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Reach of Ice

12/25/25

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Airplane says, Take the pain away. Harebell watches from behind the ice wall. Airpane says, Make me into nothing, as she evaporates in a beam of blue light.
Further down on the table, followin the trail of blood, are pliers holding someones tooth. Citrus walks by the table, his peel gone for the winter and wearing a scarf. There is blood on his face as he carries a hammer, looking back towards something or someone, presumably in his apartment.
Reach of Ice. Special thank you to Blue Goldstone for doing most of the coloring work. And to our readers for being so patient. Don't forget to read Turtleshell's Journal.
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Warning, Comic contains upsetting and disturbing imagery. Viewer discretion is advised. Harebell and Calamondin walk over the ice together holding hands.
Their footprints are visible behind them in the snow. Notably, Harebell is not wearing shoes. He says, Not much further, love.
Calamondin and Harebell hold each other while the cold wind blows loudly past them. Harebell says, Ooh! Harebell shouts over the wind, Are you excited?
Cala signs with her hands, To see a real spawning stone? Or to have children with you?
Harebell asks, You've never been to the 4th sector, huh? A large crow with red, glowing eyes looks in the direction of the couple from a barren tree. Calamondin signs, No, I have not.
Because it is dangerous. The crow stirs, preparing to take off. Harebell asks, Aren't they all? The crow flies.
In a puff of white smoke, the crow multiplies. They fly towards Calamondin and Harebell, who are barely visible in the distance.
The bright sky becomes a darker, desaturated blue as the characters enter Sector 4.
Harebell says, Look! He points to the distance, where a spawning stone is nestled between icy walls. Harebell says, It's huge! Where Harebell touches Cala's arm, text says rub.
Cala signs, Sweetheart? What is in the snow over there? She points to some lumps in the snow.
Calamondin hovers over one of the lumps of snow. Turning it over, she uncovers the frozen corpse of a newborn child. Text says turn. She embraces Harebell as he says, That's, These lumps are all.
Harebell holds Calamondin up as she cries. He says, I know. Maybe some people didn't search hard enough for their children. Text by her leaves say rustle rustle. A small panel shows the obelisk in front of the spawning stone. Harbell continues, But the people back in the fort never mentioned seeing all these bodies. It's only been a week since someone last came out here.
He says, I promise you, we'll triple check every hole in this stone. The two lean on each other, walking ahead towards the spawning stone and leaving the bodies behind.
Snow swirls on the page.
The couple both touch the obelisk as two symbols glow. Text says glow.
A bright light shines over the obelisk as snow is kicked up by an invisible force.
Lightning then strikes the spawning stone, causing a shock wave. Both characters hunch over, their clothes flapping in the wind.
Snowflakes begin to fall gently again as something from inside the holes of the spawning stone begins to cry.
A now swaddled Blueberry Flower cries in Harebell's arms. Harebell says, Hey, don't cry. Blueberry Flower opens her eyes. Harebell says, Wow. Cala. Look at this!
He says, I really made this. Ooh, I'm crying! The baby reaches out towards him, making sounds. Harebell turns his head, asking, Calamondin? He then looks shocked.
Calamondin is holding three more of their children, an ube roll, a cork, and a day lily. Harebell thinks, It's a litter. I'm gonna faint. He thinks, My beautiful wife and children. Calamondin looks annoyed, thinking about rabbits and their fecundity.
A large flock of crows flies overhead towards the couple. Harebell, not noticing this says, Okay. Let's head home quickly. I feel really uneasy out here. Calamondin stares forwards.
The murder caws loudly, Their red eyes shining. Harebell finally notices, turning around.
A large lump in the snow stirs.
Something big starts growling, emerging from the snow snout first as the growling turns into ear piercing revving as her engines start.
Airplane stands up from the snow, facing the birds with a grimace on her face. The birds speak to her telepathically, repeating the word Finally, louder and louder as the couple run away.
Airplane screams, I'm not afraid of you! Behind an ice wall, Harebell says, Cala. Hand me the kids so we can talk. Airplane takes off, causing a loud boom and a shock wave.
Airplane takes a sharp turn in the air, splattering crows from the force of the blast. Text describes the sound of the shock wave as it cracks. The couple are having a conversation, Harebell says, Well, I. Are you sure? Cala signs, Yes. She points down a path, signing, We don't know if this path is safe. I'm going to scout it out first.
The telepathic voice repeats louder and louder the words False King. Airplane kneels in the snow, exhausted. The voice says, You thought to ambush me, where I come to feed?
Airplane says pathetically, What choice did I have? What chance? I'm not ready. Please. Don't. The crows multiply and gather together, forming a clawed foot that hovers above Airplane's head.
Morrigan says, See it this way. Her talon hovers in front of Airplane's eye.
Lawless King Morrigan takes form, lifting Airplane's head as she begins to sweat from fear. Morrigan says to her, You weren't made for this world. The lawless king towers over Airplane, a large, grey, barren tree whose center is blacked out by shadow and filled with the peering eyes of crows. The wings on her back have long feathers that drape over the ground, and she extends her foot through a mass of gnarled roots.
Morrigan says, You've wounded me. She turns her talon over, revealing that it has cracked and is bleeding. Airplane smiles, crying and saying nothing. Morrigan continues, And now. The peering eyes of the crows in her shrouded face begin to melt together into a ball of light, like an open mouth. Morrigan says, You will heal me.
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Calamondin narrates, I came out on the other side of the wall. But the ice floes broke apart behind me. So I ran back to Fort Blanket for help.
Three tunnel guards left to rescure my husband and newborn children. Three characers can be seen running out of the snow tunnel with silver spears. Cala continues, I described them all. Blueberry flower, Ube Roll, Cork, and Day Lily.
But the only one they found, was him. In the panel, a baby's hands reach towards one of the tunnel guards. A baby Citrus can then be seen, being held from the perspective of Calamondin.
Cala's leaves droop down. Text says droop. She thinks, I swear that I triple checked every hole. This child, he's not. Her thought is interrupted by Citrus spitting up and drooling on himself, babbling. Text says drool. Calamondin perks up, thinking, I could be wrong. He kind of reminds me of Harebell. She pulls him closer, rocking him side to side with her body. Text says rock rock. Citrus can be seen feeding off of her life force as he's held.
Calamondin sits in her dining room next to Citrus, who is in a baby chair. His face and clothes are covered in baby food.
Cala thinks, He won't eat. It's been a week. Citrus spits food out onto himself as Cala tries to feed him with a baby spoon. She thinks, These are the only baby foods in town. The pores on her fruits begin to enlarge. At her wit's end, she thinks, So please. Her pores open up further, revealing her red eyes and sharp teeth as she screams, Eat!
Startled and frightened, Citrus begins to panic and cry loudly. He grows fur and ears, as his object changes color. Calamondin watches in disbelief as he cries. Holding him up, removed from his dirty clothes, Calamondin thinks, I understand now. This thing is not mine. Citrus continues crying. She thinks, Fostering a Child of The Night could get me killed. Starving it would really be the right thing to do, but. Her leaves rustle over Citrus, tears dripping down like rain water as she begins to cry. Text says rustle and hug as she holds him tight to her body. She thinks, He's all that I have left.
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Text box says, Six years later. Calamondin lays in bed, her leaves withered and her fruits bruised.
A six year old Citrus runs through the house, playing with a black paper crane as he giggles and screams. He runs into a space that Frozen Bottle is sweeping. who says to him, Boy. Is that what I think it is? Did ye get into that chest again? An open chest labelled Harebell can be seen in the background, where many books and random trinkets are scattered around. One of the books is about origami. Frozen Bottle snaps, Those were your father's crafts! Besides.
He kneels down, taking the paper crane from Citrus. He says, This is an evil animal. Not a toy. Birds eat little boys like you! Citrus says, But, um, I want to fly like one! Frozen Bottle says, Shameful, Citrus. This animal brought death straight to your father Harebell. Citrus says, Sorry, dad. Frozen Bottle says, I'm not, I'm just taking care for Cala!
Citrus peeks through an open doorway into his mom's room. He asks, Mom? Calamondin lifts her arm to wave. Citrus runs to her bed side, raising his arms and shouting, Mommy! Lifted into her bed, She pets the back of his head while he continues feeding from her.
One of Cala's leaves curls and withers away as he feeds. Text says curl, and plick, the sound of the leaf and many other leaves falling off. Cala's hand slips from Citrus and falls to the matress as she dies, making a pumf sound. Frozen Bottle drops his broom, having seen it all from the doorway. The broom makes a clack sound as it hits the floor. Citrus can be seen by Calamondin, whose leaves and fruits have all fallen off and her glassy red eyes stare at nothing.
Outside of Fort Blanket, a screaming and crying Citrus is dragged by the wrist through the snow. Panicking, Frozen Bottle throws Citrus into the snow hard. He yells, You feel that? Aye? Text says pumf as Citrus hits the ground.
Frozen Bottle screams, It's where I shoulda left ye when I found ye! Little fucking monster! Citrus screams, shielding his face. Frozen Bottle yells, Look at you! Distraught, he says, Ye killed the woman. Cala, Why didn't she ever tell nobody that you were a child of Morrigan?
What am I supposed to do? He looks down at his hands. My job is to, keep things like you out. Kill them. Standing up, Citrus says between sobs, I, I didn't mean to, Dad. Frozen Bottle says, Not, I'm not your dad. Citrus says, quietly, No.
Frozen Bottle says, If I kill ye, They'll know why. For bringing ye into the fort and getting Calamondin killed, I'd lose my job. Or worse. So. I'm gonna have to send you far away. Citrus sobs. I'll put ye in an orphanage down south. Maybe in the Rings.
He turns around, walking back towards the fort. He continues, saying, If ye know what's good for you, you'll run off to the wild district when ye get there. Let nature take care a ye. Let your real mother find ye.
A large metal arch is labeled Fort Blanket Station. Underneath is a train, whistling loudly as it begins to move.
Someone out of frame says to Citrus, Okay sweetie. You sure you aren't hungry? Citrus says, I'm not. The person says, We'll be in Middle Ring by tomorrow evening. Later, in Middle Ring, the sun sets while someone hands off Citrus to an orphanage worker. Toothbrush greets him, saying Hi, little guy! Margarita says, Here are his documents. Good luck getting him to eat. He isn't used to bestial people.
Toothbrush says, We've got plenty of bestial staff and children to get him social. Poor baby. Oh! Citrus clings to her legs. Margarita says, Maybe it won't be a problem. Toothbrush says, Maybe not!
In a closer shot, Citrus can be seen feeding from her life force. As the page goes on, some photographs can be seen laid out on a table that slowly becomes bluer and desaturated. In the first photograph, Citrus can be seen standing in the center of a group of young boys at the Sunrise Hall orphanage. The boys around him look exhausted. There are a few polaroids of Citrus taking photos of himself, and underneath them is a graduation photo where Citrus is wearing Honors Society robes. Two girls are also in honors, and behind them are many exhausted looking male students. Citrus shakes the principle's hand as he takes his diploma and smiles at the camera. In the bottom corner of the page, on the table, is a spatter of blood.
Snowflakes
Snowflakes

REACH OF ICE: CONCEPT ART AND THOUGHTS

CARCASS

ARTIST/CREATOR

12/25/2025

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I decided to let the community vote for the next bonus comic, and they chose Citrus over Gum. While I appreciate not having to draw and paint a royal palace just yet, Reach of Ice was still very humbling and took much longer than anticipated.

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It is by far the largest episode ever made at around 60 pages. I have a lot to say that mostly amounts to "That was hard, I'm very tired". In 2026 I'm likely to only work on small things and focus on my health.

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