#au bobby & jack

[luna-nigthshade-wood]

Alright, so in my my Spn B99 idea (which is here if you want to read it), the ducklings also exist, and Dean is their weird parent one way or another. My idea is that for whateverreason they interrogate them and the ways Dean is related to them keeps getting weirder as they go.

Michael: So how are you related to Dean?

Ben: Oh well, he dated my mom for like a week and then he stayed at our home for 6 months, helping me with my homework, taking me to my baseball games and my guitar lessons. The second week he filled my birth certificate, and he keeps paying child support and going to all my games and stuff, so...

Krissy: My father asked him to take care of me while he was dying because they fucked once, he said yes

Bobby-John: Oh, his assholic part of the family try to kidnap me to use me into a ritual to subdue monsters, he re-kidnap me and return me with my father, they share custody of me now

Kaia: I was put in rehab because my foster parents thought I was taking drugs because of my visions, Dean took me out of there and gave me a room, I am not sure if there is a legal trail, though

Alex: I was kidnapped by vampires, Dean saved me, he and Jody and Donna share custody

Jesse: Help me figure I was a cambion, I adopted him as my parent

Patience: My father tried to supress my powers and forbide me from seeing my grandmother, grandma called Dean, Dean mediated, now I kinda of live with him, and visit my dad and grandma whenever

Emma: My mom and dad had a one night stand, I was supposed to kill him, he offered me a sandwich, mom says dad doesnt have the good sense that god gave a tulip, I didnt kill him, so I live with him

Claire: I am related to him by association, I am Cas´niece

Jack: My biological father is the devil, Cas and Dean are my parents now

Everyone: ...

Michael: Alright and you two?

Sam: What do you mean us? We are brothers. I mean, well, Dean raised me since he was four, because dad couldnt be bother

Adam: A ghoul try to kill me. Dean shot him. Then he inserted himself in my life until I couldnt remember a time where he wasnt there.

Everyone, now confused and concerned: ....

[shallowseeker]

Once again thinking about John’s appraisal of Dean’s “killer” skills. And how Dean, Cas, and even Jack’s aptitude for “war” was recognized by the ppl around them + used to severely undercut their life paths. The “soldier aptitude” effectively worked on numbing what would otherwise be naturally big-hearted people.

They became load-bearing walls, protecting the ones they love. :(

[nightingale2004]

Supernatural au idea:

Alright people. So my idea is that Dean and Castiel are both single parents.

Dean Winchester is the father of two children, Emma, his oldest, and Ben, the youngest. Emma's mom died when Emma was a kid, and Dean divorced Ben's mom due to problems in their relationship. (Ben's in his mom's custody, but he visits Dean a lot)

Dean also works at a body shop with Bobby singer and helps out his girlfriend Ellen and her daughter Jo at their bar. His brother Sam is a lawyer who is happily married to Eileen with their baby, Dean Jr.

Castiel Novak is the single father of Claire Novak and baby Jack. Their mother died when Jack was born leaving Cas to take care of his children.

Cas originally came from a VERY big religious old-fashioned family, and his children were around them for a time until Cas decided to move, not wanting to be around a toxic and strict environment. Which has gotten worse since their dad left.

So Cas moved all the way to Kansas, where he and his family moved to a house across the street from Dean and his family.

Dean and Cas meet along with their children.

Do with this as you will

P.s the children help pair their dad's up with the help of Bobby and Sam

[superawesome40]

Imagine this:

It starts with Bobby John. Dean can't let the baby go, he reminds him too much of Sam, way back when Sam was this age, and Daddy was always sad (or drunk), and when Dean tried to speak the words got stuck, and he could not make a sound. He can't let the baby go, so he doesn't.

Over time, they gather more. Bobby John, Ben, Joe and Ryan, Emma, Alex, Krissy and Aiden and Josephine, Magda, Claire, Jack. They find Jesse again, 16 years old and alone and scared of himself. They find Charlie and Kevin, and even though they aren't quite their kids, they treat them with the same care.

Somewhere in between the always rising tide of children, they find the Bunker. It's perfect - dozens of rooms for everyone to spread out, to have their own space. Bobby doesn't die, but he does move to the bunker "To keep an eye on ya' idjits,”. The modifications they make to the Bunker for his wheelchair are worth it to see the pride in his eyes. Linda Tran moves in, and she and Dean have an ongoing war over who's in control of the kitchen.

Of course, things aren't perfect. Chuck is still a problem, and eventually he must be dealt with. They win, but the cost is heavy. Cas and Jack are gone, and Dean... well he's as good as gone. He never leaves his room anymore, except to get a drink. Their dysfunctional family is mourning, both for those who they've lost and for themselves. Disappearing and coming back is much more traumatic than you'd expect.

Eventually, in an attempt to cheer him up, they convince him to go on a hunt. Just a small thing, a nest of vamps. They've killed a man and mutilated his wife, as well as taken their kids, two small boys. Someone (later, no one will remember exactly who) jokes that they can take in the boys. Sam and Dean leave, looking more cheerful than they’ve been in weeks.

They get the call a few hours later. Sam tells them over the phone, barely understandable through his tears, that Dean was hurt in the fight and that the doctors aren’t sure if he’ll pull through. Using the variety of cars in the bunker, they break a handful of laws and probably the sound barrier on their way to the hospital. Bobby pulls Sam aside and he explains, in detail, what happened. They wait for hours before a doctor finally enters the waiting room, asking for the family of Dean Fletcher* (Millie Winchester’s maiden name).

Dean survives, barely. Recovery is an uphill battle, and the damage done to his spine, muscles, and nerves leave him wheelchair-bound and in near-constant pain. Eventually, he’s able to move around for short periods of time using forearm crutches and leg braces, but it’s only after a few years and a lot of physical therapy. At the very least, the Bunker needs no new changes to accommodate him, having been updated for Bobby ages ago.

A year passes. The two boys from the vamp hunt are moved into the Bunker after their mother succumbs to her injuries in the hospital, and quickly adjust and thrive in the new location. Sam and Eileen quit hunting, permanently. They move to town, only fifteen minutes away, and visit every Saturday for family dinner. When they get married, Sam Winchester becomes Sam Leahy. Jody retires, and moves her hoard to the Bunker. They’ve got the room, after all. Donna follows not too long after. Miracle is officially trained as a service animal, to help Dean with his panic attacks.

One night, Dean can’t sleep. He hauls himself into his wheelchair and goes to the kitchen for a glass of water. He stops at the sight of three people sitting at the table.

The reunion is a tearful one. Dean cries from relief, and guilt, and of course the burning pain that rips through his back as a result of him temporarily forgetting he can’t stand and launching himself out of his chair. Cas also cries, sobbing apologies into Dean’s hair from where they are curled on the floor. Jack, pressed between the two of them and both overwhelmed and overstimulated, can only beg for Dean’s forgiveness. His dads wipe away his tears and press kisses to his cheeks, assuring him that he has nothing to apologize for.

The only one who doesn’t cry is Adam, sitting slightly stony faced at the table. Later, once the commotion of the reunion has died and Sam has been woken and summoned to the Bunker, the three sit down to chat.

Adam tells them that he’s not angry anymore, and begs them to explain everything to him, starting from the beginning. He is especially curious about their father, and realizes through their stories that John badly mistreated them. Dean invites Adam to stay in the Bunker, but Adam declines. He says that there’s a lot he needs to do, but hesitantly suggests that they stay in touch. Their relationship is tentative at first, but eventually he becomes a permanent fixture in the family.

Cas and Jack are filled in on what they missed. Dean pulls them each aside and apologizes privately for the things he said and did before the end. He assures Jack that he is part of the family, and always will be. He tells him he’s willing to be Jack’s dad, if that’s what Jack wants. Jack enthusiastically agrees.

He can’t quite bring himself to say “I love you” to Cas, but he says something along the lines of “maybe one day.” He also implies to Cas that John was extremely homophobic, and the combination of that and the sexual trauma he has experienced through his life (getting money for food/rent as a teen, Hell, Lydia) makes him hesitant now to form romantic relationships. Cas, understanding as always, agrees and comments on how he has improved at opening up, to which Dean replies that there wasn’t much else to do when he was trapped in bed and couldn’t escape Sam and his relentless therapy-talks.

Jack tells them as a group that he has decided there doesn’t need to be a God, and has stepped down after reforming Heaven. He says that he used his power for the last time to bring back Castile and find Adam. He confesses to his parents that the power is not gone, and likely never will be. He also says that he would like to grow up as human as possible, and promptly shrinks to the size of a toddler, much to the bewildered amusement of his parents. They discover that he no longer has his memories, and Bobby suggests that they may come back when he’s older, and that forgetting is his young mind's way of protecting itself.

As time passes, Cas and Dean open the Bunker to other hunters as a research facility and safe space to stay for a few nights. Neither of them hunt anymore, but they offer support and badly needed organization. With Charlie and Kevin’s help, they set up a system like the one Sam originally had.

When Eileen and Sam announce they are expecting, Dean is ecstatic. When they reveal the baby is a boy and that they are naming him “Dean II”, he cries for a solid hour. He’s the first, outside of Sam and Eileen, to hold the baby, who he affectionately nicknames “Junior”.

In the end, they are happy. They live together peacefully.

Would anyone be interested in reading this on ao3? I miiiight be planning to write this… also any suggestions/question/concerns are welcome! Also, if I missed any kiddos (canon only, please), feel free to tell me! I’m perfectly open to expanding their hoard.

Also, I cannot take complete credit for this story. Quite a few elements are inspired by foolondahill17’s stories, Dean Winchester’s half-way house for orphaned half-monsters (and humans), and the miracles ‘verse by the same author. Both are absolutely amazing stories, and I highly recommend.

*According to the Supernatural Wiki, Adam Glass wanted the actress Louise Fletcher to play Millie Winchester should she appear on screen.

[chronicalchaos]

Kinda didn't have time do continue the character drawing for the Au...so, have some Hour of Joy doodles and a bit of information about them :D

Doey (Jack/Matthew/Kevin) took the opportunity to free the kids that were currently under the staff's care. Freeing experiments, that weren't a threat, from the prison, where they had to "fight" Boxy (it was very easy and quick lol).

This 3 were very efficient and effective in bringing this kids to safety, they are a very good team.

On the drawing, other than the three, it's bobby and Kickin, they were on the labs for correction surgery and maybe their peculiarities would be repurposed for another experiment.

Kissy was at the train when the hour of joy began, as on the game, she got rid of the workers on the train, but, instead of just staying like the canon, she took over the train. Since she was trained to operate it, she went around picking up peculiar survivors and taking them to safe haven (the loop).

Bunzo and PJ were working when the hour of joy happened, as they never were allowed to leave the game station, they didn't even know it was going a thing.

Bunzo had just reached the kid that was playing musical memory when the scientists in the control room were killed by mommy. As she pushed the button to pull him back up, he was fast enough to grab the kid, both stayed up there until mommy came back in the end of the HoJ.

PJ was also working when it happened, but the kid ran to him as she saw the scientists being attacked, he took them to his resting room in that hole he appears from in chapter 2.

[firaknight]

Now you have :)

Textless version under the cut!

[kerryweaverlesbian]

Jack au where he's a psychic who can commune with ghosts. Almost every major character from Supernatural is a ghost. Including Sam Dean and Cas. This would serve these major tennants of his relationships:

Isolated. The people Jack spends the majority of his time with are NOT part of the normal world. Sam, Dean, Cas and Mary live in a bunker and don't know how to be people. The AU hunters are literally from another world. His mom is dead. Kaia is split between realms. The only Real people he knows well are his young adult nerd friends and arguably Harper. You don't want 1/4 of your tie to reality to be a witch who wants to be Cheryl Blossom from Riverdale as her life's aspiration. That's no way to live!

Intangible. Because of Jack's immense power, he is, in a sense, untouchable. He is stopped when people hug him or push him or shoot him because he chooses to stop. There is a veil between him and them. There is also a scarcity of common ground. There is nothing else out there like him. Dean might stomp and bark and howl but, ultimately, what can he do to Jack physically? Nothing. The only power the ghosts have is emotional and social. Imagine being outcasted by the ghosts who can only see you and each other. Ouch!

Fleeting. Everyone he cares for is doomed to die. This happens even before he's born with Cas and Kelly and Mary, but also throughout his life. He both has long strings of tragedy in short periods AND he's immortal and worries about it. Loss and loniness are inevitable for him on a massive scale. Cas might claim that he'll be there with him but he dies like twice a year at least. Picture ghost!Cas midway through a reassuring speech that he's always going to be there with him fading out into the veil mid-sentence.

Guilt-ridden. Life is wasted on the living, isn't it? Youth is wasted on the young. He's got dozens of ghosts needing him to live in the way they want him to so they can feel alive again, and he's not capable of being that (literal) lifeline. He needs to learn how to say no and stick to it. He needs to learn how to live with the fact that he has to disappoint people to live well sometimes. He has to engage with the living, because the dead are going to kill him if he hangs on to them too long.

So if someone could write this devestating yet beautiful 25k+ fic for me that'd be really swell.

[samanddean76]

A Fistful Of Sammy's

An ancient grimoire has been searching for the man that is destined to wield it for the good of all.  With the power that was imbued upon it, Lux gained sentience and hid herself away, appearing as nothing more than a smoothly polished rock.  Now she waits.  The problem?  The Stanford-Era Sam Winchester that the grimoire meets is not the only Sam searching for it.  And thanks to a little time travel the list of those seeking her is growing longer by the minute.  Once Soulless Sam and Demon Dean are added into the mix?  Things start to go sideways.  But then a couple of Hollywood actors trapped in Canada, who happen to look just like them and know everything about them, turn out to be crucial to Sam and Dean being able to save the day. 

Will an Apocalypse World Bobby (no, not that one) and a battle ravaged Castiel help or hinder?  Will the all-too helpful Gabriel guide Sam to the truth, or lead him astray?  And will Sam ever get the happy ending he so desperately deserves? 

Come along on a wild ride, with Metallica as the soundtrack, and an ending that hinges on one impossible choice.

Fandoms: Supernatural and Supernatural RPF

Rated: Explicit | Word Count: 44,276

This is what happens when you have four Sam's, four Dean's, two Castiel's, two Jared and Jensen's, one Gabriel, one John, and one Jack in the same story.

Pairings: Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester, Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki, Demon Dean/Soulless Sam, Sam Winchester/Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester/Dean Winchester, Gabriel/Sam Winchester, Castiel/Dean Winchester, Castiel/Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester, John Winchester/Sam Winchester

Major Warnings: Rape/Non-Con

Additional Tags: AU, Time Travel, Will Reference Events From All Seasons Plus Prior To Series, Jared & Jensen from Season 6 - The French Mistake, Stanford Era Sam, Dean, & John, Soulless Sam, Demon Dean, Rape/Non-Con Elements, Dubious Consent, Non-Graphic Violence, Unorthodox Demon Healing, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Sam & Dean Being The Best Of Brothers, Castiel Gets A Power Up, Sam Gets A Power Up, An OC For The Ages, Literally

Chapter One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight on AO3

Hey! How about we turn it into The Samstraveganza Verse? Mmmm, okay, I'm sold.

Tell Me Something I Don't Know - Soulless Sam/Demon Dean one-shot on AO3

Art Post on Tumblr | Art Post on AO3

@xpurdyglambertx @wipbigbang

Excerpt from Chapter Six under the break....

Sam could see himself through Dean’s eyes.  From the moment he was the baby lying in the maternity ward.  Later when he played in his crib in the nursery of his only real home.  How scared Dean felt as he raced out the front door with his little Sammy held tight.  Through more dingy motel rooms and abandoned houses than either of them ever wanted to think about.  On the first day of middle school, when Sam had been so scared, Dean had looked down at him with pride, assuring his kid brother that he was going to be better than any of his classmates.  Helping Sam to get ready for his first dance, pinning on the boutonniere that he had stolen from the flower shop.  Wishing how it would have been him to escort his Sammy. 

“I would have danced with you, at least once.  Spun my big brother around the floor.”  The words echoed across his mind, and when Dean tried to deepen the kiss that they were sharing, Sam knew that he’d heard it, and shared the sentiment.  He thrust harder into the willing flesh before him, finding untold joy as each thrust was matched by Dean pushing back with his own hips.  Trying to help Sam sink in even deeper. 

[hexblooded]

obligatory daemon!au time

I'll leave the list and reasonings under the cut

Eddie - Gyrfalcon

They're closely tied with nobility, really good hunters, no nonesense birds, they're very efficient, independent and a tad teritorial.

Susie - Eurasian Lynx

Freaking gorgeous and very dangerous, I don't need to say more but I will, they're resourceful hunters and resilient, kind of loners.

Freddy - Hawk headed Parrot

Funny little guys, they're social and like attention, very vocal and expressive, a little scatterbrained.

Sabrina - Island Fox

She's a sly fox and there's that. They tend to live in tight-knit families, adaptable, confident and cunning.

Bobby - Mandrill

They're hierarchical and cliquish, also very bold and self-serving.

Johnston - Waterbuck

Proud and competitive but cautious. Elegant little fucks.

Tamsin - Jackson's Hornibill

Social and bold, very charming, also a little dramatic.

Jimmy - Big eared Bat

I just thought it was cute. Go with the flow, calm and friendly.

Rosanne - Rufous Hummingbird

Pretty and dainty and fit for a princess but confident, proud and opportunistic.

Jack - dalmatian

Loyal, energetic and impulsive. Look mean but are soft. (I almost gave him a boxer for the joke)

Charlie - Hercules Moth

I don't know much but the vibes I get are calm and gentle, like they'd give good advice lol.

Geoff - Crow

Smart, loyal and cooperative.

[lieutenantbiscute]

Some character building and world stuff from the past few days for my Supernatural pony au, thinking of calling it ‘Black Hooves’ AU

1: Bobby and John arguing cause I neeeeeed more of that in my life

2: Got an ask recently about Adam and Michael and their design!

3: Say hi to ‘Baby’ in this au! She’s a Drake who was given to Johns’ father and then to John and now to Dean and Sam (mainly Dean). He takes good care of her

4: A piece I did for Father’s Day of Jack and Cas. Need to get their designs down in color;;

Lmk if you guys would like to see anything else with this little au of mine while I’m getting character designs finished ✨

[makoto-kaiser-blog]

✨MARKET DAY🐍

SO TODAY WAS MARKET DAY AND I TOOK LOTS OF STUFF TO SELL. OMG AM I TIRED TwT

THIS IS EVERYTHING I TOOK AND I SOLD A GOOD AMOUNT OF IT^^

[strangethings-everywhere]

what’s your favorite scary movie?

view at your own risk mood board ❤️

[psychicvoidtale]

SMILING CRITTERS X GUILTY GEAR

Bubba bubbaphant+Goldlewis Dickinson hoppy hopscoth+ Jack-O' Valentine

Pickypiggy+Elphelt Valentine dogday+Bridget

Kickin chicken+Faust. Craftycon+Testament

Bobby Bearhug and catnap+A.B.A and paracelsus

[kcsplace]

The Modern Boys In The Boat (1/??)

After an international regatta, the boys are given free rein to explore for a couple days. Bobby turns to his second favourite activity - photographing his boyfriend

[soullessjack]

On that last ask on Au Bobby I meant more specifically on his relationship with Jack. Sorry about that.

no apology needed 🫶

i don’t really have a cohesive opinion on their relationship but i have mentioned au bobby in other posts about (1) how jack is constantly dehumanized by other characters, specifically with comparisons to animals — ie asmodeus calling kelly a brood mare, or bobby calling jack a halfbreed, and (2) how, keeping in line with the dehumanization but not quite being the same thing, he’s ultimately not really seen as his own person when push comes to shove.

i don’t hate au bobby, honestly im very indifferent to him and the other au people, and for everything he’s been through his feelings toward jack make plenty of sense — however, I do also think that there were plenty of points where it was made clear that jack was on their side full-stop. like, it’s not enough for jack to declare war on and make it his life’s mission to kill Michael just after a few days within the refugee camp. it’s not enough for him to very publicly disown Lucifer and then get his throat slit right in front of the au people. no, none of that could ever be viable evidence of him legitimately caring about the humans.

after jack burns his soul to exorcise Michael (and hit a sick vape trick with his grace if you ask me) everyone is noticeably more anxious around him — parental figures included — and it doesn’t fall short of jack that they’re anxious, either. he’s actively annoyed by it!!! it doesn’t even seem to matter to anyone outside of the dean-cas-sam circle that jack is Like That because of a sacrifice he did for them, because he loves and cares about them. no, now that he’s no longer a tuberculosis ridden Victorian boxer he goes back to being a potential threat! that’s totally how things work! im getting ahead of myself but when the chips REALLY fall, when jack’s outburst inadvertently kills Mary and nobody is around to see him losing his mind about it, Bobby is the first person to make up his mind that jack’s evil bone has activated and now he has to die.

and Bobby’s logic — “I liked the kid, I fought with him, but so-and-so an unstable monster who doesn’t know right from wrong gets put down” — is just. Eugh. never liked the way he so easily reduces jack to monster status over an incident that nobody fully understands yet, especially considering what he says himself, he fought alongside jack! and to go back to the animal comparison for just a minute, Bobby is literally going about this like jack is a rabid dog they need to euthanize. i rest my case.

as far as jack-centric continuity goes, most of s15 is full of holes and barely makes any connection or callback to any events from 14x18—20 (mind you jack was on tv for swallowing a fake faith healer up in a sinkhole, and iirc chuck didn’t reverse any of his damage past 14x20). like it always bothered me when everybody gathered in that warded silo, Bobby and AU people and jack all in a confined space, nothing came of it. even jack just suddenly being alive and in the bunker again didn’t have an impact, especially on the other hunters who were previously out to kill him? no phone calls to Sam and Dean? no confrontation in the confined silo that nobody can currently leave? where is the closure?

jack even mentions bobby in Gimme Shelter with the signup sheet — ‘Bobby taught me how to box’ — it’s very small and insignificant but it also kind of strikes me, like, jack still values the relationships he had before even after it’s been severed. Idk. This turned into way more of a ramble than I meant it to. Have fun reading it!

[shallowseeker]

THESIS: AU Bobby is more like John than OG Bobby. He's a soldier. That's why it makes sense to me that OG Mary wound up gravitating to him.

He's the John-version of Bobby Singer! (I don't actually think she'd gravitate to OG Bobby Singer.) After Mary dies, he essentially becomes John-coded with regards to Jack:

Bobby: About that. I liked the kid. We fought together. But there's only one way this ends. ... Bobby: If his human side is gone, you know what's left -- Lucifer. Now, if you boys want to sit around and talk, fine. But me? I'm gonna get on the horn to some of my people and go find that boy. ... Bobby: An unstoppable monster who don't know right from wrong gets put down -- or the closest we can get to it. And anybody who don't know that needs to go back to school. 14x19

Mary gravitates towards soldiers who make her feel safe. She and Dean both chafe when faced with authoritarian-King-type characters:

DEAN: And that's what you offered them, a chance to stroke your ego? And you wonder why they said no. Well, we've got something better – a plan. Now, you can sit on the sidelines and watch the world die, or you can fight. (CROWLEY considers.) DEAN: You know, to be king again, maybe you need to remember how to be a soldier. 11x22

Tragically, because they were raised with an ingrained value of heroism, they're often more comfortable with being in the fight, especially one with clear rules.

MARY: I’m not going back. DEAN: I’m sorry. What? MARY: I fought beside these people. I respect them. I respect their cause. You can’t expect me to just abandon them. SAM: No, Mom, that’s not -- You heard what Lucifer said. We have 31 hours -- MARY: I -- Sam...Dean...I know what you went through to come find me. [Dean scoffs at that. He is obviously upset.] MARY: But these people are being slaughtered. They need me here. 13x22

As for the fight itself, finding the right cause or being in a purgatory where the enemies are clearly delineated is a very tempting allure for all of them (indeed, all of us). We all want to back the winner, whether that's the strongest or the rightest.

SAM: Getting these groups to enlist and then work together, it's not gonna be easy. DEAN: Couldn't you just compel them? CHUCK: I invented free will for a reason. DEAN: So we're tying our hands on principle? CHUCK: No, you can't make an effective soldier by force. They have to choose this fight. DEAN: But they're gonna want to know they're backing a winner. LUCIFER (indicates CHUCK): So… 11x22

Anyway, both Dean and Mary gravitate towards soldiers, but they specifically fall in love with soldiers who, despite fighting a war (in Castiel's case, a war that waged on for billions of years), still retain their sense of hope and kindness.

MARY: Even after the war, after everything, he still believes in happily ever after, you know? He's everything a hunter isn't. (beat) No offense.

Hunters believe that it's going to end one way. But the Henry-and-John-and-Cas coded idealism combats that, somewhat. They believe in the future. If they believe in the future, then Mary and Dean can believe in that future, too. (CAS: "You have to believe you can do better, be better. You can start being good anytime. DEAN echoes this with Jack: "Every day, we have to believe we can get better.")

Anyway, these dutiful, rock-solid idealists soothe some of that inner nihilism that both Mary and Dean struggle with.

///

But!

After Mary, John was destroyed. He didn't believe in anything anymore. (He was supposed to be invincible, incorruptible, at least in Mary's eyes.) John without Mary rampaged the world in the name of a corrupt cause, neglecting his children but "doing what he had to do" to keep them safe.

On the flipside, when she returned, we got to see a Mary without John. She was so horrified by the smoldering remains of the John she knew, of the death of the idealized future for her children, that she went looking for a new cause too. That's what the British MoL was all about. It was Mary's answer to nihilism. She also neglected her family by "doing what she had to do" to keep them safe.