bridgescribble | Time to feel a little small

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Time to feel a little small

TINY MEME
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.

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!

meme credit: wolfintheattic

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[Krile's been hit by the Mini spell more than once in her time, so she's liable to take this in stride.]

[Would you like to meet someone who will treat this as though this is completely fine? And will become aggressively nonchalant the more exercised you get about it?]

Should he be here, sneaking around someone's very large house, when he's a very vulnerable couple of inches tall? Absolutely not. Is that going to stop him when he’s on a mission for knowledge? No, of course not.

Getting into the house was a challenge, then the task of climbing onto the desk. Orcelito was lucky that the table legs were ornate with lots of slopes and handholds. Afterwards, he kneels behind a lamp for a bit, catching his breath and listening closely. The room may still be lit, but it does seem like the home owner has gone to bed. He hasn't heard anything in a while. So, it's safe. For now.

Onto the prize! There’s a lovely lineup of hardbound encyclopedia volumes sandwiched between bookends along the back of the desk. If he can't contain his excitement hurrying over to read the spines, place a hand on the textured covers... who can blame him? It’s a nice collection! He wants to read them all. Ugh, how to choose?! Hand to chin, Orcelito steps back to consider the titles.

Though, those are awfully big books. Taller than him, and he can tell they’ll be heavy. Maybe the real trouble isn't in the choosing, but in getting one out and open in the first place.

He mumbles, frustrated. "I can't give up now! There's got to be a way..."

[ Borrower!Cassian = Spiller with more social skills. Alternately, he can be the politely bemused human bean giving you a lift. ]

[Would you be interested in an Uncle Fester who is human sized (local or passing through) or a Borrower!Fester who is either long term small, or somehow just shrunk? I would really enjoy trying any of those.]

[Sorry, I'm just starting out on dreamwidth and feeling my way a little bit. Totally open to feedback and happy to make adjustments along the way.]

[ I'm game, as long as you're okay with me being utterly canon blind :) ]

[ Absolutely. Thanks! :) Yeah, I wondered, could Fester have perhaps been accidentally shrunk and teleported far from his own canon-verse? He'd be scrabbling to catch up with with this new reality for him. ]

[Someone shrunk the peak lord/demon king's advisor? Shocking. Also happy to go full on AU for fairy or borrower times!]

[Cranky borrower who thinks the tea you buy is shite? Or the strangely long-lived bean who has the best doll houses? Closer to canon, is known to practice magic but not always be good at it, so accidental potion side effects and curses are entirely possibly and it's so his fault.]

Well, maybe if you asked first, I could ask them to buy a tea you would like.

[Annoyed, with hands on hips. Harrumphing aside...]

... what teas do you like?

You don't ask humans for things. That's not how it's done!

[Huffs right back at her from the pantry shelf. He shouldn't even be talking to her, but tea is tea!]

Earl grey of course. Though rose can be an acceptable substitute. Sometimes.

But if you ask, we can accomodate you better! I can just pretend it's for me and they'll buy it! It's a perfectly logical conclusion.

[Lillie crossed her arms, pouting, but at hearing the names, she blinked.]

... I think I might be able to get you a rose tea or something very similar right now, actually. Give me just a moment. The Pokemon Center's cafe...

Asking usually means telling people I'm here, las. You weren't supposed to see me either.

[Arthur pauses at the offer. So maybe they're a bit familiar with each other by now. He still didn't expect her to actually go get him something.]

Well, I suppose I could stay around for a bit. If you bring something to eat too, so I don't have to go find food.

I suppose that makes sense, but... I already have, so there's no reason to make things harder on yourself... it's alright to rely on me a little, isn't it?

[Especially if she has to hear him complaining as a result! She'd feel bad for not being able to help!

She listened to his request and nodded, before hurrying away.

She might be gone a little while, so Arthur might have to hide if any of the maids or the cook comes in instead, before Lillie's return!]

[Odd little child. But... She seemed nice. So he waited instead of doing what any sensible borrower would have done: packing up and moving immediately.

Arthur did of course have to duck back behind a sack of sugar when someone else came around. One human was bad enough, he wasn't going to let anyone else see him!]

[Fortunately, it was only a maid doing a bit of light cleaning, dusting off surfaces, he should be fine if he stays hidden from her sight! She should be leaving soon, without incident.

... unless he's got allergies or something. People do not typically fail to notice sneezing. Seemingly disembodied sneezing would be even more memorable!]

[It would be utterly silly for a borrower to have something like a dust allergy. They live in walls and under floors, very dusty places!

A feather allergy, however...]

A-achew!

[The aproned maid, startled, fell backwards, landing ungracefully on her rear, dropping her feather duster and staring at the jar on the shelf that appeared to have. Sneezed?!]

W-w-w-who... w-w-....

[Tearfully, she grabbed her feather duster as if it were a weapon.]

Stay back! Whoever you are, I-I-... I'm not afraid of you, whether you're a ghost or anything else!
[Well, you've been mistaken for some sort of ghost, Arthur! She seemed too scared to leave the floor and she certainly didn't seem eager to fight him, despite her words, she's holding the feather duster close as if to shield herself with it from possible attacks.]

[He winced when the maid fell, ducking his head automatically to try and be even smaller, eyes squeezed shut. But when his cover wasn't ripped away, Arthur pried one open and inched sideways to try and sneak a glance. A ghost?

Well.]

L-leave this room! And stay out! Until at least... at least midnight, or you'll be haunted!

[No one said he made a very good ghost.]

Y-y-yessir!

[Meek as a mouse, the maid scurried away, half-crawling, to the door, mumbling pitiful promises not to disturb the ghost again! Well, he might not've been a very good ghost, but it was terrifying enough for this poor miss.

She was too meek to tell others about what she'd seen, but even if she had, it's not as if most would believe the poor girl!

Fortunately, before word could spread to other, more intrepid, explorers... Lillie returned with a disposable paper cup, filled with something pleasantly rose-scented, of rich red colour (closer to hibiscus than rose), petals floating in the cup.]

Here! It should be similar...

[It certainly has the aroma of rose, but quite a bit stronger!]

[Phew. That was far, far too close. But at least she was gone!

Perhaps he should have taken the encounter as a sign to leave, but... well, he honestly didn't have it in him to disappoint his new benefactor. Lillie was nice, for a human.

And she did promise him tea.

Of course, Arthur did move to a different shelf, just in case. A lower down one even, that would be in easier reach. And from there, he smelled the tea almost before he heard her come in.]

You brought it?

[Lillie nodded, offering the cup shyly.]

Remember, it's not exactly the same thing, but I remembered the Pokemon Center's cafe serves a Roserade tea, so I bought some for you. I hope you'll still like it.

I'll speak with the kitchen staff later and they'll stock up on Earl Grey... and dried rosebuds, too.

[Even the little paper cup was like a giant stew pot to Arthur, but that didn't even slow him down from wrapping his arms around it to accept it. He inhaled deep, a little smile finally appearing.]

That... would be nice. I'll be able to make my own then.

Thank you.

[Oh, how thoughtless of her! He's so small! She was offering such a big cup...]

Ah—is it alright? You're sure you can carry it? I can divide it into smaller teacups, no, um, thimbles and scoops...

[But, Arthur clearly looked happy, the happiest she'd seen the grumpy borrower, so she couldn't help smiling.]

Of course! That way, you can leave a quiet, more peaceful life, like you wanted. Just don't forget you do have someone on your side, when you need it.

... I know! [A bit too loud from ecitement! She covered her mouth and whispered after that:]Sorry...

My old playroom! I have several toy tea sets, I liked having tea parties with toys, when I was very little, of course... I could bring them for you too, they're bigger than the dollhouse ones, but smaller than these cups.

[Arthur jumped at the loud voice, just barely not spilling any of the precious tea. Oh, this wasn't good for his heart.]

Ah, well, I should probably be fine hauling this home, as long as I drink a bit first.

[But the promise of proper tea cups...]

I could come back. For the tea set.

[Another apologetic smile. Sorry, she just got very excited...]

Then, please enjoy.

[She wondered if he'd like a biscuit with it and brushed up a crumb with the tip of her finger from a tin of biscuits, figuring this would be a much more manageable size for one little drink.]

Biscuit? To have with the tea.

Ah, thank you.

[He had to set the tea down to take it, but that also enabled him to sit down on the edge of the shelf so he could dip just a corner of the biscuit crumb into the tea for eating.]

You're very nice, for a human.

You keep saying "human" like it's a bad thing... but thank you.

What were the other humans you met like? Or am I the very first one?

Met and talked to? There was one other, and he wasn't that bad I suppose, but I've had others try to trap me before! And there are more than enough stories of what can happen if we're caught out in the open!

I'm glad you met one who was alright, but... oh dear, no wonder you hate us!

I understand. I couldn't stand touching any Pokemon at all after something that happened when I was younger, even though I'd forgotten it... and even though I did get along with Pokemon before that.

[True, she never hated them, but she'd freeze from fear!]

It's not so much that I hate humans, but you lot can be very dangerous to my kind. You're a lot bigger than us, after all.

Those pokemon too. Though I don't mind some of the smaller ones.

... then, we're more alike than I thought! I never hated them either. I was just scared to touch them.

I think I understand... it must be scary to be around someone so much bigger, not knowing if they'll be kind or not... especially if some even tried to trap you before.

You get used to it, I suppose. There really isn't much of a choice otherwise.

[He hauled the cup of tea back into his arms, tipping it veeery carefully to take a drink.]

Now, if they made smaller pokeballs, maybe things would be a bit different.

You know, I have a friend who’s an inventor… and pokeballs can shrink… I wonder if he can try and make pokeballs that open and function in that shrunken state someday? Maybe we can work on making them together!

[As an example, Lillie brought out a shrunken pokeball… in her hands, it fit between her fingers, about the size of a hazelnut.]

They'd sure come in handy. If I had a group of those to keep me safe, I wouldn't have to hide in houses so much.

[Still a bit big at that size to carry the six he saw some humans keep, but one or two could fit in his bag.]

It does sound helpful.. you could maybe even ride some Pokemon that are a bit bigger than you.

Oh, speaking of houses… I’ll go get the teacups.

Goodbye, Arthur.
[Just in case he’s not there when she comes back.]

Most of them are!

[He gets up to his feet, giving her a little wave while his hands are free.]

Just put them behind the flour when you come back.

And... thank you for the tea.

I will.

[He’s so grateful, she’s touched too!]

You’re welcome.

That’s very sweet … coming from you. [Lightly teasing, but in a loving manner, really!

Lillie turned to quietly leave.]

[AU or explained by plot shenanigans both welcome! Wouldn't be surprised if he's got something in his garden that can shrink people. Himself or surprise visitors.]

[M/M for shipping, except for Nataku.

Prepare to find random tiny bookmarks in all your books. He will read them all. Open to AU or canonish!]

[Oh, to be a tiny person in a library. These shelves would be towering under normal circumstances--and these are far from normal.

Fuu has just completed her climb up onto one of those ancient oaken tables when she notices the bookmarks. Those would be nothing unusual, except that they're not so much ribbons as threads. Fuu inspects one, and then walks around the spine of the book to check the title, before leaning back against it to keep her back covered as she presses her fingers to her mouth in thought.]

Hm... am I alone in here?

[Had Wufei invented a whole new rope rigging system to be able to pull books out of shelves? Yes he had. He refused to limit his reading choices to whatever humans happened to leave out, even if meant that he had to scramble to haul it out of sight whenever a human came in.

He'd been in the middle of rigging another book that looked interesting in the bookcase nearest to the table when he heard the voice. Freezing, he flattened down and peered over the top of the book.

And stared.]

Who are you?

Hououji Fuu. [She gives him a polite bow, running her eye over him to size (har) him up. It's quite a little works he's set up, like some kind of sailor who's capturing pages instead of breezes.] I didn't realize there were any other patrons of my size in this library.

[THIS IS TOTALLY NORMAL]

It looks like you've set up a very effective system, here.

Chang Wufei, and likewise.

[Not that a library was the best place to find things like food. Which was why he'd set up a home between the library's main room and the staff room where he did his foraging.

Thank you. I find that waiting for people to leave out what I want to read takes too long.

[A borrower Lillie living in your dollhouse, perhaps! Or Lillie shrunk by another experiment (thank you, Faba, I can't believe we're dealing with this again)... Lillie's grown a lot braver and more adaptable, so she's quite ready to learn how to live at this size, if she must!]

Edited 2023-06-02 06:07 (UTC)

[The tiniest Sith Lord powered by rage and sheer spite. Never hesitates to take on a giant opponent like a rat with courage and determination. Enraged when he gets picked up and put into pockets.]

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Time to feel a little small

Krile Mayer Baldesion | Final Fantasy V

Fuu Hououji | Magic Knight Rayearth

Because I'm feeling nostalgic. Either new au or crau is fine with me!

Cassian Andor | Star Wars | OTA

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Shang Qinghua | SVSSS

Arthur Kirkland | Hetalia | OTA

[he could be a borrower only Lillie knows about, fff]

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1/2

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Youko Kurama | YYH | OTA

Chang Wufei | Gundam Wing | OTA

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Lillie | Pokemon | OTA

Darth Maul | Star Wars