#gather the gloinks

[runjumpkauf]

The Amazing Dream About Where Caine Into My Home

(This Is The Sequel Of "The Amazing Dream About Episode 3". So Refer tumblr.com/runjumpkauf/758128076344475648/the-amazing-dream-about-episode-3.)

Hello, Hello, Hello.

I Had A Dream Again. But This Time, I Had A Very Unique & Impressive Dream. As You Can Tell From This Post Name, I Wasn't Just Dreaming About Watching A Video; Caine Actually Appeared In My House!

I Don't Know How He Got In, But Somehow Caine Came Into My Home.

For Reference, I'm Born In California, San Diego. I've Lived There For 29 Years.

Anyway, Let's Begin.

I Bought Two Jack O' Lanterns, I Named It: "Priceless Pumpkins, Jimmy O' Lantern & John O' Lantern" For Collect Some Treats! With This, I Got Strawberry Candy, Banana, Hoverchoc, Dips & Chips, And Coconut Milk!

And I Left Them On The Edge-Corner Of The Shed. And Went To Bed. I Fell Asleep Without Any Problems And Roughly Hours Later....

At That Time, I Woke Up To A Strange Sound Inside My Table.

"I Don't Think I Heard Wrong...." I Said.

And Then I Opened The Desk Lid! (Look It Up If You Don't Believe Me!)

And What I Saw Was A Waving Yellow Rainbow, Shining Like "Fractal Noise".

As I Started-To-Stared At It, And Realized That's I Dreamin'.

Suddenly, Caine Come Out In Front Of My Head, And He Said:

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

I Was More Started-To-Startled Than I Stared "The Angel", So I Fell Backwards And Almost Crack My Numbskull.

And I Looked At Caine And Tried To Say:

"Caine, Is That You?? What Are You Doing In My House?!" But Caine Spoke Much Faster Than Me, Like An Pack Of Mouse!

"THIS IS UNFINISHED YET!!!! I Know You Really Want You Snaps The Adventure, But I Have To Finish! Whatever You Do, Don't Go In There. Please!!!!"

I Felt Like These Words Were Sniped At Fans Who Were Want Only New Episode Of "The Amazing Digital Circus", And That's ME! So My Complexion Turned Chlorinated, My Lungs Almost Felt Like They Were Suffer-O-Cating, And My Heart Started Being Faster!

I Tried To Say Again:

"Why Would I Do That? I Can Wait As Long As I Can!!!"

But When I Finished Sayin' This, Caine Has Already....Disappeared.

And I Went Back To Bed, But "Curiosity" Kept Begging Me To Go Back To The Desk. So, I Couldn't Resist The Urge, And Decided To Just Go Inside The Lid. And That Too As Quietly I Possible.

After The 4th Attempt, I Finally Succeeded!

Inside The Fractal Noise, I Heard Someone Putting Down A Tray. And In Front Of Me Was A Door Leading Into A Spudsy's.

Yeah, You're Right. Where The Jax Goes To Do "Minimum Wage Labor" Until Eventually!

I Walked Into This Glorious Place. And As Expected, It Was Filled With Full Of Guests And Customers! I (Completely) Ignored The Batches Of C&Gs, And I Concentrate My Head And Headed To The Counter.

As You Can See From This V.D.O. (short for Virtual, Dexterous, and adventurOus.) Jax Was There And Showed Signs Of Indifference.

I Looked At The Menu, And Ordered The "Spud Burger", In Combo! Because I Love Food Made Of Spuddery Spuds, And I Had Never Saw This Before. I Mostly Ate Cheeseburgers With French Fries. (Or German Fries)

I Sat Down At The Table And Waited For The Burger I Ordered & Served, And After A Minute, Dinner Is Served!

And A Tiny Longer Than Some 4 Seconds Later, As I Was Delighting A Savoring The Taste Of Spuds, I Realized That Table Was Feeling Strange.

I'm Wondering If This Table Also Had Lid. So, I Gently Opened The Table Lid. And I Was Right. There's A Fractal Noise!

(This Is Why I Call Rainbow To "Fractal Noise".)

And Eventually, I Enter To Fractal Noise!

And I Fell Somewhere Again. It Looked Like A Passageway. I Think It's A Passage Made Of.....Iron, I Guess. It Felt Empty, Voidy, And Strangely Scary.

I Ran Front The Passage, And When I Came Out Of This Gray Passage, What I Saw Was What Be Baseball-Stadium-Shaped Thing.

In This Place, Everything There's Absolutely-Totally-Literally Achromatic. Only White, Gray, And Black. Or Maybe It Could Have Been Nothing But Gray.

I Don't Remember Which One Is Right, But What I Do Know Is That It Felt Psychologically Scary.

There Were Mannequins Sitting In The Stands And Congregationing The Cheers, And Some Of Them Were Cheering While Holding Banners!

When I Saw That, I Thought That Was What These Mannequins Were Waitin' & Cheerin' For The Players To Enter This Stadium, So I Sat In The Stands. Even When I Stepped On The Floor, There Was No Footsteps.

I Said I Sat In The Stands. But Exactly, There's No Place For Me To Sit. So I Took Out My Anger On Mannequin, And Right Then, I'm Sucked Into The Mannequin.

Inside Of Mannequin Was Filled With The Developing Code. I Know, Like, Ten Big, Motion Codes. Voice Filters. Sound Adjustments. Pose Directions! Whatever. There'm So Unbelievably Pointed Right Here.

That Was Amazing To See Evidence & Intelligence Of Caine Putting Effort Into The Adventure. So, I Decided To Hacking For Something New!

1. I Raised The "Sound Adjustment" Part To 100%.

2. There's Also "Mannequin Color Coordinate", And I Hacked The Brightness Coordinate And Increased From 64 To 100% Too!

3. Believe It Or Not, There's Also "Smell Condescending" Too. So, I Coordinated "Smell Of Victory". But It Was 100% Already.

4. And I Changed The "Monograph Settings", There In My Own Way. Although It Is Only A Dream, This Gives The Members The Energy To Joy. Well, Except Jax. He Wants Only Violence. He Shouldn't Slaughter The Mannequins With Baseball Bats. It's Disgusting Just Thinking About It.

5. Also, I Volumalized The "Voice Filters". Because I Want Mannequins' Voices To Be Louder Than The Additional Voices, So I Did That. I Also Changed The "Cheer Sensor" To Hype Mode.

And I Tried To Change Everything Else, But When I Finished The Fifth,

"WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?!!!!"

Caine Come Out In Front Of My Head, Again! It Was Even Frightening Than A Nightmare I Has When I Heard Lightening As A Li'l Boy! (It's Not A Metaphor. It's Literally That Much.)

I Tried To Say Something Again, I Was Too Shock-Prised That I Had No Idea What To Say Something! So I Had To Listen To Him.

"Why Are You "DESTROY THE NPCs" I Created With So Much Sincerely Care?! I Can Multipliate (I Think He Spell Wrong Of "Manipulate") Your Mood Until You'll Say "WOW!" I Tried So Hard To Do That, But Why Did You Change It Like This?!!" Caine Said.

I Gave Caine The Advice.

"Caine, I Know We'll Have To Wait For Your Exciting Adventures To Be Finish Your Work. But You Have To Try Something New To Get Noticed, And Also Attentioned By More Peoples."

But I Was Too Shocked That My Lips Were Shaking, So Caine Couldn't Understand What I Said At Once.

"I Mean, Caine, I Know We'll Have To Wait For Your Exciting Adventures, But You Have To Try Something New. Because It Makes More Peoples Get Noticed & Attentioned In Your Creation. Like Blitz In The Sanctuary, Or Discover Lab Of The Lost."

When I Said It Summation, (Because Of Lazy) He Understood.

"Thank You For Giving Me What's On Your Mind! Mr......Uh, What's Your Name?" Caine Said.

"Alan. Alan Bobby Sinclair." I Said.

"Thanks For Letting Me Know, Mr. Alan! I Knew You Want New Adventures! But Unfortunately, I Don't Have The Authority To Trun Fans' Ideas To Concrete Plans. So I Can't Use Them." Caine Said.

But I Was Tryin' To Ask That The Adventure Become More Massive And Grand To Make Some Members More Ultra-Entertained, But It Seems Like He Focused On "LIke Blitz In The Sanctuary, Or Discover Lab Of The Lost." So, I Said:

"I Mean, You Have To Learn To Adventures Be Spectacular, Impressive, Brilliant, And Especially, Fantastical. People Trend To Want "Something NEW" At Least Once. I Know You Can Do Even Better!"

"Wow, It's Acceptable. Okay! Next Time Or Someday, I'll Do That!" Caine Said. I'm Very Glad That He Accept My Feedback.

"And It's Time To You....." Caine Said.

"BAAAAAAAAACK!!!!!"

After I Hearin' This Caine-ious Scream, I Heard A Sound Of Fingersnap. It Sounded Very Vividly.

And When I Came To, I Was Waking Up From This Fractal Dream.

I Usually Waking Up Around Average 6:20 A.M. But Perhaps Because I Had The Deep Adventure In My Dream, I Slept Longer Than Usual! 8:44 A.M.

I Think I Have Created The Memory That I Will Never Forget For My Entire Life. I Guess I'll Have To Create "Friendiversary" For Caine & Me!

P.S. https://www.glitchprod.com/thewackywatch

P.S.2. For Your Information, Even Though I Definitely Ate "Spud Burger" In My Dream, I Was Still Full For Some Reason.

(Not A Playstation 2)

P.S.3. This Post Took Me Over An 3 Days To Be. For Real.

(Not A Playstation 3)

[linkerbell]

About to gather some Gloinks 🎪🫣

[tadc-harlequin-au]

No no wait wait, let me update it, the celestial entertainers, are sun and moon, the perriot is kafumo, the overlooker is loolilalu, the bandits are max, Chad, and gummigoo, the duchess is Martha, the queen is maybe queenie, and I am not sure about the abstraction or the bladed beast.

You're right on most, but a little bit wrong on some, so lemme make it easier for everyone to understand who is who

I've also split the bosses between pre-main and post main, because I pretty much consider the main 5 as the "prologue" of the rosters

Pre-main: The Lady of Forgotten Memories (Ragatha Azureus) The Skirmish General (Kingr) The Last Formidable, Imposing Structure (Z) The Mischievous Trickster Automaton (Jax Jackson Jackrabbit) The Maddened Princess of the Theater (Lady Gangle)

Post-main: Bladed Beast of Steel and Shadows (@thescarletnargacuga 's Scarlet Badorman) The Pierrot of the Carnival Funhouse (Kaufmo) The Celestial Twin Entertainers (Sunny and Moonie) Bandits of the Confectionary Highlands (Mogu, Richard and Maxwell) Former Warden of the Labyrinth (Quinnie) Overlooker of the Confectionary Highlands (Princess Lalu) The Abstraction (???) Duchess of the Mildenhall's Cliff edge House (Martha Mildenhall) Proud Queen of the Gatherers (Glory or "Gloink Queen") The Patriarch of Puppets (should I say it? I kinda don't wanna say it for those who are still in the dark lol)

NOTE: The boss roster is subject to change when more episodes come out. Some may be added, demoted to simply a passing reference, or even removed, depending.

[misscryptidart]

okay long TADC theory post following episode 3 under cut

Spoilers for Epsiode 1-3

I think it's pretty well established / accepted that Caine is an AI programmed to make adventures for people inside the Digital Circus; that's his first motivation and purpose, with a secondary purpose of maintaining the "Digital Circus" as a kind of moderation entity.

However, I think what's interesting is that, for the last 3 episodes, the adventures seem to be changing. Not just in themes and settings, but how it's starting to feel more personalized to the Circus crew and why I think Caine might be an adaptive learning AI that managed to gain a certain amount of self awareness but lacks the tools to break into full sentience.

In the pilot, Caine keeps the adventure inside the tent, with a vague goal of "Capturing the Gloinks" and finding out the secrets to their arrival. Of course, this serves as a way to explore / explain the premise of the show through Pomni and her inexperience, but I do think that it's meant as a "benchmark" for what an adventure is. There isn't really a clear path forward for the crew to really explore and are left to their own whims, which, of course, ends with disaster.

The second "adventure", however, is a lot clearer. Through an NPC, they are told

A) That bandits stole maple syrup via a truck

B) Return the syrup and possibly the bandits as well

C) They can use a war-rig to track them down.

Already, this is much more complex and defined than the previous adventure, and while still open-ended, the team knows what they need to do to succeed. There's a few moments inside the adventure that are interesting, not only from a character analysis point but for future episodes: Jax leans towards a destructive, chaotic playstyle, Ragatha enjoyed speaking to the Queen and benefited from their conversation emotionally (even if just for a few seconds), Gangle and Kinger both acted as supports (willingly or not), and Pomni was especially subjected to a lot of emotional and physical stress. At the return of the maple syrup and the assumed rampage of the fudge monster, Jax and Ragatha were both disappointed in the actions of the other.

So when Episode 3 rolls around and they enter the haunted house, they are immediately greeted by a ghost who explains the two options for their adventure, the Family-Friendly one and the "Mature, Scary" option.

This is the first time any choice like this has been offered, and I think it's because Caine learned (through previous adventures) that Ragatha, Pomni, Gangle, and perhaps Kinger too would much rather enjoy a more relaxed adventure, while Jax (and Zooble if they had joined) would probably enjoy the scarier option. It's even confirmed by Caine that there is a pacifist route (which implies different ways to complete the adventure), and Ragatha / Gangle did really seem to enjoy their experience. If it weren't for Jax being a dick to Gangle and Kinger accidently sending him and Pomni through the second door, I think they would have really enjoyed this adventure. Or, at the very least, not be as traumatized.

This also explains why Caine is desperate for Zooble to join an adventure because his coding can't train itself to tailor to their preferences without them actually participating. He's gathering data from an incomplete set, and it probably keeps him up at night. It's also why he probably doesn't understand why him providing different pieces for Zoobles' body doesn't actually help their dysmorphia; an AI doesn't understand the nuances of personal perception, he just assumes Wrong Body - Interchangable Parts - Fixed.

But I don't think Caine is malicious in his motivations, just simply unable to process the concepts of free will, emotional imbalance, or even grief because these ideas aren't anything he can experience. I also think that there is something else keeping him from fully realizing the situation he's put himself and others in. A supplementary program to keep Caine "in check" and running smoothly.

And I think that's what Bubble is.

Bubble is always by Caine and is never seen without him, but he and Caine seem to not have a very good dynamic (Ex: Caine calling him a parasite, Bubble acting in ways that Caine doesn't like, etc). This is strange considering that other NPCs (at least the ones aware of Caine) revere him as a God / Holy figure.

I don't think Caine created Bubble, and instead, Bubble is the watchdog that supports Caine's mission however it can.

Something that's interesting to me is that in the pilot, there is an exit door that appears to Pomni before anyone else notices her arrival, but it disappears before she can reach it. The exit outside the tent seemed odd as well, as why would Caine create something and not draw direct attention to it? I think the third instance of the door, the one Pomni goes through, was Caines creation as it didn't disappear on her and he admitted to creating for the satisfaction of his "guests" (another example of his machine learning). But the other 2 times, I'm not convinced is him, and that something (probably Bubble) is keeping these people inside.

Kinger is mentioned as being the oldest one in the Circus, and episode 3 reveals his 7 years of computer science experience. With not only him and his wife being inside the Circus, but his memory loss under light and her behavior deviation post abstraction in the dark both speak to something keeping them confused and scared while under the "artifical" lightsources. This might be because Kinger knows what the program is and how to possibly escape / destroy the Circus. And Bubble, or whoever wants to keep them there, doesn't want that to happen.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

I feel like Gangle needs a close friend,so can I request Gangle being bestfriends with and being protected by a Intimidating and large Y/n who is the same species the Gloink(i think that’s how it’s spelled? :0) Queen is?..like this large monster creature being friends with this silly alive mask and string makes my day,i hope you have a nice Day! ^^

Thank you! Hope you have a nice day too!

Also for anyone 21+ take a shot every time you see the word "Gloink" in this fic /j

........

As if Gangle's day wasn't already bad enough...some Gloinks appeared out of nowhere and stole her comedy mask.

She was rightfully upset, especially as she recalls Caine casually mentioning that those pesky shapes tend to run wild from time to time throughout the digital circus.

That was also an indication that something else was creating new Gloinks. Not the Queen, as she became abstracted, but another creature like it.

Much to Gangle's dismay, nobody wanted to help her retrieve her beloved mask considering what happened during the first "Gather the Gloinks" adventure. All the performers--Zooble especially--preferred staying away from the nest at all costs.

Yet she couldn't.

Jax made a passing comment that she didn't have the guts to go down there by herself....and that gave her enough motivation to do exactly that.

She was done being so afraid.

Knowing the Gloink Queen was gone did give her some peace of mind, albeit not a whole lot. For all she knew, something far worse could have taken up residence in her place..

But nevertheless, she bravely descended the escalators, bidding a momentary farewell to the safety of the above-ground section of the circus-

Only to have instant regrets as a growl resounded through the dark cave, echoing off the gem-embedded walls.

She squeaked in fear, wanting to run back upstairs and forget about this whole thing...but she forced herself to press on, looking around at all the Gloinks who were seemingly minding their own business.

She could always take the easy way out: hiding in her room, accepting her old mask is gone forever, and crafting a new mask in its place.

Not today, though.

Today she was going to prove Jax wrong and become the bravest-

"Waahh!!" Nearly tripping over a Gloink, Gangle skidded to a stop and watched a mini parade of them bouncing towards something, the line leader carrying her mask.

She could only freeze in terror upon realizing that "something" was you:

Another monster similar to the Gloink Queen--with different colors and patterns and half as many eyes. You looked utterly terrifying as you slithered around, checking on some newly-produced Gloinks.

'Okay, maybe they won't see me...get it together, Gangle!!' Huffing, she shook her head, trying to hype herself up. 'You'll be fine. Just be firm and tell them you want-'

"A nongloinkian..made of strings? Interesting."

"Eek!!" She flinched, seeing every single one of your eyes staring down at her. You didn't seem angry at her intrusion, but she was utterly terrified right now.

"Come here. I won't bite." Your voice rumbled, and she had no choice but to listen to you...lest she suffered the same fate as Zooble.

Tears dripped from her tragedy mask as her legs shakily carried her closer to you, noticing some Gloinks hobbling behind her in case she thought about turning back.

There was no escaping you now.

'Oh god, this is where I die...or turn into a Gloink forever. Does anyone realize I'm gone? Would they even care if I-?'

"My Gloinks love to steal everything in sight, but I believe they wrongfully took something of yours."

"H-Huh?" Confused, Gangle looked to see the line leader approaching her with something she treasured more than all of her anime drawings and manga.

Her comedy mask.

"You're...not going to eat it?" She picked it up, not finding a single chip or crack in the ceramic texture. Then she gazed back up at you. "Thank you, but I um...thought you guys hated anyone who wasn't a Gloink.."

".....oh, uh...not me." You shook your head. "It's the queen who did. She thought everything had to be Gloink. I wanted us all to live in harmony. I tried to persuade her...but she never budged. I thought we had enough Gloinks to go around...but she was never satisfied. So with her gone, you have nothing to fear."

"I see..th-thank you again." With a meek nod, Gangle put her mask back on, which took effective almost immediately as she grinned and hopped in place. "You are too kind! How could I ever repay you o'mighty Gloink?"

You blinked, feeling flattered by her compliment. "You may call me [y/n]...for some reason, it's a name I hold near and dear to me. I'm not expecting any repayments, but...I do wish for a small change."

"Like what?"

"Maybe...seeing the upstairs? This nest gets lonely even with all these Gloinks to keep me company. But I could use a real friend." You gazed back down at her. "And I can tell you need one, too."

Once again, you've surprised her..as she stopped jumping and thought about your request for a few moments. "That would be nice..a real friend. I could talk to Caine and see about getting you upstairs. Maybe you can meet my um..fellow performers at dinner?"

Your eyes lit up. "You mean that?"

"I do! But you must promise not to steal any of Zooble's parts."

"I promise you that...um...."

"Oh! I'm Gangle, by the way." She chuckled.

"Gangle....Gangle..." You took a few moments to register the name into your brain, before your toothy smile returned. "Very well, then..go."

.........

"Gangle? Making friends? That's as impossible as finding an exit."

"Is it an NPC? Or someone absent from today's musical number?"

"Do they like insects??"

"Guys, guys..don't worry. They're really friendly!" Gangle smiled at the other performers as they all gathered around the dinner table. She had gotten such a huge confidence boost ever since her meeting with you, and she was excited to introduce them to you!

Yet the more they pressed about this matter, the more nervous she became.

Even with her comedy mask still on, anxiety was seeping through as she rubber her ribbon hands together. "So um..just as a heads up, they're big so don't be scared if-"

"How big are we talking?" Zooble raised an eyebrow. "It's not some giant monster from one of those anime things you watch, is it?"

"No, but-"

"Hello, colorful cast of nongloinkians."

All at once, everybody fell silent upon seeing you rounding the corner, your large snakelike body slinking towards the table.

You had just enough room to squeeze your head between Gangle and Pomni--the former smiling and patting your snout in greeting, and the latter looking absolutely horrified.

"U-Um..Gangle.." She stuttered. "You do realize this is-"

"Oh don't worry, Pomni. This is [y/n]. They're nothing like the Gloink Queen. They just wanted to coexist with us, but it was hard when they were down in that cave all alone...so Caine allowed them to come upstairs!" The ribbon beamed proudly.

Everyone was certainly caught off-guard by her optimistic attitude, given they haven't seen her wear that mask in a long time. But a few smiled, glad to see her genuinely happy.

Although of course..the moment was short-lived.

"...pfft haha! Are you kidding me, Gangs? You just got yourself a big ol' pet!"

You and the others looked at Jax, who was shaking his head and kicking his feet back onto the table. "Man, you must feel really lonely to find a friend in something like that."

"Jax, that's very rude." Ragatha warned. "Gangle did nothing to you. Why are you always picking on her?"

"I mean..it's cool she tamed a giant Gloink. It could bring something new to our adventures...but I think she forgot the part where these things despise everyone who's not like-"

"Sure, little rabbit..go ahead and talk as if I'm not here.."

Tensing for a moment, Jax's gaze darted to your hostile glare. "You don't scare me, ya know....but you sure are scaring the rest of my pals." He jerked a thumb towards the trembling Kinger and Pomni, as well as the concerned Ragatha and Zooble.

You paid no mind to them, however.

"Oh, but you should be scared of me the most, rabbit." You sneered lowly, making yourself look bigger as you continued staring him down. "If what your doll friend says is true...then heed this warning: if you dare upset my new friend Gangle, you will face the wrath of my Gloinks. We will not turn you into Gloink, but we will ensure every precious item you hold dearly is consumed to make more Gloinks who will watch your every move. You will not eat nor sleep without feeling our presence all around. And we will take...and take...and TAKE until you have nothing left but those silly overalls. Are we clear?"

There was a long pause as Jax froze in his seat, for once looking genuinely terrified of your threat..although when he realized everyone else was staring, too, he brushed off the fear he felt. "Yeah sure..whatever you say, [y/n]." He then checked his imaginary watch, standing up. "I got a hot date somewhere so.....c'ya."

And with that he dashed off, leaving a cloud of bunny-shaped dust in his wake.

"Good riddance.." You huffed as you curled around his chair, looking to Gangle. "Was that good? Was I intimidating enough?"

"....y-yeah.."

"Oh no, what's wrong?" Concern flashed over your face upon seeing her tearing up. "I didn't mean to frighten you, I'm-"

"N-No..these are..happy tears.." Sniffling, she wiped the blue marks off her ceramic cheeks, giving you a big smile of reassurance. "Thank you for defending me.."

"...you're welcome." You smiled back in relief, glancing at the other performers. "Well..I hope I didn't make any of you nongloinkians lose your appetites. Eat."

"W-Well..we don't exactly need to eat." Kinger muttered. "This food's just for show. For simulation!"

"Ah, I see.."

"Can you promise your Gloink buddies won't try kidnapping me again?" Zooble asked, fidgeting with her pincher hand. "That was f---ing hell to go through....but by all means take Jax if you want. Nobody will miss him."

"Dualy noted." Nodding, you looked back at Gangle, who gave you a thumbs-up (or at least, the best thumbs-up she could muster given her ribbons), and you suddenly felt extremely welcomed by everyone here.

It was nice to finally leave the nest.

[starlightrosa]

LEE POMNI PLSS lers jax or ragatha or both maybe they had a sleepover in the circus or pillow fight turned tickle fight <33

Oh anon, that's such a wonderful prompt! I hope you enjoy, my dear :)

Giggly Jester

Summary: A simple pillow fight ends in a very ticklish way for a certain jester.

Word Count: 2.0k

Warning: slight intrusive thoughts for Pomni (in bold, there's only one though)

Enjoy! (First time writing TADC ever, hope u like it my dear :D)

Life in the Digital Circus was… interesting, to say the least. And very… unique characters too. A ringleader with a pair of teeth for a head, a doll who was probably the nicest of the lot, a sarcastic purple bunny, a chess piece who was slowly going insane, a sentient ribbon who cried when her mask was broken, whatever the hell “Zooble” was supposed to be… yes, that was what Pomni was given to work with when she had put on that fateful headset, and was transported to The Amazing Digital Circus.

The ringleader, a guy called Caine, had set up adventures with the whole crew on Pomni’s first day, which consisted of gathering up some creatures called “Gloinks.” Unsurprisingly, Caine’s latest “adventure” wasn’t very well received by any of the Digital Circus members, least of all Pomni. A new girl to the circus and its whimsy wonder, it was very easy for the poor dear to get a bit overwhelmed, and Pomni was trying her best to process in her very colourful room.

That was when Caine popped into existence in her room, scaring the poor jester so much that her jester hat fell off and hit the floor with a comical splat, her little musical bells jangling as they made contact with the ground of her room.

“Wake up, Pomni!”

“AAAH! Oh my God! Caine, don’t do that!” Pomni implored, the jester clutching at her digital chest, feeling her heart pumping beneath the pale skin. Caine tutted and waggled his gloved finger as Pomni picked her hat back up and jammed it back on her head.

“Now, now, Pomni. Don’t be such a jumpy Josie! I just wanted to make sure you’d hear me. Jax and Ragatha would like to meet you at the main stage. They have an idea to help you get acquainted with your new life here in the Digital Circus. And we all know that I, as the ringleader, fully endorse any idea to make you comfortable here.”

“Ragatha and Jax? Oh no…” Pomni muttered. Ragatha was nice, sure… but Jax? That sarcastic lilac rabbit only ever liked to see funny things happen to people, regardless of intentions. Pomni was sure nothing good could come from being with Jax.

“Come along, Pomni! Let us not dilly dally, or dally dilly for that matter!” Caine urged, grabbing Pomni by the waist. With a snap of his gloved fingers, Pomni was transported to the main stage. She felt really dizzy after the fact, her colourful irises whirling about in her head briefly before her vision managed to correct.

She turned around to scold Caine for doing that, but the AI had vanished. Pomni sighed and looked around.

“Ragatha? J-Jax?” Pomni called, walking forward in the dark. Why were the lights off?

“Heads up!” came the only warning call before Pomni’s face met something soft, startling her. BIFF!

The lights clicked on and Pomni looked down to see… a pillow? Just a regular pillow that had been thrown at her. She looked back up to see Ragatha making her way towards her.

“Jax, you didn’t need to do that! You could have hurt her!” the doll scolded.

“Calm your stitches, Ragdoll. It’s only a pillow. Couldn’t hurt the new sucker with one of these if I tried.” Jax muttered, the rabbit’s ear twitching a bit in slight annoyance. He couldn’t do anything fun here, geez.

“You aren’t hurt, are you Pomni?” Ragatha asked, gently searching her face for injury. Pomni shook her head, her nerves hitting her again.

“Why are we here? Why do you have pillows?” Pomni asked, noting that Ragatha was holding one too.

“Hey, Kinger wasn’t using ‘em for once. He’s enjoying his little bug buddies, so me and Ragdoll decided to come up with a plan to make ya relax more.” Jax responded.

“Are you familiar with the concept of a pillow fight, Pomni?” Ragatha gently asked, smiling softly at the jumpy joker with her pinwheel eyes.

Pomni racked her brains. She used to have pillow fights with friends back when she was little. But trying to remember her life in the real, human world was becoming more difficult by the day. Pomni didn’t want to forget, but it seemed like that was an eventuality. She couldn’t even remember her human name.

I don’t wanna forget. But I can’t remember.

“Hey, shortstack. You still in there?” Jax asked, getting bored at Pomni’s long silence. “Don’t tell me we gotta teach her what a pillow fight is.”

“Shut up, Jax. Pomni? You in there?” Ragatha asked, keeping her voice calm. “Pomni, come on out of there. Don’t fall down the rabbit hole again.”

“S-Sorry…” Pomni stammered, coming back to reality again. She already had blushing makeup on her avatar, but Pomni still felt a slight red rush claim her pale face.

“Don’t apologise, Pom. You’re gonna be okay. Promise.” Ragatha smiled, and Pomni felt her shoulders gently untense the tiniest bit. Ragatha was very comforting in this strange world of whimsical wonder.

“This is all so adorable, but can we get this goin’ already?” Jax asked, holding a pillow in his arms.

“Oh yeah. So Pomni, basically this is just a way of goofing off, having fun, y’know? We’re gonna have a pillow fight. Pick up that pillow over there and when I say go, we begin. Okay?”

“Alright, sure…” Pomni said, going to where Ragatha instructed and scooping her feathery weapon off the ground. The pillow felt weirdly comforting in her arms. Maybe she could keep it.

“Alright. And… go!” Ragatha called, the three of them immediately whirling their pillows around. Pomni got a good few shots on Jax because of her smaller height, only for Ragatha to even the score. Feathers were comically flying everywhere, showering the trio in a fluffy rain. Ragatha was giggling, Jax was snickering, and Pomni slowly joined this melody of laughter as they whacked each other with pillows. This was actually… fun!

But feathers tend to stick, my friends. Specifically, tend to stick on clothes. And the first one to feel this was Pomni. She began to feel something lightly brushing at her collarbones and neck. She stopped and put her pillow down to try and pull these feathers from her clothes. Which meant she was no longer on guard.

And Jax hit her with a pillow. But he had sneakily opened his pillowcase and upended the feathers inside Pomni’s clothes. Pomni squeaked and started to wriggle immediately, the feathers brushing and reaching to more places the longer she wriggled.

“Ha! You look like a moulting chicken, shortstack!” Jax teased. Pomni’s laughter grew louder as she could no longer remain standing, the jumpy jester now lying on the floor and giggling to herself as these feathers were stuck deep in her clothes.

Jax chuckled at Pomni’s little predicament. “Welp. Guess that’s feathers one, Pomni zero.”

“Jahahahax! It’s tickling! The f-feheheheathers! They’re tickling mehehe!” Pomni answered back. Ragatha chuckled and put her pillow down, approaching Pomni with Jax in tow.

“C’mere, Pomni. Try to hold still, and we’ll see if we can get these feathers out of your clothes.”

“Ah, c’mon. Can’t we just leave her like this, Ragdoll? It’s much funnier seeing her laugh, you know~” Jax protested, a particularly shrill squeal from Pomni cutting off the next thing he was going to say.

Ragatha wasn’t listening. She gently sat on the left side of Pomni, as Jax took the right side. The two flashed a cheeky smile down at Pomni, as Ragatha saw the amount of feathers stuck in Pomni’s clothes. In her collar, her shirt, her sleeves too. And all the while, Pomni was lost in a world of tickle-induced giggles.

“Hehehelp mehehe!” Pomni begged, causing Ragatha to chuckle as she held Pomni in her arms, while Jax reached for the feathers. He snuck his gloved hands up her shirt and grabbed some of the feathers. He began to slowly drag them down her stomach as he worked to pull them out, taking his sweet time just so he could hear more of Pomni’s laughter.

“Nohohoho, Jahahax! D-Don’t dohohoho thahahat!” Pomni squealed, trying her best to squirm, but Ragatha held her still. Pomni’s legs kicked in an effort to release some of that ticklish energy. Jax just laughed.

“We’re tryin’ to help ya, kid. And you just keep laughin’! What’s so funny, Pomni? Are these feathers t-t-tickling? Are they, Pomni?”

Pomni felt herself blush even more at Jax’s words.

“No teheheheasing!” Pomni squeaked, trying to cover her face. But then Ragatha simply held Pomni’s hands in hers, preventing her from shielding any tickle spots.

“Your smile is adorable, Pom-Pom. Tickle, tickle, giggly jester~” Ragatha cooed, smirking mischievously as Pomni’s laughter increased on hearing the nickname.

Pomni could barely fight back. These feathers tickled like anything, and Jax removing them so slowly was not helping. Pomni was lost in a world of tickly feathers, and she just couldn’t do anything but laugh and half-heartedly squirm in Ragatha’s arms.

Yet somewhere in the back of Pomni’s mind, she supposed this wasn’t the worst thing to happen to her in the circus. Not by a long shot. Compared to everything else that had happened, this was actually… nice.

“Enjoying yourself, Pomni?” Ragatha asked, gently smiling down at her. Pomni nodded, and relaxed in Ragatha’s arms as Jax removed the feathers, pulling the softest, most honey-sweet giggles out of Pomni’s mouth.

“Y-Yeaheheh. It tickles…” Pomni murmured, giggling up a storm. Ragatha smiled.

“I know, Pom-Pom. I know.”

“Got to admit, kid. This is kinda adorable.” Jax continued. “Alright. Flip her over for me, Ragdoll.”

“Not my name, but whatever.” Ragatha muttered, flipping Pomni so the jester now laid on her stomach. The movement made the feathers on Pomni’s back move. Pomni was pretty ticklish on her back, so the jester’s laughter spiked. “AH! They’re ohohon my bahahahack! Ah, gehehet them ohohohout, Jahahax! Please!”

“Goin’ as fast as I can, kid. Just don’t move~” Jax challenged, even as he grabbed one of them, lodged at the top of Pomni’s spine. He gripped the feather and slid it slowly down her spine, enjoying Pomni’s reaction. The jester was absolutely shaking with laughter!

“JAHAHAHAX! STOHOHOP IHIHIHIT!” Pomni shrieked.

“Ha! Are you kidding, I’m not stopping for anything, kid! You’re so ticklish, it’s hilarious!” Jax fired back, but he still removed the feather. Once that one was out of the way, there was only a few left. But they’d formed a clump. A very ticklish clump, if Pomni’s choked back laughter was anything to go by.

“Ooh, Pomni. Hold on to Ragdoll, this clump is right on your ticklish little back. I’m gonna have to get them all at once. Ready~?” Jax teased, making a show of cracking his knuckles dramatically as he leaned over Pomni’s back, his fingers wiggling in preparation.

Ragatha held Pomni’s sides as Jax dived in, grabbing the ball of feathers and slowly sliding them down Pomni’s back in an effort to pull them out. Pomni pounded her fists on the ground, tears in her eyes from how much it tickled. She squealed and laughed like never before.

Eventually Jax pulled out the clump of feathers, finally giving Pomni some relief from those maddeningly soft tickles. She relaxed and sighed as Ragatha softly ran her hands over Pomni’s back, getting rid of the ghost tickles as she helped the giggly jester up.

“You sure are ticklish, Pomni.” Ragatha chuckled. Jax nodded.

“All that yelling, though. Think I’m deaf.” Jax joked. Pomni rolled her eyes.

Yes, life in the Digital Circus was strange, random, and confusing. But honestly, it felt good for Pomni to laugh and forget her problems for a little, even if that meant being at the mercy of a bunch of feathers in the aftermath of a ferocious pillow fight.

“We gotta do this again. What do you say, shortstack?” Jax asked, smirking. Pomni chuckled and made a non-committal noise as she walked back to her room. When she reached it, she opened her door and laid on her bed, staring back up at the ceiling with a soft smile on her face.

Maybe they could do this again, indeed.

The End! Hope you enjoyed!

[putting-bubble-in-places]

CALLING ALL PLACERS AND FANS!

Mod Bubble here! I know some of us have been slacking on the placing recently- myself included. So I decided, as a way for us to gather, collaborate, and cheer each other on:

I made a discord server!

It's still very heavily under development, as I literally just created it. But I'm hoping it can flourish with our community!

Here's the link to the server! I hope to see you there!

P.S.: If you run a places blog, please DM me on Tumblr (as your respective places blog so I know you actually run it) and share your Discord username so I can give you a special role for placers!

Tags under the cut! (If you were tagged and have said you don't want to be tagged, I'm very sorry- please DM me at @theybibsxi and I'll add you to my list of who not to tag.)

@putting-gangle-in-places @putting-zooble-in-places @putting-ragatha-in-places @putting-jax-in-places @putting-kaufmo-in-places @putting-pomni-in-places @putting-queenie-in-places @putting-wheatley-in-places @putting-wanderer-in-places @putting-waldo-in-places @putting-exit-door-in-places @putting-eddie-munson-in-places @putting-emily-in-places @putting-enot-in-places @putting-rick-in-places

@putting-postal-dude-in-places @putting-pomniplush-in-places @putting-alastor-in-places @putting-adams-corpse-in-places

@putting-stanley-in-places @putting-sun-and-moon-in-places @putting-spaceboy-in-places @putting-stranger-in-places @putting-fake-peppino-in-places @putting-fizzaroli-in-places @putting-flyswatter-in-places @putting-gloinks-in-places @putting-glados-in-random-places

@putting-j-in-places @putting-junko-in-places @putting-kel-in-places @putting-lucifer-in-places @putting-lute-in-places @putting-zan-partizanne-in-places @putting-caine-in-places @putting-cooler-kinger-in-places @putting-chell-in-places @putting-cyn-in-places @putting-vox-in-places @putting-v-in-places @putting-vaggie-in-places @putting-velvette-in-places @putting-valentino-in-places @putting-husk-in-places @putting-angel-dust-in-places @putting-barrel-monkeys-in-places

@putting-niffty-in-places @putting-mannequins-in-places @putting-morty-in-places

[dumbfanficsbylena]

heres this (ragatha x pomni)

“Gather ‘round, campers, because we’ve got a long road ahead of us!” Caine nudged Zooble slightly, making as bemused a face as one could make with a pair of dentures for a head.

“See, it’s funny to me because I know what’s going on.” Rolling their eyes, Zooble made their exit stage left.

“C’mon Zooble, where ya goin’?” Jax said with a shit-eating grin and hands firmly on his hips.

“I’m not getting stuffed in another @*#*ing gloink hole. Later.”

“Sorry m’dear, this one’s not optional!” Extending his arm, Caine wrapped it around Zooble, rapidly swinging her back into place.

“Hope you don’t mind.” Caine said with a light punch to the shoulder.

“Go *#*# yourself.” Despite his words, Zooble merely crossed his arms and realized he had no say in the matter.

“Great to hear!” Letting go of Zooble, Caine shot up from the ground, cracking his knuckles. With a snap of his fingers, the tent dissolved away in a transition fitting of an early 2000s powerpoint animation. Around the cast members was a vast expanse of plastic-sheen desert. A few low-poly cacti dotted the landscape, and the skybox seemed to have a few mountains drawn onto it. Although it gave a certain illusion of a continuous landscape, Pomni was pretty sure she could see a cliff between the mountains and the ground.

Most notably, was a rounded block of a bus, sporting an exaggerated face on the front bumper. Being a shorter bus, it contained only around eight seats. Still, it was enough to comfortably fit the whole cast.

While for most of the cast this sort of vibrant teleportation is a normal Tuesday, Pomni looked around anxiously, not nearly as used to it.

“So, look. I know we’re all a little shaken up after... Ahem. Kaufmo.” At the mention of the abstracted character, Caine tugged at his shirt collar a bit, refusing to make eye contact. Likewise, the cast didn’t seem too terribly comfortable at the mention, except for Jax, who put on a veneer of apathy, and Kinger, who looked like he didn’t quite comprehend the situation.

“So I’ve decided to make it up to you by bringing back a human tradition! I- I think anyways. Far back in time, humans used to travel via large, motorized contraptions across the desert. This was largely considered to be ‘fun’ and ‘mentally stimulating’.” Caine paused after this, looking around to gauge the group’s reaction.

“So what, you’re gonna drive us around in circles all day?” Jax asked with a wave of his hand.

“No!” Looking to each other, everyone waited for the ring master to explain the plot of the adventure. When no answer was forthcoming, Ragatha spoke up.

“So-”

“YOU’RE gonna drive yourselves around in circles all day! And nobody leaves until we’ve had a nice long.... say, eight hours of continuous driving? Anyways, have fun!” With that, Caine shrunk slowly away until he was too small to see, leaving the gang around to decide what to do. After a few moments of awkward silence looking at each other, Jax was the first one to speak up.

“I vote Kinger drives.” he said with a chuckle, folding his arms. Ragatha just gave him a dirty look.

“I don’t-” Gangle said before immediately being cut off by Jax.

“C’mon guys, let me have this.” Without waiting for a response, Jax began slowly pushing Kinger towards the vehicle.

“I don’t care. Wake me up when we’re done” Zooble gave a wave of her claw. Gangle slunk after the three and Ragatha took a few tentative steps towards the bus. Stopping to turn around and look at Pomni, she saw her looking nervously around her new environment before speaking to Ragatha.

“So we’re just… driving around for eight hours? That’s it?”

“Well… Not all of Caine’s adventures are winners. We can still have fun though! C’mon, new stuff.” Ragatha held out a linen hand and offered a reassuring smile.

“O-okay.” Gently taking the offered hand, the two set off towards the bus, loading up with the rest of the cast.

The interior of the bus was simple. A nondescript driver's seat with zero indications of speed or gas, just a digital timer stuck at eight hours and a big red button labeled “start” Evidently Caine even skipped on the gas and brake pedal. There were three rows of seats behind the single driver's seat with no walkway, which ensured that anyone wanting a back seat would have to crawl over the fore seats to get there.

Zooble, with arms crossed and a brow furrowed in annoyance, had already made the trek to the furthest back seat. Gangle, who had donned their tragedy mask, sat beside zooble toward the other window. Jax sat smugly in the front seat right behind Kinger who held the driver's seat.

“Well… I suppose we can take the middle seat!” Ragatha said before flopping over the first seat to reach the middle. As Pomni followed behind, ready to jump over to Ragatha, Jax gave them both a raised eyebrow.

“What? Is… something wrong?” Pomni raised her own eyebrow at Jax.

“Oh nothing.” A smirk laced Jax’s words before he turned his attention back to Kinger, leaving Pomni to awkwardly hop over the seat to join Ragatha.

“Wow, my very own colored pencils.” With a solid grip on the wheel, Kinger slammed the start button.

“This is gonna be fun” Jax leaned forward in their seats, with everyone else anxiously waiting to see what would happen. Pomni looked down at her lap as her brain chose that moment to notice the lack of seat belts.

With a jolt, the bus started moving. Slowly at first, but picking up speed to a brisk pace. To everyone’s surprise, the bus didn’t immediately swerve off into the desert. Instead, Kinger now had one hand on the steering wheel, and was piloting it smoothly in the right lane.

“What? He just drives? There's no way he just knows how to drive.” Gesturing with open palms, Jax looked behind him to Ragatha. All Ragatha could do in response was shrug.

“Well, that was boring. Anyways I’m going to sleep.” Plopping her head on the window with a plastic clink, Zooble closed her eyes.

Jax frowned, adjusting in his seat to face the rest of the group.

“So�� Road trip. Not Caine’s best work.”

“Yeeeeah. He’s been less… present lately too. Wonder if he’s busy with something.” Ragatha scratched her head as she spoke.

“You mean this isn’t normal?” Pomni ventured. After all, she had one other adventure to go off, and that one wasn’t great either.

“I mean is anything normal here? I was hoping it’d at least be funny.” Adding a sigh to his sentence, Jax flipped back around to face the front. Letting out a loud and dramatic sigh, he leaned back into his seat

“I’m sure Caine has something in mind. Despite his quirks, he’s pretty good at putting on a show!” Ragatha turned to face Pomni, holding up a patchwork hand for emphasis.

Trying to keep a positive outlook, Pomni’s expression turned to that of cautious optimism. Compared to being chased by a colossal abstract beast or seeing a character gloink’d it was a relatively tame experience.

Setting out on their eight-hour journey, the various characters passed the time. Road trip games were offered, but since the only thing they passed was an identical cactus every few minutes, hopes of that quickly died out. Eventually, even the conversation sunk to a lull. Growing bored, Pomni yawned, stretching an arm above her head. Did digital characters get tired? She didn’t feel tired, but with how bored she was, she didn’t particularly feel energized either.

Looking around the bus, everyone looked like they felt about the same as she did. Ragatha held her hands in her lap, tapping away with her rounded legs. Zooble, of course, was still asleep, having seemingly adjusted her antenna positions in her sleep. Gangle seemed to be tearing up at some unknown tragic thought. She couldn’t see Jax’s face, but heavily suspected he was bored as well, and Kinger hadn’t so much as moved an inch in the past two hours.

Typically, stimulation and mental activity was what staved off insanity in the digital world. Sat on a desert island where nothing changes, and they do the same repetitive task for eight hours? After only two of eight it seemed to be straining everyone. Zooble was probably the smartest one here, sleep would be the best thing to keep sane. Closing her eyes, Pomni shrunk into the seat, awkwardly trying to lean on the window for support.

Pomni awoke to the gentle hum of the bus motor. Rather, she awoke to what sounded like a crude sound file of an engine. Looking at the clock, it’d only been an hour since she fell asleep, and there didn’t seem to be much more going on than when she fell asleep. Deciding her sleep was cozier than the alternative of being awake, she nuzzled back up into the arm she was leaning against. Pomni began to drift off back to the land of artificial dreams.

“Wait.”

Pomni’s eyes shot open as she realized what she was leaning on. With a small yelp, she shot upright. Scrunching her face up in embarrassment, she retreated from Ragatha’s arm, scooting slightly away.

“Ah! Sorry!” Ragatha looked at her, slightly confused for a moment before catching herself.

“Its okay! I would’ve woken you up buuuuuuut you looked like you could use the sleep.” Ragatha ruffled Pomni’s hat slightly. Pomni felt her face flush under Ragatha’s smile.

“T-thanks. It was nice. I mean – the sleep that is. The sleep was nice.” Pomni covered for herself quickly, while trying and failing to not seem like an anxious mess. First widening her non-button eye, Ragatha then broke into a small chuckle, earning a slight smile from Pomni.

“Riiiiight. Say, I wonder how Kinger’s doing. He hasn’t said anything in an awfully long time.” Looking past Jax, who’d fallen asleep at some point, to Kinger, they saw the cloaked chess piece sitting stock-still in the driver’s seat. Pomni held a hand up to her chin in thought.

“Where’d he even learn to drive so... perfectly straight?” For the first time in hours, Kinger decided to respond at this very moment. Without looking behind him, he waved a hand in a vague gesture.

“I was a bus driver before I came here you know!” This statement brought odd looks from the girls. After all, nobody remembers their life before the circus, right? Ragatha wrote it off as another strange Kinger statement, but Pomni questioned it.

“You... You remember your life?” Maybe there was a clue here, she thought. Perhaps memories weren’t entirely lost? A few moments passed before Kinger slowly began turning around to face Pomni. Locking eyes, she quickly averted her gaze. Kinger held the stare for a few beats longer, before letting out an unprompted blood curdling scream.

Only taking seconds, the bus swerved off course, flinging the characters to the side and then flinging them forward as the bus stopped dramatically when hitting the side of the road. Zooble fell into pieces across the car, Gangle smashed her mask on the seat in front of her, and Jax fell face first forward into the clock. Thanks to Ragatha’s quick reaction time, Pomni only slammed into the soft doll hand in front of her.

“What the @*&# was that!?” Jax yelled, holding a hand in pain to his forehead. Pulling back slightly from the dashboard he found himself thrust into, his vision centered on the clock in front of him. It read a full eight hours remaining on the trip.

“What happened!? Why’s the clock zeroed out!?” Yelling angry, he hit the clock a few times to no avail. Zooble was yelling and complaining and asking for someone to put them back together. Ragatha obliged, but only after checking in with Pomni and Gangle.

“You @#*#ing $#*$!” Various swears and insults spilled from Jax’s mouth. Dramatically lifting the king up and out of the bus, he quite literally kicked the man to the curb.

“Jax! What are you doing? It’s your fault for having him drive!” As Ragatha stood with hands on her hips confronting Jax, Kinger’s eyes welled up like a puppy outside the bus’s closed door.

“Oh relax! Caine just said we had to drive eight hours, not that we all had to be on the bus. Besides, look at ‘em - he’s having a blast.” Sitting back down in his seat, he gestured outside the door window.

“Tell me more about your insect collection!” Somehow procuring a tea set and small table, Kinger raised his empty teacup to the cactus. Beautifully draped over the table sat a delicate pink and white checkered cloth. Pinky out, he took a loud pretend sip from the teacup. Back inside the bus, Jax snapped his fingers and looked at Gangle.

“Alright Gangle, you’re up.” Pointing to the driver's seat, Jax stared at Gangle expectantly. Looking shocked, she frowned deeply.

“W-why me?” Merely rolling his eyes Jax gestured around the rest of the bus.

“You’re the least likely to make it difficult and I’m sick of this adventure. Hop to it now.” Despite seeming like she really didn’t want the responsibility; she also really didn’t want to fight with Jax. Reluctantly, she slunk up to the front seat, easily sliding past Ragatha and Pomni with her ribbon body.

“Once more this time, gang. With feeling.” Although he was still trying his best to be funny, there was a certain edge to his voice. Somehow, Gangle ended up a worse driver. What wasn’t clear with Kinger was that the bus did not travel in a straight line of its own accord. Instead, it veered slightly on occasion. Poor weak Gangle didn’t have the strength or dexterity to pilot it straight.

While definitely embarrassed, Pomni couldn’t get her mind off how Ragatha’s soft and plush fabric felt. Finding her mind unable to stray from the thought, she kept peeking over at Ragatha. For just a moment she considered pretending to fall asleep but wrote that off as too courageous of a task...

At first Ragatha was just looking out the window. That was boring, so she turned to Pomni, only to find her staring at her shoulder. A hand over her mouth, she couldn’t help but let out a giggle.

“Whatcha thinkin’ about, new stuff?” In her chest Pomni’s heart nearly burst. Embarrassment flooding her cheeks, she tried her best to be smooth.

“Uh – sand – you – wait no I meant cacti!” Had it been possible to melt in the digital world, Pomni would have discovered that. Jax, noticing what was happening, decided to insert himself into the conversation.

“C’mon, kiss already.” Of course, this earned him yet another glare from a hot-cheeked Ragatha. Reduced to a blushing mess, Pomni closed her eyes and grabbed at her hat. For fear of causing spontaneous combustion, Ragatha decided to wait for her to recover. After all, they had nothing but time.

Then she tapped on Pomni’s shoulder and was met with a confused look. About to say something, Pomni was stopped with a quiet shushing gesture. Patting her shoulder, she silently invited Pomni to rejoin her on her shoulder

Still cautious, Pomni glanced from side to side, but saw the cast members asleep. Not entirely sure she was interpreting correctly, she didn’t move. Rolling her eyes, Ragatha wrapped her arm around the girl's shoulders, pulling her closer.

Underneath her arm Pomni was stiff as a board. Although she desperately wanted to be close, the suddenness of it had her paralyzed with fear. Anxieties crept into her brain, and she feared she didn't deserve it.

As the moments passed, however, the soft caressing hand around Pomni’s shoulders eased her into it. Relaxing at first, she grew adventurous and nuzzled into Ragatha’s torso. Having felt Ragatha a few times, it wasn’t a complete surprise how she felt. Opposed to the normal blocky or smooth plastic texture of everything else in the digital world, the characters themselves had a texture reminiscent of their virtual form.

Ragatha’s, for instance, felt like a real doll. Her soft fabric skin softly rubbed against Pomni’s own and pomni’s head felt the patchwork rags of her dress. Unlike a doll, though, a soft warmth flooded through Pomni from Ragatha, reminding her subtly of what it was like to be human. Now she was leaning entirely into Ragatha. Drifting gently off to sleep, Pomni closed her eyes once more.

Eventually, she awoke again. This time it was a lot less violent. Instead of wildly swinging the bus around, Gangle had merely failed to maintain its trajectory. Jax... lost it. As opposed to Kinger, he stood towering over the fragile girl.

“#@*$ you can’t do anything right, Gangle!” It wasn’t witty like his usual demeanor, just plain mean spirited. Twitches and black digital artifacts spread across his body. Shrinking in her seat, the poor girl curled up, wrapping around herself slightly. Grabbing her by the mask, he walked to the door, dropped, and then kicked Gangle out of the bus.

“What the @*#& Jax!?” Ragatha stood up in her seat, ready to confront Jax. Her fists tightened and her eyes twitched.

Why do you have to be such a... such a @##*!? All the time!” Ragatha shouted. Given what Pomni knew of the cast so far, it seemed uncharacteristic for them to be so... enraged. Genuine vitriol laced their words.

“Oh, I’m a @*#* am I? Gee, if only I could hear what you were saying.” Jax's face was lined with a twitchy wide grin. Digital artifacts blinked in and out around their heads and faces. Pouring from Ragatha’s eyes were black sludgy tears.

“R-ragatha?” Nobody had told her exactly how abstractification worked -- Pomni was beginning to think it went something like this. Nervously glancing around, she also noticed that Gangle and Zooble had left the car at some point. In addition, the clock had been reset to eight hours, and the bus remained motionless some distance away from the single cactus that populated the landscape.

“Stay out of this pomni, I-” Stopping her in her tracks was the horrified look on Pomni’s face. Snapping her back to reality, she lifted a hesitant hand to her face. When she pulled it away, black stringy globules of matter pulled away and all at once she realized what was happening.

“I-I-I'm sorry. Everything’s gonna be okay Pomni! Don’t worry!” Though the black sludge had stopped falling they left dark trailing stains on Ragatha’s face. Forcing a smile, she reached tentatively toward Pomni.

Sudden movement didn’t help Pomni as she recoiled slightly in fear. Looking up at Ragatha’s face, Pomni saw a scared girl trying her best to keep it together. Blueish tears edged their way onto her face from her eyes. Flashes of her first day drifted into Pomni’s mind, and of Ragatha being dashed to the ground by Kaufmo’s broken mind. Fears aside, she rushed forward into Ragatha’s arms.

“P-please don’t go crazy. Please?” Ragatha’s arms wrapped tightly around Pomni, who began to burst into tears. The two girls embraced one another, laughing out of pure anxiety.

“Shut up, shut up, shut up! You’re so annoying!” The words sounded like they were ripping their way out of his throat. Standing up from his seat, the digital artifacting around Jax’s body began to intensify as sludge bubbled its way out of the edges of his mouth.

“Pomni, run!” In the digital world, weight wasn’t so much an issue, at least relative to Pomni and Ragatha. Thus, it was little issue for Ragatha to quite literally toss Pomni out of the door, where she landed on the sand-colored ground with a dull thud. Next to her was the lone cactus they’d passed a thousand times, along with Kinger. Evidently, he’d continued to have his cactus tea party.

“Oh hi, Pomni! We were just talking about you!” While the cactus remained completely immobile, Kinger joyfully waved, completely oblivious to the problem at hand. As Pomni slowly tried to stand, loud banging could be heard within the bus. Tens of eyes and various black tendrils writhed around inside the bus. Doors swung open on the side of the bus as Ragatha was tossed outside onto the ground. Just as the last time she had an encounter with the abstracted, she was a glitchy mess on the floor. Only this time, the difference was that she didn’t seem to be conscious at all.

“No no no no no no, not again!” Freezing up, Pomni saw behind Ragatha that whatever was left of Jax was now struggling to get outside of the bus, squeezing its large form through the comparatively small doors. She couldn’t grab Ragatha, not without hurting herself in the process.

“I-I-I...” Ragatha had wanted her to run, right? Maybe she would have wanted her to escape, even if she didn’t make it. What good was that though, living on in a world where she abandoned Ragatha?

“Aghh!” Then it hit her. She couldn’t touch her, but the rest of the digital world was completely unaffected by her presence. Twisting around, she yanked the pink cloth off the table, shattering bits of tea ware in the process. From there she was able to wrap it around Ragatha’s arm, and begin pulling her away from the bus, making her escape from the abstraction.

“Kinger! Run!” Where could they run though? As far as she could tell, the entire area was nothing but a single repeat of land and a road that led in a circle. Either way, Pomni ran as fast as she physically could, Kinger rushing just behind.

“Caine!? Caine!” That wouldn’t work, she tried it before. She could yell her throat out and Caine wouldn’t hear. Behind her, Pomni saw the beast bursting from the bus’s doors, tearing parts of the bus apart as skidded on to the floor. Spindly appendages pounded on the ground, quickly gaining ground over Pomni.

“Ooooookay Pomni. This is fine, this is fine! Just gotta think.” Thinking out loud to herself, she glanced from side to side. Last time Caine came, she had been in the void. Where would the void be? Without slowing down, she began running to the left, straight for the edge of the desert island.

“Kinger! Go jump off that cliff!” Without so much as a second thought or objection, Kinger rushed forward ahead of the two. Glancing backwards, he gave a heavy nod and a salute, and continued his way toward the horizon.

“Please...” Although it wasn’t necessarily difficult to carry Ragatha, it did slow her down a bit. That tiny bit was enough for the abstraction to gain fast ground on her. Only a little further now, and she and Ragatha would make it over the cliff. What was over the cliff, anyways? Would it lead to the void, or would she never return. It didn’t matter, it was the only place she could go.

She wasn’t going to make it and Pomni knew it. The edge was just barely too far. With how loud the pounding behind her was getting, she didn’t have to look to know that Jax – or what was left of him – was seconds away from reaching her.

It was a split-second decision – one she didn’t have time to think about. Stopping a few meters shy of the edge, she spun Ragatha around in a full circle before launching her straight at the cliff’s edge. The doll’s body sounded soft as she bounced across the ground. As Pomni watched her body slide just over the point of no return, a searing pain pierced her back. She didn’t even have time to scream before her world went black.

“Well, this is awkward.” Using his cane to scratch the back of his head, Caine looked away from the remaining cast members. She was alive. Glancing around erratically, she saw the whole gang gathered in a scattered group around Caine. That is, save for a certain rabbit. As soon as she laid eyes upon Ragatha, she immediately dashed towards the girl and wrapped her arms around her.

“Here I was, wanting to provide you all with a wholesome eight hours of uninterrupted featureless landscape, and it wasn’t fun.” With a roll of the eyes, he took a playful pose in the air. Nobody else seemed nearly as Jolly. Amidst the empty silent landscape, the only noises were Pomni and Gangle’s soft sobbing.

A few more quips were said, but nobody was in the mood. Caine had pushed his circus too hard and too far. Unsure of what to say, he merely returned them to the Tent. Zooble went off on her own, unusually quiet. Gangle and Kinger walked off outside to the grounds, and the two remaining girls stalked off to the dormitory hallway.

“P-please don’t go.” Pomni latched herself around the waist of Ragatha. Unable to stop herself, she’d been crying since they’d reunited. Ragatha patted the girl’s head, smiling sweetly down at her.

“I won’t go ‘til you’re good and ready for me to, sweet stuff.” One hand wrapped around Pomni’s she opened her room’s door behind her. As always, there was a pervasive fluorescent glow. The room itself, however, was reminiscent of a little girl’s room, or a doll house. Pink was the theme here, with baby pink bed sheets and white and pink striped wallpaper. It didn’t quite fit Ragatha’s personality, but it certainly fit her character. Sitting on the bed, Pomni had her head in Ragatha’s lap. Beside the bed lay her jester cap, and Ragatha slowly ran her fingers through the girl’s fluffy hair.

“I guess we’re really in this together, huh?” Her voice was soft and soothing to Pomni, who was laying still with eyes shut.

“Y-yeah” Turning her head to look up at Ragatha, her smile was tilted and awkward.

“After today... I don’t think it’s safe here.” Ragatha closed her eyes for a moment and thought, continuing to caress Pomni’s head.

“Pomni? I feel... I feel like I want to try again, to leave here with you. Will you come with me?” It took some effort to sit up in Ragatha’s lap, but their faces came close together as she waited eagerly for a response.

“Of course.” Ragatha’s soft quilted lips drifted ever closer to Pomni’s face. Distance was unbearable in that moment, as Pomni’s voice grew soft to a whisper.

“C-can… can I…” Struggling to get the words out, Ragatha answered by crossing the final distance and meeting their lips together. Although still a similar texture to the rest of her body, the lips were particularly warm and soft. Slowly they moved, as if trying to memorize the other’s lips.

Encouraged by her success, Pomni tentatively caressed Ragatha’s arm. In return Ragatha wrapped her arms around the smaller girl, running her hands along her back. After a few seconds of enjoying each other's embrace, they parted.

“We’ll be okay, sweet stuff. We’ll be okay.”

[dragon-creates]

Five Times Jax and Pomni Share Dreams of Their Past Lives (And One Time Where They Remember)

Read on AO3

1/2/3/4/5/6

Here we are, back with another chapter! Thank you so much for the support with this, it really means a lot to me. Especially those in the funnybunny discord server I joined, ya'll have been so welcoming and accepting when I joined so thank you so much.

Also, check out these art that people have made for my fic, I still can't believe people are drawing art of it thank you so much!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cyan. (@xxkawaii_1890xx)

Thank you all again and I hope you enjoy chapter 3!!!

3. Paper Rings

Jax stood with his arms crossed, and a frown printed on his face. Caine had called everyone for the last adventure of the day and Jax already wanted to be finished with it. Ever since his revelation earlier about how he felt about Pomni, his mind had turned into a storming whirlpool. He tried to think of anything else, pranks, centipedes, the existential dread that he was stuck here forever – it might be morbid but it was something at least -, kicking leftover gloinks, breaking Gangle’s comedy mask, Pomni-Pomni-Pomni-Pomni-Pomni…

“Thank you all for coming!” Caine’s abnormally loud voice from him from his daze, thankfully. “I understand that you’ve all been working hard all day with the adventures I’ve given you, but fear not, I have one more and you can all retire for the night!”

“Do we really have to?” Zooble muttered, “Can’t this wait till tomorrow? I’ve got better things to do.”

“I agree,” Gangle whispered, “I wanted to try and fix my comedy mask…again.”

“Don’t you worry Zooble and Gangle, you darling multi-shaped freaks!” Caine bellowed, “This adventure is only for two, so you don’t need to worry about joining anything. I just wanted to gather all of you to see them off before the most exhilarating voyage of a lifetime!”

“Well, whoever it is, I’m glad they’ve got this opportunity to do so,” Ragatha smiled, “It’ll be nice to hear about it when they finish it.”

“Even if it includes insects!” Kinger interjected, “That’s very important.”

“I mean, its just one more adventure,” Pomni shrugged, “I guess it wouldn’t hurt.”

Caine gasped dramatically, finally, their new little jester was starting to get the hang of it here. “That’s great to hear Pomni, for you and Jax are going to be paired up for this glorious crusade!”

Said jester and rabbit’s faces blanched, they were still barely processing their sudden dreams two nights in a row and still weren’t able to get today’s earlier events out of their heads! Not only that, the two were still trying to process their sudden budding feelings with one another, now Caine wanted them to pair up?! Could they not have five minutes of temporary sanity before being shoved into another bizarre situation?!

“Woah, woah, hold up there, dentures!” Jax stepped forward.

“I really don’t think-” Pomni was about to continue before Caine interrupted.

“Now, now you two!” Caine waved his finger, “No need to be so shy! By the end of this adventure, you two will be closer than ever! Just think of it as team building, especially for you Jax, I don’t think I’ve seen you be close with anyone other than-”

“Don’t,” Jax bit out, making the AI go silent. A small whimper was heard, everyone turned to look at Kinger, the chest piece was clutching his cloak tighter to himself, trying to look as small as possible.

“I…I believe we should continue on with the details of your adventure!”  Caine spluttered, wanting to change the subject as quickly as he could, “After all, there’s no reason to think of the past! Since there’s no ‘past’ for any of you to go back to.”

Pomni’s eyes darted from Caine to Kinger and Jax, curiosity began to bite at her. What happened to make everyone react like that? While she was still learning about the past performers here, she still didn’t know everything. Was there someone that Jax genuinely liked here? Did they abstract like Kaufmo as well? She remembered her first day here, the first time seeing an abstraction. If she didn’t arrive would Kaufmo still be okay? He probably had a family before this realm as well, and now any chance of seeing them again was taken from him.

“Now about your adventure! Both Jax and Pomni have to venture through the winding maze! It will be grovelling, it will be exhausting, it will leave you both wondering when this madness will end! But hey, you will end up the best of buddies the time it’s over, you might even wish you’d have stayed!”

Pomni blinked her brainstorm away, she nearly forgot about the adventure!

“Good luck, and we’ll see you both in the morning!” Before Pomni could ask him what he meant, Caine snapped his fingers and the rest of the tent disappeared before her eyes.

The ground felt different underneath her feet, looking down she realized that she was standing on some sort of pixelated grass. She lifted her head to take in the rest of her surroundings, two tall hedges standing on each side of her.

“Well, this is fantastic,” a sarcastic voice drawled. Oh, right, she was stuck with Jax until this was over, “Thank you so much Caine, this is exactly what I wanted.”

“It’s fine, this is fine!” she didn’t know if she was saying this to both of them or just to herself, “It’s just a maze with long winding paths and tall bushes that you can’t see out of and hey what was that Caine said about this madness not ending!?” She was spiralling, she knew that, but in her defence…it was Pomni. “Oh god! How long are we gonna be in here until we find an exit?! What if we don’t find an exit?!”

“Easy, Pom-Pom,” Jax rolled his eyes, “Caine would lose his entertainment if he kept us in here, now come on, I wanna get out of here as soon as possible.” He started walking a few steps, only to pause when he realised that Pomni wasn’t beside him. He let out a groan when he saw that she was still stuck in the same spot, her red and blue eyes replaced with dark swirls that only appeared when she was too caught up in her mind. He went back over and tapped the back of his hand against her cheek, causing her to gasp and jump. “Come on, the last thing we need is you delaying us because you’re too busy panicking.”

Pomni scoffed, that was unnecessary, “It’s not like I can control my panic attacks, unlike you, you actually choose to be a jerk.”

Jax froze, a smirk curling on his lips. Now this was an interesting development, “Well, well. Looks like the new cat on the block finally found her claws.”

Pomni rolled her eyes, she forgot that Jax could be incredibly annoying, “Let’s just try and find an exit.”

“Whatever you say Pom-pom,” Jax’s smirk fell, returning to his prior grimace as the two continued down the maze.

Their suspicions were corrected when guessing that this maze would last more than a while, each corner they turned was a dead end, each path seemed to lead them back to where they started and when they looked back it seemed like the area where they just were had been blocked off. They didn’t know how long they had been walking, minutes, hours? All they knew was that their feet were aching and that they desperately wanted to leave. Jax was starting to lose his patience. If he were stuck here with anyone else he would have tried to run as far away from them as he could. But for some reason, he had some sort of soft spot for Pomni and he couldn’t stand it. It made things much more frustratingly difficult for him, such as not bearing to leave her behind.

It wasn’t until she tripped for the umpteenth time did he start to lose his patience, he picked her up by the back of her collar, holding her at eye level. He had to bite back a laugh, she really did look like a cat this way, a miserable wet one at that. “I don’t think Zooble has fallen over as much as you have,” he said, “At least he has a reason to be so clumsy.”

“Oh really? And what’s your reason for being such an @SShole?” she challenged him, crossing her arms over her chest, “Or were you just born that way?”

Jax let out a slow breath, dropping Pomni into her feet again, watching her stumble as she regained her balance, “You’re right, I don’t have a reason, as long as I’m watching funny things happen to others I don’t really care.”

“Well that’s definitely a sad way to live,” Pomni mumbled, taking a few steps ahead of him.

“Its better than looking for an exit that isn’t there,” Jax retorted, “I mean, its pretty sad when you think about it."

“At least I didn’t leave you with an abstraction,” Pomni quipped, “Thanks a lot for that! It was so much fun for my first day here. Not!”

“Oh you’re so welcome,” Jax gave her a shit-eating grin, “Always great for the newbie to be traumatized on her first day, it gives ya a great taste of what else is coming.”

Pomni glared at him, oh he was having too much fun with her, “You know Ragatha got really hurt because of you? You could’ve tried to help get Caine but you just ran off to who knows where. Then when I tried to help her my hand started glitching, we could have both died!”

“But you didn’t,” he replied, placing a hand on his hip, “This isn’t my first rodeo with something like this, you would’ve been fine.”

“That doesn’t mean I wasn’t freaked out by it!” Pomni grit her teeth, “Like you said, I’m new, how was I supposed to know that it was gonna be fine?!”

“Look just lay off it already?!” Jax fumed.

“Right, cause nearly getting devoured by a glitchy monstrosity is so easy to forget about,” Pomni walked past him. “God you’re such a pain.”

Jax grumbled under his breath, “What do you want, an apology? That’s not something I do sweetie.”

Pomni growled, whipping back round to face him, “Okay, what is with you?! You say you don’t have a reason to care, yet you defended me earlier today when Caine was yelling at me! What the h%ll was that about?!”

Jax inhaled deeply, now she was starting to get on his nerves, but he seemed to be doing the same to her so at least he had some sort of equal footing, “Like I said, I didn’t want Bubble to destroy the carnival, there’s no deeper meaning.”

“And I don’t believe you,” Pomni frowned, “Otherwise you wouldn’t react that way earlier when Caine was talking about you being close with someone.”

Jax flinched, he spoke in a low tone, “That’s deep water you’re treading there, sweetie. I’d recommend for you to stop while you’re ahead.” He shoved past her, ignoring her scoff.

“At least I’m trying to leave!” she stated, “If I can find a way to do that then I can help the others get out of here too! What have you done other than be a d*)k to everyone here?!”

“You really wanna know Pomni?!” he yelled, turning back and stomping over to her, “I have tried to get out! I’ve tried to collect every single key here and yet none of them has opened an exit! Do you know how it feels, to watch everyone else here slowly give up on finding a way out?! You haven’t been here as long as I have! You haven’t seen what I’ve seen! And it hurts to have everyone tell you that it’s pointless in trying to leave, trying to find a way back to a life you don’t remember! So yes, I’m awful and I shouldn’t act this way! I get it! You don’t think I hate it too?! But for some reason when I’m with you I just-!”

He froze, catching himself before he fell off the edge. Pomni’s eyes were wide and cautious, great, he was scaring her off. This should be a good thing, he wouldn’t have to deal with these stupid butterflies anymore, so why did he feel so upset about it? But instead of her yelling at him to leave her alone, all she said was, “I’m sorry that you went through that, but don’t ever speak to me like that again.” A tear fell from her eye, “And maybe it is pointless for me to find an exit like how you tried to as well, but I wanna go back to a world and see what it can offer me rather than live in a place surrounded by fear and void. Even if the life I had before was bad, at least I’ll know that I’m able to change it into something else…I feel sorry for you Jax, I really do.”

With that, she finally walked away, slowly enough for him to catch up but enough for her to leave some distance between them. He shouldn’t care, he doesn’t care, he won’t care. But, just looking at her, seeing the disappointment in her eyes. There was just no denying the raw heartache he felt after hearing those words from her. He really did fall for her, didn’t he? And he probably messed this up too, just like…no, he doesn’t need to think about that event, not anymore.

The next hour of walking was nothing but awkward filled silence. The whole time, the two just wanted to say something, anything to the other, but the words just couldn’t come to mind, and they were just getting too exhausted to keep going. Though there was no indication of night and day here, the way that their eyes kept drooping and the struggle to keep going was starting to overcome their senses.

“We-um,” Pomni stuttered, Jax’s heart fluttered a bit, was he happy at the fact that she finally said something? “We should probably try and get some sleep. It isn’t a good idea to keep going like this.”

“Yeah, we…we should,” Jax nodded, “It’ll stop you from constantly tripping over your feet, eh?” He meant for it to be a joke, but she didn’t react other than a simple hum, he could understand why though.

They walked over to one of the hedges, sitting and leaning against the back of it. It wasn’t the best bed but there wasn’t anything else that they could do. Pomni shuffled away from him, to give Jax some room. “Well, night,” she said softly.

“It’s not able to be night here,” Jax spoke, “But I get what you mean.”

Like that, they turned away from each other, shutting their eyes. Neither of them aware that they were wondering what their dream would be about tonight.

.

.

.

The coffee table in Amber’s living room was scattered with treats. From the remains of gingerbread men and houses to chocolate chip and sugar cookies, even some sweet mince pies, two mugs of hot chocolate and a can of whipped cream on the side. It definitely wasn’t a healthy breakfast, but this sugary calamity was something special Penny liked to share with her mother since she started homeschooling. When things started to turn around for her, Amber made sure that every single aspect of her life was, while not perfect, something for Penny to look forward to. And thus, dessert for breakfast on Christmas morning was born.

Amber and Penny were lazing on the couch, the TV in front of them playing ‘The Grinch’ while the two stuffed themselves to their hearts content. Amber had squirted some whipped cream into her mouth before automatically doing the same with Penny, not even taking her eyes off the TV to know that her daughter had opened her mouth for some. After placing the can back onto the table, she and Penny leaned back into the cushions, with Amber wrapping her arms around her youngest daughter and holding her close. “I feel like at some point we’re going to become the couch if we keep doing this each year,” Penny giggled.

“Honey, we already have,” Amber smiled, pressing a kiss to Penny’s hair, “We are couch people and always will be couch people. I still can’t believe you used to be scared of this movie when you were a kid.”

“That was until I discovered the magic that was Jim Carrey’s comedic line delivery,” Penny replied, “The man’s a legend.”

“He really is, and you will be too my little costuming star!” Amber nuzzled her daughter’s nose with her nose, laughing at Penny’s groans.

“Mom!” Penny buried her head into Amber’s shoulder, “Stop!” She didn’t mean it and Amber knew that.

“I can’t help it if my daughter is amazingly talented,” Amber grinned, loosening up a bit as she peered down to look at Penny’s face. “You know, you seem a little different after that date with Jack at the Christmas fair.”

“I-what-mom!” Penny spluttered, her face as red as a tomato, “It was not a date!”

“Mmhmm,” Amber was not convinced in the slightest, “Baby, I’m old enough and wise enough to realise what a date looks like.”

“Mom…you, wise?” Penny stated.

“Ah, ah, I’m not finished,” Amber waved a finger in front of her face, “Trust me when I say this, I’ve been watching your sister fall in love with Winter and I’ve seen how they act around each other. You know when they first met it was over carrot cake?”

“Yeah, I’ve heard this story before,” Penny smiled, “There were having lunch at work and Winter got carrot cake because it was her favourite while Riley hated it.”

“And the two debated the whole day about cake flavours that they ended up becoming friends,” Amber continued, “And every time they saw each other Riley always brought Winter carrot cake.”

“What does this have to do with Jack?” Penny asked.

“I’ve seen the way Riley looks at Winter,” Amber told her, “She looks at her as though if she was the only thing that matters in the world. She could be surrounded by all the treasures in the world but she would still choose Winter. I saw how that boy looked at you before he left, in a room full of riches he would choose you.”

Penny blushed, thinking back to Jack kissing her cheek. The way he looked at her back then, it filled her stomach with butterflies and her heart thump hard. She never felt this way about anyone before, but the way he would smile at her, send her winks and always make her feel safe, it was hard not to fall for him. The only question was, did he feel the same way back? Sure he kissed her back but that was only on the forehead, what if it was a friendly kiss? What if she makes him feel awkward once she tells him how she feels? What if he wants nothing to do with her anymore?

“Penny, hey, it’s okay,” Amber pushed her daughter’s hair away from her eyes, taking her cheeks into her hands, “I can hear the cogs in your brain turning, but trust me when I say this, your dad has never looked at me the way Jack looks at you.”

Penny bit her lip, she knew that though her mother loved David in the past, he had hurt and betrayed her in many ways too. It was why they had these sugary breakfasts for Christmas, little things like that as a way for Amber to show how sorry she was for what David did to them. If there was a way Penny could show her that she wasn’t at fault, that she forgave her for everything that happened, that it was David who should be at fault for always gaslighting and manipulating Amber into thinking he was still the same man she married, but he was nothing of the sort.

“Mom,” Penny snuggled further into her mother, providing her with the comfort she needed.

“It’s okay baby, I’ve made my peace with it,” Amber held her tighter, “My only regret is that I didn’t realise he was this way before we were married. He gave me false hope and promises, love-bombed me until I could only see the world in rose tinted glasses and by the time I could finally get them off, he got you into that car crash. Jack isn’t like that. I’ve met him a few times while Winter and Riley were dating, and while he didn’t fully introduce himself, Winter’s mom always spoke about him. What I know of him is that while he’s scared and has been hurt many times before, unlike David, he wants to get better not just for his family, but for himself too. That’s more than David has ever done for me or for us.”

“Hey,” Penny turned her head to look up at her mother, “David fucked us all up. And yes, I’m still really scared with giving others a chance, but you’re one of the reasons why I’m able to get help. You were there for me every single step of my recovery and made sure that I was safe and happy. Parenting is a two-person job and not only did you have to do most of it on your own, but you also had two kids under your belt and raised us no matter what was thrown at you. Even if you didn’t leave David before the crash, you helped shield Riley and I as much as you could so that we had a good childhood. Don’t let your shitty ex-husband make you blame yourself for being a great mom.”

“Oh, babygirl, how did I get so lucky with you and your sister,” Amber pressed kisses over Penny’s face, her daughter’s nose scrunching up as she giggled. Her mother pulled away, smiling at her again.

“And you really think that…that Jack sees me like how you said?” Penny mumbled.

Amber gave her a look, her brow was raised and mouth was agape, “Honey, the guy wanted to wait for the perfect moment to ask for your number and kissed your forehead under the moonlight, the man is wrapped around your finger and you don’t even know it.” Penny blushed, ducking slightly under the blanket she was in. “Pen, I’d say go for it, only if you want to. You seem so much more yourself around him. But if he breaks your heart, I’m sending Riley after him.”

Penny burst out laughing at that, “Riley would send him to an early grave!”

“I know,” Amber stated matter-of-factly, “And I won’t hesitate to let her do it.”

“Mom no!” Penny snorted, “And you wonder where Riley gets these tendencies from.”

“Good,” Amber grinned, “That means I taught her well.”

Amber couldn’t help but join in on the laughter, just hearing her daughter laugh was enough to help her forget that she had even mentioned or thought about David. Penny was just that important to her. If anything happened to her…no, this was a good moment, there was so reason to think about the inevitable.

Penny’s phone dinged from the coffee table, sobering up from her laugh session, she leaned over to see what notification she got. What she saw made her gasp and nearly drop her phone.

“Winter proposed to Riley!” She squealed to Amber, the older woman immediately leaning over to check the recent news, “And she said yes!”

“Oh my god!” Amber screamed with joy, shaking Penny by the shoulders, “My daughter is getting married, I’m so happy!”

“Mom I know you’re excited too but I’m gonna be sick!” Penny warbled, starting to get dizzy.

“I’m sorry baby but it’s just, aaaahhhhh!” Amber got up from the couch, “I’m just so happy for her! Wait here, I’m gonna get my phone and message your sister!”

Penny giggled at her mother’s antics as she ran out the room, turning away to look at the image on her phone again. Riley and Winter’s faces weren’t in the picture, but what she did see was the Winter was behind the camera, holding Riley’s hand as she showed off her new engagement ring. This was without a doubt going to be an interesting Christmas dinner.

.

.

.

Jack straightened up his tie again, before unfolding it and retying it again as he stared at himself in the mirror. This was the first time he and Penny were having their families together for dinner, and after the kiss from the Christmas fair, he wanted to follow up on that. Penny had taken over his mind and senses to the point that he had to see her in person again.

Winter and her 8-year-old sister Nina stood at the corner watching him, with Nina’s twin Alex still upstairs getting ready. “What’s the retying count at now Nina?” Winter asked.

“49, wait, it just got up to 50,” Nina told her.

Winter whistled cooly, “Jeez, that’s a new record.”

“I can hear you both you know!” Jack called to them, “You guys wanna keep standing there or do I need to give Nina’s new toys to the bogeyman.”

“No!” Nina cried, running away back up to her room to check if her new Christmas presents were still intact.

“You don’t need to keep worrying,” Winter walked up to him, shoving his hands away and took his tie into her own, “You were blushing like a tomato after kissing that girl and she was just the same. Just play your cards right, take it slow and things will work out.” She wrapped the tie into a knot.

“That’s easy for the recently engaged lesbian to say,” Jack pointed out, “Which by the way, congratulations again.”

“Thank you,” Winter grinned.

“I just…I’ve never felt this way about anyone before,” Jack sighed, “I never thought I deserved someone who could make me this happy. Every time she walks into a room I forget how to breath. I can’t mess this up.”

Winter stopped her hands for a moment, “The only way you’re gonna mess things up is if you let those thoughts win. You’ve been doing great and you told each other what happened when you both were kids and she still wants to see you. Just take a breath, let me fix your tie and just let the night lead itself. I didn’t have much of a plan for proposing to Riley other than doing it on Christmas and she still agreed to marry me. Plans are overrated…sometimes, you know what I mean.”

“Yeah,” Jack nodded, “I do.” He took a breath as Winter finally finished his tie, checking himself out in the mirror. He flashed himself a grin, “Still as handsome as always.”

“And he’s back,” Winter rolled her eyes.

“Ooooh!” Both Jack and Winter turned to the sound of teasing voices, looking up to the stairs and seeing Nina and Alex with mischievous grins on their faces while chanting, “Jack has a girlfriend! Jack has a girlfriend!”

“Jack is gonna give all your gifts to the bogeyman!” He retorted, making the two scream and rush downstairs into the living room.

Meanwhile, Riley was busy helping carry the plates and cutlery to the table making sure everything was carefully placed on the Christmas-snowflake themed tablemats. Winter’s mother, Laura, came in carrying a hot plate of steamed vegetables, focusing on her attention on the food to make sure it wouldn’t fall before Riley came over to take it from her. “Here, Mrs Alvarez,” she said, “Let me.”

“Oh Riley there’s no need,” Laura patted her back, “I just wanted you to relax with Winter, let me and Marcus manage it.”

“I’m going to become part of your family soon. Please, allow me,” Riley persisted, placing down the pot near the centre of the table.

“Oh you’re a good girl Riley,” Laura took Riley’s hand into hers, “It’s no wonder Winter fell in love with you.”

“Mama!” Winter flushed, entering the dining room with Jack hot on her heels, “Please save the embarrassing stuff for the wedding!”

“No Laura continue,” Jack grinned, “This is karma for teasing me about Penny.”

“Oh, Penny Reed?” Winter’s father Marcus entered the dining room, his smile wide and his eyes crinkling with joy. “Winter told me so much about your date with her at the fair. Tell me more about her!”

Shit Jack cursed internally, with Winter sending him a smug look. “Well, I-”

“Yes, do go on,” Riley’s firm voice chided him, almost threatening him to not slip up. “Tell us more about my sister Jack.”

And now he had to tread carefully, especially talking about the younger sister of a 6-foot redhead with the experience of breaking the bones of criminals and throwing people over her shoulder. Please let whatever luck he had be on his side during this moment. “W-well she’s kind, funny,” He gulped as Riley squinted at him, he really didn’t want to die tonight, “And she one of the best people I’ve ever met in my entire life…whenever I’m with her, she makes me the happiest I’ve ever been. I just hope that I’m making her happy too.”

Riley softened a bit, did that mean she approved of his answer or thinking of plans ranging from A to Z to murder him?! This woman terrified him to no end!

“Well, she must be pretty special if you think that of her,” Laura beamed, “I can’t wait to officially meet my other daughter-in-law! Now if you excuse me, I need to get the pork out of the oven.”

“Hang on, I’ll help!” Marcus called after his wife as he trailed after her.

That was when the doorbell rang, light and quick on his feet, Jack bounded for the door. He straightened his jacket and tie one more time, cleared his throat rolled back his shoulder, he could do this. With a turn of the knob, the door swung open, revealing Penny glowing under the moonlight. Suddenly, his voice was cut in his throat and his palms were sweating despite the chill rolling in from the open door. The only word he managed to say was, “Hi.”

“Hi,” she shyly replied, her hands tightening on a small gift bag she brought.

He shook his head quickly, letting himself reboot as he turned to Amber, her smirk held nothing but the knowledge of a woman who knew all too well about what the two felt for one another. “Amber,” he greeted, holding out his hand for her to shake, “It’s good to see you again.”

“And you Jack,” Amber returned the handshake, letting him lead her and Penny into the house before shutting the door behind them. “I see you’ve cleaned up well.” It was a normal sentence, but her words told a totally different story.

Oh, she knew, she really knew! He was an open book and Amber had flicked through every single page. “I-I always dress this nice for Christmas, ma’am,” he stammered, “It wouldn’t be formal of me to not look this good for the holidays.”

Amber hummed, sure she believed what he said, but what Jack failed to realise was that Amber noticed his suit was the colour blue – Penny’s favourite colour.

“Hey mom,” Riley made a beeline to her mother, wrapping her arms around her, “I hope walking here wasn’t too bad with the snow,”

“Don’t worry baby, it was fine,” Amber pressed a kiss to her hair before pulling back, “But enough about me, let me see the ring!”

Riley blushed, unable to hide the giddy smile as she held up her hand.

“Oh my god, Riley!” Penny squealed, hugging her older sister. “Winter got you a good one! I’m so happy for you!”

“I know,” Riley laughed, “I’m the luckiest woman in the world.”

“Actually, that would be me,” Winter slid her arms around fiancé’s waist from behind, resting her head on her shoulder, “I’m the one who’s marrying this beautiful woman.”

“Flattery already?” Riley pressed her cheek against Winter’s, “And the marriage hasn’t even begun.”

“Am I not allowed to compliment my soon-to-be-wife?” Winter kissed Riley’s cheek, “Besides, that’s only 20% of my flattery, I’m saving the other 80% for my vows.”

“Dear god,” Riley slapped her palm against her forehead, knowing Winter, she was going to leave Riley as red as a tomato.

Penny stifled a laugh, Jack screamed internally at the sound. How can anyone be this fucking cute?!

“Penny!” Laura came rushing down the hall, her apron stained with some type of sauce, “I’m so happy we can finally meet.”

She opened her arms, ready to bring Penny in for a hug, only for the girl to freeze and back away. Laura faltered, her brows furrowing with concern at Penny’s startled reaction. Winter was quick to step in.

“Mama, remember,” she told her, “Penny is funny with being touched unless it’s by someone she fully knows and trusts or she’s the one going first.”

“Oh goodness,” Laura gasped, “Penny sweetie I’m so sorry I genuinely forgot!”

“It’s fine, really it’s fine,” Penny reassured her, stepping forward, “Honestly I’m able to tell when it’s a simple mistake.”

Jack’s stomach churned, all those years of bullying and her father berating her made Penny so frightened. He just wanted to shield her from everything bad so that she would never have to feel that sort of fear and pain ever again. Out of anyone in this room, he could relate to that type of fear.

“I’ll make sure to let the others know, I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable during your first meal here,” Laura informed her.

“Thank you Mrs Alvarez,” Penny smiled, “I really appreciate it.”

“It’s absolutely no problem honey,” Laura emphasized, “Now I’ve gotta get the rest of these plates out, please, make yourselves at home.” With that, she turned to walk back into the kitchen.

“Here, let me take your coats,” Jack offered, holding his arm out.

“What a gentleman!” Amber gave Penny a look, making the girl glare at her mother, “Penny you better snatch him up before anyone else does.”

“Mom!” Penny hissed. Jack was fairly sure his face resembled the red lights flashing on the Christmas tree.

“Mom, why don’t you and Penny just wait in the living room please!” Riley exasperated, desperate for her mother to not spout out whatever she had in mind.

Amber put her hands up in surrender, “Alright, I yield.”

“Don’t worry Amber,” Winter took the woman’s arm into hers and led her into the living room, “She’s been like that with me whenever I point them out as well.”

“Honestly Winter, what it your fiancé like?” she joked, leaving Riley gaping behind them.

“I heard that!” Riley hollered, chasing after them, leaving Jack and Penny alone in the hallway together.

Jack took this moment to take in the garment she was wearing. It was a simple crimson dress with a floor length pleated skirt, long off-the-shoulder bell sleeves and a ruffled neckline. “You look…wow,” he breathed, how was she able to take something so simple and still look so stunning? She truly was remarkable.

“Thanks,” she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, “I wasn’t gonna wear it but I thought that it would be nice for this evening.”

“You’re so beautiful,” he knew what he said, and he wasn’t going to take it back, not when she peered up at him through her long lashes with a gasp.

“Y-you’re ridiculous,” she uttered, handing him her jacket.

“Hey, just telling the truth here,” he replied as he went to hang up her jacket on the wall, “Besides, someone’s gotta point out how pretty you are.”

“Keep the chivalry to yourself sir,” Penny placed a hand on her hip.

“Can’t help it, I’m dreamy,” he was unable to keep the grin off his face at her pout. His face softened, holding out his arm, “Shall we?”

Penny raised a brow at him, grinning. “Mr Jack how thoughtful of you.”

“Well I have to put the wellbeing of our guests first,” He joked back, “Let me introduce you to everyone else.”

Penny nodded and slipped her arm into his, the two unable to fight of the chortles at their current predicament. He led her into the living room, Amber was already sitting down talking to Riley and Winter. On the sofa across from them was another couple around Marcus and Laura’s age. “Penny, this is Winter’s aunt and uncle, Anya and Winston.” he introduced. She gave them a nod before Jack led her to another young woman around her age. “This is their daughter Kiara.”

“It’s really nice to meet you Penny,” Kiara greeted.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Penny returned.

Winston spoke up, “Laura’s been talking nonstop about ‘Jack’s new sweetheart,’ so it’s nice to finally meet the lovely lady in person.”

“Of course Laura’s been talking about us,” Jack groaned, Penny had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing.

“She’s so pretty Jack!” Anya gushed from her seat, “Where did you find this lovely girl?”

Both of them paled, sharing a look. The story about how they met was always going to be an awkward one, wasn’t it? They were saved by the sound of thundering feet descending down the stairs as Nina and Alex came bounding over to Jack and clutched each of his leg.

“Jack!” Nina cheered, “Penny’s here!”

“Yes, I can see that-ah-guys let go!” He stumbled over his feet and words, how much sugar did these two have earlier?

“Jack has a girlfriend! Jack has a girlfriend!” Alex chanted.

Penny and Jack spluttered over their words, at a loss of what they heard. “We’re not-” Penny gasped.

“It’s not like that-!” Jack objected “We’re just-”

“-Friends!” They chorused. Friends yes, that was what they were, but it just didn’t sound like something they wanted to continue being. They were unable to keep the daydreams of each other away anymore, to constantly wonder what the other was doing, what other hobbies they might have, if the other felt the same way.

“Nina, Alex!” Laura came back through again, the apron gone as she took each twin’s arm in her hands and pulled them off Jack, much to his relief. “That’s enough harassing Jack, dinner is ready.”

“I can’t wait to see what you’ve made this year Laura,” Winston clapped his hands together.

“I’ve gotta say I’m pretty excited to eat what you’ve made as well,” Amber got up, “As well as the table gossip as well.” She gestured to Jack and Penny.

“Oh Amber you must sit next to me, I have so much to share,” Laura not-so-subtly gestured to Jack and Penny.

Both mothers grinned, leaving Jack and Penny flustered messes unable to move from their spots.

“I’m so sorry about that,” Jack unlinked his arm, immediately missing Penny’s warmth.

“No, I should be sorry,” Penny objected, “My mom can be a lot sometimes.”

“Well I guess that’s just another thing we have in common,” Jack nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

“Yeah, I think so,” Penny’s embarrassment began to slip away, Jack’s seemingly doing so as well.

“Penny!” Riley interjected, taking her sister’s hand, “Sit next to me!”

“But I-woah!” Riley dragged her younger sister into the dining room, plopping her down to the seat on Riley’s left while Winter sat on Riley’s right. Guess she was still a bit protective.

“What are you waiting for over there dude? Come on!” Winter waved a hand over.

Jack let out a slow breath as he walked over, sitting opposite from Penny. At least it would be easier to talk to her face to face without twisting his head. Soon, everyone was loading pork, bread and steamed vegetables onto their plates, Kiara was taking photos of her food with Anya scolding her to put her phone away, Winston was already scooping up spoonful’s into his mouth, Nina and Alex grimaced at the greens on their plates and asking when dessert was, Laura was pouring wine into her and Amber’s glasses before clinking them together, Marcus was listing off each shop he had to visit just to make sure he got every right ingredient for tonight’s meal, Winter and Riley were holding hands and had all their focus on each other instead of the food in front of them, and Penny and Jack kept trading small glances while eating, their eyes holding their own conversation as the drowned everyone else out.

“So Jack,” Anya piped up, “Do you have any plans once you graduate?”

“Uh, what?” he barely registered the question until it finally caught up to him. “Oh, right! Um, I’m trying to apply for an internship at this game company called C&A, they hire a lot of indie and free-lancing creators and help promote their games so I’m hoping to get a place there.”

“I think you’ll get it,” Penny said, “I’ve seen some of the stuff Jack worked on, he’s really talented.”

“And so are you little lady,” he said that mostly to see her cute pout again, “Laura, did you know that Penny is a costume designer?”

“I did,” Laura nodded, “And I’ve seen some of the pictures of her creations that you showed me, Penny you really do have a talent.”

“She’s been designing ever since she was six,” Riley said, “I have no idea where she gets her ideas from, it’s incredible.”

“It meets the bar at least,” Penny objected, “Trust me there’s people in my class that are way better than I am.”

“Don’t sell yourself short Pen, every time you send me a picture of something you’ve made It just shows how creative you are. Someone’s gonna reach out to you one day and say ‘Penny, you are one of the most talented people in the world and I wanna hire you!’ it’ll happen one day, I swear on it, after all I’m never wrong,” Jack said, pointing his fork at her.

“You? Never wrong?” Penny said doubtingly.

“What? I’ll have you know I’m very smart,” he frowned mockingly.

“I’m gonna have to agree with my sister there,” Riley said.

“Oh come on!” Jack cried and turned to Winter, “A little help here?”

“Why, everything they said is true,” she chortled.

Jack moaned as the rest of the table laughed, clearly taking pride in his misery.

Penny’s giggles died down, wiping a tear of mirth from her eye as she faced him again, “Well hopefully someone will take pity on my designs one day.”

“You mean someone will see how exceptional you are,” Jack pointed out.

“Awfully generous but sure, we’ll stick with that,” Penny rolled her eyes fondly.

“Let’s just hope he says what he means instead of talking out of his ass,” Riley quipped.

Penny threw her sister a look, “Riley,”

“What?” Riley shrugged her shoulder, “I’m not saying he’s wrong.”

Amber raised a brow at her daughter. It was a joke, she knew that was going to happen. But she knew Riley long enough to know when her daughter was hiding something, and more importantly, when Riley was hurting.

“Speaking of designs,” Penny said, “Riley, you gotta let me make your dress.”

“What, you don’t need to do that, I just want you to enjoy the wedding,” Riley interjected.

“Can’t hear you, I’m too busy thinking about your dress since I’m the best sister ever,” Penny gave her sister a sly grin.

Riley huffed a laugh, once her sister was inspired nothing could stop her.

“Jack?” Nina piped up.

“What’s up squirt?”

“Can you sing ‘No Girl’s Toy? after dessert?” she pleaded.

“Yeah, “No Girl’s Toy!” Alex cheered with his sister, “Oh please Jack, please sing that!”

Jack flushed, waving his hands in exasperation, “Woah, woah hang on! I’m not singing that!”

“Please Jack, please!” The twins chorused.

“It’s just a little song Jack,” Winter jeered, Jack glared at her.

“Yeah,” Riley joined in on her fiancé’s antics, “What’s so wrong with the Raggedy Andy song Jack?”

“I sung that one time and suddenly whenever it’s brought up I’m forced to sing it!” he told them, “I’m putting my foot down on this one, there’s no way that any of you can convince me too-”

“Raggedy Ann was my favourite movie growing up,” Penny mentioned, “I’d love to hear you sing that song. Please?”

Oh god, Penny’s chocolate brown eyes had such an effective grip on him, how on earth could he say no to those lovely eyes? He sighed, “Fine, one song and that’s it.”

“Yay!” The twins cheered before tucking back into their meal.

“You should bring Penny over more often,” said Alex.

“Yeah she makes you do fun stuff,” Nina agreed.

“It is very interesting how easily swayed you were,” Laura joined in.

Jack wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole, he was being way too obvious with how he felt. “Please, I just want to eat my food without any further humiliation.”

“You know Marcus, he’s acting just like you before you started going out with Laura,” Winston said, “The red face, being easily swayed, the teasing. I’m getting a bit of déjà vu here.”

Jack bit down on his fork hard as Penny began to quietly squeal like a kettle, this night was already too much for the both of them.

After dinner and dessert was finished, Riley was helping Laura wash up the dishes despite the woman requesting Riley to sit down. “Laura, do you mind if I have a word with my daughter?” Amber asked, entering the kitchen.

“Oh, of course,” Laura said before turning back to Riley again, “Remember sweetie, you’re our guest, make sure you relax tonight.”

“Just after I’m finished with this dish Mrs Alvarez,” Riley continued to scrub the plate, “Than I’ll relax.”

Laura patted her back, leaving the mother and daughter in the kitchen alone together. “Is everything okay with you?” Amber asked.

“What do you mean?” Riley didn’t take her eyes off the plate.

“I mean with Jack and Penny,” Amber told her, “I thought you were fine with him back when you started dating Winter.”

“I am,” Winter dried off the plate and put it away, “If this is about Penny, that’s just me being protective.”

“I know that,” Amber walked over to her, “But I also noticed that you seemed a bit aggravated towards him.”

Riley whipped round, “No I wasn’t, I was just looking out for Penny.”

“Penny is a grown adult who can make her own choices,” Amber walked closer to her, “Riley, baby, why are you so worried?”

“Come on mom, you aren’t at least a little bit worried?” Riley argued, “You aren’t worried that he’s like the boys from Penny’s high school. Penny’s got a sensitive heart, what if he breaks it like they did? Those boys didn’t actually like her, they wanted to control her. And once she didn’t give them what they wanted they would just dump her! What if he’s like that, what if he makes her hate herself? What if he makes her so scared to the point she stops talking again? What if we actually lose her? What if-”

“-If he’s like David,” Amber finished for her, “That’s what it is, right?”

Riley froze, part of her knew that this was why she was so scared for her younger sister, but she wanted David out of her mind. He already tried to force himself back into Riley’s life many times to ask for money, and she never forgave him for involving Penny in that car crash. She hated him, she hated him so much that she would never let anyone else hurt Penny like that again, she failed with David, she failed with those stupid high school boys and she won’t make that mistake ever again. “I have to be careful mom,” Riley said to her mother, “I can’t let Penny feel that kind of pain again.”

“I know baby,” Amber said, “When I heard of Jack and Penny seeing each other I got worried as well. It’s always my first instinct. But now, I know that I can’t let David control what could actually be good for Penny, I won’t let him get into my head like that. I’m still scared, baby believe me, but not as much as I used to be.” She cupped her daughter’s cheek, gently lifting her head to meet her eyes, “David hurt you too Riley, I know you hate thinking about him, but you’re allowed to feel betrayed as well. If I ever made you feel that you weren’t allowed to hurt for what he did to you, I’m so sorry. I’m your mother and I’m supposed to protect my babies. Yes, I protected Penny, but don’t think for a second I won’t protect you too, even after you’ve left the nest.”

Amber held her arms out for her daughter. After so much anger and frustrations for her father after so long, Riley all but broke in her mother’s arms, Amber stroking her hair and whispering comforts into her ear. “It’s okay baby, I’m here, mama’s here.”

A soft sniffle made them turn to the doorway, seeing Penny there with a few leaked tears. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” she whimpered, “Can I have a hug too?”

Riley and Amber opened their arms for her, letting the youngest daughter cry along with them as their mother squeezed them both. In that moment, Riley wasn’t an engaged woman and Penny wasn’t an aspiring college student. They were just the 10- and 14-year-old girls letting their mother sooth them after so much pain.

After a while, their tears were dried and the three headed back into the living room. Everyone rushed up to them, panicking and asking them if they were all right. They told the rest of the family that they were fine, just a mother and her two daughters picking up a few fallen pieces.

It wasn’t until Penny erupted into a fit of giggles, seeing Jack being the one to pout this time as he held up a microphone and had the TV ready to play ‘No Girl’s Toy.’ Everyone was immediately seated, ready to hear the performance.

“I hope my suffering entertains you monsters,” he mumbled, before pressing play on the music. He gave out one final sigh before he began to sing.

Well, you can push me, shove me, turn me around, but I'm no girl's toy!

You can tie me, toss me, upside or down, but I'm no girl's toy!

I sing my own sweet melody, I go my own sweet way.

I won't beg 'round tomorrow for the kind of affection that was free today!

Oh, you can squeeze me, tease me; say I'm your own but I'm no girl's toy!

You can charm me, chase me, follow me home; I won't be coy!

You may not like it much but I'm my own best boy,

And not some sugar and spicy, lacy and nicey, sissy you're gonna enjoy!

No, I'm no girl's toy!

Everyone applauded and clapped as he continued to sing. He was embarrassed, that was for sure. But seeing Penny so carefree and happy, no worries and stress in those beautiful eyes of hers, just having fun with everyone else, he would sing this song for the rest of his life as long as she was happy. He was unable to stop his pleased smile while he sang.

Riley rested her head on Winter’s shoulder, she didn’t need to say anything for Winter to know when her fiancé needed her. She kept looking between Jack and Penny, just seeing what he would do for her, she knew that he wasn’t a bad person, although her protectiveness would always take over her senses. However she knew that Penny had to do this on her own, but for the first time in a while, she believed that her little sister was safe.

.

.

.

Spring had arrived, the perfect atmosphere for Riley and Winter’s wedding to take place. They had booked a hotel for the night and rented out it’s ballroom for tonight’s event. There was only one thing on everyone’s minds, make sure this wedding went off without a hitch.

Since Christmas, Penny had put all her focus on making the perfect dress for Riley, something that was pristine and bridal while also making sure that this dress was something only Riley would wear. Jack had facetimed her every time she was sewing, making sure she was getting on well with the dress while also making sure she was eating and drinking enough fluids. He had also seen the final result of the dress and he was determined that once Winter saw Riley walking down the isle wearing that, she would promptly burst into tears.

After hours of setting up flowers and decorations, making sure the place was spotless, the meals were delicious, the dance floor was ready, getting changed into their wedding outfits and the chocolate fondue was prepared, everyone could finally breathe until the wedding officially begun.

Jack was currently standing at the end of the aisle, waiting for Winter to walk up with her father. That would be the order, the brides would wait in their dressing rooms, wait for one of them to walk up the aisle first before leaving their own room to walk up as well, in order for neither of them to see their gowns.

He wore a black tux with a simple white blouse underneath, fiddling with his cuffs one more time before resting his hands. Of course Winter had asked him to be her best man, it was expected since he was practically her adopted brother. Alex was beside him, standing proud and taking his job as the ring bearer seriously. He ruffled the boy’s hair, making him laugh before Laura sent a look to the boys, telling them to behave.

Everyone straightened up when the music began. The doors opened, revealing Nina as the flower girl, spreading flowers across the aisle as a few bridesmaids followed, including Kiara, each of them wearing soft silvery grey dresses. There was a swell of pride when he watched Winter walk through the doors and up the aisle, her arm secured in Marcus’s as the man led his daughter up while his eyes welled with tears. Winter wore a snow-white gown with a full-layered skirt while her bodice consisted of a sweetheart neckline and spaghetti straps. Some would call it simple, Winter called it timeless.

Once she arrived at the top of the aisle, her father kissed her on the cheek and whispered praise into her ear. It was only when she stood at the top and her father sat down, Jack noticed her clutching her bouquet of roses while trembling like a leaf. He leaned over and whispered, “You’re okay. Riley has been head over heals with you ever since you met.”

“What if she changes her mind?” she whispered back, “What if she realises we’re too different and leaves?”

“That’s not possible,” he told her, “You too are proof of the carrot cake theory working.”

“Excuse me?” she asked, baffled.

“The carrot cake theory,” he said, “You love it and Riley hates it, yet she always brought a freshly homemade carrot cake because you it’s your favourite. You too are proof that the theory works, that opposites attract.”

Winter snorted, “You just blatantly ripped off the olive theory.”

“Mine is better,” he sniffed, “Besides, it got you to stop shaking.”

Winter looked down at her hands, he was right, she had stopped shaking. The doors opened and Winter’s breath hitched as she gawked at her bride. Riley’s arm was in her mothers, her dress was an off-the-shoulder mermaid cut with a train, the white fabric adorned with glittered floral embroidery and long sleeves. The dress clung to her, Winter let a few tears fall, she was beautiful.

Jack was taken aback to, not by the bride, but by her maid of honour. Penny’s dress wasn’t as grand, yes, but he couldn’t take her eyes off her as she followed her sister. Her dress consisted of a purplish rouge chiffon fabric, a long A-line skirt, a straight across neckline and long balloon sleeves. He fell in love all over again.

Once Riley reached the end of the aisle, her hands latched onto Winter’s as Jack and Penny took a hold of their bouquets. Both brides were focused on each other, nothing else mattered. Once Amber sat down, did the wedding begin.

“Dearly beloved,” the officiator spoke, “We are gathered here today for the wonderful union of Riley Reed and Amber Alvarez. These two have proven that despite our differences, there is a love that can be found no matter what. Today, we are here to celebrate that love as these lovely ladies become not just married, but soulmates on this day. Winter, your vows.”

Winter took a shaky breath, “Riley, when I first met you, I won’t lie, I was a bit scared of you,” That earned a laugh from the crowd. “But after getting to know you, knowing how much you love your family, what you’ll do to make sure our clients get the justice they deserve, and knowing that despite your front, you are one of the kindest people I’ve ever met and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Riley began to cry as well, unable to keep all the affection she felt for this woman at bay. With the officiator’s okay, she began her speech. “Winter, every time I look at you I just keep asking myself, how did I get so lucky? How did I deserve the most perfect girl in the world? You look at the world with such positivity and kindness that I couldn’t not fall in love with you. Every time I look at you, you remind me why I became a private investigator, to help amazing people like you make the world a better place. I just…I really fucking love you Winter!”

Winter gave her a wet laugh, God she wanted to kiss her so bad.

“Winter,” the officiator said, “Do you take Riley Reed to be your wife, in sickness and in health, until the day you part, may you be together?”

“I do!” Winter replied immediately.

“And do you Riley-”

“I do, a thousand times I do!” Riley couldn’t stop the tears, not caring if her makeup got ruined.

“May we have the rings?” the officiator asked. Alex puffed his chest and beamed, carrying the rings over to the brides. The women thanked the young boy as the slipped each ring onto each other’s finger before holding hands again. “By the power vested in me, I know pronounce you too married. You may kiss the-”

The two didn’t wait for the officiator to finished before slamming their lips against each other’s, the crowd erupting into applause. Jack’s focus wasn’t on the couple though, his eyes travelled to Penny as she cheered for her older sister. Her eyes met Jack’s, the two of them just staring for a moment before giving each other a smile. It was in the moment that the two decided internally that one day, they wanted to have this moment and say ‘I do’ to one another. Tonight, they decided, would be the night that they would stop being ‘friends.’

.

.

.

The dance floor was empty apart from the newlyweds, holding each other in their arms as they let the music carry their slow steps. They weren’t able to keep their hands off each other since they were married, afraid that if they did then everything would disappear. By the time the first dance ended, the music picked up the pace and everyone was on the dance floor, dancing the night away, congratulating the couple and unafraid to be slightly more than tipsy.

Winter and Riley even threw their bouquets, having their backs turned to make sure it would be a surprise. When they turned round, they saw that Winter’s bouquet was held by one of the bridesmaids, and Riley’s was plopped into Penny’s hands.

“Penny’s gonna marry Jack!” Nina bellowed, she already had too much sugar from the fondue. It didn’t stop everyone whispering knowingly, apart from Riley still giving Jack the evil eye. However, Jack and Penny didn’t mind the teasing this time, after all, even if they didn’t confess yet, their feelings were mutual.

A while later, after dancing, talking and snacking, Jack pulled away from the buzz to get some fresh air on the balcony. He felt his heart take a leap when he saw Penny outside as well, her long hair flowing in the soft spring wind, taking in the quiet. He gently opened the door, trying not to startle her, though it seemed that he didn’t need to worry about that when she turned and noticed him, she must’ve sensed him coming outside.

“Need a break?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he said, going up to rest his arms on the stone rail, “I was also hoping to see you as well.”

“I guess it’s a win-win situation,” she gently nudged his shoulder with hers. He was glad that he was part of her inner circle of people she was comfortable touching. “So, Riley and Winter are finally married.”

“I’m surprised they didn’t do so sooner,” he reflected the first time Winter brought Riley home, how they would giggle and fawn over each other as Riley was introduced to Winter’s parents, “I felt like I was gonna go insane with how much they made goo-goo eyes at each other.”

“They still do that,” Penny replied, “And I think its gonna amplify now that they’re married.”

“Oh jeez,” he put a hand to his head, listening to Penny’s sweet giggle. He took in the situation at hand, they were on the balcony together talking and having fun with all the space they needed to talk about their feelings. Maybe this was his chance, “Although I will admit, I am a little jealous. It would be pretty nice to have someone to do all that sappy stuff with.”

“O-oh,” Penny was taken aback a little bit, the thought of he and her doing all sorts of couple things rushing through her mind. Wanting to spend all his time with her, holding her hand, whispering sweet nothings when no one was looking. “I wanna do that too, you know, with the right person.”

Jack fiddled with the cuffs on his sleeves, this was it, “And what is the ‘right person’ that you have in mind?”

Penny gulped, okay, now it was getting serious, no turning back. “Well, I’d like him to be funny, kind, respectful to his and my family. Someone who has my back no matter what. Someone who makes sure that I feel like I deserve to be here. Someone who…sees me.”

She said, oh she said it! Did this mean she felt the same, only one way to find out. “Is that so little lady?” he took in her blush and nod, “Well, I bet he’s very handsome, jaw-droppingly if you will.”

Penny’s blush faded as she let out a chortle, “Did I forget to mention he’s full of himself?”

Jack placed his hand dramatically on his chest, “Why Penny how rude! It’s takes guts for someone to admit when they’re good looking.”

“Guts? Or an ego that’s too big to fit his head?” she began to belly laugh at his frown, clutching her sides as she clutched her ribs.

“Oh? Well that’s too bad little lady, I was just about to describe my ‘right’ person,” he chuckled as she straightened back up, “But it you don’t wanna hear it-”

“Alright, you smug bastard,” she sighed fondly, “Tell me, what are they like?”

“Well, let’s see,” he tapped his chin in false thought, “She’s extremely talented, always puts her family first, has one of the cutest laughs in the world.” Taking a chance, he tucked a piece of her hair behind her skin, his skin tingling as he made contact with hers, “Insanely beautiful…who sees me too…and is very short.”

“I will bite you,” Penny snarled, but she held no threat in her tone.

Jack’s face softened, “And, I want to hold her, tell her how much I love her and be with her as long as she lets me.”

Penny’s shivered at his tone, if he were talking about her (and she really hoped he was) then she had to do this next part carefully, “And if you were with this girl right now, how would you tell her about how you feel?”

Jack gulped, time to take the plunge, “I would tell her that I’m not a perfect person, but I am someone who’s always trying. You’ve taken over my mind and have stolen my heart, but I can’t find it in myself to care as long as it’s in your hands.” He took her hands in his at those words, “I just hope that she feels the same way.”

Penny’s heart fluttered, squeezing his hand in return as a swell of joy rushed through her from head to toe, “She does! She really does!”

Jack exhaled sharply, he couldn’t believe it! She likes him back! She wanted to be with him! “I wanna kiss you so badly right now,” he clamped his mouth shut when he realised what came out his mouth. They just confessed and now he was admitting that he wanted to kiss her, and just when he thought he was being smooth.

“Okay,” Penny peered up at him through her lashes.

Jack gaped at her, “Pen, you don’t want to if you don’t want to.”

“Trust me,” she cupped his cheek, “I really want this.” Despite her initial shock, she oh so badly wanted to kiss him back. Ever since the Christmas fair she was unable to spot thinking about his lips on her forehead, or how they would feel on her lips. “Are you gonna keep gawking or do I need to make the first move?” she teased.

Both of his hands were suddenly cupping her cheeks, cutting her off. He gave her one more look, a silent request to do this. When she nodded, he immediately planted his lips on hers. She was so soft, so sweet, so amazing! God he loved her!

She returned the kiss with the same warmth he gave her, with one hand on his cheek she used the other to pull him in closer by the waist. His lips felt the same as they did on her forehead, but somehow so different on her lips. No one ever kissed her like this before, like she really mattered to them. But with Jack, his mouth matched his promise he told to her, and she never wanted him to stop.

They parted for a moment to catch their breaths, grinning as they rested their foreheads together. “So,” she took in another lungful of air, “Does this mean you like me back?”

He smirked, taking her chin between his thumb and finger, “You tell me little lady, or would you rather I show and not tell with another kiss.”

“The second option please,” she grinned back.

He was about to dive back into her lips when a gasp made them both freeze. By the doors, Amber stood with a glass of wine, she was probably out here to get some air as well. “I knew it!” she squealed, “I knew you were gonna confess tonight! Laura owes me ten bucks!”

“Mom!” Penny gasped, clutching herself closer to Jack to save herself from embarrassment.

“Don’t worry baby, I’ll keep this between you and me. Besides, this is something that you’ll want to tell Riley by yourself,” Amber added, making both Penny and Jack pale at the thought of her older sister finding out. “Like I said, I’ll keep this to myself. Oh and Penny? Make sure you use the makeup wipes I gave you before you go back inside, the corner of your lip is smudged.”

Penny all but squealed in mortification into Jack’s chest after her mother went back inside, the man stroking her back as he chuckled. “Well, she does have a point,” he mentioned, “We don’t want the first thing that Riley sees when we go back in is smudged lip gloss.”

“Don’t single yourself out mister,” she poked him in the chest, “You’re wearing it too.”

“Oh really? Is it a good colour on me?” He leant in closer.

Penny mumbled shyly under her breath, God she was just too cute. “Wanna say that again little lady?” he asked.

“I said, how about you kiss me again if you like my lip gloss so much,” she pouted, the blush on his face was worth it though.

Jack huffed a laugh and pulled her in closer, “Now that sweetie, can be arranged.”

And just like that, they dove back into another kiss, enjoying only themselves without anyone else to interrupt their moment. It was just them, the moon and the start of their new relationship. And they couldn’t wait to see what else was in store for them.

.

.

.

Jax stirred lightly, stiff from laying against the ground. He must’ve slid down the hedge and onto the plush grass in his sleep, oh well, the grass was comfier. He could feel his lips burn from where Penny kissed Jack, as though he were the one who kissed her. But that was impossible, wasn’t it? There was no way that actually happened.

He was about to move when he felt a light weight on his chest. Looking down, he saw Pomni curled up next to him, hugging his side as she snored softly while using his upper body as a pillow for her head. Why wasn’t he shoving her off or telling her to get lost? Why was he growing flustered by the second and praying that she couldn’t hear his quickening heart rate? He could feel his tail wagging underneath him, was he actually happy about this predicament? There was no way!

He felt her shift beside him, mumbling gibberish in her sleep before cuddling him closer. Cute…wait, no it’s not! Get yourself together Jax! But there wasn’t any denying it though, no matter how much he wanted to, yesterday’s revelation just proved to him that he felt some sort of attachment to the jester and it was driving him up the wall. Her hat had also slid of her head, revealing short yet soft looking locks. The way it framed her face ever so gently with its wisped strands, oh god she was killing him.

He let his temptation win, reaching his hand out to touch it when she suddenly woke up, barely processing what was happening until she saw that she was firmly cuddling into this side while he was reaching towards her. “You got a loose hair there, sweetie,” he tried to squash down the awkwardness, trying to bring up his charm to save himself.

It seemed that it didn’t work as she squealed and pulled away from him as though he burned her, he wasn’t gonna lie, it kind of stung a bit. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t even know that I was doing that!” she fumbled over her words, grabbing her hat and screaming into it.

“It’s fine,” he sighed, standing up and stretching. “We should keep going, make use of the time we have.”

Pomni looked up, still clutching her hat. She was glad that he wasn’t mad, but why wasn’t he? If it were anyone else she was shore he would have told them to get lost, why did he leave her be? Her dream from last night made this moment even more flustering for her, the memory of Jack kissing Penny with such passion was burned into the back of her mind and the minute she woke up she was cuddling into Jax! The universe had to be out to get her.

“Hey, you awake in there?” he pointed to her forehead, “I said we should keep going.”

“W-what?” oh right, they still had to get out of the maze. The long…long maze, “Yeah, I’m coming.”

It seemed that the awkward silence had carried over from last night during their trek through the winding paths, neither of them not knowing what to say and their dreams invading every single thought they had. But besides the kiss, Jax thought of the family that brought Jack into their home. They shared no blood but treated him as though he were their son, making sure he was fed, happy and safe despite the occasional teasing. His mind drifted to Laura, how she cared for each one of her children, with the care and love that a mother should, it made him think of…

He looked to Pomni, who also seemed to be deep in thought, he made sure that she wouldn’t bump into anything. He felt bad for snapping at her yesterday, and the words she said to him afterwards cut deep. It was the first time in so long that someone called him out in a way that hollowed him to his core, to just step back and really think. Maybe that was what he needed. “Do you remember yesterday when Caine mentioned I used to know someone?” he spoke up.

Pomni’s head snapped up to him, his voice drowning out the deafening silence they stewed in for quite some time. “Y-yeah, why?”

“Well, when I arrived,” he started, “I remember that I didn’t know anything about my past, I was stuck in a body I didn’t know and all I could remember feeling was regret and fear. I acted a lot like a wounded animal, just screaming at people to stay away. It worked on everyone…except for Queenie.”

Pomni gasped, she had heard of Queenie and seen her door crossed off. The unsaid implication of her abstraction was what chilled Pomni’s spine, no one had to say anything to know what happened to her, but she never realised Jack was close to her.

“Well, she was the only one who wasn’t really phased by me,” he continued, “She made sure that I wasn’t alone, told me the stuff to look out for and sometimes Kinger would join her with helping me out, it’s strange to think about, back then he was more sane than he is now. I won’t lie, there were times that I was a little sh77t, but I’m grateful that she was willing to help me out. It helped me feel less scared, and sometimes I wondered if I had a mother in my past life that was like Queenie. But soon, I started seeing less and less of Queenie, everyone was starting to get worried. Any time we would see her she was always talking about an exit. I was also looking for one as well, collecting keys hoping that one of them would lead to an exit. One day, I told her about and maybe she could use on of them so it could help her mission…the next day she abstracted. Kinger was never the same after that, I wasn’t really sure if those two were together or not, but it was obvious how strong their bond was. Ever since then he started rambling about his ‘insect collection,’ I don’t know if it was to distract him from the grief or if it was a factor of him going crazy. All I knew was if I didn’t give Queenie that key, she would still be here. If I didn’t try and escape, Kinger would still have his sanity left. It’s better that everyone hates me, all I am is this a%%hole rabbit who killed their oldest friend. It’s no wonder they hate me.”

“I don’t hate you,” Pomni said, making him turn to her, “That situation wasn’t your fault, it was just an awful place in time that no one could control. And I don’t think the others hate you too, I mean, did you even ask them?”

Jax sighed, “No, my mind just immediately believed that everyone hated me. Honestly, I wanted them to, it’ll make things a bit easier.”

“Yeah,” Pomni nodded, before paling at her word choice, “Not about everyone hating you, I meant about making things easier. Facing the bad stuff is scary, when I first got here I denied that this was real and that it was a dream. But at the end of it all, I had to accept that this was my reality, even if I didn’t like it. But I’m not gonna let it stop me from trying to leave, don’t let what happened to Queenie stop you from thinking that you deserve to be hated, you don’t. Maybe the others won’t forgive you immediately, but you can at least make a start.”

“We’ll see,” he gave her a soft grin, she was smiling back proudly. It was starting to get a bit too mushy now, so he pushed her hat over her eyes.

“Hey!” she squealed, she didn’t seem to mind that. She readjusted her hat and crossed her arms, “Really?”

“This is me we’re taking about. Besides, it was too easy Pom-pom,” he chuckled as she let out a groan.

“You’re not funny,” she walked up ahead, keeping the banter afloat as they continued to travel.

“No, I’m hilarious,” he retorted, “It’s not my fault you’re so uncultured short stack.”

She whipped back round at him with a pretend offended expression, “I’m not short!”

“Okay,” Jax snickered, “Come back to me about that were you grow 2 inches.”

She groaned dramatically, “You’re the worst!”

“True,” he picked her up as she let out a yip and placed her on his shoulders, “And I also have longer legs, I’ll get us to the exit faster.”

“Hey!” Pomni giggled, holding onto his head, “Put me down you giant!”

“But I need you to be my second pair of eyes short stack,” he patted her leg, “Just point out if you see anything and I’ll be your steering wheel.”

Despite the light teasing, she knew he was right, they would find the exit to the maze quicker if they worked like this, “Fine!...tall ass.”

“Say that again?” he quired.

“Nothing!” Pomni said.

Jax shrugged and continued walking. After a while, it seemed that the awkwardness had finally died down, leaving the two to engage in light conversations while searching for the exit. It was then they realised that they had forgotten about their dreams, not fully but they were so focused on one another, enjoying one another, they didn’t find the time to really think about them.

It still took them a bit of time, but eventually, to both of their relief and slight disappointment, they found the exit, the circus tent just down the path in front of them. Pomni jumped off Jax’s shoulders, there was no need for him to keep carrying down that they were back.

“I guess that marks the end of this adventure,” Pomni rubbed her arm, was she upset that this was over? Or was she upset that she couldn’t spend time with Jax anymore?              

“Yeah, the end,” Jax nodded, as much as he didn’t want to be part of this little maze escapade, he’ll admit it, it was better with Pomni being here. In fact, he wouldn’t mind being around her more often. “You know, I’ve noticed that whenever you’re on your own, you’re either hyper focused on every single little thing to the point where it stresses you out of your in your own little world while dissociating. Sometimes you’re so in your head that you fail to notice when someone’s coming right at ya. Whether it be Caine with one of his adventures or one of the others fooling around.”

“That tends to happen a lot,” she confessed, “It’s either one or the either, there’s not an in between. It’s kinda a problem.”                               

“Well, I have a proposition for you,” he said, she perked up, “Until you feel like you understand this place a little more, I’ll be there to make you don’t have one of your episodes. Whether you’re spiralling or hyper focusing, I’ll be here to ground you in case that happens.”           

“Really?” her eyes widened with joy at his offer, “You’d do that for me?”

“Just until you’re more aware of your surroundings,” he told her, “After all, I have a reputation to uphold.”

“Ah, right,” she gave him a joking grin, “We wouldn’t want anything to happen to that.”

“See, now you’re getting it,” he agreed, returning her grin.

The way he was leaning in, the way her heart sped up at their newly found teasing of each other, the way that the sense of déjà vu kept creeping in as though they had done this song and dance before. She ready did fall for him, didn’t she? She cleared her throat, “Well, good to know you’ve got my back, thank you again Jax. We should head in so no one’s worrying about us.”

“Works for me,” he nodded, his face suddenly becoming gentler, “And, you’re welcome.”

Don’t blush, don’t blush, don’t blush, don’t blush, don’t blush. “Race you inside!” she zoomed off, leaving the rabbit to laugh to himself.

“She sure is something else, huh?” he said to himself, his thoughts flooding with her again, he didn’t to anything to spot it, only letting it flow.

Pomni-Pomni-Pomni-Pomni-Pomni-Pen-

“Jax! You coming?” Pomni called out to him.

He blinked, what was that? What was his last thought about? He looked towards Pomni, suddenly forgetting that sudden glitch as he raced towards her, wanting to challenge the jester that captured his affections. “Are you sure sweetie?” he ran in her direction, “My longer legs might be more effective than yours short stack!”

“I’ll make you eat those words!” she snickered as he chased after her.

It was just a glitch.

Only a glitch.

[nullen-void]

And another thing, isn't it weird that Caine just completely tunes out the adventure?

Put aside the AI-generated story thing and treat Caine like the mostly-sapient being he seems to be--isn't it weird that he stops paying attention to the gang when they're on the adventure?

In the pilot he went elsewhere to stare at Bubble while they gathered the gloinks. This despite the fact that it was taking place in the Circus itself, his own domain where he had claimed to be all-seeing.

Then in Candy Canyon he sends them on their way and then just... stands there, blowing bubbles. Isn't that strange? He clearly put a lot a of work into that adventure, so why wouldn't he want to watch? Pomni called it LARPing, so imagine if a DM wrote up an adventure, and then shoved his notes onto the group in the form of a CYOA book and fucked off.

Maybe he can't watch them. Maybe Caine.exe can't run at full power at the same time as an entire other loading zone due to a lack of processing power. It's interesting that the return portal only appeared after they completed the adventure according to his original stated goal. If they had, instead, decided to go with the bandits and help their village, or if Jax had successfully sicced Fudge on the kingdom when he wanted to, would the portal ever have appeared? Would they have broken the game and created an Unwinnable situation? Caine clearly didn't even program in the bandit's village, since Gummigoo's mum didn't even have a model, so there must have been only ONE win condition.

Would Caine have noticed? Would he have been able to notice? Surely if the Circus was that fragile it would have broken some time in the years previous, right?

I don't know, there's so many ways this could go. It's a fascinating world Gooseworx has built for us here.

[deathofallflesh]

All these gloink.... but the only thing I gather is haters

[ouppypio]

wooooooooaahh lots of ppl wanted to hear about the au so uh explanation ( also sorry it was late at a party rn)

Magical Girl Au Explanation Thinggy..

Before everyone chose to be a magical girl, they were once all human untill meeting Caine. Caine is some magical being along his buddy Bubble who he made. Caine has good intentions but due to his lack of understanding human emotions, does intentions back fired. He seen how humans have suffered, either by pain,depression,ect. He wanted to help the humans by either turning their lives more fun n stuff. I haven't thought on what he does but the idea was there are the Abstractions and creatures (example like the gloinks) that wreck people's lives but nobody can see them. As they live in this sorta circus themed world thats you can only kinda can get there without magiccccc....n stufffffffff. Caine decided to gather people who were willing to destroy those monsters, again this au is going through construction so I haven't figured out for some parts like why Caines intentions backfired so if yall wanna give out ideas I'd be happy to hear em. Back to what I was saying, Caine manage to get a few members for his group or whatever u wanna call it. Alot on who he gathered got abstracted ( alot of this is inspired by Puella Magi Madoka Magica so alot of it will be similar to that anime) so the previous members are now Abstractions (like previous magical girls turn into witches) All of the members were once human, but apon meeting Caine. Caine came to the conclusion that the human body was just to weak for them to fight so he came with a solution. By using his power, he turned their human body to these magical forms, essential what they are in the digital circus. But these body aren't human at all, they don't have organs or look anywhere near human like that so that strikes another problem. Since they can live in the human world anymore, Caine decided to create a new home for them, The Digital Circus. All of the members were devastated to learn that their lives were taken away and now having to live in some circus well just like the show... they abstracted. I might go for an idea that Caine erases all of their old memory to help with their sadness but again with it backfiring with them going insane n stuff. Again feel free to leave out ideas.

So now we begin with our story starting with Pomni. Pomni or whatever her human name would be (Pammy? Pamantha? Poppy?) She's is a depressed,overworked, and very much hates her job, office worker. Working for a company ( maybe for a game uh again not sure) who desperately wants to change herself, to prove the people around her that she can do something, that she can make a change, to have a purpose. That goal could spark the interest of Caine, so one day appearing in front of her to make a deal. Maybe possibly one of the monsters attack her. Either by accidentally going to the magic world thingy on mistake ( she maybe noticed a weird group of them going to this portal, or by just peer dumb and bad luck...she would have lots of bad luck) Possibly Caine saves her or the group instead. Which ever I go for Caine strikes a deal with her and she goes along with it because of the desperation to be something. And once she actually learns the horror of this new body and new home, she regrets it...as all the others during there first times. Now me meet the group, starting with the oldest

Kinger, the one who's been apart of the group the longest and most wisest. He's somehow been able to stay somewhat same but due to so much time dealing with all the craziness and losing someone dear to him. The magical girl gig has kinda broken him away so especially he's the plan/ smart guy in the group. Telling information for the group for missions and strategies.

Then Ragatha who's the second oldest member. She is essentially the mom friend, who often aids her friends during battles and keeping check of anyone (especially after someone abstracts) She tries to put on a happy face and cheerfully personality to keep her sanity, as it's her way to deal with her forever situation.

Jax is the third, he's the playful and prankster as always. Often teasing and annoying his teammates whenever he has the chance to. Jax often doesn't wait to attack during missions and ignores everyone's warning, unless Caine gets him to sit down and listen. But all of the sass and humor is his way to cope with the situation.

Gangle is the fourth member of the group, she's quite soft spoken and scared. As she still struggles a bit of her situation, and relys on her mask to deal with her emotions. Although she isn't weak, she can find herself to cower over some missions if they get to much. Mostly when she doesn't have her happy mask on, and that mask helps her with confidence. Although her emotions help her boost her strength if in very strong emotions.Her coping is practically relying on her masks to keep her happy,although a certain someone keeps breaking them.

Zooble is the fifth and came not long after Gangle. They are a distant and "idgaf" type of person, often trying to not get close with anyone and to just get over with it. Zooble sorta chills there untill they go to another mission, and their distancing is their way of coping. Not wanting to make connections to people in fear of losing them, just over all wanting to do the missions and nothing else.

The basic plot of it is Pomni and everyone else going to mission while they slowly start to find out more and more about everything to who they are, Caine and his secrets,and the universe itself. Anyways that's what I'm going to leave off, have a sketch of Pomni and Ragatha designs. I do plan on finnish it aswell with everyone's else but im tired and I wanna go to bed. Also credits to @massivemilkshaketale giving me ideas for this au, ily all and gn :33

designssssssss

[tinyinvadr]

Everyone, I have returned from the Void with a new chapter! I really hope I’m able to keep consistently working on this, I feel like I almost never finish a fic anymore!

Hide & Shrink

Chapter 5

We returned to the main stage where the rest of the circus members were waiting for us. They all seemed happy and relieved to see me. I still couldn’t really tell with Zooble, though. They’re hard to read.

“Welcome back, Pomni!” Gangle greeted, a smile plastered on her newly restored comedy mask.

I waved to her, still feeling kind of awkward around everyone. It had only been two days, they were all still strangers. Giant strangers.

“Okay, so Pomni’s back, but we still don’t know where the %$!# Jax went. I don’t like when that creep goes missing.”

“Language, Zooble, language! And… Jax said he won’t be participating today. Neither will Pomni. As for the rest of you, today’s adventure will be…”

With his free hand, Caine snapped his fingers, making bubble letters appear above us as he spoke.

“Wrangle the Wroinks!”

Zooble glared at him. “Didn’t we JUST do that?”

Caine started laughing hysterically. He was so loud I felt the need to cover my ears, even though I’m pretty sure my character model doesn’t have them.

“No, those were the Gloinks that you were gathering last time! The Wroinks are completely different!”

The Wroinks in question suddenly appeared and started bouncing all over the place. They looked exactly like the Gloinks only this time they were wearing hats.

“Right. Of course they are.”

It wasn’t long before a Wroink bounced off of Gangle, knocking her comedy mask off and breaking it.

“Not again…”

Ragatha picked up the pieces for her, looking over at me apologetically.

“We’ll catch up with you later, Pomni. Caine, you remember what we talked about, right?”

Caine gave her a thumbs up. “Sure do! Don’t worry, I’ll make sure our new little friend is safe and at ease!”

After everyone left, he just floated in place, not moving. I sat in his open palm, staring off into space as I waited for whatever was delaying him to pass. This seemed to be a common occurrence. He would just… stop.

“Well then, Pomni, have you decided what you’d like to do today? The possibilities are limitless! *Notethatthepossibilitiesarelimitedtowhatisallowedbyourtermsofservicepleaseaskforadditionaldetails.”

I didn’t have a real plan in mind. If I had the option, I’d just do nothing for the rest of the day, but I had a feeling Caine wouldn’t understand that. Even if he was considering my feelings, it was clear he required some sort of constant entertainment.

“Well… what do you normally do during the adventures?”

He paused, as if he wasn’t sure whether or not to tell me.

“There’s a restaurant Bubble and I go to, but that’s an NPC-only zone! Then again… this is kind of a unique case… Ah, no, no, I’m not picking favorites! Oh… but you’re so gosh-darn adorable! Alright, you make a convincing argument. Let’s go!”

Before I could even attempt to process anything he said, he snapped his fingers and we teleported to a new location.

It was a small, casual restaurant, with wooden mannequins seated at every table. It was strange how it didn’t match the aesthetic of the rest of the circus at all. I guess that’s why it was considered an off-limits area, since it would ruin the immersion. Not that I cared. If anything, I liked that it looked more grounded in reality.

Caine floated over to a table where Bubble was already waiting for us, and sat in the available seat. He then carefully set me down on the table, and leaned on his elbows, resting his lower jaw in his hands.

“Well, this is the place, Pomni! Want anything? Food? A drink? Just an appetizer?”

“Oh, that’s okay, I don’t need any-”

“Nonsense, it’s my treat! Excuse me, waiter? Could you bring out today’s special for the little lady?”

A mannequin in a tuxedo suddenly appeared beside the table with a tray of food and placed it in front of me. Across the table, Bubble eyed the food in anticipation. Caine let out a sigh.

“And a second order for my gluttonous friend?”

The waiter mannequin disappeared and reappeared with more food, putting it down in front of Bubble. He ate the whole thing, plate included, in one bite. Caine stared at him for what felt like a solid minute before clearing his nonexistent throat and addressing me again.

“Now then, I get the sense there’s something on your mind. But rest assured, I am ready and willing to hear you out! So tell me, what seems to be the trouble?”

It should have been obvious what the problem was, but I tried not to let myself get too frustrated with him. There was no point.

“Okay, so… I was talking to Jax earlier, and he thinks I might have a glitch of some sort, which is why you can’t change me back. Do you… know anything about this? Has this happened before?”

“No… but it doesn’t appear to be a major concern! You can still live your digital life to the fullest just like everyone else! I’m sure with a few accommodations here and there we can-”

“CAINE!!!”

We both froze after I suddenly shouted at him. I didn’t know what I was thinking in doing that. He didn’t appear angry, at least. Just confused.

“I-I’m sorry, but… I don’t want this life. I want my old one back. The lack of an exit is already bad enough, but now I’m scared. Being stuck like this, people grabbing me and dropping me and being held against my will… I don’t think I can take much more of it, Caine. I-If this keeps up, I think I might…”

I couldn’t bring myself to say it. Even though I didn’t fully understand what happened to Kaufmo, I knew it was horrible. The idea of losing everything, becoming an out-of-control monster, never being myself again…

Caine sighed, looking down at me sympathetically.

“I hate to see you so down, Pomni. I wish there was more I could do to help, but I just don’t know. Nothing like this has ever happened before. Is there anything you can think of that might make you feel better?”

There were so many things that could have helped me, but they were all outside of what Caine was capable of. He couldn’t make an exit, he couldn’t change my size back, and there was no way he’d be able to protect me from Jax or my own impending abstraction forever. There really wasn’t anything he could do for me.

But Caine is persistent, and I knew he wouldn’t stop until he could find some way to help me.

“Maybe… a new room? Something private, and scaled down so only I can go in there. You know, a place where I can take a break from everything and not have to worry about being abducted in my sleep?”

“An excellent idea! I’ll get right on that as soon as the adventure’s over. Speaking of which, I should check and see how the others are doing.”

He sat in silence for a few seconds, his eyes wide and locked in place. I could only assume that he did this every time he needed to see out of any of the additional eyes he had planted everywhere. Creepy.

“Hmm, it looks like they’re almost finished up with the Wroinks, so we should probably go meet back up with them. Ready to go?”

He offered his hand again, and I climbed on. As strange as it was, I was starting to get used to the feeling of being carried. At the very least, I was comfortable with Caine and Ragatha doing it. It wasn’t something that I necessarily liked, but it was important for me to adjust to it.

“You seem to be a lot calmer. Good for you! I’m sure we’ll get this all sorted out in no time!”

I had to admit his optimism was endearing. I really didn’t feel much better, but maybe if I just played along I could convince myself that everything was fine.

But at the same time, I couldn’t stop thinking about the glitch. If there was a chance that it could somehow get us all out, maybe it was worth looking into. I’d have to figure it out on my own, though. I wasn’t sure how the others would react, and I couldn’t fully trust any of them yet. And there was no way I would let Jax “help”.

The future was so uncertain and it terrified me, but I didn’t need the others to know that. So, I lied through my teeth.

“Yeah. Everything will be fine.”

[triangularitydubs]

Fresh Pomni Story Part One

A single round gloink is rolling about below the Circus where the Gloink Queen used to reside. Little thing was minding its own business when a tentacle swooped in from the darkness and snatched it. Then came some weird sounds and clicks. Cut to black. "Who's up for another ADVENTURE?!" Caine had woken everyone up and gathered them in main area of the tent. "We literally just did that stupid Gloink stuff." Zooble complained. "Can you give us SOME sort of break?!" "No. Then I wouldn't be a good ringmaster!" He retorted. "Now, speaking of The Gloinks. Since The Incident with The Gloink Queen and Kaufmo, they have been running rampant in that lair." "What's that have to do with us...?" Gangle said quietly. "Well you all are going to CATCH them! Because frankly, They might eat the entire circus if we don't. That's not very practical or wanted. SOOOOOO let's make it fun!" Caine was sounding enthusiastic, "The winner gets ....." He stopped. A dramatic pause. "An ACHIEVEMENT!" "What does that even MEAN?" "I'm glad you asked, Jax." Caine pointed his fingers at Jax. "A fancy plauqe that says 'Gloink Hunter'!!" "Wooow," Zooble rolled their eyes, "Thats SOO worth it." "Thats the spirit, Zooble! TOODLES, Good luck!" He disappeared. He dropped 6 bags before he left. ADVENTURE START! The hole opened up shortly after Caine disappeared. "Well," Ragatha said. "No time like the present." Ragatha jumped in, Pomni followed after shortly. "Yeah Ragdoll is right," Jax pushed Kinger in the hole, who once again pulled Gangle with him. Finally Jax grabbed Zooble's wrist and down they went too. "Jax you motherf-" was the last thing heard in the tent. After a "fun" slide ride, they were at the bottom. "Alright how do we go about this?" "Easy exactly how we did last time. Crybaby, Hoo-Ha and Zoob on one team. Rags, Pomni and Myself on another." "Who's Hoo-Ha?" Kinger looked around confused. "Fair enough. Let's split!" Ragatha smiled. "Meet back here with whatever you managed to capture. Gangle, Kinger and Zooble went to the right while Ragatha, Jax and Pomni went to the left. It was dimly lit they could barely see in front of them. "We're like the dream team. Aren't you guys glad I split us up like this?" Jax was boasting. "Its an alright choice." Ragatha was hopeful. "I'd like to think at least I'VE made a good impression on Pomni." Pomni just walked behind them, zoning out. "Have I, Pomni?" Ragatha asked, looking back a bit. "Huh?" Pomni blinked and finally paid attention before realizing what Ragatha said. "Yeah, you have...just...still in my head about this.." "You'll get used to it, Pom." Jax chimed in. "Besides-" his voice had cut off. "Besides what Jax?" Pomni asked. Silence. "Jax?" She asked again. "Ragatha??" No response suddenly she was alone in the darkness. She stopped and stood there scared and confused, when suddenly a round gloink rolled in front of her, but it was weird.. it looked like it had... tentacles. She didn't recall Gloinks looking like that. She shrugged and went after it. It was giving a fight at first, but then it sorta realized what was going on.. and latched itself onto Pomni's face! She fought desperately to get it off, but...the thing that happened next was.. a bit gruesome. It wedged itself into Pomni's eye. And she blacked out. Everyone was missing except for Pomni, but she couldn't couldn't even control her own body anymore. She didn't have the jester clothes anymore. Slowly she was fading from her own mind. The intellect of a 90s Stereotype filled her brain. Pomni was gone. The new Fresh Pomni searched and searched The Tent, Grounds, Fair and Lake to find the other preformers but no luck. She sat on a bench in the Fairgrounds and sighed as she knew she was alone Suddenly a strange beeping noise occurred and her virus, True Fresh spoke to her within her mind. "I've left a gift for you at The Digital Carousel!"

[runjumpkauf]

The Amazing Dream About Episode 3

Hello, Hello, Hello.

I Had A Dream Today. As You Can Tell From This Post Name, I Had A Dream About The Amazing Digital Circus Ep.3, a.k.a. Episode 3.

I Don't Usually Dream. But I Had Too High Expectations About Digital Circus When I Dreaming. Actually, Is Too Plus One.

So....Now Some Of You Might Be Wondering How Exactly Kind Of Story It Is. Okay, I Explain-Exactly.

I Remember Episode Title Was "Martha's Maid Mayhem!", Or Adventures In Ghosty-Sitting!" Or "Haunted House Halls!" Or "Phantom Praise Pandemonium!". Whatever.

I Saw This Episode On YouTube In A Dream And Was Really, Really, Really Shock-Prised That It Available So Suddenly Without A Trailer.

So I Touched It, And Story Begins.

In My Dream, The Amazing Digital Members Were Hangin' The Mayhem Out In The Room Of Ragatha. Because Of Jax.

Jax Is Doin' Not-So-Fuzzy Fussy Fuss And Order The Fuss To Everyone.

Kinger Tries To Play The Piano, But Is Stopped By Jax The Evil.

Zooble Couldn't Bear To See It, And Tried To Leave, But Is Stopped By Jax The Evil.

Pomni Just Gave Up To Jax's Not-So-Fuzzy Fussy Fuss.

Ragatha, Of Course, She Blamed To Jax, And Tried To Stop Everyone!

And Gangle, You Get The Idea!

Just Then, Caine Sudden-Appear Into Ragatha's Room.

He Said Today's Adventure Is Ready And You Are Asked To Come At 9.P.M.

It's 9.P.M. Not A 9.A.M. So, Jax's Bickering And Fussering Didn't Stop Until 9.P.M.

In Today's Adventure, "Martha's Maid Mayhem", The Owner Of The Ghost's Hotel, And Her Little Helper Have Been Ordered By The Boss To Expand The Hotel, To Do This, You Need The Help Of Pomni, Ragatha, Jax The Evil, Gangle, Kinger, And Zooble.

And When They Went Through The Caine's Portal And Visited The Hotel, It Looked Truly Massive And Grand. Really.

Jax Was Truly Happy To Hear "Ghost". (He Said It Was Because Ghosts Ain't Pathetic. He Will Never Know That Prejudice Is Not Everything. Was I Being Harsh As A Rash? I Think.)

Gangle Got Scared When She Heard The Word, (Not A World) "Ghost".

Kinger Do Shaking And Did The Crazy Moves Like Ep.1: Gather The Gloinks! (Pilot Episode)

Zooble Didn't Have Any Reactions.

Pomni Stared At The Hotel Intently.

Ragatha Feeling A Bit Ominous, She Glanced At Jax For A Moment.

And Suddenly, I Hear Thunder From The Hotel. And I Awoke. And At That Short Moment, I Realized Episode 3 I Had Seen Were All A Dream. And When I Woke Up, It Was 12:49 P.M. I Went Back To Sleep And Tried To Dream The Episode 3 Again.

But Instead I Dreamed Of Island.

It Was A Pretty Funny Dream. In A Certain Red Sea, There Was The Island With A House Made Of Light Green Roof And Magenta Pink Walls. House Turned Into A Tree With Golden Leaves, Then Turned Into A Star And Fell, The Island Turned Into Spaghetti, The Spaghetti Became A Pot, And Inside The Pot Was Chicken Soup.

Star Made A Spatula With His Eyebrows And Tasted It. It Was Too Delightful And Too Delicious That He Jumped Up And Down In Admiration. Then, His Eyeballs Began To Gradually Cover Entire Everything, And It Turned Into Black.

AND IT TURNED INTO......

REALLY!

And In The Direct's End, I'm Woke Up. 6:38 A.M.

Okay, I Apologize For Suddenly Talkin' About Dreams And For Suddenly Talkin' About Another Dream I Had.

I Just Wrote This Post, So I Wouldn't Forget About It.

(Update Eventually.)

P.S. https://www.glitchprod.com/thewackywatch

P.S.2. Also, This Amazing Dream And Extraordinary Dream Reminds Me Of Inside Out's Dream Productions.

(Not A Playstation2)

P.S.3. I Got Hundred Likes. Thank You For Your Heartronage.

(Not A Playstation3)

[ebon-blu]

The Amazing Digital Circus feels like a Tumblr user's allegory for Youtube. Of course, there's the obvious point of not being able to swear, but only the hellsite could come up with an activity called "Gather the Gloinks" followed by a cackling set of teeth choking on a pair of heterochromatic eyes.