#so I will have to think of something to either add or split a chapter up

[ceiling-karasu]

New Chapter of Lily Bell in the Thorn Thicket

[eclipseberrycake]

Poly! MoonBerryCake x Reader Pt. 9.5*

AN: The poll isn't over juuussst yet but I'm pretty sure of what is gonna win, so here we are <3 I do appreciate those voting for Roo's choice! Kissing your foreheads so softly rn /platonic So I kind of split the diff, you know? This was my choice was this part right here. Bc it makes me laugh. We get more MBC too, since I'm also going to start Part 10! Yay! Then I'll get back to requests! So, you'll get this today, then maybe part 10 either later tonight (Probably Tomorrow), then on Thursday I'll start requests again since Wednesday is my rest day!

ALSO also, people are figuring out my little clues and like I'm so proud of all of us. We're killing it, y'all are great at picking up the small nuances, Kissing you so gently on the forehead right now.

ALSO ALSO, also, I think the general consensus was that it's okay to give Reader a tail? I might hold off just for now to see if any objections come from it, but if there are none come part 11, I'll add it permanently! For this chapter, it's just a trial run! It's totally okay too if thats not something you guys want too, let me preface! If it turns out you guys try it, hate it, and want it gone I can come back and edit this part! Hence the "*" in the title!

Part One -> Part Two -> Part Three -> Part Four -> Part Five -> Part Six -> Part Six 1/2 -> Part Seven -> Part Eight -> Part Nine

Warnings: None, really, except for some of my personal ships. I don't wanna see any debate about them, this is mostly my preferences.

☁ He's watching you.

☁ He's watching you and you know it. You're momentarily ignoring it as you're elbow deep in the cookie jar, newly filed nails just barely brushing against a cookie at the very bottom. It makes you huff in annoyance at it before you're moving to kneel on the counter, hoping to reach further into the frankly too-larger-to-be-normal cookie jar. It just evades you're hand once more, and your tail gives a whip in annoyance.

☁ You would use the additional limb, but you've gotten in trouble more times than you could count with using your tail in the kitchen. Something about it getting too close to the Twisteds for it to be sanitary at all. You rolled your eyes at that, but since returning from your time as a Twisted, for a second time, you obeyed where you could.

☁ All while he's watching you struggle, hiding a poorly concealed snicker behind his blanket. It makes you huff once more before finally getting a finger on the cookie, making you grin. You hook it to the side, gently dragging it up so you can grab it, only for it to crumble.

☁ You let out a cry, retracting your cookie-less hand to stare in the jar, bewildered at the absolute audacity.

☁ This time he can't stop the laugh that spills out of him, making you glare at him. "You could've helped."

☁ "I could've." Astro agrees, standing from his chair, where he has a glass of milk and his own trio of cookies on a plate in front of him. "But where's the fun in that?"

☁ He walks over to the cookie jaw and reaches a longer arm in, making your tail wag behind you as you watch him grab one of the larger chunks of your broken treat. You quickly grab your set aside plate and hold it out for him to set the piece on the plate. One by one, every piece is set on the plate before he's pulling his arm back and putting the lid back on. It's flipped upside down so the top of the jar is facing the inside, signifying it's empty.

☁ With so many toons living in one area, it was easy for small things like an empty cookie jar to make tensions rise, so small things like that just made everything flow so much easier.

☁ You thank Astro with a happy little kiss, making him hum contentedly at your actions before you're both returning to the table. You have your own cup of milk as well, both of you picking up the tradition of a pre-bedtime snack a few months back. Or so you thought that's when it started.

☁ For Astro, this had always been the two of you's thing. Sprout and Cosmo baked, himself and Sprout went through old episodes together and the other handler rooms, even Cosmo and himself had scary movie nights. Everyone had their thing with each other, and cookies in the kitchen late at night was yours and his. This was the first place you told him about the Teagan and Rodger tension, which had grown exponentially. And as much as he tried to pretend he wasn't, he was a huge gossip.

☁ The familiar action of just you and him talking about everything going on, debriefing if one would, was something he held so dear and close to his chest, and he's sure you knew it too as you would never let more than three days pass before shaking him awake with a cheeky grin, nodding to the doorway.

☁ It reminded him of when he came back in all honesty. Never would that Astro ever have thought he would've been where he is now, with you and Cosmo and Sprout and Blu and everyone back, but as he is now, he would rather turn into a twisted again then give it up.

☁ His own tail gave a wag as he slid one of his cookies onto your plate, giving you The Look when you tried giving it back. You took it with a humored rool of your eyes, before rewrapping yourself in your own blanket, crossing your legs on your chair as you settled in.

☁ The lights were down low and gave your cheeks the softest orange tint and your eyes the softest of amber highlights. It made his tail wag at the sight of it, the silly thing giving away all of his emotions before he even had the chance to stop it.

☁ "So," You begin, folding your hands in front of you like it's a business meeting. "Check-in. How is Mr. Novalite doing?"

☁ He guffaws at the drop of his name, but copies your seated postion anyway with one pair of hands holding his blanket while the other twists with his tail to stop it from wagging like a lunatic. "I'm...content. Honestly. Sprout and I found some more sealed documents in Delilah's old room and are planning on looking through those soon. Cosmo and I have plans to watch that new Heretic movie that just came out. You and I are having our own date night. Plus, I know we all have a big date night coming up. Did you and Cosmo decide on what you wanted to do?"

☁ You nod, grinning happily as your own tail gives a wag. "Spa treatments then a movie night! We have it all planned out and ready to go, with a few special treats ordered for the night!"

☁ Your excitement is palpable and contagious, so much so Astro has to tighten his hold on his own tail, even if the moon at the end continues to move regardless. "That sounds perfect." He gives a sappy grin. "Other than that, myself and Shelly started a new book Brightney recommended to us, so we've been doing that to reconnect. And I think...that's really it from my end."

☁ You soften at the new information, leaning on one of your hands as your elbow settles on the table. "You sound happy."

☁ "I am. Immensely." He returns, reaching a hand. You give your free one eagerly, letting him hold it and trace his thumb over the knuckles of your hand. "Now, what about you? You've been busy."

☁ You nod, watching his thumb before thinking back to what you've been doing lately. "Well, Cosmo and I have started getting into art lately. We spent last night painting with music in the background, and it was nice. We got to talk without really thinking about it-oh, by the way, we decided you would be the boot in monopoly."

☁"...The boot." He has to take a second, mentally going through the pieces before realizing he never cared enough to know them all.

☁ "Yeah, we originally thought thimble because it sounds like thumb and you have the most thumbs, but it was way funnier if you went with the boot." You explain as if any of that made any sense whatsoever. "Also, did you know he wants like eight kids? Not happening." You scrunch your features before shaking his head. "Like, don't get me wrong, I liked the kids when Gardenview was in it's prime, but eight? All the time?!" You grimace, making him chuckle before your shaking your head.

☁ "Anyway, Sprout and I, what have we been doing?" You think for a second, before perking right up. "A few things! We've been playing games a lot! It started with Mario Kart, and then we found mini-gold clubs on one of the runs and now we set up increasingly difficult holes. It's great! I kick his ass!" You beam. Astro's sure half the problem for Sprout is that the mini-golf clubs made for children are much too short for him, but he doesn't bring that up.

☁ "And with friends, Goob's going through something- which I'll tell you in a second-, but Glisten and I have gotten closer lately. He joined our tag runs recently and he actually kills it! Especially with his teleporting? I don't think he's been tagged once." You explain, raising your head so you could use that hand to gesture as you speak. "We're thinking of doing some sort of Geo-caching too, but it's hard because we can't really leave Gardenview. That's okay though. As for now, I'm here with you, moonshine."

☁ His cheeks dust navy at the compliment, squeezing your hand tighter. "Do you remember the first time we did this?"

☁ You hum, thinking back before nodding. "I think I do. It was before we started dating. I think I remember being pissy because people kept saying Cosmo and I were dating but we weren't. But it wasn't because people were saying it, but because I had a huge stinkin' crush on him at the time and he could not pick up the hint."

☁ He chuckles. "Yeah. I was a little relieved at that you know. I had a 'huge stinkin' crush' on this cute distractor that had come to visit me. Imagine how crushed i would've been." He teases and you stick your tongue out. "Please. You were just as bad. I was doing the same goofy moves to you and Sprout literally within the same week and you didn't pick up on it either."

☁ "Neither of you picked up on anything, don't you fool yourselves." A new voice startles you both, making you look over at the doorway. Sprout is there, raising a brow at you both. Cosmo is hanging off his side, looking like he's seconds away from collapsing, eyes bleary and slowly blinking. Both of you wave at them, even if Sprout's eyes dart to the cookie jar and he gives an exasperated groan. "Again?"

☁ "In our defense, most of this batch were eaten by Goob. He's going through some stuff." You wince, watching as Astro pulls a chair to his side with his foot, close enough they make a soft clink when they hit, opening his blanket the duo. Cosmo takes the invitation, slumping forward as he practically crawls on the chair and burrows into the celestial, who wraps his arms around the cake roll, covering him in his cloak-blanket. At this point, you aren't even sure which it is.

☁ Sprout raises a brow at you, grabbing an apron off the hook and quickly slipping it on as he steps towards the cabinets. "What do you mean? Goob is the last person I'd expect."

☁ "Me too!" You exclaim, gently easing your hand from Astro's so you can turn to the side, making talking to both Sprout and Astro (and Cosmo by extension) easier. "But- Pause. Rewind. What do you know of the Teagan and Rodger drama? I know Astro is caught up because I told him and Cosmo knows because he's been here since it started, but I don't know if any of us have caught you or the other mains up."

☁ "Not much." Sprout responds, pulling out the butter and sugar in practiced motions as you bite into your cookie, nodding as if this was the answer you expected. "What kind of cookies do we want this time?"

☁ "Double chocolate. There's a new cocoa powder-" Cosmo suddenly pipes up, even if his eyes stay shut, interrupting himself with a yawn. "That I ordered specifically for that recipe we were looking at."

☁ Sprout nods at this, preheating the oven as he passes to grab the larger electric mixer. He measures out the butter and two types of sugar before letting them mix, going back to the pantry for the powdered ingredients. "Okay, so what is the reason? Like I know obviously the other day in the elevator there was a nerve hit."

☁ "Yeah," You dip a piece of your broken cookie in your glass of milk. "So I'll start from the beginning. When we first recovered Teagan, her and Rodger were like...inseparable. I mean, they had Toodles, so like we kinda assumed they'd be. Toodles was ecstatic to have them both back too, so we were all like 'great, perfect.' It was not in fact great or perfect." You throw the piece into your mouth as Sprout sifted said cocoa powder, flour and a few other things into a separate bowl.

☁ "It was fine for the first little bit and then we started recovering more and more people, then they began fighting, like a lot. Like more than I would classify as normal for...any couple really. It was silly, small, petty things too like Rodger didn't say good morning to her first." You continued. "He normally said good morning to Toodles first, but he was far from perfect either. I remember once, he like lost his shit because she picked up a research capsule."

☁ "He called her all sorts of names, didn't he?" Cosmo piped in, poking open an eye. You nodded at this. "I wasn't convinced they weren't gonna get physical that run. They were so loud I had to work double time to keep the twisteds occupied as Cosmo had to do twice as many machines."

☁ This made both Sprout and Astro grimace, the latter rubbing the cake roll's shoulder in sympathy even if this was long in the past.

☁ You're thinking momentarily, trying to decipher when it truly turned to shit when it hits you. "It was when Glisten came back that they broke up. Rodger made it this whole thing too in the middle of the run. I don't really blame Glisten as he was unaware of Toodles like...being their kid, we hadn't had the chance to fill him in. He was spending a lot of time with Rodger though, so we just expected him to fill Glisten in. Turns out, he didn't. In retaliation, Teagan started seeing Shrimpo."

☁ Sprout is gaping behind you as he pauses where he's adding an egg to the mixer. He recovers quickly, throwing out the shell before adding vanilla to the mix as well. He turns down the mixing speed before turning to you. "Shimpo? And Teagan?"

☁ You nod, watching Cosmo take one of Astro's cookies, making the Celestial huff at this even if his newly freed tail wags behind him. You grin before turning back to Sprout. "Yeah, trust, we weren't expecting it either. They were also about as explosive as you'd expect. If Teagan and Shrimpo weren't fighting, it was him and Rodger or her and Rodger or all three of them depending on the day. At this point, Glisten was aware he was in a little too deep, but he had fallen hard and fast and didn't know what to do."

☁ "What did he do? I can't expect him to do much in that situation." Astro pipes in, mindlessly handing Cosmo his glass- which the cake roll was reaching for. "And what happened to Toodles?"

☁ "That's what Glisten did." Cosmo steps in, dipping his stolen treat. "He would take Toodles the second this started up and would come to either mine or Y/N's room. His was still being put together and if nothing else, he knew he could trust us to step in if they tried bringing the fight to him. Which they did. It seemed if they were fighting, everyone needed to fight."

☁ "You're joking." Sprout spits, putting down the bowl with the flour mixture he was adding to the mixer. "That's so ridiculous."

☁ "I wish we were." You shrug. "But no. Which is kind of why they hate our relationship so much because we don't fight, and our arguments are often just a matter of temporary disagreement then true hostility." Your tail gives a whip behind you. "It only got physical during this period once. Once was all that was needed though. Shrimpo and Rodger had gotten into it with Teagan instigating, like pouring gas on an electric fire, and Shrimpo snapped, throwing a fist. Toodles saw and Glisten stepped in then while Scraps took Toodles. He was already on the brink, but they didn't break up during that."

☁ "How did they break up?" Sprout asks, now thoroughly entwined in this story. "They aren't together now, as far as I'm aware." He turns back to adding the powdered ingredients and you let him finish before answering.

☁ "Shrimpo and Glisten walked in on Rodger and Teagan." You explain and the bowl is nearly dropped in time with Sprout's jaw. Astro hums at this, having a similar expression when he first heard it. You nod before continuing. "They broke up with them then and there. They didn't take it well and it was this huge thing once more. Runs were absolute agony for the a little while. Glisten, in his defense, absolutely refused to interact with them though. Refused to look at them, talk to them, and I'm pretty sure for a while refused to do runs with them."

☁ The mixer is stopped and scraped as a few cookies sheets are pulled out and prepped, Sprout moving to roll the dough balls out, adding chocolate chips as he does. "When was all this?"

☁ "Right before we got Astro back was when the peak hit. It slowly got better when we got you back, and it's remained a little stagnant. Until recently." You give a devious smirk, knowing all three are hooked onto the information you're about to share. "Let me preface this with saying, everything I tell you I have permission to do so. Goob knows I'm doing this-"

☁ "Goob's involved?!" Cosmo whines, now looking wide awake.

☁ "Not in the way you think!" You quickly remedy. "No, he's involved in a different way. Because him and I work really well together, we do a lot of runs together, which duh, you guys know, but Glisten has wanted to get away from...you know...So he's started hanging with us a lot more. Anyway, they do their own thing, we do ours, but Goob came up to me the other day, and you wanna know what he said?"

☁ "Is that even a question?" Astro snorts. "What do you get from teasing us like this?"

☁ "Satisfaction, especially when I tell you that Goob has a big ol' stinkin' crush on GLISTEN." You share, and all three gape at the new piece of information. "Scraps won't have it, she's literally fuming because, and I quote, why would he want to get involve in all that drama. Goob literally refused to let her say anything about it further, going to war. I had never seen Goob so upset with his sister before."

☁ "Was this during that run we did a couple days ago? The one where tripped over a can of pop and smoked his face against a machine?" Cosmo eagerly asks, sitting up with his hands slamming on the table. "And Glisten was the first to run over and oh my god-?!"

☁ You nod excitedly. "It was! Goob literally has not stopped talking about it since. He even asked how we got together."

☁ "And you had to tell him all about how I was the one to do it?" Sprout smirked, sliding the first batch into the over. You excitement paused as you turned to stare at him, scoffing in his direction. "It was a group effort."

☁ "Nope. All me. Sprout is the greatest. C'mon. Admit it." His spotted cheeks upturn in time with his catlike grin and you continue to scoff.

☁ "Over my dead body maybe." You cross your arms, turning away from him as he comes up behind you. His arms wrap around your shoulders anyway as he nuzzles into your cheek, blowing a raspberry against it and making you squirm against him. You let out a yell at the action, even if he tightens his hold so you can't get out.

☁ The other two simply watch, remaining ignorant to your cries at them for help.

☁ While this has started as just something between you and Astro, watching you and Sprout, with Cosmo returning to burrow in his side, Astro lets his tail wag this time. His heart practically bursts at the full feeling it has and how lucky he considers himself to be a part of this.

☁ You and him will have more date nights, just the two of you, but these moments with all four of you have a way of just making him feel so special.

☁ Almost to the point he feels bad for the others as he knows they'll never feel the same happiness he feels with you guys.

☁ He hopes the past version of himself can rest easy now, knowing he's happy and content, and wouldn't change it for the world.

Also: The Cookie Recipe Sprout is making -> Here!

[agarsett]

In regards to King's mistreatment of Lancer... (+ perspectives on how dark worlds work based on who makes the dark fountain)

I've seen a few people on here talk about how it feels like King's neglect (and possible abuse) of Lancer seems to be getting swept under the rug, and I wanna add something to the conversation that I haven't seen a lot of people mention.

First off, no, I am NOT going to be trying to justify King's actions. Quite the opposite, in fact!

I WILL be talking about chapters three and four below the cut, so be warned!

Ralsei mentions something about how Lighteners can be sort of "reborn" in dark worlds, but only if the memory of the deceased is strong and vivid enough in the mind of the Dark Fountain creator.

(This immediately made me think that Alvin was the one to open the Dark Fountain in the church, but that's not what this post is about.)

Because of this, I belive that whoever opens the Dark Fountain has a heavy impact on the Dark World, which is backed by how Susie's Dark World was different from whoever made it before she did, down to the colors and everything.

(Which, by the way, everything being flipped in Susie's Dark World could be symbolic for Kris' and Susie's different goals? Seeing as Kris is trying to keep both us and Susie out of the Shelter and we're trying to get in.)

So, if the creator has a heavy impact on the Dark World, what does this mean for King and Lancer?

Well! If you remember Tenna's words, apparently King, Queen, and Tenna were all in possession of the Holidays and the Dreemurrs once, with them playing with the cards and laptop, maybe while watching TV?

So, if King, Queen, and Tenna were all influenced by being around the two families for so long, it means that they could have seen the downfall and splitting of the two families.

King: represents neglect (emotional and physical), with not caring what Lancer is up to and not bothering to make sure he eats, leaving Roulxs to feed him worms and three glasses of milk for dinner.

This COULD be mirroring how either Kris or Noelle didn't feel cared for enough, especially Kris during their parents' divorce and Asriel leaving for collage, I can see them feeling neglected and abandoned.

As for Noelle? She prefers to stand outside her house's gate rather than bother her mom at work. Sure, being the mayor is important, but Carol already lost one child, what has she done to cause Noelle to prefer standing outside for hours instead of asking for the gate key? (My theory is emotional abuse or emotional neglect. "I shouldn't bother mom at work, she's doing important things and I can stand outside for a while" even when your mother is supposed to be one of the two people you should be able to rely on as a kid to keep you safe and warm.)

Queen: represents forcing a kid to do something you yourself believe will help them, without asking for their input. She tries forcing Noelle to open another Dark Fountain, believing that it is what SHE wants, believing it's what will make Noelle happy, even when Queen herself had never asked Noelle herself what she wanted.

I don't currently have any ideas on what this could mean for Noelle (besides imagining that it's similar to what's happening between Carol and Noelle), but I DO have an idea for how it could relate to Kris.

As we saw in chapter four, Kris and Carol are working together, presumably with the Knight. I believe that one, Kris had a hand in Dess' dissappearence, and two, Carol is trying to being Dess back via the Knight (what with how powerful they're said to be, and how similar the Knight is to Dess) and is manipulating Kris into helping her with that.

(This is probably due to grief. Not saying it's okay, of course! Kris is a kid! I'm merely explaining what could be happening, regardless of if it's right or not.)

As I've seen other people theorize, Kris could have possibly gotten their knife from Carol, hinting that the two were super close before everything. If Kris DID have something to do with Dess' dissappearence, then I could imagine them running to Carol and explaining everything, and Carol, in turn, made them promise to her that they'd do everything in their power to get Dess back. Possibly believing that doing so will absolve Kris of their guilt?

Tenna: represents the fallout of everything. The distractions kids use to ignore their surroundings, though no matter how bright the screen is, no matter how loud the volume is, it can never fully drown out the dread of KNOWING there's another fight happening.

This applies mainly to Kris; just pay attention to Tenna's dialog during the third board(?), it's pretty obvious.

Maybe it applies to Noelle as well, but I can't think of anything at the moment.

All in all, this doesn't excuse anyone's actions, of course it doesn't. But it could shed some light on the story, on what's going on in the world of Deltarune.

I believe that all of this is building up to something huge, something that deals with parental neglect and abuse, and the Dark World bosses are simply a reflection of that abuse. I don't think Toby would just ignore that, especially since it's such a big theme.

[thewolfisyou]

What do the colors Pink and Yellow mean In Deltarune?

So I can't be the only one who has noticed a pattern with these colors? Specifically in relation to things that are 'corrupted' or odd.

You first see it with spamtons glasses. Its the only color (save his red blush marks) on the guy. It's good character design, and its funny when you find out he's wearing a bad swatch cosplay, so of course he got the colors wrong. I also didn't think about it at the time, but neo also has bits of yellow and pink. (on his chest and as apart of his wing) Sure the main color is a deeper shade of pinkish purple, but that certain shade of pink. #FCAEC8 or Flamingo Pink. Is always next to the yellow in his design.

The only other enigma that has these two colors is FRIEND, that image we saw in Queens basement that flashed for a split second, we see its face again during Ralsei's explanation of what dark then dark actually means in chapter 3. Then we see it again, this time as ADDS for the chapter 3 secret boss.

A game we can only play with a pink and yellow controller.

It's interesting that in game its described as either an ugly shade of pink, or an ugly combo of colors to have together.

Yellow is a well known color in the undertale universe. It's the color of Justice, It's heart effect acts like a gun or Shooter mode. (spamtons Big shot) but there is no known mode for pink because its not apart of the seven core soul colors. In fact its not even close to the same saturated colors. It's shade is way off.

So this means FRIEND is what? Mike? Or what was on the other side of the phone? if yellow and pink are colors of corruption, it explains why Spamton has them now and not when he was a BIG SHOT success. Right?

Maybe, I thought the same before I played chapter 4. Because that chapter hints that Pink could actually have a different meaning completely.

Because I lied, Spamton and FRIEND ain't the only characters with this color combo.

But what the heck could Asgore and Spamton have in common. (yes divorce jokes aside) Simple. Their both stuck in place, unable to move on because they keep looking back to a happier 'better' time. Both feel wronged and seek Justice in a sense, Spamton wanting freedom and revenge for being abandoned, Asgore wanting to prove what he did in the past was right and for the best for everyone, and if he can just prove that things will go back to how they were. We can even join this cycle by going through with getting the shadow mantle, which in term leads to Ramb, the guy who opened the way to the secret boss, being LOST instead of just turned to stone at the end of the chapter. At his encouragement of course, to play something Kris would have loved to play during that 'better time' in their life.

Pink isn't corruption, its Nostalgia Not bad in itself, but when connected to yellow, Justice becomes entitlement for a better time, at the detriment of everyone else.

FRIEND itself might not have these literal goals, but seems to almost feed off these feels of Toxic Nostalgia.

[teshadraws]

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Seekers of Soul

[Chapter 63]

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AO3 Link

-

Tobias, Nia, and Junie travel back to the Lexym Guild with Fidel in tow, where they update August and reunite with an unexpected face.

-

The next morning is thankfully clear for their flight back to the guild. Tobias is the first one up, as usual, but Nia and Junie only grumble a little upon being woken up, since they can’t sleep in with Fidel and the flight ‘mon waiting on them.

By time they’ve grabbed breakfast and their gear and left the inn, Fidel is already stationed near one of the empty bonfire pits. Behind him, perched on the wall surrounding the cliffside village, two large flying types are perched.

For a split-second, Tobias thinks the bulkier silhouette is Fliss, but as they get closer he can see that there are a few differences. This Pokemon’s plumage is a different color, a stark white layered above a gray undercoat. And the crest above his face is definitely different, too—an almost eye-like pattern of bright blue and purple. No scar, either. A shiny, maybe? Or the psychic type variant if braviary that Fliss had mentioned before?

Whatever the case, he’s massive, possibly even larger than Fliss.

Next to him is a slightly smaller Pokemon—a pidgeot. She gives them a calm smile as they approach, the long yellow and red feathers atop her head streaming behind her in the wind.

Fidel turns to greet them as well. “Ah, good morning.”

“Yeesh,” Junie says. “You sure it’s a good morning? You look rough, dude.”

Tobias had thought the same—the zoroark’s voice is duller than usual, his smile worn and tired—but at least Tobias had the tact not to say it.

“Junie!” Nia quietly scolds.

Fidel laughs. “I’m aware I’m not at my finest, Nia. It’s been a long morning. And night. Asher was not pleased about my leaving on such short notice.”

Nia makes a sympathetic sound in her throat. “Understandable. You two do seem close.”

“We are. I hate to leave him so suddenly, but I know Will and the rest of the settlement will look after him.” The zoroark shoulders his large pack, looking them over. “You’re all ready to head out? You picked out some snow gear from Florence’s shop?”

“Yup!” Nia says.

“My coat makes me look like a lemon,” Junie’s adds cheerfully.

Fidel’s smile curves into something a bit more genuine. “That’ll make you easy to spot on the mountain, I suppose.”

“Yeah! See, Toby? Strategic advantage.”

“Strategic stupidity.”

“Hey!”

Fidel interrupts the brewing squabble by introducing the two flight ‘mon who will be flying them across the Obsidian Sea, back to the Metreja continent and the guild nestled within Bethoc’s Haven. The braviary, Cato, greets them with a nod, and the pidgeot, Auretta, ducks her head with a polite, “Pleased to meet you all.”

Since Fidel is heavier than Tobias, Nia, and Junie combined, he boards the braviary alone. The rest of them crawl atop the pidgeot, who crouches low to ease their climb.

Nia sits behind Tobias as has become the norm, so she can hold onto him and hide her face. By now, Tobias is almost used to the way she wraps her arms around his torso, though he still has to will his face not to burn with embarrassment.

“Ooh, cozy,” Junie teases. “Where do I sit?”

The flying types decide to have Junie settle in front of Tobias, and she wastes no time leaning back against him like her own personal seat. She cranes her head back, grinning. He flicks her forehead. She snaps her beak at his fingers with a playful clack clack.

Shortly after, they leave the human settlement with a powerful beating of wings, lifting into cool dawn air and higher into the sky, until the collection of stone buildings lining the cliffside look more like toys than an actual city.

And then they’re off.

———————————————————————————————

Junie, of course, can’t stay quiet for long, so they’ve only just reached the ocean when she finally stops trying to talk to Tobias (who is busy enjoying the flight) and Nia (who is busy being terrified) and instead strikes up conversation with the pidgeot.

Luckily, Auretta seems content to chat as they glide over open water, and it doesn’t take long for the conversation between the two to turn to flight.

“Yeah,” Junie says. “I’m not, uh, a real strong flier yet. I get freaked out flying too high on my own. But I wanna be a mail ‘mon one day, so I’m working on it! And riding on your back doesn’t scare me or anything.”

The pidgeot hums in response. Then she turns her head to catch Junie’s eye. “Have you ever flown over the ocean?”

“Nope!”

“Would you like to try?”

It takes a moment for Junie to understand what Auretta means. Then she squawks, “Right now?! What if I crash?”

“I’ll watch you,” Auretta soothes. “I helped my little sister learn to fly over these very waves, once. And she was a pidgey at the time, so not much larger than you.”

“Aren’t the winds unpredictable nowadays?” Tobias asks, dubious.

“They are,” Auretta confirms. “But they seem calm today. Would you like to try? Your wingspan isn’t made for soaring like ours, but we’re here so you can always take a break.”

Junie still seems unsure, leaning over to peer down at the waves far below. But after a long moment of silence she shakes herself and says, “You know what? Why not! Just, uh. Don’t let me die, okay?”

The pidgeot trills a sound somewhere between amused and encouraging. “Of course not. I’ll be here.”

For the next few minutes, the pidgeot gently coaches Junie, teaching her how to keep her wings steady and ride the air currents, as well as how to seek out thermals to elevate.

Eventually, Junie works up the courage to leap from Auretta’s back. The rookidee’s wings snap out and beat furiously, and for a heart-stopping moment Junie is swept back head-over-heels by a powerful gust of wind.

But Auretta is quick to tuck her wings and drop back with her, calmly buffeting the wind in front of Junie so she can regain her balance.

Still, Tobias can’t help looking back to make sure Junie just didn’t plummet into the ocean. Nia, whose arms had tightened around him, squeaks, “I-Is she okay?!”

She is. Her little face is screwed up with determination as she listens to Auretta calmly explain to keep her wings steady and to soar with the air current instead of working against it.

It takes a few more minutes before Junie seems to have the hang of it, only a little shaky as she coasts along behind Auretta.

“I think I got it!” Junie shouts.

Fidel, who had been watching from atop the braviary off to the side, yells, “Good work!”

“Stay calm, even when the winds shift,” the braviary adds, watching as well.

“I’m going to elevate,” Auretta calls over her shoulder. “The wind will feel stronger for a moment, but just let it take you, all right? We’re on a wide current, so you shouldn't be lead astray. Don’t panic.”

Junie calls, “Got it!”

The pidgeot tilts and flies higher, out of Junie’s path.

Junie looks overwhelmed for a moment, flapping once before stopping herself and straightening her wings. She wobbles, but then she’s quickly picked up like a leaf on the wind, moving forward at a brisk clip.

Before anyone can ask how she’s doing, Junie whoops a loud, joyous sound. Auretta dips so she can fly right beside her, and Junie turns to face them with a beaming grin.

“Toby, look! I did it! And it feels awesome!”

Tobias can’t help smiling back, something sharp and warm in his chest. He always wanted to be there when his sister evolved and got to fly herself for the first time. This isn’t that, but it’s close enough to have him choked up.

“You did it,” he says, trying not to make it obvious that he’s feeling stupidly emotional.

Luckily, Junie is too distracted by her own joy to call him out on it, simply turning her face up to enjoy the sun.

Of course, it’s not five minutes later before Junie starts begging Auretta and Cato to show her how to do some “cool flight tricks.” Tobias is relieved when they gently shoot down her idea of learning how to barrel roll.

————————————————————————————————

The rest of the trip is largely uneventful, thankfully, no rogue winds to disrupt their journey across the sea. Nia stays hidden in Tobias’ shoulder most of the time, but she makes muffled comments occasionally, so she must be listening to their conversations.

At one point Tobias thinks he catches a glimpse of Giratina checking in on them in the reflection of the sky below, but the titan is gone too quickly for Tobias to be sure.

They’d borrowed a cup of water the night before to update Giratina on their findings about Yveltal and Xerneas, and their plans to go to Silenfroar. Giratina had seemed to approve, apparently deeming their guess a valid possibility.

However, he’d also seemed more exhausted than usual, expression flat and his subdued gestures lacking their usual bite. Nia, being Nia, had of course asked if he was all right.

Giratina had straightened up, walls visibly rebuilding as he nodded. Nia clearly hadn’t been convinced, but without a way to hear Giratina speaking through the reflection it wasn’t like they could even understand anything he said except a yes or no answer.

Regardless of what was actually wrong—if anything—Tobias figures that Giratina just doesn’t feel like wasting valuable time and energy to monitor them today.

Junie takes to resting periodically on Auretta’s back, but she still leaps back into the air as much as possible, rambling about how impressed Bo will be by her new skills.

Hours pass peacefully this way, and it’s nearly noon, the sun high and bright overhead, when the braviary calls out, “Land ahoy!”

Tobias squints, ignoring Nia’s quiet, “Thank goodness.” Sure enough, the shore of the Bethoc Bluffs and the forest of the Haven lie on the horizon, faded blue with distance.

Tobias is startled out of his search by a high, unexpected voice coming from Fidel and Cato’s direction.

“Finally! I thought we’d never get there!”

Cato falters, and everyone else’s heads snap over.

From the pack still strapped to Fidel’s back, a tiny gray and red head is poking out with a devious grin, clearly enjoying their stunned reactions.

“Asher?!” Junie yells.

“Asher?” Fidel asks, half shocked and half concerned. He quickly unstraps his pack to pull it in front of him. Seeing that his son is unharmed, his brows lower. “What are you doing here?”

The zorua sinks low into the bag at his father’s upset tone, until all Tobias can see are golden eyes and lowered ears. He can barely hear the zorua over the wind as he says, “I didn’t want you to go.”

Fidel’s anger softens. He sighs. “I didn’t want to leave you either, but that does not mean you are allowed to disobey direct orders. What if we were going straight to the mountains and had to stop to find somewhere safe for you to stay?”

“I’d be okay!” Asher says. “I’m tough! And I can always hide in your hair to stay warm.”

“You are not coming to the mountians,” Fidel says, voice hard. “And I will be double-checking that you haven’t decided to sneak along again before we go.”

Asher pouts. “But—"

“No. You will stay at the guild’s nursery until we return.”

Asher perks up again. “Does that mean you’re not sending me back to the settlement? Please tell me you’re not. It’s so boring there!”

Fidel sighs, glancing over at Tobias, Nia, and Junie. “…No. we can’t afford to turn around simply to drop you off. You’ll come with us to the Lexym Guild, as long as Team Scarlet thinks you’d be welcome there.”

“Of course he would!” Junie chirps, despite having never been to the guild herself.

Tobias squashes her down with a hand, ignoring her offended cheep. “I’m sure Asher can stay in the guild’s nursery while we’re gone. Honestly, the shinx kids will probably be thrilled to have a new playmate.”

Asher almost wiggles out of his father’s hold in his excitement. “Ooh, are they fun? How old are they? I bet I could turn into a shinx!”

“Don’t sound so thrilled,” Fidel admonishes. “We will be talking about this more once we settle in. You’re still in trouble.”

“Right. Sorry,” Asher says.

Tobias doesn’t think he sounds all that sorry at all, but it is clear Asher doesn’t like upsetting his father, even if he doesn’t really regret stowing away.

Despite the scolding, Fidel doesn’t stop his son from joining in the conversation after that. Some part of Tobias thinks the zoroark is actually relieved to have his son nearby where he can keep an eye on him.

Half the remaining journey is spent with Asher yelling questions across the sky about the Lexym Guild, which Tobias answers patiently. Junie wastes no time jumping in with questions of her own.

They must’ve taken a different flight route than usual since they came straight from the human settlement, because today they pass over a beach town near the bluffs on the edge of the continent. It’s a fairly small place, bigger than Stonebrook but much smaller than Ghatha. Closer to Fort Asra’s population than anything. Tobias thinks he remembers visiting once or twice with Maggie when he was younger.

As they fly over the bustling town, the braviary carrying Fidel suddenly jerks, strong enough to cut off Asher’s rambling with a yip. Fidel pulls his son closer.

“Cato?” Auretta says, tone concerned. She flies closer, as if to steady him.

The braviary doesn’t answer for a moment, frowning down at the quiet activity of the town below. “I’m fine. Just…thought I felt something strange in the air for a moment.”

Tobias frowns, eyeing the braviary’s crest. Fliss said that braviary variants were psychic types, right? Psychics do tend to be a bit more sensitive to certain things.

But after a tense moment of observation, the braviary shakes his head. “Probably nothing. Likely some psychic types playing with their powers. Apologies for the scare.”

The rest of them take the dismissal for what it is, slowly relaxing again. Asher and Junie resume their questioning after a minute or two.

The two chatterboxes only fall silent once they reach the Haven in earnest, and the giant tree that houses the Lexym Guild towers in the distance, far above the other trees of the forest.

“It’s huge!” Junie says. “You guys didn’t tell me you lived somewhere so cool!”

Tobias shrugs. He’s lived at the guild for over eight years now, so it’s long since lost its novelty. It’s just…home, nowadays.

Auretta and Cato find the mail ‘mons’ flight floor with easy familiarity, alighting on the wooden platforms with gentle thumps.

Fidel and Asher slide down from the braviary’s back, and Auretta crouches for Tobias, Nia and Junie to do the same. Tobias tries to help Nia soften her landing, but she still winces as she lands, paw going to her ribs.

The two flight ‘mon were paid in advance by Will, so they give their goodbyes and head off to the flight outpost. Junie hops after them, calling out her thanks for the impromptu flight lesson.

It’s not long until the two flying types are out of sight.

“So what now?” Junie asks, eyes sparkling as she takes in the open, windy interior and wooden walls. “Gonna give us the grand tour?”

For once, Tobias wishes they could do something so laid-back, but he knows they need to get something else over with first.

“We need to talk to August first. Update him and see if he found anything out about Xerneas while we were gone. Plus, we need to get his approval so we can travel to the mountains. He might have some tips for us.”

“And…” Nia adds, looking nervous. “Um. We have to tell him about the whole Kaleido Bay thing, right?”

The mark on their record, yeah. As their guildmaster, August will find out about it sooner or later, so Tobias would rather the rillaboom hear it straight from him.

Tobias nods, ignoring Asher’s curious look and Junie’s sympathetic grimace.

“We’ll join you, if that’s all right. I need to make sure it’s okay for Asher to stay here while we’re gone,” Fidel says, giving his son—who is happily sniffing circles around the room, probably tracking an old scent—an unimpressed look.

Decision made, Tobias leads their little group up the few flights to August’s office. He just hopes the rillaboom is free so they can get this over with.

The whole walk, Junie and Asher take turns eagerly pointing out different parts of the Lexym Tree’s construction, peering through the lattice windows they pass and asking how they built a whole guild inside of a tree.

“I think it’s magic,” Nia whispers conspiratorially, leaning closer to Asher and wiggling her fingers.

Asher grins. “Has to be. Even with lotsa grass types around, this tree is humongous! Like, weirdly so. Right, Dad?”

“It is impressive.”

“Hm. Magic and lots of love and care?” Nia jokes, glancing at Tobias.

Tobias snorts. “I’m sure that’s it.”

Tobias is glad they don’t push for actual answers, at least, considering he doesn’t have them. As far as he knows, the Lexym Tree has been like this for over a century, since the guilds were first formed and Bethoc herself founded this branch.

Still, their good mood nosedives as they reach August’s quarters at the top of the guild. The stone doors are closed tight, vines wrapping around their surface, and bright autumn foliage wreathes the corners of the doorframe.

Tobias takes a deep breath and knocks. He’s both relieved and disappointed when August’s deep voice can be faintly heard in response.

Verene is the one who opens the doors. The lurantis scans Tobias and the others with mild surprise, but she opens the door wider without hesitation, silently ushering them in.

August seems just as surprised to see them, though his expression quickly turns to warm relief.

Tobias stomach churns. For a second, he considers not telling August about their transgression in Kaleido at all.

…But no, that’ll only delay the inevitable. And August would be even more disappointed in them if they tried to hide it.

Tobias takes another breath to calm his nerves.

“Team Scarlet! I wasn’t expecting you back so soon. And I see you’ve brought company?”

Tobias nods, gesturing first at Junie. “Juniper the rookidee. You might remember that we met her in Ghatha on our last trip East.”

“Junie,” Junie corrects, hopping forward with a dramatic bow. “I live in

Stonebrook! I’m just here to help these two knuckleheads stay in one piece.”

August chuckles. “Pleasure to meet you. And you two?”

Fidel steps forward, his usual friendly demeanor stiffening as he bows as well. “Fidel the zoroark. Second in command at the human settlement south of Ghatha. This is my son, Asher.”

“Hiya!” Asher chirps. In a flash of light, he morphs into a grookey to bow just as dramatically as Junie had.

Junie snorts, but Fidel almost looks panicked as he nudges his son. Asher glances up at him, sighs, then transforms back into a zorua to bow more respectfully.

August watches the exchange with a strange expression, half-amused and half…sad, almost? Still, his smile is warm when Fidel looks back to him. “You and your son are welcome here, Fidel. Worry not.”

Fidel’s tense posture doesn’t relax, but he does nod, murmuring his thanks.

“Happy as I am to welcome you all to the Lexym Guild, am I wrong in assuming you have a purpose in mind, coming here with Team Scarlet? Have you news on your search for Xerneas?”

Tobias nods. “Will’s team did some research, and we think we have a place to start looking.”

He glances at Fidel, and the zoroark takes over.

“Xerneas and Yveltal rest within a certain proximity of one another during their sleep cycles.”

August nods, not looking surprised. He must’ve found similar claims in his own research here at the guild.

“As such, we only need to find one before we have an anchor point to find the other,” Fidel continues. “We can also assume from the legends that their resting places display specific qualities. Namely, that Xerneas will rest somewhere lush, and Yveltal somewhere barren. In addition, the crystals forming their cocoons typically spill over into the environment around them as well.”

August narrows his eyes, a thoughtful hand coming up to his chin. “That makes sense, considering the role of each legendary in regards to the ecosystem. I’m assuming you believe one of the two legendaries to be nearby since you followed Team Scarlet all the way back to Metreja?”

Fidel nods, looking to Nia.

She startles, but hurries forward to continue. “Y-Yes! Do you remember the sableye we rescued in that dungeon on the river, along with Team Aqua Jet? Carnelian?”

August smiles. “I do. A nervous little fellow, but very polite.”

“Yes! Before he left the guild, he mentioned that he was going somewhere to investigate some strange crystals.”

“The Silenfroar Mountain range,” Tobias adds.

August straightens, brow furrowing with understanding. “Which would certainly be a barren landscape, yes?”

Fidel nods. “We’re thinking that Yveltal may be resting there. However, we want to investigate and confirm for sure so we can use his location as a tether to find Xerneas, considering they should be within sight of one another.”

August hums, thoughtful, his gaze locked on one of the branches snaking its way through the walls of the room and bringing a burst of autumn leaves with it.

Tobias frowns. He knows August well enough after all these years to guess what that look means. “You found something out while we were gone, didn’t you?”

August blinks back to the present, and laughs. “That transparent, am I? We have been performing our own research in your brief absence, but let me confirm my suspicions with Alistair and Tawny first before I share what I suspect. Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to keep you all in the loop.”

Tobias doesn’t doubt that August is telling the truth, despite how much grief he’s given his guildmaster over the years.

Another jab of guilt in Tobias’ chest.

“You trained up in those mountains once, right?” Tobias asks, pushing past the feeling. “Did you hear anything about Yveltal while you were there?”

August looks faintly surprised that Tobias remembers that little tidbit, probably since it was shared so many years ago. The rillaboom shakes his head. “No, I heard nothing of the sort while I was there. But though they welcomed me on a surface level by the end of my training, I was never truly one of them. It’s likely they would still keep important secrets from me, and a legendary hidden in their territory would certainly qualify.”

“Oh,” Nia says, wilting. “Does that mean you wouldn’t be able to put in a good word for us?”

August’s brows raise. “You mean to travel up the mountain yourselves? All of you?”

“Will would like to work with ‘mon he personally knows he can trust,” Fidel says. “And I could help to assure their safety, if you permit it.”

“And Giratina asked US to look into Xerneas,” Tobias adds. Well, he asked Nia, but still—they’re a unit. “And we know Carnelian, too. He trusts us. It makes sense for us to go.”

Nia and Junie open their mouths to add their own input, but August lifts a hand to stop them.

“You don’t need to try so hard to convince me. You’ve already proven yourselves worthy of missions far above your ranking, and you aren’t the worst option in the guild, type-wise.”

Verene, who had been silently watching the exchange off to the side, steps forward for the first time, pink and white claws crossed politely but voice firm. “All the same, August, if time is a pressing matter, should we not send someone who could make the trip faster? I know we don’t have many upper-level Seekers on hand who are great in the cold, but someone like Team Sequoia could adapt well.”

Andyn’s parents? Oh, absolutely not. Tobias is not trusting the fate of the world to two sawsbuck who can’t even raise their own kid properly.

Before he can protest, August shakes his head. “You know as well as I do that Team Sequoia would make enemies of the village sooner than they’d find any answers, Verene. Trust me on this. We need someone non-threatening who already has a connection with the sableye researcher at the very least.” He smiles at them. “As I cannot go myself, I have a feeling this group is exactly the team for the job.”

Tobias is going to die from the guilt. A glance at Nia shows she’s feeling the same, wincing under the praise.

Verene doesn’t seem thrilled by August’s answer, glancing over Nia, Tobias, Junie and Asher doubtfully, but she dutifully steps back.

August looks back to them. “You have my approval for Team Scarlet to investigate the Silenfroar mountain range for signs of Xerneas or Yveltal’s presence. I do want you to wait a day or so for my confirmation before you depart, though. I need to draft a letter to the matriarch of the village if you want to bypass any initial suspicion. Additionally, I want you to prepare properly—the mountainside can be brutal, especially if you run into any bad weather. Make sure to get some snow clothes from Vera before leaving.”

“Already done!” Junie chirps. “Will hooked us up.”

“We didn’t grab shoes, though,” Nia frets. “The ones at the shop looked too thin, so…”

August bends over his desk for a moment to scribble a note to himself. “In that case, make sure you grab some snowshoes before departing from the guild. I believe Vera has a few pairs in storage. I’ll send word so she can dig them out.”

Nia gives her thanks, looking relieved.

“What about me?” Asher asks, head craning back to look up at his father.

Fidel falters. “Right. Guildmaster, would it be possible for my son to stay here in your guild’s nursery while we journey up the mountain? He was not supposed to join on this trip, but…”

“Of course,” August says, clearly catching Fidel off-guard with such easy approval. “Arlo and his assistants can handle one more bundle of chaos, I’m sure. Just be sure not to cause them too much grief, little one.”

Asher perks up with a radiant smile. “Of course not, sir!”

Junie and Tobias snort in unison.

“Does that mean I’m cool to crash with Nia and Toby while I’m here too?” Junie asks.

August nods. “I expected as much. You should have more than enough room in Team Scarlet’s quarters.”

Junie whispers, “Mission accomplished!” to Nia, making the riolu smile.

August makes a sound in his throat as if he just remembered something. “Speaking of which, you actually have another guest who requested to meet with you. They’ve been staying in the guest quarters the last few days, but I’ll send word for them to meet up with you right away. I’m sure they’ll be interested in joining you on your journey to Silenfroar.”

Tobias blinks, surprised, and exchanges a confused look with Nia. A guest?

“You and your son will also have guest quarters for the duration of your stay,” August says to Fidel, quickly writing down some details on a slip of paper before holding it out to him. “Though Asher is more than welcome to sleep in the nursery while you’re away.”

Fidel takes the slip of paper after a beat of hesitation, murmuring his thanks. Asher clambers up his father’s side to perch on his shoulder and read it too.

“If that’s all,” August says, “I’m sure you’re all hungry after your travels. Feel free to go to the cafeteria—they should still be serving lunch at this hour.”

Nia and Tobias hesitate, exchanging a reluctant glance. Part of Tobias just wants to leave and deal with the mark on their record later, especially if August could potentially rescind his permission for them to investigate the mountains, but…

He can’t just lie to August, not after how welcoming he’s been to them. Today, and for Tobias’ whole life, honestly.

“We have something else to tell you,” Tobias sighs. He glances uncomfortably at Fidel. “About, uh…an incident we were a part of in Kaleido Bay.”

August straightens, his smile curving into a concerned frown.

Fidel must pick up on their discomfort, because he smiles awkwardly and dips his head. “In that case, Asher and I will go find our lodgings for the night and grab some food. I’ll come to speak with you tomorrow, Team Scarlet.”

“Can we go see the nursery first?!” Asher asks, shaking his dad’s shoulder. “I gotta find those shinx kids!”

“We can,” Fidel agrees with a wry look. “But you’re also helping me draft a letter to poor Will to let him know you’re safe. He’ll be in a fuss over your disappearance.”

Asher winces. “…Whoops. Didn’t think about that.”

“Yes, ‘Whoops.’” Fidel turns back to August with another formal bow. “Thank you again for your hospitality, Guildmaster.”

August nods and dismisses the father and son, and they take their leave to slip quietly from the room.

In their absence, a heavy silence falls.

August turns back to them, looking more concerned than anything. “What exactly is this ‘incident’ that occurred in Kaleido Bay?”

Tobias takes a breath and steps forward. “It was my fault. We found out that one of the Pokemon responsible for the death of my family was being held in the prison there. I wanted to talk to him.”

August recoils, clearly not expecting that answer. The rillaboom surely knows the vague details of how Tobias came to join the guild years ago, but even Maggie doesn’t have the full story. And Tobias has certainly never willingly divulged details like this to him.

It helps to say it like a report. To keep a clinical sort of distance from the event itself.

Verene is staring at Tobias with uncharacteristic emotion, pink eyes wide with shock. Tobias wouldn’t be surprised if this is the first time she’s hearing about his circumstances at all, considering she wasn’t at the guild when he first arrived.

August could’ve told her at some point, of course, but Tobias realizes suddenly that he’d always just trusted that August would keep it as quiet as possible out of respect for his privacy. After all, from the very beginning, August was one of the few ‘mon at the guild who treated Tobias with respect. He has always showed a deep, honest sympathy for Tobias’ circumstances, rather than pity.

August has always been on Tobias’ side, even if Tobias didn’t recognize it until recently.

Which is why Tobias is going to keep his lying to a minimum, here and now. They can’t implicate Rosalind because Arceus knows what she would do in retaliation, but…

“We blackmailed a guard to get into the prison,” Tobias admits, lifting his chin and locking eyes with August. “I had to know.”

August’s expression becomes more somber. He leans forward to rest his chin on interlaced fingers. “I see. And did you find what you were looking for by speaking with this outlaw?”

Tobias swallows down fresh grief. “…In a way, yes. I don’t regret doing it.”

He does regret getting Nia in trouble too, and of course the danger of the whole situation in the first place, but as far as tarnishing his own record? He’d do that a thousand times over to find answers. To get some closure.

“Nia didn’t want me to go alone, but it was entirely my idea.”

“I went along with it,” Nia protests, stepping up to his side. “I-I…I should bear any punishment you give, too.”

August hums, looking between them. “And you two are telling me this out of the goodness of your hearts? Or were you found out?”

“Dismas made an escape attempt while we were there,” Tobias says, lifting his arm to show his still-bandaged side, finally almost healed. “We delayed him until reinforcements arrived, but that did bring attention to the whole incident. One of the wardens came to talk to us afterwards and explained that due to our help we would get a lighter punishment, but we’ll still have a mark on our record. You should be receiving notice of that soon.”

August is silent for a few moments, looking to Verene as if to gauge her reaction. She looks troubled by the admission of wrongdoing, but strangely uncertain, too. Likely still reeling from the revelation about Tobias’ family.

Finally, August sighs, making a note on a slip of paper on his desk. “Well, I certainly can’t condone you both engaging in such unsavory activity, not to mention where you received the knowledge to blackmail a prison guard in the first place—"

Here, August pauses to give them a stern, knowing look that makes them wince.

“—But I can also understand where you are coming from, Tobias. I suppose my next question must be whether you plan to repeat such behavior in the future?”

“Not if it might hurt someone else,” Nia answers first. Tobias looks at her, surprised by the passion in her voice.

“The Pokemon we blackmailed got in trouble, too,” Nia continues, quieter, voice shaky. “I-I can’t do that again. Hurt someone else for personal gain.”

She peeks at Tobias as she says it, expression both hard and pleading, as if begging him not to put her in such a situation again.

Tobias feels fresh guilt worm its way into his gut. He hadn’t thought much about Jude’s repercussions at all. Of course Nia has been stewing in guilt over them the whole time.

“Agreed,” Tobias finally says, crumbling under Nia’s expression. “I…can’t say I wouldn’t be tempted in the future if information about the outlaws who killed my family was on the line, but I’ll go with Nia on this. I promise no one else will be caught in the crossfire in the future.”

August gives them a tired smile. “As much as I am pleased to hear that your hearts are in the right place, as your guildmaster I need to remind you both that you should not admit to planning to break any rules to Verene and I.”

Nia and Tobias both wince, Nia murmuring a quiet, “Sorry.”

August chuckles, shaking his head.

Verene looks torn, as if unsure if August should be taking all of this so lightly.

Tobias swallows, pushing forward. “Do we still have your permission to investigate the Silenfroar Mountains?”

August quirks a brow. “Would it stop you if I said no?”

Nia and Tobias exchange an uncertain look.

August coughs, though it sounds suspiciously like he’s covering a laugh. “Don’t answer that. Typically, teams with infractions for suspicious activity would be put on leave while the issue was investigated, but seeing as you came to tell me your reasoning directly, that step of the process is complete for now. I do truly believe you all are the best choice for this mission, so I’ll keep you as the assigned team.”

Tobias releases a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, hearing Nia do the same next to him.

“However,” August continues, pinning them both with a stern look. “This is still a permanent red flag on your record. Accumulate more than two and your team will be put on leave indefinitely. Do not put me in that position. Got it?”

Tobias straightens up with a nod. “Yes sir.”

“Y-Yes sir!”

August holds the look for a moment longer, then waves them out. “In that case, you three are free to go. I’ll send your other guest to your quarters soon. And I believe you had a rather large delivery as well during your absence.

Tobias blinks. News of a “guest” is strange enough, but they had a big delivery, too?

Tobias doesn’t question it aloud, though. He, Nia and even Junie bow and say their thanks before scurrying out of the room.

Just before Tobias crosses the threshold, August calls out, “Tobias?”

Tobias stops, looking back at the rillaboom.

His face is soft. “Circumstances aside, I’m glad you found what you were looking for in the prison. I hope it bring you some measure of peace.”

Tobias swallows against an unexpected wave of emotion, nodding and mumbling his thanks before following Nia and Junie out of the room.

As soon as the door closes behind them and they’re alone in the hallway, Junie sags to the floor. “Whew! Well that was nerve-racking. No wonder you don’t like to get in trouble, Nia.”

“Who does?” Nia asks, aghast.

Tobias just points at Junie, who proudly fluffs out her chest. She’s an impidimp under all those feathers, he swears.

“Well, I certainly don’t enjoy it,” Nia murmurs. But then she perks up. “Oh! But what do you think August meant by us having a guest? And a delivery?”

“I want food and a tour soon, but I’m curious too. We could go to your room first to check it out?” Junie suggests.

Tobias doesn’t see any issue with that. They’re likely not going to get much done today aside from settling back in and checking on Maggie and Nia’s friends, so they might as well quell their curiosity and take their time.

Tobias leads the three of them to the floor where the Seekers’ quarters are housed, then down the hall and to their room. Along the way, Nia tells Junie about where and who they need to visit while at the guild.

“Oh, you’ll love Maggie! She’s Tobias’ mom and she’s the sweetest person alive. And you’ll probably meet Fen and Sage during that visit, too. And I need to introduce you to Xander’s team! They’re a few years older than us, but they’re some of our best friends. And Andyn’s—"

Nia cuts herself off abruptly.

Tobias rolls his eyes, not even looking back to see his partner’s crestfallen expression. “If Andyn is still in a mood a week after our little tiff, that’s her problem. And don’t you dare go to apologize to her when it’s her fault for having such an awful attitude.”

“I-I know,” Nia says quietly. “But…I do miss her.”

“If you’re worried, you could always check in with the sensible members of her team.”

“Wait, hold up. What’s the drama here?” Junie asks, fluttering forward to perch on Tobias’ shoulder. “Who’s Andyn?”

“One of Nia’s friends. We did a joint mission with her team before we left and she was being an insecure little brat the whole time. She was still acting huffy when we left.”

“She was being a brat to Nia?” Junie asks, aghast. “Oh, she’d better be a bug type. I’m gonna peck some sense into her.”

“Junie, no!” Nia says.

Tobias smirks. “Grass type, actually. So you’re good. And I think her teammates might just cheer you on at this point.”

“Tobias!“ Nia says, louder.

Tobias and Junie ignore Nia’s protests from behind them on the staircase, the two of them instead making more and more ridiculous attack plans. Tobias knows Nia isn’t actually upset with them since he can hear the growing laughter in her voice with every protest. After Junie threatens to stalk Andyn around the guild and drop berries on her head in some kind of psychological warfare, Nia doesn’t even try to protest anymore as she giggles.

The teasing continues until they reach their room. Tobias opens the door, expecting their delivery to be something too large for the mailbox but still manageably small.

Instead, the three of them stop cold in the entryway of the room, staring at the supplies lumped together into a pile taller than them.

“What in the..?” Tobias says.

Nia gasps, pushing past them. “It’s a bed!”

“For real?!” Junie yells. She flutters forward to join Nia, eagerly knelt next to a bundle of…wooden posts?

Tobias frowns, joining them as well. “I thought you didn’t buy a bed from Hazel because it was too expensive.”

“Oh.” Nia pauses, blinking. “I didn’t.”

Junie brings their attention to a little note tied to one of the posts, plucking it free with her beak to hold out to Nia. Nia skims through it, and a peek reveals that it’s written in that strange scrawling script from Hazel’s last letter, completely illegible to him.

Nia’s expression softens. “It IS from Hazel. She says she wants to thank us for returning her ‘silly husband’ to her and her family in one piece. No charge.”

“Her husband?” Junie asks.

“Yeah! He’s super nice. I think he’s called a floatzel? We saved him and his crew from a mystery dungeon on the way back from Shivergleam.”

“No charge at all is pretty generous of her,” Tobias says, raising a brow.

“I know! I almost don’t want to accept.”

“Hey, don’t look for the hair in the soup and all that,” Junie says, hopping from one bundle of crisply cut, polished wood to another.

“Do you always have to make it yourself?” Tobias asks doubtfully. It looks…kind of complicated.

With a grin, Nia flips over the letter to show him the back, where more is written along with some little doodles to help illustrate. “Nope, but there are instructions! It doesn’t look too bad.”

Tobias still doesn’t get why the two of them are so excited. He’s having a hard time figuring out what this weird bed will even look like by the time they’re done. What’s wrong with a simple nest on the floor?

Junie must sense his doubt, because she hops over the wood and says, “You’ll understand soon, Toby. Come over here and feel this!”

Tobias rounds the pile of materials to find a giant rectangular…something? It looks thick but soft and it’s covered in cloth. It sparks a long-forgotten memory on the edge of his thoughts, of waking up somewhere impossibly soft after Team Zenith’s attack.

Oh. Maybe he has slept in a similar kind of bed before. He thinks the doctor in the village had one? Maybe there was a human living there that Tobias was unaware of at the time.

Trying not to look too intrigued, Tobias follows Junie’s order and sits down on the edge of what she calls a “mattress.” It feels like more of those springs might be inside, but it’s heavily padded by fabric and other stuffing, so he sinks comfortably a few inches before lightly bouncing back up.

Okay, maybe Tobias is starting to see why they’re so excited to sleep on this. He hesitates, knowing Junie will likely comment on it, but eventually decides to flop back onto it fully.

“Nice, right?” Junie asks, her smug expression audible. Tobias doesn’t give her the satisfaction of responding, instead closing his eyes.

…It is pretty comfortable.

Nia snickers, but thankfully doesn’t comment. The sound is followed by the clatter of wood and shuffling as Nia starts putting together whatever the rest of the supplies are for.

“Okay, looks like it’s just a peg system, so I don’t think we’ll need tools…”

“Should we grab food before you get lost in construction mode?” Junie pipes up, looking between them. “I’m starving.”

Nia is clearly reluctant to part with her new project, but Tobias is hungry too. They compromise, heading down to grab lunch and bringing it back to their room to eat.

Tobias and Junie dig in with relish, the little rookidee praising the cooking’s quality. Nia just takes bites of her meal here and there while organizing the materials and lining up pegs in their proper placement.

After he’s finished eating, Tobias peels himself from the mattress to help Nia hold the supplies in place, since her muttering has only gotten more frustrated in the last few minutes.

The two of them are only halfway through building what is apparently a frame to hold the mattress off the floor when a quiet tap tap comes from the doorway. They all turn to look, just as a familiar head pokes into the room.

Oh. That’s the second time this afternoon that Tobias has been thrown completely for a loop.

“Samir?!” Nia gasps, practically throwing down the materials in her paws to scramble up and greet the skiddo.

Samir looks just as they’d left them in Fort Asra, albeit a bit more unsure in this new environment. Their nerves visibly lessen in the face of Nia’s enthusiastic greeting, but the skiddo still holds themself stiffly as ever, legs locked and chin raised. Across their back, a satchel like the one Maggie wears when gathering herbs is draped over their spine.

So the mystery guest August had mentioned before is Samir. After hearing about the skiddo’s terrible partner back in Fort Asra, and Nia offering Samir a place in the Lexym Guild instead, Tobias can take a wild guess for why they’re here.

He’s just not quite sure how to feel about it.

[thetriumphantpanda]

Eyes Wide Open | Joel Miller

The Checklist - Exhibitionism

Chapter Summary | You want people to watch you, Joel knows exactly how to help you with that.

Chapter Warnings | Are y'all bored of the porn without plot warning yet? Joel takes you to a sex club, public sex, exhibitionism, Joel gets cocky that people like looking at you getting fucked, unprotected PiV sex, fingering, dirty talk, pet names, aftercare, no use of y/n, no outbreak AU. Disclaimer that I've never been to a sex club so I have no idea if this is accurate, but we move. Please be kind.

Word Count | 3.5K

Pairing | Joel Miller x F!Reader

Authors Note | Shoutout to @hellishjoel for helping me work through the ideas for this one, and shoutout to my dreams for showing me exactly how it should play out. We're on the downhill stretch of the checklist now but it you're still enjoying this then reblogs and comments are always appreciated, and if you'd like to support me further, you can donate to my Ko-Fi.

A reminder that whilst this is part of a wider series, this can be read as a standalone if you wish.

Beautiful divider by @saradika

I no longer have a taglist, to keep up to date with my work, please follow @thetriumphantpandanotifs and turn on notifications.

Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist | Ko-Fi.

It’s a Friday night, not particularly late by the time you shut your computer down and sit back in the chair with a sigh. The door to your office clicks shut behind you as you walk through to the bedroom, intent on changing out of your work clothes and into something comfy, ordering pizza and spending the rest of the weekend attached to Joel’s side, but it seems like he’s got other ideas.

He’s sat on the edge of the bed, changed from his work clothes, but still looking casual in his jeans and a flannel, but sitting next to him, laid out so delicately on the sheets, is his favourite lingerie set of yours. Skimpy, all black see-through lace that leaves nothing to the imagination, and your trench coat sat next to him, and then your trusty pair of black heels on the floor. He’s smirking, but there’s an air of something nervous about him tonight, which you can tell from the bouncing of his leg and the way he runs his hand over his face.

“Change into this,” He says quickly, tone clipped as he stands, “I’ll wait downstairs.”

And then he’s gone, his heavy footfall giving him away as he walks down the stairs, leaving you a little dumbfounded. Your hands are already reaching to divest yourself of your clothes though, letting them fall into a pile at the end of the bed as you slip on the black lace. You don’t even bother to check yourself out in the mirror, you don’t care what you look like. All you know is that this little ensemble drives Joel wild, and that’s plenty for you, as you slip the black heels on and tie the coat around your waist with a knot.

Downstairs, Joel is pacing, something he rarely does unless he’s nervous. The keys to his truck are in his hand. He doesn’t even speak to you when he wrenches open the front door and motions with his hand for you to go outside. He doesn’t speak to you on the drive into town either. It’s not until he’s pulled up along a random street, outside of a nondescript building that he opens his mouth, but only when you question him.

“You wanna tell me why we’re sat outside some random building?”

He unbuckles his seatbelt and turns to you with a little sigh, “This seemed like a good idea at the time, but I ain’t sure you’re gonna like it.”

“Try me, Miller.”

Another sigh, “Well, I’ve been thinkin’ about that list again, about you wantin’ people to watch you, watch us, and this was the only thing I could think of,” You raise an eyebrow at him, “It’s a sex club.”

You can feel the smirk growing across your mouth, “Dare I ask how you found a sex club in Austin?”

He grumbles something incoherent which only adds to your amusement of the whole situation, “We don’t have to go in, I know it’s a lot,” He adds, hand finding your thigh under the split in your coat, “Say the words and I’ll drive us back home, unwrap you and fuck you until you can’t walk, it’s up to you baby.”

You take a moment to think, because there is the low bubble of anxiety settling in your stomach. Sure, the idea of someone watching you, admiring you as you get fucked, has always appealed to you. There’s no reasoning behind it, you don’t really know why, it’s just something you’ve always wanted to try. But that doesn’t make the thought of this any easier - it’s a club full of people who probably do this sort of thing all the time, people who have specific things they like to watch, maybe even specific people and what if you aren’t one of them? But, that warm palm on your thigh makes you feel safe, and even if no-one else watches you, he always does.

“Okay, let’s do it.”

You’re not sure what you were expecting from the inside of a sex club on the outskirts of downtown Austin, but it certainly wasn’t this. The inside is beautifully decorated, plush velvet seating, red drapes that section off certain parts of the club, a floor that isn’t sticky, but immaculately clean instead. You were expecting it to smell too, and it does, but not unpleasant in any way. There’s low music playing, and you can certainly hear some of the other people here already having fun, but it doesn’t embarrass you, only makes you more excited.

At the door, someone had explained how things work - there was no obligation to do anything, but if you did want to engage in anything sexual, you had to use one of alcoves that were curtained off. If you wanted people to watch, leave one of the curtains open, and if you wanted them to join in, all you had to do was invite them to do so, but otherwise, they had to watch, and none of them could get themselves off whilst they watched either - the woman explained there were areas to do that elsewhere.

Joel has a hand on your lower back, guiding you over to the bar - strictly no alcohol for obvious reasons - but the bartender makes you a very nice virgin sex on the beach, which is ironic. Joel sips on a 0% beer as you stand and wait to see who makes the first move. You sit and look around, letting the sounds of other women’s pleasure fill your ears, looking at the other couples who are doing much the same as you and Joel are, apart from the fact that you can’t see any of them secretly trying to rub their thighs together for a little relief.

There’s a moment, a little while later, when one of the sets of curtains is pulled back, and a woman, hand-in-hand with a man, walk out, attached at the hip, looking sweaty and sated. You take hold of Joel’s hand, leaving your half finished drink on the bar, and drag him behind the curtain before anyone else has a chance to take it.

“Keen, are we?” He chuckles, watching closely as you close both curtains behind you for now, turning to him.

“Kiss me.”

He walks over to you, lips pressing gently to yours as his hands take hold of the belt keeping your coat together, hands pulling at the knot to undo it, his palms pushing it from your shoulders to leave you standing in just your underwear.

“You want me to open the curtain?” He asks softly against your mouth.

You nod, trying to chase his mouth as he pulls away a little.

“Words, baby,” He says, “Use them.”

You snake your hand around his neck, pulling him back down to your mouth, “Open it,” You demand, “Let them see.”

Letting him go, you walk slowly over to the couch near the back of the room, sitting down on it, crossing one leg over the other as Joel pulls back one side of the curtain. He turns, walking back toward you as he takes off his shirt, unbuckles his belt and leaves both on the floor with your coat. He gently takes hold of your hand, pulling a little to get you to stand up.

Joel settles on the couch, right where you had been sitting before, widening his legs, tapping the material between them for you to sit, which you do, facing the open curtain as you sit between his thighs.

He splays one hand across the naked skin of your tummy, pulling you closer into him, the bulge in the front of his jeans resting against your lower back, the other cradling the side of your face opposite where his lips are currently tracing down your neck and over your shoulder. You close your eyes, let out a soft sigh of pleasure, as your head tips back against his shoulder.

When you open your eyes, there's a jolt of surprise when you see a few people already standing near the open curtain, already watching you. They’re almost casual with it, stood with their arms crossed or leaning against the wall as Joel trails his hand from your tummy to your thigh, widening his own as he pulls yours further apart.

“They’re looking, Joel.” You whisper softly.

“I know, baby,” He coos into your ear, “Shall we give them a show?”

“Yes please.”

It’s all the encouragement he needs, both of his hands coming around your body to cup your tits through the material of your bra, squeezing gently as his teeth start nipping at the skin of your neck.

“Think we should show them how perfect your tits are?” He whispers, fingers dragging up to the straps to slip them off your shoulders, before he pulls the cups down, settling them under your tits to show them off.

Almost like he knows he’s showing you off, parading you in front of people, he brings his palms to the sides of your breasts, pushes them together as your nipples peak stiff in the cool air of the room.

“I think they like you, honey,” Joel’s voice is in your ear again, “Look how many people want to watch you.”

And he’s right, there are a few more bodies that have joined the small crowd that are watching you, as Joel’s hands cup the weight of your tits, his fingers rolling your nipples, drawing a gasp from your mouth as Joel’s hips rock into your back, hard cock digging into your skin, obviously just as affected by by people watching as you are.

“Joel,” You whine, “I need to you touch me.”

“I am touchin’ you, baby,” He chuckles, “You want my hands somewhere else?”

“Please.”

“Given them your tits, now you wanna show them your pussy?”

“Joel, please.”

His hand moves slowly down the bare skin of your tummy and over the lace of your panties, fingers hovering where he knows you’ll be wet, even you can feel the damp material sticking to you. He hooks one of his fingers into the side of your panties, running it over your slick folds a few times as your hands settle on his denim-clad thighs, fingers digging into them as he gently pulls your panties to the side, exposing your core to the people in front of you.

You can hear hums of approval, some people suck in their breath and it makes you preen. Yes, you think, fucking gasp at me, I'm a goddess and look at what this man does to me. Joel’s palm cups your pussy for a moment, his lips still working softly across your neck and shoulder, the roughness of his beard and the way his teeth nip at you sure to leave marks for days.

Then, he drags his palm up, using two of his fingers to spread the folds of your pussy, really showing you off to everyone in front of you. For the first time, you really look at the crowd, there’s not many, many seven or eight people, all stood with their eyes trained on the most intimate part of you, watching as your cunt glistens and flutters around nothing.

“You know what they’re thinking?” Joel asks, his other palm pulling your thighs apart even more, one finger dipping into your slick cunt, dragging the wetness up so he can circle your clit, “They’re thinking this is the prettiest pussy they’ve ever seen.”

He’s got one hand pressed to your belly, dragging you back against him, the other working those tight, precise circles over your clit. Normally, in the privacy of your own home, he’d take his time, but here, any ounce of patience he has is gone. He wants them to see you, wants to know the beauty he gets all to himself, the pussy he gets to do with as he pleases, and most of all, he wants them to know how he makes you cum, almost like he’s proving himself to these strangers. Look at me, look at the man I am, look how well I know this woman’s body and how quickly I can get her off.

It’s all an intoxicating cocktail that has you hurtling towards the finish line in no time. Your head is tipped back against his shoulder again, back arched and hips rocking in time to the movements of his hand, but your eyes are trained on the people in front of you, flitting from face to face as they watch the way your legs start to shake, the way you can clearly see from the front of their trousers how much this turns them on.

“You gonna show them how pretty you are when you come, baby?” Joel asks, hand abandoning your stomach in preference for wrapping around your throat, he doesn’t squeeze, just holds you there, anchors you to his body as his finger circles one, twice, three times more and throws you over the edge.

Fingers still gripping at his thighs, you cry out, moaning his name as his finger slows a little against you but never stops, “Yeah, that’s it baby,” Joel encourages, “Let it all out for them.”

When you open your eyes, coming down from the high, body warm with pleasure, shaking as Joel’s fingers sink inside you, not to get you off again, but to make sure you’re ready for him, a few more people have joined the crowd now, clearly hearing your cries of pleasure and wanting to know exactly what the fuss was about. Well, you’ve joined just in time, you think, as Joel manipulates you onto your back, leaning back a little to undo his jeans, but not bothering to stand enough to completely take them off, just pushing them down enough to free his cock.

Whilst he fists himself, hand at the base of his cock, you tilt your head towards the people watching you. You’re not stupid enough to imagine they’re all here for you, there are three women dotted in the crowd, and whilst you can never be sure, much like you aren't sure about the men either, you’d like to think some of them are here for Joel, admiring the broadness of him, the thickness of his cock, wondering, imagining they get the opportunity to feel him doing exactly what he does next, which is to sink his cock slowly into your aching cunt.

You’ve spread your legs as wide as you can manage, palms on the underside of your thighs to hold yourself open to Joel as one of his hands props him up next to your head, the other pushing the leg closest to the crowd down, so your aren’t covering what they’re here to see the most.

He drags his cock out of you, almost fully, before he slams his hips back into yours. Your tits bounce with the force, a surprised yelp leaving your mouth, but God it feels good. You’re looking at each other, Joel’s intense brown eyes looking down at your face, your mouth dropped open in pleasure as he sets the pace, drawing gasps and whines from you each time he pushes his cock back into you.

Letting go of your leg once he’s sure you’re in a position where everyone can watch the way his cock is stretching your cunt, he takes hold of your face in his hand, fingers pressing into the soft skin of your cheeks which makes your lips purse a little. He drags your face away from looking at his own, one cheek laying against the material of the couch, looking at the crowd, you catch one man run a palm over the bulge in his jeans whilst he looks you dead in the eye, but it doesn’t make you feel uncomfortable, it makes you feel powerful.

You can feel Joel’s nose nuzzling at your other cheek, lips pressed to the sweaty skin, “Look at them, baby,” He demands, “All of them watching you get fucked, you like that?”

All you can manage with his hand on your face is a ‘Mmmhmm’.

“I know you like it,” He breathes, “Know how I can tell?” It’s rhetorical, of course it is, “You’re squeezin’ me so fucking tight, baby, and you’re drippin’, so turned on by all these people who wanna fuck you, huh?”

It’s another ‘mmmhmm’ that he gets in response, but your hips are moving up to meet his now, letting the tip of his cock brush so deep inside of you that you see stars.

“What do you think they want to see most?” He asks, breathless in your ear, “Do you think they want to see me fill you up?” But you shake your head in his hand, “No, you’re right baby,” He agrees, “I think they want to see me cover you, paint my cum all over you.”

You know he’s not going to last much longer. You know him, and you know his signs. The way he gets more vocal in your ear, groaning and panting, and the way his thrusts get heavier, sloppier. You know it, he knows it, and the gaggle of eyes on you mean you’re both hanging on for dear life, Joel trying to hold himself back, wanting just one more from you.

Snaking a hand between your body, you circle your own clit, slick and wet and sensitive from earlier as he finally lets go of your face, holds himself up on both him palms planted on either side of your head, hips slamming into yours, lewd smacking of skin and your combined breathless pants the only thing people can hear over the sounds of whatever other people are doing outside of here.

“That’s it baby,” He encourages lightly, “God, you’re fuckin’ perfect around me, make yourself come and then I’ll give you what you want.”

Like magic, you do, body arching up into his, legs hooking around his lower back as you come for him, moaning his name, looking at only him now as he sucks his bottom lip in between his teeth.

“Hold your legs open baby,” He asks, “Gonna give you what you want, okay?”

You’re boneless, palms pressing against your knees to keep you open as Joel slips his cock from your warmth, one hand furiously fisting at himself, the other keeping his body weight off you. You feel the first rope of warmth hit your stomach before he tosses his head back, calls your name out to the ceiling as he covers you in him. Pools of thick, white seed land across your skin as his hand milks every last drop from his cock, the two of you just watch each other for a moment, the only sounds you can hear are you own breath sucking into your lungs and the sounds of what other people are doing outside of your little oasis.

“You okay?” Joel asks softly, leaning forward to press his warm lips to your forehead.

“I’m good,” You smile, “Really good.”

“Yeah?” He asks, almost surprised as he sits back on his knees, tucking himself back into his jeans.

You run your fingernails over his lower belly, scratching gently as you look at him, “I really liked that.”

When you turn your head a little, the people who had been watching you are already gone, onto the next show, the curtain pulled together to give you both a little privacy. Joel stands, finds a box of tissues on the table next to the couch which he uses to clean you up.

“Did you like it?” You ask, as he readjusts the lace of your under, covering you up.

“Yeah, I did,” He smiles, face cupped in his hands to kiss you, “Liked that they could watch, see how perfect you are, but that you’re only mine.”

You snake your arms around his shoulders, kissing him again, “Can we do this again?” You ask, biting at your lip, almost shy to ask for it.

“Yeah baby,” He smiles, keeping you as close to him as he can as he reaches for his clothes, “You wanna come back here?”

You nod, letting Joel slip your coat back onto you, watching as he ties the knot tight, making sure no-one’s going to see you as you leave, as if some of them hadn’t just watch him rail you to within an inch of your life.

Joel presses a kiss to the tip of your nose as he takes your hand in his, “I’ll bring you back,” He promises, pulling the curtain out of the way so you can make your way on shaky legs out of the club, “But right now, I’m gonna take you home, and we’re going to get in the bath, okay?”

“Okay,” You nod, “Take me home, cowboy.”

[guess-my-next-obsession]

endure & survive | iii. close call

pairing: post-outbreak!joel miller x single mother!reader

chapter content: MINORS DNI, written in dual POV/first person POV, no description/name given to reader, reader is a single mother, age gap (twenty-ish years), gun talk/threats, violence, threats of SA (not from joel or reader), descriptions of blood, death (no main characters)

word count: 3.4k

series masterlist | previous chapter | next chapter

READER 

I wake to the sound of a dull thump outside and a colder bed than I’m used to. My eyes bolt open as I reach for my son beside me, only for my hand to land against the mattress. I waste no time in getting to my feet, my boots stomping across the rickety floor until I’m opening the bathroom door, but he’s not there either.  

Shit. 

At the sound of laughter coming from outside the cabin, I whip the front door open and take in the sight of Colt and Ellie tossing snowballs at one another from their respective snow forts on either side of the lawn. I want to feel relieved, want to feel happy that he’s having fun and being a kid in a way he doesn’t always get to be, but I’m too protective and paranoid to feel anything but anger.  

“Colt!” I shout, not violently but loud enough for him to know I mean business. Never in his life has he left the cabin without me. I don’t know what’s come over him.  

I watch as Colt attempts to hide behind the mound of snow in front of him, as if we hadn’t just made eye contact from across the yard.  

“Colt, I’m giving you to the count of three. One...two...thr—” 

“Fine!” he shouts, popping his head over the mound as he stands and stomps his way across the snow to the edge of the porch.  

“What do you think you’re doing out here?” I scold, scanning the yard for any sign of Joel. Not that I trust the guy to watch over my kid. I find him on the side of the cabin, chopping wood with the rusty old axe I’ve been neglecting this winter.  

“We were just playing,” Colt pouts, kicking his boots into the snow. “I heard Ellie outside when I was sleeping and wanted to come out and see what they were doing. I knew you’d say no if I woke you up, so I just—” 

“Decided you’d give yourself permission?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest. He looks so damn adorable and innocent peering up at me with his father’s eyes that I can’t help but soften a bit. Reaching a hand out, I cup his cheek and give it a gentle brush of my thumb. “Babe, that’s not how this works. I don’t say no just to be mean. I want you safe, so when I tell you you can’t do something, trust that it’s for a good reason.” 

His only response is a mumbled, “Okay.” 

“And FYI, I wouldn’t have said no,” I add with a half-smile. “I might’ve been grumpy about having to get up and come out here with you, but I wouldn’t have said no.” 

“So…I can keep playing?” he asks, his eyes brightening along with the smile that stretches across his face.  

“Yes,” I sigh, folding my hand back against my chest. “I have to speak with Joel, anyways.” 

Colt doesn’t seem to give much of a shit about what’s on my to-do list this morning as he bolts back to his fort and shouts that the fight is back on to Ellie.  

Stomping my way down the porch, snow crunches beneath my boots as I make my way to where Joel’s standing, chopping wood. “I’d appreciate if you made sure Colt had my permission before letting him come out here.” 

Joel pauses what he’s doing and turns to stare at me with furrowed brows and a blank look in his eyes. “It’s not my job to watch over your kid.” 

“No, but any decent human being would double check that a kid’s parent knows where they’re at,” I counter, staring back at him just as gruffly.  

“He said you knew. Not my fault he lied.” 

“You’re a dick, you know that?”  

“Been told a few times,” he says, turning back to the log in front of him and raising his axe in the air to strike at it. I don’t flinch when the wood splits in two, even if he hit it a bit more forcefully than was necessary. “We done here?” 

“You’re—” Rude. Callous. Arrogant. Unfortunately good looking. A nightmare cocktail of traits. I settle on keeping it simple, though. “An asshole.” 

“And you’re fuckin’ naive if you think that kid’s going to be safe out here forever,” he counters, loading up another log without missing a beat. “Ever heard the story of Rupunzel? Keepin’ him locked away in your cabin isn’t gonna teach him a thing about survival.” 

“Oh, I guess I should be putting a gun in his hands and taking him out for target practice, then?” I step closer, fueled by the wild desire to yank that axe out of his grasp and chop him down with it. For civility’s sake, I restrain myself from doing just that. “You have no idea what it’s like to be a kid and have to do the kinds of things it takes to survive out here—how it fucks up the mind. I do. And as long as I have a shot at preserving his youth, protecting his innocence, I’m going to do all that I can to keep him away from all the shit that’s turned people like you into cold, unfeeling assholes.” 

Joel’s only response is a scoff, a humorless smirk, and a strike of the axe through the log in front of him. When it becomes clear that he has no interest in continuing our argument—I'm clueless as to why I wish he did—I turn on my feet and head back to the porch to stew and watch over my apparently hopeless son. He’s still playing with Ellie, but instead of throwing snowballs at each other, they’ve moved on to building a snowman. Colt’s giggling and smiling like I’ve never seen before, and the sound is healing.  

I don’t give a shit what Joel has to say about my parenting. Colt is happy and safe, and at six years old, that’s all he needs to be.  

JOEL 

I’m not used to feeling remorse. It’s been years since I’ve been forced to tap into these sickly kinds of feelings—dangerous feelings. But that kid is turning me soft.  

It’s the only explanation for why I’m standing here scolding myself for being such an ass to our host. I hadn’t meant to attack her parenting skills. I remember how it felt to be judged and scrutinized for the way I chose to raise Sarah by myself rather than make it work with her mother. I remember how hard it was to do it alone, how every decision I made felt like it would end up changing her life.  

So, why the fuck was I coming at her like that?  

Maybe it’s the way she’s so unflinching in approaching me. Even with an axe in my hand—a stranger’s hand—she strolled right up to me and let me have it. Her fearlessness made me feel a little defensive, as if subconsciously I knew who would come out as the victor if we were to go at it. I might know how to fight, might have hands made for survival, but she’s got something I’ve lost long ago.  

She’s got something to fight for.  

Ellie’s the closest thing I’ve come to that in a long fucking time. But it’s not the same when I know she’s capable of fighting, too.  

That little boy out in the yard hasn’t seen a fight in his life, and it needs to stay that way.  

“Still taking your old man frustrations out on these logs?” Ellie’s voice is a welcomed interruption from my thoughts. She’s covered in snow from head to toe, but she hasn’t looked more like I kid in all the time I’ve known her.  

“Somethin’ like that,” I reply, swinging the axe into the stump and lodging it there before turning to face her. “Probably got until this evenin’ to get settled before the storm rolls in. Just tryin’ to make sure everybody’s got enough wood.” 

“Thoughtful,” Ellie says, though judging by the look she shoots towards the yard where Colt and his mother are making snow angels, she wants to say more. 

“Out with it,” I sigh, propping a hand on my hip.  

“Do you have to be such a dick? I mean, I don’t expect you to be Mr. Friendly all of a sudden, but she is kind of going out of her way so that we don’t freeze to death out here.” 

“I’m not doin’ it on purpose,” I admit with a shrug and a shake of my head. “Just not used to actin’ any different.” 

“Well get used to it, please. Or at least learn how to act like you’re civilized. We’re only here for a couple more days. I’d really appreciate if we—” 

Silencing herself, Ellie whips her head over to the tree line behind the shed, her eyebrows narrowed. I turn that way, too, even if whatever she heard went completely missed by my shitty hearing.  

“What?” I manage, keeping my voice a whisper. Slowly, she inches towards the shed, opening the door and grabbing the pistol out of her backpack before tipping her head towards the cabin in a silent demand that I follow her.  

Grabbing the axe out of the tree stump, I make my way over to the porch and wait for her to fill me in on what kind of threat we’re dealing with this time. Our host and her son seem to be aware of the noise as well, the two of them joining us in eerie silence.  

“You wanna tell me what the fuck’s goin’ on?” I whisper to Ellie, keeping my voice deadly silent.  

“You can’t hear?” Our host asks, her face scrunched up like she was disgusted by something.  

“Old guy’s a little hard of hearing,” Ellie says dismissively. “It’s a group of dudes. Just beyond the trees.” 

“There’s a clearing thirty or so yards that way. They’re probably waiting there,” our host says, her gaze lingering on mine for a beat before falling to her son. “Listen to me, baby. I need you to go inside, lock yourself in the bathroom, and don’t come out until I tell you it’s okay. Do you understand?” 

“What’s going on, mama?” Long gone is the happy kid that was playing in the snow with Ellie. Now, he’s just a ball of fear.  

“We’ve just gotta go check something out, okay?”  

“No,” he whines, latching onto her leg as she tries to usher him into the cabin. “I don’t want to be alone.” 

I look over at Ellie, catching her frowning at the boy. I know she likes to be involved in the chaos, but right now, I think there’s a better job for her. “Stay with the kid.” 

“What?” Ellie whips her eyes to mine. “But I—” 

“You’ve got a gun,” I whisper. “If anything happens to us, you’ll be able to protect the two of you.” 

She only looks like she’s about to argue for a second before Colt’s hands find her arm. Ellie melts a little as he clings to her the way he was clinging to his mother just seconds before, and with a sigh, she gives me a solitary nod. “Be careful. Both of you.” 

READER 

With weapons in hand—a shotgun in mine, an axe in Joel’s—we make our way through the snow as silently as we can. There’s no telling if this group means us any harm, but with them this close to discovering my safe haven, I can’t take any chances.  

It’s one of the uglier truths that come along with this new world, but only one side is walking away from this fight today. Joel and I, however at odds, have to protect ours. At whatever cost. 

As we’re nearing the clearing, the voices Ellie and I had heard earlier grow louder, causing Joel and I to glance at each other. He tips his chin towards the large pine tree beside me, a silent request that I hide myself behind it, and moves over to one nearer to him.  

“It’s a whole little family they’ve got over there,” a man says, his accent distinctly southern. It’s not like Joel’s subtle drawl; this guy sounds like he’s straight out of Deliverance. “Should be easy enough, once we get rid of the dad.” 

I glance at Joel, finding his jaw ticking and fingers gripping his axe tighter. I haven’t been particularly afraid of him in the twenty-four hours I’ve known him, but now I can see why he’s lasted so long out here. Take the kid away, give him a weapon, make a threat, and he turns into murder incarnate right in front of your eyes. It’s as terrifying as it is attractive.  

Maybe that says more about me than I realize. 

“I say we kill the dad, then the kids, then we have some fun with the mom before takin’ her out too,” the same man continues, and my stomach sinks. Not just because of what they plan on doing to me, but the thought of them coming anywhere near Colt and Ellie.  

Not on my fucking watch.  

Joel’s eyes meet mine and he gives me a subtle shake if his head. A silent promise that I can’t help but believe he’ll keep.  

“We gotta be smart, now,” another, older voice chimes in, sounding like the crackling of a fire. Clearly, this one’s the leader of the bunch. “We don’t know if they got guns. All we got is our knives. We need to wait until it’s dark out and they’re asleep to do anythin’.”  

Fucking cowards. And idiots. Now that I know I’m walking into a knife fight with a twelve-gauge, that sick feeling from before is long gone.  

Joel catches my attention, mouthing, “How many?” 

I peek around the tree and squint, spotting three men huddled around a small fire. There’s the oldest one, and then there are two identical looking men, save for the hundred pound difference in one of them. In another world, they’d look like a father and his twin sons on a camping retreat. In this world, though, they’re just three sick fucks looking to kill and pillage.  

I turn back to Joel and hold up three fingers, earning a solitary nod.  

“You got a clean shot?” he mouths, and I line up my scope to check it out.  

The eldest is up and pacing around now, stroking his beard while the twins sit there and watch. I can’t get a clean shot on him, but the younger ones are doable from the ten or so yards separating us.  

But the second I pull the trigger, they ones I don’t hit are going to be up and running.  

I give Joel a nod, keeping my gun lifted just like Kit taught me all those years ago. A skill I never wanted to be taught, but one I’m thankful thankful to have now that he’s gone. Joel raises his hand, counting down from five with his fingers before giving me the go ahead to shoot.  

And the minute I do, shit turns to chaos.  

JOEL 

I hardly have the chance to breathe before I’m being grabbed from behind, an arm handed around my throat threatening to suffocate me.  

There must’ve been another member of their group that we hadn’t seen, one waiting in the trees just in case. But judging by the shouts and slurs being hurled out into the air, I’m guessing that my new companion—or whatever the hell she is—has decent aim. Hell, she might’ve even taken him out in one shot.  

“Joel,” she gasps, her attention torn between the men we were watching and the one trying to wrestle me to the ground. But I don’t want her focus, not when she’s still got two men to handle. I’ll be able to fight this one off myself.  

“Shoot,” I choke out, kicking my boot backwards into the shin of my attacker.  

“Fuck,” he hisses, his grip loosening just enough for me to shove out of his hold. Facing him, I raise my axe and swipe at his legs, slicing the back of his knee. He shouts as he goes down onto one knee, calling out for his friends. “Fuck! Brady! Two out here!” 

A shot sounds, the bullet whizzing through the air.  

Then another.  

And another.  

Still, there are two voices hurling promises of pain and misery.  

She’s getting nervous now, her aim sloppy. I’m not looking at her, not as I strike clean through the man in front of me’s neck, cutting his head off in one harsh blow.  

It’s sickening—the sight, the blood, the feeling of tearing through flesh. But it’s either kill or be killed. And they plan to do a hell of a lot worse than kill my new companion.  

“Joel!” This time, her voice isn’t laced with concern for me. No, she’s scared for herself. And as I whip around to see why, I feel my stomach drop with dread.  

A man at least three times her size is rushing at her like a linebacker, ready to take her out.  

To take her away from her son.  

From me.  

Fuck that.  

I charge at him like a bull, hitting him from the side right before he runs right through her. She drops her gun in the process of scrambling back, her eyes wide as she watches me straddle him, my fists pounding his face into the snow until he no longer looks human.  

“Get the fucking gun!” I shout, still fighting off the hands trying to clasp around my neck. I hear her scramble to the gun, but not before the final intruder—the oldest one—stomps his foot into the barrel. Right as I deliver the final blow to his friend’s skull.  

“Y’all thought it was okay to kill my boys?” His voice is pure evil, pure grit. If I were a bit more hillbilly, it might’ve sounded like me. “You got any idea what I’m gonna do to y’all to pay you back? Startin’ with you, sugar.”  

I’m panting and sore, my knuckles bloodied and teeth bared as I watch him kick her chest with enough force to break a rib. She lands against the soft snow and coughs up some blood, but her eyes don’t flicker with pain. No, they’re alight with fire. Promises of sweet vengeance.  

“I’ll leave him alive long enough for him to watch what I’m about to do to you,” the old man says, lifting the gun and slinging the strap over his shoulder before turning to me. “You think you’ll like that? Watchin’ me play with your toy?” 

“You lay a hand on her and I’ll take my sweet time in killin’ you,” I promise, spitting out a mouthful of blood, the crimson staining the pure snow.  

“How you plannin’ on doin’ that when you’re dead?” he chuckles, turning back to her. “That’s a real gentleman you got there. Too bad he can’t save you.” 

“No, but I fucking can.”  

Ellie.  

Fuck me, she shouldn’t be out here.  

And neither should the six year old at her side, holding a kitchen knife.  

Just as the old man opens his mouth to speak, Ellie shuts him up by putting a bullet through his forehead. Just like I taught her.  

“Shit.” Ellie’s shaking, her eyes fixed on the man she just killed as he falls the the ground, along side two of his dead companions, the other somewhere in the clearing alone. “Shit. Joel.” 

“I know,” I blurt out, rushing over to her and blocking both her and Colt’s view of the bodies. His mom gets onto her feet, stumbling and gripping her chest as she reaches her son.  

“Mama,” he cries, dropping the knife in the snow as he clings to her.  

And fuck me if the sight doesn’t make my chest ache.  

“C’mon,” I say, scanning the woods around us to make sure there aren’t any more surprises in store. “Into the cabin. Let’s go.” 

[h3lfaerie]

I was asked by a friend last night, whether Hiccup's tattoo on his breast (Astrid's name in Runic Scripture) which is confirmed to be Canon in the OG Movies and Comics will be Canon in Path of Alfheim (which is, as we all know very well, a Hiccup X Reader Fic).

My answer?

UH, IT IS, NOW.

You think I'm going to miss out on prime angst material?! Think again.

You think I’m not going to exploit this perfectly tragic storytelling device—a literal mark of devotion inked over the heart, symbolizing a love that's both platonic and romantic—as their relationship unravels, not from betrayal or scandal, but simply because Astrid’s moral compass is unshakable while Hiccup is steadily slipping into madness and near-tyranny?

PUH-LEASE.

I want to do these guys justice. Astrid is inarguably the most important person in Hiccup's life. I am not straying from Canon when it comes to their relationship. They're betrothed, for crying out loud.

When I started writing Path of Alfheim, I knew right away that I didn’t want to rewrite the depth of their relationship just for the sake of the Reader. Let alone create some narrative where Hiccup leaves Astrid for her, or antagonize either woman...

No. No. N̫͙̪ͣ͊ͪ̾ͮ̽̏͌͠͡_̸̢̨͚͙̪̫̣̼͎̓̓͗̾͑̆ͪͦ͂ͨ̄͑̆̃̽͠͠O̶̸̧̢̡̡̖͎̜̻̖̝͉̞̗͕͗͌̑́̎̔̅ͭͬ̊̀ͧͨ̊͋ͤ͌ͬ͑͘͢͞

That's NOT the story I'm telling.

It was—and still is—crucial to me that their split stems entirely from their fundamental differences, not because of the Reader.

(FMC is out there just minding her business, trying not to die. She is not even present. 😂)

You add a tattoo over the heart to this escalating tragedy, as both their flaws rise to the surface. Oh... This is going to hurt.

I cannot begin to describe to you the dichotomy of those two. The way it smacks me upside the head whenever I'm writing.

Hiccup is being consumed—slowly, quietly, and then all at once—by something that looks like anger but feels more like exhaustion. It’s the kind of resentment that only festers in people who once cared too deeply. He’s given and given and given—his body, his future, his peace of mind—and the world just keeps asking for more. There’s no end to it. No moment of rest. And the more he tries to hold onto what little he has left, the more it slips through his fingers. He’s tired of being the better man. Tired of compromise. Tired of carrying the weight of everyone’s hopes on shoulders that were never meant to bear this much. So, piece by piece, the boy who tried to change the world becomes the man who wants to own it—because maybe then, finally, he won’t have to lose anything else.

Whereas Astrid feels flayed to the bone by the helplessness of it all (and certain things I haven't revealed yet)—watching the person she loves slip further and further from the path she once believed unshakable. There’s nothing she can do to stop it, no battle she can fight to bring him back. He is still Hiccup, but only in shape and memory. The man before her is becoming someone she can’t follow—someone she can’t even recognize. And that knowing, that quiet ache of witnessing love rot from the inside out, cuts deeper than any wound she’s ever taken in battle.

My personal take on Astrid—the reason I love her so damn much—is that yes, she can come across as rigid, even ruthless. She’s every bit the wildfire people fear her to be. But that fire? It comes from feeling more than anyone else around her. It’s not a lack of emotion—it’s too much of it. She burns with it, and the only way she knows how to survive is to lock it behind steel. A wall—a desperate defense against being overwhelmed by how deeply she cares. We saw that wall breaking down briefly in Chapter 8.

At her core Astrid Hofferson is pure unfettered vulnerability, devotion, helpless in the fact that she is incapable of NOT giving her all to those she cares about. This is why she guards it so fiercely.

She will never love freely, never gift it to everyone who crosses her path. But the few she does care for… Astrid would shred the world apart for them and then shred herself apart for them.

Losing Hiccup to the corrupted version of himself, all while knowing there was once a time when he etched her name above his heart with ink that would never fade...

While Hiccup, throughout the story, is forced to carry a constant reminder of this epic, tragic love...

SOMEBODY SEDATE ME.

And let me say this right now, no amount of hatred or grief or heartache would ever make him remove that tattoo.

Not because he still longs for "what was", or because he "doesn't get over her and wants to get together with her again", NO, certain things are forever severed after they separate. BUT I want to portray the fact that love doesn’t always have to vanish to transform. Astrid Hofferson is a chapter etched into the very skin of Hiccup's story—one that shaped him, built him, taught him.

It’s no longer romantic—and never will be again—but it remains undeniably real.

"Astrid, you and I have been through everything together. You don't think we can handle this? Astrid, you have me, no matter what. Okay, whatever that means, whatever you want it to mean. I am with you. There will always be a Hiccup and Astrid. Always." - A quote from RTTE that is CARVED into my frontal lobe.

Which leads me to my final point. This isn’t merely “his ex’s name” inked onto his skin—it’s a permanent mark honoring someone who played a pivotal role in shaping who he is, emotionally, physically, and mentally. It speaks more to his journey than to any lingering attachment.

So after they both survive the grief, after the FMC becomes romantically involved with Hiccup, he will carry that tattoo like a scar that doesn't ache anymore — because I firmly believe you can hold space in your heart for both past and future loves—honoring what built you, without betraying what’s to come.

In short, that tattoo is a symbol of YEARNING and LOVE and LOSS and LIKE FUCK am I missing out on it.

I am going to destroy ya'll.

And myself, don't fret, I'm right there with you, I know I'm evil.😭

Okay, byeeee~

[authorjielin]

I'm officially back to writing — though let’s be honest, Apocalypse 1984 was already meant to become a novel. But now… I'm going all in with a full webtoon. It's going to be big, it's going to be beautiful, and yes — it'll take time, but the style I've chosen is quick enough that I think I can actually pull it off.

While Apocalypse 1984 is my main project, I also have a few smaller, original stories I might share along the way — something to keep you entertained while the big one brews. And don’t worry, these too will come with illustrations, all in the same visual style you’ve come to know. You know how I draw. You know what to expect. (Yes, even the spicy scenes. Especially the spicy scenes.)

I’ve learned a lot from my time on AO3 — I know what to expect now, and I’m coming back stronger, more prepared, and with a clearer vision.

Let’s do this. 🔥

Fanfiction will be published exclusively on AO3 — while on Wattpad, you'll find the same stories but with different character names.

From now on, I’ll be focusing exclusively on Russell Adler. 😍 I already have the first chapters of several new works ready — all that’s left is to finalize the covers and add some illustrations.

It’s all coming together. And I can’t wait to show you what’s next.

★ AMERICA’S MONSTER You already know what this is — and yes, it's officially coming back. The final chapter is on its way, and it’ll include a teaser for Apocalypse 1984.

#😫AngstAllDay #🚫❤️ForbiddenButDeliciousLove #🔥💢EnemiesToLoversVibes #🧸UnexpectedChildPlotTwist #🤰OopsPregnancyDrama

★ WHEN IRON MEET THE WILD In an alternate Wild West, the world is split between the Iron Men and the Wild Beasts. The Iron Men came with guns, trains, and ambition. The Beasts were here long before them — men and women able to transform into animals, living in harmony with the untamed land now under siege. Shalaqeen is one of the last free Beasts. She takes the form of a mountain lion, a fierce protector of her dwindling tribe. But when she is finally captured, she’s thrown into a world of cages, chains, and cruel performances. Her tamer is Adler — the most renowned beastmaster in the territories, and a man who has never failed to break a creature. But Shalaqeen is no ordinary prize. She refuses to bow. In this war between steel and spirit, perhaps it’s the wild heart that will rewrite the rules.

#EnemiesToLovers ❤️‍🔥#HeFallsFirst🏹 #WildWestAU 🌵🐎#CowboyRussellAdler 🤠

★ OF TREASURES SHE WROTE Evelyn Parker was once a bestselling romance-adventure novelist — until critics tore her apart for the "lack of realism" in her stories. Now, to salvage her career, she’s forced to do the unthinkable: travel to the real-life setting of her latest book… and base her story on a real treasure. The problem? The treasure is legendary. Mysterious. No one’s ever found it. Most don’t come back from looking. But Evelyn is stubborn — and determined to prove them all wrong. Enter Mr. Adler: gruff, antisocial, and one of the very few who’s made it out of the so-called treasure lands alive. He wants nothing to do with a spoiled, rich tourist playing explorer — But she’s got money. And he needs it. Their reluctant partnership is bound to be explosive… and a whole lot more complicated than either of them expected.

#🔥💢EnemiesToLoversFeels #🌍EpicAdventureTime #😂LaughsGuaranteed #💰TreasureHuntQuest #🇻🇳VietnamAdlerVibes

★ AN OMEGA AMONG US In a world where omegas are seen as nothing more than breeding stock, Serah Miller is determined to break the mold. She’s the first omega ever to be hired by an all-alpha corporate firm — a fact that turns heads, sparks gossip, and makes survival an uphill battle. Between sexist remarks, overpowering scents, and egos the size of skyscrapers, Serah is just trying to keep her job and her sanity. The biggest problem? Her boss: Russell Adler. Arrogant, dismissive, and convinced she’s his secretary (she’s not), Adler seems to go out of his way to make her life hell. Unfortunately, when Serah is forced — for her own health — to stop taking her suppressants, she suddenly becomes a target for every alpha in the building. And the only one strong enough to protect her… is the very man she can’t stand. Things are about to get very complicated.

#🐺OmegaverseMagic #💪AlphaAndOmegaDynamics #🏢OfficeAUDrama #🔥EnemiesToLoversForever #👔DaddyAdlerVibes

★ THE RICH AND THE POOR

Mary Gray lives on the edge of society, working grueling shifts as the only waitress in a dusty little café that sees more cobwebs than customers. But she doesn't complain — not when her sick little sister depends on her. Dreams? She gave those up a long time ago. Everything changes when a group of rich snobs strolls into the café one day — and let’s just say, it’s not love at first sight. Especially him: the one with the slick blond hair, sunglasses indoors, and that fake corporate smile that screams “I could buy you and all your ancestors." Did he not like his coffee? Too bad — she made him a fresh one. Three times. The last time… she may have spit in it. And no — she doesn't regret it.

#💸RichAdlerEnergy #☕CaféAUButMakeItTense #💥WittyBanterGoals #✨ModernFairytaleChaos

[greenplumbboblover]

Lyra's Yearly Recap - 2024/2025

I actually forgot I did this quite a few times the last few years, but this year I wanted to look back of what I accomplished from my resolution list.

And then see if In can make some of that true this year! (and what else to add!)

2023/2024 Resolutions:

(See: https://greenplumbboblover.tumblr.com/post/738067930777059328/accomplishments-of-2023)

I'm not answering all of them, but I do want to set some record straight!

Finishing LISISV

Haha... yeah I misjudged that completely lol. I got to a point where I lost complete motivation on... well, everything. I had no motivation for personal projects, CC making (one of the reasons why some of my mods in this year were so riddled with bugs), playing games... hell, even interacting with others. Now you could call that depression, but I wasn't showing those symptoms properly either. I found myself in a weird place where, on the one hand, I felt guilty of that I just couldn't do those stuff that I wanted to do, and that then causing me to feel super overwhelmed... yet telling myself constantly that "adults don't feel overwhelmed on those tiny silly things!". I was pretty mean to myself this year, honestly... But all that sad stuff aside! I have made some personal changes in December that are helping me a lot already, before getting also some mental help for other things. But I'll save you from those details. 😉 --------------- The second thing that didn't help was that I would at some point feel a HUGE disconnect with the characters I had in my head and my actual writing. I would make impulsive thoughts, without realistically navigating how it would work out in the future. I would introduce characters, without really giving it a thought on how I wanted them to come across... how to fully tackle certain cases. So! I spent a majority of that time researching a lot of the ways writers actually attempt those issues and solving those. I was hoping to make a post to help others with that soon, since It's really awesome insight at times! And... then there was the whole posing. But I resolved that with the Pose Add-on IMO already! Chapter 10 however, is actually taking a long time because I do struggle a lot with the fact that I consider it my "old" way of writing, and I REALLY want to move on to my 'new' ideas and style. So the willpower is simply not always there.

LISIV PLANS:

Alright, now that we have all that out of the way, here are some of my plans for this year and the story: Splitting certain stories into sub-stories: My current personal problem I have with the story, is that there are some really cool characters, but with the current format, I can't explore their characters as intensely as I'd like to. I also know that I love to jump back and forth from one story to another.

How that would look like is:

Morgana will have her own "Sub-story"

I am pondering of doing the same for Dustin and Zelda.

We travel 5 years into the future, where I want to do more with Mortimer and Bella. But also the Landgraabs and the Alto's.

I am also thinking of making a separate (short) storyline for Gunther and Lolita. The moment I was making the flashbacks, I really have been wanting to write more about it.

Same as 4, but maybe for some other townies! They will be short, but I think it can be fun! :)

Figuring out what to do with Interests & Hobbies

The infamous mod of being delayed... again :p.

I guess you all are probably exhausted of me hearing "no wait! I will finish it!", and then another mod gets released, and another year passes... and personally I have that same thought.

So I am putting the mod entirely on ice. There might not be a chance that I even finish it ever.

However I do want to add something here:

I will be working much more with Stories be told

I am going to be making more hobby items in return! I have been craving that "small but cool" modding projects a lot the past few years. I just like to be ambitious and unrealistic I guess, lol

However, I will be modding WAY less this year due to other factors.

My 2024/2025 Resolutions:

I think I've mentioned this now a lot of times, but never properly done it...

Wanting to write more. Whether it's for the sims, or even personal!

Wanting to get more into 3D modeling. Mostly for myself, but here and there I could probably release some CC pieces! :)

Keep up with Simblr.cc of course!

Post more of my thoughts on LISISV and Character stuff (@nocturnalazure suggested this a while back, but the more I thought of it, the more fun it sounds!)

Doing more Sims photoshoots!

Either way! May this year be your year! Where issues get resolutions and love is all around you.💖

[wings-of-ink]

Hello my friends! Just checking in!

Chapter 4 is progressing well. I just realized that it is…a bit over 20k words, making me question where all these words are even coming from (this also explains why my fingers are smoking). The section I have been working on is pretty linear aside from a couple decisions which split your path slightly. Because of this, I am trying to add as much flavor-text as I can slip in (as long as it feels natural). There is another split coming up as well that has more significant consequences, so that will be exciting! I'm currently debating about either dividing this chapter into parts or splitting it into two chapters entirely. I keep feeling like it's going to be too long - but I haven't edited yet, so it may still get trimmed down. I might just have a lot to say in this section since it was one of the very first scenes I envisioned while planning last year.

So, at this moment I am taking a little break from writing and using the time to think about something else. I will drop a poll later about ideas for future IFs that I have been chewing on. I may be able to get your Asks taken care of tomorrow as well. I think I'll also kick back and do some reading this weekend to recharge my batteries. ^_^

If anyone has found some new IFs floating around, let me know (even though I still have a list of updates to read, I can always add new ones to the list)!

Some teasers from chapter 4 to tickle you...

[maboroshi-no]

Hamefura LN14 Chapter 1 Part 2 Summary

I am currently reading Hamefura LN14 and will post summaries after each chapter.

On second thought, there will be 3 parts for Chapter 1 because I couldn't help going into details in some scenes.

Previous Chapters: Chapter 1: The Encounter at the Party: Part 1

Chapter 1: The Encounter at the Party (Part 2)

Keith will make another round of greetings since the queue of people waiting to greet the royals has decreased. He asks Katarina what she will do.

Katarina would like to continue enjoying food, but she knows that greetings are important. While she is hesitating, Keith insists that she is forbidden from overeating even if she stays behind. Katarina is amazed that Keith can guess what she is thinking. Keith also adds that he can't have her go out alone in this big crowd. He leaves her with two choices: either she stays here, or she goes with him to greet people. 

Mom Mary and Prince Mary

---

Mary: In that case, will you wait here and talk with us? (To Keith) I will watch her so she won't overeat.

She said the second part like she was telling Keith, "I will look after your child". It was like I would switch guardians. I was an adult woman, though. 

Keith: In that case, I'm leaving her to you, Mary.

Mon Keith told Mom Mary this like he was telling her "I guess I'll leave her to you then".

Nicol: Mary, your child seems to be asking for help.

Nicol murmured this.

Huh? Mary's child? When I looked in the direction of Nicol's gaze, there was the youngest prince of Sorcier, Alan.

The royals had split up a bit after the greetings had calmed down. Alan was looking even more tired than earlier, and on top of this, he seemed to be surrounded by aggressive ladies approaching him. There was "Help me, Mary!" written on his face.

Mary looked in his direction. Being a lady, she made an extremely displeased face. So displeased that I could imagine her clicking her tongue if she hadn't been a lady.

Even so, Mary was good at taking care of people and she couldn't leave alone the underling… or rather the child… no, the fiancé she had been looking after for years, so she let out a big sigh.

She said, "I will leave for a while" and gallantly set out to rescue her child Alan.

When he saw Mary, Alan made an expression that said "I'm saved!". Mary stood to protect Alan from the noble ladies and started driving them off.

If it had been a romance novel, this would have been "a prince saving a princess" scene. Of course, the prince would have been Mary and Alan, the princess.

Based on looks alone, Alan was a charming prince and Mary was as pretty as a princess, but in this world, things didn't go like in novels.

-----------------

Towards the Other Princes

Katarina turns her gaze away from Alan and Mary and looks towards the other princes. They are also approached by ladies.

Jeffrey handles the ladies skillfully as he seems used to it.

Ian is distant and rejects the ladies' invitations with a stern face.

Geordo skillfully handles the ladies, like Jeffrey. But there seems to be something wrong with him today.

Katarina wonders why there are so many ladies approaching the princes today. Keith thinks it is because there are many foreigners at the party. Katarina doesn't understand how it is related. Keith explains that many foreigners ignore that the princes are engaged. And depending on the country, they may consider it fine to freely change fiancés. Keith's explanation makes sense to Katarina. 

Keith Gets Angry at Katarina

---

Keith: Things are different and complicated in many ways since there are many foreigners, so please be extra careful. Anyway, will you go around greeting people with me or wait here with Lord Nicol and the others?

Keith asked me this again.

Katarina: Hmm~ In that case, I will… 

T/N: It wasn't explicitly written but Katarina supposedly says here that she will go see Geordo.

Keith: Just when I thought he wouldn't come our way since he is busy, why are you saying you will go see him yourself…?

Keith inadvertently muttered this.

Katarina: What?

I asked him in response.

Keith: No, nothing… I just thought it would be fine if you didn't go since we were told we didn't need to greet the royals today.

Keith said this with a little dissatisfied face.

Katarina: I know that, but Prince Geordo's expression bothers me a little.

That's right. When I saw Geordo earlier, his expression bothered me.

It would be fine if it appeared he wasn't sick. It was just that Geordo was the type of person who endured things even if he was sick.

Keith: Wasn't he skillfully engaging with people with a smile not so different from usual?

Katarina: Huh? No, he was not. Keith, you're also his childhood friend, so you could tell, right?

After all, Keith had also been with Geordo for nearly 10 years. But Keith fell silent and fixedly stared at me.

Katarina: Eh, what?

When I stared back at him, Keith made for some reason a sulking face, extended his hand towards my cheek, and… pulled its side.

Katarina: Gné? What?!

When I let out a confused voice because of the sudden situation, Keith said…

Keith: It's because you pissed me off so much.

He said this and quickly removed his hand from my cheek.

It didn't hurt at all since he didn't put much strength into it, but I was just surprised

So he pinched me because he was pissed off? And he did with a tiny bit of strength? What was that?

After that, he indeed escorted me, but his eyes wouldn't look my way. I seemed to have completely wrecked his mood.

Keith was always eagerly looking after me and somewhat acted like my mom, so seeing him pouting like that was extremely unusual.

I remembered how adorable Keith was when he just arrived in the Claes family.

He was cute and small like a girl and his cheeks were also squishy. While his soft flaxen hair was now so high up, back then it was below my eyes and could I stroke it as much as I liked.

After thinking about it, now I incredibly wanted to touch his soft hair again. I extended my hand and touched them for the first time in a while.

When I did, his blue eyes opened wide and fixedly looked at me, so…

Katarina: Your pouting was so cute that I unconsciously stroked it like in the olden days.

When I said this while sticking my tongue out, his face became bright red at once.

This was bad, I made him even more furious! Or so I thought, but Keith…

Keith: This oblivious charming…little devil.

Because he just muttered something and didn't pinch my cheek again, I felt relieved.

Then, when we arrived near Geordo and the others,

Keith: Listen, don't do anything like what you did to me earlier to Prince Geordo, understood?

…he told me with a stern face.

Katarina: Huh? What, touching his head?

Keith: …Yes, this.

Katarina: Oh, right. It would indeed be improper to touch the head of a prince in front of many people.

Keith: ……That's right. So don't do it, okay?

Katarina: Okay!

After I gave him a firm reply, Keith sent me off.

----

Alan Can't Handle Mary's Lessons

Katarina heads towards the princes, but on the way, she encounters Alan and Mary.

---

Katarina: Prince Alan, isn't it great that she could safely save you?

Alan: Yes, she saved me with splendid skills.

…he replied.

If it had been the child Alan, he would have probably said, "She didn't save me!" but Alan was very honest now that he had been completely tamed by Mary.

But his savior "Prince Mary" looked a little angry.

Mary: Whenever you face these kinds of ladies, you always are so useless if I don't come in. Please endeavor yourself so you can somehow handle them by yourself.

Alan: …! I know that, but I won't be able to nail it right away! 

Mary: In that case, shall we have a ladies' countermeasures lesson again?

Alan: Urgh! Please spare me from that already!

Alan's face twitched.

Katarina: A ladies' countermeasures lesson?

When I asked out of curiosity, Mary answered this.

Mary: Since Prince Alan can hardly dodge the noble ladies approaching him, it is a lesson I thought of to teach him how to do so. It would be great if he could at least apply what I taught him to dodge me when I play a noble lady approaching him, but he can't even do that well.

After Mary angrily said this, Alan shifted his eyes.

Katarina: This sounds like a very useful lesson! Shouldn't you make him take more of it?

When I said this, Alan whispered this to me so Mary wouldn't hear it.

Alan: Hey, don't underestimate Mary's acting skills. Seriously, she completely turns into an aggressive lady approaching me. The real deal. 

Katarina: Well, that's Mary after all.

Mary, the perfect lady widely known as the Model Noble Lady and the Belle of High Society. She even had great acting skills.

Katarina: Is it so bad? If she's like the real thing, doesn't that make it a good countermeasure?

After I had said this, Alan opened his eyes wide, turned my face towards Mary, and whispered this to me again.

Alan: Look closely at Mary. With those looks of hers, she seriously approaches me as an aggressive noble lady would. It's not the same force as the noble ladies around here.

After he had said this, I looked at Mary again.

The unequaled beauty who was reputed even in high society. Her prominent parts were prominent and her slender parts were slender, she had such splendid proportions. When I imagined such a beauty seriously approaching me, even I, a woman, felt a little apprehensive about it.

Katarina: …I'm sorry, Prince Alan. It might be an ordeal for me too.

When I whispered this back to Alan, Alan's face lit up, and…

Alan: Right? Right? I knew you would understand.

…he said in a low voice, expressing his joy.

------------

Katarina Tries to Convince Mary to Reconsider her Lessons

Katarina figures she should talk to Mary for Alan's sake.

Katarina tells Mary her lessons might be too strict for Alan.

Mary gives it a little thought but still thinks Alan needs to stop relying on her or he will be troubled in the long run.

Katarina agrees with Mary but she must still convince her to stop her practical lessons for Alan's sake. She hopes she can convince her without telling her the truth.

Katarina suggests to Mary that she leaves practice aside for the time being and teaches Alan using books instead. But Mary doesn't agree: Alan needs to learn fast since ladies are currently approaching him, and it will be faster through practice.

Katarina feels like she won't be able to convince Mary without telling her the truth after all.

Katarina tells Mary that her overflowing charm makes Alan nervous when she seriously approaches him. Alan is flustered now that she went and said it, but she had no choice.

Mary is shocked. She didn't expect Alan to feel nervous with her now after they had been engaged as children.

Katarina feels like Mary never expected it because she probably considered Alan like a pet she had cared for ever since he was little.

But for Katrina and Alan, fellow members of the Zero Romantic Experience Team, being approached by an attractive person seriously was a lot to handle.

Katarina: It is true, but you are so attractive that it cancels that out. Your charm is so powerful that even I, a fellow woman, could get dizzy if you seriously approached me.

Mary blinks her eyes. She asks Katarina to confirm what she has just said. If she seriously approached her, she would make her dizzy?

Katarina confirms it. With her charm, Mary could make any girl dizzy.

Mary is processing what she has heard.

Katarina adds that for this reason, Mary can't be Alan's partner for his practical lesson. Katarina offers to replace her if needed. There shouldn't be any problem with her since she isn't as charming as Mary.

Alan and Mary both refuse in unison.

Alan flusteredly explains to Katarina that with her, it would be even harder for him. 

Mary tells Katarina they won't take her time since she is so busy. She also adds that Katarina has plenty of charm herself.

Katarina feels like Alan and Mary teamed up to refuse her offer. It appears they won't ask her to help with the lessons.

Mary tells Katarina she will start by having her niece approach Alan. Alan says she really shouldn't.

Katarina leaves Mary and Alan.

On the Way to See Geordo

Katarina is on her way to see Geordo.

Katarina sees Ian with Selena. Ian tells the women approaching him that he is only interested in his fiancée Selena and that he has no intention to talk to them. Selena blushes after hearing Ian's words. Katarina is glad to see the two of them are still as lovey-dovey as ever.

Katarina sees Jeffrey. He is skillfully entertaining the women approaching him. Katarina wonders where Susanna is. When she looks around, she sees her talking with an old scholar person. Given her sparkling eyes, she is most likely talking about magic. She really appears to have no interest in her fiancé. But Jeffrey doesn't seem to have any intention of compelling her to do anything. The two of them are the same as always.

Katarina Sees Geordo

Katarina has arrived at Geordo's location.

Just like Jeffrey, Geordo is skillfully entertaining the women approaching him. Looking at him, Katarina realizes that Geordo and Jeffrey are similar inside, while Alan and Ian are similar inside (even if Alan is bad at dealing with women). 

Katarina goes toward Geordo. Geordo immediately notices her, quickly dodges the ladies approaching him, and comes to her.

Geordo welcomes Katarina with a sweet smile. She feels a little nervous. His sweet smile reminds her of the adult kiss he gave her. It affected her so much she couldn't look at him for a while.

Geordo smoothly escorts her, then turns to the ladies and tells them that he will stop talking with them now that his fiancée has arrived. While smiling, he gives off an aura that won't allow any objection.

Most of the ladies silently accept it, but some strong-willed ones won't step back. One of them tells Geordo that he shouldn't care about his political fiancée. In her country, there is no political marriage and everyone marries their true love.

Katarina thinks to herself that the lady's country sounds like the setting of an otome game. She wonders if an otome game is unfolding there.

Geordo (large smile): Is that so? While there may be some political engagements, I sincerely love Katarina here from the bottom of my heart, so there is no problem.

Hearing this, all the ladies freeze in shock. Katarina can understand their reaction since a charming prince has just told them that he loves her, a villainous-faced woman who doesn't excel in anything.

After thinking about this, Katarina feels her face turning hot. She needs to think about something else. She decides to recall the time her mother saw her entering the manor covered in dirt after working the fields. It works, the heat on her face decreases.

Geordo says goodbye to the ladies and quickly escorts Katarina away before anyone chases them.

Geordo and Katarina Talk in the Resting Room

Geordo and Katarina arrive at the resting room.  

Geordo turns towards Katarina and asks her with a serious face what she talked about with Cezar earlier.

Katarina is surprised that Geordo saw Cezar and her talk at the buffet since they were at some distance and Geordo was busy greeting people. Katarina realizes that it was not her imagination when she felt earlier that she made eye contact with Geordo.

Geordo gets impatient. His eyes look anxious.

Katarina tells Geordo that Cezar only asked her about her health, then left to call Keith for her.

Hearing this, Geordo feels relieved. He mutters to himself that he thought Cezar had approached her again. Katarina doesn't think Cezar would approach her but doesn't say anything since Geordo's expression has softened.

Katarina asks Geordo if it was because it felt bothered that he seemed different from usual. Geordo is surprised that Katarina found him different from usual. Katarina explains that he looked tired or sick. Geordo is very surprised: he thought he could act like usual. Katarina reassures him, most people didn't notice and she only could because she had known him for a long time. Their childhood friends probably also noticed.

Katarina has known Geordo for 10 years. Even if Geordo is harder to figure out and better at hiding his bad physical condition compared to when he was a child, she can at least naturally tell when he is pushing himself behind his smiling mask.

Geordo tells Katarina that he thinks she is the only one who can tell. Katarina is about to deny it, but Geordo puts his index finger in front of her lips.

Geordo: Yes, it is. When I am weakened, you always tell me the words I need and come to my side. It is because you are here that I can do my best. That's why I want you to stay by my side forever, Katarina.

Geordo smiles. Katarina is unconsciously fascinated by his face. She has known him for 10 years but she realizes again how handsome his face is.

Then Katarina sees the shape of his lips and it reminds her of the adult kiss. Her face turns hot. Geordo extends his hand to her cheek. His hand is firm, big, and warm…so warm…too warm…? Wait, it's hot!

Geordo Is Sick

Geordo is moving his face close but Katarina quickly puts her hand on his forehead. It is hot. She flusteredly tells Geordo he has a fever. Geordo moves a little away from Katarina and makes a pouting face.

Geordo: I am fine…

Katarina: No, this fever is not "fine" at all! You've been like this during the greetings, haven't you? You knew it and you still pushed yourself!

Geordo: I felt sick a little ago but I've been like this since I woke up in the morning. But if it's only this much, people won't notice and I can manage, so there's no problem.

Katarina is glad that Geordo has recognized that he isn't well, but he stubbornly insists that there's no problem.

Katarina: There's a problem.

Geordo: I won't cause trouble, so it's fine.

Katarina is annoyed by Geordo's stubbornness.

Katarina: No, it's not.

Geordo: I can properly do my work.

Katarina: Geez, it's not about work! You're pushing yourself while you're in such poor shape and that's why I can't help worrying about you!

Geordo: …

Geordo seems to finally understand. Katarina makes Geordo sit on the sofa. She asks him to wait here while she calls someone, and leaves the room.

Katarina Tells Jeffrey About Geordo

Katarina wonders who she should go to regarding Geordo's issue. At that moment, she sees Jeffrey coming from the opposite side of the corridor. Katarina thinks he is the perfect person in this situation and calls out to him.

Katarina explains to Jeffrey that Geordo is sick. Jeffrey is sad that he didn't notice it despite worrying about him working so hard lately. Katarina replies that it couldn't be helped since Geordo is good at hiding his bad physical condition. Hearing this, Jeffrey is first blank, then makes a wide smile. He agrees, but he thinks Geordo will be fine since he has someone who notices it when he isn't well.  

Katarina decides she will scold Geordo more next time since he makes his family sad.

Katarina remembers that Jeffrey said that Geordo had been working hard lately. She asks him about it. Jeffrey explains that Geordo has been busy investigating the backgrounds and circumstances of the persons involved in Maria's incidents. Jeffrey has also been investigating them but since he had many other things to do, he had been relying on Geordo, probably too much. In retrospection, he will ask Geordo not to push himself so hard again.

From what Jeffrey said, Katarina realizes Geordo has been investigating Maria's incident all while taking care of his official business, and he even visited her the other day. It is no wonder Geordo collapsed.

Jeffrey tells Katarina he will make Geordo leave the party and rest. Katarina thinks this should be fine.

Jeffrey sends some directives to the servant waiting on him, then tells Katarina they only need to persuade Geordo to rest. He adds with a smile that he's leaving this job to her.

Katarina and Jeffrey Try to Persuade Geordo to Rest

Jeffrey and Katarina enter the resting room.

Seeing them, Geordo is surprised and stands from his chair. Jeffrey tells Geordo he has heard the situation from Katarina and asks him not to push himself so hard. He can rely on his dependable brothers at any time.

Geordo sulks and tells him he isn't so sick.

Katarina walks to Geordo and puts his hand on his forehead. It is still hot.

Katarina: It is still hot. It isn't "fine" at all. You will stop with this tough act.

Katarina puts her hand on Geordo's head.

Katarina: Prince Geordo, your job is now to rest. I won't accept any objection. You must stop being unreasonable and rest properly.

Katarina lightly taps Geordo's head. Since Geordo is putting on a tantrum, Katarina tries to scold him like an older sister.

Geordo: …"unreasonable", that's just…

Geordo is looking like a pouting child.

Jeffrey: That's right. You will stop being unreasonable. Be a good boy and rest.

Jeffrey grabs Geordo by the shoulders and starts dragging him to his room. Before leaving, he tells Katarina to return to the party with his servant. He will return once he has put Geordo to bed.

While Jeffrey is dragging him, Geordo lets out a faint "Thank you very much" towards Katarina. She couldn't see Geordo's face since he was facing downward, but she feels relieved that Geordo doesn't resent her for meddling too much. She tells him "Please rest well and return healthy!"

Katarina Tells Keith About Geordo

Katarina returns to the venue with the servant. As soon as she returns, Keith calls her out.

Keith has been worried since she didn't seem to return. He has been waiting for her near the entrance.

Keith asks her how Geordo is doing. Katarina tells him Geordo is sick and has returned to his room. Keith is surprised that Katarina was right. Katarina tells him that Geordo just keeps pushing himself hard, he's impossible. She has scolded him already but she will scold him some more next time.

Hearing this, Keith starts laughing. Katarina is surprised. Keith explains that Katarina is probably the only one who can be like this with Geordo. He adds that when he imagines Katarina scolding Geordo, it just looks so funny.

Keith starts laughing again.

Katarina tells him that Geordo wasn't dejected, he just listened with a pouting face.

Keith laughs even more. Katarina wonders if it is that funny.

[zarathelonewolf]

Guys, I know it's old news but...

Last year, in October 2024 basically, there was an anniversary for the Rurouni Kenshin Manga.

Y'know. The one whose author, Nobuhiro Watsuki, had so much child porn he was hypothesized to be an actual distributor by Japanies investigators. And who got off basically scott free only to go back to writing Manga.

Aside from the fact that I knew about him before 2024, because I had explicitly looked (I remember this pretty well) during the pandemic if there were any mangaka I should avoid because they openly held particularly conservative views or because they had committed some grievous crime, and I had found out about Watsuki. So, as a response, I isolated myself completely from even mentions of his work and have quickly turned the other way whenever I saw it. I tuned it out completely.

This basically helped in me staying ignorant about what transpired on October 2024.

I had no idea! I do not think I should support Gege Akutami or Kohei Horikoshi after this... What the hell? Why the heck would they do this?

My esteem for Arakawa (FMA), Kubo (Bleach), Ohkubo (Soul Eater and Fire Force) and Gotouge (KNY) is skyrocketing rn. It seems to me like Kubo has not participated in a mural made some time ago (to welcome Watsuki back into the industry), either. Damn I am lucky not all of my favs are on this list!

It's not like this is a situation in which Death of The Author should justify actively publicizing a certain artwork made by a shitty person! This author is alive, and still writing! This asshole is still around and thriving! They should not be giving him publicity!

And before anyone comes and tells me "that's just how Japanese society is about child porn and older figures in the Manga industry, sweetie!", yes, I know they are shitty when it comes to it. But that does not make me any less angry.

Does anyone else know about this? Have you guys heard, has there been discussion here and I did not notice?

What should I do? I am feeling split on whether or not I should continue reading the Manga or not...

Is there any reason the authors I mentioned who participated could have been forced by the contract made with Shueisha?

This is a photo of the authors who participated in case you are interested:

Also HunterXHunter author? What, why? Promised Never land too, why did authors who made such Manga, who I recall having some important moral lessons, end up on this list? Then again Rurouni Kenshin is also considered a pretty idealistic tale, even though it's author is a POS. What the hell dude.

I expected Oda because he has supported Watsuki in the past.

Although Chainsaw Man is not my jam, glad to see that the author did not participate.

I don't know what to think. I guess I'll stop talking publicly about the Manga whose authors participated in that event, and focus on other ones.

Like Gachiakuta. I really have to start picking back up the chapter analysis for it, and might even start doing something with Bleach.

Any fan is free to add their point of view to this, and I am not doing this to start a witch hunt towards those who enjoy the Manga these people wrote (more than I am gonna after knowing this, anyway). I need other people's opinions before making this choice because I overthink a lot and rn I am overthinking something along the lines of: what if I am overreacting tho?

EDIT: I think I shall simply choose to put my interest on these Manga and Anime on hold. But I won't necessarily consider the mangaka who went to this anniversary child abuse apologists.

I am starting to think this situation could have been owed to different factors. It is not unheard of, for mangaka, to be pressured greatly by publishers. And maybe, in these situations, like for anniversaries, it could have been the case, especially due to the fame of the Manga in question.

I still hold on higher esteem the mangaka who actually did not go to the anniversary of Rurouni Kenshin. But I am choosing not to automatically accuse all of those who DID go of actively adoring a figure such as Watsuki.

Why? Because... Perhaps we do not have enough info. Let me explain.

I am not giving these mangaka the benefit of the doubt because I love them particularly, most of them I do not even know, and even though I used to be a huge My Hero Academia fan, it's just... not a hyper fixation for me anymore. Same goes for JJK, it was a rather brief fixation might I add. I am doing this because if I know anything, it's that most of the time mangaka are very private, and very rarely are their political and personal stances on things clear cut. Some explicitly demonstrate themselves to be progressive and others remain in a grey area, probably due to the Japanese cultural idea that "you shouldn't bother people/start drama", "you shouldn't stand out like a sore thumb", which may have been the sentiment behind the publishers who most probably pressured most of these authors to participate, and behind those who accepted.

Oda is probably one of the few exceptions, because he has ALWAYS supported Watsuki. Maybe he is one of those that always wanted to participate to the anniversary from the beginning.

I am still feeling moody, but as always, resignment is quickly making its way into me. Until Japanese society becomes more progressive, I guess I shall have to keep doubting whether or not all mangaka are genuine about what they write: I will always try to consider, from now on, the fact that publishers and the Manga industry in general is very toxic, and that may not change for the longest time yet. So what I read and the things I see these mangaka doing may always be commercially related.

Fans are still welcome to reblog and write answers to this post. I am still looking for differing opinions on this, even from fans of the work of Mangaka in the list. That is why I have added tags for some of these Manga now that I have edited the post.

Please talk to me if you want to. I do not bite, especially not now that my anger has turned into sadness. I would enjoy to have a talk about this with someone who shares doubts with me, but also people who straight up know what they want to do and how to approach this.

[soaps-mohawk]

Hi! So I've been thinking about something when I scrolled through your blog reading some replies and stuff I noticed you talked about accidental pregnancy and stuff but never really what would happen if the reader accidentally got pregnant and I know you talked about implants and how it's like a birth control but since birth controls don't always works Im just wondering what the guys would do if they found out? (Just a shower thought lol) Hopefully you feel better soon sadly I've caught a cold but it gives me an excuse to read the chapters 🤪

Yeah, I don't plan on having pregnancy in the fic so I've never really gone into detail about what would happen if the reader got pregnant, even planned, but I can do that here for those that do want to know

In terms of an accidental pregnancy, I think it would cause a lot of disruption, especially for the guys. It would change a lot. They work dangerous jobs, and they're gone for long periods of time, so (as we're going to see in chapter 17) that takes a lot out on all of them as is. Add in a pregnancy and, in the future, a baby? They're going to have to do a lot of thinking about their futures with the task force.

First off, they would totally leave it up to the reader and what she wants to do in regards to whether they keep the baby or not. I think there would be a long discussion about what it means and what's going to have to change if the reader does decide to keep the baby.

They're not going to want to be separated from their omega at all, much less once it gets close to the reader's due date. I think Price would struggle the most with it, because he kind of always figured he'd just be in the military until he was too old or died, whichever comes first, but now he's got an omega and is about to have a pup. I think Gaz would have the easiest time choosing to retire in favor of raising a family and having a more "normal" pack. It wouldn't be an easy decision for him, but he would be the first to make that decision in the long run.

I think out of all of them, Simon would be the least likely to retire. Even if he pursued a relationship with the reader and later claimed her too, he'd have the hardest time trying to picture himself existing outside of the military. I don't think the reader would ask him to leave either (let's be real, she wouldn't ask any of them to do that). Johnny would struggle a bit, especially since Simon would likely stay enlisted. I've talked about pack splitting before, and this might be a situation where that would come into play.

So yeah, I think eventually Price and Gaz would retire and live out a civilian life with their omega and pup, while Simon and Johnny stay enlisted and visit whenever they can. I think after a while Johnny would retire and enjoy life as the crazy uncle. Simon might be convinced eventually to retire, especially if he has a close call or there's a mission where he really thought he might not make it back. It would take a real wake up call for him to retire, and even then, he'd have to see how much stress was put on his pack because of it to really make that decision.

[remnantsofthepast-if]

Monthly Update - May 2025

May has been quite a productive month, I must say! To begin with, Chapter 6 is finished and already available to all patrons, and it will be released to the public on June 9th. Another chapter full of emotions, and with an extra branch that wasn’t originally planned but brings some interesting stuff for the future :D. Honestly, when I started this story, I didn’t expect it to get this intense so quickly. My original idea was for it to build up more gradually. Oh well, it is what it is xD

After this, there are only two more chapters left to finish Act 2! Although I still need to see if everything will fit into the next one, because there’s a lot to cover and I don’t want it to get too long either. If that’s the case, I’ll split Chapter 7 into two, and there’ll be three chapters left to finish the Act. In that case, you might be getting two new chapters in the next update instead of one, as I’ll probably write it completely before deciding if I should split it or not :P

Also, as I mentioned recently, I’m editing Act 1. The prologue is already done, with new scenes, tweaked variables, and more dialogue options for the protagonist. It’s been… a bit painful rereading what I wrote back then, lol! But that’s a good thing. It means I’ve improved :D This new version is not released yet, though. I want to at least finish the whole demo before updating it, and then the rest.

I did run into a couple of issues with the APK, though. I managed to fix them in the end, but it definitely took some effort. I still haven’t been able to get the music to play properly without static or weird interruptions, unfortunately. All these problems made me seriously reconsider adapting the story to HoG since, at least for me, I much prefer reading interactive novels on mobile rather than on PC. I even played around a bit with ChoiceScript (it’s pretty fun, ngl). I’d be sad to give up the music since it adds an atmosphere I really like, but I think in the long run it might be for the best. Plus, that way there could be an app for iOS as well. What are your thoughts on Twine vs. ChoiceScript when it comes to interactive novels?

Last but not least, I’ve finished all the summer specials for Patreon! In June we’ll start with Albert/Lavina and then Ada/Omar. July will feature Rayco/Gara and Leire/Luca, and finally, in August, we’ve got Mako/Iasa and Belicar/Nisa. I was really looking forward to writing something for our favourite villain that didn’t involve spoilers xD And of course, I haven’t forgotten about the Leire/Luca illustration for June ;)

Now it’s time to dive into Chapter 7. If all goes well, I might even finish Act 2 before the end of the year! :D

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Have a great month, and see you at the end of June ;)

[its-cartooncrazy]

Okay i finished my dunmeshi reread where I was trying to predict which chapters will go into which episodes for season 2 (assuming 24 episodes)

I made some questionable splits towards the end tbh but I ended up with 24 without pushing too hard so. I guess I'll write down my thoughts here mostly so when season 2 comes I can compare them

So I'm gonna add my screenshots from my notes page so I'll explain that the yellow numbers was me guessing from chapter titles and my poor memory, and the pink is from my reread and focusing on content.

I started by looking at season 1 and how they split stuff up. Every episode was two chapters, save for a few that either didn't need full episodes, or were a lot of action which takes up more space in comics. (I don't know where exactly the dragon chapters split, but the 7 dragon chapters + good medicine were 3 episodes, so that makes 2 episodes of 3 chapters there.) They also preferred to keep 2 part chapters in one episode, but also didn't shy away from doing it either.

Theres only enough chapters left for 22.5 episodes at a rate of 2 chapters per episode, so we actually never have to group three chapters into a single episode again!

That being said...

On Floor One features would be a banger season opener. It features a couple of fight scenes, so it shouldn't be too long. I wouldn't want to split it into two episodes anyway because for a season opener, I wouldn't want to be away from the main cast for too long.

(It also, oddly enough, cuts back to our cast and gives them little name badges, which is a joke about the changelings, but also its very fitting to reintroduce our characters in their first appearance in season 2)

Bicorn / Stewed Head go together very easily, as do Succubus 1 + 2

Jumping ahead a little, roasted walking mushroom and 6 days would fit together nicely, especially with the Winged Lion taking place during the Succubus chapters, but. I don't wanna squeeze that in with them...

I think if trigger do their thing, 6 days could be an episode all on its own (and it could be one of the best episodes, too) And hey, if they need more content then there's a couple of monster tidbits extras that take place here that they could add!

Confit was the problem child. I wanted Rabbit and Curry to get their own episodes, but I also wanted 6 days to stay alone, which left confit alone. It features a fair bit of important stuff: reaching thistles house, cleaning up, finding the book (and opening it I think), and eating the phoenix, so I wouldn't feel right cramming it with something else.

So I ignored it for the time being, to see if Rabbit and Curry could be split in half.

Confit would lead well into rabbit 1, with them arriving at the house and having a meal, and then rabbit 1 takes place shortly after the meal. Rabbit 1 ends with laios getting got by a rabbit. That seems like a pretty fun cliffhanger to be honest. Rabbit 2 ends with them comforting marcille, and then curry 1 cuts away to several scenes viewed through the eyes of the mage, ending with them showing up at the house. And then...

Grouping curry 2 and thistle 1 together is kinda evil actually. Sibling flashback scene, that fight, and then thistle backstory?? Yikes. I love it actually. So yeah I'll go with that.

Thistle 2 and 3 feature the dragon fight (placing the teaser at a predicted episode 9) and then thistle 4 and 5 include the chat with laios, the lion eating thistles desires, and then the wrap up meal. I'm pretty satisfied with that if a little disappointed we don't end an episode with laios in the plant

Bavarois and whatchamacallit are both the canaries' interrogation so thats easy, ending with a cliffhanger of sorts where the lion is fully released by marcille.

Lord of the Dungeon 1 and 2 are both pretty full chapters. It continues the fight with the canaries, which unfortunately features a lot of talking still, and then the aftermath with our group waking up to a room of unconscious canaries and spider guts like that one community gif.

Dungeon 1 is actually a shorter chapter. Putting these two together would possibly make for a kinda sparse episode. So, we have a full episode and an empty episode. Can we borrow a scene from lord of the dungeon to even it out? No! Because almost all of Lord of the Dungeon 2 is kabrus epic fumble, which isn't a scene that can be cut up neatly. Let's set those aside for a bit and see if the solution comes from the next few.

We have three single chapters before our next grouping, which doesn't split nicely into 2s like I want it to. Unfortunately, none of these are particularly short, and we're past the point in the series where we can skimp on the details. Parasites starts with a shortish scene with marcille and frozen falin, so I wondered about giving that to dungeon, if I could group the three together with slightly less content, but I think there's still probably too much content to get through with those three chapters even without that scene. (Not to mention, I don't think season one ever split any part of a chapter between episodes, so I'm reluctant)

Honestly, I thought for a long time about how to arrange these chapters and never came to a conclusion, so I just moved on for a bit, to see if answers were in the next section. (Spoiler alert: they were!)

Marcille 1 is kind of a misnomer (if I know what that word means) since it doesn't actually focus on marcille at all, and instead shows people around the world reacting to the dungeons opening. I don't feel as bad separating it from the rest of marcille in that case. (It's also a short chapter but local cuisine has a fair bit in it so I think that won't matter)

So to sum up the last section before we move fully into the marcilles, we have Lord of the Dungeon, Dungeon, Parasites/Food Chain and Local Cuisine/Marcille 1. Phew, that was a lot of effort just to end up splitting them into pairs of chapters. (Dungeon may still borrow from parasites, but that's up to them. Yknow, if they were still looking at how to split them up in this stage of production or whatever XD)

Marcille 4 ends with the group hug and, as sad as I am to not get a week to sit with that scene, it wouldn't work as well as an episode ending during the big finale battle segment, so pairing it with Winged Lion 1 (mostly chatting up on that tower, concluding with them getting gobbled up by the monster pile lion) works pretty well and gives a good cliffhanger.

Winged Lion 2 and 3 gives us Lion backstory, and then laios becoming dungeon master, ending with him plopping his head back on like its nothing. Lmao I can't wait to see what the outtro is for this episode.

Winged Lion 4 is short, actually, and with the action of Winged Lion 5, that episode might be a bit sparse. But, well. Iunno I figured it's fine? Look, I started to give up and make weird decisions around this point. Winged Lion 5 ends with everyone freezing and then laios picking up "laios".

Winged Lion 6 I gave its own episode. It doesn't have enough content for that, to be honest, but I gotta put some single chapter episodes in here somewhere and where better than laios eating laios and laios and laios and laios and then the winged Lions desire to eat desires. Idk I said I gave up, didn't I?

Starting here, I start to worry about momentum. How long can you keep people interested after the Big Bad has been defeated? Def-eat-ed lol

The Island I also gave its own episode, just 'cause, I guess. It features the action packed escape from the dungeon, everyone washing up safe and sound, and then searching for laios, ending with a nice hug. I didnt seem to take my own advice tbh, that ending doesn't really force you to keep watching. Hm.

Falin 1 and 2 gives us everyone pitching in to prepare to eat laios sister, and also mithrun 🥺, but much like the last episode, doesn't end on too captivating a note (although it is a very good scene, it just doesn't lead in to the next episode so much) so I guess I really didn't take my own advice much. I swear I took this into consideration while I was reading but I guess I gave up lol

Falin 3 is the izutsumi show, where she asks everyone what they're gonna do now (not cooking, I mean in life!!) and ive put this one by itself because there are plenty of scenes that could be expanded upon, and also izu deserves a whole episode to think about her character development because she is the best and I love her.

This also lets us group falin 4 and dungeon meshi for the season finale. Another reason I wanted falin 4 to go in this arrangement is that this is where laios becomes king, which really just screams "finale" for me. We also get falin waking up, and a sweet epilogue of laios' fantastic reign, plus him being good with kids <3

So uhhh. Yeah. That's how I would split up the chapters. Quick recap/summary to make it clear hopefully:

1: 53,54,55

2: 56,57

3: 58,59

4: 60,61

5: 62

6: 63,64

7: 65,66

8: 67,68

9: 69,70

10: 71,72

11: 73,74

12: 75,76

13: 77,78

14: 79,80

15: 81,82

16: 83,84

17: 85,86

18: 87,88

19: 89,90

20: 91

21: 92

22: 93,94

23: 95

24: 96,97

That was a lot of waffling to end up with mostly just two chapters per episode tbh. If you've made it all the way, I hope you don't consider your time wasted lol. Looking forward to seeing how trigger does it!