#no edits beside colour correction after scanning!

[owlyjules]

Forgot I never posted them anywhere, but here’s 4 little original postcards I made for Gallery Nucleus Portland!:D

Thank you so much to everyone who bought them and gave them good homes!:D

[aceofspadegrass]

Our favorite aib characters and y/n splitting into teams and playing competitive hide and seek

Hide And Seek: Beach Edition

Characters: Aguni Morizono, Hatter, Tatta Koudai, Arisu Ryohei, Usagi Yuzuha, Kuina Hikari, Chishiya Shuntaro, Niragi Suguru, Last Boss, Ann Rizuna

Genre: Crack. It's Hide And Seek time!

2.7k words

Quick mention, Y/N is written as Yin the entire time, please insert any name in as if it says Y/N. I only did it because that’s how I always read it as because I’m weird like that.

Also Y/N is written as gender neutral, but please if you want put any pronouns in place of it.

Anyways, here it is!

It was rather quiet at the Beach today. Well, mostly because everyone unimportant was out doing games. It was amazing, really, how quickly and empty the Beach ended up. The only people left were a small handful, that being the executives, militants, and a few extras.

Of course, Hatter wasn’t going to let everyone left to just sit around by themselves, despite the fact that a decent chunk were perfectly fine with being alone in a completely quiet Beach for once.

“ So, what the fuck are we all doing here?” Niragi was the first to speak up within the meeting room, one hand holding his head up as his elbow rested on the table, the other hand busy with combing through Yin’s hair, who was comfortably laying across three people’s laps, with Chishiya the unfortunate chair for their feet. Arisu was nestled in the seat between the two, staring purely at Hatter as the robed man stood at the end of the table with a grin, arms out to the side.

“ Well, that’s easy! Since right now, the entire Beach is ripe for the taking for the…..” He pauses, head counting everyone in the room. “ Eleven of us, including me, I thought of something to pass the time!” “ What is it?” Arisu asks, tilting his head. Hatter grins, and he raises his arms even higher, his grin spreading even further across his face.

“ Hide and Seek: Beach Style!” Hatter announces. In return, he gets a few eyebrow raises, a few blank faces, and Tatta vibrating in excitement.

“ Across the entire Beach?” Chishiya intones, “ For ten people?” He leans back on his chair, arms resting comfortably folded on his chest. “ Sounds interesting.”

“ Wouldn’t that take forever though?” Tatta raises his hand, Hatter smiling.

“ We have all the time in the world right now!”

“ Yes, but even so, it might take far too long to search everything, especially so little people with so much time.” Aguni glances at the others within the room. “ We should have rules in place so that there is a plausible chance to find everyone.”

“ Ah, alright. Okay, listen up! We’re going to play hide and seek, where the only rules are that you can’t hide in any normal room, but the executive rooms are up for grabs, and any place within the Beach! To be fair, once you find a hiding spot, you can’t suddenly move from that spot. And once you’re found, you’re obligated to help find everyone else! Fair enough?” The others all nod and give noises of agreement, Hatter smiling. “ Good, good! Now, who wants to be it?” He looks among them, the others doing the same.

“ I suppose I can.” Ann was the first to offer herself, raising a hand. Hatter nods, and she turns around and starts counting. The moment the first number was uttered from her lips, everyone ran out, ready to hide away as well as they could. Yin was dragged along by Niragi, for reasons they weren’t too sure of, but Niragi seems rather eager to drag them away.

“ Where are we going?” They ask, Niragi saying nothing and continuing to drag them along. They reach a room, which appeared to be a storage room, Niragi pulling them inside and shutting the door. He turns to them and smiles, before gesturing to the pile of boxes in the corner. They nod, and quickly duck behind them, Niragi taking a spot by a separate pile of boxes.

“ This should be good enough. It’s a decent ways away from where the dissection bitch is, and out of the way.” Niragi explains, Yin nodding. It seemed fair enough.

“ Where do you think the rest of them would be?” They ask, curious. Niragi shrugs, sitting back and brushing a few stray hairs from his face.

“ Hell if I know. Hey, how fast do you think Ann would find everyone? I would say at least two hours. The Beach is big as shit, and there’s only ten people in the entire building. Bets that Ann doesn’t find us for at least half of that.”

“ Oh, you’re on! I say she’ll never find us-“ Yin chirps eagerly, leaning against the boxes. Niragi nods, smirking. They sit there in silence for a while, Yin carefully listening for any signs of movement outside.

There was nothing for a while. The both of them were prepared to be waiting for a while, since it was theoretically one against ten in a massive building. Yin’s breath hitches as they hear footsteps outside, and the door opening, letting in light from the outside. There was the soft tapping of footsteps, Yin and Niragi making eye contact with each other, Niragi placing a finger to his lips.

The footsteps stop for a few seconds, Yin and Niragi staying still, but Ann’s head pokes into their sights, Yin yelping and bursting into laughter as Ann lightly waves to them.

“ Found the both of you.” Ann looks to Niragi, Niragi pouting slightly and getting up. He comes over to Yin and helps them up, and the trio exit the room. Outside was Aguni, who looks at them and lightly tilts his head up in greeting of them, Niragi rolling his eyes.

“ Aww, are we the first few? Lame.” Niragi grumbles, Yin patting his back in comfort. Ann ignores the comment and walks down the hall more. Aguni, Niragi, and Yin follow after her, the four occasionally stopping to check the other rooms they pass by with zero luck. They get that hall cleared out rather quickly, with four people searching at the same time. Ann leads the little crew out to the pool area, looking around for a second.

“ There is no way someone is hiding out here at the pool. It’s too open!” Niragi waves a hand as he gestures to the pool.

Yin shrugs, walking closer to it with [E/C] eyes scanning the area briefly. “ I dunno, there may be a chance. Look!” They point to a stack of opaque colourful pool floats stacked atop each other right by the pool. Aguni and Niragi look at each other, sharing a brief nod, before approaching the pool floats, Ann following after them. Yin giggles a little and trails along behind them as Aguni and Niragi settle a hand behind the floats, Ann quirking up a lip as the floats shift just a little.

“ Found you.” She announces with a cool demeanour as Niragi and Aguni push the tower into the water, a yelp emitting from the stack as Arisu tumbles into the water. With a bit of struggling, Arisu frees himself from the floats and resurfaces, sputtering and spitting out water. Niragi cackles and points at Arisu, Arisu swimming closer to the edge. Aguni helps him get out of the water, Arisu shaking his head and getting water droplets all over the volcano man.

“ Serves you right.” Yin grins, Niragi glaring at them, Yin patting his face with a smile, making him sputter and back away. Arisu smiles, wringing out his poor shirt in the meantime.

“ How did you even get in there?” Yin asks. Arisu opens his mouth, but then quickly shakes it.

“ Can’t say.”

“ You must have had help. And considering that I don’t think they would have left you unsupervised with how close you were to falling in the pool…..” She looks around. “ They might be in the area. Come on, let’s look around.” She walks away, everyone splitting up and looking around.

It wasn’t that hard, Aguni pulling out Usagi from underneath a chair that was a bit out of the way. Arisu excitedly waves at Usagi, Usagi smiling and waving back at him. They regroup, and after yet another sweep, they head onwards.

“ So, we need to find Chishiya, Kuina, Tatta, and uhhh… Hatter. Right?” Arisu counts each person on his fingers, looking at Ann. Niragi and Aguni glance at each other, but before either of them could correct Arisu, there was a rather loud noise above, Ann looking up and pulling her sunglasses up.

“ Found Hatter.” “ Wait really?” Arisu looks around in confusion, then at Ann with a mildly worried face. “ I don’t see him? Did you mean that noise?”

Ann nods, and she ducks into a room, looking at a vent cover. Everyone around her look at the same vent, Arisu very much confused. So was Niragi, but he wasn’t keeping very quiet about it. “ I don’t fucking get it.”

“ I think he climbed into the vents. Are any of you willing to climb in?” Ann looks at the squad, Usagi nodding and approaching the vent. With the help of Aguni hoisting her up, Usagi managed to get the oddly loose cover off, and she squeezes herself inside, Yin and Arisu cheering her on as she disappears into the vent. The group follow the sounds of her moving around as best ad they could, until there was a rather sizable loud screech, followed by something falling. Aguni was the first to head towards the noise, Niragi and Yin not far behind with Ann and Arisu at the back.

The sight was something else, Hatter face planted on the ground with Usagi coming out of the ceiling a little bit later in a much more dignified manner. Aguni sighs and kneels down besides Hatter, shaking his shoulder. Hatter pops up rather quickly, chuckling. “ I have been caught~ A shame.” Hatter looks around at the group, smiling. “ But I wasn’t the one that sucked at hiding either!”

“ Congrats.” Ann monotonously praises him, Hatter getting up and wiping his kimono down.

“ Thanks! Now onwards, I think I know where the small one is!” He runs off, Aguni immediately following after. Niragi grins excitedly and grabs Yin’s hand and drags them away, yelling something about ‘being the one to find the watery pancake batter’.

By the time Hatter had even the semblance of stopping, they were upstairs where the executive rooms were, Yin tilting their head.

“ How do you know he’s up here?” They inquire, Hatter smiling and slapping their back.

“ I just know! Trust me!” Hatter chirps, and he starts throwing open doors, Niragi doing the same with a little more ferocity, adamant on finding Chishiya. Yin chuckles, and the rest begin to search.

It takes a good ten minutes before any of them even found a trace. Well, a trace being finding Kuina hiding in the closet and coming out wearing a fucking rainbow bikini.

“ Seems like you had fun.” Yin comments, Kuina nodding and smoothing down the ruffled top. “ I did!”

“ ….. Weren’t you wearing a different bikini earlier?” Arisu asks, Kuina nodding and smiling happily.

“ I was. Now anyways, Chishiya’s around here somewhere. Buuuuut I’m not telling you where. Sorry not sorry!” Kuina shrugs, and Niragi rolls his eyes, leaving the room and calling random words that the rest can only assume meant he was attempting to call for Chishiya. They had no choice but to follow him, looking through the rest of the rooms. Hell, they looked through the rooms twice, as Chishiya was a little shit who was clever enough to hide literally anywhere to avoid being found. Kuina was intentionally being a little unhelpful as well, as she apparently knew where Chishiya was but loyal enough to not be a snitch.

Yin splits from them to search Hatter’s room, looking through every crevice and humming. It was a bit of a controlled chaos mess in there, and they find a few stray cookie packages, both empty and near empty before they spot a small box in the corner, inconspicuous and hidden unless someone was looking directly for them, yet big enough to possibly fit a human cat inside. Grinning, they quickly approach the box, and throw upon the lid, only to be greeted with something even better.

“ Hi Tatta!” They greet, Tatta looking up at them from the cramped space. It was actually impressive how Tatta crammed himself in there, actually.

“ Hi Yin!” Tatta greets back, and shifts back and forth, smiling a little nervously. “ A little help? I’m stuck.” Yin nods, and they grab the edge of the box and tip it over, Tatta grunting as it lands with a thud. He wiggles within the confines, and extends his arms out as Yin helps him pop out of the box. Tatta stands up and thanks them, complete with a nice friendship hug, Yin hugging back. They grab his hand and drag him out of the room, meeting up with Kuina, Arisu, and Aguni, the former two waving at Tatta. Tatta waves back, smiling as Yin joins them. “ Found Tatta! That means we just need to find Chishiya, right?”

Kuina and Arisu nod, Aguni only grunting slightly in response and holding up a finger. The others look at the man in curiosity, Tatta and Arisu both tilting their heads in synchronization.

“ I fucking found you, you tiny rabies foaming ferret!” Niragi’s voice rings clear and true, followed by a yes of indignation as Chishiya suddenly emerges from Niragi’s room, wearing a fedora on his head. “ You fucking slut!” Niragi emerges not much longer, Chishiya planting himself right in the middle of the hallway gang, Niragi trying to get to him only for Aguni to stop him with a hand on his chest.

“ Not right now.” Aguni orders, Niragi grumbling angrily and thankfully backing away, Yin coming over and patting his shoulder. Niragi huffs, calming a little from Yin’s presence.

Ann and the others come around bit later, Hatter grinning and spreading his arms out. “ Well then! Wasn’t that fun! Looks like we’re all here!” “ Actually-“ Aguni butts in, but Hatter ignores him.

“ Congratulations, Chishiya, you were the last to be found! Aren’t you proud of yourself?” Hatter says, Chishiya tucking his hands in his pocket and saying nothing, eyebrow raised and lips curled into a slight smirk.

“ The last?”

“ Well, yeah! You are quite a hide and seek champion.”

“ He’s a bitch to find.” Niragi grumbles, leaning his weight on one leg. “ Fucking cat ghost.”

“ Thanks. Bet you were the third to be found.” Chishiya lightly retorts.

“ He was.”

“ Wh- Oi! Shut up, Ann!”

Ann just turns away, eyes scanning the group. Aguni was frowning a little, looking at Hatter. She quickly figures something wrong, counting everyone mentally. “ No, wait. Hatter, we’re missing one.” “ Oh? And whom may that be, Ann?”

The others all look around as well, some a bit confused. Only Aguni, Niragi and Chishiya seemed to know before the rest of the people that hid realized, Niragi scowling a little.

“ You fucking lobster, we haven’t found Last Boss.”

“…… Well…. does anybody have any idea where he might be?” Kuina asks.

They all look among each other, not a single hint of anybody knowing.

“…. Split up?”

Everyone nods, all dispersing within seconds.

As people started coming back from games, the ten remaining were now back at the meeting room, none of which accompanied by any hint of the tiger stick.

“ How the fuck can he not find him-“ Niragi blurts out, hands on the table and staring at everyone, “ Where the hell did he go.”

Everyone could only give off shrugs and ‘I don’t know’s, Aguni sighing.

“ Well, he wins.” Aguni sits down, crossing his arms over his chest. “ And nobody knows where he could possibly be.” “ He’s so good at disappearing, I’m amazed.” Tatta comments, Arisu and Usagi nodding.

“ So….. does that mean I have to call him?” Niragi pulls out a walkie talkie from his pocket. Aguni waves him to give the go ahead, Niragi clicking it on. “ Hey, egg noodle. You won. Get back here or else I’m filling your closet with rubber ducks.”

There was silence, then the slightest noise that may have been a hum, before…..

“ No. I’m comfy. Night.” The line immediately goes dead again.

Everyone is silent, Niragi taking one slow breath, shutting his eyes with murder in his smile. “…… Bitch.”

[gimmesumsuga]

Sweeter than Sweet (5)

Pairing: Jimin x reader + others as the story progresses

Warnings: None to note.  

Word count: 2.8K

Previous / Next

*Chapter edited as of 25/08/21*

You're disorientated when you awake; no clue how long you've slept or where you might be. Blinking back the sleep from your eyes, it takes a good few seconds for the previous night’s events to come flooding back; the club, those girls, that near-miss with Hoseok and that possessive look in Jimin’s eyes. Was that last night? With how groggy you feel it wouldn’t surprise you if it’s been a hell of a lot longer than that.

Looking around, you try to make some sense of where you are. You can’t really remember much after Jimin gave you his jacket. You must’ve fallen asleep. Does that mean he carried you here? Is this his room? The thought fills you with a surge of adrenaline, feeling far more awake and alert than you were just a few moments before, heart rate spiking. You try to sit up and immediately regret it when your back protests, settling instead for lifting your head to inspect the pretty midnight blue quilt that covers you. Your bare toes poke out the end and on further inspection, you realise that it’s not a bed you were placed to sleep on but a large, sumptuous chaise lounge.

You let out a groan as you roll onto your side, eyes screwing up tight at the ache of every muscle. Attempting a stretch, you raise your arms above your head, fingers wiggling as you loudly yawn.

“You’re awake.”

Yawning turns into coughing and spluttering as your body lurches into action, sitting up so fast that there are spots in front of your eyes when you first open them to see Jimin sat on the edge of a bed not too far from your own. The suddenness of your movement knocks the quilt from your lap and it’s only once it does that you realise just how little you’re wearing; nothing but your underwear and a t-shirt that’s not your own. Cheeks aflame, you scramble for the quilt, grabbing it from the floor and pulling it over yourself hastily to cease the trailing of Jimin’s gaze across your thighs.

“Good morning to you too,” you mumble, tucking the quilt around you as butterflies swirl in your stomach.

“It’s evening, actually,” Jimin corrects without missing a beat, the corners of his mouth curling into a playful smile.

“Evening?”

“You’re still recovering - slept right through.” He stands, creases left behind in the sheets. Slate grey in colour, they compliment the blue pillow covers that match the quilt under which you'd slept.

This really must be Jimin’s room. He crosses the floor to a nearby wardrobe, sliding it open, and with each step, each subtle movement, you can’t help but notice how graceful he is - how soft his footsteps are. From inside the wardrobe, he selects a smart black jacket to add to the crisp white shirt he’s already wearing. The fit of it accentuates his slender waist, as do the tight black jeans it’s tucked into.

“Are you going somewhere?” you ask as Jimin walks past you again, throwing you a sideways glance as he pulls the jacket on.

“Out.” Sitting down on the bed, he pulls a pair of Chelsea boots from underneath the frame, staring at you, unflinching, as he pulls them on. Your heart rate starts to creep upward from such intense eye contact, that blush reappearing on your cheeks.

Out? Does that mean… to feed? The thought of it makes your stomach turn unpleasantly, but it’s not the act itself that bothers you, it’s the image of Jimin getting so up close and intimate with someone other than you that has you suddenly rising from the chaise lounge. Wrist outstretched, you approach him with your reckless offering. He smirks, amused, head tilting to the side.

“You’re hungry, right?” you ask, shifting your weight from one foot to the other. “Go ahead.” You thrust your wrist forward again, licking your lips nervously, “Please.” Jimin exhales a sigh as he leans backwards on the bed, his legs spread open wide and that same smirk still stretched across his face.

“I appreciate the offer,” he says patiently, “But I’m fine. For now.” The way he’s looking at you makes you think he’s considering it, though, despite what he says. He glances at your neck where the evidence of your last encounter still lingers but then tears his eyes away, swallowing heavily. “Besides, you’re still too weak.”

Self-conscious, you lower your wrist and wrap your arms around yourself instead, looking to the floor. Probably best not to dwell too much on why you suddenly feel so disappointed.

“Sit,” Jimin instructs, patting the space next to him. You do, trying for your own sake to leave a safe amount of distance; your thoughts tend to scramble whenever the two of you get too close. You pull at the hem of the t-shirt you assume must be Jimin’s, trying to make it cover a little more of your thighs. It doesn’t do much good.

“Jimin?” you say softly, glancing up from your lap to meet his watchful gaze, “Did you… undress me?”

“Should I have let Hoseok do it?” he asks with a laugh. You quickly shake your head and a smile tugs at Jimin’s lips, eyes twinkling. “You would’ve ended up with pneumonia if I’d let you sleep in those wet clothes.”

“Thank you.” You smile back, toying with the soft cotton between your fingers. It smells like him; the sweet smell of his aftershave you already know so well. The idea of him seeing you practically naked and so very vulnerable is more thrilling than it should be, and once again you find yourself blushing at the mental picture of Jimin undressing you that enters your head.

“I was about to go out and buy you some clothes of your own.” Jimin reaches out and tugs at the bottom of your t-shirt playfully. “That way you won’t have to keep wearing mine.” His fingertips brush your bare skin and just that small amount of contact has you biting your lip to keep from gasping.

“You don’t have to do that, I-“

“I want to.” Jimin’s eyes suddenly darken, smile dropping from his face as his gaze lowers to your thighs and then drifts slowly back upwards, lingering at your mid-section. He seems distracted, lost in thought; the very tone of his voice quickening your breath. “Want to see you in lace, silks and satin.” The intensity of his gaze as it meets your own is almost more than you can bear. You can’t even bring yourself to speak, simply nodding your agreement, tongue leaden in your mouth. “Is there anything else you need?”

“Uh…” You hesitate, clearing your throat. The moment is well and truly broken, distracted by the idea of Jimin strolling down an aisle of feminine hygiene products. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I could use my toiletry bag from home. It has all my… girl things-" You ignore the teasing smile that appears on Jimin's face, rubbing at the inside of your wrist as you continue, "-and all my medication from the hospital. I'm supposed to be taking iron." Jimin nods, about to stand when you quickly add, "And maybe some orange juice?" His head tilts to the side, entertained by the seeming randomness of your request. "It's supposed to help with absorption, apparently?"

"Glad to hear you're taking your health so seriously. You'll be back to strength in no time." Somehow, you get the feeling that it's not just for your sake that Jimin would be pleased if you made a speedy recovery - not if the way he keeps glancing at your neck as you tell him your address is anything to go by. He'd already found your keys; taken them from one of your pockets while he was undressing you, no doubt.

"Please, stay here 'till I get back," he tells you from the doorway, pausing there. "Sleep some more, watch TV, anything you like." Scanning the room, you see not just a TV but a laptop, too. There's also a small collection of what looks like graphic novels on his desk that you wouldn't mind taking a closer look at. "The others don’t know you’re here yet and I like to avoid any-" Jimin hesitates, and for the first time since you've met him he looks vaguely… uncomfortable?

“’Accidents?’” you supply with a wry smile, inverted commas implied. The smile you receive in reply is so sweet it makes your heart thump excitedly, endeared by the cherubic rounding of his cheeks and the crescent moon shape of his eyes.

“Exactly.” Pulling the door shut behind him with one last lingering look, Jimin's is gone and finally, you can breathe.

You flop back onto the bed with an incredulous laugh, spreading your limbs like a starfish as you gaze up at the ceiling. Is all of this even real? Could you somehow just be dreaming? Maybe you never really woke up in that hospital bed; this is all just some elaborate fantasy cooked up inside a coma. Part of you doesn't know what's scarier - the idea that it is all make-believe or that maybe, just maybe, you really are wide awake. What will life be like, living here with a vampire? Vampires . Plural. You can't even imagine what that might involve…

Well, you can imagine, but most of the images that pop into your head all begin and end with Jimin and this very bed… but…

What if he doesn’t even think of you in that way? What if the seduction was all part of his ploy to get you alone - to render you vulnerable? Maybe that’s how Jimin ensnares all of his victims; you can easily imagine how effective a technique that must be.

But then… his body had definitely responded to you, hadn't it? You'd felt him when he’d pulled you onto his lap, and surely that's not something he would've been able to fake? Not so convincingly, anyway.

No. He’d wanted you, you’re (semi) sure of it, and just the thought of being with Jimin like that again - of having him here stretched out next to you, lips cool against your skin, his delicate fingers tracing every curve…

Ok, you really need to stop thinking about that now.

Rolling onto your front, face down in the pillows, you try to ignore the self-induced ache between your legs. It’s so tempting to make a cocoon from his sheets - surround yourself with the smell of him - but you suspect that'll only worsen the situation. Instead, you roll back over and sit up, grabbing the TV remote from Jimin's bedside table in hopes of killing some time. You turn it on, volume down low, and it serves as a decent distraction for a little while - an hour or so wasted watching some mindless sitcom.

Eventually, though, your attention wanes and turns instead to your beautiful surroundings; the expensive-looking furniture and fixings that fill the tastefully decorated room, all monochrome shades with accents of silver and blues throughout. There's a little mess here and there - signs that the room is actually lived in - but for the most part, is pretty clean. Not a window in sight, though, which you suppose makes sense, if the limited pop-culture knowledge of vampires you have is to be believed.

Your curiosity piqued, you begin wandering around the room while the TV talks to itself in the background, inspecting all the little knicks and knacks dotted around. Jimin appears to have a rather large jewellery collection which, like everything else he owns, looks like it must've cost more money than you could ever dream of. How on earth does he afford it all, you wonder? Do vampires even have jobs? Or is it ancient wealth that's paid for all of this?

Eventually, you find yourself standing in front of Jimin's wardrobe, and though you know you’re being nosy - and though you know you really shouldn't - you slide it open and take a little peek inside. Jimin’s clothes are very much like his room for the most part; monochromes and blues, slim-fitting and tasteful. Interspersed amongst the classic tailoring, though, is the odd oversized sweater and long-sleeved tee in the softest shades of pastel pinks and peach. They catch you off guard, though you must admit Jimin does have very good taste, regardless. Hopefully, the clothes he picks out for you will be just as pretty…

You're just about to shut the wardrobe doors, curiosity sufficiently sated, when suddenly you hear voices outside of Jimin's door. Panic-stricken, you look this way and that for somewhere to hide as the voices become steadily louder, and you're seriously starting to consider climbing into Jimin's wardrobe when you hear -

“Hyung, I don’t think we should-“ It’s Hoseok, evidently trying to dissuade whoever this ‘Hyung’ is from entering the room. Unfortunately, he's unsuccessful, as but a second after the handle to Jimin's door turns and then swings open wide.

There wouldn’t have been any time to hide even if you’d have tried.

“I knew it!” With his hands on his hips and wide, triumphant smile, the unfamiliar vampire in the doorway looks far too pleased with himself for having caught you out. Trailing close behind, Hoseok looks flustered, harassed, and you watch as his posture deflates as he rounds the doorway and sees you standing frozen still like a rabbit in headlights for all the world to see.

This new vampire is slightly taller than Hoseok - broader in frame, too - but easily just as handsome. He has lips as thick and full as Jimin's yet the rest of his features are a little more masculine in their appearance - a striking contrast to the soft, pastel pink of his hair and the matching long-sleeved t-shirt he wears. It works, though. Oh, it definitely works.

"I knew the two of you were hiding something." Slowly, he steps into the room and comes a little closer, step by cautious step. He doesn't take his eyes off of you, not as you take a step back nor as you tug the hem of your t-shirt a little lower.

“Bet you didn’t think it'd be this,” Hoseok smirks as his companion puts his hands up in what you assume is supposed to be a non-threatening gesture. He’s approaching you like a wounded animal, as if he’s afraid you’ll dart and run at any second, and honestly, you’re not entirely sure you won’t.

The last time you were alone with Hoseok he almost attacked you, and there's no telling what this other vampire’s appetite might be like. He does have kind eyes, though, and his smile seems warm and genuine enough. At least that's what you hope…

Your back hits the wall behind you with a thud and mercifully, the handsome vampire also comes to a standstill, a safe distance kept.

“Hello,” he greets softly, lowering his hands. “I’m Jin." Hoseok makes your introductions for you and you're glad, given how tongue-tied you are. He watches the two of you from the doorway, hands in his pockets and thinly veiled amusement written all over his face. “It’s nice to meet you but… you knew she was here this whole time?” Jin questions, turning back to his friend. Hoseok shrugs, smiling nonchalantly, and Jin just rolls his eyes as he returns his attention to you. "Are you hungry?” he asks, and right on cue, your stomach decides to rumble.

It's no surprise, really. You've been asleep for almost 24 hours, apparently, so it's no wonder that you are. You smile shyly, cheeks warming with embarrassment, and Jin goodnaturedly smiles back.

“I can make you something if you’d like.” He offers his hand to you but all you can do is stare at it, somewhat wary still. Your instincts tell you Jin's someone you can be safe with, for now at least, but then again… your gut has been very wrong about these things before.

“… I don’t have any clothes to wear,” you reply after a moment, glancing down at your thighs, and it’s only then that Jin seems to notice your state of undress. He quickly averts his widened eyes; a kindness that only reinforces the good first impression he's made.

Hoseok, of course, is still staring, but in the meantime, Jin wastes no time in coming to your aid. He heads straight to one of Jimin's dresser drawers and rummages around until he finds a pair of grey sweatpants, handing them to you with a smile.

“May as well have the pants to match,” he jokes and you smile gratefully, pulling them on as Jin busies himself with turning off the TV and straightening Jimin’s pillows. “I can’t remember the last time I had someone to cook for,” he comments excitedly as he turns to leave, gesturing for you to come along. You start after him but then hesitate at the threshold, remembering Jimin’s parting words of warning.

“Jimin said I shouldn’t leave the room, in case-“ Hoseok cuts you off with a devilish grin, nudging his elbow into your side.

“Don’t worry, beautiful. We won’t bite.”

[rtterm1project]

My Don’t Panic Envelope

For my Don’t Panic project I have created an envelope too hold all of my outcomes, but just like Don’t Panic I have made the packaging into an outcome itself rather than just a plain envelope. I used Don’t Panic’s original envelopes as inspiration completely, in terms of the brown and black colours, envelope’s shape and type of illustration on the front and back. However I didn’t copy anything from the illustrations themselves, and instead used techniques that I previously learnt to create my own art.

Overall I think the outcome looks simple but because of the details it remains interesting, which in my opinion is what works best for the envelope as it’s not too complicated. I also think that the black on brown looks really unique, which is a nice difference to simple black on white. It also adds a slight rustic quality which links with Don't Panic’s differentiating style, concept and audience.

Front Page

To begin with I opened the envelope template on illustrator, which showed the size and dimensions of the font page, back page and flaps. This step is obviously fundamental because it will allow me to create the envelope physically, when I print it onto paper, cut it out and stick together.

Adding to the template I first scanned in the line drawing into photoshop, and changed the brightness/contrast so it was clear black lines against white. I then removed all of the white background so only the lines were left, with which I overlaid a black colour just to make those lines extra clear.

Next I copied and pasted this into the illustrator template, with which I used the ‘image trace’ option to make and expand the object. What this does is make all the lines completely smooth as they become no longer pixels, not only does this look cleaner but it also allows illustrator to then separate the lines and spaces from each other, as it is picking up clear and sharp shapes. So I ungrouped the object and removed the background, which I then grouped back together in order to move as one. 

However I later realised that the last two steps of the process were pointless, and that I had wasted my time trying to solve a problem that's not even a problem. I thought because wer’e printing only black onto brown paper I had to make sure only black was being added to the template, therefore I was looking for ways to delete every single piece of white in and around the moth without doing it one by one, otherwise it would be filled with white. I then realised that by using the right settings you can only allow black ink to even print through, this means any white added to the already white template will not be picked up at white rather empty brown space. Nevertheless I do think removing the outer white was somewhat useful, as I didn’t have to make sure anything surrounding the drawing was in front of the image.

To place this onto the template I decided to display a simple and clear composition, as much of the art inside is more complex and busy. I also wanted to show all of the drawing illustration, so I cropped it to just fit the area allocated. But this still left space above and beneath the moth, which was useful as I had other features to add to the front cover.

Next I had to include the ‘Don’t Panic’ logo which I took from a website of theirs, however this meant it was slightly pixelated. Therefore I repeated the same process of make and expand, ungroup, delete background and group.

Here you can see the difference this step makes, displaying the clear version on top and the original underneath. The writing made of pixels is much more unclear compared to the vector object, however the writing will be so small you would barely even notice. Besides this I still think it’s better to clarify the object’s appearance than not, specifically in terms of sharp and clear edges.

To size this I drew a rectangle with the dimensions of 75mm width and 15mm height, this would work as a guide for the logo to make sure it’s sized correctly. Having removed the rectangle I then incorporated this into the design by placing it above the moth, assuring it was central from all edges including the drawing.

The final aspect for the front cover is a ‘free’ sign, which is another thing that can be seen on all of the Don't Panic envelopes. For this I used the star tool to create a pointed shape that holds the writing, however stars are usually 5 pointed which wasn’t what I wanted. So to change this I clicked on the page rather than dragged out the shape, as this allowed me to change the number of points as well as the radius sizes.

At first I compared a 5 pointed star to a 50 pointed star, so I could get some kind idea of how many points I wanted. The 5 points didn’t look enough and the 50 points looked too much, however I also compared the length of the radii to display short/thick and long/thin points.

The shape I decided to go for was an overall middle of everything, I chose to have 30 points on the star as it wasn’t too much or too little. And as for the size of these points I made sure it wasn’t too short nor long, displayed through 12mm and 8mm measurements. This also allowed me to still have enough space to fit in the text, whilst still showing clear spikes. 

Next I used the type tool to write the word ‘free’ in the sign painter font, this typeface has a hand-writing likeliness which is similar to the logo’s font, and therefore suits the design perfectly.

I then selected its colour as white so that it can be seen against the black star shape, making sure it was sized so just fits in the shape. For the final step of composing the front page, I selected the star and type together so I could move them both around the template. I placed this similarly to the Don’t Panic logo, central to all the edges but underneath the moth drawing.

The last thing I did was remove the top flaps writing, where it says ‘top of envelope - do not stick down’. This is precisely the reason why I removed the text otherwise it would be seen on the flap, whereas the other flaps will be stuck inside the envelope and therefore doesn't matter.

Back Page

The back page is less about illustrations/drawings and more focused on information/writing, because this is how the original Don’t Panic packs are designed. However I didn’t have anything to promote, so rather than displaying advertisement I included information on the phobia.

To begin with I used the type tool again to write the word ‘mottephobia’ and all the information, having one going across horizontally and the other vertically. I went with the same typeface as the ‘free’ word because this connected both font and back together, and even though the moth related aspects will associate them with each other it just adds another similarity which is even more effective.

After placing them within the template’s shape and size, I duplicated and dragged the objects off the template so that any editing wouldn’t effect it. The way I played the types out however was overlapping, and because I could only print black ink I couldn’t select another colour for the small writing. The only other colour I could select would be white, but that would leave 99% simply unseen. Therefore my idea was to only change the colour of the writing where it overlaps the ‘mottephobia’ word, and to to this I started by creating an outline of the word so it could later be detected as one.

Next I made this a compound path which allows me to use an object for cutting a hole in another, and in this situation I am using the large ‘mottephobia’ word as a shape to cut into the group of writing. However before doing this I had to change its colour to white as it’s to overlay the black, and the reason why the large word invisible is similar in that it will be overlaid onto the original.

Afterwards I selected all the objects as one and made it into a clipping mask, this is then an object whose shape masks the writing so only areas that lie within the shape are visible. With this I moved it so it was right on top of the original black writing, and successfully displaying all of the words in this simple but really effective way.

My final aspect of the whole design is a silhouette of a close winged moth, this was to not just fill more space but variety as well in regards to looks of moths. I created this shape by first removing the background in photoshop and overlaying a black colour, then in illustrator again turned the pixel object into a vector for clean and sharp edges.

Finally I moved this onto the template and repeated the whole process for any other objects that overlapped, so not only is the mass amount of writing being shown through but also the ‘mottephobia’ word. However I realised when it was too late that some of the words were split in half, this happens through loner words reaching over the edge of the line. So if I could do this again I would somehow sort these words to begin on a new line, which would display them as whole and undivided.

Assembling the Envelope

To create the actual envelope itself I first had to cut out brown paper into two A3 size sheets, this is because the illustrator template is A3 sized so must fit on the paper that it prints on. To get the size accurately I used an A3 book to trace around, making sure its edges and corners are precise otherwise the printer could have trouble identifying and printing it. To add to the certainty I used a guillotine rather than scissors, because this makes sure perfectly straight lines and correct angles are produced.

Once I had printed with the settings set as black ink only, I cut out the template’s outlines with scissors. This didn't need to have perfectly straight edges because it will all be stuck together and most of it actually hidden, the only edges that are exposed is the top opening flap. Finally I used a glue stick to affix the two sides, making sure all the folds are crisp and sharp.

[oceanbanjo57-blog]

Collecting Orwell: A Kind of Compulsion*

*Originally published in George Orwell Studies

There are few 20th century writers as collectable as George Orwell. Rare book auctions regularly fetch extraordinary prices, especially for his works published in the 1930s. Even secondhand bookshops have a paucity of battered paperbacks on display. Orwell sells and readers hold on to their copies. Darcy Moore reflects on what he has learnt about finding first editions, translations and books of interest for the Orwell enthusiast, scholar or dilettante.

‘Book collecting is an obsession, an occupation, a disease, an addiction, a fascination, an absurdity, a fate. It is not a hobby. Those who do it must do it. Those who do not do it, think of it as a cousin of stamp collecting, a sister of the trophy cabinet, bastard of a sound bank account and a weak mind.’ Jeanette Winterson (2013)

From seven years of age, I collected books. The sensation of seeing them lined-up on the shelf, in order, was deeply rewarding to my young mind. Knowing you could delve into the worlds they contained, at any time, even more so. Coming from a humble home, each birthday or Christmas presented my main opportunity to add to my collection and I certainly preferred books to Easter Eggs. I never, not once, thought of it as collecting. I needed to have the books to read and re-read. It was my library.

My first Orwell was a battered copy of Down and Out in Paris and London found in a secondhand bookstore for a dollar when I started university. It is still on my shelf. Decline of the English Murder and Other Essays, Homage to Catalonia and a favourite, Inside the Whale, have been with me from this time at university too. I had been enamoured with Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four at school and bought my own copies for re-reading. Over the years, I steadily added to my library, increasingly buying books inexpensively online. In more recent years, I have relished the procurement of quality first editions, often from far afield, some in much sought-after dust jackets. At first, I purchased books I had not read and am not exactly certain at what point in time this motivation changed and genuine collecting began. Now, I have many different editions of the same book, sometimes, in languages I cannot read. Winterson may have a point.

Orwell, besides being an author and avid reader, was a working journalist, essayist and book reviewer. His output was extraordinary by any measure and this provides the collector with incredible scope. Journals, like The Adelphi, Horizon, Partisan Review and World Review, are particularly interesting as one can see what else was being published alongside his essays, poetry and reviews. Finding a copy of ‘A Hanging’ by E. A. Blair, in a well-worn 1931 edition of The Adelphi, was particularly special. Orwell’s opinion of contemporary novels, poetry and nonfiction is enhanced by collecting and reading the books he reviewed, too. Lesser-known, if not exactly esoteric texts include the prefaces he wrote to anthologies and novels, including for his literary hero, Jack London. Orwell – obsessive collector of pamphlets – edited British Pamphleteers Vol. 1: From the 16th Century the 18th Century. My bookshelves also include translations of Orwell’s fiction and nonfiction in French, German, Chinese, Hungarian and Danish, many of them first editions.

Orwell fantasised – when he was a teenager and dreaming of being a FAMOUS AUTHOR – about having ‘uniform editions’ of his books in dark blue jackets, He never managed to get that desired colour but was, in the last years of his life, focused on having the works he wished to remain in print standardised. Burmese Days and Coming Up for Air were published in this uniform edition while he lived but it took until 1959 for The Road to Wigan Pier to appear. There is nothing particularly uniform about the appearance of the books and a number of challenges often prevented the text being reprinted as Orwell wished. One imagines that The Complete Works of George Orwell, the twenty-volume collection edited by Peter Davison that includes Orwell’s standard published library and eleven chronological volumes of nonfiction with a further supplementary book of lost works published a decade later, would have net with Orwell’s approval. They look great on the shelf.

Collecting First Editions

Recent auctions at Sotheby’s suggest George Orwell will continue to be an extraordinarily important writer to collectors of first editions for the foreseeable future. A genuine first edition is the first printing of a book anywhere. For example, Down and Out in Paris and London was first printed in the UK by Victor Gollancz, in January 1933. A second, and then a third impression followed in the same month. Technically, all three of these print runs are first editions but collectors will value the first impression much more highly. In June of the same year, Harper and Brothers published the first American edition of this book. It is interesting to note that Burmese Days was the only one of Orwell’s books to be published in the USA first. Orwell’s publisher in the UK was concerned over potential legal action and it seemed safer to test the waters with an American distributor. This novel is unique in having ‘Copyright, 1934, Eric Blair’ rather than the expected pseudonym. As such, it is a genuine first edition of considerable interest to collectors.

The avid collector may have a number of first editions of the same book. There is the first edition published in a particular country, including translations. There is also the first paperback edition. When a different publisher gains the rights to the book, there is a new opportunity to have a first edition. There may be a first illustrated edition or other printings that are of interest, for example, early editions in Braille. A samizdat edition is one illegally printed, usually in an Eastern European country pre-1989. These editions were produced in unknown numbers using a variety of methods: mimeograph, carbon copies from typescripts or, in later years, photocopiers. There are some unique illustrations to be found in these samizdat editions, including comic versions, especially of Animal Farm. For example, I am currently negotiating a price on a Hungarian samizdat, Allati Gazdasag (Animal Economy). It has uncredited original illustrations on most pages. Collecting always leads to learning and I now have a reasonable idea about the history of samizdat publishing generally, and in relation to Orwell.

The general reading public know that a bibliography is the list of works referenced by an author while writing their book. Collectors have a different definition. Orwell’s best bibliographer, Gillian Fenwick, provides an invaluable guide to understanding Orwell’s publishing history. Her George Orwell: A Bibliography (1998) is essential for discovering all kinds of important and esoteric facts about the author’s printed output. One wonders how the American publisher managed to misprint the title of Orwell’s second novel. The rather than A Clergyman’s Daughter must have made more sense to them or maybe it was simply a typographical error. Either way, it seems incredibly careless. Orwell’s childhood ambition to have a uniform edition of his works grew more urgent in the last few years of his life. One can see why – with such errors from his publishers. Unfortunately, this uniform edition also suffered problems that were only really corrected when Peter Davison’s project to publish Orwell’s Complete Works resulted in his books being published as intended.

Dust jackets are important to collectors and add immensely to the value of first editions. My understanding is that dust jackets were often abandoned by owners and that libraries routinely removed them. During World War Two the jackets were considered to make the books more flammable and endangered the entire collection held by any institution during bombing raids. There are online businesses that sell facsimile dust jackets. This is particularly useful for the collector who cannot afford the high prices requested for first editions with dust jackets. All of my first editions have facsimile or genuine dust jackets except Down and Out in London and Paris. My UK first edition of Burmese Days has a photocopy made by a very generous bookseller. One can only imagine that taking this dust jacket off a book, on the market for almost £33 000, to photocopy at the library, was one of a calm and very generous soul who understood the nature and needs of the bibliophile. If you have money to invest in first editions, I recommend West Hull Rare Books for all your Orwell needs.

Finding Good Booksellers

For decades, scanning the shelves for anything about or by Orwell every time I was in a secondhand bookshop has been my habit. It is rare to find much. A quick search online confirms little is readily available ‘used’ in Australia. You are unlikely to find any first editions at all. I have discovered many treasures over the years, though, most recently an immaculate first Penguin paperback edition of A Clergyman’s Daughter for $5.00 at a book sale in the Masonic Hall, a kilometre from my front door. There are several very useful strategies for finding books at affordable, often bargain prices, that will assist the collector endeavouring to add to their collection. Luck certainly plays a part, too. Dennis Glover, author of The Last Man in Europe (2017) – a novel about Orwell writing Nineteen Eighty-Four on a remote Scottish island –  gave me the tip that a bookseller in Melbourne had purchased a number of interesting books about Orwell from a deceased estate. It was a goldmine.

Many individual bookshop owners have websites with the provision to create a list of ‘wants’ or ‘alerts’. This results in an automatically generated email being sent when the book you are after is catalogued at their site. AbeBooks lets the buyer create ‘wants’ that are very specific. You can search for particular editions, price ranges and even for signed copies using their system. The Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America provides an excellent, automated alert service that recently led to me buying a very expensive first edition for about 15 per cent of the price usually charged. The key is responding quickly once the book is listed online. Professional booksellers will hold the book for you. An email received this year is a good case in point: ‘The book was only catalogued today. You got pretty lucky, as three other people have shown interest in it (you were the first so you had first call on it).’ Lurking at the Bibliophile and other mailing lists is a good source of information about books and booksellers too.

If you go to bookfinder.com and search for ‘George Orwell’, ‘first edition’ between ‘1933-39’ it quickly becomes evident that there are very few copies of his early books for this period available, at any price. Genuine first editions are extremely rare. It is rare to find any of these books from the thirties listed under £600 and it is more likely you will be requested to part with £1,000 for a flawed copy. In 2010, a signed copy of Orwell’s first book, Down and Out in Paris and London, with a dust jacket, sold for £101,050 (inclusive of the buyer’s premium). Newspaper reports at the time said it had been 27 years since an edition with a dust jacket had appeared on the market. It certainly was nowhere near that price, as listed just six years earlier by Quill and Brush, in George Orwell: First Edition and Price Guide (2004), which suggested the upper end to be about 10 per cent of that.

These prices are rarely fixed. Often the dealer has purchased the book for much less than advertised, especially if they have had the copy for some time. Contacting the bookseller, especially if there is more than one book you are after, and asking for their best price, often pays dividends. It is not unusual to receive 20 per cent discount immediately. I have certainly purchased books at half the price requested, especially when patient. There are many booksellers who do not have ‘bricks and mortar’ stores and, although highly professional, do it more as a hobby. Often they like chatting about books. One example of having a bit of luck with a book I really coveted was with Inside the Whale, which only had 1,000-copies printed (and some of those were destroyed during the Blitz). I procured one from an elderly collector in South Africa selling his library. He also sold me a doubleplusgood copy of Orwell’s, Homage to Catalonia at well-below market-price. Since then I have bought many other first editions from him that were not Orwell-related, as he clears his shelves.

Fittingly, the most recent Orwell I purchased was a first edition of Down and Out in Paris and London in surprisingly good condition. It certainly cost more than the $1.25 I paid in 1987 for his (and my) first book. I value them equally. My collection is quite complete with all first editions of the books first published – both in the USA and UK – during Orwell’s lifetime on the shelf. I am particularly pleased to have The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius and Critical Essays with very good, original covers. Many of my later American first editions have very good to fine original dust jackets. I really only have the very rare pamphlet, James Burnham and the Managerial Revolution (1946) along with Talking to India (1943) and Betrayal of the Left (1941) which I had ‘printed on demand’ in India, to collect as first editions.

*Originally published in George Orwell Studies

References and Further Reading

Basbanes, Nicholas (2012) A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books, Fine Books Press, Kindle Edition

Blair, E. A. (1931) ‘A Hanging’, The Adelphi, Vol. 2, No. 5, August

Fenwick, Gillian (1998) George Orwell: A Bibliography, New Castle, Delaware and London: Oak Knoll Press & St. Paul’s Bibliographies

Glover, Dennis (2017) The Last Man in Europe, Melbourne: Black Inc.

Gollancz, Victor and Laski, Harold (1941) Betrayal of the Left: An Examination & Refutation of Communist Policy from October 1939 to January 1941: with Suggestions for an Alternative and an Epilogue on Political Morality, Left Book Club (print on demand book)

Meyers, Jeffrey and Meyers, Valerie (1977) George Orwell: An Annotated Bibliography of Criticism, New York: Garland

Orwell, George and Reynolds, Reginald (1948) British Pamphleteers, Vol. 1: From the 16th Century the 18th Century, London: Allan Wingate

Quill and Brush (2004) George Orwell – First Edition and Price Guide, Quill and Brush

Telegraph.co.uk (2010) Rare signed first edition of George Orwell work sold for £86,000. Available online at https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/7519576/Rare-signed-first-edition-of-George-Orwell-work-sold-for-86000.html, accessed on 25 March 2018

Winterson, Jeanette (2013) Art Objects: Essays on Ecstasy and Effrontery, New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

NOTE ON THE CONTRIBUTOR

Darcy Moore is a deputy principal at a secondary school in New South Wales. He has taught English and History and worked as an academic in post-graduate teacher education at the University of Wollongong. His interest in Orwell began at school, thirty-five years ago, when he was enamoured by Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-four. He is currently researching diaries (1876-1905) written by a sub-deputy opium agent who worked with Orwell’s father, Richard Blair, in Bengal and intends to publish insights into this period. He is also working on a book about Orwell for a general readership. He blogs at darcymoore.net and his Twitter handle is @Darcy1968. His Orwell collection can be accessed here.

Source: http://www.darcymoore.net/2018/08/23/collecting-orwell-kind-compulsion/