#at least at the mall i go to they Definitely have cameras in each stall fkfjjdd

[gender-euphowrya]

i love the mens bathrooms so fucking much some dude showed me how he clogged the toilet

[kpopcotton]

Simply Soft ~ WAYV ver.

a/n ~ i figured that i would make this scenario ot21 (so expect nct 127 to be next!). here are their favorite things to do with you! • Prompt: ten’s instagram lives because he is babie • Genre: platonic fluff, bullet point scenario, wayv member!reader • Warning(s): strong desire to be a part of wayv • Reader Gender: gender-neutral

==≎==

Kun

he does not pick favorites, but if he did you would most definitely be the top of the list ngl

he has reasons lined up whenever the other members call him out on favoring you

1) you listen to him the most out of everyone

and 2) you don’t call him old very much which he finds extremely pleasing

3) you also offer to help him whenever he needs it and he cannot help but adore you for it

honestly would die for you, that’s how much he cares

always doing what he can for you

if you asked him to skydive out of a plane, he would do it at least ten times

he’s known you for a while as well so he’s always looking out for you

loves getting your input on things

if he’s making dinner he will bombard you with questions like “what do you want to eat?”, “does this need more seasoning?”, “have you eaten much today?”, or  “do i need to make a lot?”

wants you to feel included since you haven’t always been a part of wayv (you debuted with them at a later date)

will bring you with him everywhere if you’re up for it

grocery shopping, the mall, downtown to fun food stalls, every tourist attraction ever...

you name it, you and kun have been there

honestly, the best mom friend because he always pays for everything and makes sure you’re having a good time

however, his favorite place to go with you is the studio

you two just vibe

he says you’re very inspiring

enjoys making music with you next to him

finds your talents very exciting and will hype them up a lot

will sometimes have you sing or rap (maybe play an instrument if you can) so he can put it into his mixer and make a song with it

shows off all the things you make together to the rest of the guys so they can compliment you as well

overall a very considerate guy when it comes to your place in the group

wants the rest of wayv, and the fans especially, to love you as much as he does

he is always making you feel good about yourself

“you deserve to be here just as much as the rest of us, y/n.”

==≎==

Ten

stage ten clinger

loves you to the moon and back

finds you to be the cutest thing on planet earth and would, like kun, die for you

you could be the most cold-hearted savage and he would be cooing at you like he would a newborn

loves being around you but will give you space when you need it

can read you like an open book

always touching you in one way or another when he’s close enough

poking your cheek, leaning onto your shoulder, linking your pinkies, snuggling himself tightly against your side, you name it

though if you express a distaste for skinship, he’ll try to tone it down

he just wants you to be comfortable

always trying to teach you things

tried teaching you dirty phrases in thai but kun-mama found out and shut that shiz down real quick

moved on to teach you choreographies

it’s both fun and has the kun stamp of approval

you both try out every genre of dance under the sun

enjoys ballroom dancing with you, particularly when you both waltz around the room perfectly to the beat

keeps trying to get you into salsa dancing so he can see your hidden sexy side

a brat when you don’t listen to him

his all-time favorite dances are the ones where you two essentially just mess around

sometimes you both watch tik toks and try to learn the dances

tries to follow the dance to candy by doja cat because he loves the part where he can throw it back when she says “sweet spot”

wants you to do it with him and record it

will beg

if you do, he won’t stop talking about it

if you don’t, he won’t stop talking about it

essentially it’s a lose-lose

on another note, when he teaches you new choreographies, he’s very supportive and helps you when you struggle

never tells you directly what you did wrong (if you do anything wrong), but gives you hints so you can figure it out yourself and learn

gives you hugs when he feels you’ve done a good job (which is every time you dance tbh)

tries to kiss your cheeks in congratulations

“c’mon let me give you a kith!~”

==≎==

WinWin

the fans think he hates you

and when you first met him, you thought so too

but he was just a shy bean because he wanted to seem like a cool guy

he’s someone you can trust with your life

you two just click in a way that doesn’t need words

not going to name names yuta and taeil but people are jealous of the close bond you two share even though you haven’t known each other for long

many say you’re soulmates

he doesn’t do much with you because he just likes to relax on his days off, so he prefers when you both get to hang out around the house

his favorite place to chill with you is on the floor of the kitchen

he’s not one to express when things make him upset or if there’s something on his mind

he tends to suppress his emotions until they get to be too much

so one time, everything got to that tipping point and he couldn’t help but sit on the kitchen floor and have a good cry

you found him just as the last tears were falling

you could see he had been off the days leading up to that moment so you understood the reason

you sat next to him and wrapped one of his hands up in both of yours, much to his surprise because he had previously thought he was home alone

you both sat there in silence until he rested his head on your shoulder and thanked you in his tiny voice

now, whenever you guys hang out, you sit in that same spot on the floor

sometimes you sit in silence, other times you explode with conversation, sharing hushed complaints or secrets

and you always hold hands, sicheng demands it (silently)

in conclusion, winwin is the best boy and just likes to vibe with you

“you. me. kitchen floor therapy.”

==≎==

Lucas

one word to describe lucas with you

adorable

a total puppy around you and always smiling. he will follow you around like ten but doesn’t want to be clingy

if he can’t see you, he’ll ask where you are without a doubt

if you’re right behind him when he’s asking about your location, surprise him with a hug and he’ll just melt

hug him in any form and he’ll melt actually, he just loves the feeling of your arms around him

that being said, he absolutely adores when you cuddle with him, hold him in your arms, or just sit next to him in general

*chicken hand meme*

lucas is a very touchy person and loves to be close to the ones he cares about

makes sure you sit next to him for e v e r y t h i n g so he can do what he does to everyone who sits next to him, make his hand look gigantic while resting on your knee or thigh

at first, you didn’t really know how to act when his hand just straight up blanketed your thigh at the airport while the group was waiting for a flight

you made a weird noise in the back of your throat that could have sounded like a moan if you really wanted it to

fans have the moment forever caught on camera and you hate it

you wished you would have reacted more,, calmly to the contact

people always talk about it (the number of twitter posts is insane)

you asked lucas why he does it and his explanation was so cute that you didn’t have the heart to tell him to stop

he said that it was his way of making sure that you were there and it comforts him when there are a lot of people around

however, nowadays you don’t even notice when he does it

you find his habits endearing and don’t even bother worrying about it because all he wants is to show you he cares

basically, lucas finds your presence comforting and wants you to know it,, subtly

“stick close to me, okay?”

==≎==

Xiao Jun

literally the sweetest to you

very quiet around you but you know he cares a lot through the way he acts

it’s like he can read your mind, that’s how in tune he is with your emotions

another member that can read you like an open book

you feel the slightest chill and he’s already there with jackets or hoodies in any color under the sun

like a protective older brother

always ready to save you from yangyang

he confessed it was something he enjoyed doing immensely  

one time in the summer, you and yangyang decided to have fun on a day off and play outside with water guns

whoever got shot first would lose

obviously, neither of you planned on losing so you played like you were in an american war movie

twenty minutes in, yangyang proposed a truce from behind his post and came out into the open

you didn’t trust him but you decided to let your guard down for just a second 

which was a mistake

yangyang wasted no time aiming at you and shooting in your direction, only for dejun to come out of nowhere and take the shot to the chest

he was very dramatic about it, though you all were at that moment

*cue actor xiao jun*

he coughed while he lay on the ground with a soaked shirt, you were quickly down by his side demanding why he did it

he conveys it was the right thing to do, and it was his time

*cue his “death” and you yelling at him*

you avenged him by spraying yangyang in the face when he was bent over laughing at the scene

xiao jun doesn’t have a designated favorite activity to do with you, he just likes being someone you can rely on to protect you

even if that includes being a human shield for yangyang’s pranks

“don’t worry, i’m here.”

==≎==

Hendery

the crackhead duo

the other group members look on in confusion when you guys start screeching about something

you find something that you both deem funny and then you go into your own world to make jokes and laugh about it

you both have random ticks that you do together

there are plenty of videos, and i mean plenty, where you and hendery are in the background doing something weird in complete synchronization

one video shows you and hendery sitting in the back of the car while kun and winwin sit in front of you

you made a weird noise by accident but hendery made one back so you both just nodded at each other at the same time like some unspoken agreement was come across

another video of you guys exploring tourist attractions shows you and hendery doing a random dance together in the background before you both stop and point to a digital billboard with wayv on it in sync

it weirds the other members out but they don’t question it

another member that people think you’re soulmates with

there are times when you say the same thing at the same time, or hendery starts a sentence and you finish it

both of you don’t even acknowledge when it happens, but the group goes wild every time

especially lucas

he finds it to be the coolest thing in the world

loves, loves, loves going to the studio with you to just mess around when you are supposed to be working on the important stuff

you both come up with a new handshake each week to show the guys

the current one is at least thirty seconds long

you two are almost always live on one platform or another, just messing around and talking to fans

you show off your handshake of the week and then get right into dancing to random songs

sometimes you have a chill live (with the handshake as an opener ofc) and answer fans questions 

hendery loves to talk so you guys get way off-topic after each question but neither of you minds

admires when you get excited about anything

has the biggest smile on his face whenever you speak and his eyes never leave your face

always ready to hug you and be super extra when you get serious or act cute in any shape or form

your biggest fan and will not let you speak badly about yourself

“were we twins in our past lives?”

==≎==

YangYang

he’s a brat, but you can’t help but love him

constantly trying to prank you

and find something to roast you about

you prank him back and roast him just as much though

sometimes you team up to prank the other members but even then you both watch your backs in the event of a sudden betrayal

prank wars are common and most of the time kun-mama has to step in to get you two to chill out because you’re supposed to be working professionals

yangyang always whines and says something along the lines of, “as expected from the old man to shut down the kids’ fun.”

you laugh every time because kun’s offended expression is pure comedy gold, but you always hug the poor guy after

you both quote memes and have a plethora of inside jokes that none of the other members get

the amount of unique roasts you both come up with is crazy

you find time between all the pranks and calm periods, to play the game where you go back and forth with savage phrases, replying “of course”

moments of peace are rare but when they come around, you and yangx2 are the cutest, most relaxed babies to ever be baby

though he would never admit it to your face in a million years, his favorite moments with you are the ones where you come across a truce and you both let your guards down enough to be extra clingy

you either hang out in his room or yours and relax on your bed

you watch movies, play games, have deep talks about the future, wrestle and play fight, or even nap if you’re both up for it 

though make sure you wake up first because yangyang won’t hesitate to draw on your face

sometimes he forces you to lay on his chest so he can hold you close

will become a flustered mess if you try to get him to be the little spoon or even mention how cute he is for wanting to cuddle

he will complain about your teasing but doesn’t do much about it except tickle you

“come on, just let me like,,, relax or something!”

[sope-and-shine]

Christmas Special: Day 7

-> Pairing: Jeongguk x Reader -> Stranger!AU // Non-Idol!AU // FLUFF -> Word Count: 2.9k -> Summary: When you go to see Christmas Lights on the wrong day, you make a split decision to ask a stranger to be your boyfriend just so your trip wouldn’t be a total waste. -> Warning(s): None really. I mention murder, but in a joking sense and it’s at the end.

A/N: I glanced at this, but I can’t guarantee I caught everything.

There were many other things you could’ve decided to do today. You could’ve gone ice skating at the mall with your brother and his family, you could’ve went shopping with friends like your sister, you could’ve went to see a holiday classic at the movie theater with your parents, but you decided that you just had to see Christmas lights. You trudged through the slosh filled streets, took a 2 hour train, a cramped bus, and had to deal with a sweaty cab driver that insisted on telling you all of his woes until he finally dropped you off at your destination.

The Fantasia Light Show.

It was a Christmas Lights attraction that was well-known for their beautiful and amazing displays. It winded along a long trail, and had several stops along the way so you could stop to rest and enjoy the sights around you. When you were little, you’re parents would bring you and your siblings here to see the lights together, and every year that you all were able to make it, it was different! It always excited you how beautiful the lights could be, and it’s probably what inspired your career choices in the arts. But when your siblings stopped showing interest in the lights show, so did your parents. It left you to sit and wait until you could see them again. You’ve always wanted to come back, and tonight was your big night. 

Standing on the gravel path leading up to the entrance, you find yourself at the back of the line. Everyone looks to be in a good mood, and you can’t keep your eyes off of the lights that are visible to you. You almost want to rush all the way up to the front like your inner child wants you to, but you wait in line with everyone else. Your eyes were locked on your target: the gate, and almost nothing would deter you from getting there.

Almost.

The boy selling tickets lifts up the bullhorn next to him with a big, boxy smile, “Welcome to couples night for everyone just arriving! We’re sure you’ll enjoy your time together here tonight. Just a quick reminder that we’re only accepting couples tonight, so make sure you have someone when you get up here!”

‘They have a what now?’ You think to yourself. You didn’t remember that from when you used to come here! Then again, you were 8, so it wasn’t like you were the one planning the trip. The red ad with hearts all over it on their page suddenly made sense now. You tense now, almost frozen as you realize that all the hard work you put in just to get here would be for nothing.

“Are you serious?! But I came all the way here!” You hear the voice before you see him stomp from his spot in line past you. He’s taller than you, definitely built better than most guys. He has brown hair covered by a grey beanie, but everything else about him is a blur as he storms past where you stand. He must’ve been alone just like you were, looks like you both would be having a bad night tonight.

Unless...

You rush past the people filtering in and out of line to follow after him, trying to catch him before he gets to wherever you assume he parked his car, “Wait! Stop walking away!” You call out to him, hoping by some miracle he’ll understand it’s him you’re calling out to. When he doesn’t, you take a chance and try to call him out specifically, “Hey! Angry beanie boy!”

The ‘angry beanie boy’ seemed to get him to halt mid stride, getting him to turn around so you can get a better look at him. He’s wearing faded blue jeans that have holes in the knees, a grey knit sweater covered by a short, olive green trench. He’d look like a model if he wasn’t wearing a pair of stocky brown Tim’s. Actually, the more you look at him, the more you realize he’s kinda matching you - except your jacket is grey, your sweater is olive green, you’re wearing a grey scarf and no hat, and you’re wearing snow boots.

“Yeah?” He asks, sounding both confused and frustrated.

“You’re here alone too, right?” You ask. It was now or never, at least by asking him you’d give it your best shot.

You watch him straighten up when you mention ‘too’, like he knew exactly where you were going with this but didn’t want to get too excited. “Yeah, I am.”

This was it, (Y/n). Just take a breath.

“Would you want to go see the lights with me?” You feel the weight lift off your shoulders as you ask him, seeing the smile reach his face, “I kinda came all the way from Seoul just to see these lights, and I don’t want to go home without seeing the displays.”

“No joke? You’re not just waiting with a camera for your boyfriend to jump out and prank me?” He asks.

“No boyfriend, no camera, no joke. I just want to see the lights.” You assure him.

He thinks for a moment, seeming to weigh his options before he nods, “Okay, let’s do it.”

The both of you head back to the line together, noticing that it’s a bit shorter than before you left, but still intimidating enough. You stand next to each other in between other couples and awkwardly wait your turn to go in. If it weren’t for the Christmas music blasting from the speakers and the chatter of other couples around you, you’d be drowning in the awkward silence that stands between you both.

The boy beside you decides to break the silence himself, putting a hand out for you to shake, “I’m Jeongguk, by the way. You should probably know my name if we’re going to be a couple.”

“(Y/n),” You take his hand, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“How old are you?” He asks

“20.” You respond. 

His face lights up instantly, “Really? I’m 22! Thank god I’m not like 8 years older than you.”

“What? Do I look like a kid to you?” You ask jokingly. He gives you this sligh look with a shrug and you swat at his arm lightly. He laughs, “I was joking!”

“Not even 10 minutes and some boyfriend you’re turning out to be.” You huff, arms crossed over your chest and a large smile still plastered on your face.

He laughs, easily throwing an arm over your shoulders, “Aww, but baby you love me~”

“Aww, but baby, I don’t.” You say. You are a quiet person, yet within the first 20 minutes of knowing this by, he’s already made you comfortable enough around him to joke around like this.

“Next please!” The box-smiled boy calls, waving to you and Jeongguk who still has an arm over your shoulder. He smiles at the two of you, “You both look so cute in your matching outfits! I bet you spent a lot of time putting this together.”

Jeongguk gives you an awkward smile and laughs, “Well, we definitely took our time.” 

“It’ll be $16 for both of you.” He says. You go to reach for your purse, but you catch Jeongguk’s hand with the cash already ready to go. The boy in front of him looks impressed as he accepts it and gets the correct change, “Ah, a gentleman. Keep your grasp on him, honey. You two have a great night, okay? Enjoy the lights! Next!”

You both move forward passed the roped off line and enter the little world of light. You look at Jeongguk a little guilty, “You didn’t have to pay for me.”

“Okay, but if we wanted to get in here I did.” He argues. He doesn’t let you respond to him before he changes the subject, he just continues on with a big, bunny smile, “We really got lucky that we’re wearing matching clothes. This is the best coincidence I’ve had.”

“Honestly, if you would’ve said no I probably would’ve started crying.” You admit, willing to let the matter slide and just enjoy the moment.

“I would’ve cried in my car anyways, so I get it.” He says.

You giggle shyly before the lights display behind him catches your complete attention. You grab his sleeve and pull him after you completely entranced, “Look at that! It’s so pretty…”

Before the both of you is a sign that was made of wood, hand carved and painted with a small greeting surrounded by lights of various colors. Some of the light turn off in on in a sequence to make it look like fireworks exploding, while others act as snowflakes falling down from the sky. You’re in disbelief at how beautiful it actually is.

Jeongguk stands next to you, his eyes filled with the same child-like wonder that you hold in yours. He nods, “That must’ve taken hours to make. It’s a good thing the Kim family is talented.” 

“Definitely.”

The two of you continue on down the path of lights, stopping to stare every now and then as you pass more and more lights. They were never ending, and it just made you feel more and more like a child again. Especially with Jeongguk being around you. For some reason, he just felt like an immediate friend to you. As you passed each and every stall, the two of you became even bigger children. Purchasing small gifts for family members, getting cookies, petting the animals they brought out for the holiday season. You both even got a picture with Santa - except you were placed onto Jeongguk’s lap while he sat next to the man in red. You’re face was beat red after tht one, and Jeongguk wouldn’t stop taking pictures of you after that.

“Do you want some hot chocolate at this one?” Jeongguk asks as you come upon another stand on the trail. Neither of you had bought any at the previous stand, so now was probably the best time to do it.

You nod your head, already pulling your wallet out of your purse. “Sure, but only if I can buy.”

“Free cocoa? Are you sure you’re not trying to be my real girlfriend?” He asks playfully, his one hand covering his heart.

“I’ll never tell~” You both enter the small cottage like stall and purchase the overpriced hot chocolate - waiting a little longer because the poor guy serving it spilled the first cup all over himself. After you do receive them both, you take to the path again and continue on until you hear a what sounds like a train whistle, “I think we’re coming to the end, I can hear the train.”

Coming to the end of the path where the queue for the train is, you both throw away your empty cups and stand patiently for the workers to get the wagon ready for everyone. 

“I hope I can still stand on the train. I think if I sit down they’ll never be able to get me back up.” Jeongguk groans, bending his knees and straightening them again to regain the feeling he was already losing. He sighs, “They’ll have to peel me off of it at the end of the night. That poor kid at the front will have to dump me under one of the displays.”

“That kid is probably older than you, Jeongguk.” You say, remembering the box-smiled boy from earlier.

Jeongguk shrugs, “Either way, he’ll have to carry my limp body off of a trailer dressed like a train.”

“I didn’t ask earlier, but did you come here a lot when you were younger?” You ask.

“Every year!” He nods. His grin is large and proud as he recalls his memories from when he was younger. Memories of him racing his brother through the stalls, falling off of Santa’s lap one year, and even unplugging one of the scenes. He’s living these moments all over again before his smile softens, “My parents and I stopped coming when I was 12, and I’ve just been too busy to come back.”

You nod in understanding of his slightly disappointed gaze,“This is my first time back since I was 8. I loved everything about this place when I was younger; I wished I could live here forever...It’s changed a lot more than I thought it would.”

“It definitely has-Watch out!” Jeongguk pulls you into his embrace as a teenage couple falls right where you were standing. They seemed to have tripped, now stuck in their own moment as you listen to the racing of Jeongguk’’s heart in his chest. It’s soothing, and his flowery scent is even more comforting than you would’ve thought. 

You can’t stay in his embrace forever though. 

You slowly pull away from him while others check on the teenagers, “Thanks.” 

“No problem.” He says. He seems nonchalant, but you can see the dust of blush on his cheeks. 

The both of you wait your turn to climb onto the ‘caboose’ of the train, settling down on a hay bail surrounded by other couples like yourselves. Once it gets moving, the both of you are locked into the last bit of the ride. Sitting so close to one another, you get to enjoy the arches of colors that pass over your heads and the cute characters that look like they’re waving goodbye to you.

“Thank you for agreeing to come with me, Jeongguk.” You say, turning to face the boy who’s already looking at you. This time though, he’s not blushing like he was back in the line with the teenagers.

“It’s not a problem. I’m really happy you stopped me from leaving, otherwise I wouldn’t have so much fun and free hot chocolate.” He smiles coyly.

You shake your head, “Well, it’s not free if you consider the fact that you paid for the both of us to get in.”

“Yeah, but you do realize that you can get a 50 count of hot chocolate packets for $5, and you paid $12 for two?” He questions, a knowing smirk across his face as he leans in a little closer to yours.

“I don’t need your sass right now, sir.” You huff, pushing him away lightly.

He laughs at your cute reaction, and then suddenly turns serious. “Hey, your ears are red.” He tells you. You bring your hand to your freeing ears to cover them, and soon after you feel the warmth of a hat over both your ears and fingertips. You turn to the now beanie-less Jeongguk and he looks upset, “What were you thinking, leaving your house in this weather without a hat? I’ve been meaning to ask you all night, but now I can’t help it anymore.”

You shrug, “I didn’t think I needed one.”

“Your mother must be so proud.” Jeongguk scoffs and lets a smile slip as he shakes his head in disapproval.

“I can tell you for a fact that she is indeed proud. I do my own laundry.” You defend. Although Jeongguk doesn’t seem as impressed when he mutters, “Daughter of the year.”

As soon as the trailer stops, the both of you file after everyone else - Jeongguk even helping you down onto the snow covered ground. The both of you make your way through the roped off section and back to the car lot. You get all the way to where Jeongguk’s car is parked before the both of you finally get ready to part ways.

You stand beside the trunk in front of Jeongguk, shifting your weight from foot to foot, “Well, this has been really fun. Honestly, I’m kinda happy it was couples night, because you’re really cool. But I should probably start calling for my ride so I can catch the last train back to Seoul.”

You try to make your quick escape before you can embarrass yourself, but Jeongguk is quick to stop you. “Wait!” He yells. He grabs onto your coat sleep and holds you there, only now he’s back to the blushing Jeongguk that you saw in line before the train. He grins, “I had a really great time tonight too. If I’m going to be honest I kinda don’t want it to end.”

“Do you want my number?” You ask.

“Definitely!” You begin to reach for your phone when he places his hand on top of yours. You look up to see his nervous smile, “And maybe I could even drive you back to Seoul myself? I actually live in Itaewon.”

You’re surprised, “Really? So do I.”

“Well...maybe we could stop by that 24 hour cafe when we get back and we can talk more?” He offers, already knowing that it will be well past midnight by the time you both make it back to Seoul itself.

“You’re not going to murder me if I get in the car with you?” You ask playfully, pretending to really be thinking hard about his offer.

He catches onto your game and pretends to be shocked, over exaggerating a gasp, “Not on the first date! And definitely not around Christmas; That’s just tacky. I’d prefer to murder my victims on the second date or before Labor Day.”

“Well, then I guess I better take advantage of this perfect opportunity.” You smile at him and he unlocks his car for you both to climb in. He turns on the car, buckles his seat belt, and turns to you to make sure you’ve done the same. 

“Ready?” He asks.

You take his hand, “Take me home, Beanie Boy.”

It’s no surprise to say that no, Jeongguk did not murder you on your second date or before Labor Day. He did, however, take you to the 24 hour cafe you’d talked about, your home, his home, and many more places after that. The next Christmas the two of you really spent it together, and he took you back to your favorite place in the world the next Christmas.

[lachlantrash]

“Quit smiling at me...”

"I think Lachlan would look good in these." Mitch teases, holding up a lacy pink thong he found near a display. You are at the mall with Lachlan, Vikk, Jess and Mitch, currently in a Victoria Secret.

"I don't know, I think he looks better in blue." You say, laughing as you hold up a blue pair.

"I mean, if you wear the pants in the relationship I don't see why he can't wear the panties." Mitch says, putting down the underwear.

"Oh, shots fired." Vikk chimes in, laughing.

"She does not wear the pants in our relationship, her and I share responsibilities. How the fuck did we wind up in Victoria's Secret, anyways?" Lachlan asks, replacing the blue lace with his hand in yours.

"Well, Jess and I were talking about lingerie, and we wound up in here. I'm sure her and I could help each other choose some if you three would like to do something else." You shrug, looking at a set of matching purple lingerie.

"I think I remember why we chose to come with them, Lachy.  Changing room modelling." Mitch hums out, motioning to the few items in Jess's hands.

"Oh, why the hell am I here then?" Vikk sighs, causing you to laugh.

"Sorry Vikk, I'd totally be down to hear your opinions on my lingerie but I feel like Lachlan's going to shut that idea down asap." You say sympathetically, grabbing a blue lingerie set as well.

"Yeah no, Vikk can wait out here." Lachlan says, making Vikk sigh. "Get a girlfriend to join the party, buddy." Lachlan says, patting Vikk's shoulder as you lead him to the changing rooms.

"Hi, can I help you?" An employee asks, stopping you before you can walk into a room.

"Yeah, I just wanted to try these two sets on." You say, motioning to the sets in your hand.

"Oh that's completely fine, but um, we actually can't allow you two to share a changing room... Too much has been going on back there, I'm sorry." She says apologetically.

"It's fine, you can just wait out here, right babe?" You ask Lachlan, dropping his hand. You almost want to laugh at the pained look on his face, as if missing the sight of you in new lingerie is the end of him.

"Yeah, I'll be waiting here." He says, planting a kiss on your cheek as you make your way to the stall. You quickly try both sets on, deciding to buy both of them after liking the way they both look on you.

"Did you like either of them?" Lachlan asks, sitting up from the wall he was leaning against.

"I liked both, I think I'll buy them." You say, letting Lachlan wrap his arm over your shoulder.

"I'll buy them, but you're definitely modelling them for me when we get back to the hotel. I feel like that blue one is going to cause me lots of trouble, I'm trying not to picture you in it right now." He says lowly for your ears only, taking the sets from you once you reach the register. He pays and you two leave the store, seeing Vikk standing outside the store entrance alone.

"That was hilarious, they wouldn't let you go in with Lachlan but Mitch snuck in with Jess." Vikk laughs, making Lachlan scoff.

"He snuck in? Fucking bastard..." Lachlan mumbles, making you roll your eyes. Once Mitch and Jess walk out, you and her begin talking about your purchases as you all head towards the food court.

"Did you enjoy your show Lachy?" Mitch asks, elbowing Lachlan.

"No, I didn't get to." He sighs. "The goddamn worker wouldn't let me go back there with (Y/N)." He explains to Mitch's questioning glance.

"Are you kidding?" Mitch asks, immediately laughing after. "You know what, lunch is on me. That's too funny, I can't believe she wouldn't let you in."

"Well, at least something good comes from today." Lachlan says, smiling to you. "Fuck, I put my camera in your purse as soon as we got into Victoria's Secret because obviously I wasn't gonna record in there, can I have it back now?" Lachlan asks, remembering the content he has to create.

"As soon as we're at a table I'll get it out for you." You promise him. Once seated you live up to that promise, taking the camera out of your purse for Lachlan.

"Hey guys, I'm at the food court now with the gang, I'm kind of upset about something... Not gonna lie." Lachlan says, making you laugh. "That's (Y/N), she's sitting across from me. Why don't you explain to everyone what ever so rudely happened." He says, turning the camera to you.

"Are you sure you want this online?" You question, waiting for his nod before continuing. "Well, Lachlan tried to come into the changing room of Victoria's Secret because I wanted his opinion on a few things I was trying on, but the lady stopped him from walking into the room." You laugh, a blush on your face from the admission of trying to bring your boyfriend with you into the changing room. You've been with Lachlan awhile though, long enough to know nothing you two do is really private anyways.

"Can you guys believe it? What's a man gotta do to be able to help his girl pick some nice lingerie nowadays?" He sighs to the camera.

"Maybe a man should just let his girl pick her own lingerie and mind his own business about it." You tease, reaching across the table to grab his free hand with a smile on your face.

"Well Jess got to go in with Mitch! Wait, other way around. It's just completely unfair. That's it, I'm suing Victoria's Secret. I can see the trials now, man not allowed to see wife in her linger-" Lachlan says, cutting himself off.

"Did you just call me your wife?" You laugh, Lachlan's camera pointed at you catching the heat rise back to your cheeks.

"I did, but it's completely your fault!  Quit smiling at me, I can't stop messing up my sentences when you look at me like that." Lachlan says, defending himself.

"Hey, do not blame this on me. I can't be to blame for you wanting to be married to me." You say, rubbing your thumb over the back of his hand.

"I guess not, I mean you've known I want to marry you one day, I guess the internet can know too." He decides, shooting you a smile over the camera. "But that does mean one day, meaning in the future. Please don't go planning a wedding for us guys." Lachlan laughs, turning the camera back to face him.

"Oh it's too late for that, we both know so many shippers have just begun their fanfic on our wedding, already picking the flavor of the cake, the amount of tiers, who your best man is..." You trail off, getting lost in Lachlan's eyes.

"The wedding better be soon. And I better be the best man." Vikk says, coming into frame with his hand on Lachlan's shoulder, making him break eye contact from you.

"Yeah yeah, maybe we'll never get married. I don't know if I can choose just one member of the pack to be my best man." Lachlan says, making you roll your eyes.

"It seems to be a little too late, mate. Your girl seems too set on marrying you to let you out of it this easily." Vikk says, catching your eye.

"Oh, I'm way too set on it now. He's been telling me for months we'll be married one day. He could break up with me tomorrow and I'll still be expecting to see him at the alter, he can't get out of it unless I die first." You laugh, locking eyes with Lachlan. "You're stuck with me." You hum.

"Luckily you're what I want, and for the record I'm not planning on breaking up with you." He says, smiling back at you.

"God, aren't they the cutest lovebirds ever." Vikk says dreamily, making Mitch laugh.

"We can pretend they are, everyone knows the real answer is totally Jess and I." Mitch says, causing you to roll your eyes.

"Oh sure, (Y/N) and I are the longeststanding Pack couple, the fans definitely love us more because we're far cuter. She moved to another continent for me, that's pure adorableness." Lachlan says, defending the worth of your relationship.

"Yeah, well Jess and I leave our house and interact with the fans way more than you two." Mitch fires back.

"That's so not true, once (Y/N) was at the vet with her cat and took photos in the waiting room with some fans, plus her and I do livestreams more than you could ever dream of doing them." Lachlan says, belief behind his words.

"You two need to calm down, it's like you have a vendetta against each other." You say, locking eyes with Jess and laughing.

"Yeah, it honestly doesn't matter who the cutest couple is, okay? We're all friends anyways." She says.

"The cutest pack couple is Vikk and Lachlan, no argument needed." You say, making Lachlan sigh.

"We're literally dating, you and I live together and share a bed, explain to me when I see Vikk." Lachlan says, no amusement in his voice.

"In your dreams." You say, biting back your own laugh as everyone, including Lachlan, laughs at your joke.

[srseattlestreetnews]

Seattle Street News 55, Crimes of Passion/Fashion

Runner News:

Our Favorite Runner Team On the Outs

Bad News for fans of one of our favorite runner teams. Sources tell me that MMFEC, who used to be on retainer for a certain charitable organization, is no longer on retainer for that organization. What happened? Some people say that it had to do with too much publicity after the Horizon Technomancer Kidnapping Scandal. Turns out having your faces all over CorpNews when you should be in the shadows is the definition of MM-FEC’ing it up. But look all you Fixers and Johnsons, SSN knows that MMFEC has done more in the shadows for the city than many of our other runner teams out there. And if you know what I’m talking about, then you know how valuable a team MMFEC is. Throw them some work!

 City News:

Cybersnatcher Update…Looks like we have a Ripper!

Last issue of the SSN detailed a rash of attacks that indicated the possibility of a cybersnatcher on the loose in the Barrens. However, the SSN has gotten exclusive vid from a loyal tipster that indicates there might be a ripper on the loose. The feed we received was from an ATM camera across the street from the clinic Fragilé! not too far from the Body Mall. The footage [attached below] shows an Ork woman emerge from the alleyway next to the clinic wearing a long coat and rubbing her neck in pain. She enters the clinic and that is the last the ATM camera catches her. Our tipster provided us with video from inside the clinic where the ork woman enters and takes a seat in the waiting room. She kept rubbing her neck and seemed to draw within herself. She had been bouncing her knee like she was bored, but suddenly it seemed like her whole body began trembling. With no warning, the ork put her hand inside her deep coat pocket and froze. In a flash she leapt up and withdrew her hand from her pocket revealing a Butcher's Knife. She lunged to attack people, who were scrambling to leave, and that is where the camera feed cut off with only a warning from Knight Errant's Cyber Security division about tampering with evidence.

We have not been able to get any comments from Knight Errant about the incident other than some threatening questions about how we even know about it. Reporters have gone to the clinic, but it is shut up tight behind KE security. Why so much security for a back alley cyber clinic? Who is the ork woman? Above is a photo taken from the video. If anyone knows her, or knows anyone who was in the clinic at the time of the attack, contact the SSN!

 Terminal Light—(by demmalition1)

It’s just past 4:30AM this morning, time to let these demons out to wreck havoc upon the slumbering Emerald City.  They’re purring right now, waiting for their masters to slam their foot to the floor and let them roar to life with a furious anger.  The nightlife in Seattle will never cease to amaze me.  It truly won’t.

The crowds these events attract are some of the most eclectic people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.  There have to be at least thirty people here gathering under the various banners of their respective corners of the city.  There’s a gang of ghouls, orks, humans, a multiracial group, and even a clan of dwarves under the name of the V 0.8’s (a reference to the fact that they’re only 0.8 meters tall between them, which is short even for a dwarf).

Then you’ve got Apollo, he’s been racing for a little over three years as he tells it.  His bright green ork skin is about to be caked in an orange powder before he gets into his souped up dragster.  A dragster that he claims to have custom built from various parts “scavenged throughout the city,” his deep Tennessee accent reverberating through every last word.  His assistants come up to him and take handfuls of powder, throwing them across his body.  Wham.  Wham.  Wham.  Each handful thrown harder than the last.  His entire body is surrounded by an orange haze that glows slightly under the dim streetlight hanging above him.  It crowns him like a god about to mount their chariot, wreathed in warpaint and flames, out to conquer the world.  He enters his car and lights it up.  Flames spew out the dual side-mounted exhausts, licking the sides of his chrome warbeast.  The demon inside the hood roars to life as he does several donuts to warm up the tires and test the engine for faults.  Once ready he takes his place alongside his other combatants.  The chariot of fire and blood is ready to claim another championship.  The countdown begins.  Three... two... one...

And they’re off!  The sound is deafening as the demonic hellscape begins to roar and reverberate throughout the quiet streets of the Seattle outskirts.  They’re all racing towards the center of the metroplex many kilometers away from here, a journey that should take about half an hour to reach.  As they fade into the distance and round the first corner marked in AR small vidscreens begin to pop up among the crowd.  It’s a livefeed from every possible angle thanks to the nanocam systems hooked into each vehicle.  You can hop from the hood of one car to the eyes of the second driver and see the rear bumper of the third car all in a flash.  For those special members with a DNI Control Rig or other means of interfacing they can even passively jump into the cars themselves!  Hearing the screech of the tires and feeling the weight of your own body shift as you round the next corner leaving your opponents in the dust is truly an exhilarating experience!

About fifteen minutes into the race the ghoul car takes a corner too tight and flips over itself several times.  A trail of wreckage lies in its wake as a pile of twisted neon and metal create an amalgam of failure.  A few freaks in the crowd even jump into the car as it flips and begin replaying the moment over and over, it’s as if reliving their own death makes them feel alive.  The driver of the now desecrated beast of burden is alive, but his shins are broken in three places requiring a hospital visit.  Foul play is called by his crew but is dismissed almost immediately by everyone there.

The final stretch is approaching, Apollo is in the lead, but only just as the elf, human, and dwarf drivers are hot on his tail.  The sun is starting to creep up now turning the sky from its former pitch black to a soft hue of deep blues and purples.  The racers know they don’t have much time left as the finish line draws near.  The dwarf of the V 0.8’s pulls ahead, slamming his pedal to the floor in a great and furious anger.  His demonic beast, however, is startled by this and over revs, causing a minor stall in the car and even busting a gasket, knocking him out of the race!  The human driver’s car cannot keep up either as he is slowly left behind when they enter the cavernous twists and turns of the concrete jungle.

Now it’s just Apollo and the elf.  Neck and neck.  Racing against themselves and the rising sun which is now a blood red.  The sky itself is seemingly burning in conflagration, setting the scene for a showdown of cataclysmic proportions.  At the very last second Apollo deploys his nitrous boosters and pulls well ahead of the elf, setting a clear path to salvation!

And then it happens.  Apollo crosses the finish line.  His chariot of fire pulling the sun behind it like tales of old.  The god of the Emerald City can claim his rightful throne.  Victory!  Victory at last! Back at the starting line the crowd erupts in a great and uproarious cheer as Apollo exits his car.  Libations are had and hands are shook.  There is much talk about the race, some of the more chromed individuals among us replay Apollo’s victory to relive secondhand glory.  But just as the excitement reaches its peak the jubilant crowd begins to fracture.  The sun is almost up now, and each person heads off in their own individual directions to go sleep off the nightlife.  The electricity in the air subsumes and the neon lights power down.  The streetlights power down and give way to the great inferno in the sky.  Some earlybird wageslaves can be seen commuting in their plainly colored rust buckets.  Apollo, I’m told, is going to head to some upscale club downtown to celebrate his victory.

The sun is awake and has slain the nightlife of this city with a blinding light.  The nightlife that writhed in ecstasy is now departed from this land to slumber.  An entire culture rises to the surface and falls to the ground in the span of a few hours as the beat of the nightlife fades away.  They’ll be back tonight, and I plan to see them again soon.

The day passes.  The sun sets and shadows lengthen.  Darkness spreads as pinpoints of light begin to dot the streets and spread down the line like a snake.  It is dark now.  Time to light up the night.

 Aurora U-Storage On Fire…Again

You all know that storage warehouse in Aurora? The one where corp types and shadow denizens like to store things that they don’t want anyone else to know about? You know that warehouse with the utmost discretion? The one that was set on fire a few months ago in some sort of shadowrun related shenanigans? Yeah, well, that warehouse was set on fire again, quite mysteriously. On the plus side, Aurora U-Storage seems to have installed some impressive anti-arson upgrades to the warehouse. On the down side, runners keep targeting that place. I ask you all, is this really where you want to store your secret goods?

 Entertainment News

Lightning Doesn’t Strike Twice, But Thunder Does!

In 2071 four orks found they all liked a fusion of garage metal and​ classical music, and the band Golden Dumpster Fire was born from that interest: Cellists​ Ford Arkash, and Barash Furysong, vocalist J'mee Thunder, and percussionist Thur Canaan. They spent two years playing small clubs before they got a paying job for a Mr Pendleton, who fronted for their first album, ghost dragon, which placed fifth on billboard for three months. They worked in studio for a year and brought out their second album, permanent vacation, which did better, but the clan wars brought the group to a standstill and “permanent vacation” became prophetic. Fans of the group clamored for more from the group for years, and it seemed that desire would never be fulfilled. Just another band with a lot of promise that fell to obscurity.

However, there is reason for Golden Dumpster Fire fans to rejoice! J'mee Thunder has returned with a self titled album, J’mee Thunder, and he plans to start his world tour in the Seattle Metroplex. And don’t tell anyone I told you, but rumor has it he’ll be doing a secret unplugged show just for fans the day before the big concert. Where will it be? Let me put it this way: it will be in the same club, where Arkash used his bow as a weapon to defend Thunder from an overzealous fan strung out on Bliss. Fans called this the Errol Flynn Incident. If you know where that happened, you know where the concert will be. Look out for it. Brought to you by the Crowne.

 BeyonZ, Kappa, and Exploitation: The Case of Lawrence Stock

By now you’ve all seen the footage on Kappa. A small apartment living room. The Space Needle visible through the open window, far away in the background. Gray weather, the smell of rain coming to mind, instinctively, as if transmitted by the trid. The picture moved a meter to the right, focusing on a grave boyish face. The fluorescent blue hair, the outrageous makeup are those of none other than NeoNET’s famous host and entertainer, BeyonZ.

He turned to the middle-aged lady on his left and said with a look of concern, “Lily I mean Mrs. Stock... I may call you Lily, right?”

She answered the question thrown at her with a nod.

BeyonZ: “Lily, by now our viewers are probably familiar with your emotional plea on Kappa. Your husband Lawrence has been missing for a month, now. The last time you saw him, he was going on a tour…”

It is true, we have all seen the footage…the emotional plea. Lily Stock was clearly upset and Kappa new that was ratings gold.

The woman raised her head, slowly, a faint smile on her lips. The camera focused on her face, making sure all of her emotions were on display. The perfect makeup she wore contrasted with her tattered clothes, making her look like an extra on Horizon’s Les Miz ‘77.  

Lily: “Yes, sir. He’s lead singer for Larry and the Red Gods. They’re a small indie band. All locals. Larry was so excited, that day. All smiles. Humming ‘Roses are red…’ He got a call. His friends were there. He gave me a peck on the cheek and the next instant I heard him running down the stairs. The elevator was broken. I went to the window, watched him greet his band mates. They were all set, with their cello and guitar cases strapped to their shoulders. They looked happy. Their driver must have shouted something, because at some point the five of them all turned their head toward a black van and climbed onto it.” 

The video went back to BeyonZ who asked, “So, the black van left and you’ve not had any news since?”

Lily: “Well, he called me later in the afternoon. They were at the warehouse where their gig was taking place… Larry, if you hear me, call me, call us.”

The picture moved to the right, toward another room after hearing some dog barks in the background. The dog must have been there in the back, invisible.

Then Lily cried, “See, Larry? Skippy has been so sad since you left. And the children too. Oh, Larry, please, come back soon,” before breaking into uncontrollable sobbing. The lady buried her face in her hands.

When the picture moved back to BeyonZ, all of us who weren’t fooled by the corporate glitz, could see that he was trying to hide his glee. This is a story about a man who went missing, a man whose family wonders where he is. And how does Kappa’s BeyonZ respond to this tragedy? He turns and her and says, in front of all the world, “Lily, are you ready to face the truth? We have exclusive pictures of your husband with a young lady. We’ll be back after these commercials.” Of course, the dramatic music swelled as the camera zoomed in on a last glimpse of Mrs. Stock, looking at the camera, clearly taken aback.

Is this what viewers of corp media want? Exploitation of people’s pain? Larry and the Red Gods were a decent indie band (though my sources say that they ran in the shadows more than they played on stage, if you know what I mean), and his family seems to be in pain and need help rather than be put on display. This is a situation that should be taken care of by us. You denizens of the shadows, have you heard what happened to Larry and the Red Gods? Good or ill, Lilly Stock deserves to know. Send in your tips.

 Features:

Once More 15--(by Breach)

If you’re reading this, you’re probably already familiar with the Corporate Court’s relaunch of the Wireless Matrix, an initiative headed by Danielle de la Mar.  You may not know all the details, or the history, however - we’re not all Matrix-wired desk jockeys, after all - so I’ve decided to devote a bit of time to education in the regard.

On December 1, 2074, de la Mar announced the new Matrix protocols that would be rolled out over the next month, with a launch date of January 2075.  On January 1, the new protocols came online, along with the new grids and a new Matrix.  Three years in and it’s starting to feel normal, but our new Grid Overwatch Division overlords didn’t always have such a tight hand on the reins.

In the wake of Crash 2.0, distribution was the watchword - a travesty like the Crash should never be allowed again, and making sure there was no centralised network was the way to get there.  The Wireless Matrix was born of desperation and need, built roughly and slapshot in an effort to get the world running again.  While the Grid Overwatch Division existed, its authority was limited and the scope under which it could operate was small; there existed no overarching grids to monitor and every host and commlink was left on its own to negotiate the new Matrix.  

It was a golden age for those that run the shadows.

Of course, de la Mar and GOD were able to spin this into a need for more control and more constraint; information was free, and the Corporations hate that.  So new protocols were rolled out and all the old tricks and devices were cut off from the whole.  Hackers had to find new tools to access the new systems (though GOD did make the mistake of asking some prominent hackers to test the new systems, so they didn’t fall too far behind), and hacking became far more serious a crime than it had before - punishable by death in many cases.

Instead of one big open playground, the new Matrix has been divided into grids - ten global grids operated by the ten Court Megacorporations, individual regional and national grids operated by various governments across the globe (like Seattle’s very own Emerald City grid, which many of you access this paper from), and even an eleventh official global grid, operated by charity and legacy and, much like the pre-de la Mar Matrix, open to everyone, though somewhat removed from the new protocols and systems.  Operating on the public grid is a bit like decking through molasses - possible, but slow and unpleasant.  I don’t recommend it for any serious Matrix work.

The new Matrix holds secrets that even GOD doesn’t fully understand, though.  The Foundation - the ultraviolet, hyper-real underlayer that rests beneath every host and device in the new Matrix - is poorly understood, even by the architects that craft hosts from its essence.  And then we have Technomancers that speak of Resonance Realms, similar in some ways to the Metaplanes Magicians speak of.  Our new Matrix has brought us new frontiers to explore.

Frontiers that may be connected to next week’s topic, the new plague on everyone’s lips: CFD.

Questions about history? Ask Breach! breach.ssn@gmail.com

 Fashion News?

Crimes of Fashion or Good Samaritan?

Reports on the street are that people are getting spontaneous, and probably magical, fashion makeovers as they are walking down the street minding their own business. So it seems there is a good Samaritan turning people’s dreary togs to something more interesting. The only thing is…that the new togs seem to be very fashionable in cut and design, but somewhat...unconventional in color choice. Are these new clashing colors a sign of fashion to come or are they crimes of fashion? Or is this some sort of reality show that has yet to be announced? Have you been given a make-over? Contact the SSN and give us the info!

 Seattle Street News is an independent activist news source released weekly on Tuesdays or Wednesdays

[Watch CorporateSINs on every Wednesday, 6pm PST or on Youtube at, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h11c7BLFQtc&list=PLHKocVDXoWBtzze1SGGUnU6KB5UFrDLFo]

[you-got-a-crush]

Locked In: Part 1

✨Sup my dudes! I’m trying to get to everyone’s asks and requests as fast as I can without making everything look too rushed or sloppy so don’t worry if I haven’t gotten to you yet. Anyways, this is part 1 of a multiple part series (I’m not sure how long this is going to be) and so far I’m really happy with how it’s going! While I’m working on this I’ll also be working on other shorter imagines too so don’t worry. This’ll be more angsty than what I usually do so I hope you guys like it!✨

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You didn’t intend for it to happen, of course you didn’t. One minute you were trying on some clothes at one of your favorite stores in the mall, and the next minute you found yourself waking up from a long nap in one of the dressing rooms. Rubbing your eyes and sitting up, you looked into the mirror and realised your situation. You were still wearing the clothes you were trying on too. Okay, so maybe you shouldn’t have stayed up until 4:00 binging Netflix, and maybe it wasn’t that great of an idea to decide to wait last minute to go dress shopping for an upcoming wedding for a distant relative you barely knew about. Your previous initial fatigue vanished and you sprang quickly to life. As fast as you could you stripped off the floral dress that now had wrinkles on it everywhere from being hunched over on the small chair in the dressing room. You mentally said sorry to the people working at the store for wrinkling the dress, and fumbled to throw your regular clothes back on. How long did I sleep for? Probably not too long, you thought, if it had been too long I’d probably have been woken up by one of the workers or something. With your clothes back on, you gathered your purse and the dress now hanging from the hanger it was originally perched on, and took one last glance at your reflection to make sure you looked at least a little presentable. The bags under your eyes hadn’t necessary cleared up from your nap, but the crumbled mascara and the smudged eyeliner sort of covered it up, which was both a positive and negative thing. Trying not to create more of a scene than you felt you had by spending probably more than the usual time in a dressing room, you made your way out of the women’s dressing room and into the store. Where is everyone? You scanned the clothing store for any sign of life and to your dismay there was none in sight. Great. As if on cue, your phone began to ring loudly, almost echoing in the deserted store. “Hello?” “Oh my gosh thank goodness you’re okay, where are you? I’ve been texting you for hours, are you still looking for a dress? Do you even know what time it is?” “Mom, no I’m fine,” you muttered into your phone pressed to you ear, “sorry I… had my phone turned off, “ you lie through gritted teeth. It wasn’t normal for you to just lie to anyone, especially not you mom. Truthfully, you didn’t know what time it was so instead of listening to your mom continue to babble and pepper you with more questions, you checked the time on your phone. The clock at the top of the screen read 11:34 pm., shit. “Hello? Are you even listening to me Y/N?” “Oh yeah, um, yes, I… uh…” “No of course you weren’t,” You could hear the exasperation in your mom’s voice, “Where are you? Are you at Y/B/F/N’s house again?” You paused, thinking it through, the store’s probably locked and closed by now, and unless I want to call 911 and have to explain my embarrassing situation to the police, I’ll have to ride this night out until a worker comes in the morning to get me out of here. Might as well go with the obvious answer, “Yeah, sorry I forgot to tell you. I saw her at the mall and she invited me over. I couldn’t say no she was… practically begging me to come stay because her… pet died… and she wanted a comforting shoulder to …. cry on,” You winced anticipating your mom’s answer, did she buy it? After a couple seconds of silence your mom’s voice piped up, “It’s fine honey just make sure to come home right away in the morning. Oh, and tell Y/B/F/N and her parents that I say hi!” “Of course mom,” you said releasing a silent sigh of relief, “I’ll see you tomorrow, love you,” “Love you too!” You hung up and thrust your phone into your back pocket. What were you going to do? The first thing you wanted to check, after throwing the dress onto a random rack, was the doors. You jogged down to one of the main doors to the store and shook the knob, locked. You tried the other doors, even the back doors, but all were locked from the inside. How’d they get locked from the inside like this? Isn’t it usually the other way around? You shook it off as just something that was normal that this store might just do. Whatever, you had bigger fish to fry. You raked the ceiling for cameras and sure enough there was two. One was closest to the cash register and the second one was aimed at the door. The store wasn’t very large either, it was just one of the many clothing stores in the mall that shared identical walls with the other similar shaped ones. It was eery, and the realization finally truly kicked in. You’re in a store, at the mall, alone. Without the usual shuffling around and light chatter of customers and the soft playing of beachy summer music that usually played in this store, it sent a shiver up your spine. You already knew from the time that you spent working here a few years ago that the store always opened at 8:00 am, and workers arrived at 7:00 am. The store officially closed at 9:30, so no workers would still be hanging around this late. While still standing in shock in the center of the little store, you felt like you heard a faint voice. It was barely a whisper, but from the sheer silence of the room it almost resonated from the back of the store. Turning towards the voice you listened intently for it again, and there it’s was. Maybe there’s still someone working? You tiptoed closer to the dressing room where the voice was coming from. As you got closer to the door leading to the men’s dressing room the voice grew steadily loudly, but you still couldn’t make any words out. Your steps increased but stayed light, not caring anymore that it was the men’s dressing room you were walking into, you wanted to find someone, anyone, to get you out of here. The silence and feeling of being alone had already started to settle in your throat, making the air feeling heavy. The very last stall was closed, but with a crack left open so it didn’t have the words occupied above the door handle. There was definitely someone in there. For some reason you paused before opening the door, the voice sounded vaguely familiar. For a few split seconds you contemplated opening the door, but you couldn’t find any reason for your hesitance so before you could rethink your decision, you slammed the door open. When you opened the door the first thing you saw was the camera. The next thing you saw was the guy on the floor sitting cross legged with his hand holding onto the camera. You scanned the floor and saw that it was trashed with candy wrappers and water bottles, one was sitting upright and had a strangely yellow liquid inside that could only be assumed to be urine. You looked onto the chair to see a black backpack, and lastly your eyes met his. C/N’s eyes locked onto yours, the shock apparent on his face and you could feel your mouth dropping open. “What the heck are you doing here?” He exclaimed after what felt like years of just staring at each other, jumping up and shoving his camera into his pocket. “Me? What about you? Who were you talking to?” “Long story,” You narrowed your eyes and started to pull the pieces together, “Wait, were you just vlogging?” “Don’t judge me,” he started defensively, crossing his arms across his chest, “and hey I asked you first why are you here?” Instead of actually answering the question you started laughing, “I can’t believe you were just vlogging oh my gosh this is hilarious, are you doing one of those things?” You could barely keep in your laughter and saw as you kept talking his face grew more and more downturned, “Like when YouTubers stay for 24 hours in a movie theater of something? Oh my gosh I didn’t think you’d be the type of person to do that!” “For your information,” He retorted, standing up straighter, your laughter quickly fading at the seriousness of his voice, “I am the type of person to do that, and I make money from it. Don’t judge me when you obviously have a worse situation than me,” You inched closer to him, trying to maintain your ground, “Well I’m sorry if I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night and may or may not fell asleep in one of the changing rooms?” “Huh, I didn’t think you were the type of person to do that” “Don’t use my own words against me!” “Don’t laugh at my YouTube channel!” “For your information,” you said, trying and failing to do an impression of him, “I wasn’t laughing at your YouTube channel, I was laughing at the fact that you actually peed in a bottle. How long have you been here?” “Ha Ha very funny, you should really think of a career as a comedian. I’ve been here for almost,” He quickly took out his phone and glanced down at the time, “17 hours!” “How has anyone not found you? Haven’t your parents been worried? I was gone for only four hours and my mom sent me over a hundred texts!” “Well I’m not like you, and maybe my parents don’t care about me as much so I think you should shut the hell up and stop telling me how to live my life!” C/N’s words echoed slightly in the small dressing room. Nobody said anything for a moment, and the air felt even more heavy than before. You could’ve heard a pin drop from the other end of the store and the air suddenly felt like it was charged with static. You immediately felt regretful, he was your crush, but you didn’t know anything beyond what happened at school. You shouldn’t have been so harsh with him in the first place. It was almost at the same moment that you felt regretful, you also noticed how close you were standing in front of C/N. His face was mere centimeters from yours, and his eyes were swirling with emotion. Even this close you couldn’t tell for sure what he was feeling. You could feel the heat radiating off of him, could smell his piny scent, even from where you were standing. You wanted so badly to dissolve into nothing from shame but at the same time you wanted to take this moment of anger and frustration and seal it with a white hot kiss. Suddenly he must have noticed the closeness too, and C/N jumped and turned, his back facing you. Without a word he began collecting his stuff, camera, trash, bottles, and throwing into his backpack. Where is he going? We’re stuck in here for the rest of the night. That’s when it truly sank in, with everything that came with this night so far, it all came crashing down. You could have taken this time and gotten closer to him, but instead, within maybe minutes, now he hated you. For seven hours you were going to be stuck with C/N, alone. This was going to be a bumpy ride.

[wordswithkittywitch]

Bilingual Dream

Last night I had a dream that was about half in French. The thing is, I don’t speak very good French. I barely speak French at all. Which was also true in my dream, but about half of the people in my dream spoke fluent French. So either there’s a part of my subconscious that’s much better at French than I am, or my brain used what French I do know and then filled in the rest with fluent-sounding gibberish and I couldn’t tell the difference, which I think is the more likely of the two.

Like many of my dreams, it was very visual, like a horror movie. Lots of beautiful settings and images and jut the barest plot stringing them together. Like a horror movie. It started with me doing some very basic urban exploration, which people who do not have anxiety and actually live in a city might call “going for a walk”. But for me, I was at the height of my “having my agoraphobia in check” and walking through mostly abandoned streets until I reached a gorgeous graveyard, which was completely without foot traffic. Just me, my camera, the peaceful dead, and a lot of beautiful statuary. I got the impression I’d been there once before but hadn’t had the chance to fully explore it. 

I seemed to have been in the first fenced-in part of the graveyard before, because I took several pictures of this sculpture of a sad woman, which was covered in ivy or some other climbing plant, and I remember thinking these pictures were coming out much better than the last one I took did. It was such a beautiful statue, I remember looking at her face for a long time, with her eyes downcast as if looking at the ivy coming up her in a sort of despairing acceptance, like she was in chains. There was a small stone gazebo next to her, one of those which is like half of a gazebo, almost shell-like.

I moved onto a more open part of the graveyard, less densely populated by gravestones. I had the impression I didn’t have the opportunity to go this deep in before. I kept taking pictures as I went, the sunlight was making the white flowers glow like the graveyard was full of fireflies, and I had just the right exposure on my camera to capture it. I remember I was feeling pleased with the quality of photographs I was taking. I moved onto the beach and started taking pictures of the house along the river. There was a line of old buildings all built up like building blocks stuck together with glue, with weathered facades that had clearly been there at least a century and taken a beating from being so close to the water. There were stores and homes stacked on top of each other, with laundry hanging out the windows on long lines like flags. Perpendicular to this line of buildings there was a built-over bridge, so covered in buildings it looked like a building itself. Kind of how I pictured old London bridge, but smaller. Like only the size of one or two houses, slightly more than a group of SCAdians might try to recreate old London Bridge at Pennsic, but not by much. So, of course, I was taking pictures of this as well. Behind me and to the right was some sort of fairway or boardwalk, because there were a lot of little game stalls and rides that didn’t really seem to be connected; and beyond them was a small, disused beach. It definitely looked like the off-season because the water was grey and cold like the water at home and it was so empty there wasn’t even enough litter for me to notice. I usually pick it up.

Two children, a girl and a boy came off of the mall walkway in front of the buildings where they were playing to watch me take pictures on the little beach. They were dressed in sort of a “French peasant in a 1930s photograph” style, and they were adorable. After they had been watching me for a while, I said hello, and the little girl said, “ ‘Allo.” meekly in a thick French accent, so I tried addressing them in my broken French. I’m not going to write everything that was said in French in French here, so just assume all conversations that take place in italics are taking place in French. “Hello, children.” “What are you doing?” “ I’m taking pictures because this place is so beautiful. Is that alright?” “Do you go everywhere with your camera?” “When I remember it. I was in the… uh, what’s the French word… where the dead are?” I pointed at the graveyard. “You were taking pictures in the graveyard? Isn’t that scary?” “Graveyard! That’s the word! I think graveyards are very beautiful and I like to explore them whenever I find a new one. I don’t live around here. Do you live here?” “We live in that house.” the little girl pointed out one of the buildings. “Do you take lots of pictures? Are they nice?” “Some of them are. Sometimes I can sell them to magazines, but the magazines don’t buy my pictures very often.” “Will you take a picture of us?” “If you like, but I can’t sell it to anyone without your parents’ written permission.” “Please take a picture of me and my brother.” “Alright. Take a step back, so you’re in the shadow and you’re in the light. That’s perfect. One more. Would you like to see?”

I chatted with the children in my bad French for several minutes, as they kept telling me what to take pictures of and I humoured them because they were adorable and their home was very beautiful. They took me back to their house, because I asked them to so I could tell their parents I was an artist and not a weirdo and ask the parents if they would like me to send them copies of the pictures of the children or just delete them. 

Their house was very charming, it all looked like a Ghibli movie, and there was such an assortment of people there who all looked related I wasn’t entirely sure who the parents were at first. I ended up assuming the friendliest woman, in her late thirties or early forties, was their mother because she was the one who told me she did want copies of the pictures of the children, and I could keep all the pictures I took but I could only sell the photos of adults who personally agreed to it, which was totally fair. I ended up taking a lot of portraits, these people had great, expressive faces and the thin light from the windows was lovely. There was an old woman who said she didn’t like me taking pictures, but kept asking me to take more photos of her, reviewing them, and asking me to take more photos because I hadn’t quite captured her. She was fun to talk to, but I don’t think she would have been if the other people weren’t being so much more friendly than she was.

I had some tea with them but didn’t stay for dinner. I walked home through the graveyard and past the fareway as the sun was setting. I came home, or at least to where my family was staying because it looked kind of like an extended stay hotel. My sister and mother were waiting for me, a bit worried because I took so long and didn’t call, and I told them about the nice family I met. I went for another walk the next morning, mostly staying in the graveyard this time, and came back in the afternoon. My mother said that someone from the family I had visited the other day had come by and they were very upset, but she was a little cagey as to why. I had the impression her French, not much better than mine, was up to the task of understanding someone who was that upset. Then the mother showed up with the little daughter, who needed to be guided by the hand because she had a hat over her shoulders. 

Far too far over her shoulders.

We let her inside, and my mother said, “It’s gotten even worse.” before the French mother took the hat off of her daughter, who no longer had a head. My mother explained that when she came by before, the daughter’s head was the size of an apple, and that she had given the girl one of my little loli hats, which was about to scale with her head because it appeared to cheer her up a little. The daughter seemed scared, but the sort of scared where you’re frozen up. It was a bit hard to tell, given as she didn’t have a head. The five of us, my mother and sister, the daughter, the mother, and I sat around the kitchen table with cups of tea trying to communicate, which was much more difficult now that everyone was scared. 

It seemed the grandmother was sure that the pictures I took. I asked if I needed to delete them, and the mother got even more terrified, saying that no matter what, that was exactly what I should not do. That if I deleted the pictures of the little girl, her head would be gone forever. One of the last things that was said stayed with me as I woke up. The mother took my hand and squeezed it, looking in my eyes far more kindly than I felt I deserved. “Tu as fait ça, mais ce n'est pas de ta faute, ma petite.” You did this, but it isn’t your fault, little one.

I hate people using diminutives with me, especially if I don’t know them well, but this woman was so scared and so kind I can’t get past how she addressed me. “Ce n'est pas de ta faute, ma petite.”

I woke up, and for a moment I was worried about the girl, but as I became more aware that it had been a dream I became annoyed that I had just seen this terrifying, fascinating, beautiful story play out and I have no idea how it’s resolved.