#i'm not even sure it is embroidery because that is one skill i don't actually have

[monbons]

WIP Wednesday

Thanks for the tag @artsyunderstudy. I am so excited for your WIP!

On my end, I have WIPS galore and it is becoming a bit much! If you know me at all, you know that I don't do anything halfway. That trait may mean I have bitten off more than I can chew for my COC art plans. I have spent hours every day since Saturday making just one component of my many part art extravaganza, and while it is BEAUTIFUL, it is taking forever. Here's a sneak peek. (Huge shout out to @rimeswithpurple who helped me bring this beauty to life by recreating PERFECT copies of all the buildings I could print on fabric!)

In the spirit of doing too much, updates on my other projects below!

For COTTA, @iamamythologicalcreature asked if I'd like to collaborate. When she ran her Ancient Egypt concept by me, along with some rough sketches, I knew instantly we'd make a killer team. If you haven't seen it yet, find her stunning visual art here and my fiber art remix here.

My CORB collab with @melodysmash goes up this Saturday. I had the privilege of beta-ing the fic, in addition to inspiring it with my art, and I must say, you don't want to miss it. It is a Watford Era gem!

And finally, Chapter 9 of The Boy Next Door posts on Friday. I can't preview much, so have the tiniest snip of Baz POV.

“I thought you two were dating when I first saw you,” I confess. “I was a bit jealous.” Simon laughs. Agatha looks aghast. “We did date actually. Back in Year 10.” Simon wraps the tape measure around my chest. It’s snug. He calls out another number. “Then I kissed her and our relationship died on the spot.”  “Were you that awful a kisser?” I tease.  Simon grins and leans into my ear. “You know I’m an excellent kisser.”

Hellos and high-fives to all.

@alexalexinii, @aristocratic-otter, @arthurkko, @artsyunderstudy, @best--dress

@blackberrysummerblog, @brilla-brilla-estrellita, @bookish-bogwitch, @confused-bi-queer, @cutestkilla

@drowninginships, @emeryhall, @facewithoutheart, @fiend-for-culture, @hushed-chorus

@iamamythologicalcreature, @ic3que3n, @ileadacharmedlife, @katatsumuli, @larkral

@letraspal, @messofthejess, @mooncello, @noblecorgi, @orange-peony

@raenestee, @rbkzz, @rimeswithpurple, @roomwithanopenfire, @run-for-chamo-miles

@shrekgogurt, @skeedelvee, @stitchyqueer, @supercutedinosaurs, @talentpiper11

@thehoneyedhufflepuff, @theimpossibledemon, @thewholelemon, @valeffelees, @whatevertheweather

@you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @youarenevertooold

[xitsensunmoon]

My first ever comic con! And first cosplay too. Of course it's gonna be my boy :] Ramblings about the process are under the cut(Let me know if?? You would want me to elaborate with process images for any of the steps?)

The costume took me forever to make, as I've never done any machine sewing, sculpting, fabric dying or spray painting before but learning all of these was so fucking fun!! I never realised just how many different skills go into making a cosplay but it was so worth it!!!

Almost all of the clothes(except the hat) were purchased first as bases, but all of the detailing was added by me. All of the fabric used was originally just scraps that I was given for free so I needed to learn how to dye and dye all of the stars, they were originally white.

The sewing machine was its own beast that brought me tons of frustration from the lack of skill and knowledge (it was devastating to find out that 95% of fuck ups were my fault and not the machine's lmao). But as a result, a hat sewn from scratch, all of the fur trims, embroidery on the corset, stars and the collar(which is very hard to see on the pictures unfortunately) was all added manually. The stars and the stripes(on the back of the cape) were attached using heat-and-bond adhesive (I WISH I knew about such thing just when I started working on this. It would save me so much time and nerves.)

Then I found out about polymorph(mouldable plastic) and it has become the next thing I wanted to learn, to sculpt the claws and the fangs(yes, they're handmade jfksjs). The claws I then primed and painted in trillion coats because I wasn't satisfied with the colour of the spray paint. The fangs I moulded to my own teeth and then stained with tea to match the colour of my teeth :)c

As for makeup, I used Mehron Paradise water activated paints. At first I wanted to try to save money and bought myself Snazaroo instead, which unfortunately turned out to be a waste. Snazaroo didn't hold on my face for longer than 2 hours, cracking and peeling awfully. Mehron on the other hand survived 11 hours of me smiling, talking, emoting and such and didn't even crease at the smile lines(I'm actually shocked about that). It obviously works like any other makeup which means your skin texture and wrinkles won't go anywhere but Mehron's elasticity pleasantly surprised me. It did obviously smear from sweat and saliva(if you're eating and licking your lips) but if you don't touch the skin it just dries again, self setting. But if it's dry it's fully smear-proof. Highly recommend!

And last but not least, I've decided against painting my hands as it was very risky that I will stain everything I touch at the smallest hint of sweat. So instead I got myself gloves-tights(? Not sure how they're called but it's made from the same fabric as tights) and painted them with normal acrylic paint(did you know you could dye fabric with acrylic paint? I personally didn't), then heat set with an iron and voilà, they're reusable, my hands are not stained after an exhausting day and I don't stain everything I touch. It worked wonderfully which honestly was a surprise as I was really sceptical that acrylic paint will somehow stay in place.

I think this whole thing took me minimum of 6 months with big-big breaks for my school and life in general. But I'm really proud! This project taught me so many new skills and I couldn't have been happier about learning new knowledge, even if it sucked to fail in the meantime.

Everyone at the con was really nice and gave me a large confidence boost even tho it was my first time and I had no idea what I was doing. Taking photos with other people was really awkward/new for me as I hate cameras so I really had no idea how to pose/behave in front of one. But that's okay I think. This whole experience definitely made me want to do this again, so I think that will come with experience. Thank you for reading this far, hope you enjoyed this little summary :)

[reactionimagesdaily]

(TuT) ok so i got a few but my most thought about are these silly characters who are based on the arthurian legends but mixed with final fantasy and their trying to fight the queen because she doesn't like magic (even though her children are half elf and therefore have plenty of magic) im still struggling to find designs i fully like but this is like the current designs. (Idk if you wanted me to pm u about my ocs or ask??)

Tell me about your ocs too!!!

LESGOOOO okay I do know some things about Arthurian legend but I know fuckall about final fantasy so you're gonna have to bare with me. I love this art, first of all! I'm presuming you drew it but either way massive kudos to the artist, I'm really liking these designs :D (also the style in general but that's more subjective :P)

Headcanons,,, hmm,,, ok I'm gonna go from left to right (and I'm also gonna refer to these charas as their hair colours bc I don't know their names, lo siento xD) (also I am kinda presuming genders based on appearance here so sorry if I get any pronouns wrong xS)

Pink:

There are chains on most of these characters' outfits but the majority are on hers so I like the idea that maybe she made, or at least fashioned, them and then gave them out to the rest of the group?

(by that logic there must be some reason that brunette doesn't have a chain... hmm... maybe pink doesn't like him, or maybe the chains represent some specific thing that brunette isn't/hasn't done)

She's self-conscious about the mole on her cheek :( (if I'm presuming correctly and pink is one of the queen's half-elf children, her self-consciousness could be compounded by the fact that this mole is also an identifying feature that people could use to find her)

I like the idea that Pink is one of those people who just doesn't feel the cold. Not sure why. Maybe it's the fit :P

Ginger:

I know her ears are probably hidden bc of her hairstyle but low-key when I noticed that detail I thought it might be that she's hiding her ears for plot reasons. Is she pretending to be a half-elf and have magic when she actually doesn't? Is she ACTUALLY a half-elf and hiding that fact bc of the queen's grudge against magic? Who knows? Not me! :P

She's actually ambidexterous and only wears arm guards on one arm to throw off anyone she's swordfighting with

The only thing sharper than Ginger's blade is her tongue; her insults are lethal and she is very liberal with their usage

Funny idea: this character has a very low pain tolerance. Like, in the heat of battle she can obviously power through life-threatening injuries, same as any self-respecting protagonist can - but outside of adrenaline-fuelled action? Hoo boy. If this woman stubs her toe on a rock, you're gonna be hearing about it for hours

Blond:

I get the sense that blond has 100% tried to use magic to cook a chicken at least once (and that it hasn't gone well)

Maybe the shared colours are just convenience for the sake of faster colouring but I like to think that blond got ginger a corset the same shade of red as his shirt and boots because he wanted them to match :)

He's actually very good at dexterous skills relating to string and ropes - braiding, embroidery, knotwork, and so on (this inspired by the little braid in his hair (ignore the fact that I've ignored the fact that pink's hair ALSO has a braid in it))

Blond strikes me as the team confidante. I like to think that if anyone has problems, or needs someone they can trust with sensitive information, they know they can go to him :D

Brunette:

I think brunette's cloak is cool as hell so I like to think that HE thinks it's cool as hell too. Like, he wears it all the time, and everyone else is just like 'ugh it's brunette being edgy and mysterious again' but his interior monologue is something more along the lines of 'man... I look so good in this cloak... I've got that shit ON'

He'd actually really like to grow a proper beard, but he just can't for whatever reason so all he's got is stubble 😔

Something about him tells me that he enjoys tripping people up with that staff he's carrying

He can sleep standing up (and it freaks the hell out of anyone when they see it lmao)

-

And,,, that's it off the top of my head! (In a manner of speaking. This was not ALL off the top of my head xDD) I hope you crack that character design conundrum you're wrestling with! Thank you sm for sharing your charas, this was honestly fun as hell :D (Either PMing or ask'ing would've been fine with me :3) Keep loving them and making content for them and you will find your audience, I promise! <33

ALSO 'tell me about your ocs too!!!' OKAY YOUR ENTHUSIASIM HAS TWISTED MY ARM but this post is already pretty long so I'll put it under a cut :)

Broski I have WAY too many OCs to fit into one post that isn't as long as my bionicle lore summary so I'm gonna pick out 3!

First we have DANTE

I love this guy. He started off as a self-insert back when I first started writing (12-ish years ago?) and now he's his own fully developed character. I'm so proud of him T_T

Anyways! My guy got evil superpowers from a magic rock - long story, sorry - and decided he was going to become a superhero anyway. He's a paragon and a charismatic protagonist and he tries his best, but he's also a stubborn, chaotic man with no off switch. Maybe not the best person to hold the fate of the world in his hands, but oh well, it's too late now! :P

(aah, I love putting characters in situations)

Next up we have: RAELYN

Remember that magic rock? Yeah, turns out that rock has a consciousness. That's Raelyn. She doesn't like Dante, and especially doesn't like the fact that she's now stuck in his brain - but she likes the main villain of this story even LESS, so she's sticking with him for now. She's an unrepentent fucker and I really enjoy writing her >:3

And finally, we have IVY

Ivy is a cyborg that spends, like, a year fused into a suit of armour (another, slightly grim long story) before the good guys rescue her. The good thing about the longform story I'm telling is that we get plenty of time to watch her blossom from a haunted, emaciated cyborg into someone who's happy and healthy :)

(not pictured: me, valiantly resisiting the urge to call my own OC an absolute smokeshow)

Aaaaand there we go! Hope that fulfilled your curiosity about my own OCs - thank you so much for asking! <3 Have a good one, you absolute champion! :D

[hyperfixation-fix]

Alright guys I really need your help figuring out my godly parent. I get different answers every time I do a quiz 🥲 here's some deets about me:

I work in health promotion - basically it's early intervention stuff, including health education, raising awareness, advocacy/political activism, and working with affected communities. It's also a lot of mediation between different professions and groups - helping doctors understand why patients can't "just lose weight", helping patients understand why they do need to make healthier choices, and helping politicians... actually there usually isn't any helping politicians, but we try. Currently, I'm in youth mental health

In my free time, I do a lot of arts & crafts. But like - I never stick to one. I've done knitting, sewing, embroidery, metal stamping, jewellery making, digital art, woodwork, music, paper making, book binding, and on and on and on

Honestly that generally goes for all my skills. I've done a lot of things and I *can* do a lot of things, but I don't really do any of them super well

I'm an out-of-the-box thinker, creative and yes, chaotic, and there are lots of pros and cons to that

My happy place is by the beach, but I cannot remember the last time I actually went for a swim. Fuck that, the ocean is scary. I'll stay up here on the grass reading my book under a tree tyvm

I describe myself as a happy person with depression. I'm very sunny and optimistic, but I find life and living and liking myself rough at the best of times. I spend half my life picking myself up, dusting myself off, wiping away my tears and trying again - but I do it, over and over, bc I genuinely do believe it's worth it in the long run. I'm also just ✨emotional✨

I love children, they make me so happy, but I'm not sure if I'll ever be stable enough to have my own

I love animals. Except fish. Fuck fish.

I'm a hugger, but I feel weird asking for hugs

I've been told, even at 23, that I seem older than I am, that I'm "mature for my age" (fuckin hate that saying)

I love being around people, and finding and creating community is super important to me, but being social drains me and I struggle to find a good balance

I put 110% into everything I do. It's a truly awful habit 🙃

I love maths and logic puzzles. I love the structure of it, the planning and strategy, the satisfaction of a black-and-white answer. And yet, I dropped out of my maths degree because I couldn't see myself working in anything but pure maths, which is not really a career. My current job is kind of the exact opposite - yes, it's very research-oriented, but you deal with nuance and unknowns and humans every day, and the reality is that there is never a clear answer. And I love it. No idea what that says about me 😅

Ok now that I've written that out, I'm actually leaning towards Apollo. What do you guys think?

[snek-panini]

I've got a little bit of a different kind of bookbinding post to share today. Have a look:

I made pamphlets! I've got a bad habit when learning a new craft of looking at easy, highly-recommended beginner projects and saying to myself, "That looks boring, let's do the much harder advanced project that we definitely don't have the skills for." So I actually skipped the part of bookbinding where you learn easy stuff like pamphlets until now, more than 50 books in. But I'm looking at maybe doing some charity commissions for cheap in the near future, and I thought pamphlets would be a good item for that, and it would help if I could show (a) what they look like and what the sizes mean to people who aren't bookbinders, and also (b) that I know how to make them and that they will look nice when I do.

From left to right, that's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (orange, letter folio), Tam Lin (green, legal quarto) and The Raven (black, letter quarto). They've got cardstock covers and the spines are reinforced and decorated with scraps from other projects. Have a look under the cut for individual photos, interiors, and to hear me talk about materials.

Sleepy Hollow has an orange cover with dark brown over the spine. Usually in a pamphlet the stitching is visible at the spine because it's a single signature, but I wanted to cover it for a couple of reasons. I think it looks more professional, it adds some visual interest, and it protects the stitching from getting snagged on anything. Both pieces are textured cardstock, and the title was printed and pasted onto a bit of scrapbook paper. It's got a line under it because the page I used to print all the titles had a smudge on it, and I miscalculated where it was going to fall on the printed page. So I went over it with a pen and now it looks like it was on purpose. Win-win.

Tam Lin has a smooth cardstock cover and chiyogami on the spine. A while back I bought a pack of assorted strips of chiyogami, about an inch wide, to use as decorative elements, and they're the perfect width for this. The interior images for all three books are free images from rawpixel, and one trick I like to use is to flip the beginning widget over at the end to make an opposing set, like bookends. Reduces the number of images I need to find, and still feels intentional and unified. All three of these are stitched with embroidery floss, so they've got coordinating colors--Sleepy Hollow's is green, Tam Lin's is gold, and the Raven's is red. Customization and theming made easy.

The Raven also has textured cardstock for its cover, but the spine is a scrap of gray book cloth. It also has the only oopsie in its title frame--while I was gluing the back of the red frame piece, it stuck a little to the page I was using as a drop cloth and left a white mark. I tried to cover it with ink but didn't do a very good job. The whole thing's a learning experience. I also played with the margins in this one so I could get the lines to fit better. Poe has a lot of words in each line. I wasn't sure this would work, but in such a small book the narrow margins aren't nearly as jarring as they would be in a full-size one.

Overall this was a really successful experiment. The typesets all together only took about an hour and a half since they didn't need proofreading, and even if they had that's a short job for a story this length. Everything else came together in bits and pieces over a couple of days, less than an hour per book for sure. Spine covers and title frames were all made from scraps so they didn't cost anything or use many materials, and except for the mistake on the Raven cover I think they look really good. And I have so many scraps by now that I could make them look cohesive. In the future I think I'll trim up the fore edges but that's the only thing I'd change. Very pleased, and I think this would make a good charity commission item if there's interest. I'll post more about that when the time comes, if I go ahead with it.

[moonmeg]

What was Breena's relationship with her siblings-in-law like at the beginning? (especially with Edan, I guess it took a lot for him to trust her after knowing how she treated Neil the first time they met).

Long post incoming~

Breena (17) and Edan (20)...

...indeed had their problems at first. Breena still had her firey kinda mean attitude and Edan was still judging her for how she treated Neil at first. This ridge between them bothered Breena because she got along fairly well with everyone else.

Bree: Edan hasna a lot of good to say about me, does he?

Neil: What ya mean?

Bree: He's avoidin' me but constantly eyein' me in a warning and threatening manner. I just dinna understand why? What did I do to him?

Neil: Ah... he is just lookin' out for me- us- as in his younger siblings.

Bree: So he's bein' typical protective older brother?

Neil: Pretty much, aye.

Bree: But why? I havena even exchanged a word wi' him. What reason does he have to gi' me the cold shoulder?

Neil: Dinna like the taste of yer own medicine?

Bree: Excuse me?

Neil: Bein' unfriendly to people ye dinna ken, I mean.

Bree: If this is about our first encounter, I already told ye I'm sorry. Did I misjudge ye? Aye. Was I wrong? Aye. I was wrong and I am genuinely sorry. But it's not Edan's place to treat me like this now.

Neil: Well, he kens what ye said to me and how ye treated me when we met and is simply wary of ye. Especially as we're starting to become friends of sorts.

Bree: It's not his business who ye're friends with. It's a matter between you and me. Not him.

Neil: You... you dinna have siblings, do ya?

Bree: I don't. And even if I did, I fail to see where our friendship is of interest to Edan.

Neil: He's just looking out for me. I'm his younger brother and he doesna want me to get hurt by befriending someone who might turn out bad for me.

Bree: I'm bad for ye now?

Neil: That's not what I said. I'm just sayin' that as siblings we all dinna want one of us getting hurt and we're all lookin' out for each other. If I heard someone was yellin' at Ian, Keith or Maisie when they were just bein' nice and then that person suddenly lives with us, aye, I'd be wary too. Edan is this cold to everyone who gets closer to us. I understand it bothers ye but he has his reasons for bein' wary and protective. He'd never forgive himself if one of us got hurt by someone we liked and he kens he could've prevented it. Perhaps ye should have a heart-to-heart conversation wi' him when the situation occurs.

Bree: I dinna just open my heart to people, goldie.

Neil: And that's the first thing ye two have in common. I'm sure ye'll understand why he is that way once ye get to talk about it. And he'll understand why ye yerself were so rude to me at first if ye explain. He doesna hate ya. He's testin' ya.

(Neil turned out to be right)

Breena and Blair (18)...

...quickly got to like each other actually. They were both jealous of the other one in terms of appearance and didn't voice that at first. It did come out of them at one point and they both started endlessly complimenting each other. Blair braids Breena's hair, Breena helps Blair with dying her hair, Blair teaches Breena some crafty skills like basic sowing or embroidery. After Neil, Breena was closest to Blair.

Some years down the line

Blair (putting a pin into Breena's hair): Aaand all done! How are ye? Bree (pregnant at that time): I feel like I'm gonna throw up- Blair: Oh, dear- ye need a basin? Bree: No, no, I'm not actually going to I'm just... Blair: Nervous ye're only minutes away from standing in front of an officiator and exchanging marriage vows wi' the love of yer life? Bree: In summary, aye. Blair: I ken exactly what ye mean. I felt I was going to faint any moment before sealing the oath wi' my wife. But after it all... when the oath was taken, and we were announced as married and got to kiss each other as wives for the first time... there was not an ounce of those nerves present anymore. It's gonna be the same for ye and Neil. I'm certain. Bree: I dinna ken... What if he says no after all? Blair: If he dares say no at the officiator I will kick his arse into space. But he won't. He's deeply in love wi' ya, Bree. He's been airheaded and footed since the first day and he hasna shut up about yer engagement for months. And he's most excited about the bairn. Neil will marry ya. Nothing and no one could keep him from that. Bree: Thanks, Blair. I'm so lucky to gain ye as sister-in-law. Blair: Leave out the "in-law". Such a mouthful. Just sister.

Breena and Ian (14)...

...also learned to get along rather quickly even though she joined in on the playful bullying of Ian (he's used to it at this point). They would've been even closer than Bree is with Blair if they were just closer in age tbh.

Breena and Keith (11)...

...don't have much to do with each other but she helps him with his school work every now and then or keeps an eye on him when everyone else is busy. Breena was never really fond of children but when Keith would come up to her with his five-string or lute and ask her to listen to the tune he learned she began thinking that maybe kids aren't that bad.

Breena and Maisie (8)...

...had a similar development to the one with Keith. Maisie really liked Breena immediately and always found ways to spend time with her, asking her to help in choosing how to dress or asking her to help with the hairstyle, take her to school or pick her up again. If Keith already began to crack Breena with her perception of children, Maisie sold her on definitely wanting at least one kid sooner or later, even if things like this happened

Maisie: Breena?

Bree: Hm?

Maisie: I like ye.

Bree: Aw, I like ye too, Maisie.

Maisie: Willya marry Neil?

Bree: Oh- uh- I-I dinna ken.

Maisie: Wouldya if he asked ye to?

Bree: If Neil asked me to marry him?

Maisie: Mhm!

Bree: Well, aye, I think if he asked me, I would. But I dinna think Neil and I are ready for-

Maisie: NEEEEIIIL!!

Bree: No, no, no, no, no don't-

Maisie: BREENA WANTS TO MARRY YE! SAY YES!

Neil: Sure.

Bree (blushing intensely): NEIL!

This wasn't their official engagement but they kept pretending it was for Maisie.

Breena is besties with all of them now <3

[tigreblvnc]

BLUE LOCK MATCHUP EXCHANGE — @lyraa19

Your match is...

— Bachira Meguru

✦ I'm sorry, I checked your bio after checking your Picrew and…

✦ …I only had Chigiri in my mind throughout my reading.

✦ I think you two would look super cool, for real.

✦ But then I put my superficial side aside and thought logically.

✦ Some of your sentences caught my attention.

✦ "I like open-minded people" and mostly: "I like when someone is gentle, can talk but also listen, has a big heart, is not afraid to stand out and be a bit unconventional in society’s eyes."

✦ This is super Bachira-coded, you know. It's like summoning him.

✦ "I want to be seen and heard." It sounds like a powerful quote on a movie poster.

✦ Also: "Someone who’s their truest self unapologetically." I was thinking that you found the most perfect fandom for this one since every character in Blue Lock is led to reveal themselves in their truest aspects on the field. Especially because there is no other choice if they want to succeed, you know.

✦ So yeah, when thinking of the best match for you, Chigiri took a step back -- or rather, Bachira jumped to the forefront.

✦ (The fact that you speak Spanish also makes me think of FC Barcha, which Bachira is a part of.)

✦ From the little I know about astrology, one of the best matches for Libras are Leos. Air and fire elements stimulate each other in a positive way. It's like in reality; air helps fire to rise.

✦ …And without air, there's no fire.

✦ Very proud of your 95 to 99% score average in love, marriage, communication, and so on.

✦ "I like to do art too, from digitally drawing to hand embroidery, photography occasionally, and handmade crafts." We know that Bachira's mother is an artist, and I like to think that Bachira inherited his original side from his mom. He shows his creativity on the field, especially when dribbling. We all remember his superb comeback during the second selection match when he was on Rin's team, against Isagi's.

✦ His style is very dynamic and uncommon, and I'm sure you would love to see his new tricks on the field.

✦ "Tarot cards, spirituality, crystals, astrology." I don't really see him being into this kind of stuff, but I can totally picture him being curious about it. Asking questions like, "And what does this card mean?" "Can you see my energy color right now?" "Are we compatible?"

✦ I think, except when he's at Blue Lock, he totally has the habit of going to bed very late just to continue talking about something interesting with someone.

✦ Eventually, he falls asleep on your lap.

✦ Bachira is the most optimistic guy ever; don't worry about the bad vibes—you won't get them with him.

✦ I tend to say it's a positive trait, but someone who does their best to avoid real subjects, or those that can hurt, can be led to miscommunication in the long term. This happened to Bachira during his match against Isagi, Barou, and Nagi: he completely dove into the darkness, not knowing how to act so he wouldn't be left behind.

✦ He has an inherent fear of being forgotten and abandoned. Even more when it comes to his soccer skills.

✦ That leads me to the next point:

✦ "I like to give gifts and quality time." I'm sorry, but it's totally acknowledged in the manga that Bachira's favorite thing is to receive gifts.

✦ And the fact that you're good at giving a listening ear (that's how I interpret this love language, at least), I also think you could detect when he's down or in a bad mood but doesn't want to admit it.

✦ Of course, since our precious bee is strongly sensitive, Bachira would burst into tears once you realize he's not doing as well as he claims.

✦ Tears release endorphins, the feel-good hormone, so it's actually a blessing in disguise for him. For you.

✦ He ends up smiling, cuddling you warmly, cheeks all red.

✦ "Thanks, Lyra."

✦ Take good care of this big baby. <3

A word about your match: Like I said, I initially thought of Chigiri, and I still think the two of you would look super classy together. So in terms of appearance, the red panther suits you very well. But when it comes to personality, it's all about you and our happy bee.

© TIGREBLVNC 2024 | INTERESTED IN A MATCHUP EXCHANGE? CHECK THIS.

[themarginalthinker]

QUICK AS SOMEONE WANTING TO GET INTO SEWING... Got any tips for beginners?? 🥺🥺

OK SO LMAO

I'm going assume you mean like, with a machine, but there's also some stuff I can start you off with for hand sewing (which is also a fantastic and very necessary skill to have in my opinion!)

-Most sewing machines they sell at the store are the same, Singer is just the most recognizable brand bc it's the oldest. A sewing machine with the same specs in another brand is basically the same.

-Now, what those specs are is important for what you're doing. A basic sewing machine for, say, sewing lightweight or medium fabrics will run you between 100 to 300 dollars. 'Heavy duty' means you can switch the setting to add more power behind the needle because it has a more powerful engine to get it through more layers of/thicker fabrics, and it has a wider range of settings for different projects.

-There's also surger machines, but I'm not sure about those (and I can only assume as someone just getting into things, that's probably not what you're after, but if it is, you should talk to the clerk at the store or look up reviews)

-MIND YOUR HANDS, CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH EVEN IF IT SEEMS TO GO WITHOUT SAYING. THE MACHINE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT YOUR FINGERS. DO NOT PUT YOUR FINGERS ANY CLOSER TO THE NEEDLE THAN YOU NEED TO TO CONTROL THE FABRIC. FUCK.

-Adjusting the tension on the needle is a bitch, everyone hates it. If your thread is snapping for seemingly no reason, it's probably the tension.

-Some machines come with an automatic bobbin winder, which is nice. (actually, I think it's a standard for most these days? More research needed..) but yeah. Bobbins. They make the underside of your stitch line, which is important otherwise the thread just pulls through the fabric uselessly.

-Seam allowance is how much extra edge you give the fabric when you're cutting it out so you can sew it together. I usually got for about a quarter inch, which is about two centimeters? You may want more or less, depending on the fabric/ what you're comfortable with. Some fabrics ravel at the edges easily, so you need more seam allowance for a different kind of stitch.

-Pinking sheers are those scissors with the jagged edges (like those craft scissors but for Grown Ups) - this cuts the fabric in a way that keeps the edge from unraveling so easily

-On the subject of scissors, DON'T. FUCKING. CUT. OTHER. MATERIALS. WITH. YOUR. FABRIC. SCISSORS. I WILL COME TO YOUR HOUSE AND FILL YOUR SOCK DRAWER WITH SAND. Doing this will dull your scissors really fast. Don't fucking Do it.

-Machine loud....scary...BUT MUST NOT LET IT KNOW YOU ARE AFRAID

HANDSEWING

-There are a ton of fantastic tutorials on youtube for learning some basic stitches, but here here and here are some I find most useful.

-Needles also come in different sizes and shapes depending on what you're working on!

Big blunt needle: tapestry or darning needle. Used for weaving in ends in yarn, usually.

Small needle: basic sewing needle.

Curved needle: Good when combined with the ladder/invisible stitch for sewing two things together with no visible thread showing. The curve acts like a scoop in very taught fabrics were you cant angle a straight needle to get it through again.

-You're gonna want a thimble. You put it on the finger that's pressing the needle through the fabric, because if you're sewing for a bit, that finger is gonna get chafed from the point pressure.

-REST AND FLEX YOUR HANDS it's really easy to get cramps because of the small, repetitive nature of the action!

-you will see that one youtuber making god level outfits. you will be tempted to try that. I cannot control you, but I can also stand on the shore and wish you godspeed

--

NOW, IF YOU HAD QUESTIONS ABOUT EMBROIDERY, UNFORTUNATELY I GOT NOTHIN'. I don't do embroidery (yet...we'll see how things go). But here is a video for you to look over of some basic stitches for embroidery you may find useful!

I hope this has been helpful! If there's any specific questions you have, you're always free to ask, and if I can't answer them, I can maybe point you to someone who can! :D

[boyfriendeffigy]

3, 4 and 14 for the ask game :) -gideongrovel

Thank you! Sorry for taking forever to answer, I've been really busy with irl things. My answers for these ones are a bit long so I'll put them under the cut ^^

ask game here

3. how do the other characters generally feel about your self insert?

Good question! I've actually been thinking about this for a while, I'm not sure if I could fit all my thoughts on it in a way that makes sense if you haven't read the comic but this is the gist of it:

- Seal is definitely put off by Valleri at first, especially because of the group's first encounter with him (tl;dr jungle trap shenanigans also val tried to kill jordan in front of everyone), but he knows that this was mostly born out of insecurity so he decides to give him a chance. I think Seal would help bridge the gap between him and the rest of the group and allow him to get comfortable even if he doesn't fully trust Val just yet, and this is what really starts Val's redemption arc

- Malu refuses to take Valleri's shit at first, insisting on killing him after the first time they met, it's enough for her to have two Lonely Hearts in the group, a third one is just too much for her. After she learns about Valleri's goal to take revenge on the Hearts however, she reluctantly agrees to work together on the condition that he doesn't pull shit like that again and I imagine their relationship gets better from this point on, but I don't think Malu would ever trust him 100%. Also I think he'd be useful for her nurse skills since he has a deeper knowledge of the human body thanks to his Stand so he could be her assistant! Idk I think it's cute

- Con Ho and Faisan would relate to him to an extent as all three are former Lonely Hearts who are being hunted by their own colleagues. Valleri definitely shares more with Con Ho though since uh, they both almost got killed by theirs though lol. I think early on Valleri is still trying to make sense of not really having anywhere to go, so he'd try to push both of them away and insist that they Just Don't Get It, but he comes to his senses soon enough. Lots of Hearts banter and shit talking ensues.

4. would you be considered a main character, side character, villain, or something else?

Valleri is a villain turned supporting character, I imagine he'd show up sometime after Volume 5, but before Act 2. I don't think he's like a main main character though if that makes sense. Not really sure where he ends up after but I'll figure it out

14. what hobbies does your self insert have?

He really likes sewing! I think he enjoys embroidery and has a bunch of designs he made back home. He probably made some for Jordan after the events of CJ🤭 He also reads a lot, he's not really a book nerd but he'll take anything he can get his hands on since it's better than not doing anything at all. Generally he'll do anything as long as it's fun. (He's got a case of needing constant stimulation like me lol)

Sorry if this doesn't make a lot of sense out of the context of the source, I wrote this while really deep in my thoughts ;;

[snowbatsims]

VAMPIRE INTERMISSION #1

Let's see what these immortal dorks have been up to since the last time I was posting about their shenanigans.

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: So this will be a soft continuation of the previous vampire shenanigans I used to post here! You don't need to have read them, it has mostly been played as a vampire sitcom anyway, but the past events of that game are still canon to this world.

Don't worry though, I'll provide enough context for you to know what's going on. See, sometimes I wanna play my vampires too, and since they're immortal they'll always exist alongside the legacy :3 ]

Without further ado, let's look into whatever they're up to at the given moment.

Rune has been keeping up his piano skills.

Einarr has been relearning his knitting and embroidery. totally not because i haven't really played in this savefile since before they introduced these skills to the game, nooo

Morten.... decided to quit their job at the culinary career. They had been promoted a bit too much, forcing them to work in the daytime hours, which... obviously doesn't work for him anymore. Due to the whole vampire thing and all.

Meanwhile, Bat just slept through the entire day, as vampires sometimes do, especially ones with day phobia. You'll see him later.

-------

LATER.......

While Einarr was gone fishing at his night job, the younger three decided to go check up on the kid they raised once:

Kvikindi, the alien-vampire.

MORTEN: hiiiii so good to see you again!! KVIKINDI: what's up!!! MORTEN: the- KVIKINDI: .... and don't say the ceiling. MORTEN: you know me too well

Since the last time we saw her, she has gone to college, she has gotten married to Lilith Pleasant, moved to Forgotten Hollow, and now they have two kids. That's all the context you need.

It has been a few years.

CARMILLA: i don't remember ever seeing you around here. BAT: yeah. CARMILLA: that's it? that's all you've got to say? BAT: yeah

MORTEN: so this is one of your kids? KVIKINDI: sure is. kanaya, this is mort, say hello! KANAYA: hewwo KVIKINDI: are you trying to look human again? MORTEN: ??? KVIKINDI: it's fine, uncle morty is safe~ KVIKINDI: you can show your true self

KVIK: see! isn't she adorable? MORT: "uncle morty"..??? KVIK: well yeah. you don't exactly pass for a grandpa. MORT: grandpa??? oh jeesh. have i already been a vampire for this long?? how old am i even...

MORT: i could have sworn i only became a vampire last year. i'm still in my early twenties... KVIKINDI: nice try! i'm in my late twenties. MORT: what

MORT: man, the passage of time is weird.

MORT: she's so adorable though!! so small and green.... MORT: i didn't know you decided to read homestuck though. KVIK: huh? MORT: you didn't? KVIK: i just named her after myself. that's my middle name. MORT: ....oh my god. this is my fault. KANAYA: weh MORT: you wanna go back on the floor? sure thing.

KANAYA: 😂 MORTEN: should i read you a little book? KANAYA: bah!! KVIKINDI: alright, i trust you to entertain her somehow. i gotta-

KVIKINDI: crap. it's already happeŇƗŇǤ,

MORTEN: wait, what's... oh no.

MORTEN: OH NO............... KVIKINDI: β€ΔỮŦ¥β€ΔỮŦ¥β€ΔỮŦ¥β€ΔỮŦ¥β€ΔỮŦ¥β€ΔỮŦ¥

MORTEN: WHAT!! i thought we cured you!!! we literally went through all of that back in strangerville some time ago, hey-- RUNE QUIT PLAYING RUNE: huh? MORTEN: KVIKKI'S BEEN POSSESSED AGAIN RUNE: wait, what???

RUNE: kvikindi? you there? not this again...

KVIKINDI: ŞỮβΜƗŦ ŦØ ΜØŦĦ€Ř ¥ØỮ ŴƗŁŁ RUNE: OH HELL NO.

KVIKINDI: ΜØŦĦ€Ř Ş€€Ş ΔŁŁ. ΜØŦĦ€Ř ƗŞ ĦΔƤƤ¥ ŦØ Ş€€ ¥ØỮ RUNE: i can't believe i have to get you another cure. how did this happen??? i thought we killed the mother plant???? KVIKINDI: βƗŦ€βƗŦ€βƗŦ€βƗŦ€βƗŦ€βƗŦ€ RUNE: actually, i should go ask your wife, maybe she knows. KVIKINDI: ŦĦ€ ƤŁΔŇ€ Ø₣ ĆŘΔŞĦ ŞΜ€ŁŁŞ ŁƗҜ€ ƤƗŞŞ Ø₣ ĐØǤŞ MORTEN: ... and i should distract the child.

CONTINUE ->

[rederiswrites]

Feel free to ignore this if you want but you post interested me. I don't disagree about what you said re: fiberartists in the apocalypse but there are some notable reasons why they're still somewhat useful? If you're stationary they become a lot less useful more quickly, they use up most faber materials unless you keep livestock but idk enough about livestock to think out how practical that is off the top of my head. However not all clothes, especially not most of the clothes worn by people in their physical prime (in the western world and some industrialized nations) is actually of that high a quality. Fast fashion is a big industry and people are going to need replacements faster than you think if they're clothes are suddenly enduring the physical labor of apocalypse survival. Not to mention that cleanliness is crucial to not dying so there will need to be at least a small amount of clothes to cycle for people who can't wash it everyday. If you're moving there's always the possibility of gathering fiber material, a higher chance of trading with others, but also a higher chance of chaffing of the cloth being a more immediate problem. Then there's the question of other vital cloth items, such as bags and blankets, and the ability to make something out of flag flexible material to meet other unexpected situations likely has a bit of value on its own. Now, people who can sew and sewing machines (if you can get one that doesn't require electricity, I'm not sure) are probably the most cost effective fiber artists and tools. You can find pocket sewing kits at every drug store so thread isn't an issue, and reported olf cloth from MASSIVE catches at clothing stores, rather than hitting up the much smaller yarn or raw fiber sections that you'll find less reliably in cities.

So in conclusion: not all fiber artists are equal in this situation, but their value is pretty far up there behind realiable food sources for people who dream of running a peaceful group, because of the advantages of being able transform some of the most abundant materials in urban environments into tradeable goods. As an individual sewer, with this sales pitch, you might even be able to join a more organized group because of these services, and the ability to teach the valuable skills to others.

Hope you find this as fun to talk about as I do!

Oh I am absolutely going to find this fun to talk about; thank you for a great, engaging ask.

First, I wanna establish that I have mad respect for fiber artists of all sorts. I've spent my life around them, from my mom to a lot of my friends to, I guess you'd call them professional associates? I can do basic garment construction and I'm pretty good at embroidery, but even though I'm used to picking up crafts easily, things like knitting and crochet really elude me. So, again, mad respect.

Second, I am not an expert here. I have approximate knowledge of many things. I know the things I'm about to talk about because I encountered them along the way, not because I've studied it. Any actual experts who wish to chime in would be extremely welcome. Also, since my interest has been in medieval Europe, that's what I know. I would love to know more about other cultures. I'm just assuming that the basic necessities of the subject are applicable across many cultures.

Let's back up. A lot.

Here's a great French manuscript image from the mid 1400's. It illustrates a lot of things relevant to the conversation. So what's going on here?

First, we've got high born ladies involved in these activities. Everyone was, regardless of social status. Before the advent of powered looms and spinning machines (ca. 1770-1790), the textile industry was an all-consuming activity that most women and many men spent part or all of their time on. We watch tv. They made textiles. The difference with the highborn ladies is they probably got nicer materials, like imported silks and expensive dyestuffs.

Second, there are many people involved in the many steps. We've got the lady in pink with the hackles/combs doing the initial aligning and cleaning of the fibers. Lady in white is carding the wool, which is the next and finer prep stage, using brushes that look a lot like a cat brush, but bigger. Lady in red is spinning the fiber thus processed with a drop spindle, which is a super slow way to do it and a real bottleneck in the textile process. Which is why in so many images of women in the fields/literally anywhere, they have their distaff and spindle. They just did it all the damn time. And the queen is obviously weaving. There are also steps both before (rearing and shearing or growing, harvesting, and retting) and after (dyeing and fulling) these.

Textiles, as far back as I know anything about, were an entire industry, involving many unrelated people and international trade. Not often, even in, say, Mesopotamia, were they a cottage industry performed beginning to end by one person or group. This is because that was wildly impractical, always. And would be wildly impractical in our theoretical post-industrial future, as well.

Okay, never can resist a history lesson but hopefully that'll tide me over for now.

Uhh...what's next? Mobility! So actually I'm gonna go totally opposite you on this one--in a theoretical situation where we're still all roaming around as refugees, very few fiber artists would be of much use at all. The sheer amount of material needed is...a lot. Knitters and crocheters can at least carry their tools around, but even a regular scarf might take as much as three skeins of yarn. At least two for socks. You can get a hat out of one, depending on the yarn, but a sweater? At least four, maybe six. You can see how that gets to be a really big Santa sack there. And that's assuming the pre-existence of the yarn. (Which is actually fair, every knitter ever has an out of control yarn stash.) Fortunately, I don't think we'd roam about as refugees for decades. That's just a pretty untenable situation long-term, as lots of refugees can confirm.

So. You CAN use old treadle sewing machines for garment construction. I even know people who bring them to events to finish commissions or do tailoring without power. But they are heavy and bulky, like, a lot. And some nomadic cultures have made fabric with portable backstrap looms, but they're slow and physically demanding. Most looms, as you can see above, are really big and not even remotely portable.

And creating the fiber, saving the sudden re-emergence of entire pastoral herding societies (in a world which no longer has large stretches of grazing land), absolutely demands long term stability. Flax produces one crop a year. Sheep get sheared once a year. And so on. Collecting fiber as you go has, so far as I know, never been the way a culture has obtained textile materials. Nature on its own mostly produces fiber that's good for like, cordage or netted bags, that sort of thing. Useful, but not about clothing.

Anyway omg I need to do things besides this ask this is so long. Final point: my husband and I, my anecdotal evidence for how long clothing lasts when you actually wear it out, actually DO perform dirty physical labor on the regular. Jacob is a blacksmith and is out in the shop nearly every night. He spent the weekend in the woods with a chainsaw. And I take care of chickens, ducks, and sheep daily, and during the warmer months, extensive gardening projects. We live on a 24 acre farm. Jacob has bought like six t-shirts in maybe the entire time we've been together (nearly 20 years), and all of those are in the special drawer for going out. At home, he wears pretty exclusively t-shirts from high school and freebies from groups and events. At work, he wears thrift store dress shirts and the annual nice shirts his mom gives him for Christmas. (She skipped that this year and I gotta tell her she can't be doing that or her son will go to meetings with stained collars lol.)

UGH TL;DR: People buy vastly more clothing than they need, hardly ever wear it out, and could manage with the surplus for decades. Meanwhile, creating textiles is an incredibly involved task, and before the industrial revolution it consumed vast amounts of everyone's time, and would do so again in a theoretical post-industrial world. Fiber artists are badasses and I love them but even the ones who focus specifically on creating wearable fabric (which is very few) consider the creation of a complete outfit to be a major project.

[atcordare]

Okay well this is a thread of the designs of my zukka AU

This is sokka, water tribe attire first and fire nation attire on the second image.

I tried picking elements from the Inuit and Maori cultures, besides canon content from ATLA and some other stuff I pulled out my ass.

For the water tribe attire, i chose to stick closely to the inuit traditional clothing. I added fringes and a little bit of a patterned section- The Southern Water Tribe is extremely poor in canon and even more so in my AU, so I'm pretty sure they don't have a lot of resources to spend in decorations. I did, however, get creative with the cape. It's maori-inspired- I took some elements from the cape that signaled chiefs (the white parts on the top, which are dried plants), and some others from the parts that signaled hunters (the braided section and the dark color of the general silhouette). However, using the skin of an entire animal was my own idea, and I was taking into consideration the materials available in the area they lived in.

The tattoos are mostly my invention as well. There are notes in spanish by them- they ssy that the tattoos on the face point out the role on the tribe (i merded together inuit tattoo designs and the marks people get from ice dodging), because everyone can see them. Then, the ones avobe the heart tell you about the person's name and their family. Inuit society puts a lot of weight into family and such, so I thought it would be appropiate. Then, down the arm, where lays the skills and such, they tattoo the person's accomplishments. A heavily tattooed arm belongs to an enviably accomplished person. However, these tattoos are comsidered to be deeply personal and they're only supposed to be shown to your loved ones (since you're not getting naked in front of just anyone in the south pole...) It isn't specified in there, but you also tattoo the name of the person you marry on the inside of your wrist- avobe your pulse, and ready for you to see when you miss them, at any time.

I thought this was a cool way to keep the written tradition going in a place where you can't really actually write, with all the snow and shit. This and embroidery- but i guess embroidery would be dedicated to tapestries that would show the history of the tribe, kept in like a public closed space. The inuit rely very heavily in oral tradition to pass down their identity as a tribe, and while that IS something I wanted to keep (and I did! but it's not reflected on sokka's design), I don't want the water tribe to be a replica of the actual inuit. I'm pretty sure I couldn't play off the inaccuracies if it was. Oops.

Then the earring- there's a tooth and a black feather. Honestly, the tooth just looks cool and that was my reason to shove it in, but the feather DOES hold meaning. It has a Maori origin, since they used the feathers of a now extinct bird to point out chiefdom. Pitch black feathers signaled a minor chief or a less powerful one, while tgere were white-tipped ones that were used to point out absolute power?? If i understood that right?? And since Sokka is the acting chief of the southern water tribe while the men are at work, I thought it would be nice to show the difference that way. Hakoda keeps his own white tipped feather, but Sokka got the pitch black one from him.

The fire natiom outfit mixes elements of tge forementioned cultures along with the fire nation. He bandages his tattoos so no one can see them, he has an archer glove on his right hand, and the clothes allow ventilation so the man that has lived surrounded by snow his entire life doesn't evaporate the moment he lands foot on the fire nation.

The fringes and the pants are inspired by the inuit again, same as the pattern on the top thing. The cape is a fire nation-ized version of his cape with a fire nation-ized parka hood. Less practical, chillier, just there to give off a more commanding vibe.

The lore behind the outfit is that Sokka used some clothes designed by Gran Gran and made by the fire kingdom so he can travel there for whatever business (I didn't explain this and probably won't since this silly little AU has thiiiin chances of leaving my head, but this is an arranged marriage AU mixed in with political drama, enemies to lovers shenanigans and whatnot). However, the fire nation people were all "nooo put on some REAL clotheees" so he just shuffled in whatever didn't look too awful from what he saw in the fire nation fashion scene and called it a day. The cape is what really did it for the fire nation people, though. Gives off a more royal vibe, attracts the eye, whatever.

He can use bows, his boomerang and spears, as long as you keep in mind that he was trained a hunter and not a warrior. He was left to hunt on his own for his entire village (which includes animals to get the skin for clothes from) since he was younger than 15 so you can bet he's damn good at it (i think it should have been the same in canon since this happens in there as well but whatever). Also, since he's used to constantly running in way denser territory in way heavier clothing at the same speed than people from the rest of the nations, you can bet he's crazy quick when those factors aren't hindering him.

[twstinginthewind]

“ just let me look at you ” - Juniper just thinks Punch is pretty. :3c

Sweet nothings asks!

"No. I'm not coming out there with this on." Punch's voice was muffled by the thrift store's dressing room door.

"No?" Juniper frowned, turning away from a rack of swishy nylon jackets. "It can't possibly be that bad. Is the fit wrong?"

"Nnnnnno. That's not the issue." There was a soft thump against the door. "It's a perfect fit, weirdly enough. I wasn't expecting there to be anything in my size..."

"Well, okay. So, it fits. That's good, right?" She turned back to the rack briefly, her hand lingering on a sunshine-yellow jacket before deciding against it. "Is it the fabric? Does it feel itchy or something?" Another display caught her eye, and she stepped that way.

"It's actually really soft. Almost like a pajama feel." Juniper could hear a shuffling sound through the door, like he was turning around, and a small sound of exertion. "Stretchy, too."

"Then what's the issue?" Juniper pulled a navy blue top hat onto her head, frowned, and took it back off. Not designed for someone with coyote ears, apparently.

Punch made a whiny noise in response.

Juniper stifled a giggle. "Come on, Punch. It can't be that bad. Just let me look at you."

There was silence for a moment. "I don't know." Another shuffling noise. "It really is a bit much."

"You sound like you need a second opinion, and unfortunately, x-ray vision isn't in my skill set, so you gotta show me."

A heavy sigh. "Fine."

The dressing room door slowly creaked open, and Punch stepped out. He had stepped out of his shoes, and his mismatched socks had a hole in one toe. Juniper wasn't sure why she noticed that; probably because it was such a contrast to the rest of the outfit. It was a suit of deep blue velvet that clung close to his body, embellished with bright embroidery in golden thread up the sides of his legs, down the sleeves, and across his back. The shirt beneath the jacket was a soft creamy color, with a ruffled front. Punch tugged uncomfortably at the cuffs; they wouldn't close properly without a pair of cufflinks, and fluttered around his wrists.

Juniper stood and stared for a moment, silently, her tail wagging behind her. It took a minute to find her voice. "So. Um." She swallowed. "What was wrong with this, again?"

"It looks like it came out of a period drama."

"It looks GREAT, you dingaling. And didn't you say you had to find something decent for that masquerade you're getting dragged to?"

"It's too fancy for me. I should just get a plain one." Punch's shoulders sagged.

"Ohhhhh, no you don't." Juniper stepped towards him, and put the top hat onto his head. "You get one shot to represent Night Raven out there, you're not gonna do it in something from Barney's Rent-A-Sack. This is a golden find. Look at yourself!" She put her hands on his shoulders, gently turning him towards the mirror. "You know what I see here?"

"A dork in an outfit that outclasses him?"

"Stop." Juniper tsked at him. "I see a prince, here. I know, you ain't a fancy type. And I know your little lilac-headed buddy would probably disagree with me, but he's allergic to fancy, so I'm not even gonna pretend he'll know what's good. You have a real opportunity to shine, Punch. And this is something you can really shine in."

Punch looked at his reflection, and then met Juniper's eyes in the mirror. "You really think so?"

"I know so." She gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "I'm from the desert, ain't I? I know about shine. Sun shine, moon shine, and, um. People shine." She rolled her eyes. "Words. Whatever. Anyway. I don't know how something this nice happened to be right here in your size, but you should take advantage of it."

"Maybe you're right." He fished around at the end of his sleeve, trying to find the tag. "Maybe I should.... oh for the love of the Seven."

"What?" Juniper looked over at the tag and boggled, her ears flattening against her head. "Sweet merciful crap. Yeah. Okay. Maybe we should hit up Barney's."

"Yeah."

"Sheesh."

"But, Juniper?"

"Yeah?"

Punch brushed some imaginary lint off the suit's lapel. "A shining prince? Really?"

"Really." Her tail wagged again.

".... I'll see if they have layaway."

[icantleave]

🌟🍓Heyy I haven’t been sent nor participated in the game so I don’t know if I know how it works but I remember it included a strawberry 🍓 so I’m just gonna send you a strawberry-filled ask and compliment you in it. 🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓🌟

🌟🍓You are one of the most talented people I follow. Your art is extremely awe-inspiring . You seem very nice and very smart. You also take beautiful photographs and I feel like you have other talents you aren’t sharing with us :p 🍓🌟

🌟🍓Anyways i am not even sure how compliments work but I’m sending this genuinely and wishing you a beautiful Christmas eve if you celebrate and a wonderful evening regardless. 🍓🌟

🌟🍓🍓🍓🍓🌟🍓🍓🍓🍓🌟

Hiiii it was supposed to work the other way around hah, you send a strawberry, i give you a compliment. But yours are sooo nice. Thank you so much!! Also so many strawberries here, and little stars! I love everything with stars

I do have other talents actually)) Well not really talents but like skills. I can cook different things, and I make beaded necklaces, and can do embroidery, for example

I followed you once just because I liked your url here (and because I knew the person who knows you) but I'm very glad I did, because you have the best posts and the aesthetic of your blog is very cool. I still don't really know you, not even sure I know your name, but it's nice interacting with you, because you're a very kind person. You're like calm and quiet and smart, i like your vibes hah. I wish you more good things in life and less sad ones

[your-daily-biaswrecking]

Serva me, Servabo te

save me and I will save you

pairing: photographer!Taehyung x f.reader

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

word count: 8k | reading time: 45 min

chapter summary: even more bonding over food

warnings: nothing much, just a lil spooky house

All chapters | Masterlist | Read on AO3

Chapter 3: No man is an island

Even though it had taken you a lot of turning around in the bed to actually fall asleep, once you did, it proved hard to wake up. Something about the heavy covers and the thick curtains seemed to have sealed you in with a spell. When you first opened your eyes, you found it hard to move, and by the time you finally rose, the sun was peeking through the window which could only mean one thing: it was late. The fire across from you was crackling and the air smelled of-

Wait, what?

You did a double-take on the fireplace. Yep, it was lit. You scratched your head trying to remember if you had actually managed to light it last night, but you were fairly certain you had discarded the wood inside with no success. Had you lit a small spark that had turned into a big fire through the night without your knowledge? Probably not. Somebody else had probably lit it and you had an idea of who that might be. As you were getting dressed, you noticed the floor was clean, too. That is, from all the wax that was on it due to last night's accident. What the hell? Was he trying to get on your good side or something? Trying to make you like him? It was a little too late for that, didn't he think? A tat difficult to change your impression of someone after you had already formed it three years ago.

You wandered around the east wing of the Manor, not sure which room was Taehyung's. But you took a guess when you saw that there was only one door closed amongst the rest of them. You knocked, and when you didn't get an answer, you walked in. The room was definitely bigger than yours, boasting a king-sized bed with dark colors opposite of the entrance, along with a large balcony to the left. You could see Taehyung's stuff lying around, yet not the man himself.

You jogged down the stairs, questioning your next move. Going left, you walked to the sitting room, however, apart from the lit fireplace, that, too, was quiet and soulless. You even checked the library but were met with the same results. As you walked back, you kept your eyes out the windows, trying to catch a glimpse of him anywhere around the house. To be more certain that he wasn't blocked from any plants or flowers in the garden caught up in his photographing like last time, you went so far as to go out and have a stroll up and down the pathway. After having been disappointed yet again, you set the way for the small kitchen. Unsurprisingly, that was empty too, and you were running out of ideas of where the man could be hidden. Alas, any time you wanted to avoid him he magically appeared in front of you, yet now that you were looking for him, he had vanished.

"Well, well, well... look who finally decided to get up," you heard a raspy voice coming from behind you. You jumped slightly and frowned at the well-dressed man standing by the door, offering you a smirk. Where on earth had he been and how had he managed to materialize right behind you without you realizing? Was he a ghost, or something?

You almost asked him where he was, but quickly realized that would sound like you cared about him. Instead, you decided to comment on his uncalled-for remark. "Why, had you been waiting for me?"

He chuckled, leaning against the doorframe. "No, but the pancakes got cold by now. They won't be as tasty."

"Pancakes?" With a motion of his head, your eyes fell on the plate with a tower of medium-sized, fluffy pancakes on the counter. "You made these?"

His eyes rolled to the side. "No, the fairies did," he mocked you.

You shook your head. "Why? Why are you doing all of this?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean making me breakfast when I didn't ask you to."

Taehyung watched you with his half-lidded eyes, his tongue running over his teeth. "Relax. I didn't make you breakfast, princess. I just made it for myself and had some leftovers. If you don't want to, don't eat it."

It felt like he was teasing you for wanting nothing to do with him. Why was he teasing you? Hadn't he acted like that, too, for the past three years? "Oh, yeah? Then what about the fireplace? And the candlewax?"

His cheeks swelled up with air as he slowly let it out. "Yeah, I'm- I'm not following. What fireplace?"

"My fireplace."

He frowned. "You mean... the one in the sitting room?"

"No! I mean the one in my bedroom."

He continued to look confused. "Okay. What about it?"

You bit your lip at his reaction. Now, you were confused, too. "Didn't you light it?"

"No... Did you want me to?"

Your mouth froze mid-sentence, trying to figure out what was happening. "I... I woke up and it was..." You took a look around you. "Did the housekeepers come here this morning?"

Taehyung shrugged. "I didn't see anyone, but maybe... It's a big house, it's easy to miss someone."

Not as easy as missing him, though. Big house and you always ended up in the same, small space. "I guess they came," you mumbled as you started to notice other little things, like the clean plates, were also in their place. "I mean, I found the fireplace lit and the wax was gone..."

Then Taehyung laughed. "Wait! Are you telling me cleaning ladies came into your room, lit a fire, and cleaned the floors while you were sleeping...? And you didn't understand a thing?" Well, you didn't usually sleep so deep but be it the fatigue or the aura of the Manor, you slept like a dead person that night. Taehyung's laugh continued. "And you thought that was me?"

Thinking he had perhaps done those things for you turned out to be a better feeling than realizing he hadn't. You felt so silly. And what were you even supposed to say now? You turned around, scratching your head. The plate with the pancakes seemed rather inviting now, a good change of the subject.

"Thank you for the breakfast," you simply said.

Taehyung smirked at you yet again, his eyes following you around as you grabbed the plate and sat down to eat. "Sure thing, love," he purred. You shot up, a tingling sensation covering your cheeks that you were sure it was shock and distaste, and nothing else. But he kept his stare on you, making you look back down. "What are you going to do after, if you don't mind my asking?" you heard him say in an exaggerated formal tone.

"Why?" you simply asked.

Taehyung looked over his shoulder. "Well, I've got some work to do. On my laptop. I was thinking about occupying the sitting room if that's alright with you."

You took a bite out of the pancakes, shaking your head. "Do whatever you want. You don't have to ask my permission, you know." You made eye contact one more time. "This is your vacation here, too. Don't let me stand in the way."

He turned around and left without another word. You scoffed, rolling your eyes, but decided to not dwell on the boy's acts. You weren't sure what he was trying to do, get on your nerves or the opposite -whatever that was- but you didn't want to use up all your energy on thinking about him. Instead, you enjoyed the pancakes with the pine tree honey, as it was labeled, and some fresh butter. You weren't sure if it was because of the organic toppings or Taehyung's skill, but those ended up being the best pancakes you had ever had. You scrunched your nose. They were so good, I guess you had to compliment him, say something, anything. It was only fair.

You found a piece of paper and a pen in the next room and wrote a small note for him to find on the counter, instead of having to say something to his face. And after having cleaned up your mess, you went back into your room.

Really, what were you going to do?

You fixed the flame, then marched in the bathroom to find your dress, now clean, hanging to dry. The signal wasn't good enough for you to contact Yoonji or anyone else, so you were left with whatever was in that house to occupy you. Well, a house like that should have enough things to keep you busy, right?

You set out to explore the rooms and the floors. The portraits on the walls of people unknown to you, people that seemed to be long gone. The sculptures at the corners of the halls that you couldn't decide whether they were very classy or very outdated. The embroidery pieces adorning the furniture, even some frames, and the random, vintage objects used as decoration. You discovered a room that seemed to be a home office on the first floor, with a big, wooden desk with old pen and ink on one side of it and a typewriter on the other. A metallic globe the size of your hug standing by the window, inconsistent books about the classics all around. A dining room, two rooms away from the kitchen, that boasted the longest table you had ever seen, set with pretty porcelain plates, crystal glasses, and silver cutlery. Another room, next to the library, whose only purpose seemed to be that of a museum; more paintings and sculptures, bizarre collections and jewelry presented all over.

The basement didn't share any of the upstairs' atmosphere. There was no decoration, no natural light. The air was humid and chill. The colors were grey and brown, none of the crimsons or the golds. You found the main kitchen, the one that seemed to be made for a whole staff to work in, but it was empty and dull. Anywhere you stood, you felt uneasy. As if you were standing in the way of someone; perhaps all the ghosts of the workers that slaved themselves away for the elites living above. A breeze made the hair on your arms float, and you deemed the moment perfect to get out.

Not letting the uncomfortable setting get to you, you continued exploring. Going up three flights of stairs, you reached the highest floor, the attic. The halls there were significantly less extravagant, the rooms notably smaller. It didn't quite reach the tone of the basement, but some similarities had to be pointed out. Some doors were locked, and the ones that were open, lead to places that had nothing to keep you there. The view from the windows wasn't much changed from the one from your bedroom, definitely wasn't worth a swap. You noticed that although there were beds and wardrobes, none of the rooms were made for guests. Maybe you weren't supposed to be up here.

That thought, instead of making you flee the way the basement had, made you want to dive deeper. You looked around the few pieces of furniture as if you were searching for something specific, looking over your shoulder as if someone would walk in and scold you for snooping around any time now. A wind blew your hair around your neck, almost like it was telling you to stop. But why did you have to stop? What weren't you supposed to see? The windows in the corridor were all closed, anyway, so where was the wind coming from in the first place? You felt it again, caressing your ears nearly like a whisper. Like a voice calling to you.

Amy...

Was it the wind, or was it the walls? Was it all the olden, inanimate objects that had gained life from the numerous generations they had incorporated? Or was it all just in your head?

"Amy!"

You jumped. You heard it, you actually, definitely did. A voice. Not just the wind, not just your imagination. There were voices coming from these rooms. You rushed outside and ran to the stairs. Then you heard it again, and you froze in place.

You frowned slightly, still not having entirely grasped the reality of the situation. "Yeah?" you shouted back.

"Food's ready."

Right. The mystery voice that whispered your name through the wind at the attic wasn't a spirit or a ghost; simply your vacation buddy shouting from downstairs. Well, good. That was good.

"I'm coming!" you let him know as you skipped down the steps.

You hadn't realized when Taehyung had moved from the sitting room to the kitchen, had no idea he had taken it upon himself to cook once again. Having had a late breakfast and a lot of exploration to do, the time had gone by unnoticed, without any thought of lunch. That was until the delicious smell reached your nose as you were getting closer, making your stomach immediately protest in hunger.

"Hey," you called when you walked in, finding Taehyung setting the table. "I didn't know you were cooking."

"Why, would you have helped me if you did?" he said smiling at you. Don't get confused, he wasn't smiling because what he had just asked was genuine, and thought it was sweet. He was definitely teasing you again.

You took a plate from his hands -well, more like grabbed- and set it on the table yourself. "I thought you were a great cook, why would you need my help?"

His stupid smile got wider. "Maybe you just wanted to spend more time with me."

"Does anyone ever spend time with you unless absolutely needed?"

Taehyung gasped and then chuckled right as he set the food in the middle. "Well, you're welcome for the lunch, I guess."

You rolled your eyes making sure he would see it, dragged a chair out, and sat down. "Thank you. What did you make?"

"Mushrooms," he said, pointing at the plates in front of you. "And other vegetables, since you wanted to have an organic meal. And I found those in the fridge, so I think it's safe to assume they won't kill us."

You shot him a tight smile with your eyes narrowed. Just as you were about to reach for the rice, he started serving you himself. "I can do it," you let him know.

He groaned in response. "I bet you're also the kind that won't let a guy pay for dinner or walk you home, aren't you? Let a man be chivalrous for once, Amy. The Mansion demands it, don't you think?"

You bit your lip trying to stop yourself before an apology escaped you. "Right, I'm sure chivalry runs through your veins and fuels your every action." You tried to take the vegetables, but he blocked you again.

"Well, no," he annunciated through his teeth, then started serving you again. "But at least when I make an effort, it should be respected, don't you think?" He finished your plate and raised his head to look at you. Why were his eyes staring into yours always putting you in an awkward space?

You cleared your throat. "Alright, your actions are noted and appreciated," you murmured, picking up a fork and preparing a bite. "If they're not fake," you added under your breath and popped the food in your mouth.

But he heard you, and like always, he laughed. "You really think I have some ulterior motive in being nice to you? What, am I trying to trick you into thinking I'm not a terrible person?"

You looked at him out of the corner of your eye while you chewed, trying to hide a tiny smile. "Yeah."

His eyes read yours for a second before he reciprocated your smile. "Is it working?"

You finally swallowed, taking a moment to close your eyes and take in all the flavor you had just experienced. "With this food, kinda, yeah." The vegetables had just melted in your mouth like cotton candy, had managed to taste like a honeycomb.

"You like it?" his face lit up as he asked you.

You nodded. "You know, I hate to admit it, but it's really good. Now, I don't know if it's the organic ingredients or the cook..."

He dismissed you with a wave of his hand. "Oh, it's the cook. Considering the pancakes were also... Ah, what was it? Superb?" You put your fork down to glare at him. "It couldn't have been easy for you to write that," he laughed at you. You knew you shouldn't have left that note; compliments only made his ego grow, and he already had plenty of that.

"Do you always talk so much when you eat?" you snapped. "You haven't even taken a bite."

"Apologies," he mumbled with a grin and started eating, too.

But the silence was too awkward. In the silence, all you were left to do was stare. And staring at your plate would quickly become tiring, and staring out the window would quickly become boring. And then, all you could stare at was the man in front of you. Staring at his brown flocks falling over his eyes as he swallowed down huge bites. His lips, shiny and slippery from the grease, moving around and making sounds. The veins in his hand popping and following down his long fingers, longer than you'd call necessary. You thought he hadn't noticed, since he hadn't looked your way. But when he suddenly glanced up and found your eyes right away, it was obvious he already knew where they were. And the look he gave you was worse than just saying out loud I thought you didn't want to talk, yet you're gawking at me.

You choked on your food, immediately looking away and trying to clear your throat. "Uh... Have you- have you been up at the attic?" you asked, needing an escape.

"Very briefly, why?" he casually answered.

You shrugged, playing with your food. "Oh, nothing. I was just up there and..." Well, you didn't know what to say. And you thought there were ghosts calling you when it was actually him?

He shook his head slightly and looked back down. "I don't like the atmosphere up there," he said. "It's kind of creepy."

Your eyes widened. "Oh my God, I know, right? You felt that, too? It wasn't just me?"

He grabbed his shoulder with one hand, rubbing it. "Yeah, I don't know what it was about it, but I wouldn't go back up there again."

You nodded in agreement. "The basement was even worse, felt like it was haunted."

"Haven't been down there, but I believe you." He gave you a small smile and, paired with his words, it made you smile back with warmth. "We should just stay here, on this floor," he added. "It's nice and cozy down here."

You chuckled. "Yeah, even my room is a little scary, especially after last night."

He looked at you again in a way you couldn't look away, almost like holding your hands so that you would stay close. "You shouldn't be scared. If you are ever scared, you should come to find me."

What... What do you respond to that?

"I mean, there's two of us in this house," he continued when you didn't say anything. "You don't have to sit alone and afraid."

"Um... yeah, I guess," you mumbled and immediately cleared your throat upon realizing how hoarse your voice sounded. "Same goes for you, or whatever."

Taehyung suddenly got up and smiled down at you, while you had to crane your neck to look at him. "Good to know. You'll do the dishes, right?" You frowned momentarily at the abrupt change of subject.

"Ye- yeah..."

"Great, I'm going upstairs." And with no more input, he was gone. Didn't even put away his plate or something, didn't even wait for you to finish.

What a dick. I mean, sure, you would've offered to do the dishes anyway, but now that he had just assumed it like that, it bothered you. You exhaled, pushing your plate away. Oh, it bothered you a lot. You looked over your shoulder, looking at the empty hallway he had just passed through. How was this man managing to make you hate him one moment, then warmed you up until you lowered your guard the next, and then pissed you off again right after? Staying with him there just felt like a big headache.

You cleaned up everything and then moved upstairs, passing by him on the way, but neither of you spoke. You went straight to the bathroom. You deserved a nice bath after that, to calm your nerves. And there was a long, porcelain bathtub inside the well-lit, room, along with many bath salts for the warm water and candles to set the mood. It was indeed relaxing. Moments like this made you really appreciate your chance to stay in that Manor. It wasn't all the moments, all the time, but there were enough of them.

After soaking up in there for nearly an hour -or maybe it was more- the water started getting cold and you decided to get out. You wrapped yourself in a big, soft towel and went to your room. You took your books with you and went looking for that office that was near the library. Taking another look at it and really taking the time to light the lamps and sit on that desk, made you like the room even more. You enjoyed some peace and quiet for the rest of the afternoon in there, switching between studying and exploring the place. You only wished you could have an office like that. The heavy atmosphere really sealing you inside and making you lose track of time.

Lost track of time so much it had felt like only two minutes had passed when you heard the door opening.

"Oh, there you are," Taehyung said in a low voice after he peeped through the door. "Are you working?"

At the moment, you had your feet propped against the bookcase behind the desk and a leather hardback copy of Frankenstein. You let it drop on the desk and close. "No, just chilling," you explained. "Why?"

The young man appeared more behind the door, yet still just standing there instead of coming in. "Can I ask for your help with dinner, then?"

Your eyebrows rose high while your lips pursed up. "Oh, the great cook needs my help?" Regardless of your comment, you got up and started switching off the lights to follow him.

"Actually, I need some help with the fireplace."

"The fireplace?"

He wiggled his eyebrows at you. "Yep. We're barbecuing tonight!"

You gasped and jumped to him. "Oh, really? We can do that?" No thought that would normally cross your mind about your behavior and distance toward this man seemed to be appearing now. He extended his arm to you, almost to catch you, and your hands wrapped around his forearm instinctively.

Taehyung chuckled as he held your arm back, and guided you into the hallway. You followed suit, still glued to him. "Yeah," he told you. "I found a grate that we can use. Have you ever done this before?" He looked at you over his shoulder.

"I have been a part of barbecue parties before, but I didn't exactly do the barbecuing," you mumbled, smiling and looking down.

Taehyung pushed a door open and you appeared in the sitting room. The fire had died down but had left a decent amount of coals behind it. The man broke free from your hold and moved closer to the fireplace, picking up a metal poker, and started annoying the low burning, red coals emitting warmth. You looked at him, wondering if he knew what he was doing because you certainly didn't. And he had asked for your help... Well, we'll see how that will go.

"The fire is almost out... Can we really do this here?" you asked while your fingers played with the hem of your shirt.

Taehyung glanced at you and nodded. "Yeah, this is the perfect level of fire you need. Which is why I thought about it in the first place." Then he pointed at the corner of the inside of the fireplace. "See? I have already put in some potatoes to cook because they need more time." Something shined in the direction he was showing you. Something covered in tin foil.

You opened your mouth in understanding. "Alright... What do you need me to do?"

The boy moved his jaw around as he checked you out before he motioned towards the door. "Let's go to the kitchen and get things ready."

The kitchen island was covered with what you could only assume was everything edible found in the fridge and cupboards. Plates and platters filled with raw meat, vegetables, cheese, spices, sauces, salads... Had he invited something like 15 people to dine with you, or was he under the impression you eat as much as bigfoot does?

"What- is all of this?" you stammered. "You know it's just the two of us, right?"

He rolled his eyes at you, but with a smile. "We're not gonna everything, I just have it out trying to decide what's best." He grabbed two plates, one on each hand, and pointed them at you. "For example: sausages or pork ribs?"

"Um..." You kept looking back and forth between the plates with your jaw hanging low, struggling to pick the most delicious looking one.

"A little bit of both?" Taehyung offered with half a smile when you still hadn't chosen.

Your face lit up. "Yeah, a little bit of both sounds good!"

He nodded immediately. "Do you want to make some grilled tomatoes and peppers as well? They always turn out great."

You shrugged. "Sure, maybe a few. Let's not make too much and have to throw them away, though."

Taehyung nodded once again and handed you the plates with the veggies and some cheese. "Alright, take these inside while I get the rest ready, please."

"Sure thing, chef."

You cleared the table in the sitting room, making room for every plate that you brought in. Following Taehyung's orders, you organized the veggies on the grate and the other appetizers on the platers while he marinated the meat. You paid great attention to the way he poised the grate on top of a little old metal thing a small way over the burning coals. Juices started falling once the tomatoes got hot, landing on the fire and immediately evaporating with a loud, sizzling sound that filled the room like the rhythmical beat of a lo-fi song. The smell that invaded your senses was something between smoke and sautéed onions and your stomach hurt in anticipation as you sat there and waited.

You sat there and waited quietly, watching the boy squatted in front of the fireplace looking over the food. As his eyes were otherwise occupied, yours had the chance to travel down his form once again. He looked small and fragile the way he was sitting, drowned in his large, knitted sweater, but you knew the moment he got up he would assert himself differently. Not that he was particularly tall and at all bulky, but there was something about his stance that demanded everyone's awareness. Maybe it was something about his eyes that made it hard to look away or his face that tricked you into thinking you were gazing at a piece of art. And you stared, not thinking you'll get caught, not thinking he will smile at you the way he did when you still hadn't noticed he was now turned towards you.

"Uh- Bread!" you squealed in panic. You got up, dusting your clothes off the nothing that was on them. "Should I bring the bread now?" you added in a weak voice.

Taehyung gave the grate over the coals one last glance. "Yeah... These are almost done, I think we can toast some bread and start eating now."

You nodded once and ran out of the room. Your hands were shaking slightly as you tried to slice the bread and you couldn't understand why he put you in such an unnerving state so easily. Okay, so you got caught looking at him. So what? You were allowed to look at people, right? He did it all the time, anyway. And, okay, you kind of don't like him... But is it really to the point that being next to him makes you hold your breath and numb your limbs? He didn't seem bothered by your presence at all, and he apparently didn't even remember you. You should really do better than this.

When you walked back into the sitting room, Taehyung was arranging the ribs that he had just taken off the grill on a platter. Then he took the bread you handed him to place it near the fire. The whole table was a mouth-watering view, and if these tasted even half as good as the food he had made up until now, you were sure this was going to be the best barbecue you've ever had. Well, if you could pull yourself together and actually act like a normal person, you would be able to enjoy this. Perhaps talking to him would be better, it had worked the last time. Kind of.

"Are the potatoes ready?" you asked. Alright, it wasn't the best conversation starter, but your hunger controlled you more than you'd admit.

"Oh," Taehyung chuckled. "I forgot about those, let's see." He fished them out, squeezed them a few times, then gave you one. "What do you think?"

You looked at him, then at the tin foil covered potato. "What, am I supposed to know if they're ready?"

He chuckled again, trying to hide the fact that he had just rolled his eyes. "It's soft, isn't it? Must be cooked."

You squeezed the potato the way he did. "Uh, yeah... I guess."

"I'm just trying to teach you how to do this, princess," he called as he grabbed the potato out of your hand again and placed it on the table.

You snorted. "Why do you keep calling me princess?"

Taehyung shrugged without looking up at you, keeping his gaze on the potatoes as he uncovered them and cut them up. "Well, didn't you choose the princess room?"

"It's not that and you know it. You say it as if it's a bad thing."

He took the butter and began to apply a very generous amount on the steaming, soft potatoes. "Hmm, I don't know..." he mumbled as he added seasoning and cheese. "Sometimes you just seem a little ungrateful and condescending, like a real princess would be." He gave you a quick, tight smile with his lips pressed together.

You couldn't help but scoff, folding your arms over your chest. "I'm condesc- Well, if I'm a princess then you- you are a king, 'cause you're worse than me!" Taehyung paused and looked at you. You looked at him, too. "Wait," you mouthed, mentally scratching your head. "Wait! Why does princess sound so insulting but king doesn't? That's not fair!"

Taehyung burst out laughing. "Sexism," he blamed with a shrug. You chuckled along, forgetting you were supposed to be upset. Something easy to forget when the man in front of you served you the potatoes he had been preparing, giving you the cue that it was okay to start piling on the food now.

You started with the sausage and a soft moan left your lips before you could stop yourself. But it was alright since Taehyung seemed to be doing the same as he bit down on the ribs. You moved on to the peppers, and the potatoes, and anything else your hands could reach. You had ended up making more than enough food, probably because neither of you could decide on what to eat exactly, but you didn't fear there would be any leftovers. No, you would fill up to your lungs and then hibernate the rest of the week if you had to.

You took a break to cut up the food on your plate and observe Taehyung. He kept looking at you every time you put something in your mouth, perhaps trying to read your reaction, desperate for praise. Or desperate to please you. He said you were ungrateful, but he didn't act as if he meant it. Sure, he never missed a chance to banter with you, but he also seemed to actively try to be nice to you. Give you something to be grateful for. Was he even the one who believed what he had said, or did he blindly have some idea of your character with no proof?

"What has Jimin told you about me?" you asked then, breaking the near silence.

His eyebrows rose high and he looked at you with wide eyes, kind of lost, as he munched on some well-toasted bread. "Wha- what? What do you mean?"

You resumed your eating, trying to appear nonchalant. "I mean... You said you don't remember meeting me, yet you know who I am. Jimin must have spoken about me, then. What did he tell you?"

Taehyung swallowed hard avoiding your eyes -something that he hadn't done before- and falling back in his seat, almost like he was trying to take up less space. "Nothing," he chirped. "Just... that you... exist."

You narrowed your eyes at him. "Really? So he just said my name and nothing more?"

Taehyung nodded. "Pretty much. I don't remember," he rushed to say and stuff his face with more food.

Well, he was clearly lying. Not that you thought Jimin would have said something bad, you knew he liked you. But you were intrigued. "So you know nothing about me? I'm just a stranger to you?" Taehyung looked at you without replying. "You stayed in a house in the middle of nowhere with a stranger?"

He pushed his hair back with his free hand. "No, well... You're Jimin's friend. And my friend's friend... is my friend," he said without sounding too convinced with himself. Probably because of the graceless way he kept repeating the word "friend". You were about to say something when he suddenly turned the focus on you. "What about you, then? Am I not a stranger to you?"

You were caught off guard. Was he a stranger to you? You looked at his face, those eyes you had seen before, that nose and lips you had inspected a lot. His voice and his attitude that you remembered clearly, even though it had been years. He wasn't a stranger to you because you knew him. Pretty well, you could add. But he wasn't your friend just because you knew people in common, either. Nor your enemy since you didn't care enough to concern yourself with his person. What was he to you?

"No..." you simply said, avoiding a longer explanation. "Because I remember meeting you."

"Sorry," Taehyung whispered while biting his lip, having caught the innuendo easily. He wiped his mouth and looked up at you. "But you treat me like one. Don't you?"

You chewed on the inside of your cheek. Did you? Were you cold to him because he was like a stranger, or were you cold to him because he wasn't? "I don't see you as a stranger," you sounded more confident than you felt. "If I did, I wouldn't have stayed here with you."

"Right... Big, old house with a strange man in it... Not ideal."

You eyed him for a second, not sure if he was mocking you or not. "Right..." you repeated and you both kind of nodded at the same time.

It was true. You obviously wouldn't have stayed if it was someone you didn't know. But you stayed. Which made you realize that, no matter what you had been telling yourself or what Yoonji knew, or perhaps even what he thought, in the end, you knew Taehyung was in that house and you didn't leave, which could only mean one thing. You hadn't stayed in spite of him. You had stayed because of him.

"Or perhaps this house and a stranger sound less scary than this house and all alone?" he added with a chuckle then, and you laughed awkwardly, thankful that you were thrown out of your thought process.

The food was almost over, or at least your ability to eat had reached its peak, and you were gazing at the dying fire since you didn't know what else to do. Was this the time you part ways again? You had only agreed to eat together and that's what you've been doing up until now, but for some reason, it felt like whoever would get up first now would be rude. It's not like you needed to leave, you didn't have anything better to do. You just wished you had something -anything- to do instead of sit next to Taehyung silently.

"Do you play cards?" you heard him say eventually, and you almost cracked a huge smile at him in relief.

Then you frowned for a second when you really thought about what he had said. "Um... used to when I was a kid. Why?"

Taehyung grinned at you. "Well, I found this deck, was thinking we could play and the loser has to do the dishes. What do you think?"

Ah, the dishes. If you had to be honest you had completely forgotten about those. But that was good, considering you would probably have to do them anyway. At least now you had a chance to get out of it. "Depends on the game we play," you answered.

"Any game you want," he exclaimed as he jumped up and ran on to some drawers at the other side of the room.

"Oh man, I don't remember any games..." you mumbled, scratching the back of your neck. "Hold on, give me a second." Taehyung returned with a metallic, little box and sat right in front of you, cross-legged. He opened the box up and revealed a rather dark deck of cards with golden flares at the back. "Beavers," you finally settled. "Do you know it?"

"Beavers? No, enlighten me."

"Well, it's normally a game with its own cards, like Uno, but I remember we used to play it with regular cards all the time when we were kids." You turned to face him better, crossing your legs the same way he had. "Uh, okay... I might not remember the rules very well, but here goes," you started explaining while showing him at the same time. "We both get four cards dealt in front of us, but we only see the two on the side. The goal is to have the smallest score, so you want to have cards like two or ace or- oh, the joker counts as zero. Good so far?"

"We add all the cards and the one with the smallest number wins?" he asked, fully focused on your words.

You nodded. "Yes. After we see our two cards, we start picking cards from the deck and if we like it, we can change it with our own, if not, we discard it. If you get a Jack, you draw again. A Queen means you can switch one of your cards with one of the other player's, and the King means you can look under any card and see what it is. When you think all your cards are small, you say 'stop' and we reveal our cards. And that's it."

"Huh," Taehyung mumbled and started shuffling the deck. "Sounds pretty simple. How many times do we play?"

"As many as you want. Do you want to play one introductory round just to see if you understood everything?"

"Nope. I got it." And with that, he dealt both of you your cards.

You were silently laughing at him, thinking you would kick his ass and definitely not do the dishes that night. Then he picked his first card and changed it with a hidden one. "Uh, Tae..." you mumbled, thinking he was confused. "You should change the ones you know first, or wait for a King to see what you've got. You don't know what's under there, it might be something good."

He simply said: "I know." Then he changed his other hidden card too. Throwing away a three, too.

"Tae, you-"

"Stop."

You blinked at him. "What? You're done?"

He just nodded. "Uh-huh. Stop."

There was no way, you thought. You drew one card for the last round, begging to get a Queen so that you could steal one of his cards or something. But no, just a nine. You sighed and revealed all your cards: a three, a four, and under the ones you hadn't seen you boasted a six and another nine. "Ugh," you exhaled. "I got twenty-two. What have you got?"

Taehyung smirked at you before he started revealing his cards. A joker on the left, a two on the right, and then an ace and another joker in the middle. "I got three."

"What?" you screamed. You fell forward, trying to look at his cards better. "What?" you yelled again, slapping your own cheeks. "Two jokers? Motherfucker, there's only two in the entire deck and you got both of them right away?"

Taehyung was just laughing. He started picking up all the cards and shuffling them again while you were still having a mental breakdown. "Do you wanna play something different?" he asked you.

Hell no, you didn't. No, this was a matter of dignity at this point, the bet of the dishes long forgotten. "No way!" you let him know passionately. "That was just beginner's luck, anyway! I'm gonna beat your ass."

But you didn't. And that wasn't just beginner's luck. There are just some people that have fate on their side, always, no matter what you do. Taehyung seemed to be one of those people. Oh, how it got on your nerves. He always got all the aces and all the jokers, even when they were hidden and he didn't know about it until the end. You barely got some twos, the occasional ace. Out of about twenty or thirty rounds, you had managed to say "stop" only a few times. The worst times were the ones you thought you could beat him, and then right at the end, he got a Queen and stole away your only good card.

"I love this game," he was chuckling after having won yet another round with an embarrassing on your part gap.

"Of course you do," you groaned.

"Do you want to stop?"

You shook your head maniacally. "No, no... One more round, I need to get ahead."

"Amy, you have, like, sixty points more than me. How are you gonna get ahead?" he teased you, lowering his head to meet your slumped form and make you look into his eyes. You did him the favor and looked at him, but were pouting the entire time. Then he did the unimaginable -or, well, perhaps you should have gotten used to it by now- and gave you a sweet smile. He was enjoying himself and still being nice about it, which made it all that worse for you.

You clicked your tongue and looked away in the process of rolling your eyes. "Fine, I guess I'll do the dishes."

Taehyung helped you take all the plates back to the kitchen, and they were a lot. You tried not to sigh in front of him or complain too much since you didn't want him to have yet another reason to be calling you a princess, but it was really hard when it was nearing midnight -god, you played a lot- and you had just lost all sense of honor to a game of cards. A silly, childish game of cards. Playing poker and losing money perhaps would've felt better.

The moment he laughed and left to go upstairs, however, you had a whole new thing to concern yourself with. You were alone. And it was suddenly silent and cold as if Taehyung was radiating heat himself. The single lamp in the kitchen only offered a bleak, white light that flickered every now and then, and the hallway stood in the back dark as ever. The windows that in the morning provided sun and a change of scenery now only stared back at you from your reflection, making it impossible to see anything that was outside. The thought alone made you uneasy. You looked at the hallway over your shoulder, then back out the window, again and again as if you were trying to catch a glimpse of something that wasn't there.

You gathered all the plates on one side of the counter and put some water to boil to help you with the grease. You had to stop imagining things, it only made you paranoid. Made every little sound seem suspicious. Even the running water, or the plates clicking together, or the footsteps in the hallway... Wait, what now?

"Hey."

"Jesus Christ!" you shrieked just as you turned to see Taehyung standing by the door.

He raised his hands defensively. "Wow, sorry. I didn't mean to sneak up on you."

You took a couple of deep breaths and turned back to the sink. "No, I'm sorry. I'm just a little edgy, it's not your fault."

You could see out of the corner of your eye that he was rubbing his neck as he walked closer. "No, it is my fault. In a way. I shouldn't have left you here all alone, it's kinda scary." He leaned on the counter next to you, displaying a smile.

You hummed, maybe in agreement but he'd never know. "What do you want?" you asked, having immediately assumed he needed something in order to be there. Especially since he was dressed differently now, in black sweats and a black t-shirt; what you could guess was his pajama outfit.

"Oh, I thought I'd help you a bit with these," he replied, making you turn to face him just to make sure you were hearing that right. He had already turned to the sink, picking up a plate.

"You don't have to."

"It's too much work."

"It's alright, I lost fair and square." Your tongue probing your cheek, you were trying to understand why he was there, but you couldn't read him. All he did was give you a quick glance, followed but a scrunch of his nose.

"I'm not sleepy, anyway."

You didn't object any further. Perhaps because you wouldn't know how to object to that statement in the first place. But you just stayed there, standing close to each other, exchanging the plates you washed and cutting down the work to a half, in what might have been the first comfortable silence between the two of you since you got there. But you couldn't help but occupy your mind with why he was there when he didn't have to be, and what he had said. He wasn't sleepy. That didn't mean he had to come back down, he could have hanged around in his room. "I'm not sleepy, so I thought I'd do the dishes" is what you first assumed to be the full sentence he wanted to say. Yet that didn't feel right. You knew the dishes weren't his true concern. You knew he could have left you like you both had been doing all along. Maybe he was scared up there, too. Maybe he had nothing better to do. No, no... The longer you were next to him, the more apparent it became; that what he really wanted to say was:

"I'm not sleepy, so I thought I'd spend more time with you."

Next chapter

[youremeimyou]

The Lesser Gods of Bangtanis(pt.3)

Introduction - Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

pairings: Kim Taehyung x reader, Jeon Jungkook x reader, OT7(this fic is about all of the boys’ characters, not just ‘Y/Nxsomeone’ focused) genre: angst, fluff, comedy, adventure.. -fantasy au, medieval au, magic au, royal au word count: 3.9k warnings: psychic episode?(trance-like state)

Description: Princess Y/N, who holds the fate of her people on her shoulders arrives at the kingdom of Bangtanis, that is the home of our mighty heroes. What will the destiny of our heroes be, when she brings along a threat called dark magic and a little bit of love with her?

A/N: Back with pt3 after a long time.. I don’t wanna quit on this fic cuz I really like the story so I’ll try really hard to get motivated for the next parts as well(feedback really helps) Anyways, this part is actually just Y/N and Tae going on a fancy royal date. But of course with a little twist at the end. Enjoy!

Prince Taehyung arrived at the cottage and saw that there were two horses outside the door. He pet the horses and went in. As soon as he was inside, Y/N and Jungkook -who had obviously been discussing something, sitting closely on the sofa- immediately stopped talking and whipped their heads towards the door.

"You're back!" the princess mused. She didn't know why his return made her feel giddy inside.

"Seems like I'm interrupting." Taehyung replied coldly as he stared at Jungkook, who had already gotten up in order to leave.

"Of course not, my lord. In fact I was just leaving." The younger boy respectfully stated before walking to the door. "Have a good night, my lord. Sleep well, Y/N." And with that he went out, rendering the prince dumbfounded with the way he adressed the princess. That shy village boy just bid her goodnight in a very sincere way.

"So what are the news from the castle?" Y/N went closer to Taehyung and sat on a chair. But he was busy noticing the bread crumbs on the table. "Did you eat with Jungkook?" he asked without looking at her.

"Oh, Guk said his sister prepared something for him. He shared it with me."

"Guk, is it?" The prince was even more bothered than before. Since when were those two such good friends?

"Hm?" Y/N acted like she didn't catch the annoyed tone in his voice.

"Well I hope you enjoyed your little picnic. I'll have this lovely meal by myself, then." He took the food he brought from the castle out of his bag and placed them on plates. Y/N's eyes grew big, it looked delicious. "It's been a long while since we ate, though." she said while staring at the food Taehyung was enjoying. After a while, he pushed some of the plates in front of her, silently offering her to join. She smiled excitedly in return.

"So did you talk to the king? What did he say?" Y/N asked, her voice muffled because of the food.

"Yes. He said he'll announce his final decision tomorrow at the feast."

Y/N gulped down her last bite in shock. "Feast?!" She got up from her seat before continuing. "What feast?" Taehyung knew she'd protest to such an idea.

"The traditional welcoming feast. They're really strict about these things. It's in order to help the people feel as though things are okay, I guess." Taehyung also stood up and started cleaning the table from food crumbs. He was very calm, in contrast to Y/N.

"But things aren't okay! I want to know if-"

"Namjoon hyung is most likely to announce good news, like that he'll send reinforcements." Taehyung added as he organized the chairs around the table back in place.

Y/N's protests stopped immediately and her eyes started sparkling. "Really?"

"Yeah. After our last talk, he seemed to have finally made his mind that he'll help."

Hearing this made Y/N so happy that in a moment of excitement she leaped towards Taehyung, capturing him in a tight hug. He was surprised at first but then he wrapped his arms around her, too. After staying like that for some time, Y/N realized what she was doing and quickly retreated back.

"Sorry, I-" the princess cursed on the inside for blushing over something so simple. "I'm just really glad to hear that." And Taehyung understood her excitement. He too was glad. Almost like it was his own kingdom that would be saved. He gave her a warm smile.

"You have to appear at the feast tomorrow, though. Hyung wants to talk to you."

Even though the idea of a feast at a time like this felt absurd, Y/N knew kingdoms had to maintain traditions at rough times for their people's sake. So she nodded without any more complaints.

"But you can't make an appearance wearing these boy trousers of yours." Taehyung teased. She was wearing the same shirt and pants she wore the day she arrived in the city. Instead of the daily robes the prince had borrowed for her from Duchess Minji.

"Hey, I washed these yesterday. They're clean and presentable." Y/N never really was comfortable wearing dresses in daily life because she'd always be running around, sparring or horse riding.

"But they don't exactly match the dress code for a fancy event, do they?"

The princess rolled her eyes. "I don't have my luggage here-" she was interrupted by Taehyung clearing his throat and pointing at the side of the door where he put her luggage after carrying it here on his way back.

"You brought it.." Everytime he'd act thoughtful like this, it caught Y/N off guard.

"Still, you probably don't have anything fancy in there. So I also brought this." He handed her the fancy gown he bought from the royal tailor. A dark red night dress with delicate embroidery stitched around the neck cleavage. Even Y/N who didn't really like dresses thought it was beautiful. "I think this will fit you perfectly." Taehyung's mouth curved up to form his signiture smirk.

"Whatever, Prince Smug."

The next day Y/N woke up to find Taehyung already gone. He had left a note on the table that read,

"Be ready before sundown and don't go running off to Jungkook or anything. I'll come pick you up and take you to the castle."

She was planning to spar with Jungkook again, today. But after all the effort the prince seemed to be making for her and her cause, she decided to do as he said.

Sundown came by fast. Y/N had done her best to look her most presentable self but there was no sign of the prince. The princess couldn't wait to talk with King Namjoon, to thank him and discuss details. Her impatience growing every minute, she decided to wait outside. So that when he arrives, she could scold the prince immediately for being late. But.. Then he showed up, running down the forest path on his beautiful, radiant white horse.

He stopped in front of Y/N, wearing a confused look. "Why are you outside?" It took a moment for Y/N to register his words. Nobody could deny the prince's natural attractiveness. But in this graceful formal attire, he was a sight for sore eyes to say the least.

"I- you were-"

"Late, I know. I'm sorry. I was trying to look more presentable." He had to take a quick breath once he took in the way Y/N looked. "But- I would've tried harder if I knew you'd be looking like this."

The princess nervously blinked. Where were her words? Why couldn't she mutter them out? She hoped the darkness of the evening was hiding the slight red of her cheeks.

"I was definetely spot on again with your body measurements." Prince Smug was back with his endless teasing, which brought Y/N out of the daze she was in. "Well, you almost look like an actual prince like this." Taehyung lifted an eyebrow but Y/N added quickly. "I'm pretty sure it's the horse, though."

He rolled his eyes and held out his hand to help her get on the horse. Being always eager to prove her skills, she wouldn't have normally taken his hand. But since tonight was a special occasion, she decided to play the lady role a little better.

The royal ballroom was bigger than the one at the princess' castle. Decorations for the feast were wonderful and if it wasn't for the chaos that was going on back at her home, she could really enjoy attending this event.

Taehyung stopped her suddenly and pulled her to a corner outside of the hall. "I forgot- if anyone asks, you are a duchess that came with the princess. We should come up with a name, too." He kept listing female names he knew. It was quite a long list.

"I won't remember any of those. My double's name is Yuna. I can use that."

"Okay, Yuna it is. Just stay close to me, no one would be suspicious of someone I brought with me." He said and took Y/N's hand to place it softly on his arm. Then they entered the hall once again but this time the prince seemed even more graceful as they strolled inside.

Everyone expected him to sit beside the king and his advisors as he usually does. But instead, he pulled a seat away from where all the high ranking people were, helped the princess sit down and took the seat next to her for himself. All the attention in the room was focused on the two. Until Jung Hoseok started speaking.

"Thank you all for coming. Despite the unfortunate events that are occuring, we are grateful to have Princess Y/N and her company here with us. Let us all come together and support each other through these hard times."

A round of applause came from the crowd and then the king started talking. "Times are indeed hard for the curse of dark magic has returned." People gasped in terror. "But, it cannot be as strong as it used to be. And we as a kingdom that won't stand for cruelty, shall help our friends in overcoming this threat." Some people were surprised, some were afraid and some seemed to support the idea. But the princess was the happiest of all. Taehyung could see it all over her face.

Meals and drinks were served and there was music in the background. But after a while the music stopped. Only a drum roll could be heard. Y/N saw everyone turning their heads to the door in excitement. Then, the jester made an entrance. A man was throwing knives at him from the other side and he dodged every single one while elegantly dancing and twirling around. The princess was shocked. Was he crazy? One wrong move and he could easily be killed.

When he was done, the crowd gave him a standing ovation. But the jester kept the show going with more amazing moves, magic tricks and dance numbers. Y/N had never seen such an entertainment from a jester before, or from anyone.

The show finished and the jester took a seat next to Taehyung and Y/N after reciving another round of applause. Y/N turned to him. "That was.. How did you do all of those? Your performance was incredable!" Jimin smiled and blushed shyly, as if he didn't just make everyone in the room fall in love with him.

"We thank our jester who never ceases to impress us with new and unbelievable shows." Kim Seokjin said as he gathered the people's attention. "It is time however, for another type of entertainment. Princess Y/N, would you mind joining us for a rather fun tradition of ours?"

Taehyung had to hold Y/N's arm to stop her from getting up after the mention of her name. "Having a double is new for you, isn't it?" He was right. It was kind of hard getting used to it for Y/N. Her double on the other hand got up at once and walked towards the center of the hall. "Of course, it would be an honour." Thank god Yuna was a good actress.

"We usually have representitives of both kingdoms participate in something as an icebreaker and even cultural bonding. I thought you might represent yours and for us it could be.." Seokjin trailed off, searching around the room for a candidate. "Well, a prince would suit best for a princess so it shall be Prince Kim Taehyung."

Taehyung had been selected to put on a quick show like this many times, in many feasts with many princesses. Unsurprised, he went next to Yuna, Y/N’s double. But on the inside he wished he could be doing this with the actual princess, somehow.

“Excellent! As our guest of honour, you should choose what you’ll show the good people here, princess. Would you like to sing? Or dance?” Kim Seokjin asked excitedly while Yuna looked around, unsurely. “You can even throw some knives at him like earlier with the jester if you’d like.” Seokjin joked in a teasing tone and everyone laughed at his suggestion.

“I heard you were an actor, Prince Taehyung. I also love theatre, so.. perhaps a quick scene?”

Taehyung was surprised. Normally most would choose to have a dance with the tall, handsome prince. But it made sense as he thought more about it, since Yuna was already acting, even in that very moment. So he politely nodded and went next to Kim Seokjin who was still standing near his seat.

“Who is that lady standing over there by her lonesome?” he asked Seokjin, clearly in character. And Seokjin -another theatre artist- caught up quickly. “I know not, sir.”

Taehyung started walking slowly towards Yuna again. “Oh, she teaches torches how to burn bright. She stands out against the night. Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear. Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear. Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I never saw true beauty till this night.”

While he said his lines, every women was shooting jealous stares at who they thought was the princess. But Taehyung’s attention was focused on the actual one, who was sitting behind her double. Which had left Y/N baffled. She quickly blamed the little vine she had, convincing herself the eye contact with the prince was an illusion of her mind.

Even Yuna, who happened to be a great actress was left speechless at Taehyung's performance and couldn't come up with a response. So the show ended quickly with the crowd applauding. Yuna and Taehyung went back to their seats after bowing to each other and the feast went on.

"I told you I was an actor, princess. How did you like my performance?" Taehyung asked Y/N in a low voice.

She responded as quietly. "You're lucky you were up there with Yuna. I would've chosen to throw knives." Taehyung faked a dramatic gasp and they both giggled. "Tell me Prince Romantic, which one of these lovely duchesses have you borrowed this dress from? I thought I'd be able to tell from the way she'd look at me but more than just one are sending me death stares." Y/N asked as she searched the hall with her eyes.

"I didn't borrow it. I had seen this dress in the royal tailor's chambers, once. He never sold it to any of the duchesses, claiming that it was a speacial piece of art."

"How did you get your hands on it, then?"

"I convinced him that this piece of art would be worn by someone no less than art, herself."

Y/N wasn't expecting such a compliment and therefore she was once more baffled and very much embarresed at her blushing cheeks. She wanted to not be speechless at his words but her mind couldn't come up with anything. Thankfully, King Namjoon interrupted.

“I don’t think I’ve met this fair lady you’re accompanying tonight, Taehyung?”

“Oh, my lord I’m sorry. This is Duchess Yuna who came with Princess Y/N.” the two played along, making sure people nearby would hear and not get suspicious. Then the king took a seat next to Y/N and began talking in a low voice. “My lady, I’m sorry for the inconvinience. You hide yourself while this whole feast was organized primarely for you.” The king seemed somehow intimidating to Y/N at first but now she could see the kind side of him.

“It’s alright, really. I’m just glad to have the chance to talk to you, my lord.”

“As I’ve said earlier, we are willing to help you. But I need to prepare my men before sending them out to fight the creatures of the night. They might be the best warriors in the realm but even they don’t know the terrors of dark magic.”

“Of course, I agree. And I have to add that I’m very thankful for your support.”

The king sincerely smiled and continued. “I’m still not sure if my reinforcements will be enough. What about your army?”

“They’re all locked in the dungeons. At least.. they were when I left.” The princess could feel sorrow bulding up inside her again at the thought of leaving. But there was no other choice. “If we can free them, they’ll be ready to fight.” And of course, if they’re not dead.

“I don’t think creatures of the night would kill them. Instead they’d want to use them to enhance their army. So, they’d be trying to break them.” The king said as if he read Y/N’s mind. But Y/N knew her people were strong minded. She could feel that there was still hope. “I know they’ll hold on until their last breath.” She said confidently.

“Then, we shall free them once we’re there.”

After discussing all of the details the king went back to his throne and a short while later, the feast came to an end. People one by one started to leave.

“I think we should also be heading back.” Taehyung whispered in Y/N’s ear. She nodded but before they could leave, Min Yoongi showed up, requesting to talk to the princess. Taehyung could tell he wanted to speak only with her so he went to find Jimin, leaving them alone.

“I hope the cottage is alright for you, princess. I know it’s not much but-”

“No! It’s more then enough Lord Yoongi. Thank you for allowing me to stay there.” Y/N really didn’t care for comfort in her situation. She was in fact glad to be out of sight.

“Listen, princess. I know the king has decided to send our men to help your kingdom. I want you to know I was against it.”

This came as a shock to Y/N.

“Not because I’m unsympathetic, but because I have exprience when it comes to dark magic.” His face became gloomy and his voice almost trembled as he spoke. “But the king would never go back on his word. We’ll face nightmares beyond your worst imaginations in order to save your land. So, I need to know if you're strong enough to make hard choices.”

What did he mean by that? Y/N couldn’t understand. But she knew one thing. “I don’t know what I’ll face but I assure you, there is nothing I wouldn’t do to save the people I love and care about. I hope that's a good enough answer for you.”

Min Yoongi nodded after staring her in the eyes for a while and left. Just as he was going, Taehyung came back with Jimin beside him. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah..”

Taehyung noticed the confusion on her face but decided to ask her about it when they get to the cottage, where they could speak freely. It was silent as him, Y/N and Jimin walked out of ballroom and into the hallway. Unable to bare the tension, Jimin decided to crack a couple of stupid jokes and comments about the night. Which eventually had Taehyung cackling and even the confused princess smiling. But then something happened.

Jimin suddenly collapsed to the ground. He was shaking and unconscious. There was no response as Taehyung and Y/N called out his name time after time, panic taking over them. His eyeballs had gone completely white and his pupils were gone. While Taehyung helplessly called for the guards, Jimin finally came out of it. Eyes going back to normal and his consciousness returning.

“Jimin! Are you alright? What happened? What-”

Y/N stopped Taehyung from yelling loudly. “Let’s just get him to the physician.”

With the guards’ help they carried him to the physician’s chambers quickly. After examining him carefully he shook his head from side to side in confusion. “There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with him. Not physically, at least.”

“Are you absolutely sure, physician?” Taehyung’s tone was deadly serious. Not that it wasn’t obvious before but the extreme concern on his features showed Y/N clearly how much he really cared for his best friend.

“Yes, my lord. As always, he’s very healthy.”

Jimin tried to stand up but Taehyung stopped him from moving. “Not so fast, jester.”

“Taehyung you heard the phys-”

“I saw you back there and you were not alright, Jimin.”

Jimin gave up with a sigh. “Okay, I’ll tell you what’s going on. But we have to get out of here first.”

They got out of the room and went to Jimin’s chambers, all the while the prince cautiously watched the jester. They sat Jimin down and he started explaining.

“This isn’t the first time. I thought they were just nightmares but now-” he stopped himself. But Taehyung was impatient. “What? What do you see?” he asked.

Jimin hesitantly answered. “It’s always the same thing. You on your knees. And a blade run through your chest.” Neither Taehyung nor Y/N was expecting that.

“And there’s a man in front of you, looking down at you. It feels like I know him in the dream. But I can’t make him out when I wake up.”

Both Y/N and Taehyung were looking at him in complete shock and utter confusion. Jimin faked a smile. “It’s just a recurring dream, guys-”

“A dream you suddenly start to have going in a trance when a moment ago you were wide awake?” Y/N cut him off. “Jimin, you’re having visions.”

He laughed in disbelief. “I’m not an oracle, princess.”

“But you do have magic. I could tell from the moment I met you. You’re always subtle but I’ve spent time with many wizards, it didn’t escape my attention.”

“Wha-”

“Oh, come on. Do you deny always being able to tell when people lie? And you can tell exactly what people are thinking just by looking at them, can’t you? You’re a reader. It’s rare even amongst wizards but it’s obvious that’s what you are!”

It was silent for a moment. Y/N guessed Taehyung was trying to process all that new information.

“I always follow your hunches and you never turn out to be wrong. Thinking back to all of those moments, there literally isn’t a single time you weren’t right!” It looked like Taehyung was having a moment of clarity. But then he frowned. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

“I never thought it was magic, I swear! I always thought I had strong senses. That’s probably all there is to it anyway-”

“That morning you brought me and Y/N breakfast, you just came storming in. But I know for a fact that I locked the door the night before.”

And Jimin’s moment of clarity hit him right then. “I know. It was locked. I just wished it wouldn’t be and.. it wasn’t anymore.” he admitted. Both to them and to himself.

“And these visions are proof that your skill are improving-” Y/N tried to explain more but Jimin snapped at her. “No! They can’t be visions of the future that would mean that Taehyung-” he lowered his volume before continuing. “that he’s going to get fatally wounded.”

As if they didn’t have enough troubles at hand everything had gotten ten times more complicated. Taehyung made them promise not to speak of this anywhere for the time being, in order to protect Jimin’s identity as an unregistered wizard. And they all swore to trying to figure all of this out together as a team.

...

A/N: Soo yeah.. things are probably about to go downhill from now on. Though idk when it'll come out, pt4 is in my plans if anyone follows the series. The theatre piece is from Romeo and Juliet(with a few adjustments of mine to make it fit the story) because no way could I write an actual improv, way out of my league. Thank you if you read my thing and hope you enjoyed it :) pls stay at home, wash your hands and take good care of yourself.