#Julie write's stuff

[scealaiscoite]

｡ﾟﾟ･｡･ﾟﾟ。 ﾟ。　 july prompts

　ﾟ･｡･ﾟ

¹⁾ arcade tickets

²⁾ red vinyl bus seats

³⁾ a missing persons flyer

⁴⁾ broken seashells

⁵⁾ the meerkat exhibit at a zoo

⁶⁾ €17

⁷⁾ creaking church pews

⁸⁾ a toxicology report

⁹⁾ feverish skin

¹⁰⁾ missing teeth

¹¹⁾ third floor

¹²⁾ a b-list actress

¹³⁾ an ajar window that was definitely closed the night before

¹⁴⁾ blue sterile gloves

¹⁵⁾ a rusty gas station bathroom faucet

¹⁶⁾ sweet orange lipbalm

¹⁷⁾ a bear-shaped bottle of honey

¹⁸⁾ the smell of fireworks on cool night air

¹⁹⁾ downtown

²⁰⁾ a broken ac unit

²¹⁾ tangled earphone wires

²²⁾ grandfather

²³⁾ two minutes on a payphone

²⁴⁾ smudged green eyeshadow

²⁵⁾ a flat back tire

²⁶⁾ last chance

²⁷⁾ a gold belt buckle

²⁸⁾ dried-up fountains

²⁹⁾ boxing ring ropes

³⁰⁾ a chair shoved under a door handle

³¹⁾ a floodlit motel pool

[purple-raspberries]

Context-turned-drabble for a wip I just thought of. Accidental baby acquisition, platonic Frank and Julie:

I’m going to say rainbow monsters are made cabbage patch-style. All it takes is love, good soil, seeds, a partner(s), time, and a rainbow monster.

Now imagine Frank sets aside a small part of his garden just for Julie and him to work on. A joint effort just for fun! They spend some time there every day, even if only long enough to water the plants. Through their efforts they managed to make a flourishing little haven for anyone who might come by and visit, be it neighbor or bug.

They’re doing some weeding one mid-morning, chattering about this and that as they do, when a movement distracts them both. A bud, the strange giant one top of the yellow rose bush, was moving. The bush itself wasn’t too old, just barely big enough to sustain the weight of that bowling ball of a bud above it. Neither of them knew what to make of it. Not that the other plants were any help! Julie had tried asking them, but according to her, they all just gave the same “you’ll see!” and “in due time~”, or they plain just burst out into happy giggles. Seeing no reason to worry, both gray and pink puppets decided to take special care of the plant just to see what would come of it.

Back to the bud in active bloom.

Frank: [soft gasp, looking in awe] Julie! Look! [concerned] Why is it moving so quickly?? Is it saying anything—?!

Julie: [loudly whispering] shush! Shushushush ! It’s not talking, but I hear something!

Both lean forward closer and closer— they’re hovering right over the bloom, it unfurls its last layer of petals and…

Tiny yellow limbs curl and tuck inwards into a little ball. Even tinier fists rest under a pale yellow chin belonging to a head crowned with green fuzz, just small enough to fit into the palms of their hands. There, in the open rose, lied an infant, fresh as could be. But how!?

A beat passes where in Julie looks at Frank. Frank looks at Julie. They look at the baby, which could only be a rainbow monster, still sleeping peacefully in his or her floral cradle.

Well. There will be time to panic later! Right now there is a baby in Frank’s backyard to deal with! A second of decision later and Frank was picking up the now waking infant, Julie speeding to his house to fetch a soft towel to wrap the baby in. She knew his house well enough to know where they were. Precious cargo in hand, Frank quickly, and more careful than he needed to be, followed Julie inside where she was waiting for him anxiously, towel in hand. A bit of clumsy fumbling happened as they both tried to figure out how exactly one was supposed to swaddle an infant without disturbing them, but they got it eventually after several minutes of trial and error.

Frank understandably let Julie borrow his phone for the urgent call up to where the rest of the Joyful siblings lived. How could this have happened? How is it that Julie, of all people, didn’t notice? And most importantly, what were they going to do with the child?!

Hopefully Julie’s siblings would know how to help.

[damthosefandoms]

au where soda and johnny killed bob instead of pony and johnny but like you gotta hear me out for a minute (or more, this is a long one) cause it’s also an au where pony’s a little younger, he’s like ten or something and he’s out here thinking he’s oh so cool and big and tough now that he’s finally hit double digits, but like he’s ten and not even a quarter. he’s still not allowed to walk home from school alone, not when his parents were still alive and not now—two-bit always walks his little sister home and pony’s just included in that now.

and so when he sneaks into the movie theaters he’s really gotta sneak. he tells molly mathews to go ahead and leave at dismissal, he’s staying after for… chess club, or something she’d have no idea about, to tell her brother he’s gonna call for a ride later. and he’ll get to see whatever he wants to see because he’s small and quiet and nobody notices, and when he doesn’t call home for a ride later, he’ll get jumped by the socs and they’ll scare him but it never really gets out of hand. not usually. they oughta be more careful, he’s just a kid, and maybe when he got his neck cut up that one afternoon he should’ve known it was a sign.

he tries not to cry ‘cause he’s scared and only gets a little embarrassed when darry puts a bandaid on the cut, and he tries to steal a cigarette off dally but is caught like usual—“you gotta be at least thirteen for that, kid.”—and he only stops to listen in for a minute when soda mentions they’re going to the game tonight.

but steve says no kids allowed and pony whines and johnny says “aw, pony, you’ll find something to do.” and then dally brings up the drive-in, and pony’s eyes light up and he looks over to darry and practically begs his brother to let him go, and darry says alright. cause pony’s still a little kid and his fourth grade teacher doesn’t give homework on fridays, and as long as he stays with johnny and dally, and as long as the movies that are playing aren’t too grown-up, and as long as he’s home before his curfew and so on. pony and darry get along just a little better here because that bigger age gap—ten and a half years!—really puts darry into always having been more of an authority figure in pony’s life. and if you can’t tell, this story isn’t supposed to be about them anyway, so it’s fine.

the drive-in is fun. they sit behind a couple of girls and when johnny convinces dally to leave her alone, one of them asks if he’s soda’s little brother and lets him talk and talk about whatever he wants, and her name is cherry valance and offers to buy pony a pepsi so of COURSE he takes her up on it. there’s a couple of socs milling around the concession stand and one of them calls cherry out asking why she bothers babysitting the little grease stain and she rolls her eyes and grabs his hand and pulls him into line with her and he’s still yammering on about whatever’s on his mind thinking “wow this cool teenager is listening to me!” because none of his friends—his brothers’ friends, really—are like that. well, they listen, johnny and soda specifically, but there’s something so different about when you’re a kid and somebody who you don’t see as being obligated to listen to you, does. like he’s seeing there’s people out there like him, people who are older and wiser, and that’s just—it’s nice. especially for a lonely kid like him.

anyway. so there’s a lot of whispering that night. dallas winston hitting on cherry valance, she’s hanging around with sodapop curtis’ little brother, and two-bit mathews and that kid johnny cade they beat up last spring, and you know, it’s gossip, it’s like playing telephone. by the time it gets around to guys like bob and his friends, the story’s been twisted. and they’re drunk. and angry, because cherry and marcia ditched them, and well. that confrontation during the walk home still happens. except maybe when cherry refuses to get in the car, she dumps bob then and there. they don’t even bother fighting. cherry tells bob he’s insane. what does he think she’s doing, cheating on him? pony’s a little kid! she remembered hearing how his parents died. she had gone to school with his brother, you know? ponyboy seemed quiet. kinda sad. she was just being nice.

but that’s not really what bob’s all worried about. ‘cause when cherry ditched him at the drive-in he and randy got wasted and headed to the football game and word on the street there was that as of that night, sodapop curtis is single again. bob’s sober enough to remember the way girls talk about that kid and drunk enough to jump to conclusions ‘cause he knows even cherry isn’t immune to that charm. especially not later that night when one of his buddies who stuck around at the drive-in tells him they overheard cherry call soda a “doll.” and that she was hanging around his little brother.

and then. bob and the socs leave, with a threat or two thrown in the direction of the greasers, and two-bit and johnny walk the girls to a payphone to call for a ride, and then they walk pony home. they make sure he gets in the house all good, in the door before darry can even be worried. he’ll tuck the kid in and pony will ask him to stay because soda’s not home yet, but he’s older and as far as darry’s concerned soda uses his head. he probably just went over to sandy’s for the night. no big deal. two-bit goes home. johnny heads home but decides to wander the neighborhood for a bit because his parents are nuts and he’s still spooked from the socs and all. and it’s cold, you know, the gang will get on him about sleeping in the lot and soda and steve told him where the key is to the garage at the dx where they work on the cars, and their boss is nice, he turns a blind eye sometimes to johnny finding shelter for the night there every once in a blue moon. so he starts walking.

meanwhile, soda’s having the worst night of his life (well. second worst. his parents are dead.), he’s a heartbroken fucking mess, walking home from the football game alone because steve and evie ditched basically right after the four of them got there and. you know. sandy is leaving for florida. leaving him. whether she wants to or not. whether he loves her or not. he’s taking the long way home, walking all alone in the dark despite his better judgment because he knows darry will be mad at him but doesn’t really care. darry just worries, soda knows that. and honestly he thinks if he had to sit now—in a car, or just go straight home, whatever—he would go insane. so he’s walking. and he’s thinking about sandy, and how he can get her to stay. he could marry her. his kid or not, whether she asked to be in this situation or not, he loves her, and he thinks hopes dreams that she loves him too. and he’s been hiding his mom’s engagement ring in one of the toolboxes because darry wanted to sell it when their parents died and pony wanted to bury it with them and soda was being selfish and never wanted to part with it. he was gonna use it one day. maybe that day is coming sooner than he thought. maybe things will be okay. so he keeps walking.

they meet in the parking lot. johnny fills soda in on the night he’s had, mostly cause johnny jumped a mile when soda called his name, and nearly pulled his switchblade on him. “can’t be any worse than mine,” soda mutters, and then he’s rooting around in his pocket to see if he’s got any spare change ‘cause he figures johnny’s probably hungry and soda doesn’t like to take things from the dx conscience store without paying—he works there, he’d be stealing from his own paycheck—and that’s when the color drains from johnny’s face and soda follows his eyes to the road. a blue mustang pulls into the parking lot. it’s packed with kids soda hasn’t seen since he dropped out of school last june. socs. and one of them’s got three big, clunky rings made of probably pure gold. worth more than his mama’s engagement ring, that’s for damn sure.

and in the end soda doesn’t even know what they were fighting over. something about stealing bob sheldon’s girl? trying to? soda doesn’t even know who the guy is dating. he hasn’t really spoken to any girls except sandy since they started dating, not like that—other girls have tried talking to him, sure but they just aren’t her and even if they were like sandy, who cares? he’s in love—and he’s a little lacking in the gossip department. that’s what happens when you drop out of high school and work full time at a gas station. again, at the present moment, the only girl he cares about is sandy. he wonders just how drunk bob is—he can smell the alcohol on his breath a mile away. man, this is why soda doesn’t drink. he gets stuck in his emotions enough as it is; he doesn’t need help feeling. he doesn’t need help acting on it either.

and johnny’s there. his buddy, his friend, who started shaking in fear four months ago and hasn’t stopped since. there’s a cold look in johnny’s eyes and soda feels that familiar rush in his veins. soda’s a good fighter, you know. he’s never lost, not really. not when it counted. but he can’t help but wonder if it’s because he’s never fought for his life before. it kinda feels like it now, but then again, everything’s tinged red, this feels normal. to him anyway. this is how he’s always felt in a fight. adrenaline coursing through his veins like it’s all he was meant for. like it’s all he’s good for. sometimes it feels like it is.

next thing soda knows, bob’s foot is slamming into his bad knee—the one he permanently messed up years ago at the rodeo, because of course he did, everything he loves leaves him eventually—and it buckles. he crumples to the ground. something smells like gas. well, they’re at a gas station, makes sense. the hose from the gas pump is being wrapped around his neck and he can’t breathe and people are laughing, and for some reason he thinks to himself in the moment, “man, i hope nobody lights a cigarette. that would suck.”

he only blacks out for a few seconds but when reality washes over him, the socs are gone. all but one, in the ground. there’s blood and gasoline pooling around where soda’s kneeling next to the body.

body. oh god. soda wants to be sick but he thinks he’ll choke again if he throws up. his neck and throat hurt real bad. come to think of it so do his knee and his head. johnny looks green and his hands are covered in blood. so’s his knife. so’s bob sheldon.

johnny grabs him and yanks him up and soda tries to scream but it hurts too much to even whisper. johnny says something about going to dally’s. they just run, or do the best they can ‘cause soda’s knee is killing him, until they get out towards buck’s and soda wants to ask “what’re we gonna do, steal a horse and ride off into the unknown? you killed a guy, johnny!” but he doesn’t because it’s not gonna help at this point and soda knows that. he also knows johnny saved his life. he oughta be grateful.

dally agrees to get them the hell out of town, but not before soda demands some paper and a pen. he’s gotta tell his brothers something—especially cause now he doesn’t know if he’ll ever see them again.

he doesn’t know anything. except that somebody died because of him and maybe also that there’s no way he’ll ever get to marry sandy now. and maybe just maybe he can never go home again. and for a guy like soda, a person who stays—that’s the worst feeling in the world.

soda just wants his brothers. and for all he understands everybody, right now he’s got no idea what to do with poor johnny cade.

seven hours later ponyboy is sitting on the living room couch with two-bit, eating cereal and chocolate cake (he’s a growing boy!) and watching saturday morning cartoons while darry swears at the leaky faucet in the kitchen, and then steve crashes through the front door.

“thought you were working this morning?” darry asks, not that interested, but more to make conversation and because he’s tired of that stupid kitchen sink. and steve goes “where’s soda?” and darry’s like, “sandy’s, I’ll bet. he never came home last night.”

except steve shakes his head. “he’s definitely not at sandy’s.” “why not?” “they broke up—” everyone looks over, but steve barrels on. “you’re sure you don’t know where he is?” darry nods. he forgets about the sink. “what’s going on?”

“got to work this morning, and the boss was standing out there, pissed as all hell. entire place was taped off. cops everywhere. i heard one of ‘em talking. somebody found a body last night—”

pony spills his cereal bowl. darry doesn’t even notice. pony doesn’t either. neither of them breathe until:

“—said it was that soc kid. same one who cut up johnny’s face. bob sheldon.”

and what the hell are these boys supposed to do now?

[atricksterproblem]

Me When He

[what-aboutno]

An analysis on c!Owen and his behaviour throughout the Outsiders SMP series!

Some disclaimers before I go into this. There will be spoilers up ahead! I would like to warn anyone reading that this post will mention some blacklisted members from the smp because their characters play a role in showing us about cOwen.

For convenience, all the members mentioned are the characters, not the actual ccs themself. Some of this might seem all over the place, but when the characters learn random parts of themselves at different points it's bound to happen.

Owen has changed a lot as the series has progressed and many find his personality to have changed entirely towards the end, however, this isn’t really the case. When we go over his character, we can see his core values have stuck with him throughout the series, so in this post, I will go over how exactly he has changed over time and his character in general.

To make it easier, I’m gonna split it into 3 parts. Early maze days, the introduction of clearing 2, and post memories.

During the early maze days Owen establishes his character very early on. Right from the beginning, Owen arrives with the demon Rasbi. They are notably one of the three pairs that come up, with most coming up the elevator alone. The first time we see him, Owen immediately takes up a role as a protector, asking if Rasbi knows how to fight in case there is danger up ahead.

In this first section, we can also see that he acts a lot more childish and naive. He’s very emotional and easily upset by his past. He can be seen jumping on rocks with Mohwee and the others and crying on his first night over his loss of memories. The overwhelmingness of the clearing gets to him. This isn’t to say he is some weak, stupid or soft character though. 

Owen may be naive in believing things should be played in certain ways according to his rules but there are many instances where we can see he’s not stupid. First episode he can immediately recognise what knife Oeca is holding “Hey that’s a throwing knife right? No that’s a dagger” 

After getting more settled in the maze he asks about the maze’s agriculture, he mentions everyone is unarmed despite fearing the dangers in the maze. He starts asking about protection, armour, shields and notably, “So this place is safe on the inside? It's safe to walk at night?” He’s already worried for everyone’s safety here, he knows the maze is dangerous so is there anywhere that’s safe? 

Very early on his past also becomes a very important aspect of his personality. He is probably one of the first to remember anything significant about his past. By episode 2 he is getting flashbacks about how to make a bow. But he makes a javelin first, noting “I think I was a hunter. No, I was an archer. I was a hunter. I was a soldier? I was good at this.” He then proceeds to aim the javelin at Oeca’s name, because at this point he can’t fully trust Ocea. He is very quick to violence, although he doesn't want Oeca dead, he certainly can’t trust in him. 

Another important note is that Mohwee is one of the people in the clearing he respected and saw as someone with the ability to act. Which is why we get this interaction where Mohwee calls out “Owen.” and Owen replies with “yes sir”. His past even without his memories is important and ingrained enough he still acts like this, and this only continues as we go through this section.

The first time they go in the maze as a group is when Apo arrives. This is a very important moment for Owen because their first trip in the maze solidifies his personality throughout this section and maybe even the series. Oeca is shot because Mohwee was careless and brought anyone in. When the group comes back, Owen asks Graecie, “How many entrances are there to this maze?” After finding out this is the only one that opens, he refuses to let anyone get hurt again and starts blocking it off.

Trust and promises are very important to Owen here too because it's one of the key reasons he blocks off the entrance. It’s not just Oeca getting hurt, it’s the fact he promised Graecie he wouldn't go in. “I broke my promise.” He also takes Apo’s word very seriously in the mine when he tells Owen he didn’t pull the lever. Also because of this he only trusts himself to go in the maze.

When the entrance is blocked off Owen is quick to violence and threatens people if they try to get past him. After finding the old battle axe he starts using it to threaten and intimidate people. “Anyone who goes past this (the gate) i will attack”

“Anyone else that will, I will just cut down” are some of the things he says. He punches Mohwee for trying to get past him. When Oeca comes back after Mohwee’s disappearance, Owen follows him with that battle axe trying to talk.

Owen then goes on to say “I’m not looking for violence” and “I'm not collecting weapons this was instinctual (points at bow)” he doesn't want people to think he’s dangerous and he knows people are scared of him.

Even if he seems aggressive he still wants to protect others. Owen goes back in the maze to look for Mohwee after he randomly disappears on their way back. “My job is to protect people and I will do that to the best of my abilities. At every possible stage”

When Mohwee disappears Owen takes a massive risk to stay in the maze overnight to see if the gates would open. “The only thing I remember about my life Graecie, is that I was raised to protect people. That's all I remember. And I know it was dumb and stupid to go in the maze but if it got us a step closer to finding Mohwee. I was willing to make that risk”

So we’ve established that Owen cares about the people in the clearing even if he doesn't trust all of them, he wants to protect them and he will do it no matter what. It's the purpose he has given himself in order to be useful.

He knows it doesn’t work how he wants it to. People are scared and wary of Owen’s protection. There are multiple instances where he tells his voices, “They don’t get it,” because he knows people don’t trust his methods. His method of control is disliked by a lot of people. 

Ori is one of the main characters to go against Owen. Owen hates this because not only does it risk the safety of others but it goes against his main purpose he gave himself. He takes this job very seriously. So when Ori goes in the maze it’s no wonder Owen becomes very violent.

“Ori I'm seriously sorry I will break your legs and I'm very close to it. Are you gonna make me. “

He doesn’t see himself to be super aggressive though “People think I'm being really aggressive when I talk like ‘oh hey if you come near me I'm gonna break your legs’ but I'm saying it in the most friendly way I can, you understand that right? I'm not trying to be aggressive with that”

“I'm saying like if you do step in here I will have to break your legs. In like a very gentle and I'm very sorry I hate to inconvenience you but I do have to break your legs.”

When Ori sneaks into the maze, Owen talks a lot about his purpose. Things like “Don't, I'll fail them. They'll kill me. My entire purpose here is to stay by this door and stop you from coming in.”

Owen hates to know he is failing the purpose he has given to himself “When I discovered I was a soldier that's what I set myself to (protecting others) but what do I have to show for myself? I have tried my hardest to protect these people. And get they look at me and tell me I'm a tyrant” “you're not in control, who are you to say what happens?”

He would do anything, even if it meant sacrificing himself. As shown before when Mohwee disappears but also as he protects the gate after the second lever gets pulled he says “I'm going to protect them if I die in the process so be it”  

Another note before this section ends is that it’s not just Ori who opposes Owen. Sillvia also talks about Owen’s method of leadership.

Sillvia about Owen: Owen I think you would be great. If not for the fact that you have a militaristic mindset. I don't want to see your leadership spiral into a place where Apo wants. Owen I fear you and I want you to know that. I actually fear you and I don't say that about many people. And ruling should not be through fear. You are a terrifying individual and to see you be in a position of power would be a slope we cannot afford or gamble slipping down. We've seen you tussle with Ori. I know you're a strong individual. You could lead us quite well but it's the risk that comes with your leadership that I am not willing to risk. 

The perception Owen has of himself differs from how he comes off. It becomes more of an issue later but we can already see this happen. 

So as clearing 2 is introduced this is what we know about Owen. He was a soldier once, he wanted to protect people in the clearing even if it meant sacrificing himself. He’s nice to others but his methods are still aggressive and violent, ready to hold a weapon to someone if needed and Owen cares a lot about trust. 

With the introduction of clearing 2 we can see how Owen changes and develops. He’s very cautious of clearing 2 members because for all he knows they could have led the creature that destroyed half their clearing in on purpose. 

Owen also faces betrayal from Apo. We know trust is something Owen values a lot. It’s mentioned in the early days, and it’s a major part of why he feels so strongly about Apo lying. During the scene where Owen faces Apo after finding he pulled the lever that killed the second clearing, his main issue with Apo isn’t the fact that he killed people. It was the fact he lied to him.

“You lied to me. Why did you do it? No no no I don't care about the lever. Apo why did you lie to me? You're my friend I trusted you. I stayed there. I held your back when oeca said it was you. I put my name on the line. Because we stood together in the mine and I asked you to swear to my face that you didn't do it. And you lied to me. Im meant to be your friend and you lied.” 

You can also see what Owen values in a person when they discuss Apo’s punishment and Owen says there's 3 main things he did

- went into maze without group consent

- pulled the lever

- he lied

Owen only adds on at the end that he left Squidney.

With all of this too we see Owen for the first time back away from the job he gave himself. He backs away from leadership, we start to see how tired Owen is from the stress of it all. His reasoning has to do with his trust being broken.

“What's the point they're all liars. This entire place is filled with filthy liars. Every single person. All I've ever done is tried to protect them”

“Forget it. I'm done. I'm don't helping people. No I'm not villain, I'm not a hero I'm nothing.

From now on there is no leader of the maze. They put me in charge. My word means nothing to them I'm done.”

“How am I meant to protect them when I try and stop them with physical force im made out to be some kind of monster. When I try to reason with them I'm made out to be soft.”  

Owen being viewed as soft has always been something he’s aware of. People tend to think because he’s kind that they can do whatever they want (sneak into the maze etc) and this perception Owen is a soft person develops. Even if he’s emotional and kind we’ve seen before in early maze days he is not soft. 

Owen tries to ignore all his problems but with it he grows more aggressive than before. His tone changes when he speaks about other people to his voices.

“To visit him would be to acknowledge he exists. And right now the last thing I want to do is consider the fact that this thing lives and breathes and eats and sleeps under my feet. The sooner he wastes away and fades into nothingness the better. I don't see a life going forward with him in it” - Owen about Apo

“The more I look around these stupid 4 walls the more I'm reminded that he that. That I trusted him.”

"he's everywhere. It's like a disease. Like it festers. The outside looks fine and you look just below the surface and it's rotting vile and it's him”

Apo: Just give me a chance.

Owen: why should I? So you can have another tick to the long list of times Owen has naively believed there is some good in the people that infests this clearing? Oeca, mohwee, Bekyamon, Magic, Graecie, Ori, you, liars. All of you.

I’m not just putting quotes here just for you to see oh trust is important! But more so for you to see that Owen changes when his trust has been broken or when he sees someone as a threat. Some of these things sound very similar to what Owen would say when he gets his memories back. Because to Owen trust and protection are 2 very important values. When that is broken he can’t be certain someone isn’t a threat. 

With this change Owen does become more aware he isn’t the most approachable person due to his methods. I do want to bring up this quote first though 

"Can I kill someone? Ive been thinking about this recently I say I'm a soldier. But I've never actually killed anyone. All my life in these 4 walls I've spoken about security and fighting and I can't remember a time I've actually taken someone's life. What if I have to. What if it comes to that I don't think I could stomach it either. I doesn't feel like me. It's not me it's not who I am. No I can't. I'll only attack this person if they do something first. And even then I'll just aim to incapacitate" - Owen about Ash

This is an interesting quote from Owen knowing his later actions but it’s not that out of character. If we look at every flashback he’s had so far we can see the life of a soldier is not one he’s always wanted.

Owen to his dad: What if I'm not ready to be your protector? No It's what you've always wanted! What if I wanted to do something else? What if I don't want to be a soldier what about me when do I get to look out for myself.

However he is always ready to attack if he needs to, if it comes to it he would do anything to protect someone. I think that means to kill even if Owen doesn’t think so at this point. 

His notebook btw

Another note about his behavior is that because of how others view him he almost dies from the creature’s venom. Ayngel even said before Owen is more angry. Other people even though it sounds jokingly say Owen gets grumpy when people disrupt him, leading to no one but Soup to check up on him when he gets stung.

When Bek comes back he doesn’t hesitate to do the things he did before. He does what he thinks is right and protects Magic by aiming a javelin at Bek. He says he’s not violent but anytime he feels like he’s in danger he pulls out a weapon. He did it when he was in Soup’s basement, he does it anytime he hears about someone potetially harming Rasbi, and he did it when he heard Oeca attacked Graecie. 

Owen in general is a fighter at heart. Even if he says he doesn’t want to kill anyone he is still ready to attack. 

Owen: this isn't you Ori. You fight. That's what you do.

Ori: what are you talking about?

Owen: you fight people. When you don't get your way you fight. You and I are the same

At the end of this section, the group decides not to go back in the maze. They had lost Squidney, Oeca, Mohwee, with the presumption that Red, Apo and Graecie were either dead or dying. Owen is tired of it all “Every Time I've tried to protect someone they've ended dead Kyle” he tries to hope but he is so tired. This tiredness also explains some things that happen when he gets his memory back. 

So to summarise before looking at Owen when he gets his memories back, this is what we know about Owen. He wants to protect his friends, he believes in trust a lot, he is both seen as more aggressive and angry these days and soft at the same time, he wants to be a good leader but other people don’t listen. Not much has changed since the early maze days, but it’s a more solid character now. 

When the reunion comes around Owen in the story has finally had a moment to think about everything that happened between him and Apo. His main regret in the series was how he treated him even if he broke his trust. 

Owen loves to contradict himself a lot but it’s a very human trait he has. He has complex feelings about Apo, and Beks and a lot of people. Yet he’ll still offer his protection to them. It’s because of this the ‘sudden’ shift in personality he has becomes very shocking to the audience. 

Since right before he sees Apo, Owen is very emotional here. Very similar to how he was in the early maze days. It’s out of his character to hope for something like seeing Apo because he knows it’s very unlikely he’ll see him again. However he gives himself this hope, one more chance. 

When Owen regains his memories the tone shift is obvious. He acts less emotional, he seems more mature. But we do need to consider this is someone who just had a lifetime of memories shoved back in his head and his core values are so strong that Owen doesn’t hesitate to act the way he used to. 

There’s lots of similarities to Owen here to the one we’ve known. Like his purpose. He sets one for himself immediately after arriving in the clearing. Even as he talks to Apo about his past he talks about his purpose

“I had a purpose once. I was useful, vital, adored. And suddenly everything changed. The world grew tired of blood shed. When all you're good for is violence, when you've been breed into a killing machine, a nation of peace will toss you aside like a spent torch”

There’s an obvious difference here right? The man we’ve watched in the maze who wanted to protect his friends just killed his best friend. This is definitely a different person right? Yes and no. Owen hasn’t changed that much, and I'll explain why after we go through some more things. But it’s important to note that this isn’t a completely new person, this isn’t something that is unexpected when we go through the information we already have about Owen. 

“I know what you are, you are everything wrong in the world has to offer. You are the amalgamation of all the gluttony and lust of humans with the evil and cunning of demons. You stand as a testament to everything vile. You are a disease on the face of this earth and I am it's curse” 

Apo: this isn't you you've changed 

Owen: incorrect, this is me. The man you manipulated and lied was nothing more than a puppet driven by the instinct to survive. 

Owen wants protection for his friends. He goes to extreme lengths to keep people safe, so when he remembers demons as this evil creature that will hurt people for their own gain he wasn’t going to stand around and do nothing right? 

Surprising or not this is very in character for Owen if we look at everything else we have from the series. To him, he is still doing his job, the one he’s done since day 1 in the clearing. Just now the threat isn’t just the maze and the occasional person, it’s demons. 

The way Owen became a demon hunter is essential too. He used to live in comfort, and based on past flashbacks he was training to be a soldier even if he didn’t fully enjoy it. His mother was a poet and his father was a general. He had grown up hearing all about how terrible demons are, and he didn’t understand until his village had been burned down.

One negative interaction with demons had put this deep hatred in his heart for them. Before his memories returned he was ready to forgive Apo, he knew he wasn’t as dangerous as he made him out to be. But when the sudden influx of memory comes, he has this past knowledge that Apo is a threat. 

Since Apo had hurt Owen before this only adds to it. Remember Owen really values trust. Apo has broken that trust in the past, so everything combined and letting go of the final restriction it’s no wonder he kills Apo. 

Despite this ‘massive personality change’ Owen has, when he returns to the clearing he still makes sure Magic is safe. He doesn't tell people about the lava rising so he wouldn’t cause panic. He still cares about these people. 

But Owen starts to view all the demons as a threat, every demon in the clearing has done something to suggest they could be dangerous. The reason Owen kills Guts is because they poisoned the food at the feast, which led to Magic being poisoned. He carries out this duty for protection

I think another thing people tend to forget about Owen is that he's been slowly breaking apart trying to fit what others want from him as seen in the last section. And it took a major toll on him. His outburst at Magic is one of the ways shown to us how much stress he’s been under. Perhaps even guilt he’s been feeling.

Magic: if you don't you're just putting everyone danger by not leading us… in there…

Owen: danger? You want to talk about putting others in danger? All of this coming from who exactly? The woman who's clearing burnt down under her leadership? The woman who lied about that previous position of leadership as she lacked the spine to correct her friend when she lied? The woman who was tied up and left for dead by that same friend? The woman who swore to protect a stranger only to them shot down in front of her? What the woman who stood still as her friend was ripped apart beside her? Oh yeah the magnitude of your failures Magic is deafening. Do you hear it? When you fall asleep at night, do you hear the screams of the dead who's blood stain your hands? How do you cope? When you find out be a good friend and let me know would you? Been looking for a way to shut them up. 

Owen does try to justify his actions to his voices even if they don’t listen. He knows people here aren’t good. He’s known this since clearing 2 was introduced, but with his memories back he feels like he has to carry on this duty by killing the threat. That’s the only way to keep people in the clearing safe right?

Owen to voices: have you stopped to think why I'm doing this? You seem so attached to these creatures, why? What good have they done? These people aren't good people. None of us good people. We're all in here for a reason. Just because you haven't taken your rose tinted glasses off to see that doesn't mean the rest of us haven't. 

Like before he won’t let anything stop him, even if it means hurting a few people. He doesn't hesitate to pull out a weapon when he hears Ayngel might know him. He can’t risk anything ruining his plans because he can’t afford to. He’s so tired. I think at this point anyone that was a major threat to him he would kill. 

Ayngel: I feel like I recognise you. You and your face from somewhere 

Owen: oh? (Starts to pull out knife from his bag)

Ayngel: I've been having this thought and it's got me thinking (Owen pulls out a knife in case)

Ayngel: actually, honestly forget it. It's all a dream and I'm overthinking

The only exception to his thinking is Rasbi. Rasbi actually hasn’t done anything wrong to him personally. She’s one of the few people that didn’t break his trust but he still kills her. Why? 

First off he doesn’t see her as the friend he wanted to protect but instead as something he protected only to kill in the end to fulfil his duty. Her sister is the reason why he ended up in the maze, so even without Rasbi directly harming Owen in any way it’s enough for Owen to kill her. I’m sure any small mistake or detail would have led Owen to killing any demon, because it only proves his thinking. 

Owen barely survives after Rasbi attacks him. So as Owen starts planning how to kill Krow he starts going a bit insane. His room is a mess, his mind is a mess and he can barely stand it anymore. We really start to see him fall apart here

Owen: this yolk is a burden is a burden I can't carry for much longer. I'm tired. I want to rest. But I took a pact, I made a promise. A glorious death is his for who his country falls and either I or they thing will have to die before I stop. 

Something that’s brought up when discussing the idea of ‘Maze Owen’ is the fact that we can see ‘glimpses’ of him in different interactions. For example when Owen and Krow go out into the maze and Owen spots Puddy he makes sure Puddy doesn’t die by keeping him away. Even if he’s aggressive in the scene the fandom interpretation is the care he has for Puddy as ‘Maze Owen’ slipped through. But It’s not out of character for him to still show care for people after his memories are returned based on everything we’ve seen.

Before ‘killing’ off Krow, Owen does say this “There's no escaping who you are” Which is really interesting since most characters he’s interacted with will tell him in the maze you can escape who you used to be. Owen knows for a fact no matter what he does in life now he will never have anything outside the maze. Because the world doesn’t need him anymore. He kills the demons as his final act of service to the world because he has nothing else to offer. 

When Krow finally comes back and Owen gets hit in the head he says to the rest of the group “I was protecting you all.” and “You don't know what they're like! You haven't seen the outside world.”

Looking at his final moments we see that everyone that Owen has cared about doesn’t trust him anymore. They don’t believe his protection was needed. He’s told that he will not get out of this cell. He’s left alone in the silence of the cell. Finally with the time to think. He starts experiencing multiple flashbacks and it makes it hard for him to think. 

We’ve seen in the past how Owen deals with multiple flashbacks. It gives him a headache or causes him pain in some cases. He also becomes really emotional afterwards. This follows the same case. Except he starts to realize some things.

Krow: I know those eyes. That glint of desperation for approval but knowing it's never coming. We're more similar than you let yourself believe you and I

(Flash back ‘i was an archer.?’ ‘i was a hunter?’ I was a soldier)

“I was a tool. Used.”

He knows he’s going to die soon and he starts to panic. The most important line he says is 

“So what now? This is it!? I deserve to die in battle. I killed them. It was what I. Its just what I was meant to do. I was trained. Should i have? I should have. I should have. I can't think inside my head, it's split in two” 

“So what voices? What was I before then huh? Was that me? Is that who people trust? People trust that one. Old Owen. Yes? It wasn't me. That wasn't me” flashback about Apo first coming up

“I can't think. I can't. They trusted him. They trusted him but not me? My head…”

After this he pleads with Magic to let him out. Owen claims “I hurt them, I hurt my friends. Rasbi, Guts. And Apo, Krow I don't know why I did those things” He pleads and cries. And he's desperate

Owen: “No magic it's me please.” 

Magic: “You kill people owen”

Owen: “It wasn't me I'm sorry. I just wanted to keep people safe.” 

Owen: “Magic please don't go… no… magic. You can't do this.”

Magic: “I can and I am” 

I think when we look at these final clips there’s a very important thing happening. Owen is separating himself from the past. He can’t understand why his friends don’t trust him. Even though nothing has changed. To him his eyes have been opened to the dangers of demons and he fulfilled his purpose. 

Why does this separation even happen? This is where we move to the final part of this long analysis and look at theories. There’s no way I can say for sure this is right or this is wrong. I can only tell you what I think based on the material already there. 

So before I go into this I have to emphasize I am not saying you can't refer to earlier Owen as maze Owen to explain Owen at different periods of his life. I'm saying when we really look at it, maze Owen doesn't exist since they're the same person. 

So what am I talking about? The concept of ‘maze’ Owen has been around for a long time. Even ccOwen talks about his character like that. The idea that just because Owen didn’t have his memories that he was some sweet, soft guy that needs to be babied is something that affects a lot on how you view him as a character. 

'maze' Owen doesn't actually exist because it's a way that Owen has come up with to justify to himself how he could have cared for demons without shattering his ideals. This is confused with Owen have distinct personalities and missing how he hasn't strayed from his ideals since the start with his idea of protecting everyone.

To separate that period of Owen's life in the maze ignores the fact that the characteristics you see in Owen post reunion are the same from before but taken to the extreme.

He's always been capable of ‘evil’'. It's the same as every other character in the series. We don't separate them like we do with Owen. Every character in the series is inherently morally gray, they do things out of desperation to survive. You can never say someone is 100% good or bad. 

Owen’s same mindset of 'I need to protect the people I care about because they're in danger now' carries through. After the reunion in his head demons are no longer part of that group he wants to protect. 

The separation of 'maze' and post reunion Owen forgets even in the post memory phase he had the ability to love like 'maze' Owen had. He released Puddy, he started a small farm, he started to relax. It's all part of him.

In his final moments he says a few important things to note. The first being "I was a tool. I was trained. Should I have... I should have." And then right after "I can't think in my head it's split in two"

It seems some take this as 'maze' Owen coming back and fighting with Owen on should he have killed Apo and the others. However rather than 'maze' Owen coming back i think it's this internal conflict he has with himself and his ideals.

Before he says this he's getting flashbacks to the early maze days where he showed kindness to demons. Something he would never let himself do in the past outside the maze. And something he would never do after he remembers it all.

Then he says to the voices "Is that who people trust? Old Owen" while those memories are playing. The voices respond saying they miss that Owen and he replies "Yes? That wasn't me" this is possibly where it further adds to the whole 'maze' Owen is a different person thing.

Rather than facing the fact that his thinking doesn’t make sense anymore he separates himself from those memories. As soon as Owen accepts that demons are not these creatures that betray and kill you at any moment, his life has no purpose.

Owen’s thinking comes from the manipulation and propaganda he's been fed. In his final episode we get these quotes which show just how much his thinking revolves around protection and also showing what years of training did to him.

He understands he was a tool that was used. He's well aware everything he is doing may not have a purpose and yet he still plays this part. He can't break away from that thinking because if he lets himself, Owen has to face the fact that his whole life had no true meaning.

That is a terrifying thing to do. He has been in this environment for so long you can’t just take him out of it. 

Going over everything you can access in Owen’s pov, we know that before gaining his memories Owen is a person that cares deeply about his friends, he risks himself to protect them, he won’t hesitate to hold a weapon against someone he sees as a threat. Owen thinks trust is an important value to have, he takes it very seriously. But we also know that not everyone likes Owen and his leadership. He’s seen with a military mindset, people don’t want to upset him and it nearly costs his life.

Now let’s compare that with the Owen we get to know after his memories return. He wants to protect the people he deeply cares about, he risks himself to protect them, he doesn’t hesitate to hold a weapon against someone that he sees as a threat, only now the threat is demons. When we start looking at these differences, yes, Owen when he regains his memories is different, his tone changes, he murders people. But those core values we’ve seen throughout the series stay with him.

It’s one of the reasons why Owen can’t understand why no one in the clearing is on his side. He protected them against the threat they didn't know about. That is his purpose, and that’s what he’s good for. Remember right at the beginning of the series Owen sets his purpose to protect these people, now this is still the same. He views demons as a threat because he hasn’t had good experiences with them. Even if Apo became his friend in the clearing, Apo ends up lying to Owen, and betraying his trust. Guts became his friend but Guts tried to poison Magic. Owen has never fully trusted Krow and that distrust only furthers once he knows what Krow is capable of based on his experiences with demons.

So let’s go back to the previous question: who was it there? You’re probably thinking well how do you explain maze Owen and the chips. ccOwen has mentioned before that it's a possibility for the chips to alter memories. Maybe Starr suppressed those memories and maze Owen was there again. Or he was hit hard on the head right? Maybe his chip was damaged and it altered his emotions and memory.

There is too little known information to us as an audience about the chips in their head. We know they can supposedly make the outsiders lose track of time, alter their memories, their emotions and change how they act. But if the chips in their head is the explanation for everything then why does Owen remember killing his friends when he talks to Magic? He says it like he wasn't the one doing it, like he watched someone else do it. How do you explain his behaviour then? If the damaged chip really made him act like that then why do flashbacks still occur when he's in prison? He seems to have no control over those, so the chip must still work fine?

I think when we look at his character the maze has already changed him whether he likes it or not. There’s more doubt in him than before. He lets Apo go with extra time. He hesitated before he ran after him. No matter how small, he has changed.

But when Owen talks about himself in the past he makes this separation. The voices in his head won't stop calling for the guy they used to know, even though he's right here. I think Owen doesn't even want to acknowledge at one point he was friends with the demons he hated so much. 

In that prison cell all his ideals and values are facing him. Everything he's done and he's known has been a lie. I think he knows this but can't bring himself to acknowledge that. Would you admit what you thought for your entire life was wrong? That you killed countless for nothing?

When faced with death Owen becomes desperate. Which I think explains his behaviour with Magic. That is his last hope and he knows people like the older version of him. I don't think he's fully lying though when he says i don't know why I did those things. Not because maze Owen came back or anything but because in the maze he no longer has this duty but he still carries it out. He's so tired from it all and he wants to leave it behind but he can't.

So let's go over his death scene one more time. “My head it's split in two” I think the explanation for this is that he was just hit with a bunch of flashbacks of his first days. Right before this he also says ‘I was a tool. Used’ I believe in his final moments where he has a moment to think he starts to fight himself. Should he have done all this for a country that throws him away the second he's useless? He was trained to do this. But should he have really? That's what I think is making him say my head it's split in two. He's fighting his own views and alongside these positive memories it makes him confused. And overwhelmed.

It's important to note Owen doesn't have a single bad flashback about Apo and Rasbi. He doesn't think about the levers, he thinks about his friends that he met. That he protected.

The more flashbacks he gets the more defensive he becomes. “I'm right here you can't convince me otherwise” He doesn't understand why the Owen in his memories is trusted so much, even though they're the same person. In his mind he's doing what he's always done. protect.

“It wasn't me I'm sorry I just wanted to keep people safe” everything he says to Magic is half genuine and half lie. I don't think even Owen knows which parts are which. It's easier if he separates himself into the nice trusted Owen and who he is now.

No matter what in the end, that was Owen. Not Maze Owen but Owen who is desperate to live. He's tired of it all. He's finished his mission and he won't even get to see what he thinks will be an honorable ending for him.

Remember what Owen says to Apo? "The man you manipulated and lied was nothing more than a puppet driven by the instinct to survive."

So of course he'll do anything to survive even if it means playing up the truth.

It's hard to separate Owen into these neat boxes and say for sure that was Maze Owen at the end or that was full manipulation. Because like Owen everything is a bit grey here. Maze Owen wasn't the best person, he hurt his friends, people were scared of him. And post memories Owen isn't some misunderstood guy that needs babying either. 

My final thoughts on this debate is that in the end the one that pleads for his life is just Owen. To separate him and say it was Maze Owen doesn't allow you to understand how complex Owen is as a character. And continues to let you believe that Owen can't do anything wrong. Not understanding sometimes a good person is capable of this evil. To the end Owen still believed he was doing what was right and that was protecting the ones he cared about. So has anything really changed since the start?

[beardedjoel]

hi friends.

something unexpected came up in my personal life and unfortunately i have zero bandwidth for being here right now, so i have been/am taking a brief hiatus.

i have so many wonderful and kind messages and requests from my follower celebration right now, but every time i go to my inbox now, i can’t muster up the energy to do anything. feel free to still send any while it’s open, but i’ll just be getting to them once i’m back on my feet.

love you all.

[spaciebabie]

Strawberry Rexica D2? For the outfits meme

MYYYYY DAUGHTERRRRRRRRRRRR

[flovoid]

“When our worlds could’ve rocked together…”

[lynn-tged-posting]

hey guys,,, i wrote,,, and finished,,, A TGED FIC!!! YAY!!! FINALLY!!!

link below!!! i really really hope you enjoy!!! please have fun!!!

[satoblue]

a formal good morning

[sflow-er]

I've been too low on spoons for the last few months to find any creative inspiration even on the days when I might have had the time to write...and now that I really don't have the time, I find myself thinking about my fics a lot and itching to get back to them. Like, it's "funny" how that goes.

[witchlingcirce]

Oh I KNOW Simon would eat up that “I don’t think you even know what a bad day is” trend of TikTok ( here’s the sound if anyone doesn’t know what I’m talking about https://vt.tiktok.com/ZS65gWwvr/)

[damthosefandoms]

“Will you stop it?”

Darry’s temper is like a bruise you don’t remember how you got. Sodapop just can’t help but press down on it, just to see what happens. And every single time, like clockwork, the pain comes—and so does Darry’s anger.

Soda just has to tap his pencil against the table one more time, and he laughs a little as he does, a little laugh that Darry knows all too well. It drives him nuts. Their father calls it an “instigator giggle.” He says it runs in the family. Darry swears that he, personally, has never laughed like that in his entire life, but oh, oh does it get on his last nerve when he hears it come out of Soda’s mouth.

The grin, the laugh, and Darry reaches over and smacks his brother’s hand so hard the pencil goes flying. Soda screeches in some mix of amusement and pure, unadulterated fear, an indescribable feeling that only successfully annoying your older brother to the point he has no choice but to retaliate can bring, and then jumps up from the table like a dog who heard the word “walk.” He’s got a crazed look in his eyes, hiding behind his chair, and Darry gets up too—Soda laughs and takes a step back as Darry takes two forward, and then the little shit is bolting down the hall and Darry only doesn’t catch up to him because Ponyboy’s appeared in the doorway, complaining he’s missing all the funny stuff, again.

Soda hides behind his locked bedroom door and laughs so hard he cries. Dad comes home later and asks why Soda’s homework isn’t done, why everything’s still laid out on the kitchen table and why he nearly slipped on a pencil walking in the door. Darry’s up in arms and Soda’s giggling like a maniac and Pony whines they left him out again, and all is right in the world.

[aromanticasterisms]

the epic highs and lows of rereading your own writing to seek out parts you disliked and analyze Why you disliked them to do better in the future

[cels-not-so-secret-love-affair]

snow (the marauders & co)

a/n: it’s december so i can finally post this!! the gang get to enjoy just a tiny bit of happiness together one pretty little snowy morning x

‘Rise and shine, fuckers!’, is not what Remus had expected to act as his alarm clock this morning, but here he is. A blur of blue pyjamas and blonde hair had barrelled into the boy’s dormitory alongside the wake up call, and once the vague haze of sleep has dissolved, Remus is able to recognise it as being-

‘Marlene!’, Sirius shrieks, clutching at his covers in an unsuccessful attempt at protecting his modesty. ‘What the hell!’

‘Bleeding Christ, Sirius, would you close your fucking curtains?’

Hurried, the drapes surrounding the bed opposite Remus’ slam shut, accompanied by a string of elaborate swear words.

‘I wouldn’t be in this situation if you hadn’t hurtled in unannounced!’, yell the curtains. ‘Honestly, why you girls are allowed into our rooms when we’re not allowed into yours is beyond me - it’s a total lack of respect for our privacy!’

‘Well I wouldn’t have come to wake you up if I’d known you slept in the nude, now would I!’ Marlene looks vaguely traumatised as she peeks out cautiously from behind her hands. ‘Lesbian’s worst nightmare,’ she mutters under her breath.

Yawning, Remus props himself up onto his elbows and shakes his hair out of his eyes.

‘What time is it?’

‘Six o’clock,’ Marlene replies promptly. With a grimace, he drags himself up into a sitting position, and tries valiantly to ignore the sharp twinge of pain that comes with it.

‘Why?’ is just about all he can muster up in response.

Marlene suddenly brightens up, a broad grin creeping onto her face.

‘Remus,’ she says, breathlessly, ‘it’s snowing.’

‘You’re joking,’ the curtains accuse.

‘I’m not, promise! Here, I’ll open the window.’

She marches across the room to undo the latch and Sirius sticks his head out to bear witness. It is, indeed, snowing - a great flurry of little fuzzy flakes, whirling and dancing, stark against the rich black of the morning sky. It’s beautiful, and wild, and, well, magic. It reminds Remus a little of his childhood, of Christmases with Hope. When he looks back from the window, Sirius’ expression mirrors Marlene’s, eyes alight.

‘Moony, my boy! Fetch a jacket, for we are about to have the greatest snowball fight in the history of Hogwarts! Oh, and wake Pete up, the old lump. He’ll be devastated if he misses this.’

Thus ensues a scramble to get ready to go out, with Marlene tapping her foot impatiently whilst Remus roots through the mess surrounding Sirius’ bed to find something suitable to clothe him in (‘You’re still the most unorganised person I’ve ever met, Padfoot’) and attempts to lug Peter out of bed (‘No, no, don’t go back to sleep… Peter? Peter!’). They meet James on the way out, who greets them with a cheery ‘morning lads!’, and the rest of the girls, who wonder what took them so long. Marlene goes to recount the story of Sirius’ sleepwear - or rather lack-thereof - but is quickly silenced by the subject of her saga, who tackles her to the floor in an atrociously ungentlemanly fashion. Once that debacle is sorted out, chiefly with a chiding from Lily, they all traipse out of the common room. It’s a relatively short journey on a usual day, but is this time made longer by an assortment of suppressed giggles, excited whispers and shoves to be quiet, won’t you?

When they finally make it out however, everyone is silent. What they saw out of the window earlier was just a fraction of the magic, Remus realises. The snow really is gorgeous. Remus looks up at it, watches it as it falls from the heavens, and thinks he could get lost in it. The warm golden glow from the castle they’ve left behind is reflected back to them by the smooth, thick sheets of brilliant white that have already settled on the grass, and it’s making things seem dreamy, like it’s all a pleasant memory he’s already reminiscing upon. Beside him, Lily has wrapped her arms around James’ waist and is gazing at the gentle swirling of the snow just like Remus is, simultaneously in love and in awe. Mary’s got flakes of it in her hair and in her eyelashes, looking like an angel, and Peter’s face is flushed with excitement and the cold, his warm breath visible in the icy air. Marlene looks like how he imagines her to have looked as a kid, all wide eyes and messy wisps of hair falling across her cheek. And Sirius is beside him, holding his hand, seeming perhaps the freest he ever has been, second only to when he’s flying. For just a moment, time is standing still for them. It’s like they’ll never have to do any growing up again.

Then, Sirius breaks the silence.

‘Boys versus girls, then?’

‘Oh, you’re on, Black!’ shouts Mary, and all hell breaks loose.

[abloodycrow]

After Julie visits the Pattersons a second time she mentions that they should stop by to look at the studio where Sunset Curve practiced, it was a great idea at the time.

Julie, Alex and Luke are mentally preparing for Luke's parents to show up. When Reggie suddenly poofs in, looking far more panicked than ever before.

"Luke's parents are here, Ray made them drinks, he's such a gentleman. Oh, right, they were talking about Sunset Curve - very cool to hear them talking about us by the way. That's not why I'm here though, why am I here? OH RIGHT! Ray is kind of talking to them about Julie and The Phantoms and he said he's going to show them a video..."

So, whilst Julie makes a run for the house, the boys get a headstart just as Ray has loaded a video of their Edge of Great performance. Alex keeps hitting the space bar to pause the video, battling with Ray who keeps trying to get the video to play. Luke is pacing the room, a little bit panicked that his parents might find out about his presence. Meanwhile, Reggie is having a one-sided conversation with Ray about how he's a better person than this.

Julie gets in and lies about the internet being down, but Ray just says "no worries, I have the video saved" Julie just closes the laptop and laughs nervously about how they don't need to see it, they're here to see their son's old studio after all. Luckily it works, and as she leads the Pattersons away, Ray is just left a little bit dumbfounded about it all.

Later, they realise that they have no way of stopping the Pattersons searching Julie and The Phantoms on their own accord, they just have to hope they won't.