#back at it again with the low-res gifsets

[amethysthollis]

loki prunes away the alternate tva

[noxexistant]

hello friends, hate to be making another post like this, but @broadwaynewsie stole a whole set of gifs from me and posted them as their own, and has done so with others in the past.

(^ the most recent set in question, a whole set stolen from my own post and posted in reverse order to their own.)

when several kind people pointed out that the gifs were stolen, they only said they’d add credit (they didn’t) and finally silently removed the posts altogether. i sent them an ask asking politely for an apology and a post addressing that they’d stolen, and a promise that they wouldn’t do it again, and i only got excuses and avoidance when they privately dmed me back rather than responding to the ask.

(it’s been about eighteen hours since they said they were “making the post”, they’re now ignoring me.)

so! just, be wary of people that steal, and be wary of stolen content itself. be mindful what you’re reblogging, especially if it doesn’t seem to be tagged correctly for what it is and/or lacks a proper caption, watch out for gifsets that aren’t formatted properly or seem to be too low-res. and, most importantly, don’t steal! if you see something you like, reblog it! it’s so easy!

[gregorygerwitz]

Hi! Just stopping by to ask if you've listened to good enough by Maisie Peters? If so did it destroy you like it destroyed me? Also can't help but think about moustead, Jay in particular with all the people who have left.

Also was wondering if you've ever listened to glitter and crimson by all time low because that song is so moustead to me? Or at least it would be if the writers had let Jay and mouse be Jay and mouse.

Anyway sorry for the rambling. Hope you're having a good day! 💫

Hi, nonny!

I have heard both of these songs! However - it didn’t occur to me to be sad about Jay with Maisie Peters (that’s a Will song in my head oops) and the last time I listened to Glitter and Crimson was before I watched One Chicago (oops x2) so I’m re-listening to them both on my break with Moustead in mind!

Good Enough - …ow. I have like a little video of 4x02/4x05 scenes (s4 in general so many people leave Jay and it makes me so sad) playing in the back of my head during this one and it hurts. It hurts bad. (I love it) (I might make a gifset we’ll see)

Glitter & Crimson - the 3 in the morning line… automatic Moustead song for that alone. A+ content. It’s on their playlist now yes. none of my thoughts for this one are coherent I’m just feeling So Many Things sitting in the breakroom like 🥺

Thank you for the song thoughts! I am now Feeling (12/10 would do again) 💜

[justalittlebluetiefling]

After tonight, how do you think Jester's feeling? Honestly, I wasn't so sure before, but after their conversation, I'm again very certain Fjord is the one she has feelings for

All right, anon. This is a fun question for me, because we talk about Fjord’s feelings a lot, but not Jester’s. I’m going to say a few things that I never thought I’d say in this ask. For example: Fjord’s feelings have been much more obvious in the last 60 episodes than Jester’s have been. If you had told me I would say that 100 episodes ago, I would have laughed so hard. But here we are.

TLDR? Jester’s in love with Fjord and has been for a while. I’ve been going off about this occasionally since her second playlist was released. But that is what really convinced me that she had moved from ‘crush’ into ‘love’. And episode 117 helped me be even more confident in saying that.

I also wanted to put some episode 117 receipts in here, but tags in Tumblr are tricky sometimes, so I just made a companion gifset instead. (If this link messes with the tags, I’ll take it out and put it in a reblog.)

Anyway. Let’s get a cut in here so I can get carried away with the why. 2436 words of carried away.

So, like I mentioned above, Fjord’s feelings have been much more obvious than Jester’s lately. For a while, I guess. Pardon me while I just quote Laura from Talks for second. And that’s mostly because Jester backed off when she thought her advances were unappreciated. It was all part of Jester realizing that smut novels aren’t what real relationships are like. A very integral part of her development and how she’s more than her crush(es). 

The funny thing about all this... I think about this sometimes... is how Fjord didn’t actually not appreciate it. He’s just got low wisdom and didn’t realize that it meant that she like-likes him. He thought they were just goofing off. Because. Sorry, I’m briefly hopping into Fjord meta and then I’ll hop right back, I promise. But yeah. He thought they were just goofing off and I’m realizing as I type this paragraph that it never occurred to him, because “You know when someone makes you feel a way that you don't think you have any right to feel or you never thought that you might?”. Yeah. So, it wasn’t just his low wisdom. It just didn’t occur to him, because he didn’t think that he deserved to feel that way about anyone or have anyone feel that way about him. Okay. Hopping back now.

The other hilarious thing about this is that things between them weren’t awkward until she backed off and stopped overtly flirting. Which also correlates with the end of the pirate arc and how Beau, during that arc, pointed out to Fjord that Jester was jealous of Avantika.

But yeah. Jester backed off, which really threw their relationship into a whole new dynamic. I have a lot more complicated and layered feelings on the pirate arc that require a rewatch for me to properly articulate, but we know that Jester was scared during this time. She was a little scared that she didn’t really know Fjord (Re: Somebody Else being on her first playlist). But that was only temporary. That whole time made Jester start to question her feelings for Fjord. Which in turn made most of the fandom start to question them as well. But I do think that she eventually landed on “my friendship with him is more important to me than a potential relationship and if I keep acting like this, I’m going to lose him”. This is partially her realizing that life isn’t a romance novel, but I think it is also a direct result of her realizing how uncomfortable he was with the idea of being used as bait to distract Avantika. He did it, but he was not comfortable the whole time they talked about it. 

But also, Fjord was her first real friend outside of Artagan. He trusted her right away with things he didn’t tell anyone else in their group for months. She knew he was hiding his accent. She knew what happened on the Tide’s Breath. He told her before he told anyone else about how he lost his powers. They promised to protect each other and help each other on their way to their individual goals and they’re still holding up that promise every day.

ANYWAY I’M GETTING DISTRACTED I’M SORRY.

Okay, where are her feelings now. Now. She’s in love with him. When she backed off from the flirting and started focusing on just being there as a friend, it deepened their relationship. I mean, to be fair, it was already pretty deep. I promise I’m not getting off track this time, but he really did tell her things he told no one else. Sometimes it takes him longer to get around to it, because of the group, but he always ends up telling Jester everything. And that opens the door for Jester to be open with him, too, in a way that she isn’t with anyone else. 

I mean, okay. Gosh. How do I even word this? 

Jester doesn’t actively seek anyone out to talk about her feelings. There are two times I can think of off the top of my head that she’s broached the subject first. One: when she was looking for Beau and ended up talking to Veth about how she felt about the kiss that wasn’t a kiss. And Two: the Jellyfish talk, when she asked Fjord if he ever gets sad. But Jester keeps everything buried pretty deeply. So, the fact that Fjord is constantly going out of his way to ask her if she’s okay and the fact that he pulled her aside to tell her that if she ever needs to talk, she can talk to him. That’s a huge deal. And I think she’s still scared to take him up on it, because on top of all these things is that layer of awkwardness. Fjord and Jester are just awkward with each other right now. And their feelings for each other are what makes it awkward.

If the awkwardness was one-sided and only coming from Fjord, I’d say that her feelings had gone away. But it’s not. It’s always two-sided. There’s so much tension in all of their conversations, because while they talk about everything else, there’s one thing they haven’t talked about. Or... I guess it’s a couple things at this point. But they’ve never talked about the kiss that wasn’t a kiss. That’s what I mean specifically at this point. It’s just never been brought up. Which is so weird, because the other times (I think it’s two? Maybe it’s one. I’m doubting myself.) that Fjord’s saved Jester’s life with a potion, she brought it up. She made a production about it. But the kiss was different, because she didn’t know if it was a real kiss. I think she’s come around to it not being a real kiss, but it’s got to still bug her. 

But that’s planted this seed of awkwardness in all their solo interactions that hasn’t gone away. Jester’s been pushing her feelings for Fjord aside. Or trying to. But he keeps doing things that make her have hope again and it’s getting to a point that she can’t ignore that feeling. Like... He wanted her to be the one to go with him into the wreckage of the Tide’s Breath. The whole day after the blue dragon encounter, he was hovering. He wanted her to have a potion so that she could be safe and he said that he wasn’t being awkward he was disarming her. He dove off the side of a tree when she fell to save her. He tells her how much her help has meant to him in Kravaraad. He makes sure they go visit her dad. He runs after her to go rescue her mama and then he tells her that he’ll wear a stupid hat if she wants him to and that she looks lovely while implying that he’d like to look at her in that dress all the time. And then he asks her if she’d like to get dinner with him instead of go look for their friends. AND THEN he tells her that he likes it when she’s feeling his stomach looking for the orb. He was constantly checking in with her during Travlercon to make sure she was safe and comfortable. He launched himself into the air over an active volcano and begged her to let go and stay with them. AND TO MAKE MATTERS MORE CONFUSING FOR HER. He hugged her twice and then he willingly danced with her even though he didn’t know how AND THEN he gave her this tiny unicorn statue, because he knows how much she loves things like that. And now he’s given her the necklace that was meant to protect him, because he’s more concerned about her safety than his own. He told her that he’s having a hard time focusing on his future, because his past keeps getting in the way and he wants to deal with that before........ AND THEN HE SAYS he’s going to be thinking about how she helped him all night.

LIKE.

I got a little carried away again, sorry.

Here’s the deal.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. There has been nothing in canon to make me think that Jester’s feelings have gone away. Everything I can see implies that they’ve deepened. But she’s scared. She’s never really been in love before. It is absolutely terrifying (or it is for me) to admit when you’re in love. Especially when you don’t know if your feelings are reciprocated. Or if you think they’re unwanted. And she thought hers were unwanted. But she’s still been doing little things this whole time. She’s still shown signs of jealousy. She still thirsts over him, just not as openly as she did before. She gets super shy whenever they have one-on-ones and that makes her get awkward in the cutest way. Jester started to be careful with how she was around Fjord, but he’s been making it pretty clear that he doesn’t want her to be careful with him and I think she’s starting to realize that. It’s giving her hope that maybe her feelings are wanted. 

Also, the fact that there’s no in-between for these two? They’re either incredibly emotional when they talk to each other or incredibly awkward or BOTH. They are radiating “in love with your best friend” energy. The difference is that Fjord isn’t afraid of ruining the friendship and Jester is. Or... well... yeah. Actually, that’s what I mean. I think Jester’s coming around to not being afraid. She’s got hope again that they might be something more. And I think that hope is starting to be fun for her again instead of scary.

OKAY I’m almost done. I want to very briefly talk about that gifset that I made, because I made receipts for a reason, damn it. Let’s talk ONLY about the conversation in 117.

Gif 1: This one is right after this exchange. Jester: I mean... it's worth a try. He's met all of us, so he could potentially scry on anyone, I guess, now. But maybe it'll keep me from being seen if I scry on him. I don't know how it all works. // Fjord: I guess we'd find out the next time we did it. // Jester: Yeah. Like, she looks down at the necklace and just smiles, because Fjord has literally just told her that his safety doesn’t matter as much as hers. Fjord went out of his way to do this thing for her and she just looks so touched.

Gifs 2 and 3: These are both just Jester laughing over Fjord talking about her face when she’s scrying. They’re goofing off and being silly. And gif 3 in particular is just... again. She’s having fun! With Fjord! And she likes that. 

Gif 4: Jester just asked Fjord “how are you?” and he started up with that big, goofy grin. And she can’t even get through calling her question stupid without smiling. Like, she’s reacting to his smile. And it’s kind of funny, because I think she doesn’t understand why he’s smiling so much in that moment, but she still can’t help but smile back.

Gif 5: I feel like I need to close all of that before.... That’s such an interesting reaction and SO TELLING. Like, that small smile and then she kind of takes a breath and then she still can’t not smile over it. SHE KNOWS. She really hopes that it means what she wants it to mean. And she wants it to mean something. 

Gif 6: She’s once again reacting to a Fjord smile. You can see the way the corners of her mouth keep trying to smile. Because Fjord is just touched and telling her that yeah, she should send a message to Kotho. And then it’s the things she’s doing with her hand there, too. She’s all nervous energy and can’t really hold still. There’s that hope again.

Gif 7: She’s SO HAPPY because she’s helping him. SO HAPPY. And again with the hands! So much nervous energy.

Gif 8: It's just a spell! It's easy to do. Again with the hands!!! I mean, okay. Speculation and projection. I’m aware. This is just something I do and I see it in Jester a lot. Where, she’s got to do something with her hands so they don’t do what she really wants them to. I mean, SERIOUSLY. And the way she smiles at him at the end of it. There’s a lot for her to process about this exchange and I think it’s starting to hit her. How much this means. What this might mean. And she’s happy. She’s excited.

Gif 9: I will think about that all night. Still the nervous energy. I won’t repeat that paragraph. But like. Fuck. Fjord told her that he was going to think about that all night. I kind of want to yell right now. In a good way. My heart just hurts in a good way over this moment. I can’t even speculate on her emotions here because that’s like... huge. There was so much tension here. Jester hasn’t had anyone say anything like this to her before. She doesn’t know how to react. And Fjord is also holding himself back. Uh, this is Fjord HOLDING HIMSELF BACK. What the fuck. I mean. Okay I have to move on. I have nothing productive to say here.

Gif 10: I guess I was wrong. This isn’t only about the conversation, but also about the moment later. Where he thinks she’s going to scry when she’s going to send and she realizes that he was going to do what she asked him to before. She is just so pleased that he intended to follow through. I choose to believe this is 100% what Jester’s face actually did in the moment. And I love this because it’s only awkward on Fjord’s end this time. Jester is just happy.

I’ve gotta end this thing, guys. Why are you even still listening to me ramble???

I guess what I ultimately want this whole answer to be: Jester’s in love with Fjord. Fjord makes her so happy. And she is starting to let herself hope that he’s in love with her, too. She can see the possibility of a future with him again and finally letting herself believe that it might happen. So, yeah. That’s where I think Jester’s feelings are. 

Hope you enjoyed my mini breakdown over Jester and how much Fjord’s support has meant to her! 

[magaprima]

Re: your tag on that gifset, what would you say your favorite Lilith outfits are? :)

Okay, so now you’ve made me want to make a GIF set of every single one of Lilith’s outfits. 

But for now I’ll just tell you my favourites. In no particular order we have:

1. The Red Dress and Leather Trench Ensemble. Complete with Jimmy Choos.

I love this red dress in general, but when it’s with the black leather trench, it’s just peak Lilith, and not just because she’s wearing the two colours associated with the deity/spirit Lilith. It’s just it’s a mixture of soft (with the velvety-esque dress) and badass (with the leather coat) with passion (with the red) and darkness (with the black). And she looks fabulous.

2. The Iconic Black and Green Satin Nightgown

Again, peak Lilith. The materials are soft, but the design is sensual, and the colours are all very serpentine, which is a nice Eden reference. 

3. Autumn Leaves and Brown Bolero Number

Probably not a popular favourite but it’s also apparently one of Lilith’s favourites too as she wears it in several different episodes. It’s just it’s such a typically Mary outfit yet you can see how differently Lilith is wearing it. I just love the leaves on this, the bolero, the way it fits...it’s a perfect example of Lilith can be dressed as soft and low-key as possible and still come in like a boss ass bitch and be sexy af too. Power comes from within?

4. The One Pair of Trousers She Wore!

I love this outfit so much! I just love the style in general, but I love that it’s the first and only time we see Lilith in trousers (with the exception of the Resistance verse where she wears this outfit again) and it just says a lot about how comfortable Lilith is feeling and how like herself. I also love the wee leather gloves.

5. The Coronation Dress

Okay, yet again  we’re getting to see LIlith’s colours of red and black, which I love, especially as she crowns herself in this dress, but I love the burgundy of it, I love the collar and neckline, I freaking adore the black beading, and (even though you can’t see it on this shot) the way the hem falls too. It’s such an modernised-late-Edwardian-early-1920s type dress and I live for that sort of inspiration. It is definitely a dress for a ball. And it looks pulled back enough for Lucifer to see it as a servant’s dress, but it’s detailed and intricate enough for Lilith and everyone else to know it’s a coronation dress. For Lilith’s coronation. 

6. Queen’s Dress

This definitely looked like a Queen of Hell’s dress and I loved that it was blue rather than gold like the rest of Hell. I love the beading, and I loved how great the colour looked on her. I just felt this dress very clearly made it clear Lilith is a Queen and that she fits in that roll very well. And I am a sucker for iridescent embroidery. 

7. The Dress from Tommy Kinkle’s Funeral

She wears this several times in the series, the first is at Tommy Kinkle’s funeral, but this was the best shot I could find of it. But I love how this fits, I love the strong implication this is the one outfit she actually fucking stole from Mary’s wardrobe (the red one and the other black one feel like they’re Lilith’s dresses originally), and I just loved how badass she looked arriving at the funeral. This is an outfit that says I can look like a professional uptight business lady but you know I could kill you on sight. She even looks badass wearing it when she comes down the stairs in Hell with Pontius Pilate’s bowl. It’s just one of those outfits that looks so nothing but Lilith makes it everything. 

8. The Dress from Sabrina Morningstar’s Wedding

Again, I suspect this isn’t a popular favourite. But I love that it was a halterneck essentially, I loved the fringe beading and I loved that it was clearly designed to draw attention to the fact she’s pregnant (something I feel Lilith did to remind everyone of her position of power), but I love that it also is low effort enough to show she’s really not into this fucking wedding. I just...it looks like an oddly casual Lilith in a way we never really see her in Hell. Which I enjoy

9. Pregnancy Dress

One of my absolute faves. I love the colour, I love the cut, I love the neckline, I love the cape, I love the skeletal hands, I love all of it. This was peak Hell Lilith. And it’s such a crying shame that we only get it very briefly once and that for the majority of it, she’s going through the forced labour. It was a glorious dress and it hung so nicely

10. The Red Animal Print Dress

And last but CERTAINLY not least, this glorious, glorious dress that we got to see so often in Part 4 and ensured Lilith looked fantastic even when she was suffering in agonising grief, because this dress was just chef’s kiss. Again, it’s the Lilith colours of black and red, it’s also the animal print, the fur trim both serving as comforting baby holder, whilst also mimicking raven wings when she raises her arms, the button-up front for both style and comfort, the beautiful neckline. It was perfect. And I’d like to say it’s my number one favourite but I don’t like to commit haha,

[clumsyclifford]

hi i have some continued thoughts about the gif set i made earlier but i’m just thinking about like baby boys writing nothing personal and jack just like feeling really down on himself one day bc he doesn’t know what he’s contributing and alex tells him he named this song for him bc he is so important i don’t know there are so many THOUGHTS TO BE HAD why are they like this

hi paige i don’t know if this was supposed to be a prompt but i took it as one because i’m me hope that’s okay <3 (also here is the gifset in question, warning for max damage)

read it here on ao3

-

“Hey, where’d Jack go?”

Flyzik looks up from his laptop and glances around the control room. “I dunno,” he says. “I thought he was here.”

“I leave for two minutes,” Alex says, sighing exasperatedly. “We need to put a bell on that kid.”

“Believe me, if I could, I would,” says Flyzik, returning to the all-important task of probably talking shit on Twitter or whatever he does when he’s taking up studio space. 

Squire, whose playing had been arrested upon Alex’s re-entry, starts the guitar line from the top. The unfinished track fills the small room. Alex considers handcuffing him just so he’ll stop playing that one fucking guitar part.

At this rate, he’ll be sick of the song before it’s even released.

“I’m going to find Jack,” he announces, not that anyone cares. In a halfway attempt at defiance, or being annoying, or whatever, he snatches Flyzik’s coffee mug off the table.

“Hey,” Flyzik says half-heartedly without looking up. “Give that back.”

“You’re fired,” Alex informs him.

“Joke’s on you, I quit this morning,” says Flyzik.

Alex rolls his eyes and leaves the control room.

There’s really only one place Jack is likely to be (okay, two places, but Alex has just come from the bathroom and he’d been the only one in there). Alex heads for the lounge. The TV is on, playing a commercial for mattresses. Occupying the entire length of the couch:

“Jack,” Alex says. “Where’d you go, man, I thought we were working on the song.”

Jack makes no indication that he's heard Alex at all.

“Dude,” Alex says, coming into the room and facing Jack. The way Jack is slumped into the cushions, it looks like he’s been lying here all day, not for two minutes. “Were you just waiting for me to go to the bathroom so you could bail?”

Jack shoots him a glare, but again says nothing. Alex frowns.

“Are you good?” he asks, sinking to the floor with his legs crossed. He sets Flyzik’s coffee on the table at his side. “Is something wrong?”

Jack groans. “Can you leave me alone?”

“Hey,” Alex says, hurt. “What —” He breaks off. Obviously Jack doesn’t want company — or at least not Alex’s company, which stings — and if Alex doesn’t want to be a dick, he should leave. 

Except Jack is already kind of being a dick. So.

“Dude,” Alex says again. Jack keeps his eyes on the TV over Alex’s head. “Can you at least look at me?”

“I’m just taking a break, what’s the big deal?” Jack mutters.

“The big deal is you were fine five minutes ago when we were tracking the guitar,” Alex says irritably. “I leave for two seconds and when I come back you’re gone? ‘Taking a break’?”

“Yes, Alex, I came to jerk off in peace,” Jack snaps. “So can you piss off?”

Alex huffs. “Stop being an asshole when I’m just trying to understand what’s wrong.”

“Nothing is wrong, dude!” Jack finally looks at him, though it’s clear he would rather not be. “You don’t need me to finish the song, okay? You have Squire to do the guitar, and if he can’t do it then you will, so I’m just gonna sit this one out, alright?”

Alex stares at him. “The fuck do you mean, we don’t need you to finish the song? You need to learn it. And Squire’s just doing the demo track anyway. Meaning technically he doesn’t need me for it, either.”

“Alex, you wrote the fucking song.” Jack crosses his arms. “It wouldn’t exist without you. Unlike me.”

“You…would exist without me?”

Jack glares at him, again. “No, the song would still exist without me. And it would have a guitar part, without me. I know my role in the band, Alex, I’m not getting any ideas, okay? I’m the one who makes inappropriate jokes on Twitter and collects bras during shows. I don’t contribute in the studio.”

The gears in Alex’s brain grind loudly to a halt. “You don’t — what? What?”

Jack draws his knees up to his chest and looks back up at the TV. “Am I wrong?”

“Uh, yes?!” Alex says emphatically. “Extremely wrong, what the fuck? Since when is this a thing? You really feel this way?”

“Oh my God, it’s not a big deal,” Jack grumbles. 

“It’s a big deal to me,” Alex retorts. “You think you don’t contribute when we’re in the studio? You’re, like, the reason most of these songs get made. If you weren’t here we’d still be on our first record.”

“You don’t need to therapy me,” Jack says dully. “I’m fine with it.” 

Which is obviously not true. Jack’s shuttered expression and bitchy attitude don’t exactly communicate ‘fine.’

“I’m not trying to ‘therapy’ you,” Alex says, making air quotes. “Whatever the fuck that means. I’m trying to tell you something you should already know.”

Jack sighs wearily. Somehow he seems to sink deeper into the couch, like whatever’s weighing him down is only getting heavier. “Alex, it’s fine.”

“Stop saying it’s fine,” Alex says sharply. “It’s not fine. Did someone say something when I left? Is that why the mood whiplash?” There’s no way. Squire would never, and Flyzik hadn’t even been on the same planet. Not that Flyzik ever would, either, but then again, they make a lot of fucking jokes around here. Sometimes the kind of joke that hits a little too close to home. Call it an occupational hazard of living and working with a bunch of guys in their early twenties; none of them really know when to stop.

It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt. 

Jack’s gaze flits between Alex and the TV, which has really been playing commercials for far too long. He seems to realize he’s not going to escape this conversation, and with an almighty sigh grabs the remote and hits mute.

“No one said anything, okay?” There’s a pause. Alex waits patiently while Jack gathers his thoughts. “It was just that, like, you were there, and we were joking around, and then you left, and like…Squire kept playing the part, Flyzik was still on fucking MySpace or whatever, and, like, I don’t know. It just felt like if I left it wouldn’t matter, so I did.” He barks a humorless laugh. “And I was right. It didn’t matter.”

“It mattered to me,” Alex says. “I came back and you had abandoned me with Squire and Flyzik. You think I want to be stuck with them?” 

One corner of Jack’s mouth pulls up, barely, then drops down again. “I’m fine,” he says a third time. “You can go back and finish tracking the lead. Just call me when you need me for something.”

Alex considers this. “You know, I could use a break, while I’m here.” He takes a sip of Flyzik’s coffee, which is absolutely disgusting and also room temperature at this point. Jack frowns at him.

“You’re in the middle of demo-ing a song,” he says flatly. “‘Best Friend Knows,’ right?”

“Well, as you so eloquently pointed out, Squire can track the guitar,” Alex says. “And in fact is tracking the guitar. And has been for half an hour. He doesn’t need me for it, either.”

“But that’s not the fucking same and you know it. You wrote the song.”

“Yeah, so what? It’s not that great of a song. Anyone could have written it. I bet Andrew has fifty better songs in his back pocket.”

“But Andrew isn’t in the band,” Jack says. “The whole point is they’re your lyrics that you write for your band.”

“And you play the guitar,” Alex counters, raising his eyebrows at Jack. “Yeah, there are a billion songwriters and guitarists in the world. Anyone can play guitar, but there’s only one All Time Low guitarist, and it’s you. You’re our guy, Jack. You brought the band together, you keep it together, and you keep us moving forward. So what if you’re not writing lyrics? There’s way more to being in a band than writing the fucking lyrics. I promise you, man, without you we’d still be playing the fucking Dulaney Talent Show. We’d be fucking nowhere. We definitely wouldn’t be in L.A. recording our second full-length studio album.”

Silence falls as Alex’s words hang in the air. They’re both quiet for a moment. The Red Bull fridge buzzes in the background, and even more faintly comes the sound of Squire relentlessly playing the same lead part for what has to be the millionth time. 

“If you say so,” Jack finally says, although he doesn’t really seem to believe it. 

“I do,” Alex says firmly. Jack is the heart of the band more than anyone else, the beating pulse that keeps them alive no matter what shit gets thrown their way. When they were traveling from venue to venue in a shitty van, Jack was the one who kept spirits high. In their earliest days, Jack had held them together like glue, as if he could tell that something really special would happen as long as he didn’t let them go.

And he’d been right. There’s no All Time Low without Jack. That’s always been obvious to Alex.

“I think it’s an awesome song,” Jack quietly adds, as an afterthought. “No one else could’ve written it, so take that shit back.”

“Mediocre at best,” Alex says. “But there’s still time to make it better.”

“I like it,” Jack insists. “It’s cool. You’re a good songwriter.”

Alex waves a hand. “All the good lines are from Squire.”

“Well, I don’t know any of the words,” Jack says, a hint of his usual dry humor making a comeback. “But I bet that’s not true. All the best lines always come from you.”

“They’re meh. There’s not even a good line for a title. ‘What Your Best Friend Knows’ is just the most repeated line, but like, I don’t know. It’s boring.”

“So just call it something else,” Jack says. “The title doesn’t have to come from the song. You might have heard of a little album called From Under The Cork Tree? It’s by this super underground band, I’m not sure if you’ve heard of them.”

Alex laughs a little. “Yeah, okay. I guess.”

Another pause fills the room. Finally Jack says, “If you want to hang out, you can, but stop trying to therapy me.”

“I’m not trying to therapy you! It’s called being your friend, you dumbass.”

“Well, cut it out,” Jack deadpans. There’s the Jack Alex knows. 

Alex smiles at him, even though he knows it makes him look very sincere, more sincere than Jack probably wants from him. “You made your band bed,” he says. “Now you have to lie in it.” He half-stands and clambers onto the couch, and Jack stretches his legs over Alex’s lap. “What are we watching?”

“I don’t know,” Jack says, reaching for the remote. “It’s been commercials since I got here.”

“Jesus Christ, don’t these people have anything better to do than advertise all day every day?” Jack unmutes the TV. An episode of a show neither of them know is playing. Alex rolls his eyes. “Which channel is playing Lost reruns, do you think?”

“Only one way to find out,” Jack says, raising the remote like a wand. “Hope you brought a board ‘cause it’s time for some channel surfing.”

“Oh my God, you’re so lame.”

Jack snickers. “Maybe there’ll be a line you can use for the song title. Like a ‘Nobody Puts Baby In A Corner’-type thing.”

“In Lost?” Alex says skeptically. 

“Maybe, you don’t know.”

Alex highly doubts Lost will have any cool one-liners that could double as song titles, but it’s not a bad idea, pulling an iconic movie quote the way Fall Out Boy did on Cork Tree. The gimmick isn’t really the All Time Low style, but there’s a first time for everything.

Besides, Alex thinks, glancing over at Jack, whose attention is trained on the TV, I think I know the perfect movie.

—

“What?”

They’re back in the studio the following day. After yesterday’s minor emotional hurdle, Jack seems to be doing much better. Right now his eyes are wide in surprise as he stares at Alex.

“‘Keep The Change’ —”

“I know the quote,” Jack interrupts, a smile stretching over his face. “That’s the name? Of the song?”

Alex grins. “Has a cool ring to it, don’t you think?”

“Are you fucking kidding me? This is the best day of my life,” Jack enthuses, beaming. 

Alex shrugs. “Well, someone gave me the great idea to use a movie quote for a title. This felt fair.”

“Alex, I literally love you so much, you don’t even know,” Jack says. “Just for this, I’m giving you my firstborn.”

“If you ever have children, God save us all,” Flyzik says dryly from the far side of the room. He’s not wrong, but Jack doesn’t even act offended, still caught up in the excitement of the song title. 

“Hey,” Alex says in a low voice, kicking lightly at Jack’s leg. “For the record, I’d never in a million years have thought to use a movie quote title.”

“That’s why I’m here,” Jack says.

Alex gives him a meaningful look. “That’s my point, man. Next time you think you’re not contributing, just remember this, alright?”

The shadow of realization passes over Jack’s face, and he shakes his head incredulously. “You are such a piece of shit,” he says, although he doesn’t seem upset. “This was just to make a point?”

“I didn’t do it to make a point,” Alex says. “I did it because it was a good idea. But it does make a point, because you thought you weren’t contributing in the studio, and this is proof that you are.”

Jack sighs. “Point taken.” A little bit of humility colors his expression. “Thanks.”

Alex gives him a cheeky smile. “You are welcome,” he says airily, and throws an arm over Jack’s shoulders. “And now I think we both have some guitar parts to learn, am I right?”

“Yup,” says Squire, as if he’d just been waiting for his cue. “Jack, you wanna track this?”

Jack glances over at Alex, who grins. “Yeah,” he says, stepping forward and taking the guitar out of Squire’s hands. “I’d love to.”

[wuxian-vs-wangji]

Sorry if you've answered this before but I'm curious about the lost tomb. Does one need to watch the other seasons to watch the reboot or whatever the new thing is? I saw gifs from it a couple months back and thought the cast was really pretty but didn't watch because I didn't want to have to watch all that other stuff to get to the pretty boys yanno? Would I be losing out on anything by not watching the other content?

Hum...

So I watched “The Lost Tomb” first, the original season is only 10 episodes long, and then dove immediately into “Reunion”;  but since every single character is re-cast between seasons with extremely few exceptions, you still have to learn everyone over again. I did feel like I was missing some stuff, but not to a degree that impacted my viewing.

Um... I’ll make a little character guide for you. Read that and you should be fine::

Wu Xie (Iron Triangle #1)

Wu Xie is the main POV focus. Wu Xie’s great-grandfather began robbing tombs during China���s great famine as a way to feed his family. He left behind The Gravedigger’s Notebook (title of the book series), which catalogues hidden tombs both explored and rumored. It is considered the family’s greatest treasure.

Wu Xie does not rob tombs to make money. He believes in studying their history and secrets, and sort of goes in as an advanced scout before summoning archaeological teams and donating everything inside to museums and such.

In the original “Lost Tomb” series (2015), Wu Xie is poisoned inside a tomb. To save his life, Xiao Ge feeds him something called “Dragon Medicine”- an ancient, rare form of Chinese medicine that grows more potent with age. The piece Wu Xie eats is 3,000 years old, and it causes permanent changes to his DNA. This appears in the story as both Wu Xie’s blood being used to protect others sometimes and whenever someone mentions Wu Xie having “Dragon’s Blood”.

Kylin // Zhang Qiling // Xiao Ge (Iron Triangle #2)

A 100+++ year old tomb raider. Xiao Ge is the patriarch of the most powerful tomb raiding family- though he doesn’t have anything to do with them. His kind are incredibly long lived and he may even be an immortal- so long as he doesn’t die of injury, starvation, cold, etc.

His blood is a deterrent to most of the creepy crawlies in tombs, it can cure some poisons, and he has two fingers on his right hand that are elongated and possess near super strength thanks to an ancient and lost technique. 

Xiao Ge often wanders off on his own, but he always appears when Wu Xie is in trouble. For an unknown reason, Xiao Ge has had a couple instances in the past where he as badly injured and lost time or memory entirely, so much of his past is a mystery to him as well.

Wang Pangzi // Fatty (Iron Triangle #3)

Wu Xie’s constant companion and, along with Xiao Ge, one of his best friends. Pangzi was a tomb robber once upon a time, but a couple of raids in a row landed him with Wu Xie, who doesn’t allow him to steal.

Pangzi has friends in low places, but Wu Xie has become the person he is most loyal to. Seriously, they act like an old married couple most of the time. Oh, and Pangzi might have magical abilities like Xiao Ge- no matter how long they’ve been in a tomb or how unprepared they were to enter, he somehow always has plenty of peanuts or sunflower seeds in his pockets. It’s a running joke.

** Wu Xie’s uncle Sanxing had a companion and right hand man named Panzi who is mentioned a couple times. It gets confusing, just a heads up.

Wu Sanxing // Third Uncle

(Couldn’t find a GIF)

Wu Xie’s father is the first brother, Wu Sanxing is the third (the second is listed next). Wu Xie idolized his uncle Sanxing his entire life, but Wu Sanxing vanished after a tomb exploration, never to be seen or heard from again. 

Wu Xie’s guiding mission is to find his uncle Sanxing at all costs- but to do that he must use his grandfather’s notebook to follow in his uncle’s footsteps and try to piece together a decades-old mystery.

Wu Erbai // Second Uncle

Wu Xie’s... second uncle, lmao!

With Wu Sanxing missing, Wu Erbai is the only family Wu Xie has around (in some “Lost Tomb” adaptations Wu Xie says his parents are dead, but in this one it is implied they are alive but estranged from Wu Xie). Wu Erbai is a bit of a mob boss, though he is kind to his family. He tends to finance Wu Xie’s explorations and takes a keen interest in his nephew’s safety and wellbeing.

A-Ning

(No GIF)

A-Ning was one of the first tomb robbers Wu Xie ever encountered on his travels. Over “The Lost Tomb” series, Wu Xie and A-Ning go from enemies to friends- and there are little hints that they may have been heading towards intimate relations.

In “Reunion”, A-Ning is revealed to have died on Wu Xie’s watch as they searched for a tomb (IDK if this is part of another of the Lost Tomb shows, I’m going back now to watch my way through the whole series). Her memory is very present in the story, so it was worth mentioning her.

Black Glasses // Hei Yanjing

(Not Giffed, but... you know... look for a dude all in black wearing sunglasses religiously)

One of the people Wu Erbai has on his payroll. Black Glasses is another semi-immortal. He is only a little bit younger than Xiao Ge, and very nearly his equal in terms of power. 

Yanjing’s main abilities lie in his eyes though. Out in the world- day or night- he is blind without his simple black sunglasses. In a pitch-black tomb though, he can see perfectly due to his insanely good night vision.

Xiao Ge fights mainly with his sword, but Yanjing is more fond of modern weapons such as guns. He’ll use anything to his advantage- and he’s quite mouthy. I think he and Xiao Ge are... cousins? Or something?

=========

=========

That’s pretty much it for “Reunion”. There are a few other characters who are returns from earlier seasons, but their purposes are pretty easy to guess and their roles minor enough that you’ll pick up on their characters pretty quickly. This includes Liu Sang- the one whose GIFsets I keep sharing :)

The show contains itself in its own story very well, so I think you’ll be able to make it through. But if you feel lost, all I watched before going into it was “The Lost Tomb” from 2015 (10 episodes), mainly to learn who the characters are. You can also look up the characters in the DMBJ Wiki (DMBJ = shorthand for the name of the novel).

[shimmershae]

An observation, if you will.

So.  I think it’s generally acknowledged that Seasons 6-8 of The Walking Dead were...not the best.  Honestly, unless one was/is a major N3gan stan and finds he can do no wrong and that he is fascinating enough to have his story and POV basically take over the rest of the show and many threads of story in it?  You’re of the same opinion because so many characters/stories were disserviced in the name of exploiting this comic villain.  

Seasons 6-8 were largely forgettable and the memorable stuff?  Well, personally?  I really wanted to forget some of that so-called memorable stuff but it burned itself into my subconscious in a way more haunting than feel good, you know?  And I’m not talking about some friendly ghosts.  

But yeah, I think it’s safe to say that overall?  The show hit a low point during that period.  If you were a Saviors fan or a superfan of R!chonne, you might not have cared all that much because the parts of the show you enjoyed were still, well, enjoyable.  Personally, I can say that the R!chonne storyline in this time period was one of the few bright spots for me because I did grow to appreciate some aspects of that relationship.  But the rest of it?  Omigosh, the rest of it.  Ugh.  

Coincidentally or not, Seasons 6-8 marked the beginning of TPTB doing whatever they conceivably could to distance Carol and Daryl emotionally and physically.  You know what?  Let me just backtrack and say it all started in the back end of Season 5, the slow dismantling of Carol and Daryl’s close bond, such that it was.  

Spoiler alert:  Carol and Daryl’s close bond is unbreakable.  

Anyway, I’m not going to delve into deep detail about it.  Suffice it to say, TPTB strained all narrative credibility with the measures they took and Carol and Daryl became mere shadows of themselves, used as vehicles to sell other communities and storylines that, IMHO, were on shaky ground without them.  

But really.  That’s all beside the point, too.  

During these seasons of separation, Carylers started to give up.  They found and gravitated toward other online interests and left the fandom or at least took a step back and their numbers seemed to drop across the board.  

When I first found my way into this online fandom during mid-season 5, the Caryl fandom was alive and seemingly everywhere.  There were gifsets and fanfiction galore and a general buzz.  And yeah, I don’t know what it was like from the very beginning, but from the thousands and thousands of fanfic stories and all the lovely content out there that predates me, I imagine it was a wonderful time to be a fan--full of hope and possibility and fun.  

All of those things are still in existence; they just were, at least going as far back as early season 9, more rare and stumbling upon them was like stumbling upon some kind of treasure.  

Since the end of Season 9, though, there’s been a gradual but marked turnaround.  At least to my observation.  

New names are popping up on people’s dashboards.  On the fanfiction sites too.  Gifsets and beautiful vids and edits aren’t so rare anymore. 

And over the course of this season?  Carylers have been more quiet about it than other shippers, but they’re coming back.  The new and the old alike.  I mean, has anybody else noticed the uptick in likes and reblogs of Caryl content?  Gifsets that might have gotten 200 responses (and taken months to do so) just last season are easily eclipsing that.  Just today I’ve seen a handful of gifsets that can’t be more than a week old that already have over 700-800 notes.  

You know what that tells me?  

It tells me that Carol and Daryl?  Well.  Reports of their death have been greatly exaggerated.  People out there still connect with them.  People out there are still falling in love with them.  People out there still want them to have their happy middle before we can even conceive of their eventual end (they don’t die--I won’t allow it; they’ll live on in my heart forever).  

Know who’s responsible for that?  And I know some of us are frustrated because it’s been 84 fucking years, but she’s been working, dammit.  She’s been doing her best to re-brick the foundation that Gimple tried to take a damn bulldozer to in his efforts to satisfy his comic stiffy.  

Angela Kang.  

Kang has made Carol and Daryl the heart of the first season that she has more creative control over (as I understand it anyway).  She’s delved deep into the issues that Gimple wedged between them and she’s building back their foundation, what makes them them.  Only she’s letting them breathe and grow back to each other like the magnets they are and honestly.  Honestly, ya’ll.  Maybe my faith is misplaced and I’ll be played a fool one last time, but I really and truly believe we’re finally getting ready for liftoff, to set sail, whatever you wanna call it.  

Kang broke our babies down, yeah, but not so that another ship could set sail.  She broke them down so she could rebuild them her way, better and stronger than ever.  Together.  

Just look around you.  Carylers are quietly returning and growing in number because the beauty of these two is shining through again.  Wave to our old friends and our new shipmates, ya’ll.  

Canon’s coming.  This time feels different.  It really does.  

We just have to hang on a little bit longer.  

I’ll be here.  

Will you?  

[theuntamednarrator]

The Last, Best Doctor

Inspired by this post and this gifset

~~~

Wen Ning and Lan Sizhui had just finished visiting the Burial Mounds. They had not really had any time for sightseeing during the recent siege, after all, and the boy had only remembered who he was very recently.

The fierce corpse had looked anything but as he showed Lan Sizhui, a-Yuan, their old home. Smiling as he pointed to where the lotus shoots had sprouted, and amusing the young man by re-enacting Wei Wuxian’s crowing delight that he had proved them all wrong, miming cradling the delicate shoots between his cupped hands and kissing their tiny leaves. Lan Sizhui had laughed, Wen Ning’s mimicry perfectly echoing Wei Wuxian’s wild, infectious, if often inappropriate, delight.

“JieJie even said it was worth putting up with his gloating to finally see a smile on his face again,” Wen Ning continued, before a brief spasm of pain clouded his pale face. Lan Sizhui drew his brows down and reached for the other man’s sleeve.

“Wen Ning? Who?”

“Ah! It’s getting so late, we should be getting on,” his tone had not changed, but Lan Sizhui saw deep pain in his cousin’s eyes. Jin Ling or Lan Jingyi would have pressed for details, mouths running far ahead of their brains.  Lan Sizhui only smiled and nodded a short ‘mn’ of agreement.

Hours later, as they walked along the winding path, he felt Wen Ning’s steps begin to slow, faltering beside him. Glancing over, Lan Sizhui saw a faint path arching of from their comparatively broad one. It looked as though no-one had passed that way for at least ten years, but Wen Ning stared into the trees with that deep pain now written clearly on his face. Lan Sizhui stifled the thought that, if a fierce corpse could cry, tears would have been coursing down his cheeks.

Wen Ning turned his head, and met Lan Sizhui’s questioning gaze, before he stepped off onto the faint track a few paces, hesitantly at first, but his steps quickening as he heard the young disciple, heard a-Yuan, following him. He didn’t know what had possessed him, but he was almost running now, and his heart would have been pounding in his chest if it still beat. He wished wildly that it would pound. Could pound as it always had when he’d run home to his JieJie, late always late, his bow bouncing on his back and his arms covered with scratches from retrieving arrows from prickly bushes. She would sigh over the state of him and begin pulling her salves from their various drawers, boiling certain herbs for tea as she bandaged the worst cuts. He can almost hear her, the soft murmuring of her voice as she read though a particularly difficult passage in one of their family medical texts, left hand scribbling notes while her right turned pages.

JieJie

He isn’t panting, as he comes to a halt in front of the gates. Couldn’t, now that he no longer breathes. But Lan Sizhui, a-Yuan, sounds a little breathless as he comes up behind him. The boy might be a powerful cultivator in a respected sect, but even so keeping pace with the Ghost General is no easy task. Craning his neck he reads the faded characters over the gate with some difficulty.

“Yiling Supervisory Office?” His soft voice is a question and a confusion. Though the words ‘supervisory office’ mean little to anyone who did not live, or not live, as the case may be, through the Sunshot Campaign he must wonder what they are doing here.

Wen Ning takes a breath as he turns to his cousin. His voice doesn’t tremble, and he thinks sadly that it should.

“This was my sister’s house,” he began, uncertainty making him abrupt. But the boy’s, a-Yuan’s, face is open, and his eyes are curious, and suddenly Wen Ning can’t stop the flood of words. He drags the other behind him as they cross the courtyard from the kitchens, to his old room, the archery yards, the gardens, and the main hall, chattering all the while. Stories of Wen Qing, of her watchful eyes on him as he grew, of her worry as she tried to shield him from Wen Ruohan growing madness, her kindness to those who came to seek her aid. If he hesitates, a soft question nudges him into more stories, wide eyes and eager ears drinking it all in.

Wen Ning refuses to linger at the guest chambers where Wei Wuxian and his siblings had stayed in those awful days after their home burnt and Jiang Cheng’s core was crushed. Even so he swore he could taste the faint echoes. Jiang Yanli’s overwhelming grief, Jiang Cheng’s hopelessness, Wei Wuxian’s frantic frenetic guilt, which had engulfed their little bubble, forcing them to finally take a side, tipping his JieJie off the knife’s edge she’d been walking and oh, hadn’t it sliced them all to pieces on the way down.

At last, they arrive at the bottom of the steps leading to the library. Wen Ning doesn’t know if he can make himself go in, face the decay and rot of all his family’s years of gathered knowledge, their wisdom. But Lan Sizhui, a-Yuan, has already climbed the steps and is pushing open the door. He has no choice but to join him.

The first thing he notices is that there is no decay, and little dust. Confused, he sweeps the room for possible intruders, possible danger, until his eyes catch a flash of gold on the central supporting beam. A talisman, for protection and preservation. Wen Ning feels a warm surge of gratitude to his master. He knows it is Wei Wuxian’s, for who better to recognise his tricks than he, the man’s greatest trick?

The second thing he notices in the scroll for the core transfer, lying on the low table where he had rolled it and placed it after his JieJie had finished her meticulous copy and annotations, unwilling to risk the original on the mountain side. He felt a sudden pang of loneliness. None of the five of them had come back to this place, before now. Four of them had died, and two of them, the best of them he privately thought, remained dead. He suddenly desperately wished he had not talked his JieJie into Wei Wuxian’s desperate plan; but he’d been enamoured of the older boy’s confidence and sure that nothing he dreamed could be beyond reach, was sure his fire would light them all up. Instead, it had nearly burnt them all down.

Lan Sizhui ran his fingers along the scrolls, the studious Gusu Lan disciple in him burning him to drag them from their shelves and devour them. He can already tell these are texts their Library Pavillion does not have. His fingers itch, and he forces them still.

“What,” his voice is soft but it still seems to shock his cousin, who he realises had been very far away. “Sorry. What did our family do? Wen Qing,” and he knows the name now, from the stories Wen Ning has just told him, though he does not feel that he knows her, not yet. “What did she do?”

“She was a doctor,” there is pride in his cousin’s voice, and it almost masks the grief. "She was the best doctor is all the five sects.”

“What happened to her?”

Wen Ning tries to stay focussed on the boy’s face, even as the clamouring grows in his memories. Sharp, pointed swords, ringing and cutting in soft flesh. Sharper eyes over a smile that never reached them. The notes of a flute, loud, but not loud enough, never loud enough to drown the screams.

“a-Ning! a-NING!”

“I don’t know,” it's whispered, shameful, a confession of grief and guilt long held. “We, we got separated, at JinLin Tai.”

Lan Sizhui, a-Yuan’s, smile faded slightly, and he nodded thoughtfully as he turned back to the texts. He pulled a few scrolls to him and turned to Wen Ning, his face shining with a bright determination.

“I would like to study our family’s teachings Ning-xiong,” he said formally. “Please may I take some of Master Qing’s writings for further study?”

He has your eyes, JieJie. Wen Ning thinks, and he feels another warm surge of gratitude.  For Hanguang Jun, for sheltering a helpless child, for his master, for protecting them all, but mostly for the young man, a-Yuan, standing in front of him.

“Mn” he nodded, enthusiastically, and was rewarded by a bright laugh.

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

Fateful Objection

A long, long LONG time ago, there was a gifset of a supercorp au where Krypton survived and Kara interrupted a forced marriage between Lena and Mon-el of Daxam. This is my take on that AU.

----

When Kara Zor el learns she would be accompanying her parents to Daxam to observe the nuptials of the crown prince, she can think of a million other things she would rather be doing. Focusing on her grant to guild council requesting funding for an expedition to the most inhospitable planet in the quadrant. Dis- and re-assembling all the Kal-ex models in the citadel. Ask her Uncle Non for the full military history of the Daxamite war, and listen stonefaced as he flatly recounts every recorded and perceived slight inflicted by Krypton's closest neighbors. But when she disembarks her family's shuttle with her parents, cousin, and Aunt Astra at her side, Kara stares in awe at the grand pyramid that towers over their heads. Non remains on duty, thank Rao, manning the frigate still in orbit. It's beautiful, in an archaic sort of way-- imposing without a single ounce of nuance. Such is the way of Daxam. 

Queen Rhea herself greets them, and Kara's mother Alura accepts the welcome on behalf of Krypton and the House of El. Soon, the queen bequeaths their contingent to a steward, with instructions to be shown to the chambers they would be using for the duration of the festivities. The steward takes them the long way, intentionally guiding them past Daxam's grandest views and most impressive architecture. Naturally. Kara wonders which sites are favored for the Prince's infamously lewd parties, and which were genuinely spaces for reflection and prayer. Still, as their tour winds deeper into the palace, Kara finds more to admire. Art and sculpture that both bewitches and confounds her, slowing her steps and ultimately pausing them to study one more closely. She doesn't notice her family moving on until she blinks and finds the corridor empty to either side of her. Alarm sparks low in her belly, as her mother's voice echoes in her ears. "While we are on Daxam, we must abide by the highest laws of decorum and honor," she'd warned them, more than once. "We are representatives of Krypton, and must demonstrate as such." Getting lost in a palace would not reflect well on Krypton, or the House of El. Kara follows the corridor in the direction she'd been going, only to pause moments later when the hall forked. Neither hold any sign of her family. This time, she chooses a direction at random. Within moments a sinking suspicion gathers in her gut, as she encounters nothing but more empty corridor... until it terminates in a single door. She knows it can't be the chambers alotted to the House of Zor el-- too secluded, too plain, too chill-- but Kara swipes her hand over the sensor anyway. Perhaps, she thinks, another steward lurked inside, and could redirect her before anyone important discovers her absence. But when the door slides open, it's not a steward she finds inside. Instead she finds a bed, and a woman asleep upon it. Kara's breath catches in her chest, feet riveted to the ground as the sight of pale skin against a dark gown overrides any compulsion to leave before being noticed. Those same traitorous feet carry her inside. One step, two steps, three... The door slides shut with a hiss, and the sleeping woman stirs. Dark lashes flutter open, and before Kara can bolt, sharp eyes focus on her. "I apologize," Kara blurts, heart thudding rapidly. "I got lost, and... I didn't mean to--" "I can't understand you," the woman said in another language. She pushed herself up to sitting, rolling her eyes with a helpless, resigned shrug. "Whatever Rhea sent you here to do, just do it." The words are foreign, but they tickle a long buried interest in alien linguistics, and memories float to the surface. After a pause, Kara reaches instinctively for the words that lift to her memory. "You... are not from Daxam." That sharp gaze flies to Kara once more, widening in surprise. "You speak English!" English, yes. More of her old studies sharpen in her mind. English. A language commonly spoken on a planet on the far side of the galaxy. "Some."

Suddenly, her hands are held tightly in warm fingers, taken by the pale woman who now holds her in thrall with beseeching eyes. "Please, you have to help me." Kara freezes, alarm jangling every nerve. "You... are here for wedding?" "I am the wedding," comes the swift response, almost too swift for Kara to follow. "Rhea expects me to marry her son, but I want no part of it." "You are unwilling?" "Yes! Rhea abducted me from my planet, against my will. I have no interest in Daxam-- I just want to go home." Kara stares at her, and the woman stares back. Keen eyes scan her up and down. "You're not from Daxam, either." "No," Kara agrees. "I am Kara Zor el, from Krypton." "Daxam's closest neighbor," the woman supplies, almost thoughtful. "You share a sun." Kara nods. "My name is Lena Luthor, from a planet called Earth." Earth. That was it. The planet Astra once told her would grant Kryptonians god-like powers. For flight, speed, strength. "Kara Zor el, please, you must help me. None of the servants will even speak to me. Rhea has them completely under her thumb." Kara can only imagine, considering they were not servants, but slaves yoked to the crown. "Can you not leave?" Kara asks. The door hadn't been locked. If what Lena says is true, surely the door would have been locked. But Lena merely lifts the hem of her gown, revealing a dark band around her ankle. "I can't take it off. As long as I wear it, the door closes before I can reach it." The dress droops, and when Kara turns a horrified gaze back to Lena, the woman can't quite meet her gaze. "I'm a prisoner." Kara can't quite believe it. But she has no means to distrust Lena either. And the beacon-- the beacon lends the story credence. "Please, Kara Zor el. You're the first person to speak to me since we landed. Just-- get me out of this room and I'll make my own way home from there." Kara almost agrees, already forming a plan to find and destroy the sensor that watched for the beacon, and help smuggle the woman out of the palace. But her mother's words echo once again, and makes her shake her head. "I can't." She pulls away, only for Lena's hands to grab at her once more. "No, please, wait! There-- there has to be something--" "It would be an act of war," Kara states plainly. "I cannot." Lena stares at her, stricken. Then her features harden, and her fingers release Kara's wrist. Silently, Lena turns away, folding her arms around herself, as disappointment settles heavily on her shoulders. Helplessness settles on Kara as well. She stands, unwilling to leave but unable to help. Until... "Speak no." Lena turns only slightly. "What?" "Marriage on Krypton provide a time for dissenters to voice... objection, to the union. I believe Daxam does as well." Lena stares at her. "It is often formality, but if you speak no, it will give the delegation pause. It could... give us cause to act. Give you time." Silence answers her. Its a long chance. Kara hopes her family will answer Lena's cry for help, but-- she isn't certain they will. "Listen for 'if any shall protest Rao's will, let them speak.'" Kara says the words in the old language, the one Daxam and Krypton still share in ritual. "Let them speak," Lena parrots. Her tongue stumbles over the words, but the comprehension is there. "And then you say 'I speak no'." The delegation may recognize English, but Rhea would be harder pressed to smooth over the bride objecting in their language. "I speak no," Lena repeats again. These words are simpler, better suited to a mouth used to softer sounds. Before Kara can say anything more, Lena staggers suddenly, listing sharply into her. Kara steadies her, helping her to the bed. "Are you all right?" Lena inhales sharply, rubbing at her chest with a hand that trembles. "The food doesn't agree with me." Kara watches her anxiously, but Lena offers nothing else. She fidgets, unused to being so unhelpful. "Speaking no may be enough to stall the ceremony. It's not much, I'm sorry." Lena's features finally soften. "It's more than I had five minutes ago." She offers a sad smile. Thank you, Kara Zor el." When she leaves, Kara does so with a lump in her throat. It doesn't feel right. Daxam's reputation for cruelty towards their slaves was well known to Krypton, but this? This was beyond anything Kara ever believed them capable. Mind twisting, Kara almost doesn't see the figure coming around the corner. "Oh!" She stops just shy of collision, and blinks back her dismay at the sight of Queen Rhea herself. In an instant, Kara smoothed her features and dipped into a genuflection. "Your Majesty, please forgive me." Regal features curl into a humorless smile, as her eyes track to the sigil on Kara's chest. "The House of El. I hadn't heard they'd misplaced one of their number." "I was admiring a sculpture, and didn't realize I'd lagged so far behind, your highness. I thought they'd come this way, but I've seen no sign of them." "Oh? And what have you seen?" Danger lurks under the sweet and patient intonation. Kara lifts her chin, channeling every ounce of her mother's training to keep her expression neutral. "Nothing? Your majesty," she tacks on. "When I realized I had gone the wrong way, I thought I had found a servant's corridor. Please accept my deepest apologies, your majesty. I did not mean to intrude." A dark eyebrow lifts. "A humble Kryptonian. I never thought I'd see the day." Her words mock, but her suspicion softens to mirth. "Perhaps there is some hope for the future of our people's after all." The queen turns to one of the guards at her shoulder. "Escort our guest to her delegation." "Yes, my queen." Kara dips again, eyes downcast. "Thank you, your majesty. I shall do my best not to be so enraptured with your palace in the future." This time when Rhea smiles, Kara sees the fangs behind it. "You may admire as you wish-- simply mind your way." "Yes, your majesty." The queen strides past her, her remaining guard trailing close behind. Kara itches to follow, but the guard waiting to escort her pre-empts any thoughts of subterfuge. She follows him in the opposite direction, pretending she doesn't hear the hiss of a door opening and closing behind her. When the door opens to her own family's chambers, her mother and aunt immediately rise to meet. "Kara, thank Rao!" "What happened? Where you detained?" Kara shakes her head. "I'm fine but--" "Kara, you know how important our presence here is!" Her mother scolds. "You can't be wandering off like a child! I brought you because I believed you mature enough to accept the responsibility." Kara glances at Kal el, who sits in a small corner of the couch, wholly absorbed in his reading and unconcerned with where he was or why. "Yes, mother," is all she says. "I'm sorry." She keeps her discovery to herself, avoiding her mother's disbelief through dinner and evening prayer. It's not until the quiet hour that Kara seeks out her aunt, and finds her gazing out the window of their main reception area, gaze deep and thoughtful. "Aunt Astra?" Astra turns to face her, silver hair glinting in the moonlight. "Yes, little one." She smiles. "Come, keep your old aunt company a while." Kara gladly steps into her aunt's one-armed embrace, sharing the same view. "You're not old." "Mmm," her aunt hums. "My ego appreciates that, little one." They stand in silence for several minutes, until Kara finally gives voice to the concerns that plague her. "Does Daxam follow the same bonding rituals as Krypton?" "Yes, for the most part. They select their matches differently, but the ceremonies are largely the same." "So there will be an opportunity to dissent?" Astra glances at her. "Does this have anything to do with your quiet this evening?" Kara swallows. "Something happened. When we were separated." "What is it? If they put a finger on you--" "No, aunt. Nothing like that. I-- I followed a wrong corridor, and ended up in the bride's chambers." Dark eyebrows lift. "How strange. Is she as lovely as the Daxamites all whisper?" "Yes, but-- Aunt Astra, I think she's in trouble." Astra snorts. "And she's only just realizing the Daxamites are trouble?" "She isn't from Daxam. She says she's from Earth." That gets Astras attention. "Earth?" "She doesn't speak Daxamite-- only English. She was difficult to follow, but I think she said the Queen abducted her from her planet, brought her here against her will. Her name is Lena Luthor, and--" "These are serious allegations, Kara. Are you certain you heard what you think you did?" Kara swallows. "She spoke so fast. But... she asked for help. I'm certain of that. And I saw fear in her eyes." "And what did you tell her?" "I couldn't act. Not without inciting conflict between our planets. But I told her of the right to dissent, gave her the words to speak that might stop the ceremony." Astra considers her words. Finally, she nods. "That was a wise move." "What if it's not enough? What if Rhea skips the rite?" For once, Astra doesn't have answer for her. "Then we will find a way to investigate further. If this woman is indeed from Earth, we may have grounds to interfere. It is an indexed planet earmarked for potential colonization. An abduction could threaten our prospects-- it would behoove us to prevent such an outcome." It does little to soothe Kara. The lump in her throat remains long through the night and breakfast the next morning, and through her preparations for the ceremony. All the while, she tries not to think what preparations Lena may be undergoing that very moment. In the ampitheater, Kara and her family are afforded an unobstructed view. She sits between her mother and cousin, back straight and fingers clenched. The Prince enters first, from the east. His features are solemn, heavy. Completely uncharacteristc of the rumors that abound of his celebrity and immaturity. He looks how Kara feels-- that he knows what comes next is very wrong. But instead of relief, Kara's dread only worsens. He could stop this, but hasn't. By showing up, he proves he will be no ally to his betrothed. When Lena enters from the west, Kara knows in an instant something is wrong. The woman's sharp gaze had been piercing the day before, but now they're cloudy and slightly unfocused. Her skin is flushed, red and shining with sweat despite the chill in the chamber. When she stumbles on air, a guard takes her firmly by the arm, and all but drags her to where the Prince and Queen wait. As the ceremony commences, Kara's focus remains on Lena's profile, and watches as her eyes close sluggishly, and her chest hitches as though in discomfort. "If any shall protest Rao's will, let them speak." Kara waits with bated breath, in the stretch of silence that follows. Astra touches her knee in readiness, but one beat passes, then two, and Lena says nothing. Kara lookes closer, and finds Lena's eyes clenched shut,  hand pressed against her sternum as though she hasn't even heard. She hasn't heard. "Then by Rao's--" "I object!" Kara blurts, shooting to her feet. The prince's head turns sharply, but Lena's eyes remain closed, as she inhales through her nose. "Kara," Alura hisses, but the damage is done.  Rheas gaze turns on Kara, and in them she finds outrage, second to mirth. She thinks she's won. "I speak," Kara repeats. "This union cannot proceed." "It is not your place, girl. You are not speaker of your delegation." "Lena!" Kara calls, shaking free of her mother's hands. Finally, Lena's eyes blink open. "Lena!" Sluggish eyes turn towards her. "Karazorel..." The name runs together on Lena's tongue, slurred and murky. "Yes, princess, it's me. Do you accept this union?" Rhea pushes between them. In a flash, Astra stands at Kara's side, ready to defend her. "You risk a thousand years of peace, Kryptonian!" "You are the one who invited us here-- to observe the rites. We will stand witness, and by Rao if you have done anything--" "I speak no." The words come soft behind Rhea, stuttered and cottony. The queen whirls, outrage twisting her pretty face into an ugly mask of rage. "How do you know those words?" Lena blinks sluggishly. "I speak no." This time, the pronunciation is close to perfect, and the utterance carries across the entire hall. "I speak no--" Rhea's hand cracks against her cheek. The force of the blow sends Lena staggering, ultimately losing her battle against gravity to fall to her knees. Kara doesn't think. She pushes past her aunt and the guards between them, and plants her hand on Rhea's wrist, where her hand twists in Lena's hair, pulling cruelly. "You dare--" Rhea's hand lifts to strike Kara as well, but Astra is at her side in an instant, tall and imposing. "Strike her and you will only live long enough to do it once." Rhea pauses. "Let her go," Kara demands. "You have no authority here." Kara looks over her shoulder, where Lena tearfully struggles to breathe past the ragged gasps in her throat. "Lena..." She can't give Lena the words this time. All she needs to do is ask for help. The system is listening-- they would hear, and act. She just needs to speak. In English, or not. When Lena looks up at her, searching through the bleary haze in her eyes, Kara isn't certain she could even hear her. Something was wrong. "Please," Lena gasps. A hand presses to her chest, as though trying to relieve a tremendous pressure. "Please help me." The room erupts in shock and outrage. Kara releases the queen to reach for Lena, and hears Astra declare Lena safe under the protection of Krypton and the House of El until the truth of Rhea's treachery is uncovered. It fades to a dull roar, as Kara presses her hands to Lena's flushed and sweating cheeks. She's shocked to find her skin chill and clammy. "Mother!" she calls. "Mother, she is unwell!" "I-- I can't breathe--" Lena gasps, moments before she face turns ashen and her body loosens. Kara only just manages to catch her before she slumps the floor, unconscious. "MOTHER!" "Her heartrate is too fast." "I think she's been drugged," Kara supplies quickly. She turns to Rhea. "What did you give her?!" "You insult me--" "We don't have time for this," Alura cuts her off. "Astra, we need to get her back to the shuttle. We will be able to provide treatment on the frigate." The flight back to the frigate passes tensely. Lena doesn't wake up, and Kara spends the minutes with her hand tight around the human's slack fingers. As soon as Astra carries Lena into the medical bay, she activates a stasis field. "This will give us time to quarantine her condition. Sister, do you still have the files on human physiology?" Alura nods. "Yes. I've sent a Kal ex unit to retrieve them." In the meantime, the healing units hover and dart around Lena's pale frame, taking samples and running tests. When they compare the results to Alura's records, Astra's features darken. "So it's true then. Daxam drugs its people into compliance." Kara stares, horrified. "She was drugged?" Astra nods. "These results indicate she has been for some time. No doubt she proved troublesome for the Queen. But it seems she received a significantly larger dose only just recently, likely in attempt to keep her from making a scene during the ceremony." "The prolonged exposure weakened her heart," Alura supplies. "Had it been just the one dose, we might have been able to fully repair the damage, but..." "She'll die?" "We can help her recover, and Krypton's gravity differs from Earth's. It's possible it will allow her to live a relatively long life... but she will have symptoms for the rest of her days." Kara breathes deeply. "We can't let Rhea have her." "I agree, little one. But I'm afraid the decision may be out of our hands. Once she is well enough, the council will want to hear her story. If it is true Rhea captured her, Daxam will never lay a hand on her again." Alura meets her husband's gaze, and nods. "The House of El will pledge their protection. She will be safe on Kryptonian soil." The others leave, citing duties and a desire to let the healers work. But Kara stays, unable to pull herself away. Astra lingers. "I am so proud of you, Kara. You took a great risk, speaking out as you did. But you saved her life." Kara shakes her head. Her exchange in the palace repeated in her head, looping on Lena's unsteadiness and her breathlessness. 

The food doesn't agree with me. "She was ill when we met. I just, didn't realize..." "You couldn't have, Kara." "I shouldn't have left her there. I should have done more to help her that night. If I had, Rhea wouldn't have had the chance to--" "You did more than anyone else did. You were a hero today." But it wasn't enough. "I want to stay here tonight." "Very well. I will sent kal ex with some blankets." Kara stays, for days as they try to get Lena's baseline to a sustainable level. When they slowly reduce the stasis field, allowing Lena to function on her own, their patient sleeps, oblivious to the political volleys exchanged in her name. To Kara's surprise, Krypton remains adamant that Lena remain where she is, despite Daxam's demands for her return.

Kara is there when Lena opens her eyes. They lift heavily, as though burdened by great weight. Her eyes slowly focus, and then sharpen to the keen edge Kara had witnessed before. "You are safe," Kara says in English, pulling the woman's focus to her. "Safe." Lena's throat bobs in a thick swallow. "The wedding..." "You spoke no. The ceremony wasn't completed." Lena's eyes close, lips pressing tightly together. "You're on my family's ship now, in orbit over Krypton. Once the council determines the fault of Daxam, you'll be allowed to land, as a guest of the House of El." Lena nods, opening her eyes. "Thank you, Karazorel." "My friends call me Kara." Pale lips lift softly, even as her eyes start to slip shut, betraying her exhaustion. "I'm Lena."

[pies-writes-and-more]

Blue

Word Count: 3, 334

Pairing: Steve Rogers/Fem!Reader

Warnings: None? Drinking alcohol but all characters are assumed to be legal.

Masterlist

(Wrote this fic and then found the perfect gif [shown below] made by @capsgrantrogers​ who was an angel and let me use it! The full blue Steve Rogers gifset can be found here! Go see it, like it, love it, cherish it - PERFECTION.)

“You are all cordially being invited to a party, next Saturday,” Tony had announced, a wide grin on his face. “We shall celebrate my birthday in the only appropriate way, in style.” He gave the group a cheeky smirk before strutting off without giving any real details of the party.

“It’s nothing too fancy,” Pepper explained after he walked away. “Just semi-formal.” She offered, glancing as the boys shared a look. 

Internally, (Y/N) groaned. She enjoyed hanging out with the Avengers, really she did. But parties meant more guests, more new people to meet, more socializing. She sighed, also knowing that a reason to dress up was, in Wanda and Natasha’s minds, a reason to get Steve and her together, much to her embarrassment. 

“He’s going to wear that blue shirt, you know,” Wanda smirked as she smoothed out her dress. “Try not to drool this time.”

“I don’t drool,” (Y/N) grumbled, staring at her closet. “Why is always blue? Why can’t he wear some other colour..”

“He looks good in it, It matches his eyes,” Natasha offered, shrugging. “What’s with you? I thought you liked him in that shirt?”

“She’d like it better if she was taking the shirt off,” Wanda snickered, ducking a tissue box that (Y/N) threw at her in retaliation.

“Shut up!” (Y/N)’s cheeks were bright red, quickly drinking more of her cooler as her friends laughed. Definitely wasn’t drunk enough for her. “It’s not that I don’t like the shirt, it’s just that...” She hesitated, wondering what it was about the blue shirt that made her swoon so hard.

“Regardless of the colour of the shirt, his muscles and chest are still going to make you drool,” Natasha pointed out, smirking as (Y/N) huffed, shifting through the dresses in her closet. Nat finally gave up and came to her rescue, pulling out a dress for her. 

“Really?” (Y/N) gave her a glare as Nat shoved the hanger into her hands. “Didn’t we just discuss the whole blue thing?”

“It’s a pretty dress!” Natasha argued. “Plus last time you wore this was that party were Steve broke his whiskey glass, remember?”

Wanda burst out laughing at the memory, looking at the girls through the mirror. “His eyes were about to pop out of his head, I swear.”

(Y/N) gave them another glare, stripping down to pull the dress on. “I swear, you guys attend different parties than I do. He wasn’t even looking at me.”

“Wanda, remind me to videotape this shit sometime,” Natasha rolled her eyes, zipping the dress from behind her. “You two are so disgustingly in love with each other. Every time one of you looks away, the other one stares.”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes, sighing as she changed the subject to something else, fixing up her makeup just in time as FRIDAY informed them that Tony was asking for their ETA.

“Down in 5, FRIDAY!” Wanda called out, slipping on her pair of heels. “How do I look?”

“Not too shabby, Maximoff,” (Y/N) teased, tugging at her dress once more before they headed towards the elevator.

Steve was over it. This party was like all the other Stark parties - loud and crowded. He leaned against the bar, nodding a thank you to Thor as the demi-god poured some of his Asgardian alcohol for him. “I am glad to be sharing this with a Midguardian,” Thor grinned, patting the super soldier on the back before disappearing into the crowd of people.

“I’m glad to be getting a buzz off of it,” Steve mumbled into the drink before swallowing some of it down.

“Oof,” Sam muttered, eyes looking past Steve. “I always forget how good the girls clean up.”

Steve whirled around, gaze immediately attracted to the tight fitting blue dress walking around. The alcohol stung his throat as he coughed in surprise, putting his glass down and turning away from the girls’ entrance.

“Damn, guess Cupid missed the heart and went for the lungs,” Bucky smirked as he downed a shot. “You know, Steve, if you don’t ask her for a dance tonight, I will.”

“Might have to fight me for her attention,” Sam agreed, giving a low whistle as his eyes examined (Y/N) in her semi-formal attire.

Steve shot his friends a glare, clearing his throat, “Ask who?” He replied stupidly.

Sam and Bucky shared a look, rolling their eyes together. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence she’s wearing the same colour as you tonight,” Sam mentioned smoothly.

“I don’t either,” Steve mumbled. “I think it’s called ‘Natasha’.”

“Or you know, maybe she wants your attention,” Clint spoke up from behind him, grinning. “She always says she likes you in blue.”

Steve glanced at him, reading his gaze for a moment. It didn’t seem like he was lying, but how come (Y/N) never mentioned it to him?

“Boys,” Natasha smiled, leaning against Clint’s shoulder. “You all look...decent,” she smirked before looking up at the Captain. “I think gentlemen are supposed to tell the ladies they look nice tonight.�� She nudged Steve’s arm, nodding her head towards (Y/N), who rolled her eyes.

“Nat, stop that. I, for one, am happy to compliment them for a change,” (Y/N) laughed, smiling at the boys. “You all look so cute in your fancy clothes.”

“Cute?” Sam wrinkled his nose in response. “We aren’t hamsters.”

“Fine, handsome, my bad,” (Y/N) laughed. “I haven’t seen you all dressed up before, Barnes. It’s a nice look.”

“How else am I going to grab your attention tonight, doll?” Bucky responded with a wink, Steve tightening his grip on his glass slightly as (Y/N) giggled.

“I paid good money for these people to come play their music,” Tony called out, interrupting the conversation. “I invite you all to a party and you’re just standing around? Come dance, unless you think you’ll make a fool of yourselves. Then absolutely come dance so that Pepper and I can show you up.” He grinned, nodding at Steve before walking back to his wife.

“Hey Bucky, those girls over there are eyeing us,” Sam mentioned with a grin.

“Time to suit up,” Bucky snickered and the two of them walked away, both turning to give Steve a look.

“Clint, where’s your lovely wife? Go ask her to dance,” Natasha insisted almost immediately after, the two of them scurrying in Laura’s direction.

(Y/N) bit her lip, wishing Wanda hadn’t left earlier to find Vision. She signaled to the bartender, quickly asking for a shot. She definitely wasn’t able to be around Steve in that incredible blue shirt of his while sober. He had the sleeves folded up and she could see his muscles tugging at the fabric. God, I need to stop, she thought to herself, finding every excuse to look away.

“(Y/N)?” Steve spoke up after the bartender passed her the shot. She threw her head back, grimacing at the feeling of the alcohol burning its way down her throat. “Nat was right,” he cleared his throat, standing a bit taller. “My ma would be very unimpressed with me right now if she saw me standing next to you, all prettied up, without letting you know just how gorgeous you are.” The words spilled out of his lips quickly, leaving him to wonder just how fast the Asgardian liquor worked.

The smile on her lips though made Steve’s stomach go warm. “Awe, thanks Stevie.” She smiled, reaching over to straighten his shirt collar slightly. “Blue’s more your colour than mine though.”

Steve bit his lip, feeling the warmth of her skin so close to him. “I’d never wear it again if it meant I could see you in this dress more often,” he mumbled quietly.

“Hm?” (Y/N)’s eyes caught his, smiling happily as she smoothed out his shirt. 

“Never mind,” he gave her a quick smile, offering her his arm. “Dance with me? The prettiest girl here shouldn’t be the one standing at the bar.”

(Y/N) must be going crazy. Did Steve really just ask her to dance? She nodded eagerly, both of them avoiding their friends’ eyes.

She wasn’t much of a dancer, but she was surprised to find that Steve led well. There was something so comforting about being so close to him, but she also felt like her heart was going to burst out of her chest. She would catch his gaze every now and then, his blue eyes making her feel like she was hypnotized. 

Meanwhile, Steve hoped that she couldn’t feel the shaking of his movements as he lead her around the dance floor. She seemed so loose in her movements, the dress flowing after her body like an angel. Never in his many years of living did he think a girl could be this close to Heaven. 

(Y/N) couldn’t help but feel her cheeks burn with how much she was smiling. She felt the heat of her blush grow as eyes followed them. She tried to hide her disappointed as his hand pulled away from her waist as the song finally ended. He gave her a little playful bow, winking at her before they were whisked away by different groups of people.

 (Y/N) was overwhelmed meeting Tony’s guests, and re-meeting some of the ones that had been at the complex before. She knocked back a few more drinks, nervously interacting with those nearby.

Soon, the room became too warm with conversations and social interactions. (Y/N) quickly found herself feeling incredibly small, sliding along the wall until she escaped down the hallway and onto the balcony nearby. She threw herself against the railing, gasping for fresh air as her heart slid out of her throat.

Cursing to herself, she swallowed down the rest of her drink and let herself feel the cool night breeze against her bare arms. “I hate parties,” she mumbled, tapping her fingers along the steel railing.

“(Y/N)?”

She turned to find Steve standing in the doorway, looking worried. “Are you okay?” He asked, rushing to her side and touching her arm gently. 

“F-Fine, just needed air,” She told him, having to steady her balance slightly. Her gaze quickly dropping from his face to his chest. He looks so good in this stupid blue shirt, she thought to herself.

“Thank you,” he laughed, her cheeks suddenly turning red as she realized the thought had escaped through her lips. “But if you think it’s that stupid, I’ll wear a different shirt next time.” He gave her a nervous smile, rubbing the back of his neck.

“No!” (Y/N) yelped, blinking quickly as she scrambled to come up with an answer. “I-I just... You just looked really good in the shirt and it’s really difficult to not notice,” she admitted, slurring her words slightly. “I hate blue.” She mumbled, leaning against the railing. 

Steve’s smile faltered slightly, “Well it looks incredible on you,” he insisted softly.

“N-No no.” Her eyes squinted at him slightly, “You always look so damn good in blue. I hate it. Can’t you try to look bad for once?”

Steve chuckled, leaning against the same railing the girl was swaying against. “Why would I want to look bad in front of a girl like you?” He asked her, placing his hands on her hips to hold her steady. “Had a bit to drink haven’t you?” He teased.

“I didn’t want to socialize,” She pouted, looking up at him. “Don’t make me go back and socialize, Captain, please,” she begged, tilting her head to one side. “Just stay out here with me, will you? I like it when you stay with me.”

Steve felt his cheeks go pink but gave her smile, wondering just how much alcohol it would take for a girl this beautiful to act like this around him. “How about I take you to your room and you can head in for the night? It’s getting pretty late.”

(Y/N) shook her head quickly, huffing, “My room’s a mess. I don’t want the Cap’n to see how messy it is when I get ready.” She insisted, standing up off the railing. “Take me to your room.” She demanded. Somewhere in her mind, sober (Y/N) was wide-eyed and screaming that she stop talking.

Steve’s eyes also widened, stammering out a response quickly, “S-Sure but I don’t know if my room will be comfy for you, love. At the very least you should get out of those clothes.”

“Tryna take me out of my clothes, Steve Rogers?” (Y/N) giggled, poking his chest. “I knew there was a bad boy in there somewhere,” she smirked, stepping out of her heels and heading inside. “I will go get pyjamas!” She exclaimed, stumbling in the opposite direction of her room.. 

Steve shook his head, laughing as he grabbed her heels and walked after her. The tipsiness Thor’s liquor gave him disappeared when he couldn’t find (Y/N) in the ballroom, having been worried she was sick. “Doll, this is my room,” he raised an eyebrow as she pushed the door open.

“I know.” She playfully glared at him, walking in. “I’m not dumbbb. I want to stay here, I told you.”

Steve watched as she sat down on the bed, attempting to reach the zipper at the back of her dress for a few minutes. “Steeeve,” (Y/N) finally called out, waving to him earnestly. “Helpppp,” she whined.

Steve quickly moved to close the door behind him, not wanting Sam or Bucky to find him undoing her dress. The teasing would be endless. He sighed, finding some old clothes of his and tossing them to her before sliding the zipper down.

He quickly turned away, pretending to be finding other clothes for himself as he heard her throw her clothes around and slide into his. After a moment, he peaked over his shoulder to find her looking as innocent as can be in his shirt. She giggled as she scrambled into his bed, proclaiming, “I’m ready!”

“Ready for what, doll?” Steve smiled at her gently, sitting down next to her and helping her pull the bobby pins and hair elastics from her hair.

“For my goodnight kiss,” she gave him a smirk and Steve hesitated. Could she feel his heart beating faster? 

“(Y/N), you’re drunk,” he stated simply, pulling an old shirt over his head. “Very very drunk.”

“Oh come on, I haven’t had that much,” she gave him a pout, leaning her head against a pillow.

Steve laughed, raising an eyebrow. “Oh yea? Sober (Y/N) never acts like this around me. Bucky maybe, but not me.”

“Is Stephen Grant Rogers jealous?” Her eyes widened, allowing herself to take in his now casual attire. “It’s easy to flirt with Bucky. He doesn’t have those stupid blue eyes of yours. Every time you look at me, I wanna keep looking back but I’m worried I’ll stare. Plus he flirts back, why don’t you flirt back with me?” she pouted, her hand gestures becoming a bit overly expressive.

Steve rolled his eyes playfully, pressing a kiss to the top of her forehead. “I wish you were sober,” he murmured to her softly, “maybe then I could work up the nerve to tell you just how much I like seeing you in my bed.”

(Y/N)’s eyes were as wide as can be, pretty sure she was imagining things and hearing only what she wanted to hear. “I’m not good enough to be the Cap’n’s girlfriend,” she mumbled out, sighing and settling under the covers. “He doesn’t even pay much attention to me.”

Steve frowned hearing the last words to pass her lips before her eyes fluttered shut. Did she really think she wasn’t good enough? He sighed, grabbing one of his other pillows and tossing it to the floor. Tonight had gone oddly... okay.

(Y/N) groaned as sunlight woke her up, muttering some curses to any higher power in the universe. She rubbed her eyes open only to find an unfamiliar bed and unfamiliar clothes. She paused, staring at herself and wondering how lifelike a dream can be.

She slowly turned to find an empty bed beside her, crawling to the edge towards the sound of soft breathing to find Steve lying on the floor, a light blanket covering him.

“Oh my g-” (Y/N) quickly covered her lips with her hands as short images of last night flashed through her memories. Had she really asked him for a goodnight kiss?

Embarrassed out of her mind, (Y/N) threw the blanket off of her, scrambling to pick up the things she had drunkenly thrown onto the floor.

“G’morning,” Steve drawled, waking up to the sound of her shuffling and yawning as he sat up. “Didn’t think you’d be up so early.” 

(Y/N) quickly avoided his eyes, stammering out some answer about needing to leave.

“Nothing happened, doll, promise,” Steve looked at her, standing up and stretching slightly.

“I-I know, I just feel bad I had you sleeping on the floor,” she admitted, a blush creeping onto her cheeks.

“Sometimes the floor feels more familiar than the bed,” he confided, rubbing the back of his neck. “You had quite a bit last night, hm?”

She nodded, swallowing hard as she tried not to focus on the blue eyes staring at her. “Y-Yeah so you can ignore everything I said, I’m so sorry, I must’ve crossed so many lines-”

Steve smiled, wondering if she was always this cute when she got flustered, “Why are you so nervous around me, doll?” He asked softly, sitting on the bed so she didn’t feel like he was looming over her. After everything she said last night... she had to like him back right? With a newfound piece of confidence, Steve ran a hand through his hair saying, “Can’t tell you how jealous I used to get when you’d flirt with Bucks right in front of me.”

(Y/N) blinked, staring at him for a moment, “Jealous?”

He nodded, “I don’t know how much you remember from last night, but I loved every moment I got to steal you away from everyone else. You looked..perfect in blue.” His voice was soft and (Y/N) shifted her arm to pinch herself, making sure she was absolutely conscious.

“Am I still dreaming?” She murmured out loud, biting down on her lip. “You’re Steve Rogers and you’re telling me I look good in blue?” She moved to stand near his legs, watching as he shifted nervously. “No one compares to how good you look in blue, Captain.”

Steve watched her, his hand reaching up to play with her fingers gently, “Any chance I could get that goodnight kiss from you tonight?” He whispered.

(Y/N) hesitated, wondering just what her drunk self said to make Steve this confident in front of her. “I-I’d like that,” she breathed, eyes moving down to look at his lips.

“Captain, I hate to interrupt,” FRIDAY’s voice startled the two, causing them to both jump. “But I thought you’d like to know that Mr. Stark has requested to see the security tapes of where Miss (Y/L/N) went last night. He and the others are worried she had been kidnapped.”

Steve groaned, making (Y/N) giggle, “FRIDAY, tell Tony not to worry and that I’ll be up to kick his ass in a moment.”

“In those exact words, Miss?”

“Yup,” (Y/N) smirked, kissing the top of Steve’s nose gently, whispering something to him quickly before turning away.

it was Steve’s turn to blush, watching as she slipped away from the room in his clothes, making him wonder if she was going to get dressed first or if he was ever going to hear the end of it if Sam and Bucky caught her in his clothes.

Her voice echoed in his mind as he got up to head to the shower, ears pink with happiness. “Don’t think I forget how happy you were to see me in your bed, Rogers. But if you want me back... all you have to do is just ask.”

This woman was going to be the death of him. He was certain of it.

Feel free to send me any requests you may have for a Steve Rogers (or other Avengers) fanfic!

[softjeon]

Cinnamon and fairy dust | Pt. 6

• Pairing: elf!Jungkook x Taehyung • Genre: Fluff (with a little bit of angst) | elf!AU ( → Gifset Trailer) • Words: 16k | Co-Writer: Cat @cassiavioletblue​ • Disclaimer: mentioning of violence / smut

↳  There are no things such as fairy tales, magical reindeers that could fly, fairies and Christmas elves - at least Taehyung believed so. But everything was about to change, when Jungkook offered him shelter from a snowstorm and a sweet, hot cocoa, wondering about the boy who hated Christmas so much. Nothing that a bit of fairy dust couldn’t fix, right?

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When Jungkook awoke it was way past lunchtime and the sun was high in the sky. From where he lied on the floor it looked like a creamy milk glass pane hanging somewhere surrounded by frosty whites. The rays were almost too bright, but they made the snow glitter whenever the two of them met. Jungkook felt light headed and wobbly for a second, then his mind re-centered again and he was fully there. 

The elf turned to look at Tae to see if he was still sleeping. What he saw almost made him coo. There were fairies lying all over him, resting in edge nook and corner, the dip of his back, the edge of his shoulder blade… and in the curve of his elbow, pretty close to his face, there was Yoongi, curled up like a squirrel in its nest.

Taehyung was feeling the lack of warmth next to him immediately, blinking his eyes open sleepily. He yawned, pulling his arm in and therefore Yoongi even further towards is face. The fairy stirred awake and just then both opened their eyes.

A loud scream echoed through the room and Yoongi soared up and over to Jungkook, waking all the fairies in the process. He mumbled something about falling asleep on Jungkook and how that wasn’t possible to himself, sitting down on the elf’s shoulder. Taehyung chuckled low and got up on his elbows to look at Jungkook. “Hey,” He murmured quietly, leaning over to kiss Jungkook’s collar bone that was exposed a little, “How are you feeling?”

“Better. Way better. A bit guilty though for not opening the bakery because the customers can't possibly know what happened and maybe they needed something for a really important event and...” He sighed and slowed down his thoughts when Yoongi pinched him. “Alright, alright, I’ll focus back on myself. I’m fine. Or as fine as one can be after yesterday. But I’ll be up and about in no time. And you? How's your nose? It looks pretty discolored.” He compassionately turned his mouth into a frown.

“Don’t worry about me and you have enough time to open the bakery. It’s the day before Christmas and no one can be mad about a bit of stress and that you needed to take care of things.” Taehyung reassured Jungkook, reaching out for his cheek, “You still have enough from yesterday and the fairies can help you bake a little. They can do a bit of cookies…and since they don’t have much fairy dust, it won’t be too much in the dough if it comes off their skin, right?” Taehyung smiled and nodded confidently. “You take care of the bakery and I’ll take care of the rest, okay?” Getting up from the bed, he reached out for Jungkook’s hand to pull the younger up, “As long as you’re free tonight…because I got something for you!” When Jungkook looked at him with a confused expression, Tae only laughed, “It’s Christmas after all…right?”

Jungkook laughed. “Oh, that’s a bad idea! You know that fairies have a thing for sweet smelling flowers? They actually love everything sweet. Fruits, chocolate, sugar… so asking them to help bake is like telling a magpie to guard shiny things. They’d steal it right away. But yeah, we can try. They must be full eventually and maybe then they could make some cookies. They have a talent for delicate crafting after all,” He answered thoughtfully. 

“Hey, flutter bees...”, It was kind of a pet name for them that he used every once in a while. “Do you want to help in the kitchen - or sleep a while longer while Tae and I will be working?” Some of the fairies were fluttering excitedly towards Jungkook, nodding their little heads, while some were just waving the elf off, falling asleep again. Even Yoongi was trying to slowly walk off Jungkook’s shoulder, but he knew it was a game he would lose the second the elf would notice. He was the only fairy, who knew all the recipes. So, he had to stay and help.

Jungkook just held Yoongi back with casually gripping the hem of his pants, neither saying anything nor really looking at him, knowing that Yoongi would give in the second he realized he had lost. Which he did.

When all the fairies that wanted to help, got an instruction from Jungkook, Tae and Yoongi were preparing the ingredients they needed, as well as the shop for Jungkook to open. There were customers already waiting outside.

Just to be sure Jungkook prepared enough so that the fairies could snack on everything and there would be still something left. For creatures that, tiny they could be incredibly hungry. Or... not ‘hungry’ but rather indulge themselves in sweet stuff for fun.

Back in the storage room, Tae kissed Jungkook on top of his head who was just tying the apron tight around his waist. The younger had put on some makeup on his cheek, hiding the bruise that was forming there.

“You got this! Just one more day,” Taehyung whispered against Jungkook’s lips, kissing him deeply. Wrapping his arms around the younger, he just couldn’t stop, deepening the kiss a little more. “’m so proud…’f you,” He mumbled in-between kisses, “The bravest elf…I know.” An annoyed sigh and a little pull from Yoongi at Tae’s ear later, he finally let go of Jungkook. A few of the fairies that had refused to bake, flew up to Tae and settled in the pockets of his jacket.

To be honest Jungkook dreaded the day after Christmas a little. He loved Christmas time, the atmosphere, the joy, the fairy lights all around and the peoples heightened acceptance of magic. His sales would definitely go down after this time as would his ability to bring the humans happiness and contentment through his baked goods. He hoped that he could still go along with what the future would bring for him.

When Jungkook had vanished to the front of the shop, being busy with customers, Tae grabbed the toolbox and headed out of the door. He hadn’t told the elf, what he was about to do. He had the idea last night on his way to the bakery, and since he didn’t want Jungkook to worry much more (which he probably already was), Tae decided that he needed to find a new place for the fairies. Something safer, that wasn’t as visible as a clearing and still close enough for Jungkook to reach. “Okay, boys,” He said and corrected himself quickly, when a little squeaky voice was reminding him that there was also a little fairy-girl hiding in his pocket, “Sorry and girls…let’s find you a wonderful new hide-out…”

Jungkook was immediately wrapped up in his work, there were so many people, asking for his special cupcakes and chocolate cranberry buns and the Christmas cookies apparently only he was able to make just right. But they also asked where he had been, most of them actually concerned and caring and it warmed his heart that strangers took it upon them to look after him. He handed out free cinnamon sugar cookies to make up for it, telling them he’s had a family issue (which wasn’t even a lie, the fairies basically were his family) and just being his usually kind and smiley and busy-but-still-friendly self.

It took Taehyung all day to prepare a new home for the fairies. First, they were searching a long time, until they found an old tree which was big enough to shield them perfectly and which was located deep in the forest. Taehyung had started working on a few new things for their homes quick, the little fairies helping him. He even had to walk back to the store a few times to get more stuff, giving Jungkook kisses in between, before he headed back into the forest. Biting his lip, Tae was just preparing Yoongi’s new home, placing the teapot he had found unused in his mom’s storage and hiding it under a root that stood up a little, making it the perfect hideout for Yoongi. The fairies let moss grew over it with their magic, perfectly fitting it in to the scenery.

As it was getting darker, Taehyung said goodbye to the fairies, who were already busy with settling into their new home. The smile on Taehyung’s face was big and only turned bigger, when he saw that Jungkook was hanging his apron on the little hook. Walking over to him, he wrapped his arm around his waist, lifting him and swirling the younger one around.

Jungkook laughed happily, completely carefree, the tension of the day seeping out of his shoulders. “What have you been up to all day? Did you think I wouldn’t notice how you and the fairies have been putting your heads together, whispering? What were you planning, hu? You trying to kidnap me or something?” He joked, curiosity shining in his big bright doe eyes.

When Tae set him down Jungkook leaned in naturally, kissing him softly without really thinking, blushing a bit when he realized that this time he had been the one to initiate it. Although he loved their intimacy he still got a little shy sometimes.

Taehyung kissed the top of Jungkook’s nose sweetly and shook his head. “No, I just was out, looking for a new home for the little ones,” Tae shrugged his shoulders, “I told Yoongi where it is, so he’s on his way with the others now and settling in to their new home. I can’t let them go back to the clearing. It was way too much in the open, though it definitely was beautiful there…but I need them to be safe, so you don’t have to worry anymore.” His hands caressed over Jungkook’s back and settled on the other’s waist.

“Oh! We have to visit them right away tomorrow! I want to see what you made,” He placed a thankful kiss on Taehyung's cheek. “Thank you so much. They must have been really happy and excited to move in there when they left without telling me where they would go.” He leaned into Tae’s caress, their bodies fitting together so easily and naturally.

“But I’m not done, yet,” Taehyung said and pulled Jungkook off him a little to grab his hand. “I see, then they probably will only allow me to see their new homes when they’re all perfectly decorated,” He chuckled as he imagined the fairies swarming around busy like bees, carrying dried berries and mistletoes and pine cones for decoration.

Taehyung was biting his lip to keep from smiling as he sat down on Jungkook’s mattress, pulling the other down and in between his legs. Only when Jungkook settled into his embrace, Taehyung kissed his cheek sweetly and whispered, “Do you trust me? I need you to close your eyes for me, please.”

“Hu? What will you do?” He asked innocently, missing the point that he wouldn't have to close his eyes if Tae would just tell him and spoil the surprise. “Of course, I trust you.” Obediently he closed his eyes, shuffling back a little so his back was completely pressed to Tae’s front, simply taking in the others body heat.

When Jungkook had his eyes closed, Taehyung reached behind him quick, getting something out of his bag. “Don’t peak,” He said again, even though he couldn’t hide his own nervousness. “The fairies got their presents today already…and you know…I don’t like this, but I thought it’s not really Christmas, yet so it doesn’t count as such…,” Taehyung sounded a little bit out of breath, when he opened a little box. Very carefully, he reached around Jungkook to place a necklace around him, leaning back a little so he could close the lock.

“I…I hope you like it,” He whispered, biting his lip anxiously, waiting for Jungkook’s response. Tae had never gotten any presents for his ex-lovers or boyfriends. This was special to him.

Jungkook could feel something cool settling into the dip between his collarbones and his breath quickened a bit when his instinct told him to rip away the metal around his throat (as all fae he had a natural fear of iron as it could render his magic useless and effectively cage him in if there was enough of it) but his trust in Tae was stronger than his fear so he safely kept his eyes shut. Only his hand come up, fingers feeling around until they wrapped around a delicate pendant hanging from an even more fragile necklace made from a metal that definitely wasn’t iron. “A... a gift?” He never would have thought that Tae would give him a present. “Can I open my eyes now?”

Taehyung leaned in to kiss Jungkook’s ear, before he answered, “Yes you can…and please, if you don’t like it…then just tell me. I can…I can still give it back or something.” Tae was getting nervous. He was hoping Jungkook would like it and not find it too cliché or anything…and then there was the second gift that he had, still in his hand, but he was too scared to show it to Jungkook. The elf shivered slightly when Tae’s lips met his ears as his still closed eyes heightened his other senses and made him immensely sensitive. “I…I mean…you really don’t have to keep it if you don’t like it…or we can go and look for something else… I just wanted you to have something from me…it’s not like a real Christmas present.”

When he opened his eyes, a quiet gasp fell from his lips. The silver pendant was absolutely stunning, carefully twisted antlers imitated that of a little deer’s, but the metal was shiny and silver. “Oh Tae, it’s beautiful! Thank you so much!” He turned as much as their constant position allowed to wrap his arms around the older and kiss him sweetly, full on the lips. Tae smiled against Jungkook’s lips, holding him tight against his own body. He didn’t want to let go of the younger, but there was just a little bit more Tae wanted to give Jungkook. So, he pulled off him and let Jungkook settle back against him. While the younger was busy, looking at his necklace, Tae wrapped his arms around him, a little box in his hands.

“There’s more…It’s just…a few of the drawings I made, and I thought…you would like them,” He handed the little box over to Jungkook, his shaking hands giving away about how nervous he was. The older had never shown his art to anyone else, even though he worked with artists every day, curating their work and making sure their piece looked perfect in the museum. It was his dream job and he loved it, but sometimes he wished that he could hang one of his own art pieces up there. Maybe one day. But one thing he was sure of: he loved drawing Jungkook, especially when the younger was so immersed in collecting fairy dust or playing with the little magical creatures.

“What?” Jungkook looked at him offended “You never told me that you liked to draw!” He pouted but couldn’t stay mad for long, too curious as to what kind of moments Tae would have deemed worthy to preserve on paper forever. He opened the box and stared at what was within with awe. The drawing came in all kinds of sizes and shapes, different papers and colors splayed out all over Jungkooks legs when he carefully took each and every one of them out of the little box. They were good, but it wasn’t really the technical aspect that took Jungkook’s breath away, it was the emotion that was weaved into the pictures and scenes. And the portraits. Mainly of him.

He only realized that he had been tearing up when the first droplet fell, right on one of the papers (luckily just hitting the edge were no color could blur from it). With utmost care Jungkook placed all of them securely back into the box, putting it aside and then turning until he was facing Tae, taking the humans face in his hand. “You are an amazing being, Tae, did I ever tell you that? Despite you having the same genetic components than all of these other people out there you are so utterly, utterly caring and full of emotions and softness and... I love you for all of it. You are my very special human. And I never want to let you go.” The last words were breathed quietly against Tae’s soft, plush lip before Jungkook closed the distance again. He couldn’t get enough of him. Without thinking he climbed on Tae’s lap, shuffling close until there was absolutely no space left between them, soaking up the warmth, the closeness, the sheer intimacy of it and getting drunk on its sweetness.

“Don’t expose me like this and never say that to my mother or my friends, please,” Taehyung was blushing lightly, but he didn’t need to worry for Jungkook to see, when his lips met his already. He was wrapping his arms around Jungkook’s waist, pulling him even closer. Jungkook tasted like the sweetest sin to Taehyung each time. He let his hands caress over the younger’s thigh, letting it wander up towards the hem of his shirt and under it, tracing the sweet, soft skin underneath. Tae pulled Jungkook’s shirt up a little more, kissing down the youngers neck. His eyes fell onto the necklace and Taehyung couldn’t hide the smile, looking up at Jungkook, “I’m glad you like it…I was worried.” He bit his lip cheekily, his hand caressing Jungkook’s soft skin and along his back, before he held the younger tight to him and with one swift movement, he pushed him, hovering over Jungkook. “But don’t think…that I like Christmas now…I still hate it…I just love you and what you mean to me…not that stupid Christmas fest,” He was kissing Jungkook’s lips, then his nose and cheeks, mumbling the words in between each kiss.

“Why n..” He broke off with a surprised little sound when the world tilted on its axis, giggling when he realized that Tae had tipped them over, placing his hands under Jungkook's back to make sure he didn’t hit the floor to hard. Tae’s hand under his shirt was making his skin feel hot and cold at the same time and he writhed a little, intrigued by all these new feelings. “Tae, what are you doing?” He giggled again when the other hovered over him, looking at him as if he wanted to devour him. Jungkook wasn’t scared at all. It was like an exciting game that he never played before and he threw himself into it completely, wrapping his legs around Tae’s waist to keep him from going too far and reaching up to reclaim Tae’s mouth and kiss his sweet lips again and again.

“I want to kiss you forever,” Taehyung said, kissing Jungkook eagerly and passionately, giving him no time to take a deep breath. He was moving down further, kissing Jungkook’s collarbones, then the necklace as he let his hand wander over his chest until he could gaze up at the younger. It was almost as far as they had gone before. Jungkook had let him pull his shirt up before but not like this. Tae was ever so lightly, tracing Jungkook’s abs with his fingers, before leaning in to kiss him on his soft skin. Jungkook’s shirt was up to his chest, while Tae was careful to look out for any signs of the younger’s discomfort, but Tae loved kissing Jungkook’s abs way too much, feeling the younger twitch with every delicate touch of his underneath. It made him go crazy with want and need. His hands ran up and down Jungkook’s body, moving from kissing up his stomach to his lips and neck again. One hand underneath Jungkook’s shirt, while the other was cupping his cheek softly. He was kissing him hard, desperate to know the feel of the elf’s skin against his own. Tae was possessing his mouth with his, tasting, touching with his tongue, leaving a wet trail along Jungkook’s jawline towards his ear, nibbling on it sweetly.

Tae made his skin tingle all over and Jungkook just got lost in the feeling. He was completely inexperienced and therefore had no idea what he was doing to Tae - or rather what the other was doing to him exactly. However, he was way too open to new things to fear what he was feeling, enjoying the new sensations freely and arching his body into Tae without holding back.

Jungkook was moving underneath him, pulling Taehyung in with his legs and onto Jungkook’s waist, which made Taehyung moan unabashed from the sudden friction that send a jolt of pleasure through him. He froze right away, his whole body shaking from the sudden desire that was rippling through him. Tae was propping himself up on his elbows, as he hid in Jungkook’s neck. “Fuck,” He breathed out, feeling the heat spread all over his chest, face and in his crotch, “I…’m sorry…didn’t…I…just….”

“Hu?” Tae’s sudden moan made him stop and then the older behaved as if something was wrong. He didn’t quite understand because he thought that when he was feeling this good then Tae was feeling similarly. He gentle carded his fingers through Tae’s hair, brushing it back, feeling how sweaty the other was. It must be from working so hard on the fairies new homes.

He smiled fondly, holding Tae closer to him and making their bodies collide again. “Are you okay? I’m sorry I don’t have a present for you in return. If I had known that you wanted to exchange presents then I would have got you something, really. I just never did it with the fairies as... you know, everything you own is just a burden if you have to move around a lot especially when you are so small like them so instead we just got together for music and light and joy for celebration. But I can get you something if you tell me what you want?” He smiled at Tae, thinking that maybe that’s what was nagging the human.

Taehyung chuckled low, hesitating a bit to let Jungkook pull him in. “No…no, ah,” Tae was trying to keep his crotch area from touching Jungkook, feeling a tad awkward while doing so, but the heat wasn’t slowing down, instead he could feel the desire pulsating right where he didn’t need it right now. He groaned in desperation, leaning his head onto the elf’s shoulder, before explaining, “No…I don’t want no present, babe. It’s fine.” Gazing up at Jungkook, he smiled, feeling the other’s sweet caresses on his body. They were meant to soothe him, but Taehyung’s mind and body wasn’t on his soft side right now.

Jungkook was a little confused, instead of helping to calm Tae down his little kisses and touches only seemed to make him more tense. He wasn't really sure what he did wrong, so he was looking at Tae more carefully, observing the older’s body language. Tae looked almost... ashamed. But for what?

“Listen…you…just turn me on so much and when…you just pulled me down like that…I,” He stuttered, “I…ehm…I know you have no experience in this and it’s fine. I don’t care but fuck, you just turn me on so much. I can’t help myself. My body just reacts whenever you move just right against me and I’m sorry.” He moved a bit away from Jungkook, as he pulled his jeans a little, as it felt a tad too tight right now.

Jungkook cocked his head, following Tae up instinctively because it had just felt so nice to be so close to him, their bodies moving together.

“Turn you on? You mean...sexually? As in you want to sleep with me?” He asked, completely honest and oblivious. To his defense Yoongi hadn’t really done that much of a sex ed in which all the nuances of your feelings were involved, he had just presented all the facts and expressions to the younger when he deemed it right, explained their meaning and told Jungkook about the biology but the fairy had hoped that they would run into another elf someday by accident, that Jungkook would fall in love with one of his kind and that all of the emotional part would be explained to him by someone of his own race who knew best. Because Yoongi knew that elves were different from humans or even fairies regarding sex and he had warned Jungkook about it, had even tried to do research and get a book but it wasn’t as if there were sex ed books for elves specifically.

“I eh…yeah, of course…I mean, look at you…you’re so damn hot and…I…want you,” Taehyung was stuttering the words, still way too close to Jungkook that he was scared that the other could feel how hard he was by now but moving away from him further was also not the best idea without running into the bathroom right away and leaving a scared Jungkook behind who probably thinks he did something wrong.

“I know you never slept with someone, so I wouldn’t take advantage of you of course, so I would…only…if you tell me…if you would want it too,” He was blushing hard, looking everywhere but Jungkook, “But if you don’t then that’s fine, too….but then…you just have to live with me getting turned on by you and I need to…maybe get to the bathroom sometimes…to you know…”

“I know what?” Jungkook looked at him with big doe eyes, trying to make sense of Taehyung’s stutters. Sometimes it was difficult to decipher what the human was telling him even when he was speaking properly, just stemming from the fact that their lives had been completely different and that Jungkook only knew those things about humans that he had picked up on the way, not living in between them all the time. But right now, he could only guess what Tae was up to. “But if you do want to sleep with me but won’t do it because of me not...having done it before then why can’t we just continue to do what we just did? I like it. The making out and touching and the way you kiss my skin. It makes me all…tingly. And … I like your lips a lot. Can’t we just do that please?”

“Of course,…we can, that’s all I want to do…but,” Taehyung groaned desperately, not sure how to explain it to someone who had absolutely no idea of how this all works.

“Okay, listen,” Tae rolled off Jungkook, propping himself up on one elbow while still staying close to the younger. He took Jungkook’s wrist and simply placed his hand onto his crotch. Just like that. “There…you feel that? That’s what you do! You make me hard…and that just doesn’t go away,” He brought Jungkook’s hand back, kissing the palm sweetly before he explained further, “If a man gets turned on like that…he goes hard and there’s most likely only one way to resolve the problem. Either way you have sex, or you jerk yourself of. That’s what I meant with taking care of it in the bathroom. So…I…ehm…just let me do that real quick…because you were moving around a lot…and then I promise, just kissing!”

“I know that, I’m not stupid!” The elf answered with a pout and then added a little more quietly, “I just didn’t know about the jerking off thing. Is this what you do if you don’t…,” He broke off, biting his lip. He almost gave away too much. He remembered his talk with Yoongi when he had been really young and had been asking about love and relationships for the first time. And he also remembered the more recent talk with the fairy, blushing a little when he thought about what Yoongi would say if he knew what he was doing right now. He knew he shouldn’t push Tae further, but he was just so curious, and he never had the opportunity to get to know intimate details before so he really would have liked to touch Tae again. But that would probably make it even more difficult for Tae, he had gotten that much at least. “Then I’ll just stay here while you jerk yourself off? Or can I help?” He blinked a little when Tae almost choked at his question. Maybe it was considered impolite to offer help with that, who knew.

Tae coughed, shaking his head, “I…I don’t think you want this right now…you can help me out next time, okay?” He chuckled a little too nervous, leaning in to kiss Jungkook on top of his head, before he got up. In the bathroom, Tae leaned against the cold tile wall, his eyes closed, heart beating heavy.

Jungkook sat up into a more comfortable position, wondering what Tae was doing right now. He was excited that Tae had said he could help him next time - but then he remembered something. Maybe helping to jerk someone off was considered sex too. And he wasn't supposed to do that. Unless he was fine with the consequences of course. Hopefully Tae wouldn't be too disappointed if he changed his mind. But the human seemed to be very keen on making sure that he was absolutely comfortable, so he would probably understand. Hopefully he didn't ask for an explanation though or else he didn't really know what to say. Because the truth was off limits…

It took him a little while to get back to Jungkook, not because it took him long to come, but he needed a bit of time to calm down again. He had splashed a bit of water into his face, freshen himself up, before Taehyung walked back.

Jungkook smiled at Tae when the older came back, happy to continue where they had left off. But Tae looked quite tired all of a sudden. Maybe it was energy consuming what he had done. So, he got up, reaching for Tae’s hand. “You look tired. Do you want to go to sleep? I don’t mind if we just cuddle. We’ve got all the time in the world to do everything else we want to do after Christmas when there won’t be so much work to do.”

Taehyung nodded, raking through Jungkook’s hair softly, “Yeah…let’s cuddle, okay?” Tae got out of his shirt quickly, still feeling way too hot from everything and got out of his jeans to cuddle back into Jungkook’s bed. The younger had quickly gotten into his cute little pajama that he loved to wear, making Tae smile sweetly, before pulling him in and on him.

He was tracing little lines along Jungkook’s arm, while the elf was resting his head on Taehyung’s chest, closing his eyes. But before he would doze off, Tae hooked a finger under Jungkook’s chin, kissing him on his lips softly. “Just…so you know, I wouldn’t care if I had to get myself off for the rest of my life if it meant I could stay with you,” Kissing Jungkook’s forehead, he closed his eyes. He didn’t need a response, he only wanted him to know this. It was true. Never in his life had Tae, felt so deeply for someone. It was scary but so exciting at the same time.

“Thank you,” Jungkook whispered back, not sure of Tae had heard him or if he had dozed off already. He wasn’t moving much. But that also made him the perfect ‘plushy’. Jungkook maneuvered himself as close to Tae as possible, burying his face into Tae’s neck and slotting his knee in between Tae’s thighs so there wouldn’t be too much unnecessary space between them. He loved to feel Tae’s arms all around him. It felt a little like sleeping in a nest just warmer and even more perfect. It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep as well.

Unfortunately for Taehyung, what Jungkook did to him tonight, was still haunting (or pleasuring) him in his sleep. He wasn’t dreaming often, but when he did, Tae’s dream were so vivid and lively that he sometimes wasn’t sure if they were real or not. His body acting on his, moving around and pulling Jungkook closer to him. His lips parted, Jungkook’s name coming from his lips in a whisper, before he moaned low, arching his back in his sleep. Jungkook only registered Tae’s moans halfway but he enjoyed the tight grip on his waist, pressing back because of warmth and comfort. Before he finally fell asleep he thought of that time when he had come into the kitchen to find Yoongi sitting on top of his whisker, arms crossed, and wings spread out in a kind of ‘notice me’ posture;

His frown was obvious when Jungkook looked at him. The elf bit his lip, not sure what could have soured the fairies mood like that. “What's wrong? He finally asked after Yoongi didn‘t start on his own. The fairy looked at him with reproachfully and simply stated, “I saw you and Tae kissing.“

„Oh,“ Jungkook blushed a little, now wishing he hadn’t asked. But Yoongi wasn’t finished yet. “I hope you know what you are doing? Because humans… he’s going to want more than that. Like... your body. All of it. And I really, really hope that you’re not stupid enough to actually consider giving it to him.“ Jungkook shook his head violently.

„Good,“ The fairy smiled at him again, relief visible when he reached out to pat Jungkook's head. „I‘m just worried about you, Kook. You know that, right?“ Jungkook nodded, avoiding Yoongi’s gaze.

The thing was, there was a tiny little difference between humans and elves. If an elf crossed that final line with someone they loved and let them take their innocence, then their heart would be bound to that person forever. He would never be able to fall in love with someone else again. Of course, there were all kinds of love, friendship and trust and the love that didn‘t include physical desire. Those kinds of love wouldn‘t be fazed by it. But he would never want someone else, the combination of romantic love and physical desire would forever be limited to the first person they had sex with alone. And Taehyung had no idea about what it could mean to him. Of course, it meant a lot for him as well, but he wouldn’t be bound to Jungkook in a magical way. It would only be the other way around and that alone was a very scary thought. If Taehyung ever decided to walk away from him, then Jungkook would still be bound to him forever. It was a decision, that the elf wasn’t sure if he wanted to make it.

The sun was rising on the horizon, when Taehyung was still tossing and turning in his sleep, pulling Jungkook closer and holding him tight. Just when he was out of his deep sleep phase, the dreams began again and Jungkook was over him, kissing him so deeply, moving just right against his own body that Taehyung moaned louder. His chest was heaving heavily and even in his dream, he tried to keep from going further. “We…can’t,” He mumbled, arching his back and moving his hips just a little to get a bit of tension out of his body. “Jungkook, please,” Taehyung moaned, his voice barely a whisper, when he pushed the elf closer on his own body in his sleep.

It woke up the elf and he blinked sleepily, rubbing over his eyes to wake up fully. “What did you say?” He licked his dry lips, trying to stretch when he realized how tightly Tae had wrapped himself around him. Like a cuddly version of an octopus. He laughed, quietly, because he didn’t want to wake the other up. Apparently talking in his sleep was a thing for Tae. He lied still, listening closely to maybe get what Tae was dreaming about, when he noticed something uncomfortably on his ass. He reached behind him and felt around until…

“Oh,” He blushed when he realized that Tae was hard again. It was easy to feel through the thin cloth that was Tae’s boxer (as the human never wore much to sleep). And that this must mean that he was dreaming of something that turned him on. Hopefully it was him and not something else. He wondered what Tae’s unconscious made him do to make Tae feel like that. he was dying to know! 

Taehyung was moving restlessly, unconsciously trying to get a bit of friction to get rid of the tension in his body. “Jun-jungkook,” He whispered, his breath fanning hot against the elf’s neck. Taehyung was placing open mouth kisses on Jungkook’s skin mindlessly, before it all got too much. He was feeling so hot, so Tae moved and, turned on his back, turning his face away from Jungkook. His breathing got a bit steadier again, but in his haste to get away from the heat, Tae had pushed the blanket off his body.

Jungkook pouted when Tae had let go of him, so he turned around. Tae was lying on his back, covers pushed aside and boxer shorts tented by his hard on. He still didn’t know if helping someone jerk off was considered sex and therefore would trigger the binding... actually he had no idea how it would be. Or what it really entailed. All he knew was that he did love Tae and that he wanted to experience this and...Tae already owned his heart. Completely. Not loving Tae felt like it was impossible already so what bad would it do to go all the way and give his heart over to him for real?

He trusted Tae. He was sure the human would take care of him. With nothing holding him back he reached out for Tae. And as he had no real knowledge about this he also didn’t have a concept of what he was doing and that he should have asked before touching Tae in his sleep. For him Tae’s comment about how he was allowed to help next time was exactly what this was right now: Him helping.

Taehyung couldn’t decipher what was dream or reality, just feeling the pleasure rippling through him, when something or someone touched him right where he needed it the most. “Hmmm, Jungkookie,” He moaned sweetly, moving his hips, so he could get more friction, because solely Jungkook’s hand palming him wouldn’t get him off – even if he didn’t notice it was him. He was still gone and deeply in his dream, letting his Dream Jungkook kiss all over his body and making him feel so good.

It was nice to experiment like this, to feel how hard Tae’s cock was. All because of him if Tae’s velvety, low moans of his name were any indication. He just explored, getting a good feel of it, wondering if his own body would react like this too if Tae would touch him like that. Elves didn't really go through puberty the same way humans did so there were many experiences that Jungkook did not have and he didn't know his body as well as Tae did. He liked to elicit those breathy moans from Tae or make his body shudder because he knew that it made the older feel good. And he liked making the person he loved feel good, details be damned.

Taehyung could feel the pressure heighten, could feel something feel him up and looking up at his dream Jungkook only made him realize that he couldn’t be it, because he was hovering over him, his two hands feeling up his chest…and if Jungkook didn’t grow a third hand in his dream…He let his own hand wander down his own body, when his fingers wrapped around someone’s delicate wrist. Taehyung snapped his eyes open, a gasp fell from his lips when he quickly realized the situation he was in. Tae jerked away a little, still holding on tightly to Jungkook’s hand. “Wha-what are you…doing…why am…oh, god, I am so sorry,” He stammered the words.

Jungkook flinched when Taehyung moved so suddenly, the grip on his wrist keeping him from jerking his hand away completely. The older was stammering again, just like last time and just like then Jungkook could make absolutely no sense of it.

“Hu, I was just helping. You said I could help next time it would happen.” He took in Tae’s horrified stare and his flushed cheeks, wondering what he was missing. “I did something wrong, right? But... why are you apologizing then if it was my fault? Is this something that I should know? Where you supposed to tell me something first? I just went with what made you moan. I thought this would be what you liked. I’m sorry if I hurt you or if... there’s something else... that is wrong?” He really was out of his depth here.

Taehyung was blinking his eyes fast, trying to get a hold of what just happened, when he notices Jungkook’s nervousness. He quickly let go of his wrist and intertwined his hand with his instead. “Oh no, babe, please…you didn’t hurt me…and yes, I said you could but…ehm, I didn’t think it would happen like this,” He yawned a little in between words, raking his hands through his messy hair while sitting up, “You didn’t hurt me…you made me feel good, I guess…I was dreaming about you. I didn’t know you…were doing this to me now…I just don’t want you to do anything that you don’t want to.” Ignoring his hard on the best he could, Tae leaned in to kiss Jungkook.

Jungkook sighed relieved when Tae told him that he hadn’t messed up as much as he thought. “Don’t worry about that, I want to do it, really. Or else I wouldn’t have done it. You’re nice to me, Tae. You are always kind and you protected the fairies. You saved my family. I know that I’m safe with you. And... and I love you so - if you want to then... then I don’t mind you showing me the things that I don’t know yet. All the... physical things.”

Taehyung didn’t get what Jungkook was saying at first, staring at the younger in awe. “Wait…what?” He asked dumbfoundedly, “You…you want me…and you…you want to sleep with me?” He coughed awkwardly, as he could feel his dick twitching with excitement (hoping that Jungkook hadn’t notice). “All…of it? Are you sure, Jungkookie?” Taehyung said and reached out for him, to pull him closer towards him (but not on his lap, he got enough problems there). “You don’t have to do this for me…If you think that’s…something you have to do!” Taehyung reassured him, “I love you, too. No matter if you sleep with me or not. It won’t change anything. So, please. I don’t want to pressure you. Only if you really want this.”

Hearing Tae say that he loved him flushed his mind with pure joy. And it only made him more determined to give himself to Tae despite the risks for him.

“Yes, I want this.” Jungkook barely knew about what happened during sex, he could only rely on what Yoongi told him long ago. The fairy had explained that in the elf world sex with someone that you hadn’t been with forever was kind of out of question. And couples were only one half consisted of a magical creature rarely existed at all. It was deemed too taboo and risky to bind yourself to someone who didn’t have the same way of loving eternally. However, there were a few stories of elves who fell in love with someone non-magical, mostly human, who bound themselves to them and then suffered from a broken heart and eternal longing and loneliness because they were left after a little while or weren’t loved back at all. You could die from that kind of broken heart. And it was a slow, painful, cruel way to die.

Jungkook knew all that, and of course he didn’t take that lightly but Tae... Tae was different. He cared for him, he loved him despite him not being human and he was always so gentle with him. Tae wouldn’t hurt him. Jungkook was sure of that. He just needed to make sure that Tae wouldn’t find out about what them having sex would mean for him - then it would be fine. He didn’t want Tae to shy back from sleeping with him. He wanted... he wanted to feel how it would be to be entirely Tae’s. To be his alone. Forever. But he didn’t want to burden Tae or have him stay afterwards because he thought he owed him. He wanted Tae to stay with him because he loved him. And if it turned out that Tae didn’t love him the same way that Jungkook loved him – then so be it. At least he had tried to be with the person he loved completely.

“Oh-kay,” Taehyung breathed out, his heart beating fast. He wasn’t sure how to approach this, if he needed to teach Jungkook or rather show him, but he decided on the latter for now. Step by step.

With a smile, he leaned into Jungkook kissing the elf on his lips sweetly. “Whenever there is something that doesn’t feel good, or you want me to stop, just say so and we stop!” Taehyung said, hooking a finger under Jungkook’s chin to make the younger listen. When he was sure he had understood, he leaned in again, placing his lips softly onto his, deepening the kiss. This was something Jungkook was familiar with. Their kisses. Taehyung was so nervous, his hands shaking whenever he touched the younger and caressed over his arms, holding him against him.

“Hmmm, okay.” The younger was humming contently against Tae’s lips. “As long as we do what we did yesterday before you had to go to the bathroom then it’ll be fine. Because that felt really nice. Like... your kisses on my skin and your body on me and ... the way you moved...” He was blushing a little now that he knew that all of this was turning Tae on. It was strange that he had just gone with it naturally and shamelessly before when he hadn’t known what it meant. Now however as he knew that it would lead to Tae having him he was getting a little bit shy about it.

“Oh really?” Taehyung chuckled, wrapping his arm around Jungkook’s waist, before he threw him around again, making sure to stay over him. “Then we’ll do what feels good for you,” He said with a low voice, kissing Jungkook passionately, while his hands were exploring Jungkook’s body, slipping underneath his shirt right away. Tae was kissing down the younger’s neck and collarbone, biting him there lightly to suck in a little blooming love bite. “Hmm, I love your taste,” He hummed in satisfaction, not really sure how he had gotten from a dreamy state to this in the matter of minutes. But that’s what Jungkook did to him.

Jungkook simply closed his eyes and melted into the touches, letting Tae do as he pleased.

Hovering over the elf, Tae kissed the tip of his nose, before he pulled Jungkook’s pajama shirt over his head. Then he just froze, looking at the younger beneath him, who was looking so beautiful already. A sculpted chest, abs and a narrow waist.

The little break made him blink his eyes open again but when he looked at Tae he could only see wonder and admiration in his eyes. He batted his lashes shyly when he realized how vulnerable he would be if the older undressed him. He had never been naked in front of anyone else before (excluding the fairies and him taking moon shine baths in the lake) and he felt as if Tae’s stares were almost as intense as his fingertips on his skin. He had been so quick to say yes to this but the more he got into it the more he could feel the nerves starting to show.

Taehyung groaned desperately, before he let himself get pulled into kissing Jungkook more, his hands exploring all of Jungkook’s skin (but the lower region of course – he didn’t want to overwhelm the younger, yet).

“Jungkook,” He breathed out his name softly, propping himself up on one elbow, while he cupped Jungkook’s cheek with the other, “Do you want me to let you feel what I feel each time you move just right? Want to feel the desire?” Leaning in, he placed a soft kiss on his mouth, letting his hand wander down Jungkook’s stomach, following it with his mouth. “We will take this slow, okay?” Taehyung reassured him again, “Let me just show you…a little bit and you decide if you want more.”

With a smile on his face, Taehyung cupped Jungkook’s cheek and devoured the younger’s mouth completely. He was pouring in all the love he felt for the other, his tongue exploring his mouth, not even letting the elf catch a break. Tae was sure, Jungkook could feel everything through the thin layer of clothes and he stopped kissing the younger, a smile forming on his lips.

The younger nodded eagerly, his skin prickling already from where Tae had been touching him. He was so focused his senses felt even sharper than normal and he couldn’t wait for Tae to show him what he had been missing till now. He let Tae maneuver his body into the right position and was about to ask what he meant with his promises when Tae grinded his hips into him and Jungkook was left gasping. Or he would have if Tae didn’t kiss it right out of his mouth. It felt amazing and the minute Tae drew back he wanted to pull the other back on him again. So, he wrapped his legs around Tae’s waist, remembering what it had done to Tae last time and then arched his back into Tae’s body.

Taehyung chuckled into Jungkook’s kiss, loving how eager he got right away and moved against him once more, making the younger gasp and himself moan. Kissing him and moving so sensually against Jungkook was too good, but Taehyung knew that he wouldn’t hold it for too long. He had been hard for quite some time now and Tae wasn’t sure if Jungkook would even let him fuck him this morning already, so…he just asked the other bluntly.

“Do…do you want to try and…jerk me off first?” Taehyung said, biting his lip anxiously in between words, “To…maybe get a feel for it? I don’t want to overwhelm you with everything right away…but I don’t think I can last long if I keep grinding up against you like this…” He reached in between their bodies, palming Jungkook through the thin clothing and caressing him softly. “This feels good right?” He said cheekily, whispering against Jungkook’s lips, “Let me show you…everything.”

Jungkook started writhing under Tae’s touch, unable to keep from moving because every time Tae touched him again there was tension rippling through him together with sweet, sweet pleasure. He was almost a little relieved when Tae gave him a bit of time to catch his breath because although it was definitely pleasant it was also a little... overwhelming.

So, he was thankful for the chance of learning more while also getting a little time out to get his thoughts sorted, “Okay. You just have to show me how.” When Tae began pulling his boxers down Jungkook started tracing the soft skin below his hip bone right away. He followed the little trail of hair downwards, enjoying how it made Tae’s breath hitch in his throat.

Every time he wasn’t sure if he was doing it right he looked up at Tae, searching in his eyes for assurance. He was careful - too careful, because after a while of exploring and touching with just his fingertips Tae put his hand around Jungkook’s and made him grip his length more tightly. Jungkook could feel the muscles in the other’s thighs tightening the second he started moving his hand. It was a little awkward at first, jerky and unstable but he let Tae’s hand guide him willingly, picking up on how to cover the hardened flesh with his palm and how to flick his wrist easily.

“Hm, yes, like this,” Taehyung moaned softly, closing his eyes a little when he let go of Jungkook, trusting him to do this on his own. He moved his hips with each jerk of Jungkook’s hand, loving the friction even if it was still unexperienced. “You…you can grab a little tighter,” He breathed out, reaching out for Jungkook and raking his hand into Jungkook’s curly hair. With the other, he guided the elf, helping him to change his grip. “So good, you’re doing so good, babe,” He said softly, panting into the crook of Jungkook’s neck as he placed a few chaste kisses there. It wasn’t getting easier to hold himself up over Jungkook, so he simply let himself fall onto his back, while still staying close to the younger. This way Jungkook could see what he was doing way better, and Taehyung could lean his head back, while still having his love in his embrace.

Jungkook pouted a little when Tae laid down beside him. He liked the warmth and the closeness when Tae had him beneath him. But it was actually easier to complete his task as he could move his hands more freely. While he continued to hold on tightly and move his hand the way it made Tae jerk up his hips he used his other hand to trace little circles into Tae’s soft skin. Sadly, he had to stop after a while though because he could only concentrate on one thing really. “So, this will make you come?” He asked, not very convinced that this was all it would take to finish Tae off, “Or is there something else I’ll have to do?”

“Well…there’s a lot you can do,” Taehyung breathed out, words mixing with moans, “Hm…you can, aahh variate speed, how tight you grab someone and what else…well.” Tae paused, a moan escaping, and he arched his back beautifully. Whatever Jungkook just did, had made the pleasure ripple through him fast. “There’s something else…but you don’t ah, have to…,” He gulped, looking at Jungkook, before explaining further, “You can also use your mouth…and suck, give someone a blow-job, you know?”

“Oh?” Jungkook chuckled at how chopped off Tae’s sentences were, how much the other had to fight to keep himself conscious enough to answer him. He also loved the way Taehyung moaned, low and sensual, making shivers run down his spine just from hearing it. “What does it taste like to do that?” Tae’s rhythm faltered at that and Jungkook looked at him more closely, “Do you want me to try it?”

Taehyung’s eyes widened, and he held onto Jungkook’s wrist to steady himself. “You…you can try it…but I am not sure if I can … if you lick…ah,” Tae leaned his head back, his chest rising heavily. He grabbed Jungkook’s chin, pulling him down towards him to kiss him once.

It was a little strange to lean down right over Tae’s crotch but if it was something that humans did and if Tae would like it then Jungkook wanted to try. He gave it an experimental lick at first, just a tiny little lap of his tongue. The way Tae was shuddering made up for the slightly bitter taste by far. So, he remembered what Tae had said, that he had to suck on it (although he wondered where the term blowjob came from if he wasn’t blowing on anything) and took Taehyung cock into his mouth.

It was a little bigger than he had expected, the flesh hot and heavy on his tongue. He couldn’t take everything in, but he tried, pushing all the way down until the tip of it hit his throat. He didn’t have much of a gag reflex, so it didn’t bother him much but having something that big in his mouth triggered the urge to swallow. As he feared that it might get uncomfortably for Tae if he did that he tried to ignore it, but he couldn’t do that for long, so he tried to pull off while accidentally swallowing harshly around it, his wet, hot mouth closing Tae’s dick in.

At first Tae had watched the younger in awe at how eager he was to try out all of this. The lick against his length was enough to make him shudder beneath the younger’s touch and when Jungkook had closed his mouth around him, he lost his mind completely. Him swallowing around him, was the last thing Taehyung had needed to stumble over the edge. His muscles were locking up tight and he was just about to warn Jungkook, his hand grabbing the younger’s shoulder, when he jerked up, coming right into his mouth with a loud moan. But he couldn’t help it anymore. Jungkook had unintentionally done all the things that made him go crazy from the pleasure. His whole body shaking, breathy little moans escaping Taehyung's lips.

Jungkook was absolutely oblivious to the signs so when Tae came in his mouth it took him completely by surprise. He swallowed on instinct again, only tightening more around Tae who came hard and shuddering and intense. The elf choked on it getting off and away from Tae’s dick, coughing miserably and gasping out shaky breaths while falling back on his ass.

When he finally caught his breath he wiped his mouth, looking a bit sheepishly at Tae who looked dazed and satisfied, post orgasmic glow making his eyes soft and shiny. “Did I do it right?” His voice was a little hoarse and Jungkook coughed again to get it to function normally which didn’t work as well as he had hoped.

“Oh god, so right,” Taehyung said, trying to catch his breath, “Fuck…if I knew…why did you go for it like this. I didn’t…know, when you swallowed, that’s like my breaking point each time.” He got up on his elbows, getting a water bottle from the nightstand close by and handed it over to Jungkook. Then he cleaned himself up quickly with some tissues, before pulling the younger against his chest and holding him tight. “You did too good,” Taehyung kissed the tip of Jungkook’s nose, “But…are you, alright? I didn’t hurt you right?”

Jungkook leaned his head against Tae’s chest, cuddling into his side and listening to the others heartbeat that slowly turned back to normal. “No, you didn’t hurt me. I just got surprised when you came, and I didn’t really like the taste because I just don’t like bitter stuff. But I guess it’s just like with coffee and you’ll get used to it, right?” He looked up at Tae a sweet smile on his lips. He was happy that he had done it right and determined to learn so that he could be even better for Tae. Then he remembered something and so he asked, “Tae, is this considered sex already?”

Taehyung kissed the top of Jungkook’s hair with a sweet smile. “It depends, I guess…it’s a sexual act for sure, but I guess most people consider sex way more than this,” He said and looked down at the younger, turning a little so he could kiss him again. “Do you want more? Or are you satisfied for today?” Tae asked, biting Jungkook’s lip lightly, while he let his hand travel down his neck and to his nipples. Kissing down, he followed the trail with his mouth, pushing Jungkook over and licking over the sensitive nub, while the other hand was moving down to his thigh. He wasn’t giving Jungkook any friction yet, too far away for that, but close enough to make sure he could feel something. “What do you think, hm?”

That would explain why he didn’t really feel any different so it either needed something else for the bonding to happen - or he had already been so completely in love with Tae before that it didn’t make any difference. “I don’t know, what else is there to show me?” He yelped indignantly when Tae pushed him over like a doll, protesting in between biting kisses - until his back arched of its own accord. His eyes widened when Tae teased his nipples and his stomach tensed as something hot ran down his insides, settling low in his gut. “That’s... that's different.” He blinked, trying to make sense of what he was feeling.

“Hm,” Taehyung hummed in response, sucking on it a little bit more before he looked at Jungkook and blew over it lightly to send a chill down Jungkook’s spine. “You’re sensitive here, baby,” He said with a smile, before playing Jungkook like an instrument, twisting and flicking his hardened nipples with his fingers. He was kissing down Jungkook’s lower stomach, loving how fidgety the younger got under his touch.

“Think I could make you come, just from touching you here?” Taehyung asked, but not really expected an answer from the elf, instead he kissed further down Jungkook’s little happy trail, licking along the hem of Jungkook’s pants. “It’s just like...when I kiss your ears, right?” He said a little out of breath, “My sensitive little baby boy…does it feel good when I touch you here?” Hovering over him, Taehyung kissed Jungkook’s ears softly, before nibbling on them, before asking him again, “Hm...what about here?” Then he kissed his nipples again, playing with him easily.

“Oh! Tae…Taehyung!” He was losing his breath so easily from the older’s teasing, shuddering whenever the rubbed against the perky nubs, sending shockwaves of pleasure through his whole body. He stole the words from his mouth with kisses that were so hot Jungkook was wondering why they didn’t burn on his lips. It was overwhelming - and still, the more Tae gave him the more desperate he got for more. There was a hunger that he had never felt before threading through his mind and soul, something instinctual and so very demanding that he pulled the other down harshly, plundering his mouth because he was suddenly just so... needy.

Feeling Tae’s lips so close to his hips made his stomach do funny little flips as if he was riding a rollercoaster “I.. I don’t know,” He answered honestly, he had no idea what would made him come as he had never done it before but if the tension in his body and the slight tremble in his limbs was any sign to tell, then Tae was doing an amazing job in getting him there. His fingers tightened in the others hair when the older nipped on his ears, eliciting a soft, breathy moan from him. He almost choked on his own sound, surprised by himself, but he could feel every nip and every lick throughout his whole body, like a flame licking on his nerves and filling him with heat.

Taehyung was working Jungkook up easily. It was not hard to find out what the other liked or didn’t like, with the way he beautifully arched his back and moaned with each delicate touch. Teasing him like this, was so rewarding and Taehyung could feel the heat radiating from Jungkook underneath.

The elf felt like he was burning up his hair starting to get sweaty. He completely lost track of time and his surroundings, what Tae did to him made him feel like he was flying, disconnected from reality and lost in pleasure.

Tae sat up in between Jungkook’s legs, letting the younger catch his breath a little, while he traced lines along the elf’s stomach and thighs. “Hm, I think it’s a bit unfair…I’m the only one naked here, don’t you think?” Playing with the hem of Jungkook’s pants, he smiled at him cheekily since Jungkook was giving in to everything he did so easily. Tae simply hooked a finger under it, and pulled it down slowly, revealing Jungkook’s hard on and moving back until he could throw the pants and boxers somewhere into the room.

In Jungkook’s opinion there was something else that was unfair, which was the way Taehyung could play him so easily and casually while Jungkook could only imitate what Tae had shown him. It felt really intimate when Tae was undressing him, slow and without breaking eye contact with him. It was so intense that Jungkook had to look away from being flustered. His cheeks dusted pink as he was finally lying on his back in front of Tae, completely bare and unable to hide anything from his hungry eyes.

Taehyung hummed in satisfaction, kissing up Jungkook’s thighs up until he could kiss the younger’s waist, feeling him twitch underneath. “You’re beautiful like this,” He whispered into Jungkook’s skin and got back over him, moving a little so Jungkook could feel the friction and skin on skin contact. Tae was rutting up against him a few times, breathy low moans escaping his lips, kissing Jungkook sloppily in between. “Babe…, do you,” Tae stopped to let them both catch their breaths, “Do you know what’s going to happen now? Because I need to prepare you and I want you to feel good, so I need you to relax and trust me.”

Feeling Tae’s heated, naked skin on his own felt amazing, and Jungkook wished he could stay like this forever, just feeling, breathing in Tae’s familiar scent, listening to his heartbeat and letting the sweet, sweet kisses calm his mind into a state of absolute bliss. He gasped in surprise when Tae moved his body against him, rolling his hips right in between his legs and making him shudder with the overwhelming sensation of lust that was pooling low in his gut, making him twitch and writhe and whimper with desire. He swallowed harshly when his mind caught up with Tae’s words because trying to answer was turning out to be way more difficult than expected. So, he simply nodded, expression serious before he finally managed to say, “You are going to push your dick inside me.”

Taehyung coughed a little awkwardly, when Jungkook was talking so bluntly about what he would do to him.

“I mean…yeah, but not right away,” He said a little out of breath, hovering over the other. Letting his hand caress over Jungkook’s cheek softly, before explaining, “Before I can do that…I need to prepare you. Stretch you out…” Tae let one hand wander up Jungkook’s thigh and cupped his bottom, squeezing it lightly. “You probably don’t know what I’m talking about at all, right?” He bit his lip in thought, before Tae simply said, “Do you trust me? Because then…just let me show you. It will maybe feel a little strange at first…and I need you to relax, because it can feel so good…and trust me, that I will make sure to prepare you so good, that you can take me and if it still gets too much we can stop anytime you say so.”

Jungkook nodded, feeling a little stupid that he had no idea about the details. Maybe he should have gotten himself a sexual education book for humans. But it hadn’t exactly been on his to do list before to get fucked so this was a bit of a surprise how things had turned serious so quickly. Therefore, he just tried to be as obedient as possible, listening to everything Tae said with wide eyes and determination to follow his words as best as he could.

“Good,” Taehyung kissed Jungkook on his lips, letting the younger take from him what he needed, before he moved along his jawline, leaving a wet trail down Jungkook’s chest. He shifted a little, licking his way over his chest and tasted his nipple, his breath blowing over it before moving down further. Looking up at Jungkook, Tae smiled reassuringly, one hand searching for Jungkook’s, so he could intertwine their hands. The other hand, stroke along Jungkook’s thigh, while Tae was leaving kisses on his hip bone here and there but not quite where the elf needed it the most.

Not knowing where Tae would touch him next was making him twitchy with anticipation and nerves. He was pliant under the older, opening his thighs willingly when Tae nudged them apart. He was so concentrated that he started nibbling on his bottom lip, abusing the flesh until it was plush and red from worrying it too much with his teeth. He wondered what Tae was thinking if he was as excited as Jungkook or if it wasn’t that special anymore if you had done it more often. “Tae?” He sounded young, a little vulnerable. “Did you sleep with lots of other humans?”

Taehyung grabbed a hold of Jungkook’s cock and licked along it right away, feeling the younger shudder beneath him, when he suddenly stopped because of the elf’s question. “Huh?” He looked up at Jungkook, his tongue still pressed tightly on the other’s dick, before he regained his posture a little. Every thought it his head got lost the second Tae’s tongue licked along his cock. The pleasant shock rendered him mute and so it was a bit hard to follow Tae’s words. Only when Tae came up to answer him properly did the haze clear. “No…not really,” Tae came up, to meet Jungkook with a kiss on his lips, “I had boyfriends before, yeah…but it’s been a while. No one made me go crazy like this, though. I don’t think I’ve ever loved someone as much as I love you…” Shocked by his own confession, he averted his gaze a little, biting his lip anxiously, “I just…really want to love you.”

Hearing Tae talk about him like this and knowing that he was as special to Tae as the human was to him made him giddy with joy. He hid his smile behind his hand because he just couldn’t stop, so happy to do anything else but smile stupidly at the other. He was sensitive enough already with all these new impressions so adding this emotional confession to the mix made his eyes shiny with oncoming tears. Tears of joy but Jungkook got flustered nonetheless.

“You’re my baby boy,” Taehyung said and kissed the tip of Jungkook’s nose, “My sweet elf.” With a smile, Tae moved down again, going back to where he had started. He could feel his own lust building and so Taehyung licked along his long shaft back towards his balls. Slowly but sensually, Taehyung was showing Jungkook how the pleasure of a blow-job could feel like, so he took his balls into one hand, gently massaging them, before he took as much as he could of his cock into his mouth. The other hand wrapped around its base, he slid it back and forth, matching the rhythm of his mouth. Taehyung could feel himself getting harder again, while he was pumping Jungkook’s cock a few times, using his tongue and mouth expertly and causing Jungkook to groan with pleasure, which only made himself harder.

The elf was completely helpless under Tae’s skilled mouth. The only thing he could do was shudder and pant and tighten his hold onto the covers until his knuckles turned white. Still he couldn’t get rid of the tension that made his abs clench and teased lustful gasp and trembling moans out of his chest. It felt like nothing he had ever experienced before, as if Tae had found a way to get under his skin and set his nerves ablaze.

Taehyung smiled at the younger, letting him take a breath, using the little break to make Jungkook spread his legs a little further. Where they had their hands intertwined, Taehyung was stroking softly with his thumb over his skin. Then he pressed the tip of his tongue against the space between his balls and hole, flicking it hard multiple times. He wrapped one arm around Jungkook’s thigh to keep it in place, before Tae licked around the curving of Jungkook’s ass cheeks sweetly, letting him feel how close he was, before Tae pressed his mouth right against his hole, letting his tongue slip smoothly around his tight hole, kissing and sucking him.

Jungkook’s eyes snapped open when he realized where exactly Tae was pushing his tongue and he tensed, trying to get up. “What... what are you doing?” His cheeks burned from shame and he felt way too wet down there, afraid that he might be not clean enough or that Tae would find that something wasn’t as it should be on a human’s body.

Wiping over his mouth, Taehyung came up and onto his knees, caressing soothingly over Jungkook’s thigh. “Hey, relax, baby boy…I’m preparing you,” Tae said in a soft, reassuring voice, “Where else do you think my dick fits, baby?” He was squeezing his thigh, leaning down to kiss the elf on his stomach, before gazing up at him, “Didn’t it feel good?”

He was still flushed but Tae’s reaction managed to calm him a little. “Right. I... I’m sorry, I just... didn’t expect this.” He laid back down, closing his eyes but the tension in his body gave away that he was still nervous. He hadn’t really concentrated if it felt good, too shocked by where Tae had put his tongue. Although he absolutely trusted Tae’s intentions he started to worry a little. He had seen Tae’s cock and it... wasn’t small. He wondered if humans might be built a bit differently, afraid that maybe his body wasn‘t meant for this.

“Don’t be sorry, baby,” Taehyung got over him again, gripping Jungkook’s chin to make the younger look at him, “I love you, okay? Just try and relax and trust me…you’re perfect.” This time Taehyung kissed the other heatedly, letting the younger take all of him that he needed to reassure himself, before he pulled away again with a smile. With a teasing wink, Tae was slicking his fingers with his own spit, before he was rubbing sweetly over Jungkook’s hole. Just making the other feel the sensation there a little, without pushing too far, yet. He needed some lube for it to work smoothly, but Taehyung was sure that Jungkook wouldn’t have this lying around, so he had to think quick. He was looking around the storage room, biting his lip in thought.

“I need…something…like…ah,” Tae kissed Jungkook’s knee quick, telling him he would be back in a second, before walking over to one of the many shelfs. Taking out the tin of coconut oil*.

Tae smiled and came back to Jungkook. “I will use this as lube,” He explained, kissing the elf again, “So, I can prepare you perfectly for me.”

“O…okay,” It sounded a little like a question but Jungkook really tried his best to adapt to this and be as good for Tae as the other needed him to be. He wanted this. He just had no idea how to act or what to do to make it work. He felt cold immediately as soon as Tae got up and he only realized that he had held his breath when it rushed out of him in relief when Tae kneeled back down in between his legs, stroking his sides gently and smiling at him in a way that calmed his heart just right.

Taehyung opened it, pouring some of the natural lube onto his fingers, before going back to rub down Jungkook’s hole and preparing him with it. He got back over Jungkook, making sure the younger could reach for him any second if he needed him. With his knees, he pushed Jungkook’s legs open a bit more. “Hold on to me if you need it,” Tae said, his finger moving in a circle around the other’s hole, “Just relax into it.” Placing a soft kiss on the elf’s neck, Taehyung pushed one finger into Jungkook slowly, feeling how the lube was making his finger glide easily.

Jungkook nodded quietly, swallowing harshly against the lump in his throat. The coconut oil warmed easily and so it didn’t really feel that strange - until Tae pushed inside. His grip tightened, fingers digging into Tae’s shoulder as he tensed instinctively before willing himself to relax again. His eyes were wide, heart beating so quickly and heavily that he could feel it all throughout his body.

“You’re doing so good, baby boy,” He soothed the younger, kissing him sweetly, “Relax into it.” He pushed a little more, working his finger in and out slowly so the younger could get a feel for it. “Let me in, baby,” Tae whispered against Jungkook’s ear, nibbling on it.

The teasing of his ears, especially the tips made his muscles go lax in Tae’s embrace. The touch inside of his body barely became a footnote as he was way too occupied to feel the desire and the rush of that that Tae’s gentle caresses evoked. His moans had become downright sinful by now and Jungkook had long forgotten how to be ashamed of his sounds as they spilled out of him so naturally whenever Tae awake the pleasure in his body anew. Taehyung pumped his finger a little faster, feeling Jungkook shiver and his muscles work with the steady press of him pushing in. He kissed the elf on his lip, letting his tongue glide along his bottom lip, swallowing down every breathy moan of him and capturing it with another heated kiss.

“You’re so tight, baby boy,” He breathed out, rutting himself up against Jungkook, desperate for some friction himself. Tae was moving his finger in a circle, lining around Jungkook’s tight hole for a bit, before he kept pushing back in, stretching him out. “Going to make you feel so good,” Tae murmured moving down to play with Jungkook’s nipples again, loving how sensitive the other was there. He was pumping his finger faster, making Jungkook gasp and hum in response and Tae pushed down a little more. “Do you want more, baby?”

Whenever the stretch came close to being uncomfortable or burning Taehyung made sure to distract Jungkook with pure pleasure, blowing his mind with how easily he could make him get lost in this. Before he even noticed Taehyung was three fingers deep inside of him and Jungkook had gotten so used to this that he barely paid it any attention - as long as Tae kept teasing his nipples and rubbing over the sensitive part of his thighs. “Good boy, that’s it,” Taehyung could feel how Jungkook was relaxing, letting him in even more and he patiently pushed his fingers into him and pulled it back out, moving slowly. While he worked him open, he kissed Jungkook again, the younger’s body tensing, when Taehyung pushed more, stretching him out even further. Taehyung held there, adding just a little bit more pressure but not wanting to force it in, until the elf’s body relaxed, and his fingers sank in further, his muscles closing around it.

“Hm..mh?” He blinked his eyes open when his mind registered that Tae was talking to him, possibly expecting an answer. He had no idea what ‘more’ entailed but he knew what he wanted in the end, so he just told Tae, innocently and sweet, in all his elfish honesty, “I want you to take me. Make me yours, please.”

“You’re so good for me, my perfect baby boy,” He whispered and kissed Jungkook with a smile. “I will make you mine now,” Taehyung murmured, not knowing what this sweet promise meant for Jungkook’s life.

He got up a little, taking a bit more of the coconut oil to prepare himself. Tae grunted low, humming in satisfaction, when he pumped himself a few times. He stared down at Jungkook, the muscles playing along his chest and arms, when he played with himself. Laying down next to the elf, he pulled Jungkook into his embrace. His back against his chest. Reaching out for his thigh, he hooked it up and over his leg, placing himself right along Jungkook’s hole. But before he would push in, Tae gazed up at the younger. He was holding him right against his own body and Taehyung was sure that Jungkook could feel his heart beating wildly against his chest. Gripping his chin, he turned the younger to look at him, kissing him a little sloppily, as he lined himself up against the younger’s hole. And then he pushed in, carefully and slow, feeling the resistance and how Jungkook locked up tight, so he kissed him on his shoulder, below his pulse point and on his ear, whispering sweet promises.

“Let me take you, baby boy,” Wrapping his arm around Jungkook’s thigh, he pushed a little harder, “I love you.” Jungkook was practically trembling from the anticipation when Tae pulled him tight against his chest. He had trouble breathing properly because he was so focused on what was about to happen that he almost choked on air. So, he did the only thing he could; he held onto Tae for dear life and hoped that this wasn’t the biggest mistake that he had ever made. His worried melted away like heated wax when Tae turned his head to kiss him, soothing him so sweetly, making sure he felt safe and loved and cared for.

Jungkookie let go, giving himself over to Tae and closing his eyes. He trusted him. He really, really wanted this; wanted to know what it would be like to be one with Tae. When Tae pushed in his muscles still refused him, tightening around the foreign feeling of being entered. It was different from being fingered and for a second Jungkook was about to panic. As if he felt it Tae chose this moment to tell him that he loved him again, reassuring him as best as he could. There was nothing else that Jungkook could ask for. Taehyung loved him, he desired him. He was taking care of him. And Jungkook loved him back. There was nothing he needed to be afraid of.

With a final shuddering breath Jungkook spread his thighs wider for Tae and let him in. Taehyung was panting, as he could feel the tightness of Jungkook’s ass pulling him in and he moaned loud and unabashed, hiding his face in the crook of the younger’s neck when he bottomed out completely.

“Fuck…you’re so good,” Tae murmured, staying still for a moment, “Feel…feel so good around me, I want…to…fuck you.” Placing kisses everywhere, Taehyung pulled out, but only to push back into Jungkook. First carefully and slow, watching Jungkook’s reactions. The younger was gasping with every push and Taehyung slowly but steadily upped his tempo.

Knowing that was actually inside of his body was... intense and Jungkook tried to wrap his mind around it to no avail. Tae was as close to him as he could physically be and everything Jungkook wanted was to melt back and be united with Tae forever. It felt simply amazing. The pleasure wasn’t like before, not as scorching or sudden, rather a low, pleasant hum in his lower body but Tae seemed to enjoy it, so he was happy as well. If taking him would bring Tae pleasure that he would gladly let the other have him whenever he wanted.

Taehyung reached around and gripped Jungkook’s cock and with him pushing into the younger, making him move with every thrust, it was easy to give him even more friction. Tae was absolutely amazed with how good Jungkook was taking him, it almost felt like he was made for this. For him to love and protect. A little choked off sound escaped Jungkook when Tae gripped his cock, making him clench around him and try to close his thighs - which he couldn’t because they were held open by Tae’s own legs. He felt vulnerable and open - but in a good way. An exciting way that made him move against Tae’s tight hold to get more and more.

“You feel so good, baby, I need…I need more,” Without pulling out of him, Tae simply wrapped his arm around his narrow waist and pushed himself up and Jungkook on his knees. He leaned in and over Jungkook, kissing his ear, before he whispered, “This will be easier for you, too…you take me so good, baby boy.” Gripping his waist, Taehyung pushed back in almost forcefully, letting Jungkook feel how deep he was. He moved his hips in circles, his hand soothing up and down his back, before Tae gripped him tight again, thrusting himself into the younger.

He completely lost balance when Tae turned him around, thankfully to get a better grounding as soon as he was on his hands and knees. Before he could tell Taehyung that he was glad that Tae liked him that way the other pushed into him, more forcefully this time and so deeply that he whimpered helplessly. “T…Tae...,” the other’s name was like a plea on his lips, although he wasn’t really sure what he was pleading for.

“Yes, baby boy?” He thrusted into him again, loving the way it made Jungkook gasp and moan, “You like that?” Taehyung was so lost in his own pleasure, thrusting into him so deeply and hard, that he only realized that he had spanked the other when his hand met Jungkook’s bottom. He gripped the flesh tight, squeezing Jungkook’s bottom, before Tae wrapped his arm around the younger chest and pulled him up and against him. Jungkook yelped in surprise when Tae’s palm hit his backside, clenching around Tae and whimpering slightly at the feeling of being so full. He had as much knowledge about kinks as he had about space travel, so he was simply and utterly confused. But he didn’t have the breath to ask Taehyung what the slap had been for anyway - he was too busy panting.

Kissing the youngers, shoulder and neck, his hot breath was fanning against the elf. “’m sorry, you make…me go crazy…,” He moaned, “Tell me…when I do something…you don’t like ‘kay?” He kissed the elf on his ear, sucking at the top and nibbling on it. Pushing up into Jungkook was pure heaven and Tae moaned unabashed with every thrust. His voice low and sultry whenever he spoke. He soothed over Jungkook’s bottom, doing little circles with his waist, before Tae pushed back in hard.

Jungkook felt Tae’s strength which each and every trust, trying to keep himself stable but his body rocked from how hard Tae pushed into his body. He was so busy trying to cope with everything that he only realized that Tae was playing unfair and using his weakness against him when he felt a hot tongue on his ear tip. The high pitched moan that left his lips made his cheeks flush deeply.

„You feel so good, so…good,” Taehyung squeezed Jungkook’s bottom once more, thrusting into the other mercilessly. Reaching around the younger, he gripped his hard dick again, jerking him off with every thrust of his hips. His lips were leaving sloppy little kisses all over Jungkook’s neck, making him turn his head to look at Taehyung. A cheeky smile on his lips, Taehyung kissed him passionately, while holding him tight to his chest. “Baby boy…,” He hummed, breathy little moans escaping his lips when he slowed down his thrusts until his hips were only moving in sweet little circles. Tae’s hand moved from his length, down to his balls to massage him, rolling them in his palm, “How are you feeling, baby?”

Jungkook was shaking, his knees getting weak from what Tae did to him. He tried to keep himself upright, but his body failed him, making him fall on his elbows. Tae had complete control over him and it was a scary and thrilling thought at the same time. He could feel Tae’s cock move inside him, stroking his tight walls from the inside and he gasped, breathless, lost in the feeling of physical pleasure. “I... I’m fine...I’m...,” He broke off, voice trembling too much to really form coherent sentences.

“I got you, baby,” Taehyung soothed him, kissing him sweetly below his pulse point, before he wrapped his arm around his waist and pulled out of the younger. He reached out for Jungkook, helping him to turn around on his back. Meeting his lips with a kiss, Taehyung cupped his cheek to make the elf look up at him, “Do you want me to make you come?” Tae couldn’t deny it, but he was aching and trembling to get back inside of Jungkook. His muscles shaking with the way he tried not to push right back into him.

The elf just nodded, thankful that Tae had turned them around, so he had something to hold onto and could pull Tae close to him. He felt safer with his arms around Tae’s neck and his thighs around the older’s waist. He needed the closeness as much as he needed air right now. The human pushed back inside him easily and Jungkook was surprised at how easily he had already accustomed to the feeling of being taken, the stretch just a little uncomfortable before Tae’s presence washed away anything else but the longing and desire to be his.

Jungkook’s hold around his neck, made it impossible for Tae to sit up and since he didn’t want to take away his feel of safety, Tae used all of his strength to lift the younger up with his arm around his waist. This way he knew, he would hit the right spot.

“I love you,” A whispered promise against Jungkook’s lips, before he thrusted back into him. Harder, this time, assaulting that one spot over and over again. He was panting, holding on to the younger, while he moaned low and loud, not caring who could hear them. Jungkook held onto the other with all the strength he had left, thinking that Tae was just changing positions again before Tae thrusted harder, sliding right along Jungkook’s sweet spot. The elf screamed, completely overwhelmed by the pure hot pleasure that ran along his spine, making his thighs tremble and his muscles clench.

“T..Tae! What are you...” He was left screaming again when Tae fucked him harder, sliding into him just right again and again, not giving him any time to adjust or catch his breath. He whimpered helplessly when Tae made sure to fuck him senseless, his weak attempt at closing his legs futile as he was pinned down on his back for Tae like a doll, just begging to be taken apart. Which was exactly what Tae was doing right now.

“I’m…making you come…,” Tae was panting, biting into the juncture of Jungkook’s neck to release a bit of the tension and licking over the spot right after. He smiled against the elf’s skin, before he sat up a little more, so he could look at Jungkook. His arm wrapped tightly around his waist, his lips only a few inches away from Jungkook’s, Tae was gazing right into his eyes with a smile. “Fuck, you’re so tight…,” He moved a little slower, his thrusts getting only harder though, before he upped the tempo and took Jungkook apart. Biting down on the younger’s lip, he kissed him and licked into his mouth. “Come for me, baby boy…don’t fight it…,” Taehyung murmured breathlessly, “You’re mine now.”

Jungkook whined, the pleasure making him writhe but there was nowhere to go to get rid of what he was feeling so he could just lay there and take it, the already pent-up tension climbing higher and higher until his abdomen was locking up and his thighs tightening around Tae’s waist as his body went completely rigid and then he came. Hard and shuddery, panting, with Tae’s name on his lips like a prayer.

Jungkook tightening around his cock, was all Taehyung needed. He pushed into him hard, thrusting through the elf’s and his own orgasms that spilled hot and wet into Jungkook. But Taehyung didn’t stop until the last shudder from his own muscles ebbed down. He fucked them both through it, loving the beautiful view Jungkook was giving him, his own cum spread all over the elf’s stomach. Breathing heavily, Tae pulled out with a low growl, keeping Jungkook’s legs spread to see the mess that he had made. “Fuck,” He threw his head back, before his gaze met the younger’s, “You’re so beautiful.”

Tae didn’t mind the dirtiness, hovering back over Jungkook’s face to search for his lips in a sweet kiss. “I love you, baby, “ He whispered, “All mine…”

Jungkook was too far gone to notice how downright dirty this was and how much Taehyung reveled in it. He was still coming down from his high when he suddenly felt it; Jungkook had thought that the binding was just something that would happening on a psychological level, so he had never thought that he would actually feel it happening throughout his whole body. The elf gasped in shock when he started shaking violently again, clinging to Tae with trembling fingers as if he was lost the second he would let go. He felt as if he had fallen apart during his orgasm and now his body was trying to piece him back together, just that it was weaving Tae and everything he stood for right into him; the feeling of Tae’s skin on his own, the kisses that still lingered on his lips and neck, Tae’s voice as he had whispered into his ear, low and sultry, the way Tae’s smile made him feel or the spark in his eyes when he told him he cared, the taste of his kisses, his lips, so addictingly sweet... It sunk deep, deep into his cells – and especially into his heart. He had never tried to imagine how it would feel to be irrevocably in love with someone, how it might feel like to know that there wouldn’t be someone else in the whole wide world who could touch heart like Tae, as it was already claimed by him. Now he knew. When his breath came back, and his heart calmed down to normal it had become completely natural for him that his heart was only beating for Tae now, each and every stuttering beat against his ribs another tell that he was his.

Taehyung looked at Jungkook wide-eyed the second he began shaking like that. He panicked for a second, but Jungkook’s body already stilled again. “You…are you okay? Baby? Jungkookie?” Taehyung said, placing a kiss on his cheek, then another one, looking at the elf all worried, “What’s wrong? Was it too much? Was I…did I hurt you?” He almost cried out the words, way too scared that he had done something to the younger, that he didn’t like and not wanted him to do. He caressed over his skin, trying to shield him from whatever it was that made him shake like this and keep him warm. Jungkook was too emotional to talk, his throat closed up when he heard Tae talk like that, worried about him, caring for him so he just went with his instinct, burying his head at his neck, pressing his body against Tae’s still warm, sweaty and naked. He was kissing Tae’s pulse, just like Tae liked to do it, nibbling at the sensitive skin where he could feel Tae’s heartbeat against his lips. He felt…alive. As if he had woken up as someone else. And that someone was entirely Tae’s.

  * this is 100% organic, unrefined coconut oil we‘re talking about. And in case you‘re wondering; yes you can actually use that stuff as a natural lubricant if you‘re not allergic to coconuts (as a person that can get pregnant you should keep in mind that it may weaken latex, but that would go too far here as this is a fanfic and no sex ed) Just a general reminder: Do not under any circumstances use random stuff for sex if you‘re not absolutely sure what you are doing. Pls!

A/N: Isn’t innocent Jungkook the sweetest? I’m dying because of his cuteness. We hope you liked it and don’t forget to leave us a comment. ❤

Are you curious to know what kind of new stories will come soon? ;) Did you check out our new gifset trailers already? There will be a One-Shot coming on New-Years Eve and in January there will be two new stories! You can find the gifset trailers here (Vampire!Minjoon Story) and here (King!Namjoon x Jungkook) ! We are so excited to share new stuff with you guys soon!

[sebastiianstan]

Tumblr content school: why you don’t always get notes and how to (potentially) get a bit more

So in recent weeks, I’ve seen quite a few posts floating around that centre around the same subject: content creators, mainly gifmakers, not gaining followers as quickly as they would like to and/or not getting as many notes on their original content as they would like to. Most recently I’ve seen people share their like-to-reblog ratio, with a call to users to also reblog content instead of just liking it, which would result in more exposure and recognition for the creator.

Now, while all of those feelings are perfectly valid and you’re obviously allowed to post whatever you like on your blog, the conversation around this is quite unnuanced and, at times, a bit uninformed. I’m not claiming to be some kind of expert, but having been a content creator (gifmaker) on this platform for quite a few years, with my own small share of popular gifsets floating around and having built both my own blog an two fansites/group blogs to at least moderate success, I do think I have a certain degree of insight re: getting notes, so I thought I’d put in my two cents. Please note that I’m not making this post to be condescending in any way, or even to tell you what to do/how to create content, but I thought I’d help as much as I can, based on my own experience.

Below the cut are 1. reasons why I think gifsets don’t always get the number of notes you wanted/expected them to, and 2. tips on creating and posting content in a way that will potentially get you more notes.

Why you might not be getting (a lot) of notes

So let’s start with some general trends re: gifsets not getting as many notes as you’d like/expect, and not as many as they would have maybe a few years ago.

1. Tumblr is past its peak

Based on experience, I’d say fandom Tumblr reached its peak in 2015-2016, and was riding that out in 2017. I’ve mainly been a Marvel blog in recent years, so I can’t speak for other fandoms, but Tumblr was... wild in the lead-up to and aftermath of Captain America: Civil War (2016). Wonder Woman (2017) was a similar situation on the DC side of things. 

New Marvel releases (like Ant-Man & The Wasp, Avengers: Infinity War and probably most notably, Black Panther) still get a lot of traction and fandom definitely isn’t dead on Tumblr, but I feel like 2015-2016 were definitely peak years. I only recently returned from a year-long hiatus; I stopped being active in late 2017 and even then my dashboard wasn’t quite as active as it was a year before that. Upon returning here about a month ago, most of my mutuals from back in the day had also become inactive and a lot of gifmakers I used to follow were not creating content anymore.

So it boils down to this: I think it’s very likely that the amount of active users within your fandom has diminished significantly as compared to two years ago. A set that may have gotten 10k notes within a few days in 2016 might now only get half of that.

2. The URL thing

This is a sad truth, but it does seem that having a semi-canon or canon url does at least help with getting a larger amount of notes on your content. I have no tips on getting a canon url (I got very, very lucky with this one), but this is a simple observation I have from over the years. Url trading/selling has basically become a genuine business due to this - canon urls are in high demand.

More importantly, what I can say is that it’s smart not to change your url too often. Becoming a popular content creator on this platform is basically the same as building a brand - and a brand has an easily recognized name. Once you have a url you are happy with, try to stick to it for a while. When you change your url, links break on reblogs of your old gifsets, by the way.

3. The like-to-reblog ratio has always been unbalanced

For as long as I can remember, posts have gotten more likes than reblogs. If your ratio is 2-to-1 or 3-to-1, trust me, you are doing perfectly well for yourself! Again, as with my first point, this might have gotten a bit more extreme since 2016, but it’s not a new thing.

4. Popular users support each other

Obviously there’s nothing wrong with this (in fact, I love that we all support each other), but yes, in general big/popular blogs are friends with each other and tend to reblog each other’s content, which can be discouraging for smaller or aspiring content creators on the platform.

However, please be aware that these big blogs built up the following they have by posting content for years and it just takes time. Also, know that most users on here actually really enjoy being tagged in your posts - so if you gif a movie or tv show you know a popular user (that you follow) likes, tag them in it and if it’s high quality content (I’ll touch on this later), they’ll probably reblog it.

Tips on getting more notes

Alright, on to part two: my personal tips on getting more notes. These are strictly based on my own experience, and as a repeat of my disclaimer earlier: I am genuinely trying to share my knowledge; none of this is with the intent of being a condescending know-it-all.

1. Don’t look like you’re complaining

No matter what the intent behind your post about your lack of notes and/or followers is, it’s very likely you’re going to come off entitled or ungrateful. I’ve personally unfollowed multiple users who post consistently about reaching their next thousand, who make angry/frustrated posts when their followers don’t increase as quickly as they’d like to, when they lose followers, etc. I understand that the hustle is frustrating, but posts like these are really quite annoying for your followers; you’re complaining about followers you don’t have to followers you do have, who are then more likely to unfollow you because it looks like you’re complaining. Your mutuals might understand why you’re posting this, but others probably don’t.

When it comes to posts about like-to-reblog ratios, which I’ve seen a fair few of recently, please consider a couple of things. 

When you ask people to reblog your post instead of liking it, you are essentially telling them what to put on their own blogs.

A lot of users on here have carefully curated content; while some users simply blog about everything they like, others stick to a certain set of subjects/movies/tv shows. If they see a post they like that doesn’t fall into those categories, they’ll give it a like to keep track of it and show their appreciation, but won’t put it on their blogs. You can’t tell people to reblog something they don’t want to.

You’re essentially asking people that you do not really personally care about to do something for you. Most of the likes you get on your post are likely from people that you do not follow yourself. I’m not saying that you hate your followers or don’t care for them, but you can’t really ask anything of a user that you don’t even follow yourself.

Look at it this way: Tumblr is basically a mini society, with its own market in the form of content creation. The ones who have a few thousand followers, and who get a few hundred or a few thousand notes on their posts are already the lucky ones. If you’re a user who gets hundreds/thousands of notes on their posts (even if it’s not as many as you like or deserve), you should keep in mind that the vast majority of users on here are small blogs that don’t have the traction that you have. If you post a screenshot of the like-to-reblog ratio on a post that has 2k notes, they’re going to think, “what on earth are you complaining about?”

Posts like these can really only backfire. I don’t think it’s likely that a lot of users will suddenly start reblogging instead of liking because of them. I know those posts are getting traction, because your mutuals and fellow content creators understand your frustration (believe me, I do too!), so they reblog/like/comment on it, but you’re essentially in an echo chamber of content creators. Anyone outside of that circle will not understand it and might unfollow you because of it.

2. Quality

Another disclaimer: I’m not implying that the people who have made posts about notes/followers don’t make HQ gifs. This is simply the “tips on getting notes” section of this particular post, so that’s what I’m doing. Veteran gifmakers can skip this section because I won’t be presenting anything new here.

Here’s the thing: high quality gifsets get notes. I know that what constitutes a HQ gif is subjective, but there is a consensus on this amongst big blogs, so I will summarize it below.

Make gifs from high-quality video sources. If 1080p is available, use that. Don’t gif from videos below 720p. Also, the larger the t*rr*nt file, the higher the quality. If a 1080p t*rr*nt from a movie is under 2GB in size, it’s probably not decent enough to gif from.

Use the new dimensions. Tumblr changed from 500px to 540px over 3 years ago now I believe, and all the big blogs use these dimensions. I rarely see sets like this anymore, but some users do still hold on to the old dimensions. Obviously, you should do what you like, but know that you’ll get more notes if you make the switch.

Do not skip frames. If you use screencaps, extract 25 frames per second. If you are an ‘Import video frames to layers’ kinda gal, like me, import all frames.

Sharpen your gifs! It makes an insane difference. My faq section links to a sharpening action.

Your frame delay should be 0.05. If you have a low amount of frames, you can get away with 0.06, but do not make your gif any slower than that. It will look unsmooth.

Go for natural coloring, where you simply brighten up the gif and enhance the colors (beware of whitewashing tho). I know that using PSD’s from resource blogs is tempting, but it’s very likely they will not work for the particular scene you’re giffing. It’s best if you learn to color yourself and adapt your coloring for every set. Also, it’s up to you what you think is pretty, but extremely vibrant and extremely pale coloring isn’t very popular anymore. Natural is the way to go. (This is with the exception of those gorgeous color edits people have been making recently. Y’all are queens & that shit is hard to make yo!)

If your gif is larger than the 3mb limit, NEVER sacrifice colors in the ‘Save for web’ window. Always delete frames to lower the size of your gif.

Just saying, but Photoshop CS5 has been known to make the best gifs.

For beginners out there, please don’t be discouraged. I’ve been making gifs for years, and they were absolute shit in the beginning. It just takes time to learn, but if you stick to it, you’ll get there.

3. Concept over quantity

Allow me to draw a comparison with YouTubers here - I think we all prefer YouTubers who post one well fleshed out video a week (for example, Safiya Nygaard) over YouTubers who post an okay video every day.

I think a lot of users think the way to get notes and followers is to post a gifset every day. This probably does work to an extent, but I personally think it’s better to come up with original concepts that you post every few days.

When you watch a movie, you can make five gifsets out of scenes from that movie, or you can come up with a concept. For example, parallels between scenes, parallels with other movies, the best lines of a certain character, etc. This takes more work, but sets like these are highly appreciated because they’re original, and they tend to get more notes.

This doesn’t apply to new releases, as you are probably among the first to gif a particular scene, but if you’re giffing a scene from a movie that’s been out for a while, you’re very likely not the first to do it. People will see it, realize they’ve already reblogged something very similar, and keep scrolling. But if you come up with a new idea, that’s what’ll get you more traction.

To give you a personal example; I recently rewatched all of the cap films. Now, I could have giffed popular scenes like “I could do this all day” or “I’m with you ‘til the end of the line”, but that’s been done before... a lot. Instead, I came up with this, and got 6.5k notes. I haven’t posted that many new sets on my blog recently, but posting content like that has gained me some followers and new mutuals.

4. Timing

All this requires is keeping an eye on your dashboard and taking note of when most of the people you follow are online. I sometimes see European content creators posting their sets smack dab in the middle of the day. Lemme tell y’all something: the Americans are sleeping.

I’m in timezone GMT+1. My dash wakes up around 5pm. I never post before 6pm - I’ll post anywhere between then and midnight, so feel free to convert that to your own timezone. The scheduling feature on posts comes in handy if you’ll be asleep or at school/work around that time.

If you post when Tumblr isn’t active, your set will drown in all of the other content, so be smart about timing.

5. Strategic tagging

It seems that a lot of users still don’t know this: only the first five tags on your post show up in tags on Tumblr. Anything past the first five will only be useful for your own tagging/archiving system, but will not show up in any tracked tags.

So first point: always use the most prominent edit tag for the fandom you’re posting in. Examples are #marveledit, #hpedit, #filmedit. These are frequently used, and often tracked by big blogs.

Second point: figure out who the big fansites/group blogs are, and if they track a tag, tag them. Make sure you follow them, obviously. If your post is funny, you might wanna tag bob-belcher (#bbelcher) as well - this blog is popular across fandoms and posts content from all over!

Third: tag users who you think will like your post. Don’t be thirsty with this. Again, only do this if you follow them. Tagging 2-3 users is ok, but don’t be out there tagging 8 to 10 blogs on your post. Not only is that a little pointless (because only the first five tags will show up), it also makes you look thirsty. Users might not appreciate this, and ultimately might not reblog your post because of that. Also, try not to tag the same users on every single one of your posts.

6. Popular content

If your fandom is niche, so is your content. That’s perfectly fine; don’t feel pressured to post about anything that isn’t your passion.

But if your goal really is to get more notes and followers, create content from fandoms that are big on the platform. Examples are Marvel, Harry Potter, Star Wars, film blogs, etc.

7. Join a fansite/group blog

Every big fandom on Tumblr has one or multiple fansites/group blogs. I recommend you figure out who they are for your fandom, and apply to one that’s accepting new members. You’ll likely get in if your gifs are HQ.

I know this sounds a bit counterintuitive, as you’ll be posting content on another blog that will be getting the notes and followers from it, but it actually is a good way to gain more exposure. These blogs have large amounts of followers, and they usually allow you to reblog your own content to them, as long as you’re active. I think it’s a great way to get your content out there.

Alright, time to wrap up this post. I’m not personally calling out anyone who has made posts about followers, notes, like-to-reblog ratios, etc. I’ve seen at least 15 of those posts in recent weeks so I’m just reacting to a trend I’m seeing, by presenting a potential solution to a problem people seem to be having. 

My last tip is this: if notes and followers on Tumblr are making you feel down or frustrated, maybe it’s time for a little hiatus or a step back. In the end, you are not getting paid for this and your popularity on the platform has no bearing on your real life. This is supposed to be a fun outlet for your passions and interests, not a source of frustration and anger. Don’t take it too seriously! You’re doing amazing sweetie.

[tonystarkbingo]

Query!

novarain01 replied to your post “Tony Stark Bingo Challenge”

@tonystarkbingo I have a silly question since I’ve never done one, but how does this bingo work?

Well, first you sign up

The sign up form is pretty basic, you can edit it all the way up til the close date of May 10th.

On May 10th sign ups close. I’ll send out a mass email to all participants that kinda goes like this: HI! Still interested?

If you find you don’t want to participate anymore, this is the time to say no (just because it saves me time to not have to make you a card if you don’t want one!)

If you do, just do a check in email that says “yep, still want to!” and I’ll start working on your bingo card 

See Example:

THIS IS AN EXAMPLE CARD

Your card may have any, all, or none of these prompts.These are your prompts and your card will be custom tailored to you, what you said you liked or didn’t like, and the list of prompts we got (You can still send in asks with four word prompts, pictures, ideas, etc)

You may share your card, or keep it secret, but please wait to share until you have your finalized card!

If you get something on your card that you’re not comfortable with, that’s not a problem; just send it back in in the first week and we can change any or all of your squares. It helps if you tell us what squares you don’t want. in the above example, send it back and say “I don’t want RiRi / Bed Sharing / Armor Wars, or Disney AU” and we will change these squares out for you.

We will not re-order squares; that’s part of the challenge... if you want a whole new card, we will trade out a whole new card, but only once. 

For the first week, it’s open on squares: we do want you to have a list of prompts that you’re happy with! After the first week, changes are at the discretion and time available to the mods. We will try to have a very fast turn around. Any problems will be discussed with the mods (for example, pretend that Mod Tisfan fell down the stairs, as she has a tendency to do that sometimes, and she might let everyone know-- hey’ it’ll be a few days til I can get your card fixed, sorry about that.) and your time will be extended accordingly.

Squares will be received May 29th, Tony Stark’s birthday

You can start work/posting as soon as you’re ready. We’ll have a collection up on A03 to submit to and you can post on Tumblr as well. We will check tags ( #tonystarkbingo18 and @tonystarkbingo ) daily and repost all work. If you don’t see your work in 3 days, please send us a message, sometimes tumblr eats stuff.

You have QUITE A WHILE to get your squares filled; the Bingo closes December 19th. (The death of Tony’s parents)

This is a LOW ENTRY activity.

You can fill as many or as few squares (minimum = 1) as you want to participate. If you blackout your card (all 25 squares, 24 prompts and one “free space” in which you can fill with anything you want to create/write/draw/etc) you may request a second card. If you blackout two cards, you may request a third.  Only three cards will be given out, that’s the end, you’re done! And we’re all very impressed. That’s 75 prompts total, wow!

Please see the FAQ for more information on what counts as a completed fill for each card. If you have questions, please contact a mod by ask, or message. Please have patience, mods do sleep and have jobs and stuff. If you don’t hear back in 24 hours, you may poke us again. Tumblr sometimes eats things. 

POSTING Format for Tumblr

Title: <title of your fic/art piece/craft/playlist> Link: tumblr | A03 | image hosting site, etc Square Filled: S1 (STARK goes across the top 1-5 goes down the side, let us know which square you’re filling) Ship: <ship name and pairing. Not everyone knows what, say IronHusbands are>  Rating: G/PG/R/E or General / Teen / Mature / Explicit (use your best judgement for rating) Major Tags any violence, language, smut, triggers, warnings should go here, also any side pairings. This is the best way to curate everyone’s reading experience.  Summary What is in the fic?  Fill Type: art/fic/playlist/craft/gifset Created for @tonystarkbingo

We will send out a few check-in posts that go kinda like: Hi, this is the first check in, wanted to make sure you got your card and you’re happy with it. 

Hi, this is the second check in, how’s it going? Just to kind of remind you that we’re out here...

You don’t have to do ANYTHING to check in, they’re just reminders.

[aerisosweet]

Rosaaaa hiii again I'm sorry for the delay, I've just been so low on energy this past week 😭 but I'll be posting your gifset soon~!!! I hope you enjoy it and please know that talking to you has been lovely 💕 this will be my last anon message to you before I reveal myself (and follow you 🌸) but I'm going to send it nonetheless, okay??🥰

And about accidentally revealing yourself on mobile I feel that so hard that's initially why I was sticking to sending asks over laptop shdjsjs, but we've been doing well so far huh?? 🤓

I'm from the UK 😣 well, born there but it's not really my home, home if you get me? But I know how it is with the rainy days too lol (but they're frequent rather than rare here sjfkjdk) but Cali seems really nice~ & Maybe you could get super invested in a tv show until they're all back!! But I guess whatever helps the most until that point~

My number one in SHINee is Taemin 🥰 and thank you for buying Jongin's albums and for being proud of him 😭💕 he's improved so much hasn't he? But tbf I always knew he had it in him 💕

As for my favorites I genuinely love each song so much but Nothing On Me and Amnesia and Reason and Hello Stranger (and esp Hello Stranger's concept 😍😍)... have special something something for me... and I'm going stop before I list the whole album because I feel the same way about all the songs I've just been waiting for Kolo for so long at this point I guess skdksk

And thank youu 😭🙏💕💕💕 I did a little re-edit but ended up exchanging a LMR gif for Namanana gif because it suited the color scheme better but started working on a second set for you too so I'll see if I can fit something LMR in there !!

And I was actually going to ask about that esp just before I post it!! Do you want 'happy holidays' on your caption instead of 'happy christmas', or?? Rn I have a sort of mix of both well wishes but I can alter it to just happy holidays if you're more comfortable with that 💗

Please have a lovely day nonetheless and I hope you enjoy your gift!!🌸

~exo ss anon 🥰

Hi! No worries. The holidays or well anytime, in general, can make us feel that way! I know I have some days myself. Thank you for writing to me! I can’t wait to know who you are!

I completely get you on that. I was born in California but because of my dad’s work traveled around, I didn’t really live there until I was already in uni. So even though I lived there for a while after uni, I still consider other places to be “home”!

Jongin definitely has improved soooo much! I’m so proud of him! And yes, he’s so dedicated so he would definitely have worked hard to get to that point <3

Hello Stranger is my favorite! And I get you. His solo was just so strong!

Awww you didn’t have to edit but thank you nonetheless :D And if it’s not too much to change, “Happy Holidays” would work/be better? I don’t mind the Merry Christmas either but haha Happy Holidays if you’re asking haha

I hope you have a wonderful holiday/Christmas and hope that you’re being safe/healthy. I don’t like seeing the news but living with my parents, it’s always on and UK is definitely being talked about since the new COVID mutation ;_;

Can’t wait to see who you are!

[chappell-roans]

So firstly, I hope you enjoy Knives Out! Also, (off-topic) I just wanted to say that your coloring is amazing. Right now I'm stuck in a rut in terms of coloring. Like, I feel like nothing I do works and all my GIFs just look so meh, so I don't post anything asdfjhjkl. When do you get to the point where you go "Okay, I like this, this is good, I'll upload this"?

Omg thank you! I’m only 15 mins in but so far it’s so funny I’m enjoying It. Also THANK YOU!!! 🥺 You’re so sweet. I’ve definitely been in those ruts before and done the same thing fjdjf when I’m on a hot streak, I’ll save a bunch of gifs in my drafts and post them later (a habit I’m trying to break actually, because I forget and they sit there for a year and suddenly my coloring is different but alas...). Wow good question, usually going into a set I have at least some idea of the colors I want—if I want a pastel vibe or more color porn or to use a specific color palette (lately, I’ve been really into complementary aka contrasting colors) or for them to look more ~natural but enhanced.

I usually spend a looot of time on the first gif or two, to figure out what I can or can’t do with the scenes I chose, then I try to match the others in the set the best I can. Then I upload the set into my drafts and look at it on mobile (my computer screen isn’t true to color for some godforsaken reason so I have to check) and see what I like or hate fjdjc and make mental notes about what I wanna change. Then I open the gifs in photoshop (I’d have to do that anyway to change the speed, but this is also where I put finishing touches...or sometimes drastic changes on my gifs) and make any adjustments I want. Sometimes this will be, say, making a whole set more cool toned, or more vibrant, or adding a very low opacity gradient map to make it more cohesive. (For example, the Kylo set I posted today, I didn’t change much in post processing (???) but I did alter the skin tone a bit to try and match them all better and the scene where he’s looking out at the First Order ships was originally blue but after studying my set for a while I decided it should be more red than blue. It’s the little things that really make a difference, sometimes just 1-3 layers.) Then I upload the gifs into my drafts again, look at it on my phone again and either I’m done or I’ll re-adjust the gifs that need it. For some sets, everything just falls into place, but others I come back to after a day or two because honestly, some days it just flows and my coloring process just works and others I can’t make one gif I like.

I guess I look at it for a long time and sometimes I send it to a friend too to make sure it looks nice. I think I also ask myself like, is this gifset to a point where I’d be happy to reblog it/write nice things about it in the tags? Then I post it. That sounds rly self-centered fjdjf but I usually try to make things I’m proud of and I also feel like is a little unique to my random ass coloring style?

So...that was super long and I’m not sure if I even answered your question cjdjcjf but if you ever wanna talk giffing/coloring I’m always down, anon or not!