#scene change then back to the previous scene and...

[galindaelphaba]

Hi everyone! I got an ask from @adamusydneys about how I coloured the scene from my header.

The scene in question started with an ugly yellow filter which can be super annoying to colour correct. Luckily I still had the psd open with all my colouring layers so should be easy to go layer by layer with what I did

Tutorial below the cut as this is screenshot heavy

Full disclaimer - there is no real set method for what I do to colour my gifs, as it changes depending on the gif and my mood. In the case of this gif I used lots of selective colour layers, but I have also used channel mixer in the past to correct similar issues or have done most of the correction in curves (like in my basic gif tut). I will also add in the case of my header gif, I applied the previous colouring from my theolizzy gifset, so I'll try and recreate how I got the curves but it may not be exact.

Step 1: Start with your base gif sharpened and ready to colour

I always start any gif with a Curves layer.

I select the white eyedropper tool and select a white point on the gif to get a base to begin my colouring.

For this gif I selected the bit of confetti in the red box

This is what the result of the curves was there

As it can be seen this added some brightness but the scene is still very yellow

To start with I go into my curves layer and start by manually adjusting the RGB channels.

Normally to get rid of yellow, I would add more blue. But this will not work for this scene. This is what happens when adding more blue:

So instead of just adding more blue I go into each channel and adjust to get a better foundation for what I can colour later.

I started with the green

Then added more red in

then added a bit more blue

After that I went into the main channel and dragged the little black slider down to add some depth/contrast

This is what my final curves layer looked like

My next step is to add a Vibrance layer (which I do for all my gifs)

After that I started working in the selective colour layers. As the tint is quite strong I used a lot of layers and built upon them.

For the first selective colour I adjusted the reds and yellows

These adjustments resulted in this, which is already looking more natural but needs some more adjustment still

I went back in the reds and yellows again and adjusted further

leading to this which is a pretty good result:

The gif now is mostly colour corrected but I still want to do some minor adjustments (cos I'm a perfectionist) so I make another selective colour layer.

This time I just add some more cyan to the reds, which is a small change but neutralises a bit of the shadows which were too bright for me

Next I take out some more yellow as the tint is still there a bit

The above is pretty good, but I decided I wanted to do another curves layer on top to do a final bit of colour correction.

I manually went into each colour channel and adjusted as so:

I started by adding more blue as now I can use this to get rid of the remaining tint without it looking weird

the gif was now slightly magenta/pink so I added a bit of green to balance it out and slid the bottom slider a bit to add some depth back into the shadows

Then I added some red. I also dragged the black bar at the bottom to add a bit more depth/cyan to the shadows.

This is the final result of the basic colouring for the scene I did.

Since you also asked about the header in particular I'll expand on how I did the pink colouring for the header. tumblr is telling me this post has too many images so i'll include this info in a reblog as part 2 :)

[angeltees]

love bites, will smith

pairing will smith x hughes!fem!reader warnings smut, mentions of public sex (in a lake), pda, hickeys, oral (m), established relationship wc 2.1k

the drink clutched loose in your hands did nothing to cool your overheated body in michigan's humid summer air. but when you saw your boyfriends shirtless body sitting comfortably next to your brother's, all four of them deep in a conversation about what you could only assume was hockey, a cold shiver ran throughout your body. 

your mouth watered when your eyes automatically trailed down and caught sight of will’s spread legs. his bare, and extremely inviting, thighs seemed to glimmer in the light, his sweat reflecting deliciously enough for you to completely change your course of direction. 

before, you were thoughtlessly wandering towards the lake, nothing but the heat on your mind. but now, all you could think about was your boyfriend, and how his thighs would taste between your teeth. 

you were nothing more than a clumsy pile of joints when you dropped down on the grass in front of him, your hands barely catching your weight due to how eagerly one of them reached for will’s calves, and wrapped around his ankle was an impressive grip. the other still holding your drink.

you let out a small groan when your drink spilled against your bathing suit bottoms whilst you nestled your body further between his legs. 

will watched in quiet amusement as you lay your head back far enough to look at him upside down, your hair pooling on the leg that your head was mounted on.

he leaned down to press an upside down kiss to your lips, the contact lasting only a few seconds due to the company beside you. and when he pulled back, he was stuck in a spell.

even though your skin was visibly a different tint with enough sweat to prove your exhaustion, you were a vision of everything will’s ever wanted.

your lips pulling down into a drunken pout, and your eyes were wide as can be as they cartoonishly blinked up at him. 

“hm, baby? what happened?” will ran his hand across the top of your damp hair, his fingers ghosting over your forehead when he nimbly pushed your baby hairs back and off your forehead.

your lips turned up from their previous pout, the earlier spill completely leaving your mind the second your boyfriend's warm hands, and lips, finally touched you. 

“m’so hot, i feel like i could-“ you were cut off when your brother, jack, cut in, “jump my boyfriend's bones in front of my brothers?” his voice was botched and at a high enough pitch where it was almost offensive.

even though that wasn’t what you were necessarily going for, you perked up with a childish nod. you momentarily lifted your head from will’s knee to face jack, the hand that wasn’t currently wrapped around his ankle moved to point up at him from around your drink.

but it seemed that you’d forgotten about how filled it was, and it once again splashed on you. the only difference was that time, it got on both your and will’s legs.

will, being the good boyfriend he was, didn’t care about the cold splash too much. he didn’t flinch away, nor did he raise his voice. he only laughed out a slightly louder chuckle than he probably should’ve, and gently nudged your leg with the foot you had pushed beneath it when you sat with him.

“that’s exactly right! how’d you know?” the boys surrounding you laughed at your slurred voice and over-excited cheer. “did you read my mind? or-“ your voice cracked when a small hiccup forced itself out,  “did you also see how yummy his legs look when they’re all sweaty?” 

at this point, your decorum must’ve been completely out the window because the way you ignored all the eyes staring at you and shamelessly licked a line across the muscle that ran across his upper thigh, the same one that caught your attention earlier, was insane. and in all your brother's humble opinions, extremely disgusting. 

“dude, what the actual fuck?” jack’s voice was loud when he gagged at the scene, your other two brothers turning away as fast as they could. 

“there’s no way she just did that.” luke’s voice was unstable, and his cheeks were flushed red and whether it was from the sun or embarrassment, he didn’t know. 

all he knew was that he never wanted to see it again. ever. 

quinn stayed quiet but everyone noticed the way he couldn’t look you in the eye for the next few minutes, his eyes downcast in favour of staring at the beer can he held on top of his trunks.

but you, you didn’t care. not when you finally had will’s taste coated in your mouth. a small noise vibrated will’s leg where your mouth was pressed against it, your eyes closing as if you’d just tasted the most delicious meal imaginable.

and to you, it was. you didn’t care that it tasted slightly salty from his sweat with faint traces of your lotion, one that will still clearly thinks he sneakily steals from your shared room every morning. but it tasted like him, and that was what you loved. 

will to the best of his credit, with his hand this pressed against the top of your head, tried not to twitch. he appeared calm on the outside, but you felt the way his leg tensed under your tongue. but when he didn’t pull away, you continued. but this time, you did it more discreetly than before. 

since will was sitting furthest away from your brother’s, you shifted so your back was faced towards them. so even if they happened to glance over they’ll see nothing besides will’s hand lovingly caressing the top of your head.

the conversation shifted after another beat of silence, everyone waiting for you to settle in again before continuing. you weren’t sure what exactly they were talking about because to you their voices just sounded like a jumble of noise. 

noise that was loud enough to cover the quiet smacks that were caused by your lips sucking against will’s skin. over, and over.

after covering the expanse of skin that was near his knee, you leaned deeper in between his legs to reach higher. due of your new position facing the other way, your arm ached from to the awkward angle. and as much as you wanted to keep holding your boyfriend's ankle, it wasn’t ideal. 

so, you dropped your drink and moved both arms to wrap around will. one moved up and circled his bare waist, you momentarily stopping to purposely graze your nails along his rib cage. just enough to feel him shiver. and the other pulled his leg up so his heel was moved to press against your outer thigh.

and once the back of his leg settled against you, you moved it to his knee to rub small circles against it as you continued your ministrations.

by the time another ten minutes passed you already sucked marks all along his entire inner thigh. but not dark enough to bruise for longer than a few days. 

it was unfortunate that quinn chose that moment to stand up and stretch out his back to prepare to walk back inside to get another beer. because right when he turned to look at you, he saw it. all of it. 

he stood frozen with his mouth wide open and eyes crinkled in disgust. jack and luke followed his gaze after quinn didn’t respond to their question of also getting them a drink. and just like earlier, they spiralled. 

jack being the ever-dramatic brother he was reacted first.

“will, dude. what the hell? you’re just letting her sit there and snack on your leg?” will just shrugged as if it wasn’t insane. but his lack of silence only made the boys freak out more. 

“yeah, no. the lack of response says it all. she definitely does this on the regular.” jack bumped his shoulder into luke’s, his voice louder than before when he screamed out a loud and repetitive no.

quinn simply shook his head once before he walked away faster than his usual pace, not stopping once whilst screaming over his shoulder, “jack, luke, unless you want to never look at our baby sister the same way again, i highly suggest you also leave.” after he said that, they weren’t far behind.

once will was sure they were all inside, he lightly took a fist of your hair. “baby…” will’s voice was low even though your brothers were already in the house and you both were certain that they weren’t going to take a chance in coming back. 

you pulled your mouth away from its spot directly beneath the hem of his trunks in favour of lovingly smiling up at your shy boyfriend. “what? it’s not like they can see us?” your kittenish purr has the effect you were hoping for because will’s bottoms evidently twitched near your face. 

your body filled with the same feeling you got when you first saw the way his body looked in the sun earlier. will’s hold on your hair barely stopped you from nosing against the tent in front of you, your eyes looking up to watch his reaction. when he pulled his bottom lip between his teeth you sent him a wink.

“you’re being really bad right now.” will’s voice had a newfound bite to it, his eyebrows furrowing the longer you acted out in front of him. he knew you were acting this way to get a rise out of him, in hopes of him losing his mind and giving you exactly what you wanted. 

and if anyone asked you, it was working because will’s hand was quick to move down to grip your chin with all five fingers. you leaned into his hold like it was your lifeline, your eyes momentarily closing to soak in the feeling. 

“m’sorry, i just…” your eyes opened before you turned your head to press a few small kisses against his palm, “missed you so much.” will flinched when your teeth pressed a bite a little bit too hard. yet, he didn’t move.

“you missed me? baby, you’ve been sitting here pressed against me, sucking against my thighs in front of your brothers for the last twenty minutes.” 

“yeah, it’s because i missed you.” will open-mouth smiled just enough for you to see his front teeth peeking through. “or is it because you were hot and got horny seeing me sitting here looking this good?” will was teasing you, and you did nothing more than lean into it. 

“i may have gotten a bit horny…” you pinched your fingers close together in an exaggerated demonstration, finishing the whole piece with your eyes squinting closed as if you could barely see them. 

will nodded, a little more seriously than before, “right, that’s why you’re trying to get into my pants. in front of your brothers.” you whined out loud and tried to pull your face away from his hold, but he just sat up a bit straighter so he can still reach you.

“can we stop bringing that up?” will didn’t respond, being too busy gazing at your face, his cheeks lighting up with a blush again. though, as much as he would’ve loved to look into your eyes, he couldn’t due to your gaze being directed directly at his boner. 

but your voice brought him back the way it always does. “so like… are you going to let me suck your dick before you fuck me in the lake?”

will’s eyes raised incredulously, “the lake?” you nodded. “mhm, since you clearly don’t want my brothers hearing us.”

“right, because the lake is just so much better.” 

“i’d ride your dick right here, right now, will. it doesn't have to be in the lake.” will pretended to think about it, “i think the lake would be a better choice. yanno, for body regulation.”

you mirrored his exact nod, your eyes confident in your decision, “exactly! wouldn’t want us to overheat, especially considering the fact that you run hot.” your hands left their position to grab his trunk's waist band, not so gently giving them a tug. 

he lifted his lips high enough for you to pull them down his legs, your body shifting back far enough to where where they won’t get caught in your tangled limbs.

you looked up at will for his nod of confirmation, you sitting there all pretty and patiently waiting for him to give you his consent. and when he did, you pressed a sweet, delicate, and wet kiss against his leaking tip. 

you followed it with a small lick, once on top, and another down his length. when you got to his base you couldn’t stop yourself from giving him another bite against the spot between where you licked and where his thigh connects.

instead of flinching, his head just tilted down to his chest, his chin stopping centimeters away from it. “you’re so good for me, baby.” his sweet voice deepened at the exact moment your mouth sucked him in, your tongue sliding against his most prominent vein. 

“a-always s’good.” 

[floridecuts]

Hey guys, I'm back with the promised au comic!! ^-^ Thank you so much for your comments on my recent posts! <3 Let me know what you think of this one and if you liked it! :)

So, let me explain a bit more about this. I got this au idea that Mashita could be a nurse out of the blue some day and it stuck in my head. The thought of Mashita as a prickly nurse was very funny to me, and I thought his tired eyes could work very well for this scenario too. I believe a nurse's job can be very exhausting and, if my memory is correct, often involves working overtime shifts. (Kudos and my greatest respect to anyone working in this field!) So, in this au Yashiki and Mashita get to know each other under different circumstances. It plays (obviously) during Death Mark 2, the events of the Slit Mouthed Kashima case where Yashiki's arm gets injured - only this time the injury is not just an illusion and doesn't disappear when the spirit leaves. Instead of Shou it's Daimon who is with Yashiki when it happens, he calls Mashita during their way back to the school. (Please don't ask the very logical question why he doesn't take Yashiki to his clinic instead... I definitely did not just realize this mistake now, right before posting this. Just... throw logic out of the window for the duration of these short 7 pages, please. ^^') The idea is that Mashita is a nurse working in Daimon's clinic, hence they know each other. Daimon asks him for help because he knows Mashita is a person he can trust and he could really need an extra hand for removing all these scissor blades. Thankfully it doesn't take Mashita long to arrive (but of course Daimon gave Yashiki some pain meds for the meantime, so the pain is at least manageable). I thought it'd be hilarious if Mashita got hit by Armor's arrow the moment he sees Yashiki for the first time (especially because he "bickered" about him moments before). xD And I have fun drawing him blushing, so I couldn't resist adding that scene. Btw, Mashita and Yashiki haven't met each other before in this au, but my idea was that Daimon has mentioned him and his work to Mashita in the past, hence he referred to Yashiki before as "that ghost hunter guy". As Mashita doesn't have any spiritual abilities/powers and seems like a skeptic character in general to me, I found it fitting here that he doesn't believe in spirits or supernatural stuff. Until the day he meets Yashiki that is. I like to think that, after this evening, Mashita changes or at least rethinks his previous opinion on spirits and offers Daimon to call him again whenever "that ghost hunter guy" gets himself injured again (definitely not because he'd like to see Yashiki again, of course). Sorry for the abrupt end, I cut it off after the revelation of the unjury because I couldn't quite decide how to continue from there.

I am aware that, from a medical standpoint, Daimon's choice to treat that wounded arm in the school's infirmary is probably not the best choice but I just ignored this for the sake of drawing this comic (as I said, just throw logic out the window for this ^^'). Same goes for the probably high risk of permanent damage to the arm/hand with that injury and any other medical inaccuracies. I get random ideas like this a lot, but am not great with figuring out a complete (and realistic) story. I guess I don't have a talent for storytelling as a whole, but more for short moments of drama, fluff or some funny moments. ^^'

I really grew to like the idea of Mashita as a nurse while drawing this. That's probably because I love healer/medic characters in general in fictional works. And it was really fun to draw our cranky ex-detective in nurse clothing. xD (Am I the only one thinking those look super comfortable to wear?) I would love to draw more for this in the future, especially if you guys like the idea as well. Though at the moment I'm out of ideas for new scenes. But in case any of you have ideas, let me know! I'd be happy to hear about them, maybe they can spark my inspiration. :)

Btw. I did notice that I made a mistake with the injury, as in the game it's Yashiki's other arm that gets injured. But it'll just stay this way now, it's an au after all with a lot of things that are different from canon. The next au short comic will be focusing more on Yashiki and some other Mark Bearers, but Mashita will appear too. It's mostly fluff with a little bit of romance at the end. Hope you'll like it. I'm curious to see which au you'll like more in the end - or if you don't like them. Either way, let me know what you think! ^^

Thanks for taking a look and have a nice week! :)

[wondrousmay]

*SxF ch119 manga spoilers*

This chapter was what I had expected from Endo-sensei: a combination of comedy and heartfelt/emotional scenes. What I didn’t expect was the throwback to ch.3 and Loid and Yor’s previous dates (extra mission 2 and ch35). It was a lovely way to show us how their relationship has changed over the past 6 months as The Forgers.

The difference this time was the bittersweet ending. In both, the extra mission and ch35, the dates ended in a lighthearted way: Loid and Yor’s misunderstanding was cleared up and the status quo of their relationship remained the same. It wasn’t the case this time. Yor wasn’t satisfied with Loid’s placate answer about their relationship. To me, this is a huge development on Yor’s side. While she didn’t have the courage to say that she wanted their arrangement to last forever, she still ask Loid about it. She also felt that she was selfish for wanting more which is something we rarely see from Yor. She didn’t want to be reassured about her role as a mother or even as a wife. She wanted to know what Loid truly thought about her and their relationship. This wasn’t something that Loid’s usual answers can clear up and I believe the status quo of their relationship will change one way or another.

I don’t blame Loid for over-analyzing Yor’s question about their arrangement and missing what Yor wanted to know. In addition to trying be more objective after the Mole Arc, he already thinks that Yor doesn’t have feelings for him. He had let his guard down because he cares about Yor’s feelings and it almost cost him his life and compromised the mission. It’s just a bittersweet situation overall.

Other things that I loved about this chapter:

- Gympie making a salve for Yor and making Hemlock give it to her as an apology.

- The city hall girls seeing Yor with Hemlock. This could lead to Loid hearing about it later and he might connect it to Yor’s question about their arrangement. The possibility is endless 👀

- I’m never getting over how Loid took her to the Hilltop Park that she showed him back in ch.3. And Yor saying that she doesn’t come here often anymore because the things that reminded her what she was fighting for is at her home aka the Forgers 😭

[velvet-cupcake-games]

Made Marion Development Update, June-July 2025

Hey everyone!  Sorry for the slight delay, but I had a lot of stuff to get together for this update.  The whole team is coming together to get things done for John's route after my chronic illness made work in the winter-spring difficult.

Writing:

I'm now writing John Chapter 2. Chapter 1 is complete at the usual 20k-ish words. Things are flowing much more smoothly now that I've figured out a better relationship dynamic between John and Marion, and John's character flaws are more apparent. He may seem like Mr. Perfect at first (and he certainly does to Marion, who gets a big ol' crush on him quite early in the route) but of course nobody's perfect. A challenging Marion in particular can bring out John's bad side (a compromising Marion deals with some different challenges).

By the way, if you missed it, you can now view our preview of John's route on our Youtube.

Sprites and CGs:

Arrapso has completed the more-naked versions of our Sherwood sprites. We noticed their trousers were visible on screen in scenes in which they were meant to be naked, so we now have trouser-free sprites. As we're trying to keep a Mature rather than AO rating, nobody's crown jewels are visible, but the illusion of nudity is now much better.

We also have John's common route CG complete. As I've been sharing these early, please take a look. I adore the lighting in this one, as well as the tenderness.

Lore Intro:

As we've decided to change the animated lore intro from an in-engine piece to a full animated movie, Lawrichai has been making great strides with Live2D. She now has the first couple "scenes" in the intro completed. Here's an example of one of the animated characters who illustrate our intro story, an elven greater fae:

The final product is going to be quite lovely!

Mega-Guide:

This spring I discovered that I'll need to remake the Mega-Guide from scratch. When my previous hard drive died, it took the source file for the Mega-Guide with it, and I was an idiot and only had the .pdf version backed up online.  I've rectified that and am using the .pdf as a reference to re-create and add to the guide.

We have enough money in the budget to make the guide even nicer, so I've hired Sandra to create some illustrations for the lore stories.  Here's one of the ancient druid Morgana taking a ride in a hawk as King Arthur and Merlin raise the Wall that cuts Stennland off from the rest of Avalon.

Since I decommissioned the VC Games website (too much expense and I didn't have time to upkeep it properly), I will re-distribute the in-progress Mega-Guide to everyone who pledged for it and it will have a new permanent home for updates on the VC Games Google Drive from then on out. This time it will have a wealth of new information and stories as well as walkthroughs for the Sherwood routes.

Whew!  It's going to be a busy summer of writing, coding, and arting, but it's great to have everyone along for the ride.  See y'all in August!

[tanis-fics]

The smell of smoke

Alice picks up a vice, and Barry enables it. The more things change the more they stay the same. (Beheld by the man buried underneath the ocean)

Relationships: Alan Wake/Alice Wake/Barry Wheeler, Alice Wake & Barry Wheeler ♦ Words: 1399

[on ao3] ♦ [read on site]

 Alan Wake felt hopelessly lost. Walking aimlessly on the rain, he didn’t even pretend to avoid the fade-outs anymore, he didn’t have it in him to be afraid, fading in with the non-beings all around him. He couldn’t remember what he was supposed to be doing. Was he going to the train station? Trying to find a way inside a building through some dead end street? Enter the theater? He didn't remember. He didn't remember why he was doing all of it in the first place. He was tired.

 Feeling his wet clothes clinging to his skin he tried finding a shelter if only to have one simple objective he could work towards to, but as he found cover underneath a balcony he finally caught a whiff of an echo.

 A clicking sound. A puff of breath. Colors. Laughter.

 Like a starving man, Alan started running towards it. Could it be a part of a story? Something he could use to keep writing? Chasing his inspiration he ended under the flickering light of a lamp on a solitary street, distorted music coming from a nearby building, as he aligned with the echo.

 Unlike the previous ones he couldn't catch the words spoken, voices and gestures muffled behind the thick looking glass, but he could see the shape of the scene in the sparkling rain. A man in colorful attire and a woman in monochrome, both carrying an air of grief despite the seemingly light conversation they were having, despite the laughter on his voice.

Without context the scene left too much to his own imagination, and part of him was itching to reach for his typewriter and to walk away from the wordless picture, but Alan ignored the urge. The characters compelled him for some reason. Concentrating on their faint shapes he attempted to “see” more. See something else, if not the spoken world.

The sensation was not unlike putting his head underwater, the cold currents shaking him off his aimless numbness. That, or reaching the surface to breath.

Whoever those people were, there was an unspoken history between them that he could almost taste. Past hostility, and disdain. Jealousy. Pride swelling and passive aggression from a time when the clock kept ticking, before being bound together by grief and loss. It felt... familiar, somehow.

 The image got more defined and detailed as time went on, a simple scene repeated ad infinitum for as long as Alan stood there, and he had no intention of moving anytime soon. The woman had long limbs, one stretched as she held a cigarette between her elegant fingers. Alan felt attracted to the shadows on the wall, to the frown on her face when her lighter didn't work, to the way she balanced the cigarette between her open lips. A snort and a laughter distracted the scene, the colorful man saying something and the woman replying with a hint of a smile, despite the ironic tinge around it.

"That shit's bad for you, you know?" "Oh, you're one to talk."

 Alan dived deeper, then, for some reason wanting, needing to be surrounded by that echo.

With past resentment came the smell of alcohol, the kick of drugs, and the sharp pain of a migraine. He felt colors.

He was suddenly reminded of an hotel room, that same lack of inhibitions and itch to leave his heavy heart behind intensified by desperation, but he quickly shook that thought away. He couldn't get distracted now. He wasn't sure he could even find that echo again if he did, and the idea alone made him surprisingly and unbearably sad.

"Okay, okay, here. Lemme just..."

Brought back by the metallic sound of a second lighter, he felt another spark of irony as he carefully lit the woman’s cigarette with a hand and made sure the wind wouldn't blow out the flame with the other.

The faraway smell of smoke carried something else with it. Something that echoed something else, so far back that Alan couldn’t see it clearly, but he could feel it in the slight bracing of their bodies. The bittersweet aftertaste of enabling. He wondered if they were aware of it.

 She seemed so anxious, she deserved the distraction, didn't she?

 Alan could sympathize with the logic behind it.

 As the woman took a drag and slowly let the smoke escape through her lips he could feel sadness radiating through the other man. Sadness, and a surprising amount of fondness. The feeling was almost as shocking as the laughter and the scene itself, not to the man, but to Alan.

Why did that scene elicit such feelings from him? Who were these people? Why did that seemingly bittersweet scene made him so... happy?

 Suddenly, he felt like a voyeur, and then tried dismissing the thought. He's been doing that for so long he forgot what he was doing in the first place. Looking from afar, looking from the other side of the mirror, lake, ocean, in search of inspiration. He knew he should be backing into his writing room to try and make something useful out of this fragment of a story, but his eyes were glued to the scene. Transfixed by its beauty. And like a photograph he stared at long enough to discover things he hadn't seen before, a feeling started bleeding through the repeated motions.

Underneath it all, both brimmed with love.

Not for each other (or at least, not in the way the Noir framed scene might imply), but for a third, unseen being. Swallowing, Alan felt his throat impossibly dry. At the back of his mind, he couldn't think of a higher honor than to be worthy of being the object of their shared affection, and even affliction. The catalyst to the myriad of feelings between the two. The grave under their tangled tears.

Oh, how he wanted...

 Out of nowhere, someone -something- pushed him forward, and the ground against his face hurt less than the echo slipping through his fingers.

 Light.

 Gun.

 The only things he knew how to do now, engraved on his eyelids.

 When the shadows haunting him perished he immediately tried to find the echo again, already missing the feelings that carried, the story implied, but it was gone. Only flashes of color, monochrome, and smoke remained. And now, like a final act of mercy, the light of the lamp above started shining for him, encouraging him to take a break and let go of the breath he was holding.

 But there was not rest for the wicked, Alan of all people knew that.

 Finally as safe as he could be he retreated, sitting down on his desk and grabbing a piece of paper and a pen, feeling feverish. He knew the motions, he knew what he needed to do, but as the pen hovered over the paper and between every shaky stroke, he simply didn't think he could do it. Add this piece to the board, follow the trail of these two people like a hound and rewrite it into a horror story. Not these two, whoever they were.

 With shaky fingers he looked at the token like a strange object, like a frail thing.

Love.

 As time was meaningless there, Alan couldn't know how long he spent looking at it, trying to derive meaning, only to come back to the same flashes. Colors. Monochrome. Light. Laughter.

 It hurt. It made his heart ache. It almost made him smile.

 Finally, he decided to pin it down somewhere that wouldn’t affect the story, yet remained on sight. He pinned it atop the board, like a reminder, or even a prayer. Had he not been doing this out of love? Good question. Something told him he did so at first, but now he wasn't so sure.

 Maybe he lost his way somewhere along the road.

 Maybe he just needed to return.

 Back on the street, Alan stood under the light as rain poured from the dark sky above, but he didn't mind. He felt himself close to a breakthrough. To remember what he was supposed to be doing there in the first place, and why. For whom. It was at the tip of his tongue, but until he got it, at least he could spend some time in the ever diluting memory of a missing love.

 Hearing the click of a lighter, and the smell of smoke.

[chasedeys]

HI OKAY so like. in honor of these boyfriends sticking together by the grace of god and just sheer fucking stubbornness and taking matters into their own hands (sooooo sexy and also incredibly leaning to the power-of-friendship ass of them btw) and also because i feel sooo shitty for disappearing all of the sudden and ignoring a whole bunch of you </3 (thank you truly for all the sweet messages in my inbox asking me where and how ive been god yall are so sweet) and also it's such a fucking waste of 7k word vomit if i do end up not finishing this thing and i really do want to finish this but im lacking creative juices and honestly just shit time management but anyways. i present to you the mess of joeteemarr fic in its barely finished glory:

(DOOOO PRAYYY THAT I FINISH ITTTTT (i am on my knees) in spite of all the spoilers (?) you'll read through so it'd be like why the hell would you read this again kind of deal but well ahahahah just let me post this and look away okay 😭♥️)

all on his mouth like liquor —joeteemarr

intro — you came, you saw, you conquered // i couldn’t take my eyes off him, i think i heard a spirit call my name (banana yoshimoto, kitchen)

They’re both still in their leather ensemble—’so, did you coordinate the outfits, or?’ ‘ja’marr copied me.’ ‘excuse me? bitch, i’ll kill you.’—like they zoomed their way to Tee’s place immediately right after the game, after stopping by Judith’s for their usual order of burgers and fries.

Tee pokes at his own order of bacon burger, double helping of cheddar cheese and extra garlic, a wobbly little smile poking through when he spots the lovingly sharpied good game 5! the extra pies are for you!!!! don’t let uno eat them!!!!!!!!! on the crinkly wrapping paper. Judith, Cincinnati native, 57 years old and never takes money from Tee’s mother. Thinks Ja’Marr is the funniest man-child on earth and Joe the sweetest.

Ja’Marr has his jacket off now, tank top stretched tight over his shoulders as he slumps over his burgers snarling at Joe to stop stealing his fries. Tee carefully turns his gaze away from dark of his tattoos, the curve of his shoulders, the flex of his biceps when he tries to smack away Joe’s hand right over his burger.

But the thing is, if he looks away, he’s looking towards Joe—Joe, who’s leather jacket with nothing underneath is zipped down to his navel for some godforsaken reason, miles of pale skin and abs and golden hair and pink nipples flashing everytime he twists his torso to try and take Ja’Marr’s entire dinner or avoid his retaliations. Tee has to take away Ja’Marr’s plastic fork before he stabs Joe with it.

(They didn’t coordinate the outfits, by the way. They just ended up wearing something similar again with their weird otherworldly connection that Tee still tries to wrap his head around even now.)

—----------ja’marrs drops. sensitive,dfksdfkapoeskfo

Ja’Marr skirts his eyes away, mouth curling down, “I don’t wanna talk about it. I’ll deal with it Monday.”

Tee breathes out, extends his knee and presses his socked toes to the younger man’s calves. Ja’Marr twitches his leg against his feet, flicking his eyes at him and shooting him a small smile. He’ll be alright.

“No,” Ja’Marr says evenly, staring right at him even as he slams a hand at Joe’s over his plate, “but you were really fucking sexy.”

Tee startles, several clumps of mashed up potato slipping out of his mouth in surprise—real sexy, there. Ja’Marr really has no filter sometimes, calling any person he finds attractive to their faces with zero shame even in front of his boyfriend of however many years. Joe, ever so possessive, rarely even gets bricked up over it, from sheer assurance of his place in Ja’Marr’s heart. Hard not to be, really, with how steadfast and loud Ja’Marr is with his devotion to him. Tee has been called straight up ‘hot as hell’ by the other man for the past years that they’ve known each other and he still gets flustered over it, mostly because. Well. Whatever.

Joe turns his gaze to him as well, pausing his one-man crusade of pilfering his boyfriend’s fries. Tee slows his bites as he stares back, feeling weirdly caught like a prey in a predator’s gaze, a gazelle looking through the tan of the savanna landscape trying to find the glint of a lion’s eyes lurking in between the blades of grass. Joe’s piercing blues flick between his eyes, then slides down, slow, deliberate, purposeful, over the bridge of his nose, his cheekbones, the curve of his lips, the turn of his chin, the hinge of his jaw still clenched from chewing the meat they bought for him, his—neck exposed by the stretched cotton of his ratty t-shirt, the tangle of his beard, the slight of his Adam’s apple, the nearly healed scar on the left side of his jugular from last week’s razor incident, even the loose hang of his faded clemson t-shirt over his shoulders, the dip of it showing off the skin over his collarbones, not too much to show his pecs, but the sheer force of the older man’s leer makes him—makes him push his fucking tits out like he can’t fucking help himself; shoulders, drawing back; spine, straightening; nipples, pebbling, fucking tingling; goosebumps and hair rising over his arms; toes, curling in—he knows each and every part of his body Joe looks over because the man’s so fucking methodical with it, everything else below his chest hidden beneath the table thank fuck, he thinks, of sorts, maybe, a blessing, a curse, who knows, he’s still trying to chew on his fucking bite of bacon burger the fuck.

Tee chokes on his late swallow—and drinks the puply orange Ja’Marr offers him with an obvious smirk holy shit what the ever living fuck. 

Joe goes back to eating his burger like he didn’t just. Undress Tee with his fucking eyes. What the fuck. What the actual fuck was that. Holy shit did he just experience a junior high schooler’s fantastical imaginary eighth grade period axe body spray doped up version of sex daydream or is he just. Insane. Was the burger spiked. What the fuck was that. 

Tee feels his lips twitch. Wow. They’re really—unsubtle. But, are they, really?

“

—And Ja’Marr growls. Tee startles, laughing up at him, but it’s all cut off short because, wait, holy shit—-

He’s got a lapful of Ja’Marr Chase, situating his ass snugly all over Tee’s thighs with his own folded on either side of his hips, arms up so he can press his palms on his cheeks, wrapping all the way to the back of his skull because they’re so big, and kiss him.

“Jesus Christ, Ja’Marr,” he hears through muddied ears. Joe, he knows his voice, always, but—everything is—muffled, dark, consumed to a single person over him 

He flutters his eyes open and gasps out trying to push air into his lungs and Ja’Marr’s face is right there in front of him—eyes piercing into his own as he purposefully bumps his nose to Tee’s and breathes into Tee’s gaping open mouth.

Fucking hell.

“Ja’Marr,” he breathes out, panic mounting—and: dick hardening in his sweatpants because Ja’Marr fucking Chase is all over his lap grinding down, arms around his shoulders, pretty face right up to his with deep brown eyes staring him down intently—hands trembling, acutely aware that his boyfriend of six fucking years is staring right at them from across the room, still stealing said boyfriend’s fries. That fucking heifer, jesus, his diet always goes out the window in the 24-hour window of post-game leftover adrenaline rush.

Ja’Marr—his best friend, the prettiest motherfucker he’s ever had the pleasure of—doesn’t even do him the honor of replying, lips stretching wide into a pleased smile and keeps bumping his nose to Tee’s over and over like it’s a little game to him. It’s ridiculously cute—the minute touches, the way Tee has to go cross-eyed to see it, the weight of him all over, the heady scent of warm wood basking him, it calms him down, lowers his heart rate, settles his breathing, makes his eyelids flutter, trying to keep himself from closing the distance and kiss the man again, seems terribly unfair to just—only have a single chance in his life to kiss Ja’Marr Chase once when he’s still inches away with his body language so open and willing. Joe, to the side, still fucking eating, not even acting offended even the slightest past the minute exasperated jesus christ, ja’marr, shoots him a weird dorky thumbs-up. The hell.

“You’re—“ Tee chokes out finally, acutely aware of every point of his palm pressed against the cotton wrapped around his best friend’s waist. Acutely aware of how his fingers are twitching, wanting, aching—to grip tighter, to drag downwards and under the hemline and then roughly up the warmth of skin, scrub at the expanse of it available and feel it shiver against the skin of his own palm. The only reason he doesn’t is because every joint, every muscle, every tendon in his body is locked up in, what, fear? Sheer desperate want? A man collapsed inches away from an oasis appearing out of nowhere  in a once barren desert, heat pouring over his body and making everything wobbly and blurry—his vision actually going a bit blurry because—

Fuck it all to hell, if he cries in Ja’Marr Chase’s face  just because he kissed him he’s killing himself and taking everyone with him.

Ja’Marr coos, pretty face closing in again and Tee automatically flutters his eyes shut just for the other man to press his lips softly against the thin skin of his left eyelid, keep dragging them along his lashes, letting his liquid tears seep into the crevice of his lips and pool around the corner of his lips, over the bridge of his nose, again to his right eye, and down to the highest point of his cheek—just to press harder and leave a wet imprint from his own tears.

God, Ja’Marr fucking Chase.

“You really gotta say something,” Tee squeezes out harshly, eyes squeezed shut tight and trying to breathe through his nose.

“You’re so fucking gorgeous,” is what Ja’Marr says, thumb brushing away the wet spots on his cheeks. Which. Well. Maybe Tee should’ve just told him to shut the fuck up and get off of him before he does something he’d regret, like—like kiss him again. And again. And again. Again, again, again, again, over, and over, and over, and over until he drops dead because he’d never grow tired of it, he doesn’t think.

“I see,” Tee says, not really seeing. He knows he’s ’fucking gorgeous’ but come one now, really.

Ja’Marr grins bright right up against his face, of course knowing what Tee’s not saying.

Joe leans down, nudging his boyfriend to the side, hunching over the two, tucks a palm to the side of Tee’s neck, all nine inches of it spanning across his skin like a hot brand, and kisses him too.

Tee breathes into his mouth, doesn’t even know how to kiss back, flabbergasted as he is, weighted down by his best friend on his lap, a hand on his neck that might as well feel like a noose, buzzing in his ears, a match of want being struck in him and he doesn’t know if it’s by him or if it’s actually the people he wants.

Joe hums against his mouth, lips turning down, “you’re not kissing me back,”

He’s actually fucking pouting against Tee’s mouth, Tee realizes. He doesn’t even want to let go of the kiss to speak, doesn't want to pout away from Tee’s lips. Oh god. What is Tee doing. 

Tee surges up, arms clenching around Ja’Marr’s waist, teeth tugging at Joe’s bottom lip, and kisses his quarterback right this time, feels him stretch his lips to a smile even as he licks into Tee’s mouth and sighs into the kiss. He’s relaxing his shoulders, drooping down, evening out—he was tense, he was worried, neck veins slightly popping, Tee realizes. This was important to him. Tee kissing him back—was important. To him. 

Oh.

Tee sighs into the kiss, too, relaxes and licks into the space he’s being granted access into, for the first time ever.

Ja’Marr gets handsy, apparently pleased as a peach at the grip Tee has on his waist. He presses his knees harder to the sides of Tee’s hips and grinds his hips down on his lap, palms exploring his torso all over, nails dragging across his nipples over the cotton of his shirt, face all over the skin exposed by the stretched elastic of his t-shirt’s neckline, tonguing his neck, his collarbone, biting his pulsepoint and making him gasp into Joe’s mouth.

next steps — i swell like a late summer jackfruit; my skin roughens, the pulp of my body so thick; i wait to be speared and wanted; if squeezed, i’ll leave my color on your hands (hồ xuân hương, jackfruit)

Joe pushes his back firmly and he follows through blindly. It’s his house, but Joe knows exactly where eveything is and he trusts literally anywhere this man leads him to, and, also, he’s really fucking distracted by this:

Ja’Marr bites at his chin, right by his beard, and Tee gasps—he’s a freak, what is with him, why is that so fucking hot—and he keeps tugging on the strings of Tee’s sweatpants, fingers brushing deliberately over the tent in his pants, then straight up cupping and squeezing his dick through the cotton when Joe makes them stop to turn a corner. Tee has to just shove the little shit towards the wall, press his head hard against it, and sloppily kiss his mouth to teach him some sort of lesson of some success god what is Tee trying to accomplish here Ja’Marr is so fucking—

An arm—Joe—circles his waist, pushing forcefully between the miniscule space between his belly and Ja’Marr’s and wrenches him back from the other receiver. He whines, fingers scrabbling at his best friend—”Wait! No!”—while Ja’Marr is just laughing and tilting his head back into the wall as he grins teasingly at their quarterback, “what, jealous?”

Joe reaches out and twists his left nipple through his tank top. Ja’Marr yelps and starts yelling expletives at him. Tee, leaning back into Joe’s embrace, sighs exasperatedly. Of course they’re doing this, even now.

Ja’Marr steps closer, trying to smack at Joe through Tee, and Tee puts his hands on his biceps to stop him—gets distracted, starts sliding his hands up and down the length of them because, fuck, how can he not, and then just grabs them and tugs him closer to kiss him all over again with Joe’s arm between their bodies. Man, whatever.

Joe sighs exasperatedly, pressed up all against his back, but he really can’t be all that pissed, because he’s mouthing all up Tee’s neck—what is with him and necks, jesus, 

He’s shivering, caught in the middle, Joe in front, Ja’Marr behind, hands all over him, standing up but he’s falling, stumbling but he’s being held up. There’s a boy in front of him, and there’s a boy behind him, and who is he but another boy asking to be loved and held.

He’s leaning back to Ja’Marr’s chest now, tilted to the side so he can turn his face and kiss him still, the other man’s hand spanning across his face pinning him to place as he presses his tongue into his mouth and moans into it, as loud as he always is anywhere else. Another mouth is all over his chest, tonguing at his nipples, teeth scraping over the dark of his tattoos, panting all over him like a dog, god.

He doesn’t wear boxers at home, and the two know that precisely, Joe stroking his cock through the cotton of sweatpants like it isn’t even there, the grey fabric getting soaked through. He lowers his mouth over it, eyes looking straight up at Tee and asks if he could. Tee nods frantically, not even knowing what the fuck he wants but it’s Joe Burrow, he could do whatever he wants to Tee and Tee would lay in his arms like a supplicant and rip his chest open all pretty and bloody and let Joe Burrow dip his chin in and lap it all up.

He whimpers into Ja’Marr’s mouth, fluttering open his eyes, eyelashes clumpy with tears, sweat, he doesn’t know, and Ja’Marr coos, brushing kisses over his eyes as he drags his palms all over Tee’s belly, scraping nails over his pubes and pressing down in time with Joe going down on him like he knows the exact rhythm of Joe’s every move and plan, even here, even now, even over the sweat and smell of sex of Tee’s body—especially, Tee thinks, over his body.

that’s one — makes a cathedral, him pressing against me, his lips on my neck, and yes, i do believe his mouth is heaven, his kisses falling over me like stars (richard siken, crush)

Ja’Marr breathes into his ear, biting at the helix and scraping his teeth over it like a dog. Tee whimpers, turning his head to catch his mouth in his and clack their teeth together, a shock of pain grounding him to earth so he wouldn’t float up to the heavens too high. Ja’Marr huffs out a laugh against his lips, “Knock it off, dickhead, I know what you’re doing.”

Tee scowls at him, hands tightening on Joe’s hair instead of reaching out to twist and pinch on his skin, like punishing one of them is the same as punishing the other, really, an extension of a singular subject. Joe groans around his cock, extremely pleased, of fucking course he is, and Tee keeps tugging at his roots in exasperation. Fucking masochistic little shit.

Ja’Marr snickers, dragging his tongue all over his neck, “See, natural Joe Burrow knower. Made just for him—to be his receiver, just like me.”

Ja’Marr, honestly, why the fuck is he like this—

Joe and Tee both groan in unison, Tee coming off it in a whine because, fuck, Joe’s mouth is still all up around his dick, the vibrations traveling up straight to his brain and fucking him up beyond repair.

Joe pulls off with an actual wet pop! and twists a hand harshly around his cock—which feels really fucking good, the fuck—like an apology that he isn’t sucking Tee’s dick continuously since he got the chance to, and pushes his torso up to prop his face by Tee’s head, cheeks pressed up against his, chin digging into his shoulder, and he can feel him kiss Ja’Marr rough and wet, with tongue and spit and biting at his lips.

Fucking helllll, they’re trying to kill him.

The man still twisting his hand around his cock like he’s getting paid to presses his cheek harder against Tee’s, and he’s jawing at Ja’Marr, Tee realizes with a breathless laugh—”Would you quit saying shit like that so shamelessly midsex it ruins the fucking vibe.” “What fucking vibe? If anything I’m adding to it, bitch, get back to sucking his dick, the fuck.”—and Joe slinks back down right after like he didn’t just stop mid-blowjob to argue with Ja’Marr over the receiver’s uncensored prattling.

Tee whimpers, Joe’s mouth enveloping his cock again like it’s made for it, all heat and tightness and perfect 

how do you write people getting their dick sucked. exactly. no really.

ja'marr lets him breathe but he's instantly kissing down his neck and biting his collarbones and pushing him down and dragging a tongue over his chest tattoos he's /relentless/ and when he looks to where joe is its to him grinning down at him with a hand guiding ja'marr /down/ 'that's one. you got me three right?'

“That’s one,” Joe says, his little impish smile Tee has recorded into his brain countless of times before shining down at him, lips dark red, chin and mouth all wet with Tee’s spunk, “You gave me three.”

“Three what,” Tee asks, stupidly, ears still ringing from the force of his orgasm. He’s still so focused on the bright wet glint of liquid decorating Joe’s lower face, his come, staining his skin. Joe isn’t wiping it away, letting it dry on his skin, flaking and caking and clumping against the corner of his lips. Tee wants to lick it away, drag it into his mouth with his tongue, switch it up and leave bite marks all around his pretty lips. All the red in the cold, now red from his teeth. Would Joe let him. Would Ja’Marr let him. Would he let himself mark that pale skin up, leave parts of himself all over his quarterback in ways he’s never had the guts to even finish the thought of before tonight?

Joe leans closer, mouth over him, damn the fact that Tee’s own come is all over his mouth now. Three, Joe murmurs as he kisses him filthily, sliding his tongue through the gap of his teeth, over his papillae, staining his breath with something of his own. Tee wants a shot of Joe’s own come down his throat, drenching the lining of his esophagus. The thought makes his moan, makes him choke into Joe’s throat, and the older man swallows him whole. 

Fuck, three—do they—are they trying to get him to come three times, the same amount of times he caught Joe’s pass for a touchdown? Christ. He’s getting lightheaded.

He laughs incredulously, flicking his eyes down to Ja’Marr mouthing incessantly at his navel, teeth scraping along the black lines of his tattoos, exactly like he said he wanted too. Makes Tee woozy with want, how Ja’Marr gets needy and desperate for it, thirsting over Tee’s body. How many times has he stared at him naked? Tattoos bared and thought to put his mouth on him? Drag a finger down the lines of stars on his stomach? He has never once caught Ja’Marr’s eyes on them—how sneaky had the other man been?

Joe’s hand is right on the younger man’s head like a brand, like he can’t bear to let go. on his head guiding him

, then back to the blond still staring him down. His smile is just as mischievous as it always is. Are they going to take turns, now? That’s the hottest shit he’s ever thought of, probably.

“What,” he can’t help but say, scoffing and teasing Ja’Marr, reaching a hand to tug on his ear and scratch at his cheek because he’s so fucking fond of this man he can’t keep it in, really, “you looking to suck me off too?”

Ja’Marr tugs on his dick, his sensitive dick—bitch—and Tee hisses at him, stopping his loving scritches to outright pinch at his ear because never the fuck he minds, this man is such a fucking brat, he can’t put this guard down at all.

The younger man jerks his head away, laughing. He grins up at Tee, teeth bright and eyes even brighter. “Nah, I don’t like shit down my throat. Wanna fuck me instead?”

Tee chokes on his spit. He blacks out, he thinks, by the question alone. By the idea alone. By the thought alone. His brain tries conjuring images and then it just short circuits. Where is he. Who is he. Why is he.

His head gets cradled, pulled to the side by a hand and he’s being kissed by a smiling mouth, pulled back down to earth slowly and surely until he’s kissing back voluntarily instead of on autopilot. Joe, hand pressed to his cheek and eyes wide open even as he’s stealing Tee’s breath away by kissing him sweetly and thoroughly. What a freak. Who kisses with their eyes wide open. Joe Fucking Burrow, that’s who. His quarterback who threw him three touchdowns and tried biting his neck on national television. Posted on every NFL official social media accounts and sent to him by his high school friends with the words bruh u fucking ur qb??? Which he apparently is, now. 

“He asked you a question,” Joe murmurs against his lips. Right. Sure.

Tee looks down to his lap and, damn, what a fucking image. Ja’Marr Chase, laying belly down on his bed with his torso half over Tee’s thighs, a hand curled loosely around his sensitive dick, the other holding his hand—when did that happen, Tee is squeezing it tight unconsciously and now he can’t let go even if he tried—cheek pressed to his left thigh looking up at him with his pupils blown wide open waiting patiently for Tee to look at him.

Right.

“You get to choose,” Ja’Marr says when he notices he’s got Tee’s attention. He tugs at Tee’s soft cock again—

“It’s not a toy,” Tee yelps, his unoccupied hand automatically curling around the other receiver’s hand around his dick.

Ja’Marr just grins wider up at him, unsticking his cheek from his thigh to press a kiss on the hand wrapped around his wrist.

“You get to choose,” he says again, “Fuck my ass or my thighs?”

Tee lets out a sound only audible to dogs and dolphins and aliens 900 billion light years away, probably. Ja’Marr smiles up at him, looking so shily pleased that he can reduce Tee to such a state by just asking a simple question. He has no fucking business looking so sweetly enamored up at Tee after asking if he would rather fuck him in the ass or his thighs.

He’s jostled around again, Joe tugging at his hips to the side so Ja’Marr can haul his ass up to sit by them. This seems to be a theme, with these two, pushy on the field and off the field and in the bedroom—he can’t even say he’s never even thought of it,  Burrow-Chase dynamic duo, in whatever form, whatever shape, whatever way he can have them. In his dreams only, he thought, but. But.

Ja’Marr is spreading open the hand he’s kept on holding since god knows when—like an emotional support hand holding he’s got to keep a hold on to get through sex and that thought genuinely fucks Tee up in ways he’s never even thought of—and he drops a whole packet of lube he procured out of fucking nowhere.

Tee stares blankly down at it. Holy shit.

“Bro, you’re taking too long,” Ja’Marr says. Tee flicks his eyes up to look blankly at him. “I want you in me, like, yesterday.”

He’s trying to fucking kill him, Tee realizes. Calling him bro, asking to fuck him in the ass, the fuck is wrong with him.

“You gonna finger me open or I gotta do it myself?”

NggGgRrrHff.

Tee doesn’t even know what came out of his mouth, surging his torso forward and bringing his hand up to tug at Ja’Marr’s skull, palm all over the back of his head so he can tug him closer to his face and lick his mouth open and just shut him the fuck up. 

Ja’Marr whimpers, the cocky slope of his shoulders slumping down like a puppet with its strings cut, hauling closer near desperately to settle over Tee’s lap and press his palms over his shoulders for support—kissing Tee right back, breathing hot haaas over Tee’s mouth as he tries gasping for breath.

Tee tugs on his lips with his teeth, presses wet kisses to the side of his cheeks, drags his own lips over his skin back to the tender spot of his jaw, bites over it, pecks a little kiss in apology, then presses his cheek over Ja’Marr’s hard so he can tug roughly on his earlobe with his teeth—thinks he can devour the other man whole, really, from the sheer hunger in his gut built up from day one of over-familiarly dapping him up and hauling him in for a hug under the then-flickering lights of Paul Brown Stadium in 2021.

The lube’s gone from his fingers. He realizes this because someone is tugging Ja’Marr’s hips up so he’s kneeling over him, then pressing a finger in without so much as an ’excuse me’. 

Christ, Joe is so fucking.

Tee can't even find the words, really, to describe his quarterback. 

Ja’Marr yelps, gasps, clutches tighter at Tee’s shoulder, eyelashes fluttering close as he tries to keep kneeling but Joe is apparently ruthless when he's opening someone up because the younger man just collapses all over Tee, Tee letting his weight down him as drags both hands over the other man’s back to soothe him.

“Want—” Ja’Marr chokes out against the skin of Tee’s neck, “—want you.”

Joe huffs out a laugh as he mercilessly twists two fingers inside his receiver’s ass. Tee feels dizzy looking at the 

“Oh I see,” Joe says, dangerously amused, “I see how it is, can't even settle for me no more, huh, when you got Tee Higgins at your beck and call?”

His fingers slip out, shining under the dim lighting of Tee’s night settings, and then he slaps a hand over Ja’Marr’s ass like every part of him is for him to toy over. Tee is still so fucking woozy from the image of it all, his hand rubbing at Ja’Marr’s back sliding lower to smooth over the sting from Joe’s palm.

(god, what an ass. tee can't help himself, grabs a handful of it and tugs it to the side to show his hole, shining wetly from joe’s fingers, a whole invitation for him. tee wants to put his whole mouth on it. lick him open nice and easy. press a finger in and watch as his entire body tremble and shake.)

Joe grins at him, wide and a bit mean, cocky and soooo full of himself, precisely like every other time he makes an insane throw, a run further than his usual short stops, a little overtime nail-biter win like just hours ago: his ice-in-my-veins shot that Tee paused and contemplated jerking off to hours before this.

He reaches over Ja’Marr's body between them, kisses Tee like he’s giving him his approval, then turns and presses the sweetest kiss to Ja’Marr’s nose, damn the fact that the other man is glaring and outright pouting at him.

“Bro,” he croaks out, talking to Tee but trying to shoot daggers at Joe with his eyes, “let me up, let me take this bitch down for one second then we can go right back.”

Joe giggles bright like an actual child, keeps pressing kisses over whatever parts of Ja’Marr’s face he could reach until the younger man’s lips stretch out wobbly for a smile that he can't help, still whining at Joe to shut the fuck up, would he, just for one day. 

Tee grins wide in spite of himself too, hands still all over his best friend’s ass and lips still tingling from a kiss from his quarterback.

He drags his arm up so he can cradle Ja’Marr, fingers reaching over to grip at his jaw and twist it until he's looking right at him and putting all that focus on Tee, murmurs low and raspy: “you said you want me?”, and shamelessly delights in the way the other man’s pupils dilate wide and gorgeous.

“Fuck you,” Ja’Marr says, jaw working against Tee’s grip, “Get your fucking fingers in me before i force myself on your dick, damn it.”

that’s two — from the base of her neck, to the arch of her eyelids, her beauty made a slave of me (adonis, transformations of the lover)

Ja’Marr nestles himself on his mound of pillows—Tee’s pillows. The pillows Tee sleeps with. His favorite pillows. The dark maroon sheets caressing his bare skin as he lounges on his self made throne, as he spreads open his legs, slipping one more pillow under his hips so he can present his ass to Joe and Tee and look expectantly at them. Tee is still so fucking lightheaded. How did he go from scoring three touchdowns to scoring a whole other touchdown? Ja’Marr—his best friend—who ducked his head to grin slilly up at him not four hours ago, telling him the next round of WR room steak dinner was on him. 

Joe pours lube all over Tee’s fingers, 

Joe’s plastering himself all over his back, but he isn’t pushing him at all. He’s just—there. Pressed up all over him, moving with him, breathing over the skin of his neck, nosing behind his ear. He’s letting Tee control how he wants to fuck his man, Tee realizes with a jolt, trusting him with Ja’Marr. 

joe plastered all over tee's back, cock nestled against his ass but he's not pushing tee around he's just following his movements, letting tee control how he wants to enter ja'marr and that also fucks tee up because joes trusting him with ja'marr!! with how he treats ja'marr at his most vulnerable!!!! telling him he can go harder, ja'marr likes whatever, can take whatever, joe leaing a hand in his belly and pushing to add in extra sensation of pleasure when tee pushes /in/ for the first time and he just collapses all over ja'marr and they're all groaning hoarsely in unison because fuck tees in ja'marr and he just pushed his ass back all over joes dick

Joe snickers at the other receiver. Tee feels him lift up an arm, nails scratching at his scalp. He’s murmuring softly at him, but Tee doesn’t think Ja’Marr is really computing any of it. 

“Aren’t you being so agreeable tonight? Some Tee Higgins magic keeping you all pliant and malleable?”

Ja’Marr whimpers, lifting his chin and biting at Joe’s fingers. Joe huffs, chest vibrating against Tee’s back, and every square inch of Tee’s body is filled with warmth.

calls him baby

ja’marr gets fucked up when tee calls him baby because joe calls him baby btw so

that’s three — to love someone is firstly to confess: i'm prepared to be devastated by you (billy-ray belcourt, a history of my brief body)

He’s leaning all over Ja’Marr now, gazing down the man who’s grinning woozily up at him 

Joe, nosing the back of his neck and palming his ass cheeks asking him if he likes to be fucked. Ja’Marr, hands still shaky coming up to drag over his sides and settle over his ribs like a key settling into a lock and clicking into place. Tee himself, chest expanding with breath and skin bristling with want from so deep within him it feels like it’s bursting out and changing the hue of his skin to red, to blue, to orange and black, purple and green, magenta and cyan, a kaleidoscope of colors like the big bang theory—he’s a new universe stretching and expanding and these two are his first and only planets, never to be let go.

He feels stripped bare in front of these two—is his every thought and want obvious in his face and every motion now? Do they see, now, how much he wants them? How much he—loves them? Is it obvious, now, that when he speaks to them he’s speaking like there’s a lodge of do you think of me when you’re alone without me wanting to burst out from his throat? That he aches alone in the center of a crowd when he doesn’t have them beside him? When he has them beside him, even, because they’re not really his to have? Does it show? Do they know? Do they care to know? Does he care to show them?

Tee breathes out loudly, ragged and deep. Joe shushes him, blows air against the curve of his C7. Ja’Marr surges up, presses kisses against his wet cheeks and babbles unknown words to him like he’s speaking through his shitty mic on stream. Tee would miss it, if their randomly scheduled streams were ever to peter off. Tee would miss them, if they were ever to fade away from him.

“Baby,” Ja’Marr coos, “sweetheart, my sweet, my love, my heart, my gorgeous,”

Tee shudders away against his lips and feels the man behind him curve a smile against the skin stretched over his cervical spine.

“My baby,” Joe joins in, voice jokingly grave, “my gorgeous, my sweet—”

“—quit copying me,” Ja’Marr whines, cutting him off, but he’s grinning against Tee’s lips, so he knows he’s just doing so to be annoying—just to put a smile on Tee’s face and it’s working, Tee huffing wetly against the stretch of his grin.

“—my number five,” Joe continues on without pausing, barely a fletch in his voice, “my silly rabbit, best hands in the league, insane body control, prettiest smile in the whole fucking world, favorite receiver to throw to—”

“Hey now,” Ja’Marr whines in earnest now, hands reaching around Tee’s body to stab around blindly at their quarterback. Tee breaks down in laughter for real this time, collapsing fully on the man in the bottom of the pile, letting Ja’Marr find a whole other thing to whine about—’teeeeee you’re crushing me you ass, joe don’t you fucking try it!’—and there was ice creeping from every distal edge of his limbs to the core of him, but there’s nothing but warmth now, chasing it away, clouding his head, keeping him sane. 

“But really now,” Joe interrupts, tugging his hips up impatiently, “I really wanna fuck you, do you wanna?”

Right. Jesus. Joe fucking Burrow, everyone.

Ja’Marr hums, peppering his cheek with kisses again, ever so free with his sweet affections. “Ten out of ten,” he says, “would recommend.”

Tee stares sideways at him, still settled with his weight fully on him. “That a full Yelp review for a Joe Burrow fuck?”

Ja’Marr sighs dreamily, scratching at Tee’s sides, “Do you really want one?”

Jesus.

Tee wiggles around, dragging his body against Ja’Marr’s and the man beneath him giggles when he brushes his fingers deliberately against his sides. He twists until he’s peering at Joe, squinting at him and pretending that the man didn’t just suck his dick so good Tee cried and stared at him like a second coming of Christ. Blasphemous, sacrilegious, irreverent, and yet, he has yet to be struck down and smitten—or perhaps he already has, and this is all a byproduct of his imaginary ruin.

“Think you can make it good?” He asks imperiously, already knowing in his bones this man would be as good at fucking as he is at literally anything else, as well evidenced by his previous attempt at giving Tee what was possibly the best blowjob of his life just, what, 40 minutes prior?

Joe scoffs, ducking his head down and pecking at his lips. “I just sucked your dick to incoherency, the fuck do you mean ‘can i make it good’? I got a pretty mouth and a pretty dick, think for yourself.”

Tee chokes in sheer disbelief—heart stuttering a bit at the brief press of lips but what-the-fuck-ever—the ego on this man, jesus. He flicks his eyes to the pink of his lips—shining, distracting, real fucking pretty—then, well, down past the puffy nipples and golden dusting of chest hair and layer of fat over abs to the nice curve of a cock—thick and long, veiny, a blushy pink head, a weirdly sexy little jolt like it’s show-ponying, like it knows he’s watching it and wants to show it likes it—that Joe likes Tee watching him. Yeah, real fucking pretty dick, too, damn it, fuck Joe Burrow.

Tee whines, turning back around to bury his face—knowing damn well it’s burning red even through the dark of his skin—in the curve of Ja’Marr’s neck and tries not to let the dual laughter of the boys who’ve quite literally captured his heart stutter it too much. Failed, but whatever, he’s got way too much practice over the years regulating his heartbeat to normalcy around these two.

Joe goes to scrape his teeth along the top his spine again and Tee shivers, feeling like prey caught in the maw of a tiger, which really won’t do—he’s a fucking bengal too, damn it. He bucks his hips back firmly, makes sure to rub the curve of his ass against the hard of his quarterback’s dick and hides his satisfied smile against his fellow receiver’s jaw when Joe gasps loud and startled, hand coming to grip at his hip hard, probably leaving bruises for him to brush his fingers wonderingly over later on.

Ja’Marr snickers approvingly, pressing his jaw back firmly against Tee’s mouth, “Yeah, tell him who’s boss, make him work for it.”

Tee presses a kiss right to the tender skin below his jawbone, leaves it there for a beat, two, three, feels like maybe he can make out the faint fluttering of his heartbeat against his lips, then lets up to say drily, “Pretty sure all your raving reviews does wonders for his ego. Don’t act like you’re not to blame here, Mr. Joe Burrow’s Numero Uno.”

Ja’Marr just shrugs unapologetically the best he could, pressed down as he is with Tee’s full weight all over him to the bed, never really one to be shy about his near piety to one Joe Burrow when it’s just them three. He’s been circling indistinct little patterns on the skin of Tee’s hips the whole time, but he stops for a minute to reach a hand up and tap a little rhythm teasingly over Joe’s thigh, now kneeling to the side, the only one still hard and with zero orgasms to his name that night, pouting but not admitting it.

Tee very obviously wouldn’t say no to having Joe’s dick inside him but playing hard-to-get just so Joe Burrow would pout and whine about not getting to fuck him is really—really fucking cute, actually, wow. Wow, god, Tee is so gone for him, he should really take a step back and regulate his entire life and emotional capacity, wow. Wow.

and in the end — over a distance of four hundred miles, her yearning and his yearning are intertwined, as though there were no spatial or temporal interval between them (jenny erpenbeck, kairos)

After it’s all done and not said, then, Tee’s left naked in the middle of the hallway leading to his bathroom, unable to take the steps back to his own room where his best friends are, clutching at his towel after having just pissed, and having orgasmed three fucking times by the combined willpower of his two closest teammates, all because he scored three touchdowns for a game—that might possibly be his last home game with them—that had playoff stakes. Fuck.

Heavy footsteps come up to him and he flicks his eyes up to see Joe staring him down—naked, gorgeous, sweat-slicked, his quarterback, his friend. Who had just fucked the bejeesus out of him.

Tee drags a hand down his face harshly. Stupid. So fucking stupid.

The lilt of Ja’Marr’s voice when he says my sweet, when he’s referring to Tee as my heart, when he’s saying Tee as my gorgeous. When Joe says gravely, jokingly, possessively, my number five, he’s saying that about Tee. 

Joe catches his hands—both of them—towel slipping away, and holds them and tugs at them until Tee is stumbling into him, lifting his chin up awkwardly so he won’t slam it into Joe’s nose but Joe doesn’t even do him the honor of avoiding it. He just tucks it into the curve of his Adam’s apple and breathes in deep like a weirdo. How many times has Tee just caught him with his nose buried in Ja’Marr’s neck as he hugs the receiver—how many times has he caught the man nudge his nose to the curve of Tee’s shoulder, right at the base of his neck, after a game when he comes to him for a hug. Oh.

“Joe,” Tee breathes out, trembles, wonders how he’s supposed to word this out, how he’s supposed to say how he feels, how he’s supposed to say t

Ja’Marr, breathing in his air and telling him he doesn’t want him to leave. 

Tee sees Joe grin down his phone at ass o’clock in the morning and knows he’s reading i love you in between the letters of Ja’Marr’s why the fuck is all of cincy awake at 7 in the morning.

Ja’Marr says hey, all sleepy with the vowel dragging and it sounds like come here, you two. Tee goes, Joe right behind him a half step away.

a little more down the line — the only heaven i’ll be sent to, is when i’m alone with you (hozier, take me to church)

you do like all those pet names

he calls me all that all the time joe says nosing behind tees ear

i like calling you that too tee says, amused. letting his neck bend even more, what even are the words uncomfortable stretch when joe burrow has his nose buried in the curve of it. 

you called me baby, ja’marr says then, shy and a little quiet, like he’s saying something he keeps close to him and isn’t sure how he should breach it out of him. 

i call him that, joe says next, grin audible even if its not visible from where he’s pressed up behind tee

oh. tee called him baby, told him to come for him, and ja’marr gasped into his mouth and bursted all over tee’s belly, drenching him in white, whimpering as he stared into tee’s eyes with his own watering but still kept it open, didn't even close it because he didn’t want to. couldn't, maybe, tee thinks again.

oh, tee says out loud for real then, bumping his nose forward to ja’marr like he's learning that ja’marr likes to do, okay then, baby, come here, baby, let me see you, baby.

ja’marr laughs, bumps his nose right back. don't wear it thin. 

never, tee swears.

my baby, my baby, joe murmurs finally into the back of tee’s neck, pressing his fingers into the insides of ja’marr’s elbows.

.

.

.

i want more thumps. i want more time. i want to waste my love on everything. give me a heart for ohio. —(joy sullivan, instructions for traveling west, an octopus has three whole hearts)

more time together for these three, please.

WHICH APPARENTLY HEY THEY DID IT 😭😭👍👍👍👍 GOOD FOR THEM!!! trey next so help me!! when treys news comes out (🙏) maybe ill post that treymarr unfinished oblivious courting fic idk we'll see that ones more of a mess than this and also wayyy shorter lmao but anyways:::: thank u for reading through this all if u made it to this end note 😇🫶 goodbye see u again whenever i have it in me to show up again akdhsjdjdj love yall bengals super bowl 2k26 Believe! or whatever it is they all say in that 2021 run 💖

thank you for every one of you who've come into my inbox to ask how i am by the way!!!! adore and miss you all very much <33

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

Gotta love how in Archie anti Jules and the biggest shit eating grin while poor baby scourge looked so lonely , puny and neglected.

Yeah poor little guy🥲

[ciderjacks]

argh. This comic writing is taking me way longer than usual. I keep editing things and it doesn’t feel right.

[cinnabeat]

rememebred everyones kh3 outfits and now im annoyed again

[arodrwho]

christ alive what an episode though

[writing-chats]

ultimate character development template

basics

name: meaning of name: nicknames/titles: age: gender: location: birthday: strengths + example where it's shown: weaknesses + example where it's shown: how it affects others:

emotional depth

attachment style + how it manifests in the story: physical fear: emotional/abstract fear: happy memory: sad memory: object of significance: philosophical outlook/belief: what characters are ignorant about themselves: how confident are they: goal: long-term dreams: what they're embarrassed/ashamed to tell others about: regrets: source of pride: source of misery: what they admire above all else: do they believe in fate:

personality

mbti: enneagram: big five: character archetype: star sign: who they pretend to be on the outside: who they actually are/how they feel towards the mask: mental health conditions: how it manifests for them: iq: eq: humour: reputation:

habits

bad habits: mannerisms when stressed: mannerisms when content: mannerisms when scared: mannerisms normally: verbal mannerisms/distinctive speaking style: how do they move across a room: what do they say and what remains unsaid: how they express love: hobbies:

appearance

defining features: eye shape + colour: hair texture + colour: skin texture + tone: vibe: height: build: clothing: any bodily disfigurement (scars, etc.): overall attractiveness: their opinion on their appearance: appeals to:

relationships

who they trust most: what they wish they could do for them: what's holding them back: who they hate most: what they wish they could do to them: what's holding them back: relationship with the protagonist: relationship with the antagonist: siblings: relationship with them: parents/step-parents: relationship with them: previous broken relationships: why did it break: what others expect of them: who believes in them: their mentor character/who they look up to: political/religious/other affiliations: what makes them different from every other character: non-human relationships + why: romantic "type" + why: relationship dynamics:

backstory/background

primary emotion towards their past: primary feelings while in their past: where did they grow up: defining incidents: earliest childhood memory: saddest memory: happiest memory: major accomplishments: their opinion on it: notable people in their backstory: effect on them today: trauma: what have they already lost: financial circumstance:

progression

why are they important (eg. why're they the only one able to do something?): what do they learn about themselves throughout the story: what do they learn about the world: how do they feel towards their newfound knowledge: character arc (positive, negative, neutral): how relationships change because of their actions: what mistakes do they make: what scene is their character highlighted: do they get what they want: why or why not: what happens to them after the story ends:

[paper-star-ships]

Secrets Of Dum//bledore was SO bad y’all 😭😭

[rafesugar]

rafe changing his mind about leaving

warnings: s2 rafe, overstimulation, fingering, rafe getting a little bit aggressive, mean!rafe if you squint, heavily inspired by that scene in buffalo 66 where billy leaves layla in the motel

p!link

you were woken by faint rustling in the motel room. your eyes adjusted to the dim light just enough to make out rafe’s silhouette as he slid something sleek and metallic out of the room’s vault. “what are you doing…” you mumbled sleepily, unsure if he even heard you. as your eyes got used to the dim light, you realized he was about to leave. you sat up in bed, rubbing your eyes. “where are you going?” you ask in a panic, your eyes following his every move.

“i'm getting something taken care of, but for the meantime, you need to stay here” rafe said, your eyes making out the gun metal in his hand. “why can't i come with you?” you didn't want rafe to leave, ever, and especially not at this time. it was dark and quiet, too quiet.

rafe paused, his gaze steady on yours. “if someone finds you, they’ll take you away from me. we don’t want that now, do we, doll?” he said, his tone monopolizing. “when are you coming back?” he exhaled sharply, his irritation growing with each question. “you really gonna start this again? why would i even leave you, baby? really leave you.” he scoffed before taking his keys from the table.

“i really like you, rafe. i'm gonna be really sad if you don’t come back.” you prop yourself up on your knees, looking up at him. he froze in his tracks, his eyes narrowing. why couldn't you just trust him? “i’m coming back! goddammit..” his voice rose before he caught himself, throwing the keys at the tv, shattering the motel's property. you jumped at the sound, squirming in bed with unease. rafe let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. he tossed his gun onto the armchair, the pistol falling at its cushion. “look. look, baby, i'm sorry.. you really want me to stay?

“no.” you had a small pout on your face, but no way were you gonna admit that you wanted him to stay, especially not out loud. “no?” rafe let out an amused chuckle, getting in bed and pulling your hips onto his lap. “my baby doesn't want me to stay?” he teased before wrapping an arm around your waist to keep you in place as his other hand reached for your panties, ripping them off you.

he wasted no time, slamming two fingers in until he was knuckles deep. you winced at the intrusion, your walls fluttering against him. “r-rafe!” you bury your face against the pillows to muffle your moans. “shhh” he pumped his fingers in and out at an unforgiving pace, the room filled with the sound of your whining and whimpering, as well as the squelches of your sweet little cunt.

you let out a whine, kicking him and pushing his hand away in attempts to get him to stop or at least slow down. “no no no. what happened to the ‘i really like you, rafe’ bullshit, hm?” he curled his fingers to hit that soft spot of yours. you let out a cry as your orgasm hit you harder than the previous ones where he alternated between torturing your clit and drilling into your abused hole. “n-no more! no more!” you cried, kicking him in attempts to get away. “acting so needy and the second i give it to you, you don't want it? well too bad ‘cause you're gonna take what I give you.”

[ataleofcrowns]

New Chapter Released!

Hello again! Hope your summer is going well ☀️

With the public release of this new chapter we’re getting into the meat of what it's like to be the Crown on a daily basis, with some very important decisions to make, as well as consequences from previous chapters coming into play:

Additional scenes for those of you who chose to meet with Eshkar directly in CH12

Different choices and options on how to deal with Keeper Bazo depending on whether you forgave him, condemned him, or did not judge him back in CH7

Having to make several decisions about public petitions submitted to you from the citizens as well as other officials

Additional scenes during the court meeting for A and R romancers, as well as a minor variation for D romancers depending on if you successfully defended them from the court in CH11: these are new for those of you who played the early access, so I would recommend replaying the chapter from scratch!

And, of course, more romance at the end: D and X romancers make a consequential decision that will check their romance for the high/low status again. A and R romancers are safe, this time...

A few additional changes made to the game overall:

Added a summary of the main choices your Crown has made so far when transitioning from CH12 to CH13

Added a small snippet of text in the Relationships screen clarifying what it means to get a 'high' romance or a 'low' romance status

Thank you for all your patience and support, I hope you enjoy the new chapter with the start of the summer 💖

For those that are unfamiliar with the game

A Tale of Crowns is a high fantasy romance story, told in the form of a text-based interactive novel with choice mechanics. The setting is inspired by Kurdish culture as well as other historical settings in the Middle East such as Ancient Persia, but it also draws heavily from other cultures and countries in the region.

Your character is native to Arsur, a vast empire overseen by a single ruler known as the Crown. Unlike traditional monarchies, however, the title is not inherited through blood. Whenever the Crown dies, their famed golden eyes pass on to the one chosen by the Spirits of this world to be the new Crown. In this story, your MC takes on that role.

There are four different love interests to choose from, whose genders will be customized to suit the preferences of your Crown. You can find more info about them on the blog page!

Also note that this current version of the game is safe for those 16 years and older.

Like the premise so far? Play it and give it a try! The entire game is free!

If you enjoyed the game, please reblog! Share it with your friends! Recognition and reader interaction is just about the only thing I get in return for creating it ❤️

[winter-spark]

Being a fan of a rare pair that's not technically a rare pair but also isn't very popular is hard. You see that people generally seem to enjoy/love it but new content does not come frequently.