I made a LiveJournal account for the sole purpose of writing a comment on this beautiful story, THAT is how much I love it.
I honestly don't have any other words to use but WOW. I was really looking forward to this story because there is a shortage of single-father Chanyeol stories. This being a domestic fest, I was expecting most if not all of the stories to be fluff, but this was a nice mix of both fluff and angst, and I loved the way you hinted at the depression that one goes through after suffering the loss of a loved one. What Baekhyun went through is very relatable in that a lot of the times, people go through denial and close themselves off. It's not easy to move on, and even though it wasn't explicitly stated in the story, I could feel how hard of a time Baekhyun was having. I also loved how you didn't make Chanyeol into a perfect father. He was a college dropout who had to raise his son by himself while struggling to feed them; there are times when he should snap and I loved that you showed that in the scene where he yells at Jaehyun. Overall, this story was very heartwarming. I loved the love-lost-but-found-again theme, and I loved that it was Chanyeol and Jaehyun that helped Baekhyun to forget his sorrows (I looked up what "nepenthean" meant and it fits very well! The angst was nice because not everything in life is rainbows and butterflies, and all of the flashback scenes you wrote made me choke up a little (I even cried at the scene where Sunhee and Baekhyun find out T___T). THIS STORY FAR SURPASSED MY EXPECTATIONS.
One of my favorite scenes is when Chanyeol goes over to Sekai's apartment and ends up playing games with them. He was forced to grow up and face the real world before he was ready, and seeing him enjoying himself and letting go was very heartwarming. Also, I loved that Sekai were so close to Chanyeol and Jaehyun, and I loved how much encouragement they gave him, and later on, Baekhyun.
“Oh no…” Jaehyun gasps, bringing both hands up to his cheeks in shock, “but it’s okie! Jaehyunee still likes Mr. Baekhyun even if he is on the enemy’s team.”
“The enemy?” Baekhyun barks a laugh. “Thanks Jaehyunee, I’m glad you’re so accepting.”
Jaehyun nods and smiles, his eyes creating small crescents alike Baekhyun’s own. “Daddy says we should be accepting of everyone, even if they aren’t like us or don’t like what we like,” Jaehyun says. “Daddy says that if everyone played nice with each other then we can all be friends and no one would get mad and hurt each other.”
THIS SCENE. I loved all of the rapport between Baekhyun and Jaehyun, period, but this scene was especially nice because of the message it sends. I LOVE THAT YOU WROTE IT INTO THE STORY. YES! EVERYONE SHOULD JUST RESPECT AND BE NICE TO EACH OTHER AND THEN THERE WOULD BE PEACE. Unfortunately, I know that's easier said than done, but I loved that you're spreading that positive message even in this sweet story.
Another scene that I particularly loved was:
“How was school today?” Chanyeol asks after swallowing his mouthful of milk.
Jaehyun wipes his milk moustache off with the sleeve of his SpongeBob pajamas and grins. “Good! Mr. Baekhyun taught us about families today,” Jaehyun explains, taking a bite out of his own quesadilla. “Daddy, did you know families are all different, and some don’t have a mommy and a daddy?”
“Oh? What else did Mr. Baekhyun teach you?”
“Mr. Baekhyun says that families come in all shapes and sizes, and sometimes there are two mommies and two daddies. Sometimes there are no mommies or daddies too. He says that even though we may not be the same, we’re all very special and there are people who love us.”
Chanyeol nods. “Mr. Baekhyun is a smart man.”
Once again, I just love how you put life lessons into a sweet and flangsty domestic story. I always love stories that relate back to the real world. I'll cut this comment short now, since I think it's becoming a novel, but thank you so much for joining this fest and writing such a beautiful story. You are very talented, and I can't wait until reveals so that I can find out who you are and read more of your stuff. FIGHTING! <3
#TeamAvengers
I honestly don't have any other words to use but WOW. I was really looking forward to this story because there is a shortage of single-father Chanyeol stories. This being a domestic fest, I was expecting most if not all of the stories to be fluff, but this was a nice mix of both fluff and angst, and I loved the way you hinted at the depression that one goes through after suffering the loss of a loved one. What Baekhyun went through is very relatable in that a lot of the times, people go through denial and close themselves off. It's not easy to move on, and even though it wasn't explicitly stated in the story, I could feel how hard of a time Baekhyun was having. I also loved how you didn't make Chanyeol into a perfect father. He was a college dropout who had to raise his son by himself while struggling to feed them; there are times when he should snap and I loved that you showed that in the scene where he yells at Jaehyun. Overall, this story was very heartwarming. I loved the love-lost-but-found-again theme, and I loved that it was Chanyeol and Jaehyun that helped Baekhyun to forget his sorrows (I looked up what "nepenthean" meant and it fits very well! The angst was nice because not everything in life is rainbows and butterflies, and all of the flashback scenes you wrote made me choke up a little (I even cried at the scene where Sunhee and Baekhyun find out T___T). THIS STORY FAR SURPASSED MY EXPECTATIONS.
One of my favorite scenes is when Chanyeol goes over to Sekai's apartment and ends up playing games with them. He was forced to grow up and face the real world before he was ready, and seeing him enjoying himself and letting go was very heartwarming. Also, I loved that Sekai were so close to Chanyeol and Jaehyun, and I loved how much encouragement they gave him, and later on, Baekhyun.
“Oh no…” Jaehyun gasps, bringing both hands up to his cheeks in shock, “but it’s okie! Jaehyunee still likes Mr. Baekhyun even if he is on the enemy’s team.”
“The enemy?” Baekhyun barks a laugh. “Thanks Jaehyunee, I’m glad you’re so accepting.”
Jaehyun nods and smiles, his eyes creating small crescents alike Baekhyun’s own. “Daddy says we should be accepting of everyone, even if they aren’t like us or don’t like what we like,” Jaehyun says. “Daddy says that if everyone played nice with each other then we can all be friends and no one would get mad and hurt each other.”
THIS SCENE. I loved all of the rapport between Baekhyun and Jaehyun, period, but this scene was especially nice because of the message it sends. I LOVE THAT YOU WROTE IT INTO THE STORY. YES! EVERYONE SHOULD JUST RESPECT AND BE NICE TO EACH OTHER AND THEN THERE WOULD BE PEACE. Unfortunately, I know that's easier said than done, but I loved that you're spreading that positive message even in this sweet story.
Another scene that I particularly loved was:
“How was school today?” Chanyeol asks after swallowing his mouthful of milk.
Jaehyun wipes his milk moustache off with the sleeve of his SpongeBob pajamas and grins. “Good! Mr. Baekhyun taught us about families today,” Jaehyun explains, taking a bite out of his own quesadilla. “Daddy, did you know families are all different, and some don’t have a mommy and a daddy?”
“Oh? What else did Mr. Baekhyun teach you?”
“Mr. Baekhyun says that families come in all shapes and sizes, and sometimes there are two mommies and two daddies. Sometimes there are no mommies or daddies too. He says that even though we may not be the same, we’re all very special and there are people who love us.”
Chanyeol nods. “Mr. Baekhyun is a smart man.”
Once again, I just love how you put life lessons into a sweet and flangsty domestic story. I always love stories that relate back to the real world. I'll cut this comment short now, since I think it's becoming a novel, but thank you so much for joining this fest and writing such a beautiful story. You are very talented, and I can't wait until reveals so that I can find out who you are and read more of your stuff. FIGHTING! <3