#adventure forward novelty au

[fantasy-elisa]

While school is dragging my ass to the ground I'm working on a silly AU during my free time ^_^ I plan on releasing designs soon but right now feel free to make your own interpretations!

[otakusparkle]

Identity V x Sweet Paradise Winter Cafe

Menu

Food and Dessert

- Adventurer Kurt's Adventure Fish And Chips

- The Feaster Hastur's Slow Cooked Minestrone

- Forward William's "Lazy Mr. Bunny" Goodnight Omurice

- Mind's Eye Helena's Hat Cake

- Mechanic Tracy's "Red Riding Hood" Pancakes

- Axeboy Robbie's Hide-and-seek Marshmallow Gratin

Drink

- Hot cocoa/cafe au lait with edible printed foam

- Victor's Iced Tea with Encouragement Honey

- Luca's Electric charge! Bursting Lemon Soda

- Andrew's Relieving Jelly Soda

- Margaretha's "Kroto's Secret" Blood Orange Juice

- Galatea's "Checkmate" Celebratory Iced Milk Coffee

- Violetta's "Light Guardian" Mysterious Spider White Chocolate Drink

Novelty

- For each item that you ordered, you will receive 1 random collectible card

Take out menu

- Edible printed icing cookie

- Hot cocoa/cafe au lait with edible printed foam

Novelty

- For each item that you ordered, you will receive 1 random coaster

Merchandises

- Mini Acrylics stand

- Mini Badge

- Clearfile

- Chibi ver. Acrylic Stand

- Cup sleeve

- Human ver. Badge

- Human ver. Acrylic Stand

- Stickers

- Blanket

- Ecobag

- Mochikororin Winter Cafe

For more information :

[coffeeheartworld]

Discover the 7 Most-Loved Coffees Worldwide: Why Your Favorite Brew Might Just Reveal More About You Than You Think!

Title: Discover the 7 Most-Loved Coffees Worldwide: Unearthing the Hidden Traits of Your Coffee Preference! Subheading: The Global Love for Coffee The aroma of freshly brewed coffee is a universal language, understood and appreciated in every corner of the globe. This humble beverage, derived from roasted coffee beans, has secured its place in our daily routines, our social gatherings, and yes, even in our hearts. But did you know that your favorite brew might just reveal more about you than you think? Let’s embark on a journey to discover the seven most-loved coffees worldwide and what they say about their drinkers. Subheading: 1. Espresso: The Classic Connoisseur Originating from Italy, espresso is the quintessential coffee for many. If this is your go-to brew, you are likely to be straightforward, detail-oriented, and prefer simplicity over complexity. You appreciate the finer things in life and believe that less is indeed more. Subheading: 2. Cappuccino: The Artistic Soul Another Italian gem, the cappuccino, is a harmonious blend of espresso, steamed milk, and froth. As a cappuccino lover, you are likely an artistic soul, appreciating beauty and balance in all aspects of life. You value tradition but aren’t afraid to experiment. Subheading: 3. Americano: The Practical Realist An Americano is essentially an espresso diluted with hot water. If this is your preferred choice, you are probably a practical realist. You like to keep things uncomplicated and straightforward, focusing on the essentials. Subheading: 4. Café au Lait: The Comfort Seeker This French classic, made with equal parts of coffee and steamed milk, is perfect for those who seek comfort and warmth. If café au lait is your favorite, you are likely a nurturing individual, valuing comfort and familiarity over adventure and novelty. Subheading: 5. Turkish Coffee: The Traditionalist Turkish coffee is unique and robust, brewed in a special pot called a cezve. If you favor this brew, you are likely a traditionalist at heart, valuing heritage and cultural authenticity. You appreciate rituals and have a strong connection to the past. Subheading: 6. Irish Coffee: The Life of the Party Irish coffee, a delightful mix of coffee, Irish whiskey, sugar, and cream, is a treat for the adventurous. If this is your choice, you are probably the life of the party, always ready for fun and excitement. You are spontaneous and enjoy living in the moment. Subheading: 7. Flat White: The Modern Minimalist Originating from Australia and New Zealand, the flat white is a modern take on the classic espresso with steamed milk. If you love a flat white, you are likely a modern minimalist, appreciating simplicity with a twist. You are trendy, forward-thinking, and adaptable. Subheading: Conclusion: What Your Coffee Reveals About You Coffee is more than just a beverage; it’s a reflection of our personality, our preferences, and our lifestyle. Whether you’re a classic connoisseur savoring an espresso or a modern minimalist enjoying a flat white, your coffee choice can reveal fascinating insights about you. So, the next time you sip your favorite brew, remember, it’s not just coffee; it’s a flavorful journey into your unique personality! Read the full article

[wonderer-ru]

my soul remembers us

☾ Taehyung|reader story

↳ genre: fluff and soft angst ↳ word count: 14.004 ↳ warnings: none ↳ a/n: fun fact. i wanted to finish writing this by Taehyung’s birthday… last year. so this has been a long time coming. i love this story very much, this is my favorite concept and i hope you enjoy. please, let me know what you think. oh, and there’s a little easter egg for those who read “under the spell”. happy new year!

⍣…your generation cracked a shell of something that was beyond one’s comprehension for thousands of years. What was made to be a matter of belief, religion and mysticism, took a form of the undeniable truth. Reincarnation. Yes, in your time, reincarnation was a scientifically proven fact…⍣

moodboard

☾ reincarnation au; soulmate au

Each generation had something that they thought was impossible at the beginning of their reign, yet later it sneaked into reality with such smoothness, the discovery was welcomed almost too nonchalantly to be fair. Some thought video phones were out of a fairytale, but decades later they found themselves using those daily, without a second thought or the initial feeling of novelty. That’s how progress worked, you thought. The most farsighted people would just stop wondering and fantasizing, deciding to bring unimaginable things to their tangibility instead. Sometimes, it was scary how quickly those miracles became nothing more than mundane accessories in people’s routine lives.

You hoped it wouldn’t happen to this particular notion, because your generation cracked a shell of something that was beyond one’s comprehension for thousands of years. What was made to be a matter of belief, religion and mysticism, took a form of the undeniable truth. Reincarnation. Yes, in your time, reincarnation was a scientifically proven fact, that also helped in explaining several psychological phenomena; many of which were previously considered to be purely trauma-based. How could this become ordinary? Admittedly, the break through was still fresh in society’s minds, so you didn’t worry about its oblivion. Not yet.

Nowadays, the theurgic discovery nested right in the sweet spot: the government just started to provide financials for research, while keeping the scientific details away from the general public, therefore the concept was still too vague for the scammers to get their hands on it. Sure, mediums offered a look into previous lives long before that, but now they strived to cash on the boost that would inevitably occur, forging some science degrees along the way. The good old psychic shtick was in the past. Claiming you can talk to the dead in a dimly lit room wouldn’t roll anymore. No, people would ask you for your diploma now.

And while grifters tried to figure it out, clinics were built, special nursing courses  and programs were organized, and you were fortunate enough to get into one. Studying felt like constant research, as if you were a part of developing this new knowledge, and it felt invigorating. You were learning aspects of reincarnation right as they were uncovered, and isn’t it the best way to become a specialist on the subject? Every piece of information was cherished by everyone around you, so you couldn’t help but stock those close to your heart as well. It all became even more surreal, when you found out that your first internship would be spent under the mentoring hand of none other than the man himself. Dr. Kim Namjoon. A young genius, only a couple of years older than you, that shook the world with his findings and now, naturally, was leading as many research teams as he could handle. The rest still worked with his careful oversight. 

The growing amount of brand new possibilities and fields of research seemed overwhelming at times, yet there was one phenomenon that attracted the most attention. Confabulation. A disturbance of memory that used to be defined as the production of fabricated, distorted, or misinterpreted memories about oneself or the world, without the conscious intention to deceive. Now - dictionaries with this definition in them could be thrown away, because confabulation was currently known as “the glimpse into one’s past life”. Not really scientific yet, but, yes, those “fabricated” memories were proven to be very real memories that the soul experienced in one of its past incarnations. 

People’s confabulations ranged from subtle alterations to bizarre fabrications, and - what’s even more fascinating - those people were generally very confident about their recollections, despite contradictory evidence. That’s why the subjects didn’t bat an eye at the contact with something much more modern than their previous self would be used to. The lucky peculiarity made Dr. Kim’s research much easier and a lot less expensive. After all, it would be highly inconvenient, if the doctors had to build entire eras around their patients - probably separate hospitals for people from certain decades - just for the results to be somewhat valid. It was crucial to keep people of interest calm and undisturbed, so, fortunately, they didn’t freak out when their soul from the 1920’s suddenly woke up hundreds of years later. 

Surely, at some point, maybe half a century into the future, fruits of this work will become widely accessible - to wealthy people first, then to common folk - providing everyone with a peep into their distant adventures. Today, however, the thoughts of building any sort of business based on reincarnation were strictly put on hold, at least until Dr. Kim and his team figure out the safest way of putting a person into the state of paramnesia and, most importantly, bringing them out of it. The latter posed as a tougher task, because, at this stage of research, all existing records showed that patients could be stuck in ‘confabulation’ for, apparently, only God knows how long. From days to months, to even years. No trace of noticeable patterns or correlations. 

“We have a new patient today,” Dr. Kim stopped in front of another hospital room, and you almost bumped into him, a little too intently scrabbling away in your writing pad. Namjoon (not that you could call him by his name) always had five to seven interns following him during rounds, because “I don’t know if you’ve gathered enough information about me, but I only have two eyes and one brain. I’d rather have all that, but times five. Gross, I agree. Plus, the surgery would cost a fortune. So I dutifully ask of you, interns, the fresh blood of this place, to be my extra eyes, brains, hands. The hospital will provide you with pens and paper. Quantity of your notes could result in quality of our overall data”. Dr. Kim was well aware that he couldn’t catch every single detail by himself - especially since he was the one asking questions - so he took all the help possible, which spoke to his humble nature. The man just really wanted to move forward with his discovery. 

But, despite leading the most advanced scientific program in the world, he was quite old fashioned when it came to interacting with patients. Dr. Kim refused to install any hidden cameras in their rooms, because having interns by his side gave him several unique points of view on what his patients said and how they acted; which was priceless, unlike the equipment that would only lower his eyes sight in the end. Have you seen the quality of those videos? One-way mirrors were also unacceptable, as they would turn any conversation into interrogation, and the sheer vibe of the room could make patients feel uneasy. Not to mention the expenses that this kind of purchase would cause. Government could only help to a certain extent, and independent sponsors still found the research too risky and unreliable to invest into. 

“I was informed that this case is somewhat special. The patient correctly recalled his name, which could mean one of two things: he just, for some unknown reason, remembered his current name, or, he had the same exact name in his past life. That we won’t be able to determine with certainty until he snaps out of it, I guess.”

“Is it possible that he has kept more memories of his present life? Of course, but we’ll have to wait and see. So,” Dr. Kim took the chart from a wall pocket and looked over it. “Kim Taehyung. Twenty three years old. Male. Car accident. Has a couple of bruised ribs and, of course, a head injury. The decade his soul is currently in: 1960s,” as you might have noticed, Dr. Kim favored answering questions before they were asked, which honestly made things easier, since your preference consisted of staying quiet, observing and writing things down. “You will all be given additional files with more information about him, what his family and friends could provide. Take your notes carefully, so later you can potentially point out similarities between his past and current lifetimes.”

You nodded, along with four other interns, and followed Dr. Kim into the room, laying out some preparatory work on the blank piece of paper: his name, today’s date and the date his soul thinks it is. As you walked in and proceeded to take your usual spot in the corner of the room, your gaze brushed the patient’s figure on the bed, noticing a book in his hand. A book that, according to his perspective of time, would be written half a century later, so, basically, the man was reading a story form the future and didn’t even know it. You made a note of it, even though it wasn’t your main task. 

This late into the internship, you and your group-mates have made up a system where each intern had only a couple of aspects of the conversation to document. No one had to split their focus, and, at the end, you’d exchange notes to create the complete picture. Some had to pay close attention to patients’ nonverbal behavior, some listened to their voice and intonations. Your job was to write down the exact words that were said. That’s why you didn’t bother with getting a better place to stand, to look at the young man. Your ears would work perfectly fine from the corner. You were used to carrying this role by now, since it was pretty much the same group of interns every time, and everyone has settled into their groove. Although, maybe, you should’ve switched more often, because catching the words and writing them down became a chain of mindless, automatic operations. It didn’t matter what the conversation was about. You’d analyze everything later, when the puzzle is assembled. 

Dr. Kim went through his usual set of questions - nothing specific, yet; minimal usage of modern terminology; just general check up - but, a couple of minutes in, his voice acquired lightness that was slightly out of character, and you even heard Namjoon laugh. Huh. This guy must be very amusing. The thought left your mind as soon as it entered, and you continued to be oblivious to the patient’s velvety voice, or the way a wide boxy grin made his eyes disappear. Words, words, words. You were only concerned with words, not noticing that the room was already charmed and completely in love with Kim Taehyung. Maybe, you’ll feel the same, once you read back everything that’s been written in the past ten minutes.

However, your fluent handwriting suddenly falters when Dr. Kim is interrupted mid sentence. 

“Y/N?”

Your own name was left unfinished under the pen as your eyes widened in realization. The patient just called you, and, judging by the tone of his voice, he was pleasantly surprised. You looked up to find every gaze in the room turned in your direction. Taehyung was smiling, and, suddenly, you were very aware of him. Shouldn’t have ignored his presence before, because now it was a bit overwhelming. And there’s that flitting feeling... You’d call it a déjà vu, but it would contradict Dr. Kim’s newest theory. He thought that the concept of “déjà vu” was about alternative universes, not about past lives. According to him, déjà vu appears when you experience something that your alternative self lived through a bit earlier. As if they went through life a little faster, but in a moment of deja vu you catch up to them, hit the same point in time and space, then go your barely separate ways. Anyway...

You turned to Namjoon - who looked surprised, but also intrigued - hoping that your eyes screamed for help obviously enough. 

“I didn’t realize that they’ve brought me to your hospital,” the man seemed very excited by the encounter, so, at least, he liked you. But how the hell did he know you at all? You opened your mouth (that appeared to be rid of any moisture) to say something, but Namjoon stepped in; probably to prevent you from answering with anything that could confuse or disturb the patient. 

“Excuse me, Taehyung. Can I steal your...?” Dr. Kim paused, expecting for Taehyung to finish the sentence, and - oh boy - he did. 

“Fiancée,” the man replied happily, a somewhat prideful look adoring his features. Meanwhile, your ability to breathe was packing its bags, ready to travel. A soft gasp - that sounded a lot like ‘fiancée’ - escaped your lips, and you felt someone’s hand on your back, pushing you off the wall. When did you lean against it? Now that you decided to concentrate on it - your legs were obviously shaking. 

“Fiancée,” Dr. Kim repeated, physically pushing you out of the room, because your body didn’t seem to cooperate under the severe shock. You could vaguely - very, very... very vaguely - understand what all of it meant, but the right pieces just bounced off each other, not clicking yet. “Fascinating. We’ll be right back,” Namjoon ushered you out, hoping that Taehyung didn’t find your terrified state too suspicious. He couldn’t let this chance go to waste, because for Dr. Kim everything clicked the moment his patient called your name.

“Y/N, do you know him?” he had to make sure that in this life you were absolute strangers. Your lungs came from their brief vacation and worked with full force, as you frantically tried to remember seeing Kim Taehyung’s face before. No memory came up, and, sure, you could forget a face, but certainly not the fact that you were engaged to said face. So you shook your head, confidently enough for Dr. Kim to light up with delight and anticipation. A new discovery was on the way. 

“No, I’ve never seen him, and I am not his fiancée,” you denied the fact as if it was an outrageous accusation, when, in reality, everyone knew that the whole thing was just a trick, played on Taehyung by his own fogged mind. 

“That’s excellent!” Namjoon was practically jumping on the spot, while your confusion slowly wore off. Very slowly. 

“Excellent? Wha- why, why? Why would you-? I wouldn’t use that wo- ...Oh,” and then it hit you. “OH! It means that he knew me in his past life! Holy sh-“

“Yes, precisely! And it also means that you had the same name in your past life, which means that he probably did too!” Dr. Kim was hitting you with conclusions and calculations - rapid fire style - so your inner scientist was simply ecstatic, yet overwhelmed and a bit dizzy. “And it also means that you physically look the same as your previous self! This is unprecedented! You have to play along!” you were nodding along to everything Namjoon was saying. He was so enthusiastic and fired up, it was infectious. But wait-

“Wha- What?!” did you hear him right? “Play along as in... I have to pretend to be his fiancée?” Namjoon exhaled to calm himself down from excitement, before attempting to calm you down from panicking. His hands squeezed your shoulders, but Dr. Kim soon found that it wasn’t enough to ground you. “I have to do everything that it implies? I have to pretend... to be in love?” you whispered the word ‘love’ like it was something forbidden; like faking love is the most sinful and horrible crime to commit. 

“Y/N, my dear Y/N, please, hear me out,” Namjoon’s hands altered to cradle your face, and he looked into your eyes as if you were the only one who could help him, save him; like you were the only person that mattered right now, and if the context of his pleas was any less professional, you’d feel weak in the knees. It made sense, though. Dr. Kim was in love with scientific progress, and you were the embodiment of it in that fateful moment. “We can’t destroy his world right now, because we don’t know- ...we can’t predict what it could possibly do to his mind. It could result in a catastrophe. But, more than that, just- ...just imagine how much we can uncover. You already gave me a lot just by standing in the corner of that room. Do this too, please. It could change everything.”

“I... I am not a good actress. And I don’t know anything about him... about us in his... damn it! Our past life. What if he figures it out?” to be completely honest, you were convinced the moment Namjoon started speaking. You’ve never seen anyone so determined and committed. It truly was the work of his life. Right now, your frightened mind just scrambled for more reassurance that, you knew, he could give you. 

“It won’t matter to him. You know as well as I do that these patients don’t get suspicious about things ‘not adding up’. You just have to act like you know him and that, yes, you are a woman in love, about to marry the man of her dreams,” Dr. Kim was still pretty close, so you pealed his hands off your face, in case Taehyung came out of his room. He shouldn’t see you in a position that looks far from innocent. Was he a jealous type? Well, you were already in that mindset, might as well... Your head hit the wall with a quiet knock, and you closed your eyes, thinking things over one last time. 

“You don’t seem like the kind of student that would have a crush on their professor, so I won’t ask you to do this for me... unless,” he stretched out the sentence, narrowing eyes at you. Suspicion was real. “...you do have a... crush on me?” you snorted at that. His cluelessness was truly adorable. He obviously didn’t know or care about the proper navigation of someone’s romantic advances. And your reaction to it - as if it was such a ridiculous implication (after all, it wasn’t far fetched at all, because a lot of students did have a crush on him) - didn’t hurt the man, even though he said “ouch”. “Okay, then do it for science, Y/N, because I know you care.”

Dr. Kim lifted his hand, and you were split between rolling your eyes and squealing with joy. Here goes nothing.

“For science,” your fist bumped into his, and that sealed it. You were officially science bros with Kim Namjoon. 

...

“Were you really ready to use poor girl’s affection towards you? For your own benefit? Shame on you, Dr. Kim.”

“Uhh, not for my benefit? For science?”

...And you were officially engaged to Kim Taehyung. 

The hospital staff was immediately informed of your unusual situation, and not being the only one who had to “play along” felt somewhat relaxing. Moving forward, for Taehyung and everyone else (in Taehyung’s presence) you were just a nurse that worked exhausting shifts daily and fulfilled her duties by caring for all sorts of patients. Now you practically lived at the hospital, not only because nurses in the 60s did that, but because Dr. Kim advised you to spend as much time with your new-old fiancé as you could. 

You felt like a government spy, and Taehyung was your mission. In some ways, it was true. You were his lovely bride’s evil tween, and your task was to get close to him, because he held some important secrets. Dramatic, yet strangely accurate. His personal file - that also comprised everyone’s notes on the man - served as your desk book, and his parents’ narrative was your bedtime story. You were relieved to find that Taehyung was single, even though his current life didn’t mean a great deal at the moment. The fact that there wasn’t a romantic partner in sight eased your mind considerably. Directing “heart eyes” (even fake ones) at someone else’s lover would be guilt-inducing, surely. You just hoped that his family and friends were informed of his personal life as well as they thought. 

This noble scientific swindle was destined to start awkwardly, so you were having an out-of-body experience during every conversation with Taehyung. Lookers-on see most of the game, and you could imagine how easy it was to point out the stiffness of your posture or the rehearsed nature of your sentences. Your own tongue felt heavy and foreign as it moved in your mouth, and, at one point, Namjoon seriously considered paying for acting classes. He couldn’t have you compromising the “mission” by planting seeds of suspicion into Taehyung’s mind. Admittedly, it would be really hard - or even impossible - to do, but your behavior around the patient was just that unnatural and forced. 

By good fortune, Taehyung was completely oblivious to your struggles with communication, and, as irony would have it, played a crucial part in making the whole situation less tense. Of course, he did it without even realizing his own contributions to the success of Dr. Kim’s research. With time, you stopped dreading the interaction and your own heavy-handedness, because, when it came down to it, Taehyung was really easy and fun to be around. He had a gift of making people feel joyous, always ready to spark or endure some benignant foolishness. His ardour was infectious, and the man rarely failed in making you laugh. 

One month into the “relationship”, you could unhesitatingly confirm that Taehyung was a sweet and caring boyfriend. More than that, you were convinced that the mastermind behind the term “puppy love” was inspired by the look on Taehyung’s face whenever he zoned out, staring at his fiancée - in this case, you - and it had nothing to do with teenagers being in love. The man was quite affectionate (note: understatement of the millennium), and if, at first, his urge to be close to you was restrained by the injuries and prescribed bed rest, now - you could barely find an empty corner and write your daily report for Namjoon. You had to do it while Taehyung was asleep, which wasn’t particularly problematic, since the boy always nudged you to take a nap on his lap the next day, while he read on a bench in the garden. Taehyung tied your tiredness to night shifts, you imagined. 

Nonetheless, being his significant other was challenging in unexpected ways, so you still used Taehyung’s injuries as a protective barrier. The bruise on his bottom lip was pretty severe, so kisses were off the table, which saddened the man greatly. Plus, the complete healing was constantly postponed, because Taehyung would always cut the wound open by smiling widely at something cute you did. When an older nurse scolded the boy for making her tend to his poor lip again and again ( ...and again), Taehyung only shrugged and said that his fiancée was simply too adorable and he couldn’t help it. So. No kisses. Less smiling. Once, though, he turned his head at the right time - just as you leaned in to leave a peck on his cheek - resulting in your lips brushing the corner of Taehyung’s mouth, and it was the closest he got to lip locking with you. That little “accident” got the man so excited, he didn’t beg for kisses that week at all. 

It was much harder to deprive him of cuddles, though. Not because there were no excuses to avoid them. He had a couple of broken ribs, and it would be painful to even hug tightly. Pushing the man away, keeping him at the arm’s length turned out to be emotionally exhausting and heartbreaking, because Taehyung didn’t hesitate to regularly remind you of how much he loved all the snuggles and cuddles, and how desperately he missed feeling that sort of closeness with you. Every time you left his side, so he could rest, Taehyung pouted playfully, not willing to let go and fall asleep just yet. On more occasions than your heart would like to admit, you gave in - just a little, but it was a big victory for him - and kissed Taehyung’s forehead, not missing the way he sighed deeply and contentedly as your lips pressed to his skin. The boy’s eyes always appeared a little more dreary when you pulled away, and he never omitted a chance to hold onto your hand for a second longer, before giving you a tight smile and a quiet “goodnight, beautiful”. The image never failed to create a lump in your throat. He deserved much more affection in return, but the “you” that could give it to him was long gone. 

Your debt to him was becoming unmeasurable by the day, because, through Taehyung, you could also get a glimpse into your past life, without having to injure your head. It was a truly priceless gift, but its destiny was unknown and impossible to predict. Will Taehyung remember any of your time together after he “wakes up”? Will he remember all the love he spent? All the memories of you he shared? There was no way to tell with certainty. Most patients didn’t recall their “confabulation period” at all. They were left with completely blank pages, and no stories to fill those with. Being in a coma would probably be more entertaining and colorful. Yet, some lucky people remembered parts of different lengths. An even smaller percentage of patients - remembered everything.

You didn’t know for which outcome to hope, but you’d be okay with anything as long as Taehyung didn’t feel sad or hurt, or the wrong kind of foolish for giving away so much of himself; all to someone who failed to appreciate that fraction of time with him for what it was: a beautiful and unselfish gift of love. Sometimes you thought that it was your only chance to be loved like that... in this life.

“The 60s you” was obviously a nurse, but you kept discovering new details about her with every visit to Taehyung’s memory bank. He loved reminiscing about the most trivial things, and even the first time he saw you brush your teeth in the morning was special. That’s when Taehyung knew that you felt like home to him. Well, good for you and your notes to Dr. Kim, who was quite pleased with how detailed your reports were. He did point out that the way you wrote about Taehyung felt more... inspired - less formal and more poetic - though, it didn’t come as a surprise to you, because, with time, you became significantly more fascinated with your-past-self’s future husband... if that makes sense. 

Kim Taehyung was a pilot, which slightly correlated with his current occupation: aeronautical engineer; although, it didn’t cover solely planes in your time. He seemed to really love the sky, and it reflected in his poetry preferences. Taehyung read and recited poems about the skies the most, be it the blue and fresh early morning or the mysterious starry night that rhymed within their lines. The “hopeless romantic” side of him was utterly endearing, which is why you struggled to hide your shock when his other passion was revealed. Your-60s-self was probably aware of it, so you couldn’t really react when Taehyung confessed that he missed street fighting almost as much as flying. It was hard to imagine Taehyung expressing any sort of aggression, but that particular hobby of his just proved that everyone needed an outlet. The darkness had to go somewhere, and the man not only let it out away from you or the job, but also got some trophies (or prize money) for it. 

Later you found out that Taehyung was into a more... civil form of competing. Yes, it was still violent, but somewhat organized and restricted by a set of rules, which made the whole thing less gruesome in your mind. Taehyung was also strangely amazed at how ironic the cause of his injuries was: with duties and interests as dangerous as flying a plane and street fighting, he managed to be knocked out by a plain car crash. He talked about all of it with such ease that the very thing that should’ve pushed you away, made you distant, brought you a new appreciation for the love you once had for each other. Taehyung trusted you enough to let in on that secret, and you loved him enough to except that dangerous hobby of his. You must’ve been sure that he was worth it. 

Yet, while you cherished the love itself, your young heart still couldn’t grasp what your old soul already knew, already lived. Multiple times, it could be. What could create a bond so strong, so powerful that it surfaced through Taehyung several lifetimes later? You couldn’t find the answer with the way you’ve been approaching the mystery so far. Your mind was so completely focused on the words that came out of Taehyung’s mouth, you failed to look past them. Subliminal messages got lost between the lines, because the information for research was your priority. And, even though Dr. Kim praised your reports, there were things about Taehyung that skipped your attention. Some of them were gearing up to hit you in the face pretty soon.

It was a very busy day at the hospital. Several new patients arrived, all with signs of confabulation, but their physical injuries had to be treated first, which made all the real nurses occupied and unavailable to do Taehyung’s scheduled re-bandaging. You’ve seen it done enough times on different patients to know the drill, so you didn’t think twice before agreeing to perform the procedure on your fiancé. Come to think of it, you were never present when his bandages were changed. Every time you went to remind him or ask, he’d already done it. 

“Y/N?! What- What are you doing here?” Taehyung stuttered, wide-eyed, as you burst into his room with fresh bandages and other necessary supplies in hands. The man looked panicked, but you decided to write it off as the initial surprise. 

“I will be changing your bandages today,” you practically sang and turned to the table for preparations, missing the way your uncharacteristically cheerful mood went completely unnoticed by Taehyung... ironically. On any other day he would eagerly channel, harbor and try his gosh-darn best to increase that rare excited lilt in your voice. He’d strive to make it last as long as possible... Not today, though. 

“Are- Are you sure no one else can do it?” the man kept stumbling over his words, voice sounding painfully small, but it still wasn’t enough for you to get suspicious. 

“Why? Don’t you trust me? I’m hurt,” you feigned offense, playful to a fault, but the tease went right over Taehyung’s head, who appeared oblivious and rushed to assure you that-

“No, no. Of course, I trust you...,” the sentence faded away as if he mumbled it under his breath, to himself, and the words felt so heavy with worry and nervousness that your movements faded as well, brows furrowing in confusion. You slowly turned to look at him - really look at him - for the first time since stepping into the room. The man before you clearly couldn’t decide what to do with his body, constantly shifting on the bed, not knowing where to place his hands or how to successfully escape your gaze... or his own skin, it seemed. Eventually, Taehyung crossed his arms, protectively hugging himself. You’ve never seen him so tense. 

“Tae? Are you sure you’re alright? I’ve seen you shirtless... right?” you chuckled humorlessly, not even buying that that could be the reason for his behavior. Or could it? Why was he acting like this? Was your marriage arranged? Did you agree not to have sex before the wedding? It seemed- felt unlikely, but, before you could spiral into a full on panic mode, he answered...

“Yeah! ... Yeah, let’s just- let’s just do it,” he swallowed, reaching for the hem of his shirt with trembling fingers. You didn’t realize you held your breath until it whooshed out, all at once, at the sight of his bare torso. 

In that moment, certain, relatively ordinary for a hospital patient phrases came rushing back to you. “I miss fighting, but with the way my body aches, it feels like I still do it every day”, Taehyung would joke, and your psychoanalytic brain would only highlight the ‘i miss fighting’ part of it, because that gave you new (and quite shocking) information. Now, though, you cursed at your own ability to pay attention to all the wrong details, because it should’ve been obvious. He was in pain. 

You stepped closer, taking in all the bruises that covered his upper body. If they were fading now, what was it like before? The mere thought of it and the flashing images made you lightheaded, though they weren’t the main reason why your knees hit the floor in front of him.

“Taehyung-,“ you gasped, reaching out to touch his stomach gently. The man hissed at the sting, but you didn’t move your hand away, only willed it to be even gentler. His presence was a miracle in more ways than one now, because he shouldn’t have survived a crash that left him in so many shades of purple. Not only his soul was a traveler, but his body seemed to have gone through so much as well. 

“I didn’t want you to see this,” the man sighed and shook his head in defeat, not looking up to meet your eyes that, he imagined, were wide with horror. They were. 

You blinked away the tears, stood up and quickly moved to get the bandages. Suddenly, you wished they were made from the softest material imaginable. They weren’t, but it just meant that you and your hands had to be as careful as ever. Butterfly wings had to have nothing on your fingers. Without realizing it, you promised yourself that he wouldn’t feel a thing as you worked. 

Unfortunately, like most things, it was easier said than done, and, even though, you stepped in Taehyung’s direction with determination to soothe his aching body, your lack of experience with “real” nursing tasks was bound to ruin the plan. You weren’t sure what kind of pressure to apply or what was the best way to wrap bandages around his torso, which, combined with the overall painful nature of the procedure, only interrupted the quietness of the room with Taehyung’s grunts and hisses, always followed by his strained “it’s okay, keep going”. Your hands froze every time he made a distressed sound, but, when a number of them crossed what seemed like a hundred, you only wished to finish faster. 

The less bandages there were left - the more concentrated you became, finally finding your groove. Later, it would feel like an out of body experience. Like you’ve done this before, or, rather, your soul did, and it took the reigns in that moment, not asking for permission. You moved around Taehyung with much more swiftness, getting lost in your own repetitive movements. One roll of stretchy fabric later, you were ready to tie the final knot over his right shoulder. Taehyung moaned in pain, again, when you applied more pressure to make the knot tighter, and the next words escaped your mouth before you could think about it.

“I’m sorry, baby. It’s almost done,” your soul seemed to take over you completely. The phrase slipped out so naturally, you appeared right where he was - in your shared past life. Taehyung turned to look at you; so fast, you thought you heard his neck crack. And you realized why the man was stunned, yet, strangely, you didn’t feel the urge to be surprised about it as well. This moment felt too right to ruin it with stuttering excuses. 

“What?” you asked innocently, referring to his wide eyes and the fact that his mouth was hanging open. The boy blinked a couple of times, still unmoving, but when you shrugged and moved again to check if the bandages were wrapped around him comfortably, Taehyung snapped out of it. 

“You didn’t call me that- baby in awhile,” he paused, looking down at his lap. “I missed it,” Taehyung wished you didn’t say it now; not when he felt so undeserving of it. From where you were standing, though, he deserved to be called the sweetest of names all year long.

You circled the bed to stand in front of him. When Taehyung didn’t look up, guilt radiating off of him, your fingers reached for his chin to gently brush and tilt it up. Your eyes locked with his, and you felt your soul flutter... No. You felt your soul shudder as it desperately gulped for air after being suffocated under miles and miles of water for the longest time. You guessed, it was because you looked at him with a clear, unselfish purpose for the very first time. 

“Don’t hide things like that from me again,” you said - quietly, yet firmly - right before your throat started to tighten with emotions under the intensity of his gaze. He looked back earnestly, like he couldn’t believe the sight. He couldn’t believe that he got to see you like that: brave and terrified, determined and vulnerable. So beautiful. Still, he didn’t deserve it. But he would take in every detail, until his own eyes would start to water, matching yours. After all, he was just as terrified and just as brave as you were. Just as beautiful. 

The air was charged with rawest intimacy, yet, it felt empty. Not void of emotion or meaning, no. Quite the opposite. It simply felt freeing. Like you could spread your arms and spin, and you wouldn’t bump into a bed, a table, chairs. Your wild limbs wouldn’t touch a thing. You didn’t dare move and explore this vacuum, though, because, when it came down to it, you’d much rather spend every moment of that freedom next to him. You were zoned in on each other. Cocooned in this blissful nothingness that was supposed to make you shiver, make your skin crawl, and still, you felt warm... like your souls were hugging. 

Suddenly, it wasn’t enough, and soon Taehyung’s hands were on your waist, guiding you closer. Your shaky knees nearly buckled, when the man buried his face in your stomach, wrapping the whole length of his arms around you and holding you tightly. A bated gasp escaped your lungs, but even your heartbeat slowed down and got quiet as soon as you realized that Taehyung was mumbling something into the material of your white coat. You could tell by the waves of warm air spreading against your belly and his lips moving to let it out. It tickled a little, but you managed to make out a couple of phrases. “I’m sorry” and “I won’t”. 

In that moment, you felt beyond any time any place. It was scary and felt so immeasurably bigger than both of you. Did Taehyung sense it as well? Did his soul? Your fingers reached for his hair, running through it, and you felt an exhale against your core - trembling with relief - like he was going crazy without your touch, and now was on the verge of insanity, because he finally felt it. You smiled, letting the tears fall freely on top of his head. Your mind wasn’t quite set on why you felt like crying for hours. Were you just deprived of such pure human contact for so long, or was your soul crying in a mix of pain and happiness at having him so close again?

“You worry about me so much as it is. I didn’t want to add to it,” Taehyung pulled away a little, his chin still attached to you, and looked up. He seemed miserable and exhausted, making you wonder if he felt this way too often lately and was just really good at hiding it. But then, from a different perspective, he looked at ease and, somehow, younger. His eyes appeared less clouded, almost crystalline, and, for what it’s worth, you were happy that Taehyung didn’t have to mask his feelings anymore. Not from you. For as long as this incarnation of him would stay here. 

“You are a miracle,” you whispered as your fingers left his hair, sliding down to cradle his face instead. This phrase belonged to multiple versions of you - to “the scientists” you, to “the 60s nurse” you, to “the fiancée” you - but, ultimately, it belonged to your soul. Taehyung’s eyes widened for a split second, giving away his surprise at your words, but then a brilliant smile spread across the man’s features. He smiled like he realized something you didn’t, you couldn’t, because he was in this relationship with you for much longer, so he studied you that much closer. Now, it seemed ridiculous that you ever felt more aware of things than him, when you only knew one thing - his condition - and Taehyung has lived years by your side.

“I missed you calling me that too,” he said teasingly and placed a quick kiss to the inner side of your wrist. You said that to him before? Wow, you really did, didn’t you? Of course. “Although, it would usually be ‘you are my miracle’, but we’ll get there again.”

Again. So he noticed the change, the setback. He felt the distance you’ve put between them. Taehyung might have been oblivious to the fact that the books he read were from another century, but he was attuned to you and your moods this whole time. Did your behavior confuse him? How did he explain it to himself? Did he suspect that something wasn’t right? Just like that, the research was on your mind again... 

And, just like that, you also realized that that research wouldn’t be your priority anymore when it came to Taehyung. Taehyung himself would become your main focus. Not only his words would concern you, not only the information he gives you to fill out reports, but his feelings, his well-being, his heart. 

You promised yourself to keep Taehyung’s heart safe, dreading the fact that he was probably right. You will get there. One day, you will want to call him yours, and that will become your downfall. 

After what could only be described as a life changing experience you felt the shift. You felt your soul move for Taehyung whenever he was near. It arched stubbornly towards his soul, kicking and screaming, like it wanted to hug its newfound lover again. You felt your heart beat faster every time he smiled at you. This relationship danced on the verge of being too real for comfort and was destined to end in a catastrophe, given the speed at which your affection for Taehyung was growing. Hell, sometimes you had to physically pinch yourself to keep from daydreaming about your shared past life. You found yourself wondering, quite frequently, if those versions of the two of you really loved each other till their dying days. Or did they divorce years later? No, that didn’t feel right. Could you Google that?

It didn’t help that Taehyung felt the shift as well. He started to initiate more physical contact without fearing your rejection, and you didn’t have it in you to push him away anymore. So you just held you breath every time his hand casually slid down your back and stayed on the small of it, all while he quietly watched you fill out fake reports at the nursing station. Eventually, seeing your frustration with the task, he’d start to rub your lower back in soothing circles, which made you relax almost instantly. It’s like he knew exactly what you needed... He knew you.

Sometimes (and it started to happen more often as the time went on), you forgot to separate your past and present lives from each other, eagerly listening to Taehyung’s stories like they were all a part your grand character ark. You saw yourself as the manifestation of all the previous incarnations, finding that you always agreed with your own views on life and love, and the world... however different those worlds may have been. 

You grew more curious with each passing day, gradually becoming fascinated not only with Taehyung, but with his version of you. You liked her. She seemed wiser then than you were now, and you wondered which path she took to become that at this age. She was impressive. A lifetime ago “you” had enough courage to change your career’s direction halfway through college, from journalism to medicine, realizing you wanted to take care of people the way you helped Taehyung through some rough fighting aftermaths. You still loved to do research and write, and the boy confessed that watching you mull over the right order of words was very calming.

At least, “the current you” was wise enough to bite her tongue and not ask Taehyung and excessive amount of questions... most of the time. Yes, he wouldn’t bet an eye and just rationalize your curiosity, coming up with an explanation on his own (you had a feeling that he often settled on “a semi-subtle check-up of his memory for a medical record”), but Namjoon gave you specific instructions that you had to follow... or try to follow. It was hard when Taehyung lit up like a Christmas tree every time you answered “fine” to his question of “how are you today, beautiful?” That’s an odd reaction, right? So you had to ask. As it turned out, a couple of years ago you and Taehyung came to a conclusion that being “fine” is way better than being “great! excellent! happy!” Why? Because every time you feel happy, inevitably, you also feel that ounce of fear that that feeling will soon end. 

“I am always a little scared when I’m with you, though,” he confessed, and you felt your heart skip a bit. That goddamn charmer! What was even more infuriating is his complete obliviousness to the fact that one of the most romantic and smooth lines just came out of his mouth. Taehyung simply kept watching you with a gentle smile on his lips, absolutely loving the way you didn’t seem to know what to do with yourself. You kept avoiding his gaze, looking everywhere, but mostly at your lap. You were blushing furiously, all the way to the tips of your ears. And you were smiling so wide, you had to bite down on your lip to suppress it. Your painfully endearing shyness seemed to have awakened a strange sense of déjà vu within him, and you heard Taehyung hum softly beside you.

“What?” you asked, finally being able to look at him directly. 

“I don’t know,” the man shrugged, reaching out to play with your hair. “Somehow, it just felt like when we first started dating.” 

A sudden gust of nostalgia for something you’ve never known, never experienced hit you in the chest, quickly spreading to engulf your whole body and making you gasp in surprise. Anemoia’s the word, right? Dr. Kim was writing a paper on it at the moment. You could definitely help him with some interesting insight now, because your entire being was lovingly placed into another time and space. Almost the way a song that played at your prom takes you back to the night, so your body is momentarily tricked into believing that you are actually there. 

Only it wasn’t a song this time, it was a person. It was Taehyung that lead you to that feeling and made it last for more than a split second. You could taste the difference on the tip of your tongue as if the air around you really shifted into something tangible and full of memories. And you remembered how it felt to simply exist back then. How it felt to be you, living in your skin in another time... And it was your second or third date, yet you could still feel the butterflies just looking at him. Faint jazz music suddenly reached your ears, and you wanted to hum a tune that you’ve never heard before. 

Was it where Taehyung’s mind went? Did you feel the right things? You couldn’t possibly be sure, but nostalgia was never this striking or lasted that long. 

“You fully intend to keep making me fall for you, don’t you?” Taehyung whispered mindlessly, as if to himself, but the implication left you more breathless then seemed possible. There was a negative amount of air in your lungs now. “Over and over again,” he was closer somehow, fingers brushing your neck without a specific intention. He was just submitting to the pull he always felt near you. The one that makes you move and touch, and watch intently. It’s when you register every drop of her eyelashes, yet you don’t seem to notice yourself leaning in. The movement is barely there, but oh wow, it’s impactful. “I have to say, I don’t mind one bit.” 

You feel his words on your lips now. They are full of breath that you lack, and it would be almost too delicious to make him share it. You had the chance to be selfish in the most acceptable and pleasant way. But... You simply wouldn’t come back from it. You would be going for seconds every chance you got. But... 

You make him fall deeper in love? This you? This present-time-you? The thought was dangerous with how flattering it was, making your heart stutter. Taehyung’s eyes were already closed and he was angling his head slightly, looking like the angel he is. Gentle, even if a little impatient. Meanwhile, you felt like a mess. Overwhelmed and very conflicted. You swallowed and shut your eyes tightly, already scowling at what you were about to do. And when did your breath come back, making your chest heave this heavily? 

“Tae?” 

“Yes?” he sounded so shaken by mere anticipation, you had to keep yourself from whining and giving in. It was just cruel how undeniable his need for you was. 

“I need to go back to work,” the broken exhale that he let out was bound to haunt your dreams. You didn’t look back as you walked away.

You couldn’t figure him out. You couldn’t “predict” him. It seemed like he instinctively dodged every romantic comedy cliche. There were countless melodramatic tropes paved for him, but he always chose to swerve and draw his own patterns. You imagined, he was always the kid that, on his way home from school, would be tempted to mark the perfect white canvas of fresh snow with his footprints - and would do it too, eventually, dragging his feet through the deep drifts - while everyone else just followed the padded path. 

Taehyung didn’t seem upset or hurt. He didn’t question your escape nor did he try to make you feel guilty about it. As if the boy refused to see that hurried exit of yours as the door being shut in his face, and, instead, saw it as your trauma of almost loosing him melting away a little more. To Taehyung, your soul needed just a little more convincing before letting him in again and trusting that nothing will happen that could put his life at risk. Not if he could help it. 

Apparently, the key point of his strategy was to remind you of how good and fun you were together, often acting like teenagers in love with total disregard for whether the time and place were appropriate. Yet, your displays of affection never crossed the line into something provocative or deprecated. True to his pure and innocent nature, Taehyung’s “moves” always looked playful and, dare you say, cute in everyone’s eyes, with your overflowing fondness towards each other making people around you go “aww”. 

And the boy would definitely be lying if he said that your flustered appearance and blushing cheeks didn’t make it that much more fun for him. 

“You should be more careful next time, Mrs. Lee,” since you were helping with Taehyung’s bandages more often and leveled up your nursing skills training on him, it wasn’t a rare occurrence for you to look after other patients as well. 

“I know, dear. I guess the kettle was just too heavy for me,” the old woman sighed as you wrapped her burnt wrist carefully. Mrs. Lee was a sweet lady - always put together and endlessly welcoming - but a bit too clumsy for her own good. It was her third minor injury this week. Previously, she managed to hit her toe against the bed frame and get a pretty nasty paper cut on her thumb. Ouch. Her soul thought it was 1920s, so maybe people were more careless about their health back then. 

“There you are!” Taehyung’s booming voice entered the room before the man himself burst inside, and you didn’t miss the way Mrs. Lee’s eyes lit up. She adored him. Everyone did. “Good morning, Mrs. Lee! New day - new adventure, I see. I’m glad you keep my fiancée on her toes,” Tae winked, and you heard the woman actually giggle. The power he possessed was truly boundless.

“I do what I can,” Mrs. Lee was full on beaming now - bright and happy - the pain in her wrist seemingly forgotten. You smiled to yourself too, finishing up the procedure. 

“Mornin’, beautiful,” Taehyung lowered his voice, and it took less than a second for you to start blushing. Blood rushed to your face somewhere between his breath hitting your ear and his lips briefly pressing to your temple. You were used to a lot of “Taehyung things” by this point (barely): holding Taehyung’s hand, brushing Taehyung’s hair while he slept, Taehyung’s fingers dancing across your back while you worked. Always teasing. Sometimes tickling. Like right now. Up and down. Up and down. Down. Down, down. Wait, what?

“Taehyung!” you gasped. He pinched you! He pinched your butt! 

Your hand flew to cup the “violated area” (on pure reflex) as you turned, wide-eyed, to Taehyung, who was clearly trying his best to stifle the fit of giggles. He had the audacity to look surprised by your animated reaction, like it wasn’t his intention all along. Oh, he was so amused! The boy quickly hid his hands behind his back as if trying to dispose of the evidence, but you were already on a mission to give him a piece of your mind. 

“Out!” you grabbed Taehyung’s arm and proceeded to drag him out of the room, unwilling to scold the men in front of another patient. 

“Mrs. Lee, save me!” he pleaded, not really trying to put up a fight, even though he definitely could. 

“You are on your own, young man,” the older lady just laughed and, rather entertained, waved the two of you a goodbye.

“What the hell, Taehyung?” you whisper-screamed as soon as the door closed behind him. Your “disapproving wife” mode was all the way on, and you didn’t even know it was a part of your settings in the first place. Taehyung took in your crossed arms and furrowed eyebrows, feeling strangely endeared. Let’s keep it going for a bit, he thought. “That was really inappropriate!” 

“Well, if you didn’t scream like that, she wouldn’t even notice. So, objectively, this is your fault,” he argued, mimicking your irritated posture.

“Objective- !? Don’t do this around other patients!” you hissed back, now vaguely aware of the fact that Taehyung was probably messing with you. 

“Does it mean I can do it when we are alone?” the boy not-at-all-subtly wiggled  his (gorgeous) eyebrows and stepped closer, placing his hands on your waist. 

“Well, not anytime soon. You’ve ruined it for yourself,” you were still frowning - in a desperate attempt to appear mad - but your lips were starting to angle up in a smile, treacherously so. 

“You are mean,” he pouted. Well, that’s not fair. 

“And you are childish.”

“You like it though,” somewhere, in the back of your mind, you were painfully aware of how it all looked. Your palms rested peacefully on his chest, and you smiled at each other without saying a word, yet understanding everything. ‘I do like it. I can’t help it.’ You were in love. Really, really, really in love. “And you are right. It was inappropriate. I’m sorry. I just wanted to tease you and took it too far. It won’t happen again.”

“Thank you,” you sighed and leaned forward, so his lips effortlessly pressed to your forehead. You were so screwed. 

After escaping Taehyung’s warm embrace (quite reluctantly), you snuck back into the room. The door clicked upon closing, and you were met Mrs. Lee’s knowing smile. 

“Is Taehyung in trouble?” she asked, but, if your own tender smile was any indication, he very obviously wasn’t. You still shook your head ‘no’ and averted your eyes, suddenly shy. The woman laughed quietly at your timidity, while you busied yourself with her wrist. Taehyung’s little “tease” interrupted your work in quite a dramatic way, so you weren’t even sure if the task was completed properly. “Be glad he’s still playful. That boy has eyes only for you. I can tell.”

If you were blushing before, now your face caught on fire. It was one thing to experience Taehyung’s absolute devotion yourself, but to have it pointed out by someone else was another feeling entirely. Once again, you couldn’t help but think that your past-life-self got really lucky with him. Oh.

“How did he propose?” the question halted your movements for a split second. Oh. How did he propose? That’s right. You didn’t know. Because it wasn’t to you. The blush on your cheeks fainted, and you suddenly felt cold. It was so easy to smile just a second ago, but now you had to put in a tremendous effort in order to appear unaffected. Though, if you listened closely, you could still feel your soul sighing in content from having Taehyung so near and so warm, and not so long ago. A bittersweet feeling, but it helped. 

“It’s almost time for your check up with Dr. Kim. How about we save that story for later?”

Mrs. Lee nodded, a little upset, and you couldn’t blame her. You’d love to hear all about it yourself. It would hurt even more, sure, but if you were to bet your life on anything, you’d bet it on Taehyung organizing the most wonderful and romantic proposal in the history of mankind. You didn’t dare coming up with something of your own right now, because it simply wouldn’t compare. 

Millions of thoughts and questions flooded your mind even before you left Mrs. Lee’s room. It wasn’t really you Taehyung was in love with. Of course, it wasn’t. It was another girl that shared your soul and looked like you. But then... Were you essentially your soul? Did it matter what life made of the rest of you? Was Taehyung in love with your soul exclusively? He said it himself. He was falling deeper in love with you. 

Taehyung’s beloved soul was your soul. It was just a lifetime older than he thought. 

“Y/N?” Namjoon’s voice pulled you out of your thoughts, and, after looking around for a second, you numbly discovered that your feet didn’t carry the rest of your body too far away from the door. “You okay?” 

You nodded, but he didn’t seem convinced. The man was probably on his way to Mrs. Lee, so you had to pull yourself together as to not hold him up. 

“Could you, please, stop by my office later? I’d like to talk to you.”

“Sure,” you managed a verbal response this time. Short and sweet. Nice job all around, but it still earned you a concerned look from Namjoon. He regarded you for another moment, then nodded, disappearing behind the door a second later. 

You probably should’ve blinked at least once.

It turned out that Dr. Kim unintentionally witnessed the quiet and sweet moment you shared with Taehyung outside Mrs. Lee’s room. The hospital hall could be considered a public place, so the display of affection wasn’t meant to be hidden, yet, Namjoon felt as if he was prying on an intimate exchange. That foreign feeling made him stop and pay attention to something besides science (though, implicitly, the issue at hand was related to it), which said a lot. He was notoriously unaware of... He was notoriously unaware. Period. 

That, combined with faint mental notes he made while reading your reports, pushed Dr. Kim to invite you to his office for a private conversation. The way your descriptions of Taehyung’s past and present increased in poetic value as the time went on never really bothered Namjoon, because he could always work around that and still get a lot of valuable information. Plus, your expressiveness made it into a good read. 

Your every word became more vibrant and meaningful after he saw the way you looked at your fiancé. You were a terrible actress, and no one knew it better than Kim Namjoon. The man wasn’t being overly dramatic when he confessed to having nightmares in which your acting was so bad that it made Taehyung “snap out of it” and leave. Namjoon bet a lot on you. 

It was supposed to be a game of pretend, and he had to make sure it was still the case for you. Was Dr. Kim doing it for science? The man wasn’t sure himself. His research could still become groundbreaking, whether your heart ended up broken or not, but Namjoon just couldn’t stay unaware this time around. So now you were passing from wall to wall in his office, trying not to panic. Trying and failing. 

"How much longer will I have to play along? He wants... to do stuff, you know? I am his fiancée,” Namjoon glanced up from his papers, slight alarm in his gaze, so you hurried to clarify. “No, he doesn’t say or do anything. I just feel it.”

"Just tell him he's too weak for that," Dr. Kim shrugged, but then paused for a moment. It’s been a little less than three months. Taehyung was almost completely healthy. “Wait, actually, just tell him that it's against hospital policy. Or both.”

"That's what I tell him, but he's just so damn eager and responsive to everything I do! Not in a gross way, but still! What if he never comes back from it? What if I-,” fall in love before he wakes up? You didn’t finish the thought out loud, but your breathing was rushed and uneven, so he knew. He’s observant at the very least, but it’s more than that. You both knew. Namjoon was surprised at himself, and you were surprised to see his eyes so full of untapped emotion. He looked a little sad, but mostly worried. Maybe a tad bit apologetic. You hoped you imagined a drop of regret in the mix, because that’s what you didn’t feel, despite hurting. 

"Do you like him?" 

I’m in love with him.

"I do,” you said, defeated, yet, somehow, relieved by acceptance and the openness. For a split second you got scared that Namjoon would pull the plug on the research. “But let me do this. I will never hold it against you.”

The man appeared conflicted, but not nearly enough to drop all the progress you’ve made. To put the work of his life on hold. And you wouldn’t let Namjoon do it, even if he was ready to quit for your sake. You were his partner in crime, just as involved, and your “timeless lover” didn’t make you forget that. At least your heart would be broken for science.

"His feelings for you are not real. Not in this life. Please, remember that and be careful, Y/N".

Yeah. It was a little too late for that.

Maybe you overestimated your own determination to finish the research, or maybe it was harder not to pretend and be in love, with clear mind and a heavy heart. Maybe it was harder to accelerate, knowing that you were gonna crash. That, eventually, Taehyung would come to his senses and leave to live his life. 

Truth be told, you hoped it would happen sooner than later. Preferably before you married him, had kids and grew old together. Imagine trying to explain to someone where their whole life went and why another version of them got to live two.

To say that you were torn would be an understatement. Oh, how you wanted to just give in and love him, and be loved! It was agonizing, ironically so, because you couldn’t help but see it as the foreshadowing of the day that his love would be taken away from you, whether you decided to let yourself have it or not.

Your scale was looking more and more like the game of seesaw, refusing to balance, constantly tipping one way or the other. You went from being playful and engaged (no pun intended) to appearing cold and distant to everyone around you, not only Tae. The uncertainty was exhausting, to the point where you missed the days of just being awkward and nervous around “Taehyung the Patient”. Back when your love for him was only a memory that your mind would never be able recall, because, up until this point, it only echoed in the depths of your old soul.

There was no end to this back and forth, it seemed. But when, one day, you saw the way your internal turmoil affected the one you cherished the most, it became exceptionally easy to make a choice.

“Tae, I am leaving for the day,” you cracked open the door to his room and quickly scanned the space to make sure he was there. The lights were off, but as soon as your eyes got used to it, you found Taehyung standing by the window. It wasn’t an unusual sight, since he loved to admire the night sky every chance he got. The moon was full and visible for the first time in weeks, so, of course, the man was there to appreciate it in all its glory.

“See you tomorrow?”

On nights like this you always tried to say goodbye and make your exit swiftly, leaving Taehyung to have his moment of peace, but this time the boy’s profile didn’t seem serene to you. There was no dreamy smile playing on his lips. His eyes weren’t traveling from star to star, looking for constellations. Instead, his lips were stretched thin and pale, and probably bitten in worry. You could see that he was frowning, but the blank look in his eyes was the most concerning.

“Tae?” when he didn’t answer again, you stepped further into the room. The door creaked unpleasantly, pulling Taehyung from his thoughts. At the sight of you something in him moved, but stayed still. It felt like his soul immediately reached out for yours, and, for the first time, he didn’t let its urges guide him. The realization terrified you. He was uncertain. You hated it.

“Hey. Sorry, I didn’t hear you. Are you leaving?” Taehyung asked. He understood that you had to go home sometime, yet, it didn’t make him miss your presence less. The boy never wanted you to leave, and it was always obvious. Except now. Taehyung wasn’t sure if he wanted you to stay, because he wasn’t sure if you’d rather go. He hated it.

“Um, yeah. I was about to head out,” your thumb pointed towards the exit, but you proceeded to move forward and soon stopped, facing Taehyung by the window. “Is everything okay?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t-“

“Tae,” you cut in, suddenly desperate to resolve whatever was troubling him. “You can tell me,” when your fingers moved across the windowsill to touch his, Taehyung held his breath, because you never really initiated physical contact before. Not like this. Your touch was always meant to comfort or calm him. You never did it, because you yourself craved the closeness. “Please, tell me.”

“It’s you,” Taehyung breathed, and your fingers froze millimeters away from his. It broke the boy’s heart a little, but he couldn’t keep his own muddle to himself anymore. Because you did initiate touches before. You were utterly selfish and demanding when it came to keeping him close, and it was so very charming, he couldn’t stand being away. Taehyung felt needed. Sadly, that car crash seemed to have broken something between you. And it split his life in two.

“I don’t recognize you,” for a moment you thought that his old memories were leaving him, confabulation gradually wearing off, but no. The memories of two lives weighed him down, conflicting and contradicting each other. It pained you to see him so lost.

“And I don’t feel like you recognize me, either. Most of the time you look at me like I am a stranger,” Taehyung’s voice started wavering, confused and sorrowful, as if the boy never imagined that he would be saying this to you. Your fingers moved again, completely on their own, to touch him. To comfort him. “At first I thought that, maybe, you were just in shock after the accident. Maybe, you thought you were going to lose me. And I get it, I do. I can see that you still love me,” oh, thank God, he saw it. You wouldn’t be able to live with yourself, if he lost his faith in your love - the only thing he wholeheartedly connected to in this world, in this time. “But it’s been months of up and downs, and I don’t understand, and- it’s just starting to hurt.“

Taehyung gasped a couple of seconds before your lips met his, because it was only the third of the things you did. First, you intertwined your fingers and tugged him closer. Second, your right hand flew up to rest on the back of his neck, pulling him down. Third. The moment fell into complete stillness as you stayed there, unmoving, with your lips pressed together way too tightly. If he was going to feel your kiss for the first time in months, you were going to make it count. You wanted it to leave a mark on his heart, deep enough to reach his soul.

And maybe that kiss felt like trying too hard at first - because, admittedly, you were a little desperate to heal his doubtful mind - but it all clicked into place, when his fingertips reached to touch the side of your face. Still unsure and nervous, but slowly starting to believe that it was really happening. In that moment, you heard your soul whisper something not so secret: it, and you, already knew how to kiss him right. You knew how to kiss Taehyung to make him smile. You knew how to kiss him to drive him crazy with want. You knew. So you pulled back to lessen the pressure, letting your lips move smoothly and tenderly against his. You knew how to kiss Taehyung to make him feel loved.

"Do I kiss the same?” you asked, breathless, hoping against all hope that you really did kiss his lips right now just as you kissed him a lifetime ago. The man swallowed shakily, nodding his head. Taehyung didn’t move away, not even a little, as if he simply missed the feeling of your breath on his skin. To him, there was something so singular and intimate about the face-to-face, skin-to-skin closeness and sharing the same air, that you never even had the “big spoon/little spoon discussion”. The pair of you always fell asleep and woke up facing each other, morning breath be damned.

“Yes. Yes, you do,” his hands cupped your face - understandably urgent, but still so very gentle - and he dove right back into the kiss. You had no choice but to keep up, because Taehyung seemed determined to have all the wasted time made up for. It wasn’t long before he lost himself in you: hands in your hair, fingers and thumbs; deep little sighs and sweet noises against your lips. The way Taehyung moved became almost chaotic as he tried to find some balance between holding you close and not breaking his ribs all over again.

While Taehyung was quick to melt into the kiss, you took your time, letting the inevitable impact build and build under your skin - with every slide of his lips, with every touch of his fingers - to, eventually, hit you all at once like a tidal wave. Taehyung wasn’t exploring you like this for the first time, (even though, judging by how eager he was, you wouldn’t be able to tell), but to you, in this body at least, it was the first. And, oh, what an absolutely maddening ride. To top it all off, you forgot to take into consideration that, as well as you knew how to make his body tick, Taehyung was just as knowledgeable about your weaknesses. Within minutes, naturally, he managed to make you mewl and pant, and tremble against him.

“Tae,” your attempt to pull away failed, so his name got muffled by his own mouth. You smiled at his unwillingness to stop kissing, but tried again, pushing lightly at his chest. Nightshift nurses took their duty seriously. “Tae, we should stop.”

The man made a faint noise of disapproval at the loss of contact, but nodded and gave you some space. It felt as if your lips would never stop buzzing.

“Sorry, it’s just,” he paused, catching his breath, and no one could understand him better than you. That was intense. “It’s been so long.”

Taehyung’s hold on your waist tightened, and you could feel those words coming. The anticipation in your chest was tangible, yet you’ve never felt more content.

“I love you.”

…

“I love you, too.”

Looking back, yes, it should have been an awkward interaction for you. By all accounts. Faking affection towards someone you barely knew, just to get data. Ridiculous. But… If someone asked you about it right now, you’d say that pretending to be in love with him was the easiest thing you ever had to do.

So you let yourself love Taehyung for another day. For another week. Trusted him with your heart completely, without caution or doubt. Became adorably clingy, just the way he remembered you. Whatever common sense that was left in your system was used to dodge the wedding plans discussions, and it was easier, too, because you could just kiss the boy into silence, and he would never complain about that or suspect anything. Taehyung just figured, you missed him just as much as he missed you. But, oh, how you wanted to indulge in those discussions sometimes. 

Namjoon still tried his best to forewarn and protect you, but, at the same time, he understood that it wasn’t his choice to make anymore or his place to judge your decision. All he could do was go through your daily reports and gather all information possible. No one could halt the research, simply because it became more than just a research to you. Namjoon did hope, though, that it would come to an end before the point where your heartbreak overshadowed the triumph of science.

And it did. 

“I will love you forever,” he said the night before, as a goodbye you both thought would only last till morning. You smiled, letting him kiss your forehead, and replied: “You better.”

Your coat wasn’t even off yet, when you spotted Namjoon coming out of Taehyung’s room. He was smiling to himself as he closed the door, and then his eyes found yours. Slowly, you moved towards him, even though Namjoon didn’t call. Not with words or gestures at least. The man’s smile turned into something undefinable, an anxious mix of dread and hopefulness. You finally stopped in front of him, eyes pleading. 

“He’s back,” Namjoon said, clearly, but why did it also sound like “He’s gone” to you? That must have been the somber undertones in his voice. 

“Oh,” you exhaled, fumbling with buttons on your jacket. Okay. It’s alright. You knew this was coming.

“He wants to talk to you,” the man continued, and, before you could panic, his hand landed on your shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “You are going to be fine.”

Namjoon looked deep into your wide, petrified eyes and smiled again, a lot warmer this time. His other hand lifted fluidly, and you followed its direction to breathe in... and breathe out. 

“Y/N,” Namjoon called, finally getting your gaze to focus on him. “Thank you. For everything.”

Your eyes suddenly watered, and you couldn’t help but smile at the man. He was your clarity and reason in all this madness. 

“No problem, Dr. Kim,” you raised your fist for him to bump, making the lovely dimples appear on his cheeks. “For science,” Namjoon laughed at that, and quickly bumped your awaiting fist, before wrapping you in a tight hug.

“For science.”

-

“Hey,” the door creaked right as you said that, making your whole body wince. Great start. It’s wasn’t a loud hey in the first place, so you prepared to say it again, oblivious to the fact that Taehyung’s attention was already on you. 

“Hey,” he echoed, straightening up a little. No longer oblivious, you let yourself look at him. He was sitting on the bed with a book in his hands, and you noted that it was opened on one of the later pages. He didn’t start from the beginning, but continued reading it. “Please, come in.”

The boy crossed his legs, making more room for you on the bed, but you moved to stand at the foot of it. He didn’t question your choice of position, wisely deciding to give you some much needed space. In that moment, it suddenly hit you that only yesterday you could come in and practically jump into his arms, starting Taehyung’s morning with a kiss. It wasn’t the case anymore. 

A moment of awkward silence stretched through the air, but, eventually, you gathered enough courage to speak first. 

“Do you remember-"

"I remember everything," Taehyung deadpanned, and you nodded, swallowing some of the nerves. Namjoon suspected he would. This was no ordinary case. “And I am glad I do.”

The addition made you look up from the floor. Taking a chance to study Taehyung closer, you didn’t expect to find the look in his eyes so... sympathetic. And curious. And anticipating. 

“Oh, God, Tae,” sudden embarrassment washed over you, and your hands came up to cover your flushed face. “I am so sorry. I feel so terrible-“

“What? Why are you apologizing?” Taehyung was taken aback, seemingly surprised by the outburst of guilt. Trying to explain your embarrassment was, somehow, even more embarrassing. 

“You weren’t in your right mind, and I sort of took advantage of that,” truth be told, you never saw it that way before. Not until you met the real Taehyung. “With all the kisses and touches. I should’ve stopped it. It’s your body, and I had no right-“ 

“No, no, no. I get it,” as if pulled by some force, the boy shuffled across the bed on his knees, eventually stopping in front of you. His fingers wrapped around your wrists, gently moving your hands away from your face. “You had to keep the story going for me. Dr. Kim explained everything.”

‘Right. Keeping the story going. That’s all it was,’ you thought ruefully, but said:

“Thank you for understanding,” it was easy to smile at Taehyung, even now, so you did. The boy smiled back, releasing your wrists, and, strangely, you didn’t feel like keeping distance between you anymore. “I feel a little less perverted.”

“Good. You should,” Taehyung nodded, looking proud of the fact that he didn’t let you think badly of yourself. “So,” the man shrugged innocently, letting his hands fall to rest of his thighs. “You said you sort of took advantage...,” Taehyung’s eyes glimmered mischievously, and you noticed his fingers tapping a playful rhythm on his lap. Wait... “Does it mean that you liked it? If it was to your advantage...”

Was he teasing you right now?

“Oh, wow. That was so bad,” you burst out laughing, which felt kind of anticlimactic, but so so needed. That’s Taehyung for you. The boy laughed along, showing off that infectious boxy smile of his. “How about I leave now, for awhile, and you come up with something better, okay?”

“Wait, wait,” Tae reached for your hand again, when you made a move towards the door. Both of you knew that you weren’t really leaving. “Do you want to get a cup of coffee? With me? Or tea? You like tea, right?” it’s like the boy wanted to prove that he remembered these things about you. It was sweet. 

“Tae, are you sure? I mean, it wasn’t really you who liked me-“

“I said I remember everything, and I really like what I remember. About you. About us. I mean, if anything, the question is did you like the-past-life me, because, let me tell you, he’s not that different from the guy standing right here.”

“Well, obviously. The soul is the same.”

“See? Something tells me you weren’t faking it, not all the time. Not when it mattered,” his words carried certain weight, like he not only remembered, but, miraculously, experienced everything that happened. “So, did you like him?” Yes. Easy. “Do you like me?” Ooh, a little tougher. He did look exactly the same. (Duh.) Yet, there was something that made him feel more aware, more awake. More... here.

“If you remember everything, like you said, then you should know the answer to the first question.” I loved him.

“I do,” Taehyung said, turning completely serious for a moment, and you were thankful that he didn’t take your feelings lightly. “That’s why I-,” the boy cut himself short and bashfully shook his head. Cute. “Sorry, nevermind. It’s cheesy and a little too far.”

“No, tell me,” you tugged at his hand, consequently realizing that it was still holding yours. The comfortable nature of it didn’t surprise you. “I’ll be the judge.”

"I think he left something with me, and,” Taehyung’s free hand landed on his chest, near his heart, emphasizing where the change happened. “Who knows, maybe we will prove that eternal soulmates exist too," the boy was beaming, so proud of his charming line, and you didn’t make him wait too long for a reaction. Your cheeks got much warmer, and you lowered your gaze, trying to hide a shy smile that threatened to hurt your jaw with how wide it was. 

“You were right. It is cheesy. But, maybe, not too far fetched.”

You cried yourself to sleep that night, realizing that, in some strange and gut wrenching way, you lost someone you loved. Forever. That bright and ridiculously romantic Taehyung from 1960s was gone. But you smiled before finally dozing off, thinking that you gained someone who could make you heart flutter just the same. Perhaps, equally bright and romantic. You just needed to give it a little time. 

You fell in love with Taehyung once. You could do it again. Namjoon still had to prove it, but his soul belonged with yours, and...

He promised to love you forever, after all. 

["thank you for stopping me, when i- uh, when i wanted to take things a little too far."

"um, yeah, no problem. though, i must admit, it wasn't too easy." 

"how so? was i- was i pushing you too much?"

"no! no. it's just that- sometimes, you and... what you did... made me forget about, well, everything."

"oh? ... OH! i see..."]

a/n: thanks for reading! i really hope you enjoyed! for more of my stories go for masterlist here and here. feedback, as always, is needed and will be very much appreciated.

if you like my stories, you can support me here: buy me a coffee ✨☕️

Copyright © 2019 by wonderer-ru. All rights reserved. 

[zeldauniverse]

If you played The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, you know that one of the game’s vital features is cooking. The possibilities felt endless; you can cook many combinations of food and get a seemingly endless number of results.

Have you ever wanted to taste some of the cooked food you cooked in Breath of the Wild? The Legend’s Cookbook is the gateway to those fantasies. The Legend’s Cookbook is a Legend of Zelda inspired cookbook featuring recreations of the amazing dishes from games we enjoy so much.

We sat down with three of the team members behind The Legend’s Cookbook, and they shared their thoughts about the cookbook and what readers (and eaters!) can look forward to.

Zelda Universe: What made you decide to create a Legend of Zelda inspired cookbook?

Peter Abreu, Lead Chef: There were a lot of factors that went into us wanting to do this. People are spending more money eating out than cooking at home, and we can start to change that trend. We figure if we make cooking something fun, uncomplicated and interesting, we can really change people’s lives.

We love the Zelda series, we’re huge fans. We are in love with the stories, characters and art style. Do you know what is at the very core of that series? Being a hero and saving the world. All of us on the team want to do something like that. The absolute goal here is that one of the recipes in this book becomes a staple in someone’s diet, that it changes the way they go about their dietary lifestyle and their life improves from that change. If we manage to do that, then we’ve done it.

We want everyone to cook like a hero, what better place to draw inspiration from than a series that brought that concept so near and dear to our hearts?

Matt Mannheimer, Producer: It’s one of those things where you play something and you’re like “what if that was real?” That was some of our mindsets when wanting to make some of these inspired recipes from the games. From there we poured our heart into it. With our passion for gaming and the [Zelda] series in general, it made us do our research and figure out what will be the perfect fit for these recipes.

ZU: What types of recipes and foods from the Zelda series are you taking inspiration from?

Peter: The recipes in this cookbook are original, real world recipes inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. We have baked goods, breakfast foods, dinner items, healthy snacks, sweet desserts and so much more! We’re starting with 50 recipes and we want to add even more as stretch goals. For those stretch goals, we are going to add things like cocktails, more creative dishes, and even recipes inspired by the other games in the Zelda series.

Matt: This whole cookbook is from the perspective of the hero. The hero recollecting his time from his adventure, writing down these recipes, fighting monsters, going through dungeons. You know the whole drill! That’s what makes it special; it’s a cookbook that has a story behind it. Not just in the gaming world, but also in real life. If you have enjoyed Mother’s Cookbook or Batter’s Almanac, you’re probably going to enjoy this one.

ZU: Will this cookbook be enjoyed by those who may not know the Zelda franchise?

Peter: Absolutely, we like to keep cooking simple and accessible. This is not going to be a cookbook only for Zelda fans. This cookbook is not going to bash people over the head with references and in-jokes but there will be several subtle allusions and (literal) Easter eggs. We want this to be a guide for everyone, newcomers and veterans to the kitchen and the Zelda series.

The ultimate compliment is for someone to fall in love with the recipes, art, and photos in our cookbook, first, and then realize it draws a lot of inspiration from their favorite series, second.

Matt: You don’t have to know everything about the [Zelda] series to get into this book. I feel its for everyone. I definitely don’t know everything about the [Zelda] series, but whenever I look at these recipes, and the pictures, I’m drawn into it. There are recipes that range from easy to difficult, but they’re so much fun to make. They’re fun to make and are all delicious.

Patrick Deasy, Photographer: I’m probably the biggest normie of the bunch, I’m not much of a gamer. I’ve been able to try out these recipes and I can tell you from an outsiders perspective that this is definitely a cookbook first and a piece of nerd memorabilia later.

ZU: If you had to recommend a recipe to somebody who may be new to cooking, what would it be?

Peter: The rock-hard candy. Our rock candy recipe is simple and delicious. You can do it at home, it’s super easy and very enjoyable. This is for all those with a sweet tooth. Here, I’ll share it with you:

Rock Hard Candy

Ingredients:

2 Cups of White Sugar

1 Cup of Water

3/4 Cup of Light Corn Syrup

1/4 Cup of Pomegranate Juice

Powdered Sugar for Dusting

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine sugar, water, and corn syrup.

Heat up the pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the white sugar is dissolved completely with the water and corn syrup. It is important to stir gently after sugar has dissolved to prevent burning, Use a candy thermometer to watch the temperature of the mixture and let it hit to the hard crack stage of 300F (149C).

Once there, remove from it from heat and add in the pomegranate juice, slowly. Mix it in.

Then, pour the hot candy into a 9”x9” baking pan covered in parchment paper that’s been dusted with powdered sugar, so the candy doesn’t stick. Leave it out in the open air uncovered and let the candy harden and cool completely.

Then the fun part, break into chunks with a hammer and then enjoy.

Matt: The Legends Cookbook is here to give you a culinary adventure: just go for it. If there’s a recipe you really wanna make, just do it. Even if it doesn’t turn out the way you want it the first time, just keep trying. With these recipes, we just want you to become a better chef.

ZU: Which recipe from this cookbook are you most excited about?

In The Legend’s Cookbook, the Dubious Food tastes really good; a lot more than you would expect. It’s even pixilated, like in Breath of the Wild!

Peter: The recipe I am most excited for is the one inspired by Dubious Food. It was the very first item I wanted to try and make in the kitchen. It was something just so disgusting yet edible, it was a fun idea and I wanted to make it. It was hard but I really enjoyed all different ways to make the food turn purple and look gross yet taste amazing. The final product just came out so great and it tasted delicious.

I pulled heavily from learning how to cook coq au vin from Anthony Bourdain and his show Parts Unknown. He was a was a huge inspiration for me as a chef. I really resonated with him because, like him, I spent a lot of my traveling the world, learning different cultures and food. I wanted to bring that same spirit of travel and exploration, a concept also very core to the Zelda series, to this cookbook as well as honor him with one of my favorite dishes he made. Hours upon hours in the kitchen later, I’ve created a questionable but inviting twist on coq au vin that you will all enjoy.

Matt: The meaty rice balls. I couldn’t stop eating them! They were so good! I don’t know how Peter does it, but that meat was the most delicious thing I ever tasted. It’s sweet, it’s GOOD.

Patrick: This is pretty basic, but I was pretty amazed when I got to see Peter make the fried rice for a couple of the dishes. I’ve never been able to do it right, so knowing that it’s in the cookbook is pretty exciting for me. Also the Rock Hard Food is pretty rad. It’s like a hard candy that’s flavored with pomegranate juice and it’s great. Meaty Rice balls are fantastic. It’s spicy and sweet and wonderful. I almost forgot about the Dubious Food, that one is awesome. That one is definitely my favorite.

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ZU: How will this cookbook stand out from other video game inspired cookbooks?

Peter: Our cookbook stands out from other cookbooks because it has a unique style and page layout. Have you opened a modern cookbook recently? Go to your local Target and find your way to the book section and look for their book section. Find a cookbook on the shelf and pick it up, look at it. You see beautiful food and a recipe. That’s usually it.

Our cookbook stands out because from the very inception, we are designing it like a field guide. In the margins are little watercolor drawings of stunning vistas, charcoal studies of various herbs and plants, little notes tucked in here or there. Our cookbook is rough around the edges and that’s the point, we want it to feel like you’ve found something personal and real when you pick it up. We want you to bust out your own pen and inks and add to it, there’s space! This may be our cookbook but we want you to make it your cookbook.

Matt: This project consists of a group of best friends; we’re all working on this together; we’re on the same wavelength. But were also big fans of the [Zelda] series and gaming in general. Were putting time into each and every recipe. I know Peter has done countless hours of research on every single recipe.

Everyone on our team is professional; we have several animation students. We have someone who worked on the Archer (the TV show), we have someone who worked from SEGA, that’s me! This team has come from different sides of the gaming, animation and art community. I feel like our relationships show from this cookbook.

Patrick: The thing that really separates this cookbook, I know I’ve been saying this a lot, but most video game cookbook’s I’ve seen have been very novelty, and most of them are just decoration guides for baked goods. This is not just a novelty decoration guide, we are not internet celebrities, we are a bunch of people who just really care about cooking.

ZU: A Kickstarter for this cookbook is coming up (May 2019); why should people support and back this project?

Peter: We hope, we really do hope, that people support our project. This is going to be something you’ll want to show other people and it is going to inspire you to cook for them as well. If you like cooking, if you like games or you want to just have a real piece of art to hang out on your bookshelf, this is for you.

Matt: The Kickstarter were hoping to have that up in May. We’re working really hard on this, we’re trying to make recipes that everyone can enjoy; a culinary adventure. This is one of my favorite projects I got to work on my entire life. The food is SO good. I’m serious about those meaty rice balls! I feel like with the team, partnering with TheYetee and the recipes, this will make for an amazing product.

We’re also working with The Yetee on this project! They will help with distribution, fulfillment, back rewards. I think partnering with TheYetee was amazing, and you’re gonna see a lot of stuff in the future that we’re excited to show off.

Patrick: If you wanted to know what the foods tasted like in Breath of the Wild, this is pretty much the closest you’re gonna get.

ZU: Anything else you want to share about the Zelda cookbook project?

Peter: We have so much more to tell but we want to save a few secrets. I’ll tell you what is no secret, we’ve partnered with The Yetee to help fulfill backer rewards and also produce a few of them. They are an amazing company and we are so happy to work with them. They’re gonna be a big help.

Here’s something that is a secret, but I’ll share it with you. We have a discord server that people can join and hang out in. People are invited to join, cook with us, and go on a culinary adventure! Here’s the invite: discord.gg/wGznSn9. It’s a secret, tell everyone.

Matt: We’re opening our public discord right now! If you wanna chat with the team, look at behind the scenes content, talk about the cookbook, join up in our server! We’ll also have a Twitter and Instagram open to check out. We really wanna hear from everyone.

Patrick: We’re trustworthy dudes and definitely Not A Scam ™ :^) Our discord is neat :^)

Thanks to Peter, Matt, and Patrick for taking time out of their schedule for the interview. We hope you’re looking forward to their upcoming cookbook project. A Kickstarter for The Legend’s Cookbook is launching mid-May; we will continue to share new details as they are announced. We will update with a link to the Kickstarter campaign after it begins.

If you’d like to communicate with the people behind the cookbook project, you can follow them on Twitter or join their Discord server. The team is always looking to engage with patrons, food lovers and Zelda fans alike.

Cook like a Hero: An interview with the team behind The Legend’s Cookbook If you played The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, you know that one of the game’s vital features is cooking.

[psychadelicrose]

Day 1: Adventure

happy @mastar-week 2019!! here’s to all of us having a good time <33 here is a dragon au because I love dragon aus and I hope yall do too thank u

lol this is a day late because I had no computer to post with yesterday but it aite uwu the premise for this is basically “maka is an unconventional princess who sought out the companionship of a dragon by herself, instead of waiting to be snatched up.” this chapter would take place somewhere in the middle of the plot! much love to my sweet potato @l0chn3ss for betaing and giving advice when I asked <33

AO3

It was strange, having nothing to do. There was no duty or task to keep her occupied. A quill in her right hand and a tutor to the same side, peering over her shoulder, is usually where she’d find herself now. Or maybe at a luncheon with a neighboring diplomat, listlessly sipping her tea or ferociously holding her tongue.

She felt a little silly, lounging in a meadow.

What doing?

Breathing in deeply, Maka lifted the book she’d let drape over her face like a silken mask. The pages fluttered and shifted like a fan as she did, and she saw that her spot had been lost. She huffed.

Reading, she responded.

Lie. No pages.

Maka giggled and set the book aside, allowing herself to shake the pages loudly for good measure. See, she jibed, not expecting him to believe her and not particularly harried to be believed. 

He tried again, not deterred. She could see him in her mind’s eye, with his head tilted to the side and ears perked just so. The amount of time he spent focused on her was almost exhausting, but she’d chosen this for herself. 

What doing? 

Breathing out, Maka smiled something small and secret. She rolled over in the grass and felt the sun tickle her skin, a kiss from the heavens and sweeter than all else. He was always like this, checking in and making sure all was right. He took his responsibility very seriously, although he was almost childlike in some of his approaches. He was as hard to predict as a summer’s night.

Napping then, maybe.

No nap. Wait there.

He wanted her to wait until he was there to watch her, is what she assumed he meant. His speaking skills were getting better, and the thought made her feel suspiciously delighted. Most of the time, his thoughts came across to her just like this. It was enough to understand, but anymore more complex was still difficult for him.

Hmm? she tried. There was no real urgency in the thought. She just liked to get a rise out of her dragon. It serves him right for leaving her to her boredom.

I said no.

Maka stifled a laugh at the severity of his voice. Lately, he’d taken on a tough-love approach when he thought she was being unruly. It almost never worked, but she enjoyed his concern and the novelty of it all. She’d love to see his reaction if she ever managed to sneak away to town.

And if I do it anyways? Maka shifted her arms until she could rest her head comfortably, still smiling to herself. The sun felt healing against her back, and the grass was supple on her stomach. Then, a sudden puff of air hit the back of her neck and caused her to shiver. Maka snorted into her arms.

No wings.

Pointedly keeping her eyes closed, Maka chose to reply out loud. She spoke to him flatly, not once believing he’d follow through with his threat.

“You’re blocking my sun.”

So? She could hear the challenge in his voice, and she itched to meet it.

A few moments went by without another word from her dragon. Cracking open her eyes, she settled on the black scales sitting in front of her like a statue, and another hot puff of air hit her skin. Maka looked up towards the deep, steel blue eyes trained on her.

“You never let me sleep out in the open, even when I do ask,” Maka pointed out. In truth, she didn’t mind. Curling up under his wings had become a guilty pleasure, one so embarrassing that she’d never let on to it. “I get hot in the middle of the night,” she fibbed. If she argued to sleep alone, he’d give her the flattest look that told her all she needed to know. “Dragons— strong. Princess, not.” It was infuriating, but she was determined to change his mind someday. However, she wouldn’t usually object at the current point in their journey. Not when spring was upon them and the nights were wrought with chilled mist.

Presently, Maka chose to blindly stuff her castaway book into her satchel to be with her other belongings. If she was going to be bossed around, she at least wouldn’t go down without a fight.

Yeah. Sweaty, he agreed. He looked down his snout at her and indulged in the heated glare she threw at him. She let a litany of annoyed tones move across their bond, to tell him that He didn't have to make her sleep there with him!

Not safe, he explained, not sounding serious in the slightest. He doesn’t move his eyes away from her, and she can see him not so subtly looking over her body for anything out of place. More? He bared his fangs animatedly, so much so that she could tell his intention was to pull off a smirk.

If he was truly fluent in her language, she could practically hear him at the edges of her senses, cackling and trying for, “You got a problem?” instead.

“Tyrant,” Maka snarked. She pulled one hand out from under her and used it to shove away his snout, squawking when he merely pushed it against her harder. One claw inched closer, as if to cage her against the ground. He’d never dare touch her with his nails, she knew, but he wasn’t afraid to roughhouse either. Rolling onto her back, Maka used both hands to shove at his snout instead. A goading rumble resonated from his chest, and the sound made her twist her body so that her boots could push up against his sternum. “Off, lizard!”

Annoyingly, he huffed a distracting breath in her face on purpose, and merely slithered his tail between his own legs so that it could wrap securely around one of her ankles. Before she could react, he’d pulled her straight out from under him, and proceeded to drag her behind him like a prize. He glanced back at her briefly, all to pleased with himself, and let loose a series of clicks she knew to be laughter. Maka just barely managed to grab her bag before being pulled away, and she screeched in indignation.

“Excuse me!” There is no reply, only a sly turn of his head so that she could see he was listening but wasn’t considering letting her go. She scrambled for any purchase and kicked her free boot against the knot of his tail, but nothing seemed to slow him down. It was only then that noticed he was dragging her towards the river. “Black Star, do not!”

Clean you, was the only explanation she received before he stopped short of the river, still holding onto her ankle tightly. She was sure she had grass in her hair and stains on the back of her neck. Maka let a loud groan escape, and banged her head against the grass in protest. She shot him a nasty look that she had no doubt he could feel.

“I don’t need a caretaker!” There’s another tug against her ankle, testing the waters. Maka used her stomach muscles to haul her torso forward, and tried to wiggle her fingers underneath his scaly tail. Black Star only watched her in amusement and tightened his grip. 

Funny. Heaving another groan through her teeth, Maka smacked his tail once for good measure. She pouted when it only served to sting the palm of her hand. Mosquito. His eyes shimmered something cocky.

“Throw me in the river already if that’s what you want.” Another tug to her ankle, and Maka’s hands flew backwards to grip the grass without looking away from him. Then, she felt herself sliding forwards again. He let her leg go just short of slipping into the water, and trotted ahead into the stream so he could look back at her in waiting. She threw another nasty look at him.

Bathe, he said. Important.

“I don’t need a reminder, thank you,” she told him dryly. A long silence stretched between them, and she contemplated making a run for it only long enough for his tail to start swishing threateningly under the water. If he’d truly haul her into the waters himself, she wouldn’t be surprised. And by the looks of him, he wouldn’t mind getting creative and splashing a few waves at her either. 

Either way, he wins.

Smelly, he grins to her across the link. If looks could scorch, she hoped hers were half as scalding as his fire.

In a last stand, Maka tugged off her boot and chucked it at his head. It hit him square in the snout before pathetically landing in the water and starting its lazy trek downstream. Her dragon only watched its descent without making a move to retrieve it. Maka didn’t move either.

“Go get it.”

Yours.

“I know.”

You threw.

“I did. Go get it.” Maka shared a long look with her dragon, to which he lifted his chin and leveled her with his own look. She felt minutes must have passed before the silence had grated on her nerves too much to keep quiet, and finally released a, “Tyrant!” Her dragon flicked his tail in the water, eyes lit with mischief. He didn’t even deny her accusation.

“Fine!” She waved her hands around incessantly to shoo him, and continued with a, “Just, go downstream and do what you normally do!”

All too pleased, her dragon made his way downstream to collect her shoe and find a spot far away enough to give her some privacy. He stayed close enough that he could keep a lookout, but far enough that she didn’t feel intruded upon as long as he kept his back turned. As a passing anecdote, he said to her:

Bathe then dinner then sleep. Walk when morning. Pouting suddenly, Maka called to him before he could get too far.

“If you keep feeding me before sleep, I’ll gain weight!” Black Star only looked back momentarily to say:

Humans must? Sturdy?

That’s not how it works, she thought back to him. She watched as he plopped down a ways away, unfettered by the rivers currents. She’d asked once why he preferred to head downriver instead of get out, and was only a little miffed to hear his reply of, Princess light. River eat you.

Which is to say, he thought that she was so light that the river would wash her downstream, and he’d like to be there to catch her. This had her miffed only because it was slightly true, and she’d only lost her footing once before and had watched his back twitch at the sound of sloshing water. He’d relaxed when she’d regained her footing, but she could tell he’d desperately wanted to turn around and check on her.

Fast. Need to eat, he called to her. Just for that, she thinks she might take a few minutes longer.

Heard—

Maka chucked her other boot downstream, along with the rest of her clothes. It was too much sometimes, the amount that he cared. Maka dunked her head underwater, willing herself to disregard the words spoken so earnestly to her by a dragon much too infuriating. If the crisp water bit at her flushed cheeks more than usual, she ignored it and sunk deeper.

Doting words shouldn’t affect her the way they do.

[prismofwords]

Candy Apple

Umimaki Month Day 9: Challenge Festival AU

“Um...! Please take one!”

The little blue-haired girl gaped at the bright red treat suddenly held out in front of her. It looked like food, but it wasn’t anything she had ever seen before. Wonder gave way to puzzlement. “What...is it?” she asked, large, curious amber eyes turning to the purple eyes of the girl holding it up to her.

“It’s a candy apple!” she said.

“Is it good?”

The girl frowned. “I don’t know. This is my first time helping with the stall, and you’re my first ever customer.”

“Maki!” The woman beside her bent down, chuckling. “Be more confident than that! You’ve had candy apples before, haven’t you? Didn’t you like them?” She paused, making an ‘o’ with her mouth as if realizing something. “Oh, wait, or were those candy tomatoes?”

The girl flushed, turning almost as red as the apple in her hand. “Mama! You said you wouldn’t talk about that!”

“Don’t yell in front of your customer! You’ll scare her off.”

Umi didn’t mind though, corners of her mouth turning up with delight. “You’re funny.” She turned to the woman who had been standing patiently behind her, coinpurse already in hand. “Can I take one, mama?”

“Of course you can! Go ahead and take it. Don’t forget to say thank you!”

Leaving the adults to figure out their confusing money business, Umi turned back to the girl in front of her and carefully took hold of the stick, clumsily mumbling her thanks. Sizing up her newly acquired treasure, Umi stuck out her tongue and licked it. She frowned, finding no purchase in the hardened syrup. “You’re supposed to bite it, silly.”

“Oh.” She did as suggested, and squealed in delight at the explosion of flavour in her mouth. The hard, sugary crystal she was expecting, but underneath was the familiar crunch and subtle tartness of the apple. “This is so good!” she gasped. The other girl beamed with pride. Umi looked hard at her, gave a cautious smile, and took the leap. “Hey, your name’s Maki, right?”

Apparently not prepared for any more talking after her first sale, the tiny apple merchant barely stammered out a response. “Um, yeah.”

“I’m Umi.” She stepped forward, relieved to see that Maki didn’t take a step back. “Wanna be friends?”

Umi strolled through the brightly lit festival streets, taking in all the sights. It was a little intimidating being alone in the maze of stalls and festival goers, especially since her bright blue yukata made her stand out more than she’d like, but there was no helping it. Over the years, she’d learned that festivals like these offered a unique glimpse into the spirit of a city. She especially didn’t want to miss the chance to reacquaint herself with the city of her early childhood, even if she didn’t have anyone to go with. Her mother was busy with work, and since they’d moved in the middle of summer vacation, she hadn’t had a chance to make any new friends, and she definitely didn’t remember any of her old ones. Umi had told herself she’d try and at least meet people she’d be going to school with, but so far she was having little success.

As she walked along, a small, lonesome stall caught her eye, drawing her closer. Behind the counter slouched a somewhat bored-looking girl that looked to be about Umi’s age. If Umi was looking to make friends, there were probably better places to start. In front of her, however, a wide array of colourful treats--Umi recognized them as candy apples--was on display, lined up in neat little rows. Some looked like Christmas ornaments, some were coated in gummis or sprinkles or bits of chocolate, some were even decorated to look like cartoonish faces. It would fulfill her other goal in coming here. She’d always made it a point to buy a candy apple at every festival she went to. It was Umi’s unofficial mission to find the nation’s best, driven by a vague memory of one she’d had long ago. “Excuse me, miss, how much for one?”

Surprise flashed on the young merchant’s face, perhaps at actually having a customer, but it quickly faded as she forced on a more professional look. “300 yen.”

Umi fumbled for her coinpurse. “I’ll take one.”

The girl spread her arms to indicate the spectrum of sweetened fruit. “Which one would you like?”

Amidst all the creative, novelty designs, Umi spotted a plain one, coated in a uniform shade of red almost as bright as the merchant’s yukata. It seemed to call her, compelled her to reach for it. “I’ll take that one.”

As she was handed her prize, Umi couldn’t miss the scowl on the merchant’s otherwise beautiful face. “Is there something wrong, miss?”

“Ah, sorry, no, it’s just...you look familiar.” She bit her lip, obviously contemplating whether she should say anything further. “Do you go to Otonokizaka?”

Now that she mentioned it, the more Umi looked at the woman across from her, the more she felt like she knew her. Still, how could she possibly recognize her? “Well, that’s where I’ll be transferring, but I just moved here. I’m starting there after the vacation.”

The merchant frowned. “Ah, I must have been mistaken then. Sorry to bother you, miss.”

Umi started to walk away, taking a bite of her candy apple as she did so. Her eyes widened as her mouth filled with a delicious fusion of sweet crystal and tart apple, the contrast in texture and taste lighting up her taste buds. There was no doubt in her mind. She’d been to all different kinds of festivals as she and her family moved across the country, searching for this Holy Grail, this perfect blend of flavour that she’d once found long ago in a previous life. She turned back to the merchant, old memories resurfacing in the sea of her mind. Staring deep into the purple eyes of the woman before her, Umi began to remember that chance encounter so many years ago, the best friend she’d left behind when she moved away. The adventures they had together, the letters they wrote to each other to keep in touch. The promise they made to find each other again someday, a promise she’d since given up on. It all started in that crystallized moment, that one summer night--

Umi looked hard at the girl, gave a cautious smile, and took the leap. “Hey, your name’s Maki, right?”

Confusion appeared on the young apple merchant’s face, then turned to disbelief. She barely stammered out a response. “Y-yeah, and you’re--”

Umi nodded, feeling tears well up in her eyes. “I’m Umi.” She stepped forward, relieved to see Maki didn’t take a step back. “Would you...like to be friends?”

[reverse-winx]

Magic in Gardenia

Welcome to my new AU! It’s got a harsher world, a few key plot changes, some personality changes, and a whole lot of headcanons. If you’ve got any ideas or headcanons that you think might fit well in this universe, message me and I’ll see what I can do! Eventually I’ll make a full headcanon page for your reference, and I’ll give credit appropriately. 

Once upon a time, in sunny, southern California, USA, there lived a girl named Bloom, and this is her story.

The interesting parts began with her being woken up for school, which was not the way she had anticipated starting summer vacation. It was just a joke, of course, and she tried to be amused as she slumped back into bed. Her mother laughed and picked up the assortment of books that lay scattered on the floor near her nightstand. “A late night for sci-fi, honey?” she asked as she tidied up. “You know, I have some wonderful historical fiction books that might be interesting.”

“All you like are sappy romance novels,” Bloom mumbled as she covered her face with her sheets. “Gimme a good high fantasy any day.”

“Not all romance is bad,” her mother insisted. “You’re already sixteen. Soon you’ll start to understand.”

“Sure, Mom,” Bloom said.

Her mother laughed. “When you manage to drag yourself out of bed, go look outside.  Your dad and I have a surprise for you.”

Bloom perked up at that. “Surprise?” A surprise meant a dash of novelty in her otherwise mundane life. “I’ll be right down!” Already dressed from after being startled awake for the non-existent school day, she slipped on her well-worn sneakers and followed her mother downstairs. After making sure her pet rabbit Kiko’s cage was well-supplied with food and water, she opened her family’s condo’s door. Outside, her father was just finishing attaching a little delivery basket on the front of a brand new bicycle.

“It’s a little old-fashioned,” he admitted as he wiped the sweat that had formed under the morning sun, “but it should take you on some grand adventures nonetheless.”

“I know it’s not a scooter like some of those other girls have,” her mother said from behind her. “I hope you’re not too disappointed.”

Bloom grinned. “Are you kidding? You guys both know that I’ve always wanted a way to get around the city so that I don’t have to bug you when you’re working. This is great!”

“Are you sure?” her mother fretted.

“Absolutely,” Bloom said. “Who needs what those snobby rich kids want anyway? Those scooters are the things that’ll get stolen first, in my opinion. Plus, you know me. I’m your fantasy-loving, dragon-slaying girl. I like old-fashioned.”

“Wanna take it out on a test run?” her father asked as he shoved the few tools he had needed into his bag. “Go buy yourself a start-of-summer treat and have some fun.”

“You don’t need to tell me twice!” Bloom exclaimed. “Let me just grab some cash, my book, and some sunscreen, and I’ll see you guys later!”

Five minutes later, Bloom was pedaling down the sidewalk to her favorite hideout, the Gardenia City Park. During the warm school months, she often did her homework under the light of the bright Californian sun, and in the summer, while most other teenagers lazed about on the beaches, Bloom spread out a blanket and relaxed in the calming shade of the trees. That was her plan for the day, and she ran through her favorite spots in her head as she felt the wind rush through her hair.

The sound of a motor very rudely broke her train of thought. “Well, if it isn’t Red,” said the nasally voice of Mitzi, the heiress of one of Gardenia’s biggest fashion stores. “Got yourself a new ride, I see.” Bloom ignored her. “Well, whatever. Looks like your parents are still too poor to get you anything of real value. That, or they just don’t love you enough to buy you a sweet scooter like mine.”

Whenever Bloom encountered people like Mitzi, she always wished she were better at snappy comebacks. No matter how hard she tried to emulate some of her favorite sassy heroes and heroines, though, she never could. Luckily, she had learned early on that comebacks were not her strong suit, and so she continued ignoring Mitzi. A traffic light turned red, trapping the spoiled girl and her scooter, while Bloom continued on her way.

It was a short bike ride through the small city. Bloom sighed in contentment as she settled down in the shade with a small basket of snacks. She ate an apple and threw the core into the trees for any animal that wanted it, and laid back on her picnic blanket. It was not long before she dozed off, slipping in and out of dreams and vague, adventure-filled trains of thought, when suddenly there was a blaze of light that sent tingles through Bloom’s whole body.

Looking up at the sky, Bloom confirmed that it was still clear and sunny, and that she had not just been struck by lightning. Then she heard a girl shouting, and, pulling out her cell phone, she went to investigate. Walking carefully and quietly, Bloom followed the sounds of distress to a clearing deep in the park. Hiding behind the trees, she saw a tall, tan, blonde girl who was around her age desperately fighting off a band of small, strange creatures that appeared to be made of shadows. The girl was dressed in shorts and a flowing, one-sleeved shirt that appeared to made out of something resembling orange latex, and she wore tall, heeled boots of the same, bold color. Her long hair was tied back in low pigtails, and she wielded a tall, silver staff.

“Rising Sun!” the girl exclaimed, raising her free hand, and Bloom watched in amazement as a burst of blinding light blasted away the shadow creatures.

“I’ve got to be dreaming,” she whispered to herself.

“Solar Wind!” the girl yelled as she slammed her staff into the ground. Her entire body released a blaze of light that threw more of the shadow creatures away from her. Bloom saw that the girl sagged in exhaustion, and she realized that she probably had been fighting or trying to escape them for some time. Then she noticed an ominous hand reach out from the shadows and catch one of the creatures, crushing it. Following the hand into the shadows, Bloom saw it was connected to a hulking, nonhuman mass.

“This is definitely a nightmare,” she said with a gulp.

Then the hulking mass charged out into the light, and, after getting over the fact that it was yellow and wearing suspenders, Bloom ducked back into the shadows, barely peeking out to watch. The girl raised her staff to defend herself, but was hurled back and onto the ground. The hulking mass could speak, and it ordered the shadow creatures forward. The girl tried to get up, but was yanked down by the swarm.

The hulking mass ripped the staff from the girl’s hands. “Not so brave now, huh, little girl?” it snarled as it leaned over her.

Something clenched in Bloom’s gut, and her fight instinct won over flight. After all, she thought as she stood, it’s just a dream, and it’s not often I’m aware in one. I might as well test the limits. Gripping her phone and a stick that she had grabbed from the ground, she stepped into the clearing. “Get back, you ugly beast!” she exclaimed.

“Or what?” the beast asked with a sneer. “Get her!” It pointed at Bloom, and the shadow creatures rushed toward her.

Bloom’s mind raced as she watched the creatures growing closer and closer. “It’s just a dream, it’s just a dream,” she chanted as she bit her lip. Shoving her cell phone in her back pocket, she gripped her stick with both hands and did the stupidest thing she could imagine – ran at the creatures and swung her stick at them with all her might. To her surprise, the stick burst into flames, and when they touched the creatures, which had leaped at her, they disintegrated. Filled with confidence, Bloom waved the flaming stick at the remaining creatures, which eyed her cautiously. Then she approached the girl.

“Are you alright?” she asked, kneeling beside her.

“B-behind you!” the girl gasped.

“Huh?” Lost in the adrenaline rush from the thrill of using her dream powers, Bloom had briefly forgotten about the hulking, yellow mass that was stalking toward her. It swiped the girl’s staff at her and knocked the stick from her hands, which fell to the ground and went out. Grabbing her by the arms, it hoisted her into the air.

“Such a troublesome little girl,” it growled as it shook her around. “I wonder how hard I can smash you!”

“Just a dream,” Bloom told herself as she clenched her body and willed the creature to go away. Her muscles tensed and her belly felt like it had a hot water bottle in it, and she felt like she was going to burst. Then she did, but not in the way she expected. A long, thick ribbon of energy exploded from her body, forcing the hulking, yellow mass to let go of her as it was thrown back. Bloom dropped to the ground, suddenly exhausted. If this was what all magic was like, it was no wonder that the other girl looked so tired.

“My scepter,” the girl called. “Kick my scepter over here!” Bloom looked, and saw that it was indeed within her leg’s reach. She swung around and sent the metal object spinning over at the girl, who grabbed it, shouting, “Power of the suns, moons, and stars, don’t fail me now!” Light blazed, and everything went flying.

“R-retreat!” the hulking mass exclaimed as it attempted to scramble to its feet. The few remaining shadow creatures scurried to it, and in a burst of purple light, they all disappeared, though not before one of them snagged a bit of Bloom’s jeans.

“Whew, thank goodness that’s over,” the girl said with a sigh. And then her eyes closed and she collapsed. In a comparatively dull flash, her latex outfit, scepter, and pigtails all disappeared, replaced by long, flowing hair and a bright, summery dress.

Bloom cried out in alarm and stumbled over to her side. “Hey! Wake up, wake up!” Grabbing her phone, she dialed her condo. “Hello? Mom? Can you or dad come out to the park? Someone’s hurt out here, and I can’t carry her myself.”

*~*~*

It was nearly nightfall when Bloom finally came to the conclusion that she was not dreaming. “Honey, you’ve been acting off all afternoon,” her mother said. “What’s wrong? Are you worried about that poor girl you found?”

“Yeah,” Bloom said. She was not lying, but it felt strange to not tell her mother the whole truth.

“I still think we should have taken her to the hospital,” her father said as he looked at the strange girl sleeping on their couch.

“Mike, it just looks like a case of heat stroke and exhaustion,” her mother told him as she patted her husband on the shoulder. “You said so yourself.”

Her father sighed. “I know, honey, I just worry. She’s Bloom’s age; wouldn’t we want someone to take our daughter to the hospital if they found her in a park? I think that at the very least we should call the police to see if anyone’s looking for her.”

“I told you, Dad, I think we should wait for her to wake up,” Bloom said as she stood guard over the girl. “That way we can help her back home without scaring her family by giving them a call from the police.”

“It’s almost nightfall,” her father argued. “Her parents are probably worried anyway.”

“I don’t know, Dad,” Bloom said. “Sure, her clothes are fashionable, which means she’s got money and is probably not a runaway, but the bottoms of her shoes show that they’re well used, which suggests that she’s accustomed to taking long walks. Staying out late is probably a normal thing for her.”

“I always forget that mystery novels are your favorite after fantasy and sci-fi,” her mother said proudly.

“This still doesn’t feel right to me,” her father said. “She didn’t have any form of identification on her? It seems a bit fishy. What if she was mugged?”

“I wasn’t,” the girl said sleepily.

Her mother hurried over. “You’re awake, dear! Are you alright?”

The girl sat up and stretched. “I’m fine, thanks,” she said. “I just used too much energy, that’s all.” Turning to Bloom, she said, “Thanks for all your help back there. I was caught completely off guard and I hardly had any time to think. When that ogre cornered me on my way to Magix, I did the first thing I thought of and bolted into another dimension, thinking that it couldn’t follow me and that I could wait it out. Ogres don’t usually have magic, you see. But this one did, or had some sort of magical item that let it follow me, and so I got stuck fighting it here. Normally it’s not a problem, but I’m a little rusty since it’s been vacation, and my old school didn’t really teach much combat in general, let alone to first-years.”

Bloom stared at Stella, realizing that she was either mistaken and was still dreaming, or that she had just become a part of something more exciting than she had ever imagined. Her father, however, headed for the home phone. “Ok, I’m calling the hospital.”

“What? Why?” Stella asked. “Which dimension am I in?”

“Dimension?” her mother asked.

“You’re in a city called Gardenia in the state of California in the United States of America,” Bloom said. “Um, our planet is called ‘Earth,’ and there isn’t any magic here. I’m Bloom, and this is my mom, Vanessa, and my dad, Mike.”

“Hello, it’s my pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Stella said politely. “Your planet’s called ‘Earth’, hm? That’s rather… primitive. Oh! Your dimension’s technology must not have advanced far enough to connect with the other dimensions yet! Oh dear. Wait, did you say there’s no magic here?” Bloom nodded. “Then what was that you did against the ogre? The fire thing, I mean.”

“Fire?!” her mother asked, confused and concerned.

“It was brilliant!” Stella exclaimed, swinging her legs around so that they rested on the ground. “Your daughter stood up to the ogre and its minions, got herself in a corner, and then used her magic to drive them back and give me time to recover enough to force them to retreat. She saved my life, you know.”

“Wait, what?” her father asked, pausing from dialing the hospital. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“Do you think would have believed me?” Bloom asked. “I hardly believe me, and I live for this kind of stuff!”

“There’s really no magic in this dimension?” Stella asked. “Hm. I wonder what makes you different. But regardless, you’ve got raw power, if your fight against the ogre was anything to go by. Not to mention you can do it untransformed, and you’ve got a normal person’s body… Say, is there somewhere that I can test your magic? I’m an extremely nosy person, you see, and if you want to learn to control your powers, you’ll need to go to school. The magic test will allow me to help you enroll in the place that’s right for you.”

“Wait, why are you doing this for me?” Bloom asked.

“You saved my life, silly!” Stella said. “Let it never be said that the princess of Solaria doesn’t pay her debts. It’s the least I can do.” Then she noticed her father was trying to sneak out of the room with the phone. “Sorry,” she said, “I can’t have you calling your security people.” She wiggled her fingers and the phone flew back to its holder, out of battery and charging.

“M-m-magic?!” her father stammered, shocked.

“Told you,” Stella said. “Say, Bloom, is there somewhere I can take you to do the test? I don’t want to put your dad into any more shock than he’s already in.”

Bloom laughed. “My bedroom would work. Can you stand?”

“Yup!” Stella said as followed Bloom. “I’m telling you, there’s nothing wrong with me. I was just tired and had to sleep it off, that’s all.”

Bloom let Stella into her room and closed the door. “So, what’s the magical world like?” she asked excitedly. “I’m guessing it’s nothing like the different books I’ve read imagine.”

“Probably not,” Stella said as she looked up at the night sky out Bloom’s window. “Let’s see…” She turned back to Bloom and handed her a ring.

“So why do you have a magic test for the different schools on you?” Bloom asked.

“It’s a long story,” Stella said as she watched Bloom put on the ring. “The short version is that my mom always wanted me to go to her old school, but early on my magic indicated that I was better suited for another place. She tried to teach me all her old school’s tricks to help me along, and would constantly check my magical alignment, but it never changed. Regardless, I went to her old school last year. However, something happened, so now I’m going to the place I was meant to go.”

“Oh,” said Bloom, not really sure what to say. “What makes a person suited for a particular school or not?”

Stella sighed as she began to wave her hands over the ring. “In the magical dimensions, girls with magic are either strongly aligned with Light or Dark, while boys are always neutral. There’s been some history, and those with Light generally have a better reputation than those with Dark.”

Bloom frowned. “For a place more advanced than here, it sure sounds like you’ve got so of the same problems we do.”

“Probably,” Stella said. “Okay, there we go. You’re aligned like I am. You’re Dark.”

“Dark?” Bloom asked, a sinking feeling settling into her stomach.

“That’s right,” Stella said. “It means that we would go to the same school, but I won’t blame you if you don’t want to come with me, you know. Witches – that’s what they call people like us – have a hard life in the magical dimensions.”

“I don’t care; I need to learn to control my powers,” Bloom said. “Now that I know I’ve got them, I could do something accidentally if I get hurt or scared, and I don’t want to harm anyone. Who cares about prejudice? I’ll just have to turn the worlds upside down.”

“You’ve got spirit,” said Stella. “I like you.”

Then the house shook. “What was that?” Bloom asked.

“Let’s find out,” Stella said.

The two girls rushed downstairs to see the ogre that had attacked Stella earlier, along large blue monster and another pack of the little shadow creatures. “Bloom, hold them off for a second,” Stella said. “I’m gonna call for backup!”

“The police won’t know how to deal with this!” Bloom exclaimed.

“It’s okay,” Stella said. “I’m not calling the police. Get it outside! I’ve put up a camouflage spell, so don’t worry about the neighbors.” Her body flashed, and she was back in the outfit that Bloom had first seen her wearing during her battle in the park.

“If you say so,” Bloom said shakily. “Hey, you! C-come and get me!” She darted for the condo’s back door, and as she expected, a wave of shadow creatures chased after her. “I really need this fire thing to work again…” Grabbing a trashcan cover to use a shield, Bloom watched the creatures warily.

A blast of light threw the ogre out of her condo, and Bloom looked over, impressed. The ogre groaned on the ground. Then Stella came flying after it, and Bloom remembered that the other girl had been facing the large blue monster as well. “Are you okay?” she asked as she helped Stella to her feet.

“I’ll be fine,” Stella said as she made a device that Bloom had never seen before appear.

“We’re outnumbered,” Bloom commented as she watched Stella’s back.

“I know,” said Stella. “That’s why I’m calling in a favor. I really hope Timmy can get into uncharted territory. Does this place even have dimensional coordinates?” Bloom had no idea what Stella was talking about, so she focused on swatting away the shadow creatures that came too close. Then the blue monster forced its way out the door.

“Oh no…” Bloom said. “Stella?”

“Timmy better hurry his skinny butt over here,” Stella muttered as she made the device disappear and floated up off the ground. Bloom stared. “Moonlight Mandalas!” Stella swung her scepter at the blue monstrosity, sending a wave of silver light at it.

“The ogre’s coming to,” Bloom warned.

“Stay close to me,” Stella ordered as she blasted the ogre away from them.

“The blue thing!” Bloom yelped as the monster came charging at them, a swirl of light appearing behind it.

“On it!” Stella stepped back, poised to attack, when a cord with a glowing ball on the end snapped around the monster’s neck.

“Got him,” a male voice said, voice filled with confidence and pride.

“It’s about time,” Stella said, her relief betrayed by her body relaxing. “Did you really go and put on those awful unitard uniform things just for a quick fight? I’m not your teacher, you know.”

“Princess Stella.” Bloom peeked around Stella to see four boys about their age standing with their weapons ready. One of them held the rope that trapped the blue monster. The one who had spoken, a boy with brown hair, had nodded respectfully to her friend. “It took a little longer than usual to pinpoint the location you sent us, so we figured we might as well put on the full getup. After all, it’s not every day that we get a call from someone like you, so I figured that it had to be important, and so I made the guys dress to impress.”

Stella rolled her eyes. “You’re still going by Sky, right?” The brown-haired boy nodded. “I see,” she said. “I know I’ve ranted to you about how unflattering your school’s look is, and now here you are blinding my new friend, Bloom, with those horrible outfits.”

“Are we just gonna stand here chatting?” a strawberry-blonde with glasses asked. “Our school is a lot stricter than Alfea. Someone’s going to look for us soon.”

The magenta-haired boy who held the blue monster scoffed. “It’s been less than two minutes. Chill out, Timmy. Let’s have a little fun for once.”

“Let’s not get too excited, guys,” said the last boy, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed teen. “Our second year hasn’t even started yet, and the teachers haven’t even talked about assigning our first mission yet.” If Bloom had not known that he came from another dimension, she would have guessed that he came from a family of Swedish models. He was definitely easy on the eyes.

Her train of thought was broken when the blue monster, which had been growing angrier and angrier as it struggled with the cord that bound it, finally managed to yank itself around, pulling the boy attached to the cord with it and dumping him at Bloom and Stella’s feet. “I’d say ‘Told you so’, but I can’t,” the brown-haired boy said with a long-suffering sigh. “Will you say it, Brandon?”

“Told you so,” the blonde, Brandon, said.

“Shut up!” the magenta-haired boy said angrily.

The troll, finally free, turned and lumbered toward the boys. Brandon immediately stepped in front of the brown-haired boy. “Your highness, stay back!”

As the troll punched Brandon’s shield, the brown-haired boy sighed. “Seriously, Brandon? Showing off in front of the ladies? That’s a prince’s job.”

“I don’t care, do something!” Brandon said.

“Sky, separate them,” the boy with glasses said.

“On it,” said the brown-haired boy, Sky. He swung his massive, green broadsword (she really had read far too many fantasy novels) and split the pavement. Bloom was impressed. “Timmy, he’s all yours.”

The boy with glasses, Timmy, shot at the blue monster’s feet, driving it back into the crack, where it fell, trapped. “Got it!”

By now, the magenta-haired boy had recovered. “Watch the ghouls,” he said gruffly.  “Stay behind me.” Bloom, who did not really know what to do in her current situation, had no problem with his order (ordinarily, she would question such a harsh command, especially from a male to a female). The shadow-creatures, called ghouls, apparently, rushed at the boy, who was practically inviting them to attack him.

Stella levitated behind Bloom, concentrating. Bloom realized that she was maintaining the camouflage spell. “It’s nice to see a good fight every once in a while,” the floating girl commented as she watched the boys. “Any of the catch your interest?”

Bloom looked at her. “That’s what you’re thinking at a time like this?”

Stella laughed quietly. “Puh-lease. We’re in no danger now that we’ve got numbers on our side. Plus, those uniforms may be hideous, but they sure do let the boys show off their bodies!”

Bloom sighed and shook her head. “I guess I can’t argue with that.” She watched as the magenta-haired boy was overwhelmed by the ghouls. “Should we help him?”

“His delicate ego will be hurt if we do,” said Stella. “Believe me, I know the guy.”

Then the ogre charged out of nowhere and sent him flying.

“I think he’ll get over it,” Bloom said, anxiety beginning to build in her gut.

“Me too,” said Stella, and together they blasted the ogre.

“Once is luck, twice is a coincidence, but three times?” Bloom asked. “I’m definitely not dreaming.”

“Told you,” said Stella.

Bloom watched as the ogre recovered and realized that it was surrounded by two witches and four armed boys. Growling in frustration, the ogre clapped its hands and disappeared.

“I’ve got the troll!” Timmy called from the split in the pavement. During the fight, he had snapped some sort of collar that generated an electric cage around the blue monster.

“Good work,” said Sky, clapping his teammate on the back.

“Now that we’ve got a chance to breathe, let me introduce you guys,” Stella said as she flashed back into her normal clothes. “Bloom, these are some friends of mine from last year. They got to Red Fountain, a school that trains boys to be soldiers. The guy with spiky hair is Riven, the guy with brown hair is Prince Sky of Eraklyon, the guy with glasses is Timmy, and the guy with the shield is Brandon.” Bloom noticed that she met Brandon’s eyes, and that some sort of silent exchange passed between them.

“I don’t hear anymore fighting.” Bloom watched as her parents dared to leave the house. “Who are you people?” her father asked. “Where’d you come from?”

“They’re the cavalry,” Bloom said. “Stella called them.”

“Sorry to have to run,” said Sky. “Our teachers really are gonna start looking for us soon, and we’ve got a troll to take care of. See ya around soon, Stella. Timmy, take us home!” The swirl of light appeared again, and the boys and the troll disappeared.

“Sorry about the mess,” Stella said, looking around the street. “Here, let me fix it.”

Bloom watched her father stubbornly shake his head. “I can do it the normal way.”

“I insist,” Stella said as she waved her scepter. “I owe you guys for taking me in. Plus, how would you ever explain this to the neighbors?” The pavement fixed itself, the shattered windows reassembled, and the door flew back to its hinges.

The four of them went back inside to relax. “Let me get you something to eat,” her mother said as she gestured for them all to sit. “It’s been an exciting night.”

“I wish I could, but I’ve got to get to Magix,” Stella said. “School starts tomorrow, you see. Bloom, are you coming with me?”

“Can I?” Bloom asked her parents. “I really believe that I need to learn to control my powers, or I might hurt someone by accident.”

“What will we tell people who ask about you?” her mother asked.

“You guys know that I don’t have many friends,” Bloom said. “The only person who might get curious is that girl Selina who I’ve done projects with from time to time, and when it’s the school year, you can just tell her that I applied to boarding school to enjoy some new experiences. During the summer you can say that I’m at a writing workshop or something.”

Her father sighed. “You’re so young, though. You’re only sixteen, and then there’s also those monsters out there.”

“Don’t worry,” said Stella. “I’ll be there to guide Bloom along the way, and we’ll be well protected once we’re in Magix.”

“That’s what you thought, and then you were attacked,” her father said.

“That was on my way to Magix,” Stella corrected. “But we’ve beaten that ogre for now, so we’d best be on our way.”

“What about tuition?” her mother asked.

“I told you guys, I owe you for your hospitality. Consider it taken care of,” Stella said with a wave of her hand.

“What, can you create money with magic?” her father asked.

“No, that’s illegal,” said Stella.

“Wait, those guys called you ‘Princess’,” Bloom realized. “You’re royalty.”

“That’s right,” Stella said. “So don’t worry about it. Your daughter’s safe as long as she’s with me.”

“Can we at least come drop you off?” her mother asked.

“I’m sure you could,” said Stella. “I might not be able to take you all the way up to the school, but you can definitely get a glimpse of Magix.”

Bloom packed her duffle bags and Stella transformed her ring back into her scepter. She beckoned to them. “Come close.” They drew near to her, and Stella raised the scepter, calling, “Magix!”

The world disappeared into a blur, and Bloom felt like she was falling. Then she was standing on windy mountainside overlooking a beautiful valley that slowly turned into a modern and high-tech-looking city. Gesturing grandly, Stella said, “Welcome to Magix.”