#phlox the hedgehog

[e-vay]

Hear me out... Phlox is a big fan of Sonic, but has no idea this kid is his son. He's been saved multiple times by Sonic, so they've run into each other multiple times none the wiser.

Phlox deep down feels a connection... A... Paternal instinct if you will... But has no idea why watching sonic do crazy things gives him anxiety...What if Sonic got the dad instinct from him?

@angry-derp ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!

THIS IS CANON NOW!!!

Sidebar: I’m over the moon that all of you have had such an overwhelmingly positive reaction to Domino and Phlox! 🥰 I love reading all your reactions, theories and ideas!

[sonic-elements]

Presenting another of Team Wisps newest members. A sophisticated fellow once owning a beauty salon, now using his fragrance making skills for team wisp, embodying the Phlox Wisp heres Topper The Mushroom  (Character belongs to me don't steal or trace)

[snowlupinwoodstories]

Story 12, A Ribbon Seal in a Fast Food Job

Not super creative with the title this time! But I hope you all enjoy! Remember, you voted for pinipeds, so I went with a ribbon seal as they look so pretty and have such nice markings.

Aurora all but rolled off of her waterbed as her alarm blazed to life on her phone. She grunted slowly pulling off the cooling blanket she’d burritoed up in sometime during the night. The phlox and cream colored ribbon seal headed towards the bathroom for a cool shower to further wake her up. The chill was welcoming after the hot night, especially one so hot that the mix of the cooling sheet and the unheated waterbed couldn’t fully cool her down the way she preferred. 

Awake and somewhat refreshed from the cool water Aurora turned off she shower head and hastily rubbed herself dry with her towel. She’d have loved to spend more time in the water’s icy embrace, the chill waking up every part of her and numbing her still sore feet from the night before. But despite her doing a deep clean the night before her manager still wanted her at work an hour after opening. It wasn’t technically a clopen by company standard, but it might as well have been. 

She grabbed her uniform she’d hung up the night before, a desperate attempt to allow herself more shut eye by having it right in the bathroom. It wasn’t bad, but it really really didn’t go with her non-standard, or neon coloring. A true red shirt with a stitched orange and black calico cat over the name Kitty’s on the right side, black pants and boxy non-slip shoes complete with a red visor made up this color clashing combo. 

Dressed, she checked the time on her phone before dashing to the kitchen, pulling a frozen breakfast sandwich box out of the freezer only to find it was empty. Letting out an aggravated whistle she chucked the box in the trash, yanking the fridge door open. Grabbing a bag of almost depleted deli meat and another of cheese she ran out the door, opening one as she went to try and eat her meager breakfast on the go. 

She jogged to the bus stop, already feeling the heavy stickiness of the air that promised another sweltering day ahead. She chewed absentmindedly, tasting the sharpness of the cheddar and the sweetness of the honey’d turkey helped her mood somewhat. At least she had something she could grab and finish before the bus got there, and wasn’t stuck trying to find a ride to work. The last few times she had to do that had been a drain on her wallet and she really didn’t need that right before pay day. 

The usual strangers were already at the bus stop by the time she arrived. A harried pygmy goat with her three young children who insisted on treating the benches and the open weather shelter as their own playground. A Bee who held a large wild hedgehog plushie, who always stood about three feet down from the actual stop. And there was the tabby cat in the black skirt suit, her black suit coat over her arm, her white short sleeved blouse exposed to help keep her cool in the balmy air. 

As always while there may be a brief look of acknowledgement from her fellow strangers no one greeted one another or talked, except of course the kids and their mother who was at the end of her rope trying to get them to behave for once. Aurora felt for her, she really did, but she wasn’t going to get involved with the hyper kids before she had an eight hour grueling shift she had to get to. 

The bus arrived within a few minutes, letting out a mechanical sigh as it stopped at the stop. There was the usual jockeying for position. The business woman, always punctual and put together, claimed the first spot in the line, as she’d been walking towards the door even before the bus stopped. Aurora had followed, with the Bee behind her, and last was the family of goats. They each held out their bus passes and joined in more familiar strangers as they found seats amongst those already boarded. The goat mom pulled the kids to a side area of seats, and stood instead of sitting blocking them in for the long ride into the business end of town.

The bus ride was long as usual, what would have been a fifteen minute ride stretched more to thirty-five minutes. As it was, it was still a ten minute walk from the stop to the Kitty’s where Aurora worked, which left 3 minutes before she had to clock on. She’d have liked to arrive with more time to spare, but at this time of the morning it was either three minutes before, or a full hour before based on the time the bus ran. Later in the day she had more flexibility, but the early morning buses ran at greater intervals. 

She smiled to herself as she realized that her boss hadn’t arrived yet, meaning she wouldn’t have to deal with the comments about not being in the building fifteen minutes before her shift.. She had made it up to the door by the time her manager’s car, an SUV that screamed karen energy, complete with a live, laugh, love sticker and a sticker for the show Roomates, an older sitcom of friends who lived in apartments in the same city getting up to questionable hijinks, adorning the back. Cheryl, a fangtooth moray eel, who wore too much pink blush over her yellow face. Claimed it made her look younger, in reality it just powered her Karen-energy up by fifty percent. 

Cheryl frowned as she stepped out of the car, “Why aren’t you already inside?,” she snarked remarking on how Aurora had asked to come in an hour later when the busses would be running more frequently.

“I just got off the bus, Aurora answered, holding the door out of politeness, knees bent to sprint to the closest clock in point. As soon as Cheryl had grabbed the door she let go, sprinting to the register and typing in her numbers as fast as she could. By the time she completed the log in process (typing in her pin, scanning her fingerprint, a bit much if you asked her for a simple fast food job) she was right on time. She turned away from Cheryl, wanting to avoid a talking too about manners with not waiting until she’d fully walked through the door, finding the shift lead.

Remmy, the been there done that racoon shift lead was already on the fry station prepared to send her to position, “I’ve got you on back window today,” he told her before softly explaining, “I saw how much you were struggling with the heat yesterday. I figured by putting you in the back you can at least get yourself a splash of cold water when Cheryl isn’t looking.”

“Thanks Remmy, you’re the best!” Aurora told him in the same hushed tone before she headed to the back, logging into the register and fixing the headset over her ear. A tell tale Ding! Greeted her, “Hello, welcome to Kitty’s! What can we get started for you?”

[hunsa-jars]

*casually drops some critter moomin ocs*

First image, from left to right: Jacob (shadow creature), Husk (hedgehog)

Second image: Phlox (booble)

Third image, from left to right: Porcini (nibling), Chanterelle (dweller), Toadstool (not so invisible shrew)

[the-ethereal-serpent]

Night Blooming Flowers

☽⦁──────── ⦁⧊⦁ ────────⦁☾

☽⦁──────── ⦁⧊⦁ ────────⦁☾

Chocolate Daisy

The chocolate flower, Berlandiera lyrata, blooms at night, releasing its heavenly chocolate scent until early in the morning.

Cape Jasmine

While this shrub's pretty white flowers give off their signature smell during the day, they're even more fragrant at night. Plant these along your walkway or in your yard, and their sweet and strong scent will begin wafting around your home at dusk.

Queen Of The Night

Queen of the night only blooms once every one or two years. But once it does, prepare for a show. The nocturnal cactus can open several large flowers at once on summer nights.

Japanese Wisteria

A woody vine, Wisteria floribunda is hardy to zone 5. This finicky plant can take several years before the white or lilac clusters emerge, so be sure to buy one that's already in bloom.

Datura

Datura wrightii is known by many names—datura, moonflower, jimsonweed, angel's trumpet— and has quite an interesting history. But what we like best about the moonflower are its silky white night-opening blooms that attract sphinx moths and other pollinators.

Night Phlox

Zaluzianskya capensis appeared in garden books as early as 1935. With small purple buds that open to white, the plant grows to about a foot, making it ideal for the front of a border.

'Red Flare' Water Lily

Nymphea 'Red Flare' is a tropical water lily with bold red blooms that float high over ponds and bogs through the night.

Night-Blooming Jasmine

Cestrum nocturnum's tubular flowers are tiny, but at night their perfume spreads 20 feet. The plant blooms from spring through fall, flourishes in containers, and is hardy to zone 8.

Dragonfuit Cactus

Beautiful, exotic dragonfruit comes from a night-blooming cactus. But be on the lookout: its flower only opens up for a single night before withering the next morning.

Evening Primrose

Pink evening primrose opens up showy pink and white blooms in late afternoon. Pinkladies are hardy, vigorous spreaders that also attract bees.

'Casa Blanca' Lily

This oriental hybrid is known for its intense fragrance and night-blooming flowers. Its large white flowers are a favorite for weddings and will brighten up a summer garden.

Gardenia Augusta

This Southern charmer releases its sweet scent on late summer evenings.

Four O'Clocks

As its name would suggest, four o'clocks (Mirabilis jalapa) open their bright blooms in the afternoon.

Easter Lily Cactus

Echinopsis, also known as the Easter lily cactus or night-blooming hedgehogs, produces striking white flowers on tall tubes. The fragrant blossoms open up for a night, then begin to whither the second day.

Rain Lilies

Known primarily for opening up its fragrant blooms after a summer rain, a particular rain lily variety—Zephyranthes drummondii—is also nocturnal.

Tuberose

This fragrant summer bulb is said to hail from Mexico. Polianthes tuberosa shows tall spikes of white flowers that open at night, increasing its sweet fragrance.

Angel's Trumpets

The highly fragrant Angel's Trumpet blooms in white, yellow, peach and pink and can be limbed to grow in a tree form.

Nicotiana

Commonly called "flowering tobacco" because of their high concentration of nicotine, these slender plants have trumpet-shaped florets in a wide variety of colors.

Yucca

Extremely drought tolerant, yuccas have creamy-white sweetly scented flower stalks that last much of the summer.

Lilacs

These old-fashioned Lilacs are deciduous shrubs and perennial favorites. One of the more fragrant cultivars, 'Miss Ellen Willmott,' has white blossoms that attract bees and butterflies.

Dianthus

Commonly known as Cottage Pinks, Dianthus is a ground cover that features pale pink flowers that offer a cloves-like scent.

Moon Flower Vine

No evening garden should be without this annual vine. Its hand-size bright white flowers are highly scented, and the vine is a prolific grower.

☽⦁──────── ⦁⧊⦁ ────────⦁☾

Sources :

http://aminoapps.com/p/tbe4am

[notwarriorswiki]

Since everyone has been giving you warrior names with new suffixes and prefixes, have you thought of any new ones based on some.

Suffixes are almost endless. Do you know how many plants are untouched in warriors? Do you know how many bug names there are?? If we’re talking unique unused prefixes in the series there is:

Beaver, THYME, Switch, Moor, Walnut, Begonia, Mulberry, Cotton, HEATH, Broom, Elk, Acacia, Fuschia, Mosquito, Spruce, Bat, Ginger, Abelia, Plume, Aster, LILAC, Flea, Termite, Verbena, Mink, PANSY, Tamarisk, Burnet, Pecan, BORAGE, Bean, Privet, Citrus, Mantis, DAFFODIL, Dahlia, Fir, Hawthorn, Lovage, Hibiscus, IRIS, Lupine, Mustard, Rue, ORCHID, Pumpkin, Phlox, Shrub, Rhubarb, SYCAMORE, Curlew, HEDGEHOG, Marten, Coati, BUTTERFLY, Monarch, Thrip

And that’s just a handful…

Unique suffixes are more interesting to me because finding ones that can actually work with different prefixes can be hard. For example, -bramble could work on something like Crookedbramble, Furledbramble, or Snowbramble, but even then those don’t always thrive. While I can’t say for sure if they’ve been used in canon or not, I don’t recall them being common like frost, spring, or song. Some unique and fitting suffixes I’ve found include:

-swipe

-strike

-roar

-screech

-path

-streak

-lake

-scruff

-burrow

-briar

-fern

-pounce

-eyes

-hop

-patch

[r4mh0rnzz]

My hero academia according to @phlox-maculata

Emo bastard (Aizawa) : He broods all the time and is totally that person who buys you a cheap shot at the bar and expects you to cover the next round and orders something really expensive

Grape child (Mineta): everyone hates him

Literally just a frog (Tsu): she’s just a frog

Human invisaline (Toru): im basing my opinions on appearance, she does not have one

Purple bitch (Jiro): writes poetry in the back of the class and expects everyone to like her because of her “tragic backstory”

Onion hair (Uraraka): her hair is in the shape of an onion, she eats lollipops and pretends the stick is a cigarette to be cool but everyone knows she’s not badass like that...she always signs up for the track team

Bird man (Tokoyami): Batman’s shitty cousin he looks angry at all times, he also writes poetry with purple bitch. He likes his coffee black, but asks for milk

Alien (Mina): she’s pink. She listens to Taylor Swift, like really loud to the point where you can hear it through her earbuds and everyone on the bus hates her for it. Her Spotify playlist is every Taylor Swift song and the sponge bob camp fire song

Bakugo: only persons name I know. He looks angry all the time, but really he just likes sitting in the rain listening to cave town

Bakugo but green (Deku): he looks like a sweet baby child which is nice. He’s the kid that will carry you books around and follow you like a puppy. He just wants you to like him. He needs positive reinforcement

Pikachu (Denki): he also wants everyone to like him, but he thinks the best way to do that is to be the best at everything

Anime magical girl (Aoyama): he is Instagram white girl. He posts makeup tutorials, and gets angry when he gets less than 100 views because he’s gay

Lemon (Ojiro): he gets all the answers wrong on every test. And vapes in the bathrooms, but he’s actually pretty smart. He just doesn’t want people to pay attention to him

Pop rocks (Kirishima): he looks like red ice from DBH. He had sharp teeth. He screams at everything, but once you get to know him he’s a pretty chill dude. His mom has a vegetable garden, and he likes to cook the garden vegetables

Shadow the hedgehog but a girl (Momo): she corrects you about everything. You make one mistake, and she’s on your ass. She has a superiority complex and needs everything to be perfect

Coffee creamer (Todoroki): he’s half and half. He’s got the fire and ice aesthetic, and he’s real dick about it, and he won’t stop talking about how much cooler his aesthetic is than yours

Tape dispenser (Sero): he’s really nice and chill, and he’ll sell you weed

Logan from Thomas Sanders (IIda) he’ll yell at you if you do math wrong, but then he’ll apologize and help you. Is secretly into botany

Lips (Sato): he’s nice but only to his friends. Everyone else he just kinda ignores, unless you have weed so he gets along well with tape dispenser

Dwayne the rock Johnson (Koda): he’s a rock. He’s a very anxious rock. He will cry if you say something remotely negative about him. Never plays paper in Rock Paper Scissors

Stupid hair (Shoji): he’s trying something new, but it isn’t working. He’s sorta chill, so no one wants to say it’s really bad? But it’s a bad hair cut

Buff man (All might): he’s really into fire safety. He will not shut up about fire safety. He’s that guest person that comes in at school to talk about fire safety, but then he also has 30 min segment on consent and why it’s important. He definitely made a rap on fire safety

Small man (Small all might): buff man’s starved cousin. He only eats salad. Someone needs to shove a hamburger in his hands and throw him in a gym, but no one will do it cause they are scared he’ll break. He’s needs sleep

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Armed Girls Machiavellism 1 | Love Tyrant 1 | Warau Salesman New 1 | Alice to Zouroku 1 | Twin Angel Break 1 | Tsukigakirei 1 | Boku no Hero Academia 15 | Tsugumomo 1

(Armed Girls Machiavellism 1)

I was doubtful about this one because I could never get what was so offputting about it. Maybe I’ll figure it out while I watch.

…bear?

I bet he’s just a hand to hand brawler, that Nomura.

I appreciate the correct English, but “WARNING! Knock out 40+” sounds like a bunch of dot points…or a really bad brand of sunscreen, LOL.

Okay, I know anime has weird names, but “Kirukiru Amo” is a whole ‘nother level of weird. Then again, there’s weirder names out there (like Zolbe from Saiki Kusuo, but he seems to be a bit of a stereotype).

Hey wait, I thought I’d heard of Tenkai Goken (Great Five Swords) before, and it turns out I have! Touken Ranbu’s Juzumaru is one, so is Mikazuki and so is Oodenta (TR’s Oodenta is drawn by the same guy who did character designs for Kiznaiver, to boot)!

You gotta admit the colours in this really pop in a modern sort of way, unlike the somewhat plain Sagrada Reset.

See? Fudo really is a hand to hand brawler! (Then again, I knew that from the ANN stuff, LOL. Sorry I didn’t warn you about that.)

I half expect the pink stuff to be either transformation goo or makeup applying goo.

When I scoped out the show, the first impression shot that put me off was this one (the one just after the OP). Then again, I was intrigued by how empowering it was for the girls the first time I saw it, and I was put off by it the second time (because I scoped it out twice by looking at the manga website). I think it was Fudo’s face that did it for me, which is a bad sign going forward.

Isn’t it “co-educational”, rather than “co-existence”? Or is that just a very bad pun on the show’s part? Update: It is a bad pun, one on the word kyousei (correct/coexist, different kanji for each).

This is what definitely makes it offputting – the ecchi part. I really shouldn’t have wanted to watch this show, eh?

Nipple wrestling is a thing?! (wut.)

Take out the leg she’s standing on. Then again, if you went for that leg, she’d kick you with her other one…eh, I’m not good at strategy, y’know?

I know this is a battle anime, but since it’s a school anime too, shouldn’t Fudo get that thing disinfected?

Seriously, this show can never decide if it’s one or two parts of Rin’s mask they need on her face at one given time. On that note, I don’t think I’m coming back to this show. While it’s middle-of-the-road in some ways, it’s downright disturbing in others, including the bear.

(Love Tyrant 1)

I can’t remember why I picked some of these up…I was wandering around ANN a lot since I had a bunch of things due before the spring season started…

Well, that’s new. A show that made me cringe before anything really happened. 

Wow. Blatant parody much.

I’m with Seiji re: Guri. The “wait a minute” though? Do they have that on all TV stations in Japan? Plus, ANN says Guri’s a fujoshi…which is vaguely disturbing when she randomly picks the PM and House Speaker…at least pick someone who’ll cause less impact on the world at large and not play that for comedy!!!

Okay…ooooooookkkkkkkkkkayyyyyyyyyyyyyy…not only Gainaxing, but fanservice galore…I think I learnt my lesson from Armed Girls. I’m getting out of here.

(Warau Salesman New 1)

Why do I have this on my list? ANN says it does its job competently, and while I’m not completely a sucker for monkey’s paw stories, seeing another 60s manga revived as an anime…is one odd choice after another for the industry, so hey, why not. Plus it was made by one of the Fujios, which makes it somewhat culturally relevant.

The artstyle might seem outdated, but it’s living up to its premise – there seems to be an uneasy feeling laced throughout the show.

Comic Sans, get out.

Hyper realistic artwork in an anime like this is always a “should that even be there????” factor. It works in the show’s favour though.

I think the intro is fine once per episode or at the start of each episode if the episode is about 5 – 10 minutes long. For a full length, you want to go ???? (in a bad way) at it. It’s different animation, sure, but it’s the same intro text, and that’s bad.

LOL, she looks like Fujiko Mine now. It must be no coinicidence, since it comes from the Lupin III era.

This is strangely well produced for an anime of a time gone by, but it reminds me of a show that creeped me out, updated, mature and Japan-ified. (For reference, this is the show I got creeped out by – Death By Chocolate, which is the one where a girl eats chocolate with a bug egg in it and turns into a bug herself …ugh.) So I’m gonna drop it. (As another reference, I wrote a transformation story – do you remember Melting Chocolate, back in the day? – that may have taken its inspiration from Death by Chocolate.)

(Alice to Zouroku 1)

Apparently the sci-fi part of this is good, so I hope it can live up to expectations.

Alright, I admit I completely forgot this was a double-length first ep. SGRS managed to pull it off (and in a sense, so did Kado), but anything that squanders its chances with such an opportunity is a waste in most senses of the word.

Oh great, this looks like Denpa Kyoushi. Not a good sign.

…giant arms?

Okay, whose idea was it to turn all the cars into CG blocks? It works on just one car or a bunch of cars, but if you do it on the waffle thing (that’s on the side of the road) too, it starts to look clunky.

Faim Mart (sic), LOL. Obviously Family Mart.

Does this count as breaking and entering…?

The more I look at these CGI cars, the more I’m led to believe this is some Very Bad Anime, but the chase scene is actually thrilling to a small degree, so it’s obviously not.

I like this old man already. Meanwhile, I still don’t like Very Bad CGI.

Asahi and Yonaga (yo can mean “night” while asa can mean “day”), LOL.

Kensaku means “search” (as in, kensaku no engin is “search engine”).

Zoroku is the one element that makes this stand out. I mean, I laughed way too hard at him pushing the girl (Sana, right?) down.

It’s this season’s ACCA, LOL.

Okay, that’s a breach of privacy I don’t like. However, unless you’re a psychic, you can’t follow that example…

Xiaochi means “snack” in Chinese.

“I hate crooked stuff.” - So then why’d you work with the yakuza, Zoroku?

The flowers look real! Is that the true power of CG? (Actually, I take that back. Kado’s cube is better than that.)

Phlox. Doesn’t quite look like what its animated version looks like.

Alice to Zoroku has potential, but almost non-existent themes, no real sense of suspense in its action scene and horridly bad CGI. The only real good point is Zoroku, so I’m going to drop it.

Update: I watched this in bits and pieces because I had my mind on other things, but apparently there’s dust on Sanae’s stuff and Zoroku said Sanae was on a school trip? This is one of the times I’ll have to disagree with whoever said that, because I do not recall that one speck.

(Twin Angel Break 1)

I apologise in advance for if I call this Twin Angels Break instead of Twin Angel Break, because there seems to be no particular set name this show is called in that regard. Plus, you already know I’m a fan of magical girls – last time there was a show that could have gone into circulation (Nurse Witch Komugi-chan R), it didn’t make it but considering how brutal I am with my decisions for simulcast commentary these days, this one might just make it! Update: There were actually a few shows after Komugi that could’ve made it, with Flip Flappers notably making it but Magical Girl Raising Project not making it. It’s just that I consider Flip Flappers an Alice in Wonderland show more than a magical girl one.

This is…pretty obviously a commercial…maybe I should take my excitement back…

The only sister school scheme I know that requires grades requires average grades, so I guess I can’t really talk (since I’ve never been on exchange anyway…?).

LOL, selfies. Thought they’d gone out of style at least a half year ago. Even dabbing’s more recent than selfies…

I can feel the yuri…

I feel Yuki’s reveal as a crossdresser was unnecessary.

Those “women” are from a series I was going to watch (Twin Angel Twinkle Paradise). Dangit spoilers – stealth sequels hurt the self-esteem if you don’t remember they’re coming. (I was aware this was a stealth sequel from ANN, but then I forgot about it because I’ve been churning out about 4 premiere entries a day…)

4 cups?! I couldn’t eat that much if I tried! I can almost finish a whole bag of chips on my own though (not the oven-baked, potato-mush-in-middle sort, the other sort).

Shamisenist? Is that a thing? However, this guy’s so camp, it’s hilarious.

Zundar, is that you? LOL, jks.

Why does this hedgehog have non-kawaii eyes? (LOL.)

Gratuitous shaking of the butt means it’s one for the yuri crowd…no wonder it’s a pachinko ad…

Wait, so Miruku is a girl?!

“What is the Tamagawa River?” - I ask the same question Meguru did, John.

How could you not tell, Meguru?! It’s kinda obvious, right? I love magical girls, but this is the sin of all magical girl shows, built into the format.

Welp, it seems like this one gets an OK from me. It’s not particularly groundbreaking, but the flail and naginata bit seems promising. However, the thing about magical girl shows is that they often don’t fare well under the simulcast commentary format so it may not stay on forever.

(Tsukigakirei 1)

Apparently this is decent…but if it’s only decent, I may just shove it aside…Update: Promo material says male protag likes Osamu Dazai, and after Bungou, danggggggg I’m thirsty for more Dazai, LOL.

Already I cringe at the bad CGI…

There was live action in the OP of Kado but this one seems even more out of place with it.

There’s that one guy with pink hair who wouldn’t look out of place in a different anime, but here he stands out since I already know how uptight Japanese schools can be with their rules (it’s a common topic during Japanese study, y’know?).

It says dai dai dai boshuu (basically, they’re trying reallllllll hard to get people to join through words alone) but the bottom line on the bo seems to be a little too long. There’s also the fact someone accidentally wrote “dog” instead of one of the dais, since “dog” and “big” (in this case big = dai) are only one stroke’s difference, but that extra stroke was rubbed out. Either way, there is an error in the recruitment statement, so the typo reflects that…I listened to it again, and the “dog” thing was indeed the case.

Thank you Dazai for such sage advice in describing teenage romance. (semi-sarcastic)

Okay, who describes water as tasty? Unless you’ve flavoured your water, I just don’t see why. Water is flavourless, y’know?

I live close to a shopping centre, so I see people I know working there sometimes and it’s awkward in that sort of way - Tsukigakirei just captured that feeling perfectly.

I left the volume on after checking the dog joke and gosh, that piano music is gorgeous. I’d love to hear this show’s OST when I can.

People in Western countries use Facebook these days, but it’s the same gig, right?

Watching that hand in the corner working that phone…it’s an odd angle.

Taiko no Tetsujin is a play on Taiko no Tatsujin. That’s where the lil’ drum in Osu comes from, and heck, it’s real similar to Osu.

I never quite understood that thing where girls have to go to the bathroom together…maybe it’s because I was raised to be independent? Or because I’m antisocial? Or even both? I get it if they want to chat, but otherwise nope.

I consulted Aozora Bunko, and apparently that line exists in that story.

Yudemen.

The only real supergroups I know are Swedish House Mafia (kinda sorta, they were only real big stars after SHM took off) and Apparatjik (because Coldplay).

“You should read all kinds of books,” LOL.

There was one background with one door and light streaming in that was so lifelike…that took my breath away…

So, despite its awkwardness, this one seems intent on being brutally honest and that’s admirable. It’s a keeper.

(Boku no Hero Academia 15)

It’s interesting to note in the final shot of the OP, Shouto wears a navy suit that looks a lot like his sport uniform. However, Bakugou is clearly wearing his hero outfit and so is everyone else.

Interesting to note All Might’s blood stain stays on the side of his face when he speaks after it spurts out of his mouth. However, that attempt at humour didn’t quite work for me.

“…until the day of.” – The day of…what? The subs didn’t finish the sentence, even though it’s obvious from the context what it’s referring to.

Mineta’s “person” thing is something used to relieve stress – you write the kanji for “person” on your hand (which only needs two strokes) and then you eat it (figuratively speaking).

Ooh. Shouto’s made a real pretty ice sculpture.

Oh. Koseiteki literally, but “Quirky” in English translation. Nice one, subbers. (The title for the next ep is affected by this particular grammar snarl – which I don’t really know how to explain myself – affecting the word for Quirk (kosei). Literally speaking, the title for the next ep is something along the lines of “Everyone’s Good With [Their Own] Quirks, Aren’t They?”)

(Tsugumomo 1)

I wasn’t part of the anime scene in 2007, so I wonder how that’ll impact my view on the show.

Oh man, OP debut queue. It’s kinda hard to keep up with…

I get why people make that eye-shaped window thing, but I’m not a fan of it visuals-wise.

Oh gosh. Why can’t harem protags keep their hands to themselves? Plus, that hand movement Kazuya makes doesn’t make sense if you’re reaching out for the girl (Kiriha, that was her name, right?).

The more I sigh, the more I want to get out of here. I can’t handle 1) jokes about…a man’s area, 2) jokes about peeking at panties and 3) jokes about groping girls, among other things (which have all been ticked off!), so this show has one last chance to prove itself before it gets a bad score and a kick out.

Yeahhhhhhhh. I get why you’re doing that, but...out in the open, you look like a perv, Kazuya.

Don’t say you’re dead when you’re falling…*sigh*

Dang that battle made me change my opinion fast. Good fight scene. Now tone down the harem parts and we have ourselves a deal.

Dang that “Ya-kun, I’ve drawn a bath!” thing reminds me exactly of Masamune-kun’s Revenge. Or Fuuka. Whichever one it was last season with the dude with the multiple sisters who lounge around in their underwear…*rolls eyes*

When Kiriha showed up in bed I half expected either 1) “PERVERT!” *shaking screen* or 2) “YIKES! Why is she in my bed?!” *shaking screen*. If either of those happened, I never registered it (mercifully) because I had the volume off, but luckily the screen didn’t shake...Okay, he screamed. I’m getting outta this cliché fest, see ya.

[roxannelabonte6-blog]

How you can Create A Conservatory By Using Your Block BARBEQUE.

Master landscaper Brian Minter states saving plants from wintertime climate is about timing as well as organizing. Fragrant night bloomers to think about for your moon backyard are actually the Moon Blossom Creeping plant (Ipomoea alba), Sacred Datura (Datura wrightii,) Night Inventory or Night-Scented Inventory (Matthiola), Evening Phlox Twelve o'clock at night Goodie (Zaluzianskya ovata), Blooming Cigarette (Nicotiana) as well as Evening Blooming Jasmine (Cestrum nocturnum). Putting in the latter was practically as simple as proper a backyard water faucet, without any council approval needed-- though Ms Santilli carries out recommend making use of a registered plumbing professional. Backyard water fountain may be a piece from art work for your backyard; these water includes call for little maintenance and also possess a largely differing price selection to suit any sort of type of spending plan.

If you are actually expanding basil from seeds, you could initially increase inside in late wintertime, then transplant to your yard outside in the spring after the final freeze. If you remember the first area in 2013 profited from extremely cold weather in January, which drove the sale of winter season relevant items. Nonetheless, I identify that it is likewise challenging for the provider making a massive acquisition, offered its financial debt load. Also, making use of natural slug repellents indicates hedgehogs can easily consume your yard slugs torstenclatterbuck.wordpress.com without taking in any kind of toxin. Hypericum x inodorum is of similar height but upright along with darker fallen leaves, usually tinted bronze, and bunches of little flowers with cosy strengths followed through dark reddish berries. If you desire one thing a little bit of other to the standard pansy nonetheless, maybe the frizzle sizzle wimp is the backyard vegetation for you.

Through having this measure you should have a landscape that you may show with pleasure anytime of the year. Within this brand new way from cool contacting, you are actually asking in an incredibly conversational mood whether the various other person possesses an issue that you can easily resolve. Another problem that cynics suggest is that educators are currently thus overcome with requirements on their time - because of a lot of factors, including standard testing and also academic specifications detailed through Popular Primary and also Future generation - that this becomes hard to apply garden-based learning in a purposeful method. If you build a large bottom and also area concrete pieces along the leading to develop a sitting area, your raised bed yard becomes much more easily accessible to those who can't mean long. This is complicated to discover modern examples from the effect of new park positions on existing parks, primarily considering that there have actually not been several brand-new playgrounds opened in current years.

[geohoneylovers]

Plants & Flowers Producing True Honey

Flowers & Plants Attracting Bees

Pansies

Whimsy, joy, colours – pansies have it all, and bees love them. They are great for containers or ground cover.

Pussy Willow

These North American wetland shrubs have a beautiful greyish hue and fur-like blooms.

Siberian Squill

These beautiful blue blooms have a stunning presence that you can enjoy for a few weeks each year.

Snowdrops

Snowdrops are known to announce their arrival by poking out of the snow. They are great for climates with mild to cold winters.

Peony

With their colours and sweet scents, these flowers will attract bees, hummingbirds, and possibly your neighbours too.

Milkweed

Milkweed not only serves as food to bees, but it is also the only host to monarch butterflies.

Bee Balm

As you may guess from the name, bees love these North American prairie flowers. The blooms almost resemble little fireworks and come in befittingly vibrant shades too.

Lavender

Bees love them for their nectar, humans love them for their scent and flavour. Everyone wins, and with many different varieties of lavender to choose from, you’ll likely find one that will settle happily in your garden.

Phlox

With their star-shaped blooms, these plants are a beautiful addition to any garden and can make a great ground cover.

Zinnias

Zinnias come in many colours and will attract both bees and butterflies to your space. They are relatively easy to plant and will bloom in abundance all summer long if dead flowers are removed.

Marigolds

Like zinnias, marigolds are annuals that can bloom all summer long if properly groomed. Their edible blooms can brighten up your salads as well as your garden, and they are even known to repel pests and animals, such as nematodes.

Goldenrod

These flowers are sometimes considered weeds because of their ability to spread easily but kept in check, they are an invaluable resource for bees and have medicinal value as well.

Chives

Resist eating their tasty purple flowers and the bees will thank you! This perennial tolerates cold climates rather well and is a great way to add a fresh, oniony taste to salads, dishes, or eggs.

Liatris

These flowers, found in purple, pink, and white, bloom on grass-like spiky leaves that can grow 1 – 5 feet tall.

Mint

Mint is invigorating with its fragrance and flavour – and bees go crazy on their flowers too. Mint is a great choice if you’re looking for a herb that’s low maintenance.

Sage

It’s great in stuffing, sauces, and herb pots! Bees love sage’s beautiful flowers, and these perennials are rather easy to grow.

Nasturtium

Nasturtiums can keep bees buzzing in your garden well into autumn. Their edible blooms will bring a burst of colour to your outdoor space.

Black-eyed Susans

These are flowers that attract bees, butterflies and bring a burst of yellow to your garden.

Borage

Also known as starflower, borage’s star-shaped blooms start out pink and mature into a beautiful blue.

Thyme

Irresistible to bees and pun-lovers alike, placing one of these shrubs by a walkway will prove to be a wonderful way to pass the thyme.

Oregano

This perennial has pink, purple, or white flowers, and its late blooms will be appreciated by your bee friends.

Calendula ~ Calendula officinalis

Shorter, bushy plants full of orange/yellow, daisy-like flowers that provide both pollen and nectar for pollinators.

Salvia

Description: The term “salvia” includes a massive group of plants, with something like 800 or 900 different species! Culinary sage is salvia too.

Nasturtium ~ Tropaeolum

Description: Easy to grow, sprawling, edible, lovely nasturtium! The peppery arugula-like leaves are edible, as well as the flowers. The blooms come in a variety of colours.

Verbena ~ Vervain

Description: Verbena is a huge family that includes over 250 species of both annual and perennial plants. Most of them produce flowers that pollinators go wild for!

Hyssop ~ Agastache

These tall showy, long-lasting spikes full of hundreds of individual blooms are essential in a pollinator garden! Also called “hummingbird mint”, they’re a favourite nectar source for our sweet little bird friends.

Heliotrope ~ Heliotropium

Description: These fairly compact plants range from 1 to 3 feet high, with dark green fuzzy foliage. The plants produce very fragrantly, vanilla-scented flowers.

Yarrow ~ Achillea

Description: Clusters of small yellow, pink, white, red, or lavender flowers. One of our favourite varieties is “Moonshine” yarrow, which has silvery-sage, fuzzy foliage.

Blazing Meadow Star ~ Liatris

Blazing Meadow Star is a known “monarch magnet”. These perennial plants can reach over 4 feet tall.

Penstemon

Penstemon range from less than a foot tall to over 5 feet tall. The nectar-rich flowers also come in a wide range of colours, shapes, and sizes.

Pincushion ~ Scabiosa

Round, frilly, tufted flowers that appear in lavender, blues, pink and white. Most varieties are short, averaging around a foot tall. Both annual and perennial varieties exist.

Bachelor’s Buttons ~ Centaurea

Their 2” thistle-like blooms bring interest to the garden, attract butterflies, are edible, and are perfect for cut and dried flower arrangements.

Anise hyssop/Agastache foeniculum

Anise hyssop is considered one of the premier plants for feeding pollinators. One can see bees on the flowers from the morning until dusk.

Astilbe, False spirea/Astilbe spp.

Astilbes are excellent at creating soft, colourful displays underneath trees, in low light corners, or in shady borders.

Chrysanthemum (open types)/Chrysanthemum

Gardeners and councils who want to plant the right flowers to attract bees usually choose them based on how easy they are to plant, and by watching which ones the insects already visit.

Betony/Stachys Monieri

This species forms large, rounded clumps of green, long and narrow, textured leaves. It is lovely even when it's not in bloom.

Blanket flower/Gaillardia

This is a species that is nourished by neglect, and that thrives in sunny, dry, and rocky conditions.

Clematis/Clematis spp.

Clematis stans are dioecious semi-arboreal, with pale purple-blue, nodding, tubulous flowers in a paniculate inflorescence. Both male and female flowers produce nectar from the base of the calyx tube during a flowering period of 3 or 4 days and are pollinated by two bumblebee species.

Common poppy, Red poppy/Papaver rhoeas

A must-have for any wildflower meadow or garden, this easy-to-grow annual delights with bright blooms throughout the summer season.

Common yarrow/Achillea millefolium

Yarrow attracts butterflies, bees and other insects, making it a nice addition to a pollinator garden.

Coral bells/Heuchera spp.

Annual flowers like coral bees are readily available at the garden centre, but most have been bred for showy flowers or vigorous growth and do not produce enough pollen and nectar to be good food plants for bees or butterflies.

Fennel/Foeniculum vulgare

This perennial herb is a member of the carrot family and originally comes from the Mediterranean.

Foxglove or beardtongues/Penstemon spp.

They are tubular in shape and about 1" long, with the corolla, divided into a lower lip with 3 lobes and an upper lip with 2 lobes.

Globe thistle/Echinops ritro

Echinops, the blue hedgehog thistle or globe thistle, is a perfect sphere of blue that appeals to every pollinator around.

Hyssop (naturalized in North America)/Hyssopus

officinalis Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) Labiatae, is a compact, bushy perennial usually grown in herb gardens, but is great in flower gardens in masses, as a hedge or border, and in pots. Because of its medicinal smell Hyssop has a history as a cleansing herb that attracts a bee.

Large-leaved aster/Eurybia Macrophylla

Asters and goldenrods attract loads of late-season pollinating insects. In the wintertime, they provide food and habitat for many birds and small animals that feast on the seeds and find shelter in the dried stalks.

Allium

Many garden varieties are available, these are bulb forming perennials. Some are very showy, with huge flower heads.

Antirrhinum, snapdragon

Like their relative the foxglove, mainly visited by long-tongued bumblebees such as B. hortorum. Short-lived perennials, often grown as annuals.

Apple

Apples are a good source of forage for queens in April and May, and of course, the bee visits ensure a good crop. owers and are very attractive.

Aquilegia

Nectar is hidden at the end of very long tubes, so it is visited by long-tongued bees.

Bistort

A very tough, spreading, low growing perennial. Good ground cover. A bit hit and miss with bees, but seems popular with Bombus hypnorum in particular.

Buddleia davidii, Butterfly Bush

A fast-growing shrub, to 9', great nectar source for butterflies and popular too with bumblebees. I often see young queen Bombus Terrestris on this, fattening up before going into hibernation in July/August.

Cirsium rivulare

A great one for male bumblebees in high summer, this species is not spiny like its wild relatives and is quite at home in a herbaceous border.

Comfrey, Symphytum officinale

Visited by long and short-tongued species, the latter often robbing from holes bitten in the tops of the flowers.

Cotoneaster horizontalis

Favoured by short-tongued species such as the early bumblebee, B.pratorum, and the tree bumblebee, B.hypnorum.

Crocus

Great for queens when just emerged from hibernation. Joan of Arc comes highly recommended.

Echinops, Globe thistle

Pretty and unusual perennial, with mauve flowers producing spiky balls on tall sturdy stems in high summer.

Echium vulgare, Viper's bugloss

A stunning biennial wildflower growing to about 4', flowering in July and August and absolutely loved by bees of all types for its copious nectar.

Foxglove, Digitalis purpurea

No cottage garden is complete without foxgloves, hardy biennials that are loved by long-tongued bees such as B.hortorum and B.pascuorum.

Geranium spp.

Geraniums are hardy perennials that come in a broad range of colours, but most are moderately attractive to short-tongued bees.

Globe artichoke

Huge plants, related to thistles, with massive composite flowers that bees flock to in July/August. Grows to 6' or more.

Helleborus foetidus

Flower in late winter, great for early emerging queens. Unusual looking herbaceous plants, usually less than 1' tall.

Hollyhock

Bees seem to go for the nectar but ignore the plentiful pollen, often becoming smothered in it.

Honeywort, Cerinthe major

An unusual annual, preferring sunny locations. Produces huge amounts of nectar, but I've always found it hard to keep this plant going in my garden.

Jacob's ladder- Polemonium caeruleum

Very pretty little perennial, up to 2' tall, and often overlooked as a plant for bees. Easy to grow perennial, tolerates most conditions, flowers in May-June.

Hyssop, Hyssopus officinale

An understated, low-growing perennial herb, can also be used in cooking though not to my taste - I prefer to leave it to the bees!

Iris (Iridaceae)

There are many species of iris grown in gardens - generally with spectacular flowers that are good for bees.

Catmint

A fantastic cottage garden classic, extremely popular with bumblebees, and flowering for a long period from early summer to autumn. Hills Giant is one of the best varieties for bees.

Phacelia tanacetifolia

Perhaps the single most attractive plant for bees on the planet! An easy-to-grow annual, flowers in 8-10 weeks from sowing and keeps flowering for quite a while.

Pulmonaria, lungwort

A great early spring nectar resource for hungry queen bumblebees, visited by long-tongued species, especially Bombus pascuorum.

Red Campion

A lovely perennial wildflower with a very long flowering period, from May to September. Visited by Bombus hortorum.

Red clover

A staple of bumblebees in the wild, red clover used to be a very common UK plant.

Sainfoin

A rare perennial wildflower in the UK, stunning pink flowers, and like most legumes, popular with bees.

Salix spp/ Sallow/ pussy willow

Trees, some growing to 30' or more. Sallows are dioecious, being either male or female. Dwarf varieties can be bought for smaller gardens.

Salvia spp/ Meadow Clary

When a bee probes for nectar, this triggers the stamens to curl down and deposit of blob of pollen onto the bee's back.

Sedum spectabile

A succulent herbaceous perennial, flowering in September and loved by male bumblebees and butterflies. Grows to about 1', can be spread by splitting plants.

Thrift

A lovely low-growing perennial plant found in the wild on rocky coastal headlands. Flowers in May and June. One for the rockery or in pots.

Tufted vetch/ Vicia cracca

A scrambling climber, a wildflower that takes well to the garden, and great for long-tongued bumblebees. Popular with the very rare Bombus distinguendus.

Wisteria A legume, hence related to peas and clovers, a family much loved by bees for their protein-rich pollen.

Pseudogynoxus chenopodioides (Mexican flame vine)

The vibrant orange blooms on this climbing vine are one of the best (and only) vine flowers that attract monarchs. It also attracts swallowtails, hummingbirds, and bees to our northern butterfly garden.

Duranta erecta (sapphire showers)

Purple ruffled flowers with jagged white edges are attractive to bees and butterflies, as well as the gardener. AKA Duranta repens, ‘golden dewdrops’, or ‘geisha girl’.

Echium fastuosum (Pride of Madeira)

The beautiful purplish blooms with red stamens are popular with bees and butterflies, especially monarchs!

Verbena bonariensis (Purpletop vervain)

This monarch's favorite is also constantly visited by a large variety of butterflies, bees, and birds.

Callistemon spp. (Bottlebrush)

Bottlebrush is native to Australia but grows well in warm regions of the US attracting monarchs, other butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.

Pentas lanceolate (Egyptian star cluster)

While there are many new cultivars and pentas hybrids, many pollinators seem to prefer sipping nectar from this early heirloom variety. However, most pentas will attract and support pollinator life in your garden.

Oligoneuron rigidum (Stiff Goldenrod)

There are many species of goldenrod, but this species is reported to be a particular favorite for migrating monarchs. It also attracts other butterflies and beneficial pollinators.

Lantana Plants

A trailing lantana variety with intense purple blooms. A great choice for spilling off raised beds or growing in hanging pots.

Lantana Camara ‘Miss Huff’

While monarchs rarely touch our other lantana varieties, I was pleasantly surprised to see them visiting Miss Huff on a regular basis, along with lantana regulars like the eastern tiger swallowtail above.

Anaphalis margaritacea (pearly everlasting)

Pearly everlasting is one of our earliest blooming northern butterfly plants, and typically the first host plant to receive butterfly eggs each season.

A must-have butterfly plant addition for attracting American Ladies and their offspring.

Prunus serotina (wild black cherry tree)

A preferred host plant for Eastern Tiger swallowtails, Coral Hairstreaks, Red Spotted Purples, and those amazing Cecropia Moths! If you’re looking to support butterflies and moths this option gives you several chances

Ptelea trifoliata (hoptree or wafer ash)

Another host that conveniently stays under 20 feet. Its musky spring blooms are a pollinator favourite, and it’s also a caterpillar host for both eastern tiger and giant swallowtails. Pictures to come as our stick matures.

Ruta graveolens (common rue)

A small citrus butterfly plant that hosts black swallowtail caterpillars, as well as the caterpillar that transforms into the largest U.S. butterfly.

Zanthoxylum americanum (northern prickly ash)

The Northern Prickly Ash (Zanthoxylum americanum) is a Host Butterfly Plant for Giant Swallowtail Butterfly Caterpillars.

Zizia Aurea (golden Alexander)

This lesser-known member of the carrot family grows 2-3 feet high and puts forth small, sunny blooms in late spring. It is a host plant for eastern black swallowtails.

Rosa ZLEEltonstrack (‘above and beyond’)

The white and apricot blooms have been an early bee favorite, so plant this spring beauty to support your local pollinators.

Collarette Dahlias

Like zinnias, dahlias come in a rainbow of colors. They’ll attract some monarchs, but bees absolutely love the blooms that keep bursting until first frost. After the plants die back, you can dig up dahlia tubers to store and plant next season

Tradescantia ohiensis (Ohio spiderwort)

Ohio spiderwort puts out a profusion of purple blooms in the morning, then fades as the day starts to sizzle. They’re a popular destination for bumblebees in our garden. Try Four O’clocks as a companion plant since they’re on polar opposite bloom schedules.

Joyful Butterfly

Nectar Seeds and Plants to help bring home the joy of butterflies.

Almost Eden

Beautiful, unusual, exotic and native plants for butterflies.

Ways to attract Bees

Give them cover

Bees need a break from the sun and heat. Planting ground cover can give them a place to hide out between feedings and flying.

Give them something to sip on

Place shallow dishes of water in the yard and around flowers, or keep a fountain going (place pebbles in it for bees to sit on) so they can hydrate as needed.

Try some colourful bee balm

Bee balm is a gorgeous perennial that can attract bees to your yard while also dressing up your landscape.

Keep colour in mind when planting

Bees love blue, purple, and yellow flowers and plants.

Plant flowering vegetables

Consider planting flowering vegetables such as tomatoes and zucchini.

Try planting flowering fruits

Consider planting flowering fruits like strawberries and apples that will blossom before they bloom to fruit.

Forget about pesticides

Use natural pest protection such as herbs, sage burning, and the use of ladybugs in your garden.

Plant single petal flowers

Choose from flat and single petal flowers like Queen Ann’s Lace or Black-Eyed Susans since they are easier to feed from.

Don’t kill or aggravate them

Teach children not to kill or swat at bees. Let them just sniff around and feed and if left alone, they will leave you alone.

Visit www.geohoney.com to get more details!

[delicatelyfadingpoetry-blog]

Voltaire In Candide States That Tending One's Own Garden" Is Not Just A Personal Activity.

Public gardens are complex in all that they provide, and the personnel that carry out the daily operations. Liz and Leo are taking pleasure in the great life at Creekside Garden, a good mix of work and relaxation. The gardens can accommodate approximately 150 guests. Fairview Gardens was begun koszenie trawy jozefow by Chanda Gebhardt in 2000 with one greenhouse, 2 felines (Buster & Darling) and a great deal of effort. The Hokkaido Garden Path, replete with plant gardens, has a natural appeal to individuals who care about gardening, and will surely leave them satisfied. I also like dancing, fishing, playing poker sometimes and vegetable gardening - corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, I have a huge garden every year. Having totally surveyed my own garden for its hibernal highlights, I came uslugi ogrodnicze wawer by Green Spring Gardens near Alexandria understanding that I would find, at the least, some interesting witch hazels in blossom. Now in its tenth year, The NZ House & Garden House Tours have grown into the nation's largest charity home trip occasion. In addition to cooking herbs in The Mixed drink Hour Garden, C.L. includes nawadnianie ogrodow wawer aromatic blooming shrubs, annual and perennial flowers, ornamental grasses, plants with silvery foliage, and plants implied to attract all kinds of winged visitors. If you are not killing plants, you are not really stretching yourself as a gardener. She had been out watering in the garden on Saturday night when the power to your house went out. The world's biggest (and many nawadnianie ogrodow wawer fun) tomato plant sale comes to Roger's Gardens. As a part of our mission to promote the gratitude of Albany's spectacular architecture, Historical Albany hosts a yearly House & Garden Tour showcasing 10-15 historic structures and their gardens. The Yew Gardens here at Packwood are very vulnerable and sometimes need to be closed to secure them. According to the Handbook of Woody Plants," (Michael Dirr, Stipes Publishing, Champaign, Ill.) the principal types of lespedeza for garden usage nevertheless are L. bicolor and L. thunbergii. Parham House zakladanie ogrodow jozefow and Gardens are now owned by a Charitable Trust. The winter months are a really busy time for the garden group who are working hard to clear the beds for the spring displays previously difficult frosts and snow. The generous contribution of a 'Tramper' from the Patrick Trust earlier this month is currently assisting in full access to Packwood's park and gardens. My pastimes are cooking and gardening, particularly growing orchids. The official gardens include mature hostas, daylilies, astilbes, iris, phlox, sedum, cimicifuga, sempervivums, and over 200 lilacs. After returning nawadnianie ogrodow jozefow to Moody Gardens, beverages will be provided and Moody Gardens Horticultural Display Supervisor Donita Brannon will give a discussion everything about palms in honor of Palm Sunday being March 25. Continuing with that theme, all participants will get a totally free Neantha Bella Palm to take home. Damage by gardeners can consist of direct damage of natural habitats when gardens and houses are developed; indirect environment destruction and damage to supply garden products such as peat, rock for rock gardens, and by the use of tapwater to water gardens; the death of living beings in the garden itself, such as the killing not just projektowanie ogrodow otwock of slugs and snails however likewise their predators such as hedgehogs and tune thrushes by metaldehyde slug killer; the death of living beings outside the garden, such as regional species termination by indiscriminate plant collectors; and environment modification brought on by greenhouse gases produced by gardening. http://ogrodydt.pl/oferta/zakladanie-ogrodow produced the greatest modification to the Garden's design when it was replanted in the 1980s with cedar and alder trees to develop a considerate 'Tuscan' environment to the Italianate courtyard structures. Unlike their leguminous cousins the brooms, which are mainly uslugi ogrodnicze falenica to be had in tones of primrose-to-mahogany in spring, the garden types of lespedeza are primarily white to bicolor pink to deep rosy red and fit in well in late summer season gardens where yellow is gotten rid of.

[e-vay]

SONIC’S MOM (in my AU)

I’ve spent a really long time working on Sonic’s mom for my AU but I’m finally ready to share her with you!

I wrote this out in text form below the cut for those of you who need to translate it:

Domino was a free-spirited, independent hedgehog. Despite being dealt some rough cards in life, she always had an upbeat attitude and could find the silver lining to almost any situation. Domino had to get by with just the clothes on her back, so she quickly learned to be very resourceful. She was adamantly against material things, except for her one gold earring that she treasured. Her lack of funds led to a nomadic lifestyle, but this gave her a greater appreciation for the planet and she ended up loving her minimalist way of life.

A one-time tryst led to Domino being pregnant with Sonic at a relatively young age. Though she knew nothing about being a mom, she loved him instantly. She couldn’t offer him much, so she did her best to teach him how to make the most out of what little they had and to appreciate all the wonderful things the planet has to offer. Sonic was able to crawl, walk and soon run faster than most babies, so he was very quick to fend for himself. This made Domino’s life easier and more challenging at the same time!

PHLOX: Sonic’s biological father. He and Domino met while they were both passing through the same village and had instant chemistry. She wasn’t one to stay in one place for long, so she took off after one night together. He never knew about Sonic.

Being a young, single mom is tough enough. When your baby has the ability to run at super speeds, it gets even more complicated. Domino was constantly repairing Sonic’s baby shoes when he repeatedly wore the rubber off, but eventually even her trusty roll of duct tape wasn’t enough to cut it. She ended up giving up her solid gold earring to buy him a pair of durable shoes that could withstand his speed.

Domino had a bad habit of telling tall tales. She didn’t do this to be malicious; she just liked to make her life sound more interesting than it was. This tended to get her into trouble, but made for excellent bedtime stories!

One unfortunate night, a terrible storm rolled in and caused a flash flood in the forest where Domino and Sonic were occupying. Domino knew Sonic would be able to outrun it, so she urged him to get away and leave her behind. Domino did not survive.

This traumatic event had a huge impact on toddler Sonic and is not only the reason he’s afraid of water, but why he stopped talking for several years when he was little. With time, he forgets this event and even forgets Domino, and he finds his voice again.

[e-vay]

If someone else has already asked this question and you’ve answered it, feel free to skip this, but what song or songs do you listen to and instantly think of Sonic and Amy or Shadow and Aurora?

I have playlists!

SONAMY PLAYLIST

SHADORA PLAYLIST

And I know you didn't ask for it, but I have a Phloxino (my characters Phlox and Domino) playlist as well

PHLOXINO PLAYLIST

Enjoy and please feel free to save these playlists. I'm always adding songs to them 🥰

[e-vay]

The Sonnet of Domino & Phlox - Ch1

[A/N: In game canon, we’ve never learned who Sonic’s parents are or what they were like. I decided to make my own interpretation for Sonic’s mother and father. This is the story of their brief but significant meeting.]

-----

It’s only a couple of days. 

A teal colored hedgehog took in a deep breath. The morning air was crisp in her lungs, a sure sign of the autumnal equinox. If she had any hope of making it through the next two seasons out in the wilderness, she’d need to stock up on supplies. Her thin tank top and patched slacks wouldn’t be enough to warm her fur against the icy winter breeze and scavenging for food in the desolate snow would be nearly impossible. She had to stock up now and that meant a trip to the nearest town.

Domino let out a puff of air before adjusting the backpack on her shoulders and marching through the entry gates. The young woman didn’t care much for cities. But, strapped for cash, there was no better place to look for odd jobs and errands to earn enough dough to purchase the winter gear she’d need. Her first stop would be to find the village square and look for a board with job postings, but that meant a trek through the marketplace…

Despite the early morning hour, the dirt path was bustling with locals and travelers alike. Merchants shouted praises of their wares, dueling for the attention of potential customers that filled the street and bounced from vendor to vendor. Children tugged at their parents’ hems and screamed for the shiny new toys that decorated several booths. “Ugh,” Domino thought to herself, “Markets are the worst.”

The blue teen shoved her hands in her pockets and pinned her arms to her sides to make her petite frame even smaller, better to weave through pedestrians and get through the market making as little eye contact as possible. She hardly ever had any money on her and what little she might have was always saved for the absolute necessities. Shopping only served to annoy and embarrass her. Domino could only turn down the constant barrage of salespeople with so many polite “nothankyous” before she found herself grinding her teeth. Worse than the merchants were the shoppers themselves. She could physically feel their eyes burning holes into her skin, sneering at her tattered clothes and remarking the ragged shoes bound to her feet with tape. Some would even pull their bags tighter to their bodies as if the girl were planning to snatch it away from them. That hurt the most. 

It was better for herself and everyone else if she stayed where she belonged: out in the wild. 

It’s only a couple of days. 

A scent lofted through the air that made Domino’s mouth curve into a smile. Not everything about city life was awful. In fact, there was one thing that she was always guaranteed to love, no matter which village she wound up in: the food!

She lifted her snout and took in the different aromas that danced through the air. Spices mixed with warm smoke as chefs expertly cooked their meats to a sizzling perfection. Warm, almost sour notes were sure signs of a baker pulling freshly baked bread from a hot oven. Domino began to salivate. She knew she had to get to the job board, but it wouldn’t be smart to work on an empty stomach, right? She might have just enough cash for a slice of-

“Whu-!”

She yelped in surprise as she stumbled into a wall of purple fur and quills and heard the unmistakable sound of something fragile – and likely expensive – crashing against the earth. 

“Oh Gaia!” Domino shrieked. She darted to the front of the person she had just bumped into and grabbed his shoulders. “So sorry! I wasn’t lookin’!”

The boy, a fellow hedgehog with wild, indigo fur, didn’t meet her gaze. Instead, his eyes were narrowed onto a spot on the ground. His mouth gaped but the only sound to escape his lips could best be described as the high-pitched squeak of air being released from a balloon.

Domino’s eyes followed the trail of his stare that led to a film camera laying in the dirt. His hands remained open and frozen in place from where the camera had just leaped. 

“Oh boy,” Domino muttered. She crouched down to survey the damage. The shell of the device was cracked in several places. Some pieces completely snapped off and lay about like thick, plastic confetti. She gingerly picked up the camera and her shoulders sank with relief to see that the lens hadn’t fractured. “Oh, this is nothin’!”

The girl rested the camera on her lap and spun her backpack around to search for tools. Once her hand made purchase of the required items, she thrust it into the air with pride. Her arm was threaded through a roll of duct tape, wearing it much like a bracelet, while she held up a heavily used bottle of super glue. 

“I don’t think that’s going to-”

Just as soon as the male had found his voice, he was once again rendered speechless by the blue hedgehog as she seemed to perform rapid-fire surgery on the device. Her hands moved too quickly for him to understand what all she was doing, expertly switching from tape to glue and back, pinching here and ripping there. In what could only have been a matter of seconds, Domino sprang up to her feet and held out a perfectly in-tact camera. “Here ya go!”

The boy slowly took the camera from her hands and carefully inspected it. It was nearly pristine! 

“Wh-? Hu-? How?!” he stammered, turning the camera over and gasping as he noticed she had even managed to repair some of the damage he had done to it by extended use. “It’s like it’s brand new!”

Domino returned her tools to their home in her bag and slung it over her back. “I try to leave things better than I found ‘em.”

Something about that motto resonated with the male and a grin made its way across his face. His inspection finally shifted from the camera to the peculiar person in front of him and his breath caught in his throat. 

The young woman’s eyes were a striking cyan color, as vibrant as an afternoon’s sky. Her long, wild quills were the same teal hue, just a shade darker. She was waif-like for sure, but despite her small stature she had a strong presence about her that told him she could handle herself. The sweet, almost demure smile on her caramel muzzle was in direct contrast with the rough appearance of her clothes and a noticeable tear in one of her ears. This girl had clearly been through a lot. Despite that – or perhaps because of that – he found her stunning.

Domino was also rendered speechless, a rare occurrence for her. The fellow hedgehog looked to be about her age with quills as windswept as hers, though shorter and rich indigo in color. He had a larger frame– or was it the fullness of his fur that made him appear bigger? His coat was longer, scruffy and rugged, particularly in the sand-colored patches that adorned his chest and muzzle. It was so unlike her short, sleek pelt. He wore a pair of denim jeans—another oddity as male Mobians often didn’t wear clothes. And his eyes! So many different shades of green with hints of amber… like sunlight filtering through the canopy leaves onto the forest floor. 

She realized she was staring and hoped that the tufts of fur that framed her cheeks would help to mask the blush that quickly made its way up her neck. 

“Uh. Still, I’m sorry about breakin’ it in the first place,” Domino muttered, shoving her hands into her pockets. 

“No, no need to apologize,” the male assured. His voice had a melodic cadence to it, bouncing around from soothing lows to confident highs. It was unusual but very pleasing to her ears. “If anything, I’m just as much to blame. I was the one standing in the middle of a busy street.”

Like a flip of a switch, Domino suddenly became aware of the dozens of people who were squeezing by and muttering curses at the two teenagers who were blocking their path. How odd, just a moment ago it felt like the two were the only people on the planet. 

“Oh yeah…” Domino said slowly, turning her head either way to confirm that they were indeed obstructing the center of the path. “We oughtta get outta the way. Can’t have that camera breaking again!” She turned back to the boy and pushed on his chest, startling him and making him walk backwards until they reached the side of the road. She swiftly weaved and navigated them through the crowd with expertise. It was a wonder she had bumped into him in the first place. The lissome girl likely would have slipped right by him without him ever realizing she was there. Hmm, he didn’t like the thought of that.

“What’s your name?” he asked, those green eyes searching hers. 

“Uh,” Domino paused for a moment. People at best ignored her; at worst went out of their way to avoid her. This wasn’t a question she was used to answering. “Domino. And you are?”

“Phlox.”

“‘Flocks’?!” She couldn’t help but blurt out. Sometimes her mouth worked faster than her brain. “Like… like a bunch of Flickies?”

The male’s eyes went wide and he snickered. “Flickies?! No, ‘Phlox’ like the flower!”

“Well hey, I dunno! Maybe your parents are really into bird watching.”

Phlox suddenly burst into a fit of giggles. Domino’s ears sprang upwards. That chuckle was so silly and boyish and… mischievous, so unlike his speaking voice. She couldn’t help but beam with playful delight just from hearing it.

“By that logic,” Phlox managed once his laughing settled down, “that would mean your parents love board games?”

Oh now this would be too fun to pass up!

“Ah, so you’re familiar with my lineage!” Domino asked impishly. “I’m the heiress to a very wealthy game manufacturing company. It’s a family-owned business started by my great-great grandparents. It’s basically required that everyone in the family be named after classic games, lest you want to give up your claim to the family biz.”

“Is that so?”

“Oh yes,” she smirked. “You should’ve seen the look on my grandparents face when my Uncle Chess named his son-”

Her story was interrupted by an embarrassingly loud gurgle coming from her empty stomach. She froze in place, her face instantly growing beet red. Did he hear that? Of course he heard that. The whole world just heard it. Oh Gaia, why?! “Err..” 

“I… was just on my way to breakfast,” Phlox said, a lilt in his voice. “I heard some of the locals raving about this restaurant. ‘Supposed to have omelets like you wouldn’t believe. Would you… wanna join me?”

“A... restaurant…?” Domino whispered with dread. Her skin grew even hotter with anxiety. She barely had enough cash on her for some bread. A restaurant was out of the question! She had to think of an excuse but whether it was brain fog from hunger or delirium from this cute guy’s smile, she was coming up with nothing! “Um…”

Phlox sensed the girl’s dilemma and saw her subconsciously rummaging in her pockets. He pretended not to notice and looked towards his next destination. 

“I hope you won’t mind-” he leaned his shoulder towards her as if sharing a secret. “I know we live in a modern era but I was raised to always foot the bill when asking a lady on a date.”

“I-I don’t need handouts!” Domino said defensively, hoping her voice overpowered the growling of her stomach. 

“Easy there, heiress! I’d never suggest such a thing,” he waved his hands while he laughed, hoping to ease some of the tension. Phlox extended an open hand. “Besides, you’ll be repaying me by telling me all about this prestigious gaming monarchy you’re a part of.” 

He gave her a wink and with that, she was done for. 

Domino took his hand and together the two teens were off to the eatery.  

—

“-and that’s why the hippos are eating marbles! Oh! That reminds me. Did you ever wonder-”

Despite her constant rambling, Domino had scarfed down her entire meal with impressive speed. Phlox’s eyes flickered to her empty plate before inconspicuously sliding his untouched side of hash browns across the table. Domino began tearing into them as well, too focused on her current story to realize the plate didn’t belong to her. 

Phlox rested his cheek in his palm, smiling as he listened to the teal young woman paint another wild tale. It was immediately clear that these stories were fabricated. Each one was more extreme and nonsensical than the last, but still, the young man found himself hanging on every word. It wasn't so much the stories that he enjoyed, but the enthusiasm with which Domino told them. The way her sky-blue eyes lit up and how her thin little arms swung about wildly as she gestured with her hands, as if her petite body couldn’t contain all of the energy that was trapped inside.

“-so I’m passing through here before I’m off for my next big business venture.”

“Oh? This is a short visit?”

“Ya,” Domino finished up her last bite of hash browns before unceremoniously letting her fork clatter against the ceramic. She was unable to remember the last time she’d ever felt this full. “I never stay in one city long.”

“Why’s that?”

“Towns are… complicated,” she averted her gaze, suddenly interested in a spot of the tablecloth that she began to pick at. “Everything’s all ‘property-lines’ and ‘who-belongs-where’. It’s all about what ya own and how much of it ya got, and what you can take from someone else.” She sank back into her chair with a sigh and looked up at the clouds. Phlox leaned in. Even if momentarily, he was getting a glimpse into the real Domino. He wanted to know more about the girl who felt the need to hide behind tall tales. “It’s not like that out in the wild. Nothing belongs to anybody. It all belongs to the planet, ya know? No judgements. No hurting each other for the sake of hurting… I only come into town when I-” 

She stopped herself short, realizing she’d revealed a little too much. 

“Wait you’re just passing through too, yeah?”

“Huh?” Phlox blinked. He could get whiplash from how abruptly she’d redirected the conversation. “Oh. Yeah.”

“How long’re you stickin’ around?”

“Hmm, not sure yet.”

Domino laced her fingers together and used them to balance her chin. “You don’t talk much,” she observed with amusement. 

Phlox chuckled. “I’m more of a listener.”

“That’s a shame. You’ve got such a nice voice, like music,” she admitted. “I’d love to hear ya talk more.”

It was possible she was just trying to divert his attention from the previous topic, but the compliment made him blush nonetheless. He rubbed the back of his neck and tittered bashfully. 

“Well, what would you like me to talk about?”

Domino pointed at the newly repaired camera that sat amongst the empty stacks of plates. “What’s this all about?”

Phlox smiled and rested a caring hand on the device. 

“This here’s… my dream. My pride and joy.” He looked up at Domino and she just about wiggled in her seat, excited to hear more. It wasn’t like him to talk much, especially about himself, but if the pretty lady asked… “I spent an entire year putting in extra hours at my steel working job, covering shifts when others called out, never taking time off, all so I could save up for this baby! When I first told my family I wanted to switch careers to become a photographer… Let’s just say they were not so enthusiastic. Especially my dad…” he chuckled ruefully. “He’s not one for… sentimentality. But I always have been.”

Those bright green eyes looked up to meet Domino’s and her heart leaped in her chest when she caught sight of the fervor behind them. 

“There’s beauty in everything, you just have to open your eyes to see it! The world is full of so many remarkable things that we take for granted. So many magnificent little moments that will slip right by if we don’t bother to notice them. I want everyone to see what I see. I want to give these wonderful, fleeting seconds the opportunity to live on forever.” Phlox found himself surprised at how boldly he was speaking. It was a nice change, something he had been hoping to improve upon himself. It somehow came naturally in this girl’s presence. “...Photography lets me do that.”

Domino swallowed the lump in her throat, hoping her cheeks didn’t look as warm as they felt. 

“W-wow. I didn’t realize I was talking to an artist this whole time.”

Phlox laughed, that mischievous, boyish chuckle erupting from him again. “Don’t get too excited just yet, Minnie. I’ve still got a long way to go and a lot to learn.” 

Minnie? She’d never had a nickname before, never knew anyone long enough to have one. But this guy gave her one so casually, like they’d been friends forever. Minnie. She liked it…

“But I’ll let you in on a secret. Something the pros don’t want you to know.” He suddenly leaned across the table, making Domino’s eyes widen even more. His voice dropped to a whisper. “Sure composition and lighting and all that’s important, but really? A lot of it is being at the right place at the right time.”

He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms with a smirk. “And I just so happen to have a knack for being in the right place at the right time. A talent, if you will.”

Domino scoffed out the breath she’d been holding. “I’m not so sure about that!” She challenged him with a playful grin. “If that were true, I wouldn’t have busted your camera in the first place!”

Phlox winked and pointed a finger at her. “Ah, but that’s direct proof my gift is the real deal. How else would I have met you?”

The lady hedgehog was once again uncharacteristically at a loss for words. Her mouth suddenly felt very dry, too dry! She grasped for her drinking glass and quickly took several long gulps of water. Unsure how to respond and certain her signature teal and caramel fur were now every shade of red, she thought of a question to direct attention from her. 

“So,” her voice cracked through feigned nonchalance. “What brings a budding photographer like you to this quaint little town hmm?”

Phlox snickered, pleased that he could make the pretty lady blush just as much as she’d made him. “You might not think much of this place, but I’ve heard it has plenty of little hidden treasures. For one, I’ve been told of this grotto tucked away in the surrounding forest that’s supposed to be spectacular, especially if you catch sight of it at just the right time. I’m going to head out later today and try to find it.”

Domino sat up with excitement. She loved exploring and being out amongst the greenery would likely be a much needed respite after the odd jobs she’d be doing in town. It was only a couple of days, why not make the most of it?

“I’d like to see! Can I come?”

Phlox’s smile grew wider. “Y-yeah, yes!”

“Oh! Speaking of spectacular," there she went again, her mind already on to the next thing. "Have you ever been to South Island?”

“No, but it’s on my list.”

“PHLOX!” Domino drummed her hands on the table with enthusiasm. “You’re gonna love it! Just about every possible type of landscape and flora you can imagine all on one island. It’s crazy! Green Hill was my favorite. Flowers bigger than me— bigger than you! Waterfalls taller than the sky!”

“Hold on.”

Phlox stood up from his seat to pull out a small, weathered notepad from his back pocket. He flipped to a blank page and hurriedly scribbled down notes while murmuring. “South Island… Green… Hill…” 

He marked a large star next to the text before standing once again to return the notebook to his pocket. He glanced up and caught the girl giggling at him. 

“What?” He asked, the corner of his own mouth turning upwards into a smile. 

“I’m sorry, it has to be said…” Domino used a hand to gesture towards Phlox’s legs. “… the pants.”

Phlox smirked and placed his hands on his hips. He pretended to be offended, but mirth was evident in his tone. “I don’t get what’s so funny about my jeans. After all, you’re wearing pants.” 

“Yeah but not many men wear ‘em.”

The young man counted on his fingers with each point he made. “They’re stylish. They’re practical. How else can I store my things?”

Domino pointed her thumb towards the pack on her back. 

“Nah,” Phlox hooked his thumbs on his belt loops. “Backpack’ll never look this cool.”

“Ooookay, if you say so!” Domino laughed, waving her hands in defeat.

The tolling of bells from the town church broke the two from their lighthearted argument. Domino counted the chimes and realized more time had passed than she originally thought. As much fun as she was having, she had to get back to her priorities. She had a lot of work to do and not much time to do it. 

“Well, Mr. Cool Guy,” she dusted the crumbs from her clothes as she rose up from her seat. “Thank you very much for breakfast but I’ve got some very important duties that need attendin’.”

Phlox caught her hand just before she was out of reach. His voice was soft but determined. “I’ll see you later? At the town entrance, at 4. Yes?”

Domino noticed a tangible spark as their fingers met. The feel of her hand in his and the passion in his eyes made her heart race. 

“Yeah. I’ll be there.”

[CHAPTER 2]

[e-vay]

I LOVE THAT PHLOX IS WEARING PANTS WHEREAS SONIC IS LITERALLY ALWAYS GOING ON ABOUT NOT WEARING PANTS 🤣🤣🤣🤩🤩🤩 (sure mostly in Boom but STILL)

No fr that comic this idea destroys me 🥹🥹💙💙💙💙💙

I’m so glad we share the same sense of humor hehehe! 😂 When I was designing him I was thinking, if Sonic and Phlox were to ever meet what is the one thing they would never agree on? PANTS! 👖

“That Phlox guy is pretty cool. But those pants are so lame!”

“That kid really needs to wear some pants 😒”

Thank you so much! You’ve got me beaming!

[e-vay]

The Sonnet of Domino & Phlox - Ch2

[A/N: Click here to read the previous chapter. This story is also available to read on AO3]

“Aren’t they something?” an older gentleman asked with a sigh, adjusting the glasses on the edge of his long snout.

Domino continued affixing a spray nozzle to a hose but shifted her eyes in the direction of the shrew’s gaze. “Uhh…” she hesitated, unsure what to make of the orange, mechanical bipeds that stomped down the street. With each weighty step, the ground trembled and rattled the ladder the hedgehog was standing on. “What exactly are they, Mr. Mayor?”

“Our ticket to the future, that’s what!” The politician boasted. “Two months ago this eccentric human rides into town on a floating caravan! He requests a meeting with me, claiming he’s some kind of genius inventor who wants to help this great city reach its full potential,” He adjusted his vest with pride. “That’s when he showed me the blueprints for these beauties.”

Hedgehog and shrew watched as the two large robots paused in the middle of a large patch of untouched earth. With a metallic groan, the crude “hand” of one of the machines retracted into its arm and was replaced with a long drill head. It stiffly bent forwards and began boring into the ground. The bots were impressive but noticeably rough in their assembly, including large clunky bolts and bright orange paint hastily splashed onto the metal framework. The designs didn’t have the polish and finesse that one would normally find on something like a car, but perhaps that was to be expected from a budding inventor. Domino certainly didn’t know any better. Still, something about the eerie “smiley-face” logo that was stamped on each mech didn’t sit right with her…

“He told us these were cutting edge technology, that they would put us centuries ahead of neighboring towns, and golly was he right. They were only delivered a few days ago but they’ve already streamlined our building processes and made huge improvements to the city.” The mayor’s speech was interrupted by the sound of townspeople cheering as the two robots completed their construction – a well with a hand pump – in record time. Young children ran towards the well, heedless of the metal giants, and used the pump to draw up fresh water that they then splashed at one another. 

“Huh…” Domino mused. She returned her attention to the hose in her hand and sprayed a steady stream of water in the freshly cleared gutter that hung along the roof she was leaning against. She tilted her head either way, making sure no drips escaped from the seams of the gutter, before looking down at the rain spout and assuring that the water ran clear without any blockage. Satisfied with her work, she turned off the hose and descended down the ladder. “Gutter’s clean. You should be set for the winter.”

“They might be a little crude now, but with our investment, he promised the models will only get better,” The shrew said more to himself than the girl next to him. “Soon enough there’ll be smaller models, capable of doing just about anything!” He suddenly turned to the girl with a wide smile. “Just think! You’ll never have to be bothered with odd jobs ever again. It’s like he told me: ‘The Botniks are here for you!’”

Domino did her best to force a smile but couldn’t help but rock on her feet from discomfort. Odd jobs were how she got by. What was she meant to do if these “Botniks” started popping up everywhere? Well, best not to fret about it now.

“Um… Mr. Mayor?” the teal hedgehog hinted awkwardly. “I finished clearing the gutters.”

“Ah! Right, your payment!” The shrew took out his wallet and began counting the contents before hesitating with a pained smile. “Uh… You’ll have to forgive me… The salary posted on the job board is… outdated. We used most of the city’s annual budget investing in our ‘little’ robot helpers here so I can only give you half of what was originally offered.”

Domino’s quills bristled. HALF?! She nearly screamed out loud. Gee, would’ve been nice to know that BEFORE I scaled this blasted roof! She bit her tongue and took a deep breath in. This meant she’d need to take on more gigs than planned, and letting loose some snarky remarks to the mayor of all people would definitely get her kicked out of town before she’d made enough money. She forced a tight smile and politely pocketed the payment handed to her. 

“Nooooooo sweat…  If there’s anything else ya need that your big bots are too bulky for, just holler!” 

She turned on her heel before she said something stupid. 

Glancing up at the town clock, Domino’s grimace was quickly replaced with an excited grin. She sprinted towards the city gate with glee. After all, it was difficult to stay glum when she was promised an adventure with a charming purple hedgehog.

—

“Did those ‘very important duties’ of yours involve drinking 8 cups of coffee?” Phlox teased. He briefly took his attention away from the instructions in his notepad to look up, noticing the teal hedgehog jumping from tree to tree above him. 

Domino seated herself onto a branch and swung backwards into a knee hang so she could lock eyes with Phlox. 

“What makes you say that?” she winked. 

Phlox trepidatiously hopped over several large rocks to meet up with the girl who had gotten far ahead of him. “Oh, I don’t know-” he shrugged as he squeezed his way through some dense bushes. “-all the running and leaping about like a grasshopper could have something to do with it!”

Domino giggled. Phlox may have called himself a nature photographer, but it seemed he had the enthusiasm (or lack thereof) of a city dweller. Escaping the city walls and going on an escapade–however small–always filled Domino with energy. She simply couldn’t keep it in! The lady hedgehog laced her fingers behind her head and closed her eyes, swinging casually from the branch as she waited for her hiking partner to catch up. “I’m just in my element. Besides, I’m itchin’ to see this hidden treasure of yours. You need to keep up!”

If her eyes were open, she’d see a devilish spark light up in Phlox’s eyes. He might have been the quiet type, but he was extremely competitive and loved a challenge. He secured his camera tightly to his side and took off in a sprint. Keep up? Oh, he’d show her. 

“Like this?”

Domino’s eyes jolted open as she felt Phlox’s breath tickle her nose. She let out a high pitched squeak upon realizing the guy she thought was several yards away was nose-to-nose with her. The shock made her loosen her grip on the branch and she was in for a quick plummet to the ground. 

“Whoa!” The indigo male threw his arms out and caught her, holding her securely to his chest. He was strong! Of course, her transient lifestyle and meager diet left her on the smaller side, but Phlox held her as if she were weightless. The muscles in his arms were dense and firm against her slight body.

“I didn’t think you’d startle so easily,” he teased.

“Yyyeah, well-” Domino began to excuse herself, but couldn’t find the words. Geez, what was it about this guy that made her so tongue-tied? Sure he was plenty sweet, certainly nicer than most people she’d ever met. And yeah he was good-looking—she couldn’t deny that. Now she noticed how nice he smelled, too; something woody, earthy, almost sweet, like sandalwood. And his fur, so warm and soft…

Her fingers combed through the shaggy, wheat-colored fur of Phlox’s chest, sending a shiver up his entire being. His heartbeat quickened against her fingertips and she swiftly withdrew her hand realizing what she’d done. Domino looked up to find his muzzle as scarlet as hers surely was. “Uh…”

Phlox felt the urge to say something, but his shyness got the better of him. He instead cleared his throat and set the young woman back on her feet. “Sorry for scaring you…”

“Nah,” Domino replied. She twirled the tuft of fur near her cheek bashfully as she ruminated over what just happened. She shouldn’t be getting close to someone like this. Letting someone in only led to betrayal or disappointment. Besides, what did she have to offer him? She had no home, no money. Relax. She reminded herself. It’s okay to have a little fun…

“Besides, you just gave me an opening.”

Phlox’s eyes went wide. With his voice barely above a whisper, he asked, “To do what?” 

“To do… this!” Domino snatched the notepad from Phlox’s hands and bolted away.

“H-HEY!” The boy shouted before swiftly chasing after her. He was not nearly as graceful navigating the woods as she was, especially with a camera slung over his shoulder, but he managed to stay close on her tail. 

Domino cackled over her shoulder. “I thought you said we needed to see this grotto at a certain time of day! So hurry it up! Or are those cool jeans of yours slowin’ ya down?!”

“These pants provide full mobility!” he shouted. The two laughed as they weaved their way through the forest, Domino skimming the instructions in the notepad and leading them the rest of the way to their destination. 

She abruptly stopped in front of a wall of weeping katsura trees and Phlox had to clumsily skid to a halt to keep from crashing into her. Domino looked back and forth between the green palisades and handwritten notes. “I’m pretty sure this is it,” she confirmed. She returned the booklet to Phlox before presenting an arm to the curtain of emerald leaves. “This was your goal. After you.”

Phlox shook his head with a smile. “Together.”

A little taken aback, Domino simply nodded in agreement and squared herself up beside Phlox. Both hedgehogs drew back the partition of leaves and stepped forth.

The grotto was truly a sight to behold. Dozens of large trees stretched and twisted amongst each other as if embracing in a circular huddle, leaving a medium-sized clearing in the center. Fountains of leaves and vines draped about the branches, painting the enclosure every shade of green. Tiny sprigs of yellow and white wildflowers dotted the forest floor, their blooms diminutive and modest but still serving as a beautiful compliment to the rich viridescence of the grass they sprouted from. Silky, golden rays of sunshine poured through the canopy in beams so crisp, they looked as though one could reach out and touch them. The early autumn breeze glided along the treetops and the soft pitter-patter of the leaves tickling each other echoed down into the grove. The willowing trees all made for a perfect shelter, completely cloaking this little slice of heaven from the rest of the world. It was only the two hedgehogs and a sparse flight of fluttering insects that were privy to this space.

Domino’s breath wavered in awe. She silently stepped deeper into the natural arbor and sat down with her knees pulled to her chest. Even though she spent the entirety of her life out on the road, the planet never ceased to amaze her in new and spectacular ways. She folded her arms over her knees and rested her head on them, sighing with a soft smile.

Phlox took a deep breath, letting his lungs expand entirely with the crisp fresh air before releasing it and setting to work on adjusting his camera. As he delicately fiddled with the device, he couldn’t help but notice Domino’s silent reverie in the corner of his eye. His heart filled with pride knowing the young lady seemed just as touched by the setting as he was. He walked over to her, whispering as not to break her daydream.

“This is why the timing was so crucial,” Phlox said softly. “I’m sure this spot is beautiful all the time, but at this exact moment, at this exact time of day? It’s-”

“Heavenly,” Domino concluded. It was true. The sunbeams filtering through the trees managed to diffuse the light to give the space an ethereal glow. Anything that was lucky enough to catch the direct sunlight appeared to have a soft, colorful halo as the light bounced off its surface. Phlox nodded and headed off to document the scene.

Meanwhile, Domino reached forward and let her arm glow in a sunbeam as she let all the worries that normally plagued her mind dissipate. Here in this cove, she didn’t have to concern herself with the upcoming winter. She didn’t have to think about how–or when–she’d find her next meal. Even the looming threat of “Botnik workers” that would soon replace her managed to escape her mind. Right now, she could just be. Her eyes studied every leaf, every blade of grass, every sway of the branches that hung above her head so that even on the bad days, she could look back at this moment and feel peace.

Eventually, her attention shifted to the indigo photographer at work. He walked so carefully and quietly it was as if his boots weren’t even making contact with the ground. At one point, the boy managed to approach a flutter of blue butterflies that didn’t seem phased by his company, shining and dancing in the late-afternoon sun like fairies. She wondered if it was possible to capture the serenity of this moment in a photo. It would be nice to see if he succeeded, but he likely wouldn’t develop his roll of film any time soon. She’d be long gone before those photos would come to light. The thought caused a strange weight in her chest, a sinking feeling she shouldn’t allow herself to feel. She diverted her attention to some of the wildflowers beside her.

Neither were sure how much time passed as they each quietly enjoyed the space, together but individually in their own ways. Once satisfied, Phlox walked over and took a seat next to Domino. “I didn’t get to ask you earlier...” he broke the silence, but his soft, honey-smooth voice was so reposeful it might as well have been part of the ambient melody of the forest.

“Hm?” Domino hummed, looking over to the boy beside her.

“What’s your dream?”

The girl leaned back with her palms behind her and surveyed the shelter of leaves above them as she pondered. Her dream. Such a big question. What should she make up this time? What would impress this guy the most? ‘To conquer a mighty dragon’? ‘To soar among the stars’?

“I want to make a difference,” she found the truth slipping from her lips. She shook her head and shrugged with defeat as if that goal was too ambitious for someone like herself. “Even if I can do just one good thing.”

Her words were so simple but there was such a bitter heaviness to them. Did she really think she was of such little significance? Phlox hardly knew her, yet he sensed something positively great about her. The brief hours spent in her company were already changing him, encouraging him to become more of the person he was striving to be. What or who made her think so little of herself? He wanted to ask, but wisdom told him if he did, she’d likely withdraw even further.

Instead, he placed his hand on hers and gave it a firm squeeze. 

“You will.”

Domino turned to Phlox with a soft gasp. His words sounded so genuine. Oh, how he looked at her, too. The way those green eyes surveyed her made her feel like she was the only thing in the world. It was intimidating. It was exciting.

Though her heartbeat grew louder in her ears, she still managed to pick up a faint assortment of sounds off in the distance. Chattering? Shrieking? She wasn’t sure but it was quickly growing louder. At the same time, she and Phlox looked towards the barrier of trees and noticed the branches and leaves beginning to tremble. Something was rushing through the forest and rapidly making its way towards the grotto. The tops of the trees shook and the roar of what sounded like a crowd was quickly upon them. Domino only briefly saw a flash of color burst through the curtain of leaves before closing her eyes and throwing herself on top of Phlox to shield him from whatever threat found their hiding spot.

The roaring now completely surrounded them, making its way over their heads and echoing all around them in the grotto. Domino tried to flatten herself and Phlox as close to the ground so they wouldn’t be hit. But despite the overwhelming noise, nothing struck them. She heard Phlox gasp. “Minnie, look!”

Domino opened one eye to see Phlox looking skyward, a wondrous smile on his face. She hesitantly turned just enough to peek over her shoulder and gasped as well. Hundreds–no, thousands of colorful birds were flying in mass above the canopy. Despite their numbers, they all moved together in perfect harmony, creating a magnificent, undulating patchwork of color in the sky. Domino rolled onto her back and the two hedgehogs watched in awe. She knew that birds were likely to migrate before the winter months hit, but she never witnessed something quite like this. The setting sunlight shone through their wings as they fluttered above, painting the entirety of the sky with a brilliant rainbow. Just as quickly as they had approached, the last of the birds flew past and the grotto returned to the peaceful silence once again.

Phlox and Domino both blinked. The moment had come and gone so quickly, it was almost as if it didn’t happen at all. They turned to each other, Domino’s head still resting on Phlox’s arm, and at once they both giggled in breathless bewilderment. 

“What are the odds of that?” Domino grinned, placing a hand on her forehead in disbelief.

Phlox smirked confidently. “Right place, right time.”

“Ah yes, your ‘super power’,” the girl rolled her eyes and began to shove herself away. However, Phlox quickly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight to him. She squealed with laughter and fought against him in protest.

“Don’t mock my talent,” he chuckled while Domino squirmed in his grasp.

“Lemme go, you brute!” The teal hedgehog shoved her palm into Phlox’s face, making him laugh even harder. Still, he held her close.

“Naht ‘til you apahlagizsh,” he muttered under the pressure of her hand. 

Domino removed her palm and leaned in with a playful scowl. “Never.”

Phlox met her smug glare. “Then I’ll never let you go.”

Domino stopped struggling and her smile faltered a bit. She knew he was joking; after all, she started this game, but something about those words… Something inside her wanted them to be true. She enjoyed the feel of his embrace. She wanted him to hold onto her endlessly, and the thought made her curse to herself. ‘Wants’ were stupid, frivolous. Her lifestyle only allowed for ‘needs’: shelter and sustenance.

Domino was beginning to realize that Phlox’s presence caused an entirely different kind of hunger within her.

The male’s chuckles diminished as Domino stared at him quietly. His cheeks and chest grew warm as he suddenly registered just how tightly she was pressed against him. Phlox searched her cyan eyes, wondering what she was thinking. Was she upset? He was inexperienced with flirting; had he gone too far? She wasn’t pulling away, though. Her gaze briefly flickered to his lips and his heart raced faster and his purple fur prickled up. 

“...Do… you realize what that was?” Domino whispered.

Phlox’s eyes widened. Was she asking about his sudden shiver or the display of birds they just witnessed? He hoped it was the latter.

“Uhh… a… murmuration…?” 

“A-K-A…?” she nodded expectantly and a smile began to curl on her lips.

Phlox’s eyelids dropped with realization and he sneered, “Don’t. You. Dare.”

Domino sat up and poked at Phlox’s chest to punctuate her words. “Those were FLOCKS of BIRDS!”

“That’s it!” He went to snatch her again, but Domino was too quick for him this time. She sprinted to the edge of the grotto and giggled while she waited for him. Phlox hurriedly packed up his gear and threw his camera strap over his shoulder. “You’re in for it now!”

The girl squealed and darted away as Phlox chased her all the way back to the village.

—

Domino let out a long yawn after collecting payment from her most recent task. Despite completing her fourth odd-job of the morning, she still found herself struggling to stay awake. Then again, she did have a hard time falling asleep last night…

It wasn’t the cold that kept her awake. No, she was plenty used to sleeping outside in all manner of harsh weather conditions. What kept her up were thoughts about that damn boy. That quiet, dazzling boy. 

She didn’t recognize herself when she was around Phlox. Talking to him either led to embarrassing, truthful slip-ups (she still couldn’t believe she’d told him her “dream.” How stupid!) or left her unable to speak at all! And that stunt she pulled in the grotto to try and save him… What was that?! She’d lived her whole life looking out for herself. Her entire existence was all about self preservation. So why did she throw herself on top of him when she thought they were in danger? Domino was annoyed with how quickly her priorities were shifting. And even more annoyed by how good it felt to care about somebody other than herself for once. 

Tossing and turning over all these thoughts left her with little shut-eye last night. 

An idea came to her suddenly. Perhaps a cold dip would wake her up! Besides, after doing all the dirty jobs that the townspeople didn’t enjoy and the “Botniks” were too clunky to complete, she could use a bath. 

She exited the city and headed downhill. Her years traversing the wilderness trained her to easily find rivers, and after carefully listening for running water and taking note of the ways the trees leaned, she found what she was looking for.

It was a serene creek with blue-green water that was clear enough to see the bottom of the river bed. It would be plenty deep enough for a proper swim. A medium-sized stack of boulders allowed for a steady flow of water to gently trickle down into the larger body of the creek. On days where the weather was more severe, she imagined the waterfall would crash into the river with a thunderous roar. But on this mellow autumn morning, the water was calm and tranquil. 

It made her think of Phlox. 

“Chaos,” she cursed to herself. The Domino she knew would have just shrugged it off and gone about her business. But this new, thoughtful Domino realized this was the exact kind of scene Phlox would love to photograph. The idea of gifting him with this little treasure and seeing the look of excitement on his face was too much to resist. “So much for ‘priorities’ huh?”

She convinced herself that this would be her way of repaying him for the grotto trip yesterday, nothing more. Satisfied with that reasoning, she hurried back to town in hopes to find that photographer that seemed to be making a home in her mind’s eye. It didn’t take long for her to spot him. The young man was sitting under a shade tree, writing in his notepad. Butterflies filled her stomach at the width of his smile upon hearing her call his name. The feeling intensified with how quickly he agreed to go with her. 

“I’m telling ya, you’re gonna make this place THE travel destination once the world sees all your photos. Especially of this spot I found!”

“Had I known you were a location scout, I’d have hired you sooner.”

“You can’t afford me. Heiress, remember?” Domino teased with a wink. “I’m offering you this location on the house.” Phlox laughed his mischievous laugh as he followed the young woman. Once they reached the creek, Domino raised her arms into the air and spun around with a triumphant, “Ta-daaaa~!”

The purple hedgehog placed his hands on his hips and his grin was brighter than the sun. His reaction was even better than she had pictured.

“So, whaddya think?”

“I think,” Phlox chuckled, lowering the camera from his shoulder and placing it on the ground. Domino blinked as he kicked off his boots. “This is going to be so cold!”

“What?” Domino scoffed while Phlox removed his beloved pair of jeans and pried off his gloves. “You’re really gonna jump in there?”

“Like you aren’t?” Phlox raised an eyebrow, a knowing smile plastered on his sandy muzzle. “That’s why you came out here in the first place, right?”

“I-” she scratched her quills and shrugged, “I guess I just took you for the prissy, hot-shower type.”

The boy turned to face the girl while walking backwards and used his fist to make a stabbing motion into his heart. “Minnie, you wound me!” He spun on his heel with a laugh and ran towards the creek before leaping into the air, curling into a spinning ball, and crashing into the water with a mighty splash. 

Just as quickly as he had jumped in, he resurfaced and his voice cracked as he shrieked. “I WAS ᴿᴵGᴴᵀ! SO CₒᴸD!”

“PFFTT!” Domino burst into a fit of laughter, doubling over and holding her stomach. “Gaia! I had no idea your voice could reach that high!”

“Shu-shu-shushhhh up and guh-get in here!” Phlox demanded through chattering teeth. He swam to face the other way so Domino could strip down to her undergarments without him watching. 

Domino shook out her hands to mentally prepare herself for the cold plunge before jumping into the water, wailing. She resurfaced with a gasp. Well, she certainly wasn’t tired anymore. 

“Whu-whu-whyyy duh-duh-did we d-do thissss?!” 

Phlox’s ears were pinned flat to his head. “‘Cuz wuh-we’re young and sssss-stupid!” 

“C-c’mon Young, ssswim with Stupid,” Domino laughed despite her shivering and waved him over to follow her as she began to swim. “The mmmore ya move the w-warmer you’ll be.”

The two hedgehogs made a game of who could swim the fastest from one edge of the creek to the other, and before long they had quickly adjusted to the temperature of the water. It turned out that Phlox was an excellent swimmer, capable of doing laps around Domino. The girl rolled her eyes as he gloated over his many wins.

“Ya know, I think I liked you more when you talked LESS!” She startled him with a tackle and dunked him under water.

He sprang back up and shook off his quills. “You opened this Pandora’s Box, there’s no putting it back now.”

“Oh yeah?” She went for another tackle, but now that he was onto her, he dodged and left her rolling face-first into the water. Domino made several more attempts, but Phlox would either stay so still it was like slamming into a brick wall, or he would use her momentum against her to make her plunge face first into the water. 

Her most recent effort left her clinging to Phlox’s side, trying to push his face into the water with no success. “Grrrrr why won’t you go down?!”

Phlox laughed and pried the girl off him with ease. “I love your enthusiasm. But you won’t beat me in a battle of brawn.” He tapped his temple. “You’ve got to assess the situation and play to your strengths.”

The teal hedgehog let her head fall back and groaned with frustration. “You said it yourself: I’ve got no strength.”

“I meant ‘do what you’re best at,’” Phlox scratched the fluff of his muzzle as he pondered for a moment. His green eyes suddenly lit up and he snapped his fingers. “I know a game we could play!” He swam a distance away to make room between the two hedgehogs. “I’m going to guard this end of the creek. If you get passed me and make it to the bank, you earn a point.”

Domino’s shoulders sank. “You’re the better swimmer and you’re bigger than me. I’m never getting through you.”

Phlox smiled with encouragement. “Assess the situation, Minnie. You’re smaller, but that makes you faster and more slippery. Use that to your advantage to get around me.”

“Hmm,” Domino considered, her pout turning into a genuine smile. “Okay, I’ll give it a shot!”

“But!” Phlox held up a finger. “To prove that I’m not going to just let you win, let’s raise the stakes. If I catch you, you have to answer a question. Truthfully.”

“Pfft,” Domino sputtered. “That’s not much of a reward.”

“It is to me,” Phlox grinned. He stretched his arms out to either side. “Now show me what you’ve got!”

Domino’s eyes twinkled with determination and she rushed forward. She originally tried swimming to the side of Phlox’s reach, but he was able to quickly catch up to her. She panicked at the last minute and tried to charge him, but he caught her and she went limp in his arms in frustration. 

“Next time, don’t give up so fast. There’s still a chance to break free.” Phlox shifted the girl in his arms so he carried her bridal style and swam them back over to Domino’s side of the river. “So, how many siblings do you have?”

“70.” She moped. 

“Hey, I won my prize. The truth. How many do you really have?”

Domino rolled her eyes and shoved herself off him. She muttered quietly, “It’s just me.” Her answer was guarded, but Phlox couldn’t help but pick up the loneliness in her tone. He tried to lighten the mood with his own response as he made his way back to start-position. 

“Wow, the center of attention, huh? We’ve got two litters in my family. 3 brothers and 1 sister. I’m right in the middle.”

“5 guys in one house? I bet the place stinks!” Domino teased, finding her sense of humor again. “Ugh, you have no idea!” Phlox joked and rubbed his nose. “When I first started out on the road, I felt like I could breathe for the first time in my life!” The girl attempted to swim by him again. Phlox grappled for her and though he did briefly get his arms around her, she was able to wiggle through his forearms and kick off his back to propel herself to the creek bank. Domino couldn’t help but dance along the shore at her win. 

“See that’s it!” Phlox threw a fist into the air. “Show me what else you can do. Besides those sick dance moves.”

Domino hurried over to her side again and strategized. She knew he would just keep catching her if she tried to swim around him, and though she could wiggle free, she’d get exhausted in no time. She looked down and noticed how similar the blue-green shade of the water was in comparison to her own fur. 

She squeaked as she was suddenly rushed and held tightly in Phlox’s grip. 

“What the HELL?!” she squirmed. This time he locked her forearms across her chest and she couldn’t wiggle loose. 

“Who said I couldn’t leave my post? You were taking too long and I have questions!” 

Domino slumped against Phlox’s furry chest, defeated. Her voice was monotone, “What is your question, O devilish Phlox?”

“If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?”

Domino giggled before her eyes went wide. “Ohhh, those hash browns from yesterday!”

“That’s it? Hash browns?” Phlox cocked an eyebrow. Domino shoved off him so he could return to his position. 

“I’m not a picky eater and those were good! Why, what would yours be?”

“Chili. The spicier, the better!” Phlox answered before whispering under his breath, “Hmm. I could learn to make hash browns,” Meanwhile, Domino returned to her plan that she was formulating before she was last captured. She took a deep breath and submerged herself completely underwater. 

“Uh-oh,” Phlox panicked. The only patches of Domino’s fur that weren’t teal blue were her cheeks, stomach, and the inside of her ears, and while she was underwater, she was just about invisible. His eyes searched frantically, trying to figure out which side she would attempt to get around him. He yelped when he felt something brush the undersides of his paws. Once he realized it was Domino swimming below him, it was already too late and she was on his side of the river. 

“HaHA!!” She cheered and shimmied her shoulders in a victory dance. 

“Very clever,” Phlox grinned. “I’m onto you now.”

Their game went on for several more rounds, with Domino taking the lead by a substantial amount. Still, Phlox was determined and managed to get a few more answers out of her before their game was through:

“What’s your biggest pet-peeve?”

“When people are snooty. Get outta here with that crap!”

“Morning-bird or night-owl?”

“Of course you’d ask a ‘bird’ question, ‘Flocks.’ I always start the day bright and early.”

“What’s your favorite thing about yourself?”

“Oiiiii… Hmmm. My resourcefulness.”

“Excellent choice. I’ve never seen anyone wield a roll of tape better than you.”

“And you never will~” 

“Would you ever want to have kids one day?”

She had to think about that one for a moment. Logistically, her lifestyle wouldn’t allow for that kind of thing. It wasn’t responsible. But Phlox did ask her to answer honestly. A soft smile formed on her lips. 

“Yeah. I would.”

Phlox bit the inside of his cheek in hopes to suppress his smile and the blush creeping up his neck.

Domino attempted one more round, but at this point she was drained and Phlox caught her without much struggle. 

“Okay, okay,” she panted and the young man released her. “You win. I’ve had enough.” The girl huffed and puffed, struggling to tread water with the amount of energy she’d exerted. 

The boy chuckled and took her hands into his. “Here, catch your breath.” He was surprised that instead of merely holding onto his hands, Domino pulled herself close to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She rested her chin on his shoulder and closed her eyes as she attempted to regulate her breathing.

Phlox was certain she could feel the pounding of his heartbeat, but surprisingly he wasn’t all that ashamed this time. Domino had a way of making him feel excited and calm all at once. It encouraged him to be bolder, braver, more accepting of his quirks. 

“I can tell you wanna ask me another question,” the girl teased. 

“I do,” Phlox admitted, his voice much softer and reserved, like the first time they met. “But it’s not part of the game.”

“C’mon, you caught me so you earned it,” Domino leaned back enough so she could look Phlox eye-to-eye. Her mouth curved up into a smile at how red his face was. “What?”

Be bold. He told himself. Be like her.

“Can I kiss you?”

Domino’s jaw dropped with a soft gasp. Of all the things he could’ve asked, this was the last thing she expected. Before these last two days, nobody even bothered looking her way. Now not only did she have the undivided attention of this dashing young man, but he wanted to kiss her? Phlox could easily have any girl he wanted, so why would he waste his time with somebody like her?

Well, she thought, probably because he doesn’t actually know me. If he did, he’d leave. 

It would be smart to say no. But when would she ever have this opportunity again? She’d be gone by tomorrow, having never kissed a boy. A beautiful, kind, lovely boy.

“…Yes.”

As soon as the word left her lips, Phlox took her face into his hands and kissed her. She was alarmed at how quickly his mouth was on hers considering how shy he’d been just a moment ago, but it was a welcome surprise. Her arms remained wrapped around his neck and she closed her eyes as she returned his kiss. 

Phlox sighed happily into her lips, his thumbs stroking her cheeks as he cupped her face. He’d never kissed anyone before, but from the moment he first laid eyes on this young lady it was all he could think about. She was so unique and adventurous and funny! Oh, how she made him laugh like he was a little kid again. He was generally in good-spirits most of the time, but he hadn’t felt happiness like this for a long while. Being in her company was like floating in the clouds. The kiss broke just briefly as his mouth subconsciously curved into a smile, but he did his best to force it down and match his lips to hers once more. 

One of Phlox’s hands gently combed down Domino’s long cyan quills and that burning hunger flared up in her lower belly once again. His lips were too lovely, his touch too wonderful. This was dangerous. 

Regrettably, Domino broke away and rested her forehead against his as they both attempted to catch their breath. “I’m not so good at multitasking… We should probably get outta the water now,” the lady hedgehog suggested. 

“Yeah, okay,” Phlox chuckled breathlessly. The two swam to the edge of the creek and Domino pulled a towel out from her backpack. She dried herself off as much as possible before tossing it to Phlox while she got dressed. He pulled on his pants and boots then laid in the grass next to the girl and quietly admired the clouds with a smile on his face. 

Domino was grateful for the silence, trying to make sense of all the weird thoughts and feelings swimming around her mind. She knew it was a bad idea to let somebody in like this. The closer Phlox got, the sooner he’d realize what a joke she was. She knew she would need to leave before that happened. So why, why did she feel this constant urge to let him in? She chewed on her lip but silently cursed to herself as she could still taste him. 

“Hey, so…” she started, despite her better judgment. Phlox turned his full attention to her. “I’m no chef, but… I make a pretty good stew. And you said you like chili, so, uh… I was wondering if you’d…” she clapped a hand over her face and sighed. “-If you’d let me make you something. You know, to pay you back for… everything.”

“Pay me back?” Phlox asked, his brows furrowed.

“For breakfast, and the grotto,” she threw her hands into the air, “and all the tactical combat lessons you just gave me!”

“Hey, I did those things because I wanted to. You don’t owe me anything,” he did his best to reassure the girl. He propped his head up with his hand and gave a mischievous smirk. “But if it’s a date you’re suggesting…”

“Chaos,” Domino muttered. Still, she couldn’t help but smile. 

“You have to ask me proper. I’m old-fashioned like that.”

“Ugh,” she rolled her eyes before turning to face the boy who was all but wiggling with anticipation. “Phlox. May I make you dinner? As a date.”

“Yes.” He gave her a quick peck on the cheek before rolling over to grab his camera. His face was bright red, but his smile was confident as he removed the lens and adjusted the settings. “Now, to capture this little gem you found me!”

Domino packed up her bag before swinging it over her shoulder. “I’ll meet you at the inn you’re staying at, yeah?”

“Okay!” He snapped a few photos. “What’re you up to today?”

Oh, just buying a cheap jacket and a bunch of nonperishables so I don’t starve this winter. Impressive, right?

“More business meetings. I heard the mayor’s a big-time investor. I’m gonna see if he will fund the latest board game I’m developing.”

Phlox slowly lowered the viewfinder from his eyes. Why was she telling stories again? He thought after what just happened… Why couldn’t she just tell him the truth? He closed his eyes and sighed. Who was he to tell her what to do? Besides, it was like he told her: she didn’t owe him anything. All he could do was hope that she’d learn to trust him eventually. 

“Knock ‘em dead, Minnie. I believe in you.”

The girl gave him a playful salute before heading back into town, leaving the boy alone to his thoughts. 

Domino hadn’t even made it to the market before hearing a thunderous crash and the screams of several townspeople. People sprinted away from the townsquare in a panic. The old Domino might have followed their lead and scampered away as well. But over these last couple of days, she found herself evolving. Even more important than self-preservation, she felt a stronger urge growing in her heart: the need to protect. Without hesitation, she raced towards the sound of the commotion.

[CHAPTER 3: Coming Soon]

[A/N: I used the art of Nathan Fowkes as visual inspiration for many of the scenes in this chapter. If you aren't familiar with his work, I highly recommend checking it out!]