dark saturn

The Hub hit Avery like a familiar punch to the face.

He stepped out of the portal—and immediately had a rainbow-y looking shadow guy get thrown past him, screaming, armor clattering as they skidded across the cobblestone and cratered into a planter that immediately started repairing itself. (Spoke)

Avery grinned so wide his core flared bright green.

“Oh I missed this,” he said fondly, stepping aside as the planter finished reassembling itself like nothing had happened.

The courtyard was exactly how he remembered it: lanterns strung between buildings, flower boxes overflowing, stalls hawking food and maps and questionable enchantments, all of it wrapped around absolute chaos like it was a feature and not a bug. Someone cheered. Someone else booed. A vendor calmly kept selling bread like fights happened every five minutes (because it did).

Avery wandered forward, hands in his pockets, glow steady and happy.

To his left, someone with fairy-like wings was perched on a rooftop looking all too smug while tossing coins down at passersby. Across the way, a masked figure leaned against a pillar, watching a duel with sharp interest while absently flipping a knife end over end while somehow casually leaning his entire weight on a tired looking albino who had an arm around the scary guy’s waist, they were joined by a very cheerful sounding rabbit hybrid in blue who was talking too fast for Avery to keep up. (Cubfan, Clownpierce, Branzy, Kaboodle)

Near the map kiosk, a tall, quiet guy with a very nice looking cape that Avery totally wasn't jealous of was being dragged toward a sparring ring by a very enthusiastic blond who clearly wanted to fight right now. (Techno, Tommy)

Avery waved at no one in particular. If they noticed him, cool. If not, also cool. That was the beauty of the Hub—no one demanded explanations.

He nearly collided with a redstone cart that went whizzing past on a hastily constructed track, its creator cackling as it derailed spectacularly into a bench that immediately started fixing itself. A little further on, someone was sitting on the fountain edge feeding cookies to a fluffy looking fox while laughing quietly about building styles with another guy who kept gesturing wildly. (Tango, Etho, Bdubs)

Avery laughed under his breath, weaving through the crowd.

Someone yelled “REMATCH” from one of the sparring pits. Another voice shouted “NO POTIONS THIS TIME” in response. A woman in diamond armor and goggles casually hopped over a railing to avoid a flying axe. Nearby, a guy in a suit and a fake looking crown leaned against a lamppost, surrounded by little sparkles of purple light, watching the fights with a glint in their eyes and offering commentary to no one in particular. (False, Ranboo)

The air buzzed with noise and magic and motion. Enchantments hummed underfoot—ancient, stable, constantly knitting stone and wood back together as if the Hub itself refused to acknowledge damage as permanent.

In the distance he saw a couple on a date, or at least he thought it was a date, one of them was very romantically holding an axe to the other's throat and making eye contact, so basically a date. (Rendog, Martyn)

Avery slowed near the center of the courtyard, letting himself just… exist.

He felt lighter here. Not because he’d forgotten D3r—if anything, the thought of him hovered quietly in the back of his mind—but because the Hub had always been a place where you could breathe without being pulled anywhere. No mines. No doors. No whispers.

Just people passing through. Fighting. Laughing. Living.

A guy with purple accents on his armor jogged past him, calling out a cheerful greeting to someone across the plaza. Over by the bakery stall, someone with horns was aggressively trying to convince the baker to accept enchanted boots as payment with another in a blue jacket and 3D glasses backing him up on it, while the baker flatly refused. (Purpled, Tubbo, Jack Manifold)

Avery snorted.

“Yep,” he murmured to himself. “Still perfect.”

He adjusted his bag on his shoulder—already thinking about what he could find here for D3r. Something shiny. Something sturdy. Something that felt… grounding.

But for just a moment longer, he let himself stand there, glowing softly amid the chaos, as another body went flying overhead and the crowd erupted in laughter.

Avery knew better than to linger in the open too long.

That was how you got challenged to duels, recruited into spontaneous teams, or roped into helping someone test a weapon that was definitely not finished yet. So before the chaos could grab him by the collar and shake him, he made a beeline for food.

Because if there was one universal truth about the Hub, it was this: if you didn’t eat first, something weird would happen.

He ducked toward one of the food stalls near the edge of the courtyard, the air thick with the smell of bread and roasted vegetables and something fried that he couldn’t quite identify but absolutely wanted. As he waited, glow steady and content, he let himself people-watch—one of his favorite low-stakes activities.

At a long table nearby, a bunch of guys were crowded around mugs of ale, loudly arguing about the optimal way to dig a tunnel while gesturing wildly with half-unrolled maps. One of them nearly spilled his drink emphasizing a point about “proper torch placement,” and the others booed him affectionately. (Yogscast)

Avery snorted and shifted forward in line.

Just ahead of him, a guy was locked in a heated argument with a villager, hands waving as he tried to explain something about experiments and fairness while the villager stared back, unimpressed and unblinking. The villager huffed, crossed its arms, and turned away. The guy looked personally betrayed. (DanTDM, Dr Trayaurus)

“Rough,” Avery muttered sympathetically as he passed.

Off to the side, perched on the edge of a fountain, a squid hybrid was staring down at a potato like it had personally wronged him, shoulders slumped, expression one of pure existential regret. Avery paused just long enough to tilt his head. (imasquidkid)

“…You good, man?”

The squid hybrid sighed and shook his head slowly. Avery nodded, understanding completely, and moved on.

Near a quieter corner, an older man sat on a crate with a pickaxe resting across his knees, watching the courtyard with a peaceful, contented smile like he’d already seen everything the world had to offer and decided this was enough. Avery smiled back instinctively before realizing the man hadn’t even looked at him—and somehow that made it better. (TFC)

He finally got his food—some kind of hearty sandwich wrapped in paper—and turned, almost colliding with another slime hybrid crossing his path. This one was blue instead of green, semi-translucent and bright, very stylish if Avery said so himself. (IJevin)

Avery’s face lit up. “Oh hey!”

The other slime hybrid grinned and waved enthusiastically, Avery waved back with his free hand, feeling that small, grounding thrill of seeing someone like him just… existing.

A few steps later, he passed a pink sheep happily munching on grass while a purple one tried very hard to get its attention and was being absolutely, unequivocally ignored. Avery watched for a second, amused. (Pink Sheep, PurpleShep)

“Iconic,” he murmured.

Near the central path, two wolf hybrids stood shoulder to shoulder, one animated and cheerful, the other more reserved but clearly indulgent of the energy beside him. They were laughing about something Avery didn’t catch, tails flicking as people passed. He smiled and gave them space. (Aphmau, Aaron)

And finally, near a flower stall, a pink-haired woman was chatting animatedly with a female sheep hybrid, both of them laughing as they examined some great smelling baked goodies. The sound of it—easy, unguarded—made Avery’s chest ache just a little. (Niki Nihachu, Captain Puffy)

He found an empty spot on the edge of a planter that was halfway through repairing a crack from an earlier impact and sat down to eat, legs dangling. He took a bite and sighed contentedly.

The Hub buzzed around him—voices overlapping, magic humming underfoot, buildings quietly undoing damage like it was nothing.

Avery chewed thoughtfully, glow warm and steady.

He missed this.

And he was glad he’d come.

-----------

Avery scanned the Hub out of habit more than expectation.

He didn’t see his siblings—no familiar glow signatures, no familiar chaos patterns that screamed oh that’s definitely one of mine. He frowned a little, then relaxed. They were probably in school. Or asleep. Or doing something extremely ill-advised somewhere else. Knowing them, they’d pop into the Hub later with no warning and tackle him from behind.

He smiled at the thought.

“I could go home and surprise them,” he muttered to himself, stepping around a chunk of stone that was still knitting itself back together. “That would be fun. Very fun. Emotional damage fun.”

The idea lingered for a moment—

—and then got absolutely bulldozed by something far louder.

Skywars.

The need hit him like a punch to the gut. Sudden. Horrible. Familiar.

Avery stopped dead in the middle of the courtyard, core flaring brighter before he could stop it. He pressed his hands to his face and groaned.

“Oh no,” he whispered. “Oh no no no no no.”

He’d tried burning this energy off already. Running cliffs. Climbing trees. Hot springs. Even sparring—but that had ended the moment D3r had stabbed him and then gone very quiet and refused to do it again, like Avery letting a sword pass clean through his torso had done something deeply unsettling to him.

So now the energy had nowhere to go.

Which meant—

Skywars.

Avery straightened, resolve settling in. “Okay. Fine. Just one or two matches. For my mental health. As a treat.”

He started walking toward the Skywars gates, pace quickening the closer he got.

The Hub shifted around him as he moved, chaos reshuffling itself like a deck of cards. Someone vaulted past him in a blur of orange and screaming as someone chased after him in a maid dress. Near the food stalls, a tall guy and too many birds to count were crowded around a table arguing intensely over what Avery thought might have been lunch options? He wasn't sure he wanted to find out. (Fundy, Hbomb, Philza)

Avery ducked as an arrow zipped overhead and embedded itself in a sign that instantly repaired. “Classic,” he said fondly.

Closer to the Skywars wing, the energy changed—sharper, more competitive. People stretching. Checking gear. Trash talking with the ease of long practice.

Avery passed a guy in red bouncing on his heels, shadowboxing the air while muttering to himself something vaguely threatening while the prettiest woman Avery had ever seen was laughing at him while adjusting her crown. Nearby, someone in green sat cross-legged on the ground adjusting armor enchantments with meticulous care, barely reacting when a duel exploded ten blocks away. (Mapicc, PrinceZam, Fruitberries)

His core brightened the closer he got.

He caught sight of someone leaning against the wall, arms crossed, watching the entrance like a predator waiting for prey, eyes sharp and unreadable, funny contrast with how brightly colored his wings were. Avery waved cheerfully as he passed; the guy blinked once in confusion and then went back to staring. (Parrot)

There was a tall woman in white with a large scythe, Avery thought that she looked extremely cool as he passed her, he hoped that he wouldn't end up facing her in Skywars, she could probably easily cut him in half, not that that'd be really effective though... (Ivorycello)

“Yep,” Avery murmured. “This is the place.”

He paused just before the Skywars portal, hands braced on his knees as he took a steadying breath. The familiar hum of the queue systems, the distant sounds of countdowns and explosions, the way the air itself seemed to vibrate with anticipation.

He thought—briefly—of D3r.

Of his stiff posture. His careful movements. The way he’d looked when Avery talked about Skywars, somewhere between curious and concerned and quietly horrified.

Avery’s glow softened.

“This is just… stress relief,” he told himself. “Totally normal. Totally healthy. I am an adult.”

Then someone got launched screaming out of the Skywars exit portal behind him, armor smoking.

Avery lit up like a beacon.

“Okay maybe one really good match.”

He stepped forward, ignoring the pangolin and guy in a red bandana breaking into the announcer's booth, letting the portal swallow him whole, energy finally finding somewhere sharp and familiar to go. (Pangi, Pentar)

---------

Avery stepped out of the Skywars portal still glowing faintly, energy settling into his limbs in that satisfied, bone-deep way that only came from winning hard. The Hub swallowed him again—noise, laughter, shouting, the distant crack of explosions that repaired themselves a second later.

He rolled his shoulders, grin lingering. “Okay,” he murmured. “Now we socialize like a normal person.”

Finding his siblings meant drifting—no sprinting, no cliff-jumping, no splatting theatrically off architecture. Just… wandering. Letting the Hub do what it always did: toss familiar faces at you when you least expected it.

It was interesting passing by a cat boy pointing out all the flaws in the architecture of the Hub to another cat hybrid with mismatched eyes eyeing the flaws like they could be exploited. (Kenadian, Mysticat)

He moved through the central courtyard again, eyes scanning crowds, glow dimmed just enough not to announce himself from three plazas away.

A group was gathered around a sparring ring where two fighters were very clearly arguing mid-duel, swords paused as they gestured wildly at each other, the purple shadow guy yelling at the blue guy with horns. Nearby, someone had set up a temporary music stand and was plucking at a lute while people lounged on steps pretending they weren’t listening. A pair of players were crouched over a map table, whispering intensely like they were planning a heist instead of a build contest, one of the women had a dog by her feet and the other carefully avoiding goring the other with her antlers. (Vitalasy, Subz, Oli TheOrionSound, Pearl, Gem)

Avery smiled, waved at no one in particular, kept walking.

No siblings yet.

He adjusted the strap of his bag, thinking—they might pop in later. Or he could go home and surprise them, which was always a gamble between “heartwarming reunion” and “someone screams and throws something.”

Worth it, though.

He angled toward the portal wing that led back to home servers, the air subtly shifting the closer he got. Less combat energy here. More arrivals and departures. Hellos and goodbyes stacked on top of each other like overlapping echoes.

Someone jogged past him arguing animatedly into a communicator about block pallets before spectacularly faceplanting. A woman with flowers in her hair laughed as she ducked under a flying trident thrown very badly by a shadow guy in a suit who absolutely should not have been allowed near sharp objects. Avery stepped aside automatically, glow flickering with amusement. (Scar, Hannahxxrose, MinuteTech

-----------

Avery walked slowly this time, hands tucked into his pockets, glow dimmed to something mellow and thoughtful.

It was funny passing by a man in a blue jacket who looked suspicious of everything while a cat boy, striped this time, tried to talk him into something. Avery was interested in whatever it was but he figured it'd probably be trouble. (rekrap, Madtiger)

Over by one of the smaller fountains, three figures sat close together on the edge, knees brushing, voices low and animated. One of them with glasses laughed and bumped their shoulder into another in dark purple while the third in a red suit gestured wildly with a drink, nearly spilling it. They looked happy in that easy, unguarded way—comfortable enough to be ridiculous about it. (Squiddo, Ashswag, Reddoons)

Avery smiled to himself and kept moving.

Sitting at a cafe there was another cat hybrid, orange this time, sitting by a pretty duck hybrid, there was an old dog laying on the man’s feet snoring away. They looked content and Avery didn’t want to interrupt that. (Stampy, Squaishy, Barnaby)

Near a side path lined with flower boxes, two people walked shoulder to shoulder, steps unconsciously in sync. The albino from earlier leaned in to murmur something that made the other snort and duck their head, creepy mask tilting just slightly. They weren’t loud, weren’t flashy—just quietly, obviously together. (Clown, Branzy (Mousie doesn't have clownzy brainrot shush))

However, at the same cafe there was a man with horns trying to sweettalk a disinterested looking man wearing a beanie into doing something, Avery thought it might have been about faking a proposal to get free desserts, either way Avery supported their wrongs. (Schlatt, Quackity)

Avery’s glow warmed at the sight. He hoped they didn’t get interrupted by anything explosive. Or if they did, that it was at least funny.

The next section of the courtyard was… loud.

A tall man in an absolutely destroyed lab coat was gesturing emphatically at a much shorter guy who was standing on a crate for reasons that were not immediately clear. Bits of stone kept lifting and snapping back into place around them as if the Hub itself was tired of their nonsense. (Docm77, Bdubs)

“I don’t think you’re allowed to do that,” someone nearby said.

“I think I already did,” came the reply.

Avery did not stop to find out what that was or even who was talking.