#so if i were being a brownie points little goodie two shoes I SHOULD…. i know that ozone layer is not what she once was

[girlspecimen]

do y’all ACTUALLY reapply ur daily face sunscreen throughout the day cuz i cannot be bothered to do it more than just once in the morning even if im not wearing makeup. ik that’s not what you’re supposed to do but like does anyone actually have the discipline and energy

[sand-rose]

Right back at you for all the ocs! I especially love the name apocothea (I think I spelled it right?) Its super cool!!

Thank you so much!! :) Sorry this took awhile to answer, I’ve been busy with work and other stuff. But here they are! I was actually in the process of redesigning my OCs when I saw the post (thanks to Sims inspiration and wanting to update how I draw them), so it was perfect timing! I don’t have the drawings done yet but maybe soon…

Full Name: Pandora

Gender & Sexuality: Female, Pansexual (yes, punny, but also serious)

Pronouns: She/Her

Ethnicity/Species: my Balanced Ego

Birthplace & Birthdate: my mind, August 10

Guilty Pleasures: She loves taking bubble baths. Bring on the bath bombs and fragrant soaps, and the (pink) rubber ducky is a must! She also loves stuffed animals (especially pandas). And it surprises a lot of people, but she’s also an avid fan of anime/manga and video games.

Phobias: Accidentally losing one of her earrings, which keep her balanced. She’s particularly afraid of what she might do if this happens, because she loses control of herself and becomes truly evil. A past experience in regards to this also makes her uncomfortable around sheep. (Even toys or drawings of sheep. She will get a flashback and start sobbing, apologizing to the ‘poor sheepies’ until they’re out of sight.)

What They Would Be Famous For: Probably owning the only fashion-themed amusement park in the Ego World, or her fashion designs.

What They Would Get Arrested For: Being a public nuisance, like getting too hyper and making too much noise. Because honestly, if someone told her to shut up she would only get louder to spite them. She’s not afraid to get in a fight though, so maybe that too… Maybe for throwing a heel at someone. lol

OC You Ship Them With: Reim. He’s much calmer than her, but loves her crazy antics.

OC Most Likely To Murder Them: It. He gets along with Pan better than Aurora, but he can only take so much of her 'hyper hyper happy happy joy joy’ personality.

Favorite Movie/Book Genre: romance and rom-coms. The blossoming love between two people! The heartbreaking 'is this it?’ fights! The oblivious misunderstandings! Burnt dinners! The hand holding, the hugs, the kisses…! (You get it.)  

Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: When everything turns out to be a dream. Her Host loves this cliche. She hates it because 'what was the point of it all if it never really happened?!’

Talents and/or Powers: She’s a talented fashion designer. She likes to draw, like her Host, but when she became interested in clothes when she was younger she was frustrated that she couldn’t wear the clothes she drew. So she learned how to sew and began making her own clothes. She’s also very imaginative and ambitious.

Why Someone Might Love Them: She’s fun to be around, always a bouncing ball of energy! She likes pretty things, and considers everyone around her to be pretty in their own way. She’s the person who will convince you to try that new thing, or who will say 'Let’s go somewhere, my treat!’ when she sees you need cheering up. She’s also ready to kick ass if anyone dares hurt her friends or loved ones.

Why Someone Might Hate Them: She’s so hyper… Some people might find her hyperness endearing, but some people find it exhausting. She’s also had people judge her before based on her girly-ness, interest in fashion, and how she looks like a typical anime girl, but she doesn’t let it bother her.  

How They Change: She hasn’t changed all that much since I first created her back in middle school. She’s grown a lot more mature emotionally, I think, and she’s more careful about other people’s feelings.

Why You Love Them: She was the last of my Egos to be created, and she’s probably the best representation of who I wish I was. She’s daring, outspoken, bubbly, made a career for herself doing something she loves… I love her because even though that’s not me and probably never will be me, I still like to think that she’s cheering me on. “Don’t be afraid! You can do it!” lol  

Full Name: It

Gender & Sexuality: Male, not sure (he’s never given it much thought)

Pronouns: He/Him

Ethnicity/Species: my Alter Ego

Birthplace & Birthdate: my mind, October 31

Guilty Pleasures: He has a collection of weird t-shirts that he’s both bought and designed himself. He also has a collection of light sabers that he may or may not have bought off the Ego World’s black market that trades in Other World (Worlds of Licensed Series) objects…

Phobias: Becoming a soft goody two-shoes like Aurora… Gag.

What They Would Be Famous For: Nothing. He’s too lazy to really stand out much. And he’s fine with that.

What They Would Get Arrested For: Disrupting the peace. He’s got a temper, and when it flares he’s liable to kick/hit any object unlucky enough to be in his way. Be it a trash can, car, mailbox… He’s broken his toes for kicking a brick wall before. He’s also got problems with authority figures since he doesn’t like being told what to do, so if the police show up it would just escalate the situation. There was also the time he bombed Aurora’s house, but that was years ago, when he was jealous he wasn’t my only Ego anymore. He was a lot more evil back then, and Aurora (being the kind soul she is and understanding how he felt) didn’t press charges.

OC You Ship Them With: Apocothea. She keeps him in check and doesn’t put up with his crap, yet somehow sees the… best… in him…?

OC Most Likely To Murder Them: Pandora. She gets fed up with his gloomy outlook on life and gets cranky when he gives her attitude. They get into lots of arguments over nothing, especially with their quick tempers.

Favorite Movie/Book Genre: Horror/Suspense. He likes movies with lots of jumpscares, gore, and freaky nightmarish scenarios. They get his blood pumping and while he’s not that evil enough to enjoy people getting hurt, he likes to think about what he would do if he was trapped in that house trying to escape the serial killer. And of course, though he’s not a clown or even named after said clown, he likes Stephen King novels.

Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: It was love at first sight. He doesn’t believe in it, and if he sees that cliche he skips a few minutes past it or turns a few pages ahead, hopefully to a less mushy scene.

Talents and/or Powers: He’s great at video games. He actually earns money by playing video games for people who get stuck on them. They send him the game, he plays past the part they got stuck on to the next save, he sends it back. He’s been debating lately if he should start livestreaming, but his laziness in acquiring the equipment and setting up a room for it is currently holding him back.

Why Someone Might Love Them: He’s… It. lol He’s an Alter Ego who by all means should be trying to take over the world and plotting evil deeds, but either due to his laziness or from the influence of those closest to him, he just isn’t that into it. He’s just a cranky man that loves to kick over trash cans in my Sims game. lol

Why Someone Might Hate Them: He rubs a lot of people the wrong way, and with good reason. He’s not very social not because he’s shy but because he hates people in general. He comes off as rude when you first meet him, and he likes to glare for no reason. (He probably thinks it makes him look tough.) Honestly it’s a wonder people like him.

How They Change: He’s changed quite a bit since I first created him in middle school! He’s probably the most changed of all my OCs. At first he started out as a wolf demon, but after a few weeks he became my Alter Ego in a human form and stayed that way. He still has fangs, they’re just smaller. They serve no purpose, he just looks good with them! He’s also not as evil as he used to be, but like I said, I like to think that Pan and Aurora are a good influence on him.

Why You Love Them: He was my very first Ego! Way back in 6th grade I used to write and draw my own stories and share them with friends, and he got a pretty good response from them and they wanted to hear more about him. I wrote conversations between me (the Host) and him during free time in class and my friends loved reading them, and it kind of took off from there. Aurora was created next, then Pandora, and even though they were fictional characters I’d made up they started to feel like a second family to me. And they still do! lol

Full Name: Aurora

Gender & Sexuality: Female, Straight

Pronouns: She/Her

Ethnicity/Species: my Good Ego

Birthplace & Birthdate: my mind, February 23

Guilty Pleasures: She likes knitting and has so much yarn she doesn’t know what to do with it. She spoils her cat Cupcake with so many toys she doesn’t know what to do with them all. She has so many recipe books she doesn’t know what to do with them all. She’s actually a very neat person though, so another guilty pleasure would probably be cleaning. lol

Phobias: Heights, needles, and spiders (like her Host). I feel bad she shares my phobias. (Sorry, Aurora!) She’s also afraid of sharks, ever since she watched Jaws years ago and had nightmares for a week about them. She knows it's not good to be afraid of sharks and they get a bad rep, so she's trying to overcome that fear.

What They Would Be Famous For: Her cookies! She owns a bakery and while her cakes, brownies, and cupcakes are delicious, it’s her cookies that rake in the most dough. (Ha.) Every customer has their favorite, but hers is her creamy peanut butter cookies. They’re so soft and chewy, and she sprinkles peanut bits in so there’s a little crunch too!

What They Would Get Arrested For: The day Aurora gets arrested for anything is the day the world ends. She’s too pure, too innocent, to do anything resulting in arrest. She apologizes to insects when she has to capture them before setting them free! She gives away too many free samples at her bakery! She cries when she accidentally forgets to water a plant and it dies! If she ever gets arrested for anything, Pan and It may legit seek revenge to restore her honor…

OC You Ship Them With: Marcus. He’s sweet, she’s sweet! Their relationship might be normal and therefore a little boring to some people, but they love each other and are happy just to be together. They’re like an old married couple. lol

OC Most Likely To Murder Them: Not a single soul. Not even It. (Anymore.) She’s too kind for this world. An angel!

Favorite Movie/Book Genre: Generally anything except horror and war movies. She gets too nervous and scared watching horror, and gets too emotional watching battles with people fighting and dying. She tends to like comedies the most though, since they’re usually upbeat and make her laugh. She’s also a sucker for heartwarming stories. Those Chicken Soup for the Soul books? She’s probably got the whole collection, regardless of the intended audience.

Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: 'I had to do it. I had to kill them.’ She refuses to believe that killing is the only option no matter how dire a situation might be and will visibly get upset when she comes across this cliche. When she gets upset her face reddens and her lip wobbles, and if Marcus or Pan is with her she might rant to them about all the other options the protagonist had.

Talents and/or Powers: She is excellent at cooking, but baking is her specialty! If she’s mastered a recipe, she’ll master it again until it’s even better. And if she finds a new recipe, she will pull an all-nighter until she’s perfected it.

Why Someone Might Love Them: She’s such a sweetheart, bless her. She’s what the world needs more of: just honestly pure, good people. She’s the person who if she came across someone in need, she would give them everything she had. If you’re feeling down, she’ll do all she can to make you happy again. She’s definitely the mom friend.

Why Someone Might Hate Them: Some might consider her too good. Like It. He gets annoyed when she does things out of the kindness of her heart for no reason. He just doesn’t understand how someone can be that selfless. He thinks of her as a crybaby and she worries a lot, so that irritates him too. And others might be suspicious of her at first, wondering what she’s hiding or what she wants. But once people get to know her, they adore her and look to her for advice if they need help. Or just want free food. lol

How They Change: She’s probably the one who has changed the least. She’s always been the angel on my shoulder, the do-gooder. Someone has to keep the peace with the other two Egos around, after all.

Why You Love Them: Aurora is the one who resembles me the most, both in terms of looks and personality. There are some differences, though. She’s not shy, just quiet and reserved. She’s more comfortable with confrontations than I am, especially if it’s a matter of right vs wrong. I don’t have a problem with horror and war stuff. I wish I knew how to cook/bake. And I don’t think I could ever be as selfless as her. Basically, she’s a goody goody two-shoes, like It says. But it’s not a bad thing!

Full Name: Reim

Gender & Sexuality: Male, Bisexual

Pronouns: He/Him

Ethnicity/Species: Ego Entity

Birthplace & Birthdate: Ego World (specifically the city Venia), April 14

Guilty Pleasures: talking to his plants, liking movies that everyone else hates, singing in the shower, and he also enjoys the occasional bubble bath (thanks to Pan convincing him he was missing out on life if he didn’t take one now and then) (she was right)

Phobias: Moths. When he was little a big one got caught in his hair and he accidentally smashed it trying to get it out. It was messy and gross.

What They Would Be Famous For: Hopefully for his paintings! He does all kinds of paintings, and has even had a few displayed in art shows. He likes doing landscape art the best, because he loves plants and nature.

What They Would Get Arrested For: Not that he’s looking to get arrested, but he’s secretly always wanted to experiment with graffiti…

OC You Ship Them With: Pandora. Just when he thinks he knows her, she surprises him and he loves it! She makes him see how exciting and fun life is, and she’s always encouraging him with his latest art project and boasting about his paintings to her friends.

OC Most Likely To Murder Them: Probably It. It and Reim don’t see eye to eye a lot… Reim’s pretty optimistic, and that clashes with It’s pessimism. They don’t exactly hate each other, but they get on each other’s nerves. “You threw off my groove!” “Fuck your groove!” Yatta yatta…

Favorite Movie/Book Genre: He loves animated movies. As an artist, he really appreciates them and considers them art, so he’s constantly rewinding scenes because he was focusing on the style or shading instead of what was going on. As for books, he likes fantasy. He likes escaping to another world, and fantasy can be anything and everything, just like a painting.

Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: Not really a typical cliche but… He really hates noir style stuff. Noir movies annoy him to no end because there’s no color and he wishes he could restore the color so bad. He needs color! And when people talk noir style, with the witty and flirtatious old-fashioned banter. It’s just so cheesy to him… This extends to books as well. He prefers deep conversations between characters rather than quick one-liners.

Talents and/or Powers: He’s an artist, so he’s well-rounded in a variety of mediums. Painting, drawing, sculptures, photography… He enjoys painting the most though!

Why Someone Might Love Them: He’s a down-to-earth guy that has his goals set and has a plan to achieve them. He knows what he wants in life and he also knows not to get his hopes up. He does hope his dreams come true, but if not he’s got plenty of back up plans. He’s just a nice guy in general, always ready to lift the mood with a joke or a grin.

Why Someone Might Hate Them: For people like It, optimistic people can be annoying. No matter the situation, Reim looks on the bright side of things and his pleasant attitude and charming smile can make It angry. Because life sucks, and It knows it, but apparently Reim doesn’t. Reim’s not optimistic all the time, however, and he does have days where he’s a little moody or depressed, but he tends to keep to himself those days (so of course It doesn’t know that).

How They Change: Reim started out as a painting I did my senior year, so I thought it fitting to give him the painter career in my Sims game. Until that point I didn’t know much about him but watching him interact with my other characters has helped me flesh out what kind of person he is. He looked more emo and brooding in the painting, but in Sims he’s a cheerful guy who enjoys life, so I like that change in him.

Why You Love Them: He’s the character I didn’t know was going to be created. But I’m glad I did that painting of him years ago! Before I made him in Sims, I wanted to do more with his character and knew I wanted him with Pandora, but that was about it. Originally Pan was with someone else from an Other World, and for reasons it didn’t work out, but I think she and Reim are a perfect match. They balance each other out.

Full Name: Apocothea

Gender & Sexuality: Female, Demisexual

Pronouns: She/Her

Ethnicity/Species: Ego Entity

Birthplace & Birthdate: Ego World (specifically outside the town Abraxxus), November 2

Guilty Pleasures: Obsessed with Itachi from Naruto, so she has a collection of Itachi merchandise that shouldn’t even exist (her father knows people). She loves anime/manga and video games, and rock/heavy metal music. She also enjoys fan fiction (smut included, but she is picky about it).  

Phobias: This woman has no fear. You should be the one afraid.

What They Would Be Famous For: Not exactly famous, but her old classmates still remember the day the teacher was late and Apocothea calmly walked up to the front of the class and announced the teacher had been in a horrible accident and she was in charge now. She spoke with such authority that no one questioned her, and she proceeded to pass out copies of the 'worst fan fiction she had ever read’ for them to read and critique. It turned out that the teacher had been in a car accident (from speeding), and when the principal delivered the news everyone turned to her in fear. Of course she hadn’t really known… She just saw an opportunity and took it. She needed beta readers for her first fic, after all.

What They Would Get Arrested For: She’s too clever to get herself arrested. Anyone who leaves fingerprints and DNA samples is a Class-A moron. But if she did get arrested, somehow, it would probably be for making the police officer feel like an idiot. Or she would just ignore them and do the opposite of what they ordered her to do out of pure spite. Challenging authority and whatnot.

OC You Ship Them With: It. She wins all the arguments, basically, but they’re stupid arguments to begin with. They bicker back and forth, but it’s from love(?). I don’t know… Their relationship is kind of hard to explain. lol There’s not a lot of typical romance between them, but they do have their moments that say 'Yeah, they’re a couple alright!’

OC Most Likely To Murder Them: Nobody’s brave enough to even try murdering her. She’d murder them first.

Favorite Movie/Book Genre: Like It, she enjoys horror. Except where he’s the guy to think 'what would I do if I was trapped in a house with a serial killer?’, she’s the girl who thinks, 'If I was the serial killer, I’d go after them this way… That guy’s an asshole, anyway.’ She also likes murder mystery novels, but she’s always disappointed when she figures out who the killer is halfway through the book.

Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: 'The chosen one will save us!’ She doesn’t buy into the whole 'only this person can do it’ trope. Really? Only that person? But he’s an idiot. What if he dies? Then what? Guess the world ends.

Talents and/or Powers: I guess you could say her skill at Guitar Hero is a talent. She’s undefeated with all the Guitar Hero games (every mode, even expert). Other than that, she’s very talented at pretty much anything and everything, but especially at making people feel uncomfortable and fragile in her presence.

Why Someone Might Love Them: If you can get past her intimidating exterior, she’s a pretty cool gal. She’s kind of like Hana-chan from Fruits Basket… The things she says can come off as strange and threatening, but if you become her friend she would quite literally kill for you. She also has a younger sister named Analyse, and you can definitely tell they’re sisters from the way they look and talk.

Why Someone Might Hate Them: She’s very blunt, and if she doesn’t like you she won’t hold back on insults. Lots of people get offended when she does this, but that’s kind of the point. She can also be crafty in the way she talks to people, so sometimes they’re really not sure if she’s insulting them or complimenting them.  

How They Change: She’s changed just a little since I created her. Her relationship with It before was very one-sided, and she liked toying with him. She still likes to, actually, but it’s more affectionate now. She’s always been confident and in charge, but I think being with It has taught her that a relationship requires more teamwork and less blackmail.

Why You Love Them: Again, she’s one of those characters that displays traits I wish I had. She’s not afraid to be assertive, she loves herself for who she is, and doesn’t give a damn what other people think of her. And she gives off this vibe, like you really don’t want to trust that smile she’s wearing. Her calm but menacing demeanor really compliments It’s personality too, I think. He’s fire, she’s ice!

Full Name: Marcus

Gender & Sexuality: Male, Straight

Pronouns: He/Him

Ethnicity/Species: Ego Entity

Birthplace & Birthdate: Ego World (specifically a suburban area named Hannen), March 27

Guilty Pleasures: watching YouTube/EgoTube videos, memes, taking internet quizzes… And surprising Aurora on a regular basis with flowers and chocolate like the romantic sap he is!

Phobias: Puking and cuts on the skin. When he’s sick he gets very agitated and nervous and will refuse to eat solid food in case he can’t keep it down. (Soup and water only, basically.) With cuts, it’s not the blood he fears but the sensation of skin splitting. It stems from when he was a teenager and got a deep cut on his knee. Little nicks while shaving are no biggie, but papercuts make him lightheaded and make his skin crawl.

What They Would Be Famous For: He’s a very relaxed guy who honestly doesn’t stand out much, but his friends know him as the tech guy. Computer or game console acting up? Marcus knows how to fix it. TV or phone bugging out? Call Marcus, he’s your guy.

What They Would Get Arrested For: Like Aurora, he would never get arrested for anything. He’s too nice to do anything like property damage or fighting, and he’s never gotten a ticket for anything in his life.

OC You Ship Them With: Aurora. They’re so precious together, too good, too sweet! They dote on each other and probably unintentionally make other couples jealous. lol

OC Most Likely To Murder Them: It. Another goody goody two-shoes frustrates him even more than one. The only thing It appreciates about Marcus is that he’s not above using swear words (unlike Aurora). And maybe the fact that he’s willing to fix It’s laptop and game systems for free.

Favorite Movie/Book Genre: He really likes documentaries and informational books. He’s always interested in learning something new, and he’d much rather watch an hour-long documentary on EBS than watch the newest hit movie. He was the kid in school who always read the assigned Literature, Real World History & Ego World History, and Science books for fun.

Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: He doesn’t like when a side character you grew attached to suddenly dies. They make you care about them, only to kill them off! What the hell?

Talents and/or Powers: Talented with fixing all things tech. He does claim it’s his superpower! lol

Why Someone Might Love Them: When you find a genuinely nice guy who cares a lot about you, you struck gold! Aurora loves his soft, sensitive side when he’s alone with her and also loves his corny jokes. People in general like how laid back he is, as he’s very patient and knows everybody makes mistakes. He’s the guy who will walk an old lady across the street if she needs help, the guy who literally climbed a tree to get a cat out of it (sneaky little Cupcake!). Nice guys do exist, and he’s one of the best!

Why Someone Might Hate Them: Again… There’s people like It. They get annoyed with the whole 'nice guy act’, especially once they learn it’s not an act at all but just how he is. They might get jealous when they see how much other people like him, but more often than not they come around, especially after he helps them with something and expects nothing in return.

How They Change: His character hasn’t changed much, either. He’s thoughtful, kind, cheerful… He’s popular with everyone he hangs out with, because he gets along with pretty much everyone. He’s polite, open to new things and opinions, and though he admits he might be a little boring to be around he also doesn’t mind. Such a great guy!

Why You Love Them: He and Aurora are a pair of cinnamon rolls, too sweet, too pure for this world! Even though I created him long before I met Alex, he reminds me of him. lol Marcus is the perfect example for how you should treat your loved ones, and anyone you meet, really. He’s like the Mr. Rogers of the gang, I guess you could say. He just wants everybody to respect each other and be kind to themselves and others.

Sorry if this got super long, I just really love these characters. lol Also! When I was reading your OC post I found it really cool that some of our characters have birthdays either on the same day or really close, that made me smile! :D

Thanks so much for the ask again!!

[queenofmahishmati]

Meeting The Stars - PRABHAS  &  RANA

From the moment I got back home after watching Baahubali: The Beginning, I wished to meet the entire team behind the Epic because one, they were ideals in my mind for attempting something of such an impressive magnitude and coming out successful; and two, they seemed so fun to get to know after all their interviews together despite the heights of their fandom. It was indeed a dream team and my dream to meet them got a lot more stubborn after watching The Conclusion.

So last May, on a fine Friday morning, I came across a tweet about a contest regarding Baahubali the Lost Legends—the animated series of the franchise on Amazon Prime India twitter handle. It promised two sets of winners, the first three would get to meet the stars and the next ten would win certain Baahubali merchandise. My eyes zeroed in on the promise of those gifts cause I consider myself as a bit of a collector. I decided to give my best shot at it hoping to win at least one of them goody bags. I answered all the nine questions about the animated series. They promised to announce the winners that night and I almost forgot all about it until after dinner. When I did though, I rushed to see who won the goody bags and didn’t find my name so made peace with the thought that it just wasn’t meant for me. And not 5 minutes later, they announced the 3 winners who will go on to meet the Baahubali stars on top of getting the merchandise as well and my name was right on top of it—and I’m pretty sure I kept blinking owlishly at my mobile screen for 10 minutes straight. I legit couldn’t believe my luck and I thought it was a prank until everyone assured me it wasn’t. With what one would term a Cheshire grin, I danced around my place and kept shoving my mobile at everyone’s face (the ones who made the mistake of listening to me, that is). Friends who had me as their whatsapp contact were subsequent victims to my excitement as well. However, my mum and brother were an exception as they tried to tease me, mercilessly might I add, about my pintsize and how either Rana or Prabhas might have to lift me up so that I was in the same frame as them in the pictures—tried being the key word. It still had zero effect on my delight and I eagerly waited for the day that I would meet the team. (rest under the cut bc its super long)

Two months later, the day finally came. It was a Friday once again. On the morning of 21st July, I flew to Hyderabad with all my excitement swapped with a sense of restlessness. The moment was finally upon me and you can’t blame the jitters. I was all— What would they be like? What should I tell/ask them? How long was the meet and greet for? Should I write down the questions I had for them? And yada yada yada. Five minutes after touchdown at Hyderabad, Cheryl (from Amazon) called me to tell me that the talents were coming earlier than planned and I should be on my way to the hotel ASAP. The day before, she had informed me that I was going to meet Prabhas & Rana. So, instead of slowly wandering like originally planned, I rushed out of the airport and thankfully found the cab driver who was waiting to pick me up under ten minutes and we were on our way.

Now, I have a habit of striking up conversations with taxi drivers to fill in the silence (because of all the Ubers I’m used to back in UK). As soon as I get in the car, I start with something neutral like ‘Where are you from? How long have you been here? How much you like the place?’ and the talk just flows after that. It always leaves me with a gratified feeling when I step out of the vehicle and thank them genuinely before bidding goodbye. I couldn’t resist and asked the driver all these questions in the little Telugu I could manage and he started speaking about the city, its uniqueness and all the special places to visit. Once he knew I was an architect by profession, he went on to explain the construction history of the intercity elevated expressway we were passing over that moment. And by the time we reached the hotel, I was pretty much convinced that Hyderabad had one of the best infrastructures in the nation and forgot all about my earlier jitters from the flight. He informed me he’d come to pick me up the next day as well to take me back to the airport for my return flight and I happily waved him away before ambling inside the hotel lobby in search of Cheryl. Thankfully, she found me and after a quick check-in, whisked me away along with Sagar (one of the other two winners) to the place where we’d be meeting the stars. There we were joined by the third winner Abhishek and a tiny amount of waiting later (barely ten minutes tops), by the two men themselves.

Until then, I swear by all Gods, the gravity of the moment hadn’t sunk in to me. I was in a calm and happy daze till I heard their cheerful hellos in the next room. My excitement doubled, but my voice turned to that of a squeak (like my mum often says) as I lost my calm and all the restlessness from the flight returned back full force. Abhi and Sagar were in a similar state as me while the organizers took a minute to explain to the two stars about the contest and more, before I was ushered out to go meet them first (bakra feeling, anyone?). Introductions happened in a blink and all I could do now is picture myself slowly toddling into the other room like a lost little sheep blinded by the spotlights set up by the filming crew. However, I’m certain that my flummoxed look turned into a grateful smile when I saw Prabhas standing up first with his hand held out in greeting. Bless that man, my respect for him instantly soared sky high. “Hi,” I piped up meekly as I placed my hand in his and a tiny stutter later, “—I’m Sharme.” He was a darling though, just like his nickname and with a generous smile shook my hand as he replied, “Nice to meet you Sharme!”

My next stop on self-introduction train was Rana, who was standing right behind Prabhas. Now this guy is something else altogether okay, but in a good way. He is a sweetheart and undoubtedly a big goof ball, who can pull you out of your edginess with few simple words (unconsciously on his part I guess). I shuffled towards him with my hand held out and repeated the exact same thing I told his friend. Without missing a beat, he took my hand and warmly stated, “And hi, I’m Rana!” I blinked up as I thought, yeah right Captain Obvious! Despite the sarcasm, I couldn’t control my bubbling laughter and straightaway forgot all about my earlier concerns. What an effective way to break the ice as well as the barriers between celebrity and their admirers, right? Extra brownie points for Rana-man!

Also, I need to mention this here — I might have very well introduced myself as, “Hello, I’m tiny!” because I had my neck craned up high throughout the exchange. Wearing my flattest shoes was both a blessing and a curse. I didn’t fall flat on my face thankfully, but I felt dwarfed standing there between them both for a picture and although I had prepared myself to tell them many things, the first to slip out of my lips was, “Oh God! I’m so tiny next to you guys!” I even suggested that I climb the couch behind us but they laughed it off saying they’d rather sit down than let me do all of those stunts. Such fine gentlemen at their cheeky best, yep. It must be in my fate or something cause I always end up getting teased every time I meet a celebrity. (pout)

Couple of pictures later, we were joined by Abhi and Sagar as well, and thus more chatting/teasing ensued. All three of us were kind of stumped for words as our brains had probably short circuited and was still on its way to mend, so when Rana started speaking we were more than happy to tag along. The very first thing they asked us was how much we liked the movies and of course we had to gush about it and I said I watched it six times for which with a nifty smile, Prabhas was like “Why just 6 times?” — what would you answer that honestly, other than vowing to go back home and watch it over and over again?

Then they asked us about the animated series and how much we liked it. The reply was obvious — for the incredible backstory it was providing about the two princes of Mahishmati, a past we never got to see in the movies. And of course, how much we loved Bhallaladeva, which made Rana look all pleased. By this time, I was totally back in my element and I couldn’t stop myself from stating, “Oh but he kills his best friend in the very first episode!” The room dissolved into laughter while I was reassessing the distance between the couch and the door to make a quick getaway. But that guy is way too good, to a fault. He yet again surprised me by saying, “Well, that’s what makes him the cooler brother no?” I had to smile and nod at that cause damn, he’s too good with persuasion too. What I never expected was Prabhas’ voice on my other side answering his question: “I actually thought of playing Bhallaladeva too. Why stop with just two when I can play three no? But then I felt I should give chance for upcoming heroes like Rana… so we went ahead with it!” He can go toe for toe with Rana-man undoubtedly. But his partner in crime always has an answer, “You killing yourself twice would have looked weird though!” Again laughter rippled throughout as I mentally shook my head at these two dorks, no one is safe from them—I repeat, no one is safe around these two.

Then we spoke about Rana’s new show No 1 Yaari, and how Abhi wished it would come subtitled and he was promised that the team was working on it. It also brought on the topic of whether we knew Telugu and we spoke about our journeys: Sagar lived in Hyderabad so of course he was well aware, Abhi started watching Telugu movies after Baahubali and my interest began after watching Magadheera with my Uni friends. So in a way, it was all because of Rajamouli sir. We had to ask why he didn’t come along with them for which we were assured he was working on something important once again. Ah ha! But the focus on languages continued and I remembered how Manu mentioned she preferred the German dubbed version over watching it in Hindi with subtitles and I told them so. They seemed amazed that it got dubbed in German as well, especially Prabhas. And then Prabhas had to leave so they gave us all our goody bags individually (guess who got lucky enough to get from them both, ME.) Once more pictures were taken of the moment, Prabhas left with a shy wave and Rana went to shoot a small promo video for the Lost Legends with the team in the other room and we were left to talk amongst ourselves. It was then that I was more or less whining about not getting the poster signed by them both and a good-hearted gentleman from the Wizcraft team ensured that my Rise of Sivagami book was sent up to Prabhas’ room to get it signed from him. And when Rana stepped out of his shoot-mode, he was charming enough to sign the posters for us. While he wrote best wishes for the two guys with me, he wrote lots of love on mine and I was like, yep you have been spending too much time with Arya man (another south actor). But it was fun and I enjoyed every minute of it, especially when he handed it back with a “there you go sweet lady!” I had to make a conscious effort to not melt at his adorableness. With all the promotions done and another fabulous movie on his list, I hope that precious man gets his rest!!

His last parting words were, ❝ Do keep the franchise alive, will you? ❞  And we all swore in unison before parting with a wave. Little does he know we have most certainly pledged our lives to do just that!!

After another shoot of us three recapping the entire experience, we bid goodbyes to the team as well and made our way to our rooms. And I came back home the next morning. Now as I think about that day, it feels as if I lived some kind of dream and I wish I could relive it again. Heartfelt thanks to Amazon Prime Video and these two fine gentlemen for making it a beautiful memory!!

—s

ps. if you want to have a look at my crazy pictures with them or the even crazier video, ping me off anon or pm me. I don't bite :)