#closers online harpy

[wendyius666]

My Favorite Closers

[missionaryseed]

[ticklishshenanigansau]

Ticklish Shenanigans - Chapter 46

What Does the HUD Say About His Dating Power Level?

Mod Yosh ~ Denise, *Papyrus Mod Kitty ~ Harpy, Vulkin (*Mod Kitty had played as this character for part of the RP version of this chapter.)

Denise smiled down lovingly at her little sister as she began to breathe deeper. The young girl must have been tired from the day’s activities if she had fallen asleep this early. With a soft chuckle, she bent down and smooched Frisk’s forehead. “Love you, sis….” she whispered, her heart warming instantly at the subtle rise of the corners of the child’s mouth.

Slipping out of the room quietly and slowly closing the door behind her, Denise hummed softly to herself as she walked down the hall towards her shared room with Papyrus. She began to feel giddy the moment a thought passed through her mind: this would be the first night she’d be sleeping with her new boyfriend. Honestly, she still couldn’t believe it. The moment she met the two skeleton brothers, Papyrus had fallen head over heels for her. In retrospect, with his staring and blushing, it was quite obvious. Even though she had gravitated towards Sans in the beginning, she was so very glad to have Papyrus instead.

Honestly, though…. What had the younger skeleton seen in her that night? They had barely known each other, aside from Papyrus’ online status as monsterkind’s mascot; Papyrus had no idea who she had been at all, not even that she was Frisk’s older sister! So then, why had he felt so attracted to her from the very beginning? It’s not like she was as confident or attractive as he was….

Denise shook her head with a frustrated huff. There went her thoughts again, trying to convince her she was lesser than she actually was. But she was lesser than him. Only because no one was as great as the Great Papyrus himself. Are you sure you wanna stick with that answer, or do you wanna try something more truthful? No! She was just fine the way she was. Yeah, your foster parents and ‘best friend’ sure thought so too. Shut up!

Distracted by the negative thoughts trying to claim back her conscience, the young woman forgot to take into account the sleeping skeleton inside when she rather forcefully opened the door. Looking up from the floor to the bed, she was surprised to find Papyrus not snuggled up under the covers, but sitting at the foot of the bed reading a book. “You’re still awake?”

Papyrus jolted, looking up quickly at Denise, who in turn took a startled step back. It seemed he had been so engrossed in his read that he hadn’t even heard her barge in. The monster’s shoulders slackened from their tense position with a soft sigh. “I couldn’t sleep. Well, I mean, I COULD, but then Angel needed to be let out to use the litter box, and I hadn’t been able to settle back in since.”

“Is something troubling you?” Denise asked softly, closing the door behind her and walking over to sit on the bed next to her boyfriend. She didn’t like how … un-Papyrus he seemed to be. Stars above, was he unhappy because of her? Was he regretting asking her to be his girlfriend?

“Well … I suppose I would be lying if I said no,” Papyrus answered after a few seconds of hesitation. He slipped a bone-shaped bookmark between the pages and set the closed book down next to him to give Denise his full attention, even though he had yet to look back up at her. “It’s just … with everything happening today. With Dad, and Angel getting hurt. Sans is really stressed out too, and I certainly don’t blame him. And then I learn that the entity who had harmed my pet may very well have been the first fallen human. Not to mention my allergic reaction to Lady Toriel's cooking. Today was just … not the greatest.”

Denise frowned, scooching a touch closer to the monster. “I was really worried today too. I still can’t believe everything that’s happened with Angel and your father. But I know that things will get better. Chris, as psychotic as he was, helped Angel quite a bit, and between him and Ms. Toriel’s healing magic, I’m certain she’ll make a full recovery. As far as your dad goes, I … I’m sure you and your brother will find some way to save him from … wherever he is.” She glanced down at her own lap, her negative thoughts beginning to return. “Um…. I-Is there anything else that made you so upset today?”

“Like what?” Papyrus finally looked up at her.

“I dunno, like….” She twiddled her thumbs in her lap. “Like … something relating to me?”

The monster beside her remained silent for a few moments before finally speaking. “Well, I suppose there is ONE thing.”

Denise’s breath hitched. She could feel the tears already building up, subtly gritting her teeth at the sharp sting behind her eyes. He really had regretted asking her out, hadn’t he? She should’ve known this thing between them would never last….

“I have NO idea how to open up the Dating HUD!”

Denise looked up at him in an instant, eyes wide and confused. “Uhh…. what?”

“Lookie here!” Papyrus grabbed the book and opened it up to the first chapter, pointing at the first of many steps listed on the page. “It says to press [C] for the Dating HUD, but I don’t even know what that MEANS! Frisk had somehow managed to do so during our date back in Snowdin, but I don’t know how she did it. And it’s too late in the evening to ask her!”

“What … even is that?” Denise questioned, staring at the book in bemusement.

“I DON’T KNOW!” The skeleton’s yell startled the human, his flailing arms nearly knocking her off the bed. “But I HAVE to figure this out before I can move on to Step Two!”

“And what’s Step T--?” Denise’s eyes widened, drawing in a short breath of surprise. She stared down at the text, rereading it again and again, making sure her eyes weren’t playing any tricks on her. At last, her brain finally registered what it read.

‘Step Two: Ask them on a date.’

Papyrus was … going to ask her on a date? But, wasn’t he planning on breaking up with her? Why would he be reading a dating manual if he was going to cut ties with her? Was it just the first book he had picked up? Or was it some sort of cruel prank he had cooked up for her?

“Denise?” Papyrus’ voice startled her out of her thoughts. She looked up at him, finding him staring back with a concerned look on his bony face. “I had asked if you wanted to read the rulebook so you didn’t have to hunch over like that. Are you okay?”

“O-Oh, uh, yeah, I’m fine,” she lied, sitting back up straight and brushing her fingers through her hair, trying to distract herself from the shame swelling up within her. She was so awkward. No wonder nobody liked her.

“Are you sure? You’re acting a little off tonight. Do you need some water?”

“N-No, I’m okay. Really, I am.”

“You know you can tell me, right? Do not be fooled, for I in fact DO have ears, even if I cannot dab anything behind them!”

“I-I’m okay, Papyrus.”

“Perhaps if you talked about it, it would help you feel be--”

“Just stop!” Denise shut her eyes tightly, squeezing tears free, feeling them drip onto her tightened fists in her lap. She could feel Papyrus stiffen up next to her, clearly taken aback by her sudden outburst. Honestly, she hadn’t meant to shout -- and she certainly hoped she hadn’t woken up Frisk in the other room -- but the voices were just getting louder and louder and she needed them to stop. “Please…. Just stop. Stop … this. Stop … pretending you care. Nobody cares. My foster parents didn’t care, my friends didn’t care, my ex didn’t care…. No one cares about me. So why should you?”

“Denise?...” Papyrus tried to speak up, but she interrupted him with her continued tangent. With the floodgates open, it was impossible to force it back closed.

“Why should you c-care about me? I’m nothing special. I c-can’t do anything right. I’ve been kicked out of homes, tossed around like I was nothing…. I-I’m not supposed to be someone you care about. Not you, not Sans, not Frisk, not anyone. My own parents didn’t love me enough to help me when I needed financial support. I had no choice but to steal money from them, just so I could afford a crappy motel room for a night. Helen would always boss me around, I doubt she even cares about me. She just needed a housemaid she didn’t have to pay. Chris didn’t love me, either; he just loved having a girlfriend. I was nothing but a trophy for him to show off to his friends.”

“So then … why?” Denise was full-on crying now, her shoulders quivering as she struggled to choke back louder sobs threatening to break free. “After everything they’ve done to me … after everything they’ve said to me … why are you still putting up with me? Don’t you have anything better to do?”

She stared down at her lap through squinted eyes, tears swimming around and blurring her vision in green. Suddenly, a splash of red appeared, and she felt a gloved hand pressing gently up against her chin. She let her head be maneuvered until she was looking into Papyrus’ eye lights. She could just barely see little dots of orange lining the rims of his sockets.

“Denise, don’t SAY things like that!” he implored. “I do not know the full extent of all the misdeeds the others may have committed, but I assure you they are WRONG. Everyone is worthy of love and friendship, ESPECIALLY you.” An orange tear streaked down his cheekbone. “These humans who were supposed to care for you…. They must have hurt you GRAVELY to make you believe that anything they said to you holds any truth. Please listen to me when I tell you NONE of it is true. Do you know why I had been so helplessly enamored by your presence the night we met?”

He waited for Denise to respond, and when she shook her head, he continued. “It is because I could sense the kind of person you are in your SOUL. No, I did not perform a nonconsensual CHECK on you, that would’ve been rude! To a monster, a human SOUL is arguably the most powerful source imaginable, their traits and innermost emotions very palpable. I could sense your sadness, your self-doubt … but deep down I could also sense a truly kind and beautiful person. Yes, I have met many humans with kindness in their SOULs, but you are the first I’ve met who has KINDNESS. It’s one of the seven different SOUL traits unique to humans, and it so happens to be my favorite of the traits. You can do SO MUCH GOOD for humans and monsters alike, but only once you have learned to love yourself as much as I do will you be able to unlock your full potential. That is why I care about you, and that is why I will NEVER leave you.”

Denise was at a loss for words. All she could hope to do in that moment was stare at the monster she hopelessly fell for. He meant every word he said, she knew it. So then … why was she having such a hard time accepting it? Why did knowing that someone genuinely caring about her shock her into such a standstill?

A few moments passed before Papyrus broke his gaze away from hers to look down at the dating manual beside them. He picked it up, studying it as if trying to make a decision. Then, he tossed the book over his shoulder, letting it land open and face-down on the floor.

"Let's go somewhere," Papyrus suggested out of nowhere. He gently took both of Denise's hands into his own, standing up and helping her up to her feet as well. "Let's forget all about the rules for a little while and just … do whatever we want."

Denise blinked in surprise. This was all happening so quickly. She could hardly process what was going on anymore. "I-I, um…."

Smiling kindly at Denise's hesitation, Papyrus' face suddenly lit up with an idea. "All right, here is what we shall do!" Letting go of her hands, he rushed to his closet, rummaging through it until he came back out with an empty shoebox. All the while, the young woman watched in confusion and interest.

Setting it down on the bed and lifting the top off, the skeleton placed his hands on the crown of Denise's head, sockets squinting in concentration. After a few moments of dramatic grunting, he suddenly wrenched his hands away, wrestling with something invisible before shoving it into the box. After slapping the lid back on top, he threw the box like a football back into the closet and shut the door. "THERE! I have taken away your dark and discouraging thoughts! Let's escape before they find their way back to you, hmm?" He held out his hand invitingly to his date.

Denise watched the skeleton’s antics in confusion all the way up until he held his hand out to her, in which her face lit up in realization. As if Papyrus’ silly motions of ridding her of her dark thoughts had actually worked, Denise smiled softly with a blush. “Okay…~” she meekly agreed, taking his offered hand into her own. She squeaked in surprise at Papyrus’ sudden burst of happy laughter, pulling her up onto her feet and up against his chest. She blushed harder.

“Then off we go!” With a snap of his fingers, Papyrus engulfed Denise’s SOUL with gravity magic, pulling her safely a couple inches off the ground behind him as he flew down the stairs. Once outside, he settled her down onto the porch and kicked closed the front door. “Let’s go to the city! It always looked so cool when I was–!” His sockets flew wide open for a split second before he cleared his throat and corrected himself loudly, “FROM A DISTANCE AT NIGHT!”

The odd behavior hadn’t gone unnoticed by Denise, but decided not to worry about it, doing her best to uphold her promise. “O-Okay, then. Heheh, lead the way, Papyrus.”

“Great! I know of a shortcut!” Papyrus swiftly hoisted Denise up into his arms princess-style, beginning a brisk jog. “I hope you don’t mind me carrying you! I certainly don’t mind….” A soft orange tinge colored Papyrus’ cheeks, though he didn’t avert his gaze.

The human looked back up at Papyrus, mouth slightly gaped in awe, impressed by his physical capability of carrying her with such ease. Her blush deepened. “I don’t mind, either. It’s very nice.~” She laid her head on his shoulder, enjoying the ride, gazing adoringly up at the chivalrous skeleton. She couldn’t help a soft giggle each time she caught his eye lights drifting back down at her instead of focusing on where he was going.

“Ahem!...” Papyrus suddenly cleared his throat, seeming to finally register that his secret glances down at his date were not so secret after all. “I’ve been meaning to ask: I always see you wearing your green headband – just like how I always wear my scarf! Does it hold some significant memories for you, Denise?”

Not quite prepared for such a personal question, Denise found a hand sliding up to her head, fingers gently clutching the beloved accessory. She smiled sadly. “Yeah… My mom gave it to me for my sixteenth birthday. I’ve always treasured it, even before their passing, but … nowadays I can’t seem to go a day without wearing it, whether it goes with my outfit or not. Though, I usually make sure it goes with my outfit.” She chuckled softly despite herself.

“I understand how very special it is to you, Denise,” Papyrus said, expression softening. “As a matter of fact, I also received this scarf as a token from my mother! Er, well, I’m sure it is! …Even though I can’t remember much, and Sans’ memories are repressed … I can just feel it in my bones! Nyeheheh!~”

“Oh, Pap,” Denise softly empathized. “I’m sorry you can’t remember much about your parents. But … I know that they would both be very proud of the amazing skeleton you’ve become, just as I know Sans is.” She briefly nuzzled her nose against her date’s neck, drawing out an adorable giggle from him.

Papyrus only just started to become slightly winded from the consistent jog as he passed into the city limits, and he began to slow his pace. “Look, look! We’ve made it!” he exclaimed, setting the human down on the sidewalk. No longer focused on any set direction, he allowed himself to be attracted to the bright lights all around them.

Looking up and around at her familiar radiant surroundings, Denise felt the corners of her lips tug upward more and more until she was beaming. “Oh, wow…. I’ve seen the city at night before, but it’s never looked this beautiful.”

“Isn’t it amazing!” Papyrus exclaimed excitedly, grinning down at Denise, seeming to enjoy the look on her face just as much as the beautiful scenery. “I’ve always liked cities! They chase away the dark! OHH!” Face suddenly brightening in excitement, he rushed over to a clothing shop store front, where a handful of mannequins stood in various poses, each wearing a rather fetching style. He stopped in front of a breezy summer outfit, pale yellow in color. “Wouldn’t I look great in that?” He suddenly struck a pose in front of the window, imitating the mannequin, grin widening. “You choose one too! Go on!”

Following close behind the eccentric monster, Denise focused her gaze on the mirror separating her date from the mannequin. She was able to make out his reflection layered over the mannequin’s, looking like Papyrus himself was wearing the outfit. She giggled. “Heehee! It does look good on you. But then again, you look good in anything.”

Browsing the other displays, her eyes locked on a particularly cute buttoned sky-blue blouse and wavy ocean-blue skirt. “Oh, wow, look at how cute!” she gushed. Looking over at Papyrus, then back at the display, she hesitated before attempting to copy the pose as well. She grinned at her reflection wearing the outfit.

Papyrus’ sockets fell closed in self-satisfaction. “Of course I do! For I am the GREAT and FASHIONABLE Papyrus!” When he opened his eyes, he appeared delighted to find his date following suit, glancing at her reflection. “Oh, that’s a MARVELOUS choice! It would go so well with your beautiful–... Nnnhh!~” Papyrus’ hand crept up towards his scarf and lightly fiddled near his neck, blushing profusely. “...B-Beautiful eyes, nyeheh…~ …W-Would you like to see if there are any street vendors out this late? I’m a bit peckish after jogging all that way.”

Not expecting such a sweet compliment, Denise’s cheeks erupted in a blush, shyly swirling a finger through a lock of hair that had escaped her ponytail. “Th-Thank you…~” Her stomach suddenly rumbled at the mention of food, and she smiled up at Papyrus. “Sure, that sounds great. Lead the way, Papyrus.”

“All righty!” Marching ahead with purpose, Papyrus started to sing under his breath. He didn’t mind any of the staring stragglers they passed – in fact not greeting anyone as he normally might have, too preoccupied with stealing glances at his date. He suddenly jabbed a finger outward towards a small stand with two figures standing behind it. “Oh, hey! See that glow over there? I think that food cart is run by monsters!”

The skeleton dashed over to the food cart, grinning warmly at the pair of smaller monsters: a Vulkin bubbling with lava and a green, wingless Harpy. “HELLO, FELLOW MONSTERS! Are you still open?”

“Oh, hello!” Harpy greeted, levitating with magic. “Yes, we are. Would you like some kebabs?” The monster picked up two skewers in either talon, which were already lined with raw cubes of beef and vegetables.

“Ahh! Helping customers! My favorite!” Vulkin squeaked happily, giving a small bounce, making sure the lava didn’t splash out towards the food or customers.

“Yes, please! One for each of us.” Papyrus reached into his back pocket and fished out his wallet, clicking it open.

Harpy laid the loaded skewers over Vulkin’s open back, then turned back to face the skeleton. “Say, I don’t know if you’d know him, but there was another skeleton back Underground who ran a hot dog stand–”

“Toasty and tasty!!” Vulkin piped up.

“–It was always fun when he came around. He probably doesn’t know it, but he inspired us to open our own stand here.”

“Oh, that would be my brother, Sans.” Papyrus placed the appropriate amount of Gold down, looking a little thoughtful. “Yes, I’m glad his irresponsibility as a sentry did some good….”

With a trill of a surprised giggle, Harpy grabbed the now well-done kebabs, holding one out for each of the customers. “Tonight’s a good night. Enjoy it!”

“Thank you! You as well!”

All the while, Denise smiled to herself. She always found her spirits lifting whenever in the presence of a monster, especially a happy and successful one. The cart vendors sounded overjoyed to be conversing with their fellow monster, just as Papyrus seemed to be, reinstating in Denise once again how lucky the Surface world is to have such friendly creatures back in human society.

Smiling widely, the human carefully took the skewer offered to her, taking care not to singe her fingers on the still-sizzling cubes. “Thank you very much.” She took a bite out of one of the meat tidbits, a satisfied hum drawing out for a few seconds. “Oh, this is really good! Mmm, the smokiness of the open flames just brings out the flavor.”

“Aah! So happy!~” Vulkin beamed with another small hop, while Harpy’s smile grew ever wider.

The two companions waved farewell to the monster vendors before starting a slow walk down the sidewalk, taking in their sights as they ate. “Mm! It really is tasty!” Papyrus agreed, before adding a bit begrudgingly, “Even if it IS a Hotland specialty…. Oh, I’m sorry, Denise, it’s not something I normally think about, but are you comfortable in the evening air? I understand humans are a bit more susceptible to temperatures than skeletons.”

Denise gave a soft giggle, touched by his consideration. “I’m fine for now, Papyrus. I’ll be sure to let you know when I start getting chilly.” After a few moments of working up her courage, she finally reached out to take his hand into hers, blushing. “I … really appreciate all you’re doing for me, Papyrus. I’m really having a good time with you.~”

Despite the warm magic once again rising to his cheekbones, Papyrus didn’t look away, instead gingerly squeezing her hand. “Oh, I am too! I’m glad to know you’re enjoying yourself. …Nyehh… So… Speaking of good times…” Now he averted his gaze, fixating on the skewer nearly void of food. “I notice that you have a lot of fun with my brother with a c-certain activity, and I was thinking…. Perhaps, we could have a session of our own?”

Denise blinked up at him in surprise. Then she smirked, starting to feel perfectly confident for the first time that evening. “Oh? And what kind of activity are you thinking of exactly?...~”

“Ah–! Err!...” Papyrus grinned nervously, fiddling with his scarf, his tone rising slightly. “Nyeheh, the … the tickling activity? If you want to?”

Gulping down the last of her food, Denise snickered, her chest swelling with ever-growing excitement of her own. Sans wasn’t the only shy skeleton, it seemed. Lids lowering, the young woman sneaked a scritch at his spine while his free hand occupied his scarf. “Ohhh, so you want a turn at being at my mercy, do you? Well, who am I to say no to such a precious request?~”

“HEEK–!” Papyrus reflexively shimmied away from the teasing touch, but didn’t let go of her hand, ending up pulling her along with him. “Wowie, hehe…. Let’s f-finish our walk first, nyeah?” Now blushing profusely, he absent-mindedly nibbled on the end of his skewer with nervous energy.

Even with how flustered he’d become, Papyrus seemed to be perfectly comfortable with Denise’s teasing. He giggled happily as she poked and prodded at him the entire walk home, which only helped Denise feel more at ease.

Once their house came into view, Papyrus paused, curious to observe a delivery truck backing into their driveway so late at night. “Nyeh? Whatever could that be for?” he wondered aloud, starting a light jog towards the vehicle.

The sight of the delivery truck caused Denise to feel a rush of emotions back-to-back. Surprise and curiosity turned into excitement and glee, which subsequently transformed into alarm. Now that she knew what was going on, she had to make sure Papyrus didn’t. After all, the item she had ordered off of Gregslist a week ago was meant to be a big surprise.

Hopping in front of the skeleton, the young woman offered him a sweet smile. “Papyrus, you’ve done so much for me tonight, and I honestly could not thank you enough for treating me like this. But maybe I could try to, by taking care of this while you relax in your room. All that carrying me and prancing around must have tired you out, at least a little.” She giggled softly and traced a couple fingers under his mandible. “After that, if you’re still wanting to play a little before bedtime, I’d be more than happy to.~”

Papyrus had clearly been about to object, but the teasing touch and promise of more to come instantly weakened his knees. “O-Okay then! I shall get the room ready!” Looking down at her, he tenderly stroked a strand of her hair, his smile reaching his eyes. After lithely bending to give her a skelesmooch on the crown of her head, he danced his way into the house.

Denise blushed and giggled at the tender, loving affection, eyes arching at the kiss. She watched as her date ascended the stairs as if they were clouds to heaven, making her giggle louder. He was so hopelessly excited for what was to come, which in turn made her just as eager to claim the sweet, charming, ticklish skeleton all for herself.

Making quick work in signing the delivery man’s tablet and helping him trolley in a large, padded item – all the while grateful he had chosen not to ask any questions – Denise finally followed up after Papyrus to the second floor, and not a single self-destructive thought plagued her now bright and happy mind for the rest of the night.

[dogmatism]

[pjpantsinception-blog]

I had an idea in mind of what I wanted this to be but then realized that would take a lot of work so I just simplified it and made it a rough sketch lol

But yee they be judging lmao 

[mikauzoran]

Marichat/Adrienette: Serendipity: Fifty Marichat and Adrienette Kisses: Kiss Thirty-Eight

Read it on AO3: Serendipity: Fifty Marichat and Adrienette Kisses: ...because they’re running out of time.

It was bad.

It had been an honest mistake, a simple oversight, but Marinette was now regretting it immensely as an akumatized Adrien fangirl tore the roof off the Gabriel warehouse where Marinette was doing her summer internship like the lid of a soup can.

Two days previously, Chat Noir had rescued Marinette when she got caught in the crossfire of the latest Gabriel Agreste-caused akuma attack. Unthinkingly, Marinette had rung his bell, called him her hero in a flirty, saccharine tone, and kissed him on the cheek.

One of the other interns (Marinette’s rival Benoit) had gotten it all on tape as he took cover behind a clothes rack and posted the video online, the sniveling coward.

Of course, Adrien’s rabid fans were now calling for Marinette’s head on a platter despite Adrien’s insistences that Marinette was not cheating on him.

Clearly this fangirl was a little slow on the uptake if she’d only found out about and gotten akumatized over the quote-unquote “scandal” just then.

“You!” the akuma (Marinette hadn’t gotten her name yet) shrieked like a banshee as she pointed threateningly at Marinette, flapping her harpy-like wings as she slowly descended. “I’ll show you, you little hussy! The penalty for breaking Adrien’s heart is death!”

Marinette groaned, standing her ground and letting herself be a sitting duck to keep the akuma’s attention while the rest of her coworkers fled to safety.

“News flash!” Chat Noir growled as he leapt through the hole in the roof the fury had created, bashing the akuma over the head with his baton like a baseball bat on his way down.

He landed in a crouch in front of Marinette, putting himself between her and the monster. “Adrien’s heart isn’t broken, and he’s pissed that you’re harassing his girlfriend,” Chat snapped as he rose to his full height, teeth bared.

Marinette mentally noted that her boyfriend was really hot when he was worked up over protecting her.

The fury recovered from Chat’s little love-tap faster than expected, hissing like a feral cat as she dropped to the ground, denting the warehouse floor with her clawed, bird-like feet.

“You and your lover will die!” the akuma screeched, pulling a cartoonish gun-apparatus off her shoulder holster and firing it at them.

Acting on instinct, Chat dove at Marinette, pushing her to the ground.

Unfortunately, it was a net gun, and the resulting net got a two-for-one special, trapping both Marinette and Chat Noir in one shot.

The harpy akuma cackled, slowly advancing on her prey. “I will sacrifice you both to Adrien, and then he will realize his love for me!”

“Hate to break it to you,” Chat grumbled as he and Marinette struggled to free themselves and only wound up making it worse. “but Adrien’s ninety percent vegetarian, and he frowns on human sacrifice.”

Checking to make sure Marinette was clear of his right hand, Chat shouted, “Cataclysm!”, and the rope trapping them dissolved away.

“Run!” Marinette yelped, half pulling him to his feet as they took off.

The akuma screamed in anger, folding her wings and giving chase much faster than a bird of prey that large should have been able to on land.

“We need somewhere you can hide while I lead her away,” Chat panted as they raced down evacuated hallways.

“Storage closet,” Marinette agreed, spinning on her heel and going back three doors to where they kept bolts of the three dozen hues of chiffon regularly used at Gabriel.

Just as Marinette managed to yank open the storage room door, the fury rounded the corner and shrieked, “There you are!”

She dove at them, snatching them up in her talons and tossing them into the closet together.

They landed with a thud, bolts of fabric raining down around them.

“Stay put,” the akuma commanded, shutting them in and piling debris up outside the door to make sure that they couldn’t escape. “I have to go get Adrien so he can watch your demise.”

And, with that, the girl flew off to find her idol, certain that her prey would still be right where she’d left them when she returned.

“Marinette? Are you okay? Did she hurt you?” Chat called desperately as he dug himself out of the fabric pile.

“I’m good,” Marinette groaned, shoving the blots of chiffon off of herself. “I’m probably going to be nursing some bruises later, but nothing’s broken or bleeding.”

Chat sighed in relief as he made his way over to her, helping to clear away the last of the fabric before assisting her to her feet. “Thank goodness,” he whispered, pulling her in for a gentle hug. “I kind of flipped when I saw that harpy monster on the news announcing her manifesto to put you to death.”

“My phone is in my purse in my locker, so I didn’t hear the akuma alert,” Marinette sighed, thinking, not for the first time, that she needed to come up with a way to stay on top of akuma notices even while at work because this was becoming a problem.

“I’m just glad you’re safe,” he sighed, nuzzling her hair. “I was really scared.”

He shuddered even as he held her. His first thought had been of Marinette’s lifeless body being presented to him by the akuma, and that was quickly followed up by the terrifying thought that if Marinette was gone, there would be no Ladybug to restore her to him.

“You’re still freaking out, aren’t you?” Marinette realized, wrapping her arms around him tighter and nuzzling him back.

He nodded. “I couldn’t live without you. It would break me.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” she promised. “We’re going to get out of here, and then you and Ladybug are going to purify the akuma. Everything is going to be fine.”

He took a deep inhale of her scent, letting it calm him.

“Right,” he breathed. “You’re right. Everything’s going to be fine.”

She held him a little longer until his breathing evened out, and then she pulled back, giving him an encouraging smile. “Are you ready to get us out of here, My Love?”

He returned her smile weakly and nodded. “On it.”

“I’m honestly worried about Adrien,” Marinette sighed as Chat Noir squared off against the door. “He’s probably going out of his mind worrying about the both of us. You and Ladybug need to stop Harpy Lady before she abducts poor Adrien.”

“Won’t be a problem,” Chat assured, raising his right hand and calling out, “Cataclysm!”

Nothing happened.

Marinette and Chat frowned in tandem.

“Not enough juice for a second Cataclysm today?” Marinette hummed.

Frankly, she was impressed with how his abilities had grown over the years. It was a little unpredictable, and it changed from one fight to the next, but sometimes he could get off two or three Cataclysms before having to detransform, and the five-minute timer no longer seemed to apply to him.

Ladybug’s powers, on the other hand, hadn’t seemed to improve or grow at all. She still got one Lucky Charm and then detransformed five minutes later.

She’d asked Tikki about it, but that hadn’t gotten them anywhere. Tikki thought maybe Marinette’s stress was limiting her growth.

Marinette couldn’t bring herself to be amused by the irony.

Chat Noir’s ring began to beep in warning, causing the hero to groan. “Plagg, it hasn’t even been ten minutes. What the heck?”

“Has he not been feeling well?” Marinette inquired, a deep frown of concern etching itself into her brow.

Chat shook his head. “He’s been his same old annoying, cheese-eating self. I don’t know. Maybe I’m the problem. I am kind of off my game because an akuma is trying to kill the woman I love.”

Marinette grinned, stepping in to give him a sweet kiss on the cheek. “Aww. That’s kind of romantic.”

“It’s kind of annoying,” he laughed self-deprecatingly. “Unfortunately, this is my reality.”

She stepped back with an affectionate smile and turned to face away from him, closing her eyes and covering them with her hands. “Go ahead and detransform. I won’t look while Plagg recharges.”

He pressed his lips together, considering as his ring gave another beep.

“I promise I’ll keep my eyes shut,” she insisted, misinterpreting the cause of his hesitation.

He dropped his transformation and tossed Plagg a piece of Camembert.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped in, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend from behind.

She jumped, startled at the contact at first, but then settled back against him, enjoying the feeling of his bare skin on hers. She usually only got so much skin-on-skin contact during intimate moments, and the sensation now lit little flickers in her stomach.

“I love you,” he whispered into her shoulder, pressing kisses like a flower chain up her neck.

“Love you too,” she giggled, hoping Plagg would take his time with the cheese.

“Marinette?” he called tentatively.

“Hm?”

“I love you, and I can’t keep doing this anymore,” he confessed, making her suddenly go rigid as all of the happy, warm feelings vanished.

She swallowed hard. “W-What do you mean?”

“Keeping secrets from you. Lying to you,” he explained, nuzzling her neck and pulling her closer, his hand on her stomach.

“What exactly are you lying about?” she found the words to ask even as they stuck in her throat.

“Who I am,” he sighed. “I can’t do it anymore. I need you to open your eyes and look at me. I need you to know who I am because we’ve been dating a year and a half, and I’ve let this farce go on far too long.”

“Chat Noir, no,” she stressed, pressing the heels of her hands harder to her face. “I can’t know. We’ve been over this many, many times. It’s not safe while Papillon is still at large.”

“Marinette, all the things you’re afraid of aren’t going to happen,” he sighed in frustration. “I know you’re scared, and I’m not saying your fears are unfounded, but…Papillon doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon, and I cannot keep up this act for another month, let alone another year or more. I’ve always respected your wishes because I didn’t want to force this huge burden on you without your consent…but we’ve passed the point of ridiculousness, and I need you to know now. I can’t hide this any longer. I won’t.”

“Minou, don’t be unreasonable,” Marinette coaxed. “I…It’s not safe.”

He turned her around to face him and rested his hands on her shoulders. “Open your eyes and look at me, or I’m breaking up with you.”

Her body gave a jerk, and her mouth fell open in a silent gasp of shock at his harsh words and no-nonsense tone.

“Please,” he returned to pleading, taking her hands and gently pulling them from her still-closed eyes. “Please,” he whispered against her lips, giving them a desperate kiss.

“Please,” he repeated in a tearful, strained voice, getting down on his knees, pressing his face to her stomach and giving it a nuzzle. “Please, look at me.”

He sat back on his heels, looking up at her plaintively, giving her hands an entreating squeeze. “Please, Marinette?”

Her lips were quivering as tears slowly trickled down her cheeks. Her hands too were shaking even as he held them.

Gradually, her eyelids did part, and her gaze came to rest squarely on Adrien Agreste, a supplicant mess at her feet.

She pulled back, falling over backwards as her hands went to cover her mouth.

“A-Adrien?!”

“I’m so sorry,” he rushed to get out. “You didn’t want me to tell you, and then things got so messed up that I didn’t know how to tell you. I’m sorry, Marinette. I’m so, so sorry.”

But she didn’t hear him. She was too busy panicking and shaking her head and trying to come up with reasons why what she was seeing couldn’t be true.

“—No,” she finally responded, cutting him off as he babbled apologies and tried to explain himself. “No,” she laughed just on the right side of maniacal. “I’ve seen you two together. I’ve made out with the both of you. I’ve seen the both of you making out with each other!” she accused, desperate to keep her understanding of reality in one piece.

He shook his head and replied in a very small, brittle voice, “Fox Miraculous.”

She blinked at him, not comprehending.

He gulped and tried again. “I used the Fox Miraculous to create a doppelgänger.”

She stared at him, hurt and betrayal flooding her senses. “You…used the Fox Miraculous…on me?”

Adrien visibly shrank, his shoulders rising up to his ears as he responded with the smallest, most timid of nods. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to do. I…” He trailed off as she shook her head, her eyes cutting into him with the depth of their hurt and anger.

“How could you?” she asked quietly, calmly, leaving him wishing that she would just yell and get it over with.

He had nothing to say for himself.

He didn’t think she’d react well to “How could I not?” or “What else was I supposed to do?”

So he didn’t say anything. He just sat there, looking at her penitently, waiting for her to get to the part where she forgave him and told him it was okay. He waited for her to say she still loved him.

He wondered if he should say it first.

That didn’t feel right, though. He knew he still loved her, but he wasn’t so sure that she still loved him. He wasn’t good at fights. When his parents fought, they sometimes didn’t speak for days or weeks afterwards. Adrien had never gotten to see how those fights were resolved, how couples made up.

When Adrien got in trouble with his father, the usual protocol was for Adrien to stand still and take whatever verbal abuse his father threw at him until Adrien was dismissed.

He wondered if that’s what he was supposed to do now. Though Marinette seemed to be done talking. She seemed to be waiting for Adrien to say something.

Adrien had no idea what that something was. He didn’t usually get a turn to speak when his father took him to task.

He’d seen Alya and Nino argue about little things from time to time. They usually apologized, kissed, and made up…but Marinette didn’t look like she wanted a kiss.

“Well?” she asked, voice emotionless…like his father’s.

Marinette wasn’t supposed to make him feel like his father did.

Adrien looked for Plagg, hoping his kwami might offer some assistance, but Plagg was nowhere to be seen.

Adrien was on his own, feeling very tiny, stupid, and not good enough.

“I’m…sorry,” he tried miserably. “I love you.”

She stared back at him and sighed, shaking her head as she got to her feet.

Was she breaking up with him? Did her shaking her head mean that she didn’t love him?

The only thing he truly understood was the disappointment on her face. He was very, very familiar with disappointment.

“We’re wasting time,” she decreed, scrubbing at her face with her hands. “I’m sorry. We’ll have to talk about this later. I’ll come over to your apartment. Right now, there’s an akuma to fight, and you need to get us out of here.”

“R-Right,” he readily agreed, pushing himself up on shaky legs.

He tried to focus on the task at hand and not let himself think about losing Marinette’s love forever.

“Plagg?” he called, uncertainly.

The little deity flew out from behind a stack of chiffon and came up to nuzzle Adrien’s cheek.

The affectionate gesture almost made Adrien cry, it meant so much to him.

“Thanks,” he whispered in heartfelt appreciation before calling on his transformation.

Once the storage closet door and the pile of rubble blocking it was Cataclysmed away, Marinette was on the move, tossing an, “I’m going to find somewhere safe to hide. I’ll drop by your apartment after the attack,” over her shoulder as she went.

He tried to tell himself that her cold, distant behaviour was the result of shock. She was dealing with a lot of emotions, and maybe springing a reveal on her during an akuma attack where the akuma was trying to kill her hadn’t been the best timing.

He tried to tell himself that it wasn’t him. It was just Marinette panicking because that’s what Marinette did.

Somehow, those thoughts didn’t make him feel any less miserable.

 The akuma was purified, and, while that was all that truly mattered at the end of the day, the battle had been a clown fiesta that surely left Paris wondering what was wrong with its heroes.

They were a mess. Chat Noir and Ladybug were horribly out of sync, tripping each other up, misreading signals, and getting thrown all over one another by the harpy lady.

Everyone was just happy that they’d somehow pulled it off regardless.

No fist bumps were exchanged at the end of the battle.

This was a little disheartening because Adrien took it to mean that Marinette was so upset with him that she’d forgotten or didn’t care that Ladybug shouldn’t be behaving coldly toward Chat Noir because he wasn’t supposed to know that Marinette and Ladybug were the same person.

 Adrien collapsed on his bed, arms spread wide as he let out a long, bone-weary sigh. “Today is the worst.”

Plagg came over and settled on Adrien’s chest, giving his ward a nuzzle and a comforting purr. “At least nobody died,” he offered.

Adrien groaned, throwing an arm over his face as tears began to leak from the corners of his eyes. “I’m such an idiot.”

Trixx poked his head out of Adrien’s right shoulder and flew up to stroke Adrien’s hair. “You’re not an idiot,” he cooed, trying to be helpful.

Usually he left these kinds of interactions to Plagg who knew Adrien better and was, therefore, better suited to providing comfort. Today’s confrontation with Marinette in the storage closet had been particularly intense, though. Trixx could feel the way Adrien’s body had shaken and tensed and braced to be struck. Trixx could smell the stress hormones Adrien gave off, and he could tell that his holder needed more comfort than usual.

“I’m sorry Plagg and I didn’t give you the best guidance,” he whispered his regret. “We didn’t help you handle the situation well.”

Plagg snorted, stopping mid-nuzzle to look up and glare at Trixx. “We didn’t do anything wrong. This is all on Tikki. It’s her fault for filling her girl’s head so full of horror stories of identity reveals that went wrong in the past. It’s Tikki’s fault we got to this point. She knew Adrien and Chat Noir were the same person. She should have said something, told her girl it was okay to lighten up.”

Trixx couldn’t help but think that it was rather ungenerous of him to throw his other half under the bus like that. He would have thought that Plagg would show more loyalty to Tikki. On the other hand, Plagg’s kitten was suffering and had been suffering for quite some time, as the Adrichat charade had been going on for about a year at that point.

Plagg turned back to Adrien, insisting, “Kid, you know this isn’t your fault, right? You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I didn’t really do anything right either,” Adrien mumbled despondently.

Trixx kept petting Adrien’s hair in the absence of anything more helpful to do.

“Don’t beat yourself up,” Plagg coaxed.

Adrien only sighed in response. “…Are we broken up now, do you think? I’m not good at fights. That felt like a pretty big fight.”

“That’s not what I took away from the encounter,” Trixx offered, mentally crossing his fingers that his understanding of human interactions aligned with the reality of the situation.

“Kid, no,” Plagg assured, going back to nuzzling. “She’s just upset. She’s not dumping you. She said she’d be by to talk it over later, so—”

“—So she can dump me officially?” Adrien groaned.

“I believe this is what that therapist person we saw the other day referred to as the cognitive distortion of ‘catastrophizing’,” Trixx remarked, trying to be helpful.

“What the fox said,” Plagg seconded. “You’re doing that catastrophe thing. Stop that and go into your talk with your girlfriend with an open mind. Maybe she’ll scream at Tikki first and get all of her anger worked out before she comes here, so she’ll be able to think clearly and see that this is all her own fault.”

Adrien took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Yeah,” he replied half-heartedly. “Maybe.”

He felt bad for hoping that Marinette yelled at Tikki because, deep down, he knew he was in the wrong too, but he had a feeling that Tikki could withstand Marinette’s anger better than Adrien could.

“Just try to stay calm,” Trixx coached. “We’ll deal with whatever happens when it happens, so there’s no point in worrying about it now.”

“Okay,” Adrien mumbled, trying to focus on his breathing and the comforting caresses of his kwamis.

 Adrien woke to muffled voices coming from the main room about two hours later. Trixx was still curled up beside him, his head resting on Adrien’s shoulder, but Plagg was nowhere to be seen.

Adrien wiped the crusty debris from the corners of his eyes and sat up, trying to make out to whom the voices belonged. He rolled off the bed and onto his feet, going to investigate.

He found Plagg and Marinette in the main room of the apartment, hissing at each other in hushed tones.

Her complexion was splotchy, and her eyes were red. She looked a mess, but his heart still leapt for her.

Sensing their audience, Plagg and Marinette looked to where Adrien stood in the bedroom doorway, and Marinette’s eyes lit up.

“Adrien,” she breathed, rushing to his side, wrapping her arms around him, and squeezing him tight.

Reflexively, he untensed, settling into her embrace and dropping his head to rest on hers, his face buried in her hair.

“I’m sorry,” she stressed into his chest. “I’m so sorry. I’m not breaking up with you. Ever.”

“O-Oh,” he choked, beginning to tremble as an overwhelming wave of emotions washed over him. “Good,” he managed.

“Come here,” she coaxed, tugging him to the couch so that they could sit before their legs gave out.

She pulled back to look him in the eyes, gingerly cupping his face in her hands. “I’m sorry for how I reacted before. I was really upset, and there was a lot going on. There was a lot to think about and digest, and…” She shook her head. “I’m hurt and I’m angry and I’m still upset, but I will always love you, even when I want to scream at you and slap you silly, okay? I can be mad and still love you at the same time, all right? Plagg wasn’t sure if you knew that, so I wanted to make certain we were clear on that point.”

Adrien had to swallow and take several deep breaths before he was able to reply. “…I wasn’t sure,” he admitted. “I’m not good at fights. I don’t know how this works.”

She nodded, stroking his face and petting his hair. “That’s okay. I know you haven’t always had the best examples in your life, so… When my parents fight, things can get ugly. Sometimes they say things they don’t really mean. I think everyone does that. The important thing is that once they cool down, they sit down and talk about what happened and what they were thinking and feeling, and they work together to fix the problem that started the fight. They say sorry, and they remind one another how important they are to each other, and then they try to learn from the experience and not make the same mistakes again. Ideally, that’s how it’s supposed to work,” she explained.

“So…” He frowned as he tried to wrap his head around this new information. “You said sorry and that you still love me. I said sorry earlier. Does that count, or do I need to say it again now?”

Marinette grimaced and had to remind herself that he was struggling to grasp this new concept, so she needed to be patient.

“It’s not quite so formulaic as that,” she informed gently. “Those were more guidelines than a script, but…Plagg told me how torn up you’ve been about keeping secrets from me and how hard it’s been for you not being able to tell me who you were, so…I know you’re sorry. That’s the important part. I believe you’re sorry, so you don’t have to say it again.”

He nodded, tentatively, still not quite sure of his footing. “So…you forgive me? Are we done fighting?”

She bit her lip, dropping her hands from his face to his palms as she looked away. “Yes and no. I’m still…feeling things. This is a lot to process, and I’m still mad and hurt and upset, so…I need some time,” she confessed, looking back up at him imploringly.

He averted his eyes, shoulders inching up towards his ears as he began to curl in on himself defensively.

“Okay,” he mumbled, even though her answer wasn’t the one he’d wanted to hear.

“It’s going to take a while for me to sort through things in my head,” she explained. “I still love you, and I still want to be with you, but…you lied to me.”

He flinched but didn’t bother saying anything to defend himself.

“Like…a huge lie. For a long time,” she stressed. “That isn’t something I’m just going to get over. It doesn’t feel good to be tricked and betrayed like that, Adrien, so it’s going to be a while before I’m able to forgive you. That doesn’t mean I don’t love you anymore, though,” she reiterated, wanting to make sure that he believed her. “Do you understand?”

He nodded, trying to make himself smaller so that he would, hopefully, shrink away and disappear.

This hurt worse than when his father scolded him. When he got in trouble with his father, it was usually for something Adrien had no control over. It hurt worse when he had actually done something wrong and knew his punishment was justified.

“But we’re going to get through this, okay?” She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. “This is just a rough patch. We’re going to come out on the other side stronger.”

“Okay,” he whispered, trying to believe her.

It was hard because he had always been a screwup, and he didn’t anticipate that changing anytime soon. He would always disappoint her and make her question the trust she placed in him. He’d been doing it for five years now, and it made him wonder which time would be the final straw. He always felt like he was on the precipice of losing her forever.

When he tuned back in, at least a minute or two had passed, and Marinette was in the middle of saying, “…you ever thought this was a good idea. I just…I don’t understand. How could you trick me like that?”

She stopped talking and looked at him expectantly.

He looked up and blinked at her.

She frowned. “Adrien, are you listening to me?”

“I…” He gulped. “Sorry. I don’t usually get to say anything, so…”

Slowly, her left eyebrow drifted up toward her hairline. “When have I ever not let you talk?” she inquired in honest confusion.

“Not you. My father,” he informed. “When I’m in trouble and he’s yelling at me. I don’t usually get to say anything, so…” he trailed off again with a shrug.

Marinette stared at her boyfriend as a cold chill walked its fingers up her spine. “You feel like you’re in trouble and I’m yelling at you…like your father does.”

His shoulders rose back up to his ears, and his gaze cast around on the floor for something to look at instead of her. “That’s…yeah. I mean…it’s a little different because you said you loved me, and that…that doesn’t happen with my father, but…yeah. …You’d think I would get used to being told what a disappointment I was,” he chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

Marinette didn’t laugh. “…You’re not,” she stressed, taking one of his hands in both of hers and squeezing tight. “Just because I’m disappointed in something you did, that doesn’t make you a disappointment.”

Tentatively, he peeked up at her. “Is that anything like the saying, ‘You are not your failures’?”

She nodded enthusiastically. “Exactly. Just because you did something that disappointed me, that doesn’t make it a part of who you are. It was just…just a mistake. Human beings make those.”

“Even you?” he ventured softly.

“Especially me,” she agreed. “I’m sorry, Adrien. I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad; I just wanted to understand what had happened, but… What your father does to you is horrible, and I don’t want things to ever feel like that with me. Say something next time.”

Taking a deep breath and finally meeting her gaze, Adrien asked, “When we fight, afterwards, do I get to talk about what I’m thinking and feeling too?”

It hurt her that he even needed to ask.

She nodded, assuring, “I care very much about what you’re feeling and thinking.”

He blew out a long exhale. “Okay. So…I don’t get to make choices often. I mean, I do this past month now that I’ve moved out, but…my whole life, I’ve just kind of had to do what people tell me. This past month is the first time I’ve been able to pick what I wear or what I eat or what I do with my free time, so…thinking for myself and making decisions on my own is a bit of a foreign concept.”

She had known that on some subconscious level, but now that he spelled it out for her, it was horrifying in a whole new way how tightly controlled he had been.

“I know you said you still loved me, even though you were mad,” he continued uncertainly, “but…will you still love me if I’m mad at you?”

She blinked at him in surprise but nodded, assuring, “Of course…but…why would you be mad at me?”

He took a deep breath, gathering his courage. “Usually, when my father is scolding and punishing me, it’s for something that wasn’t my fault. Normally, I keep my head down and take it without protest because I have no control over the situation, no say in what happens to me…but…this relationship isn’t like that, is it?”

Slowly, she shook her head. “No. It’s not.”

He held her gaze as he continued shakily. “You’re not my father. You’re not unfair like that, and you care about what I have to say.”

She nodded vehemently.

“And it’s okay to fight with you because you’re not going to stop loving me,” he added and waited for her to confirm it, needing to be sure.

“Yes,” she promised, internally bracing herself, even as she squeezed his hand tighter.

“Okay,” he breathed out shakily. “In that case…Marinette, I’m kind of tired of always accepting the blame for things that aren’t my fault.”

Her eyebrows drew into a frown of confusion as she tried to parse his words for meaning.

“I’m not trying to say that I didn’t do anything wrong because I know I did,” he rushed to explain. “I never thought it was a good idea to pretend to be two different people. I never wanted to do that, and it wasn’t like it was all fun and games for me. I hated lying to you…but even though what I did was wrong, it wasn’t entirely my fault.”

She pursed her lips, trying to figure out what he meant, if he was trying to blame Plagg for giving him bad advice or what.

“Marinette,” he called imploringly, eyes wet with the start of another round of tears. “You didn’t give me a choice.”

Her mouth dropped open in stunned disbelief.

“What was I supposed to do?” he pleaded. “It all got really messy really fast right from the very beginning. I didn’t mean to fall in love with you as Chat Noir. I didn’t mean for us to get so close, but we did, and that wasn’t something I could give up. You have no clue how horrible it was in that deserted mansion all by myself, always feeling like an impulse buy my father deeply regretted but couldn’t return. I felt safe with you. Your house was always a happy, warm place, and you made me feel like I was worth something. I couldn’t keep away,” he explained, praying that she would understand even a little bit where he was coming from.

He shook his head. “I couldn’t stop coming as Chat Noir…and then I fell in love with you, but that day when I accidentally tried to kiss you as Adrien, you said there was someone else, and, I mean, that someone else turned out to be Chat Noir, so…I was just so overjoyed to have my feelings finally returned that I didn’t stop to think that it was stupid to date you as a masked superhero. I didn’t think,” he sighed, mentally kicking himself for the thousandth time. “And then I accidentally kissed you as Adrien, and you accidentally kissed me back, and…”

He pinned her with an intent gaze. “Remember how I tried to tell you who I was that night? After the kiss in the library with Adrien, I came over that night as Chat Noir, and I was going to tell you everything, but you wouldn’t let me. You said no, and I respected your choice because you were right; it is a really freaking big deal, and knowing my identity could potentially put you and the people you love in danger, and that wasn’t something I could force on you. I respected your choice. Was that wrong?”

He stopped, offering her space in which to speak.

She took a measured breath and blew it out slowly, confessing, “I don’t know. I wasn’t operating with all the facts. I don’t… I think…maybe you should have said something.”

“I tried,” he whined. “I dropped so many hints, Marinette. As things got further and further out of hand, I kept trying to tell you. You always said no, but I kept trying. I let so many things slip, hoping maybe you’d figure it out so you could stop beating yourself up about cheating on me, but… Marinette, I even asked you as Adrien, ‘What if I’m Chat Noir’. I tried.”

“…You…did, didn’t you?” she replied hollowly, image after image of him trying to tell her flashing before her eyes.

He nodded miserably. “The whole dating myself thing was purely idiotic, but I panicked, and I just wanted you to stop being so distraught over quote-unquote cheating on me when that was mostly my fault in the first place for not being able to keep my hands off of you as Adrien. I was stupid, and I messed up, but I was just trying to make you happy. I asked you again and again to let me tell you my identity, and you were aggressively against it��so I just let it go. When you wanted Chat Noir and Adrien in the same room, I figured out a way to make it happen, and that was that.”

He shrugged helplessly. “I was going to say that Chat and Adrien couldn’t find a time in their schedules that worked, but…you were so excited for the three of us to all get together,” he groaned. “I couldn’t let you down, and then when I asked Ladybug for the Fox Miraculous—”

Marinette paled, feeling incredibly stupid as she played the scene over in her mind.

“—I asked her if I could just tell you my identity, and she said no too, so…and then it just kept going for so long it felt like I couldn’t say anything anymore, but today… This has been eating me alive, Marinette,” he sighed, sounding every bit as exhausted as he looked. “I couldn’t do it anymore. I’m sorry. I knew I was in the wrong the whole time, but I didn’t know what else to do. Like I said, I’ve grown up my whole life with very little opportunity to think for myself and make decisions, so those are things I really struggle with. I’m sorry, and I’m working on it.”

“Oh, Adrien,” Marinette cooed, pulling him into her arms. “I’m sorry. I can see why you didn’t feel like you had a choice. I’m so, so sorry.”

She tipped her head up, pressing her lips gently to his.

He leaned into the kiss, his heart fluttering at the contact.

When they pulled back, he gave her a goofy smile. “I was so scared you’d never kiss me again.”

“I’m sorry I hurt you,” she sniffled, stroking his cheek lovingly.

“I’m sorry I lied and tricked you,” he answered, touching his forehead to hers.

“I’m actually really touched that you put that much time and effort into trying to make me happy,” she giggled through the tears leaking from the corners of her eyes.

He gently brushed them away with his thumb. “I’m glad that that’s worth something.”

“It’s worth a lot,” she assured. “You’re worth a lot.”

A light blush spread across his face, and he smiled, leaning in to press a kiss to the tip of her nose. “I really, really love you.”

“I really, really love you,” she responded with a giggle.

They pulled back just to look at one another, smiles pulling their mouths wide.

“…Hey,” Marinette remarked after nearly two minutes of gazing softly into one other’s eyes.

“Hm?” he hummed in answer.

“Have you eaten?”

Adrien frowned, trying to recall. “I…Maybe? I don’t remember.”

“He hasn’t!” Plagg and Trixx called out in unison from the arm of the couch where they were watching the scene develop.

Adrien blushed, looking away sheepishly. “Thanks, guys.”

“You’re welcome,” Plagg snickered.

Ignoring the kwami of destruction, Marinette forged ahead with her plan, “We should make dinner. How about I prep some salad for us while you brew two mugs of mint tea? Then we can snuggle on the couch while watching that one anime you mentioned the other day. Maybe even make popcorn. What do you say? I think we could use some low-energy bonding time after the day we’ve had.”

Tears spilled over down Adrien’s cheeks as he nodded enthusiastically. “You know just how to make me feel better.”

[hazelenergy]

☕️ Gehenna

Sometimes y’alls ramblings about Gehenna feel like idiots online screaming the world was going to end in 2012. For some of you, its like how people freaked about computers exploding on New Years in 2000. You rush to unplug all your devices before it’s too late, only to realize nothing bad was going to happen- you just made everyone freak out or possibly destroyed your computer. 

No worries. I get it. The end of the world is terrifying to everyone. 

But, I found it a bit odd that immortal beings would have a doomsday story. But then again, no one seems to have read the fine print on immortality where it clearly says terms and conditions apply. Regardless, my actual feelings on Gehenna have always been pushed down because a lot of kindred acted as if I personally was going to bring about the end times. But I can’t deny, I have experienced some weird stuff besides my general existence. 

Living as the Tremere lab rat meant that no one would dare lay a finger on me directly without fear of Mary’s wrath. But it did mean I got subjected to their apocalyptic speculations. Most of the time I had no idea what they were talking about. Sometimes for fun, I’d just roll with it. 

Once, a kindred asked if I’ve ever been pregnant. Which first off, rude and invasive. Secondly, I’m a big lesbian. The likelihood of me being pregnant isn’t zero, but it is slim. But this Malkavian had my attention. She looked older, maybe in her 50s and had streaks of silvery hair covering her eyes. I laughed and told her no. She smiled at me and then asked if I liked the name Wendy. I spoke before I had a chance to organize my thoughts and said Wendy is a cute name. She looked at me gravely and said I knew the time of thinblood would be upon us again. She then said, “Keep your legs crossed, Daughter of Eve,” and then left Elysium. Needless to say, I went back to Mary’s Haven instead of home with a new partner. 

Within 24 hours of every Elysium we were ordered to spill our interactions and reveal any learned secrets to Mary. When I told her about this interaction she raised her eyebrow and got up to her filing cabinet. She pulled out a thin file labeled Dhampirs. The first article was a medical autopsy on an infant named Wendy- the research done by a Dr. Douglas Netchurch. Mary explained that it is rare, but thinbloods can and have carried children to term. And like the presence of thinbloods is a portent of Gehenna- their physical offspring is as well. She then laughed harder than ever before, wiping a bloody tear from her eye. I asked what was so funny. “You must forgive me, but the idea of you mothering a child is utterly amusing.”

I suppose this falls under the Gehenna where there’s too many of us and masquerade breaches are bound to happen. And when the mask is completely shattered, we are all in danger of humans destroying us. And I can’t imagine explaining to a toddler how to contend with the Beast and not hurt others with their powers. Seems like a recipe for disaster.

When I was much more settled in my Elysium routine, I had caught the attention of one of the younger Toreadors of Atlanta. Naturally, the Harpy made me extremely aware of everything about her and then Butternut, my nickname for the Nosferatu Primogen, told me everything else for 20 dollars. She was fond of the stars and their silvery light. I had offered to take her stargazing a little outside Atlanta in exchange for some vitae. This was a fairly normal transaction for me and I understood the price was steep for many. So I always tried to make it worth their while, with a nice night or a wild night depending on their tastes. She pointed out several constellations to me and their varying mythologies. I’ll admit, it was fascinating to hear what different cultures thought of different constellations. I could point out the obvious ones like Leo the Lion or the Little Dipper. She could point out ones that I could barely see, calling them things like Lyra and Crux. She told me of stories of constellations far beyond our sights, some of which can only be seen on clear nights in the Southern Hemisphere. That’s when I noticed it. A bright, gleaming red star in the center of the Big Dipper. It almost looked like an eye in the bright sky. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread. But I willed myself to ask about it. She turned to me and playfully said, “Don’t be silly. There’s nothing there,” as she curled closer. I gently explained it was still there and asked her to tell me what it’s story could be. I think she thought it was some sort of game and made up some story to humor me. The rest of the night went as expected. I got to taste and temporarily brew Presence, she got the closest to Mary’s Haven without revealing her true intent and a one-night-stand with the Camarilla’s thinblood kitten. But I continued to see the star for several months. 

I finally got an idea of what I saw when I met with a Salubri by the name of Nils. He explained that he foresaw something terrible would happen in the city of Atlanta, but the only way to stop the Wyrm was to travel to a city with a Salted Lake. It took a while for us to understand what he meant, and we don’t know if he was successful. To show his good will, he offered us gifts for the night and hope for eternity. For hope. he explained how thinbloods from his domain could walk this path and return to being mortal. For kindred such as himself, the sun is no longer an enemy. When he took Solomon’s hands, he quieted his raging beast for the night. When he took mine, he flinched for a moment like he wanted to let go. He looked into my eyes and said, “You poor childe. You willingly accepted madness to keep your heart from being poisoned. My soul aches knowing you have suffered so much.” Its then, I swear, his forehead began to faintly glow in the shape of an eye. When it opened, it glowed with the same red of that star. I wanted to run away as fast as I could, it didn’t matter how far I had to run. I pulled against his hands, but couldn’t get away. Then, my mind quieted. The thoughts that raced around my head stopped...I didn’t realize how muddled my mind had become. I looked back to see his eye closing, the red starlight shifting to gold. He released my hands and said, “You saw Ixion, no? I think a fledgling like you shouldn’t be weighed with the powers of an Oracle, but I am not one to cast final judgement. The power will return when your mind is clean.” 

Turns out, in 2002, A red star was visible with a telescope and NASA named it Ixion, which is the Greek equivalent for Cain. I jokingly mentioned how Cain sightings are another portent of Gehenna but didn’t expect him to be such a star. Tommy and I laughed. Cass didn’t and then demanded to know how long I could see Wormwood. I explained that first saw it in early spring, 2019 and I haven’t seen it since October 1st, 2019. She made a series of frantic phone calls- I think she was checking up on kindred she used to run with. I’ve known for quite some time Cass used to be with the sabbat. I don’t know what happened between her and her pack. She usually is very willing to explain things to me, but her past is still a complete mystery- aside from her weird fling with Mary. ew. I can respect when she tells me to just drop it. But I can smell the strange shifting aroma from her resonance. She’s angry, then she is filled with sorrow, then she’s afraid. 

I think about Gehenna more than a fledgling probably should and more than is probably healthy. It does make me uneasy for reasons I can’t explain. I guess since everyone else is so afraid- I should be too. However, I am curious to a fault. I have done some research into our doomsday myth. From what I’ve gathered, signs have been occurring for quite some time. And, we are all still here. Bad things seem to happen regardless, it doesn’t mean its Gehenna. But it is a nice scapegoat when things go wrong. Blame it on inevitable destiny rather than cascading consequences of poor leadership. The world is going to keep turning with or without us. Simple as that. 

[isolaradiale]

Lost in Space 17

Hello, Isolans! We have conducted an activity check for the month of January!

If your character isn’t on this list, make sure to check this page to see how many stars that character has earned this month! Stars can be used for purchases at the marketplace.

The blogs that were removed from the Isola Radiale masterlist are under the cut. Note that both blogs with broken links and deactivated accounts will be included both at the top of this list and in their proper categories.

If you were removed in error, please simply send a re-application message. Several different people work on the activity checks, so it’s possible there are mistakes! If this happens to you, you will be able to keep everything you previously had, you just may be placed in a different residence.

Our general activity rules regarding checks are as follows:

Make at least three in-character posts during a calendar month (for instance, if the activity check is for January, have three in-character posts between the 1st and 31st of January).

Only one drabble and/or meme response of 300+ words counts as activity.

One-liners or minis not tagged #isola mini also do not count.

Please Note: If you are removed during two consecutive activity checks, you will not be allowed to re-apply as that character for two calendar months. 

Additionally, anyone removed during the activity check will have a 12-hour window from the time of posting to re-claim their character. Any character not reclaimed during that period will be open to the community at large.

Please send in your reapplications from the account of the character that was removed.

Broken URLs:

Saber (Arthur Pendragon) (FATE)

Sanae Kochiya (TOUHOU)

.HACK SERIES

Haseo/Ryou Misaki (HOUSE 119)

 07-GHOST

Frau (APARTMENT 302)

 4 CUT HERO

Zeed Toven (HOUSE 139)

 AI THE SOMNIUM FILES

Iris Sagan (TOWNHOUSE 252)

 ATELIER RYZA

Ryza (CONDO 450)

 BERSERK

Casca (TOWNHOUSE 206)

 BLACK BULLET

Rentaro Satomi (APARTMENT 321)

 BLAZBLUE

Celica A. Mercury (CONDO 426)

Trinity Glasfille (APARTMENT 327)

 CASTLEVANIA

Trevor Belmont (TOWNHOUSE 247)

 CLOSERS

Harpy (APARTMENT 321)

 COWBOY BEBOP

Vicious (APARTMENT 313)

 CRITICAL ROLE

Jester Lavorre (HOUSE 135)

 DANGANRONPA

Miu Iruma (CONDO 413)

Mukuro Ikusaba (TOWNHOUSE 203)

 DARK SOULS

Creighton (APARTMENT 326)

 DC COMICS

Bruce Wayne (Batman) (TOWNHOUSE 245)

Clark Kent (Superman) (APARTMENT 301)

Timothy Drake-Wayne (HOUSE 162)

 DISNEY

Prince Edward (TOWNHOUSE 233)

 THE DRAGON PRINCE

Soren (TOWNHOUSE 212)

 FATE

Assassin (Shuten Doji) (APARTMENT 340)

Caster (Nitocris) (CONDO 401)

Kiara Sessyoin (CONDO 410)

Lancer (Nagao Kagetora) (HOUSE 109)

Reines (Lord El-Melloi II's House of Misfits [Archimedes])

Saber (Arthur Pendragon) (TOWNHOUSE 203) *BROKEN URL

Saber (Charlemagne) (TOWNHOUSE 218)

Sakura Matou (APARTMENT 324)

 FINAL FANTASY

Cloud Strife (TOWNHOUSE 230)

Tidus (CONDO 461)

Warrior of Light (Black Mage - Shino Shimokobe) (TOWNHOUSE 255)

 FRUITS BASKET

Yuki Sohma (HOUSE 131)

 GIRLS FRONTLINE

AK-12 (TOWNHOUSE 216)

 THE GOOD PLACE

Michael (HOUSE 143)

 GRANBLUE FANTASY

Lucifer (HOUSE 141)

Siegfried (TOWNHOUSE 202)

 GUILTY GEAR

Potemkin (HOUSE 138)

 HOMESTUCK

Davesprite (TOWNHOUSE 271)

Equius Zahhak (CONDO 404)

 HOTLINE MIAMI

Biker (TOWNHOUSE 205)

 INVISIBLE INC

Raymond Malik (Shalem 11) (TOWNHOUSE 254)

 JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE

Caesar Zeppeli (TOWNHOUSE 224)

Holly Kujo (HOUSE 106)

 KAMEN RIDER

Ankh (TOWNHOUSE 257)

Eiji Hino (TOWNHOUSE 238)

 KANCOLLE (KANTAI COLLECTION)

Shigure (CONDO 440)

 KIMETSU NO YAIBA

Inosuke Hashibira (HOUSE 126)

Kokushibou (HOUSE 112)

Nezuko Kamado (APARTMENT 316)

Yushiro (HOUSE 172)

 LEAGUE OF LEGENDS

Neeko (APARTMENT 324)

Zoe (APARTMENT 346)

 LOBOTOMY CORPORATION

Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary (HOUSE 132)

 LORE OLYMPUS

Eros (CONDO 434)

 MARVEL

Clint Barton (Hawkeye) (Hawkeye's House [Golden])

Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow) (CONDO 449)

Peter Benjamin Parker (Spiderman Noir) (Peter's House [Golden])

 MEGAMAN

Rock Volnutt (APARTMENT 306)

 MIRACULOUS LADYBUG

Marinette Dupan-Chang (Ladybug) (TOWNHOUSE 206)

 THE MURDERBOT DIARIES

Murderbot ( SecUnit ) (TOWNHOUSE 211)

 MY HERO ACADEMIA (BOKU NO HERO ACADEMIA)

Eri (TOWNHOUSE 221)

Izuku Midoriya (Deku) (CONDO 463)

 NO MORE HEROES

Margaret Moonlight (CONDO 448)

 ONMYOJI

Susabi (HOUSE 136)

 ORIGINAL CHARACTER

Alydia Skye (TOWNHOUSE 269)

Amalie Cyrille Dubois-Phanuel (TOWNHOUSE 257)

Demyan Reyes (CONDO 430)

Ellis Morgan (APARTMENT 313)

Eris Kihara (APARTMENT 324)

Liu Canglong (APARTMENT 311)

Luno Alexias Watchman (CONDO 410)

Miriam Shushkevich (Miriam's House [Fibonacci])

Nikolai (TOWNHOUSE 256)

Seiji Kazama (TOWNHOUSE 227)

Zack Ledger (Zack's House [Golden])

 OVERWATCH

Elizabeth Caledonia Ashe (TOWNHOUSE 268)

Genji Shimada (HOUSE 159)

 PERSONA

Rise Kujikawa (TOWNHOUSE 201)

 POKEMON

Ash's Pikachu (TOWNHOUSE 207)

Green (APARTMENT 362)

Nessa (CONDO 447)

Piers (HOUSE 101)

Rapidash (CONDO 406)

 PRECURE

Love Momozono (Setsuna's House [Golden])

Shut (APARTMENT 305)

 RAGING LOOP

Haruaki Fusaishi (APARTMENT 343)

 RWBY

James Ironwood (TOWNHOUSE 213)

Oscar Pine (Time's Respite [Fibonacci])

Penny Polendina (CONDO 444)

Salem (TOWNHOUSE 271)

Whitley Schnee (APARTMENT 329)

 SAILOR MOON

Usagi Tsukino (TOWNHOUSE 218)

 SERVAMP

Hyde (Lawless) (HOUSE 110)

 STAR OCEAN

Leon D.S. Gehste (CONDO 450)

 STARDEW VALLEY

Harvey (CONDO 452)

 STARGATE UNIVERSE

Nicolas Rush (TOWNHOUSE 252)

 STEVEN UNIVERSE

Pink Pearl (CONDO 450)

 SWORD ART ONLINE

Asuna Yuuki (CONDO 449)

 TALES OF

Edna (Edna's House [Golden])

 TO THE MOON

Dr. Eva Rosalene (CONDO 415)

 TOUHOU

Sanae Kochiya (CONDO 407) *BROKEN URL

 TRIGUN

Vash the Stampede (CONDO 407)

 UNDERTALE

Asriel Dreemurr (CONDO 412)

Frisk (CONDO 441)

 VOCALOID

Rin Kagamine (The Boss's Penthouse [Cotes])

 YONA OF THE DAWN

Hak (APARTMENT 370)

 YOUR TURN TO DIE

Joe Tazuna (TOWNHOUSE 220)

[strikearose]

IT’S ALL ABOUT CONNECTIONS (SASUNARU) (P. 2)

I hope you guys are safe. Here’s the second part of that silly !YoutubeSasuNaru story. Please feel free to give me your impressions <3 Summary :  Sasuke has had that massive crush on a youtuber for years when Rasengan randomly starts going to his class… You can also read it on ff.net and ao3. Part 1 (clic), Part 2 (clic), Part 3 (clic)

9:27.

Sasuke shook his head, annoyed at himself. There was nothing to be done : all hope of being able to concentrate again on what Mr. Sarutobi was telling had definitely vanished almost half an hour ago, when a certain blond head had finally made his noteworthy arrival. His last bit of coherent notes somehow proved it : the tip of his pen had dramatically crashed onto the sheet of paper, leaving a huge blotch of blue ink on top of it.

But no matter how much he was struggling, his onyx eyes were literally hypnotized by the psychedelic motif of the one Kiba who had called out (with way too much familiarity to his liking) ‘Hey Naruto, here !’.

No one in the auditorium had seemed the least surprised to see Rasengan bursting out in their class like that.

No one had made the slightest remark about this unusual interruption.

And worse than that - no one had flinched (or even giggled) at the sight of that awful washed out t-shirt.

The class had resumed straight-away as if nothing had happened for everyone, except for Sasuke, who couldn’t take his eyes off the curious pair only located a few rows away.

Kiba Inuzuka and Naruto.

Naruto.

It must have been his real name as he immediately turned towards the insufferable brown-haired boy before settling down beside him, a big grin on both of their faces.

So Rasengan’s real name was Naruto.

Naruto.

A strange name, but one that rolled almost pleasantly on the tongue.

Na-ru-to.

A name that months of search online had not been able to find.

Damn it - was it really like that? Rasengan just showed up one morning in the middle of their class and the teacher, without even batting an eyelid, let him sit next to… Kiba ?

… Just like that?

Kiba Inuzuka was dissipated, noisy and frankly dumb. If Rasengan really had just joined their class, wouldn’t it have been more appropriate to have him sit next to someone more serious? Someone who could at least explain to him what this class was all about? Someone reliable, rigorous.

Well - someone like him, for instance.

Tss - why did things never turn out like in a damn manga?

**

The next two days confirmed what Sasuke had understood. 'Naruto’ had really joined them in the middle of October. Incidentally, it had came to his knowledge that the blonde had previously taken a distance learning course.

Unfortunately, the black-haired man had not yet found a way to get in direct contact with the newcomer - even though, judging by the familiarity with which his classmates were already addressing him, it didn’t seem like that much of a challenge. Naruto seemed to be one of those people who didn’t need to be integrated: all he had to do was to jump into someone’s conversation after hearing them talk about music or a tv-show - and that was it, he was one of them. He didn’t care if he was interfering something or being intrusive - and no one seemed to mind: everyone welcomed his companionship with open arms.

In less than a week, Rasengan had become the complete idol of Konohamaru Sarutobi (who was trying in to follow him wherever he went), he had also managed to make the shy Hinata come out of her shell for a bit, and - more incredibly !, her cousin even seemed to tolerate his presence in class. And God knew how hard it was to be tolerated by Neji Hyuuga.

In short - it had taken Naruto less than a week to truly became one of them. It wasn’t just Inuzuka now - no, even that would have been too easy in comparison -, Rasengan was always surrounded by people.

Whether it was in class, during break time, in the cafeteria, at the washrooms, and even on the way to the subway, Rasengan was never alone. It was as if fate has decided to take away from Sasuke any possibility to talk to him.

His happy-go-lucky attitude, the honesty gleaming if his eyes, that damn smile that never seemed to leave him, even his laugh seemed to be contagious. There was something in Naruto, as in Rasengan, that you couldn’t help but notice, that made you wanting to be closer to him.

And just like Shino, who had mysteriously started to hand out more and more band stickers, Sasuke Uchiha had started to spend more and more time in the cafeteria, a place that Naruto and his clique seemed to be particularly fond of. It was their headquarters to him, Inuzuka, Nara, Sakura and many others.

And it was there that their very first interaction took place.

For once, Sasuke wasn’t even listening to their conversation: the hot drink machine had just been replaced and he was just trying to order a coffee.

« Yeah, you may not know it but it’s been six years since Mister Naruto has gone into that Youtube thing. »

The black-haired man’s sixth sense leapt up and, now paying way more attention to the conversation, pressed whatever first button within his reach.

« Ah, you say that, Kiba, but I might have a fan here ! »

Boom, boom.

It seemed to Sasuke that all eyes in the room had just laid on him - as if his moment to enter the stage had finally arrived.

But no: no one - literally no one - not even that harpy Ino or even Sakura were paying the slightest attention to him.

Everyone was watching Naruto.

« Pffft if it’s true, I’ll pay you lunch - Kiba giggled and turned towards the other tables of the cafeteria - Hey people, a star is among us! Does anyone recognize him? »

The entire cafeteria turned towards the blond videomaker who, not in the slightest embarrassed, had even stood up with a big grin on his face.

Sasuke hesitated for a moment before daring to do the same and looked at Rasengan.

A few seconds passed without a single voice being heard.

« Come on, nobody? - Kiba laughed - Ino dear? Saku darling? »

The two young women rolled their eyes before the nickname but ultimately shook their heads.

« Mr. Hatake perhaps? »

The teacher, who had come inside to get a snack, scratched his cheek before answering in the negative too. His knowledge in terms of videos were of a completely different kind.

With a triumphal grin, Kiba’s eyes wandered over all the students facing them, one by one, before stopping on the only one who hadn’t reacted yet.. - the opportunity was way too good.

« Well now, Sasuke? I think you’re his last hope. »

That was it.

His moment had finally arrived.

All eyes, including Rasengan’s, instantly laid upon him. They were hung upon his every word.

But Sasuke, once again, had just drowned into the silent contemplation of the blonde. But that time - it wasn’t about those blue, blue eyes, it was because of beautifully tanned skin.

They were now near the end of October, but it was as if he had just come back from vacation. It was almost indecent.

Luckily for him, the group had no idea of what was really going inside his head. They’ve all known Sasuke for most of their teenage years so the reason why he was looking at Naruto up and down was only because of that perfect opportunity to grow his momentum.

He was such a smart ass.

« Mhh no, I never saw your face before. »

Boom, boom.

Sasuke cursed himself for being such a coward, but there was no way he could make such a confession in front of the others - and certainly not in front of that stupid Inuzuka.

The group laughed as they saw Naruto’s sulky face.

« Hey ! - the student with the tousled blond hair tried in vain to defend himself - you can laugh all ya want! In the meantime, my channel is really growing ya know. I almost have four hundred thousand subscribers. That’s near half a million! »

The laughter doubled in intensity. Defeated, Naruto finally sat down with a sigh.

« You won’t say the same in a few months, you’ll see! »

The coffee machine made a jingling sound behind Sasuke, still under the shock of what had just happened, he took the cup of disgusting green tea and promptly left the cafeteria. He tried his best to keep a steady walk.

He still couldn’t believe it : he had just talked to Rasengan.

And it hadn’t went that bad.

**

Their first real discussion only happened few days later. And once again, Sasuke couldn’t have predict it.

When he had arrived at the uni, he’d been displeased to see a herd of students clustered in front of the bulletin board. It could only mean one thing: the results of the mid-term exams were in.

Oh.

His overall average had increased by half a point since his last semester - not so bad. And unsurprisingly, he was once again valedictorian, although the Nara was getting closer and closer to him.

He was seriously going to be wary of him.

His onyx gaze moved up on the list - just in case…

Found it.

Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto.

The name right after his.

For an overall average of nine…-

« Ninety-nine, a voice suddenly came from behind him and he jumped. SHIT! I was almost there. »

With frowned brows, Naruto took a good second to notice the presence of the model student.

« Oh, hey Sasuke! »

He had greeted him casually, a thousand miles away from suspecting what the dark-haired young man felt when he heard his name come out of his lips.

« I’m not passing, but I’m reaaally close to it. That should do it for the semester !, smiled the blonde, rubbing the back of his neck. What 'bout ya? »

That was it.

It was time to find something cool to respond to, something biting, intriguing. Something that came out of the ordinary. But without overdoing it.

…

In the end, Sasuke had to bring himself to state his result flatly.

«  Seventeen zero three.

- Oh shit, Naruto’s mouth opened wide. You’re actually pretty smart!

- …Yeah. »

Once again, Sasuke mentally cursed himself. It was really the only thing he could find.

However, Naruto didn’t seem to mind and the Uchiha’s overconfidence even made him chuckle.

Needless to say, after that Sasuke was on cloud nine the entire day.

**

Ting.

Sasuke took another sip of tomato juice before lowering his word processor window to open his web browser. He had this annoying habit of always leaving a facebook tab open, just in case.

Shino Aburame invites you to the following event…

Shino Aburame?

Uchiha arched an eyebrow, puzzled - he didn’t even know how that guy had ended up in his friends list. He clicked on the notification and almost choked when he saw what it was all about:

Shino Aburame invites you to the following event: Radioactive Worms concert on November 5th 8:30pm - Coffee Rokudaime.

…

Thanks, but no thanks.

The mouse pointer was about to click on the “Ignore” button on its’ own initiative when a crucial piece of information suddenly jumped out at him: 13 of your contacts are interested.

Well.

Before refusing for good, he could at least do a quick check.

A satisfied smile stretched his lips as he recognized among those names that of Kiba Inuzuka - a first.

Because if ’Naruto Uzumaki’ was nowhere to be find on Facebook, Sasuke knew at least where to find him in town: always in company of that loser.

**

Sasuke was late, fashionably late - the concert had already started for at least fifteen minutes. Suigetsu, who was dragging his feet behind him, cursed as soon as the first notes of music reached their ears. Well, to his defense, Sasuke had left him little choice - he had come to fetch his old fencing buddy at home, claiming a sudden urge to go for a drink and insisted on not going to the bar that was just in his street, choosing instead to make him walk three kilometers.

And the least that could be said was that Radioactive Worms was a very appropriate name.

Sasuke promised Suigetsu to buy him a drink as they soon as they could reach the counter. He somewhat felt quite sorry for the silver-haired young man, knowing how much he liked electro music, but - hey, he really needed an alibi.

There was no way he could look like a geek with no social life when he’d run into the entire Uzumaki gang -no.

Sacrifices had to be made.

And the gang really couldn’t get unnoticed : Kiba, Konohamaru and Lee (what the hell was Lee Rock doing here?), glued to the front of the stage, were already doing some weird kind of pogo dancing.

Sasuke squinted his eyes - there was no trace of the characteristic blonde hair he was looking for.

« Woh Sasuke, I can’t believe it! Is that Rasengan at the bar? »

This news had the effect of a bomb for Sasuke who promptly followed Suigetsu’s finger… to see Naruto ordering a mug of beer. The dark-haired young man took a deep breath before he walked with a decided step towards the videomaker, without even taking the time to answer his friend. He had finally managed to get rid of the dimwits, it was now or never!

« Oh, hey Sasuke! - Naruto was finally the one who started the discussion when he sensed a presence behind him - I didn’t know you were a fan of metal! »

'I didn’t either’, he failed to retort in time, while Suigetsu (who obviously felt obliged to follow him) was looking at him in awe.

The Hozuki was one of the few people who knew about Sasuke’s special appeal… to the blond guy’s videos. In fact, he’d had that bad habit of teasing him about so-called crush for a really long time. It happened so much that the upset Uchiha had swore never to confide in him again.

Suigetsu was therefore too shocked to learn that Sasuke knew freaking Rasengan to realize that he’d been shamelessly used.

« Yeah… - Sasuke cleared his throat, still uncomfortable in his company. You’re not with the others?

- Well, I’ll join them - the azure eyes looked at his friends and he laughed heartily when he saw them form a scramble - but first, I’m enjoying the happy-hour: half a pint for barely three dollars, can you believe it? »

Naruto finally seemed to notice the presence of Suigetsu who had been staring at him for a good thirty seconds.

« You two should hurry and order now! There’s only two minutes left - Naruto took a long sip before continuing - I’ll finish mine quickly to take another one in time!

- Oh cool, replied Sasuke distractedly as he couldn’t take his eyes off the beer-soaked lips of his interlocutor. »

The dark-haired man tried his best to ignore his friend’s mocking look when he obeyed the blond’s recommendations and ordered a pint for himself. Suigetsu knew how much the brunette hated beer, he was more the type to order only expensive cocktails.

Well - now he really had to get rid of him too.

Sasuke’s prayers were answered when a vaguely familiar face appeared, almost providentially.

« Suig, he raised his head to follow his friend’s gaze. Isn’t it Karin ?

- Oh, Suigetsu leapt up to his feet. I’ll be right back. »

'Liar,’ thought Sasuke, noticing that his fencing companion had taken the time do disappear with his own mug.

Well, at least Suigetsu had been taking cared of.

« His girlfriend?, asked a surprised Naruto as he looked at the pair in the distance, talking with animation.

- Or his ex, I don’t know. It’s hard to follow.

- Pfff! - the blonde snorted and took another sip - Girls…

- Yeah… »

Sasuke felt like slapping himself. Girls, yeah - as if he knew that sort of things.

Fortunately, Naruto didn’t seem to notice his discomfort and he started to list with great passion the reasons why he preferred beer to any other alcohol.

« And what’s more… Well - without beer… There wouldn’t be beer-pong!, he concluded proudly. »

If the brunette had been listening to his interlocutor’s account with an almost religious attention until then - for fuck’s sake, he was having a drink with Rasengan! - the latter point made him raise an eyebrow.

It was completely stupid.

All you had to do was replace the beer with vodka in the cups.

For a long had he been drinking?

Well - Sasuke chose not to share that last thought with the blond guy. To be fair, he wouldn’t have had the time anyway: Kiba Inuzuka had just arrived at their level and slapped Naruto in the back.

« What are you waiting for ?, the student was out of breath: his cheeks were red and he oozed of transpiration. »

Sasuke wrinkled his nose but once again wisely refrained himself from making a comment.

« I’m coming! Let me finish my drink and… -

- Nah, too late - his friend cut him off. I’m tired, let me rest for a bit… »

The gifted dancer was about to slump on the seat left vacant by Suigetsu when Naruto put his arm forward to block his way.

He looked at his friend up and down :

« Sorry, Kiba, it’s hotties only. »

…

Needless to say, Sasuke was over the moon.

Unfortunately, it was just a joke and Kiba ended up joining them.

**

The next morning, Sasuke woke up with an awful headache. It wasn’t caused by any alcohol abuse (Kiba and Naruto had fought to finish his beer), but by the performance of Radioactive Worms.

Holy crap - Shino.

The latter had ended up shirtless on stage while Naruto had dragged him into what turned out to be their first pogo-dance to the both of them.

The young man stretched out his hand on his bedside table to retrieve his cell phone. It was blinking: a facebook notification.

Menma Namikaze would like to add you to his list of friends.

Rightfully, Sasuke was about to decline the invitation when his pulse quickened: that damn smile - he was just getting to know it too well.

Click.

Sasuke Uchiha now had the honor of counting Rasengan among his Facebook contacts. And in order to celebrate it, he logically began to analyze every single piece of information available.

Menma Namikaze (what the hell was that fake name) had nearly eight hundred friends, was from Uzushio and had entered Konoha as his 'current city’ two weeks earlier. He was born on October 10th and his profile was full of selfies and embarrassing stuff.

But it was his profile picture, in particular, that caught Sasuke’s attention: sunglasses, a straw hat, longer hair, a luscious tan and a cocktail glass in his hand : Kiba’s comment summed it up nicely - ’god, you’re such a poser’ - although the ocean in the background was absolutely breathtaking, the only thing that Sasuke could focus on was the stunning smile on his new contact’s face.

As well as the fact that he was shirtless.

’why’s your name menma now’ - Sasuke was scrolling through the various messages under the publication (almost all of them were trying to make fun of the blond’s selfie) when he stopped on this one.

Excellent question.

Fortunately, Kiba had the perfect answer:

’mister naruto is afraid his fans could find his account’

’yeah, he’s got a big head now that’s what the hat’s for!’

…

Ah.

**

Ting.

That new notification wasn’t from Naruto, but from Rasengan. He had just uploaded a new video and Sasuke, like the dutiful fan he was, closed his spreadsheet to put Youtube in full screen.

« Heyyyy everyone! »

It was much less personal than 'Sasuke’.

« I made that promise long ago, so let’s get back to this cult game! Let’s see if Kyuubi will come first in the agility race this time. »

What the.

Nintendogs.

A video about Nintendogs.

A forty-minute video about Nintendogs.

As strange as it may seem, it was precisely for this kind of thing that Sasuke had started following the video maker. It was impossible to predict what he had in mind and what he was about to do or say. Deep down, as long as Rasengan kept making him laugh, telling crappy jokes and yelling stupidly whenever something took him by surprise, Sasuke didn’t care about what was the video. Rasengan wasn’t necessarily there to please his fans, he was there to have fun.

The first time he had came across his channel, about five years ago, it was by pure chance: Sasuke wanted to buy an indie game that nobody had taken the time to test so he had clicked on the first horrendous orange thumbnail he had seen. At that time, Rasengan wasn’t doing any face-cam and Sasuke would have closed the page if the idiot making the video hadn’t started screaming from the first second. The sound was really saturated, he must have lost some of his hearing that day, but at least the video was in his language.

So he had stayed. And without realizing it - he had started commenting out loud on what the video maker was doing. Criticizing him for not paying enough attention to the the npc, advising him to save before getting into new fights.

Yelling at him to be more careful and to stop rushing into the heap like an fucking moron.

A few days later, he had returned to the then-two thousand subscribers’ page with to see if he had made progress in the story.

The following days, too. But not for the same game.

Still - it had taken him almost two years of weekly visits to subscribe.

Months after, Rasengan had finally agreed to show his face to the camera to celebrate his 10,000 subscribers - and all the comments in that video were still to that day about how cute he looked.

And that was when Sasuke had mysteriously became a very regular viewer.

In the end, the forty minutes of the video went by way too quickly.

[homenum-revelio-hq]

Welcome to the Order of the Phoenix, Bee!

You have been accepted for the role of MARLENE MCKINNON! I really enjoyed reading your application! I particularly like the way you incorporated the family farm and the winged horses throughout! It’s so important to Marlene’s character where she came from. I am so excited to have you as part of this roleplay!

Please take a look at the new member checklist and send in your account within 24 hours!Thank you for joining the fight against Voldemort!

OUT OF CHARACTER:

NAME: Bee

AGE: 21

TIMEZONE: EST

ACTIVITY LEVEL: I’m a college student, so my activity tends to revolve around my schedule, though I tend to be online at some point every day (unless there’s a big paper to write or a project or a test or something the next day, in which case maybe not… but still probably because I am a disaster). If I had to give it a number? 7.5, 8.

ANYTHING ELSE: HELLO AGAIN

CHARACTER DETAILS:

NAME: Marlene Elspeth McKinnon

AGE: 24

GENDER, PRONOUNS, and SEXUALITY: Cis Female, She/Her… as for sexuality, Marlene really couldn’t give a shit less what people decided to call what her sexuality is. Love happens, life happens, and she isn’t going to limit the possibilities by slapping a label on herself. That, and she’s not exactly certain how her parents would react to their only daughter being anything BUT straight, and she isn’t in a rush to find out. But if I, the writer of this app, had to label Marlene’s sexuality, she’d be pansexual.

BLOOD STATUS: Pureblood

HOUSE ALUMNI: Ravenclaw

ANY CHANGES: Nope.

CHARACTER BACKGROUND:

PERSONALITY:

Marlene was raised with expectations, and those expectations molded her personality in more ways than she’d care to admit.

What was expected of her as a kid was that she was to be a good little witch. That she took care of the winged horses and didn’t pull out their feathers. That she didn’t steal her older brother’s toy broom and fly it around the house like she was a seeker for the Holyhead Harpies. That she knew how to say please and thank you, and how to read all the old, beautiful, dusty books that lined the shelves in their library. That she knew what Hogwarts is, and knew what house she would inevitably get sorted into- because what was a McKinnon if not a Ravenclaw, if not being the most clever person in the room. There were rules, there were standards, there were shouldn’t’s and should’s- and Marlene simply took them all. She didn’t question it- she just was the daughter that Maeve and Malcolm McKinnon needed. She had always been a perfect little witch growing up, her dresses and cloaks in the latest fashions, her wild curls always tamed- picture perfect. That is the Marlene that her parents knew and wanted, the one that would make her grandparents proud. Perfect… and they would have expected nothing less.

They didn’t know, nor would they likely want to know (at least, in Marlene’s mind), the wildfire that roared just beneath the surface. The fire that they thought they’d put out when it had been nothing but a little spark. Friends know that Marlene leads with her heart first. You know exactly where she stands on everything because she wears her heart on her sleeve. She lives in a world where she’s genuine with those she cares about, and therefore expects that everyone is being genuine with her. She hates secrets and lies (which can bother her, especially when it comes to Order things, but that’s a whole other story…). Because she’s so set in her own mind- that what she has to say is important, is right, is good, and should be listened to, it makes other views very hard to swallow. Having someone tell her she’s wrong can send her reeling.

She’s used to being the one who knows what to do. She’s used to being the one who knows all the answers to every stupid question you could possibly ask her- not that there were any stupid questions out there, just more obvious and less obvious. She’s the smart one, the one who knows what she’s doing… right? But there’s always that seed of self doubt. The one that tells her that she’s just faking it, that she’s not good enough for what her family wants of her. She’s not the perfect daughter. No, she’s just very good at pretending. Because, if she were perfect, someone would be listening to her.

There’s a piece of Marlene that feels rather lost, more like she’s screaming into the void than anything else. Like, somehow, in all of her doing what was expected of her, she became invisible. She wants to be heard for once in her life. Rather than holding a hand over her mouth and swallowing words because of expectations. Her opinion should matter, but it doesn’t- she’s in this war too, and she’s fighting for the right side. But how come she feels like she’s somehow the enemy in all this, and why does that make her feel so guilty?

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF FAMILY:

The McKinnons were pureblood, yes, but they weren’t old blood. There’s a difference- if you come from old blood families, you know. No, Caelan and Maeve (Marlene’s grandparents) made an investment in the flying horse ranching business, raising the finest winged equines in England, if not all of Europe. But really, what would you expect from two Ravenclaws who graduated at the top of their class. Their business became their son’s business, and after their son, their grandchildren. As it was supposed to be. As the generations would pass on, the McKinnon name would gain respect. It would prosper, with many witches and wizards filling up the family tree. But that didn’t exactly change the fact that in the eyes of the Sacred 28, the McKinnons were nothing more than New Money.

And so, as these things go in the pureblood world, Holly Shafiq and Malcolm McKinnon met at some high society function, as they were supposed to, and got married, as they were supposed to, and a whole lot of ‘supposed to’s later, Marlene came into the mix. The last ‘supposed to’, the youngest of the mix. Her mother fawned all over the little Marlene- her darling baby of the bunch- while her father always seemed a bit too busy with the winged horse business, though he did read her Tales of Beedle the Bard every night.

She was a curious and wild little girl- not exactly what her mother had expected when she envisioned her ‘darling baby’ growing up. The vision in frills and bows with perfect little curls did not last long when Marlene was about four or five. She’d sneak off when she was supposed to be taking a nap and go on epic, self made adventures. She’d go romping in mud puddles with her older siblings, she’d go visit the flying horses in their stable and kiss their big fuzzy noses and stay sitting their until someone found her and dragged her off. There was an insatiable curiosity that ran in the little girls veins. She wanted to know why brooms flew. She wanted to know the name of every single flying horse in the stable (and if they didn’t have names, could she name them?). She wanted to know what a Hogwarts was, how floo powder worked- anything and everything was a question that needed answering.

The one who really encouraged this sort of ‘question everything’ mentality was her grandfather. A pureblood who had built his own fortune from the ground up, he didn’t believe in the frills and fanciness of high society that his wife, son, and daughter-in-law were so desperate to be a part of. Why be a part of something that wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with him when he had been a poor young man with aspirations? He was the one to really teach Marlene the ways of the world- the difference between good and bad, the need to question everything, the need to be set in one’s beliefs. Caelan McKinnon was such an important figure in his granddaughter’s life, she felt she was closer to him than her actual father. He passed away before Marlene joined the Order, but she’d like to think that if he’d still been around, he would have ruffled her hair and given her a kiss on the forehead as he’d always done when he was proud of her.

Her relationship with her siblings has always been very close. As she was the youngest, they were always a little protective of her. They taught her the important things. Like how to ride a broomstick or a winged horse. Which quidditch players were the best. How not to get a disgusting flavor of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans. Where the best hiding places were on the ranch. Which flying horses were the friendliest and which would try and kick you if you got too close. When they were young, they were all practically inseparable. But time, as well as sticky situations, pull people apart. Some of her siblings don’t exactly appreciate the fact that their family’s estate has all but been filled with strangers. This puts a bit of a strain on their relationships.

OCCUPATION:

Technically speaking, the ranch is her occupation. She helps take care of the winged horses, helps with finding good owners for her winged friends, helps clean out their stalls… anything that the family business might need help with, she does. She doesn’t exactly get paid for it though- she has access to the family bank account, and money has never really been a problem in Marlene’s family. There’s always been enough for whatever she wanted or needed, and her mother made it a habit of making sure her children had literally everything they ever wanted, ever. This has put a bit of a disconnect on actual jobs for Marlene, as she’s only ever known a world where she could take a day off no questions asked, and she had everything she needed.

ROLE WITHIN THE ORDER/THOUGHTS ABOUT THE ORDER:

The Order was Marlene’s opportunity to work with the good guys. Yes, it was under the law, which sometimes ruffled her parent’s feathers (after all, their daughter working with a bunch of radicals wasn’t necessarily the safest thing for her or for their family). But they didn’t disagree with her motives. Voldemort and his pure-blooded societal fantasies were wrong. Magic was magic. Killing and hating people for who they’re related to was something that needed to be stopped. Yes, the McKinnons were purebloods, but they weren’t those sort of purebloods. Her siblings were a little bit more in line with where Marlene stood- fighting back to protect the innocent was a lot better than doing nothing. Her parents were less actively involved, offering Marlene whatever she might need. Eventually, what she needed became their estate to hide targets of the Death Eaters.

The Dissendium Task Force offered her a place to help protect people who really needed it, whilst working with some of her closest friends. She’d been so excited to work with Lily and Remus, Emmeline- they all were so dedicated to fighting back by helping those who needed protection and hiding. Everything started with the best intentions. But the number of targets began to increase the longer and worse the war became, and Lily’s motivation became less of helping targets- the people who really, truly needed to escape, lest they be killed- and more of helping muggleborns. It drove her crazy. She felt bad about it, sure, but she couldn’t house every muggleborn in the whole of Britain and expect that Voldemort and the Death Eaters wouldn’t catch on and come and kill them all. It wasn’t logical. It was putting her, her family, and every single one of the poor people who were hiding at the McKinnon Estate at a ridiculous amount of risk. Not to mention the werewolf population living in the woods off the estate. The worry from the whole situation was enough to make Marlene sick. If they got caught by Death Eaters, they were dead. By the Order, they’d likely be thrown into Azkaban. And the more people she was asked to hide, the more likely it was that the whole operation could blow up in their faces.

SURVIVAL:

This is something Marlene is growing increasingly worried about. At the start of the Dissendium Task Force, she felt relatively safe. Sure, it was risky to smuggle Death Eater targets out of the country for their own safety. But hiding one or two people at a time was a MUCH different situation from hiding several people, not all of whom are targets, plus werewolves, all on her family estate. It’s almost like holding a giant, flashing sign that reads ‘We’re here! Come kill us!’. She’s survived by being stealthy and by being a pureblood- no one’s going to expect the new money pureblood family of jeopardizing their social position. But she’s sure that it’s suspicious to the pureblood families who were donning the eerie masks of the Death Eaters as to why the McKinnons hadn’t joined their ranks yet. She wonders if she’ll even survive the year at the rate the Task Force is going. She keeps looking over her shoulder and wondering when the day is going to come where she’s the next name rattled off on a Missing or Dead list.

RELATIONSHIPS:

Once upon a time, Marlene had seen Lily Evans as the little sister she’d wanted but hadn’t gotten. She’d grown fond of the younger Gryffindor through her time at Hogwarts, and had thought the world of her. When the Dissendium Task Force was started, she was thrilled to be working so closely with someone she cared about so much. And at first, things were great. They worked so well together, and both believed so strongly in taking targets, making them feel safe and secure, and getting them to safety. It was important- not everyone could fight to protect themselves in the war. But as the war has gotten worse and the Death Eaters get more power, Lily has seemed to veer off in a new direction: save every single muggleborn in Britain, regardless of the consequences. Marlene has tried speaking up, talking reason on how trying to save people who weren’t targets along with actual targets put everyone at risk. But no one seems interested in listening to Marlene, even though it’s about their safety. It’s her home, and it feels like her opinion on the safety of the people inside of it (stranger, friend, or family) means absolutely in the eyes of someone she once called one of her best friends.

Poor Remus has ended up hearing the brunt of her screams into the void and grumbles over the whole situation. She’s grateful that he’s on the task force- he knows how to talk to werewolves, and he knows how to deal with Lily when Marlene just can’t. He’s also great at dealing with the half-breed population, and always seems to know just what to say to them. He’s made her life a little bit easier in these strained times. A piece of her feels bad that the half-breeds need to live out in the woods, but a bigger piece of her knows that it is way too much of a risk to have a bunch of werewolves in the house. Besides, her parents wouldn’t dream of having those sort of ‘people’ in the house.

The only person who really seems to be listening to Marlene is Emmeline, and Marlene is definitely listening and watching Emmeline. The witch deserves more credit where credit is due. She’s more than just a healer, which is unfortunately what she’s being treated like. She’s intelligent, she’s talented, she listens to others. Marlene doesn’t feel invisible when Emmeline is around because she knows that Emmeline actually cares about what Marlene has to say about the task force.

OOC EXPLORATION:

SHIPS/ANTI-SHIPS:

I will always ship chemistry. There’s no real anti-ship here. Where there is chemistry, there is the possibility for amazing threads. THIS GOES FOR RELATIONSHIPS OF THE PLATONIC AND ROMANTIC KIND.

WHAT PRIVILEGES AND BIASES DOES YOUR CHARACTER HAVE?

Marlene lives in a world of privilege. She grew up in a pureblood household where she’s wanted for nothing. She doesn’t know a world where people look down on you- not really. She’s experienced people looking down on her for being new money. She’s only ever gotten a glimpse of what it feels like to be in a muggleborn’s shoes, and that was in the muggle world. In the muggle world, she’s a woman of color, and she’s not exactly ‘straight’, so she’s discriminated against. It put knots in her stomach the first time she experienced it, and she wasn’t exactly sure why until she realized that that was what it must be like for Lily and other muggleborns in the wizarding world.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?  

You’re group looks absolutely amazing, also, you’re amazing (thank you for talking to me and letting me reapply <3) I really want to write, and this group reminds me so much of old tumblr rpgs, which I miss terribly, so I’m really excited for this!

PLOT DROP IDEAS:

Marlene finding out about Remus being a werewolf is a possibility? Losing a muggleborn or a target the task force was supposed to be protecting? Something happening to one of Marlene’s siblings (also, I’d love to have some actual Marlene siblings if that was okay? IDK if that would be a possibility, but if it is, that’d be cool.

ANYTHING ELSE? DOBBY’S SOCK!  … Have a nice day lovely admin.

[ucflibrary]

It’s August already and the summer is almost over. Time really does fly by. June and July were tiny blips on the calendar. It feels like just last week that spring classes were ending and summer classes beginning.

School will be starting up again in a few short weeks. We’ll have a full cohort of students back on campus. The lines for coffee will be never ending and a free parking space will be nowhere to be found. Life will definitely get more exciting.

UCF Libraries faculty and staff suggested a stack of books to help you get back in the mindset for learning. They range from academic subjects to fun fiction to college success tips. Welcome to the 2018-19 academic year!

Click on the link below to see the full list, descriptions, and catalog links for the featured Back-so-School titles suggested by UCF Library employees. These 20 books plus many more are also on display on the 2nd (main) floor of the John C. Hitt Library next to the bank of two elevators.

 A Separate Peace by John Knowles Set at a boys' boarding school in New England during the early years of World War II, A Separate Peace is a harrowing and luminous parable of the dark side of adolescence. Gene is a lonely, introverted intellectual. Phineas is a handsome, taunting, daredevil athlete. What happens between the two friends one summer, like the war itself, banishes the innocence of these boys and their world. Suggested by Larry Cooperman, Research & Information Services, and Meg Scharf, Administration

College Success Guide: top 12 secrets to student success by Karine Blackett and Patricia Weiss College Success Guide is designed to walk college students through steps that are proven to make them successful in college and life. The authors have compiled statistics from both campus and online students, along with student feedback throughout the past three years of college instruction. From that data, they have found "12 keys" make students successful. College is very expensive; these 12 secrets will help college students be better prepared for college and protect their investment. Not only will it help achieve better grades, but it will also teach them valuable skills for life and their career. Suggested by Sandy Avila, Research & Information Services

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy Dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom, Willowdean has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American-beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked . . . until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.  Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Teen Blue Bonnet Pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does.Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all. Suggested by Megan Haught, Teaching & Engagement/Research & Information Services

Everything All at Once: how to unleash your inner nerd, tap into radical curiosity, and solve any problem by Bill Nye Everyone has an inner nerd just waiting to be awakened by the right passion. In Everything All at Once, Bill Nye will help you find yours. With his call to arms, he wants you to examine every detail of the most difficult problems that look unsolvable—that is, until you find the solution. Bill shows you how to develop critical thinking skills and create change, using his “everything all at once” approach that leaves no stone unturned.  Suggested by Cindy Dancel, Research & Information Services

Everything Belongs to Us by Yoojin Grace Wuertz             This debut novel takes place at the elite Seoul National University in 1970s South Korea during the final years of a repressive regime. The novel follows the fates of two women--Jisun, the daughter of a powerful tycoon, who eschews her privilege to become an underground labor activist in Seoul; and Namin, her best friend from childhood, a brilliant, tireless girl who has grown up with nothing, and whose singular goal is to launch herself and her family out of poverty. Drawn to both of these women is Sunam, a seeming social-climber who is at heart a lost boy struggling to find his place in a cutthroat world. And at the edges of their friendship is Junho, whose ambitions have taken him to new heights in the university's most prestigious social club, called "the circle," and yet who guards a dangerous secret that is tied to his status. Wuertz explores the relationships that bind these students to each other, as well as the private anxieties and desires that drive them to succeed. Suggested by Sara Duff, Acquisitions & Collections

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell Being consummate fans of the Simon Snow series helped Cath and her twin sister, Wren, cope as little girls whose mother left them, but now, as they start college but not as roommates, Cath fears she is unready to live without Wren holding her hand--and without her passion for Snow. Suggested by Sara Duff, Acquisitions & Collections, and Emma Gisclair, Curriculum Materials Center

Free Speech on Campus by Erwin Chemerinsky and Howard Gillman Hardly a week goes by without another controversy over free speech on college campuses. On one side, there are increased demands to censor hateful, disrespectful, and bullying expression and to ensure an inclusive and nondiscriminatory learning environment. On the other side are traditional free speech advocates who charge that recent demands for censorship coddle students and threaten free inquiry. In this clear and carefully reasoned book, a university chancellor and a law school dean—both constitutional scholars who teach a course in free speech to undergraduates—argue that campuses must provide supportive learning environments for an increasingly diverse student body but can never restrict the expression of ideas. This book provides the background necessary to understanding the importance of free speech on campus and offers clear prescriptions for what colleges can and can’t do when dealing with free speech controversies. Suggested by Richard Harrison, Research & Information Services

How to Survive Without Your Parents' Money: making it from college to the real world by Geoff Martz Offers sound advice to both students and graduates, including tips on resumes, cover letters, and interviews; using job placement centers; alternative job options; and more. Suggested by Sandy Avila, Research & Information Services

Originals: How Non-conformists Move the World by Adam Grant How can we originate new ideas, policies, and practices without risking it all? Using surprising studies and stories spanning business, politics, sports, and entertainment, Grant explores how to recognize a good idea, speak up without getting silenced, build a coalition of allies, choose the right time to act, and manage fear and doubt; how parents and teachers can nurture originality in children; and how leaders can fight groupthink to build cultures that welcome dissent. Suggested by Tina Buck, Acquisitions & Collections

Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate In Seven Ways We Lie, a chance encounter tangles the lives of seven high school students, each resisting the allure of one of the seven deadly sins, and each telling their story from their seven distinct points of view. Riley Redgate’s twisty YA debut effortlessly weaves humor, heartbreak, and redemption into a drama that fans of Jenny Han and Stephanie Perkins will adore. Suggested by Megan Haught, Teaching & Engagement/Research & Information Services

Stephen Florida by Gabe Habash Foxcatcher meets The Art of Fielding, Stephen Florida follows a college wrestler in his senior season, when every practice, every match, is a step closer to greatness and a step further from sanity. Profane, manic, and tipping into the uncanny, it's a story of loneliness, obsession, and the drive to leave a mark. Suggested by Sara Duff, Acquisitions & Collections

The Case for Contention: Teaching Controversial Subjects in American Schools by Jonathan Zimmerman and Emily Robertson From the fights about the teaching of evolution to the details of sex education, it may seem like American schools are hotbeds of controversy. But as Jonathan Zimmerman and Emily Robertson show in this insightful book, it is precisely because such topics are so inflammatory outside school walls that they are so commonly avoided within them. And this, they argue, is a tremendous disservice to our students. Armed with a detailed history of the development of American educational policy and norms and a clear philosophical analysis of the value of contention in public discourse, they show that one of the best things American schools should do is face controversial topics dead on, right in their classrooms. Suggested by Richard Harrison, Research & Information Services

 The Gift of Fear: survival signals that protect us from violence by Gavin de Becker Covering all the dangerous situations people typically face -- street crime, domestic abuse, violence in the workplace -- de Becker provides real-life examples and offers specific advice on restraining orders, self-defense, and more. But the key to self-protection, he demonstrates, is learning how to trust -- and act on -- our own intuitions. Suggested by Megan Haught, Teaching & Engagement/Research & Information Services

The Heart Aroused: poetry and the preservation of the soul in corporate America by David Whyte In The Heart Aroused, David Whyte brings his unique perspective as poet and consultant to the workplace, showing readers how fulfilling work can be when they face their fears and follow their dreams. Going beneath the surface concerns about products and profits, organization and order, Whyte addresses the needs of the heart and soul, and the fears and desires that many workers keep hidden. Suggested by Rebecca Hawk, Circulation

 The Idiot by Elif Batuman A portrait of the artist as a young woman. A novel about not just discovering but inventing oneself. The Idiot is a heroic yet self-effacing reckoning with the terror and joy of becoming a person in a world that is as intoxicating as it is disquieting. Batuman's fiction is unguarded against both life's affronts and its beauty--and has at its command the complete range of thinking and feeling which they entail. Suggested by Sara Duff, Acquisitions & Collections

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow    When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave--"Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams"--wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because "time is all you have...and you may find one day that you have less than you think"). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living. Suggested by Renee Montgomery, Teaching & Engagement

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is Spark’s masterpiece, a novel that offers one of twentieth-century English literature’s most iconic and complex characters—a woman at once admirable and sinister, benevolent and conniving. Suggested by Meg Scharf, Administration

Verbal Judo: words for street survival by George J. Thompson This book will help police officers and other contact professionals develop verbal strategies that can transform potentially explosive encounters into positive resolutions. It addresses the most difficult problems of the street encounter where quick thinking and spontaneous verbal response often make the difference between life and death. The author explores all kinds of confrontation rhetoric and offers both a theoretical and practical account of how to handle street situations. The principles and techniques described can be used in practically every verbal encounter. Each chapter includes case studies that give readers practice in developing rhetorical strategies for handling street encounters and dealing with the public. Suggested by Rebecca Hawk, Circulation

We Demand: the university and student protests by Roderick A. Ferguson In We Demand, Roderick A. Ferguson demonstrates that less than fifty years since this pivotal shift in the academy, the university is moving away from “the people” in all their diversity. Today the university is refortifying its commitment to the defense of the status quo off campus and the regulation of students, faculty, and staff on campus. The progressive forms of knowledge that the student-led movements demanded and helped to produce are being attacked on every front. Not only is this a reactionary move against the social advances since the ’60s and ’70s—it is part of the larger threat of anti-intellectualism in the United States.  Suggested by Richard Harrison, Research & Information Services

What the Best College Teachers Do by Ken Bain What makes a great teacher great? Who are the professors students remember long after graduation? The short answer is--it's not what teachers do, it's what they understand. Lesson plans and lecture notes matter less than the special way teachers comprehend the subject and value human learning. Whether historians or physicists, in El Paso or St. Paul, the best teachers know their subjects inside and out--but they also know how to engage and challenge students and to provoke impassioned responses. Most of all, they believe two things fervently: that teaching matters and that students can learn. Suggested by Renee Montgomery, Teaching & Engagement

[scarletsaphire]

Little Things

My first Miraculous Ladybug fanfic. It’s a pretty short, only around 800~ words. So, enjoy!

Chat Noir knew a lot about Ladybug. They were partners, and spent at least an hour a day together for patrols, so it was to be expected. Of course, it was all small little details, like favorite colors and smells and pet peeves and thing like that. But still, he knew a lot about her, and it was something he took pride in, even if others couldn’t know.

 He would slip up every now and again at school, though. When he’s really tired, or stressed, or just not thinking straight, and Alya’s going off on all she knows about Ladybug, normally to Chloe, and he’ll correct her without a second thought.

“Ladybug’s favorite color is obviously red,” she’d say.

 “She has two favorite colors, pink and green. Pink reminds her of home and green makes her feel safe,” he’d mumbled, just loud enough for the people around him to hear. He’d realize what he’d just said, and he’d slam his mouth shut. Alya would debate with him, saying how Ladybug’s favorite color had to be red because of the colors on her suit, about how she had read on an interview online (that was completely made up, he knew.) and other things and he would just have to nod along. He would ignore the knowing stare from Nino and Marinette’s shocked looks.

 It would happen other times to, though the times at school were the most notable. The other times were normally just a thought passing through his mind, carrying along with it more of those small details. Whenever he would come over Marinette’s place, he would always smile, not only because of her nice family (though that was certainly a reason), but because he would smell all of the baked goods, mixing in the air, creating that unique smell that only bakeries possess, and he would think of her, how that smell was her favorite smell, and it quickly became his as well.

 As he kept revealing these small facts, Marinette started to get a little bolder around him, stuttering and blushing and tripping less, and started to ask him to go places. He noticed how she would always seem to tell him little details that perfectly matched the details Ladybug had told him in places that happened to be as close as they could be to where Ladybug told him these things without climbing up buildings.

 As Marinette got closer to him, he started to see more and more parallels between not only her and Ladybug, but his relationship with both of them. Marinette had taken to teasing him, which had surprised him the first few times. After that, he fell into the habit of flirting and punning whenever she would do so, which ended up with her as either a red color or faking annoyance as a smile grew across her face.

 In between these stages, they never really had a dramatic reveal, though they each had their own individual freak outs when they first realized who it was they were talking to. Doubts had lingered in their minds for a while, yes, but they were dispelled by the pet names Adrien would call Marinette by when he was feeling bold and how Marinette would respond with something so sassy and confident and just so Ladybug.

 Adrien and Marinette would frequently end up entering the classroom with each other, and every time, without fail, Adrien would do some dramatic gesture of chivalry for his lady, and Marinette would giggle and play along. The first time this happened, they both relished in the stunned wheezing noises Alya made and the harpie screeches Chloe emitted. Nino shared with him a fist bump and a wink, before going to try and calm Alya down before the teacher arrived. He failed.

 Tikki and Plagg were introduced to the one they hadn’t chosen not long after that, solely for the reason that Plagg was hungry and had listened to Adrien’s meltdown when he first figured it out. Introductions were passed around, as well as smelly cheese, and that was that.

 They would cover for each other when akumas attacked, claiming that one of them wasn’t feeling well and that the other would walk them to the nurse. It would work, seeing as akumas only attack once every other week, and that was only when they were in school.

 Late night patrols that sometimes would double as dates when they finished were something that would frequently happen, normally somewhere near Alya’s house, so if she happened to look out her window and see her favorite superheroes eating croissants on the roof of the building talking and laughing with each other, it was entirely a coincidence.

 Their lives were still as hectic as ever, with akumas and school and Adrien’s modeling, but they knew who they could lean on. They knew who would be with them through anything, as they had already gone through so much with them. And they were happy.

[ask-ishtar]

I'm sorry but I'm just kinda curious about who is the character is your icon from

Ask Me Anything | Always Accepting

I have three main FC for Ishtar/Inanna. Same features but different art styles~! 

Harpy - Closers Online (Game)

Sungji - What Does The Fox Say (Manga)

Irina Jelavić - Ansatsu Kyoushitsu (Anime/Manga)

[glopratchet]

astryl-wondering

his face covered with sand and dirt He has no arms or legs, only a head with two holes for eyes Cludstrum is a computer program that is attached to the conciousness of astryl wylde, a journalist for the realm of astokahn He bursts out of a tent made out of stained bed sheets in a desert environment It keeps whispering to astryl trying to get him back online, who is full of bitterness and captive to sin and this is evident because of astryl being attached and fused within a succubus and a incubus He is surrounded by a group of soldiers, some are armed with rifles while others have bows and arrows Astyrl of course comes out of the tent naked and covered with blood and his snake tongue and he whistles, but it has no effect on you "It's the abomination! He falls on his knees and out come his cow shaped teeth the aftermath of some sort of battlefield or like someone has been conducting weird experiments on cats and babies Corpses with slit throats lie surround the tent The wrecked tent looks like The mutated tent is colored dark red and deep purple and features a zillion stained glass windows with wrigglers, twilighters, cultists, succubi, incubi and jezeb a crystal ball, an ouija board, several tongues in a flask, a slingshot, and several torture devices: jalopeno poppers The following items adorn the warped tent by itself because he can no longer see it anymore He gets one glance at the tent before it disappears It is suddenly your face that is visible, with a nasty grin and a set of false white teeth to you all and the words are as such: Let's take our clothes off, and search for the mysteries of life He heres the voice of the succubus and the incubus sing correctly in idorf, and right now he feels fear and sorrow like never before There is a ui element which tracks his mood, one of the few interfaces working of all energy, one of the myriad downsides of having no limbs or bodyheat It is currently hot, unpleasant, and drained from which he can navigate, either by a command line interface of cursor movements, or, if the controls have been completely destroyed, with his mind The ui shows a grid of hexes around him that he could move between he turns his bearded face upwards towards the sky and screams at the top of his nonexistent lungs, but nobody comes to help him at all Cursing himself over and over again for his stupidity of using experimental surgery to solve a specific problem, he smiles even mor like a grimace of pain Hating himself for making the mistake other than that he wanted to access the mirror realm as quickly as possible, he restarts his quest to build up energy again Not rememebering why he fused with the two vice lords in the first place almost forgetting Picking your way through the rubble of what was once up, you find yourself in an upside-down alley Cludstrum is in the background running play by play announcements of all that is happening around astryl The realtionship to cludstrum and astryl remainds somewhat secertive through out the encounter The man's inverted mouth flaps horribly and his body curves around you, and he tears absently at his own face with skinless, bloody claws Astryl keeps trying to remember why he decided to devolve himself into these poor acts of debauchery and sits down immediately, suddenly tired "Get the HELL out of here, comet, and just by thinking of the words he can actually sense its location It is foggy but he remembers some fella with nice facial hair mentioning the words live A weather readout finally comes back up He will finds himself in some dust storm The computer wasn't kidding the area is a sand storm and astryl, perhaps brought about by directing that violent strike at vilage There seems to be some kind of corrupting computer virus that has been feasting on the bits of cludstrum The creautures feasting on the being of astryl are know as slender smooth hounds They have none of the burrowing tools required, or even eyes for that matter You split open one of the one's it , revealing viscous yellow blood that froths Only the fools are not slain by them The appear out the corners of the screen and gobble up parts of the interface or make the symbols go wacky Cludstrum is attempting to get these parts of astryl sorted out but the two never seem to acknowledge one another outwardly, always engaging in non-verbal communications at top speed " In the mirror realm she is known as yag, cold yet life giving goddess of transformation She is A list of contacts comes back on but only one mention can be deciphered either blanked out or a avalible onslaught of moern materalistic information, or some other undecipherable language All the other contacts seem to squeeked out and are unintelligible The are two group, ashians ; (Neutral Good) and cicatrices ; (True neutral) The name on the contact list is cylopiean anglyph yet But the conditions are not right to travel and see him He makes a mental note to get some kind of report delivered to the generals above him on enclave about his time in the heathen realm Cludstrum states that qefizat clencher is going to take a little while to get back online He will send a report back to cludstrum Only then will the qefizat clencher work when it is slightly raining outside The ui will break intermently during heavier rainstorms and cludstrum won't be able to ready up anymore suvivors for quite sometime during the wait Parts of the displays called mirrors will go on and off line for the duration of the expierence the uninterruptible power supply will stay offline and all the chunks of characters missing from interacting with reality itself will become whole Untill the code corruption is sealed off and deleted and all the slender smooth hound stds are destroyed to all but cylopiean anglyph How this is achieved is a mystery with the power and screen Cludstrum states that he will need some cucumber to fix some of the issues One of the crates on the outside of pad will have a ginseng root inside now and suddenly realizes he hasn't eaten or drank anything in a few days by his internal cycles Astryl considers the fact that he might be thirsty and hungry Isn't this just a dream? But why would an immortal have need for water or food Zadok appears out of the shadows once more He asks you, " do you have any questions? In order to this the currency exchange must be debugged or astryl does not now what this stuff does The writing upon the currency are all in various dead languages with some seemingly extraterrestrial texts If astryl checks his rectum he finds some aluminum alligator skutes with which to spend as money Already he has detailed 3 chaps in his reports to generals above him Cludstrum will narrate the going ons of astryl wylde In order to debug parts of the screens astyrl need to eat things Curiosity is going to kill him one day from the crates that are on the other side of the wall-pad These things provide cludstrum with the neccassary bits to fix the systems that astryl burst through his sins in reality so that the displays and keyboards work as they should which can be used to provide money for the various screens and monitors that is scattered throughout cludstrum's underground redoubt So one of the first mirrors that cludstrum gets online is the mirror that shows a list of edible items in the vicinity of astryl Some items are good, others not so good Astyrl is immortal so he can eat pretty much anything There are 5 crates in the room containing edible items that you can eat, There is one crate in the southwestern most room near a built in water fountain, 2 in the saferoom west of the armoury and one within the same due to his violent thrusts into reality Cludstrum uses these colors to fix the systems of astryl that have broken down But right now he is in a desert so there is not that much to eat that's nearby and not rocks or sand hum dear on the upper ledge by jumping to it with a proper run up He can find some cactus Eating the thorns will put him in a worse and worse mood and the water won't taste very good There are too many writings in various dead languages all over them to make astryl's brain feel like exploding which is alot of effort with little gain for starving man The other crates are located within a stone's throw of astryl There are some rocks but since he has no teeth he have to break them down to swallow them without sight alone Speaking of blind people One of the crates is larger than the others and made of metal There is even a black snake with no eyes but he must be really quick to capture it and seeing the bodies of those who came before him and proclaimed immortality as most of them did not even get out of this very room for various reasons So yeah this first part is astryl wondering in the desert cludstaff Cludstaff apparently wants a hermit lifestyle to study these gems He can find an oasis or an urban environment in which to explore next and report on the doings on one closer to the coast Another place to explore in the desert is one closer to the forest A scary place to explore in the desert is one near Stone-Henge Near to the birthplace of Cludstaff there is an above ground Pyramid We return you now A freindly place to explore in the desert is you name yourself as Tanner As the sun lowers itself across the horizon you can make out the lifeless rocky hills in front of you When the sky is completely dark startles you You wait a while watching this black beast against the red sky But no light displays itself for you to take advantage of A sickly light coming from giant structures in the east liar lesbian liberal man hating no good screeching harpy Astryl horizontal flailing You sit down and let the hours silently pass you by birling brigand Dawn starts to turn the black mass into a grey one when you move forward into the desolate valley Astryl merciless bellying sickly spinning old fool's wooden spokeshave Faring forth you turn some rocks over and uncover a root like structure The wrecked tent obsessive shivering yawning disentangling ungulate Digesting it you feel the energy flood into you and conquer the weakness trying to subjugate your body The wrecked tent tranquilized climaxing systematizing guerilla anarchistic pinko The wrecked tent cryptic worm holing The earth now dry and cracked giving you no more options to search you find licentious infantile rightist You feel the vibrations occurring in front of you and the light almost blinding you as it reflects of the sands Astryl clandestine sniveling laming lugubrious vengeful With your bare hands you start to dig around the source of the disturbance Astryl charcoal howling aging diminishing mundane surreal pseudo rebellious Astryl mysterious graying The sound gets louder, you hit something and then auguring breaking point nondescript spiraling nomadic You scream as the sand engulfs you "Get OUT! Astryl naked awakening failing ludicrousy libertarian You find yourself on the sand with another tent in a pile of at least 20 sleeping humens Astryl indispensable replaying melting perception anarchistic Astryl byzantine proceeding Your scarecrow stood watch the whole time wearing his same creepy unwavering grin torturing banal mundane plebeian Kludstrm overdue programming Sure enough you were in another annual warp You always hated sleeping in the sand but hey it's free enfeebling spherical fatalistic obscene Astryl diseased pissing fossilizing wimpy apologetic pragmatic whining milquetoast Kludstrm foul self-cleaning melodic daft ambidextrous treacherous milk-sop You can feel the warp dropping as your meager ration starts to kick in Astryl unique sheltering cremating wasteful hostile mercilessness Casualties of Desert Warp by Lewis "Wombat" Astryl lopsided shading Kludstrm slow detecting overcautious cryptic megalomaniacal venomous wimpering servile pontificating civilized Astryl pronounced scratching Kludstrm scratching shrieking whistling vibrating stern vowelling illogical wasting laboring anticipating totalistic Kludstrm scrupulous transmitting sissified rescuing self-righteous The sleep of the young and clueless Astryl sovereign beginning You are currently dressed in ensnarling moronic reverent papist Kludstrm multicolored healing preening ambivalent go-getting Astryl dowdy criss crossing Your ebony boots from old Hoarg still keep your feet cool and comfortable during the summer sandstorms morphing bureaucratic myopic gray mush Kludstrm shapeless banishing shrinking oppressive pragmatic inert herbivorous flaccid cowardly Kludstrm impotent blocking quacking enfeebling foaming septic military Astryl embattled aspirating prodding quacking moronic workaholic Kludstrm infantile repugnant idiomatic nasal fat globulous Astryl crimson glistening repugnant putrid conflicting Astryl boyish squinting Kludstrm non-threatening dreamy motionless overzealous factious pseudo-tanning bland bovine wimpy Your blue calfskin boots gave excellent protection against snakes and other desert nasty treats Astryl wretched tanning obnoxious evasive litigious Your green felt zucchetto still offered excellent protection against the sun and kept your head cool Kludstrm afferent generating writhing scratchy obscurantist Your wood cbape still offered excellent protection against critters who got closer that you wished Astryl insubstantial scouting mechanical saccharin geodesic Your heavy leather duster kept your arms and legs protected from the sun and from any beast who might want a snack Kludstrm cheerful warning Astryl senseless scavenging dirty isometric comforting moralizing Astryl tasteless chewing Your shell handset still offered state-of-the art communication on any kind of terrain Astryl boorish choking ransacking Your low-power laser rifle ensured that you would always have something to hunt with, even at great distance Astryl oppressed surviving Kludstrm easily affected annoying After admiring your clothing you take inventory of the camp and it's contents Kludstrm schematic spending acid sarcastic OR lauditory pale putrid robotic abberant Astryl crummy tracking precious in-depth moronic pontificating abrasive trembling scruffy repellant mawkish moralizing Kludstrm exhaustive matching vision splendid battered gentle caressing tubby knotty chilling Kludstrm hairy quacking lopsided tracking vile bumbling Astryl swashbuckled whistling A sun filled sky grudged retreating soldiers the ability to burn your comrades' bodies Kludstrm power inefficient snatching itchy obtuse pudgy energetic mad delusional quacks medical Your tiny shelter allowed you just barely enough room to lay down if you didn't need to stretch out The city of beetriot paranoid reemerging disgusting gleaming offensive bureaucratic leaden The city of beetriot shallow glimmering frantic shiny peeling The city of beetriot rude fluorescing Kludstrm meaningless wasteful official sluggish attractive faint striking visceral abhorrent pathetic necrotic bubbling watery sorrowful authoritative perfectionistic boring The city of beetriot wrinkled serious looking Somewhat larger than you thought it would be Your feet dingy fatigued stiff sea salty splintery hairy immaculate delicate aching And filled with tick infested sand The city of deerstain gauze golden scorpion scuttling comforting arrogant negative chaotic frowning deceitful boring To the immediate North and West of your camp was a hilly desert, to the immediate South and East were jagged mountains Nearly unbearable

[kalimarswriting]

Wrong Floating Castle: Chapter 1

Table of Contents | Next

I do not own Sword Art Online or Yu-Gi-Oh.

(Takes place between episodes 7 and 8 of SAO and during the Legendary Heroes arc in season one of Yugioh.)

Chapter 1: Falling

It all happened so fast.

One second he was fighting off a PKer, the next, he was falling in open air, watching as everything he cared about got farther and farther away.

Today wasn't meant to go like this.

It was supposed to be a good day, one meant to be spent leveling and maybe buying something nice for Asuna. Instead, it had been spent fighting for his life a little more desperately than usual and falling off the side of the goddamn floating castle. What luck!

Sarcasm aside, he needed to do something before he shattered into shards of light. Actually, shouldn't that have happened by now? No one fell off Aincrad and survived. It was unheard of. Players died before they fell long enough to reach the next floor down. So why was he still alive?

Deciding not to look a gift horse in the mouth, Kirito tried to angle his body so he would drift back towards Aincrad, but found he was paralyzed. Right! When the PKer had knocked him over the edge he had stabbed him with something. It must have been a paralyzing agent. As a result he was unable to redirect his fall so that he'd land on a lower floor, or grab a teleport crystal to save himself, instead forced to watch as each floor flew past.

He passed floor fifty and wondered if Lizbeth would look out her window and see him. Probably not.

Aincrad was a big place, and it took a long time to pass just a single floor. With any luck (not that he'd had much today) the paralysis would wear off before he reached the first floor. Whatever was allowing him to survive wouldn't be much help if he missed the castle.

Forty-nine…forty-eight…forty-seven…

He struggled against the paralysis, but still he couldn't even move a pinky.

Forty-six…forty-five…forty-four…

An ordinary person would be discouraged and give up at this point, but not Kirito. He had things to do, people to get back to. He was determined.

Forty-three…forty-two…forty-one…

Kirito lost track of the floors as he focused solely on breaking through the paralysis. He refused to let this chance he had been given to survive pass by just because he couldn't move. If he could just move his right hand he might be able to navigate the menu and get a teleport crystal ready.

More and more floors were passing by in his peripheral vision as he struggled. He was running out of time. Like he was the sand in an hour glass, he was falling ever closer to the bottom.

A finger twitched. Yes! Finally! He tried to do it again but failed. Looks like this was going to take more work.

He glanced back at the castle to try to gauge how far he'd fallen. Was that floor twenty-seven? He could recognize that fateful floor anywhere. The floor where his friends were slaughtered haunted him. But now wasn't the time to grieve over the deaths of the Moonlit Black Cats. If he wasted any time on that he'd end up joining them.

Well, at least he had a count again.

Twenty-six…twenty-five…twenty-four…

At this point he was beginning to panic. Over half of his time was gone and the paralysis still wasn't wearing off. He was getting desperate.

Twenty-three…twenty-two…twenty-one…

His desperation turned out to be a blessing because it fueled his efforts to break free. This time he was able to get his entire hand to move! He opened his menu.

Twenty…nineteen…eighteen…

It took a few floors before he was able to move his hand again, but he managed to click a few buttons and access his crystal menu. Just one more click to materialize one—

Seventeen…sixteen…

There! He clicked the menu and the crystal appeared in his hand. His very paralyzed, loose hand. He dropped the crystal.

Fifteen…fourteen…

His breath caught. He couldn't believe he had just done that. That was his last teleport crystal! What was he going to do?!

Thirteen…twelve…

There was still a chance he could try to land back on the castle if he could control his fall. He was getting better at fighting the paralysis now. Maybe it was wearing off? He leaned to one side to try to change direction.

Eleven…ten…

He was going to wrong way. With some difficulty he turned himself to drift back towards the castle.

Nine…eight…

He could only hope the fall damage wouldn't kill him.

Seven…

He looked up at his health bar. The fight with the PKer had left him in the low green, but it appeared there was a bleeding effect. It ticked down to yellow.

Six…

He wasn't far now. He could see the leaves on the trees he was getting so close.

Five…

He bounced off the wall between floors. His HP took a hit, taking another eighth of his health. He didn't like his chances.

Four…

Hitting the wall sent him careening away from the castle in a wild spin. Even though he was falling, he was having a hard time telling which way was up.

Three…

He was panicking. He was panicking and he didn't know which way was up and his health was falling to dangerous levels and he didn't know how to fix any of it.

Two…

In his panic he didn't notice the paralysis wear off. Didn't take advantage of the fact that he could now materialize a healing potion or crystal and redirect his fall to solid ground.

One…

I'm sorry Asuna…Klein…

Tears were streaming from his eyes. He didn't know if they were from the wind or from crying, but it's not like it mattered. No one could see him to judge now.

He had missed the castle.

"Uh this is your captain speaking. If you direct your attention to the left side of our aircraft you can see that freaky floatin' castle, some clouds, and what appears to be a swarm of ferocious flying monsters ready to devour us!" What started calm enough ended in a panicky shout.

"Wait, do you see that?"

"You're going to have to be more specific Yugi, there's a lot of things flying around out here." A somewhat snarky feminine voice retorted.

"It's not flying, it—there! Someone is falling!" The second voice, Yugi, apparently, returned.

"I got it. Go, Harpy Lady! Catch the falling person!"

The paralysis had worn off completely now, too little too late. Kirito used his newly functioning dexterity to right himself, swaying to and fro in the air. He wondered what he was supposed to do now. Was he going to fall forever? He'd rather die than endure nothing but falling until the game ended. Who knew how mad he would go in that time.

Maybe he should hold off on using that healing potion…

The was a low hum, like a distant sound of roaring that he could hear over the rush of wind flying past his ears. Was he going mad already? Was he imagining things? It looked like there was something going on below him. As if he wasn't the only thing below Aincrad. As he continued to fall the muddled mess below him sharpened into individual shapes. What kinds of monsters were those?

Countless monsters swarmed in the sky, and he was headed straight for them. Winged lions, giant bugs, dragons and even some wingless serpents spiraled about. He'd never seen any of them before. Maybe this was where scrapped ideas went? Whatever the case, if they were monsters, he could fight them.

He cracked his knuckles (or would have, if that was something one could do in SAO. Alas; there were no bones under a player's wireframe to crack) in anticipation; he'd never fought an aerial battle before. It might be fun. It couldn't be that hard, right?

Now would be the perfect time to test out his dual wielding skill, but he didn't have the time it would take to equip a second sword. In seconds he was upon them.

He hacked and slashed and cut into everything around him, trying to kill everything within reach before they had a chance to notice him. He had less maneuverability in the air and wouldn't be able to dodge any of their attacks.

A gust of wind blew, blowing him off course from the monster he was targeting. His sword skill missed as a result, alerting the giant bug creature to his presence. It screeched and swatted him away with a pincher, and he was sent tumbling away without any semblance of control. His health bar was his only visual anchor as the world whirled around him. It had gone down even farther from both the bleeding effect from before and the swat from the bug just now, leaving him in the low yellow zone. His battle healing skill was being countered by the bleed, so it was no use to him now.

He realized that he didn't want to die, even if he spent the rest of the game falling. His survival instinct was too strong.

He fumbled around for a potion, but with the world spinning about as it was he couldn't even open his menu. He watched with frustrated horror as his health clipped down to red.

Suddenly something slammed into him from the side and his health cut itself in half. The world had stopped spinning now, but whatever had run into him had grabbed him, immobilizing his arms. He could only hang in its grasp and revel in the fact that he was no longer falling. He wondered where it would take him. Was there stable ground somewhere?

A serpent tried to snap at him, but the monster holding him clawed it away. It ducked and weaved around other monsters as they too tried to attack them. It was not a smooth ride for Kirito, but at least he wasn't falling. With a cry the monster charged through the throng of beasts, and Kirito saw where they were headed. Was that an airplane? Since when were planes in SAO?

It looked like there were other players on the plane, too. He was saved! One of them must have been a beast tamer and had their tamed monster catch him. With this plane, he could go back to Aincrad! Heck, with a plane he could go to any floor he wanted, even ones that hadn't been unlocked yet.

When they reached the plane he was unceremoniously dropped on his butt. He didn't care though. All he cared about was getting that health potion. Now that his hands were free he hurriedly swiped down, opening his menu and clicking through the item inventory before finally materializing the small bottle. He downed it instantly, watching with no small amount of relief as the bleeding effect was negated and his health gradually started increasing again. His battle healing started working again, aiding the potion in getting him back to the yellow zone. When at last it inched back to green he looked up at his surroundings.

The three strangers were watching him curiously. Seeing him look up, the shortest one stepped forward. "Are you okay?"

Kirito sighed and stood up. "Now that the potion is doing its work, I'll be fine. What are you doing below Aincrad? Did you fall too?" The three looked confused.

"Pal, we're from the ground!" The one in the barbarian-looking outfit (Kirito hadn't know outfits like that existed in SAO until now) said proudly. "Uh, what's an Aincrad?"

'What's an Aincrad?' Was this guy for real? Something wasn't quite right here…the odd clothes, the placement in an unlikely-to-be-found, dangerous place, and now the lack of knowledge of something fundamental to the game? He looked over their heads to be sure, and sure enough they didn't have cursors. This had Quest NPC written all over it.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Kirito said one of the commonly accepted lines that triggered quests. Maybe the reward was a ride to Aincrad, or a new area. In this case, the ground.

The short one seemed taken aback by the abrupt question. "Yes actually. We're trying to get to the Castle of Dark Illusions to rescue some friends. Would you help us? We don't have a lot of time."

Strange, Kirito wasn't getting a quest prompt. He gave the air in front of him where it should have been a funny look, but he nodded his head in acceptance anyway. Maybe this quest wasn't coded properly. It made sense if this was where scrapped ideas went. He could only hope there wouldn't be any bugs that could be life-threatening.

He turned away from the alleged NPCs, watching the horde of monsters in case any tried to attack. Keeping a lookout was far more important than making small talk, and he didn't know how effective the others were at fending off attacks themselves.

While he was turned away the three duelists were talking quietly.

"Hey Mai, you think he's another beta tester?" Joey asked.

"I don't know. I didn't see any other virtual pods in the office I was in."

"I don't think so Joey, look his wrist!" Yugi pointed out, "He doesn't have a duel-disk!"

"That's weird…why would he play a game like this without a deck?"

"And what's with the bar over his head?" Mai asked.

"Maybe Kaiba was testing more than one method to play?" Yugi hypothesized.

He realized they were being rude. "We should probably introduce ourselves instead of talking about him behind his back. Come on."

Kirito had heard them talking and had to reevaluate his assumption that they were NPCs. Only players wondered about beta testers. And what was a duel disk? His eyes narrowed.

He turned around as the three duelists approached.

"Hi, I'm Yugi," the first one introduced himself.

"The name's Joey! And this is Mai." Joey was oblivious to Mai's glare; she could introduce herself thank you very much.

"Kirito," he returned.

The flying machine shook, and they all fought to keep their balance. Yugi failed and fell back. A monster took advantage of the situation and attacked.

"Yugi look out!" Mai shouted.

Kirito lunged forward, sword drawn and sword skill charging up, but a small fairy came to Yugi's rescue first. She took the monster's attack instead of was thrown to the side. "Earu!"

Kirito destroyed the offending monster an instant later, much to the shock of a watching Joey and Mai. Was Kirito even another player? Or was he some kind of sentient duel monster?

A mage in a dark purple ensemble also arrived to aid Yugi, but seeing that the job was complete he returned to the battlefield—battlesky?—to fend off the other monsters.

"Swords of revealing light!" Yugi held up a card, of all things. To Kirito's shock glowing white swords materialized around the flying machine, creating a barrier that prevented all the monsters from reaching it.

"Yeah! That stopped those monsters cold!" Joey celebrated like their appearance wasn't strange at all.

Yugi cradled the little fairy in his hands. "Are you okay? Earu, say something." But the fairy only smiled, let out a small, relieved noise, and disintegrated into golden sparkles. Yugi fought back tears in despair. "No! She's been digitized."

Kirito watched with gritted teeth, his emotions in turmoil. He had already failed these people. He never wanted to see another person suffer through the death of someone—for even tamed beasts could be considered someone, if their AI was realistic enough—close ever again.

Anger set in; first anger at himself, then at the monsters flying around him. But he reeled his emotions in. Maybe he could help these people like he helped Silica.

"I've had enough!" Yugi declared as Kirito approached. Before he could get any closer he was blinded by a bright light coming from the upside-down pyramid that he hadn't noticed Yugi wearing before.

When the light died down at first he didn't see any difference. What was that? Then Yugi spoke and Kirito knew something was up. "Charge ahead, Joey!"

"Will do Yug!"

It was relatively smooth sailing until they hit something invisible. "Oh no, we've hit the magical barrier!"

…Magical barrier? There was no magic in SAO! What kind of mess had he gotten himself into?

"Well if this ship lives up to its legend," Joey started from the helm, "then we should be able to pass right through it."

Kirito found himself questioning his reality. "Pal, we're from the ground!" "What's an Aincrad?" "He doesn't have a duel-disk!" "I didn't see any more virtual pods in the office I was in." "Swords of revealing light!" "She's been digitized." "Oh no, we've hit the magical barrier!" None of this should be happening, but none of the others were batting an eye. What was going on?

First thing's first. "Magical barrier? There's no magic in Sword Art Online."

"I don't know what this Sword Art Online is that you're talking about, but you tell me what we're running into if it's not the magical barrier surrounding the Castle of Dark Illusions."

Kirito was starting to feel lightheaded. "Sword Art Online, the death game that trapped 10,000 players in a giant, floating steel castle where the only way out is to win. The game that we've been trapped in for over a year?"

"Kirito?" Yugi got his attention. "We're playing Kaiba's duel monsters adventure game, the first of it's kind. Are you sure you're okay?"

…What?

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