#Carving Silver Photo Frame

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Carving Silver Photo Frame

The Carving Silver Photo Frame is a captivating blend of artistry and elegance. Its intricate detailing and silver finish make it the ideal choice for displaying your treasured photos. This frame adds a touch of sophistication to your space while preserving your precious memories with style.

[winedarkthoughts]

house of addams (7)

— 🌖 pairing: ot7 x fem.reader

— 🕷️ genre: mystery, angst + fluff + smut

— 🗝️ word count: 7.3k

— 🍄 summary: you’re invited for a night at the Addams house.

— ☕ content warnings: mentions of (mutual) stalking and taking photos without consent, smoking, weapons + firearms

— 🕸️ a/n: ok listen, i am a sucker for tropes.

previous chapter ← series m.list → next chapter

chpt. 7: the dinner party

october 30, 2004

The gates of the Addams house greet you with open iron rails, swinging open, just like before, without any kind of assistance. It only makes you hesitate for a moment, because you figure you're in for more of a shock once you get inside.

The Addams house looms tall and intimidating from atop the hill. The sun has nearly completed its descent past the treetops into the darkening wilderness, and the windows of the house are aglow with warm light. It makes it look more like a place fit for habitation.

The image of all of them cozied up at the dinner table, ready to share a meal together like a little family, pops into your mind. But it is very quickly shooed away, because it hurts a little to think of happy families.

A few old lamposts illuminate your way up the path. When you get a little closer, you can see shadows moving through the dirty glass windows.

Even in the darkness, you can see the overgrown weeds and crumbling stone that makes up the exterior of the house, and it makes you even more curious to see what it looks like inside.

Standing on the front landing, you check your watch. Five fifty-five p.m. The invitation said six sharp, so you figure it won't hurt to arrive a few minutes early.

The iron knocker is in the image of a black cat's head, with a mouse dangling by its tail as the handle. You grasp the mouse and rap it against the door three times.

A few moments pass before the old wood is creaking open.

You're half expecting the door to open by itself like the gate, but no. Jungkook stands there, dressed in a dark pinstripe suit with his hair in slick curls. The warm lamplight crawls across his face, but his strange paleness still startles you a little.

"Good evening," he greets you, opening the door wider to beckon you inside.

You're glad you're dressed adequately. The formal dress code was a little intimidating. You opted for slacks, a white button-up, tie, leather vest (even with a silver pocket watch chain for extra flare), and an oversized suit jacket. All with the leather coat you purchased at the bookshop thrown overtop to combat the cold.

Wearing a dress isn't ideal in any situation other than for looks, especially when you're carrying items that are meant to remain concealed, so you opted for a more practical outfit.

You're expecting the inside of the house to be just as decrepit as the outside, but this isn't the case. The long, elegant hallway is lined with framed oil paintings and sconces holding lit candles, flickering in the slight draft, an air that feels a little ghostly.

You follow Jungkook into a large foyer with polished floors and a tall domed ceiling overhead. A grand staircase that branches in two directions leads up to the balconied second floor.

You can't help stopping for a moment to admire the grandeur of the place. Every curve, every corner, is embellished with carved wood or shining brass accents. It isn't even dusty, let alone decrepit.

"Come," Jungkook says softly. "He's waiting for you in the lounge."

He leads you through more labyrinthine hallways, all aglow with candlelight, gesturing you through an oak door.

The room inside is dimly lit with soft lamps, a fully-stocked bar tucked into one corner, the remaining walls lined with full bookshelves. There's plenty of seating options, from plush-looking armchairs to curving sofas.

"I'll see where he's gone off to. Wait here, please," Jungkook blurts out, sounding nervous, and closes the door without waiting for a reply.

You take the opportunity to look around a bit.

Lush ferns decorate almost every potential empty space, probably thanks to Yoongi. There's a table in the center of the circle of seating options, crowded with appetizers. Oysters on the half shell, perfectly pink shrimp and cocktail sauce, chunks of fresh salmon with lemon wedges, all resting on giant slabs of ice.

You walk over to the ledge of the bar, examining all the fancy bottles and crystal decanters. Some of them have little tags hanging from their glass necks, labelling them. Blackberry vodka, silver rum, 0.3% cyanide, hemlock syrup.

It's just as you're ducking your head under to examine the hidden shelves behind the bar counter when a light voice interjects,

"Nosy little thing, aren't you?"

You turn to find the head of the house himself standing there in the doorway, though you didn't hear it open or him enter.

You've never seen him this close before. And what a vision he is. Dressed in all black, skin showing through the deep cut V in his shirt, hair slicked back, and a grin that's just as slick to match.

"Yes," you quip back, unapologetic. "I've made a career out of it."

His smile only widens, as if to say I'm well aware.

"Drink?"

"Please," you reply.

His smile, which is much brighter and lighthearted than you anticipated, remains as he crosses the room and stands behind the bar.

"Any preference?" he asks.

"Whatever you recommend," you answer, plopping down on the velvet green Chesterfield sofa, digging in your bag for your notes. At this point, it's less of a bag and more of a giant mess of papers and folders and photographs held together by a few pieces of straining fabric.

Hoseok plucks a perfect sphere of ice out of a silver dish, dropping it into a martini shaker. He grabs the decanter of blackberry vodka, and a few other bottles and mixers.

"Very thorough, aren't you?" he asks as he pours shots and drizzles into the shaker.

"That's right," you respond, spreading out the near-endless stream of documents according to the map in your head.

You can hear the clack of the shaker, the sound of its contents being poured. A moment later, a martini glass filled with near pitch-dark liquid, garnished with a blackberry, is placed by your side.

"Thank you," you say, grabbing the glass and taking a sip. There's the hint of flavored vodka, a berry tartness, and some other taste that you can't quite name.

Hoseok sinks down in the chair across from you with a matching glass in his hand, crossing one slim leg over the other.

"So," he begins, and you don't have to look at him to feel his eyes scanning you up and down. "You're the one she settled on to sort out this mess."

You pause your obsessive shuffling.

"She?"

In the middle of taking a sip from his drink, he looks at you like he's a little confused.

"The mayor? She is the one who hired you, isn't she?" he asks.

"Yes," you admit. "What of it?"

A slight smile tugs at the corner of his mouth.

"I admire your suspicion, ______," Hoseok says, and hearing your name from his mouth is strangely thrilling. "But you must trust me when I say that me and my family have done nothing to cause the deaths and disappearances, at least to our knowledge."

"Then you better start telling me what you know," you reply sharply, fixing him with a strict gaze, and he doesn't break it.

"That is why you invited me here, isn't it?" you ask. "To tell me what you know?"

Hoseok considers it for a moment.

"Of sorts, yes," he replies, cryptidly.

You suppress the slight annoyance that wants to creep into your expression, focusing back on your documents. Spreading out a map littered with red circles and connecting lines, you point to one of the marked indicators.

"This is the Addams House, correct?" you ask, instinctively using your interrogation voice without realizing it.

It makes Hoseok chuckle internally.

"Correct," he replies cooly.

"And these," you point to several of the red circles. "Are the last known locations of the five missing persons. Remarkably close, hmm?"

"Come now, ______," Hoseok says in a playfully chiding voice. "Location may be suggestive, but it isn't incriminating."

"I never said it was," you bite back. "I'm merely suggesting that this house, as well as the surrounding area, displays some very strange qualities. And I can't leave any stone unturned."

Hoseok nods, almost appreciatively.

“I’d expect nothing less,” he says, smiling that same radiant smile.

“You’ve done your job well, haven’t you?” he inquires, setting his glass down and rising from his seat, beginning to circle around the couch.

“I should hope so,” you reply a little hesitantly.

He passes by the bar and picks up the discarded martini shaker, fiddling with it, the ice inside clanking.

“How far-reaching are your investigative powers, I wonder?” he says.

He’s at your right-hand side, and suddenly he tosses the shaker halfway across the room in a perfect arc. It lands in the small sink at the bar counter with a loud clang.

Your head whips toward the sound, focus ripped away from the sea of papers.

When you look back at him, he’s adjusting his jacket lapels, sauntering back over to his seat.

“Far enough to get the job done, I suppose," you reply, trying to uphold a neutral yet strict tone of voice.

"Hmm," Hoseok says, raising a brow. "Far enough to constitute stalking?"

The back of your neck prickles.

"What makes you say that?" you ask, though both of you know well enough that you're playing dumb.

"Ever heard the expression "walls have ears?" Well, trees have eyes, and they've told me all about you."

He's back in his seat, but you still feel like he's circling around you. Not many people make you nervous, let alone intimidate you, but Hoseok is apparently one of the exceptions.

"You should know that I am very protective over my family," he says, the tone of his voice dipping a little deeper. "Naturally, I keep an eye on them."

With that, he reaches into his inside jacket and pulls out several files. Flipping open to specific pages, he throws them down on the coffee table between the two of you with a papery slap!

Staring up at you are several photos, and it takes you a second to recognize them as ones from your own camera.

Jimin, walking to class, his hand frozen in time while brushing through his hair. Taehyung, hands in his coat pockets, meandering through town on his way to the police station. Jin, leaning against the garden wall, cradling a coffee cup in his hands.

It takes you another few seconds to realize that the file is from the pile of folders you brought with you. He must've slipped it from you when he tossed the shaker into the sink, a diversion to make you turn your head.

A crooked grin, slick voice, and sticky fingers apparently.

"I admire the dedication even more than the suspicion," Hoseok says, reaching into his jacket again, but this time he pulls out a silver cigarette case.

He holds it towards you with a questioning tilt of his head, offering you one, but you shake your head. He takes one out, puts it to his lips and lights it with the flick of a lighter.

It doesn't smell like tobacco though, more like cloves and pennyroyal buds.

"Technically," you begin. "Stalking includes inducing fear in the victim; intimidation, threats, and the like."

The subtext is clear: good luck taking me to court for this.

A smile breaks out on his face.

"No harm done," he says. "They were quite flattered, actually."

You don't really know what to do with that statement. It must show on your face, because Hoseok smirks with an exhale of fragrant smoke.

"Don't worry about it, detective," he says, sounding amused. "We're all sinners here. What's a little felony charge here and there?"

You watch the ghosts of smoke twist from the end of the cigarette between his slim fingers. Something about the way the smoke moves is unusual, like it doesn't quite obey the laws of physics that normal smoke would.

"In fact," he says, reaching into his other jacket pocket. "I must admit that I'm a little guilty myself."

He takes out another folder, opens it, and lets it fall on the table. It's a mass of photos, and they're all of you. Sitting in the cafe through the window, walking through town, collecting samples at in the woods.

Now you know where that I'm being watched feeling was coming from. If you were normal, you might've been creeped out by it. But this isn't the first time you've been trailed and you doubt it will be the last.

"I'm curious, though," he starts. "What exactly made them worthy of stalking in the first place?"

You look down at the spread of appetizers like you're contemplating reaching for one. You're not going to mention how you've been trying to distract yourself from what you saw at the lake, or the fact that you find all the inhabitants of the Addams House to be a little too compelling.

"I knew that all of them were cagey if not outright lying about living here, and given this place's reputation, I found it necessary to dig deeper," you answer in a leveled voice.

"And you figured that this place might be connected to the disturbances?" Hoseok replies, though it doesn't sound like a question.

You set him with a firm gaze.

"I never ignore patterns."

He stares right back.

"Words? Yes. Actions? Sometimes. But never patterns."

He's really staring at you, like he's trying to find the answer to some unspoken question in his head. The look in his eyes is somewhere between inquisitive and impressed, maybe even—

"I think you have darker thoughts than you realize, detective," he says. The smoke tendrils from his last drag hang, mesmerizing, between the two of you.

"If you truly want to know what's strange about this place, I can show you."

He's leaning forward slightly in his chair, and but before you even have time to think about what that means, the loud clang of a bell is sounding through the air.

"Ah," Hoseok says, taking one last puff from his cigarette before stubbing it out in the crystal ashtray on the coffee table. "That's Jin calling us to dinner."

He rises to a stand and straightens his jacket lapels.

"Once you're done with your cocktail, we'll head into the dining room."

You haphazardly gather your notes, down the rest of your drink, and follow him out of the room.

He leads you through the ornate hallways, quickly darkening with the setting of the sun. The sound of clinking dishes and pleasant chatter grows steadily louder.

When you emerge into what you presume is the kitchen, you're almost struck speechless.

It's a humongous, grand, high-ceilinged room, and nearly everything is in shades of green and gold. The dark marble floors are flecked with gold veins, the dark wood cupboards and drawers are fixed with gold handles, even the smell in the air has a rich, golden warmth to it.

The countertops are a deep jade quartz, and the floor to ceiling stained glass windows are in patterns of emerald and amber. More plants decorate the space, though these are taller and more lush.

The huge stove is crowded with copper pots and pans, all sizzling and bubbling and hissing with their savory aroma.

There's someone standing over the stove, wearing a crisp white button-up and black apron, a small saucepan in one hand, swirling sauce on a plate in fancy shapes. There's a whole line of plates before him, making him look like a master chef plating up a dish for a hoard of diners.

"Oh, hello _______," the man says cheerfully when he notices you, and you realize that it's Jin (though you guessed as much from his ridiculously broad shoulders).

The next second he's squirting something into a different pan, sending up a surge of sweet-smelling flames, though he doesn't even turn his head from you.

"Hello," you manage to greet him, captivated by how he expertly juggles everything. There's sauteing vegetables, sizzling meats, a bubbling broth, not to mention something that you can't see in the oven.

The sound of shattering glass sounds from the next room.

Hoseok suppresses an eye roll.

"Please excuse me, detective," he says, sounding like a slightly annoyed parent. "If you wouldn't mind lingering in the kitchen while I sort this out. Jin so likes the company."

Jin flicks a spurt of hot oil over one shoulder, missing Hoseok by an inch, but he only bursts into laughter while sliding out of the room.

Jin doesn't seem to mind as you curiously look around the gigantic room, he just continues his work in comfortable silence.

That's a common theme with Jin. He's charismatic and perfectly capable of carrying a conversation, but he appears to enjoy your company despite how quiet and reserved you are. He merely glances your way every few moments, like he's reassuring himself that you're still there.

You like how he doesn't push you for conversation. It seems like he enjoys observing you just as much as you enjoy observing your surroundings (though you do enjoy observing him when he's not looking).

"Very impressive," you can't help but say as you watch him out of the corner of your eye.

"Thank you," he replies happily, and then adds playfully, "Feel free to mention that at the table."

Your eyes scan over the variety of coffee contraptions, no doubt because of Jin the cafe owner. Then you reach the refrigerator, black with gold handles, but instead of plastic magnets there are little antique picture frames with photos of all if the house's inhabitants. Because of course even the fridge has to align with the aesthetic.

"Looking for something?" Jin quips, clearly amused.

It's then that you wonder what exactly you'd find inside the fridge. Jin knows you've been watching him. Does he know what you suspect he is?

"What would I possibly be looking for?" you reply nonchalantly.

Jin lets out a chuckle that would dissolve even the thickest tension.

"If you're looking for blood bags and raw meat, you won't find them here."

He says it so jokingly, that you start to think maybe you were wrong about him. Maybe is he just some normal man with normal tendencies, the only reason for his nocturnal lifestyle attributed to him owning a 24 hour coffee shop.

Maybe you don't have to imagine him standing among a rack of blood bags at the local hospital, stealing them for his own benefit while leaving others without the vital resource.

Because if that's the case, then you have no reason to suspect he has anything to do with the deaths and disappearances. Maybe you could even—

"I don't keep them in that fridge," he says.

Your amused expression drops.

The timer on the oven beeps.

"Almost ready. If you wouldn't mind moving into the dining room and taking your seat," Jin says, focusing back on plating each dish.

You take the hint, leaving him in his element.

Another grand room, but with much higher ceilings, almost like a dark cathedral. There are the same stained glass windows and marble floors, and a massive crystal chandelier lit by tapering candles hangs overhead, though you have no idea how anyone could get so high up in order to light them.

Though the thing that demands the most attention is the long table in the center of the room. More dripping candles, some more like piles of wax with a lit wick, and bouquets of dried flowers serve as centerpieces. A black lace tablecloth, glinting silverware, dishes with images of crows and insects.

You don't even notice the people standing around the table until a small projectile is hurtling past you. Head whipping around, you see Jimin standing there with a slingshot held up to his face, and that face painted with a smirk.

From the way he's looking at you, it's not outrageous to assume that he was aiming at you. That is, until you hear a crash from behind you.

"Hey! Don't hit my azaleas!"

You immediately recognize the voice as Yoongi's, but your eyes are locked on Jimin. This is the first time you've seen him without a mask.

Uncovered by a hat, his silver hair falls across his forehead, and his eyes, unobscured by sunglasses, shine a strange blue-gray.

Something about his face is dangerous, it makes you want to see how close you can get before that danger becomes a real threat.

"You missed," you say, even though the smirk on his face is not one that belongs to someone who's missed their shot.

He just smiles on, and his teeth are sharp. Unnaturally sharp, as if every tooth beyond the front two have been filed down to fine points.

"If I wanted to hit you, I would've hit you," Jimin replies.

Hoseok approaches the two of you, ready to unleash another lethal roll of his eyes. He holds out his hand, and Jimin gives up the slingshot with a little huff.

"We have a no weapons at the table policy," Hoseok explains as Jimin pushes past him. You move to follow, but Hoseok stops you too.

"I'm afraid we also have a no recording devices at the table policy," he says with a knowing look.

You stare at him in slight disbelief, but he appears to be serious.

You want them to trust you, if only for the sake of the investigation. If they know something, you can't seem like a threat.

So you start to empty your pockets.

There's the microcassette recorder in your coat pocket, the digital recorder in your pants pocket, the flash drive recorder in your other pants pocket, the pen recorder in your inner jacket pocket.

You make a show of straightening your clothes before trying to slide past him, but he blocks you again with a raise of an eyebrow.

How the fuck...? Ugh, fine. You suppose you can actually be trustworthy instead of just pretending to be.

You take out the spare digital recorder in your left jacket pocket, the mini microphone in your shirt pocket, the flashlight with the secret button clipped to your belt. And the fake lapel pin. And the video camera in your bag. And the smaller backup camera in the hidden pocket inside your bag.

When you look up, you see that everyone in the room has stopped to watch you, all with expressions of slight shock.

Remembering one last thing, you hold up a finger, fishing out the micro nine pistol from the holster at the back of your waistband, setting it down at the top of the pile of contraband. As well as the extra magazine.

There’s a moment of stunned silence, and you think that maybe you shouldn’t have revealed the fact that you usually bring your gun to unfamiliar situations. But then you hear Jimin chuckle.

“Well,” he says from across the room with nothing but amusement in his tone. “It’s definitely a party now.”

Now that everyone is properly de-weaponed and de-deviced, everyone moves to take a seat, with Hoseok at one head of the table and Yoongi at the other in a tall peacock chair.

Your place is between Jimin and Taehyung, with Jungkook and Namjoon sitting across the table.

You should’ve guessed that Namjoon would be here, live here. As a P.I., you’re kicking yourself that you didn’t guess as much earlier.

Jin is still in the kitchen, dishes clanking. And what you perceive as awkward silence hangs in the air. To them, it simply feels like impatience being soothed.

You wait, wait for one of them to acknowledge the situation. Why have you been invited here?

“Did you enjoy the appetizers, _____?” Jimin asks.

You sneak a glance at him. He’s dressed in a silk shirt that billows around his form, his pale hair now pushed back from his forehead, transforming his face from relatively innocent to dangerously attractive. He watches you eagerly, waiting for your reply. He caught all of the seafood himself, after all.

You just nod in response, but Jimin flashes you a pleased smile all the same.

“We weren’t allowed to have any, of course,” Taehyung remarks, giving Hoseok a pointed look.

“Guests eat first, Taehyung, you know that,” he replies swiftly, but from the little grin on both their faces, it’s clear they’re only teasing.

You wonder how often they have guests in a place like this.

Another silence falls, you sneaking glances at everyone around the table. Except when you dare glance at Hoseok, he’s already looking. He must sense your discomfort, because then he’s saying, “My apologies, detective. We haven’t had proper introductions yet.”

He starts with the person to his left.

“This is Taehyung, our resident coroner. He runs the morgue downstairs.”

This is the first time you’ve made eye contact with Taehyung since you arrived in the house, and he doesn’t seem like the same man you met in the morgue. This man is at ease in his own home, a man who isn’t bound by professional constraints. He’s looking at you now less like a private investigator and more like a stranger that he doesn’t want to remain a stranger.

You’re not sure which you prefer.

“This is Jimin, he’s currently studying chemistry and marine biology at the university.”

Jimin meets your gaze when you glance at him, cocking his head back slightly and flashing a hint of those sharp teeth again.

“Yoongi, our genius little green thumb. He’s the one who keeps the place nice and lush,” Hoseok gushes, and Yoongi gives a little wave and straight-lipped smile, blushing only slightly.

“Namjoon, our favorite bookworm. And brilliant scholar! About to publish his third book.” Namjoon nods his head towards you with a small smile.

“And this is Jungkook, the youngest problem in the bunch,” Hoseok says, gesturing towards the young man in the pinstripe suit. Jungkook acknowledges you still somewhat nervously.

“Forgotten someone?” A voice calls.

Jin saunters into the room, having abandoned his apron for a lace jacket with sewn-on fabric flowers. He takes the empty seat to Hoseok’s right, straightening his hair. But it doesn’t like he’s been slaving in the kitchen this whole time at all. Not one stain on his clothes, not one dew drop of sweat.

“Could never forget you, darling,” Hoseok replies. “And this is Jin, our lovely chef who keeps us all so well fed.”

Jin gives a tiny little bow in your direction, along with one of his charming smiles.

There’s another pause, as if they’re waiting for you to say something. All you can think of is that they already know you, there’s no need for you to introduce yourself. So you say the first adjacent thing to come to your head:

“Glad to have met all of you.”

And you barely notice it, already looking down at your empty plate, but they simultaneously stifle the flutter in their gut.

“Alright,” Jin announces, clapping his hands together. “Let’s eat!”

Everyone but you, in near perfect synchronicity, grabs the silver cloche set before each of their table settings, and places it over their plate. Jimin gestures for you to do the same, so you obey.

When you remove it again, after everyone else does the same, the former empty plate is suddenly full. A thick and creamy soup, speckled with spices, steaming in a bread bowl crusted with garlic and herbs.

And of course no one bats an eye at the casual error in the law of physics, too busy passing around a bowl of greens to garnish and a bottle of red wine to fill their glasses. You don’t object when Taehyung holds the bottle over your own glass with a questioning raise of his eyebrow.

And by God, is it delicious. The cream base of the soup melts perfectly with hints of herbs and the peppery bite of truffle shavings. And of course, the best part is being able to break off a bit of flavored bread and dip it into the pot of gold before you.

“This is delicious,” you can’t help but blurt out, saying it like an aggressively objective fact.

“Thank you,” Jin replies, smiling wide like a child that was just complimented on their most recent art project. Except you can’t display a bowl of soup on the fridge, but you would if you could.

“Yoongi helped me forage the mushrooms,” Jin adds.

Mushrooms? Now that you think of it, the soup does have a distinct earthy taste.

“Do you forage often?” you ask, looking at Yoongi.

“Not as often as I’d like,” he replies.

“Why is that?” you ask, and a small smile tugs at Yoongi’s mouth. There’s a shared chuckle from around the table.

“What?” you blurt out, almost certain that they are making fun of you or know something that you don’t, probably both.

“You’re doing your interrogator voice,” Jimin says, but it doesn’t sound malicious, more like…endeared?

A look around the table, and everyone’s face matches the tone of his voice. He says it as if the two of you have known each other for years, as if you’re friends. It puts a strange, almost sickly feeling in your stomach. You set down your spoon.

Soon the air is filled with pleasant dinner-time chatter. They keep trying to bring you into the conversation, like you’re somehow one of them. But you’re here to get a job done.

It becomes exceedingly more difficult to concentrate solely on the case when the main course comes out. Again, due only to the covering and uncovering of your plates with the silver cloches, the remains of your soup disappearing.

A choice cut steak, generously seasoned, drizzled with a red wine sauce, a heap of garlic and herb mashed potatoes, and more mushrooms grilled to tenderness. You’re not normally fond of mushrooms, but these are surprisingly flavorful in a way you wouldn’t expect from a vegetable, let alone a fungus.

“They’re Pepperwood caps,” Jin says, as if reading your thoughts. “Yoongi grows them on the grounds.”

In all your research, you’ve never heard of Pepperwood caps.

“Hoseok isn’t eating them,” you say pointedly. “Neither is Jungkook,” you continue. There are no Pepperwood caps on either of their plates. Instead, a small pile of white capped mushrooms with brown spots.

“To my knowledge, those are Deadly Dapperlings, yes?”

They all look at each other.

“You don’t miss anything, do you detective?” Hoseok says with a little grin.

Your research on fungi has made you a novice at recognizing the lethal ones.

“Jungkook and I find that the poisonous ones have a particularly robust flavor,” Hoseok continues.

You watch him as he says it, waiting for him to elaborate, but he never does. So you return your attention to your perfectly cooked steak.

“I imagine you’re curious about what precisely the fuck we all are,” Jin interjects the silence, and your fork stops halfway to your mouth.

“Really all that needs to be said is that whatever you’ve already deduced is probably true.” He has his hands clasped together, his shirtsleeve riding up to expose the crescent-shaped bite mark on the inside of his wrist. He smiles when he notices you staring.

“Don’t worry,” he says, sounding amused. “I can be trusted around exposed neck flesh.”

You raise an eyebrow.

“So there’ll be no biting over the course of the evening?” you quip, only half joking.

Jin maintains his level gaze.

“Only if you want it desperately,” he replies.

You mold your face into a hard mask of indifference before you say something stupid.

“I must admit,” Taehyung begins. “I'm a little older than I look."

You stare at him like you’re trying to read a book. It’s true, he doesn’t look a day over thirty.

Jimin clears his throat.

"I'm not exactly...from here," he says, and when you look at him you swear you see something shift underneath his shirt.

The man in the peacock chair shifts.

"I'm a little more tuned into nature than most people," Yoongi adds. It’s only then that you notice that the dried flowers in their vases are leaning towards him like he’s the sun.

Jungkook is fidgeting in his chair, avoiding your gaze. But you can gather as much from the pallor of his skin and the deep-set dark circles under his eyes, both of which become clearer and easier to see the more times you look at him.

He has a ghostly air about him, like a whisper in the wind.

You look at Namjoon, and he smiles with a shrug.

"I just run a bookshop," he says.

A shared laugh sounds around the table. Namjoon rolls his eyes.

"Okay, maybe I've made a few blood pacts, but I'm a folklorist for Christ's sake!"

You genuinely can’t tell if he’s joking, but you suppose it doesn’t matter. Though, judging by what you’ve seen tonight, he’s probably telling nothing but the truth.

Finally, you turn to Hoseok.

“I’m…not all there,” he says, and you wait patiently for more.

He scratches the back of his head, looking like he’s trying to find the right words.

“You can see me sitting here, but it’s only half of me. You can touch me and hear my voice, but it’s not actually me. I need to be…contained.”

Now you’re staring at him in confusion.

“You ever read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?” Namjoon asks.

Before you can answer, another loud clang of the bell is sounding. Everyone else merely looks at the clock, but you flinch violently at the skull-rattling volume of the noise.

Jin wipes the corner of his mouth with his cloth napkin and pushes his chair back. Everyone else does the same, covering their now empty plates with the silver cloches.

Hoseok rises to a stand.

“Would you like to join us for coffee and cocktails in the library? Dessert should be ready shortly,” Hoseok says, though it doesn’t sound much like question when he heads down the hallway without waiting for an answer. And apparently it didn’t sound like a question to anyone else either, because Jimin and Taehyung are soon pulling you up from your chair and leading you out of the room, with Jimin even wrapping one arm around yours as Taehyung presses himself to your side.

The library is a dark room, no less grand than the rest of the house, with the same candlelit chandelier and sconces. Floor to ceiling bookshelves wrap themselves around the entirety of the room, complete with a wooden ladder on a sliding rail. There’s a roaring fire in the fireplace, and plenty of leather chairs and couches gathered around it.

Jimin lets you go when the door is shut securely behind you.

“Who wants a drink?” Jin asks, heading over to the bar cart in the corner, but you’re more drawn to the tea set on the low table by the fireplace. It’s all black and gold, with little images of ravens on the cups and saucers.

You pour yourself a cup with cream and sugar, taking a languid sip and relishing in its perfect richness.

Jin distributes the drinks as he prepares them without having to ask anyone what they want. A glass of white wine for Taehyung, something sparkling and slightly radioactive looking for Jimin, that same blackberry concoction for Hoseok, hot toddies for Namjoon and Jungkook, and a glass of some citrusy cordial for Yoongi. When you get a closer look at his glass you notice that Jin even took the time to carve a little jack-o-lantern face into half a tangerine as a garnish.

Jin makes himself the dirtiest martini you've ever seen, with only half the glass with liquid in it, the top half being a copious pile of olives.

“So, detective,” Hoseok says, leaning against one of the bookshelves. “How can we be of service?”

Your eyebrows raise.

“You want to help?” you ask, still incredulous. Because to be honest, you’re not quite sure what the purpose of this evening is supposed to be. To intimidate you? Confuse you? Judging by the fact that you stalked them because they fell under your radar of suspicion. You figured that if they were going to offer to help they could’ve done it with an email.

“Of course,” Taehyung says from his seat on one of the couches. “The last thing I want is more bodies on my autopsy table due to deaths that could’ve been avoided.”

“And something is harming the wildlife,” Yoongi adds.

You set down your cup and saucer, digging in your bag to start spreading papers all around you.

“What’s the deal with the mayor?” you ask.

“She's...unpopular with the general population," Namjoon offers. "A little too different."

"She won the election, didn't she?" you counter.

"By the skin of her teeth," Jimin replies. "Minority vote kicked in at the last second. And a lot of people aren't happy about it."

"Different, huh?" you say. The implication is clear.

"Or at least, her ancestors were, and I think her daughter is too. Tends to run in the family, stuff like that," Taehyung adds.

"She looks out for those like us," Yoongi says. "When she can, that is. It's gotten a little harder these days."

"Why is that?" you ask.

Yoongi shrugs.

"That's just how it goes. Some times are harder than others."

"Is that why the mayor wanted everything off the record? Why there's hardly been any media coverage?" you ask.

"That's what I'm guessing," Yoongi replies.

"She's paying me out of pocket," you inform them.

"That doesn't surprise me much," Namjoon adds. "She's always been too generous for her own good. I imagine she cares more about this strange case than most of her colleagues."

"So she knows about all of your…proclivities? That’s why she sent me your way?” you ask.

“I’d be surprised if she didn’t,” Yoongi replies. “Normal people tend to think we’re weirdos, but those who are like us know when they’re looking in a mirror.”

"What about the paper?" you ask.

Their expressions cloud with confusion.

“Uh, what about it?”

Ah, have you finally breached the topic of something they want to hide?

“Several people have claimed to have negative experiences with the press, but the main publishers have barely commented on any of the cases.”

“Oh, you mean the Periscope Press,” Taehyung supplies.

Hmm, maybe they don’t have anything to hide after all. But that doesn’t mean you trust them yet.

“It’s an underground newspaper, independently published, geared towards folks like us. Though it’s mostly full of garbage these days, we don’t have a subscription,” Taehyung explains.

“We can get you copies of the last few editions, though,” Jungkook adds, startling you a little since you haven’t heard him speak much tonight. He suddenly looks down at his shoes like he just realized the fact too.

“If you want,” he says, this time in nearly a whisper.

“That would be great, thank you,” you reply graciously, though he continues to avoid your gaze.

“So, detective,” Hoseok begins, and with the drink his voice is a touch more gravelly. “What’s your next move?”

They’re all looking at you now, curious and waiting.

You look down at your notes and fight the urge to clench your fist, because to honest, you’re not sure.

“I’m sure our little sleuth has a plan,” Jimin quips from his place sprawled out across one of the couches.

“I’d like to get access to Bradley’s reports and records, and wear down Mrs. Bradley if at all possible,” you begin, forming a list in your head. “I’d like to continue fieldwork around the woods and the lake, maybe see if anyone at the university can do some tests on those unusual mushrooms. I’ll be continuing my rounds around town to see if any civilians have anything to offer. Hopefully I can get some more information on the ones still missing.”

“And the lake?” Jimin asks.

You don’t want to talk about the lake. Thinking about it puts a sinking feeling in your gut, the stench of hot poisoned salt water filling your nose.

You don’t want to talk about what you saw. In your line of work, simply seeing isn’t enough. All that matters is hard evidence. So that’s what you’re gonna get.

Downing the dregs of your coffee cup, you start to gather up your notes.

“You’re leaving?” Jimin says, sounding wounded. “Before dessert?”

“I’m afraid there’s some things I wanted to get done tonight,” you say, ready to retreat back into your hole and dive back into the distraction of your work, where there aren’t several pairs of sultry dark eyes watching your every move.

“I suppose it is getting late,” Hoseok says. Though he doesn’t mention that many of them either don’t need to sleep or simply prefer to be active into the darkest hours of the morning.

“Let us send you home with some goodies, hm?” Hoseok nods to his housemates.

Jin cuts you slice of blue velvet cake, packing it up in a little bento box container.

You object at first, saying you don’t want to take a container as nice as this one, but Jin just retorts with a wink, saying that you’ll just have to come back sometime to return it.

Yoongi takes some cuttings from one of the dining room table centerpieces, adding some clippings from plants around the house as fillers, and wraps the bouquet in brown paper tied neatly with a bow. He hands it to you with a shy expression.

Namjoon gifts you a small stack of books, bound together by a leather strap, with The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde at the top of the pile. He gives you a smile when you notice.

“I’ll walk you to your car,” Jungkook says when they lead you through the dark halls to the front door, which you didn’t expect.

He carries your gifts as the two of you travers first the cobblestone path and then the small hill down to where you parked your car.

“Sorry we’re so strange. And vague. I imagine it’s frustrating,” he says suddenly.

The walk up to this point has been completely silent, so the sound of his voice startles you just a bit.

“Yes, you’re all very weird,” you say, and Jungkook’s face sinks.

“If any of you ever change I’ll be very disappointed,” you finish, and that puts a full smile on his face, full enough that you can see the bunny-like jut of his front teeth.

A few moments of silence, the wind singing a low song.

“You’re very cynical, you know,” he says.

That makes you look at him, but his face is that same neutral expression, dark eyes wide like a young doe’s. He says it like a simple observation, not with the judgmental you’re used to hearing.

“Am I?” you reply, unable to choke back the little sarcastic bite to your tone.

He nods.

“You think no one could ever believe you just for the sake of believing you. You think you need to prove yourself.”

You stare at him, long and hard enough to miss the fact that the two of you have reached your car.

He opens the door for you, and you’re glad that you’re heading to the safety of your home because all these kind gestures are starting to make you feel weird.

After you start the engine, Jungkook leans down to look at you through the open window.

“Try not to worry about the case so much,” he says softly. “Trust your instincts, you’ll figure it out.”

There’s a moment of silence where you stare at him some more, wondering how a man who’s been so quiet and shy for the duration of the evening can shock you dumb with just a handful of words.

“Thank you, Jungkook,” you manage after a while. “And thank the others for a lovely meal.”

He nods and smiles, backing up to let you drive off down the hill.

Back at home, you make a fresh pot of coffee and tuck into that slice of cake while you draft an email to the mayor detailing your most recent findings.

Then you look through all the books you have on mushrooms, even go to the internet, but you find absolutely nothing on Pepperwood caps. To the rest of the world, they don’t exist.

You fall asleep with The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde lying open in your hand.

~~~

a/n: thanks for your patience! :)

[mehiwilldoitlater]

Now hear me out,what if. What if we did get Sent back to our world. But. Our monke was sent with us. Pretty please 👉👈🥺 We gotta fuel the shenanigans of things somehow. I wanna see him get whiplash from both technology and culture shock. We've been nice to our boi for a good while,it's time to bully him finally.

When you both wake up in the middle of the city, with people standing, asking if there was a con around or something, you know that you both are in something big.

You needed to find a good hiding place, but you knew what was happening: you and the Destined One were now in your own world.

The buzzling city, the cars, the technology—everything made his poor brain scrumble. You cane from this?! This chaos?!

The smell for him is difficult to handle, the absence of trees, and the strange behavior of the people...

///

"This is...your home?"

"Yup."

Hiding in a tree, the two of you admired the small portion of the city that the park hallowed you to observe. While you remembered what it feels like to breathe the same air where you were born, Yuán Fèn couldn't take his eyes off the palace in the distance.

"Are those... pagodas?"

"Oh no, those are skycrapers. People live and work there."

"Oh..."

Everything was out standing. And the mortal did it without the help of gods or others! They did it themselves! He gasped again, his tail swaving excited.

"We should go now! ...Maybe you can finally meet my family!"

///

That's your plan...until you find out what's really happened to you.

You were wondering if the car that had crashed into you was some sort of allucination or something like that, but when you reached your home, you could feel all the pain that you hadn't felt the day of the accident.

When you knocked at your door, you guessed that your mother could feel dizzy. After your disappearance of months, what you didn't expect was her tò Just faint on your porch, right in front of you and Yuán Fèn. You both were able to bring her into her room, and after that, you started to notice a pattern that scared you.

While Yuán Fèn tried to make her come back from the world of the living, you noticed the door of your room locked; many of your photos were missing from the usual spot. And there, in the living room, a photo of you at your prom, in an intricate frame. Written in silver ink, the lines "in loving memory.".

You really wanted to faint at that moment.

///

It feels so strange looking at your own grave. You guessed that they would you in this one particular spot. It was a family place there.

"I told them that I wanted to be cremated."

Yuán Fèn was more interested in trying to decipher your mental state. You were just there, watching at your own photo. He felt so strange... so that was what Mitraya meant when he said you were rebuking everything in your real world by choosing him. He looked again at that stone block, your name carved in there... then moved away.

"Okay, I think I'm in need of... What are you doing?!"

You spotted him taking a few flowers from one spot to another.

"Playing respect!"

"To Who?!"

Then, with the small bouquet in his hand, he put the flowers in the small pot near your photo. 

"..oh ..." That was the only word that you said after that.

///

Three things were clear to you:

1) Going back to Mount Huaguo was the priority;

2) You needed to find some money since you were basically broke;

3) Need to keep the monkey away from every electrical device.

The first one was based more on a sense of morality. After all, you made a choice, and that was the choice to stay in that world full of magic because you fell in love with the destined one and a simple cane back home wasn't enough to move you. 

Not to mention that you have nothing that came back anymore, so...

The second, hard but not that much. You have nowhere to go, so you were forced to stay in a cheap and very not so sanitary motel that you both found. 

Luck were your side because that place needed someone that could clean or fix staff and you two? We're the masters at fixing staff...sorta.

But the third one...oooh boy...

///

You were drinking coffee, how much did you miss it, trying to schedule the next day of work for you and Yuán Fèn. You could clearly hear him doing something in the small kitchenette, moving staff, putting them somewhere, opening things, cutting them...

Then you heard the roar of that old blender that you both found around.

" DARLING?" You used your very sweet tone, a sign that you were expecting the worst for him. "What are you doing?!"

"Nothing."

"That doesn't sound like a -"

And there, in front of you, he putted a very strangely colored liquid, viscous, and with some strange objects floating here and there.

"What Is It?"

"A bunch of staff!"

"I know that; it's clearly a bunch of different staff."

"You should try it, then talk!"

"I genuinely want it five meters away from me."

"Suit yourself!" And then, in your horror, he proceeded to drink the staff. 

///

After days of adjusting and trying to get used back to the modern world, when you both got inside your shared room and found no one but Maitreya himself, you both got a huge shock. You don't know what was the most unrecognizable scene—the actual boy in the room or the fact that he was reading a comic book that talked about the Monkey King or the Yankees cap in his head.

And he just waved! Like nothing! 

He decided to give some explanation, but the most important was why you were sent there and how to. come back.

The first was more for the two of you. After your decision, you decided to leave your world behind, but you did know what that really meant? He wanted to know that and gave you a free way out, a small taste of your original world, and the thought that even this could sway you away from the destined one, and he received a slap on his head by you, and he admitted he deserved it. Another test of loyalty? They really believed you were so easy?!

Well, many were before you...

As for coming back, it was easy, of course! Did he not do it himself right now? 

When you and Yuán Fèn looked at each other, Happy Tò was able to finally come back to Mount Huaguo, but you were stopped by the kid.

"You have to finish your schedule this week! And, oh, won't it be better if you gave a notice?"

How the heck did he know these things?!

"Aaand," he continued, holding an old toaster, "explain to me this little miracle."

@sun-jglim @crimsonflameproxy

@everlastingmoonlightsworld @biankanoir

@miraclecherryblossomsblog @sleepingdramaqueen

@certifiedsimpinggalore @cromboloni

@masksandfeathers @cinnamonroll-anon

@justrandomlypassing @cute-angi

@luckyangelballoon @dressycobra7

@naarra @virtualexpertanchor

@phoenixeclipse-lmkau @szynkaaa

@kirax-the-lazy-girl. @sleepydang

@weaverworks @kishimiest

@marcu-bug @thepoweroffiction

@riolu4 @angryvampire

[piratefishmama]

There was just something magical about a good Renaissance Faire. Something in the air that set Eddie’s little crow brain alight with excitement. Especially around December when Christmas loomed around the corner and snow dusted the ground.

Be it the shiny trinkets dangling from wooden hooks amidst the old wooden stalls, be it the haggling voices of stall vendors and customers, all dressed in garbs they’d likely sewn, dyed, modelled themselves, the smells of the food stalls, the glow of twinkling fairy lights reflecting on the snow, the music played on lutes and sang from haybales for gathering crowds, be it the energy of likeminded folks all there to be a little bit weird, joyously, freely, without shame or judgement.

He could be himself there.

Dressed to the nines in layered fabrics purposefully aged and torn to simulate era appropriate wear and tear. His hair held silver trinkets, tied up by lengths of dark fabric in a messy up-do that’d taken Wayne a good few hours to figure out, and would no doubt take them both a hell of a lot of huffing and puffing to remove without cutting it out later. He had a cloak made out of a thick set of curtains he’d thrifted, dyed, and repurposed.

He had his bag, something he’d sewn himself out of extra fabric from those curtains, made with plenty of little pockets and places to put his spoils, he’d saved up for months to get as much out of this faire as possible because things weren’t CHEAP there.

Most things were handmade, most things were lovingly crafted by gifted individuals. He didn’t even want to haggle, he had money specifically for the faire! He was going to spend money on the endlessly talented individuals at the faire!

He got himself a new journal, leather bound with thick blank pages for sketching in. it was embossed with intricate swirling patterns around a pentagram that he’d absolutely get shit for if he ever pulled it out in public but it was beautiful, and it had a cool swing lock clasp.

He got himself a pretty necklace, wire wrapped with a fancy gem that he’d keep safe to use as a prop at some point.

He found some beautiful homemade dice, made in such a way that it looked like liquid moved inside of the dice, little flecks of glitter sloshing around a cloudy liquid inside the green tinted gold leaf inlaid resin with every roll, beautiful, eye catching, immensely satisfying to his little crow brain. Surprisingly enough they were the most expensive purchase he’d made at the faire, tiny little dice, fifty whole dollars. Not the most expensive thing he’d seen there, but definitely the most expensive thing he now owned from the trip.

They came with an incredibly pretty velvet dice bag though, which he hadn’t expected to get as a little freebie but the girl at the stall winked at him when she handed it over and wasn’t that a trip. The fabric was dyed to look like some kind of galaxy, with little silver and gold stars embroidered into it.

It made those dice a steal and he would treasure it and them, always.

He perused the fabric stalls, getting himself a cool hand painted scarf, detailed with a beautiful dragon that he’d find a good frame for later to hang up because it would not be worn, no siree. He grabbed a cool hand carved wooden mug for Wayne that looked like something straight out of a Viking’s mead hall, he’d give it to him for Christmas.

He got himself some food. He watched a joust, got a photo with the riders and their horses, one of which tried nibbling his hair, tipped the riders, and very quickly found himself running low on cash.

All that scrimping, and saving, and dealing… worth it. So very worth it.

So sue him if he looped back around and walked through again, he couldn’t afford much of anything else, he’d spent his last ten spot on a fridge magnet, had five left for gas station snacks on the way home, but that was fine, he could take photos, he’d borrowed Gareth’s camera, Gareth would have come but his parents had one stipulation for him attending the faire, and that was taking his failing grade in biology, and upping it to something that at least predicted a pass before thanksgiving.

He’d failed, and no amount of grovelling could fix it. No Ren Faire for you good sir!

Jeff was out of town with his family on some ‘visit all the out of state family members before Christmas snowstorms lock everything down’ country wide tour. And Dougie couldn’t get the time off his part time job to go.

So Eddie had promised plenty of photos to show them what they missed out on.

It was the very last stall at the end of the strip that caught his attention. Maybe it was the way the dying sunlight hit it, or the way the wind caught the chimes dangling from its flimsy rafters, he felt… called to it. Drawn to it like a moth to a flame and who was he, but a lowly little moth, to ignore the call of the fire?

So he wandered over, let himself be drawn in, offered a friendly little finger wave to the greying woman sat behind a makeshift counter wrapped in shawls and decorated in silver jewellery that jingled as she worked a single crotchet hook into a slowly coming together wine red shawl. The woman offered him a simple bow of her head and a small smile in response but no sales pitch.

No conversation of any kind really, she simply sat there while he looked, crocheting away without a care in the world. He could appreciate that, not being bothered by pushy sales tactic, especially when he had so few funds left to play with, he always felt guilty when he couldn’t afford what they were selling.

Like why was he even there if he had no money to spend?

The old woman didn’t do that, allowing him to wander through her surprisingly large stall full of little trinkets and goodies uninterrupted, which was for the best because had she spoke, he might not have stayed long enough to spot it. Amidst the little boxes decorated with carved patterns and pretty gemstones, amidst the scarves, crocheted bags, amidst the leather work belts, and wallets sat a single, solitary little bottle.

Sealed with a cork coated in wax and pressed with a decorative seal in a shape too worn down to really make out but obvious that it’d at one point had a shape. The bottle was hand blown, not manufactured, lightly frosted a dark brown to a brilliant amber around its square base, the colour crept up the smooth sides towards its seal, like a diamond in shape.

The bottle wasn’t empty either.

Much like the dice that’d caught his crow brain hook line and sinker earlier, this little bottle was filled with some kind of liquid. It swirled like a galaxy inside, and at the centre a brilliant light that looked like it held its own sun, always at the centre of the swirl, never distorting or shifting out of place, eternal in its circular flow.

It was warm in his hands. He didn’t even realise he’d picked it up.

“Two dollars.” Eddie damn near jumped out of his skin, whirling around, the bottle tight in his grip. That old woman had moved. And she’d done so with a quiet stealth some might attribute to a ninja, which was impressive considering how much jewellery she wore.

“Huh?” So eloquent of him.

“Just two dollars, child. The bottle? It is… calling to you, yes?” He couldn’t place her accent, something foreign, European maybe, he had no idea but it definitely didn’t sound any parts American. “I take two dollars for it, will bring you luck.” He looked back to the bottle, eyeing the swirl that still held its pattern even as he’d jostled it, like nothing could knock it out of its gentle swirl, then back to the old woman.

What was two dollars, really?

He had five left, if nothing else the bottle could make a really cool prop, and if it did bring him luck, then hey bonus. Who was he to argue with a mysterious old lady at a Renaissance Faire? “You uh… you got yourself a deal, ma’am.” She smiled brightly at him, eyes alight with both happiness and… something else, something that reflected in the light that he didn’t think hard enough about. She accepted the five dollars he had left, she gave him his change, and a little paper bag filled with tissue to hold his new purchase, which he didn’t really need as he put it right into his own bag after receiving his change, and then she sent him on his way, uncaring as to whether or not he wanted to look at her other wares.

He’d gotten the bottle. Nothing else mattered apparently. Maybe he should have found that suspicious, but why would he?

As soon as he left the little stall, all thought of it seemed to wash away from his mind leaving him freely wandering back to the entrance where his trusty steed, his Van, awaited him to take him home. Blissfully unaware of the little bottle he’d just purchased. Blissfully forgetful of the stall he’d visited, of the old woman he’d just met, of her smile, her eyes, her mysterious accent.

All of which was for the best, really, as if he’d thought about it, if he’d taken a single moment to stop and look back to the little stall at the end of the row, the little stall that held more treasures than it should have been able to for its size, if he’d looked back to wave his goodbyes to the old woman and her treasures, he’d have found nothing.

No stall, no woman, no trinkets or treasures. Just a single row of recycling bins and benches.

But he didn’t look back.

Definitely for the best.

Part 2

[tenelkadjowrites]

♥ Lonely in Gorgeous ♥ - Seonghwa x Reader (NSFW)

☕Summary: Seonghwa is the most beautiful man you’ve ever seen and he happens to frequent the coffee shop you run. Your crush on him feels hopeless and overpowering until he finds out that you practice photography in your spare time.

☕Word count: 8,700

☕Genre and warnings: one shot. fem pronouns for reader. unprotected sex. creampie. oral sex, both reader receiving and reader giving.

☕Tags: @thewonderofkpop - @obligatoryidolblog - @yunhofingers - @foggyinternetchaos - @spiderrenjunfics - @whatudowhennooneseesyou - @jess-1404 - @just-here-to-read-01 - @likexaxdaydream - @senpai-of-doom - @lilhwahwa - @btsreader12 - @talkbykhalid - @rdiamond2727 - @inneratinyrebel - @8tinytings - @xirenex - @cherrypandora - sorry if i forgot anyone.

this fic is not meant to represent seonghwa in any way, shape or form.

               He’s here again.

               You know that it is rude to keep a customer waiting but at the sight of him sitting at the counter, fingers drumming against the small white menu, looking at the framed photos near the coffee machine, you are momentarily frozen.

               He hasn’t been around your café in a little over six months and you just assumed he found somewhere else to grab a coffee. It happens; in the city, there is always a franchise waiting to open on every corner, luring away even your regulars to the promise of a loyalty rewards system and coffee served in a drive thru. How could you compete with something like that?

               But now, the most otherworldly beautiful man that you’ve ever seen with your own eyes is back in your café, quietly waiting for you to exit the kitchen to take his order. You don’t even know his name, you just know that the average person wandering this planet would never achieve the sort of beauty this man casually possesses: his bright almost silver blonde hair with just a hint of the black roots coming in, his baggy white t-shirt that has the faded logo of some beach town you’ve never heard of, a bracelet that looks as if it has multiple small diamonds on it rests gracefully on his small wrist, cheekbones carved from marble, lips perfectly plump and faintly pink – lip gloss or just naturally that pink? Hard to tell. Everything about him makes your knees weak, your heart beat too quickly and your tongue get tied. It is, frankly, embarrassing which meant it had been a relief when he suddenly stopped showing up.

               Knowing that you couldn’t dawdle any longer, you exit the tiny kitchen. His eyes land on you immediately, half lidded like a sleepy cat, his posture softening slightly at the sight of you.

               “S-sorry to keep you waiting,” You say before he can speak, “Have you decided on what you would like?”

               You can’t meet his gaze directly; it would be akin to staring at the sun. He’s just too beautiful.

               “Can I have an oat milk lavender latte please?” His voice is deep yet soft at the same time, the sort of tone that you feel in your bones.

               You nod, hurriedly turning around to the coffee machine. He is the only customer in the shop. It is a quiet late Wednesday afternoon, and the sun is slanting in through the blinds, sending lazy sunlight splashing across the wood floors. The coffee shop playlist is on quietly in the background, and all the small, cozy seating areas are empty. All the places he could have sat at and he picks the countertop, you think with a small inward sigh.

               “I wasn’t sure if this place would still be open. I feel like every time I come into town, everything is slightly different like a puzzle where the pieces keep shifting when I look away.”

               Torn between being as professional as possible and wanting to melt into the floor, you look over your shoulder and reply, “Nope, still open. At least for now. I have a group of regulars that help out a lot.” I made sense, you think with relief, nice…now to just keep talking to a minimum so I don’t fuck it up.

               He leans forward a little, his elbows on the countertop, the diamond bracelet resting gently against the surface. It catches the sunlight and glimmers for one brief second.

               “Could you make a little heart on that top?” He asks sheepishly.

               “Oh, sure, no problem.”

               He smiles a little, relaxing back into his earlier position. Your heart does a flip, making you worry that the coffee cup is going to slip from your fingers or something equally embarrassing. Turning your attention to the drink, you finish making it, with the heart shaped art included and bring it over to him, unable to look directly at his face.

               The only thing in your vision is the sight of one of his fingers touching the rim, trailing across it before going to the handle of the oversized mug and then stopping.

               “This is really pretty. Is it okay if I take a photo for my Instagram?”

               “Oh, y-yes, that sounds great. Thank you so much.”

               “I have a bad habit of taking photos of every coffee I drink,” He explains as if anyone taking pics of what they eat or drink is odd anymore, “By the way, my name is Seonghwa.”

               Exhaling slowly, you steel your nerves to raise your head upwards and look at him. It is unfair of the universe to plop someone like this in your café, even crueler to make him so friendly and approachable. Aren’t pretty people supposed to be assholes? Or did movies just lie to you?

               You manage to say your name and not the name of your uncle or something and follow up with, “I remember you from ah…like six months ago or so. You were here pretty frequently.” Immediately, you regret the observation. Did that make you look odd? As if you were just peering at him drinking a coffee every time he was here? You try to correct yourself, “Uh, with my memory, I have a hard time forgetting people after they pop in a few times.”

               But if Seonghwa finds you strange, it doesn’t show on his face. “I live pretty close to here and I like the vibe. It’s quiet, open later than other places, and your coffee always tastes good. But I was overseas for the last six months, I just got back a couple nights ago.”

               “Wow, for that long?” Genuine curiosity takes over and for a brief second, you forget to be tongue tied by how handsome he is.

               “Yeah, my agency had me all over for a bit doing work.”

               “Agency?”

               He laughs a little and playfully taps his forehead. “Sorry, I forgot, yeah, I’m a model.”

               The tongue tied feeling immediately returns. Of course he’s a model. Why wouldn’t he be a model? No one could look like this and not be one.

               You must look stricken because he holds his hands up, shaking his head quickly. “I know, I know what you’re thinking.”

               No, you definitely do not.

               Scrambling for something to say, you go, “Well, I don’t know much about modeling. I think my entire frame of reference is Zoolander.”

               As soon as the words leave your mouth, you want to groan loudly. Did you really just compare his career to that movie?

               But his grin only deepens as he replies, “You know, you’re not the first person to say that to me.”

               Thanking the universe for the lucky break, you push your luck by continuing to speak, “Is it like…ah, fashion modeling? Like in magazines? Or more of an Instagram thing?”

               “It’s fashion. I bounce between walking shows and doing shoots for ad campaigns and stuff. Occasionally some spreads in magazines too.”

               “Damn, really? That’s impressive.”

               Seonghwa, having finished taking a photo of the coffee, finally takes a sip. He looks pleased with the taste, gently placing the mug back down on the saucer. Yeah, you could definitely see this guy in magazines. You wonder if you’ve skipped past him in magazines before but then decide there is no way – you would remember someone like him. He makes your insides feel like jelly and your head feel stuffed full of cotton.

               “I’m kinda excited because I have a magazine coming out next week and I’m apparently in a few photos. It’s a high fashion magazine that previously always seemed to never pick my photos so I’m excited.”

               “What’s the name of it?”

               “Oh, are you going to pick up a copy just to see me? But I’m here for free in the flesh,” His tone is light, teasing but a shiver rolls down your back that makes you stand straighter. If it had been anyone else but the hottest guy you’ve ever seen in your life, you would wonder if he was flirting. But since it is the hottest guy to walk this earth…

               “H-hey, it isn’t every day that I sort of know someone who is going to be in a magazine,” You say without fainting.

               Seonghwa gestures to the framed photos on the wall. “I just assumed whoever took these pics had been in magazine before.”  

               Surprised, you glance over your shoulder to your photos decorating the wall near the coffee machine. Taking photos has been a hobby of yours for a few years now and your friends had convinced you to put some up in the shop. You are extremely critical on your photography but everyone else always said such kind things about them. But never anyone this attractive, you think.

               “Oh, I took them,” You admit sheepishly, looking back at him, “It’s just a hobby.”

               He tilts his face to the side a little, his eyes darting from the framed photos to you. “Well, for just a hobby they look really good.”

               “Thank you. That’s nice of you to say.”

               The conversation is interrupted by a small cluster of people entering the store. One look at them makes it clear they are tourists who probably found the coffee shop on the map app.

               Seonghwa gives you a small smile. “Conversation over for now, I guess.”

               The group tosses their shopping bags and other items near one of the sections that has a couch and a couple of chairs, one person breaking off to come gawk at the menu that is on the wall. You excuse yourself from him, going over to take care of the new customers.

               By the time everything is ordered and made, Seonghwa has left, his chair cold from the absence of him. There is no lip gloss smear on the rim of the mug. Damn, his lips really are just naturally that pink. What a jerk.

*

               You feel like a thief in the night. Shoulders hunched, small shopping bag striking against your leg as your fingers furiously flick through the pages of the magazine. The tinny noise of the piped in music irritates your ears and the store is a little too crowded for your liking – for your purpose.

               With defeat, the magazine comes to an end, and you place it back on the shelf. You are about a block from your place, having stopped in the corner store to grab a few items after closing up the coffee shop for the night. Having already purchased what you needed, halfway out the door, the sight of the magazines brought you to a halt.

               Seeing as it had been a week since seeing Seonghwa, that would mean that the magazine he mentioned would be out. The problem was that you hadn’t actually gotten the name of it.

               Which is why, twenty minutes later, you have flipped through the majority of the fashion magazines on the shelf and had yet to see his gorgeous face among the glossy pages.

               You’ve lost it. What are you, sixteen with a crush? Who acts like this? You scold yourself, picking up another magazine. You should be home by now, making tea and unwinding. Instead, you’re hunched over this magazine as if it is a guilty secret that you’re trying to find him. Surely sane people do not act this way –

               Your diatribe against yourself is cut short by the sight of Seonghwa’s face looking up at you from one of the pages. Your heart skips a beat at the sight of him in black turtleneck and perfectly tailored slacks, the belt resting lightly around his slender hips as he leans against the wall. His face is turned slightly to the side, the light catching his cheekbone. You turn the page, finding another photo of him with a model, their bodies slightly entwined, a beautiful pool sparkling behind them. His gaze is softer in this one, directly at the camera, one long necklace dipping underneath his shirt, his collarbone exposed. The final photo is of him stepping out of the pool, a white t-shirt soaking wet and flat against his skin, exposing his toned stomach and the dip of his waist. He is pushing his hair back, the look in his eyes hard and mischievous as if he is saying I know your secret.

               Your cheeks unusually warm, you quickly close the magazine, wondering how a few photos could make your heart rate so elevated. Too shy and embarrassed to purchase it, you hurriedly place it back on the shelf and scurry out of the store, convinced everyone knows what you’re thinking about.

*

               He comes again, a few days after the magazine incident, sitting in the same seat at the counter. You are making a coffee for another customer when Seonghwa enters, leaving you to try to pretend not to notice him right away. The photos are still burned in your mind, especially the one of him exiting the pool, and some part of you wishes he would just go away. Go to Starbucks or something instead.

               Today, Seonghwa is wearing a grey t-shirt with a logo of a diner you’ve also never heard of. It looks well worn, a little too large for his frame. He has a different bracelet on, a small gold band that rests on his wrist. His hair is damp as if he just showered, curling against his neck in soft blonde swirls. He is looking at the menu, studying it quietly while waiting for you to finish up with the customer.

               Steeling yourself, you walk over and greet him, saying his name a little too softly as if it is a fragile thing instead of belonging to just another customer. He looks up, smiling at the sight of you which threatens to immediately shift you into System Overload.

               “What can I get you?”

               “I’d just like an espresso today,” He shifts slightly in his seat as if going to add something on but decides against it.

               You go to make the espresso, fighting the urge not to glance over at him. Some part of you wants to say that you saw his photos in the magazine but are too paranoid in case he asks questions. You would rather die than admit that you went scouring through a ton just to see his modeling photos.

               Finishing up, you bring the espresso over, gently placing it in front of him. Seonghwa shifts again and then leans forward just a little, just enough so that you catch the scent of clean laundry and cinnamon clinging to his shirt.

               “My magazine came out,” He finally says, “I got around three photos in it. I was sorta hoping for five but better than nothing.”

               I don’t think I could have handled five photos.

               He pulls his phone out of his pocket, unlocking it while asking, “Do you mind if I show you them? Is that – I mean, would that be weird? I know I’m just a customer but I am pretty pleased with them. And since you take photos, I thought…” Seonghwa trails off, sounding unsure.

               “Well, I just take landscape photos. I don’t know if any of that would translate to modeling,” You stall only because you aren’t sure how to keep a straight face if he shows you these pics.

               “I think you’d be fine,” He says confidently, sliding the phone over, “Do you look at fashion photos or magazines at all?”

               On the screen is the first photo of him in the turtleneck. Swallowing hard, you go, “Not typically.”

               “My agent says I don’t have enough of a social media presence. They’re really pushing the whole ‘influencer’ thing on me. I’m pushing back a bit because my interests don’t go there but I think they kinda had a point about posting more modeling photos on my Instagram, for my Instagram only.”

               Seonghwa flicks to the next photo, the one with the necklace by the pool. You hope that your facial features are comprised into an expression of mild interest and nothing else. But Seonghwa seems to be lost in thought, his gaze a bit hazy.

               “You take photos…” He trails off.

               You should know what he is going to suggest. But your brain is fried from dealing with real Seonghwa and also model Seonghwa in the photos so the words leave his mouth easily without any warning signals going off in your head.

               “Maybe you could take some photos for me? I’d pay you, of course, and I could post them on my Instagram. Your café is really cute. We could take them here, one night after you close.”

               Talk about taking a battering ram to your chest. You protest immediately with, “Like I said, I only have taken landscapes. I have no experience in the sort of photos you’re looking for.”

               “They’re just for Instagram. They don’t have to be anything special.”

               “Yeah but surely you know someone else that is actually skilled in modeling photos who could do this for you?” It isn’t that you don’t want to do it, of course the part of you that thinks Seonghwa is gorgeous would love nothing more, but to be that close to him, alone in the café, makes your palms sweat from nerves.

               Seonghwa looks awkward as he admits, “I tend to keep to myself. I don’t have as many connections as others working in the industry do. It’s my own fault. I come off unapproachable. At least that’s what I’ve been told.”

               It’s your beauty. It’s just too much. Makes people insecure. Without thinking, you reply, “It’s because you’re too gorgeous. I don’t think it has anything to do with your demeanor.”

               Seonghwa looks surprised, in the middle of taking a sip of his espresso, his eyebrows arching slightly. You immediately regret the remark, knowing that it exposes the fact you’ve noticed his appearance. But how could you not? How could anyone not? After all, you’re just human.

               “So, what are you saying? That because I’m gorgeous, that’s why I’m lonely?”

               “Basically,” Your cheeks are starting to feel warm again especially from his casual admission of being lonely, best to get out of the conversation, “I should make sure the other customer doesn’t need anything. Enjoy your espresso though.”

               Going to turn around, Seonghwa raises the arm with the bracelet as if going to reach out for you but thinking the better of it. “Wait,” He says, his lips that same perfect pink colour from the last visit, “You didn’t answer.”

               Staring in that beautiful face of his, the request seems like a bad idea for a few reasons: no experience in taking the sort of photos Seonghwa wants, the fact you are enamored with him, the idea of being around him alone for an extended period of time…

               But the photos are just for his Instagram. And as overwhelming as it is to be near him, I also want it more than anything.

               You hesitate before going, “Are you sure? Like I said, I have no experience in…”

               “I’m sure,” He says firmly, “I think our energies match up pretty well. Don’t you?”

               The remark takes you by surprise. You haven’t given much thought to your energies mostly because standing next to him made you feel as if your heart was going to explode. What’s the worst that could happen? You get to practice something new with your photography, spend time around someone stunning, and then life goes on.

               With affected casualness, you give a small shrug of your shoulders and go, “Alright.”

               Seonghwa relaxes back in the seat, shooting a smile at you that shows off his perfectly white and straight teeth. Your insides start to vibrate at a frequency that could shatter glass. The two of you exchange numbers, giving you a way out from seeing the photo of Seonghwa by the pool which could easily crack the nonplussed exterior you are trying to exude.

               But there is one final thing that is poking at your brain. You know it could come off odd but unable to help yourself, you ask, “Do you own any lip gloss?”

               “Lip gloss?” Seonghwa blinks in surprise, “I think I do. Why?”

               “You should bring it.”

               He waits for a second to see if you would explain why but when you don’t, he simply goes, “Alright.”

               He then finishes his espresso, giving you a small wave as you head towards the other customer. On the way out, Seonghwa glances briefly over his shoulder at you and then the street swallows him up, leaving you with the memory of the conversation and the anticipation of the photoshoot.

*

               It takes a couple of days to set up a time that works for both of you. Admittedly, you would clear any part of your schedule in order to take photos of Seonghwa but in an attempt not to look down bad, you deny the first time given. When he suggests Sunday night, you agree but your nerves only grow as the time approaches closer and closer.

               Since your café stays open later than most, Seonghwa isn’t due to arrive until around nine that night. After closing up shop at eight, you try to tidy up a bit but instead find yourself wandering around aimlessly, butterflies in your stomach. You aren’t convinced that any photos worthwhile will be taken nor are you sure what to talk about with him during the few hours spent together.

               The café windows have large blinds to block out the setting sun and you make sure they are pulled down for privacy. You try to rearrange some of the pillows on one of the couches but give up. Plopping down on it instead, you lean your head back and stare at the ceiling.

               I don’t know anything about this guy except he’s hot. I have got to get a grip. I’m sure a few hours with him will prove there’s something unlikeable that will turn me off, gorgeous or not. You’ve never had a crush on a customer before and to have one on someone who looks like Seonghwa feels comical. Talk about out of your league.

               A few minutes past nine, there is a soft knock on the door, jolting you out of your thoughts. Nervously, you exhale, go over the front door of the café and open it.

               Seonghwa stands in the moonlight which spills across his hair like a silken pool. He wears a white button up that has the sleeves rolled up a bit, a charm bracelet dangling from one wrist, and black slacks.  He looks as elegant ever and your chest tightens at the sight of him.

               “Hey,” You say, moving to the side so he can enter.

               As you lock the café door, he pulls something out of his pocket, extending his hand to show you something. “Brought the lip gloss.”

               The elegant bottle has the Dior logo on it, a sheer lip gloss with tiny specks of glitter in it. It rests in the palm of his hand.

               “Great,” You reply, “Uhm, I was thinking maybe I could get the light to catch it. It might look good in the photo. But like I said before, I don’t really take photos of people. Just places.”

               “It’s fine.” He doesn’t seem concerned, moving past you towards the largest seating area. “Like I said before, it’s just for my Instagram. Nothing special.”

               “But still, it’s important to your image and that ties directly to your work.”

               “You’re thinking more about this than I am,” Seonghwa admits, turning to face you, “It’s just Instagram. Don’t overthink it.”

               You aren’t entirely convinced but his casual demeanor about it does make you feel a tiny bit better. You aren’t exactly positive that you are capable of capturing his beauty in a photo, given your lack of skills in this area. If the pictures suck, he doesn’t have to use them. You’re just overthinking this because he’s hot.

               “Is there a certain spot we should start?” He asks.

               “We can start here, if you’d like.” It is hitting you that you’re going to have to give some direction – another reason you just work with landscapes.

               Seonghwa extends his hand out to you, the Dior lip gloss glinting smartly in the dim lighting of the café. “You want to put this on now?”

               Surprised, you go, “Me?”

               “I forgot my mirror.”

               The logical side of you wants to point out the fact the bathroom has a mirror. But the other side of you, the larger side, is drawn to Seonghwa like a moon around a planet. Your feet betray you first and it is only a few steps until your body is right in front of him.

               Gingerly taking the lip gloss from his hand, your fingertips touching the palm of his hand – a touch so minor that it wouldn’t be normally wouldn’t be noticeable but this one makes you dizzy – twisting the lid off and pulling out the tiny wand.

               Reaching out, you press the wand against his lips, smearing the gloss across the bottom lip first and then the top. Seonghwa is looking at you steadily, as if this doesn’t feel oddly intimate or weirdly sorta familiar. The way he looks at you makes your thighs clench and your chest burn. It feels strange to be this close to someone so beautiful; it is as if a marble statue has come to life in front of you. When you finish, your heart is racing, and you hastily shove the lip gloss back in his hand.

               “Ready?” You ask, unable to look at Seonghwa, wondering how you’ll get through the night intact.

*

               It becomes apparent very quickly that your tension is seeping into the photos. Unsure what direction to give Seonghwa, it ends up being more of you following his lead. He begins to come up with ideas but there still feels like some sort of barrier between the camera lens and himself. You blame yourself; your lack of knowledge in this type of photography combined with your own feelings about Seonghwa are leading to the result you expected: lackluster photos.

               Seonghwa, who has been incredibly polite the entire night, at one point finally jokes, “Maybe if I took my clothes off the photos would look better.”

               And without thinking, you reply, “No, I think that wet t-shirt photo in the magazine was enough.”

               You don’t realize the slip up at first because your focus on the next shot is overpowering everything else. It is Seonghwa who looks startled and then something flickers across his face, so fast that it would have been missed if you hadn’t snapped a photo at that second. It is then that you realize your mistake.

               Fuck, he never actually showed me that pic the other day. You had made sure to scurry off before the photo appeared on his phone screen. Lowering the camera, you struggle to find some sort of lie, something to explain how you knew about the photo.

               But he swiftly talks over your stammering words. “You saw the photoshoot before I showed it, didn’t you?”

               With no clever lie coming to your head, all you say is, “Yeah.” When Seonghwa continues to stare silently, you clear your throat a little and explain, “I found the magazine with the photoshoot. I saw them then.”

               “Why didn’t you tell me?” He takes a step forward. “You looked at the photos as if they were brand new.”

               “I just felt embarrassed,” You mumble, unable to form any further words.

               “Why?” Seonghwa presses, taking another step forward.

               The last thing you intend to do is start gushing about how he makes you feel, how you find him so attractive your head spins, and that none of the photos are going to turn out well because your desire and fear of being discovered is a barrier in the lens.

               “Does it matter?” You snap, the tone a lot harder than intended, “Can we please get back to the photos?”

               “No,” Seonghwa is close to you now, his eyes slightly downcast, his long lashes bright against his skin, “Answer my question.”

               “Why does it matter?” You reply hotly, “It has nothing to do with anything.”

               “The pictures will improve if you’re honest. You’re holding back and it’s interfering with everything. I can feel it but I didn’t understand why so I didn’t want to say anything.”

               Exasperated, nervous and frustrated, you spit out, “It’s because I find you attractive, okay? But that isn’t really that weird. I mean, you’re aware of what you look like. You’re a model. So, you know that you’re hot. I wanted to see your photos because you talked about them and I was curious. I found the magazine in the store and looked at them. But I just didn’t want you to think I was sneaking around being creepy looking at photos of you so I just didn’t say anything. Happy?” You wish that it could be possible to melt into the floor and fade from the world. Your cheeks burn and you cannot look Seonghwa in the face.

               Since you are looking downward, you find yourself staring at his shoes. They look expensive, not a scuff on them. You are embarrassed at your outburst but don’t know what else to say. The silence drags on for too long. You can hear Seonghwa quietly breathing, can smell the clean laundry clinging to his crisp white shirt.

               “Am I that distracting?” He finally asks, “You gave no indication. You just stated matter of fact that my appearance could leave me isolated from others which was a keen observation. I didn’t think you noticed me in that manner.”

               “What?” You look upwards now, confused, “You’re joking. I think every conversation was cobbled from one braincell working around you.”

               “I had no idea. That’s why…” For the first time since meeting him, he looks unsure. “That’s why I liked coming here. Even before my trip overseas. Every small conversation with you felt natural and normal. There was no mention of my appearance other than on my terms and you never seemed to not be listening to me because you were too busy staring. Sometimes, I feel like…ah, well, I am not really a person, more of a commodity to be viewed because of how I look. Everything is about my looks. It never felt like that when we talked.”

               You don’t know how to reply. On one hand, you worry that your admission has lumped you in with the others. But it is still the truth, which he requested, and therefore to recant it would be a lie. So you just stand there, the camera heavy in your hands, unsure where to go from here.

               The idea of being so beautiful that it puts up some sort of wall in between you and others is too much of a foreign concept to wrap your head around. You don’t want to belittle such a problem either; it would be something you would laugh at if read online but in person, staring at Seonghwa, you feel a little bit of pity.

               Curiosity gets the better of you. “Is that why you got into modeling?”

               “I fell into it. It wasn’t really a conscious decision. I got swept along with the tide. But I’m good at it. And I make good money,” He steps away from you, loosening up his shoulders and relaxing his posture, “Alright, everything out in the air now, right?” His fingers go to the buttons on his shirt, undoing two near his neck, showing a little bit of his chest. A thin silver necklace is exposed, a delicate chain resting against his skin. “Let’s try it again.”

               Relief sweeps through you. Regardless of if Seonghwa is disappointed that his beauty impacted you or not, the awkward conversation is complete. There are no more secrets to discuss or weird vibes hanging around. Perhaps it would make a difference after all.

*

               Strangely enough, it does. You find it easier to relax, to move closer to Seonghwa to achieve different shots. He seems more at ease as well, kicking off his shoes and trying different poses around the café. Somehow, over the course of the night, the buttons on the front of his shirt steadily undo, exposing more skin. Instead of distracting you, the camera catches the necklace against his toned chest, becoming the centerpiece of a few photos. Between that and the lip gloss, you are starting to think maybe the photoshoot won’t be a loss after all.

               It is nearing eleven at night before you lower the camera, your legs aching from the uncomfortable position you’ve been settled in to get a shot of Seonghwa laying on the couch. His blonde hair is spread out around his face, framing it like a fragile halo, his lips shimmering, almost his entire shirt undone and slipping off his sides, exposing his chest and abdomen.

               Having been so caught up in taking the photos, you hadn’t realized how you’ve been perched over Seonghwa. Your legs protest, causing you to flail awkwardly. His hands fly to your hips, grabbing onto them before you topple painfully into him. The camera hits the carpet with a small thudding noise as your hands come down flat against his stomach to steady yourself.

               “Wow, sorry. My legs are numb, didn’t pay attention to what I was doing and for how long,” You explain sheepishly.

               He laughs a little, another glimmer of perfectly white teeth. “It’s okay.”

               It is then you become hyperaware of the fact that you are straddling him against the couch, his hands on your waist, his shirt unbuttoned and your fingertips against his bare skin. He looks like moonglow underneath you, all silver and white, something made for paintings and to be captured through a camera lens, not to be physically touched.

               Scampering off him, you sit at the other side of the couch, trying to collect yourself. The casual air that formed between you since the admission of finding him attractive is now back to the same strained tension earlier. Seonghwa sits up, turning slightly so that he is facing you, one leg tucked underneath him, the other dangling off the couch. It is a casual pose, heightened by the way his shirt is open and hangs off his shoulders, one that would be great for a photo if your skin didn’t feel aflame and the camera was still on the carpet.

               “Maybe we should call it a night,” You go, swallowing hard, risking a glance over at him.

               “Sure,” He murmurs, “I think we got some good stuff in the second half.”

               “Me too. I’ll send you what I have once I go through everything.”

               “Alright.”

               But neither of you move. The café is extremely silent and the only noise is the occasional car driving by outside. Your hand is very close to his, mere inches away on the couch cushion. For a split second, you think about reaching for him but quickly wonder what is wrong with you.

               Seonghwa moves his hand away, taking your heart with it. He scoops your camera off the carpet and brings it to your lap, resting it gently there. Your hands curl around it as if it is an anchor.

               His hand moves away from the camera and comes to rest on your thigh. Even though you’re wearing pants and there is no contact with your skin, the sight makes your head spin.

               “I have something to tell you too,” Seonghwa goes as his hand travels upwards very slowly while shifting his entire body closer to you.

               You manage to go, “Oh, yeah?” successfully even though your brain feels as if it is sizzling in your skull.

               “It kinda ties into what I was saying before. About how I liked coming here because you didn’t treat me any differently or talk about my appearance. Even if you noticed it, you didn’t mention it until I did. It felt…new. You’re the first person to ever tell me that I am simply too gorgeous. That’s why I came back here. I wanted to see you.”

               Surprised, your eyes flick upwards to look at him. “Me?”

               “Yeah, you,” He isn’t looking at your eyes but your lips instead, his own slightly parted and glimmering with the expensive lip gloss.

               “You mean because I may think there is more to you than being really really really ridiculously good looking?” As soon as the words leave your mouth, you want to jump off a bridge. Why the fuck am I quoting Zoolander to this man? What the hell is wrong with me? Why am I like this?

               But Seonghwa actually laughs, moving a little closer to your body. The proximity to him is doing your head in. You’ve never wanted anyone as badly as you want Seonghwa.

“I believe that I’m attracted to you,” He shockingly says in the aftermath of your terrible joke.

               Even though the rushing of blood to your head is very loud, you manage to reply, “You believe? Is it that confusing?”

               The two of you are closer than ever, so close that it wouldn’t take much for him to lean forward and kiss you. Your chest is tight from the hope that he will and from the worry that he won’t.

               “May I kiss you to make sure?” His words are soft, taking root in your chest and wiggling down as if going to sleep under a large blanket.

               You feel intoxicated as if you’re going to fall right into Seonghwa’s expression forever. You manage to nod and he brings one hand up to cup your cheek, leaning forward and pressing his lips against yours. Your entire body is melting into him, your mouth opening as the kiss deepens. His gloss smears against your lips, his grip tightening on your thigh briefly as goosebumps break out across your skin.

               Kissing Seonghwa feels different than all the previous kisses you’ve had before. There is something comforting and familiar about it even though you have never touched him prior. Your brain is delicious white noise, no concerns about the fact he is too beautiful for you or this must be some fever dream you’re having in your bed.

               His hand moves to the back of your neck, the kiss deepening. It is difficult to wrap your head around the fact you are kissing Seonghwa in your café with his shirt hanging off his shoulders, the necklace against his toned chest, his slender frame so close to yours.

               The kiss ends as Seonghwa brings his lips down across your jawline to your neck, kissing and nuzzling the skin there until your toes curl with heightening pleasure. It is easy to succumb to Seonghwa, not simply because he is so stunning and ethereal to be around, but because there is a heart underneath the beauty, a loneliness that makes him human after all.

               He nibbles at your neck, just lightly enough to drive you crazy, and there are no more words spoken and no more conversations needed about where the two of you stand. Driven forward simply by desire, you are both swept up in one another. You grab his hand and bring it to your chest and he begins to grope your tits through your shirt and bra, his breathing quickening at the unspoken permission given to him. His lips are back on yours, his tongue in your mouth, the movements growing impatient as both of you want more. The kiss breaks just so Seonghwa can remove your shirt, pulling down your bra to free your tits.

               He lowers his head to suck on one your nipples, his fingers pinching and tugging on the other one to make you sigh as your body responds to his touch. One of your hands is in his hair, silver blonde locks in between your fingers as he switches to suck on your other nipple, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin slightly – just enough to make you jump a little from the touch. This only seems to spurn him on more, his shirt sliding down off his shoulders to expose the soft skin of his back. There is something vulnerable about this, something that makes you want him in a way that has your head spinning.

               One of his hands snakes down to the button of your jeans, swiftly undoing it and sliding the zipper down. Seonghwa pushes away from your tits, the lip gloss long gone by now. Instead, his lips are flushed with colour from the kissing and sucking on your nipples.

               “That helped me clear things up,” He says breathlessly, “I think I’m certain now that I like you.”

               You want to reply, say something coy, something cute, but your brain is too empty for that. All you can do is muster a nod. Seonghwa doesn’t seem to notice because he is too busy shifting off the couch to his knees in front of you.

               Removing your jeans, leaving you in just your underwear with your bra bunched up under your tits, you would assume the nerves would strike now. Here you are, after all, with the most gorgeous guy you’ve ever seen getting ready to eat you out by some chance of fate but instead the entire situation…feels almost familiar in some sort of way. There is no anxiety or fretting about anything. It is as if everything has fallen into place with him even though it typically takes you ages to feel comfortable going this far with someone.

               Your legs reflexively open to give him room as Seonghwa runs one finger down the front of your underwear, taking a mental note of how wet you already are. Lowering his head, he begins to leave a trail of kisses along your thighs, working his way closer to your underwear. You watch, entranced at a sight that you thought would never be possible, transfixed at the shock of blonde hair in between your legs.

               Seonghwa presses his lips against the thin fabric of your underwear, moving upwards and blowing gently on your clit just to drive you crazy. Hooking his thumbs into the band of your underwear, he slides them off you, not wasting any time in probing your folds with his tongue.

               Your head rolls back against the couch, losing yourself in the way his tongue slips in your hole, the soft moan escaping from his lips as he tastes you. His movements are more languid now, he is taking his time as if he has thought about this before. Meticulously, he moves his tongue upwards, avoiding your clit just to make you shiver with need.

               His hands gently rest on your thighs to make sure your pussy remains before him as his tongue swoops downwards back into your hole. Seonghwa’s nose brushes against your clit, causing you to jump and look down at him.

               His eyes are closed, content to just slowly pump his tongue in and out of your wet hole. You can hear the quiet motions of his tongue against your wetness. At some point he must have shrugged out of his shirt, leaving his bare shoulders exposed. You are aching with desire, wishing that Seonghwa would move his tongue to your clit. As if hearing you, he brings his mouth upwards and gives a small suck on your swollen nub. This makes you gasp but he doesn’t stop. His mouth encircles your clit and he gives a harder slurp on it before swirling his tongue around it.

               Seonghwa starts to lap at your nub, his mouth hot against your cunt. You are shivering, your thighs shaking from the heightening pleasure. It is then that he opens his eyes to look at you. The sight makes you moan, your breathing hard and fast at the sight of Seonghwa buried in between your thighs, his tongue flicking over your clit. He looks patient as if he could live in between your thighs. Maybe it is from thinking about him so much or the fact it is surreal to see him like this but your orgasm is already approaching.

               Seonghwa closes his eyes, going back to sucking on your clit. The sounds of him slurping on it are pornographic, your moaning groaning louder as you grip his hair. Your head rolls back once more, your entire body tingling as your thighs clench. Seonghwa doesn’t stop, doesn’t change his speed. He seems confident in that you’ll finish at the pace he has settled on and you know that he is right.

               Your orgasm begins, so intense that your hips buck but he doesn’t stop what he is doing. Seonghwa works his tongue against your clit as you climax, your moaning loud and pleading, unable to control yourself. He slows down his ministrations as your orgasm begins to subside. Once you have finished and are trying to catch your breath, he lazily licks at your hole, waiting for you to be able to focus once again.

               Then he pulls away from your cunt. If the sight of him drinking coffee had been enough to give you heart palpations then the image of Seonghwa with his messy hair and face covered in your juices might push you over the edge.

               “I liked when you straddled me earlier,” His voice is taunt with desire, “Would you do it again?”

               At this point you are convinced that you would do anything he requested. Giving a nod since you’re too out of breath to talk, Seonghwa stands up, quickly removing his pants and boxers, stroking his hard cock. The sight of him touching himself like that is too much – his long and slender fingers wrapped around his cock, the charm bracelet winking coyly at you, the necklace against his chest – he looks beautiful and before he can get on the couch, you lean forward and take him in your mouth.

               Surprised by this, Seonghwa makes a small noise in the back of his throat that quickly turns into a stifled groan as your lips wrap around the head of his cock, tasting his precum. He is a little too large for your mouth but you start to suck on him, your cheeks hollowing as you do so. Drool pools on the bottom of your lips, sticky strands mixing with his precum. His hand is lightly resting on the back of your head, a silent plea for more. You take as much of him as possible until he hits the back of your throat. When his cock slips out of your mouth from gag reflex, the spit and cum has gotten all over your bra.

               “I’m gonna cum if you keep doing that,” He says and it is evident from his tone that some part of him is longing just for you to suck him until he unloads in your mouth, fighting against the other part of him that wishes to fuck you.

               For the first time, you form a sentence that is tinged without anxiety or nerves. “Then fuck me.”

               Seonghwa’s eyes are hazy with desire as he lays back down on the couch, his hands reaching out for your waist, tugging you back onto him in the same position as your accidental fall earlier. Your pussy presses against his hard cock and you rock your hips tentatively just to hear Seonghwa sharply inhale. He reaches down to hold his cock so you can bring yourself down on it.

               Between the mess of your orgasm and his cock covered in spit and precum, your pussy takes him easily. The sensation is so intense that your hands go to his stomach to steady yourself, trying to get used to how stuffed you are.

               “Fuck yourself on me,” He says, his voice like jagged glass, “I want to watch your pussy take my cock.”

               You begin to bounce on him, taking him as deep as possible every time you move down. Seonghwa is underneath you like a sliver of the moon, his blonde hair tousled, his body slender and lithe, the necklace jostling with each bounce. His cheeks are flushed with slight colour, his lips a delicious pink. His hands are on your waist, helping you take his cock, eyes cast downward to watch the way your pussy swallows him. The sight is driving you wild which only drives you to thrust down harder.

               With each movement, you can hear how wet you are and can feel your pussy stretching to accommodate him. You are dimly aware of the noise that you are making. The small part of your brain still running on logic cannot believe you’re fucking Seonghwa in your café but it is a very quiet part.

               Seonghwa groans loudly, his eyes closing with one particularly hard thrust. He lifts his hips up, unable to help himself, driving his cock deep in your wet pussy. You gasp, your fingers tightening around his necklace for something to hold onto. This just seems to make him want more because he begins to jerk his hips up, no longer waiting for you. Your knuckles are white from the way you grip the necklace, leaning forward a bit as he rams his thick cock in you. You are groaning, begging for him not to stop because he is hitting your sweet spot from this angle. You’re going to cum again, this time around his girth.

               Seonghwa is panting, erratically thrusting. Each jerk of his hips makes your body rock as your climax draws closer. You may be telling him that you’re close or it could be gibberish tumbling from your mouth; you aren’t sure. You don’t care. Urgently, you try to match his movements with your own, attempting to be in sync. But Seonghwa’s pace is impossible to match. Your face rests on his chest now, his hands moving from your hips to grip your ass, driving his cock deep in you. The sound of skin against skin is the loudest next to Seonghwa’s heartbeat in your ear. You think that you might be drooling against him, your head blissfully blank as your body shudders.

               You curse loudly, and realize that you’ve tugged too hard on his necklace – the chain has broken and it is wrapped around your hand. Seonghwa doesn’t seem to care, too intent on chasing his own orgasm. With one final harried moan, your pussy tightens around his length as you begin to climax.

               Seonghwa grunts, spilling out in your pussy, filling you up with his load. He shudders, going still as he finishes. You can feel how much cum is in you, can feel your pussy milking his cock for it, the way your thighs are sticky from it.

               You go limp against him, slowly opening the palm of your hand to see tiny idents from the necklace against your skin.

               “I broke your necklace,” You mumble, dazed as Seonghwa slips out of you, his breathing heavy.

               “That’s okay,” He pants – clearly the necklace is not on his mind.

               For the next ten minutes, the two of you are silent, just tired blobs entwined. At one point, you can feel him tracing lazy circles against your back as he gently stirs back to life.

               “Well,” He finally says into the quiet café, “I guess the photoshoot went well.”

               “Guess so,” You mumble, feeling content against him.

               “Maybe we can do more in the future.”

               You shift slightly, just enough to look up at Seonghwa. He doesn’t even look unsure or worried about your denial of such a request – a thinly veiled statement disguised as a question of asking you out – and why would he? The connection between the two of you is real, even if you find it difficult to wrap your head around it.

               “Well, I guess it’ll help me practice my photography,” Another full sentence! Amazing what fucking someone can do for social anxiety, “So, I agree.”

               Seonghwa gives you a small smile before pulling you towards him, his lips against yours, hands on your lower back. The words of this beautiful man who wants you are now shining brightly in your mind, a promise of things to come and of future possibilities with him.

the end.

[jacentric]

heres some of my fibers and metalsmithing work if yall wanna see it :) im putting it all under the cut so i can explain them a bit lmao (and theres also a good amount of them)

this one is probably my favorite maybe ever. its a self portrait and i dyed the three colors in the background that arent solids and the patterns in my hair and shirt i designed in illustrator and printed them out on fabric with this rly cool fabric printer. this is also 60x80 inches so its big. and the backing fabric is also fully dyed (the photo on the right featuring my cat helping ofc)

these are little keychains/zipper pulls of pride flags that i dyed most of the colors for (excluding the basic rainbow) and wove on an inkle loom. we sold them to raise money for various queer charities (i started this project after a shooting at a queer club in my state. we donated about $500 to them)

these rings were lost wax cast in sterling silver and bronze. the two on the left are knit and purl stitches and i hand carved them out of wax. the next three are cat food, corn, and a tractor tire and those i designed in a 3d modeling program and 3d printed them out. and the last one is a design from a spoon handle that i took a mold of and then cast.

this one is another favorite. instead of weaving just one solid fabric, this is weaving two at the same time (called double weave) and basically the black butterflies can be/are a seperate fabric than the purple ones. but they are interwoven together to make this pattern. it took foreverrrr to weave this and i came up with the pattern myself. (i was also individually picking up the strands to make the pattern based off of my graph paper sketch)

another weaving here that ended up being like 2x3 feet big. i wove it on a giant frame loom i made. its a tide pool and for our critique i submerged it in water and had a little aquarium pump running to create some waves. a fun fact about this piece was i made it when i first started watching foolish. this took absolutely forever and i watched foolish build the xd statue wings at the same time so we were 'suffering' together XD

i definitely have more to share if anyone wants to see them but ill end with this one for now. this is a copper chain mail pocket that can be used to help dye fabric. i made all of the jump rings myself (winding wire around a dowel and then sawing the spring into rings and which also took forever) and the chainmail pattern is called japanese 6 in 1. there is one slightly bigger and thicker ring with 6 smaller ones coming off of it. and it is so satisfying to hold bc its so heavy and makes such a nice noise. and the fabric dying bit, when dying with natural dyes (marigolds, logwood, etc) you need a mordant that basically allows the color to 'stick' to the fabric. most of the time, ive used alum which comes from aluminum, but copper also works. so i get to skip the step of pre-soaking the fabric in an alum mixture and can instead just put my marigolds into the copper pocket and that will mordant it and the same time its being dyed. you can see the little yellow fabric sticking out of the pocket there and that was dyed using the bag.

anyway if you made it this far down thanks for reading and id looove to talk more about any of this if you have questions or want to see more works of mine,, i have a lot XD :)

[phrynefishersfrocks]

The fifth ensemble of "Dead Air" (Season 2, Episode 11) features one of Miss Fisher's statement coats, a grey tweed with white panels, a black blouse, her black wide-legged pants, and her classic cat burglar hat.

Phryne's entire look is a wonderful example of reusing previous pieces in a new way. Her heathered tweed coat, created by loosely weaving black and white elements together, was previously seen in "Raisins and Almonds" (1x05). It has white panels set into the fabric along the back seam, the outer edge of the sleeves, and lines that start at her underarm and zig-zag down to the hem. The side closure is a black embroidered hook and eye set to help it cross over her chest.

While worn over a white outfit in 1x05, we see it here over her all black casual home outfit (minus the cardigan) seen earlier in this episode. Her black blouse has matching loose ties that follow her v-neckline, and is a staple in her season two wardrobe, showing up six times so far (2x04, 2x05, 2x06, twice in 2x08, and earlier in 2x11). Its paired with her classic black silk faille pants and accented with black leather gloves.

She accessorizes with her silver capped onyx teardrop earrings, and a brooch featuring a white carved flower set into a black oval frame, worn earlier in 2x08, and black heels. As per usual, Phryne adds a fabulous hat to her silhouette. Appropriately known as her 'cat-burglar beret', this black circular beret has been worn twelve times so far - (twice in 1x05, 1x06, 1x09, twice in 1x10, 2x01, 2x03, 2x04, 2x05, 2x06, 2x07, and here in 2x11).

Season 2, Episode 11 - "Dead Air"

Screencaps from here, hat photo from the official Pinterest, production photos from various sources (x, x, x), Costume Exhibition photo of brooch from Dayna’s Blog.

[monterraverde]

Rika’s Mind Palace.

It's in pockets, like biomes under a terrarium, surrounded be abject chaos outside the glass domes. You can walk between them, but they won't touch. The largest one in the center is very sunny and open, inviting, filled with spectral visages of many different ground type pokemon. A small recreation of her home sits there, filled with pictures of her closest friends and those she considers family, and any kind of gifts they've given her placed neatly on the shelves. The others are locked, and would take some brute forcing to get past.

One used to be a dusty, haunted space, filled with anxiety- but has recently been cleaned, a little bit more bearable. The sound of a child crying is heard in the distance somewhere, but the origin is unknown.

Another is that of a hospital, dead silent outside of the perpetual beeping of an ECG, and the hiss of a ventilator. Multiple beds are lined along the walls of an ICU, each one marked with her name, and some kind of injury sustained. The sheets are stained with blood, left messy, as if hastily evacuated, and one at the very far end with her mothers name, neatly made, surrounded by flowers and get well soon gifts, childish drawings and sea shells painted in vibrant colors and patterns. It's notably the only one with any kind of light source, being situated next to a window.

Outside a spectral version of herself sits on a bench, no older then nine or ten, cradling her three year old sister.

A third is of their childhood home in Los Platos, and arguably the hardest one to breach. Half-destroyed like a tornado ripped through it- Its oppressive, and whatever force is haunting it demands interlopers leave, and will remove them by force if necessary. The area is haunted by voices of the past, her parents screaming at one another, the sounds of glass breaking and things being thrown permeating the very air, her and her sisters desperate please laced underneath- barely heard, barely understood.

Another, a room full of mirrors, cracked and shattered, the floor covered in glass- not all of them from the mirrors themselves. A framed photo of herself hangs on the wall between some of the mirrors, the glass also cracked, and the picture underneath marred- Shards of the glass taken and used to cut and carve away at it.

The last greatly resembles a mash-up of Area zero and Mt. Silver, as if someone dropped the burial mound they camped in down in Area zero somewhere, covered in crystals, the air just as oppressive and suffocating as the real things, as if something invisible reaches out and grabs whoever enters by the throat and refuses to let go. Recently black tendrils have started covering the ground, their source unknown, but unmistakable to anyone who has been privy to recent events.

The entire palace is disorganized and carries an air of uncertainty- She'd rather sequester and bury those parts of her she deems awful and painful then deal with them, and in turn they continue to darken her door and control her, even if she doesnt think they do. Pathways of information often stop dead and take a hard turn into these locked biomes before seeming to circle back onto their originally intended path, and some pathways just stop dead for no reason. It's a mess, but order is slowly creeping its way in.

[cow-tag]

i had a strange dream last night. it was somewhat all over the place, but the most memorable part of the dream was the story of a man of whom drove people to and from an old house. It was the house of an old painter, or a painter's subject, something along those lines. in the dream it was said to be the house of Mona Lisa, but she was not the actual mona Lisa. Her house was a small cottage in the woods, no bigger than a single room. there was a large mirror to the right of the door when you first walked in, as big as the wall and the frame had intricate beautiful carvings in silver. it was said that if you see the ghost of mona lisa, you were doomed. the mona lisa in my dream was tall and beautiful, with thick blonde hair framing her face, i think. she sat in a rocking chair when you would see her in the mirror, staring back at you. to escape death, you had to leave immedietly. you had to enter the left side of the car that brings and takes you from the house, and sit in the far left seat, in the vary back row. there was a sticker on the seatbelt, and it could not be ripped. if it was ripped, or scratched off, you were doom. no because of the ghost, but because of the man driving you. if the sticker was ripped, he would drive a while, before some tragedy occured. i remember specifically a time where there was a lady in the car with him, and she had been mauled by a bear. but he could not escape the bear in time, and was dragged to the woods to be left for dead. He did not die, he fell into the river and attempted to live and pass off as a beaver. [not sure why. maybe the movie tusk had an effect on my brain or soemthing.] One day, months later, he was caught in a net with around five other beavers, i think? he was dragged ashore, and set on top of a pile akin to the pile he was left on when he was almost killed by the bear. his body was horribnly disfigured at this point, see the photo above, and he was sure this was it. but something dragged him off the path by the river and through the woods, i cant quite remeber what. for some reason my brain made the connection of this was the spirit of his mother. It's stupid to think about now, as i'm awake and typing this, but i cant help but feel a sense of sadness going through this. the spirit had dragged him back to protect the house and the spirit inside of it, eventually pushing him to the point of killing anybody who stepped foot on the grounds. i was terrified in the moment as i dreamt this, but now i cant help but feel back for this man. this man, of whom spent his whole life guarding a place he had no connection to, driving back and forth, and back and forth, watching tragedy after tragedy. the only time he had some semblance of peace, he had lost his humanity. even then, he was forced back into the same monatony but in a new, much more horrifying sense. he had to sit for the rest of.. god knows how long, doing nothing but causing pain and suffering for himself and others. I cant help but wonder if i am upset i had this dream because it had scared me so much while i slept, or because it created a man with no redemption and no chance for salvation. This is a dream i will never forget, he will sit in the depths of my mind for whenever i am brought back to him. he will never leave. i cannot tell if i am upset because of how he affected me, or because of how the world affected him.

[pushpa-exports]

Silver Carved Tree Style Photo Frame

The Silver Carved Tree Style Photo Frame is a unique fusion of artistry and nature-inspired elegance. With intricate tree-like carvings and a silver finish, it beautifully showcases your cherished photos. Elevate your interior decor with this exquisite frame that adds a touch of natural beauty to your living space.

https://www.pushpaexport.com

[threadvibeliving]

Top Diwali Gifts for Clients

Finding the perfect Diwali gift for clients can be tricky, but it’s a valuable way to show appreciation and strengthen business relationships. Here’s a guide to thoughtful and impressive Diwali gift ideas that will make your clients feel valued.

Unique Diwali Gift Ideas for Clients

When selecting corporate gifts for Diwali, aim for items that are both professional and thoughtful. Gift hampers, in particular, are a popular choice because they offer variety and personalization. Here are some ideas to help you create a memorable Diwali hamper for your clients:

Urli Decorations — A beautiful urli with a lotus diya is a colorful and elegant gift that brings a festive vibe to any space.

Silver Ganesh Idol — A silver Ganesh statue is a traditional and thoughtful gift, perfect for Diwali and sure to be appreciated by clients.

Coffee Mug Set — For a casual gift option, consider a set of stylish coffee mugs, which make for practical and everyday use.

Home Decor Items — Quirky items like bull-themed ashtrays add character and charm, making them memorable gifts.

Curated Dry Fruits Box — A premium selection of dry fruits is a timeless Diwali gift that everyone can enjoy.

Building a Diwali Gift Hamper

A Diwali hamper is a great way to showcase your appreciation. Here are some suggestions for what to include:

Photo Frames — A hand-carved wooden frame adds a personal and decorative touch.

Ram Lalla Idol — Miniature sculptures of Ram Lalla are beautiful and meaningful additions that reflect Diwali traditions.

Flavored Dry Fruits — Adding chocolate-covered almonds or spiced cashews adds a delicious twist.

Wellness Products — Include luxury soaps, face masks, and other wellness items to create a spa-like experience.

Gourmet Chocolates — High-quality chocolates make for a luxurious treat your clients will love.

7 Unique Diwali Gifts for Clients

Copper Bottle and Glass Set — Show your commitment to sustainability with a stylish set of copper drinkware, which is both eco-friendly and health-conscious.

2. Scented Candle Set — A set of assorted scented candles creates a calming and luxurious gift, perfect for Diwali festivities.

3. Antique Pen Stand — This elegant and functional desk accessory combines style and practicality.

4. Traditional Silk Shawl — An intricately designed silk shawl is a beautiful and cultural gift that shows deep appreciation.

5. Handcrafted Table Clock — A unique handcrafted clock showcases Indian artistry and makes for an elegant decorative item.

6. Personalized Chocolates — Customized chocolates with client initials make for a memorable, thoughtful gift.

7. Assorted Sweets Box — No Diwali gift is complete without sweets! Include classic treats like kaju katli, soan papdi, and rasgullas for a traditional touch.

By combining thoughtful and unique items, you can create Diwali gifts that your clients will remember and appreciate, helping you build strong business relationships for the future.

For any questions or assistance with your Diwali decoration ideas, feel free to contact us at Threadvibe Living.

Contact Number: 9650034933 Business Email: care@threadvibeliving.com

[sceneloc8official]

Best Photography Locations in Alwar

Alwar, located in Rajasthan’s Aravalli range, is a hidden gem for couples arranging their pre-wedding photographs and content creators, photographers, and videographers. Because of its fascinating history, breathtaking architecture, and lively culture, Alwar provides a variety of scenic settings that can enhance any creative effort. This blog will examine the top Alwar picture spots and offer helpful advice and innovative ideas to spark your next photo session.

Highlight of the City: Alwar’s Allure

Alwar is more than just a city; it is a vibrant reminder of Rajasthan’s imperial past. Well-known for its imposing forts, placid lakes, and lively bazaars, Alwar has a certain appeal that draws tourists in. The city’s environment combines current energy with historical grandeur and is perfect for creating materials. Alwar provides countless opportunities for artistic expression, from historic buildings that tell tales of bygone eras to bustling streets brimming with regional culture.

The Bala Fort in Bala Quila

Aesthetic Appeal: Bala Quila’s high location offers expansive views of Alwar and the surrounding area. The elaborate carvings and old fort walls provide a breathtaking background for pictures.

Accessibility: The fort is reached via a steep road that may require some hiking. To beat the heat, visit in the late afternoon or early morning.

Challenges: Bring plenty of water and proper footwear since this hike might be taxing for some.

Lake Siliserh

Aesthetic Appeal: This tranquil lake, encircled by rich vegetation, provides a soothing backdrop ideal for romantic photo shoots. The Siliserh Lake Palace adds a touch of grandeur to any frame.

Accessibility: This location is perfect for both quick trips and lengthy shooting, as it is easily accessible from the city center.

Challenges: Misty early mornings can both hinder visibility and give photographs an ethereal feel.

Sariska Tiger Reserve

Aesthetic Appeal: Sariska, well-known for its animals and unspoiled beauty, offers a variety of landscapes, from expansive grasslands to deep forests. It’s ideal for photos with an adventurous vibe.

Accessibility: The location is about 37 kilometers from the city of Alwar, so we advise making advance travel arrangements.

Challenges: When photographing wildlife, take patience and occasionally good fortune; be prepared for lengthy waiting.

The Fort-Palace Neemrana

Aesthetic Appeal: This 15th-century fort-palace is well-known for its exquisite interior design and magnificent architecture. It offers an opulent setting ideal for pre-wedding and wedding photos.

Accessibility: It’s easily accessible by road, situated around 60 miles from Alwar.

Challenges: If you want to shoot inside the fort grounds, you must make a reservation in advance.

Include Regional Culture

If you want your images or videos to convey the spirit of Alwar perfectly, think about introducing some local cultural features into your shots:

Traditional Clothes: Encourage subjects to dress in Rajasthani garments like turbans or lehengas to add authenticity.

Local Crafts: To showcase the area’s artistic talent, use native handicrafts as props in your photo sessions.

Events & Festivals: To get colorful photos, schedule your session around regional holidays like Teej or Diwali.

Conventional Components for Your Photograph

Adding traditional Rajasthani components will significantly improve your images:

Accessory Items: Incorporate colorful bangles or exquisite silver jewelry into your clients’ ensembles.

Local Cuisine: If your photoshoot topic includes food styling, think about incorporating regional specialties such as dal baati churma.

A genuine Rajasthani experience should include camel rides or horseback riding.

Concepts for Photography

Regal Portraits at Bala Quila: Take pictures of people at golden hour against the magnificent backdrop of Bala Quila.

At Siliserh Lake, experience a romantic atmosphere by using the boats for enchanting couple’s portraits or engagement photos.

Sariska’s Wildlife Adventure: Capture the essence of a safari trip by focusing on interactions with wildlife.

Concepts for Videography

Cinematic Love Story at Neemrana Fort-Palace: Make a short film showcasing romantic tales while highlighting the fort’s opulence.

Vloggers’ Adventure in Alwar Markets: Interact with sellers while capturing the lively street life and neighborhood markets.

Music Videos with Local Artists: Collaborate with local musicians to make videos honoring local culture.

Useful Advice

Permits: Check beforehand; some areas could need them for filming or taking pictures.

Weather: Alwar has sweltering summers; for comfort, schedule photo shoots in the milder months of October through March.

Local Vendors: Contact neighborhood photographers like RK Digital Photography or Kiroriwal Designs & Photography for support or cooperation.

Accommodation Options: For convenience, reserve rooms in advance at historic hotels or resorts close to your filming sites.

Cities Close by for Photographic Shoots

Jaipur, also known as the “Pink City,” has many palaces and forts that make excellent picture subjects.

Neemrana: Known for its fort-palace, which offers breathtaking backgrounds for various photo projects.

Sikar: Provides exquisite Rajasthani architecture to complement any kind of photography.

Filming Locations in Alwar

Because of its beautiful surroundings, Alwar has appeared in several Bollywood films. Notable examples are “Veer” (2010) and “Baaghi 2” (2018), both of which made use of the rich historical background of the city.

Conclusion

For content creators seeking to create breathtaking images rich in culture and history, Alwar is a standout destination. This city presents countless creative photography and videography opportunities because of its varied landscapes and historic traditions. Making preparations in advance and using regional features will help you produce engaging content that appeals to viewers outside of Rajasthan.

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Transform Your Memories into Art with Jay Strongwater's Exquisite Picture Frames

Cherished memories deserve more than a simple photo album or a plain frame. They deserve to be celebrated, highlighted, and made into works of art that become a centerpiece of your home decor. Jay Strongwater’s exquisite picture frames do exactly that, turning your favorite photographs into masterpieces that capture not only the moments but also the essence of elegance and style.

The Jay Strongwater Difference: A Legacy of Craftsmanship

Jay Strongwater is a name synonymous with luxury, craftsmanship, and creativity. For over two decades, Jay Strongwater has been crafting unique, hand-painted, and intricately adorned picture frames high end that are more than just a place to display your photographs. Each frame is a statement piece, meticulously crafted by skilled artisans who understand that true beauty lies in the details.

The frames are made from the finest materials, including cast pewter, Swarovski crystals, and hand-enameled details that bring a touch of opulence and refinement to any space. Each piece is designed to stand out, with bold colors, intricate patterns, and luxurious textures that make them not just a frame, but a work of art in itself.

Unique Designs to Complement Every Style

One of the hallmarks of Jay Strongwater's picture frames is their ability to fit seamlessly into any decor style. Whether your home boasts a classic, vintage look, a minimalist modern design, or something entirely unique, there is a Jay Strongwater frame that can complement and elevate your space.

Classic Elegance: For those who love timeless designs, the classic frames are perfect. Adorned with intricate floral patterns, scrollwork, and a mix of gold, silver, and antique finishes, these frames exude sophistication and charm.

Modern Glamour: If your decor leans towards the contemporary, choose frames that feature clean lines, geometric patterns, and bold colors. The use of Swarovski crystals in these designs adds a hint of sparkle, making them a perfect choice for a modern yet glamorous aesthetic.

Eclectic and Artistic: For the eclectic and artistic home, Jay Strongwater offers frames that are truly unique. Think vibrant colors, unexpected shapes, and a combination of materials that create a distinctive look, perfect for those who love to stand out and make a statement with their decor.

Handcrafted Artistry: A Commitment to Quality

At Jay Strongwater, quality is paramount. Each frame is handcrafted by artisans who have honed their skills over years of practice. The process begins with a hand-carved wax model, which is then cast in pewter. The frames are polished to a high shine before being hand-painted with layers of enamel to achieve a rich, lustrous finish. Finally, Swarovski crystals are meticulously applied by hand to create a dazzling effect that catches the light from every angle.

This level of detail and dedication ensures that each frame is not only beautiful but also built to last. When you choose a Jay Strongwater frame, you're investing in a piece that will stand the test of time, both in terms of quality and style.

Elevate Your Home Decor with Jay Strongwater

Adding a Jay Strongwater frame to your home is an effortless way to elevate your decor. Place a frame on a mantel, side table, or bookshelf to create a focal point that draws the eye and adds a touch of luxury to the space. These frames are versatile enough to stand alone as a statement piece or to be grouped together for a stunning gallery effect.

For a personalized touch, consider using Jay Strongwater frames to showcase special memories like a wedding, a family reunion, or a significant milestone. The frames’ luxurious picture frames designs will enhance the beauty of your photographs, transforming them into art that tells your unique story.

The Perfect Gift: Give the Gift of Elegance

A Jay Strongwater picture frame is not just a purchase for yourself; it is also a perfect gift for loved ones. Whether it's for a wedding, anniversary, birthday, or holiday, a picture frame from Jay Strongwater is a thoughtful and memorable gift that will be cherished for years to come. With a variety of styles and designs to choose from, you can find a frame that perfectly matches the recipient's taste and style.

Experience the Beauty of Jay Strongwater

Transform your cherished memories into works of art with the exquisite picture frames from Jay Strongwater. Explore the wide range of distinctive designs that will not only preserve your memories but also enhance your home's aesthetic appeal. Discover how these frames can make a difference in your decor by visiting jaystrongwater.com.

Indulge in the elegance of Jay Strongwater and experience the ultimate blend of art and functionality in your home today. Make every memory a masterpiece and every moment unforgettable with a touch of luxury.

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The Art of Home Decor: Elevating Spaces with Ornaments

Home decor is a beautiful blend of personal style, comfort, and creativity. Ornaments, in particular, hold the power to transform a room, adding character, warmth, and individuality. These finishing touches, from vintage keepsakes to modern art pieces, play a significant role in turning a house into a home.

The Impact of Ornaments in Home Decor

Ornaments are more than mere decorative items; they bring stories, memories, and a personal touch to a space. They can evoke emotions and create a sense of belonging. Each carefully chosen piece contributes to the overall atmosphere, making the home more inviting and reflective of the homeowner’s personality.

Selecting the Perfect Ornaments

Choosing the right ornaments is crucial to creating a cohesive and appealing decor. Consider the following factors:

1. Style and Theme: Ornaments should harmonize with the overall decor style of your home. For example, rustic interiors might feature wooden carvings and antique lanterns, while modern spaces might include sleek metal sculptures and abstract artwork. Maintaining consistency in style ensures a unified and attractive look.

2. Colour Coordination: Ornaments should complement the room's colour scheme. Coordinated colours enhance visual appeal. In a neutral-toned room, vibrant ornaments can stand out as focal points, while in a colourful room, neutral or metallic ornaments can provide balance and harmony.

3. Scale and Proportion: The size of ornaments should be suitable for the space they occupy. Larger rooms can accommodate bigger pieces like oversized vases and large wall art, while smaller spaces are better suited for delicate items such as small figurines and compact decorative bowls. The key is to ensure that ornaments enhance rather than overwhelm the space.

4. Placement: Thoughtful placement of ornaments is essential for maximizing their impact. Statement pieces can be placed on mantelpieces, console tables, or as dining table centrepieces. Smaller ornaments can be grouped on shelves, side tables, or within glass cabinets. Varying the heights and layers of ornaments can add depth and interest to the display.

Personalising Your Space with Ornaments

Ornaments offer an excellent way to personalize home decor. Here are some ideas to infuse your space with personal touches:

1. Displaying Memories: Incorporate items that hold sentimental value, such as family photos in stylish frames, travel souvenirs, and cherished gifts. Displaying these prominently can evoke fond memories and create a sense of nostalgia.

2. Showcasing Hobbies and Interests: Use ornaments that reflect your hobbies and interests. For instance, a music lover might display vintage vinyl records or musical instruments, while an avid reader might have a collection of beautifully bound books and literary-themed art.

3. Handmade and Artisanal Pieces: Including handmade ornaments or items sourced from local artisans adds a unique and authentic touch to your decor. These pieces often have a story behind them and showcase craftsmanship and creativity.

4. Seasonal Decor: Changing ornaments according to the season can refresh the look of a space. For example, during the winter months, cosy up your home with plush throws, pinecone centrepieces, and twinkling fairy lights. In summer, opt for vibrant cushions, floral arrangements, and beach-themed ornaments.

Current Trends in Ornaments

While personal preference is paramount, staying updated with current trends can provide inspiration. Popular trends in home decor ornaments include:

1. Natural Elements: Incorporating natural materials like wooden sculptures, stone vases, and seashell decorations brings warmth and organic beauty to a space.

2. Metallic Accents: Gold, silver, and copper ornaments add a touch of luxury and sophistication. They can be used in various forms, from metallic picture frames to shimmering candle holders.

3. Minimalist Designs: Ornaments with clean lines, simple shapes, and neutral colours are favoured for their understated elegance and versatility, aligning with the minimalist decor trend.

4. Eclectic Mix: Mixing different styles, eras, and materials can create a unique and eclectic look. Combining vintage finds with modern pieces or traditional ornaments with contemporary art results in a visually interesting and dynamic decor.

Ornaments are the elements that breathe life into home decor. They are not just decorative items but expressions of personal stories, memories, and tastes. By thoughtfully selecting and placing ornaments, homeowners can create spaces that are not only beautiful but also meaningful and reflective of their individuality. Whether through sentimental family photos, artisanal crafts, or trendy metallic accents, the right ornaments can truly transform a house into a home.

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Creating Lasting Impressions: Silver Decorative Items Collection At Beliram Online

In the realm of home decor, the right pieces can transform a house into a haven, a space where every corner reflects the personality and style of its inhabitants. When it comes to curating a space that exudes elegance and sophistication, silver decorative items play a pivotal role. Beliram Online offers a stunning collection of silver decorative items that not only enhance the aesthetic appeal of any living space but also leave a lasting impression on guests and inhabitants alike. Let's delve into the world of silver decor and explore how these exquisite pieces can elevate your home.

The Essence of Silver Decorative Items

Silver has long been associated with luxury, elegance, and timeless beauty. Its lustrous appeal adds a touch of glamour to any setting, making it a popular choice for home decor enthusiasts. At Beliram Online, the silver decorative items collection encompasses a diverse range of pieces, from intricate figurines to ornate vases, each crafted with precision and attention to detail. Whether you're looking to adorn your living room, bedroom, or dining area, there's something to suit every taste and style preference.

Elevating Your Living Room Decor

The living room serves as the heart of the home, a space where family and friends gather to relax and unwind. Elevate your living room decor with Beliram's exquisite silver decorative items. Adorn your coffee table with a stunning silver vase filled with fresh flowers, or showcase a set of intricately designed figurines on your mantelpiece. The shimmering allure of silver will instantly captivate the eye and add a touch of opulence to your living space.

House Decoration Items That Make a Statement

When it comes to house decoration items, it's all about making a statement. Whether you're furnishing a new home or giving your current space a makeover, the right decorative pieces can truly elevate the ambiance. At Beliram Online, you'll find an array of silver decor items that are sure to leave a lasting impression. From intricately carved candle holders to elegant serving trays, each piece is designed to add a touch of sophistication to your home.

The Perfect Housewarming Gift

Searching for the perfect housewarming gift? Look no further than Beliram Online's collection of silver decorative items. Whether you're congratulating a friend on their new home or welcoming a loved one to their dream abode, a silver decor piece is a thoughtful and timeless gift choice. Opt for a silver photo frame to capture precious memories, or surprise them with a set of silver tea light holders to add a warm glow to their space. Whatever you choose, it's sure to be cherished for years to come.

Shopping for Home Decor Items Online

In today's fast-paced world, convenience is key. Thankfully, Beliram Online offers a seamless shopping experience, allowing you to browse and purchase your favorite home decor items from the comfort of your own home. With just a few clicks, you can explore their extensive collection of silver decorative items, read product descriptions, and compare prices to find the perfect pieces for your space. Plus, with secure payment options and doorstep delivery, shopping for home decor has never been easier.

Silver Decorative Items: A Timeless Touch of Elegance

In the world of interior design, it's often the smallest details that make the biggest impact. When it comes to creating a space that reflects your personality and style, silver decorative items offer a timeless touch of elegance that never goes out of fashion. At Beliram Online, you'll find a curated collection of silver decor pieces that are not only visually stunning but also imbued with craftsmanship and artistry.

Craftsmanship Meets Artistry: Beliram's Silver Collection

Beliram takes pride in curating a silver collection that showcases the finest craftsmanship and attention to detail. Each piece is meticulously crafted by skilled artisans who have honed their craft over generations, resulting in decorative items that are both visually striking and beautifully functional. From intricately carved figurines to delicately etched vases, every item in Beliram's silver collection is a testament to the time-honored tradition of artisanal excellence.

Transform Your Living Space with Silver Decor

Your home is a reflection of your personality and style, and the decorative items you choose play a crucial role in shaping its ambiance. Silver decor has a unique ability to add a touch of glamour and sophistication to any room, whether it's a chic city apartment or a cozy country cottage. At Beliram Online, you'll find an array of silver decorative items designed to elevate your living space and create a lasting impression.

Silver Decor for Every Room

No matter which room you're decorating, Beliram has the perfect silver decor piece to suit your needs. In the living room, a pair of silver candle holders can add a warm, inviting glow to your space, while a silver tray can serve as a stylish centerpiece for your coffee table. In the bedroom, a silver photo frame can showcase your most cherished memories, while a silver jewelry box adds a touch of luxury to your vanity. From the kitchen to the bathroom, there's a silver decor item for every corner of your home at Beliram Online.

The Gift of Silver: Perfect for Any Occasion

Looking for the perfect gift for a housewarming, wedding, or anniversary? Look no further than Beliram's silver collection. Whether you choose a delicate silver vase, an ornate silver sculpture, or a set of silver tea light holders, you can rest assured that your gift will be both thoughtful and timeless. Silver decor items are not only beautiful to look at, but they also hold sentimental value, making them the perfect choice for marking special occasions and creating lasting memories.

Shop Beliram Online for Silver Decor Today

In conclusion, silver decorative items from Beliram Online offer a timeless touch of elegance that can transform any space into a sanctuary of style and sophistication. With their exquisite craftsmanship, attention to detail, and wide range of options, Beliram's silver collection has something for every taste and style preference. So why wait? Explore their collection today and discover the beauty of silver decor for yourself.

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Make Every Guest Smile: Best Return Gifts for Indian Weddings

Introduction: Indian weddings are known for their grandeur and hospitality, where guests are treated with warmth and respect. As a gesture of appreciation, return gifts hold significant importance in Indian wedding traditions. Choosing the right return gifts not only expresses gratitude but also leaves a lasting impression on guests. In this article, we present a curated list of the best return gifts for Indian weddings, ensuring every guest leaves with a token of love and joy.

Traditional Indian Attire:

Ethnic Potli Bags: These best return gifts for wedding indian in vibrant colors and intricate designs make perfect return gifts. Guests can use them to carry essentials or as elegant accessories.

Dupattas and Shawls: Luxurious dupattas or shawls in silk, chiffon, or pashmina are timeless gifts. They add elegance to any outfit and are cherished by recipients.

Embroidered Handkerchiefs: Delicate handkerchiefs with intricate embroidery or lacework are both practical and elegant. They make thoughtful and personalized gifts for guests.

Traditional Indian Handicrafts:

Handmade Terracotta Items: Terracotta figurines, diyas, or vases are excellent return gifts. These traditional handicrafts add a touch of rustic charm to any home.

Wooden Carvings: Intricately carved wooden items such as coasters, keychains, or decorative pieces showcase India's rich craftsmanship. They are unique and memorable gifts.

Metal Artifacts: Brass or silver-plated items like diyas, idols, or bells are considered auspicious. They are not only beautiful but also symbolize blessings for the recipients.

Utility and Home Décor:

Decorative Tea Light Holders: Elegant tea light holders or candle stands in various designs add a warm glow to any home. They are practical and create a cozy ambiance.

Aroma Diffusers or Essential Oils: Aroma diffusers with soothing fragrances or sets of essential oils are thoughtful gifts for relaxation and well-being.

Customized Coasters or Photo Frames: Personalized coasters with the couple's initials or photo frames capturing memorable moments from the wedding are cherished keepsakes.

Gourmet Delights:

Assorted Sweets Box: A box of assorted traditional Indian sweets like laddoos, barfis, and pedas is a delightful return gift. Guests can savor the flavors of India.

Flavored Dry Fruits: Indulge guests with a selection of flavored dry fruits such as roasted almonds, cashews, or pistachios. They are healthy and delicious treats.

Luxury Chocolates: Premium chocolates in elegant packaging are always a hit. Guests of all ages appreciate these sweet delights.

Personal Care and Wellness:

Spa and Wellness Kits: Pamper guests with spa kits containing bath salts, aromatic oils, and loofahs. They promote relaxation and self-care.

Herbal or Organic Products: Gift sets of herbal soaps, organic skincare products, or handmade wellness items are eco-friendly and promote well-being.

Scented Candles: Luxurious scented candles in beautiful jars or tins create a serene atmosphere. They are perfect for unwinding after the festivities.

Cultural and Eco-Friendly Gifts:

Miniature Art Pieces: Intricately painted miniature art pieces or Madhubani paintings are unique and artistic gifts.

Seed Packets or Saplings: Encourage eco-consciousness with seed packets or saplings. Guests can plant them and watch them grow as a symbol of love and growth.

Customization and Packaging:

Personalized Tags or Labels: Add a personal touch with custom tags or labels bearing the couple's names and wedding date.

Elegant Packaging: Present the gifts in elegant boxes, pouches, or baskets adorned with ribbons and floral decorations for a sophisticated look.

Conclusion: Selecting the best return gifts for an Indian wedding involves thoughtful consideration of cultural significance, practicality, and aesthetics. Whether it's traditional handicrafts, gourmet treats, wellness products, or eco-friendly options, the key is to offer guests tokens of appreciation that reflect the couple's gratitude and leave a lasting impression. With this curated list, couples can make every guest feel special and cherished as they take home a piece of the wedding's warmth and hospitality.

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