#I hope if there’s an afterlife that he’s happy

[atrwriting]

epilogue – a jackson j. maybank story

hi everyone

****major obx season four spoilers ahead****do not even thinkkkk of pushing past this line if you have not seen the latest season

ok now that only season four viewers are here -- holy smokes. i will never recover. wtf. literally wtf. i had to write this because i needed closure. im hurting all over and i dont even know what to say. here is how i deal with the death of this very sweet boy who deserved so much fucking better

summary: jj meets his mother in the afterlife.

warnings: mentions of death, depression, loss of hope, anxiety, the afterlife

here's epilogue:

He didn’t realize it was supposed to feel like this. 

This… whatever this is. 

Fucking shit, he thought. He didn’t even know where he was.

The last thing he remembers is Kie.

There was an ache in his chest. 

A real ache. One he hasn’t felt since he was a kid. The type of ache that he felt when his – old? first? fake? – dad would kick him around. Busted lip and cheek, whatever he felt like should be on the menu that day. He realized then that he wished he would’ve been with Luke rather than Groff in his last few moments, because at least he could walk off whatever Luke had in store for him that day.

Groff, he scoffed in his head. 

The ache of missing Kie and his friends was beginning to mingle with his anger for Groff, his real dad.

It curdled in his chest – mixing with bile, blood, regret, guilt, shame, and anything else in his chest that would never get the chance to leave nor heal. It was grotesque and poisonous – spreading like sickness throughout his body – the only that reminded him that he was sentient.

Right, the present – where the fuck is he?

He whipped his head from side to side, like a scared animal in the forest. He had his legs spread shoulder width apart, defensive stance, and he had his elbows bent in front of him – he wouldn’t be bested twice, no – not after Groff, not after he already lost everything. 

This was different than when he was destroying the storefronts of that one street – he thought he had nothing to lose then, but he was wrong. So fucking wrong. He had never been so wrong before, and his friends had never been so right.

It was then that JJ Maybank realized that if he had just listened to Kie or any of his friends a little bit more… Maybe… Just maybe…

There was no “maybe.” Groff’s blade was the killing blow, but his recklessness had been the beginning of his own end. 

The end of his relationship.

The end of his friendships.

The end of any possibility of saving his business or home. 

The end of being a Godfather. 

The end of his own happiness. 

The end of any fucking chance he had in a world that never stopped to remind him that he was fucked from the beginning. 

All of that – and for what? For fucking what?

He died the exact way everyone said he would – because of his own stupidity.

That’s all folks, he thought. That’s the show. Most predictable fucking ending on this planet.

He felt the hot brew of emotion well from his chest rise into his throat, burning his esophagus like acid. It choked him. It beat his pain into his skin, blood, bones, organs, and psyche until it was the only thing he felt and knew. 

He didn’t have any fight left in him. He usually flipped off any fucker that would dare demand authority – but he was done. He had lost everything besides the pain that plagued him in life – and he thought that was the worst punishment of all. 

“…Jackson?” 

He looked up then. 

He realized he was surrounded by – well, he didn’t know. He just knew it was bright. Really fucking bright. He could hear wind somewhere – maybe flowing through trees, maybe making small boats sway in the waves, or maybe in the grass in the marshes. He really didn’t know – he couldn’t place anything. The sounds were familiar – he knew those sounds. His eyes were adjusting, blurred by tearsandpainandregretandshame and everything and anything in between. He knew those sounds – but not that voice.

However… he felt like he should.

“Mom?” he gushed, voice breaking. “L-Larissa?” 

“Hi, sweetheart,” a voice whispered. 

Her voice so sweet, like a flower petal. Soothing like getting out of a sticky situation that Pope yelled at him about prior. Warm like a beach day. It felt like everything he had been searching for and everything he couldn’t find all at once.

He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know how to feel. He didn’t know –

Tears. That’s what he could do. That was all he could do. 

“No, sweetheart –” warm hands were beginning to cup his cheeks, soft thumbs pushing away tears like they didn’t belong on his face. His cheeks were stinging hot with every emotion that welled within his chest, but the hands were a type of warmth that made him realize he was actually cold. So cold. Cold, lonely, and full of grief. 

He realized then what all of those asshole adults were talking about all of his life.

His anger was a mask. Something he hid behind, something he used as an excuse to be reckless and a nuisance. What he really felt… what his real identity was… was grief.

JJ Mayback was full of grief. 

He crumbled then – falling forward and wrapping his limbs around the woman – his mother – before him. 

“I’m sorry,” was all he could say, tears flowing down his cheeks and onto her sweet-smelling silk shirt. “I’m so fucking sorry –"

“Shhh, sweetheart,” she cooed. “Everything is okay now. I’m here.”

Sobs racked throughout his chest, attacking the inside of his throat. His voice grew hoarse, unable to keep up with every emotion that exploded out of him. He had pushed it down for so long. So, so long. He didn’t even know It existed, much less that he could feel it for himself. He thought when people described this feeling they were lying or being fucking dramatic. They had to be lying. How could they be telling the truth about this? How could they live with this How could they fucking get through this without fucking killing someone or themselves?! Only kooks had the luxury of crying about their feelings or missing people who weren’t there anymore or expecting assholes to change when they had always proved they would never change. It hit him all at once. Over, and over, and over, and overandoverandoverandover. It hit him worse than anything Luke could’ve thrown at him, or any knife that Groff could’ve plunged into his stomach. Every tear… every fuckingtear…

He wanted to say either of his dads, fucking any of them – they didn’t deserve his tears. That’s what he would tell anyone that asked, and that’s what he would tell someone if this was happening to them.

But right now? Right fucking now? When he had lost everything? For real, no way of getting it back? No final card up his sleeve? No Pope to save him, or Kie to talk some sense to him? 

Right now… all he could do was sob. Fucking sob. 

“It hurts,” JJ cried. “It fucking hurts so bad.”

“I know, baby,” the woman wept. “I know. I’m so, so sorry…”

“I fucking hate him,” he spat into her shoulder. “I fucking hate them both…”

“I know…” she continued to weep, obviously overtaken with her son’s hurt. 

He didn’t know what to do with this. By all accounts, he was a fuck up. Parents, teachers, and, frankly, no adults liked him. If he wasn’t consumed by grief, he would’ve pushed her away – as this feeling was foreign to him. However, even if he wanted to, he couldn’t – her grip around him was too tight and her embrace felt too warm.

“I can’t give you what you lost…” she spoke, wiping his tears as she pulled away to face him. “They will be here one day – your friends, and that sweet girl that I would love to meet – but hopefully not for a long time. I hope you can agree with me on that, sweetheart. Until then – there are so many people that want to meet you.” 

He laughed then – almost akin to a scoff. “Bunch of people I don’t know? Bunch of people that would probably look down on me?”

“No, son –” she insisted. “Don’t speak like that ever. Not about yourself – not about the thing I am most proud of for creating. Do you understand?”

For whatever reason – he nodded then, but he unable to meet her eyes. He didn’t believe her – but how could he? Who had ever wanted to meet him? He would’ve scoffed at her, told her to fuck off like the rest of the people in his life – but he didn’t have the energy. Plus, something was different about her. Her face. Her voice. The look in her eyes when she was actually insulted when he had spoke down about himself. He couldn’t help but stare at her then, wondering why she felt differently about him compared to the rest of the people in his life who were supposed to protect him, love him, care for him – but didn’t. Would she be different? Could he trust her? 

He stare at the rest of her face then. Soft, fair skin. Blue eyes. Blonde hair. Skin that never had time to wrinkle. Hair that never had time to gray. Bones that never had time to get old. However, the one thing she couldn’t shake, and bothered JJ immediately… was the look in her eye. Pain. Hurt. Grief. Shame. Guilt. All mingling into one. All twisting and turning like the snakes in the garden that hurt them both. JJ knew that look. It was the same look he saw in the mirror, and the same feeling he felt in his chest.

He knew what type of person she was then. 

Her life was taken from her… just like his was taken from him. 

“I understand,” he spoke, voice breaking. 

“I know you do,” she spoke, and the allusion was not lost on him. It didn’t have to be specified – JJ was not quick in life, as he could rely on Pope for that, but in death and purgatory or heaven or hell or wherever the fuck they were – he guessed he was. “Take us for a boat ride, son – and we’ll go home.” 

He would never go home – at least not to the one that actually felt like home, the one he yearned for. He didn’t even know what his mother meant – much less wherever the fuck it was. 

“I know you have doubts – and that it’s hard for you to trust –” she began, voice breaking as she fit her fingers in between his. “–but I’ve been hurt, too – by the same people that hurt you. Can you trust me? Just once?”

After all he had been through – he didn’t know how he had the strength to even lift his gaze to reach hers. Her eyes were glassy and red, almost raw. He didn’t like the look of it. He found himself wanting to wipe it way with a towel – anything to get it to go away. The same raw look in his eyes was the same raw ache in his chest, and he knew that she had felt the same way. They were mother and son, bound by the same curses and people that trapped them in death. The hurt those people inflicted – it opened and hurt – festering like an infected wound – demanding to be felt, and demanding to spread, demanding to infect everything in its fucking path and leave no survivors. There was no fight left in him, nor his mother. He didn’t have the energy to keep up his walls. His defenses. The things that kept him alive for so long in a world that wanted to crush him. He needed safety. He needed salvation. He needed a place to rest his head because for once in his fucking life he could admit that he wasn’t strong enough to even turn his nose up at the thing that only wanted to kick him down and keep him there. He needed… he needed… he needed –

“Just this once,” he spoke, squeezing her fingers back.

She led the way, and JJ Maybank embarked on his last ever adventure: getting to know the woman that had waited his whole life to meet and love him. 

And he couldn’t wait to tell his friends when he saw them next. 

---

love you guys lmk what you think xoxox

[jadeluz-official]

Hello! I hope you are well 💜 First, I just wanted to say I love your photoset about Betelgeuse and his family. It makes me so happy 😊. I love the idea about them becoming a family and it's my biggest wish for BJ3 endgame. Anyway, what I came here to to ask: What is your opinion, do you think Tim Burton was aware of how the audience was going to react to the wedding scene? Do you think he knew that the greater part of the audience was going to love the chemistry between Beej and Lydia?

I've seen SO many people asking for BJ3 and for them to be endgame! I don't think I've ever seen this many people asking for a sequel before. It makes me happy and makes me wonder if it was Tim Burton's intention to establish Betelgeuse and Lydia as a romance in this one, or if he's shocked to see the audience's reaction and their hopes and expectations for a third and final film. Personally, I think he knew exactly what he was doing! I think they all knew 😆. I think Burton loves them as a pair, and wanted to make them official in the sequel. But I want to see what other fans think. Thank you for reading all this and have a lovely night.

--Des 😊

Hi! Thanks so much, I’m so glad you guys love the shippy screencaps I find. I honestly hope if they ever did a third installment, that would be my end goal as well :) Things are looking a little rough for Lydia and Beetlejuice in the sequel so maybe a third film would finally have them end up together xD

For the ask: 

I honestly think Tim Burton knew the outcome of the sequel, more Beetlebabes supporters and people who wanted to invest more in the Afterlife lore, thankfully I’m both haha. I’m super glad we started seeing a little more chemistry in the movie universe, since their cartoon versions are very wholesome and devoted to each other. Whether that’s subtext or not, Beetlejuice and Lydia really do love each other in the cartoon and it’s fascinating how it clashes with the movieverse canon.

I know there's been a lot of theories on how the movie ends but honestly, why not make a third? This one was clearly made out of passion and the abstractness of Beetlejuice and Lydia captured Burton’s vision for them. And people LOVED that wedding scene. I'm honestly surprised they didn't get married in the sequel, why hesitate? I think there's way more story with Lydia and Astrid left, and BJ2 gave us more questions than answers. It's also kinda a waste to not have "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" as the title card. I think they purposely want us to be on our toes 🤣

Tim shouldn't be forced to do anything he doesn't want to do, but no matter what happens, I'll be happy with any new content. I'm super grateful we got a sequel at all, honestly.

My Prime Video gave me another family portrait, so I think you might like this one! 😻

[kuschelkissen]

I still hope for Akam Friendship, because I KNOW they could get along. Like. Every time I see them working together, there is this sense of two friends who love to insult each other, you know? Akai also always looks so damn happy when he sees him lol

I really want to finally find out about the damn nightly tea party, because that SHOULD be the turning point. Them talking things out, either with words or fists or both, so Rei can finally start healing and moving on. They work great together and while I don't necessarily trust Gosho with it, I think they'd make great friends.

I also want to see him befriend Satou (and i extension Takagi). Idk, I feel like they could also be good friends??

Let him have friends, please (and don't let him die, his friends are doing their best in keeping that crazy bitch alive from the afterlife!!)

Okay but actually why is Gosho so against Rei having anyone in his life that cares about him???

His parents? Basically non-existent, given they've never been mentioned. (And I find it hard to believe they would've been that big a presence in his life anyway, given how he attached he got to Elena and the fact that, according to ZTT, she was the one to teach him to ride a bike, of all things.) Probably dead, since that seems to be the pattern.

Elena? Dead.

Akemi? Dead, and also apparently she just didn't remember him anyway.

(Atsushi? Also dead. but I don't know how close they were to begin with.)

Hiro? Dead.

Date, Matsuda, Hagi? All dead.

Like. The last living person on Elena's (side of the) family is Shiho, and she was born too late to have met Rei before her family joined the organization.

Then you have Satou, who only kinda vaguely recognizes him after they've already met a couple of times, and frankly is predisposed to dislike him given how salty she is about her time at the academy, but they have quite a bit in common and a connection through Matsuda. (and Date to an extent)

Then there's Akai, and I think if things hadn't gone down the way they did, he and Rei could've actually been friends, but Rei can't have nice things, so. That's out. (I have this possibly naive hope that it could still happen, if they manage to talk through the Scotch thing and Rei can properly grieve and come to terms with it. But I don't actually trust Gosho to do that.)

Kazami? He's probably the closest to an actual friend, but Rei doesn't really treat him as one.

Otherwise it's literally just Conan, who appears to be a small child, and is actually still only a teenager.

Let. Rei. Have. Friends.

[r0ad-kiill]

Raccoon

I saw a raccoon in the road on my way to school today

And I don’t know if I’m vulnerable

just vulnerable and sick

But it’s frozen eyes made me more sad than usual

Today I drove to the park

And dig a hole off the path

A trowel in the wet dirt

I’ll retrieve him from the gutter tonight

Maybe tomorrow

And lay him to rest in the hole

Wrapped in a plastic bag

and hidden by wet soil

Under the hazelnut tree

I’ll pray for him

To gods I might not believe in

Because at least then he’ll be at rest.

Or I’ll feel better.

Either way,

May Pan and Faunus accept his sacrifice.

I don’t know when “it” became “he” to me

But even if I don’t retrieve his bones

I’ll be happy to know

He’s at rest among the trees

In this suburban hellscape

[neonredglow]

he was my north, my south, my east and west my working week and my sunday rest my midnight, my noon, my talk, my song i thought love would last forever: i was wrong

-w.h. auden

[kourota]

in a sky full of stars, I think I saw you

[wingsofhcpe]

thinking about how in the manga Hange and the rest of the dead scouts smile at Levi before fading away, meanwhile in the anime Hange looks so pensive and sad instead, gazing at Levi with so much regret in her eyes because she had to leave him alone, because he's the last one now and he has to carry everyone's hearts forward even when they're no longer there with him.

Thinking about how Hange didn't want to leave Levi, how they asked Levi if he thinks their dead comrades are watching them, and Levi did not reply, but then when Hange died he whispers "goodbye, Hange. Watch us."

I am really so not okay over these two, I am absolutely Not normal about levihan and their relationship and how much pain and love there is inside both of them, and how these two -the pain and the love- can coexist so perfectly even after Hange is gone and Levi is the last one of the OG scouts left.

[sugarsweetvirgo]

ANGST!?

It's still in the oven but we're cooking over here 🍽️🍳

[angypanda]

post-defection suguru buying satoru's favourite sweets on his birthday throughout the years & sneakily leaving them near gojo's residence. when satoru gets back home, he doesn't question the package wrapped in front of his door. the faint yet familiar scent is enough of an answer

[whathasangramainyudonewrong]

Wrong #630

No, it’s absolutely precious that you found a cat that loves shoes as much as Baobhan Sith does, that’s not the question here

The question I want answered is what universe you live in where you think letting any animal lay on Baobhan Sith’s precious high heels is an action that will end in anything other than pain for you

[lovekento]

he’s smiling and he looks at peace my baby ☹️

[dragonknightofsummerset]

Peluchin, the bestest boy we could've asked for, passed away this morning while I was at work :( unfortunately the last photo I took of Peluchin was in February, I didn't think to capture daily photos as I thought I'd have more time with him.

It's strange, I'm not crying like I thought I'd be, idk if it's numbness or because I have already cried in the past a lot, there have been so many instances where I thought I was going to lose him but he always pulled through. My mom was with him until the end & she said he wasn't in pain, at least, so I'm thankful for that.

[mobbothetrue]

Pineapple has passed. At some point between 4AM and 7AM last night. He’d been not very well for a while, so his passing isn’t too much of a surprise. He went in his sleep, which is all I can be grateful for. He was such a sweet little trooper, a real goofball, full of character and love. It’s going to take me a while to recover from this loss.

[alucardstears]

finished mark's book and this sadness took over me and now i'm crying

[batfamfucker]

A crazy thing is that The Boy In The Box case has been on my mind all week this week and they've apparently just found out his identity. I don't know why I was thinking about this case so much but finding out this news, I'm so fucking happy. I was literally thinking about it yesterday and today like 'I wish they could give that kid justice. I wish they could just find out who he was' and they finally might be able to. Not full justice as I'm sure his killers are likely dead by now, but after 65 years that boy will finally have his name be known. In my mind, he will finally be able to be buried with his name and put to rest. He'll finally have peace after 65 years.

[sukirainbow]

Anytime someone portrays Nagato and Yahiko as romantic rivals or Nagato as happy Yahiko died bc he can have Konan now im like 🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪

there was never any animosity between them Nagato was so rooting for him and Konan he wanted them to be happy!!!! ARHHHHGH 🔪🔪🔪🔪

They loved each other so much 😭 it makes me feel so many emotions ok???