#Maybe a bit of platonic pyramid scheme

[invader-sans-cipher]

Art for this stupid ahh Gravity Falls Mystery trio au I made a while back called “Mystery Dimension” (they all go through the damn portal lol)

[caterinasingh]

Speed Meet | Cat & Frankie

@vpholloway

Valentine’s Event, 2020

Note: Each paragraph switches perspective, starting with Caterina

Once again, the buzzer rang, indicating it was time to move on. Caterina gave a wave to the previous person, (rather relived they were leaving - they seemed unable to stop talking about themselves) and readied to meet someone else. A person sat across and Caterina put on a smile, reading over the name. "Good evening, my name is Caterina. How are you enjoying your evening so far?"

Frankie settled in across from the woman and set xir jacket over the back of the chair. She had been vaguely familiar at first, but from the name Frankie was almost certain that they had went to high school together. "Hello. It's Cat Singh, right? I'm Frankie." Xe returned the smile. This event was just as much catching up with people as meeting new ones for Frankie. "And my evening is going great. How about yours?"

The woman blinked in surprise when the other could pull out her name, but then dismissed it. She did write for the paper after all. But there was something about the other seemed familiar. "Yes, that is correct! Have you read some of my articles before?" she questioned, trying to get to the root of why xe knew her full name. "That is great to hear. It has certainly been entertaining, although part of me wishes I could bow out for a minute to people watch, you know what I mean?"

Frankie thought for a moment. "Most likely, but I recognize you from high school. I was only a couple years above you. It's fine if you don't remember me though." Xe looked around at the people in the restaurant. "Observing can be fun, but I do enjoy interacting with people. This event could use more breaks, though." "Oh goodness, I didn't remember you. I feel like I should have. You're an administrator at Edgewood High now, aren't you?" Caterina felt a bit guilty about that, but she had a fairly small circle of actual friends in high school. "I agree. It feels like a whirlwind, I can hardly remember the details of everyone I have met. Regardless, what brings you to this event?" Xe nodded. "That's correct. I'm the Vice Principal now." Xe really wasn't offended to not be remembered, but would take this opportunity to catch up. "I don't think anyone in here expects you to remember what their favorite food or animal is. I'm just here to see new faces around town and catch up with others. It's a fun idea for Valentine's day to have platonic meetings as well." "Is it odd being the Vice Principal of the school you attended?" she couldn't resist the question. Caterina could hardly imagine stepping foot back on the school grounds now. "That's very true. It's all about seeing if there's any chemistry - platonic or romantic. I must say, some of the men here have no idea how to talk to woman, oof," she added in a hushed tone. "I agree. I prefer it to a Valentine's day dance." "In a way, yes, but I no longer remind myself of high school every day. Now it's work." Frankie snorted. "Few do." Regardless of xir gender identity, many men interacted with xim as a cis female. "I don't think they've had a Valentine's Day dance here in years." "Really? How long did it take for that separation to occur?" Caterina couldn't help but snicker in agreement at xir comment. She'd dealt with plenty terrible flirting today. "Really? I remember it was nearly an annual thing during our high school years, but I only recently moved back. Guess I've been out of the loop." "Well, college sure helped. But even when I got back to Ashwood, I guess a few years?" Frankie wished that xir mother had been around to discuss xir decisions and experiences going into education. "I think it was because of a big fight that happened at the dance a few years ago. Some people ran into their ex's and the situation really escalated." Frankie was glad xe hadn't been there. "Where have you been?" Caterina gave a nod at that. Still not something she could wrap her mind around, but  that wasn't what she wanted to learn about zim. "Another fight at a dance? This town is really not meant to have formal dances." But now she wanted to know who had started the fight. Maybe she could dig up an old article. "Oh, I've been all over. Mostly in California, but I was in Eastern Europe for some time as part of the Peace Corps. What did you do before becoming the vice principal at the high school?" "Apparently not," Frankie conceded.  "Wow, that's really cool. To be honest, I haven't left Edgewood much. I just went to college for education and started working right away. What got you into journalism?" The woman grinned at their compliment. "Thank you. Oh, travel is amazing if you can do so. It really helps expand your world view. Part of it was travelling and meeting so many interesting people. Another part was frustration with how the truth can be obscured...or glossed over for preferable tales. I think it is important the truth be told...but what about you?" "I think it's important that people take the opportunities to see the world when they can. Sometimes Edgewood feels like its own little world." That wasn't always a negative thing, though. Some people had completely fulfilling lives in their hometowns. "I'm sure you see a lot of misinformation in your field. It's great that you are driven to fight that, though. As for me, I also hold the truth in high regard. But I understand that truth can be relative. I was a history teacher before joining administration, so I know all about there being two sides to a story." "Day in and out. It feels like I'm sifting through lies sometimes and mining for truth. But thank you. It is fulfilling to finally get to the bottom of different issues." That was a little bit of an exaggeration, but she did still deal with lies more often than not. "I'm sure you deal with it enough being the vice principal, too, huh? Do you deal with students much in administration? I honestly never quite knew what the role principal or vice principal entailed."

"That sounds difficult." Xe laughed. "Yes, we do hear many lies from the students. Like many jobs, it's mostly paperwork and meetings, but I try to be involved with students, more than is strictly required." Caterina gave a hum of acknowledgement. "That makes sense..." there were questions she wanted to ask xim, but none she knew she would get answers to. There wasn't much time left on the clock, but Caterina was terrible at sitting in silence. "How have you been enjoying your evening thus far? Meet any exciting people?" Frankie was fine with the silence that settled for a moment, though xe was aware that the timer was ticking. "It has been going pretty well. I enjoy catching back up with people, such as yourself." Xe gestured towards Caterina. "As for interesting people, I do think that one man was using this event to build his pyramid scheme. He did make selling candles sound very tempting." Caterina beamed at the compliment. "Yes, it really is excellent to reconnect with different locals." Especially now that she had her life together and correct any misconceptions about where she was in life now. "There are pyramid schemes for selling candles? I thought they were usually for management or workout classes, you know?" Frankie shrugged. Xe would admit though that candles made an odd pyramid scheme. Some years selling candles would be a fundraiser for some clubs at school, though. "Yankee Candle should watch its back though." Xe dug in her purse and pulled out a business card then showed it to Caterina. "They even have business cards. What about you? Meet anyone interesting?" The woman couldn't help but snicker at zir comment. "Business cards too?" She eyed them in amazement. "Wow, yeah, these sure do scream that something fishy is going on. I can't say I've met anyone quite that interesting, mostly been reconnecting with people in town...though there was one man parading around as an expert in love. I'm sure you know as well as I do what that means, but from an outside standpoint, he was interesting." "I would have to say that they are well made, but the design choice is a bit questionable. I don't think they are getting a call from me." Xe put the business card back in xir purse, fully intending to throw it away later. Frankie laughed. "I'm honestly not sure that I do, but I don't think I would trust him on it." Caterina let out a hum hearing Frankie's comment. "Well...just that, he thinks he is some sort of womanizer, but he either has a lot of 'notches in his belt, because women have faked it around him', he just think he knows what women want, or some combination of the two. Either way, he knows nothing of women or love is what that means."

Frankie winced. "Oof. He sounds full of himself. And I don't see why they would think potential partners would be impressed by their past relationships?"

Caterina shook her head.  "I can only guess that they think having any experience, regardless of how poor it is, is impressive." Before Caterina could dive any further into the topic with xim, the buzzer rang loudly. "Oh, I guess that is the end of our time. It was a pleasure to catch up with you again, Frankie. Perhaps we should do this again sometime?"

Frankie agreed with a smile. "Yes, it was nice to catch back up with you, Caterina. I hope to see you around."

[awkwardbsd]

Dino’s Questionnaire: Day Five

Day Five: Deep Questions & Squad Shenanigans

Here are some more thought-provoking questions and some stuff near the end to make it fun with all of the squad!

Deep Questions

Who or what inspires you?

To be honest, no single person or thing truly inspires me. Even if I say they do, I know I barely know them and that there are parts that I will never get to know, so I can’t say that their complete being inspires me. There’s a difference between admiration and inspiration as well that I think sometimes gets a bit blurred in my mind. I admire and get inspired by many of the voice actors and celebrities that I see. My parents have inspired me. My dog inspires me. And there are certain people that I’ve met that inspire me. But if I’ve learned anything, it’s that you need to become your own inspiration and driving force because even when other people encourage you, you have to become the person that you want to be. You shouldn’t be chasing after anyone else’s shadows or anything like that. I think to become your own inspiration is something else.

If you could be remembered for one thing and one thing only, what would it be? Basically, what would you want your legacy to be?

I want to be remembered for the impacts I made on people. I was going to say my personality but that probably isn’t a good idea since most will admit I have a sour and bitter personality, I feel like that’s the best way to go. And while there’s no use in being remembered for things of beauty if the person you were was far from that, I think a person’s personality can only live on beyond death when people remember them and are impacted by them.

Sure, I want to be remembered for any accomplishments I have or things that I’ve done that embody what society views as “success”, but what do my friends think of me? How have I changed people (for better or for worse)? Would they be completely the same without me? I think that’s the most important thing to be remembered for because the world is beyond just you, your personality, and your accomplishments. It’s how those are used and how those impact that really makes a difference.

Give us an idea of your hopes and dreams.

These are forever changing. I guess my dream is to be proud of the person that I’ve become. My legacy and impact on other people also rely on... well, other people which I can’t control. How they interpret me and my being is beyond me. However, being proud of the person that I am is in my control, but right now, I can’t say that I’m completely proud of who I am and what I have done or what I’m doing.

Sure, I have pipe dreams of getting into some sort of strong relationship someday, writing music, and having my version of success. And while success to me does mean happiness, it also means being able to help other people without compromising yourself. It’s not that I can become a philanthropist or anything, but to give my happiness and success and share it without compromising my way of life is definitely a version of success that I strive for.

If you could talk to your younger-self  (maybe five minutes maximum) what would the conversation be about?

Of course, this depends on what version of younger-me I’m talking to. Let’s say that they are ten years old, I would tell them that this animation and anime phase that’s coming and slowly manifesting won’t be going away anytime soon, I would tell them that mental health is a real thing and to start a talk about it, and I would tell them to take care of themselves and that being comfortable with themselves is one of the most important things in the world. I would tell them that maybe they were born differently, maybe they don’t work or interact like other kids do, but that’s okay because one day, you’ll learn to accept yourself even if no one else does.

What is your ideal partner/spouse like? What qualities/traits do they have? What do they look like? What do you look for in a person?

I guess I look for the same thing that I look for in a friend. I want a person with a sense of humour, kindness, caringness, they can’t be too serious, a certain amount of coolness under pressure, they need to balance me out sometimes, support me when I can’t support myself, understand me (especially when others won’t), want what’s best for me, like me for who I am and who I may become, be loyal, respectful, not violent or abusive, etc. And if anyone had all those traits, I don’t care what they look like.

Squad Activities

Two Truths One Lie: List two true things about yourself and one thing that’s false. Don’t tell us which is which, and we will guess!

*This is meant to be very easy*

I used to play the violin before being transferred to viola

I used to do taekwondo but quit a couple of years ago

My avatar is usually a purple dinosaur, but the truth is, it was originally intended to a be a dragon but was changed due to many reasons (one being that I can’t draw a dragon).

Make some superlatives (those things put in yearbooks for “most likely too” for every member of the squad (or the ones you know). Feel free to describe and compliment them!

*This is based on the actual people I met and not the BSD Characters but weirdly, a lot of people seem similar*

This is inconsistent as heck because I was too lazy to search nicknames (I usually refer to them by their characters especially since they’re deep in RP). I also left people out that stumped me.

Miki [@awkward-akutagawa] - Most Likely to Start a Cult / Best Leader

Em [@awkward-chuuya] - Most Likely to Get Drunk Too Fast 

Alex [@awkward-dazai] - Most Likely to Neglect and Shun All Responsibilities as a Mod (excluding Dino)

Bel [@awkward-kunikida] - Most Likely to Get Unwillingly Dragged Into Chaos

Char [@awkward-ranpo] - Most Likely to Call Me Out on my Bulls**t

Fizz [@awkward-atsushi] - Most Likely to Get Caught Up in a Pyramid Scheme

Kenji [@awkward-kenji] - Most Likely to Platonically Marry Dino

Kenna [@awkward-kyouka] - Most Likely to Be that “Small Town Girl” in DON’T STOP BELIEVING

[@awkward-lovecraft] - Most Likely to Lurk a Karaoke Party

Ed [@awkward-poe ] - Most Likely to Get Depressed Over a Joke

@awkward-gogol - Most Likely to Warn Everyone (AND I MEAN EVERYONE) About Nonexistent Clowns

[@awkward-gin] - Most Likely to Never Set Up Their Blog

@awkward-tanizaki - Most Likely to Make Self-deprecating jokes

Bex [@awkward-kouyou] - Most Likely to Become a Good Mom

@awkward-lucy - Most Likely to be Thicc

Kit [@awkward-odasaku] - Most Likely to Wake the Dead

@awkward-katai  - Most Likely to Get Stuck in a Fandom War and just wants out (send help)

@awkward-fukuzawa  - Most likely to cry over fallen toast

@awkward-karl - Most likely to come with the right raccoon stuff

[@awkward-steinbeck] - Most Likely to Convert you to Shipping Steincraft

@awkward-twain  - Most Likely to Actually Understand Japanese

[@awkward-alcott] - Most Likely to lurk forever

Higuchi [@awkward-higuchi] - Most likely to become a deity, saint, and pure being

[@awkward-hawthorne] - Most Likely to Slap People for Their Kinks

[@awkward-fitzgerald] - Most likely to get married to an old guy because he’s a “sugar daddy”

@awkward-rashomon - Most Likely to be Openly on the “Kinky” side of P**nhub. 

@awkward-oguri  - Most Likely to be down to trade pokemon

@awkward–sigma - Most Likely to Get Bullied About Their Ugly Pubic like Hair for the Rest of Their Lives

[@awkwardtachihara ] - Most Likely to be on par with Rasho but on the more “regular” side of things

[@awkwardtetchoo ] - Most Likely to Fight You

Martha [@awkward-mori] - Most Likely to Make the Best Edits