#ch 39 is so special to me

[ssaraexposs]

"AKUTAGAWA DOESN'T CARE"

Explain this panel then:

[sergeantsporks]

Gilded Family

Rating: Teen and Up, Gen

Ch 39/39: Closure

Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6 , Ch 7, Ch 8, Ch 9, Ch 10, Ch 11, Ch 12, Ch 13, Ch 14, Ch 15, Ch 16, Ch 17,  Ch 18, Ch 19, Ch 20, Ch 21, Ch 22, Ch 23, Ch 24, Ch 25, Ch 26, Ch 27, Ch 28, Ch 29, Ch 30, Ch 31, Ch 32, Ch 33, Ch 34, Ch 35, Ch 36, Ch 37, Ch 38, Ch 38.5

An alternate universe in which Evelyn managed to save Caleb after his confrontation with Phillip. The two of them escaped to present day through time pools, and have been using time pools to secretly rescue grimwalkers just after Belos attempts to kill them. The story follows Darius' mentor as he adjusts to his new life, as well as changes to the course of canon.

Ao3

Xxx

“I don’t know about this.”

Cyrus tried to turn around, but A.T. caught his shoulders, turning him around, and Phoenix gave him a push towards the townspeople cleaning up wreckage and graffiti. Most importantly, towards the blue demon boy stabilizing a broken wall.

“Do you like him, or no?”

“I mean, yes,” Cyrus replied, “But we went on one sort-of date ages ago, before everything went screwy! What if he doesn’t like me anymore? What if he doesn’t even remember it?”

“You were halfway through a date before you were suddenly interrupted and dragged off by your family, and then a wild witch showed up and was chased through the streets,” A.T. reminded him, “How could he forget that date?”

“Yes, but what if the whole concealment stone thing drives him away? What if—if—”

“What if he’s got terrible amnesia?” A.T. suggested, “What if he’s got a new boyfriend? What if I unhinge my jaw and swallow him whole before you have the chance to speak to him?”

“What?” Phoenix and Cyrus asked in unison.

“Exactly, it’s all impossible. Go talk to him.”

Cyrus didn’t look too convinced, but he also seemed too startled by A.T.’s statement to protest, and made his way towards his one-time date. He waved awkwardly, saying something Phoenix couldn’t hear. The demon left his work, dusting his hands off, and tilting his head in a question. Cyrus pulled out his concealment stone, put it on, transformed, then took it off when his partner’s eyes lit up with recognition. He put the stone back in his pocket, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

“I’m actually super terrible for lying and you should never even look at me again,” A.T. mimed in a terrible imitation of Cyrus—a truly impressive feat, given how much his natural voice already sounded like their sibling. “I don’t think I’m worth it, even though I totally deserve a spectacular boyfriend!” He switched his voice to a lower pitch when the demon spoke up. A.T. even imitated his tentative hand one Cyrus’ arm.

“Wow, you look so much better without the concealment stone! Let’s get married forever!”

“I don’t think that’s what he’s saying.”

“Could be. You don’t know.”

Cyrus said something else, glancing back at A.T. and Phoenix. A.T. waved when the demon looked over, but the demon barely seemed to see him, his eyes latching onto Phoenix and sparking with something that was almost recognition, but fogged over by confusion.

Right. I ran into him when he was a puppet.

Phoenix wondered how many other former puppets would look at him with that unease, that sense of not quite remembering why he made them uncomfortable, but knowing somewhere in their unconscious mind that he’d played with the Collector, stood by while they were paraded around helplessly.

But Cyrus’ date shook himself, waved back at A.T., and turned back to Cyrus, enthusiastically explaining the work he was doing with a lot of arm waving. Cyrus went along with him, a small, happy smile blooming on his face.

“Aw, well, that’s sweet.” A.T. tugged his hair. “Boy, this place looks different. I hope they don’t rebuild it the exact same. I’d like to see something new.”

“Well, for one thing, there won’t be specialized cells for wild witches,” someone said behind them, “Thank the titan for that.”

A short witch grinned at them. She looked familiar, but Phoenix couldn’t quite place why until she nodded at an alleyway. “Seems like just yesterday you lot helped me out of here, and now, well, I’m back! This time without the chasing, hopefully. Where’s your little friend, the one with the jokes? And the older one?”

“Oh!” Phoenix blurted out. “The witch at the coven day—hey! You made it past the day of unity?”

“Mhm. One of the Collector’s little spies picked me up later, but I’m back now. You would not believe all the apologies I’ve been getting. It’s going to go to my head if I’m not careful. Maybe I should set some scaffolding on fire and give them a new reason to chase me out of town, for old times’ sake. Or at the least to test how far their ‘we’re so sorry, wild witches were right’ sentiments go.”

A.T. reached into his pocket and wordlessly held out a box of matches.

“Did you just have those on you?” Phoenix asked.

“You never know when you’ll have to light a fire,” A.T. remarked serenely, “Just ask Frank.”

The wild witch barked a laugh. “I like you. I’m Annette Thompson; what do they put on your wanted posters?”

A.T.’s face burst into a wide grin. “Matching initials!”

“What’s yours stand for, then?”

“I’ve been told not to ask,” Phoenix told her.

“Oh, a mystery?”

A.T. wiggled his eyebrows up and down. “One that is unlocked after we light enough fires together.”

Annette laughed again. “I suppose we better start, then.”

“Please don’t light anything too important on fire,” Phoenix called desperately after them, “Or better yet—no fires!”

Cyrus jogged over just as A.T. and Annette disappeared into the construction. “I think I need to quit distracting Raphael right now, but he told me when he gets off of construction work, and… where’s A.T. gone off to?”

“To light a fire? I think? He’s made a friend. Or… partner in crime? Possibly both.”

Alarm flashed across Cyrus’ face. “We should be worried, right? We should stop them? They’re just rebuilding.”

Phoenix waved a hand. “I’m sure it’s… fine. Ish.”

“Mm.” Cyrus squinted at the bustling streets. “I guess as long as he doesn’t light anything huge on fire in the middle of my second date.”

“On second thought, I think I’ll go find them.”

Xxx

“I’m leaving.”

Caleb glanced up at Joseph’s declaration, still mostly-engrossed in kneading bread dough for dinner. “Thanks for letting me know. What time do you think you’ll be back?”

“No, I mean, I’m leaving. To go do something else. I won’t be around for… I don’t know how long.”

Phoenix and Frank glanced at each other, but quietly kept chopping up vegetables, pretending they weren’t listening to every word.

“Oh.” Caleb struggled for words, finally managing a simple “I see.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong!” Joseph said quickly. Despite the confidence he’d originally announced himself with, he brimmed with nervous energy, turning a loose griffin feather over and over in his hands, “I love you, and I love the family, and I’ll definitely come back to visit, I just think…” He took a deep breath. “I want to go somewhere else. I’ve been in the same place for so long—and before that, I was with Belos. Now that our home is gone, and we’re rebuilding, and everything is changing anyway… I want to go up to the hand.”

He waved his hands, his nervous energy transforming into excitement. “I mean—the arm is sticking straight up! It’s taller than the Knee now—there’s no telling how the ecosystem up there is going to shift. Plants are going to change to fit the new shape, and the animals are going to have to adapt—and I want to see it. I want to see all the new creatures this brings, I want to see how the old creatures adapt or move somewhere new, or just fail… and I just want to get out and see everything the Isles has. I want to study beasts where they are, out in their natural environments, and I can’t do that if I stay here. I need to go. Please.”

“Okay,” Caleb said slowly. He wiped flour off his hands. “You don’t need my permission, you know that, right?” A wobbly smile appeared on his face. “I gave all of you the choice to leave or stay, remember? I never said that choice had to be permanent.”

Joseph’s shoulders visibly sank in relief. “Thank you.”

“What about the griffins?” Frank asked, finally breaking the unspoken treaty of silence between he and Phoenix.

“I thought—” Joseph rubbed the back of his neck. “—that is—if it’s alright—I thought I’d take Lucy. That’ll make the space restraints with moving closer to town less of an issue. The other griffins I think will be alright as long as they’re fed and exercised, but Lucy… anyway, this—it means the world to me.”

Caleb gave him a small, sad smile. “Permission to…?”

Joseph grabbed Caleb in a bear hug, squeezing so tightly that Phoenix thought he heard Caleb’s back pop. “Thank you, Dad,” he mumbled, his voice thick, “Thank you for everything.”

Caleb hugged back just as tightly. “I’m going to miss you. But I hope wherever you go—I hope you’re happy. I hope you find what you’re looking for. I hope… I hope…”

He didn’t finish his sentence, instead giving Joseph one last squeeze and letting go.

“Say goodbye to your mom, too, okay?”

“Of course. And everyone—I wouldn’t just disappear. Of course not.”

Joseph wandered out of the kitchen, searching for Evelyn, and Caleb sat down with a whump.

“Are you okay?” Phoenix asked quietly.

He managed a tired smile. “Of course, of course. I always knew that someday… I mean, I hoped that one day the world would be safe enough for you. I think I always sort of knew that the house was too small, and that one day some of you might want to leave.” He ran a hand through his hair. “But I don’t believe any amount of time would have actually prepared me for it.”

Phoenix thought of the first time he’d seen Darius after Belos’ attack—how he’d suddenly looked so grown up, how the realization that he didn’t need a mentor anymore had punched him in the gut. “No,” he agreed, “I don’t think it would.”

Caleb took a deep breath. “Things are changing right now,” he admitted, “We’ve been… living in a bubble. The only surprises were when one of you would join the house. But now… now the world’s opened up to us, and nothing will be the same.” He gave Phoenix and Frank a tired smile. “At risk of sounding like my brother, I’m not quite sure I’m ready for the change.”

Frank chuckled. “Now you know how we felt when we woke up in a different century.” He shrugged and chopped furiously at the vegetables on the board. “Things are going to be different. But some things are going to be the same, like—” he yanked back from the cutting board with a short scream.

Phoenix dropped his knife, and Caleb jumped up immediately. “Are you okay?! Did you cut yourself?!”

“My arm!” Frank yelped, “I’ve chopped it in with the vegetables! I didn’t even notice! The whole thing’s gone!”

“Terrible,” Phoenix told him, picking his knife back up, “You are just awful.”

Frank grinned, cheerfully resuming his chopping. “And that is something you can count on never changing.

Xxx

The front of Darius’ house buzzed with activity. Lake and Locke even managed to drag Sam out, although he still fidgeted with that strange box Ghost had found. Joseph paced nervously back and forth, and Lucy eyed him like she might be on the verge of sitting on him. But despite the nervousness, the saddlebags on Lucy and the backpack on Joseph looked natural. Right, even. Even his clothes—he’d bundled up for the likely lower temperatures—seemed to fit him better. His eyes shone with a healthy, excited glow.

“I’ll miss you.”

Joseph tousled Jason’s hair, grinning when Jason pushed his hand away. “Don’t get too mopey over me, or Lucy might turn around midair just to squash you.”

“Yeah, yeah. Come back soon, okay? I want to read about all the new things you find up there.”

“You’ll be the first to see the notes,” Joseph promised. He glanced over Jason’s head at Cherry. “Take care of them, yeah? Especially keep your eye on this one. He’s trouble. He’ll get another concussion if he can manage it.”

Jason stuck his tongue out.

“Always.” Cherry’s one eye flicked back and forth nervously, glancing up at the sky like he was hoping for some sudden terrible weather to appear and delay Joseph just a little longer. “Stay safe.

“Always,” Joseph echoed, “Don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine.” He turned to Evelyn and Caleb. “Thank you.”

“You’ll always have a room with us,” Caleb told him, “You know that?”

“I know.”

Evelyn straightened his scarf. “Go find some new wild things. I just know you’ll figure out some way to befriend them.”

“Will do, ma’am.”

Joseph hugged Evelyn and Caleb, climbed on Lucy’s back, and clicked his tongue. The griffin sprang up into the air, her huge wings beating massive gusts of wind onto their heads. Soon, the two of them were just a speck in the sky, sailing towards the raised arm of the titan.

Xxx

“I can’t do it.”

Evelyn gave Auric a gentle shove towards Hexside’s doors. “Yes, you can.”

Auric scratched at the scars on his neck, balking. “I’m too old. Hexside stops at eighteen, and I’m twenty. They won’t let me.”

“I talked to Bump,” Phoenix reassured him, “He and I go back—and Darius talked to him about it, too. You’re not going to be a regular student, no, but the healing teacher agreed to take you on after school, and help you transition into healing-specific schools for graduates. Like an apprenticeship.”

“I don’t have magic,” Auric replied, changing tack, “I can’t do the kinds of… I can’t do it. I’m never going to be as good as them, so—”

“Hey,” Evelyn said sharply, “Who kept Caleb and I from bleeding out?”

“You would have died without the pain sharing spell, I—”

“Who patched up all the refugees when I couldn’t heal anyone?” Evelyn demanded.

“Those weren’t life-threatening injuries, it wasn’t even—”

“You splinted and casted Clara’s broken bone and kept her cheerful,” Phoenix offered, “You were the first one to realize something was wrong with my arms.”

“You stitched Matt up when he came home injured,” Evelyn added, “Face it, Auric—you’re as good a healer as anyone. Magic or no. Magic healers have it easy—we draw a circle, and the wound disappears. But you? You have to put so much thought into what you’re doing, and you have to do it quick. You are incredible, Auric.”

Auric scratched at his neck again. “I’m just not sure.”

“If you really don’t want to do this, then we can go back home,” Evelyn said softly, “But I want you to look me in the eye and tell me with absolute certainty, that going to healing school is something you don’t want.”

Auric took a step back, then a step forward, hovering between Evelyn and the door. “You think I’ll really be able to do it?”

“Would I have put my life in your hands if I wasn’t absolutely certain?”

Auric took a deep breath, taking a decisive step towards Hexside’s doors. “Okay. I’m ready.”

Xxx

“Hey! Over here!”

A hand closed around Phoenix’s arm, pulling him into the empty kitchen. “Phoenix.” Matt laced his fingers together. “You were part of the emperor’s coven when it was actually, you know, a coven.”

Phoenix winced at the reminder. What was this about? “Yes?”

“So you were around a lot of people.”

Where was he going with this? “Yeeessss?”

“Do you know how to plan a party.”

Phoenix stared at him. “What.”

“A party. Do you know how to plan one? Cyrus and I were in town, and his boyfriend invited him to a housewarming party for one of the newly rebuilt houses—well, he invited me, too, but that was just to be polite, I’m not going. Anyway, the point is, I think a housewarming party sounds nice. We could have one for our house, once we’ve actually built it. It would be…” Matt waved a hand. “You know. A normal thing.”

“A normal thing,” Phoenix echoed.

“Something other people do. I think it might help us settle into the town better, you know? Break some of the tension.”

“Have you run this by Caleb and Evelyn yet?”

“I sort of wanted to surprise them. I’ll warn everyone else, of course, but if we’re going to get anywhere with this, first I need someone who can actually plan a party.”

“A party?” Like the word had summoned him, Darius seemed to materialize behind Phoenix. He arched one eyebrow at Matt. “And you asked Phoenix to help plan it?”

“Hey, I planned social functions.”

“The very fact that you just called a party a social function is proof that you aren’t up to the task. What party?”

Matt explained his plan, and Darius nodded slowly. “Doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Who would you invite?”

“You, obviously.”

“Obviously.”

“Um… Cyrus’ boyfriend Raphael? Maybe that woman A.T. started hanging out with… I bet Jason will want to invite the kids. I guess we could invite the refugees who stayed with us, if anyone knows where they went.” Matt scratched the back of his head. “Do we know anyone else??

“Oh, titan,” Darius murmured under his breath.

“Eda and Lilith,” Phoenix volunteered, “Eber. I think that’s everyone.”

“Small party,” Darius commented.

“There’s over twenty of us, any party we host is already huge.”

“Fair enough.” Darius twirled a finger in the air. “If you’re after goodwill from the townsfolk, shouldn’t you invite some of them? Other than Cyrus’ boyfriend, that is.”

Matt winced. “Inviting strangers isn’t the best plan. I don’t know if you’ve realized this, but most of us aren’t exactly the trusting, openly friendly type.”

“I had noticed something of the sort, believe it or not,” Darius said dryly, “Why don’t you go people watch? Pick guests you don’t find threatening. People who aren’t likely to cause friction, accidentally or on purpose.”

“Reconnaissance. We can do that.”

Darius squeezed his eyes shut. “Reconnaissance. Oh, heavens. Please take Jason with you.”

Xxx

“Not that one. Not that one. Ooo, that one gave me an apology basket, let’s invite him.”

Phoenix glanced over at Annette. “You don’t have to help us.”

“Hey, if they’re not friendly towards a wild witch, they won’t be friendly towards your lively bunch either. My insight is incredibly valuable.”

“Hm.”

“Now might be a good time to test that elixir,” Jason commented mildly.

Phoenix glanced down at his arms. Matt had chosen the top a construction crane, of all places, to people-watch from. It had been a miracle—and Annette’s magic—that he’d gotten up here in the first place. And being out in the town without a concealment stone… it made his skin itch. The curse shifted uneasily, reacting to the stress. It was so ridiculous it almost made him laugh; he’d gotten through the Collector’s “games, the apocalypse, and attempted possession, but being up a little too high and getting a little stressed was making the curse react?

“Here goes nothing.” Phoenix tilted the golden bottle back. Eda had warned him not to let it sit in his mouth, but she hadn’t prepared him for the explosion of terrible flavors that washed over his tongue. He swallowed with a gag. “Tastes like burned animal hair,” he said with a grimace.

“But look.” Jason pointed at his arms. The curse settled back into his normal flesh. He could still feel it curled up inside of him, throbbing in time with his heartbeat, but it seemed… passive. Dormant. Almost like it was taking a nap. Some of the bone-weary exhaustion that seemed to stay no matter how long he slept faded into a background numbness.

“Huh. I guess… I’ll be asking Lilith for her recipe.”

“You think it’ll help long-term?”

Phoenix shrugged. “I know the curse has been useful sometimes, but… it’s a little hard on my arms.” He flexed his fingers, wondering at the difference that slight lift from exhaustion had made. “And I’m starting to think it might have been taking up a little more of my energy than I realized.”

Jason nudged his shoulder. “Sam could have told you that.”

“Yeah, yeah. He’d probably love to run a thousand tests on my day-to-day fatigue levels with and without elixirs.”

“Nah, he’s too busy with that box. Potion-brewing lessons for Phoenix, then. Mom will be ecstatic.” Jason kicked his legs aimlessly, watching the people down below. “You guys ever think about what you want to do now that we’re not on the run?”

“Mix as many kinds of magic together as I can,” Annette answered immediately, “Let’s test the ‘wild magic is dangerous’ theory. I bet some of it could be.”

“Oh, wow, you and A.T. really are perfect for each other. Matt?”

“Something normal.”

“What’s that mean?”

“I don’t know. I just want to live a normal life. Make some friends. Get a job. Maybe fall in love, start a family. Do something stupid and young.” Matt shrugged. “I lost my childhood and my teen years to Belos. Everything was one nonstop, horrifying adventure. Everything was some grand purpose. I kind of want to just have a boring life now.”

He heaved a sigh. “I had a choice, you know? Belos just sort of ditched me in the middle of the boiling sea, so when Caleb found me, I was dehydrated and exhausted, but not… dying. I chose to go with Caleb forward in time. I thought if Belos was already destined to be alive for centuries, there wouldn’t be any escaping him in my time. Now that we’ve actually finally gotten away from him… I just want to leave all that behind.”

Matt gave them all a quick smile. “Not that I’d leave the family behind, of course! I still want to be with you guys, I just…” He fell into a pensive silence, staring out at the people below. “I don’t know. I guess Joseph wasn’t the only one with an itch to get out there. This party, getting our foot in the door and helping Mom and Dad get back in the social life of the Isles… it just feels like the right thing to do before going. Not that I’d leave right after. I still don’t have any solid plans. But someday.”

Phoenix didn’t respond. He didn’t know how. It had been enough of a shock when Joseph had left. He’d known, of course, that things would change. Phoenix himself wouldn’t even be at the house on weekends anymore. But between Joseph leaving, Matt’s plan, Auric’s apprenticeship, and the appearance of new people in Cyrus and A.T.’s lives… everything was moving so fast. Maybe they’d stopped running for their lives, but their lives still kept running. He’d barely had the time to get used to the quiet life in the woods before it was completely overturned.

“Wow,” Jason said finally, “Have you told Mom or Dad yet? What about Ash?”

“I don’t want to spring this on them right now. I mean, with the house building, and everyone still healing, and Joseph just leaving… it’s not right. I don’t have a solid plan, and even if I left right after the party, that’s still months of house-building away.” Matt brushed his hair out of his face. “So… don’t tell anyone just yet, yeah?

“My lips are sealed,” Jason promised. He pointed down at the street. “That one, Annette, they stopped to feed a stray, put them on the list.” He sighed. “Wish I had a plan.”

Phoenix ruffled his hair. “You’re eighteen. Give yourself a minute.”

Jason pushed at his hand. “Hunter has it all figured out, and he’s only sixteen! He already knows he’s going to be a palisman carver!”

“You’re not Hunter. Most of us don’t know what we’re going to do. I don’t. Eda offered the idea of mentoring, but I don’t know if I’ll take it.”

Jason looked up at him with big, sparkling eyes. “Awwwwwwwww, but you’d be so good at it!”

“We’re not talking about me, we’re talking about you. Nice try.”

“Hey, I meant it. I wasn’t just trying to distract you.”

“Sure. Anyway, take it slow. Joseph knew what he wanted. Matt kind of knows what he wants. But you don’t have to have your whole life figured out just yet. I mean, everyone on the Isles is a bit displaced right now. There are tons of scouts who have no idea what they’re going to do with their lives now. Everyone’s shaken by what happened and wondering what we’ll do without the covens. So just… take it easy. Forget your entire future, let’s plan small. What do you want to do in the next few weeks?”

“Hm. I sort of want to go back to the human realm. Visit Camila. Maybe go back to the library there. Oh—and I want to take Novus. Phoenix, they have so much mechanical stuff there. I think he’ll explode. And I want to help look for where we’ll build the new house. Of course I’m going to help Matt with his guest list and party planning. And… why are you grinning like that?”

“No reason,” Phoenix said lightly, “It just sounds to me like you’ve got plenty of plans for the future.”

Jason wrinkled his nose at Phoenix. “Alright, point taken. But hey, there goes my point. You’re a great mentor.”

“Thanks.” Phoenix tousled Jason’s hair again. This time, he let him.

Xxx

Caleb eyed Phoenix critically. “You’re supposed to be resting your leg.”

He was, in fact, supposed to be sitting back at Darius’ house doing nothing, but Darius had left to deal with some Terra sighting, and almost everyone else was out close to their old home scouting for a new place to build. The whole place had been quiet, except for occasional mutterings from Sam while he fruitlessly searched for a way to open that stone box.

Phoenix sighed. “If I’m stuck sitting around resting my leg for five more minutes, the curse is going to take over from boredom and I’m going to run back into the woods.”

Caleb blinked twice. “Could that actually happen? Your curse activating from boredom, I mean?”

“I doubt it. Besides, I took an elixir today, it should be fine. I won’t move too much, I promise. I’ll find a spot to sit around out here. I just needed to get out.”

“Did you tell Sam you were leaving?”

“He’s not going to look up from that box for at least another twelve hours. He won’t even notice I’m gone.”

“He should just pour some explosive potion on that box and be done with it,” Novus suggested as he walked by, arms full of levels and angle-measurers, “Or cut into it. That’s the pragmatic thing to do.”

Caleb laughed. “It’s not about getting what’s inside for him, it’s about solving the puzzle. If he gives up, then I’ll let you at it with your tools.”

“That’s all I ask.”

“Anyway—you’re probably right, Phoenix, but still.”

“If Sam figures out I’m gone, he’ll probably just shrug and go back to the box. I don’t think he’s desperate to always have someone around. Unless he solves the box, in which case, he’ll tear over here immediately and demand to know why I wasn’t there to witness his moment of triumph.” Phoenix sat down on a log with a sigh. “I messaged Darius to tell him where I was going. Hopefully that’s enough.”

“Hopefully.”

Caleb wandered off, apparently satisfied that Phoenix wouldn’t rebreak his ankle. Phoenix sat on the stump watching his family. Novus kept laying out string where the house would be, testing different spots with his tools, while Lake casually picked the rope up and moved it just a couple inches to the left whenever he wasn’t looking. Matt wrote furiously in a small notebook—party plans, if Phoenix had to guess. Evelyn drew small circles, testing out her construction magic. Everywhere bustled with movement. If someone wasn’t actively making house plans, they were transporting construction materials, or overseeing everyone else.

“They don’t know how to sit still, do they?” Alex plopped down next to Phoenix. “Neither do you.” They shrugged. “I guess it’s good when we’re trying to build a house. What do you think they’ll find to do afterwards?”

“What do you mean?”

Alex gestured at the busy family. “When the house is finished, what do you think they’ll do? What will you do? None of us are good at stopping and staying still for a moment. We just keep going and going and going. So what are we supposed to do once we finish building the new house?”

“We just… live in it, I guess,” Phoenix answered slowly.

“Hm.”

“Do you know what you’re going to do?”

Alex shrugged. “Keep my feet on the ground, that’s the only thing I know for sure. Stay away from heights.”

“Seconded. How are the falling dreams? Have they gotten any better?”

“Careful, you sound like Dad.”

“Sorry, I just… you know, I don’t think I ever thanked you.”

“For what?”

“When you told me where you died—that’s how we found Ghost. So… thank you.”

“Oh. You’re welcome.” Alex went very still, staring pointedly at anything but Phoenix. “Hey, can I ask you something? And… do you promise not to tell anyone what I said?”

“Sure. But, uh… why me?” Surely there were other grimwalkers Alex was closer to. Phoenix had only ever spoken to them the once.

Alex eyed him critically. “Because you’re the only one who backed off, no questions asked, when I told you I just wanted space to process. I don’t know, I feel like I can trust you to understand. Um. Do you think it would be weird if I moved out of the house really soon?”

The question shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise. Joseph had already left, and Matt was planning on it—the moving fever was contagious. But still, Phoenix flinched at the idea of one more grimwalker leaving. “Well,” he said carefully, “I don’t think it would be… I mean, Joseph already broke the ice on that one.”

“I know.” Alex combed their fingers through their hair. “But Joseph was… Joseph. He was big. He was determined. He was capable of wrestling beasts and winning. He… well, he didn’t have a panic attack every time he tripped. What if Mom and Dad don’t think I’m ready?”

“They’ll let you anyway.”

“Right. But would it be weird? I mean, we’re building this house together, and then I… I wouldn’t be in it. They’d build a room for me, for what? For me to leave right after? I don’t want them to think I’ve wanted to leave this whole time and was just waiting for the all-clear.”

“Well, why do you want to leave?”

“Excuse me?”

“Why do you want to leave? Because you want space?”

“Oh. Yes. Something like that.” Alex twisted their hair and let it go. “Time. And space. And I love Mom and Dad and everyone, don’t get me wrong, they’re just… sometimes a little much. So. Um.” Alex gestured towards the town. “You know. Maybe I’ll leave. But I don’t want it to be…”

“Awkward?”

“Yes.”

“You should talk to them about it. I know that’s not your strong suit, but… give it a shot?”

“They’re busy right now.”

Phoenix watched as Novus gestured to Evelyn. She drew one glowing finger in a wide circle, and huge stone walls rose out of the ground where he’d laid out string, her eyes on his blueprints. Her free hand directed another circle, and abominations sludged their way towards the neat piles of tiles, shingles, glass panes, scooping them up and using the stone walls as a base to build windows and roofs.

“Not for long.”

Xxx

“Wow.” Phoenix’s voice echoed in the empty space. He hadn’t realized how everything in the old house had muffled sound until he stood in the empty rooms Evelyn had built. “This took two days?”

“And Evelyn will be passed out for about five,” Caleb said disapprovingly, “I wish she’d taken it slower.”

Lake bounced down a set of stairs, each footstep echoing off the walls and turning into a marching army. “Is Sam getting two rooms again? Because he’s already claimed one of the empty ones up there for his lab.”

“Oh, no,” Novus said casually, “I gave the house a couple of extra rooms for Ghost and Hunter, but I’m taking over the lab space for my work. Machinery will be far more useful than the glyphs now.” He laughed at Caleb’s stricken face. “I’m joking. There’s enough rooms for both. He can have a lab.”

Lake tilted their head. “Seems kinda… bare.”

“We’ll paint the walls,” Caleb promised. He moved through the space with a twinkle in his eye. “The kitchen will be here. Dining room right next to it, of course. What do you guys think of getting a family picture? I’ve always wanted one.”

“What about Achsah’s room?”

Caleb froze.

Lake scratched the back of their neck. “I mean… we saved some of her stuff. Some of the photographs were okay. We could try to set it all up again. But it won’t really be her room anymore. We’ll just be recreating it. Is that something you and Mom want?”

It was like in the absence of Locke, or Sam to bother, Lake had lost their usual goofy demeanor. Phoenix had never seen them be serious for more than two seconds—to drop this reminder on Caleb shocked Phoenix almost as much as it did their ortet.

“Um,” Caleb said in a strangled whisper, “I don’t know. I don’t…”

The kitchen and dining room area held a startling similarity to the old house—Novus had probably designed it that way on purpose. Caleb turned and wandered, half dazed, into the room that would have been Achsah’s back at home.

Lake watched him go passively. “That went well. Do you want to check out the rest of the house? Novus put a state of the art hidden room behind the dining room. The wall slides out and everything.”

“You’re not going to go check on him?”

“Nah, he needs a second by himself.”

Lake wandered through the empty halls, and Phoenix followed. “I don’t get it.”

“Don’t get what?”

Phoenix struggled for a moment to find the right words. “Why you?” he said finally.

“Because Cherry already took one for the team and yelled at Dad for sacrificing himself.”

“Really? That’s it?”

Lake shrugged. “Locke and I overheard Cherry and Novus talk about it when they first showed us the plans—you know how we like to lurk. Lurking is our favorite. Anyway, Cherry told Novus to just leave it in the plans, and we’d get there later, but, well, like I said, Cherry already did the lecture. Someone else’s turn to be the bearer of unwanted news.” Lake blew a strand of hair out of their face. “Would have loved for it to be Sam, Mr. Logic of Logics, but, well.”

They opened a door. Sure enough, Sam had claimed a space for a lab. Right now, he sat on the floor, twisting pieces of the box. He looked up.

“The box is a gridded cube!” he called excitedly, “Jason has compared it to something in the human realm called a ‘rubik’s cube’ and promised to find me one whenever he next visits. I just have to find the right combination…”

Lake closed the door. “You see the problem. Anyway, Locke and I rock-paper-scissors over it, which he ALWAYS wins, you would not BELIEVE how effective it is when he yells out his choice after I’ve already put my hand out. So I was Mr. Logic of Logics today.” They scratched the back of their head. “Not my favorite of jobs. I tried to channel Sam energy, how’d I do?”

Phoenix shook his head. “How do you do that?”

“What, channel Sam energy? It’s very easy, I just think ‘books, books, books’ in my head over and over again until I’m sufficiently stuffy and sneezing out big words.”

“No, I mean you and Locke—how do you stay so…”

“Charming?”

“…upbeat,” Phoenix finished.

Lake shook their head sadly. “It’s all a coping mechanism, we’re so sad and we cover it up with jokes so that no one will see the empty pit of despair welling up inside.” They grinned, immediately dispelling any thought Phoenix might have had that they were being serious. “Look, Phoenix. You just have to stop taking everything so seriously. We beat Belos! We survived! You’re on track for managing your curse! We’re building a great big house! We fought hard. Now enjoy the spoils.”

Loud banging echoed through the house, metal on wood. Lake glanced at an imaginary watch. “It appears to be checking on Dad o’clock.”

Caleb had left “Achsah’s” room. Instead, he sat in the empty place where the kitchen would be, building a table. He gave Phoenix a cheerful grin. “Been a while since I’ve done any woodworking.”

“You seem… chipper,” Phoenix said cautiously.

“Oh, for Titan’s sake, I can’t do this,” Lake whispered under their breath. They disappeared, and came back with Sam. “Go,” they ordered, pointing him towards Caleb.

Sam blinked, as if disoriented by how fast Lake had separated him from the cube and dragged him here. “Nice table. Avoiding our problems again?”

“I’m not avoiding anything. We need furniture if we’re going to live in this house. I’m solving problems.”

“Very reasonable,” Sam agreed, “How about that problem of Achsah’s room?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Phoenix sighed. This was going nowhere. “Are you okay?” he asked Caleb, “I know this can’t be easy. I know how much keeping her room meant to you.”

Caleb’s hand shook on his hammer. “I knew she wasn’t coming back. I mean, Eda and Lilith existing made that painfully clear. I guess I just hoped… But Lake’s right, aren’t they? It’s not her room anymore. The room’s gone, she’s gone…”

“It’s not wrong to want a reminder,” Phoenix said quietly, “You don’t have to forget her.”

“I don’t think I ever could.”

“You don’t have to decide now,” Sam chimed in, “You can leave the room empty for now. Leave it for last. Besides, you should probably talk to Mom before making a decision.”

“Yeah. Yeah, of course.” Caleb gave the three of them a wan smile. “Thank you.”

“Except Lake for bringing it up,” Sam added.

“No. Lake, too.” Caleb took a deep breath. “I’ll think about it.”

He turned back to the table, but the hammering seemed less desperate now. Phoenix swung out at the obvious dismissal, followed closely by Lake.

“Nice handling,” Lake told him, “Next time, I’m leaving the hard discussions to you.”

“No, thanks. I’ve had enough difficult discussions recently, and I don’t need one more.”

Lake gave him a lopsided grin. “Loosen up, remember? Makes the hard stuff easier.”

They disappeared back up the stairs, leaving nothing behind but the echo of their footsteps.

Enjoy the spoils.

Phoenix took a deep breath, looking around the new house with a small smile. They still had plenty to worry about—making this place home, what to do about Achsah’s room, Matt’s upcoming plans—but for now… maybe Lake was right. Maybe it was time to let go.

Days blurred into weeks of painting and building, moving one room at a time. Kitchen and dining room first, so that they’d have somewhere to cook and eat. Caleb set chairs and tables he’d built in the dining room, beaming with pride. Then came the bathrooms, and the common rooms, and finally, Evelyn declared that they’d picked over the ruins enough, and they wouldn’t find anything else, so they might as well start on their rooms. Phoenix still made the commute back to Bonesborough every weekend to see Darius and catch up on the Isles-wide reconstruction efforts.

Phoenix stared at the blank canvas of his wall. While Jason lined his room with books, and Mole lovingly set potted plants, Phoenix sat on his bed, wishing he could do something besides paint. Even before the house had been destroyed, he hadn’t been there long enough to make the room his own—and the time he did get was so hectic, he wasn’t even sure he’d had anything in the house to salvage.

“Going for the minimalistic approach, are we?” Darius asked from the door.

“Darius!” Phoenix jumped up from the bed. The cast had been cut off yesterday, but his ankle was so weak it almost folded underneath him immediately. “Hey—what are you doing here?”

“Getting all the stuff out of my living room. And having a top secret meeting with Matt about his party. You know, I’m not entirely certain he’s separated the idea of a party from coven work.”

“That sounds right.” Phoenix waved a hand at the walls. “What do you think? Bright purple for the walls?”

“Don’t you dare.” Darius looked around the room. “I know just about everything of yours was confiscated when you… disappeared… so I thought… ah, just take it.”

He handed Phoenix a photograph in a simple wooden frame, a photo of he and Darius during the mentorship. Phoenix gently brushed one hand over his photographed face. He’d gotten so used to the scars from Belos’ attack that seeing this photograph without them now felt strange and foreign. His face looked so… young. But even with the great grin plastered across his face in the photo while he headlocked Darius, a tired sadness seemed etched in his face.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, “I don’t remember this being taken—where did you find it?”

“My memories,” Darius replied casually, “I had a copy made.” He sighed. “I know things weren’t rosy perfect back then. I know so much happened to you that I never saw. And I know—or at least I hope—we’re headed towards a better chapter of our life now. But don’t forget the last chapter, eh?”

Phoenix set the photograph up on the dresser, sweeping elixir bottles to the side. “Never. And—Darius? Thank you. For the photo. For letting us stay with you. For… everything.”

“Anytime. Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s a top secret party meeting I must attend. I believe we are discussing snacks.”

Xxx

“I see someone—wait, no, that’s just someone’s abomination that’s gotten loose.” Jason all-but had his face pressed against the glass of the front window, watching out for incoming guests. “They’ll come, right? I mean, of course our friends will show, but given that half the point is to get the townspeople used to the look-alike family that wandered out of the woods, we really need some people we don’t know.”

“I’m sure they will,” Phoenix assured him, but he watched equally carefully.

“Oh!” Jason yanked back from the window, opening the door and sprinting down the careful garden path, currently devoid of an actual garden. “Willow! Gus! Amity! Luz!” He bowed to Willow with a flourish. “Lord of Bats.”

She returned his over-the-top bow with one of her own. “House of Crows. How lovely to see you again.”

“It’s been three days,” Amity reminded them.

They both laughed, and Jason led the kids towards the door.

“Eda and Lilith are on their way with King,” Luz told Phoenix, “They’ll be here soon. I might take King home at some point, though. Don’t want him up too late and all.”

A loud gasp sounded from the path, and a witch from town clutched her chest. “I—I just thought I was meeting the new neighbors,” she stammered, “I didn’t know that Luz the human would be here—and did you say the owl lady was coming?”

“Yesssss?” Luz said uncertainly, as if unsure whether this information would scare the witch off or not.

“Oh. Oh, my. Excuse me. I’ll be right back.”

She dashed off back towards town, and Luz winced. “I think your guest list might have just gotten a bit bigger.”

That didn’t bode well. They’d kept the invitations small on purpose—not that anyone but Matt and Darius really knew who was coming, but still, Phoenix thought some of the others might notice if too many people showed up.

Eda, Lilith, and King arrived in a rush of feathers and a bag of elixirs pushed into Phoenix’s arms. He answered Lilith’s seemingly endless questions on their effects, wondering vaguely if anyone had warned Caleb and Evelyn they were coming, but mostly focused on the steady trickle of strangers now coming towards the house.

Caleb and Evelyn wandered into the living room, stopping dead when they spotted Lilith and Eda. Phoenix winced. Caleb didn’t look much like his descendants, but their resemblance to Evelyn was impossible to deny. He could practically see the wheels ticking in Eda’s head. But before she could say anything, the other guests reached the house and she was swept away in a tide of questions and admirations. Luz looked similarly swamped.

“Well, this wasn’t in the plans.” Matt stood on the stairs, chewing thoughtfully on a pen. “I should have guessed something would go wrong. I need to warn Silver.”

The mobs around Eda and Luz split into a third group, buzzing around Darius the moment he walked through the door. He arched one eyebrow at Matt, who winced and shrugged.

“Well, we’re getting a reputation for being well-connected,” Locke said at Phoenix’s elbow, “Fantastic, I’m sure this will hold no negative consequences.” He grinned. “We should invite celebrities over more often.”

Babble surrounded Phoenix as people slowly got over their star-struck awe and spread out. They stuck in small packs, townsfolk interacting with their neighbors, and grimwalkers talking to other grimwalkers. Both groups eyed each other uneasily, skirting around each other and only occasionally exchanging brief hellos and ‘excuse me’s.

“Ah, yes,” Locke deadpanned, “I can feel the house warming up already.” He stuck his nose into the air, shaking his head back and forth. “Can you feel that, Lake?”

As if summoned, Lake seemed to materialize at Phoenix’s other side. “No, Locke, what is it?”

“The tension! It’s so thick it’s starting to physically manife—”

Thump.

Muffled murmurs. Evelyn’s immediate sprint, pushing through guests and grimwalkers alike. “Give him space,” she ordered.

“Steven,” Jason breathed, “He’s having a seizure—we need to move everyone away, there’s not enough space.”

More murmurs and exclamations. Across the room, Silver’s face was as white as a sheet, and they beelined for the nearest window, opening it and oh-so-casually leaning against the sill, prepared to leap out, if Phoenix had to guess.

This is bad.

It didn’t take Darius, party expert extraordinaire, to know that. People flocked naturally to a disaster—they’d crowd Steven, stress Silver, and probably panic themselves, which would only—

“Well, I think it’s time to move this party outside!” Locke hopped up on the stairs, raising their voice, “Do we have any plant witches in attendance tonight?”

Willow raised her hand, and a few others tentatively joined her.

“Who feels like a seed race?”

“What’s that?” someone called.

“Only the best way for a plant witch to show off their magical prowess! Winner gets to take home a rare human realm plant known as ‘mint,’ proven to thrive even in the Isles!”

A few ‘ooo’s rose up, and witches started to wander outdoors. Cherry had quickly assembled a circle of grimwalkers around Steven and Evelyn, blocking them from view while guests went outside.

Willow hung back, raising one eyebrow at Locke. “A seed race, huh? How come I’ve never heard of that before?”

“Because I made it up just now. Mole, you’ve got some seeds, right? Where did you want some of the plants in the garden to go? I’ll make it look natural.”

Caleb slumped against the banister. “Thank you, Locke.” Behind him, Steven slowly sat up, watched by Evelyn like a hawk.

“Hey, it’s what I do. Be a loud and annoying distraction. Just ask Sam!” Locke grinned, bouncing out the door. “Alright, three categories: speed, size, and healthiness! Line up!”

Caleb sighed, joining Evelyn and Steven.

Eda nudged Phoenix. “Hey, introduce me to your planner. We’ve been scheming up a quinceañera party for Luz, and so far, this party’s been a riot.”

“Wish it was less of one.”

She grinned and held out an elixir. “Bottoms up, kid.”

Phoenix glanced down. He hadn’t even noticed his arms had started to drip. Great. Another thing for the townsfolk to take home as a story. He gulped the elixir with a grimace. “Does the taste ever get better?”

“If anything, it gets worse. Ah, well, necessary evils and all that. Not to suddenly change the subject or anything, but do you mind explaining her?” Eda waved an accusing hand towards Evelyn.

“I think you’d better ask her. And Caleb.”

“Yeah, I kind of thought that would be your answer. Well, can’t blame me for trying the easy route.” Eda grabbed Lilith’s arm. “C’mon.”

“What? Where are we going?”

“Answer-hunting.”

Before they could approach Evelyn, Sam thumped down the stairs, puzzle box tucked under his arm. “Oh, is the party over already? Excellent, I didn’t actually want to go.”

Lilith gasped. “Ooo!” She pulled herself from Eda’s grip, reaching for the box. “May I? I love a good puzzle.”

“Be my guest.”

“Aaaaand I’ve lost her,” Eda muttered under her breath, “Right, just me then.” She squared her shoulders, and marched towards Caleb and Evelyn. Steven waved the two of them off with a tired smile, and the two nervously gestured towards Achsah’s room, still untouched.

“They are definitely going to botch the explanation,” Sam said cheerfully, “They always do.”

“Yeah…” Phoenix looked back at Steven to check if he was still upright. He was with Darius now, and the two of them spoke in low voices, occasionally glancing down at Steven’s burned-off sigil. Cherry stood only a few feet away, looking like he was desperately trying not to listen in and at the same time, straining to hear what was being said.

“You’re my WHAT?!” Eda’s voice squawked from Achsah’s room.

“Got it!” Lilith said triumphantly at the same time, “You were so close. I barely had to do anything.” She looked up. “What happened to Eda?”

Phoenix hurried to Achsah’s room, Darius and Steven forgotten. Eda jabbed a finger at him the moment he entered.

“You are not allowed to be my great uncle,” she told him, “Not allowed, do you hear me?”

“Sorry. I’ll try not to be.”

Lilith came in on Phoenix’s heels. “What’s going on?”

“They’re our ancestors, Lili. Our ancestors.”

“Oh,” Lilith said thoughtfully, “That makes sense. Fascinating.” She held out the box. “This is for you two, by the way. Someone called Achsah went great lengths to make sure it reached you through time.”

Caleb all-but snatched the opened box from her, his face pale. “Achsah?!”

Evelyn delicately lifted out a letter. Phoenix caught sight of a bracelet inside, hand-woven leather and beads. Evelyn scanned the letter, her eyes welling up with tears.

“Get Mole, please,” she whispered, and Sam was off. Mole arrived moments later, and Evelyn held up the letter. “Caleb, would you…?”

Caleb took the paper from her, his eyes devouring it like a starving man. “Dear Mom and Dad,” he read out loud, “I’ve buried this letter in a puzzle box under where the kitchen will be someday. I hope you finally get to work on that root cellar you always wanted, or else you won’t find it. Dad—” he choked up, and Evelyn took the letter.

“Dad, I know exactly what you’ve probably been doing since the moment the time pool washed away, and I want you to stop it. What happened wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t anyone’s. For a while, I was sad, and lost, and wanted nothing more than for you to pop out of another pool and bring me back home.” Evelyn took a deep breath. “But since then, I’ve met some beautiful people, including my partner.”

Caleb took the letter back. “You two would love them, just as much as I love them. I wish the three of you could meet. While I write this, your grandkid is tearing through the house like a tiny terror. He’s got your nose, Dad, and Mom’s eyes. And the healer tells me I’ve got twins coming—isn’t that crazy? I’d do anything to protect them, and I know if you could have come back for me, you would have. But I want you to know that I’m happy here and now. I miss you every day, but I don’t regret the people I’ve met since. Please don’t be sad I’m gone.”

Caleb smiled at Mole. “This next part is for you. Say hi to your lookalike for me, Dad. If he’s anything like you, the ‘don’t blame yourself’ bit goes for him, too. I don’t regret rescuing him. I only wish I’d gotten to know him. Bet he’s awesome. I made a bracelet for him. I know he was passed out, so he probably didn’t see me at all, but it’s just something to remember me by. His younger/older sister.”

Mole sniffed, delicately lifting the bracelet out of the box and slipping it onto his wrist.

“I know we were hiding. I didn’t realize it first, but now that I’ve spent my life here trying to pretend I’ve always lived in this time, I can see it’s the same. Mom. Dad. I don’t want you to keep hiding. Whatever happens, get out there. Show the world who you are. All the love in both dimensions, Achsah.”

Caleb folded up the letter, and they all stood there for a long moment, no one saying anything. Finally, Evelyn took Caleb’s hand. “No more hiding,” she said softly.

“No more hiding,” Caleb echoed, “No more grieving.”

“Are you ready to show the world who we are?”

“If you are.”

Evelyn smiled, and together, she and Caleb walked out to meet the Isles.

Xxx

“Latissa.” Evelyn said the word carefully, like it might shatter in her mouth. “That’s an interesting choice. Any reason?”

Steven rubbed his arm where his sigil used to be. “Darius mentioned something—I know it’s gone, but…”

“The sigil experiments,” Phoenix breathed. That had to be what Darius and Steven had been talking about at the housewarming party. He touched his own mark. The Day of Unity was over, and with it, the danger of the draining spell. The sigils didn’t affect him, but countless witches couldn’t access all their magic—Alador led the way in sigil removal research, and Darius was right there with him.

Steven nodded. “The sigil experiments. I don’t think mine is the same as the modern sigils, since it almost killed me instantly, but Darius said getting a look at the earlier attempts might help them understand the ones we have now.”

“But you said it: you don’t have yours anymore,” Evelyn replied, “How are they going to study it?”

“Questions. Anecdotes. And… the seizures. Darius thinks they’re related.”

“We knew that.”

“Well, yes, but this might be—I mean, if what I know can help them, and if their research can stop the seizures entirely… even if they can’t, I want to help.” Steven shook his head. “I used that glove on other people, even knowing what it would do to them. I can’t change that, but… maybe I can make up for it by helping witches suffering from those sigils now.”

Evelyn chewed on her lip. “Latissa is a bit of a commute without a palisman,” she said finally, “What’s your plan?”

“I’d be staying there.” Steven shrugged, as if trying to make it seem like nothing. “There’s space—they converted the old police station into their center. I’m sure we can fit a bed.”

“I see. Do you—do you know how long you’d be there?” Evelyn’s voice held a sort of desperate casualness to it, like she was trying not to scare Steven off, but also didn’t quite want to let him go.

“Not forever.” Steven’s voice matched Evelyn’s, somehow both intensely normal and strained at the same time. “I’ll be back. Um. I mean, how long could it take, really?”

“How much is Alador like Sam?” Evelyn joked. She rubbed her arm. “Will you be okay? I should go with you.”

“What? Mom, they need you here.”

“But the seizures—if one happens—will Alador know what to do?”

“I’ll tell him,” Steven promised, “And I’m almost certain healers will be involved—I’ll be in the best possible place if something does go wrong. Besides home.”

“Hm.”

Steven took her hands. “Mom, I’ll be safe. I promise. This could be… it could be huge for me.”

“It could be.” Evelyn sighed, wrapping him in a hug. “Oh, I knew you all would grow up. I just didn’t think it would be so soon.”

Phoenix thought uneasily of Matt and Alex. Neither of them had announced their plans to leave yet, but maybe Evelyn suspected. Or maybe with Jason always off with the kids, and Auric always off at his new apprenticeship, and Phoenix gone every weekend, she just felt… lonely.

“I won’t be gone for long. Promise.”

Xxx

“Where was that you said? The wreckage of the keep? Again?” Darius pinched his nose, nodding along to the conversation on the other end of the raven phone. “I know—yes. No, we’ll look into it. I said we’ll look into it! Yes, lovely day to you too, goodbye.”

Phoenix winced, setting his weekend bag on the floor with a thump. “Bad time?”

Darius tossed the phone to the side, letting it fly to its perch. “It’s fine. Just Terra rearing her head again. Most of the scouts and coven heads settled in peacefully enough, but every couple of months…”

Phoenix shuddered. He doubted she’d come after him specifically, but part of him was tempted to start checking his drinks for poison. “Is it safe to leave her on the loose?”

“Unlikely. If anyone’s going to cause havoc, it’s going to be her. But the…” Darius heaved a sigh. “…CATs… are spread too thin. Between guarding the new palistrom tree, rebuilding what Belos and the Collector destroyed, and keeping the peace between disoriented and disillusioned citizens, we haven’t had a lot of time or manpower to spare towards tracking her down. And I don’t want to assign someone inexperienced to the job—we need someone who’s used to handling threats. Big ones. People who can corner her, and…” he tilted his head. “You have a thinking face on. You know someone, don’t you? One of your siblings?”

“Yes,” Phoenix said slowly, “Or—at least, I think so. Let me see that phone again?”

One short phone call and a griffin-flight later, Meleager, Horus, Hamlet, and Venari sat in Darius’ living room, studying pictures of Terra with matching frowns.

“Plant magic…” Meleager mused, “Fire and ice, then. I think I still have some leftover frost potions.”

“We need to get her off the ground,” Venari added, “The further she is from seeds and dirt, the harder it’ll be for her to get away.”

Hamlet scratched his head. “Coven head, though, so it’ll be tricky to separate her entirely—any capture method like nets or rope can’t be made of plant fibers, because she might be able to manipulate those.”

“Once we get her hands and feet immobilized, that won’t be as big of an issue,” Horus declared, “Focus on the capture—containment after should be comparatively easy.”

“Sounds like they’ve got this under control,” Darius murmured to Phoenix.

“They’ve been bored,” Phoenix replied equally quietly, “Oh, just—make sure you prioritize capturing Terra alive.”

Darius chuckled, then glanced at Phoenix and stopped abruptly. “Oh, you’re not kidding. They’ll—”

“Without hesitation.”

“Huh. Well, would it really be that much of a loss? Kidding,” he added quickly, “I’ll be sure to tell them.”

Phoenix shrugged. “I’ve got no love lost for Terra. But I don’t want them killing anyone, for sure. I don’t think that’s a path anyone wants them taking.”

“Hey.” Darius gave Phoenix a small smile. “Give them a little trust. They met Petro—I don’t think they’re in any hurry to go down the killing spree path.”

“Hm. I hope you’re right. They still might engage in some light torture, though.”

Darius squeezed his eyes shut. “Why do I feel like you handed me a bigger problem than the one you’ve solved?”

“They’ll be fine. Just…”

“Reiterate the capturing her alive part, yes, understood.”

“We’re going,” Venari declared, “We’ll see you in… what, 3 days at the worst?”

“We’re staking out the keep. We might come back to steal Dagger,” Meleager explained, “We got this, Phoenix, she’ll never poison anyone again.”

“Alive,” Darius warned, “Capture her alive!”

Horus gave him a thumbs-up, and the four of them disappeared out the door. Darius watched them go, the worry on his face shifting to a pensive, planning expression. “You know, if this goes well, I might have a few other hunts for them. Terra’s not the only one who’s clinging to her old power.”

Phoenix grinned. “I’m sure they’d like that very much.”

Xxx

“Oop—watch the root—”

Phoenix caught Mole’s arm at Jason’s warning, keeping him upright when he stumbled. “Maybe we should take off the blindfold?” he suggested, “The footing’s getting a little treacherous.”

“But then it wouldn’t be a surprise!” Jason protested, “Maybe you could carry him?”

Mole’s nose scrunched up at the suggestion, and Phoenix shook his head. “Yeah, I don’t think he wants that.”

“Well, we’re almost there anyway. Come on.”

Phoenix didn’t pick Mole up, but he held his arm out for Mole to cling to and guided him slowly over the forest floor. Mole gave him a brief grateful smile, jabbing one finger at the blindfold and heaving a fond sigh.

“He’s a bit excited,” Phoenix agreed, “He’s been taking trips out here with Hunter and Willow an awful lot, but they’ve been tight-lipped about it to me, too.”

“Okay, Phoenix, now you have to close your eyes, too!”

“I thought this was a surprise for Mole?” Phoenix protested.

“It is,” Hunter agreed, appearing at Phoenix’s elbow with Flapjack in his staff form, “But it’s a surprise for everyone. Don’t worry, I’ve got you two.”

Phoenix closed his eyes. Hunter’s hand closed over his arm, and he heard the tell-tale sound of a flash-step, his balance just ever-so-slightly thrown off at the sudden change in placement.

“Okay, open them,” Jason ordered.

Phoenix opened his eyes, and beside him, Mole took off the blindfold.

A massive blue tree towered over them, blooming with blue leaves and flowers. Phoenix had never seen a tree like this, but something about it seemed… familiar. His skin crawled with that feeling of just knowing something, deep inside, like how his curse recognized Belos, but more positive.

“Is that… palistrom?” he asked.

Mole stepped forward as if in a trance, putting one hand on the massive blue trunk. He nodded in answer to Phoenix’s question, pressing his forehead to the bark like it was an old friend. Silent tears streamed down his face, and Phoenix remembered just how long ago Mole had technically been born. He must have been used to seeing palistrom forests peppering the Isles, and had woken up suddenly in a world without them.

“The palisman this tree could make,” Phoenix murmured, “It grew so big so fast!”

“Willow had a lot to do with that part,” Hunter explained, “But, well, there’s a reason there was a shortage for so long.”

“Palistrom were kept strictly monitored by Belos,” Phoenix remembered, “You think he kept them small on purpose? Of course he did,” he answered his own question, “Why wouldn’t he? The more magic stifled, the better.”

Hunter fidgeted, twisting his hands around each other. Jason nudged him. “Go on,” he whispered, “Tell them.”

“Tell us what?”

“I’m going to be a palisman carver,” Hunter burst out, “Caleb’s taught me some, and I’ve been talking to Eda’s dad, Dell—he was a professional carver, you know—and he’s going to take me on as an apprentice.” He looked up at the tree, eyes shining. “With the way this tree’s been growing and flowering, we should be able to repopulate the Isles with palistrom in no time. Luckily, the palistrom is a self-pollinating plant. And even just a solid branch from this tree—anyone can have a palisman. Everyone can.” He scratched the back of his neck shyly. “I was thinking… I was thinking I could carve one for Caleb first. Since… you know. He carved my palisman.”

Phoenix smiled warmly. “That sounds like a great idea.”

“And… I could carve one for everyone in the family. Or you could adopt!” he added quickly, “The Bat Queen has dozens of palisman looking for a home. But yes. I could carve one. Hypothetically. No promises yet, I’m still learning, but—oh, okay, you hate the idea.”

“What?” Phoenix reached up to find tears running from his eyes. “No—no, Hunter, I don’t hate the idea, I…” he searched for the right words to describe how he felt. A palisman? For him? He’d never even considered it, not with the life he’d lived. The curse curled up inside him rumbled at the idea, but he couldn’t tell if it was the remnants of Belos protesting, the palisman eager for a palisman of their own outside of him, or something hungrier. “Is that a good idea?” he said finally, “I mean, with…” he gestured to his arms.

“Do you want one?” Jason asked.

“Yes.” The word slipped out of Phoenix’s mouth almost without a thought. He hadn’t realized he wanted one until now, but he knew it deep inside, watching Flapjack and Hunter. “I do.”

“Then we’ll find a way to make it work,” Jason said firmly, “Whatever that means.”

Mole nodded joining them. He pointed to himself, tilting his head in a question.

“Yeah, of course I can make one for you,” Hunter interpreted, “Any idea what you’d want? We can always go the egg route if not. Sounds pretty easy to carve, too.”

A mischievous grin crept over Mole’s face, and he pointed to himself again. Hunter frowned.

“I don’t know what you’re asking—sorry, we’ll figure it ou—”

Jason groaned. “Oh, no. You want a mole for a palisman, don’t you?”

Mole nodded vigorously, breaking off into peals of laughter. Phoenix groaned with Jason, but Mole’s laughter was infectious, and a smile took over his face despite himself.

Palisman for us. It didn’t seem right—not after all the palisman he’d handed over to Belos. Maybe Mole or Jason deserved one—after all, Belos had tried to kill Jason for protecting the little creatures. Phoenix? He’d never even considered another option besides giving them to their doom.

But Flapjack sat scarred and proud on Hunter’s shoulder despite everything, like a beacon saying it’s possible; you just have to want it enough, and the tree loomed over them, big, and beautiful, and strong despite what Belos had tried to do to its species, and right here, in this forest, Phoenix did want it.

We’ll find a way to make it work.

Xxx

Phoenix climbed out an attic hatch onto the roof—another holdover from the old house’s design. He didn’t quite join Cherry where he sat on the edge of the roof, legs dangling over, but he sat down close.

“I thought this was Jason’s brooding spot. Enjoying the view?”

Cherry glanced back at him. “It’s quieter than I thought it would be.”

“Hm?”

Cherry waved a hand at the town sprawling in the near distance. “I thought it would be noisy, living so much closer to other people. But in the evening, if I close my eyes, it’s almost like nothing’s changed. It’s like we’re still back in the forest, and we’re all together. No one’s left and gone where I can’t protect them. And then I open my eyes, and… it’s all so different now.”

“It’s not a bad thing. They’ll be okay.”

“Mm.” Cherry stared out over the town again, his hair almost red in the light of the setting sun. “You ever think it was strange, how close to Belos we were hiding? I mean, the third rib? We might as well have been on his doorstep. But we weren’t discovered. Somehow, we were never discovered. Somehow, Mom and Dad managed to save every one of us, no matter how badly we were injured. Isn’t that odd? We didn’t lose a single person.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “Belos always said loss was so necessary, and I believed him. I saw it firsthand, how sometimes people had to be sacrificed. We were some of those people. But somehow, no one died. None of us—despite how many people we killed, not one of us went down. Why did we get to survive when so many people didn’t?” He chuckled, a low, humorless sound. “Doesn’t that seem so improbable, when you think about it? Belos might have been lying about the titan having plans for us, but sometimes it almost does feel like there’s some higher power out there who’s decided to keep us alive.”

“Or one determined human and witch.” Phoenix scooted closer to Cherry, eying the edge of the roof. “It does seem improbable,” he admitted, “People died—and we were responsible some of the time. But we all made it. Against the odds. I think this family is good at that.”

Cherry heaved a sigh. “But what’s the point, if we’re not going to stick together? What’s the point, if after everything, everyone goes their separate ways? We got so far, only to fall apart at the end.”

“We’re not falling apart.” Phoenix looked up at the moon and stars slowly replacing the sun as the brightest things in the sky. “You know… I used to see Darius every day. I’d take him with me on missions. I’d test his skills, but I was always there to protect him if something happened. But when I first woke up with Caleb and Evelyn… he’d grown. He was a capable adult who could handle himself. And that was a hard thing to accept. If he didn’t need me to protect him, if he didn’t need a mentor, then what use was I to him?”

Phoenix smiled. “But we haven’t fallen apart yet. Maybe he doesn’t need a mentor anymore. Maybe he doesn’t need my protection. But I think he still needs me. Just me, because I’m me and that’s enough of a reason.” Phoenix nudged Cherry’s shoulder. “It’s not going to be the same. They’re not going to be as close. They won’t always need your protection anymore. And that’s going to be difficult to get used to. But I don’t think they’ll ever stop needing you.”

Cherry watched the sun finally disappear completely over the horizon, silent until it was gone. “I don’t want our lives to change,” he said finally, “I think I’m glad for the others finding what they want, but I’m not sure who I am without them. I’ve been looking after them for so long, trying to forget the past for so long… I don’t want to be left alone with myself.”

“Hm.” Phoenix leaned back, finally kicking his legs over the edge of the roof and sitting fully next to Cherry. “Well. I can tell you some good news about that.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yes. Even if they all leave, even if we all go our separate ways, you aren’t going to be alone, Cherry. We will always have your back. We’ll only be one raven call away.”

A smile flashed across Cherry’s face. “You’re going to have to teach me how to use one.”

“Oh. Right.”

“But… thanks, Phoenix. For having my back.”

Xxx

Despite Phoenix’s late start, his room filled up over months of living. Mole commandeered his window space with new plants, human realm varieties that Camila shared. Light blue walls were quickly covered over with scribbles that Ghost had presented him, and photos Willow shared. She always seemed to be dropping by, picking up Hunter or Jason or both of them. Sometimes, even Mole went along to visit the palistrom tree. Little practice wood carvings that Hunter made with Caleb and Dell surrounded the photograph Darius had given to him. Hunter hadn’t carved any palisman for the family besides Mole’s mole, but one day, Jason came back from the human realm library with a massive book full of animal pictures that he and Phoenix pored over for hours, looking for a creature that felt right.

Jason tapped one foot. “We’re going to be late. Hunter and Willow are outside waiting.”

“Yeah, yeah, give me a second. We’ll have at least half an hour while Caleb and Flapjack catch up.” Phoenix drank an elixir. Today had been a good day for the curse, but he didn’t want to push it staying up late.

Jason wandered over to the window, peering into the garden. “He’s gotten taller than me,” he grumbled, “Traitor. I’ll be inconsolable if Ghost gets big like that. I cannot be the shortest in the family.”

Phoenix ruffled his hair, his arm braces clicking gently at the movement. “Aw, don’t you want to stay the baby forever? You don’t want to be Evelyn’s little snuggle buddy?”

“I will always be Mom’s little snuggle buddy, thank you very much, but that doesn’t mean I have to be the shortest. Ghost has to be shorter. They have to.”

“Do not.” Ghost wrinkled their nose at Jason from the doorway. “I’m gonna be so big. Gonna eat griffins. In one bite.”

“Don’t let Joseph hear you say that,” Phoenix joked, “He’ll disown you.”

Ghost squeaked, tugging on Phoenix’s arm. “Nee-Nee, it’s time to go,” they said impatiently, “I wanna see King.”

“Alright, I’m coming, I’m coming.”

Phoenix followed Ghost downstairs. Hunter chattered excitedly to Caleb about the palisman he was working on, and Willow gave Jason their customary bow and exchange of royal titles.

“I can just walk, right?” Phoenix asked Hunter.

“Low and slow,” Hunter promised.

“You never actually mean that,” Phoenix grumbled, but he sat behind Hunter anyway, picking Ghost up and holding them tightly in his lap.

Hunter did fly too fast and too high for Phoenix’s taste, but Willow and Jason still beat them by a mile, so he supposed Hunter had been taking it easy on him.

Ghost squirmed out of Phoenix’s lap almost before they’d completely landed, bolting to tackle King in a hug. The titan fell in mock defeat.

“Curses! You’ve defeated the king of the demons this time, little Ghost!”

“She’s coming!” Eda called, “Everyone ready?”

Luz walked through the door, and the quinceañera passed by in a blur of well-wishes and laughter. Phoenix exchanged smiles and hellos with what seemed like everyone on the Isles.

“You thought any more about the mentoring offer? The university’s really taking off.”

Phoenix smiled tiredly in response to Eda. “I’d need a way to get there. Getting Ghost to Hexside is going to be tricky enough.”

“Man. Get a palisman already, would ya?”

Eda’s grin dispelled any bite to the words, but Phoenix’s attention hung fully on the portal door hanging wide open behind her. He glanced around to make sure Ghost was safe—they chased happily after Flapjack, who Phoenix was relatively certain was one of the more responsible people here—and quickly pushed through into the human realm before he could convince himself not to.

Creak.

Phoenix’s eyes darted over furniture that formed monsters and familiar specters in the dark. Wait a minute…

“Petro?” he called, just in case.

“No,” Jason’s voice called from the basement, “Just me.”

Phoenix creaked his way down the stairs to the basement, wincing at every sound. He sat on the bottom of the stairs next to Jason. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Jason gestured out towards the mound where Phoenix knew Belos’ remains lay. “Do you ever wake up and just… forget for a minute that he’s gone?”

Phoenix rubbed his arms. A part of Belos would always live in him, in the curse—for him the problem was more remembering that he was gone at all. “Sometimes,” he admitted, “I’m guessing you do.”

Jason sighed. “I know it’s been years, but… sometimes it just doesn’t feel real. Sometimes I feel like he’s still coming for me. I mean, after all he’s survived, how can I even truly be sure he’s gone?” He rested his chin on his knees. “I don’t know if I’ll ever really believe it.”

Phoenix chuckled dryly. “Can you imagine how furious he’d be if he was still alive?”

Jason cracked a smile at that. “A university of wild magic?” he joked, “He’s probably spinning in his grave fast enough to generate the electricity needed to power this whole neighborhood. Not to mention us.”

“Not to mention us,” Phoenix echoed, “He’d be devastated if he knew we were happy.”

“Guess we better keep being happy, then. Just to spite him.” Jason’s smile faded, and he went back to looking over Belos’ grave.

Phoenix nudged his shoulder. “Hey,” he said quietly, “He’s dead. For real this time. He’s not coming back. But when it feels like he might, when it feels like he’s going to jump out of nowhere and sink his claws into you… you know where to find me. Or Cherry. Or Caleb, or Evelyn, or Mole, or anyone else. You’re going to be okay.”

“Yeah. I think I am.”

Jason got up, stretching and offering his hand to Phoenix. “Let’s get out of here.”

Phoenix happily obeyed, following Jason back into light and laughter. Ghost wandered over, their eyelids drooping. Flapjack chirped an admonishment, tugging affectionately on their hair.

“Hey, Ghost,” Phoenix said quietly, crouching down next to them, “You all tired out?”

They rubbed their eyes. “I’m not sleepy,” they said stubbornly, in spite of their giant yawn, “I just… want to go to bed and rest my eyes.”

“Fair enough.” Phoenix scooped Ghost up, holding them as easily as if they were still a toddler. “Come on. Let’s go home.”

[simp999]

☆Simp's Masterlist☆

I specialize in fluff, hurt/comfort and (strangers to) friends to lovers! Basically my fics are 90% fluff and relationship building, and just a tad bit of angst for the feels~

Code:

⛓Angst

🌸Fluff

🌹Romantic

🍡Platonic

(🌹/🍡 can be seen as either)

Note: some stories have all of the above, so the order of the emoji is the same as the order in the story. For example: 🌸🍡🌹⛓ starts fluffy and platonic, ends with romantic feelings and angst.

Most of my fics are gender-neutral, They/Them pronouns used! I'm much more comfortable writing gender-neutral and male readers for personal reasons ww

Love ya'll <3

Splatoon manga:

A New Home (series) 🍡🌸⛓🌹

(Various Splatoon Manga x Skilled! Isekai'd! Reader)

What happens when you get sent to Inkopolis, and begin to meet your favorite manga characters? Will you change the story? Will they love you? Hate you?

(Bloopers/Notes. Updated every chapter.)

Ch. 1: Where am I? Wc: 1.2k

Ch. 2: New people? Wc: 1.2k

Ch. 3: We are the Army. Wc: 1k

Ch. 4: If memory serves wrong... Wc: 1.3k

Ch. 5: Decisions, decisions Wc: 1.1k

Ch. 6: Hooooww Anooooying. Wc: 1.2k

Ch. 7: SUB WEAPON HELL! Wc: 1.2k

Ch. 8: Newfound Family. Wc: 1.1k

Ch. 9: Shopping Spree! Wc: 1.2k

Ch. 10: Skull's Territory. Wc: 1k

Ch. 11: A Misunderstanding? Wc: 1.2k

Ch. 12: Getting Too Comfortable. Wc: 1.2k

Ch. 13: Player Two? Wc: 1.7k

Ch. 14: ...You Didn't See That. Wc: 1.8k

Ch. 15: Sweetheart. Wc: 1.3k

Ch. 16: An Unexpected Meetup. Wc: 1.3k

Ch. 17: Not Much of a Choice, Huh? Wc: 1.8k

Ch. 18: Challengers Approach! Wc: 1.3k

Ch. 19: Freshest Squid on the Block! Wc: 1.4k

Ch. 20: The Absolute King. Wc: 1.6k

Ch. 21: A Crushing Defeat. Wc: 1.3k

Ch. 22: It Only Gets Tougher, I Promise. Wc: 1.4k

Ch. 23: New and Improved Team. Wc: 1.9k

Ch. 24: The Calm Before The Storm. Wc: 1.4k

Ch. 25: You're like me! ...not. Wc: 2.05k

Ch. 26: Another Step to De-throne the King. Wc: 1.2k

Ch. 27: Shoot For The Stars. Wc: 1k

Ch.28: Tranquility Before Chaos. Wc: 1k

Ch.29: What we Have. Wc: 1k

Ch.30: Pre-Battle Preperation Wc: 1.3k

Ch.31: Game On! Wc: 1.6

Ch.32: Someone to Remember. Wc: 1.1k

Ch.33: Someone to Miss. Wc: 1k

Ch.34: Someone to Hate. Wc: 1k

Ch.35: A True Family. Wc: 1.1k

Ch. 36: Bloodlust. Wc: 1.1k

Ch. 37: No, no! It's... Exactly What It Looks Like. Wc: 1.2k

Ch. 38: Mistakes. Wc: 1k

Ch: 39: The True Family. Wc: 1k

Ch. 40: What Now? Wc: 1k

Ch. 41: New Feelings. Wc: 1.2k

Ch. 42: Things are ... alright. Wc: 1k

Ch. 43: Things are not alright. Wc: 1k

Ch. 44: Healing. Wc: 1k

Skull:

Oneshot - Bully the Charger 🌸🌹

Wc: 0.7k

Army:

Drabble - Please Rest. 🌸🌹

Wc: 0.7k

Mask:

Oneshot - One of Those days, With a Twist. 🌸🌹🍡

It's one of those days- the ones where he just wants it to be over so he can feel better again. His hay fever was horrible, but maybe this time it wasn't so bad.

Wc: 1.6k

Team Yellow-Green:

Rider:

Physical Affection? No Thanks.⛓🌹🌸

Wc: 0.9k

Rock On! Rider x Rockstar! Reader 🌸🌹

Wc: 0.4k

Stealth:

The Deca Tower Crush 🌹🌸

Wc: 1.7k

Team Monarch:

Emperor:

My Monarch.🌹🌸⛓

Wc: 0.6k

Team Fortress 2:

All Mercs:

The Moment the Mercs Realise they enjoy Being Around Reader 🌸🍡/🌹(bit of angst for one part.)

Wc: 2.3k

Merc's reaction to their S/O picking up on their words/phrases/slang that they use 🌸🌹

Wc: 2.4k

Mercs with a Badass Fem Pilot! Reader🌸🍡+🌹

Wc: 0.7k

Sniper:

I Appreciate You. - Oneshot ⛓🌸🍡/🌹

Includes reader comforting (hints of being autistic) Sniper who feels bad for being distant, and stargazing.

Wc: 1.7k

Sick! Teen! Reader - Oneshot 🍡🌸

Wc: 0.7k

Pyro:

Knowing sign language (drabble) 🌸🍡/🌹

Imagine Pyro's excitement when they meet someone that can finally understand them. Fluff ensues.

Wc: 0.3k

Heavy:

Heavy reads to you when you have trouble sleeping (drabble) 🌸🍡/🌹

A sleepless night turn into soft snores after heavy reads to you in his mother tongue.

Wc: 470

Heavy With Reader Who Struggles With Managing Their Anger 🌸🍡/🌹 (Headcannons+Mini drabble)

Wc: 0.7k

Demoman:

Demo x Male! Reader Headcannons+Mini Drabble 🌸🌹

Wc: 0.8k

Engineer:

Sick! Teen! Reader - Oneshot 🍡🌸

Wc: 0.7k

Soldier:

BLU! Soldier: You have me. - Oneshot (hurt/comfort) ⛓🌸🌹

Wc: 1.8k

Medic:

The Red Means I Love You - Comfort/Fluff Oneshot 🌸🍡/🌹

Wc: 1.7k

Medic x Overworked! Reader - comfort/fluff oneshot 🌸🌹

Wc: 850

Sick! Teen! Reader - Oneshot 🍡🌸

Wc: 0.7k

Baby Birds~ Drabble 🌹🌸

Wc: 0.4k

I Like The Sound Of Your Voice - Drabble🌹🌸

Wc: 230

Scars - They're Not What You Think.🌹🌸

Wc: 240

Medic x reader who understands his birds🌸🌹

Wc: 320

Lutz Kruspe (Goth medic OC):

Dating headcannons 🌸🌹

Wc: 0.5k

Lutz x Punk! Reader🌸🌹

Wc: 0.4k

Proto:

Little Fri-iend!! 🌸🍡

Proto x little! NV! Reader drabble

Wc: 0.7k

Medibot/Otto:

Misunderstandings 🌸🍡

...Yeah, humans usually have their heartbeat quicken. It's normal.

Wc: 370

Medibot Oneshot - Overstimulated ⛓🌸🍡

He knows what it's like, he really does. He'll do everything he can to help, and maybe reveal some hidden feelings while he's at it.

Wc: 2k

Dexx:

Philia; Platonic Love - Dexx/Sniper 🌸🍡

Is platonic love such a hard thing to understand?

Wc: 2.5k

Sonic:

Knuckles the Echidna:

Lazy Day. 🌸🌹/🍡

Imagine being the first person to help knuckles finally truly relax.

Wc: 1.1k

Pokémon:

Giacomo:

I'm So Proud Of You☆ ⛓🌸🍡🌹

I'm So Proud Of You☆ pt. 2 ⛓🌸🌹

You were the one good thing in his life and he wants to make the best of it.

Total Wc: 9.1k

Arven:

All Good Things Come To An End. 🍡⛓🌹🌸

Sorry Arven, we'll have to hang out some other time.

Wc: 2.6k

Beyblade Burst:

Ken Midori:

Short Lived.🌸🍡🌹⛓

Just enough time for feelings to develop, but not enough to act on them.

Wc: 5.4k

Tokyo Revengers:

Various:

A New View On Life 🍡🌸

Oh how you lived for this thrill. Nothing could compare to the serotonin you get with these stupid boys.

Wc: 2.5k

Takashi Mitsuya:

Small Scares~ 🌸🌸🌸🌹

Halloween Special! Who would've thought that your strong gang-member boyfriend was afraid of horror movies? Time to comfort our favorite malewife!~

Wc: 1.2k

Shuji Hanma:

The Angel And The Reaper ⛓⛓⛓🌹

Halloween Special! Angst to the brim. What the hell is this feeling? Is it love? Disgusting. We love an unhinged reader.

Wc: 1.7k

Matsuno Chifuyu:

Familiar? 🍡⛓🌸

Baji? No, you're not him. But Chifuyu can't ignore the sense of comfort you give him.

Wc: 2.2k

TMNT:

2013 TMNT x Rise! Reader

Do I Know You? 🌸🍡

Do I Know You? Pt. 2 ⛓🌸🍡🌹

Damn it, Rise Donnie! Why'd you send me to 2013? Oh well, better make the best of it! (2013 Donnie x reader mostly, platonic for everybody else.)

Total Wc: 5.8k

Request info:

Taking requests for Splatoon Manga/Coroika! My favorite characters are the S4+Rider! My favorite overall is Mask ehe.

Please include a senario idea in your request. I'll do it in whatever form I feel like unless specified: Drabble, headcannons, or Oneshot.

[analviel]

Randomly decided to go back to read this old fic and I was surprised how excited it made me.

Basically a two chapter worth of how the first Arcobaleno mission could have happened.

Just for more context:

I've always believed that the scene in KHR of the flashback of the Il Priscelti Sette meeting was actually the last job's meeting, that is to become Arcobaleno unbeknownst to them, so there would be a dozen missions before that. I have many versions of how their acquaintanceship and relationships develops in my mind, but basically what all my headcanons all share is that there was the First Mission they were hired by Checkerface, making sure to establish an introduction with each other.

Then Checkerface sends out another mission, but this time only hiring three of the seven, and then the next two missions happens at the same time but he hires only two pairs for them, and then another mission with five of them, and then the next wave of missions are individual quests, so on so forth, where they basically get acquainted within that group of people that they actually trade and deal business with each for their personal gain (Verde is often contracted by COMSUBIN -and other less than legal orgs too but whatevs- but now Lal and Reborn could just contact him directly for their very own special customized new toys, Viper had a whole network of puppers and unknowing informants that they use as middlemen to secure deals and deliever information but now gets a new phone just for personal contacts they could expect to ring for them, Fon could be pestered for random manual labor like delievering something in exchange for a bit of gossip that he'd find useful or even something as mundane as a recipe or a location or a person to fight, etc.).

Colonnello later on being Lal's plus one when she needs a back up for an assignment from COMSUBIN that she needs to do in the same location as the mission from Checkerface.

I imagine Checkerface with seven cards in a deck, with handwritten notes of the skills and strengths of each Arco and playing them according to the mission at the time.

And then on the third time they're all gathered together, they go on a mission that curses them.

[freesia-writes]

Howzer + Aurelia Ch. 25 - Medical Practice

Beginning with his shiny days, this story follows Howzer's character arc through some heartwarming romance, action, adventure, yearning, angst, and growth.

Content/Trigger Warnings for Entire Work (individual chapters not labeled): wartime peril, injury, and death; sexual assault up to kissing; relationship passion up to making out and heavy petting; sexual relationship alluded to (smut is posted separately); pregnancy, birthing trauma, and stillbirth (chapters 30-39, can be skipped and still keep up with the story).

Master List of Chapters

Word Count: 1.9k

25. Medical Practice

The next week had painstakingly crawled by as Howzer had been off-world with Cham, visiting allies in a nearby system. He had left Aurelia with a cryptic message that had been consuming her thoughts, including at the most inopportune times as she was being provided with increasingly difficult opportunities to practice her medical skills. It was all under strict supervision and guidance, of course, but it's less than ideal to have one's mind wander when re-setting a bone. 

"I want to take you somewhere special, and I have a question to ask you," he had said, refusing her attempts to wheedle any additional information out of him. 

"You can't tell me you have a question that you aren't going to ask for a week!" she'd protested.

"Just think about your life, what you want and don't want... A little time of mid-life reflection, you know," he had teased, to which she had immediately spluttered her resentment at the phrase "mid-life". His face had grown thoughtful, though, and he smothered her with a kiss that left her breathless. His growing confidence and willingness to engage physically was a continual source of rumination and distraction for her as well.

She could hardly wait for his return, and as the day drew to a close, her heart leapt when she caught sight of him standing in the foyer of the medical center. Trying to check her enthusiasm, she gave him a polite nod in greeting, beaming uncontrollably. He held out an arm for her, his signature gentlemanly move that she had so fallen in love with, and they walked toward her place. 

Immediately, she noticed he was walking rather stiffly, with a distinct limp. She stopped, turning to face him and look him up and down. 

"What's wrong? What happened?" she asked, giving him a stern eyebrow to make it clear that evasive action was not to be attempted. 

"Ah, just another day on the job," he responded, grimacing when she jabbed him in the armpit space between his armor plates. "Okay, we got in a little scuffle a few days ago. The negotiations became more physical than verbal once Gobi got involved. But it's nothing. I had my checkup, ma'am." 

Laughing at his mockingly contrite tone, Aurelia took his arm and continued walking, "Some lucky doctor..." she muttered.

"The droid was clearly enamored," Howzer bantered, grinning at her shameless jealousy. 

"Okay, so what's the plan?" she asked, trying to play it cool. 

"What plan?"

"How dare you."

"What?" his face assumed an expression of such undeniably adorable innocence that she wanted to kiss him right then and there. "Oh! Yeah, we talked about going somewhere, didn't we..."

"I nearly fused someone's femur to their hip socket because I've been thinking about it all week," she admitted, in the hopes of him giving up the facade.

"Oh boy," he chuckled, "Well, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that it has to wait for the full moon. The good news is that the moon will be full in two days."

"Interesting," she said, stifling her slight disappointment. "But also probably good, since it looks like you could use a break." She nodded at his unwieldy gate. 

"I'm fine," he insisted, as they stopped off at his barracks for him to pick up some fresh clothes. 

* * * 

A warm meal and a long, hot shower later, Howzer reclined on Aurelia's couch, gazing out the transparisteel panels. She wiped the last dish from their dinner, feeling markedly domestic and wondering at the reality of her life, then had an idea. She rummaged in the cupboard, finding a lightly-scented cooking oil, and headed for the living room. 

"So... you know how the Twi'leks and humans approach medicine differently?" she began, remaining standing in front of him, relishing his relaxed approachability in just his blacks. 

"I guess? We report to the Imperial facility, but I've heard the locals are more... eh... what's the word..."

"Holistic," Aurelia offered with a wink, "And I've been learning quite a bit in both realms... And I think I could help you feel a little better...But perhaps you're right and you're totally fine..." She showed him the oil in her hands, trying hard to come across as confident and foxy. He got a small grin on his face, unfolding his hands from behind his head and leaning sideways on the arm of the couch. 

"I mean, I've been pretty sore... but it's nothing, really... it's just hard sometimes..." he said, arching an eyebrow and laughing at himself as he wavered between stubborn refusal to admit anything and the desire to play into her little game. "I mean, it can't hurt to try..."

"Sit on the floor and take your shirt off," Aurelia said, straight to the point, with an edge of playful suggestion. 

Howzer tilted his head at her, smile growing larger, and instead stood up, his head reaching a few inches above her own, and stepped close, sending a tingle down her spine. 

"I think I need some convincing."

Five minutes of passionate making out later, they pulled apart, breathless and flushed. Somehow Aurelia had managed to keep the oil in her hand, though they both had considerably different hairstyles. It was much harder to keep herself upright, but she had a vision in her mind and wanted it to come to fruition. She slowly set the oil on the nearby table, then, leaning in more slowly, she parted her lips and brushed them against his, feeling them open slightly under her own. But she didn't plant her mouth over his this time, but rather traced her lips back and forth. He took a steadying breath, bringing both hands to her cheeks, cupping her face and pulling back to gaze at her with a dizzying mix of desire and affection. 

"I love you," he said suddenly, a slightly rough tone to his voice. 

"What?" Aurelia blurted out, in shock and delight. 

"I mean..." he faltered, lowering his hands to take her own, "I don't know if it's different since I came from a test tube, but... as much as I understand of it... I love you."

"Oh," she said breathlessly, completely taken aback and feeling the need to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. But the words were ready, as she gave his hands a little squeeze, "I love you, Howzer."

He closed his eyes for a moment, smiling as if basking in the moment, and when he opened them, she was lost in the abyss of honey brown admiration. Her heart thrilled in her chest, and she leaned up to kiss him fully again, pressing her mouth to his with the hopes that it would convey even more than words could. He let out a small sigh that somehow invigorated her, and she released his hands to grasp his upper arms, pulling him closer against her and deepening their kiss. Fueled by the intoxicating scent and taste and touch of him, she lowered one hand to the waistband of his blacks, slipping her fingers underneath his shirt to graze against the side of his abdomen. Now it was a sharp intake of air from him, as well as a slight stiffening of his back, that made his desire clear. She traced along muscles, skirting along the bottom of his stomach until he was nearly writhing, and he pulled his mouth from hers to gaze at her darkly. 

"Arms up, trooper," she purred, startled momentarily by the gravelly sound of her own voice, slightly lower than usual. The corner of his mouth curved minutely, and he obediently raised both arms above his head, allowing her to pull the tight-fitting base layer up and over his head. He pulled one arm out, used it to pull the shirt off the other arm, and dropped it nearby on the floor. She bit her lip at the sight of him, reaching up to trace her fingers along his collarbone, down his arm, then back to his waist and up his abs. 

"I feel better already," he murmured, leaning into her ear and snaking his arms around her waist. She laughed, tilting her head toward his face as his breath tickled her neck. 

"This isn't what I had planned," she giggled, letting out a small gasp as he placed a gentle kiss, then a more suggestive bite into the curve of her neck. "Howzer!" she exclaimed, causing him to pull back in surprise. 

"Sorry, too much?" he asked, but she shook her head, smiling.

"I'm not going to be able to do anything if you keep that up!"

"Well technically that's doing something," he pointed out, and she gave his arm a playful smack. 

"On the floor, mister," she said, directing him toward it with a commanding arm. She longed to let that tiger out of its cage, but not now, not yet. Once again assuming a posture of submissive obedience, he followed her orders and sat on the floor in front of the couch, facing the window. She beckoned for him to move forward a bit, then slipped between him and the couch, propping her back up against it and splaying her legs on either side of him. He started to lean back against her, but she pushed him back up. 

"Cross your legs, if it's easier to sit up that way, and relax," she instructed, grabbing the oil bottle and warming some between her hands. She started on the tops of his shoulders, slowly spreading the oil from his neck down to his arms, then back up, using long, firm strokes. He exhaled, head lowering forward a little bit, and she allowed her eyes to roam across his bare back, noting a number of scars of all shapes as well as a few fresh-looking bruises. Taking care to avoid them, she slowly kneaded and stroked his shoulders, the tops of his arms, and his neck, reaching up onto the back of his head, where the short stubble of his hair massaged her fingers in return. 

"Thank you," he said, sleepily, as though it were all he could manage to say. She smiled, warming up a fresh handful of oil and gently spreading it down his spine, then across his hip bones. He breathed slowly and deeply, reveling in the incredibly tingle-inducing and rejuvenating sensation of her touch. She pressed her palms into the muscles on either side of his spine, gently stretching them, and eventually worked her way back up to his neck, tilting it to one side and cupping his head in one hand while slowly pressing along the muscle from the base of his skull down to his shoulder. 

She repeated the process as long as she could, slowing to a halt only when her arms were burning with fatigue, and she reached around him to pull him back against her. He happily reclined, warm and relaxed, head in her soft little nook where shoulder meets chest. She wrapped her hands together across his chest, leaning her head against his own, watching the moonlit city before them and marveling at it all. 

.

Next Chapter

.

Is this getting gratuitous? I can't tell. ;) I feel like I need some good solid action plot (and some will be coming) but it's getting more and more domestic and just various excuses for cheesy fluff and passion. I mean, I'm not complaining, but I hope you aren't either! hahah <3

[domain-of-sentience]

Glad to see someone other than me enjoying the last HI3 arc!! Specially after there was so much (justified) negativity around about the previous ones...

Btw when they mention Book of Fuxi at the end of Ch 39 I didn't remember if or when they reactivated it after it was shut down in Fu Hua's backstory so I just thought of the comic you made where Senti gifted it to Hua. It's canon to me now ❤️

omg thank you.... it rly endears me that you consider my silly comic canon 🥹🥹

she hasn't been brought up since her batteries ran out so i assume they found and revived her after the finale. i just wish we got to see her reaction to hos (and their interactions in general) ahhhh

[sofoulandfairaday]

Please can you tell us about:

Madame Lestrange

Rigel Lestrange

Glory and Gore

And the marriage counselling one (the premise of this already has me in a chokehold)

This is very very long so I will put it under the cut. Thank you for the ask!

Ch.11 - Madame Lestrange Contrary to popular belief, Bellatrix Black was thrilled with her wedding day: the food was perfect, the music was perfect, the groom was perfect. In the whole history of weddings, there had never been one more perfect than hers. Or 1972. Bella & Rod's ridiculously expensive wedding day and all of its shenanigans, including but not limited to: a mopey and very drunk Rabastan losing his virginity, Bellatrix and Andromeda's last conversation, the Dark Lord's failure to RSVP and the trouble it caused, and (ofc) the wedding night *wink wink*

Ch.26 - Rigel Lestrange 1975. A very sad one, quite gory too and definitely not for the faint-hearted, but also one of my favourites to write because I've always been fascinated with Bellatrix's missed motherhood. (All my readers know what I think of TCC by now, and anyway, this story takes place from 1969 to 1981, so no Delphi). The day of her miscarriage.

Ch.39 - Glory and Gore 1979. Still unwritten. The story of the third time the Potters defied Lord Voldemort. It's basically a long battle sequence with a special focus on Barty, Severus and Rabastan (Alastor Moody is horrified with this new generation of Death Eaters). By reading Regulus' journals, Bellatrix realizes that the gold cup her Master entrusted her is a Horcrux. When he later summons her, she chooses not to tell him that she knows (Bellamort moment, idk if smutty or not yet). Rodolphus visits his mistress (who is NOT AT ALL a shameless self-insert, nooooo) to make amends for stuff he did previously; they make peace, but it's pretty clear that they are not going to last.

The Lestranges go to couples therapy A comedy; still unwritten but fully outlined.

Ch.1: The explosion 1996. The Lestranges are having yet another Earth-shattering row that just so happens to blow up almost half of Malfoy Manor. Narcissa and Lucius threaten to notify the Auror Department of their whereabouts unless they agree to go to therapy. They recommend a Diagon Alley marriage counsellor who worked wonders for them: she's discreet, will keep quiet for money and has a strong stomach. Bonus: they show up either Polyjuiced or with some other shitty disguise and are immediately found out.

Ch.2: Mr and Mrs Lestrange's marital problems General bickering in their second session, we get a look at the therapist's notes. They are the worst patients ever, but she takes them on as her personal project. Both of them hate her but they really don't want to end up in Azkaban again. Rabastan finds out they are going to therapy and immediately he tries to hijack their third session. He is quickly put in his place.

«Roood» Rabastan practically sang, plopping down onto the couch, right between the couple. «Bella. You didn't tell me the lady was a hottie». He winked at [insert name]. She did not look impressed. «Rabastan, I presume». «Oh, you guys! You talked about me! Wait», his tone darkening in mock horror, «did they do it in a weird way? While discussing their sex problems?» Rodolphus looked ready to murder him on the spot. [he proceeds to basically sexually harass her and cause a disruption to their therapy session] «I do, Rabastan. I do. I find you utterly fascinating» she said, staring at him over her glasses. «In your opinion, on a scale from one to ten, how much do you use sex and alcohol to numb the pain of an unfulfilling life, completely devoid of ambition and genuine connection?»

Ch.3: The Lord Voldemort Factor The Lestranges are absent from one meeting or another.

«It's important that you try to be present for these appointments without too much rescheduling, Bellatrix. It shows that you are making an effort for each other, that you care about the other person's time». «The only thing I care about is my Master's time!» «See? She always does this! She's flaky». «Who are you calling flaky?!» «We agreed there would be no name-calling». Bellatrix shot him a triumphant look. «And we also agreed there would be commitment».

Lord Voldemort inquires after them and finds out (either from a terrified Lucius or from a still butthurt Rabastan) where they are. He decides he has to see for himself. Our dear therapist is terrified, but then again his disguise is the worst one yet. Truly laughable. Voldemort has her cancel all her appointments for the day so that they can have a longer session (he desperately wants to be included). It's not like she can refuse.

«It would be my professional opinion that you try and find a balance, an arrangement that works for all parties. Something to satisfy Mr Lestrange’s frustration, Mrs Lestrange’s exhibitionist behaviour, and Mr... Um... the Dark Lord's need to be the centre of attention». «We murder Rodolphus?» «It would be my professional opinion», she straightened her spine, «That you have a threesome».

Ch.4: Yet another satisfied client I'm still not sure whether I want them to divorce or not lmao. What I do know is that there will be a plot twist. Let's just leave it at that.

[hklnvgl]

(tagged by the lovely @ailec-12 ✨)

I posted 1,471 times in 2022

48 posts created (3%)

1,423 posts reblogged (97%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@flitwickslittlebrotha

@charactershoesfic

@werewolffeelings

@bloody-wonder

@grrrrrr-argh

I tagged 884 of my posts in 2022

Only 40% of my posts had no tags

#trc - 243 posts

#tdt - 206 posts

#mdzs - 111 posts

#pynch - 79 posts

#d - 54 posts

#aftg - 32 posts

#greywaren spoilers - 32 posts

#fic - 17 posts

#greywaren - 15 posts

#ask - 13 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#i also want to check the country of others by leïla slamani out from my library so whenever i do that i'm pushing it to the top of my list

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Rules: List the first lines of the last ten (10) stories you published. Look to see any patterns you notice yourself, and see if anyone else notices any. Then tag some friends.

i was tagged by both @flitwickslittlebrotha and @kelliealtogether thanks!!! 💕

the real hawk: Ronan knocked, and then knocked again with more force.

est quaedam flere voluptas: On some hidden level, Adam wanted to be the kind of person to effortlessly enjoy parties.

Yiling’s apples: There were plenty of homeless people in Yiling.

overflowing: Sirius regretted many things.

little dolls for sale: It wasn’t the first time Ronan had thought about it.

enormous are the groves: Adam poured himself out of his car, barely pausing to close the door after him.

into silence: It was Blue, Gansey and Henry’s fourth going-away party.

the plum tree flower: Adam inhaled deeply when he got the door open.

arm as a pillow: Declan didn’t technically live with Jordan.

stars parting: The nightmare wasn’t special.

all in all i'm pretty happy with these first lines! so much that some of them doubled as summaries 🙃 i'm not sure who's been tagged already so i'm just gonna tag @of-stars-and-moon @ailec-12 @parakeatswrites and you guys can ignore me if you've done it already 💛

10 notes - Posted February 21, 2022

#4

ages ago (i'm super late sorry 🙃) @andrea-lyn tagged me to do this! 💛 (thank you lovely!!)

Rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 (or so) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought to the world in 2021. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

when the world is one color (pynch, 2k). so this is the first of the many one shots i managed to write and post last year and i'm very happy with how it turned out! aka how to combat being cold with hugs (missing scene, post-trk, pre-epilogue)

but for their voices (pynch, 5k). this was very exciting to write bc it was fun to explore adam's thought process in this cdth-inspired au. aka adam is not unkowable if you stare at him long enough (different meeting au, college)

a persimmon (pynch, 1k). oh dear i struggled so hard to finish this little piece bc there were many different things i wanted to include, but i'm quite happy with the result! aka adam panics bc he's horny (missing scene during ch. 39 of trk)

the puppeteer (pynch, 3k). i made myself cry while writing this one. aka once upon a dream (sickfic, mi-adjacent)

yiling’s apples (mdzs, 2k). i've fallen hard for their story so i had to write something for it. aka why does everything important happen in yiling (pov outsider, gen)

tagging @ailec-12 @of-stars-and-moon @cheeeryos @behindtheatlantic @parrished @catboyadamparrish @flightspathfic @kelliealtogether @parakeatswrites 💛💛

12 notes - Posted January 11, 2022

#3

back in march (😅😅) the lovely @ailec-12 tagged me in this game! i'm super late but 🤷‍♀️

rules: tag 9 people you would like to know/catch up with

Last Song: can't remember as usual 🙃

Last TV Show: twenty-five twenty-one (yes it's destroyed me thanks! 🥺)

Currently Watching: crash landing on you (it's a rewatch!)

Currently Reading: you are not like other mothers by angelika schrobsdorff and i'm listening to beloved by toni morrison's audiobook

tagging @ive-garden @creativefiend19 @kelliealtogether @of-stars-and-moon @parrished @sleepy-skittles @purgatorybfs @catboynecromancy @cheeeryos 💛

12 notes - Posted August 3, 2022

#2

Describe yourself with ONLY pictures you have! You cannot download or search new pictures.

i was tagged by @parakeatswrites @kelliealtogether and @behindtheatlantic 💕💕💕

See the full post

13 notes - Posted August 22, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

writing prompts 💖

it's been a hot minute since i last opened prompts and i don't really have lots of time in my hands to write but i think having little things to serve as inspiration is exactly what i need to get back to my usual writing rythm! so. please send me a pairing and a prompt and i'll write a little one-shot 💕 (i'm mainly in the mood for writing pynch and wangxian but if you wished to see any other pairing just send it my way and i'll see if i can write something for it!)

thanks @ailec-12 for helping me compile this lovely list of prompts! 💛

50 Angsty Questions Prompt List

more questions

dialogue ideas

kiss prompts

more kisses

100 dialogue prompts

bad things happen bingo

minifics

anon asks are of course welcome as well! 🥰 thank you!

14 notes - Posted August 23, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[sammysdewysensitiveeyes]

11, 19, 39, 43, 44, 50

11. What’s the worst art you’ve seen?

You would think it would be Greg Land porn face, but nah, it's this:

From an Inhumans story about a corrupt Genetics Council member coming after Ahura, after Black Bolt and Medusa left him to be raised by a human couple. I can deal with comics having a very stylized or cartoony art style, but this is just.....bad. Really, really bad.

But I gotta love Maximus popping up out of his cell as soon as he hears the word "mad," like Tony Wonder waiting to make an entrance. "Did someone say 'Wonder'?"

Special runner up - any random Greg Land, really:

Why does this teenage girl being beaten look like she's screaming in ecstasy? Fucking Land.

Why is this apparently grown adult woman who seems to be a scientist (judging by the lab coat) making this expression? Fucking Land, who cannot draw a realistic expression on a woman to save his life, and obviously traced this from a model emoting "shocked" or "offended." Seriously, she doesn't even look like she's supposed to be a sexy super-heroine, but Land just had to give her That Face.

19. Rant about a change they made to a character of your choice.

You'd think I would talk about Pyro here, but I have to take a moment to rant about my DC boy, James Jesse, the original Trickster (a Flash Rogue). James was always kind of a wacky villain - an inventor and conman who commits crimes in the silliest way possible, but wasn't a full on edgy murderer like the Joker. He was definitely an asshole for sure, but probably one of the less murderous Rogues, and even took a stab at reforming for awhile (although he wasn't super-sincere about it). James then got replaced by a new Trickster named Axel, and then turned into a homophobe because someone wanted to do a Defiant Ones story with James on the run with and handcuffed to gay Rogue Hartley Rathaway/Pied Piper (even though Hartley and James were previously portrayed as friends with no issues), and then killed off.

Then after DC rebooted continuity a couple of times, James was still MIA, and Axel was treated as the only Trickster, even though most of the other original Rogues were back. Then Josh Williamson finally brought James back for a story arc that revealed that he'd been stuck in prison and basically tortured for years, and then escaped and went underground and was coming back for revenge. Williamson wrote a darker James, who still isn't technically a murderer, but did shove his parents off a building (Flash saved them). I'll admit the darkness made some sense, JJ was stuck in prison and it warped him, but the story seems to have virtually no sympathy for this wacky bankrobber getting tortured for years. Flash himself, who was very concerned about baby Trickster Axel getting mistreated in prison, doesn't appear to give a shit that James endured this for YEARS. Williamson also retconned James' past to say that he stole some of the ideas to make his anti-gravity shoes by seducing a lab tech, and this pisses me off SO MUCH. James' original origin story has him reading science magazines and figuring out how to make his gadgets on his own, which is one of the things that distinguishes him from Axel (who stole James' gear). It's not realistic, but nothing about the Flash Rogues are realistic. JJ is, in his own words, a Soo-per Genyius, and I hate any writer trying to take even part of that away from him.

Williamson also added this whole characterization of James routinely seducing and using women as part of his scams, even though that was NEVER part of his character before. He was a conman for sure, but he didn't specifically target women to steal money or tech, that was a new thing. Williamson wrote a darker Rogues AU future story that basically involves a group of them going out for "one last score" (with violent, gory results), and writes James in that story as one of the worst, just an absolute uncaring asshole with no apparent empathy or morals. This is the same character who, back in the 90's, ran across the world to help his ex-girlfriend, and then bartered with a demon to save the souls of his fellow Rogues. Anyway, fuck you very much, Williamson, never write James Jesse again, just keep your hands off him.

39. Which character do you get the most defensive of?

Once again, I'm gonna have to say James Jesse, the original Trickster, because comics have been so shitty for him for like 20 years. But also because the Flash TV show has popularized a version of James who actually is a remorseless murderer, and that's the version that keeps showing up in fandom. Most of the Rogues got an interesting reinvention on the show (for better or for worse), but James wound up being based entirely on a version of the character from the long-forgotten Flash 90's live-action show, who was basically Flash's equivalent of the Joker and played by Mark Hamill. And I have great respect for Mark Hamill, he's fantastic and he plays the TV version of the character well, but he's very different from comics James, and is much more murderous and unstable. And because the Flash CW show got Mark Hamill back, instead of a comics accurate Trickster, we got old man murderer Trickster (even though he's also one of the younger original Rogues). So I'm stuck wading through Flash fanfic, even fic that claims to be drawing from the comics, with the unstable killer version of Trickster, because that's the popular TV version.

(I will say, Mark Hamill also voiced a version of the Trickster on Justice League: Unlimited who seems like a more child-friendly version of TV Trickster, but I love him because he's not a killer and actually seems kind of sweet.)

I think when it comes to James Jesse, I'm a bit like you with Sebastian, I'm pointing at comics from decades ago, going, "No, no, he's not like that! He's like THIS! It's not his fault writers have been mangling his character for years!"

Your blog has actually made me much more defensive of Shaw as well, not as a "good guy," but as a "at least let him be a competent villain," argument.

43. What character do you resent the most?

Ohhhhh boy, there's a lot to say here.

My first answer would be some of the attention-grabbing characters that writers fawn over and who tend be heavily featured in damn near every X-Book. Right now it's Wolverine and Emma. Wolverine I don't really like much at any time, Emma I usually do like, but Duggan has been so far up her ass lately, I can't appreciate her in books anymore. I admit, I absolutely loved her beating down Sinister in Immoral X-Men, because finally, an Emma moment where I'm completely on her side, and where she's beating down someone I hate more. Also Gillen seems to have a more balanced take on Emma and isn't trying to rewrite her whole history.

But also, one of my fandom bad habits is that I get very resentful of any character who I think is replacing my favorite, or "stealing" a storyline that I wanted for my fave. So also, Simon Lasker (Pyro II) and to some extent Axel Walker (Trickster II).

Neither of them are bad characters. But Simon was basically a bland imitation Pyro who, from my perspective, stole the "gay Pyro" storyline out from under St. John, who was originally queer-coded and died of the AIDS metaphor virus, and has been in the comics closet for decades. And now that we are finally in a time when more comics characters can come out, and St. John is alive again, he's getting written as fantasizing about Jean Grey, presumably because "we already have a gay Pyro." Fuck that, St. John was here first. As far as I can tell, Simon was created to fulfill the Allerdrake ship from the movies, except he's not even the right Pyro for that, it's ALLERdrake, not LaskerDrake. I'd be more forgiving if Simon had a more interesting personality or if he looked significantly different from St. John, but instead he's like the equivalent of We Have Pyro at Home.

Axel Walker actually does have his own distinct personality and look as Trickster II, and I like him for that, but ever since his introduction, James has been killed off, and then dropped out of continuity, and then brought back darker and edgier so that Axel can be the sweet baby Trickster (even though back when Axel was first introduced, HE was the edgier Trickster, and James was trying to reform). It especially bothers me that all the other original versions of the Rogues got to come back in DC's rebooted continuity, but Axel was still treated as THE Trickster while James was largely forgotten. And lately artists and writers have been completely blurring the lines between the two characters, both in design and personality. Sometimes you literally cannot tell which Trickster is appearing in a book, because it's a character that looks and acts exactly like James, but is somehow named Axel.

Honestly, I try not to completely hate either character for this, it's not their fault. Axel especially is a good character when the writers actually let him be distinct from JJ. I could appreciate stories where the two Tricksters work together and annoy the shit out of each other, where James is all old school Looney Tunes and Three Stooges, and Axel is all Tik Tok and memes. That would be great. I'd enjoy a story with St. John mentoring Simon as a younger Pyro, and Simon maybe choosing a different name because Mesmero forced the Pyro identity on him, and both of them bonding over banging Iceman. I don't want to be mean to fans of these characters. But it's hard to like them while their presence in comics seems to negatively affect my faves.

Also, as long as I'm full of salt here - I have a limited patience for a lot of mascot and "joke" characters, especially when those characters become popular, but don't seem to have any real substance to them. Baby Yoda? Cute, but whatever, it's a baby. Soft Serve? I get it, she poops ice cream. She's a funny background joke, but I don't ever want to see a Soft Serve mini-series. I love Lockjaw and he is a Very Good Boy, but I would have rather seen any other member of the Inhuman Royal family get a mini-series. Doop? I don't give a single fuck about Doop, he's just a flying green blob whose joke wore thin ages ago.

44. Any characters you used to like but grew to dislike?

Deadpool. I read his series back in the 90's and genuinely liked him, but he got so big and over-played that I've completely burned out on the character now.

Also, Deadpool is a good example of how fandom (especially Tumblr fandom) can be very selective of which characters they deem "problematic." People are having yelling arguments across the Internet about Tony Stark or Hank Pym, or Cyclops, but somehow you can post about Deadpool without someone going, "Um, friendly reminder that originally Blind Al was actually Deadpool's prisoner, and when Weasel got too close to her, he threw both of them in a literal torture chamber!" Not that I want Deadpool to get dragged down by all the discourse, people should be able to freely enjoy him. But like, the dude kills people. He very gleefully kills people, and somehow doesn't get the kind of fandom controversy I've seen for other characters (at least in my corner of fandom, maybe it's going on elsewhere that I haven't seen.)

50. What’s something that bled into comics from a tv show or movie that you hate?

Hmmmmmm..........I think I'll say the Maximoff twins being declared Not Mutants and no longer Magneto's bio kids because the MCU wanted them in the movies. We all know that was about movie rights shenanigans, and not for any legitimate story reasons. It's just nonsense, and I'm patiently waiting for the retcon.

[tokiro07]

Undead Unluck Ch. 132 reaction

[The Journey’s End]

Akira being revealed to be sitting slightly to Fuuko’s left during Ragnarok is, likely unintentionally, the funniest god damn thing to ever come out of this series

Cus like...you gotta figure that from the moment G-Liner broke and Anno Un died, he was just chilling with the group the entire time. This raises a lot of questions, like who he went with when Fuuko was taken by Under or how he reacted to Fuuko being STABBED IN THE HEART

Did he know who Ruin was? He must have, right? Ruin must have existed within Information’s vision, unless he was literally only just created post G-Liner? But that’d be weird, considering that he has a scar already. I kind of doubt Sun designed him with a scar, I’m pretty sure his entire thing about being created by God is a bunch of bull, but whatever

Anyway, I think it’s extremely fitting that Akira is the one who both closes out the old and opens the new loops. Not only is he the author surrogate, lamenting the end of the current story and expressing his hope for what he’ll be able to do in the future (possibly an expression of the fear of Undead Unluck potentially being canceled before reaching that conclusion like so many other Jump manga), but he’s also a major impetus for the entire story thus far

Akira wrote To You, From Me, the story that allowed Fuuko to continue living right up until she would meet Andy. For all intents and purposes, he saved Fuuko at the very beginning of the manga, so it’s only appropriate that Part 2 begins with Fuuko saving Akira WITH the story that he allowed her to “write”

Also, fun bit of trivia, the new manga that Akira is talking about being in Jump that week (Sep. 11, 1972, issue #39) is Astro Kyuudan, and the issue of Jump he’s carrying actually has the cover in question!

Astro Kyuudan is about a baseball team made up of boys born with baseball-shaped birthmarks and unique powers that they use to build the ultimate baseball team. I have to wonder if this series was an inspiration for Tozuka, considering that Undead Unluck is about a group with special powers trying to form the best team possible to achieve their goals (in this case killing God instead of going to Koshien). Apparently it’s a series known for doing unconventional things with the sports genre, which is appropriate, considering that Undead Unluck does a decent number of unconventional things with the battle genre

Back on topic, Akira once again found G-Liner, which presumably had again become Information’s host, but that’s a little odd since A) that means that the selection of the Artifact was pre-ordained instead of random as it was stated, and B) that the timing of Information’s capture was the same. I’m going to chalk this up to Tozuka not wanting to get bogged down in the details and instead wanting to do something compelling, which I definitely feel, I’m just the type to think about that kind of thing

Now, here’s the odd thing:

Fuuko’s got her long hair again, tucked into her shirt, implying that Andy hasn’t been around to cut it, but it’s been about 100 years since Fuuko should have been placed in the Loop. Has she really not run into Andy yet? Or are they split up for some reason, like covering as much ground as they can for recruiting the rest of the Negators? 

Fuuko telling Akira about the previous Loop presents the perfect framing device for us to learn how she’s spent the last 100 years, so I’m sure it’ll be made clear soon enough

Backtracking a bit, Fuuko’s declaration that she and everyone else would negate the Gods is as strong of confirmation that they’ll be fighting Luna as I think we could possibly ask for. When she turned to face Luna, we saw the burning Earth framing her determined expression, as if to say that the whole world had her back and that the Earth itself was declaring the Sun and Moon their enemies

The image of Andy’s skull, or the portion that holds his eyes at least (the most recognizable part of Andy in my opinion) floating through space and biding its time is one that I imagine will stick with me for a long time, especially with how it contrasts how bright and bombastic the last several chapters in the Sun fight were

Seeing countless Suns emerging to initiate Ragnarok was honestly chilling, and brings up the question of what’s going to happen after they manage to defeat Sun next Loop: are more just going to keep popping up? Do they only need to defeat one, or do they need to defeat all of them? Will Sun admit defeat if they manage to beat just one, or will its consciousness be defeated in that moment?

There’s clearly a lot more to this than initially suggested, and most likely a lot more build up to the finale than I anticipated, so we might actually hit the four year mark after all!

Time will tell, but I’m very excited to be along for the ride!

[dalekofchaos]

Rock vs Roman isn't going to happen, move on

Honest opinion. Rock vs Roman Reigns is never going to happen.

The Rock has been constantly teasing a WWE return that has never happened. The Rock was supposed to return to team with Ronda in her debut match against HHH and Stephanie since that tease at Wrestlemania 31 and he never came to do the match. His last match was against Erick Rowan at Wrestlemania 32. His last appearance was at Smackdown's 20th Anniversary

WWE has wanted to do Roman vs Rock ever since Rock raised Roman's hand in that Royal Rumble. They clearly want to do the match, the only problem is The Rock would rather be a movie star than be a wrestler. The problem with that is The Rock can only be The Rock and his movies tend to suck because of that fact. Name me one good Rock movie that isn't Mummy Returns or The Scorpion King.

The guy's schedule is constantly overbooked and never has the time to do ONE LITTLE CAMEO. Hell Royal Rumble 2022, WWE were advertising his own fucking show and he couldn't do ONE appearance.

This year, Rock did a interview where he said he is the Tribal Chief. This gave me hope he would do the right thing and finally do the match with Roman. It didn't happen. He didn't make any appearance at all in 2023. No Royal Rumble. No saving Sami at Elimination Chamber. Hell, the bare minimum could've been The Rock as a Special Guest Referee in the match vs Cody. Rock could've gave Roman a rock bottom and helped Cody win. The bare minimum wasn't enough.

At some point wwe has to give up this fever dream of the rock wrestling Roman Reigns at wrestlemania

They have had Roman hold the belts hostage, in hopes the rock will wrestle again

If the Rock didn’t wrestle at Hollywood of all places, it’s not happening. The man was so fucking butthurt over Black Adam's failure that he couldn't just go back to what made him great in the first place and do the honors for Roman or even help Cody win the title.

This was the time to do Roman vs The Rock. The Bloodline was white hot and Roman was at his peak. We didn't get it. Wrestlemania in Hollywood mattered. Next year it will be too little too late. Let me give you a spoiler for 2024. Roman is going to hold the titles till Wrestlemania 40. He's going to make everyone acknowledge him. The Rock will do mediocre action movies, give interviews where he claims HE'S The Tribal Chief and how much he wants to do the match with Roman. But when the road to Wrestlemania picks up. Nothing. No Royal Rumble appearance. No Raw or Smackdown Anniversary and no Wrestlemania 40 match or even a cameo. Roman will then hold the titles for another year and rinse and repeat. Unless WWE wants to wash their hands with this dream match, the company will hurt itself because they are DEAD SET on hurting themselves over keeping the titles on Roman for a Rock vs Roman match. If Rock wouldn't do a fucking match in Hollywood, he's not going to do it at all.

For the sake of fantasy booking on what could've been at Wrestlemania 39. Here we go.

WWE Raw 30th Anniversary January 23rd, 2023: Roman Reigns' Acknowledgement Ceremony is up next after The Usos defeat the Judgement Day every Generation of the Anoai Family is in the ring and then Roman's music hits and he comes out with the with Bloodline, his wiseman Paul Heyman and Reigns himself he explains how appreciated he is seeing his own family is here to Acknowledge him as the Tribal Chief but then he notices someone is missing and he says "I appreciate every part of my family is here to Acknowledge me, but someone isn't here and I feel disrespected that Mr. Hollywood Johnson isn't here to Acknowledge me"

Royal Rumble 2023: Before the Royal Rumble match, Roman Reigns destroys and viciously assaults Kevin Owens after he defeats and retains the Undisputed Universal Championship as he grabs the mic saying "This is a way of sending a message to you Rock, you didn't have the balls to show up to my Ceremony clearly you don't Acknowledge Me as your Tribal Chief, I've seen the rumors If you don't show up tonight I'll go over to Hollywood and Make you Acknowledge Me if I have to !!!" Meanwhile during the Royal Rumble Match The Rock makes a surprise entrant during the Royal Rumble match at #30 but out of nowhere during the match The Usos and Solo Sikoa jump The Rock and Eliminate him from the Royal Rumble Match.

SmackDown February 3rd, 2023: The Show kicks off with The Bloodline with Roman Reigns "I don't care about the Rumble winner The American Nightmare Cody Rhodes because I'd smash him easily that he'll go running back to where he came from, I'm focusing on The Rock………….Dwayne you showed up at the Royal Rumble but not the Ceremony last week?? I get it you're a Movie Star and a Celebrity you just didn't show up because you called yourself the "Head of the Table" elsewhere at an interview, WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DWAYNE, WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE !!!!!!, I'M THE HEAD OF THE TABLE, I'M THE TRIBAL CHIEF IF YOU THINK YOU CAN RUN THE BLOODLINE WHY DON'T YOU GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE FACE TO FACE !!!!!!!!!!" Roman waits and then The Rock's music hits but there's no answer, "You think your smart playing mind games with your Tribal Chief huh, why don't you see me in 2 weeks After I Smash Sami Zayn at the Elimination Chamber." Sami Zayn is confused but he gets blindsided with a superkick and gets brutally demolished by Roman Reigns and the Bloodline the Crowd heavily boos Roman out of the building after the Segment.

Elimination Chamber 2023: Adam Pearce announces that the Roman Reigns vs Sami Zayn match will be for the Universal Championship and the WWE Championship will be vacated and a new Champion will be decided in an Elimination Chamber Match. Results = Seth Rollins wins the Elimination Chamber and the WWE Championship Royal Rumble Cody Rhodes chooses the WWE Championship Seth Rollins vs Cody Rhodes is made official for WrestleMania, Roman Reigns defeats Sami Zayn and retains the Universal Championship but The Usos beat down on Zayn but then Kevin Owens comes out to the rescue.

SmackDown February 24th, 2023: before the show WWE announces on Twitter that Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn will take on The Usos at WrestleMania on Night 1, a few hours later at 8PM Roman Reigns kicks off the show but he's not there with The Bloodline only Paul Heyman his wiseman "Your 2 weeks is up Dwayne, if you don't show up I will force you to come out of your little trailer and smash your ass to the arena" The Rock does appear but he appears via satellite and challenges Roman Reigns at WrestleMania but not only for the Bloodline for the Universal Championship then Roman Reigns accepts the challenge and Michael Cole the color-commentator announces that The Rock will return next week since the October 4th 2019 edition of SmackDown for their WrestleMania Contract Signing.

SmackDown March 3rd, 2023: the Main Event segment is here, The Rock returns receives a huge pop from the crowd, Roman Reigns then comes out both men have an intense stare-down as they both sit down, Roman Reigns then signs the contract "I'm going to embarrass you Infront of the whole world at WrestleMania and show why this is My WWE, My Yard I'm the Only Tribal Chief The Only Head of the Table" The Rock then lays the SmackDown on Reigns calling him a "want-to-be jackass who thinks he can run this place so that people can acknowledge him" as Rock signs the contract they both once again have a staredown as Roman raises up his Championship.

WrestleMania: WrestleMania Result's

*Cody Rhodes def. Seth Rollins (c) to win the WWE Championship

*Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens def. The Usos (c)to win the SmackDown Tag Team Championship

Night 2 of WrestleMania, Roman Reigns kicks out of 3 Rock bottoms, 2 Peoples Elbows and 1 Spinebuster meanwhile Roman Reigns defeats and retains the Universal Championship after 3 Spears to win over The Rock.

[bottom-lexa]

I finally caught up on my reading and the last two chapters of TBSG were soo good (39 specially).

But seeing the cracks of Clarke’s armour starting to break and her sharing her fears of losing Lexa everytime she goes back to her house, somehow both gives me hope and fills me with insurmountable dread about the so-feared chapter 44.

Am I being right or just paranoid?

Btw, was just leaving the cinema after watching the eras movie (kinda in a emotional mess not gonna lie) when I read about your forgotten makeout/dream makeout conundrum and started laughing out loud 😅

Thank you!!!! Spoiler for the next chapter is that it’s Lexa’s birthday.

Clarke is trying soooo hard to be strong yknow. She wants to be for lexa but she’s also scared. She sees what goes on in their house and she’s constantly scared about what state she’s going to see lexa in. Ch 44 is one hell of a ride but it’s not the worst. It’s nothing compared to what I have planned for Ch 53/54 😊😊 Now THAT is one hell of a doozy. That should be the dreaded chapter.

I still don’t know if it was real or a dream ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[tulipgardens1]

Elodea pointed a finger gun at him. Which ended up him calling upon an unwarranted game of rock paper scissors. "Rock-paper-scissors!" One after the another they headbutted each other with a draw. The precision. The trajectory. The flawlessness of their speed. Father and son were evenly matched. But it only took Killua a nanosecond to analyze the curvature of Elodea's thumb to foresee that he would in fact play rock, and therefore Killua could counter back his attack with paper, ending the draw, thus winning the battle. The seconds were counting down, and he could see Elodea's hand move into the precise position he wanted. Killua snickered, he was a master at this game just as he mastered the game of darts when he was only six years old. A genius. A protégé. He played paper and already counted his victory as he waited for Elodea to play exactly what he expected him to play, ro—wait, is that a hand sign? "Fire-style jutsu!" Elodea countered Killua's paper attack and (theoretically) burned his paper attack (and ego) into a crisp by drawing the only hand sign he could remember from season 1 of Naruto while watching episodes with Kostas in his bedroom past midnight. The fire summoning jutsu, a secret technique originated from the Uchiha Clan. Elodea learned the true meaning of nakama from that show. And that Rock Lee, aka bushy brows, was the most underrated character in the anime who honestly deserved more love than what he originally got. Like most people. "Fire beats paper, I win!"

Killua & Elodea Janken Scene, Among the Water Weeds

[kapyushonchan]

Translations of Plague Doctor issues, additional materials, etc.

As far as I know Bubble don't sell physical copies outside of Russia, so I decided to translate additional info from “Plague Doctor” volumes for English-speaking crowd. These are mostly comments from developers, insider information about design and script solutions, sketches, and more.

My English is ok-ish, enough for English-speaking folks to understand me, but in no way it’s perfect. If you found any error in the document, please suggest a correction.

For now only 3 volumes are out and I will add links to the post as I translate. The translations from chapter 9 to 11 and Mexico special are in google doc form, and you can find it here.  I helped to edit it.

Additional materials:

 - Plague Doctor vol.1 additional materials

 - Plague Doctor vol.2 additional materials

 - Plague Doctor vol.3 additional materials

- Plague Doctor vol.4 additional materials

- Q&A with authors of comics from Last.fm

These are in Google doc form with small screens. Also, in Last.fm Q&A there is a lot of text, so if there are any mistakes or typos, DM me.

- The butterfly catcher - A comics about Chrysalis and Poet (Chrisalis had a short appearance in PD 10, and Poet is an antagonist of 3d PD arc "Your brother in darkness"). Google doc form with links to comics, it's uploaded online for free.

The comics is still in progress through, Phobs is one of the creators of “Plague Doctor” comics and she is very busy with work. This story is mainly for people who are interested in Chrysalis/Poet and what Rubinstein did to them. And if you are really interested in them – then “Igor Grom” comic is must read for you, IT’S VERY GOOD. You can start with last issues of Major Grom – from issue 42 to the end (arc of the Sphinx riddle).

Plague doctor issues translation:

(Full translation in Google doc form, later issues are with small screens, since people aren't able to buy it now).

-  Plague Doctor ch.12

-  Plague Doctor ch.13

-  Plague Doctor ch.14

-  Plague Doctor ch.15

-  Plague Doctor ch.16

-  Plague Doctor ch.17

-  Plague Doctor ch.18

- Plague Doctor ch.19

- Plague Doctor ch.20

- Plague Doctor ch.21

- Plague Doctor ch.22

- Plague Doctor ch.23

- Plague Doctor ch.24

- Plague Doctor ch.25

- Plague Doctor ch.26

- Plague Doctor ch.27

- Plague Doctor ch.28-29

- Plague Doctor ch.30

- Plague Doctor ch.31

- Plague Doctor ch.32

- Plague Doctor ch.33

- Plague Doctor ch.34

- Plague Doctor ch.35

- Plague Doctor ch.36

- Plague Doctor ch.37

- Plague Doctor ch.38-39

- Plague Doctor ch.40

-  Plague Doctor Halloween special (Lera’s story)

-  Apple Spas Plague Doctor special

-  Altan special

- Heroes and Monsters special

∇△ ◁▷ △▽ ∇△ ◁▷ △▽ ∇△ ◁▷ △▽ ∇△ ◁▷ △▽ ∇△ ◁▷ △▽ ∇△ ◁▷ △▽

Important disclaimer: Personally I do buy the physical copies and chapters in digital form.

I don't support piracy against a publisher that can't boast the finances and scale of Marvel or DC.

There are screens of pages in some google docs, but with a shitty quality. I made screens to make it easier for readers to understand the context.

BUT: do not distribute these screens on the internet, do not remake it and do not use it in any way please. Otherwise I'll have to delete all pictures from the document or delete all of it, I don't want any problems.

Please be understanding.

I am not using any of these images or any of the translations for my own benefit. Translations are made for the sake of introducing foreign fans to the material.

∇△ ◁▷ △▽ ∇△ ◁▷ △▽ ∇△ ◁▷ △▽ ∇△ ◁▷ △▽ ∇△ ◁▷ △▽ ∇△ ◁▷ △▽

[crochettier]

Paraglider Blanket crochet charts and pattern

do you like Zelda? were you also hyped up and then immediately disappointed by that cool blanket they showed off as a Japan-exclusive special edition preorder bonus for Age of Calamity?

wanna make your own?

What you’ll find in this post:

the charts for each of the 5 pieces of the blanket

the stitch patterns used

the edging pattern

What you’ll need:

about 1,700 yards of color A (background)

about 225 yards of color B (green, bottom and top stripes)

about 275 yards of color C (gold, stripes with blocks)

about 475 yards of color D (off white, bird)

about 315 yards of color E (brown, the edging)

an H8/5mm crochet hook

a tapestry needle, for weaving in ends

knowledge of how to chain stitch, foundation crochet (optional), single crochet, double crochet, switch colors, sew or stitch pieces together, and work into the sides and bottom of a piece

You may need more or less of each color depending on your tension, the gauge of your yarn, and your colorwork method

This was patterned for seed stitch (alternating US sc & dc) but should work just fine in plain half double crochet

The sample blanket, made/tested using caron simply soft yarn, measures 94″ (239cm) wide by 41″ (104cm) tall. The gauge of it is 14 stitches and 15 rows = 4″ (10cm)

note, 03/10/2021: the ravelry page was changed to say this is tapestry crochet, and while you’re more than welcome to do it as such (it will add a good bit of yardage if you do, be aware), that is not what is expected with this pattern- a good 90% of the colorwork in it is intarsia crochet (or modified intarsia crochet). currently without the spoons to mess with adding that back in given someone saw fit to change it, unfortunately

onto the charts! (hopefully they’re readable!)

Center stitch pattern:

Establishing row: ch 40, sc 1 in 2nd ch from hook, (dc 1, sc 1) to end (39 sts)

Row 2 (increasing row): dc 2 in same st, sc 1, (dc 1, sc 1) to last st, dc 2 in same st

Row 3: sc 2, (dc 1, sc 1) to last st, sc 1

Row 4: dc 2, (sc 1, dc 1) to last st, dc 1

Row 5: as row 3

Row 6 (increasing row): dc 1 & sc 1 in same st, dc 1, (sc 1, dc 1) to last st, sc 1 & dc 1 in same st

Row 7: sc 1, (dc 1, sc 1) to end

Row 8: dc 1, (sc 1, dc 1) to end

Rows 9-11: as rows 7 & 8

repeat rows 2-11 for stitch pattern

establishing row can be worked as “fsc 1, (fdc 1, fsc 1) until you have 39 sts”, if preferred

Inner piece stitch pattern:

Establishing row: ch 31, dc 1 in 3rd ch from hook, (sc 1, dc 1) to end (29 sts)

Row 2: sc 1, (dc 1, sc 1) to end

Row 3: dc 1, (sc 1, dc 1) to end

Row 4 (increasing row): sc 2 in same st, dc 1, (sc 1, dc 1) to last st, sc 2 in same st

Row 5: dc 2, (sc 1, dc 1) to last st, dc 1

Row 6: sc 2, (dc 1, sc 1) to last st, sc 1

Rows 7 & 8: as rows 5 & 6

Row 9 (increasing row): dc 1 & sc 1 in same st, dc 1, (sc 1, dc 1) to last st, sc 1 & dc 1 in same st

Rows 10 & 11: as rows 2 & 3

repeat rows 2-11 for stitch pattern

establishing row can be worked as “fdc 1, (fsc 1, fdc 1) until you have 29 sts”, if preferred

Outer piece stitch pattern:

Establishing row: ch 30, sc 1 in 2nd ch from hook, (dc 1, sc 1) to end (29 sts)

Row 2 (increasing row): dc 2 in same st, sc 1, (dc 1, sc 1) to last st, dc 2 in same st

Row 3: sc 2, (dc 1, sc 1) to last st, sc 1

Row 4: dc 2, (sc 1, dc 1) to last st, dc 1

Row 5: as row 3

Row 6 (increasing row): dc 1 & sc 1 in same st, dc 1, (sc 1, dc 1) to last st, sc 1 & dc 1 in same st

Row 7: sc 1, (dc 1, sc 1) to end

Row 8: dc 1, (sc 1, dc 1) to end

Rows 9-11: as rows 7 & 8

repeat rows 2-11 for stitch pattern

establishing row can be worked as “fsc 1, (fdc 1, fsc 1) until you have 29 sts”, if preferred

Once all your pieces are worked, line them up in the order of Outer Left -> Inner Left -> Center -> Inner Right -> Outer Right, making sure the stripes, blocks, and bird patterns match up, and stitch the pieces together using your preferred method (you may need to squish things around just a little to get them to match up- that’s okay! work 1 piece at a time and go at your own pace, it’ll come together)

Weave in your excess tails, keeping them to the same color if you can (this step can be saved until after the edging is on, if you want)

With the front of your assembled blanket facing you, put your hook in the last stitch of the Outer Right piece, draw up a loop of color E, ch 2, and begin this next section! (broken up into chunks so it’s hopefully easier to follow)

Edging Pattern Row 1:

dc 1, (sc 1, dc 1) x 39 across top of Outer Right

sc 1, (dc 1, sc 1) x 39 across top of Inner Right

dc 1, (sc 1, dc 1) x 44 across top of Center

sc 1, (dc 1, sc 1) x 39 across top of Inner Left

dc 1, (sc 1, dc 1) x 39 across top of Outer Left, ch 2, sc 1 in same st as last dc

(dc 1, sc 1) x 62 down side of Outer Left, ch 2

(dc 1, sc 1) x 14 across bottom of Outer Left

dc & sc tog last st of Outer Left and first st of Inner Left

dc 1, (sc 1, dc 1) x 13 across bottom of Inner Left

sc & dc tog last st of Inner Left and first st of Center

sc 1, (dc 1, sc 1) x 18 across bottom of Center

dc & sc tog last st of Center and first st of Inner Right

dc 1, (sc 1, dc 1) x 13 across bottom of Inner Right

sc & dc tog last st of Inner Right and first st of Outer Right

(sc 1, dc 1) x 14 across bottom of Outer Right, ch 2

(sc 1, dc 1) x 62 up side of Outer Right

sc 1 in same st as first dc of the row, ch 2, sl st to first dc, turn, sl st in each of the ch 2, ch 1

Edging Pattern Row 2:

sc 1 in ch sp, (dc 1, sc 1) x 62, dc 1

sc 1 in ch sp, ch 2, dc 1 in ch sp

(sc 1, dc 1) x 14, skip 1

sc 1, (dc 1, sc 1) x 13, skip 1

dc 1, (sc 1, dc 1) x 18, skip 1

sc 1, (dc 1, sc 1) x 13, skip 1

(dc 1, sc 1) x 14

dc 1 in ch sp, ch 2, sc 1 in ch sp

dc 1, (sc 1, dc 1) x 62

sc 1 in ch sp, ch 2, dc 1 in ch sp

sc 1, (dc 1, sc 1) x 39, ch 1

dc 1, (sc 1, dc 1) x 39, ch 1

sc 1, (dc 1, sc 1) x 44,  ch 1

dc 1, (sc 1, dc 1) x 39, ch 1

sc 1, (dc 1, sc 1) x 39

dc 1 in ch sp, ch 2, sl st to first sc of the row, turn, sl st in each of the ch 2, ch 2

Edging Pattern Row 3:

dc 1 in ch sp, (sc 1, dc 1) x 40

sc & dc in ch sp

sc 1, (dc 1, sc 1) x 39

dc & sc in ch sp

dc 1, (sc 1, dc 1) x 44

sc & dc in ch sp

sc 1, (dc 1, sc 1) x 39

dc & sc in ch sp

(dc 1, sc 1) x 40

dc 1 in ch sp, ch 2, sc 1 in ch sp

dc 1, (sc 1, dc 1) x 63

sc 1 in ch sp, ch 2, dc 1 in ch sp

(sc 1, dc 1) x 14

sc & dc tog next 2 sts

sc 1, (dc 1, sc 1) x 12

dc & sc tog next 2 sts

dc 1, (sc 1, dc 1) x 17

sc & dc tog next 2 sts

sc 1, (dc 1, sc 1) x 12

dc & sc tog next 2 sts

(dc 1, sc 1) x 14

dc 1 in ch sp, ch 2, sc 1 in ch sp

dc 1, (sc 1, dc 1) x 63

sc 1 in ch sp, ch 2, sl st to first dc of the row, turn, sl st in each of the ch 2, ch 1

Edging Pattern Row 4:

sc 1 in ch sp, (dc 1, sc 1) x 64, dc 1

sc 1 in ch sp, ch 2, dc 1 in ch sp

sc 1, (dc 1, sc 1) x 14, skip 1

dc 1, (sc 1, dc 1) x 12, skip 1

sc 1, (dc 1, sc 1) x 17, skip 1

dc 1, (sc 1, dc 1) x 12, skip 1

sc 1, (dc 1, sc 1) x 14

dc 1 in ch sp, ch 2, sc 1 in ch sp

dc 1, (sc 1, dc 1) x 64

sc 1 in ch sp, ch 2, dc 1 in ch sp

sc 1, (dc 1, sc 1) x 208

dc 1 in ch sp, ch 2, sl st to first sc of the row, turn, sl st in each of the ch 2, ch 2

Edging Pattern Row 5: (for a softer, more rounded corner- replace the ‘ch 2′s in this row with ‘ch 3′s)

dc 1 in ch sp, (sc 1, dc 1) x 41, sc 1, ch 1

dc 1, (sc 1, dc 1) x 40, ch 1

sc 1, (dc 1, sc 1) x 45, ch 1

dc 1, (sc 1, dc 1) x 40, ch 1

sc 1, (dc 1, sc 1) x 41

dc 1 in ch sp, ch 2, sc 1 in ch sp

dc 1, (sc 1, dc 1) x 65

sc 1 in ch sp, ch 2, dc 1 in ch sp

sc 1, (dc 1, sc 1) x 72

dc 1 in ch sp, ch 2, sc 1 in ch sp

dc 1, (sc 1, dc 1) x 65

sc 1 in ch sp, ch 2, sl st or cut yarn and invisible join to first dc of the row

Weave in your remaining tails, and enjoy* your new paraglider!

*attempting to use this item as a paraglider, sailcloth, or parachute is not recommended

Now, I’ve done my best to make this readable, but that only works if tungle lets it. If you find that anything seems amiss, need some clarification, or are having trouble with a section, please let me know and I’ll do my best to help! You can find me here, at CrochetTier on Ravelry, or at Crochet_Tier on twitter

If you work better with charts as a backup as opposed to your main pattern, please also let me know- I’ll be happy to share the google document with the rows a little more written out.

Happy crafting!

[yoichichi]

To Call You Mine

college!tsuki x reader series

Ch. 3 - not a buddy, just a tutor

warning(s): toxic relationship behavior, toxic mindset, loneliness ☹️, kind of some Angst 😶

a/n: hehehehe I loved the way some of y’all were reacting about the boyfriend part LMAO , I hope you enjoy this ch!! And you know I love love love hearing from you guys :)

Ch. 1 Ch. 2

“Tomorrow, we’ll be sure to review…”

You couldn’t focus on what your professor said as you left the classroom, thumbs moving at the speed of light as you texted Tsukishima back urgently.

Wednesday 12:02 pm

- ‘Omg, I seriously owe you sm. Class wasn’t perfect but it kind of made SENSE! Ty fr :)’

You probably looked like an idiot smiling so big down at your phone but you couldn’t fathom how relieved you felt versus the usual existential dread that hung over you nearly every other day after Calc.

You turn your ringer back on as you shove your phone into your pocket, remnants of a small smile resting on your face. Still reeling from your accomplished high, you figured some celebratory coffee would-

ding

You think the speed at which you snatched your phone back out, almost fumbling it in the process, was more embarrassing than how you were smiling earlier. It just felt nice to hear some validation from Tsuki, you haven’t known him long - at all - but it didn’t feel like a regular occurrence with him. And it kind of made you feel special if you were being honest.

Kai💗😩🥳

- ‘Still down to hang?’

Your cheeks began to hurt with how often you were smiling today. Not who you were expecting, but it made you pleased nonetheless to see your boyfriends contact pop up onto your screen. You clicked on the message and unlocked your phone, typing your response chalk full of cheesy emojis.

ding

ding

ding

ding

The notifications momentarily pause your movements as you read the banners quickly and quietly to yourself.

Tsukishima :)

- ‘sounds like you still need a tutor 🙄’

- ‘and np’

- ‘if you need to go over today’s lesson before Sunday just text me and we’ll figure something out.’

- ‘but we’re still on for Sunday so no there’s no getting out of that.’

You made a mental note to finish your text to Kai in a moment, swiping to get to Tsuki’s messages.

- ‘that eager to see me again? Aren’t you sweet 😌 I’m getting coffee as a gift for myself, if you’re not busy ig I could get you one too as a thanks 🙄’

You clicked your phone off once more, ignoring the string of sounds coming from your back pocket, instead choosing to focus on the walk there and mentally check your schedule to see when you were free. Maybe you’d take him up on his offer.

The walk was short enough to not have to worry about warming back up when you got inside, which really meant you could have an iced coffee without the consequences of a cold drink during the chilly autumn weather.

Walking up to wait in line, you debated between choosing your regular order or trying something new. Your eyes bore into the menu with an intensity comparable to someone like Kai on the court. You giggled quietly to yourself at such a clever thought before going back to deciding what you wanted before it was your turn to order.

“Hmm, blatantly ignoring me and giggling to yourself about it? You certainly are in a mood, aren’t you?”

You nearly jumped out of your skin at the sound of a familiar cocky voice behind you, warmth emitting from his chest that almost had you backing into it.

You huffed and turned your head over your shoulder to see Tsuki, the man of the hour, looming over you with that shit eating grin.

“You think you’re cute sneaking up on me like that?” You squinted your eyes and reached out to lightly smack his, surprisingly quite firm, chest.

“Adorable, actually.” His smile got even wider when you rolled your eyes and tried not to smile yourself, turning your attention back to the menu.

“You know, if you would’ve answered my texts you would’ve had a coffee waiting for you already.” Tsuki commented and sighed, feigning annoyance with you as he watched you glance between him and your phone, now in your hand, in confusion.

Tsukishima :)

- ‘not eager to see you, eager to tutor you more so I get to see you less ❤️’

- ‘and now you’re offering to buy me a drink? Who really wants to see who’

- ‘I’m already here anyway, just text me what you want.’

- ‘you’re offer expires in about 39 seconds.’

- ‘😐’

- ‘sucks for you ig.’

You chuckle and put your phone away, cooing playfully about how sweet he is as you watch his arrogant smile slowly fade away from his face. It wasn’t until you gained the attention of a couple people around you that he had enough, muttering about how annoying you are and how he can’t wait to get rid of you as he nudges you up to the cashier.

Placing your order, you step to the side and wait - and apparently Tsukishima was going to be waiting with you.

“So, you said you felt more comfortable in class?”

His face was more serious now as he asked you the question, no playful smiles or a snarky demeanor. You could tell he was just waiting for a genuine answer.

His eyebrows rested softly on his face as you spoke. They sat not too far above his eyes that were slightly wider than normal, occasionally raising in response to the lilts in your voice. His lips were only slightly parted, resting in a fine line. He looked, contemplative.

“Oh, hey babe!”

A familiar booming voice cuts you off mid rant, your face and body twisting into it’s direction.

“I thought you were maybe talking to your calc professor or somethin’ since you didn’t answer my text right away like you usually do.” Kai, your boyfriend, was right next to you now. His long, strong arm pulling you into his side to keep you there, pressing a kiss to the side of your head in the process.

He turned his attention to Tsukishima now, eyeing him up and down before offering him his own signature grin: all toothy, bright, and fake.

“I’m Kai, her boyfriend, nice to meet you.”

You internally screamed at the way he had to emphasize the fact that he was your boyfriend, and then internally screamed even louder at the way Tsukishima chuckled - no scoffed - at what Kai said.

Not every person to ever be in your presence was a threat to the security of your relationship.

You hated how over protective he could be sometimes, even if he means well. Deciding now wasn’t the time to mull over your recent relationship troubles, you gave Tsuki an “I’m sorry he can be like that sometimes” glance.

Squeezing quickly onto Kai’s arm, you took your turn to speak before either of them could.

“This is Tsukishima, my frien-“

“What’s so funny?” Kai had that smile still, but tilted his head just enough to show he wasn’t really smiling.

“I’m Tsukishima Kei, her tutor, nice to meet you. I just think it’s funny our names are so similar, that’s all.”

Tsuki’s smirk screamed “I’m a liar and that’s most definitely not what I’m laughing about”, and his eyes gleamed with playfulness, toying with the limits of your boyfriends patience.

Kai was a well built man. 6’2”, not too lean but not too big, and a wide frame. And when you pair that with his resting face and his usual, presence, he likes to carry, he’s not always the most approachable person. And he certainly doesn’t make it easy when he’s actively trying to be intimidating, or whatever it is he does. But thankfully Tsukishima’s either too stupid to notice or simply doesn’t care; either way you appreciate the consistency in his attitude.

What you didn’t appreciate was being cut off.

“Like I was trying to say, Tsukishima’s a friend. M-“

“Oh, so we’re friends now? I wouldn’t say a single tutoring session makes us friends.” Tsuki’s silly little smirk was short lived as he met your eyes.

You really didn’t appreciate being cut off. Twice. And maybe you didn’t appreciate this little attitude of his.

“Oh? Well I didn’t know acquaintances offered to buy the other coffee.” Your eyes bore into his with a harsh stare, making the tips of his ears start to turn red before he did his best to make up for himself.

“They do when they’re trying to get to know them better. I mean, if that’s allowed?” The expectant glare Tsukishima gave Kai made your blood run cold.

Such an asshole.

You clenched your jaw and huffed, but before you or Kai could get to speak, Tsuki beat you both to it.

“Just text me and we’ll figure something out, see you Sunday if not sooner.”

And with that he was gone, snatching his bag up and shoving his belongings into it carelessly before pushing through the door.

The gust of wind that blew through was appropriately cold for the situation.

“Order for (y/n)!”

—

“How am I the dick here?” Kai’s voice bounced off the walls in your cramped dorm, his harsh tone echoing from all corners of the space.

Thankfully, most people were probably out in a class or eating lunch at this time like Bonnie was.

“Why do you have to make everything a pissing contest between you and any man in my general vicinity? I don’t know Kai, maybe I’d like to fucking have another friend besides Bo-“

“Oh don’t guilt trip m-“

Interrupted, again.

“Quit doing that! Quit cutting me off just let me speak!”

You felt your voice crack from the extensive length the two of you have been going at it, just trying to get a word out. The tension was high in the room as you calmed yourself down and caught your breath, doing your best to swallow the growing lump in your throat.

“Just,”, you groaned and covered your face with your hands for a brief moment before continuing,

“We’re supposed to be working on our trust, Kai.”

It was quiet for a few seconds before he spoke up softly.

“Babe, it’s not you that I don’t trust.”

You sighed deeply as you felt the hot tears that had been waiting to spill run down your cheeks.

“Kai. That’s bullshit. It doesn’t matter that you don’t trust other people or whatever the hell you’re saying, cause I’m the one being affected by your feelings and actions. I’m the one who might lose a possible friend because you’re insecure.”

That must’ve been his last straw. Because instead of another sharp response, it was silent. The sound of the door clicking open making noise rather than him himself.

It caught your attention as you looked up to watch Kai begin to leave just barely hearing him say,

“I’ll talk to you later.”

The silence that filled the space after he left was suffocating. You wanted to scream, cry, and go to bed all at once. And the latter didn’t sound like such a bad idea.

You rolled onto your bed and clutched onto your blanket tight, not wanting to let your feelings fester and think about how angry you were right now. But you couldn’t stop yourself when your chest grew heavy as you began to sob, you hated how often he’d just avoid an issue. But right now, that’s exactly what you felt like doing, too.

Sitting up, you changed and crawled under the covers, deciding a nap was the only way you were gonna be able to give yourself a break right now. And you were completely right.

Not before changing his contact to just, “Kai”, of course.

He doesn’t deserve the emojis right now.

—

It was dark and your skin was clammy when you woke up, your head pounding. You were in desperate need of a drink of water. Sitting up slowly, rubbing your face in a desperate attempt to smooth away your grogginess, you hopped off your bed towards your desk.

Why does being with him have to be so draining?

You’ve never felt like your relationship was perfect or easy, but you’ve also never felt like it wasn’t worth it. How often does someone stay with their high school sweetheart - albeit off and on - until their second year in college? And besides, you were both trying to make it easy for each other at the least.

Making friends was easy for you, it was keeping them that was hard. Remembering to set aside time to make plans, or even remember to make them in the first place. Or even doing something simple like shooting them a text, whether it was your nerves or not you’ve always just told yourself you’re too busy and too focused to spend time creating a bunch of lasting friendships.

But Kai? Kai’s always stuck around, no matter how many times he’s reminded you how often you’ve made things difficult for the two of you. Even when he’s left he’s come back, willing to listen and figure it all out. He’s always been your one and only. But that’s also the problem;

He’s always been your one and only.

Recently it’s felt like no matter what you do, he’s the reason you can’t keep a friend.

Why need a friend when you have Kai, he’s basically your friend, too, right? They want too much of your time, they’re too touchy, they’re too pushy, shouldn’t you be studying? Shouldn’t you be hanging out with him?

You plopped down into your desk chair and placed your head in your hands, your thoughts beginning to overwhelm you again.

ding

Peeking an eye over to your phone, still sitting on your nightstand from where you left it earlier, you reluctantly made your way over to see who was bothering you.

Bon Bon 🥐💗

- ‘Ahhhhh! Sorry I’m not back yet (even though I don’t think you and Kai will mind lolol) I’m just gonna stay at my friends house for the night so don’t worry bout me! Just a late night study sesh gone too long is all :) love ya girlie!’

A sudden wave of loneliness washed over you as you tried not to cry again, you were getting annoyed at how many times you felt like crying tonight.

You stared at her message for a few more moments before finally sending your reply.

- ‘you’re good :) we’re having a late night movie sesh so I’m gonna get back to that! ily 2 see u tmrw ❤️’

You don’t know why you felt like you had to lie, maybe you just didn’t want to have to explain it all right now, or worry her.

You noticed you had a few more messages waiting to be read, too. Although none were from Kai.

Tsukishima :)

4:32 pm

- ‘sorry if I came off weird earlier. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or upset, I just didn’t like how Kai was acting.’

5:01 pm

- ‘by how Kai was acting I mean he just acted like he had a problem with me when we’ve never even met before. I know I antagonized him too though so to be more specific I’m sorry about that.’

- ‘I’m also sorry if I caused friction between you two, let me know if you’re still comfortable with me tutoring you or if you’d rather me find you someone else. I know some pretty nice ones.’

- ‘just to clarify though I personally don’t have a problem continuing to tutor. Don’t want you to think you did anything to upset me.’

You sniffled and glanced up to the small digits in the upper left hand corner of your screen.

11:56 pm

Jesus.

You stared at his texts for a while, unsure of what to say but also relieved at the fact he texted you. Seems like you were worried about Kai spoiling this budding friendship for you more than you thought.

Thursday 12:03 am

- ‘ty for the apology I really appreciate that. It was kind of awkward but Kai also really played into the whole situation so I’m sorry for how he acted too. I’m very okay with you being my tutor still but ty for asking’

- ‘I’m actually free to even study now lol’

- ‘you do still owe me that coffee’

You felt the tiniest of weights lift off your shoulders as you sent your messages. It felt nice knowing-

ding

..

There’s no way he should be up this late. Doesn’t he have crazy early workouts for volleyball or something?

Tsukishima :)

- ‘ofc. I’m actually at the library now if you want to join me :) same spot as last time’

The fact he replied so quickly was surprising, and his seemingly equal eagerness to see you surprised you even more. But, in a pleasantly surprised kind of way.

You smiled down at your phone, sitting up and slipping your slides on at a lethal pace. It felt good to smile a little bit.

And really, it’s not like you had anything better to do. Plus, being alone right now doesn’t exactly sound like too much fun.

You texted him a quick, “omw!”, before slipping out of your dorm.

You could guess Tsukishima is just as lonely as you are with how quick he seemed to invite you to a study session.

Hmph. Acquaintances my ass.

—————————

Any thoughts on Kai? On y/n and their relationship? ?Any thoughts at all??? Send em my way :)

taglist for series: @plutowrites @c0rncheez @ruetaro @toyas-wife @devilkou @anime-and-kpop-trash @haley-talks-too-much @jiungsfav @sergeant102105 (if you’d like to be added or removed let me know!)