theattic | [MEME] TEENY TINY MEME

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[MEME] TEENY TINY MEME

IT'S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL
Time to try a new perspective! This is a meme inspired by things from our childhood like The Borrowers,
Thumbelina, fairy stories, The Littles, and more! Your character is very very small and the
world is very very big.

RNG: Here!

PROMPTS:

1. Maybe you drank whatever was in that suspiciously-labeled bottle or found yourself wrapped-up in some other magical shenanigan. Whatever happened, now you are tiny!
2. Rodents of...perfectly average size. A common creature who is barely noticed by normal humans is suddenly attacking!
3. You've been captured! Whether by a deadly spider or a curious Big Person, it's time to use your wits to get out of this situation or rescue your friend!
4. Foraging! You're low on supplies. Time to go out into the big, big world.
5. "You're...like me!" You thought you were the last, but suddenly you've found someone else your size!
6. Find shelter! There's a storm, your original home has been destroyed, or maybe it's just time for a change of scenery.
7. Stealth mission! Whatever you do, don't get caught!
8. The first meeting. You've had your suspicions. You thought you were crazy, but now you've found them! There's been a tiny person living in your home all this time!
9. Part of your world. You've invited someone to meet you eye-to eye. Creep through the mouse hole or walk among giants!
10. Just because you're small doesn't mean you can't help out in a big way. A normal-sized person is in trouble. Use your unique perspective to get them out of it!

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Avoiding the giant's notice that first time did bring Kaoru a brief moment of triumph - she was ready for this after all, she had (almost) been face-to-face with a giant and gotten out of it! With a thrill of self-satisfaction, she darted out from behind the towels, toward the next source of cover between herself and the exit--

She saw the cat a split-second before it pounced.

So much for triumphantly avoiding discovery.

Kaoru dove out of the way, directly into the sink, and scrambled out the other side, no longer too concerned with whether the giant was still busy with the cabinets or not, because the giant was not currently trying to eat her. She sprinted for the area where the giants made food, her eyes set on a box of toothpicks sitting on the counter; if she could get hold of one of those, she could at least have a chance of deterring the cat.

When an entire cat exploded onto his counter, naturally, JW yelled in surprise. He dropped the small metal tin of bandaids.

"Agggh! CAT!"

What was even happening? He heard the clattering of Kaoru's little claws on the porcelain. It all happened so fast and JW's poor sight marked the girl as a rat. A weirdly colored rat?

"What the--? Molly! Get out of here! At least take it outside! Gah!" When lifting his arm in surprise, blood trickled down his elbow.

Kaoru nearly crashed into the box of toothpicks before she managed to throw the top open and grab a makeshift weapon from within - not exactly the graceful arming she'd hoped for, but she could call it a win.

And then she spun around with a flourish, brandishing the toothpick like a spear. "--Ha! Back, foul beast!"

Guess who completely forgot she was trying to be stealthy.

The cat almost skidded right into Kaoru. Her paws slid on the slick counter top and her nose ran right into Kaoru's sword. She let out a screech that was more in surprise than pain and skittered backwards. She blew a loud wet hiss at the girl and started to advance again.

Now that things had slowed down and JW's eyes had caught up with the action, he blinked.

And he blinked again.

W h a t.

His hallucinations were not usually this detailed or involved. What the fuck.

"HON, YOU ALRIGHT IN THERE?" Came the voice of Mrs. Bluebird from the next room. She had been cleaning and had heard JW's shout.

For a moment, JW was too gobsmacked to respond. Luckily he got ahold of himself. "Uh--y-yeah! I just saw a...spider?"

The cat backtracking, just for a moment, was invaluable for Kaoru, and she didn't waste any more time in turning tail and sprinting for the edge of the counter - this time with the toothpick gripped in one hand.

And then another, unseen giant called out, and Kaoru startled so badly that she stumbled and almost went right over the edge.

Or, more accurately, she did go over the edge, and it was by sheer luck and reflex that she managed to grab hold of the handle of some cupboard or drawer. She didn't hit the ground, but she was still hanging precariously above it-- far too high above. Oh god. Okay. She had to get back up there now.

Back up to... the cat. She could hear the first giant shouting. The ground was so far away.

This... was fine. She could figure this out.

"YOU SURE? YOU SOUNDED AWFUL--"

"I'M FINE!" JW roared back without really meaning to. It was enough to startle Molly into looking up. She could tell that James was sketchy and this was just further proof. She hissed at him too.

Without thinking, James grabbed an old work shirt off his bed and swung it at Molly. She ducked and flattened her ears, refusing to get off the counter.

"Get! Get!" He swatted her with the shirt. Plap! Plap! Plap! While he was swatting and plapping, JW leaned down and scooped up Kaoru with his other hand, enveloping her in blood-scented darkness. Pleasant!

Oooh everything was happening so much and Kaoru was not sure this was better. She yelped involuntarily when the giant scooped her up, and, on sheer reflex, tried to poke the toothpick between his fingers. Was she trying to startle him into letting go, despite that being a horrible idea right now? To get a lever to pry his fingers open, as if she had anywhere to go?

The answer was yes to both, and also no to both, because she had not thought that far ahead.

Feeling Kaoru moving within his fingers was beyond weird and the sudden appearance of the sharp toothpick did startle him. JW let out a weird, high little scream and unfurled his hand and shook it.

Molly was flattened to the counter while being buffeted with the shirt but her eyes were trained on the floor, one ear up, listening for the thump.

Yeah she DEFINITELY had not thought this through, turns out the only thing worse than being suspended very high up was falling from very high up.

Fortunately, you know how gerbils and spiders and stuff can handle falling from proportionally higher up than humans can because they're smaller? Yeah, she was fine.

However. Now she was very much in the open, the giant definitely knew she was here, and that cat would only be distracted for so long. Time to make a break for the nearest escape route - the door, an opening in the wall, anything she can fit through will do.

Luckily, there was a pile of suitcases and dirty clothes in the far corner near the bed--just perfect for a tiny person to hide behind.

The battle between JW and Molly raged on. He swung one foot up onto the edge of the counter to bar her way but actually ended up pinching her little paw between the sole of his shoe and the porcelain edge. She hollered. He hollered.

Mrs. Bluebird finally stuck her head through the door. "What kinda spider is worth all this racket?"

In a flash, Molly tore off of the counter and zipped through the door, startling Mrs. Bluebird into falling back against the bed.

"It was..." JW searched the carpet with his eyes. "Incredibly large. Went down the sink."

The old woman righted herself and walked into his room proper. She squinted around, turned in a little circle, then patted his arm sympathetically in that way that made JW grind his teeth. He knew what she was thinking. Poor dear, seeing things again!

"Supper will be ready soon, you wash up." She said before leaving him alone with...whatever he had just experienced.

At least she could keep herself out of sight for a while here - especially with the cat gone. Actually, now that she was no longer probably about to get eaten, that terror was rapidly giving way to giddy excitement. She did it, she overcame her first obstacle in investigating the giants' world!!

Too bad she had... nowhere to put that energy now. There might not have been much going through Kaoru's head, but it was pretty clear now that the giant knew she was here, and might well keep looking for her. Which meant she... probably shouldn't move.

...At least that doesn't make it any less exciting. Nobody could say she didn't get an adventure out of this.

All at once, the excitement was over. The silence of the room buzzed in James's ears as he tried to process what had just happened.

Had that been a rat? It had to have been a rat! But it had tiny clothes...no, it couldn't have. Could it? There was no such thing! With his head swimming, JW meandered over to his bed and sat down. The springs creaked and for a moment fought back the silence.

"What is happening to me..." he murmured, dropping his head into his hands.

At first, all Kaoru can think to do is wait for a chance to slip out. That's the obvious course of action, under the circumstances. So she hunkers down to watch the giant and wait.

But... looking at him, he looks pretty upset. Kind of miserable, actually. She probably shouldn't feel sorry for a being that could harm her or worse so easily.

That doesn't mean, however, that she doesn't feel sorry for him. Should she say something? Giants don't know about her kind, glimpsing one might have upset him, so... maybe she should explain?

She is, technically, still hunkered down and waiting. But, uh. Somehow her little brain has come around to the conclusion that maybe, instead of waiting to run, she should be looking for a chance to reveal herself.

It's fine. It's fine! This is probably not a horrible idea.

For several long minutes, JW sat still. He massaged his thumbs against the soft spots under his eyes, making blobs of green and blue and brown appear against the backs of his eyelids. Finally he heaved a sigh and sat up, his wrists dangling over his knees.

He'd been through a lot recently. He hadn't had access to good weed. Maybe this was just...the result. He was getting worse. Crazier. Well. Momma V wasn't about to find out about that. And neither would his host.

JW hummed out a humorless little laugh. "Of course."

Of course. Of course what? What was he talking about?

Very carefully, she started making her way through the pile of clothes she was using as cover, circling around to seek out a route to get just... a little closer to the giant. Now, she was concerned and curious. So, if she could just... get to a better vantage point...

Edited 2020-11-14 01:46 (UTC)

Kaoru would not have to wonder for very long.

"Of course..." he repeated to himself, digging his nails into the knees of his work jeans. "It just starts with dogs. Before I know it, it'll be entire people telling me to do God knows what! Great! I love it!"

The jacket that Kaoru was creeping was made of that horrible windsuit material that went ztt ztt ztt when it rubbed against itself. So naturally her little gerbil claws betrayed her location the moment she climbed onto it. The zipper and pocket snaps scraped against the floor.

JW grew still. He listened and sent a pointed look toward the door, just waiting for that stupid cat to come back in and start ruining his day--but the sound wasn't coming from there. He whipped his head around and saw a shape down between the bed and the dresser.

In an instant he was on his feet and had snatched up an old calendar off the edge of his bed. He made short work of rolling it up into some kind of weapon.

"I swear to God!"

Well, what she was hearing so far was fascinating. She's heard of dogs, caught glimpses of them from far off when gathering supplies outside, but she's never gotten up close to one.

She had no idea dogs could talk, let alone tell the giants what to do. Is that why this giant is so distressed? Maybe he's concerned that, as the creatures his species keep as companions see fit to give him orders, his own kind could turn on him next...

This clearly very logical train of thought was cut off abruptly when the giant leapt to his feet, weapon in hand. Kaoru's heart jumped in her chest as she realized she had definitely been spotted - but, then, hadn't she intended to reveal herself anyway? She just needed to be deliberate in approaching this!

Swallowing back her sheer terror, Kaoru stepped fully out of her cover, raising her paws in placation and hoping her voice didn't come out too hurried. "--No need for distress! I am merely a visitor to your... abode."

If Kaoru had wanted to get away, she had ample time to do it. While JW could see her movement, he could not make out her form right away due to having to adapt to his left eye's new behavior.

But she approached him and spoke. JW bristled. He was expecting a rat or maybe an actual giant spider. Not...this! His stomach felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water into it. It was starting! Fuck! Shit! Crap!

He'd never had a talking hallucination before. If...that's what she was. Because the cat sure did see her. He'd felt her tiny limbs flutter against the inside of his hand. Almost instinctively he wiped his hands off on his shirt to get rid of the phantom feeling, never taking his eyes off Kaoru.

He had to make a choice. Ignore it and try to live his crappy life as well as he could. Give in to it and see if his psyche was trying to tell him something via tiny mouse girls. Or...take it at face value. That a little tiny bitty person was in his ROOM and talking to him.

"What...do you want?" His voice was thin and high.

What did she want. It was an interesting question, really - though not one she possessed an easy answer to.

For one thing, she wanted to not get smacked with that rolled-up paper, because she was not sure she would survive that. She wanted to bring joy to the other girls in her colony, which was why she was here: She wanted to bring back stories of the giants' world as part of that endless pursuit.

Fortunately, if there was one thing Kaoru was good at it was going through a lot of pointless, winding thoughts very quickly, so it didn't take her too long to answer: "I... want to know more about you!"

It was perfect, now that she thought about it! By talking to this giant, she could learn more about them as a whole and have plenty to bring back home! There were no flaws in this plan.

JW very slowly lowered the roll of death. He was still frowning, but it was less a frown of fear or anger and more a frown of confusion. Of looking at a word in another language and not understanding it.

"What..."

If he was hallucinating her, why did she want to know more about him? Wouldn't she know everything already? The cat. He had to remember the cat. JW couldn't decide if he wanted to accept the reality of tiny people or the reality of his worsening illness.

Very...very slowly, JW began to crouch down on the balls of his feet, elbows on his knees, ready to spring back up at a moment's notice. He turned his head so that he could look at her with his good eye.

"Does Mrs. Bird know you're here? How long have you been spying on me?" He put an edge on his voice. Yes, he was trying to intimidate somebody he could crush with one hand.

Well, those were... more loaded questions than she was really prepared for. But she answered all the same.

"You're the first I've revealed myself to." She hoped he was excited about that. He should be! "And worry not - I haven't observed you actively before today."

Certainly not from so close, anyway.

Honestly, even though he'd asked her a bunch of rapid fire questions, JW hardly listened to her. Instead, he was just looking at her. All the little details that he could see with his fucked up depth perception...were perfect. Just in miniature. The folds of her clothes, her hair, the way she stood there like any kid would and spoke in perfect, if not a little theatrical, English.

His heart thudded in his chest. This was almost too much. But he thought it was better than the alternative so he pushed that feeling back down into his chest and asked another question.

"What...are you?"

Well, that one was easier. In fact, it was a question Kaoru had almost hoped to get to answer.

She puffed up with pride (literally, a little bit, her ears perking up and tail giving a little flick) and answered, as if it were the simplest thing in the world: "I... am an explorer."

A pause.

"As of recently."

JW was silent for a long moment as he took this in. Her tone. Her pose. What she said. This creature in his room that had caused him so much mental anguish in such a short time...WAS JUST A BABY.

He dragged his hand down the length of his face.

"Do your folks know you're out here?"

Well, that was a weird reaction. Yeah, she admitted she hasn't been doing this for too long, but clearly she knew what she was doing well enough to get this far!

She flipped a lock of purple hair over her shoulder, chuckling dismissively. "They will know all they need to when I return, bringing stories of this place."

So, no.

Edited 2020-11-17 03:55 (UTC)

Fear was finally settling in JW's chest. Instead of sitting in an unsteady crouch, he lowered himself down to sit on his knees. JW planted his hands on either side of Kaoru so he could lean down and see her even better. Even if he found himself worried for her safety, he was impressed.

He could only imagine how tall someone like him was to somebody as tiny as Kaoru. She had guts!

"Yeah...? What are you gonna tell 'em?" This was normal! Just your every day conversation with a fairy person! When he was younger, he imagined himself going on some amazing quest like his favorite TV characters once brushing shoulders with the supernatural. None of it had gone quite like this. He suddenly found himself blurting out, "I'm James."

Frankly, seeing him lean down, looming over her, drove home again how much bigger he was. Which made perfect sense - he was a giant, after all. But, when he moved closer, she couldn't help a little jolt of nerves in her chest.

She did not, however, move - except for the briefest flicker of worry over her face.

"I... am still finding out what I'll tell them!" After all, the adventure wasn't over yet, and that was what this was. An adventure. Of course there would be some fear involved, but she had already prepared herself to overcome it with valor.

She gives a self-satisfied little bow when she answers, hiding a flare of excitement over getting a name directly from the giant himself. "I am Kaoru. A pleasure to meet you."

"Kaoru..." Might as well be a tiny fairy name! Her bow gets a small crooked grin out of him. If someone tiny like Kaoru could be brave in the face of world-rocking encounters so could he. "Well...I can say the same then."

JW never saw himself as ambassador material but that sure did look like what was happening! He shifted a little, dropping an elbow to the ground and his chin into his hand so he could look at Kaoru with his good eye.

"Well, if you've got any questions, fire away."

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[MEME] TEENY TINY MEME

this is the MOST upset icon i have, rip

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