#it's a small detail in the overall scheme of things

[marlynnofmany]

Can openers were invented about 80 years after canned food became popular.

The fax machine was invented before the telephone.

And we all know that sliced bread is the best thing since Betty White.

[novlr]

Any tips on how to describe indoor spaces so they feel real and match the vibe of the story without throwing in too much detail?

Getting interior scenes just right is all about finding the balance between setting the mood, showing the unique personality of your story world, and keeping the plot moving. There are lots of ways you can use senses, action, and background to set a scene, all of which can work seamlessly with the type of story you want to tell. Here are some tips on how you can achieve that:

How does it look?

Lighting: does your space contain the soft glow of lamps, harsh fluorescent lights, or natural light?

Use colour and textures like peeling paint, plush velvet, or sleek marble.

Size and scale: is it claustrophobically small or impressively grand?

Architectural features: does the space have high ceilings, crown mouldings, or exposed beams?

Furnishings: are they modern, sparse, antique, or cluttered?

Style and decor: what style is represented, and how does it affect the atmosphere?

State of repair: is the space well-kept, neglected, or under renovation?

Perspective and layout: how do spaces flow into each other?

Unique design features: describe sculptural elements, or things that stand out.

Spatial relationships: describe how objects are arranged—what’s next to, across from, or underneath something else?

How does it sound?

Describe echoes in large spaces or the muffled quality of sound in carpeted or furnished rooms.

Note background noises; is there a persistent hum of an air conditioner, or the tick of a clock?

Describe the sound of footsteps; do they click, scuff, or are they inaudible?

Include voices; are they loud and echoing or soft and absorbed?

Is there music? Is it piped in, coming from a live source, or perhaps drifting in from outside?

Capture the sounds of activity; typing, machinery, kitchen noises, etc.

Describe natural sounds; birds outside the window, or the rustle of trees.

Consider sound dynamics; is the space acoustically lively or deadened?

Include unexpected noises that might be unique to the building.

Consider silence as a sound quality. What does the absence of noise convey?

How does it smell?

Identify cleaning products or air fresheners. Do they create a sterile or inviting smell?

Describe cooking smells if near a kitchen; can you identify specific foods?

Mention natural scents; does the room smell of wood, plants, or stone?

Are there musty or stale smells in less ventilated spaces?

Note the smell of new materials; fresh paint, new carpet, or upholstery.

Point out if there’s an absence of smell, which can be as notable as a powerful scent.

Consider personal scents; perfume, sweat, or the hint of someone’s presence.

Include scents from outside that find their way in; ocean air, city smells, etc.

Use metaphors and similes to relate unfamiliar smells to common experiences.

Describe intensity and layering of scents; is there a primary scent supported by subtler ones?

What can you do there?

Describe people’s actions; are they relaxing, working, hurried, or leisurely?

Does the space have a traditional use? What do people come there to do?

Note mechanical activity; elevators moving, printers printing, etc.

Include interactions; are people talking, arguing, or collaborating?

Mention solitary activities; someone reading, writing, or involved in a hobby.

Capture movements; are there servers bustling about, or a janitor sweeping?

Observe routines and rituals; opening blinds in the morning, locking doors at night.

Include energetic activities; perhaps children playing or a bustling trade floor.

Note restful moments; spaces where people come to unwind or reflect.

Describe cultural or community activities that might be unique to the space.

How is it decorated?

Describe the overall style; is it minimalist, baroque, industrial, or something else?

Note period influences; does the decor reflect a specific era or design movement?

Include colour schemes and how they play with or against each other.

Mention patterns; on wallpaper, upholstery, or tiles.

Describe textural contrasts; rough against smooth, shiny against matte.

Observe symmetry or asymmetry in design.

Note the presence of signature pieces; a chandelier, an antique desk, or a modern art installation.

Mention thematic elements; nautical, floral, astronomical, etc.

Describe homemade or bespoke items that add character.

Include repetitive elements; motifs that appear throughout the space.

What is its history?

Mention historical usage; was the building repurposed, and does it keep its original function?

Describe architectural time periods; identify features that pinpoint the era of construction.

Note changes over time; upgrades, downgrades, or restorations.

Include historical events that took place within or affected the building.

Mention local or regional history that influenced the building’s design or function.

Describe preservation efforts; are there plaques, restored areas, or visible signs of aging?

Describing indoor spaces doesn’t have to feel like a chore. Focus on the details that matter most, tie them to the mood or characters, and let your readers fill in the blanks. A well-crafted space not only sets the scene but builds your character's relationship to it. Use sensory language, background, and action beats to tie it into your narrative, and don’t be afraid to play around with motifs and contradictions, depending on who is experiencing it!

[biblically-accurate-dca]

full breakdown of the daycare attendant's color scheme & minor design details throughout their apperances

bc im mentally ill abt them lol

warning: this is a very long post and will probably only interest a very specific audience of people

3d model

(source)

their body follows the pattern of having a "primary" color, a "secondary" color, and an "accent" color. this pattern shows up for all of their apperances.

the primary color is the one applied to the crescent moon on their face, the right half of their torso, the upper half of their forearms, the middle "in between" sections of their fingers, and their legs.

the secondary color is the one applied to the other half of their face, and the other half of their torso.

the accent color is applied to their lower forearm, their palm, and their finger tips.

sun's color scheme is a pale tan color(primary), a light orange color(secondary), and a light grey(accent). notably, sun's 3d model's palms are colored with their primary color instead of their secondary.

moon's colors are a pale white, a blueish black, and bright dark blue respectively. also the white of their upper arm fades out into the blue of their lower arm before ending at the elbow, but this doesn't show up on sun's arm. (also also, moon's eyebrow & eyelash are colored in with their secondary color, while sun's isn't colored in at all.)

the buttons on their chest tend to fall more in line with the main colors of their clothes, except for moon's 3d model which is their body's secondary color instead.

nothing major to say about their clothes, so here's a thought about their color schemes: even though moon shares a lot of colors with sun (red, orange, and yellow), sun's design doesn't have any of moon's blue. (though sometimes sun is shown with blue eyes? so who knows.)

their ruffles and ribbons all tend to stay the same color (red), all except for the ruffles on moon's neck which turn blue. this is a consistent detail throughout all of their designs.

their little elf shoes are orange and stay the same color regardless of which form they're in. there's a crescent moon on the inner facing side and a star on the outer side. the crescent moon's two pointy parts(?) are pointed towards their heel.

i will not talk too much about their head/face, but here are some details that are different in other iterations: their eyes do not move, sun's rays cannot rotate and can only move inwards and outwards, and moon's hat goes over their forehead.

also their ribbons have no physics in this game LOL

concept art

(source)

covering this first because the general color scheme and the placement of those colors is nearly identical to their in game model (albeit with brighter, more saturated colors). the overall design is also highly similar, but with a few notable discrepancies:

one major detail that's different in all their drawn iterations is that their torso is one solid piece instead of two separate parts like it is with their 3d models.

moon's arm gradient is still present on their concept art, however sun now has a lighter colored gradient on the end of their arm to match moon's coloration! (this could always be shading but it feels too specific for this to be the case). (also, moon's arms, fingertips, and stars seem to almost glow? which is potentially what their unused emission textures are based off of.)

sun's palms are colored grey! also, the middle sections of moon's fingers are colored dark grey on the concept art (pretty much everything with their primary color is colored like this ((except their face)), but it's probably just due to shading this time since it's not present anywhere else but here.

they seem to have a little circular panel near where their arm bends that isn't present on their 3d model. same with a rectangular panel on their leg.

their clothes, ribbons, and shoes are mostly the same except for a couple small things: moon's pants have faint lines on them to match sun's, their shoes have no symbols on them, and the bit of ribbon on the ends of their pants is colored yellow instead of red. (also moon's shoes are colored darker.)

their face has a lot of notable differences too, but one of the biggest ones is that they have no left cheek! their grin stretches a lot farther up on that side of their face because of this (they have no lips on that side of their face either!). the circular indent on their cheek is colored in on sun's face, their eyes aren't being squished by their cheeks anymore, and they also have a lot more teeth (which don't stretch into the corners of their mouth, and are colored differently than the rest of their face.) lastly, they share the same color for their eyebrow and eyelash!

official art work

something important to note is that all of the dca's (current) official art will have this color scheme and all of the same details due to them either being drawn by the same artist, or because all other current official artwork of them is based off of this design and/or the concept art. (any and all additional artwork i mention can actually be found on their wiki page, but i'll link to it here if i feel it's important.)

one of the most notable details of their official art is that their accent color has been changed to a light grey color for both of them (albeit slightly warmer or colder to match their respective color schemes). though, interestingly enough, moon's palms (similarly to sun's 3d model) are colored with their primary color instead, despite both designs having this detail in the concept art.

additionally, something that was changed from the sketch for this drawing, is that (like their concept art) their shoes lack the little symbols on them, and the ribbon tied on the end of their pants was colored yellow instead of red. something that wasn't changed though is their lack of a left cheek.

moon's button aren't visible here, but other artworks (such as their claw machine artwork) show them as a blue color to match with sun's red.

sun's arm still has the little circular panel near their elbow that can be found on their concept art.

their face has a lot of similar details to their concept art, while still being stretchy and cartoony. they have a lot more craters spread around their face, and sun has consistently been shown to have a chipped tooth... it's cute.

before i move on, i'd like to talk a little bit about their various eye colors! there are several instances of sun with golden colored eyes (e.g. this drawing here, their in game plush, their claw machine art, their piñata from ruin, their actual design from ruin, and an exclusive design from steelwool's store.), while there are only two instances of sun with blue eyes (the sunnydrop candy poster and their icon on the daycare pass).

moon's eye color (when their eyes aren't just... closed) tends to just be red, but there are still a few instances of them with a blue right eye (their plush and piñata, with their claw machine art's eyes being entirely blue).

there's actually even a few specific instances of their eyes being black (their 3d model, the golden moon plush, and the golden sun plush... however that one is more brown than black.)

there's also that one book cover of moon with the pink spiral eyes but that was more of a one off thing.

ruin

this is where my bitching session starts

very noticeably, their eyes move around in this game. did they finally get the glitter glue out of their eyes after the earthquake or something? does no one care about their dead fish eye swag...

speaking of eyes it's actually kind of lame they have yellow eyes instead of blue. the blue eyes actually have some additional meaning to them when you consider moon, but the yellow eyes are just... well, they're already super yellow. what makes them so special. make moon's eyes yellow for a change.

ok actually relevant: they use a mix of both sun and moon's primary colors, while using exclusively moon's secondary colors... both of their accent colors are used too with sun's on their right and moon's on their left.

suddenly their unused emission textures decide to join the party... this was a weird decision for them to make when those textures weren't even visible before. but ok.

all things considered they're actually not even that damaged. the most major damage is to their outer casing and their leg... like, compared to the others this is pretty good? even compared to the original shattered animatronics this is good??

wait is their hat just sitting on the very top of their head? is that because of the rays? are they holding it up? why was this a thing that was changed.

hw2

ok well the hat is even farther back now. what the hell. why

iirc their eyes don't noticeably move around as much as they do in ruin, but they do still move around sometimes (iirc they spin around after sun's cartwheel?) which i guess is fine. whatever. im the only bitch who would care about this anyway

they nerfed moon's ultra bright high beam eyes in this one... sad!

this is such a non problem but sometimes (especially in sb) when you shine a light on moon their pants have this little purple shaded section on the inner thigh parts and it looks. weird. in this picture it's not visible due to the shaders but it's very noticable in the daycare section of sb when you get a good look at them with the flashlight.

actually you ever realize how their design literally makes no sense whatsoever. how does their casing change color, and why is their coloring so inconsistent between the two without visibly affecting the other? how do their CLOTHES change color like that?? where the hell does the hat come from??? why do specifically and only the neck ruffles change color???? where do their pupils come from????? i will stop talking about this now

jack o' moon

they do have moon's color patterns, they're just shifted around a little. they even sort of have the lack of a texture on the sun rays that moon's model has! but this time it's actually intentional.

their face has the world's shittiest paint job which i think is really funny. i guess it does sort of look like a pumpkin yeah.

idk how the hell their glowing mouth overlay works but it's certainly a thing they have. the glowing eyes are also pretty cool looking admittedly. and the insides of their eyebrow, eyelash, and craters glow a little bit too.. that's cute.

the ruffles on their neck and waist, and the ribbons around the bottom of their pants are green, while the ribbons around their wrists are purple (but a small part of the ribbon on their right wrist is still red)? their shoes are similarly purple.

potato sack pants ♡ it's a really good part of the whole look actually

basically their design is like if bbw eclipse was stupid. but like in a funny and endearing way WAIT ACTUALLY SPEAKING OF THAT

balloon world eclipse

bitching session is officially OVER

first off: sun's faces! so the first face very obviously takes inspiration from their in game artwork while still having the general face shape for their regular look. the scattered look of the craters on their face and the color of their eyebrow reflect this as well. sun doesn't have their trademark chipped tooth but overall it's a very nice look and it serves it's purpose very well.

since sun's 2nd face and moon's are the same i'll go over them both here... this look is very much based off of their concept art look! but it's more noticable in the shape of their eyes and the way their teeth are drawn this time, because they actually do have a left cheek... but the corner of their mouth still stretches up the same way it does when they don't have one! also, the base color for moon's eye is a little purple here which is always fun.

now ECLIPSE... brightly lit yellow eyes with red flickering pupils... the light being pushed out between the cracks of their teeth... a menacing color scheme too dark for sun but too bright for moon... the faint color of the illuminated crescent moon hidden inside the darkness of their face... their complete and utter lack of a left cheek because it never got added onto this sprite... this is PEAK eclipse design

also, this isn't about their design but i edited these sprites for something a while back and noticed that some of the pixels were just ever so slightly off color? which leads me to believe this was done in a regular art program not made for pixel art, and that whoever made these isn't super experienced with it.. however that honestly just adds to the charm for me. i really love these sprites.

harvest moon

oh mmy god look at it

[thefollow-spot]

'Merlin' and 'Lancelot' by Edwin Arlington Robinson

This is the first full book I've typeset and bound that is not fanfiction—which means I finally have something to show off to the normies in my life LMAO!

'Twas a Christmas gift for my lovely Misery (@whoawhataconcept), who has dragged me right after her into a fascination with Arthuriana ❤️

✨ Details below the cut! ✨

🤍 NEW METHODS 🤍

Printing at home: In the past, I've sent my typeset PDFs off to a local print shop to be printed, but with access to a home printer for the first time, I battled the fucking thing to print it entirely at home. I had a lot of trouble getting my printer to do the whole thing (I think it was so long that the printer's memory started giving up), so I eventually ended up sending the PDF to print in smaller signature groups at a time. Due to misprinting, I ended up with many good glue sheets & pages to protect drying boards and such

Leather-core for endbands: I finally splurged and bought some leather jewellery cord to use as the core in my sewn endbands and it was FANTASTIC!

Ribbon bookmark: 🤍🤍🤍

Backed papers: I purchased two large sheets of artisan paper for the endpages and the cover material. Both were too flimsy for my comfort, so on the advice of some folks at @renegadeguild, I backed some cut-down sheets with regular printer paper using a mix of 50/50 PVA and rice paste. I pressed them flat between protective sheets and they came out perfect!

Paste mix: I enjoyed working with the PVA-paste mix so much that I used it for the rest of the project for pretty much all of my gluing :)

Using an actual book press: Not much to say here except that I finally have an actual press and it made everything 100% easier haha!

Cricut stencil: My sister donated her time and cricut to help me title my cover and spine (under the dust jacket). We cut out stencils with cricut's stencil material & with stick-on vinyl (when we ran out of stencil material LOL). The spine turned out lovely but with some bleed; the cover was a bit of a mess since the stencil material started peeling up the fibres of the cover paper (which I had somehow not thought to seal). But live and learn!

🤍 BOOK INTERIOR 🤍

Copy-editing: Done by they lifesaving and gracious @highlynerdy, who saved me from agonizing over if the raw text source I took from had typos or mistakes. Thank you again, Gracie 💛

Typeset: I was inspired by the original typesets from when these poems were first published, updated to my own aesthetic sensibilities (as much as I had patience for)! The main body-text font is 'Lancelot' which seemed the only appropriate font to use for this project <3

Art: (Not pictured) I included some art by Edward Burne-Jones, "The Beguiling of Merlin", and "The Failure of Sir Lancelot"

🤍 EXTERIOR DESIGN 🤍

Cover: I originally wanted to do this book in blue, but when I went to the paper store, I could not find any marbled blue paper that wasn't wildly over-budget, so I ended up doing another red book. I tried to stick to a colour scheme of white-heavy monochrome + red + metallics.

Dust jacket: Much to my dismay, I realized that I've been lucky in the past, with access to a small nonprofit print shop where their ordering process involves emailing them and describing what you need. To print a dust jacket, one needs access to a print service with "large format" printing, and as I've discovered, that usually means an industrial printing service. Sorely missing my usual nonprofit print shop, I ended up going with a custom photo printing service, requesting a large photo print on their thinnest paper. Due to my special instructions, the cover came back almost-perfect. The edges were jagged, and the paper was a bit too thick, but it is perfectly serviceable and I'm overall happy with how it came out.

[pixelglam]

hey amelie! i just wanted to ask, how long did it take for you to learn how to build? did you watch youtube tutorials or anything like that? idk, i’ve always wanted to build a house for my own sims but it’s so hard for me to like what i’ve made. did you feel this way too? do you have any tips? sorry i’m such a yapper 😭 have a great day! <3

Hello! Watching simmers like bojanasims, lilsimsie and simlicy on youtube helped me a lot especially when I started building lots myself about one and a half years ago! I listed a few tips for you below!

I also received a similar message from another anon so I'll be answering both here. 🤍

'hiii i recently discovered your yt channel and i love your builds. how did you improve your building skills and how do you make your builds so realistic? 🩵'

Study Real Architecture: Look at real-life houses, apartments, and buildings to understand architectural styles, layouts, and details. This can give you inspiration and ideas for your own builds. My favorites are pinterest and real estate/architect websites.

Plan Your Build: Before starting, come up with a plan and layout for the build. Decide on the overall style (modern, traditional, etc.), number of rooms, color scheme and any special features you want to include.

Get Acquainted with The Basics: Understand the basic tools and controls in Build Mode. Practice using the wall tool, room tool, roof and terrain tools to create a solid foundation for all your builds. There are a lot of really informative tutorials on youtube! (important for beginners)

Pay Attention to Scale and Proportions: Ensure that rooms, windows, doors, and furniture are proportionate to each other. This helps in creating a realistic and cohesive look.

Use Realistic Colors and Textures: Choose colors and textures that are realistic and complement each other well. Consider the overall color scheme of the house and how different materials blend together.

Add Detailing: Pay attention to small details like trim around windows and doors, roof overhangs, and landscaping. These details can make a big difference in the overall appearance of your build.

Experiment with Roofing and Terrain: Roofs and landscaping can significantly impact the realism of your build. Experiment with different roof shapes, angles, and materials. Use terrain tools to create realistic slopes and landscaping features.

Furnish Thoughtfully: When furnishing your builds, think about how real people would use the space. Arrange furniture in a way that makes sense functionally and aesthetically.

Utilize Custom Content (CC): Explore custom content to expand your options for building, furniture and decorative items. This can often help to create a more realistic look as well.

Seek Feedback and Learn from Others: Share your builds in sims discord groups or on Simblr to ask for feedback and look for inspiration. Look at tutorials and speed builds by other players/creators to learn new techniques and tricks. (please don't copy or steal other people's builds to post online though)

Practice Regularly: Like any skill, building in The Sims 4 improves with practice. Experiment with different styles and challenge yourself with more complex builds over time.

Have Fun and Be Creative: Building in The Sims 4 is a creative outlet, so enjoy the process and don't be afraid to try new things in your designs.

[thedustyleaves]

hi bendix! any tips for drawing/ lighting backgrounds? yours are so gorgeous and cohesive, is there anything specific you think about when planning the layout and props?

Thank you for the question! I'll do my best to answer it, but if something doesn't make sense, feel free to hit me up with some follow-up questions, because sometimes I just end up rambling, hah!

There's a couple of things I keep in mind when I do my bigger illustrations. I always want certain things or characters to be in focus, so for my cowboy illustration, I wanted the four characters from my comic to be the main focus of the piece. I used a couple of different techniques to emphasize this, whereas one of them is lighting.

The background is overall a lot darker and has more contrast between dark and light, than the foreground. To further separate the group from the background, I used the window in the back to add a rim light (that honestly makes no physical sense but it looks neat so...), to make them feel more cohesive as a group.

The second thing is balancing the amount of details I put into it. While there is a lot of stuff, the background has broader, bigger and clunkier shapes than the group in the foreground does.

To keep the feel of the details to a minimum, I kept them within those shapes, so the paintings still feel like single boxes, with stuff in it.

This helps the foreground pop with all the smaller details I've added there.

The next thing is colour. The overall colour scheme is very reddish and brown, but to connect the four characters in the foreground, I added blue to them.

Kain, Christie and Dakon all wear bits of the blue and Raki is holding playing cards with the same blue, while his entire outfit is tinted blue-ish, so even if it's black, the cold tones match with the blues.

This also puts them in contrast to the background characters that are exclusively red/brown and stays within those colour groups.

The details on the table are only 3-4 colours as well; I like to keep my palette to a minimum so the things I want to stick out, actually stick out, and so it doesn't get too busy.

The final thing I like to do, is direct the gaze of the viewer, and use contrast in shape and gestures.

The background and the background characters has very straight lines ...

... whereas the foreground characters are more curved by leaning towards each other, and by sitting around a small round table, that forces them closer to each other as well.

To further direct the gaze of the viewer, I use the eye-lines of the characters. We tend to follow eye-lines in pictures, so I always make sure that my background characters (or some of them) are looking at the thing I want to show off, and that the main characters especially are doing the same thing.

When all is said and done, whenever I start a new illustration, I can basically picture it in my head because I have hyperphantasia. When I sit down to draw, I nudge things around until the idea fits as an illustration, so don't be afraid to just throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks. Winging it will take you far, hahah!

I hope this was somewhat helpful :)

[cryptiidcrowe]

the manipulate manslaughter manwhore himself <33

deep dive into design choices under the cut!

i went into this design imagining him as the gold standard of tumblr sexymen, and then accidentally made him gnc as fuck and now he’s my gender. oops lol

- i knew i wanted to make his vest and tie patterned, bc he strikes me as someone who’d wear garish but somehow still classy (& probably also clashing) patterns. i also decided to make each piece correspond with arthur and john—the vest has the same brown and gold color scheme as arthur with an eye motif (for arthur’s blindness but also kayne’s sort of omniscient vibe). the tie has the same color scheme as my john (more or less exactly colorpicked) with a marigold pattern, both for the nickname and for its flower language—among other things, marigold symbolizes the sun, and also death. i had a ton of fun making the symbolism work for both boys but also fit with kayne’s vibe c:

(also, if i ever animate kayne, i imagine the patterns do that thing where the patterns don’t move with him but rather look like they’re a part of the background, if that makes sense; heightening his sort of uncanny otherworldly vibe)

- i purposefully wanted to make kayne look a little uncanny and inhuman! sharp stylized teeth (he’s always got a toof sticking out), forked tongue, and long pointy ears. also this bitch’s anatomy makes no sense & can and will change whenever! generally his legs are very long and his waist very small (& grabbable. grab if you dare), but as seen in the profile shot with his mouth, he’s always just kinda. off.

- his eyes are kind of slanted & mono-lidded, and his irises are more square shaped than circular. his pupils are upside down crosses. also he has the most luscious lashes imaginable

- he carries a cane around just for the aesthetic. it is nonfunctional other than self-referential jokes and murder

- face is generally made up of long & very sharp shapes. i was a little worried about his head shape being too similar to arthur’s, since his is also long with strong cheekbones, but i made kayne’s overall more sharp and severe. also pointy nose

small detail lightning round:

- he has moles! trust me he told me himself

- tails on his suit, kinda tattered and ragged looking; sort of mirrors the right hair strand

- dramatic arched eyebrows w a slutty eyebrow slit

[sillygoofylittleartist]

My lady noire redesign.

I don’t think the original design was necessarily bad but I did have a few issues with it.

For one I don’t love the braid instead of the belt, mostly because the belt moves like a tail on chat noir and I don’t remember the braid working the same way so it’s not as expressive ( I might be wrong but I think it just hangs), and while it was kinda cute I had the idea to have like small black ribbons on her pigtails that resemble whiskers so I scrapped the braid entirely. For the tail I made a sash/belt thing instead.

Another thing I really didn’t like was how she had itty bitty claws that you could barely see. I want her to have big sharp claws at least as big as chats.

As for the colors I like the green in that it is part of the black cats color scheme but I think the blue would make it more her own. We’ve also seen with kitty noir that the eyes don’t necessarily need to be green. I did make a green version since I do kind of like it. I honestly don’t know what I prefer.

Finally I did not like how boring and plain her suit is especially compared to chats which has all sorts of textures and details (wrist cuffs, bell, boots, belt, pockets, sectioned parts, etc)

So I added a few more details plus some interest to the mask.

I also made her top lip black, kinda Kim possible style.

Overall I’m pretty happy with my redesign, she feels more like marinette to me.

[sonkitty]

The Sideburns Scheme Post #1 v3 - LINK - Update

Instead of editing the existing text, I have added and noted two updates to the post, Post #1 (meeting with Shax in St. James' Park).

I'll just copy and paste what they are here.

...

Update #1:

For a little context, I used to speculate the upper green part of the color-coded portion here was the buckle for the belt instead of the lower metal part of the tie strand.

Update 08/03/2024: After going over this scene thoroughly months later, I can now see this metal thing is probably the lower metal part of the clasp for this strand. It's so hard to tell with the lighting and the tassel sticking out from it. The tassel could be bunched together then hidden behind the vest, then peeking out again. Here is a color-coded image of this possibility:

The red would be the metal parts of the clasp. The green would be the tassel. The black is the vest near this area. The part between the red that is not color-coded is some small extra part that connects these metal parts. I've also lowered the opacity on the overall screenshot. The color-coded parts are layered over it. I'm honestly still not sure this setup is exactly as I speculate; it just seems the more likely scenario at this point, after months of studying these scenes. For reference, here is another image of what the clasps and tassels look like from the front as I tried to figure out the possibility with lighting and angles.

End update.

...

Update #2:

Update 08/03/2024: I have gone over this scene cut by cut with a long list of what to look for in my attempt to figure out how retying works. Because of how I progress in the puzzles over time and for simplicity's sake, I am not going to give every painstaking detail here. I will say that if my notes are correct, the tying sequence goes something like the following. The Tied Hands are tied 8 times during this entire scene. They also switch which hand they are connected to 3 of those times. He uses reflection connections and Shax's lapels to make these switches. More can be found in visual form here: Park Reflections. I have long suspected retying is required for crossing every threshold but been unable to recognize them because one of its key clues is a "joint" or a "hinge". The obvious such key is the one I've looked for of a metal part of a clasp striking a lapel edge. Well, it doesn't have to be just that. An actual thumb joint, especially Crowley's left thumb CMC joint, can accomplish this same task. For instance, here at the park, the left thumb CMC joint presumably qualifies as at the edge of the newspaper in the opening back shot of Crowley. Even though it's not clear at first glance due to the distance, I can take in numerous other clues of the scene, such as the large reflections in the lake and the rainbow that tying is already done. If I zoom, I can then find the face of the watch and a very good guess at where the left thumb CMC joint is. I still can't confirm retying happens for crossing every threshold, but current studies suggest it is likely or will have some further puzzles where I'm supposed to figure out the method in use or why it might be exempt. The below notes will remark on things I noticed about the tying, the connections, and the reflections, without quite getting the full process in motion because I did not break down the scene cut by cut with extensive notes to myself to figure out such things back when this post was first published. End update.

[alphaofdarkness]

For the Sabezra Secret Santa ask game:

🕐, 🧠,🌟 and 🎄

Thank you so much for the ask @bart1607 ! ☺️ perdón for the absolute insane rambles lol~

🕐 When did you start shipping sabezra?

Ooof, take me back to 2015-2016, I think I remember liking a few things from The Force Awakens back when it came out and remember being recommended a few arts here and there of Star Wars. Eventually, Sabine popped up and fell in love with her design + art of her, I also saw a few here and there with Ezra.

I can’t recall the specific artists (it may have been one of arrival-layne’s draws 🥺) but like, I just LOVED their color scheme and how well they meshed and twined together on the art (sometimes I fall for couple just by their color palette and how well they fit together lol). I think I liked a couple more works and just loved how cute they looked together based on their season 1-2 designs!

I think at some point after, maybe some time in early 2016 or later into season 3, I saw that the series was playing on the tv and remembered the art on the two of them and was immediately drawn in to watch the show for them (gradually just falling more in love with Sabine and Ezra as individuals and together + the rest of the ghost crew 🥺).

I think the episode that overall solidified my love for sabezra was likely Imperial Supercommandos, just the whole episode showing their partnership, their trust in one another, the whole jet pack ride and the insane in sync moments of trust, like Sabine flying back to Ezra and him trusting her to catch him like 😭 and the end where he returns the action by catching her by her hand when her jet pack is shot ✨

Y’all I’m going to eat them I’m sorry 🐺🐺😌😌

This episode just makes me giddy and soft, the growth of their relationship is just beautiful to me!

I will also say that when I got into watching the show, I had only seen a few clips and gifs here and there where Sabine gifted Ezra the holo picture of his parents and I just 😭 I will say that moment comes a close second to how I fell for sabezra 🥺✨ I have since grown to appreciate that scene as a warm and endearing moment of Sabine showing her fondness for Ezra and appreciating his presence as a member of the Ghost crew and a growth to them becoming friends; officially saying his name, “Happy Birthday Ezra Bridger.”

🧠 Any favorite sabezra headcanons

I had to think about these for a bit 👉🏼👈🏼 I try and list 2 and if the question is asked again I list another 2 ✨💜

1. I love the idea of Sabine and Ezra maintaining some communication while Sabine was on Knowest, I can’t recall how long she was away, but just the idea of them talking to each other late at night or whatever the other was available to talk makes me tear up 🥹. Sabine telling Ezra how boring and how colorless her home feels after being away for so long. Or how she misses the warm red and oranges of Antallon (the bright orange that is Ezra hehe) and just the explosion of color with the rest of the Ghost crew; but is excited about nearing the search for her father and talk to him about the art and her art style growth. How she misses him— and the others too! 🥺

Ezra talking about all that is happening in the rebellion, how he almost helped Kallus break out from the Empire and likely sharing about the art Thrawn has collected of hers (which makes her angry >:( how dare he!). I feel like he would also make some small details about how Maul is no longer an issue to deal with and about how he misses her too 🥺

They would stay up as much as they could to talk to each other 👉🏼👈🏼

2. I also have a headcanon of Sabine complementing on Ezra’s doodles whenever she gets a glimpse of them, she was very taken aback by his simple sketches of Lothal and his tower and his loth cats (his draws taken from his journal/diary that he has) and can’t help but praise him (artists always praise all doodles) 🥺🧡 He is very bashful about them at first and always mentions how hers are always more beautiful and incredible.

To which she playful punches his shoulder, how she is serious, his draws are adorable and he should keep trying at them. I love the idea of them just developing this soft friendship over the course of s1-2 with art, Sabine maybe gifting him a small drawing book for him to keep practicing on, especially after she allowed him to draw a few things in hers. To which she often reflects on over the years ahead, especially during her time on Krowest and soon after he was purrgiled.

I don’t know 👉🏼👈🏼 I’m sure Sabine allowed him to used her spray gun whenever they were defacing the Empire propaganda ✨ also Ezra keeping his drawing book or making one while he is in exile in Peridea and keeping up his drawings to show Sabine when they reunite 🤩 HER FINDING IT IN HIS POD AFTER RETURNING BACK WHEN EZRA DEPARTS WITH THRAWN 😭

The feelings of art ✨💜🧡

🌟 Favorite Christmas tradition!

Y’all may laugh (or it maybe more common than I believe) but I didn’t know till I transferred college basically, outside of my hometown, that Christmas festivities are normally celebrated on the 25th 😅

I come from a Hispanic household and a border town in Texas that usually celebrates Christmas on the 24th. The actual Christmas Day is spent sleeping in, eating the leftovers from the day before and just relaxing, enjoying the break and holiday with my parents and sister (occasionally a few tios drop by for some lunch or to drop off or pick up other gifts).

Anyways~ all this to say, my favorite tradition is literally waiting until midnight of the 25th with all the family and friends to basically open the gifts 🎁 While I have since grown up not caring much about the gifts, it’s just being able to see the family siting together, often full of laughs and jokes here and there about the gifts received. We have done the white elephant gift exchange a few times some of the years before and it was always just a loud bustle of laughs with the family, full of jokes and tease and it just warms my heart thinking about it.

There was a year where everyone was just getting bofandas (scarfs 🧣) and it was just hilarious each time someone opened a present.

And then onwards to more drinking and partying until like 3-4 am ✨ personally, I’m 27, almost 28 😩, (I’ve never been a party or social person) and I get tired and sleepy very fast so uwu catch me passing out in my bed ✨

🎄 Real tree or artifical and how long do you leave it up for?

Ah, I’ve only ever had artificial trees and they are just as messy to put up lol. I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone to have had a real tree before 🤔

Personally, I would probably leave it up the whole year if I could lol, when I was living with my parents, I would like to see it linger till the end of January, but they like to put it away as soon as they can. Maybe lasts till the second or third week after Christmas 🎄

—

Have a good day everyone! Happy thanksgiving 🦃 to all who celebrate, and to those that don’t, I hope you have a delicious meal and a wonderful day ahead 🥰💜

[erme-maererme]

following this i need to say that durge obviously balances astarion out when it comes to long-term planning, but i'd like to also add some detail on how i see this ability of theirs and what kind of a leader they are.

durge is a cult leader, not a commander of an army and not a politician in the sense that they would not be good at organizing things like cities and states and gaining the support of citizens and stuff. their interpersonal skills are way above average, but they'd make a poor manager, if that makes sense. they find strict organization and discipline boring, their goal is just to get people to do whatever they want, not to establish structure. i'm looking at that high charisma of canon storm sorcerer durge and also my bard+sorcerer durge here. they're an excellent manipulator, there's that intimidation proficiency, so basically their scheming mainly consists of identifying people that can be useful to them/the party and convincing them to do what they want, ensuring that they're an ally for the future etc. durge is a people person, even if it's at times lethal for the people in question.

that's also why our murderous amnesiac becomes a reluctant leader of the group, they manage to resolve conflicts between party members, use their strengths well and more importantly they just usually go with the ideas that the others offer. i think in-game durge is in a lot of pain all the time and trying to figure out what is wrong with them (the urge), so they don't have much space in their head to make plans and scheme, they just go along with what the others think they need to do, while giving it the air that the party came up with these brilliant plans together, so no one would feel salty about things and bother them further. i don't think they notice until at least moonrise that they're the de facto leader of this group, even though they don't really discuss this hieararchy.

additionally, the pre orin lobotomy durge must have planned at participated in a lot of murders on their own or with a small group of other cultists, the bhaalists, as they appear in act3, favour stealth and disguises and there's that invisibility cloak sceleritas gives them back, which also hints in this direction. overall, it makes sense to assume that this type of planning is much like an instict to durge and that they're used to having such numbers with them as the party can be, so their coordination tips would come into use.

+ in contrast with what i wrote about astarion in the previous post (him being effective in crisis), durge would not be particularly good at this, as in any situation that might make them lose control over their mind. the more overwhelmed by some negative emotions they're the harder it is for them to keep the urge in check (and being overwhelmed by some sort of happiness is not fully accessible to them due to the urge beginning to push them even harder towards destroying the source of that joy, so it wouldn't be distracting them from serving bhaal). so if durge panics they end up either killing everybody or immediately leaving and isolating themself so they would not kill everybody.

[novlr]

how to describe? Houses, rooms, interiors, palaces, etc?

Creating immersive descriptions of indoor spaces is more than just scene setting—it’s an invitation to the reader to step into your world. Describing the interior of buildings with vivid detail can draw readers into your narrative. So let’s explore how to describe interiors using multiple sensory experiences and contexts.

Sights

Lighting: soft glow of lamps, harsh fluorescent lights, or natural light.

Colour and textures; peeling paint, plush velvet, or sleek marble.

Size and scale: is it claustrophobically small or impressively grand?

Architectural features: high ceilings, crown mouldings, or exposed beams.

Furnishings: are they modern, sparse, antique, or cluttered?

Style and decor: what style is represented, and how does it affect the atmosphere?

State of repair: is the space well-kept, neglected, or under renovation?

Perspective and layout: how do spaces flow into each other?

Unique design features: describe sculptural elements, or things that stand out.

Spatial relationships: describe how objects are arranged—what’s next to, across from, or underneath something else?

Sounds

Describe echoes in large spaces or the muffled quality of sound in carpeted or furnished rooms.

Note background noises; is there a persistent hum of an air conditioner, or the tick of a clock?

Describe the sound of footsteps; do they click, scuff, or are they inaudible?

Include voices; are they loud and echoing or soft and absorbed?

Is there music? Is it piped in, coming from a live source, or perhaps drifting in from outside?

Capture the sounds of activity; typing, machinery, kitchen noises, etc.

Describe natural sounds; birds outside the window, or the rustle of trees.

Consider sound dynamics; is the space acoustically lively or deadened?

Include unexpected noises that might be unique to the building.

Consider silence as a sound quality. What does the absence of noise convey?

Smells

Identify cleaning products or air fresheners. Do they create a sterile or inviting smell?

Describe cooking smells if near a kitchen; can you identify specific foods?

Mention natural scents; does the room smell of wood, plants, or stone?

Are there musty or stale smells in less ventilated spaces?

Note the smell of new materials; fresh paint, new carpet, or upholstery.

Point out if there’s an absence of smell, which can be as notable as a powerful scent.

Consider personal scents; perfume, sweat, or the hint of someone’s presence.

Include scents from outside that find their way in; ocean air, city smells, etc.

Use metaphors and similes to relate unfamiliar smells to common experiences.

Describe intensity and layering of scents; is there a primary scent supported by subtler ones?

Activities

Describe people’s actions; are they relaxing, working, hurried, or leisurely?

Does the space have a traditional use? What do people come there to do?

Note mechanical activity; elevators moving, printers printing, etc.

Include interactions; are people talking, arguing, or collaborating?

Mention solitary activities; someone reading, writing, or involved in a hobby.

Capture movements; are there servers bustling about, or a janitor sweeping?

Observe routines and rituals; opening blinds in the morning, locking doors at night.

Include energetic activities; perhaps children playing or a bustling trade floor.

Note restful moments; spaces where people come to unwind or reflect.

Describe cultural or community activities that might be unique to the space.

Decorative style

Describe the overall style; is it minimalist, baroque, industrial, or something else?

Note period influences; does the decor reflect a specific era or design movement?

Include colour schemes and how they play with or against each other.

Mention patterns; on wallpaper, upholstery, or tiles.

Describe textural contrasts; rough against smooth, shiny against matte.

Observe symmetry or asymmetry in design.

Note the presence of signature pieces; a chandelier, an antique desk, or a modern art installation.

Mention thematic elements; nautical, floral, astronomical, etc.

Describe homemade or bespoke items that add character.

Include repetitive elements; motifs that appear throughout the space.

History

Mention historical usage; was the building repurposed, and does it keep its original function?

Describe architectural time periods; identify features that pinpoint the era of construction.

Note changes over time; upgrades, downgrades, or restorations.

Include historical events that took place within or affected the building.

Mention local or regional history that influenced the building’s design or function.

Describe preservation efforts; are there plaques, restored areas, or visible signs of aging?

[worstpart]

[ I HAD TWO LONGINGS AND ONE WAS FIGHTING THE OTHER. I WANTED TO BE LOVED AND I WANTED TO BE ALWAYS ALONE. ]

(  assad  zaman  .  agender  .  they  /  he  )  .    ⸻  zakir  hassan  ,  a  thirty-three  year  old  ,  has  survived  another  day  in  red  creek  where  they  have  lived  for  less  than  one  year  .  the  harbinger  is  known  for  being  pragmatic  and  scheming  and  is  often  associated  with  mugs  of  coffee  in  various  stages  of  finished  covering  half  a  desk  ,  eerie  fog  obfuscating  the  ground  in  the  morning  ,  the  shift  of  temperature  as  a  storm  approaches  .  in  a  small  town  where  they  work  as  a  private  investigator  word  travels  fast  .  it’s  hard  to  keep  a  secret  ,  and  it  looks  like  the  boogeyman  knows  that  redacted  . 

𝟶𝟶𝟷. 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚃𝙸𝚂𝚃𝙸𝙲𝚂 …

⋯⋯⋯ GENERAL DETAILS.

FULL NAME: zakir hassan. NICKNAME(S): z. AGE: thirty-three. DATE OF BIRTH: novemeber 3. PLACE OF BIRTH: new jersey. CURRENT LOCATION: red creek, michigan. GENDER: agender. PRONOUNS: they/he. ORIENTATION: bisexual. OCCUPATION: private investigator.

⋯⋯⋯ PHYSICAL APPEARANCE, ETC.

HEIGHT: 5'10. TATTOOS: none. PIERCINGS: none. CLOTHING STYLE: cardigans, button downs with the buttons in the wrong holes, neutral colors. DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS: always has a coffee on him.

⋯⋯⋯ HEALTH.

ALLERGIES: peanuts. SLEEPING HABITS: so bad it's not even funny. can't remember the last time he got a full night's sleep. EATING HABITS: empty ass fridge... takeout and cold pizza and whatever pastry is in the window when he gets his coffee. SOCIABILITY: 3/10, but can fake it when he needs to appear more friendly. DRINKING / SMOKING / DRUGS: yes / no / no.

⋯⋯⋯ PERSONALITY.

POSITIVE TRAITS: pragmatic, analytical, thoughtful, persistent. NEGATIVE TRAITS: scheming, introverted, melancholic, cynical, nosy, unlucky. LIKES: sweet coffee, collecting trinkets, physical copies of everything. DISLIKES: being in a car when he's not the driver, loud noises, fire. FEARS: being given a reason to leave behind another town. HABITS: clicking pens, tapping foot, bouncing leg, cracking knuckles, multitasking everything. HOBBIES: nothing. he works and sleeps and drinks coffee thats it..

𝟶𝟶𝟸.   𝙱𝙸𝙾𝙶𝚁𝙰𝙿𝙷𝚈 / 𝙷𝙴𝙰𝙳𝙲𝙰𝙽𝙾𝙽𝚂   … 

second oldest of four children, always felt some sort of responsibility for all of them. family dynamic was pretty chill otherwise -- everyone got along well and was overall pretty supportive of eachother.

moved around a lot as a child and got used to it enough that he continued the habit as an adult

never quite fit in as a kid and could never pinpoint why? he was just unlucky in every sense of the word. injured often, clumsy, misses the bus and it rains, etc. generally bad things just seem to happen around him.

trigger warning: death, familial death. around when he was applying for law school, his older sibling died.

barely finished up undergrad & moved back in with his family to take care of his parents and younger siblings

started moving around again because he felt like his 'unluckiness' was acting up (not a thing. hes just restless)

bounced around the country in short stints as a private investigator. why? he's nosy. what else. it's fun and sometimes tedious but never boring.

ended up in red creek about less than a year ago after [INFORMATION REDACTED]. his apartment also functions as an official office which is just fine considering he wouldn't be making it home to sleep if he had a proper office.

since daniela's been missing, he's been getting veryyyy nosy into the business of everyone trying to figure out what happened and why. blames himself a little / considers himself a harbinger as something bad always seems to happen when he enters a town. has zero tact about getting information out of people but god he's going to try.

[inevitableisopod]

Utterly Ridiculous

Okay so, as promised, today is sword review day!

Last year, i bought a LK Chen sword, my first one in fact! For those who don't know LK Chen is a Chinese sword manufacturer that specialises in high fidelity replicas of original Chinese swords

Enter the Yan-Ling Dao. so, what is a dao? its basically the equivalent of a European falchion or messer, especially the yan-ling dao, or goose quill sabre; which usually has a (sometimes sharpened) false edge near the point where it narrows dramatically to a honestly somewhat worryingly fine point, as well as one to two fullers (grooves) running most of the length of the blade.

Specifications 

Sword only weight:  approx. 878 g (1 lb. 14.9 oz)

Blade length approx.         69.50 cm  (27.36")

Handle including fitting     18.00  cm  (7.08")

Total length                        87.00 cm  (34.25")

Point of Balance approx.     8.5 cm (3.35") from hand guard

Blade thickness  

at base:                   8.50 mm  

40 cm from base: 5.00 mm  

5 cm from tip: 2.20 mm  

Blade width  

at base:                   33.5 mm  

40 cm from base: 33.0 mm

50 cm from base: 35.0 mm  

60 cm from base: 31.0 mm  

it features wrought iron hilt and scabbard fittings, a (what looks like oak) handle; which is glued and pinned to the tang in 3 places, 2 bamboo pins and a hollow copper pin that allows a lanyard to be attached; wrapped in waxed cotton what is not glued in place, but is however wrapped so tightly that i sincerely doubt it will ever come loose. the sword carries a sun and sky theme with a sun shaped guard and brass decoration around the copper pin. the scabbard fittings match the square handle fittings and feature cloud motifs at the attachment points with copper rivets to continue the colour scheme.

it comes with a wood cored and vegan leather wrapped scabbard that does not retain the sword. i have few problems with this especially concerning that the blade widens until about 2/3 of the way along but it could certainly be a tighter fit. fit aside i have no problems with the scabbard. the general fit and finish of the sword is superb, everything is extremely tight and i could not find a gap or seam i could actually get a fingernail in. the peen is very clean and the hollow copper pin and brass washer are sanded smooth enough you cannot feel them in your grip.

a final thing to note in details is that it comes as standard with a pattern welded blade, and while this doesn't effect the blade performance in any way with modern steels (in fact perhaps decreasing the durability) it is extremely well executed and honestly beautiful to look at, the pattern reminding of ink in water smoke,or perhaps a wood grain. the pattern is very fine and lightly etched, and the overall blade finish is a mirror polish

Onto usage! this is what inspired the title because the bastard thing is absolutely terrifying. its rather forward weighted but still fast and agile, and most importantly, boy does it cut. it's honestly perhaps too good at cutting? bottles? no resistance, even if you significantly bugger it up, wood is absolutely fine so long as you don't go too far, there is almost zero hand shock and due to the fact that the blade is oh so slightly convex, the edge is shockingly durable and like a razor. I've shaved with this sword, and it was bloody smooth. early on i had a small accident with it where it bit through 4 towels, a hoodie and about 6mm into my arm while i was wiping it off with no notable resistance

above is a cardboard tube i cut with it. these make fairly difficult targets as they are relatively hard on the surface and very light, so they just tend to go flying if the cut isn't perfect. this sword doesn't have that problem. it just does it. below is an example of a rising cut where i massively messed up my angle

here's a poplar branch it cut through in one blow (thumb for scale)

it cuts. really well. it also handles very nicely, it feels half way between a very nimble and agile blade that just wants to move, and a blade that desires to be swung into a target as hard as possible with no finesse, and honestly, it does both really well. it stabs extremely well too, i first tested it against bottles and then wood, deliberately twisting the point slightly, and it's still completely straight.

so it's an incredible cutter, it thrusts well, and it's durable beyond what you would expect it to be. so what's the downside?

well, the scabbard just straight up doesn't retain the blade. at all. and the handle is very square. i personally found the handle very comfortable if gripped below the iron fittings, and the handle geometry is certainly beneficial to edge alignment, but it's worth pointing out

Overall, i completely adore it. it's my favorite sword in my collection and the one i'd keep if i had to give up all the others. it's full of character, it cuts like a monster and honestly it's just drop dead gorgeous.

available from the knight shop (uk) or kult of athena (us) for the low low price of £475 (check kult of athena yourself icba)

in conclusion, get it. now. i am no longer asking. i don't care if you aren't a fan of Chinese swords or sabres but it's so magnificent you need one, even if you think you don't

Thank you all for reading my beloved readers, next post will be something? i'm open to suggestions. the next review may be coming in December or January. it might be another dao or perhaps a sidesword???????

May your edges stay sharp, and your points true!

[crazyunsexycool]

As the dust settled

pairing: Steve rogers x reader.

word count: 9k

summary: you meet Steve rogers while he’s on the run from the government and you offer him and his friends a place to stay. When the blip occurs you lose your own family, your best friend Maggie. When Steve shows up at your door you’re more than happy to let him stay. What happens as the dust settles?

warnings: mentions of injury and blood (non-descriptive), angst, fluff, implied smut, mentions of wanting children/starting a family

A/N: I’ve been writing this little by little. It started out as something to work on if I got stuck on something else and now it’s done! Hope you enjoy!

The first time you helped Captain America it was through his friend. The Falcon, you were sure that was him but with the baseball cap and sunglasses it was hard to tell. And it wasn’t necessarily giving them help, it was more of just giving them something. He came into your bookshop and roamed through the bookshelves. With three books in his hands he steps to the register at the front of the store and places them on the counter. He grabs his wallet and pulls out the small amount of cash he has. It’s not enough. 

“I’ll just leave this one.” He grabs the top one and moves it to the side while giving you a sheepish smile.

“Nonsense, take it. Free of charge.” You bag them up and hold out the bag for him to take.

“I can’t accept that.” 

“Please it’s no big deal, Falcon.” You said. “A good book can help distract you when you’re homesick.” 

“Thank you, but I promise I’ll pay you back soon.” 

“Fine I’ll hold you to it. You’re welcome back anytime. My name is Y/N by the way.” You smile 

“Sam.” he returns the smile before grabbing the bag and disappearing into the small town you lived in. 

After closing your bookshop for the night you walk down two blocks to your friend’s diner. It was one of the few restaurants in town. The same Tuesday night crowd gathered in their chosen seating. Maggie, your best friend and owner, spots you as you walk in. She nods over to your favorite booth, ever since you told you it was your favorite sitting area she put a little reserved sign on it for you. 

“Hey, the usual?” She asks from the counter. You nod and she disappears to put your order in. 

After meeting in college and realizing you were roommates you bonded as if you were sisters. You remember when she first told you she was moving into the same town you lived in. It was the best news you’d ever heard after going your own way once you were done with college. Maggie had bought this place that was crumbling around you and she was hellbent on transforming it into a diner. You spent weeks helping her plan and pick out the color schemes and it was amazing. The tiles were pink and white and those colors could be found everywhere from the seats to decoration on the walls and even the neon signs. Little details of black and silver broke up the lighter colors but overall the place was visually pleasing and it got a lot of business because of it. 

Maggie plops down in the booth seat across from you and it’s obvious she has something to tell you. She leans forward causing you to do the same. 

“You will never believe what happened.” 

“What is it?” 

“Do you remember that news report a few weeks back about Captain America and Iron man fighting at the airport?” 

“Yeah.” You already knew what she was going to say. 

“Well you know that a few of them are on the run, and the feds or whoever is looking for them?”

“Maggie spit it out already.” 

“The Black Widow was in here earlier.” She beamed. “I helped fugitives! Can you believe that? This is the most exciting thing I think I’ve ever done.” 

You smile at her and before she can sit up right you lean in again and she mirrors your action. 

“I helped Falcon.” 

Maggie squeals in delight and she grabs your hand over the table. 

“Look at us being rebels.” 

You laugh and shake your head.

“God, this town is so boring that helping fugitives is the most exciting thing we’ll ever do.” 

“Yeah I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again we have to leave PA,”  Maggie sighs. “Let me go get your order.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The second time you helped Captain America had been weeks after meeting Sam Wilson at your bookshop. You had been coming back home after a day of going to estate sales looking for first edition books and things like that for the store. It was getting dark but as you drove on the lonely road you noticed a broken down car on the side, normally you kept driving but you recognized the people immediately. Slowing down you roll the passenger’s side window down. 

“Do you need some help?” You asked although the obvious answer was yes you knew they weren’t going to trust you. 

“No, we're fine, thank you.” You heard from the other side of the broken down car. They were trying to keep their faces hidden. 

“Well it seems to me like you’re just sitting ducks out here. I promise you can trust me. I even have somewhere you can stay the night.” 

Cerulean eyes meet yours over the roof of the car. He was thinking about what the next move would be. Reluctantly he steps out from behind the car and walks towards your open window and lowers himself to be able to look at you better.

“Sam knows me if it makes you feel any better. Name’s Y/N I own the bookshop in town.” Steve doesn’t say anything, instead he heads back to the car. 

You can hear the whispered conversation before all three make their way to your car. All the passenger doors open and they silently get into your car. Looking over your shoulder you see a bruised up black widow and a slightly bleeding Sam. 

“Ok, let’s get you home so you can get cleaned up.” 

The drive home was silent, which was fine by you. It took another 30 minutes before you got to your long dirt driveway. That was the good thing about small town living, privacy. All the houses were spread out. There was at least a two mile distance from your house to your neighbors in either direction. You hopped out the car and unlocked the gate before sliding it off to the side before getting in your car and repeating the process to close the gate. As you drive further into the property your home appears before you. 

It was your childhood home and it was left to you by your father after he passed as well as the shop. At first you had thought of selling it but changed your mind when you thought of not having to pay a mortgage. The farmhouse was still in great condition and you knew you would never find a house with a wraparound porch at a decent price. So you stayed and you were as grateful as ever in the moment that you had. 

“It’s a beautiful home.” Those were the first words Captain America ever spoke to you. They were quiet but sincere.

“Thank you, Captain.”

“Please, it’s just Steve. I’m not Captain America anymore.” 

“Ok just Steve, why don’t we head inside and you can each pick a room and get settled.”  He nods and lets you lead. 

“I’m Nat by the way, thank you for letting us stay.”

“Don’t mention it.” 

You walk up the few steps of your porch and with your keys you open the front door. Walking into your home you turn on the lights to reveal a cozy and inviting living room. With a wave of your hand you get your guests to follow you. 

“The kitchen is there.” You point down the small hallway. “You are more than welcome to help yourselves to whatever you like. But I’ll make dinner in a few minutes.” You turn and head up the stairs with them following close behind you. “That’s my room over there but you’re welcome to choose any other ones. Here is the linen closet.” You open the small door and begin to grab towels and hand them to your guests. “You can just grab more if you want and there is a first aid kit in this bathroom and the one downstairs if you need both.” 

“Thank you Y/N.” Sam spoke up as he grabbed the towels you offered. All three of them stood there slightly awkward and unsure of the situation.

“No problem, just get cleaned up and take your time. I’ll be in the kitchen.”

About 45 minutes later dinner was almost done, you’d settle on making chili. Thinking something nice and warm would be just what they needed and you made almost twice what you normally did because you weren’t sure when the last time they had a proper meal was. The stairs creaked with the weight of your guests and signaled that they were heading this way. The table was set with all kinds of toppings and bread. All you needed to do was take the bowls of food over. 

“Here I can take those.” Steve grabbed two of the bowls and headed towards the table while you grabbed the last two. “Thank you again, for all of this.”

“It’s no problem really. I like to help if I can.” 

The four of you sat quietly only a hum of approval over the food or a groan of satisfaction was heard. They asked for seconds and you happily dished out more. After a few awkward silences, conversation started to flow easily. They mostly focused on asking you questions. About the house or your family and the bookstore. You understood why and you didn’t push to know more about them if they didn’t want to share. After another back and forth about who would do the dishes you convinced them to go get some sleep. Well you convinced Nat and Sam, Steve was stubborn and helped you clean up. 

“You ok over there?”

“If I’m being honest I’m confused as to why you would help us. You could get in a lot of trouble for this.” He finally said as he handed you a glass to dry off. 

“You went against half of your team, why did you do it?”

“It’s complicated but I did what I thought was right. Those accords were only going to cause more harm than good and I was protecting a friend.” 

“Hhmm. Well Steve I’m doing what I think is right too. They published the accords and I read through them.”

“Yeah, what did you think?” He turned to look at you, his hip leaning against the sink and his arms crossed over his chest. Your brain short circuited as you watched the muscles in his arm flex. Blinking quickly you look up at him and answer.

“The way I see it is they would end up using the Avengers in political power plays and the ones that would end up suffering are the people not the governments. I mean didn’t the government want to nuke New York during the alien attack? If Ironman hadn’t diverted that bomb you wouldn’t even be standing here right now. Yeah there was damage and casualties but those numbers were less than losing all of New York City.” 

“Not everyone sees it that way.”

“Well they’re idiots. You however have a friend here. If you ever need to lay low you’re always welcome, you all are.” 

He smiled for the first time, it was small and disappeared as quickly as it came but he smiled. 

“We couldn’t possibly put you at risk.” 

You patted his shoulder as you walked by him. “Well that's the thing Steve, I’m a big girl I’ll deal with the consequences of my own actions.” 

He smiles and turns to watch you. 

“Now, how about ice cream on the porch so we can look at the stars? I promise we don't even have to talk.” 

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

It was quiet at first but sure enough the conversation started up. It was mostly random topics of things he liked from the present time and things he missed from the past. He answered any question you had about the 40s. Then the conversation turned into things you both wanted to try. He told you about Peggy. Steve said yes when you asked if he had the chance to go back to the 40s and stay would he take it. 

That night he said they’d leave by morning. They stayed four days.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been three months since you’d seen Steve, Nat and Sam. Every once in a while there would be some news report that mentioned a possible sighting of the former captain but it was nothing substantial. Maggie liked to go on tangents and make up scenarios in which they would come back to town. You didn’t have the heart to tell her they had stayed with you a few months back but you also didn’t want to put her in a compromised position in case someone came around snooping. 

“I bet they’re on a remote beach somewhere. Getting nice and tan while we’re here getting rain and snow and sick.” 

“No one is sick Mags.” 

“You’re getting sick. I can hear it.” She raised her brows as if expecting you to challenge her. 

“Oh, whatever. I have to head back to the shop.” 

“I’ll bring you some soup at home later in the week.” She shouts as you leave the diner. You can see the smug grin on her face through the large windows. 

Maggie had been right and she gloated about it over FaceTime. You hadn’t even made it to Friday when the flu wiped you out. Maggie assured you that she would put a sign up at your store and would be by on Friday with everything she needed to leave some meals prepped for the weekend. Which would have been fine except you ended up with three unexpected guests. 

They were beaten, bloodied, bruised and extremely apologetic for showing up once they realized how sick you were. You dismissed their concern and waved them in as if you’d been friends all your lives. Nat tried to get you back into bed but you assured her you wanted to stay in the living room. She left to shower after failing to get you to rest. Next was Steve, he used what you assumed was his Captain voice and you scowled at him. 

“You’re not the boss. It’s my house and I do what I want.” You said before coughing.

“You know you would sound meaner if you weren’t so stuffed up” Steve kneeled in front of  you. “Come on sweetheart let me help you to your room and I’ll bring you some soup.” 

Your eyes go wide as you remember that Maggie was going to stop by. And as if on queue your front door opens, revealing Maggie and a bunch of groceries. Her eyes narrow as she looks at the scene before her and then they widen at the realization.

“What the fuck?!?!”

“Who is this?” Both her and Steve say at the same time, although Steve tensed up and got into a defensive position. 

“It’s alright this is my best friend Maggie, Mags this is Steve. Sam and Nat are currently upstairs too.” You cough some more. “I trust her with my life, you can trust her too.” 

Steve looks from you to Maggie and relaxes but only slightly. Ever the gentleman he grabs everything in Maggie’s hands and silently heads to the kitchen. 

“What the actual fuck, Y/N. What are they doing here? You could get in so much trouble for harboring a fugitive.” She whisper yells as she sits next to you.

“I am helping someone that needs it. And just so we’re clear this is the second time they stay here.”

Maggie looks slightly hurt by the confession but your head hurts too much and you can barely breath to notice. 

“Listen I wanted to tell you but I didn’t want to risk you getting in trouble with me.”

“Well someone would have had to post your bail right?” She says after thinking over the situation. 

“Exactly.” 

“Well let’s get you up to bed, you need rest.” 

“No, they just got here and you did too. I can’t just be in bed while I have guests.” 

“We’ve been trying to get her up to her room for a while.” Nat’s voice comes from the stairs as she struggles to walk down them. 

Maggie hurries to her side and helps her down, settling Nat on a couch. Steve walks back into the living room, making eye contact with Nat, a silent conversation happening between them.   

“Ok, I don’t care if you have guests here, you are sick and need the rest.” 

“Mags-“ 

“If I have to drag you…” she says while pointing at you. Your eyes widen and you stand, mumbling under your breath the whole time.

“How did you manage that?” Steve asks, slightly impressed.

“We were roommates in college, she knows what I’m capable of.” Maggie gives them a mischievous smile. “Anyways, I came to make her some soup and stuff since she’s sick. I’ll add in extra for the three of you and I’ll come back with extra supplies tomorrow since there’s a big storm rolling in. All I ask is that you take care of her, please.” She looks at both Nat and Steve. 

“Of course, you don’t have to worry. It’s the least we can do.” 

“All right. Now if you need anything specific from the store make me a list and I’ll get it for you.” With that Maggie disappears into the kitchen.

~~~~~~~~~

A few hours had passed and you felt something cool hit your forehead. You let out a content sigh as you open your eyes finding concerned blue ones staring back at you. 

“Your fever was getting pretty high.” Steve says, explaining why he’s in your room. “Maggie is gone for the night but she said she’d stop by tomorrow.” 

“Water.” Is all you say in response and he grabs the cup on your nightstand and moves to hold a straw to your lips. Once you drink as much as you can Steve places the cup back. “Thanks.”

“Least I can do.”

Steve stays close by for the rest of the night. He helps you sit up while Sam brings up dinner and then practically feeds you himself. You voice your concern of him getting sick because of you he assures you he can’t get sick. 

“I missed you.” You admit in a whisper. He wasn’t sure if you’d meant it or if it was some weird fever induced confession. “Ice cream on the porch isn’t the same without you now.” 

Steve can’t help but smile fondly as he remembers the nights you mentioned. It was easy conversations and you always checked in with him. Called him out on his bullshit when he said he was fine. Steve ended up opening up more to you and you never judged him or tried to invalidate his feelings. He would never admit it to anyone but he had been anxiously waiting for the opportunity to come back to see you. 

“I’ve missed you too, sweetheart.”

You give him a sleepy smile as the medicine he had given you finally does its job. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been about six months since you’d seen your newest friends. Every once in a while Maggie would walk over from her diner and you would search through news articles and videos online to see if you could at least catch a glimpse of them. No matter how many times you would see that Steve and the others were still fighting you were always left anxiously waiting for their return. You always worried that they weren’t resting enough or they were hurt more than what you could see in the videos but there wasn’t much you could do. It’s not like you had a way of contacting them to make sure they were ok. 

So you did what you always did since they left the first, you wait. But the wait didn't last for much longer. That night you had trouble getting to sleep so you heard the footsteps on your porch. You grabbed the bat you kept by your bed and went downstairs quietly, hoping that it was just your imagination. As you step on to the first floor you see a figure opening your door and without much thought you swing only to have your intruder stop the bat midair.

“Y/N?” You breathe a sigh of relief when you recognize Steve’s voice.

“Steve, what the hell are you doing?” You ask as you let go of the bat and more to turn on a lamp. A gasp escapes you when you turn to look at a beaten and bruised Steve who is holding his side. “What the hell happened to you?” 

“I’m ok really, just a little scraped up.” 

“A little? You look like shit. Which is saying a lot because you’re usually really…” you stop yourself before you say anything embarrassing. 

“I’m usually what?” 

“Nothing. Where are Sam and Nat?” You ask looking past him.

“There were some missions that they needed to finish. They dropped me off and said that they’d pick me up once they were done. Is that ok?” 

“Of course. Come on, I'll get the first aid kit and then I’ll draw you a bath.” 

“I don’t need the kit, this will heal itself in a few hours.” He says as he closes and locks the door. 

“A bath then?” 

“Ok.” He gives you a tired smile that doesn’t completely reach his eyes before he follows you upstairs. 

“I’ll fill up the tub in my bathroom, it’s bigger. Just come in when you’re ready.” 

As the warm water fills up the tub you add some epsom salt and oils to help Steve relax as much as possible. There was something different about him tonight. He seemed a bit more withdrawn, lost in his own thoughts. You wanted to help him but what could you say to make him feel better? 

A soft knock on the doorframe pulls your attention and you look up to see Steve standing there and you offer him a small smile. His hair was longer, the dark circles under his eyes were darker. He was letting his beard grow out and you had to admit he looked hot. 

“I’ll just get out of your way, take all the time you want. Are you hungry?” Steve just shakes his head as he walks further into the bathroom. He gives you a small thank you as you walk out and close the door. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Steve walks out of the bathroom after a while expecting to find you in bed but you aren’t there. Instead he hears some shuffling downstairs and he doesn’t waste time in going to find you. He finds you in the living room wrapped up in a blanket with a book in your hand. At the sound of him on the last step you look up, offering a warm smile. His smile is what Nat referred to it as. She was the one that brought it up. Of course you were welcoming to all of them but Nat had pointed out how much you would go out of your way for Steve, even if you didn’t realize you were doing it.

“Hey, I thought you’d go straight to bed.” 

“I wouldn’t be able to sleep even if I tried.” 

You pat the empty space beside you and he sits. A small grunt leaving his lips as he does. Steve leans forward with his elbows resting on his knees. You can’t help but lay a hand gently on his back.

“Want to talk about it?” You ask quietly.

“I’m just so tired.” 

Is all he tells you and you know he means more than physically. You’d been able to see it too, his eyes didn’t shine as bright and his smile felt a bit forced. Steve didn’t protest or pull away when you wrapped your arm around his shoulder and pulled him towards you. It was the opposite in fact. He was all too eager to be close to you and he sighed as his head fell on your shoulder. You stayed like that for a while, the only movement came from your playing with his hair. 

“I like the beard.” You said after a while causing Steve to laugh. “Come on, let's get some sleep.” You grab his hand and you lead him to your room. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, are you ok with it?” 

He nods and you walk into your room. You both settle in bed and Steve doesn’t waste any time and pulls you into his chest. 

“Goodnight sweetheart.” 

“Goodnight hun.” 

*****

When morning came Steve was still in bed and his arms were still wrapped around you. The thought that sharing a bed with the super soldier was too intimate a gesture hadn’t even crossed your mind. In fact you felt completely comfortable in his arms. The warmth that radiated off of him was enough to lull you back to sleep but you had to go into town and open your store for the day. When you tried to pull away Steve tightened the hold he had on you. 

“Good morning Steve.” 

“Good morning sweetheart.” 

You tried to get out of his hold again but he pulled you back in once more.

“Where do you think you’re going?” 

“I have to go to work, Steve.” You said as you looked up at him. 

“Just five more minutes.” 

You chuckled as Steve hid his face in the  crook of your neck. Suddenly his lips are pressed against your neck. It was a quick barely there kiss but you felt it anyway and you turned to look up at him. Your heart beat a bit faster and your stomach flipped happily.

“Y/N, I’m so sorry.” Steve started to pull away, embarrassed that he lost himself in the fantasy of sharing your bed. “That shouldn’t have-“ 

You cut him off by crashing your lips into his. Needless to say your bookshop opened at noon that day.

~~~~~~~~~~~

You got one glorious week with Steve. It was uninterrupted and consisted of you working all day then spending all night in bed with Steve. But all good things have to come to an end and it was sooner than you’d hoped when Sam and Nat showed up. Steve had already been outside waiting for them by the time you went to see where he disappeared to. He stood with his back to the house but he was slightly slouched over and his hands on his hips. Nat and Sam looked serious so it couldn’t be good news. When he turned around he found you leaning against one of the pillars of the porch, arms crossed over your chest and a worried expression on your face.

“How bad is it?” You ask once he gets closer.

“Really bad, I have to go.”

“Are they at least staying for the night?” 

He shakes his head. “We have to leave right away, I’m sorry sweetheart.”

“Don’t apologize for doing your job.” You cup his cheek and tilt his head so that he’s looking at you. 

“I’m gonna go pack.” He kisses your cheek before passing by you. You wave Sam and Nat in so they could at least rest a few minutes. 

Steve walks down the stairs in his worn out stealth suit. He looks so good in it you just want to rip it off of him. Nat and Sam say their goodbyes and leave you alone with Steve. 

“I’m sorry I have to go like this.” Steve says as he places his hands on your hips.

“It’s ok honey. I understand it’s your job. Just come back to me ok?”

“Yes ma’am.” Steve leans down until his lips meet yours. His grip on your hips tighten, he doesn’t have the heart to tell you he might not make it back. That there is a good chance this fight will be his last. Steve pushes those thoughts away and instead focuses on how soft your lips are and the way your body fits against his perfectly. When Steve pulls back he rests his forehead against yours. “Stay safe ok, I’ll be back as soon as I can.” 

“Ok.”

He gave you one last kiss and then he was gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

You had been in your store when the news started to spread. Some weird looking ship showed up over New York. There were nonstop videos and pictures of a fight between Ironman, some other heroes you guess and some aliens. You decided to close the store and head over to Maggie’s diner, too worried that Steve might be involved in this. The hours passed and still nothing new. You sat in your regular booth with Maggie across from you as you both watched the news reports on the tv she had set up. 

“Hey,” Maggie reached out and grabbed your hand to try and comfort you. “Everything is going to be ok. They’ve fought aliens before. Steve will be back before you know it.”

“You’re right, and maybe he isn’t even there.” You nod as you turn your head to watch the tv again. Everyone in the small town you lived in had practically stopped everything to watch what was going on. 

“Y/N…” Maggie called out. You turn quickly to look at her. The hand you had been holding was disappearing right before your eyes.

“Maggie? Oh my god Maggie.” You reach for her. “What do I do? How do I stop this? Someone please help!” You say between sobs, unsure about what’s going on as she disappears before you. 

The last thing you saw was the fear in her eyes and then she was gone. You turn to see if the others had witnessed what you did but they were just as confused as you when others in the diner disappeared. Cries rang out on the street as you pushed the door open. There were car crashes all along the street. Everyone looked at each other hoping someone would have an answer. 

But the answer didn’t come.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been weeks, the world as a whole was grieving the loss of loved ones. Life in your small town changed drastically. There had been children and elderly people that needed loved ones to take care of them left to fend for themselves. There were jobs that needed to be filled and farms that needed to be worked. It was at moments like this that you were grateful for living in a small town. Everyone rallied around each other and provided a helping hand. 

The first thing you did was take over Maggie’s diner. Fortunately her main cook hadn’t disappeared and he had stepped up to help. Following the first few days of the disappearances you focused on getting warm meals out to people that had been left behind that couldn’t fend for themselves and those that had stepped up to help. 

The distraction during the day was good, you were too busy to think about the people missing in your life. But at night those thoughts crept in like the darkness that surrounded you. Maggie was always first, the feeling of her hand turning to nothing, the look on her face as she tried to hold on replayed constantly. You wondered if Nat and Sam were ok. Most importantly you worried about Steve, had he disappeared too? Your relationship was new, if you would even call it that, but you worried just the same. Many times during the night you thought you’d hear steps on the porch and you’d rush down hoping to find him standing in the doorway. The disappointment was the same every single time. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You didn't know what to do with yourself so you pushed yourself to the limit. It was to the point that people began to drive you home because they were afraid you’d fall asleep at the wheel. With a wave to the person that drove you home you walked through the gate, not noticing that it had been opened. Your tired feet carried you toward your home. Fortunately you were conscious enough to notice an unfamiliar car parked next to you. Then it was the sound of footsteps on your porch. Your heart slammed violently against your ribcage. It had been all over the news how people were breaking into homes and taking what they wanted. They went as far as taking advantage of anyone they found inside if they were twisted enough. 

“Y/N?” A voice rang out, familiar and comforting.

It caused tears to break free of their prison and escape down your cheeks. Relief washed over you as you heard Steve calling out for you again. 

“Steve!” Your tired feet began to move. Running up to your home to find the man you had missed and cried for standing on your porch. 

He sprinted down the path calling out your name and he caught you when you jumped into his arms. Your kiss was more than welcomed. It was filled with joy and heartbreak, relief and guilt. It was a balm to calm the ache you both had felt at the thought of losing each other. Steve’s forehead rested against yours as your breaths mixed with one another’s. 

“I thought I lost you.” You whisper between a stuttered breath. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t come back sooner. We were trying to fix it.” 

His eyes held nothing but guilt at the thought of his failure. If his own pain wasn’t enough he had caused yours as well. 

“How is everything here?” He asked as he pulled away. Steve’s eyes left yours as he looked out toward the dirt path that connected the main road to your house.

“Maggie’s gone.”  You hiccuped.

Steve pulled you into his chest and kissed the top of your head. You welcomed the warmth you’d missed so much. 

“But I’m happy you’re ok, I was so worried.”

“Me too sweetheart.” Steve replies as he pulls away from you. He clears his throat. “I should get going.” 

“What? Where are you going? You can’t leave, you just got here.” 

“I just thought you’d want me gone. It is my fault Maggie’s gone, why would you want me around?” 

“Are you kidding me? I need you, I can’t lose you too.” You panicked. Steve wiped away your tears.

“I’ll stay, God I want nothing more than to stay. For however long you want me to.” 

His lips are on yours again. Desperate kisses bathed in tears of relief at the thought of finally having someone. You lead him to your home and you sit in the living room. Steve tells you everything that happens. You cry again when he tells you that Sam and his friend Bucky were gone too. Nat had stepped into the leadership role for the avengers and that he was done. No more missions or leaving in the middle of the night for him.

He was home.

~~~~~~~~~~

1 year later

“Happy anniversary, sweetheart.” Steve whispered in your ear as he pulled his hands away from your eyes. 

“Stevie, this is amazing.” 

There were blankets and pillows laid out in the middle of your backyard. There was a picnic basket, a small speaker already playing music and a small lantern to light up the otherwise dark area.

You turn and wrap your arms around his waist as you push yourself up to kiss him. 

“Thank you, honey. I love it.”  

“You’re welcome, I just wanted to do something for my best girl.” He smiles down at you as he guides you to the blankets.

After sharing everything Steve had prepared you and Steve laid back. He pulled you close and you cuddled into his side. Your head rested against his chest and your arm around his waist. You both admired the stars as music played softly. Steve’s hand moved absentmindedly up and down your arm, sighing contently.

“I love you, Y/N. I started falling since the night we met. I know I should have said it sooner. And this last year with you has been amazing. Even with everyone we lost you still bring so much happiness into my life that I don’t know what I would do without you.” 

“I love you too. I’m glad I stopped by the side of the road that day. If you weren’t here I think I’d go crazy. You make me so happy.” You smile up at him before he shifts and hovers over you. Steve’s lips meet yours. 

Your hands pull at his shirt until it’s over his head. His hands follow the dips and curves of your body as he shows just how much he loves you. And you happily show him just as much love.

~~~~~~~~~~

2 years later.

“Where are you going with that?” You asked confused as you watched Steve pick up the couch with ease to move it.

“You said you wanted to repaint the living room. I’m gonna paint it.” 

“You’ll do that for me?” 

Steve walked back into the main room and hugged you from behind. “I’d do anything for my best girl.” He kissed your shoulder. “Now I’m going to clean the walls first and put on a base coat but you have to pick the color you want.”

 He handed you the paint samples you had kept in your notebook full of repairs you wanted to complete for the house.

“Once I’m done with this, we’re going to check off everything on that list.” 

You couldn’t contain your smile as you looked down at the samples, completely missing the look of pure love Steve sent your way. 

“I love you Steve. I can’t believe you’d do this for me.” 

“Well believe it.”  He said before leaning down and giving you a kiss.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3 years later.

“Attack!” You yelled. 

The kids of the community all started throwing water balloons at Steve and the few other avengers that had joined you for the 4th of July. With everything that he’d done for them the town wanted to celebrate him. Although he had denied the need for a party you were able to make him see they needed it just as much as he did. 

So Steve agreed and now he, Rocket, Nat, and Rhodey were fighting back with their own water guns and balloons. The kids and even some adults were having the time of their lives. It was all you could ask for.

Somewhere in the midst of all the chaos you hadn’t noticed when Steve crossed over to your side of the fight and he grabbed you by the waist. He pulled you back with him before stopping the fight.

“I have your leader!” He exclaimed. “Surrender and I shall set her free.” 

“Don’t listen to him, he’s lying.” You played along. “Fight for our freedom, kids.” 

“Free her and I shall have mercy on you!” A little kid with missing teeth in the front yelled and the water balloons started flying again. 

You laughed at the look of determination on little Julian’s face. It was good to feel this carefree after everything that had happened. 

By the time nightfall came and the fireworks were done you all headed home. You were getting water in the kitchen when Nat walked in. She gave you a tired smile as she sat on the counter. 

“You know I don’t think I’ve ever thanked you properly.” She says after a minute.

“For what?” 

“For everything, but especially for Steve. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this happy or at peace. Even before all of this happened, there was always this quiet sadness that he carried with him. But I don’t see that anymore and it’s because of you. I can see the way you look at each other, this isn’t some fling or anything.”

“I haven’t done much, just love him. And I’d be lost without him by my side too.” You smile sheepishly at her.

“You’ve done more than you know.  Both of you deserve to be loved and I’m happy you found that with each other.” She jumps down from the counter and wraps you in a hug. “Now if you ever hurt him-“ she says as she pulls back. 

“Yeah I know you’ll hurt me. You don’t have to give me your whole ‘I’m a scary spy’ act.” You chuckle at her glare. “Now go get some rest, you deserve it.” 

“Good night, Y/N.”

“Night, Nat.” 

When you get to bed you’re still smiling.

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing, today was fun. I love you Steve.”

“I love you too, sweetheart.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

4 years later

“Have you ever thought about having kids?” Steve asked as he was perched on a ladder. 

You had convinced him to paint a mural over the kids section in the book shop. So far it had a princess, a prince, a knight and an outline of a dragon. 

“Maybe.” Your heartbeat picked up. This was not a conversation you thought you’d have today.

“Just maybe?” 

“Well if it was with the right person, yes. Why what about you?” 

“I stopped thinking about having a family when I woke up from the ice and I was told everyone I knew was gone. But now, I don’t know, I guess I’ve been thinking about it again.” He looked at you with an innocent kind of hopefulness. 

“I’m open to the idea. I always thought that if I ever had kids I’d have two.” 

“I always wanted 5.” 

“I am not so open to the idea anymore.” You said as he got down from the ladder. Steve threw his head back laughing. 

“You know what we should do?” He asks as he disappears to the front of the store and flips the sign to close and locks the door.

“No, what should we do?” 

“Practice.” 

You gasp when he grabs you by the waist and pins you against the wall. Steve’s lips are on yours and just as quickly they’re on your neck and chest. 

The conversation was put away for the moment but if there was ever a man you would want to have kids with it was definitely Steve.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

5 years later.

Steve took over the bookshop while you worked at Maggie's diner. There were still nights when either of you would wake up haunted by the loss of your friends. The last five years had been bittersweet. You shared happiness and sorrow, helped the community get back on its feet and grieved your lost loved ones. Life was never the same but you found love and happiness where you could. 

Steve ran a grief counseling group both in town and up in New York. You had opened your home to some of the Avengers that would drop by and needed a day or two to rest. 

Rocket was your favorite.

Currently you were putting together a bag of meals you had frozen for Steve to take with him. He picked up his wallet, backpack and keys and turned when he heard your footsteps getting closer. 

“Don’t forget these.” You push the bag into his hands.

“Thanks, I know Nat will appreciate them.” 

“Stay safe and you come back to me.” 

“Yes ma’am.” He smiles sweetly at you before giving you a breath stealing kiss. “I’ll be back tomorrow.” 

“I’m counting on it. I love you.”

“I love you too, sweetheart.” Steve says before walking out of your shared home and getting into his car.

******

You were in the book shop stocking the shelves when your phone started ringing. Pulling it out of the back pocket of your jeans you smile when you see Steve’s picture pop up.

“Hi love, how’s Nat?”

“Hey Y/N.” 

You perked up at the fact that he called you by your first name.

“I need to tell you something serious but I don’t want to get your hopes up.” 

“Steve, what's going on?” 

“Nat and I, we think we can bring everyone back.”

“What?” You gasp, your hand in your chest as you will your heart to stop beating frantically.

“There is a small chance that we can bring everyone that disappeared back. I’m going to stay a few days because there’s a lot to be done if we want this to work. I’ll keep you updated.” 

“O-ok, Steve, please whatever this plan is, promise me you’ll be careful. And no matter the outcome you’ll come back to me.”

“Yes ma’am, I love you sweetheart.” 

“I love you too.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Time had decided to stop. The clocks stopped ticking or at least that’s what it felt like. You had received one last text from Steve saying the plan was set in motion but nothing else. He hadn’t explained how they would bring everyone back just that the possibility was higher than before. Your mind was filled with questions as to how the remaining avengers were going to pull something like this off but Steve asked you to trust him. So you kept yourself busy. 

“Order up.” 

You were brought out of your thoughts with the shout. The cook slid a plate of food through the window and you smiled as you grabbed it. After placing the order on the tray you walked around to deliver it. 

“Enjoy your meal.” You said before turning around. 

The tray you had been carrying fell from your hands as your eyes fell on the table that Maggie had reserved for you years ago. She was sitting where she had been when she disappeared. 

“Maggie?” You say in disbelief. 

Maggie's head snaps in your direction and she frowns in confusion. She gets up and walks towards you when she sees you crying and unmoving.

“What’s wrong Y/N?” 

“You-you’ve been…” you stutter over the words as you pull her in for a tight hug. “You’ve been gone. Oh my god I can’t believe it worked.” You pull back and look around the diner and then outside to see the people that had disappeared standing in the same place from five years ago. 

“What is going on?” Maggie asks again.

“I’m sorry Mags. I’ll explain everything.”  You clear your throat. “What is the last thing you remember?” 

“We were sitting at your regular table, we were talking about Steve. Then you were calling out my name and now you’re  standing on the other side of the diner, with an apron on.” 

“Ok, I know this is going to sound absolutely crazy but Mags you’ve been gone for five years.” 

Maggie’s eyes widen and she shakes her head. She looks around to see people she didn’t recognize in the diner. The others that had reappeared looked around trying to find the person they came in with. Some of them had heard part of your conversation and were asking questions which you were more than happy to answer. 

**********

Total chaos had ensued in your town. The people that had been dusted all finding out about the five years they’ve missed. People looking for their families or finding strangers living in their houses. Even worse, realizing they had no one left.

You sat with Maggie at your table. She was silent as she sipped her tea. You had explained everything that happened in the last five years.  

“So, you took care of my diner for me?” 

“Of course, I couldn’t let someone else have it. Now I didn’t know what to do with your place so I put it up for rent and there are people living there. But I have all your things in a storage facility.” You said as you grabbed her hand. “It’s still under my name and I tried to keep it but I just couldn’t. We can figure out what to do about it later. Their contract is up in a few months anyway so you can always stay here.” 

“This is crazy. It seems unreal to be honest. I mean five whole years just gone.” She sighed. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now.”

“For right now you know this is your home too. Tomorrow we start dealing with whatever the next steps are.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few days had passed but you hadn’t heard from Steve and that worried you. You kept checking your phone and even calling but he never answered. Worry started to consume you. It was a very well known fact that Steve was the kind of person to sacrifice himself for others. What if that’s what he did to bring everyone back? 

“He’ll be back soon I’m sure of it.” Maggie said from behind the counter of her diner. She could always read you like a book. 

“What if something happened to him?” 

“You said that some of the other avengers would stay at your place every once in a while right?” You nod. “Then why the hell wouldn’t they have the common decency to come tell you if something was wrong?” 

“I don’t know, they don’t know how to tell me?”

“I just think there’s a lot going on, he might be needed somewhere else. Trust me, from everything you’ve told me that man is head over heels in love with you. He’ll be back soon.”

“I hope so.” 

*********

The bed dipped slightly and you opened your eyes slightly to look at the alarm. It was way too early to be awake.

“Are you ok Mags?” 

“I’m pretty sure she’s still asleep, sweetheart.” Steve moved some hair out of your face as he answered. You sat up and threw your arms around him. 

“You have no idea how worried I’ve been. I kept imagining the worst things.” 

“I’m sorry, I was finishing up a mission and everything was a mess and we ha-“

You cut him off with a kiss. The last few days had been a rollercoaster of emotions and you were just happy that you had him back.

“Are you coming to bed?” 

“First there’s someone I want you to meet.” 

“Right now?” You look down at your pajamas.

“Yes, he won’t care what you look like.” Steve tugged you out of bed and led you downstairs. 

In the living room you saw his bag and shield as well as the person he wanted you to meet. He turned at the sounds of your footsteps. And even with long hair and a beard you recognized Steve’s best friend anywhere.

“Buck, this is my girl, Y/N. Y/N, this is Bucky, my best friend.” 

“It’s so nice to finally meet you, Steve has told me so much about you.” You offer him your hand and you see the hesitation for just a moment.

“It’s nice to meet you too. This punk talked about so much I started to think he’d lost his mind and made you up.” 

You smiled and he returned it. And just like that the tension in his shoulders left. 

“I thought it’d be ok if he stayed here for a while. Just while things settled down.” Steve says quietly from behind you. 

“You thought? Of course he can stay.” 

You grabbed Bucky’s hands and started leading him around the house. He tensed a bit at the sudden movement but mostly found your rambling amusing. You stop at the bottom of the stairs. 

“So the first room to the left of the stairs is already taken. My best friend Maggie is also staying with us.”

“What is this, the best friend bed and breakfast?” Bucky joked.

“Well it wouldn’t be if you had won the first time around.” 

“Ouch,” Bucky smiles down at you. “You’re a little shit aren’t you?”

“I can be. Now go, get some rest, you deserve it.” 

Bucky said his goodnight and disappeared up the stairs. Leaving you and Steve alone in the living room.

“I like him.”

“Good, I’m glad. He needs a place where he can feel safe.” 

You walk toward Steve and wrap your arms around his waist. 

“Then I hope we can give him that. Ice cream on the porch?” 

“It’s like 2 in the morning.” 

“Fine,” you roll your eyes. “Hot chocolate on the porch.” 

He smiles and gives you a quick kiss.

“I’d like that.”

*******

Steve explained absolutely everything. From Scott showing up when they thought he had disappeared too and him returning the stones to the past.

“Wow. Wait, so where are Nat and Sam?” 

“Sam went back to see his family and Nat went to find her sister.” Steve answers as he pulls you into him but you sit up straight. 

You’re sitting together on the porch swing he made for you. It was big enough for both of you to sit or lay down comfortably. It had a few pillows and fairy lights wrapped around the support beams. The low glow of the lights cast just enough so that you could see perfectly into his eyes.

“So you traveled through time and put the stones back. Why didn’t you stay? That first night we talked, you said if you could go back you would.”

“How could I leave my best girl?” He put a finger under your chin and tipped your head up so you would look at him. “I am in love with you and the whole time I was returning the stones the only thing that I could think of was getting back to you.” He kissed you softly. “Peggy lived her life and it’s time that I start living mine. There’s no one else I’d rather be with than you.”

“Good, because I’m very much in love with you too. And there’s no one else I’d rather be with either.” 

You smile at each other before you lean into him. Sighing happily you rest your head against his chest. 

“Also I have a new list of things that need to be fixed around the house.” 

Steve laughs before picking you up and carrying you upstairs to your shared bedroom. He changes quickly and settles in bed behind you. As he wrapped an arm around your waist you couldn’t wait to see what was next. But if the last five years were anything to go off of you’d have nothing to worry about.

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[suite-purgatory-a-hh-what-if]

(If anyone is wondering no the image behind Alastor isn't a Vodou symbol of any kind I'll explain it later)

Alastor Lavigne:

Not much info was known about Alastor Lavigne's past life for what is known about him is only very few details and information from the little friends in his life from earth who have known him has been compiled into this small backstory:

Was Raised in Louisiana, Alastor was a simple radio host for a popular radio station, he lived his life quite normal in some ways, he went to work, hunted bi-weekly for both sport and meals, attended one of his late friend's performances, you know the works.

What the people on earth didn't know was that he was also a serial killer.

When he was alive Alastor killed people although he had a sort of moral code when it came to killing the deaths of the people he killed felt a bit inconsistent, it was tough for the press to find what was the pattern all the “victims” had so that they could piece together possible suspects; although surprisingly alastor was maybe considered a suspect but never brought further due to his Charisma and Silver tongue which made getting away with his crimes much easier to him.

Around 1934 Alastor had bought himself a new shotgun and was going to test it out one night with one of his favorite meat/hunting playthings: The Deer. Oh, how he loathed the deer… but that's for another time.

He had forgotten about it around the time but there was news of rabid dogs around the bayou area where he went for his hunts. Alastor wasn't worried due to thinking he could kill those smelly mutts and have fun doing it too.

However, deep into the bayou, he ended up encountering one of those rabid dogs. He grabbed his gun and was about to kill it. The gun jammed on him. The next few minutes were blind for him as he remembered screaming and yelling at the dog that was continuously biting him until Alastor killed the dog by jamming the gun end to the dog's skull, however, Alastor was feeling very delirious, saliva was running down his mouth as he felt his mind going all over in many directions he didn't know what is what and his mind was going all over the place.

He was laughing through the delirium when he heard a sound in the distance thinking it was a deer he grabbed his shotgun and headed north the sound came from two other hunters and Alastor in his state tried to kill them and in self defense one of the hunters killed Alastor straight in the head ending the famous radio hosts life.

When he got into hell he despised how he looked, his metal antlers were too annoying, his deer ears were too big and while his first layer of teeth was able to move up so he could eat his second layer of teeth is disgusting, although he appreciates his two little knobs on his clothes for being able to control what his volume and what he can hear.

After two months of getting into hell, many people didn't take him seriously thinking he was just an ordinary bird, soon one by one many big league overlords and wannabe ones who were dominant in hell started going missing, it wasn't until a radio broadcast started to go out all over hell where there were these mysterious screams came from these broadcast and then Alastor revealed himself as the radio demon and dared those who cross him would have a miserable fate worse than death… let's say there was always new screams on his broadcast.

After a long time around 80 years of doing this, he had a 7-year break no one knows where he has been for the past 7 years and the only thing people know is that he is back and is working with the delusional princess on her dreams for a redemption hotel clinic place which makes people wonder why is he doing this? Why indeed…

Redesign:

-Kinda a big overall in a way but I still kept some things from canon like the dear motif, radio symbolism, and the red color scheme.

-He has curly hair now and a pencil moustache cause my boy is from the 1930s and should have one

-His deer motif is slightly different, he has metal antlers and his deer ears are located where his normal ears would be.

-suit is pinstripe, his shoes are deer feet inspired and if you look closey behind his legs theirs a deer tail. Bow tie is swapped for a Tie.

-wears a bone corset/belt that was a gift from Rosie.

-the Radio knobes on his collar are different left is for his volume and right is for his hearing, and he has a speaker like teeth

-his cane can transform from a simple cane into a 1930s-style microphone

Facts about Alastor:

He was born around the fall of 1899, and was around 35 when he died.

He has no Vodou connections in this AU at all(I love Alastor and all but if there's one major flaw; it was that I didn't like the Vodou parts and felt as if it was done rather poorly) His magic is rather Lovecraftian-inspired with there being original (no vodou)symbols to it.

Was a Mama’s boy when he was alive and his relationship with his father… is complicated

While alive he and Mimzy knew each other when she lived in Louisiana for a couple of years(He ended up going to her funeral around 1929 and he may or may not have killed Mimzy's killer afterward)

(Slight sexuality change)He is gray-aro/ace and has dated someone once in his life on earth although he doesn't realize he's on the aspec.

He’s around 7ft(7’4 includes the antler)

His microphone has two forms microphone form and a cane form.

His favorite foods include; His mother's homemade Jambalaya; raw, rare, or medium rare cooked venison,(he secretly enjoys pineapple pizza but he would rather die again than tell anyone he likes a more modern food), and he also enjoys whisky neat and no hell foods.

His corset/belt was a gift from Rosie

His Voice actor in this AU would be Daveed Diggs

Ok so for the AU, Alastor will have no connection to Vodou out of respect for the culture/religion. Still, I wanted to give Alastor a power that stands out and makes it contrast with what people would think at first glance when you see a radio+deer demon. So he will have rather Lovecraftian-inspired powers with these symbols being more original and in a way have a purpose. This symbol right here is meant to be an important and deadly symbol that will appear later on and have some plot relevance with Alastor, Angel Dust, and the remake Vees(mainly in seasons two/three)

(Reblogs are allowed but please no use of anti in the tags; and thank you)