#......yikes ahoy

[sonicasura]

Biological Complications of a Half Troll

I just realized that Jim might've bitten way more than he could chew with becoming a half troll. Especially when you consider how shoddy the bath bomb Merlin made was. Like Jim can't even walk in sunlight without getting burned by the sun despite his human half. So biological angst ahoy!

Let's start with his age. He's around 16 so he still has a bit of growing to do as a human. Now here comes the troll side of the issue. 16 years old is literally still a baby for the species since they age more slower than humans.

Jim is now half of both. Would his growing rate remain the same or get fucked up from the troll side? Jim can potentially grow like a bloody bamboo as you can't forget how big trolls can get. Also his species is unidentified so yikes.

Like imagine turning seventeen throws you an extra three ft. Also it doesn't happen normally since the magical bath bomb is shoddy as fuck. Jim just walking under a door one day only to suddenly grow a few feet and put a hole through the roof with his horns.

Next is the appetite. You know Jim might need more food since he's now half troll. Experimenting with what the young man can eat is probably quite common. I won't be surprised if Jim craves a lot of raw meat as trolls do feed on animals. Possums, cats, HUMANS, etc. Imagine Jim just going feral and tries to eat whatever he can get his hands on from hunger. Fucking yikes.

I can't forget the dysphoria he must have either. Jim was shorter than his mother as human and is now a foot taller than her. No one could handle such a change so easily. Jim probably bumped his head or got himself stuck somewhere cause he unconsciously thinks he's still human size.

Next is features. I won't be surprised if Jim might get more than just stone skin and horns. A lot of people headcanon that he might have a tail under his armor since the Eclipse Armor covers his whole body.

Imagine what else might be hidden or he could potentially have as he ages because his troll half is still unknown. Motherfucker can possibly get extra limbs such as arms maybe even wings. Imagine poor Jim waking up to find out his extra eyes and wings.

Or am I being just a sadist?

[mtreebeardiles]

Hmm ok so thinking about that BG3 post, particularly in terms of the main villains and

Spoilers ahoy!

I gotta say, the more I think about it the less I agree that the narrative of the game positions Ketheric as more important or having more character weight than the other two, in terms of the stuff you gotta get through to even reach those final fights

Now I have **not** gone after Gortash directly yet, so I can’t speak to his fight, but I have done the lead up for all three villains and I think they kinda work out fairly evenly?

Ketheric-related quest lines: gauntlet of Shar (which is as much tied to a main companion as well) confronting Balthazar (I think this fight can even be skipped? Idk if he tries to stop you later if you bluff your way out of a confrontation since I usually just dive right in hahah), ending in moonrise. He does have 1-2 bonus stages leading up to the Avatar of Myrkul final, though one of them is optional if you manage to hit certain checks

You can argue confronting the other Thorms is part of it, but those fights can also be avoided and are optional

Orin - starts antagonizing you right out the gate, shape shifting into various people to mess with you. The serial killer subquest could be optional? Maybe? Might be harder to get into the Tribunal without it, and I’m fairly certain taking down Saarevok (spl?) is necessary to even reach her in the temple. You could luck out and find the entrance to the tribunal without following the murder mystery questline maybe? 🤔 but in terms of narrative weight, having to fight her grandfather, learning that aspect of her history beyond talking to her mother’s corpse (which I actually didn’t think to do but still got her backstory for the most part? I’ll have to remember next time), is pretty solid I think. In terms of fights, you’ve got Saarevok, the gauntlet leading up to the temple, and Orin goes monster form in her final fight. Similar in structure, I’d say, to ketheric’s questline

And now Gortash. I can’t speak as much to his questline since I haven’t finished it (no idea if it’ll trigger any end game stuff, so I’m avoiding it until I finish exploring the Gate), but you���ve got the submerged prison fight (😫), the steel watch foundry fight, and at least a few fights in wyrm’s rock (I think that’s where he’s holed up?) before reaching him. You can find his parents in the city, and unlike the other two you can kinda stumble upon them by accident — there doesn’t appear to be a related questline for it so far as I know? But you do learn from his mother that he’s trapped them in their own minds, that they sold him to a warlock when he was younger, and just… yeah. Yikes. Idk how any of that plays out later or if it ever does, but I’ll keep an ear out when I finally finish that questline 🤔

But yeah, idk how fair it is to say the narrative tilts more in Ketheric’s favor when the underlying structure is about even. Maybe because he’s more directly tied to a few companions? His quests overlap with Shadowheart, Halsin, and Jaheira, whereas Orin’s only really connects with a Durge run and/or Jaheira and Minsc (both optional companions, though I guess you could say the same of Halsin, though he and Jaheira are not formally part of the group until near the end of Act 2 and beginning of Act 3, respectively) and Gortash’s impacts Karlach and Wyll

Idk I’m rambling at this point, might revisit this after I’ve actually finished a run 😅

[sullustangin]

Spoilers Ahoy: Consular Thoughts

I’m doing a quickie consular story  re-playthrough, and ... I have thoughts, mainly about the companions.

I do like the overall story arc until Chapter 3 when everyone except the Selkath thinks going to Belsavis to make friends is a great idea.  Awakening an imprisoned army is a terrible idea.  This is sort of how I feel about my OC confronting Malgus alone in prison recently: I don’t have a choice not to be stupid, and I HATE that.  LS is “Gonna get new friends for the Republic” and DS is more like “Gonna get new friends to serve me.”  THESE GUYS ARE NOT YOUR FRIENDS.  It’s a lot of risk and no guarantee of reward. I’d mark this as ‘a jump the shark’ moment. 

The Consular also has the inverse problem of the Bounty Hunter:  BH gets all the lighter companions first (Mako most of all) and then gets DS only at the end (death to Skadge).  Meanwhile, the consular gets a Hunt All The Things Uncle Lizard, Guy Who Literally Lives in the Basement with his Holo Girlfriend, and a politically inclined Murder!Noodle. Consular only gets LS Felix and LS Nadia as the last two companions, which results in some problems -- they’re also the romance options, which gives them the least amount of development in the vanilla game. 

To be fair, I think Felix Iresso is one of the least problematic guys in the SWTOR universe.  He’s so kriffin’ sweet.  He’s perfect for a young Jedi.  I totally think there was an attempt at a Jace/Satele parallel here. It’s not toxic and it’s well-paced... minus the fact that he doesn’t show up until Hoth.  Yes, I know what’s in his head...but he’s still a good person before and after the experience in Vanilla.  (I know how he was done dirty in his return -- poor sweet man.) 

For perspective, Hoth is when the smuggler gets their last companion, Guss Tuno.  Corso (f!smug romance option) was acquired in Chapter 1, and Risha (m!smug romance option 1) was acquired at Chapter 1′s end.  Akaavi was acquired in Chapter 2 after Balmorra (option 2).  Even then, Akaavi’s relationship feels better paced just by having her a whole planet early.  I know @swtorpadawan​ and others have commented on how fast the Nadia Grell romance is.  Pair that with her relative youth -- even with the consular being super young themselves, it still feels ‘yikes’, especially in the context you romance her.

I love and hate Qyzen.  He’s a great first companion, part of a cultural immersion experience for a young Jedi.  His hunting for the Scorekeeper works in contrast to the peace that the consular seeks to establish, and yet it does provide a path to that -- sometimes, you do have to fight for the 'greater good’ end result; compliance works for the enemy.   However, on a personal level, I have my political loyalties to Wookiees, and I would cheer for Bowdaar to kick his ass.

I do like Zenith, and not just because he’s voiced by Troy Baker.   There’s a very gritty, realist element to Zenith. After the hero moves on from a planet, what happens to it?  Great, Balmorra is liberated, but it doesn’t fix everything going on there. Should there be ‘necessary evils’ done in the name of politics and managing power? All of the war, death, and other baggage can screw a person up; I read Zenith as walking PTSD, having lived in a war zone all of his life (he was born 3 years after Jace and Satele reported the fall of Korriban, and Balmorra has been a mess since). Zenith is a great foil to a consular, regardless of alignment.  

...I have a really hard time justifying Tharan’s recruitment so early minus the fact he does fit on Nar Shaddaa better than anyone else.  I know the developers tried to keep all of the Pub and Imp players running on the same sets of planets in each chapter...but if there was ever an exception to be made, it should have been for the consular, because I feel like Tharan is taking up an important space that he really shouldn’t. He’s not actively evil, but he’s not a pleasant or honest person. Super skeevy vibes once Nadia joins the crew too.   I feel like a lot of time is spent on Tharan with not a lot of growth or character development to show for it.  I think I feel that way because there’s this weird ‘affair’ the consular is propositioned with early on -- it felt like filler from the start.  It’s not as well done as the Pierce one-night stand.  Some of his comp convos seem tacked on or “oh no we have to make more content for this guy.” 

Nadia’s acquisition as a companion hinges on certain late stage events, but I feel as if the romance would have felt ‘better’ if her father had let her go to be a padawan as soon as she manifested on Quesh.   Then, she could have grown up a little more before the later events and would have been on more equal footing and more familiar terms with the consular, romance or not. 

In sum, I think the consular’s personal story with the crew has great elements, but I feel like they got put together in the wrong order.  To me, companion order would be:  Qyzen, Felix (set him on Tatooine, the opposite temperature cesspit in the galaxy), Zenith, Nadia (on Quesh), and then... Tharan on Hoth because someone unloaded him there? or Belsavis for crimes related to unethical experiments?  Again, Tharan’s convos seem overstretched; the Vandrayk Generator could have really been done in two or three convos rather than the big thing it was in Chapters 2 and 3. 

[missazura]

Okay sorry if it was a bit or something and you didn't want an infodump explaining this, but about Phillip sounding British when he's actually American... (Also I apologize if you already knew any of this, I'm not trying to be patronizing I just find it fascinating and I know a lot of people weren't taught this.)

So the Puritans (which he's heavily implied to be a part of) were an extremist Christian sect that overthrew the English monarchy in a pretty brutal civil war. They proceeded to crack down on civil liberties and rights on account of something something Jesus. They ended up banning stuff like theater, music, Christmas (not a joke), and heavily restrict the rights of women and minorities. So needless to say they weren't exactly welcome in England after their leader Cromwell got replaced by the King's son. On account of people hated their guts and were sick to death of their No Fun Allowed horseshit. As a result, they fucked off to the "New World" and became some of the first European colonists. So, many of them probably retained the accent but adapted to life in the Colonies. They are widely credited for spearheading America's evangelical Christian cult problem, our wack-ass beliefs about human rights and who is worthy of respect, and also were the main bastards responsible for the Salem Witch Trials.

So Stinky Phil may have been born in England, or even a first- or second- generation English immigrant. Or he was just raised by people who had that accent and picked it up despite being born in the Colonies. Many people at the time thought of themselves as British, and some even thought that after the Revolutionary War. (The Salem Witch Trials which were alluded to in the story happened in 1692, while the Revolutionary War happened in 1775-83.) I personally headcanon that Caleb and Phillip's parents died crossing the Atlantic Ocean or in some armed conflict (Local conflicts? French and Indian War maybe?) and that's why they were forced to roam around.

Also, a slight tangent: What we now think of as The English Accent TM was invented later in time by English aristocracy so that they didn't have to speak in the same way as commoners. It then became extremely popular and desirable to sound like that (classism ahoy!), so then many common people adopted it as well. The "original" English accent sounded closer to many American accents than the current one we generally think of. There's some cool info out there about it! To quote a BBC article, "Americans today pronounce some words more like Shakespeare than Brits do… but it’s in 18th-Century England where they’d really feel at home."

Source: I'm English-American (big yikes) and I love history :-)

WHAT THE FUCK IM GETTING MY MIND BLOWN RIGHT HERE AND NOW??? COOL, COOL

[ty-the-trainwreck]

Our Love is God.

Season 3 AU.

–

November 5th, 1983.

Robin had never been good with social cues.

But now, looking into the eyes of Nancy Wheeler. She thinks that is pretty evident with what is happening right now. Tears welled in the corner of those hooded eyes, staring at her with hatred.

“Robin, I just can’t do it.” Nancy spat at her, the shorter girl was clutching the strap of her purse tightly. “Nance– I don’t understand, what do you mean? What happened?” Robin’s eyebrows wrinkled in concern.

Why was Nancy acting like this?

What had she done?

“That’s the problem, Robin! You don’t understand, and you never will!” Nancy stepped backward in anger. Robin played with her bracelets, something she always did whenever she was anxious. (She didn’t see the brief look Nancy gave to her wrist.) “I…if I don’t understand, maybe you can like..explain to me what is happening? I don’t know, Nance! I just–” She couldn’t find the right words. “I just want to help you! Nancy, please let me help you!” Robin begged.

Nancy shook her head in exasperation, “Rob, you can’t help with this. I’m sorry, but I have to go.” Nancy gulped and turned to leave.

Robin stood frozen, her bracelet in her hand and hair tickling the back of her neck. Everything felt too real as she watched Nancy march out of her room.

Out of her house.

Out of Robin’s neighborhood.

And out of Robin’s life.

A sob wracked her stomach, the worst part was that she didn’t even know what she had done. Didn’t they say ignorance was bliss? Well, Robin didn’t feel very blissful.

She ran to the bathroom, grabbed a pair of scissors from the cabinet, and grabbed a handful of hair, staring into the mirror and watching as she cut the strands in agony.

Snip.

The sounds of giggles filled the room, Robin laid on the floor as Nancy sat beside her. The two girls were talking about the test in class that day. Laughing about how one of the boys marked A for the whole test. And about how a girl had purposefully spilled her water in front of the door so the teacher would slip. Everything felt good.

Snip.

“Rob!” Nancy whined, tugging at the hem of Robin’s shirt. “Nance, I’m not going to buy you that limited edition oreo! It’s way too expensive, and I’m poor!” Robin smiled as Nancy grumbled, pouting and staring at the packet as Robin dragged her away. “Ugh, fine, I’ll get you the Oreos. But stop pouting!” Nancy smiled widely as Robin ran off to get the packet.

Snip.

“Robbie, hold still.” Nancy poked her tongue into the side of her mouth as she applied eyeliner for Robin. “Nance, is this really necessary?” Robin complained from under Nancy. “Yes! I want you to look extra amazing when we go to the dance! This is a big deal y’know.” Nancy smiled at her. Robin grumbled, “There’s gonna be a bunch of sweaty kids in that gym, and you know what sweaty kids smell like, right?” Nancy cringed at her words. “Yikes, don’t make me think about that.”

Snip.

“Welp, that was lame.” Nancy grinned as Robin sat at the curb in front of Melvads. “Certainly, but I think hanging out with you is not lame.” Nancy handed Robin her soda. The blonde girl smiled at the brunette, cracking open her can and taking a sip. “Hey,” Robin whispered to the shorter girl. “Hmm?” Nancy placed her Slurpee down. Robin turned to look at Nancy fully. “Promise we’re gonna be friends forever?” Robin mumbled. Nancy smiled, throwing herself onto Robin and hugging her tightly. “Promise.”

Nancy broke their promise.

–

It had been 2 years since that day.

Now Robin officially had a job at Scoops Ahoy.

With fucking Steve Harrington.

Who knew that Robin Buckley would ever work in an ice cream shop with the king of Hawkins High himself? Certainly not Robin.

She groaned as she heard Steve fail at another pickup line, sliding behind him and opening the window to the backroom.

“You’re oh-six, popeye.” She marked down another tally on the side of the whiteboard that said ‘you suck.’

“Yeah, I can read.” He grumbled and leaned onto the counter in front of her. She smirked snarkily, “Since when?” She placed the marker down and pushed the board away.

He whined about the stupid hat, and to be honest, the hat was not doing Robin or Steve justice in any way shape, or form.

“Hey, twelve o’clock.” She pointed behind him towards a girl.

“Oh, shit!”

-

It had been approximately 3 days since Dustin walked in and claimed evil Russians were under the mall. And Robin being the bored teenager she is, offered to translate it.

Now she was sitting on the counter of Scoops Ahoy while studying the Russian dictionary. While searching for a certain word she heard the back door being knocked on, and quickly she placed the dictionary and headphones down. She hopped into the backroom and ran to the door.

“Hi.” She opened the door and took the boxes from the man in a gray outfit. Robin’s gaze flicked upwards to the logo on his hat.

The silver cat feeds.

Robin tuned out everything he was saying, noticing that the logo said LYNX. As the man walked away she spotted a silver cat on the back of his shirt.

Her mind flashed to the clock, it had a blue and yellow hand.

She ran out of the store and to the center of the mall, looking up at the large clock mounted where everyone could see it.

Yup, one yellow and one blue hand.

As she recalled the riddle she saw the hands were gradually ticking clockwise, or in other words.

The west.

Looking down at the notepad she brought, she read the rest of the riddle.

A trip to China sounds nice.

Her eyes looked up to the food court, spotting Imperial Panda sitting right in front of her.

If you tread lightly.

The last part.

She frantically looked around, finally spotting Kaufman Shoe Shop. Robin stood there in disbelief, everything was so obvious now, how had she not seen sooner?

“Robin! What are you doing?!” She heard Steve call out to her.

Robin looked down at him, smiling. “I cracked it.” He stared at her in disbelief, looking between her and Dustin. “Cracked what?!”

She grinned wider, “The code.”

Robin took off, grabbing some cash from the tip jar and telling Steve and Dustin she would be back.

-

“It’s bullshit.”

Nancy looked exasperated.

“So, according to Tom, Driscoll’s just a schizophrenic?”

She looked over at Jonathan, he met her gaze but soon broke it.

“And that rat, is just a rat? And what it’s all just some big coincidence?!” Nancy threw her head back in annoyance, not registering the irritated sigh escaping Jonathan’s mouth.

“You know what I think? I think Tom was on drugs!”

Jonathan looked at her in surprise, maybe ever so slightly offended at her suggestion. “What?”

“Did you see him? He was sweating like crazy, and his palms were clammy,” Jonathan started shaking his head in disbelief. “He looked awful!”

She heard Jonathan let out a huff of laughter, a smirk on his face. “Oh, is this funny to you?” Nancy questioned him, even angrier than before.

“No, it’s just kind of incredible.” He looked at her with a pained expression. She scoffed, “Incredible?”

“Yeah! Incredible how you continue to convince yourself.” Nancy felt her hands clench the seat, was he doing this right now?

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I told you over and over again! To drop this story!” Nancy rolled her eyes, she couldn’t look at him right now.

He went on about how it was a bad idea, and how Nancy shouldn’t have done anything.

“It’s a summer job, your life is hardly over.”

“I don’t live in a two-story house on Maple Street!” He gestured angrily towards the window. “My dad doesn’t earn six figures. Hell! He isn’t even around!”

“Here comes the Oliver Twist routine!”

“Mortage, college tuition. You know, those are real things, Nancy!”

Nancy bit back the tears, she fought back the urge to scream, yell, and maybe even run away if she felt brave enough.

“Things that you don’t care about, only because you don’t have to!”

She snapped, replying to him. “I didn’t realize I lived in a bubble!”

He bit back immediately. “Well, you do!”

He was doing this.

“You want everything handed to you on a silver platter!”

She stared at him, absolutely distraught, her thoughts came to a halt as he made that outrageous claim.

“We were interns, Nancy! Interns!”

“What did you expect? You’d make Star-Reporter in a month? Crack the big case?”

She couldn’t believe he was doing this to her right now.

“You sound just like them? You realize that right? Like Bruce and those assholes-” He cut her off.

“Yeah, those assholes gave us jobs.” The tears in her eyes clouded her vision, it was getting difficult to even speak to Jonathan.

“Is that what that was? That was humiliating! Humiliating!” She threw herself into the back of her seat, letting it catch her full force. “Yeah,” He shook his head. “The real world sucks, deal with it like the rest of us.”

One last time, the tears brimmed in her eyes.

This situation seemed so similar.

“You don’t know what it’s like.”

“Neither do you.”

Is this what it felt like to be on the receiving end of an argument?

Because this sucked.

–

Nancy quickly got home, tossing her stuff onto her floor and throwing herself onto the bed.

She couldn’t stop thinking about how familiar that felt.

How it reminded her of when she left Robin.

God, she remembered the broken look on Robin’s face that night. She didn’t know why but she couldn’t handle it anymore, everything around her was so overwhelming, and Steve was being an absolute asshole. So in response, she took out her anger on Robin.

Sweet, loving, warm Robin.

She let her anger control her and lashed out.

Every word she said was not directed toward the girl at all but toward someone else. She blinded herself and led herself to believe that she was mad at them.

But Nancy was never mad at her, no, she could never be.

Especially when Robin had done nothing but treat her with kindness.

And Nancy treated her horribly in return. She recalled to the night after the dance, she and Robin sat outside Melvads and shared their darkest secrets. Robin had held out her pinky, frowning uncharacteristically.

Robin asked Nancy to promise they would stay friends forever, and Nancy promised her so much more.

But she broke her promise.

And she felt like a fucking asshole, not just because of Jonathan.

But now that she thought about it, people always said their genuine emotions came out when they were angry.

Was Jonathan serious when he said that she lived in a bubble? That she wanted everything handed to her on a silver platter?

Nancy had worked so hard all her life, just for her boyfriend (now ex.) to claim that she was just some spoiled priss.

Everything was going downhill for Nancy Wheeler.

–

Nancy groaned into her pillow, her head throbbing as the sunlight poured obnoxiously through the window. She slowly rose from her pillow, ruffling her hair and looking around, her eyes still sticky from sleep. “Nancy!” She heard Mike howl from downstairs. Nancy grumbled into her cold hands while trying to locate the light switch.

She flicked it on, searching for some clothes. Frantically tugging on her blouse she heard Mike cry out for her once again. “I’m coming!” She sighed. “Little shit,” Nancy whispered the last part.

Nancy ran down the stairs, swinging the strap of her purse over her shoulder and putting on her shoes. “Finally! I’m gonna be late!” Mike’s voice cracked. “Late to what? Your little dates with El?” Nancy spat at him.

“Nancy! Be nice to your little brother!” She heard Karen call from the kitchen. Gritting her teeth almost like she was in pain, she said “Yes, mom.”

Nancy looked up to see Mike smirking at her, she pinched his arm and walked out the door as he wailed in pain.

–

Nancy thought about last night, she had fallen asleep shortly after her little sobbing session. Images of Jonathan yelling at her flooded her mind, and she chewed on her bottom lip wearily.

“Nancy, can you unlock the door?” Mike said, exasperated. Nancy quickly snapped out of her trance, looking over at Mike. “Oh, yeah alright.” She reached over and unlocked the door, watching her brother climb out of the car and run off into the large mall. She sighed, driving to Driscoll’s house.

–

Robin grumbled, “Welcome to Scoops Ahoy.” They fixed their crooked hat.

The man standing in front of them recited an order that Robin only tuned into half of, sighing and going to scoop the ice cream into a cone.

Robin’s mind leads them back to Nancy.

Perfect, pretty, and prissy Nancy.

Robin grumbled, slapping the scoop into the cone, walking over to the man, and handing him his cone begrudgingly.

Nancy Wheeler had been showing up everywhere lately. They had seen her yesterday, Robin was wiping down the counters and had seen her walking by Scoops. Robin paid it no mind before Nancy made eye contact with Robin, and it wasn’t even a brief look. Nancy maintained their gaze for about 5 seconds before scurrying away. Robin had felt chills run down their back.

The day before that Nancy walked in, looking around the store and balancing a few bags on her arms. Robin had quickly ran to the backroom, grabbing Steve and thrusting him to Nancy. They hid in the back until the bane of her existence left the ice cream shop.

And on Tuesday Robin was in the restroom, washing their hands when a woman walked into the room and stood next to them. Robin quickly looked up and saw Nancy Wheeler at the sink. They ran away before anything could happen.

Maybe Nancy was determined to annoy Robin to the point where they quit their job. Robin wouldn’t be surprised if that was Nancy’s motive.

They stared off into the distance, placing the scooper into some warm water and walking into the backroom.

It was a Friday, meaning few people would be coming to the store.

Robin pushed themselves onto the counter, grabbing their walkman and slapping the headphones on. Steve was off today, resulting in Robin being so bored that they started counting the ceiling tiles.

“13…14…” Robin hummed as the music blasted in their ears, they got lost in the music, paying attention to each instrument playing in the background of the lyrics.

Slowly, Robin started to doze off, their head leaning against the wall.

–

Nancy gasped, watching as Driscoll had black ooze dripping down her chin, a guttural snarl erupted from the woman’s throat. Nancy yelped, grabbing her notepad and sprinting out of the house. Jonathan followed closely behind, “We gotta go!” Nancy shouted.

Earlier Nancy had convinced him to come along.

“I can see that!” Jonathan shouted back, tugging at the door handle.

The two drove off.

Nancy’s brain was scattered.

“I think it’s the Mind Flayer,” Nancy mumbled, her feet relaxing on the gas pedal. Jonathan hummed in agreement. “When the Mind Flayer was controlling Will..” Nancy tapped the steering wheel.

“He was doing things and saying things that weren’t like Will. And I think that what Mrs. Driscoll was doing is not normal.”

Nancy nodded, “We need to talk to Will about this.” Jonathan huffed.

“We need to talk to everyone about this, everyone has a part to play in this you know,” Nancy sighed, not ready for another argument. “You can’t just do everything yourself.” Jonathan crossed his arms.

“Jonathan, I don’t think that we work anymore,” Nancy said, her voice shaky and small. The boy next to her blinked, “What?” Nancy glanced over at him, tears sitting in the corner of his eyes. “We’re different Jonathan. That’s what drew me in, but now, all I want is to be free. I’m sorry.” Nancy whispered.

Jonathan stayed silent, staring ahead. “If this is the choice that makes you happy, then who am I to object?”

–

A few minutes later Nancy pulled into the parking lot of Starcourt, “We need to find Steve, he’ll know where the kids are.” Nancy climbed out of the car. “Doesn’t he work at Scoops?” Jonathan fixed the messenger bag at his side.

“Yes, he does, now c’mon.” Nancy rushed into the building, rushing through the crowds of people.

Jonathan followed her, fixing something on his camera.

“There!” Nancy pointed at the store on the bottom floor. Jonathan yelped as Nancy started running, jogging after her.

She rushed down the escalator, her eyes glazing over for a moment before looking at Scoops Ahoy. Nancy rounded the corner and stepped into Scoops. She went to the counter and dinged the bell waiting for Steve to burst through the back door. A moment passed before a crash followed by a few curse words interrupted the silence.“Erica! For the last time I’m not giving you free samples—“ She heard a girl yell in a raspy voice. It was familiar, Nancy hoped that she was wrong about who it was. But at the same time, she silently prayed it was them. And to put a face to the voice, Robin opened the back window. The two locked eyes and stood there for a moment. Seeming to share a thought,

‘What are you doing here?’

-

[thebiscuiteternal]

would nmj's fate change in the larger age gap au? with the changes in relationships and political dynamics, i just can't see jgy finding it as easy to decide to kill him in this version.

I think it would, for a number of reasons.

First and foremost, no matter which version of canon you use, Nie Huaisang is going to push the "ge" button in the back of Meng Yao/Jin Guangyao's brain hard. I wrote a little snippet of them meeting on Discord using the non-CQL setting

Please imagine that during Sunshot in the greater-age-gap Nies timeline, something comes up at the Unclean Realms and since Mingjue can't leave the battlefield for whatever reason, he asks newly-minted 18yo aide-de-camp Meng Yao to go handle it.

So Meng Yao goes to the Unclean Realms and is met at the gate by a 10/11 yo with a grumpy expression.

"You're not Da-ge," he says, clearly disappointed.

Oh, this is the Sang-di that his sect leader is always talking about.

He's adorable.

Meng Yao smiles. "Sorry, but even your brother can't be in two places at once. This one is Meng Yao; his assistant."

Nie Huaisang brightens up just a little. "Oh! The really smart one!"

(Zongzhu actually said that in his letters home? Meng Yao's a little touched.)

Huaisang takes him to meet the supply overseers who needed assistance, but sticks around instead of going back to whatever he'd been doing.

Meng Yao catches the boy watching him a couple of times, but every time, Huaisang quickly looks away, face red.

They don't talk about it before Meng Yao leaves, crisis averted.

Cute little creechur! Who clearly thinks he's cool despite growing up around all these powerful cultivators! Meng Yao is smitten.

And then add in the fact that Mingjue and Huaisang's relationship is much more stable, with it being evident to anyone with eyes that they're each other's foundation, and Jin Guangyao would have a much harder time justifying the damage to a Huaisang that killing Mingjue would do.

Especially since, if I haven't fucked up my own timeline, he would be all of fourteen when his big brother died and he got thrown into an inheritance crisis. Yikes.

Of course, there's also another option.

Supposing instead that Jin Guangshan were to go the route that Nie Mingjue dreads the most, the very reason he'd held off on making Huaisang his heir to begin with: he is very young and very vulnerable and it would do a lot of damage to sect morale if anything were to happen to him.

Suppose Jin Guangshan decides the best way to remove Nie Mingjue from being a pest politically is to get rid of Huaisang.

Now, I've had a story where Jin Guangyao goes through with it; most of you have seen that.

But again, it's much harder to justify killing a 14yo than it is to kill a 20-23yo, especially one that clearly loves you.

Angsty soul-searching ahoy!

So I think either way, he'd try to stall for time. Maybe he can't tell them directly what's going on without feeling unfilial to his father, but he can drop hints and let his father braid enough rope to hang himself.

Whether or not it would work is still up in the air.

[justbrainrot]

Okie doke— bloodmarked spoilers ahoy

I…. those last couple of chapters were so hard not to speed through and honestly I’m gonna need to read it again (yes I’ve already read it twice 🙃) to really visualize all that happened in the Camelot dreamspace but whewwwww! I’m 100% positive that our girl has a plan though whether or not the SK will— let’s say— *comply* with said plan is def up in the air.

Very sure we will meet mama Natasia Kane in book 3 & I hope for her sake she has a damn good reason for leaving her baby boy all alone out there by himself as the only Merlin for miles for half his life!! (seriously just thinking about that level of loneliness makes me SO SAD) (also ermagerd that scene where he rubs his face and hair on Bree’s hand and she understands immediately why *SOB*)

Interested to see if we’ll get more POVs than just Bree’s since they’ll truly be without any way to contact each other for the first time, if my understanding is correct.

Def thinking we’ll see Nick go down that villain path. Homeboy already had a decade of resentment in that 6’4” frame PLUS everyone he loves is gone or dead PLUS PLUS he’s gonna need to reckon with his own bloodlust-fueled actions. Yikes on many bikes.

Selwyn Emrys Kane you big jerk you! Also buddy your shit is so transparent & eminently understandable so obviously the empathy factor is through the roof! So maybe I should be saying Tracy Deonn you big jerk!!??! Likely lol.

Valechaz, son of Pearl. I love you.

This book made me want more tattoos.

There will be at least a part 2 to this post 😅

[snwflrwrs-12]

Stranger Things Recap ☆

stranger things recap!

let's go!

Season 1 Hawkins Indiana 1983

Dustin, Lucas, Will and Mike are playing DnD

They wanna kill the Demogorgon when they roll the dice

But one night Will disappears riding on his bike

YIKES

What the heck is going on? Is everybody's question.

But that's before everything gets turned up to Eleven

She has special powers but her life is kinda awful

She's always getting nosebleeds and eating eggo waffles

Barb goes missing by the pool one night

And Joyce talks to Will with some Christmas lights

Eleven's with the fellas turning bullies into clowns

And together they save Will from the upside down!

Season 2: is a doozy so you better grab the tissues

Max and Billy hit the scene, and he's got daddy issues

Will is puking slugs and his vision won't stop

To top it off his mom has got a boyfriend Bob

And Dustin has a slimy pet growing bug and fat

He feeds it Three Musketeers (but it prefers the cat)

MEOW

Steve and Nancy call it quits, they're always on and off again

Max is dating Lucas while Nancy goes with Jonathan

They discover tunnels running underneath the town

Filled with deadly demo-dogs inside the upside down

Bob stays back, takes a hit, he'll be missed

Eleven seals the portal, then she gives Mike a kiss!

Season three: 1985, the gang is getting tall

Everybody's growing up and shopping at the mall

Steve and Robin work the counter at the Scoops Ahoy

And figure out the Russians have a super secret ploy

Hopper isn't happy that Eleven's kissing boys

But then he turns around and puts the moves on Joyce

Dustin has a girl! (No one thinks It's true!)

She calls him dusty-bun and he calls her suzie-poo

EW

The mall is just a front and things get tense

So Erica agrees to pull a Die Hard in the vents

Billy and Hopper get got, it's gory

But that's just life in Hawkins, it's a never- ending story!

But that's just life in Hawkins it's a never- ending story!!

the end ☆

[introvertbard]

As an actor this doesn’t surprise me AT ALL.

PERFORMER RAMBLE AHOY!

Ballet (and dance in general) takes a shitton of athleticism and non-Marvel directors love it when actors cross-train! Ballet dancers are also notorious for getting career-ending injuries or retiring at the ripe age of seventeen or so because ballet is especially ruthless on your body, and so they cross over into acting.

Honestly I had to fight the urge to find a shot of Chris’ feet for a work-safe but not EYE-safe reason: you can often tell if a FEMALE actor did ballet by how messed up her feet are from pointe work. Ballet tears you up and spits you out, man.

When I saw Everything Everywhere All At Once and saw Michelle Yeoh take off her shoes, I winced and went “yikes, this one was a ballet dancer,” and I was dead on the money, because she got a back injury in her twenties and started acting instead.

#not this time bitch

[samueljon]

Ahoy

Upon reflection I might have come across as insolent towards Judaism and Christianity which is not my goal because that may erode any affectious feelings an adherent of one of these systems has towards me. I understand that if a person feels their identity is being attacked, they will then attack in kind which leaves the communication of ideas tarred suspiciously. Yes, it is my predilection to preference living in the moment and not to be beholding the past with regards to somebody else's identity and rituals. This is my choice though I still value the wisdom of all those whom have come before and by whatever means they have left their presence behind.

Recently I had a dream where I made a bad impression on a Jew I met. In the waking world I have this sketch in my head of a strange Gentile meeting a Jew for the first time and he experiences and expresses child-like awe at encountering the Jew as if they were a mythical creature one has only ever read about. It is not a particularly funny sketch like others I have thought of such as: The sport of extreme baptism, and a television commercial of a man spruiking his store Millions of Dykes. You would be mistaken if you thought I was disparaging Dykes because this store literally has millions of them. Dykes on bikes, dykes with kites, dykes in white, dykes holding mics, and yes even dykes plugging holes in stuctural dykes to prevent flooding and injury.

My other dumb idea is of 2 musical artists called Yung Cuck and lil' baby dick with a their song (H.I.(V).I.P) An ode to Eazy-E of N.W.A*Nobody Wants Aids. Lastly, while it's relevant I have always wondered if Coldplay was a sex act like arseplay but winter themed or is it when you bugger a snowman? See, these thoughts are so dumb. Disclosure: None of these are recent thoughts which I share with you freely to show I don't think myself to be perfect or mature above reproach.

Getting back to the dream, I met a Jew and started to act like the strange Gentile in the sketch by saying something like, "Youuuu.......are a Jewwwww?" He didn't get it and was offended to which I immediately apologised and regaled him with the fact that I am very fond of Jewish people. I say how much A Small Light meant to me and say Miep's name several times with enthusiasim then praise Bel Powley. I try to recall the title of We Were the Lucky Ones which also touched me but it escaped my tongue.

I then tell the man I have many (6) Holocaust survivor's memoirs in my Audible library as a means of expressing that I'm not anti-Semitic. I'm not nor am I against Christians or Muslims or anyone with different beliefs to mine but I do think it is unhealthy to believe in things that do not hold true and hold you back from growing. Your beliefs should hold up to scrutiny and you shouldn't be afraid to debate them. I am so very greatful for all the different points of view that exist though because they hold wisdom from alternative perspectives.

*I watched The Boy in the Striped Pajamas recently and thought the message of the film was very powerful: Never make friends with a Jew. Yikes! In conclusion I would like to disagree with the anti-Semitic stereotype of the international Jew not having a sense of humour. With this stereotype I strongly disagree.*

[brutish-invasion]

I know there's a big ahoy about grey sweatpants, but I have a pair of tan leggings that makes everyone go "yikes."

[intofclklore]

penny gets a summer job at starcourt mall. this doesn’t stop her from relentlessly mocking steve for doing the same. it’s different though. she’s working at a cool clothing store, where she gets discounts and the first look at the newest, cutest trends. he’s scooping ice cream cones and probably going home sticky. his job’s gross. hers is cool. she feels completely validated in the teasing. it becomes like her second job. she spends her breaks in the food court anyway, already there to grab some fries. she may as well have a little extra fun while she’s there.

it helps that the ice cream at scoops ahoy is actually really good. the first couple of times she went in, she ordered the most complicated looking thing she could just to put steve to work. it was delicious. but her wallet demanded she stick to cheaper cones if she didn’t want to blow her entire paycheck there. steve has never been worth that.

but that’s fine. she likes the cherries jubilee cones just as much if not more than the big fancy sundaes. the girl who works there suggested it one day when penny went in to bully steve and got robin instead. it’s her go-to now. she saves the sundaes for when steve looks especially stressed and she wants to make it worse.

she thinks that’s what she’ll order tonight. she got paid that morning and had a couple extra dollars to spare. it’s later than she usually shows up. her break came and went and she spent it with another girl she works with, eating with her instead. the mall is emptying as she makes her way from contempo casuals to scoops. some stores have closed already, the rest will be soon. she knows scoops is open about thirty minutes later than her own work place is, so she’s cutting it close, but she makes it in time.

it’s open but empty when she gets close enough to see inside. rather, almost empty. she can see steve cleaning up behind the counter and it makes her grin. he was about to have to re-do all that hard work. maybe she’d order two and hope the second didn’t melt by the time she got it to her dad. right before she steps inside, someone gets there ahead of her. they don’t even seem to notice her. they’re stomping, on a mission.

“excuse me, young man!” it’s an older woman, around her dad’s age if she had to guess. she has a scoops ahoy cup in her hand - or does, until she slams it on the counter. her tone makes penny freeze. she’s less eager to go in now. she lingers just outside the entrance, not out of sight, but no one seems to notice her. steve’s too distracted by the woman screaming in his face. penny can’t catch every word, especially from steve who is considerably more soft spoken than the lady is, but she gets the gist. the woman’s unhappy with her order even though she drank the entire thing and ordered it over an hour ago. she’s demanding a refund. it makes penny roll her eyes. even she doesn’t yell at people like this, who are just trying to do their job. she’s a bitch, but she’s not a monster.

penny only goes in once she’s gone. storming out with no refund. steve does not look happy to see her. she smiles at him.

“we’re closing. what do you want?” yikes. even on his worst days, he still gives her the standard required greeting and tries to fake it. he takes his hat off and runs his fingers through his hair and she can’t even bring herself to gasp and call him on going against dress code.

she leans against the counter and tries to peer behind him to see if robin is in the back room. she can’t see her. she thinks she would have come out by now if she was still there. “i was in line. not my fault it got held up.” she was in line… just outside the store. it counts.

steve sighs and aligns himself in front of the register. “what do you want? banana boat?” damn him for knowing her plan.

“well actually, i came here to fight. but it looks like you’ve had a shit enough day. it kinda feels like i’d be kicking a puppy. so i’ll just take the ice cream, i suppose.”

he gives her a look and she can’t tell if it’s relieved or amused. maybe both. mixed with annoyance still, which is fair enough. he knows what to expect from her little visits. maybe a hint of embarrassment too, knowing she witnessed that. but she can’t tell for sure.

whatever look it is, she returns it with a smile. “no banana boat though. cherries jubilee, please. two scoops. waffle cone.”

she suddenly wasn’t craving a sundae anymore for some reason.

the rest of the exchange happens in silence. she slides two dollar bills across the counter at him. he drops her change into her palm before making her cone. she waits until he passes it to her and has his attention again before she drops the coins into the tip jar. “that’s for robin.” she wiggles her fingers at him in a wave before turning with a flick of her hair. “thanks, king steve!”

[maladaptivedaydreamsx]

finally hit lvl 15 intimacy with satan (simeon got there first, and diavolo is nearly there now oml) and got this call..... yeah i almost cried lmao :,) yeowch

[thecheesecracker]

The friends who love you

[dunkshotdreaming]

Rouge

Pairing: werewolf!Jaemin x idol/werewolf!reader (mentions of other members ft. appearances by the dreamies)

Genre: fluff (pg-13 at most), fantasy/supernatural au

Word count: 4,391

Summary: Maybe the cute little pup from Rouge territory wasn’t so bad after all. or In which borrowing a jacket turns out to be a fateful encounter.

✎ A/N: Officially kicking off the Nyctophilia series with a story based on the dream that started it all. Hope you guys will enjoy it, and so excited to finally have some time to work on this. (Here’s to hoping the rest of this project will turn out alright~ because I’m not even sure if this one did☺) I also apologize that this one isn’t entirely gender neutral, but if you swap out like that one pet name, I’m sure it could be! I’ll try to keep the other ones more neutral, if I can.

It felt like ages since you’d had some time off, and there was no better way to celebrate the end of your group’s promotional period than to visit your dear friends and kick back like the good old days. You had known your friends, Sayuri and Kaoru, ever since you were children. The siblings were the next youngest of the Blackwolf clan, after you, and the lot of you had many an adventure if your days as pups. Being part of the same clan, it isn’t impossible to think that the three of you had retained such a close friendship over time. They were almost like your right and left hands when it came to running the Blackwolf clan, of which you were the alpha. It was tough being both an idol and the alpha of one of the four major werewolf packs, but all was manageable with the right help and strategies. Incidentally, however, there was once almost trouble caused by Sayuri, who was caught with her mate from a rival pack, the Silveridges. But thankfully, that was then, and this is now; a new era of alphas have taken over since, and the peace treaty the clans came to an agreement over two years ago has yet to be disrupted.

And so here you are, visiting the prestigious company building your friends work at, the famous (and infamous) SM Entertainment. Meanwhile Kaoru had intensive training he couldn’t get out of, since he was still a trainee, Sayuri was off today, having opted for the still-chaotic yet freer lifestyle of working as a composer and lyricist. Though she did some freelance work as well, on occasion, this was where her office was. It was a lot more comfortable for you two to meet here than have to deal with being out in public, or risk running into any eager fans. As much as you loved and appreciated them, everyone deserved their rest now and again.

You’re both catching up in the lobby, really invested in a conversation (gossip, really) about something that happened within the clan when you hear people incoming. Quickly, you bot shift gears and continue your conversation with much less detail, using codewords when necessary, so as to not risk being exposed while freely out in the human world. Recognizing the passersby as NCT Dream, you rise from your comfortable position in the plush leather loveseat you’d been sitting in to bow to the senior group. They chuckle and tell you not to worry about formalities, all the while worrying you further when they opt to hang around in the lobby. Glancing at Sayuri, you both give a solemn nod, deciding it was better safe than sorry, and saving the rest of your conversation for a later time. Being polite, you make conversation with the group of tired boys sitting on the couch adjacent to you, finding out that they were taking a break from their upcoming album’s dance rehearsals. You nodded understandingly, having just finished your own promotions and knowing all too well the stress of comeback preparations.

You were just about to invite your friend somewhere, anywhere to continue your conversation out of earshot, desperate to hear the end of her story. Humans be damned, you needed to find out if the rumors about fellow wolves in the industry were true! But alas, you’re interrupted when Jaemin, one of the members of Dream, notices you shivering, as the air conditioning vent was just above your spot, leaving you with icy hands and chattering teeth.

“Oh no, I’m fine, really, but thank you so much for-” you start, only to once again be interrupted by the boy.

“It’s nothing, don’t mention it!” he beams at you, grabbing at the sweater lying next to his lap and wrapping it around your shoulders. As you look up at him, you take notice of his features: his pretty eyes, the slight pout of lips, even the grayish streak adorning the midsection of his bangs. It isn’t until Jaemin catches the scent of something familiar that you break from your trance. He grabs at your freezing hands with his own warmer ones, teasing you about how cute the flustered look on your face is at his actions. The other members have tuned out at this point, assuming he was being flirty and no longer held as much interest at your interactions as their conversation about dinner.

As he leans downward to speak to you from where he’s standing, barely an inch away from your own leg, he whispers gently in your ear, “I’d know that scent anywhere.”

Taken aback, you try to clear away the cobwebs forming where your coherent speech normally takes residence in your brain, offering a weak “What?” in response.

“You smell a lot like me, but yet so different. What clan are you from?” And that’s when his words sink in, flooring you at the realization. You’d been so concerned with hiding away from others that you’d forgotten the possibility of there being another like yourself, completely missing the scent of wet dog radiating off him as you’d mistaken it for sweat.

“Blackwolf,” you reply, not missing the way his smile grows tenfold while holding his gaze, “I moved here from the Noire territory up north not even a few years ago.”

“Ahh, so that’s why your scent was so powerful, you grew up within the territory, huh? You must be close to the alpha then, I’m assuming?” Jaemin slides past you to claim the spot beside you on the smaller sofa, both fascinated and intrigued at the revelation.

“Actually,” you rub your neck as your tongue nervously wets your lower lip, “I am the alpha.” A chuckle escapes you at the wide-eyed expression of the wolf next to you, tripping over his words due to the shock. “What clan are you from then?”

“I’m a Redfur, though I didn’t grow up the Rouge territory out west,” he admits, suddenly feeling shy in the presence of someone of such high regard. “You see the blonde boy with the little mole under his eye? That’s Jeno, he’s a Silveridge, we’ve known each other since we were in preschool.” He grins as he tells you this, obviously happy to have a friend and fellow werewolf on his team, never having to worry about feeling left out, and being able to speak to one of his own right from home. You kind of envied him, in a way; sure, you had your two friends, but they weren’t your bandmates, let alone labelmates. As he looks over at you two suspiciously, having caught wind of his name, you wave at him, to which he simply offers a shy smile. Hearing the all too familiar clan name reminds you of an interesting story.

“You know, my friend over there,” you nod your head in Sayuri’s direction on the recliner opposite from your spot, “her mate is a Silveridge. They’ve been together since before the treaty.” Jaemin eyes her curiously, almost as if he had just noticed her presence. The word “mate” clicks, his mouth slightly agape as he puts two and two together.

“So, you’re a Blackwolf as well, then. I knew there had to be more of us in the industry, but to think we’ve worked together before and I never even knew you were a fellow wolf,” he shakes his head as Sayuri laughs, “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.”

“Likewise,” she replies in turn, “I had a feeling an NCT member or two had some, how do I put this… otherworldly energy? But I wasn’t sure if any of you were specifically werewolves, much less two of you.”

“There are like eight of us wolves, now that I think about it, though we don’t have a single Blackwolf yet. Care to join our humble Neo Culture Technology, princess?” The pet name sent your way throws you off-kilter, clearing your throat before you speak.

“As sweet as that offer is, I’m afraid I can’t just abandon my own group before we even make it to our second anniversary.”

“Then maybe you can accept my offer to join me in the café downstairs? I’d love to get to know more about the girl who stole my favorite jacket, if that’s alright with you…?” Jaemin is hesitant as he takes his shot, his lower lip nestled between his teeth as he anxiously awaits what words will leave your mouth. You glance over at Sayuri, who simply smirks in response before nodding your way, mumbling for you to “get lost” so that she can go check up on her brother, very likely an excuse to let you two be.

As she passes by you on her way out of the lobby, she sends a playful jab your way, reminiscing about how she had been ruthlessly teased for having a mate from another clan, reminding you that it would soon be your turn, should you end up with the Redfur after all.

The two of you politely excuse yourselves, embarrassed by all of the noise his bandmates make upon realizing that you’d be leaving together. You’re still wearing his sweater, which he refuses to take back, so you slip your arms through the sleeves to prevent the oversized garment from falling off your body. While chatting on your way to the café, you start to reminisce your days as an SM trainee before ending up at Loen. After some back and forth of trainee tales, you both come to the conclusion that the reason you’d seemed familiar to one another was that you used to be trainees around the same time, having had class together but never interacting before today. Jaemin later reveals that most of his bandmates aren’t actually human, and you’re left speechless, in disbelief until he starts listing them off.

“You already know about Jeno and I, but there are about six other wolves, as well as a variety of species amongst us. We had two humans, but one was recently bitten by a vampire, so now we’re down to just poor Mark,” Jaemin laughs, recalling the time Mark found out about that little fact.

“So, wait, mind if I ask who exactly…” you start but trail off, unsure just what you wanted to ask, let alone how to phrase your question. He holds the door open for you, only stepping in once you’ve passed ahead, and gently releases his hold on the door.

“I’ll explain everything you want to know, let’s just order first, alright?” Whispers spread like wildfire when you both walk in, next thing you know, you’re already at the counter across from the barista.

“And how may we help this adorable couple today?” the barista asks, almost smugly. You quickly try to interject, offering a denial, but Jaemin just eats up the attention, taking it almost as praise. He rattles off his order from hell, pardon, his chaotic mess of a coffee, with a sandwich before asking what you wanted to order. You try to insist on paying for your own, but he’s having none of that; realizing that he won’t budge, you sigh as you give in, telling the barista your drink of choice and asking for your own sandwich. The silence as you wait for your meals, if you could call them that, was painfully dull, a complete 180 from your previous time spent together. You can overhear a staff member or two muttering about how you two are “just so cute” and how they “envy young puppy love”, the latter unconsciously making your eye twitch.

“Thank you and come again! Have a great day,” the barista adds as he hands over your orders.

“We’re not-”

“She’s just shy, it’s ok,” Jaemin calmly states, picking up your food and walking off to a faraway table tucked into the lonesome corner of the café. He ignores the glare sent his way, his shit-eating grin plastered nearly from ear to ear. You follow him and sit down in the booth across from him, gratefully accepting your share. As you begin to unwrap your sandwich, he stands up again, decidedly grabbing his things before announcing that he’s got a better idea. “The practice room should still be empty right now, why don’t we sneak in there to eat, so I can tell you all about the others?”

_________

Cross-legged on the floor, you’re both sitting barely inches apart from one another as Jaemin recounts all of his inhuman bandmates to you. “For starters, there’s Taeyong who’s the Redfur alpha, he’s almost like a dad to me. Lucas and Kun are Goldensnouts, the latter being the alpha of their clan. Jeno is a Silveridge, but so is Jaehyun,” he pauses to eat, or rather inhale, half of his sandwich before taking a sip from his murky, liquid concoction.

“What a day, I get to meet another werewolf and find out there’s been a whole horde of you just under my nose. That’s lovely, just lovely,” you dramatize, hearing the boy beside you chuckle into his drink as his knee playfully knocks into yours.

“Relax, it’s not so bad. Maybe you’ve just got a weak nose, for an alpha,” he jests, wiggling his brows at your flared nostrils. “Where was I? Ah yes, the rest of the members,” Jaemin starts off, continuing to list from the vampires through the rest. You find out that Renjun is a pureblood vampire, whereas Yuta who was a human, was recently turned, and therefore needs to be extra careful with sunlight. Speaking of, Renjun’s fascination for aliens comes to light as he explains that Winwin and Yangyang are both actually from a planet known as Scorlirsus, having crash landed and yet to find a way back. Then there’s Haechan, who is apparently a demigod, the sun of Apollo at that, which gives his Fullsun nickname a whole new connotation. From half-demons to sorcerers, from sirens to angels; besides the abundance of wolves, there are so many different species that you end up to losing track of them all. Except for poor Mark, who makes for an exceptionally talented human.

Another moment of silence springs up as you finish your drinks, only this one is a lot more comfortable, enjoying the presence of newfound company between your shy gazes and small talk. “Oh, you have something, right there,” Jaemin points out, breaking the silence. Before you know it, thumb reaching towards the edge of your lips as he wipes at the dried hot chocolate there before licking his finger clean. You’re dumbfounded at how casual he is about it, as if he didn’t just indirectly lick your face, then again, the gesture would be a lot less weird to wolves than to humans, so you simply shrug it off. Just about ready to toss out your trash, Jaemin grins mischievously your way as he aims his straw in your direction.

“Would you like a taste of my coffee, princess?” Two options, you realize, two options are all you have. Either taste his infamous coffee like a champ, or risk another jab at being a weak alpha for not being able to handle a little coffee. You nod, bracing yourself for whatever the taste of that drink from hell may be like, only to be utterly surprised instead.

In the blink of an eye, his drink is forgotten on the practice room floor, one of his hands on the floor beside his leg to balance him as the others lightly grips the back of your neck, holding you in place as he brings his lips to yours. Smooth, is all you can think as his tongue slides across your mouth, indirectly allowing you to taste his drink as he drinks in your lips instead. Once again, he’s teasing you for the blush on your cheeks, cooing at how adorable he finds it; but all you can do is laugh, because it’s not like he was faring any better. Jaemin’s eyes bore into yours, wordlessly asking for permission to kiss you again, to which you respond in turn by meeting him halfway, just as eager.

Rather than one deep kiss, you both share a series of softer kisses, an almost childish air to the way he handles you. As you slide over, wanting to get a little closer, he pulls you to sit onto his lap instead, placing an innocent kiss at the skin of your exposed shoulder before resting his head in the crook of your neck. His hands are running through your hair, the world feeling like it slowed down until only this moment was occurring. In the dead silence, your brain comes up with an idea, and it isn’t long before it uncontrollably tumbles out of your mouth.

“Do something crazy with me?”

“And what would that be, princess?”

“Run away with me,” you take a deep breath before continuing, “just for a little while. Let’s escape this stuffy company, our schedules, everything. Let me show you a beautiful place not far away.” Your eyes are downcast as you play with his hands, unconsciously holding your breath as you wait for a response. To your surprise, Jaemin beams a beautiful smile your way, his crinkling eyes the sign of genuine happiness.

“Lead the way,” his deep voice rumbles low in his chest, no hesitancy as he chooses to follow you wherever you shall lead, placing a kiss on the back of your hand to seal the deal. You’re both rushing to toss your trash out before running downstairs again, chasing each other not unlike the way two puppies would when playing around. It’s already late when you both sneak out from the company, the stars shining brightly overhead as you both shift into wolf forms once you're at a safe distance away from the craziness of the building, safe from any possible prying eyes.

You both run on and on for awhile, playfully bumping into one another on purpose or pushing a snout towards the other, before eventually arriving at your destination; a beautiful field of flowers far away from the city, where all the stars are visible and no one is around to bother you. After cooling off some from the long voyage, you end up laying side by side, still in your wolf forms as you don’t often get to have the luxury to be so free. Taking in the view of the large mass of red beside you, you take note of the beautiful rouge coat Jaemin is sporting, a colorful contrast to the sleek black fur you were donning. His golden eyes bore into your own, a light blue so pale it appears gray, akin the gleam from the moon casting down from overhead.

What would appear to anyone else as barking and whining is the result of both you and Jaemin conversing, talking about anything and everything, and he thanks you for taking him somewhere so beautiful and peaceful. Exchanging a nuzzle or two before ending up turning to lay almost as if you were spooning, only you’re all curled up, just barely laying atop him, you revel in the comfort you receive solely from being around one another. Perhaps the phrase “puppy love” wasn’t as bad as you’d always thought, maybe it was that feeling of finally finding someone they click well with, or a chance encounter with their mate.

You had both unintentionally fallen asleep under your favorite tree, deep in a peaceful slumber as your chests rise and fall with each breath, waking up just as the sun is about to begin its ascent. You’re the first to awake, blinking the sleep from your eyelids as you look down and take note of hands where paws had been, wondering when you’d both transformed back, and silently praying there wasn’t mud all over Jaemin’s jacket. Realizing you better head back in case people had already realized that Jaemin was missing all night long, your attempt to wake up the sleeping boy. Try as you might, it takes great effort to even get him to open his eyes, let alone stand up. He slowly stretches out before laying flat on his stomach, head tucked into his arms, and you’re forced to poke and prod until he lets out a loud whine, almost as if to say just five more minutes, mom. Opting for a different approach, you turn him over so that his head is in your lap, brushing the hair out of his eyes as you do so.

“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” you quip.

“’s not even sun up yet,” Jaemin slurs, rubbing sleepily at his long lashes.

“We have to head back before anyone realizes we’ve been out all night, do you really want to risk getting into trouble right before your comeback?” He hums as you run a hand through his blonde tresses, looking up at you almost with a sparkle in his eyes at the sight before him.

"Responsible,” he murmurs, “no wonder you’re the alpha.” You’re not sure whether that was a compliment, but choose to take it as such regardless, as being the alpha did require a lot of determination and patience. There’s no rush to the way Jaemin gets up, taking his sweet time as if he had all of it in the world, placing a soft press of his lips to your forehead before he’s on all fours, ready to transform again. Following suit, you join him on the ground, a similar scene to the night before playing once again as the two of you make your way back to the company building.

Things are surprisingly calm as you both shake the dirt off your human bodies, successfully sneaking back into SM and quietly reaching that abandoned practice room in desperate need of remodeling you’d used as a dining room the night prior. It isn’t long before the two of you are crashing onto the raggedy couch together, exhausted from your interrupted sleep as well as all the travelling. This time, when you wake up, your limbs are entangled with your face in his chest, having been found by Jaemin’s fellow members of Dream. Being teased by said Dreamies wasn’t the optimal way to wake up, far from it, really; all four of them were utterly noisy, until Jaemin shoot up and protectively wraps an arm around your shoulders, tucking you into his side. You swear you hear light snores still escaping him as his head lays on your shoulder, half of his chest pressed into his back as he can’t hold his own weight up.

In the meantime, you take to chatting with Jeno, getting to know more about himself and his pack, learning a lot about this giant, intermingled group of beings. When you ask Renjun about vampires because you're curious, you explain that you had only ever heard of them, having yet to meet one in person. He prattles off about basics before getting distracted by Jisung and his haphazard shapeshifting, and you wonder how poor Mark ever dealt with being the de facto leader of this misfit group of teens, let alone doing so while being the only one without supernatural abilities. The boys have to head off again to practice, and you shake Jaemin awake, not gentle in the slightest as you treat him almost like a glowstick. He asks for a moment with you, the others teasingly making smooching sounds before high-fiving amongst themselves and walking out, warning him that if he wasn’t at practice in five minutes that they’d tattletale about his night away from the dorms. The threat hangs loosely in the air after they vanish, however.

“Thanks for letting me nap on you,” he smiles cheekily as he stands up. “I do have a serious question though,” Jaemin clears his throat, “I know we just met and all, but I have a feeling we get along really. There’s still time to figure things out, but I was kind of sort of hoping that maybe you felt the same way and that maybe… you’d like to go out sometime?” A whole nap in a secluded forest later and the boy is still shyly rocking on his feet as he officially asks for you to be his. You disguise the snort you let out as a cough, standing up as well now to look him properly in the eyes.

“I would love to go out with you again sometime, Jaemin.” Quickly exchanging numbers before he has to run off for practice, Jaemin is almost at the door when he comes running back, stealing one last kiss as his hands cup your face, wide awake at the burst of energy coursing through his veins at his elatedness to your response.

“Guess we’re mates now, it’s official,” he jests, winking at you as he lets out a short giggle. Your cheeks are too smooshed to reply, so you opt for jokingly rolling your eyes at him instead. “And the alpha at that… tell me, am I really that charming, princess?” He whines as you swat at his arm, the harmonious laughter of two young souls falling in love oozing in the otherwise dreary room. You’re disrupted by someone clearing their throat, taking note of the figure standing in the doorway.

“Hey Jaemin, I just got back. Renjun sent me to-” the boy you now recognize to be Haechan freezes as he takes in the sight before him, quickly switching into an almost condescending demeanor. “Aww, did the little Reddie finally find is mate?” Haechan freezes mid-laugh where he had been walking over, recognizing you as his idol crush when he walked close enough to see your face. “Oh, you have got to be kidding me!” His incessant whines fall upon deaf ears, too busy laughing at how quickly his moods changed. With a pat on the back, you usher your now boyfriend and potential mate along with his bandmate out the door, mentally preparing yourself for the berating your charming pal Sayuri was sure to deliver, all the while snuggling deeper into the jacket still clinging to your form, comfortably wrapped in his scent.

While the future is never clear and life may be unpredictable… things were certainly about get a lot more interesting with these troublemakers around, that much was certain.

[markcampbells]

[sees article about the new Pixar trailer] Article headline: Stars Tom Holland! Me: Aww! Article headline: ... and also Chris Pratt. Me: ......... eww.