#nerdy doodles! FOR THE FIFTH TIME

[n3rdy247]

one of the jeb doodles i made. i. HHFJFFF

[carrotcouple]

A lot of people have been asking about the OCs in this post. So I made an obligatory doodle of the main characters and am doing a quick explanation in this post.

These are the main characters from my fairly new OC story which is currently fondly under the placeholder name #necromancers and biohazards. Anyways it's an urban fantasy story with many many different kinds of people (people???? beings???). The protagonists are a group of definitely not sane morally gray idiotic housemates who are fully under govt. scrutiny because two of them were accused of having created a deadly bioengineered plague of sorts that's been killing everyone.

Alright, quick run down of the characters!

First off! Enxo (They/Them) Enxo is a no good, morally off necromancer who got turned into a vampire against their will. They sell "life insurance" of a sort by saying they'll resurrect someone if they die. Enxo is a devil may care biochemist as well and has a strangely large amount of charisma. They were accused of creating the bioengineered disease along with their best friend Qing.

Secondly, Livie (She/Her). Livie used to be a government worker but then was falsely accused of a crime and was kicked out and ostracized. She lost her home and no one who she used to know wants to associate with her. Ren picked her off the streets and brought her over. And since everyone in the house minded their own business and treated her fairly well, she stayed. She's a goodie two shoes and tries to keep her housemates out of obvious illegal nonsense.

Thirdly, Monhir (They/Them). Monhir is an undead abomination. They died(?) after contracting the bioengineered plague, but because of what they were before they died, they didn't exactly die and instead became...that. They're weird, they're a hazard and they've got colorful personality. Monhir drinks all the vanilla essence in the fridge, sleeps under other people's beds and crab walks(?) around the house.

Fourth, Qing (He/Him). Qing is Enxo's best friend, partner in crime, enabler and also their voice of reason. Qing is probably the only reason Enxo is even alive right now. With a good head on his shoulders and much nerdiness in the way of biotechnology, he makes sure everyone knows when to hit the accelerator and also the breaks. He also thinks Enxo is an idiot.

Fifth, Ren (They/Them). Ren is a bit crazy. Ren loves gossip and sparkles. They work at a party store for most of their day, but then spends the rest of their time listening to gossip and gathering information. This has led to them being one of the most valuable information assets in the country. Oh yeah they also like fuzzy slippers and adopt people way too frequently. They were stopped from bringing people home permanently after Livie. This doesn't mean they don't bring people over for dinner.

Sixth, Ytal (She/Her). Ytal is a mercenary and also an assassin if she's paid enough (Livie doesn't know this). She's never allowed to do anything around the house because of the brute force she's capable of. She's broken too many lightbulbs. She's also cursed and so will sometimes just throw up blood and pass out. Enxo has her on several different meds to manage this though and she pays them a hefty amount by acquiring random body parts for experimentation (Livie once again does not know this).

And lastly, Zayn (He/Him). Zayn is a bit of a mystery. None of his housemates know about who he used to be before he started living with them. (To be honest, they could all find out but none of them care to look into it). Zayn used to be a popular celebrity who would smuggle people in and out of countries so that they could find refuge in other countries away from wars and more. However, several countries found out about this so he changed his identity and is now living a quiet and uncomplicated life (aside from the random life threatening explosion he faces for rooming right next to Qing and Enxo's lab).

The story kinda focuses on the bioengineered disease and everything surrounding it. Enxo is technically the main character which I love them for. They're fantastic. A lot of this story is still under development but yeah. That's all. Will probably post more stuff of them at some point! Thanks for tuning in.

[hanakogames]

Irmee and the five Limmees

So, I vaguely dream-flashed this at some point last night. It’s a kid’s cartoon type story that is the notebook-doodled invention of Irma from the 80s TMNT series.

(That’s cartoon Irma if you don’t know her)

The protagonist, Irmee, was obviously her self-insert and looked pretty much like her, except that Irmee was a wizard, wearing a wizard robe (possibly with a hood but worn down, not up) and carrying a wooden staff and able to do magic. She was also accompanied by her sidekick brigade, the Five Limmees, who were sort of dwarf-like (they came up to her waist) and also wore hooded robes, though they kept their hoods pulled up to mostly hide them. I’m pretty sure the Limmees were based off the Turtles themselves, though I’m not sure who the fifth would have been. A joke about either April or Splinter? Anyway, she and her sidekicks had underground cave adventures (not sewers) looking for treasure. 

Now, as I understand it, Irma was a character invented for the 80s cartoon who didn’t really get much traction and hasn’t appeared in much since except for a few tiny joke references. Her character was also inconsistently written, as I recall - sometimes she was clever and nerdy, other times she was just a huge boy-crazy loser. She was supposed to be April’s best friend but seemed younger. Overall, while April was occasionally competent even if often a damsel in distress, Irma was mostly a clumsy joke getting in the way.

But as anyone from the era can tell, she LOOKED suspiciously like an older version of Jeanette from the Chipettes. And that’s who kid-me wanted her to be, really. The Smart Girl, a shy and awkward nerd in need of help and protection, but able to contribute meaningfully with her brain. And exactly the sort of girl who might have been daydreaming this Irmee story where she could be the magical hero. 

80s kid me’s endgame pairings for the turtles were Leo / Lotus Blossom, Raph / Mona Lisa, Mikey / Kala, and Don / Irma. I hated it every time they depicted Irma being dumb because it took away from my plans. (April never figured into my schemes. Never paired her off with anyone, not even to get rid of her. It’s not like I hated her, I just didn’t care, I had no investment in her.)

[collapsingintojupiter]

Sea Urchin

I made me some analogical fluff bc honestly, why not?

Characters: Virgil, Logan, (brief) Roman

Relationships: Analogical, platonic Prinxiety

---

“Are you sure this is a good idea, Roman?”

“Are you kidding me? Of course it’s a good idea!”

“Fish? For a date?” Roman sighed, slinging an arm around Virgil’s shoulder. 

“I’m telling you, oh panic-at-the-everywhere, that taking him to an aquarium will literally make his year. Logan loves the ocean, man.”

“And...and you’re sure he won’t think it’s weird?”

“No, because he’s weird. And so are you.”

“Hey!” Virgil shoved Roman away and glared at him, though it melted into a grin when he laughed that stupid laugh of his.  

“Relax, Virge. He’ll love it, I promise.” He sighed. 

“Okay…”

Half an hour later, Virgil was standing on the doorstep to the Crofter house, his hair awkwardly styled (Roman’s fault), and a plush shark in his hands (also Roman’s fault). Logan opened the door when he knocked, eyes widening at the sight of the plush shark. 

“I uh...here.” Virgil shoved it into Logan’s hands, then tried to remember what Roman had told him to say. “Uh, guess where we’re going today?”

Logan looked at the shark, then up at Virgil. 

Holy shit, I’ve never seen him this excited before. 

“Are...are we going to the aquarium?” At that, Virgil couldn’t help but smile. Maybe Roman’s terrible idea wasn’t so terrible after all. 

“Correct. I heard you were into marine biology, and they have a sale on the admission fee today. Roman also told me you liked sharks.”

Logan smiled--adorably, Virgil thought. 

“Yeah, I do. They’re such fascinating creatures, despite the terrible reputation they’ve been given.”

“That’s good, ‘cause they’ll have plenty where we’re going.” Virgil motioned to his car, which actually wasn’t his car, but his mom’s. “You ready to go?”

“I believe I am adequately prepared, yes.” Logan still held the plush, and carried it to the car with him where he set it on the dashboard. 

“Will it be okay if I keep it in here for now?” he asked as the two climbed inside. 

“Oh, sure!” Virgil said, and his voice definitely didn’t crack. He tried not to look at Logan as he backed the car out of the driveway and started into town; at his messy hair, the soft blue sweater he currently wore over a white button-up, at his blue glasses which had tiny goldfish painted on the sides - Roman’s work, most likely. And it was perfect.

Roman had been Logan’s best friend since the first grade, and from what Virgil had heard the two had become friends in much the same way he had when he’d been transferred to their school in fifth grade. Promptly after arriving Roman had made it his personal goal to befriend him, though Virgil had never understood quite why. Logan said he didn’t either; Roman merely shrugged when asked and said they’d seemed lonely. 

Not that that was true, or anything.

Whatever the case, Virgil did eventually succumb and become a part of the odd group. Later, when they reached highschool, it was again Roman who convinced him to finally ask Logan out. 

At first glance, Logan was little more than a quiet and studious kid with a weird fascination for both space and the deep ocean, something that was weirdly connected to and disconnected from Virgil’s own fascination with cryptids, conspiracies, and aliens. The more he’d gotten to know Logan, however, the more he learned about the nerdy kid’s wilder side; about his impulsive (but fun) antics in the name of science, his crazy ideas “for research purposes only, obviously,” and his long rants about stars at two in the morning when he couldn’t sleep. 

And Virgil fell in love with him. 

Roman noticed he had before he did, actually. He also said that Logan liked him too, and after several weeks of nagging Virgil finally worked up the courage to ask him out himself. And when Logan accepted--well, Virgil didn’t think he’d ever been happier (though he’d never tell Roman that).

“What’s your favorite ocean animal, Lo? Aside from sharks.” Logan glanced up, grinning crookedly. 

“I love eels,” he said. “And sea snakes. And crabs. And...” he stopped himself, and Virgil both tried and failed to hide a laugh. 

“Go ahead,” he said. “Um, do you have a favorite shark species?”

“Certainly. I am most fond of the tiger shark; their unique patterns are quite aesthetically pleasing. Speaking of sharks, did you know that shark skin feels like sandpaper?”

“I didn’t,” Virgil said, even though he did. “Tell me about it.”

“Their skin is made up of specialized placoid scales, which form a special kind of armor for the shark that’s actually quite thick. It’s also so rough that it can actually injure animals that rub against it the wrong way--it’s relatively smooth the other way, compared to it. The shape of the scales also makes the shark more streamlined in the water, so it loses less energy to drag when it’s hunting prey.”

Virgil kinda froze, even though he was still at the wheel, and once again he was struck by how damn smart Logan was, not to mention how cute he was when he got excited, and--

“Uh, Virgil?”

“Yeah?”

“You missed the turn.”

“Dammit!”

- - -

Virgil stood back a little, grinning to himself as Logan pressed his face up against the tank. On the other side of the glass, a rather uncomfortably large fish looked back at them. Virgil had already been dragged around four different rooms in the span of less than fifteen minutes, but despite that he couldn’t wipe the dumb look of adoration from his face as Logan excitedly rambled to him about parrot fish. 

“Did you know that they create bubble nets out of their mucus to hide in from sharks?”

“Uh...no, I didn’t.”

Man, the ocean was weird. 

“Ooh, this way! They have touch tanks in here!”

“They have what now?” Virgil asked, as Logan grabbed his hand and started pulling him into another room. 

“Touch tanks! So you can touch the anemones, urchins, sea cucumbers, and whatever else they have in there! Very fascinating textures, they have. Especially the anemones.”

“Wait wait wait...touch them?”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Logan said quickly, coming to a halt at the room’s entrance. He glanced at Virgil. “If you want I can show you first, and then you can decide. They won’t hurt you.”

“Uh...okay.” Virgil wanted to say no, mostly because being wet was not what he had planned, but Logan seemed so excited about it that he couldn’t help it. Besides, it was just his hand. He’d be fine.

“Here’s a purple sea urchin.” Logan pointed at a little spiky thing in the sand, grinning from ear to ear. “Their spikes can’t hurt us, but they’re cool to touch.” He dipped his hand in, running his finger along one of the urchin’s spines. 

“Whoah, they’re closing together around your finger!” Virgil leaned over the edge of the tank, eyes wide. Logan grinned at him. 

“They trap food with their spines like that, isn’t that cool?”

“You mean it thinks your finger is food?” 

“Yup! Don’t worry though, he can’t hurt me. See?” Logan pulled his hand away easily, showing Virgil. “Wanna try?”

“You’re crazy.” He looked down at the urchin. “...Yes. I’ll try.”

The water was stupid cold, but Virgil rolled up his sleeves, pretended he didn’t notice the adorable smile Logan was giving him, and dipped his hand in. The urchin’s spines were hard, but smooth, and quickly hugged onto his finger as he watched in surprise. 

“You haven’t been to an aquarium before, have you?” Virgil glanced at Logan.  

“I haven’t, no. Ocean always gave me the heebies. Didn’t realize it was so...uh, cool…” he turned away to hide his face, which had turned a delicate shade of rose, and quickly washed his hands while Logan tried to pet every sea cucumber he could find in the tank. 

“They’re very squishy,” he said as he joined Virgil by the entrance. “Very smooth. I like them.”

“I can tell,” Virgil answered with a grin. 

They went to more tanks, then ate at the cafe inside. Logan excused himself after they sat down, leaving Virgil alone for a few minutes as he disappeared. 

Virgil pulled his patch jacket closer around his shoulders, and let out a small sigh. He’d never been much of a learner like Logan was - sleeping in class, doodling on the margins of his notebooks, ignoring the teacher and everything around him...but learning from Logan was so different, so...fun. He realized he’d been enjoying himself immensely the whole time, even though he now had more facts on sea cucumbers than he’d ever know what to do with. 

Being with Logan was fun, he thought. 

“What are you thinking about, Virgil?”

“GAH! Logan, why?”

“I apologize.” Logan sat down, a smile hiding in his eyes as he tried to look sheepish. “I uh, didn’t realize that you hadn’t noticed my presence.”

“It’s alright,” Virgil shook his head, pushing a plate of food towards him. “You just startled me.”

“I will try to avoid doing so in the future.” 

They talked about black holes and green sand; about comets and cone snails and nebulae and nurse sharks. 

And Virgil loved it. 

At last, the day had gone and it was time to go. Virgil was exhausted, but glowing with happiness as they made their way towards the exit. Logan held his hand; similarly quiet, similarly happy. 

As they reached the front door, he stopped and turned to him. 

“I uh...got you something,” Logan said quietly, holding something up for him to see. 

“Is...is that an urchin plush?”

“I, uh...I thought that since…I went back to the gift shop...wanted to get something special...”

“I love it.” Virgil gently took the plush from Logan, cupping it in his hands and feeling how soft it was in his fingers. Logan grinned widely, and before either boy knew what was happening they were in each other’s arms. Logan’s embrace was gentle, but firm, and Virgil was pretty sure he never wanted to leave his arms again. 

Silently, he thanked Roman for his best terrible idea ever.

[sebcastellanos]

gresho tag meme

Tagged by @nerdy-snowflake (THX MATE!!)

1. When did you first watch TGS?

at the cinema last year! it came out later here because we have local film festivals in december, so i saw it in january? early february? something like that

2. Who is your favourite character?

i would die for phineas taylor bottom. he's also one of my favourite characters to write for and to discuss stupid meta shit about; i don't see a lot of works focusing on his thought process and stuff and it makes me sad? he's really a lot more fragile than fandom makes him out to be lmao

3. What are your canon and fanon ships?

fav canon ship is phinity, fav fanon ship is benebarnum (bennett/phin). i walked out of the movie the first time i saw it shipping benebarnum so i mean?? like y'all assume my fav is phillibarnum but really i only started writing that out of spite because of general feelings of disappointment #NotMyPhillipCarlyle

4. What is your favourite TGS song?

from now on!!! it's got amazing lyrics and an amazing synopsis of phin's shortcomings as a person and i love running home to it

5. Are you a content creator?

only because nobody writes bottom phin and i have to do everything myself!!!!!! sometimes i draw but i don't share my doodles often with anyone besides ella because i'm Unpopular Opinion Central and often feel stupid sharing things hahahahaha

6. If General Tom Thumb and The Irish Giant got into a fight, who would win and how?

tom because the irish giant is too nice to throw hands lbr

7. If you joined Barnum’s circus, what would your act be?

The Boy with the Bottomless Tearducts (can cry more than 5 litres of tears in one sitting!)

8. Favourite fanfiction trope or AU?

for impure things i have an au that's called "therapy bottom phineas" but i also have one where he's a pool boy/gardener in his 40's who just wanted to go into theatre but failed that dream miserably?? and then a college au where he, charity, and the bartender from the other side (conveniently named thomas) start a poly relationship so uhhhhhhh

9. Do you have a non-TGS song that you associate with the film or character?

idkk... i want waterloo - abba to play in the bg of the scene when bennett's seated by phin's side in front of the circus ruins because bennett realises he lowkey loves him but besides that??

ave maria - david bisbal is a good phinity song but its in spanish

i have a thing where i associate fifth harmony songs to hugh jackman characters and phin's is top down

i don't have good answers for this

10. What mythological creature would you add to the circus?

wuhhhhhhhhh..............probably tikbalang

11. What is one of your favourite TGS headcanons?

phillip carlyle was a big playboy and you can meet me in the pit!!!!!!! also i like pretending his middle name is maxwell

12. If you could ask any TGS character a question, who and what would it be?

me @ charity: so you peg phin right????? finger him while he bangs u right????????????

BONUS: Link/share one of your favourite TGS fanfictions or pieces of fanart!

idk i don't read any fanfic but i do have this one bookmarked (phil/phin, nsfw for sex): https://archiveofourown.org/works/14325621

as for art, @omikanno drew this amazing benebarnum piece: http://omikanno.tumblr.com/post/174822462696 本当に素晴らしいです！！

I TAG @barnumxcarlyle @logan-howltt @smilecapsules and any of my followers who wants to do this, idk, I don't have GreSho fandom friends.......... but tag me if you do!!!

[fishy12233]

Chronicles of Sturgia

Prologue Part 1: “The Garbled Gossip”

In order for a story to make sense, the reader must know who the main characters are. After all, the main characters are the ones who drive the story. Imagine a middle school cafeteria, bustling with chatter, like a theater before the show. The cafeteria is bright and cheery with its checkered floor and artistic walls. Hundreds of children are chattering at once, some talking about the newest member in a famous band; others are talking about mysterious rumors of aliens, but everyone knows rumors like that are only real in comic books and movies. The chatter continues, an endless garble of noise. Anyone in the cafeteria can see a variety of different students. Six girls walking by while wearing coordinated outfits, a typical guy surrounded by his strange friends, a girl who chooses to doodle on her tablet by herself. However, none of them are our main characters.

As lunch begins, a girl sits down at an empty table with her lunch. Her name is Maddie, and she is the first of our six main characters. She wears a school uniform in a school that doesn’t require school uniforms and has a poppy in her hair. Her eyes are dark, mysterious, and a little sleepy, though her left eye is partially covered by her one-sided bangs. Maddie prefers to spend her time reading spooky novels or playing spooky video games. Her lunch is chopped beef with a slice of devil’s food cake on the side. Maddie isn’t the one who talks very much at her table, but when discussing her interests, she takes full control of the conversation. During an everyday conversation, Maddie is the type of person who tends to listen and observe. This is great for Maddie since she always knows exactly what type of gifts to give her friends on their birthdays.

The chatter continues. Sometimes, when you listen closely, you can listen in on gossip. This can tell someone a lot about what others think of them. Gossip isn’t always the best form of entertainment. But passing students continue to eavesdrop nonetheless.

“Did you see Maddie? She’s so elegant and graceful!”

“She’s like everyone’s big sister. They shouldn’t need to be so dependant on her! She acts like some concerned mom sometimes.”

“But she’s a total goth too! Have you seen her clothes? She looks like she came right out of boarding school! I bet that she’s secretly a witch or something.”

The children continue with their daily routine. The coordinated girls eat healthy salads. A nerdy girl talks to her friends, making sassy remarks with a deadpan voice. Meanwhile, a bratty kid is playing pranks on other people. But none of them are our main characters.

A second girl sits down to eat with Maddie. Her name is Susan. She’s Maddie’s little sister and her total opposite. Susan wears a purple A-line dress with pink flowers on it and keeps a white lily in her hair. She also wears black stockings and flowery shoes. Her eyes are bright, happy, and excited. Susan loves cute things, especially cute things from Japan. She likes doing things like watching cute anime or buying cute plushies. Susan makes her own Japanese bento lunch, complete with octopus sausages and onigiri. But sometimes, Susan decides to go all out and create a cute and elaborate bento lunch with cute characters and a large variety of food. When Susan first saw how cute bento boxes could be, her eyes sparkled with awe. She saved up her allowance so that she could buy her own genuine bento box. Her friends always love her bento box designs and ask her if she could make lunch for them. Susan is extroverted, which in this case means she loves to talk, but is overly dependant on others and sometimes comes off as rude and annoying. Anyone who calls Susan annoying isn’t her friend. During an everyday conversation, Susan is the type of person who gets distracted by her surroundings and always carries the conversation. Susan truly cares about her friends, but always forgets things like their birthdays. Fortunately, she has her sister Maddie to help her remember.

The garbled gossip goes on and on. Everyone wonders what people think of them. They get self-conscious and anxious just thinking about it. Gossip is always behind one's back, but it’s not always well hidden.

“Have you seen Susan? OMG! She’s soooo cute!”

“She may be cute, but she’s annoying. Why can’t she just leave us alone? She should just go back to relying on her sister for everything.”

“She’s also a total weeb! Susan is so into anime and cutesy stuff, it’s sickening! Also also, she totally copied my style!”

While the peanut gallery rambled on, the kids kept eating their lunch. One of the coordinated girls finishes eating and walks over to another table to talk to her other friends. A snarky girl who looks rather similar to Susan gossips and acts as if the leader of her group, even though she’s not. Meanwhile, two sisters and their friend talk about the latest horror movies. But none of them are our main characters.

A third kid sits at the table with the sisters. This time, the kid is a boy named Peter. He wears a propeller hat and a shirt with a smiley face and blue-and-yellow-striped sleeves. Peter also wears a heavy backpack, filled with a ton of schoolwork, his lunch, a bunch of colorful yo-yos, some robot parts from the robotics club, and a huge album of trading cards. His eyes are simple, yet optimistic and determined. Peter likes geeky things like robots and trading cards. He always has the coolest toys. His favorite food is ground beef and rice with ketchup that his mom makes for him. During lunch, he also likes to have a grilled cheese and pizza bagels alongside the beef to share with friends. Peter and his friends love to trade and share their lunches. Peter is outgoing and friendly but sometimes is too distracted with building robots to talk. During an everyday conversation, Peter is cool with listening to others talk, but he can easily carry a conversation if needed. People like talking to him because conversations with him are never boring.

The students continue to talk incessantly. Not everyone who talks with friends is a gossip. Sadly, many girls tend to be labeled as gossips just for being outgoing. The saying, “It takes one to know one,” definitely rings true here.

“Peter’s kind of cute. He looks really cool with his gadgets and toys!”

“Are you kidding me? Peter’s a DWEEB!”

“Geez, shut up! Takes one to know one, dweeb.”

Lunch continues on. The coordinated girl and one of her friends decide to do their friend’s hair in wacky hairstyles. A cooler girl sits with the snarky girl that looks like Susan and chat about other people. The bratty kid gets into an argument with some other students. But none of them are our main characters.

A girl named Lisa, the fourth friend, sits at the lunch table. She wears a large tie-dye shirt and worn bell-bottoms. Lisa wears way too many bracelets and keeps her curly dyed hair up in two large pigtails with scrunchies. Her eyes have more makeup than her friends’, which makes them look more flashy. Lisa likes doing fun things like having parties and playing dolls. She likes playing dress-up and usually likes having sleepovers with Peter. Sometimes, Peter and Lisa would play shovelware games and laugh at them during their sleepovers.

Lisa always likes to sneak candy into her lunch, which usually has fun, bizarre food. She always trades food with Peter. Lisa is chatty but very kind, even to people who don’t like her. During an everyday conversation, Lisa is usually the one to start it. She always talks about the latest trends, but Lisa always gets bored from running out of things that she wants to talk about. Lisa knows that people think she’s a girly gossip, but she really wants to get rid of that view people have on her so that she can live a more free life.

The chatter continues. Some people don’t really care about gossip. They’re the smart ones, ignoring others’ opinions and focusing on being themselves. Like a stone wall, harsh words don’t get through to them. But even a stone wall wears down over time.

“You know Lisa right? That weird girl with the flashy accessories?”

“Yeah, what’s her deal anyway? Who’s she tryin’ to impress?”

“I heard that it’s Peter, they always hang out together. What losers!”

Lunch continues, but there are still some students waiting in line for their food. The sister of the girl with the wacky hairstyle writes in her journal while listening to emotional music. While the girl who looks like Susan continues to gossip, the true leader of her friend group sits quietly. She writes poetry and hums a familiar song. The girl with the tablet continues to sit alone and draw in peace. But none of these students are our main characters.

A fifth student sits with Maddie, Susan, Peter, and Lisa. She is carrying a tray piled with food along with her lunch box. Her name is Annie, and she’s wearing a faux raccoon tail hat and a worn plaid shirt with worn jeans. Annie’s eyes are stern but friendly. She’s a tough girl who loves camping and tasty food. Her dad has taken her out hiking and fishing countless times. She’ll eat anything for lunch. She loves meat, and is always down for eating out. Annie’s eyes are much larger than her stomach. This always results in Annie leaving lunch too full and having lots of leftovers to give to her friends. But she doesn’t really mind. Annie volunteers at the local food bank every day, which gives her the opportunity to donate any extra food that she’s gathered during lunch. From time to time, Annie’s friends also volunteer at the food bank. Annie is strong and motivating, but can be insensitive at times. During an everyday conversation, Annie always finds a way to brighten someone’s day. She tends to rush through life, but her friends help her to slow down and appreciate the world around her more.

Almost everyone has settled down to eat. Many students have already finished their lunch. But the chatter is louder than ever. In the end, others’ opinions don’t matter. But even still, when a person spends too much time taunting people and belittling friendship, they get annoying. People start ignoring them and getting bored of them. Sometimes, one has to wonder if that person turned out well.

“Do you know Annie?”

“Yeah, she’s that tomboy. What’s her deal?”

“She can be so insensitive, giving false motivation. What a hypocrite.”

Lunch begins to close. Students are finishing their food and packing up. The coordinated girls reunite and begin heading back to class. The strange friends of the regular guy begin finishing up, but still chatter. Everyone else, including the bratty kid and the artistic girl, throw out their trash and begin to leave. But none of them are our main characters.

Before lunch begins to end, one last person sits with his friends. He arrives at the table with Annie. His name was Chris. Chris is considered a nerd. He wears large glasses, a bowtie with a school uniform, and has his hair slicked back. Chris is shorter than his friends. He’s a studious kid who loves reading and math. Chris was the last to join his friend group. When he first joined, he was apprehensive. He was too scared to ask them to let him join their group. But what he wanted more than anything else was to have a group of friends he could be a part of. He simply needed to build up his courage. His lunch normally consists of hard boiled eggs, tuna, and salty crackers. Chris is kind, but is also shy and awkward. During an everyday conversation, Chris is the type of person who listens, but really wants to speak. He may be shy, but he has his friends to take care of him and help him become more social.

The cafeteria is almost empty, but the chatter still lingers. The students walk back to class, yet our six main characters still remain, being the last ones to pack up and leave. In the end, gossip doesn't matter. Only your own actions matter. In the future, things may get better. Sometimes, it doesn't get better. The best we can do is make the best of it. But we must also strive to improve our lives for the better.

“You know Chris, right?”

“Who?”

“The kid who always follows Annie around. He's like her minion or something.”

“Oh yeah, the egghead! He just, like, doesn't stand out to me a lot.”

Finally, everyone leaves, heading back to class and taking their noisy chatter with them. The garbled gossip fades away, leaving the cafeteria empty. But just because lunch is over doesn’t mean that the story is. A show always begins on an empty stage. Just like a play, the story is only just beginning...

[nerdarchy-blog]

Hello gamers! Our crate unboxing segments are moving from our video series to a new home here on the website as we shuffle things around to best provide all the things we want to offer between here and the Nerdarchy YouTube channel. Check back every month should you wish to learn of the awesome stuff that comes in that month crate. This time we are unboxing the March 2018 Dungeon Crate.

  March 2018 Dungeon Crate unboxing

From the insert

March is a well-known month for drinking holidays, so we offer a tavern themed crate this month.  Taverns are the best place for adventurers to get the scoop on the local area, find new quests, and settle in for some rest and relaxation. The items in this crate revolve around some of our favorite Halcyon establishments.

Check out the gallery below for some images of the cool stuff included in the March 2018 Dungeon Crate.

The first item is Epic Encounters: Tavern Builder. Normally we get a small folded card with a ready-made encounter to use right away in your fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons game.  However, this is a great insert that you can use to make a tavern. I do a lot of improv as a Dungeon Master and when players want to go to a tavern I struggle at times coming up with a good name. This Tavern Builder card can be a major asset to solving this issue. But it does not stop with a name chart. You have options for an inn, the tavern, a pub, and the dive. You get options for the size of the building, descriptions, notable occupants – even a menu. This is a good get for a DM to use either on the fly or during your prep time to make exactly what you want. I am happy to have something like this to aid in my gaming.

The images that appear on the pint glasses are also available as T-shirts! Click the image to check out the Dungeon Crate shirt shop for these and others. [Art by Dungeon Doodles]

Going along with the tavern theme, the next item is the Etched Steel Tavern Logo Pint Glass. Made by Advanced Deployment and with art by Dungeon Doodles, this glass has one of four design options. I am not sure of what all the options are but the one I received is from the Shady Lady. It is a cool design and I wonder if maybe the Dungeon Crate shop will eventually have for sale all the options so you can collect them all.

If you know anything about Nerdarchist Ted, you know I like miniatures and dice. And the next handful of items are right up my ally. Next are two miniatures from the Reaper Bones line. We get a dwarven brewer and a townsfolk innkeeper. The dwarf stands next to a keg almost as big as he is with some great detail.

The notion that brewing and dwarves go well together is represented in this detailed mini. I am happy to add this to my collection and I am set for the next dwarf I play who specializes in brewing supplies. The innkeeper is another great asset. Maybe not as a player character mini but one that if you want to set the scene and have a combat in the tavern, you have something to represent the barkeeper so those monsters can threaten your NPCs as well as the adventurers.

Minis, check. But I said dice as well and this crate has those as well. You get three in fact. First by GameScience you get a d10. GameScience dice are known for their precision balance and quality. This is number three in a set as we got the d20 and the d12 in the previous two crates so I suspected that this one was coming.  It is cool to be able to get the whole collection over time, really adding extra value to getting the crate every month. But if you missed something there are options.

You know the manufacturer of the thing and if it is not available over at the Dungeon Crate shop you can always check out the GameScience store and get it from them directly. But that is not all for dice. While GameScience is cool these d4s, in my honest opinion, blow them out of the water. I know many people love and are used to the typical triangle “caltrop” d4 but the company Doublesix Dice has made these super amazing d4s that are essentially a 12-sided die marked with one through four, three times each.

For a bit of hilarity, the first one of these I got months ago, also in a Dungeon Crate, was gold with black triangles for pips. It looked really cool, but because it had 12 sides I did not know what it was. Once I figured out what it was it became my favorite d4. From the same company we get two more of this style d4. One is black with gold triangles as pips, while the other is an orangish gold with black swirls as pips. I’m super happy to have more of this awesome style of dice to add to my growing collection.

And the last item in the box, which I would have missed buried in the packaging had it not been for the insert saying what all the items were, is a set of coins. For those of you who do not know, the guy behind Dungeon Crate is a fanatic for coins, so they do not come in every crate but in a bunch of them. These ones are a three piece set from Rare Elements Foundry.

Coins are a great thing to have at the gaming table. They can be cool props for when the adventurers travel to a new land or when they uncover a treasure horde. They can be used as inspiration tokens, or heck, if you ever have the need to roll a d2. Lastly they can be used as atmosphere or roleplaying tools. Your rogue, or any gold-loving character, could constantly fiddle with their coins. Here you have props to provide that sound and help you get into character. You could of course just have them around the table adding to the atmosphere or environment of your gaming table.

So if you think these are cool and want in on the next crate feel free to head over to the Dungeon Crate site. Make sure you use the promo code Nerdarchy to get 10 percent off your first month’s subscription. If you want to check out the store and maybe see what they have from past months you can do that too. You never know what you are going to get.

Thanks for reading and check out this great create service and until next time, stay nerdy!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Like this?

Did you enjoy this post? Nerdarchy’s awesome volunteer staff of writers and editors do their best to create engaging, useful and fun content to share. If you like what you find here on our site, consider patronizing us in a good way through Patreon.

On top of reaching our goal of paying our writers, pledging gets you exclusive monthly content for your D&D game, opportunities to game with Nerdarchy, access to patron-only channels on our Discord and more

With your generous support we’ll continue to create quality content between our YouTube channel and blog, invest in equipment to increase recording quality, and eventually create original publications and products to enhance your tabletop role-playing and gaming experience.

Thank you for your consideration and as always, until next time stay nerdy!

[amazon_link asins=’0786966092,0786966246,193678159X’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’nerdarchy-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’535a5044-4337-11e8-ac6f-8d1203dcb6d2′]

Everything you need to build an epic tavern for your #DnD game in this @Dungeoncrate Hello gamers! Our crate unboxing segments are moving from our video series to a new home here on the website as we shuffle things around to best provide all the things we want to offer between here and the 

[epitomeofchaoss]

Questions Tag

Thank you @brightbeautifulthings for tagging me!

Nickname: I don't really have one

Zodiac: Pisces

Height: I think I'm like 5ft 4in or something

Last thing I googled: how to go from cm to ft lmao

Favorite music artis: Kesha, Dua Lipa, fifth Harmony, Lauv

Last movie I saw: Bloomington (a must see btw!)

Why did I choose my URL: because I'm the epitome of chaos, pretty obvious.

Do I have any other blogs: nope

What did your last relationship teach you: that I'm gay

Religious or spiritual: neither actually

Favorite color: YELLOW

Average hours of sleep: 6 to 8 hours most of the time

Lucky number: 7, idk why it's just always been that way.

Favorite characters: Oh god I could write a book about how many I have, but the ones that come to my mind right now are Ron Weasley, Dumbledore, Hagrid, Waverly Earp, Agent Dolls, Doc Holliday, Jeremy, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Clarke Griffin, Lexa, Anya, Raven Reyes, Lincoln, Echo, Poussey, Alex Vause, Taystee, Nicky, Veronica Lodge, Betty Cooper, Cheryl Blossom,...

How many blankets do I sleep with: 2

Dream job: someone who helps disabled people (no idea how you call it in English)

I tag: @nerdy-doodle-wings

[scripturiently]

i needed a break from writing papers so i wrote some one shot about princess rover. i miss them and was in a huge mood to write something insanely fluffy. prompt is from @wlwprompts “person A is drunk and decides to randomly call that cute girl from biology class to tell her she’s pretty”

enjoy :)

Amberle Elessedil is insanely pretty. Eretria hates her.

‘Hates a strong word’ she can hear Wil say when she sits next to her in the bio lecture. It’s nine in the morning and she’d much rather be sleeping in. Amberle’s soft face makes it worthwhile, she supposes. They don’t really talk throughout that first day of lecture, mainly because Amberle is really absorbed into what the professor is saying and Eretria is on her phone the entire time.

They don’t continue to talk for the first week of lectures either. It isn’t until Eretria comes in late that second week that Amberle says something to her.

“Why do you come to lecture if you never pay attention?” It’s bitchy and pious sounding and Eretria just scoffs.

“Why do you care?” She retorts back and Amberle sends her a little glare that makes her heart jump a little. They stare one another down for a good minute before someone behind them coughs and Amberle’s back to her notes. Eretria pulls out a notebook and just doodles.

She does try to listen to the lecture a little better after that.

The first test comes after about three weeks of lectures. Eretria groans at the professor’s announcement that it’ll be the next class and Amberle just rolls her eyes at her. They leave together and that’s when Eretria decides that maybe the nerdy bio girl can help her study.

She may also just want an excuse to spend time with Amberle out of class. Not that she’ll admit anything. “Hey, princess,” she grabs at Amberle’s arm before they’re separated, “wait up.”

Amberle jerks her arm away and turns around, crossing her arms. “What?”

“Tutor me?” Eretria means for it to come off flirty, raising her eyebrows a little. She notices that Amberle is slightly taller than her and almost pouts. What the hell.

Amberle’s cheeks go pink but she scowls at the other girl. “Why?”

“Because you obviously enjoy this nerd shit and I can’t afford to not pass class.” Eretria shoulders her backpack.

“Well, maybe you should pay attention in lectures more often.” Amberle walks away without another word and Eretria’s never really been rejected before so she just stands there dumbfounded for a couple minutes.

She’s trying to study with Wil when Amberle Facebook messages her. They aren’t friends, but somehow Amberle has found Eretria online and has reached out to her. It makes Eretria grin like an idiot for a moment until she remembers their previous conversation.

She opens the messages regardless. Amberle’s sent her a photo of her notes with the caption I was a bitch earlier, I shouldn’t stop you from passing the class. Here.

Eretria immediately saves the photos and scrolls through them. Later that night she messages back I owe you one, princess.

Amberle friends her on Facebook an hour later.

Miraculously Eretria passes the test and Amberle’s the first to know but only because their results are handed out in lecture and Amberle’s nosy. They talk more after that and okay Eretria maybe starts paying attention and taking notes.

She comes in hungover during the fifth week of classes. Amberle actually physically makes a noise in disgust. “You could have at least showered, gods.”

“Fuck you, Elessedil.” Eretria’s not in the mood. She puts her hood up and tries to sleep. Amberle mutters you wish and Eretria’s kind of thankful she’s got her head buried in her arms.

She arrives hungover every Friday after that and soon Amberle just starts accepting it.

They get lunch together about six weeks in, on a Wednesday. It’s accidental really, Eretria’s just stumbled upon Amberle’s little safe spot on campus.

“Are you stalking me now?” Amberle jokes, putting down her fork. Eretria laughs, smiling.

“Nah. You’re the one stalking me, princess.” she sits across from her and Amberle doesn’t complain. Just warns Eretria not to start making her regret allowing her to hang out with her outside of class.

They exchange numbers at some point, especially since Amberle only responds to Facebook messages when she’s on her computer, which is rare. It makes setting up study sessions easier. Eretria hates and loves the study time together. For one, she’s around Amberle more. For another, she’s starting to realize she’s crushing hard on the nerdy bio girl and she knows she’s setting herself up to get hurt.

But she tells herself to let it be. At least she has some time with Amberle before the semester ends, the class ends, and they’re going their separate ways.

She learns that Amberle has shit taste in music. Mostly mainstream sad songs and hipster bullshit. She learns that Amberle wears a pomegranate smelling perfume and she suddenly can’t get enough of that smell. Amberle’s her year, she’s studying marketing and communications, with a minor in science. She makes Eretria laugh at the stupidest shit, even when Eretria doesn’t get it as well as she could because it’s a science joke. She lives with her grandfather, who is a professor here, she constantly drinks coffee and watches dumb romance comedies on her free time. She’s smart, drives a rather old looking mustang, and is really pretty.

Eretria’s so fucked.

Eretria’s about five shots of fireball and some good awful sweet rum when Wil dares her to call Amberle.

And of course Eretria does. Of fucking course. She’s used to getting drunk but that doesn’t mean the no self control while drunk ever gets better. She shoves her phone into Wil’s face and he starts laughing, leaning against the counter and scrolling through her contacts till he finds Amberle’s number *’really, you put emojis next to her name?’ ‘shut up Ohmsford’* and hands it back to her when he hits the dial button.

“Get some, ‘Tria.” Wil teases and Eretria grins wickedly back at him before stumbling out of the frat house to get some fresh air.

Amberle picks up on the third ring, voice sleepy. ”Hello?”

At first, Eretria chickens out. She freezes, realizing as she’s starting to sober up in the outside air that this is a stupid idea but then Amberle says her name in the sweetest voice, asking if she’s alright, and Eretria just says it. “You’re really pretty.”

She’s drunk, but she knows she’s not imagining the little gasp Amberle takes on the other end of the phone. She smirks. “You gonna do anything about that?”

Amerble’s silent for a while, contemplating. Then there’s the rustle of sheets and the click of a light being turned on. “Yeah, I am. Where are you?”

Damn, okay. “You serious, princess?”

“Oh don’t get too excited, I’m picking your drunk ass up so you don’t hurt yourself. Wil obviously can’t take care of you,” Amberle says quickly, voice a little breathless but laced with annoyance. Eretria sighs.

“You ruin all the fun.”

“You just hit on me.”

“Touche,” Eretria hums, sitting down in the grass. She can feel the headache coming on now, her mouth getting dry. “I’m at Pykon. You know that one, right?”

There’s the clattering of keys being picked up from a ceramic bowl. “I’ll be there in fifteen, just hang tight.” Amberle promises and Eretria feels a rush of relief.

“I owe you, princess.”

“You’re always owing me.” Well, that’s true.

“Yeah, shut up.” Neither hang up immediately, even as Amberle’s car is started up and the seatbelt notification dings. It’s quiet, the only sound of them breathing. Finally, “I’m hanging up now,” Eretria concedes.

“Hang tight,” Amberle repeats.

Eretria ignores the swell in her heart, the rush of heat to her cheeks. She just hangs up, jabbing the end call button faster than humanly possible.

Amberle is thirteen minutes, not fifteen. Eretria has long since gone back inside to retrieve her leather jacket and let Wil know she’s leaving. When he asks who with, she doesn’t give him the pleasure of knowing, just shrugs and winks at him before heading out. Amberle is on her phone, scrolling through her music playlist and switching songs as Eretria clambers inside the passenger seat. “Hey,” Eretria starts, nonchalant.

“Hi.” Amberle’s voice is soft, like the music reverberating through the car. She hands Eretria a plastic water bottle. “Drink.”

Eretria scrunches her nose up. “I’m fine, princess.”

“Your voice is scratchy and I’ve seen you hungover in class one too many times to know you can’t take care of yourself when you’re drinking,” Amberle retorts, uncapping the bottle and handing it over. Eretria takes it, letting their fingers slip against one another’s for a brief moment. “Are you hungry?” Amberle asks.

Eretria shrugs. “Not right now.”

Regardless, Amberle drives to the shitty burger joint on campus and orders two burgers and a shake to share. “It’s mostly for me though, since you’ve fucked up my sleeping schedule tonight anyways.”

Eretria feels bad for a moment. It is midterms. But it’s Friday night and when Amberle takes them to a little hill near the football stadium, she starts to feel a little less bad and maybe a little bit more hopeful.

They sit on the hill munching on the greasy burgers in silence. Amberle’s still playing that hipster crap that Eretria can’t stand until now. Amberle’s leaning back on her hands, humming and looking up at the sky.

Eretria’s sort of ditched the burger, eyes glued to Amberle. She’s wearing a soft gray Arborlon U sweater and leggings, sneakers long ditched to run her toes through the grass. Her brown hair is in a braid, leaving her neck more exposed than usual. Eretria selfishly thinks about marking her neck for a moment, but it leaves quickly. She blames the buzzed state she’s now in.

“Wil texted you,” Amberle hums when Eretria’s phone buzzes between them. Eretria grabs the phone and shoves it into her back pocket.

“He’s probably just asking if I’ve gotten laid yet,” she jokes but it doesn’t stop the lump forming in her throat. Amberle laughs.

“So did he dare you to prank call me?”

“Not really,” Eretria mutters, picking at the grass. Amberle turns her head, eyebrows furrowed. Eretria quickly elaborates. “It was more my idea. Like, ‘hey, how can I make nerd princess panic a little tonight?’ kinda thing.” She shrugs.

“Well, you certainly did that.” Amberle admits. She smiles adoringly at Eretria. “Have you sobered up?”

“Yeah,” Eretria’s been mostly sober since she called Amberle, “but I kind of just want to lay here for a while.”

Amberle nods, looking down at the football field. “Okay.”

It’s quiet and not uncomfortable and Eretria starts counting the stars to get her mind off how badly she wants to kiss Amberle right now. Amberle’s out of her league, Amberle’s too prim and proper for her, too smart. Eretria gets drunk every week while Amberle’s finding her career at the age of 22.

Amberle kisses her first and Eretria’s so shocked that she doesn’t kiss her back at first. Amberle’s quickly pulling away and Eretria’s mind is short circuiting. She just wants to kiss Amberle again right now.

So she does. She hurries forward before Amberle can get up from her spot and her right hand comes to rest against Amberle’s, the other cupping her jaw. Amberle tastes like chocolate shake and American cheese, the smell of pomegranates overwhelming Eretria’s senses. Amberle hums into the kiss, pushing her forehead closer, letting their fingers intertwine. It’s not hurried and as much as Eretria wants to push it, hungrier than ever, she doesn’t. She wants to savor the moment, wants to lock it away in her mind forever. It remains soft and sure and gentle and Eretria’s never really been into that until now. Until Amberle.

Amberle’s giggling, breathless, when Eretria finally pulls away. “Why do I taste cinnamon and… is that coconut?”

“Don’t ask,” Eretria mutters, smiling goofily. Amberle doesn’t, just pulls Eretria into her lap and kisses her under the stars until dawn.

[n3rdy247]

i am so fucking tired i love doodleposting garbage

[recordofmyreverie]

The Friends That You Choose Yourself Are The Best Ones You Can Find (March 2017)

During 2006-2007, I was going into seventh grade, and there was a new school year and another new school for me. In the sixth grade was when I was moving from California where sixth grade was still a part of elementary school in the school district I was in, and I was rushed to transition to middle school at the same time as adjusting to Southern culture when moving across the United States. I spent the other half of my sixth grade school year at Fort Mill Middle School before there was enough room for me to attend Gold Hill Middle School the next year.  

On my first day of seventh grade at Gold Hill Middle School, as well as every other first day of the school year, I always thought “This is going to be the year for me. This year, I’ll be different, and I’ll be popular this time.”

That was never really the case ever. I was never popular. I thought that having a lot of friends meant success. It was how you achieved status in middle school anyways. 

I wore what I thought the popular kids wore after seeing that  I needed a whole new wardrobe to fit in when I moved. In sixth grade, I was still wearing my shirts from fifth grade, my favorite past times were still playing outside and riding my scooter or jumping on the pogo-stick, I didn’t brush my hair or wear any makeup at all, my eyebrows needed plucking, and I was still wearing a training bra. I had no idea what a period was. I didn’t even understand why girls needed to carry purses around or why they needed designer handbags at that age. I didn’t even know what Hollister or Abercrombie was because my mom usually bought our clothes from Target. 

When I moved, I thought I’d fast-forwarded into high school because the girls in sixth grade were already dolled up, wearing push-up bras, and holding hands with boys. When I got an eyeful of what to expect from middle-schoolers, I felt more prepared for seventh grade. I tried to dress like the popular kids, straightened my already straight hair, wore lipgloss and mascara, and had clothes that ironically said “California” in embroidered stitching when I had just moved from there. 

I came to the school gym before school officially started. That was the waiting place for the kids before the classroom doors were officially opened every morning. Walking across the gym floor, I was looking for a place to sit and was so nervous because everyone was a stranger. I saw a blonde girl with her hair tied up halfway stand up and wave to me. She told me that her name was Emily and that we were going to be best friends. 

I was placed in Mrs. Dobbins’s homeroom in seventh grade, and that was the same as Emily’s. She sat next to me and kept asking me about if the rumors she heard about California were all true. She asked if I could surf or if I could skateboard, if I had ever met a celebrity, and if I missed living there. Growing up, I didn’t really think much of being in California because I didn’t really experience all the stereotypical things that everyone from out-of-state talked about. All I remembered was that my whole family was there, and that I would miss my mom taking us out of school to avoid lines when going to Disneyland. 

We had to sit with our homeroom table at lunch in the cafeteria, so I’d sit next to Emily, and at recess she would take my arms and run around in circles singing with me because she was so happy that we were best friends. It didn’t feel natural at all. I felt like I was just being tugged along and didn’t really know this girl. I had no idea why she thought I was so great. I didn’t choose to be “best friends” and had no idea what that even meant because I never had one.

Before I could even get comfortable with being uncomfortable being someone’s forced best friend, I was pulled out a couple days later when the school had discovered that they had made a mistake by putting me in that classroom. They pulled me from the class because I was too smart and needed to be in advanced classes, so they placed me in Mr. McGannon’s homeroom instead.

I looked around the room and saw that I was in a room full of popular kids and jocks. They all seemed to not really care that I was there unlike the homeroom before this one that seemed way too intrigued with where I was from. I scanned the room and noticed a girl sitting by herself in the back of the classroom. It was the only empty seat in the almost-full class. 

I took a seat next to a girl with dark blonde hair and long side-swept bangs which she wore in a pony-tail always. She had on a mint-green zip-up hoodie, and a plain blue t-shirt underneath. She wore Skechers with her jeans. No Hollister or Abercrombie or “California” plastered across her chest. She had a very simple, laid back style. It was similar to what I wore before I was trying too hard to look the part I could never pass. 

We were both quiet and didn’t say anything to each other when I sat next to her. I knew that her name was Britt, and that was it. I thought I wanted to be popular like everyone else in our class, but when I got there, I shrank into my chair because I was so intimidated by everyone’s loud personalities. I knew instantly that this whole “this is my year to be popular” was going to shit. 

At lunchtime, I passed by the table that I formerly belonged to with Mrs. Dobbins’s homeroom. I waved at Emily as she signaled a heart with her hands, and then looked for a place to sit at my new lunch table with Mr. McGannon’s class. I nervously scanned the table for a person to sit next to, but there was definitely nowhere I would feel comfortable sitting at the popular section. I looked a little further, and I spotted Britt sitting completely by herself at the opposite end of the table. 

She brought her own lunch in a blue lunchbox which I thought was wise since our school lunch was total crap. We even had “Mystery Meat Sticks” on the menu a couple of times. I asked her if I could sit next to her, and she moved over her notebook to make a place for me. Looking at the spiral-bound notebook labeled “Math” I could see that she had drawn quite a few doodles that weren’t numbers at all. 

“These are great!” I said. 

“Oh. Those are just my math notes. As you can see, I don’t really pay attention in that class” She admitted nonchalantly.

“No, seriously! These are so funny. Do you mind if we draw some together?” I asked. 

“Yeah, sure.” She smiled.

That was one of the only school years in my life where lunch was my favorite time of the day. Every lunch period, Britt and I always had a blast making ridiculous drawings in her Math notebook. Some of our notable works were Michael Jackson getting eaten alive by ants and a giraffe with laser beam eyes saving him by zapping the ants and a girl eating a turtle whose shell was an apple pie. 

I liked that Britt really didn’t care about impressing people, and that she was just herself. If I never met her, I probably would have been miserable and alone that year. She was the first friend whose house I ever had a sleepover at because my Asian friends’ parents in California wouldn’t allow it, and she was the first person I ever called “my best friend.” Popularity was over-rated if you didn’t have any quality friends, and even though she was pretty much my only friend that year, she was all that I needed to be happy. 

Britt was and always will be one of the funniest people I know. She had great humor in that she was very sarcastic and witty, but she was also very honest. She told things like how they were and would be the first to call me out if I or anyone else were in the wrong. She wasn’t afraid to put people in their place. I admired that so much about her because I was so easy to put down and couldn’t stand up for myself. When I’d cry because of the hurtful things that middle-schoolers said to me, she’d be there to tell me that it was okay and point out all the flaws of the other person to make me feel better. She always had great comebacks. 

In 8th grade, she moved to a neighborhood that was out of the same school zone and had to transfer to Springfield Middle School. By then, our lunch table had expanded beyond the two of us to include Naomi, Jennifer, Dori, Jenn, and Anna. I had more friends to keep me company, but Britt was such a huge factor for all of us. She wasn’t moving too far away, and we could all still visit her at her new house, but it still was hard to see her go. 

For her last week at our school, I made a story using her alter-ego SuperBritt which she’d draw all over the school whiteboards and her test papers. It was basically a stick-figure character with her hairstyle and a cape. It was her signature. I found a website that I could design comic-book characters on, and made alter-egos for all of us to include in the story, each with their own super-powers to use against our fictional nemesis, Andrew, who usually showed up out of nowhere just to insult us and point out our flaws. I was “Kianamal” and could turn into any animal, Naomi was “Gnomi” who could shrink really small since she was the shortest one in our group at that age, Jennifer was “Jennifreeze” because she could come up with really cold-hearted things to say and often showed zero emotion when talking to people she didn’t care for, and Dori was “Gory” because we always joked that she was like an Ogre when she talked at lunch and banged her fists on the table. Jenn and Anna weren’t a part of the story because they were only sometimes present at lunch. 

Eventually, we also went to different high schools, and I didn’t get to see Britt as much because we drifted into different social activities. I was a part of five different nerdy clubs at my school, and she was running Cross-Country for her school. I only saw her a handful of times when we went to high school, but I remember each time meeting her again always being a happy experience and being able to pick up exactly where we left off whether it be weeks, months, or years since we’d last seen each other.

Britt went to school in Louisville, Kentucky and I never got to see her for about 3 or 4 years. I always felt like we’d missed so much of each other’s lives every time we talked again. The first time we saw each other again after she went to her University was last year around Christmas time. We painted pictures and drank mimosas with our friend, Naomi. It was such a great time to catch up on all the memories that we’d all had together. 

No matter how long it had been, I could always count on being able to see and talk to Britt again, and she was someone that actually checked up on  me too. It wasn’t hard to stay in touch when both of us made an effort to stay in each other’s lives. 

When she messaged me again during the second week of March, she said that she was moving back to Charlotte and leaving Louisville since she’d graduated and it was time to look for a job down here. That was some of the greatest news I’d heard all year. 

Like times before, we hung out again and relived our hilarious memories together over beers at Jack Beagles and pastries at Amelie’s French Bakery. So much has changed over the years, but our friendship stayed the same. No matter how far or how near she is, she will always be close to my heart. 

I’m glad that I picked her to be my friend.