#i still have something else ive been trying that may work out thatd be better but we shall see. i have this at the very least. im okay agai

[suntails]

FINALLY got a better job!!!! somehow i will now work in IT. i do not have IT experience but goddammit i have the desire to earn a beautiful paycheck

[siodymph]

“The Before and After”

Hey there @pirably ! I’m so sorry this is getting to you so late! I can’t thank you enough for participating in the gift exchange, and I hope you enjoy my take on your prompt!

Feel free to read your story under the cut or over on my ao3!

“I can’t believe you!”

“What?”

Sighing, Stanford took a deep breath. His neck was starting to feel pinched from looking up at so long. “I said I CAN’T BEL-”

“I heard what you said! What’s not to believe?”

“Just… Everything about this! There’s no way this is safe!”

There was a long pause as Stanford waited until he finally heard Fiddleford respond. Voice echoing out from somewhere near the top of his gigantic creation.

“… Probably not!”

“Then why do you insist on working like this? Why put yourself in life-threatening danger!”

“Cause!” Fiddleford called back, huffing. “I work best directly with my hands. And there’s no way I could tip this darned thing over without risking it all breaking! All for some shiftin’ wires!”

“You could build something to help gently set it down then stand it again!” Stanford tried to add.

“Ugh! But that’d take even more time! Not to mention I’d have to build that first!” Fiddleford yelled. “Now hush up! I’m trying to work here Stanford!”

If someone were to see Stanford at that moment, they probably would have said he was pouting. But Ford would take to his grave if he had to. “I just want you to be safe…”

“I’m harnessed to the swing, which I rigged up myself! Checked the pulleys and everything this morning! I’m the safest I’ve ever been!” Fiddleford called out one more time. “And you’re one to talk! Where was all this fussing over safety when you were in Dr. Jenret’s class and you almost poured acid on yourself?”

Stanford could only smile and shake his head in response. As always Fiddleford was able to win him over when he least suspected it. As inevitable as it was, it still caught Stanford off-guard. Growing up there had been no one like that in his life. If he ever got into arguments or debates with kids they’d always either eventually concede or just completely give up. Or they’d just hit him out of annoyance. If it was his brother he’d do a combination of the last two.

At least Stanford used that excuse as to why after knowing the man for years now, he still managed to surprise him when they got into debates.

To this day Fiddleford was probably the only person he knew who could get him to shut up and see things from a new perspective.

So now knowing there was nothing he could say Stanford decided to just sit back and watch the show Fiddleford was putting on. The man may be stubborn as a mule, but he was equally as cunning and brilliant, and he certainly made a performance out of his larger-than-life projects.

There was no denying Fiddleford’s brilliance. He had the most engineering and mechanical skill out of anyone Stanford knew. Even better than himself, which was something he seldom admitted to anyone. But it was the truth. Fiddleford Hadron McGucket was by far the best of the best in the world of robotics. And anyone who said otherwise was wrong.

Just being able to watch Fiddleford work was a treat itself. As his creation came together it quickly collected height. So much so that he soon had to resort to rigged swings and climbing equipment to finish the job. As he worked up off the ground like that Stanford couldn’t help but think of those old photos from the 1940’s of construction workers building the first skyscrapers. So high off the ground, only a pair of overalls and a utility belt for protection, and yet seeming so at ease. There was almost a beauty in how effortless Fiddleford made it seem. A grace he had while swinging from rig to rig, climbing up the structure with his hands and feet.

But when the light hit his face just right and Stanford could see Fiddleford’s hair shine golden, body covered in a thin sheen of sweat from his hard work, Stanford knew in his heart his feelings for the other man hadn’t changed at all.

He found he’d only grown to love Fiddleford Hadron McGucket even more...

Two hours later, Fiddleford came swinging down. Overalls covered in a layer of grim, hair frizzled and frumpy, face red and sweaty, and a satisfying smile that just looked ethereal on Fiddleford’s face.

“How’d it go?” Stanford asked as he ran back over from his own work to meet him. Handing the other man a towel.

“Pretty good I think!” Fiddleford sighed gratefully as he started to wipe off his face. “Got that wiring all straightened out! Now all that’s left is testing her out!”

“That’s wonderful! We should test it now!”

“You know Stanford it’s a good thing I like ya so much.” Fiddleford said with a tired smirk. “Been up there all day, and as soon as I get down you want me to keep on working!”

“You know you want to see your new invention just as much as I do!” Stanford replied. “Don’t even kid yourself Fidds.”

Chuckling to himself, Fiddleford went over to his work bench and grabbed the remote control he’d built for this his invention. He let his finger hover over the main controls before looking towards Stanford.

“Hang onto your butts…”

All at once, the remote buzzed and the colossal machine burst to life. Inbetween metal panels, there was a bright green glow. Panels began to bend and shift. Massive wings unfurled from either side of the robot. For a moment the creature turned its head to look at its master. Green eyes glowing with a light that feuled it from within. Then after Fiddleford pressed another button the remote buzzed again and the creature tilted its head back at gave out a massive prehistoric screech that made Stanford’s entire chest rattle.

“Not too bad for someone who said they were moving onto computer-work only, huh?”

Stanford looked up at the massive mechanic pterodactyl in awe. “Fiddleford… Fiddlford that was nowhere close to ‘not bad’. That was… That was amazing!”

“Aw shucks,” Fiddleford mumbled.

“No, I mean it!” Stanford continued. “This is a piece of history in the making here. This won’t just change the world of animatronics, but the entire world of robots and engineering itself!”

“You really think so?” Fiddleford asked.

“I know so!” Stanford tried to contain some of his excitement, sometimes he could get rather loud when he got carried away. “And Fiddleford? I couldn’t imagine this being made by anyone else but yourself. You really did a… a fantastic job here. There’s no way you won’t take first place in Dawngrove next week!”

“Aw, I don’t care about none of that.” Fiddleford sighed as he turned off his robo-dino. “I’m only doing this for lil’Tate. He’s the one who asked me to do all this after all.”

“And I’m certain Tate will adore this too.”

“I hope so...” Fiddleford said with another sigh. Looking back up at his incredible invention. “Ever since me and the missus split I feel like I haven’t seen him as often. When we are together I gotta make it mean something. For the both of us.”

Gently, Stanford took Fiddlford’s face in his hands, pulling him away so they were looking eye to eye.

“Believe me Fiddleford, next week Dawngrove’s Robotic Royal will be a day no one could ever forget!”

Leaning in closer, Stanford kissed him. And closing his eyes, Fiddleford could feel himself relaxing.

Slipping away. If only for a few moments...

 ~~~

 Sometimes it truly amazed Fiddleford how everything was coming back to him.

At least physically if not completely mentally. He was still working on that.

He counted it as a small success though when Stanford showed him a massive mechanical pterodactyl and he got the inkling of a sensation that he’d seen it before.

Raising one hand up, he touched one of its massive wings. It felt rougher than he’d expected it to. No doubt the metal had eroded some after years of hiding it away in such an abandoned place.

“I know I’ve seen this fella before…” Fiddleford pondered out loud, still lightly rubbing over the metal as if that would help him reveal the answer. He knew he’d made robotic pterodactyls before but this one didn’t seem as familiar. It definitely wasn’t the one he made for revenge after his retirement-party-fiasco. “Did we make this together?”

“Not really, I just watched.” Stanford answered. “You made this one on your own. It was for this competition out in Dawngrove California.”

“Dawngrove…” Fiddleford said slowly.

“Yes, does that town sound familiar at all?”

Fiddleford hummed a little before shaking his head. “It ain’t there right now, but it’ll come back. I can feel it rattle’n around in there.”

Stanford seemed a little disappointed, but decided to move on. “Well you and I brought that in for a robotics competition. A battle royal actually. You ended up getting first place. Your ex-wife and your son even came and we all cheered you on.”

The mention of his son brought a smile to his face. The details over everything were hazy but he always knew who Tate was. “He would have been around eight or nine right?”

“Yes, he was nine!” Stanford said.

Fiddleford chuckled at the thought. “He was such a little squirt back then. Always hiding under that big mop of hair…”

Stanford grumbled as he looked around. He wished he had more photos from that day. In his experience with Stanley photos help jogged Stan’s memory the best. Unfortunately he didn’t have any photos from that day. He was however able to find a few newspaper clippings he’d held onto from that day. Carefully picking it up the fragile paper so it didn’t disintegrate, Stanford brought it over for Fiddleford to see.

“Look here,” Stanford pointed to the main picture under the headline ‘Super Scientist and Father Wins Grand Prize with his Dynamic Dino!’ where there was a black and white photo of the Pterodactyl back in its golden years. “If you look towards the bottom near the pterodactyl’s feet you can see a few figures. That’s me on the right, you on the left, and you’re holding Tate in the middle of us.”

The article itself was so damaged it was illegible. But Fiddleford could just make out their figures Stanford was pointing to in the picture. The picture was so old the image had begun to fade some too, mostly on the left side. His whole body was faded out. But with enough focus he could just make out Stanford and Tate’s faces. Both were beaming at the camera. Grinning with pride. Fiddleford realized they’d been proud of him.

“You two sure seemed happy…” Fiddleford said with a sigh.

“And we still are.” Stanford continued. “You have no idea how happy I am to be here with you. To have a second chance at making things right with you. With everyone.”

Fiddleford nodded but didn’t look up from the picture. As if trying to memorize their faces in case this memory never came back to him. When he didn’t focus as hard he could almost recall some things. Mostly phantom feelings. Like holding a giggling Tate close to his chest. Or swinging up on a rig, shouting to Stanford down below. Walking hand in hand with both of them…

“I’m happy I get a second chance too.” Fiddleford replied softly.

Eventually they’d seen everything they could and together, hand in hand, they walked back out of that old warehouse back into the world. They’d been in there reminiscing so long they’d missed sunset. It was already night and the moon hung low in the sky, darting out from behind trees as they walked.

Stanford’s six-fingered hand felt so warm in Fiddleford’s own. How he’d spent all those years alone, Fiddleford didn’t know, but now that Stanford was back in his life he knew he couldn’t bear to go back to the way things had once been. The world had changed so much, and they’d both changed so much with it. But Fiddleford could feel it in his heart that what they had between themselves was still as special as it was back then.

And when the light hit his face just right Fiddleford could see Stanford’s hair shine silver, and his eyes practically sparkling under the moon, Fiddleford knew in his heart his feelings for the other man hadn’t changed at all.

He found he’d only grown to love Stanford Filbrick Pines even more.

[glowstickhaloboy]

AU where jack is a librarian and bitty accidentally studies

jack loves books. bitty hates studying.

but bitty needs to try something, bc whatever hes doing now is not working, and finals are coming up, so he thinks maybe if he gets some silence and solitude things he needs to know will start sticking

so he goes to the library and lo and behold theres an adonis behind the counter with a pencil tucked behind his ear as he intently reads a biography on Joan of Arc. bitty hears his conscience speak to him in beyonces voice, telling him that this boy is his

but hes a nervous wreck now that he knows theres someone hot here so yeah hes definitely not getting any studying done

except the cute boy doesnt even look up, and bitty remembers that hes probably straight anyway because thats the way the universe likes to be, so he keeps his head down and makes his way to an empty table (but he chooses one that keeps the cute boy in sight, and he isnt sure if thats because he is a masochist or isnt one)

he does his best to vibe this guy, who only looks up from his book when someone comes to check out or ask for the bathroom key, and bitty decides that hes gotta play it cool. that boy likes knowledge, so bitty will have to pretend that he also likes knowledge and isnt absolutely boy crazy, so he opens his textbook and gets down to business, hoping that that cute boy will look over at least and notice how studious this southern young man is

and almost three hours passes where bitty actually studies. he looks at his phone and realizes what hes just tricked himself into doing. he checks back on the cute boy, who is looking at him holy hell it was only for a second and then he quickly looked at his book again and relax eric relax he was probably just zoned out and happened to be staring at your face but maybe he could also sense how good you are at making pies and is deciding whether or not your boyfriend material

its already been three hours, but bitty definitely cannot leave now that developments are taking place

but its only fifteen more minutes before someone else shows up and takes the cute boys place behind the desk. the cute boy walks into the back and comes back with a jacket slung over his shoulder. “see ya, chris,” he says, and bitty wonders if hes being loud enough for his voice to carry on purpose, and when cute boy leaves, bittles insides all start screaming and he wonders if hes being blessed or punished because that boy must do squats or something.

bitty plays it cool for another half hour after that, because he cant look like he was only here because that cute boy was, but hes really only on twitter now. then he packs up his bag and spends the entire walk back to his room thinking about the moment he glanced up and the cute boy glanced down.

and he comes back the next day. bittle may play the slow game, but he has to see where this is going. day one, a glance, and maybe if hes really lucky, by day two he might get a pleasant “good afternoon. welcome to the library.”

he doesnt. he walks right in and sits in the same spot as yesterday, and the cute boy is reading the same book, but bitty tries to keep his face controlled, because this time cute boy looked up as he came in, and unless bittle was reading too much into it, cute boy looked down again as though this wasnt supposed to mean anything, like that was what he wanted bitty to think, but secretly it did.

they continue like this for two weeks, and eric is blessed to discover that the cute boy works a four hour shift every single day. which means theres never a day bittle has to miss out on seeing his sculpted-by-the-gods face.

and then valentines day rolls around.

bitty wonders what in the world am i doing so often while he bakes on february 14th that he knows he has lost any semblance of self-control

he walks into the library thinking the exact same thing, and of course, theres the cute boy, who has moved on to reading an account of the cuban vie for independence from spain, and for the first time, bitty actually approaches the counter

“um, hi,” he says, slightly breathless from the cold, and the cute boy looks up and smiles and says “hi” back. bitty has to ignore his pounding heart and continue on with the words hes been rehearsing since he turned the oven on.

“so, ive been spending a lot of time in the library recently, and i bake a lot, and since today is valentines day, i thought it would be nice to make these cookies for everyone today, so would it be alright if i left these on the counter and people sort of just... helped themselves if they wanted one? i made a card to”

bitty reaches into the basket and holds up a card designed by his friend lardo that reads “happy valentines day! please take one (1)”

the cute boys smile widens, and he says, “yeah. wow, they look great!”

after all the work bitty put into making them, they damn well better. he hasnt worked this hard on a batch of cookies since he campaigned for ninth grade class president. still, he cant help but turn as pink as the frosting on them when the first thing this boy ever says to him is a compliment on his baking.

“its nothin’” says bitty, setting the basket down and stuffing his mittens into his pockets

the cute boy latches onto bittys damnable accent and asks with interest “where are you from?”

“oh, georgia”

“nice. im jack, im from montreal.” he sticks out his hand and bittys suddenly clams up with sweat. oh no this cant be a horrible first handshake, it needs to be warm and nice

bitty decides he has to keep the mitten on, though, because that could be considered cute, right? sweat definitely couldnt. “eric,” he says, and doesnt allow himself to think about the fact that hes just put a bright red mitten in an adonis’s hand. they both seem to be running out of charm, though, so bitty muddles through

“um, they might be a little frozen from the walk over, but they should be good in a few minutes,” he says, then scurries over to his table because two weeks is way too soon to start talking

he distracts himself with literature homework to try to forget what a darn fool he just made himself out to be, but he cant completely tune out the rustling coming from the front desk as jack makes a careful display out of bittles basket and card, even allowing it to block the laminated sign warning patrons the repercussions of keeping overdue books.

a few more students trickle in, and a couple of them go for the basket, and Professor Whitmond tromps in with his two grandkids, who leave covered in powder and sprinkles, but bitty exercises all of his willpower to block it out because he cant believe he did this

but he also wonders if jack is going to take a cookie. hes obsessed with the thought of it. he needs jack to eat one of those cookies and realize that bittle is not just a pretty face. bittles entire body is on high alert, praying for it.

and then it happens. jack reaches into the basket, pulls out a cookie, and takes a bite. bittle thinks, checkmate.

he notices jack glance over at him, and bittle is now confident enough that he chances a bright smile. those cookies are good. they would never have made it out of his kitchen if they werent his best.

jack points at the cookie, his expression one of utter astonishment, and mouths, these are amazing.

bitty raises an eyebrow. i know.

jack makes another expression of astonishment, then waves bitty to go back to his studying. bitty pretends to, but really, hes wondering if bringing in a batch of cookies every friday would be too much.

(he does it anyway)

fridays become the staple of his relationship with jack. bittle brings in a basket of cookies, jack says something that makes bittle wonder if hes flirting or teasing, and bittle feels satisfaction drop into his gut as jack helps himself to the first of the bunch. there has never been a day where every cookie is not eaten.

and then jack changes the schedule. bitty comes in on friday with his usual basket, and jack says, “Eric. I had a question.” and bittles heart starts thumping in its stupid, traitorous way, and jack continues, “About these cookies...” and bitty thinks, oh great, theyre too much, hes only been pretending to like them for my benefit, enough is enough, “Would you mind making me a batch to send to Montreal? My parents want to try them.”

and bittys mind goes completely blank. Something about the way Jack says it completely straight throws bitty off guard. Because, yeah, hes caught on to the fact that Jack can be a bit socially awkward, but this definitely takes the proverbial cake.

“Your parents?” asks Bittle. “How do they know about my cookies?”

“I told them,” says jack, as if its obvious. “We call every friday night, and I always talk about your cookies.”

Bitty’s mind hurriedly re-writes his knowledge of the past few weeks to include the fact that Jack From The Library Has Been Speaking To His Parents About His Cookies And Now Jack’s Parents (IN MONTREAL!) Want To Eat Them.

“So, would that be too weird?” asks Jack.

“Not at all!” says Bitty, laughing slightly because hes terrified. “I can bring some in tomorrow if youd like!”

Its only when Jack smiles that Bitty feels relieved, like hes successfully navigated a minefield correctly. “Thatd be great!” says Jack. “I’ll pay you, if you want, to cover the cost of the ingredients-”

Bitty waves him away. “That’s not necessary, Jack, I’d love to.”

he goes to his seat and cuts his study time in half because he cant stop freaking out about making baked goods for jacks parents, who have never met him, and need to decide within their first taste whether bittle has any worth in their sons life

hes up half the night, and it definitely shows on his face when he brings into the library the next day. all he wants to do is say get them out of my sight.

jack accepts them with a confused look on his face, thanks bittle as bittle marches to his table and begins spreading out his books

oh yeah, and bitty has been getting weirdly good grades since all this started?? it turns out that bi-weekly flirting is the perfect reward for someone who needs to study more. his test scores have gone up dramatically, and even his GPA has gotten a modest boost.

thats only the secondary goal here, though, his real goal has always been getting jack to notice him

for three days, including baking night, bittle sleeps horribly, angsting over what jacks parents - whoever they even are - will think of his cookies. on monday, he gets his answer

“Eric!” jack greets as bittle walks into the library. hes smiling wide. “ive been told to tell you that youre moving to montreal to become my parents’ personal dessert chef.”

relief smacks into bitty like a forty-pound fist. he feels slightly whoozy. “they liked them?” he repeats.

jack just stares at him. “Eric. Have you ever had one of your cookies before.”

“No, I mean, well, yes, obviously I have, but it’s just that I’m always worried whenever new people try them that they’ll hate them, and since baking is the only thing I’m really good at, it’s important to me that people, you know, like my stuff.”

“Eric,” Jack says, for what feels like the thousandth time. “Everything you make is incredible. And baking isn’t all you’re good at. You study like a champion.” He offers Eric a fist bump.

Eric takes it for what it is, a sign of friendship, as he belatedly registers that Jack just called his baking skills amazing. Even if the boy is straight, he knows how to play Eric like a fiddle. And Eric is just gone enough to let it happen.

spring weather is finally setting in, and bitty starts to think about just how many days hes spent in the library this year, all so he can gawk at a boy he doesnt have a chance with. all this time, and he couldve been actually out there looking for someone who will genuinely be with him and make him happy.

he stops going to the library on a tuesday. by friday, he feels bad because the people on campus have come to expect his cookies every week, and he owes it to them to keep their stomachs satisfied with finals approaching. he makes a batch, not knowing what hes going to say to jack, or if jack will even care that bitty has been out by the pond enjoying his afternoons with his friends instead of hanging out inside.

he walks in with his basket, and jack seems to look both relieved and slightly cross. “Eric,” he says, because thats all he ever says. “You haven’t been here.”

Bitty shrugs. “I made cookies,” he says, and offers Jack the basket.

Jack’s brow furrows. “Is something wrong?” he asks.

“No,” says Bitty, which, because he doesn’t know what on Earth he’s feeling, is almost the truth.

Somewhat stunned into silence, Jack accepts the basket Bitty offers him and watches Bitty leave again. Bitty walks until he’s out of sight of the library, then sits on the nearest bench and wipes his eyes. He’s being ridiculous. There was literally never even anything between him and Jack. It was all made up in Bitty’s head, a fabrication based on a few standard conversations and lies garnered by baked goods. Maybe Bitty is crying because he’s such a fool. Why did he waste so much time on a needless fantasy? What was wrong with him.

“Well,” he mumbles to himself, standing. “At least your grades went up.”

this is the part where he looks up, hoping that jack might have followed him and was now waiting, out of breath, to say something meaningful and restore all of bitty’s hopes. but the sidewalk is empty, and bitty is left exactly like normal--creating a version of jack that doesnt exist based on the picture he has in his head

he goes back at the end of the day, when he knows jack will be gone, to collect his cookie basket from the library. a boy named chris hands it to him. “yeah, thanks for bringing these in today!” says chris. “the guy i work with seemed kinda down, so i think he needed a pick me up. i mean, he said that theyre for the patrons, but i got him to eat one, and i could tell he even felt better afterwards. theyre super good! i mean, i always ate them, i didnt know jack didnt, but-”

“thanks,” said bitty. he thought that if he didnt interrupt, this young man would never have stopped talking. “er, thats sweet of you.”

so for three weeks, bitty only comes in on fridays to drop off cookies. he and jack dont say a lot to each other. but as bittys mood steadily improves, jacks mood steadily worsens.

im healing, bitty thinks as he walks in on the third friday. that wasnt healthy, eric, it was sensible to get out of that.

“hey jack,” he says happily, setting the basket of cookies on the counter. “special delivery.”

jack squints at him for a moment, with a smile that seems more like a grimace. “thanks,” is all he says. he says it in a very particular way. flat. thanks.

bitty’s brow furrows. he thinks about asking, but he grew up in the hospitable south, where the popular motto was let everyone get on with their own business or get cussed out for pryin’. “um. youre welcome.”

he almost walks out, then shouts screw it! in his mind and turns around. “are you mad or somethin’?”

jack looks up as though feigning ignorance. all the lines on his face look hard. he sighs. “no, eric. its nothing to worry about. thanks for the cookies.”

“because my mama used to teach me lessons in passive aggressive bullshit when i used her pan sheets without askin’.”

“its nothing. its me. have a good day.”

“only she never tried to brush me off when i wanted to talk to her about it.”

jack considers him. “you dont come into the library anymore,” he admitted. “im not mad at you, im just... grumpy.”

bitty has to fight hard to keep his heart bolted down. he misses his friend, he tells himself. do. not. read. into. it.

“Oh,” says Bitty. “I, um. I didn’t mean to make you upset. Er. Have you been reading anything good recently?”

jack defrosts a little and they have a nice conversation about the true crime novel jacks gotten into. bitty feels a little bad for ghosting him, and maybe he misjudged things a little by saying there was nothing there, because hey certainly got along well, but he wasnt naive enough to think there was any use kidding himself about something romantic.

by the end of it, jacks laughing, and eric finds it in himself to giggle along too, and it feels like a nice resolution. maybe you cant have it all, eric thinks, but you can have this.

he bids jack goodbye, feeling better about the whole mess, glad that he said something.

at the end of the day, chris returns bittys basket, and bitty cant help but ask how jack was today. all chris says is, “Glowing.”

For the first time, bitty and jack run into each other outside the library. theyre at the campus coffee shop, perhaps both gearing up for finals week, and jack is leaving just as bitty is entering.

“Eric,” says Jack, genuinely smiling. Bitty’s smile is also completely real.

“Jack.”

“It’s weird, but it just kind of clicked for me that you’re a real person,” says Jack, then makes a soft face of pain. “I mean, obviously you’re a real person, but I’d only ever seen you at the library before. Now that we’re somewhere else-”

“I get it,” bitty assures him. “Are you working there next year, too?”

Jack shrugs. “Who knows? I’d like to, but someone with work-study might take my place. I’m always getting yelled at for reading when I should be re-shelving books. And I get cookie dust all over the counter on Fridays.”

Blushing, Eric says, “That is entirely your fault and no one else is responsible for that.”

“Not at all.” He’s still smiling, which Bitty thinks is ridiculous. “Are you doing anything right now?”

Bitty gestures to the line ahead of him. “Buying coffee,” he says.

“Anything else?” Jack clarifies. Bitty shakes his head. “I’ll wait with you. We can sit down and drink it together.”

He has to know what he’s doing, Bitty thinks. Once again, blind hope fills his chest and Bitty says, “Sure. That’d be nice.”

by the time their cups are drained, theyre too deep in conversation to move. when a pause comes, however, jack clears his throat. “Um. Actually. Eric. I, um, just wanted to clarify something, because I think I didn’t before.”

Bitty sighs dramatically. “I knew it. You’re using me because your parents want more cookies.”

Jack’s laugh is music for Bitty’s soul. “They seriously have not stopped asking about you since I sent those cookies. I didn’t know what to say to them when you stopped coming to the library.”

Bitty turns a little quieter. “Sorry about that,” he says. not because he feels sorry for not going, but because hes sorry that jack was hurt because of it.

“It’s okay, Eric, really,” Jack says, and hes so earnest that bitty believes he means it. “Anyway, what I wanted to say was, I think I didn’t clarify that when I asked you to sit down. You know. With our coffees. I sort of intended that to be. You know. Asking you out for coffee. Because I think you’re great.”

Bitty’s heart starts beating triple-time. His eyes turn to saucer plates. “This entire time, I was trying so hard to convince myself that you would never be into me!” he all but shouts. “I couldn’t deal with having a crush on a straight boy so I avoided the library like the plague.”

Jack blinks. “I never told you I was straight, Eric.” It’s not a reprimand, but it also totally is. Bitty puts his head in his hands.

“I thought I was being a fool for one thing,” he says, “but I was being a fool for something else entirely. I am so sorry, Jack.”

“You could make it up to me by letting me buy your coffee next time.”

Eric peeks at him through the gaps in his fingers. “Don’t try to fool me into thinking you’re smooth, Mr. Zimmermann. I know you too well.”

[beebosbitchh]

1-65 ;)

holy heck ! thank you sophiw i lov u 🍒

1. Do you ever doubt the existence of others than you?

i dont understand this question?? like sometimes i doubt my own existence and other times i doubt that i exist to certain ppl? ya?

2. On a scale of 1-5, how afraid of the dark are you?

2,, normal amount? like good for sleep but pitch black is scaryy but not to the point i need the escape ?? if that makes sense??

3. The person you would never want to meet?

guy fieri, i dont think i need to know if hes actually real ? like is he real and from this dimension or from flavortown (which he has a very scarily detailed description of)?? thats not something i need to know

4. What is your favorite word?

hmm, probably ‘fam’ obviously

5. If you were a type of tree, what would you be?

a willow tree !!!!!!!!!! i just talked to my mom about this :-0

6. When you looked in the mirror this morning what was the first thing you thought?

ngl but i dont look in the mirror anymore unless its lip syncing along to a song sung by a guy/someone w a deeper voice bc i feel like it suits me better! gotta love coping w dysphoria!

7. What shirt are you wearing?

baseball tee, gay

8. What do you label yourself as?

nb, lesbian, fool

9. Bright room or dark room?

dark room

10. What were you doing at midnight last night?

slepe

11. Favorite age you’ve been so far?

10-11 when i was in 5th grade. i still only had two friends but i was way more extroverted and everything was so carefree and i was very invested in adventure time and art. i think that was the most of a childhood i got? i honestly did not do much as a kid and i wish i had..

12. Who told you they loved you last?

sophiw ! tumblr user almightyportraits ! the loml !

13. Your worst enemy?

x

14. What is your current desktop picture?

one from apple called ‘abstract shapes’ its very orange but also blue which is my fave color pairing atm so its perfect

15. Do you like someone?

tumblr user vahilla

16. The last song you listened to?

megan played ‘marceline’ by willow in her car ! a song i suggested to her a few months ago and it makes me very happy that she likes it especially bc we bonded over adventure time in 6th grade :-)

17. You can press a button that will make any one person explode. Who would you blow up?

mmyy seelfff ??

18. Who would you really like to just punch in the face?

mmmyseyyffelllff ??

19. If anyone could be your slave for a day, who would it be and what would they have to do? 

eh whats the point

20. What is your best physical attribute? (showing said attribute is optional)

n o ne ? 

21. If you were the opposite sex for one day, what would you look like and what would you do?

what is the opposite of nb,, i feel like if i was opposite of how i present id be a girl, which is a verryyy weird thought for me, pass

22. Do you have a secret talent? If yes, what is it?

no :-/

23. What is one unique thing you’re afraid of?

uh first of all blood, like, ill pass out,, second of all,, literally everything worries me

24. You can only have one kind of sandwich. Every sandwich ingredient known to humankind is at your disposal.

jimmy johns #16, turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, NO MAYO

25. You just found $100! How are you going to spend it?

im a very practical person so the least boring answer i can come up w is more art supplies

26. You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere in the world, but you have to leave immediately. Where are you going to go?

denmark

27. An angel appears out of Heaven and offers you a lifetime supply of the alcoholic beverage of your choice. “Be brand-specific” it says. Man! What are you gonna say about that? Even if you don’t drink booze there’s something you can figure out… so what’s it gonna be?

fukcing , acetoNe

28. You discover a beautiful island upon which you may build your own society. You make the rules. What is the first rule you put into place?

i think a FIRST rule would have to be pretty IMPORTANT so probably smt like how ~WE THE PEOPLE~ are all EQUAL would be a pretty good start and pretty UNDENIABLE and STRAIGHT FORWARD especially if it was the FIRST thing in this,, hmm lets call it the CONSTITUTION, in the completely hypothetical society

29. What is your favorite expletive?

fuck fuck fuck fuck fuk cufck ufc kfuck 

30. Your house is on fire, holy shit! You have just enough time to run in there and grab ONE inanimate object. Don’t worry, your loved ones and pets have already made it out safely. So what’s the one thing you’re going to save from that blazing inferno?

sunglasses??!!! that shit gotta be bright huh>?? gotta protect my retinas 

31. You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?

i wanna say my first relationship made me a better person but that shit was rreeeaaallyyyy fucking awful and 4 months (+recovery months) that i will never get back and i think ? maybe ?? i wouldve been ok without it ? idk just a thought

32. You got kicked out of the country for being a time-traveling heathen who sleeps with celebrities and has super-powers. But check out this cool shit… you can move to anywhere else in the world! 

spain ?!?!? why not + i sorta know the language? thatd b cool

33. The Celestial Gates Of Beyond have opened, much to your surprise because you didn’t think such a thing existed. Death appears. As it turns out, Death is actually a pretty cool entity, and happens to be in a fantastic mood. Death offers to return the friend/family-member/person/etc. of your choice to the living world. Who will you bring back?

zoey my dog :-( i miss her a lot, this month it will have been two years oh my god i miss her so much

34. What was your last dream about?

the last one i remember was a nightmare about someone tryna murder me i was very scared

36. Have you ever been admitted to the hospital?

i think so , when i was two i got really really sick and couldve died ?

37. Have you ever built a snowman?

ahh yes ! we gave hhimm,, fruit snack nipples, please forgive me fathr

38. What is the color of your socks? 

grey w blue n orange stripes ( again i lov blue n orange together, my shirt is teal and i have an orange hat on wow)

39. What type of music do you like?

all! i had to train this new guy at work and im sooo awkward but once why started talking about music it was easy for me to talk bc it was smt we both really like !!! i felt like i could actually communicate w feeling a disconnect it was nice ! we talked mostly about rap which was cool and unexpected but i could do it ? i really love music and i love being able to know enough to talk about it ,, isk 

40. Do you prefer sunrises or sunsets?

sunrises, ive been pushing myself to wake up unreasonably early to have more time to myself and i get to watch the sunrise most days which is nice

41. What is your favorite milkshake flavor?

chocolate 

42. What football team do you support? (I will answer in terms of American football as well as soccer)

whom?

44. What do you want to be when you graduate?

college? god i dont even know… smt w art.. by an illustrator or art teacher or freelance artist or graphic designer ,, i really dont know

45. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

one thing ?!!?!? i wish i was neurotypical

46. Are you reliable?

yes? i try hard to be? i hope so ?

47. If you could ask your future self one question, what would it be?

u still a lil bitch ?

48. Do you hold grudges? 

nope i try not to, ive had too many toxic petty people in my life that i dont need to be one myself.. now this is grudges w/o reason, but if ive given people several ‘second chances’ and theyre still (thumbs down) then ill avoid them but w/i reason?

49. If you could breed two animals together to defy the laws of nature, what new animal would you create?

DOG HORSES BIG DOGs

50. What is the most unusual conversation you’ve ever had?

mm probably smt w my lab partner from last year. she always sends me weird quotes from a fanfiction shes reading and its weird but i really appreciate that she still talks to me or talks to me at all tbh

51. Are you a good liar?

nooo ?? i try not to lie? mb not tell the full truth but idk , i feel like id feel too guilty

52. How long could you go without talking?

uhh literally days like i already fucking do.. i m taking this as verbally but i dont get texts so like, it would not be hard

53. What has been you worst haircut/style?

before i went to short hair i used to alllwaayyys wear a tight ponytail every single day bc i wasnt girly enough to do anything w it and it was really really gross like thank god i cut it all off

54. Have you ever baked your own cake?

heck yeah

55. Can you do any accents other than your own?

*clears throat*

h-

hewwo?

56. What do you like on your toast?

butter and jam

57. What is the last thing you drew a picture of?

x

58. What would be you dream car?

razor scooter

59. Do you sing in the shower? Or do anything unusual in the shower? Explain.

sometimes im just too physically or emotionally exhausted to stand so ill just,, lay down? ive fallen asleep in the shower before ha

60. Do you believe in aliens?

yup

61. Do you often read your horoscope?

whenever it comes up but i dont ,, seek it out

62. What is your favorite letter of the alphabet?

Q

63. Which is cooler: dinosaurs or dragons?

dragons tf

64. What do you think about babies?

evil, ugly, dont see the appeal. open ur eyes ppl !!!! bbs are n Ot cute !!

65. Freebie! Ask anything interesting you can think of.

x

[comicteaparty]

July 19th, 2018 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on July 19th, 2018, from 5PM - 7PM PDT.  The chat focused on Wednesday7 by Viki Kuli.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

COMIC TEA PARTY START!

Good day everyone~! This week’s Comic Tea Party is now officially beginning~! Today we are discussing Wednesday7 by Viki Kuli~! (https://tapas.io/series/Wednesday7%20) For those new or in need of a reminder, discussions about the comic are freeform, so please feel free to bring up whatever you wish. However, every 30 minutes I will be dropping in a discussion question to help those who would like a prompt. These questions are totally OPTIONAL to answer, and you can pay them no mind if you wish. If you miss out on any though, they’ll be pinned for the duration of the chat once they’re posted~! Remember, constructive criticism is allowed, but the primary focus here is to have fun and appreciate the amazing comics that the community makes~! As a bonus, each chat a top comment will be picked and featured in the archives and on an ad for CTP! All that being said, let’s get started and have a great discussion!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Hello!

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

hey super~!

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Glad to see Wednesday7 get the CTP treatment!

I think my favorite moments thus far were Chapter 3 and the beginning of Chapter 4, mostly with the character interactions.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

yes there are definitely some interesting character actions going on

tho one of my fave moments is when the cat slips the key under the door for penn

that is an A+ cat

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

XD

Yeah that moment was good too

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

actual favorite scene wise though i think id have to pick the scene at the bar. i like the visual nature of mercury's visual distortions. and i also really love mercury's reaction to it. i think just the pacing and expressions are entirely too real. like how he kind of snaps at Penn even though its not Penn's fault exactly. yet, you get why hes snapping cause hes freaking out. and just that little detail makes it a really engrossing scene for me.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

I agree, the bar scene was really memorable.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

thats one thing i definitely like about this comic in general though. i feel that the emotions are really realstic and that helps you put you there in each moment

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Yeah

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

but back to character interactions, i do enjoy mercury and penn's dynamics. its kind of this interesting mix of tenseness since penn is a stranger who got overly personal really fast. and like...its one of those things where id hate to be mercury cause that situation seems uncomfortable. having a stranger be the only one that can help.

✨Respheal✨

WHOA HI lost track of time okay uhh

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Hello!!

✨Respheal✨

Favorite scene....Okay no I gotta agree with @✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨ -- the scene at the bar was good

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

speaking of the bar scene again i also really love the game they played. i thought that was an interesting setup for getting expositionary info out of the way.

✨Respheal✨

It does really make me wonder who Penn actually is though He definitely knows a lot more than you might think he would(edited)

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

Kind of speed read the comic but my stand out moment was the deal with Wednesday. Visual interesting, great angles, and the character at his lowest.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

That was a really tense moment, making amends with (and ultimately assembling with) a wolf spirit/ghost/whatever

also eey Jonny

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

yo justin

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

yeah. i really just want to know why penn so rando approached him. like was it really just being a neighbor thing? but it might just be strange to me cause ive never been rando approached by neighbors who want to introduce themselves so idk. XD

but yes, the deal with wednesday was really interesting visually for sure. i loved the tense drama as well cause you can really feel that eternal struggle but ultimate acceptance its probably better than death

✨Respheal✨

For sure x.x It's like, "welp, this'll suck, but it's something?"

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

I don't think the initial meet up at the apartment was odd. He got real werid at the bar but that's because he found out some weird demony stuff about him.

✨Respheal✨

And then there was the handshake before that, which clued Penn in to Merc's....weirdness

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

what ever life he leads could also make him not very social(edited)

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

yeah once the handshake penn's behavior made more sense. just that initial approach even felt weird, but like i said just not something ive experienced with neighbors.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

For a sec I thought it was a "sixth sense" type of ordeal or ghost vision.

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

maybe he does that with everyone to find demons or something.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

yeah. thats what im wondering. if penn is a demon hunter. cause if he went with purpose thatd make way more sense to me.

not that he cant be a nice but weird neighbor

QUESTION 2. Besides Mercury and Wednesday, there are two more characters worth discussing: Penn and Julia. Despite seeming normal, Penn seemed to have the best clue of what was going on with Mercury. Who exactly did Penn know that this same thing happened to? Why do you think this person supposedly didn’t make it? How do you think Penn found out about the house where he took Mercury? Was Penn approaching Mercury a coincidence, or was Penn somehow drawn to Mercury because of the impending possession? There is, of course, Julia as well to talk about. What do you think Julia’s past history is with Mercury, especially given she apologized vaguely for something in the past? Do you think Julia will find out about Wednesday, or will Mercury keep it a secret? What role in general do you think Julia will have to play in the story?

✨Respheal✨

A demon hunter? Not sure about that since he basically helped get a demon stuck in Merc

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Ooooh, this'll be interesting

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

well demon hunter in the sense of wants to find the ppl cursed by demons. he just may not know how to do the demon murdering yet

hes only in finding demons 101 at demon hunter school

✨Respheal✨

Okay hahaha xD Yeah, getting into Penn's past will probably reveal a lot about Wednesday, too....like do they know each other? Penn seems to recognize Wednesday at least

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

Maybe he needs a demon to resurrect whoever he lost

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

idk. i didnt get a sense that penn had ill intentions or wanted to use mercury. but i could be wrong. penn could indeed have a specific goal in mind for helping mercury (besides just trying to not fail again). idk if penn knows wednesday. maybe penn knew another day of the week. like monday.

✨Respheal✨

Actually yeah, rereading a bit, I don't think Penn knows much about Wednesday specifically, just that someone else previously went through this and died because they didn't get demon'd

I bet everyone hates Monday......

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

But that implies he's been searching for someone to by demon'd

I'm just super suspicious of Penn

✨Respheal✨

With good reason x'D He seems good! Just......

What does he knooooooooow

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Who even knows!

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

its good to be suspicious though cause how could penn tell mercury was possessed via a handshake. like...i know he knew someone who was possessed before but i doubt that just auto gives you the power to know possession via handshake

✨Respheal✨

Fair xD

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

not to mention who does penn know that told him about the house

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

With Julia I figured that her and Merc tried to start a relationship that didn't work out. Maybe something to do with her leaving for town or maybe they were friends first n it was weird

the blushing implies something romantic

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

yeah i do get the distinct impression that there were romantic feelings involved. tho hard to say if they were together or not. though im leaning towards they were together...maybe like while they were in school. and then julia was rando one day like "welp im out i need more in my life"

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

maybe not that blunt

she got her dream job in town and Merc didn't/couldn't leave

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Yeah, least that was worth it

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

it doesn't seems like things ended too badly but I could be wrong.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

yeah. i mean its still possible they werent actually dating before either. which couldve actually been a motivation for julia to leave. like she liked mercury but since neither would make a move she felt that hoping and staying for that relationship wasnt worth it.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

My presence is really driven by the mood of my month old daughter. I'll be good for a while, checking the backlog here.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Lol

Hey Math

THat's fine- best keep your baby occupied and happy

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Nice, someone already mentioned the scene with the cat passing off the keys, I liked that one too. :>

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

tbf i also think all cats are A+ cats

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

And when all cats are A+.......no one will be........

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Cat MVP(edited)

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Yeah, if memory serves, Mercury was an "I" (introvert, in the character bio) while Penn seems pretty extroverted. That can be awkward. I also liked in that bar scene how if Mercury hadn't been quite so specific, he could have won. ("You have a child" versus specifying the gender.)

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

he wanted to one up him and lost

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

It's true, A+ to cats. Was also very well behaved in the carrier on the trip!

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

yeah it was kind of sad how close mercury was to being right

and then just missed

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

I feel like it was that handshake which had Penn press the point... agree that maybe he just shakes hands with everyone waiting for that sort of thing. Must get weird at family reunions.

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

shakes everyone's hand at the bar until he gets kicked out

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Penn might have known Friday. Looking forward to the inevitable Robinson Crusoe cameo.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

a bit off topic, but as i think about penn's knowledge of the house more, im starting to wonder if the person he knew he brought to that house. and that person refused to make the deal so thus died. and so mercury is going to tell penn that and penn is going to be devastated.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Yeah, I thought maybe there was some kind of relationship thing with Merc and Julia. But I thought maybe he comforted her when she was having a bad relationship with someone else. But then she fled town to get away.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

QUESTION 3. Though Wednesday reveals a few tidbits of information, little is known about him. Do you believe Wednesday’s goals really are to just get closer to humanity, or do you think Wednesday has secret goals? Besides what we’ve seen so far, what do you think Wednesday will do with his newfound freedom? Do you believe Wednesday will continue to remain interested in the human world, or do you believe he’ll eventually get bored? Additionally, do you think Wednesday will find a way to bond with Mercury? Speaking of Mercury, why do you think of all the people in the world Wednesday picked Mercury? Was it just happenstance, or is there something special about Mercury? Of a last note, do you believe Wednesday will meet another demon/spirit?

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Maybe the previous person was the owner of the house, and that's how Penn knew about it?

✨Respheal✨

On the "why Merc" point...apparently Mercury's parents were in on it, naming him like that

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

I suspect that this isn't Wednesday's first merging with a person, but the seventh. Given the title. ^.- I'd be curious to know how the previous melds went.

✨Respheal✨

Mercury = Mercredi = Wednesday I get the gist that Wed just wants a body to live in since he's probably trapped in whatever parallel purple world he comes from normally

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Respheal: Should you really speak about his parents Venus and Mars that way?

✨Respheal✨

pffffff

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Mercury was also the messenger, hence the speeding around town, methinks.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

What about Saturn?

or Uranus?

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

He seems to just want to cause mayhem

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

or Wednesday's alternate universe friend Friday?

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i can only conclude mercury is from a hippie family and left town cause he didnt want to do anything with their new age stuff.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

horribly forced joke over

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i mean to be fair there could be a club. of planet named ppl who are all possessed by demons. and penn is gonna go introduce him.

i mean to be fair there could be a club. of planet named ppl who are all possessed by demons. and penn is gonna go introduce him.

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

Wed said something about destroying humanity.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

but yeah with a title like wednesday 7 it could be implying that wednesday has done 7 possessions now. although there are also 7 days of the week so maybe wednesday is actually the last to possess someone in this generation

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Maybe the club is behind that bar that they went to? I feel like that wasn't coincidence that they were there, and that's when Mercury started having the swimmy visions.

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

7 days of possession per haps

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

OH. Which reminds me. The talk Mercury had with the bartender in the background there was funny.

Rebel: Oooh, that's an interesting one. Wednesday's late to the game.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

XD

Then again getting drunk does really weird things

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Incidentally, I kind of like that idea that random names we give to things take on their own identity out in the ether somewhere. In part because it fits with my personifying math functions, but still. ^.-

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

could Penn be a previous possession?

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

maybe but i dont feel he is. although it would explain why he could tell via handshake

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

(The scene I meant by the way was this one, where he's calling the bartender "Joey") https://tapas.io/episode/558419

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Ooohhhh, good find

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

yeah i thought that was a cute background convo.

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Oh! Penn had a daughter, and he's divorced. Maybe his Daughter was the previous possession, and it led to the marriage breaking up.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

and my thoughts still stand, don't underestimate the lower of alcohol

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

What's Joey's backstory?

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Joey owns a small kangaroo.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

ya know didnt penn just say he lost someone to a demon? i keep assuming it means said person died, but maybe said person is just 100% possessed all the time whereas mercury gets to get his body back somehow.

i think you mean joey was raised by kangaroos O_O

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Rebel: That's an interesting thought. Maybe after the person dies the spirit can still possess them, but only for a finite amount of time....?

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

Penn possessed killed someone.

would be pretty dark

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

He's spent time in the state.... penn.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

"Back into your pen(n)!"

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

math no

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

that could be tho. penn is secretly a murderer

although now im worried for mercury

petty thievery is one thing O_O

murder is a whole other ballpark

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

but if he's possessed then did he really kill them? or did the demon do it?

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

The cat trusted Penn though. He can't be too bad.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Yea(edited)

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

So here's a question.... are there spirits for months too? Because August just refers to Augustus Caesar. Is the spirit of Caesar roaming around out there? Because I don't think he'd fit in too well.

Jonny: Hmmm. Maybe there's rules like with hypnosis, you can't do anything you wouldn't normally? (Is Mercury the type to steal watches?)

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

well given that a day of the week can have a demon spirit thing, its not inconceivable a month can. albeit i doubt august is the spirit of augustus ceasar XD unless the demon dresses up like it for fun.

and if hes possessed it depends on who controls the body O_O

i do hope wednesday and mercury can mentally communicate somehow

or leave like post it notes for one another at least

"Drank all the milk. Buy more. -Wednesday"(edited)

✨Respheal✨

Yes please

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Julia... that's a bit like Julius, for Julius Caesar, for JULY, hmmm.

✨Respheal✨

I need this in my life

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

"That wasn't milk. -Merc" (Gotta keep him guessing.)

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

would stories have demons since they embody thoughts and emotions for people?

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Stories like Virgil's "The Illiad" kind of thing?

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

would make sense if stories could

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Wait, he wrote the Aeneid, what am I thinking.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

although if stories can i think demons outdo humans in population

so there must be specific circumstances that allow someone to possess someone else

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Though that reminds me of that old poem about the days of the week. And "Wednesday's child is full of woe".

Ref: https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/Monday%27s+child+is+fair+of+face

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Okay, so time for a fun theory. Penn and Wednesday used to date, but something went wrong with the possession. So now that Wednesday has a new body, we're in for hijinks as Mercury and Julia have a date at the same time as they do.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

the real reason they divorced: penn's one true love is wednesday

and by they i mean penn and his other spouse

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

God I hope that doesn't happen

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Penn was born on a Wednesday.

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

Solomon Grundy born on a Monday

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

maybe wednesday had to pick mercury because of the name and maybe mercury was born on a wednesday. maybe it takes that sort of high affiliation for possession

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

It would cut down on the number of possessions per year.

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

possession tax?

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

They have a tax for that too?

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Maybe the fact that Merc's place was partially furnished is also indicative of shenanigans.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

QUESTION 4. In order to save his own life, Mercury fuses himself with Wednesday. However, the full consequences of this act are yet to be known. How do you think Mercury might gain control of his body again, even if only temporarily speaking? Assuming he does (as the comic description implies), do you think Mercury will be completely normal, or will being possessed by Wednesday give him access to Wednesday’s supernatural powers? Do you feel Mercury will have an easy time having a normal life, or will the experience render him unable to fit in with society anymore? How do you think his relationships will affected by the change? Lastly, do you think Mercury will attempt to get rid of Wednesday, and if so, what lengths do you think he will go to?

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Already contains Wednesday's favourite couch.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

thats a good point, math. it is suspicious the apartment was furnished without mercury knowing

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Well look at the bight side

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

Maybe Merc's mind is in some other plain and we'll see that

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

you're merged with a bloody wolf

you can do wolf things

Like howl

and...uh...

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Merc regains control on the full moon.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

what other badass wolf things exist?

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

Julia tries to bring Merc back but Penn gets in the way(edited)

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Merc's probably going to have to do a bunch of research. I imagine he'll corner Penn for info, could create a rift there.

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

Maybe it's a night thing. We've only seem Wed at night

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

(I won't propose a Mercury Penn ship because that's too Sailor Moon jewelry-esque.)

Jonny: Oh, that's a good point.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

maybe its a day thing and wednesday can only come out on wednesdays

cause wednesday did keep checking the time it seemed like

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Especially cause there's no thing as Wednesnight

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

stop

now

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Yeah, we don't know what day of the week it is. Though that would make meetings awkward, if they can only possess on particular days... hmm.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

really hard to say this early on.

i definitely think mercury is gonna try to cure himself though

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Yeah(edited)

he has to

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

cause i mean on this first night wednesday has already caused a lot of chaos

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

No kidding

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

At least he has a totally different appearance from Merc. So the people with the camera phones and the theft videos won't be going after him.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Yea

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Will Wednesday save the girl on purpose in that latest episode, you think? Or will he just mess them both up by blowing past? (Maybe giving the watches away is meant to show he's a ladies man himself?)

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i think hell save her on purpose. but less cause hes like "oh no that girl allow me to save her"

but more as a "wow this looked fun"

i would be interested in seeing merc's mind on another plain as jonny suggested. i think that would lend to some very cool comic visuals

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

That might be interesting. I wonder if he'd see the purplish vision things in living colour, and the real world as purplish blobs.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

now thatd be a cool reversal

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

With Penn living in both places, maybe.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i wonder if well see wednesday and penn have a conversation

that could be interesting

and could reveal stuff about penn that maybe wednesday knows for whatever demon spirit reasons

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Yeah, I wonder how well they get along, since Wednesday just kind of blew by him.

There's also that mercury tattoo, maybe Merc lives there? O.o

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Oooooh

Interesting find

(again)

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

lots of little details I missed. probably cause I read it fast.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i just noticed

https://tapas.io/episode/1000244

that sign says swift st.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

zoom

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

i really hope that was an intentional joke XD

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Well you do move swiftly along

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

probably

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Oh! I noticed that at the time and thought it was really clever.

Glad you remembered to say something.

I wonder what does show up on traffic cameras, if anything.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

well given the comic description probably just what it appears.

cause the descrip implies that basically wednesday is gonna be some wanted criminal

which is gonna suck if they collect dna evidence

suck for mercury that is

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Ah, right, good point. Fingerprints even.

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

possible story arcs

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

yes. so mercury is definitely gonna be tapering on the edge there

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

yus

OH crud only 4 minutes left

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

I wonder how much Mercury's been watching of stuff like technology. He did seem to know to grab the more expensive watches. Surely he knows about surveillance systems?

vikikuli

Hi everyone! Sorry I just make it on, had work until now :/ but the discussion looks awesome so far! thoroughly enjoying it

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

VIKI!

Hello there!

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

hey man!

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

It's actually about to end ^^;

3 minutes left

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

Hi author/writer/artist!

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

Glad you made it in time so I could tell ya you're an awesome person with lots of great skill and talent

and I wish you luck with working on more of the comic!

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

dido

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

I suppose one of the questions that Mercury should probably answer is what Wednesday did last time, given the remark "Good to be back".

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

^

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

"You still have all these unpaid parking tickets from twenty years ago too."

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

glad you could make it, @vikikuli ~! even if it is towards the end

tbf

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

You'd think Penn could've paid them.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

that would be wednesday's last body's job to pay im sure O_O

does anyone have any quick closing remarks?

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

It'll be interesting to see how the body sharing goes.

Superjustingo of ✨Time🕑&Space☄✨

I already said mine so I'm good!

And yeah, I second that

The Undefeatable Jonny Aleksey

Penn is evil

MathTans the Pun 👑Prince👑

But only on WEdnesdays.

✨🐱 RebelVampire 🐱✨

COMIC TEA PARTY END!

Unfortunately, the scheduled Comic Tea Party time is now up~! Thank you everyone so much for reading and joining this week’s chat~! We want to give a special thank you to Viki Kuli, as well, for making Wednesday7 and volunteering it for our reading queue. If you liked the comic, please be sure to support Viki Kuli’s efforts however you’re able to. All that being said, if you would like to continue discussing this week’s comic, we highly encourage you to do so~!

For next week, Comic Tea Party will focus on Stomp by Brodnork. As always, please use the next several days to read as much of the comic as you would like. We hope to see you next Thursday on July 26th from 5PM to 7PM PDT for the chat~! Until then, happy reading~! Comic: http://stompwebcomic.com/