Character Castle 2.0
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I can imagine them both butting heads on the “correct” way to treat a sickness, but then also be completely nerdy about each others’ methods… idk it’ll be cool!
@denali-christianson Yes! All of that, with that added caveat that Basil isn’t actually a doctor and has like next to zero knowledge of how to treat disease (beyond over the counter meds). He’s very health conscious, though, and I think he has a good deal of knowledge about treatment for injuries. He would absolutely butt heads with Niarok over proper medical treatment even though he has literally no qualifications whatsoever!And yes. I have a frog named Basil. He’s really fat, and really cute, and hates me from the bottom of his heart unless I’m in the act of feeding him! He’s adorable and I love him. (He’s a White’s Tree Frog if you want to look up a pic!)
Oh my goodness I just looked up a picture and they really are fat and cute! They’re precious! I love frogs, but I live in a pretty dry climate so I don’t have that many where I live 🙁 But, we get them in ponds! We have these giant fat bullfrogs in the summer lol
*laughs as one fey*
@calidris
here’s Basil’s answer to Lorcan’s question! Also, I figured this is probably a good time for Misu to finallyintroduce himself to Lorcan lolSo far so good! Can’t wait for Lorcan to get to know them both!😄
Lorcan
“I’m Basil,” the dark curly haired guy answered curtly.
The tall man smiled back at him. “And I’m Misu!”
Hm. He was cheerful enough. Unlike the other guy Basil. Not that Lorcan cared that much.
”Name’s Lorcan,” he said smoothly. “Pleasure to meet you.
He rolled his shoulders back. “Strange. I never had the opportunity to give my real name to this many people.” He let out a soft chuckle.
Quin tilted his head at him. “Why?”
Lorcan slipped his hands in his pockets. “Back home they call me the Phantom Ranger. But apparently no one here has heard of me so I don’t think it matters too much now. Its a nickname, nothing more.”
”Why do they call you that?” Misu asked curiously.
Lorcan knitted his brows together. “I’m an assassin with a – specific set of skills,” he answered after a moment. “So naturally I suppose its because I frighten them. Its easier to label me as something monstrous. Than – you know. To refer to me by an actual name. Not that I stopped them of course.”
He scowled into the distance. “You can’t ever completely trust anyone. So it’s easier to have people fear you. At least thats in <i>my</i> book.”
He brushed a lock of hair from his eyes and looked Misu up and down. There was something- otherworldly about him. Was he Aos Sí perhaps? No – he would have sensed it by now. But he wasn’t human either. Neither was he – part of Lorcan’s race.
“Where do you come from?” He asked, his voice coming out in a gravelly tone.
Yes! All of that, with that added caveat that Basil isn’t actually a doctor and has like next to zero knowledge of how to treat disease (beyond over the counter meds). He’s very health conscious, though, and I think he has a good deal of knowledge about treatment for injuries. He would absolutely butt heads with Niarok over proper medical treatment even though he has literally no qualifications whatsoever!
Ooooh my goodness I’m actually reallly excited to see where this goes! I can imagine how frustrated Niarok is going to be but underneath he’s just going to be laughing his head off at Basil… Then they’re prolly gonna become friends. We’ll see!
Oh my goodness I just looked up a picture and they really are fat and cute! They’re precious! I love frogs, but I live in a pretty dry climate so I don’t have that many where I live But, we get them in ponds! We have these giant fat bullfrogs in the summer lol
Frogs have always been one of my favorite animals, and I had like 15 stuffed ones that I wrote stories about when I was younger! I’m terrible at keeping them alive though… I’ve had three green tree frogs and have unfortunately killed every single one of them… But then I got Basil, and he’s so hardy I don’t think it’s possible to kill him! Not gonna find out though. I’m in the same boat. I’m in the mountains so there isn’t a whole lot of pond life around, but I’ve seen pictures of giant fat bullfrogs and I want to live in a place with them soooo bad!
"The darkness is seldom complete, and even when it is, the pinprick of light is not long in coming."
Ooooh my goodness I’m actually reallly excited to see where this goes! I can imagine how frustrated Niarok is going to be but underneath he’s just going to be laughing his head off at Basil… Then they’re prolly gonna become friends. We’ll see!
Aww I hope so! We’ll see how patient Niarok is lol. Basil could use more friends cause he has like… none 🙁 But it’s kind of his own fault tbh. He just has abysmal social skills…but I’m not going to be too hard on him because that seems to describe just about every character in the castle right now lol
The giant fat bullfrogs are so funny! We have a ton of wild marshy areas where I live (which is great cause I love birdwatching), but oddly enough, we’ve only seen bullfrogs in residential areas!
*laughs as one fey*
Aww I hope so! We’ll see how patient Niarok is lol. Basil could use more friends cause he has like… none But it’s kind of his own fault tbh. He just has abysmal social skills…but I’m not going to be too hard on him because that seems to describe just about every character in the castle right now lol
Idk, once Niarok gets to know someone a little bit, he impresses even me with his level of patience. Must be something from his assassin years or something… You know when your character just kinda has a mind of his own and runs away from you all the time? Niarok has a habit of doing that. Although Yila’s way worse…
How weird! I wonder why they’re just in the residential areas? Also that’s cool you like birdwatching! I’ve never been able to get into it – I see a bird and the first thing I think of is either “wow that’s pretty now can I get back to life?” or sometimes “I wonder how it tastes?”
Yeah. Welcome to my dark mind…
"The darkness is seldom complete, and even when it is, the pinprick of light is not long in coming."
Aww thanks! That’s exactly what I’m going for, so I guess I’m doing something right! What’s your new guys’ name, or is it a secret? I feel bad for him (and Basil’s definitely not helping things)
You’ll find out soon 🙂
Tbh, Basil is an interesting challenge, I really want to see how he reacts to him.
Basil is so nasty sometimes. I’m so, so sorry, he just kind of got out of control lol. And yes, that “uneducated” remark was somehow (?) supposed to be reassuring. In his mind being uneducated is better than being “gross and inconsiderate” so that actually wasn’t supposed to be mean (although that doesn’t matter because it is in fact a rather mean thing to say to someone)
Don’t worry about it, unintentionally rude characters are funny. XD
If this was Liorah, she’d just despise Basil to the end of days and we’d have another rivalry to deal with but this character just… doesn’t take offense. If someone says something rude to him he just… takes it. It’s rather a shock after Liorah XD
All of that, with that added caveat that Basil isn’t actually a doctor and has like next to zero knowledge of how to treat disease (beyond over the counter meds). He’s very health conscious, though, and I think he has a good deal of knowledge about treatment for injuries. He would absolutely butt heads with Niarok over proper medical treatment even though he has literally no qualifications whatsoever!
LOL, this is actually really funny because my character has some background in medicine (more like Niarok though) Same but opposite but you’ll find that out eventually. (I’m really enjoying keeping so much stuff about him secret, XD)
Though he’s the complete opposite of Basil, whenever he gets hurt he just goes. “Okay, I’m just going to die.” and then just ignores it until someone else finds out and freaks out by proxy XD
has a new character in here with some form of PTSD. He thinks everyone is trying to kill him, and he just got kind of ticked off at Basil right now lol (but for good reason) Rose is probably better at describing him than I am, though
When I’m reading and writing him he seems really irrationally suspicious, but it’s actually pretty interesting. It’s partially personality, partially hypervigalence, and partially training.
He just always expects a situation to go as badly as possible and works from there. Besides that, he’s just used to people not liking him. (For various reasons that you’ll probably find out later.)
He’s in an unfamiliar place, with unfamiliar people, no idea how he got there and no way to get out. He feels completely out of control so he’s definitely just trying to survive. I wonder how he’ll be when he realizes that he won’t die within the next five minutes.
Oh, I feel like he’ll make a whole lot more sense if y’all know he used to be a villain.
Aww, I love how considerate Niarok is, he’s so sweet. 🥰 I think my character will actually catch on to it pretty soon. Maybe. XD
And yes. I have a frog named Basil. He’s really fat, and really cute, and hates me from the bottom of his heart unless I’m in the act of feeding him! He’s adorable and I love him. (He’s a White’s Tree Frog if you want to look up a pic!)
Aww, they’re so cute!!
I’m honestly so excited to see how he and Niarok end up interacting. Niarok is literally a giant teddy bear underneath all his warrior gruffness, and I’m really interested to see how your character reacts.
Same!!! My character is actually a really kind person when he’s not panicking, I think they’ll like each other 🙂
Oh, man, Yila is going to scare the living daylights out of him though. Brash people tend to set him on edge and Yila is just the kind of person to not notice and make it worse XD
(Don’t feel bad about it though, that’s how you get the best interactions!)
And I know this because I paired him and Liorah up for a full book while she hated him. That was exactly as bad as it sounds XD (Liorah is probably my brashest character to date and will ignore social cues if she doesn’t like them.)
her eyes cold whenever they lit on the troubled man with the shoulder-length black hair.
I’m pretty sure you’re talking about my character and you got him completely right, except his hair is actually dark brown 🙂
Same!!!! Although I don’t get to do it very often as I live in the mountains and all we have are various species of vermin that, even though they’re very cute, are also extremely not good to hold… Whenever I go to a more amphibian friendly habitat, though, I’m all over the frogs!!!!
Yess, whenever I’m mowing the orchard I’m always on the lookout for smol frogs because I’d absolutely despise myself if I accidentally hurt one. The Netherlands is practically a giant pond so there are frogs everywhere.
Without darkness, there is no light. If there was no nighttime, would the stars be as bright?
“So you’re not contagious?” The guy with curly hair clicked his tongue. “I mean, it’s not just me you’re inconveniencing. When you cough all over the place like that you’re spraying your diseases all over this entire group. Plus, we’re not from your world so basic diseases that you carry could probably kill us.”
Oh, goodness. I had never been contagious, it was just smoke damage but how was I supposed to say that without telling everyone all about it? I didn’t want to do that.
I opted for staying quiet and not looking at him. Whenever someone was irked at me, that usually made them go away fastest.
“Wait, have they discovered germs yet in your world? I’m sorry. I thought you were being inconsiderate, but maybe you’re just uneducated. You see, there’s these little organisms that – ”
I could not emphasise enough how much I didn’t care but if ‘uneducated’ was going to get him to shut up I was happy with it.
“Who just touched me? Keep your hands to your-”
“I think you’ve made you point well enough. Give the poor guy a break!”
I stiffened at the unexpected voice, then recognized the man who had been glowing. I was instantly suspicious. Why was he defending me? I didn’t need it, and I especially didn’t want to owe him.
“For the record, I’m from the same world as you, and I’m not concerned about whatever germs he might be carrying.”
So we were from different worlds? Just too late, I thought of the fact that I could have turned that fact around and told him there was a much bigger chance of him killing me than the other way around.
They’d already moved on. If only he forgot about the circumstance, I’d just to my best to stay out of his way and hope he didn’t carry a grudge.
The man with the scarred face stared at both of us, taking us in, judging. I tried to look more confident than I felt but didn’t want to look like a threat.
Apparently, he didn’t particularly care because he moved on. Good.
“So lets get the introductions going shall we? What do they call ye?”
Was I supposed to give them my name? I had a bad feeling about that. I’d just wait and see what the others did.
“I’m Basil,” the curly-haired man said.
“And I’m Misu!” the other one said.
“I’m Aydin,” I said, quietly, then realized I had spoken too quietly and they possibly hadn’t heard me or they thought I was rude or–
“Speak up, why do you always mumble like that?”“Just Aydin?” Basil asked, rather sharply.
I nodded. I had no tribal ties, no family ties, no ties of any kind. Not anymore. I was just myself, and it was horrible and wonderful at the same time.
”Name’s Lorcan,” the scarred man said smoothly. “Pleasure to meet you.”
Sure it was. That was just one of the polite lies of social situations. I wasn’t particularly pleased to meet him and he probably wasn’t particularly pleased to meet me either.
He rolled his shoulders back. He was taller than I was, and definitely far stronger. I made a mental note not to make him notice me. Being invisible was safer.
“Strange. I never had the opportunity to give my real name to this many people.” He let out a soft chuckle.
The small man who was missing a leg, and a crutch, asked, “Why?”
“Back home they call me the Phantom Ranger. But apparently no one here has heard of me so I don’t think it matters too much now. Its a nickname, nothing more.”
I listened absently, still watching the smaller man without being noticed. How had he lost his leg? His brother helped him along, and he managed pretty well.
”Why do they call you that?” Misu asked curiously.
“I’m an assassin with a – specific set of skills,” he answered after a moment.
I looked over my shoulder, surprised. I tried to hide my reaction, hopefully he hadn’t noticed it in the dark. An assassin? It didn’t lessen my apprehension but now I could fit him in a category I was familiar with.
“So naturally I suppose its because I frighten them. Its easier to label me as something monstrous. Than – you know. To refer to me by an actual name. Not that I stopped them of course.”
I knew that. Weren’t we called the Shadows by most people? Apparently, the Nebatan even had a myth that they were supernatural creatures who could turn into shadows and disappear. Also that anyone who saw them would die of madness within seven days. I smiled. That was so ironic it was funny.
“You can’t ever completely trust anyone. So it’s easier to have people fear you. At least thats in my book.”
Finally someone with sense. That made more sense than anything that had been said so far. I didn’t trust Lorcan, but I understood him more than any of the others so far.
I focused on the more direct problem of not dying. I slipped into the shadows and let all the others go into the lit cave ahead of me.
There was a loud, terrifying shriek somewhere in the distance, like someone was dying in agony. I shivered and glanced at the others, then saw they had no reaction. Just me, again.
The dark-haired man glanced back and his gaze trailed over all of us, silently counting.
I slipped inside, staying behind the others, in the shadows.
It was breathtakingly cold, as cold as it was in the mountains when snow fell. There was more light here, it was probably the first time the others got a good look at me. I stayed in the shadows and wished there was some way to hide the ripped edge of my cloak, marking me as tribeless.
Two girls and a man sat near a fire. One girl was small, with dark curls. Something about her reminded me of Faye, perhaps the way she sat curled up or her small stature.
The other was tall, with dark hair and piercing eyes. That was familiar too. Yikes. I avoided her gaze.
The man didn’t even look up.
The girl got up and joined the dark-haired man.
“Who are these people?” she whispered. I glanced at her, only to find her staring back with undisguised hostility. Oh, dear. This, again. (Author’s note: He’s talking about Liorah. You know he is XD)
I was going to do the same thing as last time. Ignore her.
The dark-haired man smiled, trying to be reassuring. I was plotting to find an exit.
There was a mouth of a cave but it was even colder than here. I wouldn’t do that unless I was out of options.
“Well, all I can tell you is we have a fire and we should probably stay close to conserve body heat.”
I thought a string of words that I would not speak aloud. No. I’d rather freeze to death.
“Although if you’re not comfortable being in a group, I’m sure we can produce blankets or something,” the man glanced at me.
I met his gaze, for the first time. He looked honest, open, but not naive.
This was the second time he made sure not to force me into an uncomfortable situation or embarass me in front of the others. I appreciated it more than he’d ever know. I smiled, faintly, but still.
Whatever the intentions of the others were, there was an off-chance that he genuinely didn’t mean me any harm.
He joined the others, sitting down between the tall and slight girl.
I didn’t want to stand out but I didn’t want to get close to anyone.
I edged around the group so I was on the side closest to the cave entrance. It was the coldest side but it was nearest the exit. I didn’t want anyone between me and the exit.
I was also pretty close to the dark-haired man. The tall girl huddled against him, almost on top of him. My suspicion that they were family was confirmed.
I sat down, my back pressed against the wall. I was close enough to the group that I wouldn’t attract attention but not too close. And keeping my back against a wall was an old habit.
I pulled my knees up to my chest and pulled my cloak around me so I wouldn’t get too cold too fast. I was already numb with cold but not more than usual in winter. It would get worse though.
I crossed my arms, under my cloak. I was grateful that at first glance my right hand didn’t look different, the scar on my forearm was hidden by my long sleeves.
Even if someone had noticed, they probably wouldn’t pick up on the fact that it was paralyzed. Probably.
“I’m sorry, I never introduced myself. I’m Aydin,” I told the dark-haired man. My voice was quiet again, I couldn’t help it. I didn’t want to be noticed.
“I’m Niarok and this is my sister Yila,” he said.
I nodded, then replied automatically,
“Pleased to meet you.” I couldn’t keep the hint of sarcasm out of my voice.
__________
Y’all, I’m so sorry all his pieces are so long XD I get carried away XD
Oh, I wanted to add that ‘tribeless’ is essentially equivilant to being outlawed. (Long story XD)
Without darkness, there is no light. If there was no nighttime, would the stars be as bright?
@everyone
After we finish giving our characters hypothermia and scaring them half to death with thunderstorms, (I think that’s the plan?) I might have another suggestion 😈
I was thinking it might be cool to test their moral compasses, just for funsies and development purposes. (and for science!!) Does anyone have an idea for how the castle can force them to do something that is totally, obviously, wrong? And consequences if they don’t do it, obviously.
Wow, I have a dark mind. Yikes.
Without darkness, there is no light. If there was no nighttime, would the stars be as bright?
OOOOOHHH THAT’S SUCH A GREAT IDEAAAA!!!!!!!!!! We could have something where the castle sticks them in a situation where they have to kill someone to save another person or something. Idk I have a dark mind too… Maybe they have to steal something or hurt someone to get food? Or something like that. I have no idea how Yila would react, but I do know how Niarok will react and I have a pretty good gauge on Leytera as well.
Awwww I love Aydin and Niarok’s interactions!!!!!!! I know. I love Niarok with my entire being!!!!
Niarok
Niarok finished counting, satisfied to know that everyone had followed him.
“Well, all I can tell you is we have a fire and we should probably stay close to conserve body heat.”
The man who Niarok had noticed before, the one with the troubled eyes and brown hair, looked like he was about to bolt. His eyes briefly strayed to the entrance of the cave before darting back to the floor.
Niarok knew that look. He’d made it himself countless times in the past, before he learned to stomach the blood or the cries or the touch of dying people.
“Although if you’re not comfortable being in a group, I’m sure we can produce blankets or something,” Niarok added, glancing back at the man and catching his eye.
The man held his gaze for an instant, and Niarok saw the barest trace of a smile turn his lips up at the corners. He nodded almost imperceptibly, acknowledging the man’s gratitude.
He knew that feeling too.
________
Yila snuggled close to Niarok on one side, and Leytera absorbed his body heat on the other, even though it was clear that she wasn’t comfortable in this group.
The man – Niarok thought he’d heard him call himself Aydin – huddled against the wall opposite Niarok and his sister, hiding inside his cloak.
Niarok sensed he was cold but wasn’t going to say anything about it.
The man looked up, his (what colors are his eyes, Rose?) eyes catching Niarok’s gaze.
“I’m sorry, I never introduced myself. I’m Aydin,” he said, his voice quiet.
Niarok smiled. “I’m Niarok and this is my sister Yila.”
Yila grunted from beside him, glaring daggers at the man. Niarok elbowed her underneath the blanket, and she glared at him instead.
He didn’t change his expression.
“Pleased to meet you,” Aydin said, his voice edged with sarcasm.
Niarok smirked. He knew that feeling.
“You as well,” he said, and though he returned Ayden’s sarcasm, he kept his expression warm to let him know he actually meant it.
Then he pulled out an extra blanket from his pack and tossed it to Ayden.
“If you don’t want it, I’m sure someone else can use it,” he said, trying to make it clear in his eyes that he wouldn’t be mad if Ayden turned it down.
Yila huffed beside him, and Niarok elbowed her harder under the blanket.
“You weren’t gonna use it anyway,” he snapped in her ear, quietly enough that only someone with hearing as sharp as his could have heard it.
Yila elbowed him back, but there was the faintest hint of a smile in her cold features.
Niarok leaned back against the wall, ready to wait out the storm and carry on a conversation with anyone interested.
"The darkness is seldom complete, and even when it is, the pinprick of light is not long in coming."
Klein listened to the introductions, waiting his turn. As the group gathered close to the fire, he moved to the side, opening room. The action also gave him a greater view of the cave entrance, training etched into him. Klein looked at the flames through his Plexiglas visor and smiled to himself. While he had started it and feed it, he did not need it.
His suit was insulated for the vacuum of space so he would not freeze or burn easily. The composite armor would block most small arms and if punctured, condensed foam would fill the gap and plug the wound. It wasn’t pleasant but it kept him alive. Klein had a scar above his hip from such an injury. His sitting at the campfire was more of a pleasantry than a need. He could take off his armor but taking it off for too long would be dangerous. The myriad of changes only proved that he had to be ready at a moments notice.
As Klein waited his turn, he gathered intel. Basil seemed to be from the same place as Misu. Lorcan opened up, confirming Klein’s guess he was an assassin. Aydin, another newcomer, seemed introverted remaining quite and out of the group.
When his opportunity appeared, Klein took of his helmet and proceeded with his greeting.
“My name’s Klein. Its been a long day and tomorrow will be longer.” Pulling the hood of his jumpsuit up, he tightened the pull string. “Wake me when its my turn on watch. If something happens, a high pitch scream should do.”
Lying down, Klein put the helmet under his head and closed his eyes. Dreamless sleep set in.
The Devil saw me with my head down and got excited. Then I said Amen
If something happens, a high pitch scream should do.”
I’M LAUGHING SOOO HARD RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yila
Yila hated that man. She hated him.
He was the spitting image of the man who had killed her father.
She hated him.
And now Niarok was actually talking to him.
Like the similarities didn’t matter.
She wanted to strangle something.
Everyone was introducing themselves like this was some kind of house-warming party, and Yila remained silent as Niarok said her name.
Niarok produced a blanket and tossed it to Aydin, saying something that was apparently supposed to be polite while doing so.
Yila huffed.
Niarok elbowed her in the ribs, and she couldn’t contain the smirk that lit on her features. She elbowed him back. Hard. She knew the power of her bony elbows. Her smirk widened.
Until she caught that Aydin’s eye again.
I’m going to hurt something. Like him.
The strange man in the armor was clearly observing the group, and Yila made a mental note to keep an eye on him. He thought she was dangerous? Good. Better to keep it that way. He didn’t think she was dangerous? He’d find out the hard way.
Then he pulled the helmet off.
“My name’s Klein. Its been a long day and tomorrow will be longer.” He pulled up some kind of hood with a drawstring and tightened it, giving him the appearance of a strange monk. “Wake me when it’s my turn on watch. If something happens, a high pitch scream should do.”
Then he laid down to sleep.
Yila rolled her eyes epically and curled up next to Niarok, who put his arm around her in that comforting brotherly gesture.
High-pitched scream indeed. Wake me up and that’s what you’ll be making.
She shut her eyes and promptly slid into a doze, the only part of her still cold her feet that didn’t quite fit under Niarok’s bundle of blankets.
Her hand rested on her knife.
And Niarok was talking to the people again.
High-pitched scream. I might make that if Aydin moves again.
Or if Niarok shifts his weight too much.
"The darkness is seldom complete, and even when it is, the pinprick of light is not long in coming."
Misu:
“Where’s the bathroom?” Basil shifted somewhere behind Misu. Niarok glanced up from the fire. “Bathroom’s over there.”
“Thanks.” Basil started off into the shadows.
“Wait, you’re going the wrong way! I said it’s over there!” Niarok pointed back into the darkness.
“I know. I want my bathroom to be in the opposite direction from yours.”
Someone in the group snorted. “You need your own bathroom?” Basil stopped short.
“Of course I do,” he hissed. “You all probably carry all sorts of pathogens and probably even parasites. I’m not looking down on you or anything. I just really don’t want to catch whatever bugs you have, that’s all.” Misu raised his eyebrows as Basil stormed into the shadows. He sighed.
“That was in extremely poor taste, but he has a point. We all come from different worlds – that much is clear by now,” he paused. This is so awkward. “Anyways, any pathogens that any one of you carry could be completely foreign to Basil and I – and vice-versa. I do agree that we should make a point of being extra careful with our hygiene, although I can’t say I’m nearly as worried as Basil. Any sickness is going to be absolutely miserable in a place like this, regardless of where it comes fro- ”
“You’re talking about me, aren’t you.” Misu suppressed another sigh.
“Oh, there you are! I was, actually. I was agreeing with your ideas on hygiene.” He smiled at him warmly. “Anyways, I don’t think we should worry too much. We’ll probably all have caught each others germs by then. Besides, if anyone here has parasites, there’s not much any of us can do about it. We’ll all catch them if they’re in the water source.” Misu frowned. What am I even saying? That’s a horribly pessimistic thing to say! I don’t even know if-
“What did you just say?” Basil glanced at him sharply. Misu sighed.
“I’m sorry. That was rather pessimistic of me. If there’s parasites in the water source – which there very well could be – we’ll all end up getting them. We might as well not worry about it too much. There’s no harm done as long as no one gets seriously ill, I suppose.” Misu bit his lip. I’ve done all I can to be optimistic here. Seriously, this really is a bad situation. I guess there’s nothing wrong with a dose of reality. I mean, it’s not going to do us any good to keep hiding from it. He sighed. Like I’ve done for the past two weeks…months? Who knows. Why am I so depressed all of a sudden? That’s it – I’m hungry! Maybe someone here has some rations. Basil sniffed somewhere behind him. I bet he’s still caught up about the parasite thing. Oh well. We’re not in Spire anymore, that’s for sure. Maybe some food will help him forget about it. Misu turned around. “Hey Basil, do you want some food?” Basil slowly looked up at him, his black eyes sparkling in the orange glow. Misu tilted his head as Basil averted his gaze. The flames danced on his face, reflecting two gleaming streaks down his delicate features…
Wait, is he…
Basil closed his eyes, tears slowly streaming from under his lashes. Misu bit his lip. Oh no. “I…” he sighed. “I’m sorry.” He hesitantly patted his shoulder, wincing as his back shivered with barely restrained sobs.
“I hate it here.” Basil’s voice quivered in a choked whisper. “I just want to go to bed. I just want to go home!” His voice suddenly cracked. “I miss Spire,” he whispered. “I want to go home. Why can’t I go home?” Misu gently wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close as broken sobs racked his body. Tears pricked at the back of his own eyes.
“I don’t know,” he whispered.
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@denali-christianson @emily-waldorf @rose-colored-fancyWell that sure took a turn. I started this off with the intention that Basil would have a funny mental breakdown, but it just turned out kind of sad instead (also this may have turned out rather melodramatic cause I never write emotional scenes. I mean, I never write outside of this castle, but that’s besides the point lol). I’m sure all of your characters have a ton of unresolved emotional trauma from this whole ordeal, so you can give them emotional breakdowns too if you want. As always, change anything you want!
Also Basil’s been excessively blunt and prickly and generally difficult, so you all feel free to take him down a notch if you want, and by that I mean you can absolutely laugh at him or torment him with bugs and bacteria and the like (yeah that sounds rather awful but we’re all writers in here, so…)
@denali-christianson looks like Niarok and his thousands of medicinal herbs might have a moment soon, now that the water quality is being called into question 😉*laughs as one fey*
OOOOOHHH THAT’S SUCH A GREAT IDEAAAA!!!!!!!!!! We could have something where the castle sticks them in a situation where they have to kill someone to save another person or something. Idk I have a dark mind too… Maybe they have to steal something or hurt someone to get food? Or something like that. I have no idea how Yila would react, but I do know how Niarok will react and I have a pretty good gauge on Leytera as well.
Ohhh, I had a gloriously evil idea!!! So, it needs to be bad enough that it can’t be easily excused and needs to have consequences on the others as well as each of the characters individually.
So, I suggest! What if the Castle forces them to injure one of the others or else… something happens. Idk, we don’t need to have it come to that even if they refuse, but it needs to be a threat sufficient to make them seriously consider it.
I’m really curious to see what happens when Aydin sees that the Castle is the real threat. Something really interesting happens in situations like this, and it’s one of my favorite parts of his character.
His sheer stubborness makes Liorah look tame in comparison, no joke.
Awwww I love Aydin and Niarok’s interactions!!!!!!! I know. I love Niarok with my entire being!!!!
I love it too, I like how Niarok just kinda adopted Aydin for… no particular reason XD It’s really sweet.
(what colors are his eyes, Rose?)
Ehhh, I don’t know… XD Some kind of indeterminate muddy brownish greenish grayish color. XD Nothing noticeable.
Yila hated that man. She hated him.
He was the spitting image of the man who had killed her father.
She hated him.
Well, that escalated quickly. If I had a penny for everytime a girl hated Aydin out of principle, I’d have three pennies, which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it keeps happening! XD
Aww, poor Basil XD
I’m sure all of your characters have a ton of unresolved emotional trauma from this whole ordeal, so you can give them emotional breakdowns too if you want. As always, change anything you want!
Like I need encouragement 😈😈
Actually, who are we kidding, Aydin has been having an emotional breakdown since the second he got dropped in and I don’t think it’s going to stop soon XD
Without darkness, there is no light. If there was no nighttime, would the stars be as bright?
@rose-colored-fancy your idea is great! My mind is already on a helter skelter from all the possibilities that could ensue😄💖
@denali-christianson
I just had a brilliant idea – what if Yila was forced to hurt Lorcan?! Eh? EH? What do you say😉your idea is great! My mind is already on a helter skelter from all the possibilities that could ensue
Thanks! I love a bit of drama now and then XD LOL @this-is-not-an-alien do you remember when we did that dramatic sacrifice and almost-death scene with all the characters??? XD I destinctly remember almost crying XD That was chaos XD
Aydin
I glanced up as the armored man spoke. I instantly reassesed my earlier decision that Lorcan was the most dangerous person here. It was a close tie so I decided to stay far out of everyone’s way.
I scowled in generalized irritation. I hated being cold, and I was colder than I had ever been now. I’d survive. I’d be fine. I just had to shut up and take it. As usual.
Yila was glaring at me as though she wanted to rip out my throat. I flatly ignored her. I was good at that and it seemed to annoy her.
She turned her glare to her brother instead, but he seemed used to it.
“You as well,” Niarok said, somewhere between sarcasm and sincerity.
Niarok pulled a blanket from his pack and tossed it to me. I didn’t react, but shot him a questioning look. Why was he giving it to me?
“If you don’t want it, I’m sure someone else can use it,” he said, leaving me the option to take it or leave it and taking the pressure off the decision.
I frowned, torn between the fact that I was freezing and guilt because someone else could use it, probably more than me.
I glanced at the entrance of the cave. Flakes of snow were driving in hard and fast. I hadn’t seen snow since I was a child, when we had once visited one of the higher mountains. I did remember how it made everything cold and silent. It was one of my few memories that wasn’t unpleasant.
I hesitated another moment, then took it. He’d decided that I needed it. He wouldn’t have given it to me if someone else needed it more.
“Thanks, I appreciate it. If someone else needs it more, I’ll be fine without it,” I said, making sure he knew I meant it.
He nodded and his sister glared at me. It was honestly impressive that she hated me that much without knowing anything about me. Usually it took at least one conversation or some background knowledge but she’d managed it already.
Basil was ranting and I blocked it out. I was fairly good at blocking out noises and his annoying voice was worth it. I had no idea what he was talking about but I knew it was petty.
What odd things he cared about. Or perhaps I was the odd one. I didn’t care about much of anything. There was nothing left to care about. If I died, I died, that was that. There was nobody left to worry about. Nobody would miss me, nobody would mourn for me.
(Author’s note: Stop being so morbid, edgelord.)
Suddenly Basil was crying and Misu was trying to comfort him. Sudden guilt and sympathy took the place of annoyance. Of course he was upset, all of this was terrible. I was thoroughly upset myself and I was used to everything turning upside down at a moment’s notice.
It was all horribly upsetting and none of us had been making it easier on him. He probably wasn’t used to much and I probably would have been crying too in his place.
“I want to go home. Why can’t I go home?” Basil asked, his voice caught in tears.
“I don’t know,” Misu whispered.
“It’ll be alright, we’ll make it out of here,” I lied. I was always surprised how easy it was to lie. I had done it so often. We’ll be alright. It’s okay. You’ll be fine. None of them true, but the alternative was worse.
Basil still seemed upset and there was nothing I could do to make it better except not to stare at him.
I absently stared at the snow swirling in. A thin layer had already gathered against me and against Niarok’s back. It was getting thicker fast. I pulled the blanket closer around my shoulders, silently grateful that Niarok had offered it.
The black figure swirled in the doorway, vague and uncertain, but there and threatening. I stiffened, watching it as the sky darkened behind it.
Was it a threat? Was it just me? I kept staring at it, trying not to show my apprehension.
“Do you notice anything odd?” I asked Niarok, tentatively.
He looked over his shoulder, following my gaze, then glanced back at me, puzzled.
“No… what do you see?”
“Oh, nothing, I just thought I did,” I said, dismissively. I didn’t want to tell anyone about it, it was a weakness and I wasn’t in the habit of telling people about my weaknesses.
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Okayyyy, I didn’t expect him to react to Basil like that. I didn’t quite realize that he’s actually an extremely empathetic person, but it makes sense. Huh, interesting!
Without darkness, there is no light. If there was no nighttime, would the stars be as bright?
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