#I just think in this particular situation that he's maybe blinded by a need for a definitive answer

[saints-who-never-existed]

Another thing that pisses me off actually is that Franklin doesn't listen to McDonald re: Young's condition, insisting that Stanley will be able to find out something more.

I do wonder if it comes partly down to prejudice against McDonald as a Scotsman, just as such prejudice exists against Crozier as an Irishman.

But I also wonder if perhaps it's just a negative reaction on Franklin's part against nuance and uncertainty in general?

McDonald provides a diagnoses and gives specific evidence for how he arrived at it (a sign of real intelligence, I always think, and something he does again later in discussing Morfin's affliction with Goodsir) but he's, quite rightly, transparent about the fact that he can't be 100% sure.

I think that that uncertainty is a big part of what Franklin balks at. It doesn't fit in with the often very definitive, unyielding worldview he holds - black and white, right and wrong, with no room in between.

[acupofinkedblood]

Hello!! I saw you do a general request and I was wondering if I could put mine here? No pressure ofc! You can do this when you would like to! since I see you already have requests to work on! But may I ask how would the Phighters react to a reader who hates physical touch with anyone else except them? like the reader cuddles up to them in private and it’s kinda a shocker!

I mean sure! I did tell my customers that I do take general ask for the phighters, so I’ll oblige to my words as the teamaker ( ◠‿◠ ) Though it won’t be as detailed as my actual request. And as usual, Biograft excluded

Sword: Sword is pretty big on physical touch if not with basically everyone he deems to be ‘not so bad’ enough. He’s like a literal golden retriever that asked to be petted almost every single time from anyone in sight. So he was definitely surprised when seeing how much of the fuss you were making when others touch you a little. But then you only let him hold you, which does make Sword a bit curious. Yet he respects your wishes, even let others know about your reference loud and clear

Skateboard: He does notice that quirk of yours, and it amuses him. The way your face grimaces then shoo people away before gets back to his side. But at least it makes him feel privileged when knowing that you’re only that clingy when around him. Not to the point like an accessory, but he’s proud that you’re his official side piece at this point. Of course, he will be more than glad to fish you out of any situation you dislike

Katana: Amused is an understatement. Katana doesn’t understand why you only demand physical affection from him, yet he doesn’t question further since he knows that you might have your personal reasons for this particular behavior. He expects you to be like him, reserved and all. But then this? What a shocker. He definitely needs a moment to get used to this

Banhammer: Someone please teach this guy on emotional intelligence properly because it can be so much of a nuisance when dealing with him sometimes. He is so oblivious to the obvious change in your demeanor to the point you have to question on whether or not is he really blinded. He only thinks that it’s just how you are without doting too much about it

Rocket: You remind him of who he used to be when still living his days out on the street. He was also reluctant to physical touch with almost everyone, but not until he found someone he could trust with. Rocket understands your position, and it does amuse him a certain amount when seeing you so touch starved behind closed door like that. You do remind him of his younger self, carving for affection yet only from those you can trust completely in

Slingshot: He understands people’s boundaries, so he doesn’t push you when knowing that you’re not that into physical contact. However when you just cling onto him out of nowhere, Slingshot is pretty much dumbfounded by the sudden change in attitude. He might ask you questions to get that reassurance that you’re okay with this, that if you don’t want to then that’s fine. But then you already know the drill: This man is just stuck with you being a cuddle bug in private. Not that he minds much, he likes this anyway

Hyperlaser: To be honest, you remind this man of a cat. Maybe not Princess, but just a cat in general at how you have an attitude with strangers who try to approach you physically. At this point, giving you a pair of ears and a set of claws will be enough to make you an actual cat. Hyperlaser doesn’t mind you being clingy to him after going back home, as Princess does that a lots too. The only difference is that now he has to pay attention so he can cuddle the both of you at the same time, what a surprise

Shuriken: Doesn’t notice at first, but is still pretty accepting of the situation when you explain to him. Shuriken goes along with your wish, if you don’t like to be touched, that’s cool. If you suddenly feel comfortable enough to want him closer physically? That’s great to hear then! Sometimes he just genuinely forgets that you dislikes physical touch with everyone but him, hence the surprise when he sees you react certain ways to others. But overall, he is still fine with it

Scythe: Scythe will take that as a privilege of having you completely. She doesn’t care about whether or not you are touchy with others because at the end of the days, she knows that you’re hers. You do have quite the understanding of your manners after all. But it does bring a smirk onto her face when she realizes just how you dislike being touched but then completely glued to her side when there are only the two of you. It gives her this satisfaction that she can’t really put into words

Medkit: Like Katana, Medkit expects you to be anything but clingy. Sometimes he might act like he is bothered by it, but then he can’t really push you away from times to times. Medkit isn’t a big fan of physical touch, but something small like holding hand or a slight hug at first will be a good warm up to him before anything else. He will compare you to a cat at some point. Just don’t expect him to give you back the physical affection you want all of the time, he needs some personal space too

Boombox: Similar to Slingshot, Boombox respects your reference and tries his best to make things comfortable for you even when he’s pretty much a clingy guy himself. So when he witnesses the cuddly attitude of yours out of the blue, he is rather surprised yet recovering almost immediately and responds back to your hug with his own. He’s glad that he makes you feel safe enough to step out of your personal safe zone

Vinestaff: She is like this combination of both Shuriken and Slingshot in this aspect. She does respect your boundaries since the beginning of your relationship with each others, but when you get physical intimacy with her out of nowhere, she won’t make a fuss over it. She understands that maybe that’s just how you are, and she gladly accepts that little thing about you

Subspace: This bastard will make it a point to brag about like how much of a little shit he is. Don’t be surprised, you know that this is what might happen if you give Subspace that privilege of being physically intimate with knowing that you only do that to him. His ego will be shot up into the stars. Although he does get annoyed when you’re sticking to his hip all of the time when you two are alone, he doesn’t shoo you that often aside from when he is busy

Coil: Probably point that out almost immediately with no filter. This guy is just that, pardon him. He will ask you about why you’re so clingy to him in a moment and then turn around to glare at others almost immediately afterwards. He’s just curious about that specific thing about you, not that he is annoyed or anything. Not at all. He’s just curious about it. Coil doesn’t mind, but sometimes he might be an ass and not giving you the physical affection that you want until you have enough of the teasing

That’s all I have to say, I hope that this will satisfy you (⌒▽⌒)

[katyahina]

So, this is what I understood about Midra Mansion and Frenzied Flame business (in chronological order)

It is more like a reference so I don't forget, just piecing the story together since I am sure I found all helpful items yet! Add please if there is something else!

1) So, it started with how for one reason or another, Midra and people in this place attracted paranoia (?) of the hornsent and were done dirty by inquisitors! Not specified whether they actually done something bad or not!

The entrance in this location is guarded by Elder Inquisitor Jori, that also summons ungodly amount of fellow clerics what in the actual Deacons of the Deep was that fdhfdhs

^ This item is dropped by an NPC Maddening Hand, and this IS my reason to think that rather than everyone here being punished for potentially messing with Frenzied Flame, they were accused and hunted for something else and affiliation with FF came because of that resentment!

^ This dialogue perplexed me at first, as I initially thought it related to inquisitors coming in the Manse after the FF events, but by now I concluded it more likely related to the era where they were hunted as heretics for no particular reason! Because people of the Manse should have known what in another case:

2) The contact with Frienzied Flame happened and effected the people and the place in general. Like I said before, Frenzied Flame started to manifest upon yearning of Midra/his people for revenge. He might have even been directly contacted by the Three Fingers in a similar manner as how Marika was contacted by the Two Fingers for her situation, as suggested by an item found in this map:

Besides, the whole Manse was destroyed but especially the books, and we will get to it later but evidently it was done to hide the knowledge about Frenzied Flame accumulated:

3) A child of Midra and Nanaya likely was lost to a failed attempt of becoming Lord of Frenzied Flame! Nanaya is depicted holding her hand on her belly on the portrait, perhaps being pregnant, and the torch you pick from her corpse is said to be gently 'cradled' by her! I need to see Japanese script to confirm or deny how accurate the word 'cradling' is here since it does have connotation with caring for the baby, so put a pin on it! However, feeling of affection from her alone might make this nitpick less relevant.

These 'evidences' that it was their child do not look very strong, I admit this much, as well as calling it 'distant' land is odd. I think it still works; for example, distant from the standpoint of the world map in general since it is very well hidden!

^ We pick this item from the corpse of Nanaya herself. Her eyes are obscured on the portrait and yet that looks to be an artistic decision. Her corpse, on the other hand, has eyes covered with bandages! We can assume that she went blind from spending too much time holding onto this "torch", as well as that prolonged exposure to FF was what killed her in the end. Why cling onto this spinal column so much, if not because it belonged to someone dear for her?

I suppose it is up to interpretation whether Nanaya approved of the idea of the Lord of the Frenzied Flame as their kid and only lost courage when the plan failed and availed them nothing, or she didn't know Midra would let their son of all people to go through such a risk and father and son acted behind her back (maybe not they alone), or she straight up disapproved of Frenzied Flame moods and called inquisitors for """help""" herself to at the very least isolate the madness! So, speaking of:

4) Inquisitors learn about Frenzied Flame business here, those who were helping with the Frenzied Flame meddling were executed, Nanaya is spared for either reason.

I didn't understand it instantly, but yes, the implication of the neat row of beheaded guys right at the entrance with their wrists tied is that they were executed:

The glowing 'stick' in their necks does give me an impression of their barbs, however they do not stick out at the sides?

So, the Hornsent inquisitors did this to him, but as we learn from Midra no longer being able to take it and pulling the barb out of himself this is not a fact that they've done it specifically to seal the Frenzied Flame! Because why would they leave him like this despite the risk that he could choose to pull the barb out one day? They might not have known that Midra caught Frenzied Flame to this extent and just believed in giving specific form of punishment to the leader of the dangerous people! ...right?

^ Wrong! @val-of-the-north shared this icon for an item that exists in the game files but was not implemented in the end, on which Midra's had both has the same eye as Tarnished has after being grasped by the Three Fingers and has obvious trace of their grab not unlike Vyke's armour! This gives me a feeling that the Inquisitors had enough information to conclude something wasn't right. So, maybe they decied that they killed him and were not aware that FF would not let him die now?

OR MAYBE Nanaya is the key here! If she was fully affiliated with Midra and servants on FF plot, why she never got executed? She might have successfully lied to them about not having been aware to still seize some control, or she genuinely disapproved of all this and wanted it to stop. Thus, in case if the inquisitors knew of Midra's situation, maybe they also trusted her to control him from breaking free.

^ This suggests that Nanaya knew of what danger he held within prior the inquisitors did their thing! Since he was also willingly holding onto her demand for such a long time, maybe he himself realised the ramifications by then, especially if their son was lost like this. This gives me an impression that they both agreed it all went too far and decided to call for "help", whether Nanaya was a part of the plan all along too or simply was able to collect herself when Midra confessed her everything, dragging their son into it included, and understood they had bigger problem to worry about now!

^ This makes me feel like "weakness" it refers to was actually his reluctance and fear upon realising what he messed with, rather than actual failure! I don't know about you guys, but I found him a pretty functional Lord of Frenzied Flame during the battle 🤔 But if he contracted the 'Lord', how his head was still in place when inquisitors arrived for his ass? So likely he was able to keep it in before, to "endure" like Nanaya said earlier, when NOT "failing" would entail "understanding" and embracing the motivations and the meaning of FF. (Melina looks with a massive judgement)

However, pulling out that barb also entailed succumbing to the Frenzied Flame, which now made him no longer "fail" at it.

5) Inquisitors remain to patrol the perma-damaged land getting afflicted with FF themselves so no curious idiots wander here, Nanaya and other spared (?) people die from old age.

(sorry for phone picture, I forgot to copy this one to USB fhdhdsf) Even if Lord of Frenzied Flame was prevented, the impact of the contact with the Three Fingers (?) was permanent now. There was no way to destroy it (how do you destroy THE desctruction?), only keep it secluded.

^ I mentioned how Nanaya oddly was spared, but what about this person? Either not she alone and this guy might have died from old age or something, OR these are the words from the time before inquisitors arrived here. Because, again, we have evidence that Midra and Nanaya knew he contracted Frenzied Flame even before that, from the description of his remembrance!

^ This, all things considered, refers to the time the Hornsent arrived here to execute, punish and set up the patrol, as they discovered what happened!

__________________

So, yeah.. It is a really messed up story. I have enough pointers towards how the family, ironically, had to accept "help" from THE very folks who harassed them to the point of events that attracted the Frenzied Flame to begin with! Even if they are probably/likely descendants or a branch-off from the hornsent that originally were hunting them as heretics. Like realising that no amount of torture and mistreatment of their people must doom the whole world to burn, yet it would happen if Frenzied Flame broke loose from here.

[milkypompon]

The Blind Bet

pairing: Miguel x reader | Inspired by The Bet by guardianangelcas

summary: “One month, you and me. No sex, no touching yourself, no orgasms.” Miguel grins as if he’d already won the bet.

content: Miguel knows exactly how to wind you up and break you down... teasing, enemies to lovers, semi-public touching, fingering, sextape, recording, masturbating... he's watching hehe

wc: 4.5k

How?

How in the hell was it possible that the chances of avoiding this situation were slim to none in the vast multiverse? Annoyingly called the Archno-Humanoid-Poly-Multiverse by the very same man who roped you into a challenge that deprived you of the only good thing after coming back from a grueling mission. 

Gone were the nights of unzipping your Spidersuit to toss it into the hamper before taking a hot shower leaving your skin raw and vulnerable. Then hastily patting yourself dry with a towel that was soon to be repurposed as a rag for under your thighs — in an attempt to catch your or chosen companion’s cum before it seeped into the mattress.

Looking back, Miguel fucking O’Hara crafted his words to reel you in. Hook, line, and sinker. 

–

One month ago.

“I know you’ve been using the interdimensional gizmo at night to visit your… friends.” Per usual, he was nonchalant, scrolling through anomalies on his platform, now touching the ground (a habit you noted when you were in the office with him). As if he didn’t reveal that he’d been tracking your movement with Lyla’s help, who was just as eager to know what you were up to the late hours when any other normal person would be awake. 

But that was the problem in itself, you weren’t human and neither was Miguel. The stupid machine by Alchemax was to blame. Not only the incident result in both of you needing a bump of Rapture daily but it also required a quick fuck to satiate the burning feeling teetering between pain and desire at the pit of the stomach. 

You didn’t reply for a few beats, which was a mistake because the dead air was suffocating. There was no sound other than the occasional beeps from the monitors and dashboard. Even with your heightened senses, Miguel’s breathing was quiet. If his back weren’t turned to you with his shoulders slightly lifting up and down, you would think he was breathing at all. 

“Don’t you have better shit to do than checking my coordinates, O’Hara?” You steal your voice into some semblance of superiority but fail terribly at gaining control over the conversation. 

It was a constant push and pull between you two. Who would tap out first? Who would shoot the first web? Who would sink their teeth in first? Figuratively, you suppose, but also literally because your canines are starting to itch beneath your gums, threatening to unsheathe themselves into fangs. 

“That watch is company property. A company that I happen to own. Therefore, I have the right to know where it is.” Miguel releases an unamused laugh. “I’m not using it to stalk you, you narcissist.”

“Says the one who replaced his dead alternate so he could fuck his wife—” 

Miguel grimaces at your comment before cutting you off, “And it happened to be in a particular universe that wasn’t yours. Care to explain? Or maybe you can just simply confirm my suspicions with a simple yes or no because you don’t seem to be articulate with your words… according to last night.”

Oh.

You forgot to turn off your watch after your debriefing with Miguel. And he heard everything. You had half a mind to tug his shoulder and turn him around just to punch the smirk off of him that you knew was contorting his face. So, you did, or close to at least until he caught your fist and encapsulated it with his own.

“Play nice, nena” Miguel mutters under a slight tug of his mouth. 

The bastard found it amusing, listening to the sounds you made while you were pushed down into the mattress with a man who knew how to use his dick. Or at least good enough to help you sink deep into a dreamless sleep after a day of beating anomalies into a pulp and tossing it through the swirling vortex. 

But you did dream that night, so maybe the nameless man wasn’t as good at maneuvering himself inside of you as you thought. Your mouth went dry as you recollected vivid events in the dream. Of course, it was about your boss. 

You shake your head to ground yourself. “You fucking recorded it! I bet you sat your ass down on your chair and jacked off to me moaning. You disgusting—” 

“The gizmo records everything so I can playback the content to observe the…” Miguel grimaced when he realized he was making the situation worse. “That’s beside the point. I deleted it already.” 

You step back, letting your arms fall to your side but you still keep your hands balled up — the only way to stop yourself from engaging your talons. 

Miguel looks at you with a blank stare, almost bothered. “Did you really think I would’ve saved the video?” 

You scoff, “I wouldn’t put it past you.” You didn’t mean it of course, but something fiery licked at your throat to demolish him in a battle of wit and snarky comebacks. 

Although the man didn’t have a running streak of good morals considering his long-standing chase with the 15-year-old boy who wanted to save his father, Miguel drew the line there – somewhere between not breaking canon and the depravity of voyeurism through a sextape.  

He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “Whatever, just don’t let it happen again.” 

Again?

That means Miguel has thought about the chances of this situation reoccurring with your head against your pillow, eye-rolling back, muttering incoherent chatter of pleasure, recorded on his company property gizmo. An open welcome for him to display it on his various monitors, big or small, the video would be the same, you split open by a lucky bastard that wasn’t him.  

You wet your lips, feeling his eyes drift down to the pink tip of your tongue. He wants your mind twisting to read between the lines, treating you the way he draws information out of anomalies wreaking havoc. Little do they know Miguel plays just as dirty, creeping into their heads. 

You grimace, “Stop.”

“Stop what?” Miguel hides a chuckle under the guise of clearing his throat. He saunters over to his work chair, leveled closer to the ground more than usual, and makes himself comfortable. 

Any other person would’ve relished the idea of gleaning over his broad figure, but it was a false sense of dominance on your end. He knew it and so did you. You have to give it to him because it would be working if you didn’t know him so damn well.

If you weren’t warming up beneath your Spidersuit, you would’ve been insulted by his attempt to reel you in… 

Into what exactly? 

“That!” You shoot your arms toward him and almost whine. “This is your second time trying to set me up and make myself look like an idiot!”

“Oh, so you’ve been keeping track?” Now there was a full-blown grin on Miguel’s face. “Just like how you keep mental tick marks of how many people you’ve had sex with this week?” 

At this point, you weren’t entirely sure what you felt, but it was between a fever and a cold sweat. Your cheeks burned with color or were devoid of it with the way he said ‘sex’ to you or even asked the question – as if he wanted to know what you had for breakfast this morning before the debriefing took place.

Miguel was no holy virgin either, so he wasn’t one to talk. He was a ravenous lover, not in the sense of intimacy, but in carnal desire. There was not much to blame other than how his DNA was altered to contain spider genes, hence creating the need to let off some steam with anyone who could bear his child. 

But he had morals and an even amount of self-restraint. He wasn’t about to hop into a dimension with brothels to fulfill his needs. No matter how glaring or bothersome it was to feel his hard-on against his suit.

Instead, Miguel had a ‘roster’, as Peter B. liked to call it. It was a list of Spiderpeople he rotated throughout the week. The arrangement was a simple act of mutualism. He could rely on them to simulate the chosen partner being filled with his seed, while he helped them get their rocks off for the night. 

You had a similar routine, Miguel observed, considering that you had the same canon event as him. Not to mention, you happen to log off from the watch on the dot.

Except for last night, when you’d left it on.

 “You’re one to talk, O’Hara.” You dig your heels into the ground, watching his brows sit above his dark eyes. “Swinging your ass around Nueva York as if you haven’t fucked at least a quarter of the women in this compound.”

“So, you do keep count. Not of your escapades but of mine.” Miguel leans back into the chair. 

“Mm, right because everything is about you,” You snarl and take a stride between his thighs.

“Fine, then let’s make it about you. You can’t control yourself if your life depended on it,” He says in a low voice, a timbre that makes shivers run down your spine.

Poets, or in your case, blind idiots, say that the third time’s the charm. And although this was his third time trying the make you an idiot, there was nothing particularly charming about it. 

He knows you wouldn’t pass up on the opportunity to one-up him in a challenge. It didn’t matter if it was about who could wrap up an anomaly case the fastest or in indirect ways of seeing which new batch of Spiderpeople under your or his supervision would improve the quickest, it never got to the point of this. 

It was an act of chalking up your sex life to simply win another challenge and gain bragging rights.

The better, more mature part of you should walk away from the situation, but there’s a seedling of a dark fantasy that was determined to see if Miguel would play along. 

Maybe it wasn’t even about winning anymore, but you’d rather choke on your own tongue than admit that. To see him breathe when you breathe was palatable enough. 

“One month, you and me. No sex, no touching yourself, no orgasms.” Miguel grins as if he’d already won the bet.

–

Present Day

In the canteen, You grip the tray housing your lunch, a blue Spiderman 2099 burger with a side of fries shaped like webs. The mindless chatter of your coworkers was comforting until there was one whose presence stood out the most. So much so that the figure garbed with a pink, fluffy robe and baby carrier snatched your peripherals.

“Heyyy!” Peter B. drawled and lightly bounced the furious curls of red attached to his chest.

“Pretty patty,” Mayday giggled and pointed to the burger.

“Little Red’s been watching Spongebob.” He grins and settles onto the seat across from you, careful of sitting too close for Mayday’s chubby hand reaching over for a fry. “Speaking of which–”

You bring a finger up to your lips, successfully shutting him up. After years of working under the Spider Society, you made sure there was a carved-out section of your schedule to discuss missions. At the canteen with a hot meal in hand wasn’t the time and place.  

“You’re just like him. When there’s food around, the rest of the world disappears.” Peter plucked the fry from Mayday’s hand. “Big no, no. Mama won’t be happy if you eat greasy num nums. 

He proceeds to pop the greasy num num into his mouth and you roll your eyes with a small smile.

“Wonder how ya don’t get along with him, kid. Miguel, I mean. Almost clawed my face off when I went into his office while he was eating empanadas,” He remarks.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Anyway, why are you here? Haven’t seen you in the canteen since you’ve been eating lunch with MJ and Little Red back in your universe,” You note.

“Right, right. About that.” Peter takes a pregnant pause. It was just enough time to pick up what he was about to ask.

You groan in frustration. “I am not gonna switch shifts with you again. You always manage to set up your dates with MJ when you have the worse missions.”

Peter pouts. The grown man has the audacity to pout. But, you can’t help but sigh and slowly nod because it reminds you of when Mayday motions towards your webslingers, hoping to persuade you. 

“Fine, but I’m doing it for Red.”

He snaps his fingers. “I owe you one, kiddo.”

A gruff voice that’s all too familiar calls out to him, “Peter–” 

He fidgets with the straps of the baby carrier before standing up. The sound of the metal screeching against the floor makes you wince. Somehow, he sidesteps Miguel and grins at him.

“Don’t miss me too much, O’Hara. Got a date night with the wife, but you’re in good hands tonight.”

And just like that, Peter pats Mayday’s head and steps through the portal without another word. You and Miguel stand there without a sound while watching the rip through the multiverse sew itself shut.

You shift your weight from foot to foot and decide to break the silence. “Does Peter know?”

Miguel shakes his head. “‘Bout the bet? Of course not, keeping this stupid thing between us to my grave.”

“One that you made by the way.”

“Thanks for the reminder,” He mutters. Miguel hates how quickly you snap back into place to shove a knife deep in his gut to get a reaction out of him. It’s a habit, practically second nature now. 

He rakes his eyes over your face as if etching every single slant and angle to his mind. A few flecks of salt from the fries were sprinkled along the curve of your lips. He wonders how it’d taste if he licked it before dipping his tongue into your mouth, licking the sweet saliva pooling there, waiting for him. 

Or how it’d seep out as he guides his cock into your mouth. He almost groans at the thought.

Lyla materializes his watch and bounces to your shoulder. “Hey, pretty lady! I saw Peter swap his name for yours for tonight.”

You steal Miguel’s words. “Thanks for the reminder.”

He turns his back to you and throws his head over with a nod. “C’mon, back to my office. I need to fill you in about the anomaly.”

You trudge behind him because walking beside him seems too intimate and leading the way would show the slight tremble of your legs. Besides, opting to fall a few feet after him gives you a good view of his ass. Not that you were looking.

Lyla imitates your strides despite floating above the ground. “Whatcha thinking about, babes?”

You run a hand over your face to cover the flush. “Thinking about how to catch the anomaly.”

She giggles in a foxy tone. “I haven’t said anything about the mission.”

“Oh, right–” 

You’re met with a firm back pressed onto your chest.

Miguel juts his chin over to the display monitors. “Take my seat. I’m gonna need some coffee for this job. You?” 

With a silent laugh, you shake your head at his offer. Working with him for, god knows how long, introduced you to his quirks. One of them is how he takes his coffee. It was a deep black that light barely penetrated. On rare occasions it did, you could his constant frown reflected on it.

Miguel O’Hara was as bitter as his coffee. Go figure. 

You slide into the chair, surprised by how comfortable the cushion is. It was probably engineered to keep his ass snug for hours on end as he monitored the universe to make sure it didn’t collapse, or something along those lines.

A few feet behind you, he waved his hand. “Lyla, the explainyinfo thing.”

Her heart-shaped glasses are perched on the bridge of her nose. “Gotcha, bossman.” 

In front of you are displays of Adriano Tummino, better known as the Vulture from the Renaissance era. He nested inside an abandoned warehouse, trying to make sense of the world that was no longer dipped in sepia and scribbles of ink.

“Don’t know how he managed to get out the first time.” Miguel sips his so-called coffee. Should’ve just chewed on the beans, you thought. 

“Crafty man,” You quip, earning you a short puff of air from his nostrils.

He grabs the back of the chair and swivels it for you to face him. You pressed yourself against it, trying to take up as little room as possible, but he was close. Your legs fall limp on either side of his thighs as he leans down to your height.

Deja vu hits you, then replaced by swirling vertigo. 

You and Miguel were in this exact position a month ago albeit in reverse. 

“That crafty man needs our undivided attention during the stakeout. Prepare yourself however you need to.” His warm breath, stained with the scent of coffee, caressing your lips.

A few beeps and flashes of light bounce off from his watch. It catches your eye as your name pops up above arcs of lines that rose.

“Careful, nena. Your heart rates spiking.” Miguel’s fangs poked out from the edge of his lip, giving you a small smile. Your neck itched at the thought of feeling it sink down into your jugular before he lapped up at the twin holes. 

To make sure neither of you cheated on the bet, you suggested giving both ends of the party access to each other’s heart rate monitors on the watch. Because of his snarky remark, which could’ve been a serious suggestion now in hindsight, about setting up a camera feature. It made you scoff… and turned on.

“Breathe in and out slowly. Even out your heartbeat.” Miguel warned.

There was nothing more you wanted to grab the back of his neck and shove his face into your pussy. That’ll shut him up.

And get you off.

You reach the tip of your toes onto the ground and give it a hard push, sending you rolling back a good few inches. The short distance was still suffocating, but it was enough to let you press your thighs together – the seams of your Spidersuit rubbed against your clit, sending small pulses throughout your body.

But stopping before his watch indicated another spike in your pulse. You’re aware of his eyes on you until he rips it off.  

Miguel straightens himself up before the Spiderman mask wraps around his face. He tried to hide the grin under it but the amusement slipped through. 

Alerts resounded on his gizmo. For a good second, you thought it was about you. That alone would’ve sent you into cardiac arrest. But it was simply a detection of the Vulture’s universe. 

He was on Earth-616B. 

Peter B.’s universe.

Funny.

You fiddle with your gizmo, a bright shower of neons bounced off of you as the portal opened up. Adrenaline coursed through your veins. It wasn’t ideal to have jitters when the mission was to birdwatch the Vulture next to the man you were deprived of. 

Miguel headed in first with you in tow. The sun was about set over the building both of you were perched on. He couldn’t help but think about how Peter ditched him to go on a date with MJ on a night like this.

“There,” You snapped him out of his thoughts. Below you was a crumbling building surrounded with shards of glass from the shattered windows. It was easy to keep an eye on the Vulture while he wrote chicken scratches on the floor – plans of creating primitive technology. 

He grabbed your wrist and tugged you down next to him. With a finger to his lips, he indicated to you to keep quiet.

You whisper-shouted, “I’m not your subordinate.”

“You saying that just proved you wrong.”

That shut you up for a few hours. It was dark out by now. The sky was empty of stars, but the city lights sparkled enough to keep you entertained for a little while longer.

“Can’t we just grab him and go? What’s the whole ‘stake out’ plan for?” You airquoted. 

Miguel pressed his shoulder against yours to keep a low voice. “If he was able to bust out the first time, we need to figure out what he’s making to combat his machine.” 

You hated that he was right but your muscles were starting to cinch together from crouching. If you stood up to stretch, the Vulture would spot you through his goggles. So, you opted to roll your head back a few times.

In Miguel’s peripheral, he saw the expanse of your neck covered by the skintight spandex, stretching as you shifted. It looked small, he thought. How easy it would be to wrap his hand around and gently squeeze it to keep you quiet. Instead, he clamped it around your waist, pulling you to rest your back on his chest. It was loose enough to let you wiggle out of his grasp while still feeling the warmth crawling down to where you needed it most. 

“Quit moving.” 

The past few weeks without any form of release between your legs was agonizing. This was quite the most you’ve been touched in a while. If his fingers crawled a few inches down, he’d feel the damp fabric slick with your arousal. 

“Y-You’re cheating, O’Hara. Don’t you fucking dare–” You snarl in a low whisper.

“Ay coño… Fuck the bet,” He mumbles close to you, his clothed length pressing against the curve of your ass. There was a moan threatening to bubble up if he put on any more pressure. It was too much and yet not enough. “Did you really think Peter was too busy to do this damned stake-out with me tonight? He’d bring out his baby just to be a part of a mission.”

You threw your hands over the railing, trying to stabilize and ground yourself with what little resilience you had left as you were nestled on your knees with him close to rutting up to you. You knew he didn’t have the balls to do it, not because he’d lose, but because he wanted you to fall apart in his hands. 

“Off… Get off.” You swallow. Every part of you was trembling, but you couldn’t bring yourself to take what he was willing to hand out. And all you had to do was–

“Just ask, nena.” The drawl of his voice made you dizzy, your head fell back to his shoulder. “Ask me to sink my fingers in that pretty pussy of yours. Come on my fingers and I won’t count it against you.” He offers you a slight reprieve with the olive branch.

You chew your bottom lip in contemplation, a million thoughts dipping in and out of your mind.

Fuck this. Fuck the bet. Fuck him… up, down, and around. You want Miguel in every single way. 

You arch your back, the plush of your bottom rubbing up against his clothed cock. 

It takes everything in him to stop your movement. “Easy, easy, yeah? Use your words. It’s just you and me,” He murmurs deep into you.

“And Big Bird on steroids below us!” You try to snap back, but your voice shakes with embarrassment. 

“Stupid bird’s not gonna see us as long as you behave.” Miguel moistens his lips with the tip of his tongue. He was choking on the thought of laying you down on his bed to taste every last drop you’ll give him, then fuck you senseless. But this awkward position with your back pressed against his chest while both of you kneeled toward the railing would be enough. 

You reach to the back of your neck where the zipper for the Spidersuit dangled at every attempt of pulling it down. Miguel was of no help, his fingers idly tapped a rhythm on your hips. You felt him vibrate with amusement at your expense.

You toss your head back to rip your mask off and glare at him only to be met with his mask. 

With a last chuckle, he tugs the zipper down, watching the spandex pool around your waist. 

“Careful. Not everyone is a billionaire with infinite tech–”

It wasn’t enough. He gave it one last pull past the curve of your ass. 

You’re about to scold him again but you hear him swallow. Despite not being able to see his face, you could already imagine it.

“Ay… Not even wearing panties under this,” Miguel breathes, grabbing a handful of the plump skin. 

“Gets itchy,” You protest.

You can feel him molding the tender flesh into his palm. “Fuck– I know I see you wearing your suit every day, but… God, this is—”

Miguel’s suit retracts, exposing his skin just below his wrist bone. Something in your core bubbles up, a mixture of dread and arousal because you knew deep down that if he started now, you’d find yourself crawling back for more. Back into his office. Back into his bed. With his warm hand cupping over your pussy on the roof of an abandoned building it didn’t matter where he dragged you along. 

“You’re dripping, dios mío— all over my fucking fingers. You’re so wet. Just for me, huh?” Miguel digs his nose into the crook of your neck, his breath leaving you hot. “Working hard every day to save the universe. Not a single person stopped to give you gratitude. You just need someone to take care of your little cunt.”

And god, you want him to do it. 

“Well, too bad. This is a thankless job.” He slaps your bare sex with a shlick, his fingers grazing your clit ever. 

No matter how much you jut up to encourage him to do anything, his grip on your waist was too strong. There’s nothing to do but follow his pace and feel whatever he is willing to give you. 

“Down, take it easy. And stay focused, I still need you to keep an eye on the anomaly.” Miguel cranes his cheek down to nuzzle you. It was a poor attempt to coo your overwrought body, how did he expect you to remember what you came here for?

“Fine,” You say in a gruff voice.

“Good girl.” Miguel pulls the lips apart with two fingers, coating it with you before pressing it in. Each knuckle made you suck in a deep breath. It feels like you’ve run out of air. Floating now, you think. But the moment he curls his fingers to that spot, you’re reeling back onto earth. “There, isn’t it?”

He slides out of you, flurries of curses are caught in your throat. He knew how to drag this out. He brings the slick to the edge of your mouth. “Open for me.”

He groans as he shoves his fingers into your mouth. He wanted to taste you, but he wasn’t going to. Not yet. It didn’t feel right if it wasn’t right from the source, but that’ll have to wait. He wants you to collapse in on yourself first before he does anything else.

“Miguel.”

“I know, nena.” 

[average-mako-enjoyer]

I've read a post and now I want to talk about Merrill and Anders.

I think the main message of DA2 is that even the kindest and strongest people can be broken, and the broken people can be driven to unspeakable acts of cruelty to others.

From the Alienage elf, who was separated from his wife and hasn't seen her in 10 years, to the First Enchanter Orsino, anyone can be driven to blood magic.

Now let's talk about Merrill, who absolutely uses her blood magic for combat, it's not just a game mechanic, she uses it to protect herself and her friends, and she can use it against her own clan in the end, and that's very important.

So Merrill is Marethari's First. Marethari has given Merrill enough knowledge to become the Keeper of her clan, and she keeps telling Merrill that she should take care of her people here and now, that the Eluvian is valuable, sure, but not more valuable than the safety of the clan, but Merrill becomes obsessed with this thing and the lost history and glory of the elves.

The Keeper (who is basically Merrill's mother) and her people are not as important to her as the inanimate object, and everyone knows it. When you first arrive at the Dalish camp, everyone is already done with Merrill's antics. They've tried to talk her out of her experiments too many times, and they're done.

So Merrill travels with Hawke to Kirkwall, finds herself a place in the Alienage, and continues to work on the Eluvian. And just like with her own clan, she makes no attempt to get to know anyone there. At the end of her personal quest in Act 3, she openly admits to Hawke that it never occurred to her to find out anything about the Alienage elves and their lives in all the years she lived among them. Hawke can make her reconsider, and she can reluctantly agree to start talking to the Alienage elves.

But what about Hawke's team, and Anders in particular? I won't argue that Anders is an ass to her because of her blood magic, but she's an ass to Anders too! Everyone is an ass to each other in this game and that's why it's so good, tbh.

Merrill is terribly condescending to him, and she's not just mirroring his attempts to lecture her about blood magic.

"There are no good spirits, you dummy Anders, I'm sorry you didn't know that."

"Oh yes, I'm working with the demon, but unlike you, I'm smart about it. Oh, and we don't fuck. Ew."

She completely brushes off his warnings about blood magic and losing control and becoming a monster. She's childishly ignorant about this even, telling him to stop scaring her, but continuing to use blood magic again and again, for years.

When Marethari sacrifices her life to save Merrill, Merrill blames her for it, saying "she had no right to interfere." Merrill also blames her clan, saying that everything she did, she did for them.

"But she pleads for Anders after he blows up the Chantry!"

Well, let's see why.

Anders can plead with Merrill to join the Kirkwall mage rebellion just before the end of Merrill's personal quest. Once again, Merrill brushes him off, saying it's not her fight, and then she loses Marethari and her clan.

When she pleads for him in the final chapter, she specifically talks about giving him a chance to atone for his sin. I think, Merrill pleads for Anders not out of the kindness of her heart or because she cares for him, but because she sees herself in him. Marethari dies because of Merrill's blood magic, Merrill either destroys her clan or is banished because of her blood magic, there's no atonement for her, but maybe there is for Anders. So is she pleading for him or for herself in this situation? Is this about a person she never respected or tried to know, or is it about her very fresh trauma?

Merrill is a very complex character. Smart and ignorant, terribly selfish and yet selfless. She's as blinded by the need to restore the elven lost history as Anders is by the idea of justice for the mages, they complement each other perfectly in that sense.

Every character in this game is so well written, I will never get over it.

[quinloki]

Hi 🤗

I just saw your kinky head canon event and please don't hate me but would you mind doing Sakazuki, Kizaru and Fujitora with daddy kink, humiliation and tickling? (Those were the first three the generator granted me with) Please?

xD I couldn't hate someone with your url coming into my box and asking me for head canons about admirals 💖🥰

Fortunately for both of us, I have friends who are into these guys enough that I've at least thought some on it, so I have some head canons to share.

And heck, half the head canons I share during an event like this are made up on the spot because people ask all sorts of things, so let the vibes lead us where they may \o/

Just making sure... Fuji is the one that blinded himself, Kizaru is the light-light fruit, and Sakazuki needs no introduction. Okay, I have aligned names properly in my head, let's go!

Fujitora:

Daddy Kink - Yes - He's got the vibes, and he definitely has the firm hand and a nice calm demeanor to go with it. I can see him getting into it more and more over time, turning it from something that happens during sessions to something that's more a life style than anything else.

Even without his sight he manages to do your hair and tie your shoes perfectly. He's got the big warm hands and the nice firm grip.

Yeah, I can see it. I just think it's not something he's into before someone brings him into it.

Humiliation - I guess - Not really his cup of tea. You can maybe get him to do it from time to time, but I feel like there's a dissonance between this kink and his personality.

He can certainly become good at threatening humiliation though, and maybe just the idea of it is enough to work for you.

Tickling - Oh god you don’t even know - What joy! what wonder! What a beautiful sound! \o/ You are so screwed XD He loves the sound of your laughter, and the way you yelp and beg just sounds so wonderful when it's littered with your laughter.

He's not going to tickle you until you're sobbing, and he's not going to tickle you when your voice takes on a truly concerned edge. He might be holding back more than you want, depending on your own kinks, but he's not going to let it slip into tickle-torture.

He will certainly utilize anticipation, having you wriggling and giggling before he's even started. And that sound you make, when the laughter slips into a deep moan, when pleasure starts to overtake it, if he could hear that sound forever it wouldn't be long enough.

Kizaru:

Daddy Kink - Yes - You can get him into it. I think he rides a line between Fuji and Saka. He's more firm, and maybe more demanding than Fuji, but he's not quite as absolute and unwavering as Saka.

He comes to find he likes it when you call him Daddy, and the particular way you move and pout and play up your role works on him more and more every time. It's getting hard to leave to go to work.

That's the only reason he keeps it as a session-thing instead of an always on deal. He'd end up in big deep hot water otherwise XD (plus, like Fuji I think he wants a partner, and not a doll anyway).

Humiliation - Yes - More likely to threaten than to follow through, but he is pretty well equipped to put you in precarious situations without getting caught. People might see a glimpse of light (hahah, getting flashed, but like, not in that way XD ) - but they're only going to see you if he really wants them too.

He's got enough of a twist in him that he'd be good at it, but he's not super driven toward it.

Tickling - FUCK yes - He'd much rather tickle you. How lively and animated you are, wriggling and writhing beneath him while he tickles you mercilessly. The gasps, the moans, the laughter - he loves all of it, and it's easy to work in a little bit of a humiliation as well if you really want it.

(I feel like it's a good moment for him to settle in with a pun about how much you "light up" when he tickles you XD)

Sakazuki:

Daddy Kink - Oh god you don’t even know - This man is the Daddy Kink™.

I think it suits him amazingly well. He might not roll with the more nurturing/let me take care of you aspects of it, but he's definitely there for the rest of it. Be a good girl/boy and do what he says, be obedient and put yourself over his knee, don't pout - open your mouth and suckle what he gives you. Whether it's his thumb or something else.

He's not putting your hair in pigtails so he can hold onto them, he's got his hand at your neck making you say "thank you daddy" while you're sobbing from overstim, having lost count how many times he's pushed you to the edge. Not over it though, not yet, you have to be a good girl/boy first.

Humiliation - Oh god you don’t even know - He only threatens once, and after that you're going to find out.

I feel like this is a kink he doesn't really want anyone to know he has, but it's hard not to realize how into it he is. Ordering in marines to watch you while you go through whatever punishment he's decided. Walking you through the halls in nothing but a collar with your hands tied behind your back so you can't cover yourself up. Treating you like an actual prisoner and assigning random marines to watch over you.

He will back up every threat he murmurs against your skin, so you better believe him and shape up quick. Or, if you enjoy being humiliated, then keep pushing. He'll indulge your desires because it sates his own, and just because you're into it, doesn't make it less humiliating for you.

Tickling - Yes - He has nothing against your laugh, especially when it's something he's causing, but it's not the sweet sound of your laughter than leads him toward something like this. More than not any time tickling is brought into things it's part of something else.

but he is good at it, like Fujitora he can make the anticipation almost worse than the actual tickling. Unlike him, however, Sakazuki isn't going to stop just because you start to sound distressed. If you're really lucky he'll stop before you lose control of something, but he's probably caused you to pass out a time or two - if you can ^^;

How May I Kink Your Head Canon?

[kingconia]

Hello! Can I please request the scenario of S/O, WHO IS LIKE NEUVILLETTE FROM GENSHIN IMPACT (AKA. IT RAINS, WHEN THEY WANT TO CRY) for Deuce, Jamil, Idia and Silver?

DEUCE, JAMIL AND SILVER WITH S/O, WHO IS LIKE NEUVILLETTE FROM GENSHIN IMPACT

(AKA. IT RAINS, WHEN THEY WANT TO CRY)

A/N: I sincerely apologise, dove, but I couldn't write anything for Idia. But I hope others will be to your liking.

Deuce Spade. ❤️

— It is safe to say that Deuce was one of the first people in this school to become close to you. Your wisdom—Deuce was genuinely surprised how easily you made right conclusions, and supported him about his past—made him attracted to you from the first sight;

— Deuce is very attentive, so it doesn't take a lot from him to notice that you become more upset within days. It is the reason that he can't figure out;

— I am going to be honest: I don't think Deuce understands that these rains and your mood swings are connected, somehow;

— Deuce comes to confront you about your moods, bluffing shamelessly that he knows everything. That is when you blurt out the truth about being a water dragon, and those weather changes, too.

•

”Oh,” Deuce pats your shoulder awkwardly, still processing everything he had heard from you. ”You kept that to yourself for so long... It must be tough. Are you okay, Y/n?”

It hurts him to know that you spent months bottling up your emotions, and if not for his stupid idea, you would probably continue to do so. The strength of your spirit that Deuce always admired about you plays with you the cruel joke, it seems.

”Oh, darling, I am fine,” you try to reassure him. But there are dark clouds appearing outside, just behind your back, where window is opened. ”I am fine. Just, please, give me a minute.”

You let out a quiet sigh, pressing your foreheads together. Deuce puts a hand on the back of your head, stroking it gently, helping you to relax like that. The slow raindrops start falling on the ground, and he smiles at you reassuringly.

”Rest, Y/n. I am here.”

You nod, repeating his words slowly.

He is here.

You can rest.

Jamil Viper. 🧡

— Jamil is quiet happy with that rain becomes more often thing around the school, but he surely thinks it is strange. In his motherland, every single change in the weather—especially, such an abrupt one—is a sign from gods. So, he starts looking closer;

— He is aware that gods don't rule over this school—at least, he thinks so—but yet, he is sure these weather changes should mean something. He even talks with Kalim about this situation, just in case if he knows something;

— And at the meantime, you become gloomier and gloomier. Jamil wonders if it is the sign he searches for: that his beloved is in trouble that he is blind for? Or, maybe... His beloved is the deity that offers him signs?

— Jamil confronts you almost instantly. ”I know what you are, Edward.” ”Say it, Bella.” You see no reason to hide the truth from him, so you explain that in your reality you are not a god, but another important figure in the pantheon.

•

”But what message you tried to deliver by these rains?” Jamil wonders out aloud, much later, when your head is on his lap.

You close your eyes, humming when he strokes your hair gently.

”Pardon?”

”For us, the change in the weather by your kind means something particular. When you cast the rain, what do you want to say by that?”

Jamil can see you pondering for a while, before offering an answer.

”I can't cry. Not like you, humans, do,” your voice is barely audible, so Jamil leans closer not to miss anything. ”I only can call for rain, and it serves to be my tears. I apologise for that, too. It must be bothersome.”

All this time, when he happily greeted the rain, it was your tears?

”No, don't be sorry for that,” he reassures you quickly. ”Cry as much as you want. But... If you need to be heard, I am here. And if you need someone to keep silence with, I am here, too. I can keep an umbrella for you.”

The corners of your lips slightly turn up. And when Jamil is staring at the window, he sees nothing but a shimmering sun. He is more grateful for it than usual.

Silver Vanrouge.

— I think, thanks to the fact that Silver spends most of his time around the strangest creatures, he can sense them easily among others. So, he probably knows that you are one hell of the student, but just can't determine what are you;

— When weather starts worsening his first theory is that Malleus is sad. But his investigations shows he is wrong, it is clearly not about the housewarden. Then... Who?

— The only other person he can suspect is you. Silver also thinks it is a worthy theory, since you had been sombre for a while, distancing from others;

— Silver respects you, so he doesn't insist on telling him about your origins. He only comes to reassure you that you are safe with him—safe to share with everything, too—and if he can help somehow, he is at your service. Silver doesn't expect that always collect you will break down in front of him all of the sudden!

•

The storm outside the dormitory is the worst that Silver had ever witnessed. It is a raging one. He hears windows wheezing, and thunder rattling. But it is your roar, roar of the wounded animal, that makes him shiver.

”H-here you are,” Silver whispers, patting you on the back, cradling in his arms like a little kid. ”Here you are, Y/n. You are safe. Safe and sound.”

What you said to him earlier, about the feeling of being left out, not being a part of something, of the certain community... Silver knows it all a little too well. Even after all these years, even after all his father's help and love, sometimes, Silver feels out of this place.

”I-I am so sorry...” You hiccup, hands coming to squeeze the fabric of his shirt. ”I am being disrespectful, and—”

”No, no! Please, don't apologise. Cry as much as you want. I am going to stay, anyway.”

For a second, there is a silence: in the outside world, and in this room as well. And then, before everything resumes, you ask, voice so quiet, that Silver wonders if he imagined it:

”Are you willing to stay with me?”

”I am,” Silver tells you. ”I am staying. You are not alone anymore, alright?"

You don't say anything anymore, and so, Silver starts humming the song his father used to sang to him, when he was much younger; still a child, who would wake up from time to time from the horrifying sounds coming out of the forest.

You listen to it, and Silver knows, it is working. You are falling asleep in his embrace slowly, and the chaos outside slowly calms down alone with you. Eventually, Silver feels like drifting off, too.

The storm is gone. And he will be here, when you wake up.

You can have nice dreams, beautiful dragon.

[turbulentscrawl]

i haven't seen lots of edgar content lately,, maybe general hcs for edgar valden if you can? :D

👌

-Edgar is a tunnel-visioned, broken-hearted creator who spends most of his energy seeking out the meaning of life and a reason to live. After the death of his mother and sister, he gave up on fulfillment through love or friendship, and now appreciates the world only through his art. Otherwise, he is apathetic. He does remain cordial with people, though, like his mother taught him to be.

-Edgar is an observer in most senses of the word. He rarely cares to devote energy to conversation himself, so he watches and listens instead. He doesn’t have much remaining interest in participating in the ‘game’ that is society, or the subtle mind-games it requires, but he is intrigued by other people’s reactions to them. When he does interact with others, he expects it to be strait-laced. Anything else is a waste of his time. (In short, he’s nosey. He enjoys knowing all the gossip but very rarely spreads it himself.)

-In that same vein, if Edgar has a specific opinion on something, you know it’s because that something has inspired him in some way. Edgar is a Centrist and does not hold very strong views of political or social situations one way or the other. In general, he thinks it’s best to let people do what they want, so long as it doesn’t interfere with what he or anyone else wants.

-Since the betrayal of his master, he’s developed a strikingly low tolerance for interruptions and interference. Edgar’s artistic muse is the most important thing in life to him, and he’s already lost it once. He’s not willing to lose it again, and does not give a damn about what anyone else thinks about his methods of maintaining it.

-Edgar was used by people for so long for his artistic skills that he has a hard time connecting with anyone who’s first interest in him relates to that. Ironically, with time Edgar gets along well with people like Kevin, who was confrontational and distrusting of Edgar in the beginning. Kevin did not give a fuck about Edgar’s art, and disliked him for some entirely different principal. And his art neither salvaged Kevin’s opinion nor won him over when they were finally on neutral terms. People like that can be trusted to be genuine, as far as Edgar is concerned, and frankly Edgar doesn’t see conflict as a dealbreaker for friendships or relationships. Disagreements happen.

-He’s physically weak—this boy has never seen a day of recreational exercise in his life. He is, however, not squeamish or easily disgusted. He dislikes what he perceives as ugliness, but has no issues witnessing or interacting with dirt, grime, or gore. He’s also not easily frightened and tends to be one of the more level-headed survivors in matches. He holds a similar reverence to death as Aesop and isn’t afraid of dying in matches. Some little part of him wishes it could be permanent—as some final devotion to his art, his Swan Song.

-Edgar cross-dresses sometimes. He needs no particular reason for it, as far as he’s concerned, but if you must know it just comes down to ‘he likes what he likes.’ And he likes flowy skirts. He’s not the type to let the gender roles of a society he’s not even part of anymore dictate what he wears. Were he alive in a modern world, he may identity as Agender. He doesn’t care much about gender and just presents however he feels like on a given day.

-Outside of his art studio and bedroom, Edgar is terrible at keeping track of things. He’s blind to anything he sets down outside of those two spaces, it simply no longer exists to him. Other people in the manor are often returning his things to him (especially Joker, who has a knack for finding things without even knowing they were lost.)

-When he was younger, he was taught several other skills that were normal for young men of high class. Piano and dancing, for instance. he didn't like them enough to practice much after his mother died, but he's still decent at them.

-Edgar has commandeered several hallways of the manor to hang his art. He’ll probably take over more later—he’s got an eternity to make his art, after all.

[ilikekidsshows]

On one hand, Ive been saying ever since Kuro Neko that Marinette has a god and victim complex and thinks reality starts and ends with her which constantly leads to people ending up much worse for it (Adrichat in particular) and nothing significant getting fucking done because of how irrelevant Marinette herself is

So sure, you can bet your ass i feel validated by the "Ladybug will decide for the world what the truth is" development and how much worse everything is clearly about to get. In that sense, I'll sure have the time of my life now lol

But on the other hand, nah, I still never wanted this. I'll have my fun with it now that I'm proven right because of how awful the emotional journey was for me watching all this unfold. I wasn't even surprised by Kwamis Choice or the season 5 finale, that was imo obvious ever since season 4. At this point, I'll just enjoy it as a salty bitch. Fuck it, I earned that when I called these awful plot resolutions years ago and I only get further validated for what I "salted" on Marinette.

Or, wait. Is it even SALT when I continue to be proven right over and over again? Sounds like I'm reading it RIGHT while Marinette fans still go on disregarding 90% of the show and then call themselves FANS Lol

---

What a time for the fandom, when describing what happens in canon counts as salt. Every single time "non-salty" people describe the actual, canon episodes, they have to accompany it with constant refrains of “but Marinette is really stressed”, “but Marinette is in a really difficult spot”, “but Marinette isn’t the only one doing these things”, “but Marinette is too young to be in this situation” or my beloathed “but Marinette has good intentions”.

That's why I've decided to embrace the salt.

Here's a really salty take: if Marinette is so incapable of answering for her actions, then maybe she shouldn’t be taking on so many responsibilities to begin with. According to all these defenses of Marinette, these supposed good faith takes on her behavior, she is too incompetent or emotionally compromised to be expected to act in a moral way, too young to make sound decisions about anything, too paranoid or blinded by her own sense of moral superiority to take perspectives other than her own into account and too weak mentally to handle her boyfriend having emotional needs.

If Marinette really is this incompetent and incapable, maybe she shouldn’t be having everyone else lie to Adrien based on her judgment call. If she really is so mentally weak that she can’t handle the grieving and changing of his world view that her boyfriend needs to go through in order to live his life to the fullest (or as fullest as a remote control robot can get), maybe she should just leave that to the other people in the know. Kagami wants to tell Adrien the truth, let her. And let her deal with the aftermath, too. Meanwhile Marinette can just skip off to be worshiped by her parents, friends and ex boyfriend, now that he’s back in town.

Yeah, Marinette would be the most selfish girlfriend ever for just dumping Adrien until he stops being sad, but she’s being one regardless. The only thing different is that then Adrien would know and maybe he’d reconsider if such a one-sided relationship where he’s expected to give all the support while receiving none in return is what he really wants and needs. Maybe Adrien should know, not only what he is and who his dad really was, but who his girlfriend really is: someone too weak to be his partner not only for the better, but also the worse.

[trickingbell]

Sisselcon Reference Page

Opening up my skull so she can fly out like a moth. FIANSISSEL!!!! Below is all the info and a bunch of doodles I have of her! I typed so much...whoops

When I first finished grick, Yomiel was burning me. I cared him so bad. Then learning he was a wife guy made it so much worse. Things happened. She faded into reality because they're inseparable and I can't think of one without the other they deserve to be happy oh don't Start.

Miss Sissel is the CEO of her own contract engineering company! Her half-mechanic and half-business portfolio has made her and her employees a MUST SIGN ON for other businesses. A go to for any big tech project needs!! (Name pending, I forgot to write it down. Let's just call it Sisco Inc). Despite the smiles and sun, she runs her people like the navy and while ideal on paper...Sissel'd character ends up making employees and contractors alike feel like they're walking on glass. On floor made of ice...

In simpler terms, she's a brat. Blunt, whiny, picky and obnoxious since she can get away with it. But she does have a heavy heart of love, thankful for the people who stick around after the initial spike trap of her personality. Which is her "Miel" aka Yomiel. Obviously.

Spinning each other around. Yomiel's got a spike trap too but the both of them ran over each other's and tripped head over heels like idiots. Particular picky people with prickly personalities perfectly poke one another in a perfect way~ They give everything to one another straight and as is which made all of their talks easier and better to have. The honesty and understanding two people like them absolutely value when others are harder to get the same out of. Because of it they completely avoid anything complicated or difficult since they're sooooo on the same wavelength...which is again good on paper but bad in practice. Making situations like her suicide possible, gone over without much knowledge of it. If that makes sense? I hope it does, I don't mind answering questions about the them in my head. HAPPIER NOTE: They're both stem idiots who don't know how to cook. They rely on the microwave like one of the gods...

She's an only child of one mother and one father. And... friendless. For reasons mentioned above, you can sort of guess that there aren't many people who tolerate her. However, post-canon this changes significantly when a Sissel Mix-up happens and she firmly attaches herself to the Jowds. Alma and her don't have many things in common, but that doesn't mean the company isn't enjoyed. Sissel learns a lot about socializing and connecting with people due to her growing friendship with Alma. A real admiration of...so many things Sissel suddenly cares about adapting into herself while Yomiel is locked away. Almost like a beautiful-woman-wife-mentor (Alma will laugh and take the silly compliment)

Jowd had intended to never cross paths with her if he could help it, post-canon at least. Unfortunate. Now that they have though, while meeting under much calmer circumstances, they're unpleasantly similar. Which is shocking, because they really really don't seem like it. Like at all. Sissel is fine getting to add him to her catalogue of people who tolerate her. But she isn't blind. There's a certain unease she can tell coming off of him but chalks it up to the whole... husband in the park and prison thing. Because of the Sissel Mix-Up, she doesn't really hate him for it. Maybe on a bad night, but there's other things she'd rather focus on when she remembers that this SHOULD be awkward....More of that avoiding difficult things if she can.

On the opposite end from Sissel and Jowd....Cabanela is... At the request of her beloved Miel, she promised to not let despair over his absence take up the most of her feelings. She has to live. Whatever he means by that... But she can't get rid of it magically. The sudden relationships she's gotten from Jowd and Alma are pleasant and distracting. This proximity unfortunately means that Cabanela is Around. That despair of hers inches up and makes her bitter at the thought of him. A white coated reminder in the middle of all her distractions that makes her want to give up...but she promised. Miel didn't say anything about anger. If it keeps her alive, she'll be angry. Spike trap made into a minefield. Bombs everywhere but hidden away...for Alma and Jowd's comfort. Without them around though... There's a lot here but this post is already so so long the sun was UP when I started typing.

Uhhh the other suggested questions. Does she have any hobbies? No, I need her to get some I need her to go outside. Likes and dislikes? She has an extreme adoration for romance media of all kind that started in childhood, it's made her ideas of it very fantasy like. You already know what happened to her when she lost her dream future. Dislikes? Cabanela, spicy foods, and a foolish encounter at work. What does she know, if anything, post-canon? Nothing about temsik, but she is suspicious of Jowd and Alma. While she's thankful and very happy around them, it is a bit Strange that she was allowed to be friends with them...and how Yomiel seemed to know them a lot for just one awful day...Suspects some sort of cheating soap opera drama akin to her romance tales. Where Kamila is Yomiel's daughter, and this was all a sham to get rid of him that Backfired on everyone...

I'm alright and okay with any genres of her! No gore though or of her canon suicide. I want to draw it myself one day, so maybe some other time! Suggestive/NSFT? Go for it. I'd also like a heads up though about it.

LASTLY. HERE'S FICS I'VE MADE WITH HER IN THEM Times They Saw Her It's Still A Special Day You Keep Me Awake(Without meaning to)

EXTRA DOODLES AND DRAWINGS I HAVE OF HER

[arminthada]

Ep 6 was really bittersweet for Kan and Thiu’s relationship. It’s obvious that they both distrust each other to a certain extent. Thiu is still suspicious of Kan regarding the deaths while Kan also knows that Thiu suspects him when Thiu suddenly suggested that they live together. At the same time, deep down, I think they do genuinely like each other/have an attraction to each other. I really hope we get a happy ending for them, I feel nervous for the last 2 episodes 😢

Hi nonnie ಥ_ಥ

I'm so sorry I missed this ask. Yeah I think it's really bittersweet for Kan and Tew. This particular scene where you can hear Kan's monologue in his head talking about how he could stop time since he knows this happiness can't last, followed by a shot of Tew looking very sad in Kan's arms because he himself knows they're playing family for a show with both people having their own undisclosed motives for being here.

I read quite a few people saying that Kan and Tew's relationship must be developing off-screen but for me I prefer headcanon-ing that it isn't and I will take all their on-screen interactions to interpret whatever they have going on so far (perhaps the only headcanon I'd have is that there's a gap of time between them starting to get to know each other on the mountains before Somsak was killed).

I should probably make an essay to discuss the similar treatment of toning down of confident gay Jom (from I Feel You Linger In The Air) and Wasan/Tew and how that has affected the narrative of their respective romantic relationship development. But maybe another day (if i remember to sit down and write it😭)

Although I don't enjoy this particular characterisation for Tew, I will at least give Lux some kudos for following through to the end with her stubborn mindset to make Tew a very suspicious cop (only occasionally blinded by the gay charms of Dr. Kan). (jj my beloved 🤨 you keep that furrowed brow game going for me, i will defend you from all slander)

At most, series!Tew gets some points knocked off for being a bit too gullible at certain moments in the series where he was supposed to be very suspicious and alert just minutes before. But it's interesting to see that Lux wanted to write a Police Captain 'Tew' Wasan that was very suspicious of Kan, that had a lot of walls to break down, that was willingly corroborate with his senior in order to get himself kicked out from the team in order to move in with the guy he likes but is also suspicious of to keep an eye on him as well as investigate.

EP 6 is a special favorite episode of mine really because it presented quite clear to me the vision that Lux had for Tew (one definitely different from my imagination/expectation). Tew moved in with Kan for a reason and Kan knew it. Kan knows but he doesn't care because right now he needs the warmth and company, regardless whether it's coming from a genuine place or not.

It reminded me of a Thai idiom I came across while reading I Feel You Linger In The Air novel - "a chicken sees the snake's foot and a snake sees the chicken's breast", which describes the situation when both parties know each other's secrets. In this case, they both know that the other is harboring a secret they can't disclose yet they won't confront each other about it.

The peak of the angst for that episode for me is when Kan opened a series to watch with Tew and he was very much about to make the hand holding move but Tew held back. I doubt it was unintentional or coincidental. Tew watches Kahon Maha Ratuek (a series where the wife of the police captain in the series is a killer) with such unease.

It's kind of understandable that Tew started doing these things, building up that wall again since he's given Kan many times to tell him the truth before but Kan keeps LYING to him (oh Dr. Kan why are you like this, do you want to lose your guy?!?!?!?!?). I don't feel like they're there yet.

Likewise nonnie, I'm excited to see how things end for my guy Tew. My most anticipated arc is for Tew coming to terms with the death of his mother and for him to understand that his mom died peacefully with no regrets so he doesn't have to keep carrying the guilt of not being able to see her one last time before she passes (recommending this excellent essay from @maybe-boys-do-love on the parallels of queer/grief acceptance in smym).

Personally, I don't necessarily expect a sunshine and rainbow happy ever after for Kan and Tew (this is one31 and not gmmtv/domundi/boc, i've learned my lesson that one31 is merciless with their lead characters, going so far as to giving lead characters undeserving deaths just so audience would suffer with them, very historical cdrama-huhu ending coded) nor do I expect the narrative to whitewash Kan's assistance in Boss' suicide into something 'good' and 'ethical'.

I feel like my ramblings has completely missed the mark on your ask. But hopefully you enjoy my lengthy smym ramblings as compensation for answering this ask so late. Merry Christmas nonnie if you celebrate that (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)

here please have an unused tew gif i've made as an apology 😭

[mrsfrederickchilton]

FREDERICK. Chapter 7

You will give him what he wants.

You know that you can't overdo it, because Dr. Chilton is not as stupid as you would like to think. He may not be as successful as his inflated ego craves, but he is still a psychiatrist. You can predict a lot of his behavior, but what concerns the professional sphere is not so obvious to you. Of course, you imagine what questions he will want to ask.

But what answers will he want to receive?

Where to tell the truth and where to lie, looking him in the eye? Most likely, you will have to mix truth and lies. Improvise. Gradually strengthen the contact.

But the main thing is not to overdo it.

He needs full access to the twisted mind that promises many interesting discoveries, he needs truthful answers to any questions, he needs consent to undergo various psychological tests and simulate non-standard situations. If he can't get all this from a still uncooperative new patient, he'll try to get it from you. One way or another.

So far, everything has been good. Today was your first formal interview, and until you had to talk, it was actually good. You were taking the tests Dr. Chilton had printed out for you, sitting in his chair at his desk. He hadn't explained why you had to sit there. Maybe you were supposed to feel the importance of the meeting. Or the importance of his position. (Sitting at his desk, you really understood how important Dr. Chilton felt.) Or maybe it was just a comfortable place to fill out paperwork. He was sitting in the chair where you usually sat, watching you closely. You could feel his eyes on you all the time, even though he was pretending to check his email on his phone.

Twenty A4 pages with a bunch of similar questions. Apparently, the similarity was thought out so that it would be obvious whether you were lying or not. Because if you answer one question on the first page one way, and an almost identical one on the third page another way, then you are fibbing somewhere, my dear. For you, all this was easy, you could have ticked the right boxes in five minutes, but you pretended to think deeply about the answer each time.

When you were done, you handed Dr. Chilton the papers and you switched places. He started looking over your answers and you started looking around the office. You decided to take note of little things that might come in handy every time you came here. Eventually, you should know this office as well as you know your own room. While he was reading through the psychopathy assessment checklist and a bunch of tests — obviously designed by Dr. Chilton himself, because he studied them with particular interest — you noticed a missing horizontal strip of blinds on the window, marks on the carpet — the desk had clearly been positioned differently before, and an almost invisible scratch on the laptop.

Dr. Chilton had finally finished studying your answers, and you were eager to hear his comment.

"So," you asked, looking at him curiously, "am I a psychopath?"

He looked at you carefully, then smirked and wrote something down in his notebook.

"Yes or no?" you're a little nervous.

"The questions," Dr. Chilton said, "are my responsibility here."

Asshole.

You folded your arms over your chest, offended, but refrained from responding.

He paused, watching your reaction. He saw how tense you were. He slammed his pen into a small black organizer, pushed his laptop away, and put his feet up on the table. Again.

"Relax," he smiled, "we're in a confidential meeting."

Yeah, right.

You looked at the soles of his shoes and wondered how much longer you could hold out. And you hadn’t even started yet.

“Okay,” you said, turning slightly in your chair and throwing your dark-jeaned feet over the one next to you, hoping that the sneakers were dirty enough in the fall mud to ruin the leather upholstery.

Dr. Chilton seemed pleased.

“Shall we begin?” he asked.

“Sure,” you said. “And that was your first question. Two more.”

Dr. Chilton shook his head.

“You agreed to it. Why are you so hostile?”

“The second one,” you smiled, looking up at the dark-brown painted ceiling.

Who paints ceilings dark anyway?

Dr. Chilton reached for his laptop, opened it, and tapped on the keys. He turned the screen toward you.

"I think you need to become more serious."

You glanced at the monitor and shuddered in surprise

Him.

He was lying on the cot, reading a book. You couldn't take your eyes off him. Time stood still. The office was silent. It was silent there, in that glass compartment too. Suddenly he threw the book away and turned to face the wall.

Despair.

Dr. Chilton closed the lid of his laptop, cutting you off from your world.

He was watching him. Maybe all of them.

Dr. Chilton was teasing you, testing you, fixing your brain. All at once. He reminded you why you were here, and if you wanted to get anywhere, you really needed to be more serious. And polite. No matter how hard it was.

The image was still in your mind. And the way he threw the book away. He would never do that.

Before.

Dr. Chilton looked at you silently, not breaking the silence. There was no sound of a book falling in that room either. It is strange that he hadn't stooped to eavesdropping, you thought with distaste.

"Video surveillance for security purposes," Dr. Chilton informed you.

Whose exactly?

"So where were we?"

You lowered your eyes and answered:

"The first question."

"Right," Dr. Chilton smiled, as if you were an idiot who had finally done something right. "Let's start at the beginning. Tell me how you met."

Neither the police nor the journalistic fraternity could get this out. You wanted to keep this story to yourself forever, to keep it untouched, but now it didn’t matter what you wanted. You would hand it to Dr. Chilton on a silver platter. You couldn’t fabricate it entirely, although you were prepared for such a question. It simply didn’t fit in your head that you could have met in any other way, so you were incapable of rewriting the entire story. Besides, if Dr. Chilton recognized the lie at the first question, nothing good would come of it.

“Okay,” you answered, examining your sneakers on the chair opposite. “We met at a musical evening. That’s how we met.”

“That’s fine,” Dr. Chilton said. “But you understood my question.”

Of course.

Dr. Chilton wasn't interested in the location of your first meeting. He was interested in what happened from the moment you first laid eyes on each other until you became the accomplice of a murderer and a psychopath. What the hell was going on in her head? Why didn't he kill her? Why didn't she turn him in? Why? They all wanted to know, but none of them could figure it out.

"Yes," you said. And Dr. Chilton settled in to listen.

Next chapter (Chapter 8)

Masterlist

[longitudinalwaveme]

Fictober 2024--Aurora Borealis

Day 14: “Let’s Try This.” 

It's the Len Snart as a Green Lantern AU!

Len Snart was sitting in his rundown motel room, flipping through a newspaper, when a particular article caught his eye. It was about the Flash, the superpowered crimefighter who had recently popped up two years ago in his hometown of Central City—and who was sure to be a real pain in the neck. Evading the cops was one thing. All that took was caution and timing (although having glasses that could intercept radio bands from squad cars definitely helped). Evading a man who could run fast enough to break the sound barrier? Len was no scientific expert, but even he knew that that was probably impossible. 

Impossible unless there was a way to slow him down…and this article said that some scientist types were publishing an article on the Flash’s speed. If Len could get his hands on that article, maybe it would give him some ideas of how to evade even the city’s new so-called superhero. 

Len snorted. Superhero indeed. Superpowered cop was more like it…and where had the cops been when his old man took a beer bottle to his shoulder? Or when he’d gone after his little sister with a lit cigarette?

Lookin’ the other way, that’s where. Because his old man had been a cop too, and even though he’d been kicked off the force, he still had enough connections to get them to turn a blind eye. And like as not, the Flash would be the same way. Which meant Len was going to do everything he could to stay out of his way—especially since the Flash had been the reason he’d spent the last couple of years in the state pen. 

He’d look into getting his hands on that scientific article tomorrow. But for tonight, he was going to suffer through tonight’s Cubs game. Len reached for the remote and was about to turn on the TV when he was suddenly enveloped in a bright green light. His motel room disappeared, and suddenly found himself standing in a large empty field. Central City’s skyline was still visible in the distance, so he hadn’t been transported too far away, but that didn’t explain how he had been in his motel room one second and outside of the city the next. 

And it definitely didn’t explain the wrecked spaceship, which looked like something out of the science fiction comics that his grandfather had given him when he was a kid. So either aliens were real, or some weirdo had blown a ridiculous amount of time and money on pranking him. The only way to find out which was to go into the spaceship. 

“I must be losin’ my mind,” Len muttered as he made his way toward the crashed spaceship. For all he knew, this might be some sort of alien trap—but while he’d always been cautious, he’d never been one to avoid a situation just because it might be dangerous. If he had, he’d still be under the thumb of his old man. 

“Come in, Earthman,” a voice suddenly said. Len followed the voice to see a pink-skinned, yellow-eyed guy, dressed in some sort of green and black uniform. He was basically human in shape, but something about him told Len that this wasn’t some guy in makeup. This was a real alien—and he didn’t look so hot. 

“Who are you? What’s goin’ on here?” Len asked. 

“My name is Abin Sur. I am not of Earth, but of a far distant planet. And I am dying,” the alien said weakly.

“Uh, if you were tryin’ to call a doctor, you got the wrong guy. I don’t know the first thing about medicine. If you need help, you should probably use whatever fancy tech you used to teleport me here to teleport us to Central City General Hospital,” Len said. The hospital might not know how to treat an alien, either, but they would be a lot more likely to be able to help than some borderline-illiterate ex-con. 

“No. It is too late to help me. Besides, I must speak to you on a matter of great importance,” the alien replied. 

“You’ve gotta tell someone about somethin’ more important than your life—and you grabbed me?” Len asked. He was starting to think that this alien guy must have gotten brain damage in the crash. 

“Yes. Look at this battery, Earthman,” the alien said. He pointed to his right, where Len saw something that looked like the old-timey lantern his grandfather had owned—only glowing green. 

“Looks like some kinda…. green lantern.”  

“Yes….in your words, a green lantern. But actually it is a battery of power, given only to selected space patrolmen in the super-galactic system, to be used as a weapon against the forces of evil and injustice.” 

“So you’re some sorta space cop?” Len asked. 

“Indeed. We call ourselves the Green Lantern Corps, and it is our duty, when disaster strikes, to pass on the battery of power to another who is fearless—and honest. The battery has already selected you as one who has been made immune to fear. Come closer to me, Earthman, so that I may use my ring to scan you and measure your honesty,” the alien replied. Len actually laughed. Was this alien really trying to recruit him as a space cop? 

“Much as I hate to disappoint you, pal, I think you got the wrong guy. Maybe your battery got damaged when your spaceship crashed or somethin’, I don’t know, but I’m an ex-con. Been in and out of jail since I was eighteen. I don’t think I’m somebody the other space cops would wanna take on as a rookie,” Len said. The alien didn’t seem to care, though, as he pointed his hand at Len, and a beam shot out from the ring on his finger—a ring that was shaped to look like a lantern. Apparently the space cops liked to stay on brand. 

“Hey! If you really are dyin’, quit wastin’ your time on me and teleport the Flash here. He’s all noble and upstandin’ and crap, and he’s even got powers. He’s the guy you wanna make a space cop.” 

“By the green beam of my ring, I see that you do not put up pretenses. You are exactly as you appear to be. So you pass both tests.” Len’s theory that the alien was brain damaged was becoming more and more likely by the second. 

“Sure, I don’t make no bones about what I am—but what I am is an ex-con! A cheap crook! And you’re tryin’ to recruit a new space cop! For all you know, I’ll use the badge as a cover to rob people blind without gettin’ caught!” 

“No. You won’t,” the alien replied.

“What’s gonna stop me? You’re about to kick the bucket, ain’t you?” 

“What’s going to stop you, Leonard Snart, is you. Though you have been a criminal and an evildoer, and thus have no love lost for the law enforcement of this planet, you still despise those who cover their acts of wickedness and evil with the badge of righteousness. You would not join their number—for if you did, you would be exactly like your father.” 

“How do you—”

“When the ring scanned you to measure your honesty, it also allowed me to probe your mind and learn of your history.”

“It did what?” 

“There is still much to tell you, and only moments left! My ship was battered…in the deadly radiation bands surrounding your planet. A terrible yellow light, similar to your aurora borealis, blinded me at the controls. Then I crashed.”

“And how does any of this make me a good candidate for bein’ a space cop?” 

“Only seconds left to tell you…once you have the battery, you will have power over everything—except that which is yellow!” 

“Yellow? Like, the color? 

“The unique metal which charges the battery with its wondrous power has a yellow impurity in it. Strangely enough, if that yellow impurity is removed, the battery instantly loses its power. It is this impurity in the battery which will make you powerless over anything yellow!” 

  “So the ring will let me read minds like a creepy weirdo and teleport terrible choices for new space cops anywhere I want, but I’ll be up a creek without a paddle if someone comes at me with a banana?” 

“Now, take my ring. Let me put it on you. With this ring you will drain power from the battery, effective every twenty four hours,” the alien said as he grabbed Len’s hand. If he hadn’t obviously been on his deathbed, Len would’ve socked him in the nose, but even he wasn’t quite low enough to punch a dying guy in the face. He took the ring from his finger and slipped it onto the ring finger of Len’s right hand. 

“Seriously, you should really go find the Flash for this. Or an Earth cop. Or anybody who, you know, isn’t a criminal,” Len said. 

“The battery has chosen you, Leonard Snart. I do not pretend to understand why, or how, but it has—which means there must be some good in you.” Len snorted. 

“Sure there is. Which is why I knock over liquor stores.” The alien fixed him with a really intense stare. 

“Your grandfather was a good man, Leonard Snart. For his sake, and as my dying request, I charge you: swear to use this ring to fight for justice, and to atone for the life of crime you have led.” 

Len had always known on some level that his grandfather wouldn’t be real happy if he had been alive to learn about the line of work he had taken up, but he’d never had anyone directly confront him with it before. The guilt that stirred up, combined with the force of someone’s last request, swamped his better judgment. 

“Okay, okay. I swear.” 

“In order to charge your ring, you must touch the ring to the battery and recite the oath of the Green Lantern Corps,” the alien said. Len walked over to the battery and touched the ring to it. 

“Now, repeat after me. In brightest day—” 

“In brightest day.” 

“In darkest night—” 

“In darkest night.” 

“No evil shall escape my sight.”

“No evil shall escape my sight.”  Len wanted to ask if that “evil” included him, but decided against it. The alien was about to kick the bucket, after all.

“Let those who worship evil’s might…” 

“Let those who worship evil’s might.” 

“Beware my power—Green Lantern’s light!” 

“Beware my power—Green Lantern’s light!” The ring and the battery both glowed a bright green, and Len suddenly found himself dressed in a black-and-green costume identical to the one the alien was wearing. The appearance of the costume was followed a few seconds later by a rush of energy that wasn’t like anything Len had ever felt before. If this was the power of a Green Lantern, no wonder the oath warned people to beware of it. 

The alien slumped, as though he had used up the last of his strength. 

“Now, I have told you all. Do not fail me.” The alien’s eyes closed and his body fell still, and Len didn’t need a super-powered ring to know that he was dead. Len wondered if the guy had an alien family. Since Len had apparently been chosen to be his replacement, was he supposed to track them down and tell them about his death if he did? How was any of this supposed to work? 

“Abin Sur leaves behind a son, Amon Sur, a sister, Arin Sur, and a niece, Soranik Natu,” a robotic voice said. After a few seconds of panic, Len realized that the voice was coming from the ring—which meant that the ring could answer at least some questions. 

“Am I supposed to—” 

“No. The news of Abin Sur’s death has already reached the Guardians of the Universe, to whom all Green Lanterns report. They will send a messenger to inform his loved one of his passing.” Len sighed in relief. The last thing he wanted was to have to tell a total stranger—a total stranger from another planet, no less—-that his old man had died. 

“They gonna pick up the body, too?” 

“No. Abin Sur considered all the planets in Sector 2814 as his own, and requested that he should be buried on the planet where he died,” the ring replied. Len swore. He didn’t particularly like the idea of having to dig somebody’s grave, but even he didn’t feel right leaving the guy’s corpse to rot. Which meant he was gonna have to bury Abin Sur. 

Two hours later, Abin Sur was buried, and Len used the ring to mark his grave with a glowing green tombstone. It wasn’t much, but he wasn’t an undertaker. Hopefully his efforts would keep the space cop from rolling over in his grave, at least.

“Rest in peace, I guess,” he muttered. Then he looked down at his ring. 

“You mind takin’ me back home? Standin’ around a dead guy’s grave is startin’ to give me the creeps.”. The ring enveloped him in the green light, and after a few seconds he found himself back in his motel room. The battery had apparently come along for the ride, since it was resting next to the bed. 

“And can I have my regular clothes back? You might’ve chosen me to be a space cop, but I ain’t exactly on the clock right now.” There was another flash of green light, and Len was relieved to look down and see that his clothes were back to normal. It would’ve been kind of hard to explain to the motel owner why he was wandering around in a green-and-black leotard. 

Len yawned, and decided that he could plan out his next move in the morning. He walked over to his bed, laid down on it without even bothering to take off his clothes, and was soon fast asleep.

****************************************************************************** When Len woke up, he rolled over on his bed—only to see the power battery. He swore. So much for his hope that his encounter with the alien space cop had been a dream brought on from eating week-old takeout. 

Which meant that life as he had known it had come to a very sudden end. Len sighed wearily and looked down at the lantern-shaped ring on his finger. 

“You have some sort of space cop manual or something? ‘Cause I ain’t got the foggiest idea of what I’m supposed to do now,” Len asked. 

“As a newly recruited member of the Green Lantern Corps, your first task is to report to the Guardians of the Universe on the planet Oa,” the ring replied. 

“Wait. I have to go to another planet?” Len didn’t even like leaving Central City!

“The journey will not be arduous. I am programmed to be able to transport you to Oa instantaneously.” Len’s first instinct was to say that there was no way he was leaving Earth, but then he realized something. If he allowed the ring to take him to these Guardians of the Universe, they would realize that the ring—or maybe Abin Sur—had been damaged in the crash and chose the wrong guy. Then they would give the ring to someone who would actually make sense as a space cop—someone like the Flash—and Len could go back to his normal life.

“Then take me there.” There was a flash of green light, and Len suddenly found himself standing in front of a massive building, one that wasn’t like anything he had ever seen on Earth. He was also back in the green-and-black leotard, but he didn’t really mind wearing it for the sake of the trip that would allow him to get rid of it. 

After a few seconds of wondering if he should go inside the building or wait for the Guardians of the Universe to invite him in, he was approached by a huge creature with a face that kind of looked like a cross between a pig and a bulldog. He had to be at least eight feet tall, and Len was tensing himself for a fight when he noticed that the creature was wearing the same uniform that he was. The bulldog pig was a Green Lantern, just like Abin Sur had been. 

“Are you the new Green Lantern from Sector 2814? Abin Sur’s successor?” he asked. 

“I guess so, yeah. I…wasn’t exactly expecting to be chosen for the job,” Len replied.

“I’m Kilowog, the Green Lantern of Sector 674. I’m from the planet Bolovax Vik, and I’m here to take you to meet the Guardians of the Universe.” 

“Len. Len Snart. I’m from the planet Earth.” Kilowog’s face seemed to scrunch up.

“Your planet’s named ‘Dirt’?” Len shrugged. 

“I didn’t name the planet.” Kilowog laughed. 

“Well, it’s good to meet you—even if I am going to really miss Abin Sur. He was one of the best of us,” he said. 

“He seemed like a decent guy. Even if I’m not sure that he made the right choice for a successor,” Len replied. Kilowog nodded. 

“Every Lantern feels that way when they’re first chosen by the ring. I know I did. I thought, I’m a genetic scientist. What do I know about fighting criminals? It took me a while to get the hang of the job, but I managed—-with the help of my fellow Green Lanterns, of course. And now I’m an instructor for the rookies.” 

“Which is why you’re takin’ me to the Guardians?” 

“Exactly. So, what did you do on Earth before the ring chose you as a Green Lantern?”

“I knocked over liquor stores.” Kilowog’s mouth dropped open. 

“You’re a criminal?” 

“Look, I don’t understand it any more than you do. The best I can figure is that either Abin Sur got brain damage from the spaceship crash that did him in and didn’t realize what he was doing, or the ring itself got busted and chose the wrong guy,” Len replied. 

“Come on. The Guardians have to be informed of this right away,” Kilowog said. His cheerful demeanor from earlier was gone, and he practically dragged Len inside the building where the Guardians of the Universe were, presumably, hanging out. 

“Guardians, I think something went wrong in the selection of the new Lantern for Sector 2814,” Kilowog said as he and Len entered a large, circular room. 

“Explain yourself, Kilowog.” It took Len a few seconds to figure out where the voice was coming from, but once he did, he had to stop himself from laughing. Whatever he had expected the Guardians of the Universe to look like, it definitely hadn’t been a bunch of short blue men in robes. 

“Tell them who you are,” Kilowog snapped at Len. 

“My name’s Len Snart. I’m from the planet Earth, where Abin Sur crashed, and I think that the crash that killed him must’ve also damaged his tech or given him brain damage or something, because he chose me to be the next Green Lantern of Sector 2814.” The Guardians of the Universe looked confused. 

“And why do you and Kilowog believe that this means that a mistake was made?” 

“Because I’m an ex-con—a criminal. I’m not exactly space cop material. So either the ring is busted, and it made a mistake, or whatever injuries did in Abin Sur also caused him to misunderstand what the ring was tellin’ him,” Len replied. 

“The ring does not have the power to teleport you to Oa against your will. If you are a criminal as you say, then why did you come here with it? Why did you not simply use its power to enrich yourself?” It was a good question. Why hadn’t he just done that? 

Except for the fact that it would make him exactly like his father, of course. 

“Because my old man was a crooked cop, and I’d rather die than be anything like him. I’m not gonna stand here and pretend I’m anything other than a thug, but there’s stuff even I won’t stoop to,” Len replied. The little blue guys muttered to each other, and then one of them stepped forward, pulled out some kind of ray, and shot a beam of light at Len.

“The ring is undamaged,” he said. 

“Okay, so Abin Sur hurt his head durin’ the crash or somethin’. I don’t belong here. Send me back to Earth, and let the ring choose whoever was actually supposed to be Sector 2814’s new space cop,” Len replied. 

“You don’t seem to understand, Mr. Snart. There was no mistake. As improbable as it may seem, the ring has chosen you to be our newest Green Lantern.” 

“But–” Len and Kilowog said in unison. 

“Leonard Snart, you have served your time for your previous offenses, and you are not currently wanted for any new crimes. As such, you are in effect an ordinary citizen of your planet—and eligible to be deputized as a Green Lantern.” 

“But I’m not—” 

“If you are caught using your power illicitly, we will confiscate the ring and punish you accordingly, as we would with any other Green Lantern. But as the situation currently stands, you are the Green Lantern of Sector 2814,” the little blue alien said. 

“And I can’t, like, give the job to someone who deserves it? Someone who’d actually want to do it?” 

“Leonard Snart, when I scanned the ring, it informed me that you promised Abin Sur on his deathbed that you would take up the position of Green Lantern in order to atone for your past crimes. Are you going to renege on that promise now?” Len swore. He had promised to do the job—not just to Abin Sur, but basically to his grandfather as well. 

“I’ll always keep you safe, Lisa. I promise.” 

He had broken that promise by leaving Lisa alone with their father. 

He couldn’t break this one. 

Which meant that he, Leonard Snart, a lowdown thug who distrusted cops on the best of days, was going to become a space cop. 

How did he get himself into these situations?

“I did promise. So— I guess if you’re really sure you want me, I’ll take the job. I’ll be the Green Lantern of Sector 2814.” 

“Excellent. Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps, Leonard Snart.” 

“Don’t tell me you expect me to baby-sit an ex-convict,” Kilowog protested.

“We don’t expect you to baby-sit anyone—but we do expect you to help train our newest corpsmember,” the little blue guy replied. Kilowog groaned.

“Fine. But I’m going to be watching him like a hawk.” Then he turned to Len. 

“Follow me, poozer. It’s time for you to learn what being a Green Lantern is really all about,” he said. 

“Come again?” Len asked. 

“Kilowog is our drill sergeant, and will be responsible for teaching you how to utilize your ring,” the little blue guy explained. 

“Wait. Nobody said anything about any kind of boot camp. I can’t just up and disappear from Earth for six months or whatever! I got bills to pay,” Len protested. 

“Then you’d better learn fast. You promised Abin Sur that you were gonna become a Green Lantern, and if you wanna keep that promise, you gotta go through boot camp just like the rest of us,” Kilowog replied. He turned on his heels and started walking towards the door, and, after a few seconds, Len reluctantly trailed after him. 

“Okay, fine. I’m coming.” As much as he hated the idea of being away from Central City for any length of time, he had promised Abin Sur that he would do this space cop thing, so he was going to do the space cop thing. Besides, it wasn’t like he’d never had to put his life back together from scratch before. 

“Your first lesson is this: there’s no room for rogues in the Corps. You’re obviously not much for authority. That’s gonna change right now, or you’ll never get out of boot camp,” Kilowog said as the two of them walked out of the room and down a hallway. Len swore. This was gonna be a rough couple of weeks. 

“Oh, and if I catch you breaking a rule—any rule—I’ll bust you down to basics again. Even if you’re about to graduate.” 

“Gotcha. So, uh, if you don’t mind me asking—when do I get paid?” Kilowog laughed.

“Lanterns don’t get paid, poozer. Especially not during basic training.” Len didn’t think that that was very fair. Did the Green Lantern Corps really expect their space police to work for free? 

“How’m I supposed to support myself back on Earth if I ain’t getting paid?” Kilowog just laughed. 

“I give it a week before you wash out,” he said.

Len was going to make Kilowog eat those words. 

******************************************************************************

Len graduated from space cop boot camp in five and a half months. It wasn’t a record or anything like that—not least because Kilowog had meant it when he had told Len that he would bust him down to basics if he broke a rule—-but he hadn’t washed out, and he had actually completed his training well ahead of schedule. 

“I’ll give you this, poozer. You’ve gotta be the most persistent cadet I’ve ever trained,” Kilowog said as he handed Len what Len could only describe as a holographic diploma—which, now that he thought about it, was the first diploma he’d ever earned. 

“And you’re the biggest pain in the neck I’ve ever met—-but you’re a good teacher. Anybody who could steer me to a diploma’d have to be,” Len replied. As much as he hated to admit it, Kilowog had really grown on him over the past few months. 

It had helped that, unlike a lot of the other Lanterns, he’d been upfront about the fact that he didn’t trust Len one bit. Since Len knew that most of them didn’t really trust the ex-con in their ranks, he’d appreciated that Kilowog had the guts to be honest about it. 

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you just might have what it takes to make Abin Sur proud,” Kilowog said as the two of them shook hands. 

“Careful. You’ll make him roll over in his grave,” Len snarked. Even if he had promised to make up for his past crimes—even though he was going to do it—-he knew that he was a thug at heart. He would never be good enough to be a real hero.

Kilowog laughed. 

“Good luck out there. The first week of patrol is always a doozy,” he said.

“Thanks. See you around, Kilowog,” Len said. One of the Guardians of the Universe floated up to them. 

“Are you prepared to return to Earth, Leonard Snart?” Len had tried to convince the little blue men to just call him “Len”, but had gotten nowhere. 

“Are you kidding? I can’t wait to get back to Central City!” Len exclaimed. Lisa was probably worried sick about him by now….

“In that case, you are free to begin your first patrol, Green Lantern of Sector 2814—and may good fortune go with you.” 

There was a flash of green light, and Len was back in Central City. 

“Home, sweet home.” 

******************************************************************************

The first thing Len did after arriving on Earth, besides using his ring to change back into civilian clothes, was call his little sister on the phone. 

“Lenny?” Lisa asked. 

“Yeah, sis. It’s me,” Len replied. 

“Where have you been? No one’s heard anything from you in six months!” Lisa exclaimed. Len wasn’t quite sure what to say. 

“Sorry for not calling for so long. I was…uh…out of town on a job,” he said. Saying “I was in space cop boot camp on another planet” wasn’t something you could casually drop into a conversation. 

“Out of town? What do you mean, out of town? You never leave Central City! I thought you were dead!” 

“I’m really sorry, sis. It’s just…things came up and—-well—I had to get out of dodge for awhile.” There was a snort—the Snart snort—on the other end of the line. 

“If you’re on the run from the cops, you can just say so, Lenny. It’s not like I don’t know you’re a criminal.”

“Actually, I’m not anymore,” Len said. 

“I gathered as much, seeing as you’re calling me. I guess the heat died down?”

“No, I mean I’m not a criminal anymore.” 

“Wait. When you said you had a job, you meant that you got an actual job?”

“Yeah.” 

“What kind of job is it?” Another question Len wasn’t sure how to answer. Saying “I got hired by a bunch of little blue aliens to be a space cop” sounded crazy, and there was no way she would believe that he had been hired to be a regular cop.

On the other hand, he was going to need a second job. One that actually paid a salary. So maybe he could just make up a job and then go get hired in that position before Lisa could find out he’d lied to her. 

As an ex-con. With a felony on his record. That was never going to happen. 

Telling the truth it was, then. 

“Okay, first of all, you have to believe me when I tell you I’m not crazy.”

“Because that’s exactly what people say when they aren’t crazy,” Lisa replied. It was at this point that Len realized that he actually had a way to prove his sanity. 

“Sis, where are you?”

“I’m in my apartment. The one I stay in when I’m not on tour. Why?” There was a flash of green light, and Len materialized in his sister’s apartment. 

“Hey, sis,” he said. 

“Lenny? How—-how did you—”

“It’s kind of a long story, but the gist of it is that an alien space cop called a Green Lantern crash landed on Earth. He was fatally wounded in the crash, so he did a sweep of the surrounding area, lookin’ for people who don’t scare easy, and came up with me. Then he teleported me to him, passed on his power battery and ring to me, and told me that the ring—-it’s some sort of super-advanced tech the Green Lanterns use—had chosen me to be the next space cop of Sector 2814, which is where Earth is. It seemed totally crazy, but he was dying and really really insistent that I had to replace him, so I…kind of promised him that I would do the whole space cop thing. And then he died. I thought for sure that he’d made a mistake, so I had the ring take me to the Guardians of the Universe, these little blue guys who run the Green Lantern Corps, to tell them that they needed to find a new space cop, and I was transported to a planet called Oa.” 

“You went to another planet?” Lisa asked. 

“Yeah. It’s the one where the Guardians of the Universe live.” 

“And you’re sure you’re not crazy?” 

“Could I teleport before?” 

“Okay, fair point. So what happened after you got there?” 

“I told the Guardians that the ring had made a mistake, and they said that it hadn’t. I’ve technically served my time for all the crimes I’ve committed, and I guess that made me eligible to be chosen. But before I could be a full-fledged Green Lantern, I had to go through space cop boot camp—and that’s basically where I’ve been for the past six months. But I passed. I’ve got a diploma and everything. I’m a deputized space cop now,” Len said. He pulled out his holographic diploma, and was surprised at how proud he felt to be able to show it to his sister. 

“That’s actually really cool. I’m so proud of you, Lenny!” Lisa exclaimed.

“Thanks.” 

“Do you have a uniform? What does it look like? Can I see it?” 

“Sure, sis.” The ring glowed, and his civvies were replaced by the Green Lantern uniform.

“Wow! You look great!” Lisa exclaimed. 

“I dunno. I’m not crazy about the skintight spandex…”

“Trust me, you pull it off.” 

“If you say so.” 

“So, how much money do you make as a space cop?” Lisa asked. 

“Well, that’s the one problem with the gig. Green Lanterns get fed and sheltered on Oa, but they don’t get paid. Which means that, since I ain’t about to live full-time on another planet, I’m gonna need a second job,” Len said. Lisa grinned. 

“I know the guy who owns Central City’s ice skating rink. He’s been talking about how they need someone to run the Zamboni for months. If I recommended you, I bet he’d take you on,” she said. Len smiled.

“Well, I’ve always liked the cold. If you really think he’d hire me…that’d be great.”

And two days later, the Green Lantern of Sector 2814 was hired to be the official Zamboni driver for Central City’s biggest ice skating rink. 

*****************************************************************************

“In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil’s might beware my power—Green Lantern’s light!” The ring glowed brightly, and, now that it was fully charged, Len took off on his first official patrol. Since he had been out of the underworld loop for six months, he couldn’t exactly go chasing down specific crooks, so he was going to be limited to just sort of flying around and stopping whatever he came across, but he was definitely still  jumpy. This was his first day on the job, and he really didn’t want to make a total idiot out of himself.

And he really didn’t want to stumble across any of his former colleagues before he had some experience under his belt. Because running into them while he was still a rookie would be very awkward and might also result in him ending up very dead. 

“Guess nobody ever said this space cop thing would be easy,” he muttered to himself. 

The first hour or so of the patrol passed more or less uneventfully. Aside from some jaywalking, which wasn’t exactly the sort of evil that the power of a Green Lantern was intended to fight against, there’d been no sign of any trouble or anyone who was planning to commit a crime—and as an ex-con, Len was pretty good at spotting criminals who were trying to look casual before starting a job. 

He had been about to leave and head for a new city block when he suddenly heard a piercing scream coming from one of the apartment buildings. After using the ring to determine that the scream had come from an apartment on the third floor, he flew over to the window to see a man knock his wife to the ground. A little boy, no more than five years old, was standing nearby and sobbing. 

“Where were you today? Where were you?” the man screamed. 

“I was only at the grocery store, Ronald! I have the receipts—I can show you!” the woman pleaded. 

“Don’t lie to me! I know you were with another man! Who was it?” The little boy ran between his parents. 

“Daddy, please! Leave mommy alone!” he exclaimed. The man raised his hand, but before he could hit him, Len used the ring to open the window, and then to create an energy wall between the man and his son. 

“What the–?” the man asked. Len flew through the window and landed next to the man. 

“If you want a fight, why don’t you pick on somebody your own size?” he asked. 

“Who are you?” 

“Name’s Len. Len Snart. But to you, I’m the Green Lantern,” Len replied. 

“I don’t care if you’re the Flash. You ain’t got no right to interfere with my personal life.”

“Maybe not—but I ain’t gonna just stand by and let you knock your wife around and beat up your kid,” Len replied. 

“What I do in my own house in my own business.” 

“The man who slammed a beer bottle into my shoulder when I was twelve said the same thing. And I think you’re both full of crap,” Len said. He walked through his energy wall and extended a hand to the woman. 

“You okay?” The woman took his hand, and he pulled her to her feet. 

“I…I’m fine. You should go, really. Ronald isn’t normally…isn't normally like this. He’s just had a rough few days.” Len knew it was a lie. He remembered saying exactly the same thing to social workers as a kid.

 And he also knew that there probably wasn’t anything he could say or do to convince this woman to tell a stranger the truth. 

“All the same, I’m not gonna leave until I’m sure that you and the kid’ll be okay when I go,” he said. 

“If you don’t get outta my house, I’ll have you arrested for trespassing,” the man spat. Len laughed. 

“Go on, then. Call the cops. I’m sure they’ll be real interested to know why your wife’s got a black eye—and why you’ve got a bunch of dope and a sawed-off shotgun hidden under your couch.” Len knew from his own time as a crook that no small-timer in this situation would call the cops unless they were absolutely convinced that they were going to die. The chance of getting arrested alongside whoever was causing you the problem was way too high. 

Sure enough, Ronald didn’t call the cops. Instead, he pulled the shotgun out from underneath the couch and fired it over the energy wall—only for the bullet to be stopped by a red blur. A red blur that solidified into the Flash. 

“Somehow I doubt that you have a license for that gun,” he said. Len dropped the energy wall, and the Flash zipped over to Ronald and grabbed the shotgun out of his hands. Len took the opportunity to pin the guy to the wall with a glowing green clamp. 

“Nice work. I didn’t know there was another superhero in Central City,” the Flash said.

“I’m…uh…kinda new to the job. I only became the Green Lantern of Sector 2814 a couplea months ago, and I basically just got out of boot camp.” 

“The… Green Lantern?” the Flash echoed. 

“Yeah, a Green Lantern. A space cop. There’s one for every sector of space, and they’re run by these little blue guys who call themselves the Guardians of the Universe. Abin Sur was the last Green Lantern of this sector of the universe—2814—and since he died on Earth, he passed the ring on to me, ‘cause I ain’t afraid of much and I don’t pretend to be anything other’n what I am. Or somethin’ like that. I’m still half-convinced the stupid thing was busted when it chose me, but hey, what’re ya gonna do? Somebody has to do the job, and I did promise the guy I’d do it,” Len replied. 

“Well, it’s nice to meet you. What brought you to this apartment? I came running because I heard the shotgun blast, but you were obviously here before he pulled that out,” Flash asked. 

“I heard a scream comin’ from the buildin’, so I flew up to the window to see what was goin’ on. When I looked inside, I saw our pal over there knockin’ his wife around in front of his kid. The kid ran over to try an’ protect his mom, and I stopped the creep with an energy wall just before he could slap his son around too. He started givin’ me all the usual crap about how I should get out and mind my own business, and when I told him I wasn’t gonna just fly off and let him go back to beatin’ up women and little kids, he pulled the shotgun on me. Thanks for the save, by the way,” Len replied. The Flash looked horrified. 

“He was going to hit his own child?” Len nodded. 

“Hate to say it, but it happens all the time. My old man broke my arm when I was about that kid’s age,” he said. The Flash’s mouth dropped open. 

“My parents never hit me. I…I couldn’t even imagine.” Funny. Len could barely imagine what it was like to have parents who didn’t hit you.

“Not even when you acted up?” 

“No. Never.” 

“You’re lucky, then.” 

“Do you mind if I run this criminal to CCPD Headquarters? I can get him there faster than you probably can, but I can understand if you want to get the credit for stopping him. You did most of the work, after all,” the Flash asked. 

“I don’t mind. I figure if I keep up this space cop gig long enough, I’ll end up with more credit than I know what to do with. So go ahead and take him,” Len replied. The Flash disappeared, and then reappeared about a minute later. 

“Sorry it took so long. I had to tell the police what I’d arrested him for,” he explained. Then he turned to the woman. 

“Are you all right, miss? Is there anything I can do for you?” The woman responded by bursting into tears. 

“You’ve done enough! What are Andy and I supposed to do without Robert? He was the only one bringing in any money!” she cried. From the look on Flash’s face, it was clear that he hadn’t been expecting that reaction.

“Before you ask, that ain’t uncommon either. It’s part of why women like my mom don’t call the cops on the guys who beat ‘em up—-they ain’t got the education or the money to make ends meet as single moms,” Len said quietly. Instead, he pulled out his wallet, fished out some fifty dollar bills, and handed them to the woman. 

“Will this be enough to hold you over for awhile?” he asked. As much as he would miss his baseball tickets—and his beer—he’d be alright without the cash. And if he was going to do this whole hero thing, he might as well do it all the way. 

The woman looked up at him suspiciously. 

“What’s the catch? What do you want? I…I won’t testify against Robert. I…I can’t,” she said.

“No catch, lady. Just take care of yourself—and your kid.” The woman gave him a weak smile.

“Where do you work?” the woman asked. 

“At the big downtown ice rink. I keep the place in shape—and run the Zamboni,” he replied. 

“Then I’ll swing by once a week and bring you some of my fried chicken. Everyone says it’s the best in the neighborhood.”  Len grinned.

 “That’d be great. See you soon.” Len looked over to the Flash, who looked like he was going through his own pockets, and put his hand on his shoulder. 

“I know what you’re thinkin’, but don’t. If you give her money, it’ll embarrass her.” The Flash gave him a bit of a strange look. 

“You gave her money.” 

“I can get away with it. I’m a poor high school dropout too. She can repay me, one way or the other. But from you it’d be charity,” Len explained. The Flash nodded and stopped going through his pockets. 

“Miss, is there anything else you need?” he asked. 

“No. We’ll be fine. And—I’m sorry about yelling at you earlier. It’s just…I married Robert when I was seventeen, right after we both dropped out. He told me that he would take care of me, and that I didn’t need to work, and—and—I was just so scared of the thought of not having his support for Andy,” the woman said.

“I understand. You were worried about your son, and I definitely forgive you.” Then the Flash turned to Len. 

“If you’re okay with it, I can get the two of us back on the streets in a flash.” 

“Sure. Why not?” There was a rush of light not too different from the one Len saw when the ring teleported him, and then he and the Flash were standing outside of the apartment building. 

“You know, Green Lantern, while I don’t think that woman is any threat, I’m not sure if you should go around telling people where you work as a civilian. If that information starts circulating, criminals might get a hold of it and use it to go after you when you’re off the clock—or worse, to go after your loved ones.” Len shrugged. 

“I appreciate the concern, but seein as I ain’t married, I don’t got kids, my sister’s an ice skater who spends most of her time touring the country under a stage name, my mom’s been AWOL for years, and my old man’s on the Candy Man’s payroll, I don’t figure I’ve got too much to worry about. I can take care of myself pretty well, even without the fancy ring,” he said.  

“If Green Lantern rings are awarded on the basis of fearlessness, I can see how you earned one,” the Flash replied. 

“Don’t give me too much credit. Anybody’d be fearless after a childhood of bein’ smacked around by their father and a couple of years fightin’ off wannabe cell block kings in state prison. You survive that and there’s not much that’ll scare you anymore.” 

“Wait. You’ve been to prison?” the Flash asked. 

“Uh-huh. Did two years for robbin’ a drug store on Fifth and Main, thanks to a certain red blur,” Len replied. The Flash’s eyes widened. 

“That gang—the one with the glasses that let them intercept police radio bands! I thought those green glasses you’re wearing looked familiar!” he exclaimed. 

“You got a good memory.”

“Who are you?” Len snorted. 

“Weren’t you just goin’ on about how I shouldn’t be tellin’ people about myself?” 

“That was before I knew you were a criminal!” 

“I was a criminal—but I ain’t one now. I wasn’t lying when I said I worked at the ice rink. Or about the space cop thing, for that matter.” 

“You’ll forgive me if I’m a bit wary to trust someone I know I put behind bars, and who therefore has a good reason to hold a grudge against me.” Len sighed. Well, it wasn’t like he actually cared if anyone knew who the Green Lantern really was. 

“Name’s Len. Len Snart,” he said. 

“Leonard Snart, then. You’re twenty-five years old. Arrested six times, convicted four times. You spent three months in jail for getting caught with burglar’s tools when you were eighteen, eight months in jail for stealing a fairly cheap necklace, starting when you were nineteen, another eight months in jail for stealing a couple hundred dollars from a liquor store, starting when you were twenty-one, and then two years in prison for robbing a drug store, starting at twenty-two.” 

“And you’re either a cop, a lawyer, or a warden, because nobody else knows that much about the criminal record of some cheap thug,” Len replied. 

“How in the world did you get deputized as a police officer, in space or otherwise?” Len shrugged. 

“I have no idea. I told ‘em I was an ex-con—repeatedly, because I wasn’t originally too keen on the whole space cop idea—-but they said that since I’d served my time for the old crimes, and hadn’t committed any new ones, I could be a Green Lantern. And since I’d promised the dying Green Lantern who passed me the ring that I’d go straight and take up the job, well—I decided I had to do it. I have all the paperwork and everything if you wanna see it.” 

“So you aren’t going to try to put me six feet under for sending you to prison?” 

“Even if I was still a criminal,  I wouldn’t be tryin’ to put you six feet under for sending me to prison. No crook needs the kinda heat killin’ a cape brings down on you. It’d be like killin’ a cop—maybe even worse.” 

“A… cape?” 

“Yeah. That’s what crooks—-at least the low-level ones—call costumed heroes. Capes,” Len replied. 

“And you’re serious about turning over a new leaf?” 

“If you’d asked me if I’d ever say this a year ago, I’d have laughed in your face—but yeah. I’m turnin’ over a new leaf,” Len replied. The Flash grinned. 

“You have no idea how glad I am to hear that. It’s a nice change of pace to know a person I arrested is changing for the better instead of plotting ways to kill me.” 

“And you’re sure you don’t mind havin’ an ex-con runnin’ around playin’ super-hero in your city?” 

“It’s not my city. You live here, too. In my mind, that makes it our city—and if you really do want to help people, I’m certainly not about to stop you. Even a man as fast as I am can’t be everywhere at once.”

“Guess that makes us allies, then.” The Flash nodded. 

“It does—and, although I really hate to run off on you, I think I’d better get going. I have a date at 8:00 PM sharp, and my girlfriend will be furious if I’m late again.” 

“Then I hope you’ve got the money to buy her a nice gift, ‘cause it’s 8:25.” 

“It is?” 

“Almost 8:26. Do you not own a watch?” 

“Several, actually, but somehow it doesn’t seem to help.” Len shook his head. 

“Good luck with your girlfriend—-and hey, I guess I’ll be seein’ you around.” 

“Good-bye, Green Lantern, and stay safe. With any luck, I’ll be seeing you in the newspapers before too long,” the Flash said. Then he disappeared in, well, a flash. Len smiled. 

“Who woulda thought I’d ever work with the Flash?”

****************************************************************************

The Flash turned out to be right about the newspaper thing. Less than a week into his career as Green Lantern, Len stopped a crowded bus from crashing into a restaurant when its brakes went out, and suddenly his face was all over the newspapers—-and the TV channels, too. 

“Lenny, you’re famous!” Lisa exclaimed over the phone. She was in New York City with her ice skating company and had seen the reports about the rescue on the news. 

“I…uh…kinda noticed,” Len replied. 

“Everyone’s talking about Central City’s new superhero, even here in New York. And I swear, half of the people who skate for Futura want to know if I can get them your autograph,” Lisa said. 

“They ain’t the only ones. It’s getting a little overwhelming to go out in costume during the day, what with all the fans and all.” Lisa gave the Snart snort. 

“Welcome to the limelight.” 

“You got any tips for dealing with this sorta stuff?” 

“Of course. You’ve come to the right place, big brother.” 

****************************************************************************

After a year and a half of being the Green Lantern, Len fought one of the Flash’s supervillains for the first time. While Len fought crime in Central City whenever he was on Earth, since he was the Green Lantern of all of Sector 2814, he had to be off in space a lot to fight off alien invasions and to help stop crime and natural disasters on the other planets in his sector. Because of this, the costumed criminals—who had started showing up within a few months of his debut as Green Lantern—spent most of their time fighting the Flash. 

He was patrolling Morrow Street, waiting for the weekly drug-related shootout to start, when the window of a nearby grocery store suddenly warped and twisted, and a man carrying a pretty good-sized bag of loot, and wearing an orange-and-green costume, stepped out of it. As he looked at the guy—the Mirror Master, if he was remembering right—Len found himself revising his opinion of his Green Lantern uniform. He still thought the spandex looked stupid, but at least it wasn’t orange and green.

Len used his ring to create a giant green claw, and used it to grab the bag of loot from the Mirror Master, who let out a cry of surprise. 

“Green Lantern?” 

“That’s right. And from what the Flash has told me, you must be the Mirror Master.” The Mirror Master smirked. 

“The one and only.” Len tried to remember the supervillain’s civilian name, but couldn’t come up with anything. Whoever he was, though, he was very cocky—cockier than Len had ever been as a crook. 

“How long you been out of prison?” 

“A few weeks. State prison’s a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there. So I arranged an early parole for myself. How long have you been back in Central City? Last I heard, you were in space,” the Mirror Master replied. 

“I got homesick, so after I stopped a flood on Agraria 7, I made my way back to Earth. I’ve been here for a couple days now,” Len said. 

“And you’re wasting your vacation on stopping me?” Mirror Master asked. 

“You surrender quietly, and that’ll open up a lot of free time for both of us,” Len replied. The Mirror Master laughed. 

“I appreciate the offer, but I’m afraid I’ll have to decline. I don’t want the kind of free time I’ll end up with if I surrender,” he said. He pulled out a strange-looking prism, and, when Len fired a beam at it in the hopes of knocking it out of his hands, the prism didn’t just reflect the beam back—it split the beam into a rainbow of seven differently-colored light beams, all of which shot in Len’s direction. Len automatically threw up a shield, and realized a second too late that the yellow beam wouldn’t be blocked by the shield. This beam hit him square in the chest and sent him hurtling towards the ground. He managed to save himself from colliding with the ground by quickly creating a giant pile of green blankets, but the impact was still enough to knock the wind out of him—and to send the Mirror Master’s bag of loot flying out of his hands.

“My prism shield works even better against your Green Lantern beam than I predicted it would!” the Mirror Master exclaimed. As Len struggled to regain his breath and get back on his feet, Mirror Master pulled out another device, and suddenly there were dozens of Mirror Masters.

“As much as I’d love to stick around and engage you in a battle of light manipulation, I have places to go and jewelry to fence. So…catch me if you can!” All of the Mirror Masters started moving at once. Len blasted several to pieces, then realized that he was being stupid. If he wanted to catch the Mirror Master, all he had to do was command the ring to find the real one. 

“Mind findin’ the actual human in all those reflections?” he asked. A few seconds later, a green light appeared over one of the Mirror Masters. He was one of many who seemed to be carrying the bag of loot. He didn’t want to take any more chances with the prism shield, so instead, he grabbed the Mirror Master from behind with a giant green hand. The Mirror Master reached for what was probably another weapon he had hidden on his costume, but before he could get to it, Len ordered the ring to create a pair of green handcuffs around his wrists. Then, just to be on the safe side, he also ordered the ring to remove any hidden weapons from the costume. A few seconds later, an improbable number of mirrors, prisms, and ray guns were floating in the air, suspended in green bubbles. How in the world did the Mirror Master manage to fit that much stuff in such a skintight costume? 

Len then used the ring to lower the Mirror Master, his loot, and all of the confiscated weapons back to the ground. As soon as his feet touched the ground, the giant hand vanished, but the handcuffs remained, and the weapons continued to float in their green bubbles. 

“How’s that for light manipulation?” he asked as he started floating the weapons down to the ground. 

“Don’t break any of the mirrors! Don’t you know that’ll bring seven years’ bad luck?” the Mirror Master shrieked as one of the mirrors hit the ground. Len snorted. 

“It must really suck for somebody who fights using mirrors to be superstitious about breakin’ ‘em,” he said. The Mirror Master continued to struggle against the cuffs—and then, all of a sudden, his costume gave off such a bright light that even Len, with his goggles that were designed to filter out excess light, was nearly blinded. 

The costume was gimmicked—which meant that he needed to get it off of the Mirror Master before he got away. There was a flare of green light, and then Len could see again. Although since the first thing he saw was the Mirror Master wearing nothing but a gray undershirt, blue socks, and yellow polka-dotted underwear (seriously?), he wasn’t totally sure that was actually a good thing. 

“What did you do? Where’s my costume?” the Mirror Master screamed. 

“You were blinding me with it, so I told the ring to get it off of you. Believe me, I’m regretting it as much as you are. Who wears polka-dotted underwear?” 

“It was on sale!” As the initial shock of seeing the Mirror Master in nothing but his underclothes wore off, Len started to focus on the younger man’s features, which he could now see a lot more clearly. Perfectly styled brown hair, big brown eyes, ski-jump nose—-wait. He’d seen this face before, and not just on wanted posters. 

“And give me my costume back! You can’t drag me to CCPD Headquarters in my underclothes at two in the afternoon. I’d never be able to live that down.” 

“Sam? Sam Scudder?”

“Of course I’m Sam Scudder! It’s not like my identity’s a secret. Now give me my costume back!” 

The Mirror Master’s identity might not have been a secret, but it was news to Len. Apparently, while he’d been off in space, the pretty boy he’d had to save from getting shivved when they were in prison together had become a supervillain. 

“Do you remember a guy named Len Snart, by any chance?” he asked. Sam looked at him with obvious confusion. 

“Yeah, I remember him. He was in prison with me while I was serving my sentence for robbery, and he saved my life while he was there. If he ever shows up again, I owe him a favor—but why do you care about that?” 

  Len let the glasses vanish from his face. He was sure the Flash would probably blow a blood vessel in his brain if he saw him doing this, but hey—it wasn’t like his identity was a secret, either. 

“Because you’ve found him. It’s been a long time, Sam,” he said awkwardly. After a full thirty seconds of staring in open-mouthed shock, Sam finally found his voice. 

“The Green Lantern is an ex-con? An ex-con that I know?” 

“Uh, yeah.” 

“How did a convicted felon end up as part of the space police?” Sam asked. 

“I get asked that a lot. And I still have no idea,” Len replied. There was an awkward pause. 

“So, what’s it like working on the other side of the fence?”

“A lot more rewarding than I thought it’d be.” It was true. Even though he had promised to become a good guy, Len had initially assumed that it wouldn’t be very much fun. He had been wrong. Sure, there were still days—a lot of days, really—where he missed the rush of living by his wits, outwitting the cops, and taking whatever he felt like, but that rush paled in comparison to how good it felt to know that what he was doing was saving lives. To know that his sister could finally be proud of her big brother, and that his grandfather would be happy to see how he had turned out. 

“Rewarding?” Sam echoed. 

“Yeah. You probably won’t listen to me, because I wouldn’t have before I got a wake-up call in the form of a literal crashing spaceship, but—turnin’ over a new leaf and goin’ straight’s the best thing you can do for yourself—not to mention for everyone around you,” Len replied. A dark look spread across Sam’s face. 

“You want me to do what you did? Give up crime and become some sort of superhero?” he asked. 

“Why not? If I can do it, somebody with a brain like yours would have no problem.” Sam shook his head. 

“Because I know what being a superhero gets you in the end. It gets you killed.” 

“Is that a threat?” Len asked. 

“From me? No. Never. I owe you my life—and I’m not one for killing anyhow. It would take the glamor out of being the Mirror Master.” 

“Then why’d you say it?”

“As a warning.” 

“You got a funny way of warning people, Sam.”  The Mirror Master cocked his head and seemed to ponder something. 

“This isn’t working. So let’s try this. Since you’re determined to hear what I said as a threat, take it as a threat from the rest of the underworld. There are plenty of them who don’t have the standards that I have. If you keep interfering with them, eventually one of them will kill you. Growing up under the Candy Man’s thumb taught me that.” 

“I ain’t afraid of the Candy Man,” Len replied. 

“I know. You aren’t afraid of anything, if what I understand about the Green Lantern ring is true. But you should be. I don’t want to watch anyone else I know get killed playing hero.” 

“I’ll be careful. I always am. Now, let’s get you to CCPD before—” 

“Green Lantern! Green Lantern! How did you capture the Mirror Master?” 

“Before the paparazzi shows up,” Len muttered. As the cameras flashed, Sam’s cheeks went bright red, and he darted behind Len. The Mirror Master was still going to be on the front page of the newspaper in his underclothes tomorrow, but Len couldn’t really blame him for wanting to hide. 

“So, you know how I said I wasn’t going to kill you?” Sam hissed. 

“Yeah,” Len replied. 

“I meant it. But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to make things very difficult for you if we ever fight again.” 

“Hey, don’t blame me for this. If you had surrendered quietly when I asked, this wouldn’t have happened.” Sam gave out a sad little whine. 

“I’m going to be the laughingstock of the underworld…” 

*****************************************************************************

Len had thought he had done a good job at keeping in touch with Lisa. Over the seven years he had been the Green Lantern, he’d visited her every time they were both in Central City, attended at least four of her shows every year, and talked to her on the phone at least once a month. 

“I don’t care if he’s your partner, Lenny! I want the Flash to suffer—the way I suffered when he killed my boyfriend!” 

Len was starting to get the feeling that he hadn’t done quite as good a job of keeping in touch as he had thought. 

“You have a boyfriend? You never mentioned him before.” 

“I couldn’t tell you, because I knew you wouldn’t approve.” Len sighed. 

“Lisa, I’m an ex-con. Who exactly were you dating that I would have had a leg to stand on in terms of disapprovin’ of him?” 

“Roscoe Dillon—but you probably know him better as the Top,” Lisa said. Len’s mouth dropped open. 

“As in the supervillain who died of a brain aneurysm a few weeks ago? That Top?” Lisa nodded. Well, that explained why Lisa had thought he would disapprove. Even aside from being a supervillain, the Top had been a stuck-up snob—one who was freakishly obsessed with tops. Of all the Flash’s supervillains, he was one of the last ones Len would have wanted his sister to date. 

“Yes. Flash’s vibrations induced Roscoe’s aneurysm the last time they fought. He killed my boyfriend—and I’m going to make him pay!” Lisa shrieked. 

“Lisa, it was an accident. You know it was an accident. Nobody could’ve ever guessed that—” 

“What I know is that my Roscoe is dead because of him!” 

“It was an accident! If I had killed somebody accidentally, would you want their girlfriend to kill me?” Len asked. Lisa’s eyes narrowed. 

“Lenny, I didn’t come here for you to talk me out of this. I’m here to warn you to stay out of my way,” she said. 

“I can’t do that, Lisa.” 

“What do you mean, you can’t do that?”

“The Flash is my friend, and he’s a good man. I understand you’re upset about your boyfriend, but—I can’t let you kill him because he accidentally caused a supervillain to die.” Lisa burst into tears.

“Lenny, you don’t understand! I need this! I need to make him pay! Revenge is all I have left, now that Roscoe’s dead and you’re gone all the time!” Len swallowed hard. 

“Lisa, please. If you attack the Flash, I’ll have to arrest you. I don’t want to have to do that. I don’t wanna send my little sister to prison,” Lisa’s eyes went wide with shock.

“You’d side with the Flash over your own sister?”

“If it means keepin’ my friend alive? And keepin’ you from becomin’ a murderer? I have to,” he replied. 

“You promised you would always protect me! Are you going to break that promise again?” The words twisted like a knife in Len’s gut. 

“I promised I would protect you, and I will. I’ll never leave you alone again. But that don’t mean I’ll stand by and let you kill an innocent man!” 

“So that’s how it is, is it? You’re going to choose your cop friend over me?” Lisa demanded. 

“No, Lisa. But I’m not gonna choose you over him either.” The look of icy hatred in Lisa’s eyes sent a shiver down Len’s spine. 

“You’re just like our father. So I’ll tell you what I told him the last time I saw him. If I ever see you again, I’ll kill you.” 

As Lisa turned on her heel and walked away, Sam’s voice echoed in Len’s mind. 

“Since you’re determined to hear what I said as a threat, take it as a threat from the rest of the underworld. There are plenty of them who don’t have the standards that I have. If you keep interfering with them, eventually one of them will kill you.” 

Len hadn’t been afraid of that prospect at the time. But back then, he had never thought that his sister would be one of the crooks trying to kill him.

He was more than scared now. He was terrified. 

******************************************************************************

Lisa was a Snart. When she attacked the Flash, Len had shown up to stop her—and she had kept her word. She tried to kill him, and, even though she hadn’t succeeded, she’d killed a part of him all the same when she’d forced him to fight against the little sister he’d only ever wanted to protect. 

It wasn’t quite enough to make him wish he’d never taken up the superhero gig, not with all the good he’d done, but it was still awful. His little sister was in prison, and she wanted him dead. How was he supposed to move on from that? 

Suddenly, one of the mirrors in his apartment warped and twisted, and the Mirror Master stepped out. 

“If you’ve changed your mind about killing me, go ahead. You’ll never have a better chance than now,” Len said weakly.

“I’m not going to kill you. You’re a pain in the neck, and your constant attempts to get me to reform and put myself in the line of fire are really getting old—but I still owe you my life. And for what it’s worth, I’m really sorry about what happened with your sister. You didn’t deserve that,” Sam said. 

“Why’re you here, Sam?” 

“I’m here to tell you that I’m going to try to keep an eye on your sister and make sure she doesn’t get into too much trouble–either while she’s in prison or when she escapes. Because you know she’s going to. She’s a Snart, just like you.” 

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. She tried to kill me when I got in her way, and I’m her brother. I don’t think she’d even pause before killin’ you.”

  “Who said anything about getting in her way? I’m no hero, and I’m not about to try to stop her. I’m just going to tip you off if she needs help—or, more likely, if she’s coming after you and you need to be on guard,” Sam replied. 

“Well—thanks, then. But this don’t mean I’m gonna just let you go the next time I catch you stealin’ somethin’,” Len said. Sam laughed.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way. Without you and the Flash, life would be far too easy—which is why I’m not actually here.” Sam suddenly shattered into a million pieces on Len’s floor. Len swore. 

Another mirror duplicate. 

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door, and Len went over and opened it. The Flash was standing on the other side, holding a gallon of Len’s favorite chocolate crunch ice cream. 

“I…I understand if you don’t want company right now, but I wanted to check in on you just in case you did. And bring you that ice cream you like,” he said. 

“Come on in. I could probably use the company—and I could definitely use your speed to help me clean up the mess my last guest left me with,” Len replied. The Flash glanced over to the pile of glass that had been the Mirror Master duplicate. 

“I take it the Mirror Master dropped by?” he asked.

“The guy can make holographic images that vanish without leavin’ a trace. Why does he always insist on sendin’ mirror duplicates that break into pieces when he wants to talk to me without gettin’ caught?” Len replied. The Flash promptly zipped over to the pile of glass, and after only a few seconds, all the glass was stored in some plastic bags and the bags were in Len’s trash can. 

“Thanks.” 

“It was nothing. Where should I put the ice cream?”

“The mini fridge is—” There was a red blur, and Len just barely saw the fridge door open and close. 

“You ever thought about hirin’ yourself out as a pizza delivery guy? You’d make a mint.” 

“If I ever lose my job as a police scientist, I’ll keep that in mind,” the Flash replied. Then he actually pulled off his mask, to reveal a blonde man with bright blue eyes. He was a lot better-looking than Len had ever been, and if he hadn’t known how desperate the Flash was to keep his identity a secret, he would’ve wondered why the guy even bothered to wear the mask. 

“My name’s Barry Allen, and I work for the CCPD’s forensics lab.” 

“You’re giving up your secret identity? Why now?” Len asked.

“Because you just risked your life to protect me from your own sister. If that wasn’t enough to earn my complete trust, I don’t know what else would be.” Len was suddenly struck by a horrible revelation. 

“Wait a minute. If you’re Barry Allen, then when Lisa was goin’ after Iris West-Allen, she was goin’ after your wife,” Len said. Barry nodded. 

“I’m afraid so. Len—I’m so sorry.” 

“You’re sorry? What are you sorry for? I’m the one who should be apologizin’! My sister was tryin’ to murder you and your missus!” 

“She tried to kill you, too. I know how much you love your sister—-and I can’t even imagine what it would be like to have my own sister try to kill me,” Barry replied. 

And suddenly the dam broke, and Len found himself crying for the first time in decades. 

When the tears finally ran out, he looked up at Barry wearily. 

“The funny thing is, the worst part wasn’t her tryin’ to kill me. It was when she looked me in the eye and told me that I was just like our old man. You…you know what he was like. That’s how much my sister hates me,” he said.

“You know, Len, if you wanted to stop operating as a superhero in Central City, I wouldn’t blame you. I can’t ask you to risk getting killed by your own sister.” For a second, Len seriously considered it. 

But then he thought about the people he’d saved, and the friends he’d made, and decided against it. As much as he loved his sister, and as much as he hated the idea of having to fight her again, he couldn’t leave Central City in the lurch. 

“You ain’t gettin’ rid of me that easily. Central City’s my home as much as it is yours, and I ain’t gonna abandon it just ‘cause things got tough for me.” 

**************************************************************************

Len had been Green Lantern for ten years when the Flash—Barry Allen— died saving the universe. 

The mantle didn’t sit vacant long. Barry Allen’s sidekick, Wally West, took up the job. He was still just a kid—barely twenty—and, though he’d had a good amount of experience as Kid Flash, that wasn’t quite the same thing as being the Flash in his own right. 

Which was why Len had to spend a lot of time giving the kid pointers—pointers which he more often than not ignored, and then fell flat on his face. 

If a thuggish ex-con like him had managed to become the Green Lantern, he had no doubt that the kid would be able to make his mentor proud one day—but sometimes that day seemed really far off. 

After an exhausting few hours of trying to referee a fight that had broken out between the kid and his current girlfriend, a police officer named Julie Jackam, Len was sitting at home and eating his chocolate crunch ice cream when there was a knock on his door. He took the ice cream with him as he opened the door–and nearly dropped it when he saw his sister on the other side. 

“Hi, Lenny. It’s been a long time,” she said. She looked older and wearier than he remembered her looking, but since she had spent the last three years in and out of prison and on increasingly-crazy revenge attempts, that probably wasn’t too surprising. He knew from personal experience—-a decade ago or not, some memories stuck with you—how exhausting being a crook could be. 

“Lisa?” he asked.

“I think this is the part where you close the door in my face. I tried to kill you, Lenny.” 

“Why are you here, sis?” Len asked. Lisa sighed. 

“I’ve spent the past three years trying to make the Flash suffer for hurting me. And now he’s dead, and I’ve got nothing to show for it. I’ve thrown away my skating career and my clean record, and I’ve burned every bridge I ever had—-and Roscoe’s still dead. I…I don’t know where to go from here, and, well—you’re the only person I know who might be able to tell me what to do next. Not that I expect you to after I tried to kill you,” she said. Len gave her a small smile. He didn’t know if he’d ever be able to trust Lisa the way that he once had—it was really hard to go back to baseline after someone tried to kill you—but Lisa was still his little sister, and he was very glad to have her back. 

“Lisa, I promised I’d always look after you. And I’m gonna keep that promise.” 

“You shouldn’t. Lenny—I was horrible to you.” 

“Can’t argue with that. But I ain’t got a lot of room to throw stones when it comes to bein’ a criminal,” Len replied. 

“You never did anything like what I did.” 

“I never had someone I love die like you did, either. If you’d died while I was still a crook, I hate to think what I might’ve done.”

“This was a bad idea. I should go.” Lisa turned to leave, and Len used his ring to make a green stop sign appear in front of her.

“We’ve already lost each other twice, sis. Once because I made a bad call, and once because you did. I don’t want us to lose each other again,” he said. Lisa spun back around. 

“You can’t save everybody, Lenny.”

“I know. But I’d be a pretty lousy superhero if I didn’t try to save my own sister. Want some ice cream?” Lisa gave him a small smile. 

“Is it chocolate chunk?” 

“It’s always chocolate chunk.” 

The two of them were sitting together on Len’s couch, eating the last of the ice cream, when Wally suddenly came flying into the room through the door Len had forgotten to close. And for some reason, he was in nothing but his boxers. 

“How did Uncle Barry do this?” he asked. 

“Is that the new Flash? He’s kind of cute,” Lisa said.  Wally’s face went as red as his hair. 

“Who’s she?” he asked. 

“I’m Green Lantern’s crazy sister. My name’s Lisa Snart, but you probably know me as the Golden Glider,” Lisa said. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. 

“Wow. You’re even more gorgeous up close,” Wally said. Len groaned. The last thing he needed was for Wally to decide to strike up a romance with his sister. That would only end horribly for both of them—not to mention Julie Jackam. 

“Kid, focus! Why the heck are you runnin’ around in your boxers and nothin’ else?” Wally sighed. 

“It’s Dr. Alchemy! He’s back!” “Which one? Dr. Albert Desmond and Mr. Element, or the creepy gremlin?” 

“The gremlin. He transmuted my costume into oxygen in front of everybody, and now  the whole city thinks I’m a total idiot!” 

“In that case, kid, maybe you should—” 

And Wally was gone. 

“This must be some sort of cosmic payback for the headaches I used to give Kilowog,” Len muttered. 

Still, he wasn’t surprised when Wally found a way to triumph over Dr. Alchemy a few hours later. 

“Kid’s got the makings of a great hero in him. He just needs to slow down and learn how to control that temper of his.” Lisa smiled. 

“Well, if anyone would know what it takes to make a great hero, it would be you, Lenny.”

[seneitut]

Seasons

[Autumn] [Winter] [Spring] [Summer]

[Yoru/Reader] [Gekko/Reader]

Words: 1.5K

Tags: Sadness, cheating, hurt/no comfort (Only first part...maybe), breaking-up, self-hate, poor self-esteem, background ships.

Autumn

[Youth - Daughter]

When the first leaves of autumn lose all their lively greenish color and are set to disguise themselves to a reddish hue, as if touched by fire or the early dawn of a morning enveloping them in a warm tone, is when you realize that your lover has been unfaithful to you.

It was painful, to say the least, that it almost felt like a joke. 

That something so precious will never belong to you anymore and despair is the only answer for dealing with the loss.

Because not even bidding your last words of affection to someone who didn't want to hear from you, nor have you in his sights anymore, was enough to fill that empty void eating you from the inside.

It was hard to navigate through these unknown waters being as inexperienced as you were when it comes to love— confused and hurt when neglected, fulfilled when he spared you a moment of his day.

And to acknowledge he doesn’t want you after you confronted him, as if it was your fault instead of his that led him to take these actions that pained you, it was devastating and unavoidable. Eating every spiteful word of his when you approached for the last time to figure things out and ask why? Why did he do it?

I don’t have to explain things, he had said. He pitied you, but not even then did he consider answering your pleading question, because he believed he didn't owe you the bare minimum as an explanation.

Letting him go would be the most reasonable decision to take, but the idea of begging him to stay was stronger than your sadness, willing yourself to be humiliated if that meant he wasn't going to leave and might give you a chance to meddle in his decision of abandonment—and if it weren't for Jett, the one who figured your intentions and knocked some sense into your head, you might have done it with no regrets.

Completely furious and blinded by rage, she snapped at you with no regards to your fragile emotions, questioning your judgment throughout the break-up and challenging you whether you were able to take care of yourself or not, whether you were thinking with your head or were you just stupid for going after a boy who never deserved you.

It all came from a good place. 

Within her heart, Jett cares so much about your well-being that seeing you kneel in front of her— asking if you were a little more loving to him, if only you could've pleased him more, or maybe be able to be in his league, would he have stayed by your side and not search for whatever you were lacking in someone else—your broken expression set something ugly and dark in her heart that Jett couldn't help but burst it all on you.

“Why can't you see your worth?!” She screamed, shaking you by your shoulders. “Has he plummeted your self-esteem to the depths so badly that this is your conclusion? Are you stupid?!”

Misdirected anger, since Jett wanted to murder him for making you go through this, not hurt you further with her words.

For when she realized what she had said, an apology flew from her mouth, avoiding your sad eyes and crumbling form in front of her, before leaving to chastise herself for being too absorbed in her negative emotion instead of helping you out with this situation. 

Although you wished she had stayed, you understood Jett might have not been in her best moment to support you.

This was not about you two, after all, and a chat might take place in the future to fix things between friends, but for now, you both needed to cool off.

Just thinking about how Jett would have reacted if she were the one to witness what you did gives you the chills. 

But Phoenix was there when you found out.

He was on a walk when you encountered him by chance. And eager as ever, the man offered his company on this warm day out while you chatted softly about nothing in particular.

You've always liked his energy and character: playful, kind, and a teaser to the core. Is no wonder Jett and him get along so well, despite the many flirtatious words directed at each other, their dynamic is something you have always been envious of, if not a little greedy to have it for yourself.

Perhaps you will have it in the future, who knows? There is always faith that your relationship might go another route and things might change for the better and just like you always dreamed of.

It was a naive thought, you think from back then, sharing this tidbit of information with Phoenix. 

He was always encouraging of your relationship, despite having his doubts about his friend being capable of love. But Phoenix never let those thoughts known because he knew how smitten you were, unable to break that bubble of yours and hopeful for an improvement from his friend's part.

Until you both saw him.

Between the yards and yards of space, trees surrounding every corner and the ray of sunlight filtering through gaps in the foliage; who could've thought this is where you would meet your demise—

as if watching it through a sepia film the moment that shattered you completely.

Is not like there was a kiss or anything of the sort, although you think if you were a little more late, something else might have happened.

But the scene in front of you was enough of a telltale— the way he orbited around that woman, smiling and teasing, was not something you would see often on him when it comes to you. 

In his hand was a single yellow flower, from the distance you couldn't make out what kind it was, but the intention was clear. 

He leaned in, tucking the object with tenderness in her ear, and caressing her cheek with the soft touch of his fingertips and angling her face closer to his.

The woman huffs in amusement, taking his hand between hers and kissing the open palm with affection before leaning her head on his hand. 

There were no words needed to understand what was going on there nor critical thinking to guess that he holds a deep affection towards the woman just like she does to him. The resemblance to what a perfect couple would look like shatters you into a million pieces—, their colors melting together in a harmonious painting you couldn't help the burning jealousy burning you from the inside.

Phoenix was the one who shouted in disbelief, throwing an arm in front of you, as if to shield you from whatever was unfolding in front of your eyes, and made intentions to confront him now that he has been caught.

Nauseous and anxiousness were eating you alive, worsening when the couple turned around, startled, and both took distance from each other in guilt when they realized they were being watched.

You wonder: if he were to explain that you misread the situation, would you have believed him? God, you would have let this go the instant he tells you to forget it because that's how much trust and blind love you have for him.

But the avoidance from both of them, not even looking you in the eyes nor explaining themselves was enough to overwhelm you with sadness.

By then you couldn't hold back the tears and turned around to escape from the scene, having Phoenix run after you in a wild chase to make sure you were okay.

It's sad to say you bonded deeply with Phoenix when the break-up happened; but you were grateful for his presence when you needed it the most.

He was the one to hold you tightly and help the tears flow endlessly like a broken dam, flooding your room with painful sobs and staggering hiccups while his hands caressed your hair and gave you gentle squeezes on the shoulder to ground you with him.

Phoenix has experienced this kind of situation before, knows how hurt you must feel and how hard it is to see your lover with someone who you considered a friend before— now the labels are all twisted because, what should one act like from now on?

“He will face consequences if you want.” Phoenix whispered. His hugs were warm and soothing, expected from someone who carries a flame within them and is a spark of joy in anyone's life.

Although, right now, his fire wants to burn the sole person who dared to betray your trust like this.

“I don't want to talk about this anymore.” was your reply. And while Phoenix understood where you were coming from, he didn't agree wholeheartedly with the decision, but decided to honor your wishes.

Because despite everything, there is still the same affection and undying love you had since day one for him. 

Despite everything, you still held love for Kiritani Ryo.

[austinslounge]

Ok I'm a little late and as you post my message, concrete evidence may come out regarding Austin/Madelyn, but still I wanted to express my opinion on what the current situation is as I'm writing this. First of all, I want to clarify, since many tend to misunderstand, that what bothers us is not the fact that Austin is dating another woman and that this particular woman is Madelyn, which I agree would be a big step up from Kaia (even if it doesn't take much lol). What's annoying is how easily these rumors about Austin with Emily/Kendall/Madelyn are published and taken as true by most people without a shred of evidence (damn the day Deuxmoi was created). This last one in particular makes no sense. Ok that anonymous person says he/she saw Madelyn and Austin together, and then...I mean publishing something like that I already think is disrespectful, but at this point let's be 100% disrespectful, so that people take what you say seriously, so maybe try to take a photo and write where you saw them, since you're anonymous, you don't run the risk of those directly involved reporting you. With that type of message the only thing I can think of is that 1) you didn't take a photo because you had nothing to photograph, and 2) you didn't want them to publish the location for fear that someone who was actually there would prove you wrong or that one of the two actors would be seen somewhere else entirely at the same time. Finally, I find it very strange that, just the other day on another blog, someone wrote that the only way to get Kaia to stop using Austin's name is for Austin to immediately be seen with another woman. For me it is not a simple coincidence that this blind item came out shortly after, with a woman apparently to whom Austin was already being shipped by some, as I understand. I wouldn't want us Austin fans to become like those we've been trying to fight for a long time, i.e. crazy shippers who send Deuxmoi anything to give credence to their fantasies, that would be very sad and disappointing on our part. Having said that, I apologize for the long rant, and as I said, in the meantime clear evidence could emerge, but I really needed to express this thought of mine.

First of all, I want to clarify, since many tend to misunderstand, that what bothers us is not the fact that Austin is dating another woman and that this particular woman is Madelyn, which I agree would be a big step up from Kaia (even if it doesn't take much lol). What's annoying is how easily these rumors about Austin with Emily/Kendall/Madelyn are published and taken as true by most people without a shred of evidence (damn the day Deuxmoi was created).

A million times, yes! You understand why some of us fans are annoyed.

Also, another thing that I'm upset about when it comes to DeuxMoi is that she loves to drum up speculation and drama when it comes to Austin, by posting every single little thing that comes into her inbox (whether it sounds true or not). Come on, the Austin/Oscar losing out to Brendan blind item? Like seriously, that thing read like a fanfic. 🤨

But yet, she'll be veeerry tight-lipped when it comes to her favorite Nepobaby friend and her new man. 🙄 She'll make sure to check, double-check, and ensure that there are actual pictures and receipts posted along with stories before posting anything when it comes to her, but when it comes to Austin, she'll post anything from every Sue, Jen, and Mary that comes into her inbox. 😒

With that type of message the only thing I can think of is that 1) you didn't take a photo because you had nothing to photograph, and 2) you didn't want them to publish the location for fear that someone who was actually there would prove you wrong or that one of the two actors would be seen somewhere else entirely at the same time.

[thenotsoholyspirit]

Holding (Pt 4/5)

Matt Murdock x reader (angst)

(Here for part 1, 2 , 3)

AU: Hey, I know it's been a while since I've posted on this series but writers block has been a real deal for me these past days. Although, I still have a lot of ideas and a whole other series to end so stay tuned 💙 (and yes that includes the Foggy fic :3)

Summary: A conversation in the roof may offer a change in the situation. After all, sometimes all you need is faith.

I've never been quite the best catholic. 

From making a fuss in my baptism, to refuse ever to marry, I was quite the shame in a family of faithful believers. 

“Sometimes you have to believe without seeing” 

I always hated that idea, blind faith. And yet in spite of everything I still accompanied my mother every Sunday to our city's chapel. Soon after I moved out, that routine was still ingrained in me, and despite not having a logical answer to it, I kept going to mass. 

That’s how I met him. The one that would soon become both my salvation and my perdition. The one I was risking it all for in spite of everything. 

“He can’t be that far, please he can’t be that far

As the day progresses, I feel a sense of desperation crawl on me, noticing how the streets get busier and I haven't yet found any clue to His whereabouts.

Not a sight of him close to his old apartment or even old hangout spots.

He had indeed erased every trace he could have left

As I feel the day progress, I sigh. Maybe these extreme circumstances also required extreme decisions. I decide to head down to the Presidential Hotel.

————-——

When I arrive, I immediately notice the multitude of police cars and security guards surrounding the building. It couldn’t be more obvious that someone important was brought to this place

Sneaking up, I try to see if there’s any entry, but it’s obviously closed up to the public.

“Well I may need to broaden my definition of entry then”

As my attention catches  some fire escape stairs attached to a building not far behind, I can’t help but let out a small grin. After spending so much time with him, knowing Matt’s way of thinking had become almost a second nature.

It was probably too early, as I will surely need to wait for him hidden on some rooftop, but to simply think about the vertigo was enough to make my stomach turn.

“C'mon (y/n) remember just have faith.”

I start then to awkwardly climb up the ladder making sure not to startle the whole neighbourhood.

For a moment, I feel comfortable, pacing my steps and taking deep breaths, until I hear the crackling sound of a metal piece falling from the wall.

I gulp

“For God sake I'm a vet not a gymnast”

Yet the top doesn’t seem too far now and the idea of returning was worse. I decide to keep climbing.

Suddenly, I lose my equilibrium, feeling the void as I fall from my back until I feel the grip of a hand on my arm, saving me from a surely fatal fall.

“(Y/n) ?”

I look up, noticing a man dressed completely in black with only a beanie covering his face, and some cords attached to his wrists. He seems genuinely surprised to find me here. 

“Matt”

“I…” I’m short of words as he pulls me into the safety of the rooftop. I fall down the floor deeply breathing, “How did you know I was here”

“Well.. He tries to give me a small smile ,  “You were lucky I could basically hear your heartbeat explode streets away” 

“.. I must sound like a cacophony in your ears… but I’m sure there are also thousands of New-Yorkers being deeply worried at this very moment”

“ I guess.. I just became good picking up yours in particular”

I cannot help but to slightly blush as he tells me this. There is a tense silence now between us, too many things that should be said or should’ve.

“Don’t go” 

My tone is grave, letting him know I know his reasons for coming down here.  He slightly clenches his teeth, as I feel an anger I haven’t seen yet in him.

Something had happened.

Something felt broken

“I need to do it (y/n)” 

His tone was direct. Cold. He turns his back from me towards the Hotel. I imagine him trying to analyze the best way to get in, reading into each heartbeat , each voice, each movement…. But I wasn’t going to give up that easily.

“You aren't saving anyone by doing this..please..” 

Matt immediately snaps, turning again towards me. I was still on the floor and the bare light coming from the light poles made him appear even more intimidating.

“You don’t understand”…

“True… it’s true I don’t, I’m not you… “, I sigh, accepting it, “I’ll never fully understand this vigilante double life you live.. but I do see the man behind it”

I now stand up, letting us face to face as I continue to talk.

“I and see him and care enough about him that I’m not letting him commit a mistake he’ll forever regret” 

I see Matt keep his facade, but I notice the way his hands now slightly tremble holding his billy club. When he talks again, his voice is weaker.

“He has hurt so many people… and I’'m not meant to simply go and enjoy this life after all that has happened”, He takes his beanie off as I now see  his eyes “After hurting so many others... me.”´

I shake my head. I couldn’t lie, or deny the hurt of past decisions, but it didn't mean I could simply let him go.

“I'm not denying that it’s not easy but.. I’m here tonight for a reason… “ 

I look up to him, hoping he could sense the sincerity of my words

“I can’t let you do this.. this city needs its hero.. and well.. I do still need you”

I let these last words settle as I’m now a bit shy. I see Matt is about to reply, when we’re suddenly interrupted by some police sirens demanding civilians to clear up the space. His face drops.

“He can't be here already….”

I’m now a bit confused.

“Who ?”

Matt sighs, he seems tired but tries to explain to me the best he can. 

“I’m not the only one in this city holding a grudge against Fisk..” Matt leans again his attention towards the building “ There is a dangerous man looking for him” 

I notice the way his body tenses up, the same way it has always done when he senses a danger nearby. His grip becomes stronger, his face almost scarily stern, yet the voice he uses to catch my attention seems softer than usual.

“That night I.. I was sure I had lost you forever.. and who could blame you..” He gives me a sad smile, trying his best to hold his emotions. “I had to live with the fact that I had hurt you.. forced you to pull away from me..this loneliness.. it was my crux to bear”

I shake my head at his words, trying to be as direct as I could knowing time was running out.

“Matthew… I love you.. I still do..” I slowly approach him , caressing his cheek with my hand as I clean away some tears  “I just need to be sure you do as well” 

Almost as a reflex, I go grab his arm, feeling my own insecurities resurface as the fear of being abandoned twists my heart. He seems to pick up on this as he pulls me closer. I can feel the breeze on his words.

“ I swear.. “ Me murmurs against my ear, his voice now taking a more protective tone “That I’ll never let go of you again… “

I’m now the one letting my own tears stream down my face 

“You promise ?” 

My voice was so small, barely a whisper , as I use the tone I knew only Matt could ever hear

“I won’t stop even if you never forgive me”

I can’t retain myself any longer.

I dive in, pulling him into the deepest of kisses as I feel my whole body give in. The desire that has already been pleading for him could not no longer keep on waiting. 

Matt seems slightly surprised at the beginning, almost nervous at my reaction, but once he notices my unwillingness to let him go, he puts his hands around my waist our foreheads now touching. I need to hang on to him. 

“I’ve missed it so much” , he murmurs for just a moment, forgetting the world around us. I give him a little smile, slightly curious at his choice of words as he continues, “ I mean the feeling of you… your heartbeat, your smell…you've always been my safest place…I thought I’d never get to sense you from so close again” 

As I’m about to respond, the noise of police sirens shakes us up as we hear  the sound of gunshots down the building. Of course, Matt has more insight as he clenches his teeth and steps back.

“Go,” I look at him with a knowing look “I know you have a job to do”

I come a bit closer for a moment.

“Just promise me you will come back home tonight” 

I keep holding his hand for a second, sensing his flow of thoughts coming against him. He mutters again. 

“All this anger..”

“I know.. but you don't have to be alone anymore Matt” I take deep breaths as I try to send him some peace too, “I’ll be here”

He walks to the edge of the ceiling, pulling his mask back on. I give him a last reassuring look.

“I’ll leave the living room window open.. in case you come in late” , my tone is slightly hesitant “Of course if you want to come by I-“

I notice the corners of his lips curl into a little smirk.

“I will… and don’t worry”, he slightly tosses his head as he smiles, letting me admire his toned collar bone for even just a second., … “I promise I won’t take too long sweetheart” 

Before I can even protest his cocky words, he jumps off the next building, leaving me alone again, but now completely blushing. I may have also missed that pet name and his way of flirting.   

Some things really don't change after all.