Character Castle 2.0
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Emily summed it up. I say go for it.
So many great things happening. =)
However… I’m out of town at a barbershop convention ( =) #smorgaschorus !!!) so I won’t be able to post anything till later next week…. but I’m looking forward to it. hehe. both continuing the awkward crush/love/friend convo between ku and Ehud, as well as the awkward dance practice, where Abirami will probably take directions quite literally at first, until it is explained or shown to him. hehe (picture in mind is him stiffly picking up Jade like you would a little kid, then rotating slowly around in a circle – like the baby you are carrying has a full diaper… hehehe. – – the instructions were to pick her up, spin, and set her down, right? – and I’m sure he won’t remember the order right away)
Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried. ~ G.K.C.
barbershop convention ( =) #smorgaschorus
At first I thought you meant a literal barbershop convention – like, a convention of barbers XD
That sounds really cool though!
*laughs as one fey*
Enydd will be eternally grateful to Abirami for grabbing her bag. XD (I actually had no idea why she loved the bag and rock so much when I wrote it though I understand it better now XD)
Maybe Enydd can stumble on a dining room or even better the dining room has a stage in it!
Have a good time at your convention!
I’m not sure if I got Enydd right. She seems like the sort who has a lot more going on in her mind than she lets out of her mouth. Change whatever you like!
You were spot-on with Enydd’s response, and your description is pretty accurate.
ENYDD
The smiling girl introduced herself, “Hi, I’m Ophelia!”
“And I’m Jade,” the other girl said. “Have you seen Rosemary?”
Rosemary? Must be her sister or something like that. “No, I haven’t.”
“Oh. Well, she’s probably fine. Probably just wandered off for some quiet, and it’s safer to do that here than back home.” Jade replied though it seemed she was talking more to herself than to me. “Um, anyway, could you find a good open spot for the performance to be held?”
“Of course. How big do you need it to be?”
“Make sure it’s tall enough we can jump, and- and about fifteen paces wide, or more. It’ll also need room for spectators.”
“Paces?”
Jade frowned, fumbling for an answer. She studied me quickly before answering, “The stage should be about your height multiplied by six.”
That I could understand. “Got it.”
“Thanks for your help,” Ophelia said.
“Yes, thank you.” Jade smiled.
“It’s my pleasure.” I left the room, entering a tunnel in the back.
Immediately, the temperatures dropped. I hesitated. Maybe I should go get someone else to come with me. I looked behind me then to the door ahead. It wasn’t that far.
“You’re fine,” I murmured to myself.
I hurried down the tunnel. The door was made of metal. I put my hand to it, but before I could push, the door swung open as if someone had flung it open from the inside.
I jumped back. There was no one there, of course. I stuck my head through the door scanning the room. There was a long table in the center with dishes and utensils neatly placed at each seat. My stomach growled. There was no food though. I sighed. Ah well, I had survived this far. I could go on a little longer.
At the far end of the room was a stage. I frowned. This was almost too convenient. I eyed the stage suspiciously, half-expecting it to explode under my gaze. It didn’t.
The castle must have been having a moment of humanity.
A flashing sign appeared at the top of the stage.
“Agh,” I groaned as the searing lights blinded me. I squinted at the sign.
15 PACES LONG. YOU’RE WELCOME.
I chuckled. “Good to know.”
I slipped out of the room, pleased at my success though I had really done nothing. I stepped into, not a tunnel, but a hall. A very decorated one. There was a red carpet along the length of it and signs picturing Ku, Jade, Ophelia, Abirami, and one man I didn’t recognize.
A Show of Grace and Strength! read one sign.
Last Minute Birthday Gifts Can’t Get Better Than This! read another.
Open to the Public
I grinned. The castle seemed to be enjoying this even more than the rest of us.
I entered the room that the others were still in. “Jade, Ophelia, I found a stage. It’s down that hall. It has a table in it that could seat all of us too.”
“Good,” Jade answered briskly. “We’ll go there after we figure out our dance.” She resumed instructing the others, one of whom was the unknown man from the posters, on the dance.
I turned to sit down when I saw it. My bag. My bag! I gasped out a shriek of joy and swooped it up. I hugged it close and then quickly released it, blushing. “It’s just…very special to me,” I explain with a slight laugh. “Who found it?”
“I found it outside. Outside of this room, I mean,” Abirami answered.
“Thank you so much! You have no idea-well, thank you!”
“Glad to be of service.”
I was giddier than my siblings on their birthday. I had my bag. I rummaged through it, double-checking everything was intact. There were my papers, medicine, shawl, hair ties, gloves, book, and my stone. I clutched it tightly in my hand, memories of Mom, Dad, Aziel, Adira, Lowen, and Nuriel swirling in my mind.
Content.
I placed the stone back in my bag. My hand brushed something smooth, something cold. I peered into my bag. It was a piece of glass. What was that doing in there? I picked it up and studied it closely. There was writing within it.
I will allow you to enjoy the dance and a meal, but be warned, the next set of challenges will make up for this temporary rest. To assist one who’s an enemy or friend is your fate. After this, you’ll show all these people your most regretted decision. Brace yourself for these things to come. I apologize insincerely if I have ruined your appetite.
“Um, hey Jade, Abriami, Ophelia you might want to look at this.”
I handed them curved glass. “What should we do?” I asked.
I think that’s a good idea about them helping their enemies or friends.
@everyone
I thought it would be interesting if the decision that a character regretted the most was shown to all the other characters in the castle. What do you guys think?
@inkhorn goodness that is a fantastic challenge! I can’t wait!
*laughs as one fey*
Avin
Kit explained that there was no peerage in Spire…wherever that was. He grinned. he did a lot of that.
“You see, Spire has always been controlled by five houses, and it’s a general rule of thumb that your house is going to have at least one ally and at least one enemy – I’m a Goldenjay, and Val is a Page, so technically we shouldn’t be getting along.” He shrugged, as if to shrug away all social conventions, but Avin thought it was trying to convince himself as much as anyone else
“But like I said, broken pawns don’t get much attention, sooo no one actually seems to care too much what we’re up to.” He grinned a different sort of grin. “All the better for us, isn’t it?”
Avin nodded, but thought, Until somebody does start to care.
Talking was exhausting. Avin wondered if he would ever be used to talking. Elsa did it with charm and gracefulness, whether she felt like entertaining or not. At dinners and various diplomacies he had attended, people had shied away from the peasant duke with stone-gray eyes and had focused on his pretty young wife.
Avin had wondered how many of the ambassadors they had entertained had once been suitors. He put the thought from him bitterly.
Maybe it wasn’t “all the better for us” to be free of social constructs. Only a moment ago he had told Kit there was no such thing as class, but now he wondered if he had been trying to convince himself as much as this boy in front of him.
@Calidris I can NOT think of anything else to say. Is a subject change in order? Or we could pause until after the dance and start utilizing the challenges suggested. Avin doesn’t do well just talking. He’s a doer, not a talker. 🙂Quoth the raven, "Nevermore!"
https://silverpenstrokes.wordpress.comHe shrugged, as if to shrug away all social conventions, but Avin thought it was trying to convince himself as much as anyone else
hehe you have no idea how relevant this is XD
I think that sounds good! I have to say, I’m both looking forward to these new challenges and dreading them at the same time – It’s going to be a fantastic character development exercise…but my poor boy already has enough regrets and deep dark secrets related trauma already :’)
Maybe in the meantime, we can get Avin and Kit into this hall? I’m sure they’re both probably getting hungry by now XD
*laughs as one fey*
Alright so I’ve been terribly nervous about this, but I think it’s about time I go search for this new character, now that I think just about everyone’s okayed it…
Kit: “…”
Kit: “What do you mean search, I’ve been here this entire time ;)”
So yes, Kit was indeed the character I was talking about! I decided to ummm protect his identity by proposing a *theoretical* new character, but since you guys are fine with it I’m just going ahead and revealing him XD
*laughs as one fey*
😂 Ahh, Kit! Well, Kit, I welcome your unabridged self to this Castle!
@calidris Good job pulling off that reveal.We are called to be lights in the cosmos.
May your inkwells never run dry!(picture in mind is him stiffly picking up Jade like you would a little kid, then rotating slowly around in a circle – like the baby you are carrying has a full diaper… hehehe. – – the instructions were to pick her up, spin, and set her down, right? – and I’m sure he won’t remember the order right away)
🤣 That is going to be sooo hilarious!
I will allow you to enjoy the dance and a meal, but be warned, the next set of challenges will make up for this temporary rest. To assist one who’s an enemy or friend is your fate. After this, you’ll show all these people your most regretted decision. Brace yourself for these things to come. I apologize insincerely if I have ruined your appetite.
This whole challenge is great, but that last line is AWESOME! This will be interesting …
We are called to be lights in the cosmos.
May your inkwells never run dry!😂 Ahh, Kit! Well, Kit, I welcome your unabridged self to this Castle!
You have no idea how relieved I am right now XD
Tbh, when I first dropped him in, it wasn’t really a part of his character (just a vague idea), but once it became clear that it really was an important part of his character and backstory…
I was having to go to ridiculous lengths to try and shut him up XD Like, deleting entire tracts of text that could potentially raise questions about his backstory, which would raise more questions…and then would require explanations…
Anyways, long story short I was really overthinking this and I’m so glad to see that my concerns were completely unfounded!
*laughs as one fey*
like the baby you are carrying has a full diaper… hehehe.
THIS IS SUCH A GRAPHIC AND UNNECESSARILY ACCURATE DESCRIPTION XD
I love it lol
I’m so looking forward to this performance! It’s going to be terribly awkward, but it’s going to be interesting to see how the more experienced dancers cover for Abirami
Also, there’s kind of a running joke here about how all of the characters seem to have some sort of insanely tragic and/or traumatic backstory, and I must admit “orphan found sleeping in garbage” is just about one of the worst XD
And by worst, I mean it’s great!
We used to have memes, too. Once we get the challenges running again I’d really like to bring those back, cause those were fun!
*laughs as one fey*
“What should we do?” asked Enydd.
Jade stared at the insidious glass.
I will allow you to enjoy the dance and a meal, but be warned, the next set of challenges will make up for this temporary rest. To assist one who’s an enemy or friend is your fate. After this, you’ll show all these people your most regretted decision. Brace yourself for these things to come. I apologize insincerely if I have ruined your appetite.
She snorted. Might like this Castle’s sense of humor. Except that it clearly hates us…
”Proceed as planned. Since it’s giving us a meal, we can discuss the issue over dinner while thinking things through in the meantime,” said Jade. “Let’s get a look at this stage and go practice.” She gestured down the hall. “Lead the way, Enydd.”
As she marched behind Enydd, Isaias bounced up beside Jade’s ear.
”Doesn’t sound too bad, really, helping someone, ya know? And I don’t even have any enemies here, so it’ll be a friend!” He beamed at her.
Jade raised an eyebrow. “What about that bit about a most regretted decision?”
Isaias shrugged. “Everyone’s got them.”
Sure they did, but not everyone had hers. And what kind of help were we talking, here? Please help me lace my shoe, or please help me wrestle my deepest darkest fears? Ugh. Please no.
Something tripped up Jade’s feet, making her stumble forward in a most ungraceful way. Isaias grabbed her arm and steadied her, and Enydd said, “Oh, I’m sorry! The red carpet starts here.”
”So I noticed.” She gave Enydd a grim smile. “Thanks,” she mumbled to Isaias, yanking her arm away.
”Oh, look!” said Ophelia. “The walls! How did you do this, Enydd?”
”I didn’t. The Castle did,” Enydd replied.
”Huh?” Isaias spun around, taking in the decorations. “How would a building do this?”
Jade smirked. “It’s alive.”
Then a sign caught her eye. Her own face blazoned across the poster, which proclaimed the upcoming performance of a prima ballerina, herself. She may have ceased breathing. Not even the Dancers of the Haven received this sort of honor, for everything there was about group effort. This had stifled and irritated Jade, who knew she was at the head of the pack. And finally someone, even if it were a creepy Castle, acknowledged her. The others too, of course, but they each got their own sign, not just something about the nameless Dancers of the most Benevolent Haven.
”Like it, eh?”
Jade snapped her head toward the voice. Isaias.
”It is a nice change,” she admitted. Finally getting the attention I deserve.
Doesn’t move things forward much as far as events go, but those posters would definitely affect Jade in a significant way.
We are called to be lights in the cosmos.
May your inkwells never run dry!@e-n-leonard I’m curious, what’s the premise of Jade and Rosemary’s world? It sounds really creepy and SUPER dystopian XD
*laughs as one fey*
Also, there’s kind of a running joke here about how all of the characters seem to have some sort of insanely tragic and/or traumatic backstory, and I must admit “orphan found sleeping in garbage” is just about one of the worst XD
Definitely the worst, or best, depending on the view! Jade’s is pretty normal for her society, but it’s pretty tragic by my standards.
We used to have memes, too. Once we get the challenges running again I’d really like to bring those back, cause those were fun!
Ooh! Sounds great!
We are called to be lights in the cosmos.
May your inkwells never run dry!
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