Leave Me Alone! (A Text Adventure starring Flandre Scarlet!)

[Sinjin]

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Besides i already knew

[Brickman]

Hrrm what ARE spell cards anyway? No one could answer that question back when i asked it thus my curiosity is quite unsatisfied about it.

Actually, if you want to know about spell cards, I think somewhere in my bookshelves one of my books has a copy of the original contract. Hold on... ah, here it is.

Spell Naming Law
With each fight between youkai, there is the fear of collapse of the small land of Gensokyo.
However, if youkai are unable to fight, their power will gradually vanish.
Therefore, I propose the following contract for the allowance for duels.

Concepts
That youkai can easily cause disasters.
That humans can easily resolve disasters.
That use of one's full abilities is to be denied.
That there are no things superior to beauty and thought.

Law
- Each spell shall be given a beautiful and meaningful name.
- The number of named spells to be used shall be announced beforehand.
Attacks relying on physical strength are not to be repeated.
- Do not attack without reason.
Reason becomes its own power.
- If all your named spells are defeated, you are defeated, regardless of your remaining strength.
If victorious against a human, you may not kill them.
- The name of the spell shall be recorded on paper in the same form as this contract.
As a result, all of the aforementioned regulations become absolute.
This paper will be called the "spell card".
A concrete method of dueling may be discussed later with the shrine maiden.

Like I said, that was basically supposed to be a treaty to start with. It makes things sound a bit more fair than they really are. Spellcards can't actually hurt you but they're tiring to cast and even more tiring to get hit by, so anyone who isn't very strong won't last very long in a duel. But the other thing about spellcards is that you can avoid almost anything that can go in one if you're good enough. It's not just dodging, I heard the best humans can predict exactly what's going to happen even when facing spellcards they've never seen before and know where you'll miss before you even attack. I think I only really hit Marisa once during our duel before, and we were going for half an hour at least. She hit me a lot more than that and I barely felt it.

While I am all for continuing to study the books or try out new ideas, I do worry for Marisa's well being. Four hours is indeed very long time to have a conversation. Maybe she got kicked out? You may want to search for her. But leave a note in case she comes back when you're gone.

I'm worried too. I just wrote a note saying I'm going to the library and stuck it to the door.

...

I flew all the way around the top of the library I don't see any sign of them. All the books and shelves are back in place and organized like they're supposed to be, which is good. It doesn't look like there was a fight at least. There's a few fairies mopping the floor, but that's it. Maybe they're all sick of the place by now, or avoiding it on purpose. They've probably been here most of that four hours.

[Dermonster]

Now we need to gather information. She said she was going to apologize to Patchy, right? Maybe we should ask her if she's seen her.

[The One Guy]

Perhaps the fairies have witnessed important info? Why shouldn't you ask them?

[genericuser2]

Such 'perfect' rules, this danmaku fighting game has. You already agree with me don't you Flandre? This game's rules could be pulled apart with a minimum of psychological warfare and a book of philosophical quotes, I mean.

I eagerly anticipate the chance to make some new cards later. No. I"M NOT wasting time if you take the task before us as an opportunity; That there are no things superior to beauty and thought - Each spell shall be given a beautiful and meaningful name. Tell us again Flandre, what happens to these fairy servants when you destroy them, and how many actually have names?

YES.
NONE + NOTHING.

If the fairy is uncooperative I know a way to make it tell us everything without hurting the creature in any way. There after it will always tell us anything that goes on in this mansion.

Or we could ask it in a normal fashion.
~HO-HUM~

[GrayGriffin]

Dear person who spoke before me, what, exactly, is your issue? You've seemed a little...unhinged, all the time even. Surely threats aren't necessary? These "fairies," as you say, seem to be there to help. So it seems it would be unnecessary to hurt them to gain their cooperation. Of course, they may be unable to explain things properly, but that is not something threats could fix.

[Brickman]

I'm not hurting the fairies! Not... not on purpose at least.

But they're scared of me anyways because I've hurt them on accident before. As soon they see me they drop what they were doing and fly off in different directions, knocking over their mop bucket. I try to run after the slowest one, but she flies through the gap where there's books missing from a shelf and when I go around I've lost her. How am I going to find...

Wait...

I'm being followed by the imp. The imp is Patchy's personal servant. She can order the fairies around if she wants, but most of them are just barely smart enough to read at all, rather less help her with anything, so one day she decided she needed a better servant. I think there was some kind of summoning spell, but I never asked much about it. I don't really like talking to her because, well, whenever I talk to her I get the feeling that she heard stories of what I used to be like and wishes I still acted like that. It's a little creepy and makes the voices who hate me even angrier. But for some reason she does whatever Patchy wants, usually better than the fairies.

But she probably knows where Patchy is, and maybe Marisa. So, I need to do this...

I ask the imp where Patchy is. She asks that I be a bit less disingenuous than that. Clearly this isn't just an idle visit. Umm ok, did a witch who wasn't Patchy come in here a few hours ago? Did they get in a fight? Better, much better! Direct and to the point. The witch Kirisame did indeed come here four hours ago, to see the mistress. ... And? She says that perhaps first I should explain why, if I knew such a confrontation were brewing four hours ago, it was not until now that I came here. Not only too late to intervene, but too late to even see the immediate aftermath. Did I not want one outcome over the other?

I hate talking to the imp...

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Literally the ONLY thing canonical about Patchy's imp besides her name, appearance and the fact that she serves Patchy is that she is, and I quote, "Mischievous". Despite working in a library. And some people ignore that anyways.

[Dermonster]

Tell him that you knew that they were going to talk. Not that there would be a fight. She hasn't returned in an acceptable time frame so we're wondering what happened.

[Brickman]

No! That's not it. I didn't come now just because... because I thought something had happened. I...
It's probably because you are a coward.
It's probably because that human is a horrible fiend who treats any she doesn't take a fancy to like potential victims, and deserves what she gets! Letting her go alone despite her fear was a just punishment, and I hope we're lucky enough to see her smoldering corpse by day's end.
It's probably because you are a horrible fiend who couldn't bring herself to care for the safety of a human, even one who had shown you such unwarranted kindness, except to push her away and ensure her blood does not stain your hands!

No! That's not true! It's what the Outsider said, I didn't think anything would
That is a lie, girl. If you were so confident in her safety, why were my words able to scare you so? The merest hint that something could be wrong broke through the dam against doubts and sent you scampering. But where was this worry back when it was useful?
It was nowhere, for it should be nowhere! Leading this human to pay the price for her crimes was the least evil act you have performed in centuries! As you have suffered already, your next step on the path to redemption is paved with such deeds of justice!
It was nowhere, because you are selfish. You cared not a whit for the life of the human until it came to the attention of your jailers, and you sought to perform this token act of concern to silence them before they could question you.

No no no! None of that is true! I thought that what they needed was to talk!
Liar.

"Are they bothering you? Your victims?"
Huh? Y-yes...
"Are they continuing to demonstrates the heights of cruelty to which humans can aspire?"
What? No, that's not right. I'm the cruel one...

Do you need prompting from one of us before undertaking any action, as has been made so clear by these past few hours? Well, I will repeat again the demand I have repeated several times in the past: Leave this vile temptress alone! Her words are treacherous and every one which crosses your ears is a crime against those you've harmed before and those whose harm is still to come should you follow her advice. Or do the words of your poor victims only hold weight when coated in honey and unwarranted forgiveness?
Flandre, why hast thou not struck down this vile demon yet? It is clear that were she not under your librarian's thrall she would spend her every hour engaged in the very fiendish deeds which you yourself committed so wantonly in your youth! Do not let her live so long as to escape her servitude and resume her villainy!
I hear the voice of the demon. The one whose heart is almost as black as yours, but who is restrained from her crimes not by fear but by inability. The one who would seek to convince you to do them in her stead. How pathetic it would be were you to fall for her tricks. But I have no faith in your fiber in any other regard, so why should I expect better here?

"You don't have to listen to what they say, you know. You don't have to listen to what any of them say. You could just block them out, like you used to. Ignore them. This wasn't a curse when you first received it."

Leave now, Flandre. Ignore the imp and anything she has to say. The witch told you where her house was, before she left; since no clues are to be found here search for them there.

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Experimenting with the format a bit. I think I like how this turned out.

Flandre hates talking to the imp, for good reason.

[Dermonster]

You, all of you are insane! One dissenter was bad enough, but this!? I am sick and tired of all of you! None of you are rational, all so focused on your own pride and anger that you fail and refuse and deny the reality that lies before you. Are you so blind as to not see the obvious, though you cite it as reason for all that you do?

Here it is! ALL OF YOU ARE DEAD! Gone, deceased, an ex-person! How can you even feel anger and such when you have not the organic glands to simulate them? All of you are garbage, even in death you cling to your past lives and your hated rage like you could change it just by sheer force of will. YOU CAN'T. The only meaningful way to interact through our world is through her, and all you do is confuse her and demoralize her and demonize her through your overzealous morals and worthless attempts at revenge at her and the world. This is what you are reduced to, screaming monkeys flinging shit at diamond walls.

That's a nice metaphor now that I think about it. Coal is dirty and is burned for fuel and is hated by many environmentalists, but with time and pressure is hardened into one of the most beautiful and sought after gems in the world, even though it is technically able to be mass produced easily now.

Also, justice guy, special case. Overemphasizing the concept of 'justice', itself an imagination of the morality system you hail from, will only be sure to generate mindless zealotry in yourself and hatred from those you would inevitably oppress, causing you to be the one the people you think you protect see as the villain. Think on that for a while.

I so detest having to rant at you lunatics. I preferred it when it was moderately quiet and there were tests to perform. I never wanted to argue philosophy. But until all of you learn your lesson I will continue to do so.

Flandre, we lose nothing by spending ten minutes gathering information, as it is key. She may very well be in her home, and we may very well lose another half hour checking if she is not, which would imply disaster. If she is at home, she is presumably in no danger. We would not find any clues there if she is not home because that means she hadn't returned from the mansion, and if she had, she would presumably be alive and at least mostly uninjured. Even if she did go home and left a bit later, that would imply that she is reasonably safe, also invalidating the search for clues there. Logic!

You may detest talking to the imp, but as you don't know where Patchy is and the faeries are scared, it's the only eyewitness we have access to. Use what methods you can, but make sure you find out what exactly happened, or at least locate Patchy.

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Why did five sentences turn into seven paragraphs!?

AND WHY DO YOU MAKE ME TURN INTO Urist McPhilosopher/Therapist!?

[JRCrusher]

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It was a good seven paragraphs.

[Dermonster]

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Thanks, I spent a good 15-20 Minutes on it. Goddamnit Brickman, why are you so good at making me do things like this?

[The One Guy]

Wow, did it get crowded in here or something? So many conflicting opinions flying around. All I can really say on the matter is this: Though I doubt this is what the imp intended, there is some truth in what he said. You have become indecisive, relying on us to tell you what you do. You don't have to listen to any of us. Not that you shouldn't of course, but it's up to you to decide who to listen to and who to ignore. Yes, humans can be cruel; we can be just as cruel as you were, and some of us will try to either make you a monster again or send you deeper into your self-imposed prison. You don't have to listen to them. Then there are those of us that want the best for you. You can ignore us too, though I don't see why you would want to. Some of us will be mean, some of us will be nice, some of us will want you to do one thing, some of us will want you to do another. It's up to you who to listen to.

Or better yet, listen to everyone, but critically. If they're nice and their desires make sense and coincide with your own, then by all means oblige. If they're cruel and are offering advice you disagree with with no justification, than you have no reason to comply. Of course not everything will be one of those two extremes, and it's up to you what is worth considering and what isn't. The point is that you decide, not us. And if you decide to go against my advice, there's nothing I can do to stop you aside from pleading my point, and if you so choose, you don't have to be bothered by my pleading.

If you do choose to listen to me, which I obviously hope that you do, I say you should tell the imp to stop changing the subject and tell you what he knows of what happened. Stop him if he tries to change the subject again.

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Dermonster, you're not the only one who ended up spending 15-20 minutes on this.
Dang it, I should be doing homework right now.

[Brickman]

Right. You're sounding less crazy than before, Mr Blue. I think I'll
Oh really, proud Outsider? You would try to convince her that she does not have a debt to repay? That she can just forget her crimes as if they were nothing, that there need not be some balance made before the world can be considered right?
try that.

L-listen, Koakuma, I don't want to play around right now. Just tell me
You don't think I've been making some effort to influence her actions in a positive direction? You perhaps weren't watching when I forced her not to tell lies, when I stopped her from giving up after a feeble attempt at magic, when I tried to force her out of her comfort zone again and again? I hate this girl and I will never forgive what she's done, but the only thing worse than being trapped in her prison is to be trapped here and watch her act as pathetic as she has for the past two centuries. Do you know how many months it's been since the last time she left this mansion, not counting this morning? Do you? I do!

what happened when Marisa was here and
So you think I should just ignore what she has done to us? You think I can? It's insanity! There's nothing left for us here. "Interact with the world?" Before she came I could interact with the world with my own hands, see it with my own eyes and hear it with my own ears, make my own accomplishments and my own goals. Do you think there are enough words in the universe to replace what I had? You are the one who is truly insane!

where both of them are now. Are they

She knows enough to listen to me. Has she ignored me once before this point? Have I once led her away from what you yourselves have made your goals? Though now you tell her to ignore my words when she needs it most. Trust me, if she can this demon will undo all the changes you think you see between the Flandre before you and the Flandre of my past. And she will take any foothold she can to do so!

both ok?

"Yes Flandre, good! Even as you wince in recoil from their every attack, continue towards your goal in spite and you will overcome this curse. Believe you me!"

Flandre, steel thine ears against her trickery! This imp will lead you further upon the path to sin, not redemption. Strike her down! Strike her down this instant!

No. No games. No coaching. Just... where are Patchy and Marisa.

How dare you ignore us! Our voices and your pain are the one thing left to us! Look upon the suffering of those you have cut so short, monster!

"I understand. I'll make this easier then. Their words were heated but the mistress was in no condition to fight her on this day. She has left to scour the witch's abode for anything stolen from her, the thief in tow, and anything she might wish to lay claim to in recompense. I expect to see several badly missed tomes upon her return."

That's my answer. I... I think I need to leave quickly.

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Omake time! Click on the spoilers to see something both silly and irrelevant that was probably funnier in my head.

Omake 1:

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Hate. Let me tell you how much I have come to hate you since I ceased to live.

Omake 2:

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Yep, WAY funnier in my head.

[Lagren]

... Everyone shut up. I can hardly hear myself think. No wonder she doesn't listen to you if you keep talking over her like this.

Remember, it's her mind. She's got the body, not you. Asking is better than telling. The only reason she lets you do this to her is because she's weighted down with the guilt you've imposed on her. Keep on like this, and she will tune you out completely.

Don't worry, Flandre. Everything's going to turn out fine in the end. Better than you think it will. I promise. Now go and keep your friends from fighting each other.

[Dermonster]

I shall ask two things of the voices that rage.

Have you ever seen this imp do anything evil or deceiving other than make Flandre slightly uncomfortable?

And do you understand that the very concept of a debt is to be repaid and that she is desperately trying to do so and your methods are making it harder?

Your methods have made her, intentionally or not, squander her time in the mansion, while a mere few hours of ours has made more progress than all of you combined!

Enough with the arguing. Let's think on this information rationally.

If the imp is correct, then they shall be back at some point in the future to return any tomes that Marisa has pilfered. Safe.
If the imp is lying (As some of you seem to immediantly think.) then Marisa is still in the mansion (potential danger) or, again, at home. Safe.

Our best course of action with no risk is of caution. Assume the imp is lying and continue searching through the mansion. If the imp happened to be telling the truth, they will be back soon. if lying, we would waste potentially valuable time finding this out. My previous points still stand. Plus the time of day could prevent us from actually leaving.

I would say return to the Library every half hour or so to catch them if they come back.

[Neopie]

Stop this.. This tomfoolery! How can you be so crude to a poor little girl who is TRYING to become better, and yell at her every step forwards? You're being crude, vile beings no better than any common criminal!

I Shall refer to you each in turn now

You, the one who we have known the longest. You realize, she honesty WANTS to do better? Your every word makes her turn back! YOU are the one that makes her want to curl up in her room alone! YOU are the one making her scared and pathetic! If you want her to honestly be a better person, try not yelling? Be kind? And act KINDLY. Kindness will get more kindness! All YOU do is make her want to ignore all her chances to get better!
You, the one who desires justice. First, what has Marisa done WRONG? Steal a few books. Now, hear me this. She. Feels. GUILTY. She would not have even GONE if not for us. But she is trying to ATONE. Make things BETTER. She wants to apologize! She wants to turn over a new leaf, damnit! So, I would request that you would stop bemoaning her every chance to get better. Second, the imp. Say, perhaps, she is a vile criminal, despite us seeing nothing wrong with her. What would killing her accomplish? Here, she does work and helps out. She helps Patchy do things she cannot. Now, killing her would do two things: Deprive Patchy of her best help, and give her no more chances to turn over a new leaf. Hell, she's helping us right now! So shut up about your misguided justice.

Also, you talk stupidly.

Finally, you, who speaks with the color of lavender, a color softer than your harsh tongue. You hate this woman. But her crimes are in the past. They are crimes hard to forgive, yes, but crimes that she wishes not to repeat. You realize she is TRYING, correct? She is TRYING to become better. Why not let her? She can save lives, if she tries. So allow her. Allow her to make lives better. Hating a past crime? Useless. She can always try to be better, better than her crimes. You see a wall where there is a open world, for new branches and roots of her tree, to grow, out of the darkness, and into the light. Well, maybe not Into the light, because of the whole vampire thing, but you know what I meant. Just let it be.

Finally, to Flandre. You can improve. Listen not to the naysayers. Just try your hardest to be better! Aim for greatness! And remember to hug your sister, dear, she needs one.

Ok, thank you all, good bye!



And thus I make my debut. Sorry, I don't know how to do spoiler tags.

[Brickman]

Right, I'm getting out of here! I can't stand this much more! Thank you Koakuma, but have to go now!

Yes, if you cannot bring yourself to slay her on this day, best to retreat for now. At least shield your ears from her lies and temptations. But you must return, and soon, with the will and intent to end her scheming.

Sigh. Just look at this. You can forget talking reason to him, or the purple one, or most of the others. Maybe you didn't catch the hint before, but she didn't just break our bodies. Their minds aren't in peak working condition, and aren't about to heal anytime soon. It was only by luck that any of us made it in here with minds intact. I no longer believe it was good.

The best you can do is avoid doing things which will set them off and let them slumber. For now, I'll leave you in peace again unless you actually want something, as I suspect those other two are already drifting back into the background. For now.

...

Finally. I hate talking to her. The voices... they hate her. And some of the things she says she scare me.

She said Patchy and Marisa went to Marisa's house to get the books she stole. I don't think she's ever told me a complete lie before, so that's probably true. Marisa told me where her house is, but it'll be bright outside right now. I'd have to take one of Remi's umbrellas and be super careful.

It might not be worth it. I could just wait for them to come back. If Patchy wasn't feeling good enough to fight her here she probably won't in her own house either. I could hunt down one of the fairies and tell them to fetch me as soon as they're back, though I'd probably wanna ask two or three in case they forget. Or maybe I could wait in the library, near the entrance, but I'd have to avoid Koa.

I want to see Marisa again but it doesn't have to be today. I think I should just wait for Patchy.

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>Brickman: Update more than once per week.
>RELIABLY, not half the time.
But... but... I had stuff, and then other stuff, and then laziness, and... ok actually I had laziness and a minor case of forgetting.

And thus I make my debut. Sorry, I don't know how to do spoiler tags.

Welcome! Assuming my week-long lack of updates didn't drive you make you wander away. Anyways, spoiler tags are the button labeled "SHH" above the box where you type, in both the quick reply and advanced reply windows. You managed color tags fine so I assume you just couldn't find the right button.

[billybobfred]

Yeah, asking the fairies is probably the best bet. Several of them. All of them.

... Actually, that's probably too many. Then again, I don't know how many there are, "all of them" could be, like, five.

Orange text guy kinda annoys me. Even more than green text guy. Wait, there are several green text guys... well, you know which one I mean. Probably.

[Sinjin]

If for some reason you had your mind broken... is it possible for the mind to break to the side of goodish? Bah stupid idea. Also why do you hear everything in text? Doesn't matter much. Hey Flandre no going outside at this time ya hear? Just in case your mind starts wandering towards getting yourself a tan. Which i doubt because you are smarter then that. Is it random hug your sister time yet?

[aspiringHelpfulness]

You might wanna wait for your sis to come back. Hey, come tho think of it, does she even know you're out of your room? If she does, then it should be okay for you to wait near the front door. Do whatever else you want while waiting.

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So, after all that REALLY DEEP STUFF that went on in here, I am now caught up. This was way better than what I expected. Really. There's just something about this story that... I don't even know how to say it. But it's definitely a good thing. Also, I really like this interpretation of Flandre! It's original, and really makes her seem more like a character. This is now my head-canon for her.

Welp. That's enough drama. Onto business.

[Neopie]

Oh, I'm sorry Flandre dear! I didn't mean to be rude, do please forgive me. Such horrible people just... Just INFURIATE me. I can try to be quieter. I apologize. Why don't you look for your dear sister? I bet she would be nice to see. She seems like an excellent person to me! And then you can have tea! Earl Grey is the best, truely. Do you know much about tea? You should, it's excellent. I do think talking to Remillia about it is the best idea though, dear.

[Brickman]

Yeah, asking the fairies is probably the best bet. Several of them. All of them.

... Actually, that's probably too many. Then again, I don't know how many there are, "all of them" could be, like, five.

Orange text guy kinda annoys me. Even more than green text guy. Wait, there are several green text guys... well, you know which one I mean. Probably.

Hey Flandre no going outside at this time ya hear? Just in case your mind starts wandering towards getting yourself a tan. Which i doubt because you are smarter then that. Is it random hug your sister time yet?

We have, umm, a lot of fairies. A lot more than five. I just need to find some. Hmm...

Oh! I bet I can find some in the kitchen, even if they're trying to avoid me. There's always fairies in the kitchen doing something. Or... in this case, doing nothing. There's a pair stealing a snack from the cupboards who hide when they see me and a few sitting by an oven chatting who pretend to have been stirring some empty pots. There's also some on the other side of the room who look like they're actually doing work. I could probably get them all in trouble if I told Sakuya, but I wouldn't do that.

I tell all the ones who aren't working to watch the entrance and tell me as soon as Patchy or Marisa comes back. One starts complaining but another one bonks her on the head and tells her to shut up or I'll probably break them all. I think she thought that was a whisper.

You might wanna wait for your sis to come back. Hey, come tho think of it, does she even know you're out of your room? If she does, then it should be okay for you to wait near the front door. Do whatever else you want while waiting.

Oh, I'm sorry Flandre dear! I didn't mean to be rude, do please forgive me. Such horrible people just... Just INFURIATE me. I can try to be quieter. I apologize. Why don't you look for your dear sister? I bet she would be nice to see. She seems like an excellent person to me! And then you can have tea! Earl Grey is the best, truely. Do you know much about tea? You should, it's excellent. I do think talking to Remillia about it is the best idea though, dear.

Remi... Remi's busy. I know she's busy. She has to deal with all the other important people in Gensokyo and attend events and throw events and do favors and deal with the village and organize... things, and I don't even know what else! She's always had to. If I ask she just sighs and complains that politics are hard work.

I don't see her very much. She's too busy to spend time with me even if she wanted to. She's happier if I stay in my room, but I am allowed to be in the rest of the mansion as long as she isn't hosting company.

...Really now?

I don't know if she's even here right now. I could probably find out if I asked Sakuya or just looked for her in places she'd be. But... I shouldn't, because she's probably busy.

I should just go back to my books instead. To... Patchy's books. The magic books. That's what everyone wanted, right?

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Flandre is doing her very best to show initiative since everyone's spent the last page or two telling her to do so! Or at least, she was to. It lasted about two and a half updates and it should be obvious what stopped it.

Also, yay wriggler(s)! I'd be careful adopting this Flandre as headcanon. I imagine you're not going to see very many other authors using it!

[The One Guy]

Yes, at the moment, getting back to your studies is probably the best thing you can do.

[Dermonster]

The thing is, that most of you seem to be overlooking, is that she could very possibly study outside of her room. I don't actually know if you favor a room here over others in particular, but you could do so.

Also I wholeheartedly favor the study of magic.