#they hit it off and hes flirting with her after a long night of carpentering

[mariatesstruther]

wait an au where maria was the waitress 👀👀👀🤠👀👀

We really don’t talk enough about how Tommy went to jail on Outbreak Day because he was defending his waitress like…… that’s hot

[girliemattitude]

— - Bed Chem - — M.S - —

A/N: Not that anyone cares but I’m finally back<3 A/N(2): This is my work, please don’t steal it!

Based on…

Y/n didn’t expect much from the influencer event in L.A.—just another night of mingling with familiar faces, making small talk, and showing up for the fans and posting for her Instagram wearing her new sheer black dress,but when her friend introduced her to Matt, everything shifted.

He was quieter than she expected, standing a bit away from the crowd with a mysterious air that drew her in immediately. His left arm was covered in tattoos, the ink stretching from his wrist up to his bicep, visible beneath the sleeve of his white jacket. It gave him a rugged edge that was striking, especially when paired with the intensity of his blue eyes. Y/n had seen Matt online, of course—he and his triplet brothers were the carrying YouTube with over 6.8 million subscribers. But up close, he was different. There was something deeper, more complex behind those eyes.

"Y/n, this is Matt," her friend said with a grin, nudging her forward. "I’m sure you’ve seen his videos."

Y/n offered him a smile, trying to keep it casual even as she felt a strange pull toward him. "Yeah, I’ve watched a few. You guys are hilarious."

Matt smiled back, but it was subtle, almost reserved. "Thanks. I’ve checked out your channel too. It’s great ."

His voice was smooth, laced with that Boston accent that gave his words an extra bit of charm. They talked for a few minutes—just the usual small talk, nothing too deep—but there was something about the way he looked at her, a quiet intensity that made her wonder what he wasn’t saying. It left her curious, intrigued, and maybe a little more interested than she wanted to admit.

After their brief conversation, they drifted apart at the party, but Y/n couldn’t shake him from her thoughts. There was something about Matt that stuck with her, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. So when she received a text from him later that night, she wasn’t surprised, but she couldn’t deny the flutter of excitement in her chest.

Their first real meet-up happened a few days later. It wasn’t anything elaborate—just a casual hangout at Matt’s place, away from the spotlight and the expectations that came with their online personas. Y/n arrived feeling a little nervous, unsure of what to expect. But when Matt opened the door, all her worries melted away.

He was laid-back, but there was an edge to him, a quiet intensity that made her heart race. They slipped easily into conversation, the kind that was light and flirty but hinted at something more beneath the surface. Matt was quieter in person, but he had a way of saying just the right thing to make her laugh or catch her off guard. And when they finally kissed, it was like a spark igniting between them—intense, undeniable, and electric.

From there, everything escalated quickly. They moved together with an urgency that neither of them had felt in a long time. Hands explored, breaths mingled, and the chemistry between them was so strong it left them both a little dizzy. It was the start of something they both knew they couldn’t walk away from, even if they didn’t want to label it.

Their nights together became a routine—flirting, teasing, and giving in to the physical attraction that seemed to consume them whenever they were in the same room. But it wasn’t just about the sex. Sure, the way Matt made her gasp, and squirm or when he turned her around and flipped her over hitting just the right places left her breathless every time, but there was more to it than that. It was the way he looked at her, like he could see right through the walls she kept up around herself. The way he talked to her, his voice low and sweet, even when he was whispering bad things or doing stuff that made her pulse race. It was intoxicating, and Y/n found herself getting lost in it more and more each time they were together.

But they kept it casual. They had to. Both of them were too focused on their careers, too aware of how a public relationship might complicate things, the last thing either of them wanted was to deal with the scrutiny of their fans or the pressure of making something official when neither of them was ready for that.

Despite their agreement to keep things casual, there were moments that made Y/n wonder if there was more to this than just physical attraction. Like when Matt went back to Boston to visit his family for a whole month. They kept in touch every day, their phone calls stretching late into the night, sometimes until Y/n could barely keep her eyes open. They talked about everything and nothing—deep conversations about life and dreams, and lighter ones filled with jokes and teasing.

And then there were the silences, those moments when neither of them spoke, but the connection between them felt almost tangible. Y/n found herself missing him more than she expected, longing for his touch, his presence, the way he made her feel alive.

When Matt finally came back to L.A., the moment they saw each other again, it was like a spark reignited between them. They didn’t even make it to the bedroom at first, too eager to feel each other again. Y/n barely had time to breathe before Matt was pinning her against a wall, his hands firm and sure as he pulled her down to meet his lips. He turned her around, pressing her against the wall, and everything just clicked into place—like they’d never been apart. The chemistry between them was undeniable, and they both knew it.

As they lay together afterward, tangled in sheets and each other, Y/n couldn’t help but think about how right it felt. But then she remembered their agreement, the reason they’d decided to keep things casual in the first place. They both had busy careers, lives that didn’t leave much room for anything serious. And there was the question of how their fans would react—neither of them wanted to deal with that kind of pressure.

So, they kept it casual. They had fun, flirted, and spent their nights together, but they didn’t talk about feelings. They didn’t admit that the connection between them was growing stronger, deeper. They didn’t say out loud what they both felt—that this was becoming more than just a casual fling. Because saying it would make it real, and that was something neither of them was ready to face.

Despite all their unspoken feelings, the casual nature of their relationship continued. Y/n told herself that it was better this way—simpler, less complicated. And yet, every time she was with Matt, she couldn’t help but feel that there was something more lingering beneath the surface.

It was in the way he looked at her, his gaze lingering just a little too long, his eyes softening in a way that made her heart skip a beat. It was in the way he always maintained eye contact while fucked her, doesn’t matter if it was rough and loud or slow and steady. There still was a tenderness in his actions that didn’t match the carefree nature of their arrangement.

Matt, too, found himself caught in this web of contradictions. He was used to being the quiet, mysterious one, the guy who kept things light and never got too attached. But with Y/n, things felt different. There was something about her that made him want to open up, to let her in, even though he knew they’d agreed to keep things simple but the more time they spent together, the harder it became to ignore the feelings growing between them. They didn’t talk about it, didn’t acknowledge it, but it was there in every touch, every glance, every moment they shared, and as much as they tried to keep things not complicated, there was no denying that their connection ran deeper than either of them wanted to admit. They had something special—something that went beyond just the physical. They had good bed chemistry, yes, but it was more than that. It was the way they fit together, the way they made each other feel alive.

But for now, they kept it fun, flirtatious, and unspoken. They weren’t ready to face what was growing between them, so they let themselves get lost in the thrill of the moment, in the intense connection that sparked every time they were together. And maybe that was enough—for now…

………..………………………………………………………………………………..……………

[lgbtpopcult]

The Lesbian Romance Novels we Loved in 2020

As a renowned chef, Gabriella Russo knows how to season a good dish. It’s her personal life that’s been too spicy for her liking. Ready to take a break from the rollercoaster of romance, Gabriella’s moved to Oregon to open Tangled, a restaurant on the grounds of Tangle Valley Vineyard. A good glass of wine and space to create is all she requires.

Ryan Jacks brings all the girls to the yard, or so it should say on her business card. She’s a skilled carpenter who’s been told more than once that she’s good with her hands. When Ryan takes a job building a new restaurant, her world comes to a halt. The sassy chef is sexy, insightful, and comes with the kind of smart mouth that has Ryan rethinking just about everything. But with Gabriella off the menu, what’s Ryan supposed to do?

By day, Holly Hudson’s a story editor for Wifetime Network. By night, she’s the writer for the network’s very cheesy, very straight holiday romance series―Christmas in Evermore. Holly took the job to accomplish exactly one thing: a gay Christmas movie. She’s been shot down before, but things start to look up when Meredith Drake unexpectedly moves into the network’s holiday division.

On the heels of a brief (but totally hot) fling, Holly and Meredith agree to keep things professional now that they’ll be working together. Especially since the network has a strict policy about workplace relationships. Instead, they vow to channel their passion into a pitch for the network’s first Christmas movie to feature two female leads.

In this contemporary romance, Holly and Meredith work to make the Yuletide gayer while discovering that happy endings aren’t only for the movies.

Ice meets fire in this opposites-attract lesbian romance, as layered, sassy, and smart as its characters.

Over one long night at a bar in Las Vegas, two powerful hotel executives meet, flirt, and challenge each other—having no clue they’re rivals after the same dream deal.

Brilliant ice queen Amelia Duxton is a hotel vice president who thrives on control, truth, and efficiency. She’s in no mood for love or the mess it brings. All she wants is to buy the coveted Mayfair Palace—a massive deal that could finally help her land the CEO job in her family’s hotel empire.

Fiery Kai Fisher is charming and chaotic and renowned for closing ambitious deals. Her sights are set on snatching the Mayfair Palace out from under the nose of her hated arch rivals, the Duxton family.

But when secrets emerge and everything starts to fall apart, how can either of the warring women win—especially when they’ve just met their match?

After a disastrous blind date, Darcy Lowell is desperate to stop her well-meaning brother from playing matchmaker ever again. Love—and the inevitable heartbreak—is the last thing she wants. So she fibs and says her latest set up was a success. Darcy doesn’t expect her lie to bite her in the ass.

Elle Jones, one of the astrologers behind the popular Twitter account Oh My Stars, dreams of finding her soul mate. But she knows it is most assuredly not Darcy... a no-nonsense stick-in-the-mud, who is way too analytical, punctual, and skeptical for someone as free-spirited as Elle. When Darcy’s brother—and Elle's new business partner—expresses how happy he is that they hit it off, Elle is baffled. Was Darcy on the same date? Because... awkward.

Darcy begs Elle to play along and she agrees to pretend they’re dating. But with a few conditions: Darcy must help Elle navigate her own overbearing family during the holidays and their arrangement expires on New Year’s Eve. The last thing they expect is to develop real feelings during a faux relationship. But maybe opposites can attract when true love is written in the stars?

Chatty, down to earth, Chelsea Roberts is cruising through life – successful career, great circle of friends, cute dog. Sure, her love life could use an intervention, but everything else is kind of perfect. That is until a new roommate blows in unexpectedly on New Year’s Day and turns everything upside down.

Doctor-to-be Lucy Walker.

Moody.

Conversation-killer.

Jerkette.

And the hottest woman in the universe.

Chelsea is beside herself and plots to get rid of her. While Lucy tries to avoid any type of interaction, even if it means crawling out the window.

Things spiral quickly, and it doesn’t take long until they get caught up in a series of tit-for-tat pranks and bad behavior trying to drive each other crazy.

Yet as time goes on, something begins to change. Chelsea slowly pulls back the layers of her roommate and discovers there may be more to her than she thought. Lucy seems to ‘hate’ her with less conviction, and the two women almost begin to enjoy hanging out.

Life soon forces these sworn enemies to work out the true extent of their feelings before one of them walks away.

Real Estate Agent Carmela Bravo’s life revolves around her career, focusing single-mindedly on pushing into the ultra rich island of Palm Beach as the ultimate challenge. When she crosses paths with brand-new Agent Rhiannon Rodriguez and losses a sale to her dirty tricks, Carmela would be happy never to see the girl again.

Unfortunately for Carmela, Rhiannon has wormed her way into her agency despite her objections. From the moment Rhiannon arrives, Carmela is proven right that the novice agent has no idea what she’s doing.

Tensions between the two reach a breaking point when Rhiannon weasels herself into the deal of Carmela’s lifetime. Forced to work together or give up her dream, Carmela agrees to list a Palm Beach estate with her.

As they work together, Rhiannon starts to see Carmela in a new light and her crush on the closed-off ice queen snowballs quickly. Can she make up for having gotten off on the wrong foot? With six months to sell the house, Rhiannon has work to do.

Cecily Yates should love her husband, but doesn’t. She should leave him, but hasn’t. Instead, she leads a safe life in Chicago and sees Willow Carmichael on the side. When Willow moves for a job opportunity in Las Vegas, their love affair comes to a screeching halt, leaving Cecily broken, guilty, and confused.

Francesca Lopez has everything she needs: family, friends, a great job, and glittery nonstop Las Vegas excitement. If she’d known her perfect life was going to be flipped upside down when none other than Willow Carmichael tore her way into it, she would’ve guarded her heart a little better.

While on a business trip in Las Vegas, Cecily meets Francesca by chance at a bar and they are inexplicably drawn to each other. What starts as friendship grows into more, beginning to heal Francesca’s heart and give Cecily the strength to be true to herself. But when they discover they have more in common than they think, the very person who bound them together may be the reason they’re ripped apart.

Natalie Silver is painfully single. But that doesn’t mean she’s up for being sent on a lesbian singles cruise by her pushy sister. Damn non-refundable tickets.

Still, it’s not all bad. At least she’s got an excuse to get away from work for a week. Away from pressure and long hours, not to mention her beautiful and popular boss, Eden Tyler. It’s not easy being around such a perfect human being, especially when your own imperfections feel so obvious. Natalie’s looking forward to the chance to step out of Eden’s shadow.

But there’s one problem. Eden is on the same cruise. Because her life isn’t quite as perfect as Natalie thinks. She’s struggling with finding love too. She can’t believe it when she finds herself sharing a singles cruise with her most intimidating employee, the smart and stoic Natalie.

Neither of them are happy about finding themselves pushed together on the cruise, certain they couldn’t possibly share common ground. But between the various dramas of the lesbian singletons aboard the boat, not to mention a few dramas of their own, they’re about to find out that they’re more alike than they could have dreamed. A hilarious and witty romantic comedy from the author of 'The Plus One', 'Just Married?' and 'Lost and Found'.

Charlie Stetko had a life to envy. A penthouse in Manhattan, a beautiful girlfriend, and a high-octane marketing career. Or so she thought. When her girlfriend sends her packing, Charlie ends up unemployed. Without a place to live or money of her own, she’s forced to do the one thing she vowed she never would: go back to Shaker Falls, Vermont. Back to her parents and back to the small town life—and the people—she left behind. Back to a part-time job in the new bakery in town.

Emma Grier thought Charlie was the love of her life until that uppity Manhattan entrepreneur swept Charlie off her feet. Charlie left everything in Shaker Falls behind, including Emma’s shattered heart. But Emma picked herself back up and now owns a popular restaurant in town. As for her love life? She doesn’t need one. Something else she doesn’t need? Charlie waltzing into her restaurant to sell her the bakery’s pie.

Lacey is the last person to be impressed by wealth and fame. Serious and stoic, she values hard work above all else. When she's hired as the home care worker to an injured celebrity, she couldn't care less about Zana's carefully constructed image. She only sees a rich, spoiled brat. Once Lacey and Zana learn to respect each other, they actually get along - and maybe more than that. Can Zana win over the one person who sees the real her?

[hawkinshellfire]

Right Where You Left Me

Chapter 4 - Betty 

But if I just showed up at your party

Would you have me?

Would you want me?

Would you tell me to go fuck myself

Or lead me to the garden?

Staggering down the long country road that leads back to his neighborhood, Hopper balls his fist and swings at the air. The world before him was blurry and he probably should have waited to sober up a bit before walking home, but he couldn’t bear to stand there and watch Joyce flirt with Lonnie and pretend she didn’t care that their friendship was falling apart. 

Watching her place her hands on someone, the gnawing feeling in his gut that he first felt at prom reappeared. It adds to his light-headedness and suddenly the world is rotating on a tilted axis and he doesn’t know up from down. He remembers the way he felt at prom, watching them together; he was ready to knock Lonnie out cold, and for what? Because Joyce was paying attention to him? Because she seemed to enjoy the way he held her close?

Since that night, he wondered what Lonnie whispered in her ear while they danced. He knows it’s ridiculous to concern himself, but he can’t help it. He was experiencing the feeling from prom all over again tonight, the pull towards Joyce and the desire to tell Lonnie to back off. But it wasn’t his place to defend Joyce and even under usual circumstances when he knew she considered him as one of her best friends, who was he to stand in the way of her happiness? Who was he to feel this way when he was the one who abandoned them for a relationship?

As he continues to walk on, he’s struck with a question that leaves him baffled. Who was he to Joyce - and who was Joyce to him?

Surely, she considered him a friend, but did she see him as something more? 

To him, she was everything. She was his best friend, his favourite smile and the smartest, most driven woman he knew. She was sunshine on a cloudy day even though she hid that side of her away from the rest of the world; he knew he was privileged to see beneath the façade she showed everyone else. He asks himself the question over and over as he walks, adding to his answer until he finds himself standing at the edge of his driveway. 

He asks himself one final time before heading inside, willing his subconscious drunk mind to give him the answers he’s so desperately seeking. 

Who was Joyce Horowitz to him?

Someone he couldn’t live without. 

As he fumbles for his house key, he realizes that while he left the party alone, there was a chance Joyce would leave with Lonnie. The thought darkens his chipper mood and he feels sick. He makes it to the washroom and turns on the shower. Stepping out of his party clothes, he lets the cold water wash away the smell of cheap beer and cigarettes. He pounds his fist against the wall and hangs his head beneath the water, allowing the cold droplets to sober him up. He tries to force all thoughts of Joyce from his mind, but it’s useless. She’s there, laughing at something one of her friends said, her hand grazing Lonnie’s shoulder. She’s alone at the library, sitting in the sunlight that streams through the window next to her favourite table, reading. She fills every crevice of his mind and it isn’t until he steps out of the shower to dry himself off that he realizes he hadn’t thought about Chrissy once tonight. Instead, he’d been focused on Joyce and the anger that spiked throughout his body when he saw her with him. 

Staring into the mirror, Hopper swallows hard. He wasn’t jealous, was he?

-------

Hopper had always considered himself to be a good person, but after the events of the past few weeks, he was beginning to wonder if that wasn’t true. The worst thing he’d ever done was what he did to Joyce. He replays their conversation over in his mind as he tries to fall asleep, wondering where he went wrong and if there was anything he could do to make things right. 

“Look Joyce....” He drags his hand through his hair and tries to begin his apology but his lungs are filling with water and he’s drowning. When he finally manages to force air into his lungs, and find his voice and he stutters. “I’ve realized that… you know … lately I’ve been a really shitty friend and I-”

His heart sinks when she raises her palm to stop him from continuing. Her faint laugh shatters him and leaves him feeling broken. “Save it, Hop,” she rolls her eyes. “You’ve made it pretty obvious that there are other things that are more important to you than our friendship. Spare me the pity speech and let’s both just move on with life.”

Pity was the last thing he felt towards her. Rage because of her stubbornness, anger with himself for letting things get this far and desire. The last one catches him off guard, but it’s rooted in the way she stands up for herself- he finds it attractive. 

“Joyce,” he calls after her. His voice carries and she stops immediately and turns to face him. 

“What?!” she exclaims. 

He doesn’t utter another word, instead he takes two long strides and closes the distance between them. His hands land on her hips and his lips come crashing down on hers as he hoists her onto the hood of his car. Initially shocked, she freezes against him but the moment her back makes contact with the metal of the car, she’s kissing him back. He’s faintly aware of the hollering behind them, but none if it matters. The way her heels drive his calves forward, his feet planted firmly on the ground between her legs, causes a low groan to roll off his tongue and he kisses her harder. 

She’s the first to break the kiss, pulling back so that she can place a trail of kisses along his jawline. He closes his eyes and savours each touch, the delicate flutter of her lips against his skin setting it ablaze. When she reaches his ear, she tugs on it with a smirk and leans forward to whisper in his ear. 

“Hop,” she breathes. “Take me home.”

Hopper jumps up and realizes he’s in bed and it was all just a dream. One hell of a dream, he thinks to himself. He leans back against his pillow, processing, when his eyes widen and it hits him.

Shit. He was jealous. 

.

.

“Whatcha’ doin?” Chrissy asks. She’s sprawled out her stomach on top of her pink comforter, her English textbook open in front of her. 

“Homework. Like you’re supposed to be doing,” Hopper reminds her with a smile. 

After a slow start to the morning and some contemplation over an extra coffee to help with his raging hangover, he headed over to Chrissy’s to spend the afternoon studying. Only, he realized after arriving that when she invited him over to study, she didn’t actually have any intention of getting school work done. 

Chrissy’s house was located in one of the nicer neighborhoods in Hawkins. A long street where all the trees were properly trimmed and there wasn’t a lawn with a blade of grass out of place. Her large white house, located on the street corner, stood proudly amongst the smaller ones along the road and always made Hopper feel small. Both of her parents were out for the day, meaning they had the house to themselves for the entire afternoon.

After insisting they work in her room; a room that was covered in more pink and lace than Hopper had ever seen, Chrissy quickly grows bored of her textbook and begins whining. 

“You invited me over to study, remember?” he smirks. 

It was no secret that Chrissy didn’t care for her grades, but unlike her, Hopper was hoping for a term of excellent grades so he could apply for football scholarships and get the hell out of this small town. While Chrissy was the one who filled his mind with ideas about leaving Hawkins, her parents were funding her escape plan and Hopper was going to have to work for his freedom. 

“I remember,” she replies, “I just think there are more fun things we could be doing.” She reaches over to where he’s perched with his back against the headboard of her bed and goes for the buckle on his belt. 

“Some of us need to ace their science test on Monday if they want to get out of this hell hole,” he reminds her. 

“Aren’t you glad I convinced you that there’s so much more to life than what this place has to offer?” 

Was he? Before dating her, he never considered moving away from Hawkins. His friends and family were here, there were plenty of good paying jobs, what more could there be? Now that they were together, people (particularly adults) always fawned over how great it was going to be when he and Chrissy made it out of Hawkins and started a life for themselves because they were, as it was so often put, perfect together. 

He tries to keep focused on the textbook page he’s reading, but his mind is racing. Nothing about this afternoon sat right with him. Chrissy hadn’t asked how the party was, even though he asked how her evening with her friends was, and he wondered if somehow she knew what he’d dreamt last night. 

“Earth to James,” she waves a hand in front of his face.

“What?”

“I said, aren't you glad I convinced you to get of this god awful town?”

“Oh, yeah.”

She slides closer to him and smirks up at him while reaching for and closing his textbook. He knows that every guy on his football team would be insanely jealous of the position he currently found himself in. Home alone with Chrissy Carpenter. Hell, he was sitting in bed with her while she tried to get his attention. He would be the envy of his classmates the moment he told this story, but something in him wishes he’d chosen to study at the library because he actually wants to do well on his test. 

“Why don’t you finish reading that later?” she smirks. She climbs into his lap and straddles him, her hands falling to his shoulders. 

“Then what would I do now?” he flirts. This was the part he was good at. The flirting, the teasing, what came after that. It was simple, mindless and a distraction from the chaotic storm going on in his mind. 

“I have some ideas,” she purrs, capturing his lips in a kiss. 

They tumble back onto the frilly pink covers and he doesn’t study another thing all afternoon. Before declaring he should head home for dinner, they lay side by side beneath the covers and his headache returns. He feels nothing. He’s laying next to her, their hands intertwined but he felt more in his dream about Joyce than he did just now with Chrissy. 

It was a good distraction, made him feel good for a few hours, but he admits inwardly that that’s all it was and that maybe he and Chrissy weren’t as perfect as everyone made them out to be. They’d slept together before today, and each time Hopper thought maybe he would feel something more. While it wasn’t bad, it wasn’t the way he knew it was supposed to be. 

He kisses Chrissy goodbye and packs up his book bag and promises to call her after dinner. On the way home, he blasts the music to distract him from any unnerving thoughts. He liked Chrissy. He really really did. But…. 

.

.

On Monday morning, Hopper and Benny decide to hit the gym and sneak in a workout before class. With the most important game of the season coming up, both were determined to impress potential scouts before their senior year. 

“Are you going tonight?” Benny asks between reps. 

“Going where?”

“Joyce’s party,” Benny states, confused. 

“Joyce is having a party?” Hopper stares blankly at Benny and sets his weights on the ground. “On a Monday?”

“You didn’t know? Shit, I thought I saw you two talking at the lake. You’re still not talking?”

“We’re talking,” Hopper mumbles. 

“You didn’t know about the party,” Benny points out. 

Tossing his arms up in frustration, Hopper groans and exhales a deep breath. “Joyce’s parents would never let her have a party, you must have misheard.”

‘I’m telling you man, she’s having a party. Her friend Josie told me at the diner yesterday. Anyways, I’m going to hit the showers. Let me know if you want to go tonight. I’d be down to check it out.” He pats Hopper on the shoulder and leaves him alone in the gym. 

In all the time he’d known Joyce, her parents never once went away. Not together. There were several occasions when her mother would go away for the weekend on business and Joyce’s father would fail to return home for a few days while she was gone, but they’d never announced they were going out of town together. 

Even if her parents had gone out of town in the past, Joyce hated most of the kids in their class she would never waste her energy on throwing a party. Whenever he convinced her to attend one with him, she always complained that she didn’t like anyone there and extended her empathy to the host who would, in her words, “be stuck cleaning up someone else’s mess.” 

And now she was going to be the one stuck cleaning up someone else’s mess. It didn’t make sense. Maybe that Josie girl wasn’t as good of an influence as he once thought. He does another set of push ups, biceps quivering with each dip but he pushes through and hits his goal of twenty-five. Once again, he finds his shower thoughts lingering on Joyce and he decides that he needs to rid himself of this uneasy feeling and sort out his emotions. He needed to know once and for all if what he was feeling was rooted in jealousy, and the best way to do that was to confront Joyce. Plus, going to her party would give him another chance to try and apologize. If he was lucky, maybe this time he could say the right thing and save their friendship from demise. 

She wasn’t exactly happy with him the last time they spoke, and he wonders what she’ll think about him showing up at her party. He knows her well enough to know that she’ll think he’s there to keep an eye on things; he’d always been protective of her, especially when it came to her home life. Aside from that, would she still be angry with him or would she be willing to hear out his apology and make amends? 

He decides the worst thing that could happen is that she refuses to speak to him, though he doubts that will be the case. Joyce was never one to walk away from confrontation, if anything, she thrived in situations that involved it. She hadn’t exactly invited him, but Benny made it seem like it was an open-invitation for the junior class and he was a member of that class. 

Joining Benny in their first period class, he claims his seat and turns to his teammate, “Alright, I’m in. Let’s go to the party.”

He completely forgets he has plans with Chrissy but when he mentions the party at lunch she folds her arms over her chest and tells him she doesn’t want to go to a party with a bunch of “younger kids.” Hopper conveniently leaves out the fact that it’s Joyce’s party and doesn’t push after she tells him she doesn’t care if he goes without her. She excuses herself early and Hopper tells Benny he’ll pick him up at 8 o’clock for the party. He catches a glimpse of Joyce from across the cafeteria and offers her a weak smile. She pretends she doesn’t see him and turns her back to him. 

.

.

Pulling into Joyce’s driveway, Hopper is hit with an unexpected wave of nostalgia. He’s immediately content with his decision to come; he missed her. The boys hop out of the truck and grab the pack of beer provided by Hopper’s father. They round the side of the house and Benny follows Hopper down the path leading to a gate into the yard. Joyce’s house, though small, had a massive backyard, complete with a massive rose garden maintained by her mother in the summer months and an old wood deck. 

The sound of the partygoers drifts up over the fence before Hopper has a chance to push open the gate. He and Benny enter the yard on the far side of the lawn and wave to a few classmates that are scattered across the yard. He immediately spots Joyce, wearing her typical dark leather jacket, leaning against one of the deck railings in the middle of the party. Her dark hair is parted and hanging loosely over her shoulders and she has a drink in her hand. She looks up and they lock eyes for a moment before he pulls away due to the unbearable tension passed in their silent conversation. 

“Damn, some party,” Benny swoons. He claps Hoppers back and takes the lead, weaving through the crowd. He settles at a patio table covered in drinks and places the case of beer down. 

Hopper immediately reaches for one of the cans and swiftly downs it to steady his nerves. He has no reason to be nervous. This was Joyce. The same Joyce who he once made laugh so hard her drinks came squirting out of her nose. He takes a deep breath and reminds himself that he’s here to right a wrong and sort out how he feels. 

He notices a blonde from their first period class named Helen making eyes at Benny and he shrugs in her direction. 

“Someone has an admirer,” he teases. 

Benny pops open a can and smirks at Hopper, “I’ll be back later. If I don’t come back, even better,” he winks. Hopper shakes his head and watches as Benny makes his way over to Helen. He says something that makes her laugh and Hopper knows just by the way they're looking at each other that he won’t be driving Benny home anytime soon. 

He busies himself by talking with a few of his teammates and finds himself polishing off his third beer while talking to Allen, a student who was in his fifth period class. Allen starts off by asking him about Chrissy, but Hopper only manages to mumble an excuse about her being busy and unable to make it to the party before he gets distracted watching Joyce with a few girls he doesn’t know. 

He vaguely registers Allen say something about how lucky he is to be dating someone like Chrissy, but the only sounds that really resonates in his ears is the sound of her laugh from across the party. To be polite, Hopper asks Allen about his own girlfriend, a redhead named Abigail who was also in their fifth period class. Allen’s words fall on dead ears as Hopper can’t help himself from watching, mesmerized by the sound of Joyce’s giggle. When she catches him staring, her smile fades into a scowl and he forces himself to look away. 

He’s pretending to be engaged in his conversation with Allen when she comes darting across the lawn and smacks his forearm, knocking him a step back and away from Allen. He stares at her with wide-eyes, amused, and lets her shove at him again. He hardly falters on the second swat to the chest, and he allows his amusement to show with a smirk. She only managed to move him the first time because he was caught off guard, but next to him she’s tiny and her gesture only manages to wound his ego. 

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” she screams at him. He’s convinced that the ways she’s staring at him may cause him to burst into flames, he’d never seen her so upset. 

“What’s wrong with me?!” he exclaims, “You’re the one who came over here swinging.”

A few people nearby turn their heads to observe the screaming match and Joyce blushes. She steps closer to him and lowers her voice before asking her next question. 

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“I’m at the party?” he plays dumb.

“You know what I mean!” she raises her voice again. 

“Just trying to enjoy the party,” he repeats. He raises his palms to show her he has no intention of fighting with her. 

“Alone?”

“I don’t know if you noticed, but I was talking to Allen before you rudely interrupted us.”

They both turn to where Allen was standing and discover he’s long gone. 

“Where’s your girlfriend tonight?” she says. He cringes at the way she says the word girlfriend. 

“Not here.” He doesn’t offer any further explanation. “Look Joyce. I need to talk to you.” 

“Because our last conversation went so well,” she laughs. There’s a strange look in her eyes that he can’t place and he presses on. 

“Joyce, I care about you and I’m worried. Throwing parties because your parents are away, talking to all these people when we both know you can’t stand most of them, ignoring me…”

“Ignoring you? I’m ignoring you?! That’s rich, Hop.”

“Is this because of Chrissy? Is that why you won’t listen to my apology?”

“Please, I don’t give a shit about Chrissy.”

“Then would you care to fill me in on what the hell is going on here? Because one second everything is fine and the next you can hardly look at me. I know I screwed up by bailing on you but I’ve been trying to tell you that I’m sorry.”

Joyce paces away from him, folds her arms and then paces back. “Do you have some type of alarm that goes off in your head when I’m happy?” 

“What?”

“You show up here, at MY party and insist that you care about me when really all you want to do is apologize so that you'll feel better about yourself. You know what, go fuck yourself!!”

She moves to turn and storm away but Hopper catches her wrist before she can and he stares down at her with pleading eyes. 

He tugs on her arm gently, and when she gives into his pull, he leads them away from the party and towards the dead rose garden along the side of the house. Reluctantly, she follows him, though she digs her heels in and gives him a hard time. 

“Hopper what the hell!” she protests, looking back in the direction of the party. “You can’t just drag me off and…”

He has her pinned to the wall on the side of the house before she can finish speaking. His body envelopes hers, his hands frame her face, planted firmly on the brick behind her ears and he leans down to eliminate their height difference and forcefully place his lips against hers. She stills when he first presses her up against the wall, but he notices she’s kissing him back almost instantly. He grinds into her, pressing her flush against the wall while he angles his head to deepen their kiss. She tastes like stale cigarettes and cherry chapstick and he’s certain he’s never felt so light-headed. The moment he brings his hand to cup her cheek, she pulls back and instead of experiencing the sensation brought on by the taste of her lips, he’s met with an open-palmed slap. 

“What the hell are you doing?!” she shoves him away from her and walks away from the wall. 

“Joyce, I-”

“You what?! Saw me having a good time and decided it would be fun to ruin it?”

“No, that’s not…”

“Not it? Hmm, let me see, got bored of Chrissy and thought why not drag me into the mess that is your love life?” 

He stuffs his hands into his pockets and rocks back on his heels. “I thought that maybe you wanted me to…”

“Why the hell would I want that?” 

“Don’t you…” the words fail him once again and he impatiently drags his hand through his hair. 

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence! You didn’t do that because you thought I wanted you too, and I think we both know that. Now,” she huffs, squaring up to him, “why did you do that?”

He wants to tell her, to say something, anything, but he can’t tell her how he feels because he isn’t sure himself. All he knows was that the feel of her lips against his has left him breathless in a way he didn’t know was possible and that he wants to kiss her again.  Instead of saying something, he awkwardly blushes and looks away. 

“Can’t say it? Figures,” she scoffs. “Get the hell off my property.” 

She storms back into the yard, leaving Hopper alone in the garden of dead roses. 

.

.

Unable to locate Benny, Hopper leaves the party almost immediately after Joyce abandons him in the garden. He’s not sure what came over him back there. Something about the way she was standing up to him, when she told him to go fuck himself, he found it attractive. 

The realization rattles him but no more than the revelation that arose after kissing her. Why did he kiss her? The short answer, he wanted to. More than anything, he wanted to know what it felt like to taste her lips. The more complicated answer was because he selfishly wanted to know if he was jealous watching her with Lonnie. He was. Incredibly fucking jealous. 

He didn’t regret kissing her, but he did regret the fallout it caused. Standing there, looking into her big brown eyes, he was certain Benny was right. The way Joyce asked about Chrissy told him she was jealous, and that meant what Benny said about her being interested in him had to be true, so he kissed her.

Don’t lie to yourself, he shakes his head. You kissing her had nothing to do with what you thought she wanted. It was selfish. You did it because you wanted to. You would do it again because you liked it. 

He went to her party so that he could sort out how he felt and all he managed to do was confuse himself further and make Joyce angrier with him. Kissing Joyce was better than he dreamed it would be. He felt that kiss in his toes. If Joyce hadn't stopped them, there’s no telling how far things would have gone. There was definitely something physical there. He runs his thumb over his lower lip, the ghost of her kiss haunting him. Definitely something there. 

But, did he want more? Joyce was attractive, he wasn’t blind and it was now clear that he was sexually attracted to her, but was there an emotional connection? - a romantic one? 

He’s half way through his walk back home (he decided he’d had one too many beers to drive) when a car horn blares from behind him. He turns back and spots Chrissy leaning out of the driver side window of her dad’s oldsmobile. 

“James, get in,” she smirks. Stopping the car, she waits until he climbs into the passenger seat before she continues down the road to his house. They don’t say much on the drive, Hopper too preoccupied with his own thoughts and Chrissy wondering why the hell he was walking home, but she wasn’t daring enough to ask. He doesn’t ask where she’s coming from, or comment on the irony of her timing, he just sits and lets the silence consume him. 

“Do you want to come in?” he mumbles when they arrive. 

“I’ve got to get my dad's car back. Tomorrow,” she smiles. She leans over the center console and places a kiss on his cheek. 

He waves and walks up to the front door. Once she’s out of sight, he lets out a deep breath. He had to laugh, what were the odds that Chrissy would be driving down Joyce’s street at the exact time he decides to leave it? It had to be a cruel trick of fate, someone punishing him for kissing Joyce when he was with Chrissy. 

Kissing Joyce. Jesus. He hardly has time to over analyze the awkward encounter with Chrissy in the car because his mind is still back in the rose garden. 

He feels more confused than when he left for the party. He rehearsed his stupid apology speech for hours, went over what would happen when she saw him at the party,  but none of the pre-planned scenarios in his head panned out. 

He heads to bed a mess of questions. What if he hadn’t showed up at Joyce’s party? What if he told her he missed having her in his life, because he did. If tonight taught him anything, it was that Joyce was one of the best things in his life. He would give anything to rewind and fix things. They would have gone to the party together and made fun of everyone who got drunk and did something stupid. They would ditch the crowd and pass cigarettes back and forth and he would steal a kiss when he drove her home. Except, that last step didn’t fit with his proposed rewind and he knows it’s too late to go back. 

Before he drifts off to sleep, he concludes that he doesn't know anything anymore. 

I don't know anything

But I know I miss you

[ikeservant]

hc: how do you think the main ikesen boys would react to mc’s time? like they’re all with her when the wormhole and get thrown back to her time?

Sorry for the long wait! I hope this is what you were asking for >__

Intro: No matter what it seemed inevitable that the wormhole was going to keep chasing mc and Sasuke to take them to the present day. Since both of these time travelers were near and dear to the Oda and Uesgi-Takeda warlords, they came to see them off. With tearful goodbyes, the wormhole would finally be at rest and stop causing destruction once it takes what it wants. Mc opened her eyes to find herself in the present day. However, she realized that there were eight too many people with her. The warlords, all confused, realized that they were sucked into the present day. Mc and Sasuke, after explaining that the warlords were 500 years in the future, devised an emergency meeting. They decided to all stay at Sasuke’s apartment and learn how to habituate to the future. So, how do the warlords fare?

Nobunaga: Intrigued and curious about everything. Is fascinated by automobiles. A lot of “this is very proficient. Let’s bring this back with us.” Likes to go on day trips with mc and the others to learn more about the area. Loves museums and will research everything. Adapts SUPER quickly.“Maybe I can conquer all of Japan AGAIN.” If he had to stay in the modern day for a long time, would most likely use his charisma and knowledge of currency and politics to either be a politician or CEO.

Hideyoshi: “So this is the country that Nobunaga will have founded.” Was a little freaked out and scared of the cars and busses whizzing by. “Be careful, Nobunaga and mc, these things could seriously kill someone.” (Boi, mc has been here longer than you. She knows how to use a crossroad. Thanks for caring though, bby). Loves going to modern cafes and trying all the teas and drinks. Wants to learn all the safety codes and rules of society to keep all of the warlords safe and get along. If he had to stay in the modern day long, he’d either be a police officer to protect others and upholding the law or be a hardworking manager that has to deal with everybody’s bullshit, drinks coffee like a madman, and kicks the copier when its spazzing out. “Back in my day we just rewrote everything.”

Ieyasu: Can use common sense for the most part to get by and stay safe, but will act like a grumpy old man dealing with change. Mc has fun with her payback from Ieyasu calling her naïve and foolish when she tried adapting to the Sengoku era, telling him now he knows what it feels like being sucked into another era. When y’all went to the drug store, he was intrigued with all of the medication and pain relief remedies. Will collect several medical textbooks and buy out all of Walgreen’s pharmacy department in hopes of being better at healing others when they return. He went to the zoo and was fascinated with all of the unique animals found worldwide. Won’t admit it but loved petting the goats and alpacas at the petting zoo (reminded him of Wasabi,who he secretly missed). Will sneak food to feed street cats and due to his medical knowledge he’d either be a veterinarian or a pharmacist if he had to be in the modern era for a long time. Likes some things about the present but is a little overwhelmed how loud and fast everything goes and sort of wishes to go back to the home that is the Sengoku.

Masamune: Put this man on a LEASH. He is running around everywhere, looking at everything. “I highly support the fashion choices of this era. Tank tops, mini skirts, and short shorts? HELL YA.” Mc is his guide to all of the foods in the area. Food trucks, dessert shops, restaurants will all be conquered by Masamune. Taking him to a grocery store for the first time was an absolute nightmare for Sasuke’s credit card. Loves how food is more readily available for people now than in the Sengoku era. Gets so much food. Also has two duffle bags stuffed with ramen packages for when he returns to the Sengoku era so his men can have a ready made meal. Went to an amusement park and LOVES roller coasters like the adrenaline junkie he is. He’s overall fascinated with all the fun experiences and exciting new things in the modern era. Would thrive as a chef at a restaurant who puts on a show with fire and knives while making the best food in town.

Mitsunari: Put this boi on a leash too. He’d be wandering around and getting lost in thought about how everything works. He’d be too busy thinking about how the mechanics of a car works that he would almost be hit BY a car. Is fascinated and wants to learn how everything works like Nobunaga. Both would love the museums. Mc gave him a laptop and boi is in LOVE with it. He spends several hours focusing on the laptop and researches everything. It’s like a mini library in his lap. Mc took him to the library and he now spends several hours looking through every book. Accidentally got hired as a librarian (the most beautiful librarian in Japan). Has to have a buddy to go out with or else he will get lost in thought and end up getting lost in general. Still love him though.

Mitsuhide: “Adapt. Improvise. Overcome.” Doesn’t take long for him to learn how to beat the system. Likes to tag along with mc and the others to go to different places just for the experience. Is glad that he doesn’t have to play spy for anybody anymore since all the warlords are in the same boat and he has more freedom to roam about (and cause trouble). Will use the excuse “well I didn’t know any better. I’m from the Sengoku.” for everything even though he’s already learned all the rules and customs just so he can get on Hideyoshi’s and mc’s nerves. Uses his cunningness and intelligence to be the best lawyer. Could also be a hella good detective. Had the best time in the magic trick and prank stores. They amuse him and finds it fun to freak out the other warlords in their apartment.

Kenshin: Almost Yeeted out of existence when he found out that swords are frowned upon to carry around in this time period. However he was brought back to stability when Sasuke and mc took him to a bar for the first time. Mc had to convince the police to not arrest Kenshin a few times when he threatened to kill some people and slashed a car tire for almost hitting him. (Kenshin violence is very frowned upon here.)Has a tough time adapting and getting along in modern society but he eventually finds a way. “Accidentally” becomes a gang leader in one night. Mc took him to a pet store and the entire pen of bunnies flocked to him. Guess who has a giant rabbit pen on the roof of the apartment? Kenshin.

Shingen: Also loves the new style. Man never thought he’d see the day that women would walk down the street with legs and arms showing. Also had to have mc bail him out from the police because of his flirting being misunderstood as him being a creep. Loves the bakery and sweets shops in the area. Yukimura is not happy having to do patdown checks to make sure Shingen isn’t sneaking sweets into the apartment. Loves the new carpentry methods and tools. Mc took him to Home Depot and he LOVED it. Would either be a sexy Home Depot worker and independent carpenter or be a hot bartender that is very popular with the female patrons.

Yukimura: Is confused by everything. Almost passed out when he realized they were 500 years in the future. “What the HELL is that thing” would be what he’d say while pointing with a scared look on his face. Mc and Sasuke thought it’d be a great idea to teach Yukimura about sports so he can have fun, release his pent up energy he would usually use for practice or battle training, and have a more positive outlook of the present day. Basketball and soccer being one of his favorites. Joins a local sports group and becomes team captain due to his previous war tactics being useful on the battlefield AND the court/soccer field and his leadership skills. Loves to go to athletic stores. Eventually becomes a coach, which he is both bashful and proud of. Could see him becoming a fireman since he’d want to save people and leap into action to save others like he did in the past as a Sengoku warlord.

[catachan-jungle-fighter]

John and the Council Meet...

John walks into the council tent,one side of his head wrapped in bloody gauze, and he pulls out his chair, a quite heavy duty hand carved chair that Third had traded with a carpenter for.

The rest of the council look at the mountainous man and say "Six, what exactly happened to you?"

He grimaces as he says "Lucky traitor with the Tau, he pulled a combat knife and managed to slash me across the face... didn't stop me from breaking his neck, but I can't see out of my left eye till the Medicae's, thanks for the loans Four, and Tiv and Riv finish arguing because the bastard managed to cut my eye as well... Tiv and Riv are arguing for a Bionic with the same deal Yarrick has but with a few 'enhancements' while the Medicae think I already got enough of the Bolt's tech in me and are trying to call a Biomancer in to heal me..." he shrugs before leaning back in his chair, the wooden seat creaking.

Four nods at John before turning to One and saying "One, the Meeting can begin..."

---

One looks out at the other five council members, Six was the only member of the council that was ever injured due to his 'if I can't do it I won't order my men to do it' ideal, Four was smitten with Six without the dullard of a man figuring it out, Three was a rat and a damn slippery bastard but he was their's, Two was a slightly sociopathic Armored commander that she was incredibly uncomfortable with her being near, and Five was just generally glaring at Four for flirting with Six even though the man was one of the most thick headed bastards she had ever met.

She coughs before saying "This meeting of the Mad Wolves Command Council is called to order, what do each of the Sections have to report before we move on to the Civilian and Espionage side?"

Two smiles slightly as he says in a muffled voice, his old rebreather strapped across his face "My Crews have managed to train another group of fresh recruits to run some of the 'Scrappers'* that we managed to get repaired. Plus with the addition of the supplies from the Forge World's in Six's area of influence we are getting some of the bigger toys in the arsenal back up and running."

One nods before checking off Two on the Section's list before turning to Three, the shady man almost reclining on his chair, and she says "Three? Your reports?"

Three coughs as he sits up and says " The Forgotten and Six's Outposts are keeping me and my men hip deep in reports and data we need to comb through before we can have any actionable intelligence... we could do with either some manpower increase from the recruits, or some Servitor's to separate the shit from the diamonds in the rough."

One nods as she says "I'll be approving the Manpower increase to your intelligence assets, if even one person isn't put towards sorting the intelligence then I will rip your spine out of your ass."

She checks off Three, not caring as the man blanched at her words, before turning and coughing at Four to get her attention. The scatterbrained woman turning and squeaking in surprise as she sees the rest of the Council looking at her.

"Oh! My busy little children have been working themselves to the bone keeping so many alive, we could do with some fresh hands so we may..." her eyes seem to focus and grow colder then ice as her voice becomes serious "... Show our 'guests' some proper welcoming implements... beyond that the sect of healers with the Sixth can do to be switched out due to the skills of them, managing to keep Six alive so Emperor damned long."

One nods before checking off Four, yet before she turned Five started speaking.

"Managed to take over several more Xeno vehicles, still haven't figured how to use the Tau shit without extensive testing and retrofitting... got a couple of Mincers* and Butcher's* ready and waiting... still trying to puzzle out some of the Dark Eldar shite, half of it is simple as frak to the point where I can give it to a kid, the other half I can barely frakking understand like the frakking shite that turns people into glass... what few Dark Eldar that survived Six's Arena Nights aren't too keen on us having the shite, so I'll have some of the Bolt's* looking into it."

She nods before handing Four a slip of paper for Five, the paper reading 'whoever presents this paper is under orders of the Council to deliever this to the Bolt's for study.'

---

John begins to speak as she turns to him "My lads have been seeding outposts every frakking where we move, Hive Worlds, Feral, you name it and I got men on it... lost a few of the Burial Guards on duty after that frakking Psycho bastard that is still on the loose hit the cemetery they were guarding... managed to clear out several hidden Chaos Cults with enough usages of Melta Charges and paying off the local Gangers to plant them for us with a very good reason to not fuck us over... got a hold of two more ships for the Hunt, but other then that I was boring."

---

One nods before saying "Dismissed! Council will next meet at the Fallen Peak, at Midnight." Each of the Councilors splits off through various openings in the tent, Four helping Six out so he didn't trip, and she stands up as her own men swarmed the tent and began to break the entire Council Meeting area down, wiping away any trace the Council was there...

---

Scrappers: Heavily Damaged or straight up destroyed vehicles that the Wolves scavenged, the nickname comes from the tendency to layer scrap metal over any holes in the armor of the vehicle.

Mincers and Butcher's: Mad Wolves nicknames for the Craftworld Eldar Weapons.

Bolt's: Counts as both a name for the Mad Wolves Engiseer's camp, and a part of the nickname of the Engiseer's themselves 'The Nut's and Bolt's club'.

[adventuresofdroop]

A new friend, an old enemy, and many pretzels.

Our adventurers awake in their rooms in the Stonehill Inn. It’s the day of the festival in Phandalin; people from all over the Sword Coast have heard the news of the rediscovery of Wave Echo Cave and the Forge of Spells and journeyed to town to see if they can get a piece of the action (or at least bask in some of the reflected glory).

Pushing through a very overcrowded dining room, they all make their way to the bar, except for Ander who saw Qelline Alderleaf and her son Carp and hurried off to greet them. They ordered breakfast from an overwhelmed but pleased Toblen.

It’s then that they noticed a newcomer entered the bar; a female tiefling warily made her way to the bar and tried to catch Toblen’s attention.

Daskan was particularly interested in this new arrival and introduced himself. It soon came to light that this bard, Sedoris Baltar (new player character, whose controller joined late in the original campaign and took over Droop to learn the ropes of the game at first), is very interested in history and was especially intrigued by the rediscovery of the Forge and wished to study it further. She also recently, in the course of her research, discovered a fragment of a map in a book.

Showing this to the party, it looks like this might be in some way connected to the map they found in Mormesk’s tome; they seem to share at least one or two symbols in common. While this is being examined, Sha’shi’ challenged Sedoris’ desire to join the party, wondering what she could possibly have to offer.

Invoking her Thaumaturgy, all of the lights in the bar dimmed then burned impossibly bright while the room began to shake.

Daskan, who was still holding up the map, noticed as this happened that there was an impression in one corner of the parchment. Closer inspection revealed that there was ink scraped away from that area of the map, but that if you hold it up to a light you can just make out the text, which appeared to be in an elvish script.

Daskan spotted Sister Garaele across the bar and hurried over with Ander (who rejoined the party after the Thaumaturgy drew his attention) to see if she could read the script. She verified it was indeed written in the Espruar script, but that the language was Deep Speech, which she did not understand. She also took this opportunity to follow up about their previous mission: Having reached the end of her ability to research this mystery, she enlisted Ander to deliver scrolls containing her findings to other Harper agents in the city of Neverwinter.

Returning to the group and sharing these developments, they beat a hasty retreat outside to enjoy the festival before deciding on where to go next.

They spent the rest of the morning playing various carnival games. Most party members won small wooden figures with minor enchantments to make them emit sounds or move slightly; Droop has a butterfly, Ser Winstrock a dog, Ander a cat, Daskan an owlbear, and Sha’shi’ a small snake.

At this point they ran into the Rockseeker brothers, who arrived a bit late for the festival. They presented the group with the papers to formalize their 10% stake in the mines. The party decided at this point to form a company to simplify this relationship, and thus Jango & Bonham Industries was born. Wishing to continue their professional arrangement, Gundren asks the group if they would travel to Neverwinter to bring word to their sisters at the family business and then arrange for supplies for the mine to begin to make it operational: lumber, tools, mining equipment, carpenters, and miners, as well as food until more permanent, local arrangements can be set up.

To this end he provided the group with a letter of credit allowing them to pay for these arrangements with Rockseeker funds, and a signet ring bearing the family seal. These were quickly pocketed by Ander as he saw the look in Winstrock’s eyes.

They then ran into the towmnaster, Harbin Wester, who overheard these arrangements. He suggested that their little company would be a wonderful addition to his plans for restoring Phandalin to its former glory. There are the two derelict properties previously occupied by the Redbrands which he would be happy to sell to the party, and also arrange for their restoration through his contacts with carpenters and stonecutters and the like.

After some intense haggling by Ser Winstrock (Sedoris lurking off at the fringe of the group secretly freaking out at how much gold was changing hands), they arranged to buy the decrepit Tresendar Manor (complete with its basement nothic), and shelled out the gold to have structural repairs begin immediately.

Returning to the festival, they hit up various merchant stalls, Ser Winstrock in particular in search of better armor. Sha’shi’ was unsuccessful in flirting with a dragonborn blacksmith at the armorer’s tent, but the rest of the team sold some of their jewels to some gnomes in their stall. Jambep and her partner (both in business and in life), Habkip, were happy to buy their trinkets, but also for the opportunity to hire the adventurers as guards for their wagon on the trip back to Neverwinter. 

(above: the party trying to parse this interaction at first)

They were reluctant to disclose the nature of the payment they were offering upon arrival, but were very nervous after having acquired some valuable treasure and a ton of gold during the festival. The party agreed to meet up with their wagon the following morning to depart.

Later, returning to the bar after a fun day at the festival, they overheard a gathering of locals who seemed agitated. It seems that some owlbears were raiding the larders at Edermath Orchard, and Daran was trying to stir up a mob to hunt them. Daskan, offended by this display of bloodlust for innocent creatures, stepped in to intercede. He offered to track the owlbears and see if he could use his druid skills to convince them to move on peacefully. Daran agreed, but still offered a bounty of 10 gp per owlbear head they brought back.

And so they staked out the orchard and, shortly after nightfall, saw a large owlbear stalking through the trees. Daskan approached it and used his spells to communicate. As he did so, however, he noticed a familiar pattern in its feathers and a large scar on one of its forearms. It seems this was the same owlbear the group had encountered previously and convinced to help attack the orc raiders!

It seems that he and his mate, along with a few other couples, had nested nearby and cannot move on until their eggs hatch and needed food. Daskan offered their assistance in relocating, saying the group could carry the eggs and help them gather materials to construct new nests nearer to Tresendar Manor and Alderleaf Farm. They would then arrange for regular food to be put out behind the farm so they did not need to forage for themselves or bother the residents of Phandalin.

The team split up, with Ander going back to town to notify the mob in the bar of the new arrangements. He then went on to Alderleaf Farm (since he was friendly with Qelline and Carp, his fellow halflings) and proposed the unusual business arrangement. A very lengthy discussion ensued regarding the amount of food necessary, what a balanced owlbear diet looked like, how long it would take until the eggs hatched, and how much all of this would cost.

(DM’S NOTE: seriously, we busted out calculators and had to research how much bears ate and the gestation period of owl eggs, etc…it took at least 20 minutes)

While he did this, the others successfully relocated the owlbear colony into the woods near the Manor.

The following morning, they finally departed Phandalin with the jewelers’ wagon. Almost immediately, an observant Sedoris noticed that they were being followed by a group trying to keep a discrete distance behind their wagon. But when Ser Winstrock started back to confront them, the group scattered to hide in the woods. Daskan decided to turn into a bear so he could lag behind the group and see if he might get the drop on them, but the group did not reappear that day. At night, however, the group of bandits attempted to break into the wagon. Ander was on watch and noticed this, raising the alarm. The startled bandits drew their weapons and the party attacked. Sha’shi’ immediately obliterated all but three of the bandits with a single fireball. The rest were dispatched quickly by Winstrock and Daskan, with the leader being subdued and tied up.

Questioning him to see if they were sent by someone or were part of a larger plot, Sha’shi’ may have gone a bit overboard with her intimidation and the weeping bandit was soon cowering in extremely soiled breeches. She made him strip naked and present his sword to Jambep and Habkip in apology, then forced him to depart into the dark with nothing.

The following day, they crested a hill only to see a stone giant blocking their path on the other side. This was the first opportunity for Daskan to try out his new ability to summon beasts, and he set two large brown bears on the giant as a distraction. This succeeded beyond all expectations and the giant was soon toppled.

Unfortunately that was not the end of the excitement. The following night they had to deal with a wandering troll, but the next day, as they got closer to the Neverwinter and Thundertree area, they looked up during their march to see their old foe Venomfang descending from the sky.

Ander immediately sprang into action to extract Jambep and Habkip from the wagon and get them as far away from the battle as possible. Yelling, “This is that asshole we told you about,” to a terrified Sedoris, the rest of the party was unfortunately caught in another sweep of Venomfang’s poison breath. Poor Droop once again fell, but the rest endured and rushed forward to surround the dragon when as he landed.

Daskan summoned bears once again to assist and distract, which was once again very successful. Sha’shi’ unleashed her fireball while the rest hacked away at close range, Ser Winstrock ironically attacking with the very axe he stole from Venomfang’s horde in Thundertree, which he drove into the dragon’s neck to end its life.

Some shaken gnomes were led back to the wagon by Ander only to witness Sha’shi’ tearing open the dragon’s torso to eat its still-warm heart. The entire party claimed various trophies like scales and teeth. Finally, they triumphantly resumed the last short leg of their journey and arrived at the south gate of Neverwinter, much to the alarm of the guards as these bloodsoaked folks asked to be granted entry.

Dropping off the jewelers at their shop, they finally revealed the group’s reward for their heroic services: two magic rings. One was given to Daskan to protect his mind from evil psychic forces, the other to Ser Winstrock to allow him to leap great distances and overcome the limitations of his small dwarf legs to more efficiently dive into the chaos of battle.

Continuing through the Blacklake District, they arrived in the large square containing the Rockseeker shop, as well as a temple of Moradin that the gate guard had told Winstrock was in this area and the House of a Thousand Faces. They decided to stop in with the Rockseekers immediately, and were welcomed into the shop by Kristrid and Artin.

They listened intently to the group’s recap of events and read the letter from their brothers. It seems they were unaware of the loss of Tharden and excused themselves, apparently overwhelmed with emotion. Upon returning, however, Sha’shi’ got a strange vibe from them, feeling they were a bit too eager to assist their brothers who they seemed to dislike so much (they had abandoned the family business to go off on what the rest of the clan viewed as a fool’s errand in search of a myth). Asking for a moment of privacy, the sisters agreed and retreated again to the back room (Ser Winstrock’s awkward flirtation attempts were unsuccessful).

Daskan immediately transformed into a rat and shimmied under the door to spy on the sisters in case they revealed anything of their intentions. This worked out perfectly, and he overheard their plans to usurp the mines from the brothers, reasoning that they belong to the family, fair compensation for their shirking their responsibilities for years. They also wanted to “get rid of” the adventurers at the first opportunity, though what exactly that meant was unclear. He quickly returned to the party to inform them just before the sisters returned.

Unfortunately, attempts to secure a supplemental contract from the sisters to ensure that the original contract from the brothers would be honored were rebuffed. Negotiations quickly broke down, and the sisters refused to return the list of supplies and such that the brothers had written (they assured everyone they would handle it).

The group chose to retreat and discuss these developments and attack anew in the morning. They crossed the square and entered the temple of Moradin, where they met the cleric Androsli Barreldigger. Winstrock seemed to perk up instantly and arranged that they would stay at the temple while they were in Neverwinter. They were shown to their rooms (Winstrock oblivious to obvious signals from Androsli…) and they arranged to post a watch in the hallway in case the sisters chose to “get rid of them” in the night.

The next morning, Winstrock did finally make a move over breakfast and it seemed he probably couldn’t count on a full long rest for any of the future nights spent at the temple.

They stopped off at the House of a Thousand Faces briefly to deliver Sister Garaele’s research to the agents there, the elven sister and brother Theryis and Toram (now it was Sedoris’ turn to perk up like Winstrock…). They were grateful for their service and reviewed their findings. Toram was intrigued by the mention of Tsernoth, whose name he had seen mentioned in his own research. It seems Tsernoth had attempted to seize power in Iraebor around the time that he acquired Bowgentle’s tome, but a party of adventurers drove him out and he was last known to be in the area of Triboar and Yartar. They would appreciate the party investigating things further if they end up in that area. Asking the elves if they were able to read the writing on their map, they only got a confirmation it is Deep Speech but they cannot understand it.

Finally returning to the Rockseeker sisters, the party decided to take a new approach: Giving Ander and Winstrock their letter of credit and signet ring, they sent Sedoris and Sha’shi’ in to negotiate, thinking perhaps the women could be more successful without the men around (especially Winstrock with his clumsy flirtations).

Daskan, meanwhile, again transformed into a rat and hid in Sedoris’ bag, intending to sneak off to the back room again and search for the list that had not been returned to them.

This approach was partially successful. Daskan did not find the list, but the women were indeed successful. At first they were not making any headway, but they changed tack midway and decided to intimidate and threaten them. Sedoris informed them that the men were out “shopping”. Without the list in hand, they would likely spend far more than they need to, since they had to guess at what was needed. Sha’shi’ used her magic to send a message to the men to “buy stuff” in front of them.

The sisters initially argued that they would simply refuse to pay when the bills came in, but were convinced that this would do significant damage to the reputation and credit of the Rockseeker organization. They finally broke down when faced with financial ruin and admitted their plot.

They promised to draw up the requested documentation and said they were in fact organizing the requested supplies and workers. The latter could be ready in a week, with the supplies taking about three weeks to purchase. It was decided the party would stay in the city until everything is ready, given their experience with giants and dragons and bandits on the way there.

Returning outside (Daskan coming via an alley where he could transform back), they were waved over by the guys who had some news: they received the “buy stuff” message as they were eating at the pretzel cart in the square and immediately bought the entire business! They want to move the cart (and its owner, Snyder Hanover) down to the shop they’ll be setting up in Tresendar Manor eventually.

They filled one another in on all of these developments and decided their next step was to secure their own independent lawyer to ensure the sisters didn’t try any shenanigans, then find some work to do while they wait for the workers and supplies are assembled for the trip back to Phandalin.

[pldonthestreetsrdminthesheets]

Utai Mitsumo - Character Profile

(Please note - I have used a fantasia to change Utai’s gender from female to male.  I get that some folks don’t like the use of fantasia within RP as it ‘doesn’t exist’ in the realm; however, it was used in this story as a major turning point.  Unless you knew Utai before the change, one would never know of Utai’s past - something he’d rather forget and move on from.  If you interact with him, and unless he trusts you, you’ll never know he grew up as a woman.  That being said his history is written as-is and will not be changed - it is merely there for information and not something he would openly discuss. Also, a good chunk of information was copy/pasted from the other character sheet...this one’s just an updated version and up to date as of 10/22/18.)

Basic Information

Full Name:  Utai Mitsumo (U’tai Mitsumo upon learning of his father’s existence) Nicknames: ’Tai, Daddy or Mommy (to his children), Koneko, Captain, Saran Main Job: Paladin Off-hand Job(s): Red Mage, Samurai, Black Mage, Astrologian, Dark Knight Third-hand Job: Bard (just used for hunting) Crafts/Hobbies: Weaver, Goldsmith, Alchemist, Carpenter Race: Miqo’te, Keeper of the Moon Gender: Male Age: 31 (eternally 30 - immortal) Nameday: 18th Sun of the 5th Umbral Moon Hair:  Ice Blue with white highlights Skin: Pale Eyes: Violet (left), Ice blue (right) Height: 5′3″ Weight: 130 lbs

Biographical

Place(s) of Residence: Shirogane  - Ward 15 Plot 60 (Malboro) Mist - Ward 3, Topmast Subdivision #25 (Malboro) Shirogane - Ward 15 Plot 31 (FC - Malboro) Shirogane - Ward 4, Kobai Goten Subdivision #83 (Balmung) Shirogane - Ward 2 Plot 51 (Balmung) Shirogane - Ward 8 Plot 8 (Shared - Balmung) Place of Birth: Unknown (grew up in Thornmarch)

Relatives: U’rhando Tia - Father (Seeker of the Sun.  Outcast of the U Tribe; however, the Nunh took mercy on him, and he stays to help where needed. Alive.) Mother - Deceased (Keeper of the Moon from The Shroud) Yra Ophelia - Daughter (First batch. Alive.) [Mother, Father: Hisoka Zoldyck] Damien Zamir - Son (First batch.  Alive.) [Mother, Father: Hisoka Zoldyck] Kireina Lily - Daughter (First batch. Alive.) [Mother, Father: Hisoka Zoldyck] Takeo Daichi - Son (Second batch. Alive.) [Father, Mother: Temperance Brennan] Xavier Kosuke - Son (Third batch. Alive.) [Father, Mother: Temperance Brennan] Arianna Sachi - Daughter (Third batch. Alive.) [Father, Mother: Temperance Brennan] Oktai - Son (Fourth batch. Alive.) [Mother, Father: Korekaze Arulaq] Taize - Son (Fourth batch. Alive.) [Mother, Father: Korekaze Arulaq] Enemies:  Coerthas heretics, Imperials Allies: Temperance Brennan - Ex-wife Xavier Roiyaru - Other half of his soul Korekaze Arulaq - Mate/fiance (his sun) Ken Dragon - One of his greatest friends T’sato Nunh - Childhood friend

Occupation: Captain within the Maelstrom - Squadron leader Patrolman - Sekiseigumi Craftsman and trader/buisness owner - Lone Wolves Ltd. Tradeskill: Getting into trouble, being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Specializes in swordsmanship and aether use.  Crafting wise, he is a specialist within weaving, alchemy, and goldsmithing currently as a main focus, however he can craft and make quite a few things due to having the need to do everything via his business.

Appearance: He’s quite short compared to other male miqo’te.  He has a scar across his right eye, a nick in his left ear from an old gunshot wound.  A cross-shaped scar is on his left cheek.  Purple markings are on both sides of his jawline - considerably a residual effect of going from female to male (that may also explain the light purple eye-shadow).  On his right side, trailing from his right wrist, up along his shoulder and curving down his back and over his right hip are gold runes - his ‘contract’ with Xavier (though he doesn’t share that it’s a contract, merely ‘tattoos’).  Holding many scars from previous battles, he has a large one across his torso, going from left shoulder to right hip with smaller lightning bolt shaped ones expanding from it.  Also missing his lower right leg - he has a magitek prosthetic that was built by his ex-wife.  New scars include three large claw marks along his back as well as multiple other small scars from hunting tigers with Korekaze’s clan.  Utai’s also rarely seen without his peach blossom earrings, pink cherry blossom corsage, and band of eternal passion. He also stands out by almost always wearing something dyed Lotus Pink.  He always wears his gloves that hold a ruby, sapphire, and diamond in the chain along the back of his hand - it keeps his outrageous aether in check.

Fashion of Choice:  Normal - Uraeus Coat (Lotus Pink), Royal Seneschal's Fingerless Gloves (Jet Black), Expeditioner’s Kecks (Jet Black), Dodore Boots (Jet Black) Crafting - Twinsilk Suspenders (Lotus Pink) Royal Seneschal's Fingerless Gloves (Jet Black), Expeditioner’s Kecks (Jet Black), Ironworks Boots of Crafting (Jet Black) Armors of Choice: PLD - Ala Mhigan Coat of Fending (Jet Black) or Skallic Coat of Fending (Jet Black), Royal Seneschal's Fingerless Gloves (Jet Black), Expeditioner’s Kecks (Jet Black), Dodore Boots (Jet Black) SAM - Ala Mhigan Jacket of Striking (Lotus Pink), Royal Seneschal's Fingerless Gloves (Jet Black), Expeditioner’s Kecks (Jet Black), Dodore Boots (Jet Black) RDM - Bloodhempen Chestwrap of Casting (Lotus Pink), Royal Seneschal's Fingerless Gloves (Jet Black), Expeditioner’s Kecks (Jet Black), Dodore Boots (Jet Black) AST - Uraeus Coat (Jet Black), Royal Seneschal's Fingerless Gloves (Jet Black), Expeditioner’s Kecks (Jet Black), Dodore Boots (Jet Black) DRK - High Allagan armor set [Replica] (Jet Black) BRD - Uraeus Coat (Lotus Pink), Royal Seneschal's Fingerless Gloves (Jet Black), Expeditioner’s Kecks (Jet Black), Dodore Boots (Jet Black) Weapons of Choice: PLD - Zantetsuken (Heroic Spirit Shield) SAM - Maliferous Moggle Mogtana RDM - Manipulative Moggle Mogfoil AST - Moonlit Moggle Moglobe DRK - Monstrous Moggle Mogsword BRD - Replica Allagan Composite Bow (Metalic Green) or Terpander Lux Mount of Choice: Mikaela (company chocobo), Ixion Pets: Serenity (Morpho), Minty (Fox kit) [ex-wife’s], Yuru (Byakko cub) [mate’s]

Special Abilities: He doesn’t need a long incantation to cast any of his spells. Shadow manipulation thanks to being a Dark Knight. He can see dark aether, his way of ‘seeing’ since he’s blind - he still has the color of his eyes, the pupils will shimmer/sparkle crimson as he tries to take in aether signatures.

History/Biography: When Utai was a child, just barely five, she had overheard her parents promising her to a neighboring tribe’s Nuhn.  They had wanted her aether abilities to benefit the two tribes, but refusing to follow the norm, she had run away in the night.  She had been deemed missing after weeks of searching for the Miqo’te child - truthfully presumed dead by her tribe.  Having found her way outside of Thornmarch, Utai had been curled up in a tight ball, her clothes tattered due to her travels, her running, and having been away for a week from her tribe, she was hardly moving.   A wandering moogle, returning to Thornmarch had spotted the child, concerned for her health.  Gathering the Moogle Guard, the moogles agreed to bring in the unconscious child and nurse her back to health, attempting to stay hidden from her.  Though with her strong aether, she could see them even with their attempt at hiding.   Whiskerwall, having noticed the child’s strong aether, suggested to the King that they teach her to use her aether properly.  With a bit of coaxing, the King allowed it, knowing from listening to Utai’s story that she didn’t recall where she had come from, though her torn clothes suggested she had traveled quite far.

At age ten, Utai had shown quite a bit of improvement in her aether manipulation, Pukla having been her mentor was quite impressed with her training, suggested that she travel to Limsa, wanting her to start reading and looking into other ways to manipulate her aether - summoning carbuncles, healing, anything that she could find.  Agreeing to traveling as long as she had one of the moogles join her, Utai made her way from the shroud to Limsa, certainly overwhelmed by the new, large city.  Visiting the Drowing Wench, she was nearly laughed out of tavern when she had been asked where her parents were and where she was from.  Who had ever heard of a Miqo’te raised by moogles?  Who even lived in Thornmarch?  Looking at her moogle companion, she was nearly in tears as no one but her had seen her companion.  Asked again where she was from, through tears and a stubborn face, she claimed Limsa, even if she knew it was a lie.   However, it worked, claimed as an orphan, and taken in by the Archanist guild, she was able to start studying her books, her moogle companion keeping a close eye on her.

Upon reaching eighteen, Utai had grown into a stubborn girl, strongest in her classes, and skilled in black magic, white magic, and astrology.  Returning to Thornmarch in secrecy, she was met eagerly by her family, Pukla as proud as could be to see that his star pupil had come so far.  Knowing she excelled in the dark arts, he presented her with her own Black Mage soulstone, something quite rare and precious.  She vowed to keep it close, knowing it’d keep her strong magic in check as in her studies she had learned that her aether could be quite dangerous.  Of course, she had received other stones from her proper mentors, this one was special because it had come from her family member.

When she hit twenty-four, she had met Hisoka, a tall, Au Ra bard, in one of her travels.  Of course, nearly setting him on fire a few times on accident, it was her terrible way of flirting with him, though instead figured they’d just manage to stay friends until a year later…and life was never the same again.

At twenty-six, things had considerably fallen apart.  From losing her Black Mage soulstone, having children, separating from her best friend, she had been picking up her pieces…however, things just never seemed to fall back into place. Later that year, she could feel herself dying, fighting a losing battle from what had happened to her.  She gave herself over to her darkness, allowing Xavier to consume her soul and complete the contract that was originally intended to be completed when she was first captured.  It resulted in her becoming blind; however, she is able to pick up aether signatures no problem - allowing her to ‘see’ her own way.  Not soon after, Utai had made the decision to change, finding a way to procure a concoction to change herself.  A few months later, she succeeded, became a male, and disappeared.

Returning to Eorzea at twenty-seven, Utai had returned to Thornmarch to retrieve his children, learning that his former mate had taken one, leaving him with his two little girls.  Upon a visit to Ul’dah, he did indeed end up running into his son who now holds his Black Mage soulstone and has confirmed that the former mate is indeed deceased.

Having lost all considerable contact with his friends - he’s been able to find peace and considerably restart his life.  Having opened up, he met his ex-wife, Temperance Brennan, had another set of kits and had opened up further to his current mate, Korekaze Arulaq.  Unfortunately, after a fall out, he separated from his wife and kits he had fathered - to watch them from a distance - and merely keep to himself and stay with his mate.  Utai tends to hide in Korekaze’s village having proven himself as well as having been figured out upon his new business of a Love Hotel on the top floor of his trading company, he ended up carrying his mate’s offspring with a new batch.  Though he is not wed, he again has grown his family.  Of course, he’s uncertain if he’ll ever marry again seeing as his luck has been absolutely horrid. (New information coming soon - time for another addition/rewrite!)

Personality

Alignment: Chaotic good Motivations: He’s always determined to do what is right, to take other peoples burdens to protect them.  He doesn’t want people upset, even if it harms him in the process. Disposition: Positive and usually smiling despite his own pain; plus with being stubborn, he’s a tough nut to crack even though a few can tell when he is lying. Outlook: It’s always positive…even if things look bleak.

Religion/Philosophy: He’s certainly not religious, though he does know there are guiding forces around, after all, with a strong aether, he’s been able to speak with Oschon and a few other deities.

Sexuality: Bisexual/Polyamorus (loyal to his mate)

Positive Personality Traits: Cheerful, smart, loveable, adorkable Negative Personality Traits: Stubborn like all hell, troublemaker Misc. Quirks: He does know one transformation spell, though he has only used it once when he had revealed that he was brought up by moogles.  If he gets mad, too drunk, or very heavily in the mood, his Limsan accent comes out - making people wonder if he was actually a pirate and not a moogle.  He also suffers from PTSD from being a POW in Ala Mhigo - not entirely a quirk, but an important piece of information nonetheless.

Affiliations

Free Company:  Lone Wolves Ltd. Free Company Rank:  Pack Leader Grand Company: Maelstrom Grand Company Rank: Captain Guild Affiliations: None Beast Tribe: Moogles Outside Affiliations: None

Interests

Likes: His family, friends, magic, moogles Dislikes: Heretics, moogle haters Favorite Foods: Kupo nuts, Knight’s bread, Deviled eggs, Persimmon Leaf Sushi Favorite Drinks: Firewater, any and all juices, hot chocolate, Spirit Wailer Favorite Colors: Jet Black, Lotus pink, Hunter Green Hobbies: Crafting, training

Playlist: My Blade as My Pride - Ichigo Kurosaki [Morita Masakazu] (I just like the sound of it...) [Ongoing theme] I Stand Alone - Godsmack (Been a long time theme of his...) [DRK Arc] Down with the Sickness - Disturbed (Besides the last...part of the song...this has been another long time theme of his.) [DRK Arc] The Game - Disturbed (We can see a trend, no?) [DRK Arc] Get off my Back - Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron (Oh...yeah...this so fits him.) [Ongoing theme] You Can’t Take Me - Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron (Another trend...see where this is goin’?) [Ongoing theme] Here I Am - Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron (The music from this movie is really fitting for him...) [Current theme] Nothing I’ve Ever Known - Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron (THIS...) [Ongoing theme] For Your Entertainment - Adam Lambert (Mah boi is a casanova and total playboy...did you expect anything less?) [Ongoing theme] Immortals - Fallout Boy (Another for liking the sound of it - probably a ‘fighting for what’s right’ type of thing.) [Ongoing theme] I’m Still Standing - Taron Egerton (Very much him...for all his hardships he’s gone through.) [Ongoing theme] Try Everything - Shakira (Yeah...this one still stays...) [Ongoing theme] Looking Through Your Eyes - LeAnn Rimes (He’s blind...this should be a given...go watch Quest for Camelot dammit - then you’ll understand. Though this was very much present when he was in a romantic mood.) [Ongoing theme]