I'd say a bit different than a drunk someone initiating sex. Yes, there's the "drunk on alcohol/power" but until we know more, these are the souls of creatures who were by and large less moral than the average joe, vamps and werewolves and rugarus, etc.. It's more than just body chemistry being altered, there's the possibility that there's outside (or in this case, inside) influence on Castiel's actions.

I don't think that vamps and werewolves are less moral. Vamps are predators and werewolves and rugarus are mindless predators. But that's probably hairsplitting. I mean, your point that they have an influence isn't lessened by that.

However, in my head, he's drunk on power. He was doing really shitty things before he ate the souls. It's not like the switch flipped at the eclipse. He killed Rachel and Balthazar before he ate anything.

Head for the Exits [link] by temporalranger

How the fuck did I miss that? I betaed the art!

True, he was doing pretty shitty things, killing his allies, before ate Purgatory. But I don't think he would have told Dean and Sam, after he'd completed the objective that was the end to all those shitty means, that he'd kill them if they didn't worship him or swear loyalty and love. But I also think that maybe we'll really have to wait until Show gives us a better idea of how much the souls affect him, whether they're acting just as fuel, or if there is some sentient influence in there as well.

Superhero BB is losing me. Gabriel just showed up, and I swear he wasn't this annoying on the show, Ruby is a cat (I really get offended when any character is relegated to pet status, no matter how much you hate the character. I don't know which is worse, relegating a fan- chated character to dumb pet status, or incorporating an important and character-loved character and relegating them to loved pet status (Jess is Sam's horse!)) and Sam is offscreen as an addict. Not only is he not in Dean's life, he's still an addict. I think this was written by someone who only watches for the D/C. We'll see if Sam is brought forward into the story and he ends up as Gabriel's true love. Ugh.

But I don't think he would have told Dean and Sam, after he'd completed the objective that was the end to all those shitty means, that he'd kill them if they didn't worship him or swear loyalty and love.

But different things had happened to him by then. Before Dean and Sam betrayed him, he used them as bait. They betrayed him, he gained incredible power.

I'm not saying he's unaltered--but I am saying that it's *Cas* that made that decision. He's had a god fixation for most of the time we've known him. If Gabriel tried to assume the role, I'd think it was a change in character. Not Castiel. Having a God is very important to him, and suddenly he has power to change reality? And he's pretty crazed? Totally segues for me.

I'm starting the superhero story. Well, I will say the art's good! I totally don't know if I'm good enough to beta consistently (there are things that have been done for me that I can't do for other people), but it was an interesting and rewarding process, and she's an incredibly talented artist, so I'm flattered she even listened.

eta: Did you read the DC_everafter where *Sam* was Dean's horse?

Did you read the DC_everafter where *Sam* was Dean's horse?

wtf no! But I've proven fairly allergic to the ever after fics. I need insulin shots for those /mixes metaphors

That's just, so so wrong. No. No. They are equals. Sam is not Dean's beast of burden. That sounds like the shittiest sidelining "but he's still in the story and always between Dean's legs at Dean's side!"

I actually haven't been able to bring myself to rewatch the finale, if only because I'm offended by the misused Dutch Angle to close in on Castiel's nostrils.

I think I need to see what happens next with Cas before I can wrap my head around Godstiel. It was just a glimpse, and I need more. For that to be an honest cliffhanger, the next scene, if Dean and Sam and Bobby don't capitulate, involves Cas turning them to chunky soup. Unless there's more to this God!Cas than presented.

The horse wasn't named Samuel--it was named Sampson. But Dean called it Sammy the whole way through. I...just...you could leave him out, you know? Great art, though--dag_prime.

How do you *misuse* a Dutch Angle?

By staring too intently up someone's nose? I didn't find Cas menacing with that angle (maybe it wasn't so much the camera angle as it was the flat lighting), more, silly looking.

I've never met a camera angle that could turn me off an entire hour of TV if I liked the episode, but I'm not that sensitive.

Sometimes I feel people that write one of the Winchesters as an addict doesn't take into consideration that we know Dean's an alcoholic, we had a season of Sam's blood habit, and indications that John abused the bottle himself. They're a family of substance abusers. So often John's a prick, or Sam's an asshole, or Dean's a suffering martyr of addiction--it never seems to all be handled in perspective of all the male Winchesters.

Not that I enjoy moralistic addiction stories anyway. But given that I read mostly D/C, Dean's too often the hero dealing with a father or brother, or if it's gedry, his abuse is painted in a very different way from how the show handles it.

Me no likey.

I'm being mostly facetious by blaming my not rewatching on a camera angle, but it's my take-away. Awesome badass painful episode, but the final image is one I can't take seriously.

Superhero BB: Sam hasn't shown back up yet, nor Gabriel, and I wonder what was the point, as I'm almost done.

Aw crap, spoke too soon.