#so this idea hit me like a brick (haha)

[stingslikeabee]

“  who  did  this  to  you  ?  ” (secretary au OR maybe honeybee / standard verse & heid just finds her and maybe they don't even know each other, this is like a first meeting? or whatever you fancy)

send “who did this to you?” for the sender to find the receiver injured and demand to know who did it . accepting

It had happened too fast for the secretary to even understand what was going on - the woman had been accompanying the general during a public appearance within Midgar; a routine task associated to the inspection of certain warehouse facilities owned by the company, and Melissa trailed behind him. The brunette had done it countless times - accompanying him in the field, taking notes and running the necessary preparations in the background.

However, they had not accounted for activists to be among the crowd that gathered as soon as their car pulled up. Usually, there were a few supporters, hopeful SOLDIER recruits and the odd civilians that got together whenever Heidegger made an appearance... But apparently, there were AVALANCHE sympathizers on that day too, and someone threw a metallic object towards them, hitting the woman on the forehead.

Despite that - it had been a lucky one; it didn’t get the secretary with full force (although it did break the skin to bleed) and once it landed on the pavement, it also did not go off. Later, the Public Security department confirmed it was a homemade canister bomb, but a crudely manufactured one that had no chance of exploding. The true damage was more in how much it weighted, and the momentary scar it would leave on the brunette’s face.

But way before these conclusions had been reached, a small panic took over the crowd, mostly due to Heidegger’s loud shouting. The general lost no second after realizing what had happened, barking orders left and right for his men to search the people and apprehend the culprit, large steps taking him to his loyal assistant under a minute. Melissa was dizzy - but she could feel his large, warm hands on her all the time, guiding the brunette to safety and then moving to apply first aid himself.

It was all a very surprising experience until she remembered - he had fought in real wars; the general had been a young soldier once, who had to learn to survive in the field. The thought that she was now under his care calmed her, and Melissa even smiled - although he didn’t; Heidegger looked incredibly worried, and after a potion vial was used, he immediately cupped the secretary’s head with both hands and tested her for any lasting damage.

“Melissa - who did this to you?” he asked, but despite the evident agitation in his body and the irritation marring each of his commands earlier, the general was gentle with her. Both in terms of touch and speech - he was whispering, in fact, and only appeared to calm down once he looked satisfied that no major consequences had derived from the attempt. “I know you must be feeling dizzy and disoriented, but if you know any details to help bring this coward to justice - please tell me. I have my men outside searching for this scoundrel who dared raise a hand to hurt one of my own.”

One of his own - that made Melissa smile even further, and manicured digits sought his, pulling his hands away from her face so she could hold his. A soft squeeze followed - more to draw his attention than anything, although Heidegger obviously had no other pressing matters but his employee’s own well-being. Sighing, the woman shook her head, although the motion hurt.

“Don’t - don’t go after them, Magnar. They wanted publicity, a headline - no public ruckus will do us any good; let them be ignored and believe they failed,” the secretary was perhaps emboldened by the situation - titles forgotten, physical touch in abundance and a way of talking that suggested perhaps more than just devoted professionalism, “If they get frustrated, they will slip up and you will catch them - it’s just as you say. Provoke them, but do not fall into their cheap traps.”

The look on Heidegger’s eyes then - oh, Melissa would gladly take another hit to the head if it meant that intensity in such close proximity; his irises were dark and burning, and he seemed so alive. Honestly, the secretary could very well allow herself to be consumed by the fire there - and with the same smile she still had on her face.

“We will win this war, Magnar. I trust you.”

And Melissa meant every single word.

[krisseratops]

I'm so. So normal. About. This. *Chewing on furniture*

Ughhh, today I spent the entire day thinking about spidervenom…!

I unfortunately have too many wips to work on anything with them now (plus, this week was full of Bad Days™ for me…), but I thought I might share a wip that has been gathering dust in my folder for a loooooong time now! The title is “5 times when Peter and Eddie didn’t kiss (and one time they held hands)” and it’s based on this idea that with the reality being rewritten so that Peter technically never married MJ (“One more day” was the name of that storyline in the comics…??) he instead has space to develop feelings toward Venom and this is a bunch of moments, mostly following the canon events, depicting their shifting relationship with each other.

Their first kiss wasn't, technically, a kiss. A tease, maybe. Definitely a joke. But a kiss...? Peter wasn't sure if he counted it (Eddie did, though). Simply speaking, he went too far with his comedy routine this time, got too caught up in his banter and mock-flirting. Laughing at the Symbiote's infatuation with him, not treating it as something serious, using it as the butt of the jokes. "You need to get over me, this is getting seriously embarrassing" and such and so on.

And obviously, the never dying "Alright, let's kiss and make up!", Once he webbed them up, after sending them crashing through a wall. It wasn’t a kiss, really. He had a mask on, after all. Venom's maw was sealed shut with the webbing as well. It wasn't a kiss.

Until it almost was, because when he leaned away, blank white eyes were wide with bewilderment, and the monster in front of him grew still and silent. He laughed awkwardly, breath tripping over his throat. "Aw, look at you getting flustered over a little smooch!", he quipped, eager to get away. Snap of a wrist and he was gone, not a single glance back left. He remembered feeling angry at Venom for making it weird and at himself, for feeling angry at all. It was stupid, almost as stupid, as feeling guilty over it.

There was no reason for telling this to MJ, right? She wouldn't want to hear about his heroic escapades anyway. Especially not if they involved Venom, even if they would be presented as a punchline, a pathetic loser, wincing in ridiculously parodied expression of disgust. Because it could have been disgust. Venom’s face was covered and their eyes weren’t exactly the most easy to read. Common sense prompted they were repulsed by the very idea of their “arch-nemesis” kissing them, even presented as a harmless joke. That’s why, there was no need to mention this to MJ. Telling her would mean agreeing with the insane thought that there was anything important to tell. And there was not. There was no reason to feel guilty.

Because this wasn’t a kiss.

There was another time, though, that could have been a kiss. Should have been, maybe. Anyway, that was what Peter thought now, looking back. It was a kiss he never got, but, at the moment, needed. Only at the moment, he would have regretted it so much afterwards. 

That’s why Eddie was glad of the absence in its place. It would have added so much more wrongness to a memory already filled with a sense of misplacement and dissonance. Because, well, they really were out of place at Peter’s flat. He knew it, and Peter knew it, and the Symbiote knew it, maybe the most painfully of either of them. But there was nowhere else they could go, they needed a shelter and an ally. And Peter wasn’t really the type of person who would close doors in the face of the wounded and vulnerable. Even if the wounded in question tried to eat him a few times in the past and was now ruining his carpet with green drool. Which didn’t mean he was going to take it without complaining a little. Or a lot.

“Great, just great, whenever I think my bad luck finally achieved its peak, it’s ‘Surprise! Think again!’,” he wailed to himself, as he helped them to the couch. “To go from sharing an apartment with the most beautiful woman a guy could ever imagine dating, to hosting a slimy monstrosity - that has to be a new record of misery reached in a week!”

“A girl has left you? That’s what you’re worrying about?” Eddie snarled at him, his anger equally fueled by the necessity of relying on their foe and the needles of jealousy bleeding through the bond. “Carnage is out there, changing this god forsaken city in his own butchershop and you cry after a girl?!”

“First of all, I wouldn't say ‘left’ is exactly the right word to describe it,” he huffed. “We needed a break, that’s all. Happens sometimes in relationships, not that you would know anything about that.”

They rolled their eyes. The very idea that Peter could have anything worth competing with a shadow of their symbiosis was vastly ridiculous.

“We don’t care about your private life, Parker”, Eddie said, as they tried to settle on the couch in a position that would do the least damage to their bruised ribs. “Only whether or not you’ll join us once we recover our strength. Why, afterward, you can return to crying your eyes out, be our guest.”

Seeing Peter from this close felt weird, especially, since he appeared to indeed cry his eyes out barely seconds ago. Something squeezed Eddie’s heart at the notion, his Other, he assumed, must have curled around it, disturbed by proximity. He wanted Peter to just leave them alone, shut up, and let them sleep. This small room will surely be uncomfortable enough even without his presence around.

“And what if I won’t?” Peter’s voice was bitter, though there was no sense of intention in it, that is, one beyond getting on Venom’s nerves. “Maybe MJ is right, maybe I should sit this one out. Have some ‘me time’. Catch up with tv series. Bake cupcakes. Maybe I don’t want to, I don’t know, have my life ruined over and over again, because some freaks decided to go on a rampage!”

Before he could react, they grabbed him by his collar, tugging close, to shoot with a look of utter resentment.

“Listen chucklehead,” a low growl vibrated through their whole torso, settling on Peter’s face like icy dew, “Joke like this once more, and we’ll eat your spleen, got it?”

Words were followed by a curse, as they grabbed on their wound, bothered by the sudden movement.

“Well, if aren’t you mister persuasive, where did you learn such diplomatic demeanor-?” Peter tried barking back, supporting himself over the couch’s back. But the last part of the sentence stumbled over his throat and ended in a whine. From the few inches that separated them, they could see the threat of tears glistening in his eyes. Before they could fall out, he ran a hand over his face, covering the glimpse of emotions with irritation. “What did you even do to yourself? Should you bandage those or something?”

That felt terribly inadequate.

All of this felt unnatural to them, all of them. Not the banter, spite and anger, of course not. But everything accompanying them was off by a mile. No masks to hide faces, no punches and jaws clenching to tear limbs. This… this was too normal, too everyday-ish, too vulnerable for both of them.

“My Other should be able to close it up overnight,” Eddie mumbled. “It looks worse than it feels. Nonetheless, we still request your assistance.”

“I know, I know��” Peter sighed, bending closer, to get a better look at his chest. “What a wonderful profession heroism is, at first it was the papers, then the common people, but now even my villains are giving me lectures…”

The moment was laced with alarm, and surprise, and wrongness, so much wrongness. They weren’t used to being this close to each other, not without a clawed hand safely locked on the neck, or webbing fastening said claws to a wall. Peter looked up and the longer they were caught in the misplacement of it all, the worse it got. Because Eddie could feel his Other flowing close to the skin, almost pushing at it, conflicted between its hatred for Peter and yearning to be closer. Because Peter could feel the warmth of Eddie’s body and he felt so painfully human at the moment, beaten up and a bit upset, with just a splinter of fear dug in the pupils.

Eddie licked his lips.

Peter swallowed down.

And he was so lonely right now, so helpless and freshly torn open, so well aware that once tomorrow he would leave to fight, because of course he would, he would return bruised and bleeding, maybe won’t return at all, and…

Peter leaned in.

Just when Eddie leaned away.

Peter went to the kitchen right after, jumping up from the couch with energetic babble about having to change his bandages and how Eddie is not allowed to touch anything and how if he catches him messing up his books then, well, Peter might not be able to eat his spleen, but he’s creative enough to come up with something else.

The moment passed and it was for the best.

After that, they didn’t really work together for a while. Well, there was that one time in the court. But aside from that, Peter and Venom mostly were on their own ways, only occasionally clashing. And then, Eddie and his Other were both on their own ways too. He didn’t really monitor what was happening to him afterward. Partly because his own life was, as usual, in shambles. Partly because seeing Eddie like that, sick and broken, stripped of the anger to hide behind…

He tried to do better and that was all that mattered, really. 

But then Anti-Venom appared. And surely enough, he was still trying. That was one thing Peter had to give to him. He also brought to mind a vision of a healing injury, with bones fused all wrong, festering. It was as if Eddie finally took a step back from one kind of madness, after which he jumped head first into one just as deep and unhealthy, just neatly tweaked here and there. 

This kiss would have been the most feverish one. As well as the one Peter was the most grateful that it never came to happen.

The whole experience screamed “fever”, honestly. Oozed illness.What made it worse, was that it did make sense for Eddie to act this way. To swing back, so hard, from one direction to another. Who else, if not Eddie, would have come up with an idea that the best course of action to convince Peter that he’s all better now, “on the side of angels” and not crazy at all, would be to kidnap him? What he didn’t expect was the talk about friendship, along with the overfamiliarity. Then again, there was always this tension between them, wasn’t it? Flirting in the background of a deadly battle.

And that was what he was doing then too. Old habits die a slow and painful death, only to be zombified back to life, don't they?

“What would you think of me, if I’d let you take my mask off on a first date?”, he quipped, to Eddie’s dismay, as he struggled to peel the cloth anywhere above his mouth.

“You act like I’m Electro or Sandman. I’m on your side now!”, he huffed.

One of his claws strayed from its place, lingering for a moment over Peter’s lips, leaving his body frozen dead.

Oh no, he wouldn’t, blinked in his head before the monster in front of him hesitantly crouched down. Orange eyes were unreadable, and yet, there was an air of uncertainty, something just a step away from… what exactly? Peter refused to pinpoint.

Before, though, he even began to figure out what in the hell he would tell Carlie, Eddie backed down.

“...I get it.” His voice, although still changed by the slime covering him, got a softer quality now, with a tingle that paired with anybody else could pass for embarrassment. “I need to earn your trust. And I will.”

Later, he thought that perhaps this time it was Eddie who really needed that particular kiss. But he couldn’t have given it to him. He just couldn’t. 

Right?

[suiana]

Sometimes I feel like I see a lot of mean darling (no offense to the mean people out there, do whatever you like with your pathetic yanderes)

but what do you think of a darling that’s super nice and friendly but then one day someone says something stupid (like a homophobe or smtn lmao 💀) and they just immediately say “Kill yourself” with no hesitation, then when people tell them they can’t say that they just say “whatttt I’m just saying what we’re all thinking”? You don’t have to answer, I just really am going insane because I’m too scared to write this myself 😭

i like ur idea anon

(yandere! tsundere x gn! sweet reader) (reader is secretly very unhinged)

"ugh you're so- i hate you! you don't deserve to-"

"kill yourself."

the tsundere, who is your classmate, immediately shuts up, staring at you as his mouth drops wider and wider by the second. what did you just say? are his ears working right? there's no way you could've said that haha...

"what? could you repeat that?"

"i said, kill yourself."

your tsundere classmate and you maintain eye contact, standing in silence as the weight of your words sinks in. the reality that you had just cursed at him comes crashing down on him like a ton of bricks and all he can do is stare at you like a dumb fish. and the fact that you don't have your usual cheery smile and aura is adding to the shock factor.

like seriously?

did you just seriously tell him to kill himself?

...

did you get possessed?

hit your head on something?

or maybe you were threatened to act like this?

the tsundere puts aside his pride for a second, walking up to you and observing your face with a careful expression. hm... you look okay...

"h-hey are you okay? you can't just say that you know-"

"I'm just saying what's been on my mind."

the tsundere is even more shocked now. flabbergasted even. what happened to the sweet and friendly darling he knew?! who is this person?!

"who-"

"I'm the person you've always tormented. i just couldn't handle you acting like you hate me anymore that's why i said that."

you shrug at him before going back to being all happy and cheerful.

"anyways remember to do the homework! it's due tomorrow! bye bye!"

you then skip out of the classroom, humming a merry tune as you leave your classmate alone with his thoughts. he stares at the spot you once stood at, completely stoned as his brain lags and he tries to compute what just happened.

there's no way you actually said that... kill himself? are you serious?

but somehow, he can't help but feel even more attracted to you. huh...

maybe he's a masochist.

[delta-chan]

Thoughts about Dawntrail map six

Needless to say, very heavy spoilers beneath the read more!

I was initially a bit wary of Living Memory's telegraphed "reverse Ultima Thule" structure until I got the prompt that the scenery would be irreversibly altered at the first terminal. I panicked because like a lot of people I thought "oh nice, I'll come back here later for some nice gpose shots". That this beautiful place would have to be taken away for you to progress was almost incomprehensible to me and in that moment the genius of it clicked. It wasn't just a reverse spin on Ultima Thule's structure--it was a reverse spin that was going to back it up to an extreme.

The ephemerality of life is something FFXIV has touched on many times before, including as one of the chief themes of Endwalker. But while in Endwalker this was on a grand scale as a part of radical acceptance as a whole, Dawntrail's second half explores this idea in a more focused, intimate fashion. While the WoL has no one they are close to that they can engage with in an experience with like Erenville, Krile, and Wuk Lamat--they have the environment. And being that you're the person behind the WoL with an investment in that environment on some level the finality of moving forward hits you like a sack of bricks.

I spent a lot of time being kind of awed by this--it's a very, very solid gimmick. I sort of paused at the first prompt going "haha there's no way, right…?" before going "wait" and immediately setting out to take a bunch of quick shots. That place wasn't going to exist anymore, and I wanted a memory of it. That beautiful place--a painstakingly detailed and gorgeous bit of gpose bait if I've ever seen it--wasn't going to exist if I wanted to move on. It was… weird. I took so many nearly identical shots trying to get perfect ones because there was only ever going to be that moment. In the future there'll be new game plus. You might have alts. But in that moment, experiencing it for the first time... it's… really effective. Startlingly effective.

The fact that when I was watching the map introduction and thought about how Living Memory was an almost tailor-made gposing space (and let's face it probably is for exactly this reason) that I would have a lot of fun taking screenshots at later made me think about how many other people thought, are thinking, and will think the same thing not knowing that they're taking it for granted. Who would...? It's absurd. Why would the map be altered to such a degree that it'd be rendered gone all but in name...? It hasn't happened before. So why would it happen now? Why would it even come to mind?

And the thing is--even if someone warns you, even if you're spoiled, even if you have someone fly you from place to place--the terminals are still going to have to be shut down eventually if you want to move forward. You cannot keep it. Living memory is made to be seen once then destroyed by your own hand.

I mean--at the end of the MSQ I thought, perhaps naively, that Living Memory was going to be restored because the threat was resolved. I mean--everyone's gone. There's no need for the environment to stay gone as well, right...? I mean, they put so much loving detail into it!

Wrong.

In the immediacy of when I first finished Endwalker during its early access I wrote that I never wanted to return to Ultima Thule because it creeped me out. The map was emotionally fraught, and my first experience with it was being released into an incredibly dark map with a discordant soundtrack, jumping out of my seat at another player passing by. But returning to it for hunts and the Omicron quests I saw it for the vibrant, beautiful place that it was. It changed for the better and stayed that way.

In spite of how much I've talked up Living Memory's beauty and how much it inspires the drive to capture the moment before it leaves you, it's also far more disconcerting than Ultima Thule from the very beginning in an altogether different manner. Living Memory is something that you want to be that shouldn't be. Both in the context of the MSQ and as a map in general--you want to take screenshots, you want to linger, but the unchanging weather effect and languidly pleasant music begin to push against you if you stay too long.

When everything's said and done Living Memory becomes a featureless husk that now has natural changing weather. At night there are motes of light, golden remains of the once oppressive reminiscence. And in the background as if being piped from distant speakers, the languidly pleasant and slightly warped BGM echoing through the nothingness like an amusement park's PA system playing music for no one after closing for the last time.

It's something you didn't want that needs to be.

[makncheese12]

Top Shelf pt. 2

Part 1, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7

Masterlist

Summary: being the kid of a well-known book store owner was easy, so was running into famous people. But being book smart doesn’t make everyone people smart.

Warning: my writing, I don’t know how to fully play chess so it’s a bit weird haha, very awkward, a little rushed if you come back tomorrow sometime after twelve it should be better

Word count - 3.1k

Credits: @novmoth (my friend from school who feeds into my delusions and gives me more ideas for this story🫶🏻)

“So,” Lyle starts as you move a piece across the chess board and look up to him then back down at the half played board. “You mean to tell me you ran into Jenna Ortega—“ he says through gritted teeth and puts his hands together and leans his forehead against them.

“—and you didn’t know who she was? She’s known world-wide after her recent show on Netflix!”

Why was he so surprised? He knew your parents situation and how it was critical that your mothers family didn’t find her.

Why would you want to be on social media so much anyway? All the drama involving celebrities and people switching up on them after finding some stuff they don’t like.

Hell people could even find information to black mail or threaten you with, that would just be your luck.

It was better to not get caught up in all of that. All you had was Instagram that had nothing to do with the last name and TikTok with no post that you barely used.

“You know I don’t watch a lot of TV.” You mumble watching him move the white piece taking your black on the board between the two of you. “Dude,” Mj starts looking up from pride and prejudice.

“We all used to watch her on stuck in the middle in sixth grade at Rosa’s place before Marco moved.” She says, clearly uninterested in the conversation yet wanting to be right.

You knit your eye brows together making Lyle stare at you like you were some kind of idiot. “She played Harley, middle child AKA stuck in the middle.” You continue to stare dumb founder.

The large man only groans and Mj scoffs at your lack of knowledge. Dru is then seen, holding a pile of games he wanted to try out.

“The chick with the hot sister who used her for an invention with her boyfriend.” He hums, placing the games next to the computer nearby.

Realization hits you like a brick and you nod, now knowing who they were talking about and the seeing the resemblance.

She both sounded and looked older now, you noted before moving a chess piece.

“If that’s what it takes for you to remember things then we’re all doomed.” Mj states as she pulls her legs up to her chest.

“Okay, when did she come exactly?” Lyle stares at the board, eyes clearly focused but keeping his attention on the conversation.

You think back to the interaction as he makes his move. “A few hours ago, right after lunch when people usually come in.”

“Wonder how she got here without getting noticed.” Mj wonders out loud. This girl must have been a big deal if she can’t get away without being noticed.

“Check,” Lyle hums and your eyes snap back to the board to see him move his piece. You narrow your eyes at the board for a moment and huff out.

You two had decided to create your own set of rules after playing together for so long it had become a bit boring. With his idea, you both made the game a little more interesting and complicated.

“She probably has little disguises, you know to specifically get away from the paps.” Dru mumbles, face inches away from the screen.

You grimace at the sight, now seeing why he needed glasses yet he was still doing it with them on.

“He has a point.” Lyle replies watching you make your move before his smile grows. “Checkmate.” He flaunts making you groan as he snatches your king.

“Your slacking, Y/N, do better.” He shakes his head before putting all the pieces back in place.

His teasing only making you groan again, louder this time making him chuckle.

“You’re making me feel like a sin getting scolding by his father after a bad game.” You mumble before sitting up again and making the first move.

“Good,” he laughs watching you make the same move as before. “You need it.” He says in response.

“Fuck the game, what are you going to do about Jenna Ortega?” Mj speaks up closing her book and slamming it on the table.

Usually, you’d scold her for doing so but it was after hours and no one was inside to bother.

Lyle huffs. “Never say that again, this game is very important.” Mj rolls her eyes in response, everything was important to him.

“What would you have me do? Send her a quick text and ask her to come back?” You laugh at the thought.

It would have to be a miracle to get any celebrities number, it would have to be a god send to get her phone number.

“You’re such a pessimist.” Lyle snorts and you send him a glare. “I would be if a cute celebrity showed up and I never saw her again.” Dru calls out making you huff.

“I will see her again, actually. I think, at least.” Mj perks up at this. “Oh? How so?” She asks, leaning forward on the table.

You send her a glare and lean away. Why was she suddenly acting like a fourth grade friend who finds out about your crush.

“She borrowed the book, so she kind of has to come back.” You grumble scooting your seat farther away from her.

You didn’t really think you’d actually be excited for someone to return for a book. Sure, there were cute people that came in and out of the library all the time. But none had really had any real affect on you like she did.

Though the interaction was short and quick, it was probably one of the most interesting ones you had with a customer.

You’d do anything to see those freckles in person again.

The clicking sound of a phone brings you out of your thoughts as you glance up to Lyle whose holding up his phone.

“Sorry,” he mumbles as he begins angry typing. “You just looked so aesthetic with the chess board, I gotta post it to Insta.”

You roll your eyes before they move to Mj who paces back and fourth.

“Okay, so that would probably be your only chance at actually talking to her.” She says as if she were talking to herself.

“She’s so delusional

“That is if you don’t fuck it up,” she mutters that last part with a as she continues pacing making you point to your face that is clearly unamused.

“But how will you do that? You’re a horrible flirt, that much is true and your humor is as dead as Lyle’s hair.”

“Hey!” He quickly goes to cover his purple hair with his large arms. “There’s no hiding that atrocities.” Mj rolls her eyes, once again for the hundredth time tonight.

“I say you just go for it.” Dru says tapping his computer key quickly and you notice the game to be ‘cookie clicker’, an online game that is not any of the games in his pile.

“Be yourself and you’ll be fine, if she doesn’t like that oh well.” He says inching closer to the screen, glasses almost touching it.

“Wow DD,” Lyle says, looking up from his screen that was suddenly getting lots of notifications. “I never thought you could be so poetic.” He teases and Dru sends him a side eye glare.

“That wasn’t even poetic, just common sense.” He replies, eyes traveling back to his screen.

Lyle sticks his tongue out at the older man who doesn’t even notice.

“I want sushi,” You say standing up watching the abandoned chess pieces fall from their place. “Let’s go get some.”

“Right behind you,” Mj says eagerly as she grabs her book and jacket, Lyle not too far behind her.

“Wait, give me a second!” Dru calls but you just laugh and continue your way to the door.

“Wait! I want sushi too! Stop!” He calls out louder as Lyle holds the door open. “Just abandon mission dude! Sushi is way better.” Lyle says as you begin walking down the street, Dru coming out not long after making sure to lock the door.

————

You carefully pull books out of the return section as the beat of your music rings through your ears making you bop your head lightly.

You glance over to Lyle who sat in the desk chair, playing Call Of Duty mobile on his phone. You wouldn’t usually be allowed to do that but it was a particularly slow day.

It had been two weeks since Jenna had last came to the library and to say you were disappointed was an understatement.

You knew it could be months before she would have to return the book and you would have to charge her for it if she really didn’t and that is what you didn’t want to do.

Mj made sure you didn’t forget either, sending you cheesy pick-up lines and ‘how to flirt’ website which only aggravated you and hurt your ego.

You did look at a few though and had to admit some were actually good while others made you skin crawl.

You don’t notice the sound of the bell ringing or the way Lyle quirks up slightly glancing toward you

Jenna looks up to him as her body guards walk to a side table in front of the window allowing her a little freedom to walk after seeing there weren’t many people.

He makes his lips into kissy form and a small ‘ooh’ leaves before turning to you, back turned as you sort through the books.

He looks back to Jenna who is now standing at the front desk contemplating to help her or not.

He decides against it but doesn’t want to leave the celebrity waiting. He stands up and quickly grabs the closest thing to the back room door before putting his finger to his lips.

“Shh..” He says, eying her as a playful threat before chucking the item at you and rushing through the door.

The thing hits your head and you whip around, barely missing Lyle as your eyes land on Jenna who held her books, glancing between the storage room and you.

“Did you..” you say, pulling your headphones out and picking up a mouse key that had been ripped off from the cord. “Did you just throw a mouse key at me?” You ask with playful tone as you walk toward her.

Jenna thinks back to Lyle’s silence threat before speaking. “You weren’t paying attention, it’s bad customer service.” She just shrugs.

“Oh, my bad.” You say putting your hands up in defense and her smile grows. “I’m sorry I was doing my job,.” You say shaking your head before playing glaring at her.

Be confident, all girls like that!

Mj’s words ring through your head making you cringe slightly.

Not too confident, that’ll get you punched.

Dru had stated after and your lips pull up at the memory of Dru getting punched at the skating rink during you tenth grade year.

You think of all the pick-up lines that actually seemed subtle and weren’t cringe worthy but decided against it as she pushes the books toward you.

“So, what’d you think?” You ask taking them and scanning the under the red light and pressing the ‘return’ button on the computer screen.

“I actually enjoyed between shades of gray surprisingly even though it was pretty dark,” she says shyly and you nod. “But the other wasn’t really good.”

“Just shows I have better taste than you.” You tease lightly, attempting to flirt but realizing it wasn’t actually flirting.

You were starting to realize how bad of a glitter you really were and Mj was right.

You feel your phone buzz go off multiple times at a time as Lyle comes out of the storage closet with a box full of old tapes you had just put back in there a little while ago.

He takes his seat and watches through the corner of his eye, looking through the black blocks clearly acting like he was doing something as he ease-dropped.

You roll your eyes before leaning against the counter, rolling your thumbs around each other, becoming nervous by the sudden pressure of his gaze.

“Does he always stare at you like that?” She suddenly asks, amusement clear in her voice making you snort.

“Unfortunately yes,” you say and his head yanks toward you, fake offense taking over his features. “He’s always been weird but I guess that’s what makes us friends.”

He forms a heart with his hands before blowing you a kiss making you grimace at the large man.

“So,” you say looking back up to her, noticing her biting the inside of her lip slightly before looking back to you. “Looking for anything else or should I just get back to work?” You ask, smirking slightly as you look up toward her.

You hear a quiet snort come from Lyle and send him a mental glare in the process. Oh how you wished it was Dru here instead, hell even Mj would do.

“Actually, yes.” She says, perking up slightly at your mention. “I was hoping to get another suggestion from you, since you know.” She finishes making you raise an eye brow and hum to yourself.

You think through the hundreds of books you’ve read before coming to your conclusion and standing up straight.

“I have one,” you say and she nods. “I figured.” She replies as you pass through the low door and around the counter.

“It’s sort of the same as Between Shades of Gray, same time frame.” You say walking toward the historical section. “I will need to help get it though,” you snort to yourself, feeling glare in the back of your head.

“I’m actually six foot two if you remember correctly, it’s just the angle your looking at that makes me look shorter.” She argues and your smile grows.

“I’m sorry, I completely forgot I hope I haven’t offended you too deeply.” You tell her, bowing slightly as she passes you walking into the aisle with her head high.

“But in all seriousness,” you say scanning over the the spines of the books. “What made you think the name ‘Top Shelf’ wouldn’t be quite literally the top shelf.” You reach out and grab the book ‘The Book Thief’ before turning to her.

“I thought it was like a metaphor or something.” she mumbles taking the book from your hands, reading the cover.

“Oh definitely, especially with the owners being tall themselves.” You say, laughing at her glare at you through her eye lashes.

She rolls her eyes before moving past you and toward the front desk.

You follow after her quickly and go behind the desk again before pushing past Lyle who was messing with the computer.

“Excuse you,” he stares at you wide eyed as you click back to the search bar. “Your fault you were in my way.” You mumble only giving him a glance.

“Name?” You asks glancing toward and you can almost feel the glare Lyle gives you.

“You’re joking?” She asks, clearly unamused. “It’s policy.” You send her another playful smile watching huff out.

“Jenna Ortega.” She says before Lyle pinches your side making you jump slightly. “Stop that,” you whisper before kicking your leg back at him, you miss completely.

“Burrowing or buying?” You ask and she again, rolls her eyes. “Burrowing.”

You feel Lyle pinch your other side and you send him a glare, clearly wanting him out of your bubble and away from your conversation. “You’re so annoying.” You say before watching him stick his tongue and move back to his seat.

You look back toward Jenna who was, once again, chewing her lip.

You take her credit card and swipe it quickly, using your hand to keep him a safe distance away from you.

“Anything else?” You ask, glancing up to the girl who is already staring at you.

“Actually,” she mumbles quietly as Lyle pinches your arm pit making you elbow his chest and he lets out a hard huff.

“You seem pretty cool and I was wondering..” she hesitates for a moment, trying her best to maintain eye contact which makes Lyle stop, chest against your back.

She continues you hesitate as you bag the book and slide it toward, you fidgeted slightly as anxiety creeps up to your core.

“If I could have your number? Or maybe I could give you mine?..” there’s a sort of shyness in her voice and she begins to bite the inside of her lip again.

You stare at her dumb founded a second, not fully expecting that.

But then again it was very obvious it was coming from the first part of her sentence, that was clear especially to Lyle who glances between you two.

The two wait for your response that seems to never come which makes Lyle’s eye twitch and Jenna to shift on her feet.

“You can say no, of course I just thought I’d ask.” She says, voice even quieter which makes Lyle decided to take matters into his own hands.

He snatches the phone from your pocket and sends you a small knowing smirk before turning to the girl. “Excuse her, she’s not used to these kind of interactions.” He says unlocking you phone and opening your contacts and going to the number screen.

“She is, after all, a librarians daughter. She just has no game what’s so ever.” He shakes his head and clicks his mouth. You quickly snap out of your dazed state to glare toward him.

“Yeah, sorry but I’d actually love that.” You say before watching her smile grow and all the nervousness leave her body as she begins to type.

“Cool,” she says before handing you your phone back. “Very cool.” Lyle states as he nods and gives you a knowing look.

“Text me,” she says before picking up her bag and walking toward the door. “I mean it!” You watch her stern look as her body guards stand and open the door for her with a goofy smile on your face.

“I will!” You call out as the door shuts behind her.

“Holy shit,” Lyle mutters watching her walk down the street. “Holy shit.” You repeat, still a little shocked by the whole situation.

“Jenna Ortega thinks my best friend is cool and gave her her number.” He says pulling out his phone and typing quickly before you feel a buzz in come from the phone in your hand.

You open the text messages in the group chat and see a series of text between Lyle, Mj and Dru. They had to have been spamming the entire time.

You read over the last text and snort.

My best friend is cooler than you, you also owe me twenty bucks <3

Read next part here!

A/N: Lyle being R’s wingman is in fact canon🫶🏻

Also, while you’re here why don’t you request something for different characters. I have some drafts for other things I’m working on but I would let to create some you guys ideas!

[nukanobody]

Funny Familiarity

For context: I posted a head-canon a few days ago, on how Danse actually ended up in the brotherhood of steel as a synth despite not being sent as a spy but instead is listed as "missing". It's probable he ran away from the institute where the railroad helped him escape, with Deacon knowing about the case.

I'm so obsessed with this idea now so read below for any thoughts or further hc's i had when making this. Or ask me anything about this hc i am going cray cray. sorry if this is ooc i'm bad at characters.

ty to @ericadrawsstuff for your addon btw!! it fueled me to draw this haha

For Danse, I don't believe he was a courser but maybe a failed experimental synth/synth meant for manual labor? The institute would probably be in a panic if a courser with a courser chip went awol, they'd probably take notice if the same missing courser became the poster boy of the people whose trying to destroy them.

Danse stayed in the railroad for a bit, like maybe 5 months? Formed a somewhat close bond with Deacon who was "Debbie" at the time.

Deacon loves collecting sunglasses, was toying with the idea of being a woman when he found novelty heart sunglasses. I see him as identifying as male but really flexible when it comes to presenting himself.

Obsessed with the idea that despite being reset/memories wiped synths may carry flaws or mannerisms. In Danse's case his fierce loyalty and self sacrifice are his major flaws, pre-wipe he didn't want to be a danger to the railroad and felt he needed to be wiped, post-blind betrayal he felt like he was a danger to the brotherhood and needed to be killed.

Deacon's a good liar sometimes, but in the cases where Danse says something against synths his hands clench and has to lean on a wall to catch his breath while the sides of him fight in his head. The first side is the railroad agent who has huge empathy for M7-97 and knows that if his identity is revealed it'll absolutely ruin him and get maimed by the brotherhood, the other side of him is absolutely disgusted by Danse and wants to put him in his place, the 3rd just thinks it'll be funny.

I depicted Nora as how I'd imagine she'd be. A woman from a pre-war era being dropped in a wasteland, it's kind of a culture shock for her and she has a savior complex, she assumes that everyone just needs to sit down and talk. Her main goal is to somehow "unite" the commonwealth, she's joined all the factions and some of her companions are kind of peeved about it. In the comic she introduced Deacon to Danse thinking they could have a civil conversation where Deacon could steer him to a better mindset (she sees Danse as a kid who got into the wrong crowd, despite being a fully grown man)

okay jesus, this took like 3 days of non stop drawing for me to do. Whoever designed power Armour i pray for your downfall what the hell. Sorry if it looks bad i study software so I haven't gotten the chance to draw in like, 7 months. Can you tell which pose I was able to find refs for and not the rest? lol

I ship them now too, i've been researching them and I love their dynamic and damn if the plot "Person A knew Person B before Person B forgot them and became a different person" doesn't hit like a ton of bricks.

[shirajellyfish]

Hello! I've recently discovered your DCA fanfic and well, I immediately fell in love. It literally single-handledly brought back my FNAF hyperfixation- I know lots of people have already complemented your work, but I do want to say you deserve all that praise and that I find your writing style is just amazing. I have a lot of fanfic ideas- and while I still stuggle with constantly fluctuating motivation and describing things, your work has definitely been an inspiration! I hope you enjoy the fanart I made-

Oh. My. Gosh.

These are amazing!! I love these so much, thank you!!

Every single one of these is such a delight. Sundrop's biblically accurate smile as he fidgets nervously, hugs, Riley doing the cereal excitement dance with him haha! Lune being menacing, Lune having fun! Friends with the glamrocks!

And those LAST TWO oh my GOSH those LAST TWO. Those hit like a brick through a window, I am shattered and I love it! Not only do they look amazing, your interpretation of what's going through Sun's head in that moment is just [sound of my heart shattering] it's so good

If you ever write a DCA fic please feed it to me I will eat it

[michaelrotonal]

i can feel the personalities of numbers

i'll randomly generate some numbers from 1 to 100

23 - prime boi. not even tryin to hide it.

28 - how dare you be divisible by both 4 and 7. it just doesn't feel right

13 - definitely prime. sorta reminds me of 91. we'll get to that later

5 - 5 is just 5. too small to actually feel like a prime

21 - blackjack boi. divisible by 7

77 - why doesn't he feel divisible by 7

85 - haha eighty and five? you just can't make this up. doesn't look divisible by any number other than five

67 - this prime keeps visiting me when i play DIVE. can it stop

51 - composite wearing a paper-thin prime mask. like bro i can see that you're divisible by 3

27 - cube bois unite

70 - weird

27 - again? wh- i just did this one

77 - definitely divisible by 11. sorta feels divisible by 7

16 - is that 16 from hit game 2048?

98 - bro is two times seven squared. just needs two more.

77 - this is the third time i've gotten 77

90 - divisible by so many things

69 - nice. clearly divisible by 3 though

99 - clearly 9 times 11

19 - prime sandwiched between very composite numbers (18 and 20)

91 - composite wearing a cardboard-thin prime mask. only way you can tell he isn't prime is noticing that 91 = 100-9 = 10^2-3^2 = (10-3)(10+3) = 7*13

88 - hmm, eh, no? you can't do that

75 - a real threeven over here. with its five's divisibility it can go anywhere

24 - feels so good. so many factors

56 - 7 by 8. how could anyone ever confuse him with 54

69 - nice 2

99 - friends with %. try to keep him away

48 - woah that's a lot of factors. that's like. ten factors

20 - very practical.

46 - bro is clearly just double a prime

56 - hey wait you're the number of partitions of 11

24 - pretty factorizable. sure do love having factors.

34 - clearly double 17

78 - i can feel the 13-ness and the evenness but not really the 3-ness but definitely the 6-ness

25 - 24's neighbor. nice big square

93 - 3 times 31, not even trying to hide it

10 - why does he get to have the 0 symbol. he isn't divisible like 0 is

98 - i already did this one

36 - definitely triangular. definitely square. definitely not triangular and square

44 - ooh an elevener. haven't had one of those in a while

42 - 8 factors, but just took the idea from 30. literally just 2 by 3 by 7 instead of 2 by 3 by 5

29 - nice prime

89 - nice big prime

26 - feels definitely 13-y

28 - supposedly perfect. how can you be perfect when you're a multiple of 7. you gotta be smooth

50 - smoother than 28. 5-smooth rather than 7-smooth

8 - twocubed is 8 and has 8 letters. that's all i can really think of 8 as

8 - got the 2-ness and the 4-ness with a hint of 3

65 - fibonacci product (5 by 13), next-door neighbor to 64 (8 by 8)

33 - no. you can't do that. one more than 32? you can't take a power of two and add just one to it

41 - prime made of two squares. what is he hiding

71 - one-upping 70, isn't even weird

30 - the true classic 8-factor. 8 being 2 by 2 by 2, the 2 choices each for picking to include 2, 3, or 5

62 - just needs 2 more. definitely divisible by 31

50 - woa-oah. we're half way theere. woa-oah. one more than a square.

10 - too low to really feel like anything

8 - lives a double life as both a power of 2 and a fibonacci number

49 - 7 by 7. do not ever call him "one too few"

30 - 2 by 3 by 5. nice primorial

62 - okay this is enough repetition. i'm expanding the range to 1 to 150

140 - he should not be divisible by 4. he's 14 by 10 and those are both double prime, neither are divisible by 4

143 - nice little big prime collab between 11 and 13. good job

127 - mersenne prime. right after a super big prime gap, hits you like 2 bricks

114 - hmmm, no. you can't be even and then do this. what are you even double of anyway- double 57? you're divisible by 19? unbelievable

115 - now this is what i'm talking about. divisible by only 5 unless you divide it by 5

43 - also doesn't feel prime? like

110 - slips past the cracks. hides as 77 + 33. got 100 arrested using that strategy

72 - that is the second number with 12 factors (first being 60), and it definitely feels factory

61 - the whiplash of going from 12 factors to 2 is just too much

13 - itty bitty prime

101 - big boy prime. does not like the connotation that things like "physics 101" gives it

110 - gets overshadowed by 100.

101 - okay this has got to be a prank. who switch my rng with a binary rng

5 - mission impossible time signature. dun dun dn dn

68 - ough so close. definitely divisible by 4 but not by anything else

93 - hang on i already did this one

74 - 2 by 37? definitely feels like a double prime.

30 - okay i've gotten this number enough times.

83 - he is prime. he does not belong with cat face emoticons like uwu and owo

50 - yeah that's enough. this is my last number

[outoftheblue-if]

Damn, I just found this game again on Itch. To see it on hiatus is such a damn shame, because I adore the premise of the story. And the MC can be so painfully relatable in the first chapter, like who's down to join the depression squad? Just me? Alright.

And damn, I'll always firmly believe that Victorian London wouldn't be ready for my tattooed up punk trans female protagonist. And add a sprinkle of sapphic dust on that gay dessert, and I'm all but assured to hit the asylum or a bonfire, haha.

Shits and giggles aside though, I get how rough it can be when life comes across gray as hell. It isn't uncommon for me to go in and out of periods where I can write a ton of fanfics, just to hit the brick wall called depression like I'm Harry Potter and the wall is the wall to Platform 9 3/4 doing Chamber of Secrets. So I genuinely hope things get better for you sooner than later, and make sure to take your time. Mental health is important, and most of us will still be here if/when you get back to making the game ❤️

Well, thank you so much for not forgetting about my game after all this time, and for still adoring the premise! Sorry for the long hiatus though, sometimes life just hits you like a freight train, ya know? lol. But I’ll take it as a big compliment! 🤎

I was… not doing well when I started writing this story, and that’s actually what inspired it to begin with, especially the mental state of the MC and the idea of being plucked out of the real world and disappearing into a fantasy world. We’ve all been there, right? If anything though, I hope the mental state of the MC comes across as relatable and realistic for those who have experience with it.

And lmao, you might not be far off with the asylum or bonfire if your tattooed up punk trans female mc entered the chat 👀👀 

I’m actually doing a lot better these days though, and I’m slowly starting to pick up some of my creative hobbies again (like writing!) and actually enjoying them! Thank you so much for the well wishes, I hope all is well with you too 🤎 I peeped at your blog and couldn’t help but notice that you’re from Denmark 👀 So that means we’re basically related, welcome to my family!

[thedragonagebigbang]

Bang Creator Interview: Bang Creator Interview: Tumblr: @contreparry  |  AO3: ContreParry

The Collaboration period has begun! In these quiet months before works are due, we want to foster a sense of excitement, camaraderie, and celebration among our participants. To that end, all participants were given the option of a formal interview by our mod, Dema, or an informal “ask-game” survey. We hope you enjoy getting to know our phenomenal creators as much as we have!

You Won't Believe What She Was Hiding In Her Office!

Contre Parry and Dema talk gardening, hype-squads, horse girls, and “Sysiphean fun.” 

Dema: To hop right in: Writing. How Is It Going

Contre Parry: ... I think to say "it's going" would be horribly revealing, wouldn't it?

Dema: Haha it's okay to be honest!

Contre Parry: But it's going! Some days I make progress, and other days it's like slamming my face into a brick wall. But when you hit the sweet spot of "I know where I'm going," it's all worth the brick wall days.

Dema: Is there anything that helps you reset?

Contre Parry: Gardening! I go and pull weeds. I think the act of 'doing something useful' makes me feel a little better about not making progress on my writing. Like "Hey, you didn't write that scene, but you cleared out the veggie patch! Don't feel bad!" And that resets the brain and makes me look back at what I was stuck on.

Dema: I feel like there is a great metaphor in there.

Contre Parry: There's got to be, but it's going to require lots of edits to get it to come through!

Dema: Eyyyyyy!

I, too, like to garden. I think it helps to have a hobby that uses a completely different part of my brain. And of course, to touch grass.

Contre Parry: Oh yes! Grass touching is essential. It's also a great reminder of "sometimes it's just not going to work, and that's okay!" ... I tried to grow some lettuce. It did not work.

Dema: Ah yes. I will never attempt lettuces again because I cannot bring myself to kill the little white butterflies.

Contre Parry: "But they need to eat too!"

Dema: Exactly, lol. When you do sit down to write after a wall day, is there anything that helps you get back in the zone?

Contre Parry: I'll get my computer (or phone, depending on location), sit down with a drink, and tell myself that it doesn't matter if it's bad, it just matters that it's DONE. And I repeat that last line as many times as needed.

Dema:  Wow this interview is well-timed for me, lol!

Contre Parry: I'm glad if it helps you out! Sometimes it also helps to find a person who REALLY wants to see what you're writing. So then you can bounce ideas off them and workshop what you got stuck on.

Dema: Do you work with a beta? or do you mean more of a hype person, who isn't editing?

Contre Parry: More like a hype person. In my case, I'll send segments to one of my friends or my brother. Example: I was working on a fic for FFXIV, and I sent a snippet of dialogue to a friend who has never played FFXIV and has no idea who these characters are. And her response ("Kill Him") was actually super helpful, because for me it meant "Oh I wrote this character right." So that interaction got me fired up to finish that scene, because I knew I was onto something!

Dema: Oh that is interesting! And so nice to have supportive friends who will read it even if they aren't fans of the source media!

Contre Parry: It really is! What was super helpful is that this particular friend is very skilled at writing characters having messy, awful fights. So comments like that? Truly special.

Dema:  It sounds like, in general, writing is a pretty social experience for you?

Contre Parry: It is! As much as I like to work on my writing and drop it with a "here it is," behind the scenes I'm bouncing ideas off of lots of people. Sometimes the act of just talking to someone else helps me work through all the problems!

Dema:  For a Bang fic that seems especially helpful, since it's long and in a set timeframe. Has this fic-writing process felt any different than your usual process? Do you do more planning, for example? Less?

Contre Parry: This project was different for me because I came into it without a firm plan in place. I knew what I wanted to write, but I didn't figure out my angle. For most of my stories I have a plan. So if I wander off of my plan, I at least know where and why I did that. This one, though, I went in wanting to write about a one-off line in Dragon Age: Inquisition. And that was it!

Dema: Oooo I wish I could ask which line but that will be a spoiler, I fear. Do a lot of your stories begin that way? Jumping off from a particular line or piece of lore?

Contre Parry:  Most of the time I start with a character, and all of their associated backstory. And if something jumps out at me, makes me go "Why are you like this?" then I start exploring that. "But why?" is sort of my starting point, and then I try to answer that question with varying success.

Dema: Are those usually canon characters? Or do you write more OCs?

Contre Parry: Usually canon, though I love writing OCs. I particularly love writing OCs who are side characters. There's a lot of flexibility and room to grow in those areas!

Dema:  Will it be a spoiler if I ask about your favorite original side- character?

Contre Parry: Not at all! I have one from a story and a few short drabbles I wrote on my tumblr, and she's not in my Big Bang fic so it will be safe to discuss! She's the Inquisitor's niece. I created her thinking "well, my Inquisitor Trevelyan's got a big family with very strained relations, what if she had a niece she never met? What would she be like? How would they meet? Why would they meet?" And that's how I created Henrietta, who is a thirteen year old horse girl.

Dema:  You are really tugging on my heartstrings LOL, I was not prepared to feel so many things in this interview.

Contre Parry: haha, good things, I hope!

Dema: As a former 13yo horse girl, very yes, haha.

Contre Parry: Henrietta's fun because she's a bit of a chatterbox, and is very free with her thoughts and feelings as opposed to her aunt, my Inquisitor. The contrast is fun.

Dema: So when you say room to grow, do you mean for the protagonists? Like these side characters are providing additional character development? Or do you ride off into the sunset with Henrietta for a while?

Contre Parry: Protagonists, worldbuilding, the side characters themselves- it's all a chance to make the world a richer place. Like, Henrietta sees the events of the story from a different perspective and hears stuff that others won't, but she also interprets them as a thirteen year old would. It's like opening another window into the world of the story! So we ride into the sunset with Henrietta, and we see a different Thedas than what we might as a player, you know?

Dema:  Do you tend to write from an omniscient POV? Or are your readers mostly seeing through that window via dialogue? 

Contre Parry: More like a limited omniscient. We're with one character and seeing and feeling things from their perspective. Sometimes I'll switch between characters, but mostly you're stuck with one person. I want to experiment with other POVs more, but that might have to wait until I finish my WIP mountain.

Dema: Ah, yes. The WIP mountain is ever growing. Do you have a side project you are working on while you work on your DABB fic? Or do you try to stick to one thing at a time? (haha do any of us do this???)

Contre Parry: I'm editing that FFXIV fic at the moment, and I usually like having a side project to hop to whenever I feel truly stuck. Like gardening, the jump to something completely different is a hard reset. But once I finish those edits, I'll just have to pick something else off of the WIP pile to work on! Maybe I'll try to be efficient and slowly grind that mountain down to dust! (... she says, knowing this will not happen.)

Dema: It's Sisyphean. If Sisyphus was having fun.

Contre Parry: Sisyphus, I know you got a fanfic in your heart. I know it!

Dema: Now, you may already be aware of the click-bait titles. In our last minutes, can you come up with one for your fic? 

Contre Parry: You Won't Believe What She Was Hiding In Her Office!

Dema: Amazing. You were so ready with that one haha!

Contre Parry: Now all we need is some sort of stockphoto of someone looking surprised. Just so surprised! Hands in the air and everything.

Dema: I should really make a collection of them. If I had all the time in the world I'd do DA sketches. [Dear artists: feel free to use this as a prompt ;)]

Contre Parry: Oh, to be able to break space and time...

Dema:  if only! Then perhaps I would someday see the summit of wip mountain. But alas! Thank you for taking the time to chat with me, Contre Parry! It has been a delight 

Contre Parry:  Thanks for the interview! It was lots of fun! And I think it helped me as well! Clickbait title and all.

[dr-docktor]

Ok so this idea hit me like a ton of bricks after reading a little snippet from @ryoko-akari’s writing about the SaF Swap AU.

Birdhouse in Your Soul by They Might Be Giants is 1000% a DMA!Curt song oh my GOD

First there’s the obvious stuff. The song is from the perspective of a nightlight shaped like a canary who repeatedly talks about watching over the listener like a little guardian angel. Which aligns pretty well with my interpretation of a DMA Curt.

First off, birdies (Little birdies, haha) literally watching over people. But also Curt’s motivation here isn’t revenge at all, rather he believes that by going through with Chimera’s plan he will finally be enough to protect the people he cares about. He’ll be able to watch over their secrets and keep them close to his chest. Like a little guardian angel.

There’s also a couple of stanzas in particular that really stick out to me.

First off. Longines Symphonette was a prerecorded classical music program which was recorded and broadcast every day from 1943 to 1949. Which makes it time-period accurate which is just kinda fun

Secondly, the entire stanza reads as if the speaker has some grand goal that they are determined to achieve. But interestingly enough, Filibusters are known for just wasting time and getting off track. During his dramatic monologue about his ‘evil plan’, he keeps getting side-tracked and going on tangents, as if he’s trying to drag something out as long as he can. As if he’s procrastinating dealing with the real issue at hand (confronting Owen).

“Leaving out the whistles and bells” [EXTREMELY LOUD INCORRECT BUZZER]

Here’s the other stanza I’m talking about.

In this case it’s a little more abstract. But it really makes me think of Curt’s RSD (my favorite headcanon oh my god). Specifically the part where the speaker is comparing themselves to their “primitive ancestry” (lighthouses). But when put into their position, the light of a nightlight could never achieve what a lighthouse could.

But in this case, it’s Curt pushing his risky behaviors to the limit which winds up “Killing Jason off and countless screaming Argonauts”

Which I know is a reference to, of course, Jason and the Argonauts. But in my head it immediately makes me think of Curt’s ‘death’ and the thousand other people he left in his wake after the incident.

I HOPE THIS MAKES SENSE 🙏

[cookiewoli]

NPC dialogue with my builder

It's been so long since I'm thinking about the NPC dialogue of my builder, but I finally finished it !!

"Cookie" is a new resident at Sandrock. She works with Doctor Fang as a veterinary voluntary, but have to work as a builder too in order to be able to live. She's very clumsy and airhead, but always in a good mood. Her positivity seems to be contagious.

Introduction :

Hi ! Everyone here called me by my nickname Cookie. Nice to meet ya ! I'm a part-time builder and I'm working at the clinic as a veterinary twice per day ; the Monday and... No. Hum.... Tuesday and Thursday... No that's not it... Wednesday and Friday...?

...

Just come at the clinic and see if I'm here.

Birthday :

My birthday ? It's... Ah ! The 27 autumn ! You're not oblige to remember it. Sometimes I forget it myself.

Acquaintance :

- If you need something, don't hesitate to ask me. But I don't guarantee that your craft will be in a good state... Well, if you're too scared to see my broken craft and be disappointed, ask to Mi-An.

Buddy :

- Please, if you see Yan... Can you tell me I'm working into the mine ? During this time, I will wandering around searching for some animals and play with them.Oh. wait. I was not supposed to say that.

Good friend :

- It's so hard to work as a builder and veterinary too ! Well, even though I'm working at the clinic twice per week, and that for the rest of the week people refuses to give me commission...

I guess I don't have as much work as I thought.

Best friend :

- I never thought I would be so attached to all people in Sandrock! It's been less than one year since I'm here. Sandrock is my new family.

Hey, can I say that my best friend is part of my family too ?! Thank you for putting up with me.

Lover :

- Turn around so I can hug you... W-why from behind ? Well, it's a little bit embarrassing if I facing you... I don't want you to see me blush...!

- I'm always smiling usually, but when I see you... My smile get bigger and my cheeks becomes red ! I always want to be by your side.

During a sandstorm :

Be careful during sandstorm, it's very dangerous ! Last time, I almost receive a brick floating away from my workshop. Another time, I met a wild Yakmel and had to run away ! And another time, I fell into the sandfish pond... Ah, and... Well. Forget it. Just watch where you step !

On rainy days :

Hey, why are we saying"it's raining cats and dogs" ? There is no animals falling from the sky...

...

Sorry. That's a dumb question.

Day of a bright sun :

Day of bright sun is like a second Christmas ! But it's not very smart to put food inside gift that will fall from the sky. Just imagine the surprise when you open it !

Showdown at High Noon :

I love this day ! It's the best occasion to fight people you don't like for free and without any consequences !

Wait... Am I the only one to think like this ??

Haha ! I'm joking. Right ?

Days of memories :

Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it. See the floating lanterns always make me wanna cry. It hurts so much to not be able anymore to say to someone how much you love him. I hope this lantern will be the link between the earth and the sky.

Tour de Rock :

Hey, let's ask to Trudy if we can include the Pensky to the racing ! Why ? Because they're don't need board to slide across the sand ! Ah, but I guess they'll always win... Oh and I don't want to hurt one of them unintentionally... Okay. Forget the idea.

Running of the Yakmels :

Ah, it's the only event where you don't have to apologize if you hit someone clumsily ! Wait. But it's only if I'm riding a Yakmel ? It doesn't work if I'm stumbling on someone like usual ?

Winter solstice :

One of the best event of the year... The event that unite all people in Sandrock around a bonfire and delicious food ! But my favourite part is the fireworks. It's so beautiful! Even though after this your ears hurts...

Speech bubbles :

Greets a friend : Hi ! How many time have I met you today ?

Greets a romantic partner : See you has made my day !

New haircut : Hmm... It seems something changed but I don't know what.

Panda eyes : Nice panda makeup !! Oh, that's not makeup...

When attacked : Hey ! I'm sure this attack is not clumsiness!

Gift :

Loved gift :

King horned dragon : aaaaw, thanks it's so cute !! Wait a minute... Since when have you this poor creature in your pockets ? But don't worry. I will take very good care of it !

Purple fireworks : Heheh, I know someone who will be startled... Hmm ? Did I say something ?

Liked gifts :

Cactus Halloween statue : Thanks ! I will place it into my workshop so that everyone can see the light into the night.

Neutral gifts : Thank you ! For what it is...? Well, I suppose it's the gesture that counts.

Disliked gifts :

Spicy food : Ah... Sorry but I can't eat this. My stomach become hell every time I eat this.

Romance :

Accepted : W-what ? You want me to be your girlfriend ? How embarrassing, but... Yes, of course ! I will do everything to see your smile !

Rejected : Haha... I'm sorry but, I can't start a relationship now. I'm not ready to open my heart for someone. Excuse me.

Break up : Am I... Dreaming ? No...? Okay then. It's your choice, I can't do anything about it. Forget me for a while please.

Jealous : I... I thought you loved me. I guess I wasn't important enough to you. It's so hard to trust someone nowadays.

Sitting, dining and chatting :

(Dlc outfit)

Compliment appearance :

- Thanks ! It upset me that people see me like a teenager because of my twintail and my large jacket when I'm an adult !

Compliment work :

- W-woah, I never thought to hear this one day. You know the deformed objects at the guild the weekend ? Don't you ever ask yourself... Who build them ?

Compliment personality :

Thanks ! I like to cheer up everyone the best I can. A smile can make your day, and sometimes kindness is enough too !

Asked about her past :

I have been took away from my family as a kid. I missed my old brother and father that I want to catch up with. And my mother ? Haha... Hum. Let's change subject please.

Asked about work :

To be honest... I don't have a lot of commissions. On the one hand, I have a lot of free time. On the other hand, I don't earn a lot of money... Even when I'm working at the clinic.

Asked what she likes to do :

First of all, taking care of the other. Animals or human. Secondly... I like playing pranks. As long as I don't get caught. I'm always running away from Yan. I don't know how he always knows it's me !

Asked about her favourite things :

I love collecting cute things !! If you come to my house you will see that I have more plush than machines... B-but don't tell this to anyone ! They may see me more as a child...

Relationships thoughts :

Elsie : She's one of my best friend ! We have so much in common, like our love for animals, and pranks. She's the one who always gets me into it ! Ah... And I'm always the one who can stop her. She's used to seeing me running towards her with some wild animals behind me that I tried to become friends with, and she's always helps me to calm them down. I still want to believe that every animals can become your friend.

Fang : First he's appears to me as a very cold person. He reminds me my mother in a kind of way... I was really wary in the beginning. But with some times, I see in him a very kind person, who cares about others. Just like my master... It's one of the reasons why I asked him to become his apprentice. He heals humans, I heals animals. Well, I haven't finished my studies in veterinary, but his methods of heals are very interesting ! I work at the clinic when he's not here, Wednesday and Friday.

Because we are colleagues, I always call him "Doctor Fang".

He's not very talkative, but his silence is peaceful and his presence alone is comforting. No need to talk to convey emotions.

His behaviour suggests that he's been through a difficult stuff, so I try not to touch him, or go behind his back, as this might frighten him. When he's feeling bad, I feel so... Useless. The only thing I can do is to stay by his side, and ask him "Tell me what you feel." In this way, he began to open up to me. Thanks for trusting me Doctor Fang.

X : He's my very first friend when I arrived to Sandrock. It's so much easier to talk and confess your pain to an animals. Animals are pure, trustworthy. When I'm too shy to talk to someone, or when I see someone sad, I ask X to carry a small paper with a message on it. Usually I wrote jokes, funny or comforting quotes so that I can see someone smiles reading it. My favourite thing is to do it with Fang. Ah, I never get tired to see him laughing to my messages !! That's because he doesn't dare laugh in front of me...

Mi-An : She's one of my bestie ! She helped me a lot when I came here, searching for a job. I asked Yan to become a builder to earn some money and be useful, and Mi-An taught me everything. She's very patient towards me because I fail everything I build, but erm- When we first hanged out, we saw that we have a lot of things in common ! I really trust her. She's one of the few people I've been able to open up to.

Ernest : He's very kind, and pretty, but... I'm really scared of him. N-not of "him" personally! But you know, he's a writer, journalist and... I'm terrified that he found some information about me... Before Sandrock. I tried to run away from my old life, starts a new one. I can't forget what happened to me before, but... I can just close my eyes and pretend that everything will be okay. I couldn't bear it if my old life caught up with me to the point of destroying my new one. Sorry Ernest to be so cold towards you !

Yan : Like a lot of people, I don't like it. He treats everyone like sh- I mean, he treats everyone like nothing. Okay, he can treat me like this because I'm a Newbie like he said, but he can't act like this towards Mi-An ! She's very strong, determined, she works very hard and Yan never congratulates her ! Unforgivable.

More of that, he scares me a lot. Especially when he's angry. Like, every time ? I always try to avoid him with different methods. Like hiding, disguise or just run away. The only times I approach him with more than 10 meter is to prank him. Hey ! He always says "He who loves well, punishes well" so here it is. Sorry.

[rerezone]

KA-THUNK!!

Sorry for being so inactive lately, but art block hit me like a fat ass brick, so I need yall to send in some ideas or doodle reqs :( I must also reveal this blog to my bestest buddy soooo. @yinandyangareringinginthenewyear HI FANDOM :DDDDD anywho SEND IN ASKS WHILE THE BOX IS HOT!! (insert weed joke here haha. something something hotbox.)

[simpjaes]

i have a dang lady boner for your writing fr. i wasnt reading who wrote for the hoon fic but found myself completely immersed in that only to scroll back up and see your name. realising exactly why im enjoying it sm. idk how or why i like ur writing sb ure my no 1 fav writer here😔 but then i havent find myself reading ur “dark” ones cus im scared of reading them and liking it, i might never go back?? haha. soo ur toned down ones is the best for me cus smth less than that is boring😭lol sorry for this but i just like ur writing so much hehe

;O;!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

happy to know i got u bricked up LMFAO, what do u mean tho by you don't know how or why u like my writing? ; - ; if it's something you don't normally read, i'm taking it as a hella compliment! Also very thankful you see me are ur number 1 fave writer omg sdjkfhfjdshjkshfdkjs c'mere, i need to kiss ur forehead?!??

i realize you already answered my previous question of "why" and "how" bc you avoid my darker stuff. tbh, you just have to remember that this is fictional and not real. it's okay to like what you like, i'll never shame you! but also, do not read anything you're uncomfortable with!

I'd like to say my "darker" fics have enough plot in them to kind of, explain i guess, why the characters are the way they are. I will always be a lover of darker fiction simply because it just hits different, especially when someone knows how to write it. I'm not ashamed to say that either! But if you're afraid or uncomfortable with the idea of liking it, I understand!!! I hope you enjoy my lighter stuff ; u ;

[fellhellion]

can i just say that i super appreciate how ur both a movie and comics miguel enjoyer (even with some fair critiques both ways)

the beef out there around miguel just gets so snarky or aggressive sometimes 😭

thanks, i appreciate it!

i think the thing tho is that i believe the passion comes from a sincere place of love for the character. also i don't. personally feel comfortable or think it's productive to be calling people aggressive or snarky esp since given the nature of this being an anon ask to a public blog it's the equivalent of me accidentally lobbing a gossip grenade because i have no idea whose take this is throwing shade at. i'm not trying to be an ass or say that you're being shitty or anything. i just think the kind of forum (difficult given the nature of social media haha) for venting about that kind of thing is the personal dms of your friends yknow?

but yeah, the passion is mixed w the complicated fact that like. every miguel fan is essentially doing the equivalent of sharing one classroom together fshfkjd we're all squashed in the single character tag and inevitably you're going to run into people or takes that you just don't like or think aren't nuanced or whatever. god knows i don't agree w every single opinion on him i see and it's absolutely gotta be the same for other people back @ me and mine haha. and that's a good thing! variety is the spice of life and shit, and i personally think it's very valuable to be exposed to perspectives i haven't considered/don't agree w/partially agree w because that helps me reconsider and develop my own thoughts.

and he's a character that means a lot to a lot of different people for a lot of different reasons and so people (including myself lol) get very passionate about it and where you disagree w others, and that's fine. ultimately i think it's helpful to hit the bricks where you need to if things get aggravating and curate the spaces you interact w about the character as best you can.

[fizzingwizard]

in a writing rut. but here's something i scribbled to try to get the creative juices flowing. it amused me. i might do something with it

totally unfinished, random ideas. moomins at (american) college, but this is fantasy so it's not america, it's troll land or whatever haha

~~~

"Moomintroll, why don't you try something new for a change?" Snorkmaiden asked.

"Something new? Like what?"

"I don't know. How about rugby?"

"Rugby?"

“Well, you have the right build for it. And wouldn't it be fun to win?”

“More fun than losing, anyhow.”

"Oh, pooh! The risk is what makes competition so exhilarating!”

Moomintroll pulled a face. With a huff, his girlfriend folded her arms. Today her fur was tinted a whimsical fuchsia hue. She used to keep it white, because "white goes with everything." Lately, though, it seemed she'd entered an experimental phase. Which was fitting. Why else did people go to college, except to try on a hundred shiny new personalities out of sight of those who knew them in high school? They certainly didn’t come for the academics.

"It's up to you, of course. But if you ask me, your life could use a shake-up. You practically live in your dorm. You don't come to campus events. Class is the only place we ever see you."

Moomintroll bit back the urge to retort that this was college, you were supposed to live in a dorm and go to class. Snorkmaiden liked sarcasm, but not when she was lecturing. (She also didn’t like to be described as lecturing.)

"You're seeing me right now," he pointed out instead.

"But in twenty minutes I'm going to the Midnight Breakfast, and you won't even join me for that! There will be pancakes, Moomintroll!"

"I don't like pancakes."

"Yes you do!"

Shuffling his feet, Moomintroll turned his back to her and pretended to search for something on his desk. He opened the drawer. Inside there was a little tin box, where he kept shells and sea glass worn smooth by the waves.

In a small voice, he muttered, "I like the way Mamma makes them."

Snorkmaiden heaved a long-suffering sigh. He felt a pang of guilt, and wished he'd kept his thoughts to himself.

"I know you miss home, my Moomintroll." Her paw came to rest on his arm. With the other, she nudged the drawer with the tin box shut. "But this is your chance to live your own life, however you want it. Remember how we used to stay up late planning adventures for when we grew up? You wanted to be a pirate!”

"Trolleton College doesn't offer a major in piracy."

"Comp sci!" Snorkmaiden chirped.

"Wrong sort of pirate."

At last she let the subject drop. But he could sense her disappointment, even though she talked and giggled the same as always. It rankled. He knew he should feel grateful that she cared. And she had waited over a year to start gently prodding him to put more effort into collegiate life. Now, half-way through their sophomore year, Snorkmaiden was in every club her packed schedule would allow for and had friends in every department. She never lacked for something to do or someone to do it with. Compared to her, his daily routine of go to class, eat lunch, go to class, eat dinner, study, then sleep, looked pretty sad indeed.

It hit him suddenly, as Snorkmaiden’s twenty minutes ran out and she took one last swing at persuading him to come to the midnight breakfast (“There won’t only be pancakes - last year they had scrambled eggs, fried ham, sausage, fruit, not to mention donuts!”), that Snorkmaiden was popular. In the small valley where the two of them met, grew up, and fell in love, he’d never noticed. People liked her, of course. But back home people were rather scarce.

She nuzzled his cheek, waving as she exited his room, the buttons from various campus events that covered her backpack twinkling in the light. They sported slogans like “Go Green,” “Save The Arctic: Polar Bears Menacing But Too Cute To Die,” and “I ♥ Ethical Environmental Policies.” He wondered how she could enjoy living in Trolleton, surrounded by brick and cement, not a tree to be seen that hadn’t been planted last year by boy scouts. At night, instead of the hushed parley of frogs and crickets, their lullaby was police sirens and motorcycles ripping down the street.

His stomach growled. Moomintroll looked at the clock. Just after eleven. He opened his mini fridge and took out a frozen pizza.

The first time he ate pizza, he was around fifteen. His family never traveled much farther than the mountains, although they loved to talk about it. But a winning sweepstakes ticket took them out of the valley to the Riviera, where they found the cozy pizza restaurant. It was real pizza, with fresh basil and tomatoes, baked in a massive wood-fire oven. The cook slid it out on a huge wooden slab, the cheese still bubbling. Even the memory made his mouth water.

The frozen pizza was rock-hard. Heating it in the microwave always left the crust soggy. Moomintroll clutched the box, wrestling with indecision. It might not be too late to catch up with Snorkmaiden. Honestly, the scrambled eggs at the caf were like rubber and only marginally edible. But donuts never let you down.

Before he could talk himself out of it, he threw on a scarf, grabbed his lanyard with his student ID, and hurried out of his dorm. Outside was dark, the lights streaming from the cafeteria beckoning. Over the archway hung a banner:

MIDNIGHT BREAKFAST! At the caf, 10:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. Tuesday, December 10th. We know you all want to cram in a few more precious hours of study, but you’ve still got to eat! Power up with good food and good friends! Food is free with your student ID. 5 silver coins for students without a meal plan. Best of luck! Show those finals who’s boss! Sponsored by the student union.

At the door, Moomintroll hesitated. There were a lot of people inside. A lot of people. It wasn’t like he was shy. But how was he to find Snorkmaiden? He didn’t want to be that awkward guy eating a stack of donuts by himself in the corner. He’d probably wind up with a horrid nickname that would stick with him for the two and half years - longer if he went to grad school - something like “Corner Donut Boy.”

Grabbing a tray, he made his way around the buffet table. He snagged two jelly donuts, one custard donut, and a cinnamon-dusted stick thing with a placard that read CHURRO. Then he scooped up some sausages, since they were there, and a few hash browns for the salt.

With his tray loaded, he took it and wandered around dismally. Every table was occupied. Should have thought to bring a doggy bag.

A gasp. “Ooh! Moomintroll!”

Snorkmaiden shot up so fast that her table rattled. “Over here!” she cried. “Move over, Sniff, move, move!”

“Why do I have to move?” Sniff cried. “It’s just Moomintroll. I was here first. Let him sit on the floor!”

“But he’s my boyfriend and I want to sit next to him.”

“So?”

“So, girlfriend privilege. Scoot over!”

Sniff’s whiskers twitched, but he made room on the bench. Moomintroll squeezed in between them with a sheepish grin.

“Thanks, Sniff.”

“Don’t thank me! She twisted my arm!”

“Well, thanks to your arm, then.”

“Come on, Sniff. We’re happy Moomintroll’s here!” Snorkmaiden said, raising her eyebrows with meaning. “We’re so happy our friend made it down here to hang out with us before finals after all.”

“Why are you looking at me like that? Moomintroll, what is she doing?”

“Being subtle.”

Sniff stared at him, mouth open. “... Huh?”

Moomintroll picked up a jelly donut. “Want a donut, Sniff?”

Donuts were the one thing Sniff loved more than not having to share his seat.

“So is this boyfriend?” someone asked. Moomintroll squinted, but no one appeared to have spoken. Across the table sat a rather gaunt hemulen, quivering as he pored over an entomology textbook (whether the quivering was the result of lack of sleep, nerves, or too much caffeine wasn’t immediately clear). To his left was a pretty girl with enormous blue eyes, her red hair bundled in a tidy knot. Next to her, a round, sturdy blonde in a striped shirt gazed dreamily into a mug of cocoa.

Moomintroll was gobsmacked to realize he didn’t know a single one of Snorkmaiden’s friends (apart from Sniff, who he couldn’t help knowing - Sniff was his brother, of sorts). Apparently she flitted like a butterfly through the different circles of friends on campus.

“Um.” He bit into a hash brown. “... Did someone say something?”

“I did,” answered the same voice. Once again, no one’s mouth appeared to move.

Moomintroll blinked twice, then rubbed his eyes.

“Down here, idiot.”

Someone jabbed his leg. Hard. In shock, Moomintroll bent and tried to fit his snout under the table. There, on the floor, stood a very small girl in a red dress, sneering. She also had vibrant red hair in a knot like the pretty girl, but her demeanor couldn’t have been more different.

“Well, didn’t your mama teach you it’s impolite to stare?” the tiny… student? … shouted at him.

“Oh - sorry - I didn’t realize you were down there is all. Er. I didn’t step on you, did I?”

The girl cocked one brow at Snorkmaiden. “He’s quite the catch, your lover boy.”

“Moomintroll.” Snaking an arm through his, Snorkmaiden snuggled in close. “Let me introduce you. This is Little My. She doesn’t always eat under the table. Sometimes she sits on top. But she said Hemulen’s moaning gave her indigestion.”

“Nice - nice to meet you,” he stammered, suddenly feeling quite anxious.

“And this is her sister, Mymble,” Snorkmaiden added.

The pretty redhead smiled.

“You don’t… mind that your sister eats under the table?” Moomintroll asked.

“Oh no,” Mymble replied. “She’s always stirring up trouble, you see, and makes me run after her. If she’s not trying to go for a ride on a frisbee, she’s photocopying her face in the library, or leaving toy roaches in RA’s shoes. I’ve had so many discussions with the dean on her account. If she’s under the table I don’t have to worry at all, except if she starts biting ankles.”

That explained this strange anxiety. Little My did give the impression she was likely to take a bite of his ankle instead of the pancakes.

“I hate it when she bites,” Sniff grumbled.

“It’s all right,” the blonde girl said. Her voice was as airy and dream-like as her eyes. “Keep your ankles out of reach and you’ll be perfectly fine.”

Sniff quickly tucked his knees in. “That’s easy for you to say!”

“Expect the best and prepare for the worst,” grinned Little My.

 The girl in the striped shirt suddenly drained her cocoa and stood, plopping a funny blue hat with a red pom on her shaggy crop.

“Are you leaving, Too-ticky?” Snorkmaiden asked.

“Yes. My first exam is at eight-thirty, and I like to get a full eight hours’ sleep. Good-bye, everyone.”

She even walked away dreamily.

“Sleep well, Tooti,” Mymble sang.

“She’s very nice,” Snorkmaiden told Moomintroll. “A bit - odd - but who isn’t?”

“And she’s a philosophy major,” piped in Little My. “They’re all a little whiz-bang-watchamacallit, if you get my meaning."

“What’s your major then?” Moomintroll asked, to be polite.

Still under the table, Little My appeared to turn her head a full 180 degrees, fixing him with her piercing green eyes. She bared her teeth. “Toxic mycology.”

Moomintroll gulped. “I didn’t know the majors here were so… specific.”

“I customized my own,” she answered. “And what’s yours? Let me guess. Undeclared?”

It sounded like an insult, the way she said it. Which was ridiculous. Lots of students went undeclared in freshman year. And sometimes their sophomore year too. Nothing wrong with that. Still, he found he was once again stammering. “No - well, yes - but I have - an intention to declare a major soon…”

“Oh, you do?” Snorkmaiden perked up, turning to him with interest. “What did you finally decide? Tell me, I’m all ears!”

“Ehm… agricultural… something…”

“Agriculture?” Little My scowled. “Aren’t you afraid that if you start a farm, you’ll be mistaken for one of your cows?”

That ruffled Moomintroll’s fur. “People usually say Moomins look like hippos, not cows,” he shot back haughtily.

Snorkmaiden patted his shoulder, in warning, perhaps. “My sweet. That’s… not the flex you think it is.”

Little My shrugged. “I’m just saying. But I guess you know all about farming, growing up in that lovely, open valley Snorkmaiden goes on about.”

“Moomintroll doesn’t have a farm,” Sniff interjected, helping himself to Moomintroll’s questionable "churro." “His papa doesn’t work. Moominmamma has a garden, with big tomatoes and cucumbers in the summer, and squash in the fall. But she doesn’t sell them. I told her she ought to, but she said if he sold her vegetables, what would she have to cook my birthday dinner? So I said maybe she could sell only some of the vegetables, and leave enough for my birthday dinner. But she worried that then she wouldn’t have enough to make sandwiches for Mrs Fillyjonk’s tea.”

Sniff, naturally, was a business major.

“Pappa works,” Moomintroll objected. “He writes books.”

“Anything good?” Little My asked.

“Yes. Lots.”

“Anything I’ve read?”

Moomintroll thought for a while. Snorkmaiden drummed her fingers on her cheek with a look of deep boredom.

At last he settled for: “Well, when he publishes his memoirs, I’ll send you a copy, and you can judge for yourself.”

Little My set her jaw and nodded. “You do that.”

“Snorkmaiden dear,” interjected Mymble. “Do you want more cocoa?”

“Gosh, yes!” Snorkmaiden exclaimed, seizing her mug. “I meant to go earlier but - oh, looks like they’ve run out…”

“No problem,” Mymble said. “I can get us some from the back. Wait a little.”

She sashayed off. Moomintroll watched her go, perplexed. “What ‘back’ does she mean?”

“She means she’s going to flirt with Marco the cafeteria worker, and get him to dip into the cocoa bins in the supply room.” Little My made a noise of frustration. “I thought grad school would teach her to cool off some, but the minute she spies anything shiny with washboard abs and a few chin whiskers, off she goes…”

Managing Marco didn’t take long. Mymble returned after a while with cocoa packets for each of them. When she offered one to the Hemulen, he pinned it to the table lightning quick, muttering about bluebottle butterflies.

“Now let’s talk about something else,” said Mymble.

“Like what?” Little My pulled herself onto the table in Too-ticky’s spot.

“I don’t know. Pick something.”

“Fine. Piranhas.”

“Nothing that bites,” Sniff cut in, shivering.

“Moomintroll, you pick,” said Snorkmaiden.

He was taken aback. “Why me?” he cried, but she only looked at him expectantly. Frantically shifting through his mind, he tried to summon a topic that everyone would like, something interesting, something current.

“How about finals?”

“Finals?” For someone of her stature, Little My had quite the thunderous voice. “Groke take me. We came here to get a break from the endless facts going round and round in our heads, and all you can think of talking about is exams?”

“... Or something else,” he squeaked.

(to be continued.... ????)