#Just kind of anti climactic

[letthemsayfuck]

I just finished spn and I am not okay

[bobtheacorn]

Finally watched all of Legend of Korra and the only reason Toph and Katara didn’t solo the problems in their respective vicinities was because the back pain just wasn’t worth it. They both watched all that BS unfold and for real said “Figure it the fuck out kids I have arthritis”. Respect.

[magiefish]

According to M.R. James the three most hazardous positions seem to be archaeologist, antiquarian, and rector.

[saeist]

“set me up with rin”

you slammed your hands against the hard wood table. scaring the shit out of shidou and aiku

“jesus fuck!” shidou puts a hand on his chest

“feisty. i like it!” aiku reacts, doing a little finger gun

“you didn’t say the magic word” sae murmurs, completely unbothered by your whole ruckus. you could say he’s used to it at this point

your eyes widened hearing sae’s response. did he finally agree to help you out?

“pretty please” you bat your eyelashes at your best friend, who wasn’t even looking at you by the way. he was currently reading something off what seems to be the latest edition of a sports magazine

sae silently flips the magazine onto the next page before looking at you dead in the eye. you watch his mouth open, ready to hear a certain sentence you’ve been wanting to hear for the past few weeks

“no.” he says flatly before turning his attention back to the magazine

both shidou and aiku break into boisterous laughter. only to be silenced by the librarian

“shh!” the librarian shushes. “one more ruckus from your table and i’m kicking the four of you out!” she whisper-yells, typing away on her computer

you dramatically slide into the seat next to sae, leaning on his shoulder as you reach over to tug his hand

“sae c’mon! you know i like him! so do me a favor as your favorite friend and set me up with your cute little brother” you cried out, tugging on his hand again and again

sae clicks his tongue in annoyance and snatches his hand back

“that’s exactly why i won’t set you up with him” sae grimaces

“and that is?!”

“that you like my little brother” sae says casually. closing the damned magazine and tossing it to shidou who was busy laughing at something on his phone with aiku

“that’s barely a reason” you point out, “would it kill you to help your friend that's desperate for a lover?" you add, dramatically falling limp onto his lap

sae pinches the bridge of his nose in sheer annoyance. he's heard of this dramatic monologue of yours for a hot minute. ever since he introduced you to his brother, you have not shut up about him since.

it was a mistake on sae's end. he shouldn't have brought you, along with shidou and aiku along for dinner back at his place but it was his mom who pestered him into bringing you guys over for dinner as his mother wanted to meet who sae's friends at college were

"i didn't know y/n-chan was into younger men" shidou quips, poking your nose as you glared daggers at his face

"rin is just like a year younger than sae, let alone me" you retort

"point still stands, y/n-chan" aiku chimes in a sing-song voice, "why do you like him anyway and not the hotter, better and wiser older brother here?" he continues

you dreamily sigh, still on sae's lap as you think about rin

"well first of all, he's a cutie. second, he gives me tsundere vibes but then again, his brother right here is the same kind so i'm pretty sure it runs in the family and... i guess that's about it" you list off the nice things you can say about rin from the top of your head, "no offense sae, i think you're hot and all but just not my type" you poke your tongue at your best friend who only flicks your forehead in retaliation

"that's it?" shidou asks, feeling a little anti climactic about the whole thing. to him it sounded like you had a good reasons on why you were crushing hard on the other itoshi

"oh! and the fact that he's 6'1" you clasp your hands together, "and also that he's trying so hard to be the star player at our local college team and i find it really cute" you gush

"he obviously doesn't have a choice but to try and beat his hotter and better older brother. right, rin?" sae nudges someone beside him.

wait a second, did he just call out to rin?

you quickly scramble off sae's lap, bumping your head against the table in the process

both aiku and shidou let out an "oof, that's gotta hurt" making you more embarrassed than you already are. you glared at them for a brief second before turning your head to the side to see rin looking all confused and to be honest, a little weirded out

"hey rin. what brings you here?" you sweetly wave at the younger itoshi in front of you.

from the corner of your eye, you can see sae rolling his eyes and mumbling "dumbass" under his breath. before you can smack sae, rin speaks up

"my brother" rin nods his head towards sae who only gives him a look of annoyance before motioning him to spit out whatever he came for

"coach says there's been a change of plans regarding the away games and wants to have a team meeting later at the field" rin reports all stoic

sae huffs, "you couldn't just texted me this information or?"

"you blocked my number, remember?" rin rolls his eyes, gripping on his sling bag.

you let out a little gasp and smacked sae on his shoulder upon hearing the news that your best friend has blocked his little brother's number.

"sae! why would you block your brother?!" you nag, wagging your finger in front of sae's face. sae swats your hand away before he attempts to grab rin for pushing him under the bus like that when you're around

"anyway, that's all. also, mom wants you home for dinner. bye guys, bye y/n" rin shyly waves at you before he trudges away out of the library, away from his brother's impending wrath

as rin disappears from sight, suddenly an idea pops into your mind. it's just a simple favor. the next time you see him, you'll ask rin for his help, and maybe, just maybe, it will lead to something more.

"that little runt.. he's gonna get it from me" sae hisses, pulling out his phone to probably unblock rin now that you know that he got his brother blocked. sae looks over at your face in case you were about to yell his ear off but instead he was greeted with a little smile on your face

oh no. he knows that devious smile of yours

"my dearest beloved sae.. put in a good word for me to rin, would ya?" you wink

[dogwithrabies]

【★】 cws: sub!scara, gn reader but described as afab, whiny scara

【☆】 I got a few requests for a part 2 of *this* , so i spent the past few weeks trying to come up with something, enjoy (not proof read)

word count: 3.2k

The sun shines on your eyes, the warm light slowly waking you up. Slowly blinking the fogginess away, you take conscience of the empty space next to you.

Did he leave you behind?

Your eyes shift as they spot movement, his back is facing you and he seems busy with tying the bow on his obi. He stops as he hears you sitting up behind him.

“I got you breakfast,” he points at a sunsettia on his right. He doesn’t give you time to thank him, immediately speaking up again. “Buer was asking how the expedition was going, we should probably hurry up,”

You stop half-bite in the sunsettia as the words sink in- but again he's faster, almost as if he sensed your confusion.

“She watches over me when I'm outside of the Palace,” there’s a tinge of annoyance as he keeps speaking, “I still am her prisoner after all.”

“... Does she watch over you, like, all the time?”

You stumble with your words as you gather your composure, the prospect of Nahida witnessing yesterday’s event is enough to make you panic for a second.

His shoulders tense momentarily, "No, she knows when to look away." A slight pink dusts his cheeks as he thinks about your hands on him again.

Quickly munching your way through breakfast and packing the tent back up, your travels resume once again.

The trek is still mostly silent, just less awkward this time. The wanderer slowed down his pace to match it with yours, walking next to you instead of being miles ahead.

The mission itself was relatively easy- just retrieving an object- a dendro core or whatever Buer said it was called. The only issue was its location, deep into the Avidya forest, hence why she decided to send the Wanderer after it.

He reluctantly accepted, (not that he had a choice to begin with, being her "prisoner" and all), even less willing when Buer mentioned Aether accompanying him. He was already dreading the prospect of walking around with that annoying flying thing, and then you showed up. And he thought things couldn't get worse.

He finds himself thinking about your words over and over "You're stuck with me now." He hopes it wasn't just an "in the heat of the moment" thing. The way you held him and kissed him had strings tugging at his non-existent heart, beating so loud it was ringing in his ears.

He was considering slowing down the mission's progress just to have an excuse to be close to you again. But that thought quickly gets swatted away, with the core now retrieved it was time to head back.

***

Nahida's words echoed in the Palace of Surasthana, sounding solemn and serious as she explained the importance of the core.

But the Wanderer was not listening. His eyes unfocused and staring at the ground. So deep in thought he didn’t even notice the fleeting glances Buer was giving him. She quickly wraps up her discourse, dismissing you both with a smile.

It was kind of anti-climactic, the day went surprisingly smooth, no twists or epic adventure. You think about Aether and Paimon, who somehow always manage to find themselves in the eye of the storm of any situation, for a second you envy them, but yet again the thought of dealing with problem after problem deters you from that thought. You’ve had enough action, after all, you got to see Kunikuzushi’s carefully crafted façade crumble in front of you like a tower of cards. He was even more docile after the deed and didn’t even bother to come up with any insult to throw at you during the trek back. You wanted to see more of that, you decided.

You hear his footsteps as he walks away from the center of the grandiose room. His beautifully crafted sleeves sway with each step. Quickly catching up with him, he glances at you. There’s a sly smile on your face, it seeps in your tone as you speak.

“Where are you going?”

He sounds a bit exasperated as he responds, “To my room.” It’s a short sentence, as if he was trying to get away with the bare minimum of conversation.

“Oh, right. You’re still staying here.” The whole palace was stunning, intricate designs adorning both the inside and the outside walls. Was his room as fancy?

“Can I see it? your room, I mean.” He grumbles while still walking. “Why? There is nothing to see. It’s a momentary allocation anyway.”

"But I’m curious.” You catch up when he puts a little bit of distance between you again. Why can’t he just deny you? He can’t bring himself to say no to you this time, sighing silently as he finds himself in front of the door of his room.

“... I guess. Since we’re already here.” He reluctantly pushes the door letting the both of you step inside. The tinted glass of the window gives a peaceful atmosphere, the sun rays emanating a nice heat wherever they land. He stands in the middle of the room awkwardly, following your gaze as you look around.

Sure, it’s a fancy room, but it’s just so bare.

There’s one bed, the blankets and pillows are perfectly smoothed out, one wardrobe in the corner of the room, and nothing else. It doesn’t even look lived-in, perhaps Nahida cleaned it up while he was out but you highly doubt that. Clean and organized to the bare fits him, you conclude.

“You’ve seen it now. You can leave.” He mutters under his breath as he puts down his hat. You decide to play with him for a bit.

“Aw, already kicking me out?” You feign being hurt as you walk up to him.

He looks up to you as your hands reach out to him, playfully twirling the tufts of hair on his neck. “I’ve had enough of you these past few days.” Liar. He can’t bring himself to admit that he craves your touch, denial is more comfortable. Your eyes lock for a second, deeply staring into each other.

His mouth opens for a few seconds, but whatever words he was conjuring up die down in his throat as he sighs and closes his eyes.

Docile.

“If you want something you have to speak up.” You slowly close the gap between your bodies. The zones where your body comes in contact with his are warm.

Insufferable. He thinks. Of course, you’d make him work for it, but he decides to play along.

“Same goes for you, you’re all over me.” It’s his turn to smirk now, he caught you off guard, that sly smile disappearing momentarily.

“Oh? But I thought I was being pretty clear.” Your hands glide from his neck to his waist, squeezing it slightly before pulling him forward.

“I want you, Kunikuzushi.” You whisper near his ear. Your hot breath on his neck makes him shudder. Dammit. Once again, he tries to speak up but stops. Since when did he get so hesitant? But he can’t think of any other scenario where he found himself utterly speechless. It’s only around you. He stills as your fingers press deeper into his waist, growing impatient at his lack of a response. You stare at him in the eyes, but looks away almost instantly-

“Do whatever you want,” he grumbles, a cute shade of pink covering his cheeks.

You get close to his face, so close he can feel you exhaling, his eyes flutter closed and he slightly leans in. Cute.

You don’t make him wait, one hand grabbing his cheek as you close the gap. His breath hitches as if he wasn’t entirely expecting you to kiss him. Your hand grabs his arm as you direct it around your neck, he immediately sinks it into your hair.

It’s a bit funny how quickly he crumbles when you touch him, although he’d rectify and say it’s pathetic. How could he give into such silly desires so easily anyway? It felt good, having someone like him, stoic and silent, turn to putty with a simple kiss. If anyone caught you in a compromising situation like this the gossip at the Akademya would spread like wildfire, but it doesn’t turn you off, in a way it spurs on that possessive streak in you. It would let everyone he’s off the market. Whether he’s unaware or simply doesn’t care about it, many people turn their heads towards him when they see his fair face and striking red eyeliner. And it’s not just because of his unusual clothing, he’s just so pretty.

You pull away slightly, gasping for air silently, you’re met with resistance for a second, the Wanderer’s hand remains at the back of your head, as if he didn’t that moment to end.

He doesn’t need to fill his lungs with air, but you do. Your human need for air never bothered him until this moment. How he wishes he could just kiss you forever, but he doesn’t plan on asphyxiating you with his lips.

As if reading his mind, your lips return on his once again, just more aggressively. Deeper. You actively push him back, he stumbles until his back is met with the wall.

Now, you’ve got him trapped. Not that he would ever want to escape from your touch.

Your hands slide down his obi to his shorts. It was one of the first things you noticed about him when you saw him- those hip windows. It would be so easy to sneak your hand into one of the two holes and grab him. You wonder for a moment if he himself came up with such a slutty outfit. Your thumbs massage the skin of his hips, separated only by the thin fabric of the body suit. You can’t reach the front in this position, so you opt to shuffle your hand under the fabric of his shorts and get a good grab of his butt.

He freezes momentarily, breaking off the kiss.

“What?” You ask, your eyes boring into his. He deadpans.

Your gaze lowers, admiring his puffy lips, then lower.

His member formed a nice bulge on the front of his shorts. You lowered your hand to the hem of his shorts and dragged him closer to you. Now he was effectively sitting on your thigh, the sudden contact making him shudder.

"would you stop teasing me?" he says in an irritated tone.

You don't answer his question, opting to silence him with another kiss. He gasps in the kiss when he feels your hand outlining his bulge. It's so painfully slow, and you don't seem to have any intention to speed up.

So he takes matters into his own hands and pushes his hips towards you, grinding both on your thigh and hand.

"Don't do that." You're quick to chastise him, taking your hand away.

Too many clothes, you think, the fact that he’s still fully clothed is a complete failure on your end.

Your hand moves to his obi again, pulling on the bow until it comes loose and slides on the floor. The familiar movement brings you back to the last time you did this.

Oh, how you wanted to see him all ruined once again.

You hook your finger on the waistband of his shorts, pulling those down too.

His member springs up, now free from its confinements, your eyes linger momentarily on the marks on his thigh you left last time- they’re a bit faded but still visible, but before your hand reaches out to it he stops you.

You raise an eyebrow at him, and he blushes slightly.

“Let me do something for you.” He searches in your expression for a hint of disagreement,

and when he doesn’t see any he proceeds to tug upwards at your shirt until it’s off.

“We are not outside this time.” It seems a plain statement, but you know he means that there is no rushing or fear of getting caught this time. There’s also the commodity of being in his room.

He slowly backs you until you hit the bed, taking the hint, you hike up until you’re laying with your back on the pillows. He shimmers out of his shorts before joining you, awkwardly nestling himself in between your legs.

It’s then that he decides you’re still wearing too many clothes. He hooks his finger under your bottom-wear, pulling it all down in one fell swoop. His eyes fall down immediately. The sight makes him throb, something that you don’t miss. You’d tease him for it but he leans forward again, kissing you softly. It’s short, just a quick peck.

He hesitantly puts his hand on your waist. It’s then that you realize he doesn’t know what the fuck he’s doing. It’s more endearing than anything, the fact that he wants to please you despite his blatant inexperience.

“Your hands?” you speak. Putting your hands on his. He seems to think for a moment, not giving you any answer, he just slides his body lower onto the bed until his face is just over your cunt.

So he wants to repay you, hm?

He hovers momentarily over it before giving an experimental lick on your sensitive nub, then another, and another.

He puts a bit more pressure this time, even going lower, his tongue swiping over your entrance, collecting your slick. You taste good. Unlike him, he remembers how he could taste himself when you kissed him last time, internally cringing at the memory.

Your hands reach out to his head, entangling themselves in his hair, holding him in place. He takes this as a sign to keep going.

His tongue gets more confident, exploring deeper, pressing harder. His lips close around your clit as he gives it a sharp suck and you moan.

He wants to hear more of that.

He needs to.

His tongue swipes over your slick again, then goes back up and swirls around your clit. This entices more moans from you, only spurring him on, to do better.

His hips twitch against the mattress, slowly humping the sheets.

Hands…Hands. He remembers your question from before, and slides his hand down until it’s prodding at your entrance. He pushes one finger in, feeling how easily it sinks he plunges in another one.

You’re warm, even warmer than he remembers. He spreads his fingers, exploring your insides. He pumps them in and out a few times before taking them out, a slick line connecting them to your core.

It’s then he decides that he can’t take it anymore, a bit disappointed at his lack of self-control he quickly licks them clean before climbing back on you.

His face is so messy. You can see your juices coating his lips and chin. Your hand reaches out to his face, swiping over it in an attempt to make him look less debauched. It’s a lost cause, and he doesn’t seem to care, too preoccupied with aligning himself with your hole.

Quickly glancing at you as if asking for permission, he lets out a breath he doesn’t know he was holding when you nod.

You reach between your bodies as he looks attentively, your hand grabs his dick and pushes the tip against your entrance. He shudders before pushing his hips forward, sinking into you.

You feel so good around him- the involuntary twitches of your cunt, it feels like you’re sucking him in. He resists the urge of just rutting into you like a horny animal but he knows he won’t get that far regardless. Just pushing in a little bit more makes his knees give out. He catches himself on his elbows, stopping himself before headbutting you.

He hears you giggle, not having the force to even face you.

“That good?” but he doesn’t answer- so you follow up.

“It’s fine, just take your time.” your hand slides under his chin, raising it until he’s facing you.

The blush is even more evident now, pink dusting all over his cheeks and his frustrated expression. Your hand moves up, swiping his bangs out of his face before both your hands come up to cup his face and bring it closer for a kiss.

He melts into the kiss, your tongue swipes over his lips and he obliges, granting you access. His hips surge forward once, twice, trying to find a rhythm he’s content with. He’s met with little to no resistance. His dick hits deep inside you, slowly he picks up a decent pace.

There’s an obscene sound of skin slapping against skin, the wetness making its own noise. He tries holding back any embarrassing noises, but it’s futile, he finds himself moaning into your mouth. He’s almost whimpering. Voice higher than he’d like it to be. Your hand clutches his hair harder, surely ripping out some strands. He likes that.

None of his pathetic attempts at fucking himself into you could top you riding him. He wishes you’d just grab him and flip him over. Mark his skin again, bite him, leave darker marks. Ride him until he’s shooting blanks, and even then don’t stop. And then you’d take care of him, hold him.

He whimpers a bit louder, hiding his face in the crook of your neck, completely covering you as he picks up the speed. His thrusts are shallower now, but hit faster and harder.

“So g-good… Fuck, you feel so good.” He says, voice muffled by your neck. He can feel his voice going higher. near whining territory. His lips settle on your neck, leaving dark spots but also muffling more of his embarrassing whimpers.

He twitches inside you, practically throbbing. “I can’t- I can’t take it anymore.” He manages to utter in-between moans. More curses spew out of his mouth and he bites down.

“It’s okay, sweet boy” You push your hand in between your bodies, reaching to rub your clit. “You did good.”

As your own orgasm gets closer, your insides clamp on him like a vice. With a final muffled whimper, he comes- the sensation of his seed filling you bringing your own climax. He keeps thrusting, riding out both your orgasms before collapsing rather roughly on you. He doesn’t even make an effort to move, somehow finding himself breathless, and he doesn’t even need air. You don’t seem to mind, softly brushing out his messy locks while he recuperates.

It’s only when he's completely soft that he rolls over, the sight of his cum leaking out of you making him blush. You don’t let him dwell on it for too long, caressing his side slowly.

He fucked you and somehow he looks more ruined out of the two.

***

After you proposed cleaning up, he realized just how much of a mess the blankets were. It was already late by that point- and there were no spares in the palace anyway. No use keeping furniture that you don’t need, Buer doesn’t need sleep (he would argue he doesn’t either.)

Neither of you wanted to sleep on the wet spot on the mattress, so you come up with the solution of squishing him against your body, wrapping him in your body heat.

He looks so small now, his arms slowly wrap around your waist while his head rests near your neck. Your hand glides down his back, lulling him into relaxation. It’s comfortable like this. Your breath fans over his head and your heart beats in a steady rhythm, he can hear it in this position.

“You’re staying, right?” he breaks the silence. It’s more of a demand than a question.

You just hum, the vibrations tickling the top of his head. He squeezes you slightly harder.

“That’s… good. Stay here.”

[muzanswaifu]

Sweet Treat Teaser

Tomioka x Fem! Reader

18+

Here is a teaser for an request im working on for the lovely @muzans-stuff.

Summary: After Tomioka rejects her proposal, reader takes a different approach to gain his affection

Warnings: Rejection, Heart-break, Arguments, Reader has big breasts

-

-

The sour taste of bitter sadness and anger always upset her stomach, food seeming bland and tasteless and hobbies joyless and obsolete. The days drew long and slow, chores boring and pointless, yet sleep hadn’t seemed to be the answer either as she lay awake for hours. Mother and Father tried to give her time, but no amount of reprieve seemed to work, so they continued sending her to busy herself around the Wisteria House. Slayers came and went, their time seeming to last for seconds before the next batch would come and replace the others. All of them knew better than to take up too much of her time.

“It’s not you… It’s me.”

“What kind of ridiculous excuse is that?”

With the cold season cresting, more injured corps members required attention, Mother sending for more doctors and nurses as temporary help. She made her (y/n) help as well, despite her lack of medical knowledge, briefing her on the basics of care for those who had more minimal injuries. Harsh weather meant more victims and prey as demons had no fear of freezing to death. She found the cold refreshing, a numb pleasure to erase some of her darker thoughts. Feeling sad just felt so right during times like this.

“We wouldn’t be a good match… You wouldn’t like the lifestyle.”

“You don’t know that!”

Why did everything have to be so dull? Things used to be so worthwhile before what happened. Maybe it was her. She was the one who tried to change everything and had to open her stupid mouth. She could’ve left everything as it was, sure it would’ve been difficult and anti-climactic, but she would take that over this disgust with herself any day. She missed how things used to be. Why did he have to say no? They could’ve been happy.

“It’s not happening… I refuse.”

“Why?!”

“Because that’s my answer. That’s final.”

“You won’t even give it a chance? You were the one who kissed me! Did that mean nothing to you?”

“Enough.”

“I can’t believe you could be so- so heartless…”

“I said enough.”

“... I hate you.”

“ … ”

She should’ve kept silent, but every word from her pathetic mouth just drove her deeper into her pit of despair. Had she given him time to just think about her confession, maybe Giyu would’ve grown to accept it rather than push her away. But all she’d managed to do was upset him further, a look of disappointment falling upon his stoic expression and quickly making her realize what she’d said. She reached for him in the moment, tears welling in her eyes as an apology pulled at her lip, but he was gone, his form disappearing from her sight in only a moment, leaving only a slight breeze of chill. Or perhaps it was her own guilt that caused her to shiver.

She wanted to blame only herself, she really did, but why did he drag her along so thoughtlessly? He was the one who asked for her personally to apply all his bandages and ointments (despite her novice experience.) He was the one who followed her around the house like a lost puppy while she worked despite her mother pestering him to rest and recuperate. He was the one who kissed her when she checked his temperature during his recovery, staring long into her eyes and slowly leaning in to brush his lips against hers ever-so-gently. Although he quickly pulled away and muttered his apologies, excusing his own inappropriate actions, the deed had already been done. She knew he’d had feelings for her for quite some time. Even despite the kiss she’d seen the way he looked at her, his eyes alight with a delicate passion when they met hers, or the clear lust that consumed him when those eyes ventured southward. It was obvious he had some obsession with her chest, his preference evident with his lingering stare and gaping mouth. Tomioka hadn’t even had the decency to keep his eyes up during their first meeting, his head quickly bowing down and mouth gawking as he ogled at her fullness. Sure, she would admit she was decently large, but she had no idea it would’ve elicited such a reaction from the swordsman. He’d gotten more manners later on but it always made her flush when she remembered that despite his nobility, he was a still man as well.

The house was so quiet ever since their fight, the snow muffling any sounds of nature and lulling everyone into a deep tire. The visiting slayers slugged around like zombies with such little energy which gave her an agonizing amount of time to pity herself.  Tomioka hadn’t visited for so many months, she wished she could excuse his absence for lack of injury but the chances that were miniscule. This wasn’t the only wisteria house in his district, so he was likely hiking the extra mile to another to avoid her. Even if he didn’t wish to see her anymore, she wished he would at least come to heal his injuries. Just knowing first-hand that he was alright would be enough, just seeing him would be enough.

Before long, even winter had passed, the air still chilly and dry but the ice starting to melt and thaw. Snow began to turn to rain and the frozen ground turning to sloshed muddy earth. A whole season passing without a single reunion.

She missed his peaceful company. She missed his small smile when he was humorous. She missed the way he’d look at her, how he’d look at her like she meant everything to him. As much as his rejection still stung, she still loved him.

-

The violent sound of clashing awoke her, feet and bodies audibly pounding across the floorboards in the medical ward of the estate. It wasn’t unusual for wounded slayer to come at this late hour, but they usually had the courtesy to arrive quietly.

“Hurry, hurry! Get him to the table now!”

(Y/n) could hear the frantic shrill voice of her mother and the shuffling of a few others through the walls, their panicked movements frightening her completely awake. Whatever was happening sounded serious, likely a life-threatening injury. Perhaps she should help.

She hastily threw on a robe over her nightgown, speed-walking down the hall to the sight of all the fuss. Her face scrunched in disgust as she was met with blood scattered across the floor, leading a crimson trail to one of the medical rooms. It smelled gross, a metallic odor filling the house and watering her eyes, but she continued onward to the room, peaking in to get some clue of the distress.

Blood everywhere, soaked into every article of clothing, several doctors and nurses ambled about the room, throwing commands to each other. Mother stood at the corner, biting her nails and anxiously watching the treatment. Everyone was frenzied but there was only one person on the table. She leaned forward through the doorway to get a better view. It was hard to see with everyone gathered around the patient, but she could see bits and pieces here and there, the body leaning toward male. But she didn’t have to further theorize as a nurse moved out of the way, revealing his face. She could feel the moment her heart stopped.

His face was a bit scuffed but the harm looked minimal, but there was still sweat beaded across his forehead, his teeth clenched together and eyes sewn shut, indicating his severe pain. A nurse’s hand held his slicked bangs back, and she could see the sea of bandages that began at his sternum. His deep blue eyes flickered open and locked onto hers, and she gasped. She stumbled away from the door, sneaking back to her own room quickly and shutting the door. Her heart was pounding, sweat glazing her burning flesh.

(Y/n) had never seen him so maimed, nor had she ever seen him in any pain really. Her presence couldn’t have made it any better for him, in fact, he was probably even more uncomfortable right now. Look at her, making everything worse as per usual.

She finally fell unconscious several hours later after worrying and dreading Giyu’s health. Would he recover from such injuries? Would he be permanently wounded? The pit in her stomach refused to go away, her angst building and building until her body physically couldn’t take anymore and her sunken eyes closed. She woke only a few hours later, dizzy from so many nightmares and promptly setting off to find her mother to ask for any updates. She found her already woken, putting away laundry in the early hours.

Mother explained he was decent, not perfect but not broken either. Apparently he’d stumbled in hellishly late last night, weakened and hallucinating from a poison demon’s attack. He managed to make it to the closest wisteria house, this one, quickly enough and was treated right away. As for his pained reactions, they were also a result from the demon’s art, the venom merely increasing his body’s sensitivity and heightening the effects. He was knocked out from pain killers and was going to be sleeping for quite some time, the actual damage was going to take a while to heal anyway.

Her answer was satisfactory enough, the girl sighing in relief and limping back to bed to get more rest. No wonder he’d come here, he was probably too out of it to realize why he was avoiding it. She wouldn’t put it past him to leave as soon as he composed himself.

But to her disbelief, he didn’t.

She almost didn’t believe her eyes when she walked past the courtyard one morning and saw him active outside, stretching out and wincing from his injuries. She took another route to get to the kitchen. The next day was the same. And the next. And the next. Each day she would try her best to avoid him, finding he most frequented the courtyard and the section of the estate where his room was. He seemed to be doing the same as well, turning the other way when she happened to come into view, staying in his room or training most of the day. Part of her is grateful he’s healing so fast. The other part is bitter. The bad memories still lingered in her thoughts. He was definitely still mad at her, and she was still hurt. If everything went smoothly, he would be out of here soon, she just had to be patient.

To be continued...

[originalwinnercheesecake]

Guess's on How Sasappis died.

Sasappis is the last ghost for us to learn his death. Sass is very private (undead) person, and we have been given no real/clear hints to his death. His ghost power (To enter into the dreams of the livings) could easily correlate to him being a story teller, and not necisarly "He died in his sleep, after catching a sever fever, that also caused him to have very strange dreams. Note I do not believe that Sass died of a fever. They would have incorporated some sign of it into his character. He would be more tired, feel more cold, possibly have a "unexplainable sweating problem". He also does not have any vibsiable gaping wounds, like Pete, Flower, or Stephanie, so that rules out death by attacker. So the question is how did Sass die

Now he could have died of some kind of sickness, but I do not think it is very likely. For one thing he is implied to have had a sudden death, just days before an important tribal ceremony he was planning/supposed to take part in. Correct me if I am wrong, but wouldn't most sickness take a period of weeks, months, years to do him in. A second thing again he isn't really sickly in the the show. All the cholera ghosts are flushed and still hacking. Issac will sneeze and mention stomach pains. But Sass seems fine, so if he has any kind of sickness then he has been masking it for 500 years. That is really sad.

He also could have could died if he went walk in the woods one night and fell from a cliff or out of a tree... but if that happened well that is kinda anti-climactic for how long we had to wait. I would rate that on the same scale as Thorfinn dying because he went walking with his helmet, through a storm and was struck by lightening. It is just a case of him not being as careful as he should have been. Not nearly an impressive follow up to Alberta or Hetty's more recently revealed deaths.... But you could make it more sad. Sass and his crush Shiki are implied to have died in the same year. Sass says that when they were alive, he was ghosted by Shiki after gifting a freshly killed deer to her family, as a jester of love. What if that was because Shiki actually went missing (i.e. died) shortly after, and Sass went out to search for her?

Another death I have considered was a food related one. A detail of Sass's character is is the most in love with food smells (the closest they can come to eating) of all the ghosts. He hangs out in the kitchen whenever Jay is cooking, consistently begs Sam and Jay to cook more of his favorite smelling food: pepperoni pizza, and I am honestly half expecting him to move into the barn once Jay's restaurant opens... What if Sass's love of food is actually a hint at his death? Maybe he had an allergy and accidentally ate something he was not supposed to? Or, maybe he had diabetes or some other dietary need, a crop or the meat from a particular animal, and Sass died when it was wiped out or disappeared. With so many people in the U.S. having dietary issues, and the countries known love of food, I could see the show choosing to write an episode on dietary importance, and the need for people from all walks of life to have access to healthy food.

My finale theory is one I have actually gotten off Tumblr, from the people who are fans of both the CBS and BBC series. Some people are suggesting Sass got bit by a poison snake or something and died from the poison venom. The puncture marks are small enough for Sass to be able to conceal with his clothing. Apparently something of the similar nature happened to BBC's Kitty? And I actually know a really good way to blend that into Sass's personality and a possible reason for why he became a ghost. Sass as mentioned loves stories and is a gifted story teller. But also as mentioned he is very private person who gets nervous about speaking in front of crowds. A week before the tribes festival Sass's father gave him an eagle's feather, which was believed to help bring confidence and courage. But what if Sass was still nervous/afraid afterwards. What as the days got closer got more more nervous/afraid, until he decided to do something reckless and stupid, to prove to himself that he could be brave. Something like walking through a more dangerous (poison animal infested) part of valley, telling himself "If I can brave this I will have no reason to be afraid of anything anymore". While that would not be the most exciting death, it would be very tragic, and it could set up "Overcoming the fears he had as a living", all of them, as Sass's unfinished business. Essentially, he would need to become a more rounded and confident person. Note that seems to also be Pete's unfinished business. Sass and Pete are roommates, and we have had at least a few really nice episodes exploring their relationship. It would be really cool if that continued to him and Pete having to teach themselves the same thing, but in different ways.

[chaosintended]

it frustrates me so much that they just stuck klaus in a coffin and ended his storyline there. what did that even give us?

we already knew that he wasn't going to deal well with the dark+tight space combo. previously, that fear was used to establish his relationship with his power and his father. like in s1 when he was locked in that closet, we got to see what he was like in panic mode as opposed to his usual nonchalance. here, it served no more purpose than a brief moment of "oh no, he's stuck!" there wasn't even much tension because he's immortal, for god's sake. what's he going to do, die?

the quiet scenes could have been used to show him reflecting on his powers, relapse, (basically) being sex trafficked, the fourth apocalypse he got stuck in, family dynamics, relationships, etc. yeah, he was angry at allison for using the marigold on him, but we never see him process anything further before the finale.

the ghost dog was kind of cool, since we got to see him do something useful with his power, but it felt anti-climactic after watching him 1) come back to life multiple times, 2) effortlessly levitate, and 3) pull off full-on possession. could he not have done something on a bigger scale to save himelf?

it just feels like the writers didn't know what to do with him (or allison, for that matter), so they put him in a confined space and forgot about him until he was relevant again.

[aloneinthehellfire]

Chapter Fifteen: Sattler's Quarry

Gates Of Hell [Masterlist]

Word Count: 3.9k

Warnings: mentions of death, virus, mentions of past trauma, thalassophobia (deep fear of water)

[A/N: this chapter is dedicated to the one and only @sattlersquarry who has literally been supporting this series since day one!!! I honestly don't know where this fic would be without your constant support so, in honour, here's a chapter filled with the steve x reader moments we deserve (and maybe a little angst, but I can't help myself)

I would also like to take the moment to thank everyone for their patience, I've been through two rounds of sickness and it really took a lot out of me but I'm okay, I'm back, and I'm really excited to share this chapter with you all! I hope everyone enjoys!]

Sattler's Quarry

You were living on borrowed time.

It wasn’t news to you, in fact it’s all you’ve been thinking about since the day the gate exploded, leaving you and Steve stranded in a foreign world shaped like your home. The thought of it creeps in whenever you’re still, imagining how horrible it would be if it happened without warning.

And then those terrifying images play out like a slide-show. You turning, attacking, regretting. You hate that you’re imagining all the ways you could possible turn on the boy you cared about, but you can’t help it. This virus did everything it could to make you feel like a monster.

Steve can tell your symptoms are getting worse. You’re trying your best to hide them, force them away, but every so often you’ll slip up and expose the intensity of it, snapping at him or stumbling to a stop to blink away the black spots in your vision. He could just go on, find the gate himself and escape before it was too late. But he wasn’t leaving you down here.

After Max’s radio message this morning, you had both immediately set off, determined for this to be the last trip across the Upside Down forever. You just hoped you had decrypted the pattern correctly and weren’t just leading you both out here for nothing. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Once your soft footsteps turn to crunches above the gravel, you know you’ve arrived.

Sattler’s Quarry was located on the edge of town, buried behind a thick expanse of woods behind the lab. It wasn’t a particularly unpopular place, but since it was owned land people generally tried to stay away from it. That was until Will Byers’ body was found just before he miraculously showed up alive a week later, making it a honeypot for insensitive teens. Since so many kids were visiting, the owner, Frank, decided it best to just drain the quarry to avoid anymore mishaps with government cover-ups and reckless teens alike.

While it didn’t make the cut for the ‘bodies of water’ criteria, you figured it should count for its past.

“Um, so where is this gate meant to be if there’s no water?” Steve questions, squinting towards his surroundings. Somehow everything was darker around the quarry, making it near impossible to spot anything dangerous. And there was always something dangerous.

“They said it always appears at the heart.” You reply, keeping your focus on the ground so you don’t accidentally walk off a cliff in an anti-climactic end to your life.

“What kind of cryptic bullshit is that?”

“I think they just mean the middle.” You gently nudge his arm, spotting the edge of the quarry and he nods, sighing.

“Okay… let’s find the middle.”

You lead him to the edge, focused on your footing to ensure it was solid ground. Everything seemed normal until a crackle of lightning above you shed a spotlight, glinting below. You both freeze, staring down.

“Holy shit.” Steve breathes, and you can only nod in agreement.

You had never seen the quarry so full with water even before they drained it, but there it was, rising up to what would be half full. You can just spot the smaller rock ledge you and Robin would sit at during the summer, imagining the quarry could have been a swimming spot if it weren’t so small. Now you didn’t really have to imagine.

“I didn’t even know the Upside Down had natural water.” You say, feeling a sudden pang of fear. “Steve?”

“Yeah?”

“When was the last time you drank water?”

“Uh…” He frowns at first, thinking it through. And then he widens his eyes, staring back at you.

Neither of you have had food or water for three weeks. And worse yet, neither of you had noticed.

“How is that possible?” Steve questions and you shake your head. “I don’t even… are you hungry?”

“No.” You let out a breath, looking around you. “How could we have forgotten something like that?”

“Been too busy fighting and running.” Steve shrugs and you tighten your lips. “Come on, we’ll freak out about this later, let’s get a closer look at this water.”

You point out the ledge you had spotted earlier and soon enough, you had both quickly descended down until you were both peering over the edge, close enough to the water to see your reflections shining back at you.

“The water seems pretty clear.” Steve nods, hands on his hips as he looks across the massive body of water.

You frown. “How can you tell? Everything’s so dark down here.”

“Yeah I can’t see shit, I was lying.” Steve peers back down at it, crouching and running his hand through the water. It was strange, knowing now that he hadn’t touched water in weeks and yet, he still remained completely satisfied. “Dustin said the gate should glow red when it opens… do you think we’ll be able to see it from up here?”

“I don’t know.” You say, shifting on your feet. Steve looks up at you, noting your uneasy nature.

“Hey, they’ll let us know when the gate opens on their radar thingy.” He assures, standing back up.

“That’s not…” You glance back at the water before turning around, opting to face anywhere but there. “I don’t like water.”

“You don’t like water?” Steve repeats and you nod, thinning your lips. “Wait, like, you’re scared of it?”

“Not the water specifically. Just like...” You explain, wafting your hand through the air. “The stuff in the water.”

“Like what?” He asks, raising an eyebrow and you look shocked. “What? I’ve been swimming all my life, I have no idea what you’re on about.”

Your mouth gapes, feeling exasperated as you look between him and the water. “There’s- it could… Scary fish.”

“Scary fish?” He tries to hide his smirk and you bat his arm.“It’s the quarry, okay? Nothing was even in here before it got drained or some shit, nothing is gonna be here now, okay? Can you swim?”

“Yeah, I can swim.” You nod, looking down with a shudder. “But it’s much nicer in a pool with ceramic tiles staring back at me. Not whatever endless void of death I’m looking at right now.”

“That’s the positive spirit.” He chuckles and you grimace. “Okay, okay, look, I’m not asking you to jump in there alone, okay? We’ll do it together.”

When silence washes over, you turn to see him holding out his pinkie. You smirk, looping your own around it.

“Thought you said this was childish.”

“It grew on me.” He shrugs, smiling down at you. When he realises he’s just staring, he clears his throat, stepping back. “So, uh… what now?”

“We wait, I guess.” You say, lowering yourself onto a smaller ledge etched into the rocky surface, digging your elbows into your knees as you lean forward with your head in your hands, trying not to think about what could be lurking in the deep.

Steve joins you after a moment, his knee brushing against yours as he stretches out. He thinks how strange it was you were both so comfortable with contact that it was simply second-nature, your arm pressed against his to the point he could feel your warmth even through the thick fabric of your jackets. When the apocalypse started, neither of you could sit so close, the space between you speaking volumes.

“Do you think the military have it sorted?”

Steve’s question was a surprise, making you straighten up to meet his eyes inquisitively.

“I mean, it’s been three weeks. They must have done something.” He theorises and you shrug, not giving it much thought.

“Maybe.” You say, pursing your lips. “They didn’t have much luck before but, like you said, it’s been three weeks. The worst of it would probably mean they move us out of Hawkins, maybe to California or something.”

Something sparked hope then in Steve’s chest. Us. Not ‘them’, or ‘you’, us. Steve was always afraid to speculate about the future after the Upside Down, fully aware of the inevitable possibility you won’t have one. But there you were, including yourself in the narrative like it was meant to be.

You twist your face when you noticing him smiling, making you laugh. “You’re making that face again.”

“I can’t help it.” He chuckles and you smile back at him, nudging his shoulder playfully. “You wanna hear something funny?”

“I can’t deal with another one of your ‘knock, knock’ jokes right now.” You groan and he laughs, shaking his head.

“No, it’s not that.” He scrunches his face in thought, letting his eyes drift to the water then back to you, studying you like it was his last moment he ever could. “I, uh… do you remember anything about middle school?”

You raise your eyebrow, smirking. “Uh… a little, I guess. Why, do you?”

“It’s probably the only thing I can remember.” He sighs, leaning back until the rock edge dug into shoulder. “It was the last time I felt like a kid.”

“What’s so funny about it?” You remind him and he clicks his tongue, nodding.

“I, um…” Steve looks nervous, staring at his shoes. It made your stomach flutter, feel giddy. “I actually had the biggest crush on this girl back then. I… I don’t think I hid it that well either.”

You slowly nod, looking at your hands. “Nancy?”

“No.” He says and you back to him, frowning. “It… it was you.”

Your eyes widen. “What?”

“I- I thought you knew.” He laughs and you shake your head, looking bewildered. “Literally everyone else did. Even Robin was teasing me about it.”

“You throw so many parties that the school practically lives at your house, you’re always ranting about getting a basketball scholarship, and weirdly enough I am fully aware of the crush you had in middle school that you completely ruined but it’s so mind-blowing I can’t even repeat it.”

His mind is taken back to his very first official meeting with Robin, the way she had rambled at him the entire car ride as he drove around searching for you. She knew so much about him and, since you were close, he figured you would have known all about his middle school crush too. How wrong he was.

“I didn’t know.” You say, smiling in disbelief. “Seriously? Me?”

“Yeah.” He laughs nervously, running a hand through his hair. “I know we didn’t really hang out that much, but whenever you were around… I don’t know, you just seemed so… cool. And fun. You would always make the best jokes, you never let anyone tell you what to do. You were so different from my other friends, I just… I just had a massive crush on you.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” You ask, your wide eyes staring up at him, waiting for an answer.

“I…” He lets out a breath, shrugging. “I don’t know. Maybe I figured you wouldn’t want to be with a guy like me. I mean, the people you were friends with were nothing like me. And we never really saw eachother that much… I just ran out of time.”

“Ran out of time?”

“Well, you know.” He says, smirking. “The whole sworn enemies thing we had going on for some reason.”

Steve meant it as a joke, but your breath hitches and you shift in your spot, eyes darting away from him in a flash of hurt.

“Wait, no, I didn’t mean-” He tries, but you shake your head.

“It’s okay.” You dismiss, leaning forward. It wasn’t okay, though. It was a subject you’ve been avoiding ever since you found out Steve lost a lot of his childhood memories to deliberate punches and infuriating concussions.

But maybe you needed to stop avoiding the truth. The secret was only keeping a barrier between you, one you had cherished a long time ago but… everything was different now. It was time.

“I know you don’t remember.” You say quietly, watching how the red sky reflects against the water, making it crimson in its wake. “And that’s okay. I mean, it was a long time ago, but… but part of me wishes you did.”

Because I hate to be the one to remind you, you thought, knowing that once Steve caught a glimpse of the person he was in the past, it would eat him up inside.

“Do you remember Dan Shelter?” You ask, looking up at him. He frowns in confusion, unsure where this was heading, but he nods regardless. “The summer before freshman year, he asked me out on a date, wanted to take me to a movie or something. And I said yes.”

Steve watches how you keep your fingers busy, mindlessly twisting around a loose thread at the bottom of the jacket you were wearing, avoiding his eyes completely. He couldn’t remember a single detail of what you were talking about and yet he knows he and Dan would hang out almost all the time in the beginning years of high school.

“What happened?” He asks, feeling like he was holding his breath for far too long, afraid of the ending.

“Nothing.” You shrug, finally looking at him. “He stood me up. Part of me figured he would. He didn’t really seem that into it when he asked, I was just… I was so happy for a minute knowing someone had picked me, you know? The weird police girl. But I waited outside the theatre for an hour that day until my dad eventually picked me up and took me home.”

“I don’t…”

“I know.” You nod, sending him a reassuring smile. “But, I, um… I did see him again. At the arcade. I was there with Robin, actually. Yeah, we, uh, we managed to escape our parents for the day and just spent all our money playing stupid games. It was fun. And then I spot Dan trying to beat some high score and I felt so embarrassed at first. But then I thought, why the hell am I the one embarrassed? He was the jerk, not me.”

“So I went over.” You continue, returning to fiddle with the hem of your jacket. “I asked him up front, why didn’t he show up for our date? But, as it turns out, he wasn’t alone. Tommy and some others showed up, teasing, asking him if I was telling the truth. And he just… he laughed. Told me I was ‘freaky’, that I had been stalking him.”

“Why would he do that?” Steve shakes his head and you tighten your lips.

“Because that’s how guys like that became likeable.” You say bitterly, “It only got worse after that. They all started calling me names, laughing in my face. Robin told me to leave, and I should’ve, but I wasn’t going to stand there and take it. I told Dan he was a liar, that he wishes a girl would care enough to stalk him. And then someone else stepped forward.”

You take a deep breath, meeting Steve’s eyes. “He said it was all true. And that I… I had done it to him. That I was some crazy stalker obsessed with boys to the point where I had tried to throw myself at him. And even though they were false accusations, obviously everybody believed him over me.”

“Who…” He asks before he notices how your face twists, turning away from him once again. His stomach churns.

“You said that.” You say quietly, and his heart sinks. He ruined your life, and it wasn’t even an interaction he bothered to remember. “I didn’t even know why, either. I just remember after that, Tommy and Carol starting spreading the rumours, even attaching a whole story to it about us at Lover’s Lake and me going all crazy because you didn’t like me back or some shit. Everyone started calling it-”

“The date.” Steve finishes and you whip your head toward him, eyebrows furrowed. Nancy had told him all he needed to know, and he had chosen not to believe it could be true. But it was, and he hated himself for it.

“Yeah.” You nod, biting your lip. “I… I didn’t really make many friends after that. ‘The date’. They all assumed I was trying to use them to get to boys, that I was some kind of freak. After a while I just gave up trying to convince anyone any different. I already had enough to deal with, I just…. I stopped caring.”

“I can’t believe I forgot about that.” Steve says and you start to shake your head.

“No, you’ve- you’ve been through a lot, I don’t-”

“It doesn’t change what I did.” He interrupts, looking at you with determination. “Back then, I- I was so obsessed with everyone liking me, with fitting in with, god, Tommy and Dan… I would say literally anything to make me their friend. I did say literally anything.”

You watch as Steve’s face scrunches in disgust, burying it in his hands and mumbling into them. “I can’t believe I did that.”

“It was a long time ago, now.” You try and he runs his hands through his hair, straightening back up.

“I am so so sorry, Y/n.” He says with such conviction you knew it was true. You just never thought you’d hear those words ever leave King Steve’s lips. And you were partially right. Because the boy sat beside you, holding your hand and begging for your forgiveness, wasn’t King Steve anymore.

“I forgive you.” You give him a small smile, squeezing his hand.

“Really?” He frowns. Something heavy in his chest was lifting. Three small words that held heavy significance were giving him a peace he was unfamiliar with. After last year, he had assumed he was on the path to forgiveness for his old self, knowing he would have years to redeem. He figured as long as he proved himself, he wouldn’t need to hear those little words. But he did. He really did.

“Steve.” You raise your eyebrow, a smirk playing on your lips. “I literally just made out with you in a cheap motel bathroom yesterday.”

A smile stretches onto his face, a rouge tint hitting his cheeks. “You mean you don’t do that with all the boys you’re stuck in the Upside Down with?”

“Only the ones I’ve forgiven.” You shrug and he dramatically holds his hand to his heart, making you laugh.

After a moment, he wraps his arm around you and pulls you closer, resting his head against yours as you smile against his touch.

“Thank you. For forgiving me.” He mumbles into your hair and you pull away, looking up at him with such adoration, he felt the tips of his ears turn pink under your gaze.

Your hand reaches up to brush your fingers against his cheek, holding your breath. He brings himself closer and your eyes flutter shut, feeling his lips brush against yours until you commit fully, your hands slipping around his neck like he would slip away.

The kiss wasn’t the same as it was the first time. There wasn’t any hesitation or urgency. It was just simply sweet, all of your senses consumed by Steve and Steve only. His heart found its rhythm with yours, everything else washing away into a stream of his happiness.

And, when you pull away, he’s still chasing your lips, eyes closed and cheeks red. It was the second time he has ever kissed you, and he already craved a million more.

“Steve?”

“Yeah.”

“Look.”

He opens his eyes to find your worried ones staring back, tilting your head to the water. He turns his gaze over to the quarry, his eyebrows furrowing.

A red glow was starting to blare through, casting the quarry in a scarlet hue. It was beaming from the middle, just as you said it would, like a living, breathing heart.

You both slowly stand, moving closer to the edge with heavy chests. This was finally it. This was the escape.

“Guys, the gate just showed.” Lucas’ voice blares out into the dark from the ground beside you. You reach down to grab the radio and hold it to your lips.

“We see it.”

“You have around 5 minutes to get through before it shuts off for good.”

“It’s all we need.” Steve nods, looking at you. “I’m gonna dive down a little, just enough to get a look and see if it’s big enough.”

He pulls off his jacket, knowing it would only weigh him down in the long run. Letting it fall beside him, he moves to the edge until he feels your hand on his arm, making him turn back to your worried gaze.

“Be careful.” You say and he smiles at you, giving you a smile salute before finally diving down in perfect form.

The water engulfs him like a warm blanket, shocking his senses as he prepared for the cold. But it didn’t feel any different from his swimming pool at home, his legs kicking out and driving him further down the quarry. He followed the red light, his eyes adjusting to the gate that lay at the bottom. It looked like some sort of thick membrane was blocking his view to the other side, but he took that as a positive. It meant nothing was bleeding out into the other side.

After about twenty seconds of you shifting on your feet, Steve resurfaced just a few metres away, presumably directly above the gate. Once he spotted where he had left you, he grins.

“We’re good.” He calls out, shaking water droplets from his hair and extending his arm as an invitation. “No pressure, but… it’s now or never.”

You nod, taking a deep breath. No pressure. You were just going to dive into this suspicious body of water in hopes of breaking through a gate that lay at the very bottom of the quarry. And you had limited time to do it. No pressure at all.

You dump your bag and your jacket, neither of which you would need on the surface. Hopper would surely be heading to Sattler’s Quarry now to take you both far away from here. Home.

As you ready yourself to jump, you look up to ensure you’d be swimming in the right direction when your eye catches something on the other side of the quarry, making you squint into the darkness. Your heart jumps.

The red glow from the gate was making the water a little clearer, making everything look scarily like blood. But that wasn’t really the terrifying part.

A dark shape was moving in the water.

And it was heading directly for Steve.

“Get out of the water.” You say, completely numb. He frowns at you, and finally your voice rises. “Steve, get out right now!”

Swivelling his head around, he’s confused at your outburst and trying to find what you were staring at. And then he sees it, something big. He wasn’t alone in the water.

“Shit.” He breathes out, immediately starting to swim towards you.

There is a big distance between you and where he started in the middle, your voice almost alien to yourself as you continuously cried out.

“Steve! Come on, just a little more!” You keep shouting, hoping your words would somehow bring him to you faster. It’s gaining on him, but he’s so close.

You’re reaching over the edge, arms held out ready to pull him out. You can almost brush your fingertips against his. Just a few more arm strokes towards you until the water would splash your face and he’d be in your arms-

The water shifts directly behind him.

And then he’s gone.

You’re just left alone, screaming into the darkness.

“STEVE!”

Chapter Sixteen: The Pattern ->

taglist: @toomanyfandomsimfanvergent . @sheisjoeschateau . @kthomps914 . @curled-hair-red-lips . @nix-rose . @palmtreesx3 . @kryztalglear . @sattlersquarry . @hey-barnes-stole-a-jeep . @sadslasher13 . @iliveonteaandbooks . @innercreationflower . @newyorkangelbaby .

[randomthefox]

It's honestly kind of funny how uninterested Flynn and Stanley are with each other's ideas

Flynn wrapped up Belle's drama in the shortest and lamest way possible. Which is the complete opposite of how Evan was handling the character.

Evan turned Surge into a sad misunderstood baby who feels joy when being called a hero. Which is the complete opposite of what Flynn would have wanted for the character.

If I didn't know better, I would say they're both doing whatever they can to spite each other while trying to avoid any potential drama

Yeah dude the Belle one is fucking hilarious. Stanley made the entire comic revolve around her for FOURTEEN ISSUES STRAIGHT. All building up to issue 49 which sets her up for having a grand cathartic confrontation with Eggman to finally resolve all her baggage.

And Flynn wraps it all up as an afterthought in two pages!

It's fucking HILARIOUS how anti climactic this is!

Frankly, Stanley turning Surge from this

into fucking this

Might just be her own form of revenge.

This isn't character development, this is straight up character assassination lol. Stanley is MUTILATING Flynn's character. And turnabout is fair play, I spose.

[maxwell-grant]

Only one of his at least 5 identities was a straight-up FF villain, but that story was iconic and also he's tied to them by blood, so. Thoughts on Kang? Please don't just talk about how the MCU handled him.

I'm not gonna talk about the MCU at all actually, but Kang was a colossally stupid idea for a next big bad/Thanos from the get-go, he is just not great villain material. The issue with Kang, besides the time travel variant bullshit complications that have their uses but are clearly a major factor against his viability as a villain (and besides him being overwhelmingly a classic Avengers villain and classic Avengers being overwhelmingly boring), is that everything is too utilitarian with him. His core concept makes it so that either he wins too easily, because he has literally all the time and resources he could possibly need to win, or he loses despite having all the time and resources he could possibly need to win, which makes him a colossal loser. He has all-powerful resources and is kinda inevitably fated to win, and is still a chump loser who is also inevitably fated to lose and become an even more boring person at the end.

Nothing Kang does matters, because all of his victories are cheating, and everything he does can be erased and retconned away with another time jump, and so he's forever stuck between anti-climactic boring victories in a vacuum, because he can bend time, and being a chump, because that's what you are if you're bending time and still losing. I heard Kang described as the cosmic equivalent of a bored rich white hunter who goes to hunt animals in nature preserves just because he can, except the animals are constantly kicking his ass, and that's really fun, that's a good character to have around, but that's not really thrilling big bad material.

I think Kang works fine in his current role as someone who will never materially be a big deal supervillain, in a world where Doctor Doom exists, but is powerful and far-reaching and full of enough potentially interesting bullshit that you can pin stuff on him. Not at all an exciting villain to put big stuff in, but as some horrible guy everyone has to deal with, Father Time as a pompous punchable and horribly petty supervillain who can always make a situation cosmically volatile by showing up, is a thing you can bounce good stuff out of in 1-to-1 character interactions, even with himself.

The very things he has going for him as a character make him suck if you try and make him the main threat to take down, but he's good connective tissue and a decent interim villain and a nice fixed quantity to pin dynamics around, and every direction you can take his character is covered by an alternate identity he has, which are essentially different characters, and that can be interesting too, having a time traveling villain fragmented enough that he can sit on a circle with versions of himself at potentially different points of his life and they will be essentially different characters, that kind of stuff is pretty interesting to me.

To me he's like Apocalypse, in the sense that he's really only interesting to me as a character who exists in this world and not so much as a villain, but at least as a villain Apocalypse says and does cool sick shit on occasion, where as Kang, despite some efforts (I did like his solo mini), ultimately only interesting for what he brings out of others. Which can be good, again I do like him somewhat, I think his existence as a major player/threat the Avengers have to deal with is perfectly justified, but he is an Avengers problem largely because he's not good enough to be a Fantastic Four problem, hence why, as Kang the Conqueror, he is consigned to a suitably mediocre existence, as the number two time-traveling supervillain of the world.

[starbylers]

Mike ‘rejecting but accepting’ Will cannot co-exist with Will getting a happy ending

Even when I try to genuinely picture a scenario in which we get an ‘I accept you’ ending to Byler (it’s not happening this is just a thought exercise lol) I just…can’t? It's impossible to do without sounding like someone who's never read or written a story in their life:

Mike says 'You'll always be my best friend but I'm straight and I love my girlfriend sorry' and then what? They just never talk about it again? Ignore the elephant in the room every time they're together? Mike can't do anything to help Will with this, other than distance himself to make it easier but it's practically confirmed they will be a team next season so that's not happening. Will is not a robot, he won't just stop loving Mike because Mike says he's straight. Will already believes Mike is straight and in love with El, and yet his feelings are strong as ever. They won't just disappear, it would take time and active effort.

So if this 'rejection' happens early in the season (giving Will actual time to feasibly move on), if his arc was really to 'get over Mike', is he just going to hang around the rest of the season feeling sad but trying to forget about it? So it's just another season of Will being in unnecessary emotional turmoil...and then one day he just kind of does forget about it and the storyline fizzles out? What even is that. Like try and picture how this would actually play out on screen, it's ridiculous to even consider.

The only solid place Will's acceptance story could go after confessing to Mike is coming out to his family (and hopefully the party) which we obviously all want for him and I hope they get a really beautiful scene, but the problem is the audience knows everyone will love Will no matter what (he might not know, but we do and we are the target audience here) so there's no stakes. The only real stakes in Will's coming out from a storytelling perspective is how Mike will react (it’s the only uncertain variable), and if we get this very early on in the season (giving Will time for a believable 'moving on' arc) his storyline would be incredibly anti-climactic, it would have peaked and have nowhere else to go. It's not like he's going to date someone else.

And if we don't get the 'rejection' early on, Will won't have time to feasibly get over it (especially since we already established that being rejected and moving on would not be an automatic process for someone as unconditionally in love as Will is with Mike), and he would inevitably end the season unhappy. But we know that's not happening so...

And no him getting over it during the time-skip is still not logical or good storytelling, it would be a cop-out and an unsatisfying plot device. Like Will confesses and is rejected by the boy he loves then it’s the next episode and he just doesn’t care anymore and the whole storyline is dropped? If it was an early season time-skip, then he’d have no real personal arc for the rest of (majority of) the season. If it was a mid-late season time skip, we’d still have him either pining or trying to move on (which is a painful and hard process for anyone) for the whole pre-skip, depending on when exactly the rejection occurs.

It's not that Bylers think Will couldn’t ever be happy without Mike but it's that the narrative as it's set up is not going to accomodate that whilst also adhering to basic storytelling principles (and without the writers letting a gay character constantly suffer with no pay off). He will either end up with Mike, spend the season hurting/pining/struggling again but by the end it just sort of fades into nothing (‘moving on’), OR they will drag his unrequited love to the final episodes guaranteeing his unhappy ending. Anything else would be nonsensical and unrealistic aka him just being fine and happy and completely over it right after he's rejected. Or them completely forgetting about the build up of this storyline with the excuse of a time jump, cutting short his personal arc and leaving the character with nowhere to go. These are literally the only options for the end of Will's story, and the only one that is happy and is objectively the better-written story is Byler.

[anachilles]

chapt 6; whiskey neat, coffee black 🥃

[18:09] Buck 🥃: Are you okay, John? [18:12] You: So I was special, then. Good to know. [18:13] Buck 🥃: John. [18:14] You: Mild concussion, but nothing to worry about, really. The most anti-climactic, uninspired of head trauma events. [18:14] Buck 🥃: Entirely preferable to a more ‘climactic’ or ‘inspired’ head trauma. If any kind of head trauma at all is ‘preferable’. [18:14] Buck 🥃: I’m glad to hear that, though. That you’re okay. [18:16] You: Awwww, you’re sweet. Thank-you. [18:16] You: Doubly so, for the tender, loving Nurse Nightingale routine earlier as well. The recovery positioning could use some work, but hey. Just my expert opinion. [18:20] Buck 🥃: Was that the good news, or the ‘less than good news’? [18:21] You: Oh, no, that was definitely the good news. [18:23] You: I’m also being forced to take a couple days off work, so you gave me your number to bother you with at exactly the right time.

-> read here on AO3! <-

tag list:

@alienoresimagines ||

@joeyalohadream ||

@imasexypotato ||

@clevenhq ||

@neverfellforyou ||

@buckyclevens ||

@coastiewife465 ||

@shoequeeny ||

@onyxsboxes ||

@thru00thepages22 ||

@doctorstrangeherself

@shprka

@carnevol

[starlightshadowsworld]

The Fallen King

I need the moment Beast Atsushi and Beast Oda meet to so anti climactic.

Maybe Beast Oda is here to pick up the Agency members that were kidnapped by Beast Lucy from the cat cafe. Maybe they just bump into each other on the street.

Beast Atsushi wants to hate Beast Oda because he’s the reason Beast Dazai did all of this. But Beast Atsushi can’t because it’s what gave him his only purpose in life.

Beast Oda hasn’t done anything but exist in this world. And Beast Atsushi can’t bring himself to blame anyone for Beast Dazai’s death other than himself.

Beast Oda is kind, polite he thanks Beast Atsushi for helping his friends and even says he’s welcome to drop in when he likes. Beast Oda, hell everyone in the Agency knew Beast Atsushi came to the cafe that day and talked with Beast Akutagawa.

No one knows what they were discussing but since they weren’t fighting everyone let them be. Well that and because Beast Ranpo told them to let em talk.

Beast Oda is just looking out for the Agency and can see Beast Atsushi despite being the Port Mafia Boss isn’t a threat to them right now.

And that’s all that matters to him.

Beast Atsushi is just looking for the Port Mafia, for the city and realises Beast Oda counts in that. It doesn’t fill him with rage like he thought it would.

He ignores the part of him that wishes Beast Dazai thought he was worth protecting too.

[sincerely-sofie]

Chapter 6 of Sofie Plays "Slay the Princess": The Princess and the Hero (Round 2) + The Witch

Gotta experience 'em all!

[ Beginning ] - [ Previous Part ] - [ Next Part ]

I meant to pick up the blade but misclicked and entered the basement. Even so, we got some new dialogue! Pretty sure I needed to pick up the dagger to get a new Princess, but I might just continue this route for the sake of flavor text :>

Asked the princess warily what we would do if I couldn't find a key to free her, and she whipped out the "Maybe we could cut me out of them! :)" idea so fast guys I'm having flashbacks,

THE FLASHBACKS ARE INTENSIFYING

Don't worry, Princess! I'm sure we'll figure out a way to get out of GOOD GLORY NOT AGAIN. PRINCESS I HOPED YOU WERE KIDDING ABOUT CUTTING YOURSELF OUT OF THE CHAINS. COULD YOU HAVE WAITED A SECOND UNTIL THE KNIFE POPPED INTO THE ROOM SO THAT IT COULD BE A LITTLE LESS GRUESOME?

*cartoon dog voice* This is fine :)

Hey, Narrator? What the FRICK do you mean by that? Mister disembodied, no-hands-having, secret-keeping voice? Are you going to drive me mad with constant demands that I kill the Princess? Too bad that I'm not going to. Hopefully you can manipulate the environment somehow to make the basement collapse on us, because I'm not going to hurt---

... Oh.

New chapter. I guess.

I can already tell I don't like my new brain buddy.

THE MIRROR IS BACK!!!! aaaand it's gone the second I try to clean it. We aren't getting any mirror selfies today.

Oh my worrrrrd Opportunist you sleazy, conniving kiss-up. Ughhhhh

GEE WILLICKERS, NARRATOR IT'S ALMOST AS IF I TELL PEOPLE THE WHOLE TRUTH, UNLIKE CERTAIN CHARACTERS WHO SHALL GO UNNAMED.

At the very least, there isn't any dismemberment involved this time.

NARRATOR! THERE'S ANOTHER WEIRD CAT IN THE BASEMENT!

Is the achievement title a reference to that fable about the Frog and the Scorpion?

Welp. She's playing chicken. We're stuck down here. I decided to just accept it and wait.

Just realizing that the narrator has a capital H when referred to with third person pronouns, and I'm too busy noticing the red at the edges of the screen to consider it for very long.

Alright. The cabin has vanished around us. Is it time for arms to erupt from the aether and absorb the Witch?

Huh. Very anti-climactic.

What the HECK does "you've grown" mean?????

Okay, okay. the Long Quiet is definitely a location. But I'm not convinced it isn't also a character of sorts. It feels like it has some kind of goal, but I can't tell what.

It's the start of a new chapter, and I chose to leave the cabin behind me this time. I kept looping back around to the cabin, but surely I got turned around or something in the forest. That's normal. I'll just keep trying.

THIS IS NO LONGER NORMAL.

OKAY THEN. SEE YOU IN THE NEXT POST. I GUESS.

[mustainegf]

SO OBSESSED with how dave talks about his love of reading--like I just picture him grabbing small moments to have a coffee and read in between his hectic touring or recording schedules.

ok but imagine 90s dave going in a bookstore (since he is always mentioning that he likes to read and do lyric research) and he see you, you are just soooo small trying to get a book from the top shelf while the staff keep helping other customers. He loves to lend a helping hand to a pretty lady--and you are even more enchanting once he gets to really see your face. Being an experienced flirt at this point in his life he asks you about the book--you pick up a book for yourself every Monday just as a little treat. He starts to get a little anxious because you seem much more educated than him, so instead of mentioned the martial arts books he was going to pick up he lies and says he was looking for his favorite poet, who you love too. He is just SO a-flutter with your intelligent charisma that recognizes a piece of him that others don't take the time to see beyond the rockstar persona (maybe it's because you don't even recognize him!). He definitely returns the next week to try and catch you again and take things to the next level--he just happens to have a book you would love... but you have to go to his apartment to get it. oh, and it just happens to be on his nightstand.

I SCREAMED WHEN I SWEAR THIS REQ!??? HOLY SHIT THIS IS SOME OF THE BEST STUFF IVE EVER GOTTEN I LOVE THE DETAILS

PART 2?????

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 ¹⁹⁹⁶

𝐆𝐎 𝐓𝐎 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝟐

Monday again, a drizzly afternoon diagonally opposite LA's downtown area, both pretty anti-climactic, and I was hunting for something more. This small, inconspicuous bookstore, whose entrance is slightly concealed from the rest of the city.

It was that kind of place where I could get lost on shelves, trying to look through worlds inside pages to find inspiration for new lyrics, and maybe even learn something new about myself. Not that I was ever very open to it.

I loved the smell of books and the quiet, plus the feeling of anonymity, a great gift this place had given me. No paparazzi, no screaming fans, just me, books, and my thoughts.

Exactly how I liked it.

I pushed open the door, a soft tinkle of a bell at the entrance. That familiar smell of aged paper and polished wood grabbed me once again, and things were calm.

I walked back to where they have a small section, wanting to find a book or two on martial arts before I went on to search for inspiration.

Turning the corner, I came face to face with her.

She was tiptoeing, her fingers barely brushing the top shelf to reach a book. Petite, nearly delicate, with long hair down her shoulders. Her fingers were hardly brushing against the spine of the book she was trying to retrieve.

No one in the bookstore staff seemed to be noticing her struggle.

I held my breath for a second, enthralled by the image of her.

I finally stepped up to her with a smirk playing on the corners of my lips. "Need some help with that?" I asked, the silence broken by my voice.

She turned to look at me, her eyes grew wide with surprise. They were an exceptionally striking shade, very intelligent and knowing, as if they could see right through me.

She responded, her voice soft and melodious, "Oh, um, yes please." Her cheeks went pink, like early lilacs.

I reached up and easily grabbed the book she was after.

Our fingers brushed briefly as I handed it over to her, and a jolt of warmth went through me. "Here you go," I said, trying to maintain my cool.

"Thank you," she said, smiling up at me. Her smile was warm and real. "I pick up a new book every Monday as a little treat for myself, normally I don’t have this much trouble..." she tried her best to shrug it off, averting her gaze.

Something about her seemed interesting. She didn't seem like the kind of women that had been filling my head lately, she was classier, much more thoughtful.

"That does sound like a lovely tradition," I said, nodding at the book she held in her hand. It was some volume of classic poetry or other.

She nodded. "It helps me after a long day. There's something so soothing about a good book."

I felt a slight bit of anxiety as I realized I wanted to impress her, to let her know that there was more in me than met the eye, than just that of some rockstar persona everyone else seemed to know.

I swallowed hard and said the first thing that came into my head. "I was actually looking for my favorite poet, too." Completely disregarding the martial arts book I was searching for.

She lit up with interest. "No way, really? Who's your favorite?"

"Rainer Maria Rilke," I lied, hoping she wouldn't see through me. IT was a name I knew from a short class I took in Highschool. Though, I had been looking for some books on martial arts, but I didn't want to appear shallow or uneducated to her.

She beamed at me, clearly pleased. "Rilke is wonderful! His stuff is so well done. What poems do you like the best?"

I drew a blank as I tried to remember something, anything, about Rilke from my junior writing class. "Uh, well, definitely one of my favorites is 'The Panther.' The imagery is rich, and it does play on that sense of containment."

She nodded vigorously. "Yes, exactly! I love how he used the panther as such a perfect metaphor. So beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time."

God, the way she spoke was like butter, slipping through the cracks of my mind. She was so passionate about the poetry, that my knowledge from Highschool was slowly resurfacing.

The more we talked, the more engrained I became, smart, articulate, impassioned about this literature.

She seemed not to recognize me at all, and that was quite refreshing. It allowed me to be just Dave, the guy who enjoyed books, instead of Dave Mustaine, the Megadeth frontman. I wanted to see her again, to get to know her better. I craved it.

The following Monday, I went again to the old bookstore to look for her. I had brought with me a manuscript on which I thought she would take interest in, but I did not wish to be too obvious.

I pottered around the shop in a good feign of browsing, with my glance popping out every few seconds to await her entry through the door.

There she finally was, as lovely as she had been the first time that I ever saw her. She came back to the poetry section, and I went in, taking a deep breath.

"Hi," I said, trying to sound very casual.

She looked up and smiled warmly. "Hi! Nice to see you again."

I felt relieved and elated. "You too. I actually, uh, brought a book I thought you would like..”

Her eyes widened in surprise and delight. "Really? What is it?"

I handed her the book, a collection of poems by Pablo Neruda, a book Id bought at a separate shop only days earlier. "I thought you might like this. Nerudas stuff is pretty good, I had it around my house for a couple years, so I thought you might be interested."

She took the book from me again, and my fingers touched hers. "Thanks so much, Dave. This is really sweet of you."

I shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. "No problem. I figured you'd like it."

I knew I had to make a move as that afternoon was wearing away. "You know," I said, feigning indifference, "I have another book that I think you would love. But It's back at my place."

Those sparkling eyes took an interest. "Oh? What book is that?"

"A rare edition of Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet."

She paused a second, then smiled. "I'd love to see it."