you know..? I was sorta hoping we could’ve spent today with the whole gang, but... With Jackie missing, and Seán no longer remembering us..? I don’t think it’s possible, really. Not... not until we finally get everyone back, and certainly not until Anti calms down again..” Chase sighed.

“Ah, cheer up, old chap. We always have next year to look forwards to, y’know!” JJ signed, turning his gaze to Chase.

“... Yeah. To another, better year!” Chase smiled, raising his glass of wine up.

“Cheers, lads! Cheers.” JJ signed, picking up his glass to join the gesture, and they all resumed the festivities.

Sometimes, it’s okay to look back, and acknowledge the good that has come from the pain you’ve had.

... After all, the only way to really grow from something is to understand what went wrong, and how to improve your tactics later on, so that it doesn’t happen again.

(if you have any questions for me about the inferred lore the mentioned, such as Chase’s concussion, please don’t be afraid to send me an ask! I would love to answer all your questions about this fanfic.)

[Doctor Schneeplestein, Chapt. 1]

JBM #1

Marvin #1

JJ & Robbie #1

Sean #1/Darkiplier Prologue pt. 1

Chase #1/Darkiplier Prologue pt. 2

Henrik #2

Anti #1

[fountainpenguin]

M and Z

M: Got any premises on the back burner that you’d care to share?

One mini-series I haven’t mentioned is my little collection of “Spellementary School kids spend holidays with extended family” one-shots, aptly titled “House Tours With Plot.” One chapter focuses on Poof staying with Big Daddy and trying to socialize with his Lialia-speaking cousins (magical parallel of Italian), one where Foop stays with Anti-Mama Cosma for a week or two and she pushes him to train his physical body as much as he trains his intellect, one with Sammy in Muckledunk, one with Finley in Pixie World, and one with Goldie and the will o’ the wisps. I’ll probably be working on these over the next few weeks since I’m in a holiday mood… I love magical holidays.

I also have a Timmy-centric piece (“See That Dust Fly") about Timmy visiting his Ustinkistan grandparents for the holidays and hanging out with his mom’s extended family. Apparently there’s a real thing called turnip lanterns (precursor to the more common jack o’ lanterns of today?) which are said to keep supernatural beings away. You literally could not have a more perfect excuse for weakening Cosmo and Wanda around Timmy’s family than that.

I’ve been playing with the idea that Kimmy (Timmy’s female lookalike from “Stupid Cupid”) is actually his cousin, so I’ve been weighing the pros and cons of including her in this story. I probably will, with the idea that her family recently moved to the area in “Stupid Cupid” and she was trying to introduce herself to her cousin by citing “I have three goldfish” as something they have in common. And then Timmy straight-up walks away.

Another story I’ve been working on that I off-hand mentioned the other day is a Cosmo-centric piece that looks at aspects of a godparent’s life that are more work than play. In this case, it’s the personal self-care routine Cosmo goes through after a long evening spent helping Chloe through anxiety attacks. Watching him unwind has helped me tap into his calm, gentle attitude and connect with him as a character. I never knew I wanted a story about Cosmo and coloring books, but I’m really enjoying it. The working title for this piece is “Hyggekrog,” but I’m expecting to change it before I’m done.

Z: Major character death–do you ever write/read it? Is there a character whose death you can’t tolerate?

I love major character death as long as it makes sense for the story, but I HATE having it spoiled, which means the only way it crosses my path is if it’s in a novel, an untagged ‘fic, or someone sent me a ‘fic with the tags removed to hide the fact there’s major character death in it. I love AO3s tagging system, but I wish there was a way I could toggle certain spoilers off.

Since I usually write backstory ‘fics, my hands are tied when it comes to most major character death. The first two drafts of Frayed Knots called for me to kill Mona/Anti-Saffron in the end. I convinced myself it was fine because she dies thousands of years after Anti-Cosmo and Anti-Wanda get together (ergo, I didn’t kill her to remove her from the relationship), but… it still never struck me as the appropriate end to her character arc.

In Riddleverse canon, Anti-Saffron is alive and involved in politics (you don’t just fade out of the public eye when you’re no longer queen!) Anti-Cosmo visits her sometimes out of a consuming need to repent for all he’s put her through. Since Cosmo’s pregnancy was hidden from the public and no witnesses were present when Foop was born, some of the Anti-Fairy population suspect Anti-Saffron is Foop’s biological mother. Anti-Saffron is an awkward addition to the anti-family tree, and I’m enjoying this way more than killing her off.

Death, coping, and political succession are major themes of my endgame FOP ‘fic Devil’s Backbone, so there will be major character death in that story. I have a one-shot about the funeral of a sort-of major character. I like telling stories at different points in characters’ lives and dealing with death is part of that.

I think only one 130 Prompt references major character death… I cried. Not because I can’t write that character any further in the timeline, but at another character’s raw emotion when they found out. That got me.

As for deaths I can’t stand, I talked about my feelings on Youngblood’s deaths in ‘fics HERE.

I’d be more okay with Youngblood dying in so many ‘fics if he was actually a major character in them, but to the best of my memory things would just happen to him in the background, like getting kidnapped with all the other ghost kids, but he gets 0 screentime and is the only one who gets tortured to death. Also his skeletal assistant didn’t mourn him. That’s what I don’t like.

His assistant was traveling with Danny at the time iirc, so they never got to say good-bye and this poor child didn’t have any loved ones with him, which would have been an awesome angst scene if it was shown. But it wasn’t. If the first time in a massive ‘fic Youngblood gets screentime is the final chapter and he shows up dead… Ooh, don’t like that.

This kid’s a master of psychological warfare and the plot of his debut episode literally revolves around him commending respect from everybody because he’s an absolute mastermind despite being like eight years old. The only thing stopping him from climbing higher up the ladder is that his ship can’t fly without Ember’s help. He’s really the only ghost happy to hang out with skeletons (the implied mortal enemies of ghosts since they’re really only seen in Pariah Dark’s evil army). Canon heavily implies Jasmine killed his shapeshifting assistant in “The Fenton Menace” because Youngblood’s eerily without him every episode after that. If you like bonus material, there’s an official comic revealing his Ghost Zone parents are dragons. How is that a character you want to shove to the background?

If you want to kill him, please give him a death he deserves… I crave more Youngblood content and will accept his death as long as you treat him right. I am currently accepting Danny Phantom ‘fic recommendations… but please don’t send them unless Youngblood gets more screentime “alive” than “dead.”

Fanfic Ask Meme

[scumbagsblog]

Loving the text messages!! Keep up the good work! Also if you don't mind could you describe darks and antis personalities according to you?

Absolutely!!! Beware though, I’m about to wax poetic because I LOVE these two characters. I’m sorry that this post is so long but I’m NOT putting it under a cut because I worked on this for over a fucking hour instead of writing my history paper and I want at least one person to actually read it. :P

I’m gonna go a little in depth with what I believe is their canon personalities according to my interpretation and then how I incorporate those interpretations into Texts From Dark And Anti. Some of you may be surprised to find that I actually heavily take their canonical personalities into account when I make my edits; it’s not all just dick jokes and memes for the sake of notes. Texts From Dark And Anti is my love letter to these two characters, and I’ve gone to great lengths to portray them in the best way possible.

But enough babbling. Let’s start with Dark.

CANON PERSONALITY: Master Manipulator and Sexual Predator

Per Mark, Dark is a master manipulator. He’s a snake in the grass, ready to tell you anything and everything you need to hear in order to get what he wants from you.

I’d argue that this often works for him. Obviously he’s a very good actor if he’s able to mimic Mark perfectly in the “Chocolate” ending, so that makes me think that he’s able to assume whatever personality and/or extend whatever favors he needs to to trick his victims into abiding by him.

But it’s also worth mentioning that Dark’s biggest weakness (arguably) is his jealousy. As Mark said, Dark’s extremely jealous of Mark, and he wants everything that Mark has: wealth, fame, success, and devoted fans. I’d be willing to believe that that last thing is what rubs Dark wrong the most.

Evidence? Mark’s fans are exactly what he goes after. Wanna know what’s freakier? IT FUCKING WORKED.

Mark took all of his fans out on a date. All of us adored him for it. Dark got jealous of this, so he infiltrated the date and tried to get us to support him instead. And when Tyler Mark showed up to fight him, Dark didn’t kill him himself. He manipulated us into doing it for him.

And what brings this home is that Dark has had the longest lasting potential out of anything to come out of this video. All of the other memes and references have lost their luster by now, but the resurgence of Dark-related fan art, ask/rp blogs, edits, and memes are still going strong. Dark infiltrated our date and convinced us to love him and worship him the same way that we do Mark, and we fucking fell for it.

So why does he do this? Is it just because he’s a jealous prick? Partially, but I think that, canonically, there’s more to it. I think it’s because he thrives on his ability to hold power over people, which is comparable to–get ready for it–sexual predators.

Dark exhibits a lot of the traits we normally attribute to these criminals. He’s attractive, charismatic, extremely manipulative, and sadistic. He says things like, “I can give you anything,” and, “If it’s dinner you want, I can provide.” Provide is an interesting word choice here, because that’s what society has dictated the man in a relationship should do. He even acts seductive: arching his neck, eye-fucking the camera, and he even blows us a kiss (see below). But the way that he grabs and shakes us periodically throughout his mental breakdown betrays his inner sadism and anger issues, also common among sexual predators. I absolutely think that based on Dark’s behavior and what we know about him, he’s totally down to fuck anyone and everyone in order to get what he wants–consensual or otherwise. And I definitely think he’ll enjoy it.

I wouldn’t necessarily say that Dark is a nymphomaniac. As an otherworldly being, it’s entirely possible he doesn’t even have a sex drive. But sexual predators don’t usually rape their victims just to get their dicks wet. Usually, it’s a power issue; they want to feel like they have mastery over something, and that they are dominant and in control. Given Dark’s obsession with taking all of Mark’s glory away from him, coupled with his violent mood swings and sadism, I would say that sexual assault is probably just one of the many ways he appeases his insatiable appetite for power and manipulation. And I’d even bet that it’s one of his go-to’s.

In Texts From Dark And Anti, I normally portray Dark as a bitter old demon who doesn’t understand memes and doesn’t want to put up with anybody’s shit. But I didn’t just do this for fun; I did it because I could see Dark being jaded in real life. Off-camera, when he’s not trying to seduce us into adoring him over Mark, I could see him being sick of being overlooked. He’s old, even by Mark’s channel’s standards, and up until “A Date With Markiplier”, he wasn’t mainstream in the fandom at all–not fun for someone who craves the adoration of others. So he’d definitely be off-put by Anti’s much younger, more erratic personality, and in a bad mood he’d bitch at him for it. But in a good mood, he’d use it to his advantage to get whatever he wants–sex, souls, and anything else his blackened heart desires, both for the reward and the thrill of not having to do it himself.

Now let’s talk about Anti.

CANON PERSONALITY: Chaotic Psychopath

Jack has been near-silent on his personal interpretation of Anti (although he’s stated that he definitely has a personal canon that he refuses to share, the little fucker), so all of this is going to come from speculation and what we see onscreen.

While Dark chose to make his debut in one long, continuous, elegant appearance, Anti showed up randomly throughout the month of October, with no prelude and no explanation as to why he was there. Also in contrast to Dark’s smooth, charismatic personality, Anti is visibly unstable, jittery, and psychotic. Both he and Dark exhibit bloodlust, but Anti doesn’t hide it. He doesn’t hold back any of his sociopathic tendencies, going so far as to murder his host on camera for the world to see.

We don’t exactly know what Anti’s agenda is, but that’s just it: I don’t think he has one. At least, not one beyond the psychotic urge to kill as much and as many people as he can. Even in “Say Goodbye”, all he does is laugh at/condemn the viewer for not warning Jack and saving him. The other times he was on camera in October, he was glitchy, with several different appearances (fangs, gauges, blood, etc.) and contorted, unsettling body movements, making me think that Anti is a supernatural being that thrives on chaos and bloodshed.

But  Anti doesn’t just want to cause havoc–he wants to cause havoc and get the credit he deserves for it. That’s why he showed up so much on camera without Jack noticing; he was there for us, not him. Then he made a big deal about us not telling Jack what was going on, condemning us for our failure to make his existence well-known. Then he crashed Jack’s panel at PAX, angry at us for “forgetting” him. He’s not trying to garner our support like Dark is; if anything, he wants us to be terrified of him.

But personally, if I had to choose between being locked in a room with Dark and being locked in a room with Anti, I’d choose Anti in a heartbeat. Because even though Anti is more obviously psychotic, at least I’d know I would be killed quickly–unlike Dark, who would torture and manipulate me verbally, physically, and possibly even sexually for an indeterminate amount of time. This is Anti’s downfall, I think; Dark disguises his true nature with seduction and charisma, but because Anti’s so unpredictable and surface-level, he identifies himself as a very obvious threat, ironically making him a little easier to understand.

Thus, my interpretation of him in Texts From Dark And Anti reflects this (albeit in a more comedic way). Anti loves memes and silly trends because he wants to stick out in a way that’ll gain recognition. He’s more up-to-date with Internet trends and slang because he’s much younger than Dark–but that also means that he’s more gullible, and a lot of simple things go over his head. Basically all of his emotions are double that of Dark’s, and he makes no efforts to disguise them. He’s also much more privvy to senseless murder than Dark. This speaks highly of his psychotic tendencies and general disregard for any order or secrets he could be bothering to keep. What you see of Anti is what you get: an easily-excitable, always-ready-to-fuck-shit-up killing machine.

So…yeah. That’s pretty much my piece. Told you it’d be long. X’D

But tysm for asking!! And if any of you bothered reading this far, PLEASE reblog or leave a reply with your thoughts on my interpretation of these two characters and how you characterize them personally. I’m super crazy interested in the lore around these two (or lack thereof), which is why I created Texts From Dark And Anti in the first place. ^_^

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1259

Monday, April 29, 2019

 I was at a birthday party for a 7-year-old on the weekend and while I was holding his baby brother I couldn't help but wonder what kind of world will they be living in when they are my age. I worry about their future. The flooding in the National Capital Region is predicted to be worse than it was only two years ago when we had the highest water levels in a century. It's going to exceed that when waters crest in the next couple of days. I can't imagine what property owners are going through trying to save their homes and cottages. I don't understand how some people can deny climate change when the evidence of the harm that we humans have had on the environment is smacking them right in the face. I'm afraid things are going to get worse without it getting any better.

 War of the Realms #2 - Jason Aaron (writer) Russell Dauterman (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). This issue has the first major death of a character. Not an A-lister but I will still mourn their passing.

 Spider-Man Life Story #2 The '70s - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Mark Bagley (pencils) Drew Hennessy (inks) Frank D'Armata (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Now I'm more than convinced that this is a series of what if stories. There are so many deviations from canon in this issue that it's inconceivable that these events are "real". I'm still going to keep reading because these changes are cool.

 Naomi #4 - Brian Michael Bendis & David F. Walker (writers) Jamal Campbell (art) Wes Abbott (letters). Naomi's origin story begins at last. She's not an Earthling.

 Daredevil #4 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Marco Checchetto (art) Sunny Gho (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). The Punisher and Daredevil have a debate about vigilantism. I like Frank's arguments. Meanwhile, Mayor Kingpin tries to get his hooks into Detective North. I wonder if the bigger man will get to the big man. One thing that bothered me about this issue is that Matt left Frank tied up for the cops. Not very nice since Frank saved his ass from them.

 Thor #12 - Jason Aaron (writer) Mike del Mundo (art) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). "The War of the Lokis" features Loki as he travels down the gullet of his father Laufey. Don't tell me you didn't read the last issue. Get thee hence and do so forthwith.

 West Coast Avengers #10 - Kelly Thompson (writer) Moy R. (art) Triona Farrell (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This is the last issue and that makes me have a sad face. I really liked this silly crazy team. If Kelly Thompson ever writes a Kid Omega/Quentin Quire and Gwenpool comic book I will definitely read it.

 Avengers LGY #717: No Road Home #10 - Mark Waid, Jim Zub & Al Ewing (writers) Sean Izaakse (art) Marcio Menyz & Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). When this 10-issue weekly started it looked like this was an adventure for Hercules's team of Avengers and it ultimately was. The end result is that the good guys win again and Nyx is defeated. Hercules wasn't the hero of this story and schmaltzy as the way the actual hero wins, it still made me cheer. So all this was so Marvel could revamp the Gods of Olympus and Hercules's costume. I chuckled when they revealed what that house was about. I thought that it was the House of Mystery but that belongs to the Distinguished Competition.

 The Amazing Spider-Man #19.HU - Nick Spencer (writer) Chris Bachalo (pencils) Wayne Faucher, Livesay, Jaime Mendoza, Victor Olazaba, Tim Townsend & Al Vey (inks) Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). The Lizard is featured in this "Hunted" tie-in. It's nice to see Chris Bachalo's art back on the racks.

 Action Comics #1010 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Steve Epting (art) Brad Anderson (colours) Josh Reed (letters). Leviathan Rises part 4. I like this spy story. Lois and Clark go undercover as Chaz and Andi to find out what Leviathan is. There's a great teaser for an old Checkmate story that had me going there. I would love to see that organisation again. Next issue promises Leviathan Revealed! I can't wait.

 The Avant-Guards #4 - Carly Usdin (writer) Noah Hayes (art) Rebecca Nalty (colours) Ed Dukeshire (letters). I like this rom-com centered around an arts college basketball team. It reminds me of a lighter "The L Word".

 Black Widow #4 - Jen & Sylvia Soska (writers) Flaviano (art) Veronica Gandini (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). There's a double-cross that surprised me and a cliffhanger ending that makes waiting for the next issue torture. Appropriate for a story where Nat takes down an extremely violent website.

 Doctor Strange #13 - Mark Waid (writer) Barry Kitson (pencils) Scott Koblish & Scott Hanna (inks) Brian Reber (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Herald Supreme part 2. I liked the surprise guest star.

 Hulkverines #3 - Greg Pak (writer) Ario Anindito (art) Morry Hollowell (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Okay, this Hulkverine, Hulk and Wolverine team-up was fun but the end made me roll my eyes and groan big time. Ugh.

 Ironheart #5 - Eve L. Ewing (writer) Luciano Vecchio (art) Geoffo (layouts) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). This issue finishes the first story arc involving the super villain Midnight's Fire. It was good enough that I enjoyed what I read but not good enough to make me keep this book on my "must read" list. I wish RiRi well. I was excited by an ad for a new Black Cat comic book coming out in June though.

 Thanos #1 - Tini Howard (writer) Ariel Olivetti (art) Antonio Fabela (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This 6-issue story will tell us how Gamora came to be adopted by Thanos. I only picked this up because I really like Ariel Olivetti's art. I don't care much for the two main characters so I might not continue with the rest. Fans of Thanos and Gamora will enjoy this I'm sure.

 Runaways #20 - Rainbow Rowell (writer) Andres Genolet (art) Triona Farrell (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I found this issue to be a big drag. The last page is too depressing for words. Plus the new artist didn't wow me. Something needs to happen next issue for me to want to keep reading.

 War of the Realms: The Punisher #1 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Marcelo Ferreira (pencils) Roberto Poggi (inks) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). It's Frank versus Dark Elves and Frost Giants. They won't know what hit them. This is typical Punisher fare for those into explosive action. Frank leads a band of ex-cons armed with swords through the Lincoln Tunnel to help evacuate a hospital to safety. I miss reading a good Punisher story so this is a welcome sight on the racks.

 War of the Realms: War Scrolls #1 - This anthology book has four short stories all lettered by VC's Joe Sabino.

 "The God Without Fear part 1" by Jason Aaron (writer) Andrea Sorrentino (art) & Matthew Wilson (colours) features Daredevil fighting in Hell's Kitchen.

 "The Warriors Three (Or Four)" by Josh Trujillo (writer) Ricardo Lopez Ortiz (art) Felipe Sobreiro (colours) features Fandral, Hogun and Hildegarde filling in for the unconscious Volstagg teaming up with Cloak and Dagger.

 "Nice Shot, Frank" by Ram V (writer) Cafu (art) Brian Reber (colours) has the Punisher and Wolverine doing what they do best.

 "Waugh of the Realms" by Chip Zdarsky (writer) Joe Quinones (art) Joe Rivera (ink assist) Rico Renzi (colours) has Howard "The Duck" Duckson hired to find a lost dog. This last one was gross.

 This is for fans who want to collect ALL the War of the Realms comic books. Otherwise you can probably give it a pass.

 Batman #69 - Tom King (writer) Yanick Paquette (art) Nathan Fairbairn (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). Knightmares finale. This issue is called "The Last Dance" and I don't know what song Batman and Catwoman are dancing to but I am singing the Etta James ballad "At Last" in my head. After many issues of dream sequences Batman is going to finally awaken. I did appreciate the explanation of how he got into his predicament. Now it's time to deal with Bane and Bruce's "father".

 Blossoms 666 #3 - Cullen Bunn (writer) Laura Braga (art) Matt Herms (colours) Jack Morelli (letters). One of the three Blossoms is going to become the anti-christ. Yeah, you heard me. Cheryl and Jason were born as triplets. Their older brother Julian was whisked away at birth by the Order of Abaddon. Ooo, scary.

 Ascender #1 - Jeff Lemire (writer) Dustin Nguyen (art) Steve Wands (letters). I never did finish reading Descender so I don't know if this is a sequel but it really looked familiar. I didn't feel like I was missing anything in this new story and I liked the mix of magic and technology. The villain reminded me of Emperor Palpatine but her empire is all based on magic. The hero is a spunky girl named Mila and I want to see where she goes from here.

 Guardians of the Galaxy #4 - Donny Cates (writer) Geoff Shaw (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). The good guys find Gamora, followed by the bad guys. Expect to see a big battle. The main reason I'm reading this book again is because Groot is talking in whole sentences now.

 Detective Comics #1002 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Brad Walker (pencils) Andrew Hennessy (inks) Nathan Fairbairn (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Don't believe the hype. It's not a "duel to the death with Arkham Knight" but it is a pretty good fight. I was happy to see Damian play a bigger role in this issue. I'm sticking around for the bad guy's origin story.

 Fantastic Four #9 - Dan Slott (writer) Aaron Kuder, Stefano Caselli & Paco Medina (art) Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). The FF escape, Galactus is freed and Doctor Doom's power mad plans are thwarted. Boy that was fun. I hope they don't leave Aunt Petunia's before telling us about Franklin's new friend Wendy.

 Dial H for Hero #2 - Sam Humphries (writer) Joe Quinones (art) Jordan Gibson (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). Seems like the H-Dial is a drug with lots of addicts looking for a fix. The potential for zany super powers is huge. I liked how they introduced the good versus evil theme in this issue.

 Avengers #18/LGY #718 - Jason Aaron (writer) Ed McGuinness (pencils) Mark Morales (inks) Justin Ponsor (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Not an Avenger in sight this whole issue but you've got an Agent Coulson controlled Squadron Supreme instead. What made me groan a little was the big villain reveal at the end. I hope it's not a convenient deus ex machina.

 Heroes in Crisis #8 - Tom King (writer) Mitch Gerads (art pages 1, 6-20) Ryan Sook (art pages 2-5) Mitch Gerads (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). I still don't see the ;point of this story with one issue left. I think the killer confesses here but I'm not sure. I'm waiting for the consequences to hit the fan and hope something is resolved in the last issue.

 The Amazing Spider-Man #20 - Nick Spencer (writer) Humberto Ramos (pencils) Victor Olazaba (inks) Edgar Delgado & Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Hunted part 4. A surprise twist turns the tables giving Spider-Man even more incentive to confront Kraven. Meanwhile the son turns on the father as Kraven's son joins the hunt.

 The Superior Spider-Man #5 - Christos Gage (writer) Mike Hawthorne (pencils) Wade von Grawbadger & Andy Owens (inks) Jordie Bellaire (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). I don't know who created the super villain Master Pandemonium but they must have been on crack. This guy has demons for arms and a hole in his stomach that's a gateway to hell. Time for Doctor Octopus to call in a consult. The team-up with Doctor Strange is a clash of science and magic. Let's see who's the better doctor.

 Miles Morales: Spider-Man #5 - Saladin Ahmed (writer) Javier Garron (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Speculator alert! It's the first appearance of a new super hero.  Too bad they're named after unwelcome guests to our bird feeders. It's gang wars across Brooklyn and Miles is trying to prevent the death of innocent victims. The surprise appearance  happens when Miles goes to confront Tombstone about his incursions into other gangs' territories. I noticed some changes in Miles this issue that didn't appeal to me. I think he's acting way too confident and macho now. His maturing has happened way too fast and might turn me off the character. If the art wasn't so impressive I might bench this book now.

 Spider-Man City at War #2 - Dennis "Hopeless" Hallum (writer) Michele Bandini (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). I get a kick from noting the differences between these Gamerverse versions and the MU versions. This issue features Miles Morales and I prefer this Miles to the one in the comic book that I just finished. Peter and Miles meet for the first time but it's not in a friendly neighbourhood.