ALL NOVEL Episode 19 ▶ Taming A Dog And Naming Her Zoey ft. Mandel & Glob | CovenCraft S5E05
@JennaPeplum 4 hours ago
What’s up with that title lmao
▴ 2 replies
@quartercube 3 hours ago
For those who don't know, Screw and Mandel had a modded series together, and there was a title episode simular to this one.
@JennaPeplum 3 hours ago
Oh ok, thanks. I was just here for covencraft, I ve never watched the rest of the channel. I will definitely check that out!
sonicScrew Today at 21:14
Oh shut the fuck up MG
When you're angry, it becomes surprisingly easy to forget you were ever shy or anxious.
sonicScrew Today at 21:14
This has nothing to do with your petty arguing, which I believe is a done deal anyway
No, I’ve got much better! (big copy paste incoming)
Hi everyone.
I wanted to announce I’m trans. A trans woman, that is. You can still call me Screw or sonicScrew, or you can call me Celia, and I use she/her pronouns.
Now, this should stay private for the time being. Regarding the videos, I’m still okay with masculine addresses, but would appreciate it if you tried to not use any gendered language. I will inform you of my public coming out as soon as I do it, and from that point on, it’ll be girl aaall the way.
Obviously, this will not change anything about my work, my participation, and my dedication to the server. And I hope it will be the same for you.
If you have any good faith questions, you can DM me, but I can’t promise I will be able to answer all of them.
First, the chat stayed silent. No one appeared to answer for what felt like an eternity. Then, MG, 40bees, Sofa, Davio, FullFeret, and Pikka started typing on and off — sufficiently frequently for the ‘Several people are typing’ indicator to pop up — and I began shaking. Too many bad thoughts in danger of spilling out, too much spoiled anger in need of an exit.
Alessia’s voice seemed distant. “Okay, yes. Good. Now…”
I closed my eyes, took a big breath, and let it out slowly. “Now, I close Discord, and I go play something for a while, yes. I shouldn’t get too worked up with this.” I proceeded with the plan, minimising the window and launching the game.
“Very good. Leave it to us. Amy will check if there’s any important reactions you should know about. You know what? Come on the server; I need help with my wheat farm!”
Amy produced a sound somewhere between a bunch of ‘no’s and the engine of an old chainsaw. “Make her do the elevator first, she’s the only one who knows how to do it.”
“But we don’t need an elevator, we already have stairs.”
“Stairs are for peasants, Alessia. Um, Alex. Sorry, got confused with our D&D game from earlier.”
“What? D&D? But we went to buy sca— Ouch!”
“Don’t tell her that!”
I laughed and hovered on the server’s connectivity icon, showing me the people online: Gidon, Alessia, Sofa, 40bee’s second account, and critically, no McGLVN or any of his goons. “Sure, I’ll do the farm — and the elevator. By the way, you seem to get confused a lot with the girlfriend thing today, which I totally understand. But I was thinking — and I’m just throwing ideas on the wall here, seeing what sticks — in order to support you in practising the roles, I could totally call you Amy and Alessia. Would that help?”
“You— You’d do that?”
“Yes, please, please, Celia!”
“Sure, no problem, girls.”
Alessia squeaked. “Thank you so much. You can't imagine how much that means to us.”
“Thank you so much, yeah,” Amy echoed, a smile audible in her voice. But as I was about to join the server, she hummed with an edge of worry. “I must inform you that there’s very positive messages from Forty and Davio. But there’s also some crap from MG — mostly about the ‘shut up,’ though. And people are still typing.”
I didn’t need to see those, I could have spent the last hours of the day wrecking my head against a tight, four-block wide space hoping that an elevator would fit in it, and that no slime block would yank out part of the wall, but the human mind is feeble and its curiosity strong, so against my better judgement, I clicked on the Discord icon, and the conversation came back where I’d left it.
40bees Today at 21:17
Well then, let me welcome you here once again Celia! It’s a pleasure to have you here.
I was informed something like this would happen but I was still not expecting it to be that. It’s a good surprise!
Davio Today at 21:18
Yo what the hell, this is so cool!! Congrats Celia!
┌── sonicScrew Oh shut the fuck up MG
McGLVN Today at 21:18
I averted my gaze as soon as I saw his name and looked at an old gaming controller resting in the corner of my desk.
Do not think about him.
Its insides were see-through, revealing the circuit-board and wires underneath. For those who understood how it worked, I could only imagine how pleasant it felt to have every part of the machine laid bare like that.
Close the Discord window. Resist.
I took the controller in my hand, toying with the stick for a moment.
“I guess he’s not wrong…” Amy sighed. “Would be easier if he wasn’t coating his shit with a layer of cream.”
Not helping, Amy…
Ugh. Okay, what did he have to say?
┌── sonicScrew Oh shut the fuck up MG
McGLVN Today at 21:18
First, this.
Whatever the grudge you hold against me is, this shouldn’t happen here, we should not insult each other like that. You crossed a line here, (edited)
NESammy81 Today at 21:18
congrats celiaaaaaa 🎉🎉🎉
AlexCraft Today at 21:18
celia bravo bravo!!
┌── sonicScrew This has nothing to do…
McGLVN Today at 21:19
Second, this.
I recognise I may have jumped the gun on this one, this was indeed unrelated. But the discussion was not a ‘done deal’. 40 asked:
❚ Any objections?
so the discussion was still open. And you don’t get to decide when it’s finished
I started typing.
“Don’t— Celia…”
“I’m okay,” I said, gritting my teeth. Keeping my voice low was becoming harder with the anger bubbling up. But Dell was sleeping, so I did everything to stay as quiet as possible.
sonicScrew Today at 21:19
The ‘any objections’ part was clearly meant for Sam and Alex, not for you
McGLVN Today at 21:20
Let me finish.
┌── sonicScrew The ‘any objections’ part…
40bees Today at 21:20
Yes, this is what was intended. The decision has been taken, I already made an invite for their girlfriends and sent it to them
But I guess MG is free to discuss this further if he wants
McGLVN Today at 21:20
Let me finish?
40bees Today at 21:20
Yes, sorry.
“Oh my god,” Amy hissed. “This man, I— I can’t! Alessia, switch accounts.”
“M‘kay,” the other girl answered.
40bees Today at 21:19
I have other matters to attend to anyway. Very urgent ones. Keep it civil. @Skelegal, I leave the chat to you
┌── sonicScrew Hello everyone…
McGLVN Today at 21:21
Third, this.
There’s soooo many problems with this. And before you jump out of your seat: no, i don’t care what you’re doing in your bedroom etc, you’re free to do anything as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone.
I’ll brush over the fact that this has nothing to do with Minecraft, this shouldn’t even be a subject here.
What’s really ridiculous is how you cut off an important discussion with this. I’m still not okay with sam and alexs girlfriends coming here and you conveniently came with something to cut short that discussion. This is clearly some kind of manipulation
➜ Alessia❀ just slid into the server. Today at 21:23
➜ Welcome Amyyy. We hope you brought pizza. Today at 21:23
“Pizza for days, you have no idea…” Amy snarked.
McGLVN Today at 21:23
???
No? gtfo
“Oh, he’s crossing the line,” Skel snarled. “I’m deleting those.”
And before I could answer MG's accusations, I received a message from Davio. Then two, three, four. This was a lot. My breathing accelerated, and I bit the inside of my cheek. I opened his DMs…
…and I laughed.
Davio
davis-937
This is the beginning of your direct message history with Davio.
1 Mutual server • Add Friend Block Report Spam
—15 January 2024—
Davio Today at 21:18
GIRL
First fuck MG
FUCK HIM SO MUCH
You don’t deserve this
ALSO
YOURE NOT ALONE
I’m trans too! (stealth 🕵️♂️)
God I’ve been dreaming of this day for years
sonicScrew Today at 21:20
wth
god that’s so cool aaaaaa
This had to be so hard for you, i’m sorry ;-;
Davio Today at 21:20
Dwdw I got used to it 💀 hanging out with the ‘bros’, hearing misogynistic jokes…
Putting ‘bros’ in quotes because this server is full of eggs
But whoa it’s reassuring to know for sure I’m not alone
Oh sorry Skel is dming me
It’s important, talk to you later. Don’t let MG get to your head
buh-bye
sonicScrew Today at 21:21
Byeeee
And we’re not that alone ;) ;) Ill ask some of the other lgbt members if they’re okay coming out to you
Davio Today at 21:23
WHATKzmejgniezgblzbgLET4S FUCKING GO KNEW IT
(you can tell them about me)
(but no pressure)
Okay this is an emergency I really have to go now byee
My nervous laugh struggled to subside. “It never stops…” I muttered, balancing my head backwards.
“Yeah, he can’t shut up,” Amy roared. “God, what a cock!”
I brought my head steady again and blinked, my mouth slightly opened. Ah, she was still talking about MG.
“Skel?” she called, “what are you doing? He’s clearly breaking some kind of rule. He can’t just refuse the admin’s decision?”
“I— Sorry…” He sighed, and we heard frantic typing through his mic for a second. “I— Something unexpected happened. I have something really important to do right now. I’m sorry, I’m gonna have to go. You’re free to roast MG, though; I don’t care about him at this point. Just don’t do anything too reckless, preserve yourselves.”
“Okay. On it.”
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Huh, Gidon’s disappeared. He does not answer his DMs anymore.”
“Is— Is that bad? Maybe he just went to bed or something? Though, I admit I don’t know him very well…”
“Davio is his best friend IRL, and even he can’t reach him. And according to him, that’s really unusual; they’re really close.” Skel spoke fast, his voice shaking a bit. “So yeah, pretty bad— Oh. Davio’s calling. Um, good luck. See ya.” He left before I could reply anything.
Something wrong was happening on his end, I knew it. I should have paid attention to it, but it was too late. I'd laid my eyes on the group chat again.
McGLVN Today at 21:20
@Amyyy @Alessia❀ You should probably quit the server. Your arrival wasn’t approved
My mind was reeling with anger and I now wanted only one thing: make MG understand. And if that was too optimistic, I’d take the next best solution: make him shut up.
sonicScrew Today at 21:23
Again, it was approved
See here: # general
40 said it was intended to be the end of the discussion
┌── McGLVN You should probably quit…
Amyyy Today at 21:23
40 was pretty clear we were alolwed to join. but if that’s the kind of welcome we get, maybe well do that yeah
FullFerret Today at 21:23
I’m with them on this one MG. This is fine
McGLVN Today at 21:23
ugh
Okay i guess, but the discussion here isn’t meant for you. You should probably stay out of it.
pikka202 Today at 21:24
And this isn’t a place safe for women anyway
Alessia❀ Today at 21:25
lmao what
isn’t there like dulip and screw at least? 😭
pikka202 Today at 21:25
and skel
But this is different. Dulip and Skel know how a group of guys work. And it’s just not the same for screw
Davio Today at 21:29
that’s just misogyny
and transphobia
pikka202 Today at 21:29
Sure if you say so ^^ let me add you to the list of women of the server since you like them so much
sonicScrew Today at 21:29
You should add me not him
┌── pikka202 But this is different…
✿Dulip✿ Today at 21:30
i might understand how a group of guys work, it doesn’t mean i like it :s
McGLVN Today at 2130
Um hi Dulip
✿Dulip✿ Today at 21:30
hiya
McGLVN Today at 21:31
How’s Justin?
✿Dulip✿ Today at 21:31
i actually don’t know
he’s not with me atm
McGLVN Today at 21:31
Oh ok
I’m curious to know Justin’s position on today’s events.
✿Dulip✿ Today at 21:32
He tries to avoid his phone these past few days. but i think he would agree with you. Probs
McGLVN Today at 21:32
I see
MerlinTheLog Today at 21:35
Where are the admins?
@Skelegal @40bees
┌── pikka202 But this is different…
FullFerret Today at 21:35
Pikka I’m not sure about this one
We talked about this, I like you a lot man, but you’re just flaming for nothing rn. gonna be honest, seeing you engage in this kind of discourse breaks my heart, I expected better of you.
Come in my DMs
CarlWheel Today at 21:36
❚ I like you a lot man
You forgot to say no homo haha
FullFerret Today at 21:36
Carl please…
CarlWheel Today at 21:37
?
┌── pikka202 And this isn’t a place…
Amyyy Today at 21:37
if it’s not safe for women then make it so? grow up idk?
Alessia❀ Today at 21:37
brrr
u tell em (edited)
She had written ‘babe’, and even though she’d edited the message right after, the mistake had been made.
“Oops.”
McGLVN Today at 21:37
“babe”?
Wtf is that, are you going out together and cheating on @NESammy81 and @AlexCraft?
See? Told you we needed a better background check on these kinds of things. We can’t invite people in an evening like that.
“Shit.”
“Need help?” I asked. I could think of a few solutions. Maybe they could say that she misread ‘Amy’ as ‘Sammy’?...
Amy hummed. “Oh, I know! Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”
NESammy81 Today at 21:38
we have an open relationship!!
I’m dating Alessia, who is dating Amy, who is dating Alex
and whoopsie daisy that’s none of your businessy
AlexCraft Today at 21:38
th at s right!!!
very okay and very not your busi nessy!!!
Amyyy Today at 21:38
:p
…Or they could do that.
“Good save,” Alessia said, “poggers.”
McGLVN Today at 21:39
Polygamy waaaaw how progressive
┌── AlexCraft very okay and very not your…
McGLVN Today at 21:39
and don’t call me Nessy
Please
AlexCraft Today at 21:39
bro it was a typo i love typos i eat typos for dinner
Amyyy Today at 21:40
im typos
McGLVN Today at 21:40
still
┌── McGLVN Polygamy waaaaw…
sonicScrew Today at 21:44
It’s polyamory actually. People’s hearts sometimes have room for more than one person. And if you’re not fine with that either, then you’re not fine with me. I’m also polyamorous.
Zee typed something for a brief instant, but didn’t send it.
McGLVN Today at 21:45
Again, why are we talking about this here? Minecraft server, with children in the audience, must i remind you
This should obviously be kept completely private
sofa_king Today at 21:45
I am deeply wounded to see you fight in between yourselves like this. I have big trouble following all of the messages that are being posted, but one thing is certain I do not believe this is what the server is about. This breaks my heart and I don’t want to be a part of this kind of group if that is going to become the new normal.
We need a more calm and collected conversation.
I am going to mute the server for a few hours. I pray you will find a compromise out of this.
P.S.: Screw, I’m very pleased to hear about your coming out. I hope you will find the happiness you seek.
Good night.
Sofa’s message had the effect of a truce for a few minutes. And they felt long. In the Discord window, which I’d put on my second screen again, some people typed — especially FullFerret — but no one dared break the silence. Even Alessia and Amy had muted themselves on our group call. My attention drifted back to the Minecraft server. Except for 40bees' second account, everyone had left. I clicked on the play button and joined.
I needed to go to Amy and Alessia’s base. Fortunately, we’d already beaten the dragon and gotten elytras, so the journey was short, and the second I touched the ground — which for them meant a monstrous tapestry of chests, barrels, and shulker boxes — I opened my ender chest and collected all my redstone.
After closing the chest, there was a moment of pause as I considered what to do next.
Why was MG like this? What was prompting him to react so viciously? Why now?
I focussed on what was actionable: placing blocks. In lieu of a base, Amy and Alessia had fenced off a village and refurbished it. So the location of the first and easiest contraption I wanted to build tonight, the wheat farm, was a pretty obvious one; I would use the village’s already pre-generated farmland lot.
I'd set up this farm hundreds of times before, so once I had the materials at my disposal, all I had to do was place them mindlessly. And again my thoughts wandered.
Before my coming out message he had been annoying, yes, but he wasn’t so outwardly vehement. Had he changed because of me? What had I done to him?
Ah. A new message.
I paused the game and looked back at the Discord window.
FullFerret Today at 22:04
❚ People’s hearts sometimes have room for more than one person.
I’m sorry if that’s rude to ask, @sonicScrew, but is this really a thing? Do you have ressources on this?
Because I might…be like that?
I think?
McGLVN Today at 22:04
Ferret, excuse me but what?
I mean no disrespect but what??
WHy are you like this?
FullFerret Today at 22:06
I’m sorry
McGLVN Today at 22:06
First Screw comes with his nonsense coming out and now you? Is this a prank?
FullFerret Today at 22:08
No, not a prank. I will keep this private in the future, im sorry
┌── McGLVN First Screw comes with his…
sonicScrew Today at 22:08
her*
McGLVN Today at 22:08
Screw
Like
Come on
Ugh ok let’s do this. Let’s indulge.
Tell me, how old are you?
“What?” I shouted.
sonicScrew Today at 22:08
What?
McGLVN Today at 22:09
This is a genuine question. How old are you?
sonicScrew Today at 22:09
22. How’s that relevant?
McGLVN Today at 22:11
Right. Of course. Everything makes sense.
sonicScrew Today at 22:11
What do you mean??
McGLVN Today at 22:15
I had a femboy phase too. And it’s all fun and games until age catches up to you. You will be disappointed. It will hurt.
Please, I know we don’t have the best relationship, but at least, trust me on this: don’t go too deep. You still have time. Don’t expect too much.
sonicScrew Today at 22:16
Dude wtf, I’m not a femboy. I’m a woman, I’m transitioning, I’m stuffing estradiol in my blood. What are you on about?
McGLVN Today at 22:17
i get it. I’ve told you as much in our first messages ever. I know how good it feels, i know. But I want to be honest with you, this shit hurts. Don’t make the same mistake as me.
And don’t fool yourself either. There’s so many hard facts that will remind you that you’re not the real deal.
He was typing fast.
McGLVN Today at 22:17
First.
Osteology. There are experts that will always know your sex via bone analysis, after your death. This is inescapable.
Second.
We’re not stripey. Women develop two kinds of cells very early on in their foetal phase that make it so their adult cellular structure is composed of those two types arranged in stripes.
Third.
Just look at an usb port, anywhere. There are male and female ports. This is no coincidence. This is proof of how fundamental it is. You can try to fool it, but reality will always come back even in the most mundane things.
Fourth.
Tetrachromacy. Only women can have tetrachromacy, i.e. having a fourth type of photoreceptor cones in the retina, enabling them to see more colours. Males cannot have this ability, ever. That is also why males are more likely to have CVD.
And I could go on and on. I know this subject like the back of my hand. Point is: this is not real.
This is all fantasy
This will never be true
Golgolob Today at 22:19
Pure bullshit
McGLVN Today at 22:21
What? xD
Anyway, all of that’s for biology, that’s a domain I studied so I’m pretty confident in my claims. But I’m not that good when it comes to psychology. That’s more Justin’s domain.
I had that discussion and he had really good points about the way fantasy and sexual deviancy come into play. I don’t have the full gist, he said it was something like ‘not PG’ I think? I don’t remember.
CarlWheel Today at 22:22
He was talking about his GP?
pikka202 Today at 22:22
he said AGP
CarlWheel Today at 22:22
that’s the one
McGLVN Today at 22:23
22:22 noice
But yeah, that
Anyway
What I mean is, he’s the expert on the psychological side of things. And his knowledge corroborates with mine. I trust him
Golgolob Today at 22:24
Look I know you never cared about what I think, you always think I’m the happy-dancing one, the jester of the group or whatever. But I'm serious this time.
What you’re saying is pure bullshit.
I’m sending you links debunking this in DMs.
CarlWheel Today at 22:25
Lmao Glob is angry?
This is new
McGLVN Today at 22:25
Come on Glob, quit it lol
Not even funny
This is a complex subject, I know what i’m talking about. I’m just stating facts
Golgolob Today at 22:27
THIS ISN4T A FUCJNG JOKE
McGLVN Today at 22:27
Wow
“Celia,” Dell’s sleepy voice called.
Golgolob Today at 22:27
CAN4T YOU SEE THE HARM YOURE DOING???
CANT YOU SEE HOW FUCKING AWFUL YOU SOUND?
YOURE HURTING MY FRIENDS
THIS SUCKS THIS SUCKS ASS STOP IT
CarlWheel Today at 22:27
Calm down dude
A hand touched my shoulder. “Celia?”
McGLVN Today at 22:28
What was that?
Is he finished?
Oh
Did he just leave the server???
CarlWheel Today at 22:28
Looks like it yeah
McGLVN Today at 22:28
Wait so he was really angry?
CarlWheel Today at 22:30
Idk
“Celia!” Dell removed my headset, yanking me back to reality. “Are you okay?”
“Oh, sorry,” I whispered, my voice shaking, “I— I woke you up… I— I’ll be more careful.”
“No, no, it’s fine. Don't worry. I would have—” she yawned, without putting her hand in front of her mouth “—screamed twice as loud if I were you. But anyway, I guess you have seen those, right?” She pointed at Zee’s all caps messages. “I think she needs someone right now. I won't let her rot like I did. So, I’m going to knock on her door; you coming?”
She extended a hand, but it was blurry.
I moved my own hand to my cheek…
For how long had I been crying? I hadn’t posted a single message since MG started listing… what exactly? Facts? No, it had been more like stabs in verbal form.
That was twenty minutes ago.
I wiped my eyes, took her hand, and got up. “Yeah.”
✦ ▶ ✦
The air outside wasn’t just freezing, it was actively slicing my bones. And when we reached Zee’s flat, on the third floor, the dastardly cold wind had grown and infiltrated every crevice of my old vest. Lower in the street, that same wind was banging a sign against the wall, reverberating a regular ‘clunk’ every so often. Dell was the one to knock.
No answer.
I took a peek through Zee’s window — the curtains weren’t shut — and, well, no lights. Except from a screen, in the corner of the room, next to the kitchenette.
“She’s there.”
Dell turned around, came close to me, and laid her eyes inside as well. “If she doesn’t want to see us, that’s her choice.”
“Maybe she didn’t hear?”
Dell shrugged and tried again.
We waited.
No answer.
“Well, we won’t wait here all night. It’s like—” I took out my phone to check the time and— “Ah.”
Globule Today at 22:41
come in
you can come in
if you want to. You don’t have to ofc
look at your phone globehead!!
i can’t talk rn
I rotated the screen and showed it to Dell, who attentively read the messages — I wondered if she read the earlier ones too; it was still possible to see them right above — then looked at me with worry. “She sent another… Oh.” She turned back to face the door. “Let’s go in.”
Before turning off my phone and following her, I checked what prompted that reaction.
Globule Today at 22:42
Please don’t leave
God, I wanted to give her a big, snuggly hug so bad. And trust me, I wasn’t only thinking that because it would warm me up. That girl already needed it yesterday.
“We’re coming,” Dell said, hopefully high enough for Zee to hear, then opened the door, ushered me in, and untied her shoes. Having not tied mine, I took them off easily, and used my big toe and its neighbour to pinch the shoes’ rims together and swiftly slide them aside.
It’s when I reflexively tried to take off my vest that I felt a chill running up my sleeve. The air was not that much warmer than outside. I went for the radiator valve. Lowest setting. Had she intentionally cut off the heat? Was that for economic reasons or…? I turned my head towards the corner of the room. Zee was trembling, folded on herself against the wall, with no make-up, the same t-shirt than when I first met her, and a blanket barely covering her up to her calves. She wasn’t looking at her phone anymore, looking at us instead.
I turned up the heat, and Dell asked “It’s a little dark, can we…?” She motioned to the tall-standing floor light next to Zee's bed, which had different settings for hue and intensity — a must for a streamer like her. Zee nodded, her face showing little to no emotion, and Dell replied with a nod of her own, setting the light on a warm, quiet orange.
“So,” I started, as I made a step towards her, “you okay? We saw what happened on the server. It was not… pretty. Do you need any—”
Suddenly, she splayed her arms wide.
A hug it was.
We lifted her from the corner of the room she’d been resting in to lead her to the bed, which was littered with bags of Dragibus, dog plushies, frilly clothes, and an old, angular gaming laptop. I carefully put everything away, except for the heavy computer — my arm’s too weak. Dell went first, nestling herself on Zee’s right, and wrapping an arm around the sad girl. Following her, I climbed on the bed — Zee’s bed, oh my god, how forward — and joined the group. Then, as the room warmed, we basked in each other's presence.
Apart from the occasional ‘Oh, sorry. Like that?’ after someone squeaked because of a misplaced limb, we did not say a word. We just cuddled, and that was enough for us. But after a while, sometime between a quarter and half an hour of calm, Dell rested her head on Zee's and started humming a song. At first, it was only some simple, disjointed note progressions without rhyme or reason, cut with silence when she wasn’t feeling like singing for a while. Then, as Zee and I showed our appreciation for the show by bopping our heads side to side, Dell's songs became more precise and intentional, some of them I even recognised as classic Minecraft tunes, like Sweden and Mice on Venus. And on the climax of the latter, Zee joined her, and I followed suit right after. I sang only a few notes in a whisper; I wasn’t particularly good at it, but that was alright. It was fun.
When it was time for the song to end, Dell made a grabbing gesture, sweeping from left to right, imitating an orchestra conductor signalling the end of a piece, and we all broke into fits of giggles.
“Oh, that was great,” Zee finally said. “Thank you girls.” She was smiling — for the first time since we’d arrived. But as quickly as it came, it faltered. “Christ, I’m sorry to impose on you like this. I promise I won’t make it a habit. I— I just got so worked up with the drama...”
I got closer to her. “Shh, you were entirely justified in your reaction. It wasn’t your fault,” I put a hand on her shoulder, “it was his.”
“I— I’m not sure about that,” she replied. “See, I…”
Dell playfully shot her a Look, her eyes akin to TNT cannons.
“Okay, I don’t know. Not important right now.” She sighed and pressed her weight against me. And some weight there was, especially at her chest area. Did she have boobs? And particularly hefty ones at that? I had to shake my head, attempting (and failing) to stop heat from rising to my head. Oh, god. That was a discussion for later.
Dell put her hand on Zee’s laptop. “Wanna watch something?”
We all agreed, and Zee powered on the computer, pulsing of a gamer red through a myriad of geometric crevices — she was fifteen when she’d bought it, to her defence — and we selected a cute animated series about queer witches.
We watched without stopping; the show had swallowed us whole. We laughed, cried, and wondered about that universe's deeper mysteries. Until, at last, our stomachs growled — around one past midnight, after the seventh episode. Zee got up and tried to make us some edible food. But it turned out that being good at streaming, fashion, voice acting, makeup, queer theory, singing, and pretty much any other thing with a day or two of training did not guarantee any qualified cooking skills. All of that is to say, Zee couldn’t cook — at all. She burned half of her vegetables and left the other cold to the tongue, and her rice was still hard. We had to make her promise to let us handle the food next time, or at least, to let her teach her — but she insisted that “It shouldn’t be women’s job to educate guys on how to cook”. She received a “We don’t care,” and a flying grain of rice in the face for that ridiculous statement, and she pouted and said “Fine”.
In the following hour, we watched more episodes, learned how to water Zee’s plants, and even got the chance to listen to the next song Dell was working on. Then, as I got up from a chair to go lay on the bed, I bumped into Zee, who’d apparently thought about doing the same. “Ouch, my moobs,” she hissed and recoiled from the pain.
That pretty much confirmed it.
“Sorry.” I took a step backwards, looking at her more intensely, then I flashed her a quizzical scowl. “So you… You're on hormones, right?”
Dell squeaked. “What?” Her eyes grew large.
“Oh yeag! Bit weird for a guy, I guess," Zee rolled her eyes, “but not unheard of! The rationale is simple: society is misogynistic, I hope you'll agree on that point. So feminising oneself is like, not good dot exe, you know? It's like putting a fucking boulder in the machine, everything bends and nothing makes sense anymore. So as a guy — a guy who wants to try to help change the status quo for the better — I wanted to throw a lil’ boulder of my own, you know? Like Obelix. You should know him, Obelix; he's French. Anyway hormones are great for that, it’s easy praxis, and, well, I look great, no?” She arched her back, making a set of bumps appear through her t-shirt, and peered at us, waiting for a response of some sort. Then, as we were simply too fucking shocked to produce any meaningful answer to her question, panick took hold of her again, and she visibly shrank. Her shoulders slumped; her back slouched; she was trying to make herself appear smaller. “Okay, yeah, I'm sorry. I might have messed up really bad, now that I think about it. All this time, I've been appropriating—”
“Stop that.” We lunged at her. We were on a hunt and she was our small, appetising prey. She didn't stand a chance.
Dell reached her first, stopping just a breath away from her lips, looking at them then back at Zee, awaiting for a confirmation.
Zee nodded — ever so slightly, guilt washing over her smile and her mouth opened in a surprised gap — but she nodded. I could almost see her tail wagging.
Dell kissed her, deeply, to make her shut up, for once. Then, too early according to Zee, who moaned needily, she let go. “Do you get it?”
Zee panted. “I— But it's too easy... I still benefit from masculinity in so many ways. I need more evidence—”
I stepped in, taking her with one hand on her hip and the other prodding her lower lip. “I’m gay, you know? So…” I cocked my head slightly, demanding an answer.
She nodded again.
I went directly for a passionate kiss. A kiss I hope she wouldn't forget soon. And I stayed longer than my girlfriend, making our point very clear to Zee's pretty brain.
“Do you get it?” Dell repeated to her in a whisper. She had started a siege on Zee's side, embracing her tight.
Zee, unable to verbalise any answer because I made sure her tongue was busy, could only use her head to reply.
And she nodded.
“Good girl.”
Zee clenched my shirt, and I felt her pointy nails digging at my sides. I redoubled my efforts, biting her lip. She pinned me to the wall in reaction. I didn’t falter, going for her tongue. And she… started crying?
I let go. “Oh, you okay?”
“Yeah,” she sniffed, “I’m just, I don’t know. I feel so good; my stomach’s doing loops. I— It’s a lot…”
“So, what you’re saying is,” Dell smiled and petted her on the head, “you’re happy?”
Zee shook her head yes, and grabbed us both, eliciting a gasp from me. “Mh-hmm.”
Dell had no problem extirpating herself from the embrace. “Good.” She gave Zee a peck on the cheek. I did the same.
Zee inhaled a big breath, then her gaze dropped to the ground. She kneaded her left arm with her right hand. “Does that mean,” she was careful with her words, “you’re fine kissing a guy?”
“ZEE?!” I screamed, and Dell joined me with a “GODDESS, GIRL?!”
She pressed a finger against her lower lip and tilted her head to the side quizzically. “What? Did I say something wrong?”
“You…” I pinched the bridge of my nose.
Her clueless face slowly morphed into that of an evil gremlin. “Hehe, gotcha. Pff, you should’ve seen your faces. Oh, legendary, priceless.”
Dell and I exchanged a very quick, knowing look, then she picked Zee in a princess carry and threw her in her bed, and I jumped on the girl right after. She was in for a bonus punishment cuddle session. She deserved it.
We continued entangling ourselves — and our tongue, whenever possible — for the rest of the night. Eventually, Dell started slurring words and babbling nonsense; that was our sign. We drifted off to sleep.
✦ ▶ ✦
Skel Yesterday at 23:21
Do any of you have news about Gidon by any chance? Davio and I can’t reach him anymore.
Oh fuck, the server
Oh shit.
Ok I put slow mode in every channel, I muted MG.
40 agrees with that decision
And we will talk to MG in private
Lol I'm not supposed to say this to you… 40 will make an announcement tomorrow morning
┌── Skel Do any of you have news…
Skel Today at 00:19
Crisis averted, he’s fine and we were worried for nothing 👍🏽
Now we’re all fucking tired. Gooood night girls and glob
@GirlsLoveOB are you okay? Feel free to ask for an invite if you want to come back
Even MG wants you to come back lmao
┌── Skel @globule are you okay? …
GirlsLoveOB Today at 10:57
Considering I just woke up besides two wonderful HOT BABES in my bed I think I'm doin pretty alright :D
sonicScrew Today at 10:59
Sujifghsdifghsidfhgiusdfg .///.
Dell Today at 11:00
>w<
GirlsLoveOB Today at 11:03
Go make me coffee instead of keysmashing
sonicScrew Today at 11:03
Y-Yes ma’am
Dell Today at 11:03
!!! 
Skel Today at 11:17
Oh wow. Good for you
I feel like I should be surprised about the ‘ma’am’, but at this point…
✦ ▶ ✦
“How about Lullubelle again? It's the name of the Pink Floyd cow. I could be Lullubelle the fifth!"
I blinked. “You want to call yourself after a cow?”
“Um, no, maybe not. Good point. But I’ll keep it as my second name at least.”
“Who are the four other Lullubelles?” Zee asked.
“The first and second one, I don’t know. The third’s the one on the album cover. And the fourth is my cow on the server! That’s the one you almost killed with your ‘Frogesterone’ bow, by the way…”
“We reverted it, she’s fine. And for your information, it was indeed supposed to only change players into frogs — not cows. The datapack was broken. That’s not my fault. Though, you’re free to complain to Skel.”
I crossed my legs together, and picked up a few Dragibus from the bowl — it was sliding slightly more to my side with each handful I grabbed. “Can you remind me where ‘Mandel’ came from?” I veered the discussion back to the original subject. It was not the time to resurface the Frog incident from their last episode.
“Um, Mandelbrot… It's a shape? A maths shape or something? It sounded good.”
“How come every name you came up with is some kind of obscure reference?” I giggled, then swallowed another candy. “Can't you just have a normal name with a simple origin like the moon? Or a flower?”
“I kind of just stumbled into it in a random video. But I don't know anything about it, it’s just pretty.”
“She thought Rambrandt was the inventor of the triangle. She sucks at maths. Oh, once she eve—” I was now eating Dell's hand.
“Shush! Not that one!”
Efficient.
“Well maybe we could look at some other mathematical thingies?” Zee started tapping and scrolling on her phone. “Lol, there’s one called the Cissoid of Diocles, that won’t do.”
Dell grabbed some candy as well. “You gotta admit it would be pretty funny.”
“Zee, you should pick that name.”
“Hm…” Zee put a finger on her chin.
“She’s not wrong,” Dell supplied.
“Since you're so adamant on still calling yourself cis…”
“Hey! It's true! I am a cis guy girl!”
“Sure. Whatever. I still don’t believe that.” I got up, almost sending my chair toppling behind me, and leaned in. Zee was now only a few centimetres away from me. She approached, her face flushed. And I kissed her. It lasted only the time it takes to break a wood log block with bare hands, but that was enough to make me drool. Who would’ve thought Zee tasted so good? I was gonna get addicted if I didn’t pay attention.
I sat back, and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “You deserved that.”
“I— I’m not calling myself cissoid or Diocles anyway,” Zee continued, still panting but trying to keep her cool. “I've got something more original, more grand, more powerful…” She laughed evilly in her baritone. “The world isn't ready for…”
“Rose!” Dell exclaimed.
“What? No I was gonna say—”
“It's from another shape. The Penrose Tiling. It's also a fra-ctal — whatever that means — like the Mandelbrot thingie. Doesn’t it sound good? PenroseGaming.” She traced an arc with her hand, as if the name of her YouTube channel would appear out of thin air. “I could be Rose!”
“Yes but…”
“Roses are flowers, exactly like you said, Celia. It's perfect, really. No one will bat an eye.”
“...isn't your last name Roose?”
She beamed like an angel — or a demon; at this point it was indistinguishable. “Yeah, what's the problem?”
I was ready to say a thousand things. But I stopped and looked at her beautiful smile again.
“N— nothing, it suits you well, Rose.”
Zee cleared her throat. “Rose? Celia?” She snapped her fingers twice. “Look at me. There. Good girls. Oh Christ, I’ve been wanting to say that for weeks. Anyway, as I was saying before your tileable tangent, I know exactly what name to use. I’ve been planning this since time immemorial. Your jaws will reach bedrock. The world isn't ready for… Zoey.”
No, she didn’t.
“Zoey, that is the most obvious name you could've picked,” I deadpanned.
“I know right! How insidious of me. They’ll all think I’m basic, I’m an NPC, a globehead. But actually, I’m not, I’m weird, I scream on stream, I smell dog, I play Minecraft.”
I snorted. “You know what? Fine, be Zoey, be Rose. I’ll support you. I’ll support women’s rights to have terrible taste and humour.”
“Um,” Zee said, pouting, “must I remind you that you picked your mom’s name?”
✦ ▶ ✦
Davio Today at 12:45
Hey!
How are you doing?
sonicScrew Today at 12:48
Honestly pretty good all things considered
Davio Today at 12:48
Glad to hear that
sonicScrew Today at 12:49
What about you? And how is Gidon doing? :c
I don’t know him very well, but he seemed like a great guy
Davio Today at 12:49
He’s fine he’s fine
Very good guy yes, one of my best friends irl
Anyway, I have an unrelated question
I might have a friend very dear to me who came out as a trans woman? Or as transfem, at least? They are really not in a good place rn. They had a big breakdown realising they can… be a girk. So they have a lot to think through for a few days and I really want to help them the best I can
girl*
…
sonicScrew Today at 12:53
g i r k .
Oh sure!
Totally up to help your dear friend who is definitely a different person than Gidon
Davio Today at 12:59
Ah crap.
