#but there was *always* a rock i wanted to climb and somebody wouldn't let me

[continent-of-wild-endeavor]

Winter hiking

One of the perks of being an adult hiking alone is that you can get up on top of that big rock by the trail if you want to. You can climb up every big rock, stand on top & look around, go "yup", then climb down and keep walking to the next one, and no one can tell you to hurry up or that you're slowing everyone down.

[constantlyunlightening]

Work, work, work

Day 15: Cockwarming

Warnings/Other Kinks: Anxiety/Depression implications and mentions (Doppo is just like thattt), Doppo kinda snaps at the end, office sex/sex at work, dubcon (there's not explicit consent in this so I'm going to put it just in case but the reader and doppo are in a relationship and I meant for this situation to be consensual, but Doppo's anxiety in this situation made it seem kind of sus)

I have nothing but Hypmic on the brain. I love feral screaming Doppo. Would highly recommend listening to him belly scream here. :D I really do want the best for this boy tho. I love him so muchhhh.

Disclaimer: 18+ years and older to read. All characters in this work are 20 years or older. This is a fictional depiction of a relationship and is not meant to be mimicked in real life. I do not condone cockwaming your partner in their place of work irl.

It was always work, work, work with him. Well, work and rapping but Doppo hardly ever talked about his Matenro. It was always about his balding asshole of a boss, his terrible coworkers and work, work, work.

You knew he was a workaholic. You knew that when you fell in love with the guy. But geez. Time for him to learn that self care was a priority.

You had stormed to his office after having spent two hours - past the time he was supposed to get off - waiting for him at home. This overtime was bullshit. The man worked himself to the bone. And he didn't know how to say no. You worried about him! It was the reason why you marched right over to the cubicle. The place was deserted, all except for poor Doppo, sitting at his desk pinching the bridge of his nose and surrounded by paperwork.

"What the hell is all this?" You asked as you came up behind him and you almost felt bad watching as the man let out a shout, jumping out of his seat and scrambling like a frightened rabbit. A few of the papers he had on his desk got caught up in his whirlwind and dusted around the room - a fact you assumed Doppo would be disgruntled about later, but he looked far too nervous right now as he took labored breaths and let wide eyes take in your form.

"Wh-what are you doing here?"

".... You're being worked too hard if the sound of your girlfriend's voice is enough to panic you," you quipped back, ignoring his question for now as you bent over to try to help organize some of the scattered documents that had fallen to the floor. Let him have the time to bring his breathing back to normal. You were mainly pissed at his job for overworking him - not so much him. Didn't need to go give him a heart attack. "You're here late again. I was checking in on you." A pile of paperwork stacked against your chest, you moved over closer to him to set it down on the desk and took your time eyeing the assortment of work he had lying around. This couldn't all be his. Some of them must be pawning off their work, and Doppo just so happened to be the biggest doormat around. A sigh heaved from your lips, and you didn't miss the way Doppo shuddered. How could you? The man tensed up like he was being shot by lightening. "Looks like it was a good thing I did too. This work would have kept you here all night if someone didn't come to stop you."

"I'm sorry!" You weren't surprised but the volume of his apology made you jump and as he started to spew off more and more apologies, you quickly grabbed him by the tie and yanked him in, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. You weren't trying to invalidate his feelings by cutting him off, but there was no reason for him to be panicking like he was. And luckily, kisses from you always seemed to soothe him - at least as soothed as someone like Doppo could be.

"Baby," you purred gently, pulling your lips from his and watching the way his cheeks lit up with a dusting of pink. Always so stressed, this one. But the face he made after you kissed him made your heart flutter. Dumbfounded but he still managed to swoon in subtle ways - those aquamarine eyes zoomed in on you like you were treasure. The simple strokes you gave to his hair made him melt - the tension zapped out of his shoulders and he almost started to slump into you. "You don't have to say sorry. But it's time to go home now. No more work."

That cute daze in his expression only lasted a moment more before it was like all that anxious energy plowed right back into him. The word 'work' was enough to flip a switch with him. "That's not right! I have a whole ton of it!" His arm extended outward, waving at the stacks piled high. "I'm sorry but I have more work to do. I'll finish as soon as I can but - I gotta do this or my crazy boss will pile even more work on me! Or I'll lose my job or worse I-ll-"

"Doppo!" You cut him off and tried to calm him down. It worked to some extent but only enough to keep him from screaming or spiraling into one of his crazes. You didn't convince him to stop working though and eventually you had to settle for watching him drown himself in the work in front of him, trying to suppress your groans.

You loved the man. But really?

Playing the waiting game wasn't something you were interested in though. Which is why, after a bit of working, you somehow managed to not only weasel your way into his lap but you also got his cock out of his pants, stroking it just enough to get him riled up as you watched him try not to panic.

"You can't just do that-"

"I just did. Don't worry. The cameras can't see in here. It's fine," you coaxed, letting him stay nervous anyway as you pushed your panties to the side from underneath your skirt causing him to visibly gulp. But he wasn't pushing you off.

"I have to work," he declared, whispers on the verge of being shouts fell from his lips but cut off into a whimper as the head of his dick was suddenly being warmed up by the heat of your body as you slowly sank down onto him - taking him in inch by inch. 

It wasn't until you were fully seated to the hilt, listening to his breath hitch that you gave a tiny huff. "Then work." And your body stilled. No movement other than the flutter and clench of your walls against your hung lover, letting your eyes watch his flustered face. He clearly didn't know what to say and you watched as his gaze flickered around like a chicken with its head cut off - to your face, to his paperwork, to where your bodies were joined and then anywhere but you. Good. Get him riled up. He was panicking but you could feel him twitch inside of you, like he was anticipating for you to move - waiting for it. But you kept your hips locked in place as you leaned in and rested your head on his shoulder. "Work, Doppo. Just giving you some motivation for when you finally get done." Your voice was much to kindly for someone who just pulled somebody's dick out in the middle of a public office. But it managed to keep him from tipping over his brink just yet. Poor thing always got so worked up. Your physical actions may not be helping that necessarily, but your voice always seemed to soothe him over, even if it was only a little at a time. 

"H-how?" You listened to him practically squeak, shifting under you and instantly giving a whine at the slight push against your walls. How was he supposed to work when you were on him like this? How was he supposed to concentrate when you were constricting around him? When you were filling him with molten lava from the bottom up?

With feather light kisses, you trailed a line across his neck, trying to remain still on the cock that was stretching out your insides - forcing the urge to bounce on him like a pogo stick until you both lost even the capability to think of work. You would behave somewhat for now though. Doppo could get his work done. You could get some form of closeness in the meantime. Besides, maybe a good vise grip on him could speed up the process? Or make him say 'fuck it' altogether - hopefully, literally fuck it. "Just work, Doppo. Since it's so important. Ill wait," you cooed, almost as if you were being thoughtful. Too sweet for him to argue and you listened to him give a defeated groan of a sound before he tried to level out his breath and refocus. 

Oh, but that was easier said than done. Doppo had restarted on the paperwork, working around you as your warm body nuzzled into his chest. He usually felt like he was suffocating at work but right now, it felt like your body was trying to strangle the life out of him from somewhere other than the neck. How were you so tight? How come velvety walls were squeezing down on him over and over again without either of you even moving? You were starting to leak out around him, a sticky mess starting to spill out onto his lap slowly - torturous. Maybe you were actually trying to be sweet. Maybe you were actively trying to mess with him. But either way, it was kicking up a bad habit within him. He would reach for another stack, shifting in the chair and causing the tiniest of mewling to escape from your lips. It was a blissful sigh here, a hitched breath there, a tiny hum into his chest and it was going to break him. He was supposed to be focusing but at this rate, he was going to start making mistakes on his work.

You were causing him to silently work himself up. Each climb of his emotions resulted in a string of jitters, and in return had your body clenching even tighter on him. How could you even feel like that? He choked, tugging at his tie to try and gasp for air. You were messing with him. You had to be. You must be mad he wouldn't leave. This was his retribution. To be strangled by your wet cunt over and over without reprieve- without any motion for relief. Well, fuck that. He may love you. But he worked far to hard day in and day out. Pent up didn't even begin to describe it. If you were going to try to rile him up like that, then he would give you riled up because he couldn't take it. Not a second longer. Not with that familiar primal darkness beginning to flare inside him.

His body rocked and you instinctively lifted your head from his chest to peer up at him, the first actual movement he had made since you had sat on him. "Are you okay?"

"O-okay?" He was stuttering his words but unlike his panic from before, this time he sounded angry. It wasn't a tone he took entirely too often. But you knew Doppo. You knew if his buttons were pressed enough, he would snap. He was tea kettle, getting hotter- "how do you except me to be okay-" and hotter "- when your purposely trying to make me-" until he screamed "-loose my fucking mind!?"

You only had enough time to widen your eyes before he flew out of his chair, taking you with him and slamming you onto his desk. The noise he made was positively feral - teetering between a growl and a scream - and without a warning, he was wrecking you, bludgeoning into you with a speed you hadn't even been aware he was capable of. 

"D-D-Doppo!" You were trying to talk but the sudden thrusting was knocking out your capabilities to think. You had been stretched out and horny for a while now but at this pace you couldn't keep up. You were trying to grip at his shoulders for some type of stability. "H-hang on a sec-"

"Hang on?!" He sounded unhinged - a growl ringing in the back of his throat so different from his usual meek - if not panicked - composure. "I've been hanging on! I've been hanging on this whole time! You just had to be on me huh? When I'm at work!" Papers were tossing up into the air around you and you could hear the clatter of the cubicle as he knocked you into the desk over and over. Oh, you couldn't even keep your eyes opening with the way your senses seemed to overload. "All this work - all these damn excuses to pile it onto me - and then you still come in here and give me more work. Too needy? Need my to pound you senseless before I can finish my work? Then that's what I'll do. I'll take you over and over and over again until you're out for days!" He declared, his hands clamping down on your hips and you could already feel the bruises even as the head of his cock shifted up enough to find your sweet spot, leaving you wailing out. "Again and again and again!" He got louder and louder with his sounds, growls and grunts turning into wanton groans and gasps as he split you in two. 

This would teach you not to mess with him at work. Or maybe it would teach you to mess with him more.

[your-daily-biaswrecking]

Serva me, Servabo te

save me and I will save you

pairing: photographer!Taehyung x (named) f.reader 

genre: angst, slight enemies to lovers, slow burn, lil spooky

word count: 5.2k  |  reading time: 30 min

chapter summary: you explore the woods next to the manor and still can’t avoid Taehyung completely

warnings: a lil spooky woods, small talk about fairies and ghosts

All chapters  |  Masterlist  |  Read on AO3

Chapter 2: Staying on your toes

The formidable Victorian Manor kept engorging you and you had the need to do something, particularly to leave, given that Kim Taehyung's presence in the building was only adding to the feeling of commitment. Perhaps you should do what you had just told Yoonji and go on a hike, get out of there and get your mind off things. Enjoy the perks of the vacation for a while.

So you decided to do just that and picked out your favorite dress that you had brought along. It had an ivory color, puffy sleeves, and reached your ankles. Paired with a thick, brown belt that looked like a corset, you didn't wear it very often. You definitely wanted to but didn't feel bold enough to wear something so vintage-looking. However, now that you were staying in a mansion, you couldn't help yourself. In fact, your entire suitcase was filled with those outfits you always wore to look at yourself in the mirror and then hesitantly take off again. That poet shirt and black, leather pants that made you look like a pirate, the forest green coat slash cape that your grandma had knitted for you, the little floral dress, the plaid skirt that belonged to your mum when she was a high school student. You had the chance to wear it all, now that there weren't any judging eyes on the horizon. Well, there was a pair of dark brown ones, but they didn't count if you didn't care.

The library was right next to the sitting room you were in earlier. It was a smaller room than the rest in the building, yet still so big for it to be filled with just books. You found the hiking guide on a little, round table by an armchair. Inside, there was a map highlighting six different paths, some long and some short, some going up the mountain and some diving through the forest to reach a stream of fresh water. The guide provided information about the place, as well as photographs to identify the flowers, mountain tea, herbs, and mushrooms found in the trails. You noted it was the time of the year that the mushrooms bloomed (in contrast to the tea that apparently grows in June) and excitedly grabbed the guide to take it with you.

In the kitchen, you found the most adorable basket that you were sure had been hand-made. As you bent down to grab it, you could have sworn you saw something pass behind you. Quickly, you turned around, expecting to find your vacation buddy. But there was no one. You shrugged, assuming he must have seen you and fleeted, as he should. But when you pulled the heavy front door closed with difficulty, you noticed Taehyung had been out on his own excursion. He was deep in the garden, snapping pictures of the scenery. He had his back to you and his face buried in his camera, so you managed to slip by unnoticed.

The forest began right next to the estate and got so dense, so quickly, you couldn't even see the house after having walked for about five minutes. The trees were taller than they looked from your bedroom window, engulfing you whole and hiding the sky and sunlight from your eyes. The temperature fell dangerously in the woods. It all made you feel relieved as if you knew Taehyung couldn't bother you here; you were alone and safe to be yourself.

"I wonder if there're any animals around," you mumbled at some distant sounds. It couldn't be anything dangerous, like wolves or wild boars, right? No way, they wouldn't encourage people to go hiking in the forest if there were.

Is what you told yourself.

"Oh, mushrooms!" you squealed and ran to the side of the trail, where two mushrooms, a smaller and a bigger one stood close together. They were a light beige color, with a thin stem and a big, flat cap. On top of them, they had some brown spots. You took the guide out of the basket and flipped through the pages to identify the fungus. The second one on the list seemed very similar. "Macrolepiota procera, commonly known as the parasol mushroom, has gained its name from its shape: a large, prominent fruiting body that looks like an umbrella. It is a fairly common species on well-drained soils and very sought-after and popular in Europe, due in part to its large size, seasonal frequency, and versatility in the kitchen."

You got a big smile. You had never picked mushrooms before, and you hadn't even known how much you wanted to until now. This was so much more fun than it sounded. You bent down and cut both of the mushrooms from the root, feeling the velvety roof of their cap and causing some of the brown spots to rub away. A couple of steps later, you found more. You picked the big ones, leaving the smaller ones that still had a round head to grow further. But there were more. Higher on the ground and farther away from the trail, you had to climb the rocks to reach them, careful not to get your dress dirty. You had by then filled about a third of the basket. Should you pick more? You didn't want to get too many in case Taehyung wanted to try some. Oh, sorry, I barely have enough for me was the way you wanted to go about it. You climbed a little higher, using your hands for leverage. A couple more couldn't hurt, right?

Just as you straightened your back again, you managed to see behind a rock. More mushrooms! You turned around the rock to get better access and were met with a sight you didn't expect to see. The mushrooms had grown in a circle. A big, thick, perfect circle.

"What's this?" you chuckled in disbelief. You squatted down next to the circle to inspect it better. "Wow, that looks almost like someone planted these with a compass. Truly, how can nature make something like that?" It looked so beautiful, you almost didn't want to ruin it.

You reached out a hand to touch a big mushroom right in front of you when a strong wind suddenly blew and made you lose your balance slightly. You held yourself up with both of your palms on the soil. The wind blew again, making you shudder from the cold. "Oh, I should head back soon. Just a few more mushrooms and-"

A loud, thumping sound coming from your left made you turn your head fast, your hands finding blindly your basket. You didn't see anything, but more noise was produced, and by the level of it, whatever it was causing it was getting closer. You jumped back down the way you had come before you even realized it. Struggling to get to the trail with the basket in one hand and the other guiding your way, the wind kept picking up and blowing your hair all over your face. You were just a step away from the path again when your foot got intertwined with your dress and you landed on your knees and elbows in the dirt. But the noises and the wind still weren't backing up. You cried out in sheer panic as you grabbed the basket that had landed on its side and spilled half of the mushrooms, and started running down the trail. Not looking back, not slowing down.

You were running for long enough to lose your breath, yet were still nowhere near the beginning of the forest. Had the trail always been so long? Had you been walking so far without even realizing, distracted by the beauty of the place? Or had you gotten completely lost? You stopped for a minute, bending over with your hands on your knees, to refill your lungs, before you started jogging again. There weren't any more noises other than the chirping of the birds, so you deemed yourself safe, but kept up the fast pace. The sooner you got out of these woods, the better.

Finally, the trail got wide and met up with the rest of the paths at the beginning of the forest and you cried out again in relief. The house appeared behind the trees, too. You stopped again to catch your breath, looking back and forth between the neatly groomed gardens and the crowded, dark woods. You were strangely so happy to be out of there, you didn't even care if that meant you had to see Taehyung again. You dusted your dress as much as you could to make yourself presentable, although it was stained with dirt that wouldn't come off. You sighed but still, that was a small price to pay. You got out of there without a scratch!

The wind was even stronger out in the open, almost physically pushing you back inside the house. And you let it. You let the door smack back closed and make a loud sound that echoed up the stairs, announcing your arrival. You peaked through the hallways trying to see if you'd catch a glance of the photographer since he was no longer out in the garden, but everything was still and silent. Dusting off your palms and dress once more, you headed to the kitchen to leave the basket with the few mushrooms that were left inside before going to change. You opened the door and were met with exactly who you were searching for, but were hoping not to find.

Taehyung was standing in front of the stove and turned his head at the sound of someone entering, looking at you surprised, almost like he had forgotten somebody else stayed there as well. His wide eyes raked down your form before you had a chance to hide from his gaze. "What happened?" he barked with eyebrows furrowed.

You acted casual. "I went on a hike in the woods."

Taehyung turned all the way around and pointed at you with a knife he had in his hands. "I was actually referring to the state of your dress."

"Oh," you said, looking down as if you had no idea what he was talking about. "There was some mud in the path."

"Was the mud knee-deep?"

You clicked your tongued. "I fell, okay?" you admitted, raising your arms. "I tripped and fell, not a big deal."

But he looked at you with eyes that could be mistaken as concerned. "Oh no, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

You were quick to dismiss him with a wave of your hand, finally moving closer to the counter to hoist your basket up. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I said I just tripped. It happens all the time." You grabbed the fabric in between your fingers, swerving the dress around to look at it better. "My dress got ruined though," you mumbled more to yourself. "I don't know if it'll come off."

"Oh.." you heard the boy express his disappointment. "That's too bad. It's a very pretty dress."

You shot your head up again to glare at him. "Yeah, ha ha," you mocked, immediately thinking he was being sarcastic.

But his eyebrows raised high in defense. "I mean it! It's cute and looks good on you."

You turned back to your mushrooms to avoid his eyes. "Yeah, whatever. What are you..." You cut yourself off before finishing that sentence. You didn't need to know what he was doing. Yet he let you know anyway.

"I'm making some ramen for lunch."

That got your attention. You leaned closer to him and saw the pot of simmering water he had on the stove, as well as the cut-up vegetables on the counter in front of him. "Ramen? They have ramen here?"

Taehyung started putting the ingredients in the water once it started boiling, along with the flavor packages. "They don't, I brought some with me from home."

You laughed for a millisecond before your hand flew to cover your mouth with a slap. Then you looked at him, waiting for the "just joking" or something similar, but when Taehyung continued occupying himself with his lunch, you realized he was being serious. "You brought ramen to a Victorian Manor to eat? Instant ramen, like the one dollar kind?"

The boy dropped his jaw in offense. "I didn't know what kind of food they'd have here, what was I supposed to do? Starve?"

You almost agreed. "Even so, not what I would've gone for. Plus, you're here now and you're still choosing that over real food."

Your words seemed to be affecting him enough to make him provoked and defensive, yet not enough to stop him from throwing those flavor packages in the water. "Oh, yeah? And what real food do you plan on eating, princess?"

You scoffed at the nickname for a heartbeat, then quickly raised your nose high and looked away to present your hard-earned basket. "I'll have you know, I am having fresh, wild mushrooms that I handpicked myself in the forest," you said while emphasizing every single word in your sentence. "Can't get more real than that."

Taehyung abandoned his food in favor of getting close to you, intrigued. "You picked mushrooms?" You nodded. He glanced at the basket you were presenting as your dear prize. "How do you know those are good to eat?"

"They had a guide."

"What? Let me see that." He grabbed the brochure from your hands. He looked back and forth between your mushrooms and the ones pictured there for a good minute before he shook his head. "Those don't look the same to me."

You snorted. "What are you talking about? It's clearly the same kind. They have the same color and spots and-"

"Yeah, but these look tall and skinny, whereas the ones you got look shorter and wider."

"I mean, they can't all be exactly the same! Some are big and some are small," you insisted, rolling your eyes. "The point is they have the same, basic characteristics."

The boy looked into your eyes for a moment and then shrugged. "Alright. If you're sure about that."

You grabbed the guide back from his stolen grip, laying it on the counter. "I am!"

Taehyung raised a challenging eyebrow. "So sure you are willing to bet your life on it?"

"What?" you chocked out, suddenly unable to take your wide eyes off his.

But he just shrugged again, acting nonchalant. "I mean, a lot of fungi are poisonous, and a lot of them look very similar. If you are so certain that this is an edible species and not something that looks like one, then by all means; eat them." You opened your mouth to reply but only stuttered. "Have you ever picked mushrooms before?" he asked you with confidence.

"No..." you admitted in a whisper.

Taehyung sucked in a breath through his teeth, clicking his tongue in disapproval. "So you have zero experience. Oof... I don't know, man, if I were you I wouldn't risk it. Wild mushrooms are a dangerous game to play." And with that, he turned back to his pot.

You stared at his back, biting your bottom lip as you contemplated your next move. If you hated one thing, it was the idea of giving someone like Taehyung the satisfaction of being right. Then again, that would be a small wound to your ego compared to, say, maybe dying. You opened the garbage can and emptied all the mushrooms inside without another word.

"Wash your hands, too," he called, proving he didn't have to be looking at you to know what you were doing.

You washed your hands. You could just feel the stupid smirk he had on his face, which made you jerk your arms in the air to rid them of the water quickly, before attempting to escape what felt like a very confined space all of a sudden. But right as you were at the exit, he called for you once more.

"Would you like some ramen?"

You froze in your step. "No," you called out, a statement that was instantly contradicted but your stomach growling. You cursed under your breath. Of all the times, this had to be it! Hiking and, let's be honest, getting a good scare, had deemed your energy completely off and your need for food reaching dangerous highs.

"Uh-huh," Taehyung said amusingly. "Nevertheless, I'm going to put in enough noodles for the two of us. In case you change your mind."

The statement sounded surprisingly sweet and candid, making you lower your icy guard for just a second. Enough to look over your shoulder. Taehyung was giving you a big, boxy smile, showing off his teeth and hiding his eyes away. You didn't think you had ever seen him smile like that. No, wait. That first time you had met- that day he was all smiles like that. Just one day, three years ago. After that, it was all poker faces and judgment. Or so you thought.

"Thank you," you mouthed, unable to do otherwise. You dragged your feet to the island and took a seat, watching as the young man finished making a meal for you both. You couldn't help but wonder why. Perhaps he didn't dislike you the way you did him, the way you thought he did as well. Perhaps it had something to do with not even remembering knowing you; in his eyes, you might be a new person he has to be nice to. Or, perhaps, god forbid, Yoonji was right and he wasn't that bad after all. The truth was that, aside from the occasional snarky remark or lack of basic courtesy, he had been acting... fine. Not how you would expect or how you remembered. Almost made you feel like the asshole here.

See? You felt uncomfortable around him again. No matter what it was, you couldn't seem to catch a break, always on your toes for him.

Taehyung set two bowls on the table filled to the brim with a smile, which you reciprocated in short. You thanked him and after that made sure to keep your eyes solely on the food as if it was a task that demanded your undivided attention. In the awkward silence, your chewing sounds were amplified like they were trying to mock you. On the one hand, you wanted to say something, anything to kill this atmosphere, yet on the other hand, you had nothing to share with him. With the quickest glanced you could muster, you dared to steal a look at him, see if he seemed just as uncomfortable. To your bad luck, he was already watching you.

"Is it good?" he decided to ask when you lowered your eyes in panic and gulped down a huge bite to force the moment to pass.

You tried to reply but you had already stuffed your mouth full. It's okay, however, because Taehyung seemed to understand your muffling perfectly. "It's perfect..." you mumbled after swallowing.

He nodded and played with his food for a while, looking deep in thought. "So, um..." he spoke up again. "I know you don't wanna spend your vacation with me here but, do you want to eat together at least?" You'll be honest, you never could have expected this coming. You looked at him silently, not knowing what to say. "I mean-" he continued, "-that way we can split the task of cooking: one day I'll cook and the other day you. It'll save us time and resources, don't you think?"

You chuckled and took another bite. "Right, like you cooked today instant ramen?"

He rolled his eyes at you. You'd never seen him do that before, it stood out a lot. "Today doesn't count, okay? This one's on me."

"Sure..." you mocked him.

"I'll have you know I'm a great cook. You'd be surprised at the number of girls that have fallen for me because I made them breakfast the morning after," he boasted.

That sentence made your toes curl. And no, not in a good way. Your body was physically trying to get away from the situation. But you stayed put. "And you'd be surprised at how low some girls' standards are."

Taehyung stared at you with narrowed eyes as you continued eating with no problem. You had to, if you wanted to support your statement. "Mushrooms," he suddenly changed the subject. "Where did you find them?"

You wanted to indulge in a sarcastic answer, since the real one was so obvious, but held yourself back. The man was obviously trying to make conversation and you understood it in part, considering how terrible silence around him felt. So you took a moment to think about it, and found something worth sharing. "Actually, that was crazy, I found some mushrooms that were in a circle!"

He frowned. "Circle?"

"Yeah. It was a circle about the size of the center of this island. Like, perfect circle like a person had made it."

Taehyung's hand dropped on the surface next to his bowl, making a loud slapping sound, as he looked at you with wide eyes and an open mouth. "Wha- a fairy ring? You found a fairy ring?"

It was your turn to frown. You titled your head to the side. "A what? What's a fairy ring."

He shook his head. "Uh, nothing just... Folk tales." Then he looked at you seriously. "But please tell me you didn't mess with it. Those mushrooms weren't from that ring, were they?"

The conversation just kept getting more confusing. "Uh- no. No, I didn't touch it."

"Oh, good," he exhaled.

"But why? You're scaring me, what's with that fairy ring?"

But he just smiled at you, closing his eyes. "Nothing, nothing. It's just myths, you know? It's not true." He seemed to think about that answer for a moment before adding: "But just in case, never mess with one, and especially never go in one."

"I'm confused. Aren't fairies supposed to be a good thing?"

Taehyung chuckled. "Not at all. Fairy rings are not supposed to be good. I wouldn't mind photographing one though."

You noticed he was drawing small circles with his fingers on his bowl while looking at you for a response. Right. That's how conversations go; he says something and you respond. And in this case, since he had expressed an interest in the mushroom circle that only you knew where was located, the right way to respond would be to offer to take him there. But no way. You would never go back there, especially not with him.

"I'm finished," you said then, pretending that along with the food the conversation was over as well.

Taehyung picked that up immediately. "Oh. Yeah, me too," he said and pushed his bowl away.

You got up and tried to take the two bowls away. "I'll do the dishes," you declared.

But Taehyung jumped up and stopped you with both hands wrapped around your wrists. It burned. The skin contact burned. What the fuck, you hadn't touched one bit up until then and he had just ruined it but placing those hot handcuffs on you. "No, I'll do them," he said with a very certain voice that made it hard to go against.

You still tried to, though, pulling weakly your wrists away. "No, no, let me. I mean, you made these-"

"No, Amy."

Oh, no. Not the name, too.

Taehyung finally released his grip on you and smiled. "I said this one's on me. You should go change, try and save that pretty dress before it's too late."

You nodded. It felt like there was no more room for protests, not even words. You just basked in the weird grin he gave you as you walked backward until he turned to the sink and you were free to run to your room.

And run you did. You hid in your room, where you knew you wouldn't be bothered until you heard Taehyung walk up the stairs and go into his. The dress was dropped at the side of the bathtub of the bathroom of the west wing after a few attempts to get it clean, which had proved to be pretty good but not quite enough. You had your books all out and open in front of you as you lay on the floor yet occupied yourself with your phone, trying to get enough signal to search what exactly was so sketchy about those so-called fairy rings. Because you were almost certain the photographer was just playing a trick on you. Then again, you couldn't stop thinking about what had happened when you had tried to pick those mushrooms.

What if... there were fairies? What if you had angered them?

After some hours of researching and reading, your books and you had moved on the bed. You had lit up some candles around the room, mostly for the atmosphere, since they were standing there almost begging you to light them. A couple of logs in the fireplace proved you had given lighting that a go as well, but it was soon revealed as futile; you had no experience in those things. And you certainly didn't want to ask for help. So you settled for the heavy blankets of the bed, curling around your books, your eyelids putting up a struggle with every blink, as you stared at the window that had gotten blurry from the humidity, refusing to fall asleep.

You simply had too much on your mind to sleep. Even though there was someone else in the house, you felt alone. And feeling alone made you a little edgy, after everything that had happened that day, and all that you had read about faes and witches, ghosts and ghouls in that afternoon. You hated being alone. But what you hated, even more, was knowing someone was only a few rooms away and you couldn't even talk to him.

The moment you closed your eyes for a second too long, a loud bang made you scream. A strong wind had blown the window right open, making the casements hit the wall with an intensity that threatened to break them, as well as throwing on the ground the candle that was sitting on the sill. You jumped quickly off the bed to run to the disaster. The fire of the candle had thankfully been gone by the time it hit the floor, still, liquid wax was spilled all over the place. The wind was cold and slapping your face aggressively as you tried to close the window again.

"What happened? Everything okay?"

Of course, Taehyung had arrived. Before you even had the chance to turn to him, you felt his arms move around your body, his chest pressing to your back, as he grabbed the window and helped you close it. He secured it immediately.

"Thanks, but I had it..." you murmured as you pulled away. You probably didn't, but anyhow. Taehyung had a much softer expression than what you had expected. As if nothing had just happened.

"Did the window open suddenly?" he concluded from the circumstances.

You nodded. "I don't know how it happened, I thought it was stuck," you offered a weak explanation. Taehyung acknowledged your words with his eyebrows and then looked around the room like he was trying to check for any more damage. His eyes fell on the candle on the floor and he bent down to pick it up. "How did you come here so quickly?" you asked.

Putting away the candle, he dipped his hands in his pockets and raised his shoulders. "I was just coming up the stairs when I heard you scream. I thought something had happened to you and came to save you."

You grimaced at his way too chivalrous words. "What could happen to me...? You keep acting like I'm too clumsy for my own safety."

"I mean, if you keep screaming like you're being murdered, what do you want me to do?"

You scoffed. Without waiting for him to properly leave, you walked back to your bed, getting rid of your books so that you could lie down. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed Taehyung going around the room and blowing out the candles that had remained lit, so casual about it as if it was the most normal thing to get you ready for bed. You didn't complain.

"Didn't you eat dinner?" he asked you when he got to the door. "I didn't see you in the kitchen at all."

You got under your covers and looked at him. He just looked like a dark silhouette due to the contrast of your dark room and the bright hallway. "I wasn't hungry," you lied. The truth was you had snacked on some cookies you had in your purse because you didn't want to get out of the room and risk seeing him. Still processing your interaction from lunchtime, you couldn't overwork yourself with more to worry about. Yet he still came into your room to change that.

You thought your conversation was over, but Taehyung was still standing at your entrance, staring at you. You raised an eyebrow at him, but he was silent, sighing a couple of times. When you opened your mouth to tell him to leave, he spoke.

"I have a confession to make."

Oh. "What confession?" You took deep breaths as you waited for him to keep going. It didn't help that his face was too dark for you to see because he was keeping silent and you were growing impatient. What could he possibly have to confess to you? It can't be anything good. Did he do something? He raised a hand to scratch the back of his head, clearly uncomfortable with what he was about to say. Was this perhaps about the first time you had met? Had he remembered you?

"Those mushrooms you picked actually looked fine," he exhaled. "I just got jealous and made you throw them away."

A gasped. "You asshole! I can't believe you!" You sat up to glare at him more passionately, his confession having triggered you more than you thought it would.

But Taehyung just laughed. "I'm sorry..."

"You have no idea what I went through to get those!"

The man extended a hand towards you. "I mean, the point still stands: mushrooms can be dangerous and you shouldn't risk it if you don't know what you're doing."

"No, I don't care!"

"Which–" he kept talking over you, "–you clearly don't."

"I don't wanna hear it," you whined. "All you do is terrorize me!"

Taehyung laughed again. He probably didn't think you'd get that upset, but those mushrooms had been hard to get and very rewarding as a great achievement for your brain. Now it all had been for nothing. Even if, still, Taehyung was kind of in the right.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered again, a smile obvious on his lips.

You crossed your arms over your chest. "Just go! I don't want to see you anymore!"

He immediately nodded. "Alright."

"So don't come back here again." You're not sure why you added that. Why the possibility of this man sneaking in your room in the middle of the night had even crossed your mind since there didn't seem to be any reason for that.

"Goodnight," he simply said while closing your door, peeking at your upset form one last time, as you scoffed at him for the millionth time.

"It better be!"

Next chapter

[addictofsupernatural]

Spidey Senses (pt. 5)

Peter Parker x reader

Summary: You and Peter get your costumes ready for the party, and Tony gives Peter some advice.

Word Count: 2779

Chapter 1 • Chapter 4 • Chapter 6

When Peter came into his room, he did not expect to find Ned. When he did, he knew he was in deep shit. He's bad at keeping secrets as it is. And now? Now how is he going to keep your secret identity from his best friend? He's obviously going to ask.

"You're the Spiderman."

"No, no I'm not! Ned, this isn't what you think."

"You just climbed the walls!"

"No I didn't."

"Oh my God this is the coolest thing ever!" His words were jumbled together. "You can stop a moving car!"

"Ned—"

"Are you an Avenger?!"

Peter tilted his head. "I mean, basically, yeah." He then snapped back to reality. "Ned, listen to me for a second. You cannot tell anybody about this."

"Yeah, yeah. Nobody... Okay I need to tell somebody about this."

"Ned!"

"Y/n should know! She's gonna flip dude. Wait, are you in a relationship with the Spidergirl?"

"What?! No." Peter quickly shook his head. "That's, that's weird. Don't say that."

"Wait wait wait, so who's Spidergirl?"

"I can't tell you that." Peter was silently panicking as he pressed his suit center, dropping it to the floor.

"Why not? I already know your secret, and I can't tell anybody. This will be just another secret." Something then clicked. "Oh my God, this means that you know who Spidergirl is! And she knows who you are! You two know each other, and if you won't tell me who it is then that means I know who it is."

"Ned—"

The two fell silent as you climbed through the window and landed the opposite direction from them. You then took off your mask. "Peter we need to talk. Tony just saw me today and—"

You stared at an almost naked Peter and a shocked Ned. Ned then opened his mouth in the shape of an O. "Ooohhh my God you're Spidergirl! That makes total sense on why Peter wouldn't want to say who you were."

"Uhm, wow. Okay. Well, what happened to you? Did you show him, or..." You asked Peter.

"I kind of just did the same as you." Peter nervously shrugged.

"You should get some clothes on." You forced your eyes away from his abs as he awkwardly nodded.

Aunt May then came in. "Peter, I was thinking we could go out for some Tai food—oh, hey y/n! So I take it Ned knows?"

"He just found out." You said sheepishly.

She giggled. "That explains Peter being naked."

You rubbed your neck. "Yeah..."

"Well, come and borrow some of my clothes. We're going out for Tai food."

You warmly smiled. "Thanks Aunt May."

"I'll do your makeup!" She excitedly said as you helplessly looked back to Peter, who gave you the same look, and the two of you left and closed the door.

"Your aunt knows?!"

"Yeah. It was a total accident."

Peter was filming in the hotel as you two did trick shots together. After a bit you stopped and Peter had laid down. He had his phone directly hovering over his face. "Peter be careful. You're honestly setting yourself up to hitting your face with your phone."

"What? No I'm not. Even if I did, I have super awesome reflexes. Don't worry."

It was as if karma hit him, because he wasn't paying attention to the phone and it slipped out of his hands, hitting him snack in the face. There was a pause, and even though this was a perfect time to laugh, you only asked quietly, "Are you okay?"

"Nn, yeah. That just really hurt my nose." He then saw that he had accidentally sent Aunt May the video instead of you when the phone fell. "Um, no! We aren't okay! We aren't okay!"

"Woah, what happened?" You got up from the chair and looked at Peter's phone, seeing the message that was sent to Aunt May. "Oohhh we're not okay!

Then, to both your horrors, she called.

Peter then snapped out of his memories and grabbed Ned's shoulders. "Listen Ned, you cannot tell anybody about this."

"Yeah. Don't worry, I can totally be your guy in the chair."

"The what?"

"The guy in the chair. Y'know, the one who tells you where to go and what to do. They're usually surrounded by a bunch of cool stuff."

"Ned, we don't need a guy in a chair."

He huffed. "We'll come back to it."

After a while, Peter was knocking his aunt's door. "May, are you done? We're hungry."

"Almost!" She called out.

You then came out in May's bell bottom and a zip up off the shoulder crop top. You had light eye makeup and some blush. "Wow." Ned said. "You look like girl."

You laughed and patted his cheek. "What did we say about wording?"

"I meant that you look good." He said as he swatted you away, giving you a goofy smile.

You looked at Peter and saw the red on his cheeks. Was it too revealing? "You, you look nice. Really nice."

Your face felt really hot. "Do you like it?"

"Yeah." He said in a breathless daze. "You look really pretty."

You did your best to calm yourself down. You felt like your face was on fire, and being around Peter had your spidey senses buzzing. He had that same buzzing feeling, and his face felt just as hot looking at you right now. Maybe becoming a man was making him see every girl this way. Yeah. This is normal.

You then told him about Tony, and sketched out some drawings of you and Peter later that night. The next day you and him sat outside of Del's, helping each other pick out which drawing to use. That's when Tony showed up.

"Hey kids. You two ready?" Then he saw your papers. "What are those?"

"Nosey as ever Tony. They're sketches of costumes."

"Can I see them?"

"Nope. Let's go!"

You and Peter met with a designer. You showed her the pictures you wanted, and the you and Peter communicated with the her about the details she wanted to alter. You both then got measured.

When you two left her office, Tony stood up from the waiting room. "What'll it be?"

You grinned. "That's a secret."

Two days later Tony picked you two up to get fitted. He went in with Peter to stir the pot that is you having a huge crush. "So kid, how's it going? Anything you wanna share to the class?"

"Uh, can I ask you something actually?"

"Shoot."

The designer then scolded Peter for moving. "Sorry." He cleared his throat. "Did you ever start seeing girls differently when growing up?"

"Yeah, every boy does. Of course you shouldn't follow in my lead about what to do on those feelings."

"Woah, no! I meant, like, girls you knew. Ones that you were close with."

Tony held back a smile and slowly walked around the room. "Once."

"And what happened?"

"Now I'm trying to figure out when the right time is to propose to her."

"Oh." He fell silent and awkwardly twitched, getting scolded again for moving. "I'm sorry."

"So you're having those feelings with y/n?" Peter turned to see Tony look at him in the eye. Peter then looked away.

"I don't know. I feel weird around her and she's so pretty now."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I like Liz! Like, really like her. So why do I feel like that with y/n?"

"Kid, think about who's always going to be there for you. Who'll never laugh at you unless they have the right to. Who's going to stand up for you instead of quietly watching you get picked on. Who's the girl who'll do that?"

"Well—"

"I want a name. Now."

"Y/n." He surprised himself by saying your name without thinking. "But I still have feelings for Liz."

"Yeah, but she wasn't the first person in your mind." He then paused and looked at Peter's costume. "Wow. Was that y/n's idea?"

He then felt embarrassed, shifting only to apologize again for moving. "Um, yeah."

"Then she's..." Peter gave him a sheepish smile. "Oh God. Really?"

"I thought it would be pretty funny. She said it'd be cute."

"Mm." He then walked out of the room and into the waiting room that you were in. "Interesting to know you're one of those fans."

You giggled. "I'm really not, but I thought the matching would be cute. Do you like it?"

He huffed. "I guess I'll just have to see you two wearing it together."

It was soon your turn to be fitted, and once you were done the lady brought in Peter to have the two of you next to each other. Peter was in a very nice looking Captain America suit. It was in the style of his 2014 suit, and he had a very nicely done shield, one that looked very close to the real thing. He wore no face mask, as you figured this was enough.

You wore a gender bent Iron Man suit. It was a nice and detailed skirt with lines like the suit, while the fitted crop top had the arc reactor design. She gave you fake metal arm sleeves with your hands being connected to fake blasters. You had a simple red eye mask with lines like your skirt.

You grinned at the mirror. You then excitedly turned to Peter and hugged him from the side. "You look awesome!"

"Why would you make him dress up as such a boring person?" Tony asked.

"Because he's the one making me to the party in the first place."

Peter's cheeks reddened. "It was also Ned."

"You were the one who was going to follow me into the girl's restroom for it though." You giggled, and Tony raised his eyebrows.

"That's taken out of context Mr. Stark!"

"Not really. Anyways, what do you think?" You spun around and smiled. Peter dumbly didn't say anything and only slightly shook his head. "What? Why are you being weird? It's not like we're brother and sister Peter."

"No, we're definitely not." He mumbled.

"Then you don't like it?" You frowned. "You know you can be honest. It's just a costume."

"No no! I do, I really do like it! It's just that it looks so awesome that I didn't know how to explain how much I love it."

You furrowed your eyebrows but also smiled. "You're being weird right now, but I'll just assume that it's cause of Tony."

"Thanks kid." He then stepped up to you as you turned to him. He looked you over, awkwardly saying, "You look nice."

"Thank you." You grinned and rocked on your feet.

You were then brought back home and offered Peter to watch TV with you in the apartment. He agreed, and you made the two of you PB&J's as he sat on the couch. You texted Ned to come over, watching TV while waiting. It was cold in your apartment, so you brought a blanket for the two of you. You brought yourself to his side and leaned on him.

"Woah, what are you doing?" Peter asked, sitting up.

"You're not cold?" You didn't see the harm in being close to him.

"Yeah, but..."

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" You asked, straightforward.

"What? No! Why would you think that?"

"Cause you've been weird since last night. My spidey sense could feel it. What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I've just been thinking."

He heard your small gasp and looked into your sad eyes. "About what? Our friendship?"

"I don't know. About my life and stuff..." This only worsened your fears. He saw that you looked even more hurt, but didn't get the chance to say anything before there was a knock at the door. "Wait, y/n—"

"I need to get that." You stood up with a blank face and went to your door. It was Ned, and you silently hugged him before he could say anything. "I'm so happy you're here right now Ned. You have no idea."

"Um, thanks? You know I still love your hugs, but I need context."

"I'll text you about it later. Anyways, come in!" Peter watched you with sad eyes as you took out snacks for Ned, happily engaging in conversation as if you weren't just sad right now.

"Hey, can I have some?" Peter attempted to say lightheartedly with a smile. You only nodded. He took a cookie and nervously nibbled on it. He then cleared his throat as the air had gotten thick for him. "So Ned, so you have your costume for this Saturday?"

"Yeah. I'm going as Mario. I got a cool velcro mustache and everything."

"Good for you Ned." You smiled again.

"What about your guy's costumes?! Let me see them!" You then took out your outfit hanging up in your room and plopped it on the couch nonchalantly. This was making Peter uneasy. "I'll be wearing it to that damn party."

You gritted your words out with a forced smile, but Ned was too busy fan girling over the costume to notice. Peter quietly slipped his hand in yours to gain your attention. You stared at your laced fingers, and squeezed gently before you pulled your hand back.

"Okay, guys," Ned said. "I was thinking that you two could use your powers to your advantage at the party."

The rest of the time together at your apartment felt like a building was laying over Peter. He tried to get closer to you, but you'd move away when you noticed. Once Ned went home, Peter figured that this was his chance. "I should probably go home too."

"Yeah." You began to fold your blanket, your back turned away from him.

Though he was close to just leaving he scrunched up his face worked up his courage, blurting out, "We need to talk about earlier."

"No we don't." You began to walk away to put the blanket back, but he took the blanket from you and set it down on the couch. "Hey!"

"Listen. It's not what you think. I've just been confused—"

"Peter, please. It's okay to feel differently towards someone. It's okay to not like someone anymore. I understand if you don't want to be friends anymore, just don't coddle me if you're going to leave." You voice cracked and you wanted to crumble.

"Y/n..." He stepped closer to you. "Why are you crying?" He said, almost in a whisper.

Your eyes were cloudy with tears. "Cause I'm not ready for you to leave me yet."

You then bursted into sobbing, and Peter hugged you tightly as you buried yourself in his chest. You two stood like that, with Peter holding onto you for dear life, until your tears stopped. "Y/n, I promise I'm not going to leave you. I never was."

You looked up at him with your puffy eyes. "No?"

"No. I was just wondering if I still like Liz."

"Oh." You said dumbly. "I feel really stupid now."

"No, your not stupid! Don't say that." He said cutely. "C'mon, let's go to your room." You then both sat down on the bed. You leaned on him, wrapping your arm around him as he brushed his fingers through your hair. "Honestly, I was kinda comparing you to Liz a lot."

You weakly laughed. "I bet I just embarrassed myself after crying for you, even though there was really no reason to."

Peter smiled. "I don't think Liz would ever like me enough to cry over me though."

"Mm. So do you still like her?" You felt it getting harder to keep your eyes open. Peter noticed and chuckled.

"This probably won't make any sense, but I think it would be easier if I still liked her."

"Nope. That doesn't make any sense, but I'll support no matter what. Don't worry."

"Hm. You always do."

You then fell asleep on Peter, and after a bit he called Aunt May to pick him up. When she got there, waiting for him outside, he covered you with a blanket first.

He stared at you, before mustering his strength to go over to you and kiss your cheek. You would never know, so it's okay right? No, that's not okay. Peter felt like an jerk. He shouldn't have done that. That's invading your trust. Damn.

Once he got home he texted Ned that he thinks he likes you, even though that's kind of crazy for him to realize. He then got a call from Ned, and answered. "Finally dude."

---

Tag List:

@flawlessapollo6 @them-cute-boys @lunawndrlnd @the-greatt-perhaps @babebenhardy @sofisofi1602 @smilexcaptainx @herondalism @coni-martina @youvebeenlizzed

[smoldevelopingcookie]

Initial thoughts during Plus Est En Vous

So I wanted to post this the day it came out but life got in the way, but here it is!

-love the recap

-Eugene is telling the story, that worries me

-feels like a movie, love it

-Arianna has her memories back!

-also, she's back!

-she's a great mother

-they ride together!

-wind in my hair elements!

-wind in my hair is background music!

-poor Eugene, he's trying his best

-I'm worried about Edmund

-the bird!

-he trusts his son!

-Woah, Raps is ready to lead

-I love how Varian doesn't mind he isn't the biggest threat they've faced

-Varian can play the piano!

-he's so enthusiastic!

-helping Rapunzel!

-they all sing with her!

-RAPS AND EUGENE'S DANCING IS THE BEST THING EVER

-Also, he finally got to dance with her

-The animals!

-also, is Varian going to drink that cause I don't think he should?

-ADRIANA AND FREDRICK DANCING IS AWESOME!

-The whole song number was great!

-I actually never noticed Raps doesn't have a nickname for Eugene

-Varian taking his drink like a shot, I'm worried

-The isolation was worth it!

-I relate to Eugene, hate snow

-Woah, somebody is angry

-Lol Raps is just savage

-look at my children climbing that like it's nothing!

-oh, Varian better listen to him, don't get mad!

-why?

-alright, just hope this doesn't turn into a grudge for the rest of the episode

-Holy cow that's huge

-that in the middle looks like demanitus when he was a monkey

-Lance is just awesome

-coool

-Varian's face

-Raps trying to give Eugene a nickname is cute

-unfortunately, it isn't a good one

-was demanitus obsessed with monkeys?

-did he have a pet monkey?

-Raps is definitely keeping the nickname

-whoosh he wrote a box

-Varian really spent want Lance to touch anything huh? New catchphrase?

-I wonder if the monkeys are trying to protect the book

-no, LANCE!!!

-Varian really tried

-I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU NOT TO TOUCH THAT!

-Varian no longer cares about anything else that's going on

-Eugene's face when he finds out

-Holy, I still love Max

-He should have gotten more screen time

-Agreed

-oh yeah Varian can read that

-heh the monkey is still on Raps

-weird laugh, please stop

-yay Owl!

-Edmund, you are completely right

-lol, I think Eugene and Edmund had some quality time together, love that

-Why you gotta be like that Raps?

-New Dream is relationship goals

-I really don't want anyone to cry in this episode (looking at you Eugene)

-Imma cry, it's been so long since we saw Varian and Quiring have a nice moment together

-That Cape, nice job animators!

-omg Rudiger is that you?

-I still love that bird

-Eugene is amazing, as always

-He knows she can do it, so he says good luck

-heh heh heh, Mom come pick me up I'm scared

-so a real eclipse is happening?

-will the moonstone overpower the sun?

-nice! That didn't take too long to make!

-what ya doing Quirin? you're scaring me.

-oh no

-huh?

-thank you for listening Varian! (also, character growth!)

-Eugene trying to make Varian feel better is good too

-so what is zhan tiri? Snake? Goat?

-oh it looks like Raps has some kind of stone like the moonstone but with the sun

-uh, I suggest you RUN!!

-No matter what, I still love that bird

-alright no problem, just everyone sucked in by a portal going to I forgot, no problemo

-I love how Raps isn't mad at what Cass did, she is cherishing the memories she's had with her

-Pascal also being sad is just... It breaks my heart

-Very nicely written song, Melody is quite catchy

-Wonder what Cass was doing in Raps' room

-I was right! Demanitus did have a pet monkey!

-I feel like Zhan tiri and Demanitus were close friends

-Ahhh I see what she means by 'worse prison

-weird looking place

-no, no, NO

-Kay, just saying but if they actually talked to each other they wouldn't be in this position

-no words for what I saw

-Pascal looking ready to fight!

-I love how Raps had had enough and is going full speed ahead

-Eugene is legit qualified to be King

-omg Kiera calls Varian V

-The stripe is alive!

-okay maybe that's why Zhan tiri is like she is?

-I love how much time we're having between Edmund and Eugene

-Raps is really trying, I love that

-why did Edmund have to be controlled too?

-Eugene gonna make me cry (Raps personality got to him)

-heck yeah! Max come at them!

-lol why can't I have someone like Eugene in my life?

-Yeah finally! The screen time Max deserves!

-this is really gonna make me cry

-lol "you're my best buddy!"

-heh if I have a complete meltdown, you'll know why

-okay, I still need time to process this

-those rocks are coool

-yay they're all going to try! Probably not going to go so well but still!

-Fredrick has a pan, that's something I thought I'd never see

-finally Cass has realised what she's done

-that moment can't be described in words

-heh, that's not so good

-getting some 'Enchanted' and 'Aladdin vibes IDK why

-why are Cass and Raps not affected?

-thank you for slapping her

-not again!

-nice job!

-Raps finally decided what she wanted to do with her hair!

-wait so did everyone die and were then resurrected by Raps?

-I love parallels

-It's really had to let go and welp, I'll talk about this more in a future post

-everyone became something and that makes me happy

-finally they're engaged!

Alright, so these were my initial thoughts! I'll be posting an overview soon! Bye for now!

[aboutlouishofmann]

A Life Devoted To Music

[Original interview here which is already in English. I'm just testing. All images curtesy of cinema.de]

FRIDAY, 7/5/2019

A LIFE DEVOTED TO MUSIC

In PRÉLUDE Louis Hofmann plays a talented pianist.

Rising star Louis Hofmann has often been seen at FILMFEST MÜNCHEN — for example, in the tender coming-of-age drama CENTER OF MY WORLD. By now, Hofmann is well-known all over Germany thanks to the captivating mystery series DARK. This makes us all the more delighted that this up-and-coming actor is returning to Munich this year with not one, but two exciting films. In PRÉLUDE, he plays a talented musician who experiences the downside of being an artist; and he also has a role in THE WHITE CROW, about Soviet ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev. We met the amiable actor at the world premiere of PRÉLUDE and asked him about his own experiences as an artist and how life in the spotlight affects a person.

In PRÉLUDE, you play an aspiring pianist named David, a freshman at a conservatory who's under pressure from the beginning. What was it about this story that caught your interest?

In 2015, I was invited to a casting for PRÉLUDE. I think I'd read only a small blurb about it, but it won me over right away and I knew I absolutely had to play this part. I don't know whether I'd already seen WHIPLASH. I grew up around lots of music and have an affinity to it — and probably a fascination with sadness as well. I thought if the script fulfills the promise of that little blurb, I've got to be a part of things. Then I went to the first casting with director Sabrina Sarabi and we simply got along very well and I noticed that she does very fine work.

When did you finally shoot the film?

Two years ago. It was hard to get all the money that was necessary. It is just a small film, after all. I'm still glad that we made it even though we didn't have much money. Being so close on set was also great. On the first day of shooting, there were maybe 15 of us on the set. It took some getting used to, because I'd just come from DARK, where we'd had 100 to 150 people. That was our own little microcosm, and working with such a small team was something I enjoyed to the fullest.

Is that something you generally prefer: a smaller scale?

No. I just prefer good material.

What does good material consist of?

That's the question. There are only the standard responses: well-developed characters, a nice development of the role, a story that's exciting, not one that's narrated. David is somebody I can identify with to a good extent. He's sensitive. He has this great ambition that I carry within myself. When he does something, he jumps in wholeheartedly. That's also the approach I take to my own work. That's why I understood him right away.

You mentioned that music has always been very important to you. Do you play an instrument?

I played violin for a year, because my brother played violin. I stopped pretty soon after that. Then, at age eight or nine, I began to play the drums. I did that for eight years.

Do you still play?

I stopped when I moved from Cologne to Berlin. I didn't have a drum set there, nor did I have the infrastructure: a place to rehearse and so on. I didn't take it up again until this year. I rediscovered how awesome it is and how much I'd missed it — how I'd totally been caught up in the piano as well. I used to be able to play chords or three-finger accompaniment. Classical pieces, though, were pretty foreign to me. I somehow put in a lot of effort with a teacher, without being able to read music. We did it with videos. I think it helped me a little to be able to play the drums. But to learn a new instrument and suddenly understand how it works and to be familiar with the keyboard and to get into the groove when playing: that really did a lot for me. In addition, it was just extremely good preparation for the part. It made the character accessible to me, which is something I hadn't really expected.

How long did you practice?

After I got the role, we did two years of workshops. In the end, we had two-hour lessons, five days a week for three months, and then two to four more hours a day of practice.

That's a lot.

You're right. But it's great. At first it's so difficult. The first two weeks were so rough: you're really just searching for the notes; your fingers don't understand it all just yet. You feel like a dyslexic on the piano, just so amateurish. And suddenly after two or three weeks, your fingers start doing what they should. You follow the instrument, and it's simply awesome.

Are you still doing it?

Unfortunately not. No, because I can't read music and because I'd noticed that I get bored easily because I only ever play the same pieces. My roommates and I have a piano, and I play it sometimes, but not like before.

What kind of music do you listen to?

Mainly indie rock, indie pop, alternative. Sometimes soul classics, chansons, or jazz hip-hop.

Can you name two or three artists?

Two or three artists I can name... Somehow that's always pretty hard to do. Right now I'm really looking forward to the new Dope Lemon album that's coming out soon. As for indie pop, Bon Iver is one of my heroes. Parcels is great. I could go on forever. Music is a really important part of my life. I just immerse myself in it and discover new artists. It's a lot of fun.

There's this gotcha question that I once picked up from a job interview: If you were a song, what song would you be? That is, a song that describes you very well.

I have no idea. I think the songs we listen to speak to only part of ourselves. The first song I thought of is "8 (Circle)" by Bon Iver. But that's just my melancholy side. It wouldn't describe me completely, because I also have a non-melancholy side, a very happy side, that I wouldn't be doing justice to.

Now that you've had a brief look at the life of a musician, even indirectly, what would you say is similar to or different from the life of an actor?

The pressure is what they have in common. The expectations one has of oneself. The competition. Although I have to say we're a generation, I think, who fight more alongside each other than against each other. For a pianist, it's a more individual fight than for an actor, because as an actor you normally don't perform alone.

In the film, David has to put his personal life on the back burner in order to get somewhere as a musician. Since you said that you enjoy immersing yourself, to what extent do you find yourself having to put your personal life on the back burner?

Since the work always comes in phases, you only have to do that in phases. And then I do that. In recent years, I've also learned that you can't completely separate the two — that the project phases should intersect more with the phases of free time. I've always felt that I've completely forgone personal life while working, up until the end of shooting. At some point, I no longer thought that was a good thing. In this line of work, you have to watch out, otherwise you'll start thinking of the year only in terms of blocks of time. I've resolved to be aware of this for more than a whole year again. Theater actors can probably do that a lot better, because they have regular work. They're able to balance their personal lives and their work more easily. That's a small obstacle that a film actor has to overcome at some point.

Let's assume you have free time. What do you do to unwind after work?

I had a hard time of that in Berlin. But this year, I went back to some old hobbies, like the drums. Also skateboarding, climbing, bouldering, and so on, to find balance. It's just about doing something that no one judges and where there's no output. Where you're not forced to deliver output. Because all you do when playing is give, give, give. You learn something, too, of course, and it gives you something back. But it's very relaxing to just do something that no one is appraising.

And where you're not being watched.

That, too, yes.

How often does it happen nowadays that you're recognized out on the street?

Sometimes. Occasionally. There are days when nothing happens, and other days when it happens several times. It also depends on whether I'm in a bar or another place where people gather.

Imagine that for some reason you had to do something other than act.

What would I do?

Exactly.

Hm. That's difficult.

Did you always want to be an actor, or were there alternatives?

A soccer player, of course. I definitely wanted to be a soccer player. When I finished high school, I was also very interested in psychology — and art. But I don't believe that I'd study art or psychology, even though I was still saying that two or three years ago. I also have a lot of fun working behind the camera, and I've been a set manager for short films. I enjoy organizing a set in the extreme, because I also have experience in how these things work. I'd probably still prefer to stay in the world of film and then maybe try to develop material or help to see it realized.

So you could also imagine directing and scriptwriting?

Probably not scriptwriting. I'm more the kind of person who reads the script and says, "Oh, that's what happens. I think it'd be great if this and that also happened." I don't think I could write a story myself. I have a lot of respect for those who can.

What else are you up to next?

On Monday, we started filming the third season of DARK, so I'll just do that for now. That'll probably take another six months. After that, we'll be done. The series was planned as a trilogy from the beginning, so the story will conclude with the third season.

That's all from me. In closing, do you have any more comments you'd like to make about your film?

I think Sabrina is very talented, and I'm very proud of this film and hope that people will see it.