#as a full grown adult i still fall back on thinking my brother has hos shit together more than me and there's less than three years between | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

orangenfrottee · 4 years ago

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Hey ho there, feel free to ignore this and I hope I'm not bugging you as I awkwardly slide in here, but I must ask: if you had full creative control of the show, how would you run season 5? You can pick and choose whatever leaks you want to include.

Ah!!! Thank you for your ask <3 I might have spent a couple nights typing out my answer, but in short: I'd cherry pick old story arcs, bring back everyone I like and who doesn't run when they hear Riverdale's calling.

I'd definitely get some decent writers (I'm partial to Jane Espenson, but no idea if she'd be a good fit) and definitely some diversity. I might accidentally fire all men and then play up all their shitty recurring themes for fun as a weird inside joke between me and the show.

I think if they ever gave me creative control of the show it would swerf hard to the crazy and not leave that lane because honestly, i think that's what Riverdale does best.

So, where would I start...

Instead of giving season four a decent ending, I would start with an extra long pilot with the title 'previously on' where the best and most important bits of the teens' school lives is shown with a heavy focus on Jason and the Farm. Parallely, we get to see the lovestory of Chic and Charles. The episode ends with a few very short scenes of the prom where everyone's happy and pretty.

Then we'd start on the real season five. It's been seven years and our characters are older and more grown up.

The show would at first only present the present lifesbof our characters and the barest bones structure to keep as much a little mysterious as possible (but here I tell you what happened during timeskip, too).

Archie is often considered the main character, so let's start with him:

Archie went to the Army after school (though he didn't actually pass his exams and thus didn't graduate, Mr Honey was quite amused). On his most recent tour he met someone special: Eric, his new friend.

Archie was wounded in battle with a... giant mutated elephant with sharp teeth and hallucinogenic venom. Or something. He isn't really sure what happened, but he's got a huge new scar all over his torso. The abs stayed in tact, but oh his pride. During recovery he met new wheelchair user (and on occasion crutches) Eric who has trouble walking since his legs are misshapen/he only has one. Archie thinks Eric got maimed by the same elephant he was, but thinks it rude to ask.

For Eric I'm picturing Sabrina's Ambrose.

With his hurt pride, Archie can't stay with the military and decides to go back to Riverdale.

Eric doesn't have a place to go, so Archie invites him along.

They need a job and since Eric has a calendar full of sexy half naked firefighters AND since they both have abs, Archie decides that type of uniform is the perfect fit for them and trades his newly renovated and well running boxing gym against the old fire station Penelope Blossom owns. (Literally, they even meet at Pop's to exchange keys and sign papers Penelope brought that Archie doesn't even skim.)

The fire station is quite out of everything, but it has a huge pool Eric likes to swim in and a fire truck. To make ends meet Archie sells his sperm to the Greendale sperm bank.

Archie is of course in love with Eric but unfamiliar with the concept of bisexuality and struggles to identify his attraction for what it is. Eric is a foreigner to Riverdale (or is he?) and unfamiliar with the town's culture and quirks. Still, something going on in Sweetwater River seems to be related to him.

Archie and Eric share the Andrews' House - and in the house next door... live Gladys Jones and Polly Cooper!

After Jughead and Betty left for College Alice' horrid mom impulses settled on Jellybean who didn't stand back, grind her teeth and took it but instead broke Alice' teeth. Her and FP were not amused (though FP was also angry at Alice for being too strict). Alice moves out but stays as a journalist in town.

FP gets in trouble for being a brutal gang leader without a gang beating up criminals behind the boxing gym on tape. Not wanting to go to an illegal fighting club prison, he hides with Canadian Serpents behind the border. (Joaquin's identical twin brother and Ricky live there, too. They're happy there.)

Maybe he'd call once or twice with misleading wrong snake facts that have nothing to do with the current mystery of the episode but fit into perfectly by chance.

Jellybean was invited along, but she chose to stay because she thinks Riverdale is rad and the old Cooper House is luxurious as hell. Also, her mom came back to become the new Sheriff!

Nearly seven years in, Gladys still holds the position because no one legally qualified wants it and she manages to keep gang violence at an all time low for Riverdale. Plus, she and Mary Andrews are not exactly friends but able to work well together. When there's another serial killer running wild in town she has no problem with having another girlfriend of Mary who happens to be a skilled professional in the most relevant field take over for a bit. If needed, the Riverdale gangs are usually willing to add muscle to good causes, too.

Jellybean has left Riverdale for university and will only be present for holidays and breaks. She'd still be played by Trinity because I love her and honestly, real nineteen year olds look like fourteen year olds everywhere in the world. Also this gives the viewers 'Archie vision': he will always see his best friend's toddling baby sister in the young woman which makes her the only undatable (legal) female on this planet for him.

While attending Riverdale High she lead the Andrews Boxing Gym and made it the most successful gym in the area. It won't be a plot point in the show (apart from her being angry at Archie for just trading it against trash) but there will be framed newspaper articlesband the like in Gladys' house.

Around the time everyone graduated, Polly was released from Shady Grooves and is back to her old smart self - and really missing her babies! As Choni leave for whatever private college Blossom women have always gone to, Polly takes them and goes home - just to learn on the porch that not only did her mother sell her childhood home more than a year ago without anyone ever telling her, the college fund she never had gotten legal access to and planned to use for the twins is gone too and her sister left town without saying goodbye.

Gladys has always taken care of all the stray kids she found no matter how tight the budget was and now there's this young desolate mother with twin toddlers in front of her posh murder house she'd gotten for cheap and she has this new gig as sheriff. Of course, she takes them in.

They stay in Betty's old room at first, but they soon get to remodel the attic to give Polly her own room. At present, Dagwood has Polly/Chic/JB's old room and Juniper the one facing Archie's. (When Archie sees her in the room, he actually has a flashback once to when he and Betty used to be so young, but then Juniper turns her gead, stares at him really creepily and smiles weirdly. Archie will be somewhat scared from then onwards and be reminded of when everyone thought Polly might gave killed Jason. Juniper would murder.)

At first, Polly's a full time, stay at home mom, but once the kids are older, she starts working part-time: for Gladys.

It turns out they work amazing together. Gladys tends to jump to convenient conclusions and threatens violence way to freely. Also, she is intimidating as fuck.

Polly is everything she isn't: level headed (to a point, in comparison at least), brilliant at combining clues and steering people (remember how she infiltrated Thornhill and made Cheryl unknowingly assist in her snooping plans?). On top of that, she has these stepford smiles and all the ways to appear unthreatening drillend into her head. Honestly, she and Betty are quite alike. While Betty has the lockpicking skills and knows her way around cars, Polly used to be really into fashion (or something) and, with all her experiences at the Sisters, the Farm and Shady Groves, Polly knows psychology.

She started solving some of Gladys' cases at the breakfast table, but now she's officially a deputy or an advisor or something. They're essentially like FP and Jughead, just that Polly is an adult (and that she wouldn't be in a gang beating suspects up regularly).

(These characters would all be mostly in the background though.)

Veronica finally gained perspective on her relationship to her father and grew up. Hiram's cut out of her life for good. They won't ever interact. (In fact, Hiram either moved to New York or he had a minor traffic accident where he lost all of his memory for good and now lives as Ram Rod and works as a trainer at Penelope's newly acquired boxing gym. Everyone is confused about it but doesn't care to ask.)

Veronica is successful at whatever she's doing and doesn't plan on ever moving back to Riverdale, but maybe something is up at Pop's that requires her checking up on in person and she just happens to cross paths with Betty who is also just there for the weekend. And they haven't had quality time together for years, because it's so hard to stay in contact sometimes even with people you love so much you'd die to keep them safe.

If I could come up with something meaningful for them to catch up on emotionally, I'd have them sitting together in a booth at Pop's for a whole episode just talking (but I'm not that deep).

Veronica might be engaged, but we see it fall through without really getting to meet the guy. She mostly just talks to Betty about him on occasion but in a somewhat messed up way. Ultimately, she realises how she treats him in some regards like Hiram treated her and her mother. She wants to grow up further and not be like her father anymore. Since the fiance was only a trophy pawn, she breaks it off and concentrates on introspection/ maybe therapy for a bit.

Later that season her sister comes back and surprise: Hermosa embraced becoming Daddy.

(These would have to be restricted to two half episodes only, she definitely deserves story arcs that aren't about her dad.)

Careerwise: she has a couple businesses, maybe a restaurant chain or a franchise and she seems to collect startups. She reinvests a lot and has to travel quite a bit but can work remotely too.

Everyone seems to want FBI agent Betty and if I'd go that route I'd have her demask Charles as the fraude fake FBI who hires guns for hire and fake emergency teams while making up fantasy horror stories about serial killer genes to scare his biological family into killing each other that I wholeheartedly believe he is. But I also like Betty's interest in mechanics and would love for her to have a career in mechanical engineering. Maybe she switched majors at uni and now works for a company developing prosthetics. Maybe she tries to get Eric into joining a study. (I mean, prosthetic legs would help his work as a fire fighter...).

She's in town to visit Polly and the twins but after talking to Veronica she spontaneously stays in town. She can do her work remotely, really. The two of them move into a two bedroom 'shared bnb' (or whatever it was called in season two) and we finally get to see their friendship on screen.

Betty isn't in a relationship at the moment abd she's so into her work, she isn't looking for one either.

Jughead had broken up with Betty seven years ago and never really had a well working relationship after. He's grown obsessed with finding a way to recreate what he had with Betty.

Not in a totally creepy psycho way, he's simply not understanding that he might be sex positive and he had been in love with Betty, but he is ace and quite aro, too. It doesn't help, that he finds people sexually attractive on their online profiles just to be repulsed by the tought of even kissing them goodbye in person.

(I don't think tv is generally a fitting medium for this, but I guess he can narrate for himself and make it work.)

I guess he has to be an author. Obsessed as he is about finding love again (he wouldn't call it like that) he figures it had either been the location or the constant fear for his life. He chooses to return to Riverdale. He probably instantly moves with everything he owns to Riverdale (not that it's much beside a modern laptop, the typewriter and his camera).

Archie gives the great advice how Jughead is obviously still innlove with Betty, duh.

He of course runs into Betty some day, they end up investigating some random murder together and find themselves in familiar positions and kiss - but it just isn't there anymore. Jughead feels nothing and Betty isn't really into it either.

Veronica later points him in the direction of maybe not being allo (because she used to question herself as aro).

Funfact: Jughead would have failed graduation with Archie if Mr Honey didn't forge some records that weren't actually submitted from Stonewall (they claim all records were deleted during a power outage). Jughead knows and is deeply shamed.

Thornhill has been renovated! Toni is pregnant! Choni will be raising their kids (surprise, it's going to be twins!) in Cheryl's ancestral home. Choni are married and happy.

Toni has reopened the White Worm with Fangs somewhere at the Southside and yes, let's make her the official Serpent Queen. Let her work lots of social causes (remember toys for tots?), grey area rule bending for good and of course she works well with Gladys. I've seen talk about her being a social worker floating around and honestly, I think that works amazing. She's working the local cases (and a few unofficial ones) and I think she and Cheryl are registered foster parents. On occasion (like once) they'd be shown taking care of a random kid.

Cheryl used her College time to study two things: business and Riverdale town history. Remember how in season two she took so much pride in her ancestors because she believed them to be good people? She might be disillusioned but she is the Blossom heiress and her and Toni's as well as Jason's kids will one day inherit a better family legacy. She'll invest in Southside rebuilding projects, advocate for new town memorials, maybe rebrand some of the Blossom product lines. Something like that

She won't run for mayor yet, but she's definitely invested in (local) politics.

Of course the pregnancy was with artificial insemination, the donor was either an unsuspecting red head from the Greendale Sperm Bank or they use some of Jason's that has surly been saved to guarantee the Blossom line when everywhere was scary talk about sperm counts going down due to mobile phones.

In addition: the maple factories need worker bees! Cheryl has a few programs with Toni to get Serpents/random Riverdalians newly released from prison or just with bad luck into a steady job and a cushy appartement overlooking the ex prison on the Southside. Pop's is also participating. Ethel works as a landlady for said appartement complex.

Also, why not add a second Blossom-Topaz lovestory to underline this incest-adjacent show and bring back Toni's grandpa and set him up with Nana Blossom. XD

Then during this season's arc, the Blossom uncle's corpse will be found in the river and the mistery is whether the FBI will figure out who the corpse us and what happened or not.

I love Reggie. Since Varchie is unlikely thanks to Eric, him and Veronica rekindling their relationship would definitely be a possibility I'm into, but he also seems to have an interesting connection with Kevin and Fangs that could be built on.

He would definitely have a car he'd love very much and I think it would still be Bella.

I'm not sure about his career, but it wouldn't include his father's car dealership. Maybe he'd be a successful movie star just in town between movie shootings.

Kevin was doing something with musicals on Katy Keene, I think? Writing or directing? He was trying to nake it big, but some plans fell through. Now he's back in Riverdale. Luckily, they are just about to open Riverdale's first theater in the relatively newly built but forever closed prison. Next to the Southside Theater the complex holds a mall and the White Worm.

Fangs works full time as the manager of the WW that he co-owns with Toni. He meets Kevin again once he's back in town.

Sweet-Pea somehow ended up as a junior doctor at the Riverdale hospital. He spends all of his scarce free time at the WW.

Some of the background Pretty Poisons officially work for the police now. Different than Gladys, they are actually ccccc for the positions they hold.

Peaches works as a manager for one of Cheryl's companies. She's happily married and has a kid (or something).

How long in prison do you get in the US for standing in as the head figure of a crazy pen and paper cult that has literal murders committed in his name? As a blond white dude probably just parole? So honestly, once they actually bring his case to court (and they have nothing against him because anyone could have been under the mask at any one time and people know of different gargoyle kings) he's released of all charges. No one in Riverdale actually knows though since his case took forever, Bughead had already left Riverdale and Alice didn't step up to follow the case. No one wrote about it, so no one knows. They just assume that of course the guy will be locked away forever, he's guilty.

In reality, he and Charles have bought a house somewhere in a different street of Riverdale where they aren't quite known and have adopted a couple kids.

Charles meets Alice regularly for lunch and she thinks he's this workaholic FBI agent only living for solving crime. They play a long con game I don't know the goal of.

(They have been behind the tapes even if that storyline gets totally ignored. They pretend FP being in exile is their doing, but the tape responsible was just a random security camera in the area.)

Josie's plans in New York sadly fell through (I haven't seen any Katy Keene but I want her back)

Lot's of bonding scenes with her brother Kevin who's also back in town. The two share a flat and on occasion burst into song together. Since I've already invented the Southside Theater, maybe she'd find a job there, too.

Val and Melody stayed in Riverdale aftee highschool and made careers in town for themselves. Maybe Melody at city hall and Val as a marketing specialist at the farm, Riverdale's most outstanding new grocery mart. Half of all Riverdalians don't get the controversy of the name, the others either think it's brilliant or tasteless. (Kevin for example has repressed the nemories so gard, he doesn't get it. Josie is very protective and angry at Val for working there.) The store belongs to the eccentric redhaired Eva Everafter or whatever pseudonym Evelyn can come up with to thinly hide her identity behind.

Somewhere in it I'd throw in a few lines vaguely referencing older happenings like "I still can't drink tap water" and the very first time Veronica sees Archie again after seven years she identifies him through his ab muscles.

So in short: Archie would be very dumb, everyone else is just there.

Also: Pop's would serve 50% vegan burgers and milkshakes so I could dig in with gusto.

#riverdale speculation #riverdale fanfiction #riverdale #asks #arsenicpanda #fun #my writing #i guess

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lifeinahole27 · 6 years ago

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CS ff: “On the Two” (Chapter 3/9) (au)

Summary: He’s one bad trip from ending up in AA, and she’s one performance away from a solid job and moving closer to home. Their paths were unlikely to cross until Camp Hope brought them together. How and why they meet and intertwine is against the odds, and definitely against the rules, but will that really stand in their way? A Dirty Dancing inspired modern au.

Rating: E

Content Warnings: Borderline alcoholism, very brief mentions of past relationships, mentions of the loss of a limb - this fic is primarily tame but I’ll do my best to tag anything that might need tags.

Chapter Specific Warnings: Some dirty dancing, and a little more drinking.

A/N: We have one more disastrous meeting between our two before things very quickly turn around for them. And by the end of the chapter, they've reached an agreement. Enjoy!

Catch it on FFN & Ao3! Or find the previous chapters here on Tumblr!

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 |

It takes two days for Killian to recover from the hangover he got from his night in the camp bar. He never should’ve bribed the bartender to part with that full bottle of rum the other night. In his defense, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Who knew a camp bartender would be so amenable, after all?

Liam is already out and about, which is unsurprising, even for how early it is. While his brother was adamant about this camp bringing about changes and chances for both of them, Liam has been so wrapped up in his own discoveries of what the camp has to offer that he’s mostly left Killian to his own devices. Thankfully, that applies to this morning’s shameful rising, as well.

The hangover is something he can deal with. The chagrin of his encounter with… Emily? Elsa? Anna? Bloody hell, what was that lass’s name? The meeting with her, the beautiful angel in disguise that also distracted him in the small grocery kiosk a week ago, only to be sick all over her, was bad enough. Now he’s gone and forgotten her name.

Maybe today he can take it easy on the rum. Maybe it’s time to visit the activity board in the main lodge and look at the brochures for anything he could use to fill his time. He needs to find something to do that doesn’t involve drinking excessively and passing out in odd places around the camp. Two nights ago was the first time he wasn’t safely back in his own room before the alcohol won over his system in the week and a half they’ve been here, and he never intended it to get so far. He doesn’t want it to get that far again, so maybe today can be one of rest from liquor and he can remember to eat a meal or two more than he’s been.

After a shower, he almost feels human again, enough so that he can wander down to the main lodge that towers over the rest of the campgrounds. It’s the first time he’s eaten a meal here since their first night at camp, but it’s not much different than that first experience. There are people bustling in and out, all adult, paired off or alone, but all with easy postures and smiles. Killian, on the other hand, is tense from the way his body is screaming for nutrition, his sunglasses perched on his nose to hide the bloodshot eyes that still haven’t cleared.

Astonishingly, he finds Liam eating at a table with a battered book sitting open beside his plate. It’s been ages since Killian has seen Liam do something as serene as read a book, so he’s almost hesitant to disrupt the peaceful scene in front of him, but he figures his brother might be pleasantly surprised to see him joining in, no matter how hungover he is.

“Well, well,” Liam starts as soon as Killian is in the seat across from him. “You’ve finally decided to join the land of the living again, then?”

“Aye, but no need to throw me a party.”

He can tell his brother is just short of clicking his tongue at him, but instead Liam continues. “Breakfast is a buffet. You can help yourself to as much as you’d like. I’ve been grazing on mine, so I’ll be here when you return.” The way he says it means that Liam intends to wait for him, not out of courtesy but as a means of checking on his younger brother.

With a barely restrained eye roll, Killian wanders over to where Liam indicated, looking over the choices first before grabbing a plate and selecting his breakfast. He’s grown so used to just eating granola or whatever Liam grabs for him, or whatever he pulls together in the small kitchenette, that he almost doesn’t know how to handle this many choices. It all looks to be homemade, too, which makes Killian wonder how they even manage to make this much food every day. Do they have elves humming “Hi Ho” back there as they scramble hundreds of eggs? Gnomes slicing fruit varieties? Have they got the magic brooms from that cartoon back there cooking endless heaps of bacon and sausage?

Whatever the case may be, Killian finds there are too many options for the sensory overload he’s feeling. Bread sounds like a good start, though, so he grabs a slice and puts it in the toaster nearby while he picks and chooses a few other items to put on his plate. He’s just about to retrieve his toast when someone bumps into him, almost upending the plate from where it rests on his prosthetic before a hand shoots out to steady it.

“Sorry, I’m – oh, hi. It’s you. Killian, right?”

In the daylight, and without the rum, the woman is still stunning but at least more approachable than his last two run-ins with her. The previous label of “angel” still seems rather apt. Her hair is braided again, sunglasses on top of her head, her green eyes curious but cautious for some reason. It probably has something to do with the fact that he doused her in his sickness less than forty-eight hours ago.

“Aye, I’m sorry again for our first unfortunate meeting. If there’s any way I can repay you, I’d be happy to. I just feel awful about it.”

“Just had to take my laundry into town a little earlier than I planned, that’s all. No harm done.”

“Nothing was destroyed by my behavior, I hope?”

“Nah, it was just my favorite t-shirt. No big deal or anything,” she says, the sarcasm eased by the way she smiles. She’s apparently joking, but the look on his face must reveal how aghast he is at hearing it was her favorite shirt. “It’s fine. I promise! I already hung it back up and everything, good as new. I do have to teach in less than an hour, so if you’re gonna have a repeat performance, I need to know now so I have time to change.”

Killian chuckles, finally relaxing on the heels of her joke. “Teach?”

“I’m one of the dance instructors,” she tells him, leaning around where he’s still blocking the buffet to grab a banana. “You’re not my lesson, right?”

“No, thankfully not. It’ll be a surprising day in hell before I find myself willingly in a dance studio.”

She purses her lips together at that, taking offense in something he’s said, but she squeezes out something of a smile as she backs away a couple steps. “Yeah, well, it takes a certain kind of dedication to find something you’re good at. Good luck, Killian.”

“Um, thanks? Same to you, Emily.”

Her face quickly falls into a scowl after that. “Emma.”

“Shite,” he whispers, just wanting the day to be over already. Hell, wanting the whole summer to be over already if this is how it’s going to go when he tries to be sober for once. “Emma,” he repeats, but finds she’s already weaving her way out of the breakfast area with smiles and greetings for people she knows.

His toast is cold by the time he gets back to the table where Liam is observing him, one Jones eyebrow raised as he takes in Killian’s sour demeanor.

“You seemed chummy with the dance teacher. Have you taken a lesson?”

“Of course not, no. She was unfortunate enough to meet me the other night in a rather sorry state.”

“Ah, and that’s why I heard a female voice when you got in rather late, then?”

Killian nods, more subdued after finding that Liam is more aware of his comings and goings than he initially assumed.

“Little brother, about your drinking…”

“Save it,” Killian says, cutting him off from continuing that thought. “I don’t need a lecture, and that’s younger brother. I hardly qualify in the little, nor have I since I was a lad.”

He takes to angrily chomping on his dry, cold toast, not really much interested in eating now, but still needing to nonetheless. To his credit, Liam just sighs and goes back to spearing pieces of fruit from his plate between flipping pages of his book. They eat in silence until Liam has cleared his plate. Then, with a check of his watch, he bookmarks his spot and stands.

“Well, it was lovely catching up with you. I’ve got a couple things I signed up for today. If you’re interested in keeping yourself out of trouble, there’s a great little library off the main room here.” With a nod of goodbye, his brother is gone again, leaving Killian alone to eat and stew in his own thoughts.

In his continuous land of “maybe” he considers the fact that a book wouldn’t be a terrible waste of his time.

His thoughts, even after he’s selected a book and hidden himself away in a corner of the small library, seem to stray back to Emma. There’s something still missing from their encounter the other night, something about her name that waits to be uncovered from the alcoholic stupor he was in. He does still feel bad about the sullying of her clothes, and he considers ways to make it up to her, despite her reassurances that it’s of no matter to her. If he didn’t know himself better, he’d think he was trying to come up with reasons to see her.

But that’s impossible, isn’t it? He hasn’t actively sought the attention of a woman other than one-offs in longer than he cares to remember. After Milah passed away, he was alone for a long time, and only after a year had passed did he start going out to meet women with the sole purpose of physical gratification. His attentions to Emma, as new as they are, don’t feel like attempts at a quick fling, and not only because he knows she’s off limits to a guest as a camp employee.

He runs into her several more times as he stops drinking quite so much and starts leaving the cabin during the daytime. If Liam is surprised by his sudden interest in the camp’s amenities that don’t involve liquor, he doesn’t show it. And it’s not to say that Killian doesn’t still sip from his flask or drink to his content in the cabin at the end of the day.

The most illuminating trip out of his cabin is to watch a demonstration of dances offered for classes by Emma and another instructor named Ruby. Tucked in the back of the yet-again transformed main lodge (he swears that every time he goes to it the whole setup has changed), Killian watches in fascination as Ruby glides on stage first. Her hair is tied in a ponytail, long and straight and severe. Sure, she looks stunning, until Emma walks onto the stage to stand next to her. Then, he momentarily forgets that there are even two of them up there.

He can’t help it; he knows he’s staring. Both women are in the same dress, and their hairstyles are identical, but where Ruby’s red dress is eye-catching, Emma’s cobalt dress is downright captivating. The sleeves come down to her elbows, and the dress itself falls nearly to her knees except for a slit that shows a tantalizing amount of thigh when it flares out just the right way. Her make-up, even from this far away, is done in such a way that she looks like some film noir heroine reincarnated.

Killian spends as much time watching her face as he does trying to take in the whole dance, but if asked later what they were performing he’d be hard-pressed to give a solid answer. This is mostly due to his utter lack of knowledge on the subject, excepting for the Waltzes he learned back in grade school. Instead, he’s intently paying attention to the way her eyes scan the room before returning to her partner. He’s focused on the sultry way her smile changes between movements and the way her red lips seem even brighter when she grins with teeth showing.

After a number of performances, and a well-earned standing ovation, the two women circulate the room, talking to everyone for even a moment. Ruby seems to be the books, as she has her phone out while they go through setting up lessons and talking details with these potential new clients. She gets stopped up talking to one of the hiking guides, throwing her head back and laughing while Emma keeps circulating.

He sincerely considers ducking out of the lodge before Emma sees him, but once her eyes find him in the diminishing crowd, he’s powerless to move. He stands next to the chair he was rooted in for the entire performance, trying desperately to hold his hand still and not fidget with his prosthetic.

“Well, well,” Emma starts, her lips tilting up in something like surprise and welcome. “I thought it would be a cold day in hell before you watched a dance.”

“Until I do one meself,” Killian clarifies, finally losing the battle with his nervous habits as he rubs the back of his neck.

She hums in consideration. “I don’t know, you seemed pretty graceful for someone too intoxicated to even be able to stand. I’m sure if you gave it a shot, it wouldn’t be too bad.”

His mouth opens to respond, but before he can, Ruby is calling to her partner again and Emma is apologizing, bidding him goodnight with what seems like an unplanned hand on his bicep, and one last smile before she moves away. He stands there, watching as she goes, and so he gets to see the one time she glances over her shoulder at him (probably expecting him to have turned away and not still staring at her like a right git), her face unreadable as she turns back and hastens away after Ruby.

He forgets to drink himself to sleep that night.

It’s the middle of his third week at the camp when he finds his way to the dance studio, passing close to the scene of where Emma found him that night. He’s tried to keep himself away, but he feels a curiosity so strong that he’s quite unable to resist at this point.

There are windows, but the whole building is raised up, so that he can’t easily peer into them. Rather than try to take a hidden vantage point, he opens the heavy door and walks up the five steps until he’s even with the parquet floors. The room is brightly lit, with mirrors lining the one wall, but his focus is trained on Emma moving across the floor. There’s music playing, but it’s nothing compared to the symphonic way her body twists and turns.

He thinks to leave, to exit what is clearly alone time for the dancer he’s had such rough encounters with, but he’s mesmerized by her movements. It’s fitting, watching her move as she does, that he remembers at that moment that her last name is Swan, and he finds it utterly fitting to all aspects he’s seen of her personality thus far.

There’s clearly grace, especially with the way her arms arc above her head at the moment, and there’s fire. That was most evident the other night at their performance, watching her come at some of the dances like she’s attacking them. There’s beauty, of course, he’d never deny she’s one of the most attractive women he’s ever seen. But it’s more than her physical appearance that draws him in, particularly in this moment.

She’d remarked about the time it takes to find something one is truly passionate about, and he can read her years of study and practice like an open book as her feet move across the floor. She’s so focused in every aspect of this solo that she hasn’t even noticed him practically standing right in front of her. Her attentions are solely on her actions, with only passing glances to the mirrors to check form, he supposes.

It’s only when she turns to hold a pose, leaning forward with one leg raised perpendicular to the floor that her eyes finally focus on him. With a gasp, she loses her concentration and goes crashing to the floor, and Killian races up the rest of the steps to help her up.

“Are you okay?”

“Fine,” she grumbles, hesitating before taking his hand and letting him haul her to her feet. “Just wasn’t expecting anyone. It’s my free hour. Do you need something?”

Need? No, definitely not. Want? That’s a whole different concept that he is coming to grips with.

“No, I was just passing by and thought I’d stop in. Are you sure you’re okay?”

She snorts, a low laugh coming from her as she moves towards the stereo to turn down the music. “I’ve taken harder falls.”

He watches as she moves to swipe a towel off the back of a nearby chair, dabbing her face and neck before throwing it back down and grabbing a water bottle instead. “So is that the sort of dancing you teach here?”

She smiles, even as she tilts the bottle upward to take a couple deep gulps. It’s only after she’s recapped the bottle and moved back into his general vicinity that she answers. “No, that’s my own personal dancing. I wanted to dance on big stages for most of my life.”

“And why aren’t you?”

“Tragic backstory, misfit past, the usual.”

“Ah, of course. I know a bit about those,” he says. He only notices that he’s fiddling with his prosthetic fingers again when Emma’s eyes are drawn to watch his movements – her expression one part wary and two parts curious. “Anyway, if you’re not teaching that kind of dancing, what do you teach?”

“Mostly just ballroom, like you saw the other night,” she comments, her gaze tearing away from his hands and meeting his eyes again. At his blank stare, she huffs once, rolling her eyes in the process of starting a series of stretches. “Fox Trot, Tango, Mambo, that sort of thing. You ever danced before?”

“I learned to Waltz when I was just a lad. Other than that, just the standard variety of three feet apart types at school dances and decidedly less innocent kinds while at university.” He tries to tame the smirk on his lips when he mentions the form of dancing they used to do in the youth that seems like forever ago, but fails miserably by the way she raises an eyebrow at him.

“You should see our staff dances at the end of the week,” she says, the way she wiggles her eyebrows indicating that she’s not only fully aware of the kind of dancing he’s referring to, but that she participates.

While he laughs, she moves to another stretch and he spots the angry red mark on her shin from her earlier fall. He cuts off abruptly, looking concerned even if it doesn’t seem like she notices it. “I seem to have caused you another misfortune.”

She hums out a question mark, and he points to the spot. Without breaking her stretch, Emma glances at it and promptly waves it off. “I’ve done worse. Nothing’s broken, I’m not bleeding; it’s fine.”

“Oh, you’re a tough lass, eh?”

Rather than responding, she sizes him up for a minute before turning fully towards him. “You wanna give it a try? The ballroom style that I teach? We can even start with the Waltz.”

“I don’t think I’ll be any good at it.”

“Don’t care. You owe it to me.” She raises her eyebrow in challenge and waits.

With a grimace, Killian rolls his shoulders and cracks his neck, shaking out his arms before slipping the flask from his pocket. “Rum?” He holds it out to her first, chuckling as she shakes her head and scoffs.

“Is that your solution to everything?”

“Doesn’t hurt,” he mutters, taking a sip for himself before setting it down by the top of the steps. At her incredulous look, Killian holds up his hand in a placating gesture. “Okay, okay, sometimes it’s more insult than injury. You win that one.”

She switches music, grabbing a small remote while she’s at the system before moving to the center of the room and motioning Killian towards her. When he moves to join her, she positions her arms and hands, only faltering for a moment as she moves his prosthetic into place before she uses the remote to start the song.

“Okay, hold that position. When I step back, you’re going to step forward. Got it?”

“Sure,” he says, his tone much more assertive than he feels at the moment. His eyes go downward, staring for the moment her foot moves back and he moves his forward. It’s been lifetimes ago, but he gets the general understanding of how he’s supposed to move. After three or four repetitions, she instructs him to look at her instead of their feet and he loses the progress he’s made. It’s partly due to inexperience, but it’s also because then he’s looking at her eyes, studying the pigments of color that he finds. He’s utterly enchanted by the flutter of her eyelashes, wondering if she feels the same jolt that he does.

He’s so wrapped up in his thoughts that he moves out of turn, and he’s a hair away from stepping on her toes. They both realize it, both sucking in a gasp at the close call and looking quickly at the lack of space between their feet. The spell of the moment is broken when their hold falls apart and they both start laughing.

“Not bad! Try again?”

She’s got to be lying; he feels like he was less than subpar at best but she’s still looking at him like he’s got something like potential and he’s not sure how to even begin processing that. But it’s time spent in the company of a pretty woman, so who is he to argue with her decision to invite him closer again?

They’re just moving to the same starting position when the door opens and closes swiftly, announcing someone’s arrival. Emma looks to the stairs to see who the newcomer is, her hand still tangled with his, her other one just coming to rest on his shoulder until she furrows her eyebrows.

“Mulan, what’s wrong?”

“We have a bit of a problem,” a female voice says, and Killian turns to see the hiking instructor Ruby was speaking to the night of the performances standing at the top of the stairs. She’s out of breath, and her face is pinched with worry and apprehension. “Ruby sprained her ankle. Victor is looking at it now, but he already says it isn’t looking too good.”

Emma’s hand on his shoulder tightens incrementally as the statement is uttered, and then she breaks the hold all together to run both her hands through her hair as one loud, angry expletive rings out through the dance studio.

-x-

She forgets for a moment that there’s a guest standing in the room with her, and that she’s standing with her arms around him to start with, no less. Instead, she drops an f-bomb or two, or five, and a bunch of other swears all in a row. What else could she do after finding out that her partner is okay but likely unable to dance any time soon?

“Shit,” she mutters, stomping around the studio a couple times. She kicks a yoga mat in the corner for good measure. “What happened?”

“She came with me for the intermediate hike and lost her footing. She rolled it pretty bad. I had to carry her the whole way back and postpone the rest of the hike. Thankfully, we weren’t too far into the woods yet.”

“How’s she doing?”

“Everyone is showering her with attention so she’s doing fantastic,” the other woman says with a grin, and Emma’s own smile is thin-lipped but there. Of course, Ruby would be graciously accepting the fawning.

“I guess I can reschedule my next lesson, go over and check on her and…” It’s then that she remembers Killian is standing there, just behind her now, and she winces as she turns towards him. “Sorry, Killian. Um, raincheck on those lessons?”

“Of course, Swan. Until next time.”

She likes the way he says her name just a little too much, and it’s almost a relief when he’s gone. Apparently, even time in the supply closet hasn’t fully squashed the possibility for sexual attraction to a certain guest. He is at the top of her No list, though, so she will have a stern talk with herself later about remaining professional and aloof with him.

Things get worse when Emma stops by to see Ruby in the infirmary. Her ankle is swollen, the bruising already apparent when she lifts the ice bag for Emma to see. Ruby’s face is grim, as if she’s already received bad news, and maybe she has.

“How long?”

“Four weeks, maybe. Three if I’m lucky.”

With those simple sentences, Emma’s hopes of the job at Mills Regency vanish in smoke.

“Victor has ordered me to stay off of it for the next week, and we’ll start going through some stretches and rehab to get it healed up. I can still make it.”

“No, you can’t. I don’t want you to risk making it more permanent. I want you to heal properly the first time.” She settles onto the edge of Ruby’s bed, sighing as she does so.

They exhaust every possible other option, including Emma dancing on her own and her trying to teach another staff member the routine. The problem with that is she knows the strengths and weaknesses of each staff member, and also their work schedules. The best of the bunch are all tied up or getting ready to take their first week off of the season.

And then the terrible idea comes to her.

“Well, I could teach someone.”

“Like who?”

She doesn’t respond, instead thinking about the way Killian looks visually next to her, and thinking about the way he quickly started getting the steps. He’ll probably resist, probably flat out reject the idea, but she has to at least try. “I gotta go. I’ll come back later. You rest!”

With that, Emma all but sprints from the infirmary, making her way across the campgrounds to the secluded section of cabins she visited just a week ago. She has no idea if he’ll even be back at his cabin now, but it’s worth a shot to try this place first. Bounding up the stairs of the modest cabin, Emma raps on the screen door.

Killian appears after a few seconds, his eyebrow going up in question when he sees her. “Hello, Swan. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“You said you’d make it up to me, right?”

His look of confusion intensifies for a moment. “Make it up…? For the vomit incident? Of course.”

“And calling me by the wrong name, pushing your chair into me two days ago, stepping on the back of my heel at the grocery kiosk, and knocking me on my ass while I was dancing earlier. All of that. You can make it up to me.”

His face had continued to pinch as she listed the offences he’d accrued in their short amount of shared time, so when she finishes, he nods slowly. “And how can I do that?”

“Be my dance partner.”

A pregnant pause follows her words, in which Killian blinks at her through the barrier of the screen door and Emma finally gains control of her breathing after the dash across camp.

“No.”

“Killian.”

“No, Swan, I’m not going to be any good for something that’s meant to be graceful.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I can barely walk a straight line,” he counters. And while he has a point, that’s not exactly a difficult thing to fix.

“So quit drinking so much.”

He steps back, mock affronted and clutching his chest.

“You don’t mess with a man’s rum, Swan.”

She just raises an eyebrow at him. “Okay, fine, give me a better reason.”

“How many professional dancers have artificial hands?”

“No one will even notice that!”

It’s Killian’s turn to lift an eyebrow, his head tilted for extra emphasis. They probably wouldn’t – not if he has the footwork she thinks he could have – but there’s no easy way to convince him of this fact.

“I just don’t think I’m what anyone would want to see dancing with someone like you.”

“I doubt that,” she answers quickly, the mental image of them together flashing strongly in her head.

“You’d be wrong. Listen, I am quite willing to do anything to make all of that up to you by any means necessary, except for that.”

“But this is the kind of repayment I need. I can teach you. I can teach you and you’ll be good.”

He still looks like he’s going to turn her down, but she’s turning just a tiny bit desperate.

“Okay, how about this. Tomorrow night, there’s this staff dance. You show up, you give dancing a try, and we go from there. I’ll buy the rum?”

The last sentence is a chance she’s willing to take, but it apparently does the trick. Hesitantly, oh so hesitantly, he nods his head. The fact that he’s grimacing while he does is a fact she’s willing to ignore.

“Good. Meet me outside the studio at ten and I’ll walk you up. Dress for a workout. It gets hot in the staff lodge.”

If possible, he grimaces harder. So she smiles as brightly as she can and lifts her hand in farewell as she heads back to the studio to prepare for her postponed lesson.

She’s nervous energy all through the next day, as well. She worries Killian isn’t even going to show, but all she can keep thinking about are the aesthetics they would create on stage if she could get him to move. Dark and brooding, with that constant three-day stubble. She gets lost in the thought of how it would feel to have a male partner again. Short of lessons and an occasional favor to Graham, it’s been a long time since she danced with a man.

Don’t get her wrong – she loves dancing with Ruby. They make one hell of a spectacle that people have loved for years. Plus, while they can’t compete, it’s fun to knock the gender barriers and fuck with the system a little bit. But mostly she and Ruby have been partners for all these years because of the trust they’ve created with each other. It’s worked well for them. They’ve participated in non-official events and arts festivals, and it gets them business.

For some reason, maybe due to the newness of the possibility, she shivers in anticipation.

Sure, she’ll have to give Regina a heads up so the hotelier knows she’ll be dancing with a sub for the evening, but that Ruby will be with her if they get the job. But since the email was addressed to the two of them, she figures that won’t be a problem.

When she can’t stand it anymore, when the clock is moving too slow, she changes for the third time and goes to stand by the studio. The building is dark and locked up, but she checks the door one last time to make sure and paces. At ten til the hour, she hears footsteps on the path and turns to see Killian wandering up. He’s in a t-shirt and shorts, and he looks apprehensive at best. She’s only mildly surprised to see him. More than surprised, she’s glad he actually showed.

Emma has dressed for the humidity that’s climbing upwards again, so even though the night brings a little relief from the discomfort, it’s still sticky. Her hair is pulled up in multiple braids and crowned around her head to keep it off her neck, and otherwise she’s gone with light materials that only cover what’s absolutely necessary and appropriate. Her shorts, borrowed from Ruby’s clothes, may be just a tad too short. The way that Killian’s eyes trail up her legs with an appreciative glance kind of makes her feel like she made a good choice, though.

“You’re making a mistake,” he says as she motions him to follow her up the steps that lead to the staff lodge.

“I’ll be the judge of that. Let’s get a drink in us and see what happens.” She’s glad he can’t see her face after she says it because it sounds like a pick-up line.

“I brought my own,” Killian calls from behind her, and she can hear the quiet sloshing of his flask. There’s a quick flash of irritation, not that he brought the flask – it’s clear there’s an attachment to it that she’s not interested in breaking or making him change – but because she can’t have him getting too drunk too fast.

“Nurse that. Stay loose, not sloppy for me, okay? I’ll buy the last round.”

He nods, taking a quick sip and slipping the container back into his pocket.

Inside the lodge, the heat instantly intensifies, what with the lackluster air conditioning and the moving bodies. She gets to watch Killian’s face go from one of trepidation to some mixture of horror and wonder. There’s something to be said about the bass-driven music, the low lighting, the staff looking a little less prim and proper than they are when they’re directing hikes or leading a yoga session. A kid they call Herc who teaches archery normally looks like the perfect, nerdy frat boy during lessons, but with his shirt hanging open and the way his hand palms the ass of the girl in his arms, he looks like he’d fit better in a porno.

Now that she thinks of it, and now that she takes the time to imagine what Killian is seeing for the first time, she’s really surprised they aren’t in some weird, group-sex, niche-as-fuck porno. She comes back to herself a little bit, grabs Killian’s hand, and makes her way through the sea of people. She’s not worried about him being in here. Everyone is so intent on not wanting others to notice what they’re doing that they don’t look – it’s the easiest rule of staff dances.

In need of her own lubrication for making someone else dance, she heads straight for the bar and orders tequila. After she orders, she realizes Killian is completely motionless beside her. At once, she’s not sure if it’s because she’s holding his prosthetic or if he’s still trying to take it all in. “You good?”

His eyes focus again, and he nods, taking a moment to sip from his flask again.

At the same time, a shot glass is finally placed down in front of her and she knocks back the drink. “Okay, let’s do this.” She weaves them through the dance floor, finding a place not central but still surrounded enough that he’ll get lost before he can escape if he tries to run. She has her priorities straight, after all.

He’s a good two feet away from her as the song that was playing ends and a new one begins. Like always, Emma takes her time to let the beat sink into her bones before she tries to get him to move. Instead, she follows what she’d do if she was dancing alone, closing her eyes and giving over to her heart instead of her head. Once she has the rhythm pumping through her blood, she grabs his t-shirt and pulls him closer, molding them together. She gasps, her eyes darting to meet his when she feels him insistently poking her where their hips are pressed together, and he at least has the dignity to look embarrassed by it.

“Sorry, love. You’re a little entrancing when you move like that,” he tells her a moment later, saying it close to her ear so he doesn’t have to yell over the music. He tries to put space between them, but she holds him in place. She waves it off, hoping that he can’t see her own feelings about it in the dim lighting.

Emma can’t help the flush that spreads along her cheek bones, but she is surprised when it keeps lighting a fire across the skin of her neck and beyond. She’s been called a thousand names, she’s been told she’s sexy and asked to do strip teases for men she was sleeping with, but for some reason Killian’s words are more arousing than she expected.

She can’t let him know how much she’s affected, of course, so with a coy smile, she instead turns back to their reason for being here. With her hands on his hips, she moves them as she moves her own body. And thank the higher powers; Killian is a man who knows how to move his hips. Most men that she teaches have a bad tendency to move their whole torsos when she tries to get them moving, but Killian mimics her action and his hips fluidly move the way Emma is directing them.

After getting him familiar with that one motion, she steps back a little and takes his hands. She prompts him to follow her footwork, slowly incorporating steps and hip movements at the same time until he’s moving exactly the way she wants him to. From there it’s simple; he moves easily as she guides him, catching on quickly when she coerces his movements with her own. He copies her or follows her nearly-unspoken directive, staring at his feet or hers, staring at her hips, his eyes dipping down to admire her legs more than once.

It only takes that first song but three songs later, Emma determines that this is possible. It’s even more apparent that he has the ability to move when the rum has worked its way into his bloodstream a little and he’s finally loosened up. The time is creeping by but she’s still a little too happy to wrap herself around him, so she doesn’t try to fight it.

After a couple more dances and a few trips to the bar, they engage in much lighter dancing, goofing off as they try to recreate famous dance choreography to songs that don’t match the beat. A few more after that, and they look just like everybody else in the building, fitted tightly together and letting the music rule their movements.

Another slow song comes on and without prompting, Killian gathers her close and easily sways to it. She’s not sure how much he’s had from his flask, but she’s also not sure how much tequila she’s had at this point. Which means they’re officially in dangerous territory, in her opinion. Probably way beyond it, but this is the first time in a half hour that she’s actually thought about it.

She hates that there’s obvious chemistry between them. Mostly, it’s because he’s a guest, and the one person in the room who is completely off limits. Also, she’s always been a hit-it-and-quit-it woman. Relationships are messy. They hurt. They’re prone to being overbearing and uncomfortable. At least, all of hers have been. Not to say that Killian would be like that. Her fingers tickle into the hair on the back of his neck and she can feel more than hear the contented sigh that escapes him.

He’s actually quite smart, and very funny, and easy on the eyes. He’d make a hell of a one-nighter if she was allowed. That much is obvious by the latent abilities she’s yet to fully unlock, and many of which she’s not allowed to. He’d make a top grade lover, with the way he holds her, his hand splayed across her lower back, his prosthetic propped against her hip – her hand is still in his hair and she’s one shift away from being lip-to-lip with him, a fact that finally shakes her from her little daydream.

She steps back, enjoying the dazed look on his face for a moment before she twirls under his arm and pulls him away from the floor. Thankfully, the rum seems to have worked enough that he looks oblivious to her inner turmoil and attraction.

As soon as they’re outside, Emma deems their experiment a success. “You can dance like that? You can follow my directions? You can dance the Mambo.” She’s yelling, but there’s no one around to hear her lack of volume control except for Killian, who is having similar troubles.

“I still think you’re wrong,” he loudly concludes, swinging their hands as they diligently pick their way down the path to where they met up earlier.

“I could be, but I don’t think I am. Come by tomorrow at noon. That’s my lunch break. Give it an actual, sober try and decide after that, okay?”

He stares at her, his eyes searching her whole face and making eye contact every few swipes, until he finally releases a breath she didn’t realize he’d been holding. “Fine. Okay. I’ll be there. But if I’m terrible at it, we’re done, and I’ll find another way to repay you. Deal?”

“Deal!”

Chapter 4

#cs ff #cs ff au #captain swan ff #sarah writes ff #cs multichap

27 notes · View notes

cloudybookash-blog · 6 years ago

Note

1-50 of the oc questions thing whenever u reblog it ho

1. What’s their full name? Why was that chosen? Does it mean anything?

2. Do they have any titles? How did they get them?

Second Heir to the Throne, Banished Princess... pretty self explanatory titles.

3. Did they have a good childhood? What are fond memories they have of it? What’s a bad memory?

I mean I guess. Raised as royalty with access to education, food, clothing, and physical training. Lonely, maybe, obviously she had a best friend so she was never truly alone. The banishment probably hit her hard but she’s a resilient character so she bounced back. A fond memory may be just a normal day during her banishment, playing wildly with a litter of Hell Hound pups her Uncle (also banished) was raising. A bad memory... more than likely seeing her father kill her mother and brother - the members of the family closest to her.

4. What is their relationship with their parents? What’s a good and bad memory with them? Did they know both parents?

She had a lot of love for her mother and grew up deeply respecting her father. Her mother spent a lot of time with the eldest son but was always first in line to comfort and cheer on her eldest daughter - as with any of her children. I don’ t actually really touch on many (if any) memories between my oc and her mother, because I got no clue what a loving mother/daughter relationship looks like lol. Some of the happiest memories between my OC and her father probably come from when he would throw her a knowing look in the middle of counsel whether it was because he was about to win an argument or the opposition were being idiots, he knew she’d understand and seemed to really enjoy his eldest daughters ruling attitude. Her worst memory would probably be her banishment as he’s the one who made the decree.

5. Do they have any siblings? What’s their names? What is their relationship with them? Has their relationship changed since they were kids to adults?

She has three, an older brother and a young brother and sister. When they were young they were pretty close, there’s a massive age difference between the first two and the younger two. Her older brother was the only one of the siblings to visit the OC in her banishment so they stayed relatively close. Her older brother was always more focused on his turn to rule and how he would do so. Her younger siblings, when she returned from her banishment had obviously been turned more or less against her. She harbours no ill will towards them but is definitely sad. The relationship is not as hostile between her and her younger sister as they were quite similar kids.

6. What were they like at school? Did they enjoy it? Did they finish? What level of higher education did they reach? What subjects did they enjoy? Which did they hate?

God almighty these are some nosey questions. Okay, OC is alien and royal. She was given specific lessons on specific topics but was never really taught in a school environment/class setting. Lots of one on ones. She enjoyed sports a lot, especially team sports which she could captain. And in her banishment became quite enthralled by animals (specifically Hell Hounds that her Uncle raised and trained in his banishment). Techinically they live A LOT longer than us so she’s been ‘learning’ for over 90years, but they also have a lot more history to learn, so I guess she didn’t finish? I think she probably hated the arts but only because she wasn’t an artsy type, she still had a casual admiration for the skill and its lessons because we love an appreciative queen.

7. Did they have lots of friends as a child? Did they keep any of their childhood friends into adulthood?

They (the royals) are given a type of special guard (one person) around their birth who accompanies them anywhere and everywhere. Not much else, they’re pretty elitist. No fraternizing with the commoners type stuff. But she obviously remained close with her guard.

8. Did they have pets as a child? Do they have pets as an adult? Do they like animals? 9. Do animals like them? Do they get on well with animals?

No pets as a young kid while living as a royal family member. And technically no pets in banishment but her Uncle made his money training Hell Hounds by the thousands and she was prone to getting attached and naming them. She loves animals as a whole though, although banishment meant she no longer had to retain royal conduct not many commoners wanted anything to do with a banished kid so animals became her friends. She’s pretty good with them.

10. Do they like children? Do children like them? Do they have or want any children? What would they be like as a parent? Or as a godparent/babysitter/ect?

I mean technically she’s still a kid so...?

11. Do they have any special diet requirements? Are they a vegetarian? Vegan? Have any allergies?

So far I don’t have any special requirements, diets or allergies for this particular OC.

12. What is their favourite food?

She likes fish.

13. What is their least favourite food?

Doesn’t like most sweet treats.

14. Do they have any specific memories of food/a restaurant/meal?

I haven’t written in 8000 years so on the top of my memory I do remember a family meal but I have no clue what its purpose is or was so, WOOP!

15. Are they good at cooking? Do they enjoy it? What do others think of their cooking?

She probably just likes making fish. Good at making fish. Not much else, royal family member and all.

16. Do they collect anything? What do they do with it? Where do they keep it?

I was thinking about having her collect rocks because what child doesn’t? But I don’t know how to incorporate that into the story in a cohesive way.

17. Do they like to take photos? What do they like to take photos of? Selfies? What do they do with their photos?

No cameras in this world. Maybe paintings but they’re on the run so I doubt they’d leap around and out of danger with a canvas portrait dragging them down.

18. What’s their favourite genre of: books, music, tv shows, films, video games and anything else 19. What’s their least favourite genres?

Books aren’t really a luxury item, so no fiction books for the princess. Probably enjoys her planets form of country/pop music. No tvs, no films, no video-games.

BOOOOI I LITERALLY DON’T THINK ABOUT ANY OF THIS XD.

20. Do they like musicals? Music in general? What do they do when they’re favourite song comes?

She enjoys music, like I said she’s a casual admirer of the arts due to being personally terrible at them. She’s probably a foot tapper/head bobber type.

21. Do they have a temper? Are they patient? What are they like when they do lose their temper?

She got a wild temper. When she was younger it would lead her into quite violent tantrums but through banishment she learnt to control it/think it through. Obviously still not completely in control but less likely to pop off on site.

22. What are their favourite insults to use? What do they insult people for? Or do they prefer to bitch behind someone’s back?

I don’t know as that she insults people actually? Maybe is just really sarcastic with them... huh, I know nothing about this OC apparently, who dis?

23. Do they have a good memory? Short term or long term? Are they good with names? Or faces?

Good memory, able to recall easily no matter how far back she has to go. Probably better with names as she didn’t get to meet a lot of people as a kid but definitely had to learn royal lineage and the like.

24. What is their sleeping pattern like? Do they snore? What do they like to sleep on? A soft or hard mattress?

Sleep at night? More like whenever they can catch a wink, they’re in the middle of a war so... I would guess light snoring, she’s that bitch that can fall asleep on anything given half the chance.

25. What do they find funny? Do they have a good sense of humour? Are they funny themselves?

I imagined her to be a very severe child. Growing up in a country at war, the banishment, and social isolation probably left her very little room to be funny, whimsical more likely but I don’t think she’s the one to turn to if a joke is needed.

26. How do they act when they’re happy? Do they sing? Dance? Hum? Or do they hide their emotions?

They... smile? Loud, shrill laugher. Has a difficult time hiding her emotions as she’s quite sensitive to them in the first place.

27. What makes them sad? Do they cry regularly? Do they cry openly or hide it? What are they like they are sad?

Probably remembering the people she left behind or feeling like a failure, Growing up royalty and so close the throne in a country at war she’s grown up with the idea that she’d have to rule one day which means she internalized a lot as a youth in regards to how ‘good’ of a ruler she could be. With her banishment always hovering over her she probably cries a lot. I’m not sure if she lets other people see it?

28. What is their biggest fear? What in general scares them? How do they act when they’re scared?

Probably not being good enough to rule, or even to win the war. Has a more inquisitive nature than a fearful one. Though that’s subject to change as previously she was RIDDLED WITH FEAR when I first came up with her.

29. What do they do when they find out someone else’s fear? Do they tease them? Or get very over protective?

Idk, be a good person and watch out for them I guess? Maybe, try to relate or make whatever scares the other person less scary by learning what she can about it.

30. Do they exercise? Regularly? Or only when forced? What do they act like pre-work out and post-work out?

Regularly, she’s fit af. I would think she’s very quiet before, and during any exercise as she probably views it as a good time to think. And afterwards is probably very chatty after all that thinking time logged in.

31. Do they drink? What are they like drunk? What are they like hungover? How do they act when other people are drunk or hungover? Kind or teasing?

No drinking. She’s a Child.

32. What do they dress like? What sorta shops do they buy clothes from? Do they wear the fashion that they like? What do they wear to sleep? Do they wear makeup? What’s their hair like?

Practical clothing for most of the books. Something a little more regal in flashbacks coz royalty and all. Wear as little frills and laces as possible.

33. What underwear do they wear? Boxers or briefs? Lacey? Comfy granny panties?

Just normal ones...?

34. What is their body type? How tall are they? Do they like their body?

SHE T A L L. Like we’re talking 2/3m + (remember alien) and that’s in her smallest form. Roughly 10m/30ish ft in original form. She’s still counted as a child by her people so probably really gangly with added form/muscle from physical training and being on the run. Nothing too special though (y’know, aside from that monstrous height.)

35. What’s their guilty pleasure? What is their totally unguilty pleasure?

In war there is no pleasure. Nah, she probably just enjoys having friends and people to talk to/be with after so long of being a social outcast.

36. What are they good at? What hobbies do they like? Can they sing?

I feel like I’ve already answered a similar q here... good at plaiting here and being persuasive. Likes learning about politics and playing with animals, going for walks and swimming especially if fish are involved. Can sing in her own native tongue but it’s an alien form to her new friends so they're not very appreciative.37. Do they like to read? Are they a fast or slow reader? Do they like poetry? Fictional or non fiction?

Reads non-fiction only for learning, fast at it. Doesn’t know what poetry is.

38. What do they admire in others? What talents do they wish they had?

She admires people who are stoic yet caring. People who show good leadership characteristics and loyalty. She wishes she was able to care as much as other people seem to about the people in their lives.

39. Do they like letters? Or prefer emails/messaging?

Letters are about the only thing this worlds technology has atm so...

40. Do they like energy drinks? Coffee? Sugary food? Or can they naturally stay awake and alert?

No processed goods here. She’s just a health god.

41. What’s their sexuality? What do they find attractive? Physically and mentally? What do they like/need in a relationship?

Hmmm... It’s not really explored in depth, romance isn’t a main plot point for her and she has a lot of other things on her mind but I always had her as bisexual. Reckon she goes for quiet people to balance her out and just coz she’s naturally drawn to them. Probably prefers someone who can keep up mentally and physically but not go on too far ahead of her, an equals type of thing? Needs support, she needs someone who can back her up without question but also needs someone who has a calming effect on her.

42. What are their goals? What would they sacrifice anything for? What is their secret ambition?

To bring peace. She’d sacrifice everyone and everything, including herself to get it.

43. Are they religious? What do they think of religion? What do they think of religious people? What do they think of non religious people?

I haven’t actually thought about whether or not her people had a religion or even if she had any. I do have characters that bring up theirs and she’s interested in learning from them. I don’t think this hard about her tbh xD I am a terrible writer.

44. What is their favourite season? Type of weather? Are they good in the cold or the heat? What weather do they complain in the most?

Probably spring. Likes that warm in the sun and cold in the shade type bullshit. All them new flowers and baby animals would just fill her heart to burst. Better in cooler weather as her people are nocturnal so they deal with night temperatures.

45. How do other people see them? Is it similar to how they see themselves?

Some would view her as a good leader, persuasive and relatable. Caring of even the littlest guy. But those close to her would view her as mysterious/hard to understand/keep up with. She views herself as too sensitive and niave about most situations. She’ s spends a lot of this book in the dark and so doesn’t view herself very highly in terms of intelligence. Views herself as physically strong.

46. Do they make a good first impression? Does their first impression reflect them accurately? How do they introduce themselves?

Gives off a very judge-y type of impression. Will openly assess people on first meeting them. Quite accurate she is very judgemental in the beginning of her story. Usually on first meeting people she’s either trying to scare or persuade them into submission so... not the friendliest on the block.

47. How do they act in a formal occasion? What do they think of black tie wear? Do they enjoy fancy parties and love to chit chat or loathe the whole event?

Can act very regal as she was taught, but finds such an act/conduct difficult the older she gets. Likes dressing fancy. She’s curious about social events as they’re so rare for her so she probably enjoys them.

48. Do they enjoy any parties? If so what kind? Do they organise the party or just turn up? How do they act? What if they didn’t want to go but were dragged along by a friend?

Has never really been to one. Has been dragged to a type of party, just went with the flow.

49. What is their most valued object? Are they sentimental? Is there something they have to take everywhere with them?

I don’t know as that she keeps any object on her constantly, for security or sentimentality. She’s kind of a wanderer but she loved her armours forearm cuffs.

50. If they could only take one bag of stuff somewhere with them: what would they pack? What do they consider their essentials?

Food, spare clothes and a weapon.

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