#I like that little freak Baldr though

[scramble-crossing]

Being in the twewy fandom while knowing nothing about Kingdom Hearts is such a bizarre experience because no one you follow is ever just a casual kh fan. They're all in the fuckin trenches crawling out every two weeks to string together some of the most incomprehensible posts to ever grace mankind's dashboard like wtf is a Baldr. Stairs? There's some bald old man named Xanax or whatever the fuck and maybe he's kissable? Every now and again someone will make a post with a really heavy emotional tone like "Omg when Glup Shitto went darkheart and Scrimbly Jim had to nort him 😭😭" and then the image below it looks like it came from a gatchalife youtube sketch. I'm glad you're all having fun I just desperately wish I understood what you're talking about like even a little bit.

[a-twistedheartslonging]

Hiii, Harpy anon again.

I have more thoughts. Instead of making Idia a dog boy, I say we make him an insect. Mostly because there are some insects out there that just make sense for him. (Also because he kinda look like bug to me tbh)

For example, spiders. (Yes I know they aren't insects but they look insects and that's all that matters) Spiders specifically have a lot of significance in Greek mythology, so it would make sense for Idia (who is based off a Greek god) to have some kind of connection there. But also spiders tend to be solitary creatures, they don't live in groups and only come together during mating. And a lot of the time, during mating the males are killed by their female mates. Which..I feel like is why Idia would avoid Yuu like the plague. Because all he can think about near them is "Mate.Mate.Mate.Mate.MATE-" and he's scared if he tries anything he'll get killed immediately.

Now I don't know if we've talked about Ortho yet but I feel like he's a little robot bee. I know it doesn't really go with spider Idia but Robot bee Ortho would be so gosh darn cute. There was a study done on bee's that came to the conclusion that when bee's bump into eachother they make a little "Whoop" noise. IMAGINE BUMPING INTO BEE ORTHO AND HE JUST GOES "Whoop!"

AGSJSGAHSVSS

Ahem, sorry got carried away there for a sec. Bee's are also very protected of their hive and other bees in said hive, so I can't help but imagine if Yuu gets picked on Ortho immediately just pulls out the laser beams. Bee's can also smell fear. Giving bee Ortho this trait is like giving a toddler a glock and telling them to go do a crime. It is both horrifying and hilarious at the same time.

Robot Bee Boy.

BeeBot that makes cute noises when bumping into things.

So very cute. I don't have much to add to that except look at this cute bee butt.

Now...spooder Idia...

Did anyone else see Kar'niss from Baldr's Gate 3 and thought he was hella fine?

What kind of spider would he be? If he's one of the fluffy kinds I love the idea of his floof matching his hair. Would he have multiple eyes? Fangs on top of having those already pointy teethies?

Did you know an interesting thing that bee's and some spiders have in common his helping with pollinating plants?

Hmm drider's are usually big and people in general already don't like regular spiders very much. Poor Idia is just going to keep getting more reasons to not leave his room. 😔Oh Jeez Jamil would prob freak out seeing him.

Man, Idia and Azul have it bad. For females of both of their kind if they don't kill you after sex cuz doing the diddly works up an appetite, they might kill males that they simply rejected...or just because they got too close.

Another thing that both male octopuses and spiders have been shown to do to lower the risk is present their possible mate with food. Azul's an amazing cook with his own restaurant and Idia has a surplus of every kind of snack/junk food you can think of so at least they have that going.

Still, I would like to think that even if that happens with their kind in that world it's not nearly as bad or quite as common. Funny though to think of Idia screeching when he sees you and tossing a few bags of gummies and chips at you.

Also....to avoid getting eaten after sex some male spiders will actually tie the female up in his web and set her free after. Do with that info what you will.

Some spiders also do a mating dance, but you have a snowball's chance in hell of seeing him do that.

Still, it's just more things that get these types of nonhuman boys thinking that you the little would be the best choice when it comes to finding a mate. AMAB? Cool. AFAB? Well, human ones don't cannibalize so it's all good....well once the guys learned that they don't.

Plus, once he gets to actually know you and see how you're the least threatening thing in the school things will be easier.

Once he's comfortable around you get to see something amazing...

That he's a snarky little shit with so much sass. He's a weird combination of having issues with self-loathing while also having an ego.

One time you tried to bite him for mouthing off and he was legit scared for a sec but once he saw those little teeth of yours couldn't even make a scratch on the exoskeleton on his arm, he gets super freaking smug, and now he's even more of a shit when teasing you.

One of the cool things is that you can legit ride him places cuz he big spooder. It's too bad it rarely if ever happens with being a shut in.

He'll still let you sit on him like that when you guys are in his room.

A cool thing he can do is climb on walls and ceilings, does it often when trying to sneak to the vending machines on campus without being seen. He has unfortunately been seen once or twice though and it scared the hell out of the poor student to see a giant freaking spider on the ceiling and almost made Idia drop his snacks.

His webs are pretty and glowy, he kind of has them around his room set up like fairy light.

Weird fact, spiders can taste with their feet.

Cute fact, some spiders will keep a frog as a pet. Frog helps keep the spider's eggs from getting eaten and the spider protects the frog from other things.

I'm kind of picturing Idia as the spider and you as the frog. You are his emotional support human that he keeps close when he has to leave his lair.

He unintentionally gives you scary dog privileges.

Imagine working your shift at Twisted McDonald and a little human comes up to you with this big-ass sharp-toothed spider dude behind them, you are scared out of your mind but then the human says "Excuse me, he asked for no pickles."

[godsofhumanity]

Top not trusting you with drinks and top i trust you with my drink :)

Egyptian pantheon edition GO!!!!

i love you forever for sending me an ask about the egyptian kids ❤️

TRUST: Ra, Atum, Ptah, Set, Hathor, Osiris, Nephthys

DON’T TRUST: Horus, Isis, Anubis, Sobek, Apep

here's my reasoning:

Ra: everyone's favourite grandpa. he'd be recommending drinks, and he'd be like, "my child, the Sun shall incinerate the one who tampers with your drink" or some shit like that hee hee

Atum + Ptah: similar vein to Ra, i just think they'd be nice.

Set: unless you seriously pissed Set off, he's not going to be poisoning your drink- if he wants to kill you, he'll just gut you with his sword like a normal person (unless u r Horus). would he spike your drink? also no. i don't think Set needs to resort to such drastic measures to get with someone.

Hathor: kind-hearted lady, she would 100% protect your drink and also recommend u other drinks on the menu to try :))

Osiris: the baldr of the egyptian pantheon to me. i don't need to explain this further.

Nephthys: she is watching out for you, not zealously like Hathor, but she'll keep it from being tampered with.

Horus: i don't think Horus would spike your drink, but he would put tabasco sauce or something gross in ur drink just for the shits and giggles.

Isis: if she needed something from you, she wouldn't hesitate to poison you. girl literally poisoned freaking Ra, she's not gonna hesitate to poison a little mortal, though i don't think she'd kill u- she'd give u the antidote once she got what she needed.

Anubis: he would be like "yeah, i'll watch out for ur drink", and then forget about it

Sobek: would drink my drink

Apep: the only one who actually seriously u shouldn't trust because he's evilllllllll and he WILL poison ur drink without reason.

[star-does-a-thing]

HELLO THERE STRANGER I HAVE A KHDR AU

GLORIFIED HEART HOTEL WITH XEHANORT (please help him)

haha Bounded Hearts AU

BASICALLY everyone's heart is stuck with him. How? Explained in some other post I may or may not do! Also Eraqus' too. He's not dead but got put into a coma and his heart basically popped out WHEEZE

Now Xehanort is juggling all these hearts trying to figure out what to do as well how to get his bestie's heart back into his own body.

FUNNI EXTRA THINGS:

-To be "bound", it means that you/the heart cannot pass on due to something or someone keeping you in place there. To free the heart, that thing must be destroyed. For obvious reasons, Xehanort is trying to find a way how to get them all out without dying.

-As shown in the doodles, the hearts can materialize out of Xeha's body, and they can also project themselves as well if wanted to, looking like how they looked like with the added details of their deaths (ex. Vor would have a slash wound across her chest). Only Xehanort can see them, though if they wish to they can also appear to other people.

-Via projections, they can assist in battle!..Though, that's not the only way. Semi possession go brrr! With semi-possesion, Xehanort is given a boost, being granted their abilities and some of their traits, similar to something in Shaman King! Xehanort is still the one in control though, but personality might change a tad bit. Full Possessions also can occur, where Xehanort is no longer in control of his body, someone else is driving! When there's a possession, Xehanort's eyes become the color of the possessor's and glow! Sometimes during a possession, both personalities can suddenly be mixed and matched entirely,,which is troublesome when it does happen. Full Possessions can also occur if Xehanort is knocked unconscious (usually in stressfull situations, like a battle), someone is randomly thrown into control. When a possession is forceful or wreckless, it can strain or even damage Xehanort's heart.

-They can also possess nearby inanimate objects (like a stuffed animal) for a limited amount of time as well!

-When Baldr was killed, it made some of his darkness go away, so he's semi-sane and not murderous all the time, his clarity given back to him when the darkness was driven out. Haha, depresso expresso kid who regrets everything go brrr!

-Vala holds a very huge grudge and attacks Baldr for literally anything. Like he can accidentally knock a book off a shelf and she'll blow up on him on how he's a huge mistake and should be discarded and what not.

-Hoder does not like what Vala does at all and defends her little brother.

-this is chaos and everyone is freaking out the majority of the time

-yes, this is a semi-crack AU

[oneshortdamnfuse]

Re: Jörmungandr's origins and Ragnarok's (Netflix) interpretation of it.

TW: I don't know, but if parasites and/or the idea of a cisgender, intersex, and/or non-binary man giving birth freaks you out then don't read I guess?

I think how Loki's children came about is really up to interpretation and that's really why we have so many variations of their origins across pop culture. That said... as weird as it may be to people, I don't think it's necessarily off for "Loki" to "give birth" to the world serpent in Ragnarok (Netflix). The way they did it may be a bit over the top, but at least it made some in-universe sense.

It's not the only piece of media to make Loki the "mother" of Jörmungandr. "Loki" is also prophesied to "give birth" to the world serpent in God of War 4 (videogame), bringing about Ragnarok. Or, at least that's what it looks like. An etching on the wall shows a snake-like figure coming out of "Loki's" mouth, and "Loki" already has an established close-ness to the existing world serpent in game. Time will tell what they intend to do with that in God of War: Ragnarok.

Marvel acknowledges that Loki has given birth before in multiple comics, but they generally avoid explicit origins for Hel(a), Fenrir, and Jörmungandr. In Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers, Baldr says he has seen a world in which Loki birthed Sleipnir. (Other than that, we have a scene wherein Odin mocks Loki for 'turning into' a woman, sleeping with men, and giving birth to their children). That's about as far as they go with acknowledging that Loki is capable of doing this.

Sleipnir's birth is hard to deny - Loki was transformed into a mare. He was chased down by Svaðilfari, a stallion. People really don't question that their mating would result in the female horse giving birth to a foal. So, you'll see less variation in this tale. (Although acknowledging it in one comic, Sleipnir's origins are largely ignored in Marvel canon. He's just Odin's noble steed)

...but Hel, Fenrir, and Jörmungandr's births are more controversial because little is known about their "mother(s)." I mean, it is written that Loki "got" these three by Angrboða. We know nothing about her other than she was a Jotun whose name denotes grief and suffering. Yet, we have another tale in which Loki eats the heart of Gullveig - another Jotun woman said to be evil, and from that he gives birth to monsters. She dies three times. Loki also has three monstrous children associated with Ragnarok. See what I'm getting at?

Some have theorized that Gullveig and Angrboða are the same Jotun woman, and that Loki gave birth (by magic) to these monsters. Some believe they're different, that Angrboða gave birth to the monsters, and that Loki gave birth to different monsters after eating Gullveig's heart. Given the little information we have in writing about them, and the way the myths have been interpreted especially after Christian contact... it's hard to say what "the truth" really is...

No matter the tale, though, the way in which any of Loki's children came about is far from "traditional." No matter who birthed them, Loki is the parent of the three monsters meant to bring about Ragnarok. The mis(treatment) of them by the gods plays a big part in this, so as weird as it may seem to people watching the show it would make little sense to leave them out completely. It's simply easier to introduce Jörmungandr compared to the others.

All of that is to say this:

In Ragnarok (Netflix), "Loki" does eat a heart - not belonging to a witch, but it is a heart. Tapeworms can infect people who eat undercooked meat (...like a heart) from an infected animal (like a reindeer.) It's actually ingenious and makes perfect sense for "Loki" to get infected with a tapeworm, and it somewhat lines up with the myths depending on your interpretation!

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

[prettycottonmouthlamia]

Gotterdammerung Thoughts

I’m going to pen down my thoughts on LB2. Be warned this is likely to be long and its going to be very spoilery. 

I think this was a pretty fine Lostbelt. It wasn’t amazing by any means, but I do think the story was done well. Part of what kept me from 100% appreciating the story is already knowing a few of the big twists: the first being that Surtr is involved in the Lostbelt and second being that Ophelia dies. I couldn’t really help that since I played this LB on JP, and even though I can’t read Japanese very well, the CG and the Surtr fights make it pretty clear. 

I really enjoyed the twist that Ophelia’s true Lostbelt Servant was Surtr, and that it was connected to her Mystic Eyes. It did solve a longstanding question I had about the Lostbelt: “How exactly did Surtr become involved? How is he a part of Sigurd?” 

I think if I had any major criticism, it’s that Napoleon can be a little much at times. I don’t really think he’s a bad person, just very uncomfortably forward at times but it really does seem like his actions are motivated by a sense of wanting to do right. It’s more an annoyance than anything else because some parts of his dialogue were genuinely uncomfortable to read, but I don’t think it ruined his character. 

Sigurd & Brynhildr along with the Valkyrie sisters really were the highlight of this chapter. The former are just adorable together and the latter are tragic. It hurt seeing Thrud and Hildr commit suicide, to see Ortlinde stand there not being truly able to understand why they did that, and to see the pain it caused Byrnhildr. 

Sigurd is a good partner. Even when his girlfriend is driven to murder him he’s like “Well I won’t die, and I’ll just love and cherish and accept you”. Need me a freak like that. 

I feel like any discussion on LB2 should go over a couple of controversial points:

Do I think the discussion of “We have to have kids at 15 or we die” was inappropriate?: The answer to that is no. I will give it was never explicitly condemned, although I believe there is a line by Mash talking about how its a shame kids aren’t given the time to grow up, but it’s pretty clear from the framing that this isn’t a good thing. It’s not fetishized or taken lightly really. The character designs are a really good indication of this! Nobody is sexualized and they really don’t dwell on this point too much beyond Goredolf’s and Mash’s horror that Gerda doesn’t seem anything wrong with her lot in life. 

I don’t think that lacking that explicit disapproval somehow makes it implicit approval. It’s all about framing. 

Do I think the justification for Scathach-Skadi’s population control is poor?: No, absolutely not. I’m only addressing this because this one complain particularly annoyed me because it was argued in complete bad faith. We need to talk about two things: the first being who Skadi is and the second being who Surtr is. 

Skadi is the Goddess of a number of things, but the most relevant here is winter She’s not a goddess of fertility or harvest, or summer. Winter is inherently antithetical to crop growing. Just as I think it would be unfair for us to expect Ereshkigal to somehow lead the world back to agricultural healthiness, we really shouldn’t expect Skadi to be able to do that well. It’s worth noting that in the Ragnarok myth that we know of, it’s not Skadi who leads the remaining two humans, but its Baldr who notably is a God of summer, along with light and purity. All good things to have when repairing a world destroyed by Surtr. 

Surtr is notable for being on the arguably strongest beings in Norse Mythology. He’s the final hour of Ragnarok. He kills the God Freyr (to my recollection, the head Vanir God, although I might be mistaken) and he completely destroys the world. In Fate, since it’s trying to balance multiple mythologies, his role was redefined to ending the Age of Gods in the Norse world. There are a couple of really notable things that Surtr has inherently: the first is that his sword, Leagjarn Loptr, was a sword forged by the planet, which puts it in the same category as Excalibur and probably other weapons like Rhongomyniad, and its notably a sword of destruction. This means its really, really good at what it does! Just as Excalibur is really good at guaranteeing victory and defending the planet! 

He also burns away an entire layer of reality which is a pretty big deal in the Nasuverse. It’s why its speculated there is so little evidence of Ragnarok: there just isn’t any left. In the Lostbelt, he decides to do our version of his job, which is to destroy the world. It’s important to note there is a lot of language in LB2 that does a good job describing what he’s like. He’s called “a destruction God”, he’s compared to the incineration of Humanity, with it being noted he’s only different in respect that he can only burn away the present, and he’s compared to the bleaching of the Earth. Surtr being able to destroy the planet because of his connection to the tree isn’t just for show. Surtr is stronger in the Lostbelt than he is in Panhuman history thanks to absorbing Fenrir’s Authority. 

He’s equivalent to a violent volcanic eruption, but here’s the thing with volcanoes. The soil they often leave behind is rich in nutrients, but it also wouldn’t be arable if it wasn’t for life. A lot of plant life is specifically adapted to taking advantage of this. But Surtr is more like a giant asteroid, because he leaves nothing left. His sword is much, much hotter than a volcano, which means its going to burn away everything. Plants, animals, the life in the soil, everything. Surtr damaged the world so much that its barely capable of sustaining life. He’s not meant to do this: it is specifically for this reason that this is a Lostbelt. 

Is it really surprising then that Skadi isn’t able to recover the world, having to keep the magical energy up for wards, giant control, her envoys, in just 3000 years? No, not really. End rant. 

LB2 was a really entertaining story, although the little felt a little slow. The story really picks up once Napoleon comes along, which is good and kept me interested. .

Maybe an 8/10? 7.75? I dunno numbers are stupid lmao

[chenle-dressed-in-black]

baldrs, neos, and kangs~     pt. 3

     Hello, everyone! This is my NCT mafia au that I’m having very much fun writing. I hope guys enjoy it as much as I do~

m.list

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warnings: language (not v bad), mentions of violence

word count: 1.4k

     “Stay with her,” Gwen tells a silent Sicheng, before pulling Hyeyoung out of the room. She sees his little nod and closes the door. “Where can we talk?” 

     Hyeyoung considers her cousin’s request for a second, then urges her toward a spare bedroom. There’s only one glass wall. “It was your job to protect her.” 

     Taking a seat in a low leather chair, Gwen eyes the smaller girl intently. “Tell me how you found her today.” 

     “That’s what you care about?” She shoves her wispy brown bangs out of her face. “I told you to keep her safe; I trusted you. If I’d been the one looking after her, this never would’ve happened. Sooyoung never would’ve dated that stupid ex-boyfriend of hers in the first place! And she absolutely wouldn’t be this torn apart by his getaway. Now she’s stringing multiple guys along, probably just to make herself feel better about it—that’s clearly not working, because she’s still having break downs! Gwendolyn, you were supposed to look after her . . . .”

     “Sooyoung isn’t seeing anyone.” Her tone is even, unbothered—only inquisitive. “What gave you that idea?”

     “The boys who came here today.”

     Gwen lets out a relaxed laugh, throwing her head back. “Sicheng? They’re not an item.” 

     She points toward the hall. “Is he the one with her now? Then who was here earlier?”

     “I’d like to know that myself,” replies Gwen. “Still waiting for you to explain how you ran into her.” 

     “Coincidence. I was downtown, near your place, when I saw her having a panic attack. There was a boy with her, and he helped me get her here—he said his name was Mark.”

     “I don’t know a Mark,” says Gwen, who’s struggling to keep her facade intact. “It’s strange that Sooyoung wouldn’t tell me.”

     Hyeyoung crosses her arms. “Maybe she doesn’t tell you about her relationships, given your track record.” 

     “Listen, bitch.” She’s standing now; she towers over the brunette. “Don’t make jabs at me because you’re insecure about the fact that your sister hates you. That’s not my fault.” 

     Outside the white door, Sicheng clears his throat. “Sooyoung’s awake and thirsty. I don’t think I could find your kitchen if I tried.” 

     Hyeyoung plasters a one-dimensional smile on her furious face, opening the door. “If you go that way, you’ll find the back stairs, which lead to the kitchen.” 

     He dips his head. “Thanks.” 

     When he disappears down the hallway, Hyeyoung faces Gwen, whose face is back to being above it all. Hyeyoung points a loathing finger at her. “This isn’t over.” 

     With that, she walks out. Gwen rolls her eyes, but is more confused than before. Who is Mark? What the hell really happened to Sooyoung? She has a weird feeling in her chest, and for once she has to agree with Hyeyoung: maybe this isn’t over. 

                                 ~~~~

     Even in her sleep, Sooyoung managed to look stressed. That was also Sicheng could think about until she woke up, blinking around the room in horror. As he comes down the back stairs, he can’t stop thinking about the fear in her eyes when she recognized her bedroom. He rushed to console her. 

     “You’re safe,” he said quickly. “I’m here and so’s Gwen.” 

     The kitchen fits in with the rest of the house—gray concrete and stainless steel. There’s a butler’s pantry cleverly hidden in a secluded nook. Sicheng locates a water pitcher in the fridge and sets in on one of the massive counter tops. Reluctantly, he starts opening the overhead cabinets in hopes of finding a glass. 

     “Can you believe they just told Gwendolyn?” whisper-shouts a woman from the butler’s pantry. Sicheng pauses his search, listening in. “Openly?”

     “She’s bound to find out eventually,” says a male voice. “It’s better that they’re the ones who tell her. Besides, our niece is a valuable asset to our cause.” 

     “We only told Hyeyoung because she is too bright not to put the pieces together on her own. And she’s the most promising Crown Head we have.”

     The male scoffs. “Of course we told her; she’s just like us. Sooyoung is soft and Gwendolyn is reckless, at best. Hyeyoung is cold—that’s exactly the kind of person we’ll need. The Baldrs are not like those Neo boys; they don’t play games and steal money from politicians. They cut off fingers and tongues and demand ransoms.”

     “What if Sooyoung already knows? Do you think that’s why she moved out?” 

     “Darling,” says the male. “It’s normal for kids to want to move out. She’s an adult now, after all. In college.” 

     “She’s barely nineteen. Before this year, she always said that she’d stay until medical school.”

     Sicheng clears his throat, but not for the first time today. “Excuse me. Where do you keep your glasses?”

     The woman, presumably Sooyoung’s mother, steps out of the pantry. She points. “In there.” 

     He reaches into the cabinet in question while the man puts a hand on his wife’s shoulder. “Who are you?”

     Sicheng is pouring the water now, but he is paying very close attention to their tones and expressions. “A friend of Sooyoung’s. You’re her parents?”

     “That’s right,” her father says. “How do you know my daughter?”

     He shrugs, feigning casualty. “We go to school together.”

     They both attend UCSD, so that part is not a lie. Sicheng didn’t meet Sooyoung at school, though, but they don’t need to know that. If they find out his connection to Johnny, then they will discover where he really comes from. Her parents relax their narrowed eyes. 

     “Are you pre-med, too?”

     “Me? No way.” Sicheng returns the pitcher to the fridge. “Electrical engineering.” 

     Before they can use small talk as a method to decide whether or not he’s a threat they need to neutralize any longer, he half-bows and takes the water upstairs. Sooyoung’s parents turn to each other. “How much did he hear?” 

     Her father puts a hand to his chin. “Don’t worry about him; he’s a quiet boy.”

                                  ~~~~

     “What happened?” asks Gwen the second Hyeyoung leaves the room. She spent the last ten minutes parading around like a lunatic until she realized that she was completely unwelcome. Gwen said she left because she was genuinely caught off-guard by how much everyone truly disliked her. She’s usually too full of it to notice the sneers. 

     Sooyoung is sitting up in her old bed. Her attention keeps darting around the room past both Gwen’s and Sicheng’s heads at how perfectly intact her bedroom is. She hasn’t stepped foot inside in seven months and it is exactly the same as it was on the day she fled. “I had a . . . panic attack after I left your apartment. This boy kept trying to help me, but he freaked me out even more. Then I saw Hyeyoung and lost it. I guess I passed out. Can we leave?”

     “In a minute,” assures Gwen, who’s lounging in a high-backed chair. “Your sister thinks that boy was your side piece.”

     Sicheng laughs. “Who’s her main piece, then?”

     Gwen doesn’t skip a beat. “You. That’s what Hyeyoung thinks.”

     “Didn’t you tell her it wasn’t like that?” Sooyoung demands, avoiding his suddenly sober face. 

     “Would it matter if I had? She’ll believe what she wants. Isn’t it weird you parents haven’t tried to talk to you?”

     Sooyoung shrugs, but Sicheng steps in. “They’re probably trying to give her space so she doesn’t leave again.” 

     She lived here fifteen years, but this ridiculous mansion feels like anything but home. It will never be again. There’s residue of what her parents have really done on every inch of spotless white concrete. “I want to go home.” 

     “I’ll take you,” say Gwen and Sicheng at the same time. Their eyes meet and it’s decided instantly. 

     “I don’t mind,” he declares, receiving an agreeable nod from the tall girl. 

     Along with Jeffrey’s loyal distractions, Gwen and Sicheng are able to get Sooyoung out of the front gate before any parents or twin sisters know what’s happening. Sicheng calls an uber as Gwen takes off down the sidewalk, saying something about meeting a friend. Sooyoung knows that Yuta lives in this neighborhood, but decides not to start another fight. Not after the last one. And not with Sicheng right here. 

     He takes her all the way to the iron gate of her house. She rents an apartment in the half-basement of an old Spanish mansion. “Thank you for your help today.” 

     “Of course,” he says, shifting his weight uncomfortably. “I hope we really can reschedule our restaurant adventure.”

     “I promise you, Dong Sicheng, that the second you get back from New York, I’ll take you.”

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