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love me til death Vice Captain
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 Posted: Mon Feb 03, 2025 5:47 pm
Prompt: After seeing Anika berate her younger sister (Francesca), Oliver realizes maybe he isn't as alone as he thinks he is.
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Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2025 7:44 pm
ωith: Francesca︱ ωhere: Dining Hall︱ мood: Annoyed︱ σutfit: ✖  "Talking" "Thoughts" Anika had enough to worry about without her supposed sister following her around. The good thing about Nayeni is that she knew when to give the Princess some much-needed space. However, Francesca knew Anika wanted to get away from her and simply didn’t seem to care. It was bad enough that her father didn’t trust Anika enough that he had sent Marcello but sending Tweedle Idiot? It was a slap to the face. Worse than that, it was a sign that even after all the tests and hurdles that Anika had jumped through, she didn’t wasn’t enough for Musique. Anika knew deep down that her father felt that Anika’s heart wasn’t into it, but she didn’t have much of a choice. Leaving the kingdom to either of her siblings would surely leave the kingdom in ruins, and after all the hard work she had put into Musique, she couldn’t just abandon her people. " Don’t you ever take a break?" Anika turned to the girl, sighing in frustration, " I’m trying to eat with my friends. Can’t you go and find some of your own?" She pointed to Nayeni, a singular friend, yes, but Anika didn’t like having to share her with anyone else. Plus, there was the chance that Gabriel could join them as well, given that he was taking his promise of friendship to her seriously. But she found herself doubting he would show. Anika didn’t understand what this woman wanted from her. The princess felt she had made her feelings of hatred quite clear, but the fake princess still insisted on trying to socialize with Anika. Being around Francesca managed to bring out the worst in her. Her traits reminded her too much of her own and not in a good way. There was only one Anika, there was no need for any knockoff. " There’s no need for you to be here. The faster you get that out in your head the better, false princess." She whispered before noticing piercing blue eyes staring at her a few tables over. Of course, her love’s brother was stalking her, watching her. Her talks with Syena made her realize how useless their siblings were, another thing they had in common as they attempted to keep their respective countries afloat. All Anika wanted to do was eat her lunch with her friends in peace, and here were Dum and Dee making her life harder. Her request for her friends to be hers felt fair to her after all, she and Gabriel had been friends since childhood, and Nayeni was her best friend. It wasn't her fault the twit had no friends. She was choosing to live in her shadow like a leech. A gross, disgusting leech that Anika intended to peel off and crush with her heel. OOC:
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love me til death Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2025 12:54 pm
   ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ᴍᴏᴏᴅ ➢ regretful, angry ◆◆
ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ➢ Utopia ◆◆ ᴍʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴʏ ➢ Anika > no one ◆◆
ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ➢ Marcello, Nayeni ◆◆
ᴀʟʟ ᴅʀᴇꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ➢ white and red dress, sandals ◆◆ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ᴇᴀʀꜱ ➢ meet the plastics
talking - thinking
Anika talking
When she was face to face with her sperm donor she had not considered what it would be like to have to associate with her siblings let alone live with them. Though she did not know them, she used to not like them. They were a representation of her father’s cruelty and believed they would be just as bad as he was. So when she first met Marcello so many years ago she realized, at least for him, she had it wrong and had done nothing to deserve her ire.
Then there was her sister. Her name was Anika and she may not have been the considerate, mature, picture-perfect princess Musique wanted - nay deserved, but…
That’s it.
"I’m trying to eat with my friends. Can’t you go and find some of your own?"
She thrust her hand out in Nayeni’s direction in response to Anika’s remark, but she knew what lint licker was getting at. Sweet Nayeni was friends with both of them. What appeal her friend saw in her sister she did not know, but it left her with a feeling of unease in her stomach. For her sake, she only glared at her half-sister and tried to focus on her breathing. She could huff and puff all she wanted. The spoiled brat wasn’t going to get her way.
“There’s no need for you to be here. The faster you get that out in your head the better, false princess."
Nevermind. Francesca was about ready to lunge over the table and let violent fantasies fuel what would come after. “I’m sorry!” She said loudly, pointedly, her brown eyes staring her down. “You want to speak up with that ‘false princess crap’, Allison? You were talking just fine earlier, what happened?” Fran inquired in her low-pitch, purposely using the wrong name.
“But I’ll do you this favor and cut out before our father gets your brittle-a** hair overnighted. It’s what sisters do for each other, right?” She curved her lips into a wide, bubbly smile of The Musiquian princess did not like being connected to Anika by blood either, but it was a fact she had no problem embarrassing her with. She stood from the table with her back and without little care for taking her lunch with her. She wasn’t hungry, they could have it. As a matter of fact… Francesca picked up the flute glass that held her barely sipped mimosa, and leaned over to pour it into Anika’s lunch. “Enjoy your lunch.”
As much as she wanted to drag Yeni with her, she wasn’t about to put her in the middle of her fight with Anika. She walked out of the lunch room but had a parting word for her. “Watch out for the snake’s fangs, Yeni-boo.”
She walked down the halls, taking whatever turn looked promising, doing it until she felt there was enough distance between her, Anika, that dining room, and anyone else who happened to be in the halls. Francesca threw her bag down and it made a heavy thud, complements of the five-pound brick she kept at the bottom of it. With the door of the randomly selected room closed, she crouched down and tucked her face into her knees to muffle the scream of frustration she couldn’t hold in any longer. Her eyes burned and she squeezed them shut to try and stop them from watering up but it was no use. She sniffled and focused on her breathing, taking deep inhales to at least stop herself from wailing again. It wasn’t her first rodeo with tacky mean girls but Anika was a different type, someone more personal.
If she was back at home, she knew it would be easier, more fulfilling. She could be practicing a new song for an upcoming show, or basking in the warm sunlight with people she missed. Some of those people weren’t even alive anymore, dead from the war that her careless father could have done more to prevent. When he died, Anika was expected to take his place. There’d be no hope left for them. She’d be just like their dad, with an added flare of “let them eat cake.”
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Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2025 7:48 pm
   LOCATION: Dining Hall-> Hallway xxx COMPANY: Fran xxx CLOTHING: x
"Speaking #AAAAFF""Thinking #749dc3"
The Dining Hall often left Oliver feeling like he would rather eat alone in his room, but it was nice to eat with his sister given she was distracted with some practice or wandering the hallways. Today unfortunately was one of the days he found himself wondering where she could have wandered off after just seeing her in class moments ago, she had managed to invade the current uproar in the hall. One of the two was someone he was familiar with, his brother’s ex-fiancé, a pretty face but a scary one. The other was pretty as well but she had much softer features making her appear more docile and sweeter.
Based on the way the two were bickering it was clear they were familiar with one another. The way Anika was treating the stranger reminded him of how Syena would speak to him in private. Oliver wasn’t sure if it was better having a sibling that preferred to keep his fights in the shadows or if it would have been any better airing your dirty laundry to the public, but it appeared Anika had no regard to the matter. It made sense why Syena was no longer engaged to her, a girl like that would have been terrible for the perfect image he spent so much time to maintain.
A small rise of panic arose as he made eye contact with the Princess only for her to shoot him a glare in response. Oliver attempted to look away but was quick to look back at the action once the other girl started firing back, ’ Good for her,' the prince thought to himself doing a small smile as he watched the conversation start to reach it’s climax as the woman raised her glass above Anika’s lunch and poured it all over. The look on the princess’ face appeared as though she was ready to beat the woman where she stood, thankfully she was prepared to make her exit.
As the woman left Oliver found himself drawn to her, ' False princess, and who made Anika queen of the universe. Maybe she and Syena had more in common than I thought.' He thought throwing his lunch away and chasing after the mystery girl. If that was the case Oliver would be happy to finally have a friend here that wasn’t his sister. Things between him and Ophelia were still rocky at best given that Syena had made his thoughts on their relationship rather clear leaving Oliver to have to give the girl space for her safety.
There was a quiet sound of sobbing he heard as he walked behind the girl, wanting to get her attention but unsure how given he didn’t know her name. When the girl entered a random room, Oliver debated whether he should continue to follow. He was already being accused of adultery, being a stalker would just add more to his rap sheet. But he had already made it this far and the idea that this could be someone who might actually understand what he is going through helped guide him through the door, pulling the doorknob and walking into the room to find the stranger on the floor curled up in a ball.
” That was quite the performance you just gave.” He spoke, giving a small chuckle to hide how uncomfortable he was. ” I don’t know how you can manage to be sisters with someone like her, my brother is the same. It’s not easy to live in such a huge shadow.” Oliver kept speaking to fill the void but feared he might only make the problem worse. He debated on whether or not it was appropriate for him to crouch as well but feared that might be seen as more demeaning than kind.
Instead, Oliver just let himself plop to the floor in front of the door so no one else could enter without having to get through him. ” I’m sorry, I should have introduced myself. I’m Oliver. I don’t mean to seem like a crazy fan, but I just heard what she said to you and wanted to make sure you were okay.” He admitted releasing a sigh to help him feel more at ease about the situation.
OOC:
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love me til death Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2025 3:03 pm
ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ᴍᴏᴏᴅ ➢ regretful, angry ◆◆
ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ➢ Utopia ◆◆ ᴍʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴʏ ➢ Anika > no one ◆◆
ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ➢ Marcello, Nayeni ◆◆
ᴀʟʟ ᴅʀᴇꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ➢ white and red dress, sandals ◆◆ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ᴇᴀʀꜱ ➢ It's BANANAS! B-A-N-A-N-A-S!
talking - thinking
Francesca believed that she was the only one in the room. She didn’t even hear the door open. She was so consumed with trying to cool her jets and so that she didn’t kidney punch her wicked step-sister next time she saw her. So when she heard an amused-sounding comment on what had happened, her upper body straightened and she turned her head in the voice’s direction. There stood a guy around her age, a foot taller if she was guessing with a smooth face and angular jaw. He looked familiar, but could recall nothing about him outside of the fact she had seen him around school. Her breath hitched and she sniffled after. “If that’s what you call a performance I can always show you one better.” Fran scoffed. She could have done worse to Anika, and wondered if she should have. If Nayeni weren’t there, she absolutely would have.
Fran brushed back the locks of curls that blocked her vision, then shook her head. “You can’t pick them when your father is a king.” Sure, maybe she shouldn’t have let that part slip out, but what did it matter? Like half of the school was some prince or princess. “More like an inflated shadow. Doubt she did anything meaningful to deserve it.” She mumbled, though not low enough that he couldn’t hear it. Her bottom lip found its way between her teeth and she bit down in annoyance of the fact Oliver was spitting out.
She watched as he made a place for himself at the door. He was a distraction from her previous thoughts, the longing for Arioso and the sense of despair at the thought of Anika leading Musique further into chaos. Who was this man and what was his deal?
He introduced himself as Oliver. Fran turned in place to face him and sat down, extending her legs and crossing one over the other. She didn’t feel like moving, but she also wasn’t looking to somehow accidentally give him a taste of her phenomenal dust. She already did that once recently, and didn’t like making it a habit. “The name’s Francesca but I go by Fran. Old lady name I know but I make it sound good.” She replied with a grin and brushed her fingers over her lower eyelid to wipe the remaining tears from earlier. She sighed audibly. “Mighty kind of you to come check in on me, Oliver. You do this for all the girls you find crying?”
“I’ll be okay. It's the same s**t different day with her. She’s just mad she’s not the center of attention anymore.” She was aware she cursed, which wasn’t “lady like” according to her mom and the palace advisors, but decided to refrain from it for the moment. Francesca wasn’t the only princess, wasn’t the only friend to Nayeni, wasn’t the only option for Musique’s future. She could come up with more but thinking about Anika was too exhausting, and it had only been the timespan of minutes between her starting something and the conversation at hand. ”As far as you being a crazy fan goes, we’ll have to see about that.” She joked. Oliver did not seem crazy. Then again, most crazy people probably never did in the beginning.
“You said you had a brother that’s just as bad as my sister?” She asked him. “Does he walk around thinking everyone’s trying to get her autograph too?”
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Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2025 2:10 pm
LOCATION: Utopia xxx COMPANY: Fran xxx CLOTHING: x
"Speaking #AAAAFF""Thinking #749dc3"
The Musique princess took Oliver by surprise. Unlike him, she wasn’t afraid of her older sibling, which was saying something because her death stares made the prince shiver almost as much as thinking about the night with Syena. Well, almost as much. He wasn’t sure about her combat abilities, but her venom was enough to keep his distance. The brunette’s offer at a better showed that she was unafraid of her sister, something Oliver wished he could say about his brother.
” Hard to argue with you there.” Oliver nodded along to the girl’s comment about fathers. Oliver never knew his biological parents and it was hard to say that his adoptive father was his but his mother was. She always doted on him and looked after him. Something he had never fully appreciated before coming to Utopia. Not knowing much about Anika outside of her broken-off engagement to his brother it was hard to say if the beautiful woman beside him was telling the truth but given what he had seen he was more inclined to believe her than the vapid b***h.
Oliver smiled at her introduction only to lead into a nervous chuckle at the end, ” A habit? Not at all. Just trying to do the right thing I suppose. It’s hard what that is here though.” His confidence about the matter was already fading. It seemed like he had a habit of surrounding himself with crying women as of late, but it wasn’t intentional. His relationship with Ophelia was complicated at best due to his brother’s words haunting him if he looked so much in the light duchess’ direction.
Thankfully Fran was quick to switch topics, returning to one he was more knowledgeable about, terrible siblings. It appeared that her sister’s habits were far different than Syena’s as he preferred to do his dirty work in the shadows, but it was hard to say which was worse. Thinking back to the night the prince had been locked in his cage he knew the answer, but Fran’s might be different. There were worse things than being forced to marry a pretty princess after all. Even if the attraction appeared to be nonexistent on both sides.
When the conversation made its way back to him Oliver knew he needed to tread carefully. While he wanted to trust this new companion there was no way he could ensure she wouldn’t say something to someone else about the two-faced prince. He had barely made his way out of their last confrontation and Oliver feared more about what would happen to those he cared about like Willow and Ophelia if he stepped out of line again. ” Syena? No. The man cares too much about his image to perform like that. Although it would be funny to see him wear a gown and sing a few tunes.” He laughed a minute at the thought.
There was something that still bothered him about this though. Anika’s comment from earlier, if the two had the same parents, then why was she making such a fuss? Not that the woman’s rants needed to make sense, he had heard rumors that she had cursed out multiple staff already for senseless things like her pillows not being fluffed. ” If you have the same father why does she treat you so poorly? Shouldn’t you both be on the same pedestal?” Oliver hoped he wasn’t prying too heavily with his question but seeing how poorly she was regarded by her flesh and blood left room for many questions.
OOC:
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love me til death Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2025 1:53 pm
ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ᴍᴏᴏᴅ ➢ calmer, cautious ◆◆
ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ➢ Utopia ◆◆ ᴍʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴʏ ➢ Oliver ◆◆
ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ➢ Anika, Marcello ◆◆
ᴀʟʟ ᴅʀᴇꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ➢ white and red dress, sandals ◆◆ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ᴇᴀʀꜱ ➢ It's BANANAS! B-A-N-A-N-A-S!
talking - thinking
She took notice on how Oliver confirmed her remark about not being able to choose the parents one was born of. It could have been nothing more than a statement of fact but it left her internally questioning if there was more to it. While being a royal or from nobility had its own set of problems, they were still similar to common folk in that they all had the same chances of being dropped by the stork to great, average, or bad parents. In her case, she at least got the woman who was her mother.
Francesca exhaled and made a lopsided smile to his chuckle. ”Yeah well don’t stop doing that then. She spoke with a warmness in her words, then let out a small laugh herself. Gods know we need more of that around here and every little bit helps. She toyed briefly with the wide bangle on one wrist and turned it to the way she meant to wear it. She was still getting to know some of the other people here and while some were up to scratch, others gave her a bad vibe. Rumors didn’t help either.
Her eyes locked on Oliver when he uttered a familiar name. She could make a two-point bullet point list of things about him and point him out in a crowd but did not know him personally. Syena was kin to Oliver and that was the more interesting part. Before she could comment she let out a laugh of her own and covered her mouth with the back of her hand. The tall, bulky man decked out in chiffon, lace, and the best makeup money could buy, under a spotlight serenading an awe-struck audience with his love songs. ”If he did, he and Anika could duet and have a traveling show. I’d actually make an effort to see that.”
Oliver’s brother and her sister used to be engaged to one another. It left her feeling kinda sad for the other Musician heir. If Oliver’s sentiments and her observations were to be believed, their engagement was doomed from the start. Francesa almost wondered if she should stop being so cruel by throwing it in Anika’s face during their more heated moments. Almost.
“Sounds exhausting for you to have to deal with. It’s not even your image. Why is he so worried about it?” She questioned while tapping her fingers on her jawline. Her sister too was protective of her image, far more than Fancesca was for the both of theirs. She understood that it was important to have a respectful one but had always been bothered at the process of manicuring them. If Oliver chose not to entertain her inquiry she’d save it for another day.
Now it was her turn to let out a nervous chuckle. His question was a good one and she had an answer for it. Another one of those details that could damage an image, at least that was how it was explained to her. Francesca saw through the lie the palace officials tried to weave when she first came on the scene. ‘For your protection’ meant ‘For the crown’s protection.’ Her father knew of her existence and ignored her her whole life, and she wasn’t going to let him do it anymore, not even to appease her sister's fee-fees or anyone else in Musique. ”Because up until six months ago I didn’t exist.” Fran rolled her eyes and put a hand on her hip. ”We don’t have the same Mother. Dear Father had an affair with my common-folk mom then went out for milk the moment he found out about me.” That detail still stung a little even today but it didn’t make it less false. With her free hand she reached out and gently touched the chain of the necklace where a cluster of pearls hung, then put her hand down seconds later. ”We’re on the same pedestal now at least on the outside. His reputation can’t handle any more holes after how he handled the war. Marcello never had a problem with it, but Anika... well, you know how she is.”
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Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2025 4:26 pm
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love me til death Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2025 3:22 am
ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ᴍᴏᴏᴅ ➢ curious, cautious ◆◆
ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ➢ Utopia ◆◆ ᴍʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴʏ ➢ Oliver ◆◆
ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ➢ Anika, Syena, Marcello, Nayeni ◆◆
ᴀʟʟ ᴅʀᴇꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ➢ white and red dress, sandals
talking - thinking
The conversation gave Francesca an opportunity to wonder if there were others in the same predicament as Oliver and herself. There had to be, maybe not in each kingdom’s royal family but a good portion of them at least. How many of them were there having to suffer unnecessarily at the hands of a tyrannical family member? She pulled her knees up to her chest and crossed her arms around them.
There was something in the way the Windurian Prince spoke about being royalty that caught her ear. ”Were you not always royal?” Fran leaned her head forward and looked at him. Royal for him, in comparison to what? Even if that was not the case, he was not wrong in his assumption. She had similar sentiments. ”It’s like you’re expected to always be ‘on’ at all times. ‘YoU cAn’T wEaR tHaT’ or ‘yOu CaN’t SpEaK LiKe ThAt, YoU’rE a PrInCeSs.’ There’s so many rules and they’re so quick to correct if a bloody curtsey ain’t perfect.” She puffed out her cheeks and let out a disgruntled groan.
She had to chortle at Oliver’s blunt response about Anika and their father. An exacerbated sigh escaped her after. ”They really are. Fran had developed that suspicion about her father long before she met him, and he confirmed after the first Musique invasion, then confirmed it again during their very first face-to-face meeting. She couldn’t imagine telling a child, one of their own flesh and blood, that their mere existence was automatically embarrassing to their already not-so-stellar reputation. Anika proved Oliver right with every word that came out of her mouth. ”There’s no probably about it. She is jealous. She can keep on being it too. She can swan dive right off the pedestal while she’s at it. I’m not going anywhere.” Jealous hussies were a dime a dozen, especially in the theater community. One couldn’t go a week without hearing about how one slighted another. She had her fair share over the years. This Oliver really seemed to understand what type of laundry basket her life had been thrown into.
Fran ran her tongue along her top row of teeth then focused eyes on him. ”Is that the situation you have with Syena? Jealousy? Is he one of those ‘cute but dumb’ type dudes?” She cracked a joke his way. If the other Windurian Prince had the smarts to date Anika, even after their engagement was broken up, were they really smart to begin with? She tapped her fingernails against the skin of her arms. Had Marcello not been the kind, dependable brother he was in all of their years knowing each other, she didn’t know what she would do outside of going to princess jail for a double homicide. Nayeni too. She knew the duchess long before she became princess. ”Is it just you and your brother for your Kingdom? You got another brother or sister?"
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Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2025 6:32 pm
LOCATION: Hallway xxx COMPANY: Fran xxx CLOTHING: x
"Speaking #AAAAFF""Thinking #749dc3"
There was the question he had been dreading. About his story, not that he remembered most of it. Most of his life had been spent in the castle, it was a surprise to see someone from his past here but once he saw Flora it came all flooding back about his time in the orphanage. The reminder was enough to tell him that he needed to stay in line unless he wanted to end up back on the streets. Or worse, hurt the people he cared about.
Still, knowing how lucky he should feel to be here he could help but want more. Despite having so much power, it came with very little freedom and he didn’t much about how to rule a nation. It would be better for everyone involved if his engagement was dissolved but after his “talk” with Syena, Oliver knew that wasn’t happening. His feelings about the matter mattered none, all that mattered was that he was a body to occupy more territory and help Winduria rise above the rest. This idea of them all being peaceful was absolute nonsense.
Seeing Anika and Francesca together cemented this idea when Oliver realized it wasn’t just his own nation that was struggling to keep the peace within its nation much less maintain it anywhere else. It was nice to hear about the princess’ struggles as they just helped Oliver realize how stupid his own were. He had his whole life laid out for him all he had to do was follow it. Instead, he intended to destroy others in the name of getting something he would never have. It was wrong of him to want anything else.
Chuckling at her response for a brief moment, Oliver thought about what Syena’s deal was. Outside of him just being annoyingly perfect at everything and terrible to him, there wasn’t a great way to describe their relationship. ” I suppose we should start with me being adopted,” It was a soft start, and most royals knew this already by looking at his siblings and then him, he smiled and laughed a bit more thinking about the potential confusion. Oliver was unsure what to say next though, not wanting to reveal too much to someone outside their family, ” I was a gift to my mother when I was a kid after the princess disappeared.” An abridged retelling of events but she didn’t need to know about how he was picked and how his father hoped he would be stronger than Syena one day only to fall behind each time.
” My mother loves me deeply. Never lets me out of her sight. I feel like I never managed to get my father’s approval, but my mother made up for it tenfold. Syena, however, was different. He’s perfect, nothing could ever touch him. If anyone is jealous, it’s me.” Oliver sighed at the end of his small speech, it was tough for him to admit it but the fact was that Syena never seemed to make any negative waves whatsoever, even when he was cruel it was all so that their family would stay in the positive light. Oliver was the one who kept putting everyone in harm’s way each time.
It was easier with the shades on before he realized how important it was for him to just follow the road that was paved for him. Now, he knew that every conversation was a test to see if he had learned, and he had. His eyes started to swell thinking about how awful he had been as of late, ” All I have to do is get married to my pretty fiance and rule over a kingdom. But I’m still not content. Isn’t that pathetic? He pushed his hands against his face to hide any potential tears from forming, ” I am so obsessed with being the victim I went and fell in love with someone else and ended up hurting them too. I’m honestly the worst.”
OOC:
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love me til death Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2025 8:52 pm
ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ᴍᴏᴏᴅ ➢ sympathetic, sad, woahed ◆◆
ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ➢ Utopia ◆◆ ᴍʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴʏ ➢ Oliver ◆◆
ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ➢ Anika, Syena, Marcello, Gwen and Ophelia (not by name) ◆◆
ᴀʟʟ ᴅʀᴇꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ➢ white and red dress, sandals
talking - thinking
Her suspicion was correct but it wasn’t any less surprising to Fran. With the way courts were obsessed with bloodlines, adoption would not have been in her top guesses. She kept mum and watched with curiosity as Oliver paced out an answer to such a personal question. Her brows perked up to the way he worded his adoption. He was gifted, like a piece of jewelry or a new puppy to console a distraught queen. It wasn’t entirely unheard, just new. To her. ’Royals really know how to do things differently…’ She wanted to ask about the missing princess, but stuck a pin in it for another time.
Fran put the top of her hand under her chin and kept her eyes on the fellow prince a short distance away from her. He spoke of his mom in the same way she would speak of her own. A father’s love and approval was hard to find, so mom had to be both mom and dad. Fran couldn’t speak for her dark-haired friend but knowing what she knew now about the man, she believed she was better off. It did not take away the old childhood pain, though. When he got to the part about his brother, she saw how off she was on her assumption of Syena. ‘Perfect’ was his word of choice. So much so it had Oliver professing some jealousy. What a mystery, this Syena.
Could she be jealous of Anika and Marcello? Yes, as much as she hated to admit that. She was no different than a stray in her father’s eyes, and Anika believed no different. Marcello was the first and only one of them that gave enough of a damn about her to seek her out all those years ago. It was enough to quell some of the frustration she carried about being ignored.
Francesca started to say something, and to ask Oliver what about Syena’s ‘perfection’ he most sought after, but he beat her to it. At least, that’s what it sounded like. Her question seemed to open the emotional floodgates for him, and like water his woe-filled words fell from his mouth and into the air between them. She vented her frustrations earlier, ands he was a class act to not only come check on her but let her do it and she was more than happy to do the same for him. This though… felt layered, complex.
”No… not really.” Oliver described things she believed many in Utopia could only dream of achieving, even her in some ways. There was no joy to be found in his words though. Francesca’s lips twitched into a small frown. ”It’s not pathetic. That sounds like a perfect life but if you’re not happy then it’s not all that perfect now is it?”
Then he covered his face and she knew what that meant. Boy’s emotional cup was full and he was about to spill over. As Oliver spoke, Fran changed her position and crawled closer to him, taking the space against the door adjacent to the one he had been sitting against the entire time. Her ears were still perked from the one word she had a feeling would explain some of his discontent. That factor made whatever Oliver was going through sound even messier. ”You at least know you messed up. The worst would be acting like you did nothing wrong.” It felt like a small concession to the iceberg of a situation he was in, but a right one. He had a fiancée and a lover, and if the fiancée wasn’t hurt yet, she’d be in the same boat as the lover in due time. Things like that always seem to have a way of coming out. Unless Fiancée already knew. Her guess was that she didn’t. Fran leaned her head back against the door and turned to look at Oliver. ”But since you do know, what do you think you’re going to do?”… or what do you want to do?”
Francesca looked up at the ceiling as she recalled a script that Oliver’s situation reminded her of. She frowned, but then fixed her face and looked back to him. ”There’s a play I auditioned for where the leading male role had to choose between his kingdom and a woman he loved from another kingdom. You kind of remind me of him… but it didn’t end well.” she was familiar with the whole ‘ life imitates art’ deal. She hoped, at least for Oliver and those he loved, his predicament would not do the same.
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Posted: Sun May 11, 2025 5:43 pm
LOCATION: Hallway xxx COMPANY: Fran xxx CLOTHING: x
"Speaking #AAAAFF""Thinking #749dc3"
Here was the crushing weight of reality. Oliver knew he had nothing to complain about. No reason for his unhappiness, but alas, he couldn’t hold back anymore. He wanted to be free from all of it. No more expectations of how he should act or treat others. No fiancées for him to have to marry. Just him and Ophelia. Or whoever caught his fancy. It was the fact that he couldn’t even be sure that he and Ophelia would work, for all their ups, they had just as many downs, that made Oliver fear they would never find happiness.
He expected Francesca to slap him or ask him to leave for his selfishness, but she didn’t. Instead, she responded with sympathy, something Oliver had long since forgotten since coming to Utopia. As the hands remained pressed against his face, he started to feel the tears fall down his face. There was no stopping the water and snot from dripping down his face. This was the side he wanted no one to see, and no one ever did. As much as he whined and complained, he never wanted anyone to see him cry.
” Please don’t look at me.” He whispered through the tears, ” I don’t want anyone to see me and pity me more than they already have to.” That was the best explanation he could come up with for his request. It wasn’t his masculinity he cared about more than if Syena heard he had disgraced the kingdom again, it would have dire consequences for more than just him. It wasn’t just him to worry about anymore; now that Francesca had seen him like this, she was at risk too.
Thinking of a response to her question, Oliver felt his heart start to race. It was like he couldn’t breathe; it was going so fast. Was it possible for him to have a heart attack before he even got married? Would the way he escaped from all this be death? His brother would imply it was a coward’s way out, but he didn’t know what else to do as the air seemingly got thinner between the two of them.
Focusing mainly on his breathing, he couldn’t hear much else of what she was saying outside of the ending. Not ending well had a perfect fit to his demise. A pained laughter escaped him as he released his face in a pitiful attempt to try and get more air. ” Can I truly love a kingdom if it feels like a prison? He questioned through the sobs. Shallow breaths were the only thing keeping him grounded for the time being.
But after some time, those started to hurt as well, leading him to start coughing. ” I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I fear I may be dying, but only time may tell.” As he spoke, a panicked laughter followed him, only to be immediately followed by a cough. The pitter-patter of his heart never ceased, only increasing in volume as he thought about his impending death. ” Is it possible to have a heart attack in your early twenties?” He looked at the girl with his sorrowful eyes and snot-filled face, hoping the answer was “no.”
OOC: My boy is having his very first panic attack.
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love me til death Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat May 31, 2025 1:42 pm
ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ᴍᴏᴏᴅ ➢ sympathetic, concerned
ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ➢ Utopia
ᴍʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴʏ ➢ Oliver
ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ➢ Anika, Ophelia (not by name)
ᴀʟʟ ᴅʀᴇꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ➢ white and red dress, sandals
talking - thinking
When he asked that she not look at him, Fran turned her head straight and leaned her head back and up against the door. Oliver had nothing left in him to keep the tears from falling and she couldn’t help but to frown at the thought of how heavy it all must have been for him. ”They won’t get far if they tried coming in here.” She couldn’t make any promises that someone would try to come into the room they were in; they ended up, after all, in the room themselves. What she could do if it came down to it was put herself between one nosy classmate and the distraught Oliver she was sitting with. Not something she was anticipating but the option was there.
The pained laughter that Oliver let out had her slowly turning her head with worry at what she was going to find there. ”Can I truly love a kingdom if it feels like a prison?” Francesca heard his question but shifted it to the backburner in favor of addressing him and what he had devolved into so quickly. She could see his face now but it was what he was not doing well that had her pause.
He didn’t want her to see him like this but was going to just have to suck it up and deal with it now. Fran turned her body to face him and reached out, one hand going to the back of his shoulder while the other put a gentle pressure on the front side. ”Hey, focus on breathing, fluffmop...” She shot him a small grin before focusing her eyes on his, smoothing her expression so that she wasn’t giving him some unintended resting b***h face. Her next couple of breaths were deeper and audible and she silently asked him with a look for him to copy her.
Fran leaned her head from side to side before answering his question. ”You’re not dying, Oliver. Not today. You’re having a–” She stopped herself and peered at him. Had he never…? ”No wonder you think you’re dying. You’re having a panic attack. They’re the worst but I’ve never known anyone to die from one.” If he happened to die right there on the spot from it, she knew Anika wouldn’t waste the opportunity to spin his death against her.
”’Love’ wouldn’t be the word I’d use for that situation, babe.” She said gently after several seconds. Fran thought of her beloved Arioso and how she came to love it by growing up there. She was raised in the shoes of a subject, not royalty despite being it. It was still how she viewed herself most days. Oliver, from what little time she had gotten to know him, sounded impossibly trapped. ”...It’s not an honest love if you feel that way.” She gave a shrug of her shoulders. That was her guess. It was like how her pheromones could fool someone into believing they were in love. It could only be true for so long before the effects wore off. The love had long faded away for him by the sound of it.
”What’s your girlfriend like?” She asked. It was still her being nosy, but if he spoke about her maybe it would help him calm down more too.
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Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2025 6:01 pm
LOCATION: Hallway xxx COMPANY: Fran xxx CLOTHING: x
"Speaking #AAAAFF""Thinking #749dc3"
As her hand shook his shoulder a bit, he couldn’t help but focus more on the eyes of the girl who barely knew him. A stranger couldn't be this kind to him. Unless it was because he was a stranger. She had yet to learn about his failures. This was a good start, having her see him at his worst. Next time he could invite her to see one of his duels and she could laugh as he fell on his a** over and over again. Still, he was just happy someone was seeing him for once; it had been so long since he felt truly seen.
Even Ophelia put him on a pedestal. Something he thought he enjoyed until he realized he could never be the man she wanted him to be. Not unless he wasn’t her man. A painful thought, causing him to struggle for breath, another moment before focusing on the dark brown locks of the girl in front of him. He needed to focus on the present before he lost himself entirely. It was hard when there were so many what-ifs, but he couldn’t stop himself from wondering.
A panic attack. Yes. He had heard of those before. Never thought he could get them. He didn’t even have anxiety. Did he?
” Oh. Right. That makes sense.” He laughed again, thinking about how silly he must seem. Immature, too, having never cried in front of anyone besides his family and Ophelia. His brother made sure to help him understand how his emotions made him a lesser man, and Oliver did his best to hide them in public, but this encounter was a clear sign that he had plenty to work on in that department.
As she explained how he was trapped, Oliver couldn’t help but think about how Fran felt about Musique. Given the difference in their situations, it was possible that the woman still had quite a bit of pride for her nation. Something Oliver desperately wanted to have himself, but was sure it would never happen due to all the hurt and damage that had transpired. His best start was a fresh start with Gwen in Ulium, as much as that was a tough pill to swallow.
The mention of his girlfriend was enough to leave him a bit flustered. Surprised she had wanted to hear more about her, given how adulterous it was to have her to begin with. ” My g-girlfriend?” He asked, wondering if she really wanted to know or was just being kind for the sake of saying she was a nice person. Either way, he couldn’t help but think about the girl’s smiling face the first time they had met. ” She has the most majestic smile you could ever imagine.” he found himself smiling as he spoke, his heartbeat starting to slow the more he thought about their firsts. Drying his eyes, he was happy the tears had finally stopped flowing.
The next memory was of their first kiss when he had rescued her from the tree that was crushing her. The way he found himself wanting to be stronger, just so he could take care of her. ” She makes me want to be the man she believes I am. Despite my not being close to that man at all.” Oliver looked to see if the girl beside him was still listening or if he had lost her, shocked to find she was still smiling next to him. ” I feel much better. I am not sure what happened to me, but I would appreciate it if this could just be our little secret for now.” He gave her a small smile as he brought his finger to his lips.
OOC:
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love me til death Vice Captain
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