#freya ula

CHARACTERS:

♝ Freya Ula (pov) ♝ Eugene Salles

TIMELINES:

approx. 815 AA (global timeline)

word count: 1.9k

Freya: [minding her own business, studying in the library like she'd been the last time she ran into him]

Gene: [purposely came in just to see her]

Gene: [and, of course, his powerful Chaos aura gives away his presence]

Freya: —

Freya: [tensing slightly, quickly looks up]

Gene: [forces gives a soft smile as their eyes meet across the room]

Freya: [tenses even more—]

Freya: [subconsciously remembering how ill she'd felt after their first encounter. Figures it was because of him for one reason or another and is not looking forward to it happening again]

Gene: [still heading over; voice as careful as always) "—ah. I was hoping to come across you again. Frey, right?"

Freya:

Freya: (cautiously) "… yeah."

Gene: [smile turns a bit apologetic, but he stops at her table]

Gene: (gently) "may I sit down? I'd like to speak with you about something."

Freya: ,,,

Freya: [chews the inside of her lip slightly, looking away

Freya: (trying to sound dismissive, but awkwardness leaking through) "yeah. Sure. Whatever."

Gene: [pulls out a chair to sit down across from her; saying all the while) "thank you."

Gene: [takes a slight, deep breath, reflexively summoning his definitely-not-rubix-cube mental shield puzzle and awkwardly fidgeting with it]

Freya: [looks to him with the movement]

Freya: ,,,,,

Gene: [except, at the same time, awkwardly looked away himself]

Gene: [still fidgeting as he stares into space himself; carefully) "—right, so. I figure proper introductions are in order."

Puzzle-ball: [click]

Gene: [seemingly ignorant of it, finally looks back over to her with another forced, slightly-awkward smile on his face]

Gene: (a hint of awkwardness in his voice) "as I said before, my name is Gene. I didn't lie. However… I'll have you know I'm an avatar of Magic. The Existential God of Magic."

Freya:

Gene: [slightly quirks an eyebrow at her] "I don't think I have to explain the concept of 'avatars' to you, do I?"

[Small narrative explanation of it if not explained before in the story; Freya would know of Soren as an avatar of one of her hometown's local gods]

Freya: (quietly, caution clear) "… no."

Gene: [gives a slight, curt nod, awkwardly looking away to stare past her ear]

Gene: (carefully) "right. Well, as you can probably imagine, I'm powerful. I have quite a few…" [click] "—relatively unheard of magics myself."

Freya: ,,,,,,,,,,,,

Freya: [knows he's leading into something and NOT excited to find out what it is, especially with his clear awkwardness… especially compared to his apparent collectedness with their first meeting]

Gene: [eyes flicking to meet hers; matter-of-factly) "in short: I'm a telepath. As I figure you don't know what that is—"

Freya: [doesn't]

Gene: "—I'll explain. It means I'm capable of reading people's minds. Hearing their thoughts."

Freya: ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Gene: [looks away again—this time completely—and tilts his head to the side as though deep in thought as he continues evenly) "—including many other things, but. Point is:" [takes another slight deep breath, then turns to meet her eyes again] "—I can also see memories."

Freya:

Puzzle-ball: [click] :)

Gene: [still seeming completely ignorant of it; matter-of-factly) "—and, as one of Magic's avatars, I'm extremely sensitive to magic. So. One of the first things I noticed about you was the immense amount of memory-altering magic wrapped around you."

Freya:

Gene: [takes a slow, deep breath, completely looking away again]

Ball: [click!]

Freya: [clenches her jaw, glancing away for a moment as she struggles to keep her cool and focus on what he's saying]

Gene: (voice ever-so-slightly uneven and thick) "I'm not going to lie to you, Freya. I approached you because I was curious about it, and wanted to figure out why it was there. If it was there for a good reason or not, and to 'fix' it if that wasn't the case."

Gene: [pauses for just a moment—]

Freya: (cautiously) "… it's been months. Why didn't you come here sooner."

Gene:

Gene: [fingers stilling on the puzzle, looks to her with an eyebrow lifted as though to ask: 'did you seriously just ask me that?']

Gene: (a slight edge to his otherwise-even voice) "you weren't here for a while. And I was busy. I'm often travelling all over the world. I'm an avatar, and I have my own life. This was the soonest I've seen you since I've decided to tell you, and I had something to take care of before I wanted to address it with you. I've taken care of it."

Freya:

Freya: [oops, fighting tears, but flexes her jaw from repressed anger—]

Gene: (the edge to his voice growing clearer) "Now. Do you have any other questions?"

Freya:

Freya: that is so, 100%, a threat :')

Freya: [remembering and re-recognizing his immense magical aura; answers cautiously) "… no."

Gene: [nods slightly, eyes dropping under her ear again and voice returning to matter-of-fact) "right."

Gene: [takes another slight deep breath, his eyes dropping to the ball he's been fidgeting with]

Gene:

Gene: (to himself) ah. When did I bring this out? :')

Gene: [and takes a deeper breath, closing his eyes for a moment, before looking away and returning to fidgeting]

Gene: (voice slightly tense) "obviously, I've come to the decision to tell you about it. And long story short—"

Ball: [click] :)

Freya: [eye twitches, but forces herself to close her eyes and take a deeeeeeeeep breath]

Gene: "—you have magic altering two 'kinds' of memories, clearly by two different people."

Freya: [irritation dying away and blood going cold, hesitantly looks back at him]

Gene: [still not looking at her. Has his face turned away from hers, subtly pinched, and is staring blankly into the distance]

Gene: (only having paused for a moment, continues) "The first kind: mostly early childhood. They're changing memories. They're less serious, but I figure you'd still like to know about it. Then, the second kind. They're…"

Gene: [falls silent, chewing his lip slightly as he struggles for words]

Freya: [silent, waiting for him to continue and really not sure how to take all of this—] 😰

Ball: [click] ;D

Gene: [takes a slight deep breath before continuing) "… they're hiding memories. Repressing them so you cannot acknowledge them. Well—" head tilts to the side again "—technically some of them are a mixture of both, but…"

Gene: [sighs, then finally meets her eyes again]

Gene: [hints of defeatedness on his face, but voice as neutral as before if not slightly tired) "some of them were from the first person. Once again, less serious, but still something I'm certain you'd like to know. The fact that they were changed—the implications—are more serious than the contents themselves."

Gene: [slight pause—]

Freya: [swallows, then gives a hesitant nod] 😅😰

Gene: [gives a weak, slightly-forced smile, then averts his eyes again]

Ball: [click] :)

Gene: "… then there's the last bit. From a different person, someone I hesitate to refer to as a 'person'… more from h—their behavior than their… status."

Gene: [hesitates slightly, then continues] "these memories are incredibly serious, completely concealed very well. They will change a lot if you choose to know them, and I want to warn you."

Gene: [meets her eyes again]

Freya: [has a lump forming in her throat; very nervous about what all this would mean]

Gene: (voice as serious and somber as the subject itself) "remembering these things—all of them, not just the last ones—can lead to some personality changes. They will cause revelations that might change your opinions of people you know and cause some incredible complications in your life. This is some serious stuff, that will have a massive impact on your life."

Freya:

Freya: swallows :')

Gene: [silent for a second, face twisting as he glances away—]

Ball: [clicks!] :)

Gene: [sighs slightly, shoulders slumping as he drops eyes to her chest—]

Freya:

Gene: [—then his eyes widen, cheeks flush pink, and he quickly looks under her ear again]

Gene: (quickly, wincing slightly as he stutters) "s-so, I'm he-here to mak-e you an of-offer."

Gene: [hesitantly meets her eyes again, taking a slight deep breath]

Gene: (seriously, words slowing, but still slightly accelerated) "I can re-move th-those en-chant-ments on you, l-letting those memories return to you. They will hit you full-force, and you will re-remember long-re-repressed things of variable importance. Wo-uld you like to remember anything?"

Freya:

Freya: [shocked. Didn't think he'd actually be able to remove them, but thought he'd just be telling her… which she wouldn't fully trust in general, especially because he could have any number of ulterior motives]

Freya: (to herself) … but he's also a—what, a "telepath"? Who's to say he wouldn't be faking them in general?

Gene: (at the same time, more carefully) "I can release any of the three kinds—"

Freya: … and who's to say he's not in my mind right now?

Gene: [is, in fact, in her mind]

Gene: [—comes to a sudden stop]

Gene:

Freya: (mostly to herself, but knowing he can hear) so that's a yes. >;'D

Gene: [sighs, looking up, seemingly rolling his eyes]

Gene: (cautiously) "… yes, I'm in your mind. T-to be honest: faking memories is incredibly complex, and not s-something I'd b-bother with for s-someone like you."

Gene: [drops his eyes to her, eyebrows raised slightly and hints of irritation on his face; an edge to his voice) "I'll be blunt: you're not that important. I'm being kind by doing this for you. I have countless other things I could be doing right now, but instead, I'm here to unlock memories that have nothing to do with me."

Gene: [flexes his jaw slightly, then gives an ominous, angry-looking smile]

Gene: (voice harsh and yet matter-of-fact) "you are but a simple girl with nothing to your name but a fortune. I work for one of the most powerful gods in Existence. There's literally nothing you could offer me, and no reason for me to bother with faking anything for you."

Gene: [warps out of his chair, instead teleporting to his feet behind it. Has his cane cradled between his hands as he leans forward on it, staring down at her intensely]

Gene: (harshly) "You are D-tier at best and I am a B-tier who can take on S-es. I'm sure you might have no idea what that means, so let me put this into words you can understand."

Gene: [tilts his head to the side, face slowly twisting in bitter rage as he continues) "While I am far from the most powerful being in Existence, I can battle them and escape unscathed. You are a simple girl with delusions of grandeur. Stop assuming everyone else 'has it out for you' when you mean nothing."

Freya:

Freya: [whoops, stunned—]

Gene: [face flattening and voice evening out) "I have no reason to 'fake' anything for you. It is a kindness I am offering you. So, last chance: would you like me to unlock any of these memories for you?"

Gene: [takes a slight deep breath, eyes closing as he leans back and his cane disappears for the ball again]

Ball: [clicks as he continues, making visibly Gene ease up]

Gene: [slowly returns his eyes to her. His voice evening out again, starting only subtly thick) "I can remove any or all of the three: early childhood changed, most of your life repressed and changed, and/or the recent, completely repressed. Would you like any of them removed?"

Freya:

Freya: [swallows, trying not to think about—]

Gene: (harshly) "You are a simple girl with delusions of grandeur."

Freya: [closes her eyes, taking a deep breath and forcing herself to go over what he said about the memories]

Freya: … my whole life? How can everything be a lie…?

Ball: [click] :>

Freya: that is SO fucking annoying, Levebolg save me.

Freya: [puts her face in her hand, fighting it, the knowledge that he's probably still in her head, and the omni-present paranoias that he 'has it out for her' back]

Freya: [swallowing and flexing her jaw, hesitantly looks up and meets his eyes]

Gene: [just watching her carefully; fingers fidgeting with the countless buttons on the ball, flipping and turning it before pushing seemingly random ones in and causing others to pop out]

Freya: (hesitantly, voice breaking) "… I'd like to know. I—I want to know what's been kept from me."

Gene:

Gene: [face softening slightly, nods]

Gene: [and—eyes flicking to the chair—awkwardly moves to sit back down, face twisting slightly]

Gene: (voice slightly soft) "I figured. We'll start with the earliest ones first."

My poor, poor autism baby boy Gene. Trying to avoid eye contact but also keep an eye on the person he's talking to. That could neeeeveeeerrrr cause any problems! 😄

(sobs because I relate)

ALSO WHAT ABOUT THOSE ROASTS!? AM I RIGHT!? 🤣

Everything taglist:

@honeybewrites @the-golden-comet @illarian-rambling @ashirisu @urnumber1star

@the-letterbox-archives @48lexr @aalinaaaaaa @thecomfywriter @an-indecisive-nerd

@seastarblue @rae-butter

"Delusions of grandeur" taglist:

@inadequatecowboy @write-with-will @corinneglass @tallgirlpidge @darkfairiefey

@toywave

Hiatus party taglist:

@aalinaaaaaa @sm-writes-chaos @teamarine777 @caffeinated-starsailor @oliolioxenfreewrites

@nightmaricwriter @lunaeuphternal @inadequatecowboy @princessuncertain @storyteller-kara

@themongosianhorse @nczaversnick

HUNTING DOWN the MONSTER that MADE ME LOOK BAD??? /srs

TOP 10 REASONS why you should NEVER live in Kavo. The sixth may SURPRISE you!

LIVE ROBBERY!!! ROBBING the LOCAL GANGS on LIVESTREAM!!! (not clickbait!!!)

ACCIDENTALLY getting CAUGHT ROBBING people???

ACCIDENTALLY discovering a GOVERNMENT CONSPIRACY!?!? (not clickbait)

purposely EXPOSING a GOVERNMENT CONSPIRACY; starting a REVOLUTION; CLICK THE LINK IN THE DESCRIPTION to sign a PETITION and JOIN OUR EFFORTS rn!!! (NOT CLICKBAIT) (Gene aggressively yanks the phone from Tazin's hands and deletes everything Tazin just set up before they can get tracked down through it)

I am just now realizing how much of a menace Tazin would be with an internet connection... 🤣

Sun and Shadow:

SURVIVING THE IMPOSSIBLE! (not clickbait)

I GOT FRAMED FOR A TERRORIST ATTACK!?!?! (not clickbait)

Getting ENGAGED because my fucking dad thinks it's a better idea than being part of my life!!! (not clickbait)

I'M GETTING ENGAGED TO ANOTHER WOMAN??? HOW DID HE EVEN KNOW I'M BI???

Getting engaged to a princess soon, lol

SOREN ULA'S DAUGHTER CAUGHT ATTACKING FENASTRA MANOR IN BROAD DAYLIGHT??? GALA GONE WRONG!!! 😱😱

Ula heiress WANTED for ATTACKING Lynsmouth's NOBILITY??? 🙊 😱 GUILTY or innocent?? FIND OUT the FACTS!!! 🤯

KIDNAPPED by MY OWN FIANCÉE???

my FIANCÉE'S DAD is CONVINCED of my GUILT???

consulting with the creepy detective because I have literally no other choice lol (crying rn; live on stream)

THE DETECTIVE'S office BLEW UP???

I KEEP GETTING FRAMED for things BLOWING UP!?!?

SAVED by a MONSTER???

oh Levebolg it's the detective's kid, they're LITERALLY CURSED, he sent them to HELP me, and they DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING! i'm so fucked. (not clickbait)

using MY DAD'S CONNECTION with THE LOCAL MAFIA to become ROOMATES with the MOB BOSS?

CREEPY CULT planning A RITUAL during the ECLIPSE??? (NOT CLICKBAIT!!!)

The Ember Masquerade:

SHAPESHIFTING ⚠️😱 CRIMINALS ⚠️😱 STEALING YOUR IDENTITY!?!?!? MORE LIKELY THAN YOU THINK!!!!! 😱😱😱

Best part? That's something I'd already made. 🤣 😱

Seriously, though, I had a lot of fun with this! And my mind is still kinda in clickbait mode, haha.

Maybe I'll eventually (def not rn /gen) work on making another one of these for RFtA and/or adding more for one of these three? Idk, haha!

Tagging (either as part of taglist or for you to join, no pressure!): @honeybewrites @illarian-rambling @48lexr @aalinaaaaaa @urnumber1star

"What's your relationship with your family like?"

Freya: Well... we don't even know if my dad's alive but... re-regardless, it was rough between us. He was never around, and I just... I missed him. I know it was his job, but I blamed him. It was just me in that house, you know? Like, I mean--sure! I chose that! But the only other choice was to live alone in the city instead, where I had to deal with people trying to suck up to me in order to get money or whatever! So neither was a good choice, yeah??? And--I don't know, okay? I... I hope he's actually alive like the others say. I guess... I'll probably apologize to him, alright? But that still sucked.

Crow: Oh, my father's great, yeah. ... What, you were expecting more of an answer? Daleira: Oh, I love my dad! 😊 ... not enough for you?... okay, fine. Um... it's difficult at times between us. He's busy taking care of Lynsmouth most of the time, so we hardly spend any time together. But, you know--I get that! It's a lot of work to uh--... do whatever it is he does? Honestly I'm not that sure, haha. 😅 But I'm sure it's a lot! So, you know, it's not a big deal that he doesn't spend a lot of time with me. I'm really appreciative of him finding me and taking me in to begin with, and I've really led a great life thanks to him, so! 😊

Gene: I... don't remember my family. Just like I don't remember anything else before I got here. But... (*looks away to think. Will not look in asker's direction again.*) I think Abi was my brother? Older--older brother. He... really helped me a lot. So in that case... good. But... thinking the word "family"... hurts.

Tazin: (*spoken through his teeth*) I don't have a family.

Mislav: (*fakest smile you can imagine and not even trying to hide it; voice falsetto*) Dead, thanks for asking!

Crow: Sike!!! Bet you thought I wasn't going to answer. 😘 How cruel of you to think so lowly of me!!! 😭

I wasn't kidding, my father's great, I love him. He taught me everything I know about--detective work and all, heh! We don't always see each other because he's usually working on cases, but he's given me everything I need to succeed in life and I'm thankful to him for that. So hopefully I'll make him proud on this case with Frey! 😉😊

(tragically, it is not a work I have created if someone's family life is good. But, omfg, until now, I didn't realize SaS was the story of goddamn DADDY ISSUES!!! 🤣🤣🤣)

"Do you have any hobbies? if so, what ones?"

Freya: Oh, um... dammit, I'm not going to get away with a lie, am I? (*Heavy, drawn-out sigh*) Okay, fine. I... like reading. I know this is really weird!!! But, uh, sometimes, while I'm inshore, I've found books in the water. Books! Perfectly fine! Little to no water damage most of the time! I don't know if Dad sent them to me somehow or what, but... most of the time, they're in other languages. Things that don't always line up with those I find in the library. But I've figured a few of them out over the years, and I think it's really fun!

Crow: Psh, nothing as boring as reading. (*Precariously leaning back against a bulging doorway. There's a creak and then--CRASH!!!*) SHIT-- (*Furiously opens the door. An endless pile of books comes falling out. Except... they're all related to their cases? Huh. Is their hobby... working?*) Yep. That's my hobby. Working. Tell my dad that, would ya? 😘 (Oh I think we see something deeper in the closet--) NO!!! DON'T YOU DARE-- (*we zoom in to see countless artistic collages made out of cut-outs from pictures in their books and magazines.*) ... (*Crow, face burning, melts into the shadows and hides in shame.* But??? That's a cool hobby??? WAIT, COME BACK, AZA--)

Daleira: Oh!!! I just love working with magical trinkets! You know, conduits--from gods, mortals, and discovered in the Faewildes! It's amazing figuring out how each of them work and trying to figure out if I can replicate them! Faer and I have gotten good at transferring magic between objects, but gods' conduits are especially hard to work with. Like, come on--can't they share some of their power with the rest of us??? :/

There's a few items from Soren we just can't figure out, though... and he wouldn't tell me where he got them! I mean, that would help immensely in trying to figure out how they work, but we've already broken a few of them and don't want to risk losing all of them! Especially since--... well. An-anyway-- 😅

I gave Freya one when we first met! She was showing clear signs of magical sickness, and I'd already figured out it was a magical restraint you could manipulate the strength of--which is amazing, you know??? So it would be awesome to figure out how it works! But-- (*continues rambling happily*)

Gene: Hobby?... (*Looks away. Will not look back.*) I... like to draw. It's useful. Maps. Nobody else is able to navigate around the sewers, but my maps... they stay right. Even though they change. So it's nice to draw... feel useful. And everyone likes me then. Not just Mislav and Tazin. If... Tazin does. I'm pretty sure he does. (*Shakes his head swiftly, then nods*) Right. He does. Sorry...

(*Anxiously picks at his hands, still avoiding looking anywhere near the asker*) And... I've always liked reading, I think. The real stuff. To learn. It took a while for me to learn Glavni, but I've been able to read by myself for a long time now. I enjoy it. (*Finally looks back to give asker a pained smile*)

Tazin: Does burning buildings count? 😉 No? Okay, fine. How about just plain-old casual arson? 😉 OH, COME ON, HOW COME THESE GUYS'-- (*continues screaming into the camera, but we cut to black*) (*We return to a moody Tazin pouting with his arms crossed... and surrounded in flames.*) Fine. I've always liked stupid stories. You know the ones--knight in shining armor, or the underdog rising up and saving the day--that stuff. And Gene's got me into his stupid fucking "learning" thing, alright? But that's all you're getting out of me, got it, you little-- {REDACTED FOR PROFANE LANGUAGE}

Mislav: Um... not really? I... guess anything that lets me spend more time with Gene? 😅😭

... I really liked it back when I was on the farm. But... it's gone now. And I don't think Adilzhan or Zhrizn would let me do anything like that again. And... (*looks away, voice going below a whisper*) I'm afraid to even try.

(BET YOU THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE ALL HUMOROUS HERE, DIDN'T YOU!?!?! DIDN'T YOU!?!?! YOU FORGOT IT WAS MY!!! MY!!!! STUFF YOU WERE READING!!! *maniacal laugh.mp4*)

"Do you dream often? what about?"

Freya: I think I've had a lot of dreams in my life. Most of them, I've hated, but I... can't remember them honestly. Except... fear. Being afraid of them. So, heh, you know--nightmares. Normal stuff normal people deal with right? Especially kids, I've heard.

... but I've been remembering a bit more of them lately, since I... since I was in the shipwreck. (*Voice goes strained and breathy, like she's struggling to breathe*) And I... I think I'm in the water again. In--in the dreams. And there's something else there--

Crow: Ha, no. Do most people remember their dreams? (They're lying. They remember. Their dreams center around failure. Failure, and a desperation to prove themself.)

Daleira: Um... not really? We faeries aren't like you humans... our "dreams" are... different. Real. I try not to actually sleep because of that. I don't want anyone else getting stuck in them.

Gene: Not anymore. I used to. Usually... nightmares. Monsters and nature and things chasing me. I have a curse. When I sleep... my nightmares find me. I'll wake up surrounded in things. Once... it included the monster. (*He looks away and is silent for a long moment, remembering.*)

... thankfully I don't dream much anymore. The curse is still here, but it's kinder now. Better things come through.

Tazin: No, who's asking? >:/

When I do dream, it's weird stuff. Memories. Wishes. (*waves hand dismissively*) Normal stuff.

(Also lying. Sometimes has nightmares of the people he cares about abandoning him. Stabbing him in the back. Telling him things about himself he knows to be true, but doesn't want to admit. Telling himself to be better... when he knows he won't.)

Mislav: Yes. I remember the night I lost everything. And the ones who took it all from me. (*looks to Gene*)

... almost everything.

"What is the one thing you would not wish on your greatest adversary?"

Freya: To find themself alone. To lose the people they care about... or feel like those people don't care for them back.

Crow: A pointless end. If you have to die, you should die for something. Something meaningful. Something you care about.

Daleira: Whatever happens to what I eat. 😅 (She's not kidding--remember, she's not human.)

Gene: Starvation.

Tazin: ... to be alone. Or... for it to be their fault.

Mislav: What happened to me... what's happening to me.

I regret deciding to do all these characters...

Your questions: - What was the worst day of your life? - What's your worst nightmare? - If a monster asked you your worst nightmare, what would you tell it and why?

Tagging (with no pressure) @darkandstormydolls @yourpenpaldee @honeybewrites @fantasy-things-and-such @themboty @.the-letterbox-archives (avoiding double-tags) and whoever else wants to join!

What uncommon/common fear do they have?

After the start of Sun and Shadow? A fear of the ocean, easily.

However, she's also afraid of being vulnerable, being lost, feeling alone, and not being able to trust her own senses.

Abandonment and failure.

It'd be easier listing the fears he doesn't have...

He's afraid of: the forest, being lost, not being able to trust his own senses, being deceived, anything anywhere near the uncanny valley, being/feeling trapped, saying the wrong thing (aka social anxiety literally always), authority figures, angry people, not angry people, people--

Okay, I'll stop now. I think you get it.

Is and has almost always been haunted by the fear of being abandoned. It's his greatest fear, and he constantly pushes people away or abandons them first, before they can do it to him.

Besides that, he's afraid of responsibility and ghosts (which are provably real in-universe... and he's met plenty).

Fear of losing control. Is a major control freak social manipulator who panics (internally) the moment he feels like he's lost control of a situation. Is also terrified of being/feeling trapped and being "physically constricted" (read: shackles, handcuffs, and the sort).

Terrified of feeling trapped--both physically and situationally. Particularly hates small spaces and constricting clothing. Afraid of abandonment, failure, and disappointing the people he cares about.

Instead of angsting about his fears (besides the claustro- and cleithrophobia), he uses them as a motivation to do better.

Do they have any pet peeves?

Rich people. I'm only slightly kidding. She hates fake people and nobility/the wealthy elite have always been fake in her experience. She also hates small talk, people not taking her seriously, asking her about her family, and people calling her by her full name, "Freya", instead of Frey. ... whoops.

A curse they've brought upon themself--people not taking them seriously when they want people to, haha. It's a backfiring from their acting silly to get people to underestimate them.

Similarly, people getting distracted in conversations. Their job would be SO much easier if people didn't deviate from subjects Crow wanted them on. (Though, the distractedness also makes it easier for them to happen onto subjects Crow wants to investigate, so...)

People assuming he's dumb, or asking him how he figured things out when they're super obvious? Like, c'mon. Also he's sensitive to a lot of sounds and gets annoyed by repetitive noises.

People asking him questions, hilariously enough. (Makes for a horrible and yet perfect combination with Gene...)

Similarly, hates people asking about his background, family, and nationality. Also hates repetitive noises!

Discrimination, people obsessing about/over his magic, the "elite" class in general, the shallowness of society, and people assuming things about him. He grew up on the streets and faced a lot of discrimination focused on his apparent poverty and age--though it's especially worse because he looks even younger than he is. Despite his distaste for it, he's learned to use it to his advantage.

People.

I was only slightly kidding--he's incredibly asocial, hates people trying to bother him, and mostly minds to himself. However, has a particular distaste for people asking prying questions--and especially those about his biological family.

Also, fake people, fake compliments, and people interrupting him in the middle of him doing other things (aka, literally always)--and, fuck, I've made HIM autistic, too???

(Not saying those things make him autistic. However, seeing him in my mind, as a fellow autistic... I've done it again.)

What are 3 items you can find in their bedroom?

Books, tea, and various kinds of writing utensils.

Newspapers, hidden knives, and even-better hidden art collages from newspaper and magazine cutouts!

An endless amount of books, writing utensils, Mislav and papers. Blank, filled with drawings, filled with writing--papers of all kinds!

Anything and everything fun and/or "different" for him to set on fire. Also, knives/daggers, his Svarog masks, and each of Gene's old Volos masks--up until the last version, which is still in Gene's possession.

You're assuming he has a bedroom? /hj

More seriously, haha--although he grew up on the streets, he does have a few possessions that he's kept with him at all times. One is a damaged and rusty photo locket. The other is an expensive-looking dagger and sheath given to him by someone in his past. He's never sold either, regardless of the struggles he's gone through.

After getting a bedroom upon joining the knight's college, it's perpetually full of endless potted plants, books about medical subjects (primarily composed of photos or doodles he's added to help him understand the contents), and the aforementioned dagger... though it's hidden very well.

Several sketchbooks, some filled out and others blank or half-filled out; a VERY well-hidden collection of notes from his adoptive dad, Caron, addressed to him when Kieva was younger and he's kept for all these years; and tons of hidden weapons.

Don't worry!--he got that habit from his dad, Caron. As the saying goes--a man who sleeps with a knife under his pillow is a fool every night but one. (Except there's way more than just a knife under his pillow.)

What do they notice first in a person?

How they're dressed, almost tied with how they hold themselves.

How the person holds themself. Then, their face. They are very good at memorizing faces.

Spoilers! 😁 In other words... their magical energy. But that's not very helpful here, is it? Haha, so beyond that, I'd say how they're dressed.

Their skin tone. (Because he expects white people to be immediately / especially racist toward him. Glavnran ain't a great place for a Jhandan kid to grow up.)

Their emotional state. He's always prepared to maneuver around a difficult social situation, and needs to be ready to manipulate someone into reacting more positively to him if necessary.

Simultaneously notices their face and posture. He's good at memorizing faces--partially because of how much he draws them--and uses their posture to gauge a lot of things, as taught to by his dad. You can use someone's posture to help figure out: confidence level, if they're experienced in a fight, their social class (nobility often exaggerates certain behaviors), and many other things.

(He also goes out of his way to look at their hands. One's hands can tell of their profession.)

On a scale of 1 to 10, how high is their pain tolerance? (I'm doing this assuming 5 is "average")

Emotional? 7. Physical? 3.

Physically? 9. Emotionally? 9.

Depends how you define "pain tolerance"--if it's "doesn't notice it" or "is able to ignore it".

If it's "doesn't notice": Physically, 5. Emotionally, 8. (But later books see "emotionally" drop wayyyy down to 3)

"Is able to ignore": Physically, 10. Emotionally? 9.

Physically? 6. Emotionally? 2.

Depends on a lot of factors. He's able to magically shut off his ability to feel physical pain, for one (though he only realizes/learns to do so on command to later in the series)! Otherwise, he's similar to Gene in having a variable "feels it" vs "is able to ignore it anyways" level of "tolerance".

If it's "doesn't notice": Physically, 6. Emotionally, 7.

If it's "is able to ignore it/doesn't show any signs of feeling it": Physically, 8. Emotionally, 9 or 10 depending on the emotion and situation.

Another case of "can ignore what he can feel".

Threshold until he feels it? Physically, 7. Emotionally? 8.

Threshold until he can't ignore it anymore? Physically, 10 (aka, only the worst pains imaginable). Emotionally? 10. (Aka mental breakdown territory.)

(Kieva is very bad at noticing his own emotions until he gets overwhelmed by them. His stress builds to very high levels before he actually notices them and can account for them. He's alexithymic and has to use therapeutic methods to figure out what he's feeling before he gets overwhelmed and snaps.)

Do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure? (I'm also including freeze and fawn)

Fight!!! She's an incredibly angry person (that thinks she doesn't have anger issues, lmao), and goes on the aggressive very easily. However, it's usually verbal. She doesn't have any experience in actual fights.

Technically freeze, technically flight, but actually fight. They'll either turn into or hide in their own shadow with their magic to orient themselves to the situation before acting if surprised with combat. Their "freezing/flight" is only a defensive measure to gather more information before proceeding.

However, they're also a fantastic actor and tend to be playing a persona. While their reflex is defensive/fight, they can and will fake having a different "reflex" under pressure.

It depends on when/where in the books and in his life, haha.

Early books? Freeze or fawn depending on the situation. If it's something dangerous or more than one person, freeze. If it's a single person, fawn.

In the middle of the series? Fawn 7 times out of 10. Fight the other three.

Late in the series? Fight.

FIGHTTTTTTTTTTT!!! (both verbally and physically, though he tends to more adapt a threatening posture or imply he's ready to get violent rather than immediately getting violent. Not that he hates violence, though--he just doesn't like getting hurt.)

Before the beginning of Rising From the Ashes, his reactions are tied between flight and fawn, depending on the situation. He's used to running away from his problems to the point that Caron--the head of the knight's college--silently notices it and pegs him as a flight risk. However, he also very commonly fawns over people who would otherwise be his enemies.

As the story progresses, Sammy's reaction shifts to tied between fight and fawn. He'll still pretend to be on his enemies' side, but is a lot more prepared to fight instead of run away.

Defensive fight/freeze. He'll jump into action to defend himself and/or others, but he's not the aggressive type except for when he's angry (and oh, boy, when he's angry...)

While he's usually defensive, he'll switch to hyper-offense (minus potentially protecting others in danger) when he's decided on a course of action. He will single-mindedly work toward his goal, his own well-being be damned.

Do they come from a big family/are they a family person?

I mean, technically the closest thing she had to a family was a magical zombie version of her dad...

More seriously, though--technically a small family. It was just her and her dad for her growing up. He was next to never around, though.

Tiny family. It was just them, their dad, and {SPOILER}. Their dad was next to never around because of his work and not wanting to tie Crow into it. Looks like it happened anyway, ey? 😏😉

He doesn't remember his family besides the fact that "Abi" existed and was probably his brother. During his short time in the orphanage, there was a lot of them. Then it was just him and Tazin (who he saw like a brother). Then it was the khonitva. Then it was the yuertel. The closest thing he can really remember adjacent to "family" is Tazin.

He wishes he had positive experiences with "family". Instead, he had none and a toxic friend.

Oh, buddy, would he hate this question. He comes from a small family, but was kicked out (and then later refused to return when they were willing to take him back). Because of this, he grew up either living with gangs (the khonitva/yuertel) or with it just being him and Gene. He thinks he hates "family", but it's only because he desperately wishes his was better.

This answer is a spoiler, haha! However, he is not a family person.

The only family he can remember is his adoptive one: his adoptive dad, Caron, and brother, Varik. He cares more about them than he cares about himself. Conveniently, the feeling is mutual between the three of them. (It wouldn't even be a question. They'd all sacrifice themselves for each other in less than a heartbeat. Something tells me this family is just a lil fucked-up/self-sacrificing.)

What animal represents them best?

Gryphon!!! Either that, or a feral kitten, haha.

I know this might be hard to believe... but Crow is best represented by a crow. Otherwise, a falcon, haha.

Deer. Easily.

Salamander! For probably obvious reasons if you have the context, haha. A simple explanation for those without the context? He's a fire mage. (But there's a lot more to it than just that, so.)

A possum!!! No debate about it, haha, and I'm sure I don't have to explain why.

A bull and/or buffalo. For their individual associations with bravery, fierceness, stubbornness, sacrifice, and survival. Also, because they all have horns!

What is a smell that they dislike?

City stink. If you know, you know.

Blood. Except, they also love the smell. They're mixed up about how they should feel about that.

Mustiness. Also the smell of various things burning. Midway through the story, the smell of cigarette smoke.

Sweat and herbs. It's even worse that burning herbs just makes the smells stronger.

Blood and chemicals.

Any strong smell. Especially hates the smell of chemicals and smoke.

Have they broken any bones?

When she was very young, yes. She doesn't remember it, though. Except for in her nightmares.

Depends on if you mean theirs or other people's!

Yes! A lot, actually.

Yes, a few times.

Yes, while practicing parkour. Conveniently, he has healing magic. Besides that? No.

His own, or other peoples'?

Yes.

His own, or other peoples'? x3

Yes. x6 (Whoops. Traumatic action-fantasy am I right?)

How would a stranger likely describe them?

"Yeah, that woman with the messy red hair and anger issues?--HOW DO YOU KNOW ANOTHER ONE!?--okay, no, she was looked like she wanted to be anywhere else?--Seriously?--okay, fine, she was wearing a ring on a necklace?--YEAH, that one!"

"Remember that guy wearing that long cloak as though it hid their giant wings and tail?"

"You know that creepy guy who's always staring? Like, barely talks, just watches everyone all the time? He's got a cane and just acts weird in general?"

"That angry Jhandan kid?" (or, alternatively:) "That Jhandan guy, either looks ready to pick a fight at a moment's notice or does his absolute best to piss everyone else off with while 'joking' around? Yeah, the overly-touchy guy--that one."

It would depend on who/what/when/where/why/how he met the person, considering how much he's almost always playing up one act or another! Here's one possible way of over a thousand:

"I think he was a Cirranian kid? About ye tall, really timid--OH! His eyes were two different colors, one blue and the other dark brown! He had curly hair and had a dirty, oversized jacket on?"

"Yeah, Kieran Caron's son? No--that's the other one, I think. Kieva's the one who's super pale, like he's never even been outside, and looks dead inside half the time?--what do you mean Varik's like that, too??? Okay, fine, silvery hair and eyes? YEAH! That guy!"

Are they a night owl or an early bird?

Early bird, haha. She loves the smell of the morning dew and just never preferred the night. Not even as an angsty teen!

Night owl (almost literally). They dislike the day, haha.

Night owl who's often forced to wake up early, haha. He's a sad, sleepy birdie who has to function on way too little sleep half the time.

Night owl, but his sleep schedule ends up even worse as an adult. It goes from "night owl" into "whenever I damn want/am not doing something else".

Really depends, his sleep schedule's all over the place. Most often, he's an early bird. He likes being awake when others aren't regardless.

You have to sleep in order to be a night owl or early bird, and Kieva doesn't sleep.

Okay, that was only kinda a joke--he has a hard time sleeping due to nightmares that he can't really remember. Usually, he just naps whenever he's able to. Otherwise, technically an early bird. He always wakes up early to stay on top of classes and his personal projects.

What is a flavour they hate and a flavour they love?

Loves spicy food! Hates most vegetables (like a child), but eats them anyway--like an adult!

Uhhhhh... so they're lowkey a vampire half the time so... both cases? Blood! 😁

Gene hates, hates, HATES sweet food and it's absolutely hilarious! He has the absolute opposite of a sweet tooth! On the other hand, he loves meat and most kinds of savory foods. Meat was rare for him growing up, and he really appreciates being able to eat it whenever he wants as an adult.

Both loves and hates Jhandan (Fantasy!Indian) food. His Jhandan parent would cook it when he was young, and uh--yeah. Mixed feelings about that whole mess. Same thing applies to spicy food--the only "spicy" food he had was cooked by the same parent, and while he loves spicy food, it reminds him of them.

For things he just straight-up dislikes, Tazin also isn't a fan of sweet food in general, haha. There's a few he does like, but they're few and far between.

Love: food. Hate: nothing. Literally can't afford to be picky.

Later on, when he is able to be picky, he strongly dislikes spicy food and likes "spiced" (aka spices, not spicy) and savory foods. Anything super flavorful!... except for fish. Hates fish. (Yes, white fish have plainer flavors. He hates those, too.)

Loves basically anything his dad cooks, but prefers salty and umami tastes. Hates bitter stuff, but is basically obsessed with coffee (like the rest of his family tbf).

Do they have any hobbies?

Yes! She loves reading and has a hobby of translating books from a foreign-to-that-world language into her own! She does so utilizing books in the library and has lowkey become a language scholar, haha. (She'll just never admit it.)

They secretly like drawing and creating collages out of things cut out of newspapers and magazines. They have not admitted this fact to a single person in their life, and won't for a long time.

Two! Reading non-fiction books (aka just learning in general, haha) and drawing! He loves drawing, though does it a lot less than reading. Drawing hasn't really helped him (besides with the maps he used to draw for the yuertel), while his obsessive need to always be learning has.

Not really? He likes reading stories, primarily folklore, stories about the gods, and fiction, but he doesn't allow himself to do it often because he's embarrassed to like them. Similarly, he likes to sing, but next to never does so because he's insecure about it.

I like to say that, if Tazin grew up in our world, he would've absolutely been a huge fan of rock and tried starting a band in high school. (He would've put enough time into it that he'd even be good at the guitar. Except... he's not in our world.)

No, he never had the time, money, or mental energy for hobbies. The closest thing he has to one is "people-watching", but he did it more out of necessity than because he enjoyed it.

If he could have one, I think he'd most enjoy creating textiles and listening to music.

Yes! Drawing, easily. Prefers life-drawing and drawing people in general. Sometimes enjoys people-watching, but only if he can tolerate their personalities (or otherwise, if they aren't speaking). Even before he started attending the knight's college, he had a minor hobby of invading active classes to watch the lessons, teachers, and students. It made it much easier for him to pick up fighting when he officially started, and it's helped him have a heightened magical awareness.

Boom, surprise birthday party! How do they react to surprises?

Apprehension and shock. She wouldn't have told anyone her birthday and wouldn't have expected anyone to celebrate it on top of that. She'd be half-expecting things to go wrong and not know how to deal with it all, but would probably ultimately enjoy it.

Cry. They didn't expect anyone to know/care besides their dad. Their dad celebrates with them, but it's always been disappointing (not that they'd admit that though). They'd absolutely love it, though. Just... cry. A lot.

Panic. Hates surprises, hates social gatherings, hates having people expect things from him (ie: appreciate the party/their efforts), and hates that he'll be "the bad guy" for not appreciating the party.

Besides, he doesn't have a "real" birthday (he didn't know the day and was given a "fake" one to be celebrated during his time in the orphanage) and even though he and Tazin privately celebrated the day they met in its place, it was just that--privately. They would have a quiet celebration with food, a few gifts exchanged between them, and just acting normal otherwise.

Rage. Wouldn't have shared his birthday with anyone, not even Gene (though Gene would've figured it out anyway because of Reasons). Similarly, definitely not a fan of surprises. Likes receiving gifts, but otherwise? Fuck off (his words, not mine--).

(Assuming friends threw it for him--) Confusion and would break down crying. Hasn't really had a birthday party for a long time, doesn't know how to react to it, and certainly didn't tell anyone when his birthday was because he doesn't even know. (So, y'know, whoever threw the party would've had to make one up for him.) Wouldn't know how to take people celebrating his existence--or him in general--and would be overwhelmed by the positive attention directed toward him.

So, yeah. Would cry a LOT. And only might hide it.

Doesn't like surprises, wouldn't show it. Would just--

Considering his adoption and the way it initially happened--let's just say it wasn't traditional in any sort of way--his actual birthday is unknown. Instead the family celebrates the day of his official adoption. Regardless, those celebrations are obviously known of in advance. Kieva would not accept a party being thrust upon him, haha.

Do they like to wear jewelry?

She grew up always wearing a magical amulet her dad gave her that helped her with an unknown illness. When she loses it early into the book, she puts an otherwise-enchanted ring on a necklace to cope with the loss of the feeling of wearing something at her neck. Besides that, she's not a jewelry person, haha.

They don't like jewelry, but wear it. They have two earrings that absorb the magic of their curse--allowing them to appear human and removing its antimagic effects--and quite often wear various other kinds of jewelry while posing as one identity or another.

No, absolutely not. He'd hate the sensory input. He's just fine with no jewelry, having his hair tied back, and fidgeting with his cane--thank you very much.

As a kid, wouldn't have. As an adult, likes basic "jewelry" that's just metal rather than stuff with actual jewels.

Not at all. However, keeps a half-destroyed photo locket in his pocket at all times. But that's different, y'know?

Alternates between loving and hating jewelry. Sometimes enjoys wearing it for something to fidget with. Other times, hates the sensation and will take it off (potentially aggressively if he realized after already getting overwhelmed). Rarely wears it because of the "risk" associated with it.

Do they have neat or messy handwriting?

Neat! She's filled out a lot of paperwork in her time and has actually dabbled in sketching stuff, but isn't the greatest artist.

Halfway between! Very messy handwriting, but it's always legible.

Depends on how fast he's writing and if he intends on having anyone else read it. It's incredibly messy to the point of illegibility if he's writing quickly, and especially more so if it's just for himself. However, he's capable of writing very neatly if he's planning on having others read it--it just takes him a lot longer to write.

Messy, messy, messy! Doesn't write often, haha. But is capable of making it neater if he must.

(Also, would probably go out of his way to make his handwriting messier if someone forced him to write stuff down for them--)

Even worse than Tazin's. Messy af, everything is horribly misspelled. He's dyslexic and barely learned how to read even beyond that. Hates even attempting to read, much less write, so his time in the knight's college is the first time he really gets into it since he was really young.

Either incredibly neat or messy. Sometimes doesn't have the patience to bother making things legible, but needs to write stuff down--and so scribbles doctor handwriting style. Otherwise, goes out of his way to make his handwriting neater. It's an ego thing.

What are the two emotions they feel the most?

Frustration and exhaustion. She doesn't sleep well--though she doesn't remember her dreams anymore--and has anger issues.

Annoyance and amusement. They don't

Exhaustion and sadness. He doesn't get the greatest sleep--whether it's because of nightmares or a terrible sleep schedule--and he's constantly experiencing and/or witnessing things that are unfair. It's not like he's never happy, though--he just constantly carries that sense of tragedy.

Anger and amusement. He has SEVERE anger issues, but considers himself a jokester. Unfortunately, a lot of his "humor" is at the detriment of others, especially as he gets older.

Resignation and caution. Is constantly on-guard for people who could potentially pose a threat to him--regardless of how--and is used to people treating him poorly. His feeding into it by pretending to be young and clueless has always been a way to cope with it and run with its few advantages.

Who knows what he's running from? Me. Obviously I know. But-- But he's constantly prepared to run away from a situation where he's in danger... or people are close to figuring out things he doesn't want them to.

Stubbornness and indifference, with exhaustion being a close third. Mostly floats through life, following a strict schedule with the school's classes. Finds the strict schedule convenient, because it allows him to plan things ahead of time and then stop having to think as he follows through with what he decided. However, is still an incredibly stubborn person--he wants to make his dad proud by becoming a powerful mage, fighter, and knight. That, and he genuinely wants to make the world a better place! And maybe, one day, to find out where he's actually from.

Only problem is, he just wants to sleep half the time!

Do they have a favourite fabric? (This is assuming I know the fabrics...)

Does yarn count? Knitted stuff of all kinds and textures! She's made a lot of her own clothes. She's very self-sufficient.

Anything their feathers don't get caught on. So, mostly smoother textures.

Anything and everything soft. He loves soft things and stimming with them.

Slippery stuff. Aka, stuff that's harder for people to grip. Tazin explicitly wears skintight clothing and has Gene cut his hair down to his scalp so people can't easily grab him. Besides that, doesn't care.

Anything soft. Has a particular fondness for the texture of "was formerly rough due to being made from poor-quality materials, but has softened from age and use" stuff. Granted, that's also the texture of his hole-y jacket.

He's indifferent. As long as it's not itchy!

What kind of accent do they have?

Irish! She's from a fantasy country with lots of early Norse and Celtic influence.

Belgian! They were born and raised in Lynsmouth, which has a lot of misc influences from Western Europe, but it's primarily Netherlands and France!

Polish. Who knows where he was from before ending up in Glavnran (Fantasy!Slavic), but after spending most of his life there, his accent has changed and adjusted to sound much more Glavni than whatever it was before.

Kyrgyz. He's mixed, Glavni and Jhandan (Fantasy!Indian), and was raised primarily by his Jhandan parent before ending up on the streets. Fittingly, his accent is from a country between Russia and India, haha.

Spanish. Not Mexican, Spanish. Like from Spain. Who knows where his family is from, but he looks Cirranian (Fantasy!CentralAmerica) and has spent as much of his life as he can remember in Kihroin (the country RFtA takes place in).

Algerian. Like Sammy, he's grown up in Kihroin, which has North African inspiration! (Which is another reason I want to wait to publish anything on it, I want to do an insane amount of more research first, haha.)

(I literally pulled up a video with people speaking English with various accents just to answer this question. Somehow, my imagined languages for them aligned really well with the regions/accents they should have!? I say "somehow", as though I haven't actually done an immense amount of research on languages and listened to them in order to say my made-up words "correctly", haha...)

Me, before starting this: "this should be relatively easy!"

Me, getting to the accent question: "wait, actually, what would Crow sound like? And omg, Sammy? Considering their backgrounds--"

Me: *spends half an hour debating the accents of each of the characters*

Me, a day after starting this and coming back to see ^^^^ that: "goddamn, I thought this would be easy?"

PSA: doing this for one character is fine. Doing it for six--two of which you're not as certain with--is less fine!

Tagging (gently!): @honeybewrites @yourpenpaldee @paeliae-occasionally @mysticstarlightduck @illarian-rambling

@darkandstormydolls @the-golden-comet @ath3alin @wyked-ao3 @mk-writes-stuff

@huewrite + open tags!

"Move over! I wanna watch too."

Freya: "Move! Ugh--please, sorry!" *has already shoved her way past* Crow: *teleported through shadows to get to a better vantage point* Crow: "Excusez-moi!" *at the same time as slapping them aside with their wing* (note: they are not French.) Daleira: "Excuse me, please. I want to watch this too." Gene: "Uhm... ex-excuse me... please..." Tazin: "OUT OF THE WAY!" *meanwhile shoving people way more violently than necessary* Mislav: *way too quietly* "excuse me? I... excuse--vynost, I SAID MOVE!!!" *will shove if they haven't jumped out of the way of the screaming 9-year-old*

"A little help, please?"

Freya: "A little help over here!? Sooner rather than later???" Crow: "Ey! Over here! HELP!" Daleira: "Hey, could I get some help please?" Gene: *is not physically capable of asking for help* Gene: "Uhm... could-could I... please get some help?" Tazin: "Get your ass over here and HELP ME!" (note: read in a nasally, obnoxious 9-year-old's voice) Mislav: "hey, um... could I get some help? Please?"

"Unhand me!"

Freya: "what the--let go of me!" *will tear away from who/whatever grabbed her if she's able* Crow: *combat mode: engaged. Duck into their own shadows and teleport to get a moment to process the scene before reacting further.* Crow: *calmly, making eye contact* "you have less than five seconds to let go of me. Five. Four--" Daleira: *making eye contact, but trying to figure out if the grabbing was malicious or well-intentioned* "what's wrong." (hint: you do NOT want to be on her bad side.) Gene: *at the top of his lungs, voice cracking from under-use, and simultaneously yanking away with more strength than a 7-year-old should have* "LET GO OF ME!!!" (*panik attack*) Tazin: *insert unintelligible demonic screeching here. And imagine the grabber being set on fire. Because both will be the case.* Mislav: "LET GO OF ME!" *will yank away with, yet again, more strength than a human child should have. In fact, even more than a human adult if the grabber is intimidating. Will headbutt and leave a GNARLY bruise if necessary.*

"Okay, someone has to come up with a plan!"

Freya: "Guys??? What are we doing??? Don't tell me I have to figure something out!" Crow: *deadpan* "Don't make me break out Plan B. Trust me, you do NOT want Plan B." Daleira: *taking a deep breath and tying her hair back with a hairtie that JUST magically appeared* "alright, here's what we're going to do." Tazin: "GENE, COME UP WITH SOMETHING RIGHT NOW!!!" Gene: (regardless of whether or not ^^^ just happened) "I... I think I have an idea..." Mislav: "ohvynostpleaseno--does anyone have a plan??? Anyone??? Anything??? Ohvynostno--PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME HAVE TO USE IT!!!"

Your line: "Well, you see, Perry the Platypus, it all started on the day I (...) AND THAT'S WHY I PLAN TO CONQUER THE TRI-STATE AREA!" (in other words, if you don't want to Doofenshmirtz it, "This is why I'm about to do this No Good, Very Bad Thing. That is also why you are not going to stop me or change my mind." I thought it'd be fun with Doofenshmirtz's way, but either should work!)

Tagging (with no pressure) @darkandstormydolls @yourpenpaldee @.honeybewrites @.the-letterbox-archives (avoiding double-tags) and whoever else wants to join!

EXCERPT FROM:

SUN AND SHADOW

The moment the door closed behind Maritza, Frey sucked in a sharp breath and let her legs buckle under her.

Gods, what would I have done if she stayed? she wondered. The room still felt like it was spinning around her, trying to press into her and swallow her whole. Frey's whole body shook, but she curled into a ball as she tried to ignore how weak she felt.

Probably snap again, she thought, laughing brokenly. Then her heart twisted as she remembered when Maritza’s hands tightened around her necklace.

Like the one Frey used to have to cure her sickness, Maritza’s necklace was a conduit. She’d never mentioned it, but she didn’t have to—Frey could sense magic radiating from it whenever Maritza was around. Whatever it contained, it was powerful.

And that was the problem: Frey couldn’t tell what kind of magic it had. That wasn’t her forte—but, then again, it was unusual enough for her to be able to notice it contained magic, anyways. Most people couldn’t recognize conduits as what they were to begin with.

So, it easily could’ve been anything from Soren's water magic—stored in the conduit for Maritza just like he’d done for Frey—to something only meant to protect her.

Gods, why did I think she was going to attack me? Of course she wasn’t going to attack me, it’s Maritza. She's kind, and sweet, and—and timid, Frey thought brokenly. I scared her when she's done nothing but try her best to help me.

Anger swelled in her chest, accompanied by a more intense wave of heat and dizziness.

Frey buried her face in her legs and wrapped her arms over her head, struggling to think through the weakness wracking her body.

All because of Dad. Because he was there for her instead? Because he—

Dad, she thought, biting her lip. She couldn’t help remembering the last few moments before the shipwreck. The argument she’d had with him; how she’d told him she didn’t care. How obviously worried he’d been for her, while all she did was shout at him.

A mess of thoughts and feelings swirled through her—anger, grief, frustration, and guilt.

It was her fault they were there that day. Her fault the ship was wrecked, her fault Soren's crew died at sea, and her fault that their families were now mourning them.

And she kept speaking ill of him. A dead man. For the things he didn’t do for her.

When all she really wished for was for him to be alive.

Why didn’t I just tell him I didn’t want to get engaged? she wondered, chewing her bottom lip. He asked so many times. And I just—stubbornly insisted on it just because, what, I thought he didn’t care? ‘I’ll show him?’ It wouldn’t have shown him anything but how immature you are, Freya! 

And, oh, ‘wait, they’re faeries’? she thought mockingly, quoting herself. He probably did tell you that, and you just weren’t listening! Because why would you, huh? It’s only your entire life from now on that you’re insisting on for no good reason! Levebolg, what is wrong with you?

By now, the sickness had passed. The room had stilled, no longer spinning around her or trying to swallow her. It was just her.

Freya Ula.

Alone with her thoughts.

Again.

Her hand went to her pocket, where she used to keep Soren's totem. A magical item he’d made to communicate with her from afar. It’d contained his essence—his magical energy and very being—and was able to materialize a magical puppet to protect her. He’d sometimes possess it to actually be there for her, even when he was thousands of miles away.

But, now, it was gone. Lost in the shipwreck.

Like the rest of her.

‘I’m so sorry, Dad,’ she wanted to say. ‘I miss you.’

But she couldn’t. And she just had to accept that.

Taglist (no pressure!): @honeybewrites @the-golden-comet @illarian-rambling @ashirisu @urnumber1star

@the-letterbox-archives @48lexr @aalinaaaaaa @thecomfywriter @an-indecisive-nerd

and @seastarblue (+open tags!)

Divider by @saradika

“Okay, confess: WHO ate the last bite?!”

Frey: (*smiling ominously*) Hey, who took the last bite? It's okay--I just want to talk.

Crow: WHO POURED OUT MY BLOOD?--I don't care how gross it is!--OR IF YOU FIND IT UNETHICAL??? If it's in a damn container, it's already been harvested! You're just going to make me have to find more elsewhere! Do you know how hard it is to get that stuff? It's not like I just sip that shit straight out of anyone's necks, you know!?!? I try to get it ethically! AND DUMPING IT JUST MAKES THAT HARDER--

Daleira: I put my name on that... 😟

Maritza: Real cool, guys! Just stealing the last bit?? Did you even think to check if anyone else hadn't had any yet?

Soren: (*silent frustration. Won't act on it, though... or at least, not obviously. Will, however, investigate who did it and very subtly sabotage them until he's satisfied. Tbf, it won't take long.*)

Faer: Just know, whoever you are... you're no better than an animal.

Valyarus: (*summons everyone who possibly could've done it into the same room and sets a "truth" spell upon it--making it so everyone inside is unable to lie*) Valyarus: Who stole my daughter's food? (*scans everyone's faces as nobody speaks up*) Valyarus: (*smiles darkly*) Let's try this again. Confess to your crime, have someone else expose you, or have me find out the truth the hard way and face the consequences for making this difficult.

Ponderosa: (*magically slams the doors open with wind, using as much force as they can muster*) WHO STOLE MY TARTS??? WHO???? I'LL KILL YOU!!!

Marlon: (*casually, as though talking about the weather; but loudly, as to make sure everyone in the room can hear*) Whoever it is that took the last of the desserts... (*raises his wineglass and takes a drink with a poorly-repressed smirk*) Marlon: (*finally, looks down at the glass and "admires" it for a long moment before slowly scanning everyone's faces again*) ... I'll send my condolences to your family.

"I care about your safety"

Frey: Look, I--... (*struggling for words, and especially to not say exactly what she means*)... listen, don't get hurt out there, okay? I'd hate to see you hurt. Or... find out that.. worse happened. Crow: (*teasingly, winking and nudging her with their elbow*) Oh? Is there something else you're meaning to say? Frey: (*snaps, throwing her arms up*) Yeah, don't fucking disappear like my dad, got it!? Crow: (*oope, humbled--*) Crow: Of course. Who do you take me for? 😅 Frey: (*avoiding looking at them, turning to leave herself*) Someone who does a lot of dumb and reckless things. Crow: Crow, to themself: (well, that's just mean.)

(later...)

Crow: Hey, uh... Frey? Frey: What's up, bird brain? Crow: 😑 Crow: (*struggling--*) Listen, I just... I'm going to go get my charm refilled from--from the old guy, y'know? Frey: (*looks up from her book*) Yeah, okay?... and? 🤨 Crow: What do you mean, "and?" Frey: You sound like you have something else to say. Crow: Crow: (*looks away, mulling over their words*) Crow: Just... take care of yourself. Frey: Frey: (*frowns, about to ask why that sounds so final--*) Crow: And if I don't come back... I'm sorry. Frey: (*alarmed, quickly stands up--*) Crow: (*sinks and disappears into their own shadow, already teleporting away... to do something incredibly dumb and reckless.*)

(oh btw y'all? Those two scenes are 100% canon. 👀😘)

Daleira: (*first time*) I... I love you, okay? Don't do anything stupid. Daleira: (*any other time; sweetly*) Take care of yourself, don't be an idiot. I love you. 😊

Maritza: Please take care of yourself... Soren: You know I can't promise that. Maritza: I know, but... still. Please. Soren: (*sighs heavily, pinching his nose and scanning the room*) Soren: "My best" is all I can guarantee. Maritza: That's enough...

Soren: (*during an absolutely horrible storm while they're at sea*) When you finish, get below deck. I’ll take care of everything up here. Frey: Don't! Don't stay-- Soren: Freya, somebody needs to steer the ship. And my-- Frey: (*swiping her hand out furiously, crying*) AND I NEED A DAD! Soren: (*face softens for a moment, then hardens again*) Soren: (*sternly*) This isn’t the first time I’ve done this. I can control the waves to keep us safe. I just need to make sure you’re all— Frey: THEN COME DOWN WITH US! Do it from below deck! Soren: Freya, as your captain, I order you to go to safety while I steer the ship! Are you going to disobey your captain? Frey: (*venomously*) FINE! What do I care!? ominous-feychild:

(GUESS WHAT ELSE IS A CANON SCENE BTW!? ^^^)

Faer: Are... you sure this is a good idea? Daleira: What? Faer: Doing... this. I just-- Daleira: Look, I'm not arguing with you on this. She needs m-- Faer: Does she really, though? What, worst case scenario they put her in a cell and-- Daleira: Faer. I hate to tell you this, but you know nothing of what this place is like. You stay in here, by yourself, isolating yourself from humanity on purpose. You don't know what they'll actually do to her. Even though she's not guilty. Are you really saying you'd be okay with something like that? Faer: ... I just don't see why it's your responsibility, Daleira. Daleira: (*stunned speechless*) Daleira: Daleira: ... look. If nothing else, I owe her and Soren this much. She came here because of me. But, really? I'm doing this because it's the right thing to do. Think about that, would you? (*magically folds into herself, disappearing*) Faer: ... Faer: (*is, in fact, going to think about that!*)

(also canon, whoops^^)

Valyarus: You shouldn't be mixing yourself in with their business. Ponderosa: (*stirs the wind around the room, drifting toward Valyarus with their face twitching and hair turning into stormclouds*) Ponderosa: Who do you think you are to tell me what to do, old man? Valyarus: You know the answer to that question, Aspen. Ponderosa: (*throws their hands up and flying backwards, accidentally making the winds all the more violent. Zips back forward to jab a finger into Valyarus's chest*) STOP CALLING ME THAT! I'M NOT 'ASPEN'! Valyarus: (*calmly, looking them up and down*) That's besides the point, Asp--... Ponderosa: (*fists and teeth clenched, their "hair" thundering--*) Valyarus: (*takes a slow, deep breath and sighs, closing his eyes for a second before meeting theirs again*) Still. It's dangerous to-- Ponderosa: Yeah, well, I don't care what you have to say! You're not my dad, and I don't have to do SHIT that you tell me to! Valyarus: Isn't that the same thing you said about Saifel? Valyarus: (*oope, went too far--*) Ponderosa: (*FITE!!!!*) Ponderosa: (*barely going to manage to get any hits in, and gets nowhere near actually "winning" the fight. After almost an hour, passes out from magical exhaustion. Valyarus moves them to sleep it off in a guest bedroom in his home.*)

(at this point, just assume these are all canon.)

Ponderosa: (*sneaks into Marlon's office by turning themself into pure air, slipping through the cracks in the window, and appearing full-formed in his office!*) Marlon: (*on the ground surrounded in medical supplies; gritting his teeth as he works on treating his own injuries--*) Ponderosa, shocked: Marlon? Marlon: (*tenses, immediately stopping what he was doing to stand and point his medical scissors like a dagger*) Marlon: (*at the same time, pulled water out of hidden pots to form an array of floating knives around Ponderosa*) Marlon: Ponderosa: (*awkward smile!*) Just me. Marlon: (*half groans, half sighs, but leans against his desk as he drops himself back to the ground and works on treating his injuries again. Much more easily returns the water to the hidden pots*) Marlon: (*curtly, through his teeth*) Sorry. Ponderosa: 'sokay. (*floats a few feet above his head to watch him*) What happened? Marlon: (*doing his best to ignore them above him*) Got jumped. Wasn't prepared for it. Didn't have enough water nearby. Here we are. Ponderosa: (*chews their lip, not understanding the weird feeling in their chest. Are they sick? Did somebody curse them??? That must be it; it would make sense. Lots of people hated them. They'll have to find a shaman to check it out.*) Ponderosa: (*before they can think better of it, blurts*) Have you ever thought about other jobs? Marlon: Marlon: (*looks up at them in shock*) You... do realize that this kinda thing is for life, right? Even if I find a successor, I'm still going to have to look after the mafia after I 'retire'. I'll still have people gunning for my life. Quitting would be even more dangerous than it is for me now. Ponderosa: (*takes a long moment to mull it over and internalize it*) Ponderosa: (*finally, pouts*) That's not fair. Marlon: (*still shocked they even asked, but chuckles weakly and returns to treating his wounds*) Maybe, kid. But I chose this a long time ago. Don't worry about me. Ponderosa: Ponderosa: (*jerks higher in the air, nearly ramming into the ceiling*) WORRIED about you??? What??? I'm not worried!!! Y'know what, you're boring! GOODBYEEEE! (*and hurriedly leaves the same way they came*) Marlon: (*busts out laughing despite the pain*)

(Ponderosa's kinda immortal/Marlon doesn't have any reason to worry about their safety, but I already wrote a scene as close to that as possible in the last post? Here's a prequel!)

Marlon: (*suddenly*) You know, I've been thinking. Ponderosa (*perks up, quickly floating to his side to eye his paperwork*) You have? What's up!? You have something else for me to do? Oooo, please tell me it's destro-- Marlon: (*sighs slowly, ruefully looking up at them*) That's... not quite what I was thinking of. Ponderosa: Ponderosa: (*frowns, confused, and twists their head (and the rest of their body in the process)*) What do you mean? Ponderosa: (*before he can speak, perks up and grins awkwardly*) Oh! It's not about me, is it? Marlon: No, it is-- Ponderosa: (*at the same time*) --Sorry! Both: Ponderosa: (*frowning more*) It's about me? But how, if you're not asking me to do something? Marlon: (*sighs, dropping his pen to massage his nose... and avoiding looking at Ponder. Isn't expecting this to go well*) Well, it is... but it's not for the mafia. It's for you. Ponderosa: Ponderosa: (*slowly drifts upside-down and steadily kicks their feet*) That's weird. What, you want me to try new foods again? (*crinkles their nose, rightening*) Wait, I am NOT trying to make friends again! Marlon: (*drops his hand from his face to meet their eyes, prepared for their temper-tantrum*) I think you should learn to defend yourself without magic. Ponderosa: WHAT!?!?!? Marlon: There's been a mass--! Ponderosa: (*already storming it up in the room*) I WILL NOT!!! Marlon: (*already given up on the papers flying everywhere; shouting to be heard above the wind*) LISTEN! There's been a mass of antimagic devices flooding the market! If you-- Ponderosa: (*plugs their ears and closes their eyes*) LALALA, I'M NOT LISTENINGGGG! Marlon: I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME! KID, DO YOU WANT TO DIE!? Ponderosa: (*opens their eyes and drifts backwards, snarling*) Ponderosa: I don't care what you have to say! BYEEEE! Marlon: KID! I SWEAR TO THE GODS-- Ponderosa: (*turns to air and slips through the window*) Marlon: (*face flushed in anger, but admittedly not surprised. Lets out a heavy, frustrated sigh as he scans the mess that is his office. Papers, books, water, furniture, and broken glass is everywhere... and he's going to have to clean it all up.*)

(Bonus: a general "I care about you" that I wrote before realizing it didn't count, haha. Can you tell I love these two?)

Ponderosa: (*flipping in circles in the air*) Marrrrrrlooooooonnnn, I'm booooooredddd! Marlon: (*looks at them over his reading glasses*) I'm doing paperwork. Don't you have anything else to do? Ponderosa: (*pouts, hanging upside-down with their arms under their legs as they watch him*) But you don't want me messing with your grunts! Marlon: (*quirking an eyebrow*) That never stopped you before. Ponderosa: Ponderosa: (*makes a face*) Well, I just don't want to right now! And you can't tell me what to do, so! Ponderosa: (*grins and spins to be right-side-up*) Entertain me! Marlon: Hm. (*skims over his paperwork for another moment before sighing and putting it down*) Fine. I suppose you deserve a treat for good behavior. (*smirks a bit--*) Ponderosa: (*whines*) I'm not a DOG! (*not actually upset; knows he's just joking*)

I love characters who say "I care about you/your safety" without actually saying it, and instead imply it through their actions-- 🥰

"Are you threatening me?"

Frey: I'm sorry, what did you just say? Say that again. I dare you.

Crow:(*can't help a small, goofy grin*) Did you want to try that again? or, alternatively: (*straight-faced unimpressed*) Spare us both the trouble. Walk. away. (really depends on their mood/the timing which one they are, haha)

Daleira: (*freezes, then looks at them incredulously*) I--I'm sorry. You--you do know who I am, right? What I am? I--I don't think you understand-- (*pleadingly*)

Maritza (if a mugging): Listen, whatever you want, I'll give it to you. Just, please, for both of our sakes--don't take this any further. Maritza (if it's political): (*laughs sharply, surprised*) I'm sorry, did you really think that would work?

Soren (if it involves Frey): (*angry head tilt; eyes them with a look of pure, barely-contained rage*) Go anywhere near my daughter--or have anything else do so on your behalf--and I will personally make sure that not only do you never die, but the rest of your miserable existence will be in agony. Soren (excluding Frey): (*quirks an eyebrow*) Are you sure about that?

Faer: (*stunned silent*) His literal cyborg bobcat "pet" Gullveig: (*growls, putting herself between Faer and the person who made the threat*) Faer: (*frowning, steps around Gullveig while meeting their eyes. Calmly*) ... I don't think you know who you're threatening. I spent a majority of my life fighting creatures far stronger than you just to survive. I'd recommend you leave before I decide to take you seriously.

Valyarus (if it's someone significantly weaker than him): (*scoffs, then magically seizes their body and drags them just an inch away from his face, snarling. Evenly, with hints of anger underlying his voice*) I'm sure you misspoke. Would you like to try that again? Valyarus (if it's someone near his level): (*can't help grinning, almost bouncing with joy; maliciously*) Oh, really? Say that again? I'm sorry--I just want to make sure I heard you correctly. Valyarus (if it's someone he knows he can't beat): (*fighting a snarl, maintains a passive expression*) Of course... forgive me, {sir / ma'am / mixter}.

Ponderosa: Who do you think you are? (*literal murder time*)

Marlon (if it's physically): (*eyes them up and down, gauging whether or not he thinks he can beat them in a fight*) Marlon (if he thinks can win): (*laughs, grinning darkly, but anger behind his eyes*) Walk out with your life while I still feel merciful. And hope I don't change my mind after you've left. Marlon (if he thinks can't win): (*subtly presses his "call Ponderosa; I'm in danger" button*) Really?... what are your conditions. (*stalls for time; will defend himself to the best of his ability if a fight starts*) Marlon (if it's political): That's bold of you... so. What makes you think this'll work?

The "someone just threatened them" one was really fun! Haha, then again, they were all pretty fun. The "I care about your safety" one was pretty much all canon scenes that were just floating around my head, so I guess it wasn't too bad to get them put down!

I'm ngl, I wasn't expecting Soren's “Freya got threatened” one to go so far, but I guess it really goes to show his fatherly protectiveness, haha. Despite his major absence in her life, he really does love her more than anything else. 🥺😭

And it's hilarious to me just how much Valyarus loves fighting / craves to fight someone or thing on his level, haha. Curious about that? Leave an ask!

Also, yes, lmao, Marlon is a mob boss and Ponderosa is his willing attack dog... 99% of the time. Curious about that? Leave an ask! 😉

What do you guys think of the formatting of these? My personal outlines are traditionally formatted like this, but I've been told before that my they can be hard to read, so I worry that might also be the case for these. 😅 But, uh, idk how else I'd put them down, haha.

Tag list: @honeybewrites @the-golden-comet @illarian-rambling @the-letterbox-archives

@yourpenpaldee @mysticstarlightduck @darkandstormydolls @wyked-ao3 @ashirisu

@urnumber1star @48lexr @aalinaaaaaa + open tags!

Sun and Shadow

Freya

(assuming it's before SaS begins--) Absolutely loves the ocean! Would create herself a little reading nook under an umbrella and right up against the waves, so the tide would occasionally sweep over her feet (while her chair keeps her and her book(s) comfortably dry)! Might even get a surfboard and try to learn how to surf--I mean she's lived by the ocean for so long! Why hasn't she learned yet? (after SaS has begun--) Terrified of the ocean and stays FAR away from the water. Much more comfortable making sure everyone else's stuff stays dry, thank you very much! Still makes a reading nook under an umbrella, though.

Crow

Has never actually been on the beach despite living their whole life in a port city! Spends at least 10 minutes in a bubble of darkness Daleira made, debating what to do, before finally deciding to enjoy the beach! Turns on their anti-curse charm to turn completely human and walks out from the shade like a boss. Acts like a little kid spending their first day on the beach. Did not listen to Freya, did not put on sunscreen, and ends up with a nasty sunburn! Turns out, even normal humans sunburn! The fuck???

Daleira

Hides under the umbrella with Freya! Was the one to make Crow's darkness bubble (and sassed anyone who questioned the giant bubble of nothingness following behind her on the way there) while they decided what to do. Tries going in the water a few times, but hates how the bubbly waves feel on her skin and fur and abandons the idea pretty quickly. Spends a majority of the time she's not under the umbrella collecting shells! Alsoooooo spends a majority of her time there cursing out the sand. Will (literally, with her magic) completely destroy every single grain of sand from everyone else's bodies before and after they leave. No grain of sand escapes. Not. One.

Valyarus

The asshole who spreads his stuff out obnoxiously far to claim as much space as possible even though it's a public beach. It's debatable whether he's doing it intentionally to piss others off or just because he's just that clueless of common decency. Spends a majority of his time sunbathing and doesn't touch the bajillion things he brought and are actively taking up beach space. Gets in an argument with someone's dad about how disrespectful he's being, but just mocks the man. Gets the cops called when the dad tries to punch him and he instead slammed the dad into the sand, knocking him unconscious. Had a great time!

Soren

Lying dead or unconscious in the sand. (Would've been the dad Valyarus knocked out, but no. He was there long before that. Hope he's okay, though!)

Grimnir

Still has every single bit of his skin covered in one type of clothing or another despite being on the hot beach. Yes, with the leather trenchcoat collar flared, turtleneck sweater, gloves, wide-brimmed hat, and one of his signature masks affixed over his face. At least he's under an umbrella. It is unknown how, but he survives the day without heatstroke. Spent a majority of his time people watching and didn't ever go in the water. Maybe he was there for a case?

The Arcane Rifts

Gene

Puts on an obscene amount of sunscreen because he did a deep-dive research on beaches before they went there. Carries out all of the suggested "beach activities". Forgets to have fun because he obsesses too much over what he "should" be doing. Also hates the feeling of the sand, the sounds of kids screaming, and so many sensory things associated with the beach that aren't commonly discussed. Isn't diagnosed with autism because "it doesn't exist" in Glavnran, so doesn't know about sensory overload and can't accommodate for it. Which is an absolute mood btw, sorry, Gene. Still gets a bad sunburn despite repeatedly putting it on every two hours even AFTER the obscene amount he started with. Screwed over by his genetics again. Dammit. Why can't he just catch a break? Oh, right, because I'm writing him.

Tazin

Spends the first half hour randomly shouting at Gene that he won't put on sunscreen and that he won't burn. Even though Gene dropped it after asking the second time. Bickers with Mislav about this exact thing. Spends a majority of his time trying to set sand on fire, testing the sand-to-fire ratio for it going out, and messing around with the waves. Actually plays in the water, hangs out with Alyona, and enjoys himself! Not that he'll admit it. Only gets a minor sunburn despite never putting on sunscreen. Gene silently seethes.

Mislav

Spends the first half hour anxiously playing with the sand to ignore his body issues and periodically shouting back at Tazin to shut up and that Gene dropped the sunscreen thing a long while ago. Eventually gets reassured by Gene that it's okay, there's nothing wrong with him, and puts on his swimming trunks to go into the water. Despite his previous worries, genuinely enjoys his time at the beach! Didn't put on sunscreen anywhere near as obsessively as Gene, but still put it on. Gets a minor sunburn. Mislav glares at Tazin in his (secret) boyfriend's stead and emphasizes with Gene for his sunburn. Picked out a bunch of pretty shells for him though! Gene appreciates that.

Ludmila

Is convinced by Gene to put on sunscreen every few hours, but spends a majority of her time under the beach umbrella. Hates the heat, and only occasionally goes into the water when urged to by Gene, Mislav, and Rada because it'll cool her down. Won't admit it, but hates that they're right. Despite everything, does enjoy herself because she got to watch everyone else have fun. Guess the "leader" thing never dies, even when you're trying to relax. Only got a very mild sunburn! Still hated the heat. Poor ice mage.

Rada

Doesn't need convincing on the sunscreen thing, because she helped Gene do the research. Figured out how to make a magical timer with rune magic before they got there and sets it to go off every two hours to remind everyone to reapply sunscreen. Only Gene fully listened, though most of the others reapplied at least once. Alternates between walking on the shore, looking for shells, and spending time with Ludmila under the umbrella. Definitely didn't sneak peeks at her two crushes while she didn't think anyone was looking. As such, she also didn't enjoy the sights and nobody had a thing to suspect about her motives for convincing everyone to go to the beach. Didn't get a sunburn. Pities Gene.

This was really fun! I would highly recommend you guys trying it out!

Tagging (with no pressure): @the-letterbox-archives @honeybewrites @yourpenpaldee @darkandstormydolls @themboty + anyone else who wants to join!

This is part 1! Check out part 2!