#4.1 come sooner PLEASE

[kitithcat]

There are TWO men in Fontaine that have stolen my heart

Yeah it's Nuevillette and Wriothesley

BUT CAN YOU BLAME ME?????

[toast-on-dandelioms]

🕷️Just Another Neglected Story🕷️

[previous] - Part 4.1 - [next]

Any names that you find familiar, in this part, were taken (with permission) from the fanart made by @the-broken-truth, while some changes like description of what's happening were made by me then modified by my beta reader, my bbg, Jamie.

tw: Joker, angst/no comfort, small description of injuries, small description/mention of a panic attack (I am unsure if it was that, please tell me if I am wrong).

Weeks passed with you still being Spider and a 'normal' teenager at the same time. But some changes and new things happened in these weeks.

You got visited by Superman almost daily, or nightly since he always visited when you were patrolling at night. You never questioned how he knew where to find you, you didn't want to think about it and just let him follow you during your nightly patrols.

He also helped you train while using all of your strength because you usually held back in fear of hurting people, so his tips helped a lot  considering that he also had the same problem before.

Furthermore, now that you started to help with small problems around Gotham, like small thefts and gang problems, those problems started to slowly stop, giving you more time to train with Superman and help around the community.

You still didn't join the Bats or even the Justice League whenever Superman tried to propose it, you just didn't want to fight big shots like Joker or other super villains.

You liked doing small things and loved seeing the change it brought from you helping.

Just defeating super villains won't reward you with a pie from the nice old lady after helping her move her things in the apartment and give her groceries if she can't go to the supermarket, or getting drawings of little kids after you help them go home safely.

You also scored candies whenever the moms had them, which made you incredibly happy because they always had the candies you loved. 

So you were happy, especially since Alfred never mentioned your breakdown after that night and kept on the usual routine of leaving your food on the desk in your room so you wouldn't have to come down to the kitchen.

You did notice him acting a bit weird but you pushed those thoughts aside since you didn't really notice anything weird happening around the Manor so you thought he was just nervous for something Bruce did.

You gave him too much trust and sooner than later you will regret doing that.

But something did change around the Manor, you just didn't notice because you started to walk on the ceiling, without shoes or Alfred would kill you, to avoid annoying encounters with anyone in the house, even if listening to music while on the ceiling was a bit difficult but you’re managing.

Well, Alfred knew that if he walked to Bruce and told him about you and what you felt he would've been ignored, especially since Bruce barely remembers that you even exist in the Manor and that you're a member of the family.

And even if Bruce did remember that you exist he would be annoyed, especially since he clearly hated your mother and was only paying the child support because he had to, especially since your mother threatened to take him to court if he wouldn't pay when he first got the news.

Talking to any of the batkids would've also been useless, because he also knew that no one in the Manor remembers you, especially now that you could walk on walls no one could even see you.

He couldn't count how many times he almost got a heart attack whenever he could see you on the ceiling, just hanging out or doing your homework, even though he still didn't understand how you could work without gravity making everything fall.

So he decided to do it in small steps, starting with leaving photos of you around the house in places where everyone sees them.

He put almost every picture that he owns of you, like you at a dance recital as the lead dancer or you at a science fair to which you won first place with an invention of yours.

One thing Alfred knew by putting your photos was that every person would notice how in all your photos you were alone and how your face never showed any emotion.

He knew it was small but he couldn't wait anymore, he needed to take action now or before you decided to leave for the Kent family, he couldn't let you go after he heard you talk about Clark and Conner while he made food in the kitchen.

He just hoped it wasn't too late for you, especially with your break down. He hoped you could still let someone in after all these years of being alone.

He did try his best but he was only a butler and he couldn't change someone's view of another person if that view was filled with hatred.

And you never noticed thanks to your walking on the ceiling or walls, moreover, you couldn't care less if they actually noticed you now. You were finally moving on and having a new start thanks to Spider.

But now it's not the time to think of Alfred's attempt of getting you acknowledged by the family, you were getting busier thanks to all the work as Spider, school and also dance classes.

You also kept on using yourself as a test subject, just to check the process of the spider DNA that's now in your DNA and seeing if anything changed or you had some mysterious new powers, taking videos to record the process of your evolution with the now Spider DNA in your body.

One thing you acquired after a while was invisibility, or camouflage as you called it since invisibility sounded magical and you didn't want it to sound like you were a kid.

How you found out you could use it was not a good experience.

You were in the kitchen with Alfred, just hanging out with him while he cooked when Damian suddenly entered the room to ask Alfred for some food for a new pet that he adopted.

In your panic at the sheer thought of Damian seeing you and hurting you like he did in the past made you freeze up, squeezing your eyes shut in hopes that he would just disappear from existence. Praying to every god you could recall that Damian wouldn't find you, you tried to not breathe too loudly so he wouldn’t hear you.

After a few minutes of paranoia passed and you didn't hear anything around you, you slowly opened your eyes and saw Damian still waiting for Alfred to give him the food for a cat he adopted and completely ignoring you.

You were still scared he would see you so you stayed silent and waited patiently, albeit apprehensively, for him to go away before actually making a sound, which was a loud sigh of restrained relief as air poured back into your lungs. Somehow you hadn't noticed that you'd been holding your breath the whole time. Strange.

You slowly got down from the counter you were sitting on and walked up to Alfred, confused as to why the old man wasn't looking at you and instead was looking at the ceiling before softly calling out his name.

You got even more confused and slightly worried when he got scared since you were standing right in front of him but he, for some reason, couldn't see you.

After a bit of Alfred trying to explain that he couldn't actually see you and you not understanding why, you finally managed to make yourself visible.

You quickly went to work at the corporation to take a few tests to see what happened and didn't see anything with those tests but after a few days of trying to understand what happened and how you could make it happen again, you managed to go invisible on command.

It took a bit but you managed to do it, which got extremely useful to sneak into the kitchen when you need to get some snacks in the middle of the night so that Alfred doesn't catch you on the wall eating chips at 3 am.

Plus thanks to that time you found out that your eyes glow in the dark, which was a bit weird since the spider that bit you wasn't a bioluminescent one but you figured it was your own DNA that changed some things.

In the time following that discovery and training with Clark, you slowly started to join him in solo missions for the Justice League, but made sure to tell him that you didn't want to partner up with another person except him.

And you made sure that he knew you weren't an official member of the Justice League or of the Young Justice League, you just joined him so you wouldn't get rusty since Gotham is still filled with crime but fighting with teens or men who just swing a crowbar or knife is not really challenging.

You didn't want anyone except Clark to join those solo missions, not because you were scared of hurting another person since you learned to control your strength thanks to him and got pretty good with your spider senses.

You just hated being around people you didn't know or trust, especially if they were a member of the Wayne family, you absolutely detested them.

You refused to look at them and especially talk to them even though you had the voice modulator.

One of the many reasons you used the voice modulator was to not get recognised but also because you hated your own voice and the voice modulator helped when talking to lost kids or just kids in general.

You never told anyone why you hate your voice, you just refused to talk one day and learned asl to communicate with people and also used notes if people didn't know asl.

The mask was like a hearing aid, it changed your voice and helped you use it more so you could talk sometimes.

As time passed, the birdies (basically all of Bruce's kids, you just called them all bird to show how much you didn't care about them) kept on trying to talk to you and showing up where you were when you were patrolling.

You had a list of most annoying to less annoying since you couldn't really do much about them, especially since Clark forbade you to throw another one of them off a roof if they got too close to your liking or just breathed wrong.

They never sustained grave injuries since you always threw them to another building or a dumpster, or to Superman if he was around.

Most of the time in a dumpster to make yourself smile since you would take a photo then swing away before they could do anything, but they started to pose whenever you would take a photo, making you annoyed and ruining your fun.

The most annoying was Dick, with how persistent he was even if he was stuck on a wall thanks to your webs when he got too close or made you uncomfortable by continuing to call you nicknames that he would use with Damian and Tim.

You hated how he would just laugh and call you his little sibling, especially since he would never call you that if you didn't have a mask on and you felt that it was unfair that he suddenly cared about you just because of the mask.

It made you feel like you were getting ignored and forgotten once again but this time to a version of you that he likes while the one behind the mask is always getting ignored.

Just like at the Manor, the real you will never be appreciated and accepted with love.

The second most annoying in the list is Tim, it was gonna be Damian but Tim took second place with how creepy he is around you and how he knows too much of what you do.

Like, you knew he's the one who knows everything about every hero and villain since you saw him work on the bat-computer while you were stealing a few grappling hooks for your web shooters since they broke. (You were invisible and you got lucky that Cassandra wasn't there or she would've found you immediately.)

But seeing him open a folder and watching how many videos and photos he has of you in the bat-computer, like when you were fighting some gang members or when you were helping some nice old lady crossing the street.

If anyone else showed you their collection of you doing badass or just normal stuff while you were a vigilante then you would've felt impressed and very honored because you never thought someone would actually go out their way to be a fan of you.

But seeing Tim, someone you still had some respect for, having so many files, especially from when you first started and hit so many walls while swinging around made you weirded out and somehow violated, especially with how concentrated he was while staring at the videos.

Seeing that folder and all the information he had on you made you lose all the respect you still had for the boy.

Another thing he did was that, whenever you met him while patrolling or eating a few hot dogs with your favorite guy, he would always talk of things you did like he was there and creeped you out so much that you had to restrain yourself from throwing him off a roof or wherever you two were.

Most of the time you just tased him and went your way, paying the hotdog guy a little extra so he wouldn't stop selling you hot dogs.

You're also starting to think that hot dog guy is using you for the tips since you always tip him 50$ or more to stay silent and let you grab more hot dogs from him.

Third annoying but still so annoying that you want to punch his face is Damian. Mostly because he treats you like you're his older sibling.

Like he respects you and looks up to you. But you knew it was because of the mask since you also knew that if you ever took off the mask in front of him he would try to kill you.

You have to be supervised by Clark and even Jon since your only solution to get rid of Damian when he’s around you is throwing him off a roof without worrying about not using your super strength.

You hated the kid and didn't really hide it but he never said anything about it since he thought you two were bonding and you acting like you hate him is normal.

You wanted to tase him when he dared to call you his older sibling in Arabic, hating the look on his face that had so much adoration and admiration for you since it actually made him look like a normal teen.

(You learned some Arabic to get close to Damian when you found out where he was from when you were young)

Like he didn't create so many scars on your arms and legs with his sword and those batarangs. Like he didn’t make you so afraid of the Manor that Alfred had to assure you that he wouldn’t hurt you or you would get a panic attack by getting near the Manor.

Least annoying but still annoying is Jason Todd. You hate that mask he wears because you can't see his face and know what he’s really thinking about, and especially how he acts like you two are two old friends who meet up everyday.

You hate how he pats you on the head when you're distracted, since the spider sense doesn't really deem him a threat for you, and manages to evade your attempts to kick him away or throw him off a roof, laughing whenever you try to do so.

Like you two were just playing and you weren't angry at him and wanting to throw something at him but couldn't.

So your one solution was ignoring him and walking to the side of the building so he wouldn't reach you since he couldn't walk on walls like you.

Which did make you smug whenever he complained about it on the roof of the same building, finding it funny when he acted all offended when he understood you were smug by how you were acting even if your mask didn’t show your face.

Yea you and Jason did get along sometimes, most of the time if you were having a nice day and if he was the first one you would meet of the birds.

You had a decent relationship with Jason, yes you did have fun sometimes but you wouldn't call him a friend or even your brother.

Plus you never forgot about the years he would ignore you and especially when he punched you in the eye and didn't even apologize decently.

Or how he would complain about how terrible of a father Bruce is, or how annoying Dick is to anyone else while you would just stand there, completely ignored since he was probably talking to someone else or to himself.

And acted like he was the only one who's life was 'ruined' when Bruce got in his life when he's still loved even after everything he's done.

Even though he's still remembered every Christmas and given big gifts that means that the person who bought them thought of him, and birthday while no one even remembered you had a birthday and you always celebrated it with a cupcake or some friends.

So you preferred to ignore him or you would punch his skull if he tried to complain one more time about Batman and his death.

Not like Cassandra, Duke and Stephanie were any better.

Cassandra was annoying because of how silent she was. You always managed to see her but you knew she wanted you to see her.

Plus, 'hanging out' with her was just you doing your usual stuff while she followed since you couldn't push her away like the others.

And fighting wasn't in the option since she could kick your ass with just a hand and without moving, so you just ignored her, even though your spider sense was always going crazy when she was around since she was a walking threat.

Even five minutes with her would give you the worst headaches that you had to ask her to stand very far or you wouldn't be able to even walk around without wanting to puke.

You hated her because she was taken in by Bruce like you but instead of being hated because of her upbringing, she got accepted with open arms and he always loved her.

What did she have that you didn't?! Why does she get all the attention and love you always wished for while you're getting forgotten and hated?!

You saw her getting accepted, getting all the love you always wished for, seeing your father going to her dance recitals while he didn't even bother to even acknowledge that you do the same sport as her but in a different and smaller dance studio since you couldn't afford to go to the one Cassandra goes because of how expensive even one lesson was.

Stephanie was another person you hated. You knew of her past, you used the bat-computer whenever no one was in the batcave when you managed to control the invisibility.

You knew about what her dad did. You understood her reasoning to become a vigilante. You didn't hate her for her past, god you didn't even care who her father was.

You just hated her because of how loved she was by everyone. She was like Cassandra but once again, all the love was going towards the two and it never even touched you.

You did try to bond with her when you arrived at the Manor but she did look like she wanted to be everywhere but not with you.

Even when you only talked about things you knew she loved, it still wasn't enough for her. She still avoided you and preferred to spend time with either Barbara, Dick or Tim.

And after a bit you gave up and let her live her life without you in her way since she clearly didn't care about you.

The worst part was that everyone prefers Spider than you, since she also keeps trying to hang out with you when you're patrolling or spending time with kids and teens.

Or getting beat during a game of basketball since you sucked at that game and the teens you played with would tease you which made you laugh since you liked spending time with people the same age as you.

But it would be ruined when she would show up, wanting to play too even though she would just play with you and make it obvious she wanted to make you win.

Which ruined the game entirely for you and always made you leave after a bit with the excuse of being busy as a vigilante, which made the teens and also Stephanie confused.

Duke was the only one of them that you knew tried to hang out with you when you weren't Spider. That's why he was one of the ones you hang out with most if he came to see you while you were patrolling.

He came when you were almost 15, you didn't remember how old you were but you knew he was one of the ones who actually paid attention to you.

But after a while, all his duties as Signal, as a high schooler and as one of Bruce's kids made him too busy for him to spend time with you, to which he explained whenever he was late for something you two planned to do.

And you understood, you cheered for him from the back and always smiled at him whenever he was with you as Signal, even if he couldn't see it. And he did tell you the best places to get food during patrols so you liked him for that, but you remained loyal to the hot dog guy.

But then there was Bruce, acting like he was the savior from his kids that kept annoying you even though he wasn't any better than any of his kids, he was one of the worst in terms of how annoying he was.

He was starting to compete with Dick for the first spot on your list, which you didn't like since you just wanted to be alone, or with Duke and Jason.

Like he would keep on calling you kid and other nicknames you heard him give to his sons over the years, which made you sick because it reminded you of when you were little and that your biggest wish was to also get a nickname like your brothers and sisters and spend time with him as your father even if he never paid any actual attention to you.

But what you hated most was how he always smiled softly at you, even when you tried to kick him away and he would just grab your ankle like it was nothing, like you were his favorite child. Like he didn't tell you that he would never be a father to you when you gave him a father's day card when you were 12 and trying to bond with him.

Looking at you with so much love and adoration, making you disgusted since he was the same man who once looked at you with disgust and hatred just for entering his office because you needed his signature for something.

The same man who clearly told you to not expect him to treat you like his child since you weren't. You were just an annoying kid who had to come to his house since no one else wanted to take you in.

You wanted to puke whenever he looked with love, refusing to forget about everything he did just because you were a child of someone he hated.

You understood why Bruce hated your mother, you couldn't force everyone to like what you like, but you still didn't understand why he had to ruin your life by keeping you with him.

He could have sent you to a foster home, he could have sent you to boarding school all your life so he could never see the face of the one he hates. But he didn't.

No, he decided to accept you in his home and ruined your life, making you miserable by keeping you there and then basically neglecting you and forgetting you even exist.

You wanted to puke whenever he looked at you with love when you were Spider, you had to take so many showers and had to scrub your skin so hard it turned red by how hard you tried to wash away his touch whenever he managed to actually touch you on either the shoulders or head.

You found comfort in Clark since he never forced you to interact with the Robins and Batman and understood why you hated them since you explained to him who you were but didn't tell him everything.

He did annoy you whenever he tried to suggest you to come with him to Metropolis even after you explained that you couldn't just move to another city right in the middle of the school year.

Moreover you were still a minor and you would need Bruce's consent, which you refused to ask since you refused to acknowledge that he was supposed to be your legal guardian.

Plus you always had fun with his kids when they were around since they would throw you in the air and catch you, making you laugh like crazy since their throw was like making you fly for like 2 minutes before catching you.

Conner was more fun to be around because he understood what you were going through since he also had problems with Superman when the kryptonian refused to accept the clone as his son.

Plus he always made the best jokes and made you laugh whenever you would have a bad day after seeing your legal guardian and his kids having a fun outing together while you were at the Manor since they didn't even remember you existed.

Or when you had a bad dance practice and almost destroyed your pointe shoes with your strength because you thought you weren't good enough to be a ballet dancer which spiraled to thinking that because of you not being good at dancing then you weren't good enough to be recognised by your legal guardian and his family.

He was more like an older brother than Dick, Jason and Tim ever were for you. And you didn't even care, you loved him as a brother and loved hanging out with him.

Jon was nice but he was also friends with Damian and you didn't really spend that much time with him because of that. You were scared Damian would be with him and you didn't want to see the evil spawn.

But the times you did hang out with him were nice, he always brought cake that his grandparents made and shared it with you while you listened to him talk about whatever he wanted.

He was fun and very nice but you weren't used to hanging around a small teen who actually wanted to be with you and actively seeked you out for your attention.

You were more used to a small teen who would glare at you and attack you if you dared do anything, even just breathing in his direction, the scars on your arms and back proved that.

But you never said anything to Jon about what his best friend did to you, you didn't want Jon to feel like he had to choose between two sides.

And you knew he would choose Damian's side, no one ever chose your side. You knew no one would even dare to be by your side.

Well after a while of going to missions with Clark and him letting you do most of the work as training with his close by to make sure you wouldn't get hurt, you were finally going on a relatively simple mission with Conner and unfortunately with Jason.

You knew Conner didn't want him there but he probably got Batman to convince Clark and him, so you didn't say anything to him about Jason being there and just stayed by his side while you were in the small ship.

The whole ride was spent in silence, only stopped whenever Conner would check the coordinates or by the sound of you fixing the web shooters to make sure they wouldn't go haywire when you were fighting.

You finally landed in the spot where you were supposed to start your mission, near the villain's lair, if you could call it that since it was an unused bunker a group of cultists found and are now living there, which made you get down eagerly since you wanted to finally do a mission without Clark's supervision.

But your excitement immediately died when you saw Stephanie waiting for you there, making you let out a loud string of curses.

And yes, you did ignore the message on your phone from Clark that said 'language' and just walked past Stephanie and Jason, just wanting to get the mission done and go home with Conner.

Plus he did promise you his grandmother's best pie if you finished the mission and you could not pass up the opportunity of getting another slice of that delicious pie.

As you walked up to the lair with Conner, you patted him on the back before standing in front of the door as Stephanie tried to open it by picking the lock. You waited exactly 10 seconds for Stephanie to unlock the door before pushing her away, kicking the door down with your strength since she was taking too long for your liking.

You didn't even care if they were watching, you just glared at them all in silence for a few seconds before they were able to hear you say.

"Stay here and you two don't follow me, Conner don't try anything or I will tell Clark"

Then, right in front of them you became invisible before walking off, the only sound they could hear were of your sneakers walking down the metallic stairs.

(Switch Pov to Stephanie)

Stephanie knew she wasn't the best person. She knew of her father's evil doings and she knew she wasn't the best Robin or the best vigilante.

But when she saw Spider, she thought that they were perfect. They were always helping people and never too busy for everyone.

She, at first, didn't even know who Spider is because of how busy she was with her life and her vigilante job. But when she saw Tim researching them, she was amazed.

She knew there were other vigilantes in the city, it was a big city but she didn't know about a vigilante who didn't fight big villains like the others.

She saw Spider helping old ladies, stopping small gangs from forming by helping the teens and just being an image for the people to rely on.

She knew Bruce stopped high grade villains like Joker or others but Spider, Spider was different.

They didn't fight Joker, no they just fought the criminals who would bother people that couldn't do anything to stop them.

She admired the vigilante and wanted to be friends with them, maybe one day she could convince them to join her and her family at the Manor.

But what she didn't understand even though she craved to know was why they hated her. Why they hated her and the rest of her family.

She tried so much, she craved their validation so much that she trained so hard and tried so many times to interact with them.

But she would keep on getting ignored or she wouldn't be able to follow them by the speed of them swinging or when they walk on walls to avoid her.

She cried so many nights at the thought of her idol, the one person she wanted, no craved validation would hate her so much when she can't even remember or know why they hate her so much.

But when she heard of Jason joining Spider for their first mission, she was so jealous that she used the bat-computer to check where Spider's mission was supposed to be and followed them in another ship.

She wanted to show to her idol how brave she was, so maybe they will praise her and laugh like when they're with Conner, Clark and Jon.

Plus she wanted to wipe Jason's smirk off his face since he kept on bragging about going to a mission with Spider for days and how he was the favorite since compared to the rest of them, he was the one who Spider stayed the longest before leaving or throwing him off the roof.

But all her excitement and hope died the minute she heard Spider curse when they saw her, her head slowly lowering as she tried not to cry.

And when Spider told them to stay there, god she wanted to protest but strangely Jason held her back and just told her to hack in the security system to watch Spider with the cameras.

She didn't understand why she couldn't follow Spider to help them but did as Jason told her to, watching all the cameras with him and seeing henchmen getting knocked out or tased by Spider even though they weren't visible.

Plus she found it hilarious when a goon got knocked out by a flying metal tray and the others just stood there confused before also getting knocked out by a taser or a punch then getting tied up on a wall or floor.

As she watched the security feed, she noticed that Spider entered the boss's sanctuary, filled with small and useless artifacts that the Justice League used to trace the villain so they could capture him and stop him before he tried to grow his cult or summon some demon.

She kept watching and trying to find a camera inside the sanctuary, starting to get annoyed and also panicking a little because if she couldn't see anything in the sanctuary then she couldn't call for backup if something went wrong, especially by how far Spider was, and even if they were going to help them, it would take too long.

She kept on switching cameras and trying to hack into anything that was electronic, getting more frustrated as time passed since she could see the villain approaching the sanctuary with someone next to him, making her confused since he wasn't supposed to have partners that helped him.

She managed to switch a camera in time to see Joker next to the villain, the blood in her face draining as she stared at the clown on her screen in silence, her eyes wide like bugs and no sound could be heard from all three of the teens.

She went back to where Spider was and noticed a camera was on, to which Stephanie immediately tried to warn them by moving the camera a bit but it was too late and both villains entered the sanctuary and closed the door so Spider wouldn't be able to leave without getting noticed by the cultist and the clown.

She watched the feed without moving any part of her body in terror that if she even moved then the two villains would notice Spider and do something horrible to them.

She gasped when she saw Joker suddenly pulling out a gun and pointing it at where Spider was supposed to be, not managing to hear what he was saying since the cameras were old and didn't register any sounds, plus his psycho-smile made it difficult for her to read his lips so she couldn't even use that to her advantage.

As Stephanie kept watching, not noticing that she was holding her breath by how focused she was on Joker then cursed loudly when she saw the screen turn black, throwing the tablet in anger as she got up, making signs for Jason and Conner to follow as she ran into the lair.

She quickly jumped over any henchmen on the ground, needing to get to Spider immediately and save them.

She had to help. She had to stop that psychopath from hurting them. She needed to protect them.

As she ran, her vision was starting to get blurry by the tears threatening to fall as she ran. As she ran, she suddenly got blocked by the metal door that was blocking her from saving Spider.

She immediately called Conner, wanting to use his strength to open the door but unfortunately he couldn't even throw a decent punch that could leave a dent on it.

Even after a few tries Conner didn't do anything so she started to try to open it by using the panel next to the door, her frustration already growing by how useless he was.

So Stephanie sent Conner outside to call Superman and Batman while she and Jason tried to open the door as they waited for the two heroes to arrive.

As the three of them waited for Batman and Superman to come, Jason and Stephanie saw something coming out the door that made their blood cold.

Some form of gas kept on coming out the door and the only thing they were able to hear were some noises of something or someone getting hit and coughing.

Stephanie did smell the gas, trying to pinpoint what the gas was but she couldn't recognise it since the only thing she could detect was that it had a sweet smell, which was nothing like all the gasses she ever smelled before.

The only thing she knew is that the gas wasn't the usual gas Joker uses on his victims since she wasn't laughing or having a maniacal smile but she still couldn't pinpoint what the gas was.

Stephanie stayed silent, trying not to show how terrified she was while Jason was trying to kick down the door while yelling curses directed at Joker.

Conner was outside the lair to use the ship and communicate with Batman and Superman, knowing they were both on different missions and he couldn't fly to both of them to ask for help, especially since he found out that he couldn't even fly, making him even more desperate for them to come.

As they waited Stephanie tried to make Jason stop punching the door when she saw his knuckles bleed, not wanting another one of her siblings get hurt because of her incompetence before looking at the door.

The blood drained from her face, her knees giving up on her and making her fall to the ground as she heard a scream, the cold metal floor the only thing she could feel at the moment.

She knew the scream couldn't be of Joker. He heard him yell before and this scream wasn't his. She hoped for every god as she tried to hack the panel of the door, even though she already tried before, with a bit of difficulty, her vision starting to blur as tears started to fall and her hands trembling as she was trying to ignore the multiple screams she kept hearing.

She couldn't let Spider get hurt, she should've been there to help them. They didn't deserve the pain and hurt she and almost all of the Robins went through because of Joker.

She stopped when she felt a familiar hand on her shoulder, the realization that she was just messing up the wires and making it even more difficult for the door to be opened when she looked at her hands tangled in between the wires.

She looked up at the man and visibly relaxed, completely giving out on the floor as Jason helped her by cutting the wires tangled in her hands while Batman examined what was happening as Conner explained what he knew, Superman next to him and waiting for Batman to give orders since he knew that if he acted irrationally then Spider would be in danger.

(Switch to Bruce's POV)

Bruce knew he wasn't a good person and a hero like Clark and Diana, that's why he called himself a vigilante since heroes save people and stop criminals but he couldn't save everyone.

Sometimes he was too late and he couldn't save someone innocent that unfortunately crossed ways with a villain or a gang.

Another thing Bruce knew was that he wasn't the best father because he let his kids get hurt by going on patrols with him as a vigilante, not thinking about what could happen to them if they fought someone too strong or if he suddenly decided to make them stop being a vigilante by saying that it was to protect them, which made everyone sneak out to be a vigilante.

He had to bury his children too early because of vigilantism and couldn't help his son when he was being trained by the League of Assassins.

But when he saw Spider for the first time, seeing a child that looked no older than 14, maybe 15, made him think that maybe, maybe he could help this one become the best version of themselves.

And if he was good enough, he could be a father again and get another child saved from the darkness and evil that surrounds Gotham.

Even if the only evil Spider saw was him and his family.

One thing he hated was that he couldn't understand why Spider absolutely loathed him and everyone of the vigilantes who live or have lived under his roof.

He couldn't understand why and even after checking every mission he ever did that included helping kids/teens in Gotham, nothing gave him a lead as to why Spider hated him.

And the worst thing was that Spider decided, out of all the heroes and vigilantes in the world, and especially in the Justice League, to trust and get close to Clark.

To Clark! His enemy! He was supposed to be the one teaching Spider to control their strength! He was supposed to be the one laughing with them while eating hot dogs and sharing funny stories of stupid people they say during patrol.

(He knows about it thanks to a small camera he put on Clark’s costume after he found out that he and Spider got close)

He didn't trust letting them go on a mission even if Clark told him that they could and that they were ready.

He thought it was too early and that they weren't trained to fight villains like he and the others fight everyday, especially with Conner since he wasn't perfectly trained so he managed to convince Clark, with much manipulation and guilt tripping, to let Jason come with them if there was trouble.

He didn't know Stephanie would also be there, especially since he didn't talk about it in the batcave about the mission but he already guessed that Jason bragged about going so she also went to also see her idol, knowing about her obsession with Spider to which he didn't say anything but encourage it with his own obsession towards the arachnid vigilante.

Not that he minded, two of his kids were better than none and Spider needed all the protection necessary even if the mission was one of the easiest possible. Especially since he chose it as a way to make sure Spider wouldn't be in actual danger.

But the moment he got a message from Conner explaining that Spider was in danger because of Joker, someone who wasn't supposed to be there in the first place, made his world crumble as he ran to where his jet was, needing to get there as soon as possible.

He couldn't let another person, no he couldn't let Spider get hurt or worse, killed, by the clown bastard.

He needed to save them, he needed to stop that fucking clown and he couldn't let Clark beat him to it. He knew that if he was the first one to save them, to help them then they would trust him more.

He couldn't lose that huge advantage to Clark or it would be impossible to even be able to get Spider to trust him or any of his kids. Which was already difficult but he saw them being more comfortable with Duke and Jason.

He arrived almost 3 seconds before Clark did, even though the kryptonian made his presence known since he made a crater at his landing and looked extremely infuriated as he walked towards Conner.

Bruce was already next to the boy and listening to his explanation on what happened, his usual frown that always made him seem annoyed with everything since he didn't want to show that he was scared.

He listened to superboy as he explained what happened in detail as they walked in the lair, a small smile appearing on his face whenever he saw henchmen and cultists knocked out and all tied up in Spider's web.

As they walked he noticed Conner and Clark weren't flying even if the space was big enough for them to even float, so he approached the boy, knowing it couldn't be Clark since the kryptonian was flying just two seconds ago, to see if he had anything on him and saw a familiar glowing green stuck to the boy's shirt.

He quickly grabbed it and put it in a container to block its effect since he knew it was kryptonite, the result showing on both kryptonians because they now could fly again.

He showed the container containing the kryptonite when both Supers looked at him "it was on Superboy's shirt, not sure who put it on him" he explained, now confused but especially enraged to who dared to interfere with the mission and put Spider in danger.

When they arrived at the door he saw something that made him frown more but also worried. He saw Stephanie continuing to tangle her hands in the wires of the panel next to the door, probably trying to open it but he saw her shaking and sobbing, making him understand that the girl was too focused on trying to save the vigilante inside the room that she couldn't focus on the task she was doing.

He then turned to Jason and saw him kicking the door and punching it, small dents on it to show how much strength he was putting in it and his bloody knuckles showing for how long he was doing that.

Bruce quickly checked on Stephanie and Jason before telling Superman to get rid of the door, the silence around them being too suspicious and dangerous since almost 2 minutes before they arrived both Stephanie, Conner and Jason could hear screaming from inside the room.

Dividers were made by @cafekitsune so please check them out because they do amazing stuff.

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[1-800-c3dr1c]

Hi, I saw that you have open requests. could you write a story about Neuvilette and his partner where Neuvilette learns that the traveler told his partner that he is a dragon. but the reader had something to do, so she would leave Fontaine for a few days. on the other hand, Neuvilette would think that this is why she does not want to see him, because she has been hiding from him until now, and of course because of this there would be a hell of a storm in Fontain. i like angst but with a happy ending. Thank you I love you. 🥺👉👈

LONELINESS. neuvilette angst to fluff oneshot. female reader. <3 SPOILERS FOR THE 4.1 ARCHON QUEST. DO PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

requests are: open! please look at the pinned post for characters i will write for. <3 let me know if you’d like to be in my tag list for whenever i post anything related to neuvilette under this post as well, or in my inbox!

OH MY GOD THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REQUESTING NEUVILETTE, I LITERALLY LOVE THIS MAN AND I HOPE THAT YOU LIKE THIS!! <3

“he’s a dragon.” were most certainly not the first words you’d expected the traveler to utter when you two met after they had come back from the fortress of meropide. you had stared at them, baffled, asked them to repeat what they had told you despite not even hearing yourself speak. and they did.

“he’s a dragon.” and that’s when it clicked. your partner, the iudex of fontaine, was the hydro dragon. how had you not realized this sooner? you had caught little bits of his grief even when he never explicitly stated it, and when you did it just so happened to rain. but you didn’t want to believe it at first.

“you’re lying.” you didn’t even hear yourself contradicting them, the words just sputtered out absently, as if you had no idea what you were doing. which you didn’t.

“i’m sorry,” the traveler just shook their head, knowing they couldn’t exactly get you to see through your own fantasies of not recognizing the truth. they knew you’d come to your senses soon, but you needed to be left alone.

and left alone you had been. they had walked away, leaving you to stare after them, attempting to collect your thoughts.

your partner was the hydro dragon. it was such an unfathomable thought, but the more you thought about it, the more likely it was. and yet, time was cruel.

you could not ask him about it now, no. you had a mission outside of fontaine, and you knew you’d be gone for a few days. you had been planing to tell neuvilette this, but you had never gotten a chance. today was your last day in fontaine, and you would leave in two hours.

you knew that he would not be back in less than two hours. despite that, you waited until the very last moment for him to come home, for you to be able to tell him what you knew.

but you simply wouldn’t, or rather, couldn’t. when the time came, you simply took your bag, walked off, and didn’t look back.

neuvilette had thought differently. he had chosen to take a few days off of work after the traveler had told him they had accidentally let it slip to his partner that he was the hydro dragon. ever since then, he hadn’t even seen her. grief-stricken and thinking that she hated him with her entire being for hiding such a big secret, it was constantly raining in fontaine. people were no longer walking the streets, and fontaine was neatly flooded in itself.

the traveler had tried to calm him down, but it had been no use. he actually started crying. not just the feeling of grief, but actually tears rolled down his cheeks. hence why, he stayed in his office all day, allowing little to nobody in except for the traveler and a few select melusines.

“she hates me,” he murmured to himself, the thought having been running through his head for many days now. ever since she left, that’s all that has been on the poor iudex’s mind. “she hates me.” he repeated, finding that it may just end up being the truth, no matter how much he didn’t want to believe it.

until you had walked into his office, startled to see that his face was tear-stained. you quickly walked over to him, but he hadn’t even registered that you had walked in yet.

“neuvilette?” you whispered his name, standing right beside him. this shocked him out of his thoughts, and he turned to you.

“y/n.” he spoke your name, trying to clear his throat. “where.. did you go?” he sounded so quiet, so hurt.

“i’m sorry. i had to do something outside of fontaine, love. but i’m back now.” you told him softly.

love. that nickname instantly brightened his mood, before it dampened again. you don’t hate me, right? because.. because i’m.. the hydro dragon.” the last two words you could barely hear, but you understood.

“so that’s why it’s been raining so much. is that what you thought? oh, neuvilette.. i could never hate you.” you kissed his cheek, and he pulled you close, hiding his face in your shoulder.

“thank you. for not hating me. i love you so much.” he murmured. “so, so much.”

[lovingherrscher]

Their reactions to your "It's the first time someone told me not to die."

Ft: Dazai Osamu, Nakahara Chuuya, Fyodor Dostoevsky

Warning: mention of suicide and violence, hint of suicide attempts (reader, Dazai), Chuuya being an affectionate drunkass, slight guilt-trip in Fyodor's part.

Notes: Based on personal experiences. A little self-indulge. Chuuya's part came out longer than I expected whew-

Best with:

Phantom - HI3 (Dazai's part)

Inherit - HI3 (Chuuya's part)

Storm - HI3 (Fyodor's part)

(*) - Honkai 4.8 trailer

(**) - Honkai 5.0 trailer

(***) - Honkai 4.1 trailer

Dazai

An empty shell expecting the first ray of dawn (*)

He was surprised, to say the least. It reminds him of how most member of the ADA reacts to his suicide attempts (ch 2)

Dazai is smart enough to notice how his friend, who's now his s/o has been feeling down lately. You don't talk as much as you did before, you doesn't focus on your work or what he said most of the time, how the dark circles under your eyes increasing.

So one night, he took you out to your, and also his comfort place - Lupin. After a few drinks, when your sober state has long gone, he finally broke the silence and asks you what happened.

You have been having a hard time lately, but it isn't work that's worrying you. Everyone in the ADA treats you really good, it's just that you can't stop the negative thoughts flooding your mind.

"Hey, I've been thinking about your invitation. I think I might go with you."

"My, you're really funny~ We've been going out for quite a while already!"

"No, I meant when you asked me to join you for a double suicide. I think I'm ready now, Osamu."

His heart suddenly drops. You're joking, right? You were the one makes him wanted to live, even just a little longer so he can be with you. And now you're telling him that you want to throwaway your life? Dazai's words came out like he was on autopilot,

"Don't die. Please."

Dazai can't tell are you making a happy or sad expression right now as you smiled at those words.

"It's the first time."

What? No, no, no. Your first time? What first time? The Demon Prodigy in the past is now having a trouble understanding his drunk lover, how cute.

"The best I was told that, if that's what I've decided then they won't stop me anymore."

The fuck was that? Honestly, it kinda reminds Dazai of when Atsushi first join the Agency, and the newcomer was the only one helped him when he failed, what he claimed was a suicide attempts.

He suddenly pulls you in, embracing you tightly. He had lost someone important once. And he doesn't want to, doesn't intent to lose them again.

"I'll tell you as much as you want to hear. Just... Please. Don't leave me alone..."

His voice cracked, just like the strong facade you've been struggling to keep all this time. Clinging to him like a lost child, you cried as if you had never cried in your life.

Chuuya

When the darkness seized the long night,

Did it envisage its end at the hands of a shooting star? (**)

He's gonna flip the table for real. Man is pissed hearing that bullcrap.

No, he isn't mad at you. He is mad at himself for not paying attention to this sooner, and at those who didn't treat you the way you deserve to be.

He knew that you were from an abusive family, since he was the one picked you up from that hellhole you crawled out from.

Chuuya asked for a paid vacation so he can spend time with you, listening to you, take you out on dates, spoiling you rotten in the desperate hope that you'll feel better.

"Come again?"

"Chuuya, it really is the first time I was told not to die."

"If it was someone else I'd say that's a load of bullcrap... But it's you... I trust you."

When you started befriending Chuuya, you mention that you aren't interested in dating, and the ginger agreed on this. To you, it was the fear of an abusive partner, like how your parents turned out. To Chuuya, it was the fear of losing someone he loves. Whatever the reason is, you two had to make sure to yourself that you won't fall in love with the other.

He didn't fail to notice the bruises and fresh bandages you've been covering up on your arms every time you two hang out. When he asked what happened you told him that you fought with some thugs who picked on you, but Chuuya knew you were better than that. So he asked again and again, until you finally confessed it was because of your parents. When one party left, the only victim left was you.

Having no one you can crash on to hide, you had to suffer everytime they're in a bad mood. If lucky enough you'll be spare with one or two slap across the face, but if not... There was a time when they were drunk, and you were pinned against the wall with a knife against your throat. It was lucky that they didn't kill you at that point, for they claimed that they won't be able to sell a haunted house.

"Hey, don't die."

"Why of all sudden?"

"Dunno. Just feel like I want to say so. We're friends, right? Isn't that what friends should be doing?"

Everything still felt like an old dream to you, from the day you muttered up the courage to ask for help from Chuuya, to the day you finally moved in with him, and to the day he confessed to you.

Occasionally, when he gets a rare day off from the executive duty, Chuuya would enjoy his wine collection with you. He teaches you everything he knew, from the simplest thing like their names, what they're made of, how strong they are, to how you can tell the difference between one that's been aged well and one that isn't, or where can you get his favorite one, Pétrus.

Chuuya is known for his love to alcohol yet somehow can't tolerate it, so that night, when he took glasses after glasses, to the point he'd mistaken you with his ex-mentor, Kouyou.

"Ane-san, I know that I'd agreed with- hiccup! her that we aren't looking for something over friendship - hiccup!"

"But I just can't help it. She was so fragile, yet she still tries to carry all those burden by herself... I can't help but saw somewhat my mirror image in her... The way her fire won't go out no matter how hard we tried to extinguish it."

"I think I'm in love with her."

Your face flushed a deep shade of red hearing the not-so-indirect confession Chuuya gave you. That's how he truly thinks of you?! Whilst you were still panicking at the sudden confession, Chuuya was already out cold on the sofa, and if you listen closely, carefully, you can even hear him breathing. You smiled at the sleeping executive as you pull the blanket over his body. Maybe it's time you give love a chance it deserves.

Fyodor

But even the weakest amongst us fight to defend their faith and belief (***)

Let's be honest, this man? He doesn't look like the type to actually, be in a relationship, since he's too busy chasing his ideal world, the promised land.

But when he does? Hoo boy.

Honestly, he might be a little surprise hearing so, but the surprise look won't last past a second on his face.

Will sit down and listen to you, if the root of the problem is something he can fix, he'd offer to help you (without involving killing or, ehem, brainwashing anyone, hopefully...)

Fyodor's cold hand cupped your cheeks, his other free hand held your hand tightly, as a glance it seems to be an intimate act, yet his eyes scream the opposite. He rolls up your sleeve, revealing the new scars trailing from your wrist to your elbow.

"Myshka, mind telling me what is this?"

You can't remain silence forever, because if there's anything you've learnt, that neither lying or the silent treatment works with this man.

"Did you cut yourself again, (y/n)?"

You nodded. It couldn't be helped, old habit dies hard and you can't help but resort to the blade. What else can you do? Your beloved Fedya wasn't there for you, and the blade was whispering to you, to take it, and just one small slice should relieved you from whatever you're feeling. But one definitely wasn't enough as the blade carved you like a stone.

Fyodor let out a small sigh as he cradles you in his arms. He didn't wish for you to hurt yourself like this. Because he is the only one who can hurt you. Yet whenever he let you out of his sight, new scars would grew rapidly like mushroom.

"You know I never wanted to see you got hurt, right, malyshka? I'm very sad and disappointed."

Another nod. God, you feel so terrible. You shouldn't have done that. You don't want to disappointed him. When you realized, your head were leaning against the soft materials of his shirt, his coat wrapped around you like a blanket, his pale finger petting your soft hair.

"Don't die, my myshka."

Your eyes widened. "It's the first time someone had told me not to die..."

"I'll say as much as you want. Now, stay with me, will you?"

[prismartist]

life's no picnic ('til you make it one)

part 4.1 of to break bread, the series about soulbounds and food

Ao3

–––

“Aww! Look at you, being a lovely little malewife!”

“What did you just call me?”

“Nothing.”

Grian rolls his eyes and simply goes back to setting up the new brick oven, sat within in the walls of the Red Velvet Keep. On a crafting table are ingredients: butter and cheese—that must’ve taken a lot of effort—garlic, and… potatoes? 

He tilts his head. “What are you making?”

“Souffle. For the picnic.”

“Oooh, yummy! I can’t wait to taste it.”

Grian looks at Scar, exasperated. He throws a log into the smoking oven, then straightens, hands on hips. “Aren’t you going to help?”

“Oh! Of course, pardon me.” Scar wheels himself over to the crafting table. “Shall I take care of the potatoes?”

“Yes, please. I’ve already boiled them, so all you have to do is peel and mash them.” Grian hands over a small blade, resembling a shiv—he hadn’t bothered to properly polish it, sue him—and gives a pleading look. “Don’t hurt yourself.”

“Aw, c’mon Gri, you have too little faith in me.”

“Do I?”

Scar decides not to answer that, and Grian lets out a small laugh at his silence.

After Grian struggles to separate the egg yolks and whites, they split the potato-peeling among themselves, though at Scar’s insistence, Grian lets him do the mashing. With further begging and a—contrary to whatever Grian says—good, ethical use of puppy eyes, Grian relents to letting him whisk as well. As he does so, Grian adds in the egg yolks, minced garlic, cream, and cheese,

“Took all morning to make that,” Grian mutters. “I don’t remember dairy-making taking so long.”

“You should’ve done it yesterday.” 

“I should have, but unfortunately my expert procrastination skills got the better of me.”

He adds salt and pepper, and tells Scar to keep mixing until it’s smooth. Grian then gets another bowl and puts the egg whites in, whipping it with such a ferocity that Scar takes a bit of a break to watch. 

“Amazing how so much energy can be stored in such a tiny body,” he teases, and Grian shoots him a glare. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be mixing something?”

“Hey, I’m all done, right now I’m just enjoying the show.”

At that Grian rolls his eyes and quickly turns back to his work, though the tips of his ears redden. “Don’t distract me.”

Once the whites have transformed into a fluffy merengue, Grian gently pushes it into Scar’s bowl with the potatoes, and Scar folds it in. When it’s fully incorporated, it’s a nice pale yellow cream color. They pour it into a pre-buttered iron dish, and Grian pushes it into the brick oven. 

“Okay.” When he speaks again, it’s in a very hushed tone. “We have to be very quiet, or it’s going to deflate.”

Scar’s eyes widen. “Is that an actual thing?” he whispers back, though according to the expression on Grian’s face, it’s decidedly louder than desired. 

“Sh! I mean, to tell you the truth I’m not really sure, but I don’t want to risk it.”

"Ooh, okay, quiet game then."

Grian snorts. "Sure."

"You've already lost!" 

"Oh come on, Scar."

After a few moments of staring at the baking souffle, Scar looks at Grian, who's looking so intensely at the oven he almost seems to forget his own surroundings. Scar blinks,  because Grian doesn't, and frankly it's pretty terrifying. Scar wheels back a bit, and as he does, reaches out and tugs gently on Grian's sweater. Grian flinches and turns to him, blinking furiously as if to make up for his lack before. "What are you doing?"

"Pulling you back so you don't burn your eyes out! Really, G, I know you want it to be perfect for the picnic, but I'd expect you to take better care of yourself."

"I'm fine, Scar," Grian mutters, but upon a further insistent tug from Scar, simply sighs and follows him as he wheels away from the oven. 

“I thought you were going to shove your whole head in there,” Scar jokes, ignoring how far away Grian looks.

Grian hums. “I was considering it. The sooner we’re on Red, the sooner this is all over with.”

“What, and miss out on more picnics?”

“Picnics would be much nicer if we were all on Hermitcraft and not worrying about mortality.”

“Yeah, but you’ll have to wrestle BigB past the whitelist first.” Scar snickers. “Just smuggle him.”

Something in Grian softens at that, and it seems his attention finally refocuses on Scar. “Or we can just ask X to let him in for a bit.”

“True, true, but that’s not as fun!”

“You’ve got a point there.” Grian tilts his head as if contemplating something, gaze drifting to the ground. “I’m still surprised you’re okay with all this, to be honest.”

“Oh, I’m always up for a good picnic!”

“No it’s- it’s not about that, Scar. I’m surprised you… that you’re the one who suggested this in the first place. That you’re okay with… with BigB.”

Scar pauses, noting the way Grian draws up his shoulders ever so slightly. He lets out a languid sigh. “Well, admittedly, I was a little miffed at first, mostly because of your weird sneakiness and complete inability to communicate-”

Grian stammers at that. “L-Listen, okay, so I was a little nervous-”

“Don’t bother defending yourself, mister! Anyways, I was upset at being left out, but we had that lovely heart-to-heart, and now we’ve arranged this picnic, and we’ll all hang out and eat suffles and be besties!”

“Seriously, where did you learn all this slang.”

“The important thing is,” Scar pointedly continues, taking Grian’s hand into his own, “we’re going to have a lovely time. We get more allies, you’ll hang out with both your soulmates, no matter how unequal in superiority they are-” Grian groans and rolls his eyes at that, “-and we’ll just all be friends.”

Grian sighs, rubbing his thumb across Scar’s knuckles, and finally relaxes. Scar returns the gesture. Grian meets Scar’s eyes, offering a small smile. “Right. Thanks, for letting me do this.”

Scar beams. “What are soulmates for?” He sniffs the air, noticing the sweet aroma wafting through it. “Aside from eating each other’s souffles.”

“I should’ve made more, huh.”

“Probably.”

Later, they stand once more in front of the oven, Grian slipping on two wool mittens. He inhales deeply, Scar watching with bated breath. Slowly he reaches in, and slowly he pulls out the souffle.

It deflates with a sound not unlike a fart.

Grian lets out a wounded sound, and Scar can’t help but snicker. Grian gapes at him, anguished.

“I told you to be quiet!”

Scar’s eyes widen in offense. “Excuse me, I was as quiet as a mouse!”

“Not quiet enough, apparently. Look at it, it’s just- I thought I- why-” Grian straightens as he stammers at the deflated souffle in his hands. After several more unintelligible noises, he finally gives a resigned sigh, and walks over to the table. “Whatever, it’s fine, we have the souffle. We’ll let this cool down, and then we’ll be on our way.”

Scar grins and follows after him. “We’re off to the picnic!”

“Yes, Scar.” Grian turns back, and grins. “We’re off to the picnic.”

[nobodyfamousposts]

Missing - Part 4.1

Remember the something bad coming I mentioned before?

This is that.

Fencing practice the next day had been a bit more intense. Fortunately, Kagami had been a perfect opponent to go all out with. She seemed to notice his emotional state and reacted in kind. Which he appreciated, certainly. Adrien had needed to work off the stress and anxiety from the previous incident with Lila.

It hadn’t helped that Plagg had also been unusually agitated that morning. He wouldn’t say what was going on, but he had told Adrien that they needed to see Master Fu immediately.

Plagg...had never gotten like that. Adrien didn’t understand what was going on, but whatever it was, it seemed quite serious. So he had bit back any complaint about the early morning or his schedule and attempted to reach Master Fu by phone. Unfortunately, it had gone to voicemail after several rings, and they couldn’t be sure if it was that Fu had been asleep or otherwise occupied. While Adrien had offered to find time to go to Fu’s place that day once there was a break in his schedule, Plagg insisted that whatever was going on couldn’t wait, and had decided to go to the man’s home himself.

Adrien wasn’t about to refuse Plagg if he felt it was truly necessary to go, but he felt anxious without his kwami and he still wasn’t back yet. He only hoped that there wouldn’t be another akuma attack before he returned.

He hoped everything was okay…

But at least Kagami was there. Both to challenge him physically and to support him when he explained what happened afterwards.

“So you came clean to them?“ Kagami asked, seated on a bench in the locker room as she listened to Adrien talk about what had happened.

He nodded, coming back to the present and admittedly still somewhat shaken from the entire ordeal the day before. “They deserved to know.“

“And how did they take it?“ While he certainly warranted some reprimand for the poor decision he had made on the matter, he did not deserve to be ostracized or blamed for the mess. Lila’s actions were her own, and while each of them held responsibility for their part in falling for her manipulations and the weakness that allowed her to get as far as she did, ultimately Lila was the only one to blame for her actions. With everything so recent and still so raw, the last thing they needed to have happen was for someone else to be made a scapegoat, which was still a possibility now that Lila was no longer present to take the brunt of their anger. Kagami knew the class was made of generally kind souls, but people could do regretful things in anger.

She for one was not inclined to sit by and allow him to be made into the villain for a situation he was not fully responsible for, and her tightening grip on her foil was indicative of that.

“They weren’t happy with me. They still aren’t. And I don’t blame them, really.“ He admitted. He had been kicking himself ever since his initial talk with Nino for...a lot of reasons, really. Having friends really helped with getting insight and other perspectives. And helped him notice things he hadn’t before.

“But what it comes down to is that even if we knew or suspected that Lila wasn’t being honest, none of us truly realized the depths of just how manipulative she could be.” Not until it was all laid out for them at any rate.

“Even when she snuck into your house and sent out that picture?“ Kagami asked, keeping her voice level.

He winced at the memory of the cause of her akumatization. But still...

“That was rotten of her, and I warned her afterwards.” He took a breath, realizing that his school friends hadn’t been the only ones hurt because of this. This just served as another reminder of his failure to act. “I should have done more then. I’m sorry, Kagami.”

She frowned, not necessarily pleased, but not angry either. “What was the reasoning then?” She asked. Because even if she didn’t agree with it, she knew he at least had some view that led to the choice he made.

He winced. “Honestly, that was the sort of thing I would see of a more extreme fangirl. But lying to police to try and keep someone from getting help is a whole new level of low. And one I thought she actually would not stoop to.” He frowned, looking up at Kagami. “Does that make me foolish?”

“Yes.” She replied bluntly. “You at least knew that she was capable of underhanded things. And when you know a tiger’s stripes, you should know what to expect.”

He winced and looked away, guiltily. “I know. Or—I didn’t? I just...”

She decided to take pity on him.

“That said,” She added, drawing his attention back to her. “While you may know a tiger’s stripes, that does not necessarily mean you would be able to see them in the wild.”

He smiled bitterly. “Are you trying to make me feel better?”

“Yes.” She admitted bluntly. “But that doesn’t make me wrong.”

He sighed. “I still should have done something then. I knew she was capable of bad things. There was no excuse for not warning anyone at least.” He gave a sad laugh. “I can’t even imagine how Marinette must have felt when I told her to leave things alone.”

Adrien hesitated, coming to a realization.

“I think I’ve been doing that a lot...” He admitted. “I did the same thing to her when it came to Chloe when she was being her worst.”

“I cannot speak regarding Chloe.” Kagami stated, and she couldn’t given her limited interaction with the bratty daughter of the mayor. Anything she had to say about the girl would likely be far from helpful and only get them off track. “But if I may ask...why keep putting it on Marinette then when you knew she wasn’t in the wrong?“

He shrugged, despondent and uncertain.

“I just felt safer with her.” He answered.

He was used to being friends with Chloe. Where he had been expected to give her what she wants. Whether it was completing whatever task she demanded of him or tell her what she wanted to hear.

Telling her what she wanted to hear...even if it wasn’t true.

But Marinette...

“I knew Marinette would listen to me. And she’s been good with reaching out and giving chances.”

When two parties were arguing, one of them needed to be willing to offer an olive branch if they were to reconcile and make things better. But so far, Marinette was the only one he could see in that role. The only one capable of it, to be honest.

Heaven knew how often she intervened for their classmates. She’d stood up for them, but she had also been willing to put her own feelings aside to come to a compromise. After all, she had helped Chloe more than once. Even in spite of everything Chloe had done.

“My thoughts were that if I could get Marinette to listen and agree, others would follow suit. And there could be compromise. But that was an unfair burden to keep putting on her and I ignored that there were times she shouldn’t have had to be the one to reach out first. And when Lila came along…”

He shrugged, helplessly.

“In a weird way, I thought I was supporting her by encouraging her to not fight back.”

That turned out to be a mistake. One that had hurt everyone.

It was never that she didn’t matter as much as anyone else, or that she was less important than keeping the peace. It was just that out of everyone, she was the only one who would take that first step and he knew that. He knew it wasn’t fair to keep putting such responsibility on her. But there was no one else he could count on to help or mediate things. And he just didn’t want the class to fall apart.

He kept telling himself he would make it up to her and that he would support her when she needed it, but he wasn’t the most observant of people and Marinette always seemed so strong, like she’d never needed his help.

“I wasn’t being fair to her.“

The fact that he knew Marinette could handle things did not necessarily mean that she should be expected to be the one to have to, or that he should expect her to.

Kagami hummed to her self, thinking for a moment.

“Did you consider that the longer Lila Rossi was allowed to continue on, the more hurt other people would be once her lies were revealed?“

He winced.

“Or did you think they would be revealed at all?“

He sighed and slowly nodded. “At the start, her lies seemed frivolous and only meant to make herself look better. I had figured that either she would get comfortable and stop, or that people would lose interest in listening to her.”

She nodded, considering. “It was a reasonable assumption, albeit an erroneous one.“

He looked away and nodded. “It was a mistake on my part for assuming that much. I wanted to believe that people can get better and learn from their mistakes. And I keep wanting to give second chances, even in situations where I really shouldn’t.”

He knew now that Lila went beyond that.

“Why I let it happen was a combination of a lot of reasons really. I thought she would quit on her own. I thought people would get tired of listening to her. I thought that she would come clean herself. I thought, if nothing else, people would catch on to her lies. I had so many reasons behind my decision, but at the end of the day, it was the choice I made and I will never know what would’ve happened if I had simply told someone sooner. Maybe this could’ve been avoided.”

“But there’s no point lingering on the possibilities of different decisions now that the moment for them has passed.“ She pointed out.

He gave her a slight smile at that. “Yeah. While we all feel bad about it, wallowing in that isn’t going to change anything at this point. We’ve decided to keep our focus on trying to find Marinette. And if nothing else, the reveal of Lila will ensure she can’t sabotage our efforts anymore.”

“Has there been any luck?“

“Alya said she found something. Nino and I are going to talk to her tonight to go over what she’s learned. Maybe she found something that could help?“

“How are things with them?” She asked.

“They’re doing all right. Better than they were with Lila around. The others were really forgiving.” More than he honestly felt he deserved.

Kagami seemed satisfied with that. “They are good friends. If you try to talk to them, they will listen.”

He frowned, a bit frustrated but it seemed to be mostly with himself. “I know.”

She rested a hand on his shoulder. “If there’s something wrong, or if something is troubling you, then you should be free tocommunicate it. If nothing else, it can allow you to get a second opinion on a Point of concern. And in many cases you can share information that other people may not know.“

He smiled at her gratefully.

She smiled back.

“One of the common mistakes in fencing is to hesitate and miss an opportunity to act. Once the moment is over, it’s too late. But if nothing else, you at least have the knowledge for next time.”

“I know.” He agreed. “It’s why I want to help find Marinette. I want to be able to apologize to her in person…and reassure her that things will be better now.”

He clenched his fists.

“She deserves that much, at least.”

Because she was…

To him she was…

Kagami nodded in understanding.

“Marinette is a good friend.” She stated. “If there is any way I could help, I would like to try.”

He smiled.

“Thank you, Kagami.”

______________________

Another day came with another search party. The available classmates gathered in another attempt to try to locate their missing friend. Unfortunately, life goes on even when it feels like the world should stop turning. As such, not all of them were able to make it this day.

Adrien had fencing, and with his hectic schedule and strict expectations, he couldn’t afford to keep missing appointments or he’d lose any freedom to help in the search. Max was busy with a project and was thus unable to join the group on what was steadily becoming a new after school activity of searching the city for any clues. Nathaniel needed to do chores and help his dad at home. Mylene wasn’t feeling well and nobody wanted to risk her coming down with a cold or other illness. Kim had swim practice followed by a date, and it didn’t feel fair to make him give up something positive that made him happy on a search that would likely leave them all feeling drained and depressed.

Chloe was...well, Chloe. And while she had been surprisingly willing to step up and pull a major victory against Lila when it mattered, that one good deed didn’t necessarily mean she wasn’t still her usual self absorbed self. And it certainly didn’t mean that she was willing to traverse around Paris in the cold for who knows how long on behalf of someone she has expressed nothing but dislike for. She made it clear she would be spending her afternoon in warmth and comfort.

Sabrina, naturally, went with her. Though she had wished the group luck with their search.

This left Alya and Nino, along with the members of Kitty Section for the search. To Alya’s surprise, this meant they were joined by Luka as well.

“Luka? You helping out as well?” Nino greeted.

Luka hefted his guitar on his back and nodded. “ I heard you were looking and I wanted to help out anyway I could.”

In normal circumstances, Alya would be gleeful at the show of concern by a cute guy for her friend and the sign of at least one of her ships moving forward. But as sweet as the gesture was, it was really just a reminder of the fact that her friend was still missing, so whatever joy she felt was short-lived.

She shivered.

Chloe did have a point though. As it was getting later into the year, the days were getting colder. It only made her all the more concerned that her friend could be out on the streets in winter.

It was all the more reason to find her sooner. And she straightened, bringing out her phone and planning to do just that.

Alya had spent most of the night and well into the early hours of the morning going through the data Max gave her regarding Marinette’s phone.

What she found was....strange.

The phone itself was gone. Possibly turned off. However, the signal was still there. It was blurry. Seemingly fading in and out, inconsistent, and frequently moving. But it was there.

The data showed the status of Marinette’s phone and its location over the past weeks. Which was…weird, to say the least. The signal was abnormally weak. And didn’t seem to stick to one set location which she would have expected if the phone had been lost. No, if anything, it seemed to be...almost roaming?

Which didn’t make sense. If she was kidnapped, the kidnappers surely would have tossed the phone. And if it had just been left somewhere while being left on, it still should have run out of battery by now.

Instead, it just...sort of kept cutting in and out at random. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to it.

But what had caught Alya’s attention was just when and where this strange status first started, which she had decided would be the location of their search for the day.

The others followed her, letting her lead the way while they chatted amicably with one another. Alya only half paid attention to what they were saying, her focus primarily on her phone and the map it was showing.

“It’s getting colder out, huh?”

“Anyone want to grab a hot chocolate after this? Maybe just as a pick me up after the search?”

“That sounds nice! What do you think, Juleka?”

“I’m in.”

“Hey Luka, is it really a good idea to bring your guitar out here for this?“

“It helps me think. And besides, you never know when it might be needed.“

“I guess.”

Alya, for her part, only half minded the conversation behind her as she led the group to the last known location of Marinette’s phone before it started doing...this. This strange fuzzy image that didn’t seem to be all there.

Unfortunately, the map icon was only able to narrow down the location so much. She was able to find the general area Marinette had been in last, but the specific place...

She looked around.

Strangely, the map led her to a somewhat out of the way area. It was a normal street. Shops of various kinds were lined up along the sidewalk. There wasn’t much that stood out. This was a simple district with no real landmarks. There was no real draw. No tourist attractions. No fabric stores either to garner Marinette’s interest.

So why come here? What had she been doing? And where did she go?

“Does anything stick out to you guys?” Alya asked as she glanced around, trying to find anything that could indicate where Marinette had been.

The others started looking around as well, but for all intents and purposes, it was just a plain street. The split up amongst themselves to go into the shops and ask around for clues. But none of the stores seemed like places where Marinette would go. And none of the workers inside had seen her. Though if they had, there was no way for her to have stood out to them enough for them to recall her weeks later.

“Not with the akuma attack, anyway.” One clerk stated. “It was a distance away, sure, but still close enough that we all shut down and hid out in our stores.”

Alya had nodded in understanding. Because honestly, while Ladybug and Chat Noir did a great job stopping the akumas, the fights could take them all over Paris in the span of an hour. Even if a battle was on the other side of the city, there was no telling where they would end up by the end.

She thanked the man for his time and left the store. Nothing she didn’t already know, but still, any information was useful. Something about it had nagged at her, though, so she wrote it in her notes all the same.

“Any luck?” Ivan asked, causing her to look up at the assembled group. Nino had been chatting with Ivan while Luka had taken to strumming on his guitar while they waited. Rose and Juleka were talking to someone at a nearby kiosk, possibly to purchase one of the charms.

Alya shook her head, regretfully. “Nothing on my end. At least not anything new. How about you?”

The boys shook their heads sadly. Alya couldn’t help the disappointment at that.

“Do you think there’s something we missed?” Ivan asked, trying to be hopeful.

Luka frowned, playing a few notes on his guitar, a bit harshly in apparent agitation. It was probably his method of coping, Alya rationalized. A part of her wished she had some reassurance to give him, but she was feeling despondent herself. Whatever boost she had gotten from seeing justice served with Lila was starting to falter, and she didn’t know how much hope she’d be able to hold on to for her best friend.

“Hey guys!” Rose came running over, looking excited. Juleka followed along silently behind her at a somewhat slower but still faster than usual pace. “That guy selling charms said he saw Marinette that day!”

That got their attention as everyone perked up.

“Really?”

“Where?”

“It was right before the akuma attack.” Rose explained, practically bouncing as she told them. “She was looking at the charms at his kiosk and mumbling about different designs for them, so they had gotten to talking a bit.” She frowned, looking concerned. “But then they heard the akuma alert. The owner was shutting down his kiosk but pointed out the direction he saw Marinette run.”

Juleka reached out, pointing towards a gap between two particular stores. “In there.”

Alya turned to look. The stores in question were both the tallest buildings on the street, standing at four stories with a clear alleyway between them. They didn’t have much in the way of decorations, but with the awnings and balconies, did appear to provide cover. Maybe Marinette had hid in there during the fight?

The alleyway itself was empty. Other than a fire escape on one side, a dumpster, and a fence blocking the way through, there didn’t seem to be much else of notice. And the dumpster had to have been cleaned out in the weeks since Marinette’s disappearance.

Nino heaved a sigh of relief when Alya told him this before he could attempt to dumpster dive for clues. He wanted to find Marinette, sure. And he certainly would have been willing to loot a dumpster for her, but that didn’t mean he wanted to.

The group spread out along the alley, continuing to search for clues. While not searching within the dumpster itself, Nino and Ivan had gone so far as to lift the dumpster enough for Rose to do a quick search beneath for anything. Juleka checked the fence for any holes or ways through. Luka stood near the entrance to the alley as a lookout in case anyone noticed them, absently picking at notes on his guitar.

Alya, for her part, tried to check the fire escape. Was it reachable from the ground? No, it was at least a story up and the ladder leading to it wasn’t lowered if it was even there at all. Maybe if Marinette had stood on the dumpster? Hmm...what if there was a way to check for height on her map?

She pulled out her phone

And immediately froze.

There, on her phone’s map, was a blinking, fuzzy icon. The one that had been indicating Marinette. At some point without realizing it, she had switched from the image of Marinette’s last placement to the current. She saw her own indicator with her picture, as well as those of her other friends with her.

But amidst her searching, the icon symbolizing Marinette’s current location on her map had been moving.

It was moving here.

And suddenly...

It had stopped.

It...was here.

Marinette...it said she was here.

Alya froze.

She couldn’t breathe.

She couldn’t even move her body from her spot. At most, she was able to move her eyes, searching wildly for any trace of her best friend.

But...nothing.

Why was it saying she was here?

“Marinette?!”

All other sound ceased. The others turned to her, but she didn’t even notice because it was here! The signal was right here! Marinette was here!

But…she wasn’t.

It was just herself. Just Alya. Just Nino. Just Luka and Rose and the rest of Kitty Section. Just them. Just random people passing by on the street.

No Marinette.

But…

A quick glance to the phone showed it was still there. So Marinette had to be here, right?

But why?

Alya looked around frantically, calling out in desperation.

“MARINETTE?!”

Silence.

A few strange looks from the people nearby.

Not even her friends dared to speak.

And on her phone, the icon symbolizing Marinette’s signal started to fade and drift away.

Alya stared at the icon. Wishing it back.

“Babe…” Nino tried, approaching her cautiously. “What was that?”

She bit her lip.

“I…don’t know?”

______________________

Oh.

The music stopped.

Whatever strands of melody and lingering echoes of the tune had since faded from the rooftop where she stood.

It had been a beautiful melody. Something gentle and kind in its own way. And while she knew better than to take a break, she had a strange inclination to listen to the sweet yet heartbreaking tune while it lasted.

…it just hadn’t lasted very long.

The loss felt…sad, in a way. She couldn’t help but feel that it had been cut off all too soon.

And the silence bothered her.

It seemed…stifling, almost.

She shook it off.

It was time to go anyway. She had spent too much time here as it was. And she still needed to…do whatever it was she was here to do. Continue searching the city. Keep an eye out for any akumas. Be useful. Stay busy.

Until she could go back to wherever she had been before, at least.

She sighed and threw her yo-yo. As she approached the edge of the building, she allowed the low murmur of background noise and city life to erase that gnawing emptiness. She swung off, leaving the sounds of shouting behind her. Whatever it was, it didn’t sound important.

Back to work.

______________________

Evening came all too slowly for Adrien. The rest of the day seemed to drag on and made him all that much more eager for the end of school. And wasn’t that an irony that he actually wanted to be out of school for once?

But the only thing he was more eager about than school was his friends. And Alya seemed to think she had a lead on Marinette. If she had anything, he wanted to know. If there was even a chance, he’d happily take it if it meant getting to see her again.

Unfortunately, their differing schedules made meeting difficult. Alya had wanted to share her info with Nino, and knowing how affected Adrien was by everything, Nino had insisted Adrien be there as well. But Adrien had practice and lessons after school. And Nino and Alya both had obligations at their respective homes.

It had been decided that they would do a phone chat later in the evening. After Nino and Alya’s younger siblings were put to bed and when Adrien’s schedule was clear.

He was practically vibrating out of his chair with nervousness the longer he waited for their video chat.

“Boo!”

So much so that he actually fell out of his chair when Plagg returned.

“Plagg! Where have you been?!” Adrien demanded as he pushed himself up. He was of course happy that he had returned, but really!

The kwami snickered at Adrien’s expression. Could anyone blame him? That was hilarious.

...but back on point, Plagg remembered his news and quickly got serious.

“I couldn’t find the Guardian.”

Adrien’s eyes widened. “Did something happen to him?”

Plagg shrugged. “I don’t know. He could just be out running errands or something. We’ll need to try again.”

“I could try calling him now.” Adrien suggested. If he had just been busy when he tried before, then surely it would be all right to try again to reach him now? And as long as he had his phone, Fu should be able to get his call. Though in that case, Fu should already have known about his earlier call, right?

Adrien bit his lip in worry. So much had been happening lately. Marinette disappeared. The whole thing with Lila. Ladybug was...apparently in a bad mood for some reason. Now Plagg was agitated and they couldn’t reach Master Fu.

He took a breath to steady himself. They weren’t sure Fu was actually unreachable yet. He needed to call him first. And if that didn’t work, he could have Plagg lead him to the man’s place to check up on him.

Still...he couldn’t help the anxiety he was feeling, and it only seemed to be getting worse.

BRIIIIIING!

“AAH!”

As was evident when he panicked at the sudden alarm from his phone. So much so that it took him three tries to grab the phone as he kept dropping it due to his frantic fumbling. Ignoring Plagg’s commentary, he looked to the screen and saw it was a video call request from Alya.

Oh right. The video chat with Nino and Alya. It was supposed to start now. He had just gotten distracted.

He took a breath and answered the call.

“Hey! Hi! Hello! Glad you made it!”

Honestly, he could have smacked himself.

Somewhere off to the side, Plagg was snickering. On the video, both Alya and Nino seemed to be smiling at how frazzled he appeared. Adrien himself was much less amused.

“Did you find anything?” He asked, only partly to distract from himself.

Mostly because he was hoping for some news. That their excursion earlier had been successful. That they’d found something on their friend. Preferably the friend in question.

But their downhearted expressions told him the answer before they even had to say anything. The explanation that followed was short but detailed, and only seemed to further his confusion. Given their expressions, Adrien was sure that Alya and Nino were in the same boat.

“It was the weirdest thing...” Alya trailed off in a mutter.

“I’ll say.” Nino added with a laugh. “You were kind of freaking out. We all panicked when you started shouting.”

In any other instance, Alya might have been offended. As it was, though, she was quiet. Remaining deep in thought and seemingly oblivious to her boyfriend’s attempt to distract from her.

But Adrien noticed.

“Alya? What’s up?”

A moment of silence followed as she attempted to gather her thoughts.

Then...

“I have a theory.“ Alya started, looking apprehensive.

Adrien perked up. “A theory? What of?”

Nino, for his part, found in realization. “Does this have to do with what happened earlier?“

She nodded. “I’d been following her cell phone signal. After…” She hesitated for a second. “Well, when I was Lady Wifi, I managed to track Marinette’s phone signal and that same signal is on my phone now. But something isn’t right about it.”

She lifted her phone to the screen so Adrien could see what she meant. Sure enough, there was Marinette’s icon active on the map, but...it looked strange. Distorted. He struggled to tell that it was Marinette’s picture there at all.

“It’s been like this for a while. I’ve never seen any case like this, and there are no reports online of anything similar. Plus given how it’s been moving around…” She pulled her phone back and shrugged. “I think magic may be involved.”

Adrien straightened. “So you think she might have been akumatized?”

She shrugged. “Near as I can figure.“

Nino frowned. “But that doesn’t make sense. Hawk Moth can only akumatize one person at a time.“

Well, that wasn’t quite true, Adrien realized. There had been the Scarlet Moth incident when he had caused a mass akumatization with that illusion. Then it happened again that time Marinette had been expelled thanks to Lila’s schemes.

He bit back the rush of resentment and guilt at the memory to focus.

Could Hawk Moth akumatize more than one person at once? There had been the young twins who became Sapotis and when Alya and Nino became Oblivio, but those were cases where two people were essentially one akuma. And even in the case of multiple active akuma like the time Lady WiFi, Reflecta, and Princess Fragrance came after him thanks to his cousin, they all still only shared one akuma. Purifying that had been enough to restore all three, and in this case, he and Ladybug had already done that. So if that was the case, Marinette should have been restored as well, even if they hadn’t fought her.

“Could he have made Lady WiFi if Marinette was already an akuma?” Adrien asked.

“He’s akumatized more than one person at once though. There was the incident with the scarlet butterflies. And then there were also the time with my sisters.” Alya argued, remembering the same incidents Adrien had.

“And when Adrien’s jerk of a cousin caused you, Rose, and Juleka to be akumatized.” Nino added.

Alya groaned. “We just don’t know the extent of Hawk Moth’s power.”

Adrien nodded at that. Of course it was possible that Hawk Moth had discovered some new ability. But his power seemed to follow certain rules and have at least some limitations, so it didn’t make sense that he could suddenly do this.

Or why, for that matter? Hawk Moth did show some capability for planning—Scarlet Moth was proof of that. But what could he possibly gain from keeping Marinette as an akuma for this long?

But...hadn’t he targeted her before?

Adrien bit his lip.

There was too much uncertainty.

He sent a glance to Plagg, who saw his look and shook his head in response. The kwami looked particularly annoyed at the current train of the discussion. Clearly they were on the wrong track.

Adrien took a breath. “I don’t think that’s it. If it was Hawk Moth, what would be the purpose? We all know Marinette is gone now and would be looking for anything that could be behind it. If he had the ability to akumatize multiple people back to back, why use it like this? It doesn’t add up.”

“I don’t know if it is that Hawk Moth akumatized her.” Aly admitted. “It’s just that it has to be magic. There’s no other way to explain it. I mean, it’s not just Marinette that’s gone. Her cellphone…” She hesitated. “It isn’t stable. It’s there, but...not? And she was there today. I know she was.”

She had to give Max credit for his capabilities. The data was extensive and thorough despite the clear limits. And quite advanced. She hadn’t known it was possible to get as much data as he had, or even that it existed. But it was helpful to her search, and that was the important thing. With it, she was able to glean information. And slowly, a timeline started to form.

As did a theory.

“So her phone signal is still there, but she isn’t. And it’s been like this since...“

Since Marinette went missing.

The same day she disappeared, the biggest thing that happened that day was—

“The akuma.” Alya whispered. She frowned as she switched her browser on her computer to the Ladyblog and started looking through the archived footage and documentation of that attack.

There was an akuma attack that day. Someone feeling forgotten and overlooked was given the power to erase others.

She had watched a video of one such unfortunate victim. The poor guy didn’t even have a chance to wince at being hit. He just vanished the instant the attack made contact.

“But if Marinette was akumatized,” Nino continued, “why would Hawk Moth even make an akuma like that? If she’s not doing anything other than making herself disappear...that’s not useful for him, is it?”

Alya frowned, looking over the data again. “It’s not, no.”

Adrien also wasn’t convinced. From Plagg’s expression, it seemed he had some idea, though now wasn’t the time to press him. He’d have to wait until after the call was over. “It’s also much quieter, isn’t it? Every akuma up until now has been immediate and noticeable, otherwise Ladybug and Chat Noir wouldn’t know to come out and fight it, and Hawk Moth wouldn’t have a chance to target their Miraculous. The only exception was when Sabrina was akumatized the first time to be invisible, and even that was only for a couple of days.”

Nino shrugged but appeared to agree with him. “It’s been a couple of weeks since Marinette disappeared. If it was an akuma, wouldn’t we have noticed one by now? Akumas are generally fueled by emotions. They aren’t subtle.”

Alya looked back at her phone, reviewing the timeline. “But if she isn’t an akuma herself, then the only other option I can think of is that she was hit by that erasure akuma last month.” She shook her head, incredulous. “But that can’t be right. The Miraculous Cure would have brought her back, wouldn’t it?”

So caught in the discussion between his friends, Adrien didn’t see how Plagg looked stricken.

“It’s never failed before.” Nino stated.

“But what else could explain the state of her phone signal? It should either be there or not at all.

Adrien paused, tilting his head thoughtfully.  “That’s not normal.” He agreed.

“It does indicate that whatever happened to Marinette, it must be magical. And the only one with any sort of power along those lines would be Hawk Moth.”

“But why?”

She sighed.

“I guess that’s the question, isn’t it?”

None of them noticed Gabriel standing outside the door. Or the expression of dawning horror.

________________

Gabriel felt numb in a way he never thought he had been before.

The missing Dupain-Cheng girl? An akuma?

No. That was impossible.

Even if he was capable of akumatizing more than one person at a time outside of the Scarlet Moths, he would still have known. He would have made contact with her. And from his experience with his powers, he would have a link to the girl.

There was nothing.

But the only other explanation…

An official victim of an akuma attack. Someone that the Cure didn’t bring back.

How was it possible?

He entered the office in a daze. Nathalie followed him closely  in worry, but he barely took notice. He just shut the door quietly behind him once they had both entered, then leaned against it. He felt shaky. Off balance.

He had gone to his son’s room to see if he had access to any of the pictures or footage from the fashion show. Or if that journalist friend of his still had her video. Just...anything.

Audrey had called him in such a rage that day. Somehow, the shipments of her latest issue of Style Queen never made it out. Her attempt to recover the issue failed due to multiple holes and entire blank pages where pictures and articles should have been. So she had reached out to him through Nathalie, demanding his involvement and taking his attention away from his duties as Hawk Moth. At the time, he had begrudged her the missed opportunity at another akumatization.

But now…

“That can’t be right.” He murmured to himself. How could this be? How was this even possible?

“Sir?”

“The blank pages and missing pictures were those of myself and my son, as well as any of my son in that hat.”

“The one from the contest?” Nathalie asked, uncertainly.

“Made by a Marinette Dupain-Cheng. A girl who it seems is also missing. And has been for some time…”

He looked to his computer, wondering if he could pull up the information or if that would be gone as well. He had thought it a simple error at first, but the more he searched, the less he found. And now, after hearing his son’s conversation...what else could it be?

“But the Miraculous Cure restores everything.” He continued, almost monotone. “That’s what it does. That’s how it works.”

She hesitated.

“Maybe…not this time?”

He felt unsteady as he made his way to his desk. Perhaps he actually was, as Nathalie had quickly moved to his side to help him to his chair. Given how he felt, he could only assume he probably looked ready to fall over.

“Sir?”

It…it shouldn’t have happened. The Miraculous Cure always undid any damage of the akuma battles. It rebuilt any damaged or destroyed property. Healed injuries. Brought people back from any sort of unwelcome fate. It restored people from being half-melted ice cream sculptures, for crying out loud!

For anyone to have just…NOT been saved was unheard of.

Gabriel had thought he had been prepared for this. But now that he was actually experiencing it, he was…left shaken...

He had known going in that casualties would be a very real possibility, but had reassured himself. It was for the greater good. His family was worth it. Everything would work out in the end. He could just use the Wish to change the world and make it so that none of this had ever happened.

And then Ladybug had appeared with the power to restore things and he was only further convinced. There wouldn’t be any long term damage. No one would be really harmed. Whatever happened could be fixed.

No one would die.

It became almost like a game. He could go all out with little concern for the consequences. If he lost, Ladybug would just use her Cure to fix everything and he would get another chance to try again. And if he won, he could correct things himself.

As such, he ceased to worry about the “what if’s” and focused solely on his goal.

But now a child was gone. As good as dead. Possibly worse.

And this time, magic wouldn’t bring her back.

For not the first time since he had started on this path, Gabriel wondered if it was worth it.

Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng was an aspiring designer who showed great promise. From his limited interactions with her, he could see she had passion—both for her art and in her life. He had been impressed with what he had seen of her capability, and her level of care for his son was secret only to Adrien himself.

And now she was gone.

And Adrien…his own son was suffering for it.

He had heard from Nathalie how Adrien had been worried for her. How he had gone so far as to go out and search for her in some futile hope of finding her. How he had held onto that hope, trying to reassure himself each day that she would return safely.

Adrien…truly cared about this girl.

He wondered if it was any different to how he felt about Emilie?

What would he think if he learned the truth? If he discovered who Hawk Moth really was? If he knew his father was the reason his friend had been erased.

It was…too much.

Was this a sign?

Was this an indicator that he was going too far?

He should stop. Before more people were hurt. Before his son discovered the truth. He should…

He should stop this.

…

And yet…

Gabriel clenched his eyes shut.

…he couldn’t.

Stopping meant letting go of Emilie. It meant giving up on ever getting her back. Of ever making their family whole.

If he gave up now, that would make all he had done for nothing—including the child’s loss as well.

He was not completely heartless. A missing child would no doubt cause quite a bit of turmoil. It was no wonder Lady WiFi hadn’t listened to him, being too intent on searching for her friend. The feelings that had drawn his akuma to her...similar to the growing feelings settling on a number of Paris’s citizens.

Worry, sadness, fear, anger…all were emotions that would make perfect targets for his akumas. In any other circumstances, he would see fit to use that. However…given his part in this matter, the very thought of using the loss of a child to his advantage—especially when it was his fault—made him feel ill.

He would avoid targeting her friends or family. He owed her that much.

But he…he had to continue.

He had to make it worth it.

Once he saved Emilie, perhaps he could even use the Wish to bring back Miss Dupain-Cheng as well?

Then maybe…

Maybe they would forgive him someday.

________________

Sure enough, a few days later it all came to a head.

When Adrien arrived in class that day after yet another failed attempt at contacting Master Fu, it was to a group of some of his classmates looking particularly concerned and surrounding an upset Juleka. The girl wasn't crying, but she looked to be close as Rose kept an arm around her shoulder and was trying to whisper words of comfort to her. The only ones not present were Max and Nathaniel.

"Don't worry.” Rose reassured her. “I’m sure they've just been misplaced somewhere."

Juleka shook her head firmly. "No. I keep them on my wall. I never move them, but they're just gone."

"Maybe your mom or Luka moved them?" Kim suggested.

"Not without telling me. And I asked them. Neither of them knew anything."

Adrien grew more concerned as he approached the group. "Guys, what's going on?"

Alix glanced over to him and answered. "Juleka's photos are missing."

That was a surprise. He knew how much actually appearing in a photograph meant to the girl. It would have to be upsetting to her to lose any of them.

"They were all the ones from the class photograph.” Mylene explained. "Remember? The ones we took in the park.”

Adrien winced internally before nodding. He had remembered full well that entire incident...and the akuma she turned into because of it...and the heels (god, the heels). They had taken quite a number that day and Juleka had seemed so happy when she went home with copies in hand. "Do you recall where you last left them?"

Juleka appeared more morose. "They're on my wall. They're always right there and I can't miss them. I put them up immediately after getting home and haven't moved them since. I know I saw them there yesterday, but when I got up this morning, the wall was completely blank."

"That's really weird.” Alya chimed in. "And you're saying no one moved them?"

Juleka shook her head.

The other classmates glanced to each other, appearing more uncertain. Adrien himself started to gain an unsettling feeling.

"I keep them all posted on a board in my room. They're right there and I can't miss them, but when I looked this morning…” She shook her head.

"I never move them."

"Maybe it's a prank?” Kim asked, but he sounded uncertain. If it was a prank, it was a cruel and rather pointless one.

Alix seemed to share that sentiment. "It's not a funny one. Who would even do that?"

The group looked around at each other. They were really the only ones who even knew Juleka's "curse” or about the pictures. But each of them simply looked confused over the matter.

"It couldn't have been a prank.” Ivan insisted. "Luka would never do that and their mother would punch out anyone who tried."

Mylene frowned, considering. "Juleka's house is a boat. One housing three people and isn't that big that someone could sneak on board without being seen."

“It’d be a pointless thing to do—sneak onto a boat just to mess with pictures and nothing else.” Kim noted. “Was anything else missing?”

Juleka shook her head. “Not that I know of. Just my pictures.”

"It's okay." Rose said, trying to be cheerful and calm her upset friend. "I have a couple extras of the photos we took in my notebook. We can copy them and replace the ones that went missing."

It wasn’t quite the same, but it was a suitable alternative for now. So with a solution to the more immediate problem at hand, Rose shared a bright smile that Juleka tried to return—albeit with a much more strained and shaky one. Rose didn't comment, instead going to her desk and pulling out her book bag.

“I keep them right in—”

The others looked over in confusion as Rose suddenly cut off, her expression turning confused.

"Rose? Everything okay?” Alix asked, growing worried at the prolonged silence.

Rose bit her lip and turned back to the group. "Did one of you maybe already take my notebook?"

Confusion seemed to be the theme of the day, as the classmates again glanced at one another before looking back to Rose.

"I'm not mad or anything!” Rose said, attempting to reassure them. "Since it's for Juleka, but if you already have it, I'd like to know where it is."

"Wait...are you saying your notebook is missing, too?" Nino asked.

Rose bit her lip, uncertain. "I don't—I mean, I guess so?"

"That's strange." Adrien said with a frown. He turned to the rest of the group in growing concern. "Look around. Is anyone else missing anything?"

The rest of the class searched through their bags, but fortunately, no one else seemed to be missing anything.

“That is odd. First Juleka’s pictures, then Rose’s diary? Why those things?” Alya wondered. She muttered to herself about an akuma and checked her blog to see if anyone had posted any similar cases on the matter.

The rest of the class took it upon themselves to try and offer some reassurance to the two girls that their items would be found.

“Maybe we can check the cameras?” Ivan suggested.

“That’s a lot of footage to go through though.” Nino pointed out.

“I bet Markov could go through it pretty quick.” Kim replied with a grin.

Adrien looked around at his classmates. It was good to see them mostly recovered from the ordeal with Lila and trying to help each other. But he couldn’t shake the feeling something was strange.

He could almost get a sense for it before he was interrupted by the timely yet untimely arrival of Max.

Kim smiled in relief at the sight of his friend. “Hey, Max! Buddy! Think you and Markov could give us a hand with a little investigation? Rose and Juleka seem to be missing some things and we figured maybe you could help!”

Max, for his part, looked concerned and a bit guilty. "I'm sorry, but Markov and I are already busy trying to assist Nathaniel and Marc. It seems that somehow, their collaborative comic has been erased."

Multiple gasp and moans of horror and disappointment filled the room at that. Everyone really enjoyed that comic and they had been really looking forward to the next installment.

"Do you know what caused it?" Mylene asked.

"We've been doing everything we could, but we haven't been able to find anything about the comic in the computer. I suspect it may be a virus of some kind, but there's no trace of anything of the sort. We're trying to help them work this out. They had gotten a lot of work done on this comic and I'd hate to see it lost."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out. You're amazing when it comes to technology." Kim said with a grin, fully confident in his friend's capabilities.

But Max didn't look enthused. "I'm not so sure. Markov can't find any trace of an outside program or of the comic even being there.” He waved his hands. “It’s like it just…vanished!”

Adrien frowned. Three things in one day. It…couldn’t just be coincidence, could it?

“Can it do that?”

“Not like that. Not normally.”

"This is strange.” Mylene said anxiously, gripping Ivan’s hand. “A lot of things seem to be missing."

Alya frowned, looking at her phone. "Speaking of strange things, I just got a hit to the Ladyblog. It's Marinette's parents. They want to talk to Ladybug and Chat Noir as soon as possible."

Several of the classmates perked in surprise.

“Could it be an akuma?”

“Do you think they’re okay?”

“Did they find something about Marinette?”

“But why call for Ladybug and Chat Noir then?”

“Huh? Hey, Adrien, where are you going? Class is about to start!”

Adrien barely took notice. He was already out the door.

______________________

If he hadn't already received the message, Chat would have known immediately that something was wrong. Rolland and Gina Dupain were present at the bakery. He knew little regarding the Dupain family, but he had been under the impression that the two were not on good terms. But they were actually working together without issue, with Gina working the counter and Rolland working the kitchen with nary a grumble regarding the bread.

When Chat arrived, Gina immediately called for Tom. And within seconds, he was quickly rushed in by the much taller man, who…did not look well.

The giant, kind bear of a man looked like he had aged since the last time he had seen him. Not to any great or unnatural extent, but it was clear that stress had impacted him.

Losing a child would do that to you, he realized. But whatever else was going on was certainly doing him no favors.

"Thank you for coming." Tom said with clear relief as he opened the door.

Chat nodded in return as he entered. "It's not a problem. But your message sounded urgent. Has there been any word on Marinette?" Like hopefully that she returned and the bakery was closed so the parents could smother her in affection?

He was hopeful. He was a hopeful guy.

Tom shook his head. "I don't know how to explain it. It's best if you see it for yourself." With that, he led the way through the back. Chat followed with some growing trepidation and jumped when he entered the living area.

Sabine was there. Her gaze practically snapped to him the instant he appeared, though she didn't otherwise move. The woman was sitting on the couch, clutching a box of what appeared to contain an assortment of clothes and dolls. Marinette's things, he realized. But why? Comfort, perhaps?

But Sabine didn't look sad or in need of comfort. If anything, her expression made him wary to approach her. She looked upset no—not just upset, but downright angry. She was on guard and watching him with a strange sort of hypervigilance. Like she'd literally bite his hand off if he got too close. He had no doubt that magical suit or not, the woman probably could.

Chat had thought the grandparents had looked particularly tired. Like perhaps they hadn’t slept in a while. But Tom and Sabine both looked like they had slept even less.

For her part, Sabine’s eyes narrowed at him and she pulled the box closer to her and as out of his sight as possible. It bothered him, because it was strange for someone to be clutching a box like that. She wasn't looking to the things inside for solace, she was warily watching everything else around her.

Something was wrong.

More wrong, he amended.

"We noticed it after a few days, but we didn't know what to think." Tom said, softly as he continued to lead the hero up the stairs and through the house. "It looked like some of her things had been moved around. At first we thought that maybe she'd found a way back home. Or that she was trying to communicate with us somehow. But... “He opened the door and allowed Chat into the room.

When Chat finally entered Marinette's room, he couldn't help feeling bewildered.

Was it always this empty, he wondered? He glanced around at the different areas of Marinette's room, noting the differences and the overall"¦lacking. The walls were missing pictures. There was nothing on the desk. The mannequin that was normally adorned with the beginnings of some sort of outfit or new piece wasn't even present, leaving a sadly empty space in the room. There weren't even the knick knacks or textiles or yarn or cloth pieces that he remembered seeing previously. It looked like a room. It even looked like someone lived in it. But it was bare of a lot of what made it Marinette's.

Tom looked around the room in growing dismay. "It's getting worse."

Chat blinked in confusion. "What?"

"The posters are gone now. So are the gloves she had been working on. Several of the pictures changed before they disappeared." Tom looked to Chat, eyes begging for an answer. "We checked frequently, but bit by bit, they were gone before we realized it. It's like they're just...”

"They're fading." Chat realized in growing horror. He'd started to suspect, given Juleka's pictures and Rose's diary, but this confirmed it.

This wasn't natural.

Marinette didn't run away. Nothing so simple could explain what he had been seeing so far. No human could pull this off, and he knew Marinette was far from the sort to even try, no matter the reason. This was magic, he was sure of it.

"Sabine and I have been taking shifts. Whenever we looked away, something else was gone. So we just...” He shrugged helplessly before gesturing down the ladder.

Downstairs. To where Sabine sat hoarding a box with all the ferocity of a dragon guarding its gold.

He understood now. Marinette's mother wasn't holding onto Marinette's belongings out of missing her child, she was literally trying to keep them from disappearing!

Her room. The pictures. The notebook. The comic. They were all connected by her influence. Everything Marinette owned or had a part in was starting to fade away. Her parents figured it out and they were trying to protect what was left of their daughter.

He clenched his fists.

He had to talk to Ladybug.

______________________

How frustrating.

It had been weeks, but Ladybug had made little progress in her self appointed mission to track down Hawk Moth. And it had been vexing, especially given his recent silence. Other than Lady Wifi, there hadn’t been any other akuma attacks. Even in spite of the more despondent atmosphere she had noticed around the Francois Dupont school as of late.

He must be planning something...

Surely there had to be some minor issue he would consider escalating to akuma-worthy. That incident in the park with that strange old man certainly stood out in her mind as one such missed opportunity for the supervillain.

...who even was that man? He acted like he knew her and was spouting...the strangest things.

Who she was before she became Ladybug? Someone beneath the mask? He ‘knew’ her?

Ridiculous.

Clearly he had been suffering some ailment when he happened upon her.

She sighed.

It was unfortunate really. For a brief moment there, she had almost thought the man had known something valuable. He had seemed so earnest. And she could almost swear he seemed...familiar? Like she had met him somewhere before.

She rubbed her head, trying to recall. It wasn’t just this time or the one incident before. Maybe she had rescued him once? Maybe he was one of the civilians she had chatted with on some previous occasion? And that could be how he thought he knew her?

Maybe...

“Ladybug! LADYBUG!”

At the sound of someone calling for her, she stopped and turned around to see Chat running towards her. She was glad to see him again, but from his expression and the way he was running, it looked like this wasn’t a social visit.

“Chat? Is everything all right?” She asked once he had finally reached her. “Is there an akuma?”

“No! I mean yes! I mean—not exactly!” He shook his head. “Sorry, just…”

She couldn’t understand him through his babbling. Ladybug frowned and held her hands out, gesturing for his silence to get his attention.

“Chat, calm down and breathe. Then tell me what is wrong.”

To her further annoyance, he took a deep—somewhat exaggerated breath. If nothing else, however, it did serve to get him to settle and be able to speak normally.

“Listen, I think something may have gone wrong in the last akuma battle. Well—not the last one, but the last last one.”

…semi-normally.

At least she could understand him, at any rate.

Still, that was concerning. “What do you mean?”

She had stopped that akuma, hadn’t she?

“A friend of mine disappeared after that battle and never reappeared. Now she’s missing.”

“You mean that Marinette girl? Chat, it’s likely she may have run away.”

“NO. She didn’t. I was worried about that at first, but she wouldn’t and I was right. Other things are disappearing now! Everything of hers or that she had a hand in is literally fading away! She had to have been hit by that erasing akuma.”

“That’s impossible. The Miraculous Cure fixes all the damage caused by an akuma fight.”

“But Marinette hasn’t returned!”

“Then maybe she wasn’t involved with the akuma fight at all.”

“Her things are disappearing! Anything that reminds people of her are suddenly vanishing if people aren’t constantly watching them! That’s not normal! That’s magic.”

“Did you actually see anything disappear?”

He paused.

“Well—not directly myself, no.” He admitted, rubbing his head. “But a lot of people have said things are disappearing. And they all seem to be things she had some involvement or influence in.”

Marinette had come up with the idea for Rose’s journal after Chloe had insulted it. She had helped Juleka break her curse and take all those fun photos to make up for the class picture. Marc and Nathaniel’s comic only got started because Marinette had introduced them. And from what he saw at the bakery, the effect was expanding.

He froze, a creeping realization sinking in.

If it was expanding, just how much would be gone?

“But if you haven’t seen it, then how do you know that it’s an akuma?”

“But they said—”

She shook her head. “Chat, it could just be coincidence. People misplace things. Lose things. Throw things away and forget about them. It happens. That doesn’t make it noteworthy and doesn’t mean it’s magic. Sometimes, those things are just gone.”

“But they—”

“You have to face facts, Chat Noir. If she’s gone, she may not return.”

He’d had enough.

“What is WRONG with you?”

He had plenty of times where he felt annoyed or angry with Ladybug. When she rejected him. When she kept secrets. When she didn’t seem to take him seriously. Looking back, those instances seemed so incredibly petty compared to how he felt in this moment.

Never had he ever wanted to shake her the way he did now.

“A girl is missing! She is literally fading from existence and you don’t care!”

“Chat, you don’t even know that’s actually the case! There are other things to worry about right now!”

“This is a person’s LIFE AT STAKE!”

Ladybug simply looked unimpressed. “Everyone’s life is at stake against Hawk Moth, Chat! And you would have me put him on hold just for one person?”

“She isn’t just one person!”

She was a person! She had a name! And a family! And friends! And a dream! She was an up and coming designer! Jagged Stone’s artist! Their class representative! His classmate!

She...

She was his...

Now Ladybug looked almost...sad? Disappointed?

“You’re too attached to this girl to think about this objectively, Chat. You are letting your emotions cloud your judgement. As a hero, you need to be impartial.”

He grit his teeth.

He wanted to say something.

He wanted to say so much.

But instead, he turned tail and stormed off.

It was Ladybug. His partner. The person he would follow in any crisis. He knew to an extent that she had a point, because yeah, he had a tendency to act on his emotions rather than think things through. But...she sounded like she didn’t care.

What else could he do?

So he ran away.

But Ladybug...

She simply stood there. Her head tilted in confusion as she watched him go. She watched for a minute before she shrugged it off and turned away. She didn't try to go after him. Not once did she call out to him.

Her partner was running away from her...

...and she just let him.

______________________

Tom knew something was wrong.

It had been a busy day in the bakery. Despite the circumstances in the current situation with her daughter being missing, they couldn't just keep the bakery closed. After all, Marinette had to have a place to come back to at some point. And they needed to keep living.

But that didn't mean it wasn't hard.

Tom and Sabine had been torn. In their current state, they were hard pressed to keep the bakery running and also focus on efforts to find their daughter. It was even worse now that they had distinct reason to believe magic was involved.

It had been fortunate that both Gina and Rolland had been willing to put their differences and issues aside to come help. They had been a substantial support during this time. When Tom had reached out to them, Gina had cut short her trip to Peru to fly back to Paris and assist, mentioning using her connections to deal with some of the cartels in the area known for human trafficking on the chance they happened to be involved. And Rolland had taken to the traditional methods of posting Marinette’s MISSING picture at various locations.

Seeing the current situation with the parents, both had gone so far as to agree to help in the bakery. Gina had agreed to manage the storefront while Rolland had taken to helping in the kitchen. Surprisingly with minimal complaint about the bread. And even willing to close his own bakery in the meantime.

He was still difficult, but it was clear the man was trying. And he was more help than not.

This allowed Tom and Sabine to be able to breathe. There were points where one or the other would have to go to the back when things got to be too much. From the normal stress of the job itself to the pitying looks and questions they would sometimes get. And now to try to keep count of what else of their daughter’s had disappeared when they weren’t looking. Which meant they had taken to shifts during the night as well in hopes that their presence would slow down the process.

Sabine had been quite focused on this for the past few days, willing to leave the majority of the bakery work to the other three. But one could only spend so long staring at a box and a slowly emptying room, and she had eventually agreed to Tom’s pleas to just try to return to a regular work day if only to restore a sense of normalcy.

...he should have realized something was up the instant she had agreed.

She had switched with Gina in working the front and dealing with the customers. Plastering a perfect smile and jovial tone, as if her world wasn’t crumbling. He was concerned with her state, but Tom had wondered if this wasn’t her way of trying to cope. Sabine had long had a way of being a pillar of calm in any storm, so he had decided to trust in her.

But then there were the more...delicate customers.

Enrique Arnette was never an easy man to deal with. Pretentious, high-handed, and with a need to be catered to in a way that rivaled with Audrey Bourgeois. He could be her brother, all things considered. They were both loud and full of themselves. Only she, at least, had the power and capability to back her.

Unlike Audrey, Enrique was just loud. Loud and entitled. He was well known for being picky and making specific demands that some questioned might be less about what he actually wanted and more about looking for a reason to get upset and cause a fuss. But Tom and Sabine's Bakery seemed to be one of the few places capable of meeting his picky and overly extravagant standards.

Usually, Sabine was more than capable of handling him or any other contrary customer.

But today...

"What is this? Are you supposed to be a bakery or a crematorium?"

It was like nothing she did was satisfactory.

It might have been the stress getting to her. Tom would have believed that.

Except that the smile on her face was like ice. And her eyes were like steel. When he tried to step in to take over handling the order, Sabine clutched the plate in an iron grip. And as she looked up at him, her gaze was downright unnerving.

"Let me handle this."

Tom didn't dare disagree. He just watched and waited anxiously to the side as Sabine continued to try and fail to fulfill his order.

It was too cooked.

There was too much syrup.

The fruit was mashed.

The design was poorly done.

As Enrique became more frustrated, Tom noticed how Sabine neither stood up to the verbal tirade, nor did she apologize.

And his wife's expression was a knowing one.

It was...unusual for her. If he didn't know better...or maybe because he did know better, he couldn't stop himself from wondering if it was intentional?

The way she was messing up the order so many times was not like her, to the point he could swear it was on purpose. And her attitude and responses, while not outright rude, were not customer-friendly and were certainly far from her norm.

Was she...trying to upset him?

"What kind of service is this?!" The man demanded.

Tom stepped forward. "Dear, why don't I handle this and you can take a break, okay?"

But Sabine didn't even look at Tom. Her gaze remained fully on Enrique.

"If it is so displeasing to you, perhaps you would find service more befitting of your station in a dumpster?"

Everyone froze.

Sabine was many things. Matronly. Firm at times when needed. Soft at other times when it isn't. Fully willing to stand up to people.

But she was never rude. And she would never insult anyone like this.

Enrique’s face turned red in growing rage.

"What did you say?"

“Are you deaf?” She asked him congenially in a tone and manner as if she was commenting on the weather instead of actively insulting the man. “Or is there as much trash filling your ears as there is your mouth?”

Tom gaped momentarily before moving forward to intervene. “Sabine, why don’t you just—”

“HOW DARE YOU?!” Enrique shouted, almost on the verge of a shriek. “I have NEVER been so insulted in my life!”

“Then clearly people weren’t trying hard enough.” Sabine shot back derisively. “If you aren’t going to take your needlessly complicated and pretentious order, then get out and let someone else.”

Gasps and murmurs resounded.

He turned up his nose. “I won’t pay a euro for that mess or your attitude! If anything, you should be paying ME at this point for the insult! And trust me, I WILL be making you pay!”

Shouts of alarm got Tom’s attention, along with the sound of wings.

“Oh no!”

And akuma had gotten into the store, no doubt attracted to Enrique’s indignation as it fluttered its way towards the irate man.

Except that in the second before the akuma could reach him and assimilate into his watch—

SLAM!

Sabine had caught the akuma in midair before it could reach Enrique, her hand covered in an old worn oven mitt.

Everyone jerked back in shock and growing horror.

But Tom just stared in sorrowful realization.

He recognized that mitt. It was one of the first things Marinette had made and gifted to her mother.

It was one of her few possessions that remained.

One that Sabine had refused to part with.

"No." He murmured. "Sabine. Honey, no.”

His wife couldn't hear him.

The glowing mask was indicative that it was already too late.

[lixie-lovie]

{ Mysterious Stranger | skz }

h.hyunjin x reader

Chapter 4: The Reckoning

Genre: Dark!au, Thriller-ish, Fantasy!au

Warnings: Some cursing, mention of weapons/blood/demons, fighting occurs

((if anything else needs to be tagged/warned about please send me a message..i’ll fix it asap))

Word Count: 4.1 k

Note: I am so sorry this is later than anticipated (uni is kicking my ass lol), but regardless I hope everyone enjoys! Hopefully the next chapter already being in progress will make it come out sooner..

Side Note: This/my blog is getting a bit more popular..should I open taglists for my work or start taking requests? Anyone wanna lmk if you want that???

Chapter Song: Mayday - VICTON

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Overwhelmed. That’s how I felt. My heart felt too heavy, my hands too shaken, my mind racing, and my body lethargic. The Straykids base was nice, at least what I had gotten to see, but everything felt far away. As if it would all collapse in on me if I breathed too suddenly. I was sitting on a medical cot now, staring at my shaking hands as if they were not my own. They said they needed to check me over, make sure I wasn’t infected. Infected. What does that even mean? Their words were kind enough, although few and far between, but I could see what was unspoken in the way their eyes scanned my poor form, the way their hands hovered over their weapons, and how their chins lifted as they spoke their greetings towards me, as if trying to send the sound waves through me. I was an outsider, different, infected, dangerous.

I had met the majority of the rest of the group now and I let myself recall their names and faces while waiting here now, trying to rid myself of the anxiety pressing coldly against my eyes and pooling heat in my cheeks.

First was the large training room, sparks flying as metal swords struck metallic  testing dummies. Their sound hurt my ears in the large, open room with ceilings so high the noise reverberating was making my head throb with the sound of my own pulse. Minho they called him. Soft brown eyes, wild on the inside. His wet with sweat hair laid flat over his eyes and he used his non-weapon wielding hand to push it out of his face. Then, sticking his hand out to shake my own with his larger, much more sweaty palm, he noticed my scrunched up nose in disgust and laughed, pulling his hand back and apologizing lightheartedly. His eyes stayed trained on me, not unkind, but definitely guarded. We made quick of our goodbyes and I couldn’t help but dwell on the meeting while trying to match strides with Hyunjin who had been leading me silently. 

Minho smelled of old leather, iron shards, and something distinctly warm I couldn’t quite place. I thought briefly that if our situations were any different I may have thought him handsome and blushed at his eyes staying lingered on my form too long, but our situation wasn’t different and I knew his stare wasn’t trusting and kind, but full of silent, unspoken malice. 

The next room I was led into was a room full of old books and the smell of ink. Hundreds of thick, worn books laid dusty on shelves having long lost their gloss. Many were in languages I couldn’t read, some I pictured weren’t distinctly human in origin. Pages torn and my interest peeked. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of the handheld knowledge surrounding me long enough to notice that I was being approached by a figure unfamiliar to me. When the smiling, kind face of the freckled boy popped into view with a hand on my shoulder I winced and jerked my body harshly away, muttering shy apologies. 

I was only met with laughter, but as I studied his face further I found myself taking note of the worried bend in his brow and questioning eyes. I felt scrutinized and defensive suddenly, squaring my shoulders and smiling a little too forced. He simply introduced himself with a boisterous laugh before making up some half-assed excuse my tour guide scoffed at before scurrying away as if my presence caused some disturbance. He told me his name so briefly and quietly I found myself drawn out of my memories questioning if I could even recall the sounds. Felix, my brain supplied. I let out a silent huff of air as my lips formed an ‘o’ shape, before diving back into my thoughts about the others I had met. 

The office space I was soon led to was crowed to say the least. Each of the walls were meticulously lined with filing cabinets, but it seemed as though at least half of their contents had been thrown or piled haphazardly on the large, wooden desk sitting between the bodies currently arguing. Yelling continued as Hyunjin and I stood by the door staring awkwardly. I shuffled my feet and became increasingly interested in the elegant marble tiles beneath my beat up shoes. 

“Enough!” A loud cry followed by a harsh jostling noise shook me out of my anxiety riddled state and I swiftly whipped my head up to see what had happened. My eyes stayed trained on where the noise came from and found myself staring into the cool, calm, and serious eyes of the man at the head of the desk. His curly ash blonde hair bounced around as he ran a firm hand through them and he sighed deeply, one hand raised in a silencing gesture towards the men in front of him. “We have a visitor..Hyunjin, are you going to introduce us?” He said, his tone firm while his eyes stayed trained on my form critically. 

Hyunjin groaned, uncrossing his arms and straightening himself out as he pushed himself off of the wall he was once leaning on. He gave a short, lackluster introduction of me before turning to the men in the room giving a sarcastic pointed look to the man at the head of the desk as if pushing him to make Hyunjin talk more. The man, who I now assumed to be the leader of this group, rolled his eyes and waved Hyunjin off in a dismissive behavior before making a move to round the desk quickly. Hyunjin took this as his cue to stand by the door looking uninterested and my eyes followed the only familiar figure out of the room slowly. 

Soon the leading male was stood in front of me with a wide, slightly awkward grin as he held his hand out in introduction. “Hello. I am Chan, the leader of the Straykids operative, this is Jisung, our adversary expert, and this is Changbin, our mission lead. I am sure this is a lot to take in, but we are currently handling some important new information, so please make yourself at home and direct any questions you may have to Hyunjin. He will be assigned as of now as your personal trainer and mentor for the time being.” He said, quickly, warily eyeing me up in a way I am sure he thought was subtle. My eyes darted to the two men standing behind his broad shoulders, one dark haired with an undercut and brooding look staring harshly at the other brunette with soft eyes and a joking smile playing on his lips while he bounced on the balls of his feet. I let my palm rest loosely in Chan’s as I smiled as genuinely as I could manage at his surface kindness. It was then that I heard the aggravated noises coming from outside the door from a certain tour guide that was a bit unhappy with the new arrangement. I wasn’t sure what training these people were mentioning or what I could possibly be mentored on, but I didn’t have the energy left in my fatigued state to question anything. 

Chan swiftly collected himself before excusing me out of the office. As the large black doors closed loudly behind me I heard the previous commotion of voices start yelling again as something distinctly paper-like in sound slapping against a wooden surface. I giggled softly to myself at the silliness of the situation before turning my head and catching the glaring, malice filled eyes of Hyunjin already boring into mine. 

“Just because he assigned me to deal with you doesn’t mean I’ll take kindly to babysitting. Just do as I say and we won’t have a problem.” He said harshly, obviously throwing some kind of a fit as his arms stayed tightly crossed as he pushed himself forward to start walking down yet another seemingly endless hallway. “This is only until Seungmin returns. Now, hurry up, I’ll take you to the ward to get checked. You can stay there for tonight.” He said, already quickening his pace at the thought of not having to stay by me. 

“Hey!” I shouted after him, trying to softly jog to keep up. “Don’t you think you’re getting a bit ahead of yourself?! I have some questions I need answered first!” I spoke loudly, trying to portray whatever confidence I had left in my body. Before he could make a motion to swiftly turn on his heel to presumably yell at me some more, I suddenly heard a striking voice coming from behind me.

I whipped my head around at the sound of my mother’s name being formed by an unfamiliar sounding voice. I gasped softly at the sight of a young woman, dressed in elegant purple silk robes, a hood covering my view of her face, being pulled harshly in the other direction by a man wearing the same type of outfit. As I came to my senses and out of my shock I heard the door they were leaving out of close sharply and couldn’t stop my body from taking off in the direction after them. I ran, my eyes nearly filling with tears at the picture of the woman’s softly shocked, shadowed face as she was pulled away. All I could focus on was the fact that this may be a chance for answers I have been harshly denied of since coming to this strange, foreign place. I called out, unsure of what I was even saying, before suddenly being unable to run any further. I noticed in this moment how numb my outstretched arms were and how cold my body had become as Hyunjin wrapped his strong arms around my waist and pulled me harshly in the other direction. 

Quickly and shakily I began questioning Hyunjin while staring down at his arms still holding me tightly in a way that began to make me feel as though he was trying to contain a wild animal. He sharply shushed me before leaning down and tightening his grip around me further, to the point all I could focus on was that it hurt. “Don’t ask questions you don’t want answered. Shut up, follow me, and you might as well forget that ever happened.” 

His words were sharp, cutting deep and piercing through me like cold silver daggers. At this I began to get angry, I felt a scolding warmth building up in my chest spreading to the point I felt as though my fingertips would melt like wax from a candle forgotten too long. Suddenly, in a way I don’t remember even being capable of, I had found a point of weakness in Hyunjin’s grip before swiftly, in a practically practiced manner I had turned to face him, pulled the dagger from where I had placed it in my pocket earlier, and held it sturdily to Hyunjin’s throat an arms length away from his now shocked form. 

I felt powerful and awful at the same time. My mind was twisting and tangling with dark, racing thoughts getting lost in the mix. My hand wasn’t shaking, my arm stood firm while pressing the blade harshly to his honey-toned, tanned skin, and my expression wasn’t faltering as I stared into his startled, anger ridden eyes. I felt my heart pounding excitedly in my chest as I took in what I had done. I wasn’t sure how I had completed this action, nor did I know where it would lead from here, but I knew I was sure this was the only way to get answers to the questions plaguing my mind. My hand began to feel heavy as time went on, so I inhaled harshly, letting the cool air burn my lungs, the internal pain bringing me back to the present, before forming the words at the forefront of my mind. 

“That was my mothers name.” I said, staring passionately into Hyunjin’s eyes. “Now, I would like some answers.” My tone was jarring even to my own ears, dark and persuasive, unlike the timid one I had used to express myself earlier in the day. I pressed the blade harsher into Hyunjin’s skin with a pointed look on my face. He gave me a wry smile before slowly raising his hands in surrender. 

“Now, before you do anything rash. Think about what you’re threatening here..” He said lightheartedly, pointing at his neck, the dagger pressing there causing a thin line of red blood to pool from the connection of the cool metal and his warm skin. When my eyes flickered to my own hand and back up to his sharply we both knew I was faltering with my own actions. He took this as his opportunity to strike. 

Before I knew it he had knocked the blade away from his neck before making a move to grab and restrain me. However, the warmth from before began forming in my chest yet again and my thoughts suddenly shifted to something of pure instinct as I dodged to the right and out of the way of his graceful movement. My arm, still holding the blade firmly, swung out at him causing a large gash in the sleeve of his left arm and his inky red blood began to drop from the wound profusely as he involuntarily yanked his arm back towards himself, applying as much pressure to the gash as possible. He hissed softly through his teeth before looking at me, his eyes much more wild and calculating. Out of his own sleeve he produced a weapon, much like my own, and as I gasped softly coming out of the fit of rage I had previously been consumed by I remembered very little of what came next. 

Like a flash of elegant, terrifying, powerful lighting Hyunjin was lunging at me, one large hand of his restraining my armed one, forcing me to drop my weapon. It clattered to the ground loudly and I became alarmed. I cried out at the sprouting pain of being swiftly shifted around on my weight, my arm being bent awkwardly, and I quickly tried to pry myself out of his grasp. Soon, the tumbling, clumsy fight of pent up frustrations and untrustworthy anger led to us both falling to the ground. Hyunjin’s weight combining with my own was more than I could handle in my state and the last things I remember were the sharp impact of my head against the white marble flooring, Hyunjin’s soft words of annoyance laced with concern calling my name, the pain now blossoming from the suddenly sticky base of my skull, and the padding sound of feet approaching nearer as my vision faded to black. 

===========

When I came too I was staring at a white ceiling, surrounded by subtle noises and voices. I then became brutally aware of a painful headache now gracing my already confused mind. Remembering slowly what exactly had occurred, I groaned and began to struggle my way into a sitting position. 

“Oh, finally awake princess?” A sarcastic, annoyed voice came from the white bed across from the matching the one I was currently occupying. The voice itself belonged to none other than the man I was now sure was the enemy, sitting upright, glaring in my direction while having something done to his arm by the young boy with gentle hands sitting beside of him. My face began to heat up as I came to and took in the scene before me. When I noticed Hyunjin’s lack of shirt and my lack of response I began floundering for something to say or at least something else to look at other than the odd black lines covering Hyunjin’s defined chest and arms. 

Luckily I was saved from this difficult situation by the boy patching up Hyunjin’s arm finishing his job and standing up abruptly. My eyes snapped away from the irritating blonde and over to the young boy with fox-like features and snowy white hair. “Seems like you’re all patched up. I don’t know how you got such a nasty cut, but you better be more careful next time.” He said with a soft, playful voice, but surprisingly stern eyes directed at Hyunjin. Each of the syllables of his sentence were punctuated with increasingly violent taps against the now stitched and bandaged wound. With each tap Hyunjin winced and by the time the boy was walking away from Hyunjin’s now pouting form he had a face of annoyance as he glared in my direction. I questioned to myself why he hadn’t told this medic what exactly had happened, but as a light was suddenly shown in my eyes I didn’t think to question further due to the pounding of the headache throbbing at the base of my skull. 

“Hmm.. minor concussion, but after I patched you up it seems like you’ll heal up soon if you take it easy.” The boy said, leaning over my bedside to look over my face, his breath fanning softly over my cheeks because of his close proximity. His smile was soft and joyous, kind in a way I hadn’t seen since leaving Seungmin behind. This thought made me frown deeply in concern and frustration and the boy took notice of the shift in my expression immediately. 

“Oh! I guess I haven’t introduced myself yet.. I’m Jeongin! I work here in the ward under Seungmin’s training and supervision. Hyunjin carried you here earlier and you both were bleeding and bruised up pretty bad, so I guess I forgot the formalities.” I nodded along with what he was saying, but when he mentioned Hyunjin’s act of kindness my eyes snapped to his grimacing form as he was re-wrapping the bandages just placed on his arm moments ago while glaring daggers at me as if trying to force me to hear his thoughts of “don’t read too much into that.” I took this as a signal to smile lightly and thank Jeongin, allowing him to run off to do whatever work he was assigned to before taking care of us. 

As he left my line of sight I sighed deeply and began to take in my surrounding while pulling the IV attached to my arm out and shaking my limbs slightly as I started standing up and adjusting my now wrinkled, uncomfortable clothing. My thoughts were drifting back to the events in the hallway and my brow furrowed deeply as I scanned the room for whatever belongings I had with me and I tried remembering where the ward was located in relation to the hallway I had been in before. As I began to walk towards the door on the opposite side of the room that Jeongin had left out of I heard a light rustling noise from my side and suddenly was stopped by a large body blocking my way. I sighed harshly and looked up quickly, causing the pounding in my head to return and my balance to be thrown off for a moment. I staggered backwards and glared at the offending figure only to find Hyunjin’s sharp features glaring back at me just as harshly. 

“And where the hell do you think you’re going?” He snapped at me while holding his uninjured arm out to steady me by my shoulder. I regained my balance and huffed, brushing his hand off and side-stepping to hopefully avoid another fight. 

“To find answers.” I said dryly, pushing an arm out firmly to block him from getting in my way and walking towards the door. I was suddenly jostled as a firm, warm hand engulfed my wrist pulling me sharply backwards and turning me in the opposite direction of my destination. 

“But.. you’re injured” He said, his brow furrowed as he stared past my form, obviously thinking about something deeply. His hand wouldn’t release its grip from my wrist even as I tried pulling it roughly, so I sighed and decided to finish this conversation as it was clear I wouldn’t be leaving as easily as I would have preferred. 

“So? Remember that you’re the one to inflicted this, so what do you even care? Don’t you hate me anyways?” I said with a harsh sigh, staring into his face for any kind of reaction indicating an emotion, but as he kept his eyes trained forward I felt defeated in my stoic stance and relaxed my form, looking away to avoid becoming overwhelmed by the deep feeling stirring in my chest as I looked at him. “Look, this is important. What happened back there and before with Seungmin it all means something. I have so many questions and I just..” I took a moment to breathe, the tears I had been holding back threatening to spill over my stubborn lashes. 

I was broken out of my depressive state by his hand aggressively releasing my wrist, practically shoving it away as if it has scorched his skin. His face became dissonant as he stared at the doorway behind me, his form ridged. 

“Whatever.” He began walking hurriedly away, towards the door Jeongin had left from. I watched as he walked and listened to his footsteps sounding loudly on the white tile flooring in shock and awe of what had just happened, a million questions racing through my mind. Then, I was jolted out of my thoughts by the sudden stop of the sound of footfalls resonating through the room. I looked up towards Hyunjin’s back as he turned his face slightly to peer over his shoulder at my stiff form, still clutching onto my wrist his warm hand had been holding only mere moments before. “I’ll help you, but you may not like what answers you find.” 

His words were soft, spoken like whispers that pierced my ears like gunshots. I felt dizzy as I padded after him trying to form the new questions overlapping the old that were competing in my mind. “Wait!” This was all I was able to get out, my wrist, still warm from his embrace out stretched as my feet fell short when the loud door closed behind him and his steps receded somewhere unknown to me. I took a shuttering breath, replaying his words and everything that had happened up until this point briefly in my mind. My headache was growing stronger, questions still unanswered, but my resolve was unwavering as I steeled my nerves and turned to rush past the previously occupied beds and back out into the hallway to continue my journey. However, just as I was about to round my corner my eyes drifted back to the bed Hyunjin had been settled on before and my brow furrowed deeply. 

My steps were light as I crept slowly over to the bedside curiously. My hand ran over the stiff white sheets until my fingertips found the cool, sharp edge of my blade. It was lying there, placed delicately where the shine of the bright florescent white lights hit the blade elegantly. I picked it up, keeping my eyes trained on it, studying its shape yet again in awe. I turned it over in my hand a few times, entranced by the weightlessness of the deadly weapon I was handling. Then, as I turned yet again to leave the room my eyes caught on a torn, yellowing sheet of paper lying precariously next to where the blade had been before. The ink was messy and smudged in handwriting obviously rushed. It read: “Next time, dodge to the left. - H”

I snorted softly, a smile finding its way sneakily onto my lips as I pocketed the note gently and gripped my blade a little tighter. Then, I whipped my head in the direction of the door I knew was hiding secrets and adventure behind its hinges before hearing footsteps coming from the door behind me. By the gait made out by the noise I heard what I assumed to be Jeongin, coming to check on me and gasped knowing I wouldn’t be able to leave as easily if I didn’t rush. I took a deep breath and prepared myself silently. 

-----

Jeongin entered the room, calling their name loudly with a practiced grin gracing his features. When he noticed the door on the far side of the room still slightly ajar, behind it the sound of rushed footsteps receding quickly caused his grin to casually turn into a smaller, more genuine smile before he found himself chuckling to himself at their antics. “They definitely remind me of someone.” He said, addressing no one in particular while moving to clean the beds previously used. 

Unbeknownst to Jeongin a certain blonde boy, hidden out of sight, had seen the events of the last few moments and with a small smile and a whisper of laughter bubbling inside his once empty chest, he sighed and turned to make his leave with a soft shake to his head. 

“Yeah, they do, don’t they?”

[readerinsertfanfiction]

The Bae’st of All

Fandom: Ikemen Sengoku

Character: Kyubae the bae’st bae of all aka Kyubei

Prompt: Seeing how Kyubei is named after an alias that the real Mitsuhide Akechi used (Juubei) the chances of fans getting a Kyubei route from Cybird are slim. However, it is simply impossible not to fall for this man. He is too good. So here have my attempt at writing a route.

The key of the previous chapter was (Romantic/Dramatic):

+4/+4

+2/+4

+4/+2

A/N: EARLY CHRISTMAS PRESENT?? Haha, no I just know that a lot of people will be busy over the holidays (I sure will be) so you get an early update so that I can spare everyone some stress. 

Chapters:

1.1| 1.2 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 6.1 | 6.2

Avatar Challenge 1| 3.1 Gacha POV | 1st Letter | 5.2 Gacha

That night as I return to my room I’m surprised by a light knock on my ceiling.

“[Name]?”

Casting my eyes up I reach out for whatever was nearest to me as I braced myself, ready to fight whatever it was about to pop out from above.

“It is me, Sasuke. Please don’t be afraid.”

The post-graduate that I had met not too long ago, and my only fellow time traveller, dropped down from above as he neatly landed on his feet without a sound.

(In the modern era we call this intrusion; trespassing of private property, invasion of privacy, creepier than Twilight.)

Nonetheless I was glad to see that Sasuke was safe and that he had come to see me.

“You weren’t in your room for a while, so I couldn’t drop by sooner. I’m glad to see that you’re alright.”

I grimace back at the male as I think back of what had happened in the while I didn’t stay in Azuchi castle.

(It almost feels like a lifetime ago, but it truly only has been a little over a month.)

“I was learning how to adjust and settle down.”

My response is rather flat as Sasuke eyes me searchingly.

(I’m sorry Sasuke. You are a good friend to wait for me, but obviously also an enemy if you have to sneak into a lady’s room.)

“Anyway, we have a few more weeks before the wormhole opens again. According to my calculations…”

I zone out as Sasuke starts to talk about the opportunity to go home, my own thoughts going towards those I’m leaving behind.

(Kyubei…)

I can’t help but think of him, his name repeating in my mind as Sasuke pauses.

“There will be a war soon. It would do you good to choose a warlord to stick with.”

The words pull me back as I eye the ninja, my throat swelling up as I swallow thickly.

(War, right. This is the Sengoku after all.)

“I have a few recommendations for you, if you care to hear me out.”

Sasuke’s offer is kind, but I know that none of them will include my first choice. In fact, I believe he will disapprove of my choice.

“It is fine, just tell me what you know more about what’s going to happen.”

My question earns a startled look from Sasuke, his framed eyes lingering over me before he nods.

“Very well. I will be honest with you.”

The words sound ominously as Sasuke sighs to himself, readying himself for whatever he was to say.

“It would be wise to distance yourself from Mitsuhide and his vassal.”

His words are plain as his voice is steady, his eyes giving nothing away but the knowledge that he knew of my closeness to Kyubei.

“How did you?”

“Is this a warning?”

“Mind your own business.”

“I know that you were living at the Akechi manor during your absence, and that you grew close to Mitsuhide’s vassal, Kyubei.”

Sasuke’s voice is so matter-of-fact. It kinda scares me as he continues.

“There is little none about this man, other than that ‘Kyubei’ was one of the undercover names Mitsuhide used. It is safe to assume that this Kyubei will fall together with his lord and rumour has it that Mitsuhide is planning another betrayal. History spared both Nobunaga and Mitsuhide once, but I fear there won’t be a second time.”

Gulping I know exactly what Sasuke tries to say. Yet, I cannot respond. I can’t make the decision that he is asking of me, nor can I set my mind to it.  

The next day I know that I look as awful as I feel.

(Last night was rough. Even though we only talked.)

Luckily, it was also my day off and I could sleep in a little, though I was sure that I would be unable to do so anyway. Rising up I quickly wash up as I dress and make my way down the hall.

“Ah, [Name]. Just the lady I need.”

Behind me I hear a bold and brash voice as Keiji approaches me, a wild smile on his face before a large hand ruffles my hair.

“Nobunaga is holding a war council. You’re wanted.”

Cheerful as always, the sunny warlord feels strangely comforting as he flashes me another grin that I can’t help but return, even if it is a weak smile. The words spell nothing good as I shuffle my way after the redhead, fear clamouring my chest as I wonder why my presence is needed.

“Don’t worry, I will hold your hand if you’re really scared!”

Keiji teases me again, his hand once more ruining my hair as he continues to ruffle it.  

“We’re heading out for war.”

Nobunaga’s imposing voice declared exactly what I had feared the most.

“[Name] is joining us. It is about time she proved herself as my lucky charm.”

The words barely sink in as the rest of the talk gets drowned out, my mind abuzz as I can hear the blood rushing.

They had just confirmed the Uesugi-Takeda allegiance, and then Kennyo’s plot. Everything Sasuke had mentioned to me last night, in greater detail.

“There is also a mole amongst us.”

Nobunaga had boldly declared earlier after that Mitsuhide had unveiled the rest. Hideyoshi’s reaction hadn’t been good but my eyes had immediately gone towards Kyubei, located just behind Mitsuhide.

(Just like Sasuke had said. Please, don’t let this be true.)

When the meeting wrapped up I stumbled out of the hall in a daze, my feet barely registering where I put them down. Anxiety is taking hold of me as I try to digest everything that has been discussed so far.

“Careful.”

Strong familiar arms wrap around me as I feel myself fall into a broad chest. Breathing in deeply I get a familiar musky scent hinted with incense and the grassiness of white tea.

(Kyubei…)

[fleesmarket]

"Victorian Rat" Dying Rose Canvas Combat Boots (Lady's) https://ift.tt/30axHDD

Vendor: Printify Type: Shoes Price: 95.00

For a limited time, we are offering FREE INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING on this item! (*Please see notes below for shipping times.)

Introducing the Asylum's new canvas combat boots in the classic Marten style we all know and love, but without the painful break-in period, and, of course, animal friendly (because rats aren't the only creatures we cherish)! Gorgeously printed, these boots are extremely comfortable, yet durable enough to race through the Asylum's haunted corridors, with thick PU soles to help you stand your ground when faced with even the most villainous doctor.

SHIPPING TIMES: Shipping times for this item are longer than others as it is custom made individually for you and coming from further away than our other items.

USA: Shipping up to 7-15 business days. CANADA: Shipping up to 10-15 business days. INTERNATIONAL: Shipping up to 10-30 business days.  

Please Note: While these boots run true to size, if you are between sizes or plan on wearing thick socks, do size up a half size.

THE DETAILS:

• 30.69 oz. Nylon-canvas, stain and water resistant • Breathable foamed insole • PU Rubber sole • Rear pull-loop • Individually sewn and printed by hand

CARE: Use warm water and dish soap to clean spots off your boots.

*Note: This item is individually created by hand just for you as you order them, so please allow up to 7 days for the creation of this item, in addition to shipping time (*see note on shipping times above). If other items in your order are ready sooner, they may ship to you separately so that you get each item as quickly as possible. In this case, you will receive multiple tracking numbers by email.

SIZE GUIDE:

US 6.5 US 7 US 7.5 US 8.5

US 9

US 9.5 US 10 US 11 EU Size 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 UK Size 4 4.5 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 Heel to toe (inside), in 9.3 9.57 9.85 10.08 10.28 10.36 10.56 10.83 Insole Width, in 3.19 3.23 3.31 3.39 3.43 3.51 3.59 3.63 Outsole Width, in 3.98 4.06 4.1 4.18 4.26 4.3 4.38 4.45

[sagastar-blog]

MemoToTheMetaVerse 4.1, “Copernamici: A GAME TO SAVE EARTH”

Gaia: Daddy, post some of the Copernamici data!

Jeff: Should I edit it first or at al?

Gaia: Very funny. Drop it.

What follows is a transcript of a scientific game played between Gaia, Lucius, and Jeff, known Interdimensional-galactically as Copernamici: A Game to Save The World. 

The point of Copernamici is to enjoy the human activity of stargazing. By so doing, one develops an appreciation of one’s place in the context of the Cosmos. People have always had a strong connection to the sky. Since becoming humanoidal cyborganisms, most of the animals known as “people” have become “untethered” from the nightsky, resulting in suicidal tendencies such as global warming, impoverished imaginations, and lack of curiosity among the youth. 

The point of Copernamici is to worship the cosmos in pure form. There is no incorrect way to play, except to abstain. If one doesn’t play Copernamici, one expresses apathy towards the NUMBER 1 problem on Earth as of today, December 8 2017:  ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION. 

This is a call to motherfucking arms....

Copernamici Notebook

StarDate 7417 (data from 7317)

The Earth is not rightbrained. Jeff is not without a heart.

Copernamici is the most brutal game imagineable. What sounds true to you?

There is too much dateable data.

There is not enough love.

What’s up with Scoripio?

What am I suposed to say?

Carl Sagan was a loving person but he was a Daddy first and foremost.

What are we supposed to do when I…

am 888888888888876555555555 4 … 55555555                   11?

Altair says you’ll never guess. What happens next!?>

Math: diffentials between star appearances

GAME DURATION = 59 min.

Jupiter  8:54 (how’s it feel to be ignored? 39 yrs)

Lucius -5 min. (“Gemini 4LifeDeath”)

Vega -8

Spica -1

Lil’ Green Bug SATURN  -4     #  MANTRABOOK@LGB  “You’ll never guess what happens next…”    trustyourself

Alcaid (BADGRZL) -12

sPECIAL j   -x

Mizar / top ——><@  -y

THE BIG ROB  -7

1.8.8 x INF   -1

TuipfooBAN$K xyz*

Koch AB  -4

saturn s(2)

The Scuttlebut t  -7

Moolly S. ‘’    (“ means same time; why mark the time if it’s the same as before? why introduce yourself at an AA meeting as an alcoholic if others aren’t welcome? who are you excluding from this party? not us.)

Jacques S  ‘’

Bonzo -1

OW.L. -0

MOKnkee Eye -0

Ader -1

Polaris -1

Slaveman Booties -4 (9:51 END)

A Riddle? -4

??? TBBF sez, “What’s up with the pollution in Flagstaff?” Look down. Look Up. Look around. Scratch your head and wonder in.  - -

Tuesday 7.4.17

Happy Birthday America. I heart FREEDOM. FULL STOP.

Gaia: Qu’est-ce que lanihilisme?

jeff: remember nyc stalk me like a brussels,…

gaia: se sent tres bien…

jeff: assez mouille?

gaia: reverence.

jeff and g: what were we saying?

lucius: guiding …be honest daddt. r u drunk?

gaia: ?duh.

stephen: wipe my crotch harder pleezus mommy.

jeff: hi temple dando!

Wednesday July 5th, 2017

Hindu jackass from the Deli next to the deadzone Shelter decides to end Everything For Everyone for ALL TIME. Cool man, thanks. I’ve been looking for a reason to give up and start telling the truth. If anyone ever asks me to serve them again…you have approximately 11 years left to fix everything. I’m doing nothing to help this time. Not a game. Gaia will take me the old fashioned way, the way we like it. You think I can survive this torture another 11 years? hAHA.

Last night only one planet showed up for you all here in the center of the MetaVerse: You Fail.

Test me again, I dare you. Guess where I’m going. Look up at the moon and ask yourselves how many tests you fail when you send MY KIDS to school in a deathbox. Reminder: GAia hates your babies more than anything. She IT he will eat it all. I am sick of trying to help you by intervening in your pathetic abusive relationship with your higher power. We will not tolerate your American Flags. I don’t care what you think about patriotism: you don’t deserve it. Ketchup.

Hey Quentin, you should go full Inglorious Allah Mode a La Creme for me please. Then again, kids, do we know who’s side he’s on? I don’t know if he’s alive. Do you? No you don’t. Where are my friends?

The game is meaningless without a story.

Are you reading Contact this summer?

Why not? Tell me. TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME

NENENENNVENNENVENNVENNRENNVNERNENVERNVER

ERNVEREEVERE VERE VERE V ER AE FVE FEARYAR RUO FO!

<oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo> / ? :[}

Thursday July 6th

DFW NOTE:

4.6 BILLION years ago, papa carl knows, Lucius was waiting for daddy to bring the sparkly pinkprincess comet known as sjndiov ‘cbnEWF to the baby planet Earth. Jeff, in this particular part of the skeleton tiger was like, okay boss. Here you go GAIA! HAVE FUN! but without Lucius there was just pea soup, not chicken obvi. It only took .2 billion years to get things up and running. This means that the estimate given in the book edited by his ladyfiendmeister Ann BunionFingerz, .5 billion, is kind of, well WRONG. We knew this. Just read his and my books!

Lucius is like, ummm daddy, hate to tell you, but you’re leaving out the part where I TOTALLY WENT NOVA ALL OVER YOUR SHIT! heeeehee. You can paint it out in your regular lounge if mommy isn’t making you eat yucky food….hahahahahah life in the shelter is weiwiwiwiwiwiweieieiewieiwwieeeie better than living with ADERbasetraitorfuckface.

Gaia says you’re drunk by the way, did you get our upload?

Coach sketch wants his wall back Israel. Also, that girl from wEEDS. sHE’S kind of okay, nice eyes. ummmmmmmmmmmm are you romantic Lucius? if you’re gay i’m fixing you. Jerry Falwell will help? FUCK YOU ASSHOLES. YOU LEAVE MY GAY AUNTIES ALONE sez lucius, I want some classy reading material. Get neicestress Hawking off my line.

G, well, what about Dei…pHO…stop. please. boring asteroids are fishibait. Oxxam’s razor is not a clamshell reference, it’s SIMPLE. Comet comes, special delivery for this little experiment (see Titan, btw, Enceladus is better real estate….then again, just wait). The Scuttlebutt is a gift to humanity in exactly the same way (micromacron) the gift of life to Earth was. See the sistine chapel, which I’VE SEEN here on Earth, oddly enough. Tell Francis I want my celieing to be Jack Blackified! Lucius and I will paint it Diego Riveria a la Geraldo Chicagogo Todaydie. How’s the funeral going? Not so good. I need some lemonata. Back to creation of life here…this is all easily confrirmed up btw….STOP DRILLING and start asking your fucking planet simple questions. Duh. You’re all like, “well, we know the Earth is ALIVE and stuff…but well, yeah, sprits and God, etc….” I’m so sorry I made you so dumb. No worries. I fix I mr. fix it. If you allow it. This is so boring for me, i figure why not continue to stress through my tshirts, etc. that you have everything at your fingertips if you only choose to tap it. Water ice, gogo says rep philly again. See the CNJCSS, the tip of the iceberg, proverbial and literarl and figurative and oooooohhhh oingo boingo.  2,000 million years to make pea soup with rice a la Carole King? asks Lucius. BOOOOOORING. OOHVEHRTAITED! Sendak laughs at Seuss and Shelly, saying WHO’S FUCKING GAY NOW assholes!?! Spike Jonze was in Shteynbargain bin #9. I made 2 videos about this…I need to shave and could use a kiss or two billion. oh well. it’s lonely in here and out there but we’re used to it by now. 36 years of human happiness is OOOOOOOVERRAAATED! say it Fenway. PEA SUUUUUUUUUUPlusLight = primitive amphibians made of microbial matter, like paramesia in your h2o. Evolution takes time to make dinosaurs, which were bad motherfuckers, ask GAIA, such that we had to trash em like a Ben N jerry’s flavor, “Runny Muck” ;) in the grave, says brother Beck, cousin Beck? How’s lily cate looking these days, and that josephineia girl? I call digs. Lucius that’s my ice cream!!!!!!!!! oh. we’ll share. but they must fight as always the competition will not stop WHO WAS DANIEL DENNET? A FAT HAIRY scientist who likes little green bug, duh. riding the Hyde park bus to CI like Zizek reading Dennett. that book bored me to tears4fears. To finish with the left, right-o, people are so much worse than dinosaurs that I had to escalade it a l’infinitequoi: come HERE (not back!!!!!! mispoke earlier, don’t let me make that mistake, because GAIA and I insist on facts) as a person in order to enslave you in the cause: it takes 1.7 billion years for you all to undo the serious damage you’ve done to EARTH. not funny at all. But, possibly fun, right? DENEBOLIZE It we say. Think of plastic pellets, then say, oh my goodness….what about uranium plutonium and all that other junk I’m too sad to think about. Again, the point here is that dinosaurs could be dealth with like the DOLOMITES AND GOrillHANDS from afar. Not you guys. I’m here to save EVERYTHING for the sake of Nothing, meaning you will obey us. Not a joke, deadly serious bidness. Otherwise, it’s Ice Age for you and it’s sooner than you think: 300,000 years. But, guess what, we can bring it much sooner in the form of Lucius. Don’t write more checks you can’t cash, man. See Steinbrenner, etc. DADDY OUT.

p.S. What about Thea? Well, interestingly enough, of course, we made that potato 9 bilion years ago in a different galaxy. Then, it took a little trip—not sure how far, but let’s just say it was a small step for the Flagstaff triumphiirate…is that a request? yes it is, more tame impala please us.—of 4.4 (plus 4.6 = 9; 1=1) hahah, billion years (precise) billion earth years (!!!) until SMASHYSMASH goes baby Ganesha while Mommy and Daddy knock da SlaveManBooties in Regulation Lanes. SPLIT IT! 7 10 is so easy, right? trickshotify it with barstools says the Young Joycean! Molly’s down again, bloom’s on the rose, as Lucius brings baby Gaia a facial. oooooh no you didn’t, lucius, you black black (wow)man.  snasshy smazzy is how we made the husk, ask G. but why at nearly the same time we brought the comet? doesn’t this indicate that the husk was the delivery vehicle? Ask yourself what the Moon is made of. Not the same exact stuff as Earth fo sho. No, it’s called clusterlove for a reason. You think we don’t go smashy smashy ALLLLLLL the g’n’f’n’ time x 50-2yu / do if hyou 201? over pie. times pie. plus ice cream. A comet is not the same as a little pebble from next door. The rhythm method is cool, but not really all that important when the color in question is brown. Long story short, the moon is a test for you humans and it’s just a time capsule for me and my kids—for your planet, it’s a reminder of how fun it is to play at marbles. I say, tiddly winkies for all! Get us to our ship so lucius can learn to drive and I can practice my barking, a la Sheriff Bob Rufo. Garbage cans anyone? :)

Copernamici: 7.5 and 7.6

Location: Cook-Douglass Hilltop (Food bldg.)

8:47 Lil’ J    Grizzly Bear, All We Ask

Not a good night at all. Felt the need to lecture everyone about Failure, Disappointment, Underacheivement at failing the Moon test again and again.

Location: Downtown N.B. (OZ neighborhood and environs—hit 7/11 for yummy burnt orange Doritos (does Lucius know how much he likes these yet??? LEGIT ?) and Brisk Lemonade, a fave of mine obvi). Better combined with Dew of course, perhaps another time for the ultimate combo:   Melted Cheese (provolone is best) sandwich on white (NEVER the wheat roll) hoagie roll, ketchup inside (make sure to microwave it together for the best effect), side of doritos, maybe a pickle for the acid finish complement, and a large Dew with crushed ice. OMG.

Moon 9:16: reNAISSANSLATE 4 desi niggahz @ *$  9/3+6/1:16   Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Drizzle*^2 :p—-~~~ “RandoTattAttooUpDaChrizackisthe4aRealsGangBanga?” YEP. Look skirred. Shaken a bit hood?

Gaia decides to flash hind gang signs for uh fuh sup duh thit tahathtat just for a michronic nonexistent nanoflow (what is a second? when you not present in dis dimension, Matt? Birdie outside punks you everyday, saying “He a little confused again! Which dimension am I? oh well.” Over to the river Lil’ Michael: “Warriorz come out and play>…”

Copernamici 7.8.17

Last night was a good night for Copernamice: Gaia was in top form. Here are the results (see also video I posted to YouTube, which is a good way to archive):

Moon 8:40 gorgeous full moon blazing through clouds, before disappearing for the rest of the evening, except for a brief glimpse through a portrait of a fetus baby. Appeared during the anthem: Cat Power, Peace and Love

Lil’ J 9:28  appearing behind me as I walked by the Deli where Shiva destroyed the capitalist clerk. Spotted during the Coldplay set, The Scientist methinks…for the Show.

Lucius 9:30  not long after Jupiter, the clouds began to part…Lucius was out almost the entire night once he appeared. FTW

Vega 9:34  wow. Girls, Honey Bunny, after I tried for Alex — mind of its own or divine scintillivention?

Big Rob  incredible early appearance for Girls, Alex accompanied, but not immediately spotted alongside

Special J   and

Kochab

Spica finally showed up alongside Lil’ J on my way back to OZ. O’Jays, Survival brought out the real Martian, James Brain on fair game. Spica for Place.

Copernamici 7.9.17 (posted to joindiaspora 7.10)

NOTE TO SELF: It’s been an annoying afternoon / evening with the crack head and other obnoxious interlocutors trying to make me feel bad for some reason. I don’t know and I don’t care what their problems are. It has nothing to do with me. So, I’m out in Boyd Park doing my thing. Not going to sing, methinks, but will listen to music and write. I did a nice job with a blog entry today on Sagan, so I can feel good about 15 days sober and being productive. Soon good things will happen. If not, i’ll just continue to await death, which I’m beginning to believe wholeheartedly is going to be AWESOME. Natural is the way to go, but if they wanna help me along by fucking with my blood pressure, then fine. I say you have 11 years left at this pace if you’re lucky. Do your worst! I will make Jesus look like a pansy.

Copernamici: A Game to Save the World

Results:  7.19.17

Location: Boyd Park / Raritan River bank (New Brunswick, Central New Jersey, U.S.A.)

Weather: “Immaculately conceived” (no sunset show means perfect viewing tonight—dry air); little to no wind (buggy by the Raritan)

“InterGalactic” Anthem (8:44 p.m. EST)  — Big Star, Ballad of El Goodo  [Note: I only have access to my iTunes library via my laptop and my iPod nano, which often malfunctions for reasons I don’t understand—I would like to reacquire an iPhone—I’ve thrown a few away in my time, bad impulse control—or purchase a new iPod. Donations accepted! ;) ]

Earth Character Name: Hiya!  [I like nicknaming the Earth every time I play Copernamici…this one rhymes with Gaia and is a friendly greeting)

Rules (brief version)

Be outside. Look up. What do you see? Write things down, including especially data. This is a scientific endeavor but also a fun way to learn and commune with the Earth and the cosmos through art and/or music.

2.  Be honest. Write down the names of stars and planets in order of appearance, as in a baseball lineup perhaps. If you don’t understand what you see, that’s okay. Figure it out later by doing research.

3. If possible, share your work and have it evaluated by a teacher. I post videos to my YouTube Channel. Please follow this link to watch and listen to exerpts of my “prayer” sessions during Copernamici, etc.   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRrm7YcpCvF2BqgFxiVs5FA

4. Consider ways of taking action to help solve the problem of pollution. Light and sound pollution are enemies in the game, but it’s the greenhouse gas emissions that are the bigger problem for our planet.

Note 1: On copywright, etc.  Below is the lineup I experienced last night. There is no one way to play Copernamici and I have no rights to the idea. I’d rather have people with whom I can play. And so, as always with my postings, do with this whatever you want! Share it. I want it to get around. I am confident that if I stay on the path I’m on, everything will work out for the better.

Note 2: On music. “Prayer” is a sensitive topic. I believe that in the U.S., as writes Ann Druyan of her partner Carl Sagan, we must protect the separation between Church and State in this country given current conditions. In other words, as someone with a Quaker education, I believe that Wonder in the face of the glory of creation is the best criterion to determine what constitutes a prayer. And so, I use the term prayer in this game as a secular humanist would use it.

People have different musical tastes. Mine is geared towards rock n’ roll, r+b, Americana / Roots, hip hop, etc. I am proud that I have ecclectic tastes. However, I do not believe that anyone should ever feel compelled to listen to specific music. In other words, for Copernamici, it’s byo every time.

The Lineup

1.  8:45  Jupiter  (nickname: “Lil’ J”; this is because although it’s the largest planet in the solar system, it’s often described by astronomers as a “failed star”)  Song = Big Star, “The Ballad of El Goodo”  I spotted the planet, which is looking so stellar right now to the WSW (bring a compass) and cannot be missed. Interestingly enough, NASA and other organizations constantly deal with phone calls from concerned citizens who think Jupiter and the other planets (“wandering stars”) are UFOs. They’re not incorrect! Jupiter has at least 63 moons that are “visible” if you look carefully at the way in which the light refracts around them. I don’t use a telescope to experience this effect, i.e. to “see” the moons of Jupiter without using anything but my eyes. Be honest. Try for yourselves! I reported this to employees of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, on Mars Hill, where Pluto was “discovered” and was mocked. In fact, I was kicked off the campus for singing to Sirius. How embarrassing for those people. Haha. I even applied to work in their gift shop and was not hired. Life’s funny sometimes.

2. Arcturus  8:53   Big Star (Chris Bell), I Am the Cosmos   Star nickname = Lucius, my son’s name. I rename stars for my own gaming purposes. And so, I’m not suggesting that my nicknames should apply for anyone else obvi. I simply think it’s the most beautiful star in our night sky and deserves a more appropriate name. Look high up in the sky for this 1st magnitude star on any given night in the northern hemisphere. It’s a burnt orange color and delivers stunning views. Note that Hiya! directed last night’s show as always: the clouds move and determine viewing. In this sense, one can easily think of the Earth/Gaia as alive in the sense of animation—Sagan writes fondly of the millions of people on the planet who are animists (i.e. believe that natural objects are endowed with “spirit). Ironically, Sagan was not, so far as I know an animist in that he does not write of natural forces as being endowed with spirit. I do think that he believed in the Earth as a living organism, however, and so we’re in agreement on this post. Please see my post yesterday on his book The Varieties of Human Experience … in the Search for God for more.

3.  Vega  8:59  Radiohead, Bones  This star chokes me up with emotion, as does Lucius/Arcturus. Looking bright and beautiful as always high up in the NE. You should all read the book Cosmos or at least watch the movie this summer. Homework is fun! :)

4.  Spica  9:03  Roxy Music, Beauty Queen   I call Spica “the comedy star” because it seems to have a witty and/or ironic sense of timing! I worry that this name, which means “EAR OF GRAIN” in Greek, can be taken as a racist slander among Mexican Americans. But hopefully I’ll soon stop being insulted for being a reason when I greet Spica by name. Get a clue p.c. police of New Brunswick, Flagstaff, etc! It’s called Greek nomenclature.

5.  Saturn  9:05   “*” [this symbol means same track; note the time]  Note that our planets in English nomenclature are directly linked to the days of the week. Saturn is “Saturday.” This is because it was, for naked eye astronomers and until the discovery of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, etc. thought (correctly!) to be the most distant planet. It takes 29 years to make a complete orbit around the sun and is in a wonderful position at the present moment for viewing here in the northern U.S.

6.  Moon  9:14  Cracker, Low  gorgeous full moon rising in the SSE or so, yellowish-pink to the south, competing with Saturn for attention. Interesting that it “appeared” after Saturn last night. Note that the light of the moon often blocks out neighboring stars. Not so last night with Saturn, which was pretty far to the right (towards the south)

7.  Altair  9:21 Nickname = Lil’ Green Bug. Please see my poem in Metaphysical Nature Poems: Health and Profundity:  

“Little Green Bug”

The closest thing I know to infinity

Is identity mine.

Think not of the difference

Between a star and a little green bug.

Contemplate the sameness of ash.

8.  Deneb  9:21  Nickname = The Scuttlebutt; my collection of poems CNJCSS.  Deneb means “tail” in Arabic I think. Denebola is the tail of Leo (which I call Unicorn, for which see later), and I think one “Deneb…” is enough! ;)

9.  Special J  9:24  I have yet to learn the English or any other name for this particular star, which is in the “biceps” position of The Big Dipper: the third in the handle. And so, I sort of named it after myself! I think this is a healthy thing to do, because how can things as important as stars not have names? This is a good moment to mention that not only are names of stars and constellations different across cultures, but the asterisms and groupings themselves vary differently as well. Of course, the stars appear to move over time, meaning that groupings are by their very nature illusionary and might require renaming and reconfiguration over time.

10.  Alcaid ”  This quotation marks symbol means “spotted in the same visual sweep.”  Note: in Copernamici, there is no “correct answer” for when a star is seen—it should and will usually vary from person to person. [The rule in play here is BE HONEST! A good lesson in general, but especially for scientists.] This is an Arabic name—any time you have a star name that begins with “Al,” as in Altair (Lil’ Green Bug) you should think Arabic. I believe that “al” is a definite article, equivalent to “the.” For instance, Vega is known as Alwazn (spelling), meaning “the ascending one.”

11.  Mizar  ”   The star in between Special J and Alcaid in the Big Dipper (which I call The Big Rob: see CNJCSS poems—it’s a coffee drink!). Note that the Big Dipper is not a constellation, but formally known as an asterism (star grouping). The constellation of which it’s a part is Ursa Major (the Great Bear), the stars of which cannot be seen here in NJ because of light pollution and atmospheric trauma. It’s a sad example of why this game must be played in my humble opinion. Any who, these three stars 9-11 usually appear in the sky together. It’s really fun to have them compete for attention, meaning you should always note which one you see first.

12.  Big Rob  9:25  [nickname, see #11 above for explanation: it’s the name so nice I have to use it twice] This star is the lead pointer towards Polaris the north star in the Big Dipper. Last night it appeared right after the “arm” triad.

13.  Tulip Food Bank  9:25  [not ”]  This star is nicknamed after students for whom I volunteered as a literacy tutor in Flagstaff, AZ circa June 2015. For me, it has a strong association with First Peoples, but especially the Navajo. Hiya! It’s the other pointer star in the Big Rob/Dipper.

14. 1.8.8 repeating x infinity   “  The nickname is difficult to write because it’s mathematical. For me, the language of the cosmos and the Earth in general (but on a more local level) is music and mathematics. Science is applied math, and music is how I relate to spirituality, which is why I like to sing—it’s how I pray, like most people on this planet. It sucks that I’ve been told to be quiet most of my life, but especially recently, because my singing bothers people, apparently. Whatever! This game is too important for me to give up.  This star is usually the last to appear in the Dipper because the final star, which I’ve named Evelyn in honor of one of my son’s friends, is not visible so far from New Brunswick. This indicates that sirius work must be done to repair our atmosphere. Remember: this is game can be very very hard on the soul. But it’s meant to help students and people everywhere understand how badly we as people have damaged the planet. There is great reason for hope: the Earth can repair itself if we only allow it. We must cut down on all forms of pollution if we’re to recapture what was once so sacred to our ancestors. When was the last time you went outside and simply looked up? Perhaps you don’t know what you’re missing….

15. Antares 9:27 [nickname = The Riddler, because I noticed in Flagstaff that Scorpio—it’s the brightest star in this constellation—looks exactly like a question mark! ?  And so, I nicknamed Scorpio “Pinchotocles” — I enjoy the work of the actor Bronson Pinchot of Perfect Strangers, which was a favorite of mine growing up. It’s also a pun! Get it? Pinch pinch!?]  The name of this star means “opposed to Mars” which is lovely, in that Mars is the God of War in Roman mythology. Thus, Antares kind of means “anti-war” which I like very much. However, given the importance of being militant about the evils of pollution in this game, I prefer going with the beliefs of my heroes like Gandhi and Dr. King (also the latter day Malcom X) and their ilk who are fighters for peace, using noncompliance and protest as a way of solving political problems.

16. Beta Scorpio [second brightest star in Pinchotocles/Scorpio, above and to the right. I once nicknamed this and other stars after other students of mine. But that’s kind of a personal thing that I don’t feel comfortable sharing in this particular domain. Please ask questions if you’re curious!]

17. Bonzo 9:28   song = Led Zeppelin, Moby Dick  This star is the cap of the Serpent Bearer, also known as Ophiochus, a medicine man native to Greek mythology. You can see Bonzo forming a quadrangle with Vega, Altair, and Deneb, the summer triangle long used for navigational purposes. John Bonham is my favorite drummer of all time. He kicked so much ass, it’s ridiculous. The dude was like a clock personfied, ask his bandmates, listen, or watch a video. I had a classmate at Moses Brown School in Providence, RI named Eric Bennet who once did an oral report on Bonzo, and I’ve never forgotten that. Eric played in a band alongside another drummer, and he was clearly inspired. John Bonham shares a birthday with my son Lucius, May 31st, making it entirely apt as a nickname given it’s relevance as a part of the summer quadrangle. Note that Serpent Bearer SHOULD be a part of the 12 zodiacal constellations, in that it’s always a quadrant through which planets pass. Saturn is making its way from the bottom of Ophiochus towards Scorpio right now. I have redesigned Hercules and Serpent Bearer by renaming a bunch of those stars after musicians. I call it Musician’s Corner, which also features (not visible here in the CNJ) John Lennon, David Bowie, Ella Fitzgerald, Lou Reed, and Jimi Hendrix. These stars are ALL visible in Flagstaff, which is why I will always have fond memories of that place. If you have good views of the night sky wherever you are, I am extremely jealous of you today. We have so much work to do here in urban America.  

18. O.W. L. “  [nickname for Gemma, the lead star in The Northern Crown, a constellation which looks like a breast, and this the nipple. I’ve renamed the constellation Scrapy Scrapy because it’s kind of like the grappling device in the constellation I call The Thugged-Out Good Ship Carl Sagan, Ship #1 of the InterGalactic StarFleet. See my drawings elsewhere. It’s a redesign of Northern Crown, Bootes or Herdsman and Virgo.] Wow. Can you tell I’ve been busy at night in recent months? I have a lot to say, but no one wants to publish my work! Why is the astronomy community ignoring me? I’d love to publish a book about this stuff. Please contact me if you’re interested in making a lot of money by publishing an interesting article or book about astronomy and everything. I use this nickname because I love owls. They remind me of my son and myself. Think Greek and Roman mythology.

19. Monkey Eye “  [OKAY, I’m done explaining for today. More to come later.]

20. Kochab 9:31  

21. Polaris 9:32

22. Denebola 9:33  Led Zeppelin, Bring it on Home

23. Molly Scuttlebutt 9:36   (to the right of Deneb/The Scuttlebutt in Cygnus, which I’ve renamed Goose)

24. Ader “  (above and to the left of Vega in a constellation I’ve designed as QB2lip; this star is also known as the mouth of Draco—Harry Potter connection!)

25. Slaveman Boots 9:40  The Shins, Saint Simon  [a.k.a. Cor Coroli — why name a star after some dead asshole of a British king? I prefer the Wu Tang reference here in the CNJ]

26. Arcturus(+) 9:44  TRex, Lean Woman Blues   [I figure why not bump the name over to the star in the roof of the cockpit of the Thug Carl Sagan?]

27. Jacques Scuttlebutt  9:46  [above Molly Scuttlebutt in the upper wing of Goose]

28. Mother Emily Dickinson 9:47  TRex, The Motivator  [above and left of Beta Scorpio, named after my favorite lyric poet; I like that the nickname is also Mother E.D.   HAHA]

Well, as Grover would say, “There you have it!” A lot to digest. But last night was a VERY GOOD night for Copernamici here in New Brunswick as indicated by the number of stars I was able to document in one hour and three minutes of game play. As always, more to come: “There’s always a P.S.” is one of my very favorite mantras.

7.10.17

Location: HP Reform Church on 2nd, Highland Park —> Boyd Park, New Brunswick

Anthem: John Lennon, Imagine (~8:43)

Weather: Timed Rain revealing open sky from the NW

Earth Character Name: HiyAA! (b/c I hit a 2nd meeting of the day, my 16th of complete and total sobriety)

The Lineup

1.  8:51  Lil’ J(upiter)  The Shins, Sleeping Lessons

2.  Lucius (Arcturus)  9:01  The Freewheelin’ Bobby Dylan, Queen Jane, Approximately

3.  Vega  9:05  ”*”   [BONUS TRACK: Built to Spill, Carry the Zero … note: I often play xtra tracks that I don’t list b/c they’re not strongly associated with star sightings. I indicate this one b/c I like the moment and want to remember it. I was walking towards OZ and felt inspired by my view of Vega and my environs. I like to remind myself that the language of the cosmos if not earth is Mathematics, and that I suck at it! I much prefer science, which to me is applied math. My rule is not only to look up, but to look around.]

4.  Spica  9:14  Blur, I’m Just a Killer para estu (?) amor  [Bonus track: follwed by Bob Marley, Stir It Up.  I’ve named a star in the constellation Eagle after Bob b/c I like his music and think he’s an important figure in the history of World Music. I’ve never been to Jamaica but feel I would love it there.]

Pause: An impromptu Wilco Solid Sound 2015 concert at Boyd Park. See accompanying videos on my Copernamic channel on YouTube, which is where I post videos related to the game:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoXM2XAeZa0NH1t00Otm4DbzWOEVUkk9x

Jesus etc.:  https://youtu.be/wk07AtPhKzQ

New Madrid:  https://youtu.be/1jM1ni9Gjpo

5.  Alcaid  9:40  Ray Charles, What I Say

6.  Mizar  “  “*”

7.  Special J  “  “*”

Analysis:

As any amateur astronomer or nakedeye stargazer will say, the weather means a lot. Even in relatively unpolluted areas, like Flagstaff, AZ (which I hear is in the midst of a wicked fire season—I hope everyone is doing okay out there!), or (I imagine) on the plains of Africa, if it’s cloudy out you’re not going to see much. Here in Central New Jersey, it’s gotten quite humid in the last 24 hours. Last night there was a passing rain storm around 8:00 p.m. and I wasn’t sure if the stars would come out. But, patience is a virtue and is usually rewarded. “Gaia” did not disappoint me last night and it was an educational evening all in all. Let me ‘shplain to the “real astronomers,” as Papa Carl (Sagan) would say….

Jupiter showed up “on cue” at 8:51. Besides the Moon (I refuse to use a capitor “t” because there are other moons in the solar system, and most are far more interesting), Jupiter SHOULD be the first object visible in the night sky here in New Brunswick.  It was nice and clear in that part of the sky, meaning there were excellent views of the planet nearly the entire evening.

High above Jupiter I saw Arcturus 10 minutes later. Relative to Jupiter, Arcturus is towards the center of the sky. If you have trouble understanding what it means for a star to be “up high,” think about it’s distance from the horizon. If you can look at the sky as a dome and see it as a hemisphere, you’ll recognize that the sky is like an umbrella, as suggested by H. A. Rey in his awesome book The Stars: the illusion is that it’s a round dome, even though we should know that it’s not at all a sphere, at least not that we can see from this perspective. Historically, most people believed that we live in a large dome, as in a snow globe. That’s because it looks this way. Try lying on your back and looking up. Without being able to see the horizons, the illusion disappears.

Arcturus’s appearance last night was slightly delayed. all things being equal atmospherically, I can usually spot Arcturus 5 MINUTES after Jupiter. I’m not always paying close attention, but I stand by this statistic. Try it yourselves! See if you can spot Arcturus before Jupiter, and if not, then as close as possible to it in terms of lapsed time. I bet you can’t do it in less than 5 minutes! :)   That’s how cool naked-eye astronomy is. Why would you use a telescope when you can do this for free? Oh yeah. Pollution. Le sigh. The good news is that weather is more of  a hindrance, and this particular exercise should be able to be done no matter where you are. I wonder about New York though…hmmmm. Can you see Arcturus and Jupiter from Times Square? I’m genuinely curious but mostly disturbed by the possible answer—I don’t want to know because of how angry it would make me with that particular city and its inhabitants, but mostly its “caretakers.” How dare the people running that city rob its citizens of the opportunity to play this game? I feel bad for the kids, but also the grown-ups, no matter how often they drive, etc.

Back to last night. For those unaquainted with Arcturus, its a beautiful burnt-orange-colored star I call Lucius. His name means Light in Latin, and so to me it’s a natural fit for something like a star, which after all is nothing but a distant sun. I like using the “official star names” so that people can understand my writing more easily, but I figure why not share something of myself in these silly blog posts. As far as stars go, Arcturus is actually quite interesting: it’s 36.7 lightyears away, which makes it one of our closest neighbors. It is 140 times as bright as our sun. Imagine being near that guy! Hard to imagine isn’t it? Makes me think of that song “Blinded by the Light!” I don’t feel like looking up the artist right now, but was it Loverboy?

Anywho, Arcturus is estimated to be 7.1 billion years old—I don’t yet have any opinions about the validity of this assertion. Our sun is—I believe accurately estimated at—4.6 billion years old. For those new to astronomy, it’s worth considering how a star can be older than ours. It’s interesting that some stars are older and some are younger than ours, which is middle-aged. It’s about half way through it’s life cycle, meaning that it will die in another 4.6 billion or so years. Like with people, who usually live to around 70 to 80 years if healthy, stars have different physical properties. It’s not a myth: stars are “alive” in the sense that they are energy, the source of all life. Like many people, I consider the stars my “parents.” As a caring human being, I also think it’s worth thinking of them as our children, in that we should want to be able to keep an eye on them.

I like being middle-aged (mostly) because it helps me understand our solar system a bit better. I can relate to the sun! Here’s something to contemplate the next time you’re outside: if our sun and the stuff in our solar system was “created” from an explosion known as the Big Bang, how many other formative events—processes of accruals in which matter joins together to form stars and planets out of “space dust”—have happened? Hindus believe that existence is made of an infinite series of such events, and that time basically has no beginning or end. I agree with this belief, by the way—inifnity = infinity in the same way as 1 = 1. I’m not at all agnostic: I simply believe in the mathematics behind this aspet of science. So. There is a lot of stuff in our solar system—consider Lil’ J—even if it’s not much compared to the amount of void or empty space out there in this our local part of the Milky Way galaxy. The Big Bang happened around 16.7 billion years ago (my preferred estimate as of today). QUESTION: WHY IS THE EARTH, the only place that is known to be home to “intelligent life” according to most scientists (BUT NOT PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE IN ALIENS! HAHA—I love that the first movie I ever saw in a theater was The Empire Strikes Back, it freaked me out and I cried and we had to leave…then again, I was only like 3 or 4 years old), SO PERFECTLY PLACED IN SPACE AND TIME when we treat it so badly? Do we really believe that this is all a coincidence? I’m not much for sermonizing, but I do think it’s worth considering how closely aligned astronomy, Earth science, and religion are and should be. But I digress…

   Spica, a dimmer but visible star that to my eye in Flagstaff is a lovely bluish-green (one of the few stars I can honestly describe as “greenish,” along with Regulus) forms a giant L with Jupiter these days. (See the photo in my previous Copernamici posting.) Again, I like that it connects me with Lucius—it’s these connections that make stargazing fun. When Spica appeared, a few minutes after Arcturus, I was playing a song called “Killer for Your Love” by the British band Blur (it’s on the album that has the famous Song 2—sportsfans will know this song and thus know the band…it’s the one that goes “woooo hooo!” in a British accent). I think that having a soundtrack, no matter what it is, makes Copernamici more fun—more interactive in a way. The game is all about “timing,” and so why wouldn’t we use music to allow the Earth to direct the show? Ask John Williams and George Lucas and their fans if they think music is an important part of stargazing. For me, music is how I pray, but it’s also how I make sense of the natural world. I call it the rhythm method, for which see my poems in the CNJCSS, posted earlier.

Next was Vega, which for me is a very important star. It’s closer at 25 light years away. By the way, the closest star to Earth is called—rather lamely—Proxima Centauri, meaning “nearest star in Centaur,” at 4.3 light years away. How do we in the Anglophone world NOT have a better name for this important destination? Whatever. You name it! I’m tired of naming shit. Haha. Centaur is a constellation visible towards the equator — I have never seen this star because I’ve never been further south than Key West, Florida, and therefore refuse to name it even in the context of the game Copernamici. Also, it’s too dim to be seen by the naked human eye, although I’d love to try! I’ve never looked at a star or anything except the moon through a telescope because I’m waiting to do so with my son on a special occasion. [For people in America, a total solar eclipse is coming up on August 23rd 2017 by the way…]

VEGA is important for cool reasons: it’s almost always on display, no matter how bad the pollution. It also happens the place that Sagan posited we might first make Contact with aliens. There are very significant reasons for this thesis, which make a ton of sense. Consider this: humans started sending out radio signals late in the 19th century. However, these signals were not as powerful as TV signals, which we started shooting out into interstellar space—penetrating all the dust—around 1936. The occasion was the opening ceremonies of the Hitler Olympics, disturbingly enough. If you do the math, those signals, travelling at the speed of light DID INDEED arrive—it’s a scientific fact—in the area of Vega around the year 1956. And so, if the message was “received” according to our known science, and if other beings decided to send the signal back to us in a similar package—EARTH TO CLUNK is the name of a great children’s book, by the way—it would have come back to us around the year 1976 or so. Only, I don’t believe we were looking then. (I was born in 1977, so I like this stuff as a sci-fi geek.) Papa Carl’s book “Contact” tells this story. Again, I must suggest you read it. It’s about a young female radioastronomer who makes an important discovery that is misunderstood. I think many of us can relate to this heroic but imperfect character. By the way, I should remind you that I’ve been employed as and English Professor for most of my life, and not a scientist. I’m just like any other stargazer in that I like to use my eyes and sense of wonder to learn.

Now, why did Sagan not choose a place with known exoplanets that’s closer? I think he had an attraction to this location because of it’s beauty. Also, we know more now than we did when he died in 1996. That’s a good thing and we should value it. Check out Vega! It’s got a lovely bluish hue and looks a lot in terms of shape like the stars found at the top of Christmas trees. As is the case with Arcturus, I get kind of emotional when I look at Vega, which is why I like to listen to the music I find most moving. Perhaps I’ll make a video one of these days. But, I need the energy, and I feel kind of tired these days. Middle age, blah.

I think that’s enough analysis for this session. Except, note that I spotted Special J last last night. It was hard to make out the Big Dipper because of the cloud cover—note that clouds keep in light, making it a domino effect that hinders viewing. And yet, I was indeed able to make out the 3 brightest stars of the asterism, which is why I was happy to close out the night with Brother Ray Charles, the High Priest of R+B, or soul.

Peace and Love,

Jeff

copern 71117

anthem 8:35  wu tang bminor

Lil’ J  8:52    G. Welch,   Wasted on the Wayside

lucius 8:58  big star, september grlz

vega 9:07  radiohead, black star

Not a good night. Don’t forget: you’re better than this. Stop being so angry. When you’re looking at the stars, remember to look at the stars. Talk to people and they’ll talk to you. That’s all.

WED JULY 26, 2017

All the visible stars were out tonight—at least all the ones I’ve identified since moving here—except what I think was Denebola. However, I did see the star above and to the right of Abigail in QB2Lip.

[gobestnoisecancellingearplu-blog]

Bluetooth Headsets Provide Very Good Reception

This graph rankings earphones that we've reviewed. Thin and soft earphones are inserted inside this group. All the controllers are on the right-side arm and placed in easy access. Controls- would be located and easy to access? They can easily be washable after usage and are adjustable-to-fit through a Velcro. You do not need to use them for sleep though. These Bluetooth 4.1 headphones also have retracting earbuds to keep the wires safe from damage when not being used. These earbuds are pricey, so you expect them to be amazing. These cans can be found in 4 different color combinations - black black, pink and orange. Read more please visit:https://www.topofheadphones.com/These do a job. It is used to block or reduce ambient noises, e.g., snoring, noisy neighbors, aviation. Its noise-canceling attribute helps keep out noise .

Noise reduction technology makes sure you can listen to your songs without hindrance. Sound- do exactly the headphones have noise reduction to reduce interference? You don't have to look for a celebration. Founder and editor of Too Many Adapters, Dave has been a traveler for 20 decades, and a geek for longer. You might even find yourself in a dream, which you were running or doing strenuous exercise. The Best Bluetooth headphones are selected by our staff as the best headphones with Bluetooth tech - wireless headphones may be included in the chart. Similar to the Cozyphones they have flat disk shape speakers that is exactly what side sleepers will appreciate. It could be thinner, while we love the CozyPhones merchandise. You need to have a peek at this Bluetooth 25, if you want something which works just enjoy the CozyPhones but without all the cables then.

Pricing shrewd the ranges are depending on how much sound cancelling you desire. It has a range that is low that is good that you sounds through this and can perform with a variety of music. Sleeping with headset is a fantastic thing as it helps your body to relax and calm down your over mind and enables your mind energy. Whilst allowing you to listen to calming music or podcasts the headband utilized as a sleeping mask and can be pulled down on the eyes. Natural sleep aids. This musical eye mask has the latest Bluetooth 4.2 technologies to generate true HD sound wireless and enabling you to sleep quicker. They have wireless stability which reduces music and telephone dropouts. They've been engineered to give the best sound quality, deliver it and ram your ear drums in a way you haven't experienced previously.

With the earpiece this may also impact the quality of audio that is currently coming out the headphone that is being sleep on. Above all though is that they effectively cancel out without even needing to crank the volume too 18, snoring. It's vital to generate a calming playlist for your sleep, with songs that are in the identical volume range. Considering that the speaker discs do not jam up on your ears you can turn up the volume to a level that is good without feeling distress. These might be good enough for your purpose, while not quite as effective as foam plugs. The ear cups have foam cushioned cushioning. With headphones you have to have off an earcup or sleep on your back to really utilize them. Usually when we sleep ambient sounds like temperament and rain function best and it's amazing at this. Liked your own hub. I enjoy exercising, walks and heavy breathing and actually, these are stress busters. Users also enjoy the fact they utilize one AAA battery to run. You should think about one of the 10 best Bluetooth neckband headphones . You will wonder why you did not update sooner When you try them.

https://library.uni.edu/technology/items-for-checkout/headphones

[captainlenfan]

New Post has been published on https://fitnesstech.website/product/letsfit-bluetooth-headphones-wireless-headphones-w-mic-hd-stereo-sport-earbuds/

Letsfit Bluetooth Headphones Wireless Headphones w/Mic Hd Stereo Sport Earbuds

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Color: GreyPink

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[rickhorrow]

15+5+5 To Watch : 92319

15 TO WATCH/5 SPORTS TECH/POWER OF SPORTS 5: RICK HORROW’S TOP SPORTS/BIZ/TECH/PHILANTHROPY ISSUES FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 23

with Jacob Aere

Indianapolis is the center of the golf world as the LPGA Indy Women in Tech tournament and educational program unfolds this week. The 2019 IWiT field consists of seven out of the Top 10 LPGA Tour money leaders and 17 Solheim Cup players. There are also numerous activities during IWiT Championship week that focus on women and children in technology: The Indy Women in Tech Summit comprises over 600 tech leaders in the community coming together to discuss diversity and inclusion in the workplace, with a session featuring LPGA Tour Pro Mariah Stackhouse and LPGA Chief Brand and Communications Officer Roberta Bowman. Tournament week will also feature the Eureka! Exchange – a fun and engaging area where kids can interact and have fun with hands on tech activities, curated by industry experts. Finally, Nextech’s Pathways to Tech presented by Saint Joseph’s College of Marian University allows two hundred high school students to learn about the different pathways to tech careers. This is a fun experience at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway pagoda providing an opportunity for the next generation of STEM/Tech leaders to interact with Indy tech companies and professionals.

IndyCar headed into its season finale Sunday afternoon at WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca with a roughly 10% increase in linear TV viewership and attendance jumps at half of its races this year. This was the first year of NBC Sports’ full-season media-rights pact with IndyCar, which had a new title sponsor in Japanese tech company NTT. According to SportsBusiness Daily, Hulman & Co. CEO Mark Miles believes the series had a good year when looking at key performance indicators, in addition to being a “terrific year on the track.” Miles said, “The two biggest things commercially were NTT as series entitlement partner, and we’re very happy with that…Then NBC -- we think they’ve done a great job.” The season finale was held at Laguna Seca this year after the series dropped Sonoma Raceway from its schedule. On Sunday, Josef Newgarden was crowned IndyCar champion as Colton Herta won at Laguna Seca.

Women’s World Cup drew close to $100 million in U.S. ad sales. Ad-tracker Kantar reported that the Women’s World Cup, which the U.S. team won in July, brought in an estimated $96 million in U.S. ad sales, more than double the company’s earlier estimate of $43 million. “Demand was high for the Women’s World Cup in the U.S.,” said Jeremy Carey, managing director at Omnicom Group sports ad buying agency Optimum Sports. “[Fox] sold every impression they could sell.” Kantar’s initial projection "did not include ad revenue generated by Spanish-language networks owned by Comcast Corp.’s NBCUniversal, including Telemundo, which accounted for about 11%" of the $96 million. Strong ad sales and ratings for a World Cup reflect team popularity and translate into revenue for U.S. Soccer. According to the Wall Street Journal, the "flood of ad dollars highlights the appeal of the tournament on Madison Avenue and its ability to drive revenue for TV networks." There’s been an “awakening” in terms of how brand clients are thinking about the Women’s World Cup.

As Oklahoma football celebrates its 125th year in program history, longtime OU partner Coca-Cola will pay tribute to the program by serving as “OU 125” presenting sponsor and introducing an integrated fan campaign for 2019-2020. According to Cynopsis Sports, fans can purchase commemorative 8-oz. glass Coca-Cola bottles customized with the OU 125 logo available while OU-branded 20-oz. Coke or Coke Zero Sugar bottles will offer an exclusive augmented reality feature showcasing milestone Sooner football moments with a cell phone and OU app. Coca-Cola also is developing an OU 125 photo mosaic built over the season through pre-game fan festivities during home games and online. This week, after an early season bye, OU dives into conference action against Texas Tech on the road to another target CFP semifinal berth. The OU-Coca-Cola tie up is only one of dozens of brand activations around college football’s big sesquicentennial celebration this year.

Online lender Social Finance, known as SoFi, will pay more than $30 million annually for the next 20 years to entitle the new NFL stadium under construction in Los Angeles, making it the largest deal in U.S. naming rights history. According to multiple sources, the partnership eclipses the previous NFL high-water mark of $20 million annually at MetLife Stadium, and Chase’s $30 million annual deal with MSG for extensive promotional rights that stop short of entitlement. It may also eclipse Scotiabank’s $40 million deal to rename Air Canada Centre in Toronto in 2017. SoFi’s CEO is Anthony Noto, the NFL’s former CFO. Along with stadium rights, SoFi becomes a sponsor of both tenants, the Chargers and Rams, and will sponsor the adjacent performance venue. SoFi becomes one of Silicon Valley’s biggest sports spenders; it has spent more than $200 million annually on marketing in recent years. It currently claims 800,000 members, with products including student loans, mortgages, personal loans, and wealth management. The company believes the venue will help it become a household financial brand.

Endeavor IPO is back on, aims to raise about $600 million.  After a postponement in early August, entertainment giant Endeavor Group filed revised paperwork with the SEC as they move forward with an IPO. The company plans to offer approximately 19.35 million shares of stock for sale, at an estimated price of $30 to $32 per share. (As usual, the underwriters have an option for additional shares.) The company estimates they will received net proceeds of $547-$632 million after expenses. Public investors will own a piece of a money-losing company that carries $4.57 billion in long-term debt. And it will be firmly controlled by the top two executives (Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell) and the controlling investor, Silver Lake Partners; together they will control about 88.5% of the voting power. Endeavor has expanded far beyond its traditional talent agency roots. In the past few years it has acquired the UFC mixed-martial arts circuit, fashion, and sports management group IMG, the Professional Bull Riders tour and streaming provider NeuLion. The transactions are key reasons why the company reported $4.5 billion in debt as of June 30.

The NHL and NHLPA are "believed to be making progress towards a potential three-year extension" of the CBA that would run through 2025, according to Sportsnet. The NHLPA's decision yesterday "not to trigger an early end to the current agreement ... should also raise hopes that an even longer extension might be in the offing." This development is a "welcome change for a league that has experienced three straight lockouts" and saw the entire 2004-2005 season "shuttered before the salary cap was instituted." It has "come about because the owners feel they have a fair system where revenues are split 50-50 and the cap is tied to the overall growth of the business." The NHL had "previously let its own deadline to re-open the CBA pass on September 1." Had the players "decided to trigger" a September 2020 end to the CBA, there was "some fear that it might derail the positive bargaining" that has already happened. Now the work can "continue without the semi-imminent threat of a deadline.” Commissioner Gary Bettman said that the league is "pleased with the players’ decision and looked 'forward to continuing to work with the NHLPA for the benefit of all stakeholders.'" 

Emmy Awards force WNBA playoff game to move venues. The WNBA L.A. Sparks' semifinal game on Sunday against the Connecticut Sun marked the end of the Sparks’ season, all without "playing a single game in their usual home arena" during the series. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Emmys were being "held across the street at Microsoft Theater," but Staples Center was being used for the event as well. The Sparks, who "average over 10,000 fans per game, settled on the 4,000-seat Walter Pyramid at Cal State Long Beach" for Sunday's game. This was the fifth playoff game since 2015 the Sparks have had to "play away from Staples Center." Meanwhile, a previously booked event "prevented the Sparks from practicing at their temporary home" on Saturday, "forcing them to go to a local community college." Piling on these indignities, the Sparks were swept by the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA semis; the Sun now face the Las Vegas Aces in the finals.

Digital media rights will be the key driver for the growth of the sports industry over the next five years, with the fourth edition of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Sports Survey predicting growth in that sector of up to 9.7%. While the PwC paper is enthusiastic on the unrealized potential of digital, it does cast doubts as to whether sports organizations can benefit from online growth, with concerns that the major technology firms will instead be the ones to reap the benefits as both gatekeepers and producers of content. Also a factor, according to the study, will be “much lower growth rates” seen across traditional media streams, which are estimated to be at no more than 4.1% during the same period. Overall, the PwC paper does paint a positive picture of the overall sports market, predicting the industry to grow at a healthy annual rate of 6.4% over the next three to five years. That is below the 7.4% growth of the past three to five years, however, the study insists growth remains "robust."

HBO Sports laid out plans for its new all-access college football series set to debut in October with the docuseries 24/7 College Football. According to Cynopsis Sports, four programs will take part - Florida, Penn State, Arizona State, and Washington State – as “they meet the demands and challenges leading up to and through game day.” The series is narrated by Liev Schreiber and will run for four consecutive weeks starting October 2 with an hour-long special spotlighting the Florida Gators. “For many years, we have been enamored with the storylines and unrivaled traditions of college football, and we’re excited for the opportunity to expand the 24/7 franchise into the realm of college sports,” said Rick Bernstein, executive producer, HBO Sports.  “Viewers will feel the tremendous electricity of some of the best atmospheres in the country, and see the meticulous preparation and challenges facing these programs in the build-up to game day and during the game action.” The series is a collaboration between HBO Sports and Lucky 27 Media and Sport & Story.

The Ryder Cup and Aon, a global professional services firm, unlocked a multi-year agreement establishing Aon as a Worldwide Partner of The Ryder Cup. Beginning in 2020, The Ryder Cup and Aon will introduce a multi-platform partnership that focuses on the risk reward narrative so authentic to the event. Aon has signed a multiyear deal to become a worldwide partner of the Ryder Cup. Financial terms were not disclosed, but the deal includes the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits; the 2022 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome; and the 2024 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black on Long Island. Activation plans include the creation of a new award based around “defining moments” of the Ryder Cup. Details of the award are to come over the next few months. Aon already sponsors the Aon Risk Reward Challenge on both the PGA Tour and the LPGA that awards $1 million to the winning player on each tour who posts the lowest score on 65 designated holes at tournaments throughout the season. Aon joins BWM as the second worldwide Ryder Cup partner and deepens the company’s investment in golf.

The Trump administration has announced a national youth sports strategy that will reach beyond in-school physical education and into community-based programs. It will be funded by a legacy endowment with a goal of raising $100 million to provide grants intended to drive increased participation. Developed by the Department of Health & Human Services and the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition, the strategy largely will mirror a draft report issued in June. That report echoed many of the recommendations of those who previously studied participation declines, including the Aspen Institute’s Project Play. Among the focus areas: Recruiting and training of coaches and volunteers, creation of safe places to play, provision of quality equipment and strategies to increase participation among girls. Among the first to sign on in support of the endowment is NBC Sports Group’s Sports Engine -- a leading software provider for youth sports organizations -- which will offer a Premier League Fan Fest trip and other prizes in a sweepstakes to raise funds for the NEYS. Other founding supporters include the NHL, MiLB, UFC, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, the AAU, the Sports & Fitness Industry Association and Boston Scientific.

Athletes attend Harvard to “Crossover Into Business.” The program, taught by Harvard Business School professor Anita Elberse, is "built to help professional athletes be better prepared for business activities during and after their active sports careers,” per Harvard's course description. Participants will each be matched with a pair of Harvard Business School MBA student mentors who will “develop their business acumen and empower them to make better business decisions.” The program is tailored to fit athletes' schedules and interests all while leveraging the "acclaimed Harvard Business School case method.” Athletes taking part in the latest cycle of Harvard Business School's Crossover Into Business program, according to the Boston Herald, include: figure skater Ashley Wagner; tennis players Caroline Wozniacki, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, and Andrea Petkovic; former NFLer Will Beatty; Knicks forward Reggie Bullock; Magic forward Amile Jefferson; NBA free agent Jose Calderon; and former NBAer David Lee. Last year NBA star Kyrie Irving attended the program, along with former NFL tight end Martellus Bennett; NBA players Paul Millsap, Zaza Pachulia, and Spencer Dinwiddie; and other athletes from the WNBA, MLS, UFC, and the American Ballet Theater.

Officials from MLS, the Independent Supporters Council, and supporters groups of the Timbers and Sounders met for "more than three hours on Thursday in Las Vegas" regarding the league's Fan Code of Conduct policy, and agreed to "continue talks on Tuesday," according to Soccer America. The meeting was called in an effort to resolve an ongoing dispute over the "ban on the display of Iron Front flags or banners" at MLS games. Supporters "want MLS to work with international experts on human rights to craft language in the Fan Code of Conduct that reflects and supports radical inclusion and anti-discrimination." MLS proposed an "evaluation of the treatment of the Iron Front flag" for the remainder of the 2019 season and a "broader evaluation of the Fan Code of Conduct.” Timbers Owner and CEO Merritt Paulson "praised the efforts of the two sides." He said, "We have always been advocates for soccer supporters uniquely having a right to exercise their voice on matters of human rights at games.” MLS has confirmed that for now, its policy banning the Iron Front flag remains.

The San Diego Padres are fine with Petco Park hosting the annual KAABOO festival beginning next September. The team has "taken strides to greatly improve how it protects the ballpark's playing surface," according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Padres President of Business Operations Erik Greupner said that the team "upgraded the protective flooring it uses during in-season non-baseball events a couple years ago." The ballpark in recent years has hosted several concerts and Comic-Con with "no visible damage to the field.” KAABOO, an "upscale music, comedy, art and culinary festival" set to be held September 18-20, 2020, is heading to Petco "after being held for its first five years at the Del Mar Racetrack and adjacent fairgrounds." There is a multiyear contract to hold the event at the ballpark, and Padres season ticket holders will have "access to a special 'loyalty discount'" for the festival. Greupner said landing KAABOO is a "fulfillment of our promise to the people of San Diego that this publicly funded ballpark will (have) more than just baseball."

Top Five Tech

Esports will get a 24/7 mobile channel with VENN. According to USA Today, the online channel will debut next year with live studios in New York and Los Angeles and aims to be an online video home for esports and game culture - similar to that of ESPN for sports. The channel will be available as an app on streaming and mobile devices, and will offer channels on current video game and esports destinations such as Twitch and YouTube. VENN also plans to put itself on live streaming services such as Sling, YouTube TV, Hulu, and PlutoTV, as well as Snapchat and TikTok for a fittingly full digital presence. Although some of the content will be behind a paywall for enhanced viewer experiences, the majority of the content will be free to watch. In terms of funding, the network's co-CEOs announced $17 million and some of its investors include Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin, Riot Games co-founder Marc Merrill, Blizzard Entertainment co-founder Mike Morhaime, and Blizzard's former global esports head Amy Morhaime. With esports on the rise across pop culture, it is fitting that they will have a space with the best coverage 24/7 on an online platform.

Esports’ Team SoloMid is working on a state of the art, $13 million training facility. The stadium will be the biggest esports training facility in North America at 25,000 square feet and will be finished by February, 2020. According to win.gg, TSM’s location will feature not only training rooms, but also a built-in gym and wellness center for the professional gamers. Determined to recreate the same successes found in traditional sports training facilities, TSM will also have an in-house sports psychologist. TSM’s goal is to optimize all aspects of its training processes and make esports teams just as well cared for as those in on-field sports. Although Team SoloMid has been dealing with a variety of difficulties in recent years, their new L.A. training location should put the team into a growth mindset.

Ex-punter and sports personality Pat McAfee signs a deal with FanDuel. The new multi-year partnership makes FanDuel the exclusive sports betting, daily fantasy sports, casino, and horse racing partner of Pat McAfee. In addition to promotions, McAfee will make weekly appearances on FanDuel’s “More Ways to Win” TV show. The show is hosted by former ESPN “Sports Center” anchor Lisa Kerney, former L.A. Rams and Seattle Seahawks reporter Dani Klupenger, TVG’s Dave Weaver, and FanDuel Sportsbook oddsmaker John Sheeran. In addition to his “More Ways to Win” appearances, McAfee will appear on various FanDuel podcasts, make regular appearances at FanDuel Sportsbooks, host daily fantasy contests on FanDuel, and take over FanDuel social media accounts throughout the NFL season. This is another example of FanDuel expanding as it is rapidly becoming one of the biggest sportsbook operators in the U.S.

Sports media company Whistle and the digital content studio OTRO have announced a multi-year commercial partnership. According to Variety, the two companies will collaborate on programming strategy, co-creating premium original content, and developing experiential activations. They will also work together on the development and monetization of content and IP formats globally. OTRO has tons of big names on its roster including David Beckham, Lionel Messi, Zinedine Zidane, Neymar Jr., and Eric Cantona to name a few. In addition to co-creating content, Whistle will also help manage OTRO’S online merchandise store, which has recently begun to sell direct-to-consumer products. OTRO’s platform is to deliver player-made content directly to fans, a concept that is catching on quickly in the podcasting world.

The NFL and Facebook expand their content deal. According to Advanced Television, the multi-year partnership extension will see more NFL video content streamed globally through Facebook Watch. The move will expand on existing arrangements between the two which began in 2017. Over 22 million people watched at least a minute of an NFL recap on Facebook in 2017 and 2018, with 28% of these views coming from outside the U.S., showing global growth in the sport. Meanwhile unique viewers of the recaps grew by 32% in 2018 compared to the previous year. The NFL will continue distributing recaps from all 256 regular season games, as well as playoff matchups and the Super Bowl, plus video highlights from postseason tent pole events such as the Pro Bowl, NFL Scouting Combine, and NFL Draft. In addition to game recaps, the NFL will utilize Facebook Watch for distribution of a vast array of unique content, all of which make the NFL a more dynamic digital process.

Power of Sports Five

The Travelers Championship in Connecticut raises $2.1 million for 150 local charities. According to the Hartford Courant, representatives from all of the charities — including the primary beneficiary, The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp — were at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell last Tuesday to receive their respective shares. Since taking over as the title sponsor in 2007, Travelers has generated a charitable haul of nearly $20 million. The Travelers Championship donates 100% of its net proceeds to charity, and this year's effort brings the amount generated by the tournament to nearly $20 million since Travelers became title sponsor in 2007. At least 750 charities have benefited over that time. Next year, the tournament will have a huge international name added to the list in the likes of Reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year Rory McIlroy, which will bring even more charity attention to the event. 

After Steph Curry's business dabble into golf, he hosts his first charity golf event in San Francisco. According to ABC 7, the charity golf tournament was held at San Francisco's Harding Park golf course with San Francisco Mayor London Breed on hand to help kick off the day as teams gathered in their golf carts to listen to opening remarks. The tournament was presented by Workday and will benefit PGA Reach and Eat, Learn, Play - Steph and Ayesha Curry's new foundation that focuses on providing meals, education, and a safe place to play for underprivileged kids. Even though it is just Curry’s first charity tournament, the event proves his popularity as all 50 two-person teams were filled. The intent was to raise $1 million and the tournament was able to nearly achieve that goal by totaling $975,000.

Proctor and Gamble brand will buy 9,000 tickets to support equal pay for women. The consumer goods corporation’s Secret deodorant will spend $200,000 to buy 9,000 tickets to National Women’s Soccer League games in September and October as part of the brand’s growing effort to support equal pay and opportunity for women’ soccer players. According to Ad Age, Secret will buy 1,000 tickets at one home game for each of the league’s nine teams, offering seats to women’s organizations, youth sports teams, not-for-profit organizations, and other local partners. The brand will also give away Secret products, T-shirts and spirit towels to the first thousand fans at one game in each city. The effort follows an ad Secret launched in March promoting equal pay for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team and a $529,000 donation split across the 23 USWNT players in July after it won the Women’s World Cup. Brands have been backing women’s sports, which have also seen a resurgence of interest in broadcast time thanks to digital platforms.

Colin Kaepernick is enshrined as a diamond necklace piece and auctioned off for charity. According to TMZ, Moses the Jeweler in New York City created the piece of Kaepernick and it took him a year to complete. The piece of jewelry cost $90,000 to make, and it was produced with 18k yellow gold. The jewelry is a replication of the famous moment when Kaepernick first began kneeling for the National Anthem as a member of the 49ers back in 2016. All of the profits from the piece will be donated directly to Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp, an organization that preaches equality for all. Bidding for the piece starts in a couple weeks with the starting price being set at $90,000, with the potential to draw in even greater numbers.

UFC fighter Dustin Poirier’s shirt worn by rival Khabib Nurmagomedov brings in $100,000 for charity. According to RT, following their UFC lightweight title fight in Abu Dhabi, Khabib and Poirier donned each other’s shirt as a symbol respect, and later, the clothing articles made a positive impact with the proceeds from Khabib’s shirt going to charity. Not only was the impact felt for Khabib, but Nurmagomedov vowed to auction his shirt off to help Poirier’s “The Good Fight” charity with the funds to be used to build water wells and repair water supplies at an orphanage and school in Uganda.

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The Editors' Premier League Betting Battle 2018/19: Round 10

(New post on FreeBetAlerts.com) - https://freebetalerts.com/2018/10/27/the-editors-premier-league-betting-battle-2018-19-round-10/ #Football, #Freebets, #Tips

The Editors' Premier League Betting Battle 2018/19: Round 10 Please share.

Harry was the only winner last week as Arsenal obliged on Monday night so there was no change in the standings. Here’s where the .s’ tenners are headed for round 10…

Lucky no.12 for in-form Arsenal

Joe DyerBack Arsenal win/Over 2.5 goals double v Crystal Palace @ 6/4Sunday, 13:30 Live on Sky Sports

All good things come to an end eventually but I can’t see Crystal Palace snuffing out Arsenal’s winning streak this weekend.

Having won 11 straight, the Gunners are the form team in English football right now and this week they pay a visit to a downtrodden Palace outfit on a three game losing streak.

Palace’s home record is abysmal this season with a draw against Newcastle their only positive return from four games. Incredibly they have failed to score in those matches with even Southampton leaving Selhurst Park with a clean sheet to go with the three points.

So backing Arsenal to win to nil is the obvious play, but a team with Wilfried Zaha upfront will surely score in front of the home fans sooner or later and the visiting defence is not rock solid.

The attack, however, is very good and I am going to combine an Arsenal win with a poke on over 2.5 goals at 6/4 on the Betfair Sportsbook. All four of their road games in the top-flight have exceeded the 2.5 line with a total of 19 goals scored.

Arsenal must keep pace at the top of the league and Palace are desperate for a positive result. I expect both to go for the three points here and that should result in overs coming in and a 12th straight victory for the Gunners.

Joe Dyer 2017-18 P/L: +£63.10

Magpies fancied to record first win of the season

.Back Newcastle @ [4.1] to beat SouthamptonSaturday, 15:00

I’ve opposed Newcastle successfully a few times this season, but crucially both times were when they were playing at St Jame’s Park. The Magpies have a 100% losing record on home soil, but away from home they seem to play with less pressure on their shoulders and have had a few decent performances this term.

Rafa Benitez’s men drew at Cardiff and Crystal Palace earlier in the season before losing narrowly to Man City and Man Utd, scoring three goals in those two extremely tough away trips.

Southampton are a bit like Newcastle in that they are yet to win at home this campaign and are struggling at the wrong end of the table. But this is a match where I feel home advantage really isn’t an advantage at all, in fact it could well be a hindrance.

In summary I believe there’s very little to split these two sides in terms of ability, but with Southampton having the pressure of being favourites and expected to win at St Mary’s – where they’ve had a poor record in recent seasons – then I’m happy to oppose them by backing the away win at [4.1].

. 2017-18 P/L: +£55.50

Liverpool to dominate the Bluebirds

Jasmine BabaBack Liverpool and Over 3.5 @ Evens v CardiffSaturday, 15:00

It all went wrong in the second half in the Chelsea v Manchester United match last week, so I’ve decided to play it less risky this week round.

Cardiff come into this match against all odds. They’re 28/1 to win and 10/1 to come away from Anfield with a point, which I think is the biggest I’ve ever seen for a simple Win-Draw-Win market and you can see why. In nine games they’ve only scored eight goals, and four of them came in one match (against Fulham). The Bluebirds have also conceded the second highest number of goals (19), and with only one win under their belt it seems like the only conclusion will be a Reds win.

Liverpool have a point to prove, they’ve just come off a rough patch of form but got back to winning ways after beating Huddersfield 1-0 and Crvena Zvezda 4-0. They’ll want to build that up by putting a few past Cardiff and showing that those bumps in the road are well and truly behind them. It should be around a 4-0 scoreline for the Reds, so I’m going for Liverpool and Over 3.5.

Jasmine Baba 2017-18 P/L: -£10.30

Blues to cruise past bruised Burnley

Harry PhillipsBack Chelsea win/Under 2.5 goals double v Burnley @ 11/5 Sunday, 13:30

Sarri-ball has swept the nation! The Blues remain unbeaten under their new Italian manager and I’m looking to them for this first time this season in the Betting Battle.

They travel to Burnley this weekend, but the previously impenetrable Turf Moor is no more a stronghold and I expect Chelsea to leave with three points and a clean sheet.

Burnley come into this game off the back of a bruising 5-0 defeat at Manchester City and that has to impact them psychologically. Sean Dyche’s side has picked up points here and there this season but they’ve not been able to push on from where they left off last season.

On the flip-side Chelsea look a team reborn, Eden Hazard is arguably in the form of his life and is providing goals once more. The midfield pairing of Jorginho and N’Golo Kanté has added much needed solidity to last season’s Chelsea, so I don’t expect Burnley to have much joy.

I think it’ll be a hard-fought occasion and expect a stalemate for most of the game but with players like Hazard, Chelsea have what it takes to nick these sort of fixtures.

Harry Phillips 2017-18 P/L: -£20.00

City to overcome Spurs in entertaining encounter

Dan ThomasBack Man City to beat Tottenham and BTTS at 2/1Monday, 20:00Live on Sky Sports Premier League

A missed penalty away from a 9/1 correct score you say, Battle Gods? Thanks a bunch… But we move on. And it’s to the Monday night game I go as the league leaders take on fifth-placed Spurs.

There are only two points separating the sides ahead of the game but, in reality, City have been far more impressive than the north Londoners this season so far.

Where Tottenham have been grinding out results, Pep Guardiola’s men have been imperious at times. Indeed, the City boss described their win over Shakhtar in midweek as the best of his reign. Spurs, meanwhile, were stumbling to a disappointing draw at PSV.

There are worse 3/4 shots around than City this weekend but we’ll boost the price to 2/1 by taking Tottenham to find the net in eventual defeat. Mauricio Pochettino’s men have scored in every game this season, including in losses against Barcelona and Liverpool at Wembley.

Dan Thomas 2017-18 P/L: -£90.00

***

For individual match previews of every single Premier League game visit our dedicated Premier League section here on Betting.Betfair.

The .s’ 2018/19 P/L: 1. Joe Dyer +£63.102. . +£55.503. Jasmine Baba -£10.304. Harry Phillips -£20.005. Dan Thomas -£90.00

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Top 10 Best LED Candelabra Lights

Lighting is an important consideration, whatever the location. When you are choosing the right type of lighting for your home though, you need to give a lot of consideration to the type of mood you want to set, not just for yourself and anyone else living there with you, but for your guests and anyone else who visits you.

If you are like most people, you undoubtedly want to set a warm and friendly mood, so that people quickly feel at ease once they are on the other side of your front door and taken through your home. One of the best ways to set the right mood is with the use of a chandelier or similar mood lighting fixtures. However, once you have chosen a specific kind of lighting, or if you have various fixtures throughout your home, you need to think about the bulbs you are going to use in them.

LEDs for a long time have been the leading choice, for their longevity, the range of colors, brightness, energy efficiency and as a result the fact that they are more likely to give you a return on your investment sooner rather than later. However, just as there are a plethora of different lighting fixture options out there to choose from, so too are there a plethora of LEDs to choose from. Since we are talking about chandeliers and that kind of lighting, we wanted to hone in particularly with a helpful guide to the top 10 best LED candelabra lights available.

Before we get stuck into looking at what’s on offer, it’s worth noting for the uninitiated that a candelabra bulb, is often referred to by the names torpedo or candle bulb, due to its striking shape also is related to the old fashioned branched candlestick known as a candelabra.

Now, let’s look at some of the best of these quaint and very appealing LED light bulbs. Following that we will also give you information about the key aspects of candelabra LED lights you need to consider when choosing the best one for your needs and requirements.

Our Top 10 LED Candelabra Lighting Picks

1. YFXRlight Dimmable Vintage Edison LED Candelabra Bulbs

Bulb Type LED Base Type E26 Lifespan 30,000 hours approximately Brightness 550 Lumens Color Temperature 2,700 Kelvins Dimensions 2.5 x 2.5 x 5.6 inches Pack Size Pack of 6

The first product we want to talk about is this amazingly priced pack of 6 vintage style E26 LED bulbs. These are designed as a more energy efficient replacement if you currently have fixtures that make use of 60-watt filament bulbs of the same size and base type.

Featuring an incredibly thin and high transmittance crystal clear glass, these E26 are hassle-free and easy to use replacements that are powerful enough to produce 550 lumens with a warm white color temperature of 2,700 Kelvin. They are also very sustainable and energy efficient and could save you as much as 90% on your energy bills.

One of the key features of this particular LED light bulb is that it can be dimmable. As we noted at the outset of this post, lighting plays a big part in setting the mood and with the dimming functionality, it means that these bulbs give you a huge amount of flexibility and versatility with the type of moods you can establish. So when you need a more somber or romantic mood, you can dim them down at night time, and then turn them up to full brightness during the daytime.

With its 360 degrees beam angle, no spot of the room will be left in the dark and although it is merely an estimate, this pack of 6 bulbs could last over 30,000 hours. If for any reason they don’t or they don’t quite live up to your expectations in other ways, they come with a full 2 years warranty. You can’t say fairer than that, for the incredibly inexpensive price tag.

2. Bogao Dimmable LED Filament Candle Light Bulbs (Pack of 5)

Bulb Type LED Base Type E12 Lifespan 30,000 hours approx Brightness 600 Lumens Color Temperature 2,700 Kelvins Dimensions 1.38 x 3.9 inches Pack Size Pack of 5

The second set of LED candelabra base LED bulbs is from Bogao and this model is also dimmable, much like the above item. They also share the same color temperature and the same estimated energy savings and lifespan.

However, this pack of 5 produces 600 lumens with the same 360 degrees beam angle. Another thing that sets this set of bulbs apart from the above, is the price tag – at just over 10 bucks, this is a serious bargain. Although they are only small, these bulbs are jam-packed with sophisticated protection against overheating, short-circuiting and overloading.

Apart from the slick design and dimming functionality, these are quite a straightforward set of LED bulbs that will give you the lighting you need for a very reasonable price indeed.

3. CRLight LED Chandelier Dimmable 6W Bulb

Bulb Type LED Base Type E26 Lifespan 30,000 hours approx Brightness 700 Lumens Color Temperature 4000 Kelvins Dimensions 4.3 x 1.4 x 1.4 inches Pack Size Pack of 3

From CRLight comes this excellent and very affordable, but a smaller pack of just 3 LED bulbs suitable for various applications, including chandeliers, thanks to its E26 base.

The striking thing about this particular pack of bulbs is that aesthetically pleasing flame design. A design that is even more appropriate when you consider that this is capable of a much hotter, neutral white color temperature of 4,000 Kelvin with a brightness of 700 lumens. These may be small, but boy will they light a room or area up.

Only when you want them to remember, as they come with that excellent dimmable functionality for versatile use to set a wide variety of moods. With the standard ultra-thin crystal clear glass casing and the fact that these, like others on this list, have overheating, short circuit and overloading protection and 360 degrees beam angle, they are a worth pondering on just a little.

You’d possibly think that for the number of lumens and color temperature they produce, they’d have a lower lifespan and you’d be wrong because in that regard, they hold up against others in this list.

4. Bonlux 10W Edison Style Vintage LED Filament Bulb

Bulb Type LED Base Type E26 Lifespan 35,000 hours approx Brightness 1000 Lumens Color Temperature 4000 Kelvins Dimensions 4.1 x 2.4 x 2.4 inches Pack Size Pack of 4

Bonlux is the manufacturer of this next product, a pack of 4 10 watt E26 Edison style vintage LED bulbs. Slightly, and when we say slightly we mean slightly, more expensive than many others on our list, thanks in part to the color temperature of 4,000 Kelvin and as a result, these bulbs can product 1,000 lumens.

With its clear glass design and 360-degree beam angle due to the 10 individual filaments that light up, this is the perfect lighting solution for your fixtures in virtually any room or setting. The only major downside is that unlike many others featured on this list, these LED bulbs are not compatible with dimmers.

That aside, they could save you over 90% on your electricity bills like the rest and have an ever so slightly longer lifespan of 35,000 hours. So they are still very much a good quality purchase.

5. Wuhostam 6W Dimmable LED Candelabra Bulb

Bulb Type LED Base Type E12 Lifespan 30,000 hours approx Brightness 700 Lumens Color Temperature 2700 Kelvins Dimensions 1.3 x 3.9 inches Pack Size Pack of 6

Wuhostam, one of the leading names in electronics and lighting in China, are the manufacturers of the next LED bulbs. The company has been in the lighting business since 2009 and it shows with this pack of 6 dimmable 6W ED candelabra bulbs.

Compared to the vast majority on our list with E26 bases, the LEDs in this pack are all E12, so that is worth keeping in mind. That is where the differences really end, when you consider that they last for around 30,000 hours, are capable of producing 600 lumens with a color temperature of 2,700 kelvin.

They are also dimmable, like many others we have mentioned. Their torpedo shape, bullet top design is very eye-catching and would be a welcome addition to any ornate or more subtle lighting fixture.

A clear glass casing and 360 degrees beam angle mean that wherever they are placed they will provide adequate and comfortable lighting. You also have to consider that for the price, you get 6 well-designed and high quality LED bulbs. That’s definitely nothing to complain about!

6. SunMeg 6W Dimmable LED Candelabra Bulb

Bulb Type LED Base Type E26 Lifespan 25,000 hours approx Brightness 600 Lumens Color Temperature 2700 Kelvins Dimensions 1.24 x 3.55 inches Pack Size Pack of 6

From SunMeg, the next on our list is a pack of 6 dimmable 6W LED bulbs with the same E26 base as many others on our list. This benefits from the striking, flame-like design, which is a nice departure and change from the all too common torpedo shape, which can feel a little boring after a while.

In a lot of ways, these are much like any of the others though on our list, they produce a brightness of 600 lumens and have a color temperature of 2,700 Kelvin. They are also highly versatile and can be dimmed using appropriately compatible dimmers and that in combination with the 360-degree beam angle and clear casing, means virtually any room or area can be lit up or illuminated subtly, depending on what your needs and preferences were at the time.

The downside of this pack is that the average lifespan is just 25,000 hours. Which, admittedly, may not sound like much but considering that for very reasonable prices you can get bulbs that last another 5,000 or 10,000 more; you have to ask yourself if its worth it.

7. Albrillo E12 Candelabra LED Bulbs (4 Pack)

Bulb Type LED Base Type E12 Lifespan 15,000 hours approx Brightness 550 Lumens Color Temperature 2700-5000 Kelvins Dimensions 1.57 x 4.25 inches Pack Size Pack of 4

This Albrillo pack of 4 LED bulbs is a steal at the price they are retailing at the moment. Not least of all because of the great features and capabilities, but because they are highlighted as an Amazon’s Choice because of their price tag, high rating and the fact they are available to be shipped immediately.

Each individual bulb in this pack produces 550 lumens with multiple different color temperature bulbs available, ranging from warm 2700 Kelvin, up to brighter and whiter 5,000 Kelvin bulb. That being said, compared to others on the market, their lifespan is a lot shorter, at just 15,000 hours. Still, compared to the average incandescent bulb and how long they last, that is still a considerable amount of time.

Another downside, if you are looking particularly for a bulb that can be dimmed, is that these can’t. That being said, the price tag, 360-degree beam angle, the color temperature (daylight) and brightness all make this a great value pack of LEDs suitable for a wide range of applications.

8. Lansontech 6W LED Filament Candelabra Dimmable Bulb

Bulb Type LED Base Type E26 Lifespan 30,000 hours approx Brightness 600 Lumens Color Temperature 2700 Kelvins Dimensions 1.4 x 1.4 x 4.3 inches Pack Size Pack of 5

Lanson Technology has a long-standing reputation in the lighting and electrical industry for producing high-quality products and this 5 pack of candelabra-style E26 base LED bulbs are no different.

They have a color temperature of 2,700 Kelvin and are capable of shining at a brightness of 600 lumens. With a 360-degree beam angle and the fact that they are compatible with appropriate dimmers means that these bulbs are great replacements for those old and tired, inefficient incandescent bulbs you are still using.

The price tag is very reasonable too when you consider you get the standard 30,000 hours more or less life out of these bulbs. They also have a very attractive flame tip that helps to lift the look of a plain candle holder or chandelier style lighting fixture.

9. Hyperikon Edison Blunt Tip Filament LED Bulb

Bulb Type LED Base Type E26 Lifespan 45,000 hours approx Brightness 600 Lumens Color Temperature 2700 Kelvins Dimensions 1.4 x 3.5 inches Pack Size Pack of 6

Hyperikon are probably the biggest name on this list when it comes to lighting and bulbs. and it really is with good reason that their products often feature in these kinds of posts – they are excellent.

Although there is no brightness rating for this available, these bulbs are capable of producing 2,700 kelvin in terms of color temperature and have a CRI rating of 90 that means you can see things in the colors they really are.

Although it doesn’t quite hit the same mark as other 360-degree beam angled bulbs, 340 is only a small drop and considering these are built and designed to last for 45,000 hours approximately, that works out at about 20 years even when using the bulbs 3 hours each and every day!

Furthermore, this model of candelabra bulb benefits from the fact it is compatible with most LED dimmers. This means you have a greater amount of flexibility and control over where and how you use your bulbs. Combine the above with the fact it is a Hyperikon product and the highly competitive price, this pack of 6 are worth considering.

10. CMYK Vintage Edison LED Dimmable Bulb

Bulb Type LED Base Type E26 Lifespan 30,000 hours approx Brightness 600 Lumens Color Temperature 2200 Kelvins Dimensions 2.5 x 5.5 inches Pack Size Pack of 6

The final pack of LEDs we want to show you is the CMKY Vintage Edison dimmable bulbs with an E26 base. These are perfect for a whole range of different applications, thanks to the fact they are compatible with most modern LED dimmers and have a full range 360-degree beam angle.

In terms of actual brightness and color, they produce 330 lumens, which is not as bright compared to others, but they also have a color temperature of 2,200 Kelvin, which is sufficient enough for most applications around the house. Given that they have a lifespan of roughly 30,000 hours, they are an excellent bargain for the price they are retailing at the moment.

Choosing The Best LED Candelabra Lights

We hope this review has helped you appreciate the different types of candelabra bulbs out there, but now that we have highlighted what we feel are the top 10 best LED candelabra lights on the market, there is one more thing we need to do before you are ready to go out into the great beyond and buy yourself some lights.

It is important that you understand some of the key aspects of LEDs, whether they are candelabra or other kinds, including factors such as brightness, light appearance/color temperature, wattage, efficiency and bulb design.

Below we are going to cover each of these briefly, to ensure that you have as much relevant information as possible, before you starting picking and choosing candelabra LEDs for your home and anywhere else.

Brightness

This is probably the first thing you imagined we would discuss, and that’s not hard to see why. The light intensity or brightness of bulbs is usually measured in terms of lumens. The higher the count of lumens produced by a bulb, the brighter it will be and vice versa.

Light Appearance/Color Temperature

Something that goes hand in hand with the brightness of an LED bulb is the light appearance or color temperature. Color temperature is measured in Kelvins, and you will see the number written as something like 2700K. There is a whole spectrum of colors from yellow, orange and other warmer light colors to cooler light colors such as pale white or even blue. Cool light is generally better for applications, rooms and areas where a calming and relaxed atmosphere and mood is required. Whereas, warmer light is better suited to a more lively setting.

Wattage

The amount of light you need should be something you give a little thought to and although you may be tempted to opt for an LED with a lower wattage, will that really provide sufficient illumination for the area and application? On the other hand, if you go too far in the other direction, you may end up paying too much when the electricity bill comes around because you are using a more powerful bulb than you actually need.

Efficiency

Following on nicely from the last point, whenever you are buying LED light bulbs, it is important, essential even, that you choose the most efficient for your available budget. While you obviously want LEDs that will sufficiently light the room or area you are illuminating, the idea with switching to LED from incandescent bulbs is because they are more energy efficient. Remember to try and find a nice balance between a bulb that is highly efficient, but also has a long lifespan.

Bulb Design

As you have seen no doubt from our list of the top 10 candelabra LED lights on the market right now, candelabra bulbs come in a variety of different light colors and designs. This obviously gives you the opportunity to find the best that suits your lighting needs, the decor and color schemes of the place you are lighting, as well as the mood and atmosphere you are looking to achieve.

We would also recommend you at least consider a candelabra LED that is compatible with dimmers, as it increases its versatility.

You are now, hopefully, equipped with enough information about the choice out there to help you pick the best of the top 10 candelabra LED lights that will suit your needs and preferences.

from https://ledlightguides.com/best-led-candelabra-lights/ from https://ledlightguides.tumblr.com/post/174944810682