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thevoidstaredback · 18 days

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Okay, so, crisis averted. Both of them, really. Red Robin had not asked or attempted to get any more of Danny's drink and the World Ending Crisis was less World Ending and more World Threatening. Either way, no one is hyped up in lethal amounts of caffeine and the world is in no more pieces than it had been before.

That brings attention to a new problem, though. It's uniquely Danny's problem and Constantine and Zatanna and Deadman won't stop laughing at him. He's also pretty sure that Raven is laughing at him in the privacy of her mind, so that's making him feel worse.

The problem is that every single hero that had been at the meeting a week ago that was not a part of the JLD has been overly concerned about him.

So what if he half died when he was fourteen and therefore will never look over either fourteen or eighteen? So what if he consumes enough caffeine to kill an elephant within a few minutes? What is he gonna do, die? That's not a real threat as long as he only fights as Phantom.

Ignoring the fact that he can, in fact, get hurt to the point of near death as Phantom. It's not like anyone knows that, though! Besides, ghosts run on god rules. They can't die, only fade when forgotten. People aren't likely to forget about most ghosts, though, even if they can't remember their names.

He's not gonna share that, though. Let Batman keep his contingency that won't work because the only contingency that will work for Phantom is the one he made himself. Tried and tested! He's marked it off of his Bingo Card.

Anyway. Heros and their kids/proteges have been trying to track him down for the entire week. He can't risk even leaving the House of Mysteries because the Supers are all probably listening out for him and they can't hear him through magic. It sucks. He just wants to go get a cup of coffee as Danny. The second he leaves, though, the Supers will be on him like bloodhounds. He'd leave as Danny, but the rest of the JLD don't know what he looks like as Danny and he'd like to keep it that way, thank you very much. Being stuck as Phantom was going to start causing issues to his human half if he doesn't get to leave soon.

Should he risk it? Is coffee that won't kill him really worth risking the Supers finding out his civilian identity? Sure, they wouldn't tell anyone, but he didn't like the idea of someone being able to pick him out of a crowd when all he wanted to do was blend in. It's why he avoided Gotham and Bludhaven, actually, but that's both self explanatory and another story for another time.

"You're still here?" Zatanna sat on the couch beside him. "You're normally gone by now. You can't not be tired of us yet."

He sighed and sunk down into the couch slightly. "Believe me, I'm tired of being stuck here, but I can't leave. I can't leave as a human because you guys don't know what I look like and, no offense, but I'd like to keep it that way. I can't leave as I am now because Superman will be on my ass quicker than I can blink!" He whined this time, "I just want a cup of coffee."

"What about your special brew?" Raven asked, coming into the room.

"I want to drink coffee as a human. That stuff will kill me if I drink it as a human."

"At least you know your limits."

"That sounded like a dig at someone, Z."

"It was."

"Why don't you just go out under a protection spell?" Raven offered, "We could cast one over you and you could leave. Superman can't hear through magic, so he won't be able to tell. Neither will Superboy."

Danny thought for a second. "You're a genius, Raven! Has anyone ever told you that?"

"A few times," she blushed.

"Well, it needs to be said more!"

Zatanna laughed. "Alright, kid, let's get you outside before you drive yourself crazy."

Practically vibrating in place, Danny waited for the protection spell to settle over him. The second it did, he was out the door and wandering the streets of whatever city the House of Mysteries decided to drop him as Danny instead of Phantom.

"Who are you," was not the question or voice he wanted to hear the second he stepped into the open as himself.

"Danny," he squeaked out through his absolute panic. He didn't dare turn around.

The sound of fabric moving minutely clues him in to the second person behind him. What the hell were these two doing out? It's the middle of the day and there's no attacks going on anywhere in Gotham!

"Where did you come from?" Robin asked.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! This was really bad! Why did the House drop him *here* of all places? Does it *want* him to die again? It was very painful the first time, thank you very much! "Illinois?"

"Was that a question or an answer?" Why is Red Robin here now?!

"An-an answer?"

"Ah, you guys are scaring the little guy!" That was Nightwing. They're surrounding him! Why is Nightwing here? This is Gotham, not Bludhaven. "Give him some room to breathe."

They did not, in fact, give him room to breathe. Maybe coming outside was a bad idea. If he gets out of this no more dead than he already was, he was going to move to the middle of nowhere and become a hermit. Smallville is a town in the middle of nowhere, right? He'll retire as Phantom and move to Smallville until the people get suspicious and burn him as a witch-!

Maybe moving to a big city would be a better idea. Or locking himself in the basement of the House of Mysteries. Yeah, yeah that's a good idea.

"-even listening?"

Oh shit. They were still talking to him! Now is not the time to panic! "Gottagobye!" And then he was running.

Good job not panicking, Danny.

Part 1 Part 3

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thenightling · 1 year

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Why Morpheus won’t separate Cain and Abel to save Abel

Before The Sandman was a thing, long, long ago Cain and Abel were old Horror anthology comic hosts. Cain hosted The House of Mystery. Abel hosted the House of Secrets. Cain, Abel, Eve, Lucien, The Hecate, The mad Mod witch, and even Destiny were all old horror anthology hosts. Cain and Abel were the DC equivalent of the Crypt Keeper and The Vault Keeper from EC comics. They would antagonize each other but ultimately loved each other and The Crypt Keeper (In this case Cain) usually would best his brother in their competitions and mischief against each other. In The Sandman they are the personifications of the idea of Cain and Abel. Lucifer respect's Cain's mark but it's also suggested that they are also Romulus and Remus and in Tales in The Sand we see their forms change based on what the human dreamer expects to see. They were black for Nada. Eve even says "I'm not really your mother." to Cain. In the context of The Sandman Morpheus made their existences as comfortable as possible. Cain and Abel would exist as a pair with or without him. They're a set of architypes. They are characters of story. They were likely created by the collective human unconscious, the very idea of who Cain and Abel are supposed to be. That's why Daniel was able to re-create Abel when The Kindly Ones killed him in a way he would not revive from.

Cain and Abel are two parts of a whole. They are incomplete without each other and deeply suffer if one is missing. It's not a normal human abusive relationship. They are two parts of a story. Imagine if half your body was missing. That's how one feels without the other. They literally need each other or they feel incomplete. Neil used them as an allegory for domestic abuse but that doesn't mean they can be resolved like an actual codependent domestic abuse situatution. No amount of therapy can fix them and to sesparate them would only make them suffer far worse than Cain's routine killings. If Cain isn't there Abel is likely to start killing himself to compensate or seek harm some other way and no amount of therapy will fix that. With Cain however there's the promise that the story will reset within a few hours and they can enjoy some tea together or tell a scary story to a visitor. Ultimately the real tragedy is that they love each other but Cain is a slave to the story he must act out. And Abel, being the keeper of secrets, knows this. It's a compulsion. When he says Cain can't help it, he means it. It's not like an abusive husband where he can learn to control himself. He simply MUST fulfil the story. He has no choice. The need to kill to Abel will over come him. Sometimes Cain feels bad about it (that's why he gave him Goldie's egg in the comics). Sometimes he tries to make light of it like they are back in their horror host days. Sometimes he tries to do it quickly so they can go back to being kind to each other. ("I'll see myself out. It's your turn to make dinner.")

Morpheus was never cruel to them by keeping them together. He wasn't "enabling abuse." Saying you can't forgive him keeping them together is to badly misunderstand the situation. They would seek each other with or without him. And the collective human unconscious NEEDS them. They embody a type of story. Not only that but they are nightmare weavers. They create nightmares. Cain introduces himself as such when he's nursing Morpheus back to health in The Sandman issue 2 (Chapter 2) Imperfect hosts. The Dreaming NEEDS them. Cain creates all the Nightmares that are mysterious. Abel creates the ones that hide secrets. They are the keepers of Mystery and Secrets.

Caitlin R. Kiernan went even further with her version of The Dreaming (though it’s no longer canon) to suggest that if one went missing humans would go mad. Without Cain a primal violent urge in humanity would rise and cause a spike self-harm, abuses, and murder. Cain was, according to her, a vicarious outlet for those darker urges. This is not to say their situation is hopeless. No. An ex-friend of mine had a theory that as the collective idea of who Cain and Abel are evolves, so do they. And that means if a more popular version of them emerges where Cain doesn't want to kill his brother, or stops himself, that version will be what they embody. So there is a chance that one day they will change. Remember, Merv was once a Turniphead according to the The Tempest. Creatures of story change according to the collctive idea of that story. Morpheus knew that their story was a tragic and harsh one. He is not the cause of it. He is, however, the source of their only comfort. The promise that the story resets, that Abel always recovers and they can still have tea together later. That they can live side by side MOST of the time peacefully (When Cain isn't fulfilling his compulsive need to kill Abel). Abel, being the keepr of secrets, knows one great secret. That Cain does love him and can't bear to be without him. And that's why he puts up with it. Their story is a cruel one but Morpheus didn't cause it. What he gave them is the comfort between the routines. Their big old haunted houses and graveyard where they can have tea and raise gargoyles together. It's the only comfort he can give them. To separate them would be far worse. Morpheus has done a lot of terrible and stupid things. Letting Cain and Abel house The Houses of Mystery and Secrets together is not one of them.

#Cain and Abel #The Sandman #Sandman #Neil Gaiman #Morpheus #Dream of The Endless #The House of Mystery #The House of Secrets

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celebratetheclassics · 2 years

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La Maison du mystère (1923) dir. Alexandre Volkoff

#the house of mystery #la maison du mystere #alexandre volkoff #film #classic film #classicfilmedit #classicfilmsource #classicfilmblr #silent film #silent era #french film #french cinema #1920s #gifset #my gifs

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comic-covers · 7 months

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(1974)

#The House Of Mystery #comic book #1974 #Luis Dominguez #cover art #horror comics #vintage #1970s #DC #comic books

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k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9 · 1 year

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#The House of Mystery #60's #pulp art #middle finger #fuck you #skeleton #mystery #terror #horror aesthetic #detail #details #1968 #comics #comic book #60s

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balu8 · 3 months

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The House of Mystery #196: The Alien Within Me

by Alex Toth

DC

#dc comics #the house of mystery #alex toth #reprint my greatest adventure

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inhousearchive · 10 months

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House-ad for House of Mystery (1951) #187.

#house-ad #70s #house of mystery #the house of mystery #alex toth #dc #dc comics #dcedit #comicedit #comicsedit

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all-action-all-picture · 6 months

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1973 ad for The House of Mystery Limited Collectors' Edition. Cover by Nick Cardy.

#1973 #nick cardy #dc #dc comics #the house of mystery #limited collectors' edition #halloween

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antleredandy · 9 months

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Cain, the caretaker of the House of Mystery.

"The House of Gargoyles," written by Jack Oleck and illustrated by Jack Sparling, originally published in The House of Mystery issue 175 (1968)

#vintage horror #cain #dc comics #vintage comics #horror comics #jack sparling #jack oleck #the house of mystery

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outismm · 2 years

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House of Secrets and House of Mystery my beloveds <3

#the house of secrets #the house of mystery #sandman #the sandman #the sandman netflix #screencaps #🏠 Squinkleberry Muffins #🏡 The Able Caretaker #sandman spoilers #I REALLY LOVE HOW THEY LOOK IN THE SHOW #the ambience... the vibes... the little moat-lake surrounding their little area.... i am so obsessed #like yeah thats. the perfect place to drink tea and listen to two weird men tell you scary stories

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wiccantwav · 2 years

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Constantine (Dc Showcase: Constantine) - Icons

Don't repost, that's not cool.

Like or Reblog if u Save.

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thenightling · 1 year

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In 2017 the animated series Justice League: Action released an eleven minute Halloween episode called Trick or Threat. Paul Dini (who is a big fan of the Sandman) couldn't resist dusting off a character who had never appeared in animation before. The House of Mystery's version of Cain.

This animated series portrayal of Cain brought him back to his horror host roots. Remember, in his days as host of The House of Mystery horror anthology comics he was DC's answer to the Crypt Keeper.

Here he was voiced by Trevor Devall and he was perfect. Very Vincent Prince-esque as Cain should be though he wasn't an actual Vincent Price impersonation. That wouldn't come until Michael Roberts' version of Cain for The Sandman audio drama.

Frustratingly this was a MUCH more accurate portrayal of DC's Cain than the version in the TV show Lucifer.

Plot of the episode: Some trick or treaters find themselves in The House of Mystery.

It turns out these are members of The Justice League under an enchantment to look and think that they are children. Klarion The Witch Boy intends for them to be trapped in The House of Mystery when it has to return to the realm of Nightmares at midnight on Halloween Night.

Paul Dini does a good job of linking the shaky New 52 lore to the classic House of Mystery by having it be Cain who leaves John Constantine the key to The House of Mystery.

Here are all the clips of Cain mashed together.

youtube

#Cain #The House of Mystery #The Sandman #Sandman #Paul Dini #Neil Gaiman #Justice League #Justice League: Action #Youtube

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celebratetheclassics · 11 months

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La Maison du mystère (Alexandre Volkoff, 1923)

#La maison du mystere #the house of mystery #alexandre volkoff #ivan mosjoukine #charles vanel #classic film #classicfilmblr #classicfilmsource #silent film #silent era #silent cinema #french film #french cinema #1920s oc #my gifs

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secondgenerationnerd · 10 months

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Happy solstice! Just some magic fam headcannons for this day:

Zatanna and Zachary spend time in the green rooms (special rooms in the House of Mystery for their plants). They gather herbs and vegetables for their feast that night.

They drop the house in a meadow, so there’s space to connect with nature.

When he’s little, Zachary spends all day outside, running around or playing football (soccer as Mum calls it) with his parents.

They make a little alter and place sweets on it for the fae, as a show of respect.

Once he’s old enough, John and Zatanna teach him how to set intentions for the upcoming season

They invite some allies to join them, but most constant is Jason Blood.

Zachary gears up for weeks leading up to seeing his Uncle Jason 😂 anything he can do to annoy the old man, who’s actually fond of him.

The year after he joins YJL, Zachary invites his team and their families. He explained it like “Magic bonfire”. Not “all day rituals starting at dawn”

It’s one of those times Zachary opens up and lets people see what matters to him the most.

#zachary zatara #zatanna zatara #john constantine #magicfam #dc headcanon #Jason blood #the house of mystery

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pandorasboxofhorrors · 4 months

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#the house of mystery

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texasthrillbilly · 2 years

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#blue beetle #ted kord #the question #victor sage #constantine #the house of mystery #dc comics

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