#Thank you again for a wonderful experience XD I thoroughly enjoy doing this with all of you!

[shadowxamyweek]

Shadow? Earth to Shadow! It’s too late. He’s too far gone. He’s got it bad

[Amy is thoroughly unable to contain her laughter or her joy.] Amy: You... probably need some space, don't you? [Shadow's brow furrows as they clasp her hands tighter. Amy shakes her head.] Amy:(๑´︶`๑) I know you, Shadow. You usually need someplace to be alone to think, and this... is a lot to think about. [She runs her fingers along the ridges of their knuckles. Shadow shivers.] Amy: I'll... still see you at the New Year's Eve party though, right? [There's a pause. Then, Shadow nods.] Amy:(๑❛ᴗ❛๑) Okay. [Another pause. With a sigh, Amy slowly pulls her hands out of Shadow's. They sit there, looking at one another for a moment. Then all at once, the reality of the situation seems to crash into Shadow. They begin to hyperventilate and are shaking so much they are practically vibrating.] Amy:(๑⁀ᗢ⁀๑) I was waiting for that! [She laughs, and in a brilliant flash, Shadow vanishes. Amy sighs as she flops down onto the couch and holds a pillow to her chest. She just lays there for a moment, and then, she buries her face in the pillow, kicking her feet gleefully as she screams.]

[nilboxes]

Hi! I love the way you write the relationship between Aventurine and Ratio in your fics and I wanted to know I'd they were each other's firsts? First kiss, first handholding, etc. Or if they had experience before meeting each other.

Hello, Anon! Thank you for the kind words, it's pretty nice to hear you enjoy them 🤗

I am firmly in the camp that Ratio isn't exactly clueless about relations, and has had some during all his years in academia and in his career. There would have been a handful of hidden away action late at night in the lab, though his partners never last too long. He'd just think dating is a little bit of a pain, but he does enjoy the "stimulation" so he figures he can just... do it himself most of the time when he needs release, which is a little far in-between. Essentially he is a beginner at these things, but not quite clueless!

Aventurine on the other hand, I think he's done a lot of things with others already. Kisses, being in bed, etc etc. But a lot of it is casual, never serious, he's the hedonistic sort, he would have experimented.

It is my little pet headcanon that he and Diamond had/have relations. (Imagine whatever's comfortable for you sorry XD, even if I wrote a fic between them I think a lot of it is still up in the air for now) Diamond would send people his way as a mole, or as a means of keeping him in-check, since I feel out of all the Stonehearts for now, he is the one who doesn't exactly *want* for anything, and therefore might be prone to getting ~ideas~ but this is also some mind games between them imo anyway Aventurine would have thoroughly enjoyed the company of those people before sending them on their way, so he's got some dubious relationship experience. I think this is necessary for my interpret of him because like, he's never had a healthy one before, but he knows what an unhealthy one looks like and doesn't do that with Ratio, he's got a little foundation to that I guess.

Anyway I do believe though that they are each other's first rather healthy relationship (situationship) and in a way, all manner of things are their first. Their first kiss and first time doing it will still be the Final Victor LC for me, but it's the smaller, more mundane things that matter with them.

I imagine, the first time they had like non-sexual contact would be probably a scenario sometime before Penacony project, Aventurine and Ratio would need to vacate premises really fast and Aventurine takes Ratio's hand and leads him out of there. First-ish kinda date MAAAYBE would likely be the shopping spree they did to create a mass negative feelings event in Penacony (I intend to write two versions of these probably, one in the omegaverse AU and another one as a standalone augh)

I also recall the first time either of them stayed the night was when Aventurine got sick. Nothing happened between them, but for Ratio, waking up beside someone is a highly novel experience I would think! He's just the type of guy who wouldn't like to stay over because he prefers his own pillows and beddings better but thanks to Aventurine's highly luxurious tastes it happened (of course I am joking it was because Aven was really sick but lol this was a big factor also)

Really thinking about a lot of their firsts also LOL I wonder where their first romantic kiss would be... like a legitimate I want to kiss you and you want to kiss me moment outdoors but they were alone if I ever wrote that out...

Anyway sorry for taking so long to answer! I was really wracking my brains for this HAHA uhh thanks for the ask again ♥

[whitleyschn33]

What if Whitley is secretly just a fusion of Allister and Bede from Pokémon sword and shield? XD on a more serious note what if Whitley had a froslass that his mother gave him?

Are you a psychic? 

Because a couple days before I got this ask (which was weeks ago, I know, and I’m very sorry, things have been insane), I started a new Nuzlocke run of Pokemon Shield, and for kicks and giggles because of the “Whitley the Pokemon Trainer” stuff that’s been going around, I made my avatar Whitley, and of course started trying to figure out how a RWBY/Shield AU would work out.

I realized halfway through my plotting that Whitley honestly does fit Bede more than who I cast him as, but a) I wanted him to start at the same place the player does, and b) it’s my AU, so who cares?

Whitley is the younger brother of the current champion, Weiss Schnee, who became champion 2/3 years ago after leaving home to complete the Gym Challenge. Winter, the eldest Schnee sister, left home nearly a decade ago, and wound up as Galar’s Ice Gym Leader. Whitley has remained behind with their mother in their estate outside Postwick.

Willow is neglectful, an alcoholic that spends more time than not drunk in her rooms. Jacques, an abusive jackass and also a business partner of Chairwoman Salem, usually works from home, but during the lead-up and during challenge season, moves to an apartment in Wyndon to focus on the extra work sent his way. This is Whitley’s favorite time of the year, as it gives him the most freedom to leave the estate and go into the nearby towns of Postwick and Wedgehurst.

Oscar Pine and Ruby Rose are the closest things to friends Whitley has, who he visits when he gets the chance to escape his house. 

Oscar is Ruby’s cousin - her mother, Summer Rose, is Oscar’s aunt, who Oscar came to live with after his parents were killed in a freak train accident when he was fairly young. Oscar helps Summer with the Budew and Wooloo they breed, farming flowers and wool and selling both in Wedgehurst.

Ruby is the granddaughter of noted Pokemon Professor, Professor Ozpin, and currently works as his assistant while she tries to figure out what she wants to do with her life. Ruby was one of the four rookie challengers that made it into the finals of the Gym Challenge season that saw Weiss become champion, despite being two years younger, but lost against her sister in an early bracket.

Ruby’s half-sister Yang is Galar’s Fighting Gym Leader, taking the role on after making it fairly far in the finals of the gym challenge. 

Whitley and Oscar often hang around the Pokemon Lab with Ruby, taking advantage of all the interesting tech and books, as well as the comforting atmosphere. Professor Ozpin works from home a majority of the time, but comes by often enough to recognize Whitley as his grandchildren’s friend and pick up enough hints about his home life.

Close to the beginning of the new Gym Challenge season (called GCS from here on out), Ozpin invites the three of them to his home on Route 2, Ruby guiding them with her Yamper Zwei for protection.

Once there, Ozpin offers to sponsor both Oscar and Whitley in this year’s GCS, and give both of them a starting Pokemon. Oscar’s thrilled, having wanted to venture out into Galar for a while now to learn more, but Whitley is far less so, hesitant to leave his mother alone and terrified of his father’s reaction if/when he found out.

Ozpin assures him there’s no pressure - the Pokemon is his regardless of whether or not he chooses to take on the challenge, so he should just focus on getting to know his chosen Pokemon before deciding.

Oscar lets him go first, since this will be Whitley’s first Pokemon, while he’s had his own Wooloo before.

Whitley considers the Sobble for the matching aesthetics, but realizes he’s probably isn’t patient enough to deal with the constant crying. He settles for Grookey, having at least had a bit of experience with grass-types from visiting Oscar’s Budews. Oscar takes the Sobble.

A small barbecue/party is held at Ozpin’s place, then everyone heads back to Postwick. Whitley takes the Grookey home, and despite being perpetually drunk or hungover, even Willow can’t miss her son bringing home a Pokemon. Reluctantly, Whitley tells her about the professor’s offer, and Willow goes quiet, wandering off to think and leaving Whitley to bond with his Grookey. (In my playthrough, I got a female Grookey I named Rhya - what do you all think Whitley would name his?)

Nearly a week later, the night before Whitley’s heading out to give his answer to the professor, Willow comes to him to give him her blessing and supplies - a mix of her own, Winter’s, and Weiss’ - in the form of a map, money, a hat, a Bag (a case that acts like a Box, but for items rather than Pokemon), camping supplies, etc. Whitley’s understandably shocked by all this, and it certainly throws him for a loop on what he’s going to do next.

The next morning, Oscar, Ruby, and he head over to Ozpin’s place. At Ozpin’s request, he and Oscar have a battle that Whitley manages to win. Hopped up on that and spurred on by his mother’s blessing (and some not-so-subtle comments on wanting/needing a rival from Oscar), he accepts the recommendation, agreeing to accompany Oscar as they attempt the GC.

Whitley returns home briefly to pack and say goodbye to his mother, and gets one final gift - an Egg his mother found a while back, presumably from her Froslass and a random Pokemon that had been passing through the Slumbering Weald. (For your headcanon, anon~)

What happens next... would require me finishing my playthrough, and honestly a Nuzlocke probably isn’t the best way to determine what Pokemon Whitley would choose. I may go through again as a non-Nuzlocke, looking at what Pokemon are available that I think would suit Whitley and try to make a team for him. I’ve got plenty of time now.

Miscellaneous 

Gym Leaders: 

Milo is replaced with Taiyang, who, when not involved with the GCS, focuses on teaching new trainers, recommending the best of the crop to the Gym Challenge.

Nessa is replaced with Ren - a calm trainer whose Pokemon can flow like water around obstacles, or slam into opponents like a wave.

Kabu is replaced with Qrow - a trainer from an older generation trying to improve himself.

Allister is replaced with Neo - a silent Trainer that can disappear seemingly without a trace, known for her Pokemon’s ability to seemingly dodge any hit.

Opal is replaced by Maria - an older woman that seems to have secrets, searching for an apprentice to soon become the new Fairy Gym Leader. Upon meeting Ruby, who shows up to cheer on Oscar and Whitley at their matches, drags her off to convince her to be the next Fairy Gym Leader, muttering something about “having the eyes for it.”

Like said above, Melony is replaced by Winter, who got the job nearly a decade ago. Known for her powerful attacks and well-disciplined Pokemon, even her multiple type disadvantages don’t seem to turn the tides. 

Piers is replaced with Blake - a Trainer specializing in dark types that refuses to use Dynamax, concerned about the effects it may have on the Pokemon that use it constantly. She made it to the finals of the GC, but ultimately fell near the end. 

Raihan is replaced by Pyrrha - the near-unbeatable crown jewel of the Gym Challenge, the last obstacle before the finals, and the reason so few challengers make it to them. A prodigy of a trainer that took the position at 14, and has come extremely close to dethroning Weiss multiple times during her reign as champion

Others

Jaune is a Normal-type Gym Leader that just took over this year.

Nora is the Electric Gym Leader, nicknamed “the Hammer” for her tendency to oneshot opposing Pokemon with powerful Thunderbolts and Discharges.

Sun takes Marnie’s place - not Blake’s sibling, but someone that cares for her deeply, and does his best to help spread word of her cause by fighting in the Gym Challenge without Dynamax like she did.

Chairman Rose is replaced by Salem - rather than trying to solve the potential energy crisis, she simply wants to destroy the world and remake it in her own image. Cinder replaces Oleana, pulling the strings to set everything in place for Salem’s plan.

Emerald and Mercury are Bede’s substitutes - kids Salem and Cinder fund on the off-chance of being useful for dirty work.

Team Yell does not exist.

And holy shit, this has gotten long, so I’m gonna stop here before I start just flat out writing fanfiction.

But, uh.... yeah, I can very much see Whitley being a part of the Galar region! A Froslass would be a good aesthetic addition to his team - perhaps a companion rather than a competitive Pokemon, since they have so many type weaknesses.

Thank you for this ask! I thoroughly enjoyed my excuse to ramble about an AU that’s been knocking around my head for a while (and can probably be prodded into doing so again). 

Have a wonderful day/evening, and stay safe!

[raevenlywrites]

Happy STS! How about a catch up for the people (me lol) who are either new or getting back into things? What's one (or more) of your wips about? Bonus points, what's the latest or your favorite excerpt from it?

*waves* Hi! Welcome (back) to Foxes and Fate!

FnF is the answer to two things that have been bugging me for a while: What’s on Otherside in Asylumverse, and why do love triangles always suck? XD

Tybee is a luck eater faery, bored of his destiny as a prince of Faery and determined to outrun it. Gil is half-elemental, half-merfolk, half-out of his mind with worry for Tybee. Lia is a simple mortal girl, just looking to break out of the cage her mother’s over-protective upbringing built around her heart. Just a little magic, ya know?

Fate has plans for all three.

As per usual with me, I’ve drafted about 3/4 of the main story, then wandered off to write fun stuff that happens later down the road XD The main trio become the heart of a new court in Faery, collecting outcasts, runaways, and people who just don’t quite fit. Most of the house is involved with each other in someway in this very adult, very relationship oriented slice of life. The magic and political upheavals take back seat to the tender hearts, emotional confusion, and 20-somethings figuring themselves out. Its a coming of age, and coming to terms with not being entirely straight--basically, a big queer puppy pile of feels :P

And speaking of feels! Recently we’ve been working on drawing the court’s newest member, Cassius, out of his shell:

Tybee smiled, bringing the delicate wire flower up to his face again.There was a delicate scent to it, not flower exactly, but somethingspicier, darker. It reminded him of Cassius’s hair.

The silken petalsbrushed his lips, the wire holding them butter soft. The dexterity itmust have taken to work wire this fine…

“It’s exquisitework. Some of the finest I’ve seen from you.”

“Thank you.”Cassius studied the rose against Tybee’s complexion. “It suitsyou. I did a decent job.”

Tybee laughed, andit finally rang out free and true. “I’d say it’s more thandecent, Cassius. It has to be excellent to stand up next to me.”

He played into theposing, running the rose along his cheek. He knew they both lookedlovely together. What he was wondering was how this rose reflectedCassius’s thinking, what the Crafter was working through while hemade it. It was a physical manifestation of his processing the eventsof last night, and Tybee wanted to break it back down, bit by bit,and figure out exactly how Cassius was feeling.

Cassius smiled,amused by Tybee’s show of ego. “Where will you put it?”

Tybee lookeddemurely around the garden through lowered lashes. “Oh whereindeed. It almost seems too delicate to leave out here. Is it morerobust than it seems?

“A windowsill ortable by a window would probably be best. Then the sky will triggerit to close and open at dawn and dusk.”

“Oh!”

Tybee stared at thelittle blossom, going slightly cross eyed he brought it so close. Buthe really wanted to examine thoroughly, knowing such a clever spellwas worked in there.

“Is it tied to thesunset or the lunar cycle?”

“Sunset. As thesun fades, it’ll bloom.” Cassius was pleased by Tybee’ssurprise.

He squinted at theplate under the bud, trying to see the charm or etching… It wasimpossibly delicate. He raised his eyes to Cassius’.

“It’s truly awonder. Excellent work.”

“Thank you. Ithought it suited you.”

Tybee smiled, softlybut wickedly. “Why Cassius. Are you saying I am an excellent pieceof work?”

“I think you’vebeen called a piece of work in this House many times.” Cassiusmused with a smile.

His laugh trickledrichly around the darkness surrounding them, curling and wrappingclose.

“I’m not outhere with the rest of the house,” he said softly, leaning in. “I’mout here with you.”

“Bit late.”Cassius returned. “I’d begun to wonder if you were going to joinme tonight.”

His eyes hid behindlowered lashes. “I… wasn’t certain I’d be wanted.”

Cassius hummed. He’dnever really seen Tybee like this. Flirty, yes; but only in themiddle of the night did he have this vulnerable sort of honesty.Cassius liked it, but perhaps not the doubt that he was speaking of.

“I told you itwasn’t your fault, that I was fine.”

“You and I bothknow you don’t always speak your heart. Rather rarely, in fact.”

Tybee held the roseup to his face, examining it without seeing it. It was completely tocover up the intense emotion he was feeling, giving his facesomething else to do.

“That’s fair.”Cassius thought about that a bit, then added, “I’ve spent quite abit of today vexed, actually. But not by you.”

Tybee hummed, a cooof sound he often made at Quibble, or Cam. It was enticing, andutterly empty. Tybee was on the defensive. Already on guard, waitingto be rejected.

“And what, dearfriend, has been vexing you?”

“That if we’vekissed, I have no clear recollection of it.”

Tybee’s entireface blossomed—into utter surprise. His large, luminous eyes shinedin the starlight, wide and wondering.

“Oh.”

He sat a moment,hardly moving, hardly breathing, then he blinked. Blinked, and satup, setting his feet to the floor. He clasped his hands neatly beforehim, resting his elbows on his lap, flower cupped delicately in hishands. He was being entirely too careful to be truly casual, thoughit was clear that’s what he was going for.

“Well,” he saidsoftly, “I’m sorry you languished so long under such an easilysolvable vexation.”

Cassius made a smallamused sound that wasn’t quite a laugh. “I did spend all daymaking you a flower while I came to that conclusion, so I did it tomyself.”

Tybee’s lipsquirked into a smile, eyes dropping to the flower in his lap. “Well.Not a complete loss then. I’m glad to be the recipient of suchbeauty.”

“I’d hoped you’dlike it.”

“I adore it.”

Cassius ran his handthrough his braids, shaking them out so that the beads gentle tinkledtogether. “Good.”

Tybee spun the rosearound on his palm, letting the wires catch the light.

“I’d like tothink that such a beautiful creation speaks of beautiful feelings?”

The stars in hiseyes mirrored the winking lights of the rose’s wires as he gazed atCassius, awaiting his response.

Cassius let hisbreath slowly ease out. This was why he hadn’t explored this yet,despite how often Tybee had hinted and flirted with him during theirnightly chats. “I am… still exploring how I feel. This isn’t anarena I’ve had much experience in. But I enjoy our chats, and I amsincere that it bothers me that I don’t have a clear memory of ourkiss.”

Tybee set the roseon the chaise beside him, never looking away from Cassius.

“And I am sincerein my offer to help you reclaim that memory and make it your own.”

“I would likethat. I’m just… Inexperienced enough that I’m not sure how toproceed.” He finally admitted.

Tybee smiled andmoved to kneel before him. “That’s a simple enough matter toovercome. Just tell me you want me to, and I’ll be happy to leadthe way.”

[chibalein]

Kalafina Harmony Magazine Vol. 4 - Hikaru Solo Interview ~ Translation

Continuing with my translations of Harmony magazine Vol. 4, here you have Hikaru’s solo interview. However, I don’t know why, but I really struggled with this and many parts will sound super strange and maybe even misleading. Whenever I couldn’t fully grasp the meaning of the sentence, I just did a literal translation. So, pleeeease, if you see parts I really screwed up, tell me! But still credit me, if you wanna use this for anything XD

Anyway, this interview is about Hikaru’s then upcoming birthday event, so again an outdated interview. Have fun!

Next up will be Hikaru at Animate Cafe!

Hikaru Solo Interview

Feelings about her first attempt at the solo event „Hikaru Birthday Event 2018” and gratitude towards her fans. About her being able to step forward since she welcomed her 10th anniversary.

Your first “Hikaru Birthday Event 2018” has finally been decided. This means we can celebrate both Hikaru-chan’s birthday (July 2nd) and the birthday of Kalafina’s Hikaru (July 30th).

Yes. I wrote about my feelings on the blog, but I am grateful that I can set forth like this, as the first step in this 10th year. I am thinking about a lot right now and I hope I can spend a wonderful time with everyone as closely as possible.

You asked things on the fanclub site like “Songs you want me to sing”, “What you would like me to do”, “Questions”…  Right now, a staff member carried a huge bunch of papers…

Whoa, it’s such a huge amount!? Ugh... this is “Things I would like Hikaru to do at the event” (for a while, Hikaru reads the sheets of paper enthusiastically).

There are a lot of maniac, specific and deep requests, right!? *laughs*

Well, it’s amazing! I think everyone’s imagination is abundant, as might be expected from people listening to Kalafina songs. So these are the fans that gave their opinions... There are many opinions I wouldn’t think of *laughs*

What appears to be a lot at first glance… is related to Anime and Manga. You can’t say something concrete here, can you? *laughs*

Well, everyone knows that I love Anime and Manga *laughs*. I am thankful.

Also, a recitation like in the last fanclub event or a rock-paper-scissor competition have been requested a lot.

That day’s Hikaru had too much luck in terms of rock-paper-scissors *laughs*. This is surely a revenge match to everyone.

There were also many requests for a “goods introduction”. Because the concert at Budokan was the 10th Anniversary version, you didn’t do a goods talk.

Right… I am so happy that everyone is thinking about so many things!

Nevertheless… They request this because it is you after all! These kind of feelings are overflowing.

There were many original ideas where I thought: “Where does this idea come from!?”. But… everyone! You all overestimate me! *laughs* I am not that dexterous!

Hahaha. It looks like there are many things you have to practice.

If I followed those requests, then this event would become totally maniac and deep. By taking a look at these entries, I understand how everyone feels about me *laughs*. … While everyone was supporting Kalafina for the past 10 years, slowly showing my true nature, I only let them know recently that I am an otaku. I am sure that there are also fans that “are following something thoroughly”, and those people think that “Hikaru smells the same” [this is literal translation, I guess it means that Hikaru as an otaku is “one of them”], and this is being handed down pressingly. They are my comrades…and there are many of them here *laughs*. Of course, there were people you wrote versatile opinions in a simple matter, but there were also many who wrote long and detailed letters… Intense!

“If there were only maniac requests, Hikaru might retreat!” You didn’t have this kind of fear, did you? “I am sure she would accept them!” I only feel this kind of relationship of mutual trust.

I came to think that these 10 years have been “an activity to go forward with everyone, while talking with everyone”, I could personally experience that those feelings have been received properly. However, everyone’s requests were so maniac, it’s funny *laughs*. I will think about which ideas to adopt until they are actually conducted.

No matter which ones you will take on, I feel like they are many high hurdles to overcome.

That’s because there are many things that Kalafina hasn’t done or tried yet *laughs*. I wonder how far I can go alone!?

Are there things you might want to do, right now?

I have been thinking “Maybe I can do this? It seems interesting” about different entries, but people only requested stuff that I haven’t done in front of others at all *laughs*

Well, hm, right *laughs*

There are certainly things that I would enjoy doing alone in my room, however doing them in front of everyone?

You will perform in front of hundreds of people.

In addition to the challenge of doing a concrete program on stage, there is also a mental challenge required.

Preparation of your mind became also important, right?

I have to make up my feelings and face them! I have to make physical and mental adjustments!

I haven’t seen a fanclub event where such a fighting spirit was necessary…

Since everyone made it until here with huge effort, I want to follow with all my power as well! … That might not be normal for a singer’s funclub event, but since I received every possible interesting wish, I want to meet those feelings as best as I can.

The people whose wishes you’ll adopt will surely be happy. Even if you don’t adopt them, people might want you to introduce what kind of requests came in.

I see! During or after the event, I will introduce the things that everyone wanted me to do, and I will look back on how far I was able to implement them, and also a prospect for next time…

Why does everyone want some kind of reflection meeting? *laughs* Requests for “Songs I want you to sing” are also arriving like a mountain. The process is still ongoing, but you are already tallying the votes, right?

Correct! Well… I will sing the songs placed number 1 and 2!

Oh, you declared it.

Looking at this, these are the very best of the votes obtained. I want to meet everyone’s feelings towards this.

Looking forward to that, will the setlist be songs that you as Hikaru “want to sing”?

This time it will be only me and Sakurada-san on the piano, so I want to make a musical selection that will fit into this arrangement. Also, there are many opinions that want me to cover anime songs, and I want to take this challenge too. I got many requests for singing songs by international artists or musical numbers, as well… I can’t follow each and every request, but I want to show everyone a new singing voice, that sings songs that are yet to be performed. Of course, the usual Hikaru will be present. For now, I will face the creation of the setlist!

It looks like there are many questions for the “Question Corner” coming in.

I just scanned the things that have been printed out so far, but this is a huge amount of paper *laughs*

There are so many papers printed in A3 size with small letters…

That’s so amazing… (looking at the question sheets) It looks like there are again many questions about Anime and Manga… but also so many other things… Questions I won’t be able to answer properly or some strange consultations…! I guess I have to come up with a way to answer this many questions…

It might be better if you answered the questions that you couldn’t respond to at the event, on the fanclub site or in the magazine piece by piece. The amount is crazy! However, after all there are many “deep” questions, right?

I am happy that questions about myself are coming in!

Anyway… How long will the event take? With this amount of questions and requests, I feel like this will become a very long event *laughs*

About 1 ½ hours would be normal, right? It’s an event like this. “This can’t be…” I thought, though. There is a chance I can’t collect everything *laughs* However, those printouts have been the sum of only 4-5 days since opening the questionnaire, so I suppose it will increase a lot more from now on…

That’s a pleasant shriek! *laughs* I get the feeling that the bond between you and the fans is getting deeper, and the feeling of solidarity among fans is becoming stronger. It seems like a strange sense of unity is being born…

It will be an event of the elite force where heroes gather *laughs*

You are looking forward to this turning point after 10 years and this new challenge.

Yes. I am nervous since I am about to challenge things I have never done before, so I will tackle them with all my power. Please look forward to it, everyone.

[Upper row, from left to right]

The first outfit is a yukata for the publication of the serial segment. Lovely!

How much of the door in the background shall be shown? This and other confirmations.

This fan as little prop and full of summer feelings. It makes me want to do fireworks [typically done in Japan in summer].

An elegant finish to the little retro atmosphere. Her neck is so beautiful!

[Bottom row, from left to right]

One pose for the interview section. A refreshing coordination!

“Which cut do you like?”, during a friendly chat with the two photographers.

The second outfit is a chic black one-piece. The make-up is also very adult-like.

Hikaru taking a photo with her cellphone of the shot recommended by the staff and photographers.

The end of the photo shoot! Fascinated by her elegant movements <3

[moonraccoon-exe]

COON! You Play Horizon now? First DA:I and now Horizon? Ugh, all those awesome Gaming choices. I sadly didn’t play the game but I watched a playthrough and it is soooo stunning. I am so weak for games with such beautiful environments (one of the aspects why I love The Witcher). And YES for the badass female protagonist. Aloy is awesome isn’t she? I am glad that you are having fun after the initial problems. And i hope you‘ll be having a blast through the rest of the game. :3 -Peridot

PERIDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!! ( ´ ▽ ` )

*SMOOCHIE*

HEWWO PERIDOT AKSJFKLAGDJGALKGDJ ZOMG HELLO I’M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU AROUND AGAIN!!!

And hell yeah, I’m playing Horizong and I’m SO OBSESSED, YOU HAVE NO IDEA KLAJSKLGJFH. I’ve had a few days that I’ve stayed up past 1 am, which is like unusual in me because I love sleeping, just to keep playing. I haven’t gotten to play daily because my bro almost daily hogs the TV lmao, but when I do, dammit, it’s so difficult to take a pause! THIS ISN’T HEALTHY AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH

And hell yeah it would be an awesome gaming choice. You’re like me and I’m like you just in different countries. The world was like “Yes, I will just copy paste this creature because Ive run out of ideas and just drop one here and the other across the ocean lmao what are the chances they’ll find each other” but the joke’s on the world because now we’re buddies lol

Honestly, the stuff you like is like. A mirror or like I ghostwrite what you tell me HOW DO YOU DO THAT. Or is it me who is a mirror and ghostwriting? HURRR e3e

But I digress ahahah

It’s okay to have only watched a playthrough! There’s people that do just that and that’s okay. Everybody experiences games in their own way, and not just as in their subjective perceptions of it, but also how they got into it in the first place! I’ve known people into the XV fandom that don’t even have a console, but that doesn’t make their experience any less fantastic!! Same for you, it’s okay to not have played it.

However, I do suggest it if you ever get the chance! I’m a little sad that I got it as second hand because I think “I know it’s just some miserable pennies to them but how I wish I could have helped with the popularity rating in the developers’ offices!”, that’s how damn good and incredible it is. Well designed, every single thing is where it needs to be, everything is so thoroughly thought through (oh my god so many tho’s), it’s absolutely gorgoeous. but I think you don’t need me to say that, you’ve watched the whole thing already and I’m just starting the climax!

Lemme add a keep reading right here, aye buddy? :3

So yep, big recommendation over here!!

I’m SO SO SO SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO VERY WEAK FOR GAMES WITH BEAUTIFUL VIEWS AND ENVIRONMENTS TOO OH MY GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWDAKL SFJ DLKHAJ DLIFJA EGKLDJ BAKLDG

*EXPLODES*

SEE, PERIDOT? SEE? WE’RE LITERALLY THE SAME THING JUST SPEAKING DIFFERENT LANGUAGES, HOW DID WE STUMBLE UPON EACCH OTHER, this is like that one movie Parent Trap, and we’re the twins, except we’re not twins and you have your twin alskdjgk lmao why am i digressing so much today .3. 

But really, I really really really love games with big and beautiful maps. It’s one of the reasons it saddens and frustrated me so much to be unable to play Breath of the Wild, I’ve heard the setting there is absolutely mesmerizing and stunning!!! But yes. Games with big beautiful maps and environments are the absolute BEST, they’re my jam, I could buy a game with the most horrible of plots just for the map and I’d LOVE it.

And the environment here in Horizon? Fuknin.g Spectalcular! OH MY GAWD IT’S SO GODDAMN BEAUTIFUL AND SOOOOOOOOOOOO STUNNING, I CAN’T GET TIRED OF IT IT’S ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC AND GORGEOUS AND SO BREATHTAKING.

There’s lots of snowy mountains and paths, too, which makes me so happy and comfy because I LOVE SNOWY ENVIRONMENTS. And I love climbing to high places to look around (you can tell I love finding Observatories aksldjlkg). I’m in love with ALL THE RIVERS HAVE YOU SEEN HOW MANY RIVERS HORIZON HAS? MANY. MUCH. VERY. LOTS. IT’S SO MUCH WATER I LOVE WATER BODIES AND SPECIALLY LAKES AND RIVERS AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!

And all the nature all the plants and flowers and trees gawds fuck me I fangasm, such a BEAUTIFUL scenario!

HOLY HOH, THE WITCHER HAS A BEAUTIFUL ENVIRONMENT TOO HUH??? .3. I mean it doesn’t surprise me, it IS a fantasy plot and an RPG so naturally it has to have a BEAUTIFUL open world and wide map full of nature and gorgeous sights. GAWDS AKJFDG IKLJOLDKJFA GKLDJ KLJAD LK *GRABBY HANDS*

HELL YEAH ALOY IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO AWESOMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FREAKING...SUPERB FUNKY LITTLE CREATURE, MOST FANTASTIC AND SKILLED AND STRONGEST BADASS BEING, THAT WONDERFUL AND AMAZING OH MY GAWD OH MY GAWD I FANGASM AGAIN MY LOVE FOR ALOY IS IMMEASURABLY INSANE AND HUGE GAWDS DAMN ME I LOVE HER SO MUCH ALKSFJ KHD JHKLGF

Gods, she’s such a gorgeous example of a badass strong female lead role. She’s strong and has her own personality and determined and gawds damn me oh my god I melt I LOVE HER SO MUCH

She as a child was adorable and I was like oooh okay I like this, and then in that montage where she’s training, and you see her give a roll when she’s a kid and when she lands she’s an adult? OH FUCK ME TAHT’S WHAT I WAS ARROWED OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD SHE’S SO B ADASS AND SO STRONG AND SO SKILLED AND OH MY GOD IT KILLED ME

I at first was afraid that I wasn’t going to do well with this game, because I’m not very good with technology stuff, and that still counts for in game things. Like, give me a sword and an ancient spell book, I catch my grip. But give me a...the triangle artifact she finds in the beginning? Not sure what it’s called in english. That thing that scans and analyzes, and codes, and metal things and I’m...hngngh...l os t. I can barely understand a smartphone, you can’t give me futuristic gadgets and expect me to do well XD

But I’m doing strangely phenomenal!! I caught my grip really fast and I’m doing fantastic with everything. Agaklsjggadk, the more I type, the more I want to leave to go game, ahaha!! Aaaahhhhhhh, but yes, I was a bit insecure at first but gods damn me am I obsessed now alksjdf dglkdj

I do am having a blast!! I’m doing as usual and going for all available sidequests before progressing in the story, so I’ve been walking around for a while before reaching the Carja place and meeting the sun king and stuff. Current mission of main story is cleaning 1 more corrupted area. EASY PEASY. 

I’m surprisingly having more troubles with sidequests than main story actually ahahaha!! Like, “clean this corrupted area” yeah sure there you go. Sidequest, kill this one lonely machine that popped up from nowhere. Sure pal I’m- DEAD? WHAT DO YOU MEAN DEAD!?!? OH MY GO- OH MY GOD I DIED AGAIN STOP- HOW DO I HIT IT- NO- NO I’M DEAD AGAIN, OH MY GOD STOP!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

Main story be like “go clean this corrupted area level 16″ pfff easy peasy. Sidequest be like “explode this zone level 8″ yeah okay OH MY GOD I’M DEAD, WHY, OH MY GOD THAT MACHINE IS GIGANORMOUS WHY IS LEVEL 16 FULL OF SMALL ONES AND THIS ONE HUGE IS- OH MY GOD STOP!!!!!!!!!!

Ahahahah but I’ve managed to clear sidequests! Some after many attempts, but cleared them. Gods is the explosive trap a miracle .3.

But anyways, that’s that dear Peridot!!! Thank you for whishing for me to enjoy the rest of the game, I’m SO sure I’ll have the blast of my life with everything yet left to do!!

I’m queueing this for an hour that suits you better, dear friend. Hopefully you’ll see this in your morning :)

Anyways!! Dear Peridot, that’s that about Horizon!! As always, it’s such a joy getting to talk with you. Thank you for dropping by, you superb muffin

Talk to you later, buddy!! Hugs for you!!

[worfrom]

Moon’s thoughts on “The Sacrifice”. Expect spoilers. Lots of spoilers. And personal opinions.

So. I have played it, and finished it, and I have more thoughts below the cut. Even if my opinions don’t match yours (which is a good chance that they won’t because, hey, internet), I will DEFINITELY respect if you’ve liked it a lot! In fact, tell my why! I’m really interested to hear other people’s thoughts about it.

TL;DR, it was alright. Not the best, but it was aight.

I’m actually really glad that I set my expectations to really low to begin with. Personal experience has told me that the more something was hyped, the higher the chance of disappointment.

I was right.

It was REALLY cool to see the logs on how Warframes worked, and how this more or less confirmed some theories that myself and my squad had (ie. Warframes used to be people and are people underneath). God it was icky seeing the eye under the helmet, though :x

The flashback sequences were...interesting. I kept winning against Ballas in that one game :y And gameplay-wise? It was more or less aight.

Boy did I feel bad for Umbra, though. Nothing like a flashback sequence to make you feel bad. More on that later, though.

I have more of an opinion on the negatives, though.....even though I had mentioned that the quest had low expectations from me....that still didn’t prevent some serious disappointment from happening.

What I had personally (key word) expected was Umbra being a recurring villain and attacking us, Ballas in the background being all “HA HA HA HA” like intimidting villains do or whatever, but more importantly, us having a bit of an arc with OUR Warframes. I REALLY wanted to see more of a connection between those two. 

(...but this is also due to me participating in a series of RPs where my Tenno is dealing with the existence of her Warframe becoming sentient and I am gradually building their connection yadda yadda yadda personal opinions)

Uhhh what we got was something that honestly should’ve been covered in a good part of the quest, not the entire thing. Don’t get me wrong, I still felt bad for Umbra, but I was kind of “:/” on how much they JUST covered Umbra, and didn’t focus on, oh I dunno...developing Ballas here and there? We got who he was BACK THEN (which was pretty interesting that he was planning on defecting the Orokin), but what about NOW? He was there for memories, but when he popped up in current day, he was all like “hahahaha-*shank’d*” and then went bye-bye for now.

I...also wasn’t quite happy to be forced to use Umbra during certain segments. But I also understood why that happened. This quest was more for the folks who REALLY wanted Umbra, and that was their hell yeah moment. Unfortunately, I was not one of those folks, but hey I guess I got an umbra now.

On top of that, I REALLY feel like the “Pursuing Umbra” segments were a HUGE “fuck you” to those who have/are stuck with the Mote Amp or no amp...and this is coming from someone who grinded for a better amp. My other two squadmates, though? Theeeey weren’t really happy.

Even though I had a lot to say about what I didn’t like....that didn’t mean there weren’t parts that I REALLY enjoyed!

Now, while I did feel like a good deal of the Umbra focus should’ve been cut, I still felt REALLY bad for him, but the feels definitely started to come in when our Tenno walked into the memory, saying that “we can do this together”, and ESPECIALLY that part where we consoled and helped Umbra by accepting his memories (well, I chose acceptance). God, if there were any reason to replay this quest, I’d do it JUST for that moment.

And everything in the beginning? That was pretty cool! I really liked the tension, and the logs and information, also what the hell Ordis XD Ballas, ur thing broke him for a little bit I should shank you alone just for that--oh wait I already did.

ALSO THIS FUCKO APPEARED MID-QUEST

ALSO ALSO, LOTUS WHAT THE HELLLLL

Now that’s one hell of a cliffhanger. I’m beginning to think that by “conclusion”, we’re just ending this arc and setting the stage for the next. A trip to the Tau system, anyone? Reeeally not happy that we’re stuck with digi-Lotus for another god knows :/

My overall verdict? I’d...personally give this quest no higher than a 5-6/10. Even with low expectations, I was still thoroughly disappointed, especially given the hype that surrounded it. They honestly should not have taken this long, in my opinion, but I digress. 

The good parts, though, were genuinely good, and I did like the tension from the beginning, the information we learned, and that ONE part in the entire quest alone. Not to mention, that song...that was such a wonderful song and I appreciate music that tugs my heartstrings like that. I need more.

This...felt kind of like a filler quest rather than a super big important quest that they claimed would match the Second Dream and War Within....though I GUESS the really important part was how warframes worked, which...now that I have typed that out...actually makes that important enough. Maybe it was the execution that made it kinda feel like filler, I dunno.

Anyway, if you have stuck around this long after hoardes of personal opinions and 4 AM nonsense, then...thank you! Again, I’m interested in hearing YOUR thoughts!

[lady-divine-writes]

Klaine one-shot “Synced Up” (Rated NC17)

It's a morning of heartbreak for poor Kurt Hummel. After spending a magical night with a man he knows he's never going to see again, he loses his brand new phone. But things go from bad to worse when he discovers someone has found his phone ... and is taking pictures with it. (2345 words)

Notes: This is a variation of a K*urtbastian fic I wrote for an old Klaine Advent Drabble prompt 'cloud'. If you've read the original (Hidden in the Cloud) this one is completely different. But it's also inspired by real events (that didn't happen to me), Sex and the City, and, to a small degree, Cinderella xD

Read on AO3.

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!” Kurt grumbles as he storms off the elevator. He stomps down the hallway to his office and drops his bag on his desk, kicking his chair and the waste paper basket a la his stepbrother Finn Hudson as he goes.

“Language, Mr. Hummel,” Isabelle scolds playfully, following her cursing employee into his work space.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve lost my fu---” Kurt blows a breath between clenched teeth, stemming another tide of four-letter expletives. “I’ve lost my phone!”

“Oh, no!” Isabelle switches to serious mode, giving Kurt’s predicament the appropriate amount of gravitas considering how excited he was about upgrading. Kurt loved his new phone. He bought a Burberry case for it, spent the better part of one afternoon configuring it to perfection. Now three short days later it was already gone. “Do you have any idea where it might have disappeared to?” She watches Kurt root through his bag, pulling out the contents and laying them on his desk. She bites her bottom lip at some of them – an extra pair of underwear, balled up socks, a toothbrush, deodorant, a wad of condoms, and a bottle of lube that would choke a Rottweiler. She doesn’t know if he realizes what he’s revealing, if he’s just that comfortable around her, or so upset over the loss of his phone that he honestly doesn’t care.

Either way, Isabelle knows Kurt enough by now to know that he doesn’t normally carry those items in his bag.

Which means, despite losing his phone, someone got lucky last night.

“No.” Kurt shakes out his bag, sending the last scraps of old receipts and miscellaneous wrappers to the ground. When he reaches the bitter end with no phone in sight, he surveys the mess on his desk. “This is the seventh time I’ve been through my bag and nothing!”

“I just hope you lost it at home and not on the subway over here.” Isabelle sympathizes, but she’s also fishing for information on where her protégé spent his night.

Kurt plops down in his chair, holds his bag open at the edge of his desk with one hand, and sweeps his things back into it with the other. He doesn’t mention anything about the spare clothes or the condoms, but he doesn’t look embarrassed by them, either.

“Either way, there’s nothing I can do about it now.” Kurt closes his bag and shoves it against the wall.

The day is shot, and it’s only nine in the morning.

“Let me know if there’s anything I can do,” Isabelle offers, squeezing his shoulder.

He puts a hand over hers and pats it gently. “Thanks,” he says. “I will.” He flips open his laptop, preparing - albeit unenthusiastically - to get down to business. His computer comes out of hibernation, and already he has an alert in the bottom right-hand corner of his screen. Kurt glosses over it, but Isabelle notices.

“What’s that?” she asks, pointing a long, blush-painted nail at the tiny rectangular icon. Kurt’s gaze follows to the narrow box.

“That’s my Cloud alert. It shows up when my phone syncs to my computer,” he explains, positioning his cursor over it with a long, disappointed sigh. He clicks on it, and a larger box pops up. Kurt reads it, confused. “A new photo has been uploaded to my Cloud?”

Isabelle gasps. “That means someone has your phone!” she says, anxiously shaking Kurt’s shoulder. “And they’re taking pictures!”

“What the … no!” Kurt exclaims, opening his Cloud account to check. He knows this is his fault. How many times when he activated his phone did it ask him if he wanted a face recognition, pattern, password, pin, or some sort of swipe thing-y to unlock his phone, and he repeatedly pushed no? In fact, he was mildly offended that his phone would have so little faith in his ability to keep it safe. Obviously, the thing was right. “Oh, please be at home. Please just be Brian …” he mutters, praying that his phone slipped out of his pocket when he raced home to change and ran back out again, that it’s lying on the floor in his kitchen and that his cat took a selfie. Because if it’s not at home, it might be on the subway being violated by strangers. Or …

There’s only one other place he can think his phone might be. He doesn’t want to mention it, because he’s equal parts not entirely proud of it, and disappointed that he won’t get a repeat performance.

He may have left it at the apartment he stayed at last night.

An apartment not his own.

The apartment of a man he met at a bar, and then went home with.

A man he agreed to a one-night stand with before he realized – after dinner, drinks, and a lengthy conversation about school, work, books, movies, musicals, and future aspirations - this was a man he wouldn’t mind seeing again … a lot.

And the sex …

Kurt had heard of toe curling sex before, but had yet to experience it.

Ever since he moved to New York, he’s been waiting for his Sex and the City moment. He figured that, working for Vogue, it would come eventually. But five years had gone by, and not even so much as a pivotal Jimmy Choo sale.

Last night, he took a chance at going to the grand opening of a piano bar in The Village, some tackily decorated, wannabe “gin joint” with an obnoxious name to boot – Tramp Stamp Granny’s. He figured he’d do a write up on it for Vogue, that way he could get away with charging his drinks to his business account.

A foot through the door, he’d already decided he wasn’t going to enjoy himself.

But he saw a guy sitting alone, and they had a moment. The man bought him a drink, then he asked Kurt to dance. Kurt didn’t think it would turn into anything.

He was wrong.

He’d always pictured himself as a Carrie, and last night, he found his Mr. Big.

Kurt shakes his thoughts of the man from his mind. No use crying over spilt milk, or however that saying applies.

They agreed to one night, and that’s all he’s going to get. They hadn’t even exchanged numbers.

Which makes it fitting that Kurt lost his phone.

Kurt opens the picture.

No such luck on it being his cat.

It’s a picture of a hand (tres originale) wearing a black leather glove, and holding a parchment wrapped pastry - a cronut, he believes. Kurt has yet to try one since they became the newest, hottest trend in “expanding one’s bottom line”, not even when Vogue posted a review and Dominique Ansel, the chef who created them, sent seven dozen to the office. Too many carbs, too much sugar, too many empty calories. Yes, they smelled amazing, and yes, Kurt wept as he watched each and every one walk out the door with not a single bite of their flaky deliciousness entering his mouth.

He didn’t regret his decision to abstain, however, when he slipped into his Armani trousers later that night and they were a cinch to button.

But God, does it look good!

His stomach thinks so, too, because it growls loudly, reminding Kurt that he has yet to break into his morning bottle of kombucha.

“I know, right?” Isabelle agrees, putting a hand over her own groaning tummy.

Another alert box comes up on the screen and Kurt clicks it. A second picture opens, this time of a random Lord Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

“Awww,” Isabelle coos, leaning closer to the screen. “Cute puppy!”

“Yeah,” Kurt scoffs. “At least we know that the jerk who has my phone saw a dog today. Lucky him.”

A third alert box appears. Kurt stabs at his mouse pad to open it. He wants to be bitter, wants to be completely furious that this man, whoever he is, is having the day of his life in New York, and taunting the hell out of him with it, but the next image takes him aback.

It’s of the same gloved hand, but this time, holding a beautiful red rose.

Kurt examines the picture thoroughly, hoping to find out where this stranger is. But the frame is focused entirely on the opened flower, the gloved hand a blur in the background. To the right and left, up and down, not an inch of scenery can he see.

“Are you sure you don’t know who has your phone?” Isabelle asks, a secret smile on her lips, wondering if the underwear, the toothbrush, and the condoms might have something to do with the mystery man taking pictures with Kurt’s phone. “Because it seems to me like he might be flirting with you.

“I … wha---?” Another box pops up before Kurt can come up with an answer, and he opens it quickly. It’s a difficult image to decipher at first - the same gloved hand, index finger pointed, but the object hanging off it doesn’t register.

Until it does, and Kurt x’s out of the image in a snap.

Isabelle snickers. “Was that a pair of handcu---?”

“I know who has my phone,” Kurt interrupts, eyes wide as his boss doubles over with laughter.

“Shame on you, Kurt!”

“Shame on me why!?”

“You weren’t going to tell me about your friend with the metal jewelry?”

“Maybe. Eventually. Yes. I just …”

The phone on Kurt’s desk rings, and they both go silent. Kurt and Isabelle look at it in confusion, as if it’s never rung before. From the light blinking on the panel, he knows that whoever it is didn’t call his line directly, but had to be transferred by the receptionist. Most of the people who call his office are looking for Isabelle, so they know his extension.

Which makes the caller on line 8 an enigma.

Kurt reaches across his desk for the receiver and answers it.

“Kurt Hummel’s office. Kurt speaking.”

“Blaine Anderson,” a smooth, newly familiar voice informs him. “From the bar last night?”

Kurt grins. Okay, a cat selfie would have been adorable, but this outcome is so much better! “I remember you.”

“I found your phone.”

The sound of that voice, coupled with the last picture Blaine sent, makes Kurt blush all over. “I can see that.”

“I’m heading your way to deliver it, if that’s alright.”

Isabelle, sitting on the corner of Kurt’s desk and eagerly listening in, squeezes his shoulder again, nearly digging her fingernails straight through his shirt in her excitement.

“Thank you. You’re a life saver.”

“I was originally going to hold it hostage in the hopes of convincing you to have dinner with me, but I figured an important Vogue employee such as yourself might need his phone.”

Kurt fist pumps the air. Isabelle offers him a mimed high-five, then discreetly tiptoes out the door.

She’ll let him have his privacy.

She can grill him about how his missing phone relates to his night out - and that pair of handcuffs - another time.

“And you would be right,” Kurt says. Once Isabelle’s out of earshot, he adds, “But I thought you said you only do one-night stands?”

“So did you.”

“True.” Kurt bites his cheek. This could go one of two ways. He’s hoping it’s a way that leads to a second date with this interesting, gorgeous guy. “But, you know, it’s not a hard-and-fast rule. I’ve been kind of re-thinking it.”

“I have to admit, so was I.” Blaine chuckles. He has the kind of laugh Kurt can feel. It reaches through the phone, finds it way under his skin. “Maybe we can talk about it. Do you have time for a bite? I’m carrying a cronut that’s been calling your name.”

“Has it now?”

Blaine’s mention of a bite has Kurt’s toes curling again. If he remembers correctly, Blaine left him with a bite mark last night, somewhere in the vicinity of his left upper thigh.

“Yeah,” Blaine says, his voice low. “We seem to have that in common.”

Kurt bites his lips together hard to keep from squealing and making an ass out of himself. “I think I may have a few moments … for the sake of that poor cronut.”

“Hmm. Just for the cronut?”

“That, and to thank you for returning my phone.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“Possibly turning our one-night stand into a one-night, one-morning, with-the-possibility-of-dinner-later stand?”

“That’s … uh … kind of a long title.”

“I thought of that,” Kurt says, his attention pulled by the sound of the elevator down the hall pinging as it stops on his floor. “Shortening it might not get my message across. And I wanted to be very clear.”

“That makes sense. Well, a morning stand with the certainty of dinner later it is then,” Blaine says, and God! Kurt can hear his voice coming from the hallway!

“Sounds like a date.” Kurt plants his feet flat on the floor to keep from leaping out of his seat the second Blaine walks in. He has to maintain some illusion of cool, calm, and collected, even if he’s vibrating like a teenager in heat. To that end, he turns his chair, putting the back to the door. His desk chair has a high back. Faced this way, no one can even tell if he’s in the room or not.

Yup. Now he’s the picture of total nonchalance. What a brilliant plan.

Before he can change his mind, spin his chair back around and find a more natural way to sit, he hears the door to his office shut with a soft click. Footsteps stop behind his chair. His cell phone materializes on the desk in front of him, followed by a white paper pastry bag, that beautiful red rose … and Blaine’s silver handcuffs.

A strong hand caresses his arm. Warm lips dance over his jaw, Blaine’s cheeky grin undeniable.

“I can hardly wait.”

[quiescentgale]

▹ ☆ ☆ ☆  Quiescentgale’s 200+ follower milestone follow forever  ☆ ☆ ☆ ◃

✭ I just wanted to say Wow, thank you everyone who supported me upon this blog. I only made this blog just a little over two months old, (08/07/2017) and I’ve already reached this far, and I feel so loved and welcome. ;v; I could cry in happiness for this moral boost, because I always have a small fear, perhaps I am not doing Ventus any justice.  And I very much insecure if I could get this muse down, as he is traditionally not someone whom I usually RP as. Until my best friend nudged me, (even if he left me hanging high and dry xD). More encouragement from  several good friends, including my best friend who continues to support me to play Ventus how I am comfortable with him. For this Thank you everyone.

  ✭ I also apologize if I have made a lot of people uncomfortable with me, humoring with Anons, or being... such a dork, a chatter box who can’t seemed to have a mute button.. or maybe the way I played Ventus not subtle enough we don’t click, but he’s too bright and vibrant. I’ve come to a resolution that, this is my interpretation of Ventus, a bright, innocent, curious and energetic boy, who often hides behind a smile, put others in front of him. A pacifist who is mischief and playful, give hugs for everyone and wants to be their friends. For this, I wanted to make an appreciation for those who followed and supported me from the beginning, because of you guys, I’ve made it this far. But... but... I STILL QUESTIONED! Why are you following me?!  i’m just your dork extraordinaire.

This post is going to be long ;v;. Please bear with me.

Banter credited to @lunastusx but I probably destroyed it with my hideous edit in text LOL.

   ▹ ☆ ☆ ☆  Special appreciation to my dearest who continues to support me throughout from the very beginning and still. I wouldn’t be here without you.  ☆ ☆ ☆ ◃

@akuserru - I know we had some differences or somehow we’re plain opposite in personality, but I wanted to thank you for putting up with me. You broaden my world for AU KH, and inspired me through out our RP. You helped me to develop my Ventus, and I love to always making threads with you, especially when I look up to you and your writings. I wanted to draw out a lot of motivation from you. You’re the handful of individuals who I continues valued and looked up to, especially the well thought out and in depth your AU Axel had come from. Not everything is black and White, the grey that tells most of the story <3.

@brokenkxy - our muses may clash a bit, angst and drama everywhere like a bad case of a cold, but I love everyone bits of it. The moment we talked and gotten to know as muns, everything went down perfectly. Your Roxas is brilliant, and I enjoyed each time yours and mine clash. You’re a sweetie as your muse <3.

@hxartsmith - You’re the few Sora blog who tolerates my existence xD, no lie. I don’t know how you can put up with me, but I love having a bromance with your Sora and my Ven, and how Ven is picking on yours and get his just dessert lmao. You’ve stuck with me since the beginning, and I wanted to say, thank you <3.

@lunastusx - Karei, you’ve been there for me since my Lass blog and here you are, on along with my Ven too. Even if you’re busy with doing things that isn’t on tumblr or discord, I always enjoyed our interactions, our chat, heck even our VaniVen <3 and I love your edits, they are brilliant. Thank you for being there along the ride. thank you for being of the most first amazing Vanitas I’ve interact with.

@bite-x-the-x-bullet - You giant ass, you left me high and dry, so I’m gonna drag yo ass here in this mention xD. Because one, you’re my best friend and baby bro~ and two, you nudge me into this fandom, now I found new will to live >D, that doesn’t mean I forgive you for ditching me. >T regardless I should thank you for your encouragement and giving me confident, ilu <3.

@the-tender-princess - lil sis you know I have to mention you in this <3, I really enjoyed Yuuki and Ven being dorks and fighting with ice cream lmao. That stuff made my day! Please continue to bother him, whilst he can invade your inbox and spams Yuuki full of love xD;;. You oughta get on me yo, you’re  making me lonely.

@vcidgear - You’re one of the best person I could RP with in Au setting, be it on threading here on tumblr or discord. I love your Vanitas, he’s both cocky and protective, and court to the point it’s painfully flat cold teasing xD. You’re a lovely mun and I love talking to you and be braining ideas or just  generally talking. So thank you for sticking by me since day one <3.

@thebetterhalfofwind - You, you you awesome person. Your Vanitas is so amazing, and I just love you, your portray of him was spot on, especially the innocent part. You’re the few rare Vanitas who isn’t bad boy type, but retain what he is, how he was made from pure darkness that has nothing else to lose or experience anything but pain. I was so pleasantly surprised you followed me back and I love each of our threads, regardless if it’s x amount of numbers <3. Thank you, thank you so much for interacting me with me from the very beginning.

@oblivion-witch - You’ve stuck around with me since the beginning, the first me to crush me with massive wall of texts, the one who made me loved Naminé and Ventus as a ship whether it is platonic or romantic. Our thread gives me feels, fluffy and exploring more into Ven’s mind. I feel inadequate if I didn’t give you a quality reply and it often taken me longer to reply back... or gets buried underneath all others xD. But it gets funnier as it goes on... Nami getting that mischief side, it’s like... discovering new things all over again. Vee, thank you for sticking by me.

@vxstexrth - you’re a wonderful Terra, even though you are busy, I enjoyed our threads, and how much of a dork our Terra and Ven are. Thank you for tolerating me, even if I’m an annoying bundle of hyperness. Expect me to pester you more when you get back.

@zakkusurifea​ - You’ve been with me since the very beginning, and I love your Zack and often I feel comfortable with us mesing around and having fun. Zack and Ven food fighting was my favorite. Your support really lighten my spirit, so thank you so much for sticking with me this long. I hope we continue to support each other <3.

@corruptedkey / @verdantwind​​ - Soap you are the most wonderful friend, if my best friend position wasn’t already taken I would have happily given you this spot. Instead, I’d like to call you my closest confidant ;v;. Your writing blows me away, your perspective is very much spot on and each time we write a thread, I always look at my notification if I’ve receive your reply. I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with you and our muses interaction.

@notturnomelodico​ - You’re such a lovely mun ;v;, each time we talked in IM, it always makes me giggled a bit and lighten up my mood. I especially love our muses dynamic, even if it’s a little odd and out of places. And I’m slow as heck, I love to threading with you and look  forward to your reply... even if I’m a slow as a snail oTL. Thank you for your support <3.

@animustenebrae​ -  You crazy mun and muse lmao. Your art is just beautiful and visually chilling. I love what you’ve done to Venitas stark contrast to Heartless version of himself. I can’t help but grin each time there’s interaction between them or us casually talking. I swear you’re just pure crack xD.

@brave-puppy​ - As you made your Zack, in a way you also helped to support my Ven blog with your kind words. Sometimes we thread and ask like heck and sometimes we don’t. I enjoy seeing your Zack on my dash. Especially his reaction when Ven does something silly xD. Your tag when you reblog my promo, made me happy <3, so I’d like to thank you. Thank you~

@dorkprinceoflucis - aaaaaaahhh, yoooou! I really, really enjoy talking with you on IMs, it was funny and hilarious. Your Noctis is adorable, and when we discuss out the plot or plans for them, I couldn’t help but be a giggling dork. They are perfectly cute bundle of fluffy dorks. I really looked forward to your replies and see our muses development >3.

@gnectics / @dethiux​ - I cannot even put to words how detailed and mind boggling brilliant your posts are. I always, always checked my dash if I get your replies. You’re the few who allowed my mind to explore outside the box, your AU crashing with my Divergent verse was just mind blowing. THANK YOU so much for allowing me to open more possibilities. I know there’s a limit what a person can do, or there’s a limit how far you can do with our muses, please be patient with me and i promise you stories, drama, angst even comical relief. I thoroughly wanted our muses to develop as the story unraveled. Talking with you was a delight and I’d love to casually interact as a mun to mun or as muse to muse. You’re a lovely person and a great writer! Don’t forget that <3.

▹ ☆ ☆ ☆ Shout out to those who reached out to me and interact with me through RP or talking in general. Your support and encouragement inspire me.  ☆ ☆ ☆ ◃

@alongxthexroadxtoxdawn @onthewaytosmile @thewindywielder @oathkeepinginoblivion @prince-kivuli @nobodytoplaywith @thetaintedemotion @vexenchillingworth @thelightissilenced @tatarian-memory @tanabata-haze @valorhearted @sora-pugnxre-mxlum @divewingheart @roaringheart @venven-vani @sirkururugisuzaku @enter-the-darkness @goodbooi @akweh @angelusxtenebris @forgottenwind @nightlightsora @flamingkeyblade @moonismsvii @crimoso @elegantxassassin @kingdommark @cloakedbookworm @sharpteethsharpclaws @restcration​ @quackhealer @queen-of-disney-castle @soraingtofreedom @listenwellallofyou @chosen-boy @invertxgo @helperlion @justhisnobody @faithfulreplica @the-family-guardian @kyouminaine @teardownheaven @thepaststillhurts @keysoflight @darkprinceofjustice @liightisms @brown-eyed-trickster @king-x-carnage @funiisms @mirroredwaters @skiaquas @superiorofthein-between @ax-terminator @coeursouriant​ @xvxnitate

▹ ☆ ☆ ☆  And to Mutuals... even though we don’t interact, I really wished we could interact together sometimes and you all deserve some love too~  ☆ ☆ ☆ ◃

@buginthenightsky @spellweaviing @specimen-s @hallowedhearts @heartseekingfreedom @dancingflcmes @scatteredcrayons @arpeggxo @thegaleandlance @keycursed @cloakedpride @pyrcmantic @vainmark @nctycurprcxy @sassy-keyblade-master @esmeraldc @halfxblxxd  @sketchedinnocence   @electrodesonmyheart @one-dxstiny @seasaltseeker @tiimeless-key @problem-free @bxsteriiisms @noxtalgie @liningpxeces @scphiroth @crookedkey @rcmncnt @watchfulforeteller @piictograph @kcyblademaster @son-of-regis @mccnbladed @adoreshunny @adventurouswind @keysofthekingdom @mortiferumhelianthus @ricochcted @lxghtened @nightmaresend @bondsinthedark @xspellweaver @fata-et-fatorum @aquae-melodiam @eoschosen @faithfulheir @noctiisms @prudense @ekinoyo @noctislucisrp​ @memoriesxofxflames

✭ Thank you everyone for your love and support, your kind words and willingness to interact with me has given me courage, and aspired me to keep going. And thank you once again for tolerating my silly self, who really is just a dreamer, a dork and someone how loves everyone x3. i hope you all have a great day, and I would send everyone positive energy and lots of love <3 <3 <3. I probably missed out... a few people D;....but all the same I love you peeps too!

[neen-writes]

Iron Legends: Reforged -- Chapter 16

Series: Fairy Tail

Characters: Gajeel, Levy, plus appearances from Natsu and Lucy.

Genre: Hurt/comfort, Sci-fi

Summary: The old lab had always been fuel for a good story, something you would half-heartedly joke about going to sometime.  Some did, and when they came back they never talked about it again.  The legends circulated, telling of ghosts, monsters, and anything else someone would be likely to conjure up about an abandoned building.  But even with all the stories meant to keep everyone away, there are still those for whom the intrigue is too tempting.  

Read the Reforged chapters on FFnet here, Ao3 here, and read the entire original story here!!  AND find this fic’s soundtrack here!

Note: I did a lotttt of work completely rewriting this one and trying ti up the emotional tangibility.  I hope it shows.  Huuuuuge thanks to @spikerr for her suggestions with this chapter, and @bluuesparrow for beta reading (even if she burned her dinner xD). These chapters have been the MOST fun to work with and I honestly can’t wait to work on the next one when all the shit finally hits the fan.  Enjoy!

Ch. 1  Ch. 2  Ch. 3  Ch. 4 Ch. 5 Ch. 6 Ch. 7 Ch. 8 Ch. 9 Ch.10 Ch. 11 Ch. 12 Ch. 13 Ch. 14 Ch. 15

Every blow sings pain through him.  They light up every nerve and somehow he only feels half of it.  A deep pain aches within him but on the surface his sensations are dulled, like a limb that’s fallen asleep.  At times he feels like he is watching the abuse from the outside, an agonized spectator to what he absolutely deserves.  Gajeel watches the other subjects tear him apart piece by piece, and more than that he sees everything he thought he could have been… they could have been, torn apart.  Every piece of him that’s ripped away, he hears the same two words boom through his thoughts: she’s dead.

Levy is dead.

No, that wasn’t quite right.  She wasn’t dead.  She was murdered.  Levy died screaming and it was his fault.

Of course it was his fault.  Had he stayed away from her, she would have never been drawn into this.  None of this was a surprise, he always knew in some part of him that it would all come back to this.  He should have known that Jose would return for him, that was inevitable from a man… no, a demon as voracious as he was.  In any amount of time, at any time, Jose was bound to return.  

But still, Gajeel couldn’t resist himself around her.  He knew to keep his distance, but he had been so selfish that he convinced himself to go against his instincts.  His desire for her presence and his craving for the peace she brought him clouded every logical thought he had and she paid the price for it.  

His thoughts slowly turned to what-if’s.  What if he hadn’t left her that night?  What if he hadn’t let his fear and anger get the best of him?  What if he had given her the benefit of the doubt?  He imagined being there when Jose came for her.  How easy it would have been to end everything there, kill him at the door.  Absolutely destroy him for even trying to use her against him.

But he wasn’t there.  He didn’t end it.  He didn’t save her.  

He lost everything.

Every waking moment reminds Gajeel of it.  Every time he sees Jose’s face, he is reminded of it.  It was the sole reason every time he was restrained and brought out for treatments that he welcomed them with empty compliance.  Like fire the lacrima pulsed power through him, and each time he was forced into a change, he could feel more of himself being chipped away.

His thoughts became fuzzy after each treatment, and after both Rogue and Sting thoroughly defeated him, he could feel himself slipping away more.  Gajeel was losing his hold on himself, and it was only a matter of time until they achieved the feral, mindless soldier they wanted, or until the treatments and injuries killed him.  He welcomed either option.

Gajeel convinced himself, decided, that was what he deserved: to lose himself.  In any capacity.  This way, the memories of her screams that haunt him day and night become more muffled, and were a dull echo by the time he was thrown into the ring with Cobra.

At this point it felt the same as the other matches.  The pain was still dulled, but this time there was a voice.  Rogue and Sting didn’t speak.  This one does.  Gajeel couldn’t make out any of his words, and it was a muffled hum until he felt something yank in his chest.  It was such an unfamiliar sensation that for a moment he felt awake, and for a split second, the words were clear, and something snapped.  

Not her, you bastard!  Gajeel felt everything, and above all, he felt absolute rage.  He felt fire and bloodlust and a taste of the animal he’d come so close to so many times before.  It had taken so much in the past to bring him there and this time… all it took was her.  The mere mention of her.  And Cobra had the misfortune of being the soul in front of him when the switch happened.  Now nothing else mattered but killing his opponent.  It was his only directive, his only instinct, and nothing but the downfall of his counterpart would stop him.  

It felt like both forever and no time at all before he could feel the pulse of Cobra’s jugular beneath his iron palm, struggling to beat.  And then, he lost his grip.  The victory slipped from his hands for a split second and before his rage could surge again, the words that had been an echo, a whisper at the back of his thoughts, rang through as clear as day.

“She’s here, you idiot.”

Then, everything stops.  He is a hurricane tamed, an unstoppable force meeting its immovable object.  The fire in his veins dies out, the air leaves his lungs, the roar in his ears goes silent.  

Levy.

As much as he worked to forget her, silence her memory, there she is.  There is her blue hair and her warm eyes and her kind smile.  She isn’t screaming, she isn’t dying; she’s holding her hand out to him and calling him back from the darkness.  The memory of her calling his name is the cruelest fabrication of his thoughts, but still he can hear it so clearly.

She is here.  She is alive?

Which, more than anything, meant she was in danger.  That, for him, was redemption reincarnate.  Soon enough, she was a rushing river flowing life back into his broken hull, making him whole again.  It smashed the conditioned walls that had nearly completed sealing up who he was.  The current swept up the shreds left of him and wove them back together in an embrace he thought he could only dream of.

He had no way of knowing if Erik was lying to him.  That didn’t matter nearly as much as the prospect that she could truly be here.  Gajeel wouldn’t dare take that chance of ignoring the snake.

In that same token, he knew Erik isn’t lying, Gajeel could feel it.  He lifted his eyes to look to the grey glass panel that was a barrier between him and the spectators behind it.

She is alive.

Something in him stirred and he felt a burst of adrenaline.  Like drums, his blood beat in his ears and Gajeel could feel himself returning with each thrum.

Levy is alive.

All at once, he knew exactly what he needed to do.  Erik’s plea reached him loud and clear just before he felt the sting of the tranquilizers.  Before darkness engulfed his sight, he resolved himself to his final task, and the trigger he knew he needed for it.  I’m coming for you, shorty.

By the ninth day she was fully exhausted.  Levy no longer felt like she was being given a tour of the exhibitions there.   Instead the woman resolved herself quietly to the imprisonment that consisted entirely of her usefulness to the researcher.  The little backup plan on standby, the trump card to be revealed at a moment’s notice to cripple her dragon once more.  That was what she had been brought down to until she could think of something to get out of this.  Cooperating, for now, was her best option.  And her list of options was already short.

Still, Levy couldn’t tear her thoughts from the look he had given her at the end of Cobra’s match.  But, really, how could she have even been sure he was looking at her?  She spent all night thinking about that look, seeing those red eyes with more life in them than there had been during his whole time there.  By morning, Levy hadn’t made up her mind what it meant, but chose to use it to fuel her hope.  She needed something to cling to.

But even with that, there was little Levy could do, still not knowing even the general direction of an exit, or even having the ability to make a run for one if she did.  The blunette wasn’t near healed yet and Jose had her under lock and key.

Jose remaining oblivious to “the look” was a blessing, however the air as she stood in the observation room again was still tense.  In some ways, the scientist had gotten exactly what he was working for yesterday, but in the end still lost control of the situation.  At this point, she felt if it went wrong again, she would be introduced to the new aspects of her role here.

Which lead Levy to think: what would happen if Jose revealed her to Gajeel again?  Would Gajeel even recognize her at this point?  It had been seven days now at their mercy, beaten again and again in the arena and subject to who even knew what kind of experiments in the background.  He looked so dead inside, and as much as it broke her, she couldn’t be sure that her dragon was still there.

Jose said nothing to her, a heavy scowl sitting on his features.  His demeanor, the one of pride and manipulation, seemed to have fallen away.  The game had become a lot less fun for him now that things were not going his way, and it showed.  Levy swallowed hard, shifting uncomfortably under the weight of the atmosphere.

Slowly, she moved her attention to the arena, waiting again for the competitors to appear.  Levy tensed, and a dull ache resulted from her barely-healed shoulder.  With a loud hiss the doors opened up on either side, and she waited for the men to enter.

Rogue appeared first, and Levy felt her stomach twist a little. She couldn’t help but wonder about the purpose in putting Rogue against Gajeel again.  Perhaps because Gajeel had started to comply in some way, Jose felt putting him against someone with the desired conditioning level would even him out.  It might have been a conditioning process in of itself. From the beginning, in everything she had read, these two were the ones that fit together for the trials.  Rogue was the success, and Jose wanted desperately for Gajeel to become that.

The iron dragon finally stepped out of the dark, with far more composure to his stance than any of the days before.  He walked with purpose, his back straight and his arms visibly tense against his metal restraints.  He was alert, focused, and more importantly, present.

Levy glanced to Jose, who also appeared to notice the change in Gajeel’s stature.  The newfound vigor was obvious, and from what she had read in his journals, Jose was more than familiar with it.  And rightfully wary of it.  Its resurgence was likely a source of either great uneasiness, or great frustration for the researcher.  But it was still far too early to recognize if it was a sign of disobedience, or if it heralded the transition into the specimen he was looking for.

The doors closed noisily behind the men, and Gajeel shifted slowly on his feet as the cuffs released from his wrists.  With a shrug of his shoulders and a barely audible growl, the iron scales manifested across his beaten flesh.  The iron covered the bruises and scabs, and armored him readily for the fight ahead.  His breaths were deep and even, focused, and his eyes never left Rogue.  It was a heavy gaze that perturbed even the heavily conditioned male across from him. Something had changed; something he could not pinpoint.  And being trapped in that room with him was more unsettling than it had been before.

The wait for the starting buzz was nearly suffocating.  She couldn’t stop looking from Jose to Gajeel, feeling the anticipation of something growing in the silent space.  Levy couldn’t shake it, and the anxiety was enough to make her sick.

The sound finally cut the air, and as much as she expected both of them to rush at the same time, it was only Rogue that advanced.  It might have been preemptive measures to strike down whatever it was that he saw in front of him now, before Gajeel could reveal what it was that had already set the shadow-user on edge.  His darkness stormed around him violently, and Gajeel merely opened himself up to the oncoming attack.  With a heavy boom, Rogue shouldered Gajeel into the wall behind him, and a pained cough erupted from him.

With an outward swipe of his fist, he pushed Rogue back, but didn’t move nearly fast enough to land any sort of significant hit.  All it did was establish space again, and Gajeel merely side-stepped in a way that his back now faced the left, a good amount of open space behind him.  And then he opened his guard again, beckoning Rogue to him with a cock of his head.  If Rogue didn’t know better, he might have thought he saw a smirk on his face, the flash of something wild and hungry in his eyes.

“What the hell is he doing?” Jose growled under his breath.  This wasn’t the broken creature that had first stepped in here, but it also wasn’t the fighting machine he had witnessed against Rogue.  It was an indescribable grey area that he had no use for.

“Come on,” Gajeel growled under his breath, and Rogue stared at him for a moment, before charging again.  Once close enough, he cut a shadow-engulfed fist up at Gajeel’s chin, launching the iron dragon up to hit the ceiling with another booming impact.  There was a roar of pain, and gravity had only barely started to bring him back down before Rogue was midair to meet him, twisted from a kick that sent Gajeel back down to the ground faster than the onlookers could see.  He hit on his side with such force that he bounced and hit the wall for a second impact.

As Rogue dropped back down to the ground, he wasted no time with his shadow tendrils, reaching out to wrap around Gajeel’s ankles and throw the man over into another wall.  The pain shot through him like before, and he could feel his chest tighten as the survival instincts began to rise in him.  His focus shifted to the pain that set his senses ablaze, and could see the edges of his vision begin to blur.  He was more aware of the pain now, his senses heightened since his last battle.  He felt everything in full, and his instincts had something to take hold on again.  Gajeel clenched his teeth, a growl building within him as he pulled himself up to his feet again.  You’re losing,  he thought to himself over and over.  He tried to fixate on losing, and what would happen if he did.  What would happen to her if he did.  He felt that fire briefly with Cobra, and he needed to again: now.

If I lose, she doesn’t make it.  If I lose, I fail her again.  I can’t lose her again.  I won’t be a tool.  I won’t let him beat me.  I need to survive, survive, survive...

The feral rage was welling up within him and as the adrenaline began to course he knew exactly where he was headed.  His breaths quickened, his heart raced, and he felt the burning in his skull.  Gajeel felt his grip on himself slipping as he hissed through his teeth.   Rogue positioned to attack again, unaware of the slow shift, and with this final piece in place, Gajeel suddenly whirled to the reflective window, and bellowed his last resort.

“SAY SOMETHING!”

Levy reacted instinctively, reflexively, without a second thought or single regard for the pain that the jolt of motion brought within her.  She moved so quickly that Jose didn’t even have a chance to react, and urgently pressed the same button she had seen Jose use multiple times before.  The one she had memorized with half-baked plans for escape.

“GAJEEL!” her voice cried out, piercingly, over the intercom and echoed throughout the arena.  Immediately following, agony erupted from her shoulder as Jose yanked her back by her injury, his slender fingers digging excruciatingly into her flesh.

“You stupid gi—!“ Jose couldn’t even finish his statement, a sudden roar filling room.  He looked urgently to the arena below just in time to see Gajeel overcome Rogue.  It was a blur, but when he stopped, he had Rogue pinned on his back to the floor by his neck.  The iron dragon loomed over him, face like a hungry animal.  

The second he heard her voice, before she even finished the first syllable of his name, his world burst back into life.  Everything of his being became about her, and only one thing was on his mind: she’s here, she’s here, she’s here…

Gajeel’s eyes glossed over, glowing, and he arched his back to puff out his chest, tightening his hold on the shadow-user.  The iron dragon inhaled sharply, and much to Rogue’s surprise, and Jose’s horror, the shadows were drawn into Gajeel’s maw.  A tangible aura began to manifest around him, rolling off his darkening hide in waves, and Rogue went pale with the realization of what he was trying to do.  He’d seen him do this once before, nearly killing everyone in the process.

“You can’t!” Rogue gasped in a moment of reason, memories flooding his thoughts of the day six years ago when this had happened before.  Gajeel had no idea of what he had done then.  It was an instinctive switch to stay alive, and it almost leveled the old facility.  His surge of power had lasted only about five minutes, but it was enough time for him to set into motion the events that led them to this facility before he fled with what was left of his strength.  Rogue felt a chill spread through him, remembering what Gajeel had looked like that day, and what he started to look like now.  

In a sharp jerk backwards, Gajeel stumbled back off of Rogue towards the center of the room, a dark sheen over his iron scales as the shadows now swirled around him as well.  He swayed steadily from side to side, a wide grin curled on his features that bared his fangs.  His black mane moved with a phantom wind, rising around him in menace.  A chuckle started to shake his chest and the dark vortex around him picked up speed, adding wild life to his black locks.

His head rolled back on his shoulder, focusing his darkened, tilted gaze on the observation window.  The laughter jumped to a fever pitch and he lifted a single, dark finger to point in the direction of the unseen watchers.  “Jose~!”  Gajeel bellowed threateningly, just before noticing the compartments begin to open up along the walls of the arena.

Jose jolted into motion then, previously frozen in terrified awe.  On his face he had what looked like a realization, like he had just connected two details in a distant memory.  He pulled the girl to him, backing away from the window.  Is this…?

Gajeel knew he had no time to waste now that he had set this in motion.  He didn’t know how long he could hold this power, but all he knew was he felt the insane surge now.  And he would use it.

He inhaled deeply, the shadows becoming violent, as his chest and cheeks puffed.  Both fists clenched at his sides and he arched back, turning his attention directly up to one of the several ventilation shafts above them.  A rumble, and then a high-pitched screech filled the air, as a blast of black and gold launched upward from Gajeel, striking the vent directly.  A series of rapid crashes and booms immediately followed with a flash of flame, before all the lights cut out.

Levy barely had the time to see the blast as she was pulled, kicking and screaming, from the room, pain searing through her.  “Stop your squirming and get moving!” Jose barked, voice shaking with panic.  They emerged into halls that were lit only with the red pulses of the fire alarms, but Jose moved knowing exactly where to go.  Of course he did.  Every door previously sealed shut now sat wide open, and she could barely distinguish Jose’s muttering about generators failing.  Something about damage elsewhere and a loss of backup power.

Both nearly lost their footing when another explosion rocked the facility, and a heat pressed at their backs as roofing and debris fell from above and littered the walkways.  A roar followed closely behind the destruction, one that did not sound like Gajeel.  Jose froze for a second, a choked, guttural sound escaping him over the chaos.  Levy couldn’t tell for sure, but he looked paler than usual.  The pause only lasted a moment before he jumped their pace, and she tried not to fully scream in pain, feeling the warmth of her reopened wound spread down her arm.

Jose turned a sharp corner, stopping in front of an elevator without thinking.  “Damnit!” he hissed at the lifeless machine, tightening his grip on her to keep moving.  Another boom came, this time from far under their feet, and Levy had an idea of the location, confirmed by the sharp curse from Jose.  “That insolent--!” he shouted, barely able to finish a thought, “I will not have this happen again, I will not lose everything again!!” he bellowed, looking back to Levy quickly as they navigated the halls.  “You!  You are going to stop him!” he shouted, jabbing his finger at her.

That was the final straw to break her out of her agonized stupor.  With a sharp rush of determination, Levy yanked suddenly enough from Jose to slip from his grasp.  “The hell I am!” she stumbled backwards, eyes darting around her frantically for anything that could help her.  A third explosion from below dropped more debris, and Jose followed her gaze to a dislodged piece of piping.  Both lurched for the item, Levy doing her best to push past the pain and reach it first.  Her good hand scrambled for the pipe, and she clumsily swept it upwards at the man as she fell onto her good side.  The blow glanced off the side of his face, enough for him to lose his balance with a curse of pain.

Levy kicked away from him and scrambled to her feet, pipe in hand, and made a run for it, trying to get as far as she could before he was able to regain his bearings.  The woman only knew how to get down to holding, and up to the infirmary, but none of this knowledge served her when there was no power for the elevators.   The best she could do was run until she found stairs, or any other helpful landmark.  But with the alarms blaring in her ears, light limited, and the building beginning to crumble around them, this was not something she had the luxury of taking time to figure out.  Gajeel, where are you?!

She looked to her shoulder, seeing her shirt darkened to a color other than what she woke up with. Not good, she thought, staggering slightly on her feet.  She thanked the heavens for her panic, and primarily, her adrenaline.  It was likely the only reason she could move at all at this point.  

Levy whipped around another corner, seeing another long open hall, identical to the last.  She could have been going in circles for all she knew, a thought that brought a sense of dread with regards to the man she was trying to gain distance from.  She had to bite back the defeated whimper that threatened to rise, and the burning in her eyes that could have been tears or smoke.  She wasn’t sure.

The red alarm light dimmed, putting her into the momentary darkness.  Either it was her panic or her heightened sense of awareness, but Levy could swear the darkness between the pulses lasted longer than before.  For a moment, she thought maybe the power to the alarms might have died as well, but the blaring continued. She took a tentative step forward, the pounding of her blood in her ears urging her to move even if she couldn’t see.

Her breath hitched, a sharp pain spreading from her shoulder, stopping her again, because it was followed by a chill slithering up her spine.  Suddenly, there was a heaviness in the air, and the hairs on her neck stood up, alerting her to another presence.  Levy could feel the color drain from her face, either from her bleeding wound or the terror that roared through her.  When the red light finally illuminated the path in front of her again, she found her instincts to be right on point.

Her lungs deflated in a defeated, desperate huff, grip tightening on her very useless weapon in comparison to who blocked her path.  The whimper she had kept at bay earlier finally escaped as she stared into those dark eyes.

“Rogue…”

“Sir!”  The panicked, sudden cry from Laharl brought Igneel’s attention up from the vehicle he was about to enter.  Immediately after the shout, what sounded like the rumble of thunder followed.

Urgently, the chief looked to his lieutenant, then followed the direction of his point.  A massive stack of black, acrid smoke rose from somewhere farther within Hargeon, where they had only arrived and begun to canvas not an hour ago.  In one sense, it was a gift, as their search thus far had yielded no answers to the location of the new facility.  In fact the locals were more likely to walk in the other direction, feigning frightened ignorance, than give them a moment of time for questioning.  The smokestack was assuredly the marker for their destination.

On the other hand, their situation had just become far more dire.   “Move it!  I want all our available units and the Hargeon department converged on that spot, now!  That’s our place, Laharl!” Igneel bellowed, entering his cruiser and slamming the door shut behind him.  God damnit, I can’t have this fail after coming this far, I can’t fail them!

[shell-senji]

Ficwriters Week Day 1 - Words of Validation

Writers: Favorite comments

A day late, but oh well...  I’ll be honest. This was so damned hard for me because I’m always so unbelievably tickled when I get feedback. I’m still kind of amazed I’ve even written and shared these things I’ve written, so for people to both read and then take time to comment—and like it!—I’m sort of dumbfounded. So thank you to ALL of you who’ve been so supportive and kind.

Anyway, here are some reviews from my stories that made me smile, in no particular order:

(below the cut, apologies to mobile users if it doesn’t work...)

“Haha! As a professional editor I found this one shot very funny. I too have the headcanon that Vegeta is meticulous about many things - including grammar - where Bulma is famously messy.”

“So cute! Absolutely loved it! Everyone is perfectly in character and that is totally something Chizuru would do.”

“Cute! I loved the fluff, and Hijikata's sassy attitude for Valentine's Day! Really fun and adorable!”

“OMG! "The Great Desk Defilement" is too great. Poor Laxus, I'm surprised he didn't electrocute the both of them. The idea of Gajeel getting those books for Levy makes my heart so happy. I am thoroughly enjoying your take on these prompts so far!”

“The book titles made me laugh - real and imagined - hilarious! I loved the idea of Lily intervening on both Levy and Gajeel's best interests - the important tidbit of information from the book on mating dragon slayer behaviour bookmarked for ease of use. That's support! And how cute ~ Levy gifting Gajeel with a solid script 'iron'. Good job!”

“Oh my gosh this is wonderful! I'm truly impressed with how much fun this is while keeping everyone completely in character. Honestly, this is awesome! Funny, well-written, sweet - the ending feels **good**. I'm so glad you decided to write and share this. :)”

“Fortunately for Natsu, the members of Fairy Tail are all mature individuals who will stop bringing this up after a few days. Yeah, right. As you said, he's a dead man walking. I loved it.”

“ROFL! This was completely awesome!!!!! Poor...hmm... I'm not sure who I feel the most sorry for! Juicy Lucy is definitely worth nuts in a vise. But... Natsu is just too adorable! And Ice Stripper...lol! That really cracked me up.”

“Just devoured those last two chapters!! Ahh thank you soo much for sharing this with da world! I am soo grateful! I hope you keep writing!!”

“Thanks so very much for this tale. You cheered up an otherwise rubbish week. Hope you have a fab weekend!”

“I've lost track of how many times I've reread this story now, I can't get enough of it! I'm really glad I have too. There's actually quite a few nice little bits you spread throughout. Things that start out simple but have more value later (like Natsumi and Kuro getting married). Really love the pacing, as tortuous as it feels waiting for more it just feel really good. Now more on the specific chapter: Their date was so cute too I was smiling the whole time! (And although it may be a normal kitten I'm still holding out hope that somehow her friends will magically find her and remember ok! Somewhat unrelated but still.) Love Rikuo's reaction too. The hints that he's been kinda out of sorts, but after their date he's back to old tricks again. Nice touch, suggests that their relationship will kinda bring out the best in each other (hopefully?). Anyways, love the chapter/story as always! Can't wait for more!”

“I literally dropped everything as soon as I got a notification for this. Even my orange juice. Anyway, Nurarihyon...what the hell? Now I'm getting crazy images of Rikuo and Itaku in my head. Ew. Rikuo and Zen I've seen many times, but Itaku? Lol nope. I like how you display the titles of different talks on that youkai forum thingy. The fact that some of the spelling/grammar isn't even right makes it more realistic...Ever seen that video about people misspelling “pregnant”? Ryuuji needs some colonic irrigation. My treat for him. Sleeping with cats. Sounds heavenly~ I like how Kagome's unintentionally doing stalker-ish things. It's cute XD Thank you for another great chapter! I'm looking forward to the next one!”

“GAHHH Okay so honestly I think that the different 'titles' in the beginning are just too funny. I love the humor that you sprinkle through your chapters, it is so natural and not forced in the slightest. I also LOVE that you gave Kagome the pet name! I was a little worried that you weren't actually gonna do it! The banter is so freakin' adorable, I shouldn't love these two as much as I do. BUT I CAN'T HELP MYSELF WITH HOW YOU WRITE THEM. Like...these two really seem like they are going to go really well together. I have a good feeling about it all! I can't help but wonder if there is anybody in Rikuo's clan who wouldn't approve of his 'courting' a Miko. HMMMm I know that despite her prior experience with Inuyasha, her grandpa would give her a hard time lolol AS ALWAYS amazing work with this, I seriously can't tell you how happy I am that you've continued to stick with this story!”

I better stop before this gets out of hand…I told you…ALL the reviews I get make my heart nearly explode with happiness. It’s highly possible one of you may kill me some day…still, what a way to go…

[pirate-king-of-trance]

Entranced: Part 4/5

I recently attended Entranced, a hypnocon just outside of Chicago, and I had the most WONDERFUL time! I am not going to write a full recap as I did with my first NEEHU, but I will be listing some awesome/cool/funny/sexy things that happened.

Sunday

Only class I went to: Poly Emotions: What to do when you’re feeling FEELINGS with @cleavagepool and @daja-the-hypnokitten! This was a wonderful discussion about polyamory, envy vs jealousy, and all the possible feelings involved! There were some really interesting stories told. 

Hangouts in the hall! Talked to Jim (@darquefool) for a while, it was good to finally talk to him in person. @sebsteerpike joined us for a bit, it was good conversation!

Out of seemingly nowhere, a fucking CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS SCENE happened right where Jim and I were talking. Larry (@minddiver) made a fantastic Principal Krupp/Captain Underpants and I have to thank Ellen and Jericho (@goodgirlslistenandobey) for bringing this to light. I could barely stand I was laughing so hard! Points to @mr-prism and @mrs-prism for popping in as a villain and his victim, and Bill for appearing as the villain who (with assistance from the Captain’s sidekick, Ellen) unwittingly ended the scene. We laughed about it for a good while, holy crap was that a nostalgia trip. Tra-la-LAAAAAAAA!!!

Korean BBQ for lunch with (let’s see how many I can tag again) @yoshibound, @tell-a-hypnostory, @dancercoder, @somehowbreathtaking, and @knowing-smile. The food was delicious! We somehow got back just in time for the next classes, too! 

HYPNO NERF BATTLE!!! It finally happened! Thanks to @lily-ackerman and @mr-ackerman for the guns and extra darts, and to MindControlFun (@ask-loopy) for moderating! This was an absolutely incredible uncon activity, and we all agreed it needs to happen again. For those who haven’t determined the concept on their own, subjects participating were given Nerf guns and hypnotic triggers tied to being hit with darts. Everyone had different triggers, too, ranging from freezing the limb that was hit, to dropping more with each hit, to feeling like a pot brownie kicked in stronger with each hit! One guy ended up acting like R2-D2 in peril every time he got hit! We were all laughing by the end of it, I’m so glad it went over so well. 

Hair-Pull Induction Circle! This started as no more than a concept, after seeing a hair-pull induction chain at NEEHU, courtesy of @sebsteerpike. I figured, hey, what would happen if I did that with a full circle of subjects, and instead of pulling one of them down myself, I walk around them giving an induction focused on resisting trance until one (and therefore all of them) drop into trance? Turns out, you get a wonderful scene and a lot of happy people! Y’know, despite the fact the 5 or so inductions I spat out during this uncon activity were literally pulled out of nothing, no planning or anything. I’m really glad it went over so well!

At the end of the hair-pull circle, while everyone was recovering and talking, I ended up talking to one (very pretty) girl and offered to trance her. She informed me that the con was actually the first time she’d ever been hypnotized, and was therefore very inexperienced. As such, she proved very difficult to trance (I don’t like putting it that way, I just don’t know another phrasing), despite the fact that she seemed to drop easily enough during the group trance. It may not have helped that we had an audience at the point when we started (she was leaving in around an hour after the class period, so we decided to try right there and then). Another person in the group offered his help, and we attempted a dual sensory overload trance, concentrating on auditory, visual, and kinesthetic all at once. She almost got there, but couldn’t quite drop. This turned into a discussion of how “difficult subjects” are just those without experience, and the best thing to do is practice in order to get better at it (shout-out to @sex-obsessed-lesbian for her class the other day discussing this!) Then we finally had to clear the room for the next class. 

More hangouts! 

Big group dinner at a restaurant! Fun times all around! Lots of conversations I don’t remember the details of. Though I will say, doing anything to make @shapeshift-identity say “I love my life” is always good fun! (Thanks to @mindmadeofmagicandmusic for the spontaneous team-up! Though I doubt either of you remember what I’m talking about!) 

Hangouts in the con suite! Had great conversation with Bill, Renee (@downwardspiralcomic), and MindControlFun (@ask-loopy), until three of us were suddenly distracted by the appearance of Ariadne (@meltinggoldanddippingthingsinit) who stripped down to a rather sexy one-piece lingerie outfit in the middle of the con suite. She offered to do some nonverbal trances with Bill, who of course accepted. XD 

@ellaenchanting showed up at one point and we were finally able to do our scene! We went down to my room to hang out and do non-erotic trancy things. I recall dropping her with a hair-pull, a kinesthetic induction, eye contact, my trance meter, juggling glow balls, and I’m sure there were others. Fractionation is fun! She can see my energy powers now, and sees them as white and shiny with a wind element. I also turned her into a kitty at one point since she asked, and she chased around my laser pointer for a bit, until I put her back under with the kaleidoscope. We messed around a bunch with all of this, then retired back up to the con suite. It was a lovely session, and I hope to play with the adorable Ella again! And from her overjoyed reaction, I think there’s a very good chance of that. =)

Eventually Kori (@clawsandlace) made it back to the con suite (she was recovering from something), we decided to go off and have our scene. My room was much more likely to be occupied at that point (it was rather late), so we went searching for a spot. After finding that the hallway was occupied in two different spots, we run into MetalVoid who was just hanging around and allowed us to use his room for our scene.  She had been really intrigued by my talk of the energy powers, but also said that while she has been affected by things while in trance, suggestions don’t seem to keep hold when she comes back out. This intrigued me, so I took it as a challenge to science up a way around it. By phrasing it as a waking semi-trance state, she was able to see and interact with my energy while out of trance! She saw it as golden/white, with a ice/fire element. It was mostly ice, but had an aura and when I had a ball of energy in each hand one was fire and the other ice. That was definitely a (really cool) first! We played around with the energy a bunch and I even used the cold of the ice to freeze her in place. She said she actually felt her body icing over, her veins freezing, and the ice cracking when I moved her arm. I felt the need to check in when she told me this, as pain is not really my thing and it wasn’t intended, and she said she enjoyed it thoroughly! I also gave her a blank trigger, to turn off her thoughts and make her suggestible while still being aware, and was able to bind her hand to the chair by suggesting as much while she was in that state. And it still stuck after I gave her her mind back, so I’d call that a success! I had a lot of fun with her, she was a lovely subject, and I hope to play with her again! And she did decide to keep the ability to see my energy powers, so that may very well happen. ^_^

Wow, that was a lot longer than I intended these to be. I guess it didn’t help that there were multiple activities and scenes on Sunday worth writing about. Oh well, enjoy!

[antihero-writings]

His Butler, and the Problem with Magic, Chapter 1—Black Butler/Harry Potter Crossover for the Multi Fandom Valentine’s Exchange 2018 (Full fic–LONG post incoming)

Fic Title: His Butler, and the Problem with Magic 

Fic Synopsis: Life at Hogwarts isn’t all bad…usually. But when Valentine’s Day rolls around, and Lockhart throws an extravagant ball, the number of couples at school the next day skyrockets, and Sebastian has found himself a new object of devotion…Can Ciel save his butler from the spell on his own?

Character Focus:  Ciel 

Notes:

Ah, remember when I created that event for Valentines day? Good times, huh? Well here I am, the creator of the event, finally posting…aaand it’s almost July. 

Dear @elegantkittycat needless to say I’m SOOOO sorry I took SOOOO long to finish this. I am ultimately super glad I participated, as this was a great fic and experience for me, but I really should have realized, with all the stuff going on in my life during March I wouldn’t have much time, and that I should have just manned the event, not participated. Ah well, live and learn I guess. 

To that end, (I messaged you about this many months ago), there came a point where it was already super long, I had no idea how to continue/finish, a lot to edit, and finishing the entire fic was not worth tearing my life apart for, so I decided to find a place to stop (hehe…I apologize that the place I found is cliffhanger-y), and get to editing (…I really don’t know why it took me THAT long to edit…My apologies, once again). This means that the fic is, unfortunately, not complete. I would, of course, love to finish at some point, but I’ve come to recognize I’m not very good at finishing WIPs, so I’m not going to promise anything. Even so, I hope you still enjoy what I was able to write, and it isn’t too big of a letdown that it is currently incomplete! Like any writer, the more I hear that people liked it, and want to hear how it ends, the more chance there is I will get motivated to finish it!!

As far as the subject matter itself, I know most of your prompts were romantic, so I apologize that this fic almost ended being anti-romantic XD But the reason that I decided what I decided to write for you is because you were also the only person who said they thoroughly enjoyed crossovers and gave the most crossover prompts. I absolutely love writing crossovers and, seeing how we also had a ton of fandoms in common in general, I thought we might be a good match. And, as you can see, that Black Butler/Harry Potter idea definitely sparked my creativity! (Plus I was just re-reading Chamber of Secrets!) 

I actually usually write fusion-style crossovers (where you put the characters of one fandom into the universe of another) so it ended up being super fun to write a normal crossover! I’m starting to wonder why I don’t do it more often, the different characters interacting provided some great comedic opportunities! And these two fandoms worked surprisingly well together—(I mean, I think I’ve even heard the Weston arc of Black Butler was inspired by Harry Potter, so it makes sense) I’ve also been trying to learn how to write comedy, so, even though it made things more challenging for me, I was glad to have a comedic prompt to work with! (That is also why this took extra long). I’ve also never written a crack fic before—(I don’t know that this is a full-on crack fic, but I think there are some elements there)—so please go easy on me!! There may be some cringe/chessy-ness. But you said the crazier the better, so I hope this is wacky enough! XD Thanks for the wonderful prompts and ideas!!!A couple of notes about the fic itself:

1. I’ve seen people using lots of different pronouns for Grell, I decided to go with “he” because the fic is in Ciel’s perspective and that’s what Ciel calls Grell. 

2. I know in the dub Grell calls Sebastian “Bassy.” However, in the Japanese, the play of “Sebastian” to “Sebas-chan” is one of my favorite things in the series, and is just about the most genius use of the -chan honorific I’ve ever heard, and there was no way I wasn’t using it, even if everything else is English-ified XD. (For anyone who doesn’t know the -chan honorific is kind of a cutsey, affectionate, familiar way of referring to someone in japanese, usually a girl). 

3. I couldn’t decide what Hogwarts house to put Ciel in, so I left it ambiguous—I know the obvious choice is Slytherin, but he also has some Ravenclaw tendencies (and if the Weston houses are indeed inspired by the Hogwarts houses, the one Ciel’s in sounds like Ravenclaw). I hope you enjoy it!!! It’s been a long time coming!!!

Chapter 1:

The great hall, quite frankly, looked like Valentine’s day threw up on it. Those lurid pink flowers from lunch still lined the walls, but now bright streamers glided across the ceiling, big, shiny hearts fluttered in the air, reflecting mood lighting, and bubble hearts popped out of bouquets of roses, (each flower cut into hearts). The ceiling itself not only continued to drop confetti, but was blighted by puffy clouds that read the same banalities you could find in every Sweethearts box; Be Mine, and True Love, and XOXO. (The clouds may have actually read that outside too, but Ciel didn’t want to check.) The burly cupids from earlier in the week lumbered about the room, continuing to pelt people with off-key music, and cards that only the most hopeless and idiotic of romantics would provide, filled with the same empty statements the clouds read—(every once and a while a howler burst forth, and the actual band would come to a shrieking halt at “YOU’RE REALLY CUTE”).

Lockhart had insisted a Valentine’s day ball was in order—(a lurid end to a lurid day)—and remarked with a toss of his his perfect hair and a blinding smile that it would be ‘just the thing’ to brighten everyone’s moods.

The fact that Lizzie had been the first (of many, mind you) to offer her decorative expertise and assistance may or may not have contributed to the overall… valentines-day-puked- and-so-will-I vibe of the room.

Currently, said mission to lift the general spirit was failing; aside from the few school lovebirds, (who were already widely despised and avoided, without school-sanctioned and overly sugary displays of affection) most people took this as the perfect opportunity for your daily dose of sulking at the sidelines, and contemplating if magic was quite worth this amount of suffering. Not least of all Ciel, who was currently propped against the wall behind the food table. (Lizzie had pried him away from his brooding earlier to dance, but now he happily returned to the indent he’d made in the wall). He had made many attempts throughout the evening to sneak a piece of chocolate cake, but Sebastian always magically appeared to slap his hands away whenever he got too close.

Most people would have stayed in their dorms, given the chance. Lockhart, however, had sent everyone cards with his kissy face on them, telling them flirtatiously not to dawdle, and his commands got more sugary, and insistent, (not to mention awkward) the longer they stayed indoors, and floated over their heads until they dragged their butts to the ball. This was particularly affective at making sure everyone was there, because the girls melted for his voice, and the boys wanted to shut him up as soon as possible.

“Isn’t this wonderful, Ciel!” A certain Indian prince put his arm around the earl’s neck and noogied him.

“Wha—No!” Ciel struggled like a fish out of water. Upon release he wiped his hands on his dress robes (the robes Sebastian had thrown together for the event—his ‘thrown together,’ of course, looked like others ‘spent-months-laboring-over-this’)—as if he didn’t want to catch Soma’s contagious happiness. “And I’d thank you to not touch me so casually!”

“I’m sorry Ciel, it’s just seeing all this love in the air makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside!” he spun around, “Doesn’t it do the same for you?”

“That’s called acid reflux.”

Soma pouted.

“Ciieel!” Lizzie’s hug was a torpedo. She snared his hands and spun him around, “Come dance with me!”

“Ack…I just danced with you ten minutes ago! How many times do I have to dance with you before you’re satisfied?!”

“Don’t you want your fiancé to be happy?” Her green eyes, (which were already big), became the puppy dog eyes of a little girl who wants an expensive toy.

“Don’t you?” he grumbled.

“I’ll dance with you, Elizabeth!” Soma came to the rescue. “It would be an honor to dance with such a lovely young lady!”

She blushed—“Oh please! It would be more than an honor to dance with a Prince!”—and curtsied, shooting Ciel an icy look, before joining the dance.

The young earl folded his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes.

As if that wasn’t enough sappiness for a lifetime, cloying words floated to his ears:

“Oh Professor Michaelis~!”

Ciel’s brow twitched.

“Come now Lavender, that wouldn’t be fair, would it?”

“Ahh, he’s so noble!” came a not-so-whispered consensus.

Ciel jerked his head to see the group of girls crowding around his butler, like birds to sunflower seeds in the park.

Rather than sharing his annoyance, and refusing their advances, Sebastian shimmered with flattery and flirtation. A few of them offered him boxes of chocolates and other sweets, which he took with flowery compliments, but surely had no intention of eating—it didn’t take a love expert to know they were all laced with love potions. (Or maybe he could eat them anyways; the jury was still out if love potions had any affect on the demon…some magical methods worked on him and others didn’t).

Ciel’s hands clenched into fists at his sides, “Don’t you have better things to do?!” he shouted over the throng.

Sebastian chuckled. “Mr. Phantomhive, don’t you know it’s rude to question a teacher?”

Ciel growled.

“These lovely ladies took time out of their day to offer me gifts,” the butler’s calm voice carried across the room. “It would be rude to refuse them.”

There was a syrupy sigh from the group.

“Ugh,” Ciel gave the opposite kind of sigh, and turned away before he gave into the urge to murder.

A familiar laugh at his side made him turn.

“What’s so funny?” he asked the Undertaker.

“Oh nothing much,” Undertaker forwent his usual dog biscuits for a piece of cake, “I just find your sour mood rather humorous.”

“You know me, I’m always in a sour mood.”

“Can’t argue with that,” he said, his mouth full of cake, “but,” he swallowed, “it seems the atmosphere of love and joy has put you in a particularly foul state of mind,” he pointed a black nail at him.

“I just don’t find romance being thrown in my face to make for a very fun evening, that’s all. One of Lizzie’s cutsey rampages is enough for me…but this?” he shuddered.

“Well, some would say it’s sweet. That it makes them feel happy and romantic.”

“When I rise to power, those people will be sterilized.”*

He laughed. “Always the life of the party, you are.”

“What? Are you one of those people?”

“I wouldn’t say so. But seeing you in such a state is worth all the romance any day.”

“Glad I could be of service,” he grunted.

Undertaker set down his plate and twirled in front of him, then leaned forward and spoke behind his hand, “What do you say we make this party…a party?” he reached into one of his drapey sleeves and pulled out a vial, teasing it in front of his face.

A quizzical look from Ciel made Undertaker whistle in the direction of the nearby punchbowl.

Ciel sighed and rubbed his temple. “Spiking the punch…really? Isn’t that a little too cliché, even for you?”

“I prefer the term ‘failsafes.’ Even you have to admit, the atmosphere could use a little...” he glanced around the room, “spiking. Besides,” he leaned in close and whispered, “this isn’t alcohol, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“…What is it then?” Ciel moaned, eyeing the ex-reaper.

He stood back up to his full height. “I’m not one to spoil the punchline before I tell the joke.”

The young earl sighed, “You really think we should deprive people of their misery? I’m not one to interrupt some good, old-fashioned sulking.”

“The general idea is that those who are miserable would like to…not be.”

“They also say that misery loves company. Misery and I, for instance, have quite the close relationship.”

As if called by them saying ‘misery’ too many times, Lockhart’s pretty face showed up.

Ciel coughed to cover his distaste.

“Ah Undertaker! Good to see you here! Everyone’s loving the party aren’t they?”—He gestured to the glowering room—“It’s so wonderful to see all these young people in love!” he gave a throaty chuckle.

“Well, I wouldn’t say everyone.” Undertaker had a way with honesty.

“What makes you say that? Did someone tell you they weren’t enjoying it? We can’t have that!”

“It’s not so much anyone specific, but—”

“…What’s that you have?” his eyes fell on the vial that Undertaker had barely tried to conceal. Despite Ciel’s theory that Lockhart was dumber than a bag of rocks (even if the rocks were magic), it didn’t take long for the truth to dawn on him, “Spiking the punch are we?” He held up an accusatory finger, “Naughty naughty. I would have expected this from one of the students, but shouldn’t a man of your stature know better?”

“What stature?” Ciel snorted.

“What’s that, Dear Boy?” Lockhart leaned forward.

Undertaker put his hand on Ciel’s head, covering his vision with his sleeve. “The young Er—student was just about to say that a man of my stature is not one to shy away from a little fun.” he put his other hand on Ciel’s shoulder, his grip a little too tight.

“I hardly think it’s ‘a little fun.’ We don’t want any students getting hurt, nor do we the party ruined, now do we? All it takes is one slip of the foot and someone ends up in the hospital.” He held out his hand, expecting him to hand over the vial.

“On second thought, do it,” Ciel whispered out of the corner of his mouth. “I’ll be the kid who winds up in the hospital. Anything to get me out of this hellish party.”

“What are we up to?” Dumbledore joined the conversation. It appeared as though Lizzie had got to even the headmaster, as he had bows in his beard and hair, though he didn’t seem to mind much.

“I regret to inform you that our dear Undertaker has intents to spike the punch.” Lockhart said like he was a student tattling.

“Ah,” the headmaster said casually, popping a heart candy in his mouth and burping out a heart, “(Pardon me). Well you can’t blame him for trying to bring a little…sprucing up, to the room, can you?” he lifted his hands and smiled genially.

“Are you saying that my party is not of the highest caliber?”

“Oh we aren’t denying that you have an air for the grandiose, Gilderoy,” he began cutting the cake with his wand; “Mr. Phantomhive, would you like some cake?”

Ciel glanced at Sebastian, who was currently preoccupied, and tried not to smirk. “I’d love some, thanks.”

Dumbledore cut him a huge slice, handing it to him gracefully, as if he were dropping a tiny lemon sherbet into his palm instead of a mountain of chocolate. Ciel inclined his head in gratitude, (and made sure to eat a big bite when Sebastian was looking, and the incense on his face was worth it—he, of course, couldn’t do anything butler-like with the headmaster and another teacher standing there).

“Don’t beat around the bush Albus!” Lockhart cut back in, “What is it you’re trying to say?”

“No one denies your party-throwing skills, dear Professor Lockhart.” He stood, placing his hands behind his back, “But your em…” he cleared his throat, “other skills can sometimes be rather lacking…”

“I’m shocked, and hurt, Dumbledore.” He put his hand over his heart. “Shocked and hurt. I’ll have you know that I won ‘best party-thrower’ in three”—he held up three shaky fingers—“countries! I think that should more than make up for any spoiled brats who can’t see fun even if it’s standing in front of their face!”

“Was he talking about me?” Ciel murmured to Undertaker, without a hint of hurt in his voice, “I feel like he was talking about me.”

“And what countries were those?”

As they argued, Dumbledore inclined his head towards the punch bowl.

It was Ciel’s turn to be shocked. Everyone knew their headmaster was rather eccentric, but he didn’t take him to be so reckless. He’d expect this from Undertaker… but Dumbledore? He thought he had at least a little ‘responsible-grown-up’ in him (even though Undertaker was definitely a lost cause).

Ciel turned to stop the ex-reaper, but now a dotted outline remained where Undertaker previously had been, and a second later he saw a long-nailed hand appear above the punch bowl.

Ciel facepalmed.

Any desire he had to drink said punch, as well as be at this party at all, had gone into the negatives.

But, eh, at least he had cake now. So maybe it wasn’t all bad.

“Young Master!” Sebastian snatched the plate from his hand, “How many times have I told you—!”

“Oh, so now you can walk away from the girls?” Ciel spun to his butler, whose arms were full of assorted treats. (Ciel, of course, knew he’d probably have walked away sooner if it weren’t for Lockhart and Dumbledore).

He tapped his foot on the ground (which somehow didn’t imbalance the tower of sweets), “I won’t allow it. You’ll get a tummyache.”

“I’m not a child!”

Sebastian raised an eyebrow at his whining. “That may be…but regardless, you have a delicate composition.” He leaned over and set Ciel’s unfinished plate in the ‘dirty’ pile. “Sweets of this size will certainly impair your gastrointestinal health.”

Ciel looked from side to side, hoping no one was listening, feeling his face grow hot. “Delicate!”

“Would you prefer a different term? Fragile? Frail?”

“I’m not a vase!”

“Tender?”

“I’m not a steak!”

Sebastian looked over his professor-glasses at him as if to say Do you think you’re talking to someone else?

Ciel groaned, giving his butler the victory.

Sebastian set his armful of gifts in a pile along the wall. Clapping his hands clean and wiping his brow.

“What, are you tired?” he mocked, knowing full well the demon couldn’t get tired. “Is having a bunch of high-school-girls fawn over you exhausting?”

“Well, now that you mention it…” Sebastian joked back, feigning thought.

He rolled his eyes. “Come on, let’s get out of—”

A mischievous idea curled itself around his brain.

“You must be thirsty,” he said in a mockingly-concerned voice, trying to lean sideways on the table by the punch (but he almost fell over, and had to catch himself).

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “Well, I don’t really require hydration like you humans do.”

Ciel gave him a look as if to say No, go ahead, I won’t mind. You really do look exhausted.

“But I suppose it couldn’t hurt….If you insist.”

“Oh I do.” He smirked as he watched Sebastian pour himself a cup.

More likely than not it wouldn’t have any affect on the demon, but, presented with the potential, he wasn’t going to deny himself a few hours to imagine what it might be like if it did.

“Why are you looking at me like that, Young Master?” he asked before raising the cup to his lips.

“Oh…I’m just enjoying the party.”

That didn’t clear things up. Sebastian’s brow furrowed, but, after taking a sip, he didn’t have time to ask because—

“The party has arri-ved~!” a certain familiar voice sang.

Ciel was starting to wonder if this was God finally deciding to punish him. Both master and butler felt like they were going to be violently ill, and simultaneously had a thought something akin to that’s my cue to leave! Before they could even make the first step, however—

“Ahh Sebas-chan!”

They winced, turning slowly to see Grell waving a princess wave at the butler over the crowd, while Ronald followed suit, nodding and blowing kisses towards the girls.

“All this love in the air,” Grell materialized beside them (they jumped a little), and crossed his hands over his heart, staring blinkily into the ceiling, “Kinda gets you thinking, doesn’t it.” He sidled up beside the demon.

“If you mean thinking about ending your life, indeed, it does.” Sebastian showed him no mercy.

“Playing hard to get, are we? Ah! How saucy!” he slapped his shoulder playfully,

Sebastian sighed, folding his arms over his chest, trying to ignore the nagging presence.

“Ciel! Ciel! Are you going to introduce me to your friends?!” Lizzie and Soma arrived at his side, as if hopeless romantics were coming out of the woodwork.

“They’re most certainly not my friends.” He cleared his throat.

“What’s that supposed to mean, Old Chap?” Ronald asked, “We may not be close, but I thought all those times we tried to kill each other meant something.”

Lizzie stared at Ronald, inching slowly away.

“Oh that’s just…a joke we have,” Ciel defended weakly.

“Oh…” Lizzie looked away, then recovered quickly, “Well, anyhow, you didn’t tell me Prince Soma was such a lovely dancer!”

“How was I supposed to know?” he grunted, “I’ve never danced with him!”

“Don’t be so rude, Ciel!” Soma defended her, “Please, you were like a—what are those dancers called? That’s right, a ballerina! —You were like ballerina, Miss Lizzie.”

“Don’t be so modest! Ciel, should take a page out of your book!”

“What page?” Ciel demanded, “The one on being a spoiled brat?”

“Sounds like someone’s already read that one,” She punched his shoulder. Her attitude changed in a second again, “I’m so thirsty!” She reached for the punch ladle.

“Wait—NO!” Ciel grabbed her wrist.

She blinked. “What are you doing?”

“I—uh” his face was a thermometer slowly going into the red, “I just umm…You don’t want to drink that.”

“I don’t?”

“No…yeah…it uh, tastes like uhh… cat pee,” he started to pull her away.

“How would you know what cat pee tastes like?” Ronald’s butted in.

“Maybe a cat peed in my mouth one time, you don’t know my life!”

“I’m having a hard time believing a nobleman such as yourself—”

“I just don’t think she should drink it, that’s all! Is that so inconceivable?!”

“Sorry! Sorry! Sheesh,” he shook his head, “you Nobles are pieces of work!”

Ciel rolled his eyes, turning back to Lizzie. “Why don’t you go back to your dorm?”

“But… I don’t want to go back to my dorm.” Lizzie pouted, “I’m having fun! …Or at least I was,” she murmured.

“…Look I’m sorry. I’ll-I’ll dance another number with you, okay?”

As they walked out onto the floor, he watched the other students drink the unassuming punch over his shoulder.

At the risk of sounding even more cliché; the day started like any other. Ciel got up before the other boys in his dorm to a chilly February morning, and started his routine—an aspect of which was speaking to Sebastian about today’s mission and objectives before classes began. Chamber of Secrets, and the heir, figuring out who they were, and how to dispose of, or join them, accordingly, with little to no leads. With his day robes on, and homework and books in hand, he slipped out into the hall.

He’d soon wish he stayed in bed.

Once the common room door closed, his day-from-hell would begin.

For a magic school, not much happened day-to-day. Well, that wasn’t true, Harry Potter added some…pizzazz. But it was still a school, and once you get used to the magic…normal-school-things happen.

Today was one of those days which reminded him that this was not a normal school.

Sure it was the day after Valentines Day, but did those Huffpuffs have to kiss in the hallways?

And guess what? You there, standing in the hall, blocking everyone’s way? Yeah, you. There is a perfectly nice wall behind you, just waiting to be leaned against (ignore the judgmental painting in the background).

And why did anyone who wasn’t in the throws of *shudders* youthful passion have this glazed look in their eyes, like they’d eaten pot brownies for breakfast?

Most of the time, the few students who were awake at this hour chatted and giggled, inflicting the general populace with the daily gossip, at which, sure, he would still roll his eyes and groan, but it was at least better than kissing and clogging up the hallway (as well as each other’s mouths).

He was relieved to finally reach Sebastian in the The Defense Against the Dark arts classroom.

This was one thing that was no surprise, as he shared the teaching position of the class with Lockhart—(no easy task, as they were both divas who didn’t enjoy sharing spotlight, and one was totally incompetent, and the other was as overqualified a professional chef at a kids easy-bake bake off. But their even-keeled headmaster had to give them each equal time teaching. At the beginning of the year, after it was decided which classes would get which teacher, some students begged the heads of houses to reconsider putting them in Sebastian’s class. Sebastian, amicable and excessive as ever, decided to host extra classes after school to satisfy the disappointed students).

“Alright, shall we pick up where we left off?” Ciel marched towards Sebastian, throwing his books on the nearest desk.

However, unlike his usual, attentive I-solved-all-our-problems-overnight-here’s-the-solution self, the butler stared out the window…he didn’t even pay his master immediate attention.

Said master tapped his foot impatiently on the ground and snapped, “Oy, Sebastian!”

“Mm?” the demon faced him, slowly.

Again, there was that glazed look. Like he had been in a donut factory.

“Young Master, I… didn’t hear you come in.” His eyes darted around the room.

“You bloody well didn’t,” he continued to tap his foot, muttering, “Demon hearing my ass.”

When Sebastian didn’t use said demon hearing to reprimand him for swearing, he knew something was wrong. He stopped being aggravated for a second and looked a little closer.

There was a smudge on his glasses. His hair was sticking up in front of his forehead, and there was some cat hair on his robes (probably from a clowder he kept in his room).

He was…imperfect. His appearance, while still practically impeccable by human standards was sloppy by Sebastian’s. His attention, divided.

And that was reason to worry.

Ciel leaned over the desk and snapped in his face. “You can ogle photos on your own time!”

Sebastian looked at him, but every time he focused on him, as if magnetized, his eyes reeled back to a photograph on the desk.

“Do you think…do you think he could like me?” Sebastian said in a strangely uncertain voice that didn’t sound at all like him.

“Huh?”

He had never known Sebastian to be uncertain of, or fascinated by, anything, nor to pry his concentrations from the missions, especially not for something so trivial and/or emotional as photos.

Ciel walked around the desk to get a good look at it. He thought it might be Lockhart, as the room was crawling with his glimmering face. Instead, in a shattered case—(Ciel thought he might hurl)—the demon fixated on a picture of Grell.

The young earl vaguely remembered Grell giving it to him—mentioning passionately something about it being a way for him to be with him at all times, with hearts in his eyes. At the time, Sebastian had rolled his eyes, said, ‘is there a version of this when I can see you at no times?’ and tossed it into the drawer with enough disregard that the glass had shattered, and (now this is just speculation) hoped to never look at it again.

For what unholy (or holy, by demon standards…no, it definitely wasn’t holy) reason would Sebastian return to it now? And what’s worse, how could a picture of Grell possibly distract him from the task his master had placed before him?

Was it possible that all those pictures, cards, the cheesy lines, and sappy gestures, all the maudlin advances, had finally made it through to Sebastian?

Hell no. He’d watch the world burn before that happened.

Hang on a minute, let’s check.

Nope, still snow on the ground.

Okay, more plausibly, did he lose his mind?

Let’s tone it down a little; Maybe this was a—albeit not funny—joke?

“What are you on about?”

The demon picked up the picture. “Grell.” He rushed towards Ciel, putting the picture in front of his eyes—“Get that out of my face!”—“Do you think he’d ever want to be with someone like me?”

The earl began to laugh, a fake, loud laugh, then abruptly stopped.

“Very funny, Sebastian, you like Grell. Can we get back to work now?”

Sebastian grabbed a book off his table and Ciel had to duck to keep it from hitting his head.

“What are you on?!”

“I may be cleverly witty when the situation calls for it, but I am not joking, Young Master! And I’d thank you to treat my beloved one with respect!”

Ciel blanched, his eyes glued open, swallowing the bile that rose in his throat. “You mean this,” he pointed to the situation at hand, the words soft and enunciated, a nervous laugh behind them, “This isn’t a joke?”

“No!” he cradled the picture, “I think Grell’s the most lovely person I ever met.”

He waited for the butler to burst into laughter.

…and he kept waiting.

He knew more than anyone, neither master nor butler pulled stunts of this caliber.

Ciel grabbed one of the scrolls on the wall and wacked his butler over the head with it.

“Quit playing around! We don’t have time for children’s games!”

“I don’t understand, Young Master,” he rubbed his head (as if that could possibly hurt the demon). “You aren’t insulting Master Grell, are you?”

“No, I’m insulting you, you twat!”

He swiped the picture from him (hurt flared in the butler’s eyes). “You see how the glass is shattered here?”

He placed his hand over his heart. “Who would do a thing like that to such a perfect face?”

“You, you bloody idiot! Don’t you remember?” he smacked his head with the paper again, making it crease, “When Grell gave you that you tossed it into the drawer and said you ‘wanted to see him at no times.’”

“Me?” he snatched the picture back, holding it tight to his chest. “No, I would never!” he said like Grell was the purest little ray of sunshine, and Ciel said he’d kicked a puppy yesterday.

“No, what you would never, is return said…” he cleared his throat and didn’t finish the sentence.

“I don’t understand, Young Master. Here I am, bearing my heart. Why must you squash it?”

His eye twitched. “To remind you you don’t have a heart!”

“I—”

“Shut up! Just shut up!” he slammed his hands on the desk, “There’s no way this can be real!” he slumped onto the desk and ran his hand through his hair, looking more deranged than the one who was actually delirious, “Why, in all that is—How—Why would you ever—?!”

“Be careful, Young Master, don’t let that anger fester; it’s bad for your health.”

And it dawned on him.

He slammed his palm into his forehead.

The punch at the party—it was so obvious. Undertaker had even told him it didn’t contain alcohol.

“Young Master, are you saying our love is not real? Are you insulting master Grell?” his voice became a sickening tone.

Ciel now fully understood the situation: Sebastian, having been given a love-potion—(turns out they did work on him…or, even if they didn’t, maybe Undertaker made some extra-potent, mutant variety)—and Grell being the first person he saw (or heard) after taking it, fully believed Grell to be his one-true-love.

And as he watched a shadow (much bigger and…than the demon’s human shape) spread across the floor, he realized he believed it enough to attack anyone who stood against said love. Even his master.

The young earl knocked into desks as he scrambled way, his outward attitude towards the situation performing a 180:

“Uh, no no! No, no, no! I believe you!” he grabbed his bag, “There’s nothing weird or horrifying about you being in love with Grell at all. I just was a little…mmmm surprised!” his voice went up an octave. He shoved a desk into the space between them, “That’s all?! I’ll…I’ll just be going, now! You uh…you go back to…what you were doing!” he gave him a thumbs up (something he’d never done in his life) as dashed out the door.

After getting some ways down the hall, he doubled over, breath sharp and fast, piercing his side, his thoughts whirring around.

He’d wanted to mess with Sebastian, but he, first of all, hadn’t thought it would work, and second of all, hadn’t meant to mess with him this much—especially not in a way that affected him. This wasn’t fun or funny, this was just…gross. And now he had to fix it, when, had he left the situation alone and not given Sebastian the punch in the first place, he’d have his demon butler to help him, and the predicament would probably be solved in less than a day.

Now when he saw the students making out, or walking around dazed, he understood the full ramifications of Undertaker’s little stunt.

Speaking of which…

He heightened his pace until he was rushing through the halls, speeding past dreamy eyes, and cuddly couples.

Everyone, everyone had been at that party. Not only had the whole school been at that party, the punch was one of the few things available for the sweaty and thirsty dancers to drink. Now instead of one night of suffering in a lovebird’s playground, the whole school could be set to pop music. And, like the villain in a fairy tale, it was his job to break apart the happy couples.

And his first order of business was to find the mastermind who put them together.

Undertaker performed many of the odd jobs around, and often made it a job to make things odd (but Ciel of course knew that his primary function was probably to make dead bodies disappear discreetly). He and Peeves were overly chummy, and their pranks could sometimes be unbearable…but neither had ever attempted something of this magnitude before.

He was close to Filch’s corridor—

When the bell rang.

In the pandemonium he had forgotten today was still a normal school day.

“Sebast—” he began, hoping for an easy way not to be late, but remembered that his butler was …otherwise occupied. He grit his teeth, clenched his fists, and hurtled towards the transfiguration classroom.

“Mister Phantomhive!” snapped a clipped voice as he swung open the door, gasping for breath. “I thank you not to be late! And while you’re at it, not to disrupt my class while in session!”

“Sorry—” he clutched at his side, “Professor— McGonagall.”

“Usually,” she ran her fingers along her wand, stretching out the word, “I would give you detention. However, as it seems you are not the only one…out of sorts this morning” she drummed her fingers on the podium, giving Ciel a moment to look around the room—There were always a few latecomers, especially during first period, but the number of empty chairs rivaled the number of students present—“I will let you off with a warning.”

“Thank you,” he coughed—“Professor.”—And slumped at his desk like an old sock.

Thankfully not everyone had been affected by the spiked punch. Certain kids in class had that far-off look in their eyes, and a few even kissed in class (they were definitely sent to detention, though, of course, nothing much mattered to them but their newfound love). There were also teachers who had starry looks, and instead of giving them genuine lessons, muttered trite words about love, like a broken radio that only plays emo songs. There were, however, others who acted just as confused, annoyed and shell-shocked as Ciel at the current predicament. Clearly they had either found something else to drink at the party, simply not drank anything, or escaped the festivities somehow.

McGonagall was clearly among the unaffected, and while he was grateful for a little normalcy, he might have traded her for someone a little more lenient, and liked to see how her disposition changed while under the affects of love.

Throughout the day, he told the few students who were still awake and alive to the world that someone had spiked the punch with a love potion the previous night. This seemed to give them relief that they weren’t going crazy, still, none of them had any idea what to do about it. Love potions weren’t exactly considered an important course in potions class, especially not with a teacher like Snape—(in fact, a certain Ravenclaw had asked how to make a love potion in class on Valentine’s Day, and later Ciel saw that Ravenclaw mysteriously lost ten points). Some worried for their friends, while others eyes lit with an impish glint at the realization that—as long as they didn’t insult their ‘true love’— they could do anything to mess with their friends.

He had to give Undertaker at least a little credit: that day was one of the most memorable in his entire time at Hogwarts:

During transfiguration, on multiple separate occasions, students, instead of transfiguring their hamsters into dominoes, transfigured them into rings, and flowers used to profess their love, or even propose to Professor McGonagall herself. She only looked down her nose, and demanded where this talent had been the entire semester, and wracked up a body count of detention-bound students.

In Herbology, while it was not nearly as exciting as others, Professor Sprout went on and on about how amazing Neville was—(whenever he passed him in the hallway that day) Neville looked like the red plants they were currently tending to. (He probably hadn’t had anyone else to talk to at the party).

If Divination wasn’t enough already, Trelawney made them look into their futures and see their potential for romance (…it was hard to tell if she was under the spell or not), and it was both worth noting, and a source of personal pride that she looked into Ciel’s and saw lots and lots of hate.

And best of all, during potions, which was his last class of the day, Snape looked like he was ready to kill someone…and got close when Lockhart burst in and proclaimed that he simply couldn’t take it anymore, that they were made for each other. (Out of all the the crazy, embarrassing things that happened that day, this was the one Ciel guessed would be the most difficult for either of them to live down).

Hilarious confessions aside, Ciel was relieved to find that the potions master was at least trying to counteract the curse himself, by having them make antidotes and anti-love potions, and drink them (allegedly, lots of students refused to drink them in earlier classes, so he had to forgo their Latin name and call them “Happy Sunshine Potions,” which was quite possibly the best string of words he’d ever heard Snape say, and the unaffected students looked like chipmunks holding in their laughter in when hearing it). Although this was another teacher Ciel would have liked to see under the affects, he was guessing the net worth of breaking the curse would be far greater.

However, as far as he could tell, currently, Snape’s attempts to douse the proverbial fire were ineffective. (Yet another reason to think Undertaker’s love potion was some mutant version).

At each break he had, Ciel attempted to find Undertaker—(Except at lunch, when everyone was screaming that Draco was running around, and in increasingly boisterous and/or risqué methods, trying to declare his love for Ron Weasley. While Harry and Ron were also running around, either avoiding him at all costs, or messing with him. It was, first of all, difficult to get around the crowd, and, second of all, not something to miss.)—But Undertaker had an ongoing disappearing act that had nothing to do with magic. The one thing Ciel knew, was that the old coot couldn’t have left; he’d want to see every glorious minute of the chaos he wrought, so Ciel wasn’t giving up on finding him.

After school, hungry, tired, and desperate (especially after a run-in with Peeves, through which he earned the ex-reaper’s location, but also a cluster of lipstick marks on his face) he finally found Undertaker back in the Divination Classroom (of course he just had to pick one of the tallest, most tiring towers to climb). The room was cold, and Trelawney was nowhere in sight.

The pretty, setting sky over the frosty roof outside didn’t provide an iota of solace.

Ciel rolled up his sleeves, his anger a newfound immunity to the cold, and, with fingers curled into fists, marched up to him.

“You.”

The Undertaker, resting against the windowsill, turned to the seething boy, grinned, and spoke as if this was no more than an ordinary meeting.

“My, Young Earl, looks like you’ve been getting busy.”

“Wh—?!” he remembered the marks on his face and rubbed them off on his sleeve as Undertaker cackled.

“You seem awfully upset about something,” Undertaker continued, “Don’t want to let it fester—as your butler would say.”

“You spiked the punch with a love potion.” The boy growled.

“Did I?” he put a finger on his chin as if thinking, “I can’t seem to recall.”

Ciel’s brow twitched. “You bloody well know you did, I watched you. Now tell me how to undo it.”

“How do undo it, you say? And why would we want to do a thing like that?”

“I am in no mood for your games.”

Undertaker shrugged. “‘Fraid I can’t help you then. You know the rules; no payment, no information.”

“The whole school is a joke! That’s your payment!”

He contemplated it. “Sure you wouldn’t like to give an old man a good chuckle?”

“I’m certain.”

He sighed. “I suppose you got me there. To tell you the truth, I hadn’t quite got to the whole undoing it part.” He twirled his hand in the air like the ringmaster in this show.

Ciel blinked, emotion flickering as he spluttered, “How can…? But you—? I—? What?!”

He laughed, and the Undertaker’s nonchalance and disregard made anger jumpstart his tongue.

“You made it, didn’t you?” he kept his voice low, and his hand on the wand in his pocket, marching forward, “You can at least tell me how you made it. Then maybe I can unmake it.”

Undertaker tapped his chin, as if knocking around the marbles in his skull, “Don’t much feel like it.”

“You don’t feel like it?! Listen here—!”

He no sooner pulled out his wand than it was in Undertaker’s hand. He hadn’t even noticed Undertaker draw his own wand.

Undertaker ruffled his hair as he walked by, dropping the boy’s wand back into his pocket, “Part of the fun is figuring it out for yourself, Young Earl. Didn’t anyone ever teach you that?”

He headed down the stairs, leaving Ciel standing alone, angry breaths steaming up the chilly classroom.

When Ciel trudged back to his dorm, all the energy he had used to run around that day had given up the ghost. He barely noticed the smooching and starstruck kids in the hallways anymore, and didn’t have the energy to send even a derisive snort their way.

Sebastian was supposed to be the one running around trying to find answers. These menial tasks were beneath him. Hard work, and running around, looking for answers, was no suit for a fourteen-year-old boy to wear. Oh, Ciel would devise a particularly difficult and useless task for his butler to accomplish once he—or someone—finally broke the curse.

Caught up in thoughts of needless revenge, he ran into someone in the hallway, sending both their books to the floor.

“Sorry!” The boy called.

As they both crouched down to pick up their fallen items, Ciel looked up to see unruly black hair, crooked glasses, and lightning-struck forehead.

“Harry Potter.”

“Yeah…?”

“Sorry, I don’t believe we’ve formally met. I’m Ciel Phantomhive.” He held out his hand.

“Nice to meet you,” Harry smiled, taking his hand.

“Likewise.”

They both returned to their task.

“It looks like you haven’t been…love-ified,” Harry noted.

“You seem to have your wits about you as well.”

“Lucky us…Draco wasn’t so lucky though,” he laughed. “I heard someone spiked the punch at Lockhart’s Valentine’s day ball.”

“I heard that too.”

“A perfect end to Lockhart’s ball huh?”

“Hehe…yeah…”

Ciel turned to the next book, about to hand it to Harry.

Here’s the thing, about dark magic.

It has this sort of…pull. The more you use it, the more sway it has on you.

A pure soul looks at a dark object and feels uneasy, but doesn’t know why.

Someone who has participated in the dark before, let it creep in and corrode the soul, is attuned to the darkness. Like a resonant frequency, a humming in the back of their mind, putting them on the same wavelength, (and if they listen too long, they might shatter). They may not always know what it is or does, and sometimes they wont recognize why something has this aura, but they will know that an object is not just that, in as much as darkness is not just the absence of the light.

Ciel Phantomhive was no ordinary student. While he may have learned from the teachers at Hogwarts, the reason he was here was at the request of the Queen, not for learning, and his most informative teacher, was Sebastian. Before they arrived at Hogwarts, Sebastian, going above and beyond as always, made sure he knew more spells than half the students in his year. More importantly, however, fear of the dark had long left them both. Knowing dark magic, they surmised, would put them ahead of their enemies (not to mention their friends), and could be a powerful trump card were the situation to call for it.

When Ciel looked at this diary everything slowed. Like in a movie, when you can hear your heartbeat, and the camera zooms in. From the moment he saw it he knew it would be both silly and dangerous to think it was merely a diary. One may pour their soul into the words dear diary, but the Something that lurked beneath it’s pages was far more than the heartfelt and trivial adages of teenage boys and girls. There was something living in those pages.

He knew it was alive. Unlike other dark artifacts, which gave off a hint, a whisper of more-than-I-seem, this was more than a whiff of untapped potential, or forbidden mystery; the resonant darkness, rather than a faint, inanimate hum, was a Horror singing old-fashioned lullabies to himself in the darkest corners of the pages.

Ciel was tired. Tired of running around, tired of searching for a cure, tired of doing all the work himself. He wanted an easy way out. That’s how he’d always been. People who like to take the long way ‘round don’t make contracts with demons.

So, in a moment of weakness…

…or a moment of strength

He slipped the diary into his own bag.

That night, despite being interested enough in the book to steal it, he hadn’t had any energy to begin figuring out what that darkness was, meant, or could do. Nor did he have any energy to spend on figuring out the antidote to the plague himself. In fact, he had had so little regard for either, that he ignored the dumb looks of his roommates, slipped the diary into the chest at the foot of his bed, flopped facedown on top of his covers (screaming into his pillows for good measure), and went to sleep.

The next morning wasn’t much better. He woke up with a splitting headache, the love-zombies were still up to their shenanigans—(he half hoped it would end in the morning)—and when he tentatively checked on Sebastian, the demon had traveled further down the Grell-obsessed rabbit hole than before.

When Ciel entered the teacher’s lounge (it had taken a moment to find him) the smell of flowers smacked him full in the face. Unlike some of the teachers present, Ciel was unimpressed, and quite honestly queasy, to see that he had moved on from admiring the picture of his affection, to creating his own; or rather than a picture, a bust made of flowers of none other than his…erm lady-love, Grell.

Just like Sebastian, he was attentive to detail; only the freshest of flowers for his beloved, and each component of Grell’s complexion was a different flower: the coat was made of red Amaryllis’, the vest, brown orchids, the shirt, white hydrangeas, the face was pale dahlias, the eyes were green carnations, and the hair was, of course, roses. He wondered if Sebastian went far to find all of them, though knowing him he probably ran to the finest flower shop in Paris at 1:00AM that morning for them and was back before anyone could wonder where he’d gone.

Yes, quite far gone. But not far enough to forget the ‘offense’ Ciel had caused to his new master the day before.

Or perhaps Ciel had caused him new offense by blurting out “What the devil is this?!” upon seeing his labor-of-love.

If it was good idea in general for the public not to talk to the young earl, today, it was an inescapable rule: if people didn’t give him a wide berth, they learned quickly he was not in the mood for human (or reaper, or demon) interaction.

Wasting his time before class on pointless attempts to slap the delusion out of his butler was idiotic. So he headed to the library to actually try and make some progress, and picked up a book on love potions—(Madam Pince was too busy writing love poems to scold kids like him for going into the restricted section. Knowing this was a rare opportunity, he grabbed several more books he’d had his eyes on while he was there.)—with the intent to read up on counter curses every spare minute he got, not excluding during certain classes overtaken by horny teachers.

More students were missing from classes today, and those who weren’t were either more randy than before, or losing patience and brain cells every second they were around those afflicted. The teachers who were still in possession of their faculties—namely McGonagall, Snape, Vector, and Flitwick, (Madam Pomfrey was too, but she wasn’t present)—made an announcement at lunch, in front of their dreamy-eyed headmaster, that they were trying their best to find a solution to the problem presently.

While it was comforting to hear they weren’t sitting on their asses, and it would save him a hell of a lot of trouble if they did solve it, he didn’t expect they’d figure it out anytime soon. If Snape couldn’t figure it out on his own, he wasn’t sure they would have much luck, even together. Even if he had had faith in them, he wouldn’t have stopped his own research. He and Sebastian always did it their way, this was personality, not practice—(he’d learned from a young age he couldn’t rely on anyone else)—and a setback, even one that kept his butler from his work, wasn’t going to stop him.

It was during a disappointing lunch that he saw a flash of red in the doorway to the great hall. At first he thought nothing of it—it was probably a banner some kid made to impress their one-true-love, or a bunch of heart-shaped balloons, or a leftover decoration—it didn’t matter, he was going to try his best to eat, and read, in peace.

Until the ‘banner’ came inside to steal his food.

When he finally realized who it was, he practically screamed;

“Grell!”

“That’s my name darling, don’t to wear it out,” he blew a kiss, sitting up on the table.

“Love potions, huh?” in his horror, Ciel hadn’t even noticed Ronald had stolen the book (as well as a sandwich).

“Ooh!” Grell called, leaning in closer, raising his eyebrows. “Is somebody looking to trick some poor soul into loving him?”

“No! No, in fact I’m trying to un-romance someone, thank you very much.” He stood.

“That shouldn’t be too hard…for you.”

Ciel rolled his eyes.

“So, not that crushing the dreams of others isn’t in your repertoire, why do you want to do that?”

“It may be difficulty for you to understand, but some of us don’t look for romance in every guy they meet,” he stole the book back from Ronald (who was starting to to look too interested for the young earl’s comfort.)

“Now that’s just rude,” Grell folded his arms over his chest and put his chin in his hand. “But, I’ll choose to ignore your impotence,” he turned, becoming more animated, “because you’re in charge of my Sebas-chan. Speaking of love,” he said the word like it was fine caramel, “where is my precious Sebas-chan?” he looked around, casting his eyes towards the blank spaces at staff table.

“He’s—”

Before the sentence could fall on his tongue, the words snagged on the mental image of Grell and Sebastian canoodling like schoolboys.

“NO!”

That caught their attention.

“I mean uh—” he coughed, “No…He’s uhh…I…”

He could barely think with these images making him sick to his stomach. He set down what was left of the lunch he was no longer hungry for, trying to shove his brain into the mode where it could formulate a cunning plan.

“Well? Spit it out, boy! We haven’t got all day! Some of us have plans. I, for one, have a hair appointment this afternoon,” he fluffed his crimson locks.

“You know what?” Ciel chose a more confrontational approach. “I don’t have to tell you where Sebastian is.”

“You don’t have to, darling, you should want to.”

“No. You know what? I don’t want to. And you know why I don’t want to?”

“I have a feeling you’re going to tell me.”

He had to think of something fast. Something clever. A good excuse.

“Why don’t you ever want to spend time with me?” he slammed the book on the table.

So much for that.

“Huh?” Grell, Ronald—(and Ciel’s own brain)—responded upon hearing the words.

“Yeah. You heard me.” It wasn’t the best plan—hell, it wasn’t even a good plan—but Ciel was committed at this point, and came up with a plot fiercely in his mind, “That’s right. It’s always ‘Sebastian this’, ‘Sebastian that’, but what about me?!”

“What about you, brat? You’ve never shown any interest in me. What happened to ‘we’re definitely not friends?’” he mocked his voice.

“….That’s what I say to my true friends.” They definitely weren’t convinced, so he added, “I’m only nice to my fake friends.” (Ronald lifted his head like a dog being told he was a good boy all along).

“Regardless if you’re telling the truth—which, I don’t believe you are—what makes you think I’ll give you the key to my heart now, after you threw away your chances? That’s no way to treat a lady!”

“I…I never had the chance to,” he looked away and hugged himself, trying to look pitiful, “what with you fawning over Sebas…chan,”—it made him sick to speak the nickname, but not as sick as he would feel if they found each other— “you never even pay me any mind.”

“What’s there to pay mind to?”

Ciel bit his tongue, and tried not to let that get to him, reminding himself everything could and would be far worse.

“Hey, hey!” Ronald stepped in the middle, noticing the rising tension of the scene, “There’s a simple solution after all; why don’t you and Mr. Sutcliff go for a walk today? That’s not too much to ask, right?” he turned to Grell, “You’ll still have time to see Sebas-chan before your appointment.”

“I suppose,” Grell bit his nails, ruining his manicure—which he quickly realized, and petted them as if to say ‘forgive me!’ “But I’d better get some quality time with my Sebas-chan!”

“Does that sound alright with you, Mr. Phantomhive?”

The thought of spending any amount of quality time with the reaper was repugnant. But not more repugnant than certain other thoughts and predictions his brain was happy to provide.

“Yes, that sounds just fine.”

“Then let’s get this overwith,” Grell stepped dramatically off the table, twirling his high-heeled shoes in the air.

Ciel’s thoughts exactly.

But there was something he had to do first.

“Erm, Ronald, would you mind doing something for me while we’re on our walk?”

Grell put his hands on his hips, suspicion and curiosity in his eyes.

“Uhh sure—I mean, that depends on what it is”

He pulled Ronald aside, towards the wall, out of earshot of the red-haired reaper.

“I just need to buy some time,” he whispered, “Will you please get Sebastian out of the teacher’s lounge for me.”

“Um…” he glanced between the two of them. “I suppose I could. May I ask why?”

“No you may not.” When Ronald seemed less than happy with this response, he added, “I can pay you back. Money, sandwiches…whatever you want.”

“Well, when you put it like that,” he grinned.

“Alright, Grell,” he cleared his throat, “it appears as though you and I will be going for a nice walk together.”

“‘Nice’ would be pushing it.” Grell muttered.

Ciel couldn’t agree more.

The scene reminded him too much of a Thomas Kinkade painting; the snow covered trees and grounds, the faint chirping of birds, the pitter of small animals in the snow, the patter of kids playing, as well as more than a few romantic escapades displayed for all the world to see—like everything else in this sugarcoated nightmare, it was so sweet and was sickening. Ciel spent great lengths trying to avoid the mystic hellscape that was ‘outside,’ and whenever he found himself forced into its grasp, he remembered why.

Well, he supposed it wouldn’t have been so bad…if it weren’t for the blithering idiot beside him.

“Yeesh… love really is in the air around Valentine’s day.” Grell commented in the direction of the kids kissing by the frozen river.

“Oh? I thought romance was…your thing.”

“When I’m involved! Not these ragamuffins slobbering all over each other,” he shuddered.

They spent a while in awkward silence, before Grell spoke, “So, what do I have to do to get you off my back, Brat?”

“Ohh just spend a little quality time with me,” Ciel sang, putting his hands behind his back and stepping in front of Grell like a mischievous schoolboy. “That isn’t too much to ask, is it?”

Grell looked away. “I better be Carlos’ last customer today; my hair’s going to be a mess by the end of this.”

Ciel laughed fakely.

“So…” Ciel tried to think of something to talk about, “tell me about Carlos. Is he…cute?”

“Oh come on!” Grell stomped in front of him, “You can’t possibly mean any of this! You’ve never shown any amount of interest in me. I may be prone to fantasy, but I’m no fool!” he crossed his arms and looked away, then his green eyes trailed to him suspiciously, “What are you plotting?”

“Plotting?” Ciel laughed again, “Why so sinister?”

“Oh things are always sinister when Sebas-chan is involved,” he said ‘sinister’ like a radio announcer telling you that sinister is what you want, “usually it sends tingles down my spine! But this is just…” he looked down at the earl, his lip curling in distaste, “freaky.”

Ciel tried to ignore the fact that they were on the same brainwave today.

But he could see that he wasn’t going to fool him for long if he didn’t do something.

“Well…” Instead of formulating a suitable answer, he subtly pulled his wand from his robe pocket sliding it behind his back, and cast a little nonverbal spell that sent a snowball hurtling at the back of Grell’s head.

“Hey!” Grell spun around to two kids playing on the bank. “Which one of you imbeciles did that?! Haven’t I suffered enough?” he held up a split end of his hair.

The kids glanced at each other, confused.

“Now Carlos will have to give me the extra treatment to cover this!” he took a strand of hair and petted it.

Ciel smirked.

Messing with the reaper seemed both more effective, and more enjoyable, than chatting, so whenever a risky topic came up, he had a little extra fun avoiding the subject (goodness knows he needed it)—until enough time had passed that, if Ronald had done his job, Sebastian would be out of the teachers’ lounge, and they headed back into the school.

“Sebastian’s right around the corner.”

“He better be, Brat, after the hell-walk you took me on.” Ciel tried not to laugh when he looked at Grell—the sticks in his frazzled hair, the smeared mascara and lipstick, the muddy clothes (he had eventually stopped trying to protect or fix his appearance).

Ciel gave the fake laugh again, opening the door.

Despite requests and expectations, Sebastian was right around the corner.

There the demon remained (apparently he had been there all day) with a finished bust of the reaper sparkling beside him, not to mention a few more, smaller art pieces of the Redhead in different poses of increasing erotica.

Ciel felt all the anger that had been briefly soothed by messing with Grell re-entering his body with ferocity.

Why hadn’t Ronald removed him from this place like he asked? All he asked for was one simple thing, and he couldn’t even do that. Well, maybe it was his own fault he had put his trust in someone so incompetent as Ronald. Whoever’s fault it was, this encounter, and the memory of it, might just stain his brain forever, and someone was surely going to pay for it.

He turned towards Grell (the real one). Both his eyes and mouth were open wide, focused on the statue of himself, leering down at him with a flirtatious grin.

When the butler emerged from behind it, and saw Grell, he too froze, but in the quiet, reverent way the hot dude does when they see their love in romantic movies.

Ciel wanted to grab one, or both, of them and wrench them away from each other—exorcise the romantic spirits out of them (it’s an odd day when you want to exorcise a demon out of a demon), and maybe wring their necks—but he knew that would be met with more than a little resistance, (and using the Imperius curse in the teacher’s lounge would be more than a little conspicuous), and there was something rather mesmerizing about the scene; like a horror movie you can’t bring yourself to look away from.

Sebastian closed his eyes, giving a small smile before rushing to grab a rather large bouquet (likely made of the leftover flowers) and bowed, presenting them to Grell.

“For you, my darling Mr. Sutcliff.”

Ciel covered his eyes with his hand.

“For…me?” Grell’s words were distant and confused.

Rather than taking them with honors—Ciel saw between his fingers—however, he took a step back.

Sebastian held them higher. “Only you.”

Grell glanced between master and butler, and his hands shook as he took them (then his arms sagged with the weight).

Ciel shut his eyes tight, waiting for hell.

Soon the scene would turn into the amorous novel Grell always dreamed of, and that would be it. They’d find love in each other…or what passed for love when it comes to love potions. Should Ciel leave now and spare his mind the eternal horror? Or should he wait and just make absolutely sure that’s what would happen? Maybe there was some sick part of him that was even curious what would happen.

His patience, however, was rewarded;

“Get away from me you freak!” Grell threw the flowers across the room, and rushed to hide behind Ciel. “What the hell have you done with my precious Sebas-chan?!”

This time it was Ciel’s mouth and eyes that dropped open, staring, dumbstruck, like a bird that had hit a window.

Grell had flirted with Sebastian from the moment he met him (to be fair, he did this with pretty much every attractive guy he came across, still…). There were times when master and butler could use this infatuation to their advantage, but most of the time it was just a gigantic nuisance. Luckily, Sebastian shared Ciel’s distaste for the reaper’s advances, and never returned them. Since it had seemed impossible, before today, Ciel hadn’t had much time to imagine what Grell would do if the butler returned his affection. Not one of the sickening scenarios his mind had provided today had Grell rejecting Sebastian. Grell had always appeared superficial enough that Ciel guessed he wouldn’t care how or why Sebastian returned his feelings, just that he did. The fact that he could tell this was not Sebastian’s normal self made Ciel think slightly higher of the reaper.

But only slightly.

Maybe it should have made sense; it was the flirtation; the game, that Grell enjoyed, more than true romance, and heart. He had said so himself—he was just as disgusted by the teen romances in the courtyard as Ciel. (Though, to be fair, most adults generally found teen romance to be gross).

He couldn’t help but feel a growing pride and satisfaction that he would not have to witness any romance, or worse. That the roles of disgust had now reversed, and Grell could walk a mile in their shoes. Not that he thought Grell would become a better, less annoying person after this.

“I…don’t understand,” Sebastian’s eyes were full of welling hurt. He stood, staring at the discarded bouquet (which had all but exploded on the wall), “I’ve done everything for you…” he gestured around the room, “I thought this is what you wanted.” He looked at Grell like a puppy who had been thrown from a warm and loving upper-class home, out into the streets of London. He pulled out the picture he had barely stopped staring at since the other day, “Remember?” he held it up, “You said you would always be with me.”

Grell seemed torn, almost like Sebastian’s puppy-like disappointment drew his pity, but he backed away further, (still holding on to Ciel, almost making him fall backwards).

“What is this?!” he pointed, “Some kind of sick prank?! I want my sexy, coy Sebastian, back! Not this coddling fool!”

Ciel had to bite his lip to keep from grinning. This was too rich.

Sebastian looked at the ground, sadness, anger, rejection flaring in his eyes. Ciel would have liked to stay and enjoy Grell’s blubbering a little more, but he could see a demon-sized tantrum coming a mile away.

He didn’t make it a practice to touch pests like Grell, but in this case, he didn’t have much choice; he grabbed Grell and pulled him out the door, dragging him down the hall.

“What the hell is going on?!” Grell ripped his hand from the boy’s grasp and blocked his way, “Who was that idiot?!”

Ciel could barely breathe from laughing.

Grell blinked at him, then anger flared in his eyes again. Before he could catch his breath, Grell grabbed the boy’s shoulders and shook him, “What have you done with my Sebas-chan, you little Punk?!”

This made him regain composure quickly. He brushed his hands away and explained, “You remember the Valentine’s ball Lockhart threw?”

“Of course. My Sebas-chan was looking particularly dashing that night,” he blinked dreamily, then his expression changed as he remembered he had just seen Sebastian, and he was not so dashing today as previously advertised. “What did you do to him?!”

“I didn’t do anything!” he half-lied, “Undertaker was the one who spiked the punch with a love potion.”

“Undertaker’s the cause of this?! He took my Sebas-chan from me?! Oh that sexy bastard hasn’t seen the last of me!” he started to march past the earl.

Ciel blocked Grell’s way. “I already talked to him. He didn’t have the antidote.”

“Well maybe he just needs a little roughing up!” he rolled up his sleeves and tried again to go around him.

“You really think a man who takes pleasure in ruining other people’s lives will help us fix this?” he said to his back.

Grell stopped, turned around, “Well you would know wouldn’t you?!” He looked away, biting his lip. “You put him back then!” he shoved his chest.

“Why do you think I was reading that book about love potions?!”

That quieted his rage slightly.

In that moment, a certain student walked by, though not one of Hogwarts. He was surrounded by a gaggle of girls, and didn’t even see them.

“Levicorpus!” Ciel shouted, and the girls’ gasped as Ronald was hoisted into the air by his ankle, his clothes hanging off him (showing off his stomach, and a bit of his underwear—the girls’ blushed and giggled).

“Whoa, whoa! What’s this—?! Oh…” the young reaper blinked upon seeing Ciel, recalling the task the earl had given him, and he rubbed the back of his head giving a mock-sheepish smile, “Hehe.”

Ciel tapped his foot impatiently on the floor. “Would you care to offer an explanation?”

Now that he knew Grell had no intentions or returning Sebastian’s artificial affection, the fact that Ronald hadn’t accomplished the task wasn’t nearly as big of a deal, but it could have easily been catastrophic, the anger was still there, and letting those who disobeyed him off the hook was a bad precedent.

“I’m sorry, Earl, but these girls…they just kept coming up to me! There something must be in the air today!” he held out his hands as if to say you really think I was going to turn them away?

Ciel rubbed his temple, muttering, “Nope it was in the punch.” He sighed, taking a step forward like a predator. “I’m going to let you off this time, but believe me, I won’t be making that mistake again.”

“Come on, it was an honest mistake!”

“And an honest—”

“Mister Phantomhive!” a deep voice rang out across the hallway.

Ciel winced.

“…Professor Snape.”

His footsteps were a judgment toll.

“Care to release Mister…?” he looked at Ronald quizzically, realizing he didn’t recognize him.

“Knox,” the reaper offered.

“Knox.”

“Yes, Sir.” Ciel murmured.

Liberacorpus he cast, nonverbally, and the reaper spun in the air until he was set upright again.

Strictly speaking, they weren’t allowed to do magic outside class, and the curse on the school evidently hadn’t made the potions master forgo any of the traditional rules.

“I’d like to know who you two are, and what you’re doing at Hogwarts.” Ciel felt a little smug thinking of the potential trouble they could get into….until Snape turned “As for you, Mr. Phantomhive…”

“Yes, Professor?” he said politely, as if his politeness could suddenly change his heart and get him a less-harsh punishment.

“Detention.”

“…Yes, Professor.”

Ciel glanced at Grell, who had crossed his arms and whose look said it’s-what-you-deserve.

“Well!” Grell broke the tension. “We can certainly explain who we are and what we are doing here…at a later date. As of now, I have an increasingly important appointment to get to—Good Professor, I’m so sorry you had to see me like this, I promise wont look this bad when when we next meet!” he bowed low, “Come along, Ronald!”

“Yes, Mr. Sutcliff!” He blew a kiss towards the girls.

“This isn’t over” Grell whispered in Ciel’s ear as he skipped by.

“Nothing ever is with you, is it?” he muttered.

“What’s that?” Snape raised an eyebrow.

“Nothing, just excited for my detention!”

Snape raised an eyebrow, perhaps wondering if Ciel was under the spell after all.

Ciel didn’t even go to class that afternoon, as it was double Defense Against the Dark Arts. Once again he returned to his dorm, and flopped onto his bed. He had only made it halfway through the day this time, and he was already drained. After some time resting (though his mind raced too much to actually take a nap), he finished skimming through the book on love potions. In the end, the only help it gave was a comprehensive list of the usual ingredients in love potions.

As he was putting the book away a diary fell out of the trunk at the foot of his bed. In the fatigue of the evening, and the tumult of the day, he had forgotten about his run-in with Harry yesterday.

He picked it up; the same simple, dusty, empty notebook as before. When he opened it to the first page he saw the smudged name T. M. Riddle. He hadn’t thought it was Harry’s in the first place, but was still displeased that the name didn’t sound familiar to him. He wondered if he was a student who dabbled in dark magic. Still, the power it held seemed more than what a mere student could conjure…

Ciel had never been one for feelings and the kind of sentimentality a diary implied, but it couldn’t hurt to try it out. There wasn’t much else to do but write in it. Evidently it wasn’t just a diary.

Setting it down on his desk, he flipped it open to the first blank page, got out his quill, dipped it in the ink, and began to write:

“February 16th

“Two days ago, Undertaker spiked the punch at Lockhart’s god-awful Valentine’s ball with a love potion.

“Now Hogwarts is infested with a swarm of insolent, love-struck zombies, because Undertaker is a—”

As he wrote, the words, instead of staying in place like words should, they were swallowed by the paper. As the earl stared, the ink resurfaced like a serpent beneath water, a reply forming from secondhand ink.

“My, that does sound awful.”

The words disappeared as soon as they came, then reappeared…

“Perhaps I could be of assistance.”

*Yes this is a Sheldon Cooper (The Big Bang Theory) quote. I think I had just been watching that episode before writing, and when that came to mind for Ciel’s response, I couldn’t think of anything better XD I decided to keep it in, but I had to note it didn’t come from my own brain!

Once again, sorry for that ending XD

[comicteaparty]

January 3rd, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on January 3rd, 2019, from 5PM - 7PM PST.  The chat focused on Princess Pups by Lindsay Hornsby.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB START!

Good evening, everyone~! This week’s Thursday Book Club is officially beginning! Today we are discussing Princess Pups by Lindsay Hornsby~! (https://tapas.io/series/Princess-Pups)

Remember that Thursday discussions are completely freeform! However, every 30 minutes I will drop in OPTIONAL discussion questions in case you’d like a bit of a prompt. If you miss out on one of these prompts, you can find them pinned for the chat’s duration. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is fun and respectfully appreciating the comic. All that said, let’s begin!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite strip in the comic so far and why?

one strip i really enjoyed myself was this one https://tapas.io/episode/295876 where the pups are having a debate. partly just cause of how quickly the debate devolved, and partly cause i loved how cute it was that the judging pups got to have cake and cookies and were basically the ultimate winners.

although my all time favorite is definitely the valentines strip https://tapas.io/episode/284778. this one just hurt my heart with the cuteness and i think sends such a positive message about how maybe the jerks around us also just didnt get their own valentines and are lashing out in jealousy. and i love the princess pups for putting kindness before revenge.

in terms of comedy, to lighten things up from that last one, there's also this strip https://tapas.io/episode/812585 that i enjoyed. partly cause i always love Pug Pups shenanigans of just basically wanting to eat anything and everything. but also because i like the irony that nope the eclipse was just a giant cookie thing in the sky. although maybe theyll figure it out when it takes a while to disappear

L Hornsby

Hiya, I draw Princess Pups and I'm glad you like it @RebelVampire !

RebelVampire

thank you for coming, @L Hornsby ~!

related to pug pup https://tapas.io/episode/499353 i super loved pug pups idea of a horror story is that the fridge is empty. XD but another good strip just cause they once again didnt scorn the ghost. just said come on ghost, join our party. which i mean is a sign theyre great party throwers cause basically anyone is a potential guest.

L Hornsby

They especially love having a party with someone else who enjoys candy

(even if they are a ghost)

RebelVampire

which now made me overthink wondering if the ghost cant actually eat it and it just passes through them. XD although i doubt pug pup would complain about that. can just follow the trail and eat all those candies

L Hornsby

The ghost probably enjoys at least being around candies and cookies I hadn't considered if it could eat it though. Makes me think about Slimer from GhostBusters going after a buffet

RebelVampire

lol. mysteries for another day probably. more important they have a good, fun experience

L Hornsby

Yeah!

RebelVampire

https://tapas.io/episode/266696 another strip i thought was hilarious. the princess pups making all these elaborate plans to get their food back. meanwhile the cats basically self sabotage by beating each other up and having a slap fight. which tbf is very accurate to cats since they dont like food competition XD

L Hornsby

The Commando Cats sometimes work together, but usually don't

RebelVampire

wait theyre called the commando cats? XD thats great

L Hornsby

Yeah Since the Pups don't talk, it doesn't get brought up in the comics unless I'm putting a note under the comic

I wanted something sort of opposite of "Princess Pups" but with cats and I also wanted them to wear hats instead of crowns

RebelVampire

i do enjoy their hats

QUESTION 2. Which of the Princess Pups is your favorite insofar? What about this pup makes you like them? Of the strips so far, what has been your favorite story to have this pup in it? What about their role in the strip made it enjoyable for you? In regards to your favorite pup, which pup do you love to see them interact with and why? What pup(s) do you feel your favorite should interact with more? Lastly, are there any minor recurring characters you enjoy seeing? Who are they and what about them do you like?

despite where my answers may have lead one to believe, my favorite pup is actually Scruffy Pup. I love her overall design and how it suits her messy personality in general, to start with. I especially just love her eyes though. Sometimes about them just makes her have the cutest facial expressions to me. As far as strips with her in it, I really liked Goat World https://tapas.io/episode/516356. partly cause i enjoyed just how plain enthusiastic she was about going to goat world. things go awry, and in the end the goats that she loved betrayed her by trying to eat all her stuff. which i mean is sad, but also hilarious just cause goats just be doin goat things.

as for interactions, im not sure i really have a preference. although i would like to see scruffy pup and pug pup interact more in the future. cause pug pup is my 2nd favorite and i feel the messiest pup + the eatiest pup could result in the best of pup shenanigans

L Hornsby

I drew Goat World due to a visit to a petting zoo where the goats kept trying to take my map, my backpack, and a piece of thread from my shirt

Scruffy Pup and Pug Pup definitely are the messiest and hungriest of the pups for sure though!

RebelVampire

lol omg. that sounds like quite the experience and reminds me why i dont really go to petting zoos

since pug pup is my second favorite, i will also answer these questions for pug pup. i really enjoy pug pup because she basically the most chill. like that whole pizza party story arch. pug pup didnt care what was on the pizza. she just wanted to eat it. and i think that makes her adorable. her immense single minded focus. i dont really have a fave strip in this case cause i generally like all of pug pup's roles in any strips. i think in general she alone provides a ton of the comedy moments for the comic. XD

in terms of minor characters, i love the commando cats. partly out of my biased love for cats, but i also just love both their cute hats and the fact that theyre super cat like in how they react. like theyre the antagonists more by cat nature rather than this over the top manner you usually see in things.

L Hornsby

They're a mix of a few cats I've had growing up / currently. Cats can be really grumpy and fight each other, but can also be cuddle friends, but then go back to smacking each other XD

RebelVampire

yes that is definitely accurate to cats

mathtans

Hello dere. Only had a chance to read the origin so far this week, but wanted to say I'm impressed at how much gets conveyed without dialogue balloons.

L Hornsby

Pug Pup might be one of my most favorite to draw, but also least favorite because sometimes I forget to color her mouth markings, and I feel silly when that happens

mathtans

Also, I love the term "cloud meeples".

L Hornsby

Thanks @mathtans ! The comic I'd been doing previous to Princess Pups involved a very chatty six year old, so I wanted to try to keep this one very pantomime

RebelVampire

speaking of hte origin story, i love teacup pup had to have official princess pup papers that fluff pup scrutinized thoroughly XD

mathtans

Scanning the backlog here. Yep, that seems accurate to cats, though I admit I'm a cat person.

Teacup pup is precious. Vacuum sucks.

I'm reading through more now. I wonder if they make the charts themselves, or use the wands to do it.

RebelVampire

i actually wondered if the vacuum was accurate to dogs. like i know cats consider them their mortal enemies. but ive never owned a dog to know if they too fear the monster vacuum(edited)

L Hornsby

Sometimes they make things by hand (paw), sometimes TeaCup Pup will use Magics

Oh man, my dog can't stand the vacuum. My dog growing up couldn't stand it either.

King Vacuum is based on this awful vacuum my mom had when I was a kid that weighed probably 50 pounds and was super annoying to use. It was called a Kirby Vacuum (not as cool as Kirby from Kirby's Dream Land)

mathtans

Maybe in the sequel they fight a roomba.

L Hornsby

https://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NDAwWDMwMA==/z/u4IAAOSwxH1UB0PB/$_35.JPG?set_id=2 this is totally that vacuum

mathtans

Reminds me of the vacuum from "littlest toaster" for some reason.

RebelVampire

we still have a kirby vacuum in my house. XD it is very annoying to use and i support it being the ultimate vacuum enemy

mathtans

"Magic" is too funny.

RebelVampire

as in the strip, math?

cause if you mean the strip, i do wonder how long it was before corgi pup noticed the tail XD

mathtans

The strip I got to, yes. Very "bunny".

OMG, all the feels for that Valentine one, you're right Rebel.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. The strips offer a lot of variety in terms of set-up. Which of the strips did you feel was most relatable as far as the behavior of dogs go? What about that strip makes it this way to you? Of all the strips, which strip played out in a way that you didn’t expect and potentially made you laugh or aww at it? Why did it catch you off guard, and what made the twist likeable? Many of the strips also have positive messages within them. Which strip left the most impact on you in terms of endearment or positive messages behind it? What about the strip left this impact?

next time the pups face a vacuum they can join forces with the commando cats. and together they can win against the roomba army.

mathtans

I don't know much about dog behaviour. I had a newspaper route for 7 years and got bitten once, so mostly I avoid them.

L Hornsby

That's too bad

mathtans

It would be interesting to see the dogs and cats against a common enemy.

L Hornsby

That's true.

mathtans

I didn't expect the 'piff' into the cloud at the bottom of the slide, that was amusing.

RebelVampire

https://tapas.io/episode/334958 that was probably the strip i found probably reflected dog behavior the most. also qualifies as one where i didnt expect the twist. i legit thought they were gonna make a nice garden.

and then they didnt

although poor scruffy pup

missed out on dirt rolling

mathtans

Dog gonnit.

RebelVampire

oh no the puns have begun XD

L Hornsby

If the Princess Pups did more than just bark and make dog noises, there would be A Lot More Puns

RebelVampire

they can just write a dog pun book

send the commando cats a free copy

mathtans

The "silent movie" aspect is pretty cool though.

RebelVampire

yeah i think it works well cause theyre all very expressive and the scenarios have that right blend of simplicity where the stories are always understandable and relateable

mathtans

Actually, if it counts, some of the author comments at the end give me unexpected laughs too. (How DO they get a pool in the clouds?)

Yeah, expressions are great. Some of the posing in particular is fun to read.

RebelVampire

ya know im not gonna question a pool in the clouds cause tbh the beginning made me wonder if they were in doggie heaven since cloud imagery usually equals heaven XD

so i will always be thankful its not

and they just live in the clouds

L Hornsby

LOL oh no, I hadn't thought of that

mathtans

Pug Pup seems so amusingly clueless. Might be my fave, which is weird, because I'm not a fan of the wrinkly look in real life.

I was wondering if they were angels or something initially too. Like would they be visiting earth and seeing humans or something.

L Hornsby

Nah, they just live in the clouds and occasionally slide down rainbows to visit the ground

mathtans

Now alien meeples. Meeples is the best word.

L Hornsby

It really is!

RebelVampire

im glad im not the only one who thought the dead angel thing. XD cause that would be a morbid start.

mathtans

Constantly amazed at how much gets conveyed without dialogue in these strips. So good.

Like the no cookie stuff in the space sequence.

Or the ghost encounter and telling stories.

RebelVampire

this is another strip i think had a twist in that i overguessed. https://tapas.io/episode/616509 cause when the dinosaur leg went missing i was like "nah it couldnt be this is gonna be some doggie profiling." but then nope, it was my favorite pup being super obvious about it. which also surprised me cause totally thought pug pup would be the bone thief if it was anyone.

mathtans

Or for that matter, Santa and the goat.

Heh, nice parody of the venus oyster shell painting in that one.

RebelVampire

i questioned corgi pup's choice of gift. i wasnt sure if scruffy pup would still even like goats after the goat world incident XD

and then the goat tried to eat scruffy pup, the nightmares relived O_O

mathtans

I like the one just before that, with the fly needing it's own book. Would not have called that.

Goats are tricky. Like elves.

L Hornsby

Corgi Pup assumed that Scruffy Pup's love of goats hadn't wavered after such and experience at Goat World. But Corgi Pup probably should have examined closer to see that it was a Baby Krampus she was buying instead

RebelVampire

i did like the fly needing its own book. also made me aww just cause i love when the pups are being precious like that and putting kindness first. truly model princesses

mathtans

I hate getting a krampus in my legus.

RebelVampire

at least santa saved the day

mathtans

Yis, very precious attitudes.

RebelVampire

another strip i loved that had a twist was https://tapas.io/episode/833602

like i assumed pug pup would defy the odds and catch something

did not expect it to be scruffy pup XD

and those looks of surprise are priceless XD

mathtans

I'm learning about pineapples.

RebelVampire

haha

i thought it was super lucky teacup pup was the one to get the pineapple

so she could cheat and use the wand

cause idk how the other pups wouldve managed XD

QUESTION 4. The Princess Pups have met with two other pup groups: the CowPoke Pups and the Space Pups. Which of these other groups interested you the most and why? Whether your favorite group, which about each story line did you like? What other groups do you think the Princess Pups might meet? In terms of future stories, do you think we will see the CowPoke Pups or Space Pups again? If so, in what manner might we see them? In general, what shenanigans do you think the Princess Pups will get up to in the future?

i liked both groups, but i think im gonna side with the space pups just cause they had fun things like the ability to turn off gravity. and no gravity makes for some fun parties where you can do lots and lots of things.

mathtans

Huh, I don't think I even clued in that she was the only one with a wand.

RebelVampire

yes it was her prize for defeating king vacuum and being the brave one

mathtans

Space Pups also had alien meeples.

Rebel - I thought it was just her official graduation gift or something, like the others had them in reserve without occasion to use them.

L Hornsby

Oh man, I looked up so many images of Pineapples and how they grow for that Pizza Party story

mathtans

I was wondering how much research was necessary. Ever decide, 'heck with it, they're getting broccoli'?

L Hornsby

TeaCup Pup was passed the mantle of holding The Wand by Fluf Pup after the origin story @mathtans

How DOES broccoli grow?

mathtans

I thought it was just heads in the ground like cauliflower but now I'm not sure. O.o

L Hornsby

It grows up and is quite green lol

still has leafy things around it like the Pineapples

mathtans

Still reading during the chat. I like how the unconventional topping of a cupcake helped save the day.

L Hornsby

I did like drawing the Alien Meeples a lot

RebelVampire

broccoli is a weird looking plant ill say. although would probably have been easier than pineapple. but then again idk how many pups would want broccoli on the pizza. not that i think pug pup would complain. i just assume pug pup will eat anything edible. maybe some not edible things

i really liked in the cowpoke pups storyline where they had to catch up to a moving train and jump on. it felt very epically western and made me admire how cool and brave the pups are.

mathtans

Yeah, pug doesn't seem too fussy.

Also, the Space Pups returned to create an eclipse, that was an unexpected guest starring role.

L Hornsby

The Solar Eclipse in 2017 was sooooooo cool! And it totally looked like a giant sandwich cookie to me

RebelVampire

its kind of a shame the space pups didnt invite the princess pups again to eat the sandwich cookie

i kind of hope we see the space pups again as the call the princess pups needing help on a space mission

ultimate space adventure

L Hornsby

They'll probably show up again

mathtans

I kinda remember that eclipse, aye.

Hm, are there also pups that live in the sea? Mer-Pups?

L Hornsby

The Space Pups are based on my dog Hannah and her brother Walter. We adopted Hannah and someone else adopted Walter a few days later

There might be Mer-Pups?

RebelVampire

omg

i totally support mer pups

that would adorable

and cool undersea parties can be had

with colorful coral

L Hornsby

The Pups might end up going back in time first. I'm a sucker for drawing dinosaurs

mathtans

Oooh, time travel is always fun. Hopefully they don't go for the bones of the live dinosaurs.

I've reached the Go West part.

RebelVampire

that also sounds awesome. can just picture them running from the trex. then making friends. all sitting around having cookies together

L Hornsby

Prehistoric cookies

or maybe just dinosaur shaped ones

RebelVampire

thatd also be cute. endear the dinosaurs to them by making cookie self portraits.

i wonder if there are secret agent pups

who go around everywhere wearing sunglasses

L Hornsby

maybe?

mathtans

(Sorry, little one was fussing, had to run off for a moment.)

Just wanted to say before the end, the goat eyes are interestingly unique, makes it easy to tell them apart from the rest of the animals.

RebelVampire

https://tapas.io/episode/1197013 i really love this vulture train dude with the hat btw. i actually hope we see the vultures again cause they had such great expressive and evil faces

mathtans

Those vultures are pretty petty.

L Hornsby

Vultures are both cute and terrifying in real life

And the same with goats. I wanted to use Actual Goat Eyes because they're SO WEIRD

mathtans

Oh hey, caught up just in time. I like the one balloon falling down.

Goats + Pineapples = wha?

RebelVampire

as we draw to a close, i just want to say the comic was really nice and a great way to start off the year i think. there were just so many heartwarming moments and i loved the immense kindness the pups always showed despite adversity

L Hornsby

A Goat Pineapple?!?

mathtans

Pineapple with slanty eyes.

Agreed, Rebel.

L Hornsby

Aw, thanks guys! I don't have a huge following so it was good to hear from some readers!

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB END!

Sadly, this wraps up this week’s Thursday Book Club chat for now. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and joining us! We want to give a special thank you to Lindsay Hornsby, as well, for making Princess Pups. If you liked the comic, make sure to support Lindsay Hornsby’s efforts however you’re able to~!

Read and Comment: https://tapas.io/series/Princess-Pups

Lindsay Hornsby’s Gumroad Shop: https://gumroad.com/fizzlebit

Lindsay Hornsby’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Fizzlebit

Comic Tea Party- Thursday Book Club

Next week’s Thursday Book Club will be about Chasing Little Lights by Evelyn Shi. For participants, you have the next week to read as much of the comic as you would like~! We hope to see you on Thursday, January 10th, from 5PM to 7PM PST for the chat in #thursday_bookclub!

Comic’s Main Site: http://www.cllcomic.com/

Comic’s Tapas Mirror: https://tapas.io/series/cll