New pages!
Added 2025-10-31 11:36:53 +0000 UTCOVER HERE!
Here I am again with a fresh, clean Chapter 16!!! YAY
You cannot really compare since the previous version of this chapter's beginning no longer exists (well, maybe it still exists somewhere on manga/comic leak sites haha. It is probably going to mess up their organization LOL) , but I am much happier with this one. The actions stretch across more panels, which creates a slower, more grounded rhythm!
I also brought the phone back, which I had simply forgotten in the first version huh. That is why you see the Boy with his phone in front of the piano: he is typing a message to Tera, the first one, hesitating to send it cause he's worried.
I also made the Boy show clearer worry, to reinforce Tera’s possible guilt. Speaking of Tera, if you read the Facts and Thoughts I posted yesterday, you might notice that this time we understand that Tera is affected by the Boy’s worry at the end of a page, and it only takes effect on the next one. It feels much less rushed, and there is a little surprise when you “turn the page.”
Tera grabbing the Boy by the chin… I love that shot. As my proofreader pointed out, this is Tera trying to pull the Boy’s attention away from his injury and force it back on him and his words: he is okay, no need to worry. He understands the situation is serious and that he needs to sincerely reassure the Boy. “Hey, look at me. Everything is fine.”
You might have noticed it: in the photo, the Boy is on his big brother’s back, just like he climbs on Tera’s back in the rain in Chapter 13. It has several meanings, but it mostly serves to draw a parallel between Tera and the brother. Let me try to make it clear: for the Boy, Tera fills the same role: a protective and dominant figure (so he reproduces the gesture naturally). In a conversation with Joris, the Boy mentions how his brother used to protect him and take the blame for him. But things changed: his brother is gone, and he could not do anything. By projecting that image onto Tera (very unconsciously, mostly symbolic, for the reader), he shelters him and keeps him safe from the rain. It's kinda foreshadowing. Cute, right?
This is a really important point, because it is actually the Boy’s main motivation for protecting Tera through out the story and getting him out of the Black Death. I cannot say too much for now though, that would be getting ahead of the story.
When Tera sits on the bed, I made sure to show the Boy scooting closer to press against him. He now feels safe with him. I am so excited for more physical closeness SERIOUSLY, because I have a very concrete image in my head of how they will lean into each other, bodies touching etc. I might be wrong I don't know but I feel like you rarely see much attention given to how bodies interact in general but Let me explain: in a normal scene, the focus would be on what is considered important : they are both on the bed, the fact that they are close would just be part of the setting, not a point of focus, and the boy would be tending to Tera’s hand. Am I right?
But I LOVE showing that interaction! I need to show how the Boy comes to press himself against Tera, how his shoulder meets Tera’s arm, how he rests his knee against Tera’s, how he almost nestles against him.
Personally, I am very tactile and clingy in relationships lol. I always need to be against the other person, and I think that inspires me a lot.
I hope you enjoyed these pages. What did you think??
Thank you for all the support, I love y'all so much <3
oh, and HAPPY HALLOWEEN !!!!
Comments
Hi Pangogolin, we know for sure the Boy just turned 18. With everything else, it's "estimated" by what snippets of information we got throughout the story in different chapters and the insight Pico gave in different posts: Kain is 1y older than Tera The Boy is 17 (now turned 18 in 2025, Chapter 15) Tera is 21- 23 Jo is 19 Tiger – in his 30s Tera and Kain dropped out of school at 16 The fire happened "7 years ago": Tera – 14-16 Boy – 10 Kain – 15-17 Jo – 12 (That's my guessing so far).
Mellowcat
2025-12-02 07:15:36 +0000 UTCThis story means so much to me, I feel so seen you're such an amazing artist and you show intimacy and closeness it a way that feels so innocent and real the way you show how much it matters to you trough your art and how this story it's just so RAW, I love it so much it😭💝✨
Nathalie Arroyaves
2025-11-21 04:11:35 +0000 UTCYou know, from the very beginning of the story I was upset that the characters weren’t going to have any sexual relationships — or at least that we wouldn’t get to see any. But now I can’t be upset about that anymore, because their relationship and the way they treat each other are far more intimate than any sex in the manga or comics I’ve read. I adore these characters, and I don’t regret for a single second subscribing to your Patreon. I melt every time I read your comic — even life itself doesn’t give me as many emotions. Your story also helps me cope with how difficult life can be, gives me hope for something better, and helps me deal with my mental health struggles. So I want to thank you deeply. Your comic has done and helped me more than even the people close to me. Thank you, and warm greetings from Ukraine
Kasiyan Varta
2025-11-20 15:23:56 +0000 UTCSo just binged the entire story so far on Tapas, joined the patreon to read whats newer and discovered Tera's face! He looks way more like a teen than I expected. has either of their current ages been revieled? or their age gap?
Pangogolin
2025-11-19 04:37:56 +0000 UTCGuys i know Is late and maybe nobody read It but, what If Tera stay for the night and HE had a nightmare( about his past)? And the boy reassured him?
Elanor
2025-11-15 09:00:46 +0000 UTCLuv luv luv. I love how the reflection in the boy's eyes change. It's part of his trauma, then replaced by Tera's mask ❤️
Jasmine
2025-11-14 18:30:38 +0000 UTCI'm already queuing to buy it
Elanor
2025-11-10 16:56:26 +0000 UTChi pico, it's me)) (your dedicated fan who constantly asks you questions under your posts on patreon) haha✨😅 I have an interesting question for you!! When you finish working on the comic, will you want to publish it in print, even if it costs a lot of money? I think most people will still buy it.
Black Death
2025-11-08 18:14:04 +0000 UTCI adore your emphasis on tactility and what’s not being said. The Boy truly espouses many feline traits. I specifically relate to this as someone who “says a lot of nothing” while simultaneously speaking with my body. Like a symphony? Together it all may appear jumbled and chaotic, but stripped into pieces you can see the intention. I truly am in anticipation of how you outdo yourself in every chapter. Stay healthy, Z!
Dani H
2025-11-06 01:05:51 +0000 UTCNo girl. One of them is Tera for sure. The jewels are for the boy. Can't you see him drinking his Starbucks with a tiara and sunglasses?
Elanor
2025-11-05 17:47:43 +0000 UTCFeeling so soft after this part 😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️ 🙏🏽🙏🏽 i love the panel where we can see Tera’s Eye through the mask 💦💦…. also since the faces of the Louvre Robbers have been leaked … i thought about how funny it would be if during a mission Tera would bump into them while they are on the run already from the heist and they drop some things and Tera would be like “?? haven’t i seen this in the Louvre” 😭 that would be the cameo of the century
Myriam Phoenix
2025-11-03 23:23:25 +0000 UTCPS: How was your Halloween? Sure your costume rocked, not only to those who know...
evi
2025-11-02 18:50:16 +0000 UTCThanks, Mellowcat, for your looooong comment - I always appreciate your thorough thoughts. Now that we „see“ the photo through Tera’s eyes, I did wonder why it is in this exact episode that the focus is put on the photo and the Boy’s brother. You must be right - he probably would have seen it on a previous visit. Bringing it to Tera's attention just now - actually in a situation where the Boy looks after him and his wound, instead of the Big Guy being the protector of the Little One - might kick off several trains of thought under that wolf mask: Him thinking about his or Black Death’s role in his death, and what preceded it. Him envying the brother. Him realising that he now kind of fills Brother's role towards the Boy, or longs to do so. Maybe even him missing that friend who now turned out be Boy’s brother? Indeed: A penny for your thoughts, Tera… But I’m pretty sure the story will let us know the answer to this, at some point. Same as to a few other 'Tera’s thoughts' questions that spring to my mind...
evi
2025-11-02 16:21:37 +0000 UTCLate with my comment, but nonetheless still enjoying that lingering fuzzy feeling these panels evoked… Pico’s comment same as your posts here point to so many details that all serve to show us how the gap between them closes. Definitely the strongest point, to me, is that one panel on page 11 that lets the Boy and us look into Tera’s eye for the very first time. The eyes are the window to the soul. Tera has finally become human.
evi
2025-11-02 15:36:09 +0000 UTCFirst of all – I agree with all the points already mentioned here and how amazing this update is!! The “extended” version really contributes to the plot and progress. Just like the extended update of the scene with the Boy and his grandma at the piano. Also, it is incredible to get so much inside-information. No more guessing. I can better understand the “why” and “how” of the plot and all the difficult assessments and consideration that went into creating. This is really highly satisfying and - to me as a reader - also helpful. I can check myself, my understanding of the characters and story and keep myself in check not to misjudge or misinterpret. (And honestly, it’s really rewarding to see that the “guessing” was actually right and even to see where I was so wrong). It’s like finally getting my hands on a “behind the scenes” directors- cut and extended version of my favorite story! Thank you so much. I know, I keep repeating myself, but there are certain things that can’t be said too often when you mean it. Hence, thank you so much for making that difference. Now, to the update and something that is keeping me on the edge…: The Boy mentioned the shooting at the Café which had him so worried… and Tera shows up with a ballistic trauma. The Boy has no idea what happened after Tera escaped the shooting with his uncle/the police! From his point of view… the police, maybe even his uncle in person, is responsible for that. The Boy didn’t freak out when Black Death entered the bank to rob them (come on, that entrance they made would have been enough to pee my pants, for many reasons!) and beside his attempt to rat Tera out to Bob… “Black Desk or something” and “that Raccoon” – there wasn’t much effort on his part to see to it that Tera gets behind bars. Partly because of what Jo told him, relatable so, but even before they had that talk. On top of that… the Boy asked Tera some serious questions “tell me the truth! What are you doing for a living?” (chapter 10 pg. 29/59) – and when Tera (vaguely) explained the concept of being a loan shark… the Boy understood it as “stealing from the rich and helping the poor – just like Robin Wood”… “Do you swear this is the truth?” (chapter 10, pg. 30). This level of misconception in the face of what just had happened on those last pages… has me shaking and running a chill down my spine. To me, this situation is really disturbing. Don’t get me wrong, there is no mal-intent from Tera. But… to me, it feels like he tries to escape this dark abyss he’s in, that hole he partly dug himself, by piling up dead bodies, literal and in a metaphorical sense. That’s no way out (if there even is one). The Boy is accepting Tera the way he thinks Tera is… hence getting a proper first aid kit – being prepared for Tera showing up hurt more than just once. That realization hit me pretty hard and it’s a kind of tragedy that makes me sad. No one is really to blame but… it’s this harbinger of pain, this looming dark cloud… another turn in a continuing downward spiral. Another point… the Boy and his brother: I did guess that the Boy’s brother must have been the older one, older by some significance, because of the way the Boy talked about him to Jo (chapter 9 pg. 24/52). That his brother stepped in to take the blame for something the Boy did and that it didn’t work. It’s also linked to the scene where the Boy was climbing Tera in the rain, so they could both fit under the jacket. Riding piggyback like that… I imagine the picture has been there in the Boy’s room all the time… so it’s probably not the first time Tera is seeing it. Tera has been pretty observant upon entering the Boy’s room for the first time. He also had even more time “sniffing it out” when the Boy was sleeping and Tera was roaming around the room and the flat, checking things out… like the locked study of the Boy’s uncle. He even asked the Boy why this door in the appartement was locked… Penny for your thought’s, Tera… penny for your thoughts. What does link you, Kain and the Boy’s brother to that cross on the family’s door and the blazing fire destroying it all… I wonder… is Tera looking into a familiar face on that picture… or “just” taking in a happy moment in the Boy’s life, captured on a photo. Was the Boy’s s brother related to Black Death? Like Tera and Kain? Or was the Boy’s brother related to “them”… a classmate maybe? Someone noticing what’s going on, where they’re drifting off to… and maybe… ready to tell the authorities about it? Maybe Luc took advantage of that? Getting rid of the traitor… ah well, just guessing. Maybe a future “Random facts and thoughts” will shed some light on that, if not the story itself. In any case… awesome update. It always makes my day. (Yes… Loooong comment again. I am aware. Sorry.)
Mellowcat
2025-11-02 10:42:39 +0000 UTC
