#It's a shame y'all don't get enough credit

[thoughtfullyrainynightmare]

In case someone needs it, Black Clover fanfic writers (including OC content, but not exclusively) that I know, and who have (when added together) contributed to maybe over 2,5 million words worth of fanfic for the fandom (either on ao3, Tumblr, or both), and whom I could sincerely recommend:

@lyranova

@loosesodamarble

@firefutte

@wildflowerwoodsworld

@crazedstoryteller

@f-oighear

And yours truly.

Feel free to add more suggestions. These are just the ones I feel confident in tagging when it comes to specifically BC fanfic.

Also check out their older content. It's worth it.

[coffeelovesdramasalatte]

LITA Ep. 5 Rewatch Thoughts Part 1

(edit bc I started writing this post like 6 months ago - hi! I'm gonna finish going through the rest of the phayurain episodes of LITA finally! I've lost all sense of shame so these posts are just gonna be love letters to Eul, hope that's ok) Hi hi hi! I find it absolutely hilarious that the notes on the final part of my episode 4 rewatch post (which contains my best screenshots of That Scene) has like triple the notes of the rest of the parts. I love the thirsty LITA fam <3 I think I kept it mostly clean for the first 3 episodes but LITA brainrot is real and from here on out I'm putting down all my deranged thoughts into words so enjoy

Onwards to episode 5!! Ok so y'all should know by this point that BossNoeul sang the opening right? I added it on spotify and have listened to it on repeat so much over the last week that I could probs (badly, bc my singing voice leaves much to be desired but I can and will belt it at the top of my lungs) karaoke it now. If y'all haven't heard the full version check it out bc they rap a few bars and Noeul has this line "shake your bo- shake your bo- shake your body" that makes me lose it every time

The recap sees us revisiting some rather adorable moments from the previous episode including PhayuRain in the rain and tub. Imagine if they stuck the leg kiss in the recap >.<

We open to sunlight pouring in through the curtained windows on the morning after. I kind of wish the last episode had ended with this scene bc it would have been a soft transition after the intimacy PhayuRain shared rather than the abrupt cut to credits. But I digress.

Phayu's hair looks glorious out and I wish we'd gotten to see it like this more. In fact I think we should've seen Rain push his hands through it and grip it during episode 6's NC scene. Also the definition of that bicep? Sir pls.

I ADORE how sweet Phayu is towards Rain all the time, and this is yet another example. I love it when characters look fondly at their lover (I finally get to use that word for them!!), cover them with a blanket, and then give them a forehead kiss before sliding out of bed. SO FOND

I just think it's really attractive when people do this. Rain was really missing out by snoozing.

The state of Rain's neck and chest sends me into hysterical giggles every time. Phayu you did not have to go that hard with the marking bestie (let's be honest though, looking at the state of Phayu's neck post episode 6 they both have marking kinks) - everyone's gonna know Rain's officially yours soon enough. Also throwback to how like two months ago (or something like that idk the exact timeline) Rain was like hmph I never want anything to do with P' Phayu ever again. I didn't hear any complaining from you last night hmm??? Also I love how confident Rain was in his abilities to seduce Phayu, so true of him

I'm DECEASED

OK WAIT I think I finally get the whole yellow-blue thing. It literally is just that yellow is Rain's representative color and Phayu's is navy blue. So by making Rain put on Phayu's navy blue shirt for the "morning after" they're just reiterating that Rain belongs to Phayu now. Mystery solved :)

Obligatory shot bc he's worked hard for these gains and I think he deserves some appreciation ft. Rain who's making the same face as all of us. I think they spent like 30 whole seconds on Phayu's shoulders and that's so valid of them

Sir, do you have a good reason for striding in here shirtless and sweaty to wake your new bf up? Methinks someone was hoping for round 2

Ok, and we're back to Rain in a yellow t-shirt looking very feverish. He's holding his teal green phone (case) up though which is a combo of yellow and blue, isn't it? I'm sorry my color theory is lacking. His eyebrows look really nice here and I don't know why I noticed. I hope he has a good nap! But oops he misses calls from Phayu...

This episode's title is "the Calm Before the Storm" which implies it's gonna be a mostly tooth-rotting fluff episode and that drama is on the way next week. I'm already smiling so wide my cheeks hurt so the title is apt.

Phayu (dressed in navy blue!) is here to make sure his precious Rain is ok and Mama is already planning the wedding in her head.

The first three or four times I watched this, I was paying too much attention to their faces and probably missed a lot so let's break it down a bit. Phayu comes in, Rain's surprised and sits up, and Phayu sits down next to Rain on the bed but facing away. Phayu is slightly upset that Rain went away without saying anything and he was worried that since Rain was sick that him driving home alone was dangerous. The second Phayu sits down this way, Rain reaches out to grab his arm but Phayu pulls away. Compared to couples in other dramas, PhayuRain depend on touch a lot to communicate so obv the situation is quite serious plus Phayu is not immediately making eye contact with Rain.

The next couple of shots are just back and forth where Phayu asks why Rain left and Rain tells him what happened and apologies for worrying him. He looks v v soft and fluffy here

Gonna take a second to appreciate the background music bc it sounds so serious and doom-y right now but they're literally about to clear it all up so it was unnecessary to go that hard. Sound artist I love you

Throughout this conversation, Phayu starts far away (which for PhayuRain means there's like 1.5 meters of distance between their faces instead of 0.15 meters) but he moves closer and tilts his body more in Rain's direction as Rain gives each justification. He also lets Rain grab his arm. It's very subtle but I like the acting choices here.

Phayu, Rain is sick. Can you pls stop staring at his lips bff give him some rest (spoiler alert I counted like 5 lip-looks in the next 10 seconds, Phayu didn't hear me)

OK this hug. Exquisite. The gap has been bridged, all parties are happy again, and they both absolutely sink into each other.

Boss' little shoulder rub here is so soft and gives us more PhayuRain believability. We can see how worried he was and how relieved he is now that Rain is safely in his arms again.

Rain's cheek-smushed nod agreeing to never disappear from Phayu's side ever again is everything to me.

I don't actually think this was what I was supposed to get out of this but there's something about the symmetry of this hug and them being in the shape of a triangle and how technically their first encounter as a couple involved Phayu's triangle tool etc. etc. etc. Also headpat alert!

More subtle and soft gestures from Phayu. Rain is down bad.

HANDS!!!

We really heard the MWAH here and I want to forehead kiss whoever placed the mics

Everyone needs to observe Rain's expression right after Phayu asks this question bc it's very sus

(I couldn't get it in motion but Rain straightens up a bit and raises his eyebrows. Someone thinks they're about to get spanked like before)

Except this is not that kind of punishment and I can't believe Phayu really brought along a rectal suppository. To his credit though, I believe they're supposed to be more immediately effective than oral medicines because they absorb more directly into the body so he just wants Rain to be healthy faster. Although I wish Phayu would've not proceeded to yank Rain's pants off without permission, it's fiction and I hope if Rain had shown signs of major discomfort he would've listened. I do have to wonder if Mama put on headphones though bc Rain was really loud with his protests. I also think this must've been funny to film bc if you look closely before it cuts to Rain's mom, Rain looks like he's holding back laughter.

Uh-oh, Mama it's better if you walk away now

This sequence was actually so adorable and funny. I love purrito!Rain and Phayu is looking way too smug. Mama Rain walked out of there trying to name all the yellow and blue flowers she could for the wedding centerpieces.

omfg Phayu calling Rain's mom "Mama" is so friggin cute and I love how smoothly he just slid into son-in-law position

Rain's like excuse me I'm sick I should NOT be slandered right now

To part 2 with all the cute shots!!

[servingthecuntry]

Several things to say after the newest episode

WE'RE GETTING THE FATES Y'ALL(if u didn't see the episode trailer go back to the end credits and it'll be there)

Idk why they were moved to after the chimera fight but they're coming!!!!

Also I've been listening to the audiobook and decided to make a post of what we've been missing in the show

Some stuff makes sense like cutting out argus. Maybe it would've been too hard to animate all his eyes or his role wasn't big enough to fit in the time limit. But I've been craving for a missing poster with percy. At camp he's given a newspaper of his and his mums dissapearance with him as a person of interest because gabe calls him a troubled kid with a delinquent past. I get cutting out some stuff for gabe but it couldve been easy to see them walk past a newspaper of this on the train. Also there were missing posters percy would tear down when in the human world and I just want to see one person of interest or missing person poster.

Now SPOILER WARNING(books and show) but here are the other things I've noticed:

Grover got the flying shoes because percy isn't safe in the air due to zeus

The styx oath is super super serious

ANNABETHS BEEN TO OLYMPUS

Annabeth has a crush on luke(maybe they want to retcon that idk)

I'd been wondering for ages why the kids don't have cells ITS BC MONSTERS CAN TRACE THEM

argus is the camp protector and was going to drive the kids to the coach and for some reason they cut it out so we don't get to see a dude covered in eyes

Percy and annabeth aren't supposed to get along because of their parents rivalry

Argus may ship percabeth

Percy has missing posters everywhere

Percy is a person of interest in his mothers suspicious dissapearance because of gabe

GROVER CAN READ EMOTIONS (like auras?)

Grover eats tin cans and playing cards(he's also a vegetarian)

Percys mum married Gabe bc his smell hides percy from creatures/ monsters

Chiron has had a percy related prophecy that's only now starting to make sense

There were meant to be 3 furies on the bus(i can see why they cut this out)

Monsters come back to life and mrs dodds had come back

The camp was attacked by a hell hound out for percy who was fought off by annabeth with a sword and killed by chirons arrow (I get cutting out this scene but it would've looked SO COOL)

It could only be summoned by someone inside the camp and was from the field of torment so that's how they knew hades was the one who had stolen the lightning bolt and framed percy

A hawaian shirted tourist had taken a picture of percy with riptide

I'm guessing they rewrote the coach scene so they didn't lose all their snacks and money(rip grovers tin cans)

In the book if percy dies the quest is over and annabeth and grover have to go back to camp but I don't think that's an issue in the show(or maybe percy didn't know because annabeth didn't explain to him idk)

Annabeths never actually gone out into the real world since she was 7

We got to see annabeth unsure of herself because she's never gotten to properly fight a monster since she was 7 which is a shame to cut out of the show for her character arc. Tbh theyve cut out a lot of slower character arcs which is annoying but understandable with the length of each episode

Grover can play songs to help eg the find a path song but he hasn't got the hang of it yet

Hes basically a level 1 bard

Auntie M was able to use some kind of snake charmer ability

Grover was way more fighting active in the book because he found his uncles statue earlier than in the show

In the book they used a reflection of a spear instead of annabeths cap and annabeth was calculating how off the light would be because the spear was curved. Both show off annabeths intelligence but the cap is more unique and cooler on screen

When parts of a monster are cut off they don't disappear with the rest of it and become a "spoil of war" -basically a magically remaining trophy

Satyrs aren't meant to get migranes but percy and annabeth gave grover one at medusas

I'm guessing at least 50% of percys impertinence comes from being an only kid

This isn't a fact this is just something I started imagining after the 50th time someone said "Percy" with the same energy as a cat being annoyed at another housecat and giving a warning meow before attacking it

Grovers getting a searchers license to find Pan the Greek God

Grover doesn't know what happened to his dad who was also a seeker

The search for Pan gives satyrs hope after seeing what humans have done to the world

Grover tells percy annabeth forgave him for what happened at Grovers first assignment

The furies were holding back and could've been more aggressive than they were

Grover can use his emotional reading to see what percy hides about his feeling to his dad

The thing in Percys dreams tries using him to pull itself out not to drag him down

Grover can talk to all animals

Grover is a snorer

Percy tells annabeth about his dream at this point but I don't think he's told anyone about those dreams in the show

They've not said anything about the beads on their necklaces the campers get for surviving another year. Would've been an easy merch ad but maybe it wasn't important enough yet

Children of athena are made as thoughts of athena and given to people she feels close to or something

Annabeth was sent to her dad in a golden basket with the winds of zephyr

Even though she respects her mum she has equal level of daddy issues to percy

In chapter 12 percy acts like he doesn't care about his dad's approval but grover can read his emotions and knows percy sent medusas head so poseidon would be proud

But then he wonders in chapter 13 why annabeth acts like she doesn't care about her dad who seems worse than gabe when she still wears a ring from him which is such a teen thing for him to do honestly

Whenever a monster attacked annabeth the stepmum and dad blamed her for "threatening" their mortal/ normal kids

We get a hint of architecture nerd annabeth in the episode but she doesnt say she wants to build something for athena. I assume its implied but its not clarified how big her dreams are. She wants to build something that'll last 1000 years. I won't give any major spoilers but maybe we'll get it in a future scene and I'm hoping its in her siren scene

I think that while percy loves his mum and hates his dad Annabeth hates her mortal parents and Athena was her only hope of a loving mother even though in the show she says its a kind of transactional thing

Also side note I thought the chimera was the pink poodle before it left the bag and I love that they kinda sorta reference it when we see from the human passengers pov

In the books they're careful about mentioning gods around humans but percy just straight out calls the mother of monsters a monster in front of the passengers and officers. Didn't even lower his voice or anything

Hades has a helm that can make him become darkness and make you so scared you go insane

Do they ever get something equivalent to sending stones or detect thoughts like in DnD to deal with this? Obviously normal tech is out because monsters can track it but what about magical communication methods?(the iris video call system doesn't count that seems like a premium thing if it costs one gold drachma-also the book explains demigods only use gold drachmas even though in ancient greek it would've been silver- and they have 20 for the quest so they cant just use a drachma every time they want to send a magical text which; you can't do with the iris system. Also the iris system isn't any subtler than a zoom call so wouldn't be good for hiding stuff from hades)

Percy still hasn't gotten a chance to confuse annabeth with his blue snack foods(i assume grover already knows bc he'd have had blue sweets at yancy)

Zeus allowed the mother of monsters to attack Percy

The mother of monsters hates that ant eaters are named after the echidna

For some reason riptide didn't return to percy during the fight and its mentioned in the book. Maybe poseidon kept it so he could contact him?

Also a couple notes I've learned while listening to hesiod

The cyclopes helped zeus defeat kronos and bring the titans to their time out tartarus zone(not by crafting the lightning bolt in the original myths unless I'm misremembering I think they just helped in the fight like bringing your older brother to fight your bully)

The river styx is the only female river goddess and a favourite child

I hadn't taken any notes so lmk if u want me to add more hesiod fun facts and I'll relisten to theogony

I'm stopping notes here so I don't go past chapter 13: I plunged to my death

I'm thinking of writing my notes as I binge listen to the audiobook and editing them after watching the episode before posting on tumblr. Or I've already read until book 4 of the pjo series so I may decide to hold off on listening to the audiobook until each episode airs(I have vague memories of important or memorable stuff but its been a couple years since I last read the books). I'll see how long I can stop myself from listening to the audiobook. This isn't a perfect list so let me know if somethings wrong or if I missed something in tags or comments

[sylvieeee5]

it's finally time...

for episode 3!!!

please pardon my lateness- I had family over last week, and then I got the second booster shot and it knocked me out for a couple days!

But we're BACKKKK

And here's a Sonic for your troubles :)

Oh! And if you'd like to support my poor time management skills, I would greatly appreciate if you'd consider donating to my Kofi! haha. i'm. broke

!Warning!! Book/show spoilers ahead!

1:27

"Welp, guess they jumped overboard. Alright, back to dinner, everyone!"

2:38

How'd you get that figure? Did Kate tell you?

"Alright gang, stay calm, we don't want them to hear us. By the way, we're 120 feet over the ocean, so uh... don't look down."

2:47

Down? Shouldn't you have gone up??

3:12

...do you think constance has a evil plan pre-formed in case she ever decides to go rogue?

3:17

she hopped on the ruse train :)

y'all ever hear a good word and decide hm! nice word! i will use it Always from now on

3:47

what do you mean

4:55

Number Two's plan B is biological warfare!! love that for her

5:00

HDSGDJWAKYGASYDGAKDAGK

5:43

I think you can be as judgmental as you want when it comes to his second mind control scheme in as many years

6:12

fambly,,,

6:25

ahahahaaaaaaaa

ha

7:07

UNBOTHERED Q UE E N

8:08

????????????????????

noland HUH

8:20

babies-

9:05

JKUCAKYCAIUCKUICQHWXKKHGAJCSH DACAJHSHASGSAASU

constance wants a taste

9:59

gambling montage hell yeah!!

10:27

смерть или слава.

i absolutely love that they made her russian vsjdaskdf

11:45

GIRLBOSS

i know nothing about gambling so that was. interesting to watch with no context jasfkjs

11:58

please let the pie truck be connected to moocho in some way please pl

12:41

"I'm highly concerned about the lion in this cave. Oh, what's that? I've stumbled upon a pile of meat and am being invited to sit on it? Well, why not?"

12:54

no it ain't, nathaniel

13:57

roll credits kinda!

14:20

YES TRUEEEE

impromptu parenting seminar with ms perumal. we love to see it

15:23

hehehe! same. haaaaaaaah

16:13

gfhjhgfhgh

okay but how is that considered cheating?? it's a strategy!

16:24

and NO SHAME

17:22

i mean... true enough

then again i somehow doubt this is a legal operation so if you're stealing from criminals, two wrongs make a right! /j

17:43

GIRL PLEASE

17:56

kinda thought this guy was risker when i saw the trailer. guess not!

18:25

Ahhh, you can totally take him. You just have to make it outside and them sic Madge on 'im! Just... don't look.

19:25

oh right, international waters. no laws! don't look that up, i promise it's true

19:47

the earnestness of that line awwww

Good job, Reynie. Applejack would approve!

20:04

Those "water polo" players are lucky Martina's not here. You do not besmirch the name of sports in her presence- unlike Kate she won't hesitate, bitch.

20:24

........?

20:35

SURRENDERRRRRRRRRRR

i love cannonball oh my god

21:28

...that line, and referring to his followers as "family" is.... really reminding me of my own experience in a similar organization. Man.

22:14

...excuse me a second

22:19

NO WE DON'T ENLIGHTEN US PLEASE

22:52

.... given what we know about constance that somehow seems competely plausible

23:32

Not so "equal in weight", huh, Atalanta?

rip milligan's luggage :(

23:57

DFKUFUAKJHJKASDGSJSKDAHJASDGKJGFYJSAYGGFSEY

THAT LINE DELIVERY

BLESS YOU FRED MELAMED

24:16

these are children you two

24:28

OOOOOOOOOH

she just called your ship sad. with class!

love that kate really is expanding her vocab- she didn't lie to milligan in ep 1!

25:30

do they not have passports?? did they leave them behind with the adults?

25:37

yoink

25:53

What happened to "Nicholas, I've moved on?"

26:02

if you're going through the grieving process simply say "no"

26:33

Unlike last season, the bright yellow is actually very effective camouflage in a lemon grove!

(also, little bit of trivia- coastal Italy does have the ideal climate for growing lemons!)

26:48

free snacks for the road ayyy

27:02

they sound like they're looking for their lost dog shakjdsl

27:21

sebastian's brokennnnnn

27:54

UH OHHHHHHH

28:03

UH OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

28:48

the engineering on that luggage cube must be insane because the ones on top are essentially floating

29:08

which was not very from your perspective! was that a diss?

29:23

and now i'm laughing bc i'm thinking of the chekhov's gun bit from the goes wrong show s2 ajaskhjh

29:46

And there's an example of one right there!

30:05

"But today I learned that morality is relative!"

so has reynie's "oh no humanity might be evil" arc been replaced with a "humanity's evil so i'm gonna lean into it lmao" arc?

30:31

constance over there like "oh? really? yes a completely figurative saying imagine that"

30:50

highly, highly accurate

and also

31:13

31:40

jeffers was in curtain's drama club in college and curtain couldn't stand him but he was on board for the evil scheme stuff so what can you do.

32:13

aaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAA???

32:46

more evidence for the drama club theory. gotta pose dramatically before even attempting to hail one of the numerous nearby cabs to follow them! you go king.

Alright! That was episode 3: A Gold Bar in Fort Knox. I feel like this was sort of a transitional episode, and I'm... not sure how I feel about that. The Shortcut and the people on it were a huge part of the book's journey, and here... it's just used to get from point A to point B, rather than being an interesting stop of its own. With that, I'm gonna have to give this one a 7/10. I really hope they do more with Noland and Cannonball down the line... But I am fascinated to see where the brainwashed Mr. Benedict plot goes...

See you all shortly for episode 4!

[ampleappleamble]

—

And Caed Nua received her gladly.

As the weary little group of adventurers had made their way back east, Axa's condition had slowly but certainly improved– although she'd been understandably quiet and sullen when they'd stopped to stay the night in Dyrford again ("It's funny– just after y'all left, who'd we find but Lord Harond, dead in his room," the innkeeper had stated, a conspiratorial twinkle in his eye. "Terrible loss. Tragic, really. More ale? On the house.") But by the time they'd set foot on the road leading up to Caed Nua, the little Watcher had been smiling again, cracking jokes with her companions, even singing a bit here and there, and the Steward had been quite happy to welcome her Lady back home in such high spirits.

In Axa's absence, the Steward had continued commissioning work on the keep, bankrolling the construction mostly with favors owed by allies and credit backed by Axa's good reputation– and aided, as ever, by Engrim's audacious, stubborn wheedling. First, in the main keep: a barracks to house guards that could keep the castle safe from invaders (from within as much as from without) and to patrol the surrounding roads, thus preventing the new thaynu from losing all of her subjects' taxes to bandits. And once that steady source of revenue had been secured, the stone matron had turned her attentions toward restoring a few core locations scattered across the premises: the western barbican, the training grounds, the towers, the chapel. And, of course, Brighthollow.

The last time they'd been inside the once stately manor, Axa and her crew had found it so vermin-infested and dilapidated that they'd been forced to set up camp on the floor in the keep's main hall instead. The pool in the courtyard had been a dried-up, crumbling mess of ruined marble and corroded metal; the stench of mold and rot from the kitchen hearth had repelled them so fiercely as to make it nearly impossible to cross the threshold. The upper floor had not even been accessible back then much less livable, the stairs having been splintered to uselessness and the stairwell clogged with debris. But now Brighthollow truly lived up to its name again, a shining beacon of class and comfort nestled in the very heart of Caed Nua: the fountain in the courtyard pool burbled melodiously, arcane torchlight glinting off the polished marble as the aroma of freshly baked bread wafted out from the kitchen and drifted up the pristine stairwell to the comfortable, fully furnished bedchambers above.

Edér had whistled in awe upon first seeing the renovations. "Careful now. You start gettin' too fancy, throwin' dinner parties and whatnot, I don't know if we can be friends anymore," he'd quipped, throwing a wry grin Axa's way.

"My, what a terrible shame that would be," Aloth had retorted, rolling his eyes even as they twinkled with awe at the manor's fresh splendor. "Rest assured, Edér: should Axa's couth rise to unacceptable levels, your esteemed company will be sorely missed."

But Axa hadn't returned to Caed Nua to host any swanky soirées, nor to referee slapfights between her friends over the Steward's choice of decor. She'd come back home to rest, to rejuvenate her badly frayed nerves, to compose her thoughts and gather the courage to do what work still remained ahead of her. And rest she did– as best she could, anyway. For although her masterfully refurbished chambers kept the Dyrwood's weather and wildlife out, they did very little to protect her from herself, and the nightmares were getting worse. She awoke on the floor more often than in her bed, and according to her companions, the moaning and whimpering she'd exhibited before had graduated to screaming as of late. On one occasion, to her great embarrassment, she'd apparently been loud enough to not only wake some of her companions in the middle of the night, but also to compel them to rush to her side.

And as Kana had helped her back into bed that night, his hand warm on her shoulder as Aloth fidgeted in the doorway, that was when she'd announced her decision to return to the Endless Paths. Taking a little time to oneself to rest and recuperate was all well and good, but Axa knew herself to be the type of person who'd be driven to madness by simply sitting around doing nothing, not acting on her feelings, struggling against her oppressors. And fulfilling her promise to Kana while also hopefully shedding some light on the strange and dangerous state of affairs in her basement had seemed as good an opportunity to get back into her boots as any.

Kana had been thrilled, of course. Aloth had knitted his brow in concern. "You're... quite certain that's what you want to do? Our last foray into the Paths almost ended very badly, and you're– forgive me for saying so, but you're not exactly at your best right now. Perhaps we could escort Kana down, and you could remain up here, where it's–"

"I don't need to be coddled, Aloth," she'd interrupted. "What I need is to quit moping and get off my ass so I can actually do something that at least makes me feel like I still have a little control over my life." She'd smiled up at Kana, then, had gently laid her hand atop his, still loosely gripping her shoulder. "Besides, Kana's been a great help to me– to all of us. And I gave him my word that I'd help him find what he's looking for. Plus, we're all much more capable now than we were the last time we went down there, and with a better idea of what we'll be up against, too. We can finish the job this time, I'm sure of it."

Kana had enthusiastically agreed, prattling away about camaraderie and determination as his grin had grown ever wider. Aloth had said nothing, but he'd gritted his teeth so hard Axa could hear it from across the room.

She thought back on that moment now as she sat beneath the adra pillars encircling Caed Nua's newly restored chapel, staring up into the clear night sky. It was hard to believe that conversation had taken place only just last night– the twenty-some-odd hours following it had seemed to fly by, and so much had happened. The tablet had been there, just as Kana had predicted, but of course it hadn't been as simple a task as just strolling down and claiming it. They'd first had to fight through the hoards of darguls and giant beetles that infested the ancient halls, and the deadly blights produced by the bizarre machines that dominated the ancient Engwithan laboratory. And after they'd gotten the door to Gabrannos' personal study open, they'd had the author of the tablet himself to deal with, his own arcane depravities having transformed the once revered scholar into a crazed, decrepit skeleton that had attacked Axa and her crew on sight.

And after all that, it turned out that dispatching Gabrannos and his abominations had been the easy part. What came after, discovering the fate of the tablet itself and the aftermath, that had been difficult. Kana had been devastated to find what had become of his long-sought prize, and understandably so. He'd struggled through years of intensive research and months of wearisome travel, pitted his life against beasts and spirits and Leaden Key assassins, only to have it all lead up to this– some useless, scattered chunks of rock, worn smooth by time and smashed to illegibility by the madman who'd authored them. Axa had tried her best to cheer him, reminding him of the unprecedented anthropological, historical, and archeological discoveries they'd made possible by even progessing this far into the Endless Paths, and his response had made it seem to her that she'd helped ease his disappointment, at least a little bit. She hoped she'd helped. Kana was a good man, intelligent and passionate and loyal, and he deserved some sort small consolation from all this.

Getting rather fond of him, aren't we?

The thought took her by surprise, and she felt a smirk tug at her quickly warming cheeks even as her brow furrowed. No, no, we're... it's not like that.

Why not? He's fond of you.

The image of the aumaua's smiling face sprung up suddenly in her mind's eye, followed closely by some other, more specific memories: Kana's voice ringing out as he sang a song he knew to be a favorite of hers, Axa passing him her pipe for a toke and getting it back warm and damp from his mouth, the bead of water that had rolled slowly across his collarbone and down his chest as he'd strolled about shirtless in his room at the Goose and Fox. Her smirk broadened into a goofy grin. It all made her feel... not exactly aroused, but something adjacent to it. Giddy, perhaps, or eager.

Well, alright, fine. Maybe it is like that. A bit. And so what if it is?

Aloth's face popped into her mind, his long, slender ears and his high cheekbones. What about him?

She blinked, frowned, her face growing uncomfortably hot. What about him? She thought of him on their first night together in Gilded Vale, just standing there wringing his hands while she wept on the floor, and then last night, clinging to the doorjamb and looking at his feet while Kana sat with her on her bed. He's not interested. Or if he is, he certainly hasn't tried to make it known.

But other memories drifted back to her– Aloth holding the door for her at the Black Hound Inn; his hand gripping hers, warm and trembling, as she guided him through his memories in the animancer's office; that shy little smile he only ever seemed to show to her. She glared at her knees, flustered and conflicted.

Just because I happen to find him attractive– just because I'm helping him through a personal problem, that doesn't mean– and after what Vaargys put me through, don't I–

"So here you are!"

The sudden bellowing of Kana's voice nearly made the little woman jump out of her fur, although she still couldn't help but smile up at him as he approached, even as her heart hammered in her throat. He smiled back. "I thought you'd gone to bed already. I was about to settle down for the night myself, but..."

"Too wound up to sleep?" She scooted to one side, inviting him to sit next to her. "I've been there. Many times."

He chuckled, his dark eyes twinkling in the light of the waxing moon as he lowered himself to the ground. "I'll bet you have," he replied, making himself comfortable as he leaned back and stretched his legs out in front of him. "Even before you became a Watcher, I imagine. Truly, the life of a scholar is one rife with hardship and adversity, much more so than the average layman would ever expect of us soft-fingered page-flippers."

Axa laughed, an uncharacteristically coquettish giggle that actually shocked her a bit to hear coming from herself. "True enough! Although with this adventuring lifestyle I've adopted as of late, I expect my fingers will have calluses to rival Edér's before too long." She brushed an errant lock of hair behind her ear, glanced down at his hand lying flat against the ground between them. "Um. How are you holding up? You seem to be taking all this rather well, I have to say. Not that it's surprising– nothing seems to dampen your spirits for very long."

Kana's smile broadened even as he winced. "Oh, I'm... I'm coming to terms with it, I think. Slowly. Don't get me wrong, your encouragement has helped a great deal, and I certainly have some ideas about what to tell the lore college when I return to Tâkowa, but... to think that the true, original message of the Tanvii ora Toha must forever remain a mystery..." He shook his head slowly, the thick, dark coils of his hair bouncing gently against his jaw.

She looked again at his hand on the ground, a hair's breadth from her hip, and before she could talk herself out of it, she laid her own hand atop his, squeezing gently. "The true message of the Tanvii ora Toha is what the people of Rauatai have made of it, the lessons they've taken from it and applied to their lives and the lives of those around them every day. Whatever that old tablet actually happened to say, it could never change the impact it's already made." Her voice was warm and steady and reassuring, even as her stomach fluttered and flipped inside her. She squeezed his hand again. "You could offer it up to Wael, if you think it'd help. It can be Their mystery, Their secret to keep."

He laughed, soft and warm and sweet, and Axa's heart skipped a beat as the huge hand turned over in her grip and squeezed back. "Oh, Axa," he murmured, fixing his eyes on the little woman. "You always know just what to say. It helps that you're always right, too, of course."

"Yes, well..." She tried to meet his gaze but found it impossible, so she stared at her knees instead. "It probably also helps that I've a good deal of personal experience with losing years' worth of hard work to what was essentially nothing more than–"

–his hands were much smaller, delicate despite the scars, always cool to the touch–

"–than a bout of extraordinarily bad luck." It left a bad taste in her mouth to reduce her former fiancé to that, even after all the trouble he'd caused her, but she said it all the same.

"Vaargys, you mean?" Kana's ever-present smile drooped, his demeanor turning solemn. "I'm sorry. It must have been so much more difficult for you, losing so much in one fell swoop like that. Your research, your career, your lover... And now, when you should be healing from all that and focusing on your new life here in the Dyrwood, instead you have the Leaden Key and your Awakening to contend with." He turned his whole body toward her, then, his long, dark eyelashes fluttering as his gaze flitted from her hair to her face to her eyes to her lips. "And you've still found the time to lend me your aid, too, just out of the kindness of your heart! If... if there's ever anything I can do to help you..."

"I think–" Her breath quickened suddenly as something wild and reckless rose up inside her, seized her, made her look hard into his eyes, her gaze bold and hungry. "I think there may be something you can do for me, yes. If you're willing."

"I am." He was already leaning toward her, his eyes drifting shut. "You need only ask–"

"Alright then," she purred, reaching up and pulling him closer. "Come here."

Axa had never considered herself to be particularly well versed in the ways of love. She'd learned from a young age to guard her heart closely, and so far only two men had ever managed to earn a place in it– Rhys, a farm boy from Readceras who she'd met near the start of her college career, and of course, later on, Vaargys. The first time Rhys had kissed her, they had just spent the whole afternoon playing hooky by the riverbank on the outskirts of town, talking and laughing and flirting, and as he'd brushed his lips shyly against hers, she'd felt a great surge of pleasure and warmth that had seemed to expand and burst inside of her, scattering throughout her mind and body like the rays of the setting sun on the river's choppy surface. The first time she'd kissed Vaargys, she had just finished bandaging an old scar on his brow that had reopened, and as she'd gently swept a curl of blue-white hair from his temple, he'd looked up at her with such reverence and adoration and longing that when she'd inevitably pressed her mouth into his, she'd felt almost heroic, as though she were fulfilling some grand and holy destiny.

But when her lips met Kana's, all she felt was a jolt of confusion followed by profound disappointment– as though she'd popped a piece of her favorite honeycake into her mouth only to find that the baker had forgotten to put any honey in it.

What frustrated her most was that she didn't have any particular reason for feeling the way she did. It had all felt so right at first, she and Kana pairing up like this. It wasn't as though he'd done or said something to repel her, and she certainly didn't dislike him all of a sudden. But all the same, as soon as their lips had touched, any amorous inclinations she'd built up in her mind toward him were dashed asunder in an instant, gone, like a puff of smoke in a gust of wind. And now here she was, still locked into this ridiculous farce of a kiss with him. Only now did she really notice how awkwardly she'd had to position herself in order for her face to reach all the way up to his, and her body was starting to protest. The breath from his nose tickled her cheek. His hand was clammy against her jaw. She wondered how long this would have to go on before she could pull away while still sparing his feelings, wondered if sparing his feelings would even still be possible after this. Eventually, mercifully, the moment passed, and the two of them eased back, eyes still half-lidded, cheeks flushed, regarding one another for a very long, very uncomfortable moment.

She spoke first, quietly, carefully. "I... Kana, I'm– that was–"

"Horrible," he blurted.

Axa blinked at him in shock, and then they both burst out laughing.

"Yes!" she cried finally, struggling to catch her breath. "Yes! Oh, thank the gods you thought so too!"

He rubbed at his mouth, still giggling madly. "Ondra's teeth, how could I not? We were– that was–"

"Awful!" Her hands flailed, gesticulating wildly. "There was nothing there, no fire, no spark, just–"

"I know!" he whooped. "Like kissing my pillow! Like kissing one of my sisters!"

She cackled. "Like kissing a good book!"

That did it. The two of them practically collapsed with laughter, doubling over and clutching at their bellies, rolling about on the cool, wet grass. It had been a long time since Axa had laughed like this, and although her midsection quickly grew sore, she was so relieved to be done with the whole mess that she hardly even noticed.

"Oh, Kana, I'm– I'm sorry," she sighed at last, still hitching and snorting here and there, wiping tears from her cheeks. "This can't be how you thought this was going to go."

"Well, no, but–" He sat back up quickly, eyes wide. "No, no! None of that! You've nothing to apologize for! If anything, I ought to be apologizing to you!"

"You didn't do anything I didn't invite you to do," she replied, patting his arm reassuringly. "And honestly, I should have known better than to try something like this here, now. I'm in absolutely no state of mind to be pursuing any kind of romantic relationship at the moment, what with all the going mad and chasing down a cult..."

"All the more reason, really, to try and find some small avenue of escape for yourself, some pleasurable distraction. No shame in that. I, on the other hand..." He heaved a heavy sigh, turned to look up at the sky again. "I think, perhaps, I was still hoping for some sort of fantastic storybook ending to the Tale of Kana Rua and his Search for the Lost Tablet." He chuckled ruefully. "If our hero can't get the treasure, he should at least get the girl, right? But..."

"But life doesn't always go the way the old tales would have us believe it should," Axa finished for him. She remembered Rhys, staring at the ground with his fists clenched as he told her he had to drop out and return to Readceras, to assist his ailing uncles on his family's meager farm. She remembered Vaargys, his back slowly retreating from her as her books burned behind her.

She remembered Aloth standing in the doorway, grinding his teeth.

"Exactly. And anyway, I don't think this is my story anymore, if it ever even truly was." Kana smiled down at her thoughtfully, gently placing a hand between her shoulder blades. "I think it's your story. And it's nowhere near finished yet."

She grimaced. "If that's the case, I've a Hel of a bone to pick with the author."

"It's a thorny plot they've saddled you with, you'll get no argument from me there." Sympathy shone in his obsidian eyes even as his smile grew huge again. "But I'm right here alongside you, your loyal supporting character! And I intend on seeing you through to the very last chapter."

Axa chuckled wryly, a much more familiar sound to her ears than the ditzy giggle that had burbled out of her earlier. "I appreciate it, Kana, truly. I can always count on your undying optimism, can't I? Even after relegating you from love interest to deuteragonist."

"Oh, that's not such a bad role to play. Less dangerous than protagonist, at any rate." He peeked at her from the corner of his eye, his grin turning sly. "Besides, Aloth makes a much better love interest than I. Don't you agree?"

"I– wh–" Axa would have been less shocked if he'd kissed her again. "Gods, Kana! What are you– D-did he say...?"

Kana threw his head back and laughed, a hearty, throaty bark of pure delight. "Oh-ho! Oh, Axa, your face! You poor woman!" He chuckled a fair bit longer, even as she squirmed with embarrassment beside him, her face burning. "Forgive me, but– did you really not know? Our little rivalry over you? He's not exactly subtle about it! He thinks he is, mind you–"

"Kana–" Her voice came out a bit sharper than she'd really intended it to, but he fell silent all the same. "...Please. I meant what I said earlier, about not being in a good place to try and start a romance right now. And frankly, I don't think he is, either. We both have too much work to do on ourselves to be good partners to anyone right now, let alone to one another." She sighed wistfully, surprised at how depressing it felt to actually admit it, before cocking an eyebrow at the other Chanter. "I'm trusting you to keep this to yourself, you understand."

Kana held his huge hands up in front of himself, presenting his palms in a clear show of surrender. "Of course, of course. You have my word." He gave her a cheeky wink before hoisting himself to his feet with a soft grunt. "Well! I'm certainly ready for a good night's sleep now. And maybe a cold bath as well. Shall I help you up? It's a long day ahead of us tomorrow, trekking back to Defiance Bay, and it'd be in your best interest to get in as much sleep as you can."

Axa shook her head, her thick burgundy curls falling in front of her face. "Don't worry about me," she murmured. "I'll be in soon. For now, I think I'd just like a moment to myself."

She drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her tightly folded legs, and she waited until Kana's footsteps faded into the distance, until she heard Brighthollow's front door open and close again, waited until she knew she was truly alone. Then, only then, did she let herself have it.

Fool.

You fool. You fool. You stupid, foolish, fucking idiot girl. You knew something like this was going to happen. It happened before, too, when you ran off to the Land. You ran away from your home, from your family, from everything you'd ever known, and what did it get you? Vaargys, that's what. And as soon as that blew up in your face– despite a robust campaign of denial and willful ignorance on your part– you ran away again, here, to the Dyrwood, trying to escape the consequences of your own stupid mistakes. And for what? So you can do it all over again somewhere new? Fall in love with an emotionally unstable liar again, get your heart broken again, fuck up your whole life and then run away from it again? Well, there's nowhere left to run now, girl. If you don't start taking this seriously and stop wasting what precious little time and energy you have left getting yourself tangled up in the lives of others, you'll lose your mind, or you'll fuck up on one of your ridiculous little people-pleasing side jobs, or one of your many new enemies will find you while you're weak and vulnerable, and you'll end up dead.

What's it going to take, Axa? What's it going to take for you to learn your fucking lesson?

And finally, the tears came. And she buried her face in her knees, powerless to stop them.

—

[punkscowardschampions]

Jac & Savannah

Jac: Are you warm enough? Jac: 🧣🤗🧤🤗🧥 Savannah: No but that's a total secret, okay? I can't cope with the others judging me for trying to look nice Jac: I'll never tell Jac: [subtly getting her a blanket or something though, obviously] Jac: no one can come for your look 😍 Savannah: [you know we're snuggling under this blanket together because shameless excuse to be close af] Savannah: oh I see, you're trying to warm me up by making me 😳 it's fine that can be our secret too Jac: [would be so 😳 forreal] Jac: you can blame the 🔥 Savannah: [putting her head on the bae's shoulder like we're not already close enough and doing a little happy sigh] Savannah: but your compliments deserve full credit, anything else would be unfair Jac: [patting her head under the guise of checking out the boujee hat] Jac: your outfit arguably deserves a higher class of event but I'm still glad you're here Savannah: [doing a hat swap because we do so love sharing clothes with the bae and it's amusing as well as a shameless excuse to check her out like hmm what do we think] Savannah: I'm glad I'm here too Jac: It would be weird if you weren't Jac: I'm as close to you as my siblings now Jac: in a different way, obviously but still Savannah: [swapping the hats back because the bae is serving a look and also then we have to fix her hair and make that a moment™ soz Amelia for this blatant flirting you are witnessing rn] Savannah: I feel so at home here, with you Jac: [when you think the bae is perfect so you can't even pretend to sort her hair, so you end up fussing with your own after her like ugh it's so unruly but we're 🥰 and seriously soz have a more or something] Jac: You are Jac: you're always welcome, even when we're celebrating weird non-holiday holidays Savannah: [just giving her all the compliments out loud because we see that fussy and also we don't care who hears us, again soz Amelia and snuggling again] Savannah: I'd make you the same offer in a heartbeat if I felt welcome at my house Jac: [snuggling her extra hard for a hot sec there] Jac: I know, baby Savannah: [likewise and just burying our face in the bae's shoulder fully because emotions and doing a little sad sigh this time] Jac: [doing something to make her happy, probably posting the picture of her for example] Savannah: [giving her all the compliments again because that is a good picture tbh gal you clearly have skills but then because I'm evil I'm gonna say your bf sees it and so you're texting him forever while he's with his friends doing whatever] Jac: [at least you have an excuse to get up, like your other guests lol] Savannah: [just gotta do something extra as she's getting up like take her hand and make her do a little spin or something cos you're a nerd and we know you care more about this than whatever your bf is saying] Jac: don't faint Savannah: catch me & it won't be an issue Jac: I don't need to tell you it's dangerous to play near or with 🔥 Savannah: [as close to a LOOK as we can get away with] Jac: 😈 Savannah: he wants to see me, like, right now Savannah: but I don't think he's offering a higher class of event Jac: 😏 and obviously, you have to make him sweat it out a bit Jac: right? Savannah: all night at least Jac: Poor Ty Savannah: Do you think I'm being too 😈? Jac: not enough, if anything Savannah: oh really, well I hate that Jac: I'm sure it'll do the job on Ty Jac: but I think you could do better Savannah: of course I could, especially if the alternative means disappointing you Savannah: I don't ever want to Jac: It's very unlikely that you could Savannah: It's impossible, I promise Jac: Don't worry, it wasn't a challenge Savannah: I'm not worried if it is, I'll rise to it for you Jac: 🌠🌠🌠 Jac: I am going to have to challenge my brother not to be that basic white boy who brings out an acoustic 'round the campfire, excuse me 🙄😅 Savannah: 😄 Savannah: as long as Isabelle doesn't decide to sing along, because it'll be a challenge for me to sit through that Jac: 😬 Jac: she ALWAYS gets the words wrong! Jac: I think she might be partially deaf Savannah: you would know Savannah: it's a shame she's HOPELESS at sign language Jac: honestly, she'd need to do some brain training first Jac: bless her Savannah: I'm still waiting for you to teach me, maybe I'll be worse than she is Jac: [gutted you can't say gay things 'cos most people here can understand but you can still come teach her] Savannah: [Amelia do be watching you and she definitely can] Savannah: [Jude would also just be chiming in telling Savannah what she's doing wrong like a blunt bitch so now we're mortified because we have to be good at everything] Jac: [just showing her how to tell Jude to fuck off or something like excuse you] Savannah: [literally never swears because she's that kind of trying to be classy so you've been spared gal but we're not forgetting that you made us look a fool] Jac: She literally couldn't tie her own shoes 'til like last year Jac: I wouldn't spend any energy on her Savannah: it's fine, I'd rather know my mistakes Jac: She knows it's as rude to listen in on a sign conversation as it is a normal one Jac: honestly, I don't know where her manners have gone half the time Savannah: I'll have to get better now so we can have a conversation worth listening in on Jac: I'll show you properly Jac: when we have some privacy Savannah: you can come home with me, we'll have plenty of privacy if we leave here late enough Jac: You're really gonna make him wait then Jac: 😘 Savannah: he'll be too drunk to be any use to me once his friends are done with him Savannah: & anyway, I want to be with you Jac: Good Jac: of course I'll come Savannah: I feel like I haven't even seen you since Ty & I reconciled, I've really missed you Jac: he had a lot he had to make up for Jac: so I've missed you more Savannah: [touching that necklace he gave us without realising we're doing it as we recall that horrible argument] Savannah: I'm all yours now Jac: Good Jac: because we're both going to need really long 🛀 to get the smoke smell out of our hair Savannah: ugh true! I'll wash yours if you wash mine Jac: 100% Jac: and would you ever trust a boy with your hair, no matter how sorry he is Savannah: No way! Savannah: plus he's too tall to fit in the 🛁 with me, even the huge one at my house Savannah: he'd just sulk the entire time Savannah: I'm so sorry I'm taller than the other girl you dated Jac: the basketball boys always go out with tiny girls Jac: it's like their thing Jac: so weird Savannah: right? 🙄 Savannah: it's a totally possessive thing, I'm glad you can't stand over me to feel powerful, excuse me Jac: honestly Jac: people always talk about short guy's complexes but tall lads think they're so superior just for having a few inches, okay we get what you're trying to put out and it ain't cute Savannah: exactly Savannah: & if picking me up & throwing me around is SUCH a turn on for you, work at it 💪🏾 I have to put in effort to look good too Jac: Not about it Savannah: Ty isn't either, he's the gentlest boy in the world Jac: Yeah he is Savannah: maybe too gentle sometimes, but I didn't say so Jac: I get it Jac: you don't have to think he's perfect just because you're going out with him Savannah: he definitely doesn't think I am Jac: he's got no complaints though Savannah: for now, I suppose Jac: he told me, you saw Jac: he thinks you're good, if not perfect Savannah: he doesn't want to lose me Jac: he's not stupid Savannah: ^^ he'll say anything, that's what boys do Jac: yeah Jac: how much they mean is a different story Savannah: my dad's never meant a single word he's said to us Jac: even if he meant it at the time Jac: he didn't stick to his word, and that's what counts Savannah: yes, it is Jac: Ty's dependable Savannah: I'm not though, I'm a wreck Jac: hey Jac: [looks at her and shakes her head like no] Jac: do you want to go inside for a bit? we can be getting more food and drinks or whatever Savannah: okay Jac: [casually run off hand in hand so you can go properly talk about this] Savannah: [soz not soz everyone] Jac: [also said your garden would not be that big so probably gonna need to go upstairs or down so everyone's not just 👀 lol] Savannah: [get in the basement for that parallel] Jac: [sounds creepy but yes lol, go forth for that privacy hens] Savannah: [yet again we're just telling the bae stuff that we haven't told anyone including our bf #bonding] Jac: [we know the fucking vibes, y'all gonna be ages and do not care remotely] Savannah: [gotta fix Savannah's makeup for her to because she'll have done a little cry so that's gay & intimate] Jac: [honestly how this kiss doesn't happen sooner hun] Savannah: [that's the scolding hot tea] Jac: [casual patience of a saint somehow] Savannah: [we both know you're scared to cross that line hens] Jac: [mhmm how you just don't though when the tension is this high and obvious but you know, sort yourselves out] Savannah: [for now though go back outside to find Amelia has left] Jac: how rude Savannah: Do you have any messages from her? Jac: she told them she was feeling sick Jac: but she's not said anything more than that in a message either Savannah: one of her migraines? Jac: probably Jac: smoke can be a trigger, I guess Jac: oh well, I'll message her in the group chat, make sure she's okay Savannah: I hope she got home okay Savannah: it was a bit rude of Is not to go with her & make sure Jac: ^^ I'm like, girl Jac: you've had THREE hot dogs Jac: you could've done without the last one to be a better friend but priorities, I suppose Savannah: ^^ she could've at least come & got us so we could do the right thing if she wasn't going to Jac: Seriously Jac: now I look lowkey bad like thanks 🙄 Savannah: No, it's my fault Savannah: I feel bad, poor Amelia Jac: Oh my God, no, it's so not your fault Savannah: it's okay, I know I'm beyond demanding Jac: You aren't Jac: She just has a headache Jac: you're actually going through it right now Jac: you deserve time to vent Savannah: 😔 Savannah: but I do understand if you're upset with me Jac: I'm not, at all Jac: just at Is a bit for not handling the whole situation properly Savannah: Would you like me to talk to her? Jac: That's fine, we don't need to get into their drama Jac: it's like, not a situation and not going to be one because Is either wants it to be or is literally too ditzy to check in on Amelia herself without being explicitly told Savannah: You're right Savannah: you deserve a good night even if it is a fake holiday Jac: I'm having a good night with you Savannah: Oh please, I can do better Savannah: I've been crying for most of it Savannah: [proves it by doing the most, throwing ourselves into all the activities and thus the bae as well] Savannah: [I like to imagine poor Isabelle trying to get involved & we're just subtly not having it] Jac: [montage time, honestly Is you would've been better to leave too, at least the fam is here so you aren't being totally ignored lol] Savannah: [soz that we're just falling in love here] Jac: [literally can't help it sorry they don't mean the harm they casually do] Savannah: now you're having a good night Jac: an even better one, yeah Savannah: I'll be your 🌠 Savannah: anything you want, all you have to do is whisper it to me & I'll make sure it comes true Jac: Tinkerbell's got nothing on you Savannah: your happiness is so important to me, with or without the 👏🏾 Jac: you know I'd do anything for you too Jac: I feel like I should do more Jac: be better Savannah: you do more for me than anyone else EVER has, if you did more you'd be putting your own mental health & wellbeing at risk for the sake of mine Savannah: I'm not trying to be a drain of you like Is, who literally needs her hand held through every little thing Jac: I know, you're just so good to me Jac: but you're good FOR me too Savannah: I'm not always this selfish, I swear Jac: you're literally the most selfless Jac: all you do is look after Sienna and you're the best friend to me and girlfriend to Ty Jac: it hurts my heart sometimes Jac: I just wanna take care of you and make your life so easy you can thrive and shine Savannah: You're going to make me cry again Savannah: [IRL 🥺 because the bae is so pure & genuinely takes such good care of us] Savannah: I'll survive this & you'll see what I'm actually like without all this drama surrounding me Savannah: I really will be the best friend to you forever Jac: [we're such emotional bitches atm and always tbh hennys] Jac: I know you will, you're already amazing Jac: you're going to be unstoppable Jac: and I'm gonna be right there with you Savannah: [it's the only emotion we can safely express rn because smooching is forbidden] Savannah: I'm totally fine with doing trust falls Savannah: you know I believe in you & our future together Jac: 🌍 sister connection Jac: [because we are all earth signs except Amelia soz gal] Savannah: ^^ yes! Savannah: [take your bae to dance because it's a party and that's the only excuse we need] Jac: [bye at how much of a moment that'd be] Savannah: [literally there's every chance it's the first time they have because her bf would always be there at parties and stuff so I'm deceased] Jac: [we know you'd have no qualms stealing her away but a party with loads of peers is different from how intimate this is, at best everyone has a few friends] Savannah: [exactly that, so glad you don't have to see this Amelia you really would have a headache] Jac: [yeah this would be 💔] Savannah: [thank god we've got Isabelle cockblocking rn because y'all are too in love tbh] Jac: [just joins in 'cos not in love with you and thus oblivious] Savannah: [they'd be so annoyed lol] Jac: [lmao oh isabelle] Savannah: [go get some drinks or something gals and whisper shade to each other about this poor third wheel because any excuse to keep that intimacy going] Jac: [it's a good thing you are lowkey oblivious or you'd be way more upset by it all too] Savannah: [god bless you Isabelle, so soz you get done so dirty] Jac: [in the end you live your best life, just not being friends with this squad lol] Savannah: [the best thing for you is getting new friends my love, but for now I like to imagine she's talking to them about some boy or other, remember those you massive gays] Jac: 😬 him Jac: seriously?!? Savannah: What is she thinking of? & more importantly, what part of her body is leading her in those thoughts Jac: 😷 I can't Jac: so many cold showers necessary for her and honestly just some 🧼 for him Savannah: He asked me out, knowing full well I'm not single or interested, it was horrific Jac: the definition of no shame Savannah: I didn't know what to do Jac: I bet you didn't Jac: the actual nerve Savannah: Not to sound like Amelia, but I genuinely have no understanding of what she approves of or thinks we'll approve of about most of the boys she talks about Jac: Availability? Jac: like, imagine that was all a boy had to say about you Savannah: that's so sad Jac: like if they weren't so gross themselves, I'd feel sorry for them Savannah: I've just decided, I'm going to find her a boyfriend we can all stand to be around, Ty'll know someone Savannah: it'll give you a much needed break from how clingy she is & my heart won't hurt anymore from hearing her talk like this about boys who aren't worthy Jac: Such a nice idea 👼🏾 Jac: does he know anyone that will deal with her though Jac: she's a lot Savannah: It may not be an overnight success but I'll work my 🔮✨ Jac: I believe in nothing harder than I believe in your magic Savannah: I'm your girl too, just like you told Ty, of course you have faith in me & because you do, I feel so capable of anything 🥰 Jac: It had to be said Jac: like we said, the possessive thing, not it Jac: you're you and you're so many things to so many people, and you're especially important to me Jac: if he wants you, he's gotta accept that Savannah: ^^^ Savannah: I love you & you're always going to be part of my life, I hope he is too, obviously but there's none of that uncertainty with you, you are & you will be Jac: Right, romantic relationships are arguably almost always the least secure, that's just realistic Jac: ask any girl who ditches ALL her friends and then gets dumped Savannah: oh god, I could NEVER Savannah: I need you Jac: The concession they must make in their lives, like, who do you talk to about the stuff he has no interest in, who gives you advice from a woman's perspective??? Jac: so toxic Savannah: He & I have very different styles of self care, I'm sorry I simply would not survive Jac: 🏋️ is part of the daily grind, NOT a way to unwind, sorry Ty Savannah: 😄 Savannah: Don't worry, I promise I won't wake you as early tomorrow for our workout Jac: I'm not, I nearly ALWAYS wake up before you Jac: but that's okay, you look adorable and very peaceful 😴😘 Savannah: well it takes me longer to fall asleep Savannah: you look even more adorable & peaceful then 👼🏻☁ Jac: okay, so we're even 😅 Savannah: the universe is keeping everything in balance for us Savannah: I love that Jac: I know, right? Jac: if we had a 👶🏾 or a job share we'd be KILLING it Savannah: 🥺 you're going to have the cutest babies ever! Jac: 🤞 the dad's DNA doesn't screw that up Savannah: No way, we'll find you someone perfect Jac: I have more hope for Uni Savannah: you don't trust my matchmaking skills? Jac: No, no Jac: just the boys you have to choose from here 😬😂 Savannah: 😄You're right, an LDR makes much more sense for you & I wouldn't have to share you as often Savannah: I'll find you a first year uni boy who goes to school with Ty's brother Jac: You think so? Savannah: definitely, he'll fit into your schedule without wanting to become your schedule Savannah: & you may actually be able to have & sustain a proper conversation, depending what he studies Jac: you really do have the best ideas Jac: Obviously down Savannah: [immediately starts sending her pics and profiles because we're extra] Savannah: Let me know who you like & I'll totally make it happen Jac: I'll look properly tonight at yours Jac: [like no, Isabelle, you may not have more than a peep so you're #curious] Savannah: there's no rush, whenever you're ready Jac: 😍😍 Savannah: [snuggling again with our IRL 😍 because we're in love bitch] Savannah: [Savannah is just that touchy feely hoe like soz gal she's gonna just be touching you ALL THE TIME] Jac: [at least you'd have to vaguely get used to it or literally die haha, we know the 😍 are and will be for you but we'll pretend to be into these lads so we can scheme it together] Savannah: [we've since the pics you had a touchy feely vibe with Amelia too, even if it was more like hugs and piggy backs lol you can do this] Jac: [mhmm, arguably you can't but you carry it on for a long time lol]