uabaekho-blog

[uabaekho-blog]

baekho is not fond of baptisms, of celebrations in general. it makes coven members prone to ridiculous comments, product of their unbearable faith. of course, he was dragged to this event by the scruff of his neck. what would the high priest think after noticing his absence? he could barely remember the name of the teenager, the focus of commemoration for the night. however, baekho showed up and agreed to play his part — wearing an outfit yeeun handpicked and his usual grimace of pain to exist.

when the initiation was deemed finished, something shifted inside one of baekho’s pockets. a small head, with two hairy ears, peeked out of the garment. bringing his familiar to the birth of another seemed appropriate. mongshil, the spirit, had taken a portable form. he was a very useful guide, adept at navigating the circles of hell. sangmi’s future assistant did not seem the threatening kind, a creature the rabbit-like psychopomp could easily return to where it come from. baekho reached out for the bunny, in an attempt to pet him.

“we should be leaving soon, anyway. i hope food will be decent,” he talked to the animal.

[uabaekho-blog]

DOYOUNG.

doyoung was in the middle of some of the best sleep he had managed to get in so long and was very rudely being disturbed by a twig being jabbed into his ribs trying to stir him from his sleep. he swats his hand towards the offending twig closing his eyes tightly trying to cling to the remnants of sleep, but finding it to be useless with each offending jab.

“i’ll move when i’m good and ready.” was his response, he opens an eye before and sees standing above him in his full height none other than im baekho armed with his stupid twig, ready to poke him again nonetheless! “im baekho, drop that twig before i insert it someplace less pleasant.” he informs him with an indignant huff, the sleep long gone from his body with genuine annoyance left in its wake, he blinks open his eyes the serene realm of the warlock’s dream fills his vision, the sun blocked out by his annoying head and semi permeant glare affixed to his features. “i bruise like a ripened peach, and i know you won’t pay for the makeup to cover the horrendous mark you leave behind with those giant hands of yours.”

“hurry up, then. i don’t have all day,” he took a step back as the boy started moving, like giving him space to breathe. doyoung seemed actually irritated about being awake, yet he chose to ignore his suffering. he was waiting for a believable justification. sure, outdoor naps were enjoyable, but why not pick a bed to rest on? dangers lurked at those hours, even for warlocks. letting your guard down was not prudent.

“i bet you will love it when your face ends up mauled by a black bear. they like to approach when it gets dark,” baekho warned in a low voice, even though, a quick spell could be enough to fend off. he took the twig between his hands, in order to break it in half. without second thought, the two newly made pieces were thrown on the ground. he wanted to leave the woody shoot behind, now that doyoung had both eyes wide open.

“care to explain what are you doing here? did the birds eat your trail of bread crumbs?” his literary reference had been curious. many of the so-called fairy tales, including hansel and gretel, invented by humans portrayed witches in a bad light. whatever. it was better to be feared.

[uabaekho-blog]

TAEKI.

               it might be cliche, from a musician, but taeki never felt as alive as he did when the kickdrum was beating in synchronization, when the strings of his bass rubbed his fingers raw, rough and calloused from years of practice. music was a hobby he picked up in his years spent with the mortals, at first just to chase away loneliness, give him something to care about, so who knew that first guitar he picked would be so fateful? heaven, even the first record. this little shop he and his outfit — archangels absinthe, though everybody at the academy knew that name by now — had been invited to perform at had such a special place in taeki’s heart for that reason. other than his baptism and, well, his literal birth, this was the place he truly came to be. usually, for gigs, a certain image is needed; broody, dark, looming, but before the set, between songs, and after they finally gave their final bow taeki could not get rid of the stupid grin all over his face for the life of him.

            there was absolutely nothing like the feeling of a show, and especially a show that went well. the blood was still rushing through his veins as he bowed to the shopkeep, thanking the owner again profusely, both for letting them play and even just the permission to stow his bass away. while he loved the instrument dearly, it often got in the way, and if he was going to enjoy the atmosphere for a little later and find his friend, taeki couldn’t just be singing it around all over the place. taeki tried to catch his breath. he dabbed his sweat once more, bowing one last time before leaving the back room.

            “see you later!” he waved to his bandmates. they’d meet each other soon, talk about the gig, which songs needed changing, but taeki needed a break. he looked around the shop slash venue, appreciating for the first time the change in decoration. it was the same old cozy record shop as always, though they had hung some pretty little fairy lights and dimmed the lights a tad. most of the other things, like a light for the stage, their amps, et cetera, the band had brought in themselves as planned, so even a little touch like that warmed taeki’s heart. still, he couldn’t miss the familiar voice calling for him even with all the cacophony, whipping around as his smile somehow grew even wider.

            “baekho!” taeki said, exclaiming as he waved his friend down, moving to meet him anyway. it helped, with the way baekho seemed to tower over the others. taeki wasn’t a shortstack in any realm of the word, but it still felt like the other loomed over him on the best of days. “me? i’m no leading man. that’s all the other vocal.” he laughed, rolling his eyes. “for now, and it doesn’t seem like there are any adoring fans asking for signatures, so i’m all yours! did you like our last song? we only just finalized it last week…”

he was well-aware of how precious music was to taeki. the way he hung onto euterpe when he returned to the coven made baekho question some things. in his own view, the younger boy could not name a thing he was willing to fight for. his more than two decades as a witch had been ambitionless, much to im yeeun’s desperation. would he ever develop that kind of passion? well, for the moment being, he did not care. in the end, the high priest and the elders did not mind taeki’s artistic past. a prodigal son was not to suffer from such impositions after his exodus through the desert.

archangels absinthe’s repertoire could pass as music produced by humans. after all, there was no way to differentiate it from that of witches. perhaps hymns intoned at church could scare some mortals, because of its lyrics of praise to the lord of darkness. however, among the curiosities of the vinyl shop, he had also found bands from other countries (which he supposed did not belong to covens) that mentioned satan in their songs, without even knowing his excellency in person. baekho imagined their performances to be filled of stage theatrics resembling their sunday service. what did they gain from turning their backs on their god?

“here,” he pushed his thoughts aside at the sight of taeki and waved, signaling his location as if it was not already obvious. when he approached, he noticed that the bassist’s presence had returned to normal. on stage, overseeing the crowd, surrounded by the mellow atmosphere (created with strings of lights and a borrowed fog machine — baekho did wonder whether the usage of spells was discussed or not), the group of four looked like they had come out of a human movie. he was not an expert at having all eyes on him, but he could tell the rest of the assistants never stopped paying attention.

“if you say so, frontman. it fills me with joy to see that you were not swallowed by a sea of groupies. i promise to never sell your autographs,” baekho joked and offered a laudatory pat in the back. his following gesture was accompanied by realization. oh, i see. taeki’s words explained why he could not recognize the last song at all, even though, he found himself rhythmically nodding his head to the music. it had been an excellent way to close the show. “great. you should be happy that archangels absinthe doesn’t have a single bad song.”

“they loved it. everyone,” he indirectly specified. both species. baekho could not avoid looking around and staring at them, almost making him appear like a total creep in front of a trio of girls. it happened every time he tried to go unnoticed, but his curiosity was always stronger. they were easy to recognize, faces that did not belong to the academy of unseen arts. witches and warlocks were the minority, despite the fact of their supernatural abilities. humans had no idea.

[uabaekho-blog]

among the multiple talents that baekho could attribute to taeki, mind reading was one of them, literally. this peculiar ability had been the result of how their friendship was perceived by the rest. understanding each other emitting zero words. letting out a chuckle after merely exchanging glances. transmitting a touch of reassurance in silence. why not make it real? both warlocks accepted the task of investigating the know-how. in a sense, the skill came easy to them after lengthy practice, such was their bond and not many could boast about it. a long-lasting connection served as basis for their telepathic communication.

for this reason, it only took a quiet glimpse to make baekho say yes. he instantly accepted the invitation to archangels absinthe's next gig. while he enjoyed listening to the band’s songs, and he supported taeki’s endeavours like a good friend, the conjurer had seldom attended their presentations. said future concert sounded intriguing because of the kind of crowd that was expected: humans and witches undifferentiated by their origins, just a group of music fans. the opportunity to prove themselves as artists before a multitude could not be rejected in a burst of prejudice.

the event occured in no other than yeoncheon’s only vinyl shop. baekho was a frequent client, considering the lack of places where to buy records. he simply walked around the store in silence, collecting what seemed eye-catching, and then exchanged money for them without paying attention to the owner's small talk. although the venue resulted small and not exactly suitable for a band of four, the setlist turned out to be a resounding success. judging by everyone’s reaction, the members deserved well earned congratulations. hence, baekho decided to look for taeki, and with luck, he would not be surrounded by admirers.

“taeki?” he called out and broke through the mass of people surrounding him, making use of his height to try to locate the bassist of archangels absinthe. “you were great, but are you done playing leading man?” the last part was for his own amusement.

                                                                                                       @taekiua

[uabaekho-blog]

YOOA.

there were two reasons why yooa sought out the presence of im yeeun, even despite the recent and somewhat ugly breakup between herself and the proud witch’s only son. one was the unconditional warmth yooa received from the extraordinary woman. she had taken the younger under her wing and yooa had found herself immediately looking up to her sophisticated way of carrying herself. while the relationship between yooa and her own mother was not marked by a rotten nature per se, the scars of life had made mother kang withdrawn, less affectionate towards her daughter. or anyone for that matter. their relationship was dominated by the pressure the kang heiress carried, the good intent determined by how well yooa was doing. mother im did not seem to care about that. she showered yooa in motherly gestures, gave advice like a sister would. maybe the younger’s presence filled a gap previously left by a family member that was not to be mentioned in the presence of im yeeun.

the second reason was the pure and immediate glee sparked deep within the pit of yooa’s stomach whenever baekho walked into the living room, the two witches chatting over cake and tea, the most miserable expression on his face one could imagine. they had reached a point at which the mere presence of each other evoked immeasurable annoyance, even the thought of the other caused an itch somewhere in the back of their heads. so, yooa took the highly unfair advantage of irking him in his own four walls whenever she could. frankly, she played all her cards here. knowing that mother im had taken such a liking to her and how deeply upset she had been over their breakup, she was bound to receive the support of baekho’s mother when faced with confrontation. it was not a fair game by any means but she could not really think of a thing that bothered her less.

the sugar cube in her cup of tea dissolved slowly as yooa stirred it with a dainty silver spoon. her black patent-leather shoes shined under the warm light of the chandelier. black tights hugged her legs tightly, the red plaid skirt just about touched her knees and the black, lacey blouse was tugged under the waistband. the ideal daughter-in-law, lightly flipping her hair onto her back as she errupted in earnest laughter over something yeeun had said. only by coincidence she noticed the much anticipated arrival of baekho, who looked tormented over the fact that he had set foot into the room. “hello,” she greeted him with an impeccable smile, toasting the cup of tea towards him before taking a sip.

it was safe to say that baekho did not qualify as a homebody. at the im household, yeeun’s ever watchful eyes seemed to pop out of the walls, and her word was hard law under the roof. omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient. the residence felt like a prison, suffocating him with every hour that he passed inside. apart from his bedroom, the only places where he felt at easy were nara’s old studio (her dormitory was closed down long ago) and the greenhouse. he would head to any of those locations once he passed through the front door, however, his plans were marred by an irritating surprise.

“i’m going to my room,” baekho announced, willing to climb the stairs two steps at a time, when he noticed yeeun had someone over. it was very important to evacuate the scene, and then, the worst happened. don’t be rude to our guest. he shrugged his shoulders, unable to escape his mother’s clasp. baekho turned to improvise a bow, a curtsy, whatever pleased them. how wrong was he to believe a ridiculous gesture would satisfy her. yooa was never appeased. it took his greatest effort to hide the desire to run away. his eyes pierced the visitor who was in attendance for a tea session. this time, he appeared defenseless in front of the two witches.

“hello, yooa, good afternoon,” he greeted back with evident weariness, out of obligation. the girl was sitting as a queen regnant waiting for her servant to pay his respects. in past days, baekho would have found her beautiful, perfect. she still was, but her feline brown eyes and long dark hair now sent a shiver down his spine. he knew that yooa intended to revel in the misery he felt at the moment. baekho’s victory depended on defending his honor, although the opponents were two and stronger. it was clear that his strategy needed to change, so he decided to play the same game. in appearance, baekho was molded to his mother’s image, and she had indirectly raised him to endure.

“what is today’s beverage of choice? could it be valerian? cats love it,” baekho commented on their selected brew, which prompted his first smile to show. a small change in the balance, not significant. he particularly looked at yooa to witness her reaction to his silly joke. words had always been his weapon of choice. never in excess, all well selected, sharp. they could either be witty or perverse. the latter reserved for special occasions. “and burdened shoulders, of course. how kind of my mother to wish for your unbothered sleep tonight.”

𝔫𝔲𝔦𝔰𝔞𝔫𝔠𝔢. //

[uabaekho-blog]

DOYOUNG.

there was a calm that washes over doyoung, the warmth of the sun that hung high in the crystal blue sky was a welcomed greeting to his skin. he closes his eyes basking in the radiance it was so incredible the sensations of dreams were almost as vivid as lush as real life. sometimes it could be difficult to distinguish. doyoung had walked through the meadows watching as a butterfly made its way fluttering among the wildflowers for nectar.

there are birds calling to another in the trees just at the edge of the forest, sounds of nature all bustling together in a melody that is so serene that doyoung isn’t sure the last time he has felt this calm, but this wasn’t his first time walking into his classmates dream, and it certainly wouldn’t be his last, he had his mission after all. 

im baekho’s dreams were such a harsh contrast to the often somber classmate of his, he found it difficult to believe someone as snarky as baekho would have such a serene dreamscape. he debated which form he would appear to baekho as tonight. it seemed when he appeared as a deer it had the most favorable reaction from him. doyoung closes his eyes visualizing a deer in his own mind, he takes a small stumble over a log he was sure hadn’t been there before but that was the thing about dreams, things often appeared out of nowhere. he fell on to the grass with a thump, opening his eyes and takes in all the flowers around him in the meadow. their fragrant smell, the gentle songs of the birds and the sound of a river trickling down its forged path. all of it so soothing, he doesn’t realize he’s yawning as he covers his mouth to stifle it. his own exhaustion settling into his bones a reminder he had been going on nearly two days with very little sleep. 

he wondered if he could just lay down for a moment, here among the flower bed in the meadow,  so soft and inviting him to rest. he laid down there among the flowers letting his eyes fall shut as he took in a deep breath, exhaling slowly  feeling his entire body relax in response. he would rest only for a few moments just needed to gather his strength before he had to manipulate the world within baekho’s dreams. only he is betrayed by his own fatigue and falls asleep in the meadow like some sort of fairy tale princess, and finally for the first time in what seemed like an eternity when he is resting peacefully there is a prodding in his side and doyoung’s face is scrunching up in annoyance, “leave me alone mother, its saturday.” he whines, voice heavy with sleep as he tries to sink back among the flowers to cling to the sleep he so desperately craved. 

baekho’s dreams grazed peaceful landscapes. there was no reason for it to happen vice versa: a nightmare. those belonged to childhood, and perhaps unsettling teenage years. his darkest fears were hidden behind a wall of indifference. he took his time to elaborate an intricate veil, his very own aegis, to wrap around the monsters sleeping under his bed. whatever darkness resided in his heart, it was tucked away in the deep-seated layers of baekho’s unconscious. while awake, there existed only a display of apathy, accompanied by mild nostalgia. never revealing much of his essence.

this particular fantasy of sleep reviewed his day, average in relevancy, but free of annoyance. not a single complaint towards his way. a morning of lessons without any complications. thus, he decided to spend his evening collecting herbs. yeongcheon’s woods were home to many plant and animal species. a cool temperature was always expected in the conifer forest, which translated into his layered outfit regardless of the season. it was easy to recognize when baekho intended to go hiking for sample gathering. a mere entertainment he had inherited from both his father and sister.

the place and routine were recurrent in his dreams, at least for the past week. the morning after, he also remembered encounters with several animals: a red fox, a crevice salamander, a sika deer. if he believed in the credibility and exactitude of interpretation, he would have been worried about what crossed his head. luckily, he was a follower of precise dark sciences. for instance, the sacred geometry he used in his daily life as a conjurer. any dream dictionary seemed like rubbish next to the books they studied. divination was so fickle, so irregular. a waste of time and brains, in conclusion.

five nights later, baekho wandered around his dreamland, only to come across the least imagined. (his realization came too late: the next day, when he put the pieces together at the academy. impossible to question dreams while they happen.) no animals tried to interact. instead, a curious guest had slipped through the vegetation. on this occasion, of human appearance, with magic filled veins — his assumption was confirmed as he carefully looked at the sleeping visage. kwon doyoung was enjoying a nap in the middle of the forest. perhaps he got lost and gave up on trying to find his way back.

"can’t say i’m surprised about mrs. kwon’s methods to wake you up," quite animalistic, he almost uttered. befitting. baekho knew of the hours that his parents spent at the dean’s office, enthralled by professors discussing the behavior of their eldest son. what kind of discipline methods did they incline for? again, he strategically pushed a twig between the ribs of the other boy, to see if he would finally let go of morpheus’ arms. the obstruction that his body caused was annoying. he did not belong to the forest and he must return with the rest of the coven.

“move! it’s getting late.”

[uabaekho-blog]

hello there! if you don’t know me yet, i’m itzel (gmt-5). very excited to be here! i bring baekho, who is quite the silly guy. you can read his profile here, but i will also leave his background in this post. i’m always up for plotting and you can find me on discord (fianchetto#6052) or send me a pm. you can also hit the like button and i will go to you.

baekho was born and raised in yeongcheon to a quite conservative family, mostly led by his mother, yeeun, a strict conjurer. his father, hoseong, is an herbalist and displays a more temperate behavior, which it seems he inherited. he is the second born, as his sister, nara, is 3 years older. she is his favorite member of the im household, or used to be.

yeeun intended for her children to follow the path she carved for them. her worries existed since the moment she gave birth to the kids, in a polluted witch society that came into contact with humans. at home, she instilled the superiority of magical blood over normal mortals. although, these teachings were eventually overlooked as they grew up.

as a toddler, baekho was very docile and quiet, resulting in his uncomplicated childcare. showing independence early on, he recurred to his parents’ attention only when he needed it. he never made a lot of noise and preferred solitude to games with his peers. this temperament would only end up being an aspect of his adult personality.

because she was her firstborn, yeeun’s prime focus always seemed to be nara, introducing her to witchcraft at a young age. baekho was never bothered by this, since he found himself revolving around her sooner or later. it was common to see him following her about all day. for her part, nara enjoyed showing him whatever spell or potion she would be working on.

however, nara’s promising future got ruined by what seemed to be a deranged choice. while the church no longer punished witches for interacting with humans, it was frowned upon by certain members of the coven, yeeun included. nara not only had a mortal friend; she had a lover. her mother gave her two options: abandon the human she had fallen for, or forget about her family and quit witchcraft.

to the surprise of many, nara selected the latter, running away with a stranger. baekho spent his sixteenth birthday surrounded by portraits in which his sister’s face had been replaced by smears. the outcome of this only caused a major drift between him and his mother, who displayed a last-resort interest in recovering what she lost in nara by counseling him.

he grew up disdainful of the strict family rules, holding a permanent grudge against yeeun. baekho regards coven members who passionately follow this ideology as dense — but that doesn’t mean he cares for humans in particular. he thinks of witch law as something that he is obligated to do, rather than what he genuinely wants to do.

while his rebellion doesn’t go as far as nara’s once went, baekho tends to ridicule the grandiosity and fanfare that exists in the cult. he limits himself to be an observer of the world around him, letting out the occasional wry and snarky comment. his mother forces him to actively participate in the coven’s rituals, but he does nothing to go against her.

he owes his magical skills to both yeeun and nara, whether by force or nurturing. baekho didn’t show any passion for an unseen art, thus his trivium was the consequence of tradition. demonology is ingrained in his upbringing and he navigates the rituals of demon summoning quite well, apart from possessing herbology knowledge.

[uabaekho-blog]

But it is not bravery; I have no choice. I wake up and live my life. Don’t you do the same?

Anthony Doerr, All the Light We Cannot See (via larmoyante)

[uabaekho-blog]

Throwback | EX’ACT Album Monster Jacket Photoshoot (SEHUN)

[uabaekho-blog]

uhhhh hello there! i guess i have to do this thing too

name/nickname: i’m itzel!

canon you applied for: the bunny hare

a vine that relates to your muse: okay here we go #1 and #2

a song that relates to your muse: omg i swear i spent a day listening to songs that reminded me of him, but now i can only remember this one

have you watched sabrina the teenage witch? the chilling adventures of sabrina? who is your fave character? i watched both! i loved salem in the 90s show - an icon! and i really liked zelda in tcaos, although she was super mean to hilda sometimes >:c not cool!

have you ever messed with the supernatural? tell us a story. if not, would you dare to try? hum well, when i was younger i was more into reading about occultism (?) although i never tried anything and nothing has ever happened to me lmao... later on, the only thing i did was to use ouija boards at school with friends, but imo it was all the ideomotor effect *shrug* anyway i’m always up for ghost stories

[uabaekho-blog]

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