Oh shit 2021

Sexual jealousy

Constant aggression

Rigid hierarchy

Must win sports

Homophobia And Sexism Is Normal™

Eat people

Cool new werewolf instincts:

There is no five second rule

Corvids are friends

Hang out as a pack

Karaoke

Separation anxiety

Unconditional love and loyalty

Being able to sleep in almost any situation or position

Irresistible urge to chase squirrels and rabbits

Hating the vacuum cleaner

Wanting to do everything with friends

Loudly and repeatedly announcing to housemates that someone is at the door

Long, shouted conversations to other werewolves across the neighborhood (bonus points at 2am)

Taking advantage of any and all free food

Werewolf-vampire solidarity

Fighting any animal that trespasses into the backyard

Boundless energy

Too much energy

Eating out of the trash if it smells tasty

Being bad at sports because you don’t want to let anyone else take the ball from you. Then destroying the ball in front of everyone because you want to make a point

Trying to fight things 10x your size like a fucking idiot

Being unable to hold a grudge for more than a few hours

Trying to make people feel bad for you over mundane things that aren’t actually that bad. And somehow succeeding.

Snoring

Needing to try a bit of your friends’ food, even if you’ve tried it 5645674 times before and have never once liked it

Getting way too friendly with random strangers

Being in a love-hate relationship with water

Digging. For no reason.

Thinking you’re a badass despite being a hyperactive ball of emotions and hedonism

Multigenerational households!

Kids get really excited when someone comes home with groceries

“I can HELP put away the food!” “Oh, and have you whisk away the ice cream like last week? I’m fine, dear.”

Love to travel and follow food trends

Mostly very social and must have roommates/family/significant other/kids/friends around

However, not uncommon to travel alone for periods of time, especially after leaving home

Big friendly communal meals with lots of ritual around who gets served in what order

“Let grandma take her pick of the turkey first. It’s respectful, and she won’t take kindly to you cutting the line.”

Full pantries, stocking up on basics, the kind of people who always have extra oatmeal, or batteries, or a jump cable

Can hold conversations using body language and eye contact without saying a word

Cuddlers, especially with the social group

Yelling to get everyone to gather, and phone chains for anyone who lives further away

Lots of singing, the pack has a bunch of favorite songs that everyone knows by heart, and some may be song writers

“Can you smell this? Does this smell weird? Does this smell good?”

Lots of candles and incense with unusual scents

Passing houses and farms and land down through generations

Love home renovation

Communal child care and sometimes communal nursing

Kids are all really into wrestling and being outside

When someone is ready to leave the household, the younger they leave the further they tend to travel. Someone who leaves at 18 might go to another country, but someone who leaves at 26 might just move a town away.

Whether someone moves far or close to home, it’s not unusual to move back in at home a few times before settling down

“You know the futon is always open for you. Your cousins are in your old bedroom, but you’re always welcome!”

Kinda grumpy about neighbors pushing property boundaries

“Why do they have to let the damn mulberry tree hang over OUR driveway?”

Good endurance runners

Late walks at night, naps in the middle of the day

Really playful, especially with kids

my dude

my guy

my pal

clean your room.  clean space, uncluttered space, space that doesn’t have miasma clinging to it can work wonders.  clean the dishes.  sweep.  take out the trash.  peel the clothes off the floor and wash them, and then actually fold/hang them.  take a long shower.  scrub behind your knees.  brush your teeth.  (this can be utterly exhausting, but try to get it done in a day, if you can.  the end result is worth it.)

pull out your notebook.  it doesn’t need to be a new notebook, but preferably one that you don’t usually write in, or that you haven’t touched in a while.  fuck moleskins.  the yellow legal pad will work fine.  sit in your room, or in the park, or in the library, and write a list.  count clouds.  describe all the colors that you see, and note patterns that arise.  sketch the cracks in the walls.  note the shape light makes when it enters a space.  talk about what the air tastes like, smells like.  what sounds are there?  even the white nose, break that down: air planes, fans, cicadas, anything.  remind yourself that you are sitting in the middle of a space brimming with detail.  remind yourself that you are not in nothingness and emptiness.  your world is fathomless.  it has potential.

drink cold water and try to eat something that isn’t processed.  it does not need to be fancy.  buy yourself an apple with the change between your couch cushions.  eat it outside.  if you’re someone who walks, walk somewhere afterwards, just to stretch your legs.  take your fucking meds.  remember that its a good thing that you are inside your body.  your body is a fantastic and endlessly intricate machine, and even though society has smacked a bunch of poisonous ideas on it, that doesn’t change its inherent worth and splendor.  take care of it.

read a novel.  underline your favorite lines, and write phrases that twist your heart inside your chest on the back of your hand with an ink pen.  read a novel like it’s poetry.  read poetry, something decadent but unpretentious.  watch a movie you haven’t seen before.  if there are free art galleries near you, walk through one.  take your time.  let yourself bask.  if there are patterns in what makes your soul ache, write those patterns down – marbles arches or soot crumbling bricks or dandelions or descriptions of dresses or whatever it is, write them down.

your chosen family is important.  remember, they picked you as much as you picked them.  the love has no obligation.  it is given freely and it is given from a place of compassion.  you are not a burden.  if you need to breathe, take a minute by yourself and just exist, but remember to go back to your people.  when they need you, listen and be gracious.  always be gracious.  the universe sometimes remembers things like that.

listen to new music.  link jump on youtube or related artist jump on spotify or ask the chap beside you in the cafe what their favorite band is, and listen to that.  listen to something that you don’t usually listen to.  we tend to tie up a lot of memory with music.  we are falling in love again.  the soundtrack needs to be specific to that.  

I’m going to help train our friend, I won’t stand to see him take this abuse any longer

After all this time fighting, the little guy and his enemy realized that it was all pointless. Since the beginning, the hate for each other had only make them stronger but by accepting their differences and learning to respect each other, they realized that they don’t have to keep being rivals, but perhaps something else.