#right after confessing his love

[theladycarpathia]

“What are you?” Billy demands, finger already resting on the trigger. He’s glad that Max isn’t here, that he left her at the diner doing research. Because the man in their motel room has  broken past the hex marks, the warding, every anti-demon trick that they ever learned from their parents or from Hopper. He’s sitting on Billy’s bed, flicking through Billy’s mom’s journal like he has the right, and the sight of her neat writing under his long fingers makes Billy’s blood boil with rage. 

“Hey, I could be a hunter for all you know,” the man says easily. He looks completely normal, with soft brown hair falling into his dark brown eyes and brushing the top of his blue polo shirt. But Billy snorts - since he came back from Hell, he’s all too good at sensing when something isn’t quite human. And despite the pink tongue brushing that full bottom lip, the mismatched socks poking out from clean white sneakers, Billy knows that this thing isn’t human.

“You’re not,” Billy says in a low voice, aiming right for the center of its forehead. “You’re the thing that’s been following us since I got topside. The gas station, that motel in Utah, the car radio. So I’ll ask again - what the fuck are you?”

But the man looks up with a bright smile. “You knew that was me?” he asks, sounding genuinely pleased. 

“It had to have been you,” Billy mutters, unwilling to admit the truth. Hell changed him so much, giving him extra edges, and sharpening the ones he already had. He feels the trickle of cold down his neck at every demon that walks by, the bile that rises in his throat in the presence of a witch. And since he rose, there’s always been something following him that makes him feel…

Billy swallows. He doesn’t want to react to this creature.

“I’m only asking once more,” he spits, taking a step to the side to get a better shot. “What are you?”

“Steven,” the thing answers, and carefully closes the journal. “You can call me Steven.”

Billy pauses. Right. Not exactly the name of a monster that he was expecting. 

“That doesn’t really answer my question,” he says, but Steven doesn’t seem to care. He places the journal back where he’d found it, tucked inside Billy’s duffel, and rises from the bed.

“Your mother was a gifted hunter,” Steven muses, eyes flicking around the motel room like he’s in a museum staring at a particularly interesting exhibit. Billy’s leather jacket, the badly hidden porn mags (he still has to share a room with Max after all, it’s not like they have the funds for two rooms,) the packet of nicotine patches. “You take after her.”

“What the fuck do you know about my mother?” Billy says, stunned. He hasn’t seen his mother since he was seven, the day she walked out. It turns out that between her father and the demons, the demons were the monsters that she could take. He’s been hunting with Max for five years now, ever since she was old enough to, and they’ve never once caught a break. Abigail Hargrove seemingly vanished off the face of the Earth.

“She’s not dead, if that’s what you mean,” Steven says, looking away from Billy’s Led Zeppelin t-shirt. Billy’s breath catches in his throat. 

“What?” he breathes. He’s spent so long….in every town they visit, in every state, he hunts in the local directory searching for her name. It occurred to him long ago that maybe she changed it, wanting to be sure that Neil couldn’t find her. But it was also ensuring that her son couldn’t find her. And that hurt.

“Oh, she’s alive,” Steven says easily.  “And hiding. Your father wasn’t the only reason she had to leave. There’s a powerful demon out there…I believe you’ve met the Yellow Eyed demon already?”

“Vecna,” Billy says, mouth sour with every syllable. That fucker had already toyed with him, and especially with Max when he’d been gone. Vecna had invaded her every nightmare, and even her waking moments, taunting her with the idea that it was her fault that Billy was dead, that she could have done more.

It was all lies. Billy would have died to save Max a thousand times over. Even if he’d ended up spending a thousand years in hell, Max is all the family he has. 

Or so he thought. 

“Yes,” Steven agrees darkly. “I’m afraid that he has plans for you and Maxine…and your mother.”

“Can we find her?” Billy asks desperately. He barely remembers her but he still dreams of the floral perfume he used to wear, her favorite sunhat dangling from her fingers, how she’d sing the Beach Boys around the house. But then she was gone and the singing stopped.

He loves her. He misses her. He hates her. He wants to know more than anything why she’d left him behind.

But maybe she didn’t have any choice. 

“We can,” Steven says firmly.  “We have to. Vecna wants to open the gates to Hell into this world and we don’t have a lot of time to stop him.”

“And we’re the ideal candidates for world saving?” Billy snorts, glad for a reason to pull his eyes away from Steven’s. It’s probably just a meat suit and if so, Billy has no right to be admiring the thick lashes of some possessed bastard. “Hate to tell you this but you’ve got the wrong people. I just got back from Hell and Max is all sorts of fucked up about it. We’re your regular salt and burn hunters, okay? We’re not heroes.”

“I disagree,” Steven says, tilting his head like he can’t quite work Billy out. “No matter what you think, you are worth it. And the only hope the Earth has is you and Maxine. That is why I pulled you from Hell.”

Billy blinks and then suddenly, Steven is standing right in front of him, having cleared the whole room in less than a second. Billy swallows. Fuck. This thing is so, so powerful. They’d thought as much, from what Murray had told them…but shit. 

“You did…what?” Billy croaks. They’d always wondered what the fuck had pulled him from Hell. Honestly, he’d half expected Max or someone to have pulled some shit to get him out. A crossroads demon, or Yellow Eyes perhaps. He didn’t know anything else was capable of breaching Hell, all to rescue one human. 

He raises the gun - the one that he’d forgotten about in all this and had let fall to his side - and aims it once more at the thing’s chest. 

“I’m going to ask once more, Stevie,” he says, in the calmest voice he can manage, even though every inch of him is trembling in fear. “What are you?”

The room almost closes in, like every piece of oxygen has been sucked out of it. Or maybe it doesn’t get smaller, maybe the creature in front of him gets bigger. The lights flicker furiously overhead and the shitty TV crackles and then explodes. Billy shields his face from the sparks, cursing internally. Shit. They’ll have to leave before they get charged for that.

When he looks back at Steve, he doesn’t know if this is the most frightening or most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. The deep brown eyes are now glowing with an other-worldly blue, the same color light that ripples under his skin.

“I don't really have time for your bullshit now, William Hargrove,” Steven says, stepping so close to Billy that he can feel the sparks off his skin. There are large shadows unfurling and spreading across the wall behind him, visible in the flickering lights. For a moment, Billy can’t make out what they are but when he does, it upends everything he thought he knew about the world and the monsters in it. They’re wings. 

“I’m an angel of the Lord,” Steve says somberly. “And we have work for you.”

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Trapped in a vicious cycle of pining? Try gay sex! (More things to learn over at Tiger Tiger!)

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

i have a Scene - a Plot if you will - that backs this as context. y'all are gonna have to trust me on this one <3 or read the tags...

[petricorah]

zuko alone pt 2

lovingly inspired by this [ids in alt]

[hufflepuffheaven]

AO3 servers are down so here’s this sad destiel edit I made to remind us why we need fanfiction to remedy the epidemic that is questionably written final seasons to great television !!!! AND to remind us that fanfiction gave us what the CW could not !!!! 🤭

[casualavocados]

Learn from who? Learn from you? You are still a brat. What do you know? You're only three years older. Like you are any better than me. You're 21, and still a virgin. What are you proud of? I think you can't do it.

KISEKI: DEAR TO ME Ep. 06

[wakeupthemembersofbylernation]

The idea of Mike “gently rejecting” Will in S5 is such a silly concept to me. It truly would make zero sense from a narrative perspective or from a character arc perspective. That’s why many Mlvn diehards don’t even really believe it will happen. They believe the show will move on without ever really addressing the Mike-shaped elephant in the room. They believe Will’s happy ending will simply consist of his friends and family accepting him and giving him a hug, and that’s it. And maybe he’ll get an unnamed bf in the finale. (That is, unless the show makes Will a secret villain and kills him off. Then at least he’d be interesting).

Some even take Will’s words at facevalue, believing that El truly commissioned the painting or at least that the intense romantic feelings Will described really belong to her. Now that Mike has confessed his love, they believe that S5 will finally consist of happy Mlvn couple moments, so there won’t be any time for Mike and Will to be together even as friends to talk about any lingering feelings. And why would there be time, since it’s the apocalypse after all, and Will is just a plot device and isn’t really relevant to anything? The Duffers must be exaggerating his importance to S5. The Core 4 is Mike, El, Lucas, and Dustin. Will’s romantic desires are meaningless.

They have to believe all this, cause if they don’t, and they still want to believe in Mlvn endgame, they have to conclude that Will’s emotional desires will be central to the plot of S5, Will’s feelings are the glue that put Mlvn back together, the painting will come up again because El didn’t actually commission it, Mike and Will will be close enough in S5 to have meaningful heart-to-hearts, AND Mike is 100% straight and will…. gently reject Will and promise to always be good pals; he just sadly doesn’t swing that way?

Silliness, objectively.

Anyway, Byler endgame.

[astriefer]

I think part of the reason Alastair kissed Thomas at the infirmary right after Thomas said "Alastair, I love you- but you know that-" is because he's been waiting for someone to say those three words to him for so long and Thomas said them so plainly and truly like Alastair always wished them to be said.

[thelastharbinger]

Tidbits of ATSV That I Enjoyed (Or Alternatively: Just Miles Being The Most Endearing Spidey Ever)

Miles patting The Spot's head after successfully webbing him (I don't see this as condescending, but rather him still engaging with the humanity of a villain like Spot) and ~very assertively~ telling/asking him not to escape.

"I'm like Robin Hood-if he gave to himself."

Miles' spidey senses going off when he arrives late to his dad's party because there's nothing more frightening than Brown parents when they're mad at you. Beware the chancla or correa!

O.k. So we all know there are different versions of the movie out there. You may already know that one of the slight differences is when Miles goes to save Inspector Singh. There's a version where you can hear Gwen's voice in the distant background yelling no! when she thinks Miles gets crushed under the rubble, and there's another where she's silent as she webs to him. Now, I have found ANOTHER version (online) where her shouting is even more at the forefront. She's practically screaming and sounds more desperate, (prolly because it's close to the same way her Peter Parker died so she's reliving trauma) and the fear in her voice is palpable. That one haunts me.

Jefferson trying to equate studying for his police exams to childbirth, which Rio quickly nips in the bud.

Ganke having a soccer poster of Son Heung Min, a famous Korean footballer who currently plays for the Premier League Tottenham Hotspur and is captain of the South Korean national team.

Miles having a Sashimi (his universe's version of Supreme, but I just like the idea that Miles loves eating sashimi. Like I know that kid has good taste in food) poster in his bedroom.

The fact that Miles kept in touch with Aunt May for long enough after the events of ITSV that he helps her move.

The Spot saying he was one of the more handsome scientists at Alchemax according to his colleagues.

Miles and Gwen having the same collectible toys, the only difference being that he keeps his in the box and she doesn't.

"Hey, don't try to wow me with big words, man," *in deep manly voice* "I do crosswords every day"- Miles after Spot points out Alchemax as "the crucible of our connection!"

Miles going, "This job is so dumb sometimes" after he tries to web Spot at the deli, but it goes through a hole and lands on his face.

"Nahhh, he seems more Dominican to me." Kinda want Miles to meet a native Dominican Spidey because that dynamic would highkey fuck hard *pun not intended*. They would repair relations between our two islands-PR&DR.

"Almost there Mami *smiley face* *cowboy* prayer hands*"

The college admissions coach at Visions Academy straight up saying, "That's your story! Now, just stick to the script..." Ma'am what???

"Calmate Mami, eso no es my fault."

"I've hit a lot of different villains with a lot of different food...I'm just trying to lighten the mood."

Miles in his angsty teen era and smart-mouthing everyone around him. Love that for him.

"He almost killed his mom as a baby, I mean, look at those shoulders." No but for real tho. Those shoulders are as wide as a truck. Kim Seokjin who??? (if you understood that reference, ily).

Miles writing a love letter to his dad in 2 cakes.

Gwen at the water tower chowing and saying how feelings make her hungry after her and Miles talked about how they can't be together cause it would end in tragedy. Like Gwen, come again?!

Also, Miles' and Gwen's talk at the Williamsburg Bank Building being lowkey the catalyst for the 2nd/3rd acts of the film. Without them both kind of silently admitting their feelings for each other, Miles probably wouldn't have chased after her the way he did. Pretty sure you know the rest.

"I bet she doesn't even speak Spanish," and Jeff going "Que barbaridad" in his very broken Spanish. Queue Rio's bombastic side eye.

Both Gwen and Miles referring to Spot as a Villain Of The Week, even though neither of them have spoken about Spot to each other.

"I was bitten by a-wouldnt you like to know? Know what I mean?" SIR. Chill. This movie is for children.

The Spot inverting himself, going from a white mass with black spots to a gaping black hole with smaller white spirals. It's giving Junji Ito.

The irony of Pavitr exclaiming, "Well that was another easy adventure for Spider-Man!" right before an incoming canon event. HIS. He was about to experience his first big loss, and his happy-go-lucky nature would've been challenged.

Miguel saying conyo! when all the Spideys start pointing at each other.

"!Cállate!" "Nosy!" Sidebar: we don't talk about Gwen's banter with bad guys enough. She's so funny!

A lot of the Peters saying hi to Gwen as she passes HQ because she is canonically the one lost love--the love interest they all would've ended up with had she not died, so they all have an affection for her.

Web-Slinger going "Giddy up!" Cause he's swinging up.

Miles offering his fresh new takes on how to deal with the Spot upon meeting Miguel, saying "He just wants to be taken seriously. Like we all do." MILES YOU BEAUTIFUL, COMPASSIONATE GOLDEN SUNFLOWER BOY I LOVE YOUUUUU.

Hobie referring to Peter B. as Humbling Reality Spider-Man, which considering how steeped in tragedy the Spidey lore is, is really saying something.

Miguel's nonono no puedo más no puedo más. His misery is very funny and delightful to me. Little bitch ass.

"You know you're the only Spider-Man who isn't funny." Yes! More Miguel slander in the next one, please! Little bitch ass.

"Snitch!"

Miles shouting out Peter's name for help whilst Miguel pins and lays into him the fact that he's an anomaly. This after he momentarily glitches back to his ITSV store-bought suit. Mimicking the way-in also the first movie-Miles shouting out Peter's name for his own rescue as Doc Ock attacks him at the research facility. Because even though he feels hurt by Peter at this point, that's still his dad mentor and he still instinctively looks to him for protection. Rip my heart out why don't you!

Gwen sneaking back into her and her dad's place just to get that printed polaroid of her and Miles, a pic she already has on her phone.

Earth-42 Miles wearing Nike while our Miles wears Jordans.

[pegasusdrawnchariots]

anyone else losing sleep over the fact that Cyrano spoke abt willingly sacrificing the chance of ever being happy someday, as long as he knew it would ensure the happiness of someone he loves, to both Roxane & Christian separately — & then had it ripped from him anyway before he was able to make that sacrifice, without ensuring a thing? yeah me neither

[galwithalibrarycard]

2023 and I am still sad we never got an onscreen “I do love nothing in the world so well as you, is not that strange” in NMTD

[theultracharmingladynoire]

.

[recents]

haters cannot stand how my boy keeps it positive

[itadore-you]

every day I think abt this one fic I used to follow like the gospel from 2020 WRITERMILK WHO WROTE FUCKTOY ON WATTPAD U MADE ME WHO I AM U GOT ME INTO FANFICTION I LOVE YOU

[frobby]

Romance manga with a fat mc/love interest: :D

They were only fat because of trauma and now that theyre in a relationship theyre skinny: :(

[coachbeards]

“beard’s self esteem is so low…he will need a pep talk to kill himself. and I’d like to give that pep talk.”