SNOOGANS!

CHASING AMY • 2021

he  blinks  a  little  confused  ,  perhaps  even  dumfounded  .  he  really  doesnt  get  a  single  thing  theyve  been  telling  him  .  hes  not  that  old  ,  and  yet  he  feels  ancient  right  about  now  .  has  he  been  living  under  a  rock  ?  the  book  in  his  hand  is  turned  and  his  eyes  scan  the  backside  ,  whats  written  on  it  ...  the  little  description  of  whats  to  be  expected  in  this  novel  that  features  two  racers  in  a  rather  raunchy  position  atop  of  a  formula  one  car  .  landons  head  tilts  while  he  tries  to  make  sense  of  it  .  and  then  the  name  of  the  main  character  ...  ❛  lenn  mcking  ?  ❜  eyebrow  raises  ,  then  his  eyes  meet  amari  again  .  he  tries  to  smile  ,  but  fails  miserably  .  it  seems  more  like  a  pained  expression  that  now  is  on  his  features  .  ❛  and  youre  meant  to  tell  me  ...  people  actually  read  this  ?  ❜

  " lenn mcking, the hottest, sluttiest, racer in the entire. is it league? is that what you're in? league, right? " they're grinning, smile spread ear - to - ear, wicked and bright. arms cross over their chest, and gaze flickers from the book in his hands — KA - CHAO, the silliest reference possible ... and the lamest attempt to avoid copyright infringement. (amari had preordered the book the moment it had been announced.) " ohhhhh yeah. the most popular f1 romance i can think of has, like, thirty - thousand reviews on goodreads, or whatever. and there's soooooo many different books in that genre, too. i think hockey's the most popular sport romance in, like ... traditional publishing, but there's so much. you'd be surprised how much is written about you, specifically. not in books, buuuuuut ... " fanfiction is one helluva topic, isn't it?

' i was just checking. '     dante stares at the candy for a long moment before taking the packet,  shaking a few into his hand.   ' what,  this mirror dante just shows up out of nowhere? '     that,  in and of itself,  is already planting this firmly in nightmare scenario territory.   he passes the m&ms back to randal,  continuing,     ' if that’s the case,  i think i should be calling the cops,  not having sex with him.   like,  how’d he even get in?   the only other person with a key to my place is you! '   

  " okay, then, let's use that logic. " the rest of the m&m's are practically inhaled, packet crumpled and tossed behind the counter — in an approximation of where the trash can usually is. (and to his credit ... close! only about six feet off target!) a sly grin spreads across randal's face, smug, but not wide, and with arms folded atop the counter, he's leaning in, conspiratorially. " if i'm the only one with the keys to your place — which, i don't know why you assumed it was your bedroom, it could've been mine, or any other indeterminate bedroom ... i think you're beginning to reveal some repressed fantasies — it would then suggest that i let your clone in. so now you have me, mirror dante, bedroom. " randal's well aware this is going to provoke a Reaction from dante, but he doesn't let the anticipation or amusement show on his face proper. " so i guess then the question is, would you fuck me AND your clone, yes or no? since i'm assuming that's already going on. "

alyssa can’t help the snort that escapes her,  glancing over at him.     ' don’t you want the movie to turn out well?   bluntman and chronic is still your most popular work. '     and holden’s,  for that matter,  though chasing amy sold better than anyone expected it to.     ' i know it’s not gonna be some masterpiece,  considering the content of the comics  — '     HEY!   she ignores banky’s attempt to protest,  barreling on.     ' but i wouldn’t want my name attached to some piece of shit.   you know? '

  a frown, almost comical in how full - face it truly is, is alyssa's immediate response. he wanted many things, a television show (a cartoon!). a proper graphic novel. a movie that didn't suck balls. he got none of these. it's a point of contention, too, in hindsight — he doesn't have the same fondness for b+c that holden does. (does? does he still give a fuck? he walked away.) and it's not high brow. but ... " listen, at this point, i don't even care. " and that sounds almost dystopian, from someone who has always cared way too much. " i'm in it for the cash. " alyssa laughs, something between a snort and a scoff, and he can't help but kick out at her shin under the shared drafting table. " i lost my passion for it. whatever. like you wouldn't also sell out if the mouse offered you an obscene amount of money. you are no better than the rest of us plebs. "

  " hey, " holden teases, elbow gently knocking into her arm. " art is art, right? " a grin, now, and holden exaggerates, tilting his head while he studies the canvas. an index finger extended, pointing at the blended shadow behind the figure. " you really got the style down. just gotta be a little harder with the shadows. this isn't delicate work. " a gesture back to his own work, a sardonic grin now playing on his lips. " a skill i very clearly have not mastered myself. "

why don't you name the kid after me?

technically i have ryland + sie , but i'm easing back into the latter, and the former is on my regular multi until people can behave lol .

dante has long since grown used to randal’s compulsion to break a silence with some inane question.   on a good day,  he finds it equal parts charming and irritating.   on a bad one,  it makes him want to sock randal in the mouth,  then enjoy the goddamn peace and quiet.   TODAY HASN’T BEEN SO BAD.   it helps that the shop has been blessedly empty for the last hour.   and this question isn’t so bad,  compared to others randal has asked.   (famous last words?)     ' when you say my clone,  you mean someone who’s an exact genetic copy of me? '

  he behaves. at least, to the extent that he stops himself from rolling his eyes. " well, that is, generally, the accepted definition of CLONE. " still, he's a good boy, doesn't go back behind the counter to ransack the mags, or steal a pack of cigs. (he makes up for it, easily, snagging a packet of m&ms from the candy aisle.) randal's poured about half the bag into his mouth before he has a second thought, holding out the spit - slicked pouch to dante. " you're overthinking this. you, mirror dante. bedroom. easy. what are you doing? "

⚰️ What do they want written on their gravestone / what do they want people to remember them for?