#I think that’s the series they’re either most likely to win

[overthinkingtaleblr]

Part of what I’ve always loved about PIE is that if they were put into literally any horror movie, supernatural or not, it would immediately go off the rails entirely, for better or for worse.

In some cases they might ditch the actual bad guy for an even worse threat they managed to summon through existing in one place for too long or something— imagine Jimmy Casket being in the same place as literally any slasher. Like that would instantly start a fight to the death.

… I want to see PIE in a Paranormal Activity movie. I wanna see how that goes. (Probably poorly)

Maybe this is what will finally get me back into fics

[cobrakaisb]

come one, come all

summary: percy jackson has finally arrived at camp half-blood, so why is he so shocked to see that people have genuine relationships here? aka, the four times percy thought you were dating luke, and the one time he actually asked. 

word count: 3.2k

featuring: percy pov!!, 4+1, vaping (again), sassy man apocalypse in the form of luke castellan, reader straight up not giving a fuck, percabeth crumbs (but you gotta squint)

author's note: i am so sorry for the delay with this one!! i was studying for finals, but now that i'm home from college for the summer, hopefully the updates will be more frequent 🤞

series masterlist ||| previous ||| next

hermes cabin, day one, early afternoon

“this is the hermes cabin, home to both his children and the unclaimed,” chiron explains, walking up to the very loud and very rambunctious building. 

percy peers inside, and he’s immediately filled with dread. there’s barely enough room in the cabin for the people that actually live there, let alone him. why couldn’t his father claim him already? if anything, percy thought losing his mother would have been enough; clearly it wasn’t. his dread only intensifies, however, when chiron starts clapping his hands, calling the attention of all the campers. 

“woah wait a minute,” percy mumbles, but it’s too late. 

“this is percy jackson, i trust you will see to whatever he needs,” chiron announces. 

it takes the campers approximately two seconds to go back to whatever they were doing beforehand. some campers’ eyes linger a little bit longer on him, but for the most part, they’re all indifferent to his presence. finding a spot proves to be difficult, as every nook and cranny is inhabited.

“you can sleep over there,” a girl says, annoyed.

“thanks,” percy mumbles, but it falls on deaf ears. 

the spot isn’t half bad, but it isn’t great either. he’s stuck in between two sets of bunk beds, on a sleeping bag. a sleeping bag. one would think the gods could splurge a little for an air mattress, but percy guesses they must be selfish, at least based on the signs of this cabin: overrun, overfilled, and underdeveloped. he’s unpacking his backpack, the last remnants of his life before his mom explained his paternal lineage, when the whispers start. 

“that’s the kid. i think he’s the one that killed the minotaur,” someone whispers, or at least they try to, but percy hears the whole thing. 

he turns around, and comes face to face with a group of older campers, all boys. they’ve clearly been here a while (in the hermes cabin, or at camp, percy isn’t sure) based solely on the fact that they’re so comfortable in this environment. a tall, curly black-haired boy steps forward, so percy stands up. he tries to size up the older boy, but if it comes to a fight, he doesn’t think he’ll win. 

“look, if you guys want to start something, can you just…do it tomorrow?” he asks. 

the older boy doesn’t say anything. instead, he just takes a moment to look at percy, up and down. percy’s breath catches in his throat when he catches sight of the long scar running from the corner of his right eye to his jaw. he’s intimidating, to say the least. 

“i’m..” the boy starts to say, but he’s cut off by the sound of loud laughter. 

percy turns to face the door, following the older boy’s lead, and sees two girls walk into the cabin. they’re both in workout gear, clearly just coming from a training session, but only one of them moves to drop her stuff on a bed — a bottom bunk in the left hand corner — and the other walks right up to the guy in front of him.

percy wants to warn her, tell her that she shouldn’t mess with this kid. but the grumpy guy smiles at her, completely forgetting about percy.

“busy day?” she asks, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“something like that,” the boy mumbles, throwing a sideways glance in percy’s direction. 

“oh i see,” she answers slowly, and now both of their eyes are on him. 

“luke treating you okay?” she asks. 

percy gulps, unsure how to answer her. girls don’t really talk to him, but there’s a first time for everything, he understands that especially well now.  

“he literally just got here,” luke says, shoving your shoulder. 

you smile at the older boy, and there’s something more behind that stare, but percy can’t really figure out what. 

“if he steps out of line, you let me know,” she instructs, jabbing her thumb in luke’s direction. 

percy nods, “yeah sure.” 

she smiles at him, before walking towards the exit of the cabin. as she’s at the threshold between the inside and the outdoors, she turns around with a mischievous look in her eyes. 

“meet me later?” she asks. 

“i’ll be there,” luke answers. 

she nods, satisfied, and leaves. percy watches luke, who continues to watch her. his eyebrows furrow. maybe he just doesn’t understand teenagers?

hermes cabin, day two, morning

percy’s startled awake. the deep, guttural voice from his dream still haunting him. the darkness from the nightmare is looming over him like a dark cloud. his gasps and heavy breathing draw the attention of luke and his friends, the former leaving his bottom bunk to walk over to percy’s sleeping bag.  

“you okay?” luke asks. 

percy wonders if he’s genuinely concerned. “super,” he replies. 

“we all get them, y’know. deep, intense nightmares. comes with being a demigod,” luke explains, watching percy struggle to get up from his bed.

“so does adhd and dyslexia. they’re your battle instincts talking. everything that’s made you different, an outcast, is normal here,” luke continues to explain, now standing toe to toe with percy. 

there’s silence between the two. percy wants to ask him about his godly parent. it’s been weighing on him since he spoke with luke briefly yesterday. for some reason, however, he feels like the question is out of line, too personal for someone he just met. 

yet, he can’t help himself: “so are you also…do you not know…are you…”

“am i unclaimed? no, hermes is my father, but that doesn’t matter. we’re all family here,” luke replies, giving percy’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. 

“and the girl from last night…is she…?” percy asks. 

luke chuckles at his uncertainty, clearly finding humor in his embarrassing situation. “no. she knows who her mother is. you should ask her about it.” 

percy nods, swallowing the lump in his throat. he feels angry all of a sudden looking around the hermes cabin. it’s filled to the brim with campers, some who know who their parents are, and others who don’t. he doesn’t think anyone should have to live like this; it’s not fair. 

“how can the gods just bring us here and ignore us? how is that fair?” percy asks. 

luke shakes his head, “spend all your time trying to figure out why the gods do what they do and you’ll go crazy. besides, you haven’t even experienced the best thing that camp has to offer.” 

“what’s that?” percy asks. 

“glory.”

percy’s eyebrows furrow in confusion. he vaguely remembers hearing mr. bruner, or chiron, talk about glory in class, but he can’t pinpoint the exact memory. the way luke talks about it, however, makes percy think that it must be important. there has to be some reason why everyone is fighting for glory, why they deal with all the dangers of being a demigod. 

“demigods used to fight for glory. they called it kleos. it attaches meaning to your name, making you bigger, scarier, and more important,” luke explains, leading percy outside of the hermes cabin, along with a handful of his friends. 

“it puts respect on your name,” luke’s friend, chris barges in. 

percy’s smiles at that. he likes the sound of glory, especially when some girl shoulders past him, pushing his body right into luke’s. percy stumbles, turning to face the back of the girl. he wasn’t going to deal with this bullying crap at summer camp of all places. 

“hey,” he shouts, getting her attention. 

she turns around, immediately shoving him into the ground. percy gasps, staring up at her in shock, but before she can get a word in, the girl from last night is standing in front of him. 

“knock it off clarisse. it’s like his first day,” luke mumbles. 

the girl from last night helps him up, and he smiles at her in thanks. she nods, giving him a once over, ensuring that he’s okay before she turns back to clarisse. it’s like a switch flipped inside her. those same eyes, the ones showing kindness towards him just a mere second ago, are now filled with cold, hard, anger. 

clarisse says something to taunt him, but the girl just shakes her head, crossing her arms against her chest. 

“jealous that it wasn’t you?” she taunts, stepping into clarisse’s personal space. 

“no,” clarisse snaps, facing the other girl head on. 

“really? cause it sounds like you wish you were standing in his shoes right now. maybe then daddy would give you a little bit of attention, huh?” she replies. 

luke whispers her name in a seething tone, hand pulling on her shoulder to move her away from clarisse. however, she jerks out of his grip, continuing to stare head on at the curly haired girl with a satisfied smirk playing at her lips. 

“you better watch your back,” clarisse snaps, looking at percy once again before storming off. 

“and you better watch yours,” the girl, who’s still standing in front of percy protectively answers. 

clarisse doesn’t respond, and so luke takes the time to reprimand you. his voice is soft, and percy can barely hear, let alone register, the words coming out of his mouth. you roll your eyes at whatever he’s saying, barely paying attention. instead, percy notices that your eyes aren’t leaving luke’s lips, and he’s again left wondering what’s going on between the two of you. 

“but if i wasn’t here, who was gonna play hero?” you ask, a soft pout on your lips.

percy can tell you’re teasing luke, trying to get a rise out of him, but the older boy just shakes his head in response. percy watches as your finger reaches under his bright orange shirt, looping through one of the belt loops of his cargoes. luke leans down slightly, and percy thinks he might kiss you, but you step away from him in a fit of giggles. 

“i’ll see you later, counselor luke,” you tease, walking backwards so everyone can see the teasing smile on your face. 

percy makes a mental note not to get on your bad side. 

dining pavilion, day two, evening

“is there a greek god of disappointment, maybe someone should ask if he’s missing a kid,” percy grumbles, taking a seat at the table across from luke and chris. 

after a long day of training, with little to no rewards, percy felt utterly defeated. there was some good that came out of the day’s events, however, as he realized his lack of coordination did not make him a strong candidate for the apollo cabin. similarly, setting fire to the already burning forges had luke and chris ruling out hephaestus. regardless, he just wanted his dad to recognize him. after a life of torment and the loss of his mom, the one person who loved him, he could use the validation.

luke opens his mouth, ready to answer his previous question, but chris beats him to it.

“oizys…but she’s a goddess and her whole thing isn’t really disappointment, it’s failure,” chris mumbles, pushing around the salad on his plate. 

“oh my gods chris, don’t scare the kid,” you shout, shoving his shoulder as you take a seat next to percy. 

another girl follows behind you, taking the seat on the other side of percy. he feels himself going rigid, why are these two older girls sitting by his side? he feels nervous all of a sudden, and wonders if this is normal. he looks nervously to luke, who seems to be the only one capable of providing actual guidance in these types of situations. 

luke doesn’t say anything, instead he’s too busy looking at you. 

“having daddy issues?” the girl on his right, who’s not you, asks. 

“um i guess,” percy answers, but he’s not confident in his words at all. 

the girl chuckles at him, a hand coming up to ruffle his blonde hair, and percy watches as her eyes twinkle with something akin to childish mischief. 

“maybe you’re her step-brother,” she says, gesturing towards you with a tip of her chin. 

“are you a child of aphrodite?” percy asks, because maybe this nice girl is referring to ares as his father. 

you stop chewing your dinner, shock crossing your features. the other three teens all burst into laughter, and percy doesn’t understand what’s wrong with his question. you’re pretty enough, and you seem to possess a tiny bit of mean girl energy (cause only regina george would have demolished clarisse like that). therefore, the logical conclusion is that you’re related to aphrodite. besides, aren’t ares and aphrodite secretly dating? so he’d be your step-brother? 

“what?” he asks, looking around. 

“aphrodite is not my mother,” you answer, white-knuckling the fork. 

“oh,” he says, “so who is?” 

percy watches as your jaw clenches, and you flash a dangerous look in luke’s direction. luke lifts his hands up in a state of defense, as if to say that he didn’t put percy up to this. you, however, don’t seem to believe him as you take one of the green grapes on your plate and chuck it at him. luke catches the grape in his mouth, chewing slowly with a smirk on his face. 

“almost sweetheart,” he taunts. 

you scoff before getting up from the table, with your plate, and walking towards the firepit in the middle of the pavilion. on your way over, you stick your fingers through luke’s curls, and shove his face down towards his mashed potatoes. 

“did i do something wrong?” he asks, looking at the remaining girl to his right. 

“nah, she’s always like that,” she answers.

“yeah,” chris mumbles, “if anyone knows it’s katrina.” 

they jump into their own conversation and percy watches as you drop your entire dinner into the fire pit. the flames turn a deep purple and you nod in satisfaction before walking off towards the cabins. 

he can’t figure out who likes the color purple, but wonders if it had anything to do with luke. however, he knows not to ask.

hermes cabin, day two, night

percy was supposed to be asleep twenty minutes ago, at least that’s when luke called for lights out and everyone crawled into bed. but, he really needs to use the bathroom. poor planning on his part, not going before bed time, but he knows he’ll never make it until morning. so, he gets up as quietly as possible, slips on his blue hoodie, and tip-toes towards the door of the hermes cabin. 

he hesitates for a moment, hearing two people talking quietly outside the door. he waits patiently, hoping that they’ll leave, but their conversation only keeps going. 

“and annabeth’s sure about this?” someone asks, and percy realizes that it’s you.

the other person scoffs, “you doubting my sister?”, and percy pinpoints the voice as luke’s.

“never. i’m doubting him,” you answer.

“c’mon, you know clarisse picks on everybody,” luke mumbles.

there’s a pause in the conversation, and percy thinks maybe you’ve left or moved on, but then your voice rings out into the quiet of the night: 

“i have this feeling that he’s important, but i can’t figure out why.” 

another pause. 

“we’ll see when he gets claimed,” luke answers. 

“if he gets claimed,” you reply. 

“he will, even if it’s hera style,” luke says, and percy can’t help himself from opening the door. 

“your mom’s hera? i thought she didn’t have kids!” percy shouts, shocking both you and luke. 

you jump, and percy watches as you move to hide the bright orange vape in your hand. you wave away some of the smoke, and luke steps slightly in front of you, blocking your body from percy’s view. he notices the protective edge in luke’s posture, and how there was already very little space between you two. 

“what are you doing out past curfew?” luke asks, staring percy down. 

“i could ask you the same thing, but for the record, i’m going to the bathroom,” percy explains, standing his guard. 

“just be quick, and watch out for the harpies,” you advise, tugging on the back of luke’s camp counselor shirt. 

percy nods before walking by the two of you to head down the stairs. once he’s a little ways away, he risks a glance back at the hermes cabin porch. you’re still standing there with luke, his palms resting on your waist as he rubs circles with his thumb on your exposed skin. you two are whispering about something, but he can’t figure out what. he sees you slip luke your vape, but looks away when the older boy takes a hit. 

that seemed oddly intimate. 

lakeshore, day three, post-capture the flag

he’s in for it now, at least that’s what he assumes when he sees half of clarisse’s spear in his fist. she screams loudly, and percy hopes that you’ll hear and come to his rescue. thankfully, his saving grace comes in the form of the head counselor of the hermes cabin. 

luke comes rushing down the side lines, holding the red flag high above his head. several people are following him, the entire blue team in fact, but percy can easily pinpoint you in the crowd. you don’t have a helmet on, which isn’t surprising to him; it fits your character. he notices how the baby hairs stick to your sweaty forehead, yet your eyes are bright and happy. this has to be the happiest he’s seen you. 

your eyes never leave luke, even as he accepts hugs, handshakes, and overall congratulations from the other members of the team. finally, after the novelty of winning wears off, and his siblings finally give luke some space, you walk over to him. you shoulder check him, causing him to stumble a little on his feet, but the happiness doesn’t leave either of your eyes. 

percy’s eyebrows furrow in confusion. you’re mean to luke, but you’re also not mean to luke. 

“where’s my hug at?” luke asks, opening his arms wide for you. 

you snort at him, shoving him backwards with a firm hand on his chestplate. luke doesn’t seem to mind, however, as his smile widens and he pulls off his helmet. he shakes his head back and forth, letting his curls loose after being confined for so long. percy watches you watch him, bottom lip between your teeth. luke opens his mouth, ready to say something, but you prevent him from even doing so. instead, you grab onto the brown leather straps of his armor, and pull his lips down to yours.

all the campers ring out in cheers. some of them even clap at the display of affection from the two of you. 

“so they’re dating?” he asks no one in particular. 

“yes,” annabeth answers from beside him. 

he turns to look at her, understanding washing over him. you and luke are perfect for each other, balancing each other out. percy hopes he’ll find something like that with someone. he looks around camp, and his eyes land on annabeth, who magically appeared next to him. 

“hey wait…were you here the whole time?” percy asks her, feeling a little angry that she basically watched him get his ass kicked by clarisse. 

“percy,” she starts, “i’m really sorry about this,” and she pushes him into the water.

taglist: @percabethlvr @iwantahockeyhimbo @hottiewifeyyyy @loveryoushouldcomeoverr @maraschinocherry3 @used2beeeeee @harrysnovia @cami-is-reading @mxtokko @cxcilla @obxstiles

[thebroccolination]

The Use of “Husband/Wife” in Thai BL Series

A few years ago, I was talking to a queer Thai person about the use of endearments in Thai BL, and they were like, “A lot of interfans get mad about the husband/wife thing—and some queer Thai people don’t like it either—but many of us just think it’s sweet. Married couple! Cute! That’s it.”

So we go on talking about this and that, and then, remembering the prevalence of Win calling Team “baby” in English fics, I asked them what the Thai equivalent of that would be.

Immediately, they were like, “Okay, if you want to talk weird, that’s weird to me. Your lover is your infant? A little baby? That’s romantic? How?”

And I had to laugh, because…actually, yeah. It is weird when you think about it literally. But that’s kind of the point, right? We don’t literally mean “they are a little newly born human to me” when we use “baby” as an endearment. It’s just a, “this person is as precious to me as a baby,” vibe.

And for some of the people who find the “husband/wife” thing cute—queer and otherwise—it’s not like they’re literally thinking of one of the guys as a woman. It’s the marital bond vibe they like.

Some people hate “baby” as an endearment. I’ve spoken to them! They’re real!

Some people hate “husband/wife” too.

But when people decide, “Using this term in a series is a moral wrong and I need to hate and decry every series that uses it,” that’s maaaaybe going too far.

Most series seem to be veering away from using the terms anyway, and that’s fine, but it’s important and helpful to the larger conversation to remember that there’s a whole nuanced cultural and historical context behind terms we see in other countries’ media. Even queer people in Thailand use terms like “husband/wife” in their real lives. So before we assume we have all the information based on our own cultural context, it’s best to ask people from that culture for their perspective. And then continue to stay out of it, because what queer Thai people like or don’t like isn’t affecting anyone but themselves, so it’s not our lane to careen an oil tanker into.

Because another thing that queer Thai person said to me also resonates to this day: “When interfans create issues about Thai culture and fight with each other to protect Thai people from something they made up, we’re just watching them and thinking, ‘What the fuck are you all doing?’ We don’t need you to protect us.”

But Win calling Team “baby” in English fics—that I’ll defend with my life. ♡

[alnair-jpg]

Olympics AU Info dump!

First, I am blown away by how much love the series is getting, thank you all so much! I do really enjoy all the comments and reactions in the tags. Know that they all delight me and the only reason I don’t reply to everything is because there are so many! But I read them all 💕

General questions:

Can you draw the designs or concepts? Write fanfic in this AU?

Yes of course! I’d love for you to tag me if you post them so I can see

Do they all know each other?

At first, I would say no- with the exception of Nico and Will (they’re developing a whole backstory in my head that I cannot and will not stop.). But they all meet in the Olympic Village after the opening ceremonies and quickly become friends. They all try their best to attend each other’s events. (Someone please tell me how Percabeth becomes a thing. Please. 🙏 )

Why didn’t Percy win gold?

Percy was an Olympic medalist in swimming before moving to diving. After competing in several swimming events and feeling like they were all just small variations of the same thing, he wanted more of a challenge. He chose diving to stay rooted in to the water, but to add a new dimension to his bodily awareness and control.

What’s Annabeth and Luke’s rivalry?

They most definitely trained together, and it was Luke’s skill that motivated Annabeth to aim for the Olympics. But, she wanted to compete for her home country, Greece, which Luke thought was just a shortcut since there was a clearer path to an Olympic team in a smaller country. Annabeth is constantly trying to prove to him that she would have made it to the top of the sport either way.

Also, apologies to the IRL fencers out there for the inconsistency. I know fencing is a gendered sport, and Annabeth’s gear/style are inconsistent, please forgive the oversight ☺️🫶

Volleyball?

The whole Hunters of Artemis are a volleyball team (that apparently has no country 😅). Thalia ends up the captain. When Reyna moves on from tennis they welcome her with open arms.

Rejected sports

Will as a runner. Canonically, he’s super fast, but just having him as a sprinter didn’t fit with his personality.

Will as a pole vaulter. Specifically the guy that lost because he was ‘blessed a little too much’ and knocked down the bar. I will not explain further.

Will as a gymnast. He was this || close to being a gymnast essentially modeled after Steven Nedoroscik, I had the sketch and everything. (I shared it here!) But when an anyonomous ask clued me into the sick medical team uniforms it all fell into place from there. (Thank you no-longer-anon @helyeahmangocheese !)

Percy in anything equestrian related. I see him not having the patience for all the formality of it all, but he definitely crashes Hazel’s shows and chats up all the competition (the horses.)

Annabeth on a sailing team. Also, related to that, Reyna on a sailing team. It was a fun idea, especially for Reyna and her history with pirates but ultimately it was really hard to capture in a few illustrations.

Nico in several winter sports. For consistency mostly. He could fit for a lot of winter sports - ice skating and snowboarding are my personal favorites.

Leo as a shooter. He would most definitely build his own gear and make tweaks to his weapon. Which would get him immediately disqualified.

Jason in discus. Jason as a basketball player. Golf is just… fitting. 😂

Other Characters I’ve been thinking about

(that may have art in the works… and may not actually be athletes!)

Clarisse

Meg

Grover

Rachel

Lester / Apollo

Mr. D

Chiron

[rnelodyy]

The Owl House And Restorative Justice

At the end of Season 1 of The Owl House, it is revealed that Lilith, the main overarching antagonist of that season, was the one to curse her sister Eda, one of the protagonists, to win a tournament when they were teenagers. This information causes Eda to fly into a screaming rage and attack Lilith, and understandably so.

Eda’s curse is essentially a chronic illness, one that, in Eda’s own words, has ruined her life, being the reason she’s considered a social outcast and why, before meeting King and Luz, she hadn’t gotten close to anyone in years. In season 2, it’s revealed that the curse is why she pushed away her partner Raine to the point that they broke it off with her, and that during a particularly bad flareup, she accidentally maimed her own father, leaving him half blind and with permanent nerve damage to his hands, making him unable to continue working as a Palisman carver. The curse has ruled Eda’s life for decades now, so to Eda, this is the ultimate betrayal.

In the first episode of Season 2, Lilith has defected from the Emperor’s Coven, split the curse between Eda and herself to mitigate the symptoms for her sister, and has moved in with Eda at the Owl House. While Lilith herself still feels guilty and feels she has to make it up to Eda, everyone else, Eda included, has seemingly either forgiven her or chosen to look past it. Eda even makes fun of her for feeling bad about cursing her, and Lilith’s guilt is seemingly absent for the rest of the series. 

The response to this was… Less than stellar, shall we say. A lot of people were angry, saying Lilith got away with her crimes without even a slap on the wrist, and that Eda’s forgiveness of her was far too sudden.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this kind of critique. Amity spent years bullying Willow after her parents forced her to break off their friendship, and when she began trying to mend that relationship, the response from fans was that Willow should have been a lot more angry at Amity, and that they went back to being besties far too soon. I’ve even seen this criticism leveled at Hunter for the things he did while working for Belos, at Vee for impersonating Luz for months to trick her mother, and at Luz for hiding the fact that she helped Philip find the Collector from her friends. And it does seem strange for the show to keep tripping on this same point again and again.

Except, it’s not really. Because I think that, when viewing this show from a different angle, those supposed flaws are actually symptoms of something very important to understand – The Owl House operates on a system of crime and punishment that is very different from our world’s.

More specifically, our world mostly utilizes retributive justice. The world of The Owl House utilizes restorative justice.

So first, what do those terms mean? Broadly, they’re two different forms of handling interpersonal disputes, or dealing with crime. 

Retributive justice is the one our current justice system uses, where the focus is primarily on punishing the perpetrator. Retributive justice can mean detention, suspension, expulsion, jail time, monetary fines, some kinds of community service, exile, or in more severe cases, corporal punishment or the death penalty. It’s the lens most people view the world through, where if someone hurts you, hurting them back is the correct response.

Restorative justice is a very different approach, where you instead focus on helping the victim recover from what happened, and rehabilitating the perpetrator to prevent this from happening again. Restorative justice can look like verbal or written apologies, monetary compensation for costs and trauma, therapy for both victim and perpetrator, education for the perpetrator, mediation between victim and perpetrator, a restraining order, etc. 

When viewed through a retributive lens, The Owl House lets its characters get away with a lot of shit. Lilith cursing Eda, Hunter rounding up Palismen knowing they’ll be killed, Amity tormenting Willow for years, it’s all stuff that, in a retributive environment, they should be punished for, and they’re just not. Eda is only genuinely angry at Lilith for two scenes, Amity and Willow fix their relationship very quickly once Amity starts making amends, and Hunter isn’t punished at all. 

However, I believe the story of The Owl House is best viewed not through a retributive lens, but through a restorative lens.

Let’s look at the Lilith-example again. Lilith’s offense was cursing Eda, which she did because she wanted to win a spot in the Emperor’s Coven. Knowing Eda was better than her, she cast a curse on her, thinking it would only last for a day. But when the time came, Eda forfeited the match, soon after which she transformed into the Owl Beast and was pelted with rocks until she ran. The curse turned out to be very permanent, and Lilith spent the next 20 years trying to fix her mistake by working for Belos to try to capture Eda, since he promised to heal her curse. 

However, when she finally succeeded, Belos went back on his promise. Instead of healing Eda, he ordered her to be publicly executed. When Lilith protested, Belos essentially told her to shut up, that it was the Titan’s will, and left her there. 

So, having realized her method of fixing her mistake has gone real bad, Lilith sneaks down to the Conformatorium to free Eda herself, but arrives too late and finds Luz instead. After a brief fight they end up teaming up, and Lilith leads Luz to the elevator, but they are captured by Belos and Lilith is thrown into the cage with Eda. There, she restores Eda’s partially petrified body, and after fleeing with her, Luz and King, uses a spell to split Eda’s curse evenly between their two bodies.

From a restorative justice point of view, Lilith has done pretty much everything she reasonably could do to fix things. She’s denounced the Emperor’s Coven, returned Owlbert to Luz, helped Luz find the elevator to the execution platform, saved Eda from petrification, apologized to Eda, and while there’s no way for her to cure Eda’s curse entirely, she took on half of the curse at great expense to her own health, in order to ease Eda’s symptoms. 

Eda isn’t angry anymore because in her eyes, Lilith has already fixed things with her. Punishing her more at this point is pointless. What more could Lilith do, really? What other lessons could she learn? The only thing that punishment would bring at this point would be more suffering. 

Let’s look at another example: Amity and Willow.

Amity’s offense was breaking off her friendship with Willow because she was a late-bloomer, bullying her for years, and allowing her friends to do so too. Willow is left with horrible self-esteem issues because of this, and combined with her failing grades, turned her into a horribly shy and withdrawn wallflower (no pun intended). After she’s moved to the plant track she starts actually getting better, but Amity and Boscha especially continue to torment her. While Amity’s bullying of Willow does peter out over time, Willow is clearly still extremely resentful of her. In an attempt to make Willow forget their friendship, Amity accidentally sets most of Willow’s memories on fire, leaving her confused, amnesiac, and unable to grasp basic concepts like that chairs are for sitting in.

Luz pushed Amity into fixing Willow’s brain by going into her mind together and piecing her memories back together. There, the Inner Willow revealed what happened to Luz and the audience.

At this point, Amity shows her that her parents were actually the ones who forced her to end the friendship because they didn’t think Willow was a suitably powerful or influential friend, threatening to make sure Willow would never get accepted into Hexside if Amity didn’t force her to leave. Amity then apologizes to Willow for going along with it, and for the bullying, and vows to make sure her friends never mess with Willow again. 

Willow accepts her apology, but also makes it clear that, while it’s a start, she’s not yet ready to accept Amity in her life again. Restorative justice has not been fully attained, because to Willow, Amity hasn’t fixed everything – Boscha and her squad are still bullying her, and still consider Amity one of them. This changes two episodes later, when Amity tells Boscha to grow the fuck up when she starts bullying Willow again, and joins her and Luz’s Grudgby team despite her personal issues to get Boscha to back off. Willow doesn’t make a grand gesture of forgiveness in this episode, but it is after this point where the two become comfortable around eachother again. 

Did Willow forgive Amity too quickly for years of trauma? Maybe. If she had chosen to continue keeping Amity at a distance I certainly wouldn’t have blamed her. But in the end, Amity fixed the mess she caused as best she could, and has proven herself to want to be a better person, to want to be Willow’s friend again. She worked hard to prove herself to be a person worth trusting, and Willow decided to give that trust a chance again.

And while they did become friends again, that friendship was clearly still affected by what happened, which led to bumps that the two of them had to work through. Like in Labyrinth Runners, where Amity’s overprotectiveness over Willow makes Willow feel like Amity thinks she’s incompetent, and still only sees her as the helpless person she used to be. 

Willow continuing to be mad at Amity and punishing her for what she did wouldn’t be an unreasonable reaction, but it wouldn’t have fixed anything. It would certainly have an impact on Amity, seeing her former best friend rejecting her attempts to make up for what she did, but the hurt on both sides would have continued festering, because deep down, Willow missed Amity too. 

In Hunter’s case, there’s the question of whether he can even be held responsible for his actions. The Palisman-kidnapping in specific was explicitly done under duress – if he failed he would face verbal and physical abuse, and be threatened with his nightmare scenario: getting thrown out of the Emperor’s Coven. 

And that’s not an empty threat either. Hunter has no magic, and Belos has drilled it into him that witches without magic have no future. Without the Emperor’s Coven, his only future prospects would be starving to death on the streets or wasting away in prison. Either way, Hunter would be alone, without family or friends, without a job or job prospects, without anyone to turn to for help. Any child would be terrified of that. Hunter wasn’t always acting on direct orders – in fact he defied direct orders to stay in his room in Eclipse Lake to go look for Titan’s Blood, and then again in Hollow Mind to arrest the rebels. But he made those choices based on the idea that Belos wouldn’t want him if he was a failure, and that he needed a chance to prove that he could still be useful.

And contrary to popular belief, Hunter does know right from wrong. He has a very strong moral compass, he’s just been forced to ignore it in favor of doing whatever the Emperor wants. To shut up that little voice telling him he’s doing the wrong thing, he uses what’s called a thought-terminating cliche, a statement that feels so fundamentally true that the argument need not continue. In Hunter’s case, that statement is “It’s for the greater good.” Sure, kidnapping his new friends and abducting Palismen to feed to the Emperor and threatening someone who’s been nothing but kind to him to take the portal key from her girlfriend and justifying terrorism makes his stomach feel like he swallowed a cactus and saying it out loud makes him sound like a horrible person – but it’s for the greater good. He’s doing it to serve Belos, and Belos knows what’s best. 

So by the time Hunter is out of active danger and able to rest and recover from what happened to him… what would further punishment accomplish? He already knows that he did fucked up shit while working for the EC, and he’s proven time and time again that while he’s not fighting for Belos’s approval, he’s actually a genuinely kind-hearted kid. Punishing him now would likely cause him to react very poorly, because he’s been at the wrong end of that stick so often that he’s developed severe PTSD because of it.

And if you think restorative justice is still in order – Hunter is currently hyperfixated on making sure Belos can never hurt anyone again, and for the long term, he has expressed that he wants to become a Palisman carver when he grows up. While it won’t bring back the Palismen that were killed, it will help the current Palisman population recover and reintroduce Palismen to witches who may have had to give up theirs. 

When viewed through this lens, the writing of The Owl House starts to make more sense. As a show, it is extremely forgiving towards its characters – they’re still held accountable for their actions, but as long as they’re willing to grow and learn and fix the damage they caused, they are very quickly forgiven. 

However, I do understand why these writing choices can be… controversial, so to say. Because it doesn’t feel very satisfying, does it? When someone hurts you on purpose, your first impulse would be to try to hurt them back, that’s just how people work. 

That’s the hardest thing to come to terms with when you become an advocate for prison abolition for example – you’re not just arguing for freeing a guy who got 5 years because a cop found weed in his pockets, you’re arguing for the release, and most importantly, the humanity of some of the most vile, disgusting people this planet has ever produced. Even now, when someone commits a truly awful crime and gets sent to prison for life, my first thought is “Good, I hope they rot in there.” But that’s not justice. That’s just revenge. And revenge is not something we as a society should want to build our justice system on.

It’s not satisfying to see Lilith go from using Luz as a human shield in her fight against Eda to sleeping on the couch in Eda’s house within 2 episodes. It’s not satisfying to see Willow let Amity back into her life when Amity has hurt her so badly before, or to see Hunter become romantically involved with Willow after he literally abducted her the first time they met. But that satisfaction isn’t really the point. Revenge is satisfying in the moment, but an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, and if someone shows a genuine willingness to change, it’s often better to give them a chance to.

However, my final point is about what happens when this approach fails. Because not everyone is willing to change. Some people, when faced with the consequences of their actions, decide to dig their heels in and refuse to admit fault, or blame the victim(s), or use those same thought-terminating cliches that Hunter used to justify their actions, “I was just following orders” being a big one.

And thus, we come to Belos.

If Belos showed a willingness to change, a genuine one, not an attempt at manipulation, should he be given the chance to? That vengeful part of me is VERY empathetically saying no. But logically, reasonably, he should be given that chance, if only because he’s a human being and no human being deserves to be mistreated. That doesn’t mean his victims are obligated to forgive him or be around him again, in fact I think that, for the sake of Hunter’s mental health, Belos should stay as far away from him as humanly possible. But he should be given the chance to start over, to truly better himself and do something good with the rest of his life.

But Belos isn’t willing to change. 

Belos is a product of a bad environment and grew up with a cult-like mentality and hatred for witches that he had to adopt for his own safety. It’s hard to break out of that mentality, but not impossible. Case in point: Caleb. The tragedy of Belos’s character to me is that he had so many chances to change, so many people to help him make that leap, but all of the people who offered him that help ended up dead by his hands because he couldn’t handle the idea that he may have been wrong.

At this point, Belos is stuck. Changing would mean not only giving up on his life’s work, but acknowledging to himself that everything he’s done, mutilating his body, killing his brother, slaughtering thousands and installing himself as God-Emperor of a population he despises more than anything in order to facilitate a genocide, was completely pointless.

He can’t admit that to himself. Especially the thing about Caleb’s death. He’s sunk-cost-fallacied himself so far into a corner that all he can really do when faced with opposing viewpoints is dig his heels in even deeper and lash out in a rage at anyone who challenges him. Even now, when his body is literally falling apart at the seams, he’s still trying to commit witch-genocide, because it’s all he has. 

Restorative justice doesn’t work in this case, because the perpetrator needs to be receptive to it. Logically you would assume the show would default to retributive justice, and characters like Willow and Camila do take a very vengeful glee in imagining themselves beating the snot out of Belos. But right now, the primary motivation of the Hexsquad and Hunter in particular when it comes to Belos is to end the threat he poses. As long as Belos is alive and free, he will continue to hurt and kill people, and if he can’t be talked down, he needs to be either contained or killed to prevent him from causing more harm.

The Owl House provides, in my opinion, a very nuanced take on restorative justice. It shows how it works in action, how different situations impact what it looks like, and what happens when it’s simply not an option. It’s not the most satisfying story to tell your audience, because when someone hurts our babies we want them to suffer, no matter how sorry they say they are. But in this case, I think that sacrificing that bit of audience comfort is worth it to tell the story like this.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Japan is Winning on Kisses & Other Alternate Realities

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

March 2024 Wk 4

Ongoing Series - Thai

Two Worlds (Thurs IQIYI) ep 3 of 10 - It would be great if we got the alternative romance with dead Kram from Tai’s perspective (JBL style.) Still I like this show. It’s a little bit like I Feel You Linger in the Air only with a love triangle. And while I'm not a fan of triangles as a general rule, I don’t mind it here because the set up is clever. Wayu and  ao are fun sides too. It sure is moving very quickly, which I like. I’m not entirely sure what’s going on. But that’s normal for me with this kind of Thai drama. 

Deep Night (Thurs iQiyi) ep 4 of 8 - They are extremely sappy boyfriends. I love that mom has a secret gf. Could we please have more of them? The love triangle sides are ridiculous, but I do like that it’s all out in the open. I also like they are actually addressing the complicated parental dynamics of owning a sex club. Honestly, I think Khem should have to be a host too. Learn him the right way, girl!

City of Stars (Fri iQIYI) ep 9 of 12 - It’s good, I like the fallout and them actually having to deal with crazy fans and past relationships. They’re so good at communicating it’s kind of a pleasure to watch them suffer through external pressures, because I have faith that they can make it through.

To Be Continued (Thai C3 Thailand grey) ep 6 of 8 - They are such cute puppy dads and so clearly meant to be together, the fact that they aren’t is just frustrating. The fight thing was stupid. And not a whole lot happened... plus singing. I’m getting fatigued with this one. 

1000 Years Old ep 7 of 12 - Did I miss something happening, or did nothing happen? 

Kiseki Chapter 2 (Sun iQIYI) ep 2 of 6 - It’s so boring, there’s so much guitar playing, and it got weirdly voyeuristic (in a very much not sexy way). I’m totally out. DNF

Close Friend Season 3: Soju Bomb! (Weds iQIYI) ep 3 of 6 - I can’t tell if this is trying to be a BL Romancing the Stone, or a BL Hangover, or both. The problem with situational comedy is it must be both situational and comedic, not just option one. The problem with calling something BL, is that it must be BL. This show got 1 of 3 claims correct. 33% is not a passing grade. DNF 

Honestly, it's the HANDS with these two. They do beautiful beautiful things with their hands. If you're one of those hands-obsessed BLabies you should be watching LIBTSTA!

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Unknown (Taiwan Tues Youku YouTube & Viki) ep 6 of 11 - So the worst finally happened. The mountain of pain has fallen down upon us. And now, hopefully in the second half things get better for our boys. But what a rough ride. Normally, this is not my style of BL, but everyone is doing such a gorgeous job with it, I can’t fault it… except that it hurts. The red thread symbolism was elegantly done. I’d like to hope we get a reunion in the next one, but knowing this style of series they’re gonna draw it out. There's gonna be a more pain first.

Love is Better the Second Time Around AKA Koi wo Suru nara Nidome ga Joto (Japan Weds Gaga) ep 4 of 6 - Those fuck me puppy dog eyes were perfectly executed. I would not have been able to resist either. Gosh they are so damn cute. This is a great show.

Jazz for Two (Korea Gaga/grey) eps 1-2 of 8 - This comes from the Shoulder to Cry On team so I'm scared, but this one is all actors* not idols so maybe they'll be braver. Boy howdy does it have a fantastic opening sequence. Also the lead is fucking adorable. Mr Broody McBroodypants is cute too. Korea sure loves “pretty but broken.” On the JBL end of the spectrum, is everyone in love with their siblings? That’s weird. The dining room scene was painful. All in all, it's good, I'm intrigued. Let's see how you go little show.

I stand absolutely corrected the lead is a member of NEWKIDD (in my defense I'd never heard of them until Build Up last month). I did recognize him from To My Star because at the time I thought he was too pretty to be only a side character.

AntiReset (Taiwan Fri Viki/Gaga) ep 10 fin - Again there was overuse of previous footage and maudlin navel-gazing grief over something we knew was going to happen. So I didn’t really feel much emotional connection to the drama. 7 year time gap.? t was a cute reunion but the moral quandary never really got resolved. I don’t know how to rate this, I’m not sure I will ever watch it again, so that is a big mark against it.

There’s nothing objectively wrong with this BL except how upsetting it is because of the foundational pygmalion story - grown man falls in love with an android who is basically both his slave and, by maturity level, a child. Yet that premise is crystal clear from the get go, so we watch it eyes open. The actors are cute, the romance sweet, the physical chemistry on point (of course, it’s Taiwan) and yet I was left ultimately unsettled by the concept, content, and plot. 7/10 

My Strawberry Film (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 7 of 8 - I'm so ready for this to be over, and for Gaga to have something good on. Soon please?

It's done, ready to binge, but I suck

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps

It's airing but...

Graduation Countdown (Taiwan YouTube) - It's too much to ask me to keep up with 2 minute verticals, I don't have that kind of TikTok endurance training. Waiting to binge.

A Secretly Love (Thai Sat WeTV grey) 10 eps - I watched the first ep but grey is too much work for this inferior of a show. I may pick up and binge if it gets distribution but for now, it gets a DNF from me. KimCop might have held this crap together but Kim without Cop? No thank you.

Lady Boy Friends (Thai WeTV grey) 16 eps - reminds me a bit too much of Diary of Tootsies only high school. Not my thing. DNF unless it turns a corner and is truly amazing.

Tangential to the genre

There has been the occasional discussion on this topic here in this little corner of tumblr so I thought there might be a few intersted in this podcast: AmericanThaiGuy Ron Weaver on the Complicated Issue of Racism in Thailand (The Bangkok Podcast)

Thailand passed its Marriage Equality bill through the lower house. It's expected to pass the high house and get signed by the King, but that hasn't quite happened yet.

And MaxTul dropped a photo shoot.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Starting Soon

3/31 Only Boo! (Thai GMMTV YouTube) 12 eps - New main couple for GMMTV in an idol romance about a boy who dances good and a food stand vendor. Other side of the tracks grumpy/sunshine pair who fall deeply in love but, of course, baby boy idol can't date. Boyband but from GMMTV? Control your singing and I'm game.

3/31 The Next Prince (Thai ????) 12 eps - trailer. ZeeNew in a fantasy/historical set in a palace where Zee plays a knight and Nu a prince - YES PLEASE. (Apparently this is just the pilot, not the start of the actual show, see comments.)

4/1 Love is like a Cat (Korea ????) 12 eps - This completed filming Aug 2022(!) which means there have been serious problems with post-production. This is another of Silkwood's Korean+Thai colab projects. Mew Suppasit plays a rookie film star, called the Cat Prince (for his cold arrogance) who goes up against a charismatic puppyish animal daycare director (JM of JUST B). There is a side romance (love triangle?) with a veterinarian. Geonu of JUST B is also in the cast. Dual languages.

Hum, trash-watch-a-licious?

4/3 We Are (Thai GMMTV YouTube iQIYI) 12 eps - University ensemble BL featuring PondPhuwin, WinnySatang, AouBoom, MarcPawinPoon - basically the good kind of messy gay friendship group (so more My Engineer and less Only Friends). Looks a bit like the Kiss series but everyone is queer. I'm IN!

4/11 Living With Him AKA Kare no Iru Seikatsu (Japan ????) 10 eps - Kindly Ryota goes off to uni only to find his new roommate is his childhood bestie, Kazuhito. Kazuhito doesn’t have a girlfriend and Ryota tries to help him figure out why, they fall in love along the way. Same director as Old Fashion Cupcake.

4/11 Gray Shelter AKA Gray Currents (Korea ????) 4 eps - SooHyuk is only just surviving and reunites with YoonDae, an old friend. They end up living together. One of the leads is played by Choco of Choco Milk Shake.

4/18 At 25:00, in Alaska AKA 25 Ji, Akasaka de (Japan Gaga - may not be global) 10 eps - Yuki lands his first starring role in a BL drama alongside superstar Asami (previously his senior at uni). Said superstar suggests they form a sham relationship until filming concludes. As they actually begin to fall in love, the spotlight begins to burn.

Seriously? You're killing me with these titles, boys.

4/26 My Stand-In (Thai iQIYI) 12 eps - adaptation of Chinese novel "Professional Body Double" by Shui Qiang Cheng. Stars Up (Lovely Writer) and Poom (Bake Me Please) directed by the same team as KP (not a recommendation IMHO - my biggest criticism of that show was the clashing directing styles). This one looks well complicated, lemme try: Joe is a stuntman for famous actor Tong. Joe falls in love with Ming but Ming sees Joe as nothing more than a Tong-replacement. After learning this horrible truth, Joe dies. Joe then wakes up in the body of another man also named Joe. He manages to rebuild the same life as before—with the same people eventually re-meeting Ming. Ming wants Joe back but Joe doesn't understand why. But Ming seems to know what's going on and wants to give him some kind of explanation.

I'm exhausted just trying to describe the plot.

Knock-Knock Boys (Thai WeTV) - 4 college friends conspire to help their friend lose his virginity. Familiar faces like Seng (yes, Billy's previous partner) and Best, news here.

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

NOTE: It looks like one of my personal favorites of last year Unintentional Love Story is getting a spin off!

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

Just these two, in my head, rent free. Thanks Japan!

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are too much work.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @rocketturtle4

If ya wanna be tagged each week leave a comment and I will add you to the template. Easy peesy. (With so many tags when does a weekly tumblr post become a newsletter? That is this week's philosophical question...)

[fictional-orphan-smackdown]

ROUND 4, MATCH 1!

All propaganda and what each competitor is from under the cut

The Baudelaire Orphans (A Series of Unfortunate Events)

The epitome of orphans, they’re the best

“I’m having a very terrible childhood right now”-Klaus

The story deadass begins with them being told that their parents died in a fire and that they're orphans now. They then bounce from guardian to guardian who tend to always meet a gruesome fate at the hands of Count Olaf. Not only have they been orphaned once, but have been orphaned multiple times and are called "The Baudelaire Orphans" by not only characters in the book but by the narrator himself. They're called "The Baudelaire Orphans" so many times that it might as well be a defining character trait of theirs, and honestly it sort've is. The series doesn't even end with them finding a home or guardians of any kind, it ends with the Baudelaires fate being completely ambiguous with them literally sailing away from the island they were stranded on in the final book (yeah this series is quite the journey, I highly suggest it). These poor three kids are probably the most orphaned kids of all time since their orphaned in a new way almost every book and they deserve at least one win in their unfortunate tale.

These guys are like the poster-child of orphaning, we open the series with them finding out that they're orphans and also have no access to their money so now they hop around from place to place from weirdo caretaker to another weird/crazy/murderous caretaker and it's all fun and games and murder and decieving and surviving and thriving and---my point is, these three are a wonderful trio of siblings who love and rely on one another through all their trials and tribulations.

Literally every single one of their problems come from being orphans. They’re continually referred to as orphans and the plot of the first half of the series is them being shuffled around to guardians.

These kids are so orphaned they never even get a found family outside themselves. At least most stories featuring orphaned kids see them fulfill some sorta epic destiny or have them find a new home or set of loved ones of sorts. The Baudelaires? They're thrown from one fucking failure of a home into the next, ignored, hunted, etc.. It's been years but like, even in the end, they still have to set sail alone. As individual characters, they aren't bad either. Violet's the dependable big sister who's knack for inventions comes in handy, Klaus is a well-read chap and Sunny is a lovely gremlin. They make a good trio.

Every single guardian they try to obtain throughout the series turns out to be someone who wants the large inheritance left for them and is willing to do whatever it takes to get it.

They basically fend for themselves the whole series when no adult will listern to them. The whole series is them being resourceful and clever the whole series despite the misfortune. Violet is a brilliant inventor, Klaus reads and collects knowledge, and Sunny learns to be a good cook over the series

their parents die tragically in a fire and then everything awful proceeds to happen to them

I haven't read these books in years but if any orphans deserve to win a smackdown it's these fools, they are constantly in the trenches in those books goddamn. Also that baby is like a shredder they have that on their side, I think that beast literally solo'd a snake?

(This one was specifically for Klaus, but I'll put it here still) He and his sisters being orphans is kinda the point. As in many books, it's the trigger for them to change lives and navigating hardships. The thing is, their hardships just grow worse and "unfortunate" (read "dreadful") events keep happening to them as they stick together instead of the story getting better. Klaus and Violet become Sunny's subtitute parents and get through their more and more miserable lives together keeping hope things would eventually get better

Arguably more famously orphaned than Bruce Wayne, if not for how their story happens while they’re orphaned children versus an orphaned adult. Definitely have the most famously tragic post-orphaning story. All three are incredibly brilliant in their own way, including the literal baby. Pursued relentlessly by the leader of a maniacal theater troupe and letdown by a slew of adults, so it’s all the more impressive how amazing they each turned out to be. Book series was so good it got turned into a pretty great movie and then a successful TV show years later. Also can’t forget how these three are orphaned repeatedly as the distant relatives who take them in get killed off in increasingly inventive manners. Let’s be honest, ain’t no characters out here orphaning like the Baudelaire orphans.

this series taught me so many cool words and phrases and I love each of the 3 main characters so much

Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are peddled from caretaker to caretaker over the course of 13 books, always being chased by the evil Count Olaf who wants to steal the Baudelaire fortune that the children are meant to inherit once they reach a certain age.

Spoilers ahead, the Baudelaires siblings story starts with them going from being the Baudelaire kids to the Baudelaire orphans, after their parents pass away in a mysterious fire. But they arent the only paternal figures that they lost, they go from tutor to tutor, almost all the good ones dying in front of them, and even the ones that survive at first their future is uncertain since the last time the kids see them they are blindfolded in a burnind building, and we never found out who make it out alive and who didnt. Even the main villian, Count Olaf their first tutor, and the only constant adult in their life after their parents death ends up dying in front of them. These three are orphans ten times over.

They are THE orphans. They have lost not only their parents but multiple guardians that they went to live with as well.

They're THE Orphans. The childhood book orphans we all read, Orphans Prime if you will. They lose their parents, every caregiver who's ever kind to them, then say fuck it and live on a deserted island on their own to raise themselves abd fully embrace their orphan status. On the island, they learn their parents survived the shipwreck then died again - double orphaning even.

OH MY SWEET LITTLE CHILDREN THAT FUELED MY LOVE FOR READING AND THE MACABRE Violet- Won her first of many invention competitions when she was five with an automatic rolling pin (comprised of a window shade and six pairs of roller skates). Extremely innovative and genius, foiled by her kindness to others. And she knows how to make a Molotov cocktail. Klaus- Absolute monster of a bibliophile, conducts research for fun, and has a photographic memory. He is known to want nothing more than "a good book, a comfy chair, and the warm glow of a reading lamp". He also is a Herman Melville fan, which is points for him in my book. Sunny- Most people know her only for her penchant for biting, but Sunny is a distinctly distinguished character. She has sharp wit (as long as you can read it through her babbles), her poker skills are phenomenal for a baby, and she has quite the knack for cooking! Also yeah, the teeth. She climbed an elevator shaft with them once.

They are constantly going through it, give these kids a break for real

Mina Murray/Harker (Dracula)

IIIIIIII Loveeeeeeee Herrrrrr, she's learning shorthand, she's the group scribe, she writes in her diary about her and lucy seeing cows on a walk, AND she's a train fiend. She's everything to me fr

[yyokkki]

Asking to Sketch Them

POMEFIORE 

Vil Schoenheit 

You’re gonna have to schedule an appointment with Vil’s manager first darling, but, because you’re his friend he will accept the request free of charge

Literally started this entire hc series because of this man, the way I draw him does not match up to his standards whatsoever

The best model you could ask for, because it’s Vil so of course, but Pomefiore can prepare any set you ask for in the snap of a finger and they’re giving you a free spa treatment after this???

And that’s exactly why he’s the worst model you could get

Pressure cranked up to 100%

His face is so symmetrical and oh god rook is breathing over your shoulder, staring as you work and he hasn’t blinked in a w h I l e

Once you’re done Vil gives a balanced amount of positive feedback and helpful criticism

But rook

Dude is n it p ic k y, there’s no malice but the guy is intensely observing everything Vil does daily so he definitely has stuff to say no matter how good you do

If you don’t mind the bone crushing pressure, this is probably the most helpful session you could get with genuinely good advice and tips at least in the realm of drawing people as beautiful as Vil

Its either -100/10 or 100/10 depending on how much pressure you put on yourself im sorry but if I were asked to draw a portrait of fucking Beyonce while she sat right in front of me I would cry

Rook Hunt

Boy is grinning ear to ear

Contrary to… Above, Rook is very happy to model for you

Rook is very skilled at staying still for prolonged periods of time even in the most precarious positions so go crazy (revenge)

Usually he’s the observer so to be the one being observed is kind of nice to him in a way

Once you’re done he improvs a unique poem about your masterpiece and how much he loves it 

Whether it’s stickman or hyperrealism on ms paint, he’s framing your work and hanging it up in his room

Next thing you know there’s a scented letter full of flowery poems detailing his gratefulness and his awe at your skill, as well as a huge oil painting of you ready to be hung up somewhere in Ramshackle dorm

This stuff probably comes naturally to him

9/10 Actually quite pleasant for, well, Rook

Epel Felmier

Vil hasn’t gotten around to teaching him how to pose for portraits yet cuz he’s really trying to hammer in the basics first but he will do his best!!

After you actually manage to convince him to do it that is

Posing for a portrait sounds stiff and boring and he’s already forced to put up with that everyday at his dorm

Bribes? Pomefiore basically has everything he needs and more

Food? Vil is gonna kill him if he eats anything outside his meal plans

A place to hide from Vil? Ramshackle is falling apart, he breaks in visits every other day with the other first years already

Your hand in marriage? I don’t think you should be offering something like that for a portrait

A competition? Ya bet yer ass I’m winnin

And now you’re drawing Epel while Epel is drawing you, with the other first years acting as judges

Honestly pretty fun, the atmosphere is light hearted

The other first years are arguing at the side and both of you aren’t super cut throat about it, cracking jokes and laughing at the dumbass combo whenever they do or say something distracting

You exchange the portraits at the end and Epel actually had a good time so it’s a win win situation and yall get to have a sleepover later

He challenges you to an apple carving competition next 

8/10 Turned into more of a first year hangout but it was a good time so who’s complaining

-----

Heartslabyul | Savanaclaw | Octavinelle | Scarabia | Pomefiore | Ignihyde | Diasomnia  

[sunfortune]

can I ask what bridgerton books you’ve read and if they’re worth it

i read “the viscount who loved me” yeeeeears ago. and it is still probably my fav regency romance novel. it’s not even perfect. i just loooved the characterizations. (they’ll NEVER make me hate you book kate) and i think the banter and slow burn in the first half of the book was SOOO good. and literally what so many romance novels LACK. bc insta-lust/love just doesn’t pack the same punch. i’m sorry

also i litchrally claimed kate as a women of color in my own delusions back when i was literally reading a standard White Ass Regency Romance Novel (BEFORE there was ever any show) bc i just loved kate that much. and was like WHOS gonna beat my ass⁉️ (this was after still star crossed lol) she was a woman of color. TO ME.

plus they described kate as “dark” and edwina as “fair” in the book a lot which i know just meant hair/eyes but i was like. slay! no take backs! LDMLSJSKSJ

(so despite everything about the way the show did kate i did absolutely WIN in that aspect)

next. the second book i read was “romancing mister bridgerton”. (again. this is before there was ever a show) bc i liked the little of penelope i saw in kanthonys book. but then. well. reading that book is when i realized “the viscount who loved me” might have been a fluke bc WHAT in the world. “romancing mister bridgerton” was just 350 pages of penelope getting dogged by the boringest MOST bitchless man on earth. the way she PINED for colin from literally page 1. PAGE ONE. but the book doesn’t spend a SINGLE second making him compelling in ANY way, shape or form was MIND boggling. AND THEN gave him the audacity to treat HER like shit⁉️

and the WHOLE TIME the book is like they’re friends to lovers btw!!! hehe <333. NO THEY WERENT! DONT piss me off rn. that man was NOT her friend. he was nice to her ONLY when he deemed her below him. and as soon as he found out she had success in something he didn’t, it was immediate disdain and disrespect for her. that’s not a friend?!

ALL WHILE! she falls all over herself bc of how bad she wants him. i wanted to get her the fuck out of her OWN romance when i was reading that book. i could not believe what it was selling as real true love. garbage

next. i was debating if i should check out another book after that mess. bc i didn’t know if the other were also bad. and eventually just decided to start from the beginning (moment of silence 😞) and pulled up “the duke and i” and then as im reading the synopsis i stumble on a review detailing the plot and that describes the actual sexual assault in that book that gets played off as romance.

aaand i have NOT touched another bridgerton book since

i Have heard eloise’s book and romance is awful by mutuals who have read them all. and benedict’s is not very great either. francesca’s book may be the only worthy follow up to tvwlm. those 2 are generally considered the better ones of the series.

i’m still recovering from the ones i have read though so wont be able to confirm any time soon

in conclusion:

the viscount who loved me (my best friend still idc. not perfect but very gorgeous to me)

romancing mister bridgerton (hot garbage. argue with your mother)

the duke and i (burning books is not always bad. it would be fine here)

[novasintheroom]

008. Kindness

♡ Pairing - Vash x Reader

♡ Word count - 1.1k

♡ Warnings - none

♡ Description - You continue to send Vash letters.

Part of the 150 Bullets drabble series on AO3

Part 1 ---- Part 2 ---- Part 3 (you are here!) ---- Part 4 ---- Part 5

The next letter comes a week later on a Tuesday. The one after that, two weeks and two days. And the one after that, just four days later.

You’ve made a habit of writing at nearly every post office and leaving it to be picked up by Vash if he chooses. He tries to resist and leave the letters there, but loneliness and the want to know how you’re doing always wins. He’s returned to a town more than once just to get a letter.

This week’s letter comes from a little town called Bangs. The mailwoman hands him the letter from the top of her tomas, and he gives her the twenty-six C-cents for handling it.

The paper inside is pink this time and smells a bit like almond lotion. Your curving and slanted writing greets him:

                Birdie,

                I’ve managed to add three new towns this week to the roster. There’re only a few people in each who are willing to join in on the book exchange, but a win’s a win. HQ says I’m doing great, and they’ve already gotten a few applications from some teenagers in the towns to apply for college in the bigger cities.

                In fact, they’re moving me to a new route soon. One that’s a bit more challenging due to it being so far out and away from most other places. I’m getting my own tomas for it since the towns are so spread out. I’ve drawn the map they sent me on the back…in case you ever want to visit.

                I hope you’re doing well. I wish I could see you. I know you’re getting my letters. Write to me, please. Even if you don’t think we should travel together anymore, we can at least be friends, right?

Forever yours,

       ______

P.S. What do evil toma lay? Deviled eggs.

He’s surprised to find two blank pages nestled into the envelope. You really want him to write you? After abandoning and dodging you for nearly two months? But he shouldn’t be surprised. You’re always adjusting to his boundaries, always making sure he’s comfortable, even if you disagree. You’re too kind for your own good. The least he could do is tell you he’s okay.

So, he writes back.

                ______,

                I’m doing fine. I’ve got a few jobs lined up in the town I’m in right now. I was able to help nurse someone’s grandma back to health here too. I’m doing my best, just like you are.

He taps at the paper. What else should he say?

                I’m sorry I I’m glad to hear you’re doing well. You’re making a huge difference by helping build up people’s education. It will help so many people in the future.

                What do you know about the region you’re getting assigned to? I’ve only been around there a few times, and I’m sure it’s changed since then.

Best,

              Vash

P.S. Why can’t you ever trust stairs? They’re always up to something.

He’s left with an extra page to write with, but just stuffs it in his pocket. He doesn’t have much of worth to say right now; he still feels bad about…everything. He finds the postwoman again, who takes the new envelope and trots off on her tomas, and that’s that.

The next letter comes on the road as a courier passes by on her own walk back toward a town called Ferret’s Claw. She hails him, and hands it to him. “Already paid for,” her gravelly voice says, then continues trotting down the path of dunes.

Vash watches her leave before he opens and scans it over.

                Birdie,

                I’ve heard about you helping the Plants in the region. You’re not as sneaky as you used to be. That, or people are a lot more talkative about the talented, young, handsome man going around fixing Plants.

                Sure sounds like you.

                I’ve had to deal with some bandits on the road. Been chased a few times. Luckily they either aren’t great shots or don’t have their own toma to chase me on. They seem to be young kids with nothing better to do. I hope the more we spread education, that will lessen.

                Be careful around here, birdie.

                                                                                                Forever yours,

                                                                                                                ______

A blush rises to his cheeks when he reads over the “talented, young, handsome” line again. Leave it to you to still get his stomach fluttering with butterflies, even at a distance. Vash lets a breath go through his nose, then folds the letter, putting it in his “letters pocket,” so dubbed now after receiving them. He brings out the spare piece of paper from the previous letter and begins to write, using his knee as a ‘desk.’

                Mayfl______,

                Don’t worry about me; I know how to run handle bandits. You should be more careful, though. Do you still have that knife you got from the pawn shop?

                I won’t be staying in the region long. There’s a call coming from somewhere else, and I need to go to it.

He taps the paper, looking up and around as he thinks. Should he tell you where he’ll be? He’d like more letters…

                It’s coming from a town in the east, I know that much. Hopefully I can get there in time.

                Be safe.

                             Vash

P.S. There are three types of people in the world: those who can count, and those who can’t.

There. That ought to be enough.

And when he’s in the east, he isn’t as surprised to find a letter waiting for him at one of the towns.

Birdie,

I’ll keep writing to you if that’s alright. It gets lonely on the road, and I don’t doubt you feel it too. I love getting your letters.

HQ says I’ll stay in this region for at least a few months. Please let me know where to send my letters; I promise I won’t follow – I’ve got too many people relying on me and the books now. But I’d still love to hear from you. Tell me about what you’re up to, any adventures, even the shoot-outs you’re in. I’ll worry, but I’ll know you’re okay with each letter.

I hope you’re well. I hope you find happiness wherever you go.

                                                                                Forever yours,

______

P.S. What do you call a can opener that doesn’t work? A can’t opener.

And Vash does write back. Even if it’s so much less than what you write, he keeps you updated.

Vash wonders, when he’s writing his next letter, if this should stop. He’s leading you on; he hasn’t stopped contact like he promised he would. He looks down at the paper and crumples it in his hand, then opens and smooths it out again. Your kindness is like a drug he can’t quit. It’s selfish, but he wants to keep you, like the letters he keeps in his pocket. Is it so bad to want one friend in the world?

Maybe. Perhaps not.

And so he writes.

[mr-president]

if sean and yun met would they explode i neeed to know

TLDR; i think they meet, maybe get into a fight, realize their mental illnesses are compatible, and then explode into a fire of pure bromance.

i really don’t know how i’d describe their dynamic the moment they meet—yun, for one, is waaaaaaaaaay stronger than sean, considering that everyone kind of is. yun’s kind of a huge narcissistic asshole sometimes, so if they had met through a fight (perhaps gill’s tournament or just being like ‘yo are those the twin dragons? let’s fight!’), then he’d probably just clown on and torment sean with taunts. or, based on yun’s win quotes, pity him and not try at all in the fight and still win. not a great start (i have my own headcanons about that tournament, and i like to think sean faced alex).

either way, it’d be interesting to explore on sean’s part: how do you forgive/bear with someone like that? how can you consolidate being friends having also been hurt quite deeply with regards to something you’ve tried so hard with? it would be interesting for yun, who’s used to being superior and holding it over people’s head, to try and not be an asshole, be a good friend that recognizes sean’s worth. i think this goes for sean’s relationships in general, and part of why i include him in my art is to show that he has other elements and skills that are valuable.

like, sure i think the 3rd strike kiddos all fight each other and spar for fun, but most people aren’t friends with each other to do one thing. elena and yun complain about shitty customers at their part time jobs over ice cream, makoto and sean ramble about their respective masters and martial arts movies they’ve watched, and ibuki and yang (i’ve already drawn) swap daydreams and go to pet cafés. there is more to sean than being ass at fighting—he is worth more than that, and though the series itself can’t explore that by the nature of being “street fighter,” guess what, i’m a fan artist, and i can explore that.

i like to think they either met through elena, but they probably jsut met at gill’s tournament or the classic “yo you’re that guy? let’s fight” plot. when they first meet though, they definitely click personality-wise, and yes, they explode.

what’s important about sean is that he’s the one who doesn’t just tolerate yun’s mischievous bullshit, he fully understands and bounces it back. it’s like, jock-to-jock communication (yang’s tired of living with his brother’s bullshit for the entirety of his existence, makoto gets pissed and kicks the shit outta him, ibuki tolerates it to an extent when their goals match up but also jsut punches him when she gets annoyed, and elena’s autism isn’t on the same wavelength and yun feels bad teasing her).

yun says something weird and sean just nods and it becomes a whole bit between them, growing more and more absurd that the others are like “we don’t know these people.” pure bro-i-ness, and i’m sure it’s nice for sean to be involved in things, and yun enjoys a willing accomplice in his bullshit.

that being said, they balance each other out really nicely. sean’s a loser younger sibling, neglected by a shitty mentor, and what skills he does have are understated and belittled. he’s trying to carve out his own path, but despite trying so hard, it isn’t enough to impress anyone much less win.

yun’s an older sibling, and i’m sure he’s handled yang and jamie’s feelings of inadequacy quite well (yang hasn’t dumped yun onto the street yet, and jamie’s…like that now). hence, i think he’s really good at boosting sean’s confidence when they’re not fighting, and he has the balls to be like “ken masters is a bitch for doing that to you, man.”

meanwhile, yun’s never taken seriously, so he doesn’t try at anything. at the same time, he’s the eldest sibling in an asian “family,” and though they don’t have parents, there’s still that expectation that he is the best, that he is the role model his brothers should look up to and try to become. not to mention, he’s the beloved protector/peacekeeper of hong kong—that’s a lot of pressure, but he’s the chill, swag party boy he always is anyway.

i think yun would have a hard time talking about anything emotional—he’s the role model to yang and jamie, so he can’t falter there. hoimei is seemingly hostile to him, and though i could see ibuki and elena lending a helpful ear, i don’t think yun would be comfortable talking to them (partly due to internalized misogyny, but also he’s not as close with them) beyond everyday issues. sean’s just a good friend for him in this regard, and they could learn a lot from each other by sharing their upbringings and experiences.

it’s a comfortable role/dynamic they’re accustomed to—teasing, older brother and teased, younger sibling—but because they’re not actually siblings, the “sibling dynamic” and the expectations that come with isnt so rigid. sean can tell yun when his teasing gets too harsh without fear of being electrocuted, and yun can seem “weak” without the fear that he’s not living up to the expectations of his brothers. additionally, yun build’s sean’s confidence while sean keeps yun grounded, not becoming too cocky.

but of course, that’s later into their friendship! i think they meet, maybe get into a fight, realize their mental illnesses are compatible, and then become close friends. close bros, even.

early in their friendship, i think both kind of “test the waters” with jokes, saying something weird and then seeing if the other will continue the joke. when it becomes clear they’re on the same wavelength all the time somehow, yun starts hanging out with sean without yang (very significant), and keeps doing that. it helps they have similar interests—the skate park is pretty close to the basketball court, infinite—the guy who does the third strike opening and select—is the greatest rapper of all time, the arcade’s the absolute shit, and a quick spar’s always welcome.

you probably did notice that i “paired up” the third strike kiddos, but i hope to mix and match them more! i kinda didn’t have much yun and sean drawn, mostly because their dynamic feels very obvious to me, and i usually draw to “make a statement.”

thanks for reading, if you got this far! here’s some seanyun yaoi as a reward.

maybe i’ll write a bit about that; haven’t thought about it very much

[14buddy22]

I'll Spend the Rest of My Life Making It Up To You Series

A/N: Part 9! Well - it's over, I hope you like the ending :)

Warnings: Have been the same throughout the story :)

Prev Part // Series Masterlist // Masterlist

After a long talk with Aaron when you got home from your in-laws house, you felt better. He kept telling you it wasn’t your fault and as long as you were okay with it, they could work something out where Bob and Carol would still be allowed to see Mason, just as long as Jake wasn’t around.

You didn’t realize how fast your court date would come. A lot of prep, a lot of crying, a lot of hugs from Aaron. A lot of comfort from Mason and Jack. 

Sleepless nights. Lots of them. 

You were up at 2am, sitting on the couch, watching a movie, not able to sleep. Court was the next morning at 9am. Luckily not a 7 or 8am start, so you could have time to be with the boys before you had to go relieve the traumatic events of your life. 

While sitting on the couch, you didn’t expect Aaron to come out of his room, wide awake. 

“Did I wake you up?”

“No. God, no. I just couldn’t sleep.”

You looked at him and chuckled. You moved the blanket off of you and said, “I couldn’t sleep either. Come sit, we can watch a movie together.”

You were falling in love with Aaron. You never really fell out of love with him to begin with. You had to on the outside, but deep within, you knew your heart always belonged with Aaron. Maybe he felt the same, maybe he didn’t. If he hadn’t left you, there wouldn’t be Haley, and there certainly wouldn’t be Jack. He loves him with everything he has. 

You were taken out of your thoughts as his body slid right next to yours, the blanket finding it’s way over both of you. He was your comfort person. You think he always was. Aaron and of course, Mason. They were your comfort people. And now, you’d be adding Jack into that mix of comfort people. 

At one point in your life, you did find comfort in Jake. But that was only a short amount of time 10 years ago. You found comfort in Jake when you were upset about your broken engagement with Aaron. Jake should have just been a rebound, a hookup at most, how’d you let it get this bad?

“Y/n, you know none of this is your fault. Right? Whatever happens in court, they’re gonna blame you, they’re gonna make you seem like you could’ve gotten out.”

“Could’ve gotten out? Jesus Christ, Aaron! He would have killed me! I think he still would if we weren’t gonna be in court surrounded by cops and the FBI. He almost beat me to death with my son in the house.”

You started crying. You were furious, upset. As you went to pull away from Aaron, he pulled you closer next to him, giving you a tight squeeze. 

“Hey, shh, shh. It’s okay. I’m not saying you could’ve left because I know what he did to you. I read the letters, y/n, trust me. I know. I believe you, hell, I saw what he did to you. I’m just telling you, I worked in court, I handled cases like this, I’ve been in the FBI for too long to know that victims of domestic abuse sometimes don’t always win in court and they end up dying 2 weeks later because their abuser kills them. I’m sure as hell not letting that happen. Whatever happens, we will adjust. If he gets off free, then we’ll play it by year.” 

“Try and get some sleep. Mason will be up in a bit for a bottle, you’ll need to get some sleep for court. Come on. Just close your eyes.”

You didn’t realize that sleeping with Aaron, even on his couch, would be a comfy place for you, some where you’d get your best sleep since the last time you slept with him. 

You awoke the next morning to the smell of breakfast and kids laughing. When you walked into the kitchen, you saw Aaron sitting with the kids at the table, he was feeding Mason and Jack was eating breakfast. 

“Good morning!”

Jack got up from his spot to hug you and you smiled at Aaron. 

“Eat, then get dressed. Jessica’s coming to pick up Jack in 15 minutes. I already showered this morning when I got up with Mason.”

“Did you take the baby monitor from me last night?”

“I did. I wanted you to sleep. Mason got up at 7, I was already up by then.”

Mason wasn’t his son and Aaron was being an amazing father to Mason than Jake ever was. You were lucky you met Aaron all those years ago. You didn’t think you’d be in this situation, you were sure you were going to marry Aaron, but life works in mysterious ways. 

After a morning with the boys, saying goodbye to Jack, getting Mason ready then getting yourself dressed, then making sure Aaron had some time to get dressed as well. It was weird to see him dressed for court, especially when it was your case that he was going to court for. 

He grabbed the diaper bag and he said, “Let’s go.” As you all got in Aaron’s car, you couldn’t help but have a silent car ride there. Just the sound of Mason’s soft snores, Aaron’s hand finding yours in your lap. 

Everything went by in slow motion. Walking into the court house, meeting with your attorney, seeing Aaron’s team there. Some of them going to testify. Walking into the courtroom, seeing Jake.

It felt good knowing today was the day you were going to be getting out of this relationship for good. At least you were hoping you would. You saw Jake sitting with his lawyer. He saw you walke in with Mason and Aaron and your lawyer. Part of you felt bad that Jake couldn’t hold his son, but he had a chance to turn his life around with you. He could have gotten better, you think part of him could. Wait, what were you thinking?. You keep going back to him, you shouldn’t. He hurt you. 

Aaron took Mason out of the carrier and you said, “He’s got extra diapers in there, he really likes his strawberry and banana puffs.”

“Y/n/n, I know. You’ve been living with me for a month. I got this. Just worry about the trial. We’re right behind you.” 

You gave him a soft smile and whispered a thank you. You kissed Mason and then you took a seat at the table. 

Court doesn’t appear like it does in TV shows or movies. There are much more boring moments, you see everything. The judge introducing himself, him talking to the members of the jury about what their roles are, the attorneys introducing themselves, who they are defending, the whole nine yards. 

You watched people go up one by one testifying for you. Then you went up to the stand, and that’s where the madness begins. Putting the victim on the stand, no, not victim, survivor. 

Brian said, “On the stand is Ms. Y/n Y/l/n,”

“Please. Call me Y/n.”

“Y/n, is it true you wrote a series of letters to your past lover, Aaron Hotchner, when you were engaged and married to Jake?”

“Yes, but those were letters I never sent. It was my escape from reality.”

“I’d like to take look at this letter.”

They started reading the letters from when you first met Jake, to when you got engaged to your wedding night. You watched how the jury was reacting. There was one woman who was silently crying. You saw her wipe her cheek. She wasn’t crying enough for everyone to notice, but it was enough to know that what you went through did hurt outsiders looking in. 

Brian handed you a letter and said, “Y/n, why don’t you read this one.”

You held the letter and began reading, 

“Aaron, Well, I don’t know how to say it so I’m just going to say it. I’m pregnant. Yep. I just found out while in my bathroom. I hadn’t felt good these past couple of days, so I decided to take a pregnancy test. You know I’ve always wanted children, but I never wanted children with Jake. I wanted to have children with you. I don’t even know if Jake wants children. Abortion is an option, but I don’t want to get one. I’ve always wanted children and to be a mom and this might be my only chance. The thing is, when this baby was conceived, it wasn’t even conceived out of love. Jake was mad at me. He basically fucked his fustrations out on me. I just have to lay there like I’m some type of sex doll, and I hate it. If I were to tell him no, he’d hit me. So I have to live with this. I’m sorry I hadn’t seen you in a while, it was for the best. Well, for you. Maybe not for me. I’m hoping that when I tell Jake, he’ll be so happy. Maybe he’ll turn around, no longer hit me or abuse me. I hope you and Jack are doing well.”

Aaron was sat with Mason on the benches behind the table where you were supposed to be seated. Derek and Dave both on his sides. His friend had stood up while you were on the stand and said, “Your honor, right now, we’d like to show the court and members of the jury direct evidence of the final piece of physical abuse that Ms. Y/L/N sustained from Jake.”

You looked at Aaron, eyes looking back at yours. He didn’t know what was going on. He thought you gave him every piece of evidence you had against Jake. He looked at you, what hurt you the most was that you never showed this to Aaron. You weren’t about to cry because of the trauma you endured with Jake, but you were getting ready to cry because you saw that Aaron’s heart was gonna break.

Your attorney said, “People of the court, members of the court, people of the jury, I do want to give you a warning that what you see in this video is a heinous act. There will be blood, yelling, etc.”

Dave whispered to Aaron, “Why don’t you go outside and take Mason for a walk.”

“No. No. I’m not leaving her alone. It’s fine. I can control myself. I’m a profiler, Dave. I’m a Unit Chief. I can control my emotions.”

Aaron was cut off by the sound of your voice coming from the video. 

The video had shown you downstairs coming to greet Jake. You had secretly propped your phone up on the counter, hoping to catch him in the act of one of the most disgusting things a man could do to a woman. You wanted to catch him, that way it wouldn’t be hear-say. You know since you’ve seen shows about it, but you also know because your father-in-law was a successful attorney. 

Watching the video up at the stand, you couldn’t help but flinch when the first hit happened. It all comes flooding back to you at once. You had gone to see Aaron. Came back home and Jake flipped. 

When you looked over at Aaron, you saw the tears rolling down his face. How he held Mason tighter, shielding Mason into his chest so Mason couldn’t see. You’ve never seen Aaron this heartbroken before. You hated that you couldn’t hold him in your arms and tell him you’re okay. 

You’d lie to Aaron and tell him that it didn’t hurt, even when it was one of the most painful things you went through. This was one video of abuse, but you had been abused for 10 years prior to this one video clip.

Aaron whispered to Dave, “I could kill him right now. Dave, this is the night I picked her up. She called me after this. Had I known he would’ve done this.”

“Relax, Aaron. Relax.”

Dave put his hand on Aaron’s back, telling him to calm down, don’t make a scene with a baby in his hands.

Looking at Aaron’s face, you saw the anger, the hurt, the guilt, sadness. You saw every emotion he was going through. You didn’t miss the way he wiped his tears away and you certainly didn’t miss the way that your son had saw him upset and leaned into him, and patted his stomach. 

Mason was amazing, he always knew how to calm people down, even if he was just a baby. He was a great profiler, maybe deep down, the universe needed Mason to be like Aaron and you. Maybe Mason was the the baby you and Aaron were meant to have all those years ago. 

You decided to shake the thought. You couldn’t think about them right now. You had a case to win. You wanted justice to be served. You wanted to show everyone who is in an abusive relationship that it’s okay to get out. 

Aaron watched as the video ended, you quickly grabbing the phone, catching a glimpse of your face and the blood running down. He made eye contact with you, whispering an “I’m sorry.”

Brian said, “That’s all, your honor.”

Jake’s lawyer stood up and said, “We have no questions, your honor.”

The judge told you that you could step down and you walked back to sit down at your seat. The judge dismissed the jury and you walked over to hug Aaron. 

Rossi said, “We got sandwiches in a break room. Come on, let’s go have lunch.”

“I’m going to go change Mason and freshen up in the bathroom, okay?”

You took Mason from Aaron and walked into the bathroom, you changed his diaper and fixed your make up. Walking out, you saw Jake. 

“Y/n, please. Let them drop the charges. I’m gonna change. I’ve started going to therapy. I want to raise our son. Look how big he’s gotten.”

“No Jake, you had 10 years to change, and you didn’t. It only got worse.”

Aaron said, “Rossi, the last time he hit her.”

“Um. Aaron, I think we got bigger problems right now.”

Rossi nodded his head towards where you were and Aaron started walking towards you, Jake, and Mason. Rossi following right behind him. 

“You’re not supposed to talk to her.”

“Aaron Hotchner. What a man. This is the guy who left you?”

“Jake, just drop it. Go with your lawyer, I’m going with mine.”

Jake stepped closer and said, “Is she as good in bed as when you first had her? I worked her open for you, turned her into a whore.”

“Don’t speak about her like that.”

“You know, you won. You got her back, you get my son, you won.”

“Good, because you never deserved her. You never deserved her love, affection, for her to be the mother of your child. You never deserved for her to even look at you. She trusted you and you hurt her. You’re a monster and I’m glad your son isn’t going to be around you.”

Jake took a step back and you walked over to Aaron. You started to pull Aaron towards Rossi and Aaron stopped. 

“You know, I didn’t deserve to win either, I broke her heart and me breaking her heart led her to you. And you put her through so much hell, Jake. But this wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for me. But I’m damn sure gonna spend the rest of my life making it up to her and fixing what you broke. So you know what, I’m glad I won. I’m gonna protect her and Mason from monsters like you.”

Aaron put his hand on your back and you guys walked into the break room. Aaron’s team was playing with Mason and you just sat with him on the couch. Taking everything in. How did Aaron say he didn’t deserve you? Why the hell would Jake even approach Aaron. 

There was a knock on the door, Brian came in and said, “The jury has made a decision.”

“That’s good, right Aar?”

“That’s quick for a jury. Hopefully it is good.”

As everyone got seated back in the courthouse, they went through the usual spiel that you watch on TV shows. The first juror stands and responds back to the judge. Here it is, the verdict. 

“We find the defendant, guilty, on all counts your honor.”

You began to cry. You had won. This battle was over. You’ve won custody of Mason, Jake was going to jail, he would never touch another girl like what he put you through again.

You hugged Brian and then hugged Aaron and Mason. Aaron kissed your cheek and you took Mason. You told Brian you wanted to see Jake before they took him away. 

You walked over to Jake’s table with Mason and Jake said, “I’m sorry for what I did to you Y/n, you didn’t deserve any of it. I know you’re going to be a great mom to Mason. You already are. And Aaron, I can see why you were still in love with him when we first met in that bar 11 years ago. He loves you, don’t let him go. You deserve him after what I did to you. I’m sorry. Can I-can I kiss my son goodbye?”

You looked over at Aaron and he was watching you. You told Jake to sit down and you walked next to him and placed Mason in his arms. Aaron got closer to where you were standing and Rossi pulled him back. Rossi said, “She’s got this Aaron. Let her do this. Let her get some closure.”

“Goodbye Mason, Be good. You’re very lucky to have an amazing mom. Very lucky to have a good dad from here on out.”

Jake kissed Mason on his head and you took Mason back. “Goodbye Jake.”

You walked away. Closing that chapter of your life, opening the next with Aaron. As you went home that evening, Aaron inviting the team over for dinner, letting the kids all hang out, you were cuddled into Aaron. 

Penelope said, “So, now that this is all over, does this mean you two are getting back together again?”

Aaron said, “We’re not in a rush, whatever happens, happens.”

After everyone had gone home, Jack gone to sleepover with Henry at JJ’s house, Mason put to bed, you sat in front of Aaron’s fire place with him. The soft glow of the fire going with the lights you had hung up.

“I’m proud of you, for ending the cycle of abuse. I’m sorry I broke your heart all those years ago, I was scared. I was scared of marrying my best friend, having children with her, and growing old with her. I knew all your deepest darkest secrets. I knew your biggest insecurities and I treated you like shit. You didn’t deserve that, y/n. I am so, so sorry.”

“Did you really mean what you said to Jake? That you didn’t deserve to win?”

“Yeah, because I didn’t. Jake nor I didn’t deserve you.”

“No, you deserve me because I deserve you. I don’t know any other man in this world that would drop everything he had going on in his life to help an ex-fiance. You let me move into an apartment with my 6 month old son at the time.”

“I told you I was going to spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I meant it.”

You leaned into Aaron for a kiss. His hand cupping your face. It was a soft, beautiful kiss. It wasn’t long before you and him found yourself stripping your clothes and mkaing love right in front of the fire place. The last time you had made love instead of had sex had been two weeks before your engagement had ended. It was your anniversary with Aaron. There was something meaningful with Aaron, and you had it even after all these years. 

*3 months later*

Things were great. You had a successful teaching job, Mason was thriving, Jack was a great son, and Aaron was amazing. Your little family was great. Aaron wasn’t officially your husband but you were all living together. You and Aaron bought a beautiful house, Derek helped renovate it to make it your dream home. 

You were celebrating Mason’s birthday. He was a year old. It was scary to think that just a year ago, you were in an abusive relationship, giving birth to a baby, alone. Now, you were surrounded by Aaron and Jack and amazing friends and family. What you never thought about was how Mason’s birthday was the day that you wanted to marry Aaron all those years ago. 

You never thought about it until Aaron brought it up to you last month. Mason took very well to Aaron, started calling him dada. It brought tears to Aaron’s eyes, he never knew that Mason and you could fill the void in his heart when Haley passed and when he left you. Jack was amazing and he loved Jack so much, but there was something about adding another child, one that wasn’t biologically his, into the mix. 

Aaron said, “If you’ll clean up, I’ll go get him cleaned up and into his PJs?”

“Sounds good, Aar.”

You watched him walk away and upstairs with Mason. Jack helped you clean up. He was such a great helper with Mason. He was an amazing big brother. You were hoping you could make him a big brother to more siblings, but that would come later down the road, only if Aaron wanted more.

Rossi said, “There’s my baby boy! Look how cute he looks.”

Rossi read his shirt and Mason said, “Mama!”

You turned around and Aaron was walking behind Mason. You knelt to the floor to hug Mason and Mason pointed to his shirt. 

“Will you marry, Daddy?”

You looked up at Aaron and watched as he knelt down to the ground. You held Mason by you and then Jack came to yourside. You were with Aaron and he held out an engagement ring. 

“We’ve been through a lot Y/n, in 20 years, more than anyone else has been through. I’m asking you to marry me, but I’m in no rush to have the big white wedding. I want you to be Mrs. Hotchner. I wanted you to be that 20 years ago, but I was a coward because you were a powerful woman, knowing what you want. I should have stuck with you. You went through hell and back and hell and back just to get where we are today. Let me make it up to you for the rest of my life. I love you, Jack loves you, so, will you marry me?”

“Absolutely I will.”

Aaron slipped the ring on your finger and you put your hands on his face. Pulling him into a kiss. Jack hugged you and Mason hugged him. Your little family was complete. You were so proud of getting out of your relationship with Jake. You and Mason deserved a happy life with Jack and Aaron. You were so proud that this was the outcome you had. 

If there’s ever a doubt in your mind that you deserve better, you do, and you go find it. 

“When it comes to abuse, you believe there’s no way out. There is always help. There is always a way out.” – Donna Mulvey

Tags: @8crazy-freak8 @angelmather1 @rousethemouse @lex13cm @mrs-ssa-hotch @comfortzonequeen

[imeanitplsmorenamifics]

hihi !!

can you do an Usopp X reader where reader is a much better liar than he is and it always sounds believable—and honestly sometimes it is the truth, so no one realizes until either Y/N tells them it was a lie or it’s too late and they’ve already fallen for it and USO’s just like “… AH—WAS THAT A LIE? YOU LITTLE!” but it’s cute? I dunno how but it’s all silly silly banter

bonus points if despite this, Y/N somehow always falls for Usopp’s lies even when they’re shitty asf 😭

Hey! This was such a great idea! I had a lot of fun writing it. I hope I did it justice for you! I tried to brainstorm and be original with it. Hope you enjoy reading! Summary: When a lying competition gets a little out of hand. Characters: Usopp, GN!Reader, Sanji, Zoro, Nami, and Luffy. Pairing: Usopp x GN!Reader TW: Nothing that I know of.

Liar, Liar

.·:·.✧ ✦✧.·:·.

There is a week that the Strawhat crew officially calls the worst week in hell. Now, you might be thinking that something horrendously bad happened. Maybe there was a series of bad events during that week? Maybe they were stranded on an island for a week and couldn’t leave? Something bad. You would be wrong. Nothing horrible happened during that week… Unless you count a lying competition as something horrible.

It all started with the two resident liars on the crew, Usopp and (Y/N). To say that lying was their specialty would be putting it lightly. They were experts. If anyone could convince you of anything, it would be them. This was useful on multiple occasions, especially with their pirate lifestyle. It was an absolute hindrance when that ability was used against you.

One day, a conversation took place between the two. It was a day like any other day. It was another day out at sea. The crew was bored to death. It was a while before they would reach the next island and they had zero entertainment. They all did things to keep them occupied in the meantime. Zoro polished his swords, Sanji was cooking their lunch, Nami was studying the Grand Line map, and Luffy was sitting on the mast. This left the last two additions of the Strawhat Crew.

“You have a tell when you’re lying,” (Y/N) was on one of the crates on the deck of the ship. Their legs were crossed, and so were their arms. They were giving a stern look to Usopp.

Hearing this from them made the man make a face. This expression clearly said, ‘You’re lying.’ Usopp scoffed with a smile on his face, “No, I don’t. I’ve taught myself to remain perfectly normal,” He locked eyes with them, “If anyone has a tell, it’s you.”

That wasn’t true. They had zero tells whatsoever. They stared at him with a questioning look, “Oh, really? Then what is it?” They knew he wouldn’t be able to name anything. They were confident in their lying skills.

For a few moments, Usopp stumbled over his words, “Well, uh… You do the thing-” (Y/N) hummed, urging him to continue. All that came from him was jumbled-up words that didn’t make sense. It wasn’t long until (Y/N) started giggling. This was all it took to set Usopp off. He nodded to himself and leaned forward, “Okay. How about this… We have a lying competition,” Now (Y/N) was interested. “Whoever can make everyone believe the most outrageous lie wins.”

A smirk took over (Y/N)’s features, “You’re on.”

Just like that, the week started. Both parties started off with small lies. Things like shoes being untied or lying to get out of doing stuff. Then, it started to get bigger. They would lie about forgetting something important or being sick. That’s when (Y/N) decided to take it up a notch. They knew exactly what they could do to win.

In the morning, while they were docked at a new island, everything was calm. The crew was eating breakfast and chatting over what they were going to do that day. The only one not there yet was (Y/N). This wasn’t surprising. They always overslept. What was alarming to the group was when they walked into the room with a panicked expression. With wide eyes, they said, “I can’t find the map.”

The group froze. Nami slowly looked up from her food, “Which map?”

“The Grand Line map.”

Everything went to chaos. They all freaked as they looked furiously around the ship. They came up with nothing. This made them panic more. What could have happened to it? They rarely took it off the ship. When they did, it was always with one of them. They would never take the risk of having it out in the open for someone to take. After more moments of freaking out, one of them took charge.

“Who had it last?” Zoro inquired.

Only one person spoke up, “I was, but I would never lose it.” It was Nami. That wasn’t surprising. She had the map on her at all times. Though, everyone knew she wouldn’t be dumb enough to misplace it somehow.

“Let’s retrace your steps!” Usopp suggested. “If we can find out everything you did yesterday, we can find the map.”

This gave (Y/N) an idea. They pulled out the container the map was usually kept in and looked inside once more. That’s when something caught their eye. They pulled it out for everyone to see. It was a slip of paper. Everyone stared at the slip of paper curiously. (Y/N) scanned their eyes over it before they sighed, “It says that it was taken. They’ll give it back for a ransom.”

“Ransom?” Sanji questioned.

“Maybe we can take it back by force!” A smirk appeared on Luffy’s face.

Shaking her head, Nami asked the question on everyone’s mind, “Does it say who took it?”

Once again, (Y/N) looked down at the note. Their eyes stopped on a particular part of the note, “Hold on, I didn’t notice this before. It says..,” Everyone waited, worried for what they might hear them say. “It says that I lied,” (Y/N) looked up from the note with a grin. They pulled the map out of their bag. “It was right here the whole time.”

All hell broke loose from three people.

“Not this again!” Sanji.

“Can you guys cut it out already?!” Nami.

“This lying competition is getting out of hand.” Zoro.

And Luffy was laughing at the reactions of their crewmates.

Meanwhile, Usopp had a shocked expression on his face, “SO THAT WAS A LIE?” (Y/N) hummed, rocking back and forth on their heels. “YOU LITTLE-”

He was quickly cut off by (Y/N) saying, “I guess this means that I won!”

No response was given. Usopp shook his head with an amused expression. He walked up to them and took the map from their waiting hand. He opened up the map and suddenly froze. He looked at (Y/N) with a serious face, “(Y/N), this isn’t the map.”

Fear filled (Y/N). Everyone else froze when they heard him say this. (Y/N) didn’t know what to say when they heard his words, “But- It should be. I didn’t lose it- I wouldn’t lose it- I had it with me the whole ti-” A grin grew on Usopp’s face. “OH, I HATE YOU!”

Lying competitions were banned after this incident.

[kbkirtley]

Nightwing has always been a favorite character of mine, but I mainly steered away from the Batfamily generally because Batman/Bruce isn’t a character I gravitate towards. Over the last year, though, I’ve watched/read a lot of the rest of the fam through different shows, Nightwing comics, Batgirls comics, and Wayne Family Adventures. Here is my definitive ranking of the Batfamily*:

Tier Seven: A Literal Murderer

10. Red Hood - Jason Todd

Y’all know he kills people right? Every other post I see about him on here is talking about him being a cinnamon roll or a perfect gentleman and it seems to get lost that he walks around shooting people with regularity. Doesn’t even seem particularly remorseful about it. I get that you died, man, but like half the heroes in DC have died at some point and they’re not filling people with lead. You’d think with all his money, Bruce could send his kids to see a therapist but I guess that’s a lot to ask of a man who processed his own grief and trauma by dressing up like a bat to fight thieves and muggers.

Tier Six: You Couldn’t Pay Me All of Bruce Wayne’s Money to Stay in a Room with Them for Five Minutes

9. Batman - Bruce Wayne

8. Red Robin - Tim Drake

I find both Bruce and Tim to be pretty insufferable. They’re smart but not smart enough to realize how to be smart without being a dick about it. Too clever for their own good and while they’re ranked higher here than Jason, I’d still much rather be in a room with Jason than either of them. Death would be welcomed if my alternative was having to listen to Bruce or Tim talk for more than fifteen seconds.

Tier Five: Need More Data Points

7. Signal - Duke Thomas

I basically only know Duke from WFA which is a fun series but doesn’t give me a ton to go off of big picture. Jury’s still out but I like his odds of not slipping.

Tier Four: Children Get Benefit of Doubt

6. Robin - Damian Wayne

Damian annoys me but in his defense, he is a literal child that was raised by assassins. He gets this spot because of extenuating circumstances and his relationships with Dick and Jon Kent.

Tier Three: The Batgirls

5. Spoiler - Steph Brown

4. Orphan - Cass Caín

3. Oracle - Barbara Gordon

I would be willing to die for any of these characters but they would never let that happen. Probably the most fluid tier. Have more connection to Babs because of my intro to the Batfamily primarily coming from Dick. Cass is second here largely because of her and Dick being perfect together in WFA. Steph lost the straw poll but could easily be third the next time I do this with little effort.

Tier Two: The Billionaire Butler

2. Alfred Pennyworth

The actual father figure of the Batfamily. Every ounce of every one of the Batfamily members success as actual humans is because of Alfred. Batman may have made them all good crime fighters, but Alfred made them good people. Alfred made them heroes.

Tier One: Boy Wonder

1. Nightwing - Dick Grayson

This was always going to be number one. It was never a question. Dick is my favorite superhero and quite possibly my favorite fictional character in general. He was never not winning this ranking.

*Only doing characters I’m mostly familiar with so if someone is missing I just don’t have enough connection to them yet - feel free to send recs to know them better!

[birrdies]

I actually really want to hear about it so I’m here to ask about Grian and shrikes…

(Also fun fact there’s a type of shrike in Australia we call a butcherbird because they’re known for taking their prey and, uh, making use of rose thorns)

rubs hands together ohh boy. I am So glad you asked (:

we actually also call them butcherbirds!! and this is exactly what makes me so insane about it when applying it to grian, ESPECIALLY third life grian. the shrike is a passerine (song-bird), but deceptively so. it’s ferocious, it spikes their prey on thorns. something about it being a songbird and a bird of prey at the same time are what gets me. im gonna bullet point some stuff out bc i can’t find a way to organize this coherently

grian, on the surface, is not necessarily formidable. he’s a bit goofy, plays pranks, doesn’t exactly know what he’s getting into at the start of 3L. he’s the songbird

plus they have a shrill cry which… lets be honest… that’s So grian, he’s very shrill

but we all know how 3L ends. grian kills scar. and while scar let him win, I don’t think grian ever fully forgives either of them for it. his hand was forced, but he also killed the one person in the series he trusted and cares for. the shrike.

HOWEVER. if you consider it in a more metaphorical sense, I like to apply the lyrics of hozier’s song “shrike” to 3L desert duo. ‘remember me, love, when i’m reborn as the shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn”. 3L desert duo are the villains from so many perspectives. scar is just as willing to kill and cause mayhem as grian— if not more so. but grian is his lackey. scar is the thorn, grian is the shrike. together they are deadly

shrikes NEED the thorns. shrikes don’t have the talons of a bird of prey, they need a tool to help them kill and hunt. grian NEEDS scar. he doesn’t have the bloodlust at first, but as the series goes on grian is more and more willing to attack, trap, kill, and since he’s green most of the time he NEEDS scar to do it for him.

and maybe that’s why grian always ends up in scar’s orbit, one way or another, in these series.

bonus… thinking about… cactus thorns…

they’re also very territorial which I think fits very nicely with grian. especially in 3L.

tldr: if you haven’t cried thinking about desert duo while listening to ‘shrike’ by hozier I highly highly suggest it

[icepopstar5105us]

Short but fun. Lol.

—

Zatanna knew they were screwed the moment she saw the summoning circle. It was surrounded by ominous runes about death, dark kings, and power. The chanting started as the Young Justice Team watched in frozen terror.

“Zatanna?” Aqualad asked through the mind link as he tried to escape from the magical bind, “What are they doing?”

“They’re summoning something.” Zatanna replied worriedly, “The circle signifies it’s something powerful. Maybe royalty… something to do with death.” The summoning circle began to glow green.

“That doesn’t sound good.” Wally shuddered from where he laid — legs bound together.

“It probably isn’t.” Robin agreed.

The chanting finished, and a green light shot out from the portal. The summoning circle’s runes started to turn a brighter green until the runes erupted into green flames.

“Guys?” Zatanna’s fear shot through the mindlink, “Whatever they summoned just destroyed the containment runes.”

There was a rush of air as the lights flickered — the flames went out before the room plunged into darkness. There was a series of thuds, screams, and various noises of a fight. There were a few flashes of green and a childish giggle. The team was released, but they stayed in place out of fear. Two claps — the lights came up. A boy stood in the summoning circle. His white hair was tousled and his neon green eyes were sharp.

He gave them a teasing smile, “You can drop the fighting stances. I just took out your enemy. You're welcome, by the way.” His head tilted as he looked at the runes, “Huh. They were hoping for Pariah. Idiots — he hasn’t had been around for a good few years and even if he was, he wouldn’t have spared them.”

“Who are you?” Wally blurted.

“I mean, most people just call me Phantom, but there’s like a bunch of different names for me, so call me whatever’s most comfortable.” The boy didn’t seem to care either way, “You probably need to get going, so here.” A flash of green energy formed in his hand and when it went away, there was a piece of black paper with green runes written on it between his fingers. Danny handed it to Wally, “I can sense that you’re closer to my realm than anyone else here. Keep this on you for the next six years. When you think your death is inevitable make sure you have it and I’ll do what I can.”

“Okay?” Wally sounded confused, “What’s your realm?”

Phantom opened a portal, “I’m the King of the Infinite Realms.”

Zatanna and Kaldur flinched as Phantom stepped through and they looked at Wally with worry and panic.

“What?” Wally asked, “What’s wrong? I got a souvenir!”

Zatanna swallowed, “Wally…”

“Don’t.” Kaldur shook his head, and he turned to look at Wally, “Keep that on you at all times. Do not lose it. It may save your life later on.”

“Yessir!” Wally grinned, giving a goody salute.

—

Wally had always carried that strange piece of paper. He hadn’t known what it was, but his friends’ worry made him keep it close.

It had never really done anything… until Wally was starting to fade into the speed force. He had to keep running or it was over. He wasn’t as fast as his predecessors, but he was helping — he was just the push they needed to win. He was about to die, but it was the only way to defeat his enemy and save the world.

So, Wally ran faster. He told Barry his last words and let the world fade to white.

When his vision refocused, he was standing in a dimly lit room with strange green fog.

“Where am I?” Wally asked, confused.

“I told you I’d do what I could.” Phantom stepped out of the mist.

“I never got to visit your realm.” Wally said, confused, “Is this it?”

“No. This is inbetween.” Phantom gave Wally a sad smile, “Your friends were right to be worried about you — they know the Infinite Realms by another name.”

“And what is that?” Wally asked.

“The realm of the dead.” Phantom replied, eyes softening, “It’s usually a difficult fate to avoid… but I pulled some strings.”

“So… You’re going to let me live?” Wally blinked.

Phantom nodded, “Yes.”

“I appreciate it, but why me?” Wally wondered.

The Undead King hesitated, but then he sighed, “I was fourteen when I died.” Phantom admitted, “It was an accident in my parents lab. Electrocution. I didn’t let my friends try to save me, because I wanted to protect them. So when my friend stepped forward, I told him to stand back… I took the hit and nothing could be the same, because I died. Later on, my protectiveness of those around me became something that other ghosts came to respect, but to be honest? I never should’ve had to sacrifice myself in the first place. I was too young.” He sighed.

“So I… remind you of yourself?” Wally asked softly.

“Well, an early-to-mid teenager with a nearing death date did hit a bit close to home, but it’s not particularly rare. Mildly uncommon, but… it happens. I wasn’t going to do anything. I usually don’t… but you’re unique in a way I couldn’t ignore. You have witnessed so much, and yet you stay so kind and bright. It’s something I’ve come to value” Phantom whispered — almost reverently, “There are very few people who can still find laughter, light, and hope in the face of tragedy. I couldn’t take that from your world… so I’m not. Not now, anyways. Your new death date is distant, but that can still change if you are not careful. Do not waste your life. The time you have is precious. Use it well.” Phantom said and then a smile crossed his face, “Say hello to your friends for me.”

The darkness began to fill Wally’s vision, and he startled from a place on the ground. He blinked the spots out of his vision and turned to grin at his friends. The disbelief on their faces made him feel awkward so he shrugged, “So… Phantom says hi.”

A smile slowly spread across Kaldur’s face. Nightwing also smirked at the comment— Wally wasn’t sure when he’d figured out what Phantom had given him, but he wasn’t surprised he had. Zatanna wasn’t there at the moment, but she’d probably be grinning too,

Wally was taken by surprise when Artemis tackled him into a tear filled hug. She knocked him over and Wally’s grin softened, “Love you, Arty.” He sat up and held her close, “Love you so much.”

Artemis sniffled and hugged him, “I love you, idiot. Don’t ever scare me like that again. You hear me?”

“I won’t.” Wally promised.

He had a ring in his dresser. He’d had it since his eighteenth birthday. Artemis’s mother had given her blessing. After nearly missing his chance, Wally wasn’t going to wait any longer.

He proposed to Artemis two days later.

“I got a second chance at life, and it made me realize… .” Wally had said, “Every day that I’m not with you, is a day I’ve wasted. Your laugh and smile mean so much to me and I want to see you happy every day. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” He got down on one knee. Artemis had covered her mouth as she smiled, “Artemis, will you marry me?”

When she said yes, Wally had put the ring on her finger. They’d kissed and he’d spun her around in excitement.

Eventually, there was a new hero duo. The man was known as Blur — a speedster rumored to have once worked with Flash. The woman called herself Focus — her enemies rarely knew she was there until the arrow had already struck. Together, they could do almost anything. They lived a long time until they retired.

When Wally died, it was in his sleep. It was a peaceful death after a life of adventure. Wally had made the most of every opportunity he got. He had little to no regrets when he passed.

Phantom smiled as Clockwork showed him Wally’s fate. A painless death and a life well lived was the best fate one could hope for.

He knew he’d made the right decision.