#korai gives a high five

[haikyuu-and-more-haikyuu]

The difference...

Ushijima and Kageyama looks like they are about to kill them. No wonder they are nervous. But Korai cheers them up :3

[angelsxbelle]

what kind of boyfriend they are.

Part 2!!!

here are my headcanons~ pls love my boys i love them so much- anyways unlike the last post this one is set during their high school ages they currently are in the anime:)

pairings: kita x reader, shirabu x reader, hoshiumi x reader

warnings: none

here we go!

kita, SHINSUKE

don’t get me wrong, as illustrated by the miya twins he gives off big cold vibes, but kita shinsuke dates to marry 100%

his grandma has def asked him about planning your wedding before

anyways-

one day during school you were picking class representatives

and with you trying to diversify your qualifications preparing to apply for college, happily volunteered

and to your surprise (not really), kita also volunteered, being the amazing student and capable leader he is

being class representatives together gave you guys the perfect opportunity to get closer, as you worked together on many projects and assignments as part of your work

working together brought you close, and now you eat lunch together every day, you ask him for help on your homework and he always checks on you, eventually he confessed to you he wanted to be more than friends

now, kita as a boyfriend is predictable but also completely new to what you would expect, he keeps his interactions fresh while keeping stability

 he does all the classic dad boyfriend things like remind you to eat healthy, sleep enough, and keep up with your schoolwork

however,,,,

you bring out a different side to him, one no one else has seen before

you’re the first person besides family he’s ever been able to be vulnerable with, he was hesitant at first to talk about his own feelings but now he fully trusts you enough to show his soft side *sobs*

after school is done and homework is completed, he’ll take you stargazing

looking over the rice fields and houses on a high hill as the wind sweeps past you, rustling through your hair, the sky is completely clear

as you lay down, right next to each other on a blanket, he’ll tell you how much he loves you, how he wants to be by your side for the rest of your lives together, how you bring out a side in him no one else could

as a boyfriend, he’s dependable like no other

no matter what’s going on, he’ll be your rock, your fire to stay by in the cold, the safe place you can always come home to

song that sums up your relationship: bags, clairo

shirabu, KENJIRO

tsundere x 1000 ™

you guys got paired together for a group project in class one day, you could have sworn you saw him roll his eyes as he shuffled towards you

mumbles at first, but as soon as you start talking, his eyes lighten up just a hair, anyone could barely notice it

as time progresses, he still acts cold around you, but it’s only because he realized he’s fallen for you and is doing everything in his power to push his own feelings aside

he’s not stupid, he doesn’t want to get too attached because he knows if it ends badly it’ll hurt like hell

but little by little, you see him start to open up the tiniest bit

when you manage to stutter out the fact that you like him one day in the library, he’s speechless at first

and then a faint blush creeps up his cheeks, and you know he feels the same way too🥺

at first in your relationship, he’s a little apprehensive, as he’s still afraid of getting to deep in since he likes you so much and he doesn’t want to end up messing everything up

you have to reassure him sometimes how great he is, and how he’s the perfect one for you and there’s nothing he could do better on

 he’s a little shy, he’s not really into pda but when you’re alone he likes it when you’re clingy and stay close to him while you study together

okay but this mf LOVES study dates no one can convince me otherwise

he likes it when you just sit close next to each other, working away while he steals a glance at you every so often, your knees touching underneath the table

also really loves it when you play with his hands, running your fingertips along the tapes on his fingers and playing with them

after you’re done studying, you guys go lay down on his bed for a while, your head on his chest as you talk about whatever’s been on your mind lately, giving him a chance to open up to you

you make him feel heard, like there’s finally someone that has their full attention on him, and only him

he doesn't say it too often, but he really is in love with you

song that describes your relationship: she, harry styles

hoshiumi, KORAI

out of everyone on this list, he’s probably the most excited to be in a relationship

he welcomes his feeling with open arms, not really like nishinoya and tanaka, but he doesn’t try to suppress his feelings either

i’m looking at you shirabu

however, he’s still a little shy around his crush just so they don’t find out about how he feels before he’s ready to tell someone

that someone being hirugami, probably

will 100% go to his best friend for girl advice since he has no idea what he’s doing

 you guys met at one of his matches, your best friend dragged you along to go watch and you begrudgingly agreed since you hadn’t gone to one before

during the game, you make eye contact with a certain white- haired boy, as he looks up at you it feels like time just  s t o p s

he deadass doesn’t move for five seconds until someone yells at him to snap out of it

after, he’s looking around, trying to find you until he spots you and eagerly runs up to you, asking you for your number

you give it to him, and later he texts you asking if you want to hang out sometime and you say yes:)

for your first date, you go over to his house and eat dinner together, and then binge watch all of your favorite action/superhero movies

you guys have a great time, plus you end up falling asleep on his shoulder:) 

he probably combusts internally-

as a boyfriend, hoshiumi is amazing because he’s so fun to be around, you never get bored of him because he’s so interesting

while he’s a bit of a goofball, he’s definitely still serious when it comes to your feelings as well as your relationship, he would never want to jeopardize it

he’s also surprisingly good at giving advice, whenever anything goes wrong or you’re having an issue with your personal life he always knows what to do, he’ll hold your hand and tell you it’s going to be okay

 also, he LOVES it when you come to his games

it drives him nuts it’s not even funny, before the game starts and he’s warming he’ll wave at you with both arms like a maniac LMAO

he’ll look up to see where you are every time he hits the ball :’)

another thing with hoshiumi is that he knows how to stay grounded in a relationship, but also have as much fun as possible

he’s the perfect boyfriend

song that sums up your relationship: my blood, twenty one pilots

the end :)

[the-edge-of-great]

part two of my @jatpdaily secret santa for @agentsofoakenshiield !! :) 

you can find part one here!

FRIDAY

ALEX

There are four hours until the party. Five until he and Julie sign a new treaty. Six until they confront their parents and his world changes. Oh, is it hot in here?

Alex slips through the greenhouse door quietly—the conversation doesn’t even lull—and follows a narrow dirt path further into the forest. Soft leaves brush past, tickling the tips of his fingers. Seneca is known for its forests—vast, plentiful, and always in bloom no matter the season.

“Alex!” Willie’s voice echoes like the world isn’t already buzzing with wildlife. A bee zips past his face, so there must be other noises, but he can’t hear anything. Blood rushes through his ears—badum, badum, badum—and his head throbs.

“Alex, hey—” Willie reaches for him, fingers curling under his forearms, pulling him close. “Hey, look at me. Look at me, baby. You’re okay.”

Weakly, Alex shoves at him.

“There’s no room for emotions in this castle,” Gladys’ voice reminds sternly in his head. “Emotion is vulnerability; a weakness. And you can’t be weak. Understand, Alexander?”

Willie doesn’t budge. Instead, he tugs Alex closer, taking his hands between his own.

“I’m scared,” Alex admits quietly.

“I know,” Willie whispers.

“This has to work. It has to. Julie deserves her choice. She deserves a happily ever after.”

“And so do you.” Despite the obvious—albeit weak—resistance, Willie pulls Alex into a tight hug. “Listen to me: You guys are making the right choice here. You are.”

“My parents are gonna—” Alex takes a breath. Really, he doesn’t know what his parents will do. He doesn’t want to know, either.

“Shh… Don’t worry about them. Focus on the now. You can do this, Alex.” Willie brushes a hand through Alex’s hair, smiling.

“Wish you could be there with me.”

Raising an eyebrow, Willie hums thoughtfully. “Yeah…”

“So, Julie and I are going to sneak away to the chapel during the dance,” Alex says, mostly as a reminder to himself, but Willie nods along anyway. “It has to be approved by both the Grand Priest of Seneca and the High Priest of Koray. After, we—Should we wait until after the party? Or during it?”

Willie chuckles. “Sounds like a question for the group discussion.”

Alex breathes a laugh, shaking his head. “Right. Right.”

“After everything, though, we all meet out here to celebrate,” Willie finishes.

“Or, um…” Alex’s teeth catch the corner of his lip. “They could meet out here. We could… find something to do elsewhere.”

Willie smirks. “Ah. I don’t suppose you’ve had a tour of the castle yet?”

“Nope.”

“Well lucky for you, I know all the best spots.”

Alex laughs. He dips his head, kissing him softly. “Can’t wait,” he whispers, lips hovering just far enough to speak. A beat passes between them, staring into each other’s eyes, before Willie pushes forward, pinning Alex to a tree trunk, lips on his. Alex’s hands are everywhere: his hair, his neck, his sides, fingers pressing into the curve of Willie’s spine, holding him as close as possible and even more so.

A branch snaps. Immediately, Willie pulls away. Alex’s fingers catch the collar of his shirt; he’s not ready to let go yet. A few more minutes with him, please.

Alex searches for whoever interrupted. Willie nods to the left, toward a girl who's facing away from them. It’s Flynn; she’s trying to hide behind a tree.

“Sorry,” she calls sheepish. “Was just gonna tell Willie his dad is calling for him.”

Willie licks his lips. “Thanks, Flynn.”

Her footsteps trail off as she returns to the greenhouse. Alex takes a breath, running a hand through his hair. Willie looks over.

“You’d better go,” Alex says. “Before anyone gets suspicious.”

“Right.”

Their interlocked hands swing between them. Alex gives him a small smile. “I love you.”

Willie smirks. He stands on his tiptoes and presses a soft, lingering kiss to Alex’s cheek. “Love you, too. I’ll see you after, okay?”

“Okay.”

Alex doesn’t let go until their hands are stretched as far as they can reach. Finally, they break away, and his arm falls to his side. He watches Willie disappear into the forest and hopes, with everything in him, that wasn’t their last moment together.

~**~**~**~

WILLIE

By the time nine o’clock rolls around and the party is in full swing, Willie has a plan. It’s not as important or high stakes as The Plan, but it requires Flynn and some convincing acting skills.

“Where are we going?” she demands as he guides her through the hectic maze of the kitchen. They duck under a tray full of sparkling dishes and maneuver around a pot of boiling hot vegetable soup. At the back of the chaos is a small closet stocked with spare uniforms for the staff. Willie tugs her inside and shuts the door behind them.

“So, Alex said earlier that he wishes I could be there when they confront their parents, and I got to thinking.” Willie pushes a rickety step stool in front of a cabinet and climbs on top. “We’re the only ones in the group who miss events like this.

“Well yeah, that’s because we befriended a bunch of noblemen for some reason,” Flynn says dryly.

“True, but we’ve been missing an important opportunity every time.” Willie grabs some hangers and steps down. He shows off the black pants and white button ups with a grin. “Being the son of the royal chef has its perks.”

“And one of them is… being able to pose as servants?” Flynn raises an eyebrow. “Have you seen how those people treat the working class? Hard pass, Willie.”

“Oh, come on. We’ll stick together and just try to stay near Julie and Alex.” Willie sighs. “Look, if this was any other night, you know I’d be upstairs with you watching movies like usual. But what they’re doing tonight could change everything. Even things like this!” He gestures between them. “Now more than ever, I want to be out there with them. Don’t you?”

Flynn groans. “Fine! But I’m leaving at the first royal to try throwing a drink at me.”

Willie laughs and tosses her a uniform.

~**~**~**~

JULIE

Turns out, writing a treaty isn’t the hard part. Having it witnessed and approved isn’t all that difficult, either—it helps when the Priests of each land are young and open minded to change. Also, Alex’s younger sister Lainey was apparently on board from the very beginning. Julie really likes her, too. She hopes that, when this is all over, she, Lainey, and Flynn can have a Girls’ Day.

Sneaking back into the castle is accompanied by almost no obstacles. They were counting on Luke and Reggie still being at the door when they returned, but one look from the back gate tells them the shifts changed. When they swept past the new Korayn guards, they ignored the oh-so-knowing glances the men gave each other. Julie wants to roll her eyes; she doesn’t want to imagine what they’ll tell their buddies later.

The hard part, she realizes quickly, is stepping back into the commotion with the weight of knowing you’ve just rebelled against your own country and its laws and created something that changes hundreds of years of tradition. The cherry on top is the three most powerful people in the building—her dad and Alex’s parents—congregating in a balcony overlooking the ballroom. Her breath catches in her throat.

“Alex?” she calls, looking over, searching for his hand blindly. She needs someone to hold onto, and knowing he’s just as anxious as she is makes her feel the tiniest bit better.

Alex nods, like he can see what she’s thinking. “There they are,” he mutters to her, pulling at his sleeves.

“There they are,” Julie repeats numbly.

He turns to her. “We can’t back out now, right? We’ve already done it… technically.”

“Right. You’re right. Now we just have to… to make it official. With them.”

Alex squeezes her hand. She squeezes back.

Two servers just happen to arrive at the same time when they reach the top of the stairs. Julie and Alex freeze.

“What are they doing?” Julie whispers.

“I don’t know, but…” Alex frowns. “Why are they kind of good at it?”

“They’re just walking around handing out food. Can’t be that hard.”

Just as she says that, someone bumps into Willie, who’s balancing six wine glasses on one hand. He stumbles, the drinks wobble, but just when Julie is holding her breath and preparing for the worst, Willie regains his balance and carries on like nothing happened.

“Okay,” she admits reluctantly, “that was kind of impressive.

“Oh!” Flynn stops in front of them. “Good evening, Your Majesties. Tiny sandwich?”

Alex snickers. “Servants don’t talk, Flynn.”

“What’re you guys doing here?” Julie asks, looking over as Willie nears. “You guys know my dad will recognize you.”

Willie shrugs. “My dad works in the kitchen. It’s not that weird.”

“It is ‘cause you’ve never done this before.”

“Yeah, I think that changes tonight.” Willie jabs a thumb over his shoulder. “Someone tipped me $200 earlier just for giving them an extra glass of wine.” He shakes his head. “Drunk rich people. Why didn’t I think of this before?”

“Have you guys seen Luke and Reggie?” Alex asks. “They weren’t at the gate when we came back.”

“Came back from… Oh!” Flynn’s eyes nearly pop out of her head. “Did you guys do it? The new treaty? Is it approved and everything?” Julie pats the purse on her hip. “It’s in here, Priest approved, royal family member witnessed. Now we just have to…” She nods toward their parents.

“Oh,” Willie realizes, looking between them. “Right. You guys got this, okay?”

Alex takes a long, deep breath. “We need to do this before I chicken out.”

Julie nods. “Let’s go.” Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Willie reach for Alex before his hand falls to his side. Looking back, Willie’s already moved on to the next guest. Alex’s hurries to her side, face unreadable. She reaches for his hand again.

“Mother, Father,” he greets stiffly.

“Dad,” Julie adds, smiling softly. “We need to talk to you guys.”

Dad raises an eyebrow. “Uh, can it wait? We’re having a party, mija!”

“Not this time, papa. It’s important.”

Alex adds, hesitantly, “It’s about the marriage agreement.”

His mother rolls her eyes. “This again, Alexander? We’ve told you—”

The king interrupts, “—nothing you say or do will change things. Arranged marriage is a tradition dating back centuries. You think you’re the first prince to dislike their bride?” He scoffs. “This isn't about your feelings. It’s about what’s good for your country.”

“I think there are other options that could be better for the country.”

“Besides,” Julie interrupts, sounding much braver than she feels, “it’s already done.”

Their group falls silent. Below, the party carries on. Dresses shimmer under the chandeliers as women dance across the ballroom with their partners leading the way. Glasses clink in toast somewhere. A group of women laugh near the grand piano. Julie can see Willie and Flynn, weaving around people like they’re racing to get back to the kitchen. Everyone on the ground is blissfully unaware, carefree and unbothered.

And the most powerful people in the room are silent, suffocating in stiffening air.

“What’s already done?” the King of Koray demands sharply.

Julie’s hands are shaking. She curses at herself as she digs the treaty out of her purse. The paper slips from her grasp and falls on the table. To hide her tremble, she slams a hand down on top.

“This is a new treaty created by Alex and I, approved and witnessed by both priests of our countries and, following Koray’s rules, a member of the royal family, Alex’s sister Lainey Mercer.” She stands upright; deep breath, straighten your shoulders! “In this, we agree to keep the peace while abolishing the arranged marriage law. I have full confidence in our ability to maintain a good relationship between our countries without restricting our freedoms and promising ourselves to each other when, really, that’s not something either of us want. Alex is family to me.” She shoots him a quick smile. “We’d work better running things on equal ground, from an understanding of brother and sister.”

Alex nods. “Arranged marriage is a thing of the past. It may have worked when you all were our age, but it won’t for us. We both want to lead our countries into a new era, and this is the first step.”

There’s more silence, but Julie feels she can breathe easier. At least, she thinks so—she’s suddenly aware of the death grip she’s had around Alex’s hand during the whole speech.

Dad rises from his chair, grinning. “Well, you two make a compelling argument.”

Julie beams. “Really?”

Alex’s dad bellows a laugh that would definitely swallow the aimless chatter downstairs if not for the music. There’s a menacing tone laced in that sends chills down Julie’s spine. Her smile falters. Chin up.

“You think you can just waltz in here,” he teases, walking around his chair, “show off your pathetic little stunt, and things would be different? Just like that? Ha! You have a lot to learn, kid.” He stops in front of her, inches away because that’s as far as Dad will allow. “First of all, I can spin this to make it seem like you got inside my son’s head and filled it with nonsense. For all we know, this is an act of war.”

“Funny you bring up war,” Dad says nonchalantly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, you both know who would win that. And so do I.” Dad shrugs. “That’s why the peace treaty was created in the first place, wasn’t it?”

Julie knows little about Koray’s forces regarding the military. According to stories from Luke, they have plenty of manpower. But, her dad always told her great armies aren’t made up of only muscle.

Alex’s father is positively seething, if his reddening face is any indication. “I will not be made a fool,” he spits. Dark eyes shift to Alex. “Especially by my own son.”

Julie looks at Alex fearfully. He’s locked in a staring match with his father.

“Whether you like it or not,” he says with a shake in his words, “I’m going to take your place one day. And if this doesn’t work now, it’ll work later. You’re just postponing the inevitable.”

They relapse into another chilling silence. Julie doesn’t realize she’s been holding her breath until Alex’s father finally storms off. She hears the heavy thuds of his boots for two steps until he stops abruptly. Frowning, she turns to see what happened.

Their friends are there: Luke and Reggie standing at attention just inside the doorway with Willie and Flynn watching from behind. They’re trying their hardest not to smile, Julie can tell, which almost crumbles her resolve immediately.

“This won’t work, you know,” Alex’s father hisses, turning back to them. “You can’t build a kingdom on friendship.”

Alex and Julie share a look. Julie hums. Alex shrugs.

“Watch us,” he says simply.

Flynn smacks Willie’s arm eagerly.

Behind them, Dad clears his throat. “Well, I guess there’s just one thing left to do,” he says, reaching into his inner jacket pocket. He catches the queen’s eye across the room. “Madam?”

The queen sighs. She rounds the chair she was previously sitting in and takes the pen from Dad’s hand. “Although I’m not entirely sold on the idea,” she mutters, signing her name across the bottom of the treaty. She returns the pen and speaks to Julie and Alex. “I have high hopes for you, Alexander. You’re far more courageous than I originally thought. And you, young lady.” Julie raises her chin, smiling. His mother sighs, a hint of something warm and familiar playing on her lips. “I have a feeling you two are going to do something great together.”

“In other words,” Dad says as she leaves the room, “good job, you two.” He kisses Julie’s hair.

Julie smiles. “Thanks, Dad.”

Reggie throws an arm out to stop Flynn from lunging at Julie while Dad heads for the door. Her friends watch, waiting for their cue. Julie shares a look with Alex. Alex steps to the edge of the balcony and peers over the side. A moment later, he spins on his heel.

“We did it!” he cries.

Reggie and Luke step aside before Flynn can shove into them. She tosses her tray of sandwiches to the side and leaps for Julie and Alex, who are in the middle of an embrace. Seconds later, three other people join the huddle. When they pull away, everyone starts talking at once.

“I can’t believe you guys just did that.”

“That was fucking bad-ass, what the hell!”

“When he said ‘You can’t build a kingdom on friendship’ and you said ‘Watch us’, oh my gosh, dude!”

“I’m so proud of you guys!”

Flynn catches the first tear that slips down Julie’s cheek. Shaking her head, she reaches out to wipe it away. “No crying, girl! You just won your freedom, basically.”

“And it’s a good eyeliner night,” Julie jokes.

Flynn smiles, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Exactly, girl. You look too good to be crying.” She steps away as Luke approaches.

He hugs her close against his armored chest and presses a kiss to her forehead. She smiles, leaning into the embrace even if it’s not as comfortable as his normal hugs.

“Off topic, but um,” Alex says, eyebrows furrowing as he looks over Willie. “Why are you guys posing as servants?”

“It’s servers, Alex,” Flynn corrects.

“Yeah. Get woke,” Willie teases.

Alex chuckles. “I don’t—What?”

“Hey, let’s get out of here,” Julie suggests. “I know a greenhouse party would be way better.”

“I bet I can steal some ice cream from the kitchen,” Flynn offers. “I am an employee.”

Willie snickers. “Yeah, you guys go ahead. I promised His Highness a tour of the castle tonight.”

Julie shares a smirk with Luke. Humming, she tugs him toward the door. “Okay. We’ll catch up tomorrow then.”

Tomorrow, when she can wake up to Luke by her side without worrying about being caught. Tomorrow, when Alex can hold Willie’s hand in public and nobody can say anything because he’s the prince and no longer engaged.

Tomorrow, when they can actually feel like themselves somewhere other than the greenhouse.

Finally.

[maasterrookie]

Hoi.

I have been in Maastricht for a month now, so I figured it’s time to give some unsolicited commentary.

During my first week sans friends I did a lot to burgeon the Dutch economy by succumbing my favorite form of therapy: retail. I forgot how pleasant shopping is in Europe. You can walk in and out of a store without a single worker saying anything to you. Meanwhile, at an American Eagle Outfitters in the US staff are equipped with ear-pieces and poorly-executed monologues explaining their buy-five-get-one-pair-of-jeans free promotion (which is also visible on every advertisement within the store).

On an equally vapid note, everyone’s sneaker game is fire here. I’m so intimidated by the badass kicks Dutchies are rocking that I cannot even get up the courage to buy my own pair. The opportunity cost is too high to commit!

Best gelato = Candiero. Do not even go if you are not planning to get the pistachio. Many thanks to my roommate, Koray for showing me this mind-erasing-level-of-delicious ice cream (for those of you misfortunate enough to have followed me here from Travel Rookie, you should be aware of my fervid passion for ice cream).

I have not gone out for an official meal yet, but Albert Heijn has provided me with excellent foodstuffs that I convert into meals at home. Groceries seem to be less expensive here and better quality (look at me, already getting into my research-mind) Stuff it Publix. Right now I really want to give BABs--Bomb Ass Burritos--a try, just to see if it’s capable of fulfilling the Chipotle-shaped hole in my heart. 

While the Dutch are clearly a healthy nation, they must maintain it strictly from the bicycle culture. I say this because every ‘traditional’ Dutch food I have eaten (bitterballen, frietjes, barbecue cuisine...) has left me feeling like I need to hit the gym to compensate. Nonetheless, Dutchies know how to BBQ! It’s an infinite stream of protein going from the grill to your plate, then stomach. Chicken, hamburger, sausage, mystery meat, ribs...it’s so good, but damn, I’m getting the meat sweats typing this.

One last note on Dutch cuisine: kruidenboter. Kruidenboter forever, but mostly served at every meal on every carbohydrate-rich food product until the day the glaciers melt (much like kruidenboter spread over a warm piece of brood...) and the continents are flooded. Thank you, and good night. 

Weather here oddly reminds me of Florida with its inconsistency and minute by minute fluctuations. I started yesterday in jeans and my warmest jacket and ended in shorts, a tank top, and a sunburn. Today, I’m in the frumpiest of athleisure, looking out at a gloomy and rainy terrace (which my roommates and I GUTTED yesterday in the greatest cleaning effort that ever was. This is a big tangent, but stay tuned for our back-to-school party which WILL happen, despite Freddy and Jan’s doubts. Cleaning the wrecked terrace was phase one.). Regardless of the weather though, I arrive everywhere a little sweaty, slightly out of breath, and needing to use the restroom. The bitter cold winter should be fun.

Last week was Inkom, an intro/party/orientation week for university students. I had the privilege and pleasure of being in Daan and Mischa’s group--you guys did a stellar job, much love from your (self-proclaimed) favorite child ;)

Meet my Inkom group! AKA Daddy’s Little Girls, AKA Hot n’ Greasy, AKA Bruh and Kids (the evolution of our WhatsApp group name). After crowdsourcing way too much to see if Inkom would be worth it, I can attest that it was. One week of drunken dancing, hungover sporting events, hoarsely singing along to remixes of Africa and Unwritten, and caravanning from event to event in our bicycle gang was both ridiculously fun but entirely debilitating by the end. My body may never fully recover, but for the belly-laugh inducing memories it provided, Inkom was worth it. We got really lucky with our group, and I foresee lifelong friendships forming.

xoxo

Post Script:

I may or may not become a caricature of an American abroad just to appropriate everyone’s expectation of me once they find out where I’m from. Case in point, someone asked me how often I chant “U-S-A”. Since the comment, I have said that more in the past week than I ever have in my life. To be fair though, American stereotypes are not off-base. I grew up in South Carolina and went to Florida and Texas enough to have witnessed numerous moments substantiating the global perspective of a typical ‘American’. With that being said, I am hoping to debunk some myths and change some perspectives. Despite my self-deprecation, I still value where I come from.

P.P.S:

Shout outs to...My first group of friends here, codename Cheeto Fingers (WhatsApp group name...). We came together through to courageous effort of Antonia, who made a post on Sharing is Caring Maastricht asking who wanted to meet up for a drink! This lonely hearts club band worked out. You all kept me sane, because I was starving for human interaction.

My roommates--Koray, Freddy, Jan, and Jule--all of whom I am having a blast and a half with. This is simultaneously as relieving as it is disappointing because I am only in this flat until February (subrenting while their original roomie is studying abroad).

Beau, my friend from Florence who was the push I needed to make this post! Thanks for your words of affirmation Beau, and good luck in Charleston!