#because they didnt match the tone of these images

[ranger-danger]

Ardean "Rook" Thorne --- "when no one else could"

[midnigtartist]

Dotty doesn’t like to talk about her failed engagement because it still makes her terribly sad, and it’s part of the reason she ended up in Baulders Gate. Gale can certainly relate to a messy break up

Putting the image txt below bc I know tumblr is going to kill the image quality

Gale is so fun to write he has such a good Voice

Gale: You’ve quite a skilled hand for constructs such as these. A fascinating skill- and even more fascinating to watch you work.

Dotty: I used to be a lot better at it when i was younger. I sort dropped the hobby after my um my engagement….

Gale: Judging by your tone I suspect its not a happy affair. I apologize if I’ve dredged up any unpleasant memories.

Dotty: Oh no it’s alright, it was a while ago so… I was engaged to a man, Luca, a member of the zhentarim but i didn’t know that at the time. I thought just he was charming, flattering, kind, and he- thought I was a perfect first rung in his social climb

Dotty: He was able to rub elbows with all sorts of important people while on my arm and eventually he found a match that was more - beneficial to his rising statues.

Dotty: He didnt even do me the decency of ending things in person.

Dotty: Oh not that I hold any ill will of course! This sort of thing happens all the time in high society. Everything is quid pro quo and it’s not like i have much to offer other than my name…

Gale: Perhaps I risk overstepping commenting on personal matters such as these but,, this man is a damnable fool if hes so quick to squander your affections.

Gale: In the short time Ive spent with you ive known you to be endless kind, incredibly generous, caring, resourceful, and quick witted. Whatever soul manages to catch your attention should consider themselves very lucky indeed.

Gale: You are as vast and as wondrous as the night sky itself.

[dreamerwitches]

Rating labyrinths: Gertrud!

Okay! Let's go with the labyrinth ratings wheeee!!!

What I'm going to do is rank separate parts of labyrinths (eg. anthony's labyrinth from ep 1 is separate to gertrud's from ep 2) but I'll also give an average at the end.

I will (most likely) only be doing labyrinths that are in colour (so maybe not manga witches)

Anthony's labyrinth from episode 1

I think this is a really good one, especially as the first shown (not including walpy's). It really shows of the cut-out style of the labyrinths and the deep blue-hued colours are perfectly moody. The use of runes in the background is also really fun for secret messages. I feel the only downside is that it doesn't really scream Gertrud to me. Like, if you didn't know the series well and was shown this, I doubt you'd think it belonged to her. HOWEVER... I think this does work for Gertrud since all her precious roses are in her room with her. It makes sense that she'd keep them close.

You could say that it's weird that this labyrinth doesn't share colours with the main one but I think it works because it's a familiar's labyrinth. The photorealistic buildings also match the main labyrinth. I wonder if the butterfly and anthony traffic signs are meant to be a subtle warning to madoka and sayaka hmmm

I really like this one. A 5/5 for me

Gertrud's labyrinth from episode 2

There's a lot to it so it's kinda hard to summarise in images lol. But it's another great one. Great imagery, lovely colours and has themes brought over from Anthony's labyrinth. I think the orange tones, although relaxing, also give off this sepia feel that makes it a little unnerving too. Like looking through a tinted view makes things seem unreal.

One of my favourite parts are the doorways that lead to black nothingness. Really helps with the labyrinthine feel. Small touches like the portraits with slight things changed in them to make them scary. It's the kind of thing you don't notice unless you pause. I also like how it seems the labyrinth becomes more luscious as you get deeper. The trees start bare, then with black leaves, then Gertrud's room is fully in bloom.

I wasn't sure whether to rank the boss room separately, maybe I will... I think the ceiling that doesn't quite make sense works well to make it feel disorientating and it's a fun contrast to the kinda pretty garden around Gertrud. It's messy but in a good way. I also think having the boss room have a different theme to the rest works. Just as before I mentioned that roses are only in her boss room, I think it would make sense that her special place may be better taken care of or just look overall nicer. It's very good but I'd say, not my favourite segment. Maybe just because it's only one room?? That makes it a little unfair to compare to the rest...

I'll give the labyrinth a 5/5. Boss room is a 4.5/5

Gertrud's labyrinth from Magireco episode 11

Yeah... this one isn't it, chief... like, it has the things of her labyrinth but it's just not... uhhh I dunno it feels more like a set piece than a proper area...

Let's start with what I like: of course, I love the Gertrud motifs. The butterflies, the cut out images and the hidden text (although it's no different than the original anime iirc). I really like the halo above Gertrud's area. And the hanging loops. It's weird but pretty. Suits Gertrud!

Sadly that's where my positives end. The stark white is NOT Gertrud it's so weird... I guess the stone rose works better but not the rest. I kinda hate in the zoom out where... it just looks like a video game level, like I'm looking at mario 64 or something ToT that is not a labyrinth..! Just the overall layout is meh. I dislike the random fluff pile below it too. Just felt like they didnt know what to fill it with...

It's a dud but has some good things... I'm giving it a 1.5/5. I know there's worse which is why it's not a 1.

So overall Gertrud get's a.... 4/5 wow!!!

[300iqprower]

Ya know SMTIV, what this is actually perfect. Remember what I said about how Nasu could never be asked to show even a modicum of respect to Tezctalipoca as a figure, and how the "Tezcatlipoca" in FGO in no way has the spirit of their alleged origins?

Well I don't care much for this design either.

In fact I don't like SMT's (or more specifically Soejima's, who is still very much talented as I'll make clear) Tezcatlipoca design at all. I personally find it ugly and having an aesthetic I'm not that fond of, particularly the sort of "Bigfoot sighting" pose he has going on.

But i don't hate it, and I certainly am not morally opposed to it like FGO's, because even if I personally dislike it, ya know what it is? It's still undeniably based on Tezcatlipoca and keeps that spirit in several ways evident through design alone, let alone the way he's implemented into the game itself. It's a design that feels like it respects the culture it's taking its name from, and I'd much rather it do that than have an aesthetic I'm more fond of but lack any representation of its source material.

Just on a surface level you can see the ways in which this is meant to be Tez.

Holding a human heart with one arm, which were sacrificed to him in Aztec rituals

His body is visibly black and navy blue and made of a stony substance, which is a reference to the association many aztec gods but especially Tez had with obsidian rock, and the main symbol of Tez is an obsidian mirror.

Despite this, his other arm and legs are dissolving into smoke at the end, which is a reference to his main title of Smoking Mirror.

His skull-like head is pretty clearly meant to invokes a Calavera, which even if you didnt know the name of you've probably seen if you've ever witnessed a Day of the Dead festival.

That's all just the surface level stuff. There's plenty more if you know to look for it.

While one of his arms is visible, neither of his legs are, which fits with how Tezcatlipoca lost at least one of his legs to the giant crocodile Cipactli when the world was created

While blue isn't the primary color Tez is associated with, the use of teal/navy blue specifically fits with how he was often depicted with an almost interchangeable combination of grey-ish dark blue and black.

Despite my "bigfoot posture" remark, it very much fits Tezcatlipoca, whose spirit animal was the Jaguar, an animal well known for stalking and ambushing prey (rather than chasing it down like African big cats are known to do).

the way the smoke curls around as if forming an extremely distorted prosthetic foot matches how Tez's missing foot is specifically portrayed in the Codex Yohualli Ehécatl (AKA, the source of the image on Tez's wikipedia page), particularly with how the coloring shifts to orange-yellow at the end.

The most shaky but still worth noting claim: The emphasis on the blood flowing from the heart, combined with the gems embedded in Tez's head, could even be a reference to the Ezpitzal, which while looking very different in mesoamerican art still is no doubt connected, given how the key traits are flowing blood and embedding precious stone in [a crown above] the head.

So....do I like this design? No, personally, not really. I'm way too much of an edgelord to settle for such a toned down and subtle design for a figure like Tezcatlipoca.

Do I respect this design? Absolutely, zero question. It's the kind of design you could never get if they didn't at least TRY to research Tezcatlipoca, let alone do so well (at least i can only assume well based on the result). That's the difference between this design and "some white guy from the GAP who likes guns". You can tell they gave a shit, not just in general but specifically in regards to the culture being referenced.

(Oh, and also unlike FGO Tezcatlipoca, I don't need to be told "someone famous drew it" to be able to figure out someone talented drew it. )

[x1uizy]

starlight boys post-elim thoughts (link to old thread)

⚠️ contains spoilers ⚠️

honestly, this is abnormal for me but my top 9 really hasn't changed much: liu guanyou, sun yinghao, shao ziheng, lee hangyul, pentor, duan xingxing, zai, & yang dongwha, with some wiggle room for 9th.

of course, zai (20th) and yang dongwha (16th) aren't fully in the running, with zhang jijun (8th), noh minjae (9th), lee daeul (10th), he xi long (11th), hong sungmin (12th) congb (13th), xu shihuan (14th), yoojun (15th), wang kun (17th), lingqi (18th) and sun jiayang (19th) in the mix.

some relevant vote counts (without benefits*):

zhang jijun: 688,894

noh minjae: 650,336

yang dongwha : 399,145

zai: 356,251

*benefits are pretty much useless except to tiebreak the last elimination spot. in this round, neither eden nor choi junho got benefits though so it didn't matter, but if choi junho's team had won he would've made it instead of eden.

*because i find it interesting here are the instances where to wouldve made a difference in rank:

lee daeul (10) & noh minjae (9)

zai (20) & han jeongwoo (21)

etani hikari (26) & syo (27) - particularly interesting that their votes were sooooo close, only 2k off. if hikari's team had lost, syo would have gotten 26th with a 3k gap

kris (34) & phoom (35)

eden (36) & choi junho (37)

anyways 4-pick is bound to shake things up so we'll have to see what happens, but it seems unlikely right now that dongwha or zai will catch up to the debut seats. my primary hope is that top 7 stays the same, even if the ranks change.

thoughts on ranks 8 - 21

zhang jijun: intl fans have no idea who this man is 😭 i learned that hes an actor with over a mill on weibo & his fans might try to get him all the way to the finals but then drop him at the last minute. welcome back lu yuting & lelush.

noh minjae: i like him but it doesnt feel like the right group for him. he's talented but he doesnt fit. i wont be mad if he makes it and i think it could be interesting for him to play off of liu guanyou. but hangyul & minjae didnt make sense in a group together the first time around, this time is worse lmfao

lee daeul: once again, not the group for him. i think his one pick will be pretty strong moving forward but he probably needs to get his ass to modhaus for bripleS idk

he xilong: love him actually. he doesnt match the final group but he doesnt actively detract either. i think he could work. i want him to gain more confidence on stage & its a shame that we dont have enough rounds to see him grow

hong sungmin: talented but i cant get into him. his rapping tone was kind of unpleasant in r1 & even though i know he's better than that it kinda ruined things for me

congb: i like him but i think a different group would work for him. i think he & daeul would do better in kpop and i really dont think that's where this group is fully headed

xu shihuan: i know very little about him but if i couldnt have any of my picks in 9th I'd probably pick him, just image wise. saying this makes me miss ryou kaito.

yoojun: im enjoying him on this show but i dont know what to do with him. i think he's really coming off well but im not sure where he can go from here. can he act? become a streamer?? idkkk. he's too talented onstage but im not sure if this is enough for him to be successful

yang dongwha: still torn on him. i think the bullying scandal has hurt his main base & im not sure if he'll be able to overcome it. it's a shame though that the production clearly had a plan and it's not panning out. i wish they had recruited more people who fit their desired image

wang kun: i liked him more on asy, it's kind of a shame. you know who needed to be on this show? gemini. he would've been solid top 8 & that group would've been diverse & sooo iconic.

lingqi: talented but i can't get into him

sun jiayang: voted for him for storyline reasons but the bubble will probably pop this round

han jeongwoo: i like him but im not sure where he fits. with dongwha's fans kind of wavering i think he's the clearest replacement but they haven't given him as much of a storyline as i might have expected. i think his one pick is likely pretty low, yikes

other people im watching & thinking about: hikari, syo, & xinche.

voting list

this is my shaky voting list. hangyul & junhyuk are staying no matter what, but idk about zai and he xilong. i would be so happy if they made it but i also feel like there's no chance...we'll see after the interim i suppose

me voting for he xilong instead of dongwha or jeongwoo seems contradictory to my top 9 but here's why it's not! It's because [TRAIN PASSES] so that makes perfect sense, right?

voting hangyul for millionaire center. annoying that you can only vote one person per one position per day. i though i did it wrong at first because it looks like you should be able to fill all of the positions. it'd be nice if it was more like the difference between regular & vip votes, where everyone can fully vote once and vip just get extra votes.

this gets into structure a bit but because they've condensed the rounds voting is kinda...off. like normally you might expect 9-6-3-1 but theyre probably gonna do 9-4-1. if i could vote for 6. syo & pentor (worried he might drop) would probably round out my list.

thoughts on the show/ the show's structure

im torn about some things. i think its good that they're being a little more creative with the structure of the survival show, which hasn't changed much at all really from produce 101, but i think you run into some danger when you start taking things away instead of adding.

im in agreement with the masses on the first mini elimination- it was cruel and unnecessary, and cut some talent that would probably still be here today. but one review i saw brought up the point that it has probably had a more positive than negative impact on the show - people heard about it and were shocked, and ironically that made them more interested in watching the show and more dedicated to supporting the boys. and then this is my own addition, but eliminating that small number of trainees in the beginning allowed them to cut a whole round & save money (assuming that the original song round is one of the most expensive rounds in a typical survival show). so from a production stance, it was a net positive, even if it's not as fun for fans to watch.

while I've been following the show closely, im not actually watching at 100% like i usually do. i was looking forward to the original song round but now that it's just the finale...eh. im not expecting to be impressed by next round either. the only question is vocals and honestly this show doesnt have very many. they have a bunch of performers who happen to be solid singers or rappers, but few dedicated vocalists. while i dislike that in general, i think this group being a performance/dance group makes sense for some reason.

honestly my favorite non-performance content in survival shows will always be watching their dynamics in the practice room. so this sports day does absolutely nothing for me and there's a good chance i won't watch it. there's a reason why sports day content is usually interspersed with the elimination! it does not need it's own episode!! i think they could've come up with some other creative content to fill that space. if i think of something ill make another post (<- unlikely)

listened to millionaire and pretty dirty boy and uhm. millionaire is the better song but the choreo is soooo ridiculous it looks like that stupid frog dancing meme that popular when i was in like. high school or something 😭 and pretty dirty boy just isnt that good of a song idk. maybe ill change my mind about where hangyul is going. also its so annoying that project 7 made you vote for 35 people every single time but starlight boys wont let us do up to 18. both of them should let you leave blank spaces but you should def be able to vote for more than 1 person for starlight boys. i actually know people on this show!!

a lot of people seem to still think that this will be a kpop group & that what knetz think of the lineup will matter. can i ask why you think that? 🎤. this is qcyn4 i would be soooo surprised if the don't release anything in chinese/if they don't promote in china. there's not even a korean person challenging for center like 😭 it seems clear to me that hosting the show in korea was just a way to get around the survival show ban in china, lmfao. if anything, i think they could do an xg type thing where they sing in english, but i doubt that. i think the final group will be most like exo, with a foot in korea and i foot in china, but more firmly planted in china. HOWEVER. there's a horrible rumor that they'll be managed by podol and i just refuse to believe that iqiyi would waste a group like that. but with so many podol trainees it feels...probable. idk. even the hypothetical makes me want to vomit. #freebae173 #fantasyboys #freeclass:y #free anyone who has ever been associated with mbk.

in conclusion im sad about them condensing the rounds. i dont think itll be damning but i also hope they dont do it again.

[stachebracket]

ok tomorrows polls are all scheduled! i feel like theres a lot of tight matches this time so im very excited. they'll roll out between 4:00pm and 5:15pm EST. some updates: - i actually tagged these with the round number this time! ill continue doing this as i go forward - i got a better picture of gimli this time (you can actually make his stache out from his beard), fixed up the transparency on sportacus, and added transparency for agustin madrigal - there's now Alt text for all images! ended up using the built in description adder feature because i finally found it. tried to be consistent in tone and unbiased and descriptive of the important qualities of each stache but! this is my first time doing this and it was pretty late when i wrote some of em. hope i did well - didnt end up switching over to mad-scientist-showdown's "VS" graphic this round but i still will do so for later rounds. didnt have time to mess with changing my image template

and thats all! see yall when i get off work tomorrow ^_^

[castlebyersafterdark]

did you know that el's opening monologue in s4 was a comedic contrast set up straight away? i remember laughing a lot at how what el was saying didnt match with what we were being shown on screen, but also the whole opening just had weird vibes where you knew something wasn't right... but how do you explain that to people who don't believe it? i mean, that monologue totally set up gay will for all the people who didnt catch it in s3. and yet it went over so many people's heads! how?? but if i try to say 'el's tone of voice was so jangly and naive and bubbly, obviously she was lying/it was comedy', people get offended or don't understand that.

honestly it really makes me question my own skills as a writer, because i always run with the idea that audiences are clever enough to pick up on this stuff but clearly many aren't, no shade just facts. i mean, there's even children's picture books that use this device of words and images creating a comedic contrast!

I'll admit I cannot fathom that there are people who didn't understand the point of El's opening being both comedic and a lie from the beginning, not even trying to be rude but how. It seemed like such a perfect set up. And it was! But also - how tf didnt people pick up that Will was gay when that super cute girl got foot rejected?? That was such an obvious give after ok, people like me understood what they wete doing with his character by season 3 but if you didn't pick it up in 4 then. Hopeless. Either you're bigoted, not really absorbing the show, or you lack critical media literacy skills haha.

Audiences should be clever enough. The worst thing a show or movie or book can do is dumb itself down for some hypothetical audience. Write for the story, not for the lowest level of engagement fan. And I think Stranger Things does a good job not dumbing itself down!

[dee-is-for-lots-of-things]

one of the little subtleties in season of mists i love is the subtly different way Dream presents himself to the different ambassadors, like even down to what he’s wearing. he’s slightly different for everyone and i love thinkin about the attention to detail, it would have been so easy for him to be just in his full on dream king mode all the time but instead we get this (sorry this is gonna be long but i love this. its a sandman blog this is what u signed up for lol)

the first one to show up is odin, who offers up a prediction of ragnarok containing a fragment of dream’s soul

dream is in his casual moping outfit, t shirt and probably jeans, but sits above odin. it’s possible this is to sort of remind odin that dream is in charge here, since odin is a trickster and considers tricking dream through basically the whole book. the candles are probably a reference to something smart neil gaiman read but i just think they also add to the neat border, separating odin and dream.

he’s also pretty polite to odin, genuinely considering the offer and generally being nice about it (well. nice for dream lol)

next we cut to jemmy (ambassador for chaos)

this is immediately distinct because she’s stood so close to him. while odin was a little bit away and dream was sat above him, here thanks to the height difference that’s already there i guess he didnt think he needed to bother

dream is much harsher to her than odin (although not the worst he gets) the other think i wanna say is i think the image of dream with his balloon is very sweet

the candles are back when order’s messenger shows up, and he’s put his big dramatic coat on for being big and dramatic in. with the wide shot at the end the candles seem to once again be a barrier, this time against the floating emissary, shielding dream and keeping him in a little circle (whether this is the intention of dream or it’s a fun little bit of imagery to show how isolated dream has made himself, who’s to say)

he’s also a lot meaner again, outright dismissing kilderkin, which shows that he was being very nice to odin at the beginning. maybe he puts on his coat to be scarier after chaos just straight up threatened him

i always enjoy a shift in artstyle to represent the perspectives of other cultures, especially dream in similar clothes that i do not know the name of (sorry) also it’s weird seeing him in blue instead of black, obviously the way they draw black often uses blue to highlight but idk it’s just different and i like it. his words are similar to how he spoke to odin, and the offer is considered on the same level

bast and dream have at least something of a history together (correct me if im wrong it’s a while since i last read brief lives) and are a lot more direct. maybe the short, single word phrases mean he’s slightly taken aback or maybe it means this is the fifth meeting he’s had and he just remembered there’s still more to come and is very tired

also, lovin the collar

matthew interlude! this is very cute. moving swiftly on!

in terms of his physical presentation, i think azazel is the most interesting. for one thing, he’s hovering to match, and his cloak thing idk what to call it has a bunch of layers overlapping much like azazel’s many eyes mouths etc. the fact that azazel is the one one to really take offense with his cautious diplomatic tone is fun but not really unexpected, he’s a fucking demon.

oh also he’s back in his t shirt when the angels come and take the key. worth mentioning but i forgot to get screenshots lol

[maizumis]

Hii I have a request

I don’t know if yours are open but I was wondering if you could do the kids celebrating the haikyuu boys birthday! I hope it makes sense and if you do my request please add iwazumi tysm!!

— HAIKYUU BOYS CELEBRATING THEIR BIRTHDAYS WITH THEIR KIDS

ft. timeskip!iwaizumi hajime, bokuto kōtarō, atsumu miya, osamu miya, oikawa tooru

note: f! reader ❗THANKS FOR 3K! I can't say I came back but slowly writing again <3 enjoy! no proofread until tomorrow

❦ IWAIZUMI rather prefers a private celebration with family and friends than a big deal, no surprise when his friends and newly born daughter where on his backyard enjoying the big day “damn iwa, you're now old, you're a daddy~” issei said with a mocking tone that made everyone laugh “yeah, I'm a daddy and you're broke, just stating facts” the birthday boy said while rocking back and forth with his daughter in arms to make her fall asleep “a very good birthday of many to come” how could that not be true now that he has the world in his hands?

❦ BOKUTO it's a child himself, it was his birthday but if his son request a whole castle to jump on it and he could afford it (apart that he wanted the castle too) why not? you were now babysitting not one but four kids that were know as your child, husband, shoyo and atsumu “kiyoomi if it wasn't for you here I think I would go crazy” he laughed and handed you a piece of cake “we are in the same situation” yeah, it was a little tiring to look forward a bunch of adults but the image of your kid and husband laughing together could never be replaced

❦ ATSUMU likes big parties, big events, everyone knows it and he likes to make an impression. being the first official birthday with his child would not make it any less, now is a big party and everyone focus is on the chubby baby “princess, I know she is adorable but not one person said something about my suit or something!” don't take him wrong, he lives the attention his daughter his getting, but where is the attention for him “well then atsumu” you said, positioning in front of him and fixing his neck and tie “i think you look very good with that suit on and that baby on arms” and he smiles because he knows, fatherhood suits him the best

❦ OSAMU is another man that is most likely to have a small dinner at home along his family and a few friends, there's no doubt his daughter helped him cook everything that's on the table, using the matching aprons that you gifted him for his last father's day along his kid “didnt really look forward my birthdays since I met you or have her, did I told you that?” he surprised you at the kitchen, the giggles of atsumu and his little girl coming from the living made both your and his smile bigger “well, next one is gonna be with one more miya, you better enjoy it”

❦ OIKAWA likes to show off at parties, specially since you two had your daughter he is the proudest dad out there, yeah maybe it's his birthday but he doesn't miss the chance to tell everyone how today his daughter counted to twenty instead of ten! and the outfits? matching outfits, for the whole family, of course “next year we are gonna be wearing red” he said confidently with his daughter in arms “yeah well, focus on today tooru, is your birthday after all” and he smiled at that, it's his birthday, he is with his family and friends, his dream finally came true “you’re right babe, let's go”

[norestwithoutlove]

hello I just wanna say that your writing is so fucking gorgeous, dude. I’ve read tbah and many the lost (last night) and I’m getting to restless wanderer when I can dedicate the time it deserves. every line is killer, and your words ride the line between devastating and heartwarming with such ease. any tips + advice for how to develop such a kick-ass style of writing would be forever appreciated, as I cannot get past how beautifully crafted your stories are! much love x

hi! thank you so much, this was lovely to receive. and i'm glad you liked them both. many the lost honestly feels like a big accomplishment and although always retrospectively with a fic i'll think 'fuck why didn't i go down this angle?!' i am definitely really proud of that one and how it turned out <3

sorry for the delay replying to this, too, i was trying to gather thoughts on writing and if i actually do have any concrete advice for people beyond "practice loads :D" which is what i always say. also developing a personal style of writing is a (wonderfully) specific question in comparison to "how can you write well?" which i never know the answer to.

okay sorry. VERY long winded answer up ahead.

i guess the first point for developing a personal style (and one that you like) would be to figure out what you like. so yeah my first tip for writing is read widely, and unfortunately im gonna circle back to this one haha because i think it's often true. some writers who were big for me in finding what style i liked were Toni Morrison who i think has an incredible writing voice which is generally just so pleasurable to read (linked is the first book of hers i ever read) R S Thomas who i think is a master of metaphor and made me realise i love writing about things through images of other things, and James Baldwin, who i want to write more like, for his ability to be brief and understated and still gut you completely. Others who i discovered and found I wanted to emulate more recently (as in, the past 3 years) were Alexis Wright, Tim Winton and Hanif Abdurraqib. read across time, form, and genre. write what you like about your wide reading, and find what aspects of it suit your own voice, or could be made part of your style.

so read widely, find what you like, and find what you don't like. underline phrases you love. flag up pages that stay with you. and pay attention to why you like something, why something else falls short. then emulate it. practice writing in different styles and for different genres until you find your voice, and refine it. read over your work after leaving it for a few days, or a week, or longer, and ask yourself where it's weak. this one's hard and i don't do it as much as i should but i do think it's important! the distance that time gap has created will help you see your writing more clearly.

also i love listening to music while i write, and if i didnt have it, i think i would be a shit shit writer. i make a long playlist for every piece of work i write, and while i write i play music that matches the mood of each scene. movie scores, folk songs, whatever mirrors the tone the scene has in my head. nine times out of ten you'll know the vibe of what you want to write in your head, and if you can get music to write to that matches that tone, you'll have an easier time translating it into writing. this is what i find, at least, lol. for this reason though, spotify's radio function is definitely your friend ! you can get songs that are similar or related to the song you're listening to using the song radio feature. also, once you have a song that say, matches the mood of nostalgia, or familial warmth, or longing, or regret, you can potentially listen to this when you're writing with that mood for other things. i would listen to this song when i was writing tbah, during the scenes dean was hurting over family, or longing for it. and i went on to listen to it a BUNCH while writing restless wanderer. this method helps me nail the mood of any scene, and the playlist aspect lets me think about what vibe i want the whole story to have. it also helps guide you on how you want the tone of your story to change, over the course of the narrative, because moods evolve and shift. and the mood of each fic will impact the style you write in. im not so good at changing style, but hopefully the style of restless wanderer is distinct from the style of many the lost, etc, to indicate that they're different stories from different people, untangling different things.

also, and i cannot emphasise this enough, just get into and have fun because writing is basically a giant imaginary sandbox and why the fuck shouldnt you have a blast?!

also, this thread has some great advice, but it starts here and i think this is the most important stuff:

ummm to give an example of this. for restless wanderer (if you want to go into it not knowing anything about it then skip this part, but it's not a spoiler, more a premise thing) i knew i wanted to write a victorian shepherding au, and i knew i wanted dean to arrive somewhere alien where the vibe was eccentric and a little uncanny. i wasnt exactly sure how i would create this mood, and only knew it was something i wanted to evoke. initially i was going to have the farmhouse be nicknamed 'the chapel' by everyone in the village, but i went on a walk and cleared my head and jumped on and off some tree stumps and the idea arrived that bobby should nurse dozens and dozens of birds back to health in his home, and that consequently everyone in the village should call the house 'the eyrie', punning on eeriness and the obvious fact of hundreds of birds living in the house. that became such a beloved aspect of the story to me, and vital to its structuring, (as in, i cannot imagine the story having legs WITHOUT this detail, and it definitely wouldn't be as thematically sound) that the reality that i arrived at it simply because i went on a walk, that if i hadnt gone on that walk, the fic would be completely different is terrifying and a little miraculous. goes to show the good a walk can do.

another example of this is obviously tbah. it took me four years to write, so ideas had plenty of time to percolate. the biggest scenes in it, and the scenes that generally seem to have stuck with readers most, were the ones that i would rehearse in my head for months and sometimes years before ever getting the chance to write them down. i'll like, rehearse stories in my head before i fall asleep, and this gives a chance to see what works and what doesn't in a given scene or narrative arc.

and again with many the lost - i planned on writing it for like, a year, before i finally shared it, which is a long time for just 30,000 words. but if i hadnt given it that time, i wouldnt have included any of the stuff about les miserables, which was a really necessary structuring device in the story, and a great way of showing jimmy and sam's relationship, which also demonstrated why sam was in such a bad place after jimmy died.

so yeah, sorry for the rambling essay, hopefully some of that was useful though! loads of love. thanks so much for this question :) <3

to build a home

many the lost

restless wanderer

[talkingtea]

Anon saying LA does not know how to sell whatever the heck it is she's trying sell, I 100% agree. She has 0 business acumen and that team of hers ain't doing her any favors not helping her understand the nature of business, product pushing, building a base, establishing a brand, defining an audience, and the like. She seems to understand her audience is mostly there for G content seeing as how she uses that connection to get views. Yet it looks like she's trying to change her blog to a mommy blog (as we all suspected), without enticing mothers first, building, or defining that fanbase. Mothers aren't a monolith. She slapped an "I'm a mommy blog now!" label with an undefined and conflicting message that being a mother is so easy while she simultaneously acts like it was and is a struggle. Who is she trying to reach? Adjusting to motherhood was hard, yes, but I'd have more respect for her if she didn't try to resort to gimmicks in disclosing her experience. She doesn't seem to get that authenticity and honesty will always be more enticing than possibly make believe struggle stories. No harm in having an uneventful pregnancy with a significant amount of help, resources, and money. In fact, that's a blessing. Not everything in one's life has to be a "product" to sell. Privileged ppl I've noticed are always so tone deaf when trying to associate with the general population. They know their experiences are not relatable, so they choose dishonesty to pretend they have the exact same struggles and it's easy to see through the farce. And then there's the fact that she had 1 baby 1 month ago and now fancies herself an oracle on motherhood...

She's using the same exact lazy way she's been using her IG to become famous yet somehow deluded herself into believing her social media manipulation tactics and subsequent engagement meant she was a popular influencer. She's been pushing her fitness for years, which has done nothing to build her a brand because she didnt take the necessary initial steps to create that following to begin with. It really seems to me that the furthest research she did was figuring out which day and time would get her the most engagement and figuring out G posts would get her the most likes. But nothing regarding the actual people who follow her and their demographic. Maybe she's thinking her fans will grow along with her, but like we've been saying: her fans are not at her stage of life so she either needs to find fans that match who she's trying to reach or change her model. And that's assuming she even wants to stop taking the lazy way out, but as we've seen from her life, she can't be arsed to make a name for herself without using other people's talents or prowess to advance herself. All of that points to lack of creativity and incapability of creating a solid business model. She's been trying this for how many years now?? So why is she still essentially in the same place. Blue check doesn't mean anything if you're out here buying followers. But it's all about the external image with her. Who cares if the interior of the house is on fire as long as the walls are sitting pretty.

☕️☕️☕️

[madam-melon-meow]

this is my extremely belated, very long-winded review of @theshitpostcalligrapher , because I have never used etsy and didnt realize they close the review window real fast. 10/10 if you dont wanna read.

In winter 2021, I was looking for the perfect gift for my father. He recently opened his own physical bike shop, and overestimated my own art abilities by asking for me to paint something on the walls or ceiling. Knowing he wanted some sort of decoration, but that I could not provide it, I set out to find something unique and colorful that would fit his personality. The two of us recently watched The Expanse Tv show, and I had read the books. During Season 5 of the show, which corresponds to Nemesis Games, one of dad’s favorite characters is trapped on Earth in a post-apocalyptic scenario, which prompted him to find a working bicycle. When he returned to safety and relayed the story to his friends, his friend questions the choice, prompting this quote:

“A Bicycle?”

Amos leaned on the breakfast bar. “Sure. They don’t need fuel, they don’t get sick. Most of the repairs, you can handle on your own. You’re looking for post-apocalyptic transportation, bikes are the way to go.”

As soon as I saw this quote, it reminded me of dad. He is always enthusiastically trumpeting the wonders of bikes, reminding me that if something happens, he’s prepared me to get on my bike for hours on end each day until I reach safety. Clearly, this was the perfect quote for his bike shop. So I contacted the expert, @theshitpostcalligrapher . We spent some time going back and forth on the details- I wanted it large, I wanted the font readable for old eyes, I wanted art on the sides that matched the idea of a mountain biker. There was a snafu at first, prompting my mother’s ire (the first version had hyphenation that sent part of some words to the next line, which mom felt wouldn't be legible), but despite the tone of those mom-dictated messages, the artist was extremely professional. She apologized for the formatting issue and quickly rectified it, sending the piece you see in the images above. Once we received it, I was incredibly grateful. The piece is 11x17, allowing the words to be large enough that the moderate stylization does not confuse the viewer. the detailed little bike in the corner is a wonderful touch, and the use of trees and mountains to border the piece is a delight. My dad was so very pleased when he received it (I got a sturdy frame to protect it) and immediately started looking for a free space of wall to hang it in honor. Granted, hanging it on a door might be a little unorthodox, but with walls covered in products he had to make sure it wouldn’t be hidden. 

So this is me, telling anyone who wants to read, that if you want a quote displayed with talent and care, if you want something you can give to a parent to hang in a place of business, you can trust @theshitpostcalligrapher to create something beautiful. She may be known for overly-gilded meme quotes, but she is a professional artist who is dedicated to her craft and works with her commissioners, listening to their needs. Communication is important in ensuring the piece is how you imagined it- they’re no mind reader- but if it is an honest and fixable error, they are extremely accommodating. I wish I could leave this on etsy, but ive missed that 100 day window by quite a margin. Hopefully some folk who have been considering @theshitpostcalligrapher will see this post as a sign that yes, they can make something special, something beautiful, something you can display and give to others. 10 stars of 10! 

[squeeneyart]

Breathe in the Salt - Chapter 20

AO3

Beta reader as always is @thesnadger!

Simon and Martin have a chat.

Martin accepts some advice.

When Martin passed the front gate the world behind him disappeared, replaced by cold, grey mist and stone.

Staring back the way he came only made it harder to remember what had been before, and his head felt the pressure of distance with no point of reference. Something deep inside him knew the perils of walking anywhere but the path leading him to the Fairchild house; to step anywhere else would see him tumbling out and away from the only landmark he had left.

Waiting for him at the front door was the woman who’d taken the sketchbook from him, this time without the veneer of professional courtesy. The hooded jumper, worn jeans, and disinterested wave announced to the world an interrupted day off. If his damp, miserable self was an affront to her sensibilities, she wasn’t showing it, so the wet jacket stayed on.

In his nerves he hadn’t really registered her appearance during their first meeting, too focused on getting rid of the evidence of his crime. She was older, maybe in her 60s, with long grey hair tied back into a low ponytail. He hadn’t seen her about town before, had he?

They walked inside without any chitchat, so Martin glanced about in silence. The interior felt right if his memory served, the same skinny halls and windows stretching from floor to ceiling. The most striking aspect still was the mural at the top of the central staircase. The rest of the house was dwarfed by it, as if the grand building was no greater than his hometown’s silhouette tucked into the corner of the canvas. 

Approaching it, the colors were more. More intense, more bold, all the brightness stolen from the world outside siphoned into an impossible sky. Maybe anything would look that much more  when contrasted with where he’d been. He was at the top of the stairs standing at its center wondering if there was any distance that could give him a proper view of the whole. 

From behind him the woman cleared her throat, though she didn’t seem irritated. He pulled himself away from the spot where he’d stopped to stare, leaving slippery footprints in his wake.

Glancing up at the mural, she only said, “Some things demand attention.”

She led him to the same room from his first visit with its outward wall of glass. Across the room sat Simon, his back facing those large, unbelievably clear windows that now overlooked the fog-covered landscape. Martin heard the woman’s retreating footsteps and the click of the door.

Martin breathed out, keeping a few feet between himself and the old man. He waved stiffly at the windows. “It’s a bit late. I was expecting this to happen last week.”

With that pleasant smile unmoving, Simon motioned for Martin to sit in the chair across from him. “Don’t be ridiculous. That event will be much more exciting. I wanted to put this meeting together, and needed a good mix of quick and fun.”

“Starting to question my understanding of ‘fun’,” Martin mumbled. He took the seat offered to him and crossed his arms over his chest, the rainwater he carried in seeping into the plush fabric. “It seems like I’m always on the losing side of someone else’s.”

“Yes, yes, of course,” Simon hummed, leaning back comfortably in his chair. “So you’d prefer something more exciting in your invitations, so you’re not left out? Did my little errand turn you into a thrill-seeker already?”

“No.” A shiver ran through him, not of fear but of an awful, biting cold. The wet of his hair sapped the heat right out of him and pulled his ponytail down heavy onto his neck. “What do you want?”

“Oh, a bit moody today, aren’t we?” The smile was still sitting idly on Simon’s face. “Peter’s been around more often, I can tell. He does that to people, sucks all patience and goodwill out until they’re… well.” He flicked his eyes over Martin with something like pity.

Martin pressed his arms tighter into himself. “So what, you push people into the sky, and he does that?”

Simon laughed without a hint of shame. “Goodness, no. Peter is just like that, no strangeness needed. I’ve often left his company feeling completely drained and irritable, though I’ve found ways to ensure the feeling is mutual.”

“Good friends, then.”

“As much as he can have them.” Simon leaned forward, no hint of bitterness in his voice or expression. “A very close-to-the-chest type, I’m sure you’ve noticed.”

With a sharp exhale, Martin said, “Look, if you’re going to ask me for a favor I’m not-”

“Now, now, I’m not one to drag on a favor forever, and you’ve paid in full. Besides, Peter is much too jumpy right now for anything to be done.” Simon turned his gaze toward the window. “I’m afraid all any of us can do now is wait.” 

A jolt of disappointment shocked Martin to silence. All of this dramatic nonsense just to be told to wait and see? He hadn’t had any specific expectations, but deep down he’d believed Simon to be plotting something soon. That even if it was a horrible outcome Martin wouldn’t be left in suspense from every angle of his life. 

Whatever shoe was meant to drop, it hadn’t, and it wouldn’t for some unspecified amount of time.

Simon regained his easy tone and continued, “And I greatly dislike this weather, all of these things clouding my view. Soon I’ll be going weeks without a clear day, and it can feel so… so claustrophobic. So little to work with on a day like this.”

He wasn’t the one who needed to walk in it. “You’re not going to explain anything, are you?”

“No, I’m not. You know how these things are. Business.” Reaching into his pocket, Simon pulled out a small envelope. “Speaking of, like a pouting child Peter has been avoiding me, and as far as I can tell you’re the only person who actually sees him.”

With a deep sigh Martin leaned forward, elbows resting on knees. Not only was he getting nothing out of Simon, but- “This is all so I can be a messenger boy?”

“Just the one time, if Peter can be reasonable.”

“I don’t- Wait. Why not trap him like you did me? Just force him to your door.”

With a sudden laugh that made Martin jump, Simon replied, “Not everyone is as easy to find as you. And anyway, it’s not wise to do that to friends, is it?” 

It wasn’t a way to keep friends, no, and he took the message from Simon without further comment. On the other side of the room, the door opened to reveal that woman. Not needing prompting he stood, looking back one more time at the other man.

Simon remained seated and swung one more friendly smile in Martin’s direction. “You’ll be seen out, then. I must thank you for your previous help, Martin. The personal significance alone can’t be overstated. It’s not my only sketchbook, of course, but several of my best works had their beginnings in it.” Was that glint in his eye one of creative pride, or was there some joke Martin was missing?

The tiniest desire to stay and hear more itched at the back of his mind, but the dismissal was clear and he let the woman lead him back through the house. Once outside he saw the weather had taken a turn for the worse into a complete downpour. The high wind would certainly blow his hood down, making for a wretched walk ahead of him.

“Ah.” He’d been taken to the Fairchild house on an impossible route, but the way home was entirely real. “I have a long way to walk.”

“Inconveniences all around,” the woman said, shutting the door behind him.

Once he was alone he ripped the phone from his pocket and and bent over it to delete his dramatic messages before they could be seen, replacing it with:

Martin: talked with simon (didnt really have a choice), dont think anything will happen with him for a while

Martin: said all we can do is wait? really cryptic

Then he pocketed it once more and walked out the front gate into the reinstated town.

The greatest relief was finding other unlucky pedestrians doing their best to stay dry along with him. Even without the ability to stop and talk he felt the silent commiseration. It wasn’t joy in the suffering of others but rather the knowledge that other people were there at all to share in the cruddy weather. He could see where a person ahead of him was avoiding puddles, and found residual warmth in the lights of nearby shop fronts. It was the kind of melancholy atmosphere that could make rain a little more bearable.

The walk down the cliff however was designed to kill him, the slope slick with mud and abandoned by an early setting sun. No waterproof phone, glasses blurred and splattered with droplets, Martin made his slow way home in the cold, in the dark. More than once he stopped to make sure he hadn’t gotten turned around by forces supernatural or otherwise, but then the ground flattened and he could finally hear the sea over the rain beating against the ground.

He was late of course, but besides some comments about tracking water into the house and forgetting his umbrella his mother had left him well alone, and even took his word when he described the weather as unsuitable for her health. He was grateful. After the last few days anything worse might’ve sent them into a screaming match to surpass any bouts they’d had in years. Maybe the day had taken as much out of her as it had from him.

Instead, after a necessary change of clothes on his part, they ate dinner and watched television, her in her chair and him on the couch. It was some old game show he vaguely remembered, not something that aired in his childhood but that he’d experienced first as reruns, the saturated colors and fuzzy image granting it a multilayered nostalgia. Someone on the screen had just answered a question and was hoping their spouse would come up with the same response.

In his pyjama pants and old t-shirt he felt little, his feet tucked under him because he hadn’t wanted to waste another pair of socks. It was as if he’d just come out of the bath with his wet hair and drooping eyes and was waiting to be told he was up too late. As if he wasn’t responsible for watching the clock himself.

His phone vibrated in the middle of the program, but if his mother noticed she chose to ignore it. Tapping the phone awake, Martin saw a notification from the group message.

Tim: ok check-in time what the hell 

Tim: just saw this 

So they hadn’t seen his initial messages. He breathed out in relief and typed out a reply.

Martin: some weird stuff, but everythings fine. simon made it so i had to go talk to him

Martin: whatever simon mentioned before its not coming yet. seems like he isnt in control of when whatever it is happens? also peter is avoiding him so i need to give him this letter

Tim: weird but

Tim: good? more time for us

Sasha: one less thing to worry about. glad it went okay.

Tim: ^^

He’d successfully avoided any panic or weirdness that his original messages most definitely would’ve caused and patted himself on the back for a job well done. No one needed that as a distraction.

Martin: oh right weird topic change but jon mentioned it, do you really all use a cot at work

Tim: oh yeah lol love that thing

Tim: jon is on it right now actually will pass on simon info when hes awake

Martin: youre all still there??

Tim: oh martin dont you know weve Never Left

Tim: we should get going soon tho now that you mention, will drag jon out of the archives while passing on simon info

Martin: good idea

Tim: and keep those eyes down!

Martin bit his cheek and looked past his phone at the television screen. No doubt it was karma for his rash behavior at the lighthouse, having “just wait!” shouted at him from all corners. The universe was making itself very clear. Simon could’ve just been telling him to let something terrible happen, but even if that was true Martin wasn’t in a place to stop anything.

But it was a great quality of Tim’s, rounding them all up and trying to save them from regrettable decisions. The least Martin could do was make that job easier and stay out of trouble. It was also the most he could do, as much as it irked him.

Martin: dont need to tell me twice! 

And with that Martin pocketed his phone, accepting his fate of inaction.

When he finally put his mother to bed the goodnight between them was not warm, but it was closer to normal. If he’d been told that one of the most pleasant parts of his day would’ve been watching the telly after dinner with his mum, he would’ve… well, it wasn’t that strange. Really it emphasized how bad the rest of his day had been.

Meanwhile the most pleasant event felt fake, even when he checked his call logs to confirm it. What a strange start to a day, he thought as he laid in bed. At least it made up for Jon not being around that evening, that and knowing Jon was getting some sleep. The man clearly needed some prompting during an intense work period to take care of himself, and Martin silently thanked Tim for doing something about it when he couldn’t bring himself to initiate a phone conversation. He knew it was ridiculous for him to be so nervous about the idea, but…

But.

Hopefully Jon didn’t think he was rude. It was one thing to chat in person, but calling without a specific topic to discuss while the others were hard at work? Because he was bored? Best to let Jon reach out when he felt it necessary, even if it meant being woken up at odd hours on a work day and otherwise sitting on his hands. Eventually this would all be behind them and he could stop being racked with guilt over the thought of making a social call. 

Martin’s stomach twisted. Yes, things would be dealt with, and he would move on from this strange period in his life.

He moved to place the phone down for the night when it buzzed in his hand, with a message in another, private chat.

Sasha: we should talk more later about what simon told you specifically. if something big is coming having someone on the inside of things might not be the worst. not saying you should seek him out, he seems perfectly of capable of contacting you, but if it happens again it could be an opportunity

Martin: you think he could be on our side?

Sasha: i think letting people say their piece can lead to understanding, even if the other person is the worst. something is going on between him and peter lukas and the more we know the better

Martin: right…

Sasha: again not saying to run into anything. wait for us etc etc but trust your gut

Martin: so your opinion on staying put?

Sasha: sometimes you cant, thats all im saying

Martin: okay, i think i get it

Sasha: good. now get some sleep, weird things tend to drain you

Martin: goodnight

Sasha: night

Well, she wasn’t wrong. He didn’t believe that Simon was a good person, not with how he’d treated Martin thus far, but that didn’t make him evil, either. And his advice was the same as what everyone else had already been saying: stay out of trouble as best he could and wait for the right moment. Even Sasha still conceded to it being the best option for the present. If Peter told him to wait as well, then Martin would be truly lost on what to do, but until then he would follow the advice of all the people who knew more than he did.

And if Simon called him to his home again, he would try to be less… difficult. And he would buy a better jacket, just in case. 

--

The next morning, he listened to a voice message left shortly after he’d fallen into a blissfully dreamless sleep.

Jon’s groggy voice drifted from the mobile. “Hi, sorry I missed things. Wasn’t expecting Fairchild to be so forward, and my sleep schedule has never been- anyway, Tim convinced me to go back to my flat, but since I slept at the institute earlier I’m currently following a few threads to see if they lead anywhere helpful. I think I’ve reached something, but time will tell.”

He continued after a brief pause. “Seems you’re already asleep, as you should be, so I’ll let you go. Let me know if you have any questions about our other… shared interest. Good night. I hope things stay quiet.” 

[sombreboy]

Love Maze »2

Previous  »  Next Series Masterlist  ▎ 18+ ▎ pairing: Taehyung x Jungkook ▎ genre: School AU, crack humor, smut, angst, ETL, slow burn, fluff ▎ word count: 11k  ▎ ch.warnings: cursing, use of homophobic slurs (censored), internalized homophobia?, mxm smut, fingering, anal, some fluff, some angst, they’re dumb because they're still figuring everything out, mentions of alcoholic father & verbally abusive parents. Do not read this if you’re sensitive to any of these warnings!

When the morning came, Taehyung had to physically force himself out of the comfort of his bed, still not fully awake as he sluggishly dressed himself for practice.

This time around, instead of losing sleep from playing video games all night long, Tae’s racing thoughts were the culprit.

After somehow managing to leave some extra time to spare, Taehyung figured it couldn’t hurt to pack his breakfast— a chocolate chip granola bar, before rushing out of the house and driving off to school. He greeted a couple of his teammates once he got there, exchanging handshakes and friendly pats on the back. Then, when Taehyung was about to pull his sweatshirt over his head, he felt the presence of someone’s stare on his back. He turned around to see who it could be, when— “Namjoon?” “Oh—hey! Uh.. hey.” The latter looked like he’d just shit his pants, eyes set on the ground whilst rubbing his nape. “Hey.” Taehyung’s brows furrowed, “what’s up..?” “Nothing.” The older quickly blurted out, “Just wanted to say hey.” Tae simply blinked once, twice, and three times before slowly nodding his head, utterly confused. Without exchanging another word, Joon got out of there, not baring the awkwardness any longer. However, just as he was making his way towards the door, in came Jungkook. “Kook, hey.” His dimpled smile showed, trying to be subtle when eyeing the boy’s limp. Fuck, Namjoon just wanted to be upfront with it, but he didn’t want to scare either of them away. So, he opted for keeping his mouth shut. It was a challenge, to say the less, “Are you hurting?” Damn, Tae. How rough can you be? Meanwhile, Taehyung was discretely looking at the two of them, wondering what they were talking about.

Jungkook awkwardly smiled at Namjoon, the backpack strap tightly clenched on his shoulder, ''Hey, yeah, uh.. No, I'm fine.''

It was hardly believeable, but Namjoon nodded, eyebrows drawn together in concern still. A few seconds of silence followed before Namjoon spoke once more, ''Are you sure you can play? You say you're fine, but-'', he didnt finish his sentence before Jungkook interrupted him, ''I'm fine, I'm playing.'' He was extremely stubborn, Namjoon knew this. ''You're of no use if you get hurt, Kook, you could just sit on the bench today.'' He was pushing it. ''No.'' Jungkook was determined, now walking past Namjoon instead to get to his locker, throwing his bag on the bench to get changed. His locker was placed just a few steps away from Taehyung's, but he didn't dare to say anything, giving quick glances as he's changing, pressing his lips together in a straight line. He hated that his heart fluttered from the close proximity, and being in this room once more made the memories play back in his head.

Taehyung’s sharp eyes seemed to have a mind of their own, he would steal a quick glance towards Jungkook’s direction when he was sure Kook wasn’t looking, shaking his head when he’d caught himself. A small part of Taehyung wanted to ask Jungkook about how he felt regarding all of.. this. But, that would be extremely unlike him. He’d already done something out of the unexpected, he really didn’t feel like adding another to the list. Even when practice began, Tae would be looking at him, like an idiot deep in thought. Namjoon didn’t fail to catch this. His eyes seemed to always be trained on the two of them. Tae managed to catch him a few times, but Joon would always divert his gaze somewhere else, hoping he didn’t make it too obvious. If there was one thing to know about their captain, is that he was extremely sneaky. So, when he decided they’d be practicing their defense in matches, he knew just who to group together, “Jimin and Hoseok, Daejung and Jin, and..” Joon pondered, “Jungkook and Taehyung!” Hit. Him. On. His. Head. With. A. Bat. Namjoon had to be kidding, why would he place him with Kook out of all people?!

Jungkook's eyes widened, why would Namjoon group them together?! It made no sense. Normally, Joon would do everything in his power to keep them separated to keep the peace. But he couldn't act up on it, he couldn't really complain, because part of him wanted to be close to Tae, but another was so embarrassed, the memories still too fresh in his mind, his body still more sore than he'd like to admit. He ran his hands through his hair, sweat glistening on his forehead as he's catching his breath, glancing over at Taehyung, hesitating as if he's not sure if he's allowed to approach him for this practice. But he had to, it would be weird if he didn't, so he mustered all his courage to walk up to him, still quiet. He was thankful that they were sweaty and hot from the practice, masking the blush creeping on his cheeks.

Well, this was awkward. “You coming, or what?” Taehyung’s deep voice laced with annoyance as he waited for Jungkook to approach him, suddenly wanting to get out of there before the obvious tension engulfed him whole. He didn’t need any futuristic powers to know this was going to be.. something. Even he, himself, was struggling not to bring up the past. Whether it would be pleasing to Jungkook’s ears or not, he didn’t care. He felt like he had to say something. “You look dorky as hell limping around the school, y’know.” Taehyung extended out his arms to make a basket, his voice close to a murmur, not wishing for anyone else to hear, “Uh, um.. did you try the panthenol cream?” Okay, he wouldn’t say anything else. Tae already took it too far trying to intervene in Kook’s personal life.

Jungkook's frown from the limp insult disappeared quickly when Tae murmured his next words. It wasn't surprising, he had to keep the image up, he hated JK. Bullying JK was his thing. But the quiet question was unexpected. Jungkook glanced over with his big doe eyes for a mere second before staring straight at the floor, his bangs bouncing over his eyes, nodding as they walk, his small limp evident, even if he's trying so hard not to. He wanted to speak with him, but now that he could, he was speechless. He had nothing, he wasn't even in the mood to argue, grabbing the basketball to get into position, ''I'll defend, you attack.'' As it should've been, always been. The double meaning behind his subtle words was only readable by the two of them.

Namjoon almost had a tunnel vision on the two of them, barely noticing the other guys practicing. His chin jutted, rubbing it slowly as he was in thought. He wonders what Tae was whispering to the younger.

Although Taehyung could be a bit of an asshole at times; he wasn’t entirely soulless. He had feelings, just like any other human. But, unlike most, Tae would never show it on his face. Maybe the reason he liked ticking Jungkook off so much was because he didn’t know of any other way to garner his undivided attention.. Of course, that could never be it. But even he wasn’t so sure of that. Fuck, why was everything so confusing? With a soft nod of his head, Taehyung kept quiet, doing as Jungkook told without a second thought. By the time they were done, sweat dripped from Tae’s body, gluing some of his fringe onto his forehead. Even though him and Kook barely shared any words, Taehyung found himself missing the silence.. After all, it was better than talking about what took place before, it would’ve just made him feel uneasy and more prone to getting angry. What was even more surprising was that they didn’t even bicker once, that didn’t go unnoticed by anyone. “Good job everyone. See you tomorrow!” Namjoon waved his team off, screwing the cap back on his water bottle before setting it down on the floor, “Are you guys okay? You broke your tradition.” He teased, referring to their usual arguments.

Jungkook tilted his head back, chugging down the entire waterbottle, the muscles on his neck dancing beneath his sweaty skin. He grits his teeth when he swallows, the aching pain in his body even worse now after practice, but trying his best to not show it. His eyes flickered over to Namjoon, an awkward smile pulling on his lips, ''I'm good.''

Namjoon didn't believe it, waiting for the other players to start to leave the practice room before he decides to ask, his eyes scanning the two men with a slight squint, ''Did something happen yesterday?''

Taehyung’s mouth went dry, eyes wide as he looked at Namjoon, “No, why?” The taller shifted on his feet, trying to not let his tone waver as he lied to Joon’s face, “What do you mean? Why are you asking us?” Tae got defensive, crossing his toned arms over his chest, eyes lowered in questioning. He had to remind himself to calm the fuck down. Why was Namjoon interrogating them so much? They didn’t get caught.

Namjoon crossed his arms over his own chest, mirroring Taehyung's stance, ''I can tell when something's up,'' He said, eyes moving over to Jungkook, ''You two were the only ones here last night, and after you left,'' He directed his words back at Tae, ''Jungkook came shortly after, obviously hurt.''

Jungkook was getting anxious, he didn't like this. why did it matter? Sure, maybe Namjoon was worried about them fighting, but today they didnt, and now that was also an issue... ''I already told you, we fought.''

Namjoon clacked his tongue, directing his attention to Taehyung again, ''If that is so, why didn't you today? This is unlike you both. It's been too quiet... You guys can talk to me about anything?''

Taehyung clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, having trouble making sense of the situation, “So.. it’s an issue that we didn’t fight?”, A disbelieving scoff followed soon after, “Joon, you’re making no fucking sense.” Tae was about to walk past Namjoon when the latter opened his mouth, knowing it would make him stop in his tracks, “I found cum on the-!” He lowered his voice, looking around to see if anyone else was left lingering. “I found cum on the ground, okay?” Taehyung swore he felt the previous vigorous beating of his heart stop for a second. “Look, I’m not saying it was you guys,” Joon breathed out, choosing his words carefully, “But if it was.. I’d support you! I’m not against the gays, or anything.”

Jungkooks heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it was about to burst out of his rib cage. How could he have been so fucking dumb? He should’ve cleaned it up. Internally he scolded himself, and his face was completely frozen. He couldn’t even look surprised. His eyes were dead staring at the floor, not even able to look at either of them, and the urge to just run away was rising. Should he? He felt like he was gonna faint any second, he hadn’t eaten, his body was exhausted and aching, and slowly he started to softly rock back and forth as he felt dizzy.

“What the hell?” Taehyung’s face twisted up, internally freaking the fuck out but he hid it well, “Namjoon, it wasn’t us.” He let out a defeated sigh, “It was Seulgi.” Namjoon’s brows pinched together, even more confused than before, “What?” Taehyung was sure that by the time they were excused from their “private” meeting, Joon’s face would be covered with wrinkles from how much he’s frowned in the span of a few minutes. It was amazing, really. “I mean.. I had sex with her.” That wasn’t necessarily a lie. Never in a million years did he think he would be talking about his sex life with Jungkook and Joon present, but here he was. In the midst of it all, Taehyung’s eyes kept on lingering back to Jungkook, noticing how awfully pale he looked. The younger looked like he was about to fall at any minute. “Taehyung, why was there so much cum then?! Did you seriously have sex without protection?” The Captain’s lips parted in surprise, mind wandering to the horrible possibilities of what could happen. Oh yeah, Tae forgot about that minor detail.. “No—I used protection.” He reassured him, “It just.. all fell from the condom.” Can they go now? “Uh, can I go?” Taehyung settled for asking, leaving Namjoon wide eyed before going downstairs to get changed.

Jungkook watched Taehyung leave, this entire conversation was like as if from a terrible teenage movie, and he wishes with his entire being that the world would just open up and swallow him whole. Namjoon's attention shifted to Jungkook, whom looked like he wasn't doing well at all, ''Hey, hey, are you alright?''

Jungkook snapped out of his thoughts, looking Namjoon straight in the eye as if he's seen a ghost, ''Y-yeah, hm, I gotta go,'' He croaked out before hurrying to the lcoker room as well, almost stumbling on the way down

By the time Taehyung wandered into the locker room, almost everyone else had already evacuated. Thankfully. He was way too out of it to partake in a normal conversation, even less force himself to do small talk with a few guys he only interacted with during practice. He took off his Jersey, sweat stains running along the light fabric. Taehyung didn’t know if that was cold sweat, or sweat from the physical exercise.. Either way, it was disgusting. Suddenly, the sound of the door opening caught his attention. In stumbled Jungkook, looking even more out of it than he did.. Shit, he looked horrible. It was concerning.. “Kook,” Tae hesitantly called out his name, rushing over to the younger to take a hold of his forearm, helping him regain his balance so he doesn’t drop to the floor. “Here.” He slowly led him to a nearby bench, “Jungkook, just take a deep breath.” Taehyung sat down next to him, making sure to leave some space between their bodies.

''Thanks..'' Jungkook's voice was breathy, his hands trembling in his lap. He really shouldn't have skipped breakfast, and he definitely shouldn't have participated in practice today. But that's how he is, he focuses on one thing with tunnel vision to occupy his busy mind, and this focus turned out to be working out, as it always is. Jungkook's chest heaved up and down slowly as he took deep breaths, feeling that it does help him gather himself enough to feel grounded. He glances over at Taehyung's feet, not sure if he wants to meet his eyes, still feeling embarrassed and guilty for the big fuck up, he really should've cleared any traces of last night. ''I'm sorry..''

Guessing that Jungkook might’ve been walking around on an empty stomach, Taehyung stood up from his spot on the bench before scavenging around in his backpack, searching for that granola bar he packed this morning, “Here, eat this.” He sat it down on the other’s lap, pushing aside his own hunger. At this moment, Jungkook needed it more than him. They sat together in silence, Taehyung absentmindedly staring down at the ground while listening to the heavy breathing at his side. “It’s whatever.” His voice was nonchalant, though.. was it really? The taller’s jaw tensed, wanting to free the words that hung at the tip of his tongue. He knew he might regret this, but during yesterday’s sleepless night, he thought hard about it, “Next time we’ll just be more careful.” Taehyung’s voice was close to a whisper, feeling tingly from the nerves. Was he really going to do this..? “I just.. I’m not gay, alright? It’s just sex. So, don’t think of it as anything more than that.” There was no sign of emotion on his face, though deep inside, he was a nervous wreck.

Jungkook didn't open the granola bar provided, but simply kept it in his hands as he fiddled with the plastic. He felt so confused right now, being thrown subtle words that could be interpreted as concern and care, to be thrown off a cliff the next as soon as he feels any hope for... whatever the fuck this is. But he gets it, of course Tae wasn't gay. Of course this was just another fuck. But why did feel like it wasn’t? Was it really just him that felt this way? He said the one thing he thought would be appropriate in this situation to save his own skin, to not be left as the one who got made a fool out of for having feelings, ''I'm not.. either.. It's just sex.'' JK wasn't as good of an actor as Taehyung, the expression on his face more sombre than anything. And what if it was just sex, would it still be good enough? He'd still be able to feel him, even if the elder didn't.. feel. Jungkook stood up, hissing at the way his overworked muscles protested, but he forced himself to stand straight. He didn't want to stay around for now, he wanted to leave, have some space to think. He didn't even want to bother changing back to his regular clothing, and slung his backpack over his shoulder.

Taehyung debated on whether he should even bother uttering another word. He said what he had to say, nothing else was itching to be heard. So, with one last look at Jungkook’s direction, Tae’s eyes followed his figure until he was out of sight. Taehyung stayed sitting there, replaying what happened in his head, feeling like he was on the edge of his seat at the cinema, just dying to know what was going to happen next. It’s already been established that they’d be having casual sex. When? Tae didn’t know. Probably whenever they both felt like it, obviously. He’s had sex many times before, just not with a guy. As of yesterday, that statement was no longer true. And shit did that scare him.. Taehyung didn’t really know how to approach it. Smoothly, that is. “Was this a mistake?” He asked himself, leaning down to hide his face in his hands. However the hell this was supposed to work out, Taehyung only hoped he would get a firm grasp of the concept. Soon.

When the last bell of the day rang, Tae was one of the first people to get out of there. With his hands tucked deep into the warmth of his pockets, Taehyung casually squeezed past the crowds of students in the common area, wanting nothing more than to get out of there. After he was in the clear, and had a better view of the outside through the glass, his shoulders slumped in defeat. It was pouring. Or like his mom used to tell him, ‘confetti was falling from the sky.’ Bringing his hood up to his head, Taehyung took it upon him to brace himself when he noticed a familiar person standing by the doors. It was Jungkook. He didn’t look too pleased, and if the older remembered correctly, he didn’t have a car, “Kook.” The taller snuck up behind him, “You planning on walking?”

Jungkook jumped where he was standing when Tae called his name by surprise, turning his body to face his, ''Ah, yeah...'' He turned to look outside once more, a sigh pressing through his lips. How is it that every single time he's daydreaming of Taehyung, he seems to show up one way or the other, ''Also, hm.. thank you for the granola bar.'' He internally scolded himself once more, not sure why he even had to mention that.Taehyung probably didn't even remember giving it to him, however, it did help. Jungkook doesn't have a lot of money, and living by himself was expensive. Food was a necessity, but he'd only eat when deemed entirely necessary, or leech off of the school lunches.

“You’re welcome,” Taehyung let out an airy chuckle, still not fully over the way Jungkook jumped in his spot. So he was easily scared. Noted. “Hey, uh..” He nervously scratched at his nape, “I can give you a ride home, don’t want you slipping on a puddle and falling on your ass..” He smirked at the surprisingly vivid image, part of him finding it amusing. Tae would never admit to that, though; he was afraid of the reaction he might get. He would also never admit to the fact that Jungkook could get scary when angry. “Come on, we gotta hurry.” Taehyung effortlessly pulled off his sweatshirt over his head, wavy hair a mess as some strands effortlessly fell down to his eyes. Holding the gray fabric over the both of them, Tae spared Jungkook a knowing glance before he began making a run for it, making sure the younger could still keep up with him. “Shit!” His voice was nearly muffled by the sound of the heavy rain hitting against the concrete ground, his sweatshirt barely of any use. Without even knowing it, Taehyung had a big grin on his face. Walking as fast as he could, he nearly slipped on the wet grass, catching himself just moments before disaster. The sound of his laughter echoed in the misty air, “Meant to do that.” By now the fabric above their heads was completely damp, but that didn’t seem to faze him.

Jungkook couldn’t help but let a laugh slip out of him as well, Taehyungs laugh was infectious, “Yeah, sure.” As the damp sweatshirt was basically useless, however a comforting feeling swirling within Jungkook as this was giving him this close proximity to the man he’s grown to like even more now, the smile he didn’t know could be so pretty when it was out of genuinely rather than in a mocking sense. As they finally arrived by the car, which by no means was fancy, but functional, Jungkook went to the passenger side after taehyung  unlocked it and got into the drivers seat. The mere seconds he was exposed to the rain was enough for his hair to be soaked, stringy curls dangling around the frame of his face. “Fuck, that rain came out of nowhere.” Jungkook breathes out as soon as he slumps down in the passenger seat, shutting the door closed. The sounds of the heavy rain clattering against the car surface was almost soothing to the ears.

“And you were planning on walking,” Taehyung reminded him as he threw his head back against the headrest, not caring that his hair was wet from the rain. “You owe me, you know.” He turned his head to meet Jungkook’s doe eyes, a lazy smile dancing on his lips. He didn’t actually expect anything in return, simply teasing the other like he always did. Not even a second later, Taehyung pulled on the gear shift, looking over his shoulder while using one hand to back out of his parking space. Paying close attention to the directions Jungkook had given him, knowing he tended to get lost a lot of the times, Taehyung drove off. Comfortable silence soon took over them a few moments later, until Taehyung broke it, “How come you don’t have a car?”

Jungkooks eyes continously ended up on Tae's hand gripping onto the steering wheel. It was so close, but so far away, "Huh? Well.. money's been tight." He shrugged, hoping it was enough of an answer. Just like tae, he wasnt the most keen of talking about hardships. He didnt want to come off as weak, showing struggles, especially not in front of Taehyung. Or maybe, he was exactly the one he wanted to open up to. Jungkook smiled vaguely, "I could use the exercise anyway." Not to mention, most of his money goes towards being able to stay in school, with the help of the scholarship hes been working his ass off to keep.

The last thing Taehyung wanted was to come across as noisy, or too invested in Jungkook’s personal life, so a light nod on his end was enough of a response for him. But even so; he was intrigued. The younger was struggling financially..? Tae had a lot of misconceptions about JK, but he would’ve never thought that was one of them. After a few minutes of driving down a route that was foreign to him, listening to the rain hitting down on them harder than ever; Taehyung finally pulled up to a small apartment complex. From the outside, it looked cozy. “We’re here,” His deep voice disrupted the comfortable silence, waiting for Jungkook to get out of the car as he tapped his slender fingers against the steering wheel.

Jungkook was hyper aware of the tapping noise tae was making against the steering wheel, the tapping almost echoing in his head, "Thanks for the ride." He spoke softly, and as soon as he was about to get out of the car, a loud spark of thunder flashed in the sky, the noise startling poor jungkook, he cried out an almost embarrassing sound as he flinched, his hand gripping the door handle hard. How embarrassing... he was terrified of the thunder.

How embarrassing indeed.. If Tae had not seen the raw look of fear in Jungkook’s big eyes, he would’ve hopped on the chance to make fun of him for it. Eyes drawn to the way Kook’s hand desperately gripped onto the door handle, it was made clear it wasn’t as amusing to the latter as it was to him, “Jeon, you need me to protect you from the thunder?” He raised a brow, and even though his tone was teasing, a pinch of seriousness lingered within the small cracks. A tired sigh escaped past his lips before he turning off his car, “So childish..” Taehyung mumbled under his breath, acting like it was a big pain in his ass to even consider spending more time with Jungkook. He would never admit to feeling the complete opposite of that, maybe not while sober. “Come on, don’t just stand there.” Taehyung made his way over to the other’s side, urging him to straighten up before wrapping an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close to his chest.

"Ah, I'm not scared... " his voice came out weak, so he didnt even bother arguing further. His chest felt like it was about to explode with the close proximity of Taehyung pulling him closer.. it was comforting and incredibly impactful, his heart pounding so hard he could hear his heartbeat in his ears. He guided the two of them to the front door, fumbling to fish out the keys from his pocket and unlocking the door. "Uh, it's not much but, welcome." Jungkook gestured in a general manner followed by a shrug as he stepped inside, closing the door behind them. It wasnt big, but it wasnt terribly small either. He had gotten this place after being kicked out by his parents. They had found out about his preferences with males, and his parents were terribly against this.

Taehyung stayed behind Jungkook as he took a look around his place, noticing how he didn’t have much furniture apart from a couch set up against one of the walls in the room. “Nice place.” He exclaimed, leaving his shoes by the entrance and plopping down on the cushions, extending his arms out along the back. It was just as comfortable as it looked. Apart from the lack of decorating, at least in the living room, Taehyung didn’t seem to mind. He wasn’t an interior designer or some shit like that, Kook didn’t need to worry. As far as he knew, it was better of a home than some. After having finishing exploring the unfamiliar room with his eyes, Taehyung looked up at Jungkook, “Are we the only ones here?” He didn’t see another car in the driveway, but Tae figured his parents were off at work.

Jungkook kicked off his shoes and threw his bag on the floor, not really bothered with unpacking it for the moment. He steps into the living room and his eyes fall on how comfortable taehyung already seemed to be. It was odd, really, seeing Tae in his home, in this setting. It felt different than being around him in school, now without the eyes of other people, he seemed more relaxed. The question caught him off guard, but he wasn’t surprised. Not many their age live alone, “Yeah, just us.” He tried to be casual about it, “You want anything to drink?” He wasn’t sure what he had at home, but something should still be in the fridge. He mostly kept various drinks or instant noodles around, “I was gonna grab something anyway..”

“Sure. What do you have?” Taehyung sat up a little straighter, craning his neck to catch a glimpse of Jungkook in the kitchen. This felt.. different, to say the least. Definitely a lot different compared to the atmosphere back home, Tae could never seem to catch a break. Even sitting on the couch like this, so relaxed and at peace— It wasn’t something he did, or felt on a regular basis. Come to think of it.. when was the last time he sat on his own furniture? He was mostly up in his room, not interested in listening to his father’s drunken rambles about how much of a shitty day he had at work. Where was the corny, “How was your day, son?” Or, “What did you learn at school?” Taehyung undoubtedly knew that he would get tired of those questions as time went on, but he would just like to answer once. Was that too much to ask? Pulling him out of his thoughts was the sound of the heavy thunder, and almost instinctively Taehyung’s eyes went to Jungkook. The older had never been frightened by the sound, so it would be rude of him if he didn’t comfort Kook.. Patting the empty spot next to him, Tae reached for the drink in Jungkook’s hand. “Uh, you can sit with me. If you want.” Of course he could, it was his goddamn couch for fucks sake.. “I mean—so you’re less scared, that is..”

Jungkook's heart pounded in his chest, he really fucking hated the thunder. Something about the loud, rumbling noise was triggering to him. It reminded him of the night he was kicked out of home, a terrible thunderstorm screamed in his ears along with his parents, his father screaming at him to 'get the fuck out of here, I have no son!', and 'I dont want a fucking f*g living under my roof!'

Jungkook took a deep breath as he sat down next to Taehyung, handing him the drink. It wasn't anything special, just a juicebox, but it was the tastiest thing he had around, and it was his last one. He settled for a water, since..well, it's free. He was thankful for owning a TV, and it was fairly nice, he'd gotten it for free from a friend that had gotten a new one. Underneath the tv table was a playstation, probably the one thing he owned that was the most valuable to him, the one thing had kept him sane throughout the past year, ''Do you like videogame-es?'' Jungkook looked over at Tae, flinching once more when a spark of thunder flashes outside.

Seeing the way Jungkook’s body trembled in fear at the booming noise, Tae hesitated whether or not to go through with what he had in mind. Biting down on the straw of his Mixed Berry juicebox, anxious for the reaction that was to come, Taehyung scooted closer to Jungkook. “Just lean against me, Kook.” He reassured, making himself more comfortable so the younger could take shelter against his chest. This was nothing. He was just being friendly.. “Video games?” Taehyung’s head perked up at the question, he was a /sucker/ for video games. Spending so much time secluded in his room allowed him to advance in his skills, and it paid off whenever he played against other people. “Whatever game you’re thinking of, I bet I could beat your ass.”, The taller challenged, the corner of his lip inching upwards.

Jungkook quickly grabbed the two controllers that was laying on the floor by their feet, handing one over to Tae, ''You bet, huh?'', He scoffed playfully, the bratty kook that Tae was used to shining through. If there was anything Jungkook was confident in, it was his skills in gaming. Without thinking, he turned on the Playstation remotely with his controller as he leaned onto Taehyung for the comfort he offered, watching the game load. It was a mortal combat type of game, his favourite to play to get any frustrations out. And to beat somebodys spirit down with his combos.    Having Tae's comfort and the excitement between them for a simple videogame, almost occupied his mind from any worries. The thunder was there, but it was momentarily forgotten.

Taehyung rolled his eyes at Kook’s scoff, part of him glad that the other had visibly loosened up at the idea of gaming, despite him acting like the brat he knew so well. The older just had to show him who’s boss, that’s all. “You doubting me, Jeon?” He shook his head, taking the familiar controller in his hands and looking down at him, “Let’s make a deal.” Taehyung shifted a little bit on his spot, “If I win, you have to do what I say. And if you win—which, not gonna happen, I have to do whatever you want.” He playfully nudged the other, “Sounds good?”

Jungkook couldn’t help but let his mind wander at the thought, however the result may be, a tight swallow following along with the way he subtly licked his lower lip without knowing, “Deal.” As mentioned, he was confident in his skills, but a part of him kind of wondered what taehyung would make him do if he lost. However, he was way too competitive to not try his best to win. As the match begins, Jungkook starts off well, his combos unmatched, a smile curling on his lips as his eyes as completely fixed on the screen.

Truth be told, Taehyung didn’t know what he’d make Jungkook do once he lost.. It was not up for bargain that Tae would win, his mind just couldn’t grasp on the idea of losing. After all, the term was foreign to him. Taehyung’s fingers pressed repeatedly on the buttons of his controller, the tip of his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth in concentration. “Fuck.” He cursed out loud, having had underestimated Jungkook’s moves. Tae wouldn’t give up just yet, though. He still had time to redeem himself. “Take that!” Without him even being fully aware of it, a series of profanities escaped past his lips, which were a hue of red from him biting down on them often. “Goddamn it..!” He wasn’t doing as good as he hoped. “Shit shit shit-“ There was no trace of a smile on Taehyung’s face, sharp eyes glued onto the screen that would sometimes get painted on with blood after their characters’ hits. Sucking in a sharp breath, his fingers moved faster than ever, trying to hang on to the last bit of hope Tae had for himself. And that didn’t do shit. After it was clear that he’d lost the match, Taehyung slumped in the couch with a frown. “That’s never happened before..” He muttered sourly, not believing that Jungkook beat him. Jungkook! “You were just lucky.” God, was he a sore loser when it came to video games. “Whatever,” Tae faced him once again, arms crossed over his chest. “What do you want?”

Jungkook scrunched his nose in a smile as he won, the corners of his eyes creating small wrinkles, a dorky, teethy shit eating grin on his face. It almost reminded you that of a bunny. “Sure, this was pure luck.” He couldn’t get the smile off his face, putting the controller away. Now that it came down to the question, his smile faltered, eyes moving to Taehyungs face. What did he want? Actually, he knew exactly what he wanted, he just wasn’t sure if he dared to ask. “Well...” he hesitated, turning his body to face him. While seeing Taehyung so up close, in this setting, he looked even more gorgeous than ever, and it fucked with every fiber of his being. It wasn’t fair, the way this man had been holding his heart and mind in a vice grip for so long. Tae’s lips were reddened and plump from all the lip biting, and they looked more and more inviting with every passing second, “A kiss.” His voice was quiet, “I mean, a real kiss..” sure, he fucking loved the dirty kisses he’d received from him in the locker room, but it was in the heat of the moment. This one, he wanted to be.... different. Did it make sense? Maybe not. But he wanted it. So he leaned a little closer, his doe eyes still staring at Tae’s lips, “Please..just... once.” Or twice. Or, forever.

Taehyung’s eyebrow twitched, “A kiss?” He repeated, wondering if he heard right the first time. “I..uh,” The taller gulped, rubbing at his nape. It was just a kiss.. What was Tae so afraid of? Hell— he stuck his dick inside of Jungkook before, but somehow this felt more intimate. His dimmed eyes fell on the younger’s soft lips, absentmindedly licking over his own at the enticing sight. Yeah, maybe he wanted this. Breaking the distance between their bodies, Taehyung’s face slowly inched closer to Jungkook’s, teasing him. He stared into his doe eyes, mirroring the look of longing that swirled within them. With one last look at the other’s face, Taehyung’s lips clashed against the younger’s in a sweet kiss, momentarily forgetting about all of his previous doubts. Time seemed to stop when their lips met, but the fluttering only intensified as Tae’s hand snuck down to Jungkook’s thigh, merely resting it there. “Hmm..” The older hummed, his thumb now rubbing invisible circles on the warmth of his skin. When he did pull away to catch his breath, Tae snuck a guilty peak at Jungkook, making sure this wasn’t just a product of his imagination. Then, like he’d never broken the contact in the first place, Taehyung leaned in for another.. and another, and so on until he lost count. The sound of their kissing echoed throughout the empty house, the older’s heavy breathing hitting against Jungkook’s skin. Not being able to stand the extra space between them, Tae’s hands gripped at Jungkook’s small waist, pulling him down on his lap as he man spread.

Jungkook sighed into the kiss, daring his hands to delicately hold Taehyungs face. If he thought his feelings were strong from the locker room scene, he was so wrong. This kiss was it, the last drop. He was hopelessly, head over heels in love with this man. “Tae...” He whispered his name, as if it was the most beautiful word he knew, letting the elder pull him into his lap, his entire body screaming for Taehyungs attention. “More..” He whined, the kisses growing heavier as he melts into Tae’s touch, his hands moving to wrap behind his neck. He wasn’t sure what he wanted more of. Everything. All he knew was, he needed more.

Taehyung was glad to know he wasn’t the only one who craved more. How could he not? Jungkook’s lips felt like heaven.. Before he found himself in this situation, Tae had never poured his heart out during a kiss before, and that fucked with his head. Maybe he just wanted to show off, nothing more. But the growing tent in his pants proved he was subconsciously aware of what he wanted, of how he felt. “Fuck,” He bit down on his lip, tightening his hold on Jungkook’s waist. His boner was becoming more noticeable by the second, and having the younger’s body on top of him wasn’t exactly helping..

Jungkook positioned himself more comfortably, straddled over Taehyungs lap, pressing himself down on his growing erection. “I haven’t been able to fucking think because of you.” Jk breathes out his words like a low, frustrated growl. Completely in a haze of pure, heavy need and lust for the man beneath him. He gazes into those intense, piercing eyes of his. Fuck, he was whipped. Jungkook wraps his arms around the elders neck, pulling him in for another kiss, this one hungrier, greedy for the taste of his lips within his feverish high. He grinds down on Taehyungs cock, still clothed. JK surely found out he likes to tease, knowing Tae’s temper might be good for one thing, their carnal desires.

“Is that so-?” He broke out into a low moan, eyes glued on the way Jungkook’s hips moved so wonderfully against him, giving his erection the attention it so desperately needed. “Fuck..” Taehyung threw his head back against the couch, his Adam’s apple bobbing with every strong gulp. He didn’t know just how much more teasing he could handle before fucking Jungkook right then and there— the cushions splattered with their cum. Shit, Taehyung was getting harder just thinking about it.. He bucks up his hips into Kook, veiny hands now placed on his plump ass, where they squeezed until his knuckles turned white, “Baby, shit..!” The pet name slipped out, and Taehyung was too clouded with lust to notice, or care. Growing bored of their position, Tae hastily flipped Jungkook over, throwing him down onto the couch and began unbuckling his pants, overgrown fringe falling down to his eyes. After discarding the rest of his clothing, only Taehyung’s boxers stayed on. The shape of his cock was evident through the fabric, and his chest softly heaved from adrenaline as he stared down at him. “My turn, princess.” Taehyung leaned down to whisper in Jungkook’s ear, letting his breath linger on his skin for more than a second. Tackling the younger’s shorts, the boy pulled them down along with his underwear, leaving Tae breathless at the sight. Fuck.. when he saw Jungkook’s entrance, he wanted to leave it gaping and puckered just like the first time. It was cute. Deciding he’d be a tease, the older trailed his kisses along his toned inner thighs, close enough where his hole was.

Taehyungs usage of petnames made Jungkook instantly feel smaller, the small amount of brattiness he had washed away. He was so, so easily subdued by this man. In reality, all needed is a simple stare and his legs are weak. So this, is so overwhelmingly amazing... “Ah-!” Jungkook gasps when he’s flipped over so easily, heat spreading like a wildfire underneath his skin. Being exposed like this once more, but this time it was less rushed.. taehyung took a moment to tease, to indulge in the sight of his body. Jungkook exhales a low, breathy sigh at the feeling of Tae’s lips, a small, needy cry caught in his throat, hips wiggling softly to wordlessly ask for more

From his spot in between Jungkook’s legs, Taehyung stared up at him through his eyelashes, his piercing eyes peeking from behind his messy fringe. A hint of a smile crept onto his rosy lips when seeing how the other’s hips called out to him, so needy. The younger was a sucker for his touch, and Tae knew that. “You’re a desperate little baby, aren’t you?” He cooed, chuckling to himself. Fuck, he just wanted to drive Jungkook crazy. Taehyung left yet another trail of wet kisses along the other leg, his hand softly caressing Jungkook’s thigh. When he pulled away, that’s when he brought his attention to Kook’s pink entrance. His fingers were just itching to get a feel. Seeing Jungkook like this.. spread out and a whiny mess, Taehyung couldn’t stop himself from following through with that urge and inserting his middle finger into him, gradually pushing it deeper. “So fuckin’ tight.” He bit down on his lip, noticing the way Kook took his finger in so well.

Another pathetic cry rolls off the youngers lips, nodding desperately, "Fuck-k.. yes, please please--!" He was already beginning to squirm underneath taehyungs ministrations, embarrassment slowly washing away; the need for the elder was too strong, he didnt give a fuck how much of a little bitch he sounded like. "Taehyung--" another whine, this one higher pitched when he feels taes long finger pressing deeper, his ass clenching around him in desperate anticipation; he took a few heavy breaths, doing to relax his tight hole, sweat already forming on his brow. Jungkooks cock pathetically remained untouched, growing harder by every millisecond, small clear beads of precum forming on his swollen, pretty mushroom tip. Fuck, Taehyung was driving him insane so easily, the bet long forgotten, he was all under the elders complete control.

Even if Taehyung hadn’t won the bet, damn was it worth it. Every single second of it. He curled his finger inside of Jungkook, feeling the warmth of the younger’s walls spread all throughout his body. There was not a single inch of him that wasn’t aroused, and hearing Kook’s high-pitched whines only made it worse. Taehyung’s finger now moved in and out of him, taking it out until only his nail was left engulfed, a thin layer of Jungkook’s juices adorning the skin. “So wet already, huh?” The older raised a brow, eyeing the other’s facial expressions before his gaze fell on Jungkook’s cock. It looked like it was about to combust.. Tae couldn’t let that happen. With his other hand, Taehyung’s fingers wrapped around the shaft, tugging at it slightly whilst rubbing the slit with his thumb. “Baby boy..” He smirked, maintaining a steady pace in both of his hands. “You like it when I tease you?” Tae leaned down to get a better view of Jungkook’s face, jerking him off faster than before as his warm breath fanned against his lips, feeling Kook’s chest heave up and down from under him.

Jungkooks breath hitched with a choked sob, his sensitive length finally getting the much needed attention it's been aching for, "I love it-- ah! Oh my fucking goood..." his jaw is slack, hanging open in pleasure, his breath so heavy and loud youd think hes having trouble breathing.. He was so vocal, shameless wanton moans continously pushing through his lips with every thrust of taehyungs finger, his hips starting to twitch and bucking his hips to try to fuck into taes hand, "It feels so good.." he whines, hands reaching to brush taehyungs fringe out of his eyes to look at him, try to show him how fucking much he loves him with his eyes. If only telepathy was a power of his.

Taehyung stared into Kook’s doe eyes, the wet noises of his finger now working even faster than before arose to his ears. The hand that was tightly wrapped around Jungkook’s cock began jerking him off to the beating of his heart; merciless and brisk. A few minutes later, Taehyung put a stop to his hands’ movements all of the sudden, knowing it was bound to earn himself a squeaky whine from the other male underneath him. He couldn’t take it anymore, the erection that was held back in his boxers grew harder to ignore by the second.. In a blink of an eye, Taehyung’s throbbing cock sprung up from its previous hiding spot, some of his own precum visible at the head. Tae forcefully opened Jungkook’s legs even further, wanting to make sure that he had enough room to fuck him good.    He was glad that this couch was big enough for the both of them, they would’ve had to take it to the ground if it hadn’t been. Tae would be much too impatient to go to Jungkook’s room, even if it wasn’t that far away. Before having covered his cock with a layer of his saliva to act as a lube, Tae playfully pushed the tip against Jungkook’s hole, rubbing it against the sensitive skin.

Jungkook spread his legs as far as he possibly could to accomodate for Taehyung, his eyes swirling with want. His arms uselessly above his head, a vulnerable position for him, but he didn't feel uncomfortable. He trusted Tae with his body, desperate for him to fuck him dumb. ''S-shit, Tae... please-'' He rested his head against the couch, his sweaty neckmuscles dancing beneath his skin as he tightly swallows, screwing his eyes shut. He was almost brought to the edge before Tae had stopped jerking him off, and slowly it had gone backwards, the need to cum so intensely pulsating in his lower abdomen, ''Fuck me already, I can't stand it..'' His cock was throbbing, the red tip dribbling clear liquid down his length, veins prominent.

If Taehyung wasn’t so eager to hear Jungkook moan out his name, he would’ve taken his time to tease him even further, but even he was growing bored of that. He made himself more comfortable on the couch, manhandling Kook’s body as he pleased, effortlessly pulling him down for his benefit. Taehyung shifted the younger’s leg up a bit for better access and pushed himself in, feeling his thick girth slowly begin to stretch Jungkook out. A low growl escaped past the older’s lips, hands placed on either side of Kook’s head as he hovered over him, inserting himself in his tight ass until he was balls in deep, “Fuck..” The boy hissed, hips beginning to move in a circular motion, toned cheeks clenched every time he would aim deeper inside of Jungkook.

Jungkook's legs were already vibrating, falling apart under Tae's ministrations, a wanton moan escaping his lips as he slowly slipped into bliss. Oh, my /god), he was breaking so easily for this man. His eyes screwed shut, lower lip clamped between his teeth as he muffles a pathetic whine, his hands snaking around Taehyung's torso to touch his back, running his palms over the muscles flexing with every movement

Taehyung’s face falls down to the crook of Jungkook’s neck, sucking on the skin until it was clear that he’d left a mark, proceeding to leave a bundle of hickeys that proved Kook was in /his/ control. In this specific moment, Jungkook belonged to him. Gaining more confidence in himself, Taehyung’s thrusts became more evident, his pace gradually increasing in speed as his heavy balls clashed against Jungkook’s skin repeatedly. “Hm..!” His upper body fell onto the younger, trailing a series of wet kisses from Jungkook’s jaw down to his prominent collarbones, all the while his cock was snapping deeper into him. He didn’t know just how much longer he could last, Kook felt fucking wonderful.. Taehyung’s lips traveled down to Jungkook’s perky nipples, opting for wrapping his toned arms around the younger’s small waist before he engulfed the pink bud into his mouth, his tongue slowly swirling around it. The older’s hips never once faltered in speed, his movements steady all throughout.

Jungkook knew those marks would be something he'd have to worry about tomorrow, but right this second, it didn't fucking matter. He wanted to be marked, claimed as Taehyung's little bitch, he wanted everyone to know he was his. He felt the pooling warmth build in his lower abdomen, his cock leaking juices profusely until it soaked the skin of his lower stomach, the small friction of Taehyung's body against it as he thrusted into him unbearable, ''G-gonna..cum...gonna cum, fuck, harder, please--'' He begged, voice high pitched, tears forming in the corners of his eyes at the intensity of the buildup. The coil inside of him was wound so tight, it felt like it was about to burst at any given second.

Taehyung began pounding into him at an animalistic rhythm, grunts easily leaving past his agape lips as he looked down at his cock sliding in and out of Jungkook, the veiny skin covered in the latter’s juices. The muscles in Taehyung’s arms flexed as he gripped down onto the cushion by Jungkook’s head, keeping himself grounded as his thrusting faltered in roughness, pounding into him lazily. “Fuck! A-ah..” The older broke loose inside of Kook, feeling his cum slush around from within the younger. He pulled out, his glistening mushroom tip coming out with a pop. Taehyung watched his cum drip from out of Jungkook’s puckered entrance onto the cushion, not caring as he worked on regaining his lost breaths, “That was fucking amazing..” A sly smile tugged at the older’s lips, eyes closed as he tilted his head back. Looking back down at Jungkook, Tae leaned into the male’s touch, nuzzling his face against his neck, “I fucked you good, didn’t I?” He breathed into his skin, eyes lightly dimmed.

The very moment he felt Taehyungs cock desperately throb inside of him, his own orgasm hit him like a fucking truck. He whined loudly as he came untouched, soiling the skin of his stomach with a large puddle of cum dribbling down his swollen length. As Tae pulled himself out, his body trembled with sensitivity, satiated at last. As the high of lust slowly ceased, Jungkook was able to catch his breath, instead overwhelmed by other feelings than just pure need. Love? He fucking loves him. He loves the way his sly smile appeared, the way his strained voice still manages to be confident and cocky. Loves the way his body feels against his afterwards, like a warm blanket of security.    “Yes,” Jungkook chuckles breathlessly, his hand reaching up to run his fingers through the elders hair. He didn’t want this to ever end. He didn’t want him to leave.

Taehyung’s muscles loosened up at the gentle combing of Jungkook’s fingers through his sweaty hair, sinking deeper into the younger’s warmth, enjoying his touch more than he would’ve liked to admit. “Knew it.” He cockily hummed, his mumbled words muffled by Jungkook’s skin. God, he felt like such a big baby. . Laying limp over Kook’s body, face nuzzled in his neck; it was fucking embarrassing. “Hey, uh..” Taehyung treaded carefully with his words, looking at Jungkook for any sign of emotion in his face. “Will you be fine? ‘Cause of the thundering, I mean..” The older sat up, searching for his discarded clothing on the floor and slipping on his boxers. It was getting late, he should really be heading home..

Jungkook internally protested against the loss of Taehyungs warmth, sitting up straight as he watched him get dressed. No, of course he wouldn’t be fine, but could he even say that? Would he ruin everything? Jungkook winced at the soreness of his body, carefully leaning back against the couch again. “Um... yeah, but..” he struggled to find his words, “Could you help me first? I really... need to clean up.. and my body is... sore.” He cringed at it words, but it’s all he got. An excuse, he technically could do it himself, but if this stalled the fact that taehyung would leave him alone, he was willing to risk the awkward question. Maybe, if he stalled long enough, he’d stay the night..

“Um..” Taehyung scratched at his head, “I mean—yeah, sure. What do you need me to do so you’re less sore..?” A massage? Witch craft? He had no fucking clue. Tae’s never taken time out of his day to care for someone after sex, so, this was a bit new to him. At least the mess on the couch was something he knew how to do.. kind of. Using the fabric of his now somewhat dry sweatshirt, Taehyung wiped at the puddle of cum by Jungkook’s legs, acting like he knew what he was doing when in reality he didn’t know shit about cleaning. “There.” He proudly looked down at the familiar spot, seeming pleased with himself. It was still wet, but at least there was no trace of whitish liquid..

Jungkook presses his lips together in a tight line to prevent himself from smiling so hard, but to no avail as his grin went from ear to ear, “Your shirt is dirty now!” He slowly sat back up again, an attempt to stand up on his wobbly legs. His muscles felt like noodles, but he needed a fucking shower. But he was too exhausted. He was about to bend down to grab his shirt when he hissed in uncomfortable pain, his ass surely not happy with a second stretch within this short timeframe, especially when it’s such a new thing for his body to endure, “Ah fuck...could you hand me my clothes.”

Taehyung didn’t hesitate on reaching for Jungkook’s clothes, handing them over to the younger before eyeing his weak stance worriedly. Shit, was he too harsh? He should really learn to control himself at times.. “So..” Tae awkwardly looked around the place, rocking on his feet. What else should he say? They were done. Wasn’t he supposed to get the hell out of there as soon as it was over? He didn’t want to make Jungkook uncomfortable by lingering around in his house any longer, “Is there anything else you want me to do..?” Tae threw on his shirt and pants, his ‘cum and rain’ sweatshirt hanging by one of his hands.

Jungkook put his clothes back, combing his fingers through his hair to fix the mess. Well, attempt to fix. Fuck, theres so much he wished taehyung would do. Cuddle up in his bed, kiss, absentmindedly rub circles on his back until he fell asleep... But that's was relationship things, and he knew for a fact taehyung did /not/ do relationships. Especially not with a guy. With him. "Hm..." Jungkook seemed to linger longer than he thought on answering this question, feeling anxious. He didnt want to tell him to leave, and he was scared to ask him to stay... "If you're tired, you could stay.." he tried to seem neutral about this, but he was a terrible actor

“What about your parents, though?” Taehyung questioned, unaware of Jungkook’s situation as he spoke. “Are they fine with me staying over..?” The invitation was tempting, Tae couldn’t lie, but something within him told him it wasn’t a good idea. Then again, there was nothing for him to do at his house.. It was basically an abandoned city. He’d most likely spend the rest of the night hidden away in his room, blasting some music whilst listening to the rain tap against his window. Taehyung didn’t want Jungkook to get too comfortable around him, but he guessed one night couldn’t hurt. It wasn’t like he had any other plans. “Yeah. I’ll stay..” Tae nodded his head with a shrug of his shoulders, smiling at Jungkook.

"Just us." Jungkook shrugged back, mirroring the smile, however his smile was quickly turning into a grin, his body seemed to relax after hearing tae say hed stay, as if he didnt know he was so tensed up to begin with. In the midst of his sudden spark of joy, he didn't even consider whether he should've asked if taehyung wanted to use the couch or come to bed with him, just grabbing him by the hand to guide him to his bedroom. He had a big bed, big enough for two people as he loved to be able to spread his body out at night. Part of him kind of wishes it was smaller in a way, giving him another excuse to be closer to the elder. The rain was still pouring down, calming in a sense since the thunder had calmed itself. Jungkook got undressed again, this time keeping his boxers on as he crawled under his blanket, making space for taehyung to join him, "Come here?"

Even though Taehyung’s questions stayed unanswered, the elder didn’t try to fight it. Maybe Jungkook’s parents worked late into the night, that’s all. Either way, it wasn’t his place to be so curious. “Just us.” The taller playfully mimicked Kook, shrugging his shoulders once more. Just them.. there was nothing to be worried about. All they were going to do was sleep together, literally. Before Tae was given the chance to fully register what he had caved in to, he followed after Jungkook without a doubt, staring down at their hands with big eyes. He couldn’t help but notice the difference in size, feeling the tip of his ears warm up, now overruled by an adorable shade of red. As Jungkook got undressed in front of him, Tae’s eyes raked down the younger’s figure, admiring his curves and edges. There was no feeling of lust in his mind, only.. ‘Damn, he’s pretty.’ Taehyung didn’t know how to conclude all of that into a single word. He quickly looked away when Jungkook caught his wandering eyes, bringing a hand up to his nape out of embarrassment. “Hm?” The taller’s head snapped up at the younger’s voice and made his way over to the bed, slipping his shirt over his head, unbuttoning his jeans. Taehyung crawled under the blanket next to him, immediately engulfed by not only the warmth of the thick fabric, but Jungkook’s skin. If he could see himself, Tae would probably bust a laugh. He laid with his hands by his side, body stiff as a board as he stared up at the ceiling, looking like he’d just seen a ghost.

Exhaustion hit jungkook like a crashing tide wave as soon as he laid down, yawning and absentmindedly turning his body to the side, facing taehyung. He pressed his cheek against the elders arm, snaking his arm across his chest in a gentle hold, "Hm,,," he hummed content, already drifting into the limbo between being awake and asleep, unaware of the words slipping past his lips in a quiet, mumbled whisper, "I like this....you.." he nuzzled his cheek closer, his eyebrows drawn together as if hes drifting into a bad dream. "Don't leave..."

The touch of the other boy’s cheek against his skin was enough for Taehyung to melt deeper into his spot, looking at the way Jungkook’s arm was placed across his chest. Why did this feel so.. natural? Kook laid against him like they’ve been doing this for years. Yeah, Taehyung might’ve initially been shitting his pants, but now that he was actually experiencing it, it was nowhere near as bad as his mind made it out to be. Actually, it was quite nice. His body visibly relaxed under the covers, muscles not so stiff. “Hm?” Taehyung furrowed his brows, gazing at a sleepy Jungkook. He couldn’t hear him properly, probably because he was nearly slurring over his words. The sight brought a little smile to Tae’s face. “I won’t leave, Kook.” Taehyung whispered just as quietly, moving his arm to snake them around the younger’s shoulders before pulling him closer, wanting to feel more of his warmth. Tae’s other arm fell on top of Jungkook’s, resting it there while rubbing soothing circles onto his skin.

‘I won’t leave, Kook.’ It was four in the morning, and Taehyung had never been good at keeping his word. At exactly 3:36, he’d woken up in a cold sweat, eyes wide and alert as he tried to make out the details of the unfamiliar room, needless to say it was a challenge in the dark. Then, an incoherent mumble approaching from his side garnered his attention, causing Tae’s shoulders to gradually drop down in relief. He was met by the peaceful expression on Jungkook’s face, deep into his slumber. Fuck, how could’ve he forgotten? Taehyung felt like a fucking idiot. The clock set up on the bedside table now read, 3:39. It was at this time when he’d tried to fall back asleep, forcing his eyes shut no matter how many times they objected. But, they’d find themselves wide open a second later. He let out a sigh, resting a hand over his head as he took another look at the time. 3:45. “Great.” Taehyung let out a quiet curse, knowing not much time had passed by since he’d woken up, but part of him felt like he’s been laying awake for /hours/. Taking another look towards the younger’s direction, Tae’s heart began to recklessly pulsate against his chest. If it was one octave higher, it might’ve actually been enough of a nuisance to wake Jungkook up. Just looking at Kook laying next to him.. this wasn’t part of the plan, it just wasn’t. Last time he remembered, they didn’t agree to sleeping on each other’s bed, or— or holding the other close enough to where you could feel their breath against your skin, or fucking kiss for that matter. They agreed to have sex. That’s it. It was now 3:51. Taehyung was thinking hard about.. everything. Maybe it was a mistake; sleeping over at Jungkook’s. For a straight man, this didn’t feel very heterosexual. 3:53. Taehyung sneakily tried to break free from the other’s hold, gently moving his arm off of his chest. Quietly pulling the blanket off to the side, Tae sat on the edge of the bed, reaching down for his loose clothing. He glanced over at the clock, it was 3:56. After he finished getting dressed, Tae looked down at Jungkook’s sleeping form once more. If he stayed any longer, guilt would’ve eaten up at him. So, after pulling the covers up to Kook’s neck, afraid he might get cold, Taehyung tiptoed his way out of the room. 4:00, He looked down at the screen of his phone, throwing on his shoes. Taehyung would be lying if he said he didn’t hesitate on grasping on the doorknob, but he pushed past that. Without another look, he closed the door from behind him, forgetting about his sweatshirt on the ground. Stepping out into the chilly morning, Tae got into his car before driving home.

Co-writer & creator of header is my lovely @velvetwicebang​ <3 © sombreboy 2020. Do not repost, edit or translate.

[thotsforvillainrights]

I'm really sorry about asking this to you ;-; but about Chrono's mental break down? What exactly would be like the start and the reson for it? *Chisaki's were his parents* so what would happen to underappreciated boi? And if you have time, can you please write something about it?? If not that's okay! Thanks for your time and I love your writings!

(Personally I think he'd have a break down early into his yakuza career with Kai. Like after he kills someone for the first time or something. I dont know, I'm making this up. Anyway, I hope its okay!)

~Halfway to Hell~

headcanon|scenario|imagine|match-up

You parked the car and shuffled your stuff into the seemingly empty house. You hadn't taken trips like these very often, so this one was a real treat. Still all the same, you were ready to see Hari because you had missed him dearly since you left a few days back. However, he didn't seem to be home by the way the house looked when you entered just now. Dark, quiet, cold... You decided to call him and see where he was at until you realized the ring of his cellphone was in the house. You followed the sound of it to the bedroom and opened the door, slightly jumping at the sight of finding Hari there.

Something was off...

He was laying on the carpet, arms and legs out like a starfish while he stared blankly at the dimly lit ceiling ahead. He didn't move, didnt talk, didnt even flinch when you turned the bedroom lights on and rushed to his side to check on him. "Hari...are you okay?" You asked and you tentatively reached out to poke his cheek. He paused at first and the proceeded to very slowly turn his head and look at you. His eyes watered a bit and he opened his mouth just slightly to speak in a quiet tone.

"I killed him."

"Oh? Uh...what the fuck?" You laughed nervously, thinking it must be some sort of joke. Hari glared at you and sat up quickly, bringing his knees to his chest. "This isn't fucking funny y/n. I shot a man 4 times today. I watched the life leave his eyes before Kai brought him back with his quirk." You nodded at him and began to search your thoughts for something reassuring to say. "Well technically you didnt kill him I suppose. But, why did you shoot? I thought the yakuza never did stuff like this...at least not Pop's branch. What happened?" Hari frowned at looked you dead in the eyes. "The old man...he got sick." Hari lied slickly. "So Kai finally took over a few days ago. There are some new operations going on and we got into a scuff with some potential clients. The guy jumped at the boss and well...you know how Kai is. So I shot the guy to protect him. I know Kai brought him back, but that image will always be in the back of my head. I shot him y/n...I killed that man. Well, for a few second before he was revived."

You sighed and pulled his head over to your chest. You held him closely and gave him gentle kisses on the forehead. "Hari I know that's definitely something creepy to think about, and I have no idea why Kai had yall acting out violently, but just hang in there yknow? I'm not saying I condone murderous activity, but when you walk next to a moving resuscitator it kinda just balances out yknow." You smiled and playfully flicked his forehead. "Man...That was still pretty fucked that I killed that guy though. Maybe I should see a therapist."

"Maybe you should."

"Or maybe I should just go to the kitchen and eat something instead."

"Wait what???" You looked down at him and saw his wide smile. You knew he was back to himself after possibly mulling over this for days while you were gone. "Go and get something to eat then, yakuza gangster." You teased him and he chuckled. "I think I'm going to hell. Or at least I'm halfway there." He pondered for a bit. "Oh well. At least you can enjoy a slice of heaven for now." Sure that memory is at the back of his head, and since then he's killed a few more people and gotten used to it. With the thought that it's for the glory of the Hassaikai (and Kai), and with your love waiting for him when he got home...

He would be just fine.

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TIp Jar: https://cash.app/$YuTakeyama

[btsandvmin]

I have wanted to ask u this for sometime but i didnt know if it was okay to bring it up. But since u have answered a related ask, u have previously mentioned that tae and jk seem like the members who are most non straight to u and also that jimin might be straight so then isnt it more possible for t**k***k to be the couple?

Well, both yes and no. Firstly I never said I think Jimin is straight, but he is definitely harder to read and show less “signs” than others. He is one of the members who is kind of floating in the middle for me and I think it’s partly because he has always been more aware and careful about his image and what he says. But even so, there are a few things in regards to Jimin that makes me react as well, they are just very different from how I see Taehyung and JK behave.

Secondly, just because two people CAN fall for each other (aka have matching sexualities) doesn’t mean that they will. That’s like if a straight BTS member would fall for any available woman around them. I mean, obviously if they both like men there is a chance that they also will fall for and like each other, but I can’t look at it like that. I look at their sexualities on an individual level as one thing, and then about a ship being possible at another.

For me maknae line has always been the most weird ones when it comes to a possible real relationship, so I won’t say t/k can’t be real, and same with ji/k. Both ships are possible and have strange moments if you ask me. This is why I sometimes feel these three ships cancel each other out (unless they have some weird thing between all of them going on).

Out of the three ships however, despite their possible sexualities, t/k actually looks like the least likely to me. Mostly because both JK and Tae shows such an incredible bias towards Jimin over each other, and through the years even though I think people underestimate the bond between JK and Tae a lot, I personally don’t see them being closer to each other than with Jimin. There is a reason for t/krs playing the narrative that their ship is hidden, and I can’t deny Tae and JK definitely has toned down their interactions a lot. It’s not impossible they are hiding a whole relationship. However, for me at least, the things they say and do in regards to Jimin gets in the way of this too much, especially from Taehyung towards Jimin.

I’ve said it before, but Tae truly acts like he has a crush on Jimin and like he hung all the stars in the sky. This has been a consistent things from Tae since very early on, with him hinting at him and Jimin being tied by the red string of faith as early as 2015. He also did the hand holding tweet with Jimin in 2014, so basically Taehyung has showed a clear bias for a very very long time and he still does. Of course it’s possible for Vmin to be platonic, but at least personally I think all the strange things about Vmin are difficult to explain away with another ship being real... I see no reason for Vmin to hold hands or call each other soulmates and go above and beyond a “normal” friendly relationship if they at the same time has their boyfriend there right beside them. I also think them writing songs that fit together in different ways (and the fact that some even sound romantic) as well as their odd behavior in regards to vlives are other things that “get in the way” of other ships. I obviously can’t know for sure, and as I said I do know a lot of things about the other two ships that are weird and also make sense if they are real. But again, all ships have weird things if you look for it, and that even goes beyond just the maknae line. In my own personal opinion I think if any ship at all is real, Vmin makes the most sense to me from what I have seen and from how I view their personalities and their behavior over many years. I could be wrong, and I definitely see why people ship and even believe in other ships. Still, I both prefer Vmin as a ship and think they are the most suspicious for various reasons. If I didn’t I wouldn’t be here doing analysis at all. But as you know I also make analysis simply to be a “counter” towards the other two ships that have so many analysis it’s crazy.

I hope this made sense, but in short I don’t want to say “because they seem non straight I think this ship makes the most sense”  just as I don’t want to say “this ship seems to most real so they are the least straight”. Basically, even if I ship Vmin I also don’t want to use Vmin moments (or any other ship moment) as proof for their individual sexualities if there isn’t anything else to go off. I will use moments for speculation of course, but Jimin “flirting” or doing fanservice etc. is not something that will automatically make me see him as more non straight as an individual, at least not only that. I hope you see what I mean, because it’s a bit difficult for me to explain properly.

Short answer, just because Tae and JK seem to show more signs to be non straight it doesn’t mean they are the only ones. And also that even if two people could fall for each other based on sexualities that doesn’t mean that they will.

Even so, we have to remember this is all speculation, and in the end no ship being real is probably the most likely answer. Their sexualities are also something we probably won’t ever know for sure about, and honestly that’s fine since it’s their private matter after all. However I see no harm in discussing and I think it’s important to be openminded and supportive to whatever they might identify as or whoever they might love.

Thank you for the ask, and don’t worry. Again, it’s not something I like to or want to talk about a lot, but I understand why you all are curious. I hope this explained my view a little bit.