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#＃girl boy illustration spring

dearmouse · 1 year

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Vintage Greeting Card + Gift Wrap

#vintage illustrations #girl #boy #spring #flowers

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lilidreamer20art · 2 months

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New Illustration in progress 🫶🏻

#illustration #digital art #art #artist on tumblr #couple #love #spring #boy and girl #work in progress

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tiquiajomari · 9 months

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"Spring Love Letter"

She's trying to find the courage to give that love letter which conveys all of her feelings for him.

by Jose Maria Tiquia

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alicenpai · 11 months

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my piece for the Hemisphere: a Witch Hat Atelier seasons themed zine! thank you for having me! they're having a leftovers sale until stock runs out 🖋🍀🌷🍁❄🌧 WIPs + inspiration board + symbolism under the cut! got some requests to put this on my inprnt! the site has sales very often & you can grab it as a small or big size print.

I had a pretty good idea of the composition from the get-go. I took inspiration from art nouveau (primarily Alphonse Mucha), German fairy tales, and some 1920s perfume ads. I wanted the girls to look like fairies, akin to The Root Children by Sibylle von Olfers.

Olly just didn't work out in this drawing due to time restraints. I do love him very much though.

I actually kinda stopped making illustrations like these (including the TGAA/DGS tarot card + TGAA/DGS zine pieces a while back) because they were starting to get very hard on my arm, as I had an RSI (repetitive strain injury) a few years back during school. (Not putting the onus on the zines at all ofc! I genuinely love working with zine projects! it's def a me thing WAHAHAHA. my style was getting too anime and too detailed for my liking and everything was just taking forever to finish ngl. but I didn't have time to experiment with a more simple style outside of all of my deadlines)

I think that realizing you need to stop is okay. It's something that Shirahama teaches us in her story and I want to learn to take it to heart.

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MILD SPOILERS AHEAD (for those who havent read the story I guess)

each character's symbolism:

- Coco - spring, clovers - Coco is the quintessential spring girl, and I wanted her to symbolize new beginnings, and oh boy did Coco bring a big one. The four leaf clover in particular symbolizes luck and good fortune - to some characters, Coco may have brought fortune, to others her presence brings misfortune, take that as you will.

- Tetia - summer, gladiolus - the name "gladiolus" comes from the Latin word "gladius", meaning "sword", based on the shape of the flower. you can interpret it as "you pierce my heart", perfect for a girl like Tetia, who has a contagious energy, with a romantic and grandiose nature.

- Agott - autumn, marigold - I read somewhere marigolds symbolize strength and power, perfect for our little magical powerhouse Agott. They can also symbolize jealousy (yellow flowers in particular have this association), which reflects on her rivalry with Coco in the beginning.

- Riche - winter, snowdrop - The white color of snowdrops has a strong connotation to innocence, which reflects on Riche's wish to stay a child forever. It can also symbolize rebirth and new beginnings (like Coco's clovers), as the snowdrop is the first flower to bloom in the spring, when the snow has not yet melted. I wanted the concept of "rebirth" to associate with Riche's friendship with Euini, and of his sort of "rebirth" into a new being.

- Qifrey - he does not have a flower per se, but as the caregiver and educator of the four girls, he represents the rainy season - precipitation being the one thing that binds all of these seasons together. (Note some areas of the world do not have a rainy season like where I live). I think somewhere along the line I wanted to put hydrangeas behind him, to really bring out the "rainy" theme, but the thought probably got lost somewhere in translation...

- bg flowers - honestly I just picked whatever. white lily, daffodil, hydrangea, zinnia, tulip

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kakashi-miso · 1 month

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Ash Camellia (ANGST Fanfiction)

Preface

When talking about the Naruto anime, many argue that it is a “fighting anime”, and most of these people are right, because this is part of the genre in which this work consists. However, many began to forget what the series and pages of the manga about the Jinchuriki boy taught us all this time: connections with loved ones are the most important thing we have, and we must value them, protecting them from a possible break. People close to us give us smiles, help us in difficult times, and in general - their presence nurtures the soul. Whenever we worry about someone, we don’t do it with the goal of burdening ourselves or simply suffering. We fear that our valuable connection with this loved one will be severed. When a person quarrels with someone, he is certainly in pain and sad, but at least his now “stranger” is alive, and the fact that he is angry with you may turn out to be temporary. When someone close to us dies, we are lost, because, in our opinion, it was too quickly and unfair, because your strong connection was destroyed against each other's wishes.

In times like these, people around you help you cope with the devastation of a loss. Although you know for sure that the grief of your loss will never let you go, you still smile at those who worry about you, because at such a time you understand: “They care about me.” Both that thing and that one are painful. An example is the case between Naruto and Sasuke: Uzumaki chased the Uchiha for several years in a row, in the hope of maintaining the connection that they had built between themselves. After taking the situation from Sasuke:He was left alone against the will of himself and his parents, and considers it unfair, but finding that there is a chance to release his pain and suffering on the culprit, he decides to take revenge on Itachi for his act. In both cases, the boys' connections were negatively impacted. They both suffered from being afraid or had already lost touch with someone who meant a lot to them.

This fanfic is the fruit of my ideas and ideas. I, like many of you, really enjoy dramatic moments, especially in anime. Finding more and more new ideas and ideas, I presented them, sometimes illustrated them, and in the end, after a certain number of “roll plays”, I realized that all these stories share the same theme: Connection, and supporting each other. "The hole in your heart is something that other people can fill…" - Kakashi Hatake

Prologue

Almost a day. The sun had risen for quite some time: the birds were singing; The foliage of trees and bushes developed in a light breeze. And in the country of hot springs it was quite quiet. So much so that the rustling of trees and the fluttering of birds’ wings could be heard even from the living room, which had 3 futons (a futon is a traditional Japanese bedding in the form of a thick cotton mattress spread out at night for sleeping), two of them were made, and the third was still was still busy.

The calm face of the lying man was illuminated by the rays of the sun setting from the exit into the small garden. A long and heavy sigh sounded in the room, which permeated a whole palette of shades of fatigue and drowsiness. The eyelids of the lying person remained heavy, and it seemed that the body did not want to get up at all, not to mention the fact that the arms and legs ached as if a whole crowd of elephants had trampled on them, no less. The noise of the hinged door on the right. The pair of coal pupils that were directed towards the garden slowly floated to the right, staring at the source of the sound, and did not show the slightest sense of surprise. The silhouette in a robe approached, modest and seemingly fragile, and squatted down next to the futon. From above came the voice of a girl who had already been awake for a long time, because she got up at 8 in the morning, like another guest. Now it was almost 12:00 on the clock.

-How long will you stay here for a long time? Kakashi-sama, are you feeling unwell? – asked a girl with unruly and slightly curly black hair like a raven’s feathers. -Not at all. It's like I've been lying here for a long time. – Kakashi sat down, finally brushing off the blanket, and gave himself a couple more minutes to come to, stroking his face with his hands, and fighting the dizziness that was visible only from the paleness of his skin. A quiet cough broke through the silence, as if he was choking or his throat was dry.

-You’ve been lying here for almost 4 hours, by the way, and it’s already lunch time, but you still haven’t had breakfast. Guy-san is already bored, although he is trying to tell some stories for me. “The woman sitting next to me objected and crossed her arms over her chest, as if condemning the ash-haired man for his inattention and procrastination. -4 hours? Is it true? I didn't even notice, haha! How absent-minded I am,” Hatake laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of his head, making an embarrassed expression on his face. Afterwards, he quickly changed his emotion to a relaxed and friendly one - Thank you for reminding me, Mirai, I’m on my way. Wait for me in the room with Guy.

-Great. By the way, what will you eat? Otherwise, you will lose even more weight than you are now.” A light smile came across the face of Sarutobi, who now stood up and put her hands on her hips, preparing to carry out the order of the Sixth Hokage, even if he was retired. It was a great honor for her. Moreover, this was an S-rank mission, to which she was assigned by Mr. Seventh Hokage himself. Closing her eyes, languishing in her anticipation, she listened to the incoming answer.

-A? No thanks, Mirai. I am not hungry. But I would be extremely grateful if you ordered me chamomile tea without sugar. And what about being thin – it’s just a matter of age, don’t worry, I’m fine. Now go, I will come to you soon. The girl’s face began to look puzzled, which was revealed by her eyebrows, and an awkward “What?” came out of her mouth. Her ruby eyes stared at the man sitting, but she did not wait long for the request to be repeated, and instead decided to think it over carefully on the way over tea.

Mirai's footsteps were already in the corridor. The gears were humming in her head, and it was all too strange: Loss of weight, pallor, loss of appetite, and what’s more, now he didn’t even really get out of bed. Was he really that lazy? Then where does the loss of appetite come from? With creaking boards under her feet, she approached the modest common dining room, where she was going to ask for chamomile tea. It was already a little noisy there, because the people sitting at the table were talking, which made it difficult for the walking girl to think. Fortunately, Kakashi made sure that the three of them ate separately from everyone else, which was his privilege as a special guest, so that their meals took place only in their special social circle. Chamomile tea, by the way, had many properties, and almost no one knew about some of them. But Mirai knew, who was told about it by her mother. Chamomile tea has sedative and hypnotic properties, and sometimes relieves pain from tension, but in addition, chamomile tea could alleviate the feeling of nausea. Naturally, Hatake might just want to drink this tea, because… He likes him, but given the suspicious details that the girl noticed earlier, this did not at all fit with the “usual desire to drink tea.”

Kakashi was known to everyone for his calmness, so he definitely wouldn’t drink tea to calm down. Then other functions of this tea come to mind, such as reducing the feeling of nausea, and they were already annoying the lady, at the moment, approaching the cook and asking for a cup of chamomile tea without sugar. By the way, the lack of sugar in tea could also indicate a possible stomach upset. Is he lying to her? The blatant lie “Everything is fine” angered the young kunoichi a little. She was determined to find out the truth, because she was assigned to this important mission of “Escort and protect the Sixth Hokage and his friend,” and in Sarutobi’s opinion, she was simply obliged to intervene in order to report on the condition of those being escorted.

Thanking her for the tea with a short bow, her confident step clattered on the boards, surely and quickly, closing the distance between her and the room in which Guy was waiting for her at a tea table and a couple of servings of onigiri. Behind the hinged door one could already hear the ringing voice of a disabled man who was amusing himself with some joke on the part of the ash-haired man who had arrived. Mirai pulled back the hinged door and walked towards the table, meeting the gaze of Kakashi, who gave her a warm smile. Guy exhaled, suppressing his laughter. The girl put the tea on the table, closer to Kakashi, who was sitting opposite the kunoichi.

He nodded gratefully to her for this, and began to drink a hot drink through his mask, which sometimes looked strange from the outside, but it seems that these two were already accustomed to this. His satisfied voice muttered in an even tone:

-Mmm… Thank you very much, this is the best thing this morning -Did you mean to say "this afternoon"? – Mirai corrected him, causing an energetic reaction from Guy

-Ha ha ha! Yes, Kakashi is a real lazy person. Sometimes it’s impossible to get him out of bed, and lately there’s no need to even try - Thick-browed stretched out a wide smile, revealing all 36 of his teeth, which shone no worse than a diamond. “You need to be able to be lazy so that you don’t get bored,” Kakashi muttered in response to Might, drinking tea again. Once again Six made his friend burst into laughter.

The chunin's eyebrows furrowed, full of suspicion. Lazyness? Of course, she has heard a lot about his absent-mindedness, but in the words of Shikamaru: “How tired I am of him… His sudden escapes into the thicket of the forest for walks irritate me a little. But he says that he can no longer sit still… What a hassle! This phrase accurately emphasized that Kakashi was far from being one of those who liked to remain in one position for a long time. She answers the question: -Are you feeling unwell?

-What? Where did you get the idea? – Kakashi raised a puzzled glance at the two rubies in the girl’s eyes and began to wait for an explanation for such a harsh statement. Guy also didn’t understand what happened, but he wasn’t going to interfere.

-Well… Your pale face, too much rest in bed, a slight cough and in the end - Sarutobi's finger went to the chamomile tea - Nausea.

-What? Nausea? I have always been pale, and it is absolutely true that I am lazy. Cough? I don’t know, but I think I just caught a cold, my health is no longer the same. - The ash-haired man’s face took on a more carefree expression, and his eyebrows shot up, as if this was something completely normal for him. -You have already given up your second meal. You have no appetite. Are you sure it's a cold? -Hmmm… I'm telling you: I probably just had a cold. Mirai, I'll handle it, don't worry. – In response, Kakashi received a suspicious look from the kunoichi. There was definitely something wrong with her opinion. This is all very strange. -What about nausea? – The attendant’s eyebrow arched in puzzlement.

-What makes you think I'm sick? I have no appetite due to a cold. -Chamomile tea not only soothes, but also eliminates the feeling of nausea and heaviness in the stomach, and considering that you have already refused two meals, this becomes suspicious.

The glances crossed each other. Mask visibly tensed. His gaze stared at the woman sitting opposite him, and he thought about how to explain all this to him. The silence was diluted by a quiet and modest cough into a fist held to the side. Having regained his calm and stoic face, he turned to his interlocutor: -The other day I wanted to eat fish, but it was not the freshest. Without calculating the capabilities of my body, I did not pay attention to it. Apparently, in my old age, my stomach has become a little more susceptible to spoiled foods.

-I will never in my life believe that you, known as a witty ninja, will not be able to adequately calculate your capabilities. “The girl’s gaze became even rougher, she dug her fingers into the table, and her lips compressed into a crooked thread. In response to such an argument, Kakashi fell silent again, and then again began to stand his ground. -It is impossible to be witty everywhere and always. I'm fine, what are you doing? Yes, sometimes I’m absent-minded, you know… If something happens, I’ll tell you about it. “He tiredly rocked back and pointed his nose toward the ceiling, thinking about something.

-Don’t try to lie to me, I’m responsible for your health! And when will you tell me about this? When will you die?! – Mirai stated, already starting to rest her hands on the table, her hair moving. The bad feeling in the girl’s heart was like a storm, and it became stronger every second. Having passed through his thoughts the scolding for Assuma's insight, which he had bestowed on his daughter, Kakashi drank his tea again, closing his eyes. Curly continued - Your weight has dropped at an unhealthy rate recently, and this cannot be explained by age! Too little time has passed to lose weight like this, and considering that you only had a “little cold”, you shouldn’t have lost so much weight. Are you lying so that I don’t worry about you?! Because of your distrust, I am now three times more worried!

Enough. – The Sixth Hokage answered and put a cup of tea on the table with a serious look that rose to Sarutobi. The girl shuddered at such a serious tone. The ever-carefree and pretty Kakashi, as she had seen him in recent days, showed his strict nature, which she really did not expect. The voice of the retired Hokage continued his monotone speech: – Mirai, listen, since the beginning of our mission you have been experiencing too much stress about any situation. Don't exaggerate. I just had a cold, and I’ve always been thin. Guy won't let me lie about this. Let me remind you that you mistook two old men for murderers when we went to the land of steam, so calm down and just enjoy your vacation. – Hatake turned to his faithful rival, waiting for his confirmation of what was happening.

-Mirai, it's true. For as long as I've known Kakashi, he almost always refused treats or a full meal, and he always had this type of physique. – Said the disabled person, slightly puzzled by what was happening. Despite all his noisiness and brightness, he had no desire to prevent them from resolving the conflict. A wave of guilt, burning every atom of the body, penetrated the girl’s body. She was a little taken aback, because the words about her paranoia were true: she really was constantly on guard, and apparently her constant suspicions went beyond understanding. Her cheeks turned red with shame. The girl sat down and pursed her lips: “I’m sorry… I’m sorry I yelled.” I was too rude, sorry. – The gaze of two scarlet eyes was directed under the table. She sat down and sighed, relieving the tension throughout her body and the boil that arose from the feeling of a blatant lie on the part of the elderly shinobi.

-Everything is fine. Just try not to fill your head with such things. Relax. If anything happens so serious, I will definitely tell you about it. But as you can see, everything is under control. - Said a calm tone of voice, and now Guy relaxed along with his friend, seeing that his argument had been resolved, and he was not angry at all. Might sighed, a little sad that Mirai was living under constant stress due to the extreme importance of this mission.

Of course, Kakashi had to operate with her character traits. In his opinion it was better this way. In any case, perhaps this really was a good decision, and besides, they left the ash-haired man behind with questions about his health. As soon as the conflict was settled, Guy, with particular appetite, began to eat his portion, which was standing there even before the tea was brought. As did Mirai's portion, which she began to reluctantly eat, suppressing feelings of shame and guilt for yelling at the former Hokage.

Author's comment: Phew… Finally. It took me a long time to translate because… You won't get much at once. It was difficult. I'm really looking forward to hearing from you about this! I'm interested in your impressions

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ireadyabooks · 2 months

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Spring into Extraordinary Graphic Novels from I read YA! 🌷🎨

Graphic novels are one of our favorite reading formats here at I read YA! It’s always such a joy seeing an author bring their magnificent storytelling to life with their artwork or another artist adding their unique spin! The possibilities are endless when it comes to graphic novel styles, and that’s what makes them so perfect! There is something for everyone! We have compiled some of our recent favorite graphic novels below that you should absolutely check out as we welcome spring and warmer weather! Whether you’re looking for stories about an adorable daydreamer, a dark secret, or two boys simply falling in love, we have it all! Happy reading!

Rainbow! Volume 1 by Gloom & Sunny

From Tapas Media, the same webtoon platform that brought you Magical Boy, comes Rainbow!, a new LGBTQ+ YA graphic novel series!

Teenager Boo Meadows has pink hair and a very vivid imagination -- she has trouble separating from the real world. In her daydreams, she dances beautifully at balls or fights monsters as a magical girl. In reality, she has a complicated home life, work stress, school stress, and a wicked crush on the girl of her dreams. When a new student, Mimi, arrives at school, Boo starts exploring a side of herself that she never considered before. As she grows closer with Mimi, it may finally be time for Boo to face reality . . . Who is the real Mimi? The one in her dreams? Or the one in real life?

Rainbow! is perfect for fans of Heartstopper and Magical Boy, full of heart, adorable illustrations, and a storyline that any teenager can relate to!

Start reading Rainbow! Volume 1 now!

Escape From St. Hell by Lewis Hancox

In this sequel to the Indie bestseller Welcome to St. Hell, Lewis Hancox tells the hilarious, inspiring story of coming into his own as a trans man.

For Lew, figuring out he was a guy and wanted to live life as a guy was the end of our journey... and the start of a whole other journey. Escape From St. Hell charts all the changes that Lew wanted to be made in order for him to live as a young trans man -- changes not just to his own body and perspective, but to the perspectives of the family, friends, and enemies around him.

As he did in his bestselling graphic memoir Welcome to St. Hell, Lewis Hancox charts his journey with plenty of laughs, a good number of cringes, and an honesty that takes readers along for the ride of Lew's life.

Start reading Escape From St. Hell now!

The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag

From Molly Knox Ostertag, writer-illustrator of the New York Times and Indie bestselling The Witch Boy trilogy and The Girl from the Sea, comes a darkly beautiful story of identity, family, love, loss, and magic.

Everyone has secrets. Mags’s has teeth.

Magdalena Herrera is about to graduate high school, but she already feels like an adult with serious responsibilities: caring for her ailing grandmother; working a part-time job; clandestine makeouts with a girl who has a boyfriend. And then there’s her secret, which pulls her into the basement each night, drains her of energy, and leaves her bleeding. A secret that could hurt and even kill if it ever got out -- like it did once before.

So Mags keeps her head down, isolated in her small desert community. That is, until her childhood friend Nessa comes back to town, bringing vivid memories of the past, an intoxicating glimpse of the future, and a secret of her own. Mags won’t get attached, of course. She’s always been strong enough to survive without anyone’s help.

But when the darkness starts to close in on them both, Mags will have to drag her secret into the daylight, and choose between risking everything... or having nothing left to lose.

Start reading The Deep Dark now!

Heartstopper 5 by Alice Oseman

Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. The bestselling LGBTQ+ graphic novel about life, love, and everything that happens in between: this is the fifth volume of the much-loved HEARTSTOPPER series, featuring gorgeous two-color artwork.

Nick and Charlie are in love. They’ve finally said those three little words, and Charlie has almost persuaded his mum to let him sleep over at Nick’s house. He wants to take their relationship to the next level... but can he find the confidence he needs? And with Nick going off to university next year, is everything about to change?

By Alice Oseman, winner of the YA Book Prize, Heartstopper encompasses all the small moments of Nick and Charlie’s lives that together make up something larger, which speaks to all of us.

Contains discussions around mental health and eating disorders, and sexual references.

Start reading Heartstopper 5 now!

Stars in Their Eyes by Jessica Walton and Aśka

In this lighthearted YA romance, Maisie and Ollie discover that nothing beats the feeling of falling in love for the first time.

Maisie is on her way to Fancon! She's looking forward to meeting her idol, Kara Bufano, the action hero from her favorite TV show, who has a lower-leg amputation, just like Maisie. But when Maisie and her mom arrive at the convention center, she is stopped in her tracks by Ollie, a cute volunteer working the show. They are kind, charming, and geek out about nerd culture just as much as Maisie does. And as the day wears on, Maisie notices feelings for Ollie that she's never had before. Is this what it feels like to fall in love?

Perfect for fans of Heartstopper and Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, this graphic novel debut is a fresh, one-of-a-kind story that celebrates the excitement of meeting someone special for the first time.

Start reading Stars in Their Eyes now!

The Good Neighbors by Holly Black and Ted Naifeh

From the bestselling author of The Cruel Prince, an astonishing graphic trilogy set in a faerie world, full of mystery, intrigue, and romance.

From the amazing imagination of bestselling author Holly Black and acclaimed illustrator Ted Naifeh, a mysterious and wonderful faerie saga, for the first time in one volume.

Rue Silver's mother has disappeared... and her father has been arrested, suspected of killing her. But it's not as straightforward as that. Because Rue is a faerie, like her mother was. And her father didn't kill her mother -- instead, he broke a promise to Rue's faerie king grandfather, which caused Rue's mother to be flung back to the faerie world. Now Rue must go to save her -- and defeat a dark faerie that threatens our very mortal world.

Start reading The Good Neighbors now!

#ireadya #yabooks #Rainbow!#Gloom & Sunny #Escape From St Hell #Lewis Hancox #The Deep Dark #Molly Knox Ostertag #Heartstopper #Alice Oseman #Stars in Their Eyes #Jessica Walton #Aśka #The Good Neighbors #Holly Black #Ted Naifeh #graphic novels

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detroitlib · 1 year

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From our stacks: Illustration for "Spring" from Rainbow Gold. Poems Old and New Selected for Boys and Girls By Sara Teasdale With Illustrations By Dugald Walker. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1927.

#spring #dugald walker #illustration #book illustration #book #books #old books #vintage illustration #library book #library books #detroit public library

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the-moon-lullaby · 1 year

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hi! <3 I hope you are having a nice day :D I was wondering if you could do some headcanons for episode 26 from High School Life? I always thought that episode was really cool and fun, so if you could make maybe some headcanons mainly about the picnic Candy has with the girls and Alexy could be pretty awesome :D like just general headcanons about it. Also bestie I FEEL you about wanting to write anything else than an essay for uni :")

Random headcanons about episode 26

N/A : I really liked this episode too ! I was kinda inspired (I think ?)so there'll be some headcanons about the date but also some about the picnic with Alexy & the girls (also yeah, it's refreshing to write about things I actually enjoy, it didn't happen in a while sadly, so thank you for your understanding dear <3)

So let's start with the dates with the HSL Boys :

About the date with Nathaniel, I found it funny how Candy thought it'd be a good idea to invite him on a picnic, in a park, in the middle of spring, when she knows that he's badly allergic to pollen (I just know that my boy had to make a stock of antihistamines and was suffering in silence, guess he really wanted that date)

I like to think that Nathaniel actually took the time to carefully prepare himself for the picnic. Because even if Candy didn't specified it or anything, Nath wanted to believe that it was indeed a date. So, he thought a lot about what he should wear (let's ignore the fact that he still wears the same outfit in the illustration) and he put on a nice cologne, hoping that Candy would like it

It's pretty clear that Nathaniel intended to declare himself (there's a moment where he really seems about to kiss Candy) so when they got interrupted by Thomas, he tried to hide it but he was pissed (really Iris, put a leash on your brother, some people are trying to get it here)

In the case of Armin, I liked how he freaked out at the wasps' attack and it kinda make sense since at the frequency he goes outside, he probably hadn't seen a wasp since 2007 lmao

Also this little picnic date surely did him some good because there's no way this boy doesn't have a vitamin D deficiency (Okay, I might be a little hard on Armin right now, I'll stop)

Armin brought the sandwiches and believe or not but it was pretty good. He's not a big cook but I don't think he's a bad one, he just sticks to simple things (also he mastered the art of making sandwiches because it's his favorite 2 AM snack to make when he's pulling an all-nighter)

I believe that it's during this picnic that Armin realised that he had a crush on Candy (Guys, he spent a WHOLE afternoon out in the wild just for Candy, that says a lot if you ask me)

Okay one thing about the date with Castiel : I wanted him to bring Demon to the picnic (maybe it could have been hard to manage with all the food around but come on, he's a good boy LET HIM OUT BEEMOOV)

I am also a dog person so I might be biased lol

But just picture it : Castiel and Candy enjoying their little lunch with them taking turn to feed Demon with little bites of food (adorable plus, Castiel would enjoy to see Candy playing with Demon)

Also, Castiel's change of tone when talking to his dog (if you have a pet, you know what I mean). Candy would melt (and me too)

After eating, Candy and Castiel could have take Demon for a little walk in the park and Castiel would have let Candy hold the leash as she seems really excited about it (and he would have been really happy about it. Once again, if you have a pet you know how great it feels when someone you like gets along with your pet. It's so cute to see !)

Since Demon has this bad habit to pull on the leash (as seen in episode 3 of HSL), Castiel would help out Candy by putting his hand above hers to get a hold on the leash (and also to hold her hand)

Firstly, I am convinced that Nina was hiding somewhere in the park when she saw Lysander and Candy together (Back to the time where Nina was in her Joe Goldberg era lmao)

I think Lysander was the calmest amongst the boys about the date (and luckily he was because Candy was stressed out enough for the both of them. As usual)

He might have asked Leigh advices about dates 'cause like, he's supposed to have some experience right ? (the truth is that when his brother asked him that, he was just like "well, I was just existing and then Rosa decided that I'll be her boyfriend. So just stand there and exist I guess ?" Yeah, great advice from the big bro)

When I tell you that Kentin was ecstatic when Candy invited him on a picnic, that's an euphemism (bro was internally screaming)

Really, he probably wasn't able to stand still until the D-Day (he waited for that since basically forever so understandable)

Also, just like with Castiel, I wanted him to bring Cookie (I really like dogs, sorry)

The illustration for Kentin's route is so cute

The both of them, laying in the green grass, so close to each other with the bright sun above them. (That's such a picturesque vision, I love it !)

I like to think that they reminisced together of the memories they had from before they arrived to Sweet Amoris. Kentin tends to feel insecure when talking about this period of his life. However, as they both talking he realises that there's no judgment in Candy's tone and that the moments they spent together actually means a lot to her. It would warms his heart and if it was even possible, he'd be even more fond of Candy

(I wish they talked more about it in the game because even if it gets better by the end of HSL, his route still feels a bit superficial. Like there's this idea that he had to completely transform himself and become handsome to become "interesting". I don't know if you know what I mean)

Now, about the picnic with Alexy & the girls :

Before starting, I kinda wanted to see more interactions between the characters during the picnic (but I guess that the episode would have too long then but it's okay, I'll put some here)

Kim & Capucine's conversation (might sound odd but I'll explain it)

Kim (just know that I love HSL Kim, she's such a good character) just has this protective and « I won’t take any shit » vibe (even though she’s actually a big softie as we see with her interactions with Violette and it's so cute) and everyone respects her like naturally ?

In the beginning of this episode, Capucine was insufferable. Really, this girl was trying really hard to be like Amber when she’s nothing like her (and if you take into account the fact that Amber herself is putting on a persona, you kinda get a girl trying to put one someone else’s persona thinking that it’s the way to go. Kinda sad).

(just putting it here but I liked having a character like HSL Amber in the game because she brings the drama you know ? she's also a bully but she also have some depth to her character ? I am really confused 'cause I've had some bad experiences with people like her during my school years so I am wondering : Is Amber character actually good or do I have a Stockholm's Syndrome-ish thing ???? pls help)

Let's go back to our sheep : Kim & Capucine's interaction

So I like to think that during the picnic, Kim and Capucine got to talk a little and boom, two worlds meet : Kim doesn’t really give a shit about what people think of her and oppositely, Capucine lives by that. And I think because of it, Capucine kinda have a negative image of Kim.

Until they get to talk. Kim is friendly towards her even if she acts like a bitch because I truly think that Kim is pretty good at reading and understanding people (she probably doesn’t even realise it herself but when you’re capable to bond with someone so reserved as Violette as well as getting along with Castiel AND Nathaniel at the same time, it says quite a lot about this ability she has)

I think this conversation they’d have on the park would make Capucine think that Kim is a pretty cool person even though they are quite different and what's the most striking difference is that Kim is truly authentic (it’s something that’s pretty rare these days so when you come across someone like that it can really makes you question a lot of things) and she might even realise that the persona she puts on everyday at school doesn’t suit her and that she’s actually not happy with it (which I believe, after her relationship with Samuel, is one of the realisations she had before trying to become a better and truer version of herself)

This one was a bit long but I think there's so many things to say about Kim's character lol

Now, Melody and Iris talking about the whole Nathaniel situation and Alexy coming from nowhere just to say something like "there's too many fishes in the sea to waste time on one that doesn't want be caught. Move on girlie"

Like 'ayoo, mind your own business boy ?' (that's Alexy, of course he's not going to do that. He just has this radar for drama)

It's either that or HE IS the drama

Anyway, Melody is a bit startled because "how do you know about that ???" when the really question is "how could anyone not know" with how she's so not subtle. And that's how Alexy would basically become a love coach for the afternoon (wtf)

However if Melody starts to talk about Candy being too close to Nath, oh boy, Alexy goes defensive mode and he won’t hear more of this nonsense (like girl it’s not Candy’s fault if Nathaniel likes her better, wake up)

Anyway, this conversation would be pretty random and Melody wouldn't really know what to answer because I feel like she’s a pretty reserved person and on the contrary Alexy’s quite unhinged and then, there’s Iris in the middle watching the show (honestly same girl, I’d like to witness this conversation too)

Violette (my sweet girl) would try to draw the landscape but would end up practicing drawing silhouette using her friends as models. She’d be too shy to show it but I just know she’d end up showing her sketches to Kim later and she’d blush when told how good this is (pls their relationship is so lovely, I kinda ship them)

A Peggy and Rosalya’s interaction could also be interesting : they both like to know the gossips and all but the difference between them is that Rosalya would not spread rumours the way Peggy does. So I think Rosa would try to make her understand that she sometimes goes too far which is unfortunate because well, she’s cool to hang out with but if she keeps going like that, she might end up having everyone turning their back on her.

The water fight is honestly quite fun to imagine

Despite what he says in the game, Alexy lost it (and quite significantly)

I mean bro, you’re trying to put a fight against Kim, what did you expect ???

That's all I have for this so I hope you enjoyed reading this !

Wish you the best and see you soon !

116 notes · View notes

justimajin · 11 months

Text

Winter Splashes

Genre: Pure Fluff (with like a drop of angst)

↳ Writer Reader x Painter Taehyung AU

Words: 14k

Summary: Being a writer is a difficult job - you have daunting deadlines to meet, new characters to develop and constantly seek out bundles of inspiration. However, this profession also demands that you go with the flow, a simple phrase that morphs into a much bigger business issue when your book sales are on the verge of disappearing. It doesn't help that you're thrown a major curve-ball, one that leaves you asking a very ominous question:

✒ How are you supposed to write about romance?

The large brown table has a mountain of colours spewed on it, ranging from hard-covered to soft-covered, light laughs to deep wails, a short stack of words with sharp statements to a long flow of words that could have imaginations whisked away. The bound pages each have different illustrations depicted, their sheer volume only seeming to be endless when another array of them starts to form right below the table. Among all this, two words are engraved with a swirl into each of them and it’s a name that never fails to raise a hearty smile.

“Y/N L/N.”

The man on the other end repeats in the midst of your thoughts, your eyes trailing along with every book he takes out of the cardboard box. His brows are furrowed whenever he leans down, brown locks falling down onto his eyes and flush lips stretched out in wonder. He glances over at you with wide eyes from where you’re seated in the corner, the forecasted dreamy look you hold immediately vanishing into bewilderment. “There’s seriously a lot of them now.”

With a smile, you nod as he places the last batch underneath the table and turns to face you, “All of them did well in the market too.” He picks up a black book with dark purple and red swirls lining the cover, clouds of smoke in the background of a woman who holds a horrific expression, “Even after you created this,” Another book meets his hands, this time with hues of pink, blue and yellow splashed on the surface, a multitude of flowers scattered on the surface, “And then this.”

A chuckle escapes you, springing up from your seat with a cherry grin.

“Well, you know what they say!” You point a cheesy finger at him, placing a powerful hand on your hip like you were some kind of superhero, “The biggest risks will always lead to the best results.”

“Or the worst results.” He pursues his lips, “But you have managed to tackle a lot of genres in your writing, I’ll say that much.”

You stroll closer, eyes dramatically wide and mouth agape, “Was that a….compliment?”

He whips around, appearing offended. “Hey! I’ve given you plenty of compliments before.”

“You said my last book was ridiculous and that I wasn’t allowed to turn the main character into a fish.”

“Because that was ridiculous! Why would you even write something like that?!”

“It’s unique! You know, the good ol’ being interesting enough to read more?” You smirk, leaning towards him with suspicious eyes, “Are you sure you’re an actual editor, Jin?”

Seokjin rolls his eyes, placing the book in his hands down with a sigh, “I’m just saying that maybe you could try writing something simple this time around. Something without all the plot twists and weird revelations.”

You narrow your eyes, not yet ready to budge until he glares at you in exasperation, “Hm, Fair enough. So what’s hot on the market?”

You eagerly eye him, aware of his tendency to keep tabs on what the current status of the highest selling books were.

“There’s been a demand for something else recently.” His voice grows wary and you raise an eyebrow, following after him as he brings over a sealed box you’ve haven’t seen before. He slices through the tape and begins taking out the paper packaging, revealing a new set of books that don’t carry your signature.

“What is this?” You probe, picking one up that has an intricate image of a boy and a girl with glittering golden and silver eyes. “A werewolf story?”

Jin hums, “There’s other ones too.”

The books go flying from the box as you toss them out, taking one quick glance before allowing it to meet the pile you’re forming on the table. There’s covers depicting snow with a vampire, an image of a stethoscope, another of a basketball court, and heck, even one with the premise of two people switching bodies. You stare at Jin perplexed, not grasping onto how these random titles were going to be helpful to you.

He leans back, resting himself on the perch of the table. He smiles like he knows something you don’t ‒ a gesture that has you nearly pestering him for an answer until he finally speaks.

“How do you feel about romance?”

“The genre?” He nods, “I don’t know, I guess it’s nice? It’s cute and all, and that-”

He continues to smile and there’s something about it that’s unintentionally connected to the dots for you.

You’ve made up your mind already, “I can’t.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s romance!” You raise up your hands in exasperation, but Jin just stares at you, not understanding the big deal, “You know, people gushing and giggling over each other for an entire book. Who wants to read something like that??”

“This is coming from someone that wrote about a guy turning into a fish.”

“It was unique!” You chime in again, but Jin simply sighs and slides over the books you had previously yanked out.

“It’s not what the market wants though, Y/N. All of these books went on to become popular just for being in the genre.” He attempts to reason, placing his hands on your shoulders, “I still think you should give it a shot.”

Your lips set into a firm line, gaze drifting over to the atrocious covers that Jin’s lined up on the table.

You suppose it wouldn’t be so bad. After all, you’ve been through writing spurts, endlessly crafting out fantasy words in efforts of making it through the deadlines you’re faced with. You’ve faced the mixture of stress and adrenaline, desperately pushing yourself to keep going even if your tank of fuel is failing on you. You’ve spent the long hours of digging your nose into hours of research, familiarising yourself with something out of your comfort zone just for the sake of making your writing better.

But...romance?

A genre you’ve skimmed over in hopes of creating something else, a genre that you’ve barely given a second glance because…...well…

You research things. You try to improve things. And the best way to improve, is totry…...

Even though you have no clue what you’re getting yourself into.

“I don’t know…” You quietly mumble, fiddling with the bottom of your sweater. “What if it sucks?”

“You’ll never know unless you try.” Jin offers, but it doesn’t take away the unsettling feeling in your stomach from just thinking about it. He simply stares as you grow silent, letting out a sigh.

Reaching over to grab a familiar coat, he tosses it over your head. You immediately react, flabbergasted by the sudden flying article of clothing.

“What was that for?!”

“Come on.” He slides his arms through a brown one with a knowing smile, “You work based on inspiration,” He glances around the dusty office, nearly packed with opened cardboard boxes and books, “and I don’t think you’ll get much from here.”

You grin, slipping on the rough material instantly.

***

The streets are bustling, packed with crowds of people huddled together. They’re surrounded by cream coloured skyscrapers from a far distance, rows of bare oak trees lining the roads. The scent of fresh winter lingers in the air, newly arrived after the scattering of orange and red leaves on the ground.

You fist your hands up, a cheer erupting from your throat. A hand suddenly pushes through, covering your mouth.

“Why are you screaming?” Jin asks in exasperation, staring at you in disbelief when you still continue despite his attempts at halting you.

You pry his hand off, “I haven’t been outside in so long!!” You instantly run off, bumping into some civilians with no care and then giving them a cheeky wink when they glare at you. Jin rushes forward, grabbing onto you again.

He sighs, stuffing his icy hands into his coat pockets, “Y/N, you’re supposed to be a writer, not a hermit.”

“You can’t have both, Jin.” You remind him, “Plus I’ve spent hours working on my deadlines so I’m in need for some fu-Ooh! Look!”

He whirls around to see you dashing over a pile of leaves in the corner, diving headfirst into them before he can stop you. Giggles escape you as Jin can’t help but smile a bit at the display too. However, that’s when he remembers why he even offered to bring you out inside, leaning over to grasp onto your arm.

“Alright, come on Miss. Tree Lover.” He helps you up, quirking an eyebrow at the leaves currently trapped and poking out of your hair. You instantly brush them out, following him around.

“Well?” He says with hopeful eyes as you take in the busy area.

“Well what?”

“Really?” He ponders, leaning closer, “No crazy amounts of inspiration yet?”

“That’s not how it works!” You chide, “It takes more than that, you know? I gotta have a type of feeling.”

“A type of feeling?”

You roll your eyes at his obvious sarcasm, “Yeah, like I see something and the urge to write just‒”

Your eyes spark up at a particular store and before you know it, you’re yanking Jin to come along with you.

“What is it??”

“Look!” You point over to the shop burgeoning with hard bound books. Planting your hands against the window, the glass fogs with the warmth you radiate as you peer inside, seeing countless of titles you recognize.

“Aren’t those…?” Jin whispers from behind you, a huge dreamy smile crossing your lips.

“Yeah.” You glance at the familiar works in front of you, eyes carefully watching people that walk across the selves. A particular group huddled in the corner catches your attention right away, one of them flicking through pages you’ve probably dispensed part of your soul into.

She pauses at one page, eyes starting to focus in and appearing intrigued. Her lips have thinned out, lost in thought even with the group near her talking amongst themselves.

You know that look.

The excitement in your eyes instantly shifts into tenderness, simply content with watching someone hold curiosity in them from your words.

But the perfect mirage cracks.

“Hey guys, check this one out!”

The girl immediately spins around, shuffling over to view the alluring title her friend has pulled out. However, in the midst of this, the familiar hard bound pages are instantly discarded, plopped back onto the shelf without another single glance.

Your smile falls, eyes tingeing with dismay. You can only watch from afar as she swipes through new material, her attention grasped unlike before.

Sight lingering down, you recognize the type of literature she holds. It only contributes more to your sorrow, left hopelessly gazing at the genre you’ve strayed extremely far from.

Jin is silent from behind you, noticing that your immediate cheerfulness has disappeared within seconds. He’s still silent when you turn to him in disappointment, muttering the words he’s been trying to drill in your head since this morning.

“I think….I’ll give it a shot.”

He hums, gesturing for you to leave. “Just try your best, and don’t force yourself.”

You nod, following after him once you’ve managed to tear your vision away from the scene. Although you’ve come down to the resolve he’s wanted, it doesn’t help at all to take away the unsettling feeling in the pit of your stomach.

***

You already have a concept in your hands. Now all you gotta do is write it.

How hard can it be?

Within the span of ten minutes, soft thugs begin to resonate through the room. You lull you head over and over again against the surface of your table, deep exhausted sighs leaving your body.

Did you really say how hard can it be? Did the you of ten minutes ago actually think this was easy?!

Sinking back into your chair, you stare at the blank document with empty eyes. It hasn’t moved an inch in that time frame and neither have you.

Romance ‒ that’s it. Just write a story about two people falling for each other and seal the deal with a pretty looking bow.

But then why are you still stuck staring at the screen?

A groan of defeat leaves your lips and you slump against your desk. A brown-haired individual pokes by your door, raising an eyebrow.

“All good?” Jin asks. You barely move your head, an indecipherable murmur releasing from your throat.

“I see…” He hums at the answer, straightening up and leaning against the frame, “If you’re that stuck, why don’t you do some research about it? You usually like that, right?”

At the sound of the suggestion, your head immediately whips back with a hopeful glint in your eyes. Jin conceals his laughter as you start rapidly typing on your keyboard, taking that as an indication to leave you be as he goes back to editing your recent stories.

Meanwhile, you’re having the time of your life.

Of course! Research! The saving grace in a writer’s world!

You’ve done it countless times before. Whether it was about being knowledgeable in understanding the mechanics of worldbuilding, to figure out the basic meanings of things you’ve previously had no clue about.

However, the aspect you’re not accustomed to is your screen filling up with random articles.

“How to tell if you’ve met your lifetime soulmate?” You narrow your eyes, “Ten ways of getting your crush to like you back…?”

You scroll through, coming across more strange suggestions that give you zero insight for your current situation. Frowning, you wonder if you’re not searching hard enough ‒ until your eyes are left staring at the small advertisement in the corner of the screen.

“Check out the latest kdrama’s here….?” Hovering your mouse over the link, a broad spectrum of shows flood your eyes instantly. There’s a range of story types and titles, but what catches your interest the most is the tagline.

In need for some romance? Heal the woes of your lonely heart here then!

You lean back, staring at the shows. You suppose it won’t hurt to check one of them out, after all, it could give you the details you’ve been searching for.

Making up your mind, you commit the mistake of watching the first episode of a series.

***

Jin rubs his sore eyes, letting out a low yawn. He’s been unpacking more and more boxes from the publisher, carefully organizing them based on genre for the past couple of hours. After that horrendous task, he has decided to go through the latest story you’ve handed over to him, vision glued to his monitor as he highlights and circles places of improvement.

He doesn’t want to take the harsh approach, but it goes without saying that your writing has been a little lacking these days. Usually he lets you do your thing and he does his own as long as you meet the deadlines, but he wonders if you’ve sacrificed the caliber in your writing in exchange.

It isn’t terrible as you would probably take it. It still follows the unique concept trend you’ve focused on for so long. However, there seems to be something missing, something he can’t quite pinpoint even after going through pages and pages.

With a sigh, he squeezes his heavy eyes shut for a moment before narrowing in onto the screen again. But his thought process is snatched away with a loud thud, and he instantly raises his head, wondering if a book has perhaps fallen down.

Surprisingly, nothing’s fallen.

Glancing around, he can only ponder until a boisterous laugh echoes through the walls, closely followed with prolonged wails. He slowly rises from his seat, following the intense sound as the frequency increases.

He comes to a pause in front of your door, knocking softly. “Y/N?”

Instead of words, he greeted to a chain of sobs. Twisting the knob to your office, he pokes his head in.

“Y/N? Are you ok‒”

To his defence, your office looks exactly how he has initially left it. But now it’s completely dark save for the subdued corner in the room, where you lie wrapped around with a blanket. Your eyes are glued to the bright source of light in the room, namely your computer screen, and there’s a bag of popcorn alongside a box of tissues right next to you. Aside from the strange position, your cheeks are completely drenched and there’s a hysterical look to your eyes.

He doesn’t know what to say.

“Uh….”

The sound of his voice catches your attention, eyes widening, “Jin! Oh my god, Jin, it's so sad!”

“What’s sad?”

“This kdrama!” You point to your screen, “It’s so sad! First they were friends, and then they started liking each other, but then they kissed and everything went downhill after this second guy came in!”

Jin crouches down, barely able to make out what's on screen due to the excessive water sticking to it.

“You’re watching a drama?”

You hurriedly nod, “Now the girl is starting to fall for the second guy because of a misunderstanding! How are they going to fix all this?!”

“Y/N…” Jin says in exasperation, “Is this what you’ve been doing for the past couple of hours?”

You pout, hiding the device that clearly displays episode seven.

“N-No........”

Jin pretends not to see it, “Y/N, your next deadline is within two weeks. You really need to start working on this.”

He grabs hold of your arm, pulling you out of the kdrama cocoon you’ve built around yourself. You let out a deep sigh, pressing your hand against your temples.

“You’re right...I need to stop wasting time…” You whisper and Jin hums, swiveling around.

“I have to get back to editing but I’ll come back in an hour once I’m done.” You nod as he turns to leave, slumping back down on your desk with a tired exhale.

He was right. The moment you clicked onto that link, the hours spun by faster than you could count them and you’ve got nothing done at this point.

Prying open your laptop again, you resume back to the blank document.

***

Jin has assumed his words have knocked some sense into you as he makes his way back to your office.

What he doesn’t assume, is to see you sitting on the ledge of the broad window with a book in your hands.

“You’re reading…?” He wonders. Normally he wouldn’t even question it, but his eyes drift over to the blank document once again and something tells him there’s more to the story than he initially thought.

You look up surprised, as if you hadn’t expected his arrival. His eyes stray over to the title of the book in your hands, a groan leaving him.

“Oh god, not this again Y/N!”

“It’s to help me understand!” You try to reason, but Jin is short of a few words when you’re reading a bulky thick book called ‘The Philosophy Behind Romance’.

“How is this supposed to help you?” He points to the book and you defensively curl your arms around it.

“Hear me out for a minute!” You quickly place it in your hands and rapidly flip through the pages. “Romantic love is considered to be a relation higher than the metaphysical and stems from a desire that transcends the physical body.”

Jin frowns, “What does that even mean?”

“I have no idea. But!” You hastily intervene as Jin looks like he’s about to protest, “I think it can help me with creating the story.”

“I don’t think any of this is going to work.”

“What?” He walks over, taking the book out of your hands and straight up discarding it into your trash can. “HEY!”

“You’re starting to run out of fuel.” He states, noticing the way your expression sours. You know he’s right, but won’t admit it. “You need to get away from all this.”

He gestures to the book and the blank document you still have pulled up, reminding you of the ill circumstance you had yet to do something about.

A dreary sigh leaves your lips, brows knitted together, “I’m trying Jin, I really am.” You gesture to the same empty document, “It’s just so hard. I-....I don’t know what to do.”

Jin places a hand on your shoulder, nodding, “You’re out of your comfort zone and you’re having writer’s block. It’s understandable, but I don’t think research is what's going to help you this time.”

You pout at that, but then Jin swivels around and hands your coat to you.

“Why don’t you try going out for a walk? Clear out your mind and come back with some fresh inspiration?”

“That doesn’t sound too bad…” You reminisce. Tugging your arms through the sleeves, Jin smiles and opens the door for you, ushering you towards the stairs that descend down. You wave at him before disappearing, hoping to yourself that you can get something out of this to clear away the clouds brewing over your creative mind.

***

Glittering stars fill up the night sky, a bright crescent moon twinkling and illuminating the empty roads. Save for the sound of awake crickets and the faint honking of cars nearby, the sidewalk you trudge on is completely silent.

It offers a different scenery compared to your cramped office room, something you didn’t realize you would appreciate as much until it dawns on you that you’ve probably spent several hours in the midst of trying to figure out your story instead of actually writing it. After all, you have been posed with a solid issue and as time spins by, you begin to think that it’s more than doing some mere research could possibly resolve.

Tugging the hem of your coat closer to your red nose, your eyes glance around. You attempt to take some of Jin’s advice to heart, pondering if anything nearby can perhaps spark a flame of inspiration that you’ve been desperately lacking.

That’s when you see it.

Your brows furrow and you have to blink your eyes twice for it to make sense. Sheer curiosity traps you as you saunter over, tilting your head to the side and then to the opposite direction until you blink once more.

Strokes of black and blue envelope the delicate white background that peeks through, specks of gray and white blotted carefully where the lines meet. There’s a peculiar circular shape portrayed in the middle of it, messily splattered with a hue of dull yellow. It looks like something you’ve come across before, something that felt familiar, something that‒

Your eyes look up, the same image appearing right above you.

A frown mars your lips and when your vision focuses back on the piece, a head full of blonde hair sticks out from behind it.

You’re almost ready to unleash a scream, not quite expecting movement from the presumed stationary canvas. You hear a soft sound, seemingly sounding like a low mumble, before silence takes over again. Raising an eyebrow, you take a step forward.

It occurs to you that the canvas you had noticed was actually perched up against a wooden bench, and on that bench, is a person that’s sleeping.

You hesitantly peer at them, noticing that the stranger was in fact a man. He appears to be in the middle of a snooze fest, chest lightly rising in the midst of soft snores escaping him. His face is entirely covered with a black beret, strands of blonde hair peeking out.

There’s a list of questions in your mind, starting from why he was randomly lying down on the bench in the middle of the night to the painting that’s positioned next to his head. While the absurd scenarios explaining his situation run through your mind, his arm moves and you experience your second heart attack for the day.

The beret falls down onto his lap as he stretches his arms, a deep yawn passes by his lips. You remain frozen as he does so, having moved a couple inches away once it dawned on you how odd it would probably be if he found out you were staring.

He sleepily blinks his eyes, narrowing them at you. You’re about to explain yourself, but he instead asks you a question.

“What time is it?”

“Uh…” You scramble around for your phone, the screen lighting up, “11:34pm.”

He hums, getting up and dusting off his jeans. Grabbing the fallen beret, he pushes the strands of his blonde hair back into the hat, revealing strong eyebrows underneath. He pulls out an old camera, hanging it around his neck and letting it drop down onto the brown coat he wears.

His feline-like eyes glance at you in wonder, drastically different from his sleeping appearance on the bench. You let out an awkward cough, a light hue of pink spreading over your skin.

After a moment of silence, he speaks up.

“Do you like my painting?” You raise your brows and blink.

“Your painting?” He nods, a soft proud smile looping on his lips. You peer at the artwork in curiosity again. “You made this?”

He hums, observing it with you, “I waited for hours to paint it.”

He points to the sky and the image finally begins to piece together for you. The black and blue embodying the sky, the shimmering stars scattered all over and the radiant moon, painted so brightly in the centre of all of it.

“You waited out here to paint the sky?”

A drawn out sigh escapes him, “Yep. I’m kind of stuck in a rut, you see.” He gestures to the painting again with a somber look in his eyes, “I wanted to paint something different, but I didn’t have any ideas, so I came out here instead to get the experience.”

“Experience?”

He hums, “It’s a lot easier to experience the moment than having to imagine it in your head.”

“R-Right…” You whisper, still staring at his painting like you were stuck in the middle of a daze. You’re alarmed when he suddenly bends down and picks up the canvas with one arm, pivoting around to face you.

“I have to get going now. Spent too much time painting that I didn’t get enough sleep.” He warmly smiles at you, outstretching his hand, “It was nice meeting you.”

You take it confused and he gives you a small nod before leaving. You watch his back disappear, gaze averting to the large canvas tucked underneath his arm.

Spinning around to head back, you dwell on his words more than you would like.

Maybe this whole time your writer’s block was stemming from something else, something you truly didn’t realize was important until now.

Experience.

But how do you experience something that’s supposed to be completely natural? Something you’re utterly clueless about?

Letting out an exhale, it seems like there’s only one person who can give you clear answers.

***

You start off the next morning at a place you would never consider yourself to express interest in.

The art museum.

You recall hearing whispers and murmurs of a new art showcase going on, your curiosity only seeming to drag you there. The sudden spike in motivation causes Jin to question about your early departure, to which you retort that you’re drawing closer to grasping a solid idea for your story.

Heading in, the gallery is completely adorned in pieces of art. There’s various types ‒ paintings, sculptures, graphic design ‒ you name it. You don’t realize you’re standing in awe until a couple behind you urges you to keep moving, an action that strains a sheepish smile across your lips as you hurriedly scurry away.

You constantly glance around, observing each work you come across. One painting captures your attention, hues of pastel pink and mint green mixed together on the overlay of a figure carrying a smaller figure in their hands. Your lips set into a firm line as you draw closer, eyes tracing the outline.

“You won’t understand it better if you keep staring at it like that.”

You whirl around at the sound of the voice, not quite expecting to run right into the person you were searching for. The man smirks, wearing the same brown coat you saw him in last time.

“How would you interpret it then?”

He takes a step closer, narrowing his eyes in a way you did and you scoff at his mimicry.

“I think it’s a painting of a mother and a child. She’s embracing her child and rocking them to sleep.” He points to the outline, “The colors are supposed to represent a sense of joy and relief with having her child in her arms.”

You blink, managing to piece together everything he said perfectly. The figures do appear like a mother and child, and the colors only emphasize the warmth the outline portrays.

“Woah.” You whisper, probably having not realized all that unless someone told you, “How did you figure that out?”

He smiles, “I’m the one who painted it.”

“Oh.” A chuckle escapes him at your embarrassment and you sheepishly smile. Your eyes are drawn to the painting again, but this time you narrow down on the faint signature at the bottom.

“V?” You raise an eyebrow, “Is that your name?”

He softly shakes his head, “That’s just what I use for my art. My actual name is Kim Taehyung.”

You hum and he leans forward, eyes curious.

You automatically shift away, averting your eyes from his strong gaze. “What?”

“This is the part where you introduce yourself.”

“Oh, right.” You outstretch your hand, “Y/N L/N.”

“Nice to meet you, Y/N.” He shakes your hand and swivels around, tilting his head as a means for you to follow him, “Come on, I’ll show you around.”

You nod, hurriedly rushing behind him as he points out several pieces and their artists. You take occasional glances around at other pieces of artwork as well, one with a solemn blue background depicting a mountain catching your eyes instantly.

“That’s really pretty.” You point out, and Taehyung endearingly laughs, glancing at you peculiarly.

“I wonder if I should be flattered that you seem to like all my work.”

“Y-You painted that one too?”

“Yep, this gallery is pretty new so a lot of my work is in here.” He slightly turns his head, enough to see you behind him, “What about you? Got a real keen eye for art?”

“Not really…” You truthfully admit, “I just happened to be walking by and thought I check it out.”

He raises an eyebrow, “Are you sure about that?”

“What do you mean?”

He suddenly pauses, causing you to stop on your heels before you plummet right into him, “Are you sure you’re not stalking me since yesterday?”

Your eyes enlarge, “What?! No, of course not! I just came in here because I heard about the recent showcase and thought...uh...” A deep sigh leaves you from your horrible inability to lie properly, “Thought I might run into you…”

Taehyung pursues his lips, “Now that’s something I’m not sure if I should be creeped out or flattered by.”

“Please don’t be creeped out!” You raise up your hands in defence, opting to tell him the truth, “I’m just stuck in the middle of writing a book and then I saw you yesterday…you were talking about how experiencing something helps you with your art…”

His voice spikes up in awe, “You’re a writer?”

You nod, “Ah, so different cameras but similar lenses…”

“Huh?”

“Nothing, don’t worry about it.” He fully turns to face you, a huge grin on his lips, “I don’t know if I’ll be of much use, but I can help you out if you’d like.”

“Really?” Your eyes spark up, “Thank you so much, I-I can’t believe you would want to help me out…”

“You’ve seen me being stuck in a rut.” He smiles, “I know the feeling.”

You warmly return his smile, tempted to ask him more about his experiences in painting when a woman with a clipboard suddenly approaches the two of you.

She intervenes, “Mr. Kim, the gallery would like to confirm your next showcase.”

His eyes widen, “Ah, yes-” You watch as he shoves his hand into his coat pocket, hurriedly fishing around.

He yanks out a small card, handing it to you, “It has all my contact information on it, shoot me a message whenever you have the chance.”

You quickly take the card before he’s dragged away, sending him a nod in response. He grins, waving you farewell before turning and weaving through the crowds of people viewing the showcase.

Gyrating around, you think it’s best you head back as well, knowing that Jin will be suspicious of the length of your disappearance. As you exit the museum, you glance down, reading the contents of the card.

The background is an array of colours ‒ ranging from blues, greens, reds and even yellows that are splattered in a way that seems to form a tornado. His art name and phone number are in the corner, eerily reminiscent of the way he paints his pieces ‒ drawing you in with the outlays and colours before declaring himself.

The corner of your mouth quirks up.

***

You set out the next morning, the sun beginning to shine brighter as you head closer to your destination.

You find him by the river, an old camera hanging from his neck ‒ just like the first time you had found him by the bench.

A grin makes its way to his lips, his hand waving for you when you begin to draw closer.

“Have difficulty finding it?” He gestures to the river behind you.

You shake your head, keeping a pondering finger to your lips, “Not really, I’ve been here before. I usually go over there to see the book shops.”

You point over to the area you had last visited with Jin, reminiscing about finding your own books there.

Taehyung raises an eyebrow, “You’re a fan of reading other’s books?”

“Of course!” You nervously chuckle, “It’s always great to see what other writers do with their books as well!”

Taehyung stares at you for a moment, his gaze unwavering.

“You went to go see your own books?”

You sigh, squeezing your eyes, “I went to go see my own books.”

Taehyung lets out a low chuckle and you look down, biting your bottom lip.

“I’ll admit, it is a little odd‒”

“Not at all.” He shakes his head, “You found me at my own showcase, didn’t you?”

You blink, “Right…”

He shrugs, “It’s a thing for everyone who creates. You want to see how the public reacts to your art.”

You hum, a tad bit surprised by his straightforwardness. It’s an aspect that no creator would take into consideration first hand, but it’s an integral part of being one.

The public always warrants how art is received, after all.

Taehyung lifts his camera, adjusting his lenses before snapping a picture of the bookstore. You watch in confusion as he examines the picture.

“I’m surprised you like taking photos.” You innocently inquire, “Does it help you paint?”

Taehyung glances at you.

“You know the feeling of trying to stop time?”

Your brows knit together and he softly smiles, “When you take a picture, you capture a moment and stop time for a second. It isn't long, but it’s enough for a photograph.”

You watch as he slips his hand into his coat pocket, showcasing a small array of photographs. Images of the sun setting with mixes of bold orange and solemn blue are shown to you, another with a stream of ducks making ripples within the water. There’s ones of buildings and people too, but all of them are taken in angles that are captivating shots of laughter and shots of despair that could have easily been missed if the photograph had a lapse of time.

It almost reminds you of when you’re attempting to capture a particular scene in your mind as your fingertips glide on your keyboard, drawing in an atmosphere that has the reader’s senses all working.

The corner of Taehyung’s mouth curls, observing the gears in your head turning.

It only takes you a handful of seconds to notice, a bashful smile lining your lips.

“Writing is like that too, not exactly similar⎯” You retract immediately, “But trying to draw in the five senses around you and bringing it out into literature…”

You glance up at Taehyung, curious to see if you were making any sense at this point. He’s no longer facing you at this point. Instead his body is facing the river, eyes fluttering shut.

There’s a spark in your own, and you hurriedly continue.

“Like this river isn’t just the scene,” You point out, “it’s the sun shining down and reflecting on the surface near the moss. It’s the birds crossing alongside the path and the voices of people nearby echoing. It’s the faint breeze in the air and the smell of greenery.”

“It’s peaceful,” Taehyung hums in content, “and calming.”

A soft smile crosses your features, “That’s what writing is like for me, taking inspiration from the real world and capturing it all into words.”

His eyes open and you notice the knowing gaze he holds, as if everything that you’ve tried to explain is second nature to him.

“So what has you stuck?” He inquires.

A deep sigh escapes you, the acknowledgement occurring that he was actually here to help with your current predicament.

“A new genre.” You admit with a grimace, “I’ve written plenty of different ones before, but there were always ones I understood well and I had no problem with creating stories from them.”

You continue, “And even if it was hard, I’ve always been able to figure it out somehow, you know? If I didn’t know about something, I would research it. If I was confused, I look it up-”

You decide to stop yourself, knowing that those outlets hadn’t been much help at this point. “I’m just…really out of my element, and the worst part is that it’s exactly what the market wants right now.”

You cross your arms, a small pout landing on your lips. It’s not like that you haven’t been vocal about your frustrations, but more so that you’re just slumped, unable to conjure anything up onto that document with the slightest clue of where to even begin.

Taehyung ‒ who had been quietly observing you the entire time ‒ puts his camera down and places his finger on his chin.

“Sometimes when I struggle to paint something new, I procrastinate.” You arch up a brow, “Like bad procrastinate. My canvas starts to collect dust.”

A chuckle escapes you and he smiles, “But then I try to think why I’m procrastinating. Do I just not feel like painting? Or is it because of something else…?”

He stares at you intently, like he’s waiting for you to finish his sentence.

You ponder, “I guess…I’m scared in a way? Of not knowing what I’m doing.”

He hums, “When that happens, I like taking out my camera. Going around and taking pictures not only gives me experience, but also lets me experience my surroundings better.” He glances around until his eyes land on you, “Sometimes I can find inspiration. Sometimes I can find interesting individuals.”

Your eyes round and he turns, angling himself back a bit and taking a snapshot of the river. You peer over his shoulder and he moves closer to you so you can view the picture better.

It’s pretty ‒ he was able to get the forecast of the sun over the bank of the river perfectly, alongside the little daisies growing alongside the shore.

“Nice?” He wonders and you nod, face brightening, “Good. Now just don’t ask me to paint it, that’ll be scary for me.”

You laugh and he turns to walk down the bank of the river with a smile.

***

The next time you get an opportunity to meet Taehyung, there’s a whirlwind in the sky.

It’s been a couple of weeks since your first encounter with him at the art gallery, but regrets are thrown all over the place the moment the wind blasts through your hair. The chills run down your spine, pickling at your skin as you squeeze your eyes shut.

Jin tells you not to go, or at most, to re-schedule. But a part of you is incredibly stubborn, frustration running through you when you know you’ll just end up in the same place ‒ staring at that blank document for endless hours.

As you hug your body as much as you can, you strut down the bustling street and glance back and forth.

Taehyung thankfully appears within a couple of seconds, his silhouette emerging from across the street.

Your eyes round.

He wears the same brown coat he always wears, but this time there’s no beret on his head. Instead his blonde locks are pushed back by the wind, his strong brows furrowed and eyes closed as he tries to navigate himself against the vicious breeze.

You’re not sure if it's the cold nipping at your cheeks or the shiver running through you, but the way your cheeks burn is enough to notice.

He glances up, eyes locking with yours. A wide smile stretches up on his lips that nearly makes you falter.

“Y/N.”

His deep voice calls your name, concern crossing his features.

“Have you been waiting long?”

You shake your head, “I-I just got here.”

“That’s good.” He hums, glancing around. “Not exactly my ideal weather, if I do say.”

You laugh, “I’m surprised my ears haven’t managed to fall off yet.”

The corner of his mouth lifts and before you know it, he’s extending his arm forward. You glance at him surprised, but he nudges you and then gestures in the opposite direction.

“Come on.”

You slip your hand in, linking your arms together. Taehyung begins to walk forward, navigating you around the busy marketplace. Surveying around, there’s various stores lined up across the edge of the street, vendors alike having many displays for you to view.

There wasn’t anything in particular for you to buy, but Taehyung had suggested that it would be good for you to come out with him and explore the new area. It makes you wonder if he wanted you to get more experience going out since after all, you spent more of your time writing and being bit of a hermit.

You peer over at him, noticing his eyes occasionally flickering and observing all the stalls he went past. It was one thing you had learned about Taehyung quickly, that it didn’t matter where he was or what he was doing, he always had this way of taking in his surroundings carefully, like he was studying every aspect.

That’s when you hear a soft gasp escape him, his hand finding yours as he rushes forward. His feet then come to an abrupt halt and you nearly trip between your own two feet.

Regaining your balance, you peer over his shoulder and notice his eyes are sparkling. Before you have a chance to question any of it, your hand is being tugged again, the bell to the store’s door ringing above you.

Your most straightforward assumption at this point was that the store must have had something to do with painting, but you’re pleasantly surprised to find yourself surrounded with pieces of clay, all decorated with bold and bright colours on various shelves.

Ceramic Art.

You distinctly recall reading about it in a book once, but had never gotten the opportunity to see it up front and close.

A piece captures your eyes immediately, your brows drawing together.

“That’s a unique one.” Taehyung remarks, stepping to stand beside you.

Quirking an eyebrow, the question lingers in your mind.

“I didn’t know you did ceramic art as well.”

Taehyung chuckles, “I actually don’t.” He puts his hands within the pockets of his coat, “It isn’t my area of expertise, but I like seeing different forms of art. Ironically, I find the way of expressing it to be the exact same.”

You blink as Taehyung steps away, taking strides towards other surrounding pieces of art and inspecting them. You’re left staring as he gazes at a pot that’s been shaped similar to a moon, swirls of dark blue and yellow specks decorating the smooth ceramic.

You can’t help the smile that stretches across your lips.

“It looks just like something you would have painted.”

Taehyung frowns, before the corners of his mouth quirk up. “I didn’t even notice, I just thought it looked beautiful.”

“You definitely have a good eye for art.”

“It would appear so.” He lightly laughs, turning around to view more of the art.

A part of you curiously lingers, walking up to him.

You peer over, “Does this mean you see my writing as art too?”

“Of course.” His head snaps back, “Art’s all about expression, doesn’t matter what medium you choose.”

Your face lights up.

“However,” He brings up and your eyes widen, “Every artist is never the same. People always have different stories to tell and that’s completely okay. That’s what makes them all unique.”

A glimmer enters your eyes. After the endless frustrations with your recent book, his words do send you a sense of reassurance. It can sometimes be difficult to have someone else understand why you do things the way you do ‒ even you and Jin have had your fair share of arguments over various disagreements ‒ but it all pinpointed to seeing everything in a different perspective.

You grin, “I can understand that.”

His eyes soften, “I think it also means that some genres can be harder than others, but everyone can bring their unique take on them.”

Brows lifting, your gaze fixates on him. But he spins around, gesturing for you to come over and to observe more art with him.

You walk over with no hesitation.

***

The following time you find Taehyung, fall is still letting her leaves shed and he invites you over to his studio.

A part of you is beaming with excitement ‒ having only ever seen his artistic ways when he was attempting to paint the stars and you had coincidentally stumbled across him that night. But a part of you can’t shake away the jitters, jitters that you don’t want to spend time trying to understand, deciding to just push it all away as you set out for the day.

The wind is gustful, snipping at your nose and cheeks. Hues of warm orange and bright yellow litter the ground and top the trees, the sun hiding behind grey clouds that ever so let droplets of water release.

It’s scenery that grasps you within its clutches, glimmering your eyes with awe and leaving your mouth agape.

And it’s the same scenery that he seeks to capture.

You have the simple pleasure of watching as he draws lines of jade for the trees and splatters on specks of orange and yellow. He scrambles to paint the few individuals that walk past his vision, capturing their essence into carefully placed frames.

His art style lingers between mimicking the surroundings but somehow elevating it as well, drawing in the observer with his interesting use of colour and texture.

You can only seem to watch, lost in it as well.

Time flies from you as he adds the final touches to his piece and you finally notice the way his hands are completely stained, some paint having even made its way to his nose. His brushes have seen the light of day, piled next to him in a canister.

And in the midst of it, he looks upon his painting and grins. He turns to you for the first time since you’ve arrived, breaking the complete silence as he laughs with his deep tone.

“Well, that was a lot of fun.”

You can’t help but burst into laughter as well, completely astounded by the difference in his demeanour. Astounded how easily you saw both a painter in his element and a man in his twenties observing his surroundings within the same split second.

You end up helping him clean each of his used brushes, watching him walk down the street with you as paint still remains on his face and hands.

***

“Someone seems to be doing well for themselves.”

The retort breaks you out of your thoughts, your eyes snapping up.

“Huh?” There’s a book encased within your hands, one of the few titles you had referenced in writing your mystery story.

Jin laughs under his breath. He hasn’t been able to see much of you for a while, only just knowing that you had met a painter by the name of Taehyung and he was all you would talk about these days.

He tucks away a book in his own hands, “You were smiling so much that I assumed everything has been working out. Has Taehyung’s advice been that helpful?”

Your eyes twinkle, spinning around on your heels.

“It has been! He’s so much fun to talk to, and he’s got great insight, Jin.” Your smile widens, “Who knew seeing eye to eye with a painter would be so easy?”

Jin grins, “It’s definitely got you in high spirits, I can tell you that.”

“I need to introduce you to him, Jin. I think you’ll get along great!” You chirp, reaching down to open another box.

“Woah, woah,” Jin draws closer, halting you, “I’ll take care of that, you’ve got some writing to do, remember?”

A giant pout arises on your lips, “But I said I was going to help you.”

“And you will, by writing for your new book.” He points out, “Spending time with Taehyung should have sparked something, no?”

You hum defeatedly, knowing he had a point. You had spent so much of your time with him, it was only hopeful that his words would have incited some creativity to strike you.

Letting out a big sigh, you drag yourself back to your desk and open up your computer, the blank document is showcased once again to your eyes.

***

You want to pound your head against the table.

The good news is that your document is no longer left blank. There’s rough jot notes littered on it, some random junctions from the brainstorming you were doing on ideas for the story. You’re trying to indulge your unique perspective onto the story, concepts for certain scenes stemming from a cool night out in the stars, a riverside and a busy marketplace.

But it isn’t enough.

The bad news is that you, out of all people, know that ideas are just a base. You need to build up a coherent story from it, create characters, create dynamics. And you have none of those at this moment.

It’s like all the surface level information is just complete, not the heart of your story.

You contemplate on how to begin, eyes sweeping over the jot notes listed on your document countless times. You start pulling at anything in your mind, anything that could be linked to writing romance.

A deep exhale leaves your lips, shoulders slumping down. Your hand reaches out for your mouse, closing the document tab before going to the search bar, the urge to delve in and research the topic tempting you.

You know you had tried to take a different approach with this, tried not to linger too much on the various articles, but despite the unique types of experiences you’ve had in the last couple of weeks, there still isn’t an answer to the question in your mind.

How do people even start to fall in love?

You’re in the midst of searching the question, eyes already filtering through various articles ‒ when suddenly there's a flicker in your dim eyes.

Halting your racing fingertips against the keyboard, the mouse in your hands is abandoned.

You shoot up from your desk, yanking the door wide open and running outside.

***

Jin hums a soft tone in the serene silence, opening up a box to unload the books onto the table. He’s been set on organising the newer ones that had just come in, attempting to distract himself before he checks in on you and your progress with your writing.

The door comes bursting open.

The book slips through his fingers and a blood-curdling scream escapes his throat. He spins around, brows furrowed together.

You stand in a starfish stance at the door, eyes wild and breathing heavy.

“What happened?!” Jin questions, holding a frantic hand against his racing heart.

“You‒” You raise a shaking finger at him, still gasping for air. Jin wonders why you even decided to run so fast when he’s literally a couple of doors away. “You have a girlfriend.”

He blinks, sheer unamusement crossing his features, “Seriously? That shouldn’t be news to you!”

“I know!” You raise your hands in defence, “But I have some questions I want to ask you.”

He cranes his head to the side, “You’re going to interview me?”

“Kind of.” Jin doesn’t have time to react when you’re already reaching out for a chair, dragging it closer to him.

He sits down opposite to you with a groan, “At least tell me this is for the book.”

“Hold on.” You settle down, scrutinising him, “Do you love your girlfriend?”

A scoff escapes him, “Of course I do!”

“Good, now how did you fall in love?”

Jin blinks, surprised by the genuine question. You seem interested as well, eyeing him intently.

“We met back in college.” He softly smiles, his complexion tinting pink, “She was close to someone in my friend circle and I thought she was really cute.”

“Was it love at first sight?”

“Sort of.” Jin tilts his head, “She was kind, but I wanted to get to know her before anything so we became friends first.” He explains, “Eventually, I realised I liked her a lot and asked her out.”

You hum and Jin doesn’t even realize you’re writing something down, pen in hand as you scribble onto a piece of paper.

“I can’t believe you wanted to hear about my experience.” He remarks.

“Well, I don’t really understand the romance genre in general.” You mumble, still writing. “And Taehyung said that sometimes experiencing things can help with his art, so I thought talking to someone who has experience would help me.”

Jin quirks a brow, a scrutinising look brewing in his eyes. It catches you off guard when you finally look up, taken aback by him surveying you.

“What?”

He narrows his eyes, “What’s the deal with Taehyung?”

You stare at him wide-eyed. “Deal? What deal?”

“You know what I mean.” Leaning back in his chair, he crosses his arms. The suspicious look in his eyes doesn’t disappear. “Ever since you met him, there's been a lot of ‘Taehyung this’ and ‘Taehyung that’.”

You sigh, his words drawing out a conclusion from you.

“He’s not being distracting, Jin.” You firmly state, much to his surprise. It was always a rare occasion for you to be completely serious. “I’ve learned a lot from him, and he’s truly really fascinating and inspiring to be around.”

A soft smile spreads on your features, recalling all the fond times Taehyung was either teaching you about the way he viewed the world or the places he would take you to explore.

You’re so caught up in your own thoughts that you don’t realize that Jin is still staring at you, the suspicion only increasing further in his eyes.

Jin doesn’t beat around the bush this time.

“Do you like Taehyung?”

You nearly choke, reality bringing you back as the air leaves your lungs in an instant. Glancing up at Jin mortified, you wonder how he drew up that conclusion.

“W-What?! No!” A hue of pink scatters onto your cheeks and Jin quirks his head to the side, like he’s not impressed.

“Really?” He wonders out loud, “Since that museum trip of yours, your head seems to be up in the clouds and as someone knowledgeable in the romance department,” He flutters his fingers like he’s throwing sparkles at you, “I’m starting to think otherwise.”

“That’s crazy!” You retorted in defence, “I can’t like Taehyung!”

“You can’t?” He says playfully, “That’s far from don’t.”

You hurriedly get up, collecting the notes you’ve written. “I-I need to get back to writing.”

The corners of Jin’s lips lift, since this is the first time he hasn’t had to ask you himself to work on your book.

***

He’s just assuming.

You think, hurriedly slipping into your chair. Tapping on your computer, you wait for the pitch black screen to light up.

There was no possible way. Taehyung was simply just helping you with your writer’s slump.

Blinking your eyes a couple of times, you attempt to shake away the lingering thoughts and bring yourself back into focus for this novel.

Only for your eyes to land right on your lit screen, the search you had begun popping in front of your face.

The curiosity is drawn out from you, and before you know it, you begin to scroll.

Majority of them fall within the same bracket of the research you were attempting to do in the beginning process of this book, with links advertising love advice and even counselling. A new link to a kdrama even pops up, something you have to will yourself to ignore.

Until one article crosses your eyes, one that has you more curious than ever.

Having difficulty in finding out if you’ve fallen in love? Find out here!

You frown, hovering over it for a split second. But then you shake your head, reciting to yourself that it was for the sake of writing the novel.

The articles flashes before you, paragraphs of information presented that you proceed to skim through.

“Falling in love is compared with the feeling of euphoria…”

You mumble under your breath, moving past it.

“....There is a semblance of love and trust…”

An idea for a climax ‒ you note ‒ that would tie in nicely with the finale of a romance book.

“...Rifts are commonly experienced…”

You have to create conflict somehow, maybe a difference in opinions.

“Usually the act of falling in love progresses within five steps𑁋“

Your nose crinkles, the corner of your lips twitching.

“There’s steps?” You mutter, body abruptly freezing. Drawing closer to your screen, your eyes slowly drift over the words.

“Stages are reached, each increasing with the notion of being in love. They are known as,”

Attraction.

Curiosity.

Attachment.

Denial.

Acceptance.

It’s a list.

Your genre can follow a list?

Tossingthe thought into the back of your mind, you eagerly continue, curiosity running haywire at this point.

“Attraction is the initial stage, symbolising the origin of interest and can be considered on physical guidelines.”

“Curiosity follows as second, with interest in the person only increasing as time passes by.”

“Attachment signifies the creation of a bond, the mind filled with new thoughts and changes.”

“Denial is the hesitance, acting against any forms of acceptance.”

“Acceptance. Welcoming the thought that you have fallen in love.”

Your mouth twists, each stage sounding more vague and philosophical as the one that came before it. The thought of digging out your ‘The Philosophy Behind Romance’ book from where it was discarded suddenly occurs, until you find yourself re-reading the stages a couple of times over again.

As you lean back into your chair, there’s a glint in your eyes.

Your biggest mistake was assuming you had the willpower to wave off the lingering thoughts, because they come pouring right back in before you can stop them.

If by any chance, he was right𑁋

The stages would have to be followed….

Right?

You cross your arms, skimming through the contents once again.

Attraction.

Did you find Taehyung attractive?

You recall first finding him underneath the glittering moonlight, his sleeping form residing on the bench and his artwork displayed just inches away from him. You can remember him stirring, his feline like eyes holding a strong gaze that almost made you lose your breath.

It’s the same gaze he holds while he’s painting, you pinpoint, a small smile tugging at the corner of your lips.

You abruptly blink, shaking your head.

Curiosity.

To say you didn’t find Taehyung interesting, would have been a huge understatement.

He was different from you, but not in a way that you couldn’t understand. Instead, you found yourself a lot more alike than you had expected, his artistic lens meeting yours.

Attachment.

What even is that?

You can’t help but ponder, thinking at the most you were attached to your writing and books, having an avid imagination since you were young and always finding your footsteps gravitating towards the library. You would find yourself absolutely consumed with the different worlds, eventually leading you towards a career within it.

It was a bond in a way ‒ one that you would always have.

Your lips pursue, a hardened expression taking over.

Was it possible to have the same feeling with another person?

You let out a long sigh, eyes flickering over to the next stage.

Denial.

You freeze.

The hesitance, acting against any forms of acceptance.

The thought snaps into your head unannounced and soon you’re scrambling, attempting to get back to working on your book.

A low chuckle leaves you, tinged with nervousness.

“There’s no possible way…”

***

You stand awkwardly in front of the door, swaying between your two feet.

The home before you is small, looking only to being one-story high and consisting of old granite. There’s an exceptional amount of greenery near it, with a small garden at the side where you can notice subtle cherry tomatoes growing.

There was no telling how you could have best reacted when Taehyung had suddenly messaged you, asking if you would like to come over. You had accepted as always, but you didn’t realize what that exactly entailed until you were standing a mere couple of footsteps away from his door.

Looking down, you groan, wishing Jin had never said anything to you.

The sound of a lock turning has you abruptly on guard, the door yanking open before you can even collect yourself.

And it seems like Taehyung doesn’t give you that opportunity either.

He’s dressed in a casual tee and sweatpants, blonde hair falling to his eyes and a bit ruffled. It’s a stark contrast to constantly seeing him in his brown coat and beret, a casualness that feels too utterly unfamiliar for you.

“Hi.” He says in a low voice, greeting you with a warm smile.

For a moment, you could feel time stopping ‒ one simple thought occurring to you.

He really is beautiful.

Taehyung seems to notice your daze, brows furrowing for a moment.

“Y/N?”

“Uh, hi!” You squeak, probably too many octaves too high.

“Is everything okay?” He ponders and you aggressively shake your head, to which Taehyung stares at you peculiarly for, but ultimately decides to take your word for it.

“Come in.” He steps back in and leaves the door open for you, gesturing to you to follow. You carefully step forward, getting welcomed to the humble abode he calls his home.

The inside is spacious and ornate, the walls being painted with striking colours and light decorations littering the area. The interior seems to match the exterior in a way, appearing rustic but unique at the same time.

It’s cozy. And comforting.

“I apologize for it being messy.” Taehyung states from behind you, quickly picking up a couple of art books on the ground and moving them into a nearby shelf. “My two roommates left to go out of town, and I’ve been here by myself.”

“That’s okay.” You say right away, only to realize that also meant the two of you were alone in here.

He seems to read your mind as well, quickly continuing, “I brought you here for a reason, though I’m not too sure how you’ll take to it.”

You glance at him confused and he walks past you, heading towards one of the doors in the hallway.

Following behind him, he turns to face you. “You saw what my recent art pieces were like at the showcase, but I wanted to do something different for my next pieces. Something more abstract," He explains, eyes lighting up, “and something that’s a bit more fun.”

He opens the door and your mouth falls agape. Because before you is a completely empty room and in the center of it stands a giant blank canvas.

“What…?” You whisper in awe, walking towards it. Taehyung leans against the door frame, a huge grin on his face as he watches you.

You turn, “What is this?”

“I know you’ve been struggling with your novel,” He confesses, “and I thought we could paint this together. Give your creative mind a nice break.”

You’re still in disbelief and he struts up next to you, a playful tone in his voice you’ve never heard before. “Of course, I’ll give you credit for being part of my piece.”

A laugh escapes you, shaking your head at his antics.

Your eyes connect with his.

“Let’s do this.”

***

A wave of light orange splatters diagonally onto the white of the canvas.

You glance at it surprised, the bucket of paint still in your hands.

Taehyung chuckles, amused with your aim. “Not bad, Y/N.”

You smile, putting it down as Taehyung grabs a bright green one, putting all his force into it.

It splatters in the opposite direction, almost creating an ‘X’ shape.

He whistles at the sight and you dash over to the other buckets, kneeling down for another colour. Taehyung had luckily lent you his clothes for the occasion so as to not ruin your own, but as a result the clothes you adorned were a bit bigger in size, hanging off your frame.

You pick up a white in curiosity and Taehyung fondly watches as you quirk your head side to side, ultimately deciding to just go with it.

Chucking the colour against the canvas, the white creates a splatter right in the center. Taehyung hurriedly rushes over to you, a can of smaller paints in his hands with different colours. You chuckle at his eagerness and the way his hands are already stained with colour.

“Keep going,” He encourages, eyes brighter than you have ever seen, “It looks incredible.”

You nod enthusiastically, taking the smaller ones and splattering them across. They come out this time as blots and lines, giving more dimension to the base you and Taehyung first made.

After having used all your energy in attempting to add in more depth with the shapes and colours, Taehyung continues, following your streaks instead of disrupting them. He’s always had an exceptional visual eye, understanding perfectly on where to pick up where you left off, and it’s definitely another one of things you’ve adored about him.

Taehyung’s eyes are wide, a childish glint in them that you’re so happy to have been able to witness. But you don't know that it matches the same glint residing in your own eyes, mischievousness running through every fibre of your body when you pick up a small bucket of blue.

He turns and before he has the chance to say anything to you, a hue of azure blue covers half of his face.

He blinks in shock for a moment, hand coming up to swipe and realize that there was indeed paint on his face. However, his eyes flicker up to connect with yours and all he can see is you grinning from ear to ear.

It doesn’t take long for him to pick up a red that lands all over the front of your shirt and side of your ear.

From there, it’s like a chord’s snapped.

Colours are flying back and forth, from high to low volumes, and in the midst of all this, yours and Taehyung’s voice are running loud, laughs and giggles echoing around the room. As if two children are playing together rather than two adults simply trying to paint.

Taehyung matches your energy so well, attempting to create even more chaos when there’s orange landing directly on your hair after you skillfully managed to get a splatter of purple on his. It’s when the paint shoots out from your hair onto the canvas that an idea occurs to him, his blue covered hand slipping onto yours.

“Wait, Y/N!”

You freeze, staring at him puzzled. He takes your hand, leading you into the front of the canvas before backing away, gazing at you with intent.

The look in his eyes makes you fidget a bit, wishing he would hurriedly tell you what was on his mind.

He raises a hand, halting you in place. “Stay there. Just like that.”

To your surprise, he picks up a large volume of purple, standing right before you.

“Close your eyes, Y/N. Put your hands over them.”

His stance finally alerts you to his intentions, eyes squeezing shut and hands reaching over when you feel a wave of cold paint splash all over you. You wait for a moment as it all drips down, collecting into a pool of purple right below your feet.

Taehyung takes your hand, leading you away from the canvas and next to him as you blink, the piece of art showcasing itself to you.

There’s colours. Everywhere. All appearing between a mixture of random to extremely skillful. All coming from you and Taehyung. And right in the middle of the mix is you.

Your silhouette perfectly lined with a gorgeous shade of purple.

“It’s beautiful.” Taehyung breathes.

You are suddenly very glad there’s paint all over your face, unsure if you would be able to hide the burning expression over your features.

However, the burn abruptly increases, a stinging sensation coming from your face that wells tears.

“Ah.” You wince, rolling into yourself as your hand hovers over your eyes.

“Y/N!” Taehyung’s hands are cupping your face before you can say anything. “Y/N, look at me.”

You obey his instructions, facing him but keeping your eyes squeezed shut. His thumb pads hurriedly brush out the paint that has managed to drip near your eyes.

“Is it gone?” You urgently ask, a tear rolling down your cheek.

“Give me one second.” Taehyung whispers, his hands disappearing for a moment before a cool cloth is pressed against your eyes.

You let out a sigh of relief and the cloth is promptly discarded, your eyes fluttering open.

A part of you wishes you kept them closed.

Taehyung’s face is just inches away from yours, and you can feel the low breaths he lets out.

It’s a fact he seems to realize in that instance himself as well, and there’s a silence that cuts through the air as you continue to stare into each other’s eyes.

Your heart pounds frantically within your chest. After what feels like an eternity, Taehyung moves first, attempting to close the gap but keeping his eyes trained on you. You don’t move for a second, kept frozen beneath his entire presence being so close to you.

It’s when his lips are hovering just above yours, you break the comforting silence.

“W-Where’s your shower?” You look away, grimacing at how broken your voice sounds.

Taehyung doesn’t respond at first, a flash of hurt crossing his features that you don’t see. But it quickly disappears and he clears his throat, separating from you.

“The first door on your left.”

“Thank you.” You quietly say, turning around immediately.

You stalk up to the door, halting when your hand meets the knob. Glancing back at Taehyung, he’s standing with his hands in his pockets, staring at the artwork you’ve just made together with a somber look in his eyes.

Your body stiffens and he glances back in your direction, a small smile on his lips that doesn’t seem to meet his eyes.

Turning to leave, it’s difficult to ignore the way your chest tightens.

***

Your shower was supposed to only be fifteen minutes, but it ends up feeling like a century.

The intent should be to get the copious amounts of paint out of your hair and skin, but as the steam clouds the air and the water drips down from your forehead onto the ground, your head remains planted against the shower wall, eyes squeezed shut.

It doesn’t help that there’s still a faint pool of purple swirling around your feet.

Stepping out of the shower, you open the door and peek outside, only to find your clothes folded on a small chair that’s been positioned right before the bathroom. Sheepishly reaching out, you discard the clothing Taehyung had given you and put your own back on.

You bump into Taehyung within seconds of exiting.

“Y/N.” His eyes meet with yours and you halt your steps. There’s unease brimming in his, but it’s something he doesn’t try to bring up.

“You’re leaving?” He ponders and you shake your head, completely confused on what to even say.

“Taehyung…” You begin, “I‒”

He raises his hand up, “Don’t worry about it. It’s okay.”

It’s hard to not let the guilt show up on your face, but Taehyung leads you to the front door, opening it up for you.

“You helped me with creating a great piece of art.” He says optimistically, “Thank you, Y/N.”

“O-Of course.” You mumble, casting your head down.

Before you can step out, his hand finds your wrist.

“I’m sorry, Y/N.” He whispers, “And I wish you the best of luck with your book. If it’s you, I think it’s sure to come out amazing.”

His words always have a way of giving you a sense of comfort, your frustrations and conflicts with yourself melting away.

But you don’t expect what he says next, “If you ever need anything, anything at all,” The gaze in his eyes leaves you forgetting how to breathe, “I’m always here.”

It’s not until he lets go of you that you remember your intent to leave, slipping away slowly as he closes the door.

***

Jin doesn’t understand why you’re so intent on giving him a heart attack.

The door slams open and you suddenly emerge. But Jin doesn’t have time to retaliate about you freaking him out constantly or that you’ve been out all day and that you need to be making more progress with your book.

Instead, it looks like a piece of your soul’s been crushed.

“Y/N?” He loudly ponders, simply left just staring at you as you hurriedly kick your boots off.

“Jin!” You exclaim, seemingly breathless.

“Did you run here or something?” He asks, a tinge of concern in his words. You simply hand him your coat, heading into your room.

“Where’s my computer?” You question, glancing at him wildly. He’s taken back a bit, but he answers your question.

“There was an electrical issue that needed to be fixed so I temporarily moved it.” He points down the hall, “It’s in the spare room with all the hard copies.”

“Good.” You exhale, dashing over.

“Wait, Y/N‒” He isn’t able to get a word in, the door closing with a loud thud.

There’s a plethora of questions at the tip of his tongue, ranging from why it took you so long to what could have possibly happened, but Jin isn’t able to ponder for long when he suddenly hears the frantic typing of your keyboard.

***

Twenty-four hours.

Jin crosses his arms, standing in front of the room that you have yet to emerge from since the past twenty-four hours. He didn’t say much after you had barged in yesterday and confined yourself inside, simply locking up for the day and leaving some takeout on the table outside in case you got hungry.

And that was all due to the look in your eyes.

It’s a look he’s seen before, on days where you’ve been engrossed in your writing, too occupied with your own racing mind to halt your actions. However, this time he notices a sense of urgency that wasn’t there before.

Which is why when you do finally emerge, he can’t believe what you’re waving in front of his eyes.

“Here you go.” You say, handing him the USB in your hands, “It’s all done, the entire novel.”

“Y/N.” He says astonished, staring at you in pure awe, “How did you manage to write it all?”

You laugh at that and Jin is a little unnerved, wondering how on earth you didn’t look crazy after staying in that one room for so long and just simply typing.

“I think I’ll always be a hermit to some degree.” You toss your coat over your shoulders, reaching down for your shoes.

“Where are you going?” He questions, watching as you finish putting on your boots.

You smile, “I have to go find someone.”

Jin’s eyes widen and without saying another word, you turn to head towards the door.

He scoffs underneath his breath once you leave.

“I knew it.”

***

Taehyung isn’t picking up your calls.

You hurriedly dial the number again on your phone, hearing the familiar ringing over and over until you’re sent to voicemail.

Once the other end beeps, you mumble underneath your breath.

“Taehyung, call me please.”

After leaving the message, you slide your phone into your coat pocket, glancing at the destination you hurried towards.

The home is still there, appearing exactly how you had just left it two days ago.

You frantically knock against the door.

Surely it opens, but to reveal someone else entirely.

“Oh.” You mutter, your expression of relief morphing into awkward surprise. The man standing before you looks equally confused, surveying your face.

“You are…?” He squints, like he’s attempting to place a name to your face.

You answer right away, “I’m Y/N.”

“Y/N?” He repeats, eyes sparkling. “Really? Wow, it’s so nice to finally meet you.”

A nervous laugh escapes you, “And you are…?”

“Oh, sorry.” He sheepishly smiles, reaching out his hand. “My name is Jimin, I’m one of Taehyung’s roommates.”

You nod in recognition, “Are you looking for Taehyung?”

“Yes!” You suddenly exclaim, “Do you know where he is?”

“I just got back in last night.” He says with a grimace, “But Taehyung wasn’t here, the last I heard he was preparing for his next showcase.”

Your eyes widen.

“Thank you, Jimin! I’ll be on my way now!” He waves you goodbye and you spin on your heels, knowing exactly where you needed to be.

***

The art museum looks exactly the same, pieces on for display and spectators walking from room to room, inspecting each one.

However, each exhibit represents a multitude of different artists, none consisting of the one you’re searching for.

“Excuse me.”

You poke a lady that’s wearing a gallery uniform, expectantly looking at her.

“Where is Taehyung’s‒” You bite your tongue, “Sorry, V’s exhibit?”

“Ah, I’m afraid we’re in the midst of clearing up for his next one.” She says with remorse, “There are some of his pieces still left over there if you’d like to view them.”

“I see…” Your shoulders slump in defeat, but you do thank her for helping you out. Heading towards the direction she pointed out, you find the paintings from the last time you had visited the museum.

The corners of your lips curl up. You recall being here, attempting to find the peculiar man after seeing him underneath the starry sky without knowing much about how close you would grow to be.

You come across the same painting, remembering how easily his ability to capture expansive sceneries was. But that’s when you see one of his new pieces, a soft gasp escaping you.

It’s the painting you created together, fully displayed in all its glory.

But it’s not the only one.

There’s a set of three different canvases, all with artworks of you.

One of them is the same painting of the night sky you saw before, but the sky is painted with a deep purple now, the same colour that was outlined with your silhouette. The moon is completely full, stars scattered around that are brighter with a hue of white. You don’t fall to notice that there’s also a bench added at the bottom.

Another one of them is a splatter of photographs, photographs you didn’t even know he took of you. There’s images from the river side, pictures coming from the marketplace, and in all of them he’s managed to capture the spark in your eyes.

The last one has you frozen.

It’s a portrait, but not just a portrait of you.

It’s a portrait of you reading.

The image is uncanny, the light hitting your side profile at a lovely angle, the book in your hands being carefully held, the excitement in your eyes even brighter than the photographs.

Your brows furrow, wondering when Taehyung could have gotten such an image of you. But then you realize he doesn’t ‒ that he’s created the image through himself.

That’s when your eyes have the instant to flicker down, breath hitching once you discover what he’s named all three pieces.

My Muse.

By Kim ‘V’ Taehyung.

Everything stops, and all you’re left being able to do is to simply stare.

“I’m assuming I can’t keep this a surprise anymore.”

You whirl around at the speed of light, recognizing that deep tone from anywhere.

Taehyung stands before you, a soft smile on his lips.

“It’s incredible.” You whisper, “How did you…?”

“I was working on it for a while.” He steps next to you, pointing to the first, “That one was made a few nights after I met you.” He points to the second, “That one was after we had spent time together.” He points to the last, “And that one I made last night, after finishing reading one of your books.”

You stare at the portrait, observing that the book that you’re reading is indeed one of your own.

He read the one where a man turns into a fish.

“You read it?” Disbelief is laced in your voice, mixed with an odd sense of pride.

“Of course, I’ve been wanting to read one of your books since I met you.” He explains, scratching the back of his head. “You saw my art, but I never got a chance to see yours.”

You’re simply at a loss of words. You ‒ the person that had a remark for anything and was able to write countless words at bullet speed, had no more to say.

Taehyung stares at the ground, chewing down on his bottom lip.

“Has your novel writing been going okay?” He blurts, attempting to draw the attention away from his art.

That snaps you out of it. “Uh yeah, I actually finished it.”

“You did?” His head snaps up in astonishment, “Congrats.”

You warmly smile, “Thanks.”

After a moment of silence, he clears his throat, “Listen Y/N, I’m really sorry for not expressing it sooner.” He gestures to his art pieces, “I’m not the best with explaining my feelings, so it's easier for me to integrate it somehow into my‒”

You cut him off mid-sentence, your lips meeting his. The surprise spreads over his face instantaneously, but it doesn’t take Taehyung long to reciprocate, moving his lips against yours.

You separate from him and he blinks, as if caught up in a daze.

“You never asked me what my book was about.” You breathe out.

His brows furrow, “What was it about?”

You grin mischievously, “It’s about a writer and a painter falling in love.”

Taehyung seems to be at a loss for words now, gazing at you in pure surprise.

“Really?” He asks, and you cheerfully nod.

“Yup.” You find his hands, interlacing them with yours.

“I’m really sorry.” Remorse enters your eyes. “Romance has truthfully, never really been my genre.”

Taehyung lets out a low chuckle, shaking his head. “It’s okay. Maybe we can see if that changes.”

There’s a giant smile on your lips that he matches with his own.

Tightening his warm hold on your hand, the pair of you walk away together from the exhibit.

You laugh to yourself.

Maybe romance as a genre wasn’t so bad after all.

#castlebangtan #bangtanscenery #ficswithluv #taehyung fanfic #taehyung fluff #kim taehyung fanfic #bts v fanfic #bts taehyung fanfic #kim taehyung #bts taehyung #bts taehyung painter au #bts painter au #bts writer au #bts v #taehyung x reader #bts fanfic #bts fluff #bts imagines #bts scenarios

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booksandcupsofcoffee · 1 month

Text

"Anne of Green Gables" || Book Review

written by L. M. Montgomery published in 1908

★★★★★ / 5 Stars ★

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Were you looking for the perfect spring and summer read? 🌼🍓 Well, I've got you covered!

BOOK DETAILS: 🌷

Title: Anne of Green Gables

Author: Lucy Maud Montgomery

Date published: 1908

Recommend age: 10+

Notes: This book may be a little hard to read alone (it's an "old" book, so the vocabulary might not be understood entirely) for young readers, but it's still enjoyable and relatable!

Today's book is “Anne of Green Gables” an enchanting novel written by Lucy Maud Montgomery.

This novel tells tells the story of Anne Shirley, a young orphan sent to two siblings… who wanted to adopt a boy in the first place, so he could help at the farm! 🌿

But Anne is as lovely as she is imaginative, and though she is also a liiittle bit dramatic, Marilla and Matthew grow fond of her very quickly, and soon, the mistake made is forgotten!

Anne discovers a new life in Green Gables, and, moreover, and happy to finally have found (or been found by?) a family for the first time.

The book goes through Anne's life at Green Gables, following her during her first day of school to all of her adventures in the woods, with her new friend.

It really is a lovely story, filled with joy, life and innocence, and I can assure you that I laughed more than once while reading Anne's comments! 🤭

This was my first time reading L. M. Montgomery, and I have to admit that, at first, I feared that this book would not have aged well, with the main character being a little girl from the 20th century… but oh, was I wrong!

Have you read this book too? Or maybe you've watched the Netflix series? 👒

Tell me what you thought in the comments!

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Find more there:

Instagram post right here!

Follow me on Instagram to get these posts in advance!

Follow @booksandcupsofcoffee for more book reviews!

You can also find my main account @ilonar0 for illustrations, and this one @ilonas-diaries for studies and daily life! 𐙚

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ariel-seagull-wings · 5 months

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THE HEART’S DOOR

@themousefromfantasyland @tamisdava2 @adarkrainbow @amalthea9 @princesssarisa @softlytowardthesun @grimoireoffolkloreandfairytales @the-blue-fairie @sabugabr @angelixgutz @shelleythesapphic @professorlehnsherr-almashy

(A Finnish Fairy Tale, also known as Severi and Vappu, a retelling by Gypsy Thornton and illustrations by Nilesh Mistry for DK The Illustrated Book of Fairy Tales by Neil Philip)

Once there was a boy named Severi who announced one spring morning that it was high time he had adventures and seek his fortune.

“What are you seeking?” people asked.

”I do not know yet,” Severi replied, “But when I find it, I’ll know then,’ he said, and waved goodbye.

He walked over bright meadows and through dark woods, sailed over great seas and survived ocean storms. He climbed up a great black cliff and down a long stone stairway, until eventually, at what he thought must be the very heart of the earth itself, he found a golden door.

He lifted his hand to knock and it swung open for him, so he stepped through. Inside was a magical world of green hills with fragrant flowers and shiny plumed songbirds sang among lush trees, all laden with golden fruit. In the distance, turrets of a copper castle rose into the air, shining like red gold in the sunlight. Immediately Severi set out straight toward it. There he met a strange old man with glittering white hair and very young cheeks, who asked him who he was and where he was going.

“My name is Severi,” he replied, and told him of his journey so far. “And now I am here. I do not know yet where I am going to, but when I get there, I’ll know then.”

“Ka!” said the white-haired man, “Since you’ve come such a long way, why don’t you stay here with me awhile? I live in the copper castle, just beyond.”

So Severi went with the old man to live in the copper castle. When he’d been given all the good food he could eat, the old man held up a heavy ring full of keys. “Here are the keys to the castle: twenty four keys for twenty four rooms. Feel free to go into any, except for the last

. If you open that twenty-fourth door, you do so at your own risk. I am not to blame for whatever may happen.”

“I understand,” said Severi, accepting the keys, but already he was quite curious.

Before long the old man set out on a journey that would take him far away and the instant Severi was alone, he began to explore.

Each door held a room of wonders, the next even better than the last: one seemed on fire, it dazzled with so much copper, while the next glittered with so much gold it hurt his eyes. Another was all ebony, another, blue sapphires, yet with each door he grew sadder and sadder until he stopped in the middle of the twenty-third room, too sad, even, to touch anything.

“Now I have seen it all. My adventures are over and done. I might as well just go back to my tupa.” He sighed, lay down right where he was, and fell asleep.

When he awoke he found the key to the twenty-fourth door clasped in his hand.

“The old man said I could enter at my own risk, “ he thought, turning it over curiously. “I will open it and find out what happens,” and he bravely turned the key in the twenty-fourth lock, then pushed open the heavy door.

Inside, sitting on a very high throne, was the loveliest girl in all the world.

“Who are you?” asked Severi.

“My name is Vappu ,” said the girl. “I’ve been waiting for you a very long time.” Severi held out his hand and she put hers in his then climbed down to him.

The golden days that followed were like a dream as the two lived together in the copper castle. For a whole month, they sat by the silver stream and feasted on golden fruit with not a care in the world. One day Vappu led Severi into a deep orchard. Cool winds caressed the trees and their faces and at the center blossomed the Tree of Life. They sat beneath it, ate its fruit and drank from the sparkling brook nearby. Completely content, Severi fell into a deep sleep under the Tree. When he awoke, Vappu was gone.

“Vappu!” he called. “Vappu! Vappu!” and his calling turned to cries and his cries turned to tears, for she was nowhere within and nowhere without.

When the old man returned home he found Severi in deep misery.

“Please help me find her”, Severi begged. “I cannot live without her.”

The old man chuckled. “That’s the way it always happens when you do what you should have left undone. I warned you about that twenty-fourth door,” he said.

“I am a grown man,” Severi replied. “I make my own choices

. And you did not tell me I must not enter, only that to do so, would be my own risk. ”

“That is fair,” the old man said, gently. “But have your choices made you wiser?”

“My sorrow has made me older – but yes, wiser too. Please help me find my Vappu - that is all I ask.”

The old man muttered some words of magic

and there stood Vappu, radiant as a sunbeam.

“Did you miss me Severi?” she asked.

“All my happiness disappeared with you!” Severi said to her. “Please, never leave me again.”

“I will promise,” said Vappu, “But on one condition: you must hide from me where I cannot find you. Then, and then only, will I always be with you. You have three chances.”

Severi did not understand what she meant, but the old man whispered a magic charm in his ear and promised he would help.

Severi did not want to hide but knew he must try if he wanted to win her, so the first day he snuck away over the hills and whispered his charm to a rabbit running by. It stopped, let him hide inside its thumping heart then ran on, even faster than before. But Vappu quickly tracked him down.

“You are not very good at hide-and-seek

Severi,” she said. “Try again.”

The next day Severi stole away into the dark heart of the forest and whispered his charm to a bear ferociously guarding its den. It stopped, let him hide inside its warm heart then growled, more ferociously than ever before. But Vappu still, somehow, tracked him down.

“I have found you Severi! You cannot hide from me. You have one last try.”

Sadly, Severi walked back to the castle. He could not think how to hide from clever Vappu.

The next day, at a hint and a wink from the old man, Severi finally decided to hide in Vappu’s own heart. He drew close to her and softly whispered his charm:

“Three times I knock at your door, dear heart,

Let me in, heart’s jewel, let me in!”

And he vanished right before Vappu’s eyes.

Try as she might, Vappu could not find him anywhere. When she had looked and looked and looked some more, Severi called to her:

“Can you not find me, Golden One?”

“I cannot - where are you?” asked Vappu.

“Here in your heart,” answered Severi.

“Who led you here?”

“You, Vappu. You led me here.”

“Then my heart is yours,” said Vappu.

Severi came out of his hiding place and she held him as close as he held her.

“And now,” said Severi, “I’ve found you.”

And they lived in peace, ever after, in their copper castle, beside the silver stream, beneath the golden trees.

#finnish #finland #folklore #folktales #fairy tales #fantasy #literature

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tamarackbaumann · 1 year

Text

Descriptions under cut!

Francis Tate Moore:

A shy, timid, insecure boy who falls for Qiu upon first sight and thinks that he is so cool. Though he doesn't think he's good enough for him or worthy of his attention, especially considering how popular he is and how everyone wants Qiu's attention. Why would Qiu give him more attention than anyone else? He didn't even know him. But he can't help but be a tad possessive of their time together and want Qiu's attention only on him. This boy keeps his thoughts and opinions to himself and doesn't want to be a bother or a burden.

Mai Hong Lee:

Mai Hong is anxiety incarnate; they worry over everything and anything. They just want to make a good first impression bc they’ve never had close friends, but more often than not they overthink on what to say and end up missing their chance or talk themselves out of things. Tamarack and Qiu’s insistent and unwavering personalities absolutely obliterate this wall tho.

I made Mai spring themed to emphasize how out of place they are in the autumn setting of Golden Grove. In Vietnamese, “Mai” is means “plum blossom” (to reference the plum color hair they share with their mom) and “Hồng” means “pink/rosy” (to reference their eyes and plum blossoms).

Since Mai is Vietnamese, they call their mom “Mẹ” (pronounced “meh”).

When Mai first met Qiu, they thought they were going to get arrested for trespassing on his backyard. And when they first met Tamarack, they screamed so loudly when she popped out of the leaf pile that Qiu also yelled (mostly bc he was surprised how loud they could scream).

Mai tends to be a literal thinker and quite reasonable for her age. It tends to make her a bit of a wet blanket though (another reason she’s never been popular), so she keeps quiet about how she feels. But she’s also very observant and considerate with a good memory, so she does very well in schoolwork.

On school their first day of new school, when Mrs. Murray called them for roll call, they froze up trying to decide how they should say hello. When Qiu and Tamarack both very publicly spoke up for them, they were frozen again from mortification and embarrassment, but also from being so moved they’d defend her like that.

To help calm her anxiety, Mai’s mom has taught her to describe the things around her in deep detail. Bc of this they’re really good at describing and explaining things to people.

Mai likes to draw, it’s very meditative for them! When they grow up, they would probably become a scientific illustrator, mostly drawing plants.

Mai’s bandaid on their nose from from an incident from her last school! There was a girl who would go out of her way to hang out with Mai, but also talk down to her and make Mai do everything for her. She was like Mai’s personal bully, but also her only friend so they never spoke up or retaliated against her. On Mai’s last day at school, the girl had sneaked a pair of adult scissors from the teacher’s desk to use for a craft the class was doing. The girl and another student got into a fight about her using the scissors, and the girl yanked away the scissors to keep the other student from taking them. Mai, who was standing quietly behind the girl trying to decide what to do, was slashed across the nose on accident. It was a small but deep cut, and Mai started bleeding very quickly. Both of their parents were called down, and Mai thought about how she should probably feel good now that this girl has gotten in big trouble for hurting them. But when the girl’s mother arrived, Mai saw her mom fly into a rage and yell and berate her heavily, and they just couldn’t feel anything but sad for her. The girl said sorry to her and Mai said it was okay, and that was the last time she ever saw or talked to her.

#our life now and forever #our life now & forever #ol:nf #our life: now & forever #ol2 mc fights #ol2

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sebsxphia · 2 months

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Seb if we're gonna talk unhinged thoughts/thots, I've got a bit of an unhinged comedy one for you (lol).

Rhett and wifey are getting ready for Easter services so they can get home and relax. Amy and the girls all look so pretty in their new dresses and the littlest boys all look so handsome and so doesn't Rhett but as soon as everyone's ready to go out the door, Rhett walks into the living room and freezes because there are the oldest boys, yours and Rhett's twins, with chocolate and peanut butter all over their faces because they just dove into their Easter candy and Rhett's praying for them to sit still just enough and behave until you guys get home (lol).

Seb, I hope you guys had a very Happy Easter and some spring sunshine to boot. I was gonna also tell you I found a little something while I was book searching that might be right up your alley. It's called "The Country Diary Of An Edwardian Lady" and it's full of all the nature drawings that the author Edith Holden made when she was living in the rural areas of Warwickshire as well as her journal entries. If ever I can find the link for it I can certainly send it your way as long as you're ok with it (lol).

ehehe that really did make me giggle my love 🤭 half the struggle is getting preacher rhett and your lil’ ones out the door in the first place!

thank you so much for this sweet thought my love and for your easter wishes! i hope you had a lovely easter yourself, with sun too i hope! 🥹 we had some sun, mostly rain :( but that book! godddd! i looked it up and it unlocked some vague memory for me? i can’t quite pin point it, but i wouldn’t be surprised if we had some of her illustrations. they’re gorgeous! thank you so much for letting me know about that too! i know warwickshire relatively well too 🥹 mwah! 💗💌

#💌you’ve got mail #auroralightsthesky <33 #💐 these are for you!!#rhett abbott #preacher!rhett abbott

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pealeii · 1 year

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what is tuck everlasting i know that akb was in it and there's a family and they're like immortal or smth???? and it had a criminally short broadway run cos hamilton idk. i'm considering getting into it. feel free to infodump!! (i'm not too worried about spoilers)

OH I AM CRYING THANK YOU

Yes, Tuck Everlasting is a musical about a family who drank from a spring that made them immortal, and a young girl who meets them. It’s about the value, beauty, and importance of life, and that it matters because it ends. This ties into the family being immortal because life is not life if you are stuck in immorality. It is amazing!!! This musical illustrates it in such beautiful ways - but the most poignant is a ballet at the end that goes through all the aspects pf a life - highs, lows, birth, death. It is heartbreakingly powerful and simply gorgeous.

But it doesn’t even stop there. The script is also so funny and witty like (“Nothing hurts us!” “Not physically anyway.” | “Came here as fast as we could!” “Fast as molasses…”) And there’s this whole song about how you can’t trust men in yellow suits and it’s genuinely the funniest thing I have ever heard.

And the characters!! It has one of the most genuine depictions of a family - including an old married couple who still finds joy in their relationship! It also has autistic deputy boy. Need I say more.

And also the rest of the soundtrack are BANGERS. It has this wonderful folksy sound, with fiddles and unconventional percussion, and it also goes a little hoedown at times. And I am a SUCKER for dance breaks, and this musical is not short of them. From beautiful waltzes, to jazzy swing, and bombastic flips - all equally fun and impressive.

And it’s true the cast is wildly talented! It’s kinda crazy how much variety of skill they got. You have Broadway legends like Terrence Mann and Carolee Carmello, fresh faces like Sarah Charles Lewis and Michael Wartella, strong male actors like Michael Park and Robert Lenzi, and a subset of bway actors I like to call Newsies - Andrew Keenan Bolger and Ben Cook. (Also Jeremy Jordan and Mike Faist were possibly going to work on this show!!)

Honestly I could go on for years…unLIKE ITS BROADWAY RUN I WANT JUSTICE

#thank you anon!#lord this show #omigosh #tuck everlasting #tuck everlasting the musical #tuck everlasting musical #musical theatre #terrence mann #carolee carmello #Michael park #michael wartella #sarah charles lewis #andrew keenan bolger #ben cook #robert lenzi #answered asks #asks

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