Welcome to blog slightly fandom in bent. Stay for a bit and you'll see what I meant. Coupled with personal thoughts on this life. Riding the waves; every high, every strife. Wannabe Writer, now spilling some ink. Drop me a line to say what you think!
Hello! I have a new personal website. Now that this final adjustment to my online presence is live, I will not ever sign into Tumblr again, but I promised to let ya'll know where I went, so here it is!
I left Tumblr at the beginning of 2022. In truth, I withdrew my heart from it at the beginning of 2021. I left for many reasons, each one long enough to fill a blog post. This one is about Squigglydigg.
For many years I was a part of a really wonderful fan community that sprang up around a series of animated music videos. It was called Mystery Skulls Animated, to differentiate it from the band Mystery Skulls, whose music was used in the videos. Squiggly was an up and coming artist who rocketed in fan community status for her stellar fanart. She was lauded and loved and pedastaled for a long time. Our posts intersected from time to time--as they do on Tumblr--and we talked sometimes. Occasionally she would show up in my writing streams and gave me advice as I worked on the fanfiction saga Thicker Than Water Tales.
I don't remember exactly when she first got dragged. I know that it was done behind her back on Tumblr. She wasn't even tagged in the post. It was allowed to circulate for a long time before she saw it, so she got to see a list of people who "liked" the callout post, several of whom had seemed like her friends before.
Months (years?) passed, and she got called out again. And again. And each time I watched, bewildered, but silent. It didn't seem right, but I was afraid. Lines were being drawn and I didn't want to stand anywhere when the lines made no sense to me in the first place. I thought I knew what was right, but I didn't know how to say it. And I was afraid of the anger.
I kept silent.
Each time, the furor seemed to die down. Squiggly made her way through animation school, still with many people cheering her on. She was even invited to work on the fourth Mystery Skulls Animated video, The Future. We were all hyped to heck and back when it dropped on Halloween, 2020. We roared with approval. We tossed around theories and some criticisms. We brainstormed new ideas. The fandom was rejuvenated and ready for another round of creativity!
January 6th, 2021. The Capitol Riot broke out, or whatever the hell you call what happened that day. Then a comparatively smaller event on January 11, 2021 rolled around. The Mystery Master (first video creator) himself told us that Squigglydigg was removed from the team, and would never be associated with the project again. The fandom Discord server moderators then told us that she had also been removed from the server to protect everyone.
Bewildered, I backtracked through the situation. Not only were all her previous cancellations dredged up, but new statements she'd made regarding January 6th had been added to her ledger.
I read many posts, both from her and from people who had compiled her sins. I will not cite posts or argue further, because I feel I have read enough, but here is my conclusion.
I believe Squigglydigg had the right to say what she said in each case.
I found Squiggly's posts regarding her January 2021 situation to be the most coherent and reasoned posts that I read. Many cancel posts I read ranged from incoherent to personally vengeful, and most things I read didn't take into account anything she had to say about the situation. I did not find even the calmest among the opposition to have compelling arguments at all.
I was silent because as I look at myself, I find I have the weakness called cowardice.
I was shell shocked by the response half the community hurled at Squigglydigg. I was horrified that the "leadership" drew this as a hard line. And I deeply resented the Discord mods saying they were trying to protect "everyone" and thereby madly abusing the word in the process. Clearly, "everyone" was a very specific subset that was ready to exclude at will.
And I was silent.
Sick and angry, I processed this and many other things for months. I withdrew, by and large, from the fandom community that I could never again see as any kind of family unit. It had clearly been rotting for a long time, I just hadn't wanted to consign it to the shelf with fandoms like Welcome to Nightvale or Steven Universe. Not ours, I always said, our fandom isn't toxic.
But this isn't even the first time something like this happened in our fandom. In this time, I recalled when Allon-s-k got reamed, years ago. I said nothing then, too, even though it didn't feel right, the way he got run out. Bullied. I wonder how many times this has happened to others in the fandom. What other instances didn't make it to my dashboard?
I was wrong not to speak. Even if I did not know how to argue properly, I was wrong not to speak out of fear that I might look stupid, or that I might be next, or that I might lose friends. This is a first step in trying to do better. On Tumblr, I found myself gradually becoming selectively honest and selectively silent. I am attempting to make my new blog, my new website, a place where I will be more honest with my thoughts and my journey.
If this post angers you, then my new website is not for you. If you still would like to find me, this is the link to my new website.
TLDR: I didn't speak up when it was timely, but Squigglydigg had the right to say what she said. I find her statements well reasoned and more in line with the truth than the accusations leveled against her. I think the people who disassociated themselves from her have the right to do so, but I also think that they are wrong and that their reasons are ill-considered. I found their glee and vehemence to be disturbing. This is one of the reasons I could not remain on Tumblr, though it is the only one I will post to Tumblr.
I have written way too many drafts of this post in the past year. Some were angry, some were depressed. All were too long and preachy. In the end, they sounded divisive and incendiary. Nothing I wrote read back to me as helpful or healing or unifying. So, let’s keep this simple.
I don’t have a personal site to move to yet, but it’s time for me to leave Tumblr. For most of this year my posts have been queued and I logged out for weeks at a time. With no Facebook and minimal Tumblr in my life for a whole year, I stabilized way more than I thought I would, which is enough of a reason for me to log out for good. I will leave my blogs up here until such time as I have a place to port them, but I will not be posting any more, and I will not be here to answer asks or IMs. I have three in-progress fanfics right now, and the rest of each story will be posted to the fanfic specific sites mentioned at the bottom of the post.
I don’t anticipate joining another social media platform, and the websites that I’m a part of (see notes at the end) were chosen for their focuses, not for their interaction capabilities.
There’s been good times and bad on this site. I appreciate the communities I’ve been a part of. I appreciate the people I’ve spoken with. I appreciate the tool that this site was for me and the ways that blogging out my brain mess helped me sort it. But, like my meds so long ago, I kept using this tool long after it was no longer helping me, and long after it started doing me more harm than good.
Thank you for the experiences. Thank you for tagging along with me on part of this journey. I leave you with my favorite video that I found on this site, and I hope you have a nice day.
I feel like I used to rush to Tumblr every single time to unload every single experience, internal or external, big or small. Now there is a new little whisper at the back of my mind that I've been attending to lately. It says, "Some things, just for myself." And I shut the laptop and walk away.
SYNOPSIS: Mystery Skulls Animated secret santa oneshot. It was supposed to be a calm, relaxing, fun game night. No ghosts, no cryptids, no hot leads. Just friendly competition and fresh pizza. But the pizza delivery person claims to have hit something weird on the way over, and it's impossible to say no to Vivi once she gets going.
Note: @msaholidayspirits 2021 Secret Santa gift for @titenoute! Featuring Titenoute's MSA OC Fiona! A fic of firsts: First time I've written an MSA fic with someone else's OC, first 3rd person non-specific POV I've tried in ages, and first time I've written solely pre-cave material. I had a couple mini-comics, sketches, and a profile to go off of for the OC Fiona. Fingers crossed that I landed somewhere close to an accurate portrayal and also that the literary police don't ram down my door. Pre-Cave gang gains a new friend, Merry Christmas! Cover photo by 5demayo at morguefile.
"Artie, standing by the door and staring at it isn't going to make the food arrive faster."
"Prove it."
"And saying 'prove it' about every statement you don't like won't make it untrue."
"Prove it."
Lewis sighed, folding his hands behind his head and leaning back on Vivi's worn, puffy sofa. "Somebody's been in a real mood since he lost his queen."
"Prove it."
A wooden pawn bounced off the back of Arthur's head. He finally turned away from the door and locked glares with Vivi. She occupied the other end of the sofa and was bent over a well-polished wooden chess board. She pointed a captured bishop at him. "Hey, we all know you're hungry. We're hungry too. Food is on. The. Way. So get your butt back over here, it's your turn."
Arthur bent down and grabbed the pawn off the floor. He tossed it back at her and swivelled back around to face the door. Under the coffee table, Mystery snorted, then stretched out his forepaws and yawned.
Vivi's scowl deepened. "In about thirty seconds, I'll switch from Chess to Munchkin. Make game night last ALL night long."
Lewis rolled his eyes. "Give it a rest, Vee. He'll come around when he's not so hangry."
"Prove—"
"Arthur, swear to gods, I will cram a load of ever-loving proof up your—"
DING DONG
Arthur seized the doorknob, a gleeful grin on his face. He flung the door open. "About time! Can't wait for…" he trailed off. Behind him, Vivi and Lewis rose to their feet.
At their door stood a young woman in a Topolini's Pizza uniform, holding the expected pizza-warmer. Except it only held one box, not three. There were tooth marks on the edge of the battered box, and the delivery person was pretty tattered too. Her right cheek looked like it had been dragged along gravel, and the clothing tears all along her right side bore that out. Even the lime green helmet she wore was scuffed on the right side.
A stiff breeze passed her, entering the house. Mystery lifted his head, scenting the air. He crept out from under the coffee table, tail slung low and a growl in his throat.
The delivery person tried to smile, but the smile twisted as Mystery bared his teeth. She stumbled back a couple steps, then glanced over her shoulder. She shivered. Lifting her chin, she stepped forward–grimacing as she came down on her right foot–and faced Arthur squarely.
Nobody mourned the jumbled remains of what had once been a beautiful oyster and anchovy pizza pie more than Arthur. Truthfully, nobody else mourned that one at all. Still, he had the grace to set the issue aside nearly as quick as his teammates. Vivi and Lewis had convinced the young woman—Fiona, or so her nameplate read—to come in and lie down on the couch. Mystery paced nearby, muzzled by Vivi's stern warnings to behave himself.
Vivi squatted next to the couch, carefully tweezing pieces of gravel out of Fiona's cheek. She brushed Fiona's bangs out of the way. "That's some nasty spill you took. Bike?"
"Vespa."
Lewis frowned. "High speed tumble down the road? Is anything broken? Should we call someone for you? What hurts?"
Fiona winced. "Face… right now. Ankle when I walk. Hard to tell. Can't really feel much."
"Shock, probably. What happened?"
"I hit something," she mumbled. "Something big. I flew off. When I sat up, it was going after the deliveries."
Vivi's eyes sparkled. "A 'something big,' eh? What kind of something do you think it was?"
"Not sure. It's dark out there. Nasty looking teeth. Like… small moose size? Or a big horse? I got in a right hook at its head and ran off with a box." She indicated the abandoned pizza box on the ground with the shredded corner. "Thought I could at least get one back. So much for that."
Lewis used his foot to nudge the box under the coffee table, out of sight. "Then what happened?"
Fiona winced as Vivi swabbed her face with rubbing alcohol. "Ow. Ow. Running. Getting away. Knocking on your door."
Arthur's head jerked up. "You went on foot? Your Vespa's wrecked?"
Her eyes widened. "Is… it? I don't know… I punched the thing and ran. Didn't check the Vespa. It was laughing… not like an animal. Like a person. Really freaked me out. Wasn't thinking."
Arthur stared at her. "Why would you punch something like that?!"
Vivi's grin stretched from ear to ear. "Probably gave it a nasty shock. Good for you. Don't you carry mace, though?"
Fiona's head wobbled back and forth, and she fumbled for her pocket. "I keep forgetting. Always swing first. Then run. Then remember there's mace." She pulled it out with a grimace.
Arthur shook his head. "Yeah, well, probably best to wait 'til morning to get your Vespa picked up and taken to a shop. If you wait that long then whatever you hit will have left the area."
"Which is exactly why we have to get back there right now!" Vivi grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol and splashed it onto a washcloth. She pressed it into Fiona's hand and stood. "Something's off about this. Big as a moose? We don't have any wild animals like that in our area."
"Small moose," Fiona corrected.
"Still. And it laughed? Last I checked, all our hyenas are in the zoo. And Mystery's been on edge ever since she came in." She glanced at Fiona. "Sorry about that, by the way. He's very friendly. I bet it's the smell of whatever you hit that's got him all riled up. He's good about sensing weird stuff."
Fiona eyed Mystery, who sat back on his hindquarters. He stared back.
"Your dog has little spectacles. Why?"
His fur bristled from neck to tail and his lip kept lifting up over his teeth.
Vivi shrugged. "That's a mystery unto itself. He's been with my family forever and he's always worn them. Nobody knows why."
Fiona shook her head, refocusing. "You said weird stuff, what do you mean by 'weird stuff'?"
"Cryptids! Ghosts! Small-scale possession cases. Unexplained phenomena to be banished or witnessed. We look into all that. Speaking of, Lewis? Would you get our gear together? Night kit, too. Point is, Fiona, this is a hot trail and it's worth checking out. Plus we could retrieve your Vespa. There's room in the van if we all squeeze a bit."
"Absolutely not!" Arthur threw up his hands. "Vee, you promised! No ghosts on game night!"
Vivi's eyes twinkled. "This doesn't sound like a ghost, Artie. Sounds more like a cryptid. Maybe an undead, if we're lucky. Not a ghost."
"You know what I mean!"
"And when's the last time we had a lead this hot? Arthur, it's been weeks since anyone contacted us for a case. We aren't making enough money to upgrade gear. How are we going to get in the big leagues if we stick to shooing out local poltergeists?"
"If this is about money, who's paying us to take this case?" Arthur challenged.
Lewis cleared his throat, "It probably left some physical evidence on the Vespa. Hair, blood, claw chips. There's always reward money for that kind of evidence."
"So we should wait until it's gone for sure!" Arthur insisted. "We'll still get paid."
"And let the elements spoil all the good samples?" Vivi shot back. "Stop being such a soggy leaf."
"Hey! I am a crunchy leaf, thankyouverymuch, I just want to stay in my tree tonight!"
Lewis coughed. "Crunchy leaves are usually found on the ground, Artie."
"Prove—"
"Hey, who says you all get the money?" Fiona objected, struggling to sit up. "If it's on my Vespa after I hit the thing, then I should get the reward. I'll need plenty of money for repairs."
Lewis and Vivi turned to Arthur at the same time. Arthur folded his arms. "Don't even. She's right. Do you have any idea what a good quality regulator costs on a Vespa? Or a wheel rim replacement? Really, no telling what could be broken until I get a look at it. Don't give me that look! You want to trade my labor for access to the case? Well I'm not paying out of pocket for parts, that's for sure. Plus she's not even part of the team! I do that for OUR van."
"Artie…" Vivi bit her lip, staring mournfully at him.
Arthur groaned. "Don't do the thing, Vee."
"Please?" She clasped her hands together. "Pretty please? Pretty please with syrup on top?"
Arthur turned to Lewis for help, but Lewis just grinned at him.
"Pretty please with syrup and oysters on top?" Vivi pressed.
Clearly this wasn't about money for the team.
"Pretty please with syrup and oysters and scallops on top?"
Arthur ran a hand through his hair a couple of times, then pointed at Fiona. "We'll go out and get your Vespa and collect any samples. The reward money goes to you, the credit goes to us. BUT. Your Vespa goes to Kingsmen Mechanics, and I'll fix it right for a fair price. Deal?"
Fiona's eyebrows shot up. "Sure. Deal."
Vivi whooped. "Hot chili churros!" She seized a leash and clipped it on Mystery's collar. She headed for the door, calling over her shoulder, "Artie, can you give her a hand up? Lewis and I will get our stuff out to the van and we'll be off before you can say–Mystery!"
The door had barely cracked open before Mystery bolted, his leash slipping through Vivi's fingers. "Mystery! Where the flying fir cones are you going?! Mystery!" she hollered, running after him.
"Vee!" Lewis scooped up the gear and followed her out. "Wait! You'll never catch him on foot! At least take the van!"
Arthur gripped his hair with one hand. "'Just another game night,' she says. 'No weird happenings, I swear it, Artie,' she says. Gah. Listen–Fiona, right?–this is already falling apart, how about you wait here while we deal with the… with the…" He gestured at the door. "Whatever it is."
Fiona stared at the door, now hanging wide open. It was a new moon night and the house lights stopped abruptly at the end of the street. Beyond that was a pitch black eternity that she could just see Vivi vanishing into. The sound of an engine spluttering to life snapped her to attention. Arthur already had a foot out the door.
"Hold up, hold up. I need a hand." She grunted, easing herself upright.
Arthur paused at the threshold. "You sure? Are you good with weird stuff?"
"No. I hate ghosts. Cried when my friend tried to summon Bloody Mary in the bathroom mirror." She held a hand out. "Also, I punched that mirror when it shifted by itself. Safety in numbers, yeah?"
Arthur hesitated, then hurried over and pulled her arm across his shoulders, hauling her up. "Alright, but hurry. No telling what kind of weird we're dealing with tonight, and we're already separated."
By the time Arthur and Fiona made it to the van, Lewis was frantic. He barely waited for them to load into the backseat, and he didn't wait for them to buckle up before gunning the engine and tearing down the road. "How far away was the crash?" he asked as they hurtled into the darkness.
"Don't know!" Fiona snapped, struggling with the seatbelt. "I wasn't really paying attention when I was running for my life. It couldn't have been too far, though, I was getting close to your place before I hit the thing."
"Headlights!" Arthur yelled, grabbing the driver's seat-rest.
Lewis fumbled with the headlights, flipping them on. They flash-lit Vivi in the middle of the road, wrestling with Mystery on the far end of his leash. Lewis jerked the wheel and braked hard, screeching past them as the back end of the van slid around. Arthur and Fiona shrieked in unison as the left side of the van rose up a little bit, then settled back to the ground with a thump.
The van had barely re-grounded itself before Lewis vaulted out of the driver's seat. "You okay? Why didn't you wait? Are you hurt?"
"Fine!" Vivi gasped. "Just… can't…" she nearly came off her feet as Mystery lunged forward. He strained at the end of his tether, snapping his teeth at the road ahead. He wasn't barking.
Fiona rubbed her eyes, staring at the dog. The headlights were at a weird angle to the dog, that was why his eyes looked red. Right?
Lewis seized the leash and hauled back, bringing Mystery up on his hind legs. "What were you thinking, Vee? You can't just run off like that! And you, Mystery! Knock it off! Bad dog!"
Mystery snarled once, a quiet sound, and kept pulling as hard as he could. Fiona tilted her head, brushing hair away from her ears. "Um. Hey, guys?"
Vivi wheezed at Lewis. "I had… had to catch…"
"Don't go running after a dog on your own two feet! This was luck, but you could have run into something nasty. Or gotten hit," Lewis scolded.
Fiona poked her head out the window. "Guys."
"Come on, let's load into the van." Lewis grunted, pulling Mystery back a step at a time. "I've got your bat and most of the gear. We should stay in the van until we know what's got him… acting like this. Whoah!" He stumbled forward a step. "How–?"
"Guys!" Fiona yelled. "Shut up! Listen!"
Silence. For a moment, there was only the sound of Mystery's nails scrabbling on the road.
Then a quavery voice called, "A… Aaaartieeee? Thur?"
Arthur went very still. All eyes locked on Vivi, who stared off into the darkness. It was her voice everyone heard, drifting up the road, but her lips weren't moving.
"Ar…thurrrrr. Heeellllp. It huuuuurts."
Vivi exhaled slowly, then straightened. "That's no animal." She turned and strode over to the van. Arthur grabbed a large, metal baseball bat and poked it out the open driver's door. She grabbed it and cocked it back on her shoulder as Arthur slid up into the driver's seat and buckled himself in.
"Whoah!" Fiona protested, "What happened to 'everyone get in the van and see what we're up against'?"
"It's already here," Vivi answered, grimly. "And it's using a classic psychic lure."
"Psychic lure?" Fiona echoed. "The hell is that?"
The not-Vivi voice whimpered a little, throwing in a choked sob. "Lew…isss…? Helllllp…"
"Surface level scrape of the brain for information," Arthur answered, checking the mirrors. "Got it from one of us. Pulled Vivi's voice, her name, and the fact that any of us would go in guns blazing for each other. It's a trick generally used by malevolent or predator types to lure victims. Can't let it run around town doing that to people who don't know about this stuff. That, or it might try to track us down later. Gotta deal with it now."
Lewis sighed. "Artie's got the van, Vivi's got the bat. So…?"
Vivi clapped him on the shoulder. "Yep. You've got the short straw this time. But you've got Mystery, too."
"Great. Alright, then. Fiona, you'd be doing us a favor if you'd grab a camera or something–anything from the bag that you recognize, really–and start recording."
Wide-eyed, Fiona pulled her phone from her pocket and clicked on the camera. "What are you going to do?"
Lewis grimaced, struggling with the leash. "Bait it. That's the short straw job. Just have to–!"
In between Lewis taking a step, Mystery lunged again, his eyes blazing bright. Lewis toppled to the ground and the leash ripped out of his hand. Mystery tore off down the road, howling.
"Mys…tree?" The imposter wobbled. "Goo-boy. Good… aaaeeeeEEYEYEYEEEEE!"
Vivi took off after him. "Go, go, go!" she yelled. "Light it up!"
"Brace yourself," Arthur muttered, shifting into drive. A blood-curdling screech filled the air. Fiona slipped into the front passenger seat and buckled in. Arthur turned on the high-beams and pulled forward, keeping pace with Vivi and Lewis as they ran.
It wasn't too far before the beams caught a flash of fur. It vanished for a second, then reappeared as the van pulled closer. Arthur stopped the car a good ways off. "Get me a clear shot!" he shouted as Lewis and Vivi ran past.
Whatever the thing was, it was twisting and turning so fast that it was difficult to make out head or limb type. Sometimes it was up on two legs, sometimes down on four. It kept turning in a circle, screeching and shaking its head. A whip-like tail lashed every time it turned and its screech never stopped. Fiona caught sight of long, curved tusks and a gaping maw. Mystery hung just below the jaw, his teeth fastened on the thing's neck. The creature shook its head and Mystery's body snapped back and forth, but he refused to let go.
Vivi rushed in and brought her bat down on the thing's forehead with a crack. The screech wobbled as the creature stumbled back. Arthur pulled the van forward just enough to keep it lit up. Lewis dodged flailing limbs and seized Mystery, yanking him off. There was another terrible shriek from the monster as Mystery came free with a bloody chunk in his mouth. The creature lurched toward Lewis, but Vivi smashed it across the snout with her bat. A tusk went flying and it crumpled to the ground, wailing in Arthur's voice. Vivi faltered.
"No you don't," Arthur growled. He leaned back and shouted, "Get clear!"
As Vivi and Lewis pulled back, Arthur slammed the gas pedal. The van squealed as the wheels spun madly for a moment, then hurled the van forward. It was a short distance at that speed, and the van struck just as the creature found its feet.
Fiona lurched into the airbag. It slammed her back into her seat. Glass shattered, metal twisted, and something heavy tumbled over the top of the van.
Fiona's eyelids slid open, her eyes unfocused and wandering. Vivi snapped her fingers in front of Fiona's face. "Hey! You woke up, great. Next step is saying something. Preferably, 'I'm okay, Vivi, no need to panic.' That would be fantastic."
Fiona blinked. "Woke. Up?"
"Ah, well. Can't be choosy with a blackout. Yeah, you were unconscious when we pulled you out of the van."
"Van." Fiona struggled to sit up.
Vivi held her down by her shoulders. "Whoah, whoah. Take it slow. You've been in two wrecks tonight. We found your Vespa. Frankly, I'm… a little scared to show it to Artie."
Fiona groaned. "I saved up over a year for that. What did I…" She bolted up, shoving Vivi's hands off. "What did I hit? What did we… where is it?"
"Hey, it's okay. We got it. It's pretty injured, so we hog-tied it. Lewis made a few phone calls, so we should be getting help soon. Probably some media attention, too, if he played it right."
Fiona stared at her. "You. Hog-tied. A monster."
"A crocotta." Vivi straightened her sweater, a crooked smile on her face. "A live one at that. Biggest team haul yet."
"How d'you know ropes will hold it?"
"Ropes, duct-tape, and Mystery standing guard." Lewis walked over and squatted by them. "It is really weird to see that huge thing cringe every time Mystery growls. Guess he established who's alpha. Do you want to see it?"
Fiona shook her head hard, then groaned, pressing the heel of her hand to her eye.
"Easy." Arthur muttered from off to her right. "You might be concussed. Slow movements. Don't sleep."
Fiona turned her head. Arthur was stretched out on the ground. Blood trickled from a cut on his forehead, but he grinned over at her.
"Don't blame you. I don't want to see it again either. Nightmare fuel, that thing." Arthur shivered. "I hate knowing what's out there."
Vivi frowned. "Aww, Artie, but knowing exactly what it is makes it less scary!"
"No, Vee, knowing that my nightmares have real fur and claws and teeth to walk this world with makes life more scary."
"C'mon, Artie. It's not even that smart. The brain scrape is weird, but it's just an extra evolutionary edge on what's basically animal-level intelligence."
"Fantastic. A large, hungry animal that steals personal info to lure people into the dark for a dinner date. And since it got this extra edge for better survival and reproduction, it's probably not the only one out there. Yeah, I feel way better, Vee."
"Either way," Lewis cut in, "We took this one out of the game. And we might be putting ourselves on the map with this find. That being said, we wanted to re-negotiate with you, Fiona."
She squinted up at him. "Ehhh?"
"Well, you did hit the crocotta first, but we took it down. We also messed up the van pretty bad doing it. It isn't the first time somebody's pulled the hit-and-run move to help the team, but this time the damage is worse than usual."
"My baby," Arthur moaned. "How bad is she?"
"Just lie back and think of the new wax job you'll give her when she's all straightened out," Vivi soothed.
Fiona glanced back at Lewis. "So…?"
"So, capturing a living specimen is probably going to rake in enough money to fix your Vespa and the van. The fixed Vespa is all you're after, right? Unless you want to get into the ghost-busting, cryptid-hunting business with us."
She shuddered. "No. No thank you. I just want my wheels back."
"Happy to help," Arthur croaked. "But we'll need the funds, too, if the van is as bad as they're refusing to describe to me. Revised offer: Let us take the money and the credit, and I'll fix your ride. Parts, labor, and paint job. All of it. I'll even throw in a few upgrades."
That did sound like a good deal. Still…
"Throw in a one-year warranty on your work and we'll call it a deal."
Arthur sighed. "This is the problem with trading labor. Fine. One-year warranty, but you cover pizza for two months of game nights."
Fiona thought about it for a minute. With her employee discount, she could swing three pizzas a few times a month for a bit. "Deal."
Vivi cleared her throat. "You sure you don't want to join the best up-and-coming paranormal investigation team? We're still trying to grow and we could use an extra set of fists, or a hand to hold the camera."
"No," Fiona said, flatly. She paused, then shrugged a shoulder, wincing. "I'm not into that stuff. I am into games, though."
The grin on Vivi's face would have put the Grinch to shame. "And just what kind of games do you play?"
Went to visit my sister in Lancaster, PA and I got to feed a goat. They had a little quarter-for-feed machine nearby and the goat followed me every second after I squatted in front of that machine. It was especially eager for cracked corn. It was a bit magical to get to feed it (says the city slicker).
I'm grateful for roads. For the roads that crisscross the country. For the private and public services that repair and replace them. For the ability to get in a car and travel, near or far. I am grateful for cars and the network of roads we've inherited.
There's an older guy who my husband and I have over for dinner a lot. He's brilliant. Like truly brilliant. And, like us, he's odd, so we don't have to be awkward about social interactions because we're all odd. He'll come fix a couple small things at our house, and we'll either go out to eat or make something here. We'll talk everything from politics to physics to invention ideas and whether or not I should take up sewing. He loaned me a sewing machine to see if I would like to work with it. Recently we went to a high school football game and he narrated over it every step of the way until my husband and I mostly understood how the game works, and that was a first! I'm grateful we have this friend in our lives.
I am grateful for the child-like joy of stickers. Large ones. Small ones. Shiny, glimmering, colorful ones. Stars, flowers, butterflies, and unicorn stickers. Stickers.
