#//in short it was one thing that happened during a rp with my sister and it became an ongoing joke and canon to this au drayton

[au-drayton-shenanigans]

Why do you like pudding so much

"Pudding is sooooo good" -❔

[utilitycaster]

I don't know how you feel about it, but I was extremely frustrated last night when I found out that break was called after around 3 hours. I just felt that at that point they should have just made it a Crown Keepers episode instead of promising that BH would be back and then them barely being in the episode. I don't know, I'm usually really go with the flow with CRs creative choices, but this was just a real big swing and a miss for me. I wish this had all just been its own episode

So here's my feelings:

My thoughts on EXU Prime, and later Kymal, were that I love the player characters and their relationships and much of the worldbuilding (notably all of Niirdal-Poc and the Qoniira Tetrarchy) and I liked many of Aabria's NPCs but there were some pretty big gaps left in "what the fuck is going on" that left me feeling as though I wouldn't mind seeing the characters again but I didn't feel strongly about continuing the story in-world, if that makes sense. The Aevilux reveal, for example, was sort of what the main plot of EXU Prime hinged upon (ie, that was Myr'atta Niselor's motivation; that was what the deal with Ted was) and so the fact that didn't come out for over 2.5 years irl after it ended meant I'd just kind of said "well, some weirdo from Syngorn really wanted to do shit to Opal for some reason related to her sister, who is also her patron, and we don't know why either of these things is the case, and I guess that's what happened" and made my peace with it. Similarly, I don't know what the Nameless Ones want, and never have (other than, at one point, the circlet of barbed vision, and I don't know why they want it). I made a joke that Myr'atta, Poska, and Otohan are all kind of the same and honestly that is the thing: if you don't know why a villain is doing something - even if the reason is "because I love to be evil and terrible!" it's hard to care, and if those are only villains, it's hard to be invested in the story about the heroes either, even if you like the heroes as characters.

When I say I like how this ended, I mean it - I think it could have gone only a few ways, but I like that Morrighan and Opal have both become divine champions, Morrighan willingly and Opal less so (this is yet another case of "the gods don't do take-backsies on oaths", but also, I do feel for Opal despite it all because of Aimee's excellent work throughout). I mentioned how I felt about the exact details of Cyrus's death but I don't mind that he's dead. Fy'ra was a highlight throughout, as she frequently is, and I think she was faced with two extremely unpleasant choices and made a fascinating decision. But I'd have preferred to see this as a flashback (see next paragraph) or like. Just decide what happened. If I'm being extremely honest a lot of my issues with the Crown Keepers portion is that it felt like there was a very specific desired ending (Opal's complete corruption and Cyrus's death); I also said at some point well before that you can only do so much with the Crown Keepers while Dariax is there because Matt does, even if he's turning his brain off to play our Charisma-only kinda short king, know all the cheat codes for the main campaign. It's kind of like why how, even if the DM will control an absent player during RP, they usually have another player control in combat.

I don't mind that the Bells Hells portion was short. I think the choice to break where they did makes sense given everything else that went on. But I think that, criticism of the actual Crown Keepers portion aside, while you might have lost some of your audience for a Crown Keepers-only episode on the main feed, you would have preserved the drama of FCG's death better and gotten people more excited for the Crown Keepers if you had essentially run things exactly as done here but then just cut the two episodes together, which, as a pre-taped medium, they can now do! Hindsight is again 20-20 but: Run the first half of 92 as is. Break and tape a full Crown Keepers episode. Return to Bells Hells and narrate the message back from Dorian saying he'll be there, play out the rest of Bells Hells in the camp dealing with FCG's death, and then have Dorian arrive at the very end of that episode and end the episode when the party asks him what's been going on with him, then reveal there will be a Crown Keepers episode. Air your full Crown Keepers episode as episode 93, and then return to the main campaign with 94. It would have been better balanced in terms of time, people who wanted the Crown Keepers to return would have gotten hyped up, and people who dislike them or are neutral would have at least known what to expect and frankly if they skip the episode that's their choice to make. Hell, since there were 2 weeks? Could have even been like "hey, we'll do a Crown Keepers Marathon on Twitch and Youtube on some random weekday" to build up some hype!

So overall my answer is that I agree this wasn't a great creative choice. I don't think this means they shouldn't take big swings! But some will be misses and this was, while not an entire miss for me, at best a walk.

[cceanvvaves]

HI IM ZEE AND I BROUGHT MY GRAMMA'S SPAGHETTI AND i'm thankful for all the people i got to know here on this dumbass site 💕💕

It's crazy to realize it's been a year since I joined tumblr. I remember being young (still am) and bored and looking for fics and getting so annoyed at the 'make an account to keep scrolling' pop up that i thought, "fuck it, what's the worst thing that could happen".

well, there are a lot of things. but i was just one little blog floating around in a universe of unfamiliar people, unsure how things worked and who were actual decent human beings i could talk to.

i started posting fics i wrote on a different site. people interacted, but i never really got to know anyone, as in a friendly conversation.

but then i reached out first. special mention to @rosiehrs , the first person i became an anon to (though for a short while) and i really appreciate you taking the time to read through my yapping in your dms! i loved fanwars so much btw, i hope you're doing well

and @phamphamz, the first other person i became a consistent anon to :) a year ago it was so so fun just popping into your inbox, allowed to ask about your day or talk about mine. eventually you felt like an older friend figure to me with how often we had back and forths.

and then @phamaple , brunni was the one who told me you wanted to reach out to me, and imagine my surprise and the pleasure i felt when i found out someone actually wanted to be friends with me first!! now we have playful banters, and i was really pleased when you'd reply to me as soon as you can even though you'd said that you were not that active on tumblr. i got to know a lot about you, i grew to trust you, and now it feels as if i'd always known you.

after pabbie came @nwjnsloona , and although the time differences were hard at first i really appreciate you putting in the effort to talk to me.

but that was during my kpop era. eventually i found pjoblr. i discovered rp accounts, and timidly i started my own. little did i know that i'd gain friends through that!

@mireyaaaaaaaaa i always noticed you interacting with my cam blog, and you frequented my asks with so many sweet messages and i never regret having reached out to you bit by bit to know each other outside of rping

@your-dazzling-sun i don't even remember how we met at this point but i do know that one of the first things i said to you was how we had similar nicknames. you're now like a younger sister figure to me, which i've said a lot before and it's such a joy because i don't have sisters in real life.

@localburntoutkid aven!! we just clicked immediately, both in rp and outside. you're honestly such a vibe, and the way we have the same wavelengths during rp planning is so amazing. i love hearing your ideas, and i love you hearing out mine.

@peapea-0405 and penelope! we found each other through another mutual but we had so much in common that we just clicked. you're so fun to talk to and now that we know what each other looks like i feel like that just made us closer somewhat.

and my deactivated mutuals, i miss you wayne and lia :(

and my other active moots, who i may not know as well but still care about a lot (and want to get to know better <3)

@islassour @mythologymakesmeconfused @demigod-jack-hearth @traaaavvy @imobsessed123

@shua-f4lmings @im-on-crack-send-help @inara-tries-to-survive @etcherrie @bleep-bloop-boo

@thesfromhms @loonatic-yapz @discoveredreality @bellyboohoo @ninguitar

I LOVE YOU ALL AHHH 💕💕

Happy Mootsgiving, everyone!

So, technically, I know Thanksgiving is an American holiday… history… yadda yadda. However, this is not Thanksgiving.

This is Mootsgiving, and what I say goes ‘cause this is my holiday. Anyway! Mootsgiving is all the basic ideas of Thankgiving but better because I’m great like that.

I just wanted to show everyone how grateful I am, since gratefulness is a key principle of Thanksgiving.

I want all my moots from different countries to be able to have the picture-perfect movie-esque Thanksgiving of being surrounded by friends and family with all the care and love and gratefulness that can be poured into a single human. And, as the ever-dramatic Runar, what better way to do that than to organize a huge event?

So! Rules!

State what food you brought

State one thing you’re thankful for

My name is Runar, I brought the eggnog, and I’m grateful for each and every one of you 💗🫶

Really sappy and really long paragraph/speech under the cut!!

Soooo… to start off my big long speech… *clinks my fancy wine glass that’s filled with a mysterious substance* (It’s eggnog)

When I first started this blog, it was off a whim. I wanted to do something, something that involved putting my work out there, as I was just starting out. I wanted to mean something. In any sort of way, I wanted to leave a sort of mark. Not just any mark, though, no. I wanted to add a bit of joy, a spark of life that comes from creativity, and adding words and love into the space we occupy on this floating rock in space.

I wanted to write because it made me happy, and I wanted there to be a possibility of someone who was who got joy from reading to maybe stumble upon it, and get joy from me. Get joy from something I was able to provide for them.

I was also incredibly lonely. I had no friends, I had nothing, pretty much. I didn’t talk much. I was reclusive. I was okay, but I was empty. I didn’t have a purpose. And while I wasn’t expecting much, nothing at all really, I was overjoyed at the prospect that maybe just one person would stumble upon something I wrote and for a moment of their day, maybe they got peace from it.

Maybe they felt a little less lonely. I would have been at peace with just knowing the possibility of it was out there. And then… it did. And I got more than I bargained for, even, I got a friend. My first friend.

From there, everything… clicked. Slowly, but ever so surely, things were falling into place. I was gaining something that had not even crossed my mind. A family.

So, my silly dream born from a whim became friends, connections, and family, it became life-altering. It had ups, it had downs, it had in-betweens. It was beautiful and messy and happy and sad and fucked up and so wonderfully… human?

Yeah, this is online, this is a silly mootsgiving idea I thought up three hours ago because I wanted people to know I love them.

But to someone who had nothing, this is everything. You are everything.

Even if we’ve only talked one time, you have a special place in my heart. The character growth has been… one hell of a ride. I’ve gone through many eras, and made new friends in each and every one of them. So, with the end of the year closing soon, I suppose in a way this is not just a silly mootsgiving.

My bigger end goal, really, was to make sure as we get to the end of this ear, you know how genuinely important this whole year has been to me. How important you have been. I got an anon ask,

What does it feel like to be wanted?

It was beautiful poetry. I replied, said I wouldn’t know what it feels like to be wanted. But really? I think maybe I do. I think it feels like having enough people that you love to organize and invite everyone to a huge event online, to write out this heartfelt paragraph and trust that at least one person will care enough to read it.

My beginning goal has changed so much, and not at all. My biggest purpose in life has been, and I think will always be, to add something into this world.

Creativity, joy, happiness, compassion, I want to ensure that no matter what, as long as you know me, you know you have one person on this earth who loves and cares about you with as much feeling that can physically be felt by one person without exploding into a bunch of tiny little runar pieces.

But moreso, I think maybe my goal has changed from wanting to put stories out there, to putting myself out there. I don’t want to write stories that are just fiction, just crafted ideas meshed together to create a blob of fiction.

I want to write pieces of myself into everything, which i think might genuinely be impossible to not do. I want my heart to pour out of my fingers into the things i type out for you, and i want to not only feel things, but to maybe make you feel something too. Something warm and fuzzy, something good, as good as you deserve.

Aaaaannnd…. to end this….

I love you guys, thanks for being here <3

@marauding-almond @percyweasleyapologist @yesiamprocrastinating @dieatthealtar-deactivated @caramel-covered-apples @thatoneslytherinnerd @thatoneslytherinnerd2

@hedgehog-troops@circe-butbetter @stars-on-my-bedroom-ceiling @l1ve-l4ugh-lov3craft @aidens-ocean-galaxy@rainystarsx@liggy-not-potter @goformoony@i-still-got-love-for-you @definitionoffuckup@mairon-goth-minion

@weewooooweew @residentdisaster @matty-os-blog @starkissed-mars @printershorts @the1970sdeadgaywizard-regulus @lesbian-disaster-tm @star-dust-shark @enbysiriusblack @sadnappo @kawaiibarty @hershey-not-the-chocolate-maybe

@jamespotterbbg @scrumblewonk @seekmemystar @rins-batcave @utterqueerdisasterthesimp @gasolinehornet @asters-tempo @here-am-i-sitting-in-a-tin-can @permetutotheworld @theprongspotter @sotiredimbored @yourlocalbadgerscales @raeprise @burgundykicks @whydousernamesevenexist @jaydove-writes @the-stars-drowning @inara-tries-to-survive @saturnsconstellation @royallygray

[goldgoddessun]

“Greetings! Go Aisatsu! I’m Tina Miyazaki, princess of the Huntsville Kingdom and third in line of the throne! I hope we’d be good friends so my life is never boring! If you want a tour around the city, I’d be happy to guide you! But there’s one exciting thing you need to know: the place is heavenly protected by a powerful sun goddess so if you spot her, you’ll receive blessings…!”

Name: Tina Miyazaki

Age: 14-15 (can make her age up if mun wishes to)

Occupation: Princess, Guardian Angel, and college student

Likes: hanging out with her friends, sweets, traveling different cities and countries, helping mankind, collecting seashells, baking, going to movies, practicing her cooking, spending time with her family, animals like cats, collecting anime stuff, dancing all types, music, and helping out communities

Dislikes: bullies, snobby people, anyone who threatens or hurt the ones she loved, stereotypes, anyone underestimating her, and being called “little”

Family: Queen Julia (mother), King Tetsuya (father), Tanaka (older brother), Elena (older sister), Damian and Diana (adopted younger twin siblings)

Fears: darkness, poison/venom, and people she knew dying in front of her

Description: born in Huntsville, Alabama, she grew up alongside with her eight friends during childhood. Being an optimistic and curious as she is, she always wondered if life has so much more than what mankind does nowadays. But upon her 14th birthday, she received a powerful amulet that’s was passed down by her mother as she revealed she’s destined to be a guardian of the sun as it does through generations from mother to daughter. When demons go frolic and cause trouble and mayhem, it’s up to Tina and her friends to use their nine elements to stop the evil including their enemy they faced for a long, long time.

Powers/Abilities: to move/call the sun by will, shoot rays by the palms if necessary, wield her sword “Light Dawn” in one swipe to take out larger demon groups. Gives out sunburns from her eyes and bestows purification either singlehanded or in her group which is performed “Heaven’s Light”

Object: a heart shaped necklace which is her birth amulet that unlocks her powers in the coming of age. When in human, it’s only a shiny jewel. But as a sun goddess, a symbol of the sun is shown and given of shine vibes which is noticeable and can glow in the dark.

Quotes: “How long is it gonna take for them to notice that there’s different alternatives of what they believe?” “Here comes the runner and she scores by landslide!” “OI! I’m right here!” “Why does my stupid curiosity always keeps happening to me?” “You don’t have to be like everyone else, you just had to be you.”

Personality: optimistic, short tempered, quick to outwit, kind towards the goodwill, hyper (if gone sugar high), intelligent, always been curious about everything, observant, easily defensive, sweet but will kill you on the spot if you get on her bad side, gentle, selfless, and brave

Fun fact: she had the ability to travel between worlds, dimensions, and different timelines just as long as she doesn’t make a mess, otherwise create a paradox and some cases, world order. Sometimes curiosity leads her to trouble but she’s quick to fix it or avoid it if necessary

(Authors Note: this blog will be oc friendly and I welcome anyone from any fandom just as long as you don’t make me uncomfortable. That being said, feel free to say hi or ask me for rp. Have fun!)

[beetlemancy]

top five Liam RP moments?

1. Vax’s goodbye.    There’s a lot here. Vax’s entire storyline was quite a feat and was so meaningful to so many people, but especially to Liam himself. As many of us know but maybe some CR2 critters don’t, this was during a time in his life that was really tough and a lot of what Vax went through was Liam working out his POV on death, family, and the purpose of existence. It was especially moving for those of us who have dealt with this kind of death - the kind that you can see coming. It’s different from other kinds, and so rarely portrayed as beautifully and as truthfully, ugliness and all, as Vax’ildan. Because of all that, this scene is still monumentally heartwrenching and is my go-to cry catalyst when I need to parse through my own darkness.

2. The Wedding Gift     This came after several VM oneshots where we were aching for Vax. We knew it could never happen because both Liam and Matt never wanted to do a disservice to the story. Yet it was still like being unable to scratch an itch - watching everyone but Liam get to play in Vox Machina’s skins again was SO frustrating. And so when this happened, it was in equal parts amazing and horrific - perfectly Vax in every way. Liam’s choices made here were especially strong. The voice being familiar, but different. His movements being slower, more fluid, but still so clearly Vax. His distance, but then the way he sank into his sister, the way he wrapped Keyleth up in his arms. Liam also made an excellent choice in playlist for this one-shot. Seriously, its genuinely spooky how well they all fit. He also spoke about how he was inspired by the Stephen King short story ‘The Jaunt’ for when he thinks about what Vax is going through. I highly recommend you read it if you can handle existential spookiness - it makes everything about Vax hit different, especially the playlist song ‘Far From Home.’

3. Caleb and the Scourger | (both times)     I have earlier Caleb moments that I think are fantastic RP moments, but it wasn’t until this went down that it was all skyrocketed up to another level entirely. This was our longest taste of how he decided to play with the fact that his native language is Zemnian. He loses the German accent and he loses the filler words and the stumbling. We see Caleb as how he actually is - frighteningly brilliant, witty, and biting. Underneath all that Common and Anxiety is a weapon, after all - but with that anger, such a gentleness and a compassion for his brothers and sisters. The emotions never feel contrary. Yes, they are complicated, but they make perfect sense. Plus, it never fails to impress me how he can come up with things like “Some of us get tired of macabre fairy tales. So you enjoy your mouthful of lies when they choke it out of you” and “I don’t know how my brothers and sisters could stomach wearing that mantle of loyalty knowing it was woven so thoroughly from sin.’ Like, go off, boo.

4. The Experience     I’ve talked about this scene before, but you’ve given me an excuse to only focus on Liam here. This is… possibly in my top five clips that I rewatch the most often. It’s just. so. fucking. funny. And I live for watching all of the cast, but especially Liam, eat up the crowd’s energy and place it right back into the RP. Before he was dealt his particular fate, Vax was always a trickster first. He never lost this, not even later on when things got very dark. I appreciated this. Gallows humor is a common coping mechanism for those of us who can see the end a little more clearly. In this case, I just really appreciate the word play. There is a theory that Liam is actually The Bard himself, reincarnated, and this scene is definitely one that showcases that potential. The fey chaos in his ability to improv all of this doublespeak, purposefully weaving ‘accidental’ innuendo into every line, never ceases to amaze.

5. Liam and his Badass Cleric Ladies     This might be cheating but its something I wanted to talk about in particular - Liam gives his other characters SUCH life and such fascinating differences and I want mostly to talk about the body language and vocal aspect of his RP. I made a big post about the whole casts’ body language forever ago and it was super fun. But to this day it still impresses the shit out of me. These two are my favorite one-shot characters of his but they’re also a fun way to show the subtleties of difference and how important those differences are to the characters. On surface level, they’re both Liam playing a cleric, a woman, and they have similar accents. But even context aside, they feel different, and its due to the quirks in body language and vocal quality he gave them.Liam as Lieve’tel Toluse : floaty, slower, she has all the time in the world and she’s seen more shit than you. She’s looked Death in the face and decided to have a chill life. She is calm in the face of rage and has practice doing so. It’s reflected in the ease in which she holds herself and how she talks. Tall, but relaxed. Flirty, but like she’s not worried about the result. He gives her grace. She speaks gently, but loud enough to be heard by all. Her body language is open too - she’s there for support and makes it known in how she presents herself.Liam as Jayne Merriweather: a bit like Lieve’tel in that she floats in a similar manner, both physically and vocally. But Jayne stops. Like, she will find a spot and stare daggers. She cackles when she can’t contain her madness. Her quiet isn’t relaxed - its itchy. Listening to and watching her is like watching a cat about to pounce but being always stuck in the tension just before it does. She’s got a devilish smile and you can almost see the metaphorical flames behind her eyes. Liam plays her most of the time with an expression somewhere in the middle of amusement and ‘come at me bro.’ Jayne is hungry - mostly for chaos. Although her accent is essentially the same as Lieve’tel, her voice is a bit higher, and more sinister. She’s also not as slow as Lieve’tel, just more deliberate. Her confidence doesn’t come from being steady. It comes from always being one step away from a murder spree.

[sekai-no-moji]

1,3,5,7,9,10

1. What is your favorite trope to rp?

Romance. I'm a huge sucker for romance ships. Especially the slow burn ones. I once RPed as Jung Daehyun as the "cat" from Fruits Basket, so whenever he is hugged or hugs someone of the opposite sex, he transforms into a cat. He ends up falling in love with a Hyosung but was so fucking terrified of being in love he did everything in his power to start avoiding her. And it took a LONG time for them to get to that point. Like it started off with them as friends and then next thing you know, things took a turn in the RP.

This has happened with multiple ships I've had and it was always my favorite RPs.

3. Who are your longest rp friends?

Man--unfortunately, I don't really make RP friends. When you stop RPing, so does the friendship. At least in my case. So I also don't remember many of them.

Significant ones played characters like the following: a Kim Jongin who fell in love with his sister (don't ask--or do), Park Chanyeol as a stripper, and a Yang Jiwon as a model.

5. What is a character you love, but don’t think you can write?

I love the cold person trope, but they are my worst for writing. I just find it difficult to really build with someone who is cold-hearted and like really get into interactions because those muses rarely talk to others and that's what makes it so difficult.

But that's just me personally. It's something I should work on (hence why I created Akane)

7. What is one overrated roleplay trend?

I do apologize for anyone who is offended by this, but aesthetics. I'm more about the writing and story telling itself, rather than the graphics. BUT BUT BUT

You do you boo. If the aesthetics are what help your writing than do them. It's a personal opinion after all.

9. Have you ever written fanfictions?

AFF

10. Why do you write?

I've loved creating and story telling since I was twelve years old. I started by attempting to become a mangaka, but I never had a knack for art. I've always been writing and even majored in Creative Writing during college. But like many people, I couldn't continue with that line of work as the opportunities would not show itself to me. I was also getting older and in need of money, so I went back to my previous career.

However, I continue to write every single day and one of my goals for this year and next is to either finish this story that I've been wanting to write forever--or write 12 short stories/anthologies in 1 year.

[intothewickedwood]

Once Upon A Time Rewatch: 5x21 Last Rites

I can’t even remember the flashback for this episode, if there even was one. It probably should have been a Robin Hood flashback for his death to have made more of an impact. Because he’s literally just been pointing out really obvious things and nothing else for pretty much the whole season. 

Zelena worrying for her sister! I live for this!

How’d Arthur escape?

Yes, Hades much threatening holding a baby. Very scare. 

Oh dear.

When will they learn not to stop letting Sleepy guard things?! 

Sleepy: “Sleepy. I told you, it’s Walter.” That’s interesting that Sleepy doesn’t like to be called Sleepy and prefers Walter. The Dwarfs seemed so desperate to get back to their EF lives in season 2.

Snowing reunited! God, I missed those 2 together!

Finally, a grandma Snow hug! Haven’t had one of those in ages! 

Zelena’s like “and f**k you Regina! My boyfriend’s a God. How’s that for a happy thought?!”

Oh yeah. Forgot Arthur killed Hook the first time. Well, technically the second time? 

Arthur looks more like Hook’s brother than Liam or Liam II. Not to mention a closer accent. I feel like I read a fic or something where they were brothers somehow. Don’t get me wrong though, I prefer Liam. 

Okay, Hades was definitely manipulating Zelena here. He knew she wouldn't let him turn himself in, he just wanted to pretend he was willing to.

“The olympian crystal. Very powerful, very dangerous and I’ve waited a long time to use it.”

I’m sorry but that olympian crystal looks like a big old, jagged freaking- anyway back to the rewatch! 

Where was he keeping that giant dildo of death anyway? Do I even want to know??

Zelena does not look like she’s into it.

*sigh* why didn’t they just make Hades Robin Jr.’s father? I remember thinking and hoping he somehow was. 

Belle’s father refusing to wake Belle from the sleeping curse just to keep her away from Rumple. What the hell?! He’d just let her stay like that forever? Because we know people don’t age during sleeping curses and Rumple is immortal. Jeeeez! He does not respect her agency at all!

Oh my God! Hades was whipping Hook?!........ Dat’s kinky.

Cruella: “Oh, back up!....Seriously, back up.” The number of times I’ve referenced this xD! 

Oh my God guys, how can anyone get through that many books?! And its too many damn pages for any man to understand.

Your brother stopped your heart for a sparkly strap on? Wow, what a family.

I wonder how old Hades and the God’s are. Are they older/the same age as Gothel? According to Hades he’s been around for at least a few 1thousand years. Also, is Poseidon his brother too? Is Ursula his niece? That’s cool. I like that headcanon.

So according to one of Ouat’s wikis: ‘Kronos was originally the ruler of Mount Olympus, as well as the father of Zeus and Hades. Zeus was poised to become the next ruler after Kronos' reign ended, but this enraged Hades, who stole the olympian crystal and used it to obliterate Kronos. Zeus, however, defeated Hades and banished him to the Underworld.’ I must have missed that bit. And Poseidon is listed as Kronos’ son and Ursula his granddaughter.

Robin Hood: “Regina, you are my future.” Oh dear.

Do y’all think that lost soul dragging Arthur is Milah though? Like, “get off my man! He’s mine, bitch!”

Emma’s like, “omg my dead bf’s posting me sexy dildo pics from hell. He’s so sweet.”

Guys, don’t leave the baby alone.

He definitely knows Regina and Robin are there. They’re talking so loudly!

Sorry, Emma but I love Zelena effortlessly throwing people about. I still think she’s more powerful than Emma and Regina. No one could dispel her protection spell. Definitely the most powerful telekinetic possibly out of any other character. Did you see her move that tree as a baby?!

Hades, please don’t kill Zelena’s sister! 

Oh no! The jagged sparkly dildo of death has an electric shock feature! Very kinky.

Lmao!!! I’m sorry but Robin’s death scene looks so funny! It’s shot so weirdly!

Well, Robin byeeeeee. Remember all those times he stood in the background and said nothing except the occasional “you were the evil queen” and “look there are trees here!” or of course, the already established “this place is deserted”. Fun times.

Regina be like, “show me those hands! Show me those jazz hands!” A very appropriate reaction if I do say so myself.

Okay but seriously. Did Robin not think about his 2 kids? Why didn’t he just push her out the way and run? Why didn’t Regina use her magic at all? This could have been so easily avoided but I think it was necessary for Regina’s character development and the plot. I think they ran out of things to do with Robin, and it was becoming more and more unrealistic that a character like Regina was in love with a character like him, in my opinion. She became a completely different character around him. Not all happy endings involve romantic love. I like that she remained single. Also, Robin never really made connections with the other heroes. He barely spoke to them. Literally, I think he only spoke to Hook twice and Emma once! I think Charming once too and I’m not sure he ever spoke to Snow. Maybe once in early 3b. I think that’s why, to me, he felt so disconnected from them. It would have worked a lot better if he was a villain all along, seeking vengeance on Regina for his wife’s death.

God, Hades! Zelena just wants to live in her little farmhouse, watching her daughter play on the swings and bunnies hop around while drinking tea in their magical enchanted garden!

Oh my God, if I was Zelena I would scream. Too many people in her head! Tbf if I was Zelena, I’d throw that giant dildo through the window and let Emma have it for herself as Hook intended.

Get lost Hades! Honestly, this is when I stopped being a serious Zades shipper. Before this I was a hardcore fan! But he tried to force her to kill her sister! He even says, “If you won’t, I will.” That’s going too far!

All Zelena ever wanted was love! I’m glad she finally recognizes that. She thought she wanted the material things her sister had but it was familial love that she never got from her adoptive father and only got a short taste of from her adoptive mother that she truly craved.

She chose her sister!

I hate that they made her kill Hades! Why couldn’t someone else do it?

Omg look at the sisters hold each other! I am going to die!!

Well, it’s nice that Arthur and Killian are getting along now, considering this is literally all Arthur’s fault. Somehow, after this episode, I can’t bring myself to hate Arthur as much as I did before. 

I guess the prophecy could still come true. He could repair the broken kingdom that is the Underworld.

I feel like this was addressed in a DVD extra, but does Arthur or Cruella end up ruling the underworld? I feel like it was Arthur, but my heart wants it to be and says it is Cruella and her lover the Blind Witch. 

Wow, Dumbledore and Harry look so different at King’s Cross in the afterlife. Is the horcrux in Harry destroyed??

Zeus, you horny bastard, we all know you probably slept with every character in ouat at some point. And we also know you’re a hardcore CS shipper!

Zeus looks so young lol. Why?

Hook: “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?" Zeus: “Of course it is happening inside your head, Hooky, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

Sorry. I had to.

Poor Roly :(. He’s an orphan now. I hope someone adopted him. I’m surprised Regina didn’t.

Zelena what kinda drugs are you smoking to call the baby Robin?! Dear God. Pistachio would have been better! I’ve probably said this before, but I inadvertently called her name would be Robin. In my group rp, my Zelena kept referring to the baby as “baby Robin.” if you can gaze into the future (Future, future) You might think life would be a breeze (Life is a breeze) Seeing trouble from a distance (Yeah, go Bec) But it's not that easy xD. I’ve been rewatching That’s so Raven with my mama and thus far I’ve been having more precognitive dreams than my already bananas amount.

Why do villains always crumble to dust/vanish, especially in this show: Maleficent (twice, I think), Pan (twice), Zelena, The Snow Queen, Hades, Split Queen, The Black Fairy. I don’t get why they do that.

Thank God that flipping red filter is gone! Good riddance! 

The Underworld arc wasn’t anywhere near as bad as the Dark Swan arc. It was actually much better than I remembered. I enjoyed it, even! How did I not pay attention to all the Zelena gold in this arc?! 

Anyway, excited next week for Davis Bloome- I mean Hyde! 

[millennial-ring]

Can we get more info on 5-7?

             5. Dear God

So this one is ANCIENT (2012!!!) and idk why it’s still in my WIPs folder because I do clean it out/reorganize it every few years or so (which is why that unfinished powershipping christmas fic wasn’t on the list, cause I moved it to a different folder). Sadly the title makes it seem more interesting than it actually is - it’s just a few paragraphs and nothing really happens at all. 

Russet eyes were glazed over as they watched the rain pelt the ground, each drop making tiny indents in the dirt, puffs of the still-dry earth floating up with each splash before settling down again, the process repeating over...and over... Rain drummed against the body of a beaten up jeep, the only prominent sound within miles, save to the sound of the rain falling in the grass, and the dirt, and the leather jacket Bakura wore. 

The man blinked as water ran down his face, following the curve of his brow and rolling over the crease of his eyelid, flowing into his eye. The water pooled between his lids, blurring his vision for a few moments until he blinked again, and the water was squeezed out to mingle with the rest on his face, like a single, solitary tear. He inhaled slowly, then let the breath out in a quick huff, turning away from the long stretch of dirt road in front of him. Behind him, another long chunk of drivable desert. He growled under his breath and began to pace, wet sand squishing under his boots, gravel shifting with each step. 

How could be trapped here, in the middle of fucking nowhere, with a flat fucking tire and no spare? 

It was inspired by this Avenged Sevenfold song and I vaguely remember that it was going to be thiefshipping, about the various trials Bakura goes through to get back to Malik after a fight or something but... 🤷

              6. Domestic Disturbance

This one is also super short, more fleshed out in my mind than on paper, and I started writing it after we had to call the cops on our neighbors because they were having a very loud and long argument (like, over an hour of yelling). Inspiration comes from the dumbest places with me, haha, but this is another one of those “why is this still in my wips” documents because I don’t have any intention of finishing it. After writing what I did I kinda had a “maybe these kinds of situations shouldn’t be your inspiration for fanfics, weirdo” moment and I scrapped it. But anyway! 

The story goes that Bakura was playing some Wii game, lost grip on the controller, and accidentally chucked it and broke a vase because he wasn’t wearing the wrist strap. Malik hears the crash and comes around the corner, lecturing him about “how many times have i told you i s2g bakura why are you like this” even as Bakura’s already beginning to clean up the mess. Bakura gruffly tells him to chill out because nothing important was broken anyway, just “that ugly ass vase” and he holds up a piece for Malik to see. The tension thickens immediately and Malik speaks with measured anger instead of the usual screaming, so Bakura knows He Fucked Up. “That was a gift from my sister.” Bakura panics a bit on the inside, but outside he scoffs and he’s all like “even better, tell her she has awful tastes” because ykno. He’s like that. Doesn’t wanna admit he fucked up, doesn’t wanna take responsibility or acknowledge he hurt Malik’s feelings. At this point I’d stopped writing it, but still have the basic outline. The regular bickering becomes a super intense all out screaming match about basically anything and everything, all the tiny little things they’d been burying for as long as they’d lived together finally coming out, start demanding why they ever thought this would work and they’re just about to get to that great crescendo where they're about to break up (”Well then maybe you shouldn’t have brought me back!” “At this point I’m inclined to agree!” Bakura’s shocked. “Well...then is this going where I think it’s going?” “I think it is.” “Then say it.” “...” “Say you want to break up!” “I...Bakura, I...” when someone knocks on the door. Heyo, it’s two cops, saying someone called in a domestic disturbance. Malik snaps that they’re fine, still pissed from the fight, but obviously like no Malik that’s not gonna help. So one officer brings Bakura out into the hall to question him and the other stays with Malik. Cop asks if they’re together, how long, what the fight was about, etc etc, and then if the fight had been physical at all. Bakura recoils in shock and practically screams “No!” “You never hit Malik?” “I would never!” “And Malik wouldn’t hit you?” There’s a few things there, bc I wasn’t sure how I wanted Bakura to respond; make an “only if he asked wink wonk” joke that the cop rolls his eyes at, or stammer that “i mean he’s smacked my head once or twice but it never hurt and i was being super annoying at the time and it was more like playful slapping” but either way the cop asks for a more direct answer or for Bakura to elaborate and Bakura gets pissed, says Malik would cut off his own hand before he hit Bakura because obviously. Cop seems taken aback but nods, and then lectures Bakura a bit about volume, tells him maybe one of them should pack a bag and stay with friends or family for a few days. Their partner comes out soon after and the two cops leave. Bakura goes back inside, where Malik is standing with his arms crossed, looking shaken with red rimmed eyes. They look at each other, feeling awkward, but then they make tea, sit down, and have a calmer “are we really like that?” conversation. they admit a lot of their fights are pointless and stupid and they’re just fighting to fight because it’s Their Thing and aha, aren’t we so cute and quirky, arguing is our foreplay - which it is, but they admit they’ve taken it too far, gotten too used to snapping at each other when something happens, and some of their issues (like Bakura disrespecting Malik’s siblings, and Malik’s control freak attitude) really need to be sat down and talked out, not screamed out. They apologize, foreheads pressed together, and Malik thumbs a tear from Bakura’s cheek. Bakura strokes his fingers through Malik’s hair. Malik makes a “well you know the best part about fighting, right?” and Bakura laughs, and then it ends.

               7. But he came back

So if y’all didn’t know I recently commissioned a(n amazing) fic from @/sitabethel (not properly tagging cause i don’t wanna bother them). In it, Bakura promises Malik he’ll come back after his final showdown with Atem, but ten years pass and Malik gets engaged to Seto. It’s corporate theifshipping and obviously I recommend reading it - but it’s based on an RP I did with a friend of mine years ago. In the RP, Bakura was pissed Malik hadn’t waited for him and does the whole “why did I even bother coming back I literally only came back to be with you?????” and Malik being like “Sorry? But you took a long fucking time and I had to do something to stop the loneliness.” We never finished it, but when we dropped it Bakura was starting to heal and move on and we had plans to end it powershipping and tendershipping - and Bakura catching the bouquet at the wedding and Ryou immediately being like >:) but anyway. The concept stuck with me and I really liked the idea of Bakura coming back to that situation and more so rolling with it - maybe a touch bitter at first, but hey, he’s nothing if not adaptable, and he absolutely invites himself into the relationship in the clunkiest way possible. 

“But he came back” was the start of my own attempt to write something with that kind of plot. When I write a fic, I start with a vague collection of ideas or scenes I want to write, and then when I have enough to work with, I begin organizing them into an outline. This doc is just a very small collection of ideas and dialogue, mixing some things taken from the RP and my own ideas. It’s mostly things like how Malik and Kaiba get to the marriage point, starting with an impromptu kinda tipsy make out session hidden away in the kitchen during a party Yugi’s throwing, and how they navigate each other’s trauma and fumble their way into a genuine romance despite everything. I’ve never managed to sit down and work it out into an outline of any kind, and the way I wanted to explore Malik and Bakura’s relationship before the show down, Malik and Kaiba’s relationship building afterwards, and then the relationship building with all three of them meant 30 chapters, at least (the original rp is over 2,500 pages and again, we had only just started with Bakura wanting to ask Ryou out and going to Malik for advice adjklj, when we dropped it) and well. yall know i’m bad at writing multi fic chapters 

[enduringsea]

( rules: you can usually tell a lot about a person by the kind of music they listen to! put your music on shuffle and list the first 10 songs, then tag 10 people! no skipping! ) / tagged by @yellowcrumpet​ ╭( ･ㅂ･)و )))

Thanks for the tag! I LOVE these things-- I don’t rlly have a playlist either though, just a mess of music files on a device I haven’t updated so I’ll be checking my YouTube history too lol. There’s a uhhh.... pattern to be found, mainly relating to Code Vein or other OCs.... which isn’t surprising ._. ;; I made it a separate post bc I knew this was going to get long and rambly with lyric snippets and crying about fictional characters, sorry :D

1. Repeat Until Death - Novo Amor don’t go / you’re half of me now / but i’m hardly stood proud / i said it, almost oh i’ve been low / but damn it i bet it don’t show / it was heaven a moment ago oh i can’t seem to let myself leave you / but i can’t breathe anymore This one gives me Loubeth vibes ok, partially bad end route ;-; While Elizabeth is a very strong person, her friends are the most prominent reason she tries to do anything at all & isn’t living day-to-day in a monotonous grind to survive without a solid purpose other than ‘help random ppl bc it’s the right thing to do’. If she loses them, it’d ruin her & hammers into her head how everything she’s ever done has been a failure. She suffered a major betrayal by her boss before the Collapse, she was unable to fully participate in proj. queen despite her incredible test results, she failed to defeat Cruz and take her blood during Operation Queenslayer, and if she fails to protect the people she’s finally found meaning with? She’d break down completely & destroy herself to save them. She’s always had some level of abandonment issues, and without her family around it’s so much worse, even if it isn’t the most obvious because she’s generally seen as very well put together-- I really can’t express how much it would hurt her to lose Louis, Yakumo, and the others. She’s just not one to show just how bad it can truly get for her mentally and emotionally-- she’s resilient as hell, she’s been through hell repeatedly and survived it all, so it’s easy for others to assume she’s fine all things considered. It makes her feel weak and ashamed of herself if she shows any level of vulnerability, so she doesn’t; she swallows it down and is afraid of disappointing those who look up to her as a fighter and friend-- of course, no one at Home Base would blame her for being vulnerable, they all have their moments, Bethy just sets herself to such a high standard it’s difficult for her to talk about her own suffering in spite of how well-versed she is in getting her thoughts and feelings across otherwise. Louis is the one most keen to how deeply she’s hurting, but he doesn’t understand just how deeply until she finally does fall apart. The final swell of the song and its desperate lyrics really relays the pain they both feel-- Louis too would not fare well if something happened to Elizabeth, because he blames himself she was even involved in Operation Queenslayer for a long time, I honestly did so bad in explaining coherently, this song just has so much emotion and hurt behind it adklfjdfdff </3

2. Looking Out For You - Joy Again this is a love song for a girl who will never know it’s about her she's beaming that smile / all the while i’m all tripped up on my own throat i guess there is no hope This song reminds me of Elizabeth & my friend’s character Takashi Fujioka, who gets-- vERY...FRIENDZONED, for lack of a better word, by Elizabeth in his story, it’s really summed up best as tragic (;﹏;) Before the Collapse they were hitting it off, then the Collapse happened, they were separated, he lost his sisters, Mido happened, he was experimented on + became a revenant, etc, etc; years have passed since then & she’s gotten her life together as much as one can in a world like Vein, but for Takashi it’s like no time has passed at all. Elizabeth is subtly older in appearance, she’s been working w Lou & Co. for a long time; Loubeth blatantly have a connection, & rather than bringing up his feelings + making it awkward bc he values their friendships, he just kinda. chokes on them & does his best to help out the team. It doesn’t help he can’t even be jealous bc Louis is a really solid friend to him too, IT’S JUST A MESS OF A SITUATION & the death of what could have been if things were different.

3. Closer - Teagan And Sara ( no lengthy explanation for this one thank goodness, I’ve just been watching BoJack Horseman again and I really like some of the songs they add in, I like listening to this one on loop when mindlessly coloring something )

4. Brutal - Olivia Rodrigo  all I did was try my best / this the kind of thanks I get? they say these are the golden years / but I wish I could disappear ego crush is so severe / god, it's brutal out here I have it on a playlist for Elizabeth somewhere, not all of it applies to her but it reflects some of her struggles she has both before & after the collapse. She’s-- always kind of been a mess while under immense pressure + has serious self image issues, this song hits that side of her well. She’s been held to humanly impossible standards by both herself and her family bc frankly? She can reach them, she’s NOT exactly human. She was born into her position as a hunter & intends to keep it for as long as she lives (like revenants, her kind is very much ‘either gets killed or lives 5ever), even if some days she really feels how heavy the burden can be. She didn’t have a normal childhood and she’s fine with it for the most part, but it alienates her from most of her peers-- she never got to date anyone, never had a close group of friends, never went to parties that weren’t formals, etc., while she feels a little childish about it, she does envy ‘normal’ and understands the pressure she’s lived under her entire life has caused damage-- she has been exploited for her abilities, there’s just not much she can do about it but to keep going, rlly.

5. Freaks - Surf Curse  don't kill me / just help me run away from everyone  i need a place to stay / where i can cover up my face don't cry / i am just a freak / i am just a freak UhhhHHH this song really makes me think of Oliver Collins :D;; thank TikTok for showing it to me. It makes me think of how scared he was, of both the world and the revenants who captured him. The song’s use of the word ‘parasites’ really makes me think of Revenants and the BOR parasites XD I’m hoping when I poke my video editor again, I can record some Oliver footage to make a short video to this song. Oliver deserves so much better, I wish you could save him, but that’s what AUs are for, hahah.... The second half of the lyrics make me think of the AU I have where he lives and has to grapple with the guilt of surviving and the things he did to other revenants to get by too.

6. All Eyes On Me - Bo Burnham you say the ocean’s rising / like i give a shit you say the whole world’s ending / honey it already did you’re not gonna slow it / heaven knows you tried got it? good / now get inside I haven’t seen the Netflix special yet but I’ve had this song on repeat since my move started. The lyrics hit too hard & resonate with my existential dread, covid exhaustion, and extreme burnout in my 20s, but bc I have Damage I can also relate it to CV ._. ‘you’re not gonna slow it, heaven knows you tried. got it? good now get inside’ makes me think of--;; the bad end route again, and Elizabeth’s desperation to keep her found family together. It’s not like her to completely stop caring about an issue, but in the moment she realizes what’s being taken from her? She doesn’t want to save all of revenant-kind if it means she’s going to wind up alone all over again, her world is effectively over if she’s forced to be alone again. The MC frenzying means the only immediately identifiable hope she had of saving everyone else is gone, so why not just go home? If they’re all doomed, she wants to at least be together for a little while longer, it’s fine if they use her blood to survive & everyone else in the mist is out of luck, it’s soul-crushing bc I’ve never had her in a situation where she’s been this reckless, despondent/hopeless, and thinking irrationally where it’d impact more than herself-- especially when she’s normally goal-oriented, organized, meticulous, so on so forth: she’s not one to act without thinking something through first, but that last breath of light just got sucker-punched out of her. All she wants is home, comfort, and family, and ultimately in the bad end route she does manage to preserve their lives, maintain the mist, and supply blood beads, but her own condition leaves her on the throne-- it’s a mix of the bad, neutral, and true ending rlly ldkfjdf BUT YEAH enough rambling on that :D;; This song’s really good and touches a lot of different thoughts and ideas both in real life and my ocs, kind of embarrassing--;; thank u bo burnham for ruining me with this beautiful song

7. Yellow - Coldplay look at the stars / look how they shine for you / and everything you do your skin / oh yeah, your skin and bones / turn in to something beautiful do you know / for you I'd bleed myself dry Does this song make me think about JackEva? Yes. Yes it does. Star / night sky symbolism? Bam. Sappy lyrics about love and finding the person you’re with absolutely mesmerizing and worth dying for? BAM. If JackEva were capable of using their own blood to save each other, I can see it-- hJNGn they just care about each other so much, Jack cries for her even though they both knew that eventually one of them would succumb to their duty, and if the roles were reversed I can see Eva doing the same, I adore them beyond human language. On my CV RP blog, my Jack’s not shippable bc-- Eva, my friend even have them looking after his nephew (an oc--) at one point. I should seriously drop some headcanons down eventually....

8. Louder Than Thunder - The Devil Wears Prada  are we meant to be empty-handed? / i know i could, i could be better i don't think i deserve it / selflessness, find your way into my heart all stars could be brighter / all hearts could be warmer 

LMFAO throwback to my middle school playlist, I’m old-- I’ve applied this song to a lot of things back in the day, but I really connect it to Loubeth now, especially Louis. Lou & Bethy are both functional idiots who are too hard on themselves & have trouble recognizing their worth beyond what they can do for others. They’re trying to be better-- to make up for what they perceived wrongs they’ve done, but it’s hard, they don’t believe they’re worthy of the love and support the other gives, but they still yearn for that sense of security. After Louis’ memories are returned, he finally understands the guilt he’s felt since he became a revenant and it really skews his self-perception; he blames himself for so many things & Elizabeth, who has always been able to kill when necessary, sets it straight-- “It’s not your fault”, and it takes Louis some time to properly absorb that message. He thinks she’s just trying to comfort him, which she is tbh, but she’s not wrong: “It’s not your fault you couldn’t kill someone. It was never your job to kill anyone.” It’s up to people like her to do those sort of things-- Elizabeth may not have been present when Cruz frenzied, but if she had been? It would have been over before it started, that’s something she has regrets over, even if nothing could have been done since she was already on the field. Actually, she’s actually really quite angry that security failed to monitor Cruz properly and has a few select words for the ones there who could have actually done something before it got out of hand-- civilians and doctors are exempt from her shtlist bc they’re not meant to be killers (so don’t worry Artorias, she’s not ready to bite your head off!), but they had to have some kinda security detail rite o-q??? They’re probably hiding from her wrath-- BUT ANYWAY, she insists she’ll never blame Louis for not being able to do something as serious as killing another person. He was a normal human being who cared about his friend, not a failure, and he couldn’t have been expected to do something that shouldn’t have fallen on his shoulders in the first place. As many times as it takes, she’ll reaffirm that it wasn’t his fault, she’s not angry, he’s always done his best and her opinion of him hasn’t changed. He’s a good person and she loves him through all the hurt, though she doesn’t drop the word ‘love’ for a long time. It just-- takes Louis a while to accept she views him as someone worthy of the love and respect she has for him. It’s kind of ironic she’s so adamant on Louis not blaming himself considering she’s the one privately blaming herself for-- wow there’s too much to unpack, she feels guilty she was even born?? im so broken over these two. I love them and yet they SUFFER... 

9. What I’ve Done - Linkin Park i'll face myself / to cross out what i’ve become erase myself / and let go of what i’ve done today this ends / i'm forgiving what i’ve done

I have Louis Amamiya brainrot and I’m so glad I’m not the only one who thinks that this song fits him super well & it needs to become an AMV dsjfkldsfd. I’m a near life-long Linkin Park fan and this fits with Lou so well thematically. As much as I’ve gone on about Louis’ guilt, he does steel himself to keep going forward in spite of it and make things right, for everyone. Maybe it wasn’t really his fault, but at the end of the day his inability to kill Cruz in that moment left a disaster in its wake that got a countless number of people killed-- the MC included with Karen and Aurora. He doesn’t want to run away from the truth, doesn’t want to make excuses, he wants to take responsibility for it and he’ll work himself to death if it means things will be better-- it’s both admirable he’s got a strong resolve and VERY concerning with how willing he is to die for the cause, please don’t overdo it, Lou, you’ll break mine and Bethy’s hearts ._.;; It won’t always be easy, there are moments the grief gnaws at him, but in the end he does overcome it (and uh. as in the bad ending, we know he can actually do it this time). I know we can’t see everything, but I would have loved deeper character interactions, especially with Louis with an emphasis on grieving + forgiving himself properly-- but this song really is nice with the whole ‘I’m going to face my mistakes head on, forgive myself, and keep moving forward’. It’s what Louis deserves: self forgiveness and a damn break ‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·˚

10. Call of Silence - Hiroyuki Sawano you will know you're reborn tonight / must be rough but i’ll stay by your side even if my body's bleached to the bones / i don't want go through that ever again so cry no more / oh my beloved ngl idk if those are the correct lyrics, buuuuuuut....... im a weenie and am internally weeping abt loubeth after midnight, what else is new lmfao- i’ll at least try to be brief :D I also used to really like Attack on Titan when I was in high school, I dropped the anime years ago because I was waiting for s2 and never got back to it once it started airing again, I thought I’d finish it once the anime was complete since I eventually caught up with the manga, such a good series BUT ANYWAY-- I think it’s a really pretty song and Loubeth fit with the tender lyrics. IT’S LATE, idk what to say about them other than what I’ve said already dsklfjdslf im sorry I really ramble a LOT and I’ve been so busy lately I haven’t had the chance to >w>;;

[ohblackdiamond]

liner notes/unused joke summaries for kiss fics (part iv)

Despite what my general dislike of the shift key and my tendency to mock all that I love might imply, I actually overthink everything I write to a great extent. I make no claims to these explanations being in any way enjoyable, but if you wanted to know what I was thinking while writing KISS fic… now you do. Part one can be found here. Part two is here. Part three is here. 

little t&a --If Paul had boobs, they would be big and Gene would want to grab them.

>>Title from a Rolling Stones song of the same name; most of the chapter titles are from another Stones song, “The Spider and the Fly.” I started it during quarantine as a means to occupy myself and destress, and didn’t initially plan on posting it at all. Once I’d written five chapters without having posted it or mentioned it to anyone, I figured, well, I guess this might as well go somewhere, so I put it up. I had the hope that it’d give me something to strive for during the stress of lockdown, and I’d assumed that I wouldn’t ever have that much time to devote to a story again.

There were a couple of things that really inspired me. I’ve always enjoyed sexswaps as a bit of a guilty pleasure, but wanted to do a different take on them-- there’s this tendency for sexswaps to either be wacky hijinks or an excuse to write particularly brutal noncon. There’s also a tendency for the sexswapped character to almost automatically start adopting stereotypically feminine traits he didn’t have prior, with no real reason for it. I wanted to try and avoid all that as much as possible.

... There’s also another tendency for the sexswapped character never getting back to normal, and I wanted to avoid that, too. I mean, c’mon, KISS is supposed to start the Love Gun tour a month after the fic. Paul can’t exactly pull the trigger of a love taco. (Maybe gently brush it a bit...)

I had Paul already cursed for five days at the start of the fic because I thought it would make things easier and allow the plot to advance more quickly. I also felt like it would give him more autonomy-- prior to Gene showing up, he has tried (albeit in small ways) to get a handle on what’s happened to him, and while he’s hermited it up, he hasn’t given up. Autonomy in general was pretty important for me re: Paul. (Incidentally, probably one of my favorite things about this fic is that Paul’s made that poor twelve-year-old kid on his bike buy him sanitary napkins.)

I wanted to explore a couple of other things, too, mostly rock and roll’s (and KISS’ in particular) pretty heinous treatment of women. Gene and Paul argue in the eighties that groupies know the score from the beginning, and even postulates that those relationships are more “honest” than just taking a girl out to dinner. They’re not alone in this (and, of course, as married men, these days they try not to discuss those times at all); almost every band/artist from around that time period will give you the same answer. “The girls know what they’re doing.” I think many of them did know. I also think many of them came into those hotel rooms expecting a lot more than they ever received, and I think plenty of girls ended up at the very least disappointed by their encounters, if not humiliated or worse.

I don’t know if this was successful, but I also wanted to at least try to poke a few holes in celebrity/idol worship as well. Carol’s scathing comments to Paul-- “they [fans] think there’s something you’ve got that they can get at, but there’s not” pretty heavily exemplify behavior I’ve seen at conventions, fan meet-ups, etc. At the end of the day, well, there’s no point in putting them on much of a pedestal. I dunno. I’ve seen some weird crap in the name of fan worship, in and outside of RPS. Keith Richards talks about it in his book-- girls urinating on themselves out of sheer nerves/excitement just at seeing the band, etc., which, while disturbing, had to have given them a sense of being something beyond ordinary (and act accordingly, of course).

I don’t know. I like them a lot, but I can’t hero-worship these guys; they don’t live in the real world. They’re not, ultimately, relatable or accessible despite the billions of photos, the twitter posts, the meet and greets-- any more than they were 40-odd years ago. I think there can be a real danger in thinking they are. I wanted to show that, too, but again, I don’t know if it came across properly.

One of the aspects I really struggled with was getting a good handle on Paul’s innately slippery sense of identity without it overtaking the story entirely. Gene’s very stable identity was a good foil, and it helped that most of “t&a” is from his point of view, rather than Paul’s.

Another place I faltered with was Paul’s outing alone at CBGB. The first draft had the guy in the club slip quaaludes into his drink, but I really didn’t like that at all and felt it took too much control away from Paul/punished him for going out on his own. I thought it’d be more interesting if Paul deliberately took what he knew was a dangerous combination (alcohol + quaaludes) in the hopes that would make him feel better about sleeping with someone he didn’t care about.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, having him do that (and the way the scene with the guy at the club ends) also meant that I couldn’t have him hop right into bed with Gene that night, either, so that accounts for some of the delaying. I was also really wanting to make sure in general that when Gene and Paul finally did go all the way, there wasn’t any feeling of being coerced or pressured. Not that Gene would do either of those things, but I didn’t want him or Paul to be doing it out of any feeling of obligation or hurry; I wanted it to be as natural as possible, under the circumstances. And I wanted, again, Paul’s dubious sense of self and Gene’s ambiguous feelings about Paul(’s boobs) to come into play-- yes, Paul, now you, too, can take Gene on the amazing technicolor dreamdate you’ve been fantasizing about for the last seven years! Or, you know, not. Overall, there are some pacing issues and the story slows down considerably after Gene takes Paul home from CBGB, but I like to hope that most of the scenes add something.

There were a couple of secondary plotlines that got scrapped because I couldn’t get them to fit well enough with the narrative. One of them was Paul’s very troubled relationship with his sister, Julia. There’s a fair amount of references to her scattered throughout, and Paul brings her up on several occasions, generally without much provocation, and generally at mildly odd moments (at Central Park and immediately after getting drawn by Gene being the standouts). There was an initial draft of the chapter in which Ace calls Paul, where Julia’s the one calling Paul instead (after having gotten his number from their parents). I wanted to at least get the start of a reconciliation going between them. Ultimately I scrapped it because I couldn’t get it to flow with the main plot and never felt like I’d ever explored it thoroughly enough for it to be worth a detour.

The comparison between Paul and Carol is pretty blatantly obvious, even in the narrative. Paul and Gene both recognize it (Gene, initially, when he notes that Carol doesn’t seem to belong at 54 any more than Paul does), and it makes them highly uncomfortable. (Mary-Anne, Carol’s friend, also notices it-- “she [Paul] reminds me of Carol. Just pitiful.”) They’re both very shy, insecure people that have thrust themselves into a world they’re not naturally suited for (show business) in order to achieve their own ends. They’ve both put great stock in a single person who helped them (inadvertently or not) during a dark time, and are driven by those feelings, despite knowing that person is out of reach.

Physically, they’re intentionally mostly opposite (Carol’s short, with a slight build, lighter hair, blue eyes, vs. Paul being, well, Paul-- tall, fuller build, black hair, brown eyes). But narratively speaking, neither of them are described as beautiful; “cute” and “kind of pretty,” sure, but nothing past that (except when Gene says it towards the end). That was important, too, for a couple of reasons. One, I wanted to further the comparison between them; two, I wanted to at least try and dispel the idea that all groupies were glamorous; many of them were rather ordinary-looking.

Paul not being “playboy material as a girl” was very deliberate. I feel like a lot of sexswaps tend to make the guy in question end up a ridiculously hot babe, which didn’t quite jive with what I was going for (not that I wanted Paul to end up awful-looking, but...). ... He’s probably hotter than he thinks he is though; at least, Gene didn’t mind at all, and Pete thought he was pretty. I wanted him to be recognizable if one knew where to look (face, body language). I didn’t want him to end up a tiny, frail-looking waif-- given what he looks like as a dude, that didn’t make sense to me. So this meant the less perfect attributes had to stay and carry over to a female body. He ended up with big boobs because... well, honestly because if he wasn’t going to end up with a great figure overall, he might as well have great boobs. And I mean, really, his chest’s already pretty all right as-is.

I didn’t want there to be a love triangle, but I did want it obvious, at least in an offhand way, that Peter and Paul had had sex (Ace mentions it in the car with Peter, with his “how long did it take you”). I wanted to incorporate Ace and Peter to as great an extent as possible in general.

Marbas is an actual demon from The Lesser Key of Solomon, although other than the few sentences Paul reads off from that grimoire, there’s not much more information on him to be found. 

[maxparkhurst]

How did you create your characters? What was your process?

TMI Tuesday:  How did you create your characters? What was your process?

// <offers out a chair> You’re going to want to sit for this. It’s going to be a LONG story. For those who’re looking for a short answer: I’m actually in the middle of creating these two. Edits and tweaks are always being made to make them appear real and true. And it’s thanks to everyone on here and in-game that they’ve progressed so much. 

Now for the long version. 

<buckles seat belt> 

Evolving as an Author:

Maxinora and Augustine Parkhurst are a culmination of ideas inspired by a myriad of things. The process of creating them isn’t linear. It has a lot of pit falls, unexpected twists and turns, and a ton of hills. To understand how we got the current versions of these two, we need to go back a couple years ago. 

It’s the summer of 2012. In efforts to get me off of his account, my Dad gifted me my own. This was when I made my first ever serious roleplay character- a hunter named Evelon Holmwood. Well, at the time I spelled it like Evavllyn but...Yeah. We’re going to gloss over that fact. Now, Eve was my pride and joy for the last several years. I played this character nonstop, refusing to play or write about anyone else. In retrospect, I used this character more as therapy than anything of creative merit. 

Eve’s story was basic at best. But I got better with story-telling the older I got. Unfortunately, her story got so convoluted that I had hard time salvaging anything from it. Now, you’re probably asking: How does this relate to Max? Fear not. I’m getting there. It was around this existential crisis that a mutual friend of my boyfriend and I convinced us to leave WoW and hop on SWTOR. My boyfriend was more than eager to make the switch but I was skeptical. Leaving WoW meant leaving Eve. And was I ready for that? 

He assured me I was and helped me make a character on SWTOR. This was the first iteration of Max. A bounty hunter from Nar’Shadda named Maxinora Fenrik. My intentions was to make her a lowkey copy of Eve. At this time, I wasn’t very confident in my writing abilities and liked to stay in my lane. But, the more I roleplayed this character the more she took on a life of her own. She evolved past Eve and exceeded my expectations. Playing a new character bolstered my confidence and while I no longer play SWTOR -due to OOC reasons- I still have fond memories with this character. I enjoyed this character so much that I reused several components of her design when making Max. Some which include her name and being blind in one eye. 

I flipped between the MMOs when Legion dropped. Expenses started to pile up and between the two subscriptions I didn’t have the time to play both. In the end, WoW won my affection and I made a Blood Elf because I had friends on Horde Side. Rorien Hawkthorne was her name. A drunk artist and master assassin. She’d be the second iteration of Max. She had an older sister complex, an affinity for being melancholy, and it was my first experience with playing a character who could kept secrets- or tried to at least. Another new character under the belt and I was feeling a little more confident in my story telling abilities. I’d probably would’ve kept playing that character if not for OOC drama happening in a guild I was in. The fallout had me jump back to the Alliance where I indulged in creature comforts. It was back to Eve. 

Tumblr made an entrance in my life around then as I ventured forth with a refreshed look on my hunter. I salvaged what I could and made a half-decent story. A lot of her misadventures are still posted up on her blog @evelonholmwood​ On the side I made the third iteration of Max. A fire mage and blacksmith combo by the name of Rowan Celwick with her younger brother Thomas Celwick.  They were just two orphaned kids trying to make a life in Stormwind. Rowan was an arcane drop-out and blacksmith wannabe and Thomas...Was...Well? Thomas? A glorified side-piece? A way to garner pity for Rowan. I didn’t place a lot of emphasis on them or their characters. My main focus was Eve. But these two would be the underlying foundation of Max and Auggie’s characters. 

I eventually took a hiatus from WoW and focused on more personal writing. The details are boring so I’ll gloss over it by saying that creating a character completely from scratch was the final push in the right direction for me. Fast forward several months to a year aaaaaand BOOM! Pandemic. 

Writing is an escape for me. It’s one of my best coping mechanisms during trying times. And when nothing else works, I over indulge in some Warcraft. So, I resubbed. There was hesitance when re-entering the RP scene. I didn’t leave Eve’s story off on an convenient note. For lack of better phrasing, I wrote myself into a hole I couldn’t get out of. So, with the help of my boyfriend, I decided it was time to give Eve her happy ending and shelf her for good. 

Which put me in a dilemma! Who was I going to RP? Well, you remember the Celwicks? They became my newest project. 

The Creative Process: 

I knew the Celwick story was weak and read much like a middle-school fanfiction. Revising was a must. But there were integral pieces to their story which I enjoyed: 

Familial Sacrifice 

Juxtaposing concepts

Intertwined Fates

These were themes I could work with and evolve. Keeping these in mind, I started to deconstruct the Celwick story line. They were no longer Gilnean but Kul’tiran. This prompted a name change from Celwick to Parkhurst. And I won’t lie, I like the sound of Parkhurst better than Celwick. Thomas became Augustine and Rowan became Maxinora (Mainly because I actually HAD the name Maxinora and not Rowan). The little changes got me hyped for the characters. 

Next, I started to trim away the unnecessary details that bogged down the narrative. Things that either didn’t fit or made the timeline too convoluted were replaced. Pyromancy was a great example. The age I wanted Max to be wouldn’t yield to her understanding of Pyromancy. At least, not to the level I WANTED it to be. SO, I turned it into lament’s magic. Alchemy. (I also always wanted to play an alchemist since watching FMA) 

A girl with two professions seemed excessive as well. I had to look at why I wanted her to be both an Alchemist and a Blacksmith. The answer was simple. I just liked the juxtaposition of an intelligent woman being rough and tumble. Which made me ask: Was Blacksmithing necessary to achieve that imagine? The answer was no. To pay respect to her previous iteration, I made their parents blacksmiths. It also let me keep themes of fire in her concept. The change in profession brought on a change in her appearance. I made her a little more slender to fit with the alchemist appeal. 

Max’s aesthetic was brought on by my previous characters.  Rorien inspired more internal facets of Max while Fenrik inspired outward appearances. Max’s auburn was strictly a decision made on the fact that I had one too many character’s with black hair. There wasn’t any other reason for it. 

Designing Max was easy. The real challenge was with Augustine. Up until that point, all I had to go on for his character was Tommy Celwick and...Well. There wasn’t a lot there. He wasn’t much more than a poorly used trope and I considered doing away with him all together. But I realized that I REALLY liked the trope and I liked what he did for Max’s character.  So, I buckled down and made myself think through all the reasons why Thomas Celwick -AKA Augustine Parkhust- needed to exist. 

I decided that I needed him in order to present themes in Max’s story. He was the foil to her character. Cynic older sister? Meet optimistic brother. He also appealed to not only the three themes listed above, but also the newest one I wanted to explore: two sides of the same coin. Max and Augustine are simultaneously the same, having similar traumas, and yet different. If for nothing else, Augustine could help propel Max in the right direction. Be her moral compass, you know? With a bit of half-assing here and there, I managed to get a decent character out of Augustine. Took the cliche nerdy brother idea, physical design and all, and ran with it. Shortly after I  made their Tumblr account. In no way did I expect this BOY to take on a life of his own. Like, Auggie knocked on my brain’s door and was like, “Yeah. No. I’m not a side character. Give me my own story...” 

Which will bring me into my final point! 

The Characters Write Their Own Story: 

I’ve never been able to sit down and plan a story. My mind doesn’t work in such a structured fashion. It wanders and explores. When I’m creating, I’m watching. Watching the scenes play out before my eyes as these characters take what I’ve given them and grow into something almost independent of me. The basic pieces of Max and Auggie’s back story, along with character design, were purposeful. Yes. But everything that came after was THEM.

It’s cliche, I know, but I can’t describe this experience any other way. These two grew outside of my influence and now dominate a space in my brain. They talk, work, and interact without me. I mean...Not REALLY. But...It feels like that. It feels I’m watching through a keyhole and just recording what I see as their story plays out. 

I guess a better analogy is me being the director. I’m watching the movie in the stands as two actors improv. On good days, I’m in control and rework scenes until I’m satisfied with the results. Try this. Move here. Say this. On bad days, I don’t see anything. My actors went home. The lights are off. Show’s cancelled for the day. These days make me sad...But they’re worth it because on the BEST days...The best days Max and Auggie run the whole show, and I am watching through the keyhole as their story unfolds little by little. 

It’s truly magical. 

The last part of their creation was the voice. Character voice, for me, is like building muscle. You need to work out. Start small and work your way up in weight. Every little piece I wrote made their voices stronger; and that’s including asks and threads. Interacting with other characters helped to flesh them out as people. And while it was hard and intimidating at first, it’s started to become easier. 

Wrap-Up

My method is messy and untrained. I don’t claim to have any secrets. My knowledge of writing is mediocre at best. But I’m having fun. And that’s were the real magic of any character comes in. Fun. Because if you aren’t writing about something that sparks your soul- either with love, happiness, hatred, etc- then it’s nothing more than a forced, hollow husk. Writing is meant to evoke emotion. At least in mind. And want to express complex emotions and share them. In a perfect world? My characters -any of my characters- resonates with someone. They become the escape someone needed. That’s the ultimate goal. 

It’s thanks to all of you that Max and Auggie have come this far. It’s from their interactions with others that they’ve managed to evolve into something incredible- especially Augustine. He just kept shining brighter and brighter until I felt obligated to make him an in-game character. So, you all are just as much a part in the creative process as me. Thank you! 

And a special thanks to my boyfriend for always being a sound board for my rambling ass <3 

THANK YOU FOR THE ASK, ANON! Sorry I posted an essay...<3 

[risrielthron]

Who We Were

This took a good long while because there was a retcon in November of 2015 that kinda forced Risri into hiatus. When I brought her back for the paper in 2016, some details changed but still this was an eye-opening exercise of how I’ve grown as both an RPer and a writer. Anything that does not have brackets is the same.

Take a trip down memory lane, pull up the oldest ‘about’ post you can find for your character, and annotate what has changed and what has stayed the same in {Curly brackets}. 

(I borrowed this from @alyssa-ward​​ because what a cool exercise)

Originally posted October 4, 2015

Character’s full name: Risri Elthron Reason or meaning of name:  combination of Mother's best friend's name (still alive) and her mother's sister who died - Rislana (best friend) and Kiari (sister). The Elthron family have mostly played a back seat in the history of the Kaldorei. {Both of these origins have kind of changed. Risri’s name became a place that her parents named her after, something that was important to her father’s family in an RP with her aunt. The last name Elthron was chosen by Risri during her exile her original family name is Kal’serrar.} Character’s nickname:  Ris Reason for nickname: just a short form of Risri

Physical appearance

Age: 403 {she has aged 1 rl year each year since 2015 she is currently 408 years old} How old does he/she appear: to a human about 20ish {I actually think now she probably seems a little older to people) Weight: We don't ask ladies this! Though she looks healthy and toned. {I figure she’s whatever the average weight is for female elves} Height: Average for a Kaldorei {This has changed a bit. I have her just a tad shorter than Dragaur in human form so she’s 6’2” which apparently is short for an elf} Body build: She's not a body builder but her activities keep her in shape. Shape of face: Typical Kaldorei {She did not have a face claim at the time nor did she have art.  Her face looks like this art the most.}

Eye color: White {I list it as silver now} Glasses or contacts: none Skin tone: light purplish Distinguishing marks: Claw tattoo (gained during her Druid initiation ceremony) Hair color: Purple Type of hair: Long Hairstyle: up in a ponytail or straight down her back {when I first made Risri I had her in the pigtail hair style. I quickly didnt like how it looks and changed it to the long style she sports now. It has not changed since} Voice: typically soft {I imagine her voice and accent a bit like Gal Gadot’s natural voice} Overall attractiveness: again not really caught up in her appearance so someone may need to tell her and even then she will more than likely blush and stammer a thank you. {This has changed so so much from when I first created her.  She knows she is lovely and she will probably think you want something from her if you flatter her appearance.} Physical disabilities: none Usual fashion of dress: For events: dresses...she has discovered she likes pretty pretty dresses.  For class: simple black pants and a simple shirt  {So this too has changed from when I first created her.  She aims for comfort and style. She most often will be found in one of these} Favorite outfit: Dresses, she found a lovely gold and white dress that has become her favorite {I dont even know what dress this was but Im sure it was something from my early days on wra-I would say her favorite outfit is probably one of the ones above} Jewelry or accessories: She wears a button on a string around her neck. She fondles it every so often. {The button on a string has actually moved to her bag, she now sports a ruby necklace from Dragaur, her bracelet with several charms on it, and always has her camera}

Personality

Alignment: Good {I think I would classify Risri now as more neutral these days} Good personality traits: Loves animals, children, books, meeting new people (even though she can be shy, she enjoys it), giving, loyal  {This is all true except for the shyness, I don’t actually rp Risri as shy. She may be standoffish but thats cause IRL I am shy but Risri most definitely has no fear of talking to people} Bad personality traits: shyness can sometimes stop her from joining in, when she is caught up in research she may ignore others not to be hurtful she just gets caught up  {I think this one goes with the other, as for bad traits today, I usually say she can be stuck in her ways at times and can be over protective} Mood character is most often in: happy {I would say this is still true but she’s had her share of pain} Sense of humor:  silly things make her laugh {Not so much silly things but she definitely has a more snarky is funny sense of humor} Character’s greatest joy in life: running in the forest as a cat {Taking pictures and being a druid are equal} Character’s greatest fear: the death of her mother {This has actually come out in RP as a fear of mind control.  She would fear the death of her mother but mind control tops it.} Why?  Her mother and her are very close (unusual for Kaldorei, as they grow up communally typically), travelling with her mother in her formative years they relied upon each other What single event would most throw this character’s life into complete turmoil? Ris would be devastated if something happened to her mother  {I think the death of Latilda, and then when she thought Dragaur was dead, and subsequently the death of Suzi in the office are three of the most profound things that made Risri change some. Her fel contamination would come a close fourth Currently, if something was to really happen to Dragaur, Sky, or Selise it would mess up Risri for a while} Character is most at ease when: Researching {Funnily enough this might still be true, but I would say taking pictures is probably more} Most ill at ease when: at war {This is true, but as she found out both at Darkshore and recently when there are forsaken involved she has no hesitation in killing.} Enraged when: witnessing senseless destruction of sacred places or artifacts {I completely forgot that I chose that, but I would say it has not changed. She also does not stand for people she cares about being hurt, this one is tricky though and I often have to tame it down because of interactions with others.} Depressed or sad when:  she is a pretty positive individual, depression and sadness are fleeting if they happen at all. {This has matured over time. She gets very introspective at times and definitely will seek alone time when she is sad.} Priorities: Learn about as many cultures as she can, current focus is Treants. {So long ago… Her priorities currently are her studio, Dragaur, and helping the Kaldorei still homeless.} Life philosophy: Learn, Learn, Learn then share it all!  {This was definitely written back in my Stormwind University days. Her philosophy “Be kind. It’s worthwhile to make an effort to learn about other people and figure out what you might have in common with them.”} Character’s soft spot: her Sprite Darter "Flutter" {Also a certain worgen} Is this soft spot obvious to others? Sometimes {while I dont play it up too much she is very attached to Flutter. As for the worgen, yes when they are together it is clear she has a soft spot for the gruff one} Greatest strength: Passion for learning {This is probably still true but I would say she also is a pretty good photographer and a loyal friend.} Greatest vulnerability or weakness:  Naivety of how the world really works even though she has travelled the two main continents extensively she has been sheltered by her mother. {This was one of the things I retconned out of her when I brought her back for the paper. Risri may be unknowing of some human interactions but she is far from naive in most cases.} Biggest regret: That one time at band camp...seriously she is young so right now she doesn't have one but this may play into her development and story later. {HUGE change here... in fleshing her out in RP the biggest regret is and always will be the incident that forced her out of the Sentinels but not the results because it let her become a druid so its a double edged regret} Minor regret: she forgot to tell her mom about the time she ...oh that might not be appropriate for here {Again a change that came about from RP, that she threatened Dragaur with turning him in. She would never do that and she said it in a moment of frustration with him during a fight. It hurt them both too much.} Biggest accomplishment: coming soon  {Running the paper. Opening her studio. either} Minor accomplishment: joining the University! {so many things, her writings, some of her photographs, saving people at Teldrassil, helping the Kaldorei in Stormwind.} Past failures he/she would be embarrassed to have people know about: she was almost not able to become a druid...story for another time {This also changed with the retcon, but I would say the time she spent before coming to Stormwind would be something she would not want others to know about and will probably not talk about to anyone.} Why?  She loves being a druid so not being one… {I have thoughts about what she was doing but its not fleshed out. Maybe someday and I can revisit this.} Character’s darkest secret: She is a pretty open book. Maybe later she will have a "dark" secret.  {So this dark secret is the fact that she killed 10 Sentinels. That also came with the revamp.} Does anyone else know?  {Several people.}

Goals

Drives and motivations: Curiosity unusual for a Kaldorei and need to have answers to questions  { I would say this is somewhat still there and aided her when she was a reporter, but her drives and motivations are deeper now and the result of RP. She wants to make amends and sees her work with the Kaldorei refugees as part of that.} Immediate goals: Make friends with the treant she met at the Grove of Ancients {Keep her business running, aid the Kaldorei} Long term goals: Become an expert in as many cultures as she can {Live} How the character plans to accomplish these goals: Locate writings and interviewing others, spending time with treants ((her contact will be sending her around Azeroth and Draenor to meet with others)) {So her plan for her immediate goals are tied together. She takes a good portion of her profits from the studio and the two books she’s published to fund her relief efforts} How other characters will be affected: may be pestered for any little detail they have about treants  {Most of the people she interacts with in RP would not be impacted.}

Past

Hometown: Darnassus  {God I was such a noob.  Feralas is her home.} Type of childhood: travelled both continents with her mother {so noob. She spent her youth in Feralas, Ashenvale, and Darkshore.} Pets: Sprite Darter named Flutter and a curious little white kitten {I retconned the kitten. Its only Flutter} First memory: Leaves above her (could be why she is fascinated with the treants...) {I think I’ll leave this one.} Most important childhood memory: Her and her mother on a ship talking into the night {This can stay too} Why?  The closeness she felt to her mother {Because of this reason}

Present

Current location: Elwynn Forest, Jazimina Amberstill's "Ranch" {Stormwind City, either Dragaur’s apartment or her studio} Currently living with: Jazimina Amberstill and Ritti {Dragaur} Pets: Sprite Darter "Flutter" Religion: Follower of Elune {no change, add wild gods} Occupation: Researcher {Photographer} Finances: moderate {no change though she has more wealth than she lets on}

Family

Mother:  Kahrysta Elthron  {Oh wow I totally changed her mother’s name.. Its Alistra Kal’serrar } Relationship with her: good {excellent} Father: Brezlin Elthron Relationship with him: vague memories, he died when she was still a child Siblings: none Relationship with them: Spouse: none Relationship with him/her: Children: none {though she briefly adopted Ritti before they found the gnome’s family} Relationship with them: Other important family members: Mother's best friend Rislana is like an aunt  {her aunt Tara, cousins, and another aunt I dont have a name for.}

Favorites

Color: Green and Purple {blues could be added} Least favorite color: Orange {sorry Drag, but I dont think its true anymore} Music: any Food: Chocolate Cookies {See answer here} Literature: Any Form of entertainment: stories {plays, dances could be added} Expressions: "Indeed!" {Its not often I get to use it but I do like it} Mode of transportation: Winterspring Frostsaber, given to her by her mother when she hit adulthood (about 50 years ago) or flight form  {Flight form.  The frostsaber went away in the retcon} Most prized possession: her journal {Camera}

Habits

Hobbies: Dabbles in alchemy {more than dabbles now} Plays a musical instrument? No Plays a sport: no How he/she would spend a rainy day: reading a book, any book {taking pictures} Spending habits: thrifty {for herself this is probably true, for others she can be extravagant} Smokes: no  Drinks: not normally  {no change, but she will drink} Other drugs: no What does he/she do too much of? Read  {Take pictures} What does he/she do too little of?  Socialize just for fun {This is probably more true now since giving up the paper} Extremely skilled at:  Keeping a team alive when faced with challenges when exploring  {Photography, writing could be added} Extremely unskilled at:  a lot of things but she does hate cooking {LIES...I retconned this. She loves to cook. I don’t know...but I am sure there is something. It would probably be something she doesn’t do and has no desire to do.} Nervous tics: not sure someone may need to point that out to her  {She plays with the bracelet on her wrist when she’s nervous. } Usual body posture: relaxed and happy Mannerisms: polite {extremely so} Peculiarities: …  {hmm, I am sure there are some that have manifested over the five years I’ve been RPing her. Perhaps how she will always address a human as their full name unless she has been asked not to and will still use Ms. Mrs. Miss. Mr. with that name unless she feels close to you.}

Traits

Optimist or pessimist: Optimist Introvert or extrovert: Introvert until she gets to know you then she might not be quiet {I would say shes more mixed now.} Daredevil or cautious?: A little of both Logical or emotional: Emotional  {probably more mixed now though she can be emotional she just normally doesn’t let it show unless she is very comfortable with you} Disorderly and messy or methodical and neat: somewhere in between, depends on how wrapped up she is in her research but she does have a habit of cleaning up if there is a mess  { I would say she is very neat. Sky drives her crazy.} Prefers working or relaxing:  working {definitely would say this is still true} Confident or unsure of himself/herself: unsure internally, others probably see her as confident  {a little of this still lingers but unless you are close to her you wont see it} Animal lover: indeed

Self-Perception

How he/she feels about himself/herself: an introvert who is more bookish than social  {This is still kinda true.} One word the character would use to describe self: shy  {Quiet} One paragraph description of how the character would describe self: A passionate learner and studier of peoples, loves animals, enjoys outdoors, and exploring is exciting.  {A memory keeper, lover of animals and the outdoors, her passion for photography as a way to preserve memories is high.} What does the character consider his/her best personality trait? her passion for learning  {her compassion for others} What does the character consider his/her worst personality trait? her shyness ((its all in her head too, she really can be quite un-shy when meeting new races or investigating something though in social entertainment type situations she is at a loss)) {so retconned, she would say her possessiveness when it comes to the people she cares about.} What does the character consider his/her best physical characteristic? She is unaware of her appearance most of the time  {She likes her hair.} What does the character consider his/her worst physical characteristic? She hates her feet...not really  {I’ll keep this if only cause I dont know} How does the character think others perceive him/her: She sometimes thinks too much about this and sometimes it doesn't bother her at all  {She is very conscious of being a Kaldorei business woman in a human society. She strives to show that her people are trustworthy and kind.} What would the character most like to change about himself/herself: her shyness  {Since I retconned the shyness...I don’t know...Risri believes she can be a better person but its something that you work on each day.} 

Relationships with others

Opinion of other people in general: opportunity to learn  {She is still curious about others and likes people watching. She thinks most people are good at heart.} Does the character hide his/her true opinions and emotions from others: hmm, I think this will depend upon the relationship and situation  {Oh most definitely, this was honed during her time as a reporter where she hid a lot of her thoughts about things.} Person character most hates: no one (yet)  {Elyza Morrowbranch} Best friend(s): her mother / Jazi  {Sky Stoneseat} Love interest(s): none (yet)  {Dragaur} Person character goes to for advice: her mother / Dean Crowelley  { Dragaur, Sky, Selise} Person character feels responsible for or takes care of: Ritti  {Dragaur, Sky } Person character feels shy or awkward around: cute boys...oh ok anyone in an entertainment social situation, when she is meeting others for what she calls "research" she emulates her mother's ambassador ways as much as possible  {So such a noob.  She really doesn’t except older Kaldorei...she worries what they know of her past.} Person character openly admires: her mother and Rislana Silverwind  {Who is Rislana Silverwind omg I totally forgot this was a thing. Will have to think of someone else as Rislana is a Draenei now.  As for who she admires?  Her mother, Selise, Sky, Eilithe, Feyawen, Anegorn, and a few others.} Person character secretly admires: Dean Crowelley {I don’t think there is anyone she secretly admires, if she likes you, you know.} Most important person in character’s life before story starts: her mother  After story starts:  Ritti, Jazi, and the university faculty  {Dragaur, Sky, Selise}

If you made it here thanks for looking at the changes of Risri over the course of the last five years.  Its been a long, strange, crazy trip but I wouldn’t change much about it. If you want to do this, I encourage you to! And tag me cause I wanna read!

[the-second-circle-ffxiv]

LFRP - Ayame Sasaki

NAME: Ayame Sasaki (Aya-hime) ALIAS/NICKNAME: Aya, Ayame Homura (Misaki Sanada, Ai Kurosawa, Kaori Ishida and several other aliases, used during the jobs.) AGE: 19 NAMEDAY: 4th Sun of the 2nd Umbral Moon RACE: Au ra (Raen) GENDER: Female SEXUALITY: Pansexual MARITAL STATUS: Single

Physical Appearance ––– –

HAIR: Long and straight, lilac hair reaches halfway down her back. EYES: Bright pink (no limbal rings) HEIGHT: 4′9′’ BUILD: Petite and rather doll-like DISTINGUISHING MARKS: Huge snake and cherry blossoms tattooed onto Aya’s back in eastern fashion, running over her hips on the left, and down onto her thigh. She also has three cherryblossoms tattooed on the bottom of her right foot. COMMON ACCESSORIES: Golden jewelry, a set of kunai, strapped onto her left thigh and a small flashbang, made by her younger sister, Bella.

Personal ––– –

PROFESSION: Phantom thief HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Painting, reading, shopping, theatre, tea ceremonies and aroma therapy. LANGUAGES: Hingan and basics of common RESIDENCE: Homura household in Shirogane BIRTHPLACE: Sasaki manor, Kugane FEARS: Poverty and humiliation

Relationships ––– -

SPOUSE: None CHILDREN: None PARENTS: Asagi Homura (adoptive mother) SIBLINGS: Ainu Wanyuudo & N’bella Bhlero (adoptive sisters) OTHER RELATIVES: Silke Doomflare (adoptive aunt), Kojiro Homura (adoptive uncle), Muneshige Homura (adoptive granpa), Okuni Homura (adoptive grandma), the deceased / lost Sasaki clan. PETS: Two pink moths, Yumeka and Tsukiko. Because of relative short lifespan of a moth, she tends to just replace the dead with new ones, which will inherit the names of their predecessors.

Traits ––– -

extroverted / introverted / in between disorganized / organised / in between close minded / open-minded / in between calm / anxious / in between disagreeable / agreeable / in between cautious / reckless / in between patient / impatient / in between outspoken / reserved / in between leader / follower / in between empathetic / unempathetic / in between optimistic/ pessimistic / in between traditional / modern / in between hard-working / lazy / in between cultured / uncultured / in-between loyal / disloyal / in between faithful / unfaithful / in between

Additional information ––– –

SMOKING HABIT: Rarely DRUGS: Never ALCOHOL: Occasionally

RP Hooks ––– –

Phantom thief of Kugane An priceless jewel necklace disappeared in the middle of tea ceremony you held for your important business partners, with only a calling card and a cherry blossom left on its wake? Or maybe an old heirloom katana catched your eye, but the current owner is less willing to part with it? Aya’s main income comes from stealing (liberating) valuables, and selling them on to be sold on black markets. Maybe something got stolen from you? Maybe you need something stolen? Or maybe you are running a black market, and happen to be in need of her services.

A teahouse regular Aya loves to spend her time in high-class teahouses and theatres. Maybe you catched a glimpse of an elegently dressed, pale auri woman, when visiting such events.

The princess of lost Sasaki family The Sasaki family used to run a bathhouse in Kugane. While being one of wealthiest families in the city, the source of the wealth was not as much the bathhouse, but ties to local yakuza. To strenghten these bonds, young Ayame was to be wed with the son of said yakuza family. Not long after the date for bonding ceremony was decided, an anonymous letter to sekiseigumi shed light on several crimes, supposedly committed by the Sasaki family. After trials, the leaders of Sasaki family were executed, while the others lost their wealth and standing in the city, being expelled from Kugane. Everyone except young Ayame, who as orphaned minor, was not seen responsible for the crimes of her parents. A local monster slayer, Asagi Homura adopted young Ayame just some time after. Maybe you are someone with a link to late Sasaki family? Maybe one of the yakuza family, she was supposed to be married into.

What I do and what I won’t ––– –– –

Darker themes (violence, gore, torture, abuse, drugs etc.) are totally okay, as long as the partner is 20+, and we have a mutual agreement about things!

Even though I like darker themes, Im very much up for just some light, slice of life-RP too! So dont let that stop you from reaching out! :3

No plots that will end up killing my character. Events that will leave scars or permanent injuries (physical or mental) are okay, as long as you talk to me first! 🖤

No ERP for the sake of it. Im married, and have no interest in ERP altogether. Some exceptions may be made, if its important for the plot, but overall, I prefer “fade to black”.

Any racism, nazism, homo- transphobia etc. wont be tolerated! Ever.

Please, keep the IC and OOC thingies separate!!!

About the mun ––– –– –

You can call me Reine. Im a disaster housewife, tattoo enthusiast, bat-lover and a part time writer!

Im a HUGE horror movie & Soulsborne-fan, and that usually shows on my characters too! ^^’ So anything along those lines, and Im in! 🖤

Time Zone: Eastern european (Im a night-owl though, so while it effects on my active hours, its not TOO bad.)

English is not my first language, so answers may sometimes be bit slower than from native english speakers, but bear with me!

If you see me around in game, come and say “hi”! Im always up for little RP, or just casual ooc chatter! Sooo yeah. Come here, lets talk!! 🦇

Platforms: In game, Discord and Tumblr

Contact Information  ––– –

Tumblr - the-second-circle-ffxiv (Main blog: lareine-kira) Server - Balmung, Crystal datacenter (Will gladly hop over onto other servers on Crystal for rp). Discord - On request

@mooglemeet​ @ffxiv-crystal-rp​ @balmungrp​

[tavi-hayes]

challenge six ~ family time

((hello hello! massive thanks to anna for the lovely rps @hugo-stanton and @/arin-schreave, and cassey @ladyreggiewright​ thank you for the rp too! uncle aran is such a joy! this fic is hecking long again (11k), i’m sorry. ignore the spelling/grammar mistakes as always. finally, if anyone decides to read this then enjoy! also there is a short bit written in the pov of tavi’s mom just because i felt the need to share her feelings))

The feeling of missing my family has become unbearable. It’s the first thing I think of in the morning and the last thing on my mind before I go to sleep at night.

During the day I can suppress the thoughts simply by focussing on other stuff. Music for example. Or the anticipation for the food we’ll have for dinner. But dinner reminds me of Brooke’s elimination and how quiet it is during mealtimes without her around.

Or my mind goes to Hugo and that kiss. The thought alone makes me feel all warm inside. I still can’t believe that happened. It feels like a dream. Or a fairy tale. Something unreal.

I trace the stitching on the hem of the tablecloth with my finger. There is a beautiful golden embroidery all over the fabric. It still surprises me how these royals live. Even their tablecloths look like a work of art.

There is only one other girl sitting at my table. A pretty blonde with a sense of calmness and elegance around her. If she is excited or nervous, she doesn’t show.

I glance around the room. There are 3 other tables with two girls each. All of them seem to be paired up with a friend, their voices filling the room. Leana is sitting at a different table, happily chatting with another girl.

There are eight of us left. Seven if you exclude me.

We are the Elite. How crazy is that?

One of us is going to get married to the prince. Become his queen.

I know for a fact it isn’t going to be me. And I’m content with that.

Even if the prince and I would be the last two people on this planet, it still wouldn’t happen. We just don’t get along. Perhaps trying to shoot him with a paintball gun had been the cause of that. Or maybe we just weren’t compatible. Who knows? Who cares?

For some miraculous reason I had stumbled upon the kindest person there is. Someone who listens and makes me smile nonstop. Someone who makes me feel safe. I can still feel the ghost of that kiss on my lips.

“Tavi!”

I jump up from my chair immediately, just in time to see my brother run towards me. I kneel and he throws his arms around me.

Some tears escape, running down my cheeks.

Another pair of arms join in. Aria.

I pull both of them into a tight hug. They smell like home, a little dusty but with a hint of pinewood and cinnamon. More tears fall down my cheeks.

A hand lands on my shoulder. I let go of my little siblings and stand up to give my mom a hug. She can’t hold the tears back either. They fall on the fabric of my dress on my shoulder. I couldn’t care less about the stain they’ll leave behind. It’s just water so it will dry eventually.

The only thing I care about now is my family. Here. With me.

*****

"Good morning."

All my muscles tense at the sound of that voice.

Please don't let it be directed to us.

Please go to a different table.

We've managed to not speak to each other for so long, why ruin it now?

But unfortunately the person stops walking, his presence looming over me as he stands still behind my chair.

The expression on my mom's face tells me she wished for him to keep walking too. A nervous laugh escapes. No she is definitely not feeling comfortable with the prince this nearby. I wonder if it's because of his royal status. Or maybe there is a different cause for her to not be at ease.

Because the man looking at her now may be the only person in all of Illéa who could do something for my dad.

It seems my little sister and brother are the only ones in this family who know how to properly act in social situations.

Aria gives the prince a friendly smile, "hello." Arlan waves as a way of greeting. I feel a tinge of pride at the sight of them. They're 12 and 9 years old respectively but they apparently know better how to be polite than us.

"How are you all doing today?" Okay so he is going to have a chat with us? What have I done to deserve this?

My mom manages to reply, "it's nice to see our Tavi again." Her eyes lock with mine. There is a hint of sadness there, but for the most part her eyes are filled with warmth. Just looking at her reminds me of home.

I reach for her hand and give it a little squeeze, letting her know she is not alone in this situation. Hopefully the gesture takes some of the unease away, even though I myself wish I could run away from this conversation. I don't understand why he felt the need to come over. Couldn't he go have a talk with the girls he actually liked?

I try to relax a little but that's easier said than done. Regardless of how I feel, I know I need to say something at some point. "Allow me to introduce my family. My mom Viola, my sister Aria and my brother Arlan," I say, motioning my hand at each of them even though it's clear who's who.

The prince takes a couple of steps in my family's direction. My eyes follow his every move. If he tries to hurt them in any way, I will ...

But he simply holds out his hand to each of them. My mom first, she shakes his hand. Her eyes shift to me for a split second, the unease is easy to read. Then she lets go of his hand. My siblings shake his hand in turn.

Then he turns to me. It's first time we've had eye contact since that date. "I think later today Hugo has something planned if that's alright."

My heart starts racing right at the moment Hugo’s name leaves his mouth. I can do nothing but stare at the prince. I blink my eyes at him. "Hugo?" I try to discreetly take some deep breaths, willing my heart to slow down. "What kind of plan?"

"I promised I wouldn't tell." I don't know what surprises me more, the fact that the prince is in on this mysterious plan or the smile that is now on his face. I blink my eyes again, perhaps I'm just imagining this? But no, the smile remains. And for some reasons it feels like he knows something. Did someone tell him about that kiss? Did anyone overhear our conversation in the garden? Or perhaps the conversation during our dance?

I glance around the room, scanning every face. But my eyes can't find Hugo.

"Who's Hugo?" Aria's voice fills the silence. How am I going to explain this? I turn back to find her looking at the prince. That's somewhat of a relief, let him explain then. My mom's eyes however have settled on me and when I look at her, I know she's noticed my looking around.

"He's my cousin. He and Tavi are friends."

My gaze immediately shifts to the prince. He's still smiling at my sister. I don’t understand how on earth he would know about this friendship. I know I have never mentioned it to him. So that can only mean ...

"How did you meet him?" Aria asks, her full attention is now on me.

"Uhm," I twirl some hair around my finger, "there was this photography thing."

She opens her mouth to ask more but someone else beats her to it. Arlan asks, "is this your house?"

My little brother, my saviour. I am not ready for an Aria interrogation. Especially not with the prince present. Oh dear god no, that would have been awful.

From the corner of my eye, I see the prince nodding his head at my little brother. "Yeah, it is."

Aria holds my stare. There is a challenge in her eyes, a mischievous grin on her face. I will most certainly hear about this later.

"Cool," Arlan replies, "it's so big."

Yeah especially if you compare to our little house back in Denbeigh.

My mom's voice makes me break the staring contest with Aria. I notice the friendly smile on her face. "I'm sorry, we don't mean to take up all of your time. Other people must want to speak with you as well." I know what she's doing. She's trying to make him leave. Whether it's for her own unease to disappear, or if it's because she's noticed that I'm not the biggest fan of the prince, I don't care. I appreciate the effort and I hope he gets the memo.

"A little too big, huh?" He replies to Arlan, followed by a light chuckle.

And now leave. Please.

He doesn't. He looks at my mom instead and shakes his head. "You aren't at all. It's always a pleasure to meet new people."

I can't believe my own ears. How is this the same person who asked me if I preferred to be called Queen or Princess? He had been such an asshole. Why is he so nice now?

"Do you also have lots of cars?" Arlan's voice is full of excitement and curiosity.

"Yeah we do, down in the garage. Have you been down there yet?" The prince replies, nodding along as he speaks.

Arlan's eyes grow bigger and bigger. "No. Are we allowed to?"

"Well, we should change that. Maybe Tavi and I or Tavi and Hugo can take you down there later." He turns his head in my direction.

I don't understand why he would even suggest that first pairing. Tavi and I. As if that is ever going to happen. You can’t tell me this prince wants to spend more time with me than he has to.

And that second pairing… Why is he bringing Hugo into this again?

I’m very capable of taking my little brother to see the cars without any help. But I do need to find out the general directions to the garage beforehand.

Arlan has gotten up from his chair and is now standing by my side, clutching my arm with his tiny hands. "Please Tavi please please."

My heart aches, I've missed him so much. I muss his hair, "yeah I guess."

The prince chuckles again. Seriously who is this? "Well, then I guess it's settled."

Arlan pushes my hand away and turns to the prince with a huge grin on his face, "cool." I watch him go back to his chair. Mom is smiling at him when he turns to her. "Mom, did you hear that? I get to go see the cars later?"

I turn to look at this friendly prince. I force a smile to my face, if only for making my brother this happy. "Uhm thanks, you just made his day."

He smiles in return, "no problem." He leans down, his head coming closer to mine. This may be the first civil conversation we've had, but that doesn't mean he can enter my personal space. "Hugo does need to see you in a bit though." His voice is a whisper only I can hear.

What is this plan?

I've never been a fan of surprises, or when things being kept hidden from me. Not since I've got the biggest surprise of my life. That day in the court room.

I just want to know everything that's going to happen. Always.

"I'll go find him later then."

I watch the prince nod his head. "Something tells me you'd rather have him meeting your family than me."

I don't tell him he's right though. This is not something I want to discuss with him. Not now, not ever. "What makes you say that?"

He smiles at me. "He's usually pretty straight forward with his feelings."

My cheeks heat immediately. What does this mean? Did Hugo talk to the prince about what happened? Because I'm pretty sure that what happened classified as treason. It doesn't make sense for him to discuss this with the person currently ruling the country, who also happens to be his family. The possibility of being punished looms over me. It feel like some scary monster is breathing down my neck. How am I going to get away with this?

And besides, Hugo never talked to me about whatever this is between us.

I think you make me happy.

That's all I got. Nothing more, nothing less. There are so many ways to interpret that sentence.

Like … Friends can make you happy too.

But he did kiss me back.

I'm overthinking this.

I blink at the prince who is still way to close for my liking. "Feelings?" I glance around the room again, but there is no sign of Hugo.

When I turn back, the prince has pulled away from me and I can finally breath again.

I vaguely hear the conversation between my mom and the prince. They’re talking about their rooms in the palace. Sounds like a safe and neutral conversation topic to me.

My mind keeps getting distracted, repeating the prince’s words over and over again.

Something tells me you'd rather have him meeting your family than me.

He's usually pretty straight forward with his feelings.

“Oh my god! Really?” Aria’s high-pitched voice snaps me out of my thoughts. She’s looking at the prince with heart-eyes, like he is some magical and wonderful fairy tale creature. I can’t help but roll my eyes at her. Sometimes she acts like someone way above her age, but other times I get reminded that she’s still a kid.

The prince laughs. He actually laughs. “Of course.” I take my eyes of my sister and focus on the prince instead. Who is this guy? He looks around the room and when he turns back to look at my siblings his voice is nothing more than a whisper. “Did anyone show you the playroom we have?”

“Playroom,” Aria and Arlan say at the same time. Their voices are filled with excitement.

I’m still watching the prince when he looks in my direction. “Maybe you can have Hugo show them where it is?”

I swear to god. How many times is he going to mention Hugo? If my mom hadn’t noticed it before then she’s surely aware of it now.

“Like now?” I don’t even see Hugo in this room. Do I really have to go find him just to show my siblings where the playroom is? I’m sure he has better things to do.

My siblings however will not let go of the promise of a playroom unless they actually get to visit it. Arlan’s attention is completely on me now, “please, I wanna go to the playroom.”

There is no way I can say no to his sad puppy dog eyes.

“Why can’t you show us?” Aria says to the prince, sounding very disappointed. “I like you better.”

I turn to face my sister, I can’t believe the words that leave her mouth. How can she like the prince? Sure, he has been nice during this chat, but this is legit the first time he’s been like this since I’ve been here.

Maybe he is just pretending to be nice. Trying to make a good impression on our families.

Or maybe he’s just in a good mood.

Who knows?

“I’m sorry, I have to stay here with the other guests. But maybe another time I can come with you.”

A feeling of relief washes over me. My sister however looks like she’s forced to eat the one thing she hates most, broccoli. “Oh okay.”

Mom runs a hand over Aria’s hair, trying to calm her down. I mean it’s not like the world is ending. “I can still take you,” I say as I shoot my sister a look, telling her to get her act together and behave like a normal human being. “If I knew where to go.”

“Oh, if you take a left outside the door it’s the third door on your right.”

I turn to the prince, nodding my head. “Okay thanks, will keep that in mind.”

Left, third door on the right. That’s not too hard.

“I guess we will go have a look,” my mom says, as little Arlan jumps up and down right next to her chair. “It was nice to meet you.” Her voice sounds genuine, but I wonder if she truly means the words.

“It’s been my pleasure. I’m happy you were able to come visit.” The prince has that smile on his face again.

I turn to face my mom instead, knowing very well what’s on her mind. I’m thinking the same thing, this family is missing a member. Two members, if you include my older brother. But I would have personally put Daniel on a plane back to Denbeigh if he would have come here when his wife back home had the flu.

Mom’s eyes become watery, she blinks a couple of times trying to hide it. “Of course, we wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”

My heart aches to see my mom like this. I reach for her hand and her eyes find mine. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“The last to reach the door is a loser.” Arlan’s voice is filled with mischief. Aria jumps down her chair, ready to start running.

Before either of them can do so much as blink their eyes, mom has gotten up from her chair and has grabbed them each by their wrist. “Definitely not.” She starts to guide them towards the door, out of the room.

I get up from my chair as well. When I pass the prince, I pat him on his shoulder, “great chat.”

My mom is waiting for me with Aria and Arlan on either side of her.

“Have fun, Tavi.”

I turn around to the prince one last time, “yeah you too.”

« POV switch to Tavi’s mom Viola »

I only let go of Aria and Arlan when we have left the room. They look at each other and run off together. Arlan is way faster than Aria, even though she is 3 years older than him. He would make a great athlete, if he hadn’t been born a Five. “Don’t go too far,” I call after them.

I fall into step with Tavi. My daughter who has always been so well at hiding her true feelings, all of her worries and troubles covered with a mask of calmness. She always tries to stay strong. There are only certain situations when her feelings are too intense to be controlled. Situations that bring back memories. Bad memories.

But seeing her now, she radiates joy and happiness.

Being selected and coming here really brought her back to life. A sparkle has returned in her eyes.

The sparkle that had disappeared 6 years ago.

The image of Caspar’s unconscious body being dragged out of that court room still haunts me every day. Shock had overtaken me then, freezing me in place. The only thing I could do was scream. If I could go back to that moment, I would fight and riot, anything to stop them from taking my husband away from me. But there is no way for me to go back. Not now, not ever. “You just need to give it time,” they all had said. “You’ll get over it.” It’s an easy thing to say if you have no clue what it’s like to lose someone like this.

“The prince seems like a nice guy,” I say, ending the comfortable silence around us.

Tavi scoffs, “yeah I guess.” The tone in her voice tells me that she is not too fond of him. I wonder why that might be.

“You don’t like him?” I ask even though I already know the answer. She had completely frozen up when he approached us during that family reception.

She shakes her head, “no, not really.”

“What about his cousin?” I turn my head a little. I keep my eyes trained on the little rascals running down the hall. I can’t lose them out of sight. They could get lost in this place. How would we ever find them again if that happens?

Her cheeks flush, “what about him?” The smile on her face gives her away. It warms my heart to see her like this, it has been too long and she deserves it.

When Caspar got arrested, he hadn’t been the only thing we lost.

I had lost the meaning of life altogether. Getting out of bed every morning is still a challenge, especially when seeing that the other side of the bed is untouched. It hurts. If it weren’t for my children, I don’t know what would have happened to me.

Tavi had lost her trust in people that day in the court room. Before, she had been such a social girl, always willing to help everyone. But after, the only people she trusted were her closest friends and family. Sometimes.

I reach for her hand, her fingers feel rough against my own skin. She must have continued playing her guitar here. Always striving for perfection.

It has been so quiet in the house without her despite the presence of two young children.

I missed the music she would play on her guitar followed by the occasional shit or fuck whenever she messed up a chord.

I missed the puddles of melting snow she would leave behind around the house, just because she never took of her shoes when coming back home.

I missed the mornings I would find her sleeping on the sofa because she couldn’t make it all the way to her bed after a night out.

I have missed my daughter.

But I know at some point Tavi is going to leave the safety of our home, to start her own life, independent from ours. Just like Daniel had done and just like Aria and Arlan will do some day in the future too.

The hall opens into a space with high ceilings, a wide staircase appearing right in front of us. I notice the hint of a smile on Tavi’s face as her gaze goes over the steps. A good memory perhaps?

“Mom?” Tavi says, as we watch Arlan run around the hallway. Aria is hiding behind one of the flowerpots and when her brother is close enough, she jumps into sight. They both show opposite emotions. Aria is laughing, content with herself that she scared her little brother. Arlan is on the verge of tears, his bottom lip already wobbling. But then he pokes her in the side, causing Aria to bend over. Apparently that was enough to please him because he’s already laughing again.

Kids.

“I think we’re lost.” Tavi chuckles softly. “Well maybe not lost, but we didn’t make it to the playroom.”

And now that she has mentioned it, I realize we were supposed to end in the playroom. The prince had made it sound like a short walk, just around the corner from the room that held the family reception.

“Let’s retrace our steps and start over,” I tell her. This place is very confusing, everything looks the same. And I know my daughter, Tavi is not that good at following directions. “Aria, Arlan! Come here.”

They come running to us right away. They’ve been raised well.

« Back to Tavi’s POV »

We’ve made our way back to the reception room. Okay, now what did that prince say again?

I remember the first part clearly. Take a left outside of the doors.

But the second part is one big blurry memory. Which door was it again? And on which side?

I look to my mom, but she just shrugs. She has no idea either.

Great.

I guess that means I’m going to have to try all the doors then.

The first five doors on the left are all locked. I remember thinking that the directions to the playroom sounded so easy.

The playroom can’t be more than 5 doors away. It just can’t.

I try the other side. The first door opens but to my surprise it’s just a cleaning supply closet. Yeah, definitely not a playroom for kids.

The second door on the right side is locked. What kind of secrets could the royals be hiding behind these doors? Must be something interesting, for them to all be locked. Or perhaps all the rooms are empty.

I open the third door and Arlan pops his head inside first. “Playroom!”

I sigh in relief. Thank god, no more searching. Arlan pushes the door open further and runs in, followed by Aria. I turn to my mom, “I’m sorry, this shouldn’t have taken me this long to find. If only I had listened to …”

She reaches for my hand and squeezes it softly, “Tavi, it’s okay.” She lets go of my hand and walks through the door. “And look they don’t seem to mind either”

I follow her and close the door softly. Aria and Arlan have already found interesting things to play with. Kids. “They could have put up a sign or something. Playroom, this way. That would have made things so much easier.” I sigh. If I had only paid more attention to what the prince was saying. “At least now you got to see …”

“Hi.”

I recognize that voice immediately. It makes me forget what I was even saying to my mom. I turn to find you Hugo standing there. The smile on his face is different from the ones I’ve seen before. He looks a little nervous, perhaps?

“Oh hello,” a smile appears on my face immediately. I can do nothing to stop it.

“How’s your day going?” Hugo glances in a different direction, a smile on his face. When I follow his gaze, I find my siblings sitting on the floor. Aria has all sorts of coloured pencils scattered around her, while Arlan is making vroom vroom sounds as he pushes some little LEGO cars across the floor.

“It has been alright so far, thanks.” I look back at Hugo and tilt my head a little. “How's life for you?” The soft smile on his face as he watches my siblings makes me feel all warm inside. I can’t help but smile myself.

“I’ve been a little bit busy helping my sister move into her new apartment but that’s been fun. How have you been? I’m sure it’s been hectic around here.”

Ah, that explains why I haven’t seen him in the palace lately. I open my mouth to reply, but before I can so much as form a word my mom gasps loudly. I turn my head in the direction of the sound, but she’s already moving in the opposite direction. I quickly turn my head to see where exactly she’s going to.

A new person has entered the room.

What the …

Sunken cheeks and short-shaved hair.

When my mom falls into his arms, tears spill down his cheeks.

I can’t believe my own eyes. He looks different from the way I remember him, but that is still most certainly my dad. A lump forms in my throat, I can’t swallow it down even though I try. My hands start shaking and I feel like I can’t breathe.

He has one arm around my mom, his other arm is still open for me. I run over and his arm closes around me. I rest my head against his shoulder as all the tears I’ve been bottling up for the past 6 years run down my cheeks. There is no use in even trying to stop them, you can’t stop the Niagara Falls either.

Within a second, little arms close around my leg. Aria and Arlan join in on the hug. We are one big emotional mess at this point. My mom is shaking next to me. My dad coming here might have hit her the hardest. She hasn’t seen her husband for 6 years. He tries to soothe her, even when he is having a hard time himself.

My dad doesn’t smell like home anymore, no pinewood and no cinnamon.

His skin looks so fragile, almost the same colour as a piece of paper.

Denbeigh isn’t a province with a lot of sunshine, but our skins look tanned compared to his. It looks like he hasn’t seen the sun in a very long time. 6 years perhaps? He has lost some weight, his cheeks are a little sunken. Same with his eyes. But the warmth and love in his gaze as he looks at us is still there. At least they hadn’t taken that away from him.

I feel the soft pressure of a hand landing on my shoulder, followed by a whisper. “I can step out into the hall to give you some privacy.”

Hugo’s voice reminds me of the prince’s words from earlier.

I think later today Hugo has something planned if that's alright.

Hugo does need to see you in a bit though.

I let go of my family and wiggle out of the tangled mess of arms. “You did this?” Tears are still escaping from my eyes when I turn to look at Hugo. I try to wipe them away, but there’s too many of them and they’re falling way too fast. “This was your plan?”

The tears make my vision go blurry so I can’t really see the expression on his face. But the concern is very present in his voice. “Arin helped make it happen.”

I quickly close the distance between us and wrap my arms around him. “Thank you.” My voice is hoarse and shaky as more tears run down my cheeks. I can’t believe someone would ever do something like this for me and my family.

Hugo’s arms close around me and it’s the nicest feeling in the entire world. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

“It's okay,” I manage to get out despite the lump still being very present in my throat. There are so many emotions going through me right now. There is sadness as I realize how much I’ve missed my dad. I can still see his body being dragged out of the courtroom. I wasn’t able to do nothing but watch as a guard held me back. But there is also happiness flowing through me. It feels so great to see my dad, to hug him again. To know that he’s still alive.

Hugo keeps hugging me, holding me close until the worst of my shaking is over. When he lets go, I’ve got myself somewhat under control. The Niagara Falls running down my cheeks have dried up. I wipe the last of my tears away. My eyes are probably all puffy and red.

What a sight.

I don’t care.

“Do you want to be alone?” Hugo asks softly. I look up to find him watching my family. Mom is clutching on to my dad’s arm. She is not going to let go of him for the short time they now have together.

One final tear escapes, I reach up and quickly wipe it away. “But you haven't met them yet.” This may very well be the only opportunity for anyone to meet my dad face-to-face. My heart aches at the thought of him being locked up in St. George again. I hope we’ll get another chance to see him in the future.

“Octavia?” It’s the first thing my dad has said since he entered the room. He’s the only person in the world who calls me by my full name. The only exception being the people who called me Lady Octavia, but I had made sure to put an end to that as soon as possible.

Every time someone called me Octavia made me think of my dad and that was just too much to handle.

I go to stand by my dad’s side and he puts an arm around me. Why can’t he stay with us forever? I clear my throat softly, hoping my voice will sound normal again. “This is my dad Caspar, my mom Viola, Aria, and here's Arlan.” I place a hand on my younger brother’s head. His hair is still sticking out in all possible direction from when I had mussed it earlier.

Dad pulls his arm away from where it had been resting on my shoulder and holds his hand out for Hugo to shake. There is a slight hint of hesitation on my dad’s face, like he’s prepared for a rejection.

“I’m Hugo, it’s nice to meet you sir.” I watch them shake hands. The gesture may seem small, but it means a lot to me. And by the way my dad’s shoulders relax, I can tell it also means a lot to him.

He’s a well-known criminal, locked up for murder. I’d understand if people would feel uncomfortable shaking his hand. But Hugo does it anyway, without flinching, without hesitating. My heart swells with happiness.

“Likewise.” Dad reaches for mom’s hand and intertwines their fingers. “I can't thank you enough for doing this for us.”

A couple of weeks ago I had told Brooke that I believe in soulmates. Seeing my parents right here and now, holding hands with their fingers intertwined, is all the proof I need. Even after 6 years of separation, with no face-to-face contact, the love is still there. They are soulmates.

I nod my head in agreement, “same.” I keep my eyes on my parents. My dad is creating little circles on the palm of mom’s hand with his thumb. Her face lights up. There is nothing but love in her eyes when she looks at her husband.

“No thanks is needed. This isn’t about me at all.”

I shake my head, Hugo doesn’t seem to realize just how much this means to any of us. To me. We have been saving money for years, but we are still nowhere near the amount needed for the plane tickets. And now he’s here. “All thanks are needed.”

Dad lets go of mom’s hand and kneels on the floor. Aria and Arlan immediately throw their arms around him. “Look how much you've grown.” The last time he saw them, Aria had been 6 years old and Arlan had been 3.

He hadn’t been there to see them grow up. He had been ripped away from us.

I bite down on the inside of my cheek to stop myself from crying again. I don’t want to spend the little time we’ve been given with my dad, feeling sad and crying.

A soft touch on my hand distracts me from the feelings trying to drown me again. I look down to find my hand covered by Hugo’s. A small smile appears on my face. Again, such a small gesture, but it gives me the comfort I need.

“I've heard a lot about you, Hugo.” My mom’s words make me blush. What is she insinuating? That I talk about him all the time? Because that is not true. I might have mentioned him a couple of times during our phone calls, but I never gave her many details. “The prince mentioned you a couple of times when we met him. You seem like a good friend for our Tavi.” The smile on her face when she looks at Hugo is genuine.

I feel his head turn in my direction and when I look up, he’s smiling at me. “You've mentioned me? I hope it wasn't about what happened on the stairs.”

It surprises me that he’s bringing this up now. The memory of that day comes back to mind, it makes me laugh. One of my favourite memories of my time here. “Of course not. What would they think of you when they hear about my great victory?”

“What happened on the stairs?” Of course Aria is the one asking for more information. She has always been very nosy. If she hadn’t been born a Five, and if we hadn’t gone through such awful experiences with that specific profession in the past, she would have made a great journalist one day.

“I slid down the bannister with your sister but then I fell.”

From the corner of my eye I see my parents sharing a look. When I turn to them, their expression says it all. What did you do now? But they don’t seem to be disappointed or angry. The corners of my dad’s mouth are slightly curled upwards, while my mom has raised her eyebrows. They are surprised but they seem pleased to hear I’m having some sort of fun here.

Aria’s laughter fills the air, “you fell?” What happened to little miss I like the prince better? She seems to have forgotten about his existence altogether.

“And let's not forget to mention that it was a race and I won.” I tuck some hair behind my ear, smiling brightly. Winning that bannister thing has definitely been my greatest accomplishment here. That does remind me of something else, a minor detail that had somehow slipped from my mind. I turn to Hugo and softly whisper so only he can hear, “you still owe me a song for that by the way.”

Hugo laughs, a sound I will never get enough of. He whispers back, “I don’t think you’ll ever let me forget.” He turns to my parents, his voice at a normal intensity again. “She beat me before I fell.”

I can’t help but whisper something back. “I will remind you for as long as you'll keep me around.”

When I focus back on my family again, my dad is smiling at me. It’s nice to see him in a good mood, like he’s forgetting about the jail situation for a minute. I smile back but then my attention goes to my younger siblings. Aria nudges Arlan with her elbow before looking up at mom. “Can we do it too?”

Arlan clutches onto mom’s leg, “mom please?”

She looks down at the two of them. She also has a smile on her face. This is such a good day for the Hayes family. She softly bops each of them on their noses. “Maybe another time, okay?”

Aria and Arlan look a bit upset, but thankfully they don’t cause a scene.

A soft whisper only meant for my ears, “it’s okay, I’ll win next time.” As if. And then he says to my younger siblings. “The banisters aren’t going anywhere, don’t worry.” My heart might actually melt.

I shake my head to emphasize my whispered words, “no you won't.”

“Tavi.” When I turn to look up at him, I notice the hint of a blush on his face. “They're looking at us.” He murmurs the words, but I get the message loud and clear.

Indeed, when I look at my parents, I find their eyes on us. “Oh,” I take a small step away from Hugo, not wanting him to feel uncomfortable in any way. He literally just met my parents.

Arlan and Aria appear to be in the middle of a poking competition. I know how this is going to end, one of them will be upset while the other is feeling content. Mom knows it too. She breaks them up before they can hurt each other. “I think we may need to go entertain these rascals.”

My dad words my very thoughts. “Before this ends in tears.”

Arlan looks up at my mom, the poking competition with his sister has already been forgotten. He pats her on the knee. “Can we go do something fun now?”

Mom bops him softly on his nose. “Yes honey, we're going now.”

That’s all the information my siblings needed. They share a look and start running towards the door. Aria is the first to arrive and she sticks out her tongue at Arlan. “You're the loser now.” Kids.

“It was a pleasure meeting you.” My dad says as he reaches for my mom’s hand, intertwining their fingers again. I can only wish to find a love like theirs one day.

“You as well, sir.” And to my mom, Hugo says, “it was nice to meet you too.” That earns him a smile from her.

My dad’s eyes land on me, “Octavia, are you coming with us?” He raises an eyebrow, “or are you staying here?”

I feel my cheeks heat up again, understanding fully well what he’s insinuating. Staying here with Hugo. I shake my head quickly, “no no, I'm coming with you.” But not yet. “One second though.”

My mom chuckles softly as she pulls dad with her towards to the door. I turn to Hugo, “thank you, really. I don't know how I can ever repay you for this.”

This is by far the nicest and most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me and my family. It means the absolute world to me.

He watches my parents leave. As soon as the door falls shut, he reaches for my hand. “You never have to. Your happiness is all I could ask for.”

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Or maybe both. At the same time. I look down, his hand has closed around mine. “I'll be grateful forever.”

“Forever is a long time.”

Those words make me question whether I said the wrong thing. I didn’t mean to make it sound like literally forever. I meant it just to show how much today means to me and that I will never forget about it. But I still feel like I said something wrong, so instead I go for a bit of a lighter tone. “Remember what I said about the afterlife? How my ghost is going to find your ghost to talk about the bannister thing?” I stop talking, trying to order my thoughts. I’m rambling and perhaps whatever I’m saying doesn’t make any sense. I need to get to my point. “My ghost will also remind you of how thankful I am.”

He laughs and relief floods over me, at least he understands that I was joking. “I hope that’s a promise.” Or maybe not?

I tear my gaze away from our hands and look up instead. The soft smile on Hugo’s face makes me forget how to talk. My mind goes absolutely blank. “Really?” My voice is barely more than a whisper.

He squeezes my hand and it reminds me that this is really happening. It’s not a dream. “Really. I promise.”

The smile on my face keeps growing bigger and bigger. I didn’t think it was possible for one person to make me feel this happy, but here we are. “Hugo.” I bring my free hand up and tuck some hair behind my ear. “I like you.” A lot. I swallow that last bit down. It’s stupid to even bring this up with the selection going on and that contract and treason. But I know in my heart that what  is true.

“I like you too.” His voice is a whisper and I wonder if I even heard him correctly. But the soft expression on his face supports the words I think I’ve heard. “And I like seeing you happy,” he adds as his eyes go to the ground.

My heart starts racing and I feel like crying again. But this time it’s not a combination of sadness and happiness. No. If I’d allow myself to cry right now, it would only be happy tears. But if I start crying now, I might never stop. “You cause most of my happiness.” I keep quiet for a second, giving myself the opportunity to realize what is happening. “You deserve to be happy too.”

Hugo looks back up at me again, searching my face for something. I can only blink, having no clue what it is he’s looking for. “Right now I've never been happier.”

I bite down on the inside of my cheek as the intense urge to kiss him fills my entire body. I really want to kiss him. But the one thing I want more is for him to kiss me first this time. I keep biting down on my cheek, that spot will be sensitive for a couple of days now. When I feel like I’ve got myself under control, I allow myself to speak. “I'm glad to hear that.”

He squeezes my hand, then softly says, “I wish I could capture the way your eyes light up when you're happy.”

I didn’t know my eyes did that. No one has ever mentioned it before, or maybe that’s because I can’t remember the last time I had truly felt happy. And the happiness surging through me now is a feeling I’ve never felt before. I chuckle softly, not really knowing what to say to that. I’m not used to these kind words. “Maybe you should take a mental picture then.”

Hugo squeezes my hand once again, “I already have.”

These 3 words cause an error in my brain and I don’t know what to say. My face heats up right away, turning bright red. That must be such a wonderful sight to see. I take a little step closer to Hugo and when I’m close enough I rest my head against his chest. “I don't know how to respond to that.”

He lets go of my hand and wraps his arms around me. “It’s okay, you don’t have to. This right here is enough.”

I like this, being here with him. I feel warm and appreciated and safe and all because of him. Any tension in body disappears, my muscles relax and I let out a breath. I don’t want this moment to end. But then I remember my parents, who are probably still waiting for me just outside of that door. “I should probably go and entertain my family.” I don’t move though, I’m not ready for this to end.

Hugo nods his head. I don’t see it, but I can feel the slightest movement of his body as his head goes up and down. The words he says don’t match his actions. “Will you wait just a little longer?”

“Only because you asked so nicely.” I chuckle softly. What’s another few minutes. And besides, my mom and dad get some nice one-on-one time now that I’m distracted elsewhere. Though that also depends on what Aria and Arlan are doing but, knowing them, they’re probably running around the hallways.

He huffs a laugh. “I don’t think there’s another way to ask. Especially when it comes to you.”

There are many ways to ask actually. All with a different vibe hidden behind the words, but I don’t point it out. I put my arms around him instead, holding on tight. “What do you mean? Especially when it comes to me?”

Hugo laughs a little, “I just don’t think there’s another way to ask. How could anyone every consider being anything but nice to you?”

“I can name a few people.” And right on top of that list would be the wonderful prince Arin. He had not been nice to me with his awful words. And I had not been nice to him when I had aimed that paintball gun at him, still hurt by what he had said during the car ride. Perhaps if I didn’t hold grudges like that, my life would be so much more enjoyable. I sigh, “but I haven't been the nicest to them either, even if some of them deserved it.” There were also a lot of people who hadn’t deserved my yelling. Leana for example. I had pushed my pride aside and apologized to her and now I might even consider her a friend.

“We all have our moments. No one is perfect.”

“I'd like to believe that yes.” I let go of Hugo a little when I realize just how tight I’ve been hugging him. “But I have those not-so-nice-moments at times.” Though I must admit that I haven’t been in a bad mood at all recently. I wonder why that might be?

“Not every moment has to be good.” He steps away a bit. “If anything the bad moments just make the good moments feel more special.”

“Yeah okay,” I nod my head a little, wanting to close this new distance between us. “I guess you have a point.”

Hugo reaches up and brushes some hair out of my face, tucking it behind my ear. My heart is racing again. “And right now is a good moment.”

I look up at him and my eyes lock with his. I feel so many things all at once. But I’m sure of one thing: today might very well be the best day of my life. “Hmmm I'm not so sure it's a good one to be honest.”

He raises his eyebrows and for a short moment there is concern in his eyes before he realizes I’m joking. “What would make it better?”

“Hmm,” I pretend to think about it, even when I already know my answer. I shrug instead, “I don’t know.” I have to bite down on my lip to supress the strong wanting to kiss him. I might very well repeat what happened during the ball if I don’t stop myself.

But I actually want him to kiss me first now.

A little blush spreads all over his face. He leans down and kisses my cheek gently.

When he pulls back again, I poke his chest softly with my finger. “Hm interesting.” I don’t know how I manage to keep my voice this calm, because there is utter chaos inside of me. I feel anything but calm. “All of a sudden the moment becomes a little bit better.”

Hugo lets out a small laugh. “I try my best.”

Hearing his laugh again makes me smile. I stand up on my tiptoes, no longer able to stop myself from kissing him. But then in the last moment, the destination changes and my kiss lands on his cheek.

When I stand down on the floor again, I look up at him. Hugo’s eyes have gone wide and he’s not moving at all. He looks like a statue. The sight of him makes me laugh, “what?”

His face turns a little bit more red. “I just wasn’t expecting you to do that.”

“Oh,” I raise my eyebrows playfully. “You didn't like it?”

The smile he gives me is a little bashful, but I like it. He looks so cute. “No, I liked it.”

“Okay, I will keep that in mind then.” I’m having a very hard time controlling myself, I don’t know why I even try. I just want to kiss him.

I softly poke his chest 4 times.

Please.

Kiss.

Me.

Now.

He leans down, placing another kiss on my cheek. When he pulls away, he has a weird expression on his face. I try to read it, but I can’t. I raise my eyebrows at him as I’m trying to make sense of the look he’s giving me. “What's that face?”

Hugo doesn’t reply. Instead he leans down again. I’m prepared for another kiss on the cheek but then his lips find mine. It surprises me but in a good way.

My hands stay on his chest as I kiss him back. I can feel his heartbeat right under my hand. Or maybe I’m wrong and it’s my own heart as it continues beating, the frequency increasing with every second that passes. I close my hands and gently pull him closer to me by the soft fabric of his shirt.

Hugo’s hands go up to cup my cheeks, holding me in place. As if I would go anywhere. Besides to the floor maybe if the muscles in my legs decide to go mushy.

But there honestly is no place I’d rather be right now.

He lowers one of his hands to my neck, while the other stays where it is.

His fingers softly touch the skin in my neck, sending a new sensation through my entire body.

He pulls away and that is probably for the better because I need to catch my breath. My heart continues thundering in my chest. “See, now that was a good moment.” I open my hands to let go of his shirt. The fabric is now wrinkled where my hands had been just a minute ago. I try to smooth it over, willing the wrinkles to disappear.

“Like all the moments I've had with you. Even when I fell,” he says, laughing a bit breathlessly.

The memory comes back. I had been an amateur without any experience. I had risked my life when sliding down that bannister. Yet somehow I had survived without a scratch. The same couldn’t be said about the supposed expert. I shake my head a little, laughing softly at the memory. “How was that a good moment?”

“We found your iPod, didn't we?” Hugo shrugs.

“Correction: you found my iPod. I thought you had gone crazy and you were seeing things that weren't really there.”

A weird grimace appears on his face, one I can’t quite place. “Maybe, but if it hadn't been for you I wouldn't have slid down the bannister in the first place.”

I poke his chest softly again, right above the still wrinkled fabric. “You were the one to challenge me to do that.”

He nods, “yeah, I was. But I think I learned my lesson.”

I drop my hands, letting my arms rest by my side. I fidget the fabric of my dress between my fingers. “No more bannister sliding for you?”

“Well, not after I let your brother and sister beat me at it.” Hugo raises his eyebrows at me.

My heart melts quicker than the sun could melt a snowman. I didn’t think he would have remembered that part of the conversation. Or that he would be willing to do that for my siblings. “Really?”

“Yes,” he nods his head. “It's frowned upon to beat children.”

Oh. Is it frowned upon to beat children? Whenever I play boardgames with Aria and Arlan, I never let them win. Maybe it’s because I’m a pretty competitive person and I always want to win myself. I prefer to lose a fair and honest game than to win because someone else lets me win.

I shake my head, because that wasn’t what I meant. “I didn't realize you would actually do that for them. And just so you know, they're very much like me. They will never shut up about their grand victory.” Aria legit brings up the times she beat me at Uno even though that has happened months ago.

“Well, I can admire their dedication I guess.” His eyes shift to something behind me. The door. “I think our just-a-little-longer is up.”

“Yeah you're probably right.” I turn to look at the door. I have no clue how long they have been waiting for me, but I do know it’s been longer than the one second I promised. “I should go.”

Hugo takes a step away from me, creating a distance between us. “Have fun for me?”

“Of course.” A smile appears on my face immediately. “Thank you. For everything.” I don’t think I will ever stop saying those words.

He smiles at me in return, a sparkle in his eyes. “I’ll see you later, Tavi.”

I turn and head for the door. Once I’ve reached it, I look back at Hugo one more time. “Bye.”

He raises his hand to wave, murmuring a bye in return.

I open the door and quickly slip out of the playroom, softly closing the door behind me. To my surprise the only one in the hallway waiting for me is Aria. She has mischievous grin on her face. “Where are mom and dad?” I ask her.

“Dad wanted some fresh air, so they went to the gardens.” She keeps smirking at me, “you said one second. But you were in there for at least 15 minutes. What were you doing?”

I start walking in the direction of the big entry hall. Maybe if I’m quick enough, Aria will be so busy trying to keep up that she forgets to ask questions. “Nothing, just thanking him for bringing dad here.”

My plan doesn’t work. My younger sister is practically running but that doesn’t seem to bother her, she can keep up with me quite easily. “That’s not what I heard.”

I grab her by her arm and force her to stop walking, turning her in such a way that she’s facing me. “You were eavesdropping?” Oh god, did she listen to everything? Did she hear everything?

She narrows her eyes, the smirk is still on her face. She purses her lips and makes multiple kissing sounds.

“Aria!” I glance around the hallway. If someone hears her, I might be in big trouble. I let go of Aria’s arm and start walking again, trying to remove myself from this situation.

“Tavi and Hugo sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S …”

My cheeks heat up, “Aria, shut it!”

She doesn’t listen to me. “… I-N-G!”

I throw in a desperate attempt to keep her quiet. “I will tell everyone about what you wrote in your diary if you don’t stop.” The truth is I had only read a few pages and not the entire thing, but she doesn’t need to know that now.

Aria crosses her arms, scoffing. But when I look in her direction, I notice her eyes have gone a little bigger and there is a hint of fear there. “That was private.”

I raise my eyebrows at her. She doesn’t seem to realize that she had been eavesdropping on a private matter too. But she does keep quiet now for which I’m glad. Though I’m sure this isn’t the last I’ve heard of it. She will definitely bring it up later again, but that’s a problem for future me.

We find the rest of our family outside, enjoying the beautiful flowers on this warm summer day.

“Can we go to the beach?”

We spend the rest of the day on the beach, enjoying the salty air. Aria and Arlan have taken off their shoes. They’re jumping over the waves.

Dad shows us his gun shot wound. It hasn’t healed nicely at all, he’ll have to live with that ugly scar forever.

“How did they get a gun inside?” I ask. It makes no sense to me. I thought prisons are supposed to have strict security protocols and a gun is not something you can smuggle in very easily.

“One of the officers got paid by an inmate to bring in all sorts of contraband.” There is worry in his eyes. “Drugs, cigarettes, cell phones, and guns.”

And that is supposed to be a maximum-security prison. I don’t know how my dad survived 6 years in that place. A lump forms in my throat as the realization hits me that he might not make it till the end of his sentence. Especially with those corrupted officers there. It sounds like hell.

I run my fingers through the warm sand. “Did they find that officer?”

Dad nods his head, “They did. Even started an internal investigation. Four other officers got fired as well. They forced inmates to deal drugs for them.”

I let out a breath. There is so much going wrong in this country. If only someone would do something about it.

For some time, the only sound we hear is the crashing of the waves as they wash up on the beach and the screeching of seagulls as they fly high above us in the sky. We watch Arlan fall face first into the water, his clothes completely soaked. Mom gets up to see if he’s okay. When she gets close to him, Arlan starts splashing water at her. Her laugh fills the air as she splashes water at him back.

I grab something out of my pocket. Something I keep with me at all times now, in fear of losing it again. I untangle the earphones and then hold them out to my dad. “Want to hear some of my band’s music?”

Five Whispers, our band, has been together for a little over 3 years now. But with my dad being gone, he has never heard us play. “I thought you’d never ask.”

He puts the earphones in as I switch on my iPod. I scroll through the list of albums until I find our own one. I select the first song, Back to Yesterday. It’s a song about wanting to go back to the happy moments in your past. Reliving those joyful memories over and over again.

I watch my dad as he listens to the song. He bobs his head on the beat. When the song ends, he looks over at me and he is silent for a second, tears in his eyes. “I’m so proud of you, Octavia. Look at all that you’ve achieved.”

Hearing him say those words, breaks something inside me. A tear falls down my cheek. I quickly reach up to wipe it away.

The next song starts playing, Toothpicks and Whiskey. This one is about friendship, how unusual things sometimes just work together. I think of my best friends, Lola and Gina. My bandmembers, Felix, Gill and Bjorn. I miss them all so much.

“Great bass riff,” my dad says as he puts his arm around my shoulders. “How long did it take you to master it?”

“Long!” I laugh at the memory of so many frustrations as I kept messing it up. I was so close to throwing my guitar out of a window. But I had kept going. Trying time and time again, until the muscles in my arms were so sore, I could barely move them anymore.

We spend the rest of the day at the beach. Talking, listening to more music, or just simply enjoying each other’s company.

Why can’t we stay like this forever?

Why does my dad have to leave again?

*****

I find myself in the library with a collection of law books piled on the table in front of me. My family is still here but given that my mom and dad also haven’t seen each other in 6 years I feel like they deserve some privacy. I left Arlan and Aria in the playroom on my way to the library. It’s all they seemed to care about anyway.

Now that my dad is here and he has told some stories about life in prison, my motivation to help him has quadrupled. He really needs to get out of that place. I don’t know how he would survive the remainder of his sentence. Another 39 years.

I’ve read the same sentence at least 5 times now, but the words still don’t make any sense. Why can’t these authors, or whoever puts these books together, write clear descriptions, instead of all these difficult and confusing words. What’s the point of writing books if no one is going to understand anything in the text?

“Hello! Octavia, is it?”

I quickly place a finger on the confusing sentence I had just been reading. When I look up an unknown man is standing near my table, his hands behind his back. There is a polite smile on his face.

“Uhm yeah. Hi?”

The man seems friendly enough, though I can’t say I’ve ever seen his face before. He extends a hand towards me. “Aran Jacobson, Reggie's uncle?” Reggie? Reggie? Oh right, Leana’s friend. “Sorry if I'm interrupting.”

“Oh it's okay.” I shake his hand. “Can I help you with something?”

He smiles again, shaking his head. “No, not really.” His gaze lands on the pile of books in front of me. “I just never know if I should warn people against getting into law, or not.”

“Oh,” I raise my eyebrows in curiosity. “Why would people need to be warned for that?” I can think of a couple of reasons, especially after everything that happened with my dad. I feel like the law was stretched a little thin when he got arrested that day in the court room. Or perhaps the judge found some loopholes he could use to his own advantage.

“It's just more fun on TV, trust me.” Mister Jacobson chuckles a little. He tilts his head, “but you're the musician right?”

I blink at him in surprise. I mean I guess he’s right, I just wasn’t aware that my entire existence can be summarized in two single words. The musician. “I guess I am the musician, yeah.” I shake my head a little as I continue speaking, “no career switch, I'm just trying to expand my knowledge.” I pat the pile of books I’ve collected. Some dust flies upwards as my hand comes down on the covers.

Mister Jacobson clears his throat. “I happen to be a lawyer myself. Mostly Pro Bono cases lately...” Oh. Oh. “I hope you don't mind me bringing it up, but I read about your father.” The smile he gives me is sympathetic. “I'm sorry that happened.”

“Oh.” I look down at the law books. This is not a situation I want to be in. Firstly, because the man is a lawyer. I can hear the rejections from all the lawyers back in Denbeigh again as they pointed us to the door. Helping you would hurt our reputation. Or it’s no use fighting a battle that’s already lost. And secondly because he mentions my dad. I don’t know what he has read but it couldn’t have been pretty. “Yeah.”

He pulls a chair out and sits down. “Is it alright if I ask a couple questions?”

I let out a breath. “Why?” The pages of the book move a little as I run my fingers over it. The paper is so smooth. No tears. No wrinkles.

“Well, I read the case. And some things didn't quite... add up.”

I look back up again. Some things didn’t quite add up. Could this man possibly be on my side? My dad’s side? “Like what?”

Mister Jacobson bobs his head. “Like, there was no trail. He just happened to be in the courtroom for an unrelated case. Not to mention there's no note of any reason why he should be located so far away.”

The things he’s saying, his words, are exactly what I’ve been wondering about for years now. I could never make sense of any of it all. And people had not been the most willing to help me. “No one wanted to tell me why he had to go to St. George, I've asked so many people.”

He frowns at that, “I see.” Something about his expression changes, “does he have a lawyer?”

I shake my head, feeling a little embarrassed. I’m aware that the first step, and probably the most important one, would be to hire a lawyer. But that was easier said than done. “No, he doesn't have one.”

I watch mister Jacobson as his hand goes to his pocket. When his hand comes back to the table, there is something in it. A business card. He smiles a little as he holds it out to me. “I would love to help.”

Why would anyone want to help us? Especially now. After 6 years. I don’t understand. I take his little card anyway and flip it over in my hand. “Really?”

“I won't make false promises, yet I think it's at least possible to get him relocated closer by.”

I close my hand around the card, I’m never going to let go of this. “That would already mean a lot.” A transfer. While I don’t know what the other prisons in Illéa are like, I’m sure they can’t be worse than the hell hole they have been holding him in for the past 6 years. A transfer would also mean my family would get the opportunity to go visit him. Perhaps that would make the remainder of his sentence a little more bearable.

“Good.” When I look back up again, mister Jacobson is smiling. “Then I suggest you discuss it with your family, or legal guardian,” he nods to his business card in my hand, “before giving me a call or sending me a message.” His expression turns a little more serious. “Then we can go over the files, the options,” his gaze goes to my pile of law books, “and any personal notes you might have.”

I’m not sure my personal notes would make much of a difference. “Okay, thank you.” A small smile appears on my face. I can’t believe there is finally someone willing to help us.

He pushes himself up from the chair. “I'll hear from you then.” He smiles at me kindly. Perhaps not all lawyers are insensitive assholes. “Good luck, Octavia.” A second later he snaps his fingers, quite a loud sound in the silent library. “And see you at dinner of course!”

“Thank you again.” I bring one hand up and tuck some hair behind my ear. “Enjoy the rest of your stay here.”

“Likewise.” He nods a goodbye with a polite smile on his face before he turns to leave.

I focus back on the book laying open in front of me, I’ve lost the part I had been reading before mister Jacobson arrived. My left hand is still closed around his business card.

He probably has no idea that he has just given me one of the greatest gifts of all time.

A glimmer of hope.

 ((All credits go to Anna, bringing Tavi’s dad to the palace was her idea!!!))

[musingchaos]

General RP style and preferences Meme

Repost, don’t reblog. Bold what applies. Strikethrough what does not. Elaborate on any points you’d like with a *

Please be honest, we all want to find the people who work best with how we RP. ____

[UNDER THE CUT TO SAVE DASHES MATES HERE W’GO!]

Types of RP / How I do threads

| I don’t I just do whatever is on my dash when I’m online | Mainly asks | I do little short things mostly | I do my threads on discord | Long running threads that slowly build upon the muses |

Plotting Preferences

| Wing it | Get a general idea ooc and then run with it & plot further if need be | Long expansive thought out story arcs |

Type of threads I do / Prefer

| Oneliners only | Whatever dash shenanigans I’m online for | Para or Mulit para | Literal Novels *|

I mean, I could probably write Literate Novel replies (some of my replies in the past have gotten... Lengthy), but I don’t usually do it because that seems to scare folks off?... So I avoid going for a fully-novella style RP, although I do want to try one out someday. ^^

Reply Speed for Threads & Consistency & Keeping threads

| I lose threads all the time & don’t usually get back to them | I tend to lose threads but please tell me if I have and I’ll reply! | I drop threads pretty easily *| I’m really slow but I WILL get back to you | I reply on a schedule/queue (specify if you’d like) | I usually reply within a week | I reply every day | I reply almost instantly |

The threads thing on dropping them.. I mean... I’ve slowly started dropping threads instead of just going after people if they haven’t replied. I don’t want to be a bother, so... If a thread doesn’t get replied to, I don’t bother. <_<’ Don’t want to be a source of worry or somethin’.

Romantic or sexual ships

| I don’t do these ships (specify reason if you would like) | I’m not against them happening but it is not the main point of my blog | All ships will have to be super slow burn & discussed a lot OOC, super chemistry based (specify reason if you’d like) | I love doing ships, HMU I probably already ship it just ask! | I ship really quickly | I autoship or ship within a few interactions *| I mainly RP for the cute ship fluff or smut |

Allow me to explain: while I do tend to come up with my personal ideas of romantic/platonic/familial/etc. ships within a single interaction (depending on length of interaction), I don’t tell people what said ships are because I don’t want to come on too strong. I started out my RP’ing career doing autoship fluff-chaos with a friend so we could escape our real lives (they were abused by their father, I was still abused by my sister), so autoshipping/shipping really fast is something I’m quite used to. However, I know most people prefer slowburns and the like, so for everyone’s sakes, I keep it to myself until I think there’s a proper time to introduce a ship. ^^

Smut *

| I do NOT do smut at all (reason here if any) *| I’m very selective about it | I only do it on a separate (blog/discord/specify here) | I mainly only do asks relating to nsfw headcanons on Sundays | I write it a medium amount | I write it all the time and love to |

Active hours [Specify Timezone, if you’d like]

| Mornings 8-10 | Midday 11-1 | Afternoon 2-5 | Evenings 6-8 | Night 9-12 | Ungodly hours of the day 1-onwards |

There isn’t a specific thing here... I just... Usually I’m on borderline 24/7 unless I’m writing or school exists during the day.

Activity Schedule

| SUPER slow and sporadic, like once a month or so | Slow and sporadic week long gaps between activity | Bi-weeklyish activity | Weekly activity (specify if there’s a certain time you have school/work/etc. off that you are most active) | Daily activity | I’m online nearly all the time |

Starters

| I don’t do starter calls | I want to do starter calls but often don’t have time | I do selective calls (specify) | I don’t do calls, but always fee free to ask me for one! | I do starter calls rarely/regularly/often |

AUs

| I don’t do AUs | My blog is an AU but outside of that I don’t do them | I sometimes do them but only with a lot of plotting | I have a couple of AUs already feel free to request them! | I have AUs coming out of my ears please interact with them! | I love making AUs HMU to plot if you think of one! | There are some AUs I won’t do (if you come up with an AU based solely around NSFW topics, I will run so far away so fast) |

Crossovers

| I don’t do crossovers (specify reason if you’d like)* | I’m selective with crossovers (specify reason if you’d like) | I love crossovers! |

Tagged by @the-scrappy-urchin (kinda stole but still thanks mate)

Tagging: @rengexhawk, @electricbluehedgehog, @hoverboardhoodlums, @imaginariumreverie, @a-bitter-resentment, @obedient-silence, @toras-muse-cabinet.

Don’t feel obligated to do this if I tagged you, but have fun if you do it! And for those of you who want to do this but I didn’t tag you: swipe it, and feel free to tag me! ^^

[ladymelissaduthe]

Challenge #1

Alternately Titled: To be a Princess

I actually don’t have wifi right now, but hopefully data can come through for now. I’l probably reupload this with the gdoc format soon hehe 

I actually wanted to post Missy’s RP with Jackson which happens the night before all of this, but I’m not too happy with it right now so SJKNJKDNDK yeah here is the reaction fic for now + the first meeting RP,,, cause it’s technically late... I’M SORRY BSDJKDNKJD Mentions of @safiya-schreave and @felicity-graham HAHAHAHA and features the first meeting with @arin-schreave hehe, thank you guys for some spicy material to work with <3 (2341 words,,, I think)

When I was a little girl, I learned that to be a princess was to have a thousand pairs of shoes. Shoulders back and tummy in, lift the chin and slowly turn your head from side to side.

I would personally like to thank Barbie for being the role model I didn’t think I’d need on a day like today.

Sure, Barbie had Julian, (The superior Ken from a Barbie movie if you asked me), but today, we had a real life princess give us a crash course on… royal life amongst us. It was like Barbie: Princess and the Popstar more than the Princess and the Pauper really. She walked in, and well, it felt like the chatter in the room quieted down once she came in. Princess Safiya.

She seemed nice when she came in, clipboard an all—ah well doesn’t that sight remind me of days I’d be instructing relatives around a rehearsal dinner. She begins to read from a script attached to the clipboard.

“I hope you all had a restful first night in the palace because now our work begins. Today I will begin to instruct you on conduct and protocol, a process that will continue for the duration of your stay. Please know that I will be reporting any missteps on your part to the royal family.” An amused expression ghosts her features before she continues. “I know it sounds harsh, but this isn’t a game to be taken lightly. Someone in this room will be the next princess of Illéa. It is no small task. You must endeavor to elevate yourselves, no matter your previous station. You will become ladies from the ground up. And this very morning, you will receive your first lesson.”

Hm… fair. I nod from my spot in the room, ready as ever to learn. I mean, how hard could it be? The sound of the door opening catches my attention, was another girl late?

Oh… OH.

Well I’ll be damned, that was Felicity Graham.

I thought she was taller.

I focus my attention back to what the princess was saying, only seeing Felicity move through the corner of my eyes until she came right back into my line of sight when she walks over to where Safiya stood, the two seemingly having a hushed conversation the no one probably an ear away could hear. I lift a shoulder up, busying myself and turning my attention to around the room. Guess they needed their privacy.

The set up was simple around here, simple at a glance but most probably high quality and very expensive. The room was mostly decorated like it was straight out of a home décor issue on an old money family. The elongated room was complemented with high-rise curtains tied with golden chords, tables were laid with cloths that were definitely a multi-count. There were centerpiece bouquets at the center of every table: dahlias and veronicas, if I wasn’t mistaken, the accent cloths were pinned to the sides with a lighter tulle? No, more of a sheath with gold weaved into it.

A few months, I decorated a wedding in a location similar to this, a sort of hall in an old building back in Orleans for the governor’s daughter. Except, maybe this has twice the budget…. Or maybe five times the budget. I wonder what was happening with the princess right now?

Oh they’re still talking. Why does the princess give Felicity a look? You know, one of those scary looking faces you shoot at a girl when you both see the same dress on sale and it’s the last one in-stock.

I try to wrack my brain up for anything I knew about them, figuring out why Felicity would be here. Those two were best friends, I know, but I wouldn’t be caught dead in the same room with the girl(s) my ex was replacing me with. Well, ya know, that’s just me. I just needed a refresher on which glass was for water and which one for juice.

“My sister sent someone to replace her. Lucky for us.”

The princess doesn’t seem too happy. Sometimes I wonder what it’s like for your best friend to be your brother’s ex-fiancée. That whole… situation was a big question for the entire country. My circles of other wedding planners whispered reasons why it was called off. Interesting allegations really. Oh their poor wedding planners, they better had a cancellation clause.

“Table manners are very important, and before you can eat in front of the royal family, you must be aware of certain etiquette. The faster we get through this little lesson, the sooner you get to have your breakfasts, so faces forward, please.”

The princess continues onto basic table manners, easy things that my Grammy used to grill me for back when I was little girl. Then again, there was a time when she used to be a Debutante ‘round Midston and her habits never left her.

“If you follow this one, I’ll be disappointed.” Oh so I guess we were allowed to speak with our inside voices. That’s… convenient. I nod along, hearing a snort from Felicity. The princess makes a face before continuing.

“She wanted me to make a final addition about how to address me and the rest of my family.” I should be paying attention to this one. The whole addressing royalty was definitely a new thing to me. The princess proceeds to explain who we call what, all the formalities and whatnot before we’re asked to stand and start with a crash course on curtsies.

“Now, I suppose you’ll be practicing your curtsies. I’ll be walking around if you have any questions. Or to critique.”

A good piece advice my mama gave me rings in my head, Imagine that a string is attached to the top of your head and pulling ya up. Maybe it’ll help me right now. It was something she always told brides during wedding rehearsals so they looked like they just glided down the aisle. I straighten up, imagining a string on the top of my head.

“and don’t forget I’m here to help you.” I hear Felicity say.

Wow, was she really?  

let’s just insert a timeskip here

It took a bit of a while before it was my turn to meet the prince. Not too long, but I suppose the buffet breakfast was a nice consolation. It was lovely that there were some vegan options. I was careful not to eat anything that could have stained the lovely lilac dress that took me literally forever to pick last night.

I was led outside of the room right after I finished some sliced fruits, careful that my lipstick wasn’t ruined from the meal. Someone opened the door for me as I was led into the room.

Alrighty, here we go, Missy. It’s just like meeting a new client. Winning smile, spring in your step, genuine interest. You practiced a couple of questions with yourself last night. It’s just a boy. It’s just a boy. You could do this. Just, try to impress him. No pressure.

There was a sofa, and beside it stood the prince. Oh, he seemed shorter in pictures. I walk towards him, reminding myself to keep my smile on and recall that I needed to dip down in a quick curtsey.

“Hello Lady Melissa. Please have a seat.” The prince greets before motioning to the sofa.

“Good morning, Prince Arin.” I glance over to the sofa before taking a seat, keeping my smile. “Thank you.”

He sits beside me. Up close, the first thing I notice was that his hair looked nice. Was that shallow? I mean… hair care and personal grooming was a good sign, right?

“How is your morning going?”

Compared to last night, I was in a much better mood, but of course I still felt tense. The cameras around wasn’t helping.

“Nothing short of spectacular.” I reply, recalling the answer I practiced in my head. Sometimes, it helps to practice answers. Oh wow, I really was nervous about this, wasn’t I? Shoot. “Woke up, never though I’d see such a great view of the ocean from my room, but there it was,” without knowing it my hands go up, “the sky was orange and glowing.”

I look to him, the memory of the sunrise bringing a genuine smile to my face. “How about you? How has your morning been going?”

“My morning has been fine, thank you.” He smiles at me. “Which province are you from?”

“Proud to be representing Midston. I bet you kind of had a hunch from the accent, but Orleans to be more specific, home to Mardi Gras and the best looking French Quarter in Illéa.”

The prince shakes his head, “Sorry, I honestly hadn’t noticed. But how do you like Angeles so far? It must be different from Midston.” His eyes trail elsewhere. Maybe towards the cameras?

“Well one thing I noticed was that… the buildings here are pretty tall.” I lift a shoulder up. “Don’t see that often where I’m from.” I chuckle before I look to where he looked, and realize that it indeed was a camera he glanced at a couple of seconds ago.

Don’t fix your hair, don’t fix your hair. My hand reaches up to tuck literally nothing back into place. Shoot. Don’t fix yourself around cameras, much less the prince, MISSY.

“It’s just as hot here though,” I add while fanning myself with my hand, “but I don’t know if that’s the weather or I’m just really nervous.”

“Nervous about which part?” the prince seems to watch me, still trying to maintain his smile.

I try to stop fidgeting, letting out a deep breath. “Not might be the same for you but I think meeting a prince for the first time would make you feel the slightest bit of jitters.” An unintentional laugh escapes me, and I try to smile. “Sorry, is it a little too much?”

The prince seems to shake his head, “No, uh… I’m mostly used to it.” He seems to pause for a moment before speaking up. “What do you do in Orleans?”

Without thinking, “Weddings.” I instantly say, “I mean, I plan weddings and debuts.” I start to ramble, “Catering, decorations, invitation, whatever a client wants for their special day, I can make it happen.”

He blows out a breath and nods, “Ah, I see. And how is…” he seems to hesitate at the next word, “wedding planning?”

Someone please, slap me.

Oh dear, it must still be a sensitive topic for him.

I try to give him a comforting smile, “It’s quite lovely, I don’t think I’ve experienced something as magical as someone’s wedding day. I’m just happy to help make the magic happen.” I’m reminded of my conversation with Jackson in the kitchen last night. The happiest business… he called it.

I blink, ah yes… way to rub some salt into a wound. QUICK. Find a way to salvage this. “Debuts are just as fun too. Just as much cake and magic.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” He seems to shift slightly, “So you enjoy it?”

“Very much.” I reply. He still seems weirded out by it. QUICK. Change the topic. “Are you… a party person, your highness? Or a little more of a party of one kind of person?”

Prince Arin tilts his head, “I’ve enjoyed parties and sometimes I like to be alone. But honestly I don’t mind the chaos.” He then frowns. Why would he be frowning? Is he… one of those extra-introvert types? What did they call those people again? Eh, the only thing I really knew about those kinds of people was that they had a social battery or something like that.

“I think there’s always something to celebrate,” I bobble my head, “but we’ve all got a battery that can only take up so much uh… chaos. Nothing too different.”

He seems to blink in surprise, “That’s a different way of looking at things. It seems like you have a pretty high tolerance.”

Well, that’s one way to put it. I’ve always just been a really social type.

“I believe it’s all about perspective.” I smile, recalling another piece of advice my Grammy always told me. “Just gotta choose how you wanna perceive things instead of accepting them the way you first saw it. I mean, that’s what my Grammy’s always reminded me.”

“So move on with your life?” The prince looks at me curiously.

If only moving on was easy as saying that you were moving on.

“You make moving on sound bad.” I chuckle, recalling how… bad it really could be. “See it more of moving forward. Someone used to tell me , ‘Forward to a tomorrow, completely different from yesterday’. ” I glance to the prince. “I’m still figuring out that last piece of advice out though.”

I don’t know why I still quoted that. Quoted him of all people, but good advice… was good advice.

“And who was that?” Prince Arin asks, I catch him tilting his head to the side, “That sounds like something my mother would say.”

The answer seems to be stuck in my throat, I pause before saying, “That’s a story for another day, your highness.” I try to change the topic. “Your mother sounds very wise though. Are you two very close?”

“We are,” he nods before glancing at his watch. “But I can tell you more about that another day.” Touché, a chuckle escapes me.

Prince Arin stands, “It’s been a pleasure speaking with you this morning, Lady Melissa. I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay.”

“Missy, you can call me Missy.” I follow and stand up, dipping into another curtsy. “Have a nice day ahead of you, your Highness.” I give him one last smile, seeing him nod and take it as my cue to turn and leave.

Someone please tell me that was a good first impression.