Happy Birthday Mrs. Dorran! 🖌 [Public] (Patreon)

[Alternate Text: An image of a painter’s palette that is full of different paints mixing and mingling together to create new hues. The title says: "Happy Birthday Mrs. Dorran!"]

In honor of Mrs. Dorran's birthday, I collected/revamped some writings about her to share with you. She is one of the first characters we meet in Book One; her kindness leaves an impression.

Question/Prompt: "If I had the chance I would die for Mrs. Dorran"

Below you will find a character response. Someone sent me this on Tumblr, and I passed it along to Mrs. Dorran. Let's see how she took it:

_ _ _

Mrs. Dorran stops washing out the bristles of a paint brush, eyebrows drawing together in a way that forms the slightest of furrows along her forehead that makes her age a bit more apparent.

Oh…

Maybe you shouldn't have said that out loud, even if there's some truth to your words given how kind she has been to you. "I meant it positively," you reassure her, raising your voice a touch to be heard over the running water that's being wasted as it travels down the drain of the sink. "Like a joke, kind of?"

Mrs. Dorran sets the brush aside without a word, no longer focused on removing the globs of neon orange paint that remind you of melted artificial cheese with how thickly it's slathered on the bristles. Her hands have a faint tinge to them like rust from working out the paint; however, she pays that no mind, dirtying a towel to get them dry before rounding the counter to stand near you. Her warm brown eyes hold no hardness to them. You don't think they could, but there is a solemn seriousness to her usually sunny expression that causes you to sit a little more stiffly.

You suddenly feel like a kid again; are you in trouble…?

"[Name], you're a darling, but I'd never ask you to do that for me," Mrs. Dorran promises you, nearly forgetting herself and reaching out to offer you a comforting touch on the arm like she sometimes does with S. Seeing you back in town makes her recall when she used to babysit you for your parents. "I'd rather you live. You deserve some happiness. Don't let anyone or anything tell you differently—one life isn't worth another. It's not an exact exchange, alright?"

You nod once, knowing that she won't drop this topic until you agree.

• >

Question/Prompt: "S has already won my heart. Their type of love is absolutely perfect for me. Also, for the candle lighting, I had the interaction where Mrs. Dorran (best mom) starts snapping photos of S and MC then says "You're doing amazing, hun." I had a good laugh at that!"

_ _ _

You mentioning S's type of love and already being able to detect that softness within the demo is lovely to hear. They have already won your heart? Oh, now I'm even more eager for you to experience their romance moments in Book One; you might adore a line in Chapter 5.

Mrs. Dorran deserves the mother of the year award! :D I think most MCs will agree on that with how considerate she is to them from the very start; even B, who is a visitor to town, is treated kindly. I always get excited to learn what choices you all are gravitating towards; S's birthday cake choice and the shared photo seem to be quite popular for their candle lighting interaction!

I can tease and say the choice you made sets a variable; maybe you will experience a butterfly effect later on in the series. 👀

• >

Question/Prompt: "❤"

Below you will find a joking short story response to this emoji; it features the Fernweh gang.

_ _ _

"Put it down…"

R raises the paper cup higher in the air following J's calmly worded suggestion because all they heard was the underlying command to it. "It's mine," R asserts, glancing over at S for support and getting none. Tapping an index finger along the paper sleeve of the to-go cup causes the cute hand-drawn heart to seemingly beat of its own accord; each prod forces the doodled design to shift and resettle. "Who else would [Surname] give this to?"

"Uhm, they're my friend, so I have a solid guess…" B's voice grows fainter under the weight of R's cool stare, until they relent and sit back down on the couch with a muffled sigh. The drink is going to grow lukewarm at this rate; at least someone should enjoy it. "Okay, fine."

J stepping forward once is met with R stepping back instantly. They mirror each other's steps until it appears like a slow-motion game of keep away is being played in the B&B's living room with the coffee table acting as a buffer and forcing a stalemate between the two of them.

"This is childish."

"Detective, you can always stop pursuing me if you want to feel like the mature one, although we all saw you nearly drop the cup."

"Let's ask [Name] when they come back," S reasons, not making any effort to get up from their comfy chair, though they are idly watching this game unfold. "Just be patient."

. . .

"It's for Mrs. Dorran…"

Your voice sounding from the entryway causes R to freeze and J to pause, while B and S both glance at you with differing degrees of confusion.

"She gets a heart because she's nice," you explain, stepping into the room and easily taking the cup from R's grip because they still seem a little stunned. "Maybe you'll get one next time."

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I hope you all enjoyed these moments with Mrs. Dorran! 💙😊