"So sing your sad excuses... You've got the scars to prove it."
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Wait, this isn't an Origin of the Pixies update... We have a new Frayed Knots chapter today!
Chapter 34 - “Floodgates”
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While Anti-Cosmo and his mother are on Anti-Fairy migration season, they decide to hatch a little scheme... and pick the Head Pixie's brain while they're at it. They've got questions about Anti-Fairy World's inheritance laws, and who better to ask than the pointy-hatted freak in the spreadsheets himself?
... And if you like that joke, Anti-Wanda's got a few more up her sleeve. Check it out!
(First 1,000 words under the cut)
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Floodgates
In which Anti-Cosmo and his mother network with the Head Pixie, Anti-Blade challenges Anti-Lance, and Anti-Cosmo tutors Anti-Wanda in the Winter of the Scattered Whispers
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Anti-Buster approved me to wear a new betrothal ring, seeing as I'd thrown mine off in the Eros Nest and none of us dared ask the Eros Triplets if I could have it back. We spoke of it in private. I kept my eyes downcast and told him what I wanted. He did not deny me that request, nor urge me to break ties with Mona.
For that, I was grateful. If she'd discovered our false betrothal all because Anti-Buster had put down his foot on the matter, well… I think I would have flown away from Cedarcross and never shown my face in Anti-Fairy World again. I might still be out there in the wild now, my entire body horribly overcome with gangrene, likely addicted to regeneration cycles and whimpering about all that I had lost. No, thank you… I'd cling on to my comforting lies. Without them, I might not be able to breathe.
Well, I met Anti-Buster, Fairy-Coleen, and the High Count all in the breakfast room in the very early hours of the day. Anti-Buster did all the fitting for me, though Coleen Prime floated nearby so she could offer the occasional thumbs up. The Fernfire family knows their gems… I'll say that much. I only wished I could choose one from the box she'd brought downstairs for Anti-Bryndin. My betrothal ring was mere foggilite. I wouldn't get the traditional black leather band with a gem until my wedding day. Though, I'd been wondering if I might be able to swap the leather out for a less animal-related material…
"A citrine," the High Count decided at last. He actually was the High Count right now, for Winni had shifted his attention somewhere else and had no interest in using his body at the crack of dawn. I turned away from the small mirror in Anti-Buster's hands to see Anti-Bryndin lifting a small jewel from Fairy-Coleen's display box. He weighed it in his palm. It was neatly cut, perfectly square. "Yes, this is good. An amethyst holds a pretty colour, but here is my true need. This best represents our friendship now."
"It suits him," Fairy-Coleen said, bowing low. She would have said that about any gem, I'm sure, but Anti-Bryndin looked satisfied nonetheless. He motioned for Anti-Buster to turn the mirror away from me and focus on him instead. Oh. As I watched, Anti-Bryndin took hold of his tongue and dragged it down. We Anti-Fairies are known for our long tongues, which we decorate with gemstones representing our closest friends and partners. I still carried both Anti-Lance's and Anti-Kanin's on the back of my tongue, although I'd considered removing the latter several times.
Anti-Bryndin looked as though he had a few gemstones in need of replacing. It's one of the downsides to acidic saliva, but of course… one of the perks of being noble is to enjoy gemstones any time of day you want them. A piece of jade on the High Count's tongue represented Anti-Elina. The ruby was for my mother. Although no one had confirmed the amethyst for me, I couldn't imagine anyone more fitting for it to represent than Shamaiin Vieldgarr, his childhood friend and the current Purple Robe.
There were two more gems for people I didn't recognise. So… did he plan to add the citrine to his tongue, then? That didn't seem quite right to me. It's traditional to select a favour together, with the favoured person identifying a stone they feel truly represents them and the recipient covering costs…
I didn't mean to stare, but Anti-Bryndin caught sight of me in the mirror and turned his ears my way. "Ah. Do you wonder about this citrine, Anti-Cosmo?"
My wings jumped. "Oh! Um…" I ducked my head, glancing off. "No, sir. I didn't mean to intrude on your personal space." I adjusted the Water-blue ring on my knuckle. But Anti-Bryndin didn't seem to notice I'd just tried to dip out of the conversation.
"Yes, it is a long time in coming, this favour jewel for my tongue…" Leaning his hip against the small food table beside us, Anti-Bryndin reached out and casually plucked up an apple. Its surface had grown dull, now freckled with brown, but he held it before his eyes as though it shone. He smiled. "These sounds in the energy field betray your curiosity. I do not mind this. It is for the Head Pixie that I choose a favour, but time zones have ruined him. We will discuss details tonight."
I coughed. More than a bit, actually; I spluttered. I only felt grateful that I hadn't been drinking from the wineglass one of the servants had brought me. But even without the shower of wine to accompany my shock, I forgot my composure. I forgot where I stood and whom I addressed. I whirled around.
"What? You don't mean he actually-? But- but… He's Seelie!" I couldn't believe the bizarre timing of it all, imagining this revelation back to back with my explanation to Blonda on why Seelie and Unseelie interactions rarely ever worked. I shook my head. "H-how did you manage to pierce your tongue if he doesn't even have…?"
Anti-Buster lay his hand on my shoulder. I fumbled my sentence to a close. Anti-Bryndin looked me over with pure amusement sparkling in his eyes. He nodded with a slight dip of his head. "The Head Pixie and I hold a relationship that is very close, and we choose to exchange the deepest of commitments."
"C-congratulations." My face must have been raspberry purple. I… I didn't understand. Certainly I knew that Anti-Bryndin and the Head Pixie must preen together, even deep preen, as Seelie political expectations would dictate the two leaders of two powerful races do, but for Anti-Bryndin to go as far as adorning the Head Pixie's chosen favour on his tongue…
I shivered. That was one step beyond political expectations. There must be deep affection between the two of them indeed, but I couldn't imagine how Anti-Bryndin had coaxed such commitment from the Head Pixie in such a short span of time. Um… Relatively speaking, anyway. I suppose they've had their friendship for nearly 10,000 years, so I may be exaggerating somewhat. But still, the Head Pixie agreeing to exchange favours…
… Had Anti-Bryndin actually informed the Head Pixie what that sort of bond implied? It might be incredibly rude of me to imply he didn't. But had he? My core twitched and fluttered in my head. Are you even allowed to exchange favours with another head of state? Surely that interferes with politics, and surely that must be seen as a conflict of interest somewhere along the way, wot?
H.P. and associates visit the (very disorganized) Fire Temple catacombs and the Breath Temple's healing pools as they prepare to reverse engineer immortality. Sanderson faces another reminder of his mortal existence, Binky grows increasingly possessive of Jorgen, and H.P. and Anti-Bryndin start building a machine.
(First 1000 words under the cut)
Inner Workings
Summer of the Running Yale - Spring of the Crisp Whirlwind
A few days after the Seven Festivals wrapped up in Anti-Fairy World, High Count Anti-Bryndin came to see me. He brought Anti-Florensa with him, partly because she had family in Shadeblink and partly because she was his personal bodyguard and he was allowed to do that. Also, apparently she visits the Fire Temple every Saturday and has been doing this for a hundred thousand years or something, so I wasn't going to be the one to tell her "Nope."
We'd made arrangements with all the right people to ensure the travel validity checked out, but it didn't stop the Keepers from sending Adelinda's son, Jorgen von Strangle, right on his heels. Jorgen even had an escort of his own, but… I'll get back to that thought in a minute.
My visitors met me and Sanderson at the tram station on my border. Anti-Bryndin had tied his signature black scarf around his neck as usual, the beryl button gleaming, though he'd bundled it up in a way that covered his mouth and part of his nose. Between the scarf and his dark blue coat, he looked quite cozy despite the nippy teeth of Fairy World's slithering springtime wind. Actually, with his horns sticking out, he looked like he could pass as one of Santa's rain deer. I think he did that once, one year. He strung lights between the points.
Jorgen had bulked up in recent millennia, which finally granted him the appearance of someone who deserved to hold the massive star-tipped staff he'd been toting around for as long as I'd known him in the news. His pureblood heritage was undeniable in his staggering height. Still, youthful acne peppered his face like stars. His fluorescent orange escort vest didn't do him any favors. Ah, upper school days… That time of life makes twits of us all. I regarded him coolly, my hands folded behind my back. Technically, it's rude to tell a von Strangle they've "come into their adult wings." They slice theirs off while still young to signal utter devotion to the Fairy Elder.
"It's bold of you to come here right as your pheromones are showing potential," I'd have liked to tell him then. But I didn't. And that's because of the next member in our traveling party.
Bancroft "Binky" Abdul (Jr.) was a half-elf that I'd always known secondhand. I attended upper school with his father, and Abdul Sr. used to visit the Nightbloom family when I butlered for them Earthside. Their daughter became his wife only a dozen years after I began working there. It's actually because of that marriage that Cattahan moved out and I handed in my resignation to follow him to softer clouds. Or "greener pastures," as we said on Earth.
(Well. There was his sister's marriage, and Cattahan's parents cut him off after the whole, you know, "No counterpart consent, no forced honey-lock" protest thing, but the media has covered that spicy topic extensively and I digress.)
His sister did introduce us to each of the two Abdul sons after they were born, so the one who turned out to be a gyne had been on my radar for quite some time. I literally held him in my hands before his freckles even showed. So, suffice to say that I'd come to know Abdul Sr. quite well… from a distance, and usually several rooms apart. Cattahan always said he admired both my sassy remarks in private and my restraint in the presence of company, but he knew better than to let Abdul and I linger too long in the same room. Since he lived Earthside, I kept a closer tab on that drake than I did on gynes like Waterberry, Reddinski, and Cracklewings, but I'm far more acquainted with the father than the sons.
Jorgen and Abdul Jr. made for a peculiar pair. They lived two streets apart, yet I swear half of Fairy World knew what was going on between them. And the half that didn't was probably just being polite. From what I'd heard, the two fairies met in their younger years when both signed up for the border escort program for completely different reasons: Jorgen because he bored easily and would throw himself at any opportunity for structured work and tight deadlines, and Abdul because he genuinely liked getting to know Anti-Fairy travelers and visiting their temples alongside them. Jorgen had a sister, too. They get along well now, but in their younger years, he was scrawny and she was a wildcat. He needed a reason to get away.
And, well… Abdul Jr. never had been good with managing money. I'd seen evidence of that myself. Sometimes when I went into Faeheim, I saw him disappear down little streets, selling gemstones and bracelets in pawn shops and borrowing more than he could afford. He'd even tried to scrape a little cash off me in his younger years when I only had a few pixies to my name.
I suppose I can't blame him if he saw the need to compensate for "something." As gynes go, he'd always been a small one (though he did boast a heavy dusting of freckles on his cheeks and arms). I never did confirm why, though I assume being born and raised on Earth and its thin energy field instead of in the cloudlands will do that to a kid. Jorgen was actually the younger of the duo, though if you knew nothing about them beyond their looks, you probably wouldn't guess it. He still dwarfs Abdul completely to this day… which made their arrangement all the more eye-catching to those people - yours truly included - who were in the know.
Jorgen von Strangle is a drone. This is well-documented public knowledge in Fairy World today, so I'm not breaking Canterbury v. Oakwing in stating it, though I will point out he hadn't come out about it at the time. With his father barking orders to the Fairy militia every hour of the day and his mother constantly at the Fairy Elder's side, Jorgen was regularly cooped at home alone and unattended, and it was only after puberty that he realized what he was at all.
It’s been much too long since the last Origin chapter. That changes today! Please enjoy a chapter that focuses on H.P. rebuilding his broken relationship with Anti-Bryndin and counting down the moments of the 18,000-year life expectancy he was given back in Chapter 22.
Chapter 39 - “On the Notion of Cutting Ties”
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Also, consider voting on my recent poll about which day you like to read ‘fic chapters to help me decide what day to upload in the future. Enjoy!
"So I'll stay unforgiven and I'll keep love together..."
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New Frayed Knots chapter today!
Chapter 33 - “This Close to Heaven”
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Anti-Fairy migration season has begun! Anti-Cosmo is set on chatting with his grandmother Anti-Miranda, who had a civil Fairy partner before the war, in case she can lend some advice about his current feelings.
However, that's not the only awkward conversation he'll be having... He's also requesting Anti-Wanda's forgiveness, denying the fact he saved Prince Eastkal's life, dodging Jorgen's questions, facing his nagging mother, and more! Check it out!
(First 1,000 words under the cut)
This Close to Heaven
In which Anti-Cosmo declares vla with Anti-Wanda, speaks with Nana Anti-Miranda, reunites with Prince Eastkal, and more in the Winter of the Scattered Whispers
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Migration season found me in Cedarcross, hovering awkwardly around the registration table where Anti-Wanda sat near the ballroom… she filling a seat I'd long grown familiar with seeing Anti-Praxis hold before his death. I didn't spy her father Anti-Buster pacing anywhere nearby… He must be off with the High Count somewhere. Which made sense… In Salalalyn's temple, Anti-Bryndin would be channelling Winni right about now. Keeping an extra eye on him wouldn't go unrewarded.
"Go on without me," I'd told Anti-Lance. "I'll only be a moment… I just want to share a thought with Anti-Wanda."
So my colony had left me, moving deeper into the mountain tunnels of Cedarcross… I waited with Anti-Wanda at the top of the twin staircases. She had paperwork to file. Understandable. Migration season is the camarilla court's busiest time of the average year, minus the Seven Festivals every turn of the zodiac cycle. I watched over her shoulder, my hands clasped behind her back, as she filled line after line with thick scratches of ink. She wrote in… Well, it wasn't an official script, but I think I'd describe it as attempted Vatajasa. You know, that made sense… Anti-Bryndin spoke Vatajasa as his native tongue. It had always been the true language of the Anti-Fairies: the one Anti-Shylinda created for us rather than one the Fairies had thrust in our direction. Vatajasa didn't fully exist in written form. Not in a way that would make sense to a modern hand. Anti-Wanda clearly knew this, but she did her best to force the pieces into place with literal transcriptions and pronunciations. She wrote some things I couldn't even translate, which left me feeling slow and dumb alongside her.
"Whatcha want?" she finally grunted at me. Anti-Wanda wore an itchy blue sweater today. This whole time, she'd been leaning her cheek against her hand. She didn't even look at me. "Did ya come to change your name?"
I blinked. "What?" Now that the rest of my colony had skimmed off, we were alone at the top of the elegant stairs. Anti-Wanda, the table, her stack of parchment, and flickering yellow torches made up the entirety of our space… The only figure that even remotely looked like another creature was the massive statue of a sheep rearing back on its hooves, which stood below us between the two curved staircases. She had to be talking to me.
"Your name. You declaring it in the papers, or are you still stealing one that don't belong to you?"
I frowned, saying nothing for a moment. "Oh, no. I see the confusion, but that isn't what I wanted to discuss tonight. Firstly, I wondered if I could get the arrival records for some relatives of mine, and secondly, I need to declare vla. It can wait until you have a moment."
"Anti-Robin checked in not long ago with the anti-pixies. Your mum's Blue Castle colony, but I guess you knew that."
I forced on a patient smile. "Not those relatives."
"Which ones, then?"
"My nana, Anti-Miranda. Possibly also my uncle, Anti-Harold Anti-Lunifly."
"Is he married?"
"Yes- To his honey-lock partner, Anti-Potter Anti-Whistlewings. All three of them lived in Oakfall Town while my mother was young, then relocated to the Far West after the marriage to Anti-Bryndin. I rarely see them. Did they arrive at migration this year?"
Anti-Wanda picked at one of her buck teeth with the flat of her thumb, frowning. She started moving scrolls and stray pieces of parchment around her registration table. I tilted my head, wondering if it would be impolite to join her. After a moment of running her fingers over scribbled names, Anti-Wanda found what she was looking for.
"Your aunt and uncle… Huh. Yeah, here's that. They lead the Anti-Lunifly colony. They's got a kid: Anti-Estella. Sound right?"
"Yes, she's my cousin. She does charity work in Thornpetal Town." That sounded more polite than calling her a soda addict who flirted with anti-wisps because she couldn't keep a partner, let alone a colony. "If I'm not mistaken, her child is living with her." Anti-Estella had only visited me twice when I was growing up, but since her son Calem was two zodiac cycles older than me, it was easier to think of him as my cousin instead of her.
"Yep. Grown into his adult wings about ten thousand years back. Says here his name is Anti-Lyren. That's a drake's name, ain't it?" Anti-Wanda waved that scrap of the scroll in my direction. She didn't try to smile, not attempt to disguise the heaviness beneath her eyes. Hm. I arched my brows, trying not to point that out.
"Yes, and thank you. Anti-Lyren attends migration every year, but I wasn't sure if his mother or grandparents would bother. They're a mite reserved and all three speak very little Snobbish. Speaking of, do you know anything about Anti-Miranda? She was born an Anti-Twigfall, though she's never been much interested in colony life. She didn't even want to pass along her family name."
Anti-Wanda checked her notes again, looking bored. "Anti-Talonstrike colony. They got here yesterday. And earlier I saw this Anti-Jasper guy with his colony of Anti-Luniflys with him. More family of yours?"
I smiled thinly. "Something like that. Anti-Jasper is my nana's honey-lock partner, but they lead separate lives. He visits me on occasion, though he's much closer to my cousin Anti-Poof; my mother was the youngest of his three children, you know, and frankly my father's father Anti-Gonzo can be a bit territorial of me when Anti-Jasper comes around. Oh, but you don't care for any of that political dribble! Ta, mate! I can't thank you enough. I have so many questions for them. You're marvellous, darling. Keep up the great work."
"Whoop de fritz," she clipped, tightening her eyelids shut. She leaned back against the registration table, digging her talons into its underside. "Praise don't mean a lot right now. This works out for you just fine, though…"
My smile faltered. "How do you mean?"
"I mean that tonight's the last time I'm working this desk job, so I guess I'm not gonna be the one who has a problem with your stolen name anymore. At least not 'til you're dead." Anti-Wanda stood then and grabbed her navy blue jacket from the end of the table. This, she began stuffing her arms and wings into. I drew back just to avoid her big, stomping boots landing on my bare toes. "Anti-Bryndin spoke with the Head Pixie yesterday to finish everything. I guess he and his pixies are taking over our paperwork now. Not just this migration, but every year after, too… A.B. signed a contract."
Origin of the Pixies Act 4 kicks off today, folks! Chapter 38 is “The Makings of Greatness.”
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Today on the menu we’ve got newborn Smith, a visit to see the foster parents, a sprinkle of chimera lore, and another trip to Anti-Fairy World to talk about our feeeeeelingssss and illegal stuff. Enjoy!
How much of Anti-Bryndin and H.P.’s friendship was a lie (on AB’s side)?
Anti-Bryndin’s mother, Anti-Ember, led the Anti-Fairies through the War of the Sealing Divide with an iron wand. She became infamous and was widely feared, definitely solidifying the image of scary Anti-Fairies in the eyes of the Fairy public.
Anti-Bryndin deliberately painted himself as the opposite of this, trying to cast himself as the gentle and kindhearted son of a tyrant in the hopes of repairing relations. Up until, y’know... Iris Needlebark initiated humans into the Amity program and Fairy World lay claim to the human godkids... in a society that already prevented Anti-Fairies from graduating with godparenting degrees. That’s the point where Anti-Bryndin snaps and goes full tyrant like his mom, which eventually leads to Anti-Cosmo overthrowing him.
[Cnt’d below the cut]
But before that point, Anti-Bryndin portrayed himself as gentle and H.P. bought into this narrative. When they first met, H.P. was a struggling single father of 9 (10 counting Graham) who just left the torments of the Eros Nest and was catapulted into the world of ambassadors and holotypes. He didn’t seem like a threat at the time. The word was that the Pixie race would “grow exponentially” and Anti-Bryndin wanted in on that... especially since, as you recall, Anti-Fairy World is a very young nation in the Origin of the Pixies timeline. H.P. is older than Anti-Fairy World is (both nations were classified as “Fairy World” until H.P. was 29).
Imagine you’re High Count of a scorned nation trying to build itself after a war, your species openly discriminated against to the point where you’re barely allowed to cross the border, let alone visit any Fairy World shops. Your nation’s three Bridges to Earth (once sacred landmarks) were all shattered by Fairies. Those Bridges can only be restored by the Fairy Elder, who has the von Strangle family for her personal guards. Your best chance to get those Bridges back - to get your RIGHTS back - is to sway the Supreme Fairy Council to vote in your people’s favor. Of course you’re going to try swaying the newbie.
Anti-Bryndin’s interest in H.P. was immediately piqued when H.P. voted in favor of rebuilding the Anti-Fairy Bridges before Anti-Bryndin even asked to, as seen in the chapter “Cotton Candy Oatmeal”-
"Very well," said the Pink Robe. "All in favor of granting the Anti-Fairies another direct Bridge between the cloudlands and Earth, raise your right hand."
All three of the Anti-Fairy Robes did so. So did the Purple Robe at the Fairy Council table. So did Anti-Bryndin, Anti-Elina, and Anti-Phillip. A few ambassadors along our table likewise signaled assent, and after thinking about it for a second, I did too. Surprised heads turned towards me. A few soft mutters broke out, then died away. Anti-Bryndin fixed his red-orange stare on me like a crockeroo sizing up its next victim to prank. He stayed watching me even as I brought my attention back to the Council members.
H.P.’s vote was a signal to Anti-Bryndin that he was less likely to discriminate against Anti-Fairies and could be a useful ally. After this point, Anti-Bryndin 100% tried to act chummy with H.P. in the hopes of swaying him, hence the high amount of attention he paid H.P. alongside the constant showering in gifts throughout the next several chapters.
Anti-Bryndin entered this friendship deliberately intending to use H.P. to sway the Council votes, win rights for the Anti-Fairies, and win personal favors from a fellow ambassador. Everything he did after that point was single-minded: “Win the Head Pixie over, no matter the cost.” At all times, no matter what else was going on, Anti-Bryndin was listening to every word that left H.P.’s mouth and adjusting his actions to fit H.P.’s comfort level. H.P. likes massages? Bam, he gets massages. H.P. finds it amusing to watch young Anti-Cosmo be bossed around? Bam, Anti-Bryndin will make a special effort to bully him in front of the Head Pixie. You’ll get to see more evidence of HOW well Anti-Bryndin was listening once we reach the war... Oof. Calculating man, that Anti-Bryndin.
But the relationship wasn’t wholly one-sided. During “What Karma Is,” Anti-Bryndin was legitimately caught off guard by the reveal that H.P.’s energy levels were “at equilibrium” according to Anti-Fairy culture. That made him a bit more paranoid of the way he treated H.P., not wanting that to come back to bite him... although he very much continued to play his cards. “From Straw to Gold”? That meant nothing to him. “The Phoenix and the Courgette”? Nah.
Anti-Bryndin was very good at playing H.P.... except for a few instances when Fairy and Anti-Fairy culture collided. In “Phoenix,” for instance, he encouraged H.P. to clean his wings (a super casual, polite gesture in Fairy culture, socially akin to helping someone load their grocery bags or holding open a door for someone), but squirmed the whole time because in Anti-Fairy culture, the set-up was extremely uncomfortable (socially sexual). That was a moment his concentration started to break, and shows he was determined to keep up the act of friendship even when it stressed him.
Forgetting to meet up on time with H.P. in “Senseless” is when things went downhill for Anti-Bryndin’s plans... Even a careful, calculating man can make mistakes, and H.P. never quite recovered his trust in the High Count after that. That blow to the friendship is something H.P. clung to for centuries, which led to him pushing Anti-Bryndin’s comfort level in pursuit of his own gain in “Off.”
By that point, Anti-Bryndin found himself in a very bad position. He had underestimated how quickly pixies reproduce and as their population grew exponentially, Anti-Bryndin struggled to maintain friendly relations with H.P. The tables were turning and H.P. needed a guide to the world of ambassadors less and less. If he didn’t need a guide and couldn’t trust Anti-Bryndin’s intentions, why continue the friendship?
Anti-Bryndin repeatedly appealed between “Off” and the start of the war, trying to win H.P. back over with hit-or-miss success... but H.P. (mostly) blocked him out, determined not to fall for those tricks again. H.P. still values Anti-Fairy culture and continues to vote favorably towards Anti-Fairies rights in politics (eventually playing into his decision to refer to himself as “evil” when the canon series rolls around... If the Anti-Fairies are evil, then just call him evil too, because he supports their rights. Deal with it.)
... There’s a very, very valid reason H.P. is so attached to Anti-Cosmo, even though they tease and torment each other regularly. Anti-Bryndin took advantage of H.P. and he was good at it. But because Anti-Cosmo is young, H.P. holds the power in that dynamic. Anti-Cosmo is clever, but he lacks Anti-Bryndin’s charisma and takes everything personally.
Anti-Bryndin was easily able to “seduce” H.P., you could call it, while feeling nothing himself beyond a mild “I can trust the Head Pixie to have my back” sort of relationship. Anti-Cosmo would never succeed in seductive tactics because he’s not convincing in the slightest if he isn’t legitimately interested in wooing you... and H.P. likes that about him. He feels like Anti-Cosmo doesn’t have a dishonest bone in his body (whether or not that’s actually the case) and feels that Anti-Cosmo genuinely likes him. Who cares how annoying (or publicly hated) your best friend is as long as they genuinely appreciate your company?
Posted this chapter yesterday but I haven’t gotten the new cover art done yet... It will take me a while to finish, but in the meantime, here’s a WIP!
Here we are with Frayed Knots Act 3. We’re back, baby!
Frayed Knots - Chapter 30 - “Gossamer”
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Anti-Cosmo is out of the Eros Nest and off to school. Say farewell to Anti-Wanda, because we won’t be seeing her for a while. But it looks like we CAN say hello to a few familiar faces...
