#UTDC

[ariadnassecretdiary]

Under this damn contract

Summary: Ariadna was just your average college student that suddenly found herself in a tight situation: she woke up inside her favorite novel! Well, isn’t that nice~? WRONG! She reincarnated as a support character whose fate is to end up dead, victim of the novel’s villain Kino, who’s thirst for blood and power makes him extremely dangerous! Right now, she’s one year ahead from the tragedy so Ariadna’s only choice is to find a way to survive. Ari must do anything in her power in order to avoid the destiny that was given to her. The question now is: will she make it?

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, […]

Chapter 8: Playing with fire.

Mun Ari: One piece of advice: Do.not.write.anything.without.prior.planification!! I made these mistakes so YOU don’t make them! I wonder if it is only me though… meh! Anyway! I want to thank you for your patience while waiting for my brain to come up with a good idea on how to proceed with the story. I hope it won’t disappoint ^^.

Anyway, enjoy!

Ari finished making her order to the kind waitress and soon she left to prepare it. Ari sat by her favorite spot at the cafe in Sutzig city, waiting patiently for her guest to arrive. 

“Ari!” She heard someone calling her. Ari raised her eyes and soon Naomi made her way through the restaurant until she sat across from Ari’s chair. 

“I’m so happy you made it Naomi!” Ari said cheerfully “It’s been a while since we could hang out together!”

“I agree, it’s such a shame…” Naomi sighed.

Ari felt guilty, after all she couldn’t keep in touch as much as she could due to her new “social life”. Yet, she hoped Naomi wouldn’t know about that. 

“I would like to offer you an apology regarding this” Naomi interrupted Ari’s thoughts.

“You? Why?” Ari questioned her.  

Naomi left a tired sigh. 

“The truth is I’ve been very busy within my responsibilities to be able to send you letters” Naomi replied. 

“Is that so… then it couldn’t be helped. Please don’t worry about it” Ari tried to comfort her. 

“Still, I would like to apologize. Please accept them” Naomi insisted.

“Very well~”.

There was a tiny pause between them. 

“You won’t ask about the things that have kept me busy?” Naomi inquired.

“I mean… I suppose that they are confidential topics that I shouldn’t know” Ari replied, confused.

“You’re right but, aren’t you curious?” 

“I-I would be lying if I said I wasn’t” Ari admitted “But I think it is not correct for me to ask”.

Naomi smiled.

“You’re so honest and correct~” Noami praised Ari “Yet, it could help me to sort out my thoughts by talking it out with you”.

“Why me?”

“You’re my friend and I trust you”.

Ari felt touched by Naomi’s words and simply smiled. 

Naomi left a tired sigh and soon started talking.

“Remember what I told you about the Eagle clan job regarding the barrier? Also regarding the towers that surround our kingdom so that the barrier reaches every place in our empire?”

"Yes, I remember," Ari said. 

“However, the situation hasn’t been ideal. Just recently, the fluctuations have been more recurrent and are becoming a serious matter for us”.

(Wait! If the barrier comes from KarlHeinz, then…!) Ari’s eyes opened in realization. (Doesn’t this mean that these fluctuations means that his health is deteriorating!?). 

“We have no way to know what exactly is causing this, but I hope it gets fixed soon. In the meantime, we have already asked for reinforcements” Naomi concluded.

(Then no one must be aware of this fact!!) Ari got worried.

Naomi noticed that Ari’s expression on her face. Naomi smiled, as she spoke.

“Don’t worry Ari. I assure you that with some more magicians the barrier will be restored in no time. We are fully prepared to whatever emergency that may arise in the future, so worry not~”

Ari smiled, but deep down she knew better that that wouldn’t be true. 

(Now that I think about it, in the novel no one spoke about these incidents) Ari thought (These were subtable signs from KarlHeinz’s health slowly declining and no one seemed to notice or link these fluctuations with him. The barriers will cease to exist when KarlHeinz dies in Autumn… as well as Iberitia and everyone living there… even myself). 

But she knew better than she had no way to tell Naomi that as she had no proof and probably thought of her as some lunatic.

“I hope so too Naomi” Ari finally stated.

“Let’s change to a more pleasant subject, shall we~?” Naomi said cheerfully “How have you been? Is there anything you’d like to tell me?”

“Not really. I’m doing well” Ari said as she took a sip of her tea.

“Really~? Is there really anything you’d like to tell me~?” Naomi said while taking her tea as well “Then I must have heard wrong since I heard you were having quite a social life~”

Ari shrugged.

“Oh, that? They’re exaggerating~” she lied “Just a couple of parties or reunions here and there~” Ari then took another sip.

“Really~? Then, how is it that I heard you have been accompanying certain young man to these ‘occasional’ gatherings~?”

Ari almost choked on her tea. She coughed and cleaned her mouth as she tried to recover. 

“Y-You knew!?” Ari asked. “I thought you d-didn’t care about listening to rumors”.

“I usually don’t care about them as I believe they are a waste of time” Naomi agreed. “However… when my friend’s name was mentioned I couldn’t ignore them”.

Ari tensed.

“I had really hoped you hadn’t listened to them… at least this time” Ari admitted.

“Rumors fly and it was a matter of time before I knew” Naomi shrugged.

Ari gulped discreetly, she had to come up with an excuse for Naomi to lose interest and let it be.

“The duke Kino from Rottisen, huh?” Naomi said and after a brief pause she spoke again “I don’t like him”.

Ari opened her eyes in awe. Naomi had never openly expressed a dislike towards someone. She could guess so by the way she interacted with them, but everything kept being respectful. 

“H-How so? Do you know him by any chance?” Ari asked.

(If Naomi knew something, maybe I can use that to my advantage!).

“That’s my point: I have never heard of him before” Naomi replied “And that makes me doubt him. Ari, due to my position, I know every single member of the nobility. They are part of my responsibilities as I have to interact with them at some point, therefore I have to know about them to maintain diplomatic relationships. Not just nobles here in the Makai, but I also know the most important members of the foreign nobility. Yet, I’ve never heard of the existence of the duke of Rottissen”. 

Ari didn’t know what to say. If she dared to say something wrong, Naomi could know about Kino’s secret identity and complicate things more. She had to cover up for Kino.

“Is he your lover by any chance?” Naomi interrupted Ari’s thoughts.

“I-I! W-Well! I-I mean! We are still getting to know each other!” Ari said blushing.

(I wish I could explain to her the type of situation I’m stuck in…) Ari thought ashamed.

(For what I learnt, here in the world of the novel something as ‘boyfriend’ doesn’t exist. Apparently, the closest to it would be ‘lover’, but having that title means a step closer to becoming a fiance!).

Naomi looked at Ari and left her tea cup on the table. 

“I don’t like it…” she repeated.

“Y-You don’t have to worry about it Naomi!”

Naomi sighed.

“I would have preferred you to go out with someone I knew. That way I could have given you useful advice in order for you to make a good decision. For example, if you had chosen Sir Tersul… Sure, he looks like a gentleman, but he’s addicted to gambling. Or maybe if you had chosen his highness the fifth prince, I would have warned you about his famous whereabouts with various ladies. Something as fidelity isn’t in his vocabulary…”

Ari giggled, yet Naomi went serious.

“Yet his grace… I know nothing. It makes me feel uneasy”.

Ari felt moved, having such a great friend like Naomi moved her heart deeply. Naomi was never mentioned in the novel, so Ari suspected she wasn’t someone of importance and most likely ended up as Kino’s victim at some point in the novel. Although she greatly appreciated her, she had to keep her as far as she could from all this issue… to keep her safe.

“Don’t worry Naomi… I mean it when I tell you I’m fine” Ari smiled at her.

Naomi sighed once again.

“I trust your intuition, so I’ll respect your decision and won’t push it further. Still, I would like to advise you to be careful with his grace. Since no one seems to know about him, I can only offer you this much advice”.

Ari nodded and so they changed the topic. 

Some time later, they finally said their goodbyes and parted in different directions. 

As Naomi had just entered her carriage, it started moving. Naomi was deep in thought regarding the conversation she had today with Ariadna. 

(Duke Kino from Rottisen, huh? Sounds fishy…) Naomi thought seriously (Besides… Why does that land’s name sound familiar? I’ll have to look into this further…)

Soon she heard a light knock by her window. She opened it and one of her soldiers looked at her with urgency.

“I’m sorry ma’am, but your presence is urgently required back to the Eagle territory” the soldier said “The barrier is going through a new fluctuation right now”.

Naomi opened her eyes, surprised. 

“What? But it stabilized just hours ago!” Naomi exclaimed.

“The messenger just came to inform us ma’am” the soldier replied.

“Very well. Then let us hurry back, we’ll use a magic portal to arrive as soon as possible. Hurry everyone!” Naomi ordered and all her soldiers went back to work.

Naomi sighed.

(This can’t be normal. If this continues there’s no way we can keep it a secret much longer. And we haven’t received any reply yet from the imperial palace. Just what is going on?) Naomi thought as her carriage hurried. (I need to take care of this before anything else. I’ll need to put Ari's situation on hold. I hope I’m wrong about it and not to worry Ari unnecessary).

Naomi’s carriage took the magic portal and soon vanished, taking their preoccupations with them. 

As Ari was getting ready for the party she was heading out to, she kept thinking about her conversation with Naomi the previous day. 

(There’s no doubt that these fluctuations are signs that KarlHeinz’s weakening by the day. At this point, the story will follow its original curse) Ari thought as Mia was styling her hair by her mirror (We are just 2 months away from the Star’s festival and therefore the prediction of the oracle…).

“All done my lady! You look stunning!” Mia exclaimed.

“Thank you Mia,” Ari said as she rose. 

She headed to the carriage waiting for her by the entrance of her home. Once inside, it made its way to her already designated encounter point with Kino. When she arrived and both made their way to the party, silence always prevailed. It was clear that they took the ‘business only’ by heart. Ari sighed at the uncomfortable atmosphere between them. She had tried to start a conversation with him several times before, but they had died soon after they had started. It was clear that Kino refused to speak beyond the necessary… not to mention he wouldn’t speak about his plans at all with her. 

(He’s unapproachable. He’s also very cautions around me and he doesn’t trust me at all) Ari thought gazing at him from across her seat, while he was looking out the window (If I could only know what he’s looking for at the moment and I managed to get it for him…. then I could have some chance to get him to trust me).

The carriage stopped and both descended.

(I need to find out what: it can be information or maybe an object or maybe getting closer to a specific noble… if I manage to get it for him first! He might think of me as useful!).

They entered as they were announced. Soon Ari felt the guest’s stares and somehow she had gotten used to them at some point. They walked together and slowly they were greeted by various guests.

(I guess I have to start by sticking with him at all times to find it out) Ari thought.

Yet, at some point, as she was greeting some ladies that greeted her, she lost sight of Kino. Ari made her best effort to be by his side, yet he sneaked somehow every time. At some point, Ari ended up by herself by the dance floor.

(I can’t believe it! Is he doing it on purpose!? Why can't I remain by his side!?) Ari thought frustrated, looking everywhere for Kino. (He’s a sneaky jerk! Like a hummingbird flying at high speed from flower to flower! I can’t keep up with him!).

Ari’s eyes couldn’t find him anywhere. In late parties, he would leave her by herself and disappear not to be found by her until the end of the party or after some hours if she was lucky. 

(If this keeps happening! I won’t make any progress at this rate!) Ari groaned, still looking around. Suddenly, she felt someone touch her shoulder making her go back to her senses. 

“Lady Ariadna! It’s been a while!” a group of young ladies she had met at Lady Mindel’s party, Lady Shabel being one of them.

“Oh my~! You’re right! How have you all been?” Ari asked them.

(Oh dear, what a bad timing…) Ari thought as she smiled at them.

“It’s a pleasure to have encountered my lady!” lady Shabel exclaimed.

“The pleasure is all mine,” Ari said, and started talking about meaningless things. 

Although Ari was secretly looking around for Kino and as soon as she would spot him she’ll excuse herself to go directly to him. 

At a certain point, the music changed and all the ladies started leaving in search of a partner to dance or being asked to dance by a brave gentleman. In the end, lady Shabel, a lady called Linda and Ari remained with no one asking them to join them for a dance.  

“Where is his grace, my lady?” Lady Linda asked curiously “I thought he would come to take you for a dance by now”.

“A-Ah! His Grace had some business to attend with other guests at the party and had to retire for a while” Ari invented an excuse.

“Oh! If it was for work, it can’t be helped~” Lady Shabel replied understandingly. 

“I agree. Sometimes my father would take the opportunity to make business at gatherings such as this one” Lady Linda agreed.

Ari thanked they believed her lie, while she kept looking around for him. Yet when she laid her eyes on the dance floor, she forgot her search for Kino as she focused on the dancing couples. They swung around in sync with the music, somehow they were so coordinated that Ari thought of those movies back on her world replicating a ball like the one she was seeing herself. They all danced like they were professional dancers with a lot of practice for the big event. Ari always felt her heart beating fast with emotion at those scenes, but seeing it with her own eyes felt surreal. Since she was little, things like balls, dresses, princesses and anything related made her wish she was there. Even in the tight situation she found herself in, she wished she could join them… everytime. 

(Even if I was asked to dance I don’t know how to do it. Maybe the original Ariadna knew as she was a noble since birth, but not me. I can’t risk making a fool of myself) Ari thought, yet her eyes never left the dance floor. (Besides, if I happen to dance with someone else, I can make Kino angry with me).

The dance piece came to an end and a round of applause followed. Ari resumed looking for Kino, but got distracted by a sudden commotion on her surroundings.

“Oh my! Could it be…?” someone said.

“I don’t believe it!” someone else said.

“What is she doing here?” Lady Linda asked incredulously.

“I never thought someone like her would attend an event like this,” Lady Shabel added.

Ari followed their direction and by the entrance she saw that a new guest arrived at the party.

A beautiful lady was slowly descending the long stair by the entrance. Her long straight hair looked like strands of gold fluttering behind her. She was wearing a deep wine dress, richly decorated with details in black. When she arrived at the bottom of the stairs, she made a little bow with her head to viscount and viscountess Weiter, the hosts of the party, that were there. They reciprocated as they thanked her for joining them. She nodded and focused once again to the rest of the party and slowly made her way through them. They moved aside as she walked, somehow intimidated by her mere presence. 

“I’m shocked she’s here” Lady Linda commented, her voice almost a whisper.

“I agree. This isn’t the type of party she would attend” Lady Shabel agreed with lady Linda as well in a whisper.

“Who is she?” Ari said, realizing late that she thought it out loud.

“You don’t know who she is, Lady Ariadna!?” both ladies exclaimed looking at Ari surprised.

Before allowing her to answer, Lady Linda spoke.

“She’s her Grace Sabine Tachihara! The heiress from the Vibora clan!”

“Not to mention she’s currently the one that leads all trends in the empire. Whatever she wears or says is for sure turning into the next trend in the coming days”. Lady Shabel added.

“Everyone wishes to be part of her group or at least be on her good side. If someone dares to offend her or making her angry, it will be a social suicide! She can turn everyone against that person and it would be almost impossible to recover from it”.

Ari looked at Sabine as she kept walking. She passed exactly in front of Ari and the ladies and for a fraction of a second, Sabine seemed to look towards her direction and Ari could have sworn her eyes seemed cold and almost hateful. Was she looking at her? Did she imagine it?

Sabine kept walking across the center of the ballroom. 

“Oh dear…” Ari heard Lady Shabel mutter and Ari looked towards the direction she was looking. 

As people were moving away from her, someone didn’t move. Ari opened her eyes, surprised that that somebody was Kino. He was distracted by a conversation he was having with a man Ari didn’t recognize. Ari also saw that man looked behind Kino and closed his mouth in astonishment. Kino must have wondered the reason for that behavior and finally turned around to find himself face to face with Sabine that was forced to stop by this. They both look at each other, like analyzing each other. They looked like two beasts measuring their strengths. Everyone at the ball seemed to stop breathing, Ari could hear some worried whisperings around her wondering what would happen next. Some whispers claimed that Kino was being reckless by not moving aside on time, while others wondered what yould be Sabine’s next move. 

After what seemed like an eternity, they simply smiled at each other and bowed at each other. 

“Your grace” she greeted him.

“Your grace” he reciprocated.

Everyone was astonished and Ari could guess Kino achieved something big. 

“I finally have the pleasure to make your acquaintance your grace” Sabine continued.

“The pleasure is all mine” Kino gave her a charming smile.

“I look forward to having a conversation with your grace in the near future” with another bow Sabine walked past Kino and continued her way.

As soon as Sabine disappeared, everyone seemed like they were holding their breath and finally were allowed to breathe. Soon whispers could be heard everywhere, but Kino was unbothered and resumed his conversation with the gentlemen around him that joined him once again, but Ari could tell they were somehow more lively after what had happened, most likely proud from Kino’s achievement. 

“Her mere presence is intimidating” Lady Linda commented.

“I can see that…” Ari said, but was more impressed as to how Kino handled it. (It felt like a scene from Mean girls if you ask me) Ari laughed internally.

“I still can’t think of a good reason as to why her grace would attend a party like this one” Lady Shabel said.

“Whatever the reason she might have had… I’m so glad I came as well! Is it better to experience it than to hear about it, don’t you think?” Lady Linda replied excitedly. 

“I agree! The rest of the ladies will be so jealous when they hear about~! I can't wait for our next gathering!” Lady Shabel agreed.

Yet Ari remembered that stare Sabine had given her. She also wasn’t quite sure if she had to admire Kino’s nerves of steel or question Kino’s sanity. In any case, she had to find him, she couldn’t go home like she always had with no progress on her plan… or any plan she had made anyway.

She excused herself and went to find Kino, only to spot him just in time taking some stairs open to the guests to the second floor. She hurried after him and when she arrived to the second floor, she lost sight of him. The second floor merely consisted of a huge corridor with an incredible set of large window-like doors that led to small balconies for guests to use for a brief pause to have some fresh air. Something that just made sense since Ari well knew that viscount and viscountess Weiter enjoyed hosting various parties every couple of weeks. As an introvert herself, she thanked having somewhere to escape to when she felt like charging her “social battery”. As Ari walked looking for Kino, she heard some noises coming from the last of the balconies on the right side of the hall. She peaked and found Kino, but she discovered Kino wasn’t alone: Sabine was with him.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, your grace, I’m glad to have encountered you this evening” Ari heard Sabine said.

“Heh? And what is that I perhaps owe the pleasure for her grace to look forward to have a word with me?” Kino replied.

“Rumors spread fast and wide in this empire, it was a matter of time for me to hear about you. I must say that what I heard has picked my interest”.

(Then what the ladies said is true!) Ari thought surprised (If she’s aware of Kino’s existence our rumors have made it to the higher circles). 

“I have to say that it is quite an honor to have caught the interest of a lady such as her grace,” Kino replied, clearly satisfied. 

“Is not something easy to achieve, considering that I’m hard to impress”.

“I wonder what I can do for her grace to keep her interest longer”.

(Could it be that Sabine is interested in Kino in a flirty way?) Ari wondered (I mean, she isn’t really the first, but a duchess as Sabine!? Was this a thing in the novel? I can’t remember–).

“Lady Koizumi?” a nearby voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Y-Yes!?” Ari jumped and turned to look around to find Viscount Weiter in front of her.

“I’m terribly sorry to startle you my lady” he apologized with a sympathetic chuckle for Ari’s reaction.

“N-Not at all my lord!” Ari quickly composed herself and bowed to greet him “I was simply distracted”.

“I see” the Viscount replied “Are you enjoying the party my lady?”

“Oh! Definitely! The selection of music and the decorations are wonderful! It’s clear that everything was planned with the utmost care!” Ari praised.

“I’ll let my wife know your thoughts, my lady. I’m glad it was of your liking”

“Please do, my lord. Plus your hospitality has played a great part as well!”

“You’re so very kind, my lady” Viscount Weiter said with a pleased smile “I was actually looking for his Grace, have you perhaps seen it?”

Ari paid extra attention to his words.

“Did something happen?”

“Nothing to worry, at least not as far as I'm concerned” he said “Is simply that he asked for a moment to have a word with me and is just until now that I’m finished greeting all guests that I can spare him some time”.

“I see!”

(This is my chance!) Ari thought.

“I thought you might know as his partner where could he be”

“As a matter of fact, I do know where to find him, my lord!” she answered “I’ll go and tell him myself, so if you'd like you can wait for him in one of the balconies and I tell him to go and find you”. Ari replied.

“Wonderful! Then, tell his grace I’ll be waiting on the last balcony on the other end of the hall for more privacy”.

“Sure! Meanwhile, my lord should use this time to have some fresh air himself while waiting!”

“What a great idea! You’re so kind, my lady” Viscount Weiter said and turned around and left.

Ari turned around as well and, after a deep breath, lightly knocked on the balcony’s door where they kept talking. After a brief pause, she entered.

“Excuse me…Oh! Your graces! I hope I’m not interrupting!” Ari faked surprise as she entered. 

“Not at all~” Kino replied, but Ari had a glimpse of Sabine’s face to notice she wasn’t happy with her interruption “Were you looking for me?”

“I was, thankfully a servant saw you coming here and I was able to find you” Ari replied.

“Did you need something?” Kino asked.

“Actually, I came to tell you that Viscount Weiter is free now and is waiting for you in the balcony by the end of the hall”

“Ah~, then I can’t keep him waiting. If you’ll excuse me~”.

Kino left, leaving Ari and Sabine. Ari looked at her and felt the sudden change of the atmosphere. Sabine opened a fan to cover her face, not allowing Ari to read her expressions any longer.

(Kino you jerk, you didn’t introduce me to her!) Ari thought annoyed.

“Allow me to introduce myself with your grace: my name is Lady Ariadna Koizumi, youngest member of the Koizumi family” Ari introduced herself as she was of lower rank between them.

Sabine nodded. Ari felt uncomfortable in the awkward situation before her. After what felt like a long time, she spoke:

“I’ve heard about you”.

(You could have said so sooner!) Ari thought. (Ugh… This is so awkward! I want to leave!).

“It’s an honor, I hope only good things!” Ari tried to joke.

“Maybe…” Sabine answered coldly “but that doesn’t change the fact that is… annoying”.

Ari opened her eyes in surprise, taken aback by her words.

(Did I hear right?)

Ari could only look at her confused, but Sabine simply started walking towards the entrance behind her.

“If you’ll excuse me” and with that Sabine left.

Ari stayed there even after a couple of minutes trying to process what had happened.

(What was that!? Did I do something wrong? What did she mean by that?) Ari then felt angry (So the look she gave me before wasn’t my imagination!)

Ari took a deep breath and let it go. 

(You won’t always be liked by other people… maybe she was just not in a good mood?) Ari said as she shrugged (Besides, I have other things to worry about).

Ari then entered the mansion and went directly to the other end of the hall where some gentlemen were having a private conversation.

(I have to find out what Kino is after. I need to try to be a step ahead of him!) Ari thought as she hurried. 

As she approached the balcony silently, she listened as both gentlemen chatted. 

“I’m afraid that as much as I would like to help his grace, I’m unable to do so” she heard viscount Weiter said.

“It’s hard for me to believe it, as you are well informed in all the affairs regarding the internal market,” Kino said. 

Ari really didn’t have the background of their conversation, but kept listening.  

“Is true, but what his grace is asking is beyond my capabilities. Rather than involving the market, I think that’s a topic more fitable for politics'’.

“Not even if I double the current offer?” 

There was a brief pause, clearly Viscount Weiter was contemplating the offer.

“Something as offering such a large supply of magical weapons… enough to fully equip the Imperial Army: Are you saying that your land has a higher production capacity than the North Kingdom?”

Ari gulped. 

(If Viscount Weiter knew that, in fact, Kino does have that capacity…) Ari thought, remembering the events of the novel.

Viscount Weiter sighed and the sound of footsteps was heard closer to the entrance.

“I seriously can’t help you, your Grace” Viscount said “You have great talent, I’ve heard of it and I’ve seen proof of it just now. If you continue like that you’ll have a bright future ahead. However, I don’t possess the resources or contacts to provide you with the information you need. My sincere apologies, I hope you find what you’re looking for”.

“It can’t be helped then” Kino concluded “Thank you for your time then”.

“We can sign the contract another day,” Viscount said. “However, with the original offer only”.

“You can keep the second offer, it doesn’t make a difference anyway”.

“There’s no need, the double offer was in case I could be of any help. I won’t rest if I take advantage of his grace. Now if you’ll excuse me”.

Ari heard those footsteps again, so she hid behind some curtains and waited until she was sure the Viscount was gone. 

As she left her hideout, she heard Kino grunted, clearly angry that things didn’t go as we wanted.

“What a waste of time” Kino dropped the kind act “How is it possible for a business man like him not to know anything regarding the north border?”

(The north border? Could it be…?) 

Kino took a deep breath and spoke in a serious tone:

“I know you’re there”.

(Dammit!) she thought, entering the balcony.

“Well, if it isn’t you~” Kino spoke mockingly “Bad habits die hard, I see~”.

“It wasn’t my intention” Ari replied apologetically.

“May I remind you that this habit of yours got you in this situation to begin with~?”

“I know”.

Standing next to each other, they saw far in the distance.

“So, how much did you listen?” Kino inquired.

“J-Just the last part” Ari replied.

“Great, just great” Kino sighed exasperated. “Just forget you heard anything”.

“I-Is there any way I can help?” Ari dared to ask.

“Another bad habit of yours: minding in other’s business. No, you can’t help” Kino turned around with the intention to leave.

Ari grasped on the balcony concrete trying to calm herself.

(I have to try something! I need to try to cross that line he’s putting between us, otherwise I won’t be able to make it!) Ari thought desperately (Those that don’t risk, don’t win!)

“I-Is pretty hard to introduce products into the Makai right?” Ari finally said nervously “Let alone cross the border… Well, or so I-I heard”.

She heard Kino’s footsteps stop. Ari dared to turn her head and saw he had turned his head around.

“What?”

“Y-Yes, after all the Makai is p-protected from external t-threats” she proceeded carefully “Is specially though in the northern barrier”.

“And that is…?” he inquired.

Ari was a nervous wreck, she had to keep going.

“T-The magic barrier of course” she declared. “It was made purely with the purpose to protect our empire”.

“You are telling me nothing new” Kino finally said and was about to leave when Ari once again said.

“Security these days has increased considerably, don’t you think?”

“Security has always been strong”.

“But you know the reason behind it?”

Kino squinted his eyes, not really answering which Ari could dare to think she had guessed it.  

“Are you suggesting you know it?” Kino said in a mocking way.

“I do, in fact, know” Ari answered to his remark, sarcasm in her tone.

“I doubt it~” Kino shrugged, “so far, I have eyes and ears set on the north barrier, the reason behind it is confidential, someone as you knowing is…”

“Then, I suppose you already know about the fluctuations of the barrier” Ari finally said, somehow annoyed that Kino kept underestimating her.

Kino’s eyes opened so slightly.

“Fluctuations? In the barrier? That’s impossible” Kino said “That would mean the Makai is vulnerable to an attack any time a fluctuation lasts long enough for an army to invade”.

“Why do you think it has been kept as a secret or at least to just a few?” Ari questioned.

Kino went silent for a minute.

(Bingo! So there was something Kino didn’t know!) Ari thought satisfied.

“Fluctuations can be fixed sooner or later, even if what you said sure is interesting… doesn't make any much of a difference to me" Kino concluded to which Ari felt disappointed. 

But backing off… wasn't an option anymore.

"That’s a shame really, you seem to go after big things"

"Which I deduce you can’t provide. Such a shame, better luck next time~"

"But, what if the fluctuations meant something bigger?"

Ari had his full attention and Ari had to place everything on the bet if she wanted to make a change.

"Bigger as?"

"Do you know where exactly the barrier comes from?"

"The towers" Kino answered with no hesitation "they are spread wide in the Makai"

"True, but not quite" Ari said "they amplify the magic so it covers the Makai as a whole”. 

“I can hardly believe that” Kino replied “The towers must have a source of its own to produce enough magic to cover just a fraction of the land and where that ends the other tower close by would cover the next part and so on”.

“I understand your logic, but here in the Empire it is possible” Ari answered calmly. “The source is what really matters".

“Are you suggesting that something so powerful exists that is only required one of its kind to sustain the whole Empire and even better to be kept in only one place?” 

"Actually, rather than imagining something… you should be thinking of someone".

"The source comes from someone and not something?" 

Ari could tell Kino was confused, she had nailed what kind of information he was really after. It was understandable that it was something hard to believe, it was hard for her as well at first. However, everything made sense… at least for her with what she knew from the novel. She was given an advantage and she had to use it wisely.

"Magic reflects the state in which the porter is at. Can you imagine the severity of the situation?"

Kino was silent, Ari was expectantly waiting.

After what felt like forever, Kino spoke in a serious tone.

"Who is it? Who is producing all the magic enough to protect an empire and for it to only be distributed by the towers?" 

Ari looked calmly at him, although she was a nervous wreck on the inside. It was time to use what she knew in her favor and assume the consequences that would come with them.

"No other than his Majesty the Emperor KarlHeinz".

Mun Ari: Wahhh it has been so long! I'm sorry for the delay! Honestly? The past months were so hectic for me with all the things I had to take care of: college, finals, prom and not to mention the process of getting my title… and of course a special call out to my terrible✨️writer's block✨️. I literally had to stop, sit down and plan. I'm very satisfied and proud of this chapter! I can assure you that the next chapter will not disappoint! I hope you look forward to it! Also! Did you notice we have a cute official cover!? I love it! It has been a surprise I've been saving for a while now! I was dying to show it to you! I loved it! It makes this feel more real and serious!! I hope you look forward to the next update! Until then: thank you for reading! 

[skelemira]

My very first commission!!

Tis a gift for @sneakyfox55 / @never-forget-official, so I hope you enjoy!! Check out my Ao3 for more works and my pinned post if you’re interested in commissioning!

[ariadnassecretdiary]

Mun Ari: Damn if this isn't me! vwnlvwnrljkm

[never-forget-official]

(copypasted from discord announcement lol)

hey everyone! i hope you all are doing well!!

i uh, didn't wanna have to do this but. unfortunately my mental health is, not great and hasn't been for a couple months; i've been going through severe burnout with writing among other things and just. i think i really need a break from having to worry about it and pressuring myself to get a chapter done because it's really making my life just, kinda sucky right now. i might still create things and do little fun projects on the side, maybe write down some ideas or just. something, but i'm not going to be consistent with it nor try to strive to finish something on a deadline.

not that i've been consistent with updates EVER, but i probably won't post anything substantial in a while unless i like, have a random burst of inspiration or something (like with the ventfic above lmbo, that was the only thing that's made the exception so far). this also means i have no clue when UTDC will be next updated but that's, kinda how it's always been with that fic in particular regardless of hiatus or not, so jfkfdhkdj i wouldn't say it's being put on hiatus itself, i think i'd say I'M personally taking hiatus from writing until i can get back to normal and regain my confidence and just, love what i do most again--which is creating stories for others and myself to enjoy. hope you all understand and thanks for reading and just, being here. love you guys 💙

so. until then hehe ;D

kfdjfkJKH SORRY edit: no i'm not i've decided, this is what you came for

[sneakyfox55]

I SHOULD WORK ON UTDC TO OCCUPY MYSELF BUT DANG IT I'M JUST TOO EXCITED I JUST KNOW I WON'T BE ABLE TO FOCUS ON IT LONG ENOUGH TO WRITE A WHOLE SENTENCE SHGDSJGJSFHGSJDGJH

[ariadnasdiary]

How is Yui's relationship with Ariadna, Sabine, Naomi and Amelie? 👀 Do Sabine and Amelie have any love interests (maybe some Diaboy)? 👀🩷 Does Ariadna have any other suitors besides Kino? 🤭

I love all your OCs, and would love to know more about them! 🩷

Mun Ari: ahhhh thank you so much for your kind words dear!! They are all great questions!! And I do have given them a thought!

Yui's relationship with my girls:

Yui and Ari are good friends. They used to spend more time together, but since Ari moved in with Kino they now only spend time every once in a while and only while in school sadly :(. They keep in good terms and sometimes they write each other letters. As they grow up, Ari and Yui are still friends and their respective clans have a strong alliance thanks to that. They keep in touch and one particular child of Arino sees and adores Yui as an auntie... I won't say who~

Yui and Naomi: they have met and mostly spend time together when Ari is present. Ari introduced them, they're 'a friend of a friend' basicallly(? They are also fellow rulers of their clans further in the future. Naomi does find Yui adorable and cute and enjoys spoiling both of them when the three are together ❤️. Naomi is like an older sister! Naomi has a weakness for cute, kind and 'defenseless' girls (plus points if they're shorter than her jijij)

Yui and Sabine: yeah... Sabine is a difficult person. Sabine doesn't find her worth of her time, but her father does force her to treat her with respect at least since she's not only the Eve but also the queen of the vampire clan. Let's remember that the Vibora clan only recognizes as leaders of the bat clan the triplets, so in my AU Ayato becomes the ruler and therefore takes Yui as his wife/queen, so the Vibora clan respects and supports her. Sabine isn't that mean towards her, just doesn't find her interesting.

Yui and Amelie: The wolf clan mostly remains neutral overall the political aspects. Amelie is very shy and soft spoken, so she doesn't interact or socialize actively. Amelie does respect Yui for her being Eve and as a fellow queen. They have had their tea parties both alone and with the rest of the queens, and they share various interests in common. Ari, Amelie, Naomi and Yui have had their own private tea parties or gatherings over the years and Amelie does like both Ari and Yui. Amelie is younger than Naomi, so they doesn't know each other for long compared to Naomi and Sabine for example. However, Ari and Amelie understand each other for being shy and introverts, so they have each other's back. Amelie is pen pals with Yui and they write each other letters once in a while as well and I find that cute! Amelie once took both Yui and Ari on her back as a wolf when they were pregnant when they felt tired 🥹.

Love interests:

As for Sabine: after a lot of thought, I came to realize the most logic thing to happen is for her to have an arranged marriage (of her choosing of course) with a noble Vibora man. Either as a favor for his family supporting her ascending to the throne or merely for political reasons. I did imagine that the man she ends up marring won't be either a super soft-loving husband nor a jerk one, he'll be somewhere in between and overall Sabine will have a nice and decent marriage. His husband won't have the power or influence of Sabine, but will be what Sabine needs and that's all there's to ask for in Sabine's case at least ^^.

As for Amelie: I'm not very sure ^^'. Depends in which context I might need/want her. In UTDC, she's underage and hasn't had her debut. So, the thought of marriage plus her shy personality makes it for her and her parents to seek her a proper suitor. However! I do plan on her to be able to meet a nice young man who'll love her just as she is. I even thought of ***** from UTDC [spoiler lol] since they'll make a great couple 🥹 or maybe someone I came up with like in Sabine's case, I haven't fully decided yet jijij~. Within the actual timeline... I don't find the idea of shipping her with a diaboy crazy though 👀. If I had to choose a diaboy as you suggested: some good options could be Shu or Azusa though. They are nice enough and good prospects for Amelie~. Shu could be more likely since Amelie’s parents might prefer someone of noble status better for many reasons, but if Amelie were to fall in love with Azusa por example I can see them changing their minds if Amelie were to speak out! I like how these options sound 🙊🙈.

Breaking news: Ari has another suitor!? :0

As a second love interest? If that's what you mean the answer is: In UTDC AU? Yes. In the normal timeline? No.

Let's talk about that second love interest: Isaac. As you may know or remember, was Ari's crush for almost 5 years. They were classmates and got along nicely, but Ari never had the courage to declare her feelings towards him. In the end, she ended up getting hurt by baseless rumors of him starting to date some other girl.

In UTDC AU, as a manhwa inspired fanfic to me... you need a second male lead/love interest, don't you think? LOL. So! I took Isaac once again to be the second ml~. I haven't gotten into that part yet, but I can't wait to develop this messy love square I'm planning for UTDC >:D.

But otherwise, no: Ari doesn't have any second love interest or suitor in the normal timeline 🙊

Thank you for the ask anon! It was very interesting!

[sneakyfox55]

WHAT NO THIS IS ME AT YOU

Do u ever read a friend’s fic and it’s like holy shit how do you consider me qualified to talk to you?

[unhingedcanadianbacon]

list of trains ’d live to see turned into furries:

(that I haven’t personally seen yet)

Baldwin RF-16 “Sharknose”

PRR S-2 Steam Turbine

PRR S-1 Duplex

PRR T-1 Duplex

TTC Hawker Siddeley H-1 through H-4 (I’ve tried it, it’s quite fun to make into an otter)

TTC UTDC CLRV and ALRV

ALCO PA and FA units (similar to F-units I’ve seen, but boxier and cool headlight design)

LMS 0-10-0 “Big Bertha”

Swiss ‘Crocodile’ Locomotives

London Underground S7 and S8 Stock

London Underground 1938 Tube Stock (and all the derivatives after it)

MTA R-26 through R-36 Redbirds (be careful not to confuse the R-27 or R-30 units as IRT Redbirds, unlike them they are BMT Redbirds — oh and obviously the R-32’s but they are very visually different)

TTC Bombardier “Toronto Rocket”

PCC Streetcar (and all derivatives — OF WHICH I SAW SOMEONE MAKE A TATRA T3 AND THEY WERE SO CUTTTEEE OMGGG)

I’ll admit this is totally for fun, I’m not an artist and this is just a personal list of mine to remember, but I mean if you wanted to try it I’d love to see how that’d turn out!

[identifyingtrainsinposts]

GIF MAN / Urban Transportation Development Corporation (UTDC) - Articulated Light Rail Vehicle (ALRV) Pictures 2: General Electric - 50 Ton Steeplecab 4: Hyundai Rotem - Silverliner V 5: Bombardier Transportation - Toronto Rocket 7 : MAN / UTDC - ALRV | Alstom - Flexity Outlook 8: Motive Power - MP40PH-3C

Alstom that's a tram not a car.

How public transportation can reduce congestion

[ariadnassecretdiary]

Mun Ari's random thoughts #???

I always carry with me a wireless keyboard and phone stand to I can write anywhere. At this point, is general knowledge I enjoy writing... but nobody knows what I ACTUALLY write.

Some time ago, I mentioned to my little cousin that I enjoyed writing and I was working on something. I couldn't tell my little cousin I was writing a fanfic, so I told him I was writting a "book'". I meant UTDC of course. I told him the general idea and skipping various names and events and he gave some some actual good ideas (some that have been applied to some chapters actually). I thought he would forgot since it was almost 2 years ago...

Well, turns out my mother went with my aunt (and therefore my little cousin was there) some days ago for something and mentioned something about "my book", and before she could finish the rest of her idea, my cousin exclaimed: "Has [Mun Ari] published her book!? I helped her with it! Where can I get one copy?"

I felt truly happy when my mom told me about it… but also kind of felt bad since: 1) it isn't a book and 2) I've been stuck for months now in chapter 8 and 3) it's not meant to be published :')

I cleared that missunderstanding with him already (also take into account he's 9) and told him I haven't finish it and that I'm stuck… once again (when I commented him I was also stuck in chapter 4-5(? back then) and he told me I could talk to him about it and he'll be glad to help :'D

I love him, he's so cute! I might take upon his word again, maybe he'll give me some ideas.

[humassatpolpppadang]

PADANG - 114 Orang personil Pol PP Padang ikuti kegiatan donor darah pada Sabtu (03/12) 2022. Kegiatan Donor darah ini diselenggarakan oleh Dinas Pekerjaan Umum Dan penataan ruang bekerja sama dengan UTDC PMI Kota Padang. Bertempat di jalan Ujung Gurun Kota Padang Sumatera Barat. "Dalam rangka memperingati Hari bakti pekerjaan umum yang ke 77. 114 Orang personil Satpol PP kita sertakan ucap"Andre Algamar Sekda Kota Padang. Lebih lanjut Andre menjelaskan bahwa kegiatan Donor darah ini adalah panggilan kemanusiaan untuk menolong sesama selain itu dengan aktif donor darah tentu si pendonor akan menjadi sehat. Terkait kegiatan Donor Darah ini Dijelaskan Andre bahwa Personil Satpol PP Padang selalu dikerahkan agar bisa melaksanakan Donor darah mengingat persediaan darah di PMI juga menipis, sebagai kesatuan yang memiliki banyak personil maka Pol PP Padang selalu berkontribusi guna mendonorkan darahnya," "Selain bernilai ibadah tentu donor darah ini juga sangat bermanfaat bagi kesehatan tubuh. Seperti tubuh jadi lebih fit karena produksi darah diperbaharui,"Ungkap Sekda. Kegiatan donor darah yang diselenggarakan oleh Dinas PU tersebut 114 Orang personil Pol PP di pimpin langsung oleh Deni Harzandy Kepala Bidang ( Kabid) ketertiban umum dan ketentraman masyarakat (Tranmas) Pol PP Padang. @ditpolpplinmas_kemendagri #ditpolpplinmas_kemendagri https://www.instagram.com/p/ClskjSlyUju/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[everysshkey]

-----BEGIN RSA PUBLIC KEY----- MIIBCgKCAQEA5jymzegAqn5bmH835eQwlY/hog3yn1/ycB+j5werZMcPrfY4OWW5 sFU9PSbWi44AnxnmUnoxjxqiyYcmNMyMC0NezTwdANr/wITJBglsg9Q/c7X7KjxG U3FTM8tlaw8dhIe4DHHLzR7iA9i6r6BWa2Pn1tpgLpGjeJY4t+XeT50UWXYKGm+K r/r3dPXOWpHliAIKxiXDpI1a5u+Rl3aq+f/yFcnONOlC2lQb638EbksRpCtVgc5Z LvyD3QLEnUgVU5fMIhuACz5rfR2PjZv43X4IHyEdfUK7vTobj3rP4RfGPqe1oLzd apJ4kMhckU9H5QN1k6LHXmZ8DwR9ssogwQIDAQAB -----END RSA PUBLIC KEY----- -----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY----- MIIEogIBAAKCAQEA5jymzegAqn5bmH835eQwlY/hog3yn1/ycB+j5werZMcPrfY4 OWW5sFU9PSbWi44AnxnmUnoxjxqiyYcmNMyMC0NezTwdANr/wITJBglsg9Q/c7X7 KjxGU3FTM8tlaw8dhIe4DHHLzR7iA9i6r6BWa2Pn1tpgLpGjeJY4t+XeT50UWXYK Gm+Kr/r3dPXOWpHliAIKxiXDpI1a5u+Rl3aq+f/yFcnONOlC2lQb638EbksRpCtV gc5ZLvyD3QLEnUgVU5fMIhuACz5rfR2PjZv43X4IHyEdfUK7vTobj3rP4RfGPqe1 oLzdapJ4kMhckU9H5QN1k6LHXmZ8DwR9ssogwQIDAQABAoIBAAGOaWY86jw8zGu0 eHFCYJ2yMklBJOG06VOesyHtqFfvDIkVf/3LVTz+5oISUCLzW8e3ihoGn20jNfR8 yGJU+6Fb3Dkw7dVCpbXsb9ttluExPxiOI1t+us73liNkfZQCryVlMXZMEp+ZVNfH 0EM9pzfknf2SzlGiRGOdSFbd4+nP17naqGrrmfzZJAB8FUpZueAAb1tBRgIu3XLM y9yfefJAoS3OECBgu3Va30tYXOeMvW2eN4pvrOdcdSH1oZILoZ2OjTkNRUprqwcf pRgqxEE/REG1zXAgwUZf8lw5v4HwYNAp0I7zZ6n3TAulO9Yjhm3g5BAiaXjhscOL PwwGX0ECgYEA+SRip5D8p+Po5uemLXFu1W9PCbbNB6iZA0iZ4t54lsXNq3WzOwbY j70JViEra0aCQJ/oF89f9bH8fSzBPNOw3S2xsYkRRhifuVe3lthU+4j1A+wjL/+O Mji+oFpSx9FeyHH25vnr79M05S3+wQhmcxlCpBcbDA/9k4YurdzxyqkCgYEA7JMM SxZwoKi+79RXRVr4K2oAO5rUP3oBRL35/s4ttr6N6MILDpdSGDFTpLnEI+WIr0r4 BmvOHrMconl+eq7kReiMFQxUkx6P/WP/j6SZYd+Aoo0bUFkv+GUmG8IYlT6YxgKl /QR0HMNOi1Qt4T4nfeGHEHXmJzMnPDBp/CzczFkCgYBdIV7HaIkpcSZ0eg9CWW6m 1g7jgLOvszRPZ+ouRh8prRMujrbKz8pQIMfGrGuAlEDIS34EuH4UZ84MNJifVjp8 00HjLWuJmlbKf6Ge/4r048NDDhgxLwRGfbO0WU8sZnVZ1FAJE09AvOC+8qySF8PE LqMcl46Cuc9+P+BfGYJA0QKBgGiJJbJ8TPJA/nX9Tz7fTq/oXAf6h3UxFSRqCfC0 7HBGzXAfZkFhTi5QhZRRXcE66OYEa4py0pawMKP+qYvOgiH9+wBF/Y0wwRGHwWKY qgocd7vcPEiJ0G+jSm6Tmsc/7MP6YZxm/mPDTY61eLyB+XNfV45HepaxvNGU1xBO RpapAoGAT/UtdC+49SVDjXLze09DW+6Ji1pgoMtf/8I3NgMKxvIxUWp24kXXmWjI 49n1iI2YiV2KTdUSZ/3+BVycbB5VLOkvoPRSsRBxpO75P33laYC0eoHkrx58+uLG vy+LarzW6LTUXM+rk+h+v4cHh41Oh0xjgqO//FaNvqijICnT+3w= -----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----

[sneakyfox55]

OOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! THANK YOU FOR THE TAG!!!!!!! :DDDDDD

Writing Patterns/First 10 Lines Tag Game

Rules: list the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there’s a pattern!

1. You Can Be Great (And So Can I, Maybe) [Undertale; Platonic Relationships; Angst and Hurt/Comfort]

Papyrus did not sleep.

2. don't waste them on me [Warriors; Angst]

The very next day—or, what constituted as such in a place such as the Dark Forest—was much the same, much to Mapleshade’s growing grievance.

3. all is well [Personal vent fic]

i think it's probably very silly to think about but i'd like to think you're still taking care of me. or, had; past tense if my most recent dream about you is anything to go off of. i've never really believed dreams meant anything other than like, subconscious things maybe. i think they do tend to affect my mood the day after--or, rather, they foretell what mood i'll be in?

4. Until That Day Comes [Undertale; Sans x Reader; Amnesia Fic; Angst; Friends to Lovers]

You wake to the warmth of sunshine peering in through the curtains.

5. Still Too Far To Go, You Tell (But You're Already There) [Undertale; Hurt/Comfort]

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

6. The Princes' Bride (Undertale; Sans and Papyrus x Reader; Arranged Marriage AU)

… Okay so maybe that was not the brightest idea of yours, you contemplate as you sit alone in “your” room, stomach feeling unbearably empty. It’s only been fifteen minutes since your encounter with the King and for all that is Holy it’s suddenly catching up to you.

7. Dust [Undertale; Sans x Reader; Angst; UTDC Alternative Side Story]

… You go to join everyone at the picnic table, again. You leave early. On account of it being too late.

8. You Can Count On Me [Undertale; Sans & Reader/Sans x Reader; Friends to Lovers; UTDC Prequel]

Ah, Christmas! Your favorite time of year!

9. To Make It Up To You [Undertale; Sans & Reader/Sans x Reader; Friends to Lovers; UTDC Prequel]

It wasn’t the first time you two had been at odds with each other. Not the first time Sans had snapped at you.

10. tell me you don't want to leave [Undertale; Sans x Reader; Angst]

If he could just convince you stay--just for a moment--he'd give you the world.

Conclusion:

I DON'T REALLY SEE A PATTERN WITH THE OPENING LINES THEMSELVES (PROBABLY CAUSE I TEND TO EXPERIMENT WITH STARTING LINES AND TRY TO CHANGE THEM UP DEPENDING ON THE CHAPTER/FIC) BUT I DEFINITELY SEE A PATTERN WITH THE GENRES OF STORIES HERE LMBOOOOOOOOOO

(ALSO MY TENTH FIC IS TECHNICALLY A DIFFERENT ONE THAN I HAVE LISTED HERE BUT IT'S MORE OF A COLLAB WITH SOMEONE SO I DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD COUNT!)

OOP I FORGOT TO TAG OTHERS DSJHGDSJDSGJDSHJ WELL JUST!!! ANYONE WHO SEES THIS CAN JOIN IN!!!!!!! :DDDD

Writing Patterns/First 10 Lines Tag Game

Ooh, this looks like fun! Thank you for the tag @beck-a-leck!

Rules: list the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there’s a pattern!

1. Solace (UTMV)

Dream shuddered, painfully suppressing a strangled cough.

2. Small Comforts and Sun Rays (UTMV)

“Absolutely not.”

3. Robin's Nest (Undertale Bittybones)

It was so dark.

4. April Showers 2023 - A collection of Drabble Prompts (Harvest Moon)

Claire was speechless.

5. Eyes Closed (Undertale)

He knew this was a bad idea.

6. Leaving a Mark (Undertale)

“Well, that was a marrow escape.”

7. Wildflower (Harvest Moon)

Her initial plan had been to hide in the barn’s hay loft for the night.

8. Innocent (Undertale AU)

Sans couldn’t tell for sure what woke him.

9. In Your Corner (Undertale AU)

“Oi, Freakshow! We’re talking to you!”

10. Noticing (UTMV)

You’d been dreading this ever since the guys had suggested it several weeks ago.

Conclusion:

Not really surprised by this, tbh, since I normally purposefully open on a hook of some kind to catch the reader's attention. Something short, punchy, and 100% designed to make you perk your ears up and go "What's going on?". It's why the first line of my fics/chapters is often a single line of dialogue or a one sentence paragraph.

No pressure tags: @sneakyfox55 @lizzie-tempest @hannahcbrown @septic-dr-schneep and anyone else that feels like jumping in and having a go 😉

[never-forget-official]

fic masterpost (in chronological order)

since i figured the one in the actual description of the series was getting too long and just. yeah jhdgsjhsghj i decided to move the chronological order, thingy, over to here!! also with links so you can better access each individual fic!!! (don't necessarily have to read the series like this btw, this is just to explain the timeline!)

Buttercup

I Can't Decide

i knew you once

Gifted Advice

Wouldn't Mind

Without Having To Try

Once Upon a Memory

To Make It Up To You

I'll Be Summer Sun For You Forever

You Can Count On Me

happier

I Just Won't Let Go

'Til Our Timing Gets Better

At Least You'll Know

I Think He Knows

i'm scared to know i'm always on your mind

Just Know I'm Right Here (Hoping)

Love of My Life *timeline is literally all over the place for this one but it's from Reader's perspective and kind of, contains a bit of spoilers for other oneshots

'tis the damn season

Home

Might As Well Be Drunk (In Love) *pure romantic fluff that could either take place in a happier timeline or sometime before the angst appears!!

the sound of the rain

everytime

You Won't Remember

until the stars all fall down

So Anyway

goodbye, goodbye

won't even let the sunlight in

don't want to say bye *somewhere between goodbye, goodbye and the main story really

For The Life of Us We Can't Get Back

in another life *not at all canon, lol, just a short idea i had

a world we call our own *not a part of the specific timeline actually, just a noncanon blurb probably sometime before the main story

right where you left me *again, kind of a thing that just. doesn't have a specific place in the timeline but takes place shortly before the main story and after Reader left

silence *pretty shortly before Frisk confronting Sans in chapter 2 of UTDC

Until That Day Comes (main fic WOO!!! it's hecka long ghjsdgdsjhgjj)

creep *before Sans's appearance in chapter 24

if i see you again *somewhere between chaps 39-43 of UTDC

Dust *another noncanon blurb!! kind of an alternate ending/choice to chapter 49 of UTDC

[as long as i can feel you holding on,] i won't fall. *timeline is, very wonky here sdhfgdsj but it spans from Sans and Papyrus's childhood all the way up until the current chapter of UTDC, for the most part

The Doorway *UHHHHHHHHHHHHH ANYWAY-- (might contain spoilers for like, everything depending on how you view it so read at your own risk hhjfgjhdfbdndsvnbbn)

alternatively of course you can always just read them in the order i wrote them in or whatever order you choose!!

[sneakyfox55]

hi random AU of Never Forget/UTDC where instead of MC Sans goes missing ahead of time of when she would have left and MC has a feckin full mental breakdown because of it

[ariadnasdiary]

Diatober - Day 6: Rivalry

Normal timeline vs UTDC AU

Mun Ari: What a great opportunity to have these two interact! To be able to explain their relationship~! . So! Here there are some headcanons of this rivalry:

In the normal timeline (NT) both girls haven't interacted... yet.

NT: It is when Ari gets engaged with Kino and is sort of allowed to assist to the leaders reunions that both first met.

Their interactions are mostly polite and distant, on the edge of being cold.

This is due to Sabine's fault honestly. Sabine as most demons has lots of issues and prejudices towards everything that represents Ari: being a half specie, part human and the lowly ghouls leader... not to mention being KarlHeinz's illegitimate son's fiancé.

A half breed? Not being from royalty? Being on the ghouls side? Tsk tsk not a good impression for Sabine who's a recognized, pure blood and the soon-to-be Vibora heiress, a race who's way above the low raven race.

For Ari, Kino and the ghouls is the bread of every day: discrimination, prejudice, injustice and overall rejection. Just because really.

Ari introduced herself as such, she's proud of who she is, who she represents and to whom she's engaged. She was polite and went to show her respects to Sabine. Sabine started it by being mean and look down on her. Ariadna tried to stand it, but she was being cornered and humiliated. Kino had to intervene.

Kino's card on his sleeve are his powers, which are the only reason why Sabine won't start a fight one-on-one with him. She can sense/feel she wouldn't stand a chance. After that, the Vibora clan will have constant friction with the Raven clan even before negotiations and a relationship could be built.

In the NT, Sabine doesn't hold feelings nor has attraction towards Kino nor the other way around. I've explained it already, but in short: the reason why in the break-up AU everything went downfall was because Kino approached Sabine with second intentions and win her over through flirting and making her falling for him (until the it turned against him lol).

In the NT, Arino has a strong relationship and are deeply in love with each other (they are engaged after all in this point of the story) so there isn't this issue on the table. Also, Naomi and Ari had met various years before this. Ari had an idea of how Sabine was due to Naomi. She had warned her about Sabine, but she wanted to have an opinion of her own... which turned out to be just as Naomi had told her :/.

Sabine and Ari can't be friends, for the mere reason that I made Sabine the opposite of Ari on purpose :). They are supposed to be rivals/enemies, since I created Sabine for the mere purpose to be the villainess in the break up AU where she was first introduced. I've polished Sabine's personality for the better, but it would be SO HARD for them to even get alone (not even Naomi could even if they are a little more similar and have been interacting with one another for CENTURIES :)). Sabine and Ari are total opposites after all ;)

If we go a little into the future from their first interaction: Ari marries Kino, they earn the support of the other clans through a lot of work and effort and alliances of course~. Ari was friends with Yui (the vampire queen in the future in this AU), Naomi (eagle clan heiress) and later one Arino managed to stablish a good relationship with the wolf clan. Having the support of the majority, the vibora clan (*coughSabinecough*) was pressed to agree to sign a peace treaty, recognition and abolish of the slavery of the raven clan. Not because they wanted honestly. But, it is what it is~ 🤷🏻‍♀️.

You can't blame Sabine, is the education she had all her life and she's prideful, so yeah.

Now! In the UTDC timeline: is... sort of spoiler and complicated(? but meh~

Sabine being spoiled and prideful, is after her interests and is willing to do anything to get what she wants. She was raised like that after all (not so different from the NT)

Sabine was in the middle of the negotiations with the royal family (aka Sakamaki/KarlHeinz) to form an alliance through marriage. She was negotiating to get engaged to any of the princes (she was going to end up most likely with Shu, Reiji or even Ayato being the ones who had more support and chances to be named crown prince).

Sabine is the "queen bee" of the aristocracy in the UTDC timeline. She moves the threads, she marks the trends and is the leader. Everyone wants to be on her good side, and not being able to achieve that could end in a nightmare.

When Sabine started hearing about Arino, but specially about Kino she was intrigued. She saw it more as: "if he's the one that everyone is interested in and therefore the most desirable of the moment... I should have it". Somehow like a girl wanting the toy on trend: she doesn't necessarily likes it, she wishes to have it only. To brag mostly.

Those tow saw each other as tools to use for their own interests. Kino to open negotiations with the Vibora clan and Sabine to raise her status even more. Both are people that use others and are too witty for their own good. Was there any attraction between them? Absolutely. How far it went? Who knows~?

However! As Kino changes for and thanks to Ari and wishes to make Ari fall in love with him (cause he already loves her after other things that I won't spoil lol), he loses interest in Sabine and focuses on Ari. Sabine couldn’t stand this. Sabine isn't used to be rejected, ignored, being used instead of using others and overall to NOT get what she wants. What happened as a result? She gets obsessed over the idea of posses Kino, like a sort of whim. Somehow, this obsession turned into a twisted love(?. Sabine fell for someone who wasn't interested in her, the irony.

She tried to win Kino but with methods that only works on interested people. Money, status, benefits... none of them matter when love is in between. Sabine went as far as to harass Ari to belittle her with what she could offer and Ari couldn’t. At first this didn't work nor affected Ari (when she wasn't interested), it changed to affect Ari as she was being harassed by Sabine's followers and ended up in an official "war declaration for Kino's love" when Ari fell for Kino.

Sabine played dirty tricks that Kino discovered and some affected him directly as they were towards Ari and himself. She was getting in between their relationship/love and Sabine almost got away with it. But I won't say more~ I haven't written so far and that yet, so bare with me(? As I don't l know when I'll get there :'v.

In conclusion: Ari and Sabine are rivals but not for the same things, depends on the timeline. Is so HARD for them to get along and that was made on purpose... for me. It was for the script honestly lol.

Sorry it got long, but I hope those who got here enjoyed it :3.