ahah, bill can be creepy sometimes xD

Author's Response:

Bill can be very creepy in this fic.

Thanks for the review. 

I hope Bill doesn't get a job at the thrift store just so he can follow Tom behind the Employees Only sign. D: Though it does sound like something this Bill would do.

I loved how un-subtly subtle Bill was being when he was asking Tom about what he wanted to do with children's souls... actually I think I just love Bill period. He is a dork, and slightly creepy - I don't blame Tom for wanting to get away from him - but he reminds me of the Bill from Shibuyainn's Have a Little Faith... so oddly determined and enthusiastic, its actually a bit frightening.

I also liked that this chapter was from Tom's POV, since I wasn't expecting that. I loved how normal and kind of lame Tom's day was (well, until Bill showed up anyway) but it was described in a way that made it seem much more... well, just much more in general. A few things you did that made this chapter seem a lot more Tom: the repetition of Idaho or Iowa or whatever, the way Tom isn't too keen on school either - actually, I liked that that's one thing they have in common, the little sarcastic hints they drop through their thoughts that speak of their displeasure with that whole "education" business. It was in essence almost the same thought, especially this line "to drop off the books that he knew he wouldn't be using, ever" and I can remember getting the same feeling from Bill last chapter but it's so much more fun to read because you're switching it back and forth and making it different still and, and... and I'll stop rambling now. D:

I loved it and need more. Feeeeeed meeeeee.

-Ella

Author's Response:

Yay, another Banana review!

I'm so glad switching to Tom's POV felt natural. We'll be switching back and forth as it feels natural. Some scenes just need to be told by Bill and some need to be told by Tom. We are trying to make sure that Tom is as interesting as Bill is. Bill is such a strong character and we want Tom to balance him, so I'm really releived to hear that you enjoyed the chapter from Tom's POV. 

Thanks for the review. 

- Froggy

Bill is...so weird!! XDD It's kind of cute, but if I had to deal with that, I'd kill myself. Haha. I love how you're writing this, it has a sort of dry humor to it.

And I love how fast the second chapter popped up!

Author's Response:

Bill is cute and obnoxious. I'm not sure if I could handle him either, but I sure like writing him.

We are trying to do one chapter a day and stay about a chapter ahead with writing so we have a buffer. 

Thanks for the review. 

XDDD
God, I just wanna take him home and rape him.
'Cause you know, that's not creepy at all.. >->

Anyways, love to see this updated! I'm horribly curious to see what happens in their 'relationship', if you could call it that. lol

Author's Response:

Yeah, that is a little creepy. xD

Thanks for the review. 

*pets Bill*

He's so starved for human contact, it's not funny. I hope Tom warms up to him soon.

Holy shit, this deserves more reviews than it's gotten! It's awesomely hilarious, very original.. And I'm completely in love with Bill's quirks.

Can I have him, please?

Author's Response:

We both wish we could have him too. If he somehow magically comes into existance, I think muffin and I get first dibs on him.

Thanks for the review. 

Okay first, curse my OCD but I cannot get over this: the surprise! in the Author's Notes is missing an r. *wince* But nitpicking aside...

I love it. You two have made the inside of Bill's head too strange and complicated (and probably how it is IRL -- no, no, I can't autograph that fan, she's obviously a gnoll in disguise) for me to not adore him completely.

Actually when I first started reading and saw Froggy and WaywardMuffin, I braced myself for a headache, because both of your fics in the past have tried their damn hardest to get me to think my ears off (you know what I'm talking about, muffin D:)... so I was being very cautious and involved at the beginning, kind of oozing my way along every line and then I reached "He knew, he'd counted for two weeks and averaged it out." and realized Bill was too fudging adorable for me to not just read the story and enjoy it.

So I did. And... I did. There wasn't anything that made me go 'wtf where did that come from' - it was surprisingly easy and natural to follow Bill's rather, um... unnatural thoughts, and I thought you differentiated between what went on in his head and what was *really* going on very well. It's not often I see that; most times the reader has to do the differentiating for themselves but I think I like this style of it more.

Of course I'm sure Bill has some sort of a foothold in his Murlock theory and Tom is obviously some sort of fantastical creature he'll have a ball researching (I wouldn't mind doing a little "research" on Tom myself, if you catch my meaning) but! writing style aside, there were some things you did story wise that I *really* appreciated:

You made the beginning so normal (disregarding Bill), its the very same set up, a school day, get out of bed, eat breakfast, annoy your parents, get to school, yadda yadda yadda, and you didn't *change* that, just *enhanced* it. There's a million things I could list in this chapter that made the everyday same old routine so much more of a pleasure to read, but the anti-cliches stood out to me the most: he didn't trip over the outstretched leg, a project *wasn't* assigned, Tom *wasn't* introduced in front of the class, the girls *didn't* gasp and coo over his hotness... you know what I'm getting at. It was so refreshing, despite it being obvious that you guys tried to steer clear of it.

And, (no, Ella, stop talking!) I loved the irony in Bill's voice that you incorporated throughout. His beef against school being anti-learning was too cute. I can't wait to read more, this was a real experience. You guys are too good at what you do, so don't stop. ...ever.

Much love,

Ella

Author's Response:

Your reviews are amazing. We both love them so much.

The story may get more complicated as it goes on, but we are both striving to make the story easy to read and understand even if the plot is going to be pretty complicated. I think this story is going to have a lot of "ah ha!" moments as it goes on.

We had just started this fic and I was still feeling pretty nervous about it, but when WaywardMuffin wrote "He knew, he'd counted for two weeks and averaged it out." I suddenly had a really good feeling about the fic. After that, it was so much easier to find Bill's voice. It was like we were suddenly both on the same page about who Bill was. 

Strangely, I don't think either of us consciously set out to create anti-cliches. Most of those things didn't even occur to me. The only thing we decided on in the beginning was that we didn't want Bill getting physically bullied because that is very overdone and not very realistic. Muffin and I both agreed that it's the emotional tormenting, outcasting, and verbal teasing that's more common in real schools. In most places physical bullying isn't that common in high school. Well, at least not beyond a little shoving or tripping once in a while. Anyway, I don't think the girls in "buttfuck Idaho" would coo over Tom's hotness anyway. They'd be more like "Ewww, his hair is weird and he dresses like he's from the ghetto". 

Thank you so much for the review

haha wow! Different much? Bill has got the perfect little insquisitive personnality to go with his Everyone's-an-Alien belief. I can't wait to find out what Tom is! :D

Author's Response: It will be a while before we reveal what's going on with Tom. He has a few of his own quirks.

I love the collabo team, two very awesome writers coming together! Poor Bill, stuck in bumfuck, Idaho. I dont have a read on Tom yet, but this is shaping up to be pretty odd, and we all know I love odd. Great job, ladies, and I look forward to more.

Author's Response: It will be a while before anyone gets to see just how odd Tom is, but we will introduce him a little more in chapter two.

Ohmygod, Bill is to-die-for adorable in this.

Author's Response: Thank you. We had a blast writing him.