#i just fixed it but I didn't add the longer edits back in:

[ssaalexblake]

like due to the new photo editor i am Definitely quitting making episode gifsets like that will make it impossible :/ 

[shoshiwrites]

Oh god it didn't save my edits on chapter 7 and there's a typo in the first two words

[urprettylittlething]

Breeding Experiment

Yandere - Gojo Satoru x CursedKitty! Reader x Geto Suguru

A/N - Another part of CursedKitty universe! After a few very late nights and some glasses of wine I present to you a NSFW oneshot drabble thing where they fuck and want to breed Kitty :) I warn you this is my first time trying to seriously write some smut let alone a breeding kink so i apologise profusely in advance if this sucks, do let me know how it is <3 (and thank you to the lovely person to suggest breeding link <3) If you want to send in your own ideas for Kitty, my inbox is open! <3

summary - Gojo and Geto found out they can fuck you, can they breed you?

warnings - Dubcon/Noncon-ish? Kitty is having a pretty good time but they didnt ask for consent and she doesn’t really understand, female anatomy, they call Reader 'Kitty' and 'Experiment' a few times, cum, eating Kitty out, smut, breeding kink, vague Yandere vibes, they’re a little mean, (let me know if i need to add more please)

genre - Oneshot Drabble thing

wc - 1.3K

Edit - spelling and grammar fixed 09/10/23

Gojo was leaning back against his headboard, a few pillows stuffed underneath him. His legs were spread in front of him, knees bent so he could dig his feet into the mattress below him. Kitty was in his lap, her back resting against his hard chest. Her little tail was wound tight around her waist to keep it from getting crushed between the two of them.

The only thing she was wearing was a long and clean shirt, given to her by Satoru. She wasn’t wearing any underwear as him and Suguru deemed it unnecessary. She was for their eyes only so it didn't matter too much to them, and Kitty didn't seem to mind either. She looked similar to how the two of them first found her, but now she was cleaned, properly scrubbed and groomed to their satisfaction. 

Her Kitty ears were pressed flat against her hair as she pressed against Gojo. Each leg of hers had been hoisted up and over Gojos, keeping them hooked back and her pussy exposed. 

‘She’s such a dumb little thing.’ Gojo thought to himself. There she was, squirming against him, trying to close her legs. Not even thinking of just lifting her legs up so she could close them. No matter, it made his job so much easier of keeping her upper half restrained. 

He had wrapped his hands around her wrists and kept them tucked against her own chest. ‘And what a tease too.’ All of Kittys squirming had riled him up, getting him hot and bothered the longer she unintentionally grinded her ass against his hard cock. 

Suguru on the other hand had been between her legs for just over twenty minutes now. Eating her out like it was his last meal while she mewled, gasped and cried against Gojo. 

If Gojo was being completely honest, he didn't expect him and Suguru to take it this far. But they couldn't help their naturally curious nature.

Especially after the first bath they had been forced to give her. The both of them had quickly figured out just how little she knew, or understood for that matter. Rendering her useless to do most things by herself when she didn't understand them. 

Anyway, it was only natural for their eyes to wander, allowing themselves to take in the full image of her nude self. 

It shocked them a little to see just how much she resembled a human girl. She was equipped with full anatomy (atleast to their eyes on the outside), except the ears and tail of course. So it was only natural, the curious human nature of them, to think about whether… well… whether she worked or not. 

It had been around two weeks since then and in Gojos opinion he would say the two of them had held out pretty well, given his inability to be patient most times. But alas, here they were now.

Suguru groaned from where he was slurping Kitty’s juices from between her legs. “From all the curses I’ve had to swallow, she has to be the sweetest.”

Gojo gave a huff in response, a tad salty that he didn't get to go first, but it's whatever. The view he had been blessed with almost made up for it anyway. 

And of course poor Kitty seemed overwhelmed already, her chest heaving, body hot and sweaty, her ears flattened and twitching against her head and eyes half lidded. Her pouty mouth open, gasping and mewling incoherent noises at the pleasure Sugurus tongue was forcing her to experience for the first time. 

Every flick against the sensitive little nub causes her hips to jerk, mewling even louder. Every wiggle of his tongue inside her caused her to squirm even harder against Gojo as she cried out. 

“Poor thing,” Gojo murmurs, “I doubt she even understands what we're doing to her. Atleast shes enjoying it.” 

Suguru finally pulls his face away from her pussy, rising up to kneel on his legs from between hers. His mouth and chin were covered in Kittys juices. He starts pulling off his clothing, using his shirt to wipe around his mouth. 

As he was pulling off his last article of clothing, Kitty was starting to squirm again. Making little noises and whines that neither of the two really understood, not quite understanding why the stimulation had all of a sudden stopped. 

They had quickly figured out that she couldn't communicate with them in any language. Tugging at their shirts and whining at them to indicate she needed something. Although they had learned that she could understand them, to a certain extent. 

Gojo hushed her and leaned down to press gentle kisses against her exposed neck. “Shh.. Calm down Kitty. Suguru is going to take real good care of you now.” She seemed to calm a little at that. 

Suguru leaned forward, now on his knees between them. With Kittys forcibly spread legs, courtesy of Gojo, on either side of him it allowed him to place his hands on the flesh of her thighs. The tip of his throbbing cock now poking and teasing at her little hole. 

“Should be nice and easy, Kitty. Nice and wet, such a good girl for us, huh?” Suguru said, beginning to push his way into her tight hole, loosened up a little from his tongue. Kitty’s walls fluttered and pulsed around him while he bowed his head and groaned. 

“God, for a curse this pussy is tight. Warm too.” He muttered as he inched himself further into her heat. 

“Bet she could take both of us. Such a dirty little kitty we have on our hands, enjoying Sugurus cock so much, aren't you?” Gojo teased as she mewled and moaned and pawed at them. Her head was tilted back and resting against his shoulder, a small dribble of drool escaping down the side of her mouth. He couldn't blame her, after all, she had bigger priorities to worry about right now. 

“Could fill this pussy up so well. Breed her like the bitch she is.” Suguru groaned, furrowing his brows as he began pumping in and out of her tight walls. 

“You think we could breed her?” Gojo perked up a little in interest. The thought was certainly entertaining given the throbbing in his pants. 

“If we stuff her full enough, probably.” He grunted in response. Beginning to thrust his hips into Kittys even harder. Wet, slapping sounds filled the room they were in, almost louder than the little curse situated in Gojos arms. 

She began to pant and whine, droplets of tears gathering in the corners of her eyes as she squinted, her tongue poking out from between her lips. They both could take a good guess as to what was about to happen. 

Suguru began to fuck into her even harder while Gojo reached down with one hand, the other keeping a hold of her wrists, to flick and rub and pinch at her little clit poking out from all the pleasure.

Kitty screeched and cried as her ears trembled and her tail shuddered from where it was wrapped tightly around her. Her orgasm overwhelmed her, causing her pussy to tighten and gush with even more juices. Making the sounds from between them sound even wetter.

Suguru threw his head back, groaning as he emptied his load deep inside her as Gojo leaned down to whisper into her ear.

“We're going to breed you, you’d want that right? Have your tummy round and full with our child, all for you to look after. Stuffed full with our cum, our perfect little experiment, huh?” His fingers are still rubbing and circling the throbbing nub, making her cry and tremble and squirt more of her juices.

He only stopped when Suguru had recovered and began pulling himself out of Kitty’s fluttering walls. Both pausing to stare at the way his cum oozed out from her little pussy.

Kitty’s eyes fluttered while her ears relaxed against her hair, closing her eyes in bliss and seemingly exhausted. 

Suguru and Gojo looked up at each other after a moment of silence between them and what had just occurred before he spoke up.

“Come on Kitty, my turn.”

[eyesthatroll]

GIVE ME AN ANSWER!

pairing: jack hughes x fem!reader

warning(s): cursing, angst(??), not sure what else, not edited

word count: 2.5k

author’s note: not super happy with this, it feels a bit underdeveloped, but i can’t watch it sit in my drafts any longer. i didn’t write this with a part ll in mind, by the way. this was supposed to turn into something else, but that didn’t work out + i lost inspiration so it is what it is. sidenote, if you have any angsty/sad prompts/requests, pls send ‘em in, it’s my favourite thing to write! sending love, —mari

You couldn't help but feel like a creep, huddled in the corner of the dimly lit booth, your gaze fixated on them from across the bar. In front of you, a nearly forgotten gin and tonic sat, its ice cubes melting as you absentmindedly swirl them around with a small black straw. If anyone were to inquire, you'd insist that your attention was solely on the flat-screen TV mounted on the wall behind them, broadcasting a wrestling match you had zero interest in.

You wondered if He was somehow aware of your unwavering gaze fixed upon him from across the room. It crossed your mind that perhaps he was deliberately flirting with the stunning redhead as a sly ploy to put on a spectacle, fully cognizant of your watchful eyes. Did He hope to incite jealousy within you? You nearly chuckled at the absurdity of the idea. The notion of feeling envious over a girl with her hands lightly grazing his arm seemed laughable. After all, just a few days ago, he had been lying naked between the sheets in your bed. So, no, you weren't jealous, and you certainly weren't about to let jealousy rear its head.

Yet, there was a gnawing irritation within you. He had, after all, extended a personal invitation your way, urging you to join him and his teammates for what he touted as their "one last hurrah" before the start of the new season. It irked you that he was lavishing so much attention on someone else, given this context. The annoyance was unmistakably etched across your features. Your poker face had long deserted you, and you didn't care to conceal your disdain. Several drinks deep, with a pleasant buzz now enveloping you, you found yourself in a carefree state where your demeanor wasn't a primary concern.

You eventually shift your gaze from him, an uneasy feeling retreating in your stomach. You instead direct your attention to Baby Hughes, who is engrossed in a game of darts with John. A small smile graces your lips as the younger boy, with his earnest enthusiasm, throws a dart that sails far wide of the board, disappearing into some unseen corner. John throws his head back in laughter, and it's evident that he's playfully ribbing Luke, who responds with a melodramatic explanation for his errant throw, punctuating with wild hand gestures. You contemplate joining them, when a towering figure looms over you, casting a shadow that demands your immediate notice.

"Is this seat taken?" You find yourself under the scrutiny of a tall, attractive blonde who's looking down at you. A hopeful smile adorns his lips, revealing dimples that only add to his charm. His right hand holds a beer, while the other rests casually at the nape of his neck, lightly tugging the hair. Your eyes travel appreciatively from his warm gaze, down his well-dressed figure. Blondie sported black slacks that complement a maroon long-sleeve dress shirt neatly tucked in, with the top buttons lazily undone, revealing a small, glimmering gold cross. The choice of attire piqued your curiosity; he seemed a bit overdressed for a local, family owned bar.

Your minds flickers back to Him, and you contemplate stealing a quick glance in his direction to see if he's still in conversation that girl. However, you are somewhat physically trapped behind the man standing in front of you, preventing any discreet surveillance without making your intentions obvious. Opting for a polite smile instead, you gesture with a welcoming hand for the handsome stranger to take the seat in front of you.

You observe the visible sigh of relief escaping him, his eyes momentarily betraying his unease. With a sheepish smile, he gently places his drink on the table and eases himself into the booth.

His voice, raspy and honestly deeper than you expected, breaks the silence. "I'm Anthony, by the way." He extends his hand toward you, but halts for a moment, perhaps feeling slightly awkward at the formality.

You respond with a light chuckle, reaching out to meet his hand with yours for a firm handshake. "I'm Y/N, nice to meet you."

The conversation with Anthony flows effortlessly, each word weaving a tapestry of connection that unravels the initial awkwardness. You discover that he's in town for a friend's wedding, which explains the formal attire, and that he's a native Rhode Islander. He confesses his nervousness about approaching you, and when you jest about whether it's due to your so-called "resting bitch face," he denies it vehemently.

He smiles, his eyes sincere as he offers, "It's always a bit nerve-wracking to approach the most beautiful girl in the room."

You can't help but snort at his compliment, your hand quickly covering your mouth in embarrassment.

Unbeknownst to you, your surprised snort captures His attention, and his head snaps in your direction, drawn by the sound of your voice cutting through the bar's lively atmosphere. His gaze lowers at the sight of a guy in front of you, and the smile on your lips as you laugh again at something he's said. He watches, as the guy's hand moves to rest on yours, and his jaw tightens, his mind racing with questions about what could possibly be so amusing in your conversation.

"Jack, are you listening to me?" A manicured hand slides into his view, weaving through the air in a bid to recapture his attention. Clearing his throat, he absentmindedly runs a hand through his unruly brown locks before reluctantly refocusing his eyes on the redhead before him. She beams at him, her lips quickly resuming what she had been saying before his lost concentration. The truth was, he hadn't been listening to her at all.

He can't focus on her words, not with the image of you and that guy now engraved into his mind. The mere thought consumes his every breath, causing him to bite at his bottom lip out of agitation. He racks his brain for a way to gracefully escape the everlasting conversation with the redhead, and as if on cue, the universe seems to answer his silent plea, when the girl in front of him glances at the clock. Her eyes widen in alarm as she realizes the time.

"Shit, I didn't realize it was this late. I've got to get going," she apologized, her lips forming a slight pout. Jack sends her a reassuring smile, nodding his head in understanding.

"It's cool, it was fun while it lasted," He replies plainly, standing up from his barstool with a nod.

She frowns, mirroring his actions. "Did you want to maybe exchange numbers, or something?" Her voice holds a glimmer of hope.

He pauses, pretending to think for a moment, even though he doesn't really need to as the answer was always going to be the same. "No, sorry. Have a good night, Isla."

You don't even notice Him walking over to you, too consumed in the vibrant conversation that you shared with the man in front of you. It's only when Anthony's gaze travels past your head, his lips pausing mid sentence, that you finally catch sight of him. You follow Anthony's gaze, angling your body around in the small booth.

You open your mouth to speak, but His cold palms cup your cheeks, drawing you into a passionate, yet utterly unexpected and somewhat unwelcome kiss. Your eyes widen, caught off guard, and your lips don't have time to react before he gently pulls away. His fingers tenderly brush aside a stray strand of hair that had fallen across your face, and he looks down at you with an innocent smile. "Hi, my love. Is everything okay?"

You're too dumbfounded to formulate a response, still struggling to register what just transpired as Jack gently nudges you aside and smoothly settles into the booth next to you. As you lock eyes with Anthony, it's evident he feels extremely uncomfortable, his gaze darting uneasily between you and Jack.

"Hey, man. How's it goin'?" Jack asks with a casual grin, his tone laid-back as he eases into the booth. His arm naturally drapes around your shoulders, as if it's a habitual gesture that's been repeated countless times. You go to shrug him off, but his grasp tightens, pulling you even closer against his side.

"Hey... hi," Anthony's gaze leaves Jack, focusing solely on you as he speaks again. "You didn't say you had a..."

Jack interjects, cutting off Anthony before he can finish his sentence. "Boyfriend? Yeah, she does."

Your elbow makes sharp contact with Jack's side, prompting a quick release of his arm from around your shoulder. He winces, but swiftly regains his composure, though not without a slight scoff escaping his lips. "He's not my boyfriend."

"You weren't saying that last night?" Jack didn't come to yours last night, and even if he had, he was the one requesting that whatever was happening between the two of you to remain casual.

I don't have time for a full blown relationship, he said.

All of my focus needs to be on hockey, he said.

Things are fine as they are, let's not ruin it, he said.

And what? He gets to flirt and fuck around with as many puck bunnies as he wants, but the minute you try and do the same, it's suddenly a problem? Not only was he not your boyfriend, but he didn't even want to be, he had no right to get jealous. And he especially had no right to rush over here and kiss you the way he did.

You pivot towards Jack, your fury emanating from every pore. His T-zone area has a faint reddish tint, and his breaths come fast and heavy. "Aren't you busy entertaining Jessica Rabbit?"

He tilts his head back in laughter at your nickname for the redhead he's been conversing with all night. Clearing his throat to regain composure, he gazes at you with a grin, teeth lightly grazing his lower lip as he tries to suppress a smirk that manages to break free regardless. "Jealous?"

You scoff, an incredulous look overtaking your face as you stumble over your words at his accusation. "Me? Jealous? Jealous of what? Listening to you talk about yourself for an hour? God, you're so full of it."

"Wouldn't you like to be?" He mumbles under his breath.

His perverted insinuation prompts a gasp to escape your lips, and your face ignites with embarrassment. Anthony's eyes are locked on the awkward exchange, his expression a mixture of horror and discomfort. You hurriedly bring your hands to your face, rubbing your eyes intensely, yearning for this nightmarish moment to come to an end.

"I don't... I don't know what's happening," he stammers, slipping out of the booth to rise to his feet. Anthony takes a final sip of his beer, his head shaking in disbelief. "But clearly, there's... something between the two of you."

You find yourself at a loss for words because, in a way, he isn't entirely wrong. You and Jack weren't in a defined relationship, but there was undoubtedly something brewing between the two of you, despite both of you attempting to ignore it. It wouldn't be right to involve Anthony in the midst of your complicated situation, no matter how appealing and genuine he seems.

"I'm sorry." You apologize.

He shakes his head. "It's alright. It was nice to meet you, Y/N. Maybe I'll see you around." With those words, he walks away from your table, heading toward the exit.

Jack shifts next to you, a content sigh escaping his lips. "He seemed nice."

"What's your problem?!" You hiss, jabbing your finger into his chest. "You invite me out with you and then completely ignore me the whole night? What the fuck, Jack!"

He meets your intensity head-on, responding in self-defense. "You started it!"

"How, Jack, how? How did I start it?"

"You were flirting with Dawson!"

A scoff escapes your lips, followed by an incredulous laugh. "I was not flirting with Dawson!"

You needed to escape the bar. The conversation had spiraled into a heated exchange, and the air in the crowded space felt increasingly suffocating. You were determined not to create a scene, but it was clear that staying any longer would only escalate tensions.

Without hesitation, you start pushing Jack, who reluctantly lets his body be forced out of the booth. He struggles to regain his footing as you forcefully move past him, heading straight for the exit.

As you pass through the door and step outside, the brisk New Jersey air envelopes you, offering a welcome contrast to the heated atmosphere inside. The chill grazes your exposed skin, providing a refreshing respite from the intense emotions swirling within. Jack hastily follows you, his fingers gripping your arm in an attempt to halt your departure, but you had no intention of walking away this time.

You pivot to confront him, your gaze unwavering and filled with a determination that mirrored the intensity in his own eyes, which held an enigmatic spark you couldn't quite decipher.

"It's not fair," you assert, your hands gently settling on his chest, seeking the warmth of his presence. He remains silent, leaving you to fill the void with your thoughts and emotions, or leave, and say nothing.

You stand there, torn between two choices. The option to say nothing and simply walk away, leaving behind all the headaches, the arguments, and the pettiness, but also bidding farewell to the good days, the shared laughs, and the nights spent wrapped up in each other. It's a choice to say goodbye to Jack Hughes, the one who has become the only constant in your life for the past three months.

Or the second choice, the most daunting path to take. It's the option where you stand in front of him, your heart pounding in your chest, and confess everything you've been holding in. To leave it all on the floor, a vulnerable offering for him to accept or decline. It's the scariest option of all, baring your heart to the boy on the hockey team, even after he's made it clear many times that he isn't looking for anything serious.

"We're not exclusive, Jack." You begin. "You can't keep swooping in and acting like you have some sort of ownership over me when you don't even want to be my boyfriend."

He waits, the stillness between you heavy with unspoken words, expectancy etched across his features. When your silence lingers, he takes the initiative. "Let me take you home," he offers.

"Either you want me, only me, or I'm done."

He pressures. "Let me take you home."

"Give me an answer!"

He sighs, a deep and exasperated sound, his fingers instinctively tangling in the roots of his hair as he grapples with the complexity of the situation. "I can't give you the answer you want."

[soaps-mohawk]

RORY I NEED OPINIONS (please)

Something popped up on my page and it was about Ghost.

The person who posted proceeded to say how they've had enough of the mischaracterization of him. And other people in the comments have said the same. How whenever they see Ghost written as a cold mean guy, they think, "oh you've never read the comics or played the games."

Now, I'm not here to bash anyone. I just wanna know what you think of people who write OOC {insert character}? Or what do you think about it in general?

Okay, this is one of the things that bothers me the most about the mainstreaming of fandom and fanfiction.

The whole point of fanfiction, is to write the characters however you want to write them. Fanfiction does not have to stick to how characters are presented in fandom. Some might choose to, others might not. Some might choose to in certain fics, and then not to in others. OOC exists as a term for a reason. It's okay. You can write/draw/headcanon/whatever any character however you want because that's your interpretation, or because it's how you want the character to be in whatever situation you're putting them in.

I know I said I was done talking about this, but this circles back around to the whole dark fic issue. "X character wouldn't do this" according to who? The fandom police? That's the whole point. The whole point of fandom and fanfiction is to present the characters however you want. That's always been its purpose. Fix it fics, OOC, crack ficks, dark fics, AUs exist for a reason. Not every character has to act exactly as they do in canon. If you want that, then just watch/read/play the canon media and stay out of the fanfiction side of fandom.

People that get all up in arms about FANFICTION not sticking to canon events and portrayals are ruining fandom. They are. People wonder why creators and fans are leaving fandom, it's because it's not fun anymore. You write a character how you want to write them and there's 50 people complaining in the comments about how "that's not how they are in canon." Yeah? And? That's the point. It's like whole ship thing with people being mad about fans shipping characters that aren't together in canon. News flash, people have been doing that for ages. Since the dawn of fanfiction. People ship characters that aren't even in the same movie or show or game. You gonna get mad about a crossover fic because it's "not canon?"

If you can't accept that FANDOM and FANFICTION aren't always canon compliant then you need to not be in these spaces. Leave us alone and stick to just watching the show/movie or reading the book or playing the game, whatever. You're ruining fandom spaces for everyone. Most of us creators have been in these spaces for a lot longer than the people ruining them. I've been involved in fandoms for 18 years now. Far longer than I should have been, and honestly, if I didn't love writing fanfiction and use it as an outlet for myself so I don't go crazy, I probably would have left too.

These pearl clutchers and mainstream people flooding into fandom that refuse to learn the "rules" and accept how things have been for literal decades are ruining fandom for the rest of us and killing people's passions for writing and creating. Us creators don't have to share. We do it because we want to and because we enjoy seeing others reactions and the interaction that comes from it. We are all very capable of just writing or drawing and keeping them to ourselves. Soon there won't be such a thing as fandom because all the joy will have been sucked out of it. Creators are already leaving in droves because interaction is down to nothing. Add on people getting mad about things that are normal in fandom and soon there won't be anything left. People will be complaining about there being no fandoms and no fanfiction and fanart and video edits and gifs, even though we've been screaming why from the high heavens for years.

[sirfrogsworth]

Most of my photos were from 2012 to 2016. I have learned a lot since then. My photo restoration hobby has improved my image editing skills in general. And I was curious if I tried editing one of my photos from scratch if I could improve upon my original edit from years ago.

This is my friend Nicole.

( @nicolebelongs I hope you don't mind being my guinea pig for this.)

This is just a direct output of the original RAW file. RAW files are typically flat by nature so you have more latitude when processing and editing.

This is my original finished edit from 2016.

I actually made a pretty big lighting mistake when shooting this photo. A beauty dish can cause harsh reflections on makeup and so Nicole's forehead bounced all that light directly into my camera. I was still learning back then and didn't know anything about makeup. All that was required was angling the dish a few degrees up or down, which feels like a pretty silly mistake all these years later.

And here is my 2023 edit. I did not reference the 2016 image until after I finished.

The main priority was the glare on the forehead, but I think this is much more balanced overall as well. I also tried to fix the weird neck shadow and the lack of light in the eyes. I probably should have used a reflector originally, but thankfully Photoshop has a solution to almost any photography blunder. I removed some vellus hairs on the edge of the face, as that is not something you would notice in real life, but the camera and lights can exaggerate them. I'd also like to say I love the new remove tool. Getting rid of flyaway hairs was such a monotonous pain in the ass before and that thing just zaps them with a click.

I am also trying to learn new editing techniques I was never good at. There is a retouching technique called "dodging & burning" that I had trouble with back in the day. Mostly because finding advanced tutorials can be difficult. Much of the content on YouTube focuses on beginner techniques.

Dodging & burning was originally innovated by Ansel Adams back in the days of film. He would block portions of his negatives for a second or two so those areas would develop darker. Or he would let sections expose longer so they would be brighter. It was basically analog Photoshop. You can see a neat video of his darkroom here.

While Ansel mostly did landscapes, portrait photographers of the digital age utilize dodging & burning to help bring out dimension in the face. It's quite similar to makeup contouring, actually. It is very hard to perfectly light every nook and cranny on a face and many portrait lenses are slightly telephoto. Longer lenses compress faces to remove distortion, but you end up losing three-dimensionality as a tradeoff.

My first attempt dodging and burning did not go well but I played with this photo for a few hours trying many different approaches and I think I landed on something I like. But I have been staring at it for way too long, so it is hard for me to look at it objectively.

I do wish we could all look at this on the same display. Green is notoriously difficult to keep consistent from screen to screen.

In any case, there are a dozen subtle things I did with my upgraded knowledge that may not be noticeable individually, but I'm hoping it all adds up to a better finished result.

And I guess we'll see if there is a consensus regarding the dodging & burning. Either good, bad, or just... different.

[severussnapemylove]

For @add-a-bit-of-neurospice <3 Took some editing time to get the story line right. AU, Severus and reader are childhood friends turned sweethearts. Sev doesn't become a death eater and he and reader leave Hogwarts together after graduation. Reader's dirtbag father is being troublesome. Tried to kept the details pretty neutral for the individuality of the reader. Title is from "Not while I'm around" by Stephen Sondheim.

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Not While I'm Around

You and Severus had walked away from everything the day after graduation. You'd known each other since you were nine. Inseparable friends, first in Cokeworth, then Hogwarts. You were each other's confidant and protector, you told each other things no one else knew. And you both knew exactly why neither of you wanted to set foot in your childhood homes ever again. You'd found a cheap place to live and some work. And somewhere along the way of finding your own place in the world, you and Severus had realised how much you loved each other.

Unfortunately, walking out on your old life hadn't been as easy as you'd hoped. You didn't know how your father had found your new address. But seemingly out of nowhere he had. First it had been phone calls, which lead to you unplugging the phone from the wall. Then the letters. All of which you tore up and burned without reading. You didn't care what he had to say. It would just be the same manipulative, gaslighting spew it had always been. Your breaking point was when you'd gone to the shops one day and he'd found you there. Trying to push you into talking to him, saying that you couldn't just ignore family. You felt ice in your veins and sick to your stomach. Without a word, you pushed past him and almost ran home.

When you reached your flat, you shut the door hard and locked it before leaning your weight against the wood. The sound of the door slamming drew Severus's attention away from his writing and he hurried towards you, concerned at the state you were in. "Y/n? What's wrong? Are you hurt?" He asked, softly. His hands tracing your face and arms, checking for signs of harm. You collapsed against his chest, tears finally falling and he wrapped his arms around you, half holding you up as he lead you to the small couch. "What happened, Love? Tell me." You stayed curled up in his arms with your head against his chest while you cried and told him about your father cornering you in the store. He stayed quiet till you'd finished and kissed the top of your head, "It's alright, my love. You're safe now. I won't let him near you again. I promise. And we'll be leaving here soon, remember?" You started to smile a bit at the reminder. Severus had secured a job at the Apothecary in Diagon Ally, you were moving to London soon. Hopefully far enough to finally be free of your old life.

The two of you stayed cuddled up on the couch for a while longer, before a knocking at the door startled you both. Giving you a reassuring squeeze before getting up, Sev went to the door and checked through the peephole. As he suspected, it was your father. Sev looked back to you, "Wait there, I'll handle this." he said before opening the door and walking out, shutting it behind him and keeping your father hidden from your view.

The man looked at Severus with distain, "Who the hell are you? I'm looking for my kid." Severus fixed the man with an icy glare and said coldly, "I believe y/n has already made their opinion of you clear. Leave, now." "I'm their father, you can't keep me away." The man spluttered. "A poor excuse for one. Y/n does not want to see you. Now leave, before you find yourself turned into something unpleasant and washed down a storm drain." Knowing he didn't stand a chance against Severus's magic, your father had no choice but to relent and headed down the corridor. Still fuming but intimidated by Severus's cold black glare and the threat aimed his way.

Severus went back inside the flat, locking the door behind him and casting a protection seal on the lock just in case. His heart ached when he saw you, curled up in a ball on the couch with tears silently sliding down your face. He gently freed your arms from your folded up position and pulled you up into a tight hug, "I've got you. He's gone, he won't be getting near you. And we'll be far away from here soon." You pressed your face against the crook of his neck, feeling your stress slowly start to ebb away. You'd always felt safe with him, ever since you were a child. Things would work out right eventually, and as long as Severus was there, the ghosts of the past couldn't reach you again.

[sailingshellsgames]

The Revamped Demo of chapters 1-7 is up! (+ chapter 8 alpha now available on patreon/ko-fi)

You can play it here! Reminder: this is a revamp so there's no new chapter, but there is new content (see below for a list of what's been changed/added/removed)

If you're interested in chapter 8's alpha, you can find it on Patreon and Ko-fi! (along with a bunch of other content)

And as always, thank you so much for playing! If you're someone who likes hugs, then I'm sending you a big one! 💞

What's new in chapters 1-7:

Additions:

General

Introduction of auto-success more.

More weird dreams + strengthening of the subplot around what MC sees in them.

Introduction of the dream journal mechanic.

More dialogue choices throughout the entire demo.

More descriptions of environments: MC's living quarters, the Den Compound, desert terrain around Leas, and city architecture.

Rearranged the stats screen and added clarity for MC's reputation among the Fey via an opposed pair bar.

General editing (word choice, etc.)

Chapter 1

MC's favored weapon can now be a bow! 🏹

Choice added to set MC's skin color.

A few more dialogue choices around MC reacting to the vision Keo has in Chapter 1.

Clearer explanation of MC agent backgrounds. Each now comes with explicit statement of what stats will be increased upon selection.

Chapter 2

Option to specify MC's tattoos. There are 4 pre-designed options, or you can design your own! (or choose no tattoos, if that's not your cup of tea). This includes the ability to add/remove/modify tattoos via the stats screen.

Chapter 3

Define how MC and Keo became friends.

Relatedly, more content setting up the fact that MC can't remember the agent found dead in the warehouse in Chapter 2.

Virano and Adaan mini-catfight (is it me, the author? am I the drama?)

Bug fix where a character already in the room would enter that room.

Chapter 4

A new dream.

Conversation around Virano's family's role in the nobility.

A little bit of Fey-weirdness around the Ashaad.

Conversation around the campfire with the team, mentions some of why Wren came to Leas.

Chapter 5

An explanation of Chapter 4's Fey weirdness that kind of just raises more questions, but does answer at least one of them.

Chapter 6:

A new dream.

Determining which of the three paths to take in the wilds is now a skill check.

General editing.

Chapter 7:

Yet another revision of the waterfall dream/flashback scene. This one's taken so long to get right, but I'm finally happy with it. Victory screech.

Moved Wren's reason for coming to Leas into the main story, so the choice option that explored that on their date now allows MC to dig in to learn a little more.

More dialogue choices in the scene where Keo's heritage is discovered during Lasan (if it didn't happen in the wilds).

Another choice in Wren's date going into the legend behind Lasan more, and a little about Wren's family.

Removals:

Keo no longer goes into seeing the magic in a vision. Removing this was part of a consolidation effort on my part. Tldr; I had too many side plots and needed to scrap some of them. Keo still has a reason for wishing to pursue the magic, if MC tries to refuse Rin. I actually like it a lot better now, which is a happy coincidence.

In Chapter 7, going to the wilds to see Keo's mother is no longer an option. Don't worry: everything I wrote for it will be used in book 2 :) But for book 1 it created a weird imbalance where the three options were so different they didn't converge well back into the main route.

Removed the ability to give Virano a sample of the magic or not. With all the other potential endgame outcomes, this got scrapped to consolidate things. I was finding it didn't really have a meaningful impact on the larger story despite reading like a major plot point, so in the bin it goes.

[subwaytostardew]

Update: One year on the tracks!

It's been a year (and a week) since we first started working on this mod! April 25th is when I first started working on this project! Terrible timing since that's literally the day before my birthday and I'm too busy to make anniversary updates the day of. Thank you everyone following this mod despite how slow we chug along!

If you see the first ever post Thylak did over on his main - you will just see my little comments discovering his work and instantly being like

*Fast excited ADHD typing* I GOT IDEAS.

Rest is history....

We've been hard at work trying to get the mod complete enough for a (still unfinished...) release! It won't have everything we have planned (marriage events, Elesa events, platonic route, roommateable Cilan, etc.) because it would take forever otherwise (we keep getting ideas for additions...)

So many ideas. Sometimes we have to dial it back...... The amount of times events had to be cut down for concision... and we still struggle to keep them under 8 minutes...

1.6 broke a lot, so sorry for the delay in updates! (WHY CA WHY!) We've been having to do a lot of backtracking and behind-the-scenes work. (SO MUCH BACKTRACKING) Pretty much every event broke. I have to resprite all the portraits to match the vanilla-size because HD Portraits is still not updated. The schedules need fixing.

But despite all of that, the station bundles are done! We also redid the house exterior for submas because it was ugly. I did not know how to do pixel art a year ago. Nor did I know how to decorate maps. They have a whole new area off to the side of the Railroad now!

We hot potatoed that map so much. First Thylak would work on it. Then I did. Then back to him...

Still need to get around to adjusting their schedules to switch their coordinates to the new map when they're working on the Railroad. Previously, they were just pacing around in the various empty areas of the Railroad. Now they have trains.

The house itself was actually two different structures with a seperate clock tower but then we decided it looked better overlapping the bit of roof peeking out. It's much less flat now.

Submas have a mailbox that adheres to Stardew's perspective.

No longer is the house a cardboard cut out with shading and lighting. LOL (I didn't know how to sprite buildings!!! I put all my effort into Emmet's walk cycle!)

Also speaking of mail boxes... since it been a year; I'm sure all ya'll are curious to how we do our modding, story, etc. We encourage you to hit the mail car button and ask away (so many of you already have) But since it's been a year. Go Crazy.

But I will nip the common asks tho.

Some Common Asks.

"Is this mod SVE (Stardew Valley Expanded) Compatible?"

No.... Unfortunately due to the complexity of both mods. (Ours due to railroad being used. And SVE already expanding on a bunch of stuff) It will just be compatible with vanilla and any mods that does not replace or edit the railroad (majorly).

We did move submas's house over to the side so it won't overlap the farm it adds or impede any space that you want to use the Railroad's empty spots of land for, but it's still very much a "play at your own risk" type of thing. I'm not familiar enough with SVE to code compatibility for it (not familiar at all actually... I don't play the game enough! All my time is spent working on the mod! All I do is stare at google docs and type walls of text! I'm not interested in SVE anyways for personal reasons.)

SVE is infamous in the modding scene since it changes pretty much every map and steps on other mods with incompatibility. I don't want to deal with making two seperate events with the coordinates/movements edited for compatibility. It should be compatible with most other expansion mods like Ridgeside Village or East Scarp since they mostly keep to their seperate areas and not edit things unless necessary (like submas do now)! SVE changes too much to gurantee compatibility and for the sake of my sanity I won't provide it. If it works, great. If it doesn't, pick and choose for that save.

So.. SVE and our mod. Incompatible....

"Release Date?"

Unfortunately it is still undetermined! (Due to our busy schedules.)

(For example - I myself work 2 jobs and currently going through a lot of chaotic life stressors.....)

However, we will make a progress post soon about how much left on our list where we are satisfied with moving onto the next stage of our mod which is.

There's actually not much new content planned until we're ready for initial release, we mostly have a lot of behind the scenes cleanup and backtracking. I still have portraits to do (I took a break... switched off to mapping). Event-wise I want Emmet's 10 heart event to be done and a few station/side events we have in the drafts. We'll need more festival dialogue (since... they don't show up unless if I have stuff for year two for some reason). After that, we get into more fun stuff! Patches!

PATCHES! Oh we love a good mod patch! And we have a lot planned. Meaning there's still more ahead on the tracks!

"Are they romancable?"

Yes. Yes they are. HOWEVER! WE DO SEE YOU AROACE COMMUNITY! And we will be making a route that will be planned in the next comming phase to make them platonic relations as well!

It's the first stop on our intinerary! We'll release the platonic route alongside the marriage event update so there's something for everyone.

We are just following vanilla format at the moment as it is easier coding wise. And also a good place to start planning where the branches are going to happen. Making roomates is a bit more complex... I have to make a custom item for "proposal" much like the void pendant.

I think that covers the common asks... OH!

Also! Since we have released the Joltik Adoption aspect as a separate mod as well as a little fun tease (And test run) - before we actually drop Subway to Stardew. So sorry the event didn't work at first! I was testing on the main expansion mod. Should be fixed now!

We recommended that if you find any JOLTIKS. Scurrying around. Causing trouble. (Aka Bugs.) Please send in an ask! Or head over to Nexus to drop a bug report! It will help iron out some things that we may not be aware about before release!

And when we do release we HIGHLY encourage the bug reports cause it's just two of us... <_< and those Joltiks get into everything! (Doesn't help that THYLAK KEEPS THROWING THEM EVERYWHERE! I find them in my paperwork... and Atwood's bedding.... My poor Phantump. He can't catch a wink without a Joltik scurrying all over the place!)

It's just me doing all the coding (All. Of. It.) so I hope you all can continue to be patient while I work on things! Sorry if I miss some things! We probably won't playtest too extensively before the initial release, so please do report any bugs you find then!

▷ Station Steward Thylak

[dalchiid]

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 8

A story of obsession, fear, and lust. You're a maid whose Masters forbid you in meeting their guests for the night but your luck runs dry when you run into them and catch the attention of Lord Hoseok himself. He's smitten from the beginning and thus, your fate has been decided.

Pairing: Yandere Vampire Hoseok x Fem/AFAB Reader

Word Count: 3,545

Warnings: 18+, Yandere, Obsession, Possessive, Angst, Fear, Blood, Biting, Dub-Con, Eventual smut

Will add or remove warnings based on what's in each chapter.

I do not condone the behavior being exhibited in my work. This is solely for entertainment purposes and I hope if any of you are ever in a situation like this that you have the chance and ability to run away from it. Take care out there.

DO NOT copy, edit, or repost my work anywhere.

Chapter 8 Warnings: Yandere, Possessive, Obsession

A/N: It's a shorter chapter but it just felt right this way. I promise to get back to longer chapters again

Prev | Next

Hoseok's head falls into the crook of your neck where he pants tiredly. His one hand holds your arm that's beneath him and his other covered in his essence. He makes sure to hold it away from you and waits until he regains his breath to get up and wash it. As soon as his energy comes to again he leans back to look at you. You don't know how you must look to him. You feel out of it and just want to hide in a ditch somewhere never to come out. Hoseok leans his head down to give you a soft kiss but you don't reciprocate. Instead lying motionless beneath him.

You watch him get up and walk to the bathroom where you hear the running water of the sink. You take the time to fix your pants and tuck your shirt back in. Sitting up you groan at the pain that consumes you but you deserve it. You deserve to suffer after what you just did. You're still in disbelief of it all.

The running water stops and it takes Hoseok just a few more minutes until he comes back into the room. He smiles at you but you have a hard time smiling back. You feel awkward in his presence but he doesn't seem to notice or, at least, care. He approaches to kneel down before you and wraps his hands around yours. He stares at them for a while before placing a kiss on each finger. You cringe.

When he's done he looks up at you with adoration in his eyes.

"How's your head, my love?"

It takes you a moment to find your voice. "Hurts but not as bad."

He nods. "Over time it gets better and sooner rather than later the withdrawal effects will take longer to kick in and won't be as bad."

You don't answer. You don't know how to. Feeling overwhelmed you pull one of your hands away to scratch your neck. It's partly where he marked you and the skin feels irritated from all his nips. Hoseok notices and pulls your hand away as he goes to stand.

"Don't scratch at it. You'll irritate your skin." He pulls at the collar of your shirt to see where he's marked you and pauses. He grows stiff in your presence before you feel him gently touch the spot.

Your body freezes under his hold before you jerk away. He'd been touching the scar from your attack.

"I didn't know he's bitten you on your neck before." Hoseok's voice contains no emotion as he speaks.

You look down at your arm and stare at the spot he's bitten you on. Your finger runs across the edges and you know you'll have to cover this up while it heals.

"Y/N." Hoseok calls for your attention.

You sigh. "It wasn't my Master."

"Then who was it?"

Your brows draw together in slight irritation. "It was someone else. A Lady from a different estate. I don't want to talk about it."

There's silence between you two. The air feels tense but you suspect it's because of you.

Hoseok sighs above you before he sits by your side. An arm goes to wrap around your shoulders and you feel yourself being drawn into his arms. You let him but only because you're starting to feel numb. He kisses the top of your head and squeezes you for a second before letting go.

"I won't let anything bad happen to you. Ever."

You feel like laughing to that though it would be without mirth. He says this yet he's allowed you to become addicted to him. You wonder what he constitutes as bad then.

You pull away and look down at your arm again. The bite wound is going to be a problem. Even if you cover it Hoseok has already tainted you. His saliva is coursing through it as it heals and you're sure his scent is attached to you. It's now more than ever do you realize how badly you messed up and now you'll have to pay for it if and when Hyun-Woo gets to you. You inhale deeply before releasing it into a tired sigh.

Hoseok's hand comes to caress the area lightly as he takes notice of you staring at it. "It shouldn't take long to heal. My saliva has the tendency to heal wounds faster than most."

You feel the way it tingles and wonder if that's because it's healing as quick as he said it would.

"I still have to cover it."

"Of course." He gets up to go to the bathroom in search of something. You can hear the sink cabinets open and close before he returns with a first aid kit. "Luckily this is here."

You nod. "All the rooms have one. You know, just in case."

He smiles as he sits next to you again. He opens up the kit and pulls out what he needs before getting to work. He's quick to clean you up and the way he wraps the bandage around you is done with care. With your wound covered he caresses the gauze before placing a gentle kiss upon it. You wish he'd stop doing that but you know you deserve it. Not the affection but have it lashed upon you like a punishment. You fucked up there was no denying that and Hoseok's affection is proof enough.

You stand with a sigh and look for your cleaning supplies. You need a distraction and opt for cleaning. With that in mind you don't notice the way Hoseok frowns. He looks at you confused as you blatantly ignore him and his affection. You have a hard time looking back in his direction so you choose to clean instead. That's what you were here for in the first place wasn't it? Everything that came after was a distraction. A mistake.

Hoseok stands and slowly makes his way to you. You're by the dresser where you wipe it down until you feel two hands rest upon your shoulders. You tense under them as they try to massage you. Clearing your throat you turn to Hoseok as you speak.

"What are you doing?"

He looks taken aback by your words. "You just seemed tense. You're always working so hard." He shrugs. "You need a break."

You shake your head. "I don't do breaks."

His face morphs into one of surprise. "You mean to tell me you've never had a day off?"

You shake your head no.

To this Hoseok begins to look irritated. "Y/N that's not okay. You're being overworked."

"I like working." You smile but it's more to yourself than him.

You can tell he doesn't believe it but you don't need him to because it's not about him.

You continue to clean in the akward silence choosing to ignore Hoseok's presence. It works for the most part as he doesn't bother you again. You look at him once to see he's staring at his nails but you know it's in boredom. You wish he would leave but he chooses to stay until you're done your work. You're quick though so there isn't much time that he has to wait much to your annoyance. Checking your watch you see it's been an hour since you started but you figure it's been a little over an hour since when you were supposed to start. This includes the time you and Hoseok were doing what you were doing before. You still can't believe it but you know you have to accept it. Didn't mean you had to like it.

You sigh as you stretch your back. You nearly jump when you feel Hoseok slip behind you to massage your lower back almost forgetting his existence. Almost being the keyword here. His thumbs circle the spots where your dimples would be and he applies a sufficient amount of pressure.

"This good?" he asks.

You want to say no but the massage is appreciated. Your body enjoys it much to your brain's horror. Wanting to say no while your body says yes. A pain in the ass conundrum. You sigh in both relief and annoyance placing your hand against the wall as you close your eyes. You gruff at a particular spot as his hands begin to wander. His fingers push higher onto your back and apply more pressure. Your head rounds back before falling forward again before you hear a small chuckle escape Hoseok.

"What," you ask. It leaves you just as gruff as the sounds you've been making.

He chuckles again. "It's just you're so vocal. I like it."

You grumble something along the lines of annoyed gibberish under your breath and it brings another small laugh to ring through Hoseok into the room. You soak it all in for the sake of the massage and revel in the feel of it. It's the least worst of things to happen between you two.

He massages a bit more before stopping to grip your arms and turn you around. You follow his movements until you face him and see a beaming smile across his face. So radiant it could almost come off as blinding. His hand comes to caress your face and you start to feel uncomfortable.

"Hoseok," you start but don't know how to continue.

"Yes, my love?"

You cringe. How could he speak to you like this? Act like this with you? After the mistake you had done. There's no way he could act like this with you. Not when you couldn't reciprocate his affections back.

You sigh before pushing his hand off your face.

"Hoseok," you begin again. "We can't do this."

He looks at you confused before it seems to click in. His face becomes devoid of all emotion. It startles you how he could switch his attitude so easily. You're sure you look uncomfortable before him but it doesn't affect him. He doesn't seem to care after you spoke your words.

"You know what will happen if I walk away, Y/N."

Your nerves are frazzled and your throat runs dry. You try to swallow but you have little spit in your mouth.

You know what Hoseok means and you hate it. Hate how he dangles your fate just above your head. Hate how you fall so easily before him. Hate how your lips part nervously to change his mind.

"I-I meant when I'm working. We can't act this way while I'm working. It'll serve as a distraction for me."

You know he doesn't believe you not with the look that he gives you, but he relents with a small smile. So small it takes you a second to realize it's there. You sigh in small relief when you see it though it is short lived when he leans over you. Leans over you to then place a gentle kiss onto your forehead. He lingers there if but for a moment before pulling back. This time his face is alight with a broader smile.

"Of course, my love." You hate how he says those words so easily. "I get it but also understand that you are mine now and if I wish to please you right here and now you might as well accept it."

His words unnerve you but you can hardly say anything against it. How Hoseok has turned into someone else after your shared experience - it sends a chill up your spine. Someone you have to deal with now and all for a kiss you oh so crave.

You nearly choke on your spit when you think about it - think about him. Hyun-Woo. How would he react to this to Hoseok now that this is an issue? You dread the moment he will find out because he will.

You clear your throat in discomfort. Of course he will. You rub your forehead in distress and Hoseok takes note of it. He grabs your hand to hold it within his own. Carefully bringing it to his lips before letting them hang between each of you. You hold your cleaning supplies in your other hand and make show of them.

"I have to put these away."

Hoseok nods before taking them into his own hand. You struggle to let it go at first but his grip is tight. He won't let you hold it anymore and so you relent. It's odd for a Lord to hold in his hand supplies only a maid should and you know it will make an even odder sight to see in his other hand clasping said maid's hand as well. But this is the sight that greets everyone when the two of you step out of the room much to your grief and embarrassment.

Your skin burns hot and you're sure your face is running red. The tips of your ears not far behind. You wish there weren't so many people in the halls but there are and they stare. Hoseok doesn't seem to mind the attention but you do. You do and you hate it. It's as you lead him to the supplies room does your throat wish to close in surprise and you feel distrust when you spot Saori and another maid. They lean against the wall instead of working but Saori seems to spot you before you do her. Her eyes widen by the slightest bit as her jaw drops. A sliver of a smile graces her face and because of it you know you're damned. Of course the one who enjoys to gossip is the one that spots you and Lord Hoseok hand in hand. Said man doesn't say a word as you shakily open the cleaning supplies door to deposit your things. He doesn't say a word as you slip your hand from his to grab the things and put them away and he doesn't say a word when you're done and he takes your hand once again.

You squeeze your eyes shut in frustration, tears wishing to spring forth. How could he be so clueless unless he knew. Of course he did. He had to know the curious gazes thrown both of your ways. He must not care or must be reveling in them. Whatever the reason you know you couldn't stand it yet Hoseok did not care for you. For your feelings because he takes your hand again like nothing and slips the two of you out of the supplies room and walks off to gods knows where.

He hums a gentle tune while you shake in fear and anger. If he notices he doesn't show it as he leads you both downstairs and to the sliding doors that lead out to the garden. The air is still outside and the sun is out. He takes you both to hide under the umbrella that is settled over the patio table. It's wide enough to cover you both but not enough to hide your shame. It's when you both are seated that you are able to pry your hand from his. He allows you to you know. You know it's because he lets you otherwise he'd have an iron grip on you.

He chuckles to himself as you stare at your hand. You look up at him to see him looking at you. His head rests upon his fist as he stares and you wither under his gaze.

"You know," he starts. "Being with me isn't all that bad."

Your eyes widen by a fraction before squinting. What was he getting at?

"You think I don't notice how you act like being with me, holding my hand is an embarrassment?"

You shake your head. You don't want him to continue on down this path of thoughts lest he try and threaten his kiss away from you once again.

"That's not what this is about."

He frowns but let's you continue.

"I'm just," you pause. "I'm just not used to all of this."

"You mean someone showing you affection?"

You nod but he laughs out loud.

"If there's one thing I don't appreciate it's being taken for a fool, Y/N," he snarls.

Your throat constricts in nervousness. Where was your old Hoseok. Who is this man?

He smiles again like nothing. "I know he must shower you in affection." You already know who he is referring to. "But my affection is different from his. Mine is out of love and you don't need to be embarrassed nor scared of it because what we have is different from what he has to offer."

You sigh out loud. What you had with Hyun-Woo was different of course. Despite him wanting more you wouldn't allow it and Hyun-Woo respected you... for the most part. What you had with Hoseok depended on that kiss of his. If it would have been Hyun-Woo that kissed you you're sure things would have been different for all three of you because what you had with Hoseok now would never have occurred. But Hoseok knew what he was doing and you fell for it. Hard.

You purse your lips as you look away. Your arm still tingles beneath the bandages. More so than usual and you go to grab it. Hoseok notices and smiles your way.

"It's as I said: my saliva works faster than most so by tonight it should be fully healed."

You stare at your arm in wonder and wonder how it must look by now. If it's true what he says then his saliva must be strong. You wonder then if you would be addicted to anyone else knowing his spit is stronger than others. Would the effect still be the same? Your curiosity getting the best of you you ask this question to him out loud.

A strange smile creeps onto Hoseok's face. "You thinking of trying what we have with someone else?" He doesn't sound amused.

You swallow deeply. "No, no. I was just wondering."

He stares at you for a minute without saying a word and his face devoid of all emotion. It's like this for a while before he smiles and stretches his hand out for yours. You hesitantly bring yours out and place it onto his. Hoseok grabs the limb and laces your fingers together.

You both sit like this for a while. Nothing but silence and the discomfort of having your hands close together like this. You sigh after a while as you feel his thumb begin to caress you. His sigh joins your own and you look over his way.

He stares at you and you wonder how long he's been doing so. You clear your throat and it forces a heart shaped smile to take over his face.

"Uncomfortable?" He asks.

You shake your head before looking down timidly. "I just," you start. "I don't know what to do."

He raises his brow in question. "Like?"

You shrug. "I've never done this before."

His watches you for a minute before smiling. "You mean you've never been in a relationship before?"

A relationship. Could you really call this that? No, but for his sake you nod.

"So I'm your first?"

You nod again.

His hand slips from yours to land on your thigh where he caresses you. "In everything?"

It takes you a second to realize what he means by "everything."

You hum in discomfort. "I mean if you discount what I've done to myself beforehand." You don't know why you're telling him this and regret it immediately.

He's silent before groaning. "Whether or not I'm the first just know I'll be the last, okay?"

The way he says this doesn't leave room for argument so you just nod.

"No, Y/N. I need words, okay?"

You bite your lip ready to nod again before you stop yourself. Your lips part and you give a soft "Okay" in response.

He squeezes your thigh before taking your hand again.

The two of you sit outside for a while before you point out that dinner would be starting soon. You tremble at the thought of it. You know you should leave but Hoseok maintains a tight grip on your hand as he speaks.

"Come with me."

You shake your head. "I'm sorry Hoseok but I don't think that's a good idea."

He sighs before tonguing his cheek. "Is it because of Hyun-Woo?"

Hearing his name out loud forces your heart to tremble deep within your chest. You don't answer but your silence is enough for him.

Hoseok clears his throat. "Are you going to let him rule our love life forever?"

What love life you want to scream but feel you can not. Everything felt so wrong and so fucked but you can't bring yourself to speak up on it.

There's more silence between you two and you find you cannot break it. It's up to Hoseok who stays quiet as well. It's like this for another minute before he speaks.

"Fine." You look up at him.

"Fine?"

"Fine as in for tonight you don't accompany me."

As if a huge weight had been lifted off of you, your body sags in relief.

"Thank you, Hoseok."

"I'll find you after though. Understood?"

You bite your lip in nervousness but nod nonetheless.

"Words, Y/N."

"Understood."

[dementedspeedster]

Alright here's my thoughts on a way Thad could have essentially a 'redemption arc' Post-FMA and post death. (Actually in retrospect Post-Rogues Revenge to be specific. I just lump that with FMA. Though I don't accept what happened with Josh Mardon).

This post started as a response/add-on to @radioactive-earthshine's post here, so a bit of its phrasing is in conversation with that post. Though i have done some editing since my first draft of this post.

Please excuse my rambling as I love thinking of Thad from a perspective of post-FMA and post-death and having come back to life for a second chance.

***

Notes:

General Note (before or after you read this post): I guess my big caveat with this idea is that at least some people have to be willing to give Thad a BIG chance and let him try to prove himself in order for it to really work. People gotta be cool with

*1 - Why post Thad's death? - I see Thad's death as a catalyst for him to change or be open to some change because death is such a huge consequence of his actions, but also because 1. Since he's a speedster he's not dead in the traditional way thanks to the Speed Force essentially housing speedsters. And 2. It also gives hm time away from other people and the influence of the Thawnes in order for him to think. He can look at his life and reexamine his own thoughts, feelings, decisions, and essentially his entire life and for once reflect on his own without having to confront someone else, prove himself, or defend his choices in that moment. He can just reflect. Though that won't fix everything. Instead, it is an impetus for Thad to change. (Also just from a comic/visual medium perspective I think it would be cool to delve more into the speedsters who are 'stuck' in the Speed Force. But that's a conversation for another day.)

***

By looking at Thad’s actions post Mercury Falling as being due solely to him and his feelings and desires such as a sense of bitterness, a desire to prove himself, and as a way validate his own existence such as through killing Bart, I can see Thad (preferably post his death)*1 realizing that his previous actions were never going to lead to his own validation. Thad killing Bart while it might have felt good in the moment, ultimately meant nothing and was a bittersweet endeavor because after that moment he loses all purpose and drive with his victory over Bart. He realizes that he was just falling to his own bitterness and the teachings of violence and hatred from the only life he knew.

With the realization that his past actions weren't right, that they didn't truly bring him happiness or validation, he can progress from where he was before. He would no longer be reliant on his hatred toward Bart to propel his life, but instead he would live for himself and live his own life for the first time. He would be free.

Now, just this concept where Thad no longer shackled to his hatred toward Bart in itself could lead to so many different scenarios and paths for Thad as he builds a life for himself (and I could go into that), but specifically in relation to a 'redemption arc' it would lead more specifically toward the tribulations that come with self-discovery and building a life for himself now that he is alive again. Now, I say this specifically with a social perspective in mind with regard to this bit. Because Thad post death would be trying to build a life for himself while people/heroes/most of the Flash Family consider him a villain and still hold his past actions, like killing Bart, against him. It's gonna be hard for him to go through this 'redemption arc' and there are gonna be consequences for Thad's past through how people treat him, but despite that he's still going to try. It's a scenario of self-betterment, but also I think unconsciously he's also trying to make up for what he's done by being a better person than he was.

Setting-wise this arc would be set in the Twin Cities are. Either Keystone City or Central City, so he can't help, but run into members of the Flash Family. But these potential/chance meetings with other Flash Members allows him to make connections; good, bad, and just neutral depending on who it is in the Flash Family he meets and if they're familiar with him.

***

Regarding the topic of redemption when applied to Thad/how he would personally handle the process of redemption/changing:

I think redemption for Thad would be half him fighting his own 'inertia,' his resistance to change. Part of Thad would still be so ingrained in the idea that he is "bad," a villain, and a Thawne (even though he's abandoned the family in every way except name) because that is what he has known for so long and because that is what people are telling him definitively when they see that he's alive again. Thad believes these sorts of things about himself and is also unwilling to let go of his past because it is all he has ever know, so he is fighting the fact that he actually is changing as a person. And this would be further reflected in his actions. He would be consciously putting distance between himself and the Flash family, he would be punishing himself for his previous actions, and SAYING that he has not changed despite how actions would show that he has. Thad's stubborn, but I also think that he would be scared of change as well, and at this part of his life would very much be his own namesake, Inertia.

***

Briefly regarding what his actions would look like at this time as he finds himself and his own life:

I say in this scenario he would overall straddle a sort of anti-hero line though his actions skew toward more heroic, though not to the same degree as heroes. It's not out of a desire to do right for others, but it would be selective in a way and drawing from what he cares about. Like, sure, if he's in the area he will save someone who is in danger, but more specifically I think he would be real conscious of how younger metas are treated, so no one ends up being used like he was in his youth, that they can have a childhood he didn't have, so he would speak up in those kinds of scenarios. Regarding labels: Thad still would probably still stubbornly label himself a villain because of his unwillingness to consciously/overtly change himself as I previously mentioned, but also because of the perspective directed toward him by heroes. Though people can call him whatever they like, but he's still going to do what he think is best.

***

Forgiveness

I agree that forgiveness would be very difficult, but I also think that it would be possible for him to interact with the Flash Family albeit selectively. I think that people like Max and Barry would be the most willing to give Thad a chance and willing to understand that he was used, manipulated, and essentially a child soldier, but also willing to give him a chance and see that he is not the same person he was before if they ran into him again.

Max and Barry are my top contenders for giving Thad a chance because respectively Max understands Thad to a degree. He's experienced who he was a child and the thought he gave to being a hero and potential he had. I don't think he would try to force Thad to become a hero again, but would meet him with some understanding though it might need to be earned somewhat after knowing about Bart's death. I think Max would have to see a bit of a change in Thad for him to fully try to connect with Thad again. It would take a bit of work.

As for Barry, I think he would in general be more open to giving Thad a chance simply if Thad expressed it. I think, in part, it is due to how disconnect Barry sort is from a lot of major events that have happened to his family and in particular Bart. He would be taking Thad more at a face value because he doesn't know Thad or his past. He probably wouldn't know how Thad kidnapped Iris in his youth, and he might not know that Thad is the one who killed Bart (that would probably depend on what he's been informed of by the rest of the family).

Overall, this scenario regardless of who would be willing to give Thad a chance would mostly cause some discord internally for the Flash Family, as they all would have different perspectives of Thad, but also probably regarding perspectives of 'redemption,' whether people can change, and specifically whether Thad can change or if he even deserves a chance.

Ultimately, though what this all would culminate to is either Thad very very VERY slowly becoming sort of a part of the Flash-family or sorta absorbed within the Flash-family circle in the sense that some of the members are willing to give him a chance. (I think there's a touch of hilarity and awkwardness just at the thought of someone like Barry inviting Thad to a holiday dinner. I also think it's also a good way exploring family and the complexities of family and family dynamics when you add someone like Thad to the mix. Kinda like a relative you're not fond of or the black sheep of the family who has history. There's just so many themes that open up when you add Thad to the mix.) It's very much a black sheep scenario. Or that his 'redemption' allows for him to slowly make up for his past. People can feel however they want to feel toward him, they can distrust him still or think it's an act, but the fact he's make strides for himself and as a person slowly becomes undeniable in this scenario as time goes on.

I also think both "outcomes" would allow him to have future appearances and interact with members of the Flash Family as he goes through the process of trying to prove himself/make up for his past.

And that is basically how I would write Thad in a 'redemption' arc. It's not a traditional redemption, but instead it's more focused upon consequences, actively working toward being a better person that you were before, and focused more upon the development than the outcome.

If you have any questions feel free to ask and I'll try my best to answer.

[acroagoraphobe]

What Makes a Man a Monster

Chapter 6: The Man Who Came Up With A New Concept Of Death.

Hiii yeah just felt like writing a chapter today! (Because I just edited a fandom wiki article about me and Im in a writing mood.)

ANYWAYS.

Violence iminent, be warned.

ALSO I MIGHT NOT DO THE COLORED TEXT FOR A FEW CHAPTERS BECAUSE IT'S ANNOYING TO HAVE TO DO AND I WANNA MAKE CHAPTERS QUICKER :3 (Also ill be able to make longer chapters without them takjng so long to add colors and text effects in :)

The ominous sounds of the deser wafted into to the ears of all who could hear. Distant screams and gunshots being heard from a road far away from the town of Novac. Sixer's next destination.. Hopefully.

But now, he was too busy making those distant screams of pain. And they werent his.

He had already grabbed his arm and reatached it, It stuck back on like a magnet and became good as new. The gore of his arm being blown to bits all forgotten already.

The few remaining raiders met their demises at the bullet from a classic. A 10mm pistol covered in blood, dirt, and wasteland.

Bodies fell to the ground, pooling red liqud around them before it soon seeped into the dusty soil beneath. Sixer's Luck always had a habit of somehow going his way.. either that.. or.

He was so unfortunate that it looped back around to the luck of a rabbit's foot strapped to your belt loop.

After the raiders had all dropped, like the scavenger Sixer was... he got looting. He found a fistfil of caps and some chems. Snatching it all up along with the ammo from the dead attacker's weapons, dropping each individual bullet into a pocket in his bag, clinking together as he closed the pocket and shifted his bag.

One of the raiders also had a bottle of shitty booze. Fuckin hell it'll work I guess. Sixer took a swig, not giving a fuck about whos mouth had been on it before. I mean hell can't get worse than the Bubonic Plague, and he's had that before.

Which is a long story for another time that crosses too many history books to list it all. History books that are probably obliterated and gone by now except for in those vaults.

After he pilfered the remains, Sixed went back to his usual activities on the road, Which consisted of walking. And Walking. And looking at a cactus over there. And avoiding talking to those traiders.

Then seeing a group of NCR soldiers get attacked by a bunch of men in skirts and football gear, making them look like absolute losers. I mean what man wears a damn skirt. WEAR PANTS FOR FUCKS SAKE.

Of course not bashing on other men who wear skirts, Just legion dipshits.

Sixer just walked past, trying his best to not get involved. And he didn't, because he couldn't give two shits what the skirt boys and bear bitches were fighting over today.

Soon enough he reached the town of Novac, covered in blood and his clothes destroyed to high hell. With only drugs, 10 caps, and a bottle of alcohol to his name. Oh and this gun too I guess.

He Stumbled his way into Novac and up a set of stairs into this giant-ass dinosaur, when inside, slapping his few caps and his chems down on the counter.

[I need Shit to fix my clothes.]

"Well, I might have something lyin around.. A sewing kit and some fabric? Get all sorts of stuff in here ."

The man at the counter flinched slightly when the items were slapped onto the couner, not expected Sixer to come in so suddenly and aggresively.

[This better be good enough, Dinosaur fanboy, cause it's all I got.]

"I guess it'll have to do, ya look like yeh've been through hell n' back there-"

[Long story, Wouldn't believe me.]

"All right, let me grab some things for you."

The man who's name wasn't exactly important because lets face it, he's not plot relevant other than this, came back with a needle and thread along with scrap fabric.

Placing it down on the counter and pocketing the caps and chems that Sixer had placed on the counter.

Sixer soon stormed out and found a nice rock to sit on, taking off his shirt and stitching up the massive hole in it with the fabric that was only a slightly different color from his white Tank top.

It was more of a grey-beige fabric, and it barely hid most of the bloodstains and holes. But whatever, It worked. Stupid shitty clothes getting fucked up all the time. Fuckin covered in dirt and crap.

Sixer soon after worked to stitch his pants, an entire pant leg had been blown off and it kinda sucked having to make a whole ass new pant leg. Although Sixer definitely had the tailoring skills needed, since he's been fixing his own clothes since WAY before sewing machines were invented or even thought of.

Sixer finally finished fixing his clothes up after the whole ordeal and simply sat on that rock, thinking about what to do next.

[sugar-phoenix]

un-satyr.

I decided to swallow my perfectionism and just write out a short story without making it special or anything, just writing all the parts that I wanted to write and finishing. I might edit/add more but honestly I'm pretty happy with what I wrote and I wanted to share it.

tw: gore/violence, mentions of blood + wounds + pelting + pain

Sitting on the riverbank, I carefully brushed my platinum locks. They fell over my shoulders in strands, and on all sides of my head. I hated having my hair cut. If I could, I would wrap them around my horns to keep them out of my eyes. 

But I didn’t have horns.

I dipped my hooves into the water, and continued straightening out my hair until it no longer looked like I had tossed and turned all night. Only my family and the village doctor knew I had been suffering from terrible migraines. It was one more defect to add to my list of flaws. One more reason why I didn't belong. I hoped to hide my problems from the rest of the world.

Alas, brushing your hair out did not fix the dark circles under your eyes, and against my sickeningly pale skin, it was wildly obvious I was losing sleep.

I frowned as I felt a painful throb inside my skull. Why was I born this way? Blindingly white, horn-less, and now, having terrible migraines. Instead of being a regular, normal satyr, I was the village abomination.

I rose from the riverbank to walk.

The smell of the lavender field cleared my migraines a little bit and made it better. Here, I was further from the village, from the feeling of being out of place. Here, I belonged.

I laid in the grass and rested. 

And then they began to pelt me.

Younglings, picking up pebbles and throwing them at me. Telling me I was a freak, a monster. Taunting me with their little nubs of horns on their heads.

Although nobody had ever outright expressed their distaste of me in the village (fae such as us were loath to express anything that might make us seem ungraceful), the behavior of the children spoke volumes of what they thought of me. I rose from the lavender field. A pebble struck my forehead. I ran, blood dripping down my face.

The pain was immense. I clutched my forehead in bed, gently bandaged by my mother, and screamed as my father sent for the village doctor. It didn’t hurt this much initially, yet ever since I came home, the pain had only steadily increased. I struggled to hold still as the doctor unwrapped my bandage, checked my forehead, and reported nothing out of the ordinary. The pain was merely a product of the concussion combined with my migraines. Nonetheless, he re-bandaged it, and gave me a potion that was sure to knock me out as cold as a corpse.

I slept.

I woke up free of the pain that plagued me only hours ago, to a dry, crusty pillowcase. It was stained a deep, dark red. I gasped, and jumped up from my bed to inspect my wound in the mirror. 

My reflection’s eyes stared back at me, the eyebags underneath them gone. My skin glowed, pale as ever, yet it was… sparkling? The hair that fell around the wound was caked red, yet the rest of my hair flowed flawlessly. In between my bangs, I saw something else. Something new.

Ivory and pearlescent, it tore out of the bandages that had unknowingly held it back. A single, solitary horn.

dividers by @cafekitsune here. Header is Young Lady with Roses by The Bank of a Lake, Nathaniel Sichel, from this post here.

[saiilorstars]

Love, Ours Ch. 9: To Those Left Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC, ft. baby!oc Story Summary: One-Shots/AU collection of Seren and Steve outside of their fics (Darkest Before Dawn, Alignment, etc.).

Story Masterlist ○ Seren’s Masterlist 

Also available on Fanfic ○ Ao3 ○ Wattpad

taglist: @ocappreciationtag​​​​​​​​​​​​ @arrthurpendragon​​​​​​​​​​​ @anotherunreadblog​​​​​​​​​​​ @maaaaarveeeeel​​​​​​​​​​​ @stareyedplanet​​​​​​​​​​​ @gloryekaterina​​​ @averyhotchner​​​ @foxesandmagic​​​​​​​​​​​​i @kmc1989

[If you’d like to be a part of any OC’s works/edits, let me know!]

He'd always remember the first night they met. It was rainy outside but after a long mission, Steve couldn't see himself getting any kind of rest until he had his favorite pastries. Traffic was hell, it would be a lot longer in the rain if he took the motorcycle so, with an umbrella clutched in his hand, he walked all the way.

He opened the bakery door and shook the umbrella outside before quickly rushing inside. He closed the umbrella and started towards the counter. There was another customer at the front, her baggy green jacket drenched from the rain.

"C'mon, put it on my tab or something!" She was saying to the young cashier.

"Seren, you know well there's no tabs," the cashier smiled apologetically at the woman. "I can't give you your order."

'Seren' let out a groan, shaking her head. The hood of her jacket fell back slightly, revealing brown hair at the top of her head. "C'mon, you know I would never do this. It's the rain — I got caught in the middle of it — literally dropped my stuff — I'm sorry!"

The more she went on, the more it sounded like she went through actual hell so Steve decided to step in.

"I can pay for the order, Mary," he said to the cashier, someone who knew him very well as he was, of course, a regular there.

Seren immediately pulled her hood down and fixed her wide green eyes at Steve. "That's not necessary!" Her long brown hair was wet and strands were sticking to her face so she started pulling them off. "That's really not necessary! I know I look like a mess but trust me I'm usually on my stuff!"

Steve was amused with her alarm; at least she seemed genuine. Besides, he felt bad enough that she was soaking wet. "We all have those days." He looked at Mary again who seemed to be waiting for a final decision between the two. "I'm paying. And could you get my usual too, please?"

"Sure," Mary said and started inputting the order on the cash register. "To go as well?"

"Yeah." Steve said but he took a second glance at Seren and, on a whim, added two cups of warm coffees. "For here." It seemed like Seren's eyes were permanently wide. "If that's alright with you, of course, just while we wait…" Steve decided to say to lessen the pressure. He wouldn't want her to feel like she had to sit with him just because he was paying for her order.

"Y-yeah," Seren said nervously and while Steve went ahead and paid, she quickly combed her fingers through her hair in hopes that she could appear a little more presentable.

Mary chuckled as she saw the woman's panic. She sent Steve to the pick up side of the counter then whispered over to Seren. "You look fine."

Flushed, Seren went to go find a table…which wasn't that hard considering the terrible weather outside. Most people were doing take-out. She took off her coat and draped it on one of the empty chairs beside her. She grabbed a few napkins to pat dry her face then set them on the side as well.

A few minutes later, Steve came by with the coffee. He set her coffee in front of her then sat down across from her. "I didn't add anything," he warned her and reached for the sugar packets.

"It's totally fine, thank you," Seren offered her best grateful smile because it's literally all she had tonight. Not even a sad dollar was in her pocket. "Like I said before, I'm usually a lot more put together than this. It's a fluke, I promise."

Steve chuckled at her. "And like I said too, everyone has those days."

Seren ripped open a sugar packet and dumped the whole thing into her coffee. "It's Seren, by the way, and I'm very thankful for what you did for me."

"Steve," he introduced himself as he too dumped sugar into his coffee, "And you're very welcome."

"I will pay you back," Seren promised, stirring her coffee gently. "I swear."

Steve chuckled again. "It's fine, really. Not richer nor poorer because of a few dollars."

"Except it was a big order so it wasn't a few dollars at all."

"It's still fine. Were you having a get together tonight?" As soon as he asked, he saw a faint flush on her face.

"Not really…" she said quietly, though very embarrassed. How could she say that the whole order was just for her without sounding like…? "But I mean it. I will definitely be paying you back."

Now matter how many times Steve said it wasn't necessary, Seren insisted that she would.

"I just wouldn't feel good about myself," she said, and took a sip of her coffee. She hummed as the warm liquid traveled down her throat. She didn't usually get cold but tonight the rain was a nightmare.

Steve smiled at her again, taking in her pretty features. The rain hadn't done her wrong in any way.

They talked for a while, neither one bothering to check in with Mary about their orders. Steve found that it wasn't that hard forgetting about dessert as he got to know Seren more. She was sweet and funny and for some reason everything just felt comfortable. It turned out it was a small word because once upon a time, Seren had been a SHIELD agent like him. When it went down, she switched gears and entered the CIA.

"Not really as much fighting as before but it's better than a desk job," she gave a nonchalant shrug. She silently noted that she was almost done with her coffee. "Though I guess you really wouldn't know about that, huh?"

Steve knew what she meant and sheepishly looked at her. "So you did recognize me?" Seren nodded. "You didn't mention it in the beginning…" Usually people recognized him on the spot as Captain America and were never quiet about it, nor shy.

"Why would I?" Seren said, confused. "It wasn't pertinent to the moment."

A pleasant smile crossed Steve's face at that. "It wasn't?"

"No." Seren brought her coffee to her lips and flashed him half a smirk.

Mary finally called them about their orders, breaking their moment. Steve took a look at his watch and realized half an hour had gone by. The orders were definitely done long before now. Still, half an hour seemed so short. He looked at Seren as she placed her coffee cup down on the table, empty like his. Something in his stomach twisted. He needed at least another half hour with her...

But that wasn't possible and he knew it.

Seren started getting out of her seat and reached over for her jacket. It wasn't that much dry but it wouldn't matter as she was about to go through the rain again. "Thank you so much, Steve. Seriously. And you know I'm gonna pay you back."

"Yes, I know," Steve said with a playful roll of his eyes. "So if you're that determined, why don't we meet tomorrow then? If you're able to, I meant…"

Seren hummed as she considered the idea. In reality she was just joking because she knew what she wanted. "It's not going to rain tomorrow so…yeah, that sounds nice. Want to go to Central Park?"

"Sure," Steve said when in reality he had been about to blurt 'anywhere' instead.

They settled for lunch time then headed to pick up their orders at the counter. Mary handed them their respective bags and wished them a goodnight.

It was still pouring when they reached the entrance doors. Steve offered to take Seren home but she was adamant that she would be fine.

"I literally live like three blocks down," she said. "And I'm fast. Trust me."

Steve didn't feel right about it but he couldn't force her to let him come with her. He opened the doors and then opened his umbrella. Seren pulled her hood up and stepped out with him.

"Here," Steve moved the umbrella's handle into Seren's free hand before she could refuse.

"Steve, I said I'm fine—!" Seren laughed at his insistence and tried to give it back to him.

Steve's hand wrapped tighter around the handle, and over Seren's hand in the process. Now Seren was laughing nervously. His hand was super warm, not to mention strong, but it was the gentleness in his eyes that captivated her, the charm in them.

"Please, take it," Steve insisted. Seren found herself nodding at him like she was in trance. He was hesitant to let her hand go but he didn't have any other excuse to prolong it. He was still slow about it, letting their fingers brush against each other until finally it was just Seren holding the umbrella.

"Goodnight, Seren…"

"Goodnight, Steve," Seren said with what she would think was nothing but a dorky smile. God, everything about her that night had been such a mess.

But Steve hadn't thought so. To him, the night had been perfect.

Present Day

Steve woke up to the sound of a toddler's cries. Without a second thought, he got up from bed and went into the adjoining room where the cries resembled more like screams. A toddler with a beet-red face was sitting in the middle of his crib, crying his head off.

"Okay, c'mon up, bud," Steve reached inside the crib to pick the toddler up into his arms. He then grabbed the little blue blanket with bright yellow stars; Noel would want it as soon as he calmed down.

He returned to his room and tried soothing Noel with gentle bouncing before getting back into bed. But while Noel stopped screaming, he still continued to cry. And what was worse is that he was crying and calling for his mother. It was the same constant 'mama, mama, mama!' that Noel often cried when he was in-between naps and sleep, because that was of course when he needed his mother the most.

It broke Steve's heart just a little bit more than it already was. He was Noel's father, and he loved the little boy so, so much but even he knew that at the end of the day, every child needed their mother more. There was something that a mother provides that a father just couldn't. And this had been Steve's reality for many months now.

Steve brought Noel to bed with him, wrapping him up in his favorite blanket and setting him to rest on his chest. These days, Noel no longer wanted his pacifier. Every time Steve gave it to him, Noel would spit it out and if it didn't land far from him, he would reach it and then chuck as far as his little arm could throw it. Steve wouldn't put it behind Noel to have given up the pacifier as his form of retribution for not keeping his mother with them.

Noel's cries gradually lessened as he tired himself out and gained some kind of comfort from his father's heartbeats and then finally fell asleep. Instead of putting him back in his crib, Steve kept him with him. Just like the night before, and the one before that.

Past

One innocent meeting at Central Perk turned into another "get together", and then another one and then suddenly they mutually agreed they were going out on dates. There was no denying from either side that they needed to keep seeing each other. So whenever Steve wasn't on some Avengers mission and Seren wasn't on a CIA assignment, they were seeing each other.

It ultimately led to Steve's friends hassling him to make it official. He saw Seren all the time and when they couldn't, they did video calls. Seren was delighted with his old fashioned way of asking her if she wanted to be his girlfriend — his girl. But before she would fully say 'yes', because she wanted to with all her heart, she came clean to Steve about her true self.

"I'm not entirely human," she had whispered to him with heavy fear in her eyes. She explained her lineage to him, how her grandmother was from another planet and had sought refuge on Earth, how her mother was born on Earth to a human father…how she was then born…and that at the end of the day she was still part alien.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before," she said, swallowing thickly. "I understand if you're angry with me and don't want anything to do with me."

But of course Steve was not angry. He simply wrapped her up in his arms, bringing her on his lap and kissed her, softly reassuring her that everything was fine.

"I mean, it would be slightly hypocritical of me to say anything when I'm Captain America and I work as an Avenger…" He said as a means to humor her and bring a smile out of her fearful face. It did, even though it was a small one. She nestled closer to him on the couch of her living room. "We're going to be okay," Steve promised her and pressed a soft kiss on her temple. "But I'd still like an answer to my question, you know, whatever it was going to be."

Seren's smile spread at the reminder. "I think you already know…"

"Maybe," Steve kissed her temple again, "But I'd still like to hear it."

Seren playfully rolled her eyes. "Yes — obviously."

After that answer, it was very hard to separate them both. If they weren't working, they were together. Even if it was early or late. In no time, Steve was bringing her to the Avengers' compound to see the place and meet the team.

"This place is so big!" Seren laughed throughout the tour. Steve had brought her into one of their training rooms where two Avengers were currently training. She recognized them immediately, having previously worked with one of them.

"Long time no see, Soul," Natasha said as they greeted her.

"You two know each other?" Tony Stark eyed the two women curiously.

"SHIELD," Seren and Natasha replied.

"It wasn't that small of an organization," Seren said with a shrug.

"Ah, so where were you when it was all going down?" Tony asked, prompting Steve to shush him.

Seren felt his arm wrapping around her waist. "She's here to visit, Stark."

"Well then, what do you think of the place so far?" Tony asked.

Seren hummed as she looked around the training room. "It's okay…" She set eyes on the targets set across them. "Oof, whoever made those shots…yikes."

Steve and Natasha laughed while Tony went into a ramble about his targets. Sure, the blasts were a little off but they were still good.

Seren seemed bemused and chuckled. "I'm happy to help you with target practice."

Tony scoffed. " Really ?"

"I'm good, I swear." And to prove her point, Seren raised a fist towards the target Tony had been practicing on and fired star matter. The entire target went up in dangerous star fire.

Tony deadpanned her for a long, hard minute while both Natasha and Steve did poorly hiding their laughs. "Nice girl, Cap," he muttered and took off. "I'm gonna bill you for that!" He called to Seren just before disappearing.

Seren made a face and looked up at Steve. "I don't think he likes me."

"Funny, because I'm liking you more right now," he remarked and dipped his head to kiss her cheek, earning a giggle from her.

Present Day.

Noel was in a full blown babbling moment and Steve had no idea what on earth the toddler was saying. Every once in a while he heard coherent words — among them mama, dada, no…but then he heard 'mon-mon' and he knew exactly what Noel wanted then.

In about an hour, he'd taken the toddler out with him for a quick pastry trip and returned home. He sat with Noel on the couch, giving him small pieces of his favorite treat: cinnamon rolls. Noel was delighted with each piece his father gave him, squealing for more whenever Steve happened to be too slow for his liking.

"Just like your mother…" He said with a dim smile as he wiped some of the crumbs off Noel's chin.

At the mention of his mother, Noel began to call for his 'mama!', clapping his hands together. "Mama! Mama, mon-mon!"

Steve's smile softened and he gave Noel another piece of a cinnamon roll. "Guess I'll have to finish teaching you how to say that. Noel, cinnamon roll?"

"Mon-mon!" Noel squealed again.

Steve shook his head. "Noel, try again. Cinnamon roll?"

With a giggle, Noel repeated his version of the word.

"Noel—"

The toddler let out a playful shriek and lunged towards Steve, quickly reaching for the rest of the cinnamon roll in his hands. He then attacked it with his new teeth. Steve laughed at the sight and pulled Noel on his lap.

"Yeah, alright, we can take a break…" He kissed the top of Noel's head then smoothed out his blonde hair.

Past

Steve gently pulled Seren's body closer to his. She rested her head on his bare chest, her fingers absent-mindedly making circles over his skin.

"You know, I should be going now…" Seren said for about the fifth time now without actually moving an inch.

"Stay…" Steve kissed her hair.

"I've been here all weekend, lovey. I'm sure your friends are so tired of me by now."

"Thor and Natasha love you."

"Mm, and what about Tony?"

"You know, I don't particularly care about his opinion, especially when they're always wrong."

Seren chuckled. She tilted her head up to see Steve. "I love you, but I do have a home to go to. My stuff is all there."

"I know that, I do, but why?" Steve seemed genuinely confused, which just made him look adorable to Seren.

She laughed again. "What do you mean 'why'? Because I live there?"

"Sure, but, what if you didn't live there?"

"Then I would be homeless, Steve."

Steve rolled his eyes and gave her a soft pinch on her side. Her body jerked and she yelped.

"What if you brought your stuff here so you could live here?" Steve said slowly and clearly. "Then we wouldn't have to worry about going back to our homes. Doesn't that sound appealing?"

Seren nodded without making opposing reasons. "But I mean…what about the others?"

"Seren, c'mon, if you're worried about Stark, he doesn't actually hate you. He just likes messing with you. He always messes with me, trust me."

"Oh, he better not," Seren said immediately, frowning as such. "I'll kick his ass right now."

"Not precisely right now, please," Steve said, giving her a look for her less than clothed situation. She rolled her eyes at him. "Seren, please? What do you honestly think?"

Seren sighed lightly and started to smile. "What do you think? I would love it. I would love to stay here, be with you, and wake up in the morning with you again and again. You don't seem to understand, I love you."

Steve did understand, but he liked getting reassured every now and then. "So, are you staying tonight?"

Seren nodded at him. "I called into work sick tomorrow. Told them I had a fever."

Steve chuckled. "A fever?"

"Real nasty one. Got the shivers and everything."

"Liar, liar, Miss Soul…"

Seren began to laugh as he gently tugged her off his body and turned on her so that he was hovering over her.

"We don't lie," Steve wagged a finger at her.

"Then I guess I'll have to go back to work tomorrow morning…" Seren warned him.

"The lie has already been said, the day is marked off…"

"Oh well!"

"Yeah, oh well…" Steve flashed her a smirk before diving down for a kiss.

Present Day.

Noel squealed with laughter as someone threatened to catch him down the hall. His running was at best a penguin's waddle and he'd almost fallen several times but his stamina was of course, super, so he ran across the whole compound without missing a beat.

Finally, Steve snuck up on him and swept the toddler off his feet. "Gotcha!"

Noel's laughter echoed through the building. "Mon-mon! Dada, mon-mon!"

"Oh," snorted Steve as he settled Noel on his side, "because you won?"

Noel nodded like he completely understood the question, and maybe he had. To this day, Steve wasn't sure exactly how far developed Noel was with both the serum and Celessian blood running through his body. Before, when Seren was still with them, they would often get curious and talk about it…but now it was the least of Steve's concern. Noel was healthy and developing fine and that was all that mattered. That was all that Seren would care about.

"Dada!" Noel slapped a small hand on Steve's cheek to get his attention. "Mon-mon!"

"You are your mother's son," Steve shook his head playfully, "You'll make up any excuse to get a cinnamon roll."

He started heading towards the kitchen with Noel. There was a box of leftover cinnamon rolls from the previous night and of course Noel recognized it the moment he spotted it on the aisle.

Steve set Noel down on the aisle and grabbed the box. Noel excitedly sucked breaths as he watched his father break a cinnamon roll in pieces. He could hardly wait for one when Steve offered him a piece.

"What, no dinner first?" drawled a voice from the threshold.

As soon as Noel heard her, he looked back and grinned. "Asha! Asha!"

Natasha walked into the kitchen and smiled at the toddler. "Look at you getting dessert before dinner…" She crossed gazes with Steve, her smile becoming a teasing one. "You are and have always been a sucker for Celessians, huh?"

Steve deadpanned her but not as much as he would've liked because soon Noel had started yelling for another cinnamon roll. Natasha smirked, her point proven.

"So, shouldn't the munchkin be asleep by now?" She checked the time on the clock. It was well past nine.

"Yeah, uh, he wanted to play and…like you said…I can't say no…" Steve watched Noel fondly while he chewed on his piece of bread.

"Mm, you know I only kid," Natasha said, "But it wouldn't be bad if you didn't feel guilty all the time."

"I'll stop when you stop," Steve remarked and looked at Natasha with the same smile as the one she wore.

There was a reason why out of the remaining Avengers, they were the only ones who decided to return to the compound and live together. They were the only ones who couldn't move on. They were the only ones who still sought to work and…just try to help…make things a little better.

"You still have this little guy," Natasha said, reaching over to tickle Noel's stomach, earning a giggle from the boy. He tried swiping her hand off and lucky for him, she stopped so he could keep eating.

Steve agreed. Noel was the only thing keeping him from losing it altogether. Every time he woke up, he had a reason to stay awake and not let the darkness swallow him up. For every giggle that Noel let out, Steve felt some comfort. If he could make his baby happy, then he wasn't a complete failure.

Past

Seren was in tears, her face red from both anger and frustration. Steve wasn't listening to her. He was so close to the stupid door, about to open it, all in the name of doing the  right thing .

"Screw the right thing and listen to me!" she yelled at him.

"Seren, believe me, I am!" Steve exclaimed. "But you're the one who doesn't want to hear me out!"

"Because you're telling me that you're not coming back! You're telling me that you're going to leave me behind!"

"Because I have to!"

"No, you don't!"

"Yes, I do! I have to leave you because then otherwise, they'll be coming after you too! And that is the last thing I would ever want for you!" Steve said, doing his very best not to raise his voice. The last image of her should not be of her face after he screamed at her for something that wasn't her fault. This was all on him. He was the one who made the choice to help Bucky, condemning his friends to the life of fugitives.

He'd been very weak and couldn't let go of Seren then. For the past months, he'd been sneaking back to see Seren, having to be extra careful so as to not get caught but most importantly to not to get Seren caught.

"Seren, this is just getting too dangerous," Steve said. "We have to stop, as much as it hurts us. I can't drag you down with me. I love you too much to do that to you. Please. I have to go."

But Seren shook her head fervently, remaining hard on her stance. "You can't leave me. I can't let you. Because if you walk out right now, I don't know when I'll ever see you again…"

"Seren, I'm sorry. I really am, but I gotta do this. I have to go."

"Then take me with you," Seren said determinedly.

Steve started shaking his head at her. "No, you have a life. You have a job, you have a family—"

"None of it matters anymore!"

"What—?"

"It's not just about me anymore," Seren said, visibly gulping as she brought a hand over her stomach. "I understand what you want to do for me but it's not about me right now. I'm pregnant, Steve."

As she expected, there was a long,  long , pause in the argument. Steve had practically gaped at her, mouth hanging wide open. He'd expected an argument from her, tears, and maybe even words that they would later regret…but not  this . This was the last,  very last , thing he ever thought would happen.

"This isn't how I wanted to tell you — God I never pictured telling anyone this kind of news like this," Seren let out a humorless laugh as she wiped some tears off her face. "But it's better than having you run off before knowing the truth. If you walk out that door and don't come back, you'll be walking out on your child too. I would never threaten you and I know I wouldn't ever have to because I know that you love me as much as I love you. That's why this happened." She rubbed her stomach. "Please don't leave us. We need you."

Whether it was the news, or her frail voice, or the tears in her eyes, it was unclear, but Steve left the door and strode back to Seren. He pulled her into a tight hug, to which she basically clung to.

"I'm sorry," he heard her whisper in her arms.

"No, no, you're not apologizing for anything," Steve said, cupping her face and tilting her head up. "You're so beautiful, and I love you. I love you so much." He leaned down and kissed her. "And I love this baby already so, so much."

"You believe me, then?" A few more tears threatened to spill from Seren's eyes. Steve wiped them off with his thumbs.

"I believe that we are about to have one very unique little baby…at a less than prudent time…" And at that, Steve couldn't hide his nerves. The news didn't change his circumstances. He was still on the run. "Seren, if you come with me…you'll lose everything…" He leaned his forehead on hers.

"I have everything I need right here," Seren whispered, closing her eyes with his touch.

There was nothing left to say. That night, Steve did not return to his team alone.

Present Day.

No toddler could have been happier than Noel when he smashed his birthday cake. Steve, Natasha and Chloe all laughed. Once cake bits started flying into Noel's mouth, the decision to smash or eat the cake became more of a struggle.

"Happy birthday, kiddo," Chloe I'd and helped Noel with another piece of cake on his face. "I won't be the one cleaning you up later."

Steve rolled his eyes at her but did take a look at his cake-covered son with some wariness. If there was one thing Noel loved, it was bath time and if there was one thing Steve didn't like, it was bath time. It was chaos, to say the least. But the everlasting giggles coming from Noel each time he smashed his fist against the cake and the wide grin on his face made it all worth it in the end.

Steve smiled at his son.

"What flavor even is that thing?" Natasha wondered as Noel joyfully shoved some of it into his mouth.

"Cinnamon," Steve replied.

"Of course," went Natasha and Chloe together with similar knowing smiles.

A little later, Noel has finally gotten his fill on cake and was now taking real notice of just how sticky he'd gotten in the process. What was fun and giggles had quickly turned into fuss and calls for help. It took a lot of wiping but they got Noel semi-clean enough to be held. Steve was now in charge of feeding him small bits of cake while Natasha and Chloe offered the toddler gifts.

Noel loved his new toys, and Steve truly appreciated the loud ones. It was Chloe who offered Noel a present that Steve took to heart.

"I changed the frame and everything so it can't be smashed," Chloe said as Noel and Steve tore the gift open.

As soon as Noel saw it, he let out a happy squeal. "Mama! Mama!" He recognized his mother in the picture. His not-so-sticky fingers hit the picture frame in his joyful screeches.

Steve was stark quiet as he held the frame and stared at it. For a second Chloe regretted her decision.

"I found it in my, uh, things and I thought you guys might want…" she sighed, "I'm sorry, I just thought—"

"Thank you, Chloe," Steve said, lifting his eyes from the frame to meet her gaze. She visibly relaxed with his words. "We love it. Thank you."

That night, when Noel was bathed and nestled comfortably in his father's arms, the two sat in bed with the frame of Seren's picture in front of them. She was younger than when Steve had met her in that bakery shop, with shorter hair and in a pretty flower dress. She wore her star pendant around her neck, the same one that had disappeared with her. Her star birthmarks were very visible on her neck and shoulder, two things she had always been so reluctant about.

From a glimpse, Steve saw the same birthmark on the side of Noel's neck peeking from his onesie. The toddler was idly rubbing his stuffy under his nose, an old habit from when he used to do it with his pacifier.

"Mama…Mama…" he said every once in a while, less enthusiastic unlike earlier. It was night now, and Steve knew that this is when Noel needed Seren most.

"I know buddy, I miss her too," Steve whispered and kissed the top of Noel's face.

Past.

Exhausted and worn out, Seren held her newborn son in her arms with such love and joy and bewilderment. Steve couldn't figure out what was so confusing in the beginning and chalked it up to the fact the birth of their son had not been the easiest nor the shortest. Seren had done everything and now it was his turn to do everything for her, and now their son. He wanted to.

"Seren, sweetheart, you should get some rest," he said as he gently sat on the edge of the bed. "You can hand him over to me and you sleep."

"I know but I…I don't want to…" Seren said, watching her son yawn in her arms. "He's so small…"

"He is," agreed Steve with a fond smile on the newborn.

"I love you, Steve," Seren looked up at him with matching smiles. But the same bewilderment came back to Seren's face, pushing the smile off her face.

"Seren, what is it?"

"Nothing bad, I just…" Seren gazed at her son again, "I love you, Steve, I do, and so much…I just didn't know that there would ever be someone else that would tip the scales." She adored her son so much, the words failed to describe the intensity of her love. "He's like a little extension of our love…"

"And that's why you're so confused?" Steve smiled, amused. He was sure Seren was still in dire need of sleep.

Seren shrugged lightly. "Call me crazy, I just never thought I'd experience something like this. I would rip the world apart for this little thing in my arms...with absolutely no hesitation."

"I'd never call you crazy for that. Truth is, you're right. I feel the same way."

"I thought of a name for him," Seren said abruptly. With all the mess of the birth, they had yet to make any name official. She motioned Steve to come closer and took his hand with one of hers. "What do you think about Noel?"

"Noel…" Steve tested the name out several times before deciding that he liked the ring of it.

"Yeah?" Seren smiled as Steve came around.

"I like it, yeah. Noel. What do you think, Noel?" Steve peered down at the newborn and swore that Noel had smiled at him.

"Noel Steven Rogers," Seren said and Steve's head snapped up at her. Her lips spread into another smile. He was adorable too. "What do you think?"

"I don't…are you sure?"

They never talked about how they would name their baby; their main priority had always been a full-term pregnancy, no complications, and most of all giving birth to a healthy baby.

Seren chuckled. "If I wasn't so sore, I'd be pulling you over."

Steve laughed and winced when their son made a fuss. "Sorry, bud," he leaned down and pressed a kiss on his forehead.

"So? What do you say?" Seren still waited for his answer.

"I like it," Steve nodded. "But the next one will be named after you."

Seren chuckled. "Let's give it some time, okay?"

"I'm in no rush." Steve took his hand out of hers to cup her face. He leaned over and kissed her. "Now how about that rest?" He murmured against her lips.

"Don't…" Seren pouted. "I don't want to let him go."

Steve laughed lightly then. "Honey, you need to rest. I'll be here with you and Noel."

"I know that…but I still want to hold him…" Seren shifted Noel so that his head rested over her heart. She gently soothed his back and kissed his head. "Now you can come over here—" — she told Steve and nodded at the spot beside them, to which he quickly obeyed and came to sit next to her, "—and everything will be just fine."

Present Day.

Noel was fast asleep on Steve's chest, his small hands gripping his blanket. Steve held the picture frame of Seren in his hand. He glanced at the empty spot beside him on the bed.

'And everything will be just fine…'

[hotcheetohatredwastaken]

Hi! This is anon from the other day who was asking about outlining! First of all, thanks so much for your input! It was really helpful and I finally have an ok outline- at least in my opinion! Just wondering if you have anymore advice on outling in general- My fics going to be a longer one- looking at average novel length here for everything I want to shove in it. Have a good day! :D

Hello, dear anon! I am always happy to give advice (though the quality of it may be lacking, as I speak from personal experience rather than professional study).

If you're looking for some more advice (writing wise), I would suggest making sure that you don't spend too much time obsessing over any one chapter, especially as you're just starting out on such a long project. Not that you can't edit, but I've seen so many new writers (how new are you at writing? That may change my future advice, if you ask for it) edit and edit and edit their first chapters without ever moving onto the second because they're trying to get it perfect. I'm on a writing exchange platform on Reddit (Writers Helping Writers), and I had one kid send me his first chapter no more than seven times to review the different versions, because he couldn't get down the details of how he wanted that inciting scene to go. It's been like 3? months, and he just sent me an eighth version the other day, and I had to tell him that I wasn't gonna give (the same) feedback on the chapter anymore XD

Especially if you're going to be doing a long fic, new things you'll want to add to different sections will pop up as you go. You just have to accommodate for ideas as they come up rather than try to preemptively pin them all down, and I'm saying this as the person known as being super super detailed with crazy outlines, apparently. You have to be a bit flexible--the story will take you places that you didn't expect to go, and you'll have to go back and fix details and revise many many times.

Specifically for outlining, however, I am a very visual person, so I have drawings, diagrams, and I also have a corkboard with all my chapter "sections" on sticky notes, with string connecting big subplots (I've actually taken these all down right now, and the only one's up are concluded subplots XD Arc 2 is a mess rn). You'll just have to play around and see what works for you, when it comes to that. Have you seen the train station model for subplots? I'm not sure if that's exactly what it's called, because googling it gets nothing, but when I started writing years and years ago there was one for the Hunger Games going around XD Basically, deciding which subplots will be advanced in which scenes, and tracking them through the story that similar to a system of subway rails, with each chapter being a stop that only some of the trains (subplots) will stop at. It gives you the opportunity to visually make sure that you give each the amount of screentime they deserve and also remember to give them a satisfying conclusion that's going in the same direction, to extend the metaphor, as the main plot.

It's great that you have an outline already, as that'll cut down on those revisions that I mentioned earlier a lot! And you're going for NOVEL LENGTH? Wow, good luck, and as I said before, please message me when you get around to posting that! Feel free to message me if you need anything, whether that be talking through plot points or my specific processes for anything.

You have a good day yourself, my dear writing anon!

[lunar-years]

royKeeleys really were done incredibly dirty so I do feel bad. but a lot of stuff I see people say about them or how the show shorted them just does not make sense to me lol.

(I also felt like him kneeling was never a sign that the show was taking his knee problems seriously and that it was a Big Deal he was kneeling. They bring it up and then immediately forget about it over and over. One day he can’t run or walk up stairs, the next he’s running miles upon miles with Jamie)

YEAH!! I think I might be in the minority in that while I did/do love roykeeley in season 2 and in general, I was actually kind of hoping for a breakup when I went into s3 and I wasn't at all sad when it happened 🫢 To me, this was something that actually was foreshadowed at the end of s2, so much so that it almost felt... inevitable? There were so many cracks there and the breakup kind of felt necessary. The problem was that they never went anywhere good with it.

So while I definitely agree that their arc was done dirty, I disagree with a lot of the reasons people like to list for HOW they were done dirty (e.g., the writers were wrong simply for breaking them up, it was mean to tease them sleeping together only to not have them immediately back together the next episode, Roy was supposed to propose/keeley was supposed to be pregnant 🤢, Keeley's arc was bad for the exclusive reason that it didn't revolve around Roy, etc.)

The biggest problems with s3 roykeeley were actually (imo):

breaking them up should have been the conduit for individual growth and addressing the personal issues that led to the break up for BOTH of them, but then they only tried to go that route with Roy whilst actually making Keeley REGRESS and never directly acknowledging, let alone resolving, any of her problems

roy's apology was non-specific if not downright Bad i'm sorry; he never tells Keeley why he broke up with her in any meaningful way

they never got the really good conversation i wanted to them to have (and feel their storyline desperately needed & deserved) about where they went wrong/how they're trying to fix it

too much happened offscreen. I think the offscreen breakup would've been fine if they'd then followed it up with the above bullet points, but you can't have an offscreen breakup that's then never discussed and is followed by an offscreen hookup followed by one conversation that gets interrupted before it even really begins. like what WAS that??

The breakup alone wasn't the problem! them not getting back together also wasn't the problem! it's just that none of it was done purposefully enough and Keeley's individual arc sucked bad

//

That's such an interesting perspective on Roy's knee stuff!! I don't think I really share that complaint, because I think it's easy enough to assume that some days his knee is really a Problem and other days it's mostly fine. He's never going to be able to keep up a professional athlete's level of activity again, but I really like that they show him running with Jamie. I think it highlights that their training is something that's good for both of them, because Roy is definitely the sort to forgo his physical therapy and not take care of himself. But I assume that keeping active actually helps him on the days when it's a struggle to say, go up the stairs. And they do show that he can't quite keep up with Jamie and gets exhausted much quicker.

So i dunno, I don't think the show is ignoring his problems, so much setting a balance between "Roy suffers chronic knee problems due to repeated injuries" and "he also is learning to take better care of himself and let other people help him so that the injury no longer has to dictate his life."

(okay editing to add: in rereading your first sentence on it I actually think i do agree with you, lmao. I just wasn't fully understanding at first. Yeah the writers FOR SURE weren't consciously thinking Roy Kneeling = a Sign That He Cares Extra About Keeley because it Hurts His Knee but he's willing to Endure The Pain just for her. which is how some people spin it, lmao. "Roy only kneels for Keeley wow he's so brave and in love!!" Like, no? ...sometimes the man just kneels?)