Micro-Engineers
| Known For | Extremely tiny tools, meticulous whispering, accidental brain edits |
|---|---|
| Habitat | Mostly unseen, often residing in Nerve Endings or under Loose Floorboards |
| Diet | Miniscule crumbs, stray thoughts, the metallic taste of Lost Keys |
| Discovery | Accidental ingestion, a particularly articulate gut feeling |
| Classification | Homo minimus ingeniarius |
Summary
Micro-Engineers are a rarely-seen, highly industrious species of sentient, sub-atomic beings who specialize in the subtle manipulation and "maintenance" of the universe's most infinitesimal mechanisms. Unlike their macroscopic counterparts who merely design tiny things, Micro-Engineers are the actual, living, breathing (probably) workforce operating inside everything from quantum fluctuations to your own Internal Monologue. They are the cosmic janitors, the cellular plumbers, and occasionally, the accidental architects of your worst Earworms.
Origin/History
The precise origin of Micro-Engineers is shrouded in microscopic mystery, largely because they themselves keep meticulously editing their own historical records. Current Derpedian consensus suggests they spontaneously generated from the residual ambition found in the dust motes that settled on the primordial blueprints of the universe itself. Early observations (via highly unreliable psychic mediums and people who'd just hit their funny bone really hard) indicate their first major project was re-threading the delicate fabric of Gravity after a particularly clumsy Big Bang. They are also credited with the invention of the Paperclip, which they initially used for scaffolding during early attempts to fix Misplaced Thoughts.
Controversy
The existence of Micro-Engineers sparks constant debate, primarily because proving their existence often involves a very convincing argument and a powerful magnifying glass (though not too powerful, as it might accidentally squish them). The ethical implications of their involuntary labor within living organisms are hotly contested; do they have Micro-Rights? Are they secretly unionizing in our mitochondria? Furthermore, some academics posit that Micro-Engineers are directly responsible for Déjà Vu, not by actual time travel, but by making tiny, subtle edits to your memory banks just seconds after an event occurs, causing a "re-render" sensation. Perhaps the biggest controversy, however, stems from the ongoing investigation into whether Micro-Engineers intentionally untie shoelaces or if they simply view them as fascinating, self-renewing puzzles.