#farm fresh meme by yours truly

[magick-musings]

[ugly-cat-sweater]

Office job moodboard

[cynthiaandsamus]

The Linkle List!

Linkle @linklewinklewoman has been generous enough to gift a present to every single visitor currently at the villa! After all the guests pull from the lottery to pick their present, these are the results!

Pranks

The box opens and white snow like confetti launches out to cover the receiver.

"Ahh! ...w-wait, that's it? I thought a snow golem was going to come out and strip me naked and pull me into a frozen wasteland~ Oh well... it's fun to dream~"

Inside the big box is a slightly smaller wrapped box. Inside that box is a slightly smaller wrapped box. Inside that box is a slightly smaller box. This would continue until a truly tiny box is the last which has a tiny folded note. It says "The Game".

"I've been duped! I've been schmecledorfed! I have lost the game!!"

It is an envelope with a letter from the "Tiny Heiney Committee". It is denying your request to join as your butt is too small. They suggest joining the "Itty Bitty Teenie Weenie Tiny Heiney Commitee"

"This has to be a mistake, nothing about me is small... but maybe I'll install an ass upgrade for the new year just in case..."

It's a tiny speaker like in those singing cards. It's reciting the Bee Movie script. All of it. It will only stop when the batteries run out.

"Which of my enemies can I send this to in place of a hex this year?"

Classic pie to the face.

"Ack! I got a pie facial! I can't let my cosplay fans see this or they'll meme me forever!"

A bottle of dehydrated water.

"What is the meaning of this!? No matter, a soldier must acquire their own provisions I suppose, plus free bottle."

Rogard is staring at you from inside the box.

"Hello, tiny chicken. Wonder if I can Mega Evolve you..."

It looks like a bag of candy, but the candy has beremoved and re-wrapped with rocks.

"Oh nice, candy... wait... this isn't rock candy is it? It's rocks..."

A note saying "She is coming for you. Run!" Shadow Linkle may be targetting you.

"Uh-oh... I heard about these pranks... I'm in danger."

It seems to be a link to a video. At first it looks like a sexy strip tease from Linkle. But then Jesus steps in front of the video and looks at you disappointed.

"DAMNIT JESUS GET OUT OF MY WAY I WANNA SEE THE FARM GIRL TITTY!"

Treats

A Honey Bun, fresh made!

"Oh yummy! It's gonna go straight to my butt, but it's worth it!"

Gingerbread Metroid. Zebes helped with this one!

"Well well, how seasonal. It is pretty cute, I'll have to give the boy thanks later as well."

Bread that looks like a little Cucco.

"Oh yeah, bird bread! I'll make sure this one doesn't get used in on of Ruby's food fights."

Cream filled eclair. Do not make the dick joke.

He's quietly sucking the cream out of it, like draining a prey animal, kind of terrifying actually, though the stray cream on his cheek is cute.

A fruit cake!

"Oooh, I've heard of these! Aren't these things supposed to be indestructible?" She's dribbling it like a basketball before sinking her shark teeth into it.

A chocolate cake pop covered in white icing.

"Oh this looks yummy!" She starts licking the icing off, obliviously suggestive and earning herself some stares.

Honey Glazed Meat!

"Meat huh? Maybe I can share it with Risky and her crew, I know pirates love the meat stuff, bring 'em some fruit to ward off the scurvy and we'll have a holiday feast!"

Apple Pie

"Pie! There's nothing like a nice warm pie on a winter night! I'll get some ice cream and we'll make it a la mode, maybe Cynthia will behave if I share some with her, she's always saying she wants some of my pie."

Carrot Cake

"Hmmm, I don't think I've ever had this before. Well the holidays are for trying new things. Linkle's cooking's never let me down before!"

Egg Pudding

"Huh, so you can make pudding out of eggs eh? It's so jiggly! I'mma just jiggle it a bit more before I eat..."

Honey Candy Bag

"I knew this was coming, but it's not always the surprise that's the best part, sometimes it's the joy of the moment. And it does taste quite good..."

Candy Apple

"Oh shit I dropped it in my cleavage. Anybody want to lick caramel off my boobs while I finish this apple?"

Nutcake. Don't.

"L-Linkle's homemade cake... I'll eat it slowly and treasure it!"

Pumpkin Pie

"Oh wow! We were never able to grow pumpkins in Littner village, I can't wait to try this!"

Wildberry Crepe

"Hmmm, a crepe huh? Well I do love berries, maybe I can teach the girls to make these."

Monster Cake

"How cute! It looks just like one of senpai's doodles, I'm gonna wreck this thing, but I'll see if Uzaki wants some first."

Takoyaki

"Oh, one of my favorites! The duel academy cafeteria doesn't make 'em like this!"

Sweet Dango

"Hmmm, usually I'm not much for sweets but these are pretty good." She's idly throwing the sticks at a bulls-eye target as she finishes them.

Pumpkin Soup

"Oh I've heard a lot of buzz about Linkle's famous pumpkin soup, just the thing to keep us warm on a cold winter night! Maybe I'll have Torkoal keep it warm so we can spoon it out for a while."

Stamina Potion

"I don't know how effective a stamina potion is for an android, I'd hate to have it gum up my body like the fish incident, but I'm sure I'll find a use for it."

[two-oaks-farmstead]

Family Feast Pt 4: Setting the Table for a Feast Fit for Royalty (or at Least Your Quirky Uncle)

Setting the Table for a Feast Welcome to the grand banquet of table-setting ideas, where we'll help you create a wonderful backdrop for a feast fit for royalty, or at least your quirky uncle. Get ready to unleash your inner Martha Stewart (or maybe just your inner eccentric) as we dive into the world of elegant dinnerware and quirky table decorations. You have the menu set and the feast is in preparation. Turkey is roasting, ham is baking, pies are cooling and wine is pouring. Take another sip as you look around your space in preparation for setting the table. First things first, let's talk about setting the stage - or rather, setting the table. There are a couple of different directions you can take here. You can opt for luxurious dinnerware that will make even a simple meal feel like a regal affair. Think fancy china plates, gleaming silverware that could double as a mirror, and crystal glasses that practically sing when you clink them together. Or you could opt for a more simple base and put all of the flash elsewhere. Porcelain Melamine Disposable Plastic Earthenware But wait! We can't forget about those quirky touches that will make your table truly unforgettable. How about incorporating some offbeat centerpieces like miniature garden gnomes nestled among the flowers or vintage toy cars zooming around on a racetrack made of fresh herbs? Let your imagination run wild! There are some gorgeous ideas for you to check out at Gorgeous Christmas Decoration Ideas – Dining Room. A few Ideas to Add for Setting the Table Now on to seating arrangements - ah, the delicate art of minimizing family drama. We've all been there, trying to strategically place Aunt Mildred far away from Uncle Bob to prevent any heated political debates from erupting during dessert. Consider creating a seating chart that ensures everyone is seated next to someone they get along with (or at least tolerate). And if all else fails, hide some conversation starters under their napkins - nothing diffuses tension quite like discussing the latest cat memes. And don't forget the place cards! A Few Options for Place Cards You certainly don't have to stop at setting the table. You can decorate all areas for added flair. Remember the more the decoration, the more there will be to discuss...other than the state of the economy and whose fault it is. So, I say go all out! So there you have it - your guide to setting the table for an extravagant feast fit for royalty (and maybe even your quirky uncle). Get creative with your dinnerware and sprinkle in some eccentric decorations while carefully arranging seat placement to avoid any family fireworks. Bon appétit! If you missed Parts 1-3, ...What were you thinking??? That's ok... You can get them right here! The Ultimate Guide to Preparing and Decorating Your Home for a Wild Family Feast at Christmas-Part 1 Family Feast Part 2: Declutter and Clear the Way for Feasting Fun Family Feast Part 3: Getting those Christmas Decorations On Point And you don't want to miss parts 5 & 6 either! MORE WAYS TO CONNECT We also, as a homesteading family, have a variety of blogs that might interest you. A Life on the Farm focuses on the more personal side of the homesteading life. We discuss subjects like family, parenting, relationships, homeschooling, cooking, canning and so much more. Two Oaks Farm Talk concerns the more technical side of homesteading. We discuss subjects like gardening, food prep, and farm building and construction with lots of tutorials! Farm Raised Family is basically a hub for everything under the Two Oaks Farmstead umbrella. You can learn a great deal about all parts of the farmstead there. The Farm Raised Family blog focuses on financial matters such as budgeting, saving, and more and on current events affecting families. You can also have a more in depth look at all that we do by visiting our Two Oaks Farmstead YouTube Channel and be sure to subscribe so that you don’t miss a thing! Farm Life and Freedom is the new podcast we are in the process of launching! It is going to be so much fun! You could also check in with our Farm Life and Freedom Youtube Channel. Two Oaks Farmstead is the farm store… the one that holds the umbrella! Check us all out and join us, not only on our blogs and Farm Life and Freedom podcast but come join the fun on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter… wherever you get social! Read the full article

[deanisthegayuncle]

In light of Misha’s post, featuring Misha the cat, I humbly present a farm fresh meme from yours truly

Edit: to clarify, I am talking about BILLIE EILISH. The SINGER. Not the personification of Death in Supernatural. (@inkofemrys there we go :3)

[coldshrugs]

20 First Lines Meme!

No one tagged me but I saw @cassandra-pentughasst and @red-hot-chili-tiefling do this and it looked fun so I’m pretending I was tagged.

The challenge is to list the first lines of your 20 latest fanfics.

Since I mostly write short fic, my first lines work overtime in establishing setting or mood, imo.

I’ll tag @apostatetabris @lavampira @impossible-rat-babies if y’all feel like it 💗

Untitled UB Goes Camping Fic that I just started today

"Did we bring a map?" "Yep." "Compass?" "It's with the map." "Tents? Sleeping bags?" "Yes." "What about swimsuits?"

WIP that I may never finish of Mason doing some roof pining

Mason tried not to smoke this week. He really did.

Prompt fill: Alone, Finally

The walk from the station to Alma's apartment is an unusually talkative one considering her partner in conversation is Mason, and there's a rush to their steps that she's not sure which of them initiated. It doesn't really matter.

Prompt fill: Sea Change

Alma sits alone on the dock of the lake, and for once- for just a moment- she’s well and truly alone.

Prompt fill: Harsh Whisper

“Are you sure you can handle it?” Aeran asks from Ephyra’s side, the words coming out so quietly she almost thinks she imagined them and starts to get annoyed with herself over them. “There’s an exit on the west side of the building if you can’t get back through this way and I’ll be-”

Negative Phototaxis | Alma Greene/Mason | 625 words

He wouldn’t even look at me. Alma sighs under the weight of her conflicted heart and grabs the fresh pot of coffee to refill her cup.

Prompt fill: Something About [Her]

Ephyra’s heard the story so many times she’s bored with it: during her first week of life, her mother attempted to soothe her crying with a hand gently warmed by magic and the spell broke upon her skin.

Prompt fill

Life at sea isn’t so bad, Effie thinks as she leans against the railing of the main deck, relishing the fine, salty mist in her face. As long as she doesn’t have to walk too far, and when she’s not receiving glares from the crew for stumbling into their work formations. ...And now that her wounds are healed enough for the bumps into the walls and rails to only kind of, sort of sting.

Prompt fill: How Dare You?

“Are you gonna finish that?” Aeran eyes Effie’s last roll. They’re tucked into one of the quieter corners of the Spire’s dining hall, having lunch before they split for training.

Prompt fill

The rural farming community of Gralle is a fucking mess. The formerly well-worn dirt paths are ripped up as if some wayward farmer started sleepwalking while tilling the fields; milk jugs are overturned, leaving rancid clots in the door of one of the barns; a brood of hens and their chicks lay dead outside their hutch, bodies a little mangled but uneaten.

WIP of the BG3 crew

“If I never see a goblin again, it’ll be too fucking soon.” Ulysse groaned as they made for the ruin’s exit on weary legs.

Blood, entrails, and pungent homebrew squelched underfoot, already taking on the stench of rot in the hot afternoon sun. The party couldn’t bother with being disgusted - they were already covered in the stuff. 

Prompt fill: A Kiss on the Temple

Julian Devorak is going to die.

Cleo knows this.

Boats and Birds | Cleo Espree/Julian Devorak | 1.7k words

Cleo's eyes blink open to a thick canopy of tropical-looking leaves, shimmering pink-gold light winking through here and there. The air is thick with magic, but there's no real hostility here.

Prompt fill: Drastic/How Dare You?

Cleo came to the market for vegetables, milk, and, if she's lucky, that delicious spice mix from Firent that elevated her stews from "pretty good" to "Cleo, what is this recipe?" She did not come to the market to run into Julian Devorak yet again, but that seems to be a hobby for her lately.

Prompt fill: Crave

Pixies make for decent company, to be sure, but like the rest of the fae folk, they adhere to stiff archetypes. Conversation, though entertaining at times, is predictable but it's all Urianger manages these days since his friends are busy or... reasonably displeased with him.

Prompt fill: Sunbathing

Astarion smiles more in the daylight, Ulysse notices, marble-white skin creasing into lines around his mouth.

Starving | Ulysse/Astarion | 800 words

“You didn’t do it,” Ulysse whispered, fingers combing through recently-mussed curls. Astarion lay on her chest, a novel experience but not an unwelcome one.

Saccharine | Ulysse/Astarion | 250 words

“If you promise not to kill me,” she pulled back with a smirk, hips pressing into his, “you may drink from my neck. I know you want to.”

If his heart still beat, it would’ve skipped at the invitation.

Wayfarer WIP that’s not been entirely posted to tumblr

The tavern is crowded for such a small town, as if every person in a ten-mile radius of this backwater decided they craved cheap ale and the sound of the off-key bard in the corner.

WIP in which Julian moves in with Cleo

"Are you sure you want to do this? I can-" Julian pauses to reposition the precarious stack of boxes in his grip, "I can make other arrangements. Mazelinka really doesn't mind having me around, no matter what she says. Or I'm sure Pasha could make space. And I do have my own place back in South End, you know!"

"Mm, is that so? The landlord just let you skip out on rent for three years?"

[corlds-world]

Top 10 Females from my Fandoms

This is all my opinion. It’s also from the fandoms I’m in (which are pretty popular). Your opinion of course will be different from mine. But I like sharing what I think and I like hearing your opinion, too. Also we’re doing ladies first because why not. Also I’m not good at explaining my opinion. So without further ado, here’s my top 10 females. Spoilers!

10. Meg (Supernatural) Meg is definitely my favorite female character from Supernatural. She’s a villain turned anti-hero. Also a demon. And being a recurring demon in Supernatural is a quick way to earn a spot in my favorite characters list. Apologies for Ruby for not making the cut though. Anyway, Meg is tough as hell (no pun intended). She starts by working for her dad, but that’s she’s not working for her dad because she’s a daddy’s girl. She works for her dad so she can get this apocalypse started. Her real loyalties lay with Lucifer. So when Lucifer was sent back to hell, she became a lone wolf. Season 6-8 Meg is my favorite, when she’s a lone wolf against Crowley. And I think the Winchesters have always been a little intimidated by Meg. Only 5′6″ to their 7′ but still has got fire. 

9. Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel (MCU) I couldn’t just leave out the first woman to ever get a solo movie in the MCU. It was a long time waiting, but we still got it. I was pondering for a while between Natasha and Carol. I decided to go with Carol really just because I’m so excited for Phase 4 of the MCU. I’m the kind of girl that looks ahead. Captain Marvel is for sure one of my favorite solo movies in the MCU. Carol was a air force pilot from the 90′s who was told all her life that she couldn’t become a pilot. Like you see in the trailer, she picks herself back up time after time. And then she loses her memory, but she doesn’t lose that fighting spirit. She just has superpowers from the space stone. She knows her rights and her wrongs better than most people. It’s what makes her an amazing superhero. And she literally destroyed a huge spaceship in Endgame. I can’t wait to see what Brie Larson has in store for us because she is not done for sure.

8. Luna Lovegood (Harry Potter) I know there’s a lot of controversy with the Harry Potter fandom right now, but I just can’t help but place Luna on this list. She’s an amazing character. As a fellow Ravenclaw, she really showed us what Ravenclaw was all about: wisdom and having an open mind. She knows her spells, too, and does her homework (I think). I think more people would expect Hermione on the list, but she didn’t resonate with me the way Luna did. She’s bullied for thinking differently, which really resonated with me. But she’s got her close friends and that’s all that really matters to her. She was the first character I saw myself in, even if she’s just thinks differently than I do.

7. Eleven (Stranger Things) I really did not want to put Eleven this low. But I really just couldn’t put her higher because the girls above her are just better. However, Eleven is awesome. Truly awesome. We gotta respect the only character in Stranger Things that has superpowers. Nothing holds Eleven down. She escapes from a crazy laboratory and finds her new friends who she will literally do anything to protect. And she was messed up in that lab. But she still knows good from evil. She knew that her friends were not going to screw her over. And when she thought they were going to screw her, she kinda just said no. Like okay. She’s brave and kind and badass and everything I want in a superhero. I she’s a little intimidated by the world around her, but I would have run right back to what I knew if I were her. I think her bravery really shone in the third season. I’m sad about what’s happening to her powers, but I think they’ll find a way to get them back. Even if they don’t, I think Eleven will still prove to be everything she is without them. And just look at her. She’s just so cute. 

6. Hazel Levesque (Riordanverse) I told you this was my list and I think Hazel deserves a spot. I mean, the youngest person on the Argo II, daughter of Pluto, can control the Mist and all the jewels in the earth, and tamed an untameable immortal horse. What more do you want? Yes, yes. I love Annabeth, but I really resonated with Hazel more, mostly because she just seems sweeter than Annabeth. I’m a sweet and shy person. And I love horses. And the 40′s. Speaking of which, a POC in the 40′s in Louisiana? If I ever make a top 10 POC characters, we’ll brush up on that. Anyway, let’s talk about when she died. Did I mention she died? She gave up an eternity of happiness so her mother (who was not good to Hazel) wouldn’t have an eternity of misery. Gotta thank Nico, though, for bringing one of my faves back to life. But when Nico was in trouble, there was nothing that Hazel wouldn’t do to help her brother. And when Hazel learned how to control the Mist in couple of weeks? What a display of power. She’s had a hard life, but she’s come out stronger because of it. 

5. Katniss Everdeen (Hunger Games) What? Why is Katniss so low? Mostly because it’s been a while since I’ve read the Hunger Games. I never even finished it. I stopped halfway through Mockingjay. I really like Katniss, though. She’s never had a lot. Let’s just start with the obvious that she takes on the Capital. Like you’re taking on the government? Okay go off. Of course, it’s not for no reason. They’re slaughtering everyone. But let’s just talk about when she’s in the Hunger Games the first time. I don’t think I could start to go into detail about everything that Katniss has done. She’s a badass in summary. She took on people that train for the event. She dropped a... what are they called? *googles hunger games bees* Tracker jackers! She dropped a nest full of tracker jackers on to those stuck-up kids. And Rue. Rue helped. Rue’s the best. She’s not on the list, but still. I love Rue and Katniss’ friendship, even if didn’t last. I’m sorry Rue you had to die if Katniss was to win. Anyway, Peeta got her in sort of a weird romance, but I think Katniss saved Peeta more times than Peeta saved Katniss. I love gender role reversals. Also I’m such a sucker for girls who can shoot a bow.  So, yeah, Katniss gets her spot which is very well earned. 

4. Vanya Hargreeves (The Umbrella Academy) The second season recently came out so she’s fresh in my mind. The most powerful sibling in the Academy uses sound to harness energy. And does she do it in style. Yeah, she kind of causes the apocalypse, but that’s not her fault. It’s Luther’s. And Reginald's. Vanya had a rough childhood. She was told all her life that she was ordinary in a house where there where only the extraordinary.  But she powered through it. And wrote a book as revenge. Like Five said, that took guts. She’s such a complicated character. She’s shy and kind. But don’t make her mad. She might stab you. I really couldn’t believe how hard I cheered when she killed Harold. Like it was bad. Also she blew up the moon. Do you want more? She’s dating a farm frau. If I ever make a top 10 canon couples, that’s going on the list. You know, if you can’t go straight, go gay. Also she’s a human bomb. I’m a sucker for human bombs. And memes. 

3. Morgana Pendragon (Merlin) I really love good girls turned bad. I was a little worried that Morgana was just going to be Merlin’s love interest in season 1. But man was I wrong. Going from a ward with bad dreams to a witch determined to be queen. I was actually kind of rooting for her. But that just could be because Katie is a phenomenal actress. But anyway, Morgana really has issues, which is why she’s top 3. Also the fact that she didn’t have a girlfriend, so disappointing. But she’s a villain, and villains don’t have lovers. Or they’re not supposed to in my book. Also she can go toe to toe with Merlin, who is supposed to be one of the best sorcerers of all time. What a show of power. 

2. Regina Mills (Once Upon a Time) My favorite redemption arc. From good to evil and back to good. Honestly one of my favorite characters to watch. And Lana just does such a good job with it. Do you see the trend that I have with my favorite characters? Tragic background is the base requirement. Magical badass gives you an improvement in the list. But Regina has had a horrible life. The fact that she is classified as a villain is heartbreaking sometimes. But she did kill a ton of people so she’s definitely a villain in the storybooks. And that sass. Only Regina could pull off that sass. But I think the fact that she tries to be good when it is not in her nature, I think that speaks volumes. 

1. Kara Danvers / Supergirl (Supergirl) I feel like people just got thrown for a loop. It’s like wait a minute. Didn’t you just say that your favorite kind of character is a “magical badass with a tragic background?” Um maybe. But Kara has her own tragedies. She just doesn’t show it. She lost her parents when she was 12. Not just her parents, but almost her whole family and all of her home. But she learned to have a new home on Earth. But she manages to figure out how to save the world with all of these conflicts in her life. Shoutout to Alex for being an awesome sister. And she has a great social life, something I aspire to have. I’m so upset that the show is ending after season 6. I love Kara so much. Kara is the most amazing woman in the Arrowverse so I’m so sorry to see her go. 

[ditch-witches]

Farmer’s Daughter (Dean-Charles Chapman x reader)

I always say this, but @iongaa‘s work is so beautiful. Our account would not be the same without her.

Another big thank you for the beautiful breaker to @notwhimsical​, welcome to Tumblr. 

requested: yes/no (who ever requested this, bless your soul. this was kinda close to home. sorry it end up a bit different, but i hope it’s still enjoyable)

pairing: farmboy!Dean-Charles Chapman

warnings: honestly I can't think of any, sorry :(

word count: 2,821

a/n: Now accepting farm!Dean memes.

The summer sun beamed overhead as you kicked your feet up against the railing of your back porch, rocking yourself back and forth. Your eyes drifted shut in content, listening to the hum of the cicadas in the trees around you. You smiled to yourself as you heard the car belonging to your friend pull into your long looping driveway. She practically jumped from the vehicle, grabbing her shoes from the passenger side, sprinting up your sidewalk. You smiled and handed her a lemonade as she settled into the chair beside you.

"Did I miss it?" She asked, out of breath and flustered as she sank against the wood.

You shook your head, "Right on time actually." You gestured to the driveway as two pickup trucks took the same path she just had, pulling towards the barns in the back instead of up to the house. Your dad had been hiring men to farm his land with him every summer for the past few years, one of the only things about living out in the middle of nowhere that you enjoyed. They had become entertainment on days like today when there was nothing on the tv and you didn't feel like driving into town. You and your friend had been waiting for the turn of the season all year, giddy with excitement as the day had finally come.

The trucks began to empty, boys fresh from college needing cash for the summer and retired men who actually knew what they were doing were in full view of the two of you, perched on your back porch. You looked over the brim of your sunglasses at a boy with dark hair and a wide smile. He was nearly roughhousing with another that looked around your age. They settled down after one of the older men barked at them, the boy now taking the time to look over your estate. His blue eyes shined curiously before turning to fall on you, a small smirk gracing his lips. You chuckled, grabbing the magazine on the table beside you. "Damn, that one's a looker," your friend nearly growled beside you. You smiled a bit wider, your eyes drifting up from the pages back to the boy who sent you a wink before turning back to the tasks he was given.

"Which one?" You sighed, your sights lingering on him for just a bit longer.

Your friend giggled. "The one that was checking me out, silly!" You bit back a laugh, sinking into your rocking chair more, attempting to look disinterested. As attractive as most of the farmhands were, you have never let yourself date one, figuring it would be too distracting to have a summer fling, knowing you would get too attached. That and you had never truly given any of them the time of day. You stole another glance at the boy as he began to move bales of hay under the careful watch of one of the elders. "God, I would let him drag me up and down the lot," she groaned, making you laugh.

"Have you no mercy?" You joked.

Your giggles were cut short as the screen door slammed open, revealing your mother in her apron. "What do you girls think you're doing! Out here, bare-legged, in front of all those men! Get inside!" You laughed harder as she practically yanked the two of you indoors.

The next day, your mother made a fresh batch of sweet tea as she scolded you about covering up. You rolled your eyes with a small grin, not giving her much mind as you peaked out the window, seeing the boys hard at work again. She poured a few glasses and shooed you out the door to go apologize to the men for your inconsiderate behavior after she had approved of your outfit. You fought not to snicker at the situation as you walked up to the workers, a few of the elders that had worked the land before smiled at you, tipping their straw hats in your direction. "What can I do for you, ma'am?" One asked, making a few of the men turn up from their work.

The boy from the day before brightened at you, leaning against his hoe. You chewed the inside of your cheek. "I am here to apologize for my appearance yesterday," you sarcastically spoke, knowing full well that most of them hadn't even seen your shorts and the situation was trivial. Some of the men laugh, going for the glasses of tea you were balancing on a tray. "I'm sorry, it will not happen again."

"What a shame," one joked. He had gone to high school with your older brother and after recognizing him you attempted to trip him, leaving him giggling.

"I see you have some new kids this year?" You more asked than stated to the elder from earlier, hugging the tray to your chest and eyeballing the boy with blue eyes as he went back to work. Those famous eyes flashed up to you again, making you blush and look back at the elder.

"Yep. Don't know why all the boys want to work your old man's fields," he jested and you smirked.

"Maybe it's the pay," you poked back and the man chuckled. Your mother called you back inside and you sighed. "If you guys need anything else, she's ready," you quipped, gesturing to the women with her head out the window, yelling at you. The old man chuckled and you turned towards the house, looking over your shoulder at the boy once more, who sent you a sweet smile, making your heart flutter.

It was almost a routine for a few weeks, stealing small flirty gestures with the boy while your friend fawned over him or your mother having you take something out to the workers. You would have felt like a bother if it hadn't been for the smile and the brightness in his blue eyes that seemed to be reserved just for you. On their break days, your father allowed the boys to swim and fish in the pond on one part of your land. The truth was, your mother loved having the boys around as well, which is why they were allowed to do so. She had always wanted another son and it was always prevalent when a worker would ask for water, making her fawn over him like he was a stray puppy when, in reality, he would be a few years older than yourself.

"I've gotta talk to him, I'm going stir crazy," your friend muttered, fanning herself. It was the hottest part of the day. The wind had seemed to move two counties over, leaving your farm in the dead, dry heat. The boys were at the pond today because of said rising temperature.

You smiled slightly, shaking your head. "Why don't you?" Your heart fluttered as your thoughts flashed to his smile. Maybe if she implanted herself in his life, you'd finally get over your summer fling fantasies your mind plagued you with whenever he was around.

"I wouldn't even know where to begin," she sighed.

"You could give him your number?" Your blood boiled for a second with jealousy, a small flicker of hope that she would let him be.

She scoffed. "And risk my mother picking up the phone! No way." She chewed on her bottom lip. "I mean, I guess it's a risk well worth it right? Hell, you've seen him." She pulled a stick of gum from her purse, offering it to you and you rolled your eyes, taking the sugary confection and handing her back the wrapper, your stomach in knots as she scribbled the sequence of digits and folded it once. "Would you be a dear?"

It was your turn to scoff. "You think he's gonna bite you?"

"I can only hope," she leered, flashing you a devilish smirk. "Come on. You're his boss technically. He'll have to take it from you."

"Don't be a coward," you snapped, standing and pulling her with you. She whined, following after you as the two of you trudged towards the pond at the end of one of the fields, hidden from bypassers by a few overly grown trees. You shoved your hands in your pockets as you neared the water, the laughter and splashing of the boys growing louder. You popped your gum, slightly nervous as you came upon the group. Your friend froze in her place, shoving the paper in your hand and stepping back. You rolled your eyes. "Chicken shit," you hissed as a few of the boys caught sight of you, whistling slightly. You continued walking forward, smiling at the few you recognized.

The blue-eyed boy stood up from his seat, pulling on his white t-shirt as some of the boys followed his manners, resting a hand on one of the giant trees providing shade for a few of the boys. Some of them whistled slightly as you walked right up to the boy who crossed his arms and smirked down at you. You smiled slightly, your cheeks growing hot as you finally realized how much taller he was. His wet hair was growing curlier with the heat, his eyes still brilliant and bright at the sight of you. He furrowed his brows slightly as you handed him the wrapper, his rough fingers brushing against yours. "My friend's got her eye on you but," you sighed as he looked up at you through his long eyelashes, "she's too scared to come and talk to you herself," you called a bit louder so she could hear from where she was standing.

His grin grew a bit and he ran a hand through his dark hair. God, he was attractive. Your mouth grew dry. "Your friend huh?" He smugly looked over your shoulder, giving her a small wave. Your eyebrows raised at his accent as you fully realized you had never actually heard him speak before now. "And here I was thinking you were finally taking my line," he almost whispered to you slyly. You were glad the boys had lost interest and gone about their own business.

Your mouth opened slightly, fighting a smile. "Mister, I am merely the messenger." He smelled like the summer air on a good day.

He took the meat of his bottom lip between his teeth and you almost stuttered. What you wouldn't give to taste those lips. He pulled a jacket off the ground, digging into one of the pockets for a pen, pulling the lid off with his teeth. "Well, ma'am," he took your hand in his, the sensation of his skin against yours leaving you silent as he began to write something on your palm, "tell your friend that it'd probably be smarter for her to call me when she has the opportunity. Or just keep it for yourself. I like the chase, love," he jeered, sending you another smirk as you rolled your eyes with a blush. He blew on the ink, making goosebumps litter your body. What was he doing to you?

You cleared your throat, removing your hand from him reluctantly. "I'll see you around," you paused, looking down at the writing on your palm, "Dean." He smiled at you softly, waving to your friend once more as you turned to walk back towards her. You turned back slightly and gestured mildly to his palm. After your friend had taken down his number and left for the day, you lied awake as your stomach flipped at the thought of Dean, looking at your hand where his writing had once been. That boy was going to be too much for your own good, you decided.

You let a week draw by, hoping your friend and Dean would finally kick off so he would get out of your head. Despite attempting to dodge the boy as much as possible, you found yourself thinking about him during your free time, slowly driving yourself mad to catch a glimpse of him. You often wondered what it would have been like if you hadn't washed his number off your hand. Saturday had rolled around quicker than you had expected. Your friend had come over to hang out with you, a lazy grin on her face when you asked about him. "Oh god no. That didn't work out. That man's smitten with you," she uttered, putting her glasses back on her head as she closed her eyes and tilted her face towards the sun.

At her words, you stood up from your chair and took off for the pond, nearly knocking your friend out of her own chair as she called after you. You weren't sure what you were trying to accomplish, but the sun was beginning to set and you were hoping the boys hadn't left yet, at least the boy you were looking for. The guys were packing up as you got there and you scanned the group of them, catching the attention of one you recognized. "Where's Dean?" You asked, realizing just how out of breath you were.

He chuckled. "Finally, damn. He's in the stables. Took up a few extra hours." He gestured behind him as he spoke and you rushed to thank him.

The stables were quiet for the most part, the lulling of a country song from a radio the only sign of life. You took a deep breath, attempting to calm yourself as you stood in the entry of the stables, most of the stalls empty, but you spotted Dean at the end of the barn, raking hay. You twisted your hands together nervously as your shoes carried you mindlessly to him. Dean looked over his shoulder at the noise and as he caught sight of you, stood up straighter, leaning on his rake as he had earlier in the summer. His tired eyes softened as you tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. "You never called," he said, his voice heavy and exhausted.

You nodded slowly. "I'm kind of a handful," you answered, your heart fluttering as he smiled slightly.

"Me too," he threw back jokingly. He settled the rake against one of the walls, pulling his work gloves off and shoving them in his back pocket as he walked towards you. Your toes almost touched and you breathed deeply, wanting so badly to be wrapped in his arms. "You're probably bad for me anyway," he jested. As he swallowed, you watched his neck move, the sweat from work still glistening in the hot summer night. His dirty white shirt seemed to be calling for your touch.

You pressed your hands against his abdomen and he reached a hand up to brush his thumb against your cheek gently. You loved the coarseness of the pad of his thumb against your skin and your mind raced at his body beneath his shirt as you ran your hands up his chest. "I'm no good for you," you confirmed, glancing at his soft lips and his eyes. It was in the dim light of the stable that you realized the tint of pink on cheeks: the slightest bit of a sunburn. It made him seem almost younger. Your hands spread to his arms, pulling both of his hands up to your neck, wanting him to pull you closer. He smirked, stepping towards you, his lips ghosting against yours. Despite working in the stables, he still smelled like worn leather and sawdust. "Kiss me, Dean," you whispered and he obliged, pressing his lips against yours softly, a feather of affection for you almost mimicking his sweet smile as you offered him a glass of tea under the heat of the sun. He tasted like spearmint gum and sweat with a hint of something else.

You deepened the kiss, wanting to explore more of him and know him in this moment. During this kiss, you weren't kids who had been chasing each other for a month, finally getting the satisfaction of being in one another's presence. You were two people finally united from a past life, two sailors found after being lost at sea for ten years, two pilgrims meeting in a Shakespearean novel. As he sighed against your lips, his breath surrounded you, his hands dropping to your hips and pulling you closer to him. Your lips danced against his, never wanting to break from the man for as long as you lived as your fingers found their way into his curly hair. He broke the kiss, resting his forehead against yours before wrapping his arms around you and digging his face in your hair. Your arms strung around his neck, pressing your cheek against his shoulder. "You should have called," he murmured and you chuckled.

"I've got all summer to call you," you quipped.

He chuckled, brushing hair out of your face. "I'll have to hold you to that, ma'am."

[hiraethtae]

I purple you not- PT 5: I am Fine

Previous Parts: Prologue, Pt1, Pt 2 (½), Pt 2 (2\2), Pt 3, Pt 4, Pt 5

ao3

Synopsys:

Kim Taehyung runs an army twitter and is much active in the fandom. He’s known by all the fandom by his internet alias Teaberry and yet none of ARMY know his gender, name or have ever seen his face and is a mystery persona who is known mostly for spreading positivity. What happens when He decides to take drastic measures by buying 300 BTS world tour tickets and giving them away to ARMY, as a move against the resllers?

by doing so, Taehyung aquires the attention of the the world and the boys he stans, while changing the meaning of ARMY altogether.

PLEASE DO NOT REPOST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

notes: IT TOOK ME 10 MONTHS TILL I COULD CONTINUE THIS STORY IM SORRY OMGOD WTF(cough) anyways!! Pt 5 is out!!

|_PT 5: I am Fine.

It's been several days since everything blew out of proportion and Taehyung was one hundred per cent done. Actually, he wasn't. He was more likely trying to convince himself to walk away before it got more out of hand then it is. Teaberry's account was flooded with messages and so were Taehyung's notifications. In the first time of his life, Taehyung put his phone on silent and started thinking maybe he bit off more than he could chew. He sat on the sofa in his black and white apartment and pressed his hands to each other. Breathing in deeply and then breathing out through his teeth, he raised his head and decided that he honestly could care less.

Or so he said. It’s not that Taehyung didn't care. It's just that he was feeling so much at once that he was overwhelmed and couldn't understand what he was feeling; only that he was on the verge of a panic attack.  Taehyung's work phone decided to distract him at the right moment. A blinking notification lit up the dark screen; 2 NEW MAIL.

Taehyung picked up the device with cold fingers and slid it open.  He had two letters he had not seen yet. One was from the Mama organizers who invited him each year to the yearly Mama awards, and the other from Holly. Taehyung decided that he could reply to the first mail later on. He never attended the Mama awards and Taehyung wasn’t planning on changing that habit. Holly's mail only had 2 words.

H a v e  f u n.

And beneath it a single document of several fansign tickets and one ticket to a BTS concert.

Taehyung threw his phone against the wall and couldn't breathe.

|_8th of June

On the day of the fansign Taehyung considered running away to live in New Zealand and changing his name, living out his days in a hobbit home, farming out the rest of his life… he had it all figure out. Instead, he reacted as any normal human being who was in a stressful situation would react: Taehyung locked himself in his room and moped while trying to control his harsh breathing. His coping mechanism wasn't doing so well for him. Staring at the wall blankly for hours could make a man go mad. Unfortunately for Taehyung, he also had a habit of overthinking and that usually made it worse.

This morning Holly dragged him out of his covers and forced him to shave and wash up. She helped him dye his hair too. Her eyes were rimmed with dark circles matching his yet the reasons for their exhaustion varied. She had been coming by each day, forcing him to get out and breathe some fresh air; to jog with her in the darker hours of the night when no one was around.

"You need to be alone right now but you also need to take care of yourself. So no people or crowd, er, except the fansign of course but a crowd of girls shouldn’t be a problem. But you have to get out of here." She worked at night when he slept, golden eyes rimmed with red.

It wasn't always this way. Taehyung was naturally cheerful. He found joy in the simplest things and the most ridiculous ideas. He used to love crowds, being in the centre of attention making everyone laugh and smile with him. He knew those parts of himself weren’t erased (considering his whole plan for fighting off the resellers) yet a part of him has withered away. It happened over the years. Taehyung lost his passion and instead, a faded polio photograph of him was left. The reason he was standing here was because of BTS. Vante and Teaberry exist because of BTS. It's time Taehyung brought them back he just wondered if he could do that.  

"I don't understand why you never went to see them," Holly said while rummaging around in his closet.

"See who?"

"BTS? The group who basically because of them I'm your best friend?" She didn't turn around to see him shrug.

"I was busy."

Holly snorted and gave him an amused look. Her eyes were sharp and her teeth were bared in a smile Taehyung found chilling. She threw a bundle at clothes into his lap. "Liar."

Taehyung clutched a fist into the fabric and moved his gaze away from her. Her eyes, on the other hand, bore holes into his side profile.

"I think you were scared of what would happen when you see them for real."

Taehyung started tapping his foot on the carpeted floor. Holly closed the closet door with a loud click. Taehyung swallowed and looked up. Her hair was a shade of dark brown then. "I think you were scared you would realize it was all for nothing."

Years have passed since that conversation. Four years to be exact and the flame truly did die out. It was odd how their interactions involving his inner psyche almost always involved Holly rummaging in his closet. Today, she found this whole situation as a learning experience. She was crouched in his shoe closet like a red-headed gremlin, picking up and examining different pairs of expensive soles Taehyung has gathered over the years. Holly turned around and looked at his outfit, frowned, then proceeded to rummage again with a loud clatter, “I think it's time for you to go and make sure that flame burns bright again."

Taehyung shuffled in place, bare feet pushing into the soft carpet on his floor. His toes peaked beneath his slightly oversized pants and wiggled. "Why did it die out in the first place?"

"Honestly Tae, who’s the one who studied psychology in their free time? You know the answer to this better than I.” She huffed and threw a pair next to his peaking toes. Holly leaned her chin into her palm with raised brows. Taehyung stubbornly kept his mouth shut and stared in absolute fake fascination at the fake plant on his desk. Holly let the silence drag on for another minute before sighing and got to her feet. Taehyung closed the apartment door after her as his phone began to ring. Holly’s name appeared on his screen next to a purple heart and he didn’t offer a greeting as she continued where she left off, uttering his dreaded thoughts.”-I think in your attempt to preserve your passion from a distance-" Holly's voice echoed from his phone on loudspeaker while Taehyung started to make coffee very loudly as well as the sound of cars and wind as she walked on the street to get to her day job didn’t affect her volume. "-pushed you away from the original feeling that made you go 'This is what I want to do. This is what I want to share with the world.' And as a result, your subconscious burned the flame out by itself."

"I always knew I was self-destructive," Taehyung said wryly and gagged on the bitter taste of his drink. He decided to make tea instead.

Holly laughed in a hollow way while a bus horn echoed in the empty apartment. Her voice crackling through the phone she said, "Aren't we all?"

Taehyung picked up his phone that had seen better days and wandered into the bathroom. His eyes weren't rimmed with red like before and his eye bags had mostly disappeared. His hair was dyed a dark black which grew out into a tiny mullet behind his ears. His cheeks looked fuller and healthier. He stopped biting his lips last weeks and they weren't bleeding any more. Taehyung looked healthier then he was for a while and it made him feel that on the inside he could be better too.

"See you later."

Holly hummed a reply while a woman screamed “Taxi!” in the background before the screen went dark. Taehyung looked at his reflection once more and tried to smile. It made him happy to see it was more genuine this time. He was dreading going to the fansign but also alighted. It made him feel what he lost all those years ago. It made him feel young, alive and burning.

When Taehyung arrived at the fansign he thought he must have gotten the wrong address. Yet, the gaggle of girls holding different Army bombs, wearing shirts with the names of the idols etched on them in different colours and the excited screams of hormonal teenagers seemed to prove him wrong.

Taehyung tucked his chin in his blue scarf and tried to breathe normally. He used to not mind crowds and revelled in them. Now he couldn’t help but shrink into himself. If his followers on Twitter could see the outgoing Teaberry now… The mere thought made him snort bitterly.

An incredibly short girl came running by, screeching like a bird and stepping on Taehyung’s shoes. He looked down at his soles and then at the girl who ran off still screeching and wearing a very unflattering Min Yoongi meme shirt. Taehyung blinked after her, a pout already forming under his face mask. It not often he got trampled by girls but his shoes were new and WHITE. A voice interrupted his moment of sulking. “Need a wet wipe?”

Taehyung blinked and turned away from the girl who was now flailed her arms around, smacking peoples things from their arms as she told something to a gaggle of her friends with an excited expression. A boy yelled at her when she made him drop his phone and the girl apologized with wide eyes.

In front of Taehyung stood an amused looking woman who appeared to be a year or so older then Taehyung. She had smile lines and a grin to match, hair raised in a casual bun. Hanging from her neck was a professional camera.

Taehyung looked down at his shoes again and smiled sheepishly, his mask hiding his expression. “I think I might. Thank you.”

The woman snickered and handed him a disposable wet wipe with Burger King logo. “First time at a fansign? You have to be careful of the small ones, they are just balls of energy.” Taehyung opened the plastic and breathed in deeply the lemony scent wafting from the wipe, it’s refreshing smell immediately calming his nerves from the stuffy area. Crowds made him anxious these days. Taehyung couldn’t remember how it felt not to be in a constant state of social anxiety. He crouched down to clean off the smudge and grunted when it refused to wipe off the white sneaker. A hand suddenly appeared in front of him. Taehyung looked up at the woman and her camera dangled dangerously close to his face when she leaned down, brown eyes glinting.

“My name is Soomin.”

“Taehyung.” He replied and took her hand, smudge forgotten.

Soomin introduced him to a few more girls, all carrying oversized cameras in their hands or around their necks. They were close to his age and were hobbyist fansites. They were inside of the hall at the beginning of the line and in the first row, Taehyung in the middle between 3 bickering woman.

“I can’t go to each concert or meeting they have, I have a life too.” Bok Jo snorted, her short black hair held back with a bright orange headband. “Their schedule has gotten so busy I don’t know how those full-time fansite masters do it.”

“Soomin, on the other hand, is a free-lance photographer for a living. She has more free time then all of us combined.” Mina said, inspecting her camera lens with her tongue between her teeth and furrowed brows.

Taehyung turned to the latter with raised brows. “Freelance? And you take idol pictures in between?”

Soomin grinned, unabashed. She was sitting in a laid back manner, her arms casually thrown over Mina’s chair. “Same idols pay me to take their pictures too. I work for Dispatch part-time.”

Bok Jo produced an offended noise. “How can you? They basically eat up scandals and whatever other bullshit.”

Mina piped up with raised brows, “BUT, their pictures are good.”

“Yeah, whatever still frigging snakes.”

Soomin shrugged. “I don’t do that kind of stuff.”

Bok Jo’s eyes narrowed behind her glasses. “You better. Or you won’t be any better than those saseaengs. All that invading privacy shit is crazy.” She turned toward Taehyung. “What about you new kid? You have a fansite?”

Taehyung blinked, surprised at being addressed. “Uh no, it’s my first time seeing them.” He spent the majority of the conversation listening or zoning out and the others have seldom addressed him. When they just walked in Taehyung tried to slip into the back but the three women noticed and dragged him next to them, laughing about “getting the best shots” and “come on boy you will be right in front of the stage.”

Bok Jo and Mina gaped at him with raised brows, “Really? With that kind of camera?” Bok Jo asked in surprise. “That baby isn’t cheap! Not a lot of pros use it either.”

“Yeah the only one I could think of that uses that camera all the time is Vante but he’s been on hiatus for almost over a year.” Mina mused and probed at Taehyung’s camera. Taehyung smiled sheepishly and pulled the device closer to his lap. He took it on a whim when he went out, thinking of taking a few pictures to commemorate his first fansign and maybe getting a few pictures of BTS’s members on the way.

The last time he used this camera was almost a year ago when he went to visit his grandma on her birthday. Vante’s last photo was of her strawberry fields and Taehyung hadn’t touched it since. Taking out of its box that was stuffed beneath his bed for over 6 months was progress. This was progress.

Taehyung shrugged and let his lips curve upwards slightly beneath his face mask. “I’ve had it for a while.”

The three women exchanged amused glances just as the venue turned dark. Girls scream assaulted Taehyung ears as his eyes shot forward to stare at the stage to witness the 6 members of BTS walk on stage with smiles and waving hands, mics in their hands. Taehyung gulped nervously as Flashes echoed around him. Soomin, Bok Jo and Mina already set off in taking pictures and Taehyung couldn’t help but gape in amazement. Big eyes wide and a wide boxy grin spread across his face as he raises his own camera and took his first picture of 6 smiling men that he has loved and looked up since their debut all those years ago.

The fans begin their fanchant and the boys laugh with bright smiles. Kim Namjoon hair is dark brown and slicked back softly as he greets the crowd, a big smile showing off his dimples. Taehyung can faintly hear faint buzzing in his ears as the crown and noise blend all together. He stares and stares and raises his camera once more, taking picture after picture. Jimin and Hoseok laugh at Seokjin’s joke and wander off to sit down at the table for all 6 members. Yoongi and Jimin shuffle after them with Jungkook in toe, poking the cotton haired elder with a cheeky smile. Picture after picture of grinning boys and bright eyes.

Soomin suddenly leans into Taehyung’s field of vision with glinting eyes. “You are natural.”

With a start he realized that most of the fansite masters have put their cameras down, waiting for the boys to be seated once more and for the event to begin. Taehyung capped his lens with an awkward laugh. “It’s been a while since I’ve taken so many photos.”

“Those are some high-quality ones too.” Bok Joe whistled and slapped him on the back. “Welcome to the family, kid!”

Mina smiled at him over her head with an approving nod and Taehyung felt a feeling he hadn’t felt for a long time bloom in his chest. At this moment he truly felt grateful for Holly sending him those tickets.

Jeon Jungkook was smiling at the fangirl sitting across from him. Her bright pink dyed hair is similar to Jimin’s hair currently suited her well as she gushed to him about her day. The fan signing began without any problems and Jungkook breezed through one signed album and another short conversation quickly enough. Female faces blurred together in a flurry of colours. A break appeared and he waved, smiled and posed for the fansites in the front row while Jimin poked and pulled at Jungkook’s hair, entertaining the crowd.

It was BTS’s first fansign promoting their new album “WINGS”, before their scheduled world tour. To say Jungkook wasn’t excited was an understatement. A week has passed since his mental breakdown in the dorm and to combat against it Jungkook threw himself into practice. His bandmates dragged him away from the dance studio to play games, watch movies, and even play board games once they noticed. All the attention eventually made him antsy so he declined Jimin’s offer to play a video game with him yesterday, instead choosing to bundle up in his bed and watch youtube videos. Namjoon took him aside this morning with a soft gaze. “Gguk, no overworking till you drop okay?”

Jungkook nodded and while all the members played and joked with the makeup artists running around, he drew in his sketchbook instead. Yoongi probed him with his leg when he was applying the finishing touch, “That looks great Jungkook-ah.”

The rappers hair was dark with blue streaks and his gaze was sleepy. Jungkook grinned at the other, “Thanks, hyung.”

He could handle being around the members but sometimes he needed his space. His social battery needed recharging, especially before a fansign.

Jungkook waved goodbye to the pink haired girl, briefly looking down to fix his shirt as the next person sat down in front of him.

“Hello.” A surprisingly deep voice said. Jungkook looked up in surprise. It wasn’t often they saw male fans, especially at a fansign. The boy seemed to be the same height as Jungkook, dark hair hidden in a hat and a face mask covering his lower half. The fan’s eyes, on the other hand, Jungkook could see clearly: One monolid and the other no, dark and big. He found them fascinating.

“Hello,” Jungkook said just as softly, a smile blooming across his face. The male stared at him and then shook his head with eyes crinkling at the sides. The boy was smiling and Jungkook was endeared. “Hi.”

Jungkook laughed at the second greeting, “What’s your name?”

“Taehyung.” The male replied, his voice breathy and low. Jungkook found it oddly appealing his voice. He had never heard such a timbre before.

“Hello Taehyung, I’m Jungkook.”

“I know.”

Jungkook’s lips twitched in a cheeky smile and he pulled the album Taehyung was holding in his hands closer to his side of the table, flipping through the pages and pen in hand. He noted that Taehyung had really nice hands and long fingers.

“First time at a fansign?” Jungkook continued, peaking to see Taehyung staring at the album. The male jerked upwards, eyes wide and nodded quickly.

“First time everything. I’ve never gone to any event or concert actually.” Taehyung murmured, voice soft but reaching Jungkook’s ears perfectly clear in the crowded hall. Taehyung smiled beneath the face mask again, eyes crinkling. “I’ve been BTS’s fan since debut.”

Jungkook grinned in response and leaned forward, chin in hand. “What’s your favourite song?”

Taehyung laughed. No, he giggled and Jungkook was captivated. “I can’t choose.”

“What do you listen most to then?”

Taehyung seemed to think for a moment while looking upwards at the ceiling with a hum. His gaze met Jungkook’s amused one. “Whalien 52 and Jump.”

“Damn those are old.”

Taehyung laughed once more, now a deep and genuine big guffaw. “No, they aren’t.”

Jungkook began to write in the album, taking his time and scribbling a drawing. His eyes glinted as he leaned even farther forward. “Bias?”

Taehyung leaned forward too. His eyes were a shade of deep caramel. “Shouldn’t I be asking the questions, Jungkook-ah?”

Jungkook felt a jolt of surprise at the drop of honorifics but accepted it. He didn’t know how old the other was but he seemed close to his age. He grinned in response. “You seemed kind of nervous.”

“Anyone one would be.” Taehyung mumbled, gaze dropping to stare at his lap. “I’ve been hearing your music for ages and I’ve followed you since debut…You guys mean a lot to me.” He looked up at the last statement, eyes honest and big and full of an emotion Jungkook didn’t know to describe. He often heard from fans how much BTS’s music meant to them. The idolt couldn’t help but appreciate their fans more each time he heard it. Seeing Taehyung’s eyes reflecting a look he saw each day in the mirror made him understand that their music was more than just songs to the fan.

Jungkook noticed one of the staff members out of the corner of his eyes motioning the line to move forward but he ignored them and kept his gaze on the other. Jungkook added another sentence to Taehyung’s album. “Taehyung-“

“Hyung.” The other interrupted with a cheeky raise of his brow. They were dark and bushy, fitting the males face nicely. His veiny hands were hidden under the table and Jungkook leaned forward again, motioning for the other to lean in as well before whispering in Taehyung’s ear.

“Tae-Hyung, can I see your face?”

Taehyung looked at Jungkook with surprised eyes. Their faces were close and Jungkook could hear Taehyung’s breath through the face mask. Maybe calling the other by a nickname was too much but Jungkook didn’t regret blurting it out. It sounded natural on his tongue, the others name. Suddenly one hand appeared and tugged down the black material, revealing a rectangular and slightly bashful smile.

Jungkook eyes widened and he breathed out a tiny, “Wow.”

Taehyung’s cheeks grew tinted and he laughed, standing up to move on. The male’s beauty caught the idol off guard and he couldn’t help his surprised reaction. Jungkook often met fans who were ashamed of their own appearance and hid their faces away from the members at fansigns. He always tried to make those fans as comfortable as he could and to not to be frightened to show their appearance to him. Often their shyness was for nothing: their fans were perfect as they were. But he had never seen a fan with the face of a model, or even an idol himself.

Jungkook grabbed the others hand and pushed the album into the male's grip. “Thank you, Tae-Hyung. I hope I see you again.” He squeezed the others hand, lacing their fingers. The male made him surprisingly comfortable and he spoke to him in ease. “Maybe next time without the face mask.”

Taehyung grinned with bright eyes and squeezed back before letting go and waving. Jungkook’s hand suddenly felt weird without Taehyung’s hand in his grip.

“No Jungkookie, Thank you.”

Jimin leaned into Jungkook’s side once Taehyung left with a curious gaze, “You’ve been talking to him more than 5 minutes. Everything ok?”

Jungkook could only stare at the retreating male figure and think that the “Thank you” Taehyung meant was more than just for the signing. He looked back at his older bandmate and grinned. “Never better.”

[spookenstein]

Character Meme

@some-cookie-crumbz tagged me in this like an asshole like a week ago (j/k) but I was busy finishing a summer course for college. I gotta pick my favorite characters from 10 different fandumbs so this will be fun.

I’m really inactive on here so the only people I know who may do it are @space-exeggutor, @waytootired, and my horrible husbando @newgroundsguru. I’m doing this in no particular order.

Also this post may contain decades old spoilers so you know read at your own risk, all 5 of you out there in Tumblr land.

Luke Fon Fabre (Tales of the Abyss)

It’s hard not to like a character who causes so many people to drop the game within the first 10 hours because they find him so unbearable - never getting into the meat and potatoes of his character. While I hate that he loses a bit of his asshole-ish ways, but the combination of killing an entire town of people and the big plot twist (he’s a clone, and he’s been alive 7 years) it makes sense. He’s both figuratively and literally a child mentally - as he was raised to be a brat in the sort time he’s been around. Watching Luke strive to become better, come to terms with who he is and his own worth, and just bonding with the rest of the cast really makes it worth while. 

Kuron (then Takashi Shirogane aka Shiro) (Voltron: The Legendary Defender)

Prior to season 3, while I enjoyed Shiro - he really started sticking out to me as a character. Kuron, even though a clone, clearly had some of his own little personality quirks that made him stick out to me more. He was more willing to put his foot down and take charge opposed sort of smiling and taking it. Poor precious clone baby, how I will miss you. You will always be a paladin in my heart. Shiro is second only to his clone - it’s hard not like Shiro the best when it feels like he’s the only character who has had any well rounded character development throughout the series.

Relena Darlian/Peacecraft (Gundam Wing)

Moving away from the clone character trend, but staying with the mech show that’s more melodrama than actual robot fighting - the most hated characters of the early 2000′s that I loved. Much like with Shiro, Relena felt like the only character who had a legitmate arc throughout the series and grew as a person. She starts as a spoiled rich girl, attempts to avenge her adopted father but ultimately decides to take on her biological families ideals, is a political puppet at one point, and then ultimately takes up her adopted father’s role. Did I mention she’s only 15? I’ve always felt bad for the amount of flak she gets, despite all she does throughout the series, because of the “Heeeerro come back and kill me” schtick. Also I was torn between her and Duo but I knew if I said Duo it would be because he was my first husbando.

Vegeta (Dragon Ball)

I actually hated Vegeta growing up, and it wasn’t until high school that I really came to appreciate his character. I like the villain becoming a good guy thing, and that in Vegeta’s case he really still seemed more like the “grey” guy then good guy - like he wasn’t necessarily bad anymore but he wasn’t really good either. I like that in a weird way he surpasses Goku in being more human the longer the series progresses - he genuinely cares for his family’s well being even if he’s a little tsundere about it. I’ll admit too, while Super maybe horrible in certain aspects, I really do appreciate Vegeta of all people sort of becoming a voice of reason among everything that happens within the series. Like, it’s hard to believe the former antagonist is in that role.

Todoroki Shoto (Boku no Hero Academia)

This was a real hard pick because I like a lot of character’s from BnHA and I can think of at least 3 more I could say are my favorite all for different reasons. However I think Todoroki would be my number 1 pick. He’s a character who’s gone through a lot and post the sport’s festival fight with Deku, he’s growing. Todoroki could’ve stayed a quiet, anti-social, sticking to his guns kind of rival like so many shonen do but instead elects to grow. Reconnecting with his mother, not squandering his opportunities to use the resources his father has, and willing to crack the occasional joke - it makes Todoroki a breath of fresh air as one of Deku’s growing list of rivals.

Tadano Hitohito (Komi-san wa Komyushou Desu)

I started reading Komi-san wa Komyushou Desu when it was first getting translations because I thought Komi was so adorable, but as time as gone on Tadano really stole my heart. Tadano is the definite of average - and that’s literal, his whole character is being basically vanilla ice cream in 31 flavors. I never truly understood the concept of moe until this character. He’s just a earnest, hardworking guy who’s willing to help anyone - even people who treat him poorly (which is basically everyone considering his standing with Komi, the class idol). Out of all the smile I want to protect, I want to protect Tadano’s the most.

Tangy (Animal Crossing)

Cute, orange kitty cat. I don’t know what to say, she’s peppy, talks about being a super star and she’s an ORANGE KITTY CAT. She’s just too much, too freaking cute.

Gill (Harvest Moon Tree of Tranquility/Animal Parade)

I was torn between Gill and Ellen from OG Harvest Moon, but elected to go with Gill because I’ve married him so many times. Truthfully, the type A pretty boy types aren’t normally my thing but I made an exception for him. I like to think that the MC and Gill start off as a couple of convenience - Gill wanting that sweet farming bux and the MC wanting to have a political in. It’s stupid but that’s how I like to play Harvest Moon, by inventing soup opera drama in my head.

Matsuno Choromatsu (Osomatsu-san)

Again, I’m not normally into the type A personality but Choromatsu is almost like the pseudo-middle child so I feel for him. Also, I’m a terrible person so I can relate to feeling like your the least piece of shit in a room of crap (i.e. all my coworkers even though I know I’m not even better). Plus I’m otaku trash and I love cute anime girls (opposed to his idol love). In a lot of ways he pales to the other Matsu’s but everyone needs a straight man, and he’s good at it.

Hatsune Miku (Vocaloid)

She’s cute, she can sing, she can dance, and because she’s different depending on who’s writing the song she’s can be easy to relate too. My bedroom is also decked out with like 10-11 Miku figures so she had to go on here somewhere. My dream is to see her live one of these days.

Thanks to anyone who took the time to read my post on characters I enjoy. Even if I don’t know you, feel free to do it yourself. It’s a real head scratcher.

[themagiciansreccenter]

Author Spotlight @cldfiredrgn

Every week we are going to be interviewing a writer from The Magicians fandom. If you would like to be interviewed or you want to nominate a writer, get in touch via our ask box.

First things first, tell us a little about yourself.

I’m cldfiredrgn on Tumblr, Coldfiredragon on ao3

Well, I’m in my early-thirties. College consisted of a combination of political science, english, and psychology. (not a combination I’d recommend unless you want to take it to grad level or beyond), though it is useful for writing. I’m a gamer who grew up on comics and anime. I’m an all around geek who listens to EDM, electro industrial, jazz, electro-swing, and punk. We have 2 cats, no kids, and a spare bedroom dedicated to our toy collection.

How long have you been writing for?

I started posting fic in high school. I wrote a few original pieces for 4-H projects, because mom wanted me to participate but I wasn’t the ‘get dirty/hands on’ kind of kid. I made it to state one year for my writing. I floored the regional judges with something that was more anime inspired and adult, they loved it.

What inspired you to start writing for The Magicians?

Watching the first episode, shortly before season 2 premiered, and my jaw hitting the floor that Quentin and Eliot seemed to be flirting! I was hooked from the first episode. I hadn’t written anything in a couple of years. It was so nice to have a fandom again.

Who is/are your favourite character(s) to write? What it is about them that makes them your favourite?

Eliot and Quentin, but Eliot is the character that hooked me. I kinda share his backstory. I’m the rural farm kid from a heavily Christian family who got out. Thankfully I still have a good relationship with my parents.

Do you have a preference for a particular season/point in time to write about?

I prefer either season 1, or season 3. I’m absolutely dreading when ‘Shoulder to Shoulder With You’ reaches season 2 material and having to fit Eliot’s season 2 arc into that universe.

Are you working on anything right now? Care to give us an idea about it?

I’m also working on ‘Shoulder to Shoulder’ (StS). It’s my monster and my baby! We crossed 100,000 words together 2 chapters ago. Hmm, an idea about it? Well, I hate to give too much away, but a few things are coming up.

My version of the Virgo blade storyline is just a few chapters away! The resolution of that will be the end of the current ‘Fall’ arc….

Wait? You still want a Spoiler? I can I can give you one… Arc 3 is titled ‘The Chatwins’ and will focus on the group finding out about the time-loops and the roles that Jane and Martin play in their lives. Then they are off to Fillory!

How long is your “to do list”?

I have a lot of ideas on the back burner. Officially though:

The next chapter of my Queliot soulmate AU -- ‘My Hands Pass Through’

Never Ending StS chapters

My Trials project, which I’m not 100% decided on yet.

What is your favourite fic that you’ve written for The Magicians? Why?

“Shoulder to Shoulder With You’ is the story I’ve put the most work into ever. It has to be my favorite or I couldn’t continue it. I love the universe. I love how it’s already diverged from canon, I love where it goes and how I’ve been able to put my own spin on the arcs from the show so they will be fresh for readers of my story. Quentin and Eliot, the whole group, they continue to surprise me as the story evolves.

Many writers have a fic that they are passionate about that doesn’t get the reception from the fandom that they hoped for. Do you have a fic you would like more people to read and appreciate?

‘All Part of the Deal’ The summary doesn’t do it justice. The fic started as a response to a kink meme but truly is an exploration of Eliot’s relationship to his telekinesis. It explores how he quietly hates his powers even as he clings to them because they’ve given him the only family and home he’s ever had. It’s also a subtle commentary on his addiction and how he’s sought out this thing that he thinks he needs, even if inherently destructive.

What is your writing process like? Do you have any traditions or superstitions that you like to stick to when you’re writing?

Once I write something it tends to be written. I edit and tweak it once its on paper, but the majority of major edits are mental. I’ll think through a series of events a dozen times but the version that gets typed is usually the version I adhere to.

If something gets deleted on accident it tends to be gone. I’m never as happy with a document I have to recreate from scratch as I was with the original.

Do you write while the seasons are airing or do you prefer to wait for hiatus? How does the ongoing development of the canon influence and inspire your writing process?

I write during the season and all through the hiatus. With ‘StS’ I watched season 3 while constantly editing how the events would shift the story. StS is at its core an alternate 40th loop, so the general rule of thumb has been ‘if it happens in the show, then some version of it will happen in StS’

What has been the most challenging fic for you to write?

“Shoulder to Shoulder’ because it has so many moving parts now. Every change I make to canon is a domino effect. Penny and Alice dating now effects Penny’s arc with Kady and Julia later, Eliot dating Quentin before Fillory impacts his ‘marriage’ arc(s). I had to completely change what happens with Loria because he and Idri would never end up engaged. I had to re-arrange who found certain keys because certain people are in different places. It’s a never ending cycle of cause and effect.

Are there any themes or tropes that you like particularly like to explore in your writing?

I like to use music when I can. I have a weird relationship to water and rain. I love the theme of soul-mates and chosen family. Exploring emotion is something I embrace, as most of you know I’m a great lover of angst.

Are there any writers that inspire your work? Fanfiction or otherwise?

Lev obviously inspired me. He gave me my current fandom, but he’s inspired my personal writing too. I love how he can breeze through large amounts of time in a few paragraphs. Herman Wouk is inspirational because of his scale. ‘The Winds of War’ and “War and Remembrance’ managed to put the reader into every phase and conflict of World War II.

J.K. Rowling, I was a huge Harry Potter fan writer for a long time.

Alan Moore for ‘Watchmen’ Dozens of comic writers

C.S. Friedman’s ‘Coldfire Trilogy’ (where my main username draws influence)

Fanfic writers: EdgarAllanCat ( @goddessjuliawicker) Lexalicious70 ( @all-hale-eliot) , Rays ( @under-the-shady-tree) @gwendolynflight, @oneeyeddestroyer, Sullyandlulu ( @highestkingbambi) , LadySilviana, @highkingfen , @echomoon , dozens of others. This has been the best fandom I’ve ever been part of, all of you make it amazing!

What are you currently reading? Fanfiction or otherwise?

I devour fanfic! I’m finishing ‘The Magicians Land’ I follow real world news despite how depressing it is.

What is the most valuable piece of writing advice you’ve ever been given?

That my whole body of work was horrible. I wrote for a comics fandom for several years, and found a rant post on a blog site that tore a lot of what I did to shreds, but ultimately at lot of points they made were valid. I wrote volume instead of quality, to fill challenge tables with poorly executed AU scenarios. They weren’t good, they were dark for the sake of the challenge prompts. It made me stop for a while, and get back into writing with focused projects.

Cringe time:

Are there any words or phrases you worry about over using in your work?

I’m sure there are, and you guys probably know them better than I do.

What was the first fanfic that you wrote? Do you still have access to it?

It was a Gundam Wing fic, and I don’t.

Rapid Fire Round:

Self-edit or Beta? -- Self-edit with an editing program

Comments or Kudos/Reblogs or Likes? -- Comments

Smut, Fluff or Angst? -- Angst

Quick & Dirty or Slow Burn? -- Slow Burn

Favourite season? -- 3

Favourite episode? -- ‘A Life In a Day’’

Favourite book(The Magicians Books)? - 'The Magicians'

Three favourite words? ‘Symmetry, cacophony, sisyphean

Anything you want to add?

My ask box is always open, I love to talk about my writing, and I love user feedback

Want to be interviewed for our author spotlight? Get in touch here.

[moremousewrites]

Love Letters Chapter 5

Pairing: Bucky Barnes X Reader

Summary: The aftermath of the battle in Berlin worried you but you were glad to discover Bucky was safe. You are presented with the task of staying by his side, now

Chapter One X

Chapter Two X

Chapter Three X

Chapter Four X

Chapter Five: Complete

Chapter Six X

After your last run in, you moved back into your old home. You only had to wait one week after Berlin. One more week of agonizing loneliness, but it was cut short. Sam came to your old apartment in America. He filled you in on what had happened in the HYDRA base. He explained how he and the rest of Steve's allies were now war criminals and that you were at risk of being kidnapped by Bucky's enemies again.

Sam also told you about how Bucky had to be put into a deep sleep in a location he couldn't disclose to you in case your apartment was bugged which it absolutely had been by now. But he didn't have to tell you about the invitation that was on the table.

“We got maybe eight minutes tops before SWAT comes knocking on the door looking for me. I’m kind of a war criminal” He said, nodding towards the same bag you had packed in Berlin. You had cleaned the clothes inside since then but the bag was packed again with new, fresh clothes.

“You almost sound proud” You said, grabbing the bag and walking out of your apartment. Sam followed you and chuckled at your attitude. He walked you to the parking lot near your place and you looked around for his ride. When you couldn't see which car might be his, Sam clicked a button on a strange car fob and a futuristic jet appeared before you. “Holy shit, you're a Klingon?” You asked, stepping inside the jet.

“It's Wakandan” Sam explained, starting the jet with the beads on a bizarre bracelet he wore. Strange, you had thought Wakanda was an incredibly poor country based on its status of being a third world country. You nearly fell to the floor when the jet accelerated off the ground. “Yeah, you’re gonna want to hold on. I spent my life flying high tech but nothing this advanced” Sam twisted another bead and the ship shifted in a way that made you suspect it had become invisible from the exterior again or Sam just royally fucked with something in the engineering.

From a bird’s eye view, you could see the SWAT team entering your home and you became incredibly uncomfortable with your privacy being invaded. “Let’s get out of here, Sam”

The trip to Wakanda was shorter than you would have expected but Sam did say the technology was incredibly advanced. You were happy he was a skilled pilot. Aside from almost retching from the fear of crashing into a Wakandan mountain, only to discover it was yet another cloaking device hiding a glorious kingdom of riches and sophisticated architecture that the rest of the world had no knowledge of, you had a rather uneventful flight. You had expected Bucky to be waiting for you when you landed but you reminded yourself he had been in a coma for rehabilitation. From the past few months you had been having, you didn’t blame him for needing some rest. Steve and a regal looking man beside him greeted you as you stepped off the plane.

“It’s good to see you again, (Y/N)”. Steve hugged you and you stiffened in his arms, unsure of what to say. You appreciated his manners but you didn’t know Steve all that well, personally other than everything you had to learn about him for work. Actually, you knew a good deal about him. Once you remembered who he was to Bucky, however, you relaxed in his embrace and hugged back.

“Likewise. I’m glad to see you back in one piece” You joked and pulled away to acknowledge the man next to him. “Hi there, my name’s (Y/N)” You introduced yourself and offered your hand for him to shake.

The man smiled and Steve had a weird look on his face like he forgot something. “It is nice to meet you, (Y/N). I am T'challa, son of T'chaka, and king of Wakanda” He shook your hand but the weight of his importance shook you.

Completely speechless, you shook the king’s hand a little too long and probably made a fool of yourself. It became clear that T’challa was uncomfortable and you were imposing on his valuable time. “Sorry about that, I spent the last few months in a country where it’s customary to shake hands for a long time. I don’t know why I haven’t broken the habit” You covered your slip up with a pretty half-assed excuse but it was better than nothing. “Thank you for allowing me to stay here, your Majesty” You moved on.

“I see you’ve even gotten the foreigners to kiss your ass now, brother” A young girl who couldn’t have been older than sixteen stepped around the king so you could see her.

“Shuri, could you please take our new guest to the laboratory so she can see her soulmate” T’challa suggested. Shuri nodded and threw back some witty comment at him before taking you and Steve into a large building full of technology.

You were looking around at all the strange futuristic machinery in awe when Shuri snapped her fingers in front of your face. “Touch and take nothing. I don’t expect you to understand this tech enough to try and copy it but don’t abuse my trust, understand?” She asked, walking you up a strange hovering staircase.

“I’m trying to. I work with history, not the future. You’re secrets are completely safe.” You comforted her with your ignorance. It stung to be condescended to by a child but you had a feeling she wasn’t one to be messed with and you could accept that.

Shuri walked you to a room where Bucky was being held in. It hurt to see him so untouchable behind the glass but the peaceful look on his face was enough for you not to bother him. You only saw that expression when he was truly calm with you. It was possible it was the first time he had been that calm in decades.

Looking at him, you noticed Bucky’s arm was missing. “What happened here?” You asked, concerned.

“He kinda- well it was actually my fault. I pissed off Tony Stark and he took it out on Bucky” Steve said. A gross feeling settled within you and you felt like throwing up again.

“That hardly sounds like an appropriate response” You said, tightening your fists.

Steve noticed how upset you had become and decided to change the topic. “So the think it’d be best to keep him under for a year and then slowly introduce him back into socialising. It’d really help him, though if you would be here for him when he eventually wakes up”

You touched the glass above Bucky’s face, “Done. Where should I live until then? And also after then” You asked.

Shuri had moved to the other side of the room but you hadn’t noticed. “You can live in a village. Would you prefer somewhere urban or rural?”

“Rural, please. I’ve had enough of cities” You answered, easily, “And I think it’d be better for James once he finally wakes up”

You saw Steve give you a light smile. He was happy that Bucky had someone with his best interest in mind. “I think he’d really appreciate that” Steve said, patting you on the shoulder, kindly.

Shuri held out a band of the same strange beads Sam wore on his wrist to pilot the ship. You didn’t understand what was being offered until she explained what they were, “Vibranium technology. They will act as a form of communication while you’re here. They work by twisting one inscribed by the symbol that matches the other bracelet you wish to reach” She twisted one and her own became active. “This one’s mine, the one next to it is Sam’s, and this one here is Steve’s. You can call me any time and always feel free to stop by but if you start to spam me with them, I can block you” She twisted the bead off. “But seriously, if you find a good meme you know who to call” Shuri said. You had to laugh at her last comment.

“Thanks, Shuri” You said, tapping the beads to see what else they could do. Steve looked completely lost at what she had said.

Once you said goodbye to the tank Bucky was in, Shuri took you to see the new property you were allotted. It was a much larger space than you were used to and you were almost overwhelmed in it’s capacity. It was at least an acre of land, a large farm house surrounded by grasses and a small herd of goats. “I will name them all and I will protect them at all costs” You vowed, instantly loving the creatures. It was hard for you to imagine such mundane animals in such a fantasy of a place but you powered through. The interior was beautifully decorated with textiles lining the walls and art on every surface. The furniture was a neat mix of the traditional art of Wakanda and the sci-fi vibe it now portrayed. You were suddenly very happy your soulmate was an enemy of the state because there was no way you would have afforded this place in any country.

“So I know it’s kind of shabby but it’s the best we could do on short notice. Is it alright?” Shuri asked.

You gushed over the craftsmanship of the dining set and said “Shuri, this is luxurious. I get goats, how could I possibly say no to this?”

“You foreigners are so easy to please. I can’t imagine the standards of living you must have back home” Shuri excused herself and went back to her lab. You tried not to think about the way you lived in Bucharest because in all honesty, you were only happy living there because Bucky was there with you. Steve was still standing in the doorway.

“You gonna be alright on your own until he wakes up?” He asked, picking at the wood on the wall. “Sam and I still need to tie up some loose ends out in the world but I’m always available” Steve waved his wrist a bit that had the beads on it.

Sitting on the couch, you invited Steve to sit next to you but he chose to stand. He was similar to Bucky in a lot of his mannerisms. “I’m here for you, too, Steve. I’m sure you’ve been through hell and back but you should know that you’re safe here, too” You said, realizing that for the first time in months, you were safe as well.

“I hope this doesn’t make you uncomfortable, but sometimes, you really remind me of Peggy” Steve said before exiting your new living space. The comment hadn’t made you uncomfortable, just very alone.

Adjusting to life in Wakanda was much easier than you had expected. You frequently visited the markets and tended to your goats like the humble farmer you had become. As a joke, you named the goats after sitcom characters from the 90’s and they grew very fond of you. Once a week, you made it up to the labs to visit Bucky and Shuri who would ask you about America and oftentimes, you would lecture her in history and she would have very little interest as she built new machines to make the lives of Wakandans easier. Shuri didn’t mind your company but she thought you needed more friends than a fish tank and a sixteen year-old scientist so she asked her brother to set you up with a tutor.

You didn’t know what to expect when she said ‘tutor’ but you were surprised to be introduced by a member of the Dora Milaje who was going to teach you combat. You were especially surprised to discover what a fast learner you were and how good you were becoming at fighting. You didn’t hold a candle to the Dora soldiers but over many months, you were impressing even Sam who you were able to pin in a match.

The Dora were teaching you to use a type of staff in battle before you had to put your training on pause. The crown was being threatened by an outsider or so you were told before you were relocated to a smaller village along with Bucky’s unconscious body, laid out on a blanket. No one filled you in on exactly what was going with the throne but you hoped Shuri and T’challa were safe. At one point, you must have been discovered because two of the Wakandan men kicked in the door to the hut you were staying in and attempted to grab you. They wouldn’t tell you why they came or where you were going but Shuri gave you strict instructions not to leave your safehouse so you put your new defense training to use. You did feel pretty awful hurting the men as they had been kind to you when you first arrived to the country. One had even been your neighbor, but you only knocked them out to drag Bucky and yourself to somewhere that might’ve been safer.

Once the sounds of battle muted, you called Shuri who found you in a field you had gotten lost in. Shuri had been impressed by your defense skills when she heard the story but you were just happy no one was hurt too badly, especially Bucky. No one ever really explained what had happened but you figured it wasn’t really your business and everyone was safe.

The one good thing that came from all the drama was that you realized how close Bucky was to finally waking up. You had been in Wakanda for months and it was nearly time for Bucky to wake up. He was permanently moved back to another small village and you could finally stay with him. You were given instructions to wash him and give him fluids while he slept and you were able to perform the tasks with help from a nurse from the city. It made you laugh inwardly that your soulmate in a sense was a geriatric patient in your care. You remembered how his age was so formidable to you when you initially got the letter in the mail but now it rarely was a thought that crossed your mind. You even would reread your letter, finding small little things in the letter you overlooked as an eighteen year-old. While reading the old, torn letter for the millionth time, you were so immersed that you nearly missed the sputter coming from Bucky’s throat.

Jumping to his side, you checked James’ vitals with your bracelet but he grabbed your wrist with his hand, firmly and his eyes shot open. “(Y/N)?” He asked, throat rough with neglect.

“I’m here, James” You said, touching his face. “How’re feeling?” You asked.

“Water” He said, not answering your question. You grabbed him a glass and filled it with water. He drank it in one large gulp before answering your question, “I feel alright”

“Eight months in deep sleep and you feel ‘alright’?” You teased, twisting the bead on your bracelet that connects to Steve’s.

Bucky went to stand up but the nurse, Adea, came over and instructed him not to move too quickly. You left the room when she mentioned something about the catheter and Steve picked up your call. “Hey, how’s sleeping beauty” He asked. “In a few minutes, you can ask him yourself” You said, waiting until you got the signal to come back in. It wasn’t that you hadn’t seen Bucky like this before, but you expected he would probably like some privacy now he was conscious.

On the other end of the line, Steve was beaming, “Is he really awake?” Steve was already on his way over from whatever safehouse he was hiding in. Hearing Bucky’s voice from inside the hut, you came inside. “Hey, is that him? Can you put him on the… phone I guess?” Steve was still perplexed by the technology of Wakanda.

You angled the bracelet for Bucky to be able to converse with Steve. “Hey, buddy. Where’d you go? One minute I was falling asleep in a lab with you by my side and now I’m in a shack?”

“I dragged you here, myself you unappreciative asshole” You smacked him on the back of his head and he chuckled. “Hey Steve did you grow out your beard?” You noticed his new facial hair, or was it there before? He had grown his hair out, too and you realised how long it had been since you last spoke to Steve. He shrugged in response and you saw he was climbing into a jet before he excused himself and promised to come over as soon as he could.

Hanging up the call, you and Bucky took a small breath, appreciating the company you were sharing. Bucky had thinned considerably since he had been put to sleep but he definitely looked refreshed. You were happy he got some rest. “Did I lose my mind from that coma, or did you get buff?” He asked you, pinching at your bicep.

“You’re probably the most sane you’ve been in a while, Buck or we wouldn’t have bothered putting you under. And yeah I kinda took some lessons from the Dora Milaje” You said, making Bucky laugh.

“Oh I wish I hadn’t missed that. I’m sure they loved teaching you to fight” He still had that perfect laugh you could never tire from. In fact, just hearing his voice after all this time brought you close to tears.

You pushed him lightly because he was a bit more fragile in this state. “They did not. I’m still very much an outsider” You said, getting up to refill his glass. “And you didn’t miss much”

You spent another month in the small village. Local kids would often come in to play with Bucky who didn’t mind the company or to braid your hair that had grown immensely and teach you games you can play with stone pieces much like chess. They even gave Bucky a nickname- White Wolf as it was translated for you by Adea. They called you the Blue Crane, apparently. Steve visited the both of you and helped you both move back to the house had originally chosen to stay in. He couldn’t stay too long, though. He still had some things to finish out in the rest of the world. You were happy to stay in your bubble of security with Bucky.

It didn’t take much time or effort for his body to re adjust from his sleep. It had been used to it after the years of being comatose to awake for HYDRA. He still had nightmares every so often, walking in the night for sometimes hours until he came back to you. You never asked what he was dreaming of and he appreciated that. Sometimes, he’d hear a loud crash and he’d get jittery or try to find you and protect you but it was an improvement.

A peaceful few months passed and you found yourself unable to sleep. It was nearly sunrise, but you just sat outside alone. As the sun rose, you tried to memorize exactly every detail you saw because you were scared it might one day get taken from you. You thought about how it felt each time you had been separated from Bucky and how it had been similar to the dread you expected losing the sunrise would be like, but you stopped yourself. You weren’t going to entertain those thoughts right now. Realizing you still held that old letter in your hand, you skimmed it again, looking to the last line. It had changed somehow; in red ink, it displayed a different word that you couldn’t quite make out until the sunlight rose high enough to illuminate the page. It read, ‘Mission: Complete’. To your right, you could make out T’challa and many of his followers coming towards you, holding a box. Behind you, you felt Bucky’s presence.

[wendyimmiller]

Veggie/Pollinator Garden Combo Power Pack!

Well, here we are, enjoying our first pandemic. Most of us anyway. But even the flimsiest grasp of history informs us that bad times are a dime a dozen. The Universe is indeed infinite, and it has innumerable ways to stress us out, and when it isn’t, someone else is.

In previous such times, people rallied. During WWII, the Big One, people brought their pots and pans to be made into battleships, delivered their bacon grease to become bombs, and planted Victory Gardens so farmers could turn their plowshares into swords and fight overseas. This time around it seems people are more interested in Monday morning quarterbacking decision makers. Something about the present day and age that has everyone thinking they know more than the experts. Until they need a transplant. Or chemo. Then, suddenly, they’re all ears.

Anyway, despite the stupidity of our memed out and overly politicized times and how they have made caricatures of too many once open, complex, and critically thinking people, it seems that one constructive thing Americans are doing is planting more gardens. All my garden center contacts confirm this, adding that people seem most interested in starting vegetable gardens.

Vegetable gardens have a bad rap as being ugly. Well, it doesn’t have to be that way. Adding flowering plants for pollinators is a good first step to making a vegetable garden more productive and better-looking all at the same time.

 Makes sense. Vegetable gardening is commonly viewed as both an easy entry into gardening and a money saver. Neither, of course, is necessarily true, but with well-directed effort the average non-gardening homeowner can soon enjoy all the positive attributes of gardening—good  outdoors exercise, connection to the earth and it’s fascinating and affirming life processes, stress relief, and, of course, delicious, nutritious vegetables fresh from the garden.

So, yes, times of crisis are a fine time to transform that forlorn patch of turf into the fertile and productive mini-farm it has always wanted to become, but I’ll also argue that even in the best of times people should grow more of their own food. We have strayed too far from the simultaneously humbling and uplifting awareness that we depend on the planet, all of its plants and animals, and its intricate, fragile, and miraculously beautiful life cycles to provide us food, water, all the other necessities of life, and then some! The minute you start put seeds in furrows and start coaxing them to germinate, you are firmly, yet gently, reminded of this.

But vegetables can be hard to grow. Over many years, most food producing plants have been selected away from the original wild plants they once were and molded into plants that better meet the needs and desires of people–better flavor, greater production, longer storage, and some other things. Of course, there was a price to pay for this, which the plants themselves had to pay. They lost some of their natural defenses against pests and disease. This is why most of our modern vegetables sometimes require the use of pesticides.

Although there are some cheap, easily obtained, and reasonably safe home pesticides on the market, it is probably fair to say that most homeowners would rather not devote the time, expense, and effort to using them if they don’t absolutely have to. It’s probably also fair to say they when they do use them it is often unnecessary and sometimes unsafely. Fortunately, through good execution of gardening basics, most home gardeners can grow plenty of crops without pesticides and still achieve fresh, healthy, and bountiful harvests.

These gardening basics are pretty simple: improve soil by the addition of organic matter, choose vegetables that perform well in your region, select among those the most highly rated varieties for disease and pest resistance, maintain garden hygiene, fertilize when/if needed, and water when necessary. Oh, and one other thing. Something important that will really amp up one’s odds of success—include within the vegetable patch (or grow somewhere nearby) a variety of nectar and pollen producing flowers that will consistently bloom from May to October that will attract pollinators.

Apart from pollinating vegetable plants and ensuring a better harvest, certain types of pollinators will also perform another function that is just as important—pest  control. Although you’ll still enjoy them, butterflies and bees are of little to no use here. Nope. For pests, you need flies and wasps.

I know exactly what you’re thinking. Ack! Flies? They like garbage, they visit poop, and then land on your deviled eggs at picnics. And wasps? They sting. You are of course free to think and say these things, and you wouldn’t be completely wrong if you do, but you also wouldn’t be exactly right. And you definitely wouldn’t be seeing the bigger picture.

First, flies. The Order of flies (Diptera) is massive. Annoying and disgusting house flies make up but a tiny fraction of the approximately million species. The rest? Well, some of those are pollinators. They sup on nectar, and honestly could not care less about your poop or your picnics. Mostly, they just fly around doing their good deeds completely unnoticed because they’re often very small, mistaken for bees which they mimic, or both. And we have got to learn to appreciate them!

A hover fly.

A tomato hornworm bearing unmistakable evidence of having been parasitized.

As adults (and not unlike most adults in other species, including ours) they feed and mate. Feeding for them is to enjoy nectar in the flowers you provide. This is all well and good. As they visit flowers to feed they contribute some to better pollination which brings greater abundance to the land. But what we’re really interested in is their mating. for it leads to pest control. And a gruesome pest control at that.

What happens is the females get pregnant, and they’re angry about it. They start patrolling the landscape looking, I’m told, mostly for vegetable gardens. Like yours. Where your practically defenseless royal family, pale, sweet, inbred plants are haplessly trying to grow and produce tasty vegetables for you and your family. It is on these plants where those fat, hot, irritated, pregnant female flies with swollen feet find a plethora of soft bodied insects like aphids and caterpillars chewing their way through your crops, and, upon them she descends and brings hell with her as she lays her eggs under their soft, supple skin.  Then, the eggs hatch into pupae. Which, then, set about eating the pest alive from the inside until it dies. Which, in my opinion, is  a truly fitting end to anything that tries to eat anything from my garden, except, of course, for my kids. And maybe some friends. Possibly my wife.

Some wasps, like flies, feed on pollen and nectar and then lay their eggs in other insects, but some prefer a varied diet and will also feed outright on them. Most “garden-variety” wasps are very small, and, unless you’re looking for them, go virtually unseen. They won’t sting you. You shouldn’t fear them. Nor should you fear the larger wasps in the garden. Many are not even capable of stinging, and even those that can simply won’t while they are feeding. When it comes to food, they are pretty darned focused. Stings only happen when an unlucky person strays too near a nest or is dumb enough to walk around barefoot.

Here are ten steps to a beautiful and productive Vegetable/Pollinator Garden.

Choose a sunny, reasonably flat site (or make a flat site by terracing a slope).

Good soil preparation. Vegetables are heavy feeders. You’ll want more fertility than ornamental gardens, so work in some extra compost, mushroom compost, or composted manure.

Select the vegetables that grow well in your region, and, among those, the most highly rated varieties. Your local garden center is a good source for this information, as are your county extension agent, regional vegetable trial gardens often associated with universities, and All American Selections.

Select a mix of pollinator plants that will provide a continuous bloom from April or May to frost. Often, this is most easily achieved using annuals. You can buy these as plants or seeds. Again, check out your garden center, extension, and regional trials for the best varieties.

Keep the garden weeded by pulling or using a hoe. Mulching lightly with clean straw or pine straw can reduce the need to weed.

Water when the soil is drying out. Mulching can reduce the need to water.

Refrain from using pesticides unless absolutely necessary. We suggest consulting with your extension agent when you suspect a pest or disease. If spraying a pesticide is deemed necessary, choose the pesticide that causes the least damage to the environment and beneficial insects. Many times, your beneficial insect populations take a few days to catch up to your pests, but once they do they quickly clear up the problem.

Protect your vegetable garden from deer using fencing.

Raised beds make it easier to improve your soil, ensure better soil drainage, warm up your soil more quickly in the spring, and they make it a little easier on the gardener to plant, weed, and harvest.

Acquire other useful references. We recommend publications by your state’s university extension office, some nonprofits, garden centers, and nearby longtime gardeners. There are also many great books on vegetable gardening.

This blog in a slightly different version was previously published by the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden.

Veggie/Pollinator Garden Combo Power Pack! originally appeared on GardenRant on May 28, 2020.

The post Veggie/Pollinator Garden Combo Power Pack! appeared first on GardenRant.

from Gardening https://www.gardenrant.com/2020/05/veggie-pollinator-garden-combo-power-pack.html via http://www.rssmix.com/

[turfandlawncare]

Veggie/Pollinator Garden Combo Power Pack!

Well, here we are, enjoying our first pandemic. Most of us anyway. But even the flimsiest grasp of history informs us that bad times are a dime a dozen. The Universe is indeed infinite, and it has innumerable ways to stress us out, and when it isn’t, someone else is.

In previous such times, people rallied. During WWII, the Big One, people brought their pots and pans to be made into battleships, delivered their bacon grease to become bombs, and planted Victory Gardens so farmers could turn their plowshares into swords and fight overseas. This time around it seems people are more interested in Monday morning quarterbacking decision makers. Something about the present day and age that has everyone thinking they know more than the experts. Until they need a transplant. Or chemo. Then, suddenly, they’re all ears.

Anyway, despite the stupidity of our memed out and overly politicized times and how they have made caricatures of too many once open, complex, and critically thinking people, it seems that one constructive thing Americans are doing is planting more gardens. All my garden center contacts confirm this, adding that people seem most interested in starting vegetable gardens.

Vegetable gardens have a bad rap as being ugly. Well, it doesn’t have to be that way. Adding flowering plants for pollinators is a good first step to making a vegetable garden more productive and better-looking all at the same time.

 Makes sense. Vegetable gardening is commonly viewed as both an easy entry into gardening and a money saver. Neither, of course, is necessarily true, but with well-directed effort the average non-gardening homeowner can soon enjoy all the positive attributes of gardening—good  outdoors exercise, connection to the earth and it’s fascinating and affirming life processes, stress relief, and, of course, delicious, nutritious vegetables fresh from the garden.

So, yes, times of crisis are a fine time to transform that forlorn patch of turf into the fertile and productive mini-farm it has always wanted to become, but I’ll also argue that even in the best of times people should grow more of their own food. We have strayed too far from the simultaneously humbling and uplifting awareness that we depend on the planet, all of its plants and animals, and its intricate, fragile, and miraculously beautiful life cycles to provide us food, water, all the other necessities of life, and then some! The minute you start put seeds in furrows and start coaxing them to germinate, you are firmly, yet gently, reminded of this.

But vegetables can be hard to grow. Over many years, most food producing plants have been selected away from the original wild plants they once were and molded into plants that better meet the needs and desires of people–better flavor, greater production, longer storage, and some other things. Of course, there was a price to pay for this, which the plants themselves had to pay. They lost some of their natural defenses against pests and disease. This is why most of our modern vegetables sometimes require the use of pesticides.

Although there are some cheap, easily obtained, and reasonably safe home pesticides on the market, it is probably fair to say that most homeowners would rather not devote the time, expense, and effort to using them if they don’t absolutely have to. It’s probably also fair to say they when they do use them it is often unnecessary and sometimes unsafely. Fortunately, through good execution of gardening basics, most home gardeners can grow plenty of crops without pesticides and still achieve fresh, healthy, and bountiful harvests.

These gardening basics are pretty simple: improve soil by the addition of organic matter, choose vegetables that perform well in your region, select among those the most highly rated varieties for disease and pest resistance, maintain garden hygiene, fertilize when/if needed, and water when necessary. Oh, and one other thing. Something important that will really amp up one’s odds of success—include within the vegetable patch (or grow somewhere nearby) a variety of nectar and pollen producing flowers that will consistently bloom from May to October that will attract pollinators.

Apart from pollinating vegetable plants and ensuring a better harvest, certain types of pollinators will also perform another function that is just as important—pest  control. Although you’ll still enjoy them, butterflies and bees are of little to no use here. Nope. For pests, you need flies and wasps.

I know exactly what you’re thinking. Ack! Flies? They like garbage, they visit poop, and then land on your deviled eggs at picnics. And wasps? They sting. You are of course free to think and say these things, and you wouldn’t be completely wrong if you do, but you also wouldn’t be exactly right. And you definitely wouldn’t be seeing the bigger picture.

First, flies. The Order of flies (Diptera) is massive. Annoying and disgusting house flies make up but a tiny fraction of the approximately million species. The rest? Well, some of those are pollinators. They sup on nectar, and honestly could not care less about your poop or your picnics. Mostly, they just fly around doing their good deeds completely unnoticed because they’re often very small, mistaken for bees which they mimic, or both. And we have got to learn to appreciate them!

A hover fly.

A tomato hornworm bearing unmistakable evidence of having been parasitized.

As adults (and not unlike most adults in other species, including ours) they feed and mate. Feeding for them is to enjoy nectar in the flowers you provide. This is all well and good. As they visit flowers to feed they contribute some to better pollination which brings greater abundance to the land. But what we’re really interested in is their mating. for it leads to pest control. And a gruesome pest control at that.

What happens is the females get pregnant, and they’re angry about it. They start patrolling the landscape looking, I’m told, mostly for vegetable gardens. Like yours. Where your practically defenseless royal family, pale, sweet, inbred plants are haplessly trying to grow and produce tasty vegetables for you and your family. It is on these plants where those fat, hot, irritated, pregnant female flies with swollen feet find a plethora of soft bodied insects like aphids and caterpillars chewing their way through your crops, and, upon them she descends and brings hell with her as she lays her eggs under their soft, supple skin.  Then, the eggs hatch into pupae. Which, then, set about eating the pest alive from the inside until it dies. Which, in my opinion, is  a truly fitting end to anything that tries to eat anything from my garden, except, of course, for my kids. And maybe some friends. Possibly my wife.

Some wasps, like flies, feed on pollen and nectar and then lay their eggs in other insects, but some prefer a varied diet and will also feed outright on them. Most “garden-variety” wasps are very small, and, unless you’re looking for them, go virtually unseen. They won’t sting you. You shouldn’t fear them. Nor should you fear the larger wasps in the garden. Many are not even capable of stinging, and even those that can simply won’t while they are feeding. When it comes to food, they are pretty darned focused. Stings only happen when an unlucky person strays too near a nest or is dumb enough to walk around barefoot.

Here are ten steps to a beautiful and productive Vegetable/Pollinator Garden.

Choose a sunny, reasonably flat site (or make a flat site by terracing a slope).

Good soil preparation. Vegetables are heavy feeders. You’ll want more fertility than ornamental gardens, so work in some extra compost, mushroom compost, or composted manure.

Select the vegetables that grow well in your region, and, among those, the most highly rated varieties. Your local garden center is a good source for this information, as are your county extension agent, regional vegetable trial gardens often associated with universities, and All American Selections.

Select a mix of pollinator plants that will provide a continuous bloom from April or May to frost. Often, this is most easily achieved using annuals. You can buy these as plants or seeds. Again, check out your garden center, extension, and regional trials for the best varieties.

Keep the garden weeded by pulling or using a hoe. Mulching lightly with clean straw or pine straw can reduce the need to weed.

Water when the soil is drying out. Mulching can reduce the need to water.

Refrain from using pesticides unless absolutely necessary. We suggest consulting with your extension agent when you suspect a pest or disease. If spraying a pesticide is deemed necessary, choose the pesticide that causes the least damage to the environment and beneficial insects. Many times, your beneficial insect populations take a few days to catch up to your pests, but once they do they quickly clear up the problem.

Protect your vegetable garden from deer using fencing.

Raised beds make it easier to improve your soil, ensure better soil drainage, warm up your soil more quickly in the spring, and they make it a little easier on the gardener to plant, weed, and harvest.

Acquire other useful references. We recommend publications by your state’s university extension office, some nonprofits, garden centers, and nearby longtime gardeners. There are also many great books on vegetable gardening.

This blog in a slightly different version was previously published by the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden.

Veggie/Pollinator Garden Combo Power Pack! originally appeared on GardenRant on May 28, 2020.

The post Veggie/Pollinator Garden Combo Power Pack! appeared first on GardenRant.

from GardenRant https://ift.tt/3cfrDhA