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fanartfunart · 3 years

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Fly Away

Episode 6: Riposte

Ao3 - First - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5

(Féline Sombre & Paon Lilas designs)

Summery: An AU where Adrien never went to in-person school, not getting the cat miraculous, and found the peacock miraculous. - Marinette and Sabrina try out for D’Argencourt’s fencing academy, and a mysterious person challenges Adrien for a spot in the academy.

“You've been reviewing the fencing rules all weekend, it's going to be great!” Tiki exclaimed cheerfully. Marinette smiled and nodded.

“Oh! Marinette!” Sabrina waved cheerily, holding her fencing helmet under her arm. Tiki squeaked and hid in a fencing helmet as the other teen ran up to Marinette.

“Hi? Sabrina?” Marinette said slowly, looking around the room, “...Is Chloé here?”

They nodded, “Yep! She’s going to be watching!”

Marinette grimaced. Great, now she had to worry about Chloé judging her too. She shook her head, “I… didn’t know you were interested in fencing?”

“I thought it’d go well with my self defense training. It should be fun too! For lots of reasons! Chloé and I roleplay as superheroes sometimes... Well, actually, Chloé’s always Ladybug-” Marinette made a face, but Sabrina didn’t comment on it, “and I used to play the villains. But now that Paon Lilas showed up, I finally have a superhero to play as! …. Anyway, while I researched the sport, I noticed much of his combat style is informed by fencing-” she shifted into a fencing stance, making a few combat poses (which did in fact, remind Marinette of Paon Lilas), “You can tell by the way he moves.”

“You roleplay as… Paon Lilas? Why?” Marinette frowned, crossing her arms, “What about Féline Sombre? They’re cool.”

Sabrina straightened their posture, smiling almost nervously, “...You think Féline Sombre’s cool?” she shook her head, “I, uh, do too... but... I uh- I... Paon Lilas matches my color scheme! Blue and purple!”

Marinette sighed, “Of course… Well, good luck Sabrina-” She grabbed a fencing helmet, and dropped it on her head. Marinette yelped, stumbling back, noticing something inside the helmet. Tiki stared at her from inside with wide eyes. After the initial shock, the kwami had to cover her mouth to contain her giggle.

“...You okay Marinette?” Sabrina asked.

She gave Tiki a glance and took the helmet back off to allow Tiki to subtly hide in a better spot. “Yep. Yep, don’t mind me, just- thought a loose hair was a spider for a second…” she pointedly brushed some of her hair away from her face and grinned awkwardly. She ran from the room to get in place with the rest of the prospective students.

“I am the fencing master, Mr. D'Argencourt. Instead of the estimated one open spot, we have two, due to an… unexpected drop out…. The coward,” Mr. D’Argencourt said, flourishing his saber, “So, in order to select the best possible candidates, I will observe the beginners performing a number of attacks on the experienced students,” he gestured to the group of the current students, “Get into position!”

Marinette squeaked as one of the students walked towards her, “Actually, maybe I’m not cut out for this…”

“If you’re worried about why Landon dropped out, it’s because of the akuma attacks, not because of the classes. He and his mom are moving out of Paris,” the fencer explained.

“Oh thank goodness- Oh well, I mean, not for Landon because that must be hard- I- It’s just- I mean, the akumas certainly aren’t great- ” Marinette sputtered. She sighed, and offered her hand, “I’m Marinette.”

The fencer raised his helmet. Adrien smiled, “I know. It’s nice to see you here.”

“Wh-” Marinette’s brows furrowed, “Wait, weren’t you sick? Why are you doing sports?”

He blushed a little and rubbed the back of his neck, “I’ve been feeling better since last week. And, uh, skipping class… wasn’t an option. Don’t worry, I talked to Mr. D’Argencourt beforehand. If I ever raise both of my hands in surrender, it’s because I got dizzy or something, and we’ll stop. He’ll get you rotated with a different partner.”

Marinette nodded firmly, “As long as you’re being safe.”

“Get into position!” D’Argencourt commanded.

Adrien smiled at her and dropped his helmet back over his face. With a quick instruction on her form, Adrien stepped back into his side of the strip, waiting for Marinette to get a hang of what she was doing. They fenced for a while as Adrien explained how saber fencing worked. Eventually, he regretfully had to request a time out.

Marinette pushed her helmet up, “You feeling okay?”

He nodded, pushing his own up, taking in a deep breath of the unrestricted air, “Just winded, I’m gonna get some water and I’ll be good to go for another bout.”

When Adrien returned, the class was bunched together. He easily spotted Chloé in the crowd (being the only person not in fencing gear) and walked next to her. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, Adrikins!” Chloé hugged him, and really, he’d rather not have had the air squeezed out of him at the moment, but resigned himself to it anyway. “This kid in red showed up and says they’re the best fencer everywhere they’ve been- but don’t worry, they’re obviously not as good as you.”

He raised a brow but said nothing.

“All right!” D’Argencourt exclaimed to the newcomer, “I may consider your admission, shall you defeat one of my students.”

The fencer in red strode forward, “Which one of you is the best combatant?” the fencer demanded. The crowd parted, and Adrien found himself alone in the center. He glanced towards Marinette, who gave him an awkward thumbs up.

D’Argencourt gestured to the primary fencing strip, “Adrien, please give our visitor a lesson in chivalry.”

He halfway suspected D’Argencourt had entirely forgotten he wasn’t at his best, but, if everyone thought he was the best here, who was he to disappoint? He nodded, “Yes sir.”

Chloé could care less about fencing. It’s all sweaty and involves clashing and clanging metal together. But, it's her Adrien's sport, and Sabrina seemed to think it was fun too. Least she could do was watch in support. With Marinette’s incessant questions and the answers other students were giving, Chloé could somewhat follow the bout. Really, who did this random red rouge think they were? Trying to take her Adrikin’s place as the best fencer in the Academy?

“Uhhh… Abstention!” D’Argencourt called. The fencers returned to their starting line.

Adrien pulled his helmet up to breathe, and looked up at the fencer in red, brows furrowed in determination. He dropped the helmet back over his face.

“Tired yet?” The fencer taunted.

“Just getting started,” Adrien called back, straightening his stance.

“... Shall I request we do this the old fashioned way then?” they turned to D’Argencourt, “We'll be much more at ease without the machine.”

D’Argencourt considered it, “Adrien?”

He smiled behind his helmet, “Fine with me.”

Chloé focused on each move and clash and blow. Freed of their attachments, the fencers moved with agility and panache. Jumping, spinning, clashing. Some boring person muttered “Aren’t they supposed to stay on the strip?” The fencers raced up the stairwell and Chloé made her way to the front to watch them closely. Chloé didn’t pay much attention to the fact that Marinette was the only other person who had kept up with the fight. Nor did she pay attention to the fact that Sabrina had been clearing her path among the crowd before.

The fencer would lunge, Adrien would parry. Adrien feinted a step and pulled back, drawing them in, and the fencer would leap out of the way of his counterattack. Blades clashed and clamored. Adrien knocked the fencer through the doors of the Library. Marinette stood in front of the opened doors as the pair fought, watching intently.

“Out of my way,” Chloé huffed, shoving Marinette to take her spot in watching the pair fight. She yelped as a book cart was sent her way and she narrowly jumped out of the way, “Hey!”

Neither fencers paid any attention. (Which, ouch, really? Is she not important enough here?)

“Let’s finish this!” the red-clad fencer announced, and they both lunged. Chloé blinked and both sabers were being pulled away from the other fencer’s chest.

The fencers turned to look at Chloé. “Who got the first hit?!” The figure in red demanded, “Who?”

Adrien pulled off his helmet and rubbed the spot he’d been hit, grimacing slightly.

“Er…” Chloé frowned and the group finally caught up to them, whispering curiosities. “Adrien?”

“Wait, you’re not even one of my students….” D’Argencourt noted, “Are you sure?”

Chloé huffed, tilting her head up, "Of course! And I'm sure my father, the Mayor, would love to explain to you why I’m right~” she side stepped closer and lowered her voice, “You already lost the election to him, do you really wanna lose your job as well?"

Adrien frowned. “Actually, I think they touched me first,” Adrien said, turning to D’Argencourt.

“Er- Referee has the last word!” D’Argencourt exclaimed, “This victory is… certainly an honor to the D’Argencourt Academy!” He chuckled nervously as Chloé grinned.

Adrien frowned and watched as the fencer walked away and thrust their saber into the ground. “I’m going to offer them a decisive match,” he said, and raced after them.

“Hey! Adriekins, why are you following them? You won!” Chloé sighed and followed him, rolling her eyes.

Adrien pulled the fencer’s sword from the ground and ran towards the fencer’s car. “Wait! Your saber!”

Chloé raced down the entrance, “Come on Adrikins, you won, what’s this...” she halted as she looked up. The red clad fencer removed their helmet and…well she was unfairly pretty. Dark hair and dark eyes and a dusting of freckles like stardust on her cheeks... “About…”

Adrien continued forward anyway, “Let’s do a, er, decisive match?” Adrien offered, smiling.

“Like she said-” The fencer said, gesturing to Chloé, “You won. There’s no such thing as second chances in my family. Goodbye.” She turned and got into the car.

“Hey! What’s your…” The car door slammed and the car drove off. “...name.” He frowned and glanced down at the red saber.

Chloé shook him. “Who was that? I must know immediately.”

He sighed, watching the car retreat into the distance. “Well… I saw her ring, it reminded me of something... Give me a second-” He grabbed his phone and looked up the imagery of the ring.

“Oh curse the passage of time,” D’Argencourt grumbled, “We will finish the last rounds of candidate selection next Thursday. Er, you four-” He pointed at Marinette, Sabrina, and two other students, “You’re in for the last rounds. Everyone else, farewell, no need to return,” he waved the group of prospective students away and the group dispersed.

Sabrina was suddenly next to Marinette. Marinette yelped as she noticed the other teen so close. “You’re in the last bracket! That’s awesome!”

Marinette raised a brow, “Uh… Thank you. Congrats to you too.”

They smiled, “Yeah! I’m super excited!” she bounced in place, “I can’t wait to master the blade.”

Somewhere outside, Chloé screamed.

Sabrina gasped, “Chloé! I’ve gotta check on her!” Sabrina ran off, brow furrowed in determination.

Marinette frowned and ran off in another direction, finding somewhere to transform. Chloé’s screams usually meant akumas.

“Adrien!” Chloé cried out as the akumatized villain pointed their sword at him. Adrien was on the ground, holding the red handled saber against Riposete’s sword.

“I’m taking you up on your offer for a decisive match!” Riposte exclaimed.

Adrien strained against the sword. He gave up and rolled out from under her. “I can’t fight you like this!”

“Fight!” she demanded with another slash. Féline Sombre tumbled in and knocked the sword away with her staff.

“Hey now, play nice,” Féline said, shifting to get in front of Adrien.

“I’m not playing,” Riposte said, “I will show you all just who the greater swordsman is!”

Adrien groaned and scrambled to a stand, moving through a blur of dots in his vision, only to run into someone. Strong hands balanced him. “Careful,” Ladybug said.

“She’s after my Adrikins!” Chloé explained to Ladybug, hiding behind a pillar, “You need to protect him!”

“I can protect my-” his body decided this was a perfect time to betray him. He stumbled and coughed. ...Probably too much exertion today.

Riposte knocked Féline Sombre back, and rushed towards Adrien and Ladybug. Ladybug wrapped her yoyo around Riposete’s sword and yanked. Riposete’s arm was pulled away from Adrien, but the yoyo slipped off.

“It’s fused to her hand?” Ladybug exclaimed.

Féline Sombre got back up and vaulted towards Adrien and Ladybug.

“I guess you can’t dis-arm her!" Féline Sombre chuckled awkwardly.

"Puns? Seriously?" Ladybug shook her head, “Féline, get Adrien somewhere safe, I'll keep her occupied.”

"Can do Bug, come on Adrien," Féline grabbed him around the waist and he yelped as they extended their staff into the air and the ground twirled away from him without his input.

Riposte growled under her breath and sliced a pillar and kicked it towards Ladybug. She stumbled back and lassoed the pillar before it could fall into her. Riposte was already bounding off after Féline Sombre. Ladybug sighed and hooked her yoyo on a nearby chimney to follow after.

"I really need somebody who's better at distraction than I am."

Féline Sombre landed on a bridge, gently dropping Adrien. She looked around, "Okay, okay, we're probably far enough to pause and make a plan of action. If she's looking to fight you then hiding might be your best bet, but that could become dangerous if she finds you and you're somewhere you can't escape-"

"No, hiding is great!" Adrien grinned awkwardly, already stepping away. He glanced around for places to transform. "I can do that! I'll just-"

Riposte landed just a few feet away from them before Adrien could run away. "Stand and fight, you coward!"

"I’m not going to fight you like this!” Adrien protested, “You're not yourself! What's the honor in this?"

Riposte lunged forward and he ducked, rolling out of the way. Féline Sombre twirled on their staff and kicked Riposte away.

Riposte growled and slashed the lampposts. Féline Sombre’s eyes widened as the old metal lamps crashed and caged her against the edge of the bridge. They strained against the metal, “Adrien look out!”

Riposte immediately turned to him. She advanced quickly and he scrambled back, automatically shifting into a fencing form, red handled blade in hand. Riposte slashed at his feet, forcing him to leap up onto the edge of the bridge.

Féline Sombre called for their cataclysm. Riposte prepared to strike at him. Féline wouldn’t be able to interfere fast enough. He knew it.

“If you really are Paon Lilas, transform, Adrien,” Hawkmoth muttered under his breath, brows furrowed in concern. Because if he didn’t, what did that mean? His son was in danger and he put him there. Does he have to hope for yet another failure? Is it a failure if his son is safe? He practically growled under his breath, pushing such things out of his mind. “Come on. What are you waiting for?”

Adrien closed his eyes. He jumped. Riposte’s sword crashed on brick. Wind whipped around him. He held his breath and splashed into the water below.

It was cold. His lungs were already protesting. He opened his eyes and spotted a red figure dive in after him. Ladybug’s arm wrapped around him, securing him as she pulled him up and secured her yoyo to land. He hacked on coughs as soon as they breached the water.

Ladybug dropped him on the ground and he groaned.

"You're kinda reckless, aren't you?" Ladybug noted with some sort of half smile on her face.

His lungs hated him. He wheezed with a cough, "I trusted Féline Sombre not to leave me."

Ladybug frowned at him briefly. She glanced towards the bridge as Riposte looked down at the waters below. Féline Sombre gave Ladybug the quickest of a wave, and she ran out of sight, presumably to detransform.

"Come on," Ladybug said. She picked him up (really these superheroes have got to stop doing that, it's making his vision blur) and bounded away.

"What about Féline Sombre?" Adrien exclaimed, closing his eyes and tightening his grip on Ladybug’s shoulders to keep the dizziness from overwhelming him.

"They'll be back, we need you somewhere safe before Riposte figures out you're not in the water." Ladybug landed and gently put him on the ground. He looked around, finding she had brought them to a park.

He coughed more, shaking from the wind-whipped, damp, cold settling in his bones. Ladybug frowned at him again strangely.

"How are you doing? ...You seem ill."

He forced a smile, "Just the after effects of my little dive I think. I'll be fine."

Her expression changed strangely yet again and she nodded, “Okay…” she looked around and nodded to herself, “here,” she grabbed Adrien’s hand and tugged him towards a statue, “Hide behind here. I’ll uh, come get you when we deakumatize Riposte.”

Adrien nodded and watched as Ladybug dashed to the edges of the park, activating the phone in her yoyo. “Duusu,” he whispered, “we should help them-”

“You’re sick,” Duusu said, coming up and pushing against his cheek, “I’m sure Ladybug and Féline Sombre can handle it from here, right?”

Adrien frowned, glancing back towards where Ladybug was talking to Féline Sombre on the phone. “Maybe…” he muttered, “but it’s also the easiest way to get Adrien out of the way while still doing something, right?”

“You’re not in the way,” Duusu whispered.

Adrien grumbled anxiously, watching from behind the statue.

“She’s coming your way, bye Bug!�� Féline Sombre exclaimed as they ended the call.

“Bye Kitty,” Ladybug searched for the silvery akuma with a frown. “Hm, better safe than sorry- Lucky Charm!” Ladybug called. The charm produced a metal wireframe chair. She tilted her head. “A...chair. Am I supposed to sit around for Riposte to come attack Adrien?”

Riposte dove in, sword aimed, and Ladybug yelped as she tumbled out of the way.

“Where did you hide him?” Riposte demanded, flourishing her weapon.

“You think I’d tell you?” Ladybug scoffed, briefly glancing to where Féline Sombre was inching forward. Hidden. Waiting for an opening. “This is just between us. Unless you’re scared to test your mettle against me?”

Riposte huffed, turning her full attention to Ladybug, “Oh? I’ll defeat you swiftly and then I’ll take your miraculous!” Riposte lunged and Ladybug twirled to block with the chair, gasping as she noticed the sword slip between the backrest supports. Riposte was too fast however, and the sword slipped back out before she could do anything about it.

Féline Sombre vaulted in on her staff and kicked Riposte from behind, into the park fence. They shifted into a fencing stance, staff aimed like a sword, “You wanted some fencing, right?”

“Who told you all these puns?” Ladybug frowned, glancing at her redheaded partner.

“Would you be mad if I said all the puns is because I’m kinda missing Paon Lilas’s jokes?”

Ladybug made a face, “What? No, but-”

“Your face says otherwise!” Féline Sombre exclaimed, chuckling.

“Oh hush!” Riposte exclaimed as she lunged towards Féline. Féline Sombre used her staff to block the sword and shifted to get behind her.

“So Bug, what’s our plan?” Féline asked, extending her staff to hit Riposte again. They twirled out of the way of the counterattack.

“The sword!” Ladybug said, “That’s got to be where the akuma is. But she’s too fast!”

Adrien frowned, “I- I can’t just watch. Duusu-” he was caught off by a cough.

Riposte huffed and leaped out from the middle of Ladybug and Féline Sombre, skidding backwards. She turned her head to the sound of a cough. “Of course,” she sent a slash through the statue.

Ladybug gasped, “Adrien!”

Adrien dropped to the ground, then leaped up over the broken base of the statue. He tightened his grip on the fencing sword, frowning towards Riposte. “You want a fight? Fine. Let’s fight.”

Riposte grinned, “Finally.” She lunged and he doubled back, towards Ladybug and Féline Sombre.

Ladybug looked between the fighters and Féline Sombre and ran forward to meet them, smiling. “Féline, I’m gonna need your ribbon soon.” Adrien continued to retreat and block.

The cat hero tilted their head briefly but pulled the ribbon off. Féline Sombre moved in around Riposte’s other side.

With the heroes in the right positions, Adrien drew in another attack from Riposte and called, “Ready?!” He twirled, switching positions with Ladybug. Féline Sombre came around with the ribbon and secured the sword into the metal bars of the chair’s backrest. They ran and tugged backwards to keep it secure as Riposte struggled in the snare.

“Prêt, Allez!” Adrien and Ladybug announced as they both used their combined weight to snap the sword trapped in the chair’s back.

Ladybug grabbed the back of the chair as Adrien fell into the seat, keep him from falling with the chair. Adrien blinked, “Huh, handy.”

Ladybug smiled at him as she grabbed his arms and pulled him up to a stand.

He looked up and down at her and barely flickered a smile at her. He turned towards Riposte with a frown.

“Wow, impressive fencing,” Féline said.

He shrugged, “I’ve been in fencing since I was really young.”

Ladybug caught and purified the butterfly. “Bye bye little butterfly...” She grabbed the Lucky Charm, frowning towards Adrien, “You didn’t have to do that. You put yourself in danger.”

“What happened?” Kagami muttered, looking up in confusion.

Adrien frowned and glanced down at the ground before shaking his head, ignoring Ladybug in favor of the fencer. Ladybug sighed and called for her miracle cure.

He leaned down to the fencer and offered a hand. “You were akumatized,” he said softly, “It’s… a… whole thing. It’s fine now though.”

Ladybug walked over to Féline Sombre. They high-fived and smiled at each other.

“Hey, Adrien,” Ladybug said, “...take care of yourself…” she smiled, and waved as her miraculous beeped, “Bug out!”

Féline Sombre waved goodbye to Ladybug and turned towards the two civilians, “Do either of you need a lift home?”

“I have a chauffeur,” Kagami said.

“Same,” Adrien chuckled awkwardly.

Féline shrugged, “Alright! In that case, I should probably head out too. See you later!” She vaulted away and Adrien turned back to Kagami.

“So…” Adrien muttered.

“Listen I-” she sighed and glanced at the ground.

“I’m sorry” both teens said.

Adrien laughed and offered the saber, “Here’s your saber back… Maybe, uh, we could do a proper rematch?”

She shook her head, pushing it back towards him. “No, I lost. Keep it.”

“Chloé really doesn’t know anything about fencing. I personally think it was your point. Besides… red’s not really my color.”

“She certainly acted like she knew.”

“She can be… enthusiastic, she just… she means well, just goes about things wrong.” Adrien sighed and shrugged, “but I… I think- If you want, we could uh, be friends?”

She looked almost shocked, “You… You want to be my friend?”

“Of course! I- Here, let’s start over-” Adrien huffed a smile and offered his hand, “My name’s Adrien. What’s yours?”

She paused, glancing between his face and his hand. She took the offered hand and shook it. “Kagami.”

“Nice to meet you, Kagami.”

“...Yeah. Nice to meet you too, er, Adrien,” she smirked, “You better get ready for that decisive match.”

He laughed, “Oh, I will.”

Fencing swords clashed. One fencer lunged, and the other spun and hit. The buzzer sounded.

“Point!” D’Argencourt called, “Sabrina Raincomprix, welcome to the academy!”

Sabrina pulled up her mask and smiled at Marinette as she disconnected herself from the buzzer cord. Marinette raised her mask up with a sigh. They saluted with their sword and Marinette did the same.

“Good game,” Marinette muttered with a sigh, preparing for whatever mocking she would receive.

“You did awesome! It was a close game, you almost had me there."

Marinette raised a brow. "Uh. Thanks?"

Sabrina sighed, "It's really too bad there's only two spots, I was looking forward to sparring more with you. Next time there's an open spot you should definitely try again."

"I… you really think so? Chloé would've hated seeing me outside class on a weekly basis."

"I- I’m not Chloé’s clone, I... don’t hate you. I’m...sorry if I’ve ever made it seem like that," they sighed, and offered a hand, "Seriously. Good game, Marinette."

She smiled awkwardly and accepted the handshake. "Same to you, Sabrina."

Marinette walked into the equipment room and Tiki zipped out.

"You did great, even if you didn't get in. You can always practice on your own or get Adrien to help again!" Tiki cheered.

Marinette sighed and nodded, "True. ...I think that fencer- Kagami? and Sabrina wanted it more anyway. I wouldn't change a thing… and… Sabrina was weirdly nice."

"Without Chloé around she seems much more open."

"Yeah, I guess. ...Actually- huh. I guess they've never exactly been outright antagonistic… I guess I just… associate her with Chloé that much…" Marinette shook her head, "Weird."

#adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #sabrina raincomprix #kagami tsuguri #ml tiki #ml duusu #miraculous ladybug #miraculous swap #ml ladybug #black cat!sabrina #peacock!adrien #fly away fic #paon lilas au #fanart's fanfic

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blizzardfluffykpop · 3 years

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Winter Break

Summary: Yugyeom and you stay at Hogwarts for Winter Break.

Oneshot

Word Count: 1,967

Yugyeom X Reader

Requested: Hi~~ would it be possible to request #25 for the 25 Days of Winter with Yugyeom? I was a bit late for the Hogsmeade promt, but I was wondering how would it be to spend Christmas at Hogwarts? I hope your day was amazing 💜💜💜

Prompt: 25. Make your own prompt!

The ceiling in the great hall is covered in candles and snow. Almost as if you were to reach up, you could taste a freshly fallen snowflake. As the days draw closer to winter break, the more excitement builds off the walls. Everyone is itching to leave the castle and be with their families. Exiting the castle and almost everyone is throwing a snowball at someone else. Which would lead to me spotting one of my seven friends and hitting them in the back of their head. The little shiver as they turn back around with a cold stare. Wondering who dared to throw a snowball at them. I wave, and it turns one snowball thrown into a whole snowball fight. Professors are nowhere near safe, although Hagrid is always one to join in on the games.

Once we are all tuckered out, we head over to Care of Magical Creatures. Three more days and more than eighty percent of the students will be at home. Usually, I would be joining in that percentage alas, I’m having my first Christmas at Hogwarts. Hagrid beckons all of us to follow him to the lake. “Before we leave for home, I want to show you all what Hippocampuses do for the winter.” I catch up to Yugyeom and Bambam, and the three of us walk at the back of the crowd. “So, (Y/n), where are you going for winter break?” I shrug, “I’m staying here,...” Bambam pouts, “Aww,... I was hoping to visit you over the break.” I pout back, and Yugyeom gleams over at me, “So am I!” I grin and let out an excited ‘yes’.

I’ve been friends with Jaebeom, Mark, Jackson, Jinyoung, Youngjae, Bambam, and Yugyeom for six years now. While Mark and Jaebeom have graduated, we all remain friends. But, with Yugyeom, I don’t feel friendly emotions, I feel the type where your heart picks up when they walk into the room. When he laughs, my whole day becomes brighter when he's sad, I’m sad. In the beginning, I denied that I had any feelings for him because it was so much easier, seeing him as a friend. My heart thought differently and knowing that everyone in the group is heading home. Except for him and I, has my heart going into overdrive, I’m excited but terrified.

“Aw you guys are no fun,...” I laugh, “Bambam, if you want you could write to your mother and tell her you're staying here.” He shakes his head, “You know she would have my head after she already planned to have me over.” I laugh, “She is such a sweet woman though,...” He scoffs, “Yeah, uh-huh.” Yugyeom shakes his head and sticks his tongue out at Bambam, “We get to stay here, sucker!” I laugh and join in on his antics, and Bambam places his hand over his heart. “How can a Hufflepuff be so mean?” Yugyeom shrugs, “You bring the best out of us, Bambam.” Bambam scoffs, “I am a Gryffindor, I would do nothing of the sort.” He lifts his head up, walking away from us just to run into a tree. Yugyeom and I crack up and high five, “Don’t worry, I’m okay. THANK YOU for asking.” Bambam glaring at us, and we mimic him, “THANK YOU for asking! You’re welcome!”

We reach the bottom of the hill to see Hagrid showing us the Hippocampuses that lay swimming under the ice. “You see, the water underneath is quite warm. The ice is protecting the creatures lying within. A Ravenclaw lets out, “Does that include the Giant Squid?” Hagrid sighs, ready for a break, “He lies there, but he rarely comes out of his dwelling.” A few kids snicker, and after everyone sees the reds and blues of the Hippocampuses he leads us back to his house. “Alright, class dismissed.”

The next weekend, Yugyeom and I watch our four friends leave for home. Bambam promised to write us a letter. From seven to five and now down to two. When they leave, Yugyeom looks over at me and asks, “Wanna make snow angels with me?” I smile, “Why not?” He grabs my arm, and we run to the courtyard. He drags me down with him, and I can’t help but laugh. Swinging our arms back and forth, we make our angels perfect. I do my best to get up and not ruin my angel. Yugyeom follows suit and looks at our angels, and says, “They’re missing something.” I raise my brows, and he draws little halos over them. I laugh and accidentally bump into him. Causing the halo to go right into the head of his angel. He drags me down on top of him, and we tussle. “My angel was perfect!” I flip us over, “Not as perfect as mine was!” I say as we roll across both of our angels, ruining them. I pout, “Now, we gotta do them all over again.” He scrunches his nose up, and it’s my turn to throw us into a blanket of snow.

We recreate our original snow angels, and with a chill, we head back into the castle. Sitting across from him in the great hall, I bet him a sickle that I can beat him in Wizard’s chess. He pouts, “You have an unfair advantage!” I look up and pretend to think about it, “I don’t know whatever you mean.” He glares, “You and Jinyoung are on the chess team.” I shrug, “Maybe” He shakes his head, and between us appears a chessboard. I let him make a move first, “Okay,... No pressure. Pawn to F3.” My jaw drops, seeing as I was going to take him out in three moves. And now this game is going to go longer than I intended it. “What?” I sigh, “Nothing,...” He smirks, “I’ve watched you and Jinyoung play enough to know that’s the only safe bet with you guys.” I roll my eyes, and I start taking him out piece by piece. I stopped paying attention to his pawns and attention to killing off the queen. I have everything except the rook and a bishop when he lands a pawn on my side. “I’d like my queen.” My jaw drops, and with the way, his queen sits at E1. His queen and rook unite in killing my king. Not only am I in shock but agony. He chuckles, “Beginner’s luck!” I sigh and laugh out, “Experienced loser!” He grins, “Ayy, you’ve beat Jinyoung how many times at chess?” I shrug, “Never lost to a beginner though.” He smirks, “Life is always open to new opportunities, right?” I cross my arms and pout, “I guess” He ruffles my hair and pulls out of his pocket three of my pieces that I seemingly lost. “You little--” He scampers off, and I chase him around the tables. “That’s cheating!” Our laughter booming off the walls, “Not if you didn’t catch me!” I finally catch up to him and wrap my arms around him. “Now, I did.” He mumbles, “You did years ago.” But I couldn’t quite make out what he said.

I give him his sickle, “But I cheated?” I shrug, “My loss, cause I didn’t pay attention to you sneaking the pieces off the board.” He flicks it up and says, “Heads we sit in front of the fire after sneaking butterbeer from the kitchens. Or tails you buy us butterbeer from the three broomsticks.” I shake my head, “Oh Merlin,... I hope it’s heads.” He catches it on his forearm, and I look over his shoulder to see which side landed right-side up. “Heads!” I point to him and say, “Your common room!” He looks over and asks, “Why’s that?” I shrug, “It’s closer, less likely to be caught.” He smirks, “And when did you ever care about that?” I roll my eyes, “I don’t want to spend my winter break scrubbing cauldrons.” “Fair enough.”

We grab a case of butterbeer and a few pastries before we head to the Hufflepuff common room. “You guys decorated?” He nods, “Of course, all the third years got together like three weeks ago and decorated it.” I smile, “It’s so beautiful,...” He smiles, “I think so too.” We sprawl out on the couch and watch the flame twinkle. We each pop open a bottle, and he says, “You know I didn’t plan to stay here.” I look over at him and ask him why he was then. “My parents are helping my brother move into his new house.” I nod, “I bet that’s hard, isn’t it? When you go back, you won’t see your brother.” He sighs, “Yeah,... I miss him already, I know he writes to me all the time. But I guess it’s hard to know something consistent is no longer.” I nod, “I understand that, Gyeom.” He puts his face into my shoulder, and I reach my hand up and play with his hair. He asks me why I’m here this year, “My mother is stationed in another country. You know how she’s an Auror and all it’s just weird not to spend the holidays with her.” He nods, “I know, exactly, what you mean.” I rest my head on top of his and take in the moment together.

Today is Christmas, and since I decided to stay with Yugyeom in his dorm. Since everyone else in our year is at home for the holidays. I had no one to bunk with within my house. Yugyeom is already in front of the fire and has a butterbeer cracked open. His presents on top of his lap, and I hide my gift for him behind my back. He looks over and sees me and cracks another butterbeer open, and tells me it's mine. I grin and join him on the couch, both of us dressed in fluffy pajamas. He scoots closer to me and hands me a small box. I give him my gift, and he smiles. We decided to save each other for last. Bambam’s mom made my owl a cardigan, and he got me a human-sized one. It seems they did the same for each of us, in a variety of colors. I laugh at Mark’s gift for Yugyeom is a set of fake tattoos. The note says, “To fulfill your need for more!” He laughed as well, and Mark gave me a coffee mug with three different packs of hot cocoa. Knowing I will share it with the rest of the group. Each gift makes me feel warm and fuzzy. It's nice to know I have such good friends.

I reach to open Yugyeom’s gift to me, and he tells me, “Before you open yours,... I have something to tell you.” I nod, “Okay,...” He finishes up with his gift, “I,... uh,... I’ve liked you since our second year.” I grin, “That’s a relief since I’ve liked you since second as well.” He smiles and we open our gifts. It’s a gold necklace with his name scrawled out, “It’s beautiful, Yugyeom.” He smiles and finds that I got him a similar gift, but with my name written in cursive. “So can I call you mine?” I ask him softly as he turns around and has me clasp the necklace around his neck. “If I get to call you mine, in turn.”

I point up at the ceiling there hangs a big bundle of mistletoe. “They say Hogwarts mistletoe is special.” He finishes my sentence, “It only appears above couples who are meant to be.” I place my hand on his cheek, and he holds my face in his hands. And for the first time, I kiss the lips of Kim Yugyeom. Maybe spending winter break at Hogwarts was the best idea my mother had yet.

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knamil · 3 years

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I wouldn’t call last year productive exactly, but I did take some online classes (because people were suddenly offering online classes).

I learned charcoal portraits from Oliver Sin (who offered zoom classes via his instagram account). I also took a SmArt school beginner class in figure drawing which I had wanted to take for years but I couldn’t make the 3 am class time work (the class is really 9am EST but I live in the past). But last year time became a social construct and nothing mattered anymore so I took the class.

I’ve been thinking of my art journey. I started drawing in 2013 or so. Drew pretty much non stop till 2016 then I just kind of stopped for 3 years (for reasons). When I started picking it up again in 2019 I was nonplussed to find that not-drawing didn’t somehow make me better at drawing. Who could have predicted? I’m glad I took those classes last year even though I discovered rendering in pencil really really hurts my wrists if I’m not careful. I switched to water color because of it (the last image is censored because this site is still anti-titty). Anyway, art without undo still sucks, but I'm better at it than I was before.

In March I’ll be taking another SmArt school class in illustration. This time digital. I’m really excited about it even though I think I’m in over my head.

#figure drawing #vine charcoal #portraits #knamil art

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tweeterbugkayla · 4 years

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If there’s anyone who’s dealing with stress/anxiety during this hard time that our world is going through, this is for them and you didn’t stumble across this accidentally. The universe has made this appear to you for a reason. I hope this will help at least someone who’s been overwhelmed by everything and can use some of these techniques in your everyday routine. Reblog/share or tag anyone who needs this!

Everyday when you wake up set the intention it will be a good day. Just realize it’s a new fresh day and nothing will ruin it for you because your intention on it being a good day will play out to it being the best day. Feel it’s a new day and yesterday is the past. It’s gone.

Immediately after you set the intention it’s a new day and it’s gonna be a good one, just for a second think of 1 thing you’re grateful for whether it be just you waking up to see another day, family, pets, roof over your head, the bed you slept in, food, wifi. Anything! Feel it.

Once you get up, go have a glass of water & take vitamins (Multi-vitamins are good.) Instead of coffee that can make you anxious, have a cup of hot tea. (Green, Chai, Lavender, lemon & ginger, black, white) There’s more benefits! It’s calming and healthy for your mind & body.

Now if there’s one thing at all you take from this, let this be it! It’s scientifically proven that delta/beta sound waves and frequencies can effect the mind & body. 432 hz meditation music is so helpful for stress and anxiety. There’s something for everything, healing, stress, sleep, positive energy, cleansing and so much! Use this! https://youtu.be/owVazx83hcc

youtube

While you’re listening to positive music to help your vibrations and drinking hot tea, this is the time I recommend getting out a notebook and making a gratitude list. Write down any and everything you’re grateful for. Having gratitude brings you abundance. Focus on what you have now rather than what you don’t have. “If you focus on what you don’t have instead of what you already have, you’ll never have enough” - Oprah

Take the time right after to feel everything you’re grateful for and meditate. Doesn’t matter how long. Take deep breaths then clear your mind. The apps Headspace & Calm can guide you. There’s also guided meditations for anything on youtube. Crystals also help if you have them. Count 10 of your breaths then start again. Focus on your breathing. Remember. You’re not your thoughts. Imagine a river in your mind flowing and your watching each thought you have go down the stream. Instead of engaging in the thought, just let it go.

A personal thing I always do after meditation is pray/manifest. The reason being is my mind is cleared and my energy is at the strongest point for my message to be delivered to my guardian angels. I can think clearly about what it is I’m asking God/Universe for without unfocusing and they can hear me clearly. Think of it as singles you’re trying to send someone. You can think a sentence in your mind but if you feel it in your heart and inner core, you’re going to be putting off singles of that can be sensed. Kind of like how your pet can sense if you’re happy or not. Or even your best friend or partner. No one can read your mind, but they can most definitely tell when you’re feeling a certain way. It’s the same kind of energy you want to give out into the universe so your prayers can speak for themselves. The way you feel about things, shows how things mean to you and that’s what’s important.

A good thing that also helps after meditation is yoga. It’s a lot of breathing exercises while stretching your body. Your mind isn’t wondering off in the distance because you’re too busy focusing on breathing and stretching at the same time. You have to really be present. You can look up yoga for beginners for 5 minutes if you’re like me and never tried anything like it before. Surprisingly it’s a lot harder than it looks when you actually dive into it. There’s also 30 day challenges and if you have any yoga clothes stores around you, check to see if they do classes. Look into your community to see if any yoga groups have any sessions you can attend. Great way to meet people who are on the same journey or have been through similar things!

After yoga I keep track of everything I’ve done in a notebook. I write down how long I’ve meditated/yoga and if I had any thoughts that distracted me during it & how I felt afterwards. It helps me think about why I had those thoughts interrupt and what I should do.

Throughout my day I’ll sometimes carry around a crystal with me depending on my mood and what I feel I need. You can research different meanings for them but they’re definitely helpful. If my mind begins to wonder I’ll stop myself and say positive affirmations about myself.

If you’re really having a day and it just feels like nothing you do is working, write down as many things about yourself that you love. Literally rewire your subconscious self-beliefs into believing you love yourself 100 percent. Even if you might think you don’t like something about yourself, write that love it anyways. This is still an everyday journey for myself personally because I may not like certain features about myself but I remind myself at least I have this body to carry my soul and life around into the world. It’s a journey that everyday you have to remember to tell yourself positive things. Fill up an entire page of positive affirmations. Self love is key. Your mind really listens to what you say about yourself. If you constantly tell yourself over and over “I’m so gross, I’m sick, I’m disgusting etc.” your body is going to respond to that message and make you start to feel sick. But if you’re loving and caring to yourself and say “I am healthy, I’m beautiful, I feel so amazing” then you’re gonna feel that way. Start with “I ams” I am beautiful, I am smart, I am abundant, I am healthy, I am grateful and so on. You can even go from head to toe and say you love every inch of each body part. There’s also helpful positive affirmations guided videos on YouTube.

At night time before you go to bed, write down in a journal how your day went and literally just let go and write about anything. No one will see it. It’s just you and your journal. But write. I write about my day and my prayers for the night. I’ve been writing in the journals that @taylorswift attached to the Lover booklets. She’s a very successful woman and guess what, she wrote in journals since she was a little girl. It’s so therapeutic to just let out how you feel on the pages of a book instead of hitting send on that tweet that you might end up deleting because you don’t want people to see how so and so at work hurt your feelings.

I can’t tell you how much this routine has changed my life. It can help yours too. I promise. Try this routine for a month and see how it changes your life, & mindset about yourself. Do your research. There’s so much that’s available to you on these topics. Read self help books like “You Are A Bassass” make vision boards of your dreams and goals. Listen to podcasts. Watch videos like Lavendaire, Isabel Palacios and Leeor! Anything with Oprah talking about her spirituality journey is so inspiring. I even watched “A Wrinkle In Time” because of her.

There’s many other ways that help like working out, coloring, painting, clean, doing your own nails, playing with pets, spending time with family, take baths, have a self care spa day. You can actually get L-Theanine vitamins for stress now, Olley has Goodbye stress gummies. I really hope some of this helps someone. If anyone has any questions please reach out to me. It’s definitely a journey we’re all going through and all we can do is take it one day at a time and continue to move forward with our lives. Always here. ❤️

Also wanted to add some films I’ve watched on Netflix that’s helpful and could help someone too. Healing, The Secret and anything to do with Yoga. Also if anyone has any tips or advice or suggestions I would appreciate them! 😊❤️

Share this with your friends who might find this helpful. ❤️

- Kayla 💗

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chalcid · 3 years

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11: Time with Mom, and Conversations Overheard (Disappear)

The lunch bell rang, and we all stood up and walked out of the cafeteria.

"What do you think you'll do with the ring," Poseikion said.

"I'm conflicted," I said "On one hand, I could sell it to fix my sword, but on the other, it's sparkly."

"You have a sword," Casey asked.

"I don't exactly have it with me, but..." I fished my phone out of my bag and scrolled through my gallery "This is what it looks like. I've been trying to get some turquoise for it for a while."

"The ruby would more than cover it," Edonia observed.

"First I have to check to see that it's real and uncursed, though," I said. "I'd feel really bad about selling a cursed ring."

We slipped into awkward silence.

"Would you like a dessert?" Trite asked, holding out his containers to Casey. "Take as much as you want."

"Sure," Casey said carefully, grabbing two cookies. "So do you have any plans for after school?"

"Just the usual," I replied.

Something colorful caught my eye. Pacifinos's messenger bag. They would probably have a hard time getting work done without it.

"Excuse me," I said.

I darted over to our table, picked up the messenger bag, and darted back. Trite and Edonia had already found their classes. Poseikion was getting something from his locker.

Where was Pacifinos? I searched the hall and stopped, just as I heard their voice from around the corner.

"Hey, so I don't like you, but I do very much like Merika, and apparently so do you, so let's work together to get her that turquoise?"

"Wait, you don't like me?" That was Casey.

"Do I have to? I just don't. You want to help or not?"

"I want to help," Casey said firmly

"Good," Pacifinos said "Now, we have two options. The ever-infamous Black Market in the north or the Turquoise Trench in the Western Bay."

"Those sound pretty dangerous," Casey said nervously.

"From what Merika has told me, they are. The pros of the Black Market are that we don't have to dive for it. On the other hand, we do have to find a way to pay for whatever we want to buy unless you happen to be a master thief?"

Silence.

"Disappointing, but not surprising. The Turquoise Trench on the other hand, is free, but dangerously close to demon territory, and also, underwater."

"I don't have gills," Casey pointed out.

"I do, though," Pacifinos pointed out.

"This is dangerous," Casey observed "Maybe we need Merika's experience for this."

"I want it to be a surprise," Pacifinos argued.

"It won't be a nice one if you get yourselves killed," I declared.

That came up much longer than I thought. Pacifinos and Casey twisted to look at me.

"Seriously," I said "I would rank Turquoise Trench as a medium-level difficulty dive, but you are a beginner, Pacifinos. And Casey can't breathe underwater."

"She could push the water away from her head," Pacifinos argued.

"Actually," Casey interjected "I can't. No magic over here. Zilch."

"Oh," Pacifinos and I said in unison.

"But, my dad has a boat," Casey said quickly "I bet he would let me borrow it if I promised to catch some fish."

"Useful," I said. "Listen, guys. This was such a sweet idea, but it's super dangerous, and I can't ask you to put yourselves at risk."

"How much risk could I be in if I sit in a boat and fish," Casey said mildly.

"Relatively low," I said "My concern is mostly for Pacifinos, who, to my understanding, has never gone on a dive before. And there is a strong possibility of sharks."

They didn't say anything.

"So you're going to come with us?"

"I'm going to come with you. I still have one more day before Uncle Decimus is going to let me back into the ocean again, but I'm sure we can work something out," I said. "No pressure to do this anytime soon though. Feel free to do some research," I beamed "This is going to be epic."

...

After a long day of struggling to focus in class, I finally hopped off the bus and threw open the front door to my house.

Mom was there, smiling just a little.

"What is it," I asked.

"It's been so long since we did anything together," Mom started. "I blame myself, personally. I haven't been putting the effort into our relationship. So, how about we go on a hike? You used to love that when we were little."

"Oh..." I trailed off. Hiking has always been somewhat fun, but I don't remember ever really loving it. "Uh, it's raining. Don't you hate the rain?"

"Don't you love it?" Mom countered.

"Yeah, but," I glanced out the window and back at Mom "Where did you have in mind."

"Green Woods," Mom said "Maybe Blue Woods, if you're up for a challenge?"

An eternity passed.

"I, uh, I have stuff to do," I said.

"Please?" Mom said.

Another eternity. Right. I had forgotten my mom was impossibly patient.

"Fine," I replied. "Just give me a minute."

I set down my bag, darted up the stairs, and pulled my coat to my face. It smelled so warm and clean. I put it back on, dashed back downstairs, and began to transfer my seventy-five pounds of junk back into my pockets.

"You'll want a good coat and an umbrella," I informed her.

"Yes," Mom said "Your father's raincoat was missing this morning. Bit of a commotion trying to get him out the door."

"He has twelve," I argued "Kev only took just the one. Couldn't he have just, y'know, worn one of the others?"

"I know, but he apparently didn't think of that," Mom sighed.

"Isn't that super annoying?"

"I wouldn't say super annoying," Mom said mildly.

I climbed inside her car. The smell hit me in the face like a palm tree in a hurricane. For reasons unknown, Mom's car smelled weird to me, but not to her. I think it might whatever they used to dye the leather beige.

With a sound like a choking cat, the car started and we were off.

I tapped out a quick message to Pacifinos and Casey, something along the lines of "Hey, so I didn't think we would be diving at Turquoise Trench today, but just in case, I can't." Then I looked up and marvelled at the rainy city dashing past my eyes. Mom pressed a button and music began to play.

"You used to love this song," Mom said. Softly, she began to sing along. I didn't recognize the words.

Maybe that's why I decided to say "There it is again, the 'you used to love x'. Were any of the things I 'used to love' things I actually loved or were they just things we did together?"

Mom sighed deeply "Merika..."

"Don't you 'Merika' me," I said. Then a realization hit me like a truck "I smell ulterior motives. What's this really about?"

"Oh, I was hoping you would tell me about Mrs. Harley," Mom said. Her voice was even as always, but her hands were death-gripping the wheel. "Give me the dirt on her, as you kids say."

"I have literally never heard anyone say that ever," I said "I mean, what is there to tell? She's Tilly and that's all I have to say, just like how if she asked me about you - which she wouldn't - all I could say is you're you."

"Oh come on, there has to be something," Mom huffed.

"Fine. She's cheerful and she talks a lot, happy now?"

"How am I supposed to use that against her?" Mom asked, so quiet I almost didn't hear.

"You aren't," I sighed. "Listen, can't we just have a nice hike?"

#wip disappear #writing #chapter

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weeklysparksofjoy · 4 years

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8.9.20 - 8.16.20

What a whirlwind of a week. This week was my first week off for summer break. I had finally wrapped up my internship and spent a week soaking in the pleasures of life, aka just video games since it’s quarantine time. As a result, this week was filled with fun leisurely activities and naturally, house cleaning. So look down below for what really sparked joy during my period of respite and of fulfilling homeownership responsibilities.

Items

IKEA Karlby (1): Given the current times, a good work-from-home place is a must. It was time to upgrade our cheap $34 Linnmon tables. This was our desk table for 3 years! 3 years! We had silver legs instead of the bright blue ones featured on IKEA’s page, but still, this was literally the cheapest table we could get from IKEA. Now that I will be starting my doctorate program and my boyfriend is working fully remote, plus something called COVID, it was time for us to get a proper office set-up. Enter the Karlby. Yes, it is a countertop. It’s a beautiful, 60 lb., long slab of sort-of wood that gives me enough space to lay 3 monitors on it, if I pleased. If you remember last week’s post on the IKEA Alex , those are the base for our desk. We have one underneath each end of the Karlby and all we had to do was put a non-slip adhesive on top of the Alexes and that was it. No drilling necessary to put two and one together. Essentially, our set-up looks like this (thank you random person from the internet for the photo). It is beautiful and freeing and space to breathe.

Ridgid Shop Vacuum and Toshiba Dehumidifier: Now, for a not as freeing item, but a stress-relief item that I am just truly grateful for. I love storms. I love the sound of the rain hammering against the glass. I love the color of the sky. I love the nostalgia of childhood rainstorms. What I had not yet experienced until this week was what comes with rain - possible flooding. Maryland was hit with rain for almost a week. It was flash flood warning after flash flood warning. Being in the new house, we were tricked into comfort that our sump pump was in working condition. It had only been a month since we moved in and it had passed inspection. It had worked. But let this be a life lesson, after any storm, just check your basement to be sure. We had moved our old Linnmon desks into the basement to make room for the new desks when we stumbled upon the shallow pools of water. Long story short - we had to replace the sump pump. But the basement doesn’t slope down towards it, so we still had standing water. I ran a quick google search after my failed attempt to mop all the water towards the sump pump left us with only a little bit less of water and found that pros recommended a shop vacuum. We rushed over to Home Depot to get there 30 minutes before closing time. Initially, we planned to rent the shop vac for a third of its selling price, but who knows what might happen in the future, so we just bought the thing out right. We purchased the Ridgid 12 gallon wet/dry shop vacuum and watched that thing just inhale all the water from the floors. I had essentially wasted 30 minutes of my life mopping that mess and should have just purchased the shop vac instead. This was such a relief. I was worried we’d have to hire more professionals to clear the flooded waters, but nope, this made it so easy. Sure, there was a bit of water left, but when coupled with the Toshiba 50-pint dehumidifier, which we bought during the same trip, the floor was clear of a single drop of water the next morning. We felt guilty placing the sleek dehumidifier in our unfinished basement, but it fulfilled its role with 5 stars. As a first-time homeowner, the flooding was rather stressful - from worrying about safety to waiting on available professionals, but these two items let me sleep soundly after a long, hectic day. Last, but not least, I need to thank Len the Plumber for sending us a technician within the specified time window (unlike Roto-Rooter) and for the tech replacing our sump pump so quickly! This was definitely a learning experience and although it seems more like a spark of gratitude, I do have to say a clean environment sparks joy for me!

Weed B Gone: Another spark of joy from a clean environment came from our backyard. When we moved in, our backyard was completely ridden with weeds. There was not a blade of grass to be seen. Nevertheless, the weeds were probably about a foot tall. Fast forward a few weeks, where us naive millennials had neglected to care for this problem while continuing to move out of our old apartment and into the new house, and we have ourselves 3-feet tall weeds. I lie not. They were up to my hip. Anyway, they were a major stressor and a persistent nag in the back of my mind. Thus, I got to work and sprayed some Weed B Gone after identifying the majority of the weeds as crabgrass. Alright, so the label says it works immediately - that’s a lie, but it did work in a couple of days. Each day, I would stand by the back door and gloat over the sight of the increasingly limp weeds. Within a week, they were yellowing and hanging over the patio. Once again, this week I found joy in cleanliness and in accomplishing a stress-inducing task.

Video Games

Darkest Dungeon (2): I promise I did not spend my entire week off cleaning. I actually spent most of it playing Darkest Dungeon. I normally hate single-player games, but this one was so fun. I was so addicted to it that I played it almost every day. I really enjoyed building my team, figuring out how to defeat the enemies, and just learning the inside tricks for dungeon interactions. It’s not difficult to learn and I would definitely recommend the game for others!

TV Shows

Star Wars (3): The Clone Wars: My boyfriend and I began watching all Star Wars content in chronological order back in June and we finally finished all of The Clone Wars. I really enjoyed watching The Clone of Wars even though it’s touted as a children’ show. Those final four episodes of season 7 were so beautifully done and had us rooting for Ahsoka the entire time. As a side note, we actually watched Revenge of the Sith in 4(?) different chunks. We followed a guide that showed us where to stop, so that we actually heard some lines repeated in the movie and in The Clone Wars, which was pretty cool. We didn’t follow this guide, but this one is more precise than the one that we used. If you are remotely interested in Star Wars, I recommend you give this challenge a try. It was a lot of fun and touching to see the character development. Also, this may be heinous to say - but the writing in The Clone Wars was better than the prequels’.

Videos

Chloe Ting: I’ve been doing Chloe Ting’s workouts for over a month now. I’ve wrapped up the 4 weeks summer shred challenge and am currently in the middle of the 15 days intense core challenge. I have to say that her videos have successfully transformed me into a daily workouter (I practice Yoga with Adriene during rest days). I actually find myself needing to workout daily, like if I know that I have a busy day ahead, I will figure out how to fit a workout in - no excuses. The truth is I look forward to these workouts and to reflecting upon my progress. I find myself becoming stronger, completing exercises I couldn’t execute the first time around. Even though my weight has actually increased, I feel great and more confident.

Makoccino (4): Last, but not least, this week I made more time for art - something I haven’t done for a long time. I think after high school I was such a workaholic, bouncing from club to club and job to job, that I didn’t give myself to have fun by myself. Makoccino’s videos helped me take the step forward and purchase the art supplies to get started in my watercolor painting journey. I began with her beginners video, which was super easy to follow and although my painting still turned out to look like a product of those wine and paint classes, it still encouraged me to continue further. Watercolor painting is so relaxing and seeing the end product is just so satisfying.

That concludes this week’s sparks of joys, but just to highlight a pattern throughout these posts, joy comes in different shapes and sizes. Joy is often intermixed with other emotions that may sometimes obscure it. If there is anything this practice has taught me is that identifying joys in life on a consistent basis requires patience and a willingness to tease apart the whirlwind of emotions inside us.

Special thanks to Cassie for designing the image! Check out her work on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meta__morphosis__design/

#weeklysparksofjoy #gratitude #ikea #star wars #clone wars #darkest dungeon #lawn care #chloe ting #makoccino

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irnhero · 4 years

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tagged by @phalloutklaine - thank you!

rules: spell out your url with song titles, answer the quarantine questions, and bold the things that apply - then tag 10 people

i - i forgot that you existed by taylor swift

r - RAIN by ben platt

n - nobody compares to you by gryffin

h - home by catie turner

e - empty space by the story so far

r - ran by future islands

o - one day by hans zimmer (from the soundtrack for pirates of the caribbean: at world’s end)

quarantine asks :

•where are you isolated ??

home

•what are you currently reading or watching ??

i’m reading little women and i’m rewatching parks and rec for the 67th time

•if you can go outside, what do you like to do during this time ??

i’ve been walking my dogs on the trail by my house a lot

•any fascinating concept you’re studying ??

i’m taking a beginning drawing class this summer cause i’m required to have a fine arts credit for my major, but it’s not exactly fascinating considering that i’m definitely not a beginner

•what kind of acts of creativity / forms of art are you currently doing ??

i’m writing like 4 fics at once and i’m drawing a lot

•a song that resonates with your state of mind at the moment ??

battle cries by the amazing devil (i’ve been listening to their discography on repeat for like 2 weeks and you should too_

•favorite impulsive / “bad” coping techniques ??

scrolling through tumblr instead of doing things

•favorite healthy / “good” coping techniques ??

drinking lots of water and getting fresh air

A P P E A R A N C E

i’m over 5′5″. i wear glasses / contacts. i have blonde hair. i prefer loose clothing to tight clothing. i have one or more piercings. i have at least one tattoo. i have blue / green eyes. i have dyed or highlighted my hair. i have gotten plastic surgery. i have or had braces. i sunburn easily. i have freckles. i paint my nails. i typically wear makeup. i don’t often smile. i am pleased with how i look. i prefer nike to adidas. i wear baseball hats backwards.

H O B B I E S A N D T A L E N T S

i play a sport. i can play an instrument. i am artistic. i know more than one language. i have won a trophy in some sort of competition. i can cook or bake without a recipe. i know how to swim. i enjoy writing. i can do origami. i prefer movies to tv shows. i can execute a perfect somersault. i enjoy singing. i could survive in the wild on my own. i have read a new book series this year. i enjoy spending time with friends. i travel during school or work breaks. i can do a handstand.

R E L A T I O N S H I P S

i am in a relationship. i have been single for over a year. i have a crush. i have a best friend i have known for ten years. my parents are together. i have dated my best friend. i am adopted. my crush has confessed to me. i have a long distance relationship. i am an only child. i give advice to my friends. i have made an online friend. i met up with someone i have met online.

A E S T H E T I C S

i have heard the ocean in a conch shell. i have watched the sunrise. i enjoy rainy days. i have slept under the stars. i meditate outside. the sound of chirping calms me. i enjoy the smell of the beach. i know what snow tastes like. i listen to music to fall asleep. i enjoy thunderstorms. i enjoy cloud watching. i have attended a bonfire. i pay close attention to colors. i find mystery in the ocean. i enjoy hiking on nature paths. autumn is my favorite season.

M I S C E L L A N E O U S

i can fall asleep in a moving vehicle. i am the mom friend. i live by a certain quote. i like the smell of sharpies. i am (was) involved in extracurricular activities. i enjoy mexican food. i can drive a stick-shift. i believe in true love. i make up scenarios to fall asleep. i sing in the shower. i wish i lived in a video game. i have a canopy above my bed. i am multiracial. i am a redhead. i own at least three dogs.

i tag: @anthorystark, @yobucky, @fanfictiongreenirises, @starprincetony, @s-horne, and @imperialstark

#tag game #long but worth it

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turn-it-off-5s · 5 years

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((Long post but Let’s Go!!))

So First I have to say, my art is mostly based on me going fast and on everything being fluid and I-don’t-give-a-heck jdjjd so Basically I’m not going to talk about proportions or anything because thinking about it usually makes my art stiffer and just ugh. I’m a dumbass!

I’m gonna approach how I draw humans for this so FIRST!! I start like most people. With the Head.

I just start with a circle and slap on whatever head shape I want ((Be careful btw! U gotta think of the head as a 3D object or else ur hair-eyes-ears placement is gonna look Wack)) I usually go down to the shoulders before adding the expression because IM NOT A GOOD EXAMPLE- U should probably draw the entire silhouette first but it’s more fun for me this way....... plus the expression sometimes helps me with the position of the body soo.

I really like to have fun and exaggerate with my style! (I know I could exaggerate things more but shh)) so I guess my advice for expressions : Make Your Characters Ugly. If they feel an intense emotion they ain’t gonna be all uwu!! They’re gonna have eyebrow wrinkles things and super opened mouth and eyes going all over the place!!! Have FUN!! Woop woop!! Make Em Ugly.

Ok so Next Let’s get to the body and I’ll use Mr Baby Boi Mike for this.

So once again I’m a bad example because 1. I sometimes draw the clothes with no silhouette underneath and 2. I don’t care about proportions and I just see what looks nice to me....

So I start with a Super Quick silhouette. It’s about getting the action in there, getting stuck on details at the very beginning is going to make your drawings STIFF AF. So get all the action out and scribble away with what comes first to ur brain. Have Fun !

Then add the clothes but again, QUICKLY!! ((This took me barely 40 seconds)) just get them in! Of course at the end look it all over and do whatever minor fixes u want but I’m all about fluidity and being free and having fun! (Of course if you can’t do it as fast it’s perfectly normal, I had the luck of having supportive parents who got me art classes and I’ve been drawing for 6 years now so if you’re a beginner, take it at your own pace!!)

Next I lightly erase the sketch with a kneaded eraser and I get to inking! Now inking is something people notice a lot about my art! And I’m very happy about it and it’s so Easy so here’s my Art Trademark thing !

1. First layer of ink! Boring isn’t it ? There’s no changement in the thickness of the lines and it’s just *yawn* eh. (Also at this point I erased the sketch))

2. WOAH!!! What happened there fam??? Simple ! I just applied a second layer of ink with the same pen (usually an 0.3 water resistant black pen) and here’s the kicker. I deliberately let my hand fuck up lines and fill in the little space it created to create the blobby line thickness changes ! It’s so simple and it allows you to mess up isn’t it wonderful! Bob Ross would be proud. Also with a 0.1 pencil, you can add small details such as freckles, scars, blushes or a bunch of little lines to show a black space.

Next is color! Keep in mind that I mainly use watercolor!

Oh gosh mildly-boring-first-layer is back. I just put down the base colors, chose the theme And! Something I started doing recently is leaving a few white spaces where the light is hitting. (It helps me with knowing where the light is coming from and overall a cool effect 😎)

And FINALLY!! I add any shading and funky color variations I want! It is mainly achieved by putting down the color I want to use and jamming my brush at the paper. I also Love working the face at this stage! Adding the blush, purple eye bags if the character deserves a nap, adding some shading over the eyes and around the mouth (it’s so fun and can add a Lot surprisingly) I also add a light wash of the same color wherever there’s white because I don’t like having just straight up white (teeths, white of the eyes, the white on the shoes...) and for this one I made the light source yellow! And I said it before and I’ll say it Again : Don’t shade an object with black or grey unless the object is black. Either use the same color but darker or use purple or blue or smt! Black will suck the life out of your drawing and it’s gonna look muddy.

Ok well I guess that’s it for a very non-detailed drawing process hdhd! If you want any information about something more specific, please do ask me or DM me! I love teaching whatever I can and it’s not a bother cause I’m very passionate about drawing and I love to talk about it ! Also I’m not a teacher and your art is whatever you want it to be, this is just how I do things. If you like my art and want to ask me for more art related things, go over to my Art/Main blog : @heuffopla !

Have fun ! 🌸🌼

#my art #art process #tutorial #elder micheals #oh boi its 3 am now :DD #Anyway i hope this helps or inspires someones #please come talk to me if you want to know anything else!#💖💖💖💖

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brujeria-histeria · 5 years

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The Surprise

hacy fic for @theballetslippertheblackhoodie prompt: Harry finds out he’s going to be a father ......again.

Harry has had many bad days but this had to be one of the worst, maybe the the worst day of his second life. It had actually started last night though and the usually upbeat whitelighter didn’t let last night’s fumble try to ruin his day today, but oh no fate insisted his day be ruined.

First, last night his date with his Girlfriend, Macy was cancelled. She was running late from a science conference on the future of bioengineering and space and had grabbed something to eat at the conference center’s cafe. Then when she finally got home they at least tried to fit in some intimacy and Macy was too tired, again, to keep going, he let her fall asleep on his chest then slid out of bed and went to the bathroom for a cold shower.

Macy hadn’t been wanting to get intimate with him, sexually, for the past two weeks except once for one round of love making. When he gently asked her if everything was ok and if had done anything wrong she denied it and kissed him and told him how sweet he was. He was beginning to question if she wasn’t that into him anymore, if she only got with him on a whim and a year and 3 months into their relationship maybe her affection for him sizzled out. He shook his head under the cold water and tried not to let those thoughts intrude again. He’d do anything for Macy to be happy, but it hurt him to think it might mean to let her go if it would make her happy again.

Then today he had gone to work as usual, and was checking his twitter and was of course doing numbers with the academia side of twitter but spied a suspicious activity of tweets in his mentions. A faceless twitter troll had taken to attacking his person, calling him and women in general all sorts of unsavory names and slurs, while he blocked and reported the troll instead of engaging them, it made his blood boil when the troll especially said very tasteless and racist things about his Macy, when he tweeted an article done on her recently. You could insult him, but never insult women and never ever insult the woman he loves. He stormed to his office and set down his things with his research text making a slam. If his day couldn’t get any worse in walked in Professor Crollins, the head of the political science department to bother him. She was an older woman, in comparison to his physical 37 and her actual age of 53, and she apparently was very into Harry’s “vibe” as Maggie put it after she busted out laughing when he told her of the predicament. The situation of Crollin’s infatuation had began a few weeks ago when a benefactor and tenured professor of the school wanted both department heads to work together to form a joint class for next semester’s class options.

“Hello, Professor Greenwood. I came by to drop off another rubric for a possible project for next semester class. I can’t wait to teach it with you, I’m sure it’ll be an enriching experience for everyone involved.” she smiled.

Harry internally shuddered, it wasn’t well known outside his charges that he was in a committed relationship with the resident head of the science lab, Dr. Macy Vaughn. And even though it wasn’t public he had told Prof Crollins that he was not available to go out for drinks, ever, the last time she asked him to grab a drink with her.

“Actually Prof. Crollins I’m not going to be teaching that class, my TA Melanie Vera will be taking it. I offered her the position yesterday and the benefactor interviewed her.” He stated. Prof. Collins straightened and fixed him with a look.

“What is it with you and those Vera Girls, and the other one that’s their sister. You’re around them an awful lot, in fact don’t you live with them? I thought you had your own place?” she accused.

“Um, we’re family, of sorts.” he fidgeted. He tried to tone down his public appearances with the girls he could excuse Mel because of her work in the women’s studies department, but not with poor Maggie who got some weird looks when he escorted her around arm in arm to discuss demon and witch things. They started using the excuse that he was their “Uncle” of sorts from their dad’s side, except Macy who just would call him a close friend.

“Hmph, well if that’s how you want it.” she walked off in a huff, and Harry exhaled, now he was annoyed and upset by a twitter troll and a woman who couldn’t understand the word no.

After that his day was just full of little stupid things that just added on to his annoyance. His favorite tie got ruined when someone tripped into him with their Starbucks drink and even though he orbed home to change shirts the tie was completely stained. He got into a heated discussion with one of his headstrong students who he hated to refer to them as, but it was true, a pain in his arse. The student even annoyed Mel with how bold and one track minded they were. His lunch went poorly too as he couldn’t even leave his office because he was swamped with papers, his tea supply had ran out, which he cursed himself for not realizing it, and he’d forgotten his lunch. He had to eat some rubbish tasting crisp from the vending machine. Macy had barely texted him back all day. Now he was feeling really shitty....

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Macy was thinking of a way to tell Harry the big news, she was pregnant, and 6 weeks along. She had tested herself 2 or so weeks ago, and a test she did at the lab confirmed she was pregnant, with a baby, by Harry. She had been nervous for the past couple of weeks since finding out, unsure of how to tell Harry, but she decided to do it tonight in a casual way because she could feel Harry getting more upset with himself as the days passed, knowing Harry he probably was beating himself up about whatever he thought he did wrong, which he did nothing wrong.

The night their baby to be was conceived was a night Macy remembered and she knew exactly what day it was. Mother’s Day, she was sad as hell that day along with her sisters and after they all celebrated it together, in honor of Marisol(and Mama Roz) she sat in her room crying because while she braved it, it was a reminder that she didn’t really know her mother as well as her sisters. She released the pain that caused her to lose her mind to the Source 2 years ago but she still felt a human pain inside. Harry had found her and she had him take her surface pain away by replacing it with pleasure and comforted her with kisses and passion.

She actually had left work early and made her way out on a task of shopping at multiple stores. She picked up soft wool yarn & a guide on how to knit for beginners, color swatches, some premium tea(for Harry), a toddler’s sectioned plate(it was so cute she couldn’t resist snagging the last one), and a prenatal yoga book. She of course knew it was too early to be buying some things, she had hear fears about her own baby’s health but she decided to focus on positive things. Like her adding another member to the Vera-Vaughn-Greenwood family. She was so engrossed in shopping she didn’t noticed Harry had texted her a few times. When she made it back home, she texted Harry that she was off work a little early and she’d be at home if he wanted to see her. He texted back ‘Yes, Please.’

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry dragged himself to his feet when he was finally done with a pile of papers, and orbed himself to the Vera Manor.

“Macy?” he called out.

“I’m in the living room Harry, could you make some tea? I bought some premium stuff from that high end food shoppe today.” she called back.

“Sure, my love.” he sighed, he really wanted some tea to be honest. Harry walked to the kitchen and found a plate with children’s characters on it, from that Sesame Street show, he thought maybe at first it was a childhood plate of one of the girls, but it looked brand new, it had dividers in it, maybe they wanted it for meal prepping?

“Macy, why is there a plate in here with elmo on it, is this one of Maggie’s new meal prep things?” he asked confused.

“Its toddler’s plate silly, for toddlers to eat out of.” she replied.

Hm, whatever, he learned to stop questioning the girls quirky antics further long ago. He inhaled the fresh tea and it almost made his rubbish day disappear. Once he got into the living room to cuddle it would be better. He made his tea tray up, and grabbed some small bite sized cookies he found, pink and blue sugar cookies.

“Macy, I’ve been wanting to see you all day darling.” He gazed at her with love. “Erm, what are you doing?”

“Hm?” she looked up. Macy was currently sitting on the couch surrounded by a big pile of jumbo sized yellow and white wool yarn. “Oh I’m going to learn how to knit, and make a small blanket.” she answered. “Maybe some little shoes or a scarf afterwards.”

“Macy, a knitted pair of shoes aren’t practical unless your a baby, which those are more like socks. Socks are more practical.”

“I also got some color swatches, I wonder which one is a little more gender neutral, maybe this pastel mint green or pastel yellow?” she asked.

“Either one seems fine, dear.” he said preparing their tea.”What for?”

She hummed with a grin, and he sat down next to her and shot back up to see the rectangular object he just sat on. “What is this?”

“Oh I picked up a new book for exercise.”

“Oh” he responded, pouring a cup of tea for her before reading the title.

“Prenatal Yoga for First Time Mothers.” he read aloud. “I’ve heard it’s actually quite good for women in pregnancy to take up specialized Yoga, in fact I was discussing the other day-” Harry paused for a minute, blinked, and turned his head slowly to Macy who was stirring some sugar in her tea. “Macy dear.... why did you buy a book of yoga for pregnant women?”

Macy sipped her tea, and looked at him with mischief in her eyes.

The fatigue of not wanting sex, the toddler’s plate, the yarn and knitting baby shoes, the book, the color swatches in colors suitable for a baby... bloody hell the pink and blue cookies... she’d even had been touching her belly a lot lately.... was Macy? Could she be?

“Are you?” his eyes began to gleam with tears threatening to burst in pure joy.

“You’re going to be a Father, again, Harry Greenwood. I’m 6 weeks pregnant!” she said setting down her tea cup, to clasp his hands.

“You are pregnant... you’re pregnant. I’m going to be a Father...” he stood up and scooped Macy up twirling her around, away from the yarn as to not trip. “I’M GOING TO BE A FATHER! OH, Macy, my love, I love you.” He kissed her all over her face. She laughed, and some tears of joy streamed down her face as well. They laughed and kissed for what seemed like ages.

“You wanna go celebrate?” she nuzzled her nose to his and nodded upstairs. He responded by kissing her.

Perhaps this was the happiest he’s been in a long time. This was one of the best days of his life.

#hacy #this one is safe lol

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timlsano · 4 years

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Top 5 Yoga Myths – Completely Busted!

Yoga Myths, Exposed!

During my first 100 days of sobriety, I finally gave yoga a try. After seeing a fit woman in a bendy pose on Instagram, I was intrigued. At first, I wasn’t exactly blown away, but something about it kept me coming back for more.

After initially going it alone, I joined a gym with many yoga offerings on the group class schedule. Today I am hooked. Most days I get in at least 10 or 20 minutes of practice. And now that I’m 5 months sober, I can confidently say yoga has been a great addition to my weekly routine.

While I am thrilled about this new-ish addition to my life, I cringe at how I used to be. For the past 15 years, I talked a major smack about yoga. I now stand corrected. Everything I previously thought has turned out to be dead wrong. I can’t be the only one who held such misconceptions, right? (Please say yes!)

Instead of my former ignorance, I’d like to debunk a few yoga myths that I held before getting on the mat. If you’re on the fence about trying yoga, see if clarifying any of this pushes you into action!

Yoga Myth #1: Yoga is Boring

I realize that what’s “fun” will be different for different people, so this may not apply to you. But in my case, I’ve always preferred higher energy forms of exercise. I love cranking up the volume on my earbuds and going for a hard-core run, rolling my hips in a Zumba class, or twerking it out in “Booty 101” (yes, that’s a real class name), so I always believed that sitting cross-legged on the floor chanting “Om” with my fingers in tiny circles would be, well… boring.

What I discovered upon giving it a try was that this is a huge yoga myth! There are many different styles of yoga that have varying focuses and purposes. There is something there for everyone! After exploring different styles I’ve found that the energetic exercise I crave is a thing in yoga. Boredom has completely escaped me! Yoga has quickly become my #1 favorite workout of all time. I can’t believe I just said that, but it’s true. Sorry, Zumba. It’s been real.

Yoga Myth #2: You Must Be Fit

When I think of a typical woman who practices yoga, a particular image comes to mind. She is thin, flexible, toned, comfortable in form-fitting yoga attire and usually white. Though I’ve retained flexibility since cheerleading in high school, I meet none of those other requirements. Surely, I was unfit for yoga, especially in a group setting. This turned out to be yoga myth #2.

Starting at home was a great way for me to become more comfortable with yoga at first. I was still apprehensive walking into my first class, but what I found upon arrival was that:

I was not the only woman in less-than-perfect shape

I was not the only newbie

I was not the only woman of color, and

Even if I was the only any of these things, nobody would have cared

Part of the essence of yoga, I’ve found, is acceptance. Acceptance of others, and acceptance of yourself. Also, it is so personal that people are focused on their practice and generally not concerned about others. I feel more comfortable within the serene confines of the yoga studio than I do in the testosterone-filled weight room at the gym.

The image of a yogini that the media portrays has nothing to do with what yoga is about. The super skinny, flexible girls you see on yoga further perpetuate that false yoga myth. The only physical requirement that you need to do yoga is to physically show up. You don’t need to do or be anything other than ready and willing to start!

Yoga Myth #3: Yoga is “Just Stretching”

This was huge because I thought of yoga as “just stretching”. I couldn’t imagine “just stretching” would burn enough calories to prevent me from also having to do a “real” workout. If I only had one hour 3 days a week to exercise, I wanted the most bang for my buck. “Just stretching” wouldn’t cut it!

Well, this yoga myth turned out to be so very wrong. My first class left me dripping with sweat. My heart rate monitor said I’d burned about 350 calories! Two days later, I tried “Yoga Sculpt”, where we used hand weights and integrated more planks, pushups, squats and core work into the practice. I was so wiped out!

Yoga can indeed be meditative, spiritual and relaxing — all of which is good for those new to sobriety, whether we want to admit it or not. But yoga can also be a physically challenging, sweat-inducing, a calorie-burning activity that rivals your toughest cardio or weight-lifting session. Yoga is a real workout if you want it. Bottom line.

Yoga Myth #4: Yoga is Just Not for Me

For the longest time, I just thought that I wasn’t the type of person who would do yoga. To me, yoga was for super calm, spiritual, meditative people. That just wasn’t me! I like my music loud, my workouts intense. I’m competitive and ambitious and strong. When I finally started, however, I noticed that yoga was most definitely for people like me, too! Especially in sobriety.

I fell in love with the rigor of Ashtanga and was thrilled to be pushed to my limits. It was definitely “for me” in that way. But what I found was that yoga began to change how I viewed myself in the first place, and fast.

I can’t say that I’m any more spiritual than before, but yoga has changed me some. It has calmed me down, given me inner peace, and made me confident and self-aware in sobriety. Yoga has taught me my physical limits and how to gently work within them. Breathing intently brings such calmness and focus. Kundalini practice left me feeling euphoric.

So, while I still enjoy aggressive exercise, I’ve come to appreciate the gentle side as well. Yoga was “for me” as I already was, but as I progress on my sobriety journey, I’m discovering more about what “for me” even really means. And yoga is for that, too.

Yoga Myth #5: Yoga is too Time-Consuming

This was huge. As stated a bit above, I always felt that I’d have to choose my workouts wisely with such limited time. If I only had an hour, surely I’d rather go running than lay on the floor like a human pretzel. This idea only got worse after the birth of my son. For the first several months after his birth, I couldn’t even get to the gym. I’d just baby-wear and go running around the neighborhood park, thereby eliminating the need to travel. Bonus points for the free weighted vest that carrying a baby provides!

Now, I’m finding that yoga beats virtually any other activity I’ve engaged in when it comes to time constraints. Here’s why:

You can do it at home. There is no need to even put on your shoes or leave the house. This makes it ideal for stay-at-home-moms… you can get your full workout in while your baby naps!

It is a complete workout. Depending on the style, you can get your cardio and your strength training in one complete package. Most other workouts would still require training of the opposite type. (If you run, you still need to do resistance training).

You can break it up into parts. 10 minutes here, 20 minutes there. All of it is effective. You can even do yoga in bed!

So yup… yoga myth #5 is that it takes too much time. Quite the contrary.

The Best Way to Get Started with Yoga

Some experts believe starting at home is a no-no. It is generally suggested that you start with at least one teacher-led session so that you learn proper form. However, that is not the approach I took.

Yoga classes cost money. One of my local yoga studios is $160/month. I was hesitant to shell out a bunch of cash for obvious reasons. What if I didn’t like it? If I was physically incapable in some way, then what? What if I spent all that money and couldn’t commit? Yeah, no.

One of my mottos is moderate + simple = sustainable. Sometimes you gotta do you, boo-boo!

Free Yoga On YouTube

So, I started on YouTube! I quickly found that there is no shortage of free workouts of different levels, styles, and lengths. This was perfect for testing the waters!

My first day I browsed several beginner videos. I wound up sticking with Yoga with Adriene. She has tons of great content, a nice teaching style and is easy to follow. I started with a 15-minute sequence. Nothing about that session was particularly moving, but I did enjoy it enough to continue. By day 3 I found myself seeking out longer videos. The second week I was practicing 2-3x per day. At the two-week mark, I chose to commit. It was then that I joined Equinox and couldn’t be happier for having done so.

I know that we are all different and what works for one may not work for all. But sometimes things that we think may not be for us might turn out to be the perfect fit. I am humbled by discovering something that I dragged through the mud has brought such transformation into my life. My only regret is that I wasn’t more open-minded a lot sooner.

If you are on the fence about trying yoga, consider that you have nothing to lose but time. Yoga has so many benefits for women, you can’t lose! If you give it a shot and don’t like it, fine. But if you wait years then discover that you love it, you’ll regret the wasted time. So, go on, sis. Check out some YouTube videos. Take that class at your gym. Or maybe grab a cheap Groupon for a local yoga studio. You owe it to yourself to at least try. It just might change your life

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ruvigapo · 5 years

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Hi do you have maybe some tips for someone who is learning how to use water colour? What brand of water colors to use etc. ??

Hi! Sure i guess.♡ Keep in mind that while i wouldn't say i'm a beginner i'm definitely still learning too.

I will uh.. i'll edit this post this afternoon with some tips lol (note to self to not use the tumblr app in the morning lest your thumb slip and post an unfinished post XD)

((Or maybe i am still a beginner, idk. Okay yeah i'm a beginner but i can give some tips.))

Okay so, i'm home. Been a long day. Here are some tips.

Honestly though, i'm Definitely not an expert when it comes to watercolour specifically. I've used it since i was a kid but i only really got the hang of it resently and i'm definitely still learning.

1. So honestly my first advise is to just look at a lot of different tutorials and ask a lot of different people. This goes for most mediums, but there are a lot of different ways to use water colour to achieve the look that you want and a lot of people do it differently bc it's so versitile.

2. This is a given, but honestly, there's no better teacher than experience. The more you try something out and try doing it in different ways, the more you'll be able to find what works for you. That's really important i think.

This is a tangent, but I took a water colour summer course once and i learn a lot of cool stuff, but i also learnt through a lot of trial and error that my style of water colour was very different from how it's traditionally taught here. Partially because i'm impatient and can barely wait for the layers to dry (this, btw, is honestly a must in water colour tho so that's really gotten better on my end with practice) and partially because a lot of the techniques i learnt were good for landscape painting but dificult when drawing more complicated pieces in my opinion. They're still great techniques but i also learnt to take inspiration from other sources that more closely match what i like to paint.

And the more i learn the more i find that i am also able to incorporate traditional techniques that before seemed very dificult for me.

3. As for art supplies, i honestly wouldn't worry too much about it. Especially as a beginner. I always say that the tool doesn't make the artist, the artist makes the artist. In the end, the most important tool you will ever need is your mind.

I'm also not very good with what brands are high quality and which aren't so there's that frankly.

I'd say ask around and look into what brands are available to you. Most standard water colour sets are good and last a long time. Then you can of course expand your tool arsenal. I'd recomend a bigger pallet just because i'm the kinda person who really enjoys mixing and trying out a lot of different colours and therefore need a lot of space to mix colours.

Also i'd say look into what type of brushes you prefer, and pay attention which brushes are water colour brushes and which are acrylic brushes bc they're pretty different.

Really high quality brushes are usually made with animal hair, which makes it able to hold a lot of water and pigment. I don't like them much personally bc i don't use a lot of water for my drawings as a general rule (mostly because they're doodles and the paper in my sketch book doesn't hold water all that well). (And also sometimes the hairs fall off from the brush and get stuck in my drawing 😬... they're worth checking out though.)

But try out different types of brushes and see what you like. It might be tempting to get a very tiny brush for tiny details but honestly, a medium size does the same work just fine with a light hand in my opinion. And depending on wether you want to paint big or small, what size brush you need will vary. I know that art supplies can be expensive though, so don't feel like you Have to get the most expensive thing when you're just starting out.

4. Speaking of just staring out... honestly, don't even worry about using up your supplies and feeling like every single thing you make has to be perfect. It's not going to be perfect. And not only is that okay but it's nessesary. Not to mention that perfection is wholy a myth and can't be achieved so don't even worry. Quantity over quality i always say. The quality will come with time and work. Which is why i always recomend cheaper brands anyway because you will be painting A Lot to git gud, as they say, but that might just be me.

5. Back to brands

Honestly Please invest in a good paper at least once. It doesn't have to be Fantastic, it just needs to hold water. I'm not even joking, the quality of your paper does wonders for the quality of your drawing. Can you make water colour look good on normal paper? Sure. Case in point, all of the things i paint. But honestly, if not for the sake of a result, then try it out for the sake of experience. Try different things. See what works for you. I honestly do recomend starting out with a good water colour paper since the result will be miles better and you'll feel way more encurraged to continue. That's the one supply i'm adamant about trying honestly. But again, budget wisely young padawan. And if you ever feel scared to use your supplies bc they were expensive and you don't want to waste it.. again nothing is a waste, everything you draw is stored as knowlege in your brain that you'll use to make better art in the future. Nothing is a waste. But if you're like me and the anxiety really hinders you, just get a cheaper paper. I like to paint in my sketch book bc it feels like a diary to me and it doesn't have to be perfect and if i screw up it's still fine. I'll tape it over and start again.

Okay so.. i realise that this is rambly and maybe a bit preachy and not very specific. Starting out can be scary and you want all the things in the right place and you want things to go well every time you paint even though you know it's not going to at first. But you just have to start somewhere and keep going from there. Bc if you never start, where will you be?

So honestly, if you don't have any supplies on hand, just go to the nearest place that sells art supplies and get yourself some good paper and a water colour set and just go ham trying out the colours.

Here are some of the water colour things i've watched over the years to help me in geting started.

youtube

This last guy i only found the other week. He does a more trafitional style, more in line with how i was taught at that one summer class thing. So it's always nice to look at different ways to do the thing you want to do.

6. Water colour to me has always been tricky. It's water so it flows, and for a while, that was frustrating because i wasn't able to control it i thought. I prefered using markers but honestly, markers are way more expencive than water colours and you can't mix them and get as much if a clean finish, so now i only use water colour to colour my drawings.

But for a while i avoided water colour and instead opted to use guache. Guache is mostly used in illustrations bc they're easy to layer since the paint is opaque. It's much more forgiving than water colours, so if you want, buy a couple tubes of guache and try that. You don t need that many. I use cyan magenta and two types of yellow as well as white. Any art teacher will tell you that with practice you can mix almost every colour from those colours. I almost never use blacj anymore. Unless i'm lazy, in which case i'll jusr add a layer of black water colour on top of the guache. (GUACHE CAN BE EXPENSIVE THOUGH, DON'T FORGET TO BUDGET)

There are opaque water colours but most aren't i believe. That's where the main difference between guache and water colour comes in. See, in water colour, traditionally, you aren't supposed to use white to lighten a colour. Instead you use water to dilude the pigment. This gives a much more clean and crisp finish. You can do this with guache also, but since quache is already opaque it will still have that same grainy look wether you dilude it with water or mix it with white or both. I mean... i personally love the grainy look so... it's very story book-ish.

With guache bring opaque that also means you can paint over mistakes and start over pretty much, so again, guache is much more forgiving. Once the white of the page is gone when you use water colour, you can't get that back without adding white guache on top, which honwstly just looks messy imo. So be aware of that.

7. Let layers dry before adding another one or the colours will bleed together. Learning to be patient is key. But if you're like me you can just use a hair dryer tbh.

8. If you're using a good paper, you can experiment with a lot more water. Taping down the paper helps bc the paper will swell a lot and buckle when you add a lot of water. (Press it between a butt load of books to get it somewhat flat again).

You can try taking a spunge or a wide brush and add a layer of water before adding the pigment. It can have some interesting results.

You can also leave the paper dry and just paint layers like you would with markers. Both work. Water bleeds more but that's really cool in landscape painting so if that's something you want to try, def experiment with letting the colours bleed together.

9. Oh and don't forget to swatch out your colours when you get them. Water colour dry lighter than it looks when you put down the colour, so swatching helps with determining what colours you want where.

There are So Many videos on the subject honestly. I like to watch videos while i paint. It's fun.

Okay so this is long enough i think. I barely grazed the tip of the proverbial iceberg but i hope it helped.

I really encurrage anyone who knows their stuff abt water colour to add on to this. I really don't want to spread false info. These are just my two cents on the top of my head.

Which basically just boils down to

JUST DO IT

I honestly tell myself this every day. And if i can do parkour then you can paint.

Good luck and have fun! 👍👍👍

#water colour #watercolor #guache #tips #muffin rambles #ask a muffin #sorry this took so long #i'm never on here lmao #check out my instagram lol #i post every month there #..... it has new kl art lmao #shameless promo #but seriously #live your dream #water colour away

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rainsonata · 5 years

Text

Doppelgänger 5/15

Chapter 05: Smokes and Mirrors

Fandom/Pairing: Elsword; none Rating: M Word Count: 7,006

Summary: It was like looking into a mirror. What happens when one’s reflection talks back and throws uncomfortable questions? El Search Party struggles to find entrance into the Demon Realm, but Dominator has a plan.

Alternative Title: Dominator fucked up and now everyone meets their alternative selves

AO3 Link / FF.NET Link

— [Chapter 01] [Chapter 02] [Chapter 03] [Chapter 04] [Chapter 05] [Chapter 06] [Chapter 07] [Chapter 08] [Chapter 09] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11] [Chapter 12] [Chapter 13] [Chapter 14] [Chapter 15] —

----------------------------

Class Notes:

Canon Path: Knight Emperor, Aether Sage, Daybreaker, Rage Hearts, Code: Esencia, Comet Crusader, Apsara, Empire Sword, Doom Bringer, Ishtar and Chevalier (Innocent), Bluhen

Alternative Path: Rune Slayer, Oz Sorcerer, Anemos, Furious Blade, Code: Ultimate, Fatal Phantom, Devi, Flame Lord, Dominator, Timoria and Abysser (Catastrophe), Richter

-----------------------------

Knight Emperor

He was floating, fading in and out of consciousness in the depths of the mind. When Knight’s mind surfaced, the pain returned to his sense, tiny needles streaming pass his pores. Red flashed past his vision and his eyes snapped open. His hands reached for his chest, feeling for a heart pulsing through. Heavy audible breaths and the smell of moss greeted the knight.

Cave, Knight grasped to make form a cohesive thought. He was trapped in a demon-infested cavern. Demons stronger than the ones he and his friends have fought in the past. The biggest one had geodes growing from is back and its insides - no, the demon was a crystal monster. It could have broken his spine into two if not for…

The red-haired knight held his gaze at the man in front of him. A scar in the form of a pink jagged line slashing downward, lanky limbs dangling to the sides, and translucent skin thin as parchment paper. Who was he? Why did he share the same face as Bringer, who was nowhere as thin or gangly as this stranger?

“Add?” He backed into a wall.

“Elsword!” Mad Paradox exclaimed.

“What are you doing here?”

“Elsword!”

“Why do you keep saying my name?” Knight was frustrated.

“Elsword!” He feigned disapproval. “Is that how you greet an old friend? This is the part where you thank me.”

“I don’t know you.”

“Or do you~?” Paradox sang.

Knight kept his lips sealed into a straight line. He knew Bringer, but he never met this man. This could be a trap. It was an attempt to get him to talk, that had to be the case. There was no hiding it that he was on his own and was vulnerable once cornered by multiple enemies. As the leader of the El Search Party, Knight was the perfect target because he had access to information about the El that any of their enemies would use to their advantage. If outsiders knew why they were in Demon Realm, that would put his friends in danger, a risk Knight wasn’t willing to test. Not after the effort they poured into rescuing him. He wasn’t going to put their efforts in vain without repaying them.

What was Paradox? He didn’t look like a Henir cultist with the purple and magenta color scheme in contrast to the black and electric blue monsters in Elrianode. Unlike Henir cultists, the time traveler acted by himself when the cultists always appeared in bigger groups with monsters in their wake. The black sclera reminded him of the demons in Lanox, but that couldn’t be it. His movements were too fluid to belong to those of a demon.

Ishtar was never going to let him off the hook if he was to ever suggest that demons lacked grace.

“Why the bleak face?” Paradox chuckled, “You can talk to me. I don’t bite.”

“Tell me what happened,” Knight wasn’t as convinced.

“Someone got lost and the cute monster said goodnight.”

“I fought demons and a bigger one,” Knight said with curtness.

“Avoidable battles if you weren’t running and screaming so much,” Paradox rolled his eyes, iridescence and mechanical in eerie uncanniness. “Why are Elbrats so loud?”

Jagged ridges graveled to the ceiling and the walls enclosing the cavern, paving uneven paths the Dark Agate left behind. Limestone lined the walls and peeled away. Crystals from the ground up and black ink blots painted the ground until coming to an abrupt halt midway to where Knight sat. His forearm was cracked with dry blood and scar tissue forming where it hurt the most, wincing when he stretched and pulled a tendon.

Crushed boulders trampled over, stalagmites and stalactites shattered into pieces and the ground weakened from the fight Knight had with the crystal monster. Pebbles crumbled under his boots into fine dust. The cave echoed with the sound of water dripping from the ceiling, sharp hisses from an unknown source unseen by the knight. He squinted for lines of purple amethysts, his gaze wandering to the ledge leading to the abyss below.

“Where’s the monster?”

“Gone.” Paradox teased, “Do you miss it already?”

Again with the all-knowing tone and shit-eating grin like they knew each other. This man was crazy acting like they were somehow connected. Calling himself an old friend and now commenting on his fighting style. How would Paradox know about why he preferred taking on his opponents first on first over sneaking around and avoiding fights? He was a knight, not an assassin.

Although… Paradox wasn’t wrong on pointing out the obvious. Hours of getting ambushed by demons placed a toll on Knight’s energy and resources. By the time he faced the Dark Agate, he was low on stamina and lacked the initial vitality he had at the beginning of his trek through the cave. Knight came in blind with the belief that it would fight like the smaller monsters, a beginner’s mistake that deserved much chastise. Perhaps he let his arrogance get into his head because a child was with him and Knight wanted to prove that everything would be okay.

Anger flickered in his core. How stupid could he be? It was no better than cutting corners in training for the sake of flashiness. There was a flash of pain replaced by numbness and a period of timeless nothingness, but he was…

“Alive,” Knight held up his hands. Fingerless gloves steeped in iron red, a reeking metallic smell mixed with his sweat. Whispering to himself, “I’m alive. How?”

“Can’t let the main character die in a side story, now, can I?” Paradox cackled.

Knight realized. He was rescued by Paradox, not unlike the many times Bringer watched his back in Elrianode. An explanation he pieced together with the minimal informal he had, but it failed to answer more persisting questions. The time traveler spoke in rhetoric suggesting the impossible, an observer from another realm.

Perplexed, Knight naturally wanted to ask more but stopped himself in realizing that would only result in more cryptic answers from the noodle spaceman. His answers were as vague as to how or why the El Search Party kept fighting brainwashed enemies for the past few years. One would think half of Elrios was brainwashed from the number of unavoidable fights they had.

“And the child?” Knight asked. Surely there was something of them left if he was alive. When Paradox didn’t answer, he yanked on the time traveler’s collar, forcing the other to lean down at his eye level. “What happened to them?”

Still smiling, Paradox laughed. “What child?”

“There was a child,” Knight explained. “They were with me, they-”

“Were they, now?” Paradox snickered. “A dangerous place for children to wander into such as yourself.”

“I’m eighteen years old,” he growled.

“Hardly a difference.”

“They were defenseless and I was the only one who could fight.”

He told them to stay close to him, hang on and let him take care of the Dark Agate. Leaving a child alone would have made them into an easy target for the crystal monster to pray upon. What option did Knight have without risking another life? In the end, he wasn’t strong and he had no one else to rely on. Not even someone who was as elusive as the child could avoid those shards when the monster let the lights out.

The child pulled no strains with their weight when Knight lifted them up, less than what one would expect for a child of their height and age. Up close, a deep scar marked against one side of their cheek, a zigzag and a pair of asymmetrical eyes. Black sclera identical to ones looking into Knight’s field of vision with a devious expression.

Horror breached Knight’s thoughts. No. No, no, no, no, no, please no. He knew fate had a crude sense of humor and loved irony, but he didn’t want to deal with this again. Dread prickled his tanned skin when a pair of black gloves held his chin up. The undersides were hot pink, almost red.

“You’re the child?” Knight choked.

Paradox clapped his hands and beamed, “Congratulations! You’re faster than the last Elsword.”

“I’ve been protecting an old man?”

“Twenty-one, brat.” Paradox laughed, “Did you enjoy my gift?”

The greatsword in Knight’s hand suddenly felt heavier in his hands, the redhead aware that its original owner was not present. This belonged to Rune, his counterpart. They were the same, yet there were distinctive differences that made them separate people. If Rune was here, the rest of the El Search Party couldn’t be far behind.

The blade held a shine and a thicker build than what Knight was used to, a type of metal favored by battle mages to amplify their magic. Sparks flew from the blade when struck against boulders. His counterpart chose to compensate for their shared weakness of magic, why didn’t Knight think of that?

“This isn’t mine,” Knight said.

“A little mix-up,” Paradox was less concerned about the details. “That fight you had with the demon took longer than I anticipated. You’re not ready for Rosso.”

“Ready for who?” Knight demanded to know.

Sharp pain seized his chest, his insides twisted. Knight hugged his stomach, reminding himself to keep his breaths even, fanning himself with his hand and leaning forward with his sword for support. He wiped his forehead and hugged his sides. Colors blurred in a mess of tears as Knight applied pressure to his forehead. He may be alive, but experience told him that he wasn’t out of the woods yet. The pain dulled into discomfort, persisting in his abdomens and chest. Knight lowered his head and wanted to throw up whatever Rage put into the dried meat.

Knight cursed.

“Oops, looks like the Time Sickness finally kicked in.” Paradox said with an unapologetic giggle.

Time what? Knight didn’t like the sound of that and turned pale, “What are you doing playing around with me? What did you do to me?”

“You still don’t get it?” Paradox feigned annoyance, lips curled up and showing his teeth. “Ah, right. It’s your first time. I’ll have to fix that.”

Lights went out.

Crystals glistened in the blackened space, magenta flashed in the form of Paradox’s suit and artificial eye. The sound of gravel and something cracking under pressure snapped Knight’s attention to the source, waving his sword in the uncomfortable darkness.

When the lights returned, the older man was no longer where he once was. Dark laughter flooded his eardrums in unison with unnerving cackling. Paradox emerged from the ceiling, head sticking out from a ripple in the dimension, torn into pieces for the time traveler to tinker with as he pleased. Below him was the Dark Agate holding the ominous lantern in its hand.

Paradox had a fluid gait, crossing his legs one over the other with the skill of an acrobat walking over a wire with fear absent in his stance. He lacked the guarded tension hallmark of most adventurers in a cave home to demons and monsters. Hands over the wall, manipulating Dynamo with the same familiarity Knight had with his sword.

Crystal shards rained down on Paradox, thin needles penetrating him with the older male barking an ugly sob and guffawing in pain. His body shuddered and his limbs went limp without struggling as the Dark Agate scooped him up, claws curled at Paradox’s chest. A loud crunch broke from the darkness.

Knight looked away. He wanted to hurl. It crushed Paradox like grains of sand, no time for the older man to even cry or choke before his life was stolen. The redhead drew his sword with unsteady hands, dread and tranquil anger sending sparks at his fingertips. Knight’s eyes fluttered to discover that the traveler’s body missing.

A dimension ripped open from above, sliding to where the monster was for gravitational spheres to downpour with intensity shaking the ground from the bottom up. Rough crystal formed at the edges of the portal and a figure dressed in black appeared, phase shifting next to Knight.

His left shoulder blade shattered into diamond shards; Paradox’s body lost visibility in shape and electricity emitted from his core. There were no holes in his clothes or blood to suggest he had been injured in the fight. It was as if Paradox was never wounded.

Paradox ripped open a portal with his hands, clawing at the edges with his hands. Pulling his foot into the entrance, he stretched and widened the portal with his arms and legs until it was the size of the Dark Agate. He reappeared from behind, generating energy and shoving the monster into the abyss. The older male moved the portal to the ground level as the opening shrunk in size. An arm was torn off from sharp edges applying pressure to the Dark Agate’s arm reaching out for them. Paradox kicked the still twitching arm and stomped until it ceased its movements and fell silent.

Knight gawked at the other man dusting blood off his sleeves, “Your spine. It snapped. The monster, you-”

“Awww, look at you.” Paradox cooed, “Seal of Time reduced you to an infant.”

“What was that?”

He grinned, "can’t die if you undo time on yourself."

That’s why they were alive after fighting that monster. Paradox unwinded their injuries and restored their lives. With powers like that, Paradox had time and luxury to learn the enemies’ tactics and won otherwise impossible battles. But why would he have an interest in keeping Knight alive? The time traveler cheated death more than once, but how much would that unhinge a person?

“What do you want from me?” Knight asked weakly.

“What kind of popcorn do you like?” Paradox didn’t answer, as usual.

Knight blinked, “I’m sorry, what?”

Apsara

Sky blue eyes glaring with intensity directed only to her. Azure locks flowed over their flawless features, too clear and smooth to belong to a person whose posture was accustomed to the battlefield. Light flashed under the melancholic moon. Her opponent summoned a wide array of spears, clashing against hers and sending white sparks flying like the fireworks she lit up at the summer festivals as a child.

The man standing before the spear user held a stand hand over his weapons, pointed spears emerging from his palms with ease. White gloves gripped over the pair of weapons, the color of glass reminiscent to the stairs and platforms in the Hall of El. Iridescent and emitting a blinding light, forcing Apsara to shield her eyes.

Was this man really Ain? He wielded a white gold pendulum with gold trims at the edges. His white attire and demeanor reminded her more of a mercenary than the priest Bluhen was, charging towards Apsara with no mercy at his disposal. There was no hesitance, going for her blind spots if she failed to cover her bases and stand guard. Projecting one spear after another, it was a macabre dance of blades, furrowed brows deepening in time to his precise footwork. Right foot up, left foot back, holding his stance and unflinching when Apsara pulled back and forced her weight against his.

“Don’t let him heal!” Chevalier shouted.

A lotus flower formed as Apsara spun her spear in a figure eight, launching the ball of energy and shoving her opponent back. Knocking Richter off his feet, Apsara smacked the priest with the end of her spear. She leaped into the air, performing a somersault midair and diving in to slam her weight against the man. Air escaped from Richter, choking on his saliva and struggled to break free. Apsara missed him by a mere hair and charged with her spear in hand, audible gasps rippled through the cold air as she attacked.

Richter gritted his teeth, anger flickered in his features. A forced serene facade masked over a fury reaching through his attacks. He fought a losing battle against four, but he persisted. Static surged from his palms and wind picked surrounded the man, drawing more blades and launching himself several meters into the air, turning his head to face his other opponents.

A tall Nasod dressed in white with a black helmet swung a chained sword, Oberon phase shifting and crossing blade with a heavy clang. Two drones floated midair, engaged in a transversal angle. Lasers blasted from the drones, spinning and converging energy aiming for their target.

“Tell us what happened to Elsword,” Esencia talked over the clashing blades.

Richter breathed heavy breathes, shoving Oberson’s head down and using his knee to hit the lower jaw, pushing the Nasod servant away. He fired deliberate projectiles to Esencia’s drones, hitting and shifting them at the base.

Apsara squeaked and ducked from a laser pointing to where her head once was. That was a close call! The spear user hung her head and sweated bullets. She was glad Esencia was on their side, but having the Nasod Queen’s attacks directed back was a terrifying thought for the young woman. Her hair remained frizzled from proximity to the energy beam, sinking her body and crawling over to Esencia to avoid another laser.

“Then you understand that he isn’t yours,” Richter spoke. A deep harsh echo carried in his voice, “Are you aware of the consequences for your actions?”

“He’s not with us,” Chevalier said. He and Ishtar circled the priest, keeping distance in a guarded stance, gun blades and soul spears ready for sudden movement.

“I wasn’t addressing you, Blue Demon.” Richter glared at the butler.

“How dare you talk to Ciel like that!” Ishtar pointed her soul spear at the priest, “What are you doing with a weapon you have no right to claim?”

Her wings wavered, a cyan blue membrane stretched over thin bone structures and beating the air with anger in the tiny demon’s features. Ishtar whined when her butler blocked her from lunging at Richter, fuming and crossing her arms.

“I apologize for that,” Chevalier said with equal iciness as the priest. “You must understand how important Elsword is to us. We just want to know how you came into possession of his sword.”

“Is that what this is about?” Richter pulled out the greatsword from his belt and sighed, “Humans and demons alike show unnecessary concern over materialistic things that hold no value. This weapon will not bring him back.”

Apsara protested, “Please, it’s important to him! If you’re Ain, why are you fighting us? Aren’t you friends with Elsword? I’m sure he wouldn’t want this!”

Recognition sparked from Richter’s expression, anger? Fear? Emotions alternating with one another before he settled for indifference and narrowed his eyes, “Ms. Fox in White. No, Devi. ”

Bluhen had abilities that garnered wariness from Eun’s end, but he was a patient man and did not judge when she asked him to explain something in simpler terms. He had a child-like wonder in everything that made him gained stares when they visited towns. After Bluhen nearly ran the team bank dry because he discovered cinnamon rolls, Apsara decided he was harmless. Anyone who had a sweet tooth couldn’t be all that bad, could they?

This stranger who responded to the name Ain… He stole Knight’s sword, gave them crude nicknames, and treated them like they were the enemy. Why did Richter call her by that name? Apsara wanted to believe there was a reason behind Richter’s behavior, but little emotions were revealed when Esencia asked what happened to Knight.

Be careful, Ara. A feminine voice whispered in the back of Apsara’s mind, I sense something about him.

What is it, Eun? Apsara asked, The Dark El?

No. The fox spirit paused, High levels of energy resonates from him, more than Ain. Let me take over.

Apsara shook her head, He must know something about Elsword if he has his greatsword.

Knight had to be nearby if his sword was found by someone else. There were others with Richter, their shapes unrecognizable in the shadows and concealed by the night. How many, she could not tell, but it was an impressive size, at least a dozen of them. Could they be humans the dark elves mentioned this morning?

Apsara quivered her lips, hard pressed in finding the positives in their situation. It felt like they were interrogating Richter instead of talking to an ally. Not unlike the shadows they have fought in Hamel and the Hall of El, Richter was averse to answering their questions, disdain was apparent in his brief and curt answers. But Richter was different. He held a will of his own and reason. Despite not drawing his weapons back, the priest had them lowered and was listening, even if reluctantly.

“If you know anything about what happened to Elsword, tell us!” Apsara pleaded, “We haven’t seen him in two days and we don’t know where he went!”

“I don’t know any of you.” Richter said with an even tone, “And I’ve never met this Elsword of yours. Elsword is with you-”

“Which one?” Esencia asked.

Ishtar mused. “Having more than one Elsword makes this conversation confusing.”

“Where did you find the sword?” Chevalier asked, “If I may ask.”

“In the forest,” Richter replied. “You have my duplicate with you, but he failed to find it before me? Are you done interrogating?”

No use, Apsara lowered her head in defeat. If only Knight was here…maybe Richter would have listened. The redhead was good with words and preventing situations from escalating like Empire, but neither of the Sieghart siblings was present. What would Empire do if she was here? Would she smile and reassure Richter or put her foot down and lay down what needed to be accomplished to make the discussion work? Empire made talking to people look easier than it actually was!

“Ain had a lot on his mind,” Apsara clutched her hands around her spear. “I’m sure you do too!”

“Your Elsword is not with me,” Richter tensed. “Where is Mr. Half-Nasod with no shirt?”

Rage Hearts? The mercenary escaped with the rest of the El Search Party because of the sudden appearance of their opposites. Were they really mirrors of themselves? From the few members Apsara had met, they were strong-willed, unwavering on their opinions and determined to retrieve Rune. It was true that Rune wasn’t their leader, but he was still Elsword, so maybe he could be helpful in helping them find Knight.

If Knight wasn’t with Richter, where could he be? Was he lost in the forest somewhere surrounded by demons, waiting for them to find him? Empire tried contacting him through their communicators for hours, but no one picked up. Were they too late that something happened to him? Or was he taken somewhere far and away from where the connection between them has weakened?

Knight had to be alive, she mumbled a prayer and pursed her lips. If something happened to him, Empire would be left with no family, just like her. Apsara couldn’t bare to see the knight captain suffer, not after everything they have gone together.

Apsara breathed, “You’ll have to catch up with our friends if you want to see Raven.”

“Noted.” Richter vanished from the crowd encircling him, appearing behind Apsara, “Then I understand that I must take on those that defy the goddess.”

With projectile weapons materializing in his palms, energy surged as Richter leaped. Six spears encircled the priest, casting them to where her spine was. Apsara turned and raised her spear, but Chevalier beat her to it, shielding the attack with a cross-shaped gunblade larger than the butler. Ishtar launched herself into the air, soul spears forming at her fingertips to counteract Richter’s. The priest backed away to the sight of Esencia and Oberson joining the demon sovereign in the fight, back to back with the Nasod Queen giving orders to her servants.

“What is he doing?” Ishtar growled.

“I think we angered him,” Chevalier ushered her to stand behind his gunblade. “Get ready for cover!”

Blue lines shone from above, a paradigm grid forming and crossing over in loops and lines into an array of magic circles. Raised in the air was Richter looking down and weapons materializing for the priest to grasp in his hands, more floating beside him. Spears and projective weapons showered down as the magic circles glowed.

Apsara twirled in a half-step, using her spear to leap away from the countless weapons crashing down her path, using her weight to pull herself from harm’s way. She nearly tripped over falling debris, scrambling to pull herself up and dodge a spear aiming for her foot. The earth shook in vibration to the intensity of their battle. Tucking her spear under her arms, Apsara curled her body into a tight ball and rolls away. She overheard Esencia throwing commands to Oberon and Ophelia to help Ishtar and Chevalier.

Her feet barely touching the ground, Esencia hovered with a raised arm. “Heaven’s Fist!”

The Nasod queen grabbed her roughly by the shirt, lifting and pushing Apsara away. She landed behind Ishtar and Chevalier. Clothes torn from the fight and suffered a few cuts, but the demon and butler were otherwise unharmed.

A Nasod arm raised in unison with Esencia, descending as she gave the command. The giant mechanical arm sent shockwaves as it crushed its sole target. Dust and debris clouded her vision and made Apsara gag, waving her hand and covering her mouth. Once things began to clear, she could make out the outline of a tall figure.

A swordsman in a white hooded jacket trimmed with black fur and a tan complexion emerged from the settled dust. His blade was of a blue metallic, its handle grip wrapped in black ribbons held by his left arm. Gold eyes hardened when they formed eye contact.

“Raven,” Esencia identified the man.

“Eve,” Blade lowered his blade. “I see you have found one of our comrades.”

Apsara gasped in seeing the older male. That look again; she was worried. It held the same disdain Richter gave her. Apsara wasn’t used to being at the receiving end of scorn and indifference. It took her a moment to recognize that Blade’s left jacket sleeve cut around the shoulder area to make room for a mechanical but sleeker Nasod arm. She had almost mistaken the arm for a human one with how smooth and fluid its movements were. Blade used his Nasod arm to wield his sword, a contrast to Rage.

Arm pulled over Blade’s shoulder, Richter limped in his walk. His hair lost its shine and returned to a darker shade of the sky. Cuts and bruises decorated his skin exposed to the elements.

“You took too long,” Richter said.

“We’re limited on members,” Blade replied. “Can you still walk?”

Richter nodded.

“Let’s go,” Blade pulled out a sphere from his jacket pocket and tossed it at their feet.

Mist evaporated, dense fog obscuring their vision. Apsara reached for where the two men once were, only to run her hands through nothing. Gone. Where have they disappeared? The young woman turned to see her friends following her.

“They’ll be back,” Esencia said. “Raven is not one to run away.”

“Diplomacy seems to be out of the question,” Chevalier rubbed his head. “Not ones to talk, are they?”

“Did you see the way Ain talked to us?” Ishtar fumed. “He looked down at us like we were inferiors!”

We need to be cautious, Eun warned her. They could be planning something.

I know, Apsara thought with sadness. Would things have worked differently if she was more cautious in her words?

Sensing her distress, Eun reassured the young woman. You did what you could. No time to regret what has been done.

Apsara looked into the mist with sadness.

Furious Blade

Blade rested his head against the base of a tree not too far to where they have encountered their friends’ counterparts. There were at least four of them when Blade found Richter cornered by them, weapons raised. Sweat patched over his forehead, the older male looked up to one of the Demon Realm’s numerous moons, clenching his Nasod arm into a tight fist and releasing. Wiggling his left digits left a tinge of an emotion Blade hasn’t felt since he last saw his father. Wonder and amazement to how human-like the motions were, no longer claws gripping over his palm.

Calibrated to be sensitive to the slightest touch, it processed information from its owner as quickly as a natural one would, maybe faster. It was one of Dominator’s better inventions that didn’t involve lasers, although the scientist proclaimed he was more than happy to change that. Mentions of an auto-tracking rocket arm were the last straw where Blade had to put his foot down. Ultimate’s suggestions for spears wasn’t helping things either. The swordsman let out an audible sigh on his teammates’ lack of tact. Let him use his arm for its intended purpose!

“What were you doing fighting four people at once?” Anemos applied pressured over Richter’s open wounds with a cotton ball.

“They had Elsword,” Richter replied.

“You should have ran away or called for backup!” She snapped, “One of us could have come and helped!”

The priest did not protest but kept his head lowered. Lips visibly quivering, his shoulders shook as Richter let out shallow gasps from the short sprint they endured. It was a rare event for the celestial to use his feet to run rather than using external forces to propel himself off the ground. There were limited magical sources for Richter to rely on, forcing him into making pragmatic decisions in saving his energy for more immediate matters.

Blue hair drenched in sweat and red dirt, he reminded Blade of a demon plant minus the deadly neurotoxins. His skin flushed pink and had glassy eyes, blinking rapidly and mumbling prayers to an unseen being Blade had lost faith to years ago. Richter was strong, but his unbreaking loyalty reminded him of the comrades he once worked with, before Owen…

“And they didn’t let you see the brat?” Dominator looked up from his screens. “Who did you see?”

“Elsword wasn’t with them,” Blade frowned.

Anemos and Dominator caught him up with the details of what happened when they came into contact with their counterparts. They caught Richter in possession of something that belonged to one of their friends. Pleads and excuses were lost amid the fighting and confusion. The swordsman rubbed his forehead in frustration when he caught sight of his alternate throwing Rune over their shoulder. Of course it had to be his counterpart, Blade looked up to see a dark sky. The universe seemed to enjoy pitting him against himself on more than one occasion. Hopefully, this Raven will be more open to reason than the previous ones.

“Both of the Demons were there.” Richter pressed his hand over another cotton ball over his opened wound as Anemos wrapped a bandage over. His lips tightened into a straight line, “and Ms. Fox.”

Lights flickered out from Dynamo, holographic screens dissipated into thin lines and Dominator stopped typing. The scientist turned to Richter, mumbling to himself and biting his lower lip in anger. Dynamo twitched in unison with their master, blinking purple light that made it distracting for Blade to watch without closing his eyes.

“She’s with them?” Dominator cursed, “Of all luck to deal with her.”

“Do we really have to fight her?” Anemos rested her hand over her brow.

“What else will it be?” Dominator growled, “That’s what she does. Have you seen what they’ve done to this guy?”

Richter leveraged his arm to test for pain, pressing his finger over the bandage with a light tap and twisting his wrists for movement. Potions and elixirs sped up the healing process, but it didn’t ease the tension between them in seeing the injuries on their teammate. If Blade hasn’t found Richter earlier, how long would the priest last in a fight? Richter was easily outnumbered by well-coordinated fighters with years of experience. Blade didn’t expect anything less from their alternates. Their numbers and adaptability were what made them strong. Close bonds only made that more so.

“Elsword isn’t with them, so shouldn’t we reprioritize whether to fight them?” Richter asked. “It’s clear that their motive is to separate us from the others to reduce our number.”

“We can’t ignore the possibility of her going after our friends,” Blade said. “Our fight at the very least will slow her down.”

“That’s a bleak outlook,” Anemos commented. “Have more faith in us.”

“It’s not that I don’t trust our efforts,” Blade rubbed his neck. “It’s our luck.”

It couldn’t be helped that they would have to confront their counterparts, but that didn’t make it any easier for Blade to accept without thinking of the possibilities. Another unavoidable fight, he thought with bitterness. It was going to be troublesome sorting things out, especially with himself. The last time Blade tried to reason with himself ended with ruffled tail feathers and a one sided fight.

“Then what is our objective?” Richter asked.

“Slow down their progress,” Blade said. “Don’t let them catch up with the rest of their group. If you can take them down, do it. We don’t want to prolong a fight and waste our resources if it’s something that can be helped.”

Brutal words, but pragmatic in a situation such as theirs. They hardly had the luxury to adjust to their new environment before they encountered the other El Search Party. It was uncertain how long their alternates have stayed in the Demon Realm, but it was evident that they were more familiar with their environment from their strategic placement and movement. They were at a disadvantage going against a group that was more familiar with their surroundings than they were.

“Why are you looking at me for answers?” Blade gripped his blade, his fingers trembling over the handle.

Dominator scoffed, “you’re always bossing us around like we’re children.”

“So we leave as quickly as we come.” Anemos mused, “and what about Ara?”

Blade turned pale. Right… a strategy to combat the woman who shared Devi’s face. Luckily, the alternates wore different clothes, so they couldn’t mistake them as their own teammates, but it didn’t make fighting them any easier. Apsara was still a skilled fighter and would likely be as brutal as her counterpart if given a reason to be.

“Ms. Fox-in-White is the most dangerous in close combat,” Richter said. “The Demons are more synchronized.”

If Ultimate was here, Blade would have sent her to fight Apsara, but she was with Flame and Phantom. Splitting their party into smaller groups had the advantage of covering more ground, but it was important that there was at least one person with the ability or technology to detect Elsword. Dominator would be just as sufficient in keeping distance between himself and the martial artist. His drones could be meddlesome for close-range fighters.

“That sounds like our friends all right.” Anemos adjusted her gloves. “Is there anything else we should know about who we’re fighting?” Anemos asked.

The priest glanced at Dominator to the side, hesitant in his answer. “Ms. Empress is with them.”

“The Queen?” Dominator drawled, hands clasped and fingers crossed. “Tell me more.”

Confused by the scientist’s sudden eagerness, Richter threw a quizzical look to Dominator.

“Three more Nasods were with her,” he reported. “One is tall and carries a sword, another uses projectiles, and there was a little one with her.”

The Nasod Scout? The appearance of the smaller Nasod flashed in Blade’s mind. Hoisted by claw-like appendages, it crawled on its fours like a crab and used its size to attack unexpected enemies. Esencia having control over multiple Nasods was new, but the return of the Nasod Scout was relieving news. At least not everything about their alternates was completely different.

“They move on their own accord and wait for orders. They won’t fight unless she’s nearby,” the priest continued, “Ms. Empress has the most drastic change in how she fights.”

The description eerily resembled the Nasods under Adam’s command. They were weak, but their creator mass-produced them at an alarming rate. Ultimate didn’t have that ability, so Blade prayed that the same applied to this Eve. The swordsman was not as enthusiastic as Dominator about the possibility of fighting Nasods again.

“Lu, Ciel, Ara, and Eve.” Anemos murmured, “And they work well together from what Ain told us. Who will go after Elsword in the meantime?”

“Eve said she’ll run scans for him and Elsword.” Blade said, “Lu and Ciel might be further from them, but they’ll be on the lookout as well.”

“If this fight is too much for you, then allow me to take on the Queen.” Dominator grinned, “You can deal with the fox.”

Blade twitched at the transparent excuse. Using Esencia as an excuse to avoid fighting Apsara… No tact whatsoever, the older man covered his eyes with his Nasod hand. Although with the scientist’s extensive knowledge of Nasods, a fight against Esencia would reel positive results. They would be evenly matched because of Dominator’s drones and Nasods.

“I oppose,” Richter raised his hand.

“You haven’t even listened to my perfect plan yet!” Dominator jabbed a finger at the blue-haired man, “Is it your life objective to disagree with every statement I make?”

A faint line curled at the corner of Richter’s lips, subtle but distinctive for the otherwise stoic priest.

Dominator groaned, “Can’t even complete a sentence without Mr. Holy-Art-Thou over here to rain on my parade!”

“Have you finally caught up on modern language, Mr. Ancient?” Richter taunted the man in white.

“Do I need to separate you two?” Anemos walked between the two men and turned to Dominator. “You can fight Eve, but don’t forget why we’re here.”

Whether it was the strange gleam in Anemos eyes - usually reserved when the El Search Party trailed off-track, or because of the unsettling aura the elf gave off when her patience was wearing thin, she was effective in maintaining peace in their group. She didn’t have the charisma Rune had or the sternness Blade established from years of being in the army, but she always seemed to know the right words. A simple nudge or phrase from her was all it took to get them back on track and focus on their goal.

The scientist froze, blinking upon realization to who he was talking to. Dominator smiled and nodded, but a rare sign of timidness was there, not unlike one of a child caught red-handed with arms deep in the cookie jar. Blade snorted at the mental image and comparison.

Richter’s reaction was more subtle. There was less vanity in his expression, but it was hard to tell with the man who kept his emotions close to his chest.

“If Mr. Ancient fights Ms. Empress, then I’ll take the Demons.” Richter said.

“Are we fighting them individually?” Anemos asked, “We’ll be spreading ourselves too thinly.”

“It will weaken them as well,” Richter disagreed. “They’re strong because they’re together.”

“Wasn’t it the other you who ran off with the brat?” Dominator looked at the swordsman, chuckling to himself. “Almost didn't recognize the other you with all the white hair. It’s a shame we missed an opportunity to analyze a fascinating tool. The power readings Dynamo gave me are nothing like what I’ve seen.”

“We’re not fighting myself,” Blade said with curtness in his tone.

It wasn’t that he feared himself - Blade was past the point of being fearful after the mess they left behind in Elrianode, but it was irking to see a reflection of himself staring back at him. The same angular face painted with a tired expression, aged with years of fighting and traveling.

It was a brief moment, no less than maybe five or six seconds, but Blade’s eyes fell over to the arm. Black as a crow, crimson streaks bled over his alternate’s arm. Gold tips painted over Rage’s claws; spikes ripped out from the shoulder and forearm. The arm looked more demonic than Nasod, pulsating and contrasting rhythmically to its host’s breathes. It was alive .

“I gave our friends information about what to do if they have to face me.” Blade said, “Our goal is to save Elsword, not fight our counterparts to the bone.”

“Then I guess we have no choice but to follow your lead, huh, gramps?” Dominator cocked his head to the side with a sly grin.

Why was everyone insistent on giving him unnecessary nicknames? Each one was as ridiculous as the last, sometimes making no sense at all. Twenty-nine years was hardly old if he was comparing himself to Ultimate and Anemos, although one would think Richter was a century years old from how he talked.

“Do you really think this is our only option?” Anemos asked.

“I don’t know,” Blade admitted. “One of us just attacked them and are making demands they can’t give into. In their eyes, we’re the enemy and I might have to agree with them.”

The elf woman looked at him with sadness.

Blade knew he wasn’t wrong. Like many regretful decisions, there was no pulling back on what already happened. The swordsman wasn’t going to waste his time getting angry over Richter for initiating a fight with themselves. If Seris was still alive and was kidnapped instead of Rune, Blade would have done the same with worse repercussions. Unlike Richter, he wasn’t surrounded by good company when he was at his worse.

“I’m not saying you’re wrong, but I think this fight will end differently than you anticipated.” Anemos giggled, “I’m sure Elsword will let the other Raven know what he thinks about our situation.”

He snorted. Rune was going to talk his kidnappers’ heads off until dawn broke if given the chance, but the imagery was enough to garner a faint smile from Blade.

“Are we leaving?” Richter asked.

“Yes,” he pulled his blade out. “Let’s go.”

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Author Notes: As you may have noticed, it has been a while since I uploaded a new chapter. Without going too much into detail about my life, my schedule has changed and I won't have a lot of time to work on fanfics. In addition, I no longer play Elsword as much because of new interests and due to CP restrictions in the newer dungeons. I will see what I can do to finish this fanfic, but future updates will come slower. Thank you for your patience and for all of your support!

#elsword #eltag #mywriting #my writing #elsword fanfiction #Elboy (Elsword)#Aisha (Elsword)#Rena (Elsword)#Raven (Elsword)#Eve (Elsword)#Chung (Elsword)#Ara (Elsword)#Elesis (Elsword)#Add (Elsword)#Lu (Elsword)#Ciel (Elsword)#Ain (Elsword)#doppelganger

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