No. 2-5-0-4

Indie AU blog for Ulrich Stern Code Lyoko / CL Evolution { Mainly: AU RP } Semi-selective Multiship Multi-verse Mun is 21+ FC: Timothy Granaderos tracking: #ulrichxstern

[piratehunted]

[parushontas]

"The blunders are all there on the board, waiting to be made."

[theinnocentwarrior]

The Wyvern

Starter for @ulrichxstern

3202205230930, Local Time Unknown

Kiri’s main concern, for the moment, was identification and destruction of the enemy. The day had started out well. The world she had found herself in seem to be Earth in the distant past, a subject that was, despite her attempts at reigning in her curiosity, of great interest to her. The people spoke a language she knew, and it was with almost trivial ease that she’d managed to set up housing and a job to keep her comfortable while she studied the events in the world more. She’d even found a local market where she could buy some amazing dried fruits. 

What had soured Kiri’s day, and set her on a different mission, was the attacks. The first attack was in the form of a strange smoke laced with a large amount of electrical and magnetic energy apparently attempting to strike her as she passed a local academy. Her barriers had prevented the smoke from reaching her, even when the smoke had all but engulfed the area around her. As suddenly as it had appeared, however, the smoke dissipated. Kiri had very little time to contemplate the attack, however, as a number of her backups were forcibly locked out, an automated first response to a hacking attempt. The second step in the automated response was for an uncompromised backup to begin hacking the source. 

The data she had managed to pull from the hacking attempt had given Kiri a name. X.A.N.A. It had also identified a second target: The nearby academy. She had little else other than files that would need further analysis to go on for the moment, so Kiri shifted into a child form similar in age to the nearest of the students, then walked toward a group of four, three males and an older female, to ask where the headmaster’s office was. That would be the computer she’d need to gain access to if she was to enroll. The academy was still standing, after all. This X.A.N.A. was bound to make other attempts to attack it. Kiri adjusted the lavender sundress she’d chosen as she walked, then shortened the strap of the guitar case Pollux-Nox was currently hidden in. Earth had, for much of its history, been a world where few civilians walked around openly armed, especially in schools. As such, she’d forgone her usual boots and gauntlets for a pair of midnight blue slippers and gloves of the sort a lady might wear for a formal occasion. Completing the outfit was a ribbon of intertwined midnight blue and lavender, holding her lavender hair in a ponytail that went down to the middle of her upper back, a length chosen because long hair seemed to be the fashion among local girls. Kiri had chosen to lengthen her bangs just enough to frame her face, with a pair of hair clips, lavender on her right, midnight blue on her left, holding them out of her red eyes, and had chosen pink lip gloss, something she had read about as being common among girls of the apparent century of Earth’s history, though her preference would have been lavender. 

[theinnocentwarrior]

For the briefest of moments, Kiri saw something in his eyes that she had seen in several mentors’ and combat instructors’ eyes. The look of a battle-hardened soldier. A battle-worn soldier. The boy, in that brief moment, seemed much older than he looked, and it was that look that would ultimately stay her hand long enough to hear him out. It didn’t hurt that he said that the police couldn’t catch the man. Based on her own encounter with X.A.N.A, Kiri could understand why he would say that.

“Can you keep a secret?”

The boy’s words, combined with the brief glimpse at his weariness, settled the matter. While his hasty justification would have fallen flat if she didn’t know of X.A.N.A., the smoke attack carried enough current that, were it to discharge, was potentially lethal to humans, and the hacking attempt, and what data she’d had time to go through out of what she’d gotten, lead her to believe the smoke had been a first attempt to do what the hack failed to: Take control of her. The AI likely had the capability to control humans, and Kiri was almost certain at this point that the boy was acutely aware of that fact. ‘Not here. Too many strange ears. Secrets should only be shared in private.’, Kiri told the boy telepathically. She looked around, comparing the physical locations of rooms with the data from her motion tracker. ‘That room is empty. We can talk there.’, she continued, sending an image of the door in question as she started walking toward it. “Come on. We shouldn’t cause a panic.”, she said.

—————————————————————————————————

 As soon as she entered, Kiri switched one eye to E/M vision and the other to visible light/IR vision and began looking around the room. The first thing Kiri was looking for, she found on the metal shelf under a large green board at the front of the room: a piece of chalk. The second thing she was looking for, she didn’t find: Anything with an electrical or magnetic field that shouldn’t have one. No listening devices, no smoke, no objects carrying current that wouldn’t ordinarily.

Satisfied, Kiri began drawing two seals on the board. For the first, Kiri wrote the runes for soundproof, secure, and restricted area in a circle with lines running through it, the various lines joined by what a computer expert would recognise as the symbols for logic gates. When she finished the seal, Kiri immediately activated it, the sounds from outside the room disappearing as she did. The second seal, she couldn’t use her usual shortcut on, as the effect needed to be precise. Kiri wrote the description within an octagonal seal with many more internal lines, being sure to specify that the room’s windows needed to block the view of anyone looking into the room without obscuring the view of those within looking out, and the door needed to remain shut and intact until the seal was erased. Satisfied with her work, Kiri walked over to the only computer in the room and removed both the power cable and the ethernet cable.  

“Okay, we can talk now. To answer your question, I keep a lot of secrets.”, she said once she was confident she’d done everything she could to keep X.A.N.A. or X.A.N.A.’s possible allies from eavesdropping. The boy’s secret was almost certainly related to X.A.N.A., and Kiri needed information she might not get from the data she was analysing, without the enemy knowing she had it.

[ulrichxstern]

Without a word, Ulrich followed Kiri into one of the empty classrooms a little ways across the courtyard. He watched silently as she started looking around for something, unsure of what he should do. It seemed Kiri had a handle on it though, as Ulrich watched, dumbstruck while she performed what looked like protective magic to his eyes. Preventative measures, perhaps. I guess I was right to just tell her… I didn’t know she was so… gifted.

He suspected in that moment that she knew right away something was not right about what they saw, and lying to her would have only gotten him followed. It wouldn’t be the first time...

When she turned to face him, and acknowledged his previous question, Ulrich sank into the chair at the desk in front of the room and drummed his fingers on the cold metal for a brief moment.

“I never know where to begin telling our big secret,” Ulrich said with a slight smirk to himself. He had told this secret countless times, and every time he told it it felt more unrealistic. He blurted out with a scoff in his tone, “How insane does it sound that a super computer is trying to take over the world and sometimes almost succeeds in killing us?”

Even to his own ears, it sounded crazy. But that was the reality of it. “X.A.N.A. doesn’t care that we’re kids, he only has one thing on his mind and he’s determined to get it; and that’s taking over our world. Because we interfere with that, he tends to like to take control of things around us that can slow us down or stop us altogether.

“He likes to manipulate our relationships, our technology, sometimes real humans. I’ve been chased by wolves. He’s managed to cross his own monsters over into our world before, too. X.A.N.A. is dangerous, and he will stop at nothing till we stop him.” He could feel the clamminess of his palms as he spoke, trying not to miss a detail, but there was so much to discuss.

“My friends you saw me standing with,” Ulrich stated, glancing up at her for her reaction, “they know about all of this, too. There’s an old abandoned factory nearby, that’s where the super computer is. And Lyoko. That’s where X.A.N.A. has the most of his power, and where we have to go to stop him. I’m guessing since that was one of his attacks, the others are already on their way there.”

As they were walking, Jeremy had called him twice and sent him a message. Ulrich knew where he had to be, but he couldn’t leave her alone while a specter was roaming the school, searching for a victim. Jeremy will let me know if they need my help, I’m sure Yumi, Odd & Aelita can handle it right now.

He had to wonder where X.A.N.A. was at the moment, if the specter had taken off or it was in search of the super computer. Ulrich knew eventually he would have to head to the factory, but for now he could manage to keep one person safe from all of this—even if she’s capable of handling her own, she’s never faced something like X.A.N.A. before. Has she?

“The supercomputer is how X.A.N.A. finds his way into our world, through the network. We can’t turn it off yet, because we’ve been in search of a man by the name of Franz Hopper for the last few years. He’s somewhere on the network, but for his own safety from X.A.N.A., he doesn’t like to come out of hiding much.” Ulrich said. He aimlessly looked around the room, half-expecting the man of the hour to come oozing out of an electrical socket like black smoke at any moment. It was obvious there was an attack happening, but it seemed for now that everything was safe.

Still, Ulrich didn’t trust it. You can never be too careful…

[theinnocentwarrior]

The Wyvern

Starter for @ulrichxstern

3202205230930, Local Time Unknown

Kiri’s main concern, for the moment, was identification and destruction of the enemy. The day had started out well. The world she had found herself in seem to be Earth in the distant past, a subject that was, despite her attempts at reigning in her curiosity, of great interest to her. The people spoke a language she knew, and it was with almost trivial ease that she’d managed to set up housing and a job to keep her comfortable while she studied the events in the world more. She’d even found a local market where she could buy some amazing dried fruits. 

What had soured Kiri’s day, and set her on a different mission, was the attacks. The first attack was in the form of a strange smoke laced with a large amount of electrical and magnetic energy apparently attempting to strike her as she passed a local academy. Her barriers had prevented the smoke from reaching her, even when the smoke had all but engulfed the area around her. As suddenly as it had appeared, however, the smoke dissipated. Kiri had very little time to contemplate the attack, however, as a number of her backups were forcibly locked out, an automated first response to a hacking attempt. The second step in the automated response was for an uncompromised backup to begin hacking the source. 

The data she had managed to pull from the hacking attempt had given Kiri a name. X.A.N.A. It had also identified a second target: The nearby academy. She had little else other than files that would need further analysis to go on for the moment, so Kiri shifted into a child form similar in age to the nearest of the students, then walked toward a group of four, three males and an older female, to ask where the headmaster’s office was. That would be the computer she’d need to gain access to if she was to enroll. The academy was still standing, after all. This X.A.N.A. was bound to make other attempts to attack it. Kiri adjusted the lavender sundress she’d chosen as she walked, then shortened the strap of the guitar case Pollux-Nox was currently hidden in. Earth had, for much of its history, been a world where few civilians walked around openly armed, especially in schools. As such, she’d forgone her usual boots and gauntlets for a pair of midnight blue slippers and gloves of the sort a lady might wear for a formal occasion. Completing the outfit was a ribbon of intertwined midnight blue and lavender, holding her lavender hair in a ponytail that went down to the middle of her upper back, a length chosen because long hair seemed to be the fashion among local girls. Kiri had chosen to lengthen her bangs just enough to frame her face, with a pair of hair clips, lavender on her right, midnight blue on her left, holding them out of her red eyes, and had chosen pink lip gloss, something she had read about as being common among girls of the apparent century of Earth’s history, though her preference would have been lavender. 

[theinnocentwarrior]

A… slightly less than helpful answer. Kiri wasn’t really surprised, though. The way she’d phrased the question hadn’t been specific enough, and she suspected that being more specific would only lead to a similar answer. It was a bit like asking how to walk, in that the male’s assumption was that she had gone to the same kind of schools he had. The two names he’d given her were flagged for follow-up when she had access to a computer capable of accessing student and staff records. The surname Delmas was also noted. Knowing what to call the principal would be useful.

Kiri thought about explaining her lack of knowledge with being homeschooled, but decided against it. For now, it would be best to learn through observation unless there was a pressing need, especially since she had planned on explaining the absence of “her mother” with work. Sissi sounded like a fellow student with a crush. Kiri remembered how Nina had acted when she’d developed feelings for Kiri. Jim, however…  “Jim is a teacher’s pet?”, Kiri asked, having concluded that both names were of students. In every ancient Earth play, show, and movie she’d seen that featured a school, there was one student that served as a foil to the others by way of reporting every infraction to the teachers as a way of gaining favor with them. “Oh, speaking of names, never caught yours.”, she added.

The look of alarm on the male’s face told Kiri her stance had not gone unnoticed. The alarm changing to incredulity when he looked at her again told her he suspected something was off. His question, however… There was now more of a chance that he could be working with X.A.N.A. or an enemy of X.A.N.A. Without knowing which one, however… “About what? If you mean that man, he just didn’t seem right.”. Something was definitely wrong here. Kiri had only even known something was off because she could see things humans couldn’t. A quick flit through visual modes confirmed her earlier observation that he was clean. Kiri weighed her options. Telling him about X.A.N.A. was only a good idea if he was an enemy of the AI and any humans working with it. If he was innocent (unlikely at this point), he’d think she was crazy. If he was an ally of X.A.N.A., she could probably take him, but it would irrevocably blow her cover. Combat with students was to be avoided if possible.

Smoke would be her best option. Kiri needed something she could see through without her guide being able to see her. “We should report him to a teacher.”, Kiri suggested, tilting her right foot so her toes pointed downward. As she continued, Kiri used the toe of her slipper, or, rather, the debris from dragging it on the ground, to draw a simple seal with the words ‘smoke, plenty, outside’ in runic describing the effect, “If he is not dangerous, no harm will come of being careful. If dangerous, the teacher will contact the proper authorities to neutralise the threat.”, she reasoned.

The front of the slipper was well-scuffed, but the seal was ready. Whether or not she used it, however, depended on his response. Assent would result in her not activating the seal, as she would simply ignore the anomaly for now in favor of establishing her cover and follow up on the matter after. Refusal, however, would result in her activating the seal, then using the smoke to lose him and pursue the anomaly. She would have preferred mist, but mist would interfere with thermal vision. Water and ice droplets scattered light too much, meaning the thickness of fog she’d need to hide would also limit her thermal vision’s range. Not by as much as visible spectrum vision, but enough to make tracking down the anomaly difficult. Kiri’s foot sat ready with her toe in the middle of the seal, the front of the slipper already being repaired by her nanomachines. As she waited for a response, Kiri made and did her best to keep eye contact with Ulrich, partly to see if he was attempting to avoid doing so, a thing humans sometimes did when lying.

[ulrichxstern]

Ulrich squinted at her for a moment with a hollow look, as if he were scanning a battlefield. He felt on edge by it all — the strange man, her reaction, his need to understand what they saw, and how to limit her no doubt impending questions. Ulrich felt trapped for a split moment, weighing his options.

He could lie, but he was a terrible liar. As it was, she seemed too smart to buy it even if he tried. He could tell her the truth, but then he would have to follow up with it. The supercomputer, the scanners, Lyoko, Sector 5, Franz Hopper… all of it. Where’s Einstein when you need him?

This wasn’t some video game or horror picture, but somehow the thought of speaking it aloud made him feel like he was explaining the plot of some messed up show Odd would binge watch. There was another possibility, too…

What if she was one of X.A.N.A.s creations as well? What if this was her probing answers out of him to report back to X.A.N.A.? Anything was possible.

It wasn’t uncommon for seemingly ordinary beings to be under X.A.N.A.’s thumb, yet still act normal. He had seen this plenty of times — AIs, clones, polymorphic specters, the likes.

Our enemy is quite the Creator.

The longer he looked at Kiri though, the less he believed she was one of them.

X.A.N.A. had grown impatient with subtlety lately — it’s likely she’s just innocent in all of this, and X.A.N.A. decided to attack while one of us stepped away.

Ulrich dug his short nails into rough palms, he had to think of an answer — and fast. She was an observant girl, it was likely she already had questions lined up. Ulrich wasn’t sure he wanted to supply her with answers, though he knew he’d have to give her something to curb her curiosity.

Their previous topic was long-forgotten; Ulrich was too busy masking his thoughts with a cold, blank stare at the spot the strange man had been standing. The tension was too thick to ignore; it had to be X.A.N.A., there are too many weird coincidences… he thought to himself. He sighed, groaning a bit to himself out of frustration. Why is it always something?

“Uh… we can’t go to anybody about this,” he finally said, a firm edge to his voice. To her, that must sound insane — a strange man finds his way on to campus, and we have to play dumb. “I know that sounds crazy, and he could be dangerous… You see, uh… but no adults would understand. Police wouldn’t be able to apprehend him, either.”

The more words tumbled out, the more frustrated Ulrich got with himself. He knew why they couldn’t tell anybody; why he wasn’t supposed to tell anybody, but it would make his life so much easier if he could. He fought with himself; it was usually last resort to spill about X.A.N.A. and his little projects, but this girl had seen too much already by her reaction alone.

Most people never remember the countless times he and his friends saved the world — what did it matter if this girl should find out? She likely won’t remember it after a return to the past anyway.

He dug the soles of his shoes into the dirt, shoved his hands deep in his pockets, and grumbled out, “Can you keep a secret?”

[theinnocentwarrior]

The Wyvern

Starter for @ulrichxstern

3202205230930, Local Time Unknown

Kiri’s main concern, for the moment, was identification and destruction of the enemy. The day had started out well. The world she had found herself in seem to be Earth in the distant past, a subject that was, despite her attempts at reigning in her curiosity, of great interest to her. The people spoke a language she knew, and it was with almost trivial ease that she’d managed to set up housing and a job to keep her comfortable while she studied the events in the world more. She’d even found a local market where she could buy some amazing dried fruits. 

What had soured Kiri’s day, and set her on a different mission, was the attacks. The first attack was in the form of a strange smoke laced with a large amount of electrical and magnetic energy apparently attempting to strike her as she passed a local academy. Her barriers had prevented the smoke from reaching her, even when the smoke had all but engulfed the area around her. As suddenly as it had appeared, however, the smoke dissipated. Kiri had very little time to contemplate the attack, however, as a number of her backups were forcibly locked out, an automated first response to a hacking attempt. The second step in the automated response was for an uncompromised backup to begin hacking the source. 

The data she had managed to pull from the hacking attempt had given Kiri a name. X.A.N.A. It had also identified a second target: The nearby academy. She had little else other than files that would need further analysis to go on for the moment, so Kiri shifted into a child form similar in age to the nearest of the students, then walked toward a group of four, three males and an older female, to ask where the headmaster’s office was. That would be the computer she’d need to gain access to if she was to enroll. The academy was still standing, after all. This X.A.N.A. was bound to make other attempts to attack it. Kiri adjusted the lavender sundress she’d chosen as she walked, then shortened the strap of the guitar case Pollux-Nox was currently hidden in. Earth had, for much of its history, been a world where few civilians walked around openly armed, especially in schools. As such, she’d forgone her usual boots and gauntlets for a pair of midnight blue slippers and gloves of the sort a lady might wear for a formal occasion. Completing the outfit was a ribbon of intertwined midnight blue and lavender, holding her lavender hair in a ponytail that went down to the middle of her upper back, a length chosen because long hair seemed to be the fashion among local girls. Kiri had chosen to lengthen her bangs just enough to frame her face, with a pair of hair clips, lavender on her right, midnight blue on her left, holding them out of her red eyes, and had chosen pink lip gloss, something she had read about as being common among girls of the apparent century of Earth’s history, though her preference would have been lavender. 

[theinnocentwarrior]

The pace the male lead at was a leisurely pace compared to Kiri’s normal walking speed, but Kiri wasn’t complaining. It gave her more time to gather information on this Kadic academy. “Enrolling.”, it seemed like the safer answer, under the circumstances, “What is Kadic like?”, she asked. It would be useful to understand the culture and common knowledge of the place if she was to successfully blend in. The look the female had given her guide had not gone unnoticed, and was flagged as a potential problem in her mind.

While the male didn’t seem too watchful, Kiri did notice that he kept glancing at her, though the lack of any suspicion in his expression lead her to believe he was likely just making sure she was keeping up. The respectful distance he kept was appreciated, as Kiri was still wary of another attack. Kiri smiled gently at the male, giving a thumbs-up even as she continued checking everyone who entered her field of vision. One figure, near the corner of a building, had caught her eye, and Kiri’s gaze lingered a little longer on that one. 

A male, just south of two meters tall, around 91kg, with a muscular, if somewhat portly, build. Though Kiri would have found him a little on the cute side normally, what had drawn her attention was that, on the E/M field visual mode, the male was lit up like a star. Humans did not normally have such strong electrical or magnetic fields, and Kiri was reasonably sure androids and hard-light projections weren’t a thing on Earth yet. Kiri’s hand was halfway to the guitar case, and her stance had already shifted to better accommodate attack or defense, before a return to the visible light spectrum mode showed her that the male was facing the other way, and had just started walking off in a different direction. Kiri had just made a mental note to investigate the mysterious male further when she remembered the male who was leading her to the principal’s office was still there, and had probably seen her reaction. Kiri, without stopping the motion of her hand, ran her fingers through her hair as if smoothing it out as she continued walking. 

“We should hurry.”, Kiri stated. The hated word was unavoidable at this point. “I do not wish to be late for class on day one, and do not know how long enrollment will take.”, she explained, her tone friendly, but firm. She hoped he hadn’t noticed her slip. If he was an innocent, she didn’t want him getting caught in her mission. If he was an enemy of X.A.N.A., it could potentially lead him to think she was a potential enemy. In the, unlikely at this point, but still possible, event he was an ally of X.A.N.A., she would possibly have given herself away.

[ulrichxstern]

Enrolling. Ulrich briefly wondered about her parents — why would they send her off to enroll at a new school all by herself? Unless everything was in order and she simply needed to meet with Principal Delmas prior to her classes, it seemed odd that she had arrived alone. Ulrich didn’t mention it, but he made a mental note to ask her about them at a later time.

“Oh, you know—Kadic is kind of like your average school; classes, hang out with friends in between, lunch is everyone’s favorite time of day…” he trailed off, shrugging his shoulders at random as he spoke.

Her presence oddly put him at ease; it wasn’t very often he found people so easy to converse with. Something about her nature reminded him a bit of Odd, like having an old friend by his side. Weird. Maybe it was the fact that she was all alone—he could understand that better than most, after all.

“For the most part everyone here is pretty nice,” Ulrich added, glancing at her when she fell a few steps behind to take things in, “You have your occasional headaches, like Jim who can be a real buzz kill when he wants to be, or someone like Sissi Delmas. She is the principal’s daughter—she can be nice when she wants to be, but I try to avoid her. She’s a bit too clingy for me.”

Speaking of… He hoped to avoid Sissi and her gang of goons on the way across the campus, and he was relieved she was nowhere to be found the farther they walked; she’s probably taking her sweet time getting ready, or maybe she’s still deciding what to wear today. He almost laughed to himself.

While looking to avoid Sissi, Ulrich spotted a tall figure standing across the courtyard—the new girl’s quick reflexes didn’t go unnoticed though. Ulrich’s eyes snapped to Kiri, widening in alarm at her protective stance.

Whoa, her reaction… what’s up with that?

Ulrich looked back at the strange person. Whoever the figure was, Ulrich couldn’t see him very well. He tried to squint his eyes a bit, but they had turned their back before he got a good look. Who was that guy? I should warn the others to keep an eye out…

He felt an intuitive chill run down his spine, but hoped he was only making things up—the last thing I want to deal with is a X.A.N.A. attack while I’m showing a new student the way around campus. If it is X.A.N.A. though, he sure knows how to make a quick exit...

Not to mention, her reaction… does she sense it, too? Does she know about X.A.N.A.? Ulrich couldn’t help the incredulous look on his face as he stared at Kiri again—he could sense she might try to avoid his questions, but he couldn’t let this go now.

“Hey, do you know something?”

[theinnocentwarrior]

The Wyvern

Starter for @ulrichxstern

3202205230930, Local Time Unknown

Kiri’s main concern, for the moment, was identification and destruction of the enemy. The day had started out well. The world she had found herself in seem to be Earth in the distant past, a subject that was, despite her attempts at reigning in her curiosity, of great interest to her. The people spoke a language she knew, and it was with almost trivial ease that she’d managed to set up housing and a job to keep her comfortable while she studied the events in the world more. She’d even found a local market where she could buy some amazing dried fruits. 

What had soured Kiri’s day, and set her on a different mission, was the attacks. The first attack was in the form of a strange smoke laced with a large amount of electrical and magnetic energy apparently attempting to strike her as she passed a local academy. Her barriers had prevented the smoke from reaching her, even when the smoke had all but engulfed the area around her. As suddenly as it had appeared, however, the smoke dissipated. Kiri had very little time to contemplate the attack, however, as a number of her backups were forcibly locked out, an automated first response to a hacking attempt. The second step in the automated response was for an uncompromised backup to begin hacking the source. 

The data she had managed to pull from the hacking attempt had given Kiri a name. X.A.N.A. It had also identified a second target: The nearby academy. She had little else other than files that would need further analysis to go on for the moment, so Kiri shifted into a child form similar in age to the nearest of the students, then walked toward a group of four, three males and an older female, to ask where the headmaster’s office was. That would be the computer she’d need to gain access to if she was to enroll. The academy was still standing, after all. This X.A.N.A. was bound to make other attempts to attack it. Kiri adjusted the lavender sundress she’d chosen as she walked, then shortened the strap of the guitar case Pollux-Nox was currently hidden in. Earth had, for much of its history, been a world where few civilians walked around openly armed, especially in schools. As such, she’d forgone her usual boots and gauntlets for a pair of midnight blue slippers and gloves of the sort a lady might wear for a formal occasion. Completing the outfit was a ribbon of intertwined midnight blue and lavender, holding her lavender hair in a ponytail that went down to the middle of her upper back, a length chosen because long hair seemed to be the fashion among local girls. Kiri had chosen to lengthen her bangs just enough to frame her face, with a pair of hair clips, lavender on her right, midnight blue on her left, holding them out of her red eyes, and had chosen pink lip gloss, something she had read about as being common among girls of the apparent century of Earth’s history, though her preference would have been lavender. 

[ulrichxstern]

It was an unusually warm start to autumn at Kadic, though the fleeting summer had yet to let go completely. Students lingered all over in the court yard, chatting amongst friends about their summers abroad or back home, and others discussing exams that were weeks away.

It felt like a normal day — it always did when they opened their eyes, but it was always just a matter of time.

Ulrich stood tall around his friends, laughing occasionally where he listened but his eyes were trained elsewhere. He could feel something in the air that morning, he could almost taste a static tingle if he breathed in enough. His old pal, Odd nudged his ribs while telling one of his over-exaggerated stories. He’d spent the summer at home, tortured by his five sisters as he claims. Ulrich snorted, not feeling an ounce bad for Odd’s stories.

“You know they’re horrible—why go home?” Ulrich asked simply. For him, it was easy; why go “home” to a place you hate? How does he even call it home if he hates it so much. Ulrich couldn’t understand it.

The answer to his question was cut short when they noticed a girl approaching them; she’s quite decorated, Ulrich thought to himself. It was Yumi who spoke up, giving her the directions to Principal Delmas’s office.

She must be a new student. Ulrich sighed, he was feeling generous. “I can show you the way, these buildings can be confusing.”

[theinnocentwarrior]

As the female answered, Kiri took a moment to analyse the group, changing through visual modes as she listened and giving each a once-over. None were armed, as she had expected, though one of the blond males had a laptop Kiri would have taken a peek into if she’d had the time. It didn’t likely hold much more than homework, but homework was useful for gauging what a child their age was expected to know and be learning. At the brown-haired male’s offer to guide her, Kiri bowed slightly, saying, “Guidance is much appreciated. Thanks!”, as she did.

As they walked, Kiri gave every human she saw the same once-over as she’d given the group, flitting through visual modes as she did. The fact that none of the humans so far had been in any way armed piqued the curiosity Kiri usually tried to ignore when she was consciously aware of it. Why would a school that, apparently, was neither a military nor law enforcement facility be a target for an AI? While the possibility of a rogue AI was not lost on Kiri, the fact of the matter had been that it had *specifically* been after the school. And had deemed it a priority target, based on her limited analysis. Kiri knew there was always the possibility of a group of rebels or partisans hiding in the school, but there had been no other signs of a conflict. Kiri made a mental note to do a flyover when she had a free night. 

There were five words Kiri hated using above all others, even more than actually offensive words. And she was about to use three of them. “I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Kiri Gareth.”, she stated in a friendly, if slightly formal and stiff, tone. She had settled on that being her alias for two reasons: It was close to her actual full given name, allowing a slip to be disguised as a misspeak, and it was human-sounding enough that, so far, few had questioned it. She suspected she might need to use a different alias should she need to contact the school as “her mother”, but that problem was for another time.

[ulrichxstern]

Ulrich ignored the look Yumi shot him; he laughed to himself internally, he couldn’t help it. At least the feeling was mutual. He told his friends he would see them at lunch.

Ulrich lead the way for the new girl, walking at a pace she could follow—though he generally didn’t walk fast at all, unless he were running from something. He shrugged off the thought, but the day was still early.

He listened as she introduced herself, and Ulrich made a mental note to remember her name. Kiri, fitting for the quirky nature about her, he thought to himself. He also briefly wondered how her name came to be, but he didn’t want to pry. He asked instead, “Are you enrolling at Kadic, or already a transfer student?”

Ulrich wasn’t one for small talk, and he personally knew someone asking too many questions raised suspicions, even false suspicions. He noticed how quickly her eyes moved, scanning everything around herself so precisely—she was acting as if she were a specter.

He tried not to contort his face in anyway or seem too watchful as he shot glances at her; what is she looking for? She seems to be on high alert. He couldn’t get a clear look at her pupils, but he didn’t notice anything strange concerning… he couldn’t exactly touch her to find out if she were real or not.

Ulrich hated that X.A.N.A. had him so paranoid by even the most innocent of people. He couldn’t exactly tell her he was profiling her, and he wouldn’t know how to begin to apologize if he acted on a whim. Ulrich had to be cautious, he tried to keep a respectful distance between them as they walked.

[theinnocentwarrior]

The Wyvern

Starter for @ulrichxstern

3202205230930, Local Time Unknown

Kiri’s main concern, for the moment, was identification and destruction of the enemy. The day had started out well. The world she had found herself in seem to be Earth in the distant past, a subject that was, despite her attempts at reigning in her curiosity, of great interest to her. The people spoke a language she knew, and it was with almost trivial ease that she’d managed to set up housing and a job to keep her comfortable while she studied the events in the world more. She’d even found a local market where she could buy some amazing dried fruits. 

What had soured Kiri’s day, and set her on a different mission, was the attacks. The first attack was in the form of a strange smoke laced with a large amount of electrical and magnetic energy apparently attempting to strike her as she passed a local academy. Her barriers had prevented the smoke from reaching her, even when the smoke had all but engulfed the area around her. As suddenly as it had appeared, however, the smoke dissipated. Kiri had very little time to contemplate the attack, however, as a number of her backups were forcibly locked out, an automated first response to a hacking attempt. The second step in the automated response was for an uncompromised backup to begin hacking the source. 

The data she had managed to pull from the hacking attempt had given Kiri a name. X.A.N.A. It had also identified a second target: The nearby academy. She had little else other than files that would need further analysis to go on for the moment, so Kiri shifted into a child form similar in age to the nearest of the students, then walked toward a group of four, three males and an older female, to ask where the headmaster’s office was. That would be the computer she’d need to gain access to if she was to enroll. The academy was still standing, after all. This X.A.N.A. was bound to make other attempts to attack it. Kiri adjusted the lavender sundress she’d chosen as she walked, then shortened the strap of the guitar case Pollux-Nox was currently hidden in. Earth had, for much of its history, been a world where few civilians walked around openly armed, especially in schools. As such, she’d forgone her usual boots and gauntlets for a pair of midnight blue slippers and gloves of the sort a lady might wear for a formal occasion. Completing the outfit was a ribbon of intertwined midnight blue and lavender, holding her lavender hair in a ponytail that went down to the middle of her upper back, a length chosen because long hair seemed to be the fashion among local girls. Kiri had chosen to lengthen her bangs just enough to frame her face, with a pair of hair clips, lavender on her right, midnight blue on her left, holding them out of her red eyes, and had chosen pink lip gloss, something she had read about as being common among girls of the apparent century of Earth’s history, though her preference would have been lavender. 

[ulrichxstern]

It was an unusually warm start to autumn at Kadic, though the fleeting summer had yet to let go completely. Students lingered all over in the court yard, chatting amongst friends about their summers abroad or back home, and others discussing exams that were weeks away.

It felt like a normal day — it always did when they opened their eyes, but it was always just a matter of time.

Ulrich stood tall around his friends, laughing occasionally where he listened but his eyes were trained elsewhere. He could feel something in the air that morning, he could almost taste a static tingle if he breathed in enough. His old pal, Odd nudged his ribs while telling one of his over-exaggerated stories. He’d spent the summer at home, tortured by his five sisters as he claims. Ulrich snorted, not feeling an ounce bad for Odd’s stories.

“You know they’re horrible—why go home?” Ulrich asked simply. For him, it was easy; why go “home” to a place you hate? How does he even call it home if he hates it so much. Ulrich couldn’t understand it.

The answer to his question was cut short when they noticed a girl approaching them; she’s quite decorated, Ulrich thought to himself. It was Yumi who spoke up, giving her the directions to Principal Delmas’s office.

She must be a new student. Ulrich sighed, he was feeling generous. “I can show you the way, these buildings can be confusing.”

[a-queenoffairys]

Yumi & Ulrich in the comics

[miyamanga-deactivated20191223]

Character Development “Hard Mode” Meme: send a number & character to my ask box  and I’ll write an answer/headcanon in reply.

Does your character have siblings or family members in their age group? Which one are they closest with?

What is/was your character’s relationship with their mother like?

What is/was your character’s relationship with their father like?

Has your character ever witnessed something that fundamentally changed them? If so, does anyone else know?

On an average day, what can be found in your character’s pockets?

Does your character have recurring themes in their dreams?

Does your character have recurring themes in their nightmares?

Has your character ever fired a gun? If so, what was their first target?

Is your character’s current socioeconomic status different than it was when they were growing up?

Does your character feel more comfortable with more clothing, or with less clothing?

In what situation was your character the most afraid they’ve ever been?

In what situation was your character the most calm they’ve ever been?

Is your character bothered by the sight of blood? If so, in what way?

Does your character remember names or faces easier?

Is your character preoccupied with money or material possession? Why or why not?

Which does your character idealize most: happiness or success?

What was your character’s favorite toy as a child?

Is your character more likely to admire wisdom, or ambition in others?

What is your character’s biggest relationship flaw? Has this flaw destroyed relationships for them before?

In what ways does your character compare themselves to others? Do they do this for the sake of self-validation, or self-criticism?

If something tragic or negative happens to your character, do they believe they may have caused or deserved it, or are they quick to blame others?

What does your character like in other people?

What does your character dislike in other people?

How quick is your character to trust someone else?

How quick is your character to suspect someone else? Does this change if they are close with that person?

How does your character behave around children?

How does your character normally deal with confrontation?

How quick or slow is your character to resort to physical violence in a confrontation?

What did your character dream of being or doing as a child? Did that dream come true?

What does your character find repulsive or disgusting?

Describe a scenario in which your character feels most comfortable.

Describe a scenario in which your character feels most uncomfortable.

In the face of criticism, is your character defensive, self-deprecating, or willing to improve?

Is your character more likely to keep trying a solution/method that didn’t work the first time, or immediately move on to a different solution/method?

How does your character behave around people they like?

How does your character behave around people they dislike?

Is your character more concerned with defending their honor, or protecting their status?

Is your character more likely to remove a problem/threat, or remove themselves from a problem/threat?

Has your character ever been bitten by an animal? How were they affected (or unaffected)?

How does your character treat people in service jobs?

Does your character feel that they deserve to have what they want, whether it be material or abstract, or do they feel they must earn it first?

Has your character ever had a parental figure who was not related to them?

Has your character ever had a dependent figure who was not related to them?

How easy or difficult is it for your character to say “I love you?” Can they say it without meaning it?

What does your character believe will happen to them after they die? Does this belief scare them?

[joyexe]

[scrumpdiddley]

Hornet and Megatank entries for my Code Lyoko Bestiary

[xzvwv]

made a comp of kills that made me go 'DANGGG!!!'

[say-sike]

black and pink

[shesthehero]

Ulrich Stern ¦ Aesthetic

[ulrichxstern]

[Possibly rude question, but asking anyway: Are you up for a canon-verse roleplay?]

//Hello!! Not rude at all :) I apologize for the late response, my tumblr won’t let me respond privately but yes I’m open for a canon-verse thread!!

[justintaco]

I love how Code Lyoko was never vague about the threats posed by the villain

it’s never your Saturday morning cartoon “I will destroy the world!” “I will finally destroy the heroes!”

XANA just said, fuck it, throw a school bus full of children at a petrochemical plant

[ulrichxstern]

"DON'T!" Jérémie yelled, pinning his long-time escapee against the wall. His adrenaline was pumping so hard he could barely see straight and the sweat dripping off his nose mingled with the blood dripping from it but he was too focused on Two to care about that right now.

I just need to catch my fucking breath— “UGH!”

Two groaned, glaring at his attacker for only a moment. Oh, this should be fun. He grinned, almost smirking to hide his panic; what the fuck happened to Jérémié? If he found me, the others will too.

“Hey, Jér,” Two said through clenched teeth, “I don’t like sloppy seconds, but get your hands off of me before I bloody you up worse than your busted nose.”