#he’s a freaking Greek statue

[zoeloveconvers99]

Back again with my bullshit and please don’t be mean to me (nor him) the template belongs to mhuyo on Twitter

[ghostedbunnie]

no thoughts head empty just lifeguard! johnny who finds the skimpiest shortest shorts imaginable to wear to work, who absolutely eats up all the attention from everyone at the beach, sends winks at ladies who are falling over themselves and knowing looks at guys who cover their crotches after watching the water droplets race down his muscles and body hair.

it strokes his ego when people fake drowning just to be swept in his strong arms and mouth to mouth that makes their eyes roll into their eyes.

you live nearby the beach and this new lifeguard is making it even more rowdy and you can’t even enjoy your walks along the beach with your dog in peace anymore without hearing all the oohing and aahing.

what makes it even worse is that even your dog freaking loves him. pulls on the leash like a bull when he sees him and johnny’s eyes always have this spark of mischief when he notices and starts encouraging him more. you give your dog the stink eye when he runs off to show johnny his belly, little traitor. you consider just waiting for your dog to get bored of johnny but in the end you swallow your pride and head to him.

it irritates you even more that you can understand why he has everyone so smitten — overgrown mohawk always mussed and full of sand, eyes so blue he puts the ocean to shame, dimples when he throws around the megawatt smile like a weapon of mass destruction. not to mention his physique. this is the body Greeks have been sculpting statues of. arms the size of your head, shoulders wide enough to hide you from sight but with a narrow waist that somehow feels indecent. when you look down you pointedly avoid staring at his shorts that leave very little to imagination even though whatever he’s (barely) hiding under them seems anything but little. your eyes fall to his thick thighs.

“see somethin’ ye like, bonnie? wan’ me ta give ye a show? all ye gotta do is ask nicely.”

the innuendo is dripping off of his words like honey and in total eclipse of your mind you might actually agree to this proposition against your better judgement. and by the wolfish grin on his face, he already knows he’s got you hook, line and sinker and he just might let you drown.

[lamentationsofalonelypotato]

Chapter 27: Take Me Back To The Beginning

Pairing: Soldier Boy x f!reader, Reader POV

Summary: When the reader left Payback 40 years ago after a falling out with her childhood best friend she never looked back, but when two men show up to her apartment and start asking her questions about the past, the reader begins to think those things can’t stay hidden and starts to question what’s real and what’s fantasy.  This is a re-telling of The Boys Season 3, where the reader is a supe who's known Soldier Boy since 1927. The chapters will fluctuate between past and present. This is chapter twenty seven of my "You Call It Madness But I Call It Love" series. (I'm so bad at summaries please forgive me!)

Word Count: 13.3K (I tried to cut it down I promise 😭)

Warnings:  I'm gonna label this one 18+ because it's Soldier Boy. Homelander is a freak AGAIN,  A little bit of Oedipal Complex (It's Homelander the man is a walking Greek Tragedy), Graphic depiction of death, Dark thoughts, References to Past Trauma,  Angst, Cursing, Sexual References, Family Problems- A LOT of family problems, Homophobic comment (It's Soldier Boy), Past Trauma, Death Mentioned, Blood mentioned. Soldier Boy might be, is, really, absolutely, completely a little OOC. Soldier Boy is really all you need as a warning.

Note: This is told from the Reader's perspective. Any references to the reader is made using you or your. There is minimal use of y/n. I tried my best to proofread, but nobody's perfect. Reader is described as "curvy" occasionally. If you don’t like, don’t read, but if you do like, you’re my favorite!

Internal Monologue is in first person and is in italics

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

A/n: It's that time y'all! The final battle is finally here! This chapter was a doozy to write, there were so many things that needed to be wrapped up, but I really have loved writing this series and I really like how everything came together.

READER POV

The building is just as cold as you remember it, the hallways are silent and empty as if they'd been cleared for this exact moment as the three of you make your way into the depths of Vought Tower.

I wonder if Homelander was the one who did it, or if someone else realized what was coming.

There was an electricity in the air like the coming storm, rolling in front of Ben, Butcher, and you like a dark omen.

Homelander is going to get what is coming to him.

Any remorse you had for him left the moment that he took Lou. There was nothing human to save, nothing left to redeem, the only thing left was the sharpened, cruel creature that Vought created from your own flesh and blood.

And if you were his beginning, you might as well be his end.

Ben was walking beside you, any softness that you'd seen outside the building replaced by the cold calculating mask of Soldier Boy, you knew all too well, but this time you didn't fear his descent into the blaze, you reveled in it. For the first time in years, you were happy to see Soldier Boy again, and this time you knew that Ben was becoming this for you, for Lou, and for Rosemary.

You hoped that this time he wouldn't hold you back from doing what you needed to do as he had earlier. Though he did seem sorry for what happened while the two of you were outside, you weren't sure how eager he was to put it into practice.

Butcher seems to know where he is going, so you fall into step behind him, not concerned as to how Butcher knows exactly where he is headed. He stops outside a massive gilded door across from a rather exhaustive statue of the Seven craved from black marble.

The double doors that lead into the main conference room at Vought Tower are made to look intimidating, but you didn't feel anything but anger and fear. Not fear for yourself, but fear of what Homelander had done to Lou and to Rosemary.

Butcher pushes open the doors with one hand revealing a large room that lacks warmth. The last rays of the setting sun send honeyed light onto the black marble floors, dramatizing Homelander's stoic figure where he stands at the large floor to ceiling wall of windows at the opposite side of the room. His gaze is focused on the city below, like a proud emperor observing his kingdom and everything he owns.

He probably believes he does.

You think to yourself, eyes skating around the edges of the room looking for possible threats, but you don't see any. The wall to your left is lined with monitors and the wall to your right also has some, but instead holds a smaller pair of black double doors.

You didn’t know what kind of tricks Homelander had up his sleeve, but you were preparing yourself for the worst. Of the Seven teammates remaining he was the most formidable. You doubted that the Deep could do anything to you on dry land and you were more than happy to turn him into a tuna roll. You were a little worried about A-Train. He was fast enough to cause a problem, but you didn't know how much. Butcher had told you not to be worried about Hughie's girlfriend Starlight, mentioned that she wouldn’t side with Homelander and that she probably wouldn't be anywhere near Vought Tower. You figured that she'd probably gone to pick up Hughie from the gas station that Butcher had left him at, but you didn't know if she would come take down Homelander.

Honestly you were more worried that she would come for Ben. You'd seen her posts on social media proclaiming Soldier Boy as a terrorist and a villain, which meant that she probably wasn't your biggest fan either. You hoped that she was far away, you didn't want to kill someone who didn't deserve it or rather someone who lashed out against Ben or you because they didn't understand the whole situation.

Butcher also seemed unsure about who would be at Vought, mentioned something in passing about his old team that included the man you'd seen back at Herogasm, but you hadn't seen anyone in the building or sensed that anything unusual was about to happen other than your plan to rip out Homelander's spine and wear it around your neck like a fur boa.

"I remember the first time I stood here." Homelander says without turning around. You could see his pristine reflection in the glass, blonde hair perfectly styled and glowing in the last few wisps of sunlight. "I hadn't seen anything like New York City before, hadn't been around so many people in my entire life." His arms are crossed behind his back, the epitome of control. "They told me it was mine. That this was what I had been bred for my entire life." He glances over his shoulder at you. "I would have been willing to share it with you and dad."

"Where are Lou and Rosemary?" You keep your voice under control.

He ignores you and turns, eyes flicking from Butcher, to Ben, to you. "You are so beautiful. When I imagined what my mother would look like I never imagined someone like you. Maybe I imagined you looking a little more motherly." The feeling of his eyes tracing your figure makes your skin crawl. "But I can see why dad loves you so much. And of course why Noir was obsessed with you."

The mention of Noir makes your blood run cold. How did he know about that? Did Noir tell him?

That was another side of this whole situation that you had considered, you had no idea where Noir was. If he had stayed at the Tower or if he had cut and run when he heard that the rest of his team was being killed one by one. You hoped that it was the first option, trying to hunt him down and find him seemed inconvenient and you'd much rather just settle this now.

"Answer her question." Ben growls, the air around the two of you heating from Ben's newfound powers and the smell of ozone begins to float under your nose. He was trying to hold himself back from stepping in front of you and hiding you behind his body, that much was obvious. You could tell how much he hated how Homelander kept staring at you.

You did too. The guy is creepy enough, does he have to turn this into a Greek Tragedy? Did he see how things ended up for Oedipus?

Homelander only smiles, the same one he had back at Legend's, wide and with too much teeth. The smile of a predator before it catches it's prey, pretty until its teeth latch onto your throat.

He's very confident for someone who has no chance of taking down both of us. Then again, maybe he feels that way because he has the two people in the world who mean everything to me.

You strain your hearing to find Lou and Rosemary, but you can't hear them. There's a low buzz being projected through the building that makes it impossible for you to hear anything else.

Interesting that he's willing to handicap us even if it handicaps him as well.

"Hello William, still standing in my way and feeding them lies about me I see." Homelander tsks his finger as if Butcher is a child.

"Jealous that your dear old dad gets along better with me? Or maybe that your mother doesn't think that I'm as big a twat as you?" Butcher breezes with an easy smile.

Homelander's right eye twitches with Butcher's taunt.

"Sorry mate, does that make you angry? That your parents see me as the son they never had?" Butcher's smile grows.

You take this moment to skate your eyes around the room looking for any evidence of your granddaughter and daughter but you don't see any. Butcher was buying you time, but you didn't know how long it would take for Homelander to be done talking and you were ready to beat the location of your daughter and granddaughter out of him.

"Where are Lou and Rosemary?" Ben shouts again interrupting Butcher. "If you've hurt either of them I swear-"

"Why would I hurt my niece? I'm not a monster. She's fucking four years old." Homelander scoffs.

But hidden in his answer is the possibility that he hurt Rosemary, and it makes your blood run cold.

"We both know that you're capable of that." You respond coldly. "You thought nothing of using her as a human shield earlier."

Homelander presses a hand to his chest as if you've hurt him. "Why mother dearest, how could you say that about your only son?"

"Tell me where they are, and I will consider letting you live." You say without emotion.

Lie.

"There she is." Homelander smirks. "There's the woman I know and love. The one I met at Herogasm had so much ferocity, such rage, and pride. I think you try to hide her behind this. When you act pathetic and human." He gestures to you as if that explains things. "Because you're afraid to embrace it."

"You don't know me-"

"Well. The saying is, like father like son, but-" Homelander's smile doesn't reach his eyes. "The woman I met at Herogasm, she's something special, and exactly like me. Not to mention the woman who killed Stan is just as ferocious, and I'd like to talk to her."

"Keep pissing me off and you're gonna do a little more than talk to her."

Homelander chuckles. "Don't tease me." He has the audacity to wink.

"Don't you fucking look at her that way you sick fuck." Ben growls.

"Why? Aren't pretty things made to be worshipped?" His smirk grows. "And if I had someone like her I sure would worship her."

Ben lunges forward, to wipe the smirk off his face, but when you reach out and grab his arm, he stops. When he turns to look at you he looks like he's ready to snap Homelander in half, a fire blazing behind his eyes that you're not sure if it's because you held him back or because he's upset over what Homelander said.

With your eyes you try to say:

"You can rip him apart after he tells us where Lou and Rosemary are."

You're not sure Ben gets it, but he doesn't advance so you assume he got some form of that.

Deep down you were worried that Homelander had already handed them over to Vought or to the government for some kind of deal. It was an all consuming fear, because yes you would fight tooth and nail to get them back, but it wouldn't be easy if you had to fight the United States government to do it.

"Ashley." Homelander says, but when no one appears he roars the name again, with so much ferocity that it echoes off the walls of the round room, vibrating against the monitors, and into the hallway behind you.

A red-haired woman appears at the black double doors on the right side of the room, looking frazzled and pale. There are pieces of her hair stuck to her fashionable black pantsuit in clumps and she's wearing a pair of crimson heels that clack loudly against the marble floors. She's got a death grip on her phone so tight that you can hear the tension of her tendons in her hand.

You remember seeing her before in the background of an interview on t.v., but never paid much attention to her. Ben looks as confused as you do at her appearance, no doubt waiting for her to start lobbing fireballs or make heads explode, but instead she drags Lou through the doors behind her.

Lou looks the same as she did when Homelander took her, still wearing the same pink polka dot pajamas, except now she's holding the hand of a boy who looks maybe twelve years old with blondish-brown hair that hangs into his eyes that you're assuming is Ryan.

The woman, identified as Ashley disappears as suddenly as she appeared and slams the doors behind her.

Probably had the right idea. This entire room is about to become ground zero. Which is horrifying because now Lou is here.

The amount of relief you feel at the appearance of your granddaughter is overwhelming, fear of her being locked away somewhere evaporating as her eyes fall on you, wide and green.

"Lou." You breathe and cross the room to get to her, ignoring Homelander's gaze that follows your every move. You drop to your knees to give her a hug, but for the first time since you met her, she doesn't hug you back. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?” She's not smiling at you, she's frowning.

"Are you my grandma?"

The question makes you freeze for a moment. Obviously Homelander had told her the truth about everything and you didn't want to lie to her again. You knew this day would come, but you didn't think that she would find out this way. If anything Rosemary and you were going to tell her when she was old enough to understand that it wasn't something she should say in public.

You didn't look like a grandmother, nor did you think that anyone would believe Lou if she said it in public, but it would reveal that you were in fact Indigo.

Then again, we're probably past that. You frown at the thought, but it was true. There was no going back. You'd walked into Vought with no disguise in front of all the cameras and you certainly were going to leave your mark here tonight. You'd be lucky if Vought didn't run the story in the morning:

"Payback Strikes Back Against the Celebrated Seven"

Of course in that story everyone would conveniently forget that Ben and you were also beloved heroes, were also worshipped and elevated in society. Funny how things like that seem to be lost in translation.

"Yes." You reach up to push back her hair and she moves her head away, her dark hair slipping through your fingertips.

"Why did you lie? Lying is mean." She whispers, hurt flashing in her eyes. "Did you not want to be my grandma?" Lou looks down at her feet clad in a pair of teddy bear slippers.

"Oh sweetie." You sigh, tilting her chin up to look at you. "I did. I am. It was just easier this way-"

"Mommy says that lying is bad." Her green eyes are watery, voice quiet.

"I know. It is. But you have to understand it was a grown-up decision and we didn't want you to find out like this." This time she lets you brush her hair back from her face. "And it doesn't mean we love you any less."

Her eyes flick to Ben. Ben had followed you over, to make sure that Homelander didn't attack you when your back was turned.

"You're my grandpa?" Lou sniffles.

"Yeah." Ben forces a tight smile for Lou's sake, but you know that he's thinking that this isn't the place for this.

It isn't.

You could still feel Homelander's eyes against your back and you were trying to fight the shudder of disgust.

"Ryan say hello to your grandparents." Homelander calls from his position by the window, his voice proud and filled with  humor.

"Hello." Ryan smiles, but its hesitant and you’re happy that he’s at least able to read the room. A skill that his father didn't seem to have.

"Hi." You smile back tightly, the same smile that Ben had moments ago.

Meeting Ryan made all of this worse. You hear Homelander's footsteps as he gets closer to you and Ben mirrors his movement to block Homelander narrowing his eyes. You weren't here for a family reunion, you were here to kill Homelander and get your family back, but the thought of killing Ryan's father in front of him made you hesitate. That was something that seemed too cruel to consider, unless if Ryan was somehow shown how monstrous his father was.

Homelander holds his hands up in mock surrender. "I just want to talk this out."

You stand and push Lou behind you, refusing to let Homelander get anywhere near her again. "I thought you didn't want to talk to us anymore." You spit the words.

"I changed my mind." He forces his expression into something that looks like shame. "Maybe I got a little carried away before. But you have to understand I have been waiting to be apart of a family for such a long time and now that I have Ryan I’ve realized how important it is to have one. I'd never felt that kind of love for someone else, the kind of love that drives you to sacrifice whatever you have to save them.” He glances down at Lou who is peeking out from behind your leg at Homelander. "The kind of love you have for Lou."

He speaks like a practiced actor, his hand movements simple, rehearsed, the expressions on his face calm and collected, but you don't believe it for a minute.

"I know you said that I wasn’t your son, but I am." He says, eyes flicking from Ben to you. "I am your blood that's all that matters and now we can be a family. A real family."

"Where is Rosemary?" You ask. Lou hasn't moved from behind you.

"Please. All I'm asking is for a chance-" Homelander says ignoring your question.

"Why should we give you a fucking chance? You kidnapped Lou, you've probably hurt Rosemary or worse!" You could feel the room beginning to shake with the force of your anger, eyes shifting to purple.

"You kidnapped her, Dad?" Ryan asks in surprise.

You look back at where he was standing. Lou was still holding on to his hand and when you'd pushed her behind you, you'd also inadvertently pushed Ryan behind you too.

"I thought you said that Lou wanted to come live with us." Ryan continues looking confused. "And who's Rosemary?"

"He lied." Ben snarls, eyes not leaving Homelander.

"My guess is he does that a lot." You sigh looking at Ryan. "She's Lou's mother, your aunt. She flew after him when he took Lou. You haven't seen her?"

Ryan shakes his head.

Fuck.

Homelander ignores the question again and changes tactics, his blue eyes turning on Ben. "I understand what it's like for your team to betray you, to stab you in the back, to act like you didn't fight together, bleed together and to act like you weren't willing to die for one another. We could be unstoppable together, all of us. A family. Isn't that what you always wanted dad?" Homelander says the last part softly, enticing Ben to make that choice. "I read your file. Everything about what happened to your mother and it wasn't hard to figure out what happened with your father."

Ben's jaw clenches together and you watch his entire body tighten at the mention of his dad.

It was true. Ben had always wanted a family, always wanted someone in his life that cared for him, that he could love and be loved by, and you had made sure in all the years you'd known him that it was you. You were his family just as Ben had become your family and cared for you. It was hard to not be family to one another after all the years you'd spent together, to not care about him the way you did. It wasn't a burden to you to love Ben and wasn’t a burden for you to take up the title of family, because it was simply true.

You reach out and touch Ben's back to let him know that you’re there, feeling his muscles twitch for just a moment beneath your hand, before he glances over his shoulder at you. For just a fraction of a second you see the Soldier Boy façade drop and you see your Ben again, before something hardens in his eyes. The conversation that passes through the glance you share is absolute and quick, but he understands.

Ben takes a step towards Homelander letting your hand fall as he forces a tired sigh. "I'm sorry." He places his hand on Homelander's right shoulder.

You watch Homelander relax under the contact, the expression on his face hurts you. You didn't think it would, but Homelander looks happy and comforted that Ben was here with him. Content that Ben finally gave in.

In some ways you wished that it could be this way, that Homelander was redeemable, and that you could all be a family the way he wanted. But you couldn’t. The blood on his hands was too great and you had to stop him before anyone else got hurt.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't there, sorry that I wasn't able to teach you what I should have father to son." Ben sighs. "I think it would have helped you. I think your mother could have helped you."

"You're here now." Homelander says, looking over Ben shoulder at you, his eyes misty. You force yourself to send him an encouraging smile. "Both of you are." Homelander's voice sticks a little as he says it.

Something deep down breaks when he says that, because it’s the same thing that Ben and you had said to each other outside. As much as you wanted to hate Homelander, to push him away, another part of you was beginning to unravel, the part of you that wanted to accept him as your son. But you couldn’t because he didn't deserve that. Homelander was the monster that Vogelbaum created, there wasn’t a shred of human decency left and that meant Ben and you had to make a hard decision.

You wonder if Ben really did feel that way or if he was just doing this because he knew you wanted him to.

Ben continues to smile at him. "It would have helped you not to become a sniveling weak pussy starved for attention."

Homelander's smile falters. "Weak? But I'm your blood. Your son-"

"I know." You try to ignore the emotion that bleeds into Ben's voice when he says it. "And you're a fucking disappointment."

"What-" Homelander doesn't get the word out before Ben tackles him back away from you and Butcher leaps over the table to help him.

Ryan stiffens behind you as they do this and you look at him. "Dad?" Ryan whispers.

Lou gasps and touches the end of your shirt in fear, watching Homelander fight Butcher and Ben back, his eyes glowing an ominous red.

You open your mouth to say something to her and Ryan, but you feel a sharp pressure on the back of your neck and hear a high pitched snap.  You turn your head to look to your right and see Black Noir standing there, a broken syringe that holds a clear liquid in his right hand. The tip snapped when he had tried to press it into your body, unaware that your newfound power meant that nothing could break your skin.

"Ryan, please take Lou out of here. I don't want her to see this." You say calmly, not looking away from Noir, who lowers the syringe slowly in shock.

"But-" Ryan begins to say.

"Do it now." You order turning your body to face Noir. "Hello Earving. Long time no see."

Noir takes a small step backward realizing his mistake as Ryan pulls Lou to the doors on the other side of the room.

You hear Noir try to form a word, nothing more than an awkward click and a wheezing sound. "Sorry I can't hear you." You smile cruelly at him.

"I’d say you look good but, Ben really fucked you up pretty good didn't he?" You look through the mask with your x-ray vision, seeing just how messed up Noir is underneath. "It's a miracle that you're alive. That any of you got out of there alive."

Noir drops the syringe and pulls a knife, the blade shining in the fluorescent lights.

"You know, if the syringe didn't work, I don't think the knife will either." You begin to say, but he's undeterred.

He lunges forward sweeping the blade in a deadly arch aiming for your neck, but you catch his wrist. “If I had been there you all would have suffered.” You turn his wrist at an awkward angle, listening to the sharp cracking of bone as it snaps and Noir’s wheeze of pain.

Behind you, you could hear the telltale sound of punching and crashing, but you don’t look away from Noir, trusting that Ben and Butcher have it under control.

"Before I killed Countess I had to listen to her go on and on about how proud she was about that day, how proud she was that you all stabbed Ben in the fucking back, and honestly I didn’t mean to kill her. Though I will admit I regret not making it last a little longer. The Twins begged for mercy, tried to tell me that it was a big mistake, that Ben lied to me." You shrug advancing on him. "But Ben doesn't lie to me."

Noir tries again, kicking his foot up to hit your abdomen, but your hand closes on his ankle keeping his leg extended between the two of you.

 "He told me exactly what happened that day." You snarl, shoving Noir back from you so harshly that he lands on the ground. "You all turned on him. And honestly, you got off easy. You're lucky I wasn't there. Do you have any idea what I would have done to you if I had been there?" You smile and let out a low laugh. "Well I guess that doesn't matter, because you’re about to find out."

He scuffles back still on the ground, trying to crawl back, and reaches into his pocket for something. You were expecting a gun or a throwing knife, but instead he pulls out a notepad and a pen and you stop.

"What are you-" You begin to say, but Noir starts frantically writing with his only good hand.

He curls his ruined arm under the notepad to hold it steady as he forms the words on the page, and holds it up for you to see.

Did it for you.

"What?"

Noir drops the pad to write again.

Using you.

"Who?"

Him.

"Ben?"

Noir nods frantically.

Only way.

Wow he is so much worse off than I thought.

Then again, when Ben broke your heart you did think that too for a little bit. That all the years spent together had been a lie and that he was manipulating you and using you because he didn’t want to face the silence alone. It reminded you of the thing your mother shouted at you when you gave Howard back the ring and left home:

“You really think that disappointment will ever love you? Care about you? You are nothing to him, just another plaything. And the day he finally tosses you away, don’t bother coming back here.”

It makes you hesitate again and Noir sees it as an opportunity to write more on his piece of paper.

Set you free.

"You thought that the only way to free me was to send Ben to fucking Russia?"

Noir nods.

"I wasn't some fucking damsel in distress. I wasn't locked up in a tower by some dragon. I wasn't trapped-

You were.

"No I wasn't I chose to be there-"

Not happy.

"I was happy Earving."

I am better for you.

Your jaw snaps together, looking past the mask and into his scarred face. The expression in his eyes has shifted now, to something softer, something vulnerable and earnest. You remember what Stan said about Noir going through your apartment when you weren't there, stealing pieces of your clothing, and stealing your jewelry.

I did everything for you.

Noir reaches into his pocket and pulls out something that glimmers in the light. It takes you a moment to recognize it, but it's your pearl necklace, the one your father gave you when you spent your first birthday away from home. He holds it out to you and you take it from his hand. The beads are just as you remember, maybe a little yellowed with age, but still in good condition. Soft and supple against your fingertips, warmed from where they were in Noir's pocket.

Said I could have you.

"Who?"

Stan.

The name of the man you killed makes your blood run cold and for a minute you feel bad for Noir, feel bad that he believed what Stan said. Stan who told Noir whatever he could into manipulating him to do his bidding.

Stan knew that he was obsessed with me, knew exactly what to say to make sure that Noir would do what he wished. And Noir believed that I was something that Stan could give away. I didn't belong to Stan, didn't belong to anyone but me.

That was the problem with Stan after all, that he thought you were a commodity to be sold. That everyone else in the entire world believed that you were nothing more than a puppet to be used and disposed of whenever they saw fit. It was the same attitude that drove Stan and Vogelbaum to take your genetic material.

But then you left. Tried to find you. Couldn't find you. Why did you hide?

You watched Noir's shoulders slump as if it was painful for him to go through the past forty years not knowing where you were.

Could have helped you.

 A chill of disgust traces its hand down your back. You wondered how long he had been stalking you and wondered how many things he still had from forty years ago. The pearls were quickly icing in your hands, a symbol of the girl you used to be, the one who walked around Philadelphia and saw the world in color, saw the good in people. You knew that she was gone, long gone. Not after everything that you'd been through in the past week, finding out about what Vogelbaum did to you changed you, finding out what happened to Rosemary with Charlie changed you into someone different.

But you didn’t hate who you had become. You glance behind you at where Ben is fighting Homelander, ducking beneath the blows that Homelander tries to land, dancing around him.

I love you.

When your eyes trace over the familiar words and see the earnestness in Noir's eyes behind the mask. A part of you breaks for Noir, understanding that his obsession with you maybe did stem from good intentions but the descent into madness that drove him to do the things he did was dark and consumed him quickly.

"Did you know about Homelander?"

Noir was still sitting on the ground looking up at you and when you ask the question you watch him drop his head to his chest in shame.

Yes.

You move the pearls to your front pocket, considering your next move. "I saved your life before from Ben, not because I loved you but because I didn’t think it was right for him to hurt you. I didn't think that you deserved to lose your life over a film role.” You murmur with a sigh “But maybe if you'd gone about this the right way I would have given you a chance."

Do it now.

"No." You shake your head.

But I love you. I'm here-

The next word is just a scribble now as you fling your hand out and Noir's body flies back into the concrete wall. It cracks around him as you increase the pressure and he begins to fold in on himself.

"If you really loved me Earving, you wouldn't have let them do that to me." Your voice sounds hollow, but you know that it's the truth. “You would have tried harder to find me every day, to tell me what they fucking did.”

“Did try-“ He wheezes in a broken voice, barely audible.

“Should have tried harder.”

"Please-" The word is only a shadow of what it should be, his injuries making it difficult to form it, and through the mask you see a single tear tracing the side of his scared face.

"Ben would have ripped them all apart if he knew what they did. But you didn't, you sat at Stan's table for forty years and did absolutely nothing. You don't get the privilege to beg for mercy. Not after the things you did to Ben, and after the things you kept from me." There’s a purple outline glowing all around him, weaving around his torso. Your hand closes, the subtle glow of purple around his body tightening more and more, his screams sounding more like muffled wheezes, different than the shrieks of pain that Stan released in his final moments. And you continue to close your hand until there's nothing left, but a ball of flesh, tissue, and bone sitting on the ground where Noir used to be. Blood flecks the floor, forming rivulets that run like rivers over the pristine black marble like the roots of a tree.

You take in a breath, trying not to go into the darkness again that surges up with Noir’s death, the same darkness that dragged you under when everything happened with Stan, but you right yourself and turn to look at where Ben is fighting Homelander.

Ben is shaking his head and rising from a pile of debris, while Homelander floats in the air holding Butcher by the throat, looking down at him with a sickening smile.

"Goodbye William." Homelander turns and throws him against the window. It shatters with the force of Butcher's body being thrown against it and his body disappears from view into the air outside of the building.

Homelander turns to look at Ben and you. Ben has a cut on his cheek from Homelander's laser vision and takes a shaky step forward, but he stands proudly, putting himself between Homelander and you.

“Dad why did you do that?" Ryan asks. "Butcher was my friend."

Your gaze flicks to where Ryan and Lou are peeking around the door way that leads to another part of the tower and you're suddenly afraid that Lou saw what you did to Noir, but she's only looking out the shattered window in horror, tears in her little eyes. She liked Butcher, thought that he was funny.

"He was standing in my way son. And we don't let anyone stand in our way do we? Even our friends." Homelander's hair is hanging in his face from the fight, suit ripped away from his chest to reveal the black bodysuit underneath, one of his golden eagle shoulder pads is missing, and he has a prominent bruise on his cheek.  "See isn’t that better. No more Butcher to spread lies about me. Now we can all talk like a family.”

"Wouldn’t be too sure of that you narcissistic cunt." You hear Butcher’s voice say.

Rosemary floats into the room, supporting Butcher with one of his arms wrapped around her shoulders. She's still wearing the exact same thing she was when she followed Homelander, but now the dark sweatpants and t-shirt are ripped and riddled with what look like bullet holes. Rosemary's hair is wild around her face the hair tie that held it long gone, and she has blood flecked on her arms that you’re sure isn’t hers.

But she's there and she's alive.

You weren’t going to ask her what happened, but the wave of relief you have with her appearance obliterates the weight on your shoulders.

“We aren’t a fucking family.” Rosemary grits her teeth together, spitting the words back at Homelander.

"Mommy!" Lou says happily pulling away from Ryan to go towards her mother, who is closer to Homelander than you wanted her to be.

"How did you-" Homelander sputters.

"Get out of that pathetic excuse for a trap?" She snarls, green eyes flashing, looking more like Ben as she touches down in the room, helping Butcher to his feet. "It was easy. But you and I aren't done."

"I think we are." Homelander's eyes glow bright red, letting lose a bolt, it glances off her arm, but Rosemary crashes into him, grabbing him around the wrist to bring him down against the ground so hard that it rattles the other windows in the room.

But as she tries to bring his body against the marble floor again, Homelander breaks free and rises from the ground to fasten his hand around her throat, his eyes still glowing a sharp red that cuts through the room.

"You’re really pathetic." Homelander sighs. "I expected more, but I suppose you have no training or no practice controlling your powers."

She spits in Homelander's face and his gaze turns murderous.

"Let her go." Ben snarls, his chest beginning to glow, and this time you know that he won't stop, that he won't hold back from hitting Homelander full blast.

Homelander ignores Ben, focusing on Rosemary. "You think that you’re more powerful than me? You're not. I am the oldest after all." Homelander's voice is eerily calm. “You are nothing. Insignificant. You waste your life caring for other people and it makes you weak.”

“Leave my mommy alone!” Lou shouts and kicks Homelander in the shin.

Homelander looks down at her, his eyes still glowing.

Oh shit.

“You know, I thought you were cute at first, but you’re really just annoying.” He sighs kicks out with his foot and before you can do anything Lou goes flying out the opening in the window with a blood curdling scream.

“No!” You shout as her body vanishes just as Butcher’s had only seconds ago. You feel your body take off the ground to chase after her, but before you make it out the window, Lou comes soaring back in her little fists clenched tightly at her sides.

“That was mean.” She states indignantly.

Your eyes widen in shock, feet touching back down on the ground. She can FLY?

“Wow. I kinda expected more than you only being able to fly seeing as you’re supposed to be so powerful but I guess-" Homelander begins to say.

Lou waves her hand a purple glow coming from around her fingertips and the large table in the middle of the room jerks off the floor and slams into Homelander like a freight train. A loud “ooof” comes out of his mouth as he drops Rosemary and flies back against the wall of monitors.

“Mommy are you okay?” Lou says hugging her mom tight.

“Yes sweetie.” Rosemary says hugging her back, but even she seems as stunned by this turn of events as you do.

Yes Rosemary had said that Lou was going to develop powers, but you didn’t think it was going to happen like this or this soon. Then again you weren’t well versed in how long it took for supe children to develop them. Rosemary had developed hers when she was one year old, but you were hoping that maybe you had a few years before Lou developed hers.

“How did she do that?” Ben murmurs to you.

“I have no idea. It’s not a power I was born with or Rosemary was born with. Same with the flying-“ You whisper back. “She didn’t touch Rosemary before she did it, but-“ A horrible thought comes flitting into your mind.

The truth was you’d never used your powers around Lou, neither had Rosemary. Lou didn't know that either of you were supes. She’d never had exposure to super powers before today, hadn't watched them on t.v or been around any other supes which meant that she was experiencing all of this for the first time.

And that’s why they’re manifesting right now.

“But what?”

“She saw me use telekinesis to fight Noir. She saw Homelander fly." You murmur.

I receive powers through death, Rosemary through touch, and Lou through sight.

Holy.

Fucking.

Shit.

She could have limitless power, more than any of us, more than any supe that ever lived. No wonder Charlie was obsessed with her power. All she has to do is see a supe use their powers and-

The fear of Vought and the government comes crashing over you all over again, because you knew that they wouldn't let Lou go free, not when her ability was something like that, something that made her indestructible and unstoppable.

They'd run experiments on her, do whatever it took to try and gain that power for themselves, because who needed an army of supes when there was just one who was able to do anything?

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Ben leans towards you.

“Yeah.”

“Fuck.” Ben mutters.

“You can say that again.”

Homelander rises from the ground brushing off his clothes with a snarl on his face eyeing Lou and Rosemary before he finally turns himself towards Ben and you. "I don’t understand why you're doing this."

"Us?" You scoff trying to shake off the shiver of fear that came with the revelation of Lou’s gift. "You’re the one who kidnapped an innocent child and just tried to throw her out a fucking window."

"You should thank me!" He snaps, eyes gleaming darkly in the light. "I unlocked her abilities. Something that neither of you had been able to do. And now she really is growing into her potential." His eyes flick to where Ryan is standing by Butcher. Butcher's hand is on his shoulder. "You really turned into a disappointment too. I tried to do all of that with you and all you did was kill your fucking mother!"

Ryan inhales sharply, and Butcher's hand tightens on his shoulder. "The only disappointment here is you." Butcher's eyes narrow as he stares at Homelander. "Ryan is not a disappointment to me and he wasn't a disappointment to Becca! And it's not his fault what happened to her."

"Oh right Becca." Homelander rolls his eyes. "You've really got to get over her. She wasn't anything special. Practically brainwashed Ryan into believing he wasn't special. When he comes from a practically god-like bloodline. Judging by Lou's powers I'd say that Ryan got the short end of the stick."

"We are not gods." You spit. "Can't you fucking see that? We are what Vought created. We live, we bleed, we die, that's it. Nothing more, nothing less."

"It wasn't supposed to be like this." Homelander looks furious. "You were supposed to be my family, supposed to love me!" He looks from Ryan to Lou to Rosemary and then finally back at Ben and you. "Somebody has to like me best! Someone has to love me! I'm your blood! Your son! Your first born!"

"She's said it before and I'll say it again." Ben states from where he's standing next to you. "You might be our blood, but you're not our son."

The manic look on Homelander's face makes you anxious. He was like a feral animal backed into a corner. He knew that he had lost and you knew that there was no way to tell how he would react to this.

“Do you have any idea what I could do to you?” Homelander’s voice is more of a growl now as he begins to advance on Ben. “I am the most powerful super who ever lived. I am a god. And you are nothing compared to me.”

You step up beside Ben preparing for what comes next. “You’re nothing Homelander. You’re just a sad little boy who never grew up and became a hollow shell of a person that Vought filled with macho bullshit until you turned into a monster.” You say cooly. You were ready to fight him again, to kill him, because you knew he would never stop, that he wouldn’t leave any of you alone unless he was dead.

“I am not a monster!” His eyes are dark. “You think you’re so high and mighty? You’ve killed more people than me and at least I do it quickly. Did you enjoy it?” He smiles wide. “To watch the light fade from their eyes? To crush them into nothing while you sat back and craved their deaths?”

“The people I have killed I have killed to protect my family. I don’t do it for sport.”

“I don’t understand why you won’t just accept me! I’m your son! I’m not some fuck up disappointment! I’m Homelander! The greatest supe who ever lived. You should be proud of me! Proud to be my parents.” His eyes narrow. “Do you have any idea what I could give you? I have built an empire from nothing. Dad, you could be on top again, a household name, respect, power, money, women, anything you wanted and you’re really going to throw all of that away? For her? For them?”

Ben's eyes skate over Lou and Rosemary, and flick to you before he levels his gaze on Homelander once more.

“I have everything I need.” Ben’s voice is low and gruff squeezing your hand tighter in his as he speaks.

You feel your heartbeat stutter for a second, because Ben had said and done the one thing that you never believed that Soldier Boy ever could. After eighty years, Ben had chosen you just as you’d chosen him the night he asked you to give up everything you knew and dive into the unknown with him. And you felt the last shred of apprehension about him staying in your life crumple up and burn, because you knew that he wasn't going anywhere and that he was going to love you and stay with you for the rest of your life. If you weren’t in this situation you were sure that you would be crying.

“Fine. If you don’t wish to be apart of it, then you’ll burn with the others.” His eyes begin to glow bright red as he prepares to charge Ben and you.

You brace your body for the coming fight, dropping Ben's hand.

Everything slows down. Homelander's feet leave the ground as he starts to fly forward to kill you, the heat from Ben's chest burning the air around you, and the beating of your own heart thunderous in your ears as you feel your eyes shift to red.

But the attack never comes.

A blinding flash of golden-orange light hits Homelander in his left side, there's an unmistakable smell of burning flesh and hair, and Homelander's body is knocked off course through the wall full of monitors. There's a scream somewhere and you turn to see Rosemary, kneeling over Lou's body that lies on the ground.

And you understand. The attack didn’t come from Ben, it came from Lou. Lou who saw Ben use his powers, Lou who had the ability to replicate abilities through sight, and Lou who was so little that you were unsure what something like that would do to her.

"Lou." You gasp racing over to where Rosemary is cradling her little body to her chest.

She looks okay, paler than normal, her breathing is uneven, and you can hear the frantic beat of her little heart, but she does not open her eyes.

"Louisa?" Rosemary says, stroking the back of her head, looking into the face of her daughter, using her full name for the first time in years.

She doesn't move, stays limp in her mother's arms.

No. I can't lose Lou. I've lost so much over the years.

Tears spring to your eyes as you fall to your knees, reaching out to touch her arm. Her skin is so warm it almost burns the palm of your hand, but you don't remove it.

"Lou please. Wake up sweetie." You say, voice thick with emotion.

Lou stays as she is.

Ben's hand comes down on your shoulder and you lean into his leg, shuddering as tears begin to trickle down your cheeks.

Rosemary is beside herself, sobs shaking her shoulders, cradling Lou to her chest. "Please don't leave me." You hear Rosemary whisper.

You suddenly flash back to the day on the beach that you took the bullet for Ben, when your blood turned the sand to mud and Ben held you so tight to his chest that it almost hurt, and you thought you heard him say the same words as you felt yourself began to drift off into nothing.

Ben pulls you up against his chest, tucking your head into the hollow of his throat, his arms wrapped tightly around your waist as he looks down at his daughter and granddaughter. You shudder into his chest, choking back a sob, arms gripping the front of his suit.

"Mommy?" You hear Lou's little voice murmur.

You pull away from Ben's chest to see where Lou is still lying, her eyes blinking open, but it seems like too much effort.

"Yes sweetie?"

"Can we go home now?" Lou says. "I'm tired."

"Whatever you want honey." Rosemary sighs in relief, hugging Lou closer to her.

"I want grandpa to come with us." She breathes into Rosemary's shirt, wrapping her little arms around her mother's neck. "And grandma and Ryan." Lou says the last too so quietly that you don't think that you heard correctly, but she quickly falls asleep.

"Okay." Rosemary's eyes are closed, and she's petting the back of Lou's back.

You exhale, slowing down your breathing, still holding tight to Ben's supe suit. Ben's eyes aren't on you though, they are focused on the giant hole in the side of the building that Homelander disappeared into.

Homelander comes stumbling through holding his head. His supe suit hangs in burned tatters on his shoulders, but his skin looks unscathed. There's a large lump on the side of his temple, and he squints at Ben and you as if he can't recognize you.

"Hello." Homelander says it hesitantly. "Um. I'm sorry I don't know where I am. Do you live here?"

Holy fucking shit.

"Um." You stutter.

"Do you know who I am?" Homelander continues taking a shaky step towards where you're all standing.

"Dad are you okay?" Ryan asks.

Homelander's blue eyes flick to his son. "I'm your dad?"

Butcher is on Homelander before you can stop him, tackling him to the ground and landing a punch against Homelander's nose.

There's a sickening crunching noise and a high pitched wail from Homelander, as the nose breaks beneath Butcher's fist and blood floods down Homelander's face.

He's human now, but he doesn't know who he is. Your eyes skate across where Homelander lays under Butcher until your eyes catch on the lump on his right temple. He has brain damage from when he landed, he hit his head, doesn't remember any of this, any of us, any of who he is.

And before Butcher can land another blow you grab him by the back of the coat and throw him across the room. He checks himself mid-air and lands in a crouch, his coat billowing out behind him like a cape.

"Just hold on for a minute." You say.

"What the fuck are you doing?" He shouts, fist still covered in blood.

What am I doing? The thought was also going around in your head. You had come here to kill Homelander, to make him pay, but seeing him like this, unable to tell who he was or where he was, made this feel wrong. You couldn't put your finger on it, but it felt evil to kill someone who didn't know the reason why they were going to be executed.

"Don't touch him." You say, standing between Butcher and Homelander. Ben and Rosemary are watching you like you're crazy, but you don't let Butcher get close to Homelander.

"Why did you do that?" Homelander cries, holding his gloved hand to his nose to stop the bleeding. Tears are slipping down his cheeks from the pain.

"Ryan give me your jacket please." You hold out your hand for Ryan's red jacket who is looking at his father in total disbelief. "Here." You give it to Homelander. "Tilt your head back and press this to your face."

He does what you say, but he's still watching you like he doesn't completely trust you.

The feeling is mutual.

"You're kidding right? He's still a psychopathic maniac-" Butcher snarls advancing on you. Ben steps forward to stop him.

"I'm not going to let you kill him in front of his child and it-" You glance back at Homelander. "It's different now. He doesn't know who he is, doesn't know why he's here-"

"You don’t think he's fucking faking?" Ben shouts, glaring back at where Homelander is still standing, and for the first time you see genuine fear on Homelander's face.

I mean he is a good actor, but I don’t think that he's acting.

"I don't think he is."

Ben pinches the bridge of his nose. "Look sweetheart I know that he might be having a little bit of memory loss, but he's still Homelander. And I know that he is technically our son but this isn't like starting over. You can't redeem him this way."

"You're my parents?" Homelander asks looking at Ben and you suddenly confused. "But you're so young?"

You ignore him. "I'm not trying to redeem him and I'm not saying that he doesn't deserve to die or that we shouldn't kill him. I just think that we shouldn't kill him now when he's like this."

Ben narrows his eyes at the man who used to be Homelander. You can see the gears working inside of his head as he mulls over your logic, but you knew it meant that you had a shot of convincing him.

"Ben he's human now, you saw Butcher break his nose. He can't fake that-"

"That doesn't matter he's still the same person!" Ben sighs as if you're annoying him. "The same person that hurt Rosemary, the same person who kidnapped Lou."

"I know he's the same person, but it feels wrong to do this, to execute him for something that he can't remember. It's like killing a little kid."

"Fuck." Ben mutters it more to himself than to you as he tries again to see your logic.

Honestly, it hard to see it yourself. You had killed a few people over the years, didn't feel remorse when it came to the safety of your family, but this was different. Homelander had killed people, threatened, and tortured others but he didn't remember it. You hated that it made you guilty when if anyone deserved to die it was him.

"Fine." Ben holds up a hand. "Fine. We help him jog his memory then we kill him."

"Okay, yes that's all I'm asking." You agree.

"Wait a minute, I'm not going to agree to any of that bullshi-" Butcher begins to say, but the large doors at the back of the room open and a group of people walk in.

You recognize Hughie right off the bat, one girl as Starlight from her livestreams, the man from Herogasm who tried to gas Ben that Butcher identified as MM, but the other two are unfamiliar. One is a supe, her black hair straight and hanging around her face, but the other is a man holding a canister of some kind in his right hand with cropped black hair who smells like how Ben used to when he would shoot up and smoke whatever he could get his hands on in the 70's.

Well this is either going to go badly or go badly.

"Who are they?" Homelander says, his voice nasally from where he's holding the jacket to his face.

"What the fuck happened?" Hughie asks, looking around the room at the destruction.

"Well-" Butcher begins to say.

"I turned him human with whatever the fuck is in my chest. You're welcome." Ben lies.

You swallow the lump in the back of your throat. The last thing you wanted was for them to know what Lou was capable of. Rosemary is standing now behind you, holding Lou in her arms who sleeps quietly, curled into her mother.

"But how did you-" Starlight asks.

"I held him down telekinetically." You shrug. "Wasn't that hard."

"Huh." She frowns. "But you didn't kill him?"

"He hit his head." Butcher explains coming to stand beside you. "Can't remember a bloody thing."

"And you believe that?" MM sputters. His eyes haven't left Ben and you know exactly what he's thinking about, the night his grandfather died.

"She does." Butcher nods his head in your direction. "And she doesn't want to kill him if he can't remember why he's a fucking cunt."

MM's eyes flick to you. "Who are you?"

"You're Indigo right? The supe from the 80's who vanished?" Starlight asks.

"Mhmm." You hoped that they weren't here to fight you, but the shiny silver cannister in the shorter man's hand says otherwise. "But all of that doesn't matter now. It was a long time ago. The only thing that matters here is that Homelander is human and that no one died."

Her eyes flick to the ball of flesh in the corner that was Noir then back at you. "No one?"

"No one who didn't deserve it." Ben clarifies gruffly.

You could feel the tension in the air between the group of people standing in front of you. Ben was mirroring your protective stance in front of Rosemary, Lou, and Ryan. You weren't sure what was going to happen, but you didn't want to put them in the line of fire.

"We don't want any trouble, we're just going to take Homelander and leave." You say diplomatically.

"Who's Homelander?" Homelander says still obviously confused. "Is that me?"

Everyone ignores him.

"Wait where are you going to take him?" Hughie asks.

"I have a friend. She knows how to handle supes. She'll find a place for him." Your gaze flicks to the other female supe who hasn't said anything since she walked into the room. You didn't like that you didn't know what her powers are and did not know what to expect if she chose to fight you.

You also hadn't spoken to your would-be friend in over forty years, but you figured that she still was able to pull the same strings she had done in the past for you.

"A friend?" Butcher sounds skeptical.

"Yeah. So if you wouldn't mind letting us through-" You take a step forward preparing to push through the group of people.

MM pulls his gun. "We can't let you do that."

"Why?"

"Well for one Soldier Boy is a terrorist. He's killed people." Starlight's eyes narrow when she looks at Ben. "He's a nuclear bomb with a short fuse, who knows who else will get hurt. Not to mention he's murdered people."

"The only people I murdered are the people from our old team, everyone else was an accident." Ben replies gruffly, looking down the barrel of the gun, unfazed.

"Doesn't matter. It's still murder." The man with the gun states, his eyes narrowing at Ben.

This is not going to go well.

You sigh. You didn't want to kill them, but it was quickly becoming apparent that they weren't going to back down.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way." The other man says in a faintly French accent, the dark haired supe beside him tensing as if preparing to spring.

"And you don't want to fight us." MM narrows his eyes at you.

Ben chuckles under his breath. "Trust me kid, it won't be much of a fight."

He's really not helping his case.

"Oh really?" Starlight's eyes begin to glow a dangerous gold, challenging you to get in her way.

You snort before you can stop yourself. "Your eyes glow, that's cute." You smirk at her, feeling yours shift to bright purple. "Mine do too."

"Annie wait." Hughie says, placing his hand on her arm. "Just let her talk for a minute."

"Really? You want me to listen to this psychopath? You see what she did to Noir-" Starlight, now Annie, gestures back to the blood stained wall and what's left of your old friend.

"If it's any of your business, you would know that he deserved it. And he started it." You say simply. "But it’s not."

"So what? You're telling us to just let you take Homelander?" She spits, eyes still glowing. "And let you leave with Soldier Boy?"

"You really think you can stop us?" Ben takes a step towards Annie, but you hold up your arm to stop him.

"I've honestly had a really bad week and we don't want to fight." You emphasize. "But we will if we have to. And trust me you really don't want that to happen."

"Then come willingly." MM says without lowering his gun.

"You know we can't do that. The last thing I’m going to do is let you lock Soldier Boy up again in some fucking lab. He's been in there long enough.” You reply.

"I'm not going to let you walk away with a ticking time bomb. He's killed people." Annie looks at where Ben is standing slightly to your left.

Like hell you're gonna take him and lock him in a cage.

"He's in control now. And I'll keep him in check."

"You expect us to trust you?" She scoffs. "You, who also have killed who knows how many people over the years."

"Could be worse." You shrug. "But the truth is none of you can stop us, sure maybe you can slow us down for a few minutes, but it won't end well for any of you. And I'd rather not kill any more people today in front of my grandchildren." You raise an eyebrow.

Annie's eyes shift back to where Rosemary is watching her warily, still cuddling Lou to her chest, and you can feel Starlight hesitate for just a second.

"Look Annie, can I call you Annie?" You let your eyes return to their natural color and wave your hand in what you think might be a friendly gesture, but your patience was wearing thin.

"No."

"Annie." You clear your throat. "The things I've done, I've done for my family. I think that maybe you can sympathize with that a little bit. And Soldier Boy well-" You glance at Ben, who is still staring down the barrel of the pistol with a stoic expression. Honestly you knew he was waiting for you to say the word to take down the group of people in front of you. "He's trying to be better and I'm going to help him, but I can't let you put him in a prison cell somewhere or in a cage or a lab."

“I can’t just let you disappear with him.” Starlight’s gaze is firm, unyielding.

You were willing to kill her if that’s what it took, but honestly you were exhausted. Emotionally. Not to mention you didn’t want to have to use the one favor you had but you were going to have to, to make your friend deal with Homelander. You hated owing her favors, they never ended well.

“We won’t disappear.”

“Why should I believe that?”

"You don't have to, but I don’t owe you anything Annie. No explanations, no nothing. Please just be thankful that this is all there is." You look at the faces of the people around her and stop on Hughie, before shifting back to her. "Do you want their blood on your hands? Because I don't. So please let us go and I promise that we won't be a problem."

"You're so sure that it's going to go your way. That you're going to kill all of us. You might be a supe but you don't know that you're going to-" MM begins to say and you finally snap.

Your eyes shift back to bright purple, energy pulsing out from your body as you unlock the anger, rage, betrayal, and hurt you felt the night you almost destroyed Legend's backyard. The bodies of the people standing in front of you lock up as your powers take control, weaving across their limbs, and shrouding them in the warm purple glow from your abilities, forcing them to their knees with their hands behind their backs. The only one you didn’t do this to was Hughie who is looking at you like you're some kind of monster.

And maybe the old you would have thought that too, but the new you wasn't phased.

Annie's body is glowing now, trying to fight the compulsion of your telekinetic abilities, but you know that she can't break it.

"That's how she knows." Ben says with a smirk. You can almost hear pride in his voice.

"Please let them go." Hughie asks you.

"I will. But first we're going to leave. Rosemary, you, Lou, and Ryan go first."

She walks around the people with Ryan in tow who looks back at Butcher for a moment, before he vanishes through the doors. "Ben take Homelander."

"Like fuck I'm going to leave you-" You turn your glowing eyes on him.

"I will be right behind you, now go."

Ben grits his teeth together, waiting another minute, but finally grabs Homelander around the arm and tugs him from the room glaring at you the whole time and muttering something under his breath.

You glance at MM. "I'm sorry for your loss, I am. I know that nothing can make up for what he did and I know that none of you want to believe me when I say this but, he's changed and he's trying to be better." You sigh. "I didn't want it to be like this."

"Wait you're not going to-" Hughie's eyes are wide and you feel Butcher take a step towards you as if he's going to stop you.

"No. Y'all don't deserve that. And I like to think that I'm still a good person. But-" You let out a breath. "I swear on my life that we won't disappear. I swear that I will do my upmost to help him and make sure that no one else gets hurt. And I'm sorry that it turned into this, but I hope that you believe me." Your expression hardens. "Because the next time you come and threaten my family or me again, I won't be forgiving and you won't walk away."

You drop the hold you have on their bodies when you make it to the elevator where your family and Homelander waits for you and you hope that they've chosen not to follow.

"So, what do I owe you for this one?" You ask Grace Mallory, as you stand on the dirt road, surveying the Upstate New York countryside. The fields on either side of the roads were filled with waist high grass that rustled in the wind blowing from the East, wicking the sweat on the back of your neck.

The sun was rising on the horizon and it had taken most of the night to get out of the city to meet her there. It had been a long drive, but the car you'd stolen was working, for now. Rosemary, Lou, and Ryan, were asleep in the back seat and Ben were standing at your side. When Mallory had received your call she didn't sound surprised. You knew that she probably figured you would need her especially with the revelation of Soldier Boy's reappearance. She knew that you had unfinished business with him and that he'd try to find you.

She looks different than she did the last time you saw her years ago. Her hair is now more gray than blonde, pulling free from the severe bun at the back of her head. Her dark colored suit is sharp, pristene, and freshly ironed.

You'd met her in the weeks that followed Ben's supposed death, when Legend and you were planning your disappearance. You didn't know why she helped you make a fake ID and smuggle you out of the city, but she had. The favor you owed her had been collected when Rosemary went off to college, a little supe problem that Mallory's team couldn't handle. Off the books of course. You hadn’t been recognizable and you knew that no one would be able to find you.

"I'll send you my bill." Her smile is tight-lipped, but it's still there. You knew she hated supes, and sometimes you think that she tried to hate you, but you were too much alike.

"The same I'm guessing."

"Maybe." She shrugs watching the other officers escort Homelander into the vehicle.

His nose didn't look much better, it was swollen and purple because no one had set it, and he was wearing a pair of gym shorts and an oversized t-shirt that said "Ask Me About My Cats" on it. It was all you could find at the gas station Ben had stopped at in the middle of nowhere. Technically all of you had to change, especially Rosemary who's clothes were still riddled with holes and with blood splatter. You had a few splashes of blood from Noir, but not nearly as much as her. You knew that the two of you would talk about what happened to her soon, but not right now.

A bird soars overhead and joins another on the power lines hanging above the street, squawking as it settles down.

"Figures. Can't we just call this a favor for an old friend?"

"I guess I should be thanking you. Taking down Homelander, that's pretty impressive. Can't believe Butcher let you walk away with him like that." Mallory says, pressing her lips into a tight line.

Her eyes flick to where Ben is standing beside you. He hadn't said much since he pulled up, still trying to take in everything that had happened last night. You knew she wasn't ecstatic about seeing him again, the last time she saw him she'd told you about after you'd helped her out with her little supe problem and she'd asked you to join her for a beer. You didn't drink it, but you'd sat with her anyway.

When she'd gotten out of the car as you pulled up you'd heard him mutter "is that captain lesbo?" under his breath and it was the first time you'd genuinely laughed since everything happened at Vought tower.

Honestly, you felt kinda heavy on your feet. The stale gas station coffee had done little to boost your energy level and neither had the protein bar that Ben forced you to eat because he said you needed to eat something.

I better get a long vacation after this.

"He wasn't on board, but I convinced him. His team also took some convincing." You frown remembering exactly what you'd had to do to let you walk away, but you didn't feel bad about it. You knew that it was the way things had to be to keep your family safe. "You're not going to tell him about this are you?"

"Maybe. Not for a while though. I'll give him some time to cool down, have a cup of tea, let things settle." Mallory taps a text message on her phone. "It definitely changes things though."

"What does?"

"A cure for being a supe." She eyes Ben for a second. "Word gets out that's not going to be good."

"Believe me I know." You sigh.

You were trying not to think about the revelation of Lou's powers. You hadn't told Mallory that Lou was the one that took down Homelander, nor would you ever. You'd take that to your grave and if Butcher knew what was good for him so would he. You'd destroyed all video evidence on your way out of the Tower, but you were still afraid that someone, somewhere knew something that they shouldn't. Lou had woken up for a little bit on the drive and seemed more like herself after she drank some chocolate milk and ate some dry cereal, than she had when she used her powers earlier.

She just needs to get used to it. We all went through that when we got our powers. But things are never going to be the same though.

Ben nudges your arm with his shoulder as if he's trying to reassure you that he's there and you're not going through this alone. When you glance up at him, you see the corner of his lips twitch into a smile for just a half-second before going back to his stoic expression.

They really aren't going to be the same.

"Don't worry. I'll try to keep it on the down low as long as I can." She shrugs.

Homelander waves once at Ben and you as he is placed into the black Tahoe. The entire trip upstate he had tried to ask more and more questions while Ben drove, but you didn't want to answer him, didn't want to form a bond with him, not when he was acting completely different. You didn't want to get attached, because one day when he remembered who he was and what he had done you were going to kill him.

Ryan hadn't tried to answer his father's questions. You honestly were surprised that he had come with you willingly, he didn't know any of you, but he didn't complain. Plus you'd bought him a pack of state capitals and abbreviations flashcards at the gas station and he'd busied himself with running through the flashcards as fast as he could.

"Do you think he's really forgotten?" Mallory asks you.

"I don't know." You reply honestly. "I think so. But he was backed into a corner, and this may have been his only way out. He didn't like that we weren't accepting him."

"Hmm." Mallory exhales out a breath. "Just makes all of this more difficult I guess."

"It's always difficult." You sigh just as heavily.

"Yeah. Seems like it."

"At least the fucker doesn’t have any powers." Ben adds. "What are you going to do with him anyway?"

"Lock him up, see if they can jog his memory." Mallory examines Homelander as he looks through the darkened windows of the Tahoe at the three of you, still smiling. "I'll let you know if it comes back."

"Thank you Grace."

"Sure. You owe me though."

"I know." You pull absentmindedly on the end of the bright pink shirt that you had to change in to at the gas station, because your other one had Noir's blood on it. "Try to give me a little time first okay?"

"Of course." She reaches out to shake your hand and then shakes Ben's. Mallory turns to walk towards her car, before she stops and turns around. "What about Ryan? You want me to take him off your hands too?"

Ben glances back at the car where Ryan is fast asleep, his head leaning against the window, hair fanning out against the glass. "No. I think he'd be better with us."

"With Homelander the way he is, Ryan should be safe now." You look back at Grace. "Rosemary has an extra bedroom in her apartment, she can take him."

"You sure your cousin can handle a supe with his kind of powers?" Mallory raises an eyebrow referring to Rosemary as your cousin as she always does. Though you believed she knew better and just never said anything.

"Yeah. I think she's got it. Plus Ben and I live in the city too. I have an extra room in my apartment, but I just need to clean it out before he can stay with us. Ryan will be safe and maybe he'll be able to have a normal life." The thought was comforting. You didn't know too much about Ryan's background, but thought that maybe he would benefit from having a normal schedule in his life and have a normal life away from being a supe. Of course you were already thinking about ways Butcher could be in his life. It was obvious how much Butcher cared about him and how much Ryan looked up to Butcher.

You were going to call him when you got back into the city. You also supposed that you could have told him about Mallory, but when you and Mallory started working together you had both decided to keep it to yourself, saw that it was better this way.

"Alright." Mallory turns back to walk towards the car. "See you in ten years." She jokes.

When the car pulls away and drives down the street, Homelander waves at Ben and you again as you stand there leaning against the hood of the SUV you stole to get out of the city. It was easy to steal cars when all you needed to do was telekinetically turn it on.

"You didn't tell me you knew Captain Lesbo." Ben says.

"Don't call her that." You snort. "I owe a lot to her, she helped me get away from Vought."

"Why?"

"No idea." You lean your head against Ben's shoulder, listening to the cawing of the birds and feeling the wind pull and tug at your hair as if trying to ask you to play. It was a nice day, warm, but not too hot.

"Tired?"

"Mhmm."

Ben presses a kiss to the top of your head, holding you closer to him for a few precious seconds, his arm squeezing around your shoulders. "Come on Sweetheart. Let's go home." He murmurs into the top of your head.

"Home?" You murmur looking up into his green eyes, cupping his bearded cheek.

Ben's eyes are bright in the sunshine, the same color they were the day you painted him at the park all those years ago with paint splattered fingers and skirts. But it doesn't feel like any time has passed. It still feels like him and you walking the streets of Philadelphia together with warm pretzels, him crawling through your window to escape the rest of the world, him and you soaking up the sunshine along the bank of a pond, him and you drinking sour beer in a bar and singing all the way home, him and you dancing in a ballroom with the lights twinkling above, and him and you and falling asleep in the same bed bodies entwined. He's still your Ben even after all these years. You knew every smile line, every frown line, every freckle, every dimple, every dip and curve of his handsome face. His arm is still heavy around your shoulders, comforting and familiar.

"I'm already there Ben."

Ben brings his hand up to hold your cheek, the rough pad of his thumb tracing along the curve of your cheekbone. You were more beautiful than he remembered, leaving him breathless each time you smiled at him. His eyes trace the frown lines, the smile lines, the scrunch between your eyebrows, the smile on your face, and down to the parts of you that you believe are imperfections. Someone so familiar to him that he was sure he would never forget, and yet looking at you always felt like the first time, like he was a drowning man and you were the first breath of fresh air. He still saw the pieces of you he knew growing up, the girl whose hair caught fire in the sun when you painted him by a pond that was probably dry and gone, the girl who smiled at him every time he crawled through her window to escape the rest of the world, the girl who refused to let him be alone, the girl who protected him and defended him, the girl who saw all the parts of him he tried to hide from the world, and the girl who made him feel loved for the first time in his life. "Good, because I'm not going anywhere sweetheart, for as long as I live, I promise to be here."

"I'll hold you to that Benjamin."

"Forever?"

"Forever."

A/N: Whew! Big chapter. Lots to take in I know!! But also really fun last moments that I just loved writing. I'm not gonna lie I was tearing up a little bit in that final scene. These characters have just meant so much to me to write. There is one more chapter coming! I know this one kinda felt a little bit like a wrap up, but the Epilogue is coming next. Stay tuned!

As always, thank you so much for reading and for all the love and support! If you'd like to be added to the taglist for this series let me know! I know that there's only one chapter of the series left, but I will transfer it to the One-shot fics I have planned for them. 😊

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[unrepentantgeek]

Geek interested in mythology here! I love dp x dc stories. They can be really awesome, sometimes they're hilarious.

I'm just as amused as everyone else by the "Wonder Woman & co panic over Clockwork because he's Zeus' awful dad, the leader of the Titans.

However, whether he's called Cronus Kronos he's actually not the deity of time. That's a second person, named Chronos. Who I think might be a primordial deity predating the Titans.

I don't tend to nitpick this because mythology this long after when it originally came to be isn't distinct or definitive enough to warrant fretting over. After all, one could easily assume this is a case where a later generation of deity has the same domain as a prior generation. (See Gaia & Demeter. And how sometimes people ignore Selene & Helios existing- or don't know they do- and instead called the twin gods Artemis & Apollo the moon & sun deities.)

However I'm very interested in seeing someone play with this technicality.

The way I picture it goes something like this. Danny & the JL &/or JLD or whatever mixture you want- Batfam & Constantine could work too- are working together. Or Amity Park & the GIW have just been discovered.

During story time or debriefing Danny goes "Clcokwork said-". Or else when answering a question he starts his explanation with "According to Clockwork".

Naturally this gets interrupted to ask who Clockwork is. (Or a JLD member or JLD aligned person freaks out)

Once those present know who Clockwork is & somewhat understand his status in the Infinite Realms someone who mostly knows or only knows the modern reinterpretations- maybe Flash or Green Lantern?- comes out with something like "wait, the guy who ate his kids? Is it safe for you to be near him?"

Chaos ensues. If you want to go the "Chronos & Cronus both have power over time" route que a moment for Wonder Woman or JLD member or choice to panic.

Once someone gets things back on track Danny or whoever else you want clarifies that no, Clockwork is either Chronos not Cronus or not from the Greek pantheon at all.

I'm inclined for Clockwork being Chronos, so if you do that there should also be a moment for the shock or other form of overreaction to Danny's connection to a deity who's a bigger shot than even a Titan.

[scleroticstatue]

For the character hotness rating, for the fun of it: the current Terrafell crew (by whatever names you'd like to call them).

Atticus:

Not My Type | Alright | Cute | Adorable | Pretty | Gorgeous | LORD MERCY.

Tall, lithe, and graceful. He's feminine enough to be considered "pretty," and he makes up for it with a sharp smirk and purring tone. Is he faking his deep voice? Yes. Is he using beauty magic to keep his hair shiny? Definitely yes. Does he have a tendency to "accidentally touch" people when he's instructing them? Absolutely. He's competent, capable, and funny when given the chance. He's not quite my type, but he's someone's and she is going to be a lucky woman.

Sock Police:

Not My Type | Alright | Cute | Adorable | Pretty | Gorgeous | LORD MERCY

He's big, he's broad, his biceps are the size of my head. He's got a little bit of a baby face that is going to turn into an amazing jawline and cheekbones in a couple of years, and his hair is ridiculously thick. He's constantly brooding, but that just might be his eyebrows and deep set eyes, which seem black but in the sunlight turn to spiced honey and his scars might as well be tattoos for him.

Furniture Man:

Not My Type | Alright | Cute | Adorable | Pretty | Gorgeous | LORD MERCY

He's tall, has cheekbones to cut glass, and the beard. Yes, he's a little thin and pale and his eyes might freak someone out, but he's also very mature and incredibly aware of the limits of his situation while also maintaining hope and actively trying to solve stuff, which is just attractive in and of itself.

The Doc:

Not My Type | Alright | Cute | Adorable | Pretty | Gorgeous | LORD MERCY

He's got a vibe. With the gray hair and the gray eyes and the glasses it's definitely a Look but he's also incredibly smart and empathetic and he's definitely a person to feel safe around. My introvert tuchus is mentally sitting in the same room as him without having to say a word.

Sir Dwarf:

Not My Type | Alright | Cute | Adorable | Pretty | Gorgeous | LORD MERCY

Okay, he's not my type because he's definitely got a dad bod and he's, well, a dwarf, but he's got the physical ability to bench press me with one hand while folding steel with his other and I am not immune to that. Plus, he's the height of chivalric respect and there's very little I could ask beyond that.

Nik:

Not My Type | Alright | Cute | Adorable | Pretty | Gorgeous | LORD MERCY

He's also not my type, but heaven knows that's not enough. Dark skin, dark eyes, the jaw, the confidence, the laid back attitude that tempers his bulging muscles, the smile. Weak for it.

A.T.:

Not My Type | Alright | Cute | Adorable | Pretty | Gorgeous | LORD MERCY

He has the body of a 35 year old and the soul of Distinguished Gentleman. He's wise, thoughtful, and a legit snack. His eyes can see into your soul and his aggressively generous nature hides a surprisingly cunning side that would make me bite my lip if I saw it in person (if it wasn't directed at me)

Minor characters:

E. From D.:

Not My Type | Alright | Cute | Adorable | Pretty | Gorgeous | LORD MERCY

He's definitely in the Distinguished Gentleman phase of life. He's rocking the gray hair, eye wrinkles, and his eyes are the sparkliest blue. I'm not there yet, but give me fifteen years and I will line up.

Emperor to Be:

Not My Type | Alright | Cute | Adorable | Pretty | Gorgeous | LORD MERCY

The curls. The lips. The nose. This man is a Greek statue in flesh. He's ambitious and aggressive and possessive, but he will take care of what is his and he is mine.

Haggard Mailman:

Not My Type | Alright | Cute | Adorable | Pretty | Gorgeous | LORD MERCY

Okay, in my defense, he just. Didn't get the time that put into his design that other characters did, and instead of being "video game gorgeous" he's just a background character. Someone probably thinks he's cute or handsome, but he's pretty generic.

[bookishdreamer28]

Heartsteel! Ezreal x reader

"Ezreal stop I have to go" you giggled trying to get away from his grasp. 

"But baby I won't be able to see you for the rest of the day. I have to meet with the boys too today and just the thought that I won't see or touch you for so many hours makes me go crazy." He whined circling his hands around your waist. 

"Oh poor baby that must be so hard for you." You teased him, leaning back to him. 

"Hey it certainly is hard for you too! Come on, be honest. You simply can't resist me." He said and posed like he was a statue of a Greek God or something. 

"Oh you're back to being annoying again. Guess I'll take my leave." You made the move to stand up but Ezreal caught you fast and placed you on his lap. 

"Nah ah. You ain't going nowhere. Didn't I just say that I can't bear the thought of being away from you for even a minute? Just let me love you the way I know you like." He nuzzled his face in my neck and left small pecks there.

You sighed, enjoying the feeling. 

He then pulled back and turned me to him. 

He was quite for a moment. He was just looking at me, so fondly. In a way I have never being looked at before. 

"Do you have, any idea, how much I freaking love you?" He whispered, bringing his hand on my hair, brushing them gently. My heart leaped. This man is making me having butterflies in my stomach every day. 

"Hmm." I hummed, giving him a small peck on the nose. "But I love hearing you say it." I grabbed him, giving him small kisses all over his face. 

"I love you so so so much"

He chuckled, cupping my face, and kissed me. 

The kiss became a little more heated and we both got lost in each other's lips just like that. 

After we pulled away, he left a kiss on my forehead and looked at me. 

"So, how about we take it upstairs?" He growled,  hand gripping my waist. 

"Let me think about it....Nah I have to go." I tried to hide my smile, and once again, tried to get up. 

"Excuse me?! Heck no. You're coming with me you little minx. You can't get me all excited and then leave me in such a vulnerable position." He took me in his arms in bridal style. 

I laughed hard and rested my head on his shoulder. 

We went into our room and he gently placed me on the bed. 

"Can't blame you, I mean I'm irresistible after all." I posed in a dramatic way and Ezreal snickered. 

"You little minx." He said grinning and cupped my face, kissing me intensely again. 

──⭒─⭑─⭒────⭒─⭑─⭒────⭒─⭑─

A heartsteel post with my boy Ezreal cuz I'm obsessed with him and the boys 🙌 I'm going to post more of them at some point 💯

Thank you for reading 💕

all rights reserved. please do not copy, modify, repost, translate, or claim my content as yours.

[sproutsaviorthethird]

I love this. I love this so much-

Phil fawning over birds at the zoo >>

Wilbur getting uppity over proper guitar care at the music shop >>>

Tommy getting all the comics under the sun whenever he can >>>>

Techno getting talkative in the museum about Greek mythology >>>>>

The boys have a movie night-

I'm getting carried away but family dynamic please I must have it-

clawing at the walls thinking about sbi as a family and they like go on roadtrips and visit places and nerd out about those places

[lucygxybaird]

time-traveler billy preview

author's note: i have a feeling this one is gonna be super long -- potentially multiple parts? - so i thought i would share what i have since that prompt has been sitting in my inbox since the dawn of time (sorry!!)

Everything happens so quickly that you don’t have time — at first — to realize how odd the situation is. The man’s clothes make him look like a refugee from a Western, and everything about him, from the curl of his hair to the way he stands marks him out as someone…different, somehow. Not to mention, of course, that he’s standing in the middle of the street, looking about as out of place and freaked out as a squirrel dropped into the middle of the ocean. 

But even if you could put your finger on it, you don’t have the time to consider what makes him so strange. 

First, you’ll have to get him out of the path of the oncoming car. 

You have, in point of fact, never actually tackled someone before. But you take your best shot, leaning in and diving at his waist, hoping to make him fold like a lawn chair. Maybe it’s just the shock, or maybe you actually find the right angle — you have no idea, but it doesn’t really matter. You manage to knock the guy sideways, both of you stumbling toward the safety of the sidewalk as the car screeches past, the driver laying on his horn. 

You watch as the guy flinches at the noise, actually clapping his hands over his ears as he squeezes his eyes shut, like he’s praying with all his might that the noise will just stop. Fortunately for him, the car turns the corner up ahead, and the sound of the horn fades as it goes. You watch it go, wondering absently how long Speed Racer is going to keep honking, and then you look back at the guy whose life you’ve saved.

“Are you okay?” It’s probably a stupid question, considering what little information you already have, but you don’t know what else to say. The guy lowers his hands and squints at you, staring as if you’re the one dressed like an extra from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. “Hey — are you alright?”

He shakes his head, more like he’s trying to chase away a bothersome gnat than answering you. 

You’re starting to worry that he’s hit his head, although you can’t see a cut or a bruise on his temple. Now that you’re looking at him properly, it’s really rather difficult to keep from noticing how…well, how hot he is. It’s probably — definitely — inappropriate to even think about it, you’re well aware, considering he’s either injured, intoxicated in some way, or just going through it, but you can’t ignore the fact now that it’s quite literally staring you in the face. 

His eyes are large and blue, framed by thick, dark lashes as long as your pinky finger, set above a strong, straight nose that reminds you of a Greek statue, as perfectly sculpted as if it’s been made from marble. His lips are astonishingly full, his jawline and cheekbones each as defined as the dictionary, and you think there just might be the shadow of a dimple in his chin. And he’s tall, too, topping you by nearly a foot, his broad shoulders tapering to an angular waist. You realize, belatedly, that you’re staring, but then again, so is he.

“Are you okay?” you say again. “Is there something I can do for you? Someone I can call?”

He swallows, giving another shake of his head. “I don’t…I dunno where I am.” 

It’s the first time you’ve heard him speak, and his voice brings to mind sage brush and sunsets, the smoke that swirls over a campfire as it crackles with life, warm and husky, with a twang that makes you think of the bite of whiskey. 

“Okay,” you say, and without thinking about it, you take his hand. It feels natural, like trying to guide a lost child, or trying to make sure you don’t lose him in a crowd. As soon as his palm touches yours, you feel a shock race up your arm, and you have the strangest sensation of a door closing, separating one moment from the next as definitively as an axe splitting wood. 

His fingers curl around yours, his expression almost pleading. 

“Okay,” you repeat. “Okay. Just…come with me. I’ll help you.”

You can tell, if not just by the expression on his face — half-hopeful, half-bracing, as if he’s expecting a blow to fall any second — that he’s not used to asking for help, especially not from strangers. It makes your heart hurt just a little bit. You give his hand a gentle squeeze, and you’re softened — or maybe melted — by the way he smiles at you, shy but appearing more heartened than he did just a moment ago.

Then another car whizzes by, and he winces like someone has taken a shot at him. He ducks down, his eyes so wide that they look like a pair of full moons, their cornflower centers the only source of color in his face. “The hell is that?”

You stare at him. If he didn’t look so terrified, you’d think he was joking. But if he’s not joking, then he’s either on an incredible cocktail of drugs, or he’s from that weird isolated cult town in The Village. “It’s…it’s a car,” you say. 

“A car,” he repeats, as if you’ve just told him the secret to life in Mandarin. 

“Yeah,” you say. “You know…a horseless carriage.” 

For some reason, this seems to impart some understanding to him, but you can tell he’s still plenty freaked out. “Carriages don’t go that fuckin’ fast!”

You try very, very hard not to laugh, but god, it’s hard. You’re having to draw on nearly every ounce of compassion you have. It helps that, really, he’s not wrong. Not that you’ve ever ridden in a carriage, because you’re not Keira Knightley in a period film, but you don’t think they’re capable of speeds like that. 

“If it makes you feel any better,” you say, “you don’t have to worry about getting into a horseless carriage with me. I hate driving.” 

Now that it’s just the two of you standing on the sidewalk again, the road mercifully free of cars, he seems to relax a little, at least enough to consider your words. “Well,” he says. “That’s something.” 

Not entirely sure where to go, you decide the police station is as good a place as any. It might be a little Hallmark movie of the week, but maybe someone has already filed a missing persons report on him. With that thought, it occurs to you that you need some information first. 

“Do you remember your name?” you ask.

The look he gives you indicates he has never been quite so offended in his life. You can’t help but laugh this time. “Well, I don’t know!” you say. “You don’t know where you are, you’re walking around here looking like a puppy at the start of an ASPCA ad — maybe you’re suffering from some kind of amnesia.”

He doesn’t look any less nonplussed, but something about your laughter has loosened the muscles in his face. He smiles at you. You try to ignore the way your stomach flips to focus on his answer. “Billy,” he says. 

You fight the urge to repeat his name, rolling it around in your mouth like candy. “Come on,” you say, his hand still in yours. “We’re not gonna get anywhere just standing here. Do you trust me?”

He smiles again, though this time with a bit of a razor’s edge to it. “Not like I got much choice, honey,” he says, and then pauses, softens. “Yeah. You’ve been nicer to me than most people would’ve, findin’ a stranger in the middle of nowhere, actin’ like he’s been dropped on his head. I wouldn’t have blamed ya if you’d run the other direction.”

You have no idea why, but what springs from your mouth before you can help yourself is: “I couldn’t do that to you.”

He studies you for a minute. His gaze feels as physical as a caress, and just as intimate. If not more so. You both do and don’t want it to stop. 

“Come on,” you say again, at least in part to break the silence. “Follow me.”

The two of you start walking, following the weathered gray slabs of cracked, uneven concrete that your small town calls a sidewalk as it winds its way into town. 

After a few moments of quiet, he says, “You never told me your name.” 

When you introduce yourself, he smiles again. “That’s nice,” he says. “Pretty.”

Your stomach flips again, and you have to remind yourself that you don’t know anything about this guy, except — only just now — his name. The fact that he’s tall, gorgeous, and really does give off a hurt puppy sort of vibe doesn’t matter. And it definitely doesn’t matter that his smile spreads across his face like a sunrise coloring the sky with ribbons of pastels. He could be a serial killer, or if not that extreme, some kind of — 

The two of you are still, for reasons not entirely clear to you and probably not much clearer to him, holding hands, so you’re jerked out of your thoughts by the fact that he’s gone stock still. 

“You’re takin’ me to the sheriff?”

If the dread clinging to his voice like a weed choking out a weaker plant wasn’t bad enough, he’s frozen still on the sidewalk, looking at you as if you’ve…well, as if you’ve betrayed him somehow. The pit of your stomach turns to ice.

“The sheriff?” you repeat. You feel oddly, stupidly, disappointed. A guy with nothing to hide doesn’t act like this when someone brings him to the authorities. The disillusionment washing over you makes your tongue sharp. “Who the hell are you, Barney Fife?”

He frowns. “I told you my name.”

“Yeah, I — never mind.” You shake your head and let go of his hand. The bare skin of your palm feels oddly cold. “What’s the matter? I thought someone might be looking for you. Maybe someone filed a missing persons report.”

“I don’t think so, darlin’.” He glances at the police station again, his throat bobbing.  A pause, and then, softly, like he’s making a confession: “Nobody left that cares about me that much. Unless they wanna cause me some hurt.”

[cecilioque]

VOLO’S OUTFIT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE BAD. And here is why I think so...

To begin, we are not talking about the Ginko guild design, we are talking about the “final boss” fit. We all know that Volo’s outfit is dumb, but I’m mad because it  was actually thought out and VERY symbolic in the sense that it essentially represented things Volo said/wanted.

I, like everyone else looked at this outfit and went “wow, that is dumb” and then hated on it.  Although it is not the most appealing or cool outfit, there was actually a lot of thought that went into it. I could be really over analyzing this, but here is my interpretation.

To begin with, the concept art is a lot more revealing about the intention of the design then the actual game play.  On a surface level we see Volo in what I can only assume is a Arceus gijinka cosplay.  So the hair, the stars, and color scheme are all elements of Arceu’s  design.  Cool. Good job especially since Volo had in fact never seen Arceus before.

To fully understand this outfit we have to go back to Hisui and the remains of this so called “ancient civilization”. In the Pokemon world, there is this general idea that the ancient culture was either Roman or Greek inspired. We see evidence in Legends of Arceus by the obvious column heavy architecture and use of Greek Doric columns ( one of the earliest styles of columns used for temples) and in the ruins and temple. 

The Temple of Sinnoh is obviously based off of the Parthenon. It’s funny because game freak went as far as to even mimic both Ionic and Doric styles in the Temple of Sinnoh just like the Parthenon. I will go as far to add that the Sinnoh temple is much simpler than the Parthenon due to the fact that it was not embellished with an elaborately carved frieze or any decoration on the exterior for the most part.  Bizarre when even the broken ruins have evidence of some sort of ornamentation. It makes complete sense why the game developers chose this style seeing how is is know for being very simplistic.  But it also dates it in context.  It makes the Temple of Sinnoh the first temple that was build and the others that followed were build as the civilization grew ( thus more elaborate but we can only see the crumbled remains).

I will be ignoring the Snowpoint temple because it is a weird combination of styles and almost seems alien and out of place which very much fits the Regi theme.  It is also based on the early game design which was limited and blocky for game space sake.

Ok, heavy Greek and Roman influence. Back to Volo and his obviously Greek and Roman fit.  Volo’s name itself means “I wish”  in latin and could possibly be a reference to the phrase “volō, ergo sum” (I wish, therefore I am). Very in character since it is the wish for more” and he did everything he could to achieve that.

The actual influence for the design is more Roman in nature. This bothered me because we can see that research and thought went into it, but they just simplified it. And this actually has a point.

To begin with the obvious stuff, we see that volo’s shirt is definitely toga like. It even goes so far to be decorated with a Fibula (brooch)in a way that indicates a higher rank or status.  Cool Volo, we get that you think highly of yourself. Color choice is also same as Arceus, but we also know that white togas were also used by senators and high political officers.

Next , the shoes.  These are just the basic stereotypical Spirit Halloween Greek god/goddess type of sandals you can get at your local costume shop.  This was actually the most disappointing part of the outfit for me. But it makes sense they went with the most simplified and recognizable style.  They wanted us to look at this outfit and go “ Wow, Volo has been studying his myths and recreated an outfit”. This is what you could expect someone to create with just a written description of the clothing used during that time.

The necklace is interesting because it stands out so much compared to the gold colors. I am no sure what they were going for here by making it so prominent, but it brings us to an interesting thought.  If they necklace does have meaning, it is related directly to the design/shape.  The waterdrop could be the Greek symbolism for "tears of grace” or in a sense “gods grace”. The idea that the tears of god water the harvest and provide life. Alternate interpretations could simply be water as a source of life, or a symbol or sadness a mourning.  If it is a symbol of of mourning, this might be a clue to why Volo might desire to rewrite the world so much.

Last but not least, the pants. I think we can all decide this is one of the worst parts of the outfit, and to me it is just straight up confusing for two main reasons.  For starters, the color green is so prominent when green is an accent color on Arceus.  So maybe the color has meaning itself.  But if you look at the image above, the color mainly refers to life and “the harvest” (possibly like the necklace).  It has a weird connections to life and creation itself, which probably is why it was included in Arceus’ design and makes sense as Volo essentially wants to become the creator of life in a new world.

But this isn’t the part that gets me the most. The second thing that confuses me is the fact that the Greeks and Romans did not use pants.  This was because pants were associated with non-Roman/Greek cultures (the Germanic tribes and Vikings) who they looked down upon. On top of that, the Greeks thought pants were feminine and silly.  This could also just simply be a design choice because they didn’t wanna draw Volo in a full toga and accidently make him look like Christ. But this leads to my final point of the physical outfit itself.

VOLO’S OUTFIT WASN’T SUPPOSED TO BE GOOD. IT’S SUPPOSED TO LOOK DORKY AND BAD BECAUSE IT WAS FLAWED! This is based on the real world cultures it was based on. And although Volo may have done a lot of research, he still didn’t completely understand ancient culture.  It’s bad because Volo made it himself. His outfit was flawed just like his ideology. It is his own interpretation of a culture that he had idolized without truly understanding that this great and ancient culture crumbled. And based off of the architecture of the ruins and temples, it never even reached a prime before it fell.

But Volo thinks its correct/cool/accurate. He is being a fool about it because he didn’t understand the bigger picture and had become consumed with this desire for power and control.  This as an idea is really cool and I find it funny that you can also wear the outfit. Its essentially mocking him. If we look at the outfit in this light, the design was a success in getting us to dislike it and evoke this distaste. We didn’t know why, but this is why.

SO IN SUMMARY, OUTFIT WAS BAD ON PURPOSE. It wasn’t thoughtless, in fact there was a lot of research behind it and yet that seems to be thrown out to simplify the design in a way that looks like someone hand made it based off of what they had put together themselves.

But this isn’t my favorite part  of the concept art.  My favorite part is the hands.

Look at his hands. Why are they in those positions? Wouldn’t it have been easier to create more standard poses?  To me the hand gestures here are just too specific. So I started digging around for what they could be on a Art history level.  I looked at Non Christian art first and then Christian symbolism within their mosaics, illuminated manuscripts, and paintings. And I found some verrrry interesting similarities.  I am not trying to make this religious. I just found some interesting similarities between old Christian art and Volo’s design.  Which makes sense if we go back to this Greek/Roman influence because these cultures eventually converted to Christianity.  And Arceus is kind of a weird goat god Jesus.

The left hand is where the biggest symbolism is.  Basically, this hand gesture has been used to indicate “the hand of god” or the “hand of justice”.  Christ sometimes is draw with a similar hand position and could be a sign of the cross, but this would also refer to some sort of divinity.  I will also note that Volo is in no way making the classic “blessing” hand gesture.

As for the right hand he is making what I assume is a Greek/Roman orator (speaker) gesture. This would mean that Volo is calling for attention. Note, that I didn't’ compare this to prophets. That’s because orators speak for themselves and prophets for god.  And Volo thinks he is god.

Under this context, in the concept art Volo is essentially saying “I am God”.  If we add the symbolism of his outfit, it only further solidifies this idea.  Volo’s outfit/concept comes together and screams “behold, I am god , the hand of justice. I will be the creator or the new world”. Which is so freaking clever because that’s literally what he tells you. 

Sure his hands are switched and lowered compared to actual real world art examples (thank you Game freak for not throwing in actual religious symbols/gestures), but I think the intention is still there.  It’s so good that I am mad.  So as much as I hate this dumb outfit, I cannot deny that it was well thought out, that the character was well thought out.

To conclude, these are my assumptions. I am not an expert on art history or religion.  If you have further insights on this feel free to share. I’d be interested with what others had to add.  I the end this could all be wrong and just crazy for overthinking the designs of a pokemon character, but it just seems too intentional to be carelessly thrown together. This is just one possible interpretation.

Though its just more evidence in my mind that a lot of love and care went into developing Legends of Arceus. Despite their limitations and resources.

[nanomooselet]

Little but Fierce IX

By the end of the finale, Knives is excused attendance on account of self-immolation. Vash, though alive, is understandably in hiding. Wolfwood's pulled a Stampede of his own and fucked off, and his whereabouts remain unknown. Roberto's gone. Meryl mourns him.

She is the last one standing.

This has changed her. Her clean white has been darkened, and her reflective shades conceal her expressive eyes - a shield between her emotions and the world she never had before. Something Vash and Wolfwood both had the right idea about. She's dispensed with her poofy jacket and her oversized shoes, and of course one cannot help but fail to notice: she's not intimidated by a hint of sexuality anymore. (Or maybe I'm just too much of a lesbian to avoid noticing the tits, I don't know.)

She wears brown slacks. Hooped earrings. A grey shirt. She carries the weight of the people she lost in a dozen other little ways, something Vash himself does. Like him, she's come into herself - though she was always a little ahead of the boys in that respect. Girls often have to be; it's expected. But she was lucky, too, to have a stable base to grow from, which neither Wolfwood or Vash had for very long.

Overlooking her was Knives's greatest tactical error. Vash keeping his distance from her might also have been a mistake. Because she played a part neither of them ever could have - and not as Rem, and while Roberto openly drew a comparison between her and Vash, not him either. As reluctant as he is to assume the role just at the moment, Vash does do a pretty good job being Vash the Stampede all by himself.

It still always comes back to the twins. Wolfwood, as I said, has more in common with Vash than not. Meryl's different. She tries to be a nice person, tries to be like Vash. But the twin she most resembles isn't Vash.

It's Knives.

Or perhaps a better way to think of her would be as Nai - the solemn little boy Vash knew all those years ago, before he became the horror he is now.

Vash has always been a pragmatic guy, very concerned with what's of tangible benefit. He's practical. He's concerned with the physical. The flower is pretty, but is it edible? (It'd be better if it was.) He's good at improvising and thinking on his feet. He's all about what's real, what's here and now, not stories.

Nai was the idealist. Emotionally-driven. Intuitive. The one who knows little of the world, but tries to learn more. The one who looks for the truth, and judges. The one who seeks and observes and remembers. The one who makes structures and strives for efficiency. The one who tells himself stories inside his head.

Just like Meryl.

Meryl is aggressive and self-righteous. She's ambitious, determined to be on top. She's angry, and her anger motivates her. Whatever she decides to do, she wants to do it well and plan it out as thoroughly as she can - like Knives, she's a perfectionist. She doesn't have the raw physical strength to smash walls, so she's had to learn to be a little smarter than that to survive which... well, is maybe a lesson Knives could have benefitted from learning. But then if he was capable of learning these lessons, none of them would be here.

Meryl has emotions like solar flares; she's intensely expressive to the point of comedy, just like Knives has every single feeling he feels written all over his silly face. And her jacket made her look bigger. Like him, she makes an effort to seem physically imposing. It's just rather less effective on her and she looks like an angry blueberry cupcake instead of a Greek statue.

You know how Knives saw Tesla's remains, and later all those Plants go through the Last Run, and he justifiably freaked the fuck out? Meryl got to see, firsthand, Dr. Conrad's handiwork, her mentor's death (which, despite his assurances, was her fault) and then poor Vash slowly having his identity and memories ripped out of him until he was a husk.

They both had older men trying to shield them from danger and retaliation. One whom we all knew was doomed to die - even him, I think - and who tried his best to make the time he had count. With his death, he freed Meryl from his strictures, but left behind all the lessons he taught her. Meanwhile Dr. Conrad is held hostage to the fulfilment of Knives's wishes, and would have been freed from them with his own death. With Knives's defeat, he remains trapped. Still bearing his cross.

And call me delusional but… something about the way he's lingered on here makes my brain tickle.

He has to be thinking of what Roberto said to him. Conrad insisted he "did nothing to demean" his subjects, innocuous phrasing for a revolting suggestion. Roberto mocks him for thinking it absolves him, telling him yeah, I bet you didn't, you seem too uptight. My feeling is that it's a moral line Conrad is very purposeful in not crossing, the same way he tells himself he's giving those lost kids purpose.

Looking out at all these poor violated Plants, can he still believe Knives shares even that single principle? Is this what the endpoint of atonement looks like? Is this "freedom" the Plants themselves would welcome? He said it was a hundred and fifty years too late to save humanity... but Roberto's triumph may yet still echo into the future.

Anyway, Meryl's also someone who imposes her will, albeit mostly by scolding. She assumes superiority and will not bend to compromise. While she can't kill people with demon blade tentacles, now she's Derringer Meryl, counterpart to Millions Kni(ves).

But she differs from Knives in a few key respects. While both are (or once were) determined to find and know the truth, Meryl doesn't close her eyes to it once she does. She has the emotional strength, or perhaps a steadier foundation, to withstand such deep shocks to her worldview, and to learn from them, as a good investigator does. Which makes her a liar's natural predator - she's a counter to Knives and his delusional manipulations, a living tool to dismantle his falsehoods. And now that she's endured all she has, she assumes her own identity, leaving behind the insecurities which Knives found he could not abandon.

She can extend trust. (I can't get a shot that makes it clearer Vash is picking Knives up, sorry.)

She remembers the past, but is not consumed by longing for it.

She's proven herself worthy to bear and reveal the truth.

She's grown up. Now she's as strong as Knives wishes he could be, and she didn't have to kill a single person to become so.

And there's still more to come. She's getting a newbie of her own now, rather more reliable protection than a single derringer, and we know Vash's story is not yet complete. Nor can they be sure that Luida's plan will come to fruition. (And, I mean, we know even getting himself melted to a skeleton didn't kill Knives. There's no way it did. Personally I'm little concerned that he might, for once, have learned from his mistake, and remembers Meryl.)

Whatever comes, though, she'll have an important part to play in it - as important as Wolfwood, the right hand to Vash's left.

Don't overlook her. She matters. Ship or not, remember her. It would be a terrible pity if all the work that's gone into her story turned out to be in vain.

Fin. Final phase can't come soon enough. Possibly unwelcome personal insight: it was in fact partly due to her that I found the courage to identify as a lesbian, so my intentions here aren't entirely honourable. I demand more sexy fanart of Meryl.

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

Part VI

Part VII

Part VIII

[kozumesphone]

IF U SEEK AMY ! ִ ࣪𖤐

stop ahhh 1. im so proud of you !! 2. you deserve literally every litte follower ngl 🦘

Here's my description, I guess: I can't stand social media, but I use it every day. I've been obsessed with Greek mythology since I was a child—I can't live without it. English is my third language, so I'm still not great at it, even though I speak around seven languages. I'd say I'm a pretty extroverted person. I don't have any specific hobbies, but I enjoy engaging in art a lot since I go to an art school.

My favorite artist is probably Caravaggio, and when it comes to music, my favorite artist is Lana Del Rey. I love her dreamy, melancholic style. I enjoy reading, especially books related to mythology and history. Some of my favorite books include "The Song of Achilles" , "Circe” , any murakami & rick riordan book and “The Secret History”

I'm passionate about learning and exploring new cultures, and I hope to travel more in the future. I’m also interested in psychology and how people think and behave.

I'm turning 17 this year, and I'm so freaking scared about what the future holds... i think that would be all ( btw im a straight female 🙌 )

⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪ ˖

HENRY WINTER ⭑.ᐟ

⟢ “but if you send for me, you know i’ll come; and if you call for me, you know i’ll run!”

I think henry winter (tsh) would be the best book bf for you (:

he’s such a grandpa when it comes to social media. you teach him how to operate on insta, youtube, etc.

you guys probably definitely met in julian’s class and it was not love at first sight at all—he was jealous you were so good at greek; so much better than him

but slowly, as you started hanging out outside the friend group, he finds so many similarities that he can’t help falling for you

the time he confessed to you was surprising and funny—he had said it in another language, hoping you didn’t speak it (but how stupid was he to take chances with a polygot like you?)

you compliment his introvertedness with your bubbly extroverted personality

being greek students, you both loved visiting museums—for the statues and the art; so expect a lot of museum dates!

also, library dates!!!! since you both love greek mythology and reading, why not? because you both definitely debate on key themes in many retellings and have a great time doing it

you share the same favourite artists—in art and music—driving you even more together

you guys go on a world tour for your two year anniversary!!

whenever thoughts of the future overwhelm you, he’s always there to reassure you that no matter what, you’ll face it together

+ both of you probably definitely grow older together and become heads of the psychology departments in two different ivy leagues <3

taglist for event — @serendipitous-girl @mqstermindswift @puffoz @skeelly @urmomabby

@sunnitheapollokid @jgracie @zurisworld-com @cinemaconrad @mqshido

@flowers-for-em @aezuria @thetunnelunderoceanboulevard @cherigall @percabethluvr

@pjoverseluvr @maybxlle @sweetnnaivete @riordanness @starlitszn

@metyouattherighttime @a-beautiful-fool @sequinsnstars @ssparksflyy @fayvpor

@iheartgirlzn @nomournersnofunerals @over-the-ocean-call @seaglass-and-string @cer3lia

@lara20aral @bloophasarrived @xoxochb @auroraofthesun1 @sophiesonlinediary

@solangelotus @brodieland @s1utlvr @imasimpdealwithit @waitingonher

@nqds @skyrigel @daydream-of-a-wallflower @hermidastouch @catastrxblues

@moon-drop18 @d4rkdi0rrr @hopelesslyromantic-shark @saltwatergirl6 @hope92100

event masterlist

[a-random-person-on-the-interent]

Leo failed to fight Clytius in the house of Hades I remember him saying that magic didn't work on him which is why Leo's fire failed. But I found this as a bullshit answer because we know Leo's fire is real fire and not magic fire like greek fire so to me it never made sense why that took him down so easily so I've come up with a better one (IMO) for my Made of Clay AU.

In my Made of Clay AU Hepheastus kids are made out of clay and have magma for blood (Hence the name Made of Clay) taking inspiration from the myth on how Pandora was created.

To bring them to life it requires magic so with the Clytius giant making it so no magic works on him reverts back into a clay statute which takes him out for the whole fight as well as everyone (Minus Annabeth and Percy) that Hepheatus kids are made out of clay so the 'statues' outside of the Hepheastus cabin are actually the corpses of hepheastus kids.

anyways back to the plot they're all freaking out but Hecate is like, oh he isn't dameged enough for him to be past repair so he can be revived if we kill Clytius (Percy and Annabeth are confused bc they didn't know they could be revived). When Leo is revived he has chips (like a clay pot) where he was tossed.

I may add like crossovers with my AUs like having the made of clay AU also part of Leo Valdez and the Titans Curse, but also have like oneshots and stories that don't revolve around the other AU's and Vice versa

[hastalavistabyebye]

HI!!

First things first, thank you so much for your tags under my art nouveau Fox pieces!! they are so nice and lovely, thank you!

And secondly, if you ever feel like the adrenaline spikes again and you wanna write that "essay" on the symbolism of them, I'd LOVE to read it! *w* 👀 (I'm not sending you this ask as a pressure or obligation or anything - I've promised overzealous things in tags in a sudden spike of enthusiasm after all XD - but just in case, you know... Who doesn't like the idea of that level of flattery? XD)

Seriously though, thank you for the super nice tags! <3

Hi !!!

It took me some time to write but YES ABSOLUTELY OF COURSE I WANT TO WRITE THAT ESSAY *-* The only reason I didn't do it right away was because I didn't want to overstep or something 😅 so here is some more appreciation and love for your art in analysis form, because it's so freaking beautiful *-* and thank you so much for letting me write it <3

If anyone else stumble on this iconography/symbolism analysis, the art in question are those beautiful pieces. I recommend to keep it in easy access while reading because I'm not going to dwelve in heavy descriptions, it's already going to be long as it is xD

First things first : Art nouveau Fox piece #1

Here, Fox is standing in a pose very reminiscent of ancient Greek sculptures such as Lysippos' Farnese Hercules or Praxiteles' Resting Satyr. He's leaning against a pillar with a mild contrapposto (the swaying that is one absolute characteristic of Greco-Roman sculptures). It's a very heroic pose, emphasized by Fox being bare chest, in a echo of the heroic nudity that can be found in the two artwork I mentioned, by the sword he's holding (a weapon associated with heroism in collective imagination) and by the halo around his head.

To that is added his attributes. The sword looks like a parade weapon and not a practical one, it's more of a symbol than a real weapon. The guard looks like a very stylized version of the Senate's (and the Coruscant Guard's) symbol, especially regarding the outline. It also reminds me of the statues leading to the Senate Dome. This can represent the protection of the Republic part of his duty. Fox is the embodiment in the Senate and on Coruscant of the GAR and its soldiers, but he's also the Commander of the Coruscant Guard charged to protect the Capital and the head figures of the Republic (the senators). That sword can be the symbol of that protective and active aspect of Fox's responsibilities. The datapad holds a similar meaning, but for the most bureaucratic part of Fox's duty. On this datapad, Fox plans all those protection details. This is the peaceful tool to keep the Republic safe. It's with that that peace treaties can be written, it's with reports that everything is kept organized. It's the "Paper pushers" part of the Guard duty. Fox's helmet, seeming to frown like that, is his public face. It's the face he shows in the course of his duty, the face the Senate and Coruscant knows of him.

The fact that he's not in full heroic nudity but in half his armor is one more representation of his duty too (thanks to the armor itself). And his too long, overflowing kama looks practically like a cloak, a cape. It's very much unpractical but it is underlining his heroism. And also leading to the procession of shock troopers under him. He is at the center of this parade because he is the head of the Coruscant Guard. This is once again a way to monumentalize him and show Fox through the spectrum of his role of Commander.

And for the last attribute, the halo looks like a sun surrounded by cog-like rays, reminding of the cog of both the Senate and the Republic's symbols. I'm not going to go over the sun's own meaning and symbolic, it's pretty straightforward. Now, this sun/halo is right in front of the Senate Dome, itself surrounded by Coruscant's skyline illuminated in a rising or setting sunlight the same color of the heart of the halo. Sorry for the tortuous sentence. This imagery puts Fox as the shining star of the Senate. He is the armed hand, the eyes (with the cameras of both the datapad and his helmet turned in front of the spectator), the hero of this sun-like Republic. But is it a rising or setting, falling Republic ?

The orange Lilies stands for enthusiasm and energy and are good as congratulations for a new job or promotion. That fits Fox heroical representation and the glory of the Republic he stands for (litteraly here). But they also mean deep hatred and doom. Moreover the black Dahlias mean betrayal, evil and dishonesty and frame the Senate Dome (where the Lilies are around Fox's armoured legs, practically sprouting from his feet and going a little bit down to the shock troopers). The Lilies are symbols of what the Coruscant posting should deserve (congratulations for the honorable position) but what it really means for the clones : doom. The Dahlias are the truth of the Senate but also what's hiding in it, Palpatine/Darth Sidious and his machinations against the entire Republic.

This piece reads as the glorification of the Republic's doom. This is Fox as the Commander of the Coruscant Guard, favorite and most illustrious weapon in the Senators' hands, and most importantly in Palpatine's hands. And it's hiding the Clones and the Republic (and Fox)'s fate behind shining glory.

And now : Art nouveau Fox piece #2

This piece is very interesting in how it oppose the first one. First in the colors that are paler and lighter than for the precedent piece, with its vibrant orange and dark purple. But also in the composition.

Fox this time is sitting. He's looking down, not half-smiling anymore, the gray in his hair is clearly visible (where it wasn't precedently). He might still be bare chest but he isn't heroic at all anymore. His visible skin highlights more his scars than anything, but again, without the heroic quality to them either. The blaster he holds is not an allegory of a weapon this time but his real one. His finger is not on the trigger but the barrel is coat in blood red. His helmet isn't turned towards the spectator either. It's turned towards Fox, the visor looking straight at his face. The helmet is also surrounded by a halo in place of it being around Fox's head. That halo looks like a sun again, but this time a more conventional one. It's also white reminding of a white dwarf, a dead star. Behind Fox's head is a sort of broken glass/non-reflecting mirror and the breaks echos Fox's Lichtenberg figures. Around it are medallions with every canonically named Corry.

The kama is still too long, billowing at his feet and around the words "Code Red" in aurebesh. It looks more troublesome and heavy than illustrious. And the words 'Code Red' in military jargon means "an unauthorized, covert disciplinary action taken by members of a military unit against one of their own".

This piece is not about the glory of the Commander of the Guard's posting and of the Republic. Here Fox is shown tired, lost in his thoughts. He is not shining with his duty, he's not even looking at it. The presumed blood on his blaster associated with the Code Red might means that this is after shooting Fives, especially when the meaning of the flowers surrounding him in a crescent is added. The Poppies are for the dead and the Foxgloves are for deceit. Also note that the Poppies are colored in a gradient following the colors of Fox's kama, greaves and cuisses, and that some of them are not open yet. The three unopen poppies might represent people not dead yet or that more deaths are coming. But the colors can indicate that the dead in question is Fox himself. Especially when linked to the broken mirror and the dead star. Something broke in him that killed his faith in his duty, in the Republic symbolized by his helmet, the face he showed to it. One of the breaks, leading to his temple, might indicate the chip. He killed Fives, betrayed his people (the Foxgloves) and it could have weaken the chip grip on him (but not broken it completely as his hand, holding the helmet still, shows).

Moreover, this time the Corries are named and surrounding him, this is Fox, not the Commander. The man loved and supported by his troops and that care about them and hold them before himself.

This piece has so many layers, once again. This can be seen as Fox's true face behind his facade. This is far away from the Republic eyes (no camera) and where he feels safe enough to rest. But this is also full of grief, it shows the behind of the precedent piece. The blood, the doubt, the betrayal(s) and the death of the Republic. Betrayals plural because it is Fox betrayal to Rex and Fives, the betrayals caused by the chips, from the Republic, through Palpatine, to the clones and the involuntary one from the clones to the Jedi. But I don't believe it to be after the order 66 exactly, because Thorn's helmet has no distinction to the others. So either all of the Corries are dead. Or Thorn is not dead yet, and it's only Fives' death causing Fox's doubt and weaken belief in the Republic, but also signing its demise by burying the last hope with him (again referencing the white dwarf of the dead Republic).

After the face of the Republic, this shows what lies behind it.

---

Of course, as this is a symbolism analysis, it can have many interpretations and this is only my own take. And those pieces are so detailed that the layers are just stacking over and over on top of each other's. So it can means so many things at the same time !!

This study was incredible to write because every time I stopped on a detail I found more meaning in the entire pieces (really loved the 'Code red' meaning that I discovered in the making of this, for exemple). It's just incredible art and thank you so much Omaano for letting me study a little bit all of that !!!

I hope I've been clear enough in my explanations and that I've made somewhat justice to this beautiful pieces <3

[trenchcoathunnybee08]

I’m a make my hot take. I freaking love when characters die but specifically Marvel characters. I’ve recently been re-reading Death of the Wolverine and when I tell you it’s genuinely one of my favorite comics. I haven’t read a tun but not only is the art style beautiful but the ending of him looking out at the sunset before he goes is just so satisfying. I’d read Old man Logan a while before so getting to see where the statue from issues #1 had come from was so cool. I felt like some conspiracy theorist when i realized I’d seen it before.

Equally the Loki series and Logan (2017) have got to be two of my favorite marvel projects.

There’s something so beautiful in seeing a character reach the end of their ark. In seeing those final moments where everything they’ve ever been and everything they’ve ever done comes to a head. Where you truly get a chance to see how far they’ve come. It’s beautiful and heartbreaking and I love it.

Outside of Marvel for as horrible as it was seeing Castiel die for Dean in s15 after giving his confession was beautiful. Like some Greek tragedy his dying wish was just to tell Dean how he felt. That alone was enough.

(Had they actually gotten a chance to be together would have made it better but the stand alone moment is so tragic to me and I think about it constantly.)

We see it in Hannibal even if they’re not actually “dead”. You again see that culmination of who they were to who they have become. Again you see those final moments where they accept what they mean to each other and what has to be done.

John and Martin in the Magnus Archives. Their death isn’t just making peace with what they have become but with what they mean to each other. That they would rather died than continue in a world without the other. Daisy and the Hunt too. Her death was so powerful. Don’t even get me started on Tim and Sasha as a whole.

Character death can be done badly such as Dean and 15x20 or it can be done so perfectly it couldn’t have happened any other way. (Loki)

Yes a lot of these they don’t actually die but they are all making the deaths of people they used to be. To see that culmination of a character if so fucking amazing. I feel like I’m on drugs. There’s something so beautiful about a well planned character death and I could do a whole essay on it.

[blue-the-hedgehog]

I’m a freaking fierce Sterek apologist and most of the time I could bite anyone who tell that Stiles is with anyone else but Derek…BUT SOMETIMES I have this creeping Idea that the Hale pack ( like what should be the Hale pack with everyone alive) is just a big polymorous polycule that’s had everyone,aside of their own couples and trouples, just revolved around Stiles, because he is everyone crush! Well not EVERYBODY is actually romantically attracted to Stiles but at least one person of each polycule is (almost).

Last year of high school students and professors where now quite used to the strange dynamics of a very specific groupe of student.

First it was the two power hetero couples : Lydia and Aiden, the couple looked perfect, like greeks statues and they were fierce and the archetype of high school’s couples.

You also had Erica and Boyd, the two had made talk at first because how Erica bombshel Reyes could be with Vernon Stoic Boyd? But soon enough people had seen that their was something in this couple that made total sense and that they were actually quite a good fit for each other.

Secondly you had the polycules: the « sweet square » , as they been called by Beacon Hills high’s student because it was just all of the cute student of the whole high school,composed of Allison, Kira, Scott and Isaac. Not everyone understood how they fit in the polycule, who was with who? Until they discovered that everyone loved everyone and that it was working perfectly. They were blinding people with the happiness and cuteness radiating from them each time someone saw them all together cuddling.

On the other hand existed the « holy triangle », Jackson, Ethan and Danny. The trouple had Ethan at the center of their romantic relationship (even if it never stop Jackson and Danny to hook up sometimes). The three of then always made girls squeaked when they walk the halls either because they were the sexiest boys or because they were like fanfiction’s materials.

Thirdly you had the two classic (not totally) gay couples: Mason and Corey where the absolutely cutest couple. Always smiling, always sweet with each other. A total cute puppy love. Almost an anomaly in this groupe of weirdos.

Next to them you had the chaotic couple Liam and Theo. Always bickering, always throwing insults to each other or sometimes litteraly fighting with their fist but beware the fool who allow himself to insult one of them, the other would distroy the impudent!

Fourthly you had the free spirits, the free electrons: Malia who still had some difficulties to keep with human ways and who was hooking up with mostly Scott and Parrish, Cora who loved peoples but couldn’t stay with just one person because it was to much for her at this point she was mostly hooking up with Lydia or sometimes Isaac, Hayden was not always here since she had moved from town with her sister she would have this relationship with Liam but everyone knew that she had a boyfriend back home

So everyone in high school or even in Beacon Hills was used to those dynamics but the thing that was difficult to understand was: How does Stiles Stilinski fit into all of this?

It was usual to see Lydia took suddenly Stiles arm and kiss him unashamedly in the middle of the hall, staying the day with him will Aiden was doing his little life with his friends or even gave a friendly pat in Stiles’ back. People who walk through the hall would often cross Erika pulling him into a full mouth kiss, her against the lockers him pull against her. Then she would hold his hand possessively, sometimes Boyd would hold the other hand of the sheriff son other time he would hold Erica’s. During Lacrosse practice Isaac would be stuck against Stiles sometimes holding him from behind his head on his shoulder and kissing softly his cheek while whispering in his ear making him blush. Allison would sometimes kiss him in the corner of his mouth as she walk past him as they went from one class to another (it was more of a platonic love then a real relationship for them) Scott was the puppy who would pass days following his best friend around, Kira would give him hugs and soft kisses on his cheeks because the boy became her bestfriend . Sometimes Jackson could be seen in the boys’ lockers, his forearm near the brunette head Stiles’ back against his own locker both of them kissing in a kind of hungry aggressive way, Danny would flirt with him just to tease him and Ethan would eat alone with Stiles to take some advice on how to handle being in a throuple with two bestfriends. Mason, Corey and Liam were like the three puppies that Stiles protected, it was a kind of mother/son love in their case. If they were in need of advice or just wanted to have someone to confort them they would run straight to him. And when they will do something stupid or dangerous he will just yell or give them the biggest sarcastic answers possible. Stiles was a caring guy yes but he was also the biggest bitchy person in this town. But you could see that Liam had like this monumental crush on Stiles, People in town would saw Theo and Stiles argue violently at the coffee shop and ten minute after that they would make out in the dark alley next said coffee shop, kind of the same love/hate relationship as the one with Jackson but more chaotic because who knew that Jackson Whittemore would be a softie sometimes. Malia would suddenly kiss Stiles in the hall of the school or in town and just walk away like it was just a normal thing to do, Stiles would walk away the same with a « hey Malia », the Stilinski’s neighbor would see her crawl to Stiles’ window every now and then but their relationship is more healthy now. Cora as a Hale would so exactly the same climbing to the window, to have some cuddles party or more sometimes but their relationship was softer than anyone could have thought, it was little hands brushing in the halls, little kiss on the cheeks when they are out. Stiles is litteraly like Catnip for the Hales. Hayden was pretty much in the same relationship with Stiles than Corey and Mason, he was like a bitchy mom and would call her anytime he could to check on her.

But everyone could swear that the eighteenth boy had someone that could be called a boyfriend. A black camaro was often park in frond of the school, with Derek Hale waiting for Stiles. Said young man would run to him to through himself at his neck and kiss him like they where separated for months. And the majority of the time the older one would throw hard threatening looks to anyone coming near his boyfriend , some people could swear that they heard him growl like a big dog.

Slowly one new unexpected couple had appeared in town: Peter Hale and Chris Argent. The two where like fire and ice and still they seem to be madly in love with each other in their strange way.

And when Stiles get to his 25 yo those two familiar faces where add to the pictures. Peter Hale seems to have a deep relationship with his nephew's boyfriend. Yes it was weird for the people outside because really, the four remaining Hale?! The sheriff’s son was really this attractive for them?! They would go to library or debate coffee. They would talk quite happily about things that the mundane couldn’t understand. And the man would walk with his hand on the small of Stiles’ back or arms in arms. Peter would kiss Stiles’ head tenderly. Sometimes Chris Argent was with them. His hand between Stiles' shoulder blades. It was more platonic but the man would throw death glare everytime someone would laugh at the three or them or when someone would bump hard on Stiles in the street.

And everybody whispered questions like: Does the sheriff know about what his son is up to? Do they are a kind of cult and Stiles is the guru? How doeos Stiles can hide to his clearly really possessive boyfriend (cause those hickeys and bite marks on his neck could only be his) the fact that he have relationships with so many people?

One Day as Stiles and the whole pack (the sheriff and Melissa included) where celebrating Stiles' Birthday at the Jungle, because where this many people could fit in this town exept for this club, plus Danny knew the boss well, a foolish young man came to dance with Stiles. His body against the his back, touching his hips and trying to hit on him, he thought that this pretty boy belong to a lot of people so why not him. And that's when all of Beacon Hills’ citizens would know that Derek knew quite well that his mate had relationship with other pack’s members. But he didn’t mind as soon as some rules where followed. And this guy didn't seemed to listen when Stiles tried to push him off and didn't follow the rule one : Be a pack member. The Alpha werewolf leaped to them and pushed the guy away like he weight nothing, snarling and growling at him as he pulled Stiles against him. Soon all the others would come to protect their pack mom, each of them brushing against Stiles back or arms to get rid of the stranger's smell on him. Stiles easily made them calm down. Melissa, Noah and Chris would look at this display of possessiveness with shaking heads and laughs.

And people learned since this: Stiles Stilinski was not just a horny guy who would make out with anybody in the back of his boyfriend. He was in a real poliamourous dynamic (And maybe a cult, really they where all living in the Hale house for a few years now, totally a cult).

This night, after the party Derek would write on his laptop the rules that people had to follow if they wanted to apply for a place in the policul.

Rule to be Stiles Stilinski lover

Rule one: Be part of the pack

Rule two: Nobody except Derek Hale have the right to mark Stiles Stilinski

Rule Three: Always listening to Stiles and how he his feeling, never force our need on him.

Rule four: Only Derek Hale can touch Stiles Stilinski's neck

Rule five: Stiles Stilinski is Derek Hale's mate, Don't try to ask Stiles Stilinski to marry you.

Rule Six: Stiles Stilinski have the priority on Derek Hale's Time, it works the other way too. If you plan on taking my time you will disappear.

He looked at his screen before he snorted and closed it. It would certainly piss the Sheriff if he printed that and put it everywhere in town. Stiles would love it tho...

[abbofff]

Percy slayed! (our algebra teacher)

masterlist

In the present, it's been 2 years and 2 schools since I met Percy. You see, we are not bad kids. The thing is, we always seem to get into misunderstandings and end up getting expelled. We were the only ones who really understood and trusted each other through all of that, and our mothers never thought we were a bad influence on each other. In the contrary, we made each other better. Percy made me stop paying attention to the bullies. Meanwhile, I helped Percy get out of many problems through my words. We became so close that I considered him my brother. I would do anything for him, and I know he would do the same for me.

At this time, we were on a school trip to the museum with Grover, a friend we made in Yancy. I really liked Grover, he was very funny and kind and thanks to him we learned to play mythomagic and a lot of Greek myths. Thanks to him, it's not just me and Percy anymore. But, as always, no matter how hard we tried to mind our business, there were always people who picked on us.

Grover, Percy and me were looking at the statues of Perseus, son of Zeus (like more than half of the statues there), while Professor Brunner told our class to pick a statue and write how it made us feel. Grover and I separated from Percy to look for a statue that caught our attention.

I stumbled with one of the statues of Zeus, the most famous all-powerful royal scumbag. I mean, how else could I describe the guy? He cheated on Hera literally countless of times, putting a target on the back his lovers and his kids for the goddess of marriage to strike when she found out they existed. All while ruling the Gods and the sky with extreme arrogance. But before I could get to write something on the clipboard, I heard Percy's voice.

- Mom? - He shouted, and everyone laughed.

- Yes, sweety, mommy's here. - That annoying red-headed demon spoke, Nancy Bobofit. That girl had it out for me and my friends since the beginning of the year, and she hadn't knock it out till this day.

- Percy Jackson, control yourself - said Miss Dodds. That old lady really loves taking Percy and me to the principal's office.

- He can't help it, Miss Dodds. Percy is special. - The blonde boy's shoulders fell as he sighed.

-Enough! - Professor Brunner ordered, of all the teachers, he was the only one who cared about his students, especially about Percy and me. He always said that something big was waiting for us.

I took advantage of the fact that Professor Brunner was busy talking to Percy, and I approached Nancy. Grover told me a bunch of times already to stay away from her to not get into any more trouble, but it wasn't like I was going to punch her, at least not in front of everyone.

- Oh my God, I finally found you! Now, tell me, little goblin, where's that pot of golden coins, huh? - I whispered to her. She looked at me with a harsh stare.

- Listen, you freak, get lost before I push you from the stairs.- She rolled her eyes on annoyance and walked away. I smiled, I hated injustices, so now at least the next time she picks on me, she'll be justified. Why be the bigger person if I can be the bigger pain in the ass?

After Percy was done talking with our professor, I walked to his side.

- Can you believe Nancy? - He asked.

- No, I can't believe she beat me on the joke - I smirked to him.

- Oh, shut up - He smiled back.

Then, Mr Brunner shouted again.

- Children, it's lunch time! Let's go outside now.

After a few minutes, me and the boys were sitting by the fountain about to eat our sandwiches.

- There are all sorts of schools of thought about what drives that kind of bullying. Childhood trauma, feelings of inadequacy... - Grover stated.

He was always so kind, but I didn't understand why he was trying to justify that bitch. She does have anger in her, but she wasn't justified of constantly picking on good people. She could be mean to me all she wanted, but Grover and Percy had done nothing to her.

-Look, I get that Nancy has issues, I'm just getting tired of her taking out on me - My brother said. - I feel like... maybe it's time to do something about it -

-You could do an appointment to see Mr Kane. He's really good at talking-- Oh my dear friend I though.

-I was thinking more like shoving Nancy in the nearest dumpster- Percy said with a little smile.

-Oh. No no no no no no noo- Grover was shocked.

-Yeah, Grover is right, bro. If you punch her it will be really bad, but if I was the one to grab her by the hair, then it wouldn't be so bad. - I proposed.

Grover was about to have a heart attack.

-Listen, if there is one thing I know about bullies, it is that you should never stand up to them. -

- That's bullshit. She made me watch as she threw my new cherry lip balm down the toilet the other day, it would only be reasonable if I were to put gum in that pile of straw she calls hair. - I always tried to be patient because for Grover and Percy, but Nancy really had a talent for being despicable.

- I know this place is hard for people like us, okay? But there are better places, somewhere where we will finally fit in. We just have to be patient and keep moving forward. - My dark haired friend always knew how to give a motivational speech. It was a nice thought, and for a moment, I let myself think that in the end, he would be right.

That until a piece of cheese was thrown into his face.

- Oops. - Nancy said with a smirk. Uh, I'm gonna kill her.

Percy and I got up quickly, and before I could even think Nancy was on the fountain screaming to Miss Dodds.

And when I tell you my brain stopped, I tell you I thought it was a fucking glitch in the matrix. I was sure I didn't push the bitch, nor did Percy. He just made, like, the gesture, but he wasn't even that close to her. It seemed like the water had grabbed her?? Did she just jumped into the fountain?

- MISS DODDS, PERCY PUSHED ME. - Oh fuck no.

- What?! Stop being a liar. Nobody even touched her, she's doing it for the attention don't you see? How does evebody just can't see it? - I looked at Miss Dodds in the eyes, I was done with being pushed around.

- Miss Williams, this amount of disrespect won't be tolerated. Mr. Jackson and you will accompany me inside, we will talk about your punishment in private. - Well, there goes the 5th school I've been in.

As we followed Miss Dodds, I looked back to see Grover chatting frantically with Mr. Brunner while waving his arms, the professor opened his eyes and looked at us. I gave him a smile, he was the best teacher I had ever had and I had given him another reason to give up on me.

Miss Dodds took us to the back of the museum. There were only pictures with writing in what seemed like english, which was quite odd since it must have been in ancient greek.

The teacher stopped her walking in front of a statue of Hades.

- You filthy halfbloods really thought that you could remain hidden for this long. - Miss Dodds spoke, but it wasn't her normal voice. It was a cold and dangerous one.

I could feel my entire body vibranting in anticipation. I saw Percy carefully put his hand in his pocket.

She turned around, she was covered in scales and her feet had changed into bat-like legs that matched the wings that were beginning to grow from her back.

- You have nowhere to run and that little necklace of yours can't protect you no longer. Now, where is it? -

What? My necklace? It was just a metal chain with a peacock tail pendant. I have worn it for as long as I can remember and I had never taken it out because mom said I would surely lose it if i did.

I didn't have time to think until she lunged at Percy. He blocked her claws with a sword that appeared out of nowhere, but from the force of the blow, he fell backwards. I grabbed a vase and threw it at Miss Dodds, it didn't hurt her in any way but it made her notice me. She tried to swipe at me with her claws but I rolled to the right to avoid it.

Now on my feet, Percy was at my side tightly gripping his sword. Miss Dodds lunged toward us again with a giant leap with her wings spread wide. I instinctively gave an exaggerated clap with my hands that sent Miss Dodds flying to the other side of the room. She quickly stood up and looked at me.

-Betrayal runs through your blood. Did you think we wouldn't come for you? My patience is running out. Tell me where it is and I'll be quick. -

She was faster this time. Her claws scratched my Yancy sweatshirt as I dodged her and before she attacked me again, Percy impaled her with his sword. Miss Dodds was now scattered into the air as she disintegrated into dust.

I could feel the evil coming from her in the air and I don't know how I knew, but I knew she would return.

And that was the last thing that went trought my mind before everything went black.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Grover sweating with his eyes wide.

- OH MY GO-- Grover screamed.

- Grover? Where's Percy? - I was on the floor at the bottom of some stairs.

- Don't worry, he's ok. He woke up a minute ago, he's talking with Mr Brunner. You two seriously hit your heads really hard. He's talking about a Miss Dodds attacking you. -

- What? But --

- Yeah, I know. But don't worry, he'll snap out of it with time. Come on, let's get you up. - Grover offered me his hand and I took it.

I remembered being attacked by... that thing. I knew Miss Dodds was a harpy but that's not what I meant. And Percy had seen it too? It couldn't be possible.

I looked down to my sweatshirt, and it was completely fine. That monster wasn't real.

Okay, yeah, we daydreamed most of the time but that was just ADHD. Did we also have group hallucinations now? No, it couldn't be possible.

Everything will be fine. I'll just tell Percy that he hit his head. I'll get this pushed so deep that it'll never be mentioned again. Everything will be forgotten. I will not let him be sent to a shrink.

The ride back to Yancy was full of whispers. Some of the kids turned to look at Percy and then continue their silent conversations. He was looking at his feet like if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

I grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

- Don't worry, I got you. Nothing bad will happen as long we stick together. - I said in a soft whisper. I know he may not believe it now, but I will try everything to make sure my words are true.

He still didn't looked at me, but his breathing became softer.

I looked to my right to see Grover. He was deep in thought and looked worried. So I grabbed his hand too. He gave me a weak smile but there was something on his eyes still, guilt maybe. I will speak to him after.

When the buss finnaly stopped, the boys and I went straight to the principal's office.

- Percy Jackson, you have been accused of pushing Miss Bobofit into the fountain. - Percy shrank in his chair.

- And you, Miss Williams, yelled at a teacher, again. - The director sighed.

- Sir, I didn't pushed Nancy. You could ask anyone, everybody knows she loves getting me on trouble. - Percy stated.

- He's right, Mister. Please, let us tell you our side of the story. - I asked.

- No need, we already have a witness. - The director said, and then looked at Grover.

My friend stopped looking at the floor and looked at the director in the eyes.

- Yeah, they did it. Percy pushed Nancy and then Ada tried to protect him with lies, like always. - Grover did not stutter once.

Percy looked at him with a frown and I just went blank. Grover was a great friend, he understood and accepted us. Or at least so I thought.

- It's really a shame to have to do this one day before the end of the school year, but your actions cannot be overlooked. Mr Jackson, Miss Williams, you are expelled from this institution. -

I knew these speeches, but it still hurt. I really thought we could make it to seventh grade without causing trouble.

A few hours later, I had my backpack ready with the few things I had hanging on my back while I was walking to the exit.

- Ada! - I heard an old voice calling my name behind me.

- Mr Brunner, hi. - I gave him a smile while I walk back closer to him.

- I suppose you have heard the news already. - I said shyly.

I was embarrassed. Not for defending Percy, but for ruining all the teacher's attempts to try to make me my best version. I don't know if I could ever be it, but now he couldn't be there to see it.

- That I've had. But that's not the reason I wanted to talk to you. Let me walk you to the exit. -

- During all my years teaching, I have come to witness cases similar to yours. Children born to lead, cunning, very intelligent, who did not tolerate injustice or no for an answer. - He said with his voice strong as always.

-Sir, I think you're making me sound like a brat. - I laughed. He smiled at me.

- But none of them had what you have rooted in your heart. - I stopped walking.

I looked at him in confusion.

- And what is that? -

- Devotion - He ended, with a stern look on his face.

- What many others deemed a weakness, you have made it your ultimate strength to push forward against all odds. A quality of a true hero. - He gave me a warm smile.

- You flatter me, professor. But I don't think I'm that strong. I have anger and doubts on me. But I promise you, I'm trying to not to be like this. I don't wanna be mean. I just wanna be kind. - I really tried to convince him, and myself too, that some day I might be able to find peace.

- You have not been given a great deck of cards, that's for sure. But you are as strong as you love. Do not fret the storm, child. It's but a part of you. - He smiled at me again. He sounded so sure, like If he had seen my fate written in the stars.

I was on the verge of tears. Only two adults apart from Mr Brunner were capable of see me as anything other than a difficult child. And they were Sally Jackson and my mom.

- Thank you for your words and everything you've done, Professor. I'll remember it all. Goodbye. - I promised.

- Until we meet again, Adara. - He looked at me like if he knew something I didn't yet.

I left Mr Brunner behind as I exited the school. I waited for my taxi to go home outside. Then, I felt someone walk behind me.

- Sorry, I really tried to be the best version of myself and all that but--

- Percy, do you know what makes me angry? - I interrupted. Percy looked at me with his head down.

- Not having had the opportunity to smack her too. She totally deserved it. - I said laughing. Percy chuckled.

- This is unfair. I know how hard this must be for you. - He was right of course, he knew me to the bone. Anger flooded me more and more every time I thought about everything, and the gray rumbling sky seemed to agree with me.

- But dont worry, sis. When I get home, I'm gonna make a bunch of blue pancakes for you, go to your place and then we can look up new schools together. - He proposed.

- With blueberries? - I asked with puppy eyes.

- Those are actually purple, you madwomen, you'll ruin the whole aesthetic. But sure, anything for you little sis. - He said before bumping me on the shoulder.

- You are older for a month, old man. -

At that moment, the taxi arrived and we were finally headed home.