#tabi writing

[little-paper-man]

Rythulian Train! Now in ~Color~!

Finally got around to coloring that doodle from a while back :]

also click for better quality it's gonna be scrunched otherwise /D

[epicfranb]

Rewatching Kino's Journey and I'm like Kino is so non-binary coded. But then episode 4 comes around and it's such major honest to god non-binary coding, I'm not even sure if it's unintentional anymore. So here's my little essay about it, ig.

Fair warning for potential spoilers under the cut! Before reading, I highly suggest watching this anime (it's really good) or just the episode in question. You don't really need any context for this, other than the basic premise of the show: Kino travels with a sentient motorcycle called Hermes. As for where to watch it, I always watch on aniwave.to. Again, this is episode 4, so go watch it!!

Since this is about the non-binary coding, I'm gonna keep the summaries short and to the point. The backstory starts with Kino saying she doesn't remember her past name anymore, but expresses the only thing she remembers about it being the bullying. This moment in itself doesn't have an obvious meaning, it is purely symbolic. The episode starts with her in a field of the flowers she was named after, long after she forgot her name; she is there later as a child, starting a new life with a new name; and it ends with her as an adult, which is the moment that leads to the scene in the beginning, nicely looping back in this circle-like narrative. This has more to do with the general ideas of freedom that the show has, rather than specifically to the topic of this essay. I just thought it was interesting how it explicitly shown that she did not like her birth name.

To avoid confusion from this point on, I'm going to refer to Kino the main character as "this girl". This is because she meets a traveler named Kino. The two spend a lot of time together, and the girl explains to the traveler the tradition of this country. This is that when children turn 12, they get an operation to "become an adult". Children are free to do whatever they like, while adults must work and nothing else, and, since this is such a big burden, they get an operation to always be happy despite it.

The girl asks if Kino has a job, and Kino says that traveling is his job. The girl then asks, "Do you hate your job?" and Kino says "No, I like it." and the girl says "Then it's not a job."

Kino realizes this is kind of fucked up and is visibly conflicted on whether he should leave the place as is, or help this girl he's made friends with somehow. He talks to this girl about the tradition, and this exchange happens:

In a world with such a clear distinction between a child and adult, it is unthinkable to the girl that someone could just be neither. This man is grown up, but he does what he likes. And he doesn't even have an answer for "what" he is. He's just "a man named Kino, that's all. And I'm on a journey."

"Doing what you like to do?" The girl asks.

"That's right, I like traveling." Kino says.

He asks the girl what she likes to do. She says she loves singing! He suggests she then should become a singer. She says she can't, because she has to grow up and take over her family's business. But it's fine, because it's about to be her operation and day and she "will be happy, even if she has to work at the inn".

The next day, the girl is conflicted. She asks her parents if it is necessary to have the operation. "Is there no other way that I can become an adult by just being myself?" Her parents are terrified and very mad at her, and the whole street gathers up to tell her off, calling her a "failure", "defective", "a waste of a girl", which are also common attitudes towards queer people in our world. They realize it was the traveler that planted the ideas in her head. The traveler agrees that each country has its own customs, and the people allow him to leave peacefully... Except the girl will be killed, for "defying her elders". Her father charges at her with a knife, but Kino shields her and dies. at this point, Hermes, the motorcycle, starts speaking to her.

This exhange continues the theme of "the secret third thing" and the freedom of choice outside of defined norms. Within the norms, it becomes clear in this scene that you either become "an adult" or you die; but, just like the traveler Kino was "a secret third thing", the girl can also run away and continue being herself. That is the third choice she gets here. And she takes it.

She rides away, Hermes giving her instructions on how to ride properly, she breaks the country gates and escapes to the grand outside. She stops and falls over on a field of flowers, the ones she was named after. She looks back and whispers "Kino..." but Hermes assumes it was her introducing herself to him. Surprised he referes to her as Kino, she throws away the last part of her past she had on her and accepts her new name.

Now that we're done with the summary, let's dissect this.

First off, Kino in her childhood looks very feminine. She has long hair, wears a pink dress and a pink headband with a cute bow. And, s we know her from the future, she looks very androgynous, her hair is short, her voice is much lower, she wears masculine clothing and an oversized coat that she got from the traveler.

She changes her looks, she changes her name, from one that she did not like to one that reflected her better, which is something that many trans and non-binary people go through. Here, I want to mention that even the traveler she met also looks sort of androgynous, which is also coding in itself, imo.

In the country where she used to live, there were two ways to live: being a child and being an adult. One did not have any sort of choice in the matter, it was decided for you. This is, of course, similar to the way that we get assigned a gender at birth and are expected to pefectly perform that gender, with no option to switch or be something else.

But young Kino meets a person who defies everything she believed in her life. He's free to go and do whatever he likes, he doesn't fit in the binary of this country, and he grew up free to be himself. This is wild to Kino at first, but she keeps thinking about it and realizing she does want to keep doing things she likes. She doesn't want to get brainwashed into doing things she hates with an unchanging smile on her face. She wants to be herself, to be free. She doesn't get that choice, of course, not while she's still in the country. She admits that becoming an adult like them would be as bad as dying; because she would lose all her personality and individuality. That's when Hermes opens her eyes to this: she DOES have a choice. Actually, this is her only chance to take it. She runs away, and she's finally free, and she throws away her past and continues life under a new name.

Even if all this is unintentional, this episode's themes still speak to the ideas and beliefs of trans and non-binary people. It is an episode about freedom of choice, freedom to be yourself despite what your culture may impose on you. This is an episode about leaving your past behind for a better future. So, in a way, this episode IS about being non-binary.

Thank you for reading!! I hope there aren't any major mistakes in here. If there are, please let me know so I can fix it (kindly, please). Like, obviously I said words like "feminine/masculine/androgynous" which are labels which don't always fit everything they get assigned to. I hope that it's clear that I used them intentionally for the purposes of getting a point across. Hope you enjoyed, and I've convinced you to watch (or rewatch) this awesome anime!! Bye-bye ^_^

[k1rameki]

WE ARE SO BACK YOU GUYS 💥💥💥💥

@alex-dontknow @beans2cheese

[leavingautumn13]

warmup sketches tonight are bits and pieces of an emerald fanfic i'm writing. i personally have always been a team magma fan so they show up a lot.

here are the redesigns i did for this fic featuring main characters and their starters

[i have commissions open now]

[taterswithranch]

13... but cursed dragon tabi? the recent one--

two years late i promise i didn't forget HFDSKJSK

13. "Hey, just look at me. Breathe."

The dragon hadn't moved from the corner in three days. He didn't drink any of the water or eat any of the food Garcello brought for him. Any time the green-haired man would try to approach would be met with a series of hisses and distressed whimpers. As much as Garcello wanted to respect the dragon's boundaries, he knew the poor thing would die without any assistance.

He was proven right at four in the morning. It was the loud crack of thunder that woke him up. It was the shattering of glass that had him rushing out of bed and into the kitchen. Broken pieces of the vase were scattered along the floor. The water inside had spilled, and the flowers lay limp on the floor. The table shivered and shuddered, and upon closer inspection, Garcello's unusual guest was the cause.

The dragon lay huddled underneath, gripping one of the legs like a lifeline as his trembling shook the table. His eyes were squeezed shut, and his chest heavily rose and fell in rapid succession. Garcello's mind raced as he racked his memory of how to deal with these situations, trying to remember what one of his close friends had taught him.

First, Garcello rushed for the broom he kept in the closet. Removing the danger was his first priority. He swept the broken glass into the dustpan and threw it away, using a wet paper towel to wipe down any possible remaining fragments. Once the floor was cleaned, he slowly and quietly moved the chairs away, careful not to startle the dragon. Next, Garcello slowly crouched down to the dragon's eye level, making sure to keep a fair distance.

"Hey. Hey, look at me," Garcello requested in a quiet, calm voice. He gently tapped the wooden floorboards, and the dragon's head shot up. Bright yellow eyes pierced Garcello's toned greys. Garcello offered a kind smile and slowly offered a hand. The dragon flinched away. "It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt ya," Garcello reassured him. He sat himself on the floor, mindful to keep his distance.

Another flash of lightning followed by an erupting boom and crack. The sounds of a tree splintering and falling screamed outside along with the rain. The dragon yelped, muscles poised and tense as if preparing to run. His breath only shortened, coming in faster gasps. Garcello tapped the floor again to regain the dragon's attention.

"Hey, hey, look at me," Garcello repeated, never breaking eye contact. The dragon looked up at him with wide, scared eyes. "Hey, just look at me. Breathe." More lightning. The dragon flinched again, but he didn't look away. Garcello offered a reassuring smile. "Attaboy. Do you think you can breathe with me?" The dragon gave a small tilt of his head, displaying a subtle curiosity despite his terror.

Garcello inhaled slowly for three seconds, held his breath for three seconds, then breathed out for three seconds. He repeated the process a few more times, then gestured for the dragon to follow his lead. After a moment's hesitance, the dragon attempted to follow the breathing technique. His breath hiccuped and stuttered as he desperately tried to control his breathing. The first breath didn't even reach the full three seconds before he sputtered. The second breath was the same. The third was shaky, although the dragon managed to hold it for the full three seconds. Fourth. Fifth. By the sixth, the dragon's breath was consistent and stable.

Garcello sighed in relief for this small victory. "It's okay. You're safe here. I won't let anything hurt you." The dragon relaxed a little at his reassurance. With a soft whimper, the dragon took a few slow steps out of the table. Garcello held his breath, watching carefully as the dragon hesitantly crawled into his lap, curling up like a cat. Garcello huffed a small, relieved laugh and gently rested a hand on the dragon's back. The dragon flinched a little, but he relaxed with a soft whine, melting under the touch. While giving him a tender rub, Garcello asked quietly, "Do you have a name?"

The dragon looked up at him, and Garcello could see the cogs turning in the dragon's head, debating whether or not to respond. Then, in a small, timid voice, the dragon answered: "T-Tabi. It's Tabi."

"Tabi, huh?" Garcello smiled and carefully scooped Tabi up in his arms like a baby. Tabi squeaked in mild surprise and squirmed a little to readjust himself more comfortably. "Let's get you some food and water."

Tabi whimpered and nodded, snuggling into the man's warmth. Garcello walked into the kitchen to finally meet Tabi's needs.

[mad-aims]

It’s WIP Wednesday! Here’s my Japanese clothing Aziraphale and Crowley so far, with close ups. I’m going to draw a nightingale design on Aziraphale’s kimono or maybe his haori. I’m still undecided. This is going to look awesome in colour. 😍😍😍

[lightgriffinsect]

happy belated birfday to agoti andromeda

a very entity birhtday

(Friday Night Funkin')

Words: 1995

Summary:

Belated birthday fanfic for Agoti Andromeda, the coolest digidevil singer around! Especially in his brother's eyes. How kind of their friends to be there for them on Agoti's special day, Aldryx sighs. How lucky they are, to all be there, alive and okay.

this was very rushed i'm sorry if it sucks and sorry that it's late /lhj

Entity/Tabi taglist: @shippin-my-sanses, @hoodiehydra, @parrotsartstop, @flurriethefox, @alex-dontknow, @randomlysent, @onemothhwomann, @k1rameki, @irenefandomsfan

Let me know if you'd like to be added to/removed from the taglist!

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

“AGOTI.” Aldryx kicks open the door to the bedroom that his beloved baby brother hijacked last night. “WAKE UP IT IS TEN IN THE MORNING.”

“Hnnhhgnh…” Agoti mumbles, rolling over in bed and becoming enveloped in Aldryx’s dark comforter, like a fork entwined in spaghetti. “Five more minutes…”

“NO. Wake up, oh my God.” Aldryx grabs what, after careful assessment, he’s pretty sure might be an edge of the blanket, trying to unravel Agoti from his self-imposed prison like a toilet roll.

Nope. Too late. The blanket has neither beginning nor end.

“Don’ wanna…” Agoti grouses. He rolls over again, off the edge of the bed and onto the floor, taking the sheets with him. No reaction; he just sinks even deeper into the blanket. “I’m sleeeepyyyyyy…”

“That’s your own fault, staying up till two playing Minecraft.” Aldryx retorts, trying to decide how to explain to everyone that Agoti doesn’t care. Something in his stomach sinks.

How is he supposed to get this guy downstairs? Could he just…carry the whole bundle? Aldryx drops to one knee, sliding his arms beneath Agoti, blanket and all. Agoti yelps as the older scoops him up and leaves the room. “Pu’ me down!”

“You’ll wake up at six for Tabi’s birthday but miss your own?” Aldryx says instead, raising a brow in return. 

“Birthday?” Agoti finally pokes his head out of the cocoon Aldryx can probably just dump on Tabs to untangle him out of. “‘S my birthday a’rready?”

“Yes . You wouldn’t shut up about it yesterday, it’s all you talked about. Have you forgotten?” Al rolls his eyes as exaggeratedly as he can, making sure Agoti can see.

“Eeeeeyyyup.” His little brother slumps back down, going limp. Bright, impish eyes watch him hopefully. “Didja get me the headset I wanted?”

“You’ll see.” At the bottom of the stairs, Aldryx lets him tumble to the floor. Agoti groans, kicking at the comforter until his tail and legs are free. He shoots to his feet with a wide grin, stretching his limbs like a cat. Al can’t help a small smile of his own. Agoti’s morning demeanor is something else.

“That means no.” Agoti sticks out his tongue. “Stop staring at me. Where is everyone?” His tail swishes energetically. His bright, eager gaze darts from the stairwell to the closet behind it, to the well-lit ground floor as he trails behind Aldryx down the hall to the living room. Like he used to when they were little and only had each other and wouldn’t have survived if everything had chosen to go to hell back then. 

Good thing it waited until they were both just barely adults with little understanding of what games the music industry liked to play. 

“Tabs and Aya are here too. We’ve been waiting for you to wake up since eight,” Aldryx half lies. They’re actually still decorating the place. Not that Agoti would care, so why not stretch it a bit?

“Really?” Agoti stops short, tail drooping. “Oh. I— I didn’t think…” He shrinks a little, face reddening, and Aldryx immediately regrets saying that. He shouldn’t have said that, he shouldn’t have forgotten. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Al hastily reassures him. Agoti’s anxiety never really went away. Even though he’d gotten better at dealing with it once the fame hit. He’d started healing at that time, letting his newfound confidence flourish. Letting himself feel better about his life.

Then the Dearests happened. Nikusa, the Void happened. Everything relapsed. And even though Agoti’s found it easier to manage his fears this time, with his family and friends and experience, Aldryx can’t imagine the kind of residual worries his little brother must still be carrying. No matter how good he’s gotten at not apologizing, not caring what everyone thinks. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m— I’m glad, actually. You need to sleep more anyway.” He rests a hand on Agoti’s shoulder. “Come on, Ayana and Tabi aren’t gonna mind. They’re excited to see you.”

“Wh’ ‘bout Mom ‘n Dad?” Agoti dropped that habit of halving his words long ago. He must be so nervous for it to have come back so suddenly. Aldryx gives Agoti’s shoulder a small squeeze.

“Well…” Aldryx lowers his voice, leaning in closer. “I’m technically not supposed to be saying anything, but…” He grins at Agoti’s huge eyes. “They’re out getting something for you.”

“What?” Agoti presses, tail swaying rapidly. “Is it the—”

“Can’t tell.” Aldryx pulls away, snickering. “It’s a surprise… ” He pulls his brother by the shoulder to the living room door, ignoring Agoti’s whine of dismay and also how obvious the surprise actually is. “Now come on!”

“Jerk,” Agoti huffs. But his eyes light up brighter than anything when the door swings open and Ayana and Tabi both yelp.

“We’re not done!” Aya shouts, shoving a throw pillow in Aldryx’s face. Al stumbles back. “Go! Shoo! Happy birthday! Get out!” Behind her, Tabi holds up his arms, tangled in a banner reading “HAPPY BIRHTDAY AGOTI” in bold red and green and blue letters, as if to shield himself. 

“Thanks, guys! Nice banner!” Agoti throws his arms around them both instead. “Can’t believe it’s my birhtday already!”

Ayana and Tabs freeze at that before laughing sheepishly. “We were hoping you wouldn’t notice…” Tabi says, letting the banner fall to the floor in a heap before trying to unravel it. “It was my mistake. I, uh, was distracted. By the cupcakes,” he mumbles under his breath. “Uhm. Sorry?”

“It’s fine,” Aldryx drops the pillow on the couch with a little smile, reaching over to help Tabs put up the banner. “You guys have done enough anyway.” How kind of them to help make today special for Agoti, when everything is still so uncertain and dangerous for all of them.

“You got cupcakes!” Agoti gushes, darting over to the platter of food on the coffee table. “And— ooh, are those my presents?” His gaze snaps to the massive pile of gift wrapped boxes, gleaming in the morning sun as it filters through the bay window. “What’d you guys even get me?”

Ayana clears her throat. “That is classified.”

“Oh, come on!”

“Because…we still have to get through breakfast!” Tabi gestures quickly at the cupcakes and coffee, all jazz hands-like. “We got those caramel chocolate ones you were always saying—”

“Aw— you did?! You did! ” Agoti shoves past them, snatching up one of said cupcakes. It’s topped with chocolate frosting and drizzled in caramel sauce. “I’ve never had these ones! You guys— ” He flings an arm around Tabi, nearly crushing him in a hug.

Aldryx laughs, leaning over to pluck one of the plain red velvets. How sweet of Ayana and Tabi, to remember that he doesn’t like cream cheese frosting. “Thanks for picking these up.”

“Mm-hm!” Agoti nods eagerly through a mouthful of chocolate cake.

“It’s no problem,” Ayana chuckles softly. “It’s the least we could do.”

As the four of them are talking over coffee and more cupcakes than are probably healthy for them, the front door clicks open. “Good morning, kids!” Amora sings out. “I should hope you saved some breakfast for us?”

“Of course we did,” Tabi scoffs, opening the door to receive them and immediately getting enveloped in two warm blue hugs. “Morning.”

“Hi! Morning!” Agoti bolts over and barges his way into the huddle. 

“Morning, Sol! Amora!” Aldryx says cheerfully, rising to give his mother a peck on the cheek. “How’d it go?”

“Oh, it went swimmingly,” Amora practically gushes. “Agoti, you’re not going to believe what we finally—”

“That is classified,” Sol interrupts, giving her a meaningful look at the same time as Ayana. He passes a relatively small box to her. Like many of the others, it’s wrapped in bright paper with a sparkling stick-on bow. “Until we’ve gotten through all the other presents.” There are a lot of presents.

“You guys all suck,” Agoti grouses, folding his arms and dropping to the floor criss-cross applesauce.

Tabi does the same. “But you don’t care.”

“But I don’t care.” Agoti leans on him. Aldryx drops to his brother’s side and throws his arms around him. Agoti’s tail coils around all three of them. “Can we open my things now?”

“But of course,” Ayana snickers, scooping up an armful of boxes and dumping them in Agoti’s lap. 

“Oh, sweet!” Agoti grabs one wrapped in shiny red and gold, haphazardly tearing at the paper and carelessly tossing it aside as his family crowds around him. The pure glee in his smile is so contagious, Aldryx has to suppress his laugh, watching closely over his little brother’s shoulder, soaking up the warmth and cheer. 

Agoti hasn’t been so excited over anything in months, the way he’s excited over the new computer monitor he’s had his eye on for so long. He continues to ramble and praise everything else they got him, decorated in red and white and silver. The huge shark plush that’s probably going to take up what little space remains of his bed. The several hoodies, in more colors than just red, because he really needs to expand his wardrobe.

“These are from you,” Agoti grumbles to Aldryx, inspecting the deep blue of the cotton fabric.

“They are from me,” Al agrees with a grin, resting his chin on his brother’s shoulder. “You’re welcome.”

Agoti blows at his face. “Thanks anyway. It’s… I like the color.” His tone is still grumpy, but there’s a touch of sincerity to it.

“I’m glad.”

“And now,” Ayana pants, shoving aside the mass of empty, half-torn cardboard boxes and crumpled wrapping paper, “we have the last one!” She holds up the unremarkable box from earlier. From this angle, Aldryx realizes it reads “CLASSIFIED” on one side. Wow.

“Oh, yeah!” Agoti whoops, snatching it from her and enthusiastically ripping off the paper. “I think I know what this— I WAS RIGHT!” 

“You were right,” Tabi confirms, laughing softly as he tries to recover from the sudden volume increase. “Yeah. Happy birthday.”

“You actually got it for me!” Agoti is still gushing over the headset he’s been wanting since forever. He probably isn’t even listening to the rest of them right now. “OhmyGodI’vebeenwantingthisoneforsolongthankyousososomuchI’msohappyrightnow—”

“Agoti,” Sol speaks up gently, “take a moment to breathe. Relax.”

“Hhhokay,” Agoti gasps, eyes watering. Is his throat hurting from all the yelling he’s been doing? “I just…I wanted this forever and you finally got it for me and it’s so cool and you’re all here and you got me cupcakes and hoodies and another shark plushie even though I already have six…” Agoti trails off, looking down at his lap. His voice is watery too. The rest of them, as one, softly coo and crowd around him in a hug.

Aldryx rubs his back. “It’s all good, buddy.” You deserve the world, he wants to say, among so many other cheesy things that he can never bring himself to admit. “You do great. We wanted to do something great too. That’s all there is to it.”

“We love you,” Amora says, totally unabashed. Aldryx is sort of envious. She knows how to embody the warmth of a star better than any of them.

“You’re our best friend,” Ayana mumbles with a small smile, tears pricking her own eyes. “Of course we wanted to get you another shark plushie, man.” Tabi hugs him tighter in silent agreement.

Sol moves closer to him, visibly unsure, probably tongue-tied. He’s never been one for sappy verbal affection. Instead he just places a hand on Agoti’s head, combing his fingers through his tendrils. Agoti whines and leans into the touch. 

The six of them just sit there like that for a few minutes, huddled on the carpet around the life of their party. Occasionally one of them will mumble another awkwardly rephrased I love you, directed at Agoti but meant for all of them. 

For Aldryx, for the first time in a long, long time, it really does feel like it too.

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

my tumblr moot @shippin-my-sanses headcanons that Aldryx likes red velvet but dislikes the cream cheese frosting, and I really liked it so I mentioned it in this fic! go check out her blog she's a super sweet and fun person, with great takes on the Entity characters!

I promise I won't be late for Aldryx's birthday inshallah ^^;

[alex-dontknow]

A Blur of Colour

Characters: Tabi, Agoti, Aldryx, Solazar

Story type: Hurt No Comfort

Necessary warnings: injury detail, near-death experience, hospitalisation

this was me experimenting, enjoy :]

—

Orange. Orange and yellow. Two sickeningly-bright colours surrounded him as he coughed and wheezed, clutching a poorly-covered ooze of dark red from his stomach. Every inch of his body screamed for mercy, leg twisted and broken and horn snapped clean off. He saw a dark, angry red barely moments ago, warped into lenses of hatred, though it now faded into the vital red of his life seeping from his body.

His vision was blurry and his ears were ringing, drowning out the incessant creaking and cracking of the restaurant he'd carelessly destroyed. A swirl of white and yellow and orange and red obscured all he could see as he collapsed with a pained sob onto the tiles. This was where he would die, wretched and cursed—

But then he saw red again. Not unbridled rage and fury, but soft thick fabric that wrapped around his aching bones and lifted him to undeserved safety. Black striped sleeves held him close and he could hear frantic, determined breaths and a pounding heartbeat pressed against him. A black appendage had coiled around his waist as the sickening smoke that threatened to choke him faded away.

Empty black and deep blue dotted with stars of white, grey tarmac and brown brick buildings, a breath of fresh air from the fiery inferno before. He was laid down again on black pants, a hand holding his wounded head up as voices he couldn't quite make out screamed his name in unison. He hacked and sputtered again, copper permeating his mouth. The voices were clearer now, and his stuttering heart erupted at the word "ambulance." He began to cry and plead, for he knew the fate that awaited.

"No– n-no ambulance— no-!"

"He's bleeding out, his leg's broken-!"

"Pl‐ease—" visions of red and blue worsened his terror.

"Fucking CALL it, Dad, HE'S GOING TO DIE!"

To his poor dismay, the world faded to black.

—

When he managed to crack his eyes open a sliver, white blinded him instantly and he flinched. His senses blurred together, a hand on his forehead setting off bells of danger in his mind that drowned out the beeping of monitors. He didn't want to open his eyes again, to face the people who put him here.

Everything hurt. His chest shuddered with burnt charcoal smoke and his body pulsated with the crimson ache of wound and break. How could he face the people that wrongfully saved him?

More tears forced their way between his eyelids, hot and stinging. He didn't have to open them again to know it were those same red and black sleeves wrapping around his feeble, dirtied body. He weakly nuzzled his face against the same soft fabric and wept sorely.

He didn't deserve the kind white of forgiveness.

"Shh, shh, I've got you, Tabs, I'm here..."

He wished he wasn't.

However, wishing would only get him so far, so he could only sob harder. Too frail to push away the person who should've just left him in the inferno of orange. He wanted to immolate right then and there.

At last he opened his eyes, watching helplessly as blue—the wrong colour for fire—joined the red that hugged him close. Charcoal grey sleeves—too close to the smoke that should've engulfed him— also joined in together with the red and blue, if only they were tight enough to suffocate him as he should've so long ago. He shut them again to stifle his tears.

"Oh, Tabi..."

"We thought you were dead!"

"What happened in there?"

Shut up. Please. Go away...

"Excuse me, the Andromedas?"

His eyes shot open.

"Step away from the suspect."

The sleeves of many colours dropped after a slow five seconds.

Suspect.

His glazed-over eyes wandered between the worrisome faces he knew and pined for too much, finally settling on the figures of blue and black. His shattered heart splintered even more when he realized those visions of red and blue had arrived.

Tabi would be seeing the colour orange again very soon.

[flurriethefox]

I wanna write something Entity gang central that I’m actually gonna finish but I have no ideas

help?

[tabikato]

Chapter 14, I am so sorry it took so long. Preview:  "What do you think you'll even achieve with that? You know where we are."

"True but it would make me feel better." A smug laugh bordering on condescension, she was looking at him as if he was a child waving around a toy. Annoying that he knows she's right, she's already dead, can't re-kill someone no matter how much he kind of wants to. Seeing as she hasn't moved to do anything to him, he slowly lowers the gun, letting out a huff. Room felt suffocating to him, dark and dungeon-like, with cells along the wall near where she stood. A test chamber, research lab, and a prison rolled all in one and it fit the owner perfectly; gruesome and without an ounce of mercy.

“I do wonder why now, you seem very intent on avoiding me this whole time.” Confusion coloured his face, racking his brain on when had she ever tried to contact him, to reach out. Then the memories flooded in, those damn images that made him sick to his stomach of how she experimented on the villagers, treating human beings like mere objects. Was she expecting some sort of camaraderie? Because they had both been hosts to this eldritch mess? That he would even agree with all she had done?! Resisting the urge to lift his gun again, he threw a glare her way, teeth grinding to bite back the words he truly wanted to spit out.

“Like you were going to leave me alone. I run this ship now so you won’t be fucking getting your way!” Okay, so that was a bit of a bluff, he wasn’t sure if he was actually running this thing or the mold was doing it through him. Either way he was the helm and there was no way in hell she was ever going to be in charge again. 

“Bold words for someone who probably never meant to come here, Mr. Winters.”

“Fuck you!” She didn’t look disturbed in the slightest by his words or his anger. In fact, she was sitting there like some patient mother indulging in a child’s tantrum. Why did he even bother to come here? There was nothing he could do or say that was going to change her and frankly, he could care less if she did. Rather he just wanted her to disappear and leave them all alone, eternity with mother dearest sitting in the back of the car wasn’t on the top of his list. Or even the bottom of it, for that matter. 

“Why even summon me? You know I’d just tell you to fuck off. You can’t even do anything to me.”

“So sure of that, are you?”

“I mean, I’d love to see you try. I still got a gun and your head is looking pretty shootable.”

[howmanyheartaches]

I wrote about "Shuna no Tabi" and "Gunsmith Cats" for all new ALFONZ!

[psychicthepsychic-daily]

fic idea

please stand by

[k1rameki]

A Shot off New Year

happy new year everyone! i wanted to make a fic w these five for quite some time now, and i thought today was the perfect opportunity for it ^_^ 2024 is gonna be a crazy year isnt it argh

also lookit this art i did for this occasion ^_^ star!

🎸: "Well, have you got all of the snacks?"

Aldryx was busy wrapping himself in something warm before making his way to the backyard and sitting with the rest of the gang.

"Sure have!" Ayana handed Aldryx a pack of candies, grinning as she did. "Jeez, this year sure has gone by quickly, hasn't it? It's almost as if I blinked and we're in the new year.. pretty crazy if you ask me."

"I think crazy is a bit of an understatement, Aya, this year went by a little bit too quickly for my liking!" Dalia laughed, triggering more laughter from the others. "Look at us! Aging a little more everyday, the years go by like it's nothing at this point, don't they?"

Spending time with each other like this was great. Just those 5, snacks, stars illuminating the night sky, what more could they ask for?

Meanwhile, Tabi sat looking a little dazed. Being inbetween Agoti and Aldryx as they both sat and joked around with each other, he couldn't help but wonder to himself. With the new year coming up, I don't know exactly where my life will lead. I don't know what it is I'll do, who I'll meet, or anything.. am I still gonna be the same old me I always was..? Will I keep making music with everyone? God.. this is all too much..

"Hey!" Aldryx snapped Tabi out of his daydream, causing the latter to jolt a little. "We've got 5 or so minutes till the countdown starts, Tabs. You doin' okay?"

"Yeah— I, uh," Tabi turned away. God, why did he suddenly feel unable to talk about this? "I don't know, isn't the new year arriving so suddenly daunting to you?"

"Hmm?" Dalia looked on curiously. She knew Tabi was a bit of an overthinker, but never really understood the full extent of it. "What do ya mean?"

🩻: "I don't know.. the new year has arrived so fast, and I haven't even really done anything even remotely remarkable. Look at all of you, for instance. I've seen you four achieve so much over the course of this year, and.."

His voice trailed off into a whisper. As happy as he was, Tabi couldn't help that this felt so bittersweet at the same time. What could he have possibly done that is as impressive as the others?

Everything that he could possibly think of felt so insignificant for some reason, as if nothing he did even really mattered.

"Dude.." Aldryx looked at him, white eyes now looking at him with worry. "Tabs, you've done plenty this year, more than you think, even. Regardless, we all would've been proud of you simply for getting through the year, y'know!"

"Yeah!" Ayana placed a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder. She knew this year was a little rough for Tabi, but she never would've guessed he'd think he didn't do anything even worth pointing out. "You've done a lot more than you give yourself credit for, especially this year alone! I mean, we've watched you heal bit by bit, and every day you've been pushin' yourself repeatedly out of your comfort zone, if that's not hella brave of you, then God knows what is!"

"If anything, you've done too much for us this year," Agoti grinned, now wrapping his tail around Tabi's waist and reeling him in. "and besides, if not for you, all five of us wouldn't be here doin' all of this. Seriously, T, you're the heart of this entire foundation, cut yourself some slack for once, ya dingus!"

Tabi rolled his eyes as everyone started joking around with each other again.

🩻: "You think?"

🎧: "I know so! You've done a lot for us, individually and as a group. That says a lot, Tabi.

📼: "And besides, not everyone can do what you do, Tabs! You're truly one of a kind, and I don't think I'd have it any other way~"

Tch. Typical Agoti, always making teasing remarks and catching Tabi off guard. For once though, it seemed like the latter was almost kind of relieved that was said.

At least now he had some peace of mind.

"Ooh, guys, we got another minute now," Dalia quickly put her phone down beside her, the timer playing a faint song. "quick! We gotta capture the last moment of the year!"

🔻: "Good idea! Guys, we've gotta take as many photos as possible!"

The next thirty seconds was spent taking endless selfies, stupid, sappy, the lot. When the final half of the minute came around, it felt a little more mellow.

Another year done. Tabi thought to himself again. I wonder where we're gonna end up now.

Counting down the final ten seconds, he realised something.

As long as these four were by his side, Tabi could feel just that little bit more content with his life.

3... 2... 1...

"HAPPY NEW YEAR, GUYS!"

The fireworks now illuminated the night sky, raining its pretty colours on the five on the ground.

This year is gonna be fun, isn't it?

[taterswithranch]

New chapter is up hdjsksk

[azumasoroshi]

going fucking insane over one of my wips because it's for a really small subgroup of a really small fandom of a really small fandom of a really big fandom that everyone fucking hates because people are cancelled like every other week and basically i cant talk about it with anyone without needing to explain like 60 pages worth of story that I wrote PLUS no one wants to talk about me because it's one of the cringiest ships in existence that sounds HORRENDOUSLY heteronormative on paper and like half the fandom calls them siblings even though they have been confirmed multiple times not to be and the other half is like oh the girl would never be in love with the guy because she's in love with the player!! as if being in love with her ideal of the player is healthy for her all and can't change or she can't fall out of love with someone whose interactions were limited to basically just looking at her, clicking through her text and DELETING HER

yeah so is about monipai as in monika from ddlc and senpai from friday fucking night funkin (i know. im sorry) im so down horrendous im on like seventeen doses of copium and counting and there's 11 total monipai works on ao3

one of them is mine and the other ones are either written by a 10 year old (because it's fucking fnf, what sane adult would write unironic fnf fanfiction) or unfinished (because fnf fics get no traction and unless you're fucking insane like me and have 60 pages of pure brainrot there is NOTHING keeping you going for such a nonexistent audience) and oh my god why am i here

the other fandoms ive been in recently are vashwood and shizaya and those are great!! those are normal!! vashwood has been getting boatloads of content that i cant stop looking at/reading and im getting fun ideas for aus and there's so many people in the community rn to interact with

and shizaya is a bit of struggle because the fandom is smaller but there's so much older content to go through/reread that it's fine and my posts about them get some traction and in some places you can actually talk to people who have been in the fandom from the beginning of time and overall it's a good fun time

AND THEN THERE'S MONIPAI. the ONE straight (bi4bi according to me and im always right) ship in fnf that no one likes because they're "sibling coded" for some god forsaken reason (and im usually all for sibling headcanons/prefer them over romantic ones but NOT THIS ONE SENPAI LITERALLY CONFESSED HIS LOVE FOR HER IN THE MOD) and it'll only make sense to people who like DDTO enough to not forget about it after playing like 19832529 other mods and even THEN like half of them ship it in the really cringe heteronormative way that dudebros ship them like GOD FUCKING HELL GET ME OUT OF HERE

ive never been madder about anything ive shipped ever. i LOVE getting comments on my fic and im surprised ive gotten any at all but holy shit

you know that one person who made like 3000 fics for their honeyworks throuple. honey i feel you cuz what the fuck is this

and with my usual ships i can send them to my friends who know what to expect and be like ok so these are the gayasses you're obsessed with this week but with this one. like the very premise is so ridiculous id be laughed out of their dms but this is literally like the most in-depth and serious ive gotten about any of my fanfiction plots ever (there's like themes and callbacks and motifs and everything, thats how you know it's bad). this is probably better written than my book drafts and it makes me SO MAD

ive even considered like. what if i just made them my ocs, since i've developed them so much and the plot is entirely my own creation. that might even be easier but the fic is so heavily based off of canon content that it just wouldntd make SENSE how am i supposed to rewrite all that canon lore when i take them out of it. i cant. im stuck tying them to ddtoverse

back to what i was originally talking about: basically i got this really nice comment on ao3 on my monipai fic and i was smiling really hard and spinning in my chair and i was inspired to try and write again so i update my. oh it's 71 pages. 71 page document to try and update chapter 3 and i end up going to my other ideas and workshopping them and suddenly ive penned down ideas for 4 DIFFERENT CLIMAXES?????????? AND THEY ALL HAVE THEIR PROS AND CONS AND THEY ALL BASICALLY LEAD TO THE SAME ENDNIG AND I DONT KNOW WHICH ONE TO CHOOSE AND I CANT ASK ANYONE BECAUSE IF THEY'RE INTERESTED ENOUGH TO READ IT I WANT THEM TO READ THE FIC AS IT'S BEING UPDATED BUT NO ONE'S INTERESTED ANYWAY

and trying to ask about which one i should choose while removing all incriminating details (read: monika and senpai's names) is so hard because there's SO much i have to explain as backstory and no one even responds to it anyway so there's no point :sob:

anyway i love monipai and specifically my version of monipai and it's legitmately ruining my life how's your day going

[lightgriffinsect]

tabi birthday fanfic any% writing speedrun

A Small Big Day

(Friday Night Funkin')

Words: 2601

Summary: It’s Tabi’s first birthday since his reunion with the Andromedas, and they’re ready to give it everything.

Tabi wouldn’t like that though, so until they’re all safe again, it’s best to keep it small.

And despite keeping it quiet, they deliver anyway, because the Andromedas always do.

Written for Tabi's birthday, May 30. Hap birf goaterboy

Taglist: @hoodiehydra, @shippin-my-sanses, @taterswithranch, @alex-dontknow, @fazar234

Let me know if you want to be added to/removed from the taglist!

Notes: One of my friends mentioned Tabi's birthday three days before the event and I immediately took to speedwriting a fanfic in his honor

It was supposed to be a drabble. *traumatized sob*

Happy birthday, Tabi!

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

Aldryx supposes this is a good sign, considering Agoti never gets up this early for anything. Not even his own birthday.

But for Tabi? His brother would do anything. Even deep clean the house, apparently, as evidenced by the spotless and decorated living room.

“It’s not deep cleaning,” Agoti rolls his eyes, face flushed with the heat of effort. “It’s— I’m just tryna do something nice. It’s not fair we can’t take him out for food or to the mall or anywhere — I just… I want him to have fun. It’s gonna be fun.”

“No, you’re right.” Aldryx can’t help a little smile. “That’s really nice.” He reaches for the other end of the string lights Agoti dug out of the garage. “Here, let me help.”

With the two of them, the decorations are set up twice as fast. They’ve always been good at coordinating. If Tabi were downstairs by now, they’d have finished even sooner — it hadn’t taken long for him to become one of them after first meeting Agoti.

But then these are for Tabi, after all. It’s his birthday. They’re not gonna make him set up everything on his day. Even if he rather would.

Aldryx baked a cake last night, not long after Tabi had gone to bed. It wasn’t much of a wait, given how tired Tabi is nowadays. They’re all tired. More than once they’ve attempted staying up to watch a movie, and more than once they’ve woken up the morning afterwards tangled in the blankets and each other’s limbs. Maybe they should watch a movie tonight, too, Aldryx muses. Or try to. Dare each other to stay awake long enough to reach the end of the credits. That’d be fun.

“Good morning, children!” Amora half sings as she sails through the door. She still calls them all children. “Do you need any help?”

She was so quick to accept Tabi into the family. Aldryx and Agoti teased her about it for days afterward, that perhaps the two of them weren’t sons enough for her and Sol. But then they’d already accepted Tabi as their brother for years by that point, when Sol convinced him to stay with them after everything happened. Because it was safer.

It still is safer. And as glad as Aldryx is to have Tabi around all day now, it shouldn’t have to be.

“We’re fine.” Agoti’s response snaps Aldryx out of his thoughts. There’s a bitter taste in his mouth. “We finished the decor and stuff…now we gotta make breakfast. And go wake up Tabi!” He bounces on his heels at the last part, tail swaying energetically.

Agoti’s always so excited about celebrating with his friends. Even if it’s small. Tabi will appreciate it more anyway — he’s never been much for attention. He’ll be more than happy with the decorations they’ve put up, the homemade food, the presents they’ve carefully picked out.

Speaking of which. “Agoti, did you finish wrapping the presents last night?”

“Oh, um, yeah!” Agoti nods. He scampers from where his perch atop the couch, plugging the string lights into the outlet. “They’re right…” He digs through a closet, where Aldryx wouldn’t be surprised if he’d haphazardly stuffed them all in. “Here!” He scoops an armful of boxes out, all wrapped in glittery paper. No doubt, the neater looking ones he’d had Sol or Mor’s help with. Probably both.

“That’s a relief,” Aldryx snickers. Ignoring Agoti’s affronted gasp, he heads for the kitchen, leaving his brother and mom to set up the gifts. “I’m gonna go finish the cake.”

Sol is already there, preparing breakfast. “Morning!” Aldryx calls out cheerfully.

“Oh, good morning, Aldryx.” Sol glances over. He lights up a little at Aldryx’s tone. “You’re in a good mood today.”

“Mhm!” Aldryx reaches into the freezer for the cake. He only frosted the base last night before collapsing on the couch — he still has to decorate it. Aldryx digs through a cupboard for sprinkles and piping bags. Sol has reached past him for the icing already, sliding it across the counter. “O-oh, thanks.”

“It’s not a problem.” Sol hums, turning to finish the waffle batter. “It’s rather strange to be doing this again, isn’t it?”

“Huh?” Aldryx frowns slightly. He doesn’t like when Sol brings up how different everything has become, in only the last couple of months.

“I mean that…well, it’s nice to have something to celebrate again.” Sol doesn’t really look at him. “It’s been far too long since one of you boys had a birthday.”

“Yeah.” Why is the universe determined to put a damper on Aldryx’s mood every time he dares to feel hopeful again? He squeezes the piping bag a little too hard. A strand of blue icing strays off the edge of the cake. “Crap.”

“Everything alright?” Sol reaches for…well, he’s not reaching for anything, only in Aldryx’s general direction.

“Yeah. Yeah, it’s fine.” Aldryx is already carefully wiping some excess icing off, smoothing out the pastel yellow frosting. “Just…got distracted, is all.” He can’t help a little glare at the piping bag.

Sol pauses. “I’m sorry, if I made you remember…”

Sol never trails off like this. He’s always too meticulous for that. Aldryx shakes his head, a sudden knot forming in his throat. “It’s not your fault,” he assures his father, no louder than a murmur. “It’s just…it’s hard. Agoti was saying too, that it’s not fair. We can’t take Tabi out anywhere, because it’s not safe.” His grip on the piping bag tightens again. “Tabi isn’t safe anymore. And he doesn’t— he deserves better.” So much more than what they can give him.

Sol’s warm, gentle hand comes to rest on Aldryx’s shoulder. “You’re right,” he affirms softly, “he does. I wish we could give him more than this as well.” It seems Sol has found his words again. “You’re very kind, my son, to think beyond all of this. But remember that he’ll be pleased with whatever we give him.” Tabi always did prefer the simple things. “And it’s difficult. I know. Tabi knows, too. I think he’s more afraid of going outside than any of us. But we’re all here. We’re together again. Doesn’t that count for something?”

Aldryx nods, avoiding his father’s gaze. “I just…wish we could do better…” Do better now? Or should they have done better a year and a half ago, back when their actions still mattered?

“We all do.” Sol gives his shoulder a little squeeze. “But we’re able to do this. We can still make today a good day. For Tabi.”

“Yeah.” Aldryx finally gives a small smile again. “Probably shouldn’t bring any of that up when he comes down.”

“Bring what up?” Agoti pokes his head in the kitchen, making Aldryx nearly jump. “Whatcha guys talkin’ about?” With his tail, he reaches for a blueberry from the container on the counter.

“Agoti, those are for the waffles,” Sol scolds him lightly. “Don’t take too many.”

“I’m not! I only took one—”

“Agoti,” Mor interrupts, sidling in. “why don’t you go wake up Tabi? Everything’s ready by now—” she eyes the cake Aldryx is decorating, “—right?”

Aldryx laughs awkwardly. “Yeah. Yup! Just, eh, got a little sidetracked.” He catches Sol’s eye, but he’s already gone back to making breakfast. “Sure, I think you should go wake up Tabi. Not—” he adds just as Agoti makes to leave, “—not with the YouTube technique.”

Agoti makes a face. “Why is everyone suspicious of me today? I woke up early and everything! I’m the last person you guys should be concerned about—”

“The fact that you woke up early is enough for us to suspect you may be a changeling,” Sol breaks in. “Now go wake Tabi up, or the food will be cold by the time he comes down.”

Agoti huffs and marches out of the kitchen. “We’re gonna have to make it up to him,” Aldryx chuckles.

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

“Wait, okay, but what is the YouTube technique?” a very befuddled Tabi can be heard demanding no more than ten minutes later.

“It’s where we pull up the first video that comes on our recommended and blast it full volume in the sleeping person’s ear!” Agoti explains way too matter-of-factly as he drags Tabi to the dining table. “Now c’mon, we made you breakfast!”

“Oh, good morning Tabi!” Amora’s eyes are shining. “Happy birthday!”

Some of Agoti’s enthusiasm has clearly rubbed off on her. Aldryx grins at Tabi. “Hey, man. We wanted to, uh, do something special for you today, so…” He gestures at the waffles Sol’s bringing out, at the banner on the wall, and at the gifts stacked by the end of the table. “Happy birthday, bro.”

Tabi’s speechless for a few seconds. His legs start to tremble, before he sinks into the seat next to Aldryx’s, right across from Agoti. “Oh,” he manages. “Oh wow, god…”

“Tabi?” Sol touches his arm. “Is everything alright?”

Tabi nods quickly, taking another moment to work his voice. “I just… you— you guys didn’t have to…” He gestures vaguely at the table. “You didn’t—” His voice cracks, eyes welling with tears. “I wasn’t… I wasn’t expecting this. You’re already being so nice to me and today you’ve all gone to…” He lets out a little sob. “You’re doing so much for me, I can’t just accept…” He sinks deep into his seat.

Agoti catches Aldryx’s eye. If he’s so affected by a little family party, imagine if we’d taken him out for food after all.

Shut up. Aldryx scoots closer to Tabi. “Hey, man.” He wraps an arm around Tabi’s shoulders. “It’s the least we can do. You deserve so much more, but we just wanted to make you happy whatever way we could.” Sol pulls Tabi into a hug from the other side, letting the smaller man bury his face in his shirt.

“Y’know, we really wanted to do so much more, Tabs,” Agoti speaks up softly. He’s not laughing. Instead, he and Amora stand and come around the table to the three of them, joining the emergency group hug. “It’s not fair. But we’re still gonna do our best to make you happy on your big day, because you deserve it. You’re our family, Tabi! You’re stuck with us! And that means you get to have a party and everything you want too!” At that, Tabi sniffles, letting the four of them envelop him in their arms.

“You belong here, Tabi,” Sol murmurs. “With us. And we want you to feel like it. We want you to be happy here. We love you so much.” He cups Tabi’s chin, examining his tearstained skull. “You understand that.” Right?

Tabi swallows, before managing a shaky nod. “Mhm…” He looks like he wants to say something else, but keeps quiet.

Amora nuzzles his shoulder gently. With both of their parents here hugging them all, it’s pleasantly warm. Aldryx lets the comfort seep through himself too, silencing all his fears and worries and bitterness, if only temporarily. “Why don’t we start eating? You still have a good dozen presents to get through.” Mor nods teasingly towards the pile of glittery boxes.

“I—” Tabi’s eyes go wide at the stack of gifts. It’s a lot bigger than he must have assumed, taking up an entire corner of the room. “Wow. Um. Yeah, I guess…” He laughs nervously. “Thanks. Um, so much. This— it really means a lot.”

“It’s no problem,” Aldryx assures him, rubbing his shoulder. “We got you a lot of essentials, stuff you might have missed. You’re gonna need it, ‘cause you’re stuck with us forever now.” He laughs.

“Y-yeah!” Agoti’s way enthusiastic about this. “We got you everything you’re gonna need, and stuff for making music, and some other really cool stuff that I’m not gonna disclose because I’m not that horrible—”

Tabi actually, genuinely laughs at that now. “I know. I know you’re not. Thanks for that.”

Sol places a generous number of waffles on Tabi’s plate, topped with berries and chocolate syrup, and a dollop of whipped cream. He swears under his breath. “How am I supposed to finish all of this. You’re spoiling me. I’ll never make it to the gifts.”

“We’ll help you finish it!” Agoti grins. “I didn’t mean that in a weird way! Don’t worry! None of us are gonna get up before you!”

“That’s very comforting, Agoti. Thanks again.”

“No problemo!”

A long while later, which isn’t actually very long at all, given how fast Agoti polished off his waffles and berries, Aldryx heaps another helping on his youngest brother’s plate. With extra syrup this time. No matter if it’s a lakeful of syrup, Agoti always manages to finish it all. “Here. We’re making it up to you. We’re all sorry we ever doubted your greatness, beloved brother of mine.”

“Beloved son of mine,” Mor and Sol chorus.

“Thank you!” Agoti takes a bow before digging in.

“Did I miss something?” Tabi whispers to Aldryx.

“I’ll explain later,” Aldryx mutters back with a grin.

It takes them an hour and a half to finish eating altogether. Opening the presents takes another good two hours. Under the string lights, on the couch, they go through so many essentials for Tabi’s living with them. New clothes. New shoes. A little blue deer nightlight toy, to help him sleep at night, and to match with the ones the rest of the family has.

“This is really cute.” Tabi shakes his head, probably smiling under his goat skull. He turns the deer over in his hands. “Was this your idea, Aldryx?”

Aldryx ducks his head, face warming. “Yeah. Me and Agoti, actually.” Not that Agoti would ever admit it. He’s focused on the carpet instead, tail curled around his legs. But little toys like this make them both unreasonably happy.

“Thanks.” Tabi places the deer next to him, and goes through the rest of the gifts. Several plushies of varying shapes and sizes. Almost half of them are cats in different colors. One is the size of the coffee table.

A new computer and headset, because Tabi, like Agoti, is a Minecrafter at heart. Cooking equipment, because Tabi is a pastry chef at heart too. Just like Aldryx.

The three of them are going to make so much music together. Bake so many treats together. They have all the time in the world now. Aldryx will have to be careful, to navigate this new chapter of their lives together with caution. Not to get too drunk on this happiness with his favorite people in the world.

But maybe today, he can afford to indulge. Just for a day. They all can.

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

It’s time to cut the cake, so soon already. The five of them, five family members, gather once more around the dining table that night after dinner. The cake is perfect, soft yellow and edged with fluffy white frosting, iced with flowers in a sea of blue. Aldryx swells with pride as Tabi and Amora and Agoti gush over it. It’s almost too pretty to eat, but they’re all hungry.

As Tabi, with gentle hands, reaches out with a knife that for once isn’t meant to hurt, his new family sings him a happy birthday. They cheer as he blows out the candles. (There are only a few, to be symbolic. They wouldn’t all fit on the cake.)

They hug him and wish him happiness and safety and peace. And beneath the glow of the string lights, they all take their slices, savoring the sweetness of tonight, of today, and of their new future.

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

Notes: I'm never writing anything under a time crunch again.