#that comic took a twist i was not prepared for haha

[yakichoufd]

[guiltycorp]

a headcanon about kaeya to be honest i think that he knew straight away that the only reliable way to stay in ragnvindr family’s good graces would be to support diluc as a friend and as his right hand because otherwise he might have been relegated to elzer's role (who also says that crepus was like a father to him haha)

so, by becoming a reliable companion to diluc kaeya secured his place! before the falling out they give me a strong impression of a kind of duo where kaeya focused on following and not challenging diluc in any way, leading to a very surface-level relationship like, naive & righteous young man and his trusty and more wise to the world sidekick emotional attachments were still inevitable though, especially seen from kaeya's side so far

like imagine, nice rich people took you in, the father has a beloved son who's going to inherit everything plus a ton of servants (and you also have an undetermined mission for a fallen kingdom) would you just try to do your own thing and follow your own dreams, inevitably falling outside of the family’s circle? orrr would you try to befriend the successor of the family fortune and become indispensable to him and his career growth?  i don't think he had much of a choice there tbh! either be friends with diluc or prepare yourself for a lack of support network or get ready for regular servant life in the winery/try to build your own life somewhere else (arguably he didn’t even do that after diluc left since he had already become a knight to support diluc and then just persisted in that career, taking diluc’s former position... kaeya doesn’t seem to be a very proactive character tbh and that’s going to bite him sometime soon) 

i would really enjoy a twist where crepus was fully aware of what kaeya was and just intended to also use that in addition to whatever his delusion backup plans were, so there was really no need for kaeya to try so hard but also really im much more skeptical of diluc rn because from my point of view it seems like he's gotten so used to kaeya having his back that he easily slides back into that same dynamic once he returns to mondstadt? in the comic he attacks the guy who kaeya tricked to go down to the cellar and then just follows kaeya’s plan to save collei he still doesn't actually have to do anything back, kaeya does aaaall the emotional work for him all the time, asking for attention, for mutual plans, for help during jean’s quest etc  they still can kind of guess each other's intentions and thoughts, sure diluc still finishes his sentences in the windblume quest, for example unfortunately that doesn't mean that diluc understands or likes kaeya much:(  in his quest he truly thought that kaeya was about to get back at him by revealing his batman-sona (he wasn’t) and the voiceline he has about him is just suggesting that the traveler shouldn’t trust him  diluc doesn’t mention kaeya anywhere else either, not even in that long message on cat tail’s messageboard

tf are ‘friends’ diluc (in the original it’s just ‘friendship’, not much better,, like yeah yeah he probably means jean and kaeya, but do we know that for sure)  but anyway this seems like more confirmation that despite being sworn brothers their relationship wasn’t actually that deep and that diluc didn’t get to know kaeya *that* well

[deitiesofduat]

BASTET: “As it turns out, the project has been due for this type of update for some time -- which the artist @tenicola​ (aka @teninini, colacanvas, and "Teni") finally got around to, after having enough headspace to approach it. 

“And just to avoid worrying anyone seeing this -- nope, Teni is not dropping DEITIES project anytime soon. She's not going anywhere, and neither am I! Or the rest of my pantheon! 

“But Teni mentioned she was worried about projecting that outcome, due to how inactive she's been online, and how quiet she's been about progress. She's hoping this update can add some clarity on what's actually going on, and what to expect going forward.”

“The rest of this update is below the cut, as text mixed with panels. It's on the long-ish side, and while it's best to skim through everything for context, you can also skip to the section "SHIFT IN [PUBLIC] SCOPE" if you just want to get to the point.

“Without further ago, let's start with some history that Teni wanted to share for full context -- again, under the cut!”

--------------------------------------------------

[ HISTORY OF DEITIES PROJECT ]

BASTET: “DEITIES Project -- and the main story for said project (Deities of Duat: The Chaos Seal), which is intended as a long form webcomic -- has been in development, privately and offline, since late 2014. Teni meant to keep it private for as long as possible, until she felt “ready” to share it.

“However, she was motivated to take the plunge and reveal the project's existence with these color tests and with this comic, as part of her coursework for her visual storytelling class. You know the one…”

“The surge of encouragement from both her classmates and her followers motivated Teni to create this blog -- the one you're visiting right now! It was Teni's full intention to use this blog to share progress on the main story, as a full-length webcomic, while building and engaging her audience.”

“However, along the way were a few... unforeseen obstacles that reared their head. Some obstacles were mitigated by making steady updates to the story and blog, but some were much more challenging, and she thinks it only fair to disclose some of them for context...”

--------------------------------------------------

[ OBSTACLES OF LIFE ]

BASTET: “The first obstacle was the sudden onset of chronic lower back pain -- just before the launch of the DEITIES blog in 2016. She still has it to this day, and says this ache makes it unbearable to sit or stand in the same position for too long. Among several inconveniences this causes, it also means she can only draw in short bursts before her stamina taps out, or before needing pain relief -- like heat, ice, and pressure.”

“As you might imagine, it's not the most fun condition to have when you enjoy drawing! And it's taken a while for Teni to cope with this daily frustration. She's still planning to find answers and a treatment to help reduce it, but has also accepted that she's been dealt this hand -- not unlike other creatives that deal with some form of chronic pain.”

“The back pain was one obstacle, but having to deal with different interpersonal struggles and friction was another. Some spiked her usual feelings of anxiety, and in one relationship's case, made her question whether or not the project was worth continuing. (On that note -- Teni does not want to call out anyone or guilt them, she just wanted to bring it up as a factor for the larger point she's making — just bear with us!)

“The third big obstacle a few years back, was having a day job that had an... ‘unfriendly’ work environment, and was paying a lot less income than she fairly deserved. And near the beginning of 2018, she was laid off from said job, putting a halt to any income she was earning only a week after signing the lease to her first apartment!”

“Teni didn't go into detail about those months of job hunting and taking tech classes, though she explains bits of it in previous updates. But the lack of financial stability at the time hung over her head constantly. The way she put it was: ‘It was hard to motivate myself to indulge in something I loved, but that didn't provide income, while I was in the middle of an extended job hunt.’"

“She didn't expect all these obstacles in succession when she launched the project. And she admits that she felt a combination of frustration, impatience, and disappointment for not updating the project at the same pace she started.”

“This was not because of any pressure from followers -- she told me you all have been incredibly understanding and patient! It was because of the fact that the project had been publicly promoted for so long, and she set her own expectations and goals so high -- without factoring the likelihood of life getting in the way. There was also the lingering fear of disappointing a lot of people, if one day she had no choice but to stop the project for her own livelihood and health.”

“Ah, why am I adding to this creative angst -- Teni didn't want this to be a sob story! I'll move on haha.”

--------------------------------------------------

[ IN A BETTER PLACE ]

BASTET: “Thankfully, in spite of all those obstacles, things are turning around for Teni in this new decade. A year ago she found a job with a feasible income to support herself, and an overall healthy work environment within her team. She's also fostered healthier relationships with her family and friends, and even made closer connections with the best friends she's had for ages!”

“And while her back pain is… still there, it's a manageable part of life that she's still determined to find answers for and improve.

“Not to mention that in the past year, she's been able to work on other projects, more quietly, and indulge in drawing other characters and fanart for fun. She's consumed more of her favorite media in the interim as well to support others, and to sate her own curiosity and interests.”

“Moving on to how this relates to this update, now that we have some backdrop for what's been happening...”

--------------------------------------------------

[ AREAS OF INTEREST ]

BASTET: “Again, Teni is not dropping DEITIES Project -- she admits the fear of having to make that call had crossed her mind, but it's not something she thinks she'll need to reconsider right now. Her bigger concern has been how to approach this project publicly, moving forward. And after giving it some thought, she's made some observations that may shed light on this answer.

“Teni wanted me to emphasize the idea of her doing a ‘reset’ for the public presentation and development of DEITIES Project -- not to change or hide the development thus far, but to reframe the project's scope -- what it's focus and goals are, more or less.

“...Oh-- looks like she made some visuals to help with this -- you two mind lending me a hand?”

“You all might have figured it out by now, but Teni absolutely loves drawing character art and designs. She also likes panel-style comics, as well as the dialogue, expressions, and SFX that comes with it. She can work on them offline without prompting, but she also loves sharing what she comes up with!

“What she's less fond of sharing is some of the other... *ahem* unmentionables and time-consuming work that comes with traditional comics. Things that take hours to set up and hours to practice, let alone execute for the final product -- an unfortunate hurdle when you're a one-person production team, and you can only draw in small bursts at a time.”

“She initially tried to put off the more indulgent art that she liked, in order to focus the less-favored obligations... but she realized that this just made her feel demotivated to work on anything, and less got completed as a result.”

“Overall, Teni's coming to terms with both her own limitations and her personal drive, and wants to shift her priorities accordingly for the project -- even if it goes against the grain of what's considered ‘good’  or well-meaning advice for a personal project.”

--------------------------------------------------

[ SHIFT IN [PUBLIC] SCOPE ]

BASTET: “Instead of treating the DEITIES main story/comic as the ‘end game’ goal of this project -- and pouring all her available energy in preparing for it and hyping it up -- Teni wants to shift the main story as a future, and more private ambition, until she's in a better place to execute it and share it publicly.

“No, she does not have any estimate or TBD date for when this will be, or when she'll make public updates on it’s progress or launch. It may even remain private indefinitely. And for now, she's okay with this.

“Because (1) The main story "The Chaos Seal" is not the only story that's worth telling from this project. Smaller side- and backstories, and even small character interactions, have their merit as well -- something Teni learned from drawing askbox responses, completing memes with the cast, and character exploration with friends. And with the main story not sucking up all the oxygen, she thinks it'll leave room to tackle the others more easily -- whether they're planned ahead of time or are spur-of-the-moment, and as comics or different formats.

“(2) Removing the DEITIES main story from its public pedestal will also allow her to work on other non-DEITIES things as they crop up -- and with less irrational guilt to indulge in things that aren't ‘priority’ for completing the comic. Meaning more art of her original characters, fanart, giftart, collabs, memes and bandwagons, and other smaller projects. Heck, she might even give herself permission to relax.

“And (3), perhaps most importantly -- Teni realized that DEITIES Project shouldn’t have to start and end with the so-called main story, and placing the story aside wouldn’t mean the project suddenly becomes a waste of time -- as she originally worried about projecting when her life took a twist.

“DEITIES Project just… is. It already exists, and the characters and world already exist -- with or without a completed webcomic to validate that existence.”

“But anyway, I side-tracked. The point is, Teni's planning to shift DEITIES project to just that -- a project, with room to continually grow, explore, and experiment with, and to engage with others as she feels comfortable, without the pressure of having a giant epic to tell.

“So while the main story and comic is going to shift to something more gradual and private -- the way it was originally meant to be -- this shift in scope will help adjust the project’s longevity, and also set the stage for some changes to be made around the blog, and for the public presentation for DEITIES.” 

“However, that content will be less scheduled and remain sporadic -- things will ‘happen when they happen,’ but what Teni has in mind will hopefully be enjoyable for those following the project.”

--------------------------------------------------

[ WHAT'S NEXT-- ]

BASTET: “Here’s the thing: we actually had more to share, but Teni made the call to save it all for another day -- to avoid making this update longer than needed, and to also avoid announcing any plans prematurely. No need to risk building pressure all over again or burning out, right?

“She asks for everyone’s patience and to give her another few weeks to re-calibrate things, address pressing questions, and work on some overdue housekeeping on the blog -- and to just draw whatever pops to her mind, cuz hey, why not? After that, she'll wait until any project items are already in the works and on the road to completion, before she announces that they're coming -- an ‘under-promise but over-deliver’ approach.

“But one thing you can look forward to are more featured deities from the main cast and the supporting cast -- including those colors tests she's been working on since last year, and then some! There's no shortage of inspiration or fodder, so to speak.”

--------------------------------------------------

[ IN CONCLUSION ]

BASTET: “So to recap! DEITIES Project will be shifting its scope and priorities, so that the main story and comic is developed more privately, and more characters and lore will be explored online at a more manageable pace. On the surface, that may not look like much is changing, but hopefully this update can make expectations more clear.

“Teni knows that there may be some in the audience who may feel down about this decision, or who were looking forward to the webcomic to be completed above all else. She says that's totally fair, and encourages anyone looking for stories to check out her recommendations. But she also hopes you'll understand, and be willing to stick around for other content in the meantime.”

"That brings Teni -- and me -- to one final point. Which is to sincerely thank you for all of your support, encouragement, and patience these past few years. In addition to things that are still in the works, there's a lot of content on this blog that had been inspired by everyone's engagement, which we can't thank you enough for!

“Teni and I, and everyone else from the pantheon, are excited about what’s next for Deities of Duat and DEITIES Project. And we’re looking forward to sharing more content, more freely, in the upcoming year for you all to enjoy.”

[feferipeixes]

Innocence Is Not Knowing That You’re Innocent (3/5)

Belle knows her brother pretty well. He likes comic books, he cheats at board games, and he wants more than anything to be human again. So, when he wakes up one morning with no memory of the fact that he’s a demon, she figures there’s no reason to remind him just yet. He deserves some time to just enjoy being Dipper, and not have to be Alcor.

Unfortunately, she can’t hide Dipper from the demon forever.

Chapter 3: Your Eyes Shine So Bright (link to chapter 1) (2)

Thanks as always to my awesome beta reader @toothpastecanyon​!

Content warning: suicidal thoughts (or rather lack thereof) are briefly discussed.

(See the most updated version on AO3!)

===

“Hey, Dipper! Hey!”

Dipper kept walking, not seeming to hear his sister’s calls. He slunk through the crowd of students bustling about the entrance to the school, and slipped out the double doors in front. Belle frowned, and pushed through after him.

“Yo, DIP!” she hollered. “It’s me, your sister Belle, cmon I know you can hear me!”

Though he was at least 20 feet away, he seemed to shrink a bit. He lowered his head and sped up.

Alright, something was up. Belle hadn’t been born yesterday -- maybe she wasn’t quite as old as Dipper, but she’d still grown up with him and knew how to identify the signs of Sad Brother-itis. She just hoped that the issue wasn’t demonic in nature.

She took a deep breath, put a big smile on, and sprinted to catch up with him. She leapt into his path and yelled “SURPRISE!”

He flinched, and seemed to narrowly avoid falling over. She reached for his arm to help him balance, but he corrected his momentum quickly and swatted her away. This wasn’t entirely strange behavior for Dipper when he was grumpy, so she put it aside and readied herself for some cheering up. “What’s going -”

Her smile died when she got a good look at him. His face was a red and blotchy mess, still wet from the crying that he was clearly too embarrassed to admit he’d done, and she didn’t have to ask to see why. The skin around his left eye was swollen and bruised, and he seemed to wince every time he blinked.

Belle’s jaw dropped. “Oh my stars, Dipper, your eye!”

“Shhh!” he hissed. He grabbed her arm, looked both ways, and pulled her across the street, away from the other students milling about. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Yes it is!” she yelped. He shushed her again, but she kept going. “What happened? Who did this? Do you need your big sister to beat someone up for you?” She slid the bangles off her right arm and flexed her bicep dramatically. “Let me at ‘em -- no one messes with a Sterling and gets away from these guns!”

Dipper did not seem impressed. “Stop, you’re just going to make things worse!”

Belle frowned, and put her bangles back on. “Sorry, bro-bro, I just -- what happened? You can tell me, right?”

“Okay, but… Don’t tell anyone, alright? That includes Onika, Alistair, Mindy, and Dad.”

“Yeah, alright. Now tell me.”

“Well…” He looked at his feet again. “I took your advice. About… trying to make some new friends. So I talked to Jacen and Farah from Math club. You know them, right? They seemed nice, but they wouldn’t look me in the eye the whole time we were talking, and then they both said they had to leave and their excuses kinda sounded made up… Maybe I’m just paranoid.”

“You’re definitely paranoid, goober.” Belle poked him on the nose, and he scrunched his face up adorably. “That sucks though. And then you tripped, right?”

“No. A few of the football players came by, and…” Belle winced. “Yeah,” he finished, hand behind his head like he was trying to convince her that it was no big deal. As if he didn’t know that ship had already long sailed.

To his surprise, though, Belle smiled. “You know what this means? Time to come up with a payback plan! This’ll be fun, we can stop by the supermarket on the way home and get all the supplies we need, and if we do it at school then dad doesn’t have to know, and -”

“Belle, no, stop, this is serious. I’m having a really bad time right now and it feels like you’re not taking me seriously!”

Her grin slid back into a sickly grimace. “Okay, sure, this is bad. Y- you’re happy, though, right? In general?”

He threw his hands up. “What are you talking about? Of course I’m not happy! I failed a test, someone threw milk at me, and now I got beat up!”

She opened her mouth to try to respond, but it felt like her throat was shaking. Dipper didn’t notice this. He threw his notebook on the ground, and then grumbled:

“My life really sucks!”

Belle felt his words like a physical slap in the face. “But it’s better than the alternative, right?” she blurted.

He looked directly at her, and she gasped, because she could’ve sworn there was blue fire behind his eyes. “What alternative?” he asked, his voice slow and cold, sounding less like her dopey brother and more like something older and harsher.

She felt her heartbeat speed up, felt the thumping in her chest harder than the thoughts screaming in her head, and she couldn’t look away from the fire because this might be it, this might be the moment when it finally came back out. She wasn’t prepared to do this right now, she wasn’t prepared to comfort a sad demon who had been enjoying his humanity until his stupid sister opened her stupid mouth and accidentally poked him in the right direction torwards remembering.

Now she was sweating, and her throat felt tight. She was dimly aware of a voice hammering at her, but it sounded like it she was underwater, and all the thoughts and worries from the past couple of weeks were keeping her anchored at the bottom. Gradually, the pressure in her chest lightened, and the voice got clearer, until she could make out:

“Belle? Belle! Are you okay?”

She looked up -- when had she sat down? -- and saw her brother still looking at her. Whatever traces of Alcor she had seen a moment ago were gone -- now there was nothing but worry in his face. His face, which kept fading in and out, in and out…

“Belle, you’re hyperventilating, please…”

Oh, huh, she was. That was… a problem, right? The look on Dipper’s face certainly indicated so. She reached into her pocket and fished around -- aha! A fresh pack of gum. She stuffed a couple of sticks of it into her mouth and started chewing. As she did, her breathing started to slow down and her brain started to uncloud. She felt silly -- this kind of thing hadn’t happened to her in a while.

Which, she supposed, made sense. Alcor had promised to keep her safe.

As her breathing continued to stabilize, she felt Dipper sit down next to her. He pulled his knees up to his chest and sighed, long and dramatic.

“I’m sorry.”

She sniffed. “What are you sorry for?”

“I dunno. Acting so mopey lately?”

“Y-you’re allowed to not be happy.”

“I know, but…” He sighed. “I just don’t want you to think I’m going to do something extreme.”

She frowned. “Uh… what are you talking about?”

“Well, you know… You were talking about life being better than ‘the alternative’, and…” His voice kept getting quieter, and Belle had to lean in to hear him finish his statement. “I don’t want you to think that I want to die.”

She stared at him with a look of utter confusion. After a moment, he returned it. He opened his mouth to say something else, and then her brain finally parsed what he’d said.

“No, what?” she spluttered. “I wasn’t thinking -- I don’t think you -- wow, uh, no. Sorry to worry you, bro-ntasaurs. I know you want to live.” A thought drifted into her head, about a demon who long outlived his twin sister, and her voice wavered. “I don’t doubt it at all!”

He looked surprised, and then cleared his throat. “W-well, good. Because I do. Want to live, that is. Not doubt it. Ugh.” He leaned forward, resting his forehead on his palms. “This is so awkward.”

He looked at that moment more anxious and uncomfortable -- more human -- than he had since before Gravity Falls, and Belle couldn’t help but smile. In a weird way, it felt reassuring, that maybe he actually was getting the awkward human experience he so desired.

“I know, isn’t it great?” He looked up, confused, and she stuck her tongue out. “Want me to make it worse and tell you all about my current crushes?”

His lip quivered, and then he laughed. “Yeah, sure thing! Then I can talk about my favorite conspiracy theories!”

She joined in the laughter, and for a minute, all was good.

Then his face twisted, and again she saw something shimmer in his eyes.

“Wait a minute. If you didn’t think I wanted to… yknow… then what did you mean by ‘the alternative’?”

She froze. “I, uh, what?”

“When I was complaining about how much my life sucks. You said it was still better than the alternative. If the alternative wasn’t death, what was it?”

“Uhh, haha, I don’t, I don’t know, -”

“Because I’ve been thinking,” he cut in, “about why my life sucks, and I’ve… been coming up with some weird theories.”

Her eyes grew wide. “Oh, no, weird theories? That doesn’t sound like you at all!”

“Maybe I’m looking into things too far. But things have been really weird lately and I’m wondering if you’ve noticed it, and if maybe that’s why you thought…”

“Thought? I didn’t think anything at all!” She hopped up and balanced on the tips of her toes. “All I thought was that Dipper, my brother, my twinteresting siblocity, was a funny fellow who needed a smile on his face and a bunch of rhinestones embedded on his clothes.”

He looked shocked for a moment, and then scowled. “Nevermind.”

Her smile faltered, and she dropped her heels. “Wait, no, ahh, I- I didn’t mean to be dismissive. You can tell me.”

“Can I?” he asked, with a sarcastic bite that Belle had rarely heard him use before. “Can I really?”

“Of course you can!”

“It doesn’t feel like it. You’re always deflecting whenever anything strange happens, and you keep pulling people aside to talk to them so that I can’t hear! Do you think I haven’t noticed that?”

“I’m sorry... I didn’t mean…”

“Then why? What’s going on? I thought, yknow, twins, we’re going to stick together and trust each other and stuff. But now it feels like you don’t trust me for some reason and it kind of scares me. It makes me feel like there’s something wrong with me, and with all the other weird stuff going on lately, well…”

He trailed off, but Belle knew well enough to see where that line of thinking was leading. In one quick motion, she jumped up and wrapped him in a tight hug. He squeaked as the air was knocked out of him, but was prevented from crumpling to the ground by her vice-like grip.

“Dipper, I’m sorry.” She rubbed her face into his shoulder, trying to hide the tears that were coming out to play. “I trust you, I really honestly do, and I’m such a doofus for making you think I didn’t.”

“You’re not a doofus…”

“Yeah, I am!” she huffed. She detached herself from him, and slumped a bit. “Listen, bro-bro, I know I’ve been acting super weird, and yeah it’s about you. But I can’t tell you why, because that’ll ruin it.”

“But…”

“I know that’s a huge cop-out! But you gotta believe me, everything I’m doing is for you! I just want you to be happy and if I tell you what I’m doing it would ruin it. Please…” She grabbed his shoulders and looked directly into his eyes. He squirmed a bit under her gaze, but didn’t wrench himself away. “Please. Can you trust me on this?”

“Belle…”

“Look at me, Dipper! You really think I don’t trust you, or that I think there’s something wrong with you?”

He sighed, and then locked eyes with her. There was something shimmering, burning behind his, something grand and horrible, something loving and immeasurably ancient. It was so intense that her brain screamed at her to turn away, to not let herself fall victim to the monster in front of her, but that was a ridiculous, primal instinct. She didn’t stop trusting him when they found out he was really Alcor, and she wasn’t about to stop now. No, if there was anything she should be afraid of, it was the fact that she allowed herself to break his trust in her. So she kept her gaze, and after a moment, Dipper deflated.

“Okay. I trust you.”

She grinned, let go of his shoulders, and gave him another big hug. “Thanks, m’brony. It means a lot to me.”

He smiled weakly, and then picked up his backpack. “Should we… be getting home?”

“Oh yeah.” She put her own back on, and then grabbed her brother’s hand. “Let’s-a-go!”

“No skipping, please, I’m too tired,” he groaned, but light-heartedly.

“Oh, alright, party pooper.”

They headed toward home, unlocking hands after a few minutes (because “Belle I love you but holding your sister’s hand in public is mortifying”). Dipper didn’t seem to want to talk, so Belle loaded in a fresh couple of sticks of gum and set away chewing.

She tried to drown out her thoughts with the art of bubble blowing, but couldn’t help but play their conversation over and over again in her head. Truth be told, she still felt rather anxious after that close call -- she hadn’t expected him to trust her enough to stop asking questions, and the fact that she had doubted him made her feel… weird. Almost like she knew him less now that he didn’t know he was Alcor.

Because when she thought about it, he must’ve been missing memories of their friendship too, since him being a demon was inextricably tied to a bunch of their interactions. So it was kinda like she was talking to someone who she hadn’t known for two years. The whole act of keeping him in the dark about his true nature was suddenly leaving a bad taste in her mouth.

“Hey Belle?”

She snapped her head up, her brother’s voice breaking her out of her thoughts.

“I know you said you can’t tell me about this big secret now since it’ll ‘ruin everything’, but is it the kind of thing you’ll be able to tell me eventually?”

She opened her mouth to respond, quite forgetting that she was in the middle of blowing a bubble. The wad of gum, outweighed by the large air-filled bubble it was attached to, fell out of her mouth and landed on the ground.

“Oh, gross, why’d you do that?” Dipper moaned.

Belle stared at the gum, and then up at him. “Oh, uh, sorry.” She wrapped her hands around the bubble, which somehow hadn’t popped, and picked it up like a ceramic bowl. “And yeah. I’ll be able to tell you soon. Just not now.” She carefully stepped the bubble over to a nearby trash can, and dropped it in, where it again landed without popping.

“Okay. Thanks.”

Belle stared at the bulb of gum in the trash, and then shook her head. “Yeah, sure thing.” She skipped back over to him, and hooked her arm around his. “Is this better than holding hands?”

“Now I can’t tell if you’re deflecting or just being silly.”

“Why can’t it be both?”

He laughed, genuinely laughed, the smile unmistakable in his flame-less eyes. “Fair enough. But actually?” He unhooked his arm from hers, and grabbed her hand instead. “Maybe... this isn’t so bad either.”

(AO3 link)

[bobabangtean-blog]

coffee & crushes (i like you a latte) yoonkook au ; part 2

➵ part 2: “elf ears”

   ↪  ılı.lıllılı.ıllı now playing: for him. by: troye sivan jeongguk still hasn’t gotten over what had happened. for days and days, the incident with yoongi plays through his mind; it was all he’s been thinking about. no, scratch that. yoongi is the only thing he’s been thinking about. it’s so bad that he had been thinking about yoongi’s cute smile when he was making coffee one time and almost overheated the machine.

let’s just say, he has a crush.

and he has it bad.

for the seventh time since his current two hour shift, jeongguk peers at the door, hoping to see the familiar man. jeongguk’s heart drops as no min yoongi walks through that door. this had been his daily routine for the past five days.

he can’t get the look of hurt on yoongi’s face out of his mind; the way his cute, small nose scrunched in pain and how his beautiful, almond-shaped eyes narrowed. jeongguk is ashamed of himself, but also confused. as soon as yoongi asked the question, jeongguk was so surprised. he had a huge crush on yoongi, but jeongguk never thought he would actually reciprocate in those feelings. jeongguk didn’t want to act like a naive child and make a fool of himself. so when yoongi asked the question that jeongguk thought would never escape from yoongi’s soft lips, (that jeongguk wanted to kiss so bad and pepper with little pecks) he was overwhelmed with shock. did i really look disgusted at the thought of going out with him? jeongguk groans, running a hand through his brown hair in distress.

“excuse me,” a quite annoyed customer asks. “could you do your job and take my order?”

jeongguk immediately bows in apology, the customer’s rude attitude ruining his mood even more but smiles nonetheless.

“but y’know, service with a smile and all that, right?”

yoongi’s voice runs through his head as jeongguk turns on the espresso machine. jeongguk feels the blood rush to his cheeks at the thought of yoongi and his rich, calming voice. jeongguk could listen to him talk for hours on end.

god, i’m pathetic.

jeongguk powers through his burdening thoughts as he prepares their coffee. he peers at the order list to remind him what was left. five shots of espresso. jeongguk laughs to himself, thinking about yoongi. he drank that every single day, sometimes showing up twice a day. (jeongguk wouldn’t even put any espresso in it if yoongi came more than once; overdosing on espresso was very common and there was no way he was losing a man like min yoongi to espresso.)

serving the customer their coffee, jeongguk heads to the back, resting slightly against the chair. he shakes his head, determined. he can’t ignore his overpowering feelings; the way yoongi makes his heart yearn and pound. he can’t ignore the way yoongi makes his cheeks flushed just by looking at jeongguk with his powerful gaze; his wolf-like gaze. he can’t let a man like min yoongi slip away just because he couldn’t react properly.

jeongguk made up his mind.

he was going to go on a date with min yoongi.

-

dance weirdos

jeongguk:

do any of you guys happen to know a “min yoongi”?

jimin:

no clue, sorry dude

taehyung:

why do you ask?

jeongguk:

he’s the espresso guy

jimin:

OMG WE GOTTA FIND HIM

taehyung:

jimin, babe, you don’t need to shout

jimin:

TAEHYUNG THIS IS THE RIGHT SITUATION TO SHOUT

jimin:

OUR BABY BOY IS FINALLY GROWING UP

jeongguk:

why do i even text you guys

jeongguk laughs to himself, scanning over their past conversations as he waits for a response. his dance group are actually crackheads. jimin and taehyung are that one couple who’s just so loud and albeit, sometimes too cheesy, but perfect. jeongguk won’t admit how many times he felt envy crawl through him when he sees taehyung and jimin kiss each other affectionately or when taehyung engulfs jimin in a heartwarming hug or when jimin’s small hand disappears into tae’s when they hold hands.

no, he isn’t jealous.

jeongguk taps his fingers impatiently, wondering why it took the members of his group chat so long to respond. hoseok, taehyung, and jimin were all terrible at responding. then again, jeongguk can’t say anything. (one time he forgot to respond to jimin’s “hey how have you been we haven’t heard from you in awhile” text. three days had passed before jimin, who dragged tae along, broke into jeongguk’s apartment at three in the morning just to make sure he was okay. jeongguk appreciated the gesture but installed deadbolts on his windows the following day)

(jeongguk met his dance group during jeongguk’s first year at uni. he joined the men’s dance team, because why not? jeongguk has been learning dance ever since he was little, and he loves it. jeongguk showed up to the practice room, expecting more people but was greeted with three. those three guys would develop to become his three closest friends. jimin is the nice one that laughs at all of jeongguk’s jokes and makes him feel nice inside. taehyung compliments his fashion and really appreciates his dancing style. hoseok is loud and energetic, never failing to get him out of a bad mood. jeongguk can’t express how grateful he is to have signed up for that dance team.)

taehyung:

do you think hoseok hyung would know him?

jimin:

yeah maybe! he knows a bunch of people

hoseok:

are you guys talking about how popular i am again

taehyung:

no we’re talking about your elf ears

hoseok:

hey, my ears are adorable and you know it

jeongguk:

as much as i want to read your guys’ conversation about hoseok’s weirdly shaped ears, i have a min yoongi to find

hoseok:

min yoongi? kind of short? straight bangs? a salty shit?

jeongguk:

yes that’s the one! do you know him?

hoseok:

haha know him? my dear child, i know his number and dorm

jeongguk almost drops his phone in excitement. he wasn’t actually expecting hoseok to know yoongi. the campus is enormous and it’s accompanied by a sea of  students. it’s the one time jeongguk is lucky to know hoseok (this is a lie; jeongguk loves hoseok).

jeongguk:

thank you so much hyung!

hoseok:

no need to thank me, young grasshopper

hoseok:

i’ll send it to you over dm

jeongguk:

okay but why did you call me a grasshopper

jeongguk:

i thought they freak you out

hoseok:

exactly

jeongguk rolls his eyes at hoseok’s playfulness. hoseok is and always will be the comic relief of his dance group. but jeongguk isn’t thinking about that. he is finally going to confront min yoongi.

-

holding tightly to the cup of coffee he had in his hand, jeongguk takes a deep breath to calm his nerves. he’s there; in front of min yoongi’s dorm. feeling his stomach twist, jeongguk clenches his fist and knocks lightly.

no answer.

jeongguk tries again, knocking louder.

still, no answer.

jeongguk tries one more time, knocking three times and adding a “hello?”.

finally, jeongguk is met with the eyes of min yoongi. yoongi’s eyes widen, genuinely surprised by jeongguk’s unexpected visit. something flashes in yoongi’s eyes; sadness? longing? jeongguk isn’t able to quite pinpoint it. but before anything could happen, yoongi narrows his eyes and frowns.

“what do you want?”

jeongguk internally winces at his harsh, cold tone. shaking it off, he offers yoongi the coffee. he throws in a small smile, cocking his head slightly to add more cuteness and score more brownie points.

“i’m sorry, forgive me?” jeongguk’s voice soft as the words escaped his mouth.

yoongi’s lips quirk, clearly having difficulty to fight the urge to smile. but it was all replaced quickly by anger and pain.

jeongguk feels his stomach drop at the sight of yoongi hurt.

“i don’t need your espresso anymore,” yoongi bluntly says, closing the door.

with fast reflexes, jeongguk catches the door with his hand and pulls it open. before yoongi can say anything, jeongguk takes his chance.

“i’m sorry yoongi,” jeongguk starts, taking a deep breath. “i am so sorry that you were hurt by my reaction to your kind request. i didn’t think it would hurt you i- i wasn’t thinking actually. i haven’t been able to think straight ever since you walked into the coffee shop. you never let me finish my sentence that day. my answer is ‘of course’. i still question myself why i haven’t asked you out earlier. i’m an idiot for not doing so.”

yoongi opens his mouth to say something but jeongguk wasn’t finished.

“so here it is now,” jeongguk says, offering the cup of coffee to yoongi. “would you want to go out with me?”

yoongi tries to maintain his mad demeanor, but fails. yoongi’s lips twitch into a smile, his eyes soft.

“just let me pay for it.”

-

“i can’t believe people actually drink their coffee,” jeongguk mumbles to yoongi as they take a seat. yoongi laughs, rolling his eyes.

“jeongguk, i’m sorry, but your coffee isn’t that good.”

jeongguk’s mouth slightly parts in disbelief.

“so you’re telling me you didn’t go to the coffee shop every day for your kilimanjaro and five shots of espresso?”

yoongi takes a sip of his coffee before chuckling.

“of course not, i went back for the cute barista who made dumb puns.”

jeongguk laughs, his heart acting like hoseok during dance practice. “you know you love my puns.”

jeongguk observes yoongi as he sips on his coffee. he doesn’t seem very open, maybe even just in general. it’s like he doesn’t want to reveal himself; to trust another person with his true self.

it hurt jeongguk to even think that yoongi feels that way.

he really hopes he’s wrong.

“so, how was your day?” yoongi asks, breaking jeongguk’s thoughts. jeongguk is confused. every single time yoongi starts a conversation with him, it’s almost always about his dog, holly.

jeongguk feels like he’s going to have competition with holly for yoongi’s love.

“well you decided to go out with me, so i have to say it’s going pretty great,” jeongguk grinned, showing off his pearly white teeth.

yoongi just rolls his eyes in response.

“how was yours?”

“well, i agreed to go out with you, so i’m really questioning if two hours of sleep a week is affecting my common sense,” yoongi’s tone is sarcastic, but joking. “but i have to say pretty good too.”

“are you going to drink the coffee i made for you, yoong?” jeongguk asks, gesturing to yoongi’s untouched cup of kilimanjaro.

yoongi raises an eyebrow at jeongguk. “gguk, i legit just drank a whole cup of kilimanjaro from this coffee shop, do you want me to shake my leg off?”

“come on,” jeongguk pouted, trying to guilt yoongi into drinking it. “at least read the message.”

yoongi’s lips form into a smile as his eyes scan the cup. specifically, the words scribbled under his name.

“you little shit.”

jeongguk giggles like a child, a bright smile plastered over his face. there wasn’t a day since yoongi where jeongguk hated working at the coffee shop.

not one day.

yoongi opens his mouth to read jeongguk’s corny note.

“‘i know you can’t have more than five shots of espresso a day, but you can have my number instead.’”

jeongguk just smiles, enjoying his crush’s cute reaction.

yoongi smiles back at jeongguk, shaking his head.

“you smooth little shit.”

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a/n: hi guys ! hope you enjoyed part 2 of this fluffy series ^^ thanks so much for reading !!

- boba 🍡

©bobabangtean

[bundeslihaha]

Chapter 11: Under the Spotlight

The Media Days have started! Join the Bundesliga boys and girls as they prepare for the part of the season they wished they could skip!

Whoever’s documenting us, SV Darmstadt 98 thought as she reread the address on her phone, must be lazy as fuck…

Somehow, she wasn’t surprised at her vocabulary – hanging out (well, arguing) with Karlsruhe, Kaiserslautern and Braunschweig would do that to anyone…

Hmm, speaking of those three, it was unfortunate for such big clubs with rich history to not get promoted, wasn’t it? But naaaah, Darmstadt grinned mischievously. She was definitely looking forward to filling the next page of her football fairytale!

FC Ingolstadt 04 looked up at his coach slowly. “Papa?” he called, tugging the sleeve of Ralph Hasenhüttl’s shirt.

“Yes, Ingolstadt?” Papa asked. His face looked sooo bored, but Ingolstadt knew anyone would be, like really! It seemed like they’d been on this train for years! “Papa, are we there yet?” he whined, secretly hoping that asking would make the trip faster.

“Not yet, Ingolstadt,” Papa replied, messing his hair. “No, Papa, don’t do that!” he protested, swatting his large hand off his head, “I’m not a kid anymore!” He was already eleven years old, okay? He didn’t need a Papa. He wanted to live alone like RB Leipzig, to do whatever and whenever he wanted! Why did the bosses still force him to live with a “father figure”? He’s a personification, not a normal kid! Why should he go to a boring school? Why should he be watched while eating? Everyone knew he hated vegetables! Why?!

“Ingolstadt,” Papa said, touching his cheek instead, “I’m sorry, okay? You know I like your hair when it’s neatly trimmed like this.” He chuckled a little. Ingolstadt pouted. “Of course you like it, Papa, you trimmed it yourself!” the boy playfully punched his caretaker, “Why can’t I have long hair like Bochum?”

“Bochum?” Papa asked, raising an eyebrow, “His hair is awful. Especially with that hairclip.”

The little Bavarian groaned. “But- but I want my hair to touch my shoulders! It’s so cool, Papa!” He patted Papa’s shoulder for good measure, but all he got was an unconvinced glare. “Fine,” he grumbled, “at least I can grow bangs? Like Karlsruhe?”

Papa’s eyes were unfocused. Maybe he was picturing his (old, haha!) bully, with his shaggy brown hair.

“He looks like he doesn’t have a comb,” Papa finally said. Ingolstadt decided to change tactics. In a second, he was staring at his coach with dark eyes as big as saucers, causing Hasenhüttl to wince and changed the topic himself. “Anyway, are you excited for the Media Days?”

Ingolstadt’s face brightened that instant. “Of course, Papa! I can’t wait to meet the others!” He was jumping on his seat now, earning him annoyed looks from other passengers. “Especially Bayern. She’s so… so badass!”

When Ingolstadt realized what he’d just said, his hands comically flew to cover his mouth. “Sorry, Papa,” he squeaked.

Now, Ralph Hasenhüttl couldn’t bring himself to be harsh to the spoiled, irritating boy that was the physical embodiment of FC Ingolstadt, but he couldn’t the child grow up with no manners, either.

“Ingolstadt,” Hasenhüttl said, a patronizing hand on the 11-year-old’s shoulder, “what did I tell you about bad words?”

The personification sighed, head hung in shame. “I must not say them, Papa,”

“Good,” the manager nodded. Let’s all pray the first division clubs wouldn’t undo everything he’d taught his ‘son’…

Elsewhere…

 As usual, Europe-bound clubs gather on a corner of whatever meeting place they were in (in this case, studio), FC Augsburg looking out of place.

The UEL club was sandwiched between 25-time-German champions, FC Bayern München, and her chaser, VfL Wolfsburg, his lean body a stark contrast from the fanservice muscles of the two. It didn’t trouble Augsburg much, though. What troubled him was how… casually the six other clubs spoke of trebles, Spanish giants and the like, and though he was an expert at poker faces, intimidation froze him in place.

“Earth to Augsburg,” Bayern called with a hard pat on his back, “you still there?”

He blinked before meeting her gaze. “Yeah.”

“Don’t be so shy, mate,” Gladbach added, flashing the ginger a toothy grin. “It’s my first time in Champions League, too. Ish."

“But you’ve been in Europa,” Augsburg said matter-of-factly.

“Yeah, but you’ll make it!” Dortmund cheered from opposite his seat, a fist punching the air. “Sure, I’ll be your rival later on, but I’m rooting for you! You’re too good to go down…” He trailed off. Must be remembering Freiburg, Augsburg mused, feeling a pang of sympathy for the relegated club and the friend she’d left behind. Would he have to sacrifice Europe for domestic survival, like she had?

“Tch. No one’s ‘too good’ to go down,” Gladbach spat as if forcing everyone to recall his recent brushes with relegation.

“But I think you’ll do well, FCA,” Schalke piped up, a grudging note in his deep voice. “You’re more consistent than Lüdenscheid over here,” he poked his fellow Ruhr club right on his ‘BVB 09, Echte Liebe’ tattoo.

“Oh, shut up, Scheiße,” Dortmund snapped, “just because you consistently suck, doesn’t mean you can bully those who don’t.” A sneer twisted Die Schwarzgelben’s handsome face, practically begging the Royal Blues to punch it. And so, Schalke did.

“Ouch,” Gladbach snickered. That was one hell of a punch. Leverkusen hid his snicker behind his hands.

“You…” Dortmund growled, rubbing his aching nose.

With Schalke sneering back, they left the group for a more physical Revierderby.

A chuckle escaped Bayern at her enemies’ antics. “Oi, Augsburg!” she called again. The ginger beside her responded with a ‘hmm’. “How does it feel to watch the two up close?”

Wolfsburg and the Rhine boys stared hard at the younger Bavarian, trying to coax an answer out of the stoic man.

“Funny?” Augsburg answered, with a tone that made it sound like a question. Wolfsburg laughed. “You don’t sound like you mean it!”

The Fuggerstädter shrugged. “I guess I’m used to it.” He really was used to seeing clubs fight. Nürnberg and Fürth's drunken Oktoberfest brawls weren't much different from the Ruhr Valley rivals', really. He hoped he could be used to being in the company of these giants, too…

There were confident people, and then there was Hamburger SV.

Six-time German champion, playoff specialist (Fürth and Karlsruhe could stay in 2. Bundesliga forever, he didn’t care) and especially beater of “oh-so-great” Gladbach, Augsburg and Bayern was entering the studio with a swagger unseen in him before.

Unfortunately, his swag didn't impressed anyone, except if you count Hannover’s friendly ‘hi’ as an expression of awe. Even worse, Mainz and Frankfurt didn’t even try to hide their laughter (or in the case of Hoffenheim, his derisive remarks). Ugh. He should find Werder lest he died of boredom here. He opened his mouth to ask his boyfriend where the shit is, but when he saw Hertha’s suspicious glances, an imaginary light bulb appeared over his head.

“Yo, Karlsruhe’s whore!”

At her death glare, he couldn’t help but think: This photoshoot won’t be so boring after all.

“Welcome to the Bundesliga!” Eintracht Frankfurt exclaimed, snaking a hand around Darmstadt's shoulders with a less-than-friendly laugh. At the physical contact, she tensed, but took it in stride a moment later. “Thank you, Frankfurt. How are you?”

“Great,” the Eagles replied. “And you, Darmstadt?”

She looked up at him with a beam. “Never better!”

“How can you not?” Frankfurt’s hearty laugh rang in the hallway, “really, I can congratulate you all day.” There was a strangely comfortable silence as they walked inside the studio. “Anyway,” the taller man continued, “Ready for the derby?” Challenge sparkled in his red eyes, dangerous yet inviting.

“Of course,” Darmstadt accepted, her blue eyes echoing his. “And I’m gonna win them all!”

If there was one thing every club preferred their archenemy over, that thing would be a makeover.

Bayern was insisting “Hertha’s kind of makeup” didn’t suit her, demanding the poor makeup artist to 'fix her up' the way she did the male personifications.

Stuttgart had had his dark brown dye forcefully removed, leaving his hair very, very blond. “It will bring out your eyes,” the makeup artist had said, his green eyes glinting with evil.

Even Hertha almost cried when they said she had to take off her bow (a parting gift from her lover years ago) despite accepting her new, layered hairstyle.

So when 1. FC Köln came in to a horde of dissatisfied clubs, he feared for himself as he took his seat on the torture chair.

“Hi, Köln,” his makeup artist, a young woman whose build reminded him of Nuernberg. “Don’t be afraid, ‘kay?”

“Uh…” Köln said, “do I have to take this off?” He indicated at the thin hair tie holding his ponytail.

“Of course,” she smirked.

And then, the torture began.

“Afternoon, everyone!”

Seventeen Bundesliga clubs gathered in the middle of the spacious studio, prepped and pumped for the so-called ‘BL Media Days’. Or for it to be over, but that didn’t really matter. A DFL official welcomed them in their headquarters. The greetings/bullshit was followed by Darmstadt’s introduction, and of course: “But most importantly, have fun!”

The first photoshoot was standard – they’d be photographed head to waist with hands on their hips, a plain white wall their background.

To make things simpler, the officials would call the impatient personifications in alphabetical order, because of which, Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg decided to treat themselves (and the others, on the officials’ insistence) lunch.

“FC Augsburg!” came the first call, and true to his no-nonsense personality, it only took him a minute or two, even with the touch-ups.

“Bayer 04 Leverkusen!”

The Retortenclub rolled his eyes. “Later, okay” he told Bayern, who gave him a thumb up in reply. As a true PR man, Leverkusen stepped up to the stage with confidence, a charming smile set to melt fangirls and fanboys’ hearts on his face.

“Hello, cutie,” the makeup artist teased, applying a dash of bronzer on Leverkusen’s cheek. He responded accordingly – with a wink and “Hello to you too!”

Then crash! The door to the studio slammed open, causing almost everyone to jump in surprise, and came in Ralph Hasenhüttl, red-faced and panting as he helped his charge up from his face-down fall. “We… apologize for our lateness,” the coach said. Beside him, FC Ingolstadt 04 stood with a broken nose and tearful eyes. A laugh could be heard from his fellow Aufsteiger, but she disguised it as a cough before Hasenhüttl could do anything.

“No problem, Sir!” one of the officials said amicably. After a grateful nod from the manager (and a three-minute chiding to Germany’s youngest club), he left. “Use Darmstadt’s phone to call me when I’m done, okay?”

Darmstadt’s fists clenched - she couldn’t make a bad impression in front of the Bundesligists, but everyone was laughing at her! Not to mention Inge’s annoying ‘okay, Papa! See you later!’

Like she hadn’t had enough of that squirt in the second division…

Desperate to stop the laughter directed at him, the club nicknamed Die Schanzer turned to face his new ‘friends’. “Hi, guys!” he shouted, waving his hands in the air. “I’m FC Ingolstadt! And you?” He jumped to a bench where two clubs, one in green and the other blue, sat. “What’s your name?”

The guy in green stood up, and damn he was huge! Ingolstadt had to stand on his toes just to see his beard! Fortunately, he could see his arms, his legs, and woah he had so much hair… how cool! I wish I had a body like that, the little boy thought, hand almost touching his muscular calf… almost… almost…

“Wolfsburg,” the huge man answered, snatching Ingolstadt’s hand to shake it. “And this is Hoffenheim,” he gestured to the man in blue, who was black-haired, blue-eyed and sulking.

(The introductions, unnecessary as they were, continued, much to the officials’ annoyance – to make it worse, everyone was either too amused or too mesmerized by the pint-sized Bavarian’s “cuteness” to stop him.

Seven minutes and thirty-one seconds later – “THANK GOD!” one of the officials whooped – Ingolstadt had made himself known to every club but Die Werkself, who had just finished posing for the cameras.)

When Leverkusen stepped off the stage with another stranger’s (well, at least she wasn’t a Scheißbock fan) phone number, a red-haired boy – promoted Ingolstadt, Leverkusen read his club crest – approached him, confusion narrowing his dark eyes.

“What’s wrong, Ingolstadt?” he asked, letting his persona do the job.

“I’m confused, Sir,” the boy replied, scratching his head with a pudgy finger. “This thing is for… personifications only, right?”

He’s more stupid than I thought, Leverkusen made a mental groan, but outwardly, he kneeled to the Audi-backed club’s eye level, his hands on his small shoulders. “Yes, it is,” he said, his voice as soft as the gaze he sent the Bavarian, “you may be young, Ingolstadt dear… but you are one of us.”

To Leverkusen’s surprise, Ingolstadt didn’t jump up and down with renewed self-esteem, but gave him a blank stare instead. “’Us’? Who are you?!” the boy shrieked, as if Leverkusen was some kind of intruder. He resisted the urge to kick the newbie in the groin by offering him a hand to shake. “Bayer Leverkusen,” he introduced himself, grinning eye-to-eye, “nice to meet you!”

“You’re Bayer Leverkusen?!” the boy echoed, dumbstruck as he squinted at the cross and lions on his chest. “I thought… I thought you were a player!”

He could hear Gladbach and Köln’s too-loud whispers of ‘The guy looks like Kießling and he doesn't even admit it'.

"Fuck you," Leverkusen muttered, turning on his heel to leave the baby boy. He'd give those two assholes a lesson... but first, he needed a plastic surgery.

[onceyougoexo-blog]

Summer Lovin’

Chapter 2

A Boy Named Chanyeol

The three hour drive to Intermony was actually pretty nice. As soon as she plopped down in her plushy seat, Eunji pulled out her earbuds and put on her favorite relaxing playlist. She sometimes liked to pretend she was in a music video; looking out the window at the beautiful scenery, the peaceful music transported her to a different place. Some of the other students on the bus had started to talk to each other, introducing themselves before they got to camp, but Eunji just wanted to keep to herself for now. She would socialize enough when they got to camp and she wanted to spare herself the effort for a couple more hours.

Although the other kids started to get a little loud, Eunji tried her best to ignore them. She turned the volume of her music up enough to drown out the busy voices around her. But there was one tall kid at the back of the bus who didn’t seem to grasp basic bus etiquette. From what Eunji could tell from the front of the bus, he and another student had started to freestyle battle, loud trap beats thumping from the huge 80’s-esque boombox on his shoulder. At one point the tall kid even stood up on a seat and starting headbanging, wildly shaking his black shaggy hair, earning loud laughs from the other passengers and a loud warning to sit down from the busdriver. The peaceful zen state Eunji had achieved at the beginning of the ride was effectively and utterly shattered. Huffing a little to herself, Eunji turned up the volume even more, to an almost dangerous level, and hoped they would quiet down soon.

After a long period of speeding down the highway, the bus had to slow down as the woods grew wilder and the road narrowed. At every sharp turn at an even narrower road, Eunji thought they had finally arrived at the campgrounds, but the bus just chugged onward with no signs of stopping.

Finally, the bus pulled into a long, winding driveway lined with perfectly trimmed hedges that stood in harsh contrast to the wild forest surrounding them. The driveway itself seemed go on for at least a mile, and in about five minutes, the bus screeched to a halt in front of a large fenced gate. Beyond it, Eunji could see glimpses of some of those huge stone towers she had seen on the website. Suddenly, everything felt very unreal, as if she had been whisked away from everyday life and plopped into a different world, a place where anything could happen. Maybe she would be discovered by a top music producer or meet the kids of celebrities that were rumored to be attending camp. Maybe she would make really nice lifelong friends that she could connect She quickly took the earbuds out of ears and packed them away in her backpack as the bus was buzzed in at the gate. Now able to hear the people around her, Eunji was suddenly aware of the excited buzz that was passing over the passengers of the bus, and she couldn’t help but feel a little excited too. Here was the place she’d be living in for the next four weeks!

“Now the dazzling five-thousand dollar experience begins,” Eunji whispered to herself, her voice lost in the increasing chatter of the excited students.

It looked like she had spoken a little too quickly, as her first memorable experience after arriving camp was her suitcase getting stuck in between bus seats. She struggled mightily to pull her suitcase loose, but to no avail.  Nearly everyone was off the bus, and no one had bothered to stop and help her, not even the bus driver.

Five-thousand-dollar experience, my butt. Eunji huffed as she wrestled with her stubborn suitcase. She was just about to give up when suddenly, someone tapped her on the shoulder.

“Do you need help with that?” A deep voice rang out. Finally, a kind stranger offering to help!

Eunji spun around to find her face nearly buried in someone’s chest. She looked up, feeling a little ridiculous at how far she had to lift her head. It was that boy! The one with the shaggy black hair, the one who had kind of ruined her peaceful bus ride. Big eyes and even bigger ears peeked out from under his long bangs and he looked down at her expectantly.

“Uh…” Eunji was about to decline but… she really did need the help.

“Yes please,” she said with a worn out smile. The boy smiled.

“Haha, yeah I thought so. Here,” he reached his hand around her and pulled hard at the suitcase. It slid out with ease.

Stupid suitcase.

“Big suitcase, huh?” He laughed, revealing a smile as big as his eyes, ears and height.

“Yeah, we’re going to be here a month so,” Eunji patted her now-freed suitcase sheepishly. “Gotta be prepared.” Eunji tried to lift her suitcase to get through the narrow bus aisle, but alas, she had never been one to work on upper body strength. Or any-part-of-the-body strength, really.  

“Ugh,” Eunji grunted as she gave it one more try. She was embarrassingly aware of how noticeably her arms were quivering.

“Haha, here let me get that,” The boy again reached out to help her. He lifted the suitcase easily, revealing well-defined arms and carried it out of the bus, all while holding his own duffel bag and rucksack too.

Oh.

“Thank you so much,” Eunji said as he set her suitcase down on the grass gently. “Uh, what’s your name?” She looked up at him again, feeling a little shy now after all his help.

“Chanyeol.” He said simply, flashing her a wide smile. He ran a hand messily through his hair, fully revealing his face. She noted, in a purely observatory way, of course, that he was very, very good looking.

“I’m Eunji.”

“Nice to meet you, Eunji.” He flashed another million dollar smile.

“You too, Chanyeol.” Eunji felt a little burdened by both Chanyeol’s kindness and his nice smile. Mostly by his being so kind though, of course. Although, it was a very nice smile.

“So. Quite a show you put on back there, Chanyeol.” The raucous kid jumping around on the bus seemed so different from the guy who had quietly helped her when everyone else had walked past. Eunji looked up at him a little teasingly. Man, she could not get over how far she had to lift her head to look at his face. Her neck would probably develop a chronic cramp if they became friends.

“Haha, yeah…” Chanyeol looked a little sheepish, but not embarrassed. “I get excited sometimes… And it’s the first day of camp, you know?!” He slowly lifted a bent arm to his face in a… did he just dab? “Turn up.”

“Right.” Eunji laughed. His excitement and overall positive energy was pretty contagious, like  a virus or something. A kind of happy virus?

“Well, I’m pretty sure we have to head to check-in now, everyone else is probably there already.” Chanyeol clumsily fished out a camp itinerary from the back pocket of his black jeans. He was dressed in a style that Eunji quite liked, from his clean white tee down to his classic Air Max’s.

“Yeah, I guess we’re the last ones.” Eunji lengthened her suitcase handle and pulled her backpack on her shoulders. “Better get going.” She held a hand over her eyes as she looked for any sign of the check-in building. It really was a beautiful campus. With everyone else already inside, all she could hear was the happy chatter of songbirds.

“It’s really nice here, isn’t it?” Chanyeol caught a glimpse of Eunji taking in the surroundings in a sort of awe.

“Yeah.” Eunji nodded. “I guess this is what five thousand dollars buys you.”

“Hahaha, yeah, I guess.” Chanyeol laughed enthusiastically. “I’m pretty sure half of that goes to just maintaining all these weird bushes.” He gestured loosely at the various random hedges shaped perfectly into all kinds of shapes, from a music note to a bear.

“Yeah, what’s with that,” Eunji laughed. Their eyes met as they smiled easily at each other.

Chanyeol swung his duffel bag over his shoulder. “I haven’t seen you around before. Are you new?”

Uh oh. Was she going to be the one new kid at camp?

“Oh. Well, yeah, it’s my first year.” Eunji started walking towards an important-looking building that she thought might be the check-in area. “Are a lot of people here repeats too?”

“Around 70% are repeats, I’d say.” Chanyeol fell into step beside her, walking in a relaxed, loping gait with his almost too-long legs. Eunji might have laughed at the ~interesting~ way he walked, but what he said made a bad feeling settle in her stomach. She hated that feeling of being the new kid more than anything. He must’ve caught her worried expression because he then waved his hands exaggeratedly and said, “Don’t worry! Everyone is really nice!!”

Eunji laughed inwardly at his enthusiastic response to her anxiety. He was such an interesting character. His eagerness to help her, a stranger he had only just met, and to make her feel welcome felt so genuine and natural that it was almost foreign to Eunji.

“Haha thanks, Chanyeol.”

However, his comically frantic arm movements weren’t enough to dispel Eunji’s fears about what she was about to face at camp. To Eunji, although most new social situations weren’t great, it was the worst when she felt like the odd one out. Throughout most of her elementary and middle school days, she had always felt like she was the only one not in on the joke. Out of all the different cliques and social groups at her school, she never felt like she really belonged in any of them, no matter how much she tried to twist and change herself. At the end of the day, she was always left feeling alienated from the world and, more importantly, herself.

That was, before she met her best friend, Brie Kim that is. Brie Kim, master violinist extraordinaire, kind, strong, generous and spit-water-out-your-nose funny, and for the first time this year, fellow camper! Unfortunately for lonely Eunji, her best friend was flying in a week late from her vacation in Hawaii. She and her parents had tried to argue with the camp into giving them a discounted fee because Arie would miss the first week of classes, but the school refused to give in. But Brie didn’t really care anyways because unlike Eunji, she wasn’t poor. In fact, she was very rich, as were many of the kids attending camp. And like most of the campers, this was not Brie’s first year. Brie was one of the reasons that Eunji, who was a little weary of new social situations, had in the end, readily agreed to go to camp. With her best friend at her side, Eunji felt that she could confidently be herself and very much enjoy her time at camp.

But strangely, Eunji was almost glad that Brie wasn’t here yet as she talked casually to Chanyeol on their way to check-in. Talking to Chanyeol, Eunji felt like maybe she didn’t have to be that socially anxious, tightly-wound person that most people knew her to be. That she thought herself to be. So as she and Chanyeol walked into the main building’s grand entryway side by side, she felt her heart flutter a little, not of anxiety but of excitement.

[macbetha]

What are some of your favorite books of all time?

sorry this took a bit to answer, i took this question prettyseriously because books mean so much to me haha. so, i made a list! thesearen’t all specifically books; there are plays and poems as well, just becausethose have a tendency to have as much of an impact me as novels and such.

D R A M A / P L A Y S

Tennessee Williams: A Streetcar Named Desire- On a streetcar named Desire, Blanche DuBois travels from the railroad station in New Orleans to a street named Elysian Fields, where her sister, Stella, pregnant and married to Stanley Kowalski, lives in a run-down apartment building in the old French Quarter. Having lost her husband, parents, teaching position, and old family home—Belle Reve in Laurel, Mississippi—Blanche has nowhere to turn but to her one remaining close relative.

William Shakespeare: Macbeth- Macbeth is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatizes the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power for its own sake.

G R E E K  D R A M A ( C OM E D Y  &  T R A G E D Y ) 

Aristophanes: Lysistrata- Originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BCE, it is a comic account of a woman’s extraordinary mission to end the Peloponnesian War by denying all the men sex - and it works. 

Sophocles: Oedipus Rex- Oedipus was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. A tragic hero in Greek mythology, Oedipus accidentally fulfilled a prophecy that he would end up killing his father and marrying his mother, thereby bringing disaster to his city and family.

C L A S S I C S : G R E E K L I T E R A T U R E

Homer: The Iliad- Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states. The Iliad mentions or alludes to many of the Greek legends about the siege; the earlier events, such as the gathering of warriors for the siege, the cause of the war, and related concerns tend to appear near the beginning. Then the epic narrative takes up events prophesied for the future, such as Achilles’ looming death and the sack of Troy, although the narrative ends before these events take place. However, as these events are prefigured and alluded to more and more vividly, when it reaches an end the poem has told a more or less complete tale of the Trojan War.

The Poetry of Sappho- She was one of the few women mentioned in ancient Greek literature and doesnot frequent the topics of other writers of her time, such as politics and war. She writes about compassion and love; her work is really beautiful andheartfelt. 

C L A S S I C S : E N G L I S H/ A M E R I C A N  L I T E R A T U R E

Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”This first sentence filled with irony and playfulness. The novel revolves around the necessity of marrying for love, not simply for mercenary reasons despite the social pressures to make a wealthy match.

Emily Brontë: Wuthering HeightsAlthough Wuthering Heights is now widely regarded as a classic of English literature, contemporary reviews for the novel were deeply polarised; it was considered controversial because its depiction of mental and physical cruelty was unusually stark, and it challenged strict Victorian ideals of the day regarding religious hypocrisy, morality, social classes and gender inequality.

F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby- The best third-wheel story of all time.

P O E T R Y / S H O R T  ST O R I E S

Sylvia Plath: “Lady Lazarus”Out of the ashes / I rise with my red hair / And I eat men like air.

Sylvia Plath: “Poem for a Birthday”“Eaten or rotten. I am all mouth.”

Lucille Clifton: “Homage To My Hips”these hips are mighty hips. these hips are magic hips. i have known them to put a spell on a man and spin him like a top! Maya Angelou: “Phenomenal Woman”It’s the fire in my eyes / And the flash of my teeth, / The swing in my waist,/ And the joy in my feet.  

Warsan Shire:Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth- “later that night / i held an atlas in my lap / ran my fingers across the whole world / and whispered / where does it hurt? / it answered / everywhere / everywhere / everywhere.” - “give your daughters difficult names. give your daughters names that command the full use of tongue. my name makes you want to tell me the truth. my name doesn’t allow me to trust anyone that cannot pronounce it right.” - “every mouth you’ve ever kissed / was just practice / all the bodies you’ve ever undressed / and ploughed in to / were preparing you for me. / was it a long journey? / did it take you long to find me? / you’re here now, / welcome home.” -“I have my mother’s mouth and my father’s eyes; on my face they are  still together.” -“I want to make love but my hair smells of war and running and running.”

Maya Angelou: “Still I Rise”Does my sexiness upset you? / Does it come as a surprise / That I dance likeI’ve got diamonds / At the meeting of my thighs? 

Maya Angelou: “Chicken Licken”When she saw a bed / locksclicked / in her brain

Edgar Allan Poe: Murders In The Rue Morgue- i read this in eighth grade and it is a mystery that stuck with me for therest of my life. it is fascinating in the way that poe always is, i so recommend it.

Edgar Allan Poe: “Evening Star”- “I gazed awhile / On her cold smile /Too cold - too cold for me.”

M E M O I R S / B I O G R A P H I E S

Christine Wiltz: The Last Madam: A Life In the New Orleans Underworld- In 1916, at age fifteen, Norma Wallace arrived in New Orleans. Sexy and shrewd, she quickly went from streetwalker to madam and by 1920 had opened what became a legendary house of prostitution. There she entertained a steady stream of governors, gangsters, and movie stars.

Stephen King: On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft - Shares the experiences, habits, and convictions that have shaped King and his work.

Y O U N G  A D U L T / C H I L D R E N ‘ S 

Cassandra Clare: The Mortal Instruments- so, i didn’t finish this series but it’s the memories of reading these books that makes me put it on this list. i remember reading them on the bus rides home from school, in my eighth grade history class, running to the store on their release date and begging my dad for the newest addition. it is a very fascinating universe; i haven’t watched the show shadowhunters, which is based on this series, but the books were good.

Lemony Snicket: A Series of Unfortunate Events- i read ALL OF THESE BOOKS THEY WERE MY LIFE. they were so depressing but i loved these three siblings so much that i refused to leave them alone in that horrible world. haven’t watched the netflix series! 

Rick Riordan: Percy Jackson Series- for me, as a bored thirteen year old, this was one of the things that opened the door to greek mythology, which is now one of my favorite topics to study. 

S O U T H E R N  G O T H I C

Flannery O’Connor: “Good Country People”- Southern Gothic literature is a genre of southern USA writing. While it may include supernatural elements, it mainly focuses on damaged, even delusional, characters. The humor is strange and even when it is finally realized, it might not be all that funny, because humor in Southern Gothic stories is twisted, and usually quite vile. There are consistent grotesque themes of decay, desolation, and supernatural forces that are often credited to lost family honor, ghosts, witches, faeries, or god - but the shit all takes place on an isolated corn farm. It is a very fascinating genre and “good country people” is a prime example of this. (personal note: most of ewoatt chapter one was inspired by the southern gothic genre).   

R E F E R E N C E

Thomas C. Foster: How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines- THIS IS THE BOOK I REFERENCE MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE WHILE WRITING. It’s an introduction to literature and literary basics, including symbols, themes and contexts, that shows you how to make your everyday reading experience more rewarding and enjoyable.

Joseph Bates: The Nighttime Novelist:Finish Your Novel in Your Spare Time - Franz Kafka was an insurance agent. William Faulkner was a postmaster. Stephen King taught high school English, John Grisham was an attorney, and Toni Morrison worked in publishing. Though romantic fantasies of the writing life don’t often include a day job, the fact is that most writers have one. Yo, if you’re wanting to write a book or just a big fanfic, please get this book. I give it so much credit. 

Barbara & Allan Pease: The Definitive Book of Body Language: The Hidden Meaning Behind People’s Gestures and Expressions- It is a scientific fact that people’s gestures give away their true intentions. Yet most of us don’t know how to read body language–and don’t realize how our own physical movements speak to others. Now the world’s foremost experts on the subject share their techniques for reading body language signals to achieve success in every area of life. Great writing reference. 

Natalie Goldberg: Writing Down the Bones- This text offers encouragement and advice on many aspects of the writer’s craft, from first thoughts to the use and misuse of adverbs, from where the best places are to write - both public and private.