#tfw + war

[shallowseeker]

It's not Sam's fault that Lucifer got out of the cage in season 11. It's Castiel's.

I mean, yes? I'm not here to assign blame solely to one person. What I'm saying is that Sam's rousing "I'm not your bitch," speech is sometimes held up as proof that Sam would never have given into Lucifer in this moment, and my reading is this: that's clearly not the case. Even if he hadn't given in, when you back up a sec and look at the actual situation in 11x10 The Devil is in the Details, it's Sam who's backed them into a corner (and Sam is cognizant of that):

(Image from Mikael)

==My brother will protect me==

One, Sam feels confident in part because he has an older brother/parent figure he thinks will come rushing in to protect him. This support fills him with resolve and bravado. Sam knows that even if he screws up? His family will be a soft place to fall, to borrow a modern parenting term. It's the hope speaking:

SAM: Yeah. You’ll taunt me and you’ll, ah, torture me, and I’ll say no. And eventually, sooner than you think, my brother’s gonna walk through that door and kick your ass. LUCIFER (laughing): Dean? You’re betting on Dean? SAM: I always have.

Is it nice that he has faith in the support of his brother? Absolutely. I mean, it feels nice. But let's look at the facts, Sam went off on his own and put himself in a dangerous position. He was manipulated by Rowena, so it's not like he did this on purpose.

But the consequence of his risky play is that his family now feels the pressure to step in to protect him, because they love him. This is an eloquent nod to the theme of, "You're free to make your own choices, but the reality is that your choices don't affect just you." Every member of TFW makes that mistake. Hell, nearly every major character makes that mistake!

///

==Dean and Cas aren't in any shape to fight==

As Sam rushes to try to solve the issue on his own, Dean is reeling from grace poisoning, and he's been suffering from his uncomfortable link to The Darkness. And Cas certainly was not ready to fight.

Back in 11x06 Our Little World, Dean voices his concern about Cas, and Sam said it would be, quote, "insane" to leave such a strong fighter on the bench.

Sam’s impatient. Just like he needs Dean to process quick and get off the bench, he also wants needs this from Cas:

DEAN: Well... finding her victims is still the best shot we got at finding her. SAM: Not actually true. (Sam and Dean look at each other across the hood of the Impala. Sam raises his eyebrows and looks at Dean expectantly) DEAN: Oh, what? You think he's ready? He's had a pretty rough go of it lately. SAM: Which one of us hasn't? Seems insane to leave our one and only angel friend on the bench. DEAN: (Resigned) I'll call him.

…

(The scene switches back and forth between Castiel sitting in the bunker and Dean pacing back and forth in front of the Impala as they talk. Sam is waiting in the background)

Dean knows Cas is not ready, but he calls him anyway. Although Cas is stealing Sam's room, Cas is Dean's spouse partner friend. Dean shoulders the decision, and Sam comfortably can be backseat driver in order to sidestep any consequences if this is a bad leadership move.

Now, could Dean and Cas have said no? Yes, they're responsible for their own decisions, sure. But the pressure to support despite floundering mental health is a tough familial dynamic nonetheless.

(Castiel sighs as Dean hangs up. Dean looks at his phone, shakes his head, and walks toward Sam who is on his phone.)

///

==Then, Sam goes for Lucifer's bait==

Sam falls for Lucifer's "God talking to you," shtick, and Rowena double-crosses them. Lucifer yanks Sam into the cage. Again, it's not about fault. But he and Dean had a conversation about this, and Dean is uneasy and warns him under no circumstances is he to go to the Cage:

DEAN: Can we focus on the big picture here okay? Can Sam meet with Lucifer or not? SAM: In the Cage. DEAN: No, not in the Cage. That’s not going to happen. SAM: Okay, then I don’t meet with Lucifer. Dean, we can’t let him out.

Sam takes Rowena to the bunker to research safe ways to chat the Cage from a safe distance, and Dean goes out to investigate Amara's massacres. Rowena puts pressure and pokes at Sam's impatience, luring him directly to the cage under the promise that it's safe: "It's now or never, Sam."

///

Then, Dean gets wind of the situation going sideways and calls Cas, because Cas is a critical component of Dean's support system:

DEAN: Hey Cas, I know you’re fighting the good fight right now, but, ah, I need you at Third and Pine, Kenesaw, Nebraska, because, ah, I’m going to Hell. Dean knocks on the door of a building and a slot window opens.

///

The rest is history. Sam goes to the cage, Lucifer yanks him inside, and after that, Sam, rather admirably, stands up to Lucifer. It's bright, it's quirky, it... doesn't change the reality of the situation.

SAM: Is it? Really? 'Cause this is what I think, I think that whoever wins, you or the Darkness, everyone else loses. So, no. My answer is no. This isn't because of Dean, or the past, this is about me having faith in my friends, having faith in my family. We will find a way. I'm ready to die and I'm ready to watch people I love die, but I'm not ready to be your bitch. LUCIFER: Okay, plan B. Lucifer punches Sam, who cries out and falls to the ground. His cries are heard in the adjacent room, where Rowena is still working on the spell. DEAN: Sam! Dean and Castiel run out of the room, heading to Sam’s aid.

///

==At Sam's anguished, cry, here comes the fam==

At first glance, Sam does not give into the time-honored SPN trap of, "I and I alone can fix this." On second look, it's clear that he already has. In believing he was God's chosen, and in acting impatiently at the behest of Rowena, Sam's already inside a sprung trap.

No amount of "brave Sammy talk" will change that.

This leaves Dean and Cas scrambling to get to Hell to save him, and when Lucifer hurts Sam, here they come barreling in. Because psychologically, this is how we work. To us, our families and loved ones are our little world, and that's what we work to protect:

Lucifer punches Sam in the face twice and he falls heavily against the bars of the cell, raising his hands to defend himself from more blows. CAS: Hey, ass-butt! Lucifer turns to face Dean and Castiel. LUCIFER: Dean, ah, the other one. (Lucifer snaps his fingers and they are all in the cell.) Welcome to the party. Sam gasps and chokes on his blood. Lucifer faces off with Dean and Castiel. LUCIFER: Scared? DEAN: Not even a little. Castiel gets out his angel blade, preparing to fight.

And right after his rousing speech, Sam actually loses his gutsy spirit. Now, he's pretty shook, because his family is suddenly in danger, too.

DEAN: Are you okay? SAM: Yeah. Lucifer and Castiel are still struggling. LUCIFER: You know I’m right Castiel. You know it? (Castiel continues to struggle.) You wanna play that way? (Lucifer punches Castiel.) SAM (despairing): We can’t win. DEAN: We don’t have to win. We’ve just gotta last a few minutes. Lucifer continues to punch Castiel.

///

==Then, Lucifer plays dirty==

In the cell, Dean and Sam rush to Castiel's aid, punching Lucifer, trying to hold out until Rowena performs the spell. Lucifer is restrained by Sam, while Dean punches him. LUCIFER (mocking): You hit like a human. Lucifer kicks Dean across the cell, and then turns to punch Sam. Both go down. Castiel joins in but Lucifer puts him down too. Sam gets to his feet, only to get an elbow to the face from Lucifer. Dean tries again, but he goes back down. Lucifer kicks Sam in the stomach. Dean bounces back up, but Lucifer grabs him around the neck and slams him against the bars on the cell. Dean grimaces, as Lucifer lifts him off the ground. Dean is choking. Lucifer looks around at Sam, who is in pain, lying on the floor, covered in blood. LUCIFER: Alright Sam, I’m gonna make this real easy for you. You say the magic word or your brother dies... and we both know you won’t let that happen.

And JUST as Sam is about to have to reckon with that choice? This happens:

In the cell, Castiel charges at Lucifer, allowing Dean to get out of his clutches. Lucifer punches Castiel repeatedly, as Rowena continues on the spell. Castiel falls to the ground and Lucifer stands over him, putting his foot on top of Castiel’s angel blade. Rowena says the incantation: Anan avar karvak! LUCIFER (to Castiel): So, last words...

I'm not a gambling man, but given Sam's doubt in the very next scene and Dean's mortal dilemma, I'm at least 95% sure he was about to say yes. And even if he wasn't, he's still culpable for this plan gone wrong! And if Cas hadn't been there, one of them would very likely be a vessel, or one or both or all three of them would be dead. That's an important context to this whole situation.

Quick note: Crowley feels responsible for this, too, which is why he works to help in season 12.

///

==The "choice" was not clear-cut==

Here's Sam, some minutes later, still second-guessing his choice. (Also, I'm bolding his cute half-salute, because Sam, for once, seems very, very aware of how much Cas just made the difference in them getting out alive):

DEAN [to CAS] (softly): You alright? CAS: I think so. I will be. DEAN: You want me to give you a lift? CAS: No, you two go on ahead. I’ll catch up. DEAN: Okay. Dean walks to the impala. Castiel watches him go, with a half-smile. Sam gives him a half-salute goodbye. Sam and Dean get inside the impala. SAM: Is he alright? DEAN: Tough day. SAM: Yeah. Tell me about it. DEAN: You good? SAM: I don’t know. I mean what if Lucifer was telling the truth, you know, what if he’s the only...

Later, Sam is actually pretty decently supportive letting of Lucifer and Cas try against Amara. It’s “the smart choice.” I’d wager Sam is pragmatically relieved that he gets to give Lucifer a shot, without running his own personal risk.

///

I guess all I'm saying is, it's not so simple as "brave Sammy mouthed off to Lucifer and was a hero that never gave in!" I'm just saying, don't put so much stock in Sam's feisty lil' speech that it blinds you to the actual situation: Sam made a bad gamble.

Dean got caught in a chokehold, and a mentally unstable/psychologically wounded Cas stepped in to shield them both. Thus began a domino effect of bad TFW decisions.

(Aside// Later, Sam says he's respecting Cas's sacrifice, but I'd wager a tiny, pragmatic voice in the back of his head hopes Lucifer will beat the Darkness--that he'll win without Sam having to bear the brunt of the consequences! It's only human to hope for that.)

///

And to be fair to Sam... Post-season 11, he doesn't shrug off this responsibility. When subsequently talking about Lucifer, he labels it a shared responsibility (in order to muster stronger peer support and better in-group mental health). I don't always agree with Sam making things a group sin, but in this case, I think he's right that it's not all Castiel's fault.

It's the fans that want it to be a cookie-cutter, black-and-white, solely Castiel's fault kinda deal, and I think it's just...myopic.

[shallowstories]

AU Earth was Mary Winchester's Purgatory. It was war. She was useful and full of purpose for the first time since her Resurrection.

That's why she wanted to stay.

///

(This time, Dean's the one who gives up, who gives into despair and completely checks out of life: hopeless and in pain and without faith and believing in nothing. And Sam's the one who keeps looking.)

[snawleyy]

[mirensiart]

I think the zelda au @/linkeduniverse comic is cool

anyway, here’s my two fave links 🥹💖

[ominouspuff]

Darth Maul + Pokémon if you feel like it? :)

Kenobi sighting

Fantastic choices, this one was fun. Thanks for playing @gwynfish!

[tomialtooth]

Thinking about Adler and Park giving bell personality traits that make him easier to control and accidentally end up making bell a really likable person to the extent that even they find themselves falling for it even though they know it's not real. Bell is amicable, polite, professional, eager to please, deferential towards perceived authority and all together pleasant to interact with, as designed.

Coupled with them having to interact with bell daily means that it's hard to maintain the distance they need. Imagine having to fabricate a personality for your brainwashed puppet and you accidentally make them so likable that you fall for it.

[agir1ukn0w]

MANNY!!!!!!!!!!🥵

[cedyat]

Reference and a bonus video under the cut (did you know you can't upload more than 1 video in a post? Cause I didn't 🫠)

Bonus video of me repenting for my sins for forgetting a certain someone...

[riddlemearose]

Phoning a Friend

Warriors watches the two Champions blearily, forcing his eyes to stay focused on them. He knows one is the Shadow but he can’t let himself entertain the possibilities of who the other one is. For now, he has to think of it nothing more than another potential enemy.

The one with the odd spear that gleams gold, its green gem ornaments clinking softly against the shaft as he twirls it, keeps himself between Warriors and the twisted Champion. The golden spear spins and spins, batting away a sickening dark blade every time the bloodstained, withered Champion tries to break through his guard.

Watching the spinning spear is actually making Warriors feel nauseous. Well, he mentally amends that to ‘more nauseous’, glancing down at the blood spreading across his tunic.

And this weird noise, whatever it is, isn’t helping! There’s something heavy weighing the clearing down, pressing into Warriors’ skin.

All he can hear is this pulsing loud tick tick tick in his ears, accompanied by an odd warping sensation in his limbs.

It’s magic, he knows that much, but he’s never felt it before and has no idea which Champion it may be coming from, if it even is either of them casting the spell.

He turns his head to spit out a mouthful of blood and it feels like the movement takes an eternity to complete.

So either his blood loss is more severe than he thought, or there’s something else going on.

The spear-wielding Champion darts backwards, his grip along the spear finally shifting into a proper stance, grinning wildly.

Ha, Warriors is hilarious.

A large shining gem sitting at the dip of the first Champion's throat lights his face up from below, all deep shadows and softened edges. He’s breathing heavily, a slight tremble visible in his fingers as he readjusts his grip.

The other Champion across from them makes a sweeping gesture with its withered arm and something red and alive spurs into life, lunging forward. The shape twists, absorbing what remains of the rotted flesh, and large, monstrous fingers stretch into existence. They reach through the darkness for the first Champion, wicked under the moonlight.

The first Champion raises the spear slightly in response, his grin vanishing as it's smothered under a blank, smooth expression that Warriors refuses to recognise. The fingers, the vile magic, get closer to his face, closing the distance rapidly—

And Time shoots out of the bushes, the Biggoron sword catching the moonlight as it arcs through the air and severs the arm from withered Champion's body. The arm hits the ground and melts into a writhing pool of furious magic, thrashing around that Champion’s feet.

The ticking in Warriors’ ears stops so abruptly he's thrown off-kilter, reeling at the sudden silence left in its wake.

Time glances at him, a quick look filled with concern and worry, then shifts his gaze to the spear-wielding Champion — Wild, Warriors lets himself finally acknowledge.

Dozens of micro-expressions fly rapidly across Time's face before he finally decides on grim determination.

���That,” he says in an almost wobbly tone of voice, taking up stance next to Wild, “is loud.”

“Yeah, I’ve been told. Sorry about that.” Wild agrees, still focused on the withered copy of himself standing in front of them. He shoots Time a small grin, barely there but blindingly obvious if you know what to look for. “Worked though.”

Time lets out a quiet huff of laughter, his own small smile twitching across his face. He shifts, sword held tightly in both hands. "You're definitely not wrong about that, Wild. When we get back to camp, you'll have to tell me how you managed to make your magic even louder than it already was."

[citrine-elephant]

some joke about marcus being extremely sheltered despite practically living with dom as family

[human-rocket]

WIP Wednesdayyyy

She’s very done

[shallowseeker]

when jack said "can you tell them i'm sorry" about the angels being angry i fell in love with him as a character. he's just a little guy!!!

Imagine. You're a new life and one of your earlier emotions? Being sorry.

After hearing angelic voices, perhaps he's hearing their anger, their panic... and he's sorry for being born. Or perhaps he's just sorry for hurting the people who'd been kind to him, for the people caught up in his out-of-control power.

//

//

///

[Sam is also visibly relieved, as Jack sits on the cot opposite him and folds his legs up criss cross applesauce style] JACK: I'm sorry. SAM (confused): What? JACK: Will you tell them that I'm sorry? SAM: Yeah. Sure. Of course. (long pause) 13x01

///

Then Jack gets stabbed and:

...is confused, then horrified.

After all, the other person who got stabbed this episode?

Not exactly fine.

Jack looks on as Sheriff Barker rushes Clark out of the building, Clark suffering from a severe stab wound from the exact same kind of weapon.

Jack notices.

Notices how different he and Clark are.

///

So in 13x02, he's still struggling with that blossoming realization, that horror:

Jack already knows:

This appeal is for a reassurance that can't be given...

Something about godforsaken monsters and their little monsters. It's so painful.

But also so reminiscent of another moment of unsettling, possibly evil, intrinsic invulnerability:

There's something so piercing about this off-key parallel.

My brother thinks you can* be saved & You don't believe that // You don't think you deserve to be saved

[spicynectarines]

I’m on a Thrawn frenzy today it seems

[shakespeareallanpoe]

*Damian, lounging on Nightwing's chair in the bat cave petting Titus*

Jamie over the intercom: "Damian! Some anti-demon cult intercepted Raven during patrol and they're going to kill her! A fight started up downtown and I'm requesting immediate backup stat!!"

Damian, internally: Those morons. She'll kick their asses real fast. Knock them down habibiti 🥰

Damian, out loud: "Tt. Lol."

- Later -

Jamie: "Raven, I called Damian for backup earlier tonight when you were in trouble and he snickered. I'm just telling you this as a friend but I don't think he really cares..."

Raven, washing blood off her hands: "I was in trouble? When?"

[ominouspuff]

Gift-piece for @ghosts-of-rishi for some ideas we were playing around with. Fives discovering Echo is alive but possibly even more cursed than they already were.

They say there’s no good that can come from making deals with the Piper, but what Jango’s after is hardly what most people’d call ‘good’.

(Featuring Cursed!Jango, who went looking for a son in the wrong places, made a deal with a sea-god, double-crossed said sea-god, and now has three million cursed children.)

“Flesh and blood, you said,” the sea-witch taunted, gloated, condemned. And they are, they are — Jango’s split up, every bit of him, flesh and blood he never even had, divided between every blessed child — but no amount of clever carving of meat can account for a soul, and that’s the real curse. It is not Jango, not Jango alone, who is caged within the unnatural ribs and skull and pounding veins. “Watch them grow, fool; nurture them.” The sea-witch sentenced, and Jango does, he does; silently screaming, unable to separate himself from a single one, unable to sleep even when they sleep, too split up in too many inhuman ways to speak or think beyond wishing it was over… but they know he’s there, and speak to him sometimes. He can hear them cursing, over three million souls better left dead at the bottom of the seas, plucked and borrowed and wiped clean with new flesh sewn together. Why didn’t you leave us be? One is sobbing because he knows he should be dead and they say that’s as good as being at peace, and he is neither of those things.

His children are his spitting image, but they have old, old eyes and no memories of how they came to be that way, and there are three million of them — and not a soul that ever knew Jango Fett before — before — before — can explain it. He watches them all try through six million eyes.

[agir1ukn0w]

love how these are my top posts😂👌