fandomhigh | Supernatural Studies, Wednesday, Period 1

Jack coughed a few times, trying to clear his throat before he started talking.

"Right," he said. "We're talking about werewolves. I've been doing everything under the sun to get out of this class because I am one and it embarrasses me, but apparently I have no control over what I'm blurting out today, so this is ... what's happening. Also I spent the last two nights barred up in a basement so I wouldn't maul anyone and I've been off what you'd call carbs since Monday, so I'm a tiny bit cross. If you want to leave, I wouldn't blame you."

With that out of the way, he glanced at his notes. "A werewolf or lycanthrope is a human who transforms into a wolf or wolf-like creature on or around the full moon. Generally you have to get bitten by another werewolf to get the condition, though in some worlds you can be born with it. In my case -- because I can't do anything the normal way -- I managed to get bitten by a ghost werewolf. Which is an absurdly long story, so I won't go into it.

"Once you have it, there's no cure I know of. You do get enhanced senses, speed and strength out of the condition, which are all quite nice. The drawbacks are that you turn into a bloodthirsty wolf monster every month, without fail, for the rest of your life. I also want to throw up every time I cross a river or stream, which happens more often than you'd think, and silver makes my hands sting when I touch it. I've taken to not eating much of anything but sandwiches in public because you get funny looks if you bring your own flatware to a restaurant. And the transformation hurts terribly. Imagine having your skin set on fire while someone grabbed your organs and yanked hard and you have some general concept."

He drew a breath. "But I've been lucky," he said. "My friends stood by me, and I've arranged my life so that I wouldn't hurt anyone. Not everyone has a place like Fandom, so not everyone can say that."

"My discussion question for you is about reacting to conditions along the lines of mine. It doesn't have to be being a werewolf, of course. You might get bitten by a vampire, or die and come back as a ghost, or have a mutation manifest, or any number of things. But if what you could do was to change, fundamentally and irrevocably, would that also change who you were? Would you expect the changes to be good or bad?

"Or you could quiz me about werewolf stuff. It's the only time you'll get a straight answer."

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"Yes." That was quickly followed by a wince. "Sorry."

"No, it's my own fault for whining," Jack shrugged. "It's just one week. Next week I'll be back to pixies. Something safe."

"I think maybe you could have been a little more positive about werewolves," Stiles said. "You focused on a lot of the negatives."

"I'll remember there are positives when I'm not in the middle of the worst of it," Jack said. "Right now I'd give the entire package back for a nickel."

Edited 2013-03-27 15:28 (UTC)

"I'm just saying, there are those of us with a high chance of werewolfing in the future and I don't want to be terrified by it." Come on, kidnapping the best friend and turning him into a monster was a trope Stiles could easily see happening. He got lucky Peter followed the "no means no" rule with him.

Jack hesitated, tilting his head. Stiles had managed to find one of the few tacks that would have made him stop feeling sorry for himself.

"I don't want to terrify you," he said. "being bitten's not without its benefits, and it's definitely much better than death. But I still hope it doesn't happen to you."

"I hope it doesn't either," he said. "I don't need another thing to lie to my dad about. Not that I could lie to him today."

"...I should probably avoid answering calls from Beacon Hills."

"Might be good to let those go to voicemail," Jack said sympathetically. "I don't really have anyone who doesn't know what Fandom's like who I have to talk to today. Thankfully."

"My dad doesn't even know what Beacon Hills is like," Stiles said. "He thinks I'm sort of delinquent who gets in trouble for fun, but it's better than him knowing the truth."

Jack frowned. "What would happen if you told him? You could prove it -- it's not as if he'd just think you were insane."

"It'd be putting him in danger," Stiles said. "He'd try to get all protective and attack things head on and I'm not about to let someone die because of me."

"So you're stuck," Jack said pessimistically. "I wish I had something more encouraging to say, but I don't."

He winced, tried to come up with something at least vaguely positive. "The longer hair looks good on you."

Because that wasn't weird at all.

That at least got Stiles to laugh. "Thanks. I like it too, it apparently attracts the attention of hot girls so that's a plus."

Supernatural Studies, Wednesday, Period 1

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