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brilliantt · 4 years

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Mouse - part two

Summary: Maggie Shelby isn’t like her brothers or sister, being quiet and studious she often struggles to fit in. When money gets stolen and she is accused will she stick around and continue to be an outcast in her family?

A/N: thanks so much for the support on the first part! In part two we see Maggie’s relationship with her twin Finn, the two are 17 atm. Also Tommy is being a prick, sorry! :P Let me know what you think!!

-PREVIOUS-

From a young age Finn and Maggie were close. Being a lot younger than their siblings they had no choice but to play together, even if they could never decide on what to play. While Maggie preferred playing with her dolls or marbles, Finn always had the deciding vote- he was of course the older sibling by five minutes! And so, Maggie was coerced time and time again to play Finn’s favourite (and subsequently her worst) game: cops and robbers. Finn was as quick as Maggie was slow. This is why the twins realised Maggie could never be the robber, because Finn could catch her in less than a minute. Maggie never knew why Finn had always insisted on playing the game; it always ended the same. She would spend so long trying to catch him and he would dodge her every time with ease, then Maggie would get annoyed that she couldn't get him, going off in a huff and refusing to play a minute longer. Then, her refusal would cause finn in return to get mad. A quiet dinner with exchanged glares would follow. And finally peace is restored when Finn sneaks into her room with a couple of stolen biscuits because they could never stay mad at each for long.

It was often they butt heads but that was because they had spent so much time together. It was safe to say they were each other's first best friend. As they got older, however, the more different they became. Finn had always been an outgoing child, something which stayed with him. He enjoyed partying and drinking and smoking. Maggie preferred to keep to herself and rarely went out at night. During the day Finn could be seen becoming more active in the family business whereas Maggie was in school. It was rare that their paths ever crossed.

It was just by chance therefore that on the Thursday afternoon just before Maggie finished school, that Finn had been sent to collect money from a house just around the corner from the school building. And just by chance that as he had finished up and was about to walk home, he saw his sister surrounded by a bunch of boys her age and being pushed to the ground by one of them.

---

At school Maggie was alone. She found it difficult to talk to anyone other than her brothers, meaning that she couldn't make friends. Not forgetting that no one wanted to befriend her, lest they got caught up in the unfortunate Shelby 'business’. It was easier when Finn went to school but since he left, Maggie was truly alone. She didn't mind too much because it meant that she could focus on her school work without distraction.

It wasn't until very recently that she was bothered at school. Whilst people left her alone in fear of her brothers, one foolhardy boy, William Kegley, did not heed this warning. From what Maggie could understand, William’s brother had done something bad to the Blinders leading him to get cut. William wasn’t stupid enough to go after her brothers which left him to target the youngest Shelby girl. It had started with harsh stares and hair tugging which turned to spitted whispers telling her to ‘watch her back’ when the teacher wasn't looking.

Maggie didn't know what to expect, she had never been threatened before. To what extent of revenge did William want? Logically killing her would make everything even - a sibling for a sibling - but Maggie didn't think William had the stomach for that, he was always more gentle than his brother. Maggie knew that she should tell one of her brothers or even Aunt Polly, however, she also knew this would mean William would end up in the same fate as his brother and Maggie never wanted to be the cause of something like that. So she did what she did best: hide. The final bell would ring and Maggie would hide in an empty classroom, peeking out the window where William and a few of his friends hung around smoking. Maggie waited and waited, until they got bored and assumed she had already left. Only after they had disappeared did Maggie leave. For three days this seemed to work. Until Thursday.

Maggie was hiding as usual, watching the boys smoke. Normally she would have to wait another 20 minutes. Today however the classroom door opened to reveal her English teacher who had forgotten his book on the desk. Unfortunately for Maggie she couldn't think of an excuse in time so he escorted her out telling her to go home. With only one exit from the school, she now had no option but to stick it up and wished that William was bluffing. With a deep breath she straightened her back, hoping she looked at least a bit confident. She barely made it halfway.

They formed a circle around her, with her and William in the centre. Every time Maggie edged back, someone would push her back. She kept her gaze down, only looking up when William hit the books from her arms onto the floor. They scattered about onto the grimy pavement. The boys cheered, some leaving boot marks on the papers. Maggie locked eyes with William, the sounds around her blocked out, she tried to keep her breathing even but she could feel her throat closing. William reached forward, too quick for Maggie to even flinch, and gripped her chin. “If it weren’t for you Shelbys, my brother would still be alive.” Everything about William’s face cried anger; his blonde eyebrows were furrowed, his teeth snarling and nostrils flared. His eyes couldn't keep up though, for they expressed a deep hurt, and a compassionate Maggie felt her lips trembling when she looked into them. “I’m sorry,” She whispered, “I.. I didn’t know anything, please.” Two eyes pleaded at each other. Maggie could see turmoil William faced. She didn't know him very well but she knew he never joined in on the playground fights and she had once seen him comfort a tear stained girl when the boys had stolen her doll. He was gentle by nature but he was a Small Heath boy and the jeering from the boys around him filled his mind with anger. With a shake of his head, he pressed both hands on Maggie's chest and shoved her to the ground. Tears rushed to her eyes as her head smacked the concrete. William hovered over her but his eyes widened when an enraged shout was heard.

Pushing his way through, Finn knelt beside his sister checking if she was alright. It was rare for Finn to get angry so Maggie worried when she saw the look in his eyes. He put himself chest to chest with Willaim, not breaking eye contact with him when he said, “Everyone else better get the fuck away from here.” He pulled his Peaky cap further onto his head as a warning. The cowardly boys scattered, leaving William and Finn in a standoff. As soon as Maggie saw Finn’s hand hovering over his gun, she stood up, ignoring the pain in her head, and gently gripped his arm. “Finn”, he turned towards her, seeing her shake her head. He clenched his jaw and frowned. His gaze stayed on his sister but he spoke to William, “You better piss off now, and stay the fuck away from her.” William looked like he was about to say something but then decided against it and began to walk away, taking one last glance at Maggie, until the twins could no longer see him.

Silence settled between the two as they began picking up the papers and books. Finn being quiet always unsettled Maggie. They stared at each other both holding their share. “How’s your head?” He questioned, remembering the harshness of her fall. He waited for her answer but could tell by the way her eyebrows furrowed that she wasn’t listening to him.

“Please don’t tell Tommy.” Her eyes were wide as she stared at him. “He’ll send the boys out on him and you know how I feel about that, please Finn.” The request was a long shot and Maggie knew that as she asked it. Finn always reported back to Tommy- seeking his approval. The chances he would listen were slim, especially in a situation where she got hurt, and as he raised his eyebrow, choosing to remain silent, her shoulders slumped.

“Come on.” He said, taking the books she was carrying and adding to his own pile. The two walked home together, with Maggie hoping that Finn would listen to her for once.

---

“Tommy wants to see yeh in his office.” It was Polly who had found her. Maggie had taken to lying on her bed. She had tried to do some schoolwork but the persistent pounding of her head made it futile. Maggie felt dread in her stomach at her Aunt’s words. She just knew Finn would rat her out, the bastard. “I know you’re not sleeping. Don’t want to leave his highness waiting.”

And so Maggie found herself in front of the door leading to her brother’s office. Taking a deep breath, she knocked twice and peaked her head through the door. “You wanted to see me Tommy?”

“Sit.” Maggie shuffled in and placed herself in the chair opposite Tommy. The man took out a cigarette and began smoking it, leaning back in his chair to stare at the girl. A few minutes passed and Maggie knew Tommy was waiting for her to speak first. They were both as stubborn as each other though, and Maggie had already decided that she wouldn’t speak before him. His gaze was piercing through her but she knew if she didn't look in his eyes, she wouldn't cave.

Tommy sighed and Maggie watched him press his cigarette into the tray. “I want you,” he pointed at her, “to tell me the name of the boy that pushed you.”

“What?” Maggie brows rose.

“Finn said he didn’t know the boy’s name. I want you to tell me it.” Despite still feeling annoyed at her twin, Maggie felt a rush of gratefulness towards him, because Finn definitely did know William’s name.

“No.” the word struggled out of her mouth. She always found speaking up to Tommy difficult. The pair of them were very similar in nature, both quiet, rather serious, observant and more. Polly often said they were the same ducks on different ponds. While Maggie was gentle, Tommy was rough. They rarely argued and respected each other. After the war Tommy never really had much time for her, and now since Grace's death he was more angry and less forgiving. “I don’t want you to do anything. Everything’s fine.”

He also never seemed to listen.

“No, it’s not fine. What if Finn wasn’t there, eh? What would you have done?”

Maggie fidgeted in her seat, avoiding his eyes. “It’s over now, he won’t do it again.” she muttered.

“And what about the next time? A different boy shoves you and we’re not here, what will you do?” Her headache was returning and Maggie blamed the tears on her eyes on that. “We’re targeted in this business Maggie, you especially. You’re the weak link, an easy target. So what will you do hmm?” Her lips wobbled. She knew she was weak; she was timid and did not like confrontation but hearing her older brother tell it to her face made her feel bad.

Tommy didn't stop, “Say someone pulled a gun on you,” suddenly he pointed his gun at Maggie. “What will you do?” She flinched and whimpered in her seat, her face turning white. Tommy sighed, lowering the gun. His icy glare wanted her, “you need to get stronger, learn how to fight back.”

“Maybe,” Maggie’s voice wobbled, “maybe you should stop doing things that put us in danger.” She was angry at Tommy and felt embarrassed from his actions. “They were only bothering me because of something you did.”

Tommy seemed taken aback but once again he never listened. His brain was wracking information on who the blinders had cut recently. “It was the Kegley boy, wasn’t it?” She shot her head up, the reaction telling Tommy his assumption was right.

“Tommy, I don't think I could ever forgive you if you do something to him.” Her words held strength but her body felt weak. She truly feared what Tommy would do.

Tommy clenched his jaw and stared. “I can worry about your forgiveness later.” He took out another cigarette and lit it, Maggie’s nose twitching at the smell. “You’ll meet Arthur at the boxing ring after school tomorrow. He’s going to teach you how to defend yourself.” Maggie was about to protest when Tommy slammed his hand on the desk, finalising his decision. He motioned for Maggie to leave and started reading some of his papers.

“I will only go if you swear you won’t hurt William.” Maggie pleaded. Tommy raised his eyebrows to look at her, a bored expression visible. “Please, Tommy, I never asked you for anything in my life. I'm asking you for this one thing, please!”

“You will go with Arthur tomorrow.” He repeated, returning to his paperwork. Maggie felt defeated. “I will leave Kegley alone but if he tries anything again you don’t have a say, understand?” A sigh of relief was audible through the room. Maggie nodded and began to leave the room. She reached the door and turned back around to look at her brother working.

“Tommy?” He huffed and inclined his head for her to continue. “If.. If someone pulled a gun on me” Maggie gulped, “I would die.” she closed the door gently behind her. For the next hour Tommy stared at it deep in thought, his cigarette burnt out in his hand.

---

Maggie struggled falling asleep that night. Her headache had gone but her head pounded with images of William dead on the floor. Her bedroom door creaked open slowly, the head of her twin peering through. He climbed onto her bed, both of them sitting against the headboard, and handed her some biscuits. They nibbled on them and for the first time, Maggie broke the silence, “Is this really what you want Finn? All this violence and the.. the constant fear of dying?” she stared straight ahead, “There must be something more.”

“People like us don't get more, Maggie.” She turned to look at him, he had already finished his biscuits and was eyeing Maggie’s.

“People like us?”

“Working class. No parents.” He counted on his fingers, “Gypsies. It’s like there's a ladder and we’re stuck on the first step.” He rubbed his hand against his tired eyes. “And yet we’re the lucky ones because there are people like Isiah who aren't even allowed on that first step.”

Maggie’s face twitched as she thought about what Finn said. “We’re both still at the bottom of the ladder Finn.” She handed him one of her biscuits, “I want more than this.”

-NEXT-

#shelby!sis #shelby!sister #peaky blinder imagine #peaky blinders imagine #peaky blinders x reader #finn shelby x reader #tommy shelby x reader #peaky blinders #tommy shelby #finn shelby #sister!shelby #peaky blinder fanfic

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mkstrigidae · 3 years

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Okay so I'm making my way through your masterlist and I'm in love?? Like let's start off with Winter's Child- a masterpiece. You make Sansa a loving and relatable character and interweave the powers into cannon in a way that actually makes cannon make more sense (preconceived biases and such). Jon and Sansa's relationship is SO SWEET and they way they bonded was absolutely adorable (and the backstory with the houses and the powers they have make so much sense) 1/3

(2/3) Neon Rain literally the best Cyberpunk AU! I've ever read. Like what you did with the world building?? The stark class differences (haha see what I did there?), the choices in SOUND, and I could FEEL myself there! I love the family dynamics between the Starks and I'm loving the little details you're dropping with the Greyjoy's , Jon's parentage, and all of the medical procedures. Jon is dramatic af and I love it and Sansa is a bamf AS SHE SHOULD. Nothing but love for this

(3/3) A Past Worth Having has a special place in my heart. You build up this setting like a tapestry, just seeing more richness and depth the longer you look. I'm proud of Sansa for holding her composure, just FEELING in the angst that the older Starks feel at her return, and loving the relationships with Robin and the rest of the Starks + Jon Arryn. The detail that you're putting into the investigation/Oberyn is awe inspiring and I can't wait to see what you do next with the trial + Jonsa

Haha thank you so much!!! This is such a sweet ask to get! My response is under a cut, because this might get kind of long! (lots of my own meta below, bc i accidentally had a lot to say, haha)

With ‘Winter’s Child’ I’ve really enjoyed weaving in fantasy elements to the world because I like to look at stories and pick at loose threads until they unravel and asking ‘what if?’. I thought it would be a super interesting concept to take a character like Sansa, who in ASOIAF is exactly what she is supposed to be as a noblewoman of her class and conforms very well in that role, and put her in a position where she was essentially a societal outcast in a lot of ways! In WC, Sansa has a lot of similar coping mechanisms to ASOIAF Sansa, in that she sort of romanticizes society to avoid thinking about how absolutely awful it is. In ASOIAF, Sansa holds tight to the notion of knights and chivalry and courtly love to cope with the fact that she essentially has no control over her future and, as a woman, is basically property. In WC, I have her really struggling to make herself into that perfect lady and using that as a sort of shield to the fact that, without a gift, there isn’t anything she can do to improve her lot in life. Sansa has these ideas about becoming a perfect lady and hoping that being perfect in other areas will ‘make up’ for what society perceives as deficient about her, but is more jaded than ASOIAF Sansa due to her age and her earlier exposure to the ills of society. So you get a Sansa who gets along better with Arya and Jon as a result, in part because she’s had that exposure to what it’s like to be an outcast in society. I think that the best fantasy has a really strong emotional backdrop (a really great example is ‘Fruits Basket’ which starts by hooking you with this wacky, fun premise about people in a family turning into animals when hugged by a member of the opposite sex, and slowly builds into a point where you can see that the family ‘curse’ is a representation of generational and familial abuse- of bonds that should be broken, and of bonds that may kill us even as we cling to them- it’s extremely complex and rich and if you haven’t read or watched it, I can’t recommend it highly enough), and so while I really love writing about the fantasy aspects, and writing scenes where Sansa does really cool things with her ice powers, the core of the story is really about Sansa coming into her own, and learning that she was a person who was worth something even without any sort of gift. Sort of overcoming societal stigma and realizing your worth and forcing others to see it. It’s so much fun to write, but i’m stuck at the moment, because i need to reread the books, and my roommate is borrowing them right now haha!

God, APWH is like, indulging my inner world-building suspense-narrative loving writer persona. It’s literally my all time favorite trope- which is of someone growing up to find out that they’re a long-lost somebody or have family they never knew about- combined with a lot of research on trauma (which i’ve been doing for academic and other reasons for a while) and a lot of slowly growing psychological horror courtesy of Petyr Baelish (trust me, it’s going to get WAY more intense). There are so many pieces of media that I love, but I think that GRRM has so many characters and such a well fleshed out world that it’s very fun to dive into his worlds and create something there. Inherently, I love a slowly unraveling mystery and morally gray characters, and this is allowing me to indulge in both!!! World-building is my favorite, because i tend to be fairly detail oriented, and i’ve been laying bread crumbs in so many places throughout the story to hopefully build up to a decent conclusion! I know sort of how it ends, and I think people are going to absolutely lose their minds if I execute it correctly. We have a few chapters to go until we get to anything in the semblance of a trial- there’s some more emotional aspects that I think need to get addressed first, and so I’m so grateful that people are so supportive of being willing to wait for the Jonsa, because they really start spending a lot of time with each other during the trial and prior to the trial (i’m a big believer in bonding via long car rides and so there’s a lot of that!). I’m just so humbled and awed by the response to it- I never dreamed that people would enjoy the story this much- when I started it, I was writing a light-hearted family piece that wouldn’t be too long, and, uh, it kind of evolved from there. Clearly, I am not good at keeping things concise haha.

I left Neon Rain for last, because your comments on this one really made me smile! Of all of my stories, oddly enough, Neon Rain is actually the most deeply personal for me, and I’m just so flattered at your kind words! I spend a lot of my time thinking about the flaws inherent in our society, and without getting too detailed, Sansa’s experience with a family member struggling in the medical system is not unfamiliar to me. There’s a weight that comes with the realization that a system that is supposed to care for people is based on capitalistic ideals of profit maximization, and as someone who has experience working in the healthcare system- no matter how bad you think it is in the US, I can promise you it’s actually worse.

Neon Rain actually just started out as a series of mental images from listening to music that I had to get down on paper, and evolved from there. I actually really love the ‘soulmates’ and ‘class differences’ and ‘mastermind art thief’ tropes, but am incapable of writing fun stories without thinking about the reality of those tropes (see APWH for another extreme example of this haha), and so as I was writing and trying to capture this mental image, the rest of the world began unfolding around me. Jon is different because of a different upbringing here, and so is Sansa, and to see the formerly idealistic Sansa become so jaded by the time she meets her soulmate is just catnip for me. You have this interesting dynamic between them, because Jon wants nothing more than to have Sansa in his life, and give her everything she wants and needs, but where the old Sansa (who was arguably middle-class and somewhat naive, as financially secure teenagers understandably tend to be) would have swooned over that, the Sansa who meets Jon when the story begins is seeing the world and all the unfair and unequal systems in it. She can’t just live happily ever after with him right away- there’s a sense of guilt there, of sansa not feeling like she deserves nice things, and there’s also Sansa’s deep sense of compassion and kindness that won’t allow her to just live life as the well taken-care-of girlfriend of a wealthy man, because she isn’t able to just put on blinders and pretend that all the injustice in the world around her doesn’t exist, simply because it wouldn’t affect her that way anymore.

I think that the core to writing Sansa, for me, in any universe, is that she is a kind and compassionate person who is capable of feeling sympathy towards even the people who have done horrific things to her and her family- that emotional awareness and empathy is a harsh thing to have in a world like Neon Rain, and in our own world, honestly. I’m so glad that you appreciate Sansa’s BAMF-ness in the story- I think that her chapters demonstrate that she is capable of doing extraordinary things when she’s doing them for people she cares for, to be kind (The scene where Alayne helps Robin down from the eyrie is most indicative of this I think), and so in this world, I just love having Sansa be a complete badass out of necessity. Also, it’s fanfiction, and I really wanted to give Sansa a cool motorcyle, because no one else was gonna do it!!!

Also, my characters like to run away with me, and before I knew it, Rodrik Greyjoy had a huge adorable crush on Sansa in the story that I immensely enjoy writing. The Greyjoys are fun because they’re all absolutely insane, and i’m a total sucker for ‘gruff dangerous character is completely a sucker for the kind sunshine-y character’ trope.

God, this accidentally got really long??? I’m sorry- thank you so much for such a kind ask!!! I love hearing what people think of my stories, and this was so sweet :)

#my writing #joanofarkansass #ask answers

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royalpains-roleplay · 4 years

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Initiate Program Females - Unavailable

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Character quote: ❝Turned her tears to diamonds in her crown.❞

✗ — Name: Ivy Caballero. ✗ — Age: 21. ✗ — Kingdom: Spain. ✗ — Sexuality: Heterosexual.

— Personality; Ivy was never known to be the sweet child, and it was probably because of the neglecting nature of her parents. She was just about left alone to look after herself and ended up being responsible for her own raising. She didn’t have the same compassionate nature as her sister, but had a devious and manipulate side, one that was even notable as a child. She may not have been as bad with Kyle, but she still had a dark side, one that led her to be incredibly dishonest, disloyal and hateful. Ivy is very cocky, narcissistic, bitchy and also incredibly quick witted and sarcastic. She can be somewhat superficial, but does have a few things that run deeper than her exterior.

— Biography; Ivy and Cora were never equals. Not in the eyes of her parents, of the Kingdom’s, even of the other royals. She was never considered, never put in the spotlight. She was always on the back burner, nobody had faith in the fact she might make a good Queen. She was neglected, yelled at, constantly told she would never accomplish anything by her parents. Magazines frequented bad press about her to make her sister look good. Compared her sister, she wasn’t as outgoing, had a devious and manipulative side even as a child. Her parents already were sure they had their golden child, and so the attention always fell on Cora. It left Ivy to her own devices, forced to raise herself. At some point, something good happened, and she met Kyle. She ended up with him. He believed her to be better, for once she’d been chosen. But his faith that she could be great only made her hide her more devious side and try to cover who she was. The only real thing that brought out her kinder side was Eliza, her childhood friend who’d grown up in the Spanish castle with Ivy. She was the only one who treated Cora and Ivy equally, sometimes Ivy even a bit better. Even though she cared for Kyle, she still ended up betraying their relationship. The pressure of being who he thought she was became too much for her. And she cheated on him. With his brother Dylan. And she ended up becoming pregnant from it. Of course, she pretended it was Kyle’s, though a short few months in, she lost the baby. This dried up her last bit of soft side. While she still was fond of Eliza, no one else, she even broke up with Kyle. It was always the quick witted, cocky, bitchy remarks from her. She broke off everything with Kyle’s as brother as well. When her sister grew ill, and it became apparent she may become Queen, she was sent to Royal Pains to learn some grace and manners she just wasn’t taught because of her parent’s favoritism.

✗ Secret; Ivy was never pregnant with Kyle's kid, but with his brother.

「 Faceclaim: Nina Dobrev. 」

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Character quote: ❝Do you ever wonder what your life looks like through someone else’s eyes?❞

✗ — Name: Lena Marek. ✗ — Age: 19. ✗ — Kingdom: Poland. ✗ — Sexuality: Heterosexual.

— Personality; Most of the time Lena is a lovely person and wouldn’t harm a fly. She can be shy at times, but tries her hardest to break out of her comfort zone to make people feel welcomed. A certain air of elegance follows Lena around, and she tries to break away from it when she’s around others her ages. Sometimes she just wants to be a normal teenage and have fun but she’s always worried to disappoint those around her and knows that her parents would never approve of her having any form of fun if it didn’t fit into their idea of ‘the perfect daughter.’ Lena is capable of so much but often limits herself because she’s too afraid of judgement. During her blackouts, Lena is often known to act the complete opposite of how she usually is and can sometimes turn rather violent if she feels threatened. However, once she’s aware of her surroundings, she forgets about what she’s done and it angers her because she knows that she has done something.

— Biography; The pressure was almost always on Lena from her parents. They wanted her to be the picture of perfection. The power had been in their family’s hands through nearly every year that the monarchy had been established, and they had every intention of keeping the power within their family. However, there was a problem. A daughter of the Slyvinsky family, around the same age as Lena threatened their power. She had all the charm and love from the people. Whereas for Lena, no matter how hard she tried, how much effort she put into being perfect, things never seemed to come quite so easily to her. Her mother and father were always quick to judge Lena over any little mistake she ever made, and it was almost torturous. It was in her teens when Lena began to experience strange happenings. Chucks of her memory would go missing and she couldn’t understand why or what was happening. She was more then aware that she was doing something, various people had seen her in the time space she couldn’t remember. At first she thought it was just a one-time thing, but when it continued to happen Lena started to become concerned, especially when she was told she had been doing things very out of character. Lena had no choice but to tell her parents and once they were informed, they didn’t hesitate to send her away to get some help. They didn’t want to tarnish their perfect reputation. When Lena returned months later, her parents were hoisting the Laiton family. They were the current ruling royals and had decided to visit Poland since her mother got on well with the American queen. However, her parents were very judgemental when it came to the Laiton’s adopted son. He wasn’t as regal as they had hoped and forbid Lena from talking to him unless it was absolutely necessary. Not wanting to anger her parents, she did her best to keep away from Caine but it was hard when all he did was peak her interest. Just when Lena thought her black outs were a thing of the past, she started to realise that something was seriously wrong with her when a few months ago when two men attempted to rob her. One of her blackouts began to happen when two men attempted to rob her while she walked through town. However, before she could seriously harm one of them, Caine Laiton came to her aid. He managed to scare the men off and soothed Lena until she came back round. From that moment on Lena only trusted Caine and after he went back to America with his parents, she would often phone him after one of her blackouts and he would calm her down. She was doing well to keep her blackouts a secret from her parents but one night at dinner she had one and with no control of her own, she hit one of the guards serving them their food. Her father was furious and immediately packed her bags, telling Lena that she was to stay at royal pains until she could manage her blackouts but she’s not sure that can be done.

✗ Secret; Lena has temporary blackouts which affects her recollection of her time and memory, while she is aware she is doing things during these blackouts she doesn’t know what.

「 Faceclaim: Lili Reinhart 」

— Admin L.

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Character quote: ❝I’m tired of being careful, gentle, trying to keep the water warm, let me under your skin.❞

✗ — Name: Ariella Vierira. ✗ — Age: 21. ✗ — Kingdom: Brazil. ✗ — Sexuality: Bisexual.

— Personality; Ariella is exactly what you’d expect royalty to be. She’s the picture of elegance, grace and poise, knowing exactly what manners to use. She’s confident, outgoing, charming and has a natural sort of way that draws people in. For the longest time, she was also cold, manipulative, and even cruel. She would use her power to do horrible things, to party and bully others. She thought it was simply the way most royals were and remained mostly influenced by that. She got a wake-up call when her life changed. Her father’s death and her mother’s marriage to a commoner ended up being what drove her to change. She became humbler, down to earth and less spoiled. She often will try to still freeze out some emotions out of fear for the unknown feelings, but she’s more compassionate, friendly and open now. She’s done her best to become someone trustworthy.

— Biography; Ariella was the eldest daughter of the royalty in Brazil. They were one of the few families who’d married the other royal family of the country, so both had rights to the throne in Brazil. They were something of a power couple in Brazil. When Ariella was born, she was spoiled rotten by her father, and she never really knew well enough to second guess either of their behaviors or what they did. She always assumed they were good people, and the constant things she was showered with was enough to make her not see past it. She grew up to be completely entitled. She was a terror in school, to her little sister and the only person she ever truly would bow down to was her father. When she was sixteen, her father’s illegal dealings was exposed. He’d been funding multiple drug operations in Brazil, and had links to a nasty ring of criminals. There were all sorts of charges racked up. No amount of his money could get him out, and Ariella was left in complete confusion of what her life had been. She’d always assumed it was one thing when it turned out to be a complete other. She tried to stay loyal to her father, to be faithful to the family name. But more accusations painting him as a monster came forward, and she finally realized they were true. Only a few months later her father was murdered in prison, and while she had no blinders on to who he was, she cared about him still and mourned his death. It changed her, affected her in more ways than she was ready to admit. It wasn’t until her mother married the commoner that she decided to really make a change in her life. She started to work on becoming a better person, inspired by both her new step-father and by her growing attraction to her step-brother Quinn. She knew it was wrong, but seeing how good and moral he was, she too wanted to be like that. She wanted to be at least worthy of his love, even if she could never happened. She worked on turning her life around. It was hard, but she did her best. Shifting from the selfish, bullying, party girl to something kinder, better. It became too hard to resist Quinn, and they shared a night together. But after that he was distant, as if he was once more trying to separate from her. And then she found out he was going to Royal Pains. She tried to stay away, knowing it was better for them both. But only a few months after he left, she went to a party, purposely completely overdoing it so her mother had no choice but to send her away.

✗ Secret; Ariella has developed feelings for her step-brother Quinn.

「 Faceclaim: Camila Mendes. 」

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Character quote: ❝You're dripping like a saturated sunrise, you're spilling like an overflowing sink.❞

✗ — Name: Camila Delucia. ✗ — Age: 21. ✗ — Kingdom: Italy. ✗ — Sexuality: Heterosexual.

— Personality; Camila is very attuned with her emotional side. Unlike most people, she does her best to face her feelings, accept them at face value and try to understand and deal with them. Even though some feelings, like the question as to if she wanted to kill herself or not, triggers quite a bit of inner suffering. Sometimes she’s prone to suffer from random breakdowns, or even sudden random bouts of happiness or anger. She has a bad habit of overreacting and thinking the worse of a situation. It takes a lot to bring out her angry side, as she is simply a passive being. She believes in piece and gentle nature, of loving everyone for what they are and giving everything she can to be friendly and kind to all. Out of all things, Camila is one of the few people that could be trusted with someone’s life. She is known to be very trustworthy and keeps the secrets she’s asked to, respecting people’s privacy and personal lives.

— Biography; Camila's father had always been hard on her. He never really gave her a break even when she was little. She was always a decent student, but she never did extremely well or got top grades possible. This was what her father wanted from her, but the more he pushed, the less capable she became of giving him this. So this just meant he got harder he got on her, and it only diminished her confidence, which in turn made her drop far below average in academic ability and sports ability. Her mother, however, was the biggest influence and support in her life. Her mother was beautiful and gentle and kind. If Camila was ever upset or stressed, her mother would be the comfort in her life, her support and she was the only person in the world who made Camila feel as though she wasn't a complete failure. So, when Camila realised her mother had cancer, it devastated her. Her mother became very sick, very quick but rather than leaving her to deal with it alone, Camila refused to leave her mothers side. She slept in the same bed as her to make sure she was still there and when she died, Camila was the one there to hold her hand. It completely broke her heart witnessing her mothers death, but she refused to let her mother leave the world believing she as alone. Her father was to heart broken to witness the woman he loved grow weaker, but when she died, the King had no choice but to re marry so he could keep Italy together and his people satisfied. Camila's new step mother was cruel and blunt, so she didn't care about the girl's sadness over the death of her mother, she simply saw Camila’s mother as competition for the King’s affections, who clearly grieved for his wife. Between the harshness of her father, which had seemingly increased over the months since the death of Cam’s mother and the terrible nature of her step mother, Camila soon came to develop an eating disorder known as bulimia, one she hid well from others. She didn't want to be a problem to anyone, so she kept all of her negative feelings inside though she felt absolutely broken. One night, a few months after her mother's death Camila had a terrible head ache and took Advil to cure it. It was later revealed that she had taken far too much because she woke up in a hospital bed after her overdose. Her step mother was convinced that she tried to kill herself, and when the doctors confirmed that she was also struggling with bulimia, it only made it more believable to her father. Camila couldn't convince anyone that the overdose was an accident, so her father took away her rights to the throne and sent her to the Royal Pains house.

✗ Secret; She isn't sure if she took too many advil on purpose or on accident so she doesn't talk about it, despite the impending feeling's she kept inside about her dead mother.

「 Faceclaim: Selena Gomez. 」

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Character quote: ❝I will go to war in a red dress, trample your ashes in high heels, look for my lipstick stain on your collar when I lean forwards not to kiss you, but to whisper ‘I win’. ❞

✗ — Name: Calliope Arrilynn. ✗ — Age: 19. ✗ — Kingdom: Germany. ✗ — Sexuality: Bisexual.

— Personality; Calliope is damaged to say the least. After the woman who she’d been raised to think was her mother had tried to bring about her death twice, she’d learned to ice out most of her emotions and feelings towards other people to prevent anyone else from hurting her. The only true times she was ever known to show emotions was when she was really overwhelmed or when her parents were involved in a situation, as they were known to intimidate and scare her. Calliope always maintains a rather kept exterior, not a hair out of place. Even though she keeps this maintained way about her, often inside that’s where the real damage. Even if both emotionally and physically she seems stable she often relives the traumas of her life. She has deep seated trust issues that can only be born of a life of lies. Even with the icy walls put up she has rooted insecurities about not being good enough, which she hides by appearing to be shallow, vain and conceited. Calliope has a mischievous wild-side though and likes to get into trouble, something that’s grown stronger since she’s discovered she’s royalty. She doesn’t shy away from a good party, and is no stranger to charm, seduction and sex. Rarely, she’ll show her compassionate and kind side, but this is reserved to very few others. Mostly it takes a long time to crack into her rough exterior. Calliope can be controlling and neurotic, liking things planned to the very last detail. She’s manipulative, harsh, cold and cruel on many circumstances, and doesn’t shy away from being unkind to people. She’s very witty as well.

— Biography; Calliope had a complicated childhood. She was born in a hospital in Switzerland, one that was intended to specialize in particularly difficult births of wealthy families. Two families were there that day. One being a wealthy, but peasant born family, the Laity’s, and one being a family of royalty, one of the two main ruling families of Germany, the Arrilynn’s. They were due at the same time, in that same hospital. And while only one death happened, tragedy struck both families that day. Both the mother and child of the wealthy family were in critical condition so they had to operate immediately. The child, a daughter was on the very cusp of death. The royal family’s child was born in rough shape too, but not quite so bad. Both were moved to be held in intensive care however. The father of the small Laity child stayed in the hospital while the mother went back to America to try and get things ready for the baby’s transfer to the hospital there. It was there he witnessed the last few moments of his daughters life. He barely knew what he was doing, but he ended up switching the girl’s bracelets and tags on the incubators, as if the infant that had died was belonging to the Arrilynn’s. In a hurry, with tired overworked nurses, it worked. And sure enough, he took home the princess Calliope to his wife, and while the Arrilynn’s were crushed, the mother didn’t quite believe that the one who died was hers, not entirely. It was only when the autopsy came back and the blood type was wrong that they realized that somehow their daughter had been switched. Due to scrambles of files and the confusion of the nurses, nobody could find where their daughter could go. Calliope’s kidnapper, the man she called father, didn’t inform the woman played the role of her mother about what had happened and led her to believe Calliope was hers. And so she was raised by them. Things were okay for the first few years. Her mother always seemed to be distant, always having “headaches.” It was almost like she was avoiding Calliope. Her dad spoiled her though, taking as much care of her as he could in every way he could. Her mother became more abrasive and finally when Calliope eleven, her mother broke. She tried to kill her, stabbing her in the stomach, claiming that Calliope wasn’t hers. Calliope survived but not without a painful scarring that ran deeper than physically. Her mother was institutionalized and she was raised mostly by her father who took care of her. But he couldn’t undo the damage done. She had already begun hardening herself to the world. She made the conversion to a Queen Bee, school dominating type who partied and had fun, but also managed to seem like the perfect girl. When she was twenty, she was getting home late from a party only to find her father knocked out and her mother sitting in the living room. Once more, her life was attempted on and once more she barely made it out. The only miracle was that her mother fell after stabbing her and hit her head. During her surgery, they ran into problems because of her massive blood loss and discovered she couldn’t possibly be a child of the Laity’s after trying to type her father to donate. They found her DNA match while she was unconscious and recovering, only to find out that she was actually the Princess of Germany. When she woke up a week later after the event, she was in a hospital in Germany. The situation was explained to her by a police officer. She didn’t believe it, she couldn’t. But the DNA didn’t lie. Finally, she was forced to return to the house of the Arrilynn’s. She became Calliope Arrilynn, and she didn’t handle the transition well. Her mother, her real mother was even worse than her original mother, at least she’d had a cause. The woman was cold and harsh and had ridiculous expectations of Callie, constantly trying to sculpt her into what she believed the perfect royal to be. As for her father, he was creepy to say the least. Most times he almost reminded her of a man trying to woo a woman he was interested in. Callie rebelled but held onto her natural domineering attitude, while constantly trying to grapple for some control over her mother. That was when she found files explaining exactly why she’d ended up with the Arrilynn’s. It showed photos of her as early as sixteen, displaying that they did know she’d been out there the entire time. Upon more research and some manipulation, she found out the real reason for their bringing her back was because her mother could no longer get pregnant and they were desperate for an heir to the throne. They had no intention of making Callie this heir, but instead breeding Callie out to make one. She confronted her father first, as she figured he might break. That was when he made a move to bed her, telling her it was not unusual because he hadn’t raised her. She was disgusted, not having known the depths and lengths her parents had planned on going to with their breeding program they intended on. When a struggle ensued, Callie’s mother interrupted and had her briefly institutionalized in order to brainwash her. When she refused to give and broke out. Her mother thought the best place for her was the Royal Pains Estate.

✗ Secret; While the whole world knows of her being kidnapped, she often keeps the near murder attempts a secret as they are the root of a lot of her trauma. And even deeper than that, the true plans her birth parents had for her are something she buries deeper than anything, out of fear for what her mother will do.

「 Faceclaim: Madelaine Petsch. 」

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Character quote: ❝ So hold me fast, hold me fast, 'cause I'm a hopeless wanderer. ❞

✗ — Name: Breanna Chadwick. ✗ — Age: 20. ✗ — Kingdom: Spain. ✗ — Sexuality: Heterosexual.

— Personality; Breanna has a very innocent based personality. She’s got a childlike innocence about her that allows her to see the world in a way that most others don’t get too. She is very adventurous and carefree, she likes to draw the best that she possibly can out of life, trying to make up from all that was taken from her. Breanna has a habit of coming off as blunt and sometimes even rude, although it’s only because she really doesn’t know the difference, simply because she was never taught otherwise. She has a high protective instinct and looks after the few friends she has. Breanna regrets the death of her family and wants to avenge them somehow. She gets very sensitive and secretive about her time in the woods and refrains to talk about it to those around her.

— Biography; Breanna was born to a very loving family, both of her parents were considered a good royal family and she was possibly going to be the up and coming queen. However, any hope of that was shattered when it became very apparent that the Caballero’s had a full intention of taking over the throne once again. Their daughter Cora was much loved by the public. In an attempt to strike out the competition, assassins in favour of Cora becoming queen killed Breanna’s parents when she was eight, leaving her stranded in the woods. She was forced to survive off the land for those years, leaving her somewhat underdeveloped. This didn’t entirely slow down her mental growth, however it did leave her somewhat behind in several things which really started to bother her as she grew older. When she was eighteen, she was finally found. The people of Spain thought she had died along with her parents, and her body had never been found, so when she was brought back to her kingdom it was a shock for everyone who loved the Caballero family. She was taught the ways of life by royal advisors who tried to treat her lack of upbringing in royal or even normal society, yet she remained blunt, somewhat innocent to the ways of the world and could sometimes be mistaken for rude for those who didn’t know her story because she didn't really know how to act around others any more. Ten years being completely alone really effected Breanna's way of life. It was astonishing to everyone who heard the story, that the girl had managed survived ten years in the woods, especially since she was just a little girl when it happened. She was retaught as much as she could be, encouraged to be a princess in the classic way but it didn’t seem to go as smoothly as everyone hoped. Breanna didn't feel like a princess; she was a free spirit and didn't want to do what everyone was telling her. Not long after, the people who spear-headed the tragedy in her life, better known as the plane crash, were arrested as the plot was revealed. No one had suspected the story to unfold the way it did. Breanna was supposed to have been the one to die that night, and her parents would live, and that was meant to erase all chance of another ruler taking over. The vice versa happened and Breanna was left to deal with the consequences. Though she couldn't hardly remember them, she felt guilt for her parents death and since it has been revealed they were supposed to live, she blames herself. Though she could still be in the running for the future ruler of Spain, she didn't have a very strong chance, with her lack of royal experience so, in order to strengthen her claim to the throne, she was put in a forced engagement and sent to Royal Pains.

✗ Secret; Because of the knowledge revealed to her regarding the plot of her parents, she believes she is the reason they were murdered and blames herself.

「 Faceclaim: Shelley Hennig. 」

» ; ♛ ❮CLOSED❯

Character quote: ❝Way down we go.❞

✗ — Name: Aerie Witta. ✗ — Age: 28. ✗ — Kingdom: England. ✗ — Sexuality: Bisexual.

— Personality; Aerie is unpredictable, reckless and free-spirited. She’s not the type to be controlled and backed into corners. Most of this has come from the fact her childhood itself was very tightly managed, and she had little to no freedom to do things. Aerie has a deep compassion for her siblings, but hates the parents who abandoned her. She has a temper that is a great deal like that of Christian’s, and often loses control on it, lashing out at the people around her. Though until one of her temper flares up close, it’s hard to even recognize in her because of how rational, reasonable and logical she is in making most decisions. She’s very independent, something she learned in a life where the only one who truly looked out for her was herself. She’s curious and relentless in that curiosity, always wanting to know everything about a situation. She is a very compassionate individual in many ways, but often hides the truth of this, so she doesn’t get hurt. Aerie still suffers nightmares and severe post-traumatic stress disorder from her childhood.

— Biography; Aerie was born into the royal Levinson family of England. At first, she was much loved by her two parents to a degree, as much as she could be loved. Though it was all too clear her mother was always the one who loved her more. Her life started to go right to Hell when she was four. Her family had gone to Ireland, to visit her father’s sister and Aerie’s Aunt. It had been a fun trip so far, she barely even noticed how her Aunt appeared to be stressed. During the evening, she had woken early from her bed and had sought out to find her father or mother. She hadn’t had much luck finding her mother, but sure enough she found her father. Only when she did, it was on top of her Aunt, assaulting her. She did not understand what it meant at the time, she didn’t know why her Aunt was crying or what her father was doing, but she never forgot, as this one event changed her entire life. At first it seemed almost normal, for the week after that; her father showered her in gifts, even though he was clearly strained and nervous. But he kept asking her if she remembered. When she mentioned she did each time, he asked, she did not know how much trouble it would bring. Four weeks after the incident, she awoke to screaming, only in time to watch one of her guards being murdered. She tried to hide away, but she couldn’t. The last thing she fully remembered was sharp pain in her stomach. When she awoke, she was in a hospital, but she was not in England. She wasn’t sure where she was, but they kept calling her a strange name. Finally, when a woman came to take her home it was all explained to some degree. Her father had wanted her gone, so he’d pretended she’d went away to some other place, when really she was there. Those were the terms she’d gotten. At first the woman tried to be nice, but as Aerie insisted on going back to her family, the woman made it clear that would not happen. Rules only got stricter as she grew, and though she took the new name, she could not reject her history and the scar on her side from where she’d been stabbed reflected the truth in her memories. The more she insisted on being free, or remembering, the harsher the woman raising her got. She was beaten and abused, rarely ever allowed to leave the house and when she was it was while she was watched. It wasn’t until she was in her twenties that she finally got free from her constraints. She fought to get used to the world, eventually achieving what she wanted. Once she’d adjusted, she sought out all and any information she could on her family. She finally put together what it all meant, and why she did more research on her Aunt. It had taken almost every drop of money she had managed to steal or earn, but she learned that her father had been doing this to her aunt since they were teenagers and that the last assault had resulted in something dark, a pregnancy. The pregnancy of her aunt who was married to Ireland royalty had been revealed only two days before her attack, and though it had been revealed as her husband’s child, she knew the difference. She’d been attacked by her father to keep quiet, and the baby her aunt had delivered, Tomas, was her brother and cousin. It took almost another year to find a way to get to her siblings, but eventually found her in by getting a job as a cook in the Royal Pains Estate.

✗ Secret; Aerie is the secret sibling of Christian and Grayson. Her death was faked by her father when she was only a small child because she saw him assaulting her Aunt, the same assault that led to her Aunt’s pregnancy with Tomas.

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Character quote: ❝Happiness is a fragile thing.❞

✗ — Name: Selina Caspari. ✗ — Age: 21 ✗ — Kingdom: Switzerland. ✗ — Sexuality: Bisexual.

— Personality; Selina is a sweet, outspoken, funny girl. She often says things before she thinks them over in her mind but it usually just adds to her charm. Even though she had seen the worst in humanity, she remains optimistic and open. At times she can come across as dumb when in reality she’s very smart, with an IQ that was able to get her into any school she wanted. It doesn’t seem likely, but she is capable of giving tough love to people she cares about because she only wants what is best for everyone around her. Selina is an innocent soul and often tries to see the best in most people. Her friends are lucky because she is viciously loyal and would do anything she could to protect those she cares for.

— Biography; Selina was always a disappointment to her family. The black sheep that her parents just couldn’t get to abide by their rules. Her parents were very harsh and often restricted Selina from doing things other children were able to do. She wasn’t like most royals. She has always believed that everyone was an equal and never discriminated against someone simply because they were poor compared to her. Because of this she was friends with a lot of people her parents didn’t approve of and one of these friends went by the name Sebastian Munteanu. They only ever met once every couple of years since their families were rulers of different kingdoms. Her parents were always critical of his claiming that they weren’t fit enough for the royal crown because they acted like regular people and sent Sebastian to a public school. When they realized that Selina had become close to the boy they cut off contact with him until he turned eighteen and arrived back in Switzerland in hopes of joining their kingdoms together. The meeting with her parents didn’t go to plan but when Selina saw him again there was an instant attraction. After spending some time together behind her parent back, the couple started a secret relationship that ran for over a year without anyone finding out. Their relationship was later exposed by one of her maids after Selina accidentally left a pregnancy test in the bathroom. Since Selina’s parents never really got along well with the Munteanu family, her dad became infuriated when it was announced, at a gathering for his forty second birthday, that his only child had not only been having a secret relationship with the prince of Moldova, but she had actually fallen pregnant with Sebastian’s child. He made such a huge scene about it in the restaurant that all huge media outlets in Switzerland were alerted of the princess’s pregnancy. However, her father was determined to keep it a secret. Once they arrived back at home that night, he beat her so viciously that she miscarried. The next morning Selina woke up in bed and was informed by the news, a paper was sent out informing the kingdom that Selina had never even met Sebastian, and later on when she went to see him he had left. She had never felt so hurt or betrayed before so when he tried to make contact with her, Selina declined his calls and later blocked his number, hoping things would go back to the way they were before. That wasn’t the case. A few months later Selina noticed something different was happening to her body. She wasn’t getting her period at all. At first she demanded to see a new doctor claiming that she couldn’t have possibly lost the baby, but when another doctor was provided it was later determined that Selina was infertile and wouldn’t be able to carry any children of her own. Realizing it was the damage her dad had caused the night he found out of her pregnancy that caused her to be infertile she threatened to expose him. Threatened by his daughters behavior, the king soon sent Selina to royal pains under the false pretense that she had started to believe scenarios that weren’t real, Selina didn’t put up any arguments and was just happy to get away from her parents.

✗ Secret; After a recent check-up Selina was informed that she is infertile.

「 Faceclaim: Ashley Benson. 」

—Admin L.

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Character quote: ❝I’m so powerful I don’t need batteries to play.❞

✗ — Name: Piper Mykonos. ✗ — Age: 23. ✗ — Kingdom: Greece. ✗ — Sexuality: Heterosexual.

— Personality; Piper was the rebellious child of the Mykonos family. Her sister paled in comparison to her. Piper carried all traits everyone hated in a royal. And she didn’t care that they didn’t want her either, the idea of committing to ruling a kingdom frightened her, unlike anything else. She was ill mannered, blunt, without social graces, fierce, reckless, disobedient and resilient. She was one of the fires people just couldn’t put out or manage to tame. And while most people held her as reckless and everything dark about the royal lifestyle, she had a deeper substance than that. A protective nature and a deep loyalty that once earned could not be broken.

— Biography; Piper was the disgrace of her family. Her sister was known to be a little rebellious, but she had nothing on Piper. Piper was wild and reckless. She didn’t shy away from the tabloids and certainly didn’t quietly meet her mother’s high standards. The pressure she’d been put under from an early age had led to her rebelling in whatever way she possibly could. Whether it was drinking or using drugs, or sleeping around and making sure every wild acquisition was published in a magazine, she was her mother’s worse nightmare. Her mother decided there was one way to tame her and restore any sort of hope she had of gaining a good reputation, and that was through a marriage alliance. Without her consent, she had it arranged and shipped Piper off to Ireland to live with her husband to be. Perhaps it might have been different if the man had been nice, but no. Tomas was abusive and horrible. He was stuck in the old ways, believing women had no place but to serve men. And Piper’s disobedience infuriated him. It was just grabbing at first. But then it got a bit worse. It got to the point where she was covering up bruises daily. She ended up losing the will to fight back, until the night before the wedding. It hit her that they would be married for the rest of her life, that she’d be stuck with him. And so, she decided she had to get away. She plotted her escape, and ended up nearly getting out without being caught. Tomas found her though, he was furious. And so, to punish her he raped her. After that, she managed to knock him out and get away. She legally broke ties with him and tried to return to her mother. Her mother didn’t believe her when she told her what had happened. As revenge, she became more wild and reckless than ever, every little thing she did to spite her mother. Her mother had had enough and decided to send Piper away. She was brought to the Estate, where she learned she was pregnant, as a result of what Tomas had done to her no less.

✗ Secret; Her ex-fiancé sexually assaulted their before the wedding.

「 Faceclaim: Phoebe Tonkin. 」

» ; ♛ ❮CLOSED❯

Character quote: ❝ You don't own me, I'm not just one of your many toys. ❞

✗ — Name: Elena Bryne. ✗ — Age: 20. ✗ — Kingdom: Ireland. ✗ — Sexuality: Bisexual.

— Personality; Elena had started out as compassionate and loving. She was a protective, honourable sister and a perfect royal. She has always had a big heart and would do anything so see someone smile. It all changed after the assault. Her personality completely changed. She started by shutting everyone out, including her sister. She became irritable, cold and downright bitchy. Deep down Elena wanted ensure no one would ever be able to hurt her again, so she pushed them all away. She became jealous of her sister’s innocence and started to take everything out on her. Elena has learnt how to be manipulative to get her own way and finds it hard to trust anyone.

— Biography; Elena has always been known as the more outgoing one out of the Bryne siblings. She was even extremely friendly as a child and loving as she grew up. Starting out, her and her sister were very friendly with each other, they were never the best of friends, though, but they were friendly enough for the sake of the kingdom. Over time the girls quickly let their differences go and became friends for real, there was no pretending and they were close. Things soon started to change after Elena was sexually assaulted by a King, the King who later turned out to be the father of Ellie’s betrothed. Elena never imagined that he would do that to her, he was always friendly towards her but she just assumed that was because their two kingdoms would be coming together. She was misled by his actions and wished she had realised what his true intentions were at the start. After the assault, Elena's bubbly personality completely changed. She wasn't the same girl any more, she became irritable, bitchy, and colder towards everyone around her. She decided to ice everyone out, so she’d never be hurt again by anyone. She was too scared to let anyone close in fear of the same things happening to her. She lost a lot of people, but she tried not to let it effect her. The easiest way to not get her was to let no one love her. She started to bully her sister, jealous of the innocent demeanour she managed to keep while she was stuck dying on the inside. No one realised what had happened as Elena refused to talk about the assault. She feared no one would believe her or they would assume she was asking for it. She was only a teenager, and he took advantage of her but Elena's mind played tricks on her and wouldn't allow her to see that she was the victim. Besides, if she told anyone then she would have to relive it and all she wanted to do was forget. As she got older, her stress relief, her unhealthy stress relief started. She got depressed, not that she’d ever let anyone know, instead she just pretended as if she was still the Queen bee and the perfect royal to be. For a while, it was believable, no one questioned it at all. That was until her parents caught her self-harming once and since she hadn't told them what was wrong, they decided she might not be able to handle the stress of being Queen. They made it seem as if her sister would take over. To teach her how to deal with being royal, they sent her to Royal Pains, along with her sister.

✗ Secret; Elena was assaulted by a King and the father of the son Ellie was arranged to be married to, this caused her to start to self-harm.

「 Faceclaim: Crystal Reed. 」

#initiateprogram #unavailablefemales

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garywonghc · 6 years

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Real Happiness

by Sharon Salzberg

Meditation is essentially a way to train our attention so we can be more aware of both our inner workings and what’s happening around us. It’s straightforward and simple, but it isn’t easy.

People have been transforming their minds through meditation for thousands of years. Every major world religion includes some form of contemplative exercise, though today meditation is often practised apart from any belief system. Meditation may be done in silence and stillness, by using voice and sound, or by engaging the body in movement. All forms emphasise the training of attention.

“My experience is what I agree to attend to,” the pioneering psychologist William James wrote at the turn of the twentieth century. “Only those items I notice shape my mind.” At its most basic level, attention — what we allow ourselves to notice — literally determines how we experience and navigate the world. The ability to summon and sustain attention is what allows us to job hunt, juggle, learn math, make pancakes, aim a cue and pocket the eight ball, protect our kids, and perform surgery. It lets us be discerning in our dealings with the world, responsive in our intimate relationships, and honest when we examine our own feelings and motives. Attention determines our degree of intimacy with our ordinary experiences and contours our entire sense of connection to life.

The content and quality of our lives depend on our level of awareness — a fact we are often not aware of. There’s an old story, usually attributed to a Native American elder, that’s meant to illuminate the power of attention. A grandfather imparting a life lesson to his grandson tells him, “I have two wolves fighting in my heart. One wolf is vengeful, fearful, envious, resentful, deceitful. The other wolf is loving, compassionate, generous, truthful, and serene.” The grandson asks which wolf will win the fight. The grandfather answers, “The one I feed.”

But that’s only part of the picture. True, whatever gets our attention flourishes, so if we lavish attention on the negative and inconsequential, they can overwhelm the positive and the meaningful. But if we do the opposite, refusing to deal with or acknowledge what’s difficult and painful, pretending it doesn’t exist, then our world is out of whack. Whatever doesn’t get our attention withers — or retreats below conscious awareness, where it may still affect our lives. In a perverse way, ignoring the painful and the difficult is just another way of feeding the wolf. Meditation teaches us to open our attention to all of human experience and all parts of ourselves.

Meditation is pragmatic, the psychological and emotional equivalent of a physical training program: If you exercise regularly, you get certain results — stronger muscles, denser bones, increased stamina. If you meditate regularly, you also get certain results, including greater calm, and improved concentration and more connection to others. But there are other rewards.

You’ll begin to spot the unexamined assumptions that get in the way of happiness.

These assumptions we make about who we are and the way the world works — what we deserve, how much we can handle, where happiness is to be found, whether or not positive change is possible — all greatly influence how and to what we pay attention.

I was reminded of how assumptions can get in our way when I visited the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., to view a work of art by a sculptor friend. Eagerly I checked every room, peered at every display case and pedestal — no sculpture. Finally I gave up. As I headed for the exit, I glanced up — and there was her beautiful piece. It was a bas-relief hanging on the wall, not the freestanding statue I’d expected; my assumptions had put blinders on me and almost robbed me of the experience of seeing what was really there — her amazing work. In the same way, our assumptions keep us from appreciating what’s right in front of us — a stranger who’s a potential friend, a perceived adversary who might actually be a source of help. Assumptions block direct experience and prevent us from gathering information that could bring us comfort and relief, or information that, though saddening and painful, will allow us to make better decisions.

Here are some familiar assumptions you might recognise: We have nothing in common. I won’t be able to do it. You can’t reason with a person like that. Tomorrow will be exactly like today. If I just try hard enough, I’ll manage to control him/her/it/them. Only big risks can make me feel alive. I’ve blown it; I should just give up. I know just what she’s going to say, so I don’t really need to listen to her. Happiness is for other people, not me. Statements like these are motivated by fear, desire, boredom, or ignorance. Assumptions bind us to the past, obscure the present, limit our sense of what’s possible, and elbow out joy. Until we detect and examine our assumptions, they short-circuit our ability to observe objectively; we think we already know what’s what.

You’ll stop limiting yourself. When we practice meditation, we often begin to recognise a specific sort of conditioned response — previously undetected restrictions we’ve imposed on our lives. We spot the ways we sabotage our own growth and success because we’ve been conditioned to be content with meagre results. Meditation allows us to see that these limits aren’t inherent or immutable; they were learned and they can be unlearned — but not until we recognise them. (Some common limiting ideas: She’s the smart one, you’re the pretty one. People like us don’t stand a chance. Kids from this neighbourhood don’t become doctors.) Training attention through meditation opens our eyes. Then we can assess these conditioned responses — and if parts of them contain some truth, we can see it clearly and put it to good use; if parts of them just don’t hold up under scrutiny, we can let them go.

You’ll weather hard times better. Meditation teaches us safe ways to open ourselves to the full range of experience — painful, pleasurable, and neutral — so we can learn how to be a friend to ourselves in good times and bad. During meditation sessions we practice being with difficult emotions and thoughts, even frightening or intense ones, in an open and accepting way, without adding self-criticism to something that already hurts. Especially in times of uncertainty or pain, meditation broadens our perspective and deepens our sense of courage and capacity for adventure. Here’s how you get braver: little by little. In small, manageable, bearable increments, we make friends with the feelings that once terrified us. Then we can say to ourselves, I’ve managed to sit down, face some of my most despairing thoughts and my most exuberantly hopeful ones without judging them. That took strength; what else can I tackle with that same strength? Meditation lets us see that we can accomplish things we didn’t think ourselves capable of.

You’ll rediscover a deeper sense of what’s really important to you. Once you look beneath distractions and conditioned reactions, you’ll have a clearer view of your deepest, most enduring dreams, goals, and values.

You’ll have a portable emergency resource. Meditation is the ultimate mobile device; you can use it anywhere, anytime, unobtrusively. You’re likely to find yourself in situations — having a heated argument at work, say, or chauffeuring a crowd of rambunctious kids to a soccer game — when you can’t blow off steam by walking around the block, hitting the gym, or taking a time-out in the tub. But you can always follow your breath.

You’ll be in closer touch with the best parts of yourself. Meditation practice cultivates qualities such as kindness, trust, and wisdom that you may think are missing from your makeup but are actually undeveloped or obscured by stress and distractions. Meditation practice gives us the chance to locate these qualities so we can access them more easily and frequently.

You’ll recapture the energy you’ve been wasting trying to control the uncontrollable. I once led a retreat in California during a monsoon like rainstorm. It’s so soggy and unpleasant that people aren’t going to have a good retreat, I thought. I felt bad for the participants; in fact, I felt responsible. For a few days I wanted to apologise to everybody for the rain until a thought flickered: Wait a minute. I’m not even from California; I’m from Massachusetts. This isn’t my weather. This is their weather. Maybe they should apologise to me! And then the voice of deeper wisdom arose: Weather is weather. This is what happens.

We’ve all had weather moments — times when we’ve felt responsible for everyone’s good time or well-being. It’s our job, we think, to fix the temperature and humidity, or the people around us (if we could only get our partner to quit smoking, consult a map, stick to a diet). We even think we’re capable of totally controlling our own emotions — I shouldn’t ever feel envious, or resentful, or spiteful! That’s awful! I’m going to stop. You might as well say, “I’m never going to catch a cold again!” Though we can affect our physical and emotional experiences, we can’t ultimately determine them; we can’t decree what emotions will arise within us. But we can learn through meditation to change our responses to them. That way we’re spared a trip down a path of suffering we’ve travelled many times before. Recognising what we can’t control (the feelings that arise within us; other people; the weather) helps us have healthier boundaries at work and at home — no more trying to reform everyone all the time. It helps us to stop beating up on ourselves for having perfectly human emotions. It frees energy we expend on trying to control the uncontrollable.

You’ll understand how to relate to change better — to accept that it’s inevitable and believe that it’s possible. Most of us have a mixed, often paradoxical attitude toward change. Some of us don’t think change is possible at all; we believe we’re stuck forever doing things the way we’ve always done them. Some of us simultaneously hope for change and fear it. We want to believe that change is possible, because that means that our lives can get better. But we also have trouble accepting change, because we want to hold on permanently to what’s pleasurable and positive. We’d like difficulties to be fleeting and comfort to stick around.

Trying to avoid change is exhausting and stressful. Everything is impermanent: happiness, sorrow, a great meal, a powerful empire, what we’re feeling, the people around us, ourselves. Meditation helps us comprehend this fact — perhaps the basic truth of human existence, and the one we humans are most likely to balk at or be oblivious to, especially when it comes to the biggest change of all: Mortality happens, whether we like it or not. We grow old and die. (In the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata, a wise king is asked to name the most wondrous thing in the universe. “The most wondrous thing in the entire universe,” he says, “is that all around us people are dying and we don’t believe it will happen to us.”) Meditation is a tool for helping us accept the profound fact that everything changes all the time.

Meditating offers a chance to see change in microcosm. Following our breath while observing how thoughts continually ebb and flow can help us realise that all elements of our experience are in constant flux. During a meditation session, it’s natural to go through many ups and downs, to encounter both new delights and newly awakened conflicts that have bubbled up from the unconscious mind. Sometimes you tap into a wellspring of peace. Other times you might feel waves of sleepiness, boredom, anxiety, anger, or sadness. Snatches of old songs may play in your head; long-buried memories can surface. You may feel wonderful or awful. Daily meditation will remind us that if we look closely at a painful emotion or difficult situation, it’s bound to change; it’s not as solid and unmanageable as it might have seemed. The fear we feel in the morning may be gone by the afternoon. Hopelessness may be replaced by a glimmer of optimism. Even while a challenging situation is unfolding, it is shifting from moment to moment, varied, alive. What happens during meditation shows us that we’re not trapped, that we have options. Then, even if we’re afraid, we can find a way to go on, to keep trying.

This is not a Pollyanna sentiment that everything will be just fine, according to our wishes or our timetable. Rather it is an awakened understanding that gives us the courage to go into the unknown and the wisdom to remember that as long as we are alive, possibility is alive. We can’t control what thoughts and emotions arise within us, nor can we control the universal truth that everything changes. But we can learn to step back and rest in the awareness of what’s happening. That awareness can be our refuge.

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bloodroyalsrpg · 6 years

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CONGRATULATIONS, JEN!

You have been accepted for the role of ISLE OLLIVANDER. ”she was no earthquake, she wasn’t even a rock unless you needed someone to lean on” sold us one thousand percent. From start to finish this application was absolutely beautiful. We love all the way that you expanded on her personality, her values, and especially on her relationships. There’s a common misconception that kind, introverted characters are boring but your Isle’s quiet resolve, artistic empathy, and conscious effort to see beyond the blinders of her own privlidged upbringing are thoroughly and undeniably fascinating. We look forward to seeing how she grows into her own over the course of the game. Please look at the CHECKLIST for next steps. Welcome to Blood Royals!

♕ I: OUT OF CHARACTER ♕

NAME / ALIAS: Jen

♕ II: CHARACTER INFORMATION ♕

FULL NAME: Isle Hemera Ollivander

Isle – a diminutive of Elisabeth which ended up being something of a compromise between her half-German mother and British father when one wanted a classic name and the other wanted a name that would be remembered other than just her surname.

Hemera - the primordial Greek goddess of daylight and her mother’s name.

Ollivander - means ‘he who owns the olive wand’, suggesting a Mediterranean origin.

FACECLAIM: I’d like to change her fc to Laura Harrier please!

DATE OF BIRTH: March 14th, 1952, Pisces

Pisces are selfless, they are always willing to help others, without hoping to get anything back. Pisces is a Water sign and as such this zodiac sign is characterized by empathy and expressed emotional capacity. Ravenclaw Pisceans spend so much time dreaming or reading books of legends that it’s a wonder they ever come down to earth. Care must be taken that they do not neglect their material needs, including those that involve sleep, food, and drink. They are quiet students, not always the best in their classes, but tend to be brilliant at subjects which they are personally interested in. Shy and nervous, they are easily bullied or intimidated, and need some looking after by more assertive students.

HOGWARTS HOUSE & YEAR: Ravenclaw, 1963 - 1970. Isle was a hat stall, with The Sorting Hat torn between Hufflepuff for her soft heart and longing to belong, and Ravenclaw for her natural curiosity and fascination with just about everything. In the end it took her own decision into account with her hoping that a house that challenged her more might help her reach the heights her parents hoped for.

GENDER & PRONOUNS: Isle identifies as female and uses she/her pronouns.

SEXUALITY / SHIPS / ANTI-SHIPS: Panromanic, demisexual. Isle has an almost whimsical nature about her at times, the idea of romance something she holds very dear to her heart when it was always so lacking in her parent’s lives. Her soft heart means that she finds herself getting easily attached to people and she has more than a knack for finding something good and worth admiring in almost everyone she means. This means that she is almost constantly drifting in and out of love (in all its varying forms) with those around her but she can never quiet allow herself to be so free with intimacy when to her it should be something special and far from gratuitous.

My main ship for Isle would be her with chemistry (although the idea of her and Corban is so interesting to me and so much could be done with that. Opposites attract is my kryptonite so I have a lot to say but don’t want to babble or get ahead of myself XD I also think her feelings for Royalle could go either way as well) and of course that means that my anti-ship for her would be no chemistry.

OCCUPATION: Wandkeeper and assistant wandmaker to her Great-Uncle at Ollivanders.

ALLIANCE: Neutral. She’s doing her best to remain balanced between the two groups, avoiding too much talk of the war and its sides even if she is more sympathetic towards the Order.

POLITICAL VIEWS: Her parents are immensely proud of their pureblood status and what it means for them in their society and some of that pride rubbed off on Isle at an early age. It wasn’t until later that she started to question just what exactly made her apparently so much better than those who weren’t members of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. But even now, their lessons are hard to unlearn and she finds herself having to apply compassion to ensure that she’s seeing the situation for what it is rather than what she’s told to see. But for the most part, Isle tries to distance herself from politics when it’s such a divisive subject and there doesn’t seem to be an answer that two people can agree on to any topic. So while The Order might tug on her heartstrings more, Isle is determined not to take sides when everyone she knows seems to be being pulled in different directions.

KNOWN FACTS:

Despite being something of a wallflower, Isle rather enjoys all the balls she’s encouraged to go to due to the fact the her natural delicateness lends itself rather well to being a good dancer.

While his uncle is renowned for his wandmaking skills, Isle’s father Gerrell Ollivander chose not to pursue the same career and instead forged a name for himself in the Wizengamot. His known to be a hard man to appease when he feels as though the law has been broken but there’s whispers that he is far more sympathetic to those who share the same level of blood purity as he does.

Her mother has one of the finest personal collections of wizarding antiques in Great Britain and perhaps Europe. It was a tradition started by her mother and some of the pieces date as far back as Medieval times. The collection is her pride and joy and it’s little secret that she speaks more fondly of it than her own daughter.

Isle is making something of a reputation for herself in the wand-making trade with her designs gaining in popularity with each one she completes. She might not be able to match the speed of her great uncle but the wands that she creates are so beautifully and intricately carved that it’s almost obvious that each is a labour of love.

BOGGART: Ollivander’s burning, all of her hard work and the one place she felt she truly belonged being taken away from her.

AMORTENTIA: first scent is warm, rich and comforting - hot chocolate with smooth undertones of hazelnut. She smells pine - fresh and clear - reminding her of cool autumn days and hours spent in amongst wands. The last scent is dark and smokey, heady and intoxicating, out of place yet soothing all at once. It almost makes her want to abandon the other two familiar scents altogether.

PERSONALITY TRAITS: At least four detailed personality traits

Trusting and naïve - her ability to seek and believe the best in people is both one of her greatest assets and biggest weakness. Gossip is something she hears but rarely pays any attention to, preferring to instead to make her own decisions about whether a person is good or bad. Despite being empathetic and sympathetic, she tends to take people at their word and at face value, making her very easy to deceive and lull into a false sense of security.

Adroit and hardworking - Her natural understanding of wands is perhaps something that it could be argued she inherited but Isle prefers to see it as a combination of natural talent along with her desire to learn as much about it as possible. Once she starts working on something, she’s almost always adverse to stopping until it’s finished and keeping people waiting. As far back as her time at Hogwarts she used to pour all her time and energy into studying and her own personal research with little concern for anything else. Even now she has a habit of losing herself in her work, time passing without her noticing and all other necessities forgotten about.

Compassionate and selfless - there’s no other way of putting it, Isle is just softhearted. Other people affect her deeply and she without fail will always want to help them with anything that’s troubling them. She will always make herself available to those who reach out even at the expense of her own time and even health. It’s where she feels most at ease around other people and she’d by far rather be the listener than the sharer.

Artistic and imaginative - her designs are truly something to behold, sketches coming to her at all times of the day and night as she find inspiration in the smallest, simplest of things. She has a tendency to be a dreamer, to let reality slip away just enough so that she’s living in the ideal world where tensions aren’t rising and everything is at risk.

Shy and unsure - while Isle doesn’t necessarily think lowly of herself and knows that she has her strengths, she struggles to believe that they lend themselves well to life or success in the society that she was born into. With her own parent’s disinterest, she feels as though everyone else might eventually come to the same conclusion about her and it makes her hesitant in conversation in the hopes to delay their decisions a little longer.

Curious and inquisitive: might have struggled to always perform well under the stress of tests but there’s no denying that the young woman still has a thirst for knowledge. It might not be for anything particularly academic but if it catches her interest then without a doubt she’ll have bought two books on the subject within the hour. She has an almost constant sense of wonder at the world and feels as though her interest curiosity will never be sated.

SPECIAL SKILLS: While Isle will be quick to claim that it’s nothing but a simple indulgence in her free time, she’s quite a talented piano player which dates back to lessons that her parents used to pay for for her and a love of music that quickly followed. Though perhaps not the most clinical with her technique, her light touch and the feeling that she pours into each piece make up for what she might lack technically.

BIOGRAPHY:

Born to two proud Slytherins whose ambition and need for advancement seemed to know no bounds, Isle never quite possessed the same iron-hearted will that they did. Instead she inherited her mother’s looks and took her father’s name but remained all together more soft than they had hoped for. A difficult childbirth meant that she was to remain sibling-less and though she never failed to do everything she could to please her parents and be the pureblooded princess they wanted her to be, they grew more and more disinterested and distant with every bird she tried to save or poor soul her eyes filled with pity for. Their high hopes would never be realised and for that disappointment alone they threw themselves into their work, leaving their daughter either in the care of family - mainly her great uncle where she spent hours enraptured by his work with wands- or the house elves.

With every year it became obvious that she’d never have the qualities needed to shake up society and progress to the very top. She was no earthquake, she wasn’t even a rock unless you needed someone to lean on. Instead the daughter of Hemera and Gerrell Olivander’s daughter was more like water, calming and soothing but with hidden depth most people never saw when her quiet demeanour was only the surface. But just as it became more obvious to her parent’s that she wasn’t what they’d wanted, Isle herself began to see that neither of them were truly happy. Their marriage was one of convenience, two like minds joining together to conquer what they could, and while they knew how to put on a good face as much as the next Pureblood, behind closed doors it was painfully obvious to her that even if they accomplished their goals they’d never be truly happy or satisfied. It seemed like a hollow way to live any way.

Vows were made to her younger self to not become the shadows of people that her parents were, to keep some sort of love and hope to light her life and prevent her from following the same path that they did. From the moment that she entered the Great Hall, Isle was almost convinced that she’d end up in Hufflepuff with her parents convinced of the same thing and almost despairing of the idea that their offspring had fallen so far away from them. Except she managed to surprise them all when her quiet intelligence and natural curiosity earned her a place in Ravenclaw. From that moment on her parents stood a little taller when they claimed her as theirs and began to take some sort of interest in her once again which she welcomed though was hesitant to let herself become too reliant on their attention.

The rest of her time at Hogwarts was characterised by her unassuming way of going about her work, the hours that she used to have to spend in the library to keep up with her peers mostly going unnoticed. She kept herself under the radar - despite her parents urging to put herself out there more - but still managed to garner herself something of a reputation for being the best listener and shoulder cry on, always more than happy to be there for anyone who needed her. But as her final year approached, she found herself worrying about what she would do with her future. It wasn’t until she spent the Easter break working with her uncle as she had taken to doing since she was fourteen while her parents jetted off elsewhere, that an offer was made by him for her to come and work with him after she finished her studies. With that weight off her shoulders Isle was able to focus on her final year and achieve the grades that she wanted. The day after her last day she had little hesitation in going to see her great uncle and she’s been working there ever since with long says surrounded by wood and cores only broken up by the events her parents still urge her to go to unless one of her friends pulls her away to have some fun every once in a while.

CONNECTIONS:

Royalle – the other woman is a force to be reckoned with and Isle almost envies her that ease within herself but she’s never been one for negative feelings so instead all she has for the other woman is admiration and a sense of love. While Royalle seems to rely on her for support, Isle relies on her for company, though she’d never voice it out loud. There are days when she doesn’t know what she’d do without the other girl who helps her feel more at ease in her own skin and she’s always thankful that she chose her to be her friend.

Corban - his reputation means little to her when she’s always liked to make her own mind up about people and never judge until she knows them. Almost deaf to the rumours, Isle is instead draw to him for reasons she can’t explain. There’s more to him than meets the eye, of that much she’s certain, and it peaks her curiosity and empathy enough that she’s been unable to forget their interaction even if she’s far too hesitant to think of starting up a conversation again.

Garrick Ollivander - he’s the man who gave her a place to feel as though she had some sort of calling in life. Something useful and endlessly engrossing so that she could make peace with the idea that she was never going to follow in her parents’ footsteps. But she’s still able to stick to her family’s roots, just not with the inheritance most expected but it’s a chance she’ll always be grateful for.

♕ III: FREESTYLE ♕

I’ve created a mockblog here that has a few of these things on it as well as a few inspiration posts!

#accepted #isle ollivander

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